1 [Report This]Date: September 16, 2022 06:29 am Title: Better Than A Fairytale
Oh this was just all sorts of awesome. I loved it.
First off, the Dwight offering Jim a carrot farm because he likes carrots as a way to cheer him up was amazing.
Helene and Betsy for Michael’s kids names was just TOO funny. I really believed it haha!
Dwight wanting terrible pictures of Jim…like on the toilet or something. Omg. I would take any photo of Jim. Toilet or not. Preferably not toilet.
I love the reference to Pam Beagsley. And I especially loved Michael naming a boy dog that.
Jim and Michael’s hike and chat. Oh god. Get me there why don’t you. Was just all sorts of wonderful.
Jim not knowing the camera man’s name feels like such canon and was such a nice touch.
Loved the little prank Jim tried to pull 5 years later and how Pam just wasn’t amused by it at all
🫘🫘🫘🫘🫘all the beans for you. It was all sorts of greatness! 👏👏👏👏👏
Author's Response:
Okay, I'm gonna need to have a reread of this fic because I remember not liking what I've written. But thank you for this amazing review!! I vaguely remember some of these jokes that you mentioned and I kind of laughed at the recollection. I must be some sort of comedic genius/
You are an amazing human being. Maybe I'll update a fic or two just because of this inspiring review.
1 [Report This]Date: February 08, 2021 02:42 pm Title: Better Than A Fairytale
Well done. I very much did enjoy reading this story. Marriage isn’t always perfect and even people very much in love can hit stumbling blocks. Throughout this story you did a great job showing that but how their love got them through. I especially liked the snapshots into the future to wrap it all up. And the pranks were great fun. I could just imagine Dwight trying to make the paper quieter.
Feels great to wrap up a story doesn’t it. But I hope you will keep writing more.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much!
Jim and Pam in season 9 was tough to watch but I always felt like it was necessary for them to face these types of challenges, which is why I was so inclined to cover it.
It felt so good to wrap it up. I wanted to write more about this but I felt like I already exhausted the storyline so it felt natural to close it. I'm already coming up with possible stories, so I hope I find the right one soon!
1 [Report This]Date: February 07, 2021 10:53 pm Title: Better Than A Fairytale
Lovely way to wrap this up. Them starting out on the journey down to Austin was a nice way to close out their time in Scranton. The trip to visit Michael and Holly was fun too. Especially with the revelations of just how drunk both boys were that night.
However the end there was a hoot. Nice to see that Jim is still pranking Dwight. Some things never and shouldn't change. I'll admit you did have me going for a second with the no wedding ring thing. Glad to see Pam's not a fan of that and puts him in his place.
The speech there is a fitting way to bring it all together. They're both happy with each other and are only getting stronger.
Excellent work for your first story. There were a lot of ups and downs to be sure. However there was also a lot of heart mixed in which was great to read. Hope you'll grace us with some more stories sometime soon.
Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat
(Fortune Favors the Bold)
Author's Response:
Thank you so much!!
I was thinking about lengthening each year but I resorted to snippets because I think I pretty much closed everything that needed to be said -- That even in their greatest trials, their love would still remain. So it felt right to finish the story
The part about the wedding ring in particular was my favorite because it brought me back to the time Pam invited Jim to be part of the Finer Things Club and he didn't take it seriously so it blew up in his face.
It was harder than I thought making a story but I had a lot of fun doing it. I hope inspiration strikes soon!
Date: February 07, 2021 06:48 am Title: Better Than A Fairytale
Ha! I love the details you've added to Jim's drunken night in Colorado here. And the failed Jim prank about them getting divorced does seem like the sort thing he might try to pull off.
But mostly I thought that having the actual ceremony he'd envisioned with Athleap, with Pam at his side, was a really nice way to wrap this one up - bringing it full circle.
Congrats on finishing your first story! It was a good concept to explore and a fun way to play with canon. Looking forward to the next one!!!!
Author's Response:
Thank you so much for reading the entire story!
With Colorado, I wanted Jim to visit again and I thought what could Michael do to embarrass him further. I've said this before but Michael was such a fun character to write since he can pretty much do and say anything and it will sound believable.
With the divorce joke, I considered it a 10% possibility that it will happen when I wrote this story. So I inserted it as a joke and it really does fit in with Jim especially in front of a camera.
I wasn't supposed to include the ceremony but yes, like you said, it was the perfect way to wrap the story up and it ended the way I wanted it for the two of them. Jim waited for Pam and Pam eventually came through for Jim.
It was really fun writing this because my favorite storyline is their marriage (Season 9 to be exact) and I really hope I did it justice.
Date: February 06, 2021 07:37 pm Title: You Are Everything
Nice to get a look at Pam's mindset... and I'm really happy you chose to show her growth here. She's learned that she needs to not let this fester or let Jim swoop in and save the day. (Although Jim's about to swoop in and save the day.)
Author's Response: Thank you so much!
Date: February 06, 2021 06:41 pm Title: You Are Everything
I was wondering if you'd write out your version of the Teapot Note. It's fine that you didn't. It fits in well with canon that we'll never know for certain what was in that note.
Otherwise a great look into Pam's mindset as she goes into watching the video, as she watches it, and everything after. Great way to have all that play out.
Author's Response: Thank you so much!
Date: February 03, 2021 05:15 pm Title: Not Enough for Me?
You know, it's funny, I never really thought about the directing of the video before, but it actually makes total sense that Jim had a very specific vision with very specific moments in mind.
Jim not knowing the cameraman's name was... oh, very Jim.
Looking forward to seeing how you wrap this up!
Author's Response:
Thank you so much!
Yeah, it would make sense that the doc crew would come up with the clips but I'm sure Jim planned out how he wanted Pam to see it.
I'm not a big fan of inventing names but I wanted to incorporate the camera crew in the story. I keep seeing the video of the IT guy (a.k.a. "Sport") on Youtube so I wanted to incorporate that since I found it funny that Jim immediately forgot his name.
Next (and probably the penultimate chapter) is already up.
Date: February 03, 2021 10:57 am Title: Not Enough for Me?
Again I really like how you go past what we see in canon to expand on things. Jim asking for specifics here fits really well. The doc crew may have been the ones to put the video together, but it's Jim's ideas and memories that are what's on display. Really like that. Looking forward to seeing how you portray Pam reacting to the video.
Author's Response: Thank you! Yeah, I'm pretty sure Jim gave them exactly what he wanted to see so I wanted a take on that. Next chapter's already up!
Date: January 30, 2021 07:13 pm Title: And The Greatest of These Is Love
They're really starting to connect here and I love that. Pam finally telling him what she really feels is a great breath of fresh air. Same with their dinner on the roof and the weekend away. Though there's still that one little worm of doubt in her mind and you did a good job of bringing that out. Really like that you kind of expand on the scene there at the end. He wraps his arms around her to try and once more prove how much she means to him. Really looking forward to the next chapter.
Author's Response:
Thank you!
It was hard to created doubt in Pam's mind again but I had to do it for A.A.R.M. I was initially going to have Jim immediately go to the talking head which was what was shown on TV but I decided to save it for another time and have him comfort her instead, which I'm pretty sure he would probably do in real life.
Date: January 29, 2021 10:18 am Title: And The Greatest of These Is Love
Looks like Colorado did the trip - it's really lovely to see them reconnecting again and having some sweet moments together after all this tension. And they finally made it to the lake! The scene of them flirting and playing with the kids was a lot of fun.
I'm intrigued by your choices at the end here - it seems like you're crafting a story that almost be canon compliant and there were just some bumps in the road we didn't see.
Author's Response:
Thank you! Yeah, I wanted Jim and Pam to really have moments of getting to reconnect.
My thought process was to always go back to the canon. But I had that struggle where they finally hugged and reunite because that would mean if I want A.A.R.M. to happen, I needed Pam to have another internal dilemma which I've already made her experience a lot.
I doubted it at first but Pam spent two seasons where you kinda just want to scream at her from your TV so maybe it's really in Pam's character where she really struggles with these types of decisions
1 [Report This]Date: January 27, 2021 09:11 pm Title: Love Never Fails
I've Been enjoying catching up with this story.
I'm not sure when I last reviewed so this may encompass a few past chapters. Bring Michael in was a great choice. He has a way of lightening up every situation but also giving some really great advice (never ever ever give up).
Him mentioning Stanley leading Jim astray was a good line. As was the line about Pams glasses. Very funny. I enjoyed the tease about the baby names although he could've really named them that and I wouldn't have been surprised.
I love the Pamela Beagsly reference. I adore that's deleted scene and the layer you've added that it's a male dog is just great fun
Nice job all around. Looking forward the the rest..
Author's Response:
Thank you so much and glad you've been enjoying.
I've said this a lot but Michael's dialogues were some of the most I've had to write with. I wish I wrote in BFD somewhere.
The glasses, definitely. Still one of my favorite insults in the show. And Pamela Beagsley, I thought to myself, what would make this even more absurd?
1 [Report This]Date: January 26, 2021 04:55 pm Title: Faith, Hope, and Love
Great send-off and callback with Michael and Jim. He's not leaving, he'll be back for lunch. Bravo. Along with never give up I don't think there was a better way for that to happen.
Pam's annoyance at her co-workers feels very real. They've been in her buisness for days so it stands to reason she's getting a little sick of it all. Good on Nellie to have her focus on something she does enjoy.
The reunion was superb. There's the parking lot hug, kiss, and "I love you" we were all hoping for. After a lot of soul searching, they're still there for each other. And it's Pam that makes the move. Beautiful.
Honestly I wasn't to worried that they'd split. Considering the chapter titles you've been using, it feels like it's all building up. I doubt you'd have chosen those verses if you had it in mind they'd have split apart. So nice job there.
Looking forward to the A.A.R.M. portion of this story.
Author's Response:
Thank you!!
I always loved the way they parted and I still wanted them to leave like the door was still open.
With Pam, I really want to bring back as much references to previous episodes so one of my favorites was when everyone kept telling Jim "one more day"
I wrote the reunion short but like Jim and Pam, it's a simple yet heartwarming one and not much else needs to be said. I've always wanted Pam to be the one to do it because she rarely gets to make these Jim types of gestures.
Date: January 26, 2021 02:34 pm Title: Faith, Hope, and Love
I like Michael a lot here, very on point: childish and mopey and insensitive and also sweet and actually a little helpful.
I really liked the choice to have this reuniting scene play out with Pam's mural, which feels like a symbol of the ways their lives have diverged in the last year - and now it sees this moment of them coming back together, harkening back to their history of both wanting to be together when they couldn't and joy of finally being together when they could.
Author's Response:
Thank you!
I'm gonna miss writing about Michael because I really had fun writing his dialogue. I wanted him to get all mopey about leaving because I don't think he gets a lot of visitors in Colorado. But of course, I can't leave him without having one more heartwarming moment with Jim.
With the mural, it felt like Pam was ready to erase her pain but at the same time, she didn't know exactly how to begin again. Jim would always be the key to bring back her inspiration.
Date: January 25, 2021 09:28 pm Title: And Now These Three Remain
I love the use of the Dwight-Pam friendship in this chapter and throughout this story - this was such a fun dynamic between all three of them by the end of the series! And Angela's forthright admission of what she's up to.
I liked Michael's story of how he came to grips with making a similar choice, which is a connection I hadn't made before. He really is... surprisingly valuable, isn't he?
Author's Response:
Thank you!
I brought Dwight into the fold a lot in this story because of a tweet I saw about The Office really being Jim's love story with Pam and Dwight. But I wanted Dwight to be there for Pam similar to how I wanted Michael to be there for Jim.
I took the inspiration from Michael when he asked Jim if he was making the wrong decision before he said his goodbyes to him. It's a 19 year stay in Dunder Mifflin, it'll be hard for anyone.
Date: January 24, 2021 07:19 pm Title: And Now These Three Remain
It feels like Pam still has some confused thoughts bouncing around in her mind. Which does make a certain amount of sense. However she's also getting more positive feedback than negative feedback it seems. Jim's emotional voicemail, her Mom's reassurances, and Meredith being encouraging feed that. By the way great job to have Meredith be the one to say all that. Great use of her there.
Jim's hike to the lake and the exercise Michael has him do seem to cement things in his mind. How filled he would be with her and how empty he would be without. Excellent job there.
Author's Response:
Thank you!
The part where I stayed true to Pam's character is that she is never really sure of herself. It's been 9 chapters of her inner turmoil that makes you want to scream at her.
I wanted Jim to acknowledge that this is really his dream but to also come to a realization that it's not a perfect dream without Pam there. Rather than seeing it as something he has to give up to make her happy, I wanted to him to really see Pam as the true path to happiness.
Date: January 22, 2021 10:13 am Title: Love Never Fails
I love that Chili's is strictly enforcing the ban on Pam.
That's some solid insight from Michael, and is something that cuts to the quick of why I think it's good that you're exploring this - it makes total sense that Jim would choose Pam over Athlead in a heartbeat, but in real life there would be some regrets over having to make that choice, and Pam's worry about that causing problems in the long run would probably not be so easily dispelled.
I thought the voicemail was a nice touch. This was your strongest chapter yet I think.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much!
Yes, I actually got the inspiration from a tweet Jenna Fischer a few years back about entering Chili's. I just wanted to incorporate it.
I wanted to Michael to give Jim a reality check because he did invest a lot of his time to Athlead. It's not to say that Pam is second but just declaring it, I don't think it's enough.
The voicemail, I had a lot of fun writing it because I wanted Jim to be emotional but at the same time, go on a tangent because that's normally how drunk people are, they want to seem coherent, but normally their thoughts are all over the place.
Date: January 22, 2021 09:00 am Title: Love Never Fails
The dialog in this chapter snapped and flowed. You had Michael, Helene, and drunk Jim's voices spot on.
Excellent choice on drunk Jim having to leave a voice mail.
Author's Response:
Thank you! I really tried to stay as true as possible to their characters, so I've been doing a lot of rewatches as well.
Date: January 22, 2021 08:33 am Title: Love Never Fails
Love the tough love from Michael. Yes, he's off the walls crazy and rarely has the mental capacity of more than a 6 year old, but he's also very insightful. He's also known Jim and Pam for a long time and had a good seat to their romance. So I think it's great that he says what he does to Jim.
Glad Pam could open up to her Mom too. Feels like they both need it. To let out their feelings and have someone outside their marriage who does care about them to tell them what they need to hear.
Then to have Jim call her right after she hears "have faith in him." I liked that. So as hard as it seems for Jim to have up and left, I think the distance has given them both some clarity and perspective. Looking forward to seeing where we go from here.
Author's Response:
Thanks for the review! I think Michael has given Jim his fair share of good advice. I still try to make sure he doesn't stray too far from who he is but will still manage to come through for Jim.
I wanted to include that part where Pam's mom wasn't sure if leaving Roy was the right idea because any parent would wonder why she broke off her engagement for another guy. But yeah, Jim had proven time and again that everything he does if for her and the family so she needed a bit of a reminder.
I really enjoyed writing them being apart and having to think things over because it actually allowed to be more open with each other. Of course, they still have to learn how to be honest in person but we'll cross the bridge when we get there.
Date: January 19, 2021 05:21 pm Title: Love Endures All Things
Feels like some of the stress is starting to ease off. That was a great moment with Michael joking about his kids names. Feels very much like something he would do. Nice to get some perspective from Holly as well.
Pam pranking Dwight was fun. Feels like she's starting to get back to herself too. Though the conversation with Darryl does seem like a bit of step back.
Still doing a great job with this.
Author's Response: Thank you so much!
Date: January 19, 2021 11:30 am Title: Love Endures All Things
There are a lot of fun details in this! The Michael-Holly relationship seems right (the too-long kiss, the innuendo, the dog's name) and I loved the prank with the kids' names.
Plus the Dwight line about how it's totally a different situation even though it does involve a lot of the same people and his comforting Pam were very much in Dwight's voice.
Author's Response:
Thank you! The one quality I want to retain when writing Holly is she really gets Michael when everyone else is like, "Who the hell is this guy?"
I tried to balance Dwight because I know he's always had a soft spot for Pam, I think he would have played along with Pam's prank regardless if Jim begged him to because he knows Pam has been having a rough few days.
Date: January 18, 2021 10:08 pm Title: Love Hopes All Things
There's some quality Michael and ensemble dialogue in this chapter!
Author's Response:
Thank you!
I try as much as possible to include at least one regular character interaction with Pam since she's the one in the office so I try my best to stay truthful to what the character would probably say in that one small conversation.
With Michael, it's just free for all basically, I just think of the most ridiculous things for him to do so it makes writing him so much fun.
1 [Report This]Date: January 18, 2021 06:20 pm Title: Love Suffers Long
Yup, that's Michael Scott. Initially, I was annoyed when he texted the whole office but you really can't argue with his logic. That kind of impulsive but well-intentioned behavior is a hallmark of canon so I applaud you for it. Hopefully, the time apart does them some good!
Author's Response:
Thank you!
Yeah, Michael cannot keep a secret to save his life so I knew the moment that Jim would visit him in Colorado that he would be too excited to not tell anyone.
1 [Report This]Date: January 18, 2021 05:51 pm Title: Love Hopes All Things
Pam-orama is 100% a good way for Michael to refer to Pam. You got his character spot on here I think. He gets even a little attention (that he didn't generate himself) and he HAS to spread it far and wide. He does have his own family now, but his Dunder-Mifflin family will always be important to him and that comes across.
Feels like maybe the beginning of a reconciliation between Jim and Pam. He's starting to crack jokes. She's not mad, just relieved.
And what I really liked was that you brought out the Michael that has a heart of gold. Great to see that. Nice job.
Author's Response:
Thank you!
I spent so much time thinking on the nickname so I'm glad you liked it. I really had fun writing Michael's character because the possibilities are limitless with him. And his heart is always in the right place, it just doesn't translate properly into actions.
With Jim and Pam, I had to pick a point where Pam would slowly open herself up to him. I wanted it to be in a way that she thinks Jim came through for him by not being in Philly.
1 [Report This]Date: January 18, 2021 05:56 am Title: Love Believes All Things
This story is honestly one of the best one I have ever read in all the fandoms I am part of.
It's so so good. The characters are amazingly written and I can't wait for the next updates. It's really really good!
Author's Response:
Thank you so much! I wasn't exactly sure how this would be perceived when I first started so I'm just happy to see that there are people out there who like it.
I just submitted my next chapter so it should be up soon.
1 [Report This]Date: January 17, 2021 11:18 pm Title: Love Believes All Things
The moment with Phyllis and Pam's poll of the Dunder Mifflinites was very much in the show's style of humor. And the twist!!!! Looking forward to seeing what Jim's up to, but I love that you're bringing Michael into it.
Author's Response:
Thanks! I actually had a fun time writing the part about Phyllis because I 100% believe that she was the biggest b-word in the show so if anyone were to make snide remarks, it'll probably be her.
Yeah, as far as Colorado is concerned, I'm still trying to figure out how to write it but I think it'll be fun since Michael is such an eccentric character.