ʚ♡ɞ

Cove Holden

From: Our Life: Beginnings and Always
Specifically: All variants!! (nerdy, sporty, etc.)
Crush since: 2022?
Favorite feature: His relatability as someone w/ autism

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COOOOVEEEEEE!!!!! AAAHH!!! I LOVE YOU!!!
Ahem. I first found out about the game Our Life: Beginnings and Always back in 2022 I'm pretty sure? Maybe 2023? and initially it was the aspect of it being free that drew me in, but oh boy. I fell SO deep for Cove while playing, especially since he was so easy to relate to and connect with as someone who's also autistic.

Our Life: Beginnings and Always is an amazing game that's absolutely worth playing, by the way!!! You can choose to pursue Cove romantically or platonically, and the characters are really well written, plus the story itself is just... really good? It feeds your nostalgia in that gut-wrenching way where you almost get sad that it's not real... I definitely think anybody could enjoy the game...
It also comes with some nice player character customization, which is an added bonus for immersion! It even has a list of names so that Cove can actually say your name (if it's on there...) during gameplay and AAH!! it's so nice...

Cove is such a precious character to me, and I can't believe I forgot to put him on here considering he's literally one you're supposed to date? It's a dating sim for fucks sake!!!
The whole game is about growing up with him, and the way you treat Cove, and the options you pick, will eventually shape him as a character in a realistic way that growing up together would!
I've played it... I think 5 times total? Once without any DLCs, and the rest with a few DLCs (the step 2 and 3 expansions). I spent 3 days in a row only pausing to sleep and for bathroom breaks, pretty much... I was DEEP in there...

While playing, I deliberately chose a variety of different types of options to see how that would affect how Cove turns out, and I had a lot of fun exploring the slightly different versions of him. My first playthrough was just picking what I would realistically pick, and that gave me a perfectly tailored Cove that is like... my absolute favorite. I'm not sure where he would end up on the Cove variation scale, but I'm guessing he was the "cold" version, since I pampered the hell out of him... That would mean I got a pretty possessive and shy Cove, which I'm such a huge fan of..!!!
I also ended up with a "warmer" cove when I dared to be a bit more mean to him, and that was also fun, although I found myself being a bit jealous when he got along too well with others and didn't just spend 24/7 with only me...

The fact that Cove is demisexual is also super important to me, and like... even though the game isn't explicit anyway so it doesn't make a huge difference, it still makes me feel like there isn't something wrong with me for being like Cove and also being someone who feels satisfied sticking to just making out or some relatively tame touching and hugging. A lot of other dating sims have felt way too forward with that type of stuff, so being matched with a character with similar limits is so refreshing and validating!!! It also makes the scenes where he actually lets you go a bit further than normal so much more intense... like my heart was beating so hard I tasted blood in my mouth when the first makeout scene happened... (it was also like. 5AM. makes sense that I was a bit insane)

Cove's autism is revealed in the credits after you finish the game (before the epilogue), and it made everything click into place why I got so attached to him the first time around. I'm autistic myself, and while I barely notice it outside of sensory issues, it does affect the types of people I get along with a lot. Cove would probably be hard to understand from a neurotypical point of view sometimes, and while I do still get frustrated with his stubbornness, I can relate to it a lot. I also get extremely stubborn with stuff sometimes, especially when I'm overwhelmed, and it often makes me hard to get along with or seen as a problem by people who don't get it. I get Cove though, and I know that he would get me!! And that's like... such a huge part of why I fell for him!!! I know he gets me!!

I haven't played the game in a while, and now that I want to play it, steam doesn't work on Windows 7 anymore, so I can't. Good news everyone! It's DRM-free, so I can just launch it from the folder without any issues!! COVE I MISSED YOUUUU MWAHHHH!!!!

Falin Touden

From: Dungeon Meshi
Specifically: Every form of her!!!
Crush since: 2023
Favorite feature: Her gentle and airheaded demeanor!!

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AAAHHH!!!! FALIIINNN!!!! I LOVE HER SO MUUUUCHH!!!

Falin is also a pretty recent one, considering I only really reached the part where her character has any sort of "screentime" in the manga in mid-late 2023. Since the anime finally got to the part where she actually gets proper screentime, I got SO inspired to make an entry for her, although I'm pretty sure it'll be shorter than the rest...
I can't even think of anything to write right now, so stay tuned for whenever I update this...!!!

Nagi Itsuomi

From: Yubisaki to Renren
Specifically: Together with Yuki!!
Crush since: 2023
Favorite feature: His body language...!!

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LORD I want this man CARNALLY!!!!
Itsuomi is literally the perfect man and nobody can tell me otherwise... Holy shit. He's extremely hot, he's perfectly weird, and he's literally one of the few unproblematic love interests in romance animanga. It was inevitable that I fall head over heels for this guy...

I read Yubisaki to Renren back in late 2023, and seeing the way Yuki and Itsuomi's relationship blossomed on the pages actually made me tear up several times... While I'm not as fond of Yuki, I think they compliment eachother so insanely well that I love Itsuomi even more seeing him change his ways just out of his love for Yuki...!!!! AAH!!
I just love the way he clearly is doing all of the stuff he does half on another whim to do something he found an interest in, but also out of genuine love!!! Like, he obviously is rushing head-first into his love for Yuki, but that's also just... SO HIM!!! AAH!!! I LOVE HIM!!!!

It's hard loving a character that you also want to be happy in their established relationship... Of course I want Itsuomi to give me all of his attention, but I also want Yuki to feel special and loved all the same... It's hard building the perfect fantasy when Yuki is also so important to Itsuomi, cuz then she's also important to me because of that!!! I wish I could just have a crush on Yuki too, but as cute as she is, she's just not my type.. arrgghh...
I love him for how he treats Yuki, and that will never change. The way he so easily decides to learn something as difficult as sign language just because he wants to communicate with Yuki, and finds it genuinely interesting... it just makes me wanna cry with how sweet he is... I would feel so guilty taking that away from both of them...

I was SO shocked when I found out Yubisaki to Renren had gotten an anime adaptation literally right as I finished what was avaliable of the manga... I obviously got super scared that they'd butcher it, but now it's one of my favorite animes OF. ALL. TIME!! The voice actor chosen for Itsuomi was such a perfect choice I legit felt like he'd come to life... The animation and color palette and everything were absolutely perfect, and seeing Itsuomi moving on the screen just made me fall even harder for him....!!!

Link

portrait drawn by me
will be added eventually!

From: The Legend of Zelda
Specifically: OOT, TP, BOTW/TOTK
Crush since: 2005
Favorite feature: His ponytail in BOTW!!!

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I've had such a huge crush on Link ever since I saw his adult form in Ocarina of Time back in 2005. My brother was playing it while I watched, and I was SO obsessed. I would sit and watch way too close to the CRT TV every time my brother played, staring at Link run around and be cool...
I never played Ocarina of Time myself, or like... any other Zelda games up until BOTW, actually?? But I was HOOKED!!!

I absorbed a lot of information about Link throughout the rest of my childhood, and my next big "kyun~♡" moment was when I found out about Twilight Princess when I was 10 or 11?
I still absolutely adore Link's design in that game actually, and it's probably my favorite!!! I really love the more realistic and gritty look, and the outfit he's wearing is genuinely super cool in my opinion. I remember being obsessed with looking up cosplays of this iteration, and I really wanted to cosplay him myself!!!!
The wolf thing is also a huuuge reason why I love this version of Link so much... I'm a sucker for werewolves (even though he's just... an ACTUAL wolf, not even a wolfman...), and I think it suits him super well!!!

When BOTW came out, it was the first game in the series I actually owned the console for, so obviously I bought it after having watched the full playthrough that Vinny from Vinesauce did. I still haven't actually finished the game (although the only thing left is to fight Ganon...), but I love spending time in the world, and watching Link interact with people and his environment. It's a super feel-good game for me, and though I don't have a crush on the Link I see on my screen, I still feel like I'm hanging out with a dear friend, and I treasure that so much... T_T

The things I like about Link are pretty simple when I think about it!! I adore the fact that he's so quiet, to be honest?? I had selective mutism as a teenager, and I found a lot of comfort in Link, and all the fics featuring him as actually being mute or having selective mutism. That's still the only kind I read, since it just feels weird to me now when he speaks more than a few words...
I know that the muteness is so that you can project your own ideas and personality onto him, but I still appreciate it anyway!! The sad thing is that because he's got a very subtle personality (that honestly changes with every game...) it's hard to find interpretations of him that align with my own idea of who he is as a character, especially considering he's slightly different already when you age him up like I do. There's not a huge difference in how I imagine him and the personality I percieve him as having in my favorite games though, since he IS pretty mature already... It's hard to explain, but there IS a difference!!

ANYWAY, I really love his slightly more tangible personality in BOTW and TOTK, and seeing that other people (fic writers in particular) have picked up on the same traits that I did fills me with SO much joy!!! aah!!! He's stoic, but still has a goofy side, and he's a lot more laid back compared to Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time, probably because the game itself is not as focused on the constant horrors going on... I like that he's got this vibe of being a little weird (in a cute way), and the way he just seems to not care about other people's opinions...!!! Of course a lot of that comes from how you decide to play, but the few dialogue options that give you a glimpse at the different ways he could react is so....!!! AAARGH!!! I love it so much.

I would love to have a game someday where Link is a proper adult, and not just ambigiously late teens/maybe early adulthood like in BOTW & TOTK. It feels weird going from having a huge googly-eyed crush on him when I first got introduced to BOTW, just to later on feel weird seeing him in that way within the context of the game, now that I'm a few years into my 20's... Even if he absolutely could be over 18 (or even 20) in BOTW, it still feels weird to associate his game self with the Link in my fantasies, when it's totally possible he's as young as 17. I can't bet on uncertainty like that, y'know?? At least in TOTK I feel like it's fine for me to like him romantically, but knowing that he could still be just 18 years old irks me a bit, so I separate that version of him from my thoughts too... sighhhh.... will nintendo ever give us a confirmed adult Link, or are we supposed to just suffer eternally...?

Bakugou Katsuki

From: Boku no Hero Academia
Specifically: Pro-hero AU's
Crush since: 2018
Favorite feature: His complex personality!!

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This is probably one of the characters I feel the most shame about having a crush on, partially because I have the same "I kept aging but he didn't" dilemma as I do with a lot of other characters, but also because I genuinely just don't like BNHA, LOL...
Bakugou is honestly wasted on BNHA, in my opinion!!

Bakugou is probably my main f/o (fictional other), although I don't imagine us being an actual couple, as much as I just fawn over him in general... When thinking about f/o's, his face always pops up first for me, and he will always be the one I treasure the most (sorry to everyone else...).

He comes off as pretty predictable at first, having the typical snarky overconfident bully personality. But we're proven wrong about all that when his frustration about not being trusted, watching his role model pick someone he hates, and always wanting to be the best at everything reaches its peak, and the depth to his personality really shines in the fight with Deku. It's what made me fall in love with him when I was 17... aaaand also something that people completely throw out the window when writing about him in fics. I suspect I'll rant about that later LOL...

I haven't kept up with the anime past season 2, and I don't think I ever will. I've never been a fan of shounen in general, so it was pretty inevitable that I'd grow bored of BNHA once the focus was steered away from the one redeeming part of it (that "part" obviously being Bakugou). The worldbuilding is interesting, but not enough to make me sit through 6 seasons of essentially the same stuff over and over. I honestly have more fun reading the godawful fanfics that I give the benefit of the doubt now and again... which is saying a lot considering it fucking sucks LMAO

I have a hard time indulging in my crush on Bakugou in general, because it's rare that fanfic writers actually stay true to canon when writing him, and though I don't mind people writing self-indulgent OOC stuff, I get kinda pissed off when thats like... the ONLY interpretations I can find??? ughhh....
It's worse that it's extremely prevalent in the aged-up AU's, because those are the only ones I'm comfortable reading in the first place. People seem to use "well, he's 20-something years old now, so he's gonna act differently" as an excuse to completely wipe his personality clean and paste something completely different on top, usually that new personality being the typical bad boy personality from dogshit smut novels. The Colleen Hoover love interest type personality.
God, it's disgusting what they do to my boy to cover up their bad writing...

I think something in particular that I love when people actually... y'know... do it? is when people lean into his pretty explosive personality and layer of confidence, and give him a partner who's immune to it!!
I've dealt with a few people with similar "negative" traits (I actually kinda super love them...), and being able to fluster them to the point of my normally socially awkward self coming out as the dominant one in the dynamic, is HEAVENLY!!!!
It's not that I like reading about Bakugou (or similar characters) paired up with people as awkward as me, but I just love seeing him flustered and powerless.....!!!!!!!!!!!

That's not to say that I enjoy seeing him interpreted as overly submissive, though, since that also kinda goes against his whole "I'm better than everyone and I only take orders because I have to" thing. Y'know, the thing that's made clear and obvious throughout all of canon??? Making him super eager to be submissive just seems like a huge OOC moment to me, and I legit just can't read it anymore...
Same thing with making him overly sexual, it's like a pretty obvious thing in canon that he doesn't actually show a huge interest in anybody in general, and when people suddenly make him super promiscuous I just...????? where did that even COME from??? Even when he's aged up I just don't see how he could do a complete 180 from how he's shown to be in canon, it makes zero sense!!

I see Bakugou as someone who tends to bottle everything up, because he knows that being emotional (other than anger LOL) only serves to complicate his progress towards becoming the greatest version of himself he could be. He's incredibly intelligent (something people tend to forget), and though he tends to just leave things alone for the most part, he's not afraid to confront somebody (or something) when he deems something suspicious enough to warrant concern.
Despite being prone to lashing out aggressively, he shows a degree of emotional intelligence where it truly matters, and though he seems to lash out over nothing, when you actually try to see things from his perspective, you realize that his anger is completely warranted (although he should learn to keep it in better, which I like to imagine he would improve at as an adult).

His anger issues are definitely something that made me really like him as a character... I personally have the opposite issue, which kinda ends up giving the same outcome? I tend to bottle my frustration and anger up so much that I get incapacitated and start breaking down, which makes it hard for me to get my point across or properly vent my frustrations with something without coming off as dramatic. A lot of Bakugou's anger has a good reason to be there, and he just needs to learn how to get it out of his system without exploding at people, both figuratively and literally LOL

ʚ♡ɞ

Later addition: Something else that makes me a bit sad about liking Bakugou so much is the fact that he absolutely would despise me if he actually knew who i was... Like, probably not as much as the creepy fangirls who completely bastardize him to fit their idea, but he'd probably still just... not be interested. I guess this idea kinda comes from the fact that I lowkey headcanon him as vaguely on the aroace spectrum, but I think that in general I just wouldn't be his type. I'm weak, and despite being pretty shameless, I still have really bad self-confidence issues, and I really don't think he'd be into that. I also can't really see him doing anything affectionate in general, it's just not like him LOL...

It's hard to read "imagine your f/o..." stuff and then going "yeah no he would never do that lmao" every time. I think the most romantic thing Bakugou would do would be like... not blatantly rejecting anything I do, at least... Maybe cooking for me...? He's a tough cookie for sure. That's why I love him though!!!