(val)iant: or, val's guide to having a broken vag

While technically straight, but I refer to myself as Asexual, this story spoke to me due to having issues with sex and pelvic floor pain as well. I was lucky to be raised by a fairly open-minded mom who discussed sex and stuff with us and our school had a good education program, so I feel for anyone who was stuck with the education shown in this game. However, I was unfortunate to be born with a lot of comorbidities/disabilities and genetic stuff that caused a lot of hormonal problems and affected my pelvic floor unknowingly. I only just now got help for most of my stuff in my late 30s, but I know they definitely do not go over things like pelvic pain and whatnot, so I did feel ashamed for not being able to use a tampon. I learned I have hEDS which caused the pelvic floor issues and in regards to hormonal stuff, I had endometriosis as well as fibroids and ovarian cysts which were the cause for my period problems and extra pelvic pain. These are the things you aren't taught and it takes a long time to find out. I had to go through endless dismissals, take all sorts of birth controls, and jump through hoops for 10 years before I finally got my hysterectomy to stop the period stuff. I unfortunately cannot fix my pelvic floor problems but physical therapy helps keep the pain low enough to tolerate. This "game" is cool because it does do a basic education and provides some resources for people who aren't given this education. Once you understand, or at least think you might have an understanding of why your body is doing what it's doing, it can really help you to mend yourself or at least make life better. Sadly, the medical world is cruel to POCs, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, and women, so there's a lot of stigmas and a lot of myths about bodies and conditions and it can be hard for people to get the help they need. I recommend this game because of the fact that it not only talks about issues like pelvic floor pain (which, if you didn't know, can cause problems outside of periods and sex, such as pain when urinating, the feeling of a constant UTI, etc.) but also dealing with sex (especially if you have any sort of trauma around sex, whether mentally or physically, which can worsen the experience for you, which is why finding the right person is great because the best person is willing to go at your pace with sex whether it happens or not and doesn't hurt you) and sexuality (the scene with Val's friends reminded me of my Asexual experiences in that I wanted to talk about games and growing up and cooking and everyone just wanting to discuss sex) and horrible doctor's appointments (It's taken well over 20 years, several surgeries, tons of procedures, and tests just to get kinda stable physically and that's not even mentioning the millions of dismissals and failures I had to put up with). In essence, from a personal standpoint alone, I would suggest this because it discusses subjects close to my heart.

Genuinely great. Not only is it eye-opening for those that may not relate or understand, but is also paired with a story both well thought out and sweet in ways not often represented. It also taught me that the minora and majora aren't what I thought they were. ^v^'

Clever game play and free.

cute, short, and sweet game. sadly got stuck at the end with the audio of real people talking, but otherwise a good way to get some sex ed in if you have 30 minutes.

nonbinary representation, talks candidly about sex. good stuff

A gorgeous and important story that i am so glad i got to experience.