I enjoyed this quite a lot. It was short but said what you wanted it to say and did what you wanted it to do. My favourite part, though, was the author's note at the end. It was a valuable insight into how you and Kaitlyn work as PPC authors, and it reminded me that there's always room for more storytelling in a given mission. =]

The reason this is a reviewish is that I don't have much more to say beyond that, sorry.

Fun treatment of the badfic! I like that the mini got to tag along for a bit, even though the mission was too short for him to have much fun. The tape recorder Sue was amusing. I've always imagined there's a split between the Sues that are openly malicious towards canon, like the ones the Factories make, and the Sues that just kind of . . . happen. And this Sue feels like the epitome of "just kind of happened." I love the quasi-exorcism at the end, as well, and what a spot-on song choice! Even not being from the actual book canon, it feels very, very appropriate. And I like when missions end on a note of canon returning over the badfic's influence, though I've probably said so before.

Oh, I like getting a bit more backstory and humanity for Kaitlyn! She always seems so wacky and cartoonish; it'll be nice to learn a bit more about her upbringing going forward. The reminder of Selene's clockwork Key was welcome, because I feel like I have a bad habit of forgetting it's there when I picture her in my mind's eye.

—doctorlit, signing a post on the new Board for the first time

... have been posted to the New Board, to stave off potential archive issues.

hS

I mean, what's unique about this mission (the TOS feel, the prologue and Suvian tapes, the well-handled character moments) have already been commented on by someone or another, so there's not really anything else for me to say. The discussion of your process at the end was helpful and overall this was a pleasant read. Good luck in keeping up with the pace!

I absolutely loved this mission. I loved how it didn't quote the fic much, I loved how your characters interacted more with each other than the fic, and I loved how creative you were with writing that prologue and having the Sue be a cassette tape. Offering concrit at the end of the mission is an idea that I'm 100% going to steal for when I get Permission and start writing missions of my own.

This isn't just a fantastic example of a short mission, it's a great example of a PPC mission in general and why it's a different flavor of writing from just an MST. It's witty and funny, but heartfelt and offers great character development; the whole thing really did feel like a throwback to Jay and Acacia. Well done. I wish I had more to offer in terms of criticism, but I really can't find anything to criticize. Hopefully, glowing praise alone will suffice.

It's the perfect antidote for that pretty heavy discussion back on the PPC Assassin thread.

This story really shone when it focused on Kaitlyn and Selene’s reactions to each other. Nice shoutout to Jay and Acacia—the mission definitely felt like a throwback to their missions. :) I loved the ending where the mini ate the tape recorders—I genuinely laughed out loud at that.

(Typo spotted: “Minas Minas Tirith gleaned around them”—I think that’s supposed to be “gleamed”?

“Are the flowers rapunzels, by any change?" Change-> chance?)

Behold as I enjoy the concept of the heir to a mini-Balrog even though I hardly ever laugh at missions anymore! Behold as I praise you for the creative ways you converted the fic's mistakes into amazing ideas, especially the bit about the tape recorder! Behold as you get your emotional impact and character development across even to readers who haven't read the rest of Driftwood! Behold as I realize I really need to read the entirety of Driftwood because it's good and short!

Seriously, you're amazing. Best way to get back into reading missions ever.

• I don't quite remember what Kaitlyn and Selene's relationship is, but I can definitely feel some tension in it at the moment
  - What is going on with Kaitlyn's memories and backstory? Is anything?
  - I liked the "Jay and Acacia classic" bit
  - Smiled but remembered she was supposed to be angry is pretty adorable
  - Totally undescribed Sues being a tape recorder is a cool and funny
  - Kaitlyn, Selene, please take a few deep breaths, both of you.
  - And just as I wrote that, they did
  - Glowing eyes?
  - Oh. Well that was an unpexected twist about what the message was. I can see why Kaitlyn was being secretive about it.
  - Oh dear, that's a complication.
  - "This story's over" and then a canon song is a neat way to do the reset
  - And the mini ate the tapes!
  
  One thing that stood out is that the thread of the story where Kaitlyn and Selene argued and such had a very strong narrative arc - there was conflict, the climax felt climactic, and the bit where things got resolved was good. It was nice to see things clear up.
  
  There was also enough badfic-related humor here that it felt like a PPC mission and not just a short story, and I have a general sense of the key issues with this fic even though you didn't quote any of it. The one issue I had while reading is that it took me moment to realize the fic was doing a Rapunzel in Middle-Earth plot with Boromir saving the girl - the bit with the flowers was just indirect enough that in only made sense a line or two later.
  
  Your explanation of your writing process at the end was very interesting, and I might draw on some of that in the future.
  
  Overall, I quite enjoyed reading this and look forward to the next Driftwood installment!

(Trying to get better at reviewing)

The idea of a “mini-Balrog’s heir” is really funny. This isn’t really the style of mission I’m used to but I still quite enjoyed it, and I’m glad it was short and didn’t take too long to read.

The behind-the-scenes look was quite interesting.

I do love the tape recorder. It just... amuses me. Right idea, right place, right person. /shrug.

It's just a nice, satisfying short. Not a lot to say because I feel like it hits all the right notes.

I have no context for the 'Lan'/A.G. message, but the reaction to it (and Selene briefly questioning Kaitlyn's memory even more) was funny.

And I'm not sure how I'd have taken to being an anything of 'carry witchets' either. XD

Songfic is definitely a classic! Can't recall offhand any incidents where quoting a whole song ever goes well, oddly enough. Usually it's just a few lyrics, to show a character having fun.

Aaaand there's the shoe dropping. Oh, Kaitlyn... ;;

Very nice mood swap once they talk things out, though! Gotta embarrass the Agent with a Lust Object, after all~

And it turns out 'a character having fun' is basically what happens in the end, so go me!

Thank you for writing, and for the backstage-context. :)