Date: August 21, 2008 11:45 am Title: four - new growth
I'm trying desperately hard not to start bawling while sitting here at work. This was one of the most amazing pieces I've ever read. Just...the utter peace and happiness given to Mose at the end. I mean, I was fine with the Dwangela wedding as a happily ever after - and then you made it even more magical! Truly wonderful work.
Author's Response: Wow, I'm glad I could touch you so deeply! (TWSS?) Thank you so much for your kind words, belsum.
Date: August 21, 2008 11:10 am Title: three - leaves
Holy crap. That is so awful and brutal. I love the happiness that Mose found with Cecilia. I love that he's such a natural at language. But wow. Such tragedy for one human.
Author's Response: Haha, I'm glad you kept reading after that heartbreak!
Date: August 20, 2008 11:23 am Title: two - branches
I think what's most amazing about this is how thoroughly you're painting life on the Schrute Farm. We've heard passing mention about so many of these people but not they've been given form and it's so real. Not only that, but you're managing to explain Mose's...Moseness!
Author's Response: I may have spent way too long thinking about Mose. It was like stepping into his world for a while, and once I started looking around, I actually had to start cutting stuff from the fic, there were so many weird things to share!
Date: August 20, 2008 10:44 am Title: one - roots
Wow. I'm stunned by this piece. It's truly amazing. Poor Mose. You are doing an astounding job of illustrating the weirdness and fear and wonder of a child in a new setting - particularly with language and cultural barriers a-plenty.
Author's Response: Thank you! I had a little trouble finding the right tone/POV at first, so I'm glad it works!
10 [Report This]Date: August 15, 2008 08:12 am Title: four - new growth
I stumbled across this story title in the "featured" list and remembered I had never left a review which is to my shame. Better late than never? This is a haunting tale that sticks with- long after the first reading. I guess the best compliment I can give is that it reminded me of "Bridge to Terrabithia" (sp?) with the exploration of grief in a young boy and Mose's loneliness through it all. I love the irony of Mose, (created on the show and fully developed in this backstory by you) that he doesn't fit in our world not because he fails to understand, but maybe because he understands too clearly? Sort of a wisdom of the innocent? Anyway, thank you for this. Also, glad to see you still writing Office fandom. You were missed.
Author's Response: Thanks for coming back! Your efforts are appreciated quite a lot. It's funny, this story is still sticking with me. After all this time, my brain still comes up with little scenes. That may mean I'm crazy, but I loved writing this story and I was sad to see it go. Thanks again, toomeyism!
Date: August 04, 2008 11:21 am Title: four - new growth
OK, you've wrecked me. Chapter 3 was utterly heartbreaking, and Chapter 4 was totally joyful. Reading this humbles me; I can barely manage three paragraphs on canon- you've created an entire world on the periphery of the Scranton, PA that we know, and given it pathos, humor, balance, grace, and humanity. It breathes and lives. This is beautiful stuff, and I'm so, so glad I found it and finished it.
Author's Response: I'm am so touched by your kind words, especially from someone I really respect as a writer. I guess it speaks to my obsession that I was able to come up with so many details. Once I started, I just couldn't stop. Thanks so much, lis.
Date: July 31, 2008 09:07 am Title: one - roots
I tend to read shorter fic these days (between work and mothering an infant, my windows of time are short), but I was intrigued and have read your first chapter. It is lovely and sad and haunting and I will find time for the rest. Eventually. Thanks you for exploring this unseen part of the Office world.
Author's Response: Thank you for taking time from your busy life to try this out. It means a lot to me that you would take a chance on Mose. Congrats on the wee one - I think that happened during my hiatus from fandom. You'll be great! Thanks, lis!
Date: July 30, 2008 08:25 pm Title: four - new growth
*Loved* this story! So glad I checked it out! And I love your backstory for Mose -- so sweet. :)
Author's Response: Thanks so much for reading and commenting, House Calls!
Date: July 30, 2008 02:16 pm Title: one - roots
If someone had ever told me that I would tear up reading a fic about Mose, of all people, I would have thought they were crazy. But this was just an amazing piece of writing, Paper Jam! I love how you incorporated tidbits from the show into your own creation. Great, great job! Thanks for sharing your hard work with us all. :)
Author's Response: Pleased I could make you weep ;) Thank you so much for reading!
10 [Report This]Date: July 30, 2008 12:06 pm Title: four - new growth
Paper Jam, in addition to being incredibly ambitious, this story is incredibly awesome. Yes, I read the whole thing. Of course, it took me lots of stolen moments throughout the course of my work day, but what fine company to have! Fantastic job. Loved it. It's well deserving of the blue ribbon.
Author's Response: Haha, yes it was ambitious. In fact, it scared me off a few times. Thanks for sticking it out, and for commenting, NanReq!
10 [Report This]Date: July 30, 2008 11:20 am Title: one - roots
This was so beautiful. I feel like I can't say anything that hasn't been said already, but this is such an original work. Mose is such a fascinating and difficult character to write, but you stay so true to what we know about the Schrute family while explaining so many things about Mose. I think the greatest compliment a writer can recieve (especially when doing such an original piece) is that their story fits perfectly with what it's inspired by, so much so that it seems to blend with the larger work- in this case, The Office. And I know that when I see Mose on the show, I will think of maples and true love and the art of patience.
And Nazis, of course.
Author's Response:
What a great compliment, thanks! I'm so honored that you would think of my version of Mose while watching the show. I had such a great time writing him. Thank you, josephine!
Date: July 30, 2008 10:13 am Title: four - new growth
I took my time with reading this because I needed to take note of how beautifully you've written this - taking a character that we've seen and/or heard of maybe five times at most, used for comic relief, and creating this world around him that is rich, realistic and unforgiving, and so believably Schrute. I think it's safe to say I was right to do that, because I am awed. Every bit of this was gorgeously written, and every bit of Mose was gorgeously defined, and if I think about it properly I know this is easily one of the [if not the absolute] best fic in the fandom. I love how you incorporate things from the show into this - the Schruteness of this world is unbelievable. You are brilliant.
I will specially mention, though, that I think you're the first person to ever make me tear over fanfiction. The first. The third chapter made me cry; I was convinced that considering you'd killed characters already in the previous chapters, you wouldn't give the poor guy a break. ;)
If I don't get any indication of any of this in the show, I think I'll be disappointed! My favourite fic on the nets in a very long time. Thank you for coming out from under whatever rock you'd been under and posting this.
I don't feel this review has done any of this epic fic justice! hah.
Author's Response:
Wow. I'm not really sure how to respond to such a flattering review. In fact, I think I will send you an email to due justice to this epic comment. ;) (Haha! I made you cry.)
And it's nice to be back. Hopefully I won't be so long between fics next time. *smooch*
Date: July 29, 2008 05:43 am Title: one - roots
Sorry it's taken me so long to comment (life a bit crazy chez moi lately) but was so happy to see something new from you! But here I am and THIS is incredible - it comes as close as anything I've read her to truly being 'original' fiction.
We know so little about Mose, that you really had to invent this character/life - and you've done that SO convincingly, while still weaving in the bits of Schrutiana we do know, to keep it conceptually true to the Office universe we do know. Very, very impressive. Lines like this: Throughout the day, the house's inhabitants ebb and flow like the tide in Helsinki Harbor (love that!) and so many wonderful idiosyncratic details (the grandparents' simultaneous deaths and his fascination with the funeral prep - perfect) make it come alive and precisely capture Mose's peculiar universe. Yet it never feels like parody, because you've made him so affecting that we really feel for him - almost reminds me of a great John Irving character who grows up in a semi-surreal circumstance that somehow makes complete sense within the reality of the story. Just so poignant and fun and inventive - this is one I'll re-read many times.
Author's Response:
What can I say to such a generous comment except thank you so much? It was a pleasure for me to spend time with Mose and his life and I'm grateful others enjoyed the product.
I'm so ashamed to admit that I had to google John Irving. But now that I know who he is, I'm very excited to read all his novels. It sounds like something I could definitely get behind.
Thanks again for commenting! I know you have fic I have to catch up on, so I'm looking forward to it!
L.
10 [Report This]Date: July 28, 2008 08:23 pm Title: one - roots
Oh, my. This? Was just so fantastically, brilliantly written. You managed to take a "throw-away" character -- one that is mostly used for comic relief, no less -- and just constructed this amazing story centered around him. I won't lie...I actually got misty-eyed at a few of the passages, heh. Definitely one of my favourite stories in quite a long while, gorgeous writing all around.
Author's Response: It's funny, but because I spent so much time thinking about how Mose evolved, I completely forgot he was a throwaway character until you said that. Thank you for taking the time to comment, jenn; I'm so happy you enjoyed it.
10 [Report This]Date: July 28, 2008 01:52 pm Title: one - roots
This was so moving. Brought me to tears, sad and happy. Just lovely. Am adding to my favorites. Thank you for posting it.
Author's Response: I'm so happy I could share something that moved you. Thank you so, so much for taking a moment to comment, Cheeb!
Date: July 28, 2008 11:19 am Title: four - new growth
Wonderful! Gorgeous writing.
Author's Response: Thank you, Salame. I appreciate your comment!
10 [Report This]Date: July 27, 2008 07:31 pm Title: two - branches
This is brilliant! Beautiful writing--so evocative and detailed and deep, with such terrific imagery. You did an amazing job of weaving in all the bizarre little snippets we've heard about the Schrutes in a completely believable manner and made me utterly fall in love with sweet Mose in the process. Incorporating the rest of the office cast during that lovely conclusion was a nice touch and deftly woven.
Your writing is beautiful. There are at least twenty quote-worthy passages, way too many to list, but this was the first one that caught me, the 'first' (love that, by the way) of Mose's shunnings:
It’s not a big deviation from the usual ignorance of his existence, but somehow there’s a painful difference between neglect and intentional silence.
It takes a lot to move me to tears but the end of this did just that. Anyway, suffice it to say, this is an amazing piece of work that I thoroughly enjoyed--bravo!
Author's Response: I really want to thank you for such an indepth comment on this fic, and for your support on the boards. This fic was outside my normal genre, and I so appreciate anyone who took the time to read and comment on something that is quite off the radar of most of the MTT readership. I had a lot of fun writing Mose and all his strange experiences and I'm glad to find others who can enjoy this, too.