#archbishop andrei

[mortifying-macaroni]

[medeaft]

The bandit king (originally: A haramiavezér) 2023 Acrylic on paper

Ah, Andrei. He is so horrible, I love him.

I like thinking of different outfits for him (also for Strauss) - he doesn't need clothes to protect him from the weather, he doesn't seem to have a desire to look presentable or unremarkable or not startling, so the only thing he needs clothes for is their best purpose: decoration. He wears them so he can look dramatic in them. And the ones he is wearing in Bloodlines are very suitable for this. But surely he must have other ones also. I decided a good while ago that this outfit is one that he has; and now here he is wearing it, telling his band of ruffians companions about his atrocities values and plans.

I gave myself very little room for his elaborate clothing. But if I hadn't, it wouldn't have fit in the scanner and you wouldn't be looking at it.

[lorem-text-backup]

Balance in the Personal and the Professional

Archbishop Andrei has long been an enigmatic member of the L.A. community. His few public appearances have painted him as a purveyor of refinement and diplomacy, strongly contrasting the most common notions regarding the organization he belongs to. Even so, Andrei has thrived in the organization as a respected leader and trailblazer.

So what is the secret ingredient that makes Andrei such an appealing leader?

As it turns out, the answer is balance. Although Andrei’s outstanding performance is a testament to his hard work and experience, the archbishop attributes part of his success to the proper apportionment of responsibility between himself and his team. In fact, during our interview, Andrei praised the strong bonds between his team members and their diligence in their work.

However, the archbishop emphasized the importance of a disciplined and stable leader. Someone the team can trust to temper them when they get overzealous and know they can turn to when overwhelmed. 

“[…]a true Archbishop knows the balance between victory and loss and that battles must be fought in stages, over time. A true leader is stable, patient, and cunning.”

 After all, a disorganized team can, in time, be whipped to shape by an exceptional leader, but an irresponsible leader can only lead their team to chaos. In the end, a group may come together and work towards a shared goal, but without a guiding hand, they are lost.

Of course, balance isn’t only present in Andrei’s work but also in his personal life.

In his time away from his predominantly social workspace, Andrei indulges in a rather solitary hobby; carpentry. The majority of Andrei’s furniture is hand-made, and I can tell you from experience that the chairs are remarkably comfortable. 

“[…]I am a firm believer that everyone should take time for themselves, even if they love their friends and colleagues dearly. […] You cannot truly learn who you are until you sit in the dark, honing your craft[…]”

That was Andrei’s reply when questioned about the contrast between the inevitably social job of a team leader and the much more private environment of his hobby. And honed his craft he has; many of his creations could easily be considered contemporary masterpieces as he masterfully blends modern furniture with a more vintage aesthetic.

“My advice [to others], is to make sure they balance their hobbies. […] do not neglect other parts of your life; you will never get anywhere holed up in a cave making furniture.”

As Andrei very eloquently put it, it is essential to put time aside for hobbies and alone time, especially when one is required to interact with many people in their job. But take care not to neglect your work altogether.

As parting words, Andrei left us with a piece of advice given to him by one of the people who helped him become the man he is today:

“Always rely on your instincts; what the Beast tells you is very rarely wrong.”

Eliot Wilde, journalist and writer for Night Owl and host of Night Owl FM

[ryttu3k]

Out of curiosity, what type of person do you think Sascha would embrace? Are they the type that would embrace someone as an experiment or would they possibly have deeper reasons for siring a childe?

Canonically, they've Embraced a heap in the past to offer them to 'the glory of Caine':

They see the Embrace as something that elevates the childe, this high honour, a way to be close to Caine (although, at this point, they're following Death and the Soul, they've followed the Path of Caine in the past, and I hc they return to it post-Dracon; there's also the 'Angel of Caine' title). It's a positive thing! However, given they completely... don't remember Anthony at all, it's probably also a thing done largely offhandedly, like, "Yeah, you seem to have potential. Embrace time!"

I could see like... there's a mass Embrace going on. Sascha browses the potential new shovelheads, finds someone with something that piques their interest, and goes, okay, that one seems interesting. They Embrace the new childe, new childe gets shovelled, and that's the end of it. Godspeed, new childe, maybe we'll meet again one day when you attempt sirecide over your abandonment issues!

There are probably also more considered Embraces too - someone piques Sascha's interest for some reason, usually a human but sometimes an existing ghoul or revenant. They see that same kind of potential, but it's in a less frenetic environment than a shovelhead party, so they can invest more time in that potential childe.

It... probably rarely ended well for said childe, given that Dracon!Sascha was like. A Hot Mess(tm).

I don't believe they've Embraced anyone post Dracon. I also don't think they Embraced anyone until the Anarch Revolt - Symeon's scars were still a bit too raw. I do hc that their first childe was Andrei, who was then a Szantovich revenant (revenant based on his comment about his 'ancestral estate', Szantovich based on @iravaid's excellent analysis of Andrei as an artist) and. Probably a fanboy of Sascha's tbh who petitioned for the Embrace himself (flesh! He likes flesh! He can totally do that! Check out his early Vicissitude experiments, it'd be much better if he was a full Cainite, hint hint).

It... didn't quite go as planned because Sascha was a Hot Mess(tm) at the time (and for the next 500-odd years following) and they were reasonably distant by 2004, although they were at least still on speaking terms (more in a "hi sire I'm Archbishop of LA now" "okay cool I'm getting bored with being Archbishop of DC so have fun with that" "cool" "cool" kinda way). Andrei definitely uses the 'first childe of the Angel of Caine' thing for clout even if they haven't spoken in a few years!

There probably are a few experimental Embraces in there too, yes. It's free building material and it needed Cainite flesh. See: Hot Mess(tm).

[loiladadiani]

Portraits of Romanovs (and Relations) by Nicholas Panagiotti Zarokilli

Nicholas Pannagiottis Zarokilli was born in Turkey in 1879. He was a painter particularly fond of creating pictures of beautiful women. From 1912 to 1920, Zarokilli produced paintings for publications like MoToR, Modern Priscilla, Women’s Home Companion, The Green Book, McCall’s, and The Saturday Evening Post.

He also designed World War I posters. The United States needed money for the war, so the artist created posters to try and encourage people to give for the cause.

Zarokilli was known well for his dry-point paintings. Drypoint is a printmaking technique of the intaglio family, in which an image is incised into a plate or "matrix" with a hard-pointed "needle" of sharp metal or diamond point. In principle, the method is practically identical to engraving.

He painted portraits for people such as the Queen of Spain, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Grand Duchess Anastasia, the King of Portugal, and Mr. and Mrs. Solomon Guggenheim. Landscapes were also his love, painting the cities of Venice, Madrid, and Seville.

The following is his rendering of several members of the Romanov family (and other relations.) I have seen some of these here and there before (several of you have them in your Tumblrs and always admired them; I think he captures the likenesses admirably. I found the ones here together and identified on the British Museum website (they were done between 1920 and 1922.)

These are the names of the easily recognizable "personages" in the paintings in the order they appear below:

Prince Felix Yusupof (wearing a suit)

Prince Felix Yusupof (head)

Princess Irina Alexandrovna

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (sitting)

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (bust)

Prince Andrei Alexandrovich

Prince Feodor Alexandrovich

Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna

Grand Duke Kyril Vladimirovich

Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna the Younger

Queen Marie of Romania (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh) - Granddaughter of Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria Eugenie of Spain (born Princess Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena of Battenberg (youngest granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Hessian Princess through the morganatic Battenberg line)

References

N.P. Zarokilli Archives | The Saturday Evening Post

Nicholas Panagiotti Zarokilli | British Museum

[vampire-the-askerade]

May I request headcanons for Strauss, Gary, Andrei, and any other two of your choice (if you’d like!) finding out that the object of their affection has a beautiful singing voice?

P.S. I found this blog via your Halloween outfits post, and reading back through your absolute banger headcanons has helped keep me sane through the stressful first week of a new job. So. Keep on keeping on, you lovely person you <3

[Glad to have you here! I can only take about half credit for the headcanons though as most of them come from awesome asks like this one. Hope your job is going well and things settle down for you soon :) ]

Strauss- This man is horrible with expressing romantic feelings of any kind. And, as much as he hates to admit it, you can fluster him super easily, though he hides it well. When he first heard you sing, he felt like he was about to melt. Especially, if it’s more on the classical side. But, really anything is lovely to him. Won’t ask you to sing something out right, but will take the rout of suggesting songs you might like in hopes you sing them some time.

Gary- He’ll be more than happy to tell you how good your voice is. He was around professionally trained musicians for years, so her knows what he’s talking about. He is also horrible at expressing how he feels about you, but sees this as a way to get closer. Maybe if the two of you get talking music, other things might work their way into the conversation as well. And, if he can get a song or two from you in the meantime, then his nights are looking to be much more enjoyable than they’ve been in a long time.

Jack- At first he feels like he just likes it because he likes you. But, then he realizes you’re just talented. He couldn’t tell you why or how; he just knows your good. The same way that he’s no jewelry appraiser, but knows an expensive-ass diamond when he sees one. Mostly let’s you do your own thing and catches it when he can. No stranger to yelling out requests at you, most of which are more jokes than actual requests.

VV- Actual heart eyes. As a Toreador, she has a large appreciation for the arts and people who perform them. As a woman, she has a large appreciation for you. That means that if she gets to hear you sing she’s on cloud nine. Part of her wants to find a way for you to sing for everyone to hear, so they know how talented you are. But, another part of her wants to keep you and your voice for herself.

Andrei- He will love the fact that you sing, almost as much as he loves you. And, it’s not that he doesn’t know how to express that, as much as he feels he shouldn’t too much or too often as to keep his image as archbishop the way it’s supposed to be. If you learn some traditional Romanian songs, he’ll sit there and listen to you, totally enraptured. If you catch him staring, he’ll brush it off by saying that you pronounced some of the words wrong and walk away; totally because he has things to attend to and NOT because he’s about to cry because you’re so beautiful and talented and be still his cold dead heart-

[disgracedvessel]

"Cheer and rejoice! Delight and jubilate! Today, I come to you bearing the most powerful of news!"

Boom. Owain's hand shoots out from his side, and the rolled-up parchment held within unfurls itself to reveal a list of the monastery's records. More specifically, enrollment dates, with Julius' underlined in red ink, circled, and pointed to by at least thirty giant arrows. How he got a hold of this is unknown, but it's best not to bring it to the attention of the Archbishop.

"Don't you see, o fated ally of the Band of the Crow? Eons ago, your soul traversed the astral plane to take residence in these gilded halls! And so, I shall declare this a national holiday: everyone shall quiver in awe at my Julius Day!"

He looks proud of himself. Really proud. A toothy grin spreads from cheek to cheek, angled in a way that fills it with confidence. And his eyes--ashen orbs of destiny and doom--glimmer in the sun's early light. The day's only just begun, but Professor Oberon Dark is already ablaze with energy.

"Picture it now: the skies will don their reddish hue, and call forth their malignant clouds to rain blood upon the land! And your soul shall be imbued with untold power, brimming at the chance to go KABOOM! FWOSHHA!! and unleash its might onto sinners across the land!"

"Together you and I shall be the bleeding-edge heroes of justice! With this huge power-up, nothing can stop us!"

It had been a while since Julius had last seen Oberon. Were it not for Andrei, he might have been content to consign his memory to the storybooks of a half-year ago, along with his penchant for over-exaggerated turns of phrase. A colorful character, but a character nonetheless. Of course, Julius had seen him around the monastery since - had sought him out to serve him personally - but with the events in Rusalka, it was harder to separate reality from dream for his recent experiences.

But here he is again, in the flesh, competing with the morning's songbirds and roosters for daybreak's proclamation. Julius grimaces from the sharp reverb the man's voice makes against the stone walls and rubs the base of his palm into his temple. He hadn't even had breakfast yet, much less his morning tea.

"What is it? Are you renouncing your loyalty to your former prince to pledge your service to me instead?" he asks in the small space between Oberon's declarations, then squints at the red-marked enrollment list he holds up for him to see.

Had it been two years already? Realization snakes paralyzing, icy tendrils through his body. Two years. He stares at his entrance date in mute astonishment. Two years and what was there to show for it? He was no closer to reclaiming his status than he was when he first arrived.

"--Julius Day!"

He shakes his focus back to the present and scowls. "What are you talking about?" Oberon seems to be positively glowing with this announcement though. Was he serious? Julius' scowl unwinds slightly, arms uncross. He was serious. So he schools his sullen look into a proud mask to match, pulling lips into a smirk, lifting his chin, gathering an energy to tower over Oberon in a metaphysical sense.

"Hmph. You're brighter than I suspected. Imperial holidays such as this one have reached the ears of few in Fódlan. So--" He lets out a huff of laughter. "You've been bestowed this new power alongside me so that you may spread the word to the ignorant. I trust your... thunderous talents shall serve you well in this endeavor." For now, his need to remain hidden goes forgotten. "Let it be known to all that today will be dedicated to the eminent Prince Julius of Velthomer."

[byneddiedingo]

Nikolay Cherkasov in Ivan the Terrible, Part I

Nikolay Cherkasov in the color sequence of Ivan the Terrible, Part II

Ivan the Terrible, Parts I and II (Sergei Eisenstein, 1945-46) Cast: Nikolay Cherkasov, Lyudmila Tselikovskaya, Serafima Birman, Mikhail Nazvanov, Mikhail Zharov, Amvrosi Buchma, Mikhail Kuznetsov, Pavel Kadochnikov, Andrei Abrikasov, Vsevolod Pudovkin, Vladimir Balashov, Aleksandr Mgebrov, Pavel Massalsky. Screenplay: Sergei Eisenstein. Cinematography: Andrei Moskvin, Eduard Tisse. Production design: Iosif Shpinel, Sergei Eisenstein. Costume design: Leonid Naumov, M. Safonova. Music: Sergei Prokofiev. David Thomson has made a suggestion that a better film epic could be made of the life of Sergei Eisenstein than the one that was made about the life of John Reed -- i.e., Warren Beatty's Reds (1981). In fact, Eisenstein's life was so crowded with artistic and political drama that it would probably have to be an HBO miniseries like Game of Thrones (which is not a bad subtitle for Ivan the Terrible, come to think of it). The drama surrounding Ivan the Terrible alone would be enough for a whole season's episode, with Eisenstein struggling to bring his proposed three-installment film about Stalin's favorite czar to the screen while at the same time dealing with the lethal whims of the dictator himself. After Part I of Ivan the Terrible was released to great acclaim in 1945, including a Stalin Prize from the hands of the man himself, Stalin soured on the project: The mad frenzy of Ivan in Part II cut too close to the bone and it was not released until 1958 -- five years after Stalin's death and ten years after Eisenstein's. Part III had begun filming but was canceled, and what existed of it, except for some stills and scraps, was destroyed. After all this Sturm und Drang, it would be nice to conclude, as some critics have done, that Ivan the Terrible is one of the masterpieces of world cinema. But I can't go that far. It seems to me a great directorial folly, akin to Heaven's Gate (Michael Cimino, 1980) in its directorial excesses, its indulgence in style for style's sake. That the style is immensely entertaining in its artistic wrong-headedness pushes Ivan the Terrible in the direction of camp, a world's fair exhibition of stained-glass attitudes, early silent film poses, great garish sets, costumes that make even the hairiest 16th-century Russians look like drag queens, and in Part II there's a sequence in the most lurid color this side of some of the ballet sequences in MGM musicals of the 1950s. The first time we see Sigismond (Pavel Massalsky), the king of Poland, in Part II, he's sprawled across the throne in a position that almost screams for a sign proclaiming "Careless Decadence,"  and really looks extremely uncomfortable. Ivan's enemy, Archbishop Philip (Andrei Abrikasov), swans about in a billowing cloak that has no known sartorial or clerical necessity, and which allows Ivan (Nikolay Cherkasov) to forestall his exit by simply placing a foot on it. When Philip does manage to leave, the cloak raises a cloud of dust that suggests Ivan needs to liquidate the housekeeping staff. The collection of poses in Ivan the Terrible is balletic and operatic in the worst senses of the words, but the film is also watchable for all those reasons. There are some redeeming values, of course. It's a window into the mind of the Stalinist Soviet Union, both in what it approved and what it banned. It has a distinguished score by Prokofiev, though unfortunately muddied by poor sound reproduction -- in restoring the film, it's too bad that as much attention wasn't paid to providing a new music soundtrack as to cleaning up the images. Visually, it's fascinating, even when the visuals are absurd.

[orthodoxydaily]

Icons, Saints &Reading: Thu., July 21, 2022

July 21_ July

ICON: THE APPEARANCE OF THE ICON OF THE MOST HOLY MOTHER OF GOD IN THE CITY OF KAZAN (1579)

The Appearance of the Icon of the MostHoly Mother of God in the City of Kazan (1579): On 1 October 1552, on the feast day of the Pokrov-Protection of the MostHoly Mother of God, at night, Tsar Ivan IV in heading the Russian forces made ready for a decisive assault against the Tatar city of Kazan, and suddenly he heard the peeling of the Moscow bells. The tsar realised that this was a sign of the mercy of God: that through the prayers of the mighty commander-in-chief, the Lord deigned that the Kazan people should be converted to Him. The surrender of Kazan on the feast of the Pokrov-Protection of the MostHoly Mother of God completed a course of events, initiated way back centuries earlier in the year 1164 by holy Prince Andrei Bogoliubsky (+ 1174, Comm. 4 July), against the Moslem Volga Bulgars. With the taking of Kazan, the Volga – the chief waterway route of the land, became finally a Russian river. And from Tatar servitude were liberated 60,000 Russian people. The enlightenment of the Tatars with the light of the Gospel truth was started. There were the first martyrs – Saints Peter and Stephen (Comm. 24 March). The newly established Kazan diocese entered into the complexion of the Russian Church and was soon illustrious in its own archbishops: Sainted Gurii (+ 1563, Comm. 5 December) and Sainted German (+ 1567, Comm. 6 November). But the advance of Orthodoxy was especially enabled amongst the Volga Mahometans by the appearance, on 8 July 1579, of the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God in the city of Kazan. Preaching the Gospel had been a difficult matter in this conquered kingdom amongst the incorrigible Moslems and pagans. The MostHoly Mother of God, Mediatress of preachers of the Word of God, Who even during Her earthly life shared in the evangelic work of the holy Apostles, – in looking down upon the efforts of the Russian missionaries, She did not hesitate to send them Heavenly help, manifest through Her wonderworking Icon. On 28 June 1579, there occurred a terrible conflagration which had started around the church of Saint Nikolai of Tula. This fire destroyed part of the city and turned to ashes half of the Kazan Kremlin. The adherents of Mahomet gloated, supposing, that God had become angered against the Christians. “The faith of Christ, – says the chronicler, – is rendered a fable and an outrage”. But the conflagration at Kazan was the foreboding of the ultimate fall of Islam and affirmation of Orthodoxy throughout all the land of the Golden Horde, the future East portion of the Russian realm. The city began quickly to rise up from its ruins. Together with others who had been burned out, and not far from where the conflagration had started, – was built the house of the musketeer Dani Onuchin. The Mother of God appeared in a dream to his nine-year-old daughter Matrona and commanded her to find Her icon, hidden in the ground by secret confessors of Orthodoxy way back still in the time of Moslem rule. But to the words of a mere girl, they paid no attention. Thrice the Mother of God appeared and pointed out the spot, where the wonderworking icon had been concealed. Finally, Matrona with her mother began to dig in the indicated place and they found the sacred icon. To this place of the miraculous discovery, there came archbishop Jeremii at the head of his clergy and transported the holy image into a church of Saint Nicholas situated nearby. From there, after a molieben, amidst a church procession, they transferred it to the Annunciation cathedral – the first Orthodox temple in the city of Kazan, erected by Tsar Ivan the Terrible. During the time of the procession there occurred the healing of two blind men – Iosif and Nikita. A copy of the Icon, which had appeared at Kazan, together with an account of the circumstances of its discovery and descriptions of the miracles was dispatched in 1579 to Moscow. Tsar Ivan the Terrible gave orders to build at the place of its appearance a temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, to install therein the holy icon, and to found there also a women’s monastery. Matrona and her mother, instrumental in finding the sacred icon, accepted monastic tonsure at this monastery...continue reading at Russian True Orthodox Church of Western Europe_( RTOC)

Lady of kazan icon in Moscow Cathedral

ST. THEOPHILUS THE MYRRH-GUSHER OF PANTOCRATOR MONASTERY, MT. ATHOS (1548)

Saint Theophilus was from Ziki in Macedonia, and lived during the sixteenth century. He had a very good education, but more importantly he dedicated himself to God, purifying himself from every soul-destroying passion, and acquiring every virtue which filled him with the grace of the All-Holy Spirit.

He travelled to Alexandria, at the request of Patriarch Niphon of Constantinople, in order to determine whether the stories about Patriarch Joachim being able to move mountains and to drink poison with no ill effects were true or not. After looking into the matter, he was able to verify that these stories were true.

After completing this work, Saint Theophilus went to struggle on the Holy Mountain, living first at Vatopedi, then at Ivḗron before settling at Saint Basil’s cell near Karyes. Although he did not seek the praise of men, the fame of the holy ascetic became known on Mount Athos, and in other places as well. His holy life and spiritual gifts could not be hidden, but were revealed by the Lord.

When the Archbishop of Thessalonica reposed, Saint Theophilus was nominated for this office. Out of humility, however, he declined to accept the position.

In 1548, as he felt the approach of death, Saint Theophilus told his disciple Isaac not to give him an honorable burial, but to tie a cord around his feet and drag him out of the monastery, and then to throw his body into a nearby stream.

When the saint fell asleep in the Lord on July 8, 1548, Isaac carried out the instructions of his Elder. Although he was reluctant to do this, he obeyed the saint just as he had always done when Saint Theophilus was alive.

By God’s will, the holy relics of Saint Theophilus were later found and brought to his cell. Then a fragrant myrrh began to flow from the saint’s incorrupt body, which was later enshrined at the Pantokrator Monastery.

Source: Orthodox Church in america_OCA

LUKE 1:39-49, 56 

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 48 For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 49 For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. 56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.

PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 

5Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

[vtmb-references]

Archbishop Andrei Reference (including warform)

[poptart-tartpop]

Have you seen Andrei’s frills and Zulo form? He clearly identifies as a dinosaur.

You know i’m right.

[iravaid]

do u have any thoughts about andrei vtmb

Andrei VtMB, the meat man himself <3

I have the occasional thought about him! (usual stuff about these hcs not being set in stone nor the only interpretations of a character, more below)

Was born in the 12th century in what was about to become Wallachia, and then Romania. On the wiki it says he's implied to be of a revenant bloodline and I vibe with that (i say, not knowing jack shit about revenant bloodlines).

Was raised with other revenant children; groomed to either continue the line, or be embraced by interested elders. Andrei proved himself maybe not be the sharpest nor most vicious, but the most creative. A very abstract thinker who preferred to toil away quietly at a painting or sculpture, rather than delve into politics or the art of combat.

Embraced in the 14th century by Sascha Vykos (hc shared with @ryttu3k and @robotslenderman), after the events in Constantinople, and before the first Anarch Revolt and subsequent formation of the Sabbat. Something of her pet project, destined to become another mind-numb servant, before Sascha realised Andrei's own personal potential as a sculptor and torturer. He learned from the best, after all.

Was there for the Convention of Thorns; probably exchanged notes with Strauss lmao

More interested in the art of creation through Vicissitude rather than political gain or Sabbat conquest. Did not have a large part to play in the Battle of New York, and also never cared to become a Voivode of the local Tzimisce. Instead he toiled away at his creations, some would get loose and cause issues in the subways, but Andrei didn't particularly care. It's only his connection to Vykos that makes him at least somewhat aware of the Sabbat's goings on, as well as what dissuades other Sabbat kindred from trying to diablerise him.

Left to LA for the promise of better stock to experiment with: he's been surrounded by so many of the same Sabbat and Camarilla clan archetypes that the Anarchs and Kuei-jin are exotic to Andrei. Became an archbishop through the promise he'd raze the other factions and claim LA for the Sabbat - ended up ignoring most of his constituents and used the Nosferatu as an excuse to create quietly in his basement in the hills. Hence why the Sabbat aren't that impressive in VtMB: not a lot of preparation bar their hideout in the hotel.

Very in tune with pop culture and popular media, somehow. Big fan of radio shows because he can put it on in the background while he works. Probably has a strong parasocial relationship with Deb lmao, thinks they're besties.

Loved The Golden Girls and watches reruns. Obsessed with the image of him wearing a robe while draped on his stupid Flesh Chaise Lounge, sipping blood and chortling at whatever shenanigans those ladies are up to this time.

He's so messy with his Vicissitude, loves the wetness and ugliness of rot and is enamoured with the beauty of an infected wound. His Vicissitude is not the same surgical precision of any other Tzimisce elder, but instead disgusting and imprecise and abstract and living. Andrei lives for the horror when the uninitiated see his creations, the repulsion. Because he knows they'll soon become be a part of it.

In the same vein as his love for pop culture, I imagine Andrei takes some inspiration from artists specialising in the grotesque and off putting. He knows kine are inferior to him, but even cattle have their strokes of genius.

Andrei's appearance has been built on and developed over the centuries, currently he's going through a dinosaurian phase, with the big crest and zulo form that looks like a jurassic park creature. Has always been fixated on powerful, mythological creatures and chose to emulate them, it only makes sense he'd move on to dinosaurs when coming over to LA.

That's all i've got for now - thank you for the ask!

[medeaft]

Dragon's eye (originally: Sárkányszem) 2023 Graphite and watercolours on paper

Only the eye is made with watercolours; it needed the saturation.

So this is more an experiment than anything, I tried water-soluble graphites (both tinted and not) for the first time. I like it, I want to buy some of this now. So I know it's not perfect, but I'm new at this particular medium, and next time it will be better.

I asked myself: I wonder if Andrei has an actual dragon shape; I wonder what he looks like in it if he does. And I drew this in tentatively answering myself. Behold Andrei the dragon.

[cthylla-rlyeh]

Drinks for VtM:B Characters Pt.3

This round ended up being more difficult then I first anticipated. But I was able to persevere.

A Beetroot Bloody Mary for Archbishop Andrei

First you're going to need to make your Beetroot Bloody Mix

3 medium beets, roasted

3 cups tomato juice

2 tablespoons pickle juice

1 lemon, juice only

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon horseradish

1 teaspoon hot sauce

6 ounces of garlic (12 tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon celery salt (optional)

Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Wrap peeled and halved beets in foil and roast until tender, 45 minutes. Remove from oven, open foil, and set aside to cool. In a blender or food processor, blend until smooth. You can store the mix in the fridge for about 2-3 weeks. Keep it tightly sealed and shake occasionally as seasonings will settle to the bottom.

1 1/2 ounces of vodka (3 tablespoons)

Pour vodka over ice, then top with the bloody mix, and stir well. Garnish with celery stalk, pickles, olives, & dill weed.

A Cuban Ginger for Damsel

1 1/2 ounces of Rum (3 tablespoons)

1 ounce of lemon juice (2 tablespoons)

1/2 ounce of apple liqueur (1 tablespoon)

3 ounces of ginger ale (6 tablespoons)

Pour the ingredients over ice and stir briefly. Garnish with a lemon twist.

A Widow's Kiss for Pisha

1 1/2 ounces of Apple Brandy (3 tablespoons)

1/4 ounce of Yellow Chartreuse (1/2 tablespoon)

1/4 ounce of Benedictine (1/2 tablespoon)

2 drops of Angostura bitters

Stir ingredients together with ice and then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a cherry or mint.

A Bullshot for Skelter

1 1/2 ounces vodka (3 tablespoons)

3 ounces chilled beef bouillon or beef consommé (6 tablespoons)

1/2 ounce lemon juice (1 tablespoon)

2 drops Worcestershire sauce

2 drops of hot sauce

1 teaspoon  celery salt (optional)

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, pour vodka and beef bouillon. Add lemon juice, Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, and celery salt (if using).

Shake well, then strain into an old-fashioned glass filled with ice. Top with a bit of fresh ground pepper and garnish with a lemon

A Raspberry Martini for Velvet Velour

2 ounces vodka (4 tablespoons)

1 ounce of unsweetened cranberry juice (2 tablespoons)

1/2 ounce of lemon juice (1 tablespoon)

3/4 ounce of raspberry syrup (1 1/2 tablespoons)

Fresh raspberries

Place all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake 15 seconds until cold.

Strain the drink into a cocktail or martini glass. Garnish with raspberries and serve.

[ryttu3k]

Battle: over. Andrei: super dead. LaCroix and Nines: making eye contact and smiling at each other over the battlefield. Hell yeah. 1,209 for the day, 13,231 total.

Content warning for violence.

Session quote:

"Get the Archbishop!" he shouts over the din, slicing off a limb here, skewering a head creature there. He turns just in time to see spines erupt through the red leather of the Archbishop's coat, limbs twisting and reshaping, claws growing longer and sharper, a maw full of sharp teeth bursting out of his reptilian face.

Sebastian, who has regretfully vivid memories of a Tzimisce in horrid form doing its very best to remove his face, freezes just for an instant.

New York, and the battle shouldn't be here, shouldn't have come to the war rooms, he had never wanted to see combat again, he was a bureaucrat, for god's sake -

Waterloo, and the stench of blood and gunpowder and death filling his nostrils, and there's blood on his face -

Blood splatters across his face as one of Rodriguez' bullets turns the flesh construct bearing down on him into paste. He has just enough time to gasp a thanks before having to twist to avoid claws, bringing his sabre down hard.

This is madness. Madness. He's not built for battle, and yet he has been thrust into the midst of one by his own actions, a cacophony of violence he can barely keep up with. All of the reputation he had carefully built up, nurtured like a seedling, spilled blood for over the years, it had been in political power and in reputation. He was meant for board rooms, not battlegrounds.

Not now. Not any more. He had left that life behind, as he had left life itself behind. The sabre he clings to in a death grip is a collector's item, meant for nostalgia, a copy of the sword he had trained with in his mortal youth. It's not meant for drawing true blood.

It draws blood now. The blade will be stained with its memory, forever.

[vampire-the-askerade]

Why do you spell Archbishop's name as Andrea? It says Andrei everywhere else.

Because I'm dyslexic and don't know how to spell things, haha

Thanks for point out though, I've spelled a lot of the other names wrong before too(my old stuff is atrocious) and it's helpful to have someone show me the right way :)