#linarambles

We lost an entire section of the MAIN STORY.

The livestream literally told us Valko's release was going to reveal more about the Aethercore—one of the biggest mysteries in Love and Deepspace and something that's been central to the plot from the very beginning.

So now what?

You think they can just delete him and nothing changes?

Do people genuinely think you can rip out an entire story arc without consequences?

Everything that was supposed to be revealed through Valko now has to be rewritten, redistributed, or outright cut. The main story is going to have to be retconned. Future updates are going to have to be reworked. Characters may have to be rewritten just to fill the gap he leaves.

If you're celebrating this because you "won," I sincerely hope you understand what you've actually cheered for.

The people behind this so-called "tool" have clearly stated that the LLM models clearly scour through available content online to learn and replicate to generate content. It's not a creative medium. There has been a lot of research on how AI cannot understand or replicate human emotion which is the core of any form of art.

You, claiming that you don't see it that way is a standalone perspective not based on fact. It just helps you feel better about stealing someone else's creativity and changing it enough to make it seem like it's your own.

If it were merely a tool, we wouldn't see writers, artists, actors, photographers actively protest and demand for AI legislations to protect their work.

And this is just about intellectual property infringement.

Let's not forget about the environmental and social impact of using AI to make your favorite character behave the way you want him/her/them to. Data centers are harming neighborhoods they're around. There's also an active technological crisis with RAMS, SSDs and CPUs making it very hard for technology to actually be affordable and the effects of this crisis will trickle down from industries to people. If making tech gets expensive because of these core components, companies will offset the costs by making their products and services more expensive, firing people, cutting corners.

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.

Can this man yearn anymore harder?????? 😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺

He looks so soft

But I have had this hollow pit in my stomach for the last four hours since Infold dropped that letter.

It genuinely doesn't feel real.

I was so excited for Valko. Not just because "new LI yay," but because I was excited to see where the story was going. His Myth PVs hinted at so much, especially after where TOY left us. The livestream literally said we'd be learning more about the Aethercore. I was ready to start putting pieces together, theorizing, screaming with everyone over every little reveal.

And now...

Nothing.

It just feels so... hopeless.

I wanted to meet him.

I wanted to write him.

I already had fic ideas floating around in my head. I wanted to learn how he spoke, how he texted, what kind of humor he had, what made him angry, what made him laugh, what little habits he'd have that fandom would inevitably latch onto. I wanted to see the tiny details that make a character feel alive before trying to capture that in my own writing.

And now I don't know if I'll ever get that chance.

Part of me is desperately clinging to the hope that he'll come back somehow. That Infold will see just how many people genuinely support Valko despite everything that's happened. That they'll realize deleting him isn't the answer and find another way.

But then the other part of me...the pessimistic par is sitting here asking... Is this it?

Is this really how it ends?

His content is still up. His PVs are still there. And I keep opening them, checking them, almost expecting them to disappear too. Like if they vanish, then it'll finally feel official.

I don't know.

I'm just... really in my feelings right now.

The CN fandom is slowly waking up and many players are now voicing support for Valko's release. There's also a lot of confusion and misinformation flying around after everything that's happened, and many people are trying to separate fact from rumor.

If you'd like to support bringing Valko back:

Sign the petitions on iPetition and Change.org. The CN fandom has created a website dedicated to Valko with links to these petitions and other resources.

Leave respectful comments on Infold's official social media asking them to reconsider Valko's cancellation.

If you're comfortable doing so and your country allows access to Xiaohongshu (XHS) or Weibo, consider making an account and showing your support there as well. Seeing support from players around the world can make a difference.

But please, if you do this, remember a few things:

Do not engage with obvious trolls or people trying to bait you into arguments.

Do not use racist, xenophobic, or inflammatory language. Ever.

Keep politics out of the conversation. The goal is to support Valko and ask for better communication not to escalate things further.

Some people may insult you, accuse you of things, or try to provoke you. Ignore them. You're not going to change everyone's mind, and arguing only buries the constructive voices.

Like and boost comments that respectfully advocate for Valko's return. Positive engagement is often more visible than arguments.

Above all, be respectful of Chinese history and culture. You can support Valko while also acknowledging why the original controversy was painful to many players.

Maybe I should've managed my expectations better.

Maybe I should've prepared myself for this outcome instead of letting myself believe that things could still turn around.

But it's hard not to hope when you spend days watching people from all over the world come together for something they love.

So before anything else... thank you.

Thank you to everyone who spoke up. Thank you to everyone who translated posts, explained what was happening, wrote feedback, shared information, donated, stayed up all night refreshing social media, and simply cared enough to try.

To me, this was never just about Valko.

It was about what kind of future this game is heading towards. It was about whether a company would communicate with its players, whether creative decisions could be reversed through harassment, and what precedent that sets going forward.

Watching everyone unite reminded me why I loved this community in the first place. For a little while, it really felt like we were all on the same side, regardless of language, main or server.

And honestly... that's probably what hurts the most

Infold still hasn't said anything. The update has gone live for most servers, yet we're still left piecing everything together ourselves. I genuinely think that I and a lot of other people could've accepted this so much better if there had just been an explanation and a plan.

Instead, we've been left with silence.

I don't know why.

Maybe there are reasons they legally can't discuss. Maybe it has something to do with the current situation in China. Maybe this is simply the direction they want to take the game.

I don't know.

I just wish they had trusted their players enough to communicate with us. What I do know is that silence has only made everything hurt more.

Despite all of this... I don't have it in me to quit.

Sylus has become such an incredible comfort character to me. More than that, I've poured so much time, love, and yes, money into this game. But even beyond the game itself, Love and Deepspace gave me something I never expected.

It brought so many wonderful people into my life. Madi, Xia, Ivy, Hamu, Iah, Leap, Em, Sam, Nuggie, Haydes, Rori, Xiu, Nova, Reena, Tori, Kaits, Khea... and so many others I'm probably forgetting while writing this.

This community became part of my everyday life.

This game also gave me back something I thought I'd lost. It made me write again. It made me create.

It gave me roleplay partners, stories to tell, and three girls that somehow became pieces of myself... Nymeria, Myyrin and Valerie.

I've spent countless hours thinking about them, drawing connections to the game's lore, writing scenes, making playlists, laughing over headcanons. That's not something I can just walk away from overnight.

So...

I'll stay.

But I don't think it'll ever feel quite the same again. There'll always be this little ache in the back of my mind whenever I open the game... A reminder of what happened.

One thing has changed permanently, though: I'm done spending money on this game. I was never a whale. I bought things here and there when I could because I wanted to support something I loved. Now? I don't even see myself renewing my Aurum Pass.

For me, supporting a game isn't just about the content it releases. It's also about trusting the people behind it. And right now, that trust has been broken. When a company shows that it can bend under sustained pressure from harassment while failing to communicate openly with the broader playerbase, that sends a message in itself.

To everyone who's choosing to leave... I'm genuinely sorry it came to this.

We really did try.

People translated. Organized. Wrote feedback. Stayed respectful. Donated to charity. Tried to keep discussions constructive. Countless players across every server spent days hoping there would be a different outcome. We all thought we could turn the tide by showing Infold that we stand with them and they shouldn't focus on the hate. Regardless of where anyone stood on specific changes, I think most of us simply wanted transparency.

Instead, we're left with silence.

And that's the part that's hardest to accept. Maybe it wasn't enough. Maybe nothing we did could've changed the outcome.

But at least we cared enough to try. I just wish it hadn't ended like this.

For now, I'll keep loving Sylus.

I'll keep writing (slowly).

I'll keep making my girls kiss fictional men.