The Valentine Bonus Series
Love, Cynicism & Still Hoping
A Valentine series for people who’ve loved hard, learned slowly, and still haven’t stopped paying attention. Six essays on love, cynicism, boundaries, and the quiet hope that refuses to stay quiet.
This series includes:
Six weekly Valentine essays (posted Wednesdays)
One Friday the 13th wrap-up on bad romantic decisions
A Valentine’s Day coda that admits hope hasn’t left
Each post stands alone — but together, they tell a bigger story.
Storm-Tested Love
Valentine’s Day tends to speak in absolutes.
Forever. Soulmates. Certainty.
This series doesn’t.
The Valentine Bonus Series is a 8 -part exploration of love told from the uncomfortable middle—where experience has made us cautious, humor has become armor, and hope keeps showing up uninvited.
Written by The Cynical Romantic, each post examines a different truth about relationships: why safety matters more than sparks, why quiet love gets overlooked, why compatibility feels boring but saves us, and why boundaries often arrive late—usually after a few regrettable choices.
The series unfolds weekly, building toward a self-aware reckoning on Friday the 13th, where bad dating decisions finally get their moment. And then—against better judgment—Valentine’s Day arrives anyway, bringing a reluctant reminder that belief isn’t dead. It’s just careful now.
This isn’t advice.
It’s recognition.
And somehow… despite all of the bad choices, we’re still remain hopeful.