1 [Report This]Date: December 17, 2021 12:03 pm Title: Tuesday 26 December 2006
Very wish-fulfilling ending! Pam and Jim are happy, Karen and even Roy get to exit with dignity, Dwight and Angela get to feel slyly superior. Everyone gets what they wants. Again, VERY Christmas movie. Nice job!
Author's Response:
Thank you! Very wish-fulfilling, indeed. The Christmas movie energy is something I loved making, especially considering Pam's Christmas pastime. They were in one all along, even I didn't realize that until after the fact.
Thanks for all the reviews!
1 [Report This]Date: December 17, 2021 10:42 am Title: Monday 25 December 2006
Ah, they went to each other's houses! Too cute.
This dialogue was VERY Jam:
“Rather than eating ice cream and watching bad Christmas movies, not really. You?”
“Something similar, I was going to eat cookie dough and watch ESPN.”
“How about we compromise: cookie dough and bad Christmas movies.”
And the exchange about her not getting him anything for Christmas was perfectly Hallmark-y!
Author's Response:
Loved writing that part! And I'm glad you enjoyed that exchange, I try my best to replicate their banter as best I can. It can get tricky.
Like I said, Hallmark wasn't what I was going for, but like I mentioned, I'm so glad you got that out of it.
1 [Report This]Date: December 17, 2021 04:15 am Title: Saturday 23 December 2006
Thank you for making Karen not a shrew- she really didn't deserve the hate - I'm a huge Jam shipper but still felt bad for Karen. She was really got a raw deal, and really did nothing wrong. Thanks for that.
Wish Pam and Jim didn't wind up fighting here but that gives us more to come.
Author's Response:
Yeah, I like Karen a lot myself. She felt like a character that was well-integrated for a specific season, like Nellie in S9. Sure, she has flaws, but Jim ain't blameless, either. #KarenDeservedBetter
The fight was certainly tough, but I figured it be a bit more realistic. Of course, they were gonna reconcile, but with the amount of regret and denial these two have, it's no wonder they'd lash out at first.
Thanks for the review!
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 07:56 pm Title: Sunday 24 December 2006
UGH. Tom and Pete are THE WORST. YOU SUCK TOM AND PETE.
I do always love a good Larissa-Jim pep talk. Glad she got through to him here. And the parallels of them going home to family for some needed perspective was a nice touch.
Author's Response:
Tom is a father. Let that sink in.
I mentioned that there's so little of Larisa in the show that there's a lot to work with, so writing her was a treat, along with pre-divorce Helene.
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 07:22 pm Title: Tuesday 26 December 2006
This was such a good read! You did a really great job with Jim and Pam's argument. Most stories don't have them really hash it out like that, we dont get to see them so angry but you showed that and ah *Chef's kiss* it was so great! I'm glad Karen got her chance to let Jim know how she felt, too. She didn't let him off the hook easily. Though I'll always root for Jim and Pam when it comes to the part where Karen and him break up, it's great to see her "Not leave quietly" if you will. A jellybean for you! Loved it :D
Author's Response:
Thank you so much!
I enjoyed writing the argument. I wanted to present how the unaddressed emotions and actions built up and it'd have to take them cooling off before they can think coherently. As for Karen, she got the short end of the stick, so writing her confronting Jim and him leading her on was good, but at least in this case since it's early in their relationship and neither are in denial.
Thanks for the review!
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 05:03 pm Title: Saturday 23 December 2006
*sigh* Well, that would've been too easy, I suppose. Those two crazy kids have a lot of ground to cover. Sometimes fighting about it is the first step. At least they're talking.
Author's Response: Indeed. They don't know how talking works.
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 03:52 pm Title: Friday 22 December 2006
This really does seem like a moment where Jim was close to making the leap between self-awareness and, you know, doing something about it. Seems very plausible that this could have been this kind of turning point for him.
Author's Response:
Exactly. I think this is the first time I wrote a story where Jim was actually proactive without being pushed outside of canon.
Thanks for the review!
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 11:14 am Title: Tuesday 26 December 2006
This was super cute, I really loved it! I’m an utter Karen hater but you made her seem kinda likeable here, I like the way she dealt with the breakup and accepting she wasn’t the One for Jim. Loved the bit about them going to each other’s houses at the same time. And really cute ending with Dwanegla too!
Author's Response:
Thank you!
Yeah, gotta admit, I'm not a Karen *fan* per se, but I do like her and I felt she kinda got screwed over despite all of her faults. Knowing her character, she'd be more accepting of Jim's feelings for Pam if it was month 1 of their relationship and not month 6. And I enjoyed that bit, too! It'd make sense given how alike they are to confess to each other in person the exact same way.
Dwight/Angela is always fun, loved writing those two.
Thanks for the review!
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 10:38 am Title: Tuesday 26 December 2006
Nice way to wrap this all up. Karen moving on to bigger and better things, Pam being honest with Roy who does show some maturity. Good stuff. The end bit with Dwight and Angela felt on par too. Angela just can't help but be judgemental can she? Still, she's happy with Dwight here and they can both see that now Jim and Pam are happy too.
Well done with this one. Very much felt like a Hallmark Christmas movie, but again that was probably the point. Also well done in turing out a completed story like this rather than just going chapter by chapter.
Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat.
Author's Response:
Y'know, Hallmark was not what I was going for. But I am *so* glad you got that out of this story. And this being a "multi-chapter one-shot" made sense to me due to the passage of time.
Alongside friend!Karen, I didn't want any bitter confrontation between Jim and Roy. Again, he was told about the kiss earlier than in canon (and not while they were together again) so I feel he'd calm down after the initial angry tirade, alongside Pam giving it to him straight. And this was my first real attempt at Dwight/Angela so hopefully I encapsulated their very weird, very wonderful relationship
Thanks for all the reviews!
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 10:31 am Title: Monday 25 December 2006
Really cute here at the start. Them going to the other's place like that. A Christmas morning confessional too. They both needed it. Very much feels like the kind of healing talk they both needed. Then for Pam to take the lead and start out with saying their a couple and admitting her love for him. Loved it. Really living up to Fancy New Beesly there.
Author's Response: Yeah, I had to go with the gazebo. I was originally going to go with Jim's place, but I thought them going to each other's houses would be funnier and then go full Hallmark. And Pam deciding to take chances was great because she's seeing them pay off; her fear of failure explains a lot regarding her character, especially in later seasons, so her deciding on both murals and eventually Athlead has her coming full circle.
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 10:27 am Title: Sunday 24 December 2006
Always good to have some perspective from family. Loved the line that Cindy and Marcy are giving Tom and Pete the riot act. They quite probably deserve it considering what we see of them in canon. Larissa as the voice of wisdom is always a treat. Same with Helene. Yes Jim and Pam were upset with each other, but they're also imporant to each other and that relationship deserves to be worked on. Nice job.
Author's Response:
Yeah, really. I get why the other two Halpert brothers were written the way they were, but like... you can tone it down, guys. One of you has kids. Larisa is always fun to write since their's so much to work with, and considering Helene's perceptive nature was established back in "Sexual Harassment", she wouldn't want something so special ruined by their immaturity. Thank you!
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 10:22 am Title: Saturday 23 December 2006
So, nice that Jim and Karen were able to get some closure there. Good for them.
Then for Jim to show up at Pam's and end up fighting with her like that? Interesting choice to be sure. I mean they haven't really talked about Casino Night so I'm sure all the underlying feelings are still there. They come out here too.
Author's Response:
I didn't want them to part bitterly, especially considering it's that early in a relationship. The longer it's put off, the more pissed she'd be. At least this way he's an idiot rather than an a-hole.
Considering how emotionally charged the moment itself was, again, the longer it's put off, the more intense the conversation. At least that's how I see it.
1 [Report This]Date: December 16, 2021 10:14 am Title: Friday 22 December 2006
It always kinda bugged me that Jim admitted that Karen was a rebound relationship here but still continued the relationship so much longer. After the canon events of Phyills' wedding, sure, but not here after admitting to Michael what he did. So nice to see some clarity on his part here.
Awww Pam. Lonely Christmas blues and all. Hopefully things pick up.
Author's Response:
Yeah, I thought that, too. I get being discouraged after seeing her with Roy, but the wedding's still off. I guess he just wanted things to work out with Karen that badly.
And Pam... that poor thing's been through the wringer.