So, around June 24 (my birthday) I set out with a friend in search of my yearly birthday piercing. I've been itching to get my septum for the longest, but I'm afraid, because it's time to start The Post-Collegiate Job Search and I'm sure that Latin teachers aren't allowed to have rings in their noses. But I talk myself into it, look at all the kinds of retainers there are, and decide to go for it. I try to hit up the PsychodelicButterfly in town, but despite the huge banner saying OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK they're closed. So I head to Little Rock, to both PsychodelicButterfly's there, since I've gotten almost all my piercings at one PB or another. All are closed, despite having a seven day work week. They're closed for the next couple of days as well, with no explanation, no notice, nothing. How obnoxious. Being thwarted in my search for a piercing stings worse than the piercing would itself.
At A Glance Author Noctifer Contact shinigami.emrys@gmail.com When A week ago Artist Alexis Studio InkJunky's Location Conway, AR I start thinking about other places in town. A pierced acquaintance has always recommended that Primal Urges or whatever place, but it's in a trailer. I'm sure it's fine but...trailer. I remember when I asked online where to get my tattoo, when I'm ready, and the overwhelming response is InkJunkys. How convenient! It's right down the road, it's one of about three places in town to which I can actually give directions. If they have a good tattoo artist, I may as well meet their piercer and check out their shop, right?
We head over there, I gaze longingly at their jewelry selection, tell the guy behind the counter that I want my septum done, and we discuss it. I ask if it'd be advisable to get it at 12 or 10 gauge, but the piercer Alexis (who signs things as Lollie, and has magazines all over with herself on the cover, she's really cute and bubbly) tells me that it'd be bloody. I can do without that, so we go for 14.
She leads me back, I'm surrounded by the familiar smell of rubbing alcohol and latex gloves, and I get on the futuristic sci-fi tilty chair. I hate that thing. She jokes about how all this compares to going to the gynecologist, which is oddly enough just what I was thinking about, hah. I get leaned alllllll the way back, and she starts moving my nose and poking q-tips dipped in stuff into my nostrils. Now, I hate to have my nose touched. It's like my navel, I just can't stand for people to mess with it, it spazzes me right the hell out. So I'm slowly getting more and more squinched away as she sticks things in my nose, until she's finally done and gets ready to pierce me. Staring up at someone coming at you with a needle is a new one to me; I've got a labret and six total ear holes, and it's just not the same. I tell her to wait and I close my eyes, give her the go-ahead.
The pain is shocking, and the worst of all my piercings, even my industrial, which made me knicker like a horse. I squeal a bit, and I'm pretty sure I jumped, something I've never ever done. She lets me know she's done and I just about bolt out of there, but she makes me wait and sit down a minute, make sure I'm ok. I check myself out in the mirror, and she snaps a picture of my nose. It's done with a retainer, the flip-uppy kind, so it doesn't look like much, but I'm pleased anyway. The whole experience is the best I've had so far, and I'm definitely going back for more, since InkJunkys has an award-winning tattoo artist and a great piercer. I let her know how happy I am with things by way of effusive thanks and a tip, and head out, a little wobbly but elated.
I go to get my customary post-piercing ice-cream and enjoy all the new sensations from my nose. It's not as strange as the labret was, and a lot more noticeable feeling than any of my ear piercings. It's got plenty of character. Over the next couple of days, I notice it has a tendency to try and rotate out on one side, so I keep taking care of it with my sea salt soaks/tea tree oil solutions, let it calm down, and then switch it out for a CBR (Don't mess with your healing jewelry, kids! I asked another piercer if I should do it to keep from losing the piercing in my sleep, and he okayed it). I go back to see Alexis once I'm reasonably sure the swelling's gone down, and sure enough, it's crooked, probably because I'm such a spazz about my nose and jumped. But she assures me it'll likely settle into evenness within a month, and if it doesn't she'll re-pierce for free. I thank her for her advice and for putting the bead in my CBR (I so suck at that, I guess I should just shell out for the pliers at this point).
As of now, it does actually look like it's evening out, and I'm enjoying the hell out of it, crooked or not. Snorting and stomping and mooing have never been more fun! And I've already window-shopped about half a paycheck's worth of cool new things to put in it, online, for once I have a steady paycheck, hah. Definitely glad I went ahead with this, even if it does complicate my job search!