Trash For ColdFlash

I am relieved that I'd left my room tidy

"The hat is customizable," he said, struggling with the velcro patch on the front. "If I need it, I have an ICE one too. I pick based off the business i walk into."

"Customizable is an important hat descriptor," I said. "what can I get you?"

"You wouldn't believe how offended people get these days," he said. "And I'm supposed to do something about it if you're offended? You chose to be offended!"

"We all have hundreds of thousands of decisions everyday," I said. I thickened my accent. "That's what my stepdad always said. But I can make one easier - we have a delicious Ethiopian roast available."

"Like if I told you you have a bull ring," he said, "because bulls have rings in their noses. Is that offensive?"

I laughed. "I've heard that before."

"It's a joke, but people get offended. Maybe you're offended."

I looked at him. I smiled. "You aren't trying to offend me though, right?"

Of course he was. I was being friendly and the friendlier I was, the faster he switched topics. He was saying anything inflammatory he could think of to see if I'd take the bait. After about 20 minutes of my redirecting and deescalating, he settled into a more normal interaction. He took up too much of my time showing me a product I'd feigned mild interest in to get him to stop talking about getting accused of inappropriate behavior at work. When we finally disengaged, he spent 10 minutes trying to catch my eye again. When he failed, he left.

There's this new breed of customer who insists on trying to incite political conversation through their clothing and, when that doesnt work, their snide little comments. If I owned my own business, maybe I would have given the guy the fight he wanted. But I work for a corporation and I love paying my bills so I deescalated.

Secret sanctuaries 💧

Self portrait, 2026

Sogna, Italy

Feel free to copy this email

To Infold Games,

We are writing to you today as a deeply concerned and disappointed community regarding the official cancellation of Valko from Love and Deepspace. The news has sent shockwaves through the entire fandom, and we feel compelled to address the company directly because we refuse to sit back and watch such an incredible character be phased out. Valko brought a completely unique energy, a fascinating dark charm, and a thrilling dynamic to the universe you have built. The immediate and overwhelming outcry across social media proves just how amazing he was and how much the player base wants him back.

What makes this decision so incredibly difficult for us to accept is the way his character was promoted to the community. Infold spent significant time and resources featuring him in official livestreams and dedicated videos, naturally generating massive hype and encouraging the fandom to invest heavily in his presence. To abruptly pull the plug after using these platforms to integrate him into our experience feels like a complete disservice to player engagement. You cannot showcase a character so prominently, witness the fanbase rally behind him with such passion, and then simply take him away after we have already supported the content.

We are formally urging Infold Games to look at the unified response from your community and reconsider this decision. The players who log in every day, support your streams, and love this game are asking you to listen to our feedback. We want Valko back, and we expect a company that values its audience to respect the time and emotional investment we pour into your world. Please, do the right thing for your player base and bring Valko back to Love and Deepspace.

Sincerely,

A missing scene from Berlin