Sep 30, 2025
Yeah, that was pretty rushed, but you did finish. You are 301 words over, but thankfully the judges stated on discord that they'd give a 500 word leeway for going over or under the word maximum or minimum. Thus, you're in the clear.
As for my thoughts on this, I feel Mission Love is your superior work in all regards. The ending there was a tad rushed, but it was able to work in a fittingly poetic manner. Here though, I feel the rush is far more blatant. In the days leading up to the deadline, I was constantly getting anxious as to how you would finish this as like I noted, it really didn't feel like the end was approaching. I feel the contents of this chapter could work as an ending, but not all as one chapter.
Throughout the story, I felt things were solid and relaxed, though with some tension at times. Perhaps my least favorite thing before the ending was the mushroom arc, as it really frustrated me how Grace was completely forced to go to Mainland, but it was more so just a nitpick. This ending though is sadly where I feel too much is happening all at once. My question here would be if this ending was planned out and if so, would you have expanded upon it to make it less rushed if you had more time and words?
But what is done is done. You finished an 80,000 word story in time, which is a feat in of itself. I feel this ending will likely be one of the biggest negatives about this story, but like Lucien and Grace, never lose hope. Congratulations on finishing and good luck with the contest.
