The second in our Fictional Crushes series wherein J & K discuss the fictional characters who make them swoon. Check out our literary picks here. Today’s characters come from the gaming world!
J Commander Shepard from Mass Effect (in his male incarnation) will forever be my biggest video game crush. He has that brooding look that’s so irresistible to me, and an unwavering sense of loyalty to his friends. Mass Effect was the first game I ever played that offered male/male romance options, so Shepard’s character resonated with me in a way that no other had. Fun fact: his character’s appearance is based on Mark Vanderloo, a real-life model.
This was a tough choice (honorable mention to Gladio from Final Fantasy XV), but coming in at runner-up is Alexios, the Spartan dreamboat from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. His voice makes my knees weak. He’s fierce in battle but loves just as intensely. And he’s spontaneous and unpredictable in the best of ways. This misthios would have little trouble winning my affections.
K With lines like “Maker’s breath, but you’re beautiful.” and, “… Tell you what a rare and wonderful thing you are to find amidst all this… darkness.” Alistair from Dragon Age:Origins is hands down my top choice. Witty and charming, awkward at times (which just makes him that much more real), sarcastic yet caring and romantic. He has some baggage and makes a few poor choices (don’t we all) depending on your choices in the game, but overall he is a decent person and not one of those bad-boy controlling dudes, which is immensely refreshing. He can get emo/whiny at times but often corrects it (“here I am doing all this complaining and you haven’t exactly been having a great time of it yourself.”) And his voice actor is phenomenal (and has an accent *swoon*). So between his character development and his voice it’s no wonder I lo… ehem … could totally crush on Alistair. The hopeless romantic in me just can’t help herself.
Second choice was a little harder to come to. So I’ve defaulted to my first video game crush. Squall Leonheart from Final Fantasy 8. Maybe it’s because it was my first RPG and I was a high schooler, but Squall’s brooding personality appealed to me. Although he didn’t want to be a leader, he always did what needed to be done with determination. Although he kept pushing people away, it was part of his character growth and he does learn to let people in. (There’s a whole background on why he has this fear of getting close to anyone). And he does show care for those in his life. He wants to protect his love interest and save the world. Anyway, I liked many of his quotes including, “But I don’t want to have any regrets. I don’t want anyone to look back and regret this day. So just this once, I want you guys to give everything you’ve got! For yourselves, and for me!”
So, Seekers, who are your totally dateable video game character choices?