10 [Report This]Date: September 04, 2008 02:24 pm Title: african violet
Great. Just great. Thank you.
Author's Response: Thanks kgreene. And you're welcome. I'm ready for another cold open sometime soon? :)
9 [Report This]Date: September 04, 2008 01:56 pm Title: african violet
Love it love it love it. Don't know what else to say. Wish I could be more constructive.
Author's Response: Hey, love it love it love it will do. :) Thanks flonkerton!
Date: September 04, 2008 12:29 pm Title: african violet
Oh, jeebus. Dayum, I miss the days of being able to just stay in bed all weekend.
Soon, Pam. Hopefully soon for Engaged!Jam, Married!Jam & Jam!Babies.... Nicely done, callisto. Study hard!
Author's Response: Heck yeah! I don't see why they can't get plenty of excellent material out of that for the next few years. A toast to Engaged!Jam, Married!Jam and Jam!Babies! And I'm sure I'll be back... I've got dozens of little one-shot ideas begging to be played with. Thanks for reading lisa :)
Date: September 04, 2008 11:55 am Title: african violet
Callisto:
I've been meaning to review your last chapter (which I will soon), but since you've already posted this one, I'll just say that this was really nice and I think it makes for a very satisfying end to this series. The concept of "coming home" is so perfect in terms of their relationship.
Thanks so much for writing and sharing this with us. I hope that you'll still be able to find time to write some more.
Good luck with grad school!
Author's Response: Hey zeebee! Thanks. I appreciate all your reviews so much. I loved the 'coming home' concept, so I'm glad it resonated with you. And I'm sure I'll find time to sneak back over here. I have lots of undeveloped ideas I could play with in my free time...such as it is. :)
10 [Report This]Date: September 04, 2008 11:07 am Title: african violet
Oh this is a great way to wrap up this series! I love that Pam is queasy in a fanfic, but she isn't actually pregnant :) Love the quiet calm of her first day/night at home and how ordinary their life seems.
Sorry we will be losing you to grad school, but I hope that season 5 inspires you to procrastinate with some more of your awesome fanfic!
Author's Response: Yeah, I liked the idea that sometimes just getting a notion into your head is enough to cause all kinds of wheels turning. Glad you liked this last chapter, JitC. Thanks for all your comments along the way; it's very encouraging to know people are following along and enjoying what I'm doing. :)
10 [Report This]Date: September 04, 2008 10:48 am Title: african violet
Sorry to see this end, Callisto. Such a beautiful story. The whispered poetry, in particular, made me weak in the knees.
Best of luck to you with grad school. Hope you'll visit us with a story again soon : )
Author's Response: Nan, thanks so much for all the love I get from you. It's just awesome. I love that you liked the poetry--if you just listen for the voice it's not totally cheesy or over the top at all.... :)~ Thanks for the luck! I'm sure I'll be back soon. I'm a procrastinator with an obsession. It's inevitable.
10 [Report This]Date: September 04, 2008 10:42 am Title: african violet
I love that Jim has a green thumb -- it kind of reinforces that he's the kind of guy to nuture things (and people).
And I loved this sexy little bit: "He smiled again and moved down a little, tracing my collarbone with the tip of his tongue as his hand snaked down to my thigh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he asserted, looking up at me wickedly through his eyelashes, and then he was moving further down and that was the end of our conversation for a while."
Fabulous job. Hope that you'll find some time to write in grad school -- this was such a pleasure!
Author's Response: Exactly, wendolf-- he's a caretaker. I'd think that would extent to many things. I'm glad you liked my version of smut, which I'm still to embarrassed to write in any detail. I'm sure I'll be back here soon...like I told somebody else, I'm a procrastinator with an obsession. And a lot of half-thought-out ideas. Thanks for visiting! And, as always, for pointing out a particular passage :)
Date: September 04, 2008 10:41 am Title: african violet
Very satisfying. So sweet! I like the tone you sustain throughout all the segments. They each stand alone but they work together beautifully.
Author's Response: Thanks lis! It's so fun to write something just fun and sweet and free of angst. Glad you liked it. :)
10 [Report This]Date: September 04, 2008 10:35 am Title: indigo arts
Okay, Callisto, you just make me chuckle:
“We really should do our part to support the Zulu telephone-wire basket industry.”
But what I really loved about this chapter was Pam's very real fear about Jim not forgiving her. It is something I have always struggled with (and part of what led me to write Philly Jim) -- that some hurt is so hard to get over that sometimes it's easier to give up than to try. So I really liked this -- them forgiving each other. Fantastic. Now, onto the next chapter!
Author's Response: I love the way Jim talks. The writers are frickin' brilliant. It's fun to try to capture it. I totally agree with you about the forgiveness/getting past the hurt issue that no doubt would haunt their relationship if it weren't addressed honestly. I can't believe either of them would be able to deny the other if they asked. Glad you liked it :)
Date: September 04, 2008 10:31 am Title: indigo arts
I love this idea- that they don't ever fight it out, it just sort of lurks around the edges until they deal with it quietly. The detail that they don't fight well...that's perfect. Spot-on.
Author's Response: Thanks lis. I had a loud verbal confrontation between them but it just felt wrong. Glad this rang true to you, too. Thanks for the review. It's always great to hear from you :)
Date: September 02, 2008 10:36 pm Title: indigo arts
excellent. I loved all the metaphor woven through this chapter...the quote about truth and then Jim forgiving her absolutely everything even before she said what it was. Profound.
Also, I thought you had a really realistic view of how they must "fight."
Author's Response: LoveFool, good to hear from you! Glad you thought it was authentic, that's always one of my concerns. This whole chapter started with that quote about truth; I'm happy that it resonated. Thanks for reading and always taking time to review :)
9 [Report This]Date: September 01, 2008 10:03 pm Title: red delicious
haha this was so cute, but I have to laugh at the end because my sister actually did save a Snicker's wrapper from her boyfriend (now husband). :P Very nicely done, I'm off to read the rest!
Author's Response: Aw, that's sweet. Snickers even? What a coincidence! Glad you liked it. Thanks for reading :)
9 [Report This]Date: September 01, 2008 08:50 pm Title: red delicious
Callisto, I love your voices for Jim and Pam. So nice to find this story in near entirety after being away from fanfic for the summer. You really have a talent for writing these two. The forgiveness conversation seemed very real and not melodramatic at all. Great job!
Author's Response: Thank you again, rabid! Nice to hear that I've got the voices right, and I'm glad you're enjoying this. And I'm happy to hear it sounded real, that's important to me. Thanks for reading and leaving your thoughts. :)
10 [Report This]Date: September 01, 2008 08:25 pm Title: yellow mustard
I really like this story and this is my favorite chapter so far. The parallel dreaming was kind of heart wrenching, ya know? Great job!
Author's Response: Thanks rabid! These were the hard times, for sure. Rewatching season three is always a little heartwrenching.
Date: August 31, 2008 08:23 pm Title: indigo arts
I looked at the Indigo Arts web page and had to leave a link of the phone wire baskets!
http://www.indigoarts.com/store1_telephone_1.html
Author's Response: Thanks VB!
Date: August 31, 2008 07:27 pm Title: indigo arts
Wow. Just wow. Love your exploration of how these two learn to fight -- and who wouldn't have that fear, after breaking Jim's heart into a bazillion little pieces, not to mention his trust to some degree, that it could never be fixed. Guh.
Author's Response: Yes, learning how to fight (better yet, to make up) is part of the process. Glad you liked my take on it :) Thanks lisa!
10 [Report This]Date: August 31, 2008 06:13 pm Title: indigo arts
Ah, callisto, this is my favorite color so far! I love the playful banter between them at the beginning of the chapter and you did a splendid job handling Pam's fears. I like the structure of the chapter, how it starts off in romantic bliss, veers off track with a little comment, spins nearly out of control and then they manage to get back to the playful banter and romantic bliss. All very believably, too.
Author's Response: Thanks VB! "Believably" is definitely what I'm always after, so that's good to hear. I also think it's a universal aspect of pretty much every relationship that the smallest remarks can quickly turn into bigger issues. But I like to think these two are determined to figure out how to fight and reconcile. Thanks for the review, as always! I appreciate your input. :)
Date: August 31, 2008 11:52 am Title: indigo arts
This one was really lovely. Nice job. I can completely see them still dancing around some past issues at this point in their relationship.
Author's Response: Definitely. That kind of stuff simmers. Thanks jkfan :)
Date: August 31, 2008 05:20 am Title: indigo arts
Just caught up on these wonderful bite-size everyday moments. Aw, this one was especially well done - the tense tone of their silent fight comes through so tautly (her mumbled comment about just wanting to look at things was straight from the passive/aggressive playbook - and I also knew that she instantly regretted saying it.) I agree that at their worst moments - much as they've gotten past it - that vestige of remorse from their deep history would bubble to the surface. And then dissipate ;-) And I like that their 'make-up' wasn't a big melodramatic scene, but a quiet, sleepy one. Jim's comment about the quesadillas was a great Jim-ish bit to keep the moment from being overly maudlin too. (And it made me laugh, cause Mr. C. sometimes makes a quip about this trout - of all things - I once made, like...oh, 10 years ago, LOL.)
Author's Response: Hi Colette! Glad you had time to stop by! Very nice to hear that you didn't think that make-up scene was melodramatic, which I feared it was, a little. And of course Jim would find a way to lighten it up when the main issue was addressed. I guess I see everything between them being quiet, even their fights. The version I had with angry words and raised voices just didn't feel right. Thanks for leaving your comments! I always appreciate hearing from you. :)
10 [Report This]Date: August 31, 2008 12:49 am Title: indigo arts
Yes, it rings very true. The communication issues of Jam have always been present, and I love seeing them explored. It also rang really true because I can't tell you how many times I've pulled the, "I'm going to take a bath" card...literally thousands. great job.
can't wait for the last one, though I'll be sad to see this story end.
Author's Response: Ah, the escape to the bath... me too,PPC. I'm glad this rang true to you... as I've said before, I live in fear of diving too far over the line into melodrama. Thanks :) One more, and you can bet it'll be a happy fluff fest.
Date: August 30, 2008 09:07 pm Title: indigo arts
I'll admit that I'm a little over the Pam-crying-with-fear scenario, but the little scene in the bed was really sweet, and I liked the descriptions of the art store a lot =) Can't wait for more, as always!
Author's Response: Dammit, I was afraid it was a bit melodramatic. But I kept having this picture of a fight like this so, there it is. Glad you're still with me though :) Thanks flonkerton, I appreciate the input!
Date: August 30, 2008 08:36 pm Title: indigo arts
Another wonderful chapter. And of course they fight with the silent treatment and shutting down their communication. So natural for those two. I also could see Pam opening up the lines again, since she knows that her silence in the past drove him away from her and she would be afraid of that happening, no matter how unlikely at this point. So good.
And I can totally understand Pam's fear that she "owes" him so much, both for his many years of wanting her, as well as for driving him away on CN. Glad they were able to forgive each other and start again.
And god, I love him making her blush. Sigh.
Author's Response: Hi EH! I had a different version of this that was more confrontational but the silent brooding fight seemed more true. And I definitely thought it should be Pam to open it back up, for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Glad it rang true to you. Thanks for the review! :)
10 [Report This]Date: August 30, 2008 06:40 pm Title: indigo arts
Callisto, this chapter was so full of emotion--another heart squeezer. She lifted her head and her eyes were wide, terrified. “I’ll never be able to make it up to you,” she said desperately. “I wish I could take it back and just—tell you I needed some time, and…but I can’t,” she wept, “and I need you to forgive me, really forgive me.” That just killed me. I'll hate to see this end.
I work in Philly and live right over the Ben Franklin Bridge in NJ, so I will have to check out Indigo Arts : )
Author's Response: Hey Nan! I've wondered a lot what shape their arguments might take, and of course all that old hurt has to get out in the open if they stand a chance. Glad you liked it :) I'd love to see Indigo myself. The Vietnamese celadon teapot I saw on the website was what prompted this whole chapter. (I had a completely different idea at first, just like the last chapter.) Anyway Nan, thanks for reading and taking time to always review. You make my day :)
Date: August 30, 2008 06:38 pm Title: indigo arts
I like to see some of there past dealt with because we all know there's a lot of times they weren't always honest with each other! Great job!
Author's Response: Thanks cheezy! :)
10 [Report This]Date: August 30, 2008 04:07 pm Title: indigo arts
**sigh**
Another home run. How are you doing this? I love this, and I can totally see Pam feeling like he might never forgive her or never realize how much she loves him.
Perfect.
Author's Response: Hey kells! Thanks for that. I live in fear that when I do scenes like this it comes off totally melodramatic. So thanks for the kind words :) it really makes my day! One more to go.