u/Chaddy-Potato

I really enjoy his input! I was mostly calm about the multi by now but his point of view and interpretations always give me another rush of calmness so I wanted to share it 💚

We're entering another month of people boycotting and I know some people may be tired of it, annoyed by it or may decided they don't want to participate anymore.

That's okay.

But if you're still boycotting, are considering whether to continue or maybe even considering joining in, I wanted to remind you why the boycott matters and why the behavior of people online doesn't change that.

The boycott isn't about whether the people you see online are nice, annoying, toxic, radical or reasonable. It isn't about fandom drama.

It's a consumer action.

You can disagree with individual people while still recognizing that the issues they're protesting are real. And you can dislike the way someone advocates for a cause without making the cause itself irrelevant.

What are people boycotting for?

There isn't just one reason to boycott. Some of the main issues include:

- Better communication

- Greater transparency

- More options for resolving problems and complaints

- Lighting issues

- Valko's removal

- More consistent and meaningful new content

- And other ongoing issues with the game

Those are issues, not personal preferences.

For example, how much of your MC you want to see in cards is a personal preference. Different players will naturally want different things and Infold can't satisfy every preference equally.

Lighting issues, missing communication or content being removed after months of development are not simply matters of taste.

And that's why I want to specifically address Valko's removal.

Why Valko matters beyond personal preference

For the industry:

This isn't simply about a character.

If creative content can be developed for months and then removed because of external restrictions after developers, artists, writers, voice actors and other workers have already invested significant time into it, there are consequences beyond the game itself.

People lose paid work. Months of creative work may never be released and depending on how confidential the project remains, some of that work may not even be usable publicly as portfolio material.

It also creates uncertainty.

If something can be planned, announced, developed and worked on for months only to disappear later, that affects the people creating the content as well as the players investing in the game.

And once this kind of precedent exists, nobody can assume it will only affect one character.

For players:

This also isn't simply about wanting a "shiny new toy."

A new character means more content.

It brings new stories, events, battles, rewards, pulls and other resources. You don't have to spend money on the character to benefit from that content.

Whether you're F2P, saving for another character or simply don't have the money to spend that month, he's a way to farm more resources.

That's particularly relevant in a game where resources are limited and expensive.

So Valko matters even if you never wanted him personally.

His removal affects the game's content cycle, the work of the people who created him, the expectations set for the future of the game and the amount of content and resources available to the entire player base.

If none of these issues affect your experience or enjoyment of the game, you don't have to boycott.

If you were boycotting because of a specific issue, that issue was resolved and you're satisfied with the direction the game is taking, you don't have to boycott.

If you have concerns but they simply aren't important enough to you to stop spending, you don't have to boycott.

But if these issues matter to you, continuing the boycott is a legitimate way to communicate that.

A company doesn't have to be evil for customers to demand better treatment. And a game can be fun while the company behind it still deserves criticism.

Enjoying Love and Deepspace and refusing to spend money on it are not mutually exclusive.

A boycott is one of the few forms of leverage individual customers have. It allows people to communicate: I like your product, but I am not willing to financially support these decisions.

Don't let fandom drama decide for you

Don't let "it's been too long," "it isn't working," "your issues don't matter," or "the people supporting it are annoying" make the decision for you.

If you spend enough time online, you will encounter every kind of person.

Valko supporters. Antis. Radicals. People who are respectful. People who are rude. People who argue in good faith. People who don't.

None of that changes the actual issues.

You don't have to engage with people you dislike. Block them. Mute them. Ignore them. Protect your own peace.

But don't confuse fandom behavior with the reason for the boycott.

You decide what you support, you decide where your money goes and you decide which issues matter enough to you to act on.

If Valko doesn't matter to you personally but you understand why he matters to other players and choose to support them anyway, that's great.

If lighting issues don't matter to you but you know it deeply affects others, so you support the boycott because of that, awesome!

Solidarity doesn't require identical priorities and compassion makes us stronger.

So if any of these issues matter to you:

Boycott.

Don't be cruel to people.

Don't harass anyone.

And don't let other people's behavior decide what you believe.

Block people who are being assholes.

Keep your focus on the actual issues.

And have fun with people you connect with.

Throughout this boycott, everyone has been affected in one way or another, but I think we can all agree that Harem girls and Jasmines have been thrown especially hard under the bus.

I don't want to ask anyone to please not spend, because I think the girls who are boycotting have already proven themselves more than enough. Instead, I just want to take a moment to show some appreciation, especially to everyone who is choosing to boycott the birthday banner 💚

So I wanted to ask: Is there anything that would cheer you up or help you feel a little better when you're feeling discouraged?

I think gathering some ideas and inspiration could be helpful for everyone. We've had plenty of stress, uncertainty and fear lately, so I think a little wave of fun, appreciation and positivity is more than deserved!

What would make you smile?

I think I finally reached the mindset I've been hoping for and I wanted to share it here!

For the past few weeks, I've realized I wasn't just advocating for Valko because I wanted his return, I was desperate for it.

Every rumor mattered, every negative post ruined my mood, every day without news felt like a step backwards because I needed good news just to feel okay.

The most frustrating part with this was, I fully knew that it wasn't good for me.

I knew constantly chasing news and needing to have good ones wasn't healthy. I tried to keep those feelings in check, I know how to rationalize things, how to pull myself back from a bad place. I knew that this desperation to get Valko back needed to change, but knowing something and truly feeling it are two very different things. Plus I was also a bit afraid that without being desperate, I would lose my motivation.

Now this change finally happened, I don't fully know why, maybe it was because I let myself fight with people a bit about the new Hashtag yesterday, maybe because I let go of fighting today to fully focus on spreading love for Valko again. Whatever it was, I could feel the change.

I still want Valko back just as much as I did before. If anything, I want it even more now. But I don't feel desperate anymore, I feel determined.

Desperation makes you chase every rumor, panic over every setback and feel like even the possibility of a "no" is the end.

Determination, for me, is like an inner force saying "I know what I'm fighting for, I'm not going anywhere and I'm gonna get what I want."

I'm no longer going to measure my happiness by whether Infold says something this week or the next months.

Instead, I'm focusing on what we can control: Supporting each other, creating art, helping organizations and keeping the conversation alive in a respectful way.

Thankfully, letting go of that desperation has made me more committed than ever. I'm done letting uncertainty decide whether I have a good day or waiting for some news to give me hope.

I don't need hope anymore, because I'm gonna keep fighting for Valko, not because I'm afraid of him not returning but because I'm only gonna stop at his return.

I noticed something from the start of this movement and I really have to highlight it, I think we all are aware that our core message is that love is stronger than hate.

Over the course of the last weeks I really have to say how impressed and surprised I am by our community. We’ve faced so much hate; we’ve been ignored, ridiculed, and insulted. We would have every reason to lash out, but instead, I keep seeing us take that hate and transform it into something positive. Donations, petitions, mutual support, appreciation for artists and developers and now, when antis use the recycling symbol to mock Valko, what do we do? We embrace it and use it to promote environmental protection and recycling! We clean up forests and share information about organizations dedicated to the environment!

To some, this situation might just look like some drama in the gaming world, but the way our community reacts and acts is impressive. It goes far beyond just a game. It shows that people from all over the world can come together, it reveals the good in people, it demonstrates that we can support one another and leave a legacy of positive action rather than tearing each other down. In times when it’s easy to lose hope in the world and humanity, for me our community is proof that things can be different!

I am not saying that hate doesn't exist or that we don't sometimes go too far or make mistakes. We are human, we aren't perfect and emotions can outpace our reason. But the fundamental concept of transforming something negative, something meant to hurt, into something that helps people, animals and the environment is an incredible principle upon we are built and I deeply appreciate every single one of us for that!

Keep Howling for Love and never forget that we're already making a difference 💛🐺

Hello everyone, please slow down for a moment. Nobody is becoming an anti, whenever they leave a mean comment in anger, point fingers in panic or spread misinformation because they didn't think something through.

These things happen because people care and it's great that people care. We have something important for us, that's gonna cause chaos and high emotions again and again but it's worth it.

All we can do is learn from it, apologies if we did something wrong and try to do better next time.

We will not be perfect, we care so we are scared, that's okay.

Just take it day for day, when you see something new take a breath, we have a platform that does a great job at checking things over, you don't have to act instantly.

I have seen so many theories, supposedly "confirmed" information, opinions, hope and disappointment the past days and it's only been three days since 6.0 dropped.

I'm also not fully aware about the situation, I don't know what is right or what truly is the best course of action but I feel like from what I'm seeing it is too much, too fast and too uncoordinated.

One moment it's the media, then it's a smear campaign, then it's Infold themselves, then it's the government and it just keeps changing over and over again.

I just needed to say, slow down.

Valko is canceled for now, that's not gonna change over night and it's not gonna help if we divide ourselves into different groups that believe in different things.

I know we're all frustrated about the silence, I know we're all wanna understand what's really going on but I don't think we're gonna get that, especially not as fast as we would want to.

Our hope and dessorientation makes us vulnerable, people are gonna believe the thing that seems most convincing to them and others may take advantage of that.

So I'm gonna give my two cents into the debate, because in the end we're dealing with a big company that has a history of ignoring problems, complaints and demands. That's one of the only true facts we have and a company like this has more stamina than us, especially if we keep shooting hard and fast in all directions.

We're gonna burn ourselves out. We're gonna get annoying for others. We're gonna start fighting each other about what is "right".

That's what would truly bring us down.

So I'm gonna leave my suggestion here, because I truly care and those are the only things I know will interest a company.

1. Don't spend money

2. Leave clearly stated bad reviews about true issues of the game not just Valko

3. Request refunds

4. Let Customer Service know you will not spend any more money until issues are fixed

You can log in, you can pull, you don't need to blame people for doing that. Just don't spend money and advocate to others to not spend money as well.

Don't start a fight with people still enjoying the game, don't start any fights at all, they just drain energy and that's what you will need.

Spread love for Valko, spread love for all characters, but do it for yourself. Enjoy what you can about the game, the characters, the community.

But also your real life, get fresh air, take care of yourself. You will break in a week if you don't get this activity to fit within your real life, don't let it take over it.

We don't need to be consistently trending, we don't need to jump on everything right away.

Don't spend money and spread love. That's it.

At least that is what I believe and what I'm gonna do, I just felt like it was also important to share.