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Hopepunk City does not really work in a way that can be covered in traditional step by step walkthroughs, so I decided to create advanced tips and tricks and call them “Case Files”.  This one is about going on a date with Ariane.

How do you get here

There are two ways. 1. Before week 9, you can get Ariane to “like” level 29 (normal mode, 32 hard mode), you also have to own a bed and a TV. 2. Exactly on week 9, if Ariane is at like level 27 (normal mode, 30 hard mode) and you have the bed and TV.

Note: As you will learn on the date, Ariane is pretty ethical. Ariane will not propose a date if she is your boss. So if you want to date Ariane, don’t be an AI Security specialist working under Ariane.

You will get a dialog where Ariane is preparing to sleep on the couch wearing a teal t-shirt.  (Red t-shirt Ariane on the couch means you missed the opportunity, or you failed the date.)

It will lead to a discussion of Ariane wanting an adventure, and if you are playing as a SITA or AiP player, you will discuss your past adventuring.  Ultimately the discussion ends in a proposal for you and Ariane to go on a date.  Most of the time this date with Ariane will take place just before the week 9 vote, the reasons why will be discussed later.

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The date works differently than the rest of the game, or previous games where you date Ariane.  It is not based on “likes” as Ariane already likes you at this point.  It works similar to Mass Effect’s “Paragon and Renegade” system, but I just call it “Wild” or “Nice”.

Throughout the date and no matter where you go, every choice will increase either the date’s “wild” score or “nice” score and the increase could be from +1 to +10 depending on the nature of the question.  A successful date will be a balanced date.  If “wild” and “nice” are within 8 points of each other at the end of the date, Ariane will consider it a success. 

The hard part is, I decided not to show you your status, because there are big choices that will make it fairly easy to get the date right.  Those big choices are where you decide to go.

It opens with picking a restaurant.  Picking “Blue Azul” gets 10 nice points, picking “Drive-N-Dine” gets you 10 wild points.  Afterwards you select a nightclub for drinks and dancing, picking “Lizzard’s Nightclub” gets you 10 nice points, picking “The Frisky Pirate” in Twiddler Commons gets you 10 wild points.  So biggest pointer is go with one nice one and one wild one.

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After getting drinks at your bar of choice, you will discuss how the date is going.  This is your chance to get a hint as where you are at.  Ariane will say one of the following:

“The date has been wild so far, maybe a little too wild.” – You are close to blowing it, be nice the rest of the evening.
“The date has been pretty wild so far” – You are close to a balanced date, though wild is in the lead.
“The date has been nice so far, maybe a little too nice” – You are close to blowing it, be wild the rest of the night.
“The date has been pretty nice so far” – You are close to balance (this is also the answer if you are tied), keep the balance going.

Failing a date with Ariane is not the end of the world, in fact there are achievements for a super nice and super wild date experience, and later interesting scenes that can trigger if you failed.

In the same discussion where you find out how you are doing, you also find out Rachel may not be happy if you and Ariane have sex.  If the date is successful you can have sex with Ariane, or you can suggest she talk to Rachel first.  Wrong decision here could mean getting kicked out of the house (which is why the date often takes place just before the final vote).

In other words, the best choice after a successful date is talk to Rachel first before sex, but if you didn’t just to see what happens (and there is an achievement for it), I don’t blame you. If you have already been made permanent before the date happens, you might be able to get away with it easier.

*Achievement Spoiler 7 Have sex with Ariane after a successful date before talking to Rachel

Choosing to talk to Rachel first will result in Ariane and Rachel at your door wearing only towels. The big discussion happens in the hot tub. I give an explanation that it is a tradition between Rachel and Ariane that potential upsetting discussions happen in the hot tub. The real explanation is that I was tired of making conversations around the table or on the couch and wanted to do something different. Also, it book ends the conversation you had with Ariane in the hot tub near the beginning of the game.

This discussion can happen after the final checkpoint, if the date with Ariane happened after the checkpoint as well, it changes the discussion to a post sex discussion.

The choices you need to make to get Ariane to move in with you are pretty obvious in this discussion. If you are OK with Ariane moving in, you will then finally have sex.
*Achievement Spoiler 8 Accept Ariane’s proposal to move in with you

*Achievement Wild Date with Ariane Go to the Drive-N-Dine and The Frisky Pirate and pick enough “wild” choices
*Achievement Nice Date with Ariane Go to the Blue Azul and Lizzard’s Nightclub and pick enough “nice” choices

*Achievement Spoiler 5:

1. If you are female, take off your panties before you leave.
2. Go to Twiddler Commons as the nightclub
3. If you are male select “Can men go in bottomless?”
4. During the dance challenge, do well enough that Ariane takes off her jacket. Achievement done!