The sunset was beautiful from the porch of Valko's lakefront cabin. It was a small, cozy place nestled deep in the woods, the front side of the house facing the lake. The colour of the sky - a beautiful deep blue with clouds the colour of cotton candy - reminded Valko of his two beloveds. One was currently in his arms, sleeping soundly. The other was next to him, sketching the view with a pout.
"I still don't see what's so good about a cabin in the woods," Rafayel pouted. "A beach would be way better." Despite the huff, Valko knew that Rafayel didn't actually mean it.
"Aw, don't be like that, sweetie," he cooed, rocking the baby gently in his arms. It was a miracle his daughter had finally tired herself to sleep; she inherited both her fathers' inexhaustible energy and mischief. He looked up as he felt Rafayel's eyes on him. The artist had paused his sketching.
"Huh. She's really asleep," he observed, scooting closer so that he was pressed against Valko. "Didn't expect a swim of all things to tire her out."
"It is an intensive activity, and she is a baby." Valko chuckles. "Besides, don't you appreciate the quiet?" As much as Valko loved his daughter dearly, he always looked forward to the times when she took a nap. As a half-werewolf and half-lemurian, curiosity was second nature to her, and it was a universal truth that curious kids sucked their parents dry out of energy. Not that he would have it any other way though.
"Mmm, you're right," Rafayel amends, nuzzling into Valko's shoulder, careful not to jostle the baby. "Don't get me wrong, I love her, but if she had kept asking for more time at the lake, I would've dropped from exhaustion. She's a little guppy alright, outswimming her old man..." He pressed a tiny kiss to her soft hair, the gesture filled with paternal pride. "That's my guppy."
"And my puppy," Valko added with a mischievous smile at Rafayel, but his hold on her spoke of how much love he had for her.
"Mmn. Our puppy." Rafayel kisses his husband's cheek in a gesture of gentle affection. "But if she wants to go hiking, I'm not coming."
Valko simply laughed, because he knew that Rafayel would create storms, walk through fire, and move the very seas in it meant he would be there for their daughter.
Yep. Valko really did win in life.
🐺🐟🐺🐟🐺🐟🐺🐟🐺🐟🐺🐟🐺🐟🐺🐟
A/n: um guys, sorry about Valko missing, actually I kidnapped him for my fishie and now they're in love/j
Ok but fr I'm really sorry it took too long, the boycott and endless worrying sucked the soul out of me💀🙏 not an excuse ofc but I couldn't write when I was anxious and scared and uncertain. Again I'm sorry it took too long 🙇
OK GUYS IF VALKO COMES BACK I PROMISE I WILL FINISH THIS PROFESSOR RAFAYEL FIC I STARTED TODAY THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT I WILL FIGHT WRITERS BLOCK AND SLEEP AND EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN TO GET THIS DONE!!!!!
OK GUYS IF VALKO COMES BACK I PROMISE I WILL FINISH THIS PROFESSOR RAFAYEL FIC I STARTED TODAY THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT I WILL FIGHT WRITERS BLOCK AND SLEEP AND EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN TO GET THIS DONE!!!!!
The more infold is silent, the more I'm crashing out. I've not been able to pay attention to irl stuff, I'm lacking on my current research, I cannot focus on even the smallest happy moment because I'm too paranoid about the whole Valko situation. I'm even losing appetite and sleep over Valko being cancelled and even thinking about the worst possibility (aka Rafayel myth announced on 9th July as a way to smooth over Valko being cancelled) makes me wanna hurl.
I've started playing love and deepspace since August 2024, and since then I've been religiously logging in every. Single. Day. Even when I am overwhelmed and dealing with irl shit or even when I forgot the stamina collection time, I always make sure to finish my dailies, farm, and since the day I started playing, the only Rafayel banners I'd skipped is misty invasion multi, fireworks vow rerun and private trip rerun. As a mostly f2p who relies only on aurum passes this is big to me. But I've been boycotting since the start of July and even uninstalled lads, despite my aurum pass, and I'm kinda scared that all of this is gonna be in vain.
And yes, I know, I know, this is not about me, I shouldn't be selfish, but atleast I could be allowed to cry over the real money I spent in this trash game right? And what about the years of affection I developed for Rafayel? Yes it sounds horribly parasocial but atp I'm too all over the place to even gaf about it.
I'm just... I'm half convinced this is the end and lads would only make more trashy decisions and that I essentially fooled myself into playing this game, I... I just want to cry.
Reminder that after 9:00AM PDT/10:00AM MDT/11:00AM CDT/12:00PM EDT on July 6th, do NOT post on RedNote or Weibo.
I repeat, DO NOT POST ON ANY CHINESE MEDIA APPS ON JULY 6TH.
At those times, it will be 12:00AM on July 7th in Beijing. July 7th is a sensitive, historical day for China. The CN fans have respectfully asked us to avoid posting on CN apps.
You are still free to post on Instagram, X, Facebook, and other American-owned media apps. For the good of the protest, please be respectful of this.
PLEASE REBLOG! As many people need to know this as possible.
Please don’t lose hope or momentum in the #bringvalkoback movement!
We need to keep making Valko trend on all social media sites. The hashtags in comments are great but it is more helpful when we all make our own posts using the same set of hashtags all at once. If you see this post, this is your sign to post something and use the hashtag #bringvalkoback! Regardless of your platform size, you have a voice and we need you to use it so that we have a better chance at successfully getting Valko back.
We need to avoid fighting amongst each other. We need to be engaging with each other’s posts. Share it, tag other creators and bring in as many people as we can to help us in this! Avoid feeding into the rumors floating around that are meant to make things feel hopeless, we can all come together and make this happen!
It started, innocently enough, within the glow of tealight candles.
“Think I’ll have the steak,” Valko said, peeking over the top of his raised-up menu.
You bit back a smile behind yours. “No shit.”
He lifted an eyebrow, and you chuckled remorselessly. It was your first date; you already had in-jokes. You quipped that the man would never suffer from an iron deficiency. He insisted you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Or, well… get it to dabble in vegetarian options.
“What’re you thinking?” he eventually asked.
“I don’t know…” You squinted at your choices, all typed out in a font trying too hard to be calligraphy. “This place is kinda pricey, Val.”
Not a complaint— just an offhand remark from a Deepspace Hunter more familiar with small numbers than big ones. Valko blinked. Then he tore away a strip of his menu: a sharp shhhick of splitting card, and the prices fluttered down to the floor beside your table, to your bewilderment. The revised menu was passed over with a grin.
It was unexpected, to say the least. Chivalrous. Snobby, but cute.
And a waiter had noticed.
For two minutes afterwards, you stifled sniggers as Valko apologised profusely. He wouldn’t do it again! It was, uh… it was supposed to be a grand gesture! He was trying to be romantic, and no, he would not, under any circumstances, try to be romantic again.
By the time the waiter walked away, only mildly appeased, Valko’s face was the same reddish hue of his hair.
“Still thinking about the steak, big spender?” you cooed, doing absolutely nothing to save his complexion.
“Fuck,” he muttered, mortified, “you must think I’m such a snob.”
“Well, you littered in my apartment the other night. And you just said ‘fuck’ in a fancy restaurant, so… jury’s still out.” Your menu was flopped down so you could look at him. Your eyes sparkled. “You’re very complex, you know.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“You’re… multifaceted.”
Valko sank his face into his hands, slipping down in his chair until most of him was hidden under the table (and he isn’t small; it was quite the feat). The waiter spotted him from across the room. He sat up straight, jolting the table in his haste, and you bit back another smile as your cutlery clattered, and your drink sloshed.
In the end, he ordered a salad.
…
It’s eleven o’clock, the same night, and you’ve traded tealights for your stove.
A steak sizzles in a frying pan as you ladle melted butter on with a teaspoon. Your kitchen is warm, thick with the rich scent of roasting meat, and Valko is trying not to look overeager, but his nose is twitching. The soft of his tail flicks behind him. He wets his lips with a dart of his tongue.
“You don’t have to—” he starts to protest, just like he protested in the aisles of the supermarket, and at the till, and throughout the walk home.
“I want to,” you interrupt, even though he hasn’t found that argument particularly compelling so far. Twentieth time’s the charm, you hope. You reach to pinch at his cheek. “You’re looking a little anaemic, y’know. I’m worried.”
He rolls his eyes, but the blush he picked up at the restaurant never did entirely fade away. His ears are folded back, flat against his hair, and when you beckon for the salt, he hands it over in silence. He must regret that silence when, a moment later, his stomach grumbles. The pink of his face deepens.
“Sorry,” he voices quietly, since he’s given up on dignity. It’s in a grave, and not a shallow one, so he’s forced to move on without it. “I’m so embarrassed. Shouldn’t have tried to show off.”
You chuckle fondly, thinking back to the restaurant. The scene is on loop in the theatre of your minds, except he’s cringing in horror whilst you munch down on popcorn; it’s your new favourite movie. “Don’t be sorry. I loved it, Valko. It was sweet. Really sweet.”
The steak has caramelised in the pool of butter and herbs, so you turn the stove down, leaving it to cook through. Valko’s still trying to keep his nose from twitching too much. You cup his face with your hands.
“Kinda a sheep in wolf’s clothing, huh?”
He mumbles: “Don’t know if I like that.”
But his cheeks are so, so warm under your fingers, and he’s dodging your gaze again, making you giggle. “You committed vandalism for me.”
“It was a menu.”
“We’ll… make it something cooler when we tell people the story.”
(You won’t. You still have the torn menu, and one day, you’ll bring it out for guests at every given opportunity.)
“I had a really nice time tonight, Val.” You ease him towards you, gently, so you can press a kiss to his cheek. “Promise.”
That tail has picked up its pace. His ears are lifting. “Mm,” he grumbles, “you sure?”
“Mmhmm.” You kiss the tip of his nose. Then his cheek again. Then the line of his jaw.
He relaxes, and your awkward evening tips into the night where, for the first time, he nuzzles into the crook of your neck. Kisses you there, slow and grateful, and pulls you close enough that he can hear your breath catch.
With a click, the stove is turned off behind you. Huh? “What’re you—?”
“Forget the food.” When Valko pulls back, the gold of his eyes is hot. He smirks, emboldened at last by your reaction, and a merciful lack of nearby waiters. “Got something else I wanna eat...”
You gasp.
His ears go flat. “No, I didn’t mean—!” He scrambles. “Well, I did, but not… not quite as literally as… not that I wouldn’t want to, uh… fuck. Not fuck! Not saying we should fuck, I just—”
Yeah, he’s only digging himself deeper. You should kiss him again.
I haven't been as active on this account as I would have liked but I'm hoping I can reach at least some of you within the Love and Deepspace community. I know that the more radio silence that we get from them that the harder it is to hold out the hope that something good might happen, I am working on a post that I am hoping to collaborate on with more players but for that I need photos of your MCs. It can be any pose, any outfit, any lighting, any background, doesn't matter. It doesn't need to be a new photo. All I ask is that it's not AI generated in any way.
I am working on putting together a video to share across my social platforms showing that we are all out here doing what we can to try to make sure that Love and Deepspace brings Valko into the game as originally promised.
I think the best way is for people to repost or comment a photo and leave me any handles that they would like to have associated with it.
Thank you all so much in advance, please don't lose hope!
Thank you for your hard work! This is Leah, my MC 💚 also if it's alright may I be tagged in the final video? I'd love to see it and also support Valko.
