Date: June 29, 2009 08:56 am Title: Employee Transfer: Louis Armstrong by Annabel Winslow
Oh, Annabel, I so love that song, and that version in particular. Your lovely fic prompted me to look it up in my iTunes library, and now this review has a soundtrack :) It's always nice when you come around. I just finished reading this, and I can't wait to read it again.
"Yours so truly, it hurts me, he writes." Can't wait for the chance to actually use this in closing! What a great little interlude, something I wish we could have actually seen.
Dwight shrugs. "It was a hay moon last night. Women are going to be touchy. You know what really offends me? Your sleeves, rolled up like that all the time. What are you, butchering a chicken?" Perfect Dwight.
Actually, now that he thinks about it, it's exactly what he was expecting. The wide gap between what he expects and what he hopes for never gets narrower. Part of what sustains him are mornings like this one: the giddy mix of adrenaline and frustration that always comes from being near her without touching her, from falling into that rhythm with her when anything seems possible and nothing ever, ever happens. That is like a punch in the gut and a perfect S1/S2 summary. Poor Jim.
You've nicely filled in some gaps with the Brothers Halpert, jerky as ever. The cab ride was perfect, the dialogue, just great.
Have I gushed enough? I'll stop. Let's just say that I liked this...a lot ; )
Date: June 26, 2009 01:54 pm Title: Crime Aid: Oh simple thing, where have you gone? by: thirtypercent
aw this chapter was so fluffy and cute. i loved it =]
10 [Report This]Date: June 26, 2009 01:51 am Title: Crime Aid: Oh simple thing, where have you gone? by: thirtypercent
I haven't reviewed this yet, in instead of leaving a bunch of reviews in a row, I'll just leave one comment on all the stories I've read so far. First, I love everything about this collaboration.
sophia_helix- Love that you addressed the torn ticket. So Michael, sweet but dumb. Perfect Michael/Holly voice and it makes me ache that they took her away from him.
Blanca- Oh Michael and his cluelessness, how I love thee. Strange, but I don't enjoy Michael as much on the show as I am in this chapter. I can see him throwing himself into Jim and Pam's plans without a second thought. Great stuff!
Paper Jam- With the travesty of Baby Shower, I was almost hesitant to read this. Kidding! I kid. I didn't hesitate at all cause I knew it would be great. 1am sleepy-time phone calls are the best when shared with the one you love. I get a total kick out of the dream. Also weirded out since I can picture a Michael head on a baby body and it's kinda scary!
thirtypercent- YAY for this chapter. You wrapped it up nicely. I knew he still had some residual feelings after turning the car around and heading home. I love the way those two talk here. "Well, you can't have my brain." "I don't want your brain." and "...My liver is crying." HA! Loves it to pieces!
I cannot wait for more and promise to be a better reviewer :)
10 [Report This]Date: June 25, 2009 06:21 pm Title: Weight Loss: Someone Just a Little More Funky by sophia_helix
so awesome!
10 [Report This]Date: June 25, 2009 05:49 pm Title: Crime Aid: Oh simple thing, where have you gone? by: thirtypercent
Very cute and YAY a West Wing mention.
LMAO at
"Your fiancé-of-the-year certificate is in the mail."
"I do enjoy a non-alcoholic peanut butter and jelly sandwich."
10 [Report This]Date: June 25, 2009 04:45 pm Title: Crime Aid: Oh simple thing, where have you gone? by: thirtypercent
So wonderful. I'm really loving this project :)
Date: June 25, 2009 09:58 am Title: Crime Aid: Oh simple thing, where have you gone? by: thirtypercent
I'm going to consider this the real continuation to that episode. The voices are pitch perfect. You captured Jim wrestling with his genuine desire for Pam to follow her dream vs his own needs and insecurities, and Pam realizing that NY and the high life might be overrated. Then they both find the comfort they need in each other. So wonderfully done.
Date: June 25, 2009 08:50 am Title: Crime Aid: Oh simple thing, where have you gone? by: thirtypercent
You're here! How happy was I to see your name pop up? And, as usual, you did not disappoint. This captures that gnawing, unsettled feeling Jim had at the end of CA - just as I'd imagine him after deciding to go home instead of NYC. And I really like how just talking to her - in the most un-melodramatic way - sets his mind at ease and kind of resets him. This is funny and sweet and 1000% true to character. (I can perfectly hear them debating whether to bake or nuke the frozen pizza.) Well done, missy ;-)
Date: June 25, 2009 08:46 am Title: Crime Aid: Oh simple thing, where have you gone? by: thirtypercent
::sound of broken brain:: THIRTYF*CKINGPERCENT!?!?!?! I am stunned. Stunned, I tell you! Stunned and oh so happy. Good to have you back, my friend. I'm having all kinds of flashbacks of why I love your fic so much and how much I've missed you. This? So great. Such melancholy with a side of loving happiness. Their banter is just pitch perfect--zombies, pb&J, soggy pizza--all that good stuff. Thanks so much for contributing to this summer project. Don't be a stranger, k? xo
Date: June 25, 2009 08:42 am Title: Baby Shower: Synchronicity by Blanca
Blanca, I meant what I said on the board - your fic works much better for me than the actual episode did. I love how you did the alternating structure - perfectly suited to their ying/yang day, how they seem not to be connecting, when subliminally they always are. So many great moments here, but I especially love her putting on his boxers and seeing herself as confident and sexy in the mirror. And the ending is so lovely, with them going to sleep together, apart. Will read this one again.
Date: June 24, 2009 11:07 pm Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
I have been remiss in my duties as beta by not leaving you feedback here! You already know that I love this, but it's worth saying again. Your Michael voice is spot on. I so enjoy being inside his head when you're in charge of it. Of course he would use words like improvisationer and respond with a "that's what she said" to his own thoughts. And it's always great when he interacts with Jim and/or Pam on the show, which you've also captured beautifully.
And all of this is even more amazing since I know what you went through in the writing of this. It's so great to see you back here and I hope to see you back again soon.
Date: June 24, 2009 07:36 am Title: Baby Shower: Synchronicity by Blanca
This is the perfect extension to this episode. It's exactly how I think it happened. So I'm choosing to believe it. :) Lovely job.
10 [Report This]Date: June 22, 2009 07:16 pm Title: Baby Shower: Synchronicity by Blanca
So sweet :)
Date: June 22, 2009 07:04 pm Title: Baby Shower: Synchronicity by Blanca
Blanca, I am so proud of my restraint. I got through the whole day knowing this was waiting for me to be able to sit down and read it leisurely. I had a feeling I was in for something special, and I was not disappointed, my dear. I found Jim's treasure hunt for little bits of Pam to be so touching. I loved this in particular: He's working on being less of a slob, as practice for when Pam finally moves in. He doesn't really care if she's messy, but he doesn't want her to be picking up after him all the time. For some reason, the sweetness of it really made my heart skip a beat.
So happy that you're part of this project :)
Date: June 22, 2009 07:02 pm Title: Baby Shower: Synchronicity by Blanca
Missing scenes don't get any better than this. Sometimes you just know when something is going to be great -- and for me it was the moment Pam's lipstick came rolling out from under the seat. Only really great writers add those kinds of perfectly delicious touches that set the tone for the entire rest of the chapter. GREAT stuff.
Date: June 22, 2009 10:10 am Title: Baby Shower: Synchronicity by Blanca
I hope Talkative isn't all talk and paid you for writing that dream ;)
Can I say BEST CHAPTER EVER!!! I am so rubbish at reviews but I enjoyed this so much. It felt like an episode and it just made me want to hug both Jim and Pam so much. I love how he sends her care packages aw!
10 [Report This]Date: June 22, 2009 10:04 am Title: Baby Shower: Synchronicity by Blanca
very nice (:
Date: June 20, 2009 07:56 am Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
You had absolutely nothing to be worried about.
I was going to quote some stuff - but Callisto stole all my favorite bits in her review so I'll just say - very well done. I loved every syllable. :)
Date: June 19, 2009 02:16 pm Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
Michael navigates his way though the day and tries not to fall in love or set himself on fire. --And isn't that really the best any of us can hope for in this life? :)
This is adorable and you write the jokes that could have/should have been in the show. You've done an excellent job getting into Michael's head (which is probably a very scary place to be) and everyone's dialogue is spot-on perfect. I'm looking forward to updates.
Date: June 19, 2009 06:34 am Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
First, long time no see, lady! So glad to see you pop up here.
This is so funny and apt - love the whole Michael/Jim/Pam dynamic - it's really the heart of the show, more than any of the romances. In fact, the office really is like one big extended, dysfunctional family - that only makes sense from the inside. And every word here feels so effortlessly 'inside.' I love that Holly gets that aspect of Michael - in fact, this fic reminds me of why I began loving the show in the first place.
Don't be a stranger, you ;-)
Date: June 18, 2009 10:04 pm Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
BRILLIANT. That phone call to Pam...the call back to Jim moving Dwight's desk. I never really think about Michael being a witness to his shenanigans. So awesome.
10 [Report This]Date: June 18, 2009 06:04 pm Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
I find it hard to believe it's been a billion years since you wrote any Office fic. This is so terrific! Your characterizations are just perfect. The Michael/Pam phone conversation in particular is hilarious and so real-sounding.
Jim is rapping on the glass and miming hanging up the phone. Michael gets up and closes the blinds. Jim clearly has no respect for his privacy. "Why didn't you call me, Pam?"
Pam sighs heavily into the phone. "I call all the time. Remember last week when the dry cleaner lost all of your jeans and you texted me "911"? I phoned right away."
"Only because you thought Jim might be dead, which he was not. So...you really shouldn't have been that mad."
"Michael, I have to go to class."
:)
Love it. Excellent work, my friend. Thanks for being on board with us!
Date: June 18, 2009 05:14 pm Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
Oh my, this entire chapter just made me giggle. And desperately want to hear the story of the "accident at the circus". Ha!
I can tell already based on the first two chapters that this story is going to be a fun diversion for the summer. So nice to read some new fic from you, Paper Jam! It's great to see some of the "older" Office writers putting fingers to keyboard again.
Date: June 18, 2009 07:34 am Title: Weight Loss: Someone Just a Little More Funky by sophia_helix
P.S. Forgot to add that Feuilles still sticks with me.
Date: June 18, 2009 07:32 am Title: Business Ethics: Father, Brother, Lover (Dance Instructor) by: Paper Jam
Paper Jam, it's been raining for what feels like forever, so this was a much-welcomed ray of sunshine for me today. The smile didn't leave my face from the moment I read this: Michael navigates his way though the day and tries not to fall in love or set himself on fire. How very Michael. So clueless yet so endearing. You filled in the little gaps of this ep so well. Of course I wanted to know Michael's full reaction to news of Jim and Pam's engagement. He's such a child. Everything revolves around him, even when he's trying to be selfless.
Michael draws his fingers up into claws and lifts one leg in a way that causes some kind of weird spasm in his tailbone. Just the thought makes me laugh. Nice job :)