(no subject)

[novapsyche]

My friend twoofdtm posted about one of her piercings, which got me to thinking.

I have two ear piercings, but I cannot contemplate getting anything more. Also, I am very averse to acquiring a tattoo. I think my feelings toward both of these are related, but it's visceral so it's hard for me to give a logical reason why I feel the way I do.

Do you have piercings or tattoos? If so, how many? Either way, what would drive you to get them or to stay away?

Comments

ya wanna list?

[m0n90053.livejournal.com]

Piercings:

Left ear:
12 starting from the lobe up the outer edge; for several years, I have only worn anything in the lower 3 or 4 at most, but I check occasionally on the rest to make sure that they are still open and cleaned-out
1 on the little tab that sticks out and I don't know what it's called, that I don't wear anymore because it migrated too close to the front/outer edge; I think about repiercing it every once in a while
1 in the upper broad are, front to back, which is about ½ inch and took about 6 months to heal completely, getting infected at least 3 times in the process; 10-gauge barbell
1 in the lower well, inside to outside; don't often wear anything there, and not sure it's still open

Right ear:
3 from lobe up
1 top to bottom on the upper inside ridge
1 on the lower inner ridge, just before it breaks down to the lower part of the opening

Nose:
2 left nostril, 1 right nostril

Nipples:
both pierced, no longer wear anything in them because holes migrated outward

Penis:
2 Prince Alberts, the first of which was too near the end and started migrating; no general problems with either even though I have worn nothing in them for years, but the first leaks if I don't cover it when I urinate, which is why I normally do so sitting down
Frenums: don't recall the count off the top of my head because I did most of them a bit shallow and so again have not worn anything there for years, but I think 7
Head: if you put your right thumbnail perpendicular to the cuticle of your left thumbnail, and then mark off 3 approximately evenly-spaced locations between there and where the cuticle starts the dramatic curve, those 3 places would be where I'm pierced. Not wearing anything there

Tattoos:

Back of left hand: Coyote, my prime totem animal, and my RRB artist's chop
Left pinkie, continuing twice around left wrist:
a braid which calls to mind Roger Zelazny's character Merlin of Amber's artifact Frakir
Left wrist: in the inch or so between the two loops of the braid, a Celtic/tribal type pattern
Left wrist/forearm: a newsprint-fade pattern which I like to think of as moving from dark to light
Left palm: a gecko (second totem animal); half-framed by the curve of his tail, a blank question mark on a dark ovoid background
'Bottoms' of fingers of left hand: on each, 5 straight lines forming a rough triangle, pointing toward the tip; these are meant to act as 'diodes' for energy, reminding me that if I only draw power with my left and and only release it with my right, I'm bound to get caught up short sometime when I'm not able to use one or the other

Left ankle/calf: a dragonscale pattern which I hope to one day do in color and extend up the leg to the front of the thigh; it circles the ankle and after several rows up starts the split which will continue as a dragon if I ever complete it
Left ankle, in the heel section below and behind the bone: the one tat I copied from another source, 2 eyes, nose, and smiling mouth
Left calf, above the knee: 2 lines approximately parallel, about 1 ½ inches long, which commemorate my experimenting with Eskimo tradition of needle and sinew (I used thread)

Right leg: on the knee, what started out as sort of a labyrinth but has over the years smudged out so that it looks vaguely Nordic; above this, a tribal pattern which didn't particularly mean anything when I first drew it, but now (again, if I ever get to it, and color) will be a stylized phoenix; three spaces in the 'body' are occupied by crosses, one by a spider (third totem animal) hanging from a web; below the spider, an infinity symbol; below the knee thing, a recycle symbol

Right wrist: 2 lines of text; top band says Justify my love... Do me, Baby!, lower band says Just do it. Just do it. Just do me.
Right upper arm, just above elbow: a large BandAid™-type strip bandage

So far, I've done all my work myself.

Re: ya wanna list?

[m0n90053.livejournal.com]

And I ran outta room...

Reasons for wanting my totem animals close to obvious. (Still haven't added snake and cockroach.)
'Frakir' and newsprint fade fall close to that.
'Diodes' were a creative way of handling energy flow and discipline, which being something of a chaotic I always have to remind myself is still important.
Phoenix and dragon as archetypes.
Bandage had to do with trying to deal with years-old social/romantic trauma that had left me thinking I was never going to learn how to interact with others, particularly women, particularly romantically.
Most if not all of my piercings had something to do with concepts stated above of internalizing pain initially created externally, taking it and having control of it; some people call it mutilation, I'm on the side of those who consider it decoration. And it's MINE!