Date: January 21, 2019 08:54 am Title: Deer
I loved Jim's confusion regarding his need for attention and Pam's preference for not attracting it; that's a really subtle detail that says a lot about the two of them.
That whole string of thought after he wonders if she feels more caught then noticed.. oh, that got me good.
Author's Response: Thanks for paying that close of attention! I really appreciate your thoughtful reviews.
Date: January 10, 2019 02:56 pm Title: Deer
That one took attention to get through. With Jim trying to think about how Pam might be thinking given the context of their day and all. I don't blame him for having to go through all those mental gymnastics to try and figure out what happened at the dojo. I also liked how you brought his list back into his line of thinking. And it's just there as an offhand remark. He's grown so used to it by now that thinking about that list comes quickly and leaves almost as fleetingly since it's so ingrained by now. However Jim is also trying to find the deeper meanings to what Pam says and does, which is why he's better for her ultimately. Well done with this one.
Author's Response:
That is fair. I think Jim's thoughts are a bit windy here, so that probably showed up in the writing. Thanks for working through it!
Date: January 09, 2019 05:00 pm Title: Deer
So as I read most of this, I kept thinking, "But is it just that?" Don't get me wrong, I felt like you were right, that just wasn't ALL of it with Pam (especially in the context of Jim - all the time, not just at the dojo). Then you wrote that freaking "caught" paragraph and I literally groaned out loud because THAT was the cherry on the sundae of breaking down her insecurity.
And I love that he referenced that outline. Good follow through.
I also really love how in the previous chapter, Roy acknowledges he and Pam are different and it's fine; they can coexist through it. (BTW, not an endorsement of that philosophy, esp for someone like Pam; she's far too intuitively driven to live like that.) But here, Jim recognizes their differences and, I don't know, I just feel like it is an "early days" understanding that Jim has that those differences can be blended rather than just standing side by side. Maybe I'm off base from where you're intending to take it, but I think it's a nice insight into Jim later saying, "I think I always knew I was waiting for my wife." If I'm wrong I'll just throw a towel over my head and this review. :D
Author's Response:
Yeah, I think that's 100% fair...but I also think that Jim at this point has a slightly less than full view of Pam in that he's kind of built her up a bit inside. Not that she's not awesome (I am firmly pro-Pam in all facets and on all points) but I'm not quite sure Jim in early S2 understands and values her weaknesses as well as her strengths. So I was trying to get that sense there (without making him unworthy of her of course).
And yes! I think that Jim (despite what I said above) has the right understanding of how two people can work together, compared to Roy at least, and that this is an important reason why his and Pam's relationship works better than hers and Roy's. Thank you for the detailed commentary!