#Sascha Vykos

[cactusique]

Are you religious?

[lordturkish]

Posting without context, but my partner and I are having A Time building out our v5 setting. A meme relevent to any Sabbat campaign 🫡🙏😇

[vykoscore]

i'm on the dark side sinnin' and grinnin' then you let me in fill you up with passion and rage i stroke you slow, deep and under try to make you wonder just why you feel so violently strange?

sascha vykos wearing thierry mugler spring 1997 couture

this was probably my most ambitious project yet, and i'm very glad to have finished it while my head's in stitches :D

[evaamoor]

[ryttu3k]

this might be a silly question, but do we know what sascha's zulo form looks like? and if we dont, do you have any head cannons?

The 'canon' answer is that all Zulo forms are completely identical and Sascha's is no different, as described in the original Players' Guide to the Sabbat:

"This power enables the vampire to assume the form of a real monster. In one turn, the vampire's entire body transforms into a seven to eight-foot-tall creature with grotesque features. The vampire has clawlike, seven-fingered hands, a row of bony spines protruding from her vertebrae, a horribly deformed head, huge muscles and thick blackish -gray skin covered with a slick, black, oily residue. Oddly enough, all vampires using this power take this form, though each has slight variations."

Still held true as late as the V20 corebook, although it no longer emphasises that they're all identical. More specifically, so does the Revised corebook! The Clan Novel Saga, specifically the individual story written by Lucien Soulban, is Revised-era, and is the only story where we get a specific description of Sascha's Zulo form:

This is one of the very few things V5 actually did right for the Tzimisce, in that Zulo form is no longer identical to everyone:

"With a mastery of the body so complete that it surpasses natural limitations, the vampire can take on a truly monstrous form, complete with vicious claws, protruding fangs, ridged features, and corded muscles. Although its exact traits can vary between occasions, the form often has an individual, specific appearance that manifests every time this power is used, a vision of the user’s Beast made flesh. Some look like hellishly malformed animals, some look demonic or atavistic, and some defy any sense of worldly familiarity. Many incorporate the traits of other vampires in nature, such as leeches, bats, ticks, and mosquitoes, magnified to grotesque proportions."

The fact that it's an amalgam between Protean 4 and Dominate 2 is still a stupid-ass decision. Ha ha yeah you can change yourself because you're ~dominating your body~ oh get fucked. If you had to make Vicissitude an amalgam, at least make it something that makes sense, like Auspex! Also it now costs drastically higher, it had always been Vicissitude 4 and now you need two extra levels? Man c'mon.

Anyway.

A lot of fandom has embraced that, or, potentially, the V5 Companion writers looked at how basically every Tzimisce fan went "yeah no fuck that" and designed their own Zulo form. There are some amazingly, wonderfully creative designs out there, and I firmly believe that in a clan like the Tzimisce, Zulo forms would be individualistic and incredible to see. And Sascha has Vicissitude 7 and Style 6, as if they're going to be constrained to some basic-ass variation everyone has ;)

For my own interpretation, I hc that they have wings with razor-sharp black feathers made of chitin, to really tie into that Angel of Caine imagery. They're not quite designed to fly with, they don't use Chiropteran Marauder form, but they can glide a bit and, more importantly, intimidate ;D I see the main body of their Zulo form as catlike, like this sleek black panther, with razor-sharp claws, spikes down the length of their spine, and a sword-like blade on the end of their tail, and alarmingly intelligent and human-like eyes that look really disconcerting in a panther-like face.

But that's just 'my' Sascha - there are probably a ton of incredible designs out there!

[badass-at-fandoming]

Don't read Eternal Hearts

--Ancient VtM fandom proverb

[knight-parzival]

Night 12: Spicey The boring and formal part of Palla Grande is tedious and tastes like sand on the fangs. But even in such conditions you can find something more interesting…

[confusedbyinterface]

Love the Vampire The Masquerade history bit where Aisling Sturbridge (b. 1890) is like "The Renaissance, truly the greatest time of all history, a flowering of literature, art, theatre, science... geniuses like Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Shakespeare... finally the dark ages were over and The Kindred could enjoy what is best in unlife" and Sascha Vykos (b. 976) just replies "mid."

[jackalbm]

little gift

[catboy-beckett]

[cactusique]

ahem

[macabre-noir]

Vampire: The Masquerade - Beckett

[vykoscore]

Designed a dress for Vykos, my beloved.

I don't think I can verbalise how important they are to me and why that is.

[evaamoor]

[ryttu3k]

I'm curious abut Sascha Vykos. Do you know which novels or splat books would be good to read to learn more about them?

*cracks knuckles*

Number 1 book you need to understand Sascha's background is the Dark Ages Tzimisce clan novel by Myranda Kalis, which has them as the main character (along with their lover, Ilias cel Frumos) and explains why they're... like that. Just a goddamn amazing character study, also completely heartbreaking and singlehandedly made me change my view of them from "haha wtf what an edgelord" to "they're my baby and I'm gonna fight a methuselah for them". Set between 1232 and 1234, if I've managed to maths right.

Also by Myranda and set around a similar time (shortly after the fall of Constantinople) is the Road of Sin book (set around 1205). Sascha (then called Myca) narrates the introduction and first chapter. It does specifically focus on their history with the eponymous Road, but has a lot of interesting character details, along with their relationship with Ilias.

For modern Sascha, there are two. First is the original Clan Novel Saga (set 1999), although in this case, I'm not recommending just the Tzimisce novel, but rather the compiled editions. There's a bunch of Sascha content in the Assamite book as well, since they're quite involved with one of the characters in it, and it also includes extra, exclusive content, including my two favourite chapters - a story by Lucien Soulban (Sascha's creator), and an epilogue by Janet Trautvetter, mostly about Jan Pieterzoon but with Sascha being fairly prominent in it.

Fair warning, CNS was written in 1999 and has. Mm. Edgelordy moments. We do not talk about The Foetus Thing :|

The other, probably most important one is Beckett's Jyhad Diary, which I would recommend for literally anyone interested in VtM in general. Sascha has minor appearances and mentions in a bunch of chapters, but is extremely prominent in the chapter Dreams & Nightmares (also by Myranda Kalis/Sarro). She also wrote the chapter Azhi Dahaka, another must-read relating to Sascha.

The timing for BJD is... less clear, because at least a few of the people involved have said it's set in 2005, but also there's one chapter where an event that explicitly took place around 1999 or 2000 is said to have taken place "sixteen years ago", so. Let's just call that early 21st century.

Most of the rest of the books are chronicles, plus one city book - their origin book, Constantinople by Night (1197, IIRC?) by Lucien Soulban, Philippe Boulle, and Joshua Mosqueira-Asheim. Others, in chronological order by setting, include Bitter Crusade (two chapters, Fiendish Winter and Dying Embers, the latter covering the Fall of Constantinople in 1204), Under the Black Cross (1225), and a whole bunch of the Transylvania Chronicles (Myca/Sascha appears in book 1 in Dark Tides Cresting (1314), in book 2 in Haceldema (covers the Convention of Thorns, 1493), in book 3 in An Angel's Plea (1680, also has the most hilariously thirsty description of Sascha I've ever seen in my life), and in book 4 in The Accounting (1998).)

Seriously. Here's their Transylvania Chronicles 3 character sheet:

They appear in two of the Giovanni Chronicles books, three (1882) and four (same, in a flashback that also has my baby Anatole), in the Nightshade scenario of the Gehenna book (1999), although that's since been retconned out of existence, along with chunks of the Clan Novel Saga, mostly to do with the approaching Gehenna stuff, and in particular Anatole's fate. It's still worth reading just for some fascinating ways the world could end. Finally, they appear in the House of Lies chapter of Nights of Prophecy (1999?).

Aside from those, they also have little appearances and mentions in other books, including letters and notes throughout chapter 7 of the Revised corebook, a rather amusing little reference in chapter 4 of the Victorian Age corebook, a detailed profile and character sheet in Children of the Night although that book pisses me off because it put Beckett, Anatole, and Lucita on the front cover but didn't give us sheets for them!, and the opening letter of the V5 Sabbat book, which you can read here (and then ignore the rest of the book and get the Revised-era Guide to the Sabbat instead).

So yes! They show up a lot, and all through the game's history. The three most important ones to read, I think, are the Dark Ages Tzimisce novel, the combined Clan Novel Saga, and Beckett's Jyhad Diary, then the rest just depending on interest in the era or broader story, since Sascha is less involved in those.

Have fun! They're an absolute hot mess of a character and I adore them!

[badass-at-fandoming]

Happy VtM FangFest24!

Despite my current level of Busy, I really wanted to meet @fuckyeahlabynight's Fang Fest challenge! Tarot is such a fun idea. 😁 Earlier this month, I ran a poll on what to draw, and "portraits of different canon characters" won by landslide. Here's the first half! As a further treat, I paired each character with a flower whose meaning brought out more elements of their character and card. All flower meanings are from A Victorian Flower Dictionary by Mandy Kirkby. Find it on Indiebound here.

If you'd like to squeak in entries for this challenge, check out the kick off post here! I babble more about my character & flower choices below the cut.

Day 1 - Ramona as the Fool - Daisies double down on the "Innocence" theme of The Fool. From the Clan Novels to her appearance in LA by Night, Ramona goes on a wild journey which attempts to break her. Against all odds, she survives and comes out stronger, choosing kindness, art, and whimsy in LA by Night instead of brooding over the shitstorm she was forced through. It's like, at first Ramona was innocent, then she chooses the innocent happiness of small joys. Yeah, she'll do what she needs to survive—but she doesn't let the experience overtake who she chooses to be.

Day 2 - Ambrosio Luis Moncado as The Magician - HEAR ME OUT. He's the Magician Upright and Reversed. Moncado has plans upon plans. They succeed much more often than not, but Moncado also gets in his own way sometimes. The flowers are geraniums. The pencil thin leaves convey ingenuity—yes, Embracing Lucita was a good, unexpected idea—but red geraniums indicate stupidity. Maybe if he drank more respect women juice, she would return his calls.

Day 3 - Ming Xiao as the High Priestess - In her mortal and immortal roles, Ming Xiao acts as an advisor and knowledge keeper for her communities. She also has a terrible habit of withdrawing and not sharing tidbits. Maidenhair fern seemed a perfect fit: it references the feminine and it conveys a sense of secrecy.

Day 4 - Emma Blake as the Empress - I think Emma Blake deserves nice things and barely got the chance to stand on her own. Her "flower" is actually wheat. Emma is essential to the The Victorian Trilogy, just like wheat is a building block of civilization. The narrative wants to grind her down and devour her, like the violence done to wheat to make bread. Wheat is a staple—but for the gluten intolerant it's a poison. There's also the association with Ceres, the mother who, in her rage and sorrow, created winter over her stolen child. I'm like, really happy with this pairing, can you tell

Day 5 - Baron Samedi as The Emperor - What a fun dude. Though he's not always a good father/sire, Baron Samedi takes care of his clan, even at the risk of his own life. The leaves in his pocket are sorrel, which stands for parental affection.

Day 6 - Hesha Ruhadze as The Hierophant - Hesha's story is all wrapped up with faith and spiritual institutions: either following their precepts or secretly defying them for a greater good. Why is he naked you ask? the monocle stays ON during sex Ignore that. Look at the passionflower. Look up a picture of a passionflower. It stands for faith and looks like an alien.

Day 7 - Ilias cel Frumos and Sascha Vykos as The Lovers - This choice was very obvious, haha. Without Ilias, Vykos' life is full of disharmony, arguments, and hatred. United, they blossom. The flowers above them are lilies of the valley for "return of happiness." The drawing is a redraw of this picrew

Day 8 - Karsh as The Chariot - Just like chamomile ("energy in adversity"), Karsh does not quit! Cut him down; he returns stronger! In v5 Modern Nights, I think Karsh would be conflicted over his position in the Camarilla, and the Chariot brings out that tension. B. Dave Walters performed a fantastic Karsh in LA by Night, and I used his outfit and picture from We're Alive: Frontier as an artistic reference.

Day 9 - Halim Bey as Strength - Halim is a gentleman, through and through. He gently persuades, deftly handles his British customers, practices compassion gracefully, and endures like one million billion microaggressions without snapping. That takes strength. The dahlias are for dignity, which he has in spades. The decolonization comment came from me wondering how he feels about the British monarchy these nights. Like how Hesha is wrapped up with faith, Halim is wrapped up in colonization.

Day 10 - Aristotle de Laurent as The Hermit - This one was easy. Since he finished The Book of Nod, Aristotle seems to be quite content puttering around his collection and directing Lucita, Anatole, and Beckett to dig sites. He was The Hermit Upright. With their associations in mythology, queerness, and loneliness, hyacinths seemed a good pick. The purple shades add in the message "please forgive me," which reference his and Beckett's falling out. When he betrayed Beckett, Aristotle's Hermit card Reversed.

Day 11 - Beckett as The Wheel of Fortune - This card fit the (un)lucky Cuthbert "Gehenna is a cycle" Beckett so well! Aristotle and Beckett's portraits mirror each other, because I wanted to tease out their potential for reconciliation. I've drawn Beckett before, but this one came out looking younger and softer to me, which calls back to Beckett's neonate days. The two chrysanthemums symbolize truth (i.e. his constant goal) in British culture. In China, chrysanthemums are, among other things, symbols of the queer male community. Cause, yanno, they kind of look like buttholes. 😅😂 I had to do it do 'em okay