My modifications number particularly few; a lip, and an eyebrow, nothing spectacular, ultimately (and outwardly) fairly ordinary. My first real play-piercing experience was much the same - outwardly ordinary. Inwardly, it was a little different. My interest in play-piercing had been piqued recently, mostly thanks to photos of a session my girlfriend and her best friend had done together a while ago. Something about it all got the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
At A Glance Author nevali Contact nevali@bme.anon When A month ago Location Glasgow
It was a cold night in Scotland, fast-approaching winter. My girlfriend was out at a gig, so I was alone and at a loose end in the flat in the flat. I knew there were some spare 23G needles lying around, and I didn't have anything better to do. I know what cutting my arms and legs feels like, but I wasn't really sure what to expect from pushing some needles into myself. Years and years ago, I used to push sewing pins and needles through my fingertips, but it didn't really seem comparable.
I took out a needle and pushed it against my forearm with a little bit of pressure, holding it at an angle so it was nearly flat against the skin. I chose my forearm because it'd seen a reasonable amount of abuse in the past, and wasn't an overly sensitive area. It didn't break the skin, but I knew it wouldn't take much more force behind it. I moved the needle a centimetre or so further down my arm and pushed again — harder this time. I felt a sharp pain, but nothing really painful, and the odd sensation of the needle under my skin as I continued to feed it it into my arm. I felt a little flushed, almost uncomfortable, but not quite, with one end of the needle sticking into my arm and not emerging again.
I pushed down on the plastic covering on the end of the needle to bring the point back to the surface. As I pushed, I saw my skin stretch a little before the sharp metal point of the needle emerged. I kept feeding the needle through until there wasn't much of it left. I stopped and looked at my arm. The needle ran pretty shallow — only a centimetre or so of metal was beneath my skin. Something in the back of my mind told me that shallower piercings were more painful — and although it wasn't really painful, it did feel slightly more sore than I thought it would. I liked feeling the metal through my arm, though. The actual piercing did something to me, too... I'm not sure what, and it wasn't a big thing, but there was something there. The biggest thing I felt, though, was that feeling of just having pushed a piece of metal into, under and out of me again. The immediate aftermath. For me it's there for a fleeting moment, and gone again.
There were only about ten needles left in the box (and I didn't know how much of a pain getting more was), but all I wanted to do was do it again. I used about half of them in the end, threading them through my arm almost as though I were stitching it up. I experimented with what I had available — some were deeper, some were more shallow, and one went under the skin, and out, and back under, and out again. Each time it felt a little different, but that feeling just after the tip of the needle emerged from my arm was there each time, and I wanted more of it.
I decided to stop, though. I wanted to save a few needles for later. I sat on the bed for a few minutes, these needles part-woven into my arm, enjoying the feeling of the metal under my skin. I took a couple of photographs, but thanks to poor lighting and difficulty in taking a reasonable photograph one-handed, I'm not sure if they'll ever see the light of day.
One by one, I slowly removed each needle. As I did, a trickle of blood ran down my arm.
I felt something else I hadn't expected — I almost felt torn. On the one hand, removing a needle had its own range of sensations that I liked, but at the same time I wanted to leave the needle there. I'm not really sure how to describe it, but it was yet another set of sensations to add to the ever-growing list. After I'd removed all the needles, I washed my bloodied arm and gently applied a little TCP (this is actually something I've not bothered to do since, but it's probably a good idea).
As first experiences go, it was certainly one of the more interesting I've had. Play-piercing's something that I have (and will be) continuing to explore, though not really on my own. I imagine it's quite different for everybody, but there were a number of aspects of it for me which were a turn-on and I feel like they deserve to be shared. Plus, there are places I can't easily reach myself.