Being goth, and a dom has many drawbacks. Among them is that I often get emails and messages from people interested in bloodplay or blood sports, many revolving around vampirism. (This is an occupational hazard for pale goths.) "Blood sports" can mean many things: abrasion, blood letting, cutting, piercings (both temporary and permanent,) scratching, and vampirism. I'm going to share my experiences with each of these.
Blood is thrilling, and frightening all at once. It is the essence of life; it flows through us, one of the most intimate parts of ourself. Blood is dangerous. And, blood play requires an incredible amount of care, trust, communication, understanding and time between partners. When a sub lets me into a place where no one has gone before, into their very essence, it symbolizes the confidence they have in me. It is among the most intimate and meaningful acts for many, and is one that requires careful consideration.
Equipment Preparation
Playing with blood requires impeccable and precise safety standards. HIV is still deadly. Hepatitis is almost invulnerable and represents the worst threat to scene players. To prevent infections, there are several steps one must take before and while engaging in any blood activity.
A blood play kit is always a good idea. My kit includes:
The sharps container is a means to ensure safe disposal of biohazardous materials, Use it to dispose of all of your play items which have come in contact with blood.
Blood sports toys and implements should be as close to sterilzed as possible.Without medical-grade sterilization, nothing we use will be perfectly sterile, but we must do our best to achieve as close to sterility as we can. Reusable steel items should be autoclaved after every use. If you do not have an autoclave, you can clean objects in a 10-1 water and bleach solution or use a retail product ldesigned for purpose. Alternatively, sterile sealed medical goods, such as a disposal scapel can be purchased.
To minimze the risk of infection:
Aftercare
Types Of Blood Play
Abrasion
Scratching is the most common form od abrasion play in any scene. Many incorporate this into their scenes without thinking of it as a blood sportfingernails. But, . Fingernails can easily cause infection, and scratching is difficult with gloves. Hairbrushes, pinwheels, and other objects to irritate or scratch a skin are fairlh commonplace. It is usually not the intent of the Top to draw blood. But, use other objects and you are more likely to scratch open the skin. I have used a ceramic grater, a cocktail fork, ametal skewer, and a rough plastic brush; anything can be used that scratches and aggrivates the skin, though try to find objects that can be easily sanitized.
Cutting
Some subs want to be marked by their doms. For most, body modification or tattooing is out of our scope of ability, but cutting is a means that a dom can personally put a mark upon their sub.
Disposable scalpels, or disposible scalpel blades can easily be purchased online. I typically use size 10 or 15. Straight-edges blades work for most purposed, but if your intent is to leave a design or shaped cut or scar, curved blades tend to work better. Scalpels dull quickly, so replace them often- dull blades are more painful. I discourage the use of knives or non-sterile razor blades because of the heightened riak of infection.
I recommend large sterile pads to cover the area afterward tokeep dirt out. 3M®'s Tegaderm™ bandages are a thin sanitary plastic sealing bandage that is easy to remove, but holds up well in the shower.
If your intent is to cut an intricate design, symbol, or pattern into the skin, I learned some cool techniques from a tattoo artist friend of mine, You'll need some tracing paper, an artist pencil, Ii find blue works best), and Mennen Speed Stick® Deodorant, (Not anti-persperant, not extra-strength, and not another brand or generic. Trust me on this.) Draw the symbol on the tracing paper with the pencil. After cleaning and sterilizing the skin, rub the deodorant on the area of the where you are going to cut, then lay the paper against the skin. Rub the deodorant over the paper several times then carefully pull away the paper. The design will be transferred onto the skin so you can see where to cut each line. If you want to help the cut scar more, clean it afterwards with hyrdogen peroxide solution, then isopropyl alcohol.
The most common mistake people make is cuttting too deeply. It takes practice, and I recommend the first time you try, you do so under the supervision of someone with experience. Alternately, practice your scalpel work on oranges. (If your blade goes more than halfway through the peelm you're cutting too deep.) On skin, you will not always see a red line or blood weeping, but be patient and wait a few seconds. If you go to shallow, you can always retrace with the blade-- too deep, and there's no going back.
Temporary or Permanent Piercing
Piercing involves gently inserting a needle into and through the skin. Anywhere there is enough flesh, without muscle, cartilidge or bone can be pierced (though you should know your anatomy first.) Small needles and temporary piercings are common; permanent piercings take practice and experience most doms will not have. (If you want a permanent piercing, go to a professional.)
You can find needles online (with a bit of research). Note that the higher the gauge, the thinner the needle, so for beginners, i recommend the highest gauges you can find. (Some municipalities control the sale of piercing needles without a license or prescription.) Have some small corks on hand to cap the needles after insertion to prevent accidental stabbling with a bloodied needle.
Pinch up some skin between your thumb and index finger (Some people stretch the skin taut, but that does not work well for me). Make sure the bevel side if the needle is facing up and place it lightly against the pinched skin. ould only be inserted a few skin-layers deep; 1mm - 1.5mm (or less than 1/16" for my Americanthrough th skin, being careful not to stick myself. If you can clearly see the needle through the skin, chances are it will rip out. Gently pull it out and, if your subject can take it, try again). Once in, cap off the end with a cork. Repeat as many times as they will tolerate. Needles can be left in for hours, depending on the individual To release more endorphins in your subject, tap around the needle with your fingertips or twist the needles in a circular motion.
To remove the needle(s), remove the cork, (discarding it in your sharps container.) Stretch the flesh slightly, and gently pull the needle out. Put it in the sharps container immediately. The subject may bleed a few drops, the perfect opportunity to make your subject taste their own blood. If you don’t want to play with the blood, dab the holes gently with anantiseptic wipe.
Blood Letting
Blood Letting: Is an extreme form of blood play and should never be tried alone (unless you happen go be a phlebotomist). Blood letting can be done in various ways, but usually involves a venal puncture. This is not something you can learn on your own; seek help and learn the technique from a scene-friendly medical professional.
A much milder form of blood letting can be achieved with lancets. Lancets are very sharp, tiny needles the tops of which extend from a plastic cap much like a pushpin,, most commonly used for diabetic testing. Simply poke the lancet needle straight down into the skin in a quick motion. Lancets tend to be more painful than piercing needles (in my opinion) and often surprise the subject. Most often a few drops of blood will flow from the wound and can be played with. Each lancet is good for 8-12 sticks (depending on the thickness of the sub’s skin) They start to dull immediately, so don’t use them too many times. (They come in boxes of 100 online, so why use them more than a couple times?)
Leeches
These medival medical parasites can still be found in hospitals, and even purchased online. For those who like to play on the edge (and who are not too squeamish), leeches can be attached and allowed to suck blood from a tit, thigh, ball sack or other intimate spot. But, leeches should not be used on more than one sub, so you will either need to destroy them, or if you have a suitable environment nearby, set them free-- just dont squish them unless you want to clean up a bloody mess.
Vampirism
Some might say that any of us who have an affinity for blood sports are vampires. The most common perception of vampires involves drinking blood. (If you'd like a proper education in this subject, read Dhampir, Child of the Blood by Viola Johnson.) Drinking too much blood is not healty for your average human, more than a few drops may result in vomiting for many.
Some toys I recommend include steel fingerttips (available at a number of goth shops or rennaisance fair jewelrists. These can be worn over the fingertips, and have sharp points, (or can be filed to a point.) Vampire gloves are leather gloves with metal sharps or teeth. These are nearly impossible to santize once used, though- so you'll need a pair for eacvh subject you play with.
Acupuncturists use a small-headed hammer like device that has tiny needles sticking out of the head called a seven-star needle, or a plum blossom needle . The handle is somewhat flexible and is tapped gently over the skin pricking as it goes.
Proceed Carefully
Blood play is not for the squeamish, faint of heart, or impatient. It requires care and patience. But, it can also be remarkably rewarding, and a powerful emotional and bonding experience. Play safe.
