Question about ear plugs (gauges)?

You should sit there and maybe smile to yourself that you did everything fine and are just fine right now. The reason you cannot twist your new tapers is because they are so newly stretched. What you are experiencing is what you should expect. It only makes sense, you stretched the hole so now the skin is pulled tight around the taper and it's tender and not yet healed so twisting the taper would of course be difficult. Relax and don't worry about it. Give your ears a few days and then you should be able to twist if you really want to, but twisting is not necessary for healing. Just keep your ears clean (which I'm sure you already know) and be patient while they heal. You are fine!