I finished the game, I think it's really important we share our stories. i think trans narratives in media so often fail to authentically capture the experience. there's so much shame and trauma along the path for so many of us. this game touched me, I'm proud of you for opening up. thank you for sharing.
Played through. You and your story are worth knowing, and you did a great job putting it together in this game. Whatever you do from now on, I hope you know that a bunch of people on the internet appreciate you.
Only being able to imagine the ammount of effort and pain this must've taken to make, I thank you for making and sharing such a personal and honest game.
taylor, thank you for making this game and thank you for all of the work you do to build community among queer game developers. the game is so beautifully made & i feel lucky to have played it.
Probably the most human game I've ever played. Not just an amazing example of what indie games can be, but an experience that I am going to think about for a long time to come.
thank you for taking the time to put this game together, I played all the way through and I see and understand many of the traumas laid out here. I hope you are finding the space to heal where you can, where each of us holding pieces of similar shapes to your own are finding our ways as well.
I have to say I've never understood sex work as an asexual, respected it and think it should be respected/protected definitely, but this game showed a different side to it. I think friends in the past glorified it especially since they were young, underage and dumb. Almost like sally but in a digital way. Obviously as the creator stated we still respect sex work, the game is just showing her experience. The game is amazingly made, love the graphics and the story is heartbreaking. I hope this was a way to help heal her trauma and hope she's doing better!
I can't begin to tell you how much of your story resonated with me. I'm afraid to even let on how much of it I could relate to. But I just wanted you to know that you're not alone and if nothing else, through sharing our stories, maybe we can make things better for people like us. Thank you for this.
Thank you so much for telling your story, hit very close to home for me in a lot of ways. I really admire your strength in being able to put this together and I hope this finds you well. One of the most powerful games I've ever played
I'm honestly completely speechless. I don't know what to say, but I feel like I needed this. Thank you for telling your story and making your voice be heard.
I am so privileged to live in Canada where I never had to make the choice between transition or necessities. This story is so touching and heart-rending. I sincerely hope you find yourself in a good place where you can be comfortable in your transition and you can process your trauma in a way that will leave you feeling whole again. I wish you all the best, please reach out if you need support.
I don't think I've every played a game quite as personal as this one. I'm not sure how to put into words how much I love that it exists. Thank you for making this.
I don't miss this life, but knowing there are others moving forward is helping me do the same. This hit really close to home but I'm so thankful you did this. You're amazing. Thank you.
I saw this game on steam when going to games tagged female protag. it looked interesting and i thought id be able to handle it so i came and found the itch page for it well hell was i wrong. i wasn't able to finish the game and i honestly at least where im at currently in my life don't think id be able to. i tried to write more than this but im currently trying to keep myself from crying bc this game just made me stop ignoring some of my problems ive had going on for years along with just more recent stuff that's happened in the last few months.
I haven't finished it because I think it glitched out when I played it, but I really think that this was well made. You are so brave for telling a story like this, and just good job with the game over all.
I can't finish this at the moment but I'd just like to say how incredibly insightful this is. The bravery to expose yourself to something so personal instead of hiding away is so admirable. I hope one day I'm strong enough to acknowledge my personal memories to the point where I can explain them so perfectly to strangers through art. This is a beautifully crafted experience, and I thank you for sharing it with us. Have a lovely day.
Your game reminds me of why I love playing games... I checked out a few of your other works and thought they were fantastic as well. I admire your strength to share something so deeply personal, and I wish you great luck in your future projects.
Found this game through the Queer Games Bundle. Played through all your other ones too.
So long as it benefits you to make art, please keep doing so. Even if it's flawed, even if you feel like you didn't get to say what you really wanted to say, I hope you keep trying. I hope you get to feel listened to regardless.
Usually I try to write fairly detached and short reviews, but that just feels so wrong to do in this case. This game is a painfully authentic recollection of its creator's traumatic experiences of sex work. The aesthetic elements complement the narrative extremely well and the writing is outstanding - at least to the best of my understanding as someone without any personal experience of sex work.
While this story is in the specific context of the pre-Affordable Care Act USA, I've definitely known people with similar socio-economic situations and trauma in the UK too.This game helped me to better imagine the kinds of things that some of my friends (specifically, transfeminine people who have been sex workers) could have experienced, and how that might affect the rest of their lives.
I certainly will never think about gifts or money the same way ever again after playing this, and I'm grateful that I can now take a more trauma-informed approach to these topics in future.
The narrator takes care to distinguish the specific experiences under discussion as one individual's story, not something to be weaponised against sex work or sex workers in general. It felt like a very carefully considered piece of work all round, but especially in this regard.
There are no visually graphic sexual elements, though there are a few pixel-art representations of a character's upper body changes due to HRT which I suppose counts as mild nudity.
There is, of course, a lot of text covering the core theme of sex work. A substantial share is sexually explicit, but in a way that reinforces the key ideas of the narrative and/or relates the facts of a situation, not in a way intended to sensationalise or titillate.
For example, the inbox full of explicit messages from potential clients and timewasters is optional, but certainly gives those who choose to read it a powerful example of many gratingly dehumanising attitudes toward sex workers. I can attest that when I forced myself to read all of them (in an attempt to mirror the protagonist's experience of having to sift through them all) I could actually feel myself becoming slightly desensitised to the horror of it by the sheer volume of the messages. The fact that I technically could stop reading them, but the protagonist was compelled to by circumstance, made the removal of their agency hit even harder. This was an extremely effective design choice.
Similarly, the portrayal of the protagonist's first meetings with a client was written clearly enough to convey the facts of the situation, with details where they were necessary, but the writing focused mainly on the dissociation needed to get through it and the lingering psychological impact it had. This, in combination with the shifting visual design of the protagonist, did an incredible job of conveying the most relevant elements of the experiences under discussion.
The anguish of never being able to talk with people about these topics (due to the criminalisation of sex work and/or the need to suit a client's desired behaviours) was palpable in various dialogue sections. It made me feel furious about the laws and social attitudes that put the protagonist in such an awful position for their mental health.
I am really grateful that the creator made the decision to develop this game, as I can only try to imagine the number of people in similar situations who might see themselves reflected in it, and the number of poorly-informed people like me out there who can learn so much from it. Whoever you are, if you are capable of playing this game without it causing you harm then I strongly recommend that you do so.
I may only know your story through what you've chosen to share, but the vulnerability and honesty of this game really touched me. Your life and voice are so important and I'm thankful that you shared them.
thank you for sharing your game with us. while the gameplay and art style are unique, I think it's important to acknowledge the seriousness of trauma and the difficulty that comes with dealing with it. healing from trauma takes time, patience, and professional help, and it's not something that can be easily fixed.
I also think it's important to remember that blaming others for your mistakes is not a healthy way to deal with trauma. it's important to take responsibility for your own life and work towards changing your behavior while seeking the help you need to heal.
I hope that the main character in this game is able to find the help and support she needs to heal from her trauma. it's not an easy journey, but it's important to remember that she is not a pathetic little victim, but rather a strong individual who is brave enough to face her past and work towards a better future.
the title of this caught my eye while i was looking at the bundle - it was really impactful, and i hope you feel better for having made it. thank you for sharing your story, and i wish a comfortable recovery and trans joy for you.
The title sure got my attention and. Well. This was impactful and I’m glad I played through it. Thanks for sharing. I hope you’re in a better place now.
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What a good game, perfection. It's important to share that kind of story.
This was a heartbreaking and beautiful experience. Thank you for sharing this part of your story with us. <3
thank you very much, really thank you.
I finished the game, I think it's really important we share our stories. i think trans narratives in media so often fail to authentically capture the experience. there's so much shame and trauma along the path for so many of us. this game touched me, I'm proud of you for opening up. thank you for sharing.
I experienced your story, it might fade from memory, but I will let it be apart of my ongoing spirit.
Thank you.
Played through. You and your story are worth knowing, and you did a great job putting it together in this game. Whatever you do from now on, I hope you know that a bunch of people on the internet appreciate you.
ouch
Only being able to imagine the ammount of effort and pain this must've taken to make, I thank you for making and sharing such a personal and honest game.
Please do take care of yourself.
taylor, thank you for making this game and thank you for all of the work you do to build community among queer game developers. the game is so beautifully made & i feel lucky to have played it.
Wow, ive never felt so many consecutive and thought provoked emotions in any game. Thanks for your story
Probably the most human game I've ever played. Not just an amazing example of what indie games can be, but an experience that I am going to think about for a long time to come.
thank you for taking the time to put this game together, I played all the way through and I see and understand many of the traumas laid out here. I hope you are finding the space to heal where you can, where each of us holding pieces of similar shapes to your own are finding our ways as well.
I have to say I've never understood sex work as an asexual, respected it and think it should be respected/protected definitely, but this game showed a different side to it. I think friends in the past glorified it especially since they were young, underage and dumb. Almost like sally but in a digital way. Obviously as the creator stated we still respect sex work, the game is just showing her experience. The game is amazingly made, love the graphics and the story is heartbreaking. I hope this was a way to help heal her trauma and hope she's doing better!
This game really resonated with me
"proudest nut i've busted"
why would you ever say something like this.
was that in the msgs on the porn site or is this guy just another?
"worst comment i've read"
I can't begin to tell you how much of your story resonated with me. I'm afraid to even let on how much of it I could relate to. But I just wanted you to know that you're not alone and if nothing else, through sharing our stories, maybe we can make things better for people like us. Thank you for this.
This game was absolutely amazing. really resonated a lot with me thanks for telling your story, its helped me feel less alone
really great game, thanks for sharing your experiences
Thank you so much for telling your story, hit very close to home for me in a lot of ways. I really admire your strength in being able to put this together and I hope this finds you well. One of the most powerful games I've ever played
Sending you a message that I stayed and listened. Thank you to take the time and tell this story.
I'm honestly completely speechless. I don't know what to say, but I feel like I needed this. Thank you for telling your story and making your voice be heard.
I am so privileged to live in Canada where I never had to make the choice between transition or necessities. This story is so touching and heart-rending. I sincerely hope you find yourself in a good place where you can be comfortable in your transition and you can process your trauma in a way that will leave you feeling whole again. I wish you all the best, please reach out if you need support.
I don't think I've every played a game quite as personal as this one. I'm not sure how to put into words how much I love that it exists. Thank you for making this.
this is really good.
Heartshaking. Thank you.
/r/detrans
/r/justneckbeardthings
I don't miss this life, but knowing there are others moving forward is helping me do the same. This hit really close to home but I'm so thankful you did this. You're amazing. Thank you.
I saw this game on steam when going to games tagged female protag. it looked interesting and i thought id be able to handle it so i came and found the itch page for it well hell was i wrong. i wasn't able to finish the game and i honestly at least where im at currently in my life don't think id be able to.
i tried to write more than this but im currently trying to keep myself from crying bc this game just made me stop ignoring some of my problems ive had going on for years along with just more recent stuff that's happened in the last few months.
You are brave. I can't really comment on the thing I often can't describe deep stuff.
all I will say is if you are in the right place download this game
I haven't finished it because I think it glitched out when I played it, but I really think that this was well made. You are so brave for telling a story like this, and just good job with the game over all.
I can't finish this at the moment but I'd just like to say how incredibly insightful this is. The bravery to expose yourself to something so personal instead of hiding away is so admirable. I hope one day I'm strong enough to acknowledge my personal memories to the point where I can explain them so perfectly to strangers through art. This is a beautifully crafted experience, and I thank you for sharing it with us. Have a lovely day.
Your game reminds me of why I love playing games... I checked out a few of your other works and thought they were fantastic as well. I admire your strength to share something so deeply personal, and I wish you great luck in your future projects.
Found this game through the Queer Games Bundle. Played through all your other ones too.
So long as it benefits you to make art, please keep doing so. Even if it's flawed, even if you feel like you didn't get to say what you really wanted to say, I hope you keep trying. I hope you get to feel listened to regardless.
Usually I try to write fairly detached and short reviews, but that just feels so wrong to do in this case. This game is a painfully authentic recollection of its creator's traumatic experiences of sex work. The aesthetic elements complement the narrative extremely well and the writing is outstanding - at least to the best of my understanding as someone without any personal experience of sex work.
While this story is in the specific context of the pre-Affordable Care Act USA, I've definitely known people with similar socio-economic situations and trauma in the UK too.This game helped me to better imagine the kinds of things that some of my friends (specifically, transfeminine people who have been sex workers) could have experienced, and how that might affect the rest of their lives.
I certainly will never think about gifts or money the same way ever again after playing this, and I'm grateful that I can now take a more trauma-informed approach to these topics in future.
The narrator takes care to distinguish the specific experiences under discussion as one individual's story, not something to be weaponised against sex work or sex workers in general. It felt like a very carefully considered piece of work all round, but especially in this regard.
There are no visually graphic sexual elements, though there are a few pixel-art representations of a character's upper body changes due to HRT which I suppose counts as mild nudity.
There is, of course, a lot of text covering the core theme of sex work. A substantial share is sexually explicit, but in a way that reinforces the key ideas of the narrative and/or relates the facts of a situation, not in a way intended to sensationalise or titillate.
For example, the inbox full of explicit messages from potential clients and timewasters is optional, but certainly gives those who choose to read it a powerful example of many gratingly dehumanising attitudes toward sex workers. I can attest that when I forced myself to read all of them (in an attempt to mirror the protagonist's experience of having to sift through them all) I could actually feel myself becoming slightly desensitised to the horror of it by the sheer volume of the messages. The fact that I technically could stop reading them, but the protagonist was compelled to by circumstance, made the removal of their agency hit even harder. This was an extremely effective design choice.
Similarly, the portrayal of the protagonist's first meetings with a client was written clearly enough to convey the facts of the situation, with details where they were necessary, but the writing focused mainly on the dissociation needed to get through it and the lingering psychological impact it had. This, in combination with the shifting visual design of the protagonist, did an incredible job of conveying the most relevant elements of the experiences under discussion.
The anguish of never being able to talk with people about these topics (due to the criminalisation of sex work and/or the need to suit a client's desired behaviours) was palpable in various dialogue sections. It made me feel furious about the laws and social attitudes that put the protagonist in such an awful position for their mental health.
I am really grateful that the creator made the decision to develop this game, as I can only try to imagine the number of people in similar situations who might see themselves reflected in it, and the number of poorly-informed people like me out there who can learn so much from it. Whoever you are, if you are capable of playing this game without it causing you harm then I strongly recommend that you do so.
I may only know your story through what you've chosen to share, but the vulnerability and honesty of this game really touched me. Your life and voice are so important and I'm thankful that you shared them.
Thank you for creating your game. I can't think of many expressive words right now, but I wish you joy, health, and many many comforts.
thank you for sharing your game with us. while the gameplay and art style are unique, I think it's important to acknowledge the seriousness of trauma and the difficulty that comes with dealing with it. healing from trauma takes time, patience, and professional help, and it's not something that can be easily fixed.
I also think it's important to remember that blaming others for your mistakes is not a healthy way to deal with trauma. it's important to take responsibility for your own life and work towards changing your behavior while seeking the help you need to heal.
I hope that the main character in this game is able to find the help and support she needs to heal from her trauma. it's not an easy journey, but it's important to remember that she is not a pathetic little victim, but rather a strong individual who is brave enough to face her past and work towards a better future.
the title of this caught my eye while i was looking at the bundle - it was really impactful, and i hope you feel better for having made it. thank you for sharing your story, and i wish a comfortable recovery and trans joy for you.
The title sure got my attention and. Well. This was impactful and I’m glad I played through it. Thanks for sharing. I hope you’re in a better place now.