Fandom5k Letter 2025

[linndechir]

Note: I made a canon promo post for the canons I'm requesting in this exchange. You can find it here.

Dear Fandom5k creator,

Thank you for writing for me and having a look at this letter. I've got some general likes and dislikes listed - those are the important parts, really. They're followed by a list of kinks I like, should you feel inclined to write porn, and some fandom-specific prompts, but if those don't work for you - as long as you include a thing or two that I like and don't include my DNWs, I'm sure I will love whatever you write for me. :D

Please don't get hung up on the "genres" I requested. I just picked some that sounded closest to the kinds of fic I like, but I'd really rather you used my prompts and general likes to write a fic than worry about whether or not your fic really fits one of those genres. Since this is a 5k minimum exchange: I love plotty case/adventure fics, but I'm equally fond of long getting together fics that explore the characters' relationship in greater detail, without necessarily needing a big complicated plot, or fics that explore how that relationship develops over time. I'll also gladly take 5k of porn as long as that porn also tells me something about the characters' relationship.

As a general rule, I enjoy all ratings; I like darker, angstier fic and more light-hearted stories, although neither completely conflictless fluff nor completely bleak darkfic without a ray of hope are quite my thing. I'm always happy about porn, but it's not a must. If you want some extra inspiration in the form of freeform tags, I requested all of these ships for Id Pro Quo recently and I'd still happily read any of those requests.

The fandoms are listed alphabetically. The length of the ship-specific sections doesn't indicate an order of preference; I just had more ideas and prompts for some of them. And yes, I am requesting only Vampire canons this exchange because why not? :D

I use the same name on AO3 and tumblr as here. Treats are always welcome and I'm also open to art/comic treats. :)



Do Not Wants:

• character death of characters I like (random side characters or antagonists dying is fine)
• serious illnesses, permanent injuries (blood and wounds that will heal again are fine)
• completely tragic/bleak endings
• animal death/cruelty
• genderbend of any kind, mpreg, omegaverse; vampire characters not being vampires
• non-canon gender identities/sexual orientations (e.g. writing characters as trans or asexual), except for writing characters as gay or bi
• unrequested ships (including canon ships) *
• unrequested crossovers or fusions
• complete AUs (canon divergence is fine, but no high school AUs, coffee shop AUs, in space AUs, groundhog day AUs etc.)
• unnecessary epithets, please use characters' names/pronouns unless their name isn't known to the POV character (or unless the characters think of each other by e.g. their title rather than their name)
• 1st and 2nd person fic (unless canon is in 1st person, then it's fine)
• for porn: detailed kink negotiation, safewords for scenes that don't involve consent play (and even then I'm not really into safewords); scat, watersports, coming in pants, crossdressing, feminisation, infantilisation (daddy kink and calling characters "boy" is fine, just not characters behaving or being treated like actual kids), small dicks, erectile dysfunction

* I'm fine with mentions of characters' past relationships with OCs (and obviously with things like random OC couples in casefic or mentioning people's parents). However, I don't want these ships to play a central role: a character thinking back of how they tried out this kink before with some guy they hooked up with five years ago, or briefly thinking that they used to date this guy who hated it when they did X? Totally fine. A character spending half the fic thinking about or interacting with their ex? Not something I'm interested in.

Canon-specific: I'm fine with brief mentions of any of the past canon relationships in my requested canons; however, I'd prefer if they didn't play a huge role and I definitely don't want the characters to care or think more about their past relationship than about my requested ship. If I've requested several ships in a fandom, I'm fine with them appearing in the same fic.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things I like to read about:

• first time/getting together: slow burn, pining, UST finally getting resolved, but also antagonistic hate sex or casual hookups that are only later followed by feelings (emotional pining while already having sex is great)
• developing relationships: relationship conflicts after the characters got together, trying to figure out how to make things work, some things maybe not working at first, temporary breakups, basically anything that doesn't assume that first time sex -> perfect relationship
• porn, especially porn with feelings/porn that says something about their relationship (see list below for kinks I like)
• enemies to lovers, partners to lovers
• reluctant allies grudgingly starting to like each other
• non-verbal expressions of affection, unusual romantic gestures that fit the characters
• familiarity, intimacy, characters getting to know each other better (their habits, their hangups etc.)
• pre-canon/background stories, first meetings/first impressions (especially if we didn't see those in canon)
• post-canon fic
• canon divergence
• casefic
• moral dilemmas, characters having to question/go against their principles, situations in which there is no clear right or wrong
• loyalty, devotion, trust, but also trust/commitment issues
• obsessive, codependent, complicated relationships
• unhealthy relationships that should be a trainwreck, but work for the characters involved
• obsessive/intense family relationships
• us-against-the-world
• villains in love, bad guys who would literally burn down the rest of the world for each other, horrible people being sweet to each other and awful to everyone else
• jealousy, possessiveness
• age differences
• misunderstandings (as long as there's a good reason for them)
• competence, characters being smart and skilled and good at what they do; characters with different skill sets complementing each other
• hurt/comfort (after injuries/exhaustion, not so much with illness)
• angst: self-doubts, guilt, shame, internalised homophobia, nightmares, fears, self-destructive tendencies, alcohol abuse ...
• period-typical attitudes towards sex, sexuality, class, morality, religion etc. (I obviously don't expect 100% historical accuracy, but I like reading about characters from different societies having different values and principles from our own - this also applies to fictional societies)
• infidelity (not between my requested ships, but one half of my ship cheating on their previous partner with the other half of my ship)
• meaningful name uses (e.g. characters who always call each other by their last name or title switching to using first names)
• outside POVs, different POVs than in canon (more "usual" POVs are great, too)
• sleep-related themes: waking each other from nightmares, falling asleep on each other's shoulder etc.
• soulbonds (but no soulmates, please)
• undercover as enemies (or undercover as a couple) - as long as the set-up fits the setting/characters
• I like darker elements (violence, murder, noncon/dubcon, manipulation, depression, whatever fits your plot and isn't on my DNW list), but I'd prefer a happy or semi-happy ending. Feel free to make me bawl my eyes out, but please cheer me up again afterwards.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kinks I like to read about:

• anal, blowjobs, fingering, intercrural, frottage, rimming & felching are all great
• asphyxiation/choking/breathplay (or just throat-touching/grabbing, since vampires don't need to breathe)
• switching
• biting, bruising, marking; possessive sex
• rough/angry sex, hate sex, fighting/sparring leading to sex, adrenaline-fuelled post-battle and "thank fuck we/you're alive" sex
• dressed sex, dressed/naked, clothes kink (suits, uniforms, gloves, boots; shirt with rolled up sleeves + waistcoat etc.), neat characters being dishevelled for once, casual characters cleaning up nicely
• D/s (I prefer casually developing kink to minutely negotiated, formalised BDSM; if anything under-negotiated kink is a plus for me)
• kink discovery/exploration
• strength kink; body worship; men's body hair (on chest, arms, thighs, butt; not so much on back and shoulders)
• stubble/beard burn
• hand kink; fisting; finger sucking
• large/thick cocks (not absurdly huge, but bigger than average); size kink
• bondage: leather cuffs, ropes, restraints, chains, collars
• face slapping, spanking, flogging, riding crops
• gun play, knife play, blood play
• consent play
• dirty talk (both the praising and the humiliating/condescending kind), voice/accent kink
• praise kink
• banter, teasing
• hard, desperate kissing with lots of biting
• barebacking
• come play (licking come off fingers/skin, felching, feeding each other come, kissing after blowjobs/felching ...)
• come as lube, spit as lube (including the top spitting on the bottom's ass), blood as lube (preferably blood from battle wounds or knifeplay cuts or the like)
• blood play in general, especially for vampire ships
• messiness (sweat, come play, dishevelled hair/clothes)
• overstimulation; characters being overwhelmed, begging for more, becoming speechless ...
• shaving (face or body), especially with straight razors/knives
• sex on tables, against walls, on the floor, on a chair, in the shower ... (sex in beds is great, too)
• masturbation/fantasising about the other before getting together
• competence kink, admiration
• kneeling, hand kissing, physical expressions of loyalty/fealty
• scars and their history
• oral fixation (while smoking, drinking, talking ...)
• sharing cigarettes, clothes, food ...
• shame in sexual desires (whether about being attracted to another man at all, being attracted to this specific person for whatever reason, wanting to bottom, wanting to suck dick, wanting to hurt their partner, wanting to be hurt by their partner ...)

Path of Night
Johnny Saxon/Miles Davenport

This podcast is so incredibly good! I often have a hard time listening to actual plays, but this one is so well done it completely drew me in. I love the mix of supernatural and political plots, the complex characters and the different dynamics they all have with each other, the heartbreaking angst and the badassery, the excellent storytelling and voice acting, and of course the shippiness all around! There are lots of good ships to be had, but I'm predictable, how could I say no to a Ventrue/Brujah loyalty kink ship?

I love the dynamics between Johnny and Miles so much. The fact that Johnny is fed up with the Camarilla, but still there to have Miles' back – and Miles knows it and trusts him with that and relies on him. The fact that they've spent a lot of their Kindred lives together and clearly know each other so well (details like Johnny picking a car he thinks Miles would be okay with driving in a specific situation). And at the same time, Miles is so much more standoffish and distant than the rest of the coterie; he almost never touches anyone; he never talks about his feelings – I'd love to see how any sort of sexual and/or romantic relationship between them would start and develop when Miles usually keeps even the people closest to him at a distance. They're both protective, but behave very differently towards the people they care about, and I think that could make for a fun push-and-pull when it turns from friendly to sexual/romantic.

I also adore how self-sacrificing in the most fucked up possible ways Miles is, and how that eventually ends very, very badly for him - the contrast of "genuinely enjoys having epic powers" and "sold his soul and in the end literally everything he has to save his people (and Johnny specifically)" is so good. The ending is of course heartbreaking (while simultaneously being incredible ship fodder), so if you write something post-canon, I'd be up for a lot of different stuff from plotty fix-it to handwaving away as much of the ending as as you like to explore different ways things could have gone. I love the ending for what it is, but I'm also good with fics taking the story into many other directions, especially since the ending as it is isn't exactly conducive to an ongoing story.

In general, I'm up for anything set before, during or after canon, and anything from long, secret pining to casual fucking while the feelings come later. This is a ship I can see working out in many different ways under many different circumstances, so go where your ideas take you!

I like the rest of the coterie and a lot of NPCs, with some faves being Wynn, Neil, Ira, Kabir, Weathers, and Fester. I didn't want to write prompts for ten different & and / ships, but if you want to include other characters or explore Miles' and Johnny's relationships with their sires, their various enemies, the rest of the coterie etc., I'm here for that. Feel free to ignore any canon deaths for that, too, if you want Jan Pieterzoon to stick around for longer or have Neil or Kabir appear in your post-canon fic or anything like that. I also low-key ship a bunch of other ships like Wynn/Kabir, Wynn/Neil, Neil/Fester, Johnny/Ira, Weathers/Delgado ... I'm just mentioning this in case something like "Wynn talking about her relationship with Kabir" comes up - I'm totally good with that despite my usual "no unrequested ships" DNW.

Note re: Johnny's relationship with his wife: I'm good with explicit infidelity and Johnny angsting about what he might still consider cheating; I'm also good with not mentioning her or having Johnny feel that they've been separated for so long that he can be with someone else now.

• all the background fic about their first meetings, first impressions, becoming friends, working and fighting together ... maybe the first time one saves the other's life? the first time they truly connect and start liking each other? the first time they confide in each other? their first cigarette shared on a rooftop? where does Johnny's absolute faith in Miles come from?
• sparring together early on when they're both still getting the hang of their vampire abilities, and that leading to UST or sex
• Miles casually hitting on Johnny very early on and Johnny rejecting him because he's married, so it never comes up again ... until Johnny realises many years later that he is actually interested
• Johnny in his unhappiness about his unlife looking for some comfort/distraction in the form of sex; Miles mistakenly assuming for years that it's just sex for Johnny even long after Johnny caught feelings, too
• steamy, violent post-battle sex, with or without feelings involved; both of them enjoying that the other one can take anything they can dish out
• Johnny gets kinda mad at Miles when he becomes Sheriff - I'd love to see something about that or any other conflict/argument they had over the years, and how that kind of thing actually ends up bringing them closer
• on the other hand, Johnny is extremely supportive when Miles becomes Prince, including some public expressions of deference to make a point - give me all the kneeling, hand-kissing, calling him "Your Grace", and yeah, they both know Johnny isn't all that serious about it, but that doesn't mean it won't turn Miles on
• the domestic intimacy of sharing a Haven - all the UST of seeing each other in states of undress or at their worst, going to see each other in their respective rooms in the early evening/early morning hours, Johnny wearing clothes that Miles picked and bought for him ...
• Miles generally refuses to talk about his emotions pretty much ... ever, so I'd definitely be up for lengthy pining, Miles trying to express his affection in indirect ways without Johnny catching on what Miles is trying to say, or casual sex while Miles has no idea how to express that he wants more than that
• Miles incorrectly assuming that Johnny knows he's interested in him (but is ignoring it); Johnny eventually figuring it out (once he's ready for a new relationship, I guess) and being absolutely baffled that Miles thought it was obvious! he never said anything!
• I love the class/wealth difference, and while Miles already buys the coterie anything they might want/need, I'd love to see him trying to spoil/woo Johnny specifically - whether he succeeds and actually buys him things Johnny likes, or gets him expensive crap that makes Johnny wonder why the fuck Miles bought that for him
• whump? whump. either of them getting abducted, tortured, nonconned or otherwise hurt, and then the other one (or the rest of the coterie) saving them and caring for them. (although I'd prefer not too much vicissitude-related body horror - mentioning it is fine, but please not as the main focus)
• but also, they should go out and have fun sometimes: go to some of Miles' music producer parties, drink coked up blood, maybe dance with each other ...
• related: I loved the idea of Miles being Johnny's date to the Brujah Rave, so yes please to that AU for a bit of fake dating or just people mistakenly assuming they're together
• Miles taking Johnny for a ride in one of his expensive sports cars. Miles letting Johnny drive one of his expensive sports cars. sex on one of those expensive sports cars?
• anything digging a bit more into all the grief and loss and issues Miles experiences and never talks about - losing Marcos, losing his sire, the fact that he had such an indifferent relationship with his family that he wrote himself out of their memories like that's a normal thing to do
• speaking of Marcos: was that platonic? romantic? friends with benefits? one-sided until becoming a ghoul made Marcos return Miles' interest? either way, I'm here for the angst of it all and what that might mean for Miles' fear of losing Johnny, too
• how experienced are they with men? they were mortals in the 70s/80s, so I could see either or both of them having some hangups or repression going on. did Johnny ever experiment with guys before getting married; and was Miles good at convincing himself he's straight or was he comfortably bisexually fucking his way through the coke-fuelled 80s music scene?
• has Johnny ever got laid as a Kindred? he clearly still considers himself married, so I wouldn't be surprised if he'd never fucked anyone since his Embrace - how does that go for him once he tries it?
• I love all the clothes descriptions in canon - Johnny's leather jacket, Miles' nice suits and leather trenchcoats and silk robes, so ... dressed or dressed/naked sex?
• but also: Johnny actually wearing a nice suit for once, Johnny borrowing some soft silk pyjamas when staying at Miles' Haven, Miles in Johnny's leather jacket ... I love characters dressing up/down and/or sharing clothes
• related: the Camarilla does love itself some old-fashioned masked balls, right? and no better plausible deniability for hooking up than pretending you don't recognise each other
• since Johnny's chest is canonically "hairy enough that somebody could grab a handful and hang on" ... Miles should get to do that. while riding him.
• use of Disciplines in bed: the good old Fortitude/Potence combo for rough sex, Johnny being curious about letting Miles Dominate him, maybe something freaky involving Miles' thaumaturgy later on
• Miles or Johnny getting hit by blood magic-y fuck-or-die sex pollen (maybe it's the Setites' fault?) and the other one helping; cue misunderstandings and angst and "you just did it to help me"/"you just did it because you had to" before figuring out they actually want each other
• fix-it fic for that wonderfully angsty whump horror of an ending :D Johnny finding out that Miles is not in fact okay and finding a way to free him from Z (maybe with Ira's help? I love Johnny and Ira's dynamic so much) - you can get as detailed or handwavey about the plot as you like, but I'd LOVE the angst of Miles coming back to himself after having been in the backseat of his own body while a demon was diablerising people left and right and doing who the fuck knows what else; I bet even Miles wouldn't come out of that mentally unscathed
• speaking of, Miles should get to diablerise some more people as a treat - Reese? Pendragon? Arabella? or just hack off some extra arms for fun. ;D I just love how ruthless he can be when he thinks he has a good reason, and I love how supportive Johnny is of Miles being ruthless for hopefully good reasons
• I'd also enjoy AU continuations of the plot (minus the fall of the Masquerade and Miles getting taken over by a demon) - more Prince Miles and Seneschal Johnny? or them finally telling the Camarilla to go fuck itself and turning Anarch? Baron Miles? going on the road (with or without the rest of the coterie) after New Haven's fall? hunting down Reese or Vitel? having to stop Pendragon from doing some Pendragon fuckery somewhere? getting sent on a mission by Pieterzoon? there's lots of plot strands in canon that could have gone in different directions and I'd love to see explorations of that
• if you want to take it into the V5 timeline, I'd also be up for seeing what the coterie is up to 30 years later, whether still in the Camarilla or having gone Anarch - dealing with the Second Inquisition, the ramifications of the Brujah leaving the Camarilla, Johnny probably being excited about the cellphone ban ;), both of them reaching that age where vampires are increasingly confused by modern stuff and having to deal with fledglings ...
• it's a pity that Miles never interacts much with Jessica in canon; the awkwardness of meeting your vampire dad's vampire boyfriend would amuse me a lot
• I'm always here for blood bonds - emergency ones to keep someone in the fight with their blood, accidental ones in the heat of passion, intentional ones because they love each other and it feels like a sign of devotion/commitment; and I also enjoy the complications of that (or, you know, just the hotness of drinking from each other in bed if you want to focus on the porn part of that)
• blood magic-y or otherwise supernatural soulbonds that link them together, whether it's sharing emotions, sharing pain, having to be near each other ...
• outside POVs/comments of people suspecting or finding out about their relationship, whether it's the coterie (Wynn would have a field day), people at court, their enemies trying to use it against them, their allies dismissing the idea as absurd ...
• I love Ira and if Miles and Johnny ever wanted to have a threesome with Ira, I would read that
• and a very Bad Idea Prompt for the end: Johnny and Miles fucking while Miles is in his apocalyptic demon form with the extra arms and wings and horns and all that. bad idea? yes. hot? also yes.

In the unlikely case that anyone is familiar with several of my VtM requests ... I'd be up for crossovers, too! In addition to Parliament of Knives and Port Saga, which I'm also requesting in this exchange, I also enjoy the podcast Stitch of Fate/Cracked Crown, so if you want to have any characters from these canons meet and interact with each other, I'm here for that.

Parliament of Knives: The coterie heading to Ottawa when they have to leave New Haven at any point, and meeting Arundel and Ward in the middle of their 90s honeymoon phase? No doubt Arundel and Jan Pieterzoon know each other, so maybe that's how Miles&coterie get an introduction. It'd also be nice for Johnny to meet an older Brujah who's not a fucking nutcase. Or maybe Johnny and Miles go Anarch and run into Ward in New York after his breakup with Arundel (Ward be heartbroken to meet a Brujah whose Ventrue lover actually left the Camarilla with him :().

Port Saga: I really want Miles and Titus talking about music. And I'd love to know what music Titus hears for all of them. But I also think Johnny and Rebel meeting could be great (especially if it's in a 'verse in which Johnny left the Camarilla, because Rebel has so little patience for that). Or just Glass being smarmy at ... anyone, really. The whole coterie would probably hate that guy, but it'd be funny.


Vampire: The Masquerade - Parliament of Knives (Choice of Games)

Arundel/Robert Ward

So this is a text-only Vampire game that I've probably played too many times at this point and just love a lot. It's filled with so much complex scheming and vampire politics and various NPCs all having their own nefarious goals that I keep discovering new stuff! Absolutely brilliant. But of course what really got me was the canon vampire ship with lots of Opposites Attract and canonical blood bonding and saying the most romantic shit about each other and a tragic breakup followed by missing each other and moving heaven and earth for each other and finding back to each other and aaaaaaaaaaah, they're perfect.

I really love how different they are in so many ways - Arundel who seems so utterly controlled and commanding and aloof, what with people talking a lot about how hard he is to read, who isn't exactly a horrible guy for a vampire prince, but still utterly ruthless and who rules with an iron fist and will destroy anyone who dares to fuck with him, whereas Ward is a pretty cheerful guy who loves to show off and make a scene and tries to talk people around to his point of view, while also having a huge temper if you piss him off. And at the same time they clearly had a shared, common dream and were willing to work together and listen to each other, and there's just something so beautiful about that. I also love that they weren't even together for THAT long (considering how old they both are, 20-30 years isn't that much), so they clearly must have fallen hard and fast for each other despite their age and experience. And they're just so devoted to each other! Actually blood-bonded, considering that both of them clearly know the other's Disciplines.

There are so many things I love about them: they worked together, but both still clearly have their own principles. Despite leaving him, Ward came back THE MOMENT he thought Arundel had called him. Then he goes to tear up half the city looking for him. The fact that they trusted each other enough to bond. Everyone in Ottawa knowing that there was CLEARLY something going on between them and everybody being horribly jealous because apparently everyone is in love with Arundel (I don't blame them for that). Ward still having such unshakeable faith in Arundel and being so sure that everything will be fine if Arundel comes back. And still calling him "boss"! The huge size difference between them! The age difference! The class difference! Literally everything about their reunion scene - Arundel saying several times how much it messed him up that Ward wasn't with him, all but admitting he needs him, the bit where he asked Ward to be "his lifeline" so he wouldn't lose himself. And then the fact that if all goes well, Ward finally decides to come back to him and stay with him this time. They love each other so much and so much in canon happens just because of that! And I want literally everything about their relationship. :D

Apart from that, I also adore Qui. Super lawful and loyal and extremely hot badass? Of course I love him. And I love that he's every bit as devoted to Arundel as Ward is, to the point where they both seem to be jealous of each other (Ward complaining about Qui having "too much influence" over Arundel, Qui hating Ward in a way that seems a lot more personal than just "Anarch blowing up my city"). I have some shippy prompts featuring him below, but if you want to include Qui in a non-shippy way - whether it's him and Arundel being great partners or him and Ward sniping at each other - I'd love that, too. Qui is a delight.

• anything about the beginning of their relationship! Ward was supposedly really excited to come to Ottawa and join the Camarilla there, so how did that go? did he and Arundel like each other right away? did Arundel immediately see him as an important partner to make all his coexistence dreams come true? did they have lots of arguments and discussions and fell for each other that way?
• around that time: I do enjoy the Camarilla with all their convoluted rules and traditions, and that early on Ward prooobably didn't rebel too much against it yet ... I'm just saying, he should kneel for Arundel and maybe kiss his hand/ring
• what exactly drew them to each other? they're both the kind of person the other one usually wouldn't like - an irreverent, passionate rebel and an unreadable, power-hungry control freak - so what made this different? what did they do that made the other one go "oh, he's NOT what I expected at all"?
• did they meet for the first time then or did they know each other before? they've both been in Canada for a long time, so it wouldn't be unthinkable that they've met in the past - maybe during some Sabbat raid, maybe when Arundel visited another city ... did they already talk then? did they maybe have a passionate one-night-stand they both almost forgot until they met again?
• so vampires in this setting are often not hugely interested in sex, right? especially the older they get. I could see Arundel (or both of them!) being not used anymore to caring much about sex, and I love him being absolutely blindsided by the fact that he just wants to fuck Ward's brains out in a very human way. (to clarify: I do absolutely want them to be sexually attracted to each other, but maybe it isn't lust at first sight, but only happens over time; or it is lust at first sight, but that's very unusual for them)
• but also: considering that sex and blood-drinking are pretty closely linked and they probably didn't want to risk a blood bond immediately, I imagine they had UST for quite some time - give me all the almost-kisses, the pining, the passionate arguments where they back each other into corners, sharing humans they both drink from at the same time while making intense eye contact ...
• sex while trying to refrain from biting each other, possibly featuring fun things like Arundel Dominating Ward into not biting him or Ward using all that supernatural strength to hold him down by his throat
• that being said, I also want all the passionate blood-drinking, whether they do it on purpose or whether they snap and lose control and then worry about the consequences later; but also the completely unrestrained blood drinking once they're bonded anyway and can just bite each other to their heart's content (thigh biting? :DDD)
• what if they were only bonded twice before canon because they both valued their independence too much for that third time? maybe Arundel insists on a full bond when Ward comes back because he doesn't want him to leave again
• but also, what if they were in fact fully bonded all those YEARS they were apart and it fucked them up because they kept yearning for each other
• anything post-breakup: Ward in New York on a small rampage, perfectly-stoic-and-controlled Arundel being so "inconsolable" that people noticed ... - I love that both of them dealt SO BADLY with their breakup
• did they not see each other at all during those years after Ward left? did Arundel have spies to keep an eye on him? did he ever go see him - whether to ask him again to come back or just because he missed him so badly? I really enjoy the pain and tragedy of their lengthy breakup that they both probably assumed was for good; I'd just also want them getting back together after all that
• post-canon fic! I'd love to see whatever conversations lead to Ward deciding to stay as Arundel's second-in-command rather than leave again, what made him decide to give their cooperation another chance, what exactly their Camarilla-and-Anarchs-coexistence will look like. I'd also love to see them talk some more about the Beckoning and Arundel's torture basement, and maybe Arundel having some difficulties trusting him completely again after Ward already left him once (and how will Ward convince him that he won't leave him again?)
• while I absolutely adore the ending in which Ward comes to the villa to save Arundel and would love fic about that, I also enjoy the one where Qui saves him and Ward and Arundel only meet again right before the Council fight - how would that change things? how much of what Arundel tells him in the villa when Ward sees the corpses would he tell him if he didn't have to? or rather when will he tell him? how would poor Ward handle the fact that the irritating Sheriff he can't stand is the one who saved his beloved Prince? (Ward trying to be grudgingly polite to Qui while Qui still hates him cracks me up, okay)
• rough sex! vampires in general are tough, but between the size kink and the combination of Ventrue Fortitude + Brujah Potence, these two are clearly made to fuck each other so hard they'd break anyone else's bones (especially once they share blood and both get stronger and tougher); maybe with bonus size kink because Ward is HUGE?
• sexy fun times with Dominate, especially if Ward has extremely conflicted feelings about literally wanting Arundel to take away his free will for a little bit
• in general, I'd love both of them having some hangups about submitting to each other - Arundel because he's a Ventrue Prince and if anything people should kneel for him, Ward because he loves his freedom and usually doesn't like arrogant assholes who try to boss him around, and yet they both really like the other one giving them orders (tldr: switching would be great)
• fighting side by side and competence kink! whether it's pre-canon, fighting the Sabbat together, or dealing with the Archon's allies and with Arundel's expansion plans post-canon, I just want them to kick ass together and admire each other's power and then maybe fuck in the blood of their many, very dead enemies
• arguments leading to sex - I imagine they find each other as infuriating sometimes as much as they find each other irresistible, so I bet once they were together, at least some of their passionate disagreements ended with one of them bent over the nearest surface :D

Arundel/Qui

Quiiiii. I admit that during my first playthrough, I missed out on a lot of Ward-related content because I was too busy following Qui around like a puppy who just wanted his approval. What a fantastic character. I love that mix of stubborn determination and loyalty with his more playful, adrenaline-hungry side - yes, he's faithfully served Arundel for 30+ years and will do anything to find him, but his idea of a fun night out is to raid a hide-out full of weapon-smuggling bikers and get his dinner that way. I'm also fascinated by his background story - being raised by a Tremere mentor who taught him a lot, but also just used him; getting tortured horribly by that Tzimisce who even "warped his soul", but the result being that he gets a more "normal" un-life than probably any other Nosferatu ever ... Speaking of, I love that he doesn't seem to get along very well with his own clan, which seems pretty unusual for a Nosferatu. But he and Bouchard clearly don't like each other, and Qui seems to only care about his position as Sheriff, not about any scheming to further his own or his clan's position. And I mean, there's the fact that his portrait is RIDICULOUSLY hot. They didn't need to make him that hot, but they did and I appreciate that.

And I just adore how utterly devoted he is to Arundel - he's been by his side since Arundel became Prince, and they knew each other a bit before that, too, so Qui has had a long time to develop all that respect and admiration for him, and Arundel has had just as long to rely on Qui and actually learn to trust him. I love Qui doing everything to find him even when everyone already tells him to give up. I also love that, despite his devotion, he doesn't seem afraid to speak his mind around Arundel and disagree with him, even if he'll back off when Arundel puts his foot down. Arundel clearly relies on him a lot, but I get the feeling in canon that he still keeps him at a distance (especially compared to how he behaves around Ward) - I'd love to see their relationship develop in a more mutual direction, with Arundel realising that he wants Qui to be more than just his loyal dog Sheriff.

Note: I also love Arundel/Ward, so I'd prefer fic that doesn't 1) kill off Ward, 2) go on about them totally never ever getting back together. I'd prefer something set before Arundel and Ward get together, or set after Ward left town, or maybe it's sort of a semi-open relationship so both ships can coexist ... I'm good with a lot of things, just please don't tell me how totally 100% over Ward Arundel is (I'm perfectly okay with Qui hating Ward and talking shit about him, though).

• tell me aaaaaall about the beginnings of their relationship - did they have much to do with each other yet before Arundel became Prince? or was it just after Arundel's predecessor got herself killed and Arundel rebuilt his Domain with Qui by his side? either way I'd love to see that slowly growing mutual respect and cooperation
• canon does mention that they were the only survivors of the Sabbat raid that killed Arundel's predecessor, so anything about that would be cool - fighting together, life saving, Arundel becoming Prince shortly after that and deciding to keep Qui around ...
• maybe early on, Arundel bonded Qui to himself - just once, no need to overdo it, just a little bit of blood once a year to ensure his loyalty ... some nice UST blood drinking? maybe he eventually stopped because he genuinely trusted Qui and Qui was honoured by that, but he actually also missed the intimacy of their yearly ritual of getting to drink from his Prince?
• Qui's loyalty is such a rare thing among Kindred, so anything about that - maybe some time another Kindred approached Qui and tried to turn him against Arundel, and Qui dragged him staked to his Prince?
• related: aaaaaall the Kneeling and hand-kissing and fealty gestures and Qui just being perfectly okay with all of that
• Qui having a more-or-less platonic crush on Arundel, or at least being very okay with their relationship being platonic even if he's attracted to him, until Ward shows up and Qui realises that Arundel isn't in fact above human feelings like love and attraction - and suddenly Qui's pining intensifies because now he can't stop thinking about Arundel having sex with Ward and what if Arundel was also interested in him ...
• Qui comforting Arundel after Ward leaves him and things go from there - maybe they have rough, bad idea rebound sex that's just supposed to make Arundel feel better, but they keep doing it and they catch feelings ...
• Arundel, for all his forward-thinking ideas, is still a bit of a posh snob - what if he finds the idea of fucking and/or drinking from a Nosferatu disgusting, and ... something needs to happen to make him see Qui in a different light? I enjoy a good "oh no, he's hot" realisation - maybe when they fight people together or when Qui demonstrates his loyalty for him and kneels for him afterwards or maybe after Qui saved his life ...
• just like with Ward, I'd love Qui having to deal with the 'verse in which Ward is the one who saves Arundel's life (though of course I also adore Qui being the one to save him)
• Qui is also extremely tall, so ... size kink! I so like Arundel being a tall, broad-shouldered guy himself, but apparently being into men who tower over him
• Qui's hair is gorgeous and it should get grabbed and pulled a lot - while he's blowing Arundel, or drinking from him, or fucking him ...
• I like the idea of Qui usually not being very subby (he dated his ghoul, he clearly has some control issues), but Arundel with all that effortless dominance of his just bringing it out in him and Qui being very, very happy to serve and please him
• but also: Qui fucking Arundel senseless once they've been doing that for a while
• I find Qui's bloody scar extremely sexy; it should get kissed and licked and caressed and nibbled on
• very specific prompt: one of Arundel's ideas to stave off the Beckoning is to drink Qui's blood once or twice to bond himself to him - he would have done it with Ward, but since Ward left him ... Cue Qui being extremely honoured, extremely turned on, probably feeling bad for letting his pining get out of hand when he's just supposed to help his Prince, and Arundel maybe finally seeing Qui in a different light ... maybe there's bloody fucking eventually, maybe they both resist the UST because they don't want to do it just because of the blood bond, and they only fuck once Arundel finds a different solution with his shady torture experiments (or once he binds himself to Ward instead) and they let the bond fade, but realise the attraction is still there
• this is supremely fucked up, but ... Arundel asking Qui to make himself look like Ward before he sleeps with him - maybe Qui does it, or maybe that is the one thing he actually refuses to do (and maybe instead he proceeds to distract Arundel from his faithless lover who left him in a different way) [and yes, I know that's not quite how that ability works anyway, it'd be impossible to do without Ward there, but hey, maybe that's Qui's excuse not to do it, or maybe you can just handwave the exact rules if you want him to do it]

Robert Ward/Qui

This may be a less obvious ship than the other two, but I just really enjoy a good bit of antagonism that has the potential to become more than just antagonism. And I adore them both and wish canon had actually given us more direct interactions between them.

I enjoy that they're such extremely different people (the rebel Anarch and the very lawful Sheriff) who are not only both devoted to Arundel, but also utterly convinced that he's a great Prince who rules well and is generally right about things, even if they may disagree with him at times. And they clearly just cannot STAND each other (Qui spending half of canon hunting Ward; Ward talking about Qui being a "prick" and literally hoping he dies at one point), and they also both have some jealousy going on (I'm FASCINATED by Ward complaining that Qui always had "too much influence over Arundel" because Arundel doesn't strike me as an easily influenced guy). So there's a lot of antagonism there, but I also feel like they both care enough about Arundel to at least try to get along. Somewhat. While still being jealous of each other. And maybe in time they might learn to like each other? Or at least their arguments grow a bit less serious and a little bit more friendly?

I do think they have some potential to develop a better relationship - they certainly both seem a lot more adventurous and more inclined to do things for fun than Arundel, so maybe they can bond over that. That being said, I'd also enjoy a fic that's nothing but hate sex and arguments, so don't feel obliged to write something more emotionally intense than that if you don't want to.

• did they dislike each other from the start (due to their personality/viewpoint differences) or did they actually get along at first? I'd love to get a glimpse at their first meetings
• if there was a time when they got along better, if only because Qui was trying to be supportive of Arundel's decisions, did they hook up before Ward got with Arundel (or afterwards, if Arundel didn't mind)? I'd love some working-together-leading-to-a-spontaneous-hookup sort of situation, whether it's more friendly or more antagonistic
• pre-canon hate sex, possibly while they're both pining for Arundel
• but maybe also early bonding moments over having a lot of respect for him, or while working together to deal with some Sabbat problems or inter-Camarilla rebels
• they're both very big, strong guys, so I'm very much here for rough sex with lots of manhandling and neither of them being used to someone else being able to match their strength and to hold them down or lift them (wall sex? yes)
• starting to work together post-canon because they do both want to make Arundel's vision reality and they slowly realise they actually get along at times - Ward would probably enjoy Qui's idea of a fun night out a lot, and I can see him starting to go hunting with Qui because Arundel is just no fun in that regard and simply has his servants bring him mortals to eat
• I'd generally like Ward getting to see a different side of Qui than just the dutiful, obedient Sheriff upholding the system - which he is, obviously, but that's not ALL there is to him
• what if Qui only finds Sam's murderer post-canon and Ward happens to be with him at the time? that'd be a good opportunity for Ward to see that Qui has emotions and all that ;)
• like I said above, I'd love either of them having to deal with the fact that the other one saved his beloved Prince, especially if that newfound respect is one-sided at first - whether it's Ward grudgingly accepting that Qui is utterly loyal and not just out for himself, or Qui grudgingly realising that Ward does still love Arundel and is trying to make it work again; either way I'd find it really funny if one of them tries to be nicer and the other one is not having it for the longest time
• an AU version of canon in which Ward and Qui very, very grudgingly work together to find Arundel - maybe Qui finds proof much earlier that the Anarchs are convenient fall guys for Corliss' schemes and seeks out Ward; maybe Ward approaches Qui because he figures if anyone can help him find Arundel, it's his 1) extremely competent, 2) extremely devoted Sheriff; either way the whole thing makes them realise that they can actually get along (and it might even lead to them hooking up while looking for Arundel)
• Nosferatu have that neat little ability where they can calm someone's Beast, right? sooo Ward in a Frenzy and Qui actually bothering to calm him instead of just trying to stake him to shut him up - especially if it's at a time when they really don't like each other, Ward would probably appreciate that immensely
• usually I assume that Ward and Arundel get back together pretty quickly post-canon, but what if Arundel is actually reluctant because he worries about Ward leaving him again, so Ward piiiines and spends time with Qui for any of the reasons in the other prompts, and one thing leads to another from there

Arundel/Robert Ward/Qui

What if ... all of those ships together? :D Everything I've said about the individual ships here still applies. I'd assume in a threeway situation, Arundel and Ward would get together first with Qui joining them at some point later, but if you have an idea for Arundel and Qui getting together really early on in Arundel's reign and it's Ward who arrives later, I'd also love to read that! Or if you want to write Ward and Qui starting to fuck while both pining for Arundel and they only realise later on that Arundel is also interested, that would also be perfect.

• I'd love this starting out very messy, with lots of jealousy and resentment and uncertainty because Arundel wants them both and they both love him enough to accept that, but they also really don't fucking like each other and aren't happy about having to share (though I'd prefer if they eventually figured out ways to make the situation work for all of them)
• did Ward and Qui actually get along at first? was there maybe even a threeway situation pre-canon and the reason Qui hates Ward so much is because he saw from up close just how much Ward broke Arundel's heart when he left him?
• Qui has been pining quietly for Arundel for a while by the time Ward shows up and Arundel falls for him hard, and Qui is kind of bitter because he assumed Arundel was above such things as love or attraction - I love Qui being intensely jealous of Ward and also seriously questioning Arundel's taste, I'd just also love him to get with them eventually :D
• maybe Arundel always saw Qui as just his loyal Sheriff, dependable and valuable, but somewhat beneath him - and it's only post-canon, after Qui saved his life AND starts taking on even bigger responsibilities in his Domain that Arundel starts seeing him as more of an equal (well, -ish, it's still Arundel) - hell, maybe it's Ward's fault for teasing Arundel about Qui clearly having a thing for him, and that gives Arundel ideas
• Qui and Arundel get together after Ward leaves - maybe initially it's just a bad idea rebound sort of thing, Arundel doing something a bit rash to distract himself and/or because he figures it'd hurt Ward if he knew, but it turns out he likes Qui so much more than he realised ... and when Ward finally comes back, well, Arundel does still love him deeply, but he also cares about Qui and Ward will just have to share
• related to my "Arundel bonding himself to Qui" prompt above - Ward would be insanely jealous if he found out about that, and I'd love to see some ramifications (especially if Arundel really wants to renew his blood bond with Ward, and poor Qui feels very discarded and maybe Arundel will have to remind him he wants to keep him, too)
• it's not a thing in the lore, I know, but if you want to handwave that and have all three of them bonded somehow (though preferably not quite Vaulderie-style, I think they'd have issues with that), I'd find that immensely hot and enjoyable - or maybe it's just Arundel who's somehow mutually bonded to both of them in handwavey ways [if you want to write something plotty: maybe they need to do some research or they need some magical artefact or spell to make this possible]
• different getting together scenario, but: Ward and Qui starting to work together more post-canon because they do both want to make Arundel's vision reality (and because Ward would probably enjoy Qui's idea of a fun night out a lot), and over time they get along better ... and it's actually them who develop UST while Arundel doesn't even consider sleeping with Qui yet (and Ward won't simply cheat, but he might suggest sleeping with Qui in front of Arundel, or the two of them servicing Arundel together ...)
• Ward and Qui trying to one-up each other in bed with Arundel, who's really just enjoying the attention (up to and including all the size kink and strength kink and manhandling him and fucking him so hard they'd break him if not for all that Fortitude and so, so much blood involved :D)
• an AU version of canon in which Ward and Qui very, very grudgingly work together to find Arundel - maybe Qui finds proof much earlier that the Anarchs are convenient fall guys for Corliss' schemes and seeks out Ward; maybe Ward approaches Qui because he figures if anyone can help him find Arundel, it's his 1) extremely competent, 2) extremely devoted Sheriff; either way the whole thing makes them realise that they do both love Arundel about equally and can possibly even tolerate each other for his sake, whether they actually sleep with each other while Arundel is still gone or whether it only leads to a threeway type of thing once Arundel is back and very surprised that Ward and Qui are suddenly quite friendly (possibly in a very acerbic way, but at least not seriously hating each other anymore)
• usually I assume that Ward and Arundel get back together pretty quickly post-canon, but what if Arundel is actually reluctant because he worries about Ward leaving him again, so Ward piiiines and spends time with Qui for any of the reasons in the other prompts, and one thing leads to another from there - Arundel might very well get jealous and realise that he does in fact want Ward back (and if he comes with Qui attached these days, why not)

Vampire: The Masquerade - Port Saga
Edmund Glass/Titus Reed

And another great Vampire podcast, though this one is an audio drama rather than a let's play. I love the murder mystery, the political scheming, the big cast of so many intriguing characters, the excellent voice acting. But on a shippy level, I mostly came away from it wanting Glass to badtouch poor Titus. I love how angry Titus is at the world, how much he struggles with his own humanity and his past and all his emotions and real or perceived failures; I love that he's not exactly stupid, but also not the most politically experienced guy, so he's completely unprepared for all the scheming going on around him. And Glass is just such a smug, cheerful asshole - he's clearly having the time of his life being a lying, manipulative, power-hungry vampire prick, and I enjoy how unapologetic he is about that. The way he manages to get under Titus' skin and rile him up is so much fun.

For this ship, I'm up for anything from complete noncon-via-blackmail of the "you have to do everything I say" kind, or something dubcon-y where Glass manipulates/pressures Titus, but Titus maybe thinks he can also get something out of it, to something consensual but fucked up like angry hate sex and reluctant attraction - maybe Titus thinks he can manipulate Glass, maybe he thinks it's a good idea to fuck someone he will definitely not grow emotionally attached to, maybe he has an ill-advised thing for rich, arrogant Ventrue douchebags. I would prefer it if Titus ended up enjoying the sex, though, even if it's non-consensual. Honestly, as long as Titus makes some bad life choices and Glass is having a great time being a smug, happy asshole, I'm sure I'll love it. :D

I also like Titus' complicated, sad feelings about his dead sire and am totally fine with their past relationship coming up. I like pretty much the entire cast, so feel free to have anyone else appear. Some of my faves are Rebel, Lysander, and Quill. We don't know much about what any of the characters look like, but feel free to include your own ideas about their looks - or keep it as vague as you like. Either works for me.

• Titus ends up owing Glass a TON of bond debts at the end of season one - maybe Glass demands some sexual favours and Titus has no choice but to obey
• or maybe Titus could in fact say no (maybe Glass was just needling him and not actually serious), but it's a welcome excuse for him to pretend that he has no choice in the matter
• maybe the sexual favours start out slow (like making Titus strip to humiliate him, or making him kneel at Glass' feet) and only slowly escalate to actual sex
• maybe it starts out as a noncon/dubcon thing, but Titus actually enjoyed it - so when Glass stops fucking him (maybe because the debts have been paid, maybe because he is playing some cat and mouse game with Titus), Titus actually has to go to him and admit that he wants him ... or maybe he deliberately brings himself in new situations in which Glass can demand sex from him
• Titus needs a favour and doesn't have anything to offer in return - so he either offers sex or Glass suggests it (maybe it was a sarcastic/non-serious suggestion, but they both end up going for it)
• post-canon, Titus is finally free of his debt ... but he ends up in trouble and the only person who can help him is Glass - cue Glass being delighted that Titus owes him again and Titus being very mad about it
• post-canon, Titus is Herald and has to work with Glass semi-regularly - they stumble into some kind of messed up hate sex affair in which they may or may not catch any feelings (possibly featuring lots of sex on desks, in meeting rooms, in offices ...)
• Titus doesn't like Glass, but everyone knows Ventrue are very useful friends to have, so maybe he tries to get in his good graces/manipulate him - up to you how well that works out, considering how not great Titus is at politics
• Glass condescendingly calling Titus "kid" and Titus HATING it delights me so much in canon - maybe Glass keeps doing it in bed
• Glass decides to teach Titus some things about politics because that might make him more useful (could take a kinky turn if Titus needs some punishment for not learning his lessons about politics very well <.<)
• either of them showing up at the other's Haven - as a power play, to be annoying, because they need help ...
• Titus has to hide out at Glass' place for a while - which would annoy him because 1) Glass' place is uncomfortably fancy, 2) Titus knows he'll just end up owing him again for this
• something related to Glass' past - maybe his sire or some old friend/enemy shows up; maybe Titus finds out something more personal about Glass than his usual smug douchebag facade
• Glass finding out about Titus' horrific childhood - is he a huge dick about it? is he unexpectedly sympathetic?
• Glass having a piano at his place, and maybe he actually likes Titus obnoxiously deciding to play it when he's there (maybe the piano didn't get tuned regularly until Titus starts coming around, and Titus notices)
• anything related to Titus' whole music thing - him explaining it to Glass, Titus thinking about whatever music he associates with Glass ...
• they get in trouble and have to fight their way out, and Titus is very good at fighting; Glass is surprised to see Titus all competent and badass and is really into that
• chess matches because Ventrue loving chess amuses me (whether Titus is also surprisingly good at it or incredibly bad, but Glass enjoys taunting and humiliating him)
• they both HATE that they want to fuck each other - the unreliable Malkavian, the arrogant Ventrue, ugh, they shouldn't find each other so attractive! (they certainly shouldn't start liking each other, but here they are ...)
• unnegotiated rape roleplay - they both get off on pretending Glass is forcing Titus into this, and even though they never talked about it, they both know Titus wants it
• discreet dirty talk in public - Glass likes making Titus all hot and bothered while other people are around and Titus can't tell him to stop without making a scene
• Glass using Dominate in bed; Titus is way more into the loss of control than he likes (since Malkavians have Dominate, too - did Lawrence ever do that as well? or did he have ethical objections to it, so Titus is getting something exciting he possibly fantasised about in the past?)
• Titus cleaning up well for some fancy Ventrue or Toreador party; Glass having to dress down for Reasons - either way the other one is into the new look
• I love the sexual bliss of blood drinking mixed with the Problem of blood bonds in this setting, so I'm here for anything related to that - either of them slipping up during sex and biting the other; Glass ending up bound to Titus and Titus knowing how useful that could be, but still feeling morally obligated to break the bond for him; Glass trying to provoke Titus into biting him because he'd just looove to have Titus all eager to please him ...
• or ignore the ramifications and just give me some blood kink and passionate biting in bed :D
• drinking from mortals together while having UST is also always fun; maybe Titus finds out what Glass' blood preference is and offers him someone particularly delicious as a gift/bribe

And that's it! I hope that something in this letter works for you, a prompt you find interesting or a trope you enjoy writing. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with, no matter which fandom we matched on! :D

Thank you!
linndechir