my personal tastes are very basic
:D (sincere)
:) (oh dear)
Always and forever will I be an equals-eyes bitch - I feel like it makes every single emoticon more friendly and earnest~.
Compare :3 to =3; the latter looks like they'd slip a dollar into your pocket and run away mischievously like they pulled an ace prank!
Also |3 to signify, "Oh my goodness gracious..." and "Ye, I'm content~."
There's also 'w', which I feel like is the best possible interpretation of a neutral expression.
Objectively my faves are :3c and :V and :D
With a lot of ^.^ and -_-
They’re very versatile.