Jim and Pam are a couple. He asks a question. She contemplates.
10 This story is one of my favorites. I also think that you captured them really well. Sweet, but not sappy.
"Once we had finished the season, we knew. We had the ultimate prank," Pam said breathlessly.
"A way to make Dwight Schrute believe that his world had been turned upside down, that superpowers really do exist, and that Dunder-Mifflin was hiding a secret so huge that it would stop at nothing to keep it hidden.”
10 So great! I love this one. It's so in character and something I could see happening on the show. Aw, the inscription.
A collection of loosely-related moments (more like a bunch of one shots than a WIP. So jump in and out as you like.) Unapologetic smuff.Hee. This made me grin like a maniac. And I also feel compelled to point out that this story had 69 reviews before I got to it. (/Kevin).
Woo, smuff cakes. I encourage more of these! Especially since we'll hopefully be having more inspiration soon.
Loved all the double entendres (and yet, without a TWSS! Impressive). And the "I'm fatherless" line was excellent. Thanks for the smuff cake. :)
So happy to give you a maniacal moment ;-)
This was entirely too much fun to write. (Speaking of which, so looking forward to seeing your J/P in NYC; subtle hint there.) In fact, I enjoyed myself so much, I had to swing back towards the dark side and write my J/K angstapalooza right after, just to sober up. A girl can o.d. on too much smuffcake.
Re: your question about MoMA - it is odd: the name is The Museum of..., and it's commonly nicknamed The Modern; but when abbreviated as MoMA, The is dropped. Go figure. And yeah, I did work there, but don't be too impressed - I was just an intern during senior yr of HS (see, I told you it was many moons ago, lol.) Which was very cool - peeking behind the scenes and I got to go to a couple of fancy shindigs where I met (or at least glimpsed) some pretty awesome people; but I wasn't exactly the Curator of Smuff Painting or anything ;-)
Back on topic: thanks so much, thirtypercent...tickled that this tickled you. (And here's to more inspiration soon.)
This will just be a series of short vignettes about Jim and Pam getting to know one another as they start their adventure into true coupledom. Embarrassing moments, phobias, guilty pleasures....the truth comes out.
Eek, I love this. LoveFool, you write such great dialogue. Your drunk Jim is perfect here, and just how I'd imagine he would be. All of these chapters vacillate between funny and touching so well, and this one in particular. The "poisoned" exchange was hilarious, and the Keds/tub thing broke my heart. Oh, Jim. And the sweaty hair -- aw. That is all.
Author's Response: hehehe...I'm such a sucker for sweaty head. lol. WEIRD. Thanks so much for the awesome compliments, 30!
Dinner, and what happened later. Post-Season 3.10 Ahhhh. I love everything about this story. There's something so real about it. The tour scene is funny and cute.
A series of vignettes inspired by random song clips from the iPod. No chronological order, so sit tight. It might be a bumpy ride through time.10 Aaaaaaugh. This has reduced me to nonsense syllables. I love it. It's so human and so touching. Gah. (See, there it is again!) I love, love, love this line:
He likes to kiss you when the car is going through the car wash.
I never thought car washes were romantic before, but I may have to change my tune. And:
When she comes out of the bedroom Saturday morning wearing lounge pants with the biggest, wildest floral print you've ever seen, and you frown at her, she says, 'Like 'em? These pants are lookin' for a party, Halpert.'
They really do bring out the ridiculousness in each other. I love it. :)
Hee!! The pants were a little slice from my own true love. I bought these crazy pants when we were hosting a huge outdoor party because I thought they would be fun...but they were really pretty heinous. I don't think there was a single color missing and they were loose and kind of billowy and were forever known as the partypants after that. Pretty soon, "partypants" turned into a state of mind..."let's get our partypants on and have some fun!" I asked myself if Pam would have some partypants and I think she would. I think she would have found them on the clearance rack at Marshall's or TJ Maxx just like I did, and think they would be fun to wear around the house and when she was painting. And god knows, she could spill a whole palette of paint on them and you'd probably never notice! I'm so glad you liked this and thank you so much for the sweet review!
A collection of brief everyday moments: sleeping, showering, working, eating...(sounds exciting, huh?)
Each part is a mini-one shot (i.e., not a WIP with one ongoing narrative); no spoilers.
9 Aww. I like the idea of Pam wanting to take care of Jim -- plus, I have a weakness for the image of her pushing his hair off his forehead. :)
I also really like Dwight's cootie line.
Aw, it's ending? Well, I read this one a few times, and liked it more every time. Jim's memories = tugged heartstrings. I love the imagery here:
"Her neck, highlighted in dim pinkish lamplight, a glint like a flickering star at her ear as her head falls back. Jim, Jim, Jim, Jim dissolving into a moan, a vibration he feels deep in her throat when he drops his face there in the final swell of it."
And the "were you expecting someone else" line made me laugh out loud. And the "morbid" one. Ok, so I liked it. :)
What if Pam had been much stronger - bolder - throughout season three? AU because I'm not following much of the S3 storyline, but that's when this is basically taking place. Some spoilers (S3).
Hm... I have to agree with Jim here -- what's the point? If she doesn't love him or want him, why is she doing this? I agree that there is a place for Pam to be angry in S3, but this feels kind of out of character; she just seems to be manipulating him. I'm curious to see where this will go.
Author's Response: I agree that this is out of character, but it has a point. I had this chapter written a while back, but lost the best version when my computer crashed. I'll be working on it and will let everyone know when I'm fully happy with it...Or, I may just take it down. I don't know, I'm not happy with it. I know it's OOC, that's one of the major things I'm working on. Thanks for the review and for reading!
Dwight and Michael answer the Proust Questionnaire. At the same time.
I changed the story title..the other one was just so..blah.
9 I love Dwight's answers here -- especially the line about the squirrels.
Author's Response:
hah, thank you!!
A series of short vignettes about Jim and Pam's need to find some time alone together every once in a while.
Chapter 4 added.
10 That was very sweet and in character. I liked it :)
What it's really like this year at Dunder Mifflin.
10 Yes. That was awesome. And shenanigans is a great word.
Also, Kevin's victory = excellent.
MEMBER'S CHOICE TOP NOMINEE - Jim and Pam must interact in network sponsored live chats to promote their documentary. Angst (and maybe some smut) ensue.
Story now complete.
9 I really like the direction this is going. I'm definitely curious to see how it turns out.
"He and SweaterGirl talk about things like the proper consistency of pasta, the relative worth of the Lone Ranger versus Tonto, boy bands and Velcro fasteners on shoes."
I love this list of conversation topics.
10 I like how different this idea is, and I'm definitely anxious to see where it goes.
Also, the chat room conversations are funny... and just a little familiar! :)This has definitely become my top "is it updated yet? how about now? ... now?" story. I'm in suspense here!
And this part:
I wanted it to be you so badly. I didn’t want to have that kind of connection with anyone else. I didn’t want anyone else to understand me the way she did. The night we…you know? Got a little carried away? It was all you. You were who I saw. It was you I wanted to touch. I wanted you, Pam.
Yowza. That whole part of the conversation was so intense and sad and hopeful at the same time. So... I think it's great. Thanks for writing :)
10 Oh man oh man oh man. The ending was great -- the way you worked in actual dialog and made it work so well in this different story. And Pam's keyboard gibberish = perfect reaction. This made me grin for awhile. Hm, wish I had something insightful to say here but... well, good job. :)
10 I really liked how you wrote Kelly here too -- she's a very real person, but at the same time, it doesn't clash with what we see in the show.
Aw, poor Kelly.
"Who says exactly what they're thinking? What kind of game is that?"
Kelly considers her past and her present.
9 I like this characterization of Kelly. I've always thought she was smarter than she let on -- remember the scene about sports metaphors in "Boys and Girls" where Kelly says to Jan (From OfficeQuotes.net):
What about second base? Like if Michael said that he got to second base with you? Does that mean you like closed a deal?
And then she winks at the camera. I'm not sure how I feel about the thing with Darryl yet, but I liked this take on Kelly.
The night Stephen announces he’s running for President, Pam turns to Jim with a gleeful grin and grips his arm. “We are so going to see the show tomorrow,” she tells him, almost warningly.
Jim and Pam take a trip to NYC and finally talk about the events of the last few years.
10 I thought the emotion coming through here was great. The last two paragraphs were amazing, as well as this line:
There is something to be said for starlight and truth and the intoxication of requited love.
Ok, ok, and one more:
He can’t hide his happiness when she buries her face into his arm and giggles, and he thinks, this is why people are born.
Also: Colbert Report = Awesomeness. So, great job :)
What if Pam refused to let Angela drop her off at home after the Dundies?
“I want to go to Jim’s,” Pam said, interrupting Angela’s thoughts.
Angela felt as though her head might pop off and land in one of her cup holders. Would the depravity of this night never end?
Ah, if only! I thought you did a really good job of not oversimplifying the situation or the characters here -- it wouldn't be easy for Pam. I liked this a lot!
Author's Response: Thanks thirty! I always try very hard to stray from "I love you." "I love you too." moments, because Jam doesn't make anyhting that easy, right?
Completed10 Aaaah it hurts. Just like the episode did. This really feels true to character. My favorite parts:
She tries to say something nice about being friends and he has to beg her to stop. It's ironic really because he knows it would have been the highlight of his day if she'd only said it yesterday.
So true, and yet something I hadn't thought of before. And:
Suddenly he's trembling and alone, crying silently because that life, that life with her, is all he's ever wanted.
He doesn't know who to be without her.
Ouch, poor Jim.
Such a good job. :)
10 Oh jeez. Oh my heart, it hurts. And my stomach, and my arms. Gah, Phyllis, your wedding sucks.
Ok, I think I've gotten that out of my system. For the moment. Anyway... I thought you did such a great job here. You really captured that killer aspect of the episode -- dashed hopes and misunderstandings on both sides. And you explained their thoughts so well. Oh, Jim's thoughts at the end. AAAH. I can't wait for you to get to the end of season 3.
She can’t look at him because when she sees herself reflected back in his eyes, she sees a coward.
Ouch. Such a good line.
10 Yes, an end to the angst! I was thrilled to read this chapter's summary and see no (Goodbye). :)
Aah, so many good insights in here, as always.
The way you write Pam's epiphany here is exactly how I see it. I loved the realization in this line:
She can’t imagine why she ever thought the truth could be worse than the lies she’s been telling herself.
I love it because yes, it's a seemingly-sudden moment of change for her, but at the same time it's something that's been building for a long time.
And her loving the man Jim used to be, and knowing that he's not happy being the man he is now either, and her realizing the parallels of desperation between the two of them -- so great. I'm excited for the conclusion. :)
10 An excellent end to an excellent story. I love the parallels in their thoughts in this chapter (finally!).
Also, the way you weave their past into their present is great ("more than that", Hotel Hell). A few lines in this gave me goosebumps, like "it's everything/nothing," and finally. I think the way you've structured this whole story really gave it extra impact. Not a single line is superfluous, and each one is so sharp and full of meaning.
And, hey look, a shiny ribbon! I've been expecting it to show up. :)
10 I love this. It's so well-written, and so in character. Two parts really stood out to me:
She won't think of when she tripped decorating, spilt paint all down herself and ended up sat on the cold tile floor, crying because it could have been hilarious and it just wasn't.
It just evokes so much with so few words. (Um... now that I've quoted I see a typo, but I didn't notice it the first two times I read it :) And:
Every day in Stamford feels like an effort. Talking to her hurts but making her laugh still feels like the easiest thing in the world.
That's exactly the impression I got from that conversation -- that despite everything, they're still more themselves when they're together. Sigh. And, ouch. I hope you keep going until you get to happier times :)