GREAT LAKES LEATHER WEEKEND

One of the wonderful things I like about being in the leather community are the various leather events that are happening all around the states, all throughout the year.  The Great Lakes Leather Alliance (GLLA) event is one of my favorites because it has a lot to offer rather than just good food, and drinking.  This year's event was the weekend of Aug 22 in Indianapolis, IN.

GLLA is a pansexual organization and is inclusive, meaning, gay, lesbian, bi, transgender, straight are all welcome to attend their events. Each year they have a play space, various workshops/seminars, and contests, such as Great Lakes Ms. Leather Pride, Great Lakes Sir and Boy, and also Great Lakes Bootblack. Unlike the traditional gay men events, GLLA also has a small vendor market for people to purchase items, clothing, toys, etc.  Although the GLLA's vendor market is most definitely not as large as Int'l Mr. Leather's event in Chicago every Memorial Day Weekend, GLLA does have some good stuff and reasonably priced.

The turn out this year was so great that the hotel was completely booked for the entire weekend.  I can't tell you how awesome it is to see so many leather people in the same place.  These events are teriffic outlets for peoples' hum drum lives, or just to get away from the stresses of work. For some, it is a lifestyle choice, in other words, 24/7.  People come from all over to attend, so most often you do run into the same people you met the prior year.  I love this, 'cause most often you don't get to see them normally because they either live out of state or busy with homelife, kids, school, work, etc.

This year, GLLA had a number of great workshops, I unfortunately could not get to all of them.  I think this is the downside, with limited time and space, there could be 4 different things going on at the same time, so you end up having to choose which workshop/seminar you'd like to attend the most.  Some workshops this year were on fisting, contractual agreements, fireplay, knife play, sensual flogging, Master/Slave relationships, pony play and my favorite, Artistic Branding.

Artistic Branding has been around for ages, many cultures use this as a form of ritual, or spiritual release,  body modification, or this is sometimes called scarification.  Just like tattoos, people may use branding as a way to mark a certain time in their lives, or a journey, they may be starting or just completing on a personal level.  Branding is also used as a form of ownership just like the big ranches use to brand their cattle for property. But in this case, branding can also be used to mark someone's slave or submissive.  It's kind of like being collared, but more personalized and specific. Brands can be a particular symbol, lettering, motif, or numbering. 

Lord Prophett was the person who did the workshop on branding.  Last year at GLLA, Prophett did a small bear paw etching, a less evasive type of branding, on my breast, so I was so excited to see him again this year at GLLA. For this year, we had spoken about something larger.  He was ready to oblige with pen in hand.  Etching is not as evasive as branding, but you get the same results.  Instead of a branding iron, Prophett used an etching pen.  This is basically a cauterizing pen that's battery operated and burns at a high voltage, and like a pen, you draw the image onto the body. 

Etching Pens, unlike branding irons, cost about $20.  With a branding iron, you need to make the brand, by the iron, heat for quite awhile then in one fell swoop, it's over.   Etching is a bit easier, and does not need time to heat up, it's hot once you click the pen on and the experience lasts a little longer and trust me, it's not even as painful as a tattoo. Don't get me wrong, it does still hurt, but healing is quick, the scar scabs and within 2wks, the scabs fall off and you have a permanent scar.

One of the other things I like about etching, is the process.  It can be very intimate with the person who is drawing the image on your body.  Like a tattoo, a tracing is created and transferred to your body.  Once the image is visible, simply trace the lines with the pen.  The pen burns out the ink from the tracing and while you draw, since this a cauterizing pen, the spot that you just traced is already closed up. This is great, no bacteria gets in, and you have already cleaned the surface ahead of time before you began the etching, so there is no aftercare once the etching is completed.  Regular healing commences, but in this case, you do not want to pick the scabs.  Picking the scabs may prevent the scar from truly congealing. You want the scar to form not become non-existent.

I mentioned the intimacy, because for me there is a kind of sensuality and closeness that develops with the person who is doing the etching on you.  You are giving yourself freely to someone you trust who is doing something to you that you desire, for them, they feel this kind of symbiosis with you.  Together you created something between the two of you only.  It's a moment in time you both share and a memory that remains each time you look at the etching.  I absolutely adore Prophett, when I met him initially we had a great chemistry and attraction.  I am a masochist afterall, and he is the sadist.  But it's much more than that, he is a great friend and someone I have gotten to know thru the years. I feel safe with him and I trust he will take good care of me.  His excitement when he finished the dragon on my back was intoxicating, just like my reactions to him while we were completing the process together was exciting to him.  My pain is his pleasure as the endorphin rush I receive is my pleasure as well.  It truly was spectacular.