Aug 11, 2023
Ah Grace. A happy ending, but a rather peculiar journey especially when it comes to my personal expectations of the story. It's almost like watching the growth of a child: at first, it was rather weak It didn't have what it could call a foothold. It's a bit lost in a way. But with each chapter, the child slowly learned more of the world around it (or in this case, the world slowly grew to match it), and it slowly but surely, with each step, found its place. And the result is a very sweet, very wholesome coming-of-age story also about lost people finding their way in the ever-moving world, about dreams and aspirations, as well as using them as guiding lights for your future. It's a different kind of feel when it comes to your works that I've experienced (mostly in the comedic aspect), where the "magic" is still there, but beyond that is something to actually think about, and I like that a lot.
If there's a nitpick that I *have* to choose, then I'd say it's the Grace lore. While I do enjoy the current interpretation and I think it is ultimately very sweet to have the story be that way, I can't help but feel like just having her as a figment of imagination would have made the overall moral of the story that much better, show the other side of the coin where you'd have to discard your dreams to move forward. However, that idea would most definitely not fit with the theme of the contest, so overall, I still like Grace's current story.
In the end, not much to say, if I'm being honest. This is a very good story, as expected of someone of your caliber, and I feel it should be another contender for a finalist spot at least :)
