All right, first of all, if you are under 18, easily offended or not interested in the topic of bloodplay and its safety, you might as well hit the "back" button on your browser and leave now. No insult is meant, this page is simply not for you.
Still here? Okay. I am only going over feeding methods for blood drinkers here, not anything on psivampirism or sexual vampirism. I don't know too much on those topics, so I have no authority to speak on them. I have been drinking blood for over 9 years now, so I do have some experience. Also look up the Sanguinarius Vampire Support Page and the article in "Blue Blood" magazine by Rev. Fish for other information and views.
Drinking blood is not a safe-sex idea and it is not recommended unless you are very, very strongly drawn to it. This is not the place to experiment unless you are damn sure of what you are doing. Disease, infection, scarring and other problems can result from carelessness, plus it is seen legally as a form of assault. If you can, get your donor to sign a release form saying that this activity is consensual and releasing you from liability and keep the damn thing on file with your legal papers. Also try to do this in private ... it is as rude to feed in public as to have sex in the middle of a highway. Also, mundanes will obviously get pretty freaked out by this sort of thing...use common sense. Also try to ensure that your donor is as clean and non-anemic (disease wise) as possible by getting both you and them tested monthly at the local free clinic. Also, do not drink if you have any mouth ulcers, gingivitis, stomach ulcers or cuts in your mouth or gums. It's just too risky.
Make sure that you are both as relaxed as possible, as tension will make incisions more painful. Use a clean Exacto knife or razor blade (preferably sterilized by boiling) and surgical gloves if you can use them. Choose a fleshy area such as the bicep, outer arm, thigh, calf muscle, stomach or chest (not the breasts for women). Make sure the area is clean, using an alcohol towelette from the Diabetes section of the drugstore, and have a band-aid and Neosporin or Bacitracin on hand.
Use the blade to make a shallow incision, never deeper than the top of the fatty layer of skin, and never over a vein. Make the cut slowly, not too fast and sloppy, and stop if it hurts your donor too much. Have your donor tense the muscles of the area and relax them rhythmically until the capillaries ooze a few droplets of blood. The trick is not to lose control and bite down, but to use a gentle, firm suction and stop after a minute or so to let more blood fill the area. If your donor feels dizzy, stop and let them lay down and quit for a while. Never take more than a mouthful or a few tablespoons total.
When you are finished, use another alcohol towelette to wipe down the area, apply the antibiotic ointment and band-aid and put gentle pressure over the band-aid's pad until the bleeding slows. From then on, it should be treated like any other wound and watched carefully for infection. Many of your donors will report a strange, mellow high from the experience. That is normal, as is the feeling of extra-real sensation you get from the drinking. To me, it is like my senses have all doubled in sharpness and sensitivity, plus a feeling of beauty and well being suffuses me. I am also stronger and faster and more alert, but not tense.
The effects of the blood rush vary by bloodline, individual, and donor. If an emergency happens, such as your donor flinches and the cut goes too deep or the bleeding won't stop, just stay calm, put pressure on the wound and drive to the nearest emergency room. If this is impossible, keep pressure on the wound and look for signs of shock while you call an ambulance. Mistakes happen to everyone, but most aren't serious. Realize that your blades are VERY sharp and err on the side of caution! Also treat your donors well....they are worth their weight in gold.
There is also the matter of sharing blood, which for many Real Vampires is more intimate than sex. Real Vampires can drink from each other, but they will need to feed sooner than if they drink from humans. It is best used as a stop-gap measure to prevent frenzy rather than a habitual feeding pattern. However, for many Kin, sharing blood is indeed a form of sex, and just as pleasurable as the normal act. This is defined as two Kin feeding from each other at once. The experience is pretty much indescribable....very, very intense and extremely personal. Some Kin can develop the gifts of those they drink from regularly, or develop a psychic link over time. The same cautions apply as for normal feeding, plus an added warning: don't take too much! Feeding in such a setting, for pleasure instead of hunger is very intense and should NOT be overdone. Be careful and use common sense! Some Real Vampyres feed during formal rituals. My recommendation there is to bless and consecrate each tool separately, blessing the blade by fire, the antibiotic by water, the gloves by earth and the alcohol wipes by air...make them into elemental symbols, and they can add to the ritual environment. Also, make sure every participant knows exactly what is going to happen...unpleasant surprises are hardly magickal or ethical.
Use the one who donates as more than a walking food bank...let them help with invocation and casting of the spell as well to add power to the ritual. It is the responsibility of each Vampire to protect their donor and remember them as more than a walking wet bar. Be sure you don't pressure others into allowing you to feed or making it the only basis of a friendship or a relationship. Too often the attitude of a predator makes empathy with donors difficult and can cause some really cruel callousness on our part. Treat donors well, or you will go hungry, and it will be no one's fault but your own.
A Few Blood Substitutes
My favorite blood substitute is a sort of tea/juice mixture. It doesn't do the same thing as feeding, but it will reduce rage and discomfort for a while. It takes some getting used to the taste, however.
Start with 2 cups cranberry juice, and set them aside. Pour two cups of spring water into a NON METAL container on the stove and heat on "low". Add 1 tsp. cumin, 4 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp dried and ground rosehips, a pinch cinnamon, 1 tsp. rosemary, a bay leaf, and some dried orange peel.
Cook together until the water smells strongly of the herbs, then let cool with the herbs still in it. When cool, strain out the herbs and mix with the cranberry juice. If available, add fresh strawberry or cherry juice, or just eat the fruits whole while drinking.
Another mix is not nearly as good for your teeth, but also helps the hunger and your craving for sweets. Take 6 scoops instant hot chocolate and put in a glass vessel. Add 4 cinnamon sticks, a tsp. cardamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and a teaspoon instant coffee crystals. Add 2 and 1/2 cups hot water, and some hazelnut flavored creamer (the same amount as for 1 cup coffee). Mix and enjoy while hot.
Also try "Red Zinger" tea by Celestial Seasonings Co. with lots of honey, dark or bittersweet chocolate, or the following for those who can stand it:
This one is great if you are really close to frenzy, as it tastes awful but works well. Get a 2 serving container of prepackaged tomato or V-8 juice (one of the drinkable vegetable/tomato based concoctions) and open it. Pour into a blender. Add 3 Tbsp black freshly ground pepper and 1 Tbsp. Cayenne pepper. Blend until well-mixed and add 5 drops lemon juice. Now choke it down if you can, and it honestly will ease the hunger (as well as killing tastebuds by the hundreds).
Quickie hunger aids are fresh fruit, a pinch of salt on the tongue, an ice cube melted in the mouth, ice cream, strawberry and chocolate milkshakes, and any dark or milk chocolate. Hope at least one of these helps a little!
Author: Raven OrthaeVelve
Link: House Eclipse