Interview with the Real Vampire
An in-depth dialogue with a member of the vampire community
Disclaimer: this article contains graphic descriptions of injuries and blood.
I would have liked to say I met Jinx in a seedy bar on a dark October night, the room hazy with cigar smoke. I would have tracked her down via reputation and throwaway email addresses, extracting an emotional tell-all using my wit and skills as a journalist.
However, none of that would be true. The bar was a hip cider place, it was a blustery January afternoon, and I’ve known Jinx for close to a decade. Also, I hated the journalism class I took in high school.
Jinx (her scene name) greets me with a hug and refuses to let me pay for my drink, telling the bartender to add it to her tab. I habitually drop my voice as the bartender approaches. “Are we okay to talk in here?” I ask, looking around at the nearly empty bar, save for Jinx and her laptop in one corner, a couple of people on the far side of the bar, and the bartender.
“Oh, Kris knows everything,” Jinx assures me, giving the bartender a wave. “She’s cool.”
Jinx is a woman who seems taller than she actually is. I don’t know if it’s the boots, the carriage of self-confidence, the blond hair and thick eyelashes, or just that she took charge when I was in a bad situation years ago (my second kink conference; suicide threat). She’s one of the handful of people who engage in genuinely risky play: bloodsports, or the deliberate drawing of blood for erotic gratification. We’re both leatherwomen, too, and share a pack—a kind of extended, kinky family—through my partner.
We make small talk about the community until my cider arrives, and then I clear my throat and ask, “what exactly is a vampire?”
Basically, Jinx explains, a vampire is someone who gets energy from the life force of another person: there are energy vampires and vampires that drink blood. What separates them from people who just get off on it, or enjoy it in specific contexts, is that vampires feel they need blood to thrive.
Here’s where I’m going to pause to link Boston University’s interview with Joseph Laycock, who explains the three “real” kinds of vampires: psychic vampires, sanguinarians, and a hybrid of the two. Jinx never uses the terms psychic or sanguinarian with me, but that might have been an invention of Laycock’s, or she simply may not have wanted to use those names. This interview focuses on her experience as what Laycock would call a sanguinarian, and how it ties into her bloodsports play in the kink world.
Vampires are born, not made; they report feeling weak or ill throughout their lives before turning, i.e. learning that blood revitalizes them. All of the accounts I have read highlight blood as supplemental to meals, and not taken every day; drinking too much blood too frequently could put one at risk of hemochromatosis. Conversely, donating too much blood too frequently could result in anemia.
This all begs another question. “How do you find vampires and people interested in feeding them?”
Jinx always had an interest in vampire literature—authors like Anne Rice or Lynn Viehl—and started searching the internet when she was a young teenager. She quickly found VampireFreaks, which at the time was a forum that connected goth, emo, and other alternative-lifestyle people, allowing them to discuss their lifestyles. While initially interested in the fashion forums, Jinx began going deeper into the website, eventually stumbling upon a forum thread for vampires.
This led to a treasure trove of information: vampiric energy exchange, safety, and how to make vegan blood to sustain yourself until you had access to real blood; this is a cocktail of orange juice, protein powder, and iron supplements. Jinx mentions that she met up with another vampire at a goth convention: “oh my god, you’re fifteen,” the woman allegedly said, but kept in contact with Jinx online for several years after.
(”That’s familiar,” I laugh, and explain: “my first kink mentor was someone I met online when I was twelve, they’d let me ask any question I wanted and we met up once or twice for coffee.”)
Jinx explains that there are several groups around the country, and one of the biggest in Atlanta, Georgia. It turns out most vampires lurk on old forum threads and facebook groups, not in alleys or nightclubs. It’s particularly difficult to find them in person, apparently with the exception of UK, where site that was last updated thirteen years ago lists vampire friendly bars. She started getting involved in Houston, Texas.
A lot like the kink community, there are two sides to the exchange; those who feed (”vampires”, “feeders”) and those who are fed from (”bloodbags,” “feedies”). There are also those who feed off one another in closed groups. The last are the hardest to get into, as (much like closed poly groups) there is usually serious vetting that takes place before a new person is allowed in, and everyone needs to agree.
It should be understood that being a vampire is a lifestyle, rather than a single act; it has a community full of people who maintain their own practices, teaching styles, and disagreements: how frequently to drink, whether marks should be left on the feedie, and the best ways to drink. Some have special, dedicated goblets. One memorable forum member drank from a Hello Kitty cup every morning, because it was opaque. While people find one another through forums, primarily, some grow into it through parents or relatives being open about drinking blood.
Disclaimer: discussion of specific techniques is intended for education only, and as the author of the article, I do not advise that anyone attempt the procedures described below. Drinking blood puts people at incredible risk of communicable diseases and infection, including norovirus, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B, and HIV.
As the conversation continues, we get into the specifics of how one goes about drinking from others. Jinx gestures to her own arm to illustrate each point.
“You don’t just chomp down on a neck,” Jinx says. “You can drink from the neck, but you have to be absolutely careful.”
First off, you want tools similar to those used in bloodsports: gauze and vet tape to stop bleeding, cotton rounds, high percentage alcohol, and other things to stop infection. Supplies are most easily sourced from veterinarian supply companies where possible. Lint free cloths are okay, but it’s better to use items you dispose of for the purposes of sanitation. The moment an object is exposed to the air, it is no longer sterile, in the majority of environments, but people aim for as clean as possible. Very few people have access to a surgically sterile environment to do bloodsports in.
There are specific techniques involving cleaning an area with alcohol; in one, you start on the planned incision point with an alcohol pad and spiral out to prevent reintroduction of bacteria to the place you plan to cut. Another involves cleaning in one swipe with an alcohol pad, not rubbing back and forth, for the same reason. While one could pour alcohol over the skin, it must be wiped away dry, to prevent the introduction of alcohol to the open wound.
As for the actual cutting, one should use scalpels, razor blades or exacto knives. You don’t reuse scalpels, and with the other blades, keep one blade per partner. Some people on the forums Jinx frequented enjoyed dull blades for the added pain, though she can’t recommend it. When actually cutting, one should not puncture deeply, but only very thin scrapes; this is similar to what one learns for cutting play. Ideally, one lightly marks an “X” into the skin, and squeezes to get the blood flowing.
How one consumes the blood depends on the player. Responsible players will brush their teeth beforehand, and gargle with high-alcohol mouthwash if they plan to put their mouths to the wound. Jinx, personally, uses medical staples, hits the site to bring the blood to the surface, and then licks it when the staples are removed. (”It’s erotic,” she says.) Occasionally she’ll do fire cupping by pricking a cleaned area on the back or butt with diabetic needles. She then puts a little isopropyl alcohol in a glass cup, ignites it, and quickly places it over the pricks; the fire is instantly snuffed out, but the vacuum created by the consumed oxygen draws the blood into the cup. This is an easy vessel to drink from.
“But if you just want the blood, you can just ask phlebotomists for expired packs and just pop a vein with a needle into a cup.” This is certainly a lot faster, though some vampires find it lacks the erotic energy exchange.
Once the drinking is done, the wound needs to be cleaned. One should never use hydrogen peroxide, as it causes cell death, and alcohol stings and does the same. Instead, the wound should be flushed with saline water quickly - distilled is okay too. When bandaging the wounds, triple-antibiotic ointment is used on the bandage to reduce the chances of infection.
Having a sharps container on hand is ideal; while some people use water bottles and others use glass containers, the best is the red hazard bins you find in doctor’s offices and publicly conscious bathrooms, which prevent needles from poking through the material and won’t shatter if dropped. Jinx recommends you wipe down the blade with alcohol before tossing. (Another option is a dip in alcohol instead, so you’re less likely to cut yourself by accident.) Getting rid of the tools safely is tricky, especially in the US. Open-minded friends in healthcare (human or animal) can throw things away for you, or you can go to drug clinics.
Finally, aftercare isn’t expected in vampire communities the way it is in kink communities, and Jinx has carried that with her into the kink world. If her partners want aftercare, she has them arrange something with another partner or friend.
By this point, I’ve switched to water; while not as fun as a cider nor as bracing as blood, I really don’t want to drive home tipsy.
“What’s the most important thing to consider before you drink someone’s blood?”
“Cleanliness and safety,” Jinx says, emphatically. “It’s just like PIV; I only drink blood from fluid-bonded people.” Fluid-bonding, for the uninitiated, is what is known in the poly and kink community as the point where people can contract infections from one another through sex or play; this includes, but isn’t limited to: unprotected penis-in-vagina sex, unprotected penis-in-anus sex, oral sex without condoms or dental dams, blood exchange (usually drinking), and needle sharing. When behaving ethically, fluid bonded people will not participate in fluid-exchange activities outside of their fluid-bonded partners without discussion. The same goes for Jinx.
There are groups that operate like this, feeding on one another in a closed circle, though they don’t always limit sexual partners. Jinx also advises regular blood testing for diseases communicable by blood; Hep C, HIV, and other STD tests. She needs to see negative tests from any partner she considers playing with.
“People talked about doing really risky shit in the forums,” Jinx explained. “Like biting. It’s sexy, but no one has naturally sharp teeth. You can sharpen them or use caps, but you’re more likely to seriously bite yourself, or they could fall off.” (My mother had a teething cat that bit her, and left behind a tooth; I can’t imagine the vampire equivalent is erotic.) That isn’t the limit either; others talked about making deeper wounds to insert fingers, butt plugs, dildos, or penises. These, however, are past the point Jinx is comfortable with, and she reiterates that none of this is safe or sane.
Disease isn’t the only thing communicable by blood. Allergies need to be considered as well; if the feeder is allergic to shellfish, the feedie needs to avoid it for some time; a week is most likely safe. Medications have the potential to impact the drinkers as well, though it will most likely be by taste, rather than directly. It’s frowned upon to insist a bloodbag stop long-term medication for the gratification of the vampire.
While blood thinners are common (think ibuprofen or aspirin, not prescription-grade), Jinx tastes the difference in the blood, and instead has her bloodbags drink a gallon of water a day over two days, which leads to a higher volume of blood and easier bloodflow.
“Is there a noticeable difference between people’s blood?”
“Some people say they can taste different blood types, but I never have. It mostly depends on their diet.” Fast foods leave blood feeling oily. For the taste of iron, one ought to consume red meat. Fruits and vegetables, particularly pineapple, lend a sweeter taste. The more water the feedee drinks, the faster the blood flows. When they abstain, however, flavor intensifies within the thickened blood.
It’s getting late, and our conversation drifts to other topics; opinions on the latest kink community drama, discussing our late friend, and the difficulty in maintaining graphically explicit websites in the modern day. Finally, I get up. In my imagination, I nod cooly and shake her hand, and departing by foot, I weave through dark alleys and potential danger. I wonder if I’ll see her again, and how much of this I can trust.
The reality is warmer: I hug her goodbye, and leave her to continue camping out at the bar on her laptop. The only danger I face on my drive home is an unprotected right turn onto a fast street. I ride the highway instead of going home, letting the forced boredom coalesce my thoughts until the cooling city calls me back.
I don’t know if I’ll ever like the taste of blood; it brings to mind nosebleeds and ripped hangnails. But bleeding for someone else’s gratification? Being beaten until I sweat blood? These intrigue me; maybe they’ll intrigue you, too.
Learned a lot from this, feels like a glimpse of a whole other world. It's a little funny reading about all the health precautions taken for sexy blood drinking, but it gives me a lot of respect for the scene. Being a fantasy author I'm having a bit of fun imagining fantasy vampires operating like this.