As an (ex) LADS writer, all my works are hidden BUTTTTT not deleted. Not until inflop brings him back. He deserves better.
(Also not saying other writers needs to do this) but me personally I don't want to give that company the satisfaction of people reading about their IP until they give us something worth believing in again.
How they met:
Not through the obvious hero course overlap or anything. I could see them actually properly clicking during a joint training exercise where Mina got paired with the general studies/support kids for a "work with people outside your usual circle" assignment. Shinso was blunt, unbothered by her chaos, and didn't flinch when she got weird with her acid in a drill. She decided on the spot he was "funny in a mean way" and adopted him.
Why they started talking:
Mina is incapable of leaving anyone alone. She clocked that Shinso mostly got left out of class 1-A group stuff even after he transferred, and made it her mission to loop him in w/ the baku squad sitting next to him uninvited, texting him memes at 1am, that kind of thing. He complained about it constantly buuuut, never actually told her to stop.
Why they're interested in the other:
Shinso finds her exhausting in the best way. she says what she's thinking, drags him into things he'd never do alone, and somehow makes him laugh without trying. Mina likes that he's not performing anything for her. He's dry and sarcastic and doesn't do the "everything's fine!" thing a lot of their friends do. he lets things be as messy as they are, and so does she.
Favorite holiday to spend together:
Halloween, no contest. Mina goes all out on a couple's costume every year (usually something horror-movie themed, sometimes something that makes Shinso deeply regret agreeing), and he pretends to hate it while clearly having a good time.
When they'd start dating:
Not until well after graduation, once they're both a couple years into hero work. There's a long stretch of "are they aren't they" that everyone around them can see except them. It probably takes Mina getting hurt on the job and Shinso showing up before anyone even called him for it to click for both of them.
Pet names or nah?
Mina absolutely loves the pet names, and they escalate specifically to annoy him ("babe" to "honeybug" to increasingly unhinged nicknames). Shinso never uses one seriously, but "idiot" said in a certain tone counts as one at this point and they both know it.
How long they last as a couple:
Long-term, low-drama once they actually get together. I bet they argue like normal people but nothing catastrophic. I'd say they're one of the "everyone assumed they'd get married eventually" couples.
Show they binge together:
Trashy competition reality TV, unironically. Cooking shows, dating shows, all of it. Mina live-commentates the whole thing and Shinso acts annoyed but has definitely picked a favorite contestant he won't admit to caring abou.
No because what the actual fuck was that decision?
You mean to tell me months—if not YEARS—of development.
…and your solution was to throw the ENTIRE SIXTH LOVE INTEREST into the trash?
ARE YOU SERIOUS?
I'm not saying people shouldn't have been angry about the 731 reference. They absolutely had every right to be. Unit 731 is one of the darkest chapters in history and if that reference was made carelessly, then yes, people deserved an apology and an explanation.
But explain to me how Valko became the sacrificial lamb here.
Who exactly does this help?
The people who were hurt by the reference? They still deserve accountability.
The people who were excited for Valko? Congratulations, you just told them to go fuck themselves.
The developers who spent who knows how long creating an entirely new LI? Their work gets deleted overnight.
So what was the goal here?
Because this doesn't feel like taking responsibility. It feels like corporate damage control.
Fix the story.
Rewrite the chapter.
Delete the offending reference.
Delay the release.
Fire whoever thought using 731 and 611 was acceptable if you have to.
But deleting an ENTIRE CHARACTER because of a mistake in ONE PART OF THE GAME is such an absurd overreaction that I genuinely can't wrap my head around it.
I'm just so unbelievably disappointed. because Infold's response was somehow even worse than the original mistake.
We lost a character.
The developers lost their work.
The fandom lost something people had been excited about.
What an absolute fucking waste.
Subject: Global Community Feedback Regarding Valko and Future Development
Dear Love and Deepspace Team,
Thank you for taking responsibility and sharing your recent statement with the community. We appreciate your transparency and the dedication your team has shown throughout the development of Love and Deepspace.
As a member of the global community, I would like to respectfully express my disappointment regarding the decision to permanently remove Valko from future development.
This is not a message written against any community or culture. Every region has its own perspectives, and every player's voice deserves respect. However, as global players, we also hope our voices can be considered when decisions affect the future of a game that we equally support.
Many of us spend our time, money, creativity, and emotional investment on Love and Deepspace. We create fan art, translations, events, videos, and communities that help this game grow around the world. We hope our opinions can also play a meaningful role in important decisions.
We sincerely believe Valko should not be permanently discarded.
Every love interest represents different personalities, emotional experiences, and player preferences. New characters allow more people to feel represented and welcomed into the game. Valko may have become that character for many current and future global players, but we will never know if he is removed before we even have the opportunity to meet him.
We also deeply respect the tremendous amount of work your artists, writers, designers, voice actors, programmers, and the entire development team have already invested in creating him. It would be heartbreaking to see all of that creative effort disappear completely.
Therefore, we respectfully ask that Valko be released on the Global Server instead of being permanently removed. We believe global players deserve the opportunity to experience this character and form their own opinions.
In addition, we kindly ask for a clear and transparent development roadmap that includes:
- A realistic content calendar and timeline.
- Balanced Main Story updates for all existing love interests.
- More meaningful Hunter-focused story content.
- Clear communication regarding future development plans.
- Greater consideration of feedback from both the Chinese and global communities before major irreversible decisions are made.
We are not asking for conflict or division between communities.
We are asking for equal consideration.
Love and Deepspace is a global game, and we hope its future can reflect the diversity of the players who love and support it around the world.
Thank you for taking the time to read our feedback. We truly hope you will consider the voices of your global community as you move forward.
Due to the recent news of infold canceling Valko, I have created a petition to release Valko to Western Countries only. Please sign this because this is literally our only chance at saving him now. I beg you you to BE VOCAL so you can be seen. Our love for Valko matters!!!
honestly, if a boycott, refund requests, and people uninstalling are what got us here in the first place, then i think those of us who were genuinely excited for valko should be just as loud.
because why are we expected to sit quietly and be grateful for crumbs when we were teased an entire character, got invested, got excited, and then were told to simply move on?
no, actually.
if people can make noise when they dislike something, then people are allowed to make noise when something they did want gets taken away too.
i wanted the wolfboy. i was ready for the wolfboy. i had already made room in my little morally questionable heart for the wolfboy.
so yes. refund, uninstall, boycott, howl at the moon, whatever feels right. but don’t let them think no one wanted him.
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