Just sat down and read the whole story in one night. I love all of the characters so much! Heron absolutely stole my heart but all of them are just so, so good. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself smiling the entire way through. Thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful story with us!
Oh my god, Viatica is phenomenal. I just have to say—thank you, for creating this absolute masterpiece. The way you write romance?? INSANE. I’m obsessed. Every single interaction has so much depth and emotion, and I genuinely feel the chemistry between characters. It doesn’t feel forced or rushed—just natural, real, and so heartbreakingly beautiful at times. And the characters??? They feel so alive. Like, they aren’t just NPCs standing around like lifeless ornaments in an IF. They have actual personalities, emotions, motivations—even the minor ones! I found myself getting attached to characters I didn’t even expect to care about. That’s how good your writing is. I can’t even describe how much I love this.
The plot itself is so unique too. It’s not just a romance game—it’s an experience. Every choice feels meaningful, every moment has weight, and I was completely hooked from start to finish. I don’t even know how to put into words how much I love this story.
THANK YOU for sharing this with the world. I am forever grateful. Please never stop writing.
You are so very welcome! Thank YOU for your thoughtful comment! I can’t express enough how encouraging it is to hear things like this. I put a lot of care into my words and characters and I’m relieved and grateful it resonated with you in such a way.
I just returned to fiction writing after decades away, and it’s comments like this that tell me I made the right decision, so thank you, too! ❤️
5 stars, this was absolutely beautiful. I can't say anything more than that, the words are escaping me, but this is definite need to read for everyone imo lol. Inspiring!!
This game has been more than I could ever imagine it to be. Every single character felt, well, real. I felt anger and loss for certain characters, and so much joy at seeing the ending. It was so sublime that they give you the option to adopt or have a baby with a RO! I'm a sucker for babies, so this instantly made all of the experience a 10/10. Thank you so much for writing such an amazing journey, I'll be thrilled to see more of your work, if you do more of course!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed it! As a mama myself I had to include the bambinos, lol. I have a new IF I’ve just started actually, called Cantata. You can find it on my creator page if you’re curious. Thanks again! 😊
It is currently 3:30 am when I am writing this, and I have quite literally only finished one route so far- HOWEVER, this novel was an absolute treat to stumble upon after a dry spell of demos and/or nothing new from the IF/VN community.
The writing, worldbuilding, and characters are all so well-loved and crafted in a way that really transports you into the shoes of the MC. The journal entry before every chapter that ties in terms/concepts learned previously or a little later on in the story was one of the best aspects of this despite being one page of context.
In general, though, I do sincerely enjoy dystopian fiction especially ones that have a hopeful message that can be conveyed irl. I won't delve too deep into a potentially dark topic, but with the current state of the world this is refreshing and almost tragically resonates with me and a lot of other people as more and more lose their voices.
Literature is amazing and no matter where you read it- book, audio, on a screen- it is an art that truly inspires and is something I will deeply appreciate just like the characters in this novel.
Sorry for getting so philosophical but I love this and hope it gets more attention. Please keep making amazing stories! :)
No apologies necessary, you can wax philosophical anytime! This was truly a wonderful comment to read, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I’m glad the story resonated with you in such a way. It does, sadly, parallel real life right now. This IF is actually adapted from a novella I wrote 25 years ago, and it’s disappointing to think that now, after so many years, it rings truer than ever. But if it brings you hope or uplifts you in anyway, that is all I can ask for. ❤️
Thank you again for your kind words, and take care of yourself!
I just wanted to take a minute and leave my thoughts here because I am sooo in love with this game. I've already played it through twice, (the first pursuing Heron and the revolution ending, and the second with Robin and the running away ending), and about to go for round 3 but I just *love* pretty much everything about Viatica. The interesting setting and backstory you uncover through the diary entries, how the plot unfolds, and of course the characters.
But the thing I love the most is how no matter what options you choose, you still have a special bond with all of your friends, even if it's not romantic. (And on that note, I really appreciate how you let us know what the romantic options mean/will lead to rather than leaving us guessing and potentially picking something we aren't comfortable with.)
also, both endings feel so satisfying! When I went to re-play I knew I wanted to see how running away would end up but I was kind of worried the whole time that they wouldn't actually escape or being out in the wild would end up terrible, but it wound up feeling just as right as the other ending to me <3
Thanks for this experience and for pouring so much love into it. I'm off to re-play once more lol
Thank you so much! I love that you tried both endings and multiple routes! 🥹 It was very important to me that the platonic relationships received as much time and care as the romantic ones, so I’m very happy to hear that came through for you.
If you try Ferret’s route, I would suggest doing the rebellion ending on hers, that one’s my favorite. ❤️
This is such a great story! I love post-apocalyptic settings, but nowadays I feel like most of these stories are very...harsh? Overly pessimistic? Even in YA novels angst is often predominant. On the contrary, Viatica felt both realistic and soft, a story of hope and friendship in an unforgiving environment. Being able to create such a compelling, full-fledged story in 12 chapters is proof of how good the writing is, I aspire to write like that!
By the way, I started with Lion's route and unfortunately, it felt so perfect and natural to me that I had a hard time getting over it when I read the next routes, event though I still enjoyed all of them. Lion set a new standard in my taste in fictional men.
Dear author, I can't wait to read your next work!!
Hahaha, you’re not the first to tell me that Lion ruined it for all other routes! 🤭
Thank you so much for your kind words! That’s exactly the feeling I was trying to convey with Viatica so I’m glad it came across successfully.
My new IF, Cantata, is coming along well. Updates will be slower than they were for Viatica but I’m on track to have chapter 2 out in April. I hope you enjoy that one, too!
Hay, I have great news, I think this game might be accessible to screen reader users. I'm about to start chapter 1. I will keep you posted. The music is great, but is there a way to turn it down (not off)? edit: this game works, definitelyy, with screen readers. I'm at chapter 2 with no hitch, but the music gets overpowering at some point and I'm struggling to enjoy the game because I can't hear what my screen reader is saying.
I'm wondering if this might be able to get looked into, as it would definitely help screen reader users. For reference, I'm using NVDA on windows (which is free) with the eSpeak speech synthesizer at full volume. I'm going to give this another go though, for sure.
I’m afraid I just don’t have the skill or time to do that. I built this using Chapbook, which is a simplified format that doesn’t require Java script or html experience. To create and implement a non-standard feature like that requires special coding that’s beyond my skill set. I am not a game developer, I’m a mom with a very challenging career, and this was written in my limited free time.
I appreciate you giving the story a try. And while I understand your need, I’m sorry that I cannot accommodate it at this time.
That's OK, I'm sure there will be ways round it even if I just have to listen in even more closely. I love what I've played so far. Going to give it another go once I've submitted this comment.
edit: I have successfully finished this playthrough. If you were a part of that world I'd name you Dolphin, known for their intelligence. I feel like the world needs a story like this. The fact it's post apocalyptic and yet so filled with hope, well, I can safely say I've never experienced anything like it. I legit don't know of any other media that shows a positive side of a post apocalypse without being bittersweet. This shows an end, an absolute glimmer of hope.
I am now going to hope to be a bit like Lion in a way, and bring in a few more blind readers over these next few days. I still have to try some other playthroughs and routes and endings. But I can very safely say, a big thank you. The way I sorted out the music problem was to use NVDA's auto ducking feature, which faids out the sound.
My family often calls me a dolphin because when I get excited my pitch goes up and I speak faster and start to sound like one, so this is very appropriate! 😂
And I should be saying a big THANK YOU to you for sticking with my story even though it had limitations for you. I’m sorry it was so difficult and I’m glad you were able to find a work around. It would have been very easy to just not bother and I would have completely understood you doing so. Your kind words are very much appreciated!
If possible, might I suggest you muting the game tab (right click it and select "mute site") and then visiting the pixabay page where the music is and downloading some to listen to? They are free to download for listening use. Another option is a chrome extension called 'volume control' ( https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/volume-control/acglggcafiilnibeknihggle... ). This way, you can choose the volume settings for each tab INDIVIDUALLY! Really hope this helps you and others in need of visual aid!
omg, i read it all in just a few hours and i can't express how much i loved it the characters, the plot, the writing, everything is just so beautifuly done sz kisses and hugs from brasil!!
There is not, but I’m not sure why you’re having trouble. I just tested on 2 devices on both safari and chrome and it works fine. What browser or device are you using?
Yes... I have been haunted by foxes since one broke into my landlady's house in London. *nods sagely, then breaks down in laughter* (That actually did happen tho. They howl like crazy all over town at night. But I like my Firefox browser cuz it has themes on it and looks good. But it sadly seem to be uncooperative with games. Maybe I missed an update or something. I suck at tech stuff.)
That's sad.
Are they really that hard to make? I noticed that most games on itch seem to have a download.
I haven’t looked into it too far but I imagine it would take some extra coding to package it all for pc and Mac and other formats. Chapbook was designed to be browser friendly, when the Fox is cooperating, of course. ;) I didn’t have to do any extra coding or html, it was an out of the box solution, which is why I chose it.
i have never, ONCE, been so thrilled, surprised, excited, saddened, and left utterly completed after reading an IF, this broke the streak. 100000000000/10
Wow, the thing that been extremely lacking in my life for a couple of years - some hope in humanity! (Fictional fine too.)
I loved this feeling from your story, where you can trust someone, and this trust actually pays off. Cathartic stuff, thank you, I legitimately cried couple of times.
Wow, I've read alot of IFs and I have to say this one is one of my favorites. From the music to the sorrowful world building laced with hidden hope I can not recommend Viatica enough.
I'm not finding a way to lower the volume or turn the music off. Is there just no setting for that or am I missing it? I have my system volume up because I am hearing impaired but the game sound is way too loud and drowns out the rest of my stuff.
Hello. I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the music. As far as I know, there’s no way to code volume controls in Chapbook. You’ll have to adjust your device.
Idk if it's just me but I can't get this to work on Chrome, Firefox, or Brave. I've played it before and was so excited to see the update, but every time I try to run it I get a screen that suggests a hard reset or to go to the previous page. I've tried both options, and it just refreshes and goes back to the same message or gives me a blank page. I don't know if this is the right way to notify anyone about this, but I also wanted to post it in case anyone else is having this issue, too.
Hello. Sorry to hear you’re having trouble. You'll have to restart the game, that seemed to be the case after every update. If you refresh the page or hit restart at the bottom it should work. Failing that, you can also try clearing your cache. Hope that helps!
Finally got to read the finished masterpiece! A true work of art, thank you for creating and sharing with us! Looking forward to reading your next work!
I started this book back when it was only in 10 chapters. I finally got back to it only to find it completed. I started it all over and the ending. OH MY GOODNESS. I loved it. Ferret, my love, and lil Keiko. Ugh, my heart is complete <3. I will miss Fawn and Bison, I remember sobbing from that. This story inspired me to create my own IF that one day I hope is just as good as yours. Thank you for these characters and the story.
10/10 HEARTBREAKING WTFF so good it’s actually illegal. I wasn't expecting it to be this good but it BROKE ME i ugly cried. literally the antifa found family dystopian revolutionary masterpiece I didn’t even know I needed. fawn and bison i will cry forever, robin my pookie it is 2am i love you. two days later i’m still thinking about it
Do you think it would be possible to make the orientation vertical and not horizontal on handheld devices? So it can be read as an interactive handheld book on mobile or in my case tablet. I know that many IF have the same horizontal orientation, so it might be just the engine's quirk.
Once again amazing story and congratulations on finishing the project!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! When you say horizontal, do you mean a side by side view? Like a kindle format? I haven’t seen anything like that for Twine. If there is a code for that it’s probably beyond my skill level, unfortunately. 🥴
This was amazing!! The story had me gripped by my throat and I ended up finishing the whole thing in one sitting. I can't express how grateful I am that you put this up on here for free!
I love love love the importance of community and knowledge in the story. The importance of books and preserving and learning from history was highlighted so well, I couldn't help but feel emotional considering there's been a recent "ban" on some books (notably books that portray queer relationships) where I live. I can't stress enough the importance of being able to freely read what you want, and live how you want without fear of punishment.
This is the longest comment I've ever written on this site and it's def more "formal sounding" than what I usually write lol
Once again thank you for this wonderful story!! :D
Edit: I also wanna add how much I love the cast. They were all distinct but equally likeable, and I love them to absolute bits!!
You are most welcome, thank you for such a wonderful comment! It makes me sad to hear about the book bans in your area, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’m immensely grateful that you appreciated my story and that it resonated with you in such a way! Thank you again!
i know this is gonna be my kind of story, hell yeah. the about the author told me all i need to know, i love when people actually fully have the plot and story written out lol, even better when they're adapting an older work. plus you and your sis like wine, and thats a universal girl language lol even though i'm way too young to have kids (and have written something 25 years ago, i wasn't born 25 years ago lmao)
i'll update my thoughts as i play
ooh i wish there was a save feature, i'm so paranoid about how i play in these games lmaoo (turns out this is like the one game my paranoia isn't so bad cuz its not super stats heavy lol)
I built this in Twine Chapbook, which doesn’t offer a save feature beyond the built-in browser save. A commenter below offered a work around code but quite frankly, I’m not inclined to go fiddle with coding, lol. Part of the reason I chose Chapbook was because it was a complete, out of the box solution for those of us who are inexperienced with html or JS script. If Viatica were longer or still in development, I may have explored that. But it’s finished and not very long, so I feel it has good replay ability even without the option to have multiple saves.
But regardless, thank you for reading and for your comment! You had me giggling. 😁
Hello! The yellow hearts are romance, too, just a more inarticulate way of expressing affection. I have a description of the hearts on the game page. The choices weren’t as well executed as I would have liked, this being my first IF. I’ll fine tune the system on my next project.
And no, no poly routes. But the game is on the short side so you can replay and do both Robin and Ferret’s routes. 😁
i love the story, i chose my name as Rabbit. love papa Bear. and the way Lion kept saying unsanitary. Do you think you make a continuation on discovering the outside world, discovering other places, other people, new mutant beast probably? We need new type of workers: Scouters, Scientists and idk Archelogists discovering what ancestors found, maybe found people living underground city. Or the travelling Caravan (traders/merchants). i hope for new story from you😍
Thank you! I’m glad you liked my characters and their quirks, lol. Viatica is done, I don’t think I’ll ever add more to it. But I have a new project now and plenty more ideas for the future!
edit: i was gonna choose the 'sit alone' option but then it said that the three of them were disappointed so i was like, alright man, imma hafta restart this and pick someone haha
Edit 2: SHIT OF COURSE WE'LL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION
Edit 3: FUCK DAMN that was BEAUTIFUL OMG tbh this is the first if i actually finished. LIKE DAMNN the storytelling, the characters... EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL.
that makes me SO excited for your other projects!!! THANK YOU FOR THISS!!
This was my first IF, and I found myself unable to stop until I completed the story! I love that despite the story progressing at a faster pace, the passage of time was made apparent and made it so the characters did not seem rushed in their development. Amazing story!!
Hello! Welcome to the world of IFs, now you can’t leave. 😂 I’m honored that mine was your first foray into this wonderful genre and I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for giving it a chance and for your kind words!
I loved this a lot! Maybe one of my favorite IF's in a while. You did a really good job with the dialogue as it all felt pretty natural for the situation. Sometimes I wish there was more to read, but that might be a little greedy. I'm also so curious about the background of this story, like, how did the world become so barren and isolated??
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! At least it’s short enough that you can replay it easily and try other routes. 😉
I imagine that this story takes place after a cataclysmic world war, where the earth was just scorched and whole civilizations and technologies destroyed. I wanted to explore how some might rebuild after that, and good intentions gone bad.
Question, is there an option at a later point to have your character be trans? Cause the text following the gender choice makes it pretty explicit your picking their AGAB if you don't choose to be nonbinary.
Hello! No, there is not. This was my first IF and I didn’t feel I could write a trans MC in a faithful and realistic way, especially given the incredibly prohibitive and restrictive nature of this world. So I chose not to include those options.
I am feeling more confident with my writing now, so you will have those options in my future works. ☺️ Thank you for giving Viatica a try despite that!
No worries I totally understand. I will say, it was less an issue that there's no explicitly trans option, and more that unlike most IFs that just keep it unstated and vague, this one, as stated, makes it pretty explicit that the MC is cis right off the bat.
So if you did ever want to improve the game in that regard, I think simply removing the line about never questioning their gender, and the one about not conceiving/not knowing if you conceived would go a long way with that. IDK if there are any other moments of that later on, but if you want, I can add them here if I encounter them.
Hello again. That was purposeful. I didn’t want it to be unstated and vague, that’s why I made the choice to leave that option out. If I couldn’t write it well, as I didn’t believe I could, I would rather not write it at all. I try to be very concise with my words and messaging, and I don’t like being ambiguous. I think that’s more fair for the reader, too.
Considering that you started your comment off with an acknowledgement to respect the author's choices, your following words don't really honor that. When asked about the lack of trans options in the game (which is a valid question) the author didn't say that they didn't want to include them They didn't say that they believed they shouldn't be included. They said that they didn't feel they could write those options faithfully or realistically, which, to me, feels a lot more inclusive and respectful than a clumsy or misinformed attempt at simply having token representation.
The author focuses on the diversity they can write, because readers deserve to see a truthful and sincere exploration of these ideas. In their first response to you, they even mentioned feeling more confident in writing trans perspectives and that they were including that in their next work. This shows a commitment to genuine inclusion. This shows growth. But you ignore that to continue harping on what you found lacking in the story.
The author also doesn't address ageism, or ableism, or neurodivergence, or religion, or a plethora of other identity issues. But that may not be what the author is attempting to explore, or is even capable of exploring in a way that feels sincere and well-informed. This is also not a salad bar of a story. We don't get to order off a menu for what we think the author should be writing about.
Isn't it more important to celebrate the inclusion we do see, and to acknowledge the author's intent to include even more, to continue growing, to offer more and more genuine, respectful representation, than to sit here and wag a finger at them for not writing the exact story we want to read?
Just a reminder that this IF is clearly a labor of love. Keyword: labor. A lot of time and effort out of someone's life. And it's on here for free for us to enjoy and engage with. Or to not engage with. Your choice. But if your motive for your comments was to argue for the inclusion of something in another person'screation, I have to tell you that this is not the way to go about it. It doesn't read as helpful. It reads as entitled and demanding, even if it started with good intentions.
As a writer myself, I can also tell you that the best way to see the representation you want in stories is to write your own. It feels trite, but it's true. Just a thought.
I have not really read that many IF's before, but this game right here? 100% one of my favorites. Not just in the IF genre, but the whole visual novel, choice matters kind of vibes. It's so good, i love the setting, the lore and the characters. I'm so happy i found it when it was completed (girl does not have any patience so thank god for that), it was a fantastic experience. THANK YOU FOR THIS! xx
The author's writing is wonderful, really getting you into these characters, their personalities, and their wants vs needs. The characters within the main cast are very well in-depth enough to have this kind of internal dichotomy. Each character wants something, yet truly needs something else for their personal arch to be fulfilled that they each gain by the end. My main complaint is that a lot of the story felt a little too fast for my liking, but that may be a personal taste thing. I like when these types of stories can linger in moments for a bit, letting you properly soak in the actions and consequences on the world and characters around them. The world building was excellent with how each chapter opened with how this world got to be this way and with how you get to witness how it exists in the present, but I do wish it was a tad slower. So we could feel the inherent tragedy of it. I wish we lingered on Fawn and Bison's deaths just that bit longer, to see how their small rebellion of love impacted the world around them and not simply get these small moments that feel, to me, like a drop in a bucket of the sheer possibility that the author possesses to twist that knife that much harder. I wish we lingered more on how truly impacted Lion is by his friend's death, see his grief and fear of being the prideful leader his name implies him to be due to just how much the status quo infused within him a fear of change. I wish we actually get to see just that little bit of the PC learning how to utilize language and get more fluent. I understand if this could simply be from the limitation of Twine's engine, but it's something that personally bothers me, just a tad. Especially with how other Twine games can do a slower style effectively
All that aside, this is the first work of IF to actually got me to tear up! So congrats on getting me attached to these characters in such a quick amount of time!
Thank you for giving my story a try. The length of the story has nothing to do with the Twine engine and is simply the story I wanted to tell. I understand what you’re saying, but I feel I got the message and emotions across successfully in the amount of words it is, and more would be unnecessary and belabor the point. Could it be longer? Of course. Should it be? I don’t believe so.
Thank you again for taking the time to read and comment!
- bit of a spoiler warning if anyone reading this hasn't finished it -
oh my gosh that was amazing 🥹 the ending made me a little emotional I'm so happy it all worked out in the end, though I wish it could have worked out for fawn and bison. they'd be so proud to see how far everyone got ☹️
I really loved how you wrote everything from the plot to the characters, and the music was a perfect addition 🫶 I'll be excited to see more projects in the future !! I'd also love to read the novella version of this if it ever gets published !! thank you so much for this ❤️ I'm pretty sad to of finished it already but I'll be thinking about this for a while now haha
Thank you so much! Writing chapter 10 was difficult, believe me, but it had to be done. Im glad you enjoyed the ending and music and everything else! The novella is a bit cringe, I’m not sure it will ever see the light of day, lol. 🥴 I’m a better writer than I was 25 years ago, but I’ve also just had a lot more life experiences that influenced this version of Viatica. But I appreciate the thought, thank you!
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Just sat down and read the whole story in one night. I love all of the characters so much! Heron absolutely stole my heart but all of them are just so, so good. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself smiling the entire way through. Thank you so much for sharing such a beautiful story with us!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, and my boy Heron! 😁
Oh my god, Viatica is phenomenal. I just have to say—thank you, for creating this absolute masterpiece. The way you write romance?? INSANE. I’m obsessed. Every single interaction has so much depth and emotion, and I genuinely feel the chemistry between characters. It doesn’t feel forced or rushed—just natural, real, and so heartbreakingly beautiful at times. And the characters??? They feel so alive. Like, they aren’t just NPCs standing around like lifeless ornaments in an IF. They have actual personalities, emotions, motivations—even the minor ones! I found myself getting attached to characters I didn’t even expect to care about. That’s how good your writing is. I can’t even describe how much I love this.
The plot itself is so unique too. It’s not just a romance game—it’s an experience. Every choice feels meaningful, every moment has weight, and I was completely hooked from start to finish. I don’t even know how to put into words how much I love this story.
THANK YOU for sharing this with the world. I am forever grateful. Please never stop writing.
You are so very welcome! Thank YOU for your thoughtful comment! I can’t express enough how encouraging it is to hear things like this. I put a lot of care into my words and characters and I’m relieved and grateful it resonated with you in such a way.
I just returned to fiction writing after decades away, and it’s comments like this that tell me I made the right decision, so thank you, too! ❤️
5 stars, this was absolutely beautiful. I can't say anything more than that, the words are escaping me, but this is definite need to read for everyone imo lol. Inspiring!!
Thank you so much!
This game has been more than I could ever imagine it to be. Every single character felt, well, real. I felt anger and loss for certain characters, and so much joy at seeing the ending. It was so sublime that they give you the option to adopt or have a baby with a RO! I'm a sucker for babies, so this instantly made all of the experience a 10/10. Thank you so much for writing such an amazing journey, I'll be thrilled to see more of your work, if you do more of course!
Thank you so much, I’m glad you enjoyed it! As a mama myself I had to include the bambinos, lol. I have a new IF I’ve just started actually, called Cantata. You can find it on my creator page if you’re curious. Thanks again! 😊
It is currently 3:30 am when I am writing this, and I have quite literally only finished one route so far- HOWEVER, this novel was an absolute treat to stumble upon after a dry spell of demos and/or nothing new from the IF/VN community.
The writing, worldbuilding, and characters are all so well-loved and crafted in a way that really transports you into the shoes of the MC. The journal entry before every chapter that ties in terms/concepts learned previously or a little later on in the story was one of the best aspects of this despite being one page of context.
In general, though, I do sincerely enjoy dystopian fiction especially ones that have a hopeful message that can be conveyed irl. I won't delve too deep into a potentially dark topic, but with the current state of the world this is refreshing and almost tragically resonates with me and a lot of other people as more and more lose their voices.
Literature is amazing and no matter where you read it- book, audio, on a screen- it is an art that truly inspires and is something I will deeply appreciate just like the characters in this novel.
Sorry for getting so philosophical but I love this and hope it gets more attention. Please keep making amazing stories! :)
No apologies necessary, you can wax philosophical anytime! This was truly a wonderful comment to read, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I’m glad the story resonated with you in such a way. It does, sadly, parallel real life right now. This IF is actually adapted from a novella I wrote 25 years ago, and it’s disappointing to think that now, after so many years, it rings truer than ever. But if it brings you hope or uplifts you in anyway, that is all I can ask for. ❤️
Thank you again for your kind words, and take care of yourself!
I just wanted to take a minute and leave my thoughts here because I am sooo in love with this game. I've already played it through twice, (the first pursuing Heron and the revolution ending, and the second with Robin and the running away ending), and about to go for round 3 but I just *love* pretty much everything about Viatica. The interesting setting and backstory you uncover through the diary entries, how the plot unfolds, and of course the characters.
But the thing I love the most is how no matter what options you choose, you still have a special bond with all of your friends, even if it's not romantic. (And on that note, I really appreciate how you let us know what the romantic options mean/will lead to rather than leaving us guessing and potentially picking something we aren't comfortable with.)
also, both endings feel so satisfying! When I went to re-play I knew I wanted to see how running away would end up but I was kind of worried the whole time that they wouldn't actually escape or being out in the wild would end up terrible, but it wound up feeling just as right as the other ending to me <3
Thanks for this experience and for pouring so much love into it. I'm off to re-play once more lol
<3
Thank you so much! I love that you tried both endings and multiple routes! 🥹 It was very important to me that the platonic relationships received as much time and care as the romantic ones, so I’m very happy to hear that came through for you.
If you try Ferret’s route, I would suggest doing the rebellion ending on hers, that one’s my favorite. ❤️
This is such a great story! I love post-apocalyptic settings, but nowadays I feel like most of these stories are very...harsh? Overly pessimistic? Even in YA novels angst is often predominant. On the contrary, Viatica felt both realistic and soft, a story of hope and friendship in an unforgiving environment. Being able to create such a compelling, full-fledged story in 12 chapters is proof of how good the writing is, I aspire to write like that!
By the way, I started with Lion's route and unfortunately, it felt so perfect and natural to me that I had a hard time getting over it when I read the next routes, event though I still enjoyed all of them. Lion set a new standard in my taste in fictional men.
Dear author, I can't wait to read your next work!!
Hahaha, you’re not the first to tell me that Lion ruined it for all other routes! 🤭
Thank you so much for your kind words! That’s exactly the feeling I was trying to convey with Viatica so I’m glad it came across successfully.
My new IF, Cantata, is coming along well. Updates will be slower than they were for Viatica but I’m on track to have chapter 2 out in April. I hope you enjoy that one, too!
This made me so emotional... 10/10, would play it again. I stayed up until 6 am for this aaah
Oh wow, I’m happy you enjoyed it so much but I hope you get some sleep!
haven't even started yet ik this is about to be peak will update
Hay, I have great news, I think this game might be accessible to screen reader users. I'm about to start chapter 1. I will keep you posted. The music is great, but is there a way to turn it down (not off)?
edit: this game works, definitelyy, with screen readers. I'm at chapter 2 with no hitch, but the music gets overpowering at some point and I'm struggling to enjoy the game because I can't hear what my screen reader is saying.
I’m sorry, no, there are no in game controls for the music.
I'm wondering if this might be able to get looked into, as it would definitely help screen reader users. For reference, I'm using NVDA on windows (which is free) with the eSpeak speech synthesizer at full volume. I'm going to give this another go though, for sure.
I’m afraid I just don’t have the skill or time to do that. I built this using Chapbook, which is a simplified format that doesn’t require Java script or html experience. To create and implement a non-standard feature like that requires special coding that’s beyond my skill set. I am not a game developer, I’m a mom with a very challenging career, and this was written in my limited free time.
I appreciate you giving the story a try. And while I understand your need, I’m sorry that I cannot accommodate it at this time.
That's OK, I'm sure there will be ways round it even if I just have to listen in even more closely. I love what I've played so far. Going to give it another go once I've submitted this comment.
edit: I have successfully finished this playthrough. If you were a part of that world I'd name you Dolphin, known for their intelligence. I feel like the world needs a story like this. The fact it's post apocalyptic and yet so filled with hope, well, I can safely say I've never experienced anything like it. I legit don't know of any other media that shows a positive side of a post apocalypse without being bittersweet. This shows an end, an absolute glimmer of hope.
I am now going to hope to be a bit like Lion in a way, and bring in a few more blind readers over these next few days. I still have to try some other playthroughs and routes and endings. But I can very safely say, a big thank you. The way I sorted out the music problem was to use NVDA's auto ducking feature, which faids out the sound.
My family often calls me a dolphin because when I get excited my pitch goes up and I speak faster and start to sound like one, so this is very appropriate! 😂
And I should be saying a big THANK YOU to you for sticking with my story even though it had limitations for you. I’m sorry it was so difficult and I’m glad you were able to find a work around. It would have been very easy to just not bother and I would have completely understood you doing so. Your kind words are very much appreciated!
If possible, might I suggest you muting the game tab (right click it and select "mute site") and then visiting the pixabay page where the music is and downloading some to listen to? They are free to download for listening use. Another option is a chrome extension called 'volume control' ( https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/volume-control/acglggcafiilnibeknihggle... ). This way, you can choose the volume settings for each tab INDIVIDUALLY! Really hope this helps you and others in need of visual aid!
Ooh, thank you for those suggestions! I wasn’t aware of the settings for individual tabs.
omg, i read it all in just a few hours and i can't express how much i loved it
the characters, the plot, the writing, everything is just so beautifuly done sz kisses and hugs from brasil!!
Thank you! And that’s so cool that you’re from Brasil! I love hearing how far reaching my story gets. 🥹 Greetings from the Pacific Northwest!
For some reason the browser version of this game does not work
Is there a downloadable version of this game?
There is not, but I’m not sure why you’re having trouble. I just tested on 2 devices on both safari and chrome and it works fine. What browser or device are you using?
My laptop browser is possessed by the evil spirit of a fire fox. *nods seriously*
Sometimes it allows me to play browser based games. Sometimes it don't.
That's why I prefer the downloadable version.
Lol, the fire fox reference made me chuckle. I understand, I’m sorry there’s no download version in this case.
Yes... I have been haunted by foxes since one broke into my landlady's house in London. *nods sagely, then breaks down in laughter*
(That actually did happen tho. They howl like crazy all over town at night. But I like my Firefox browser cuz it has themes on it and looks good.
But it sadly seem to be uncooperative with games. Maybe I missed an update or something. I suck at tech stuff.)
That's sad.
Are they really that hard to make? I noticed that most games on itch seem to have a download.
I haven’t looked into it too far but I imagine it would take some extra coding to package it all for pc and Mac and other formats. Chapbook was designed to be browser friendly, when the Fox is cooperating, of course. ;) I didn’t have to do any extra coding or html, it was an out of the box solution, which is why I chose it.
i have never, ONCE, been so thrilled, surprised, excited, saddened, and left utterly completed after reading an IF, this broke the streak. 100000000000/10
I love hearing that! Thank you so much!
i read your Tumblr description. the she/her/bruh to my kids is funny :3
Wow I just finished reading and it was so amazing!! I cried and laughed, there was so much feeling in this story, I loved it!!! <333
Thank you!!
Wow, the thing that been extremely lacking in my life for a couple of years - some hope in humanity! (Fictional fine too.)
I loved this feeling from your story, where you can trust someone, and this trust actually pays off. Cathartic stuff, thank you, I legitimately cried couple of times.
Aww, thank you! I’m glad my story touched you so strongly, that’s a great compliment!
Wow, I've read alot of IFs and I have to say this one is one of my favorites. From the music to the sorrowful world building laced with hidden hope I can not recommend Viatica enough.
Thank you so much, that’s quite the compliment! I’m glad the hope came across for you, that’s ultimately what Viatica is all about. ☺️
Very great story, loved the world building. I also read the demo on your second IF I look forward too more to come, thank you for wonderful stories!
Thank you!
I'm not finding a way to lower the volume or turn the music off. Is there just no setting for that or am I missing it? I have my system volume up because I am hearing impaired but the game sound is way too loud and drowns out the rest of my stuff.
Hello. I’m sorry you’re having trouble with the music. As far as I know, there’s no way to code volume controls in Chapbook. You’ll have to adjust your device.
There is a wonderful chrome extension called 'volume control' that lets you change each individual tab's volume. I definitely suggest that if you are a chrome user. https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/volume-control/acglggcafiilnibeknihggle... Hope this could help you!!!
Idk if it's just me but I can't get this to work on Chrome, Firefox, or Brave. I've played it before and was so excited to see the update, but every time I try to run it I get a screen that suggests a hard reset or to go to the previous page. I've tried both options, and it just refreshes and goes back to the same message or gives me a blank page. I don't know if this is the right way to notify anyone about this, but I also wanted to post it in case anyone else is having this issue, too.
Hello. Sorry to hear you’re having trouble. You'll have to restart the game, that seemed to be the case after every update. If you refresh the page or hit restart at the bottom it should work. Failing that, you can also try clearing your cache. Hope that helps!
sorry if this has been asked already, but what song(s) are in the background?? so pretty 😫
Hello! I found the songs on Pixabay. They’re by 2 different artists: Sergii Pavkin and Aleksey Chistilin.
Finally got to read the finished masterpiece! A true work of art, thank you for creating and sharing with us! Looking forward to reading your next work!
Thank you for your kind words, that means so much! I am actively writing a new IF now and can’t wait to show you more!
Finally got to read the whole thing and I really enjoyed it! This was wonderful and I am so happy to have been able to experience this story!
Thank you for giving my story a try, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I started this book back when it was only in 10 chapters. I finally got back to it only to find it completed. I started it all over and the ending. OH MY GOODNESS. I loved it. Ferret, my love, and lil Keiko. Ugh, my heart is complete <3. I will miss Fawn and Bison, I remember sobbing from that. This story inspired me to create my own IF that one day I hope is just as good as yours. Thank you for these characters and the story.
You are so welcome, thank you for returning! Good luck with your IF, that truly is the best compliment to hear that my work inspired others! ❤️
10/10 HEARTBREAKING WTFF so good it’s actually illegal. I wasn't expecting it to be this good but it BROKE ME i ugly cried. literally the antifa found family dystopian revolutionary masterpiece I didn’t even know I needed. fawn and bison i will cry forever, robin my pookie it is 2am i love you. two days later i’m still thinking about it
Lol, I love this comment so much, thank you! 😆 Sorry to make you ugly cry but I love that you were thinking about my story 2 days later!
Amaizing story, I love it so much!
Do you think it would be possible to make the orientation vertical and not horizontal on handheld devices? So it can be read as an interactive handheld book on mobile or in my case tablet. I know that many IF have the same horizontal orientation, so it might be just the engine's quirk.
Once again amazing story and congratulations on finishing the project!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! When you say horizontal, do you mean a side by side view? Like a kindle format? I haven’t seen anything like that for Twine. If there is a code for that it’s probably beyond my skill level, unfortunately. 🥴
This was amazing!! The story had me gripped by my throat and I ended up finishing the whole thing in one sitting. I can't express how grateful I am that you put this up on here for free!
I love love love the importance of community and knowledge in the story. The importance of books and preserving and learning from history was highlighted so well, I couldn't help but feel emotional considering there's been a recent "ban" on some books (notably books that portray queer relationships) where I live. I can't stress enough the importance of being able to freely read what you want, and live how you want without fear of punishment.
This is the longest comment I've ever written on this site and it's def more "formal sounding" than what I usually write lol
Once again thank you for this wonderful story!! :D
Edit: I also wanna add how much I love the cast. They were all distinct but equally likeable, and I love them to absolute bits!!
You are most welcome, thank you for such a wonderful comment! It makes me sad to hear about the book bans in your area, and I agree with you wholeheartedly. I’m immensely grateful that you appreciated my story and that it resonated with you in such a way! Thank you again!
MY BABY ROBIN MUST PROTECTED AT ALL COSTS
Lol, agreed! 😆❤️
i know this is gonna be my kind of story, hell yeah. the about the author told me all i need to know, i love when people actually fully have the plot and story written out lol, even better when they're adapting an older work. plus you and your sis like wine, and thats a universal girl language lol even though i'm way too young to have kids (and have written something 25 years ago, i wasn't born 25 years ago lmao)
i'll update my thoughts as i play
ooh i wish there was a save feature, i'm so paranoid about how i play in these games lmaoo (turns out this is like the one game my paranoia isn't so bad cuz its not super stats heavy lol)
damn this was so good
Hello! Glad my bio got you hooked! 😆
I built this in Twine Chapbook, which doesn’t offer a save feature beyond the built-in browser save. A commenter below offered a work around code but quite frankly, I’m not inclined to go fiddle with coding, lol. Part of the reason I chose Chapbook was because it was a complete, out of the box solution for those of us who are inexperienced with html or JS script. If Viatica were longer or still in development, I may have explored that. But it’s finished and not very long, so I feel it has good replay ability even without the option to have multiple saves.
But regardless, thank you for reading and for your comment! You had me giggling. 😁
Hey so I know that the red heart options are romance options, but are the yellow hearts also romance or just friends? Can someone please explain?
Edit: Re-read the description, sorry lol
Also, is there a poly option or do I have to pick one? I love both Robin and Ferret (T_T)
Edit: There isn't. Thank you for making so many amazing characters that it's hard to choose! I love this game it's incredible. <3
Hello! The yellow hearts are romance, too, just a more inarticulate way of expressing affection. I have a description of the hearts on the game page. The choices weren’t as well executed as I would have liked, this being my first IF. I’ll fine tune the system on my next project.
And no, no poly routes. But the game is on the short side so you can replay and do both Robin and Ferret’s routes. 😁
Thank you so much! This might be my new favorite IF!!!
That’s wonderful to hear, thank you!
i love the story, i chose my name as Rabbit. love papa Bear. and the way Lion kept saying unsanitary. Do you think you make a continuation on discovering the outside world, discovering other places, other people, new mutant beast probably? We need new type of workers: Scouters, Scientists and idk Archelogists discovering what ancestors found, maybe found people living underground city. Or the travelling Caravan (traders/merchants). i hope for new story from you😍
Thank you! I’m glad you liked my characters and their quirks, lol. Viatica is done, I don’t think I’ll ever add more to it. But I have a new project now and plenty more ideas for the future!
since their names are all animals, imma be fish
edit: i was gonna choose the 'sit alone' option but then it said that the three of them were disappointed so i was like, alright man, imma hafta restart this and pick someone haha
Edit 2: SHIT OF COURSE WE'LL MAKE THE FINAL DECISION
Edit 3: FUCK DAMN that was BEAUTIFUL OMG tbh this is the first if i actually finished. LIKE DAMNN the storytelling, the characters... EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL.
that makes me SO excited for your other projects!!! THANK YOU FOR THISS!!
Hahaha, I had to change my response after waking up to your edits! These are fantastic! 😂
You are quite welcome, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was my first IF, and I found myself unable to stop until I completed the story! I love that despite the story progressing at a faster pace, the passage of time was made apparent and made it so the characters did not seem rushed in their development. Amazing story!!
Hello! Welcome to the world of IFs, now you can’t leave. 😂 I’m honored that mine was your first foray into this wonderful genre and I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for giving it a chance and for your kind words!
I loved this a lot! Maybe one of my favorite IF's in a while. You did a really good job with the dialogue as it all felt pretty natural for the situation. Sometimes I wish there was more to read, but that might be a little greedy. I'm also so curious about the background of this story, like, how did the world become so barren and isolated??
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it! At least it’s short enough that you can replay it easily and try other routes. 😉
I imagine that this story takes place after a cataclysmic world war, where the earth was just scorched and whole civilizations and technologies destroyed. I wanted to explore how some might rebuild after that, and good intentions gone bad.
Thanks for reading!
Question, is there an option at a later point to have your character be trans? Cause the text following the gender choice makes it pretty explicit your picking their AGAB if you don't choose to be nonbinary.
Hello! No, there is not. This was my first IF and I didn’t feel I could write a trans MC in a faithful and realistic way, especially given the incredibly prohibitive and restrictive nature of this world. So I chose not to include those options.
I am feeling more confident with my writing now, so you will have those options in my future works. ☺️ Thank you for giving Viatica a try despite that!
No worries I totally understand. I will say, it was less an issue that there's no explicitly trans option, and more that unlike most IFs that just keep it unstated and vague, this one, as stated, makes it pretty explicit that the MC is cis right off the bat.
So if you did ever want to improve the game in that regard, I think simply removing the line about never questioning their gender, and the one about not conceiving/not knowing if you conceived would go a long way with that. IDK if there are any other moments of that later on, but if you want, I can add them here if I encounter them.
Hello again. That was purposeful. I didn’t want it to be unstated and vague, that’s why I made the choice to leave that option out. If I couldn’t write it well, as I didn’t believe I could, I would rather not write it at all. I try to be very concise with my words and messaging, and I don’t like being ambiguous. I think that’s more fair for the reader, too.
Considering that you started your comment off with an acknowledgement to respect the author's choices, your following words don't really honor that. When asked about the lack of trans options in the game (which is a valid question) the author didn't say that they didn't want to include them They didn't say that they believed they shouldn't be included. They said that they didn't feel they could write those options faithfully or realistically, which, to me, feels a lot more inclusive and respectful than a clumsy or misinformed attempt at simply having token representation.
The author focuses on the diversity they can write, because readers deserve to see a truthful and sincere exploration of these ideas. In their first response to you, they even mentioned feeling more confident in writing trans perspectives and that they were including that in their next work. This shows a commitment to genuine inclusion. This shows growth. But you ignore that to continue harping on what you found lacking in the story.
The author also doesn't address ageism, or ableism, or neurodivergence, or religion, or a plethora of other identity issues. But that may not be what the author is attempting to explore, or is even capable of exploring in a way that feels sincere and well-informed. This is also not a salad bar of a story. We don't get to order off a menu for what we think the author should be writing about.
Isn't it more important to celebrate the inclusion we do see, and to acknowledge the author's intent to include even more, to continue growing, to offer more and more genuine, respectful representation, than to sit here and wag a finger at them for not writing the exact story we want to read?
Just a reminder that this IF is clearly a labor of love. Keyword: labor. A lot of time and effort out of someone's life. And it's on here for free for us to enjoy and engage with. Or to not engage with. Your choice. But if your motive for your comments was to argue for the inclusion of something in another person's creation, I have to tell you that this is not the way to go about it. It doesn't read as helpful. It reads as entitled and demanding, even if it started with good intentions.
As a writer myself, I can also tell you that the best way to see the representation you want in stories is to write your own. It feels trite, but it's true. Just a thought.
definitely wasnt expecting to cry over this at all lol, man this story is so incredibly well done and the plot is just perfect.
i LOVEE lion he might just be my favourite LI ever in any IF i've ever played/read <3
also extremely glad i found this when it was completed lmfao, i wouldve been on the edge of my seat waiting for updates.
Thank you for the wonderful compliment! I’m glad you found Viatica when you did and gave it a chance, thank you!
Lion will probably always be my favorite, too. ❤️ That man broke the mold, lol.
I have not really read that many IF's before, but this game right here? 100% one of my favorites. Not just in the IF genre, but the whole visual novel, choice matters kind of vibes. It's so good, i love the setting, the lore and the characters. I'm so happy i found it when it was completed (girl does not have any patience so thank god for that), it was a fantastic experience. THANK YOU FOR THIS! xx
You are most welcome! Thank YOU for reading it and for your kind words! 🥹
absolutely beautiful. you're an incredible story telling and I fell in love with the characters and the story in a matter of paragraphs
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
given the themes at play it feels very fitting that there are no words to do viatica justice. I want everyone to experience it.
incredible, incredible work. thank you for making this.
Thank you so much! I have no words to describe how much I appreciate you saying so! ❤️
God I love dystopian fiction <333 [SPOILERS]
The author's writing is wonderful, really getting you into these characters, their personalities, and their wants vs needs. The characters within the main cast are very well in-depth enough to have this kind of internal dichotomy. Each character wants something, yet truly needs something else for their personal arch to be fulfilled that they each gain by the end. My main complaint is that a lot of the story felt a little too fast for my liking, but that may be a personal taste thing. I like when these types of stories can linger in moments for a bit, letting you properly soak in the actions and consequences on the world and characters around them. The world building was excellent with how each chapter opened with how this world got to be this way and with how you get to witness how it exists in the present, but I do wish it was a tad slower. So we could feel the inherent tragedy of it. I wish we lingered on Fawn and Bison's deaths just that bit longer, to see how their small rebellion of love impacted the world around them and not simply get these small moments that feel, to me, like a drop in a bucket of the sheer possibility that the author possesses to twist that knife that much harder. I wish we lingered more on how truly impacted Lion is by his friend's death, see his grief and fear of being the prideful leader his name implies him to be due to just how much the status quo infused within him a fear of change. I wish we actually get to see just that little bit of the PC learning how to utilize language and get more fluent. I understand if this could simply be from the limitation of Twine's engine, but it's something that personally bothers me, just a tad. Especially with how other Twine games can do a slower style effectively
All that aside, this is the first work of IF to actually got me to tear up! So congrats on getting me attached to these characters in such a quick amount of time!
Thank you for giving my story a try. The length of the story has nothing to do with the Twine engine and is simply the story I wanted to tell. I understand what you’re saying, but I feel I got the message and emotions across successfully in the amount of words it is, and more would be unnecessary and belabor the point. Could it be longer? Of course. Should it be? I don’t believe so.
Thank you again for taking the time to read and comment!
- bit of a spoiler warning if anyone reading this hasn't finished it -
oh my gosh that was amazing 🥹 the ending made me a little emotional I'm so happy it all worked out in the end, though I wish it could have worked out for fawn and bison. they'd be so proud to see how far everyone got ☹️
I really loved how you wrote everything from the plot to the characters, and the music was a perfect addition 🫶 I'll be excited to see more projects in the future !! I'd also love to read the novella version of this if it ever gets published !! thank you so much for this ❤️ I'm pretty sad to of finished it already but I'll be thinking about this for a while now haha
Thank you so much! Writing chapter 10 was difficult, believe me, but it had to be done. Im glad you enjoyed the ending and music and everything else! The novella is a bit cringe, I’m not sure it will ever see the light of day, lol. 🥴 I’m a better writer than I was 25 years ago, but I’ve also just had a lot more life experiences that influenced this version of Viatica. But I appreciate the thought, thank you!
that's fair enough! I'm not sure I'd like to even look in the general direction of the stuff I wrote when I was younger. 👀
I do understand why the events chapter 10 had to happen as heartbreaking as it was 💔
thank you so much for replying !