Electric Challenge: Stage 4

Definitely RPGs. I love immersive games with interesting plot (especially games where I can affect the plot/ending through my character's choices), well-developed characters and a varied game world to explore. I love when I get to assemble a team of heroes. I like when there are lots of things to collect and craft. I like interesting and varied romance options. And I really love when there are difficulty settings that start at "I just want to experience the story" - I tend to enjoy something more challenging on replays, but I just want to experience everything the first time around. Because I have such very specific liked, I tend to be quite franchise-loyal. So let's talk about some of my favourite franchises. :) 

Spoiler Warning: This contains minor spoilers for some NPCs and combat systems of the games I talk about. I don't spoil any major plot points, but if you're the kind of player who want to know nothing at all before you pick up a game then don't read on. (It's just difficult to talk about why I love these games without talking about combat systems and some character development ^^.)

Dragon Age
My love for this series was pretty much instant - I bought Origins and Awakening (unopened) at a thrift store and once I started playing I was instantly drawn in by the plot and characters. Since I happened to pick them up just before Inquisition released, I ended up buying Dragon Age II as soon as I finished all of Origins and then I only had a small wait to get Inquisition. I do have to say that although the first two games are brilliant Inquisition has definitely become a firm favourite. I love the game world. I love trotting around on my horse. I love the whole system of establishing camps and bases. I love Dorian ♥ (and I can never quite decide if I want to romance him myself or leave him for Bull because both options are awesome). Although I do find it hard to pick favourite characters in these games because there are so many interesting, well-developed characters and their backgrounds and personalities are so varied. I love Krem as well, and will forever wish he was a romance option. I'm super excited that DA4 is incoming, even if it's a looong wait!

Mass Effect
Look, Bioware just know what they are doing. I actually bought the first three games without knowing anything about them, just because they were on sale as a bundle (although this was after I had fallen in love with Dragon Age, so I did suspect I would enjoy them). I think Mass Effect 2 is my favourite, I really enjoy the storyline of that one and I like that you can end up with a really disastrous ending. Although I do love 3 as well, especially the character development of your team members. I really love Garrus, and romancing him is interesting and at times funny. (Seriously though, the ability to romance aliens is one of my favourite things about this series!) I actually still haven't finished Andromeda, the plot of that hasn't pulled me in as much (probably party because it lacks in recurring characters from previous games) and also they changed how the camera works from previous games so it gives me motion sickness if I play too long, which is a little disappointing. 

Elder Scrolls
My favourite Elder Scrolls game is definitely Skyrim, although I really enjoy ESO as well  - it's easily my favourite MMO even if I have a long-standing love for WoW. My love of Skyrim was a little slower to come about than my love for some other favourite games. Basically at first it just made me motion sickness, but then I found that there is a mod that helps with that so I gave it another chance. And that time I rolled a mage and kept accidentally setting fire to things which was not great. :P Next try I tried being a Khajiit thief and I loved it! I spend so much time in this game (and in ESO, too) just sneaking around lockpicking and stealing stuff. And also assassinating people. It's a bit of an adrenaline kick to see if you get caught! One of my favourite things is definitely the crime/justice system - and the fact that the game recognizes criminal behaviour at all. It's just excellent for immersion. I don't really have any favourite characters in Skyrim (although I live Khajiits in general)? Despite easily falling in love with characters, I feel like I play this game for completely different reasons (doing crime, basically, lol). 

Fanwork Recs
I don't tend to consume fanworks for game fandoms as much as I do other fandoms, but here are a few I enjoyed: 

Can it wait a bit? by ravandus-poliux (Mass Effect, Garrus/Shepard)

Tali by labotor (Mass Effect)

This whole set of DA characters with flowers by drawingisfornerds (Dragon Age)

Dorian by anta_rf (Dragon Age)

To Rest in the Warmest Places (19532 words) by Sinope
Chapters: 6/6
Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Iron Bull/Cullen Rutherford
Characters: Cullen Rutherford, Iron Bull, Cremisius "Krem" Aclassi, Female Trevelyan, Dorian Pavus
Additional Tags: pre-Cullen/Dorian (background), very minor Inquisitor/Bull, Developing Relationship, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Sexual Tension, BDSM, Dom/sub, Masochism, Bondage, Wax Play, Paddling, Orgasm Delay/Denial, Anal Sex, Oral Sex, Hair-pulling, Sparring, Voluntary Chastity, (don't worry there's lots of sex too), Safewords, mention of canonical past non-con
Series: Part 1 of A Canticle of Transfigurations
Summary: The Iron Bull watched Cullen from the beginning, but it took time for Cullen to let himself be seen. After all, he'd become so good at denying what he wanted that he never learned how to take what he needed. 

Strategic Alternative (2672 words) by osamakes
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Iron Bull/Cullen Rutherford
Characters: Iron Bull, Cullen Rutherford
Additional Tags: Wall Sex, Frottage, Light Masochism, Cullen is a good boy!, Obedience
Series: Part 1 of Counterpoise
Summary: Given the choice, Cullen would much rather just burn Orlais to the ground rather than worry about a ball. It's a valid opinion, but Bull has a better idea.

Lay your ghosts down (3555 words) by vaguely_concerned
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dragon Age: Inquisition, Dragon Age (Video Games)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus
Characters: Dorian Pavus, Iron Bull, Bull's Chargers (Dragon Age)
Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Canon Compliant, Post Trespasser
Summary: Bull tilted his face into the kiss. He reflexively pushed down the shake in his fingers, then had one of those moments of world-turned-upside-down dizziness as he realized he didn’t have to anymore. There was no one left here but the two of them and the Chargers, no Qun to be ultimately responsible to. It was the harder trick, figuring out when you didn’t have to lie.
He let himself tremble, just a little.

Strange New Worlds (637 words) by pluto
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 - Fandom
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Characters: Female Shepard, Garrus Vakarian
Summary: Truth is, the first time Shepard gets Garrus's clothes off, she's not quite sure how to react. Written for the ME Kinkmeme.