Chasing Stars IF

[chasingstarsif]

Chasing Stars IF

You're the new manager of the Gabbia, a once respected hotel that has lost the trust of both the public and all hospitality authorities.

Try to restore the hotel's reputation and maybe find love along the way.

[wlw game]

DEMO: 13th of June, 2026

[soulsisterif]

About AI Content

This has nothing to do with the game, feel free to ignore.

So, here I was, wanting to take a look at asks and trying to relax in Tumblr before I go back to studying and the first thing I see is a post of an author getting accused of using AI. It's not the first time I see this, and it's not the only author that has to put up with it so I thought, 'know what? Let's all have a look at what kind of text gets flagged and then maybe we can all think about whether or not it's okay to go around pointing fingers and having writers charged and convicted without proof'.

I don't want to drag anyone into this so I'm using my own stuff. I'll check my IFs in the first AI checker I find online and we'll see what these kind of tools look for and if it's so far fetched to think that a real human being could have a tendency to use or overuse certain style or figures of speech.

Okay, first match with high AI-Generated percentage:

Let's see what we have. Flags questions, mirrored responses and... I'm not quite sure why the first two sentences are highlighted, to be honest.

Another one. AI checkers definitely don't like questions or callbacks on the same text. The 'character snaps out of a mood' is a common flag, too. I've had it on other pages but with a low percentage.

The percentage goes up when the length of paragraphs or sentences stays consistent, too, and they seem to also have stuff against comparisons and quoting.

Oh-ho-ho-ho, we have a winner, folks.

Okay, we've got: callback to a previous action, questions (I'm guessing this may be because AI constantly asks for feedback from whoever is feeding it input?), a character snapping out of a mood (tough this may just be the adjectives or the 'as if' because I swear every time there's a comparison that's flagged like 2% AI each).

From what we've seen here I would say that an author that describes a lot of with adjectives, and especially if they focus on emotional contrast would have a very high AI suspicion percentage. If they usually write paragraphs with similar length they're screwed, too. And if they make a lot of callbacks to their own text —I do this a lot with flavour text— and do so using questions as a narrative device they're also looked at with narrowed eyes.

Actually. Let's use all of this and write a quick litte something that depicts some of it. Let's see how high the percentage we get is. I'm not going to waste any more time. Just a few sentences.

...And, there you have it, folks.

It gave me only a 57.6% but it flagged virtually all the text.

And now let's apply this to the IF context because let me tell you, I find a looooot of callbacks and overuse of words and turns of speech within the same paragraphs when there's flavour text involved. I myself usually write several variations of the same scene depending on stats or MC's personality in the same sitting so even when I'm editing it's hard for me to notice repetition because it's supposed to be there, with minor changes, even though readers don't see it in a single playthrough.

Bottom line, you can criticize someone's work so long as you're respectful about it, but accusing someone of using AI and not even bothering to give reasons why is not constructive criticism, only hurtful, baseless judgement.

• You're being a jerk if you say things like:

"If you're using AI, at the very least you could admit it." "Well, if you don't change the way you write after all the accusations, of course you'll keep getting them."

•You're cool if you say things like:

"This kind of sentences repeat a lot and they feel awkward and boring." "I've noticed this-or-that, you may want to find someone to proof-read your work before you submit it."

And one last thing, especially if whoever you're saying this stuff to isn't making any money out of it: you can stop interacting and reading someone's work. Go give a piece of your mind to the countless Amazon 'authors' that write and publish three cheap books a month.

There. Ugh. I can't believe I spent my one-hour study-break time doing this shit but it's infuriating.

[chasingstarsif]

Look I'm all about Claire romantically and I always pick the love at first sight route but Mattea's dynamic with a full time Brat MC is so fucking scrumptious I can't help myself. The whole office scene, the way she mocks MC when she wants a kiss? I was giggling evily the whole time.

And the fact that at the end she glares at MC because she doesn't want her to hurt Claire instead of being jealous is a great touch. I loved all of it. Can't wait for Chapter Three!

I'm glad because I struggle so much with writing those kind of messy routes. I'm a very boring, very faithful kind of romance player so I don't particularly enjoy the parts where MC is being sneaky, like, teasing Mattea in front of a 'love at first sight' Claire is awfully cruel and I hate it because Claire will find out eventually and it'll crush my baby T_T The teasing and the dynamics, however, are a joy. I love playing around with them and have them be silly. But in my mind, they only happen in routes wherein Claire is either friendzoned or simply a hook-up.

[chasingstarsif]

I've seen the post where you mention Carmela's daughter and also a scene where we can chose what to call Mattea in bed that, I think, is not in the game yet. How far ahead do you usually plan a story before writing it?

Oh, so, so far ahead. Then I actually start writing and things don't feel like they flow naturally so I just pull whatever I think fits best out of my arse and all previous drafts go to hell.

Like, Claire was a character from another story but she was too drama-free for what I was writing so her whole storyline was wiped out and here she is now, stealing the show.

[chasingstarsif]

GIMME GIMME GIMME A CLAIRE AFTER MIDNIGHT

WON'T SOMEBODY HELP ME CHASE THE SHADOWS AWAY?

[chasingstarsif]

Finally a LI spewing poetry about my mc's brown eyes!!! We need more of that

Yeah, people who don't appreciate brown eyes are missing on, like, 70% of the population's beauty!

Also... Girl, what? SPEW! I'm dead. Claire does not spew! She recites, she crafts reverently if unintentionally, she's maybe a bit cringe, but she does not spew

[chasingstarsif]

Mattea is mommy but Claire is bae. Poly anyone?

Hahaha, ya'll have a right to dream.

Most people seem to be only horny for Mattea while Claire gets the lovey-dovey stuff. Understandable, she had far more tender scenes, both in tone and length.

[chasingstarsif]

I just can't wait to date Claire! Thank you so much for the chapter 2! And while I did have fun with my boss *coughs*, it only made me realize how inlove I am with Claire! I have been following your IF for a while and I was so happy to find the 2nd chapter recently! There are only a handful of IFs that are targeted specifically for sapphic audiences, hence I am extremely delighted to find yours!! I am eagerly waiting for the next chapters, and I hope you have wonderful days ahead!

Claire's date scene is planned for next chapter but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for quite a while since I want to focus on Soul next.

Glad to hear you still tried out Mattea's scenes though, despite the immediate regret/epiphany, hahahaha

The IF community is the best for queer people when it comes to games and I love that authors take the time and care enough to include queer options but it's still nice to find stories that are made for you instead of stories that accommodate your presence so I'm glad you feel that way about Chasing Stars :)

[chasingstarsif]

Since there's no sexy time with Mattea in the next chapter will we have it for chapter 3?? My bratty MC has to be put in her place

For bratty MC, hard yes. Otherwise, depends on whether or not I can fit a scene for MC and Mattea to get closer/clear the air depending on what path you went for in your office in Chapter Two

[chasingstarsif]

I'm new here but the little Aquí no hay quién viva easter egg was enough to tell me you're Spanish, jajajaja

I was hoping some fellow Spaniards would see it! LOL

I'm also very tempted to have our beloved Golden Girls make a cameo and terrorizing the staff and other guests in Chapter 3.

Marisa trying to smoke in the hotel, Vicenta bringing Valentín along and Concha going into restricted areas after warning "¡soy Concha! ¡Entro!"

[chasingstarsif]

So, I chose to have Claire like my MCs eyes and the fact that the description in her POV changes not only depending on MCs eye color but her skin tone as well is amazing

Depending on what combo you got you may have witnessed part of poems from my high school days

[chasingstarsif]

First batch of bug fixes for Chapter Two.

Thanks for the fast reporting, guys, you're awesome!

[chasingstarsif]

Chapter Two is now Available!

It's what I'll say when Chapter Two is actually available.

Which is now! LOL It's done, people!

I've been editing and playtesting at godless hours so I'm pretty sure there are glaring mistakes my sleep deprived brain has completely ignored but I fixed a loooot of bugs and Chapter Two is now up and ready for you to read.

The 44k that "will probably increase" have turned into 61k. I added flavour text concerning MC's appearance, I diversified the tone of Mattea's scenes because I wanted her behaviour to be very different depending on whether your MC's a Brat or a Good Girl, and I also extended and added a few dialogue choices and reactions on the second part of the demo.

I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, especially with Mattea's scenes but I'm not sure if it's the scenes themselves, or the fact that I've read them all one after the other again and again while editing, and now they're like all mixed in my brain. When I go over them again in a couple weeks with a fresher mind I might change stuff. Do feel free to give me feedback.

Even though a lot of the new content is shared paragraphs with flavour text 61k is still a lot more than I was going for. There goes my 'I don't want chapters to be much longer than 40k' speech.

I'll try to keep an eye on bug reports in case there's issues but otherwise I'll probably be a little MIA for a few days. Or weeks. World Cup has started.

Anyway, have fun.

PS. Still haven't completed the WIP scene for Claire's hookup in chapter one. Sorry! I've really been busy.

[chasingstarsif]

Progress Update

First off, Happy Pride Month everyone!

After feedback from the testers (thanks guys!) seems like the index is working well and if there are bugs they're not the kind that make the game crash and burn.

Admittedly, they haven't read the whole thing because the chapter wasn't complete back when I sent them the private link (Mattea's spicy and romantic scenes were missing) so bugs may be ready to pounce at y'all but at least the index thing is in the clear.

Now, I just finished writing Chapter Two and editing is all that's left. For me that means making sure the stats are set as they should, adding emojis galore and that the current 44k words will probably increase because I often add things when I'm re-reading scenes. The point is I may be able to get the chapter out next weekend.

I have exams to prepare and papers to write so it all depends on how much time I have to spend on that which is, of course, my priority. This is also why asks have not been answered recently but I'll get to them as soon as the looming threat of academic failure has passed LOL

In any case, Chapter Two will be released this month for sure!

[chasingstarsif]

I need you to let me call Mattea mistress. This is not an ask but a statement

I'm way ahead, love

[chasingstarsif]

will we meet any new characters in the new chapter?perhaps.....a butch..? *pleading*

*smiles placatingly*

Nope. It's currently Autumn in Bretema and our Butch is supposed to pop up in Spring, like a daffodil, but I might speed things along because someone else sent me an ask about her a couple days ago and they guessed stuff LOL

I would introduce a placeholder butch to apease y'all but I know how the wild place called Tumblr works and if I make her too charming OR too mean you'll want to romance that one too on the basis of 'another butch is never too much'

...It does rhyme if you read it like you're from Dublin.

[soulsisterif]

Now I'm curious about what other ifs you play. I know you've played love island and thth but I mean more the small creator community. Any recs?

Ooooh, buckle up because this is gonna be a long trip. I've got so many, though you probably know most, if not all. (I really should start reblogging other authors if they have a Tumblr).

Let's stick to text-based stories. I haven't had as much time to play lately so I may be missing newer, cool stories. I'm going to have to leave some out; otherwise this post will be never-ending and it's already half a bible.

Might do another with more stories. How lucky are we that people write so many marvellous stories? And for free!

Number one is my first love and the main reason I started reading text based IF when I used to focus on visual novels:

• Scout: An Apocalypse Story by @anya-dev. Five years later I still think about the Orange Plains. We miss you, Anya. Hoping you're okay and thank you so much for this story. Your legacy carries through time like the cough of the Rover through your desert world. E, you were destined to be my soulmate but Sabine doesn't give a f*ck about destiny. The image of a guy using his very limited electricity supply to iron his clothes in the apocalypse still lives in my mind rent-free.

• Since I already mentioned it College Tennis: Origin Story by @allieebobo. Very slice of life, great dynamics among characters that go beyond their interactions with MC. You'll come to this story for the romance and you'll stay for the community feel and the engaging tennis descriptions. I love playing the matches so much I don't even unleash the kraken anymore. There are lots of customization for you to enjoy and countless little things that get acknowledged by the story (including race and gender). Y'all know I'm a sucker for that kind of flavour text. Same author of Merry Crisis which is being adapted as a visual novel (you go, author!) and is also a very enjoyable read. Coming-of-age vibes.

• The Golden Rose by @anathemafiction. Can't wait for the second book. Welcome to a new version of Tarragona! Explore the city; fight with your horse; get your face Halloween-ed; feel like a rich bastard after meeting a street rat and remember how dirt poor you actually are after meeting actual rich folks; enjoy the flavour text you'll get (including differences depending on your MC's sex). Alessa, I will make a simp out of you. Or not. I'll love you anyway because I'm a soft-hearted fool. Never had I ever raced an old woman who pushed her steed to its limit. She also pushed my buttons. In a darker playthrough the memory of this hag might just be the last straw for a corrupt and likely insane Romanus.

• Love After Death by @loveafterdeath-if. The kind of story I enjoy immensely and that I know I will never be able to write because I'm no good at writing confrontation. Won't leave you indifferent, will make you feel. May be rage, may be hope, may be hurt but it will definitely make you feel. You'll get your heart broken, though it can be mended by a grumpy cat with a liberal idea of what a litter box looks like. Then again, your heart is the least of your concerns if you let your sanity suffer blow after blow. Be damned, Juliet. Heaps of customization, flavour text and reactions to choose from. Solid 10.

• The Wayhaven Chronicles, by @seraphinitegames. Need I say more? Insane branching across books, good and varied romances great plot and dynamics. You can have mommy issues! Honestly, what else could you possibly ask for? In Book Two a little girl may be told that all she has to do to achieve her goal is to work hard and she may answer 'oh, I don't want to do that'. If you can't relate... Have bought all three books. Will defo buy the fourth when it's out.

• The Cruel Palace by @tispyyyyy. Every single character the author introduced feels real. Gorgeous writing, flows like a calm river going downhill; it's solemn and poetic but also fun and witty when the story allows for it, and the writer sure knows when the story allows for it because the tone is always on point. The missives are top notch. MC's mother and older sister are severe but still managed to worm their way into my poor little heart. The fact that they are so similar and yet don't get along didn't escape my notice.

• Blood Moon by @barbwritesstuff. A lot of branching and different paths for such a "short" story. Very straightforward and not the tiniest bit less interesting for it. It's refreshing to read something that doesn't need to be incredibly convoluted to earn the 'good plot' badge. I might be biased because it's very rare that I don't lose interest in complicated games, even worse if they rely heavily on stats. I'm so incredibly envious of writers that can tell a story without losing sight of the big picture. This is it. I adore werewolves, I adore this story and I sure adore the fact that whoever wrote it also knew about ducks' corkscrew dicks.

• When Life Gives You Lemons by @when-life-gives-you-lemons-if. This one is strange for me because I remember playing the demo when it first came out and I didn't like it that much. Maybe because I'm not a messy player and I wasn't interested in any of the ROs. BUT. It has a very distinct style, there's humour galore, a soft comfy vibe all throughout and it updated recently. Boy, I was hooked. It's like those open-world games that let you explore and before you know it you've got 100 hours played and you never did a single main mission. You can skip romance (or devote yourself to Fiffer and Fiffer only, like moi) and it's still such a wholesome game. Slice of life is rare in the IF community. I saw a post the author made and I was shocked to learn she only gets 25% of the revenue. It may be fair for shorter games since HG gives you the program to actually make the game but man, for a story that has almost a million words? It seems a bit unjust. Still will buy it. 25 is more than 0.

• A Taste of Heat (formerly Spices of the Heart) by @when-life-gives-you-lemons-if. Again, very distinct style. If you read a story by this author you know it's hers. Slice of life, lots of smut but you're good to play without it and still feels like a very special game. Fun and funny, the MC feels like an actual person with their flaws and their virtues. We'll save your pizzeria, Alexis! Screw the Michelin Restaurant! Descriptions are great and the writing really makes you feel like the food is important. Lots of content and many ROs to choose from, all of them quite different from the other. I also like that stats are present but not the be-all and end-all of the story.

• Cantata by @fir-fireweed. Unique story, great worldbuilding, marvellous cast even outside of the ROs, lots of flavour text (I can only take a guess at how draining it must be keeping track of all those variables in Twine so my utter respect). It's very wholesome but bittersweet in certain parts. Super original premise and very imaginative. Calliope's gadgets are incredibly interesting and I've played several times and changed my MC's attunement just to see what her daddy came up with. The kind of writing that tells a lot without being convoluted and still manages to tell it beautifully. The kind of story I read and think, 'man, I wish I could write like this'.

• Season of Shadows by Krisis. Sooooooo goddamn gooooooood. Funny as hell, awesome dialogue, perfect and mocking depiction of sensationalist press, sensible understanding of what being a social pariah looks like (applicable but not limited to MC's situation). Very different characters that all manage to be interesting, not a single page is boring to read. Quantity and quality because who said you can't have it all? I adore this story. Every word and punctuation mark. Jane Austen would be proud (and probably also very low in Lady Blackwood's list. She ended up a spinster, anyway). One of the few stories in which I genuinely don't know who I'm going to romance first. So probably whoever has the earliest lock-in.

• Such Happy Campers by @girlfromthecrypt. What a shame the author had to deal with certain comments that made them put the game on hold. If you read this, author, I love this game to bits. DashingDon is gone and so is the demo as far as I know but I still remember it and do so very fondly. Flo saying that people are drawn to him because he comes across as mysterious only to leave him behind once they realise that "under all that 'me' there's just more 'me'" still haunts me in a beautiful way.

• Mantle: Mask On by @jjdove. I am so hyped for this story. I love the banter and dialogue choices; they really make MC feel like their own person and it allows for a lot of freedom as a player. Tilly is already growing on me (and I'm befuddling her with Xtreme kindness) but I'm mostly dying to know more about my darling Bee and whatever happened to her. Ain't no bathtub high enough that she can't conquer it but I'll be nearby in case she ever wants help. Or two buff, strong arms to cradle her Not letting us hug her right there is a crime, by the by.

• Soulmates Inc by @soulmatesinc-if. Love the concept. Super original, lots of options on how to carry out a mission. MCs company is shady as fuck but Romero and I don't see eye to eye so here's to hoping I'm mistaken. Sam, dearest, I don't need a machine to tell me about you, I'll simply court you the traditional way. I like to think this is how Tinder actually operates, then the amount of weirdos that use the app would make sense. Those profiles belong to infiltrated soul-links, people. "Anne Nonimmus, 25. 'I have 3 kids and 4 baby daddies (we're still sorting out who fathered the youngest one). If you're less than 201cm and will make a fuss about paying for my and my kids' meals on a date don't even bother'."

• Apartment 502 by @apt502-if. Sitcom vibes? Immaculate. Option to ignore and/or be spiteful to the person who made you move to another city/country? You betcha. Calli, I'll wait for you (or get charmed by Lani) while your relationship crashes and burns. Either way, I'll support you, girl. I would tell Rainn to go eat glass but we're not on speaking terms and I blocked her number. Which is funny because I choose to act all high and mighty when we happen to meet face to face. Good news is, if you're not happy with this ex you can have another one! Yay!

• Étreinte by @etreinte-if. Criminally underrated. Criminally, I'm telling you. Even if it is fairly popular. The contrast between playing the innocent, proper girl like mommy dearest taught us while she narrows her eyes, 100% aware of the duping and yet her being completely unable to smell the bull if you go the humble way because she's completely unacquainted with the notion of humility will never not be funny. Lots of flavour text depending on your choices, nice plot, solid characters and a very clearly horrible person so that everyone can agree on whom to hate. Nothing creates communion like a common foe does! Also, the drastic way my poor Lena changed from a vibrant little girl to a subdued young woman kills me every time.

• This one may be a little of a hear me out but I f*cking stand by it. What Makes a Shinobi by heeheehaw. I must confess I didn't expect much of it. I thought it would be just another Naruto fanfic but in a different format and I guess in a certain way it is, but the writing sucked me into the author's world. There's a lot of insight in the way we're told about MC's progress. I still remember the instructor explaining the lower rank missions and saying something along the lines of 'most of you won't ever go beyond these. This is not failure, this is the job'. I will keep that sentence in my heart for as long as I live. It's hard to surprise a fan of the original when you're borrowing a very well-loved and popular manga. This one did it for me!

• The Abyssal by @theabyssal. No words for this one. Sooooo immersive. An unbelievable freedom to craft the way you feel about a proper betrayal. From indescribable sadness to insurmountable rage. From clinging to a past in which you were happy while struggling with the reality of what was done to you to cutting ties with everything and everyone and wanting nothing else but to make them pay back in full for what they put you through. Masterpiece!

[chasingstarsif]

These are great. I can't recommend them enough!