1 [Report This]Date: April 23, 2021 08:53 pm Title: Jim
Your insight into these characters is amazing. It's not just "wow, you really get it" it's also, "wow, how have I never realized that before?"
Nicely done. d84;a039;d84;a039;d84;a039;
Date: February 18, 2021 12:46 pm Title: Toby
Never apologize for angst. :) I love this little insight into Toby. I’ve always found him rather intriguing in that he was always there but never noticed and of course he never had a chance with her but that didn’t stop his obsession.
Author's Response: Haha, thank you! That's so great to hear :) And yes - I was always fascinated by Toby too. I thinks he's underrated. Thanks so much for taking the time to review!
Date: February 18, 2021 12:32 pm Title: Jim
I love the movie choice for Pam here, because When Harry Met Sally would have completely fried the brain of poor Season 2 Jim. He would've thought about that for days. There's like a whole separate fic in that. And this whole description of Jim's desire to know the trivial facts about her and if that would make him a better partner is spot on.
I love how you've turned this sexy little detail into a little mini-journey through their history, too.
And this perspective on Season 9 from an older, wiser Jim is really well done. I love that it ends up reinforcing his love for her, and his sense of what exactly the mistakes he made were and how he fits that into his understanding of their relationship and history.
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! And haha, that is a relief to hear on the movie choice - I did spend a while deliberating over it. And also trying to find one that Pam would credibly like, because I can't say I've seen many of the movies in her top 5 (apart from Princess Bride). But yeah, I did want to go with one that Jim could definitely overthink/agonise over if he wanted to.
And really glad you like the last bit! :) I think I've mentioned this before, but I got the inspiration for this fic from their Season 9 exchange about whether there was anything they didn't know about each other any more - so I always wanted to include something that Jim had learnt about Pam after that exchange.
1 [Report This]Date: February 16, 2021 08:54 pm Title: Jim
All of these were wonderful. The best were Toby, maybe Michael, and Jim. TBH Toby and Jim are the two men who observed her the most often and most closely. Your Jim section was lovely writing.
Pam may have given Stanley inspiration when he was stuck on one of his crossword words. Just something she did at the right time.
I'm excited for the women's take on Jim, particularly Phyllis. I'm sure her email(s) to Jim telling him of Pam's cancelled wedding and any other encouraging emails she sent while he was in Stamford were kind and might have been helpful. Perhaps more telling about her past lovelife and her burgeoning romance with Bob Vance,
Vance Refrigeration.
Author's Response: Thank you so much! That's really kind of you to say :) Thanks so much for taking the time to review too, I really appreciate it! And yes haha, I hadn't actually thought about crosswords. I feel like that *might* be the one thing that gets through to Stanley. I can confirm there will be a Phyllis chapter in the women's take, I have to say that's one of the chapters I'm most looking forward to writing...I do love some Phyllis and Jim.
1 [Report This]Date: February 16, 2021 08:27 pm Title: Jim
Figured Jim would be last here. Outstanding job with him. Really liked in the first section that we kind of go back to their early days and how he already knew so much about her. A brief brush with angst about how he wished he knew more about her, but that's all mended when know that he knows the real answers to those questions. Also really liked that Jim knows what her favorite book is and it's not the one from last chapter. Sorry Toby, but there's only one guy for Pam and it's Jim.
The second part is quite steamy. Well done on going into that kind of space, but still leaving plenty to the imagination. Great visuals there as Jim remembers just how he was able to find that spot by her ear.
The third section just shows how in tune with her he is. He knows her greatest strength is also where she is most vulnerable. Well done showing that with some Austin scenes too. Great way to show how their relationship continued to grow as their family grows around them. Well done.
Lots of fun throughout this whole story. You really did a superb job getting into the various character voices. Can't wait to read the companion fic about what the women think about Jim.
Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat
Author's Response:
Thank you so much! That's so great to hear :) Yeah, this was one of my favourites to write. And yes haha, sorry Toby. In Toby's defence, Jim knows her all-time favourite. Which is not to say she doesn't like Jane Eyre. Lol.
Thanks so much, as always, for taking the time to leave feedback on this - I really appreciate it, and I love reading your reviews!
1 [Report This]Date: February 16, 2021 01:50 pm Title: Jim
I was filled with trepidation and excitement that this chapter was coming (and figured would be the last.) I think in some respects Jim might have been one of the hardest to write because he is so "normal"? I think you got him, got them so well. You captured Jim and Pam's vulnerabilities and that X-factor that makes us love them together so much. Beautifully done. I laughed at your Stanley comment, too.
Looking forward to the Jim equivalent next! Are you going to include Katy and Karen (and I'm curious, much as I hated her, about Cathy, too!)
Author's Response:
Thank you so much! Yeah, I did actually find Jim's the hardest to write - also because he knows Pam so well that I had to try to think of some genuinely insightful things about her (unlike with some of the other characters, lol). Although my inspiration for writing this whole thing did come from their exchange in season 9 about whether there was anything they didn't know about each other any more.
Date: February 16, 2021 01:37 pm Title: Toby
Awwwww, you wrote Toby so well too. He is sweet and quite awkward and I could imagine those thoughts going through his head like that.
Author's Response: Thanks so much! Yeah, Toby is one of my favourite characters I have to say. I think he's underrated.
Date: February 16, 2021 01:36 pm Title: Ryan
Yep. Ryan is a douche. And you've captured him accurately. He remains a douche after your writing. :D
Author's Response: Haha, thank you! Ryan's douchiness (sp?) is very fun to write.
1 [Report This]Date: February 16, 2021 01:34 pm Title: Michael
You nailed this AGAIN. This was PERFECT! It is literally like watching an episode in my head. Are you sure you're not Mindy Kaling?
Author's Response: Thank you so much! That is incredibly kind of you to say haha, I think that might be the best compliment. Although I'm not sure I could write Michael for a sustained period of time lol, some of the things he comes out with on the show I don't think would even occur to me...
Date: February 16, 2021 08:09 am Title: Jim
Awww, I like this chapter so much, and I knew that Jim's would be the last one (but also I'm sad because that means that this journey is over... btw, Stanley appreciated that Pam proposed to cancel all the meetings and, maybe, he might have made some observations about Pam/Jim's relationships in Florida... just saying...)
Anyway, I like this chapter, especially the last part. It wasn't the fluffiest one, but it's so important to highlight that even the most perfect relationships need work. And it's awesome that they learned that lesson (thought the moment when Jim realized that he'd made the same mistake as Roy... ouch).
Looking forward to the ladies' chapters and thank you!
Author's Response: Thank you! And haha, I did briefly consider Florida for Stanley...but I thought most of his observations there would actually be about Jim, not Pam. I'm really glad you liked this chapter though - thanks so much for reviewing! I really appreciate it :)
1 [Report This]Date: February 15, 2021 08:56 pm Title: Ryan
Ah yeah, everything I hate about Ryan. Which means this was a great chapter. Bold of Ryan to talk about attention seeking and blatant flirting, am I right? Have another jellybean!
Favorite (least favorite?) moment: "(If he wanted to, he could also point out that he has an MBA, and he’s not sure Pam even went to college. But he won’t, because he’s not about that kind of elitism)."
Author's Response: Thank you!! That's so great to hear :) And yes haha, I think Ryan's hypocrisy is one of my favourite worst things about him...
1 [Report This]Date: February 15, 2021 08:52 pm Title: Michael
My philosophy is that if an author can write a good Michael, they can write anything. Of course he's going to completely forget the format and of course he's chronically bad at keeping secrets. I love all these chapters even if Roy got me to cringe a little. But I think in particular you captured Pam and Jim well through the eyes of Michael.
Favorite bit: "He’s still waiting to hear back, but they’ve not replied to any of the other stuff he’s sent them either, so they’re obviously just slow."
Author's Response: Ah thanks so much, that's so kind of you to say! Yeah, I found the Michael one a lot of fun to write. Sorry for the cringing on the Roy chapter, haha. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave some feedback, I really appreciate it!
Date: February 15, 2021 08:51 pm Title: Toby
So you're doing some interesting things with Toby here. Partially making his infatuation with Pam a little less creepy and a little more grounded in actual connections between them, partially making it a little more sad and desperate. You really leaned in to the sheer scale of human wreckage that is his life, which is always hard to witness when taken seriously.
It's interesting to note ways in which canonically he actually does seem to connect more with Pam than Jim does - some of the criticisms in the first note about how Jim supports her but doesn't really get what she's doing seem pretty valid. On the other hand, you also illustrate for us again that there's parts of Jim and Pam's story that are intimately familiar to us and that are important to them that are totally lost to the people around them. Toby ends up with this completely skewed vision of the Jim-Pam dynamic, partially because he doesn't want to see it and partially because he has a very particular sense of who Jim is that doesn't account for Jim's own insecurities, but in large part because there are major developments he has no idea happened. I feel like in a lot of fic everyone in the office seems to just kind of understand what's happening with Jim and Pam, and I enjoyed reading a version of this where that's not the case.
(By the way, if you enjoyed the writing process here, I *highly* recommend reading fics by Steph and by pessimistress, who are dedicated Toby chroniclers.)
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! So I have to say that Toby is one of my favourites (early seasons Toby at least, before they ratcheted up his creepy/annoying-ness towards the end). Which might be driving the more sympathetic portrayal. And I always got the sense that Pam was genuinely fond of him, which must have come from somewhere. I do also think they have stuff in common.
Having said all that - I definitely think he's reading a *tiny* bit too much into the Jane Eyre thing here. And I'm not sure how much is Toby started off with the same interests as Pam vs he's become interested in what she's interested in. I also think it's ok/healthy for Jim and Pam to have different interests - like I don't think Pam needs to 'get' sports marketing to be able to support Jim and encourage him to follow his dream. But my assumption was definitely that Toby wouldn't have the full picture on them, especially sitting in the annex and being left out of so much by Michael, lol.
And ooh thanks so much for those recommendations!
1 [Report This]Date: February 15, 2021 07:55 pm Title: Toby
Toby is, underneath it all, an angsty kinda guy. I could hear Paul Lieberstein reciting it.
Good onya
Author's Response: Thanks so much! That's so great to hear :)
Date: February 15, 2021 06:30 am Title: Toby
Kinda figured Toby would be harbouring some of those kinds of feelings. What is really striking about this one is the outside looking in perspective. From Toby's standpoint all that makes sense. Pam is a very kind soul to just about everyone. So when she shows kindness to Toby, especially after his divorce and in the constanct face of Michael, he latches onto it. However he fell into the trap of confusing nice for interest. While I'm sure Pam is nice to Toby and considers him a friend, it's clear she's never shown any sort of romantic interest in him. However in Toby's mind that doesn't seem to compute.
It's things like him assuming Jim doesn't appriciate art that keep the fuel of his thoughts burning. Now granted Jim did have a rather disastourous time at the one instance of the Finer Things Club that we saw on camera which is I'm sure the catalyst for Toby's thoughts here. But again it's the outside looking in. And because of that he's only seeing what he wants to see.
You really painted a picture that Toby met Pam at a really hard time in his life and he latched onto her natural kindness a bit to much. Then his thoughts kind of got away from him there and it sort of spiraled into quite bit more than was ever really there since Toby didn't really take the time to truly get to know Pam. Unlike Jim who has taken the time to get to know her. Nice job.
Author's Response: Thanks so much! And yeah, I do feel like Toby is an outside to a lot of this (sitting in the annex, missing so many of the big corporate events) so it was interesting to write his take on things. I think you're right though, Pam definitely considers Toby a friend but not anything more. I said this in another review, but I definitely feel like Toby has the big unrequited love story with Pam on The Office (it was never Jim). And yeah, I also think he's unfortunately misinterpreting/reading too much into quite a lot of this...
Date: February 15, 2021 06:15 am Title: Ryan
Another great job getting into the character's head. Ryan is one of the most insecure characters and it shows here. For me, reading deeper it shows that while he puts on a front, he's jealous of just about everything Jim's done. Beautiful girlfriends, actually doing good at his job, once it settled down a steady relationship with Pam that's actually pretty drama free (especially when compared to him and Kelly), and Michael's approval.
The third one is the one that really takes the cake. Michael DOES like Pam more than him. After all Micheal chose Pam to stay on a saleswoman after they all came back when the Micheal Scott Paper Company was bought out. So his feelings of jeaoulsy are brought out more. The list of his accomplishments (and I think it's telling that in his mind he views going to jail for Dunder-Mifflin as something to be proud of) vs what Pam has done would grate. So yeah, good job getting into his mind.
Author's Response: Thank you! And yeah, I do think Ryan is maybe the character that has failed the hardest on the show...especially considering how great everyone thought he was at first. I quite enjoyed writing that insecurity. Thanks so much for the review! :)
1 [Report This]Date: February 15, 2021 06:07 am Title: Michael
This is Micheal all over. The way he thinks, acts, over-acts. It's silly, slightly selfish, a bit over the top, but still genuine. Really found it funny he couldn't keep it to just three things and that his numbering system is all out of order too. Lots of fun.
Author's Response: Thanks so much! And yes, haha - this was a lot of fun to write.
1 [Report This]Date: February 15, 2021 05:42 am Title: Toby
Do you know what I love about this chapter?
Everything.
I mean... oh... where to start?
You painted a portrait of a deeply unhappy yet humble and kind man. And his love for Pam... you know, when it comes to the unrequited love in 'The Office' I always think of him, not Jim, and not because Jim eventually got the love of his life. Because Toby's love was doomed from the beginning, and he was a kind of character that is too shy, too insecure, and too easily put aside. He's not a hero everyone roots for. And pretty girls in sitcoms don’t fall for these characters.
*It's the moment when I take a little break because I worry I might cry.*
And also, I love how Toby looks both at Pam and Jim and though his opinion couldn't be impartial, there are moments I totally agree with him. Like, the way Jim changed after Stamford and Philly, or how Pam forgave him everything over and over again, or the way Jim supported but not appreciated Pam's works (though the last one is double biased). It just... hurts. It hurts that there is no happiness for everyone.
And, by the way, Finer Things Club? I adore that! I'm firmly convinced that there should be more Finer Things Club stories, and thank you so much for a glimpse of their book discussion! (I have a prepared piece for The Element about FTC I doubted to include, but now I think I have to add it!)
I don't know what to add more, but, honestly, I love this chapter with all my heart. You're so talented!
Sorry, this review is a little erratic, and my English is messier than ever, but so are my thoughts after reading your story :)
P.S. I saved my last jellybean specifically for this chapter!
P.P.S. Haha, I wrote the name of their club wrong so I re-upload the review. That's awkward...
Author's Response:
Thank you so much! This is such a lovely review :) And yes! I definitely think of Toby when I think unrequited love, not Jim at all. Also because it was never unrequited with Jim - Pam loved him the whole time, even if she couldn’t admit it. Whereas Toby…I really feel for him. He was so over-looked. I would also like to read more about the FTC, I would love if you did a piece in The Elements! Thanks so much for reviewing, and for your last jellybean :D
1 [Report This]Date: February 14, 2021 06:46 pm Title: Michael
I finally got to reading this and read to the end (well the end so far since there's a few men we still haven't heard from). I came back to drop a review on this one because I feel your Michael and his absolute affection for Pam. For all he does wrong with everyone including her he has always redeemed himself in my eyes because of the affection he has for her and you portrayed that so well. I did laugh about how he's asked his new receptionist if he would ever leave with him to start a new company. It also touched me how he would have tried to fix Pam and Jim if he knew ( and get rid of Toby while he was at it).
Overall I am so enjoying all of these. Kevin and cCreed made me laugh in their perfect voices and I love getting a little Oscar insight. Not enough Oscar around here.
Keep them coming. Lot of fun.
Author's Response: Thanks so much! And yeah, Michael's genuine love for Pam is his biggest redeeming feature for me. Thank you for taking the time to review, I'm really thrilled to hear you're enjoying this!
1 [Report This]Date: February 14, 2021 02:16 pm Title: Ryan
This maybe my favorite chapter(so far).
Ryan really hit the nail on the head when it comes to Karen and Jim. Karen wasn’t that hot.
I actually found her to be bland looking.
As for Pam, she was never really supposed
to be hot. She was the cute All-American girl next girl door type of character.
Also Ryan(and Kelley)was right about Karen and Jim having ZERO chemistry, which made season 3 even more unbearable to watch.
Jim did try too hard to make it seem as though his relationship with her was serious. Even Karen complained about how Jim avoided talking about his feelings with her. Karen was a wall for Jim to put between himself and Pam because he thought he couldn’t have her. When Pam confessed her feelings to Jim on beach day he pulled away from Karen even more, causing her to dig her nails even further into him by trying to get him to move to NY. I think deep down Karen knew her time was running out with Jim, but she didn’t want to face it.
I think that Karen only really wanted her IDEA of who Jim was.
She wanted the Jim who she first met in Stamford, not Scranton.
Scranton Jim was the REAL Jim.
I actually never noticed that Karen
would go to Jim’s desk, but he didn’t go her.
So good job pointing that out!
As for Ryan himself he is a narcissist.
The guy actually thinks he was loyal to
DM by going to jail for them when in reality he caused the problem.
Also he was full of himself by looking down on Pam for not having an MBA, when lots of people have those, but in typical narcissist fashion,
Ryan thinks that people should kiss his feet.
Looking forward to the next update.
Thanks for letting me vent my annoyance about season 3. 😂
Author's Response:
Haha, thanks so much! And yeah, I also found season 3 incredibly difficult to watch. I think the only thing that got me through it was coming to The Office late, so knowing that Pam and Jim did eventually end up together. But it was tough. I actually liked Karen as a character, but her relationship with Jim was painful watching.
I am also slightly fascinated by what's going on in Ryan's head, and how he manages to justify what he does. So this was fun to write. He is a classic narcissist, lol.
1 [Report This]Date: February 14, 2021 12:36 pm Title: Ryan
I don’t think I’ve reviewed this story before, but I’ve been reading. I have to say that all your chapters are absolutely on point with each character. I can’t wait to keep reading more
Author's Response: Thanks so much! That's so great to hear :) and thanks so much for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it!
Date: February 14, 2021 09:51 am Title: Ryan
Ryan is perfectly Ryan-esque smarmy here, and you did a really good job of capturing the seething resentment and insecurity he spends so much time trying to repress and deny.
It's striking how much of his attitude towards Pam is actually about his relationships with the men in their shared experience - his jealousy of Jim and how it disrupts his one-way relationship with Michael. Tells you a lot about what Ryan thinks about women.
I did think it was an interesting observation, and not one I've thought of before, that Jim's relative lack of attention to Karen might have played a role in Ryan's insistence on not seeing their relationship. I mean, this is definitely Ryan looking at things through Ryan-colored glasses, but it does seem plausible that between their knowledge of his history with Pam and their relatively muted in-office interactions that not everyone might have thought they were serious.
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! So it did occur to me while writing this that I'm not sure Ryan has that much interaction with any of the women in the office beyond Kelly and Pam (where he seems to go from asking her out to just resenting her). I think the only other women he talks to are the ones he's hitting on. He's really not great. But yeah, I do think he can (sort of) be forgiven for assuming Jim and Karen weren't serious, based on what he saw.
Thanks for reviewing!
Date: February 14, 2021 08:52 am Title: Ryan
Ryan is the worst and you have written it perfectly. How he really does care about what people think but he tries to pretend he doesn't. Putting forth the cool guy attitude. I loved it
Author's Response: Thanks so much! That's so great to hear - and haha, it was actually quite fun getting inside Ryan's head for this.
Date: February 14, 2021 06:39 am Title: Ryan
Oh, Ryan... so arrogant, so jealous, so immature... just the perfect representation of this character! Thank you for writing!
Author's Response: Haha, thank you! And yeah, Ryan is the worst sometimes...
1 [Report This]Date: February 13, 2021 12:17 pm Title: Kevin
Most of the time Kevin annoyed the hell out
of me, but this was really funny. 😂
I can definitely see him thinking about Pam
in a sexual way then forgetting his third observation of her.
Kevin kind of reminds me of Joey on Friends.
I have to agree with him that Jim made the right choice by dumping Karen for Pam.
Karen was overrated.
I also liked how in the the last chapter Roy finally figured out that he wasn’t very skilled at certain things. He was so arrogant that seeing him get knocked down a few pegs was enjoyable.
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! And yes haha, Kevin can be very annoying (he is a bit like Joey though!) And yeah poor Roy lol. Thanks very much for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it!