**This game has been rewritten and recoded from the start! Any saves prior to 7/26/22 will not work properly!**

Last Update: 8/25/22

Speaker is a modern fantasy character-driven interactive novel focusing on the relationships (romantic, familial, or otherwise) formed within your rag-tag group of misfits. It will be the first book in a series.

  • Build a relationship with your twin sister as well as 5 romanceable characters (one male, one female, one nonbinary, and 2 whose gender you choose). Choose one of seven routes - one for each RO, a polyam romance with Li and Sebastian, or eschew romance entirely!
  • Have a shadow dog. He's a good boy.
  • Go on road trips with your new friends and try to save people from a prophesied fate.
  • Learn more about your family’s curse and what it means to be a Speaker.

I make weekly progress updates on my tumblr blog.

If you'd like to support Speaker's development, I have a ko-fi and a patreon!

Warnings: descriptions of blood, gore, and violence. Mentions of death. Nightmares. Being watched. A fair amount of swearing. I will update this list if anything applicable arises.

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The Story

Your family is cursed.

The firstborn child in each generation is born a Seer, haunted by visions of the future they can neither stop nor control. For thirteen generations, they’ve suffered in silence, seeing death and disaster before it comes but unable to prevent it or even give it voice.

You are the second born.

Born only a few minutes after your twin sister, you avoided your family’s curse - by either luck or providence. As the twin sibling to your generation’s Seer, however, you have a rare and amazing gift. You are a Speaker, able to understand her visions and translate them in a way other people can understand. 

The two of you have made a living hunting down and trying to stop them at the source, plucking people from the clutches of death. You aren’t always successful, and the pay is pretty much nonexistent, but it gives you a sense of purpose and hey, it’s still better than working retail.

The visions are becoming more frequent lately, and their contents more violent. Is there a thread connecting them that you aren’t able to see? Or is this just a sign of the times?

Either way, one thing is for sure: it’s too much for just the two of you. You’re going to need help.

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Characters

The Speaker

This is you, the player character. The twin sibling of a Seer, you narrowly avoided being the Chosen One pretty much just by the flip of a coin. Part caretaker, part private investigator, part vigilante, you travel the country trying to prevent your sister’s terrible visions from coming true. Your name, appearance, gender, pronouns, and personality are all customizable.

The Seer

Your twin sister. Older than you by four minutes, she suffers from the curse you avoided, plagued by visions of pain and death that she can only speak of to you. Stubbornly optimistic in spite of her powers, she is rarely seen without a smile. On bad days, she has trouble telling what’s real and what’s a vision, but that doesn’t stop her from trying to live her best life. Her appearance is determined by the Speaker’s, and her name is chosen by you.

The Dog

A Black Dog that has imprinted himself on you and your sister. He is about the size of an Irish Wolfhound, though he can increase or shrink his size depending on canine whim. Likes to go on car rides. Begs for food scraps even though he can’t eat them. Goodest boy. Name is decided by the player.

The Dryad-Next-Door - Azalea Mirin

Azalea has lived next door to you for as long as you can remember, and your families are long-time friends. Gentle, soft-spoken, and unassuming, she can often be found working in her garden, and she regularly brings you pies or muffins she’s made using the things she grows. Az is very much a homebody, and has very adamantly refused to travel with you in all the years you’ve known her, though she doesn’t mind housesitting if you ask nicely.

Azalea is a romanceable character.

The Austere Detective - Sebastian Wynric

A private detective that you hired to help with your sister's latest vision. He doesn’t talk much and can sometimes be a little sharp-tongued, but he seems ultimately harmless - or, at the very least, he means you and your sister no harm. You’re pretty sure he isn’t fully human, but he’s never said anything about it and you’re not sure if it would be rude to ask.

Sebastian is a romanceable character.

The Quiet Witch - Liam/Lily/Li Cowles

A healer, and potentially an old friend. Your family and theirs have been familiar with each other for generations, but you haven’t seen them since you were children. You remember them being quiet and shy, but surprisingly mischievous, and it seems that has carried into adulthood. They lean really heavily into the “spooky” angle of witchcraft, but you’re not sure how much of that is just for appearances.

Li's gender is chosen by the player. They are a romanceable character.

The Mysterious Musician - Kana

Kana is a traveling musician who you keep bumping into. They found themself in the wrong place at the right time and have been dragged into your adventures, though they seem willing enough to go along with it... for now. They keep their cards close to their chest, and you aren't sure how much of what they tell you about themself is true - you aren't even sure Kana is their real name - but they seem to genuinely want to help.

Kana is a romanceable character.

The Merry Wanderer - Roderick/Aurora “Rory” Kane

The victim in your sister’s latest vision. You manage to save their life, but at what cost? Friendly, outgoing, and perhaps a little too trusting, their resemblance to a golden retriever is almost uncanny. Never one to stay in one place for long, Rory has decided to travel with you for now... both for your safety, and their own.

Rory's gender is chosen by the player. They are a romanceable character.

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Credits

Thank you to my mom for being my first and biggest fan. I always promised I'd do this if I became a published author: HI MAMA!

Thank you to my beta readers for keeping this story legible.

Itch.io page background image by Michael Mouritz on Unsplash

Development log

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Comments

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Viewing most recent comments 1 to 40 of 147 · Next page · Last page

Loving this! Can't wait for more chapter so I can talk to my fav again

(+14)

When 2023 is about to end and you're still holding on to the desperate hope that your favorite IF will update.

(+4)

Just stayed up and binged to the current end. I love it, I hope we get a new update soon. Makes me wanna draw the characters 

(+4)(-3)

being able to have multiple sets of pronouns that even includes neopronouns is a rare joy to find in a game, and seeing not only the mc have it but also npc have neopronouns makes my trans heart full of love and happiness!!!

I hope you are doing well and life give you fortune and joy for this wonderful game you are making!!

(+4)

I wanted to know if this IF is still in development?

(+22)

It is, just slowly. The author is a full-time mom so they have a lot of stuff that takes priority, but are still working on it

(+4)

Oooh, I didn't know that, thanks! This IF has a lot of potential. ^-^

(+7)

We are rootin for ya, author-sama!

I absolutely love this story!

(+2)

love this, hope there's more to come !

(+2)

soooooo goooooooood

(1 edit) (+2)

aghh this is so good, i need more and i cant wait for the next update

not sure if romancing sebastian and liam together is the only option but i hope i can romance sebastian seperately T_T

(+5)

im pretty sure you can, when i last played i just had Liam  as a friend and Sebastian as my love interest

(+25)(-4)

Y'all, interactive fiction takes time to make. Lots of choices that need to be written and coded in. On the patreon it still gets beta updates so it's being worked on.

(1 edit)

I am so excited for this game to fully come out. every time I come back the updates keeping better

(+2)

I LOVE IT OMG  😭😭😭😭 (not me trying to pick between Sebastian  and Liam lol

(+5)

I’m pretty sure there is a poly route with them I think…

(+5)

this is so good please tell me its still being worked on T.T

(+7)

It is dont worry but making a game with multiple choices takes a lot of time

They have a discord you should check it out

(+3)

Please tell me this is still being worked on, an hour's session at 9pm turned into a 3am binge, please please tell me the author's got some sort of update past April planned, or past August last year

(+15)

I'm just gonna leave this here for future people wondering. Yes, this is still being worked on. On the authors patreon you can get the link for the most recent updated version of this game. Which was up until february of this year.

(+5)

I absolutely love this. This is the first I've enjoyed the friendships in a game this much, so much I didn't even end up trying to flirt with anyone and I'm a romance freak. Even the side characters are so fun. And MC's sister! I would kill for her. And even more awesome, the plot is so interesting too. And I like the variation in personality the MC can have! I usually like to play as a really quiet introvert character and I think this is the first game that let me do that without it messing up my relationships with other characters. Can't wait for the next update!

(+8)

i love rory

(+1)

ME TOO AHHHH he’s too cute 🥰

(+2)

I played this almost in one sitting!!! so excited for the next update!

(+6)

is there going to be new update anytime soon? It's been a while since it has been updated, but I'm looking forward to more!!

(1 edit) (+9)

I'm so excited for the next update :,) a true hidden gem hehe

Also I am so in love with Sebastian and Liam I'm sO EXCITED to see what happens next

(+9)

Does anyone know if this is still being worked on?

(+3)

It is

(+6)

This was so amazing! This is one of the best IF games I've ever played- if not the best game I've ever played. Please keep it going- I need to know how it ends lol, it's my new favorite game. Thank you so much for your hard work on this!! (:

(+11)

Honestly, where do I even start? 

Well, I guess I could by giving the obvious spoiler warning!

 I've played visual novels before, but I assume interactive fiction is different, right? With that being the case, this must be my first one! And what a magnificent introduction! 

Right off the bat, I must say the sheer amount of customisation had me FLOORED. It really immerses the player, and boy did it immerse me. Right from the get go, the story had me hooked and kept me hooked. (awaiting further updates with impatience, but in a good way) 

Can't reitterate how inspiring and underrated this is. I found myself feeling guilty, like I somehow pirated something that I should gave paid GOOD money for. A stranger's oppinion may not count for much, but PLEASE: bring this story out to a more widely-known medium. It deserves a fandom! 

If I had to give this one critique, I would say there are *slightly* too many characters, it becomes a bit hard to keep track of them all, and sometimes I'm not sure who's being referred to. 

That's the general stuff I wanted to say, though I have two, more personal points to make 

1. By looking at the comments, Az is SO underrated TvT. She's literally a sweetheart, and gosh do I LOVE her. 

2. When I tell you, as soon as I saw my native language (Polish) I HAD TO CONTAIN MYSELF FROM SCREAMING IN EXCITEMENT. In my oppinion, Polish culture is much overlooked in fiction like this, and seeing it there COMPLETELY MADE MY DAY. And paired with such an interesting character(Sebastian)? W O W. 

(+30)

Who else comes here everyday to see if theres an update?

(+4)

Me :v

(+1)

Their patron seems to have a more up to date demo link?

Ok, thanks for the tips ☆(ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*

(+10)

Soo good. I check for updates regularly! Can't wait. The amount of customization is crazy.❤

LITERALLY? FOR REAL? It's so immersive -v-

(+11)

I'm not like OTHER siblings of seers, I'm a SPEAKER /j I love this game (it has a shadow dog)

UNDERRATED COMMENT XD

Ty bro!

(1 edit) (+3)

 i adore the story posted so far and wow this story got me HOOKED. also the way that mc and li keep dancing around their feelings got me so kjsdjksdks. rory my beloved u deserve the world pls lemme give u a lil kiss on the cheeks <333.  i wish i can rate this game 100/5 but itch.io won't let me </333 anywayss, i can't wait to see how this story goes !

I NEEEED MORE! Writer omg this is like too good i don't feel worthy. BUT i do. MUST.HAVE.STORY!

For real! It feels like something I would have to pay GOOD money for. Lke, atleast £10

Exactly like ARGGGHGUYGDHJ (yk?)

(+2)(-1)

Sebastian and Liam my BELOVEDS. i am eagerly awaiting the next update! i only recently found this, but i adore your writing. the change from second person to first during the ritual gave me chills!

(+2)

I am so excited to see where this is going! I am so hooked! Characters are all exceedingly lovable and the world is quite rich.

the world IS very rich!

(-1)

Does this game have an actual ending

(+1)

I'm overjoyed that I stuck with the game from the beginning till now.

And dear author, I read it again, and it's just as amazing as before💕. I'm looking forward to the upcoming updates and wish you a wonderful day.

(+3)

So I found this game in 2021 but forgot about it after i reached the unfinished part... but I found it again, finally! I had to start from the beginning due to the re-code but it was so fun and nostalgic, I truly love this game! I told myself I would enter this game with an open mind but after all these years I still have a crush on both Liam and Sebastian 😭 I defenitely suggest this game to whomever finds its and I am so excited for the next update! <3 

(+11)

happy new yearrr<3

(+6)(-1)

Just finished and i'm already obsessed. Very good story and super amazing characters, Sebastian and Liam is life.

Truly amazing, is there a possibility or any plans to fully finish and release the game?

(+17)

Speaker is still very much in development! I've run into some tricky coding that has delayed the next update longer than I'd like, but it's still actively being worked on

(+1)

Still an amazing game, truly amazing. If there's perhaps a discord channel or any way I can see the progress, can I join it?

(1 edit)

you can join the discord server or go to tumblr for updates. Hope it helps!

(+5)

just replayed for the second time and its still as captivating as the first time I read it! truly can't wait until it's finished!!

(+3)

ough i just finished whats up and im obsessed it's so good!!

(+4)

words can't describe how much i love this game

Viewing most recent comments 1 to 40 of 147 · Next page · Last page