Rot with me

Rot With Me is a mature yuri kinetic novel about chronic illness, disability, medical trauma, love, and codependency. Created for Toxic Yuri VN Jam 2, the story follows a young woman living with constant pain, unstable joints, exhausting medical tests, and the fear that resting may feel less like recovery and more like slowly disappearing.

Developed by a two-person team who both live with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, also known as hEDS, Rot With Me presents a deeply personal perspective on disability. Rather than offering an easy cure or a comforting fantasy, the game explores anger, grief, isolation, dark humor, and the complicated bond between two girls who understand each other’s pain.

Play Rot With Me Online

Rot With Me is a short, reading-focused visual novel designed for mature players who appreciate emotional stories, psychological drama, disability narratives, and dark yuri romance. The game contains approximately 4,700 words and usually takes around 20 to 30 minutes to complete.

Most of the story unfolds linearly, allowing the writing, artwork, music, and atmosphere to remain at the center of the experience. Near the end, one important decision leads to two different conclusions.

What Is Rot With Me About?

The story follows a young woman trying to live inside a body affected by chronic pain and recurring joint problems. Ordinary activities become exhausting, medical appointments feel endless, and rest does not always bring relief.

Her relationship with another girl becomes a place of comfort and recognition. They understand experiences that other people may dismiss or fail to notice. At the same time, their bond develops into something emotionally complicated, where care, dependence, affection, and despair begin to overlap.

A Personal Story About Chronic Illness

Rot With Me does not treat disability as a temporary obstacle that can be solved through determination. Its characters live with conditions that shape their routines, relationships, and sense of identity.

The writing focuses on the uncomfortable gap between needing rest and fearing what inactivity represents. It also explores the emotional exhaustion caused by medical uncertainty, repeated examinations, physical pain, and a world that is not designed around disabled bodies.

Yuri Romance and Codependency

The relationship at the center of the game offers both solace and danger. The two girls find understanding in each other, but their closeness may also reinforce hopelessness and unhealthy dependence.

This makes Rot With Me more than a conventional romance story. It asks whether shared pain can help two people survive, or whether it can pull them deeper into despair together.

How to Play Rot With Me

Rot With Me is a kinetic novel, so the main gameplay consists of reading dialogue and narration while moving through illustrated scenes. The story is mostly linear and does not require frequent choices or complex controls.

Read the Linear Narrative

Advance through the text to follow the protagonist’s experiences with chronic illness, medical environments, physical pain, and her relationship with another girl.

The game relies on writing, images, sound, and pacing rather than traditional action mechanics.

Make the Final Decision

Near the end of the story, you encounter one crucial choice. This decision leads to two distinct endings that reflect different emotional responses to living with permanent pain and disability.

Replaying the final section allows you to view both outcomes and compare how each conclusion changes the meaning of the story.

Hand-Drawn and Collaged Artwork

Rot With Me features more than 90 hand-drawn and collaged illustrations. Its scrapbook-like visual style combines expressive sketches, medical references, fragmented textures, and intimate character imagery.

The artwork reflects both the physical reality of hEDS and the psychological experience of living with chronic pain. Instead of presenting illness through clean or clinical visuals, the game uses rough, layered imagery to communicate discomfort, exhaustion, fear, and emotional vulnerability.

Medical Imagery and Body Horror

Some illustrations draw from medical environments, joint instability, bodily pain, and the feeling of losing control over one’s own body. These elements create a form of body horror grounded in lived experience rather than supernatural transformation.

Ambient Soundtrack

A custom ambient soundtrack accompanies the story. The music emphasizes loneliness, stillness, medical anxiety, and the confined atmosphere of clinics and bedrooms 🎧.

For smoother visual and audio performance, the developers recommend the standalone version, although available browser versions may still provide access to the complete narrative.

Educational hEDS Resources

The extras menu includes an educational self-screening tool related to Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It is intended to help players learn about joint hypermobility and recognize experiences that may be worth discussing with a qualified medical professional.

The tool is informational and should not be treated as a medical diagnosis. Players experiencing chronic pain, recurring joint problems, or unusual hypermobility should seek professional medical advice rather than relying only on an in-game questionnaire.

Content Warning

Rot With Me is intended for mature audiences aged 18 and older. The game contains sensitive themes related to chronic illness, disability, joint dislocation, medical trauma, psychological distress, codependency, body horror, hopelessness, and emotional suffering.

Players who find realistic depictions of pain, hospitals, disability, or mental distress difficult should review the complete content warnings before starting.

Why Players May Enjoy Rot With Me

Rot With Me is suited to players looking for a short but emotionally intense visual novel. Its personal writing, unconventional artwork, disability representation, and complicated yuri relationship distinguish it from stories that romanticize suffering or rely on miraculous recovery.

Players searching for yuri visual novels, disability games, chronic illness stories, psychological visual novels, Toxic Yuri VN Jam games, kinetic novels, or short narrative horror games may find its honest approach especially memorable.

Game Features

• Mature yuri kinetic novel
• Approximately 4,700 words
• About 20 to 30 minutes of playtime
• One major choice near the ending
• Two distinct endings
• More than 90 hand-drawn and collaged illustrations
• Custom ambient soundtrack
• Personal depiction of hEDS and chronic pain
• Themes of disability, medical trauma, and codependency
• Educational hEDS information in the extras menu
• Created for Toxic Yuri VN Jam 2
• Intended for mature audiences

Rot With Me Controls

• Left Mouse Button — Advance text and select options
• Mouse — Navigate menus and extras
• Keyboard — Use supported visual novel shortcuts

FAQ About Rot With Me

What type of game is Rot With Me?

Rot With Me is a mature yuri kinetic novel focused on chronic illness, disability, psychological distress, medical trauma, and codependency.

How long does Rot With Me take to complete?

A typical playthrough takes approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

Does Rot With Me have multiple endings?

Yes. One important decision near the end of the story leads to two distinct endings.

How many illustrations are in Rot With Me?

The game features more than 90 hand-drawn and collaged illustrations.

What is hEDS?

hEDS stands for Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a connective tissue disorder associated with joint hypermobility and other symptoms. The game reflects the developers’ personal experiences with the condition.

Can the in-game hEDS tool diagnose a medical condition?

No. The self-screening tool is educational and cannot provide a medical diagnosis. Concerns about chronic pain or joint hypermobility should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional.

Is Rot With Me suitable for children?

No. Rot With Me is intended for mature audiences because it contains medical trauma, body horror, psychological distress, chronic pain, and other sensitive themes.