Date: September 16, 2022 01:52 pm Title: Chapter 36 - Some Things Are Meant to Be
Congratulations on finishing this epic fic!!
Author's Response: Thank you! I feels good to have brought this one in for a landing. Thanks for your all your reviews. I wish you smooth flying with all yours.
Date: September 15, 2022 10:55 pm Title: Chapter 36 - Some Things Are Meant to Be
Well WOW Lady. You did it. Somewhat of a Magnum Opus. The attention to detail, the sheer number of threads you were weaving, that deserves huge applause. No wonder you’ve got a bonus section coming! Max, I salute you!
Author's Response:
Thank you - for all your reviews and for being my bounce-off-er back when I was first planning this monster of a fic. I hope you enjoyed despite having some idea what was coming and there were still a few surprises left for you.
Cheers.
Date: September 14, 2022 09:48 pm Title: Chapter 36 - Some Things Are Meant to Be
NASTY FLAXSEEDS. That was rude! Hahaha
*It wasn’t that it was too soon. He could tell these two were going to go the distance. In fact, he was so confident this moment was on the horizon, he already been working on the toast he would give at their wedding.*
So sweet and so Michael.
*Placing the lottery numbers back in his pocket, he began to chant the inscription from the rings and followed with a series of made-up incantations that he thought might make it work again. But just as every other night he tried, time still continued to move only forward and only one second at a time.*
Love this passage. I almost forgot about those damn lottery numbers. Hopefully Michael will become so distracted by meeting Holly he won’t be tempted to mess with time again.
This story was a delight to read, and a very obvious labor of love. Thank you so much for sharing it with us! 💗
Author's Response:
A little foreshadowing - remember he isn't usually a fan of HR folks...until he meets...
I'm getting ahead of myself...
Thanks for all your wonderful comments throughout this long, long story. It meant a lot that you came along, sharing your thoughts throughout.
Michael did a lot of growing in this journey, I felt he deserved a reward... and yes, hopefully now that he's found his own happy ending, he'll know not to.
Thanks again for all the reviews and encouragement along the way. It meant the world.
Date: September 14, 2022 06:53 pm Title: Chapter 36 - Some Things Are Meant to Be
Oh, Michael you loveable half brained foolish nitwit. Trying to go back again like that. Classic Michael.
The image of Jim and Pam in the parking lot at Golden Hour being flirty and cute was just all sorts of adorable.
What I really love is that Michael has outgrown his need for the false friendship of Packer and he sees that guy for who he really is. An overgrown bully. So, the little bonus scene where he drives to corporate to report him and so meets Holly early is just wonderful.
Same with all the other quick bonus scenes. Gabby enjoying her wings. Randall looking up Gabrielle. And of course, Pam and Jim just in love with each other.
Well done with this one. Kind of sorry to see it complete as every chapter was fun to look forward to. You did an amazing job of bringing this all together, weaving multiple timelines through canon event and new paths. There was some heartache and a lot of soul searching, but it all ended in the best place. I really applaud you for doing so great a job. I'm very humbled that a suggestion of mine was able to inspire you to create this masterpiece. Outstanding job!
Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat!
Author's Response:
First, thank you for coming with me on this very long journey. I truly looked forward to getting your thoughts after every chapter. I am sorry I've been lax at responding to the last few...been busy trying to bring this bird in for a landing and get Pam back her wings.
And Michael - yup big growth arc for him both in his relationship to Pam and Packer - he deserved a reward...the meeting Holly thing was a late inspiration... I'm so pleased you liked it so much.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the way it all ended and all it took to get there. And much gratitude for setting off the spark that began it all and for inspiring some of the little bits contained within along the way with your comments.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Date: September 14, 2022 05:27 pm Title: Chapter 36 - Some Things Are Meant to Be
Holy CRUD. The end of the line! I kinda can't believe it myself.
The Elvis/Ingrid reference in the chapter title!
"He took the after-hours call from her figuring a conversation this late had to be personal in nature." Oh, Michael. Also, him missing Jan telling him not to say yeppers is a nice touch.
The golden hour proposal fakeout was a fun add-on... and the growth in the crack in the parking lot is a good metaphor for Pam's journey here.
Michael feverishly trying to take advantage of the time turner and every other piece of Harry Potter lore he can think of is SO Michael. "“ImpressumoneJanilovelevisnon" feels like it's worth a story all on its own.
And after all that, they didn't stop Packer... and it turned out to help Michael meet Holly! The angels did some WORK on this one. Although I'm hoping they come through to give Randall his happy ending too, dammit.
I always love the club discussion points at the end of books, so I will eagerly await the bonus material. That's why people used to buy DVDs with extras, you know!
Author's Response:
First, thanks for being with me for this whole long, long story. I know I've been lax in responding to the reviews lately -but now that I'm not busy trying to get the rest of this story out...
I'm beyond thrilled you picked up on the juxtapositioning of the lines from the two songs...(we were never meant to be/some things are meant to be) totally what I was going for!
I'm pleased you liked how it all played out at the end - I know it was a lot to read to get here and I appreciate you kept with it to get to the end.
As for Randall, well...one of the messages layered in the story was the need to rely on yourself, see what's inside you...(more to come on here)...so maybe it is symbolic that Randall's angel takes on his own form...or maybe the alternate version of his life is one that only his angel got to/gets to live...or maybe one day he'll leave the office and find a Delorian idling in the parking lot. I'll leave that open for you to imagine (or write.)
Thank you, thank you, thank you.