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Okay. Many thoughts.

I haven't really had an opportunity (or desire) to think about these character's political affiliations but I'm upset and slightly disturbed by the very obvious fact now in my head that Angela and Dwight both certainly voted for Trump. Ick.

Pam not knowing what the VP does is actually a brilliant move because Pam is sort of all of us, I think? In the show? And you're right, most Americans don't know the answer.

Your Kelly headcanon is interesting, I don't buy it, but I still like it. (For the record it makes a lot of your Kelly notes for me make more sense, ha!)

A few days ago I'd have agreed with you that Meredith hasn't voted a day in her life but after seeing that "Justice For Caylee" sign in her van I think she's more tapped into current events than I've giver her credit for.

This was fun and I can tell you had fun with it!

Author's Response: I by contrast have put immense thought into the political histories of pretty much all of our principals. *shrugs* But yeah, Angela for sure. I like to think Dwight's love of order and rules and hierarchies would have made him a little more hesitant... this is not a guy for whom "The Deep State is against me!" is going to be a rallying cry.

And in Pam's defense, she does know! She's just not positive that she knows!

Oh, have I never shared my "Kelly is secretly playing everyone" headcanon with you? Because yeah, that definitely shapes my take on the character.

She may well be the "I don't vote, it only encourages them" kind of non-voter.

Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to review!

So thinking about it now it's a bit of a surprise that Obama was mentioned on the show but Biden never was being he was from Scranton.
Glad you filled in what was left off the show.

As usual, this was very much in the spirit of what we would expect from you and from our Dm crew (except Wallace which I already mentioned) Angela and Dwight landed pretty much as I expected.

I was tickled up top with the Uncle Pam and will say that the thing I most appreciated was the bit and take on Kelly, especially since the real Mindy is both a genius and supposedly very much alike the character she plays.

Wallace is right though, not really smart business to alienate a whole party especially in the paper business.

Glad you added the footnote about Cornell since it seemed like at least someone of note would have come from there and while I didn't know RBG did, I do now.
And I still see people wearing straight outta shirts so I 100% buy it and it made me laugh too.

Author's Response: It is a little odd, right? I mean, I'm sure it would have been a thing if he had been at the top of the ticket while The Office was still on the air, but still. Might have been a little David Wallace-style action from NBC, too.

Again, I will tell anyone reading since I've already told you - it makes perfect economic sense for Wallace to follow this line and it hurt to write it.

I will always take any excuse I can think of to write SecretlyAGenius!Kelly

But they're not alienating a party! They're celebrating Scranton's favorite son! *sigh* These days are behind us now.

That was kind of a lucky find on my part... I was kind of expecting some president or other to have graduated Cornell. But RBG is pretty good.

I'm pretty sure at some point I saw a screenshot of Michael and Dwight from Lazy Scranton superimposed over a Straight Outta Scranton meme, so this is wildly meta.

Thanks as always for taking the time to read and review my friend!

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As always, wonderfully amusing and so spot on in every aspect. All the little details sprinkled in are so true to the show! Well done. More, please. :)

Author's Response: Awwww thanks! There *may* be another chapter or two of this in November. Maybe. Maybe not. You never know with me.

Appreciate you taking the time to review!

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Okay this entire thing was delightful but Angela’s TH killed me 😂

* ANGELA:
Yes, Sadiq is a godless heathen who rejects the word of our Lord and Savior. (pause) But he’s also the only person in this company who seems to care what Kevin’s doing on the Internet. So… he can have a snack while he waits to answer to the Almighty for his apostasy.*

Great button. Well done.

Author's Response: Ugh, now I'm reading this and feeling like I should have ended it at "answered to the Almighty," but thank you. This was the exchange that made me want to finish this fic and get it out to the world, so I'm glad it struck a chord with folks!

Appreciate you taking the time to read and review.

SO happy to see you active again and this was a lot of fun...and a perfect tribute to DG

Sadiq, as everyone's best friend is a perfect thing to set Nick off. Very in line with the Nick that goes off in the episode when Jim can't remember his name.

The borscht and the All Things Considered were my favorite bonding items but I felt Angela was very in character too (have to admit I was missing a Kevin bit so happy to get the little mention of what Kevin watches on his computer).

Now that you're getting back to it looking forward to more stuff from you?

Author's Response: In classic IT professional fashion, DG basically had to wrap his own gift here, making it even more perfect in its way! :D

Yeah, this was originally the product of a Season 6 rewatch, and noticing how much of an effort Nick consistently makes to be nice only to get slapped down every single time. Felt like there was potential for comedy there, especially given that Sadiq seemed to be integrated pretty neatly into the office the rare times he showed up.

Honestly, a lot of these bonding items really wrote themselves - glad you liked them! I feel like there was potential for Kevin, but also that he either would a) resent both of them or b) not have it in him to be quite as rude to Nick as the rest of the office does, so nothing really presented itself.

::Michael voice:: maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe

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I like this chapter even though it made me sad. There's something about the first season that almost completely disappeared in the following ones: this aura of stagnation and hopelessness, the grey days at a monotonous job with no growth and no future, and only sparks of human communication could brighten this gloom. I think you grasped this moment extraordinarily well.
And you're right, there are not so many stories about the summer of '05. So thank you for writing one!
P.S. I've already seen that the next one is about Casino Night, and I'm afraid I'm not ready for it now. But I'll definitely return/read/review this one too!

Author's Response: It really is too bad they lost some of that, because it feels like a sitcom where you're always supposed to return to the status quo at the end of the episode would be a great genre to explore that. I mean, it would have been a lot less funny, but a lot more real.

There may be another in me, who knows.

Okay. Just remember: it's canon compliant, and that's a point I'm going to make over the course of the story...

Thank you as always for reading and reviewing my friend!

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Let's start with the cover art - not sure if it's new or I just missed it the first time but it's brilliant- never have brown and black, barely-filled balloons looked so festive.

Now onto the story, which was also masterfully written. One man's garbage is another man's treasure and never has that been more demonstrated. And I'm very curious what does a cootie catcher look like.

This line - No more sacrificing for a relationship he’s the only one in. - hit me right there.

You had me for a second - I thought you were going divergent, fix-it but what you did was even better. The ghost-like Pam was so much more than a real one could be in this story. I absolutely loved the framework here and this part:

*She touches him. Takes the tips of his fingers between hers, and puts his hand on her belly. He feels…
“You’re pregnant.”
She nods.*...gave me goosebumps.

SO true they both needed their experiences and I caught the allusion (right word?) to the possible plot twist mentioned in OL or by Jenna - that they were only meant to help them to get to another relationship - which I'm so glad didn't happen.

*He’ll fall in love again, and he’ll be better at it because of Pam. More gentle, more giving. More grateful. He’s sure he knows a little more about being a partner… and how not to be one.* (this was... - just so...no words).

and this...*Maybe one day when his son goes through his first serious breakup – his son who will not have curly hair or a knack for sketching – he’ll tell him about the person he loved so he could love his mother, about getting your heart broken and how to let it heal. About the people you meet who aren’t your soulmate but help lead you to them, make sure you’re ready for them.* You've captured not only the Jenna paraphrase but the experience (put from the Dad's perspective) that inspired me to write Sleepless Nights (of course from the mom's).

*She felt something* and *She said me too, she said me too, she said me too.* - more goosebumps.

Jumping ahead that she would be fearful any shift would change the outcome - ARE YOU IN MY MIND - I have a mini obsession with time travel and yet whenever I think what I might do different if I were to go back I always think this- the risk of changing anything by altering the past.

But her taking credit for leaving him hope - not through time travel per se but the magic of the kiss - very Pam.

I think you could say I liked it.

Well done.

Author's Response: Not only is the cover art new, I actually had to learn a whole new skill to make it. I'm becoming a terrible graphic designer! I hope you're proud of me.

Ah, see, I went with cootie catcher because I thought the image was more vivid, but when I was a kid we called them fortune tellers: https://content.instructables.com/ORIG/F8C/AM3J/H0KL0ROR/F8CAM3JH0KL0ROR.jpg?auto=webp. Which... probably would have been a better fit for the story, come to think of it, but either way, definitely the sort of thing Pam would have casually made for Jim to get them through a meeting and Jim would've kept 5eva.

I tend to share this Pam's view that canon Pam was not even remotely ready on Casino Night itself to pull a move like this... but I think in the future she would have had a LOT of regrets about that. Mainly this emerged out of some broader ideas I've had about Pam and Jim retelling their story in later years and what they'd think about it then, and the idea of this conversation kind of emerged from that.

I'm glad you liked where the pregnancy reveal ended up, that definitely went through a bunch of versions.

You know, in a way, Jenna got her wish. We very much saw that kind of relationship in the Office... except it was between Pam and Roy.

I mean, he's definitely rationalizing a little here, and the how not to be one is 100% a shot at Roy. But yay!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, AND now this is an excuse to reread Sleepless Nights!

Ooof. Those lines were not fun to write, because I'm sure Jim was tripping over those moments for a verrrrrry long time, poor guy.

This seemed like a very Pam concern, right? Like you want to write the AU where they just get to Exit 17 a lot faster, but honestly, who the hell knows if they were ready for that? (Also, if you haven't William Tenn's story The Brooklyn Project, you reallllly should.)

Hey, Pam may well think she can time travel. She believes in ghosts, after all!

ANY HOW. I'm really glad you liked it!!! This one's been long in the works.

I'm fairly new to MTT so don't know the underrated classic but I did love that you incorporated this paraphrase from Jenna from the Office Ladies pod: "About the people you meet who aren’t your soulmate but help lead you to them, make sure you’re ready for them." I've always been fascinated by that idea from Jenna even though I'm glad the writers didn't hurt us like that :)

Author's Response: I'm gonna be honest with you, I write the end note well before the final draft, and in the posted version the allusion is so slight there's really no earthly way anyone should get it. (But you should read Borneo anyways!)

Yeah, you know... I think it's a sentiment that makes sense coming from someone who presumably thought she found the love of her life incorrectly once or twice, but it's definitely a scarring thing to hear in Pam Beesly's voice. Fascinating, produced some devastating fics, but yeah. I too am glad the writers' room didn't go for that. I think it might have been comforting to Jim at this moment of his life, though.

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I'm surprised there aren't more 05-05-05 fics out there, but - I think this might be the only one I need! This party is amazing, and just so very Michael. I also really enjoyed the glimpse into Jim without the cameras, and the sense that he's putting it on a little bit feels very in character: he does actually care a bit about his sales and can be civil to Dwight. It's a really nice touch.

And everyone's reaction to Michael's news about the documentary - Dwight's drumroll and Oscar and Angela's concern about the glass, Stanley's little comment, Toby's expression - is just perfect.

I love pretty much all of Jim and Pam's interactions in this, and the way you've written Jim's conflict and pining and his intentions with Katy, and Pam basically needing him to get through the day - but I think my favourite parts are - the 'not good' line after he falls for Pam a bit harder with her shoulder drop, and this bit: 'Jim doesn’t know what he can say. What’s going to reveal too much. What’s fair. What he’s objective about. What’s in her best interest, and what’s he’s only convinced himself is.' It just feels so true of so many of their interactions in seasons 1 and 2.

And then I loved the contrast between Pam's 'she likes knowing what's coming...she's not ready for that stop' and Jim's 'he can't got on like this...something has to change' - which pretty much sets you up for the entirety of season 2. So great!

(Also I recently went down a wikipedia rabbithole about orcas after I watched Blackfish, so...this is just deeply satisfying).

Author's Response: I will confess, I think Jim's sudden attention to sales is mostly because he doesn't want to talk to Pam, but I have always thought of Jim as someone whose behavior is among the more impacted by the cameras, and I'm definitely glad you enjoyed this look into Jim not having to perform.

I do love a good ensemble scene, and you've got to feel for Michael here, right? I mean... he's saving the branch! With comedy!

It doesn't get explored much because Roy is so comically awful, but I do think that would be on Jim's mind a lot... he's in a pretty awkward position as Pam's go-to guy and would-be suitor.

(Blackfish is a genuinely game-changing documentary which I *definitely* wanted to work in if not for the anachronism, so I'm glad this was well timed for you.)

Glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to read and review.

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I heard Michael's voice perfectly in my head, you really captured him! And I agree, there should be more summer post-season 1 fics!

Author's Response: Yay! I'm glad to hear it! Michael is... challenging.

*Sigh* Maybe I'll write one.

Thank you taking the time to read and review!

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Oh my goodness. I’ve read the last two chapters, so those are what I’ll be reviewing.

First of all - holy hell, my friend. You know how to write drawn-out heartbreak in a way that makes me experience it just as much as Jim. I didn’t even know that this was pre-S4 until I read Jim wanting to bet Pam to kiss him. “He could bet a kiss. He could bet a kiss, and right now, in this moment, he knows she’d let him kiss her. But that’s the problem. He doesn’t know. Anymore than he knew in the parking lot the night they swayed or on that goddamn boat.”

I mean - who comes up with that stuff? Who has the audacity to portray the battle between love and fear, between longing and hesitation? I can see this in my head so clearly. I can see Jim thinking of all of this in a few seconds while Pam stares at him, unknowingly thinking the same thing. And it hurts more to know that Jim does end up making the decision to confess his love for Pam and it doesn’t work out for him. It hurts knowing how hard it was for him to put his emotions on the line and be rejected twice.

The next chapter was a bit more cheerful for me. It’s sweet to see Jim as a horrible receptionist and Pam trying to make him feel more comfortable. And it’s comforting to know that, even in their early days, Jim was not alone in his recognition of the connection between himself and Pam.

Well done.

BlindManCassidy

Author's Response: I appreciate hearing that you felt like you were in Jim's head a bit... it was a hard place to access, and I'm glad you felt like I managed to drag you in there with him and feel a little bit of what he must have been going through. It makes for good story telling, but I always want to recognize what a painful and confusing time this must have been for him. I think it explains a lot of the often not-great decisions he ends up making down the line. Who'd want to be back here?

I definitely felt like there was a little more sweet to go with the bitter here. I think that was probably true of this moment in their relationship, too.

Thanks for taking the time to read and review! Really glad this worked for you.

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Hehe, I love the idea of Jim at reception so much. And slightly failing at reception. And playing solitaire (but also leaving the last card for Pam so that she can get her card sound, aww). I really liked the little hints of Jim noticing how effortlessly well she does her job, and that she could be capable of doing so much more. But not being able to say anything. And then the sketch in her desk! So beautiful. (Although also, seriously snoopy cameras). I also loved, loved Stanley actually smiling when he find the pretzels. Stanely does not get enough happy moments like that in the show - I actually just really like the whole concept of Jim and Pam going to those lengths to make it up to him. (I also lol'd at the Leo/Bob Vance aside). I'm not buying at all that this is easier to write just because it's in script format - this is just brilliant writing.

Author's Response: I think it's probably genuinely not as easy as a job as Pam makes it look, and I think he would love the experience of getting a little bit of a better sense of her. It was fun to have him in a different space and have him see Pam from that angle.

The cameras ARE snoopy. I buy that they would do this - really, not nearly as bad as hiding and filming them during their second Casino Night kiss - but you may have to take them doing it with Stanley in the room with a grain of salt. I suppose he might not have noticed with a pretzel to contend with.

There really isn't too much that makes Stanley happy, but he *does* love him some pretzels... and I do like to think of Jim and Pam as the kind of people who would *want* to make it up to the innocent victims of their pranks.

I sharply disagree. BUT I appreciate you saying so, and thanks for taking the time to review!