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!
The game saves automatically to your browser. As long as you don’t switch browsers or devices, or clear your cache, you can pick up where you left off. But there are no saves slots. I built this using Twine Chapbook which unfortunately doesn’t offer a save system
I appreciate the link and I’m glad someone created a work around. But in all honesty, I’m not inclined to go fiddle with coding. 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 this. But it’s finished and not very long, so I feel it has good replay ability and multiple saves aren’t particularly necessary.
Wow! That was amazing, thank you for writing this. I loved the characters (Heron the most though lol) and the plot so much! I'll definitely do another run-through at some point.
AH! just stop, this by far has to be one of the best experience's I've played :0 the story? the MC? the relationships? the characters? the story? 10/10! Also the fact that the music changes in certain chapters or pages to fit the scene which makes it more perfect!
I lovee thiss so muchhh <33 and congratulations on the complete release, this is one of my favorite books!! Send my love to Lion<33 love you too author for this amazing masterpiece <33
Holy shit...as my mc might say. This is amazing. I really loved the setup, the world, the story... It reminds me of this book I read at school called "Below the Root" (1975) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. It had a seemingly utopian world, with darker dystopian backstory and secrets. It was an amazing story and this had the same energy and creativity and thought to it. I also adored all the characters. My heart specially goes to Lion, Heron, and Robin. <3
Thank you for your kind words, I’m glad you liked the story and characters! I’ve never heard of the book you mentioned but now I’m curious. I’ll have to go look it up!
I don't normally post comments on games, but I randomly found this game while on tumblr of another IF and someone recommended it. I clicked on the link and genuinely could not put it down! I normally don't read apocalypse stories (cuz they normally depress me hahaha...) but I really loved the characters, story and world. It was such a good read and I'm so glad I found this IF. Congrats on the full release! Such a great read.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it, especially Ferret!
Random funny… you’re the second commenter to mention Arcane in a week (someone down below mentioned Isha) and I JUST finished watching the show with my daughter this past weekend. 😂
Hello! It does not, it’s simply a way to give you a more custom experience and add flavor text. I’ll be fine-tuning the romance system in my next IF. Thanks for reading!
Wow, I absolutely LOVED this. I love finding new twine games like this to obsess over! It’s always a treat. I’m a big fan of these types of games. Since I started playing it from beginning to end, I didn’t put it down not once and time just flew by! I love the control we have over the choices, especially with the intimate scenes, which were a treat to behold! I loved Heron and how more of his personality came out (so cute!), but Lion had really captured my heart first play through. ❤️ such a great find!!
Thank you for giving my story a try and for your kind words! I agree with you on both ROs. Heron was a lot of fun to write and explore, and he really grew on me, but Lion will always be the man for me. 😁
Like the person who commented an hour ago @TechVanir I also have never commented on an itch.io project before but after finishing this story, I decided to go gay and I choose Ferret as the romance option I loved the whole story, when I clicked on this I did not know what to expect but this was beyond my expectations I started thinking it was going to be something small but from every little detail to the becoming of H-313 or the Name I decided which was fox, I slowly felt as if I was the character and the story sucked me in the writing is top notch and made every little detail feel so real so human so perfect got me feeling every emotion my body can do this is just great honestly to the maker of this I would love to see more content from you you way of writing you can just feel the effort that went into this the dedication to perfecting every character in the story just all around perfection reminds me of divergence which I loved and this is up there with it (but maybe even better than it)
in the end I decided to leave behind and not revolt because i'm a family person and I took family over everyone, It was so hard because the characters I liked lion, Ferret both wanted to revolt, and I felt so immersed they felt real so It had me torn and I did not want to pick a side it felt so real like I can't describe it i'm doing what the characters in the story feel at the start having things to say but not the words to match it this is go great and I hope you have a great day and thanks for making this wonderful IF Expierince, I am sure ill come back and head down a different path, with a different partner option
Thank you so much! That’s honestly the best compliment, when someone tells me they don’t usually comment but my story inspired them to do so. I can’t say enough how encouraging that is to hear, or how encouraging comments in general are. I’m glad you liked the story and characters, and that you felt so immersed in the story. This really was a labor of love for me, and I’m glad the care was evident.
I do have a new story in the works, but I hope you continue enjoying Viatica!
I've never written a comment on itch.io before but this story was so incredible and touching, I think I have to. Each character feels so alive and earnest in a way I can't properly articulate. It's as though you can feel the fear, hope and desperation within yourself as you step into their world. It feels raw and intrinsically human. Thank you for sharing this story with us, it truly resonated with me.
That is an incredible compliment, thank you for taking the time to read and comment! I’m happy to hear that my story and characters touched you in such a way. That human connection is ultimately what it’s all about. 😁❤️ Thank you, again!
Thank you so much for your kind words! 🥹 I’m happy you enjoyed it! I think you’ll like Heron’s route. He’s similar to Lion in terms of protectiveness and devotion, but with a playfulness and vulnerability. I have a hard time choosing between the two myself, lol.
just played heron's route and good god was i reminded of how much i adore the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope.
i didn't have the vocabulary to say it earlier (it was almost 4 am when i commented!) but not only was this incredibly well-written, it was a beautiful study of the human psyche. the way you captured emotion, speech, and mannerisms was vibrant and dynamic, and i could truly understand and empathise with what the characters were feeling. this IF was a gorgeous, well-made labour of love, and i don't think it's too much of a reach to call it a bit of a journal in itself. thank you so much for sharing such a masterful story.
so sorry for the long comment, haha. i hope you have a wonderful life. :]
Your long comment is wonderful and I don’t mind it at all! ❤️ I’m glad you liked Heron’s route, I’m a sucker for that trope, too, lol. This story (and entire experience) truly was a labor of love for me, and I’m glad it resonated with you in such a way. Thank you for rereading and for your kind words!
I love every bit of this! While I love all the routes, Robin has my heart ❤️ so well written! I even cried while reading, it just hit so hard and so good
← Return to game
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
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 !
NOOOOO ☹️ why oh why couldn't they just leave the two of them alone 😓
how do you save the story progress? i don't see any link/setting?
The game saves automatically to your browser. As long as you don’t switch browsers or devices, or clear your cache, you can pick up where you left off. But there are no saves slots. I built this using Twine Chapbook which unfortunately doesn’t offer a save system
MalifaciousGames recently wrote a minimal JS script for saving to file in chapbook. It even creates inserts for comfort. Maybe you can make use of it.
https://github.com/MalifaciousGames/Mali-s-Scripts/tree/main/chapbook-scripts/sa...
Hello, I realize now I never responded to this!
I appreciate the link and I’m glad someone created a work around. But in all honesty, I’m not inclined to go fiddle with coding. 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 this. But it’s finished and not very long, so I feel it has good replay ability and multiple saves aren’t particularly necessary.
But I appreciate the suggestion, thanks again!
That was amazing!!!! Thank for writing it ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
It was my pleasure to write! Thank you for giving it a chance and reading!
This was so enjoyable! Thanks for making and sharing it 😊
You are quite welcome, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Wow! That was amazing, thank you for writing this. I loved the characters (Heron the most though lol) and the plot so much! I'll definitely do another run-through at some point.
Thank you! It was honestly a joy to write. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it and my boy, Heron. ☺️
oh my gosh!!! robin my baby he deserves all the love! i adore both endings, i really do! they're both perfect in their different ways!
Robin and I both thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed them and their route, as well as the endings!
This is one of the best stories I've ever gotten to experience. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I will treasure your words forever
You are so welcome, thank you for this lovely comment!
AH! just stop, this by far has to be one of the best experience's I've played :0 the story? the MC? the relationships? the characters? the story? 10/10! Also the fact that the music changes in certain chapters or pages to fit the scene which makes it more perfect!
Ah, no, you stop! 🥹 Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun finding music to fit the scenes so I’m happy to hear you enjoyed it!
You've crafted a fascinating world filled with loving and brave people! Thank you for sharing!
Aw, thank YOU for reading it!
I lovee thiss so muchhh <33 and congratulations on the complete release, this is one of my favorite books!! Send my love to Lion<33 love you too author for this amazing masterpiece <33
Thank you, I love hearing that! Lion and I both send our regards! 😂❤️
Holy shit...as my mc might say. This is amazing. I really loved the setup, the world, the story... It reminds me of this book I read at school called "Below the Root" (1975) by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. It had a seemingly utopian world, with darker dystopian backstory and secrets. It was an amazing story and this had the same energy and creativity and thought to it. I also adored all the characters. My heart specially goes to Lion, Heron, and Robin. <3
Hahaha, such vulgar language, as Lion would say 😏
Thank you for your kind words, I’m glad you liked the story and characters! I’ve never heard of the book you mentioned but now I’m curious. I’ll have to go look it up!
I don't normally post comments on games, but I randomly found this game while on tumblr of another IF and someone recommended it. I clicked on the link and genuinely could not put it down! I normally don't read apocalypse stories (cuz they normally depress me hahaha...) but I really loved the characters, story and world. It was such a good read and I'm so glad I found this IF. Congrats on the full release! Such a great read.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I totally get that with dystopian stories. I actually don’t like depressing reads yet I’m all in for the dystopian genre, go figure 😂
Finished this js now and damn, this is legit a masterpiece . Love the story and characters, especially Ferret!!!
Idk if it's just me but I imagined the weasel's face as ambessa from arcane n idk why😭
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it, especially Ferret!
Random funny… you’re the second commenter to mention Arcane in a week (someone down below mentioned Isha) and I JUST finished watching the show with my daughter this past weekend. 😂
Wow
Someone mentioned this IF on Reddit and I decided to check it out. I did not expect such a masterpiece. This is easily one of the best IF I've read.
I just went on a deep dive into Reddit in response to this, lol. 🥴
Thank you for giving my story a try, and for your kind words!
Does anyone know if picking the 💛 option has less of an effect on your LI than the red heart might?
Hello! It does not, it’s simply a way to give you a more custom experience and add flavor text. I’ll be fine-tuning the romance system in my next IF. Thanks for reading!
This was really, really good! Great job! I loved all the characters. I'll be returning to play through it again sometime soon :)
Thank you! I encourage you to try all of the RO routes because they’re each lovely and loving in their own way, but of course I’m biased lol. 😄
Wow, I absolutely LOVED this. I love finding new twine games like this to obsess over! It’s always a treat. I’m a big fan of these types of games. Since I started playing it from beginning to end, I didn’t put it down not once and time just flew by! I love the control we have over the choices, especially with the intimate scenes, which were a treat to behold! I loved Heron and how more of his personality came out (so cute!), but Lion had really captured my heart first play through. ❤️ such a great find!!
Thank you for giving my story a try and for your kind words! I agree with you on both ROs. Heron was a lot of fun to write and explore, and he really grew on me, but Lion will always be the man for me. 😁
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO T-T
I haven't even finished and my day is ruined this is Isha from Arcane all over again
Good Writing tho ;-;
Erm, thank you? I’m assuming this is in response to the infamous chapter 10 😅
Yes lol 😅
MAY CONTAINS SPOILS
Like the person who commented an hour ago @TechVanir I also have never commented on an itch.io project before but after finishing this story, I decided to go gay and I choose Ferret as the romance option I loved the whole story, when I clicked on this I did not know what to expect but this was beyond my expectations I started thinking it was going to be something small but from every little detail to the becoming of H-313 or the Name I decided which was fox, I slowly felt as if I was the character and the story sucked me in the writing is top notch and made every little detail feel so real so human so perfect got me feeling every emotion my body can do this is just great honestly to the maker of this I would love to see more content from you you way of writing you can just feel the effort that went into this the dedication to perfecting every character in the story just all around perfection reminds me of divergence which I loved and this is up there with it (but maybe even better than it)
in the end I decided to leave behind and not revolt because i'm a family person and I took family over everyone, It was so hard because the characters I liked lion, Ferret both wanted to revolt, and I felt so immersed they felt real so It had me torn and I did not want to pick a side it felt so real like I can't describe it i'm doing what the characters in the story feel at the start having things to say but not the words to match it this is go great and I hope you have a great day and thanks for making this wonderful IF Expierince, I am sure ill come back and head down a different path, with a different partner option
Thank you so much! That’s honestly the best compliment, when someone tells me they don’t usually comment but my story inspired them to do so. I can’t say enough how encouraging that is to hear, or how encouraging comments in general are. I’m glad you liked the story and characters, and that you felt so immersed in the story. This really was a labor of love for me, and I’m glad the care was evident.
I do have a new story in the works, but I hope you continue enjoying Viatica!
I've never written a comment on itch.io before but this story was so incredible and touching, I think I have to. Each character feels so alive and earnest in a way I can't properly articulate. It's as though you can feel the fear, hope and desperation within yourself as you step into their world. It feels raw and intrinsically human. Thank you for sharing this story with us, it truly resonated with me.
That is an incredible compliment, thank you for taking the time to read and comment! I’m happy to hear that my story and characters touched you in such a way. That human connection is ultimately what it’s all about. 😁❤️ Thank you, again!
omg this is quickly becoming one of my top 5 ifs😭😭😭 wishing for side stories bcz I'm getting so attached to Lion 😭😭 love him so much 😭😭😭
Many crying emoji bcz yea I'm crying wtf 😭😭😭😭😭 thank you for bringing us such a beautiful story😭😭😭
Hehe, I hope there’s a few happy emojis and moments in between the tears! I’m glad you’re enjoying the story, and Lion. ❤️ Thank you!
holy shit. new favourite if discovered! lion has my whole heart, and i'm just about to play heron's route.
thank you so much for this, author! beautifully written & incredibly soulful. you're very talented!
Thank you so much for your kind words! 🥹 I’m happy you enjoyed it! I think you’ll like Heron’s route. He’s similar to Lion in terms of protectiveness and devotion, but with a playfulness and vulnerability. I have a hard time choosing between the two myself, lol.
Thank you for reading!
just played heron's route and good god was i reminded of how much i adore the childhood-friends-to-lovers trope.
i didn't have the vocabulary to say it earlier (it was almost 4 am when i commented!) but not only was this incredibly well-written, it was a beautiful study of the human psyche. the way you captured emotion, speech, and mannerisms was vibrant and dynamic, and i could truly understand and empathise with what the characters were feeling. this IF was a gorgeous, well-made labour of love, and i don't think it's too much of a reach to call it a bit of a journal in itself. thank you so much for sharing such a masterful story.
so sorry for the long comment, haha. i hope you have a wonderful life. :]
Your long comment is wonderful and I don’t mind it at all! ❤️ I’m glad you liked Heron’s route, I’m a sucker for that trope, too, lol. This story (and entire experience) truly was a labor of love for me, and I’m glad it resonated with you in such a way. Thank you for rereading and for your kind words!
I can't thankyou enough author for telling us this story! It was so beautiful and I hope you have a bright/happy new year
Aww, thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it and I wish you a wonderful new year, too!
I can't put into words how much I love this but I really do!
Thank you so much.
You are most welcome! 😁
I love every bit of this! While I love all the routes, Robin has my heart ❤️ so well written! I even cried while reading, it just hit so hard and so good
Thank you! Robin was a pleasure to write. They are my first non-binary character so I took a lot of care with them. ❤️ I’m glad you enjoyed it!
NOAAR I MEAN LIKE IT'S BRAVE TO DO IT BUT NOARRRRRRRRRRRRRR (Death of- no spoilers)
That infamous chapter 10 😭