Literary tense doesn't give much away in its title. So I went into it blind, with the only knowledge that the MC is a writer. And I was pleasantly surprised by the worldbuilding immediately, noting the intricacy and attention to detail Steam had put into the culture, geography, and architecture of the major countries. I usually suck at memorizing names, but I could recognize all the major players of the story no problem. The worldbuilding never got convoluted. And always enriches the plot and gives dimension to the characters.

Oh, speaking of the plot, the plot didn't go the places where I expected it would. But it all centered on a single, coherent theme: Naomi's guilt and need to fix everything. From her ex-boyfriend's suicide, which may or may not have been directly caused by her, to the suffering in the world that she had created. To her, suffering is avoidable and it is all her fault that suffering happens. But in reality, many things are out of her control. Sometimes, there are just no rationalizations for suffering. Sometimes, it just happens.

The story is Naomi's journey to the realization that she can still fix SOME things, but not ALL things. Naomi is a character one can easily root for, and intelligent and resourceful, while still flawed in her excessive self-blame. Jayla is a good companion and emotional anchor for Naomi, while also being a source of guilt for Naomi as she is the writer behind all of Jayla's suffering.

As for nitpicks, I would have to agree with Haru's review. Some of the emotional moments weren't given enough impact, and I felt that more internal thoughts, feelings, and perceptions might be needed to increase the dramatic weight of those moments. I found myself thinking "wait, that really happened?" and by the time I was able comprehend what had happened, the weight was over. And for the last few chapters, it felt like the perspective shift was dragged on for a bit too long, while the last chapter could be split into a few more to show more on Naomi's internal change.

But these are only nitpicks, and overall, I think this story is still unique and a good read that leaves me emotionally satisfied, and in this age where it feels like nothing is under our control, we need stories like Literary Tense more than ever.