this was the looongest piercing process ive ever done. if you have read any of my other stories, you know that my favorite piercing tools are darts, as in the kind you throw at a board. because i have limited funds, and no means of getting piercing needles, these are the only things thick enough to pierce cartilage and other thick tissue. i always sterilize them as best i can before i go for it. anyhow, the navel i pierced because i was bored. i took the needle and marked two points where i wanted the piercing to exit and enter. i then simply tried to force the needle through the skin. easier said than done. it took roughly a half hour for the needle to go through, and it was not for lack of trying. the skin was very tough, and because it was on my stomach, it was hard to get a good angle on it. i tried going through the bottom to have it come out the top, but that didnt work. so i tried to opposite direction. no luck. i switched between these two, until with some kind of superhuman strength i popped it through. now i have a 12 gauge horseshoe in there while i wait to buy a new captive ball ring.