My Valentine’s Days are characterized by gushing. A full, unapologetic embrace of the season’s obsession with love. So, when AdHoc started dropping cheeky official Valentine’s cards for Dispatch on X, I was seated, ready, and fully prepared to overanalyze and fangirl over fictional flirtation like it was my full-time job.
But then, I felt something unexpected in this wave of fangirling. I started to yearn thanks to what was missing. On February 9, AdHoc kicked things off with a Dispatch Valentine’s card featuring Robert. Which is absolutely fine by me—he’s the protagonist, after all. Did I feel anything? Not particularly. He’s safe, but from safety, we could have gotten somewhere, perhaps a little bit on the fringes of the safety net. In that process, I began to realize that “what” was missing was actually a “who.”
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Dispatch’s Valentine’s Day Cards Made Me Yearn For The One That Got Away
On February 9, AdHoc Studio followed Robert’s card with an invitation. The studio hosted a vote on its Discord to decide which Valentine’s Day card would follow Robert’s. The options presented to fans were:
- Invisigal
- Flambae
- Blonde Blazer
There are some obvious threads that emerge here. Invisigal and Blonde Blazer are romance options in Dispatch Season 1, so it makes perfect sense to have them at the forefront. Flambae oozes sex appeal, so his was also understandable. But what was borderline unforgivable? Malevola’s absence. She was not a fourth option nor a cheeky “coming soon.” Simply, she was not an option.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Invisigal won the February 10 bid. Blonde Blazer followed on the 11. Malevola, even though she was not an option, finally appeared on the 12. Although she skipped Flambae in the so-called hierarchy, she still arrived at what I consider fashionably late at a party that she should have headlined. Because, let’s be honest: Malevola, maybe, should have gone first. In my least entitled take on this: she should have been offered the chance to go first.
I Need Everyone To Start Wanting Malevola as a Romance Option in Dispatch Season 2 As Much As I Need Her to Be
There’s a very specific kind of character that reshapes a fandom the moment they appear. From Sans to the Onceler, I grew up seeing entire fandoms live and die on Tumblr thanks to these characters. Among them are those with a commanding presence and a sharp edge that reads less “reformed villain” and more “a romance option that will have me in a chokehold.” Malevola, for me, fits that mold effortlessly.
In a post-BG3‘s Karlach romance world, audiences have proven that they admire a couple of things:
- They crave in-game romances with emotionally layered, powerful women.
- These women have heat in their hearts and dialogue.
- The black horns and red skin combo is lethal.
After experiencing what a fully realized, unapologetically intense romance arc can be in a video game, it’s difficult to ask fans to retreat to safer, flatter options. Malevola feels more than just a viable romance option for Dispatch Season 2—she feels inevitable.
Valentine’s Day is About Choices. Let’s Choose Chaos.
Invisigal’s romance felt like taking a chance on something with potential. Blonde Blazer is literally a paragon, and her romance reflects idyllic stability. But it’s time for some real hellfire.
The Valentine’s card rollout may have been playful marketing for fans who have grown to love Dispatch‘s characters. Community engagement tactics and harmless polls are just part of the fun of belonging to an active fandom. However, fandoms are not neutral ecosystems. They are ecosystems fueled by yearning, and if the response to Malevola’s card is any indication, then the fandom’s appetite is clearly there. The card hit different. Reactions carry weight. And the potential practically hums through a static image.
So yes, this is perhaps a Valentine’s Day plea. If Dispatch Season 2 is going to lean into more romance options, it should not hedge or soften. Most importantly, it should not delay what feels inevitable. After our best girl Karlach, the bar is simply higher. Some of us cannot be expected to thrive without a Malevola romance arc to emotionally destabilize us in ways that only Adhoc can. So, yeah, the card was adorable. Now, I just need the storyline to go alongside it.
Dispatch
- Released
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October 22, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood, Crude Humor, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
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AdHoc Studio
- Publisher(s)
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AdHoc Studio
