The 100 season 3 has taken great care to show how much Bellamy needs Clarke. But how do you think he really feels about her?

The words “The 100” and “shipping” should not be uttered in the same sentence unless you’re prepared for some serious social media backlash.

Even before Lexa’s untimely death, picking a side in The 100: Civil War would invariably upset one half of the fandom, which seemed pretty evenly divided when it came to their preferred love interest for Clarke (which was partly why I didn’t pick a side at the time).

But whether you’re a Bellarke or a Clexa shipper, or just want to see Clarke flying solo for a while, I think (or hope) it’s safe to say that Lexa and Clarke’s epic romance was cut off way too soon (and of course there are many other, more significant issues associated with her death than simply a shipping war). There’s no denying that Clarke was, and still is, in love with Lexa, and whatever she may or may not feel for Bellamy certainly shouldn’t overshadow one of the most significant LGBT relationships in TV history.

But as far as the storytelling goes, the inner emotional life of Bellamy Blake continues to chug away regardless of audience reception to a relationship he isn’t even involved with. His feelings for Clarke, whatever they may be, will continue to define him and his actions regardless of real-life politics, and I’ve got got a sneaking suspicion the nature of his feelings will come into play before the end of the season.

(And please note that this isn’t about whether or not Bellarke will happen, or whether Clarke has feelings for him — those are bigger topics for another day. This article and poll is specifically about Bellamy, and his current emotional state. Bellamy, who is quickly making “Together” the Bellarke fandom’s magic word, and who has confessed many times over that he needs Clarke — whatever manner of sin you want to lay into that one, oft-repeated word.)

Related: The 100 season 3, episode 13 review: X marks the spot

Until last week’s episode, “Join or Die,” I must confess that I didn’t think The 100 would ever actually ‘go there’ with Bellarke — partly because of Clexa, which I adored, and partly because of Jason Rothenberg and the actors’ early insistence that the show wouldn’t be following the book series — but now, considering the weight that has been put on Bellamy’s attachment to Clarke this season in particular, I’m beginning to reconsider.

Regardless of whether or not Bellarke becomes canon (which isn’t the topic of this article), the last couple of episodes have left me wondering whether we might see Bellamy openly express romantic interest in his friend and co-conspirator before the season’s end (and what consequences this might have for Clarke, who wouldn’t necessarily be willing and/or ready to return the sentiment).

In my quest to discover what the fandom at large thought of this important but controversial topic, I shamelessly exploited my Twitter followers, hoping for some kind of consensus. But the results were… inconclusive.

Many fans, from both sides of the shipping aisle, are convinced that his feelings extend beyond the platonic, that his romantic interest in her is obvious, and that it’s only a matter of time before Bellarke becomes canon.

Here’s a selection of the answers to my question, “Is Bellamy in love with Clarke?”:

But many fans disagree, citing interviews in which Bob Morley has clarified Bellamy’s feelings as being platonic, and insisting that Bellamy/Clarke will remain a platonic friendship:

From a shipping standpoint, it’s very hard to argue whether or not Bellarke should happen any time soon — or if it should happen at all, considering the massive popularity and significance of Clexa. Whether or not you think a bi girl ending up with a guy on TV constitutes ‘bad representation’, The 100 would certainly face significant backlash if its bisexual lead character got together with a male character too soon after Lexa’s death.

However, since we’re talking about Bellamy’s characterization here, the intensity of his feelings for Clarke, of whatever nature, shouldn’t be ignored. Clearly, Clarke is the second-most important person in his life after Octavia, and how he feels about her will likely impact his actions moving forward. And if his feelings are in fact romantic, having him realize this right after she’s lost one of the greatest loves of her life, and as they’re gearing up to take down ALIE, would be a pretty significant dilemma for him.

(And, arguably, it’d be even more significant if Clarke doesn’t feel the same way, or isn’t ready to embark on another romance so soon after Lexa — she does have a pretty terrible track record, after all.)

As we near the season 3 finale, during which Bellamy and Clarke’s repeated insistence that they need each other will almost certainly become a key factor in how they take down the City of Light, it’s interesting to ponder exactly what that “need” entails for Bellamy.

Because I’m genuinely not sure how to interpret Bellamy’s feelings, and because I know you all have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this topic, I want to open this question up to my fellow fans.

So what do you think? Does he have romantic feelings towards her (whether he’s aware of them or not)?

Tell us why you think Bellamy does/does not have romantic feelings for Clarke in the comments!