Some collected thoughts on one of the few things in life I can honestly say I do well: bleeding. Yep, sad but true, I think my specialist subject has to be bleeding, specifically in reference to letting certain fucked-up individuals drink my blood. I don't know why they want to, and I don't care either, I just enjoy it so. So here we have some ramblings split into three categories: firstly the cutting itself, secondly the reasoning behind the whole donorship thing (both why I do it and why other people do it) and thirdly the repercussions of it.

PART I: THE CUTTING ITSELF

This is all compiled from personal experiences, you may disagree, but do I look as if I care? *g*

The first thing to make sure of is that there is a supply of good sharp blades. My preference is a surgical-steel-bladed Stanley-knife variant (called the Nack knife, available from Oakthrift in this country (England) and it's US patent number 5604984 if you're in another country but are still interested) although scalpels are pretty much de rigeur from what I've read (but hell, I like to be different) and I believe you can get them from Mediquip (details at here and again it's UK based, they'll ship anywhere but you can probably find them cheaper locally, it's just that I don't think this would be complete without at least one link to a medical supplier ). Lancets have been mentioned many times, but I'm going for a good sustainable wound here, not a pinprick.

Right, I'll assume you all know about safety practices and first aid (if not, what the hell are you thinking about cutting someone for?) So lets just go for the incision. My top tips for good places to cut are pretty much the standards: shoulders, upper arms, back, chest, stomach. Basically you're aiming for somewhere that's not too fatty (you want a place with more muscle for the obvious medical reasons). Places others recommend but I always avoid include forearms/wrists (too visible for my liking) thighs (some may find it sensual or some such, but I'd prefer to be able to walk without ripping the wound open) and of course the neck (can we say jugular and carotid? Have a guess at what's the most efficient and guaranteed way to kill someone).

Now you've selected the area, you have to think about size. I mean both length and depth (generally, the longer a cut is, the longer it takes to heal. Some goes with depth of course, but no matter how long you make the cut a scratch is just a scratch, whereas the depth is far more critical)

I think the rate of blood flow depends on three things: The area cut, the depth of cut, and the amount of further damage done to the wound.

Firstly, areas are pretty obvious, needless to say the only areas I refuse are anywhere near major vessels, and my arms (though the latter is purely a vanity thing, I just don't want scars on my arms as it gives out the wrong signals to casual passersby).

Secondly, depth. Very much dependent on how enamored of pain the giver is, and how enamored of scars too. The deeper the faster obviously, and so more blood will flow, but there is the danger of more blood coming out than you can actually drink, thus the vamp cannot keep up, thus making one hell of a mess (I've been there, I *know* it's not a good idea, no matter how appealing it may sound)

And finally, further damage. A little scratch will always be just that, nothing you can do to keep it bleeding, platelets form PDQ. As for keeping the blood going, long (3"+) cuts are good, as you can concentrate on one section, then move to another, and then back, and so forth "balancing" the damage. Most effective ways are (in order of most effective first):

-Digging upper teeth into wound, using lower teeth to anchor on an undamaged part of flesh, literally ripping the wound open (also works vice versa of course *g*).

-Biting area around the wound, causing more blood to go to damaged areas, causing more blood to go to the wound.

-Digging fingernails into the wound to rip it open.

-Massaging the wound by grabbing the skin around it and first pulling the wound apart, then squashing it close repeatedly.

-Re-cutting over the wound with sharp implement. Highly dangerous, I really don't recommend this to anyone no matter how masochistic, as it's impossible to gauge just how much further in the wound the blade is sinking. And it hurts like nothing else I've ever experienced.

PART II: WHY DONATE? (OR... WHY SHOULD I LET THIS FREAK SUCK MY BLOOD?)
         --this is more for possible donors or would-be donors than existing ones--

Bloody (sic) good question.

Firstly, masochism
It's the reason I donate. I find blood-drinkers/real-vampires/sanguinarians (call them what you will) to be a great source of satisfaction for masochistic impulses/needs. Admittedly, I'm a masochist with a special obsession about bleeding and knives, but the theory's the same. If you enjoy pain, you really can't do much better. They do just about anything you want, they have no choice, the thirst/hunger/whatever kicks in as soon as the blood starts flowing. Manipulative yes, but also fun! *g*. Not that I'd condone such things of course. Now for the downside: They won't always be there, if you're in this purely for the pain (as I am), building up a relationship is just a waste of time, but some may find that view offensive. And can you really trust to your own safety given you're only going to meet this person so they can torture you/cut you? Even in a "nice" way?

Secondly, friendship
Allegedly, friendship (or a sexual relationship) are great reasons to donate from the blood-drinkers point of view. They already know you, they already trust you, and vice versa. This could possibly put a strain on the relationship itself admittedly, but that's really not something I would comment on. For the psi-vamps of course a good friend will give off nicer, more familiar energies (or so I'm told). The downside? It could ruin the relationship for both sides, and the vamp stands to lose out anyway if they attempt to get a friend to donate and they take it the wrong way.

Thirdly, spiritualism
I'm not going to say much about this as it has no relevance to my donations whatsoever. Suffice to say I'm sure there are some who can turn the feeding into some sort of ritual or spell. In which case, I believe blood magick is allegedly one of the most powerful forms.

Fourthly: fantasy
Oh yes, what a wonderful fantasy it is. Beautiful creatures of the night, coming to feed from you, taking you into their warm embrace.......bollocks. They're just people who drink blood, no real difference between them and any other blood fetishist from the donor's point of view (or MY point of view anyway). Seriously, if you're going to donate for this reason you're in for a big disappointment. And if the blood-drinker in question has allowed you to carry on believing this, s/he's beyond contempt. (Note: I do know of one that DID put himself in this situation, strung a poor girl along in the hope she'd be "turned")

PART III: THE DOWNSIDES

As much as many would hate to admit it, there are definite downsides that must be considered to donation.

These I've put in no particular order other than as they popped into my head.

Firstly, scarring. Yes, there are things you can do to minimize the scarring, and yes, if you do as I do all scars will be in places easily hidden with a t-shirt, and yes, they will eventually fade away (dependent on your body's healing properties). BUT they will be there, they are inevitable. If you don't want scars, don't donate. There are numerous ways of getting away with it, but I discount these methods for the following reasons:

Lancets. Sure, tiny little holes, no visible scars. But is the vamp really going to get enough blood that way? To get a single reasonable cuts worth, the lancet's going to have to go in at least a couple dozen times. Don't forget, the smaller the wound, the less blood comes out and the quicker it heals. Plus my aforementioned ways to prolong blood flow will have little or no success with lancet wounds.

Needles. I don't like them. Other than that, a lot of people don't like them. Other than that, they're extremely dangerous in untrained hands. I personally hate even letting trained nurses stick me with them. Admittedly, you'll get enough blood, but it's hardly romantic/painful/intimate (delete as applicable for your reasons for donating) is it?

Making tiny little scratches instead of proper wounds. Again, lack of blood flow is the main problem here. To get the same amount, a lot more cuts are going to be made. I'd rather have a shitload of separate cuts anyway regardless of size, but I'm not talking about preference, I'm talking about sating a hungry/thirsty vamp .

So that's the scars themselves. What about the consequences of scars?

Example a) You are in a relationship with a vamp and pick up a shitload of scars. You then break up. You enter another relationship (a vanilla one). S/he doesn't like the scars. In fact s/he freaks about them. What a lovely thought.

Example b). (true story) You're at a heavy metal concert. You're in the mosh pit. You're sweating like hell. You take your t-shirt off, and the rest of the night get shitloads of stares and comments about the scars. Admittedly, it didn't bother me, but maybe it would thinner-skinned types.

Scarring aside, what about other reciprocations? Explaining to people about this particular act/fetish/scene/whatever you wish to call it has been........interesting for me. Some are abhorred at the idea, some are freaked out but come around, some take it in their stride, some take the piss. The point is, can you know how someone else will react? What about your parents? What would they think that you allow yourself to be mutilated and have another human drink your blood? What about your boss? Having problems at work because of the other major drawback (see below)? And so on.

The final one.....blood loss. It's a very VERY dangerous thing. I've lost so much in a single feeding session I've passed out, felt faint, blacked out (but still remained conscious... imagine one of those head rushes you get when you've been laying down for a while and then suddenly stand. Then multiply that by 100), been unable to stand unaided, and various other nasties. Luckily, I have a great healing system and was fully recovered in under 24 hours. How about you? Also it should be noted that prolonged periods of intense blood loss can be very damaging, the constant strain on the body to replenish lost blood, not to mention the repeated shocks of the wounds themselves, can very harmful.

Another true story. I acquire some nasty wounds. They stop bleeding. I go to bed. I go to work the next day. I (along with 4 colleagues) shift about 3 tonnes of tower equipment. Guess what happens to the wounds? I'll put it this way: I had to peel the t-shirt off my back at the end of the day because the dried blood had stuck it down.

Back
Home