You know the deal, you go to a goth club or party and end up leaving your mark in the form of purplely-black lip imprints all over your friends and ...errrrr... "friends."

That's well and good and socially acceptable in the gothic scene since just about everyone is wearing black lipstick, but let's try not to leave your claw marks all over people... that is unless they like that sort of thing. (And in our crowd that can be quite possible!)

This may seem like common sense, yet scratches happen so easily, especially if you are like me and file them to sharp points. You need to learn how to handle your nails in public - especially if you are new to having long nails. It seems nails grow faster than many people, especially men, can learn to function properly with them. After all, your body has had years to adjust its coordination before you went along and screwed everything up by extending the length of your fingers via the nails.

For those beginning to grow nails, start slowly. Keep them filed at a certain length for a while until you are used to them, then gradually let them grow in stages.

Another trick to avoid scratches in public, as well as unnecessary wear-and-tear on nails, is to avoid keeping your fingers extended while reaching for something or someone. Always keep fingers pointed back in towards the palm until you are in a safe position to grasp. Also, while moving through a crowd of people, on say a dance floor, keep your hands either in front of you or at your sides in this same position. (Fishnet snags get very annoying very quickly.)

This sounds easy, if not silly, but in reality it is a new habit that won't come easily to those who have never had to think about their fingers before.

As far as scratching oneself is concerned... THAT you WILL learn to avoid rather quickly!!!

Sex

What would social interaction be without sex? (Don't answer that!) You know you need to address the issues of nail caution in sex when you hear "ouch" more than "oh" and you are not even playing with S&M! Nails can also be quite erotic if used properly, but I will leave that for you to explore on your own.

Before anything too complicated will begin, you'll first need to make a mad dash to get out of those boots and clothing so the rest can follow. Take your time! Laces and buttons will, when rushed, wreak havoc on those nails. Chances are, if you take the effort to grow long nails you will be upset if one breaks despite your constant claim that you don't care.

You definitely need to keep track of where your nails are in relation to your partner or partners when moving around in bed. While lying down, your weight will often be on your hands as you move and thus can cause some serious damage to others if not placed properly. In addition, others may accidentally roll over on the nails causing similar damage. Don't expect anyone else to be keeping track of your claws! It is your responsibility. Use the base of your palm when supporting your weight with your hands.

Since fingers can often come into play during sex in regards to certain areas of our partner's anatomy (use your imagination here), keep in mind these areas don't tend to fend well to the insertion of sharp objects. Sure, some people may like that, but chances are you will need to rethink your approach to this a bit.

Particularly for those of us with sharp, pointed, nails, I recommend "finger condoms." They are smaller and thicker than regular condoms that are designed to fit over individual fingers. Most condom specialty shops or hard-core sex shops will carry them in packages that look like a pack of white balloons.

Simply place a "finger condom" on each finger that will be used (tip: include an additional finger in that count incase you use more than planned). You can do this early in the game since it will not interfere with your... routine. Keep a bit of slack at the tip to help prevent sharp nails from breaking through.

For very sharp nails, you may want to try using a very thin rubber thimble (used for sewing) underneath the condom, although I have not had any experience with that to comment. Don't bother using regular condoms since they are too thin and loose to be anything other than an annoyance.

One final note to my fellow sharp clawed freaks: learn to rely more on your tongue than your fingers when you can, if you know what I mean. This will help avoid complications that sharp nails are likely to cause.

Here's a great warning submitted by Thalionar: "Other schtuff that will kill beautiful nail polish faster than almost anything else: nonoxynol-9, esp in the form of insertible BC... foams, jellies, and suppository styles... the bad thing is you will then leave streaks of melted nail polish all over everything until you take it off. Learned that one the hard way..."