#not them implying hawke dating her is a burden on hawke

[solitaireships]

Anders' writer may not want to handle him being bipolar with care but I have decided I'm taking over here

[fmbishop]

*  I'VE   GOT   MY   VEINS   ALL   TANGLED   CLOSE . 

                       *      ╰         chicago’s   very   own  𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐣𝐚𝐡 𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩  has   been   spotted   on   madison   avenue   driving   a   1960   vintage   jeep   bronco   ,   welcome   !   your   resemblance   to   𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒔𝒐𝒏   𝒅𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒏   is   unreal   .   according   to   tmz   ,   you   just   had   your   twenty   -   first      birthday   bash   .   your   chance   of   surviving   new   york   is   uncertain   because   you’re            𝒄𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒉   ,   but   being   𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕   might   help   you   .   i   think   being   a   taurus   explains   that   .      3   things   that   would   paint      a      better   picture   of   you   would   be         𝒑𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒅   𝒔𝒌𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅   𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒑   𝒕𝒂𝒑𝒆   ,   𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌   𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒔   𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉   𝒕𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒅   𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔   ,   &   𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒔   𝒂𝒏𝒅   𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒔   𝒓𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒆𝒅   𝒓𝒂𝒘   .            (   i   cut   ties   with   my   best   friend   and   collaborator   because   i   was   secretly   in   love   with   her   ,   but   our   publicist   had   her   date   my   brother   instead   .   )      &   (   cis   male   +   he   /   him   )   +   (   ruby   ,   18+   ,   she   /   her   ,   pst   )


𝒊       .        𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒔       .

𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆   :   elijah   alexander   bishop 𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒔   :      eli   ,   e   .   from   his   loved   ones   ,   he   recieves   variations   on   ellie   ,   ugly   ass   mustache   head   ,   tony   hawk   ,   and   zumiez   employee   of   the   month   . 𝒂𝒈𝒆   :      twenny   -   won 𝒛𝒐𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒄   :   taurus 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏   :   professional   skateboarder   and   youngest   x   games   gold   medalist   in   history   ,   brand   ambassador   for   several   skate   fashion   brands   ,   established   youtube   vlogger   ,   and   aspiring   filmmaker   . 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓   𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒚   /   𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒔   :   cis   male   /   he   him   his 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏   :   heterosexual   ,   heteroromantic 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕   :   5’11 𝒍𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒔   :   the   black   sheep   ,   the   despondent   ,   the   fallen   angel   ,   the   isolato   ,   the   intangible   concept   ,   the   dirtbag   ,   the   doryphore 𝒌𝒆𝒚         𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒔      :      -   churlish   ,   emotionally   reserved   ,   hesitant   ,   resentful   ,   self   -   sabotaging +   steadfast   ,   benevolent   ,   chivalrous   ,   reliable   ,   down   to   earth   𝒉𝒐𝒈𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔   𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆   :      hufflepuff 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈   𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒔   :   that’s   on   me   -   mac   miller   /   obstacle   1   -   interpol   /   just   my   luck   -   marc   e   bassy   &   blackbear   /   EARFQUAKE   -   tyler   the   creator /   superfast   jellyfish   -   gorillaz   /   here   comes   a   feeling   -   louis   the   child   /   horseshoes   and   handgrenades   -   green   day  /   boys   don’t   cry   -   the   cure   /   SUGAR   -   brockhampton  /   slow   dancing   in   the   dark   -   joji   /   come   back   to   earth   -   mac   miller   /   swing   ,   swing   -   the   all   american   rejects  

𝒊𝒊       .    𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚    .

harold   and   lillian   bishop   welcome   the   heirs   to   the   bishop   throne   on   an   early   may   morning   .   ceo   of   the   multi-billion   dollar   bishop   industries   construction   empire   ,   and   partner   of   the   bishop   &   franklin   international   law   firm   respectively   ,   the   boys   enter   into   the   shadow   of   a   last   name   prepared   to   build   onto   its   own   legacy   .   eli   comes   into   the   light   moments   after   his   brother   ,   a   hand   firmly   grasped   onto   the   ankle   of   his   twin   ,   victorious   to   emerge   into   the   world   first   .   parallel   to   the   biblical   brothers   jacob   and   esau   ,   his   nurse   notes   ,   but   his   parents   pay   no   mind   .   on   the   whim   of   a   meaningless   sequence   ,   the   elder   twin   is   delegated   as   the   champion   of   the   bishop   legacy   ,   to   bear   the   weight   of   their   family   empire   and   its   subsequent   legacy   on   his   shoulders   with   pride   .

elijah   ,   on   the   heel   of   his   brother   ,      isaiah   ,   by   a   mere   fraction   of   a   second   ,   bears   the   weight   of   his   second-coming   due   to   such   a   christening   for   the   rest   of   his   upbringing   .

the   black   sheep   is   perhaps   too   delicate   of   a   phrasing   to   explain   the   conflict   stirring   daily   in   the   bishop   household   ,   a   family   of   perfection   —   and   elijah   ,   the   foil   to   them   all   ,   a   failure   by   definition   ,   perhaps   crafted   simply   to   emphasize   the   feats   of   his   twin   brother   .   he’s   smaller   ,   scrawnier   ,   slower   to   pick   up   school   work   and   requiring   relentless   tutoring   and   support   throughout   his   elementary   school   years   .   sensitive   and   introverted   ,   he   spends   the   first   decade   of   his   life   cowering   behind   isaiah   as   a   shield   ,   receiving   constant   critiques   of   not   enough   ,   not   good   enough   ,   not   close   enough   to   —

he   tries   not   to   focus   on   his   shortcomings   ,   as   plentiful   as   his   parents   may   convince   him   that   there   may   be   .   any   expression   other   than   a   stoic   compliance   is   seen   as   contumacious   ,   swiftly   corrected   with   a   ‘   i   wish   you   would   be   more   like   your   brother   .   ’      eli   withers   into   himself   shortly   after   his   12th   birthday   ,   the   onset   of   puberty   and   a   discovery   for   a   natural   athletic   inclination   giving   him   some   semblance   of   musculature   ,   his   jaw   sharpening   and   gaze   taking   a   similar   harshness   .   his   body   becomes   a   fortress   ,   the   only   protection   he   can   implement   as   his   brother   begins   to   split   from   him   ,   taking   on   more   responsibility   as   the   twins   are   brought   increasingly   into   the   spotlight   of   their   family   name   and   fortune   .

each   moment   harboring   a   critique   only   stokes   resentment   behind   each   clenched   jaw   and   tight   lipped   smile   eli   has   to   fake   .   he   knows   its   all   for   show   ,   his   brother   is   the   only   true   heir   written   into   their   legacy   regardless   of   what   path   he   chooses   to   take   .   bearing   the   weight   of   a   whole   family   tree   of   disappointment   ,   eli   takes   on   odd   hobbies   and   begins   to   compose   bits   and   pieces   of   himself   as   the   him   he   wants   to   be   ,   dismantling   the   illusion   composed   by   expectations   to   mirror   his   infallible   brother   .   by   13   ,   his   secretive   hobby   becomes   an   increasingly   viable   career   in   skateboarding   ,   by   17   ,   he’s   hired   his   own   agent   and   moves   out   on   his   own   to   escape   the   increasing   burdens   of   being   the   bishop   legacy   disappointment   .   his   parents   all   but   excommunicate   him   ,   and   he   spends   spans   of   month-long   silences   between   them   with   only   his   brother   to   bridge   such   gaps   .   eli   is   gnarled   and   hidden   away   from   the   glitz   and   glamour   he   had   grown   so   comfortable   with   ,   navigating   his   shattered   self-image   and   desire   to   amount   to   something   entirely   on   his   own —   but   at   the   very   least   ,   he’s   free   .

it’s   a   tabloid’s   dream   ,   the   black   sheep   of   the   bishop   family   ,   reuniting   with   his   herd   for   their   move   to   new   york   .   eli   is   resentful   and   bitter   at   the   idea   of   uprooting   himself   ,   but   it’s   his   brother’s   impassioned   pleas   of   a   reunion   that   soften   eli’s   resolve   and   cause   the   young   skateboarding   sensation   to   follow   the   rest   of   his   distant   family   to   new   york   .   his   brother   assures   him   with   honeyed   promises   of   a   family   reunited   ,   a   change   of   heart   of   their   parents’      callousness   ,   a   desire   to   see   the   bishops   as   one   .     their   father’s   upcoming   retirement   and   a   supposed   reflection   on   the   cruelty   imposed   on   his   brother   are   all   cited   as   reasons   why   eli   should   just   come   with   them   .      and   eli   ,   hardened   and   bitter   to   all   but   the   implorations   of   his   brother   (   and   perhaps   a   gnawing   desire   for   some   sort   of   familial   validation   after   a   lifetime   of   being   dubbed   the   disappointment   ,   )   begrudgingly   follows   through   .

their   parents   do   not   .

it   awakens   a   particular   emotion   within   eli   to   see   his   parents   for   the   first   time   in   nearly   2   years   and   be   received   with   the   same   coldness   he   had   been   seen   off   with   at   their   last   meeting   .   backhanded   compliments   follow   fronthanded   insults   and   it   ends   with   eli   and   his   father   in   a   screaming   match   ,   fingers   jabbed   dangerously   into   chests   and   tempers   on   full   blare   .   the   betrayal   comes   not   from   a   set   of   parents   who   didn’t   want   him   —   eli   knew   it   was   entirely   too   good   to   be   true   to   be   taken   as   the   prodigal   son   .   the   betrayal   ,   he   laments   ,   is   in   the   falsities   told   by   his   brother   ,   the   one   person   who   had   spent   so   long   protecting   him   and   had   now   allowed   him   to   walk   without   guard   into   the   lion’s   den   .   eli   knows   his   brother   had   nothing   but   the   best   of   intentions   and   keeps   him   as   the   sole   bishop   contact   :   this   is   the   last   he   talks   to   his   parents   after   years   of   torment   .

they   stay   in   new   york   together   and   fill   their   time   with   work   and   the   occasional   youtube   video   at   the   behest   of   their   management   ,   random   vlogs   that   surprisingly   take   off   .   the   bishop   twins   become   something   of   an   internet   sensation   —   isaiah   a   charming   and   composed   law   student   ,   eli   a   brooding   and   unkempt   skater   boy   ,   with   a   dynamic   that   viewers   are   quick   to   fall   in   love   with   .   they   turn   out   content   on   a   regular   basis   ,   building   a   fanbase   through   their   vlogs   that   begs   for   collaborations   and   ‘   linking   up   .   ‘   they   go   through   the   motions   of   collabs   until   one   particular   set   of   youtubers   have   a   chemistry   with   the   twins   that   their   fans   eat   up   .   quickly   hired   to   the   same   management   team   ,   the   bishops   create   a   mini   vlog   squad   with   their   friends   ,   a   dynamic   that   finds   eli   more   emotionally   invested   than   he’d   care   to   admit   .   but   forever   the   self   -   saboteur   ,   he   keeps   himself   from   admitting   these   feelings   to   their   collaborator   ,   repressing   them   until   an   email   from   their   publicist   reveals   plans   to   have   her   date   isaiah   for   the   sake   of   views   .

eli   ,   despite   having   kept   his   feelings   from   practically   everyone   in   his   life   ,   takes   the   move   personally   and   cuts   off   all   work   with   their   collaborator   ,   the   ensuing   drama   being   enough   to   keep   his   publicist   happy   despite   whatever   happens   between   her   and   his   brother   .   their   group   goes   back   to   being   a   duo   ,   a   secret   for   eli   to   keep   perhaps   to   his   grave   ,   and   he   pushes   to   forge   on   with   creating   a   name   for   himself   out   of   the   shadow   of   his   family   .

(   um   for   context   slash   anyone   who   knew   version   one   of   eli   we’re   gonna   say   he   got   sick   of   the   celeb   world   and   went   backpacking   through   southern   asia   w   no   phone   n   no   outside   contacts   ,   just   recently   returned   to   ny   after   the   past   2   months   of   isolation   !   )

𝒊𝒊𝒊       .       𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

i’m   so   excited   to   bring   eli   back   .   …      i   love   wealthy   sm   lemme   give   y’all   a   few   bullets   for   the   rundown   of   the   uglie   mean   sk8r   boi   that   u   should   all   say   ‘   see   u   l8r   boi   ‘

as   the   bio   implies   ,   he   had   a   really   tough   upbringing   in   the   shadow   of   his   perfect   brother   .   a   lot   of   his   parents’   cruelty   resulted   in   the   personality   he   has   now   .

eli   is   most   known   for   his   resentment   of   wealth   and   fame   .   in   the   celeb   world   ,   he’s   always   known   as   the   one   who’s   just   a   normal   guy   .   super   down   to   earth   and   constantly   critiquing   ppl   who   let   the   fame   get   to   their   head

in   a   way   ,   he   gets   this   weird   sense   of   superiority   that’s   super   hypocritical   ?   like   he   thinks   he’s   better   than   the   rich   ppl   bc   he   doesn’t   act   boujie   ..   .   .   .   but   ?   he’s   rich   too   ?   just   bc   ur   chinos   r   ripped   doesnt   make   u   better   than   anyone   else   u   dumb   bitch

super   ,   and   i   cannot   emphasize   this   enough   ,   SUPER   emotionally   constipated   .   he   acts   like   he’s   above   it   all   to   serve   as   his   defense   mechanism   bc   on   the   real   he’s   terrified   of   being   rejected   by   people   the   way   his   own   parents   rejected   him   .   his   solution   ?   if   u   act   like   u   don’t   give   a   shit   ,   nobody   can   hurt   u   .

if   he’s   not   angry   ranting   ,   he’s   honestly   p   stoic   .   nobody   knows   what   he’s   thinkin   or   feelin   which   is   how   he   likes   it   .   it   gets   real   annoying   when   he   keeps   playing   the   cool   disconnected   guy   n   ur   like   ‘   what   do   u   want   for   lunch   ‘   n   he’s   like   ‘   i   dont   give   a   fuck   ‘   n   ur   like   ‘   we   know   dumbass   edgelord   we   still   gotta   EAT   tho   ‘

on   that   ranting   note   ,   he’s   usually   pretty   reserved   and   calm   during   things   like   interviews   or   talking   to   fans   .   when   he’s   in   touchier   situations   ,   his   defense   mechanism   is   to   switch   to   his   hairpin   trigger   hostility   .

ig   he   feels   like   he   has   something   to   prove   by   being   the   tough   guy   so   he   just   ?   gets   mad   super   easily   instead   of   processing   his   feelings   like   a   normal   person   ?   he   detaches   himself   from   his   emotions   bc   he   has   a   really   fucked   sense   of   self   -   worth   and   has   an   eternal   belief   he’s   not   worthy   of   happiness   so   he’ll   sabotage   himself   to   no   end

shockingly   sensitive   and   will   hold   onto   his   pain   as   if   to   fuel   him   .   he   takes   disloyalty   personally   and   will   often   hold   onto   abandonment   or   slights   that   happened   years   ago   because   they   genuinely   affected   him   ,   even   if   he   didn’t   show   so   at   the   time   .

in   terms   of   the   celeb   life   :   he’s   p   low   key   .   isn’t   much   of   a   partier   bc   he   has   social   anxiety   sdfsd   but   he’s   comfy   sipping   a   beer   on   the   patio   as   long   as   everyone   else   stays   inside   lmao   .   he’s   cool   w   hookups   but   isn’t   actively   sleeping   around   ?   like   he   could   prob   live   like   a   fuckboy   but   rlly   surprises   u   when   he   doesn’t   do   the   fuckboy   thing   ..   …   .   it’s   the   sensitive   boy   in   him   or   somethin   idk..   .   ..   mayb   he   just   can’t   care   enough   ..   ..      it’s   the   apathy   …   .

when   he’s   not   seeing   red   ,   he’s   rational   man   meant   to   BUST   everyone’s   stupidity   .   usually   the   only   mfer   w   common   sense   in   the   squad   to   plan   ahead   n   shit   but   if   someone   pushes   his   homies   ?   eli   comes   out   SWINGING   n   then   avoids   all   the   tabloids   about   him   sloppy   fighting   in   the   club   like   he’s   mariah   carey   n   can’t   read   or   somethin

cannot   flirt   for   the   life   of   him   ,   says   dumb   shit   like   ‘   u   smell   nice   ‘   and   hopes   his   muscles   do   all   the   talking   lmao   fuckin   BEEFCAKE

on   the   real   ,   when   he’s   calm   n   collected   he   can   be   surprisingly   sweet   and   this   is   when   the   down   to   earth   comes   in   .   doesn’t   get   attached   to   many   but   to   the   few   he   does   ,   he   defends   to   the   end   and   is   the   type   to   sacrifice   whatever   it   is   to   protect   them   .   this   mans   LOVES   his   friends   and   ppl   are   surprised   to   see   how   kind   he   can   b   bc   he’s   usually   masking   his   kindness   with   his   brutishness   lmao   .      

he’s   also   ?   surprisingly   funny   ?   we’ll   see   abt   that   tho   bc   most   of   his   shit   is   deadpan

most   of   the   time   :   just   fuckin   .   mean   as   hell   sdfsdf

anarchist   mfer   !   he   said   FUCK   the   system   ,   it’s   a   big   skate   energy   and   he   tries   to   be   as   creative   and   undefined   as   possible   .   follows   random   whims   as   he   learns   to   be   less   self   conscious   bc   now   he’s   his   own   brand   and   doesn’t   have   to   always   think   about   ‘   whats   best   for   the   family   ’   and   all   that   bs   !   he’s   rlly   passionate   abt   skate   culture   and   originality   and   is   a   really   big   outspoken   feminist  /  social   activist    bc   what’s   more   punk   than   dismantling   the   patriarchy  and  other  oppressive  power   structures  ?

on   that   note   .   lowkey   .   a   simp   KWHRJWE   he   acts   hard   and   won’t   let   any   man   come   after   him   but   he’s   afraid   2   be   mean   to   girls   n   lets   most   of   his   female   friends   bully   him   while   he   does   the   office   stare   in2   the   camera   .

i   always   stick   random   blurbs   downhere   but   the   mans   is   vegan   ,   cares   more   about   his   car   than   anything   ,   spends   most   of   his   time   in   his   ratty   skate   clothes   that   barely   get   washed   bc   they   ‘   hold   the   energy   better   ’   (   nastie   )   ,   if   it   aint   sk8   shoes   its   socks   w   sandals   n   he   doesn’t   get   whats   wrong   w   that   ,   he’s   a   hufflepuff   n   a   ISTJ-T   myers   briggs  (  The  Logistician  )   ,   n   tbh   he   really   just   appreciates   the   little   things   in   life   ?   thats   eli   my   lil   meat   head   .

[teyrnacousland]

Where does it say the Hepler hated Anders and wanted to make him unlikable. I hear that a lot in the fandom but I can never find a source. Not that I don’t believe it because it the only explanation for his horrendous oof moments.

Here’s a quote from her from the now deleted Bioware forums:

“I think his romance captures a lot of the joy and pain of dating someone bipolar – he feels everything in a big way, so his love is huge and all-encompassing, as are his hates, including his self-loathing. It takes work to maintain a relationship with him, and ultimately, Hawke has to decide if it’s worth it, knowing that these are burdens that will always haunt them.“

The way she talks about him is incredibly ableist, talking about him like loving him is work, like it’s a burden, like it’s not worth it for Hawke. 

In the same quote she also said that in the friendmance “he is generally happier (more manic), and more convinced of his delusions, but is arguably a worse person (more willing to do bad things). The rivalry path is about making him see the error of his ways, so he ends up suffering more and tending more to the depressive side, but is arguably a better person who wants to make up for what he’s done.“

She’s talking about the rivalmance, where Hawke is abusive to him. Where you gaslight him and insult him and tear him down at every turn, and she thinks that’s better for him. This is the path she thinks is best for Anders, not love. Because he’s Wrong and Broken and Hawke obviously has to Fix him somehow, and the best way to do that is these abusive tactics, obviously. (sarcasm)

She calls him a “bipolar terrorist” in this interview.

In this tweet she says his romance "was about the difference between the "heal him with your love" fantasy and the actual caregiver experience of loving someone with mental illness." Again, talking about how burdensome and awful dating mentally ill people is, and implying that he’s something that you should want to “fix”. And saying that showing that you can’t “fix” people like him and that trying will only hurt you in the end was her goal. (Maybe that’s just my interpretation of this, but I can’t see how setting out to show how hard :( :( it is to date mentally ill people wasn’t meant to discourage people from doing it.)

(Also, I can’t find any quotes from her so keep that in mind, but I’ve seen a lot of people say she talked about basing Anders on a bipolar ex she dated. Which would mean she basically wrote Anders as all the things that made her leave her ex, just furthering the idea of her trying to teach players that dating mentally ill people is a chore and not good for you and not worth it.)

At about 35 minutes into this interview she starts talking about how her starting point for writing Anders was writing him as a terrorist. The way she talks about him throughout this interview very much upsets me so I can’t go through it again for specific quotes, but the general idea is that her goal with him was to tell a story of how someone ends up “radicalized” (as though not wanting thousands of people to be regularly lobotomized, abused, and murdered is a radical idea). She compares him to real life terrorists. His entire character for her was based around him becoming a “terrorist”. So it would be really weird if her goal was for us to like him. She wanted people to be sympathetic to him, but in a “smh it’s so sad, he used to be such a good guy what a shame” way. 

I can’t find the quote, but I remember someone from Bioware explained that for the banters, the character’s writer will write some and then the other character’s writer checks it over. I’d bet that the ones where Anders is put down and belittled and insulted by other characters were written by Hepler. Isabela’s “Maybe I just don’t like you”, Varric’s “You are no fun anymore”, and Aveline’s “I don't know if you're lying or crazy” all paint Act III Anders as someone who’s crazy and can’t be trusted, and whose friends are fed up with him. Which fits with the story Hepler said in previous sources that was trying to tell with Anders.

There’s also Faces of Thedas, which, while not written by Hepler or even Bioware, was reviewed and approved by Bioware. Anders’ section is entirely about how terrible of a person he is, how no one likes him and no one should, and how everyone who does like him is a “bloodthirsty fanatic” and also Anders hates you if you support him. Bioware approved this, which is more proof that people at Bioware hate Anders and want us to hate him too. (You can read my full rant on Faces of Thedas here, or just read the pages themselves here.) 

Basically, tl;dr, Hepler has stated that her goal in writing Anders was to write a terrorist, and also to show how awful it is to date someone with mental illness. With this as a goal there’s no way she also intended for us to walk away seeing him in a positive light. She wanted him to be sympathetic but ultimately unlikable as he went too far and became too much to handle. Because she’s also super ableist. 

[enigmari]

Oh my GOD Please infodump abt hatoful.... ive repeatedly tried to get into it but have no idea how/how to connect any of the lore. Thanos !

I SAW THE TYPO TOO LATE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO END WITH “THANKS”,

SKDFSKJSLKDFJ no worries anon, it happens to the best of us. Anyways, how should I start this…

So, if you’re totally new here, Hatoful Boyfriend is a visual novel dating sim whose basic premise is “what if cliched boyfriend archetypes… but birds?” And it takes this premise completely wholeheartedly, while still maintaining a comedic tone. You pick classes and club activities each in-game day to increase your skill points, and depending on your levels (and a few dialogue options) you’ll either successfully romance your birdie of choice or get a Bad End. Most of the birds make their interests/level requirements obvious from the start, and you have a bunch of save slots to work with if you wanna go the scum route. Pretty simple and straightforward.

(Actually, that’s a lie, it gets much more complicated later. Don’t worry about that right now.)

Most of HBF is framed through the perspective of the protagonist (I’m gonna use her canon name for convenience) Hiyoko, and she is… not the brightest bulb in the box. Especially in the first game, when events in one character’s route will be foreshadowed in other routes, she will rarely call them out or make note of them. Naturally, this also means some reveals will be spoiled depending on which order you do the routes in. You also unlock documents in the Archive section after completing each route, which adds another level of puzzle piecing to the mix. 

(No, this is not the complicated part I was talking about earlier. Sorry.)

In this next bit, I’m going to briefly run through the routes of the first game from least to most complex in terms of lore, as well as what things are foreshadowed when. I’ll also toss in the archive documents when I feel they’re most relevant to the information you have. We ready?

Okosan’s routes: Mostly joke endings, unless there is some greater plot significance to pudding that I’ve missed for all these years.

Ryouta’s route: Mostly about character building, the only real hint you get is that his mother is sickly and it’s implied he inherited this from her.

Azami’s routes: You could get here with the same stats as Ryouta’s route, but then you fuck it up by taking this job opportunity away from him. How rude, Hiyoko.

Sakuya’s first route: He opens up to you about his abusive and bigoted dad, and with some encouragement you encourage him to run away and become a musician like he always wanted. Mr. Le Bel is very important to multiple other characters in this game.

Sakuya’s second route (needs perfect stats/dialogue choices): Same conversation about his dad, but he chooses to live with you instead. Your big hint is at the end, when Yuuya sends you a letter saying there’s “something he’s wanted to tell [Sakuya] for a long time. Something important.” 

Yuuya’s route: You don’t actually get to find out what the "important thing" is, whoops. You do find out that Yuuya’s a spy for the Dove Party, Shuu is one for the Hawk Party, and the school has been increasingly influenced by the Hawk Party as of late. 

BAD END: You may have gotten it earlier, but now you have context as to who’s killing you when you fail a route- it’s the Hawk Party. The reason why is still unclear.

[CW for gore, child death, medical abuse, suicide, and attempted genocide from here on! This game is a trip!]

Shuu’s first route: Absolutely not a romance route and if you ship Shuu/Hiyoko please block me and tab out immediately thank you very much. You learn that Shuu has been killing students for medical experimentation, confirming Yuuya’s suspicions about the quills in the student store and the food in the cafeteria.

Shuu’s second route (needs perfect stats/dialogue choices): Same ending where Hiyoko dies, but he’s attached enough to her that he takes her head in a jar when he goes on the run. You do learn that Shuu doesn’t care about the Hawk Party’s politics, just that they can enable his personal experiments.

Archive Note 11: Someone (Shuu) knew that Yuuya was a Dove Party agent from the start. He also notes that some of the students are “fascinating”, which you know from his route means they’re good experiment fodder. You learn that he has reason to believe his victims won’t oppose the experimentation, but not the details.

Archive Note 10: Shuu makes notes about human “adaptability measures.” Given that Hiyoko is the only human at the school, you can guess that this will involve her in some way.

Archive Note 06: Notes about the Spanish Flu, how deadly it was to humans, and the connection to an “Avian Influenza.”

Archive Note 04: Notes about a “Goodwill Ambassador” for humanity, who needs a strong natural immunity to Avian Influenza. Hiyoko’s stats show that she has a base level of 800 Vitality, so you can guess that she’s the ambassador. This is why she dies when you fail a route- the Hawk Party saw she didn’t build a good enough connection to the birds, so they take her as a lost cause.

Archive Note 07: Shuu makes notes about “carrier capacity” in the student body, inducing it in some way in a “normal” individual. You can guess this is the details of his medical experimentation, but not who the victim is. You can also guess that the disease to be carried is Avian Influenza.

Anghel’s route: It’s not actually that complicated, but I think you need to complete Shuu’s route before the “mad love of a fallen angel” option is available. (EDIT: you actually just need to complete one playthrough to unlock this option. Even the Azami solo ending will unlock it.)  This ending seemingly undermines all the things we learned about Shuu right before, but this is just Hiyoko’s perspective.

Archive Note 01: A certain student (Anghel) has hallucinogenic properties that can affect bystanders, putting them in a trance-like state. This explains why everything went totally off the rails in his route.

Kazuaki’s route: Again not a romance route (no matter what he says about “waiting”, ew) because the whole point is that Kazuaki is afraid to open himself up to love of any kind. You learn he had someone he cared deeply about in the past but lost, and now he’s been soured from the experience. You also learn that he smells like bleach.

Nageki’s route: You learn that he’s a ghost, that he killed himself in the school some years ago, and that he doesn’t have all his memories. He disappears before you learn anything more, but he’s happy so it’s okay and why am I crying agai-

Archive Note 02: Someone (Nageki) writes about how they are trapped, and can’t remember what happened to them.

Archive Note 05: Nageki remembers he made a promise to someone very important, but he can’t remember who or what it was.

Archive Note 03: Nageki once woke up in a place that wasn’t the library- somewhere with bright lights and a white ceiling. He’s not as trapped as he first thought.

Archive Note 14: Nageki notes that he can move between floors, going from the library to the chemistry lab below. You can guess that the place with the bright lights is somewhere below these two rooms. This also reveals that Nageki knew the layout of the school when he was alive.

Archive Note 12: Nageki notes that after meeting Hiyoko, he feels fulfilled “just as he did back then.” He still can’t remember everything, though.

Archive Note 08: Notes about an underground facility, a fire, and a Subject 00 whose remains are in storage. You can guess that the facility is the place with the bright lights, and Nageki is Subject 00. You can also guess that Nageki set the fire, since he said that he killed himself.

Archive Note 09: Notes about Subject 00′s relative, whose remains are also in storage. You can guess that this is the “important person” that Nageki made a promise to a long time ago.

At this point, the only documents left are Note 13, which is about a terrorist incident at the Heartful House orphanage in which only two birds survived, and Note 15, which is about another terrorist incident some years ago in which the Ave’s High City building was bombed. Nothing in the main routes hints at these notes, so it’s a good time to move to…

Bad Boys Love route: This route is literally the length of the rest of the routes combined, so we’re doin’ more sections, baby!

Kazuaki’s lost loved one and Nageki’s important person turn out to be each other. They were the survivors of the Heartful House incident, and Kazuaki (real name Hitori) took care of his little brother by himself. Nageki was sickly, so he volunteered himself for a medical experiment at the school that could potentially cure him to take the burden off of Hitori. 

Unbeknownst to them, the Hawk Party was already in control of the school and their real motive was to investigate the disease Nageki was carrying- Avian Influenza. Shuu was specifically the lead for this project, and he also witnessed the Heartful House incident when it happened. At the time, he went by the name Isa Souma and was a medical researcher. He worked with Ryuuji Kawara, Ryouta’s dad, until Ryuuji’s death from disease.

Ryouta and Hiyoko were also there, because her parents were former human ambassadors too. Unfortunately, they became some of the casualties, which left the two kids heartbroken. Shuu, seeing them and recognizing Ryouta, offered to grant them a wish. They both wished for a world where humans and birds would never fight anymore, which Shuu took to mean “kill all the remaining humans so they can’t fight the birds” because… he’s like that. 

Shuu decided that the easiest way to kill all the humans would be to spread the Avian Influenza, and this is why he sought out Nageki. Nageki was forced to kill humans as part of the experiments, and this traumatized him so much that he set the lab on fire to stop it, trapping himself inside. Hitori witnessed this too, and swore to get revenge despite Nageki asking him to destroy his remains and live a happy life. He bleached his feathers and swapped identities with another bird to fake his death, and applied to the school as a teacher under his new name. 

Nageki’s plan didn’t entirely work, and the Hawk Party was able to store some of his remains for future experiments with Avian Influenza. This brings us to the timeline of the main routes, where Shuu took advantage of Ryouta’s sickly constitution to make him a new carrier for Avian Influenza. Yuuya tried to interfere on behalf of the Dove Party, but Shuu blackmailed him with the knowledge that he killed his real half-brother because he hated Mr. Le Bel and wanted Sakuya to live instead. 

The new strain of Avian Influenza that Ryouta carried was enough to make Hiyoko sick and kill her. The death of the Human Ambassador kickstarts the beginning of this route, and Shuu planned for the humans who would retaliate to also be infected. It doesn’t go as he planned, of course, but that’s laid out pretty well in the rest of the route so I won’t re-summarize it here. 

Aaaand that’s about everything for the first Hatoful Boyfriend game! I’ll gladly do infodumps/lore summaries for Holiday Star or the other side materials if anyone wants, but this took almost three hours to write as is so I’m going to give myself a break.

[beccalovesdarling]

Reach for the Stars Part 6

Oh boy. This sucker is long and makes you want to just squish Adrien. 

First

Previous

Adrien was miserable the next morning. By the time he had finally left Marinette’s it was after eleven o’clock. On the nights he patrolled he tended to stay out way later, but the emotional toll of finally admitting to another person that wasn’t Plagg why he was torn between the two girls was more of a burden than a reprieve. Plagg had belched out a few questions about why he wasn’t ecstatic that Marinette liked him. “Both of your lovebugs want you,” he had drawled. But that hadn’t been enough to ease his fears. He had tried explaining all of it after The Tower Incident, but Plagg hadn’t gotten it then so Adrien doubted he would get it now.

“Humans,” was all Plagg had said before Adrien tried to sleep a few hours before his morning workout.

His mind spun with worry. He never really got to the bottom of Marinette’s lies. She obviously had her own issues and he had not only dumped his problems on her, but also Adrien’s. But, since Marinette didn’t know Adrien was both guys, Chat had seemingly revealed things about Adrien that neither of them had any business knowing. He spent no less than thirty minutes wondering if she would treat Adrien different during class.

Class had him thinking of Alya. Would Marinette mention her meeting with Chat? Probably not. Marinette wasn’t the type of person to go blabbing about other people’s personal stuff. Then again, she had lied to everyone so did he really know her? And Alya was her best friend. Would their trust outrank his trust in her? He groaned as he thought over the next possible post on the Ladyblog and the smack Ladybug would no doubt give him.

Rolling over, he tried to find a comfortable spot. He was burrowed under his comfort and sheets, but he still felt cold. Plagg snored on the pillow beside him and Adrien scowled at the black cat before glancing out his windowed wall.

Staring at the Paris night, he had finally drifted into an uneasy sleep.

That uneasy sleep followed him all through school. When he saw Marinette, he kept hearing her voice from last night asking him what he needed. What Chat Noir needed. He had laid out all the reasons Adrien was bad for her and she had asked about him. He wasn’t sure what to think of that. She claimed to like Adrien, but she still cared for the leather cat. He flushed at his own actions. After he had confessed to her his confusion, he decided it was time to take his leave. He had kissed her forehead before wishing her sweet dreams. Once he was a block away from her mesmerizing scent, he could breathe and think a little clearer.

“You in, dude?”

“Huh?” With a shake of his head, Adrien looked over at his friend. Nino had a brow cocked at him and seemed to be expecting something. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

Nino shook his head with a chuckle. “You’re so out of it, dude. I said do you want to go this afternoon? The student council is asking for help to set up the spring fling tonight. I’m DJ-ing and Alya is writing a report for the school blog. Marinette’s student president so she kinda has to be there. You free?”

The Spring Fling had totally taken him by surprise. He’d seen the flyers posted, but he didn’t pay them much attention and since he wasn’t in the student council, he never had a reason to be involved. Of course, he also had his responsibilities as Adrien and Chat Noir to distract him. “Sure. I’m free this afternoon. Father was content with the photos from yesterday so we don’t have to do anymore right away.”

Alya squealed behind them. The two boys turned to her. “That means I get my Adrien Agreste interview!” She whooped and elbowed Marinette. “And Madame President over here can give me an interview for the school blog!”

Marinette blinked up from her sketch pad. “Why me?” She asked in confusion. “I wasn’t at the meeting. All I’m doing is basically helping set up.”

Nino hummed. “You did a lot, Marinette. Rose wanted a spring dance and you totally helped in scoring it. The whole class is super excited about it.” He quirked his brows at Alya. “And it gives me a chance to show off my mad skills in front of my lovely lady.”

Alya grinned. “Oh, hush you. We can’t talk about that in front of the children.” She smirked at Adrien. “Sunshine here is too pure to be sullied by you.”

Adrien felt his face heat as Nino snorted. “Oh please. My man is such a closet perv. You weren’t there when Ladybug was at his house. Home boy basically shoved me out of the way to-“

“Okay! Thanks, Nino!” Adrien shrieked as he glanced at Marinette. The poor designer was pale and refused to meet his glance. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, yeah, so where is the dance?”

The blogger grunted as she nodded towards Chloe. “Give you one guess, Agreste.”

“Right. Of course,” he nodded. “And the date?” He assumed it was soon since preparations were tonight. He mentally ran through his schedule for the rest of the week.

“This girl.”

“Alya!” Marinette shrieked, much the chagrin of their teacher. After a swift apology, Marinette glared at her friend. “Adrien meant date of the dance not that!” The reporter shrugged. Timidly, Marinette made eye contact with him. “It’s, um, Friday night. At seven. If you’re free.” She blanched. “I mean free to go. Not that I’m implying you have to go with me. That’s silly. I’ll be a bore. Student council and all. Not that it’s boring or you wouldn’t find it interesting. I-“ She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. “It’ll be fun. You should come.”

Nino snickered and Adrien side-eyed him. “I’ll check with Nathalie. I don’t think I have anything major.” He dropped his voice. Adrien still should be under the impression that she had a boyfriend. “So, um, is your boyfriend not coming?”

Nino’s snickers abruptly stopped and Alya watched Marinette like a hawk. The girl pursed her lips and tapped her fingers against her desk, her sapphire eyes downcast. “No,” she answered slowly. “But, I think I might have over-reacted. We talked a little last night-“

“Wait,” Adrien interrupted. “You talked to him? Last night?”

Alya and Nino glanced at each other and Nino shook his head at his girlfriend in warning. Alya pursed her lips, but kept silent as Marinette nodded. “Yeah. He stopped by really late. We didn’t talk much about the…thing, but I learned some stuff about him. And, well…” Her cheeks went pink and she looked away from Adrien’s hard stare.

Adrien turned back in his seat. She couldn’t….Surely someone else…Her words from yesterday came back to him. She had to be with this guy. He was her best friend, but she didn’t love him. Adrien’s insides burned and squirmed. Could she have been talking about Chat Noir? But surely he would know if he was involved in some arranged relationship, right? Was Hawk Moth forcing her to pursue Chat Noir? Had he seen their interactions? But why now? Why not target Adrien since Ladybug had shown interest in him? Why target Marinette?

He needed to talk to Ladybug. If Marinette was being used, he needed to protect her. He refused to let Hawk Moth hurt her.

Adrien allowed the self-hatred to burn through him as he laid his head upon his desk. He had been so stupid. If he had just treated her indifferent, Hawk Moth wouldn’t be targeting her. Please, he wanted to beg, target me. I’m Chat Noir. I’m the one you want.

“Adrien?” Marinette softly called. He couldn’t look up at her.

“I, um…” Lifting his head, he waved for his teacher. “I’m not feeling well. May I be excused?”

XXX

Adrien had never ditched school. But he went straight for the boy’s locker room. He locked the door behind him to keep everyone else out before coaxing Plagg out of his bag. The kwami floated lazily before him. “What now?” He whined.

“Hawk Moth is targeting her, Plagg!” His hands dug into his hair and it very quickly began to look like his Chat hair. “I have to let Ladybug know. We have to stop him before her hurts her! She clearly doesn’t want or deserve this!”

Plagg blinked slowly at his Chosen. “I believe she said she was supposedly best friends with this guy. She’s friendly, but I wouldn’t say you’re her BFF. You’re not even at Boo status. Maybe Bae.”

Adrien dropped his hands to his sides and gave him a blank stare.

“Come on, Boo, don’t give me that look.”

“Can you not be serious for one minute?” Adrien asked, exasperated, his arms flapping into the air and back to his sides. “Marinette could be in danger.”

The kwami rolled his eyes. “I doubt it. She handled herself well with the artist. Honestly, I think you’re overreacting. She’s probably just got a crush on both sides of you and is freaking out.”

The model backed against a locker row with a soft thud and slid down to the floor, a heavy sigh rattling his shoulders. “But, she said she had to be with this guy. With me. I don’t even think she likes me. She can barely talk to me. I’m obviously not forcing her, so who is?” He scrubbed his face tiredly. “Marinette could have met with someone after I left, but what are the odds?” He voiced his earlier thoughts. “Father was impressed with her designs, but I’m sure he wouldn’t force her to…to do something like that.”

Plagg drifted to his Chosen’s knee and perched upon Adrien’s stretched out leg. “Relax, Kid. I really don’t think it’s anything serious. This girl has some serious anxiety attacks sometimes. She’s probably just dramatizing or having an attack. She seemed fine today.” Adrien still didn’t seem convinced. “Your Princess is going to be OK. No one is going to hurt her,” Plagg murmured. “Try talking to her as Adrien. See if she tells you more later at the meeting.”

Adrien met his eyes and offered a small smile. “Thanks, Buddy.” He scratched the cat’s ear. He yelped when Plagg abruptly twisted his head and nipped his finger.

XXX

Le Grand Paris was a second home to Adrien. Nathalie had often taken him on playdates to visit Chloe when he was a child. Granted, it had more to do with their family’s social standing and a few shady business deals than any real bonding experience on the children’s parts. Regardless, much of the staff was friendly and familiar to Adrien and finding information about the dance was a snap. Many of the student council members had left school early to begin preparations and he found them in main ballroom. The walls were papered in a velvetlike paper that was a deep red crimson with burgundy spirals meant to look like flowers. The stark grey stone tiles contrasted strangely and Adrien wondered who had paired the two colors together.

Several boxes were piled by the doors he had just entered through and a quick glance showed them to be party and decoration supplies. Several council members were gathered around them and muttering about colors and themes. He recognized a few faces as being in his grade, but none from his class. He also didn’t see Marinette.

He approached the closest boy. He was blonde and maybe a year under Adrien with a red sweater and light jeans. He thought his name might have been Gaige. The boy glanced up from the box he was riffling through and burrowed his brows together, dropping the package of silver foil stars in his hands. “Can I help you?”

Adrien nodded. “Yeah. I’m looking for Marinette. Is she here yet?”

One of the girls snorted and Adrien glanced at her. She too was blonde and wore her long wavy hair in a ponytail. It paired nicely with her sky blue dress. “Of course not. Marinette could never be on time if her life depended on it. She’ll probably show up late after we’ve done all the work.” Adrien frowned as she snooped around in her box. “And of course she skimped and bought all cheap stuff.”

He opened his mouth to retort when a familiar voice called out from behind him. “Of course she did.” The group turned to see Alya standing in the doorway; her arms crossed and her weight popping out her hip to the side. “The budget has to last all year. Marinette thought it would be best to not splurge on this dance, but save some for the end of term dance. Plus, there’s other activities to prepare for on top of the requests she promised a few of the students. If you had read her budget report last semester, Noel, you would have seen how she had planned to use the money.” She cocked a slender brow at the others. “Any more questions?” Alya didn’t wait more than a second before continuing. “Now hang those paper stars. We all agreed to this theme, now get on it.”

Noel’s face was notably red as she grabbed a packet of stars and puttered to the opposite corner. Alya rolled her eyes before shooting Adrien a grin. “Yo, Agreste. Marinette and Nino are running over the playlist with Principal Damocles. They should be here in a few minutes.” She approached the boxes and swiped out a few black packages. “I hope those muscles aren’t just for looks, Sunshine.” She tossed him the packages and he fumbled for them awkwardly. They were plastic table covers. “I need the long rectangle tables moved to the left wall.” The blogger smirked. “I’m sure M wouldn’t mind to see you all sweaty with your muscles bulging.”

Adrien gaped at her like a fish; his pocket shook from Plagg’s silent chortles.

XXX

With the help of three other boys, Adrien moved the tables from the center of the ballroom to the farthest wall. He was smoothing out a table cover when someone clapped him on the shoulder. His friend chuckled at the way he jumped. “Hey, dude. I see Alya has you under her thumb.”

Adrien laughed. “She can be quite persuasive.”

Nino’s smirk grew to a grin. “Yeah, Marinette’s been watching you flex for the past five minutes.”

“What!?” He yelped; his voice embarrassingly loud and high as he sought her out. Sure enough, the girl stood beside Alya in the center of the room. Alya cackled raucously as Marinette attempted to hide her face behind the clipboard she clutched in her slender hands.

Snorting, Nino slapped Adrien’s back again. “I can’t believe you let her slip away.” He nodded towards the council president. “That’s probably why she was so upset yesterday. Alya told me what was said. Chloe’s nonsense aside, she’s probably trying to force herself to get over you and all this added attention to it is probably the last thing she wants.”

“What?” Adrien sputtered again. His head whipped between Nino and the girls. “Get over me? What?”

Nino ruffled his hair. “Dude, you’re so dense.” Adrien scowled as he attempted to fix his hair. It would be bad if someone recognized him with messy hair. “She’s had the biggest crush on you for the past year. And you’ve admitted she’s cute.” He shrugged. “Alya’s grumpy that she’s lost our bet, to be honest.”

“Bet? Crush?” His pocket vibrated again and Adrien wished the floor would open and swallow him or an akuma would distract them or his Father would demand he show up to a photoshoot or-

“Hey, Nino!” The two guys glanced at the girls. Alya waved majestically as all the students turned to her. “Marinette wants to test the sound system!”

“Right on!” Nino shot his girlfriend a thumbs-up before scrambling off to his setup in the corner away from the food tables Adrien had just prepared. Adrien watched as Alya snatched the clipboard away from Marinette, who attempted to protest, and then pranced after her beau. The blonde smiled as he watched Marinette shake her head and mutter. Shyly, she met his gaze and waved.

Adrien lifted his hand to return it, but she turned and made for the doors. Afraid she would leave and he wouldn’t get his chance to talk to her as Adrien, he ran after her. “Marinette!” He called a few meters away from her. The girl stiffened before facing him, a sweet smile plastered across her face.

He slowed to a jog and then stopped completely two feet away from her. “Marinette,” he started. “I wanted to ask-“

The thrashing bass, electric rifts, and violent screams of Jagged’s newest song blasted deafeningly in the circular room. The velvet walls did little to soften the metal cries of the music or the heavy thumping of the expensive speaker system the ballroom sported. Marinette yelped and covered her ears with a wince as Adrien mimicked her movements. The duo frantically looked at their friends in the corner. Alya thrashed her head at odd to the heavy metal as Nino steadily bobbed his head to the beat, his fingers dancing across this laptop keyboard. Marinette flew across the tiled room to them; her arms flailing as she desperately tried to stop them.

Adrien made to follow her, but Nino cut the music. The silence of the room left Adrien’s ears ringing. He saw the three talking before the couple waved her off with a shooing motion. Marinette turned on her heel and marched back across the room to Adrien’s side as the next song started up. It was a classical piece Adrien immediately identified. It was called In the Rain and it had been one of the first songs his mother had taught him on the piano. Though he had stopped playing after she had died, he could feel his fingers twitch at his sides to the phantom keys he knew so well. His foot tensed as if he was about to pump and his mind starting counting beats as the music swelled.

Props and decorations were immediately dropped as several council members paired off using any excuse to be near their crushes or dates. Marinette smiled wistfully. “I knew I shouldn’t have let Nino play around with the others here.” Adrien snapped out of his trained mindset and watched as Nino nodded to something Alya said beside him. His fingers flew across his keyboard as his partner seemed to read over the notes on Marinette’s clipboard. Marinette groaned. “Now we’ll never get finished! We’ve still got to-“

Adrien grasped her hand and pulled her along behind him as he moved further out to the improvised dance floor. Marinette stuttered as he paused and pulled her closer to him. His other hand placed her empty one upon his shoulder before resting upon her waist. He turned them in a small circle and, unbelievably, Marinette matched his steps despite her nervous expression. Her bluebell eyes were trained on his as she began to pull her lip into her mouth.

“Don’t do that,” he whispered.

She parted her lips and nodded up at him like an obedient child. He smiled sweetly down at her as they swayed. The familiar notes swelled and he could almost hear his mother humming. His steps slowed and Marinette nearly did trip this time, but his firm hold on her kept her upright. Would his mother be proud of him? Would she understand his motives behind protecting Marinette? Because he honestly didn’t understand them himself. Father had always called her hopelessly romantic and ceaselessly emotional. Adrien knew he took more after his mother than father. Was that why he was chasing two girls?

He stopped and Marinette blinked up at him. “Adrien?” She murmured timidly.

No, he decided, not two girls. He was done with Ladybug. He had finally seen her for who she was that afternoon on the Tower. And despite all his declarations of loving the girl under the mask, he realized he couldn’t completely love her. She was willing to die for a stranger. While it would normally be noble, he had seen the way she had treated Lila beforehand. Ladybug had been harsh and rude with the girl because she carried an obsessive crush on his civilian side. He hated to admit it, but Ladybug was shallow.

How had it taken him so long? She had never been interested in him while this sweet girl in his arms was too nervous to even hold a sentence with him. She had proven last night that she saw beneath his golden boy charm.

And whatever the reason or cause may be, he could never have her and he could not give her up. But he swore, no matter the cost, he would protect her.

Because he loved Marinette.

Adrien released her and stepped away as Nino faded the music out. “I’m sorry, Marinette.” He turned and bolted from the room, leaving a confused girl in his wake.

Buy me a coffee??