PSA: Facts About Blood When Writing about Vampires

I know I'm the guy who said "fuck science" when it came to writing about octomaids, but remember, I keep the stuff that makes it sexy or adds to the story. With vampires, it's just a little different. Nobody but me, apparently, is writing octomaid erotica. Everyone writes vampire erotica. Maybe not futanari vampire erotica, but still...

That means there's a lot of stupid, ridiculous shit out there totally harshing on your suspension of disbelief.

So let's right some wrongs and bust some myths, shall we?

How long does it take to recover from blood loss and what should you do to speed it up?


Although your body produces red blood cells pretty quickly, it's estimated to take 3-4 weeks to fully recover. This accounts for the wait period when donating blood.

To recover a little faster drink plenty of water, eat citrus, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and meats high in iron.

And don't keep letting vampires bite you.

Source: http://www.blood.co.uk/about-blood/how-the-body-replaces-blood/

How much blood does an adult have in them and how much can they lose?

  • Adult women typically have a little over 5 liters of blood in their bodies, men about 6.5 liters.
  • 50% of your blood lost over 3hrs constitutes "massive" blood loss
  • After losing, about 750ml (25 fl. oz. or 1.5 pints), you feel the blood loss
  • After about 1,500ml (50 fl. oz. or 3.12 pints), you feel weak, thirsty, and anxious
  • At about 2000ml (67 fl. oz. or 4 pints), you will feel dizzy and/or go unconscious
Source: https://mathspig.wordpress.com/tag/how-much-blood-can-you-lose-before-you-die/

Three pints is a LOT of blood, really. Imagine if you knocked over 3 pints of beer in your own kitchen (don't tell me you never did any such thing).

How fast do you bleed out if a major artery or vein is punctured?


In vampire stories, people are forever being bitten on the neck. The neck muscles run parallel to the carotid arteries. IF YOU CUT A MAJOR ARTERY, YOU WILL DIE IN A MINUTE. The heart pumps 5 liters of blood a minute. You may not even have 5 full liters of blood in your body. Cut a major artery and you basically have only a minute left to live at most.

Source: http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=16876.0

How much fluid can a stomach hold?


If you're drinking blood, can you really drink all of the blood in a person?

No.

A human stomach can hold at maximum around 4 liters. But it wouldn't feel comfortable. Remember last Thanksgiving? Worse than that. And an adult will have at least 5 liters of blood in them.

If you want to say vampire anatomy is different than human anatomy, go for it.

Sources: http://www.chacha.com/question/how-many-ounces-of-liquid-can-a-human-stomach-hold
http://www.kgbanswers.com/how-much-liquid-can-your-stomach-hold/4738543

Be sexy, not stupid, with your vampire erotica


I actually make use of this knowledge to serve the story in Enthralled, when Ashlyn, determined to help the injured futanari vampire she's found, decides to bring home "dinner" for her new guest. And of course every time someone is bitten to drink from them but not kill, it's never on the neck or any major artery/vein.

Whatever "science" or magic you have in your vampire erotica has to serve the story, there's no question about that. Vampires are ridiculous from the outset, but if we're going to indulge in their impossibility, and we want people to be turned on, maybe the little details that support reality, used well, can make your vampire erotica a step above most of what's out there.




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