Love is many things; it can be beautiful, destructive, courageous. It exists in many forms, so it only makes sense to throw it into video games. While Fire Emblem Awakening certainly caught some off guard with its quality and craftsmanship, none of us figured we'd take on the role of matchmaker so seriously. The hearts may be digital, but many of us took our duties responsibly. Until the inevitable sequel allows us to craft prenups, we chose to make our relationships work, taking careful consideration of a character's behaviours and tics. Below are our staff's pairings; we may not all agree on who should wed whom, but there's no denying that love is in the air.

Tyler's Pairings:

Robin (Avatar) & Chrom - I still can't understand not marrying these two. What doesn't make sense about a magic-wielding amnesiac and a royal with naked photos of himself drifting about the campsite? A lot of the game's emotional hooks get stuck in your gut when you put these two together, making the story that much better.

Frederick & Miriel - Poor Frederick. He's been the royal family's whipping boy for so long, he forgot to take care of himself. Who better to commiserate with than a witch who thinks she's smarter than anyone? Well, there's one thing the Necronomicon can't teach, and that's love. Best of luck, you two!

Vaike & Nowi - All right, I got a little unintentionally creepy with this one. Vaike is the teacher type; he holds his age and expertise over everyone else's heads. So I thought, well, Nowi is a thousand-year-old dragon lady, I'm sure she can teach him a thing or two. Her childlike behaviour made things get weird... fast. Doubly so when Vaike makes her call him "teach."

Virion & Miriel - It wasn't long before I grew tired of Virion's tales of grandeur; it all boiled down to male chauvinism. I wanted to see how he'd handle a real woman. Well, half woman, half beast. Anyways, he wined and dined her, showed her the real Virion. She saw humans as inferior, but as love blossomed on the battle field, Miriel realized humans weren't all that bad—just the ones that whipped out her entire species.

Neal's Pairings:

Neal (Avatar) & Anna – I was curious how my straight-laced strategist would deal with a wily, money-hungry shopkeeper. Both seemed to keep the other one in line, and on the battlefield, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Chrom & Sully – Early on, Chrom was a bad ass. He never really relented, but after the marriage to Sully, he took a backseat whenever the paired-up couple roamed the fields of war. Sully was probably my most devastating warrior near the end of the game, and Chrom was just along for the ride.

Ricken & Nowi – This was my first planned pairing (Chrom and Sully just happened without me totally wanting it to), and while I think Ricken falls off a useful cliff late in the game, I loved them early on. Ricken is a dreamer, and Nowi is his dream, an old dragon who looks like a 10-year-old girl. That's super dirty, but they were happy until the end, dammit.

Vaike & Lissa – Teach totally got it on with Chrom's sister. Seriously, that was my entire intention for this one. I almost paired up the avatar with Lissa for a similar reason, but Lissa and Vaike made more sense to me. They were a couple that worked on the battlefield, too, as Lissa healed and performed magic while Vaike took his ax-battling to the melee.

Virion & Maribelle - I really never used Maribelle. Virion just wound up being hosed out of my original pairing for him (Sully) and I wanted my adulterous archer to wind up with someone. But let's get real: Virion boned everybody, even the dudes.

Donnel & Olivia – Donnel is like that guy who is super gawky and awkward but somehow winds up with the hottest girl.

Lon'qu & Panne – Both these fighters are relatively monosyllabic, so it just made sense. I married them and rescued their kid. Then I never used them again. But Lon'qu was a menace early on.

Henry & Cherche – Henry's dialogue always made me laugh, and I started shying away from Sumia's pegasus ways. Cherche was fun to use, as I never really used a wyvern in previous Fire Emblem games. This couple worked because Henry made Cherche laugh, I always assumed. I mean, he has to do something right...

Owain & Morgan – This pairing probably pissed off Morgan's father, the avatar, but delighted her mother Anna. Sometimes, my aspirations aren't any more than that.

Josh's Pairings:

Chrom & Sully - A prince and his childhood friend. The fearless leader and his ever-faithful knight. I'll be honest, I started this pairing just because I saw it as a gender reversal of the whole "knight in shining armor" story. Sully has been a Paladin and Great Knight in this run and can take anything thrown at her. As Chrom charges into battle, he'll always have his knight in shining armor covering his back.

Protagonist & Anna - Money is everything! Or is it? Is the protagonist's love worth more than money to the frugal merchant? You bet your sweet bippy. (That's right I said it.) ... ... ... All right, I just wanted to see what would happen. Happy now?!

Henry & Miriel - Two magically gifted individuals. Both EXTREMELY socially awkward. When the dark humorist Henry and knowledge-hungry Miriel get together, the two realize there's something they both strive to do: create life. Though not through the way they originally intentioned, they did just that. And their kid is insanely powerful.

Cherche & Vaike - I don't know what it is about these two, but they really are wonderful together. From the moment Vaike and Minerva hit it off, Cherche knew it was love! ... or something. When the two axe-wielding powerhouses entered the battlefield together, nothing could get between them and their love. And if something, tried either Minerva or Vaike's axe-arm would take care of it.

Kellam & Olivia - What do you get when you put an invisible man and a shy dancer together? An adorable situation. Olivia is seeking ways to be important and needed, and Kellum is more than happy to help her find what it is. Through Kellam's invisible encouragement, Olivia finds a way to help those around her, and not just through dancing. And even though pies are used far too often in support conversations, I still found this whole thing adorable.

Donnel & Nowi - Would you believe me if I said childhood romances during war time just makes sense? Even though one of the "children" is a thousand years old. And is a dragon. And the other is an actual kid. ... OK, yeah. It's weird.

Lon'qu & Tharja - Lon'qu is a man with a dark past and Tharja is a woman who loves everything dark. When Lon'qu started looking for a way to remove that part of his life from his memory, he found having those memories is the reason he is who he is today. And maybe, just maybe, Tharja can help him realize that the past is behind him and the future is all that matters. Or not. Maybe she'll just mess with Lon'qu and Noire with every new hex she finds. Either way, I'm happy.

Justin's Pairings:

Chrom & Sumia - From the start, I could tell Sumia had a thing for Chrom. Even though Sumia appeared a little clumsy, Chrom was there offering his support. Their love blossomed over time.

Justin (Avatar) & Tharja - Tharja kept telling others how she had feelings for Justin. Wanting to know more about this darker character, Justin decided to pursue the relationship further. According to the information given at the end of the game, he loved her very much for the rest of his days. (Side note: A Tharja Figma will be released in the near future, and who wouldn't want a figure of their wife? Don't let my girlfriend know.)

Donnel & Lissa - The two characters got along very well even though they were from vastly different backgrounds. Lissa always had a sense of adventure even though she was of royal upbringing. Having the chance to live a much different life with Donnel let her explore different aspects of the world.

Vaike & Miriel - Miriel once picked up an axe that Vaike left on the battlefield, helping him greatly. Vaike is a strong individual, but isn't the smartest guy around. Miriel, on the other hand, is very intellectual. Combined, they make up for the weaknesses of one another. Sometimes opposites attract.

Lon'qu & Sully - Lon'qu has had a problem talking with women. Sully, on the other hand, is one of the toughest women around and isn't afraid to stand up for herself. It took a woman as strong as Sully to get Lon'qu to come around. Together, they seemed perfect for one another because they both strive to become combat experts.

Fredrick & Cordelia - Both of these individuals have a strong love for their country. It was this love of nation that brought them together.

Kellam & Nowi - Kellem went relatively unnoticed in the army but caught the eye of Nowi. Kellam viewed Nowi as an older sister, but eventually his love for her grew until they ended up together.

Virion & Cherche - Having known one another for a long time, and being from the same place, ultimately led to love.

Ricken & Maribelle - Childhood friends that grew close.

Stahl & Olivia - Olivia was extremely shy, but Stahl found a way to her heart by playing the game her way.

Gaius & Panne - Gaius liked Panne because she was able to smell out some of the best sweets in the land. Ultimately, this increased Gaius' interest in the Taguel race, causing their love grew over time.

Inigo & Morgan - Inigo would flirt with all the women, but Morgan appeared to be one of his most trusted friends. This eventually led to their relationship.

Kjelle & Gerome - Both characters loved to train. This made them want to outdo each other in combat. After working against one another for a long time, they decided to work with each other. Their love grew from there.

Owain & Noire - These characters each had a crazy side. This led to them understanding each other in a way none of the others could.

Yarne & Lucina - Lucina noticed that Yarne appeared to be a little weak on the battlefield and decided to keep an eye on him to keep him safe. Over time, Yarne grew strong thanks to Lucina's support, and they decided to get married.

Laurent & Nah - Both seemed somewhat intellectual, and that is what brought them together.

Cynthia & Brady - Brady wasn't the best-looking guy and kept his feelings for Cynthia quiet for a while. He was doing things to protect her on the battlefield, and ultimately it seemed like the perfect match.