#which is why you're a tzimisce :)

[popiellart]

[ryttu3k]

See. See this is why V5 is annoying me regarding Tzimisce.

The way they interpret the Tzimisce is absolutely fine - if you're playing the old-school voivode type. Which is, y'know, a minority within the clan! It bears no actual resemblance to the Clan of Shapers, the clan focused on metamorphosis and change.

The Tzimisce have this delicious contrast between their need for change and metamorphosis, and their clan bane, of being tied to their lands. I feel the clan bane is there as a balance - it's hard to stay grounded when you can change every part of your body on a whim, unless you're literally mystically connected to your environment.

(I wrote more on the Tzimisce as a clan of contrasts here.)

V5, meanwhile, has switched out the all-important Auspex for Dominate, a discipline that not only has been the singular domain of the Old Clan, but a discipline that the Tzimisce not having was a foundational part of the Sabbat, with the Dominate-using Lasombra stepping into the leadership role, and the Auspex-using Tzimisce stepping into the spiritual role. Replacing Auspex for Dominate essentially invalidates the entire history of the Sabbat, and I know V5 isn't keen on the entire sect as a whole, but they're a pretty important part of VtM history! (I have more on Tzimisce and Auspex in my reply here.)

So V5 has basically recreated the Old Clan, and slapped that branding on the entire clan, including the parts that a) are far more connected to its actual Antediluvian, the ultimate Shaper and Metamorphosist, and b) make up the vast majority of the clan. Most Tzimisce use Vicissitude! Most Tzimisce use Auspex! Most Tzimisce are part of the Clan of Shapers, their actual literal title! It's only the tiniest of minorities that conform to the Landlords: The Clan trope, and making that the entire clan identity is a gross misunderstanding of the Tzimisce as a whole.

Anyway tl;dr the V5 approach to Tzimisce has taken a tiny part of clan lore and history and made it their entire foundation and I am not here for it.

[marrowcrunch]

What are your top 3 favorite vtm clans (or bloodlines)?

Bonus: which clan do you think you'd fit in with? :3c

Oh boy, this is going to be long lol

Favorite: Tzimisce 

Gosh, what a surprise :O

But yeah. I mean, firstly, the cool factor is undeniable. It's always such a joy designing Tzimisce characters because even toeing the strictest borderlines of canon they're allowed to get real weird with it in a way that most other clans aren't. I don't mean this as hate at all so I hope it doesn't come across like that, all clans are beautiful <3 but if you're playing Ventrue, Brujah, Tremere etc to some degree you'll always just be playing as Some Guy. With a Tzim it’s like…Do you want some sick-ass bone blades on your arms? No problem! Another pair of arms to put more bone blades on? Sounds good! Do you want to be bioluminescent like a squid? Great! Go crazy! 

Second: Full disclosure, I am the “My fursona is my TWOO SELF” flavor of furry. And the idea of having near total freedom of form— to be able to give myself a tail, claws, fangs, horns, [long censor beep], whatever I want, to abandon my human shape, fills me with Yearning. 

In the complete opposite direction, I also find personal meaning in the clan as someone who suffers from chronic pain. Shamelessly copy-pasting a reply to another post: 

The flavoring of Vicissitude as a creeping infection, as the actual body of the Eldest spread from generation to generation, able to rise up and consume its bearers at any moment, resonates with me very deeply as someone whose pain is caused by congenital tissue defects and which will inevitably get worse over time.

The idea that…there’s something horrible lurking inside your body. It can’t be cured. It can’t be removed. It is part of the very fabric of your being. And it is going to eat you alive, it is going to eat and eat until there’s nothing left. That no matter how you struggle, eventually it’s going to win. But you struggle anyways, because what the hell else is there to do?

The clan also has its revenant families, who are all collectively my most Specialist Little Guy in the world. I am a huge sucker for ye old trope of Special Family Bloodline Technique, and they scratch that itch for me in a really fun and interesting way. 

Second favorite: Giovanni. I actually don't have any deep reasons for this one, I just think that “fucked up necromancer vampire crime family” is such a fun concept lol. I like organized crime stories. It's also another one for the “bloodline technique” category— in v20, they even have their own associated revenant family, the Rossellinis! 

Third favorite: Salubri. The vibe I get is that they’re deeply underappreciated because people feel like their designation in both fluff and crunch as “the nice ones” means that they’re boring and clash with Masquerade’s overall tone. But I STRONGLY disagree— I think that's exactly what gives them so much potential for the sort of personal, existential horror that is supposed to be at the heart of Masquerade. I actually want to write a much longer post sometime that really gets into why, but part of it is this— being a magical pacifist unicorn prancing in a sunny flower field isn't “horrifying,” but being a magical pacifist unicorn in a dark forest where the only other animals are wolves that want to eat your face sure is. I also think the contrast between mainline (healer) Salubri and Salubri antitribu is a really rich thematic vein— again, I want to write more on this later. 

Bloodline lightning round:

Ahrimanes: Cat-themed woman power. I like the concept of Gangrel in tune with the spiritual elements of nature. Spirits in World of Darkness are fun because they can be anything. 

Ventrue antitribu: Knights in modern settings are cool.

However, if the question was “Which clan are you most like?” instead of “What's your favorite”, the answer is far and away Toreador. I love making art, and while I mostly just write now because my body has kind of fallen apart, I used to dabble in a bunch of different mediums and loved them all. That and I already do the “oh that flower/painting/ random pattern of light on the wall is really pretty *zones out and stares at it*” thing in real life lol so that would just be business as usual. If I couldn't be a Meat Criminal this is actually the clan I'd choose to be embraced into. 

Thanks for giving me a chance to talk :)

[6uts]

Essentials: 4, 7, 8 for Xavier?

4. Which Predator type do they most align with and why?

Xavier is an extortionist. Though the way he goes about hunting is kind of like Siren with extra steps. Have leverage, then seduce them and extort them while you're sitting in their lap. That kinda thing. Usually suit type of guys. But he's also not above holding drugs above an addict and using that to extort them for blood.

7. Which Disciplines do they possess, and which do they favor using?

He has Dominate and Protean. Animalism is in Clan being a Tzimisce but he doesn't have any points in it. (At least not usually, there exists some variations on his usual sheet). He uses Dominate the most, to get his way and watch people dance to his tune. Otherwise, he likes using Vicissitude to shape himself in his idea image. And on occasion, he'll bring out Feral Claws. He's actually a decently proficient fighter which is fun because you wouldn't expect it.

8. Who are their Touchstones, if any?

His touchstones currently aren't very thought-through, unfortunately, because I've not played him too much in any game. But there's a model ("You are always first"), a drug dealer ("Indulge in all the world has to offer"; a contact he uses to gain drugs) and a police woman ("The dead can't be made to suffer"; she is also a contact that he extorts) (Yes, I stole from Cathari because that was the initial idea, him being on Cathari). He's currently being converted to the Bahari... so there's that.

[moss-ridden]

I'm trying to be nice to the other tabletop players in vtm and dnd, but I feel like they aren't understanding my questions about their comfort as players

Like I'm literally just asking you if you're OK with the weird shit my character can do, which is fuck people up in the flesh or fuck people up in the brain, respectively as a tzimisce and ancient one warlock

Its not any deeper than "are you ok with this seeing this shit or not" why are they not getting it

[tzimtzvm]

Idk why but I always thought your username came from Tzimisce, as in the vampire clan in Vampire: The Masquerade. I recently realized it might not be. Is it connected at all?

I actually know exactly what you're talking about but unfortunately no, sorry! My name is actually a take on the term "Tzimtzum" which [to quote Wikipedia because I suck at explaining this] is a term used in the Lurianic Kabbalah to explain Isaac Luria's doctrine that God began the process of creation by contracting in order to allow for a conceptual space. The ultimate physical universe conceal to different degrees the infinite  spiritual lifeforce of creation.

I thought it was cool sorry to disappoint eeeee

[its-sixxers]

i hand you this image with no context and i don’t tell you anything about these characters or what they’re from. they’re WoD vampires now, what clans would you assign each of them?

oh my god this is so much responsibility

going clockwise

top left: idk why but i get lasombra vibes. elegant but shadowy and maybe a lil ebil. alternatively toreador

top center: giovanni. the hat gives me renaissance vibes. looks like an old wizard which = necromancer to me

top right: banu haqim, mask gives me sneaky sneaky assassin vibes and their eyes are full of murder. i like how they look a lot

bottom right: tzimisce no question, got the dracula boob hair dragon horn hat, i mean it's perfect

bottom left: just a liddol creachur. nosferatu. cute but the hands look like sneaky plotting rat hands. i don't know them but i stan

i swear to god if this is some cursed content fandom you're taking advantage of my boomer ignorance for i'm going to be so upset