when i finished this vn i was left feeling a bit like i had been gutshot and a sense of discomfort clung to me for the following week. though having sat with and digested this story for long enough i realize now though just how important it was to have read it, how important it is for stories like this to exist and, despite how it made me feel in the moments after finishing it, how much i enjoyed it - a whole lot on all counts.
being a trans, therian, mentally ill lil' freak i look over my shoulder at the moments in my life - hard work, near misses, lucky breaks, unexpected handouts, and unconditional love from friends and partners that have kept me out of the sort of place these characters inhabit and I feel blessed but at the same time this story contains beautiful reminder among the grime and fear that even at the bottom there is hope and love and community and reasons to keep going to be found on the far fringes. loner_dog *is* upsetting but left me aching to read more similar stories and really excited to see more stuff by the dev/writer.