Bloodlust – The Workshop

Attention: if the thought of blood, needles, or vampirism make you squeamish, then this post is definitely not one for you.

Threshold

Needles used to be a hard limit. I mean, I hate going to the doctor for bloodwork or vaccinations. Even the possibility for them to prod Me with something sharp is something in My mind when I think “hospital”. Who needs that sort of nightmare in their lives? Personally, I used to cry at the sight of a syringe attached to a needle; even now, I have to look away while they do their dirty work and wince when I feel it puncture My skin.

Bloodlust by Mistress Shae Flanigan doesn’t inspire these familiar feelings of nausea or fear. Even when She’s rubbing the blood like paint over the sub’s body, it still looks pretty cool. I actually feel oddly serene seeing Her work, which is odd since I’m not turned on by the blood display. I think its the energy that She puts out that effects Me and others to that level. It’s not about the act, it’s about what’s behind it. The motivation and sincerity behind Her own bloodlust is I think the most affecting thing of all.

Since watching Her perform for the first time, I’ve given second thoughts to needle play (a.k.a. play piercing). I went to Her workshop at Threshold to learn more about what I was missing.

Threshold

There was a crowd there of 24 (25 if you count the Instructor). That was a very big crowd for a Threshold workshop since I’ve only seen it that packed for a rope bondage class. The audience was comprised of Tops/bottoms, switches, slaves, and of course… vampires. A woman I talked to (Debra) classified herself as a slave and vampire. She had two loves in her life that were present at the workshop: her boyfriend and her Master, the former she was blood bonded with. The boyfriend was the donor for both parties.

A related sidenote: I have hadn’t much interaction with the vampire community but I’ve been intrigued by them for a long time. The sub-culture and community have been utilized for dramatic and humorous effect in many TV shows such as Psych, Castle, and other wittily titled productions. Almost always, they feature dazzling beautiful people with fake fangs, gothic decor, and surrounded by blood. I can’t vouch for how much of this is actually true; if there is a vampire who would like to illuminate Me on the facts, please step forward! I would like to write an article on the subculture.

The Bloodlust workshop is divided into 2 parts: first half being the 101 portion dealing with biohazards, scene setup, introduction to needles, and aftercare. The 201 portion will be available on Feb. 18th, 2012. The 201 workshop will deal with more advanced bloodplay topics.

Mistress Shae went on discuss the health aspect of blood play, grilling Her audience on what they felt was missing from the picture of the scene She presented: a blank bondage table. Hesitantly, like children from gradeschool, people from all over the room gave tentative answers: “Towels?” “The table needs to be sterilized?” “Gloves?” And so on. It was funny how frightened they all were (including Me at certain parts since I hate getting called on) to be put on the spot. It was a good way to wake up the class and alert them that this wasn’t a sit and watch show — this was a production that all were taking a part in, no matter how minor.

She talked about the importance of having a clean work environment when playing with something as dangerous and invasive as needles and blood. Medical-grade products are needed to sterilize and minimize the risk of infection. This can all strike a regular person as common sense but often times many eager players disregard safety precautions as unnecessary and in the heat of the moment, make unsanitary decisions. I am telling you right now – you don’t want to be playing around with the subject of blood unsafely. A lot of diseases are blood-borne, which means yes – IT IS NECESSARY. If you are clean, you will want your partner to be clean.

Threshold

I don’t want to publish word for word Her workshop experience, so I will just give this tidbit here that I feel can only benefit: Mistress Shae Flanigan said that item disposal is ideally divided into three containers: sharps container in which needles and sharp disposable objects (with no caps) are discarded – this is ideally a container that will not break nor puncture easily, like an empty Lysol wipe container and secured so that the top will not come off without effort; a container for soiled biohazard material (items in contact with blood, or other bodily fluids; gloves that touched the human body, alcohol swabs), and a standard trash container for all else (packaging, for example). There was a heated discussion on where sharps container could be dropped off safely – a few people claimed that hospitals turned them away when they tried to drop off their full sharps’ container. In any case, there are officially three options: Pharmacy – E.R./Hospital (best to call ahead) – and your local doctor’s office.

The class as a whole was very interactive and not a “notes” class – Mistress Shae was very informative, very open to questions, and didn’t waste anytime putting willing participants into the heart of the class. A good number of the audience got up (including Yours truly) and put needles through T/their own skin. It was a pretty euphoric feeling to be in control of My own fear and it convinced Me that play piercing is worth pursuing. Like anything worth being good at, it’s important to wait until you know what you’re doing for this activity.

The play model was a very open and enthusiastic workshop participant who said she had limited experience with needles (she had several tattoos.) Mistress Shae demonstrated wet cupping (the act of putting suction cups used for acupuncture over needle punctures), developing an endorphin button (several layers of needles to create an ecstasy-inducing hotspot), and to demonstrate what not to do (refrain from blowing on recently sterilized skin).

Threshold

Two hours went by in a flash and it was time for the class to be over. There was a reluctance in the atmosphere for it to end. Put Bloodlust: 201 on your calendars – Feb. 18th, 2012 at Threshold. Class is $5 for members, $10 for non-members – and yes, even if you’re squeamish at the sight/thought of blood and needles, it’ll most likely be worth the experience and make you rethink your boundaries.

A few references for the curious:

1. Play Piercing Kits.com - This is good for a beginner since they have sets designed for those clientele in mind. A bonus: comes with a book on play piercing! Mistress Shae Flanigan recommends them and actually owns a kit by them.
2. Kinky Medical.net - Medical Supplies for professional piercing, stage and film production and health profesionals.
3. A book on Play Piercing - Available via Amazon or at Pleasure Chest in West Hollywood. It’s important to distinguish the difference between play piercing instructions and piercing instructions. Play is not meant to last beyond the scene whereas regular piercing has a more permanent intention.

Good luck, and remember: safe, sane, consensual. Don’t try this on a partner without first trying it on yourself in an informed manner.

-V