PIERCINGS
Left side nostril - 1994 (age 16), re-pierced a mm or two up 2015? - pain 1/10
Earlobes - 1996 (age 18 - yes, I got my ears pierced AFTER my nose) - pain 9/10, I swear one clipped a nerve OMG!!!
Both of the above done at Cavalier's in Reading, all piercings & repiercings are self done
Helix, left ear - 2012 - pain 3/10 except when I hit it with a cardboard box a few days later and that was a 201/10!
Earlobes - 2012, 2013 - pain 1/10. I added in 2 more piercings each lobe but then I decided the originals were two low so I put in a 4th hole each side to replace those. My original ear piercings are now stretched to 8mm which I did in 2015, 2016.
This gives me a total of 10 active piercings with one retired in my nostril.
TATTOOS
1) Two monogram symbols above right shoulderblade, black ink - 2011 (age 33) - pain 2/10
These are the initials of my family members and the top one is based on a design my mum came up with that was built into the brickwork of my childhood home
2) "Espantapajaros", left wrist, black & red - 2013 - pain 3/10
Meaning 'scarecrow' in Spanish, this is for the MCR song S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W and acts as a reminder that fear is what holds me back. The middle a is an open heart-shaped padlock, the o at the end is taken my the first dot of the FVK fangs. I got the FVK logo inked 11 days BEFORE I first saw the band live.
3) "Te mantendre a salvo esta noche", right wrist, black & green - 2013 - pain 3/10
A quote in Spanish from S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W - "I'll keep you safe tonight" - to remind me to support myself. Includes a cross and a key with a ribbon tied to it
4) "Tu eris in solis radios aurorae", left upper arm, emerald green - 2016 - pain 1/10
Latin lyrics from FVK's City Falls To Dust - "You'll be there, in the sun's first rays of the morning" - in the handwriting of the singer-songwriter Laurence Beveridge
5) "Hic sanguis meus eris usque in diem morior", right upper arm, pomegranate red - 2016 - pain 1/10
Latin lyrics from FVK's City Falls To Dust - "You'll be here, in my blood til the day I die" - in the handwriting of the singer-songwriter Laurence Beveridge
6) Lyrics in Ancient Greek, right thigh, periwinkle blue -2016 - 2/10 at front rising to 7/10 at back
From FVK's Fetish For The Finite - "I can't stand another night, knowing you're not mine" - the line Laurence sang to me at my 1st show
7) Aten, left shoulder, black, royal blue and atomic yellow - 2016 - pain 2/10
Aten in black & yellow above the Amharic (in blue) of "my only sunshine" (because my dad sang me that song as a kid). Designed for me by my daughter Erin - she got a tattoo I designed for her the same day
8) Heliskull, right thigh, tahitian teal ink - 2016 - pain 1/10
When I got the Greek I deliberately left a gap on the outer thigh for something else but I didn't know what. Eventually I settled on the simplified FVK heliskull logo only with vampire fangs...the original artist, Shane Sumner, says he's okay with that (I did try to get approval ahead of time honest!
9) "Always Forgive", just above left ankle, purple heart ink - 2016 - pain 3/10
Always Forgive is a song by FVK and the last ever new song I ever heard from them as they split up this year. I decided to use the song name as a twist on the 'traditional' Harry Potter 'Always' tattoo, which this is. Deathly Hallows symbol for the capital A and the writing is taken from a sample of the late, great Alan Rickman's handwriting
10*) Ankh, 2nd toe left foot, silver ink - 2016 - pain 3/10
This has a * because I am planning to number my stick-and-poke tattoos separately from my paid for ones...so yes, this is my first self inflicted one. Am thinking of adding an outline and/or detail. The meaning here is like my Aten, a love for all things Ancient Egyptian.
UPDATE
Shortly after the Ankh I gave myself a stick-and-poke heart just below my right knee. Probably a 1 out of 10.
6 & 8 - Ancient Greek & Heliskull, thigh
4&5 - Latin handwriting
3 - Spanish
11 - Stick-and-Poke, below right knee
7 - Aten & Amharic, left shoulder
