Date: September 19, 2011 08:22 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
This is such a great story. You totally could have gone with straight angst, but instead you gave us the "Pam and Jim special connection", and perhaps even hope for the future.
Maybe this story wasn't so JAM angst-ridden because we didn't see Pam crying but we did see serious cracks in the Jim and karen relationship.
Ohhhh (I say sadly), we did see Jim cry and otherwise grieve over his relationship ending with karen. And Karen broke up with HIM.
All these things made this a unique and great read. Thanks!
Date: January 22, 2007 02:45 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
so i've got Will Oldham playing right now, the record he did with Matt Sweeney (Superwolf), and the song "Beast For Thee" was playing while i read all this one, and, while i've no clue what Will was singing about, it went perfectly with the story, here, and at the end, here, man, it was about too much.
great story here. the voice is perfect, dead on. the characters are realisticly crafted. i'd be very interested in reading some of your non-fan fiction writing. much respect.
Author's Response:
For real? Because that is one of my all-time favorite songs, and I think I know exactly what Bonnie Prince Billy was singing about. It's just putting up with whatever you have to for someone to whom you're utterly devoted. Damn, I never even thought of that song in terms of this story, and listening to it just makes me want to write scads more sad Pam stories.
I truly appreciate your reviews, they're extremely insightful.
Date: January 14, 2007 10:50 pm Title: The Second Fight
I like the soda tab flicking back and forth; it's playful and distracts from the underlying tension of the scene. Great visual.
Date: January 12, 2007 08:24 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
Yes--I mean, oh what a shame...good thing little Pammy is there to look after Jim's emotional well-being. Very nice. Sweet and to the point.
Date: January 11, 2007 09:15 pm Title: The Third Fight
"He said Valentine's Day the way some people say fuck or shit."
Great great line.
Date: January 11, 2007 09:12 pm Title: The Second Fight
Loved the little detail about sliding the soda tap across the table! Off to read the next chapter...
Date: January 11, 2007 08:16 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
Oh, this was just lovely, the whole way through, and the length was perfect.
Date: January 11, 2007 04:49 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
What an interesting perspective for a story! This was beautifully written.
Date: January 11, 2007 04:20 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
Short and sweet. Anything detailing the demise of Karen is excellent by me.
Date: January 11, 2007 03:51 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
This was so excellent; it's interesting to see Jim go to Pam when things get hard -- like, how in the first one, he's more reluctant to say anything, but by the third one, he's volunteering everyting to her, and man, I love how she's just honest about it and really, it makes sense, I totally think Karen is more into Jim than he is into her and I feel bad for her, but it will be her death knell. The ending was so subtle and sweet, too.
Date: January 11, 2007 03:14 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
Ooh, that was awesome. I love how she's getting involved even though she really, really doesn't want to and it hurts her. I also love that her advice is always honest and real, and not motivated by what she wants or what she thinks is the "right" thing to say - never really favoring Jim or Karen, just what she thinks objectively. And I loved the little conversation about the jelly bean bear :)
Date: January 11, 2007 12:39 pm Title: The Second Fight
Awesome!
Date: January 11, 2007 11:33 am Title: The Fourth Fight
Ohhhh goodness. I'm trying to catch up on my reading, and I am so glad that I chose this first! This was just so good and perfectly detailed. It's just so...Pam that she would want to stay out of it, but just couldn't. And sitting there in the stairwell scratching his back. Gah...just, great. The last line is perfect. Good job, you!
Date: January 11, 2007 10:05 am Title: The Second Fight
"don't do it just to make her happy. Because she'll know...that you're not" That's RIGHT! Karen will see (eventually) that Jim's heart just isn't in it. Because it belongs to Pam and only Pam. Now, if she would just do something about it!!!
Love the detail about the soda can tab ;o) Grape soda forever!
Date: January 11, 2007 09:31 am Title: The Fourth Fight
*ahhhhhh* I let out the hugest, most satisfied sigh when I finished this. Beautiful.
Date: January 11, 2007 09:29 am Title: The Third Fight
Pam needs to stop being such a damned good friend.
Date: January 11, 2007 09:25 am Title: The Second Fight
To make poor Shakespeare roll in his grave - these two love each other so unwisely but so well. Lovely beginning.
Date: January 11, 2007 07:32 am Title: The Fourth Fight
I loved it! How perfect that Pam doesn't want to get involved and yet can't stay away. More please? Don't make me beg.
Date: January 11, 2007 07:11 am Title: The Fourth Fight
Wow. So many amazing details. Their unconscious game of soda tab hockey really caught me. I love that in many ways, the Jim/Karen relationship paralleled the Pam/Roy one, only sped up. And the ending has such a variety of meanings. "She knows" can be countless things. Lovely.
Minor grammar nitpick: "Karen gets up storms over to Jim's desk and slams a key on top of it" - I think you need either a comma or an "and" between up and storms. Hope you don't mind--I can't not see those things! :-)
Author's Response: Actually, that's a typo...I'm very picky about grammar as well! Thanks for noticing that, and thank you for such an awesome review!
Date: January 11, 2007 06:46 am Title: The Fourth Fight
Ooh, I really love this.
Date: January 11, 2007 06:40 am Title: The Fourth Fight
Let's hope they break up before Easter but I did love understanding Pam. Maybe she was too kind, I know I wouldn't have been that nice.:)
Date: January 11, 2007 05:01 am Title: The Fourth Fight
Perfect that Jim filters things thru Pam - she is the other half of his brain, after all. Great little touches - the soda pull in his pocket; her not burning her mouth on the coffee; him inheriting her pity gift. All subtle, but so telling too. And I like how you ended on an understated, but effective note. Well done, as usual.
Date: January 11, 2007 02:31 am Title: The Second Fight
He sounds angry and says "Valentine's Day" like the way people say fuck or shit. - I have so much love for this line. Great story, you gave us just enough without going overboard.
Date: January 10, 2007 10:36 pm Title: The Second Fight
I really like this, and I really really adore the very end. Awwww. :)
Date: January 10, 2007 10:29 pm Title: The Fourth Fight
very sweet. i like how you didn't really make anyone the bad guy, it just didn't work out for jim and karen! which is as it should be. nice job!