It all started with Strangeland. You know, that movie were Dee Snyder is a modified psycho killer who tortures people he meets on the Internet using rituals? For all the bad press it was given by the Body Modification community, It was what turned me in the right direction.
At A Glance Author Blood Bound Contact Blood [email protected] Soon after watching the movie, I hopped on the computer and punched in "Ampallang" at Yahoo. There was something like 3000 returned matches. I clicked the first one. Body Modification Ezine. After browsing through the photos for an hour or so, I turned it off. I thought to myself "My god, how could anyone do that stuff to there body", but the bug was in my head, and it was only a matter of time until I came under the needle myself.
April 4, 2000: I had decided I was going to get a tattoo months before I turned 18. I had decided on a tribal sun/star design and wanted to match the idea in my head with the flash on the wall at the studio. After picking out my design and sitting for an hour and a half, I had my tattoo, and I was a new person. I wasn't even out the door yet and I wanted to sit down and get inked some more.
April 6, 2000: I was surfing around on the Internet again, and once more I stumbled upon BME. I saw they accepted submissions, so I took a picture of my tattoo and sent it in. about 3 days later I got an email saying it had been accepted.
From this point I was a daily visitor to BME, looking at all the different kinds of mods one could get. I had also gotten the idea in my head that I wanted a genital piercing of some sort. I started out thinking of getting an Ampallang, but I decided on the less harsh, but equally cool Prince Albert.
July 21, 2000: It was about 10 am, I hadn't been able to sleep all night. I got up and ate a good meal. The guides on BME all said to eat a good meal before getting pierced. I left my house for the twenty eight mile drive to my favorite studio. About forty five minutes later I pulled up in the parking lot and saw the studio was closed (11:00 am, I was 1 hour early) but I had to be to work at 1 p.m., so I drove back home, determined to come back that night. Immediately after work I drove back to the studio, shaking all the way. I walked in and started talking to the piercer. After about 20 minutes of talking to Dave about piercings, I decided to do it now, or never. I told him what I wanted and filled out the paperwork while he was setting up the room (putting new paper liner on the bed/bench thing, moving trays and toolboxes (for lack of better word) around). When I got done with the paper work, he had me come in the room and close the curtain. I watched as he took the needle, receiving tube, and ring out of autoclave packages. I opted to start at 10 gauge, he nodded and told me to drop my pants and lay down. He lubed the recieving tube and worked it down my urethra. He asked if I was ready, I said yes, he angled the tube and the needle went through with a barely audible "oh shit" (from me). The tube was removed, the ring inserted and he said, "congratulations, you now have a pa". I hung around the shop about 20 minutes to see if I was going to pass out or not, then I drove home.
After dealing with bleeding, pain, and piss hard-on's waking me up in the middle of the night for about a week, I decided I should take a picture and submit it to BME. 3 days later, the confirmation email arrived and I had actually donated a picture that was worth something(not that tattoos aren't, but you know..).
November 17, 2000: I was itching for another hole. I get depressed when I haven't been pierced or stretched or in physical pain of some sort. I drove into town and went to the tattoo/piercing shop down by the mall. I walked in and was blown away by how clean and well organized this place was. It reminded me of a dentist's office. They had their autoclave spore test results right on the counter. I was impressed. I wanted to get my nipples pierced at 10 gauge, but after examining them, my new piercer said I should go with 14 gauge. I agreed, and I was pierced. That was the worst pain I have ever endured. It had to have hurt a hundred times worse than my PA. I also bled a LOT, I had streams of blood down both sides of my chest.
After five months, I am beginning to get the itch again. It is all because of this site, and the people who use this site. I feed off your energy and It makes me stronger. If it wasn't for BME, I would still be on Prozac. Modification has changed my life as much as it has changed my body.
Thank you BME, Thank you Shannon. You have all made my life that much better.