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Reviewer: Yeza Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 24, 2022 12:10 am Title: A 'what if' I don't care about

I really like S9, because it is honest with real life and the problems we all have with our partners. Monotony and routine, third people un your life that you pay a little more attention to than you should, kids that make your life a little hell, etc. So, thank you for writing this story, I really enjoyed reading it.
Another day we'll talk about how I don't like the Jim-who-lets-Cathy-into-his-room-even-knowing-she-comes-trying-to-fuck-him, and the Jim who doesn't understand what life is all about, when in S9 he shows he cares more about his job than his family. (I was always surprised to see, how Jim comes to become Roy in his family life, and how Roy has become a romantic Jim on his wedding day -that's Pam's karma).

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed [Report This]
Date: March 04, 2019 02:03 pm Title: A 'what if' I don't care about

The thing about S9 is that it's the last season so going through it we know we'll have to say goodbye to these characters we've come to love. Then the script called for all this drama between Jim and Pam. Like I've said before as hard as it might have been to watch, it makes Jim and Pam more relatable. They go through struggles like other married couples but come out shining in the end.

Your fic here did the same thing. It explored that tone a lot deeper than what we saw in the show. I'm glad I could be here for the journey and this was a great place to wrap up.

Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat

Author's Response:

Thanks so much for your review and for being there all the way. This was easier to write that I thought ot would be, maybe because they made the scenario look real and relatable in the series.

Again, thanks a lot! 

Reviewer: Comfect Signed [Report This]
Date: March 04, 2019 07:26 am Title: A 'what if' I don't care about

Hey! To be clear, I liked your writing! I just couldn't and still can't stand the season underlying it. You do a wonderful job working through and then past the angst. And I agree with one of the earlier reviews I saw: you're doing a major service to the site, because S9 angst is underdone on here. So huzzah and hooray and good job.

Author's Response:

I know, I know! Thanks so, so much!

That's what makes your reviews are the more valuable to be.  I don't know if I could keep on reading fics from parts of stories I don't really like. Then again... I might.

What I like  the most about JAM in season 9 is that is so very real. That happy ending kiss and how everything is supposed to be perfect afterwards is just a big fat lie. Couples have issues, and they might get over them.

Again, thanks a lot for your support. :) 

Reviewer: Comfect Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: March 03, 2019 02:06 pm Title: Tired of being left alone

Again, quite true to the season, and you do a good job of illustrating around the detail we are given in the canon.

Author's Response: Thanks very much!

Reviewer: Clover Signed [Report This]
Date: March 03, 2019 12:40 pm Title: Tired of being left alone

Ohmygosh, this is so, so delicious. I don't remember reading another fic that walks through this territory, which is tragic because it is probably only second to Casino Night in emotional wallop. Beautifully done.

My hubby and I were high school sweethearts. While we were in college, we only saw each other on weekends, and I remember that we always used to fight when it was close to time for him to leave. And that was without kids and running a home and all those responsibilities. So this all makes a lot of sense. And of course, added to their stress was the fact that Jim failed to include her in the decision-making.

It was so wonderful to walk through this reconnection with them, with all your gorgeous added touches. Wow! Love it Kuri!

Author's Response:

Thanks so very much!

I'm glad you're enjoying this. Season 2-4 are very popular around here, but I found myself really loving season 9. So real, and so relatable. And Paper Airplanes is just perfect!

I love the fact that the issues here are more or less the same than those in season 2. Pam wanting to stick with what's familiar, and Jim trying to make decisions for the both of them (Casino Night much?). And then Pam finally gets around moving out of Scranton, because she just needed some time to process it all. 

Thanks for sharing that story with your husband. I'm glad you made it! During the first moths of my relationship with mine we were living in different continents and that was something we had to work on every day.

That's the sort of reality I love about the office. It's not just happy endings, because, in real life, those alternate with trouble and everyday problems. The only thing I have an issue here is that Brian guy. A little bit lazy, because it never felt as a threat. Maybe he had a crush on Pam, maybe he didn't, but she seems completely oblivious. So, there. The real threat was inside the Jim-Pam situation, and that's enough.

Again, thanks very much for your support, Clover!  :)

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: March 03, 2019 12:00 pm Title: Tired of being left alone

Nice way to go on this one. After all the heartache it's sometimes just the simplest acts that are what turn the corner. That's the sense I get here. Good on you for that. S9 isn't as popular a season around here so it's nice to get a good fic that explores what happened to Pam during it. Well done.

Author's Response:

Thanks so much!

Here we share the same headcanon: Jim doesn't go to Philly after that.

I really like S9 because ot feels real. Not just boy meets girl, they go on a date, they kiss. This is how real relationships work, with ups and downs and challenges and happy moments.

Thanks a lot for your support, w4! 

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: March 01, 2019 10:10 am Title: Nothing happened

I'll be honest this was not what I was expecting at all. You turned this around in a great way. I love that this is the moment of clarity that Pam realizes she needs to keep fighting for her marriage even though it's been hard. She's right that, nothing's really happened but she's also wise enough now to see something could have and she's putting up barriers to ensure she and Jim are secure.

A couple editing things that might add some clarity. Maybe use bold font for the text messages. It was a little hard to figure out exactly what was in the texts to her Mom. Likewise maybe consider using italics for the actual writing in the card Jim gave her. Again it would help the reader to understand exactly what was written.

Author's Response:

Thanks a lot! OMG, I did used italics, but at some point they disappeared. Maybe because I did some editing in my phone. I just fixed it, thanks very much!

And thanks a lot for the review as well. I'm glad you like it.  

It's funny because between this and Paper Airplanes there are two months, and I think this is just the beginning of a somewhat long process of healing. :) 

Reviewer: Comfect Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: March 01, 2019 09:56 am Title: Nothing happened

I like this, but I can't shake the idea that a) Pam is still being super evasive and b) she's also postponing right after Jim told her that what he loves is when she decides to do things. It still feels very early-season Pam to me, and while I like that you draw that distinction strongly in the chapter, I just want her to (and Jim to, but less in this chapter) remember that they've grown up.

Also lying to her partner about someone else's potential interest in her and place in her life (it's only one chapter since she was wishing she could see Harry play with her kid) is textbook early Pam and thus bothers me.

Author's Response:

As it should (bother you, I mean). Pam has to make some changes and I don't think they'll just happen after Paper Airplanes.

If we take the airing dates as more or less a timeline, between now and P.A. there are over 2 months.

They need to do much less sweeping under the rug. And I mean both, because now Jim is sweet, but not really fighting and thus avoiding the issue altogether. 

Let's just hit them! 

Thanks a lot for your review, btw!

Reviewer: JimPamWatch Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: March 01, 2019 09:04 am Title: Nothing happened

I love Paper Airplanes. Excited to see your take on it.

Author's Response: Thanks for reviewing! I hope I make it justice.

Reviewer: JimPamWatch Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 28, 2019 08:17 pm Title: Something she can't live with

I'm so glad they cleaned up this whole mess at the end of S9. I wouldn't ever be able to watch it if they hadn't. I like this though, going into the darker part of S9

Author's Response: I know! I watched it more or less calmly because I had a ton of spoilers. But still! So stressful!

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed [Report This]
Date: February 28, 2019 11:20 am Title: Something she can't live with

Yeah that was a tough episode. You round it out here in a way that's very believable. While it's hard to see Pam go through all this, especially since there's someone else that she's leaning onto for support, it's where she is right now. Good emotional depth to this chapter for sure.

Author's Response: Thanks a lot! This might be one of the toughest episodes to watch, especially considering on how excited Pam was about telling Jim she got the mural commission... which she never gets to do.

Reviewer: Clover Signed [Report This]
Date: February 28, 2019 10:36 am Title: Something she can't live with

Oooh, this is soooo good!

Author's Response: Thanks so much, Clover!

Reviewer: Comfect Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 28, 2019 07:38 am Title: Something she can't live with

Yes, Jim is wrong here, most of all this: "Not since that first time he mentioned Philadelphia and she agreed because, let’s be honest, he’d already done it and all there was for her to do is catching up" (which again, later writers, why is he so inconsiderate? Why is that suddenly his character now?).

But also--yes, Harry is overstepping a line, and Pam needs to talk to her husband about this, not shut down on him ("There") and talk to someone else. I'm not saying it's out of character, either for Pam (remembering how she was with Roy) or for late-season The Office. But it feels like backsliding to early-season Pam for drama reasons (in the show, not just here) and that's precisely why I don't like it. Again, not criticizing your writing, just where the Pam-Jim relationship went in this season. You're doing a good job of making hay out of that.

Author's Response: Yeah... Maybe that's where the writers got it wrong. In order to make up from the season 8 debacle (what was that, really?) they tried to bring back some stuff from the first seasons. The saddest, I think, was Pete/Erin. And, hey, what not put Pam back on square one, make her hide her feelings and doubt herself again...?

I think is realistic, but also lazy. And the laziest thing in this whole season, the thing I have an issue with, clearly, is Brian. Especially at the end of Junior Salesman. Not subtle, not ok. When there were Roy and Jim, you could see Pam had feelings for both, hence, the conflict. Here, Brian just happens to be there and Pam doesn't show having feelings for him whatsoever. Not a threat.

So, the response came out longer than the review. Sorry about that!

And thanks a lot for keeping up with this, and for your inspiring feedback!

Reviewer: JimPamWatch Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 27, 2019 05:52 pm Title: That would be nice

Poor Pam. Our boy Jim needs to step back from Philly and step up.

Author's Response:

Yeah! And pronto!

Thanks for reviewing! 

Reviewer: Comfect Signed [Report This]
Date: February 27, 2019 03:31 pm Title: That would be nice

Gonna put some blame on Pam's plate here: "She had wanted to call Jim and tell him." THEN DO.

Seriously, this is why I avoid S9. You're doing a good job of telling it, but it's not that hard to communicate in a marriage and they're just so bad at it (which I feel is a misstep on the part of the canon writers).

Author's Response:

Oh, but she did! But he was busy playing ball with what's-his-name. The phone rang. It is shown it was Pam and he didn't answer. So she went drinking with Meredith. 

 I'm going to write that so there's no doubt. :)

 Thanks a lot! Really! I pinky promise it's almost over.

 (BTW, season 9 has many sweet JAM moments, only they are so surrounded by the bad that it's easy to overlook them)

Again thanks SO much! 

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 27, 2019 02:36 pm Title: That would be nice

At first I want to say poor Pam, but I don't think she needs pity right now. What she needs is Jim. And the chance to sleep for about 24 hours straight. Good job at conveying how tired she is here. Still don't like Harry.

Author's Response: Ok, I give up. Go ahead and don't like Harry. :)
Thanks so much for your review!
(Being a sleep-deprived mom is the worse... that aimless wandering because you forgot the list is something I've done more than once)

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 26, 2019 04:58 pm Title: It makes her wonder

Nice to see them connect like this again. I'm not liking Harry for putting that thought in her mind. Yes she wears her wedding band, she's married. However it's great to see them be together again.

Author's Response:

Poor Harry, condemned to be the bad guy. I have a whole story for him that I don't think will ever see light, but let's just say that he has not a lot of faith in marriage right now. And Jim has been pretty absent so far, so...

Thanks a lot for your reviews! 

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed [Report This]
Date: February 26, 2019 04:55 pm Title: Not her cup of tea

Careful there Pam. I know you're hurting and lonely and all. The way you write it, it's easy to see Pam getting into this kind of situation. Communication has always been a struggle between her and Jim and that's coming up again here. Hopefully she'll remember that. Onto the next chapter.

Author's Response:

Thanks a lot!

Yeah, Pam is doing what she does best: hiding her true feelings, even from herself. 

Reviewer: Comfect Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 26, 2019 11:17 am Title: It makes her wonder

Ugh, the return of angst at the end...dude needs to stop projecting his own stuff onto Pam, and she needs to stop accepting the projection.

Glad Jim came home early. Now he just needs to do more of that to stay involved and invested in his family. I don't generally like married-JAM angst, but I do think you're doing a good job here.

Author's Response: Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it, considering that you don't like the premise. It's far from over yet, but I do promise a happy ending and not much collateral damage

Reviewer: JimPamWatch Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 25, 2019 03:25 pm Title: Not her cup of tea

Worse?? Please don't cheat Pam or Jim! I like this start though, great angst and I'm excited to get the romance payoff.

Author's Response: Thanks a lot for reviewing!

Reviewer: Coley Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 25, 2019 09:44 am Title: Not her cup of tea

Girl. You have me really worried.

Author's Response: Since I don't really know how far am I taking this (although the end is more or less finished), I am worried, too. 
Anyhoo, thanks for reviewing!

Reviewer: Comfect Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 25, 2019 08:28 am Title: Not her cup of tea

Wait, are you really setting us up for "so much worse"? This is convincing but sad...it really just makes me pissed at Jim, which to be fair I usually am in this part of the show. Well written, though, and convincingly so.

Author's Response: Chillax! I'm not that much of a sadist :)
I just want to give Pam a break, poor thing.
Thanks for reviewing! (I'll get back to Terra Incognita now, if you don't mind)

Reviewer: warrior4 Signed 1 [Report This]
Date: February 24, 2019 03:41 pm Title: Going through the motions

Awww, Pam. Great job at capturing her heartache here. You can feel how much she wants things to calm down but being by herself like this it's hard. Nicely written.

Author's Response: Thanks a lot for reviewing! I am scared of how much I relate with some of the things here. Mainly, the early morning chaos. No hubby in Philly, thankfully!

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