#writing that burned bridges

[the-most-humble-blog]

The Simp Is Not Harmless. He’s the Wolf That Holds the Door Open While They Burn the House.

You thought he was safe. Because he never raised his voice. Because he told you to “do you.��� Because he called your ex “toxic” and offered comfort before your bed cooled.

But here’s the truth no one wants to say out loud:

The simp is not a savior. He’s a symptom. Of cultural rot. Of sexual dishonesty. Of predator camouflage in the age of hashtags.

He doesn’t protect women. He pretends to support them so he can bypass the strength real men carry.

And instead of fighting predators, he flatters them. He flatters you. He flatters the system that lets him sneak through as “one of the good guys.”

But he’s not good. He’s spineless. And spineless men aren’t safe — they’re strategic.

🧪 The Irony of the Simp

You think he’s feminist.

But he’s not. Because he doesn’t believe in the strength of women — he believes in their emotional weaknesses as doorways.

He thinks:

“If I validate her hard enough, I’ll get access.”

“If I shame masculine men, I’ll look safe.”

“If I support her ‘healing,’ she’ll let me f*ck her broken.”

That’s not allyship.

That’s opportunistic molestation.

🚩 Red Flags: The Simp’s Shameful Vocabulary

Here's your real-world predator checklist. If he says more than two of these — run.

“You’re so strong and independent… but I’d never let a man treat you like that.”

“Men are trash, present company excluded of course 😇”

“I’d never tell you what to wear. I’m not threatened like other guys.”

“If he was a real man, he’d worship you.”

“I just think masculinity is so outdated.”

“We don’t need labels. I respect your freedom.”

“You're not a slut. You're just empowered.”

“If you ever need someone to talk to…”

“He doesn’t deserve you. I’d never hurt you like that.”

“Consent is sexy 😌” (That one? Immediate fail. Safe men don’t need to tweet common decency.)

🩸 The Simp’s Historical Predecessors

The eunuch who betrayed the queen for a seat beside the throne.

The priest who promised to protect the village girl, then “cleansed her sin” in secret.

The spy who used poetry to seduce loyalty, and delivered the names of her brothers.

The “modern male feminist” caught sexting underage followers while speaking at rallies.

The “open-minded” male teacher caught in the girls’ group chats.

Different faces. Same cowardice. Same disguise.

🔥 The Tragic Feminist Paradox

You call him an ally. You trust him with your DMs. You send him thirst traps because “he’s safe.”

But real safety? It doesn’t encourage your self-exposure. It doesn’t wait for your heartbreak. It doesn’t build sexual tension in the shadows while pretending to believe in your boundaries.

That’s not empowerment. That’s entrapment.

He didn’t uplift you. He studied your wounds so he could slip through them.

🧠 Why Real Men Warn You About Simps

Because we’ve seen what they do when your guard is down. When your mascara’s running. When you’re lonely enough to confuse flattery with protection.

Because we’ve carried women home who cried after realizing the “good guy” was just another ghost with a boundary kink and a savior complex.

⚔️ Simps Aren’t Anti-Toxic Masculinity.

They’re Just Anti-Masculinity.

They mock men who lead. Shame men who warn. Call “protection” controlling and “discipline” fragile.

Because they don’t have those traits. So they discredit them to seem better in comparison.

But here’s what they won’t tell you:

The men they call toxic? Are the same men you call at 2 a.m. When your simp “friend” starts texting you weirdly after a breakup. When your “safe guy” starts inviting himself over. When your body finally admits you never felt safe.

🧬 Fathers Know the Pattern

Why do dads fear the “nice guy” friend? Why do brothers side-eye the DM ally? Why do masculine men go cold when you mention your “best male friend”?

Because they see the pattern. They’ve been men long enough to know what’s underneath the pastel posts and progressive language.

They know he doesn’t love you. He just hasn’t gotten you alone yet.

🧱 And the Worst Part?

He doesn't believe in strong women. He believes in emotionally weak moments and the statistical odds that he’ll catch you when your self-worth collapses long enough to say yes.

That’s not support. That’s strategy.

And you let him in. Near your daughters. Into your friend groups. Into your digital bed.

Because he “gets it.”

No. He gets you. Like a thief gets a safe code.

🪓 Final Truth

Simps are not harmless. They’re not sweet. They’re not soft.

They are the silent infection of integrity. The cultural termites that erode female instinct and emasculate the very men who would’ve protected you from them.

The truth is ugly. But this isn’t about being nice anymore.

This is about who your daughters cry to in 10 years. And who you let in the house now.

🔁 REBLOG:

Reblog this if you’ve ever had a weird gut feeling about a “safe guy.” Reblog if you’re tired of men using feminism as a mask. Reblog if you’re starting to realize:

The men who got called “toxic” were the only ones trying to save you.

⚖️ LEGAL + BIOPSYCHOLOGICAL DISCLAIMER:

This post is cultural predation analysis, evolutionary integrity doctrine, and rhetorical hazmat cleanup. It is protected under free speech, satirical education, and womanhood defense infrastructure.

If you’re offended, ask yourself why the man you’re thinking of always finds this type of post “problematic.”

[findingcrow]

"Halt and Will" this, "Will and Horace" that, I'm a little insane recently so can we please. please can we talk about Gilan and Will because I'm being driven up the WALLS about them

Gilan first meets Will at the Gathering and he's like, "oh, this dude is tiny. but he's polite and Halt trusts him, so I do, too." and then they find out the Kalkara have been released and that Halt wants him- which is cool, whatever- and Will to go and help him track it. And he's completely fine to put his own life at risk, because he knows Halt and the kingdom and himself, but the moment it processes that Will is going to be walking into danger, he completely stops. I mean sure, he comes around to the plan, but one of the first things he says is, "But he's only a boy!" He barely knows this kid and wants him far away from any kind of danger. And when he listens to Halt, when he sees that Will is fully capable of taking care of himself, he even places trust in him, allowing him to ride Blaze to Redmont and beyond.

And then he takes him on a mission in the Burning Bridge. Can we just. Really process that. Like we all talk about Halt grieving Will after watching him be shipped away, but think about Gilan, who had left Will in charge and the next time he hears about him, he's probably not alive. The guilt would tear him apart. That was his brother, that was the boy he joked with and gave advice to and watched grow, and he left him for only a few days and suddenly he was gone. Not only did he have to grieve, he had to grieve on his own- Halt was spiraling, Crowley was trying to keep Halt in control, and the Rangers still had work to do. He couldn't react like Halt because someone still needed to help search for the convicts. He could only stand by, knowing it was his fault, blaming himself for leaving, unsure if his brother was alive or dead, watching his father become closed-off and wreckless.

When the time comes, he can't even search for Will. Halt goes, losing his title- the way he had even met Gilan, his shared aspect with the man, the part that had initially made him family- to find his brother without him. Gilan has to wait for a year, now without two family members rather than one, unsure if either of them were okay. He didn't even know if they would come home. And still, he has to blame himself, because if he had just taken Will with him back to the kingdom, if he had waited a little while longer, none of this would have happened.

And then Will comes back. The bright boy he had known so long ago is now even smaller than when Gilan had first met him. He has a hard time remembering things and gets cold too easily for a boy his age. His skin is pale and his eyes are tired, and deep down Gilan thinks that he did this. Will went through things no Ranger, especially no Ranger's apprentice, should go through, because of one careless mistake on Gilan. He doesn't know what even happened to him! All he knows is that Will and Halt have changed and Gilan hasn't. He tries to bond with him again, and everyone tells him not to blame himself, but holy shit it all went so wrong and Gilan barely had the chance to know.

And they end up okay, of course. Gilan works to give Will advice in his last year of training, as the mocking-older-brother he is, he makes fun of him when the younger apprentices model themselves after him. But I really think, deep down, Gilan still thinks about what could have happened if Halt hadn't been faster. He thinks about what might have happened if he had been smarter. Gilan wakes up in a cold sweat knowing that he ruined anything and was lucky for it all to be okay.

Anyway, I think we should have more bonding scenes for Gilan and Will and I want them back and I miss them and they mean so much to me and htey're brothers and and

[sorry-not-feeling-it-right-now]

Thinking about writing shenanigans with Smitten and Cold

Smitten would write the most sappy and fluffy romance stories with happy endings every time. Cold would say that it’s getting predictable of how the story ends every time.

Smitten gets peeved and told Cold to write a romance story himself. Cold takes the challenge.

Smitten reads what Cold has written and lo and behold it’s the most heart wrenching, most antsy love story with pinning and longing that can never be filled.

Smitten cried reading it. He hated admitting that.

[writingdevil]

Fic idea of Cold learning to be vulnerable

(Yesss I love that. I need that bird to be rattled with the realisation that he Does feel emotions, and I decided to make it burned bridges because I wanna get better at writing them, so enjoy!)

Cold often spent his days bickering and riling the others up, because it was always interesting to see how they would react, without directly involving himself and why he did what he did. There usually wasn't a reason.

But for some reason, Smitten had a problem with it, and would consistently be there to smooth things over when what Cold wanted was a fiery reaction.

He would swoop in, ruin all of Cold's work, and then guide Cold to a much tamer and less fun activity to do, like he was a fledgling in need of supervision.

One day, Cold had tried to get out of it, right when he noticed that Hero looked particularly grouchy today.

"Smitten, leave me be," he ordered the bird, attempting to move around the barricade that Smitten had made with his arms.

Smitten just gave him an apologetic smile and shook his head. "I'm sorry, my friend, but it wouldn't be good to upset Hero of all people, don't you think?"

Cold shrugged. "I've never seen him angry before. Maybe he's got a temper worse than Cheated, and I want to see that."

Smitten completely ignored the dark threat in Cold's voice, merely waving him away with a smile.

Smitten took him by the elbows, and started to direct Cold elsewhere, and despite how soft and passive Smitten may act, his grip on Cold was unbreakable, forcing him to go along to wherever he was being guided to, which was very quickly revealed to be Smitten's bedroom.

Cold sighed as he was pushed inside, grimacing at the amount of flowers in his room and the overwhelming scent of plant that Cold could hardly breathe in.

"There! Now we can do whatever we want in here!" Smitten declared cheerfully, making Cold roll his eyes and turn away from him.

"I wanted to talk to Hero, but you wouldn't let me."

"Because you and I both know that it wouldn't have been a nice chat you would've had with him," Smitten pointed out, and Cold shrugged. "What's the problem with that?"

Smitten sighed deeply, because they've had this conversation many times at this point. "Cold, you know why that's a problem." Smitten put a hand on his elbow that was probably meant to be comforting, but Cold just didn't want the softness of it.

"It may seem like harmless fun to you, but the others get genuinely upset and frustrated when you poke at them that way."

"So?"

"So," Smitten continued pointedly, "the others do not appreciate you making them feel such a way, and it would make it easier to live with them if you refrained from doing that."

"Why should I care about how they feel?"

Smitten stammered on the spot at Cold's callousness, feathers puffing up in disbelief, before he sliced an arm through the air and exclaimed, "Well how would you feel if somebody forced you to confront you at your most vulnerable?"

Cold's eyes widened, and Smitten's face fell to shock at what he had just said.

Cold wasn't exactly known for being vulnerable.

Smitten took a deep breath in, and his voice was much more calm and collected now as he said, "Forgive me, I didn't mean to be that harsh, but I still stand by my words."

"Really?" Cold said, a hint of surprise in his tone. Smitten nodded, gazing at Cold gently, as if Cold wanted that.

"Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is a sign of weakness," Cold stated, and although Smitten winced at his words, he didn't interrupt him. "Anything and everything can make you crumble, make you susceptible to any threats- being numb is just the right way to live."

Cold didn't want to discuss this anymore, so he immediately moved past Smitten to the door, but then Smitten's voice made him abruptly stop in his tracks as he asked, "But what happens when you've exhausted all your other options?"

Cold paused, but he didn't want to give Smitten the satisfaction of asking for elaboration. Thankfully, Smitten didn't make him wait for long.

"What happens when you've pushed everyone away to satiate your numbness? What will you have left other than your own chilly core, and all that you choose to ignore? You'll have to face yourself at some point, my dear."

Cold clenched his fists, then immediately released them once he realised what he was doing, and instead turned around to give Smitten a dull look.

"What are you saying, hm?"

"I'm saying that you could learn a thing or two from being vulnerable every once in a while, because one day, all you'll have left is yourself and you won't know how to handle it."

Cold never really considered that his behaviour could drive his flockmates away, but the possibility of Cold being alone with nothing but his thoughts was a harrowing concept. Even worse than the prospect of actually feeling something he didn't want to.

But then there was Smitten, walking up to him with nothing but fondness in his eyes, offering his hands to Cold. "Opening yourself up to others isn't always a bad thing, dear. In fact, it can make people understand you more, and them to you."

If they understood Cold, then they could tolerate him, was the unspoken reason between Smitten's gentle words. Cold doubted that he'd ever need to actually let something into his heart one day, but the thought of seeing how it would affect him was just strong enough to give it a try- and it definitely wasn't because of the pleading look Smitten was giving him.

Cold sighed, and watched as Smitten brightened up. "Would you have me spill my guts about anything?" he asked, and Smitten shook his head. "Oh no no, that's much too intense for you right now."

Smitten hummed in thought, pacing up and down his room, briefly glancing at Cold every now and then, and Cold just stood there and allowed Smitten to do whatever it was he was doing.

Eventually, Smitten stopped, tilting his head to the side with a knowing smile. "I assume intimacy is something you don't indulge in often?"

"If I did, I would be you." Smitten laughed even though Cold wasn't joking, and reached out to take his hands. "Well then, we'll start there-and we'll take it slow, as to not overwhelm you."

"I don't mind if you overwhelm me."

"Well I do," Smitten argued, and Cold blinked at the conviction in his voice, but didn't have time to dwell on it as Smitten gently tugged him closer, right up until their chest feathers were touching.

Smitten smiled up at him warmly. "How does this feel?"

It felt dumb. It felt like a waste of time, just standing there holding hands-what was that supposed to accomplish? If anything, Cold was beginning to feel itchy from their feathers touching.

"It feels pointless," Cold replied, and Smitten lightly squeezed his hands and said, "Yes, but does this feel alright for you, or would you like to do something else?"

"What else would we do that's tame by your standards?"

"You tell me. I can't predict your vulnerability."

Cold rolled his eyes, but tried to think of things he wouldn't want to do. What did Smitten do a lot? He kissed people on the cheeks, he made dramatic declarations every other day, he danced in the air-

Wait. "I suppose dancing is a form of intimacy."

Smitten's face brightened at Cold's response, and Smitten started to bounce on the spot. "Yes! Dancing is such a beautiful art of love and trust between two people! Whether it be a fast paced tango or-"

"I don't have the energy for that," Cold interjected, but Smitten didn't deflate like he expected him to, instead meeting his bored stare with fiery determination, tugging him just that little bit closer, making Cold's breath hitch, and he desperately hoped that Smitten hadn't noticed.

"A slow dance it is," Smitten softly said, wrapping an arm around Cold's waist, the other guiding Cold's hands to around Smitten's neck, to which he loosely wrapped them.

Cold sighed, making sure the cold air hit Smitten in the face, but it did nothing to stop Smitten from softly swaying them from side to side.

It had barely been a minute, but Cold was already done with this whole thing. Smitten started humming a tune for them to dance to, but it didn't make the experience any better for Cold.

"Dancing is such a useless act," Cold complained, if only to break the silence in the room. "You just move your body left and right until you're out of breath. What's exciting about that?"

Smitten shushed him, closing his eyes and resting his head against Cold's chest, who tried very hard not to stiffen at the contact. It didn't matter. Cold didn't care what way Smitten touched him, or how close he got to him.

"Don't focus on how exciting the dancing is," Smitten mumbled, "focus on how the dancing makes you feel." Cold sighed, but obliged.

He took a deep breath in, and focused on the slow dancing that Smitten was guiding them through. The swaying wasn't exactly spectacular or interesting, but the way that Smitten was brushing his hands over Cold's lower back was.

When he realised that, suddenly the close proximity was beginning to make his head spin.

He gulped, only now feeling the warmth of their bodies pressed together, the way the swaying was lulling his mind into a fuzzy, relaxed state, making him want to rest his own head against Smitten's. It scared him. How was something this insignificant making a tightness form in his chest?

He squeezed the back of Smitten's neck to get his attention, and when Smitten looked up, he tried to keep his voice as level as possible as he said, "This isn't working. Try something else."

Smitten's eyes narrowed at him playfully, and there was a sudden rush of fear of Smitten seeing right through him. Why should Cold care, though? Why did the idea of Smitten being able to reduce him to a trembling mess, with only a few words or touches, both excite and terrify him? He couldn't be that afraid of intimacy, right?

Something wicked sparkled in Smitten's eyes as he whispered, "Would you like me to make you truly vulnerable right now?"

"Yes." The answer was instant.

The next thing Cold knew, Smitten had dipped him, leaving Cold to claw and grab at his shoulders for support- and then Smitten brought their lips together.

Cold hadn't known what kissing would feel like, but he hadn't been expecting this.

Cold's body shook from the new sensation, having no idea how to handle it, and honestly, Cold's brain was having a hard time understanding it as well, turning to an incoherent mess the moment their lips met.

Smitten was firm yet soft, kissing him with enough passion to make him dizzy, but not enough to have Cold flailing to keep up. Smitten was holding back, he could tell.

Cold could do nothing but grip him tight and make quiet, but mortifying noises that Smitten kept grinning at while they kissed.

Cold wanted more.

He wasn't sure why his body was suddenly starving for this, but it was, and it wouldn't be satisfied anytime soon.

He tried to get Smitten to be more aggressive and rough, licking his bottom lip for permission, and Smitten hummed in amusement-and that really shouldn't of sent such a shiver down Cold's spine- before Smitten bit his lip teasingly-and then pulled away.

Cold gasped, both from shock and the lack of oxygen. Smitten pulled away just enough to smile at him playfully, and it felt like that smile was setting Cold on fire. The way that smile was making him feel was maddening, and Cold wasn't sure whether he loved it or hated it.

The warmth of their bodies. The way Smitten managed to send Cold's head spinning with just some swaying and relatively light kissing? Was this what being vulnerable did to someone? Was this how it felt to confront the things you were scared of?

Smitten chuckled, and Cold wanted to hear it forever if Smitten let him, and pulled Cold more flush against him. "Well? How was that for-"

Cold, breathless and terrified, just pulled him down into another desperate kiss.

[that-one-enby-ranger]

You know what I'm kinda surprised about

That so far I haven't seen a single fanfic about what happened when Halt was going through it in the burning bridge and just started defenestrating people and beating up children

Flanny should have included it in the book that would have been funny.

[theangrycomet]

TFA Megatron would be able to handle the TFP decepticons but TFP Megatron wouldn't be able handle the TFA decepticons

[sludgekludge]

THANK YOU your criticism of fizzarolli is spot on! i never understood why blitzo has a close childhood friend that he performed with whos life he ruined in the fire that he reconnects with later in life (and also has connections in the lust ring) but also a sister that he performed with whos life he ruined in the fire that he wants to reconnect with later in life (and also has connections in the lust ring)

vivziepop, if you removed the childhood crush thing, these would be the same character.

THAT'S WHAT IM SAYING YOU GET IT!! YOU GET IT

sure, their personalities are different, but their functionality in blitz's story is so similar it baffles me. a big issue both these shows have is the redundancy of some of the cast. you can delete fizz and reassign his roles to other characters and have everything work fine - even the stolitz parallel in fizzarozzie could be re-attributed to like, bee and tex, who blitz knows through loona (those characters are both relevant to loona as well, so two birds one stone, less characters cluttering everything up), and the whole 'failed romantic arc' thing… verosika is right there. so blitz could also know bee and tex through her...

furthermore, BARBIE AND VEROSIKA LITERALLY APPARENTLY KNEW EACH OTHER WHICH IS LIKE, THE CONNECTION IS RIGHT THERE WHAT ARE YOU DOING ITS RIGHT THERE WHY DID WE MAKE A WHOLE NEW CHARACTER!!! WHY DID WE MAKE A WHOLE NEW CHARACTER AND THEN THIS RIDICULOUS CONVOLUTED REASON AS TO WHY THEY WERE IN THE SAME PLACE AT THE SAME TIME IN OOPS!!! VIVZIENNE POPSICLE!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!! WHY ARE WE STILL INTRODUCING ALL THESE REDUNDANT CHARACTERS WITH 1 MILLION OVERLAPPING TRAITS!!! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

[rivnedell]

hi there ! ✨

I'm what we could call a tumblr dinosaur, holding this blog for over 11 years now. Rivendell being my second home after Earth, I'm happy I kept this name all those years. I've been logging in and off this app from time to time over the years and I rejoined in the beginning of the year. And gosh it has been a life changing time since. Meeting and linking with amazing people here, and being (re)introduced to writing and the marvelous world of fiction.

I'm French, but I've started to speak English quite early in my life. I started in my late 10s to create characters and write some stories in French. And I've always wanted to write stuff in my second language. So I decided I would give it a try, with the incredible support of friends ♡

I've very new to writing so I'm open to any interactions that would help me improve (asks, comments, likes and reblogs of course, anything !)

Please assume all works are 18+ so please mdni ! do not repost, copy, translate nor reuse my works in anyway without my explicit permission

I will keep this updated. Please let me know if you want to be added to my taglist !

Nienna ♡

find my works ⤵

𝕊𝕋𝔸ℝ 𝕎𝔸ℝ𝕊

× s e r i e s

❝ 𝐫 𝐞 𝐥 𝐢 𝐞 𝐟 ❞ (Snippet)

Obi-Wan Kenobi x You

ೃ⁀➷ You're struggling dealing with your growing feelings for your former master.

❝ 𝐮 𝐧 𝐝 𝐞 𝐫 𝐭 𝐡 𝐞 𝐬 𝐭 𝐚 𝐫 𝐬 ❞ (snippet I - II - III)

Ben Kenobi (Series) x You

ೃ⁀➷ You had to runaway on Tatooine a decade after the purge, your family still held on Corellia, and your encounter with the Dunes Hermit won't leave your heart intact.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝕠𝕗 𝕌𝕤

× s e r i e s

❝ 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 ❞ (Snippet)

Joel Miller x You

ೃ⁀➷ Joel becomes your mom new date interest and soon to be boyfriend.. But something unexpected happens in your heart.

× o n e - s h o t

❝ 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 ❞ (Snippet)

Joel Miller x You

ೃ⁀➷ Tommy wants a new tattoo and drags his brother with him to your shop. Joel ends up choosing a tattoo, and the simple sight of his body is enough to distract you from your work with other clients.

𝔾𝕝𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕥𝕠𝕣 𝟚

× o n e - s h o t

❝ Return to Me ❞(Snippet)

Marcus Acacius x You

ೃ⁀➷ Your marriage plans are screwed by the two Emperors villainy. They've sent your fiancé away to war and you're desperately waiting, hoping he would return to you alive.

𝔻𝕖𝕒𝕥𝕙 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘

× o n e - s h o t

❝ 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 ❞ (Snippet)

Sam Bridge x You

ೃ⁀➷ Sam comes back from a long mission to reconnect lost areas to the chiral network. Areas you knew full of DTs, and Mules. He's finally back to you in the shelter and you can't resist your feelings anymore.

𝔽.𝕣.𝕚.𝕖.𝕟.𝕕.𝕤

× m i n i - s e r i e s

❝ The One with the Sketchbook ❞ (Re-writing)

Joey Tribbiani x You

ೃ⁀➷ Joey needs a new roommate after Chandler moved in with Monica, and Rachel with Ross. By chance you're arriving in New York City to pursue your History of Art studies, and you also need to finf a roommate..

× o n e - s h o t

❝ The One with the Scars ❞ (Re-writing)

Joey Tribbiani x You

ೃ⁀➷ You knew nothing would be same after your breast surgery, at least nothing for you. You just ignored nothing would change in Joey's eyes.

-

𝔾𝕒𝕞𝕖𝕤

50 nsfw questions MDI !

Joel Miller

Din Djarin

pics used for the banners are not mine, found on Pinterest & tumblr.

[pink-november]

i am a little bit intrigued by 'of flower crowns and stiletto knives'

this maaaay come as a shock but it's a burned bridges fic idea i had since forever (just a few months atleast XD) i haven't written a single thing about it because my brain decided that first!!!!!! i need to know how to make a flowercrown otherwise this fic is a disaster 😩 i am haunted though by imagined scenes of this whenever my brain likes to remind me of it

basically it's just smitten teaching cold how to make flower crowns and cold letting smitten borrow a knife from his knife collection and probably teach him how to use it too. it's meant to be a fic of how they reconcile their differences, mend their messed up relationship, and find meaning and appreciation in each other's strengths. and maybe along the way, they become genuine friends.

[artemlegere]

Robert Burns, 1759 - 1796

Artist: Alexander Nasmyth (Scottish, 1758 - 1840)

Title: Robert Burns, 1759 - 1796. Poet

Date: 1828

Medium: Oil on panel

Collection: National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland

Robert Burns, Poet

Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is in a "light Scots dialect" of English, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these writings his political or civil commentary is often at its bluntest.

He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement, and after his death he became a great source of inspiration to the founders of both liberalism and socialism, and a cultural icon in Scotland and among the Scottish diaspora around the world. Celebration of his life and work became almost a national charismatic cult during the 19th and 20th centuries, and his influence has long been strong on Scottish literature. In 2009 he was chosen as the greatest Scot by the Scottish public in a vote run by Scottish television channel STV.

As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across Scotland, often revising or adapting them. His poem (and song) "Auld Lang Syne" is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year), and "Scots Wha Hae" served for a long time as an unofficial national anthem of the country. Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well known across the world today include "A Red, Red Rose", "A Man's a Man for A' That", "To a Louse", "To a Mouse", "The Battle of Sherramuir", "Tam o' Shanter" and "Ae Fond Kiss".

[doldulce]

Random Dulce fact: As skeevy as he is, Dulce is usually a pretty chill guy to be around. He's friendly (despite being SO rude and annoying), has little motivation for cruelty, and is simple enough to be fairly trustworthy.

But he has zero capacity to interact with emotional shit. If you try to talk to him about your feelings, he will dodge and weave and keep his own contributions incredibly surface level. If you push the issue, he'll shut the entire conversation down and leave... only to swing by later and act like nothing happened, ignoring any tension that might have been caused.

Most people find this incredibly insulting. But some might appreciate the easy relationship, and the willingness to move on from an awkward interaction. (It's not common though)

[sorry-not-feeling-it-right-now]

It interests me how Smitten calls Cold “villain” due to his numbness

Let me explain

In media, it’s often that the heroes of the story would win with the power of love and friendship, while the villains are often defeated due to their numbness and apparent unfeeling-ness. And generally, people associate passion and love as a good thing, while being numb and apathetic is often seen as a trait that’s unfavourable. And hence, according to media, heroes are those who wears their heart on their sleeves, while villains are numb and are distant.

Smitten and Cold embodies Love and Apathy in their traits, and yet they also break that notion that love is the ultimate good thing and apathy a bad thing

Love can heal, but it can also hurt those around you and yourself if you let it blind and control you

Apathy can lead to distancing you from forming a connection with other people, but it could serve as some sort of comfort and a safety blanket, a numbness for the horrors beyond to keep you sane for a bit longer

Side note, I’ve noticed that routes with Smitten in it often leads to the Princesses hitting certain fantasy/romance troupes, like with Damsel—>Damsel in Distress, HEA—>well, a happily ever after in fairytales, Thorn—>classic love story of a betrayal blossoming into love and passion, basically enemies to lovers slow burn etc etc.

(Actually I’m pretty sure each of the Voices have their own themes that connects them to the Princesses, like how Cold is associated with death and ghosts and Skeptic is usually associated with thriller and or detective noir tropes(Paranoid living his life as a horror movie oh no))

(Edited to have this cause I have a stupid idea. Ignore this)

[writingdevil]

I know you wrote a fic for Burned Bridges already, so I’m just gonna request a potential platonic interaction between them. If that’s ok

(Of course! I'm completely fine with writing stuff for the same ship so don't be afraid to request for the same stuff, because I honestly don't mind. Anyway, enjoy!)

Smitten turned to the left in his bed, hoping that now would be the moment that his mind granted him peace.

It wasn't.

Smitten sighed, squeezing his eyes shut and tucking his blanket right up to under his chin, but it was no use. No amount of tossing and turning was going to make him go asleep.

He groaned, throwing the blanket off him and trying to ignore how cold the rest of his bed felt, and he sat up.

He looked out of his window, admiring the stars in the sky for a few moments, and then allowing a frown to fall on his face, one that he makes sure he doesn't let the others see.

He was lonely.

Smitten was so lonely.

He tried to make the best of this freedom, to put on a big smile and encourage others to pursue the things they loved, to follow their hearts-but Smitten couldn't even do that himself.

Where was his princess to adore? What was his purpose if not to give everything to one specific person?

Of course he loved his flock-of course he did-but they weren't as passionate or as yearning for romance as Smitten was, and Smitten didn't want them to try and pretend for him.

Before he knew it, he was throwing his legs over the side of his bed, because he couldn't possibly stay in his room for another lonely minute.

He felt a heavy sadness weighing down on him as he walked out of his bedroom, and he was almost disgusted with how much it was affecting him. Him, who was once nothing more than a tiny voice in a God's head. Him, who had been granted freedom and agency. Him, who had ten other amazing people to spend the rest of his new life with-and he was complaining about being lonely?

His feet guided him down the quiet hallway and into the living room, and Smitten thought that maybe reading or preening his feathers for long enough would make him sleepy again.

He walked into the living, immediately shivering at how cold the room was, and his feathers instinctively puffed up to try and preserve some body heat for him. He took a step into the room, wondering where the candles were, when Smitten suddenly felt a light but firm breeze hit his face from the right.

He turned to the right and-"Shit!"

There, just leaning against a wall and blending into the darkness, was Cold.

Smitten jumped back while clutching a hand to his chest, his body freezing in shock as Cold took a step forward, his brows arched in surprise.

"I didn't know you cursed," Cold mused quietly in the night, and Smitten gave him a half-hearted glare once the shock wore off. "I try my best not to," he replied stiffly, standing up straight as Cold's gaze seemed to drill into his skin, and he pushed away the mortification of slipping up and using such vulgar language.

"Why are you awake?" Smitten asked, walking around in search of a candle. He tried not to shiver as he felt Cold's gaze stick to him as he moved around the dark room.

He managed to find a candle to light, and that was when Cold hummed in thought, and when Smitten turned around, he was stunned to find Cold holding out a match for him to light.

Smitten stared at the match, then lifted his gaze to Cold, who just shrugged and said, "Couldn't sleep."

Smitten wasn't sure if he could believe that, but trying to understand someone like Cold was a fools errand, so he just accepted the match without another word.

When the living room was quickly illuminated in a dim light, it already made Smitten feel less alone and melancholic. He sat down on the couch, wrapping his wings around himself for comfort, watching as Cold didn't move a muscle.

"Is it often that you're awake at this hour?" Smitten asked, and Cold shrugged. "It depends on how the day went. It wasn't particularly eventful, so I don't don't feel the need to sleep right now."

Then Cold gave him a look that Smitten knew what was about to be asked, but he just lowered his head in shame in the hopes that Cold wouldn't bother.

But alas, that only made Cold more intrigued. "Why couldn't someone as fanciful as yourself fall asleep? Couldn't think of another romantic daydream to fall asleep to?"

Smitten didn't have enough energy to do anything more than glare in Cold's direction, not bothered enough to even call him a villain right now.

Himself and Cold had a very-unique-relationship. It was true that Smitten couldn't fathom the way the other lived, numbing the feelings he deemed unnecessary, acting as if that was one needed to survive, to live. But Smitten knew that their petty arguments were becoming wearisome to the rest of his flock, so he tried his best to just be civil around Cold.

They mostly stayed out of each other's way, but Smitten couldn't help the burning curiosity in his chest for the other. How could somebody possibly live with such a hole in their heart?

"No," Smitten said emptily, "I'm just-restless."

"Restless?" Cold echoed, a hint of amusement in his voice. "This is the first time I've heard of you being restless instead of-how did you put it? Bursting with fiery passion?" There was a tug of a smirk on Cold's lips, but Smitten couldn't find it within him to care that much right now.

So he just gave Cold a blank look and shrugged, offering no arguments there, and that was when Cold seemed the most shocked, his eyes widening in surprise at Smitten's lack of fight.

Neither of them spoke a word for the next few minutes, and Smitten found that the silence was quiet peaceful. Usually he preferred being a part of swift, energetic moments-but there was also a beauty in silence.

He didn't notice when Cold sat down beside him, but when he did, the bird's voice was much softer and less teasing. "Do you know what might be making you so restless?"

"Why do you care?" Smitten asked, and Cold shrugged, glancing around the room as he replied, "Well, I figured it must be something quite serious if it's knocked you down to this."

Then Smitten did something he never thought he'd do with Cold. He laughed.

His chuckle was weak and pathetic, all things considered-but it did make something loosen up within his chest, and seeing Cold's look of surprise also helped.

He leaned back against the couch, tilting his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "I-um-" Smitten gulped, not entirely sure if admitting his issues with Cold was a good idea, "-I couldn't fall asleep because-because I was lonely."

He paused, waiting for the sting of Cold's monotone insult to land-but it never came.

Once he started, Smitten felt like he had to finish. "I just couldn't find it in me to sleep in my bed when I feel like I should be sharing it with someone-but I'm not, and it just feels wrong to me, that I don't have that anymore."

"What's that?"

"Love," Smitten blurted out without thinking. "That desire to give my entire heart to one person. I feel unfulfilled without that."

After a few seconds, Smitten's words begin to weigh him down, and he brought his knees up to tuck under his chin. "You must think me selfish," he mumbled, "that I've been given the chance of a lifetime to live my own life, and yet still I complain."

"I don't think it's wrong to have something bad to say about this," Cold said, making Smitten look up at him in intrigue.

"As pointless as complaining may be, you can't help how you feel towards a certain thing, no matter how great that thing may be. If anything, critising something makes you seem sharp, like the way your brother is."

Smitten smiled at the thought of Skeptic, but still asked, "Do you have any complaints about our freedom?"

"No," was Cold's immediate response, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking away from Smitten. "I don't have to be burdened with you all anymore."

Smitten chuckled again, and his eyelids were beginning to feel heavy. "For someone who claims to be numb," Smitten said, "you sure have an awful lot of feelings on certain matters."

This time, it was Cold who let a huff of laughter out, and Smitten smiled in victory.

He couldn't believe he was saying this-but he was actually enjoying this talk with Cold.

He yawned, and found himself resting his head on Cold's shoulder, who flinched, then relaxed.

"I'm sorry for ever calling you a villain," Smitten mumbled, struggling to keep his eyes open, "You're not as heartless as I thought."

A pause, and then Cold asked, "What changed your mind?"

"The fact that you're here, talking to me."

Cold was silent for so long that Smitten almost dozed off to sleep, but then Cold spoke up, voice quiet and gentle in the dark.

"For what it's worth, I think it's incorrect to say that you're lonely for one true love, when you're surrounded by a whole flock of people that care for you. Just today, Broken helped you sew the blanket that you sleep in, Hunted preened your wings before bed, and Hero ate dinner with you today. All those acts count as love, so to discard them in favour of a perfect romance seems stupid-at least on behalf of them."

Smitten found himself smiling at the way Cold tried to sound so disinterested in Smitten's dilemma, but his words showed otherwise.

He was right, though. Smitten didn't feel lonely anymore, and he promised himself that he would notice the love that the others gave him from now on with complete sincerity.

He fell asleep next to Cold, and he had the first peaceful sleep in months.

[delightfullyodd]

Wait! I need to know! Will the trans gentleman (what's his name by the way) be okay in the end? PLEEEEEEEEASE!

He will get some scars, but otherwise he will be fine (there will be a lot of amusing adventures though).

Oh, and his name is Ezekiel "Izzy" Elias Spencer-White). He has a fraternal twin name Prancine Portia.

Dad is Rupert Roland. Mom, interestingly enough, is just Maria.

[catinthesun2]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62357467/chapters/162572869

Chapter 7 Burned & Bandaged Bridges!

“GHOST!” Jack shouted, whipping out his ecto gun. For one brief second, no one moved. Then, the room exploded.

[valentinedagger]

i'll never turn this into a blog that participates in the vaunted halls of Tumblr Discourse, but i'll note that i am becoming more open to talking about my opinions sometimes. this is a direct result of becoming disillusioned and fed-up with the concept of "not alienating readership."