Have you ever snuggled up to watch a show, thinking you’re going to have a good time, and emerged from your bed an emotional wreck because of that one fictional guy on your screen? Falling for a fictitious dude is pretty much inevitable with the rise and staying power of the almighty fandom culture— especially with adorable things like endless types of fanfic— amounts of soul-crushing despair, puke-worthy fluff, or even shameless smut may vary— fanart, and even painstakingly-made gifsets to stoke the roaring fires of your one-sided love. Hey, there’s no shame in preferring fantasy over reality— and with that in mind, we’ve put together a list of five of the most scrumptiously dateable fictional men.

1) Peeta Mellark (The Hunger Games)
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The baker boy from Suzanne Collins’ award-winning young adult dystopian trilogy is perfect on paper. At once articulately charming enough to win the favour of the audience rooting for his imminent death in a twisted version of reality TV (The Hunger Games makes Keeping Up With the Kardashians seem tasteful), and vulnerable enough to capture the hearts of readers everywhere, it’s hard to imagine anyone turning their nose up at Peeta (or his fresh buns). It doesn’t hurt that he is completely and unashamedly in love with series protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, more than willing to die so that she can go home to her sister, the only person she truly loves. When the books were turned into films, actor Josh Hutcherson had his work cut out for him— and even though he had to dye his hair blonde, we think he did a pretty spiffy job encapsulating and personifying the reliably lovestruck Peeta alongside Jennifer Lawrence’s world-weary Katniss. Even when he’s captured by the Capitol and tortured, irrevocably damaged, and turned into a Katniss-hating machine with the single directive to search for and destroy her… he’s still pretty hot. And aside from the obvious bonus that Hutcherson looks like a miniature version of Gabriel Macht (you marinate with that), who doesn’t want their very own Peeta Mellark to love them unconditionally? You’ll never yearn for bakery-fresh cupcakes again, and hey, he’s a good cuddler! The final film in The Hunger Games franchise, Mockingjay, Part 2 hit theatres on November 5th, 2015, giving Peeta fans everywhere a bittersweet farewell. We ask you: is your love for the strong-jawed, big-hearted Peeta Mellark real or not real?

2) Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf)

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If you don’t love Stiles Stilinski, who are you? Do you even watch Teen Wolf? Stiles has graced our TV screens since 2011, wherein he immediately established himself as the quintessential best friend: loyal, trustworthy, and always down for a probably life-threatening supernatural adventure. Starting off as a human geek alongside his wimpy-human-turned-teen-werewolf brother from another mother, Scott McCall, Stiles is… well, five seasons in and he’s still a Star Wars-loving geek. But he’s grown as much and as fast as his audience has, even taking a turn for the evil when he was possessed by an evil demon in season three. (Even though he was definitely a jerk with psychopathic tendencies, Void!Stiles was hot, and we’re not ashamed to admit it. We’d still date him). There are tons of pros to dating Stiles: helping him play super-sleuth for the pack, Star Wars marathons, an endless supply of razor-sharp sarcastic quips, and we’re pretty sure Sheriff Stilinski won’t mind if you sleep over. The only con we can see is the risk of becoming entangled with pack business and dying prematurely, just like former teenaged hunter-turned-pack-member Allison Argent. Also, that time Stiles accidentally murdered a chimera in self-defence— does that make him a bona fide criminal? We don’t think so, since it was an accident, but if it does… we’ll let it slide. It’s not like we’d sell him out to Who The (BLEEP) Did I Marry?—  If wanting to date Stiles is wrong, then we don’t want to be right!

3) Barry Allen (The Flash)

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Two words: human vibrator. Aside from the euphoric buzz you’ll get when you’re with him, in the context of the television show, Barry has proven worthy of being any willing lady’s leading man. Even after becoming a super-speedster, with the weight of a city on his shoulders,  he’s a hopeless romantic. (He’s been pining away for his best-friend-turned-foster-sister for more than ten years. Moving on has been the existential equivalent of “A Whole New World,” sans a flying carpet and a magical blue genie. On the bright side, they have alternate Earths and crossovers featuring a salmon-ladder-chiselled Oliver Queen). Barry has also been shown to be a sentimentalist (remember when, for Christmas in season one, Barry gave Iris a replica of her mother’s wedding ring? Iris lost it on a school trip when they were children, and years later, Barry remembered that hurt and tried to patch it up). Barry’s still on the path to being a true-blue hero, but with friends and family who are interested in both Allen’s biology (for science!) and his emotional well-being, he’s certainly on his way. What more could you ask for from the guy of your dreams? He can time-travel, speed to another country for genuine sushi, support you emotionally and he’s kinda delicious when he cries. Did we mention he’s a human vibrator?

4. Cisco Ramon (The Flash)

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But forget the speed freak for a minute! There’s plenty of eligible fictional bachelors in Central City, one of whom happens to be the adorably charming mechanical engineer (and tester of all the toys… take that as you will) Cisco Ramon.  He gets all the best lines in the show and has an uncanny ability to blurt out just what the audience is thinking (like when he long-sufferingly pointed out Snowjay’s sexual tension). You can’t tell us he doesn’t always know what’s on your mind). One of the stranger aspects about Cisco’s character (aside from his vibing powers) is that despite his sweet nature, his nerd alert personality, and his massive, creatively-inclined brain, he is perpetually single. This is the guy who gleefully came up with the Captain Cold moniker, the dude who turned a potential date into a screening of The Princess Bride— too bad it was wrecked by Vandal Savage. Manipulative immortals don’t care about the fact that time is finite for everyone else.— In short: he is a total prize. We know you know that, we just thought we’d remind you. Imagine the quirkily nerdy, fluff-filled dates— cut short by superhero emergencies, which is simultaneously cool and annoying— and the completely unique just-for-you pet names. Dating Cisco will keep you on your toes all year long!

5. Chris Perry Halliwell (Charmed)

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Those of you who remember Charmed will be able to recall Chris Perry, the neurotically-paranoid time-traveler who showed up in the Halliwell attic one day, determined to “save the future” from some new, big bad threat. (We won’t spoil if you’re just getting into the Power of Three, but you should know, the whole titan thing is just the cherry on a disastrous sundae). Now, you may be wondering what the big deal is about Chris, with his shifty attitude, shady decision-making (remember when he teamed up with a reality-warping demon to send the sisters to their doom?) and  his uptight disposition. (Trying to save the world from an evil that may or may not exist, but will completely destroy everything you hold dear, is enough to make anyone a cantankerous bugger). Most of season six was a guessing game as viewers tried to figure out whether or not they should trust Chris, particularly as he waged war on fan-favourite, Leo, with a cold sort of enjoyment. But hear us out: even with all the bad stuff, the facts remain. While his methods are sketchy at best and his plots, in hindsight, work like the stuff of bad cartoon villains: there’s something about Chris that you can’t help but fall for. Is it the aura of mystery surrounding his being? Or his not-quite-full-fledged whitelighter abilities (he can’t heal, but he does have a few other tricks up his sleeve)? Is it the tragic Romeo-and-Juliet thing he’s got going on? Maybe it’s the way his walls slowly fall down as he slips up and lets the sisters in? Ooh, nope, maybe it’s his sharp sense of humour. Did you find yourself falling for him when he bonded with Victor? How about the time in Spin City, when he was a web-slinging jerk, a pot of rage that had almost reached his own dangerous boiling point? No, you’re right, it was everything. In the case of Chris Perry Halliwell, even on his worst behaviour, he’s sacrificing himself for what he believes is the Greater Good— there’s something sexy about a man who would risk everything, even with the very real possibility of being erased from reality.

The good news about fictional men is that they’re everywhere, and can capture your heart anywhere, anytime, with only a single scene’s notice. That’s pretty wonderful (and heart-wrenching at the same time. Who gave these guys the right to be so darn adorable? Who gave them the right to make reality so unappealing?) The great thing about fictional men is that they’re as vast and varied as Tumblr tags. Didn’t see your personal stud muffin on this list? Not to worry, we know he makes your heart sing— and we won’t tell the Internet!