1 [Report This]Date: August 18, 2022 02:53 am Title: Chapter 1
Thank you for not letting Jim add the ketchup!
1 [Report This]Date: November 26, 2021 04:05 pm Title: Chapter 1
What a wonderful story mixing Ukrainian heritage and Scranton! Thank you.
1 [Report This]Date: November 19, 2021 10:30 am Title: Chapter 1
That was really touching, Dernhelm. And atmospheric. And i think I might need to figure out how to make the potato pancakes and the dumplings...
Thanks!
P.S. I can relate to the irritable family trip to the big city - any city. Been there! :0)
1 [Report This]Date: August 02, 2021 03:04 pm Title: Chapter 1
This was so lovely! The beginning with Jim and Pam in bed, and their banter, her scaring him and the nose chat - just gorgeous 😍 And the descriptions of the Ukrainian restaurant and the food are so vivid and beautifully written. I loved their little game and the teasing throughout, and then the shift at the end into something deeper with Pam’s heritage and Jim helping her through that. This was such a wonderful one-shot to read! And the notes at the end: that is all so fascinating, thank you for sharing!
Author's Response: Awww, thank you so much! It was fun to mix things I know with something I found during my researches (the usual part of writing America for me, lol), and I'm really glad that this story turned out good <3
1 [Report This]Date: July 31, 2021 06:15 am Title: Chapter 1
What a beautiful lullaby this was. After the little hints and conversations I was so excited to see it posted and while it was not what I had been expecting - it was so much more, a beautiful love song to Pam's (your) heritage.
The scene in the dorm was so illustrative and gorgeous and tender.
And when they went out on their treasure hunt into the city, I was immediately brought back to my home, where every trip could be a new adventure even when walking the same streets you always had.
I love where their adventure brought them and Pam's adorable character and the charm of the restaurant and the PAMPUSHKAS! How long have you been sitting on that?
What a delight this story was. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Author's Response: Thank you, Max! Last year I finished a story set in Kyiv (Halfway Home), and since then, I've been thinking about what else I could've added... so, Pampushka Pam has a year-long history. And thank you so much for your advice and recommendations — I hope to use them for myself one day!
1 [Report This]Date: July 30, 2021 10:04 am Title: Chapter 1
This is so lovely! I adore all the little Ukrainian details that you have woven in and the detail about her grandmother possibly tying in with A Bad Dream. Just brilliant!
"She stretched her arms over her head, arching her whole body into one perfect bow. Her languid grace transfixed him, her delicate frame looked like a peculiar harp with invisible strings." --Absolutely gorgeous imagery.
Love your Curious facts too!
This is so beautiful and unique and I love everything about it.
Author's Response: Thank you, Bored, I'm glad you like this story <3 I like finding connections between things, so I was excited to have a legal option to add something from my background to my favorite characters - without making them too much OOC)
1 [Report This]Date: July 30, 2021 09:17 am Title: Chapter 1
This was delightful. I can easily see Jim just wanting to stay curled up with her like this for as long as possible. That Pam is the one to break free of that and demand to go out was a lot of fun.
Love this idea of going treasure hunting and it's something she'll only do with him. Save the touristy type stuff for her art school friends. When Jim is in town they go exploring.
The resturant seemed very cozy and you wrote them having a wonderful time. Lots of wonderful back and forth between them too. Loved how she opened up about her childhood and some of her regrets to Jim. And then he's right there to lift her up.
Beautiful job with this one. I really liked it.
Author's Response: Thank you, Warrior! I believe that the time Pam spent in New York wasn't just the sadness of being apart but also the thrill of meetings and discoveries of the city. I'm happy that you liked this story)
1 [Report This]Date: July 30, 2021 08:26 am Title: Chapter 1
I Love this!
Author's Response: Thank you <333
1 [Report This]Date: July 30, 2021 08:04 am Title: Chapter 1
AH! So many long hinted details we're finally getting to see!
This is poetic and gorgeously rendered as always. I love seeing Pam through Jim's eyes here and his joy and longing and desire for her: "spending even a moment without touching her was a waste." And the humorous touch of Pam scaring the hell out of him before they turn to flirting and bickering and flirting and heat... it's just really nice and natural and them.
"Her languid grace transfixed him, her delicate frame looked like a peculiar harp with invisible strings." I mean, damn.
I love the contrast between Jim's earlier trips to New York and the way he can see it with Pam, how much she's adding to his life: "and he felt that their veins were intertwining too... And it was her heart that pumped the joy into his bloodstream."
"A low-profile place for mafia members to gather" is a perfect description of so many great little ethnic restaurants in New York City... you can really picture what Jim and Pam are seeing here.
SHE PICKED THE DISHES BASED ON THE DATES OF THEIR DATES. ADORABLE.
"Her smile had been dreamy then, and she'd averted her eyes each time he looked at her a little too intently; so close, and yet a wall of glass had been between them, invisible, insurmountable. Once again, he felt the searing desire to break it, even if that would've cut both of them. He reached out across the table to take her hand, and there was no glass to stop him now." BEAUTIFUL.
THE CHERRY STAINED KISS.
Ooooof. This ending. Pam stumbling upon a little bit more information about her own background completely accidentally, and needing Jim's helps to connect the dots as to what it all means, wondering about the parts of her own story that are forever lost to her. It's painful and really well done. And you still manage to end it on such a romantic note!
This is lovely and different and something only you could have written.
Author's Response:
Thank you, Joe! I'm always happy to read your reviews, and I'm genuinely grateful to you for your support through this story's writing (and editing). It means the world to me. Also, yay! I have no idea how most of the little ethnic restaurants in NYC look like (except the one I inspected closely for the story), so it's nice that I grasped the spirit correctly))
1 [Report This]Date: July 30, 2021 07:11 am Title: Chapter 1
Ohh, this was so sweet. You really captured their S5 rhythms so nicely.
*'Let's look for a better place. This one doesn't look very romantic.'
'You know,' she said thoughtfully, 'I've always believed that it isn't roses and candlelights that make the romance. Right?'
He was about to argue when he spotted those sparks in her eyes he loved so much. She dared him. He wouldn't let it slide.
'You're absolutely right,' she raised her brow and smiled. 'Let's go inside and see what they have on the menu.'
He didn't let her win this round.
Besides… Jim's hand brushed the golden band on her finger as he helped her to the entrance. Their most romantic moments way too often failed to meet Hollywood standards.
It never diminished their significance.*
I absolutely loved this. SO very them. And the playfulness was a joy to read.
Loved the whale metaphor at the beginning, and the slight tonal shift at the end. Great job!
Author's Response: Aww, thank you! I worried a little that some of their exchanges might've been out of character a little, so I'm really glad they are not :)