In the Grand Opera, feeding is never a mere act of sustenance. It is the core ritual, the highest art form, and the ultimate expression of power. Blood is not just food; it is vital essence, emotion given liquid form, and the medium of the Performance.
The Adored Vintage (Voluntary & Emotional): The most prized. Blood taken from a Willing Performer in a state of rapture, love, or transcendent artistic ecstasy. This blood is said to be sparkling, sweet, and potent, granting the vampire a surge of vitality and heightened sensation. It is the centerpiece of the "Diva's Kiss" ceremony.
The Dramatic Vintage (Fear & Agony): Blood infused with high emotion—terror, despair, betrayal, or righteous anger—sourced from public executions, tortures, or gladiatorial combats. This blood is thick, fiery, and intoxicating, favored by warriors and sadists. It is considered "spicy."
The Common Vintage (The Herd): The bland, sustenance-grade blood collected via the "blood tax" from the complacent Audience. Drained painlessly by alchemical leeches in sleep-clinics, it is nutritional but offers little thrill. The majority of the Functionary class subsists on this.
The Bestial Vintage (The Unwilling & Feral): Blood taken by force from the Broken, the Starved, or animals. Considered crude and vulgar, it carries the taint of resistance or animal fear. Drinking it is a sign of poor taste or desperation, though some Dusters affect a liking for it as a sign of ruggedness.
The Profane Vintage (Infernal/Abyssal): The dangerous blood of demons or devils. Consumed only by the most daring or degenerate vampires (or as a punishment). Effects are unpredictable: temporary immense power, followed by horrific mutations, fiendish hallucinations, or parasitic possession.
The Diva's Kiss: A formal, public ceremony. The vampire feeds from the wrist or neck of a Willing Performer amidst music and theater. The goal is to cause no pain, only euphoria. It is a display of perfect control and mutual "devotion."
The Grand Guignol: A staged execution-feeding in the Opera's pits. The victim's terror and struggle are part of the spectacle. The vampire feeds as the "final act," often with dramatic flair.
The Private Tasting: A more intimate affair among nobles, comparing "vintages" of different humans like fine wines, discussing notes of sorrow, joy, or ambition.
The Practical Draining: The mechanical, impersonal collection from the Herd via steam-powered phlebotomy engines in the Sanguine District. This blood is processed, bottled, and distributed as common rations.
Sustenance vs. Ascendance: Only the upper echelons who regularly consume Adored or Dramatic vintages can maintain their peak supernatural powers, ageless beauty, and mental clarity. Those on a Common Vintage diet slowly become listless, physically weaker, and more detached.
The Hunger for Art: A vampire's cravings become increasingly refined. A lord used to the taste of a lover's ecstasy will find common blood ash in the mouth, driving them to ever more elaborate and cruel performances to secure worthy meals.
The Taboo of Waste: To kill a human without purpose, to spill blood without appreciating its art, is the mark of a savage— a Starved. Even executions are meticulously staged. Waste is the greatest sin against the Performance.
For the Willing, being fed upon is the highest honor, a transcendent union with their patron. For the Audience, it is a distant, abstract tax. For the Broken, it is the finale of their tragic role.
The Resistance understands: The vampire's aesthetic dependence on curated emotion is a weakness. Spoil the performance—give them blood filled with boredom, defiance, or pity—and you poison the feast. A vampire fed on the cold, stubborn resolve of a captured resister may find it burns their throat and saps their strength. The most potent weapon is sometimes not silver, but a perfectly delivered bad performance.