Pam, between Roy and Jim. An bit of angst-ridden indulgence.
9 Wow, this was really touching and sad. Great job. I liked lines like this: She grabs a Blue Moon, wishing it were a Hoegaarden, but resigned to wanting what she can't have, settling for things she doesn't want.
Funny how a beer can be a metaphor for so much more. Anyway, loved it even though it broke my heart.
10 Wow, that was hot. Loved it. Dirty, but it still felt like them. Fantastic job!
Author's Response: I love to hear that it was in-character. It's really what I try for above everything else. So, thanks. :D
Passion, possession, and paint in the wee morning hours.
10 Sweetpea, that was just amazing. So beautiful and touching and just . . . wow. Fantastic.
Author's Response: wendolf, it's not been a pretty couple of three months unable to produce anything worth posting, I can tell you that. I've been a spotty reader and a worse reviewer lately, but I'll tell you that I'm so envious of the prolificness...prolificosity...uh, lots of fic some writers, like yourself can turn out and make it seem effortless. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.
Three times Jim proposed...with unexpected results. Spoilers through Chair Model.
I own nothing whatsoever to do with these characters or The Office.
10 Loved it, loved it, loved it! How were you able to slip in so much office goodness in one little story??? What good is a show (or its fans) if it can't laugh at itself once in awhile. Classic.
Author's Response:
The writer's block must be well and truly over, wendolf, because I was kicking myself all day for stuff I left out! Our show is so quotable and what a big ole blast it was to turn some of our favorites around a little. Don't worry, be happy, everyone! It's all goooood! Thank you!
9 Oh, I really liked this and especially the closing line: she says “Yes” and wonders if he knows that she’s answering the question he hasn’t yet asked. Very nice Catie!
Author's Response: Thanks, wendolf! I\'ve been debating whether or not to put all my eggs in this basket, but I just think (hope to god, really) that she\'s done with waiting for her life to start and wants to marry Jim like yesterday. I have this insane vision of her asking him, but this runs a close second ;). Thanks again for your kind words!
9 I usually don't read much non-Jim/Pam fic, but this one pulled me in! Gave both Karen and Toby some much needed depth. And I really liked this:
She could live with being a footnote.
It was such a nicer term than loser.
Great job!
10 I really enjoyed this (and The Mob), Nightswept! And unlike most Jam fans, I'm okay with a little Natalie/Jim sexual tension! Curious to see where you go with it. You've really captured all of their voices, too. Great job!
Author's Response: Thank you! My biggest concern was making sure the characters stay true to how we see them on the actual show. Because I\'m apparently a hardcore fan, I\'ve geeked out and recognized all of the small quirks like Michael and his use of the words \"Just\" when he\'s aggravated. \"Why don\'t you just-\" \"No, just- Ugh.\" Haha. I need to get a life, I know.
9 I really liked that you made Jim sympathetic to Toby. Toby has been sort of creepy lately, but I don't think Jim would get all "Roy" on him. I especially liked this:
Jim watches Meredith take a picture of Toby with Pam, then two, then three, and realizes that he can sympathize with the guy in a kind of twisted way. He wonders if this is what Roy used to feel like -- watching from a distance while some other guy tried in vain to woo Pam away from him.
Anyway, very nice glimpse into Jim's head.
Author's Response: Thanks, Wendolf! This is my first foray into Office fic, so I\'m happy to see it well-received :-)
10 Oh, girl7. Why do you and Stablergirl have to post so close to when I do? Seriously, it's hard to read your stuff (wow) and then read mine (ick). Loved this entire two-shot. Every word. I will try to re-review tomorrow after I've read it again and can give you specifics. Just, thanks for making my Office-less Thursday night so much better!
Author's Response: Oh shut it, sister; your story was ten shades of awesome! I'm glad the story made up for the lack of Office last night. (I was sooo feeling the show's absence as well, which is probably very sad, but still....) :o) Thanks for reviewing!
10 Hey, girl7! I'm back (finally) to complete my better-late-than-never detailed review ;-) It will be in two parts, so I can easily more easily quote you back to you...
Okay, my first favorite bit:
First of all: Big fat shame on me for taking so long to respond to your review! I'm so sorry. That said: Thank you so much for leaving such a thoughtful, detailed review; those are always so much fun to read! One of the things I love about reading reviews is that the reviewers around here are so sharp that they often pick up on things that I hadn't even been aware of myself, and you really articulated what I was getting at with your comment about Roy and Pam "being together alone." Wow. Perfect way to put it.
Thanks so much for reviewing!
10 Part 2:
Okay, this? Laughed out loud:
Good lord, woman, you deserve an award for taking so much time on a review! THANK YOU -- seriously, I so appreciate it. I'm really glad the Roy "haunting" rang true for you. I've always thought that one of the best things about Pam and Jim finally getting together (for her) would be how very different he is from Roy. I dated a guy pre-Mr. Girl7 who was a commitment phobe, didn't want to express himself AT ALL (we're talking ten months into the relationship -- after having been close friends for seven years -- he still wasn't comfortable talking about what he felt or wanted). Anyway, after that guy, Mr. Girl7 seemed like a miracle, lol, because he's pretty open and expressive. So I could sort of relate to what it might've been like for Pam to transition from one guy to a completely different one. (Did that make any sense at all??)
Anyway, thank you so much for your awesome review -- you rock!
10 Ah, colette, how I've missed your fic. Just beautiful as always. A couple of my favorite parts:
His familiar early morning voice was low and lush and intimate - a warm secret she never tired of hearing. -- I never tire of people describing his voice.
‘Hold on,’ she exclaimed, sitting up and frantically pawing at the night stand. ‘I want to see this.’ -- As a visually impaired girl, myself, I loved this. I feel like I'm always fumbling for my glasses at important early morning (or middle of the night) moments.
He reminded her of a little boy poised at the edge of a high diving board, persuading himself one last time before leaping that the water beneath would offer a safe landing. -- Love this. Even though he knows she's going to say yes, there is still that little bit of apprehension. Perfect.
Great, great job as always. More please!
Author's Response: Well, thanks Wendolf - yeah, that voice...and, I agree - there was no doubt about her answer, but I still think he'd be kind of nervous. Silly boy. Another fic in the oven, so stay tuned (though, at my rate, it still might be a while.)
The first week is the longest. A visit.
10 Well, colette, of course you must know by now that you know you just made my night with this. My only complaint about anything you write is that there is never enough length for me (TWSS!). When I saw that little row of asterisks I turned into my 7-year-old son when he has to leave a friend's house: "Aw, Man... Already?" Please write more. Of this story, of another, I don't care. Just keep writin'.
Now, for the story -- sweaty Jim, beer bottle to the neck, etc.? Perfect. And lines like the ones everyone has already mentioned and these:
badly-in-need-of-a-cut hair whipping around until it was a cartoon version of itself
And this whole bit:
But on the cusp of actually seeing her, these last few minutes seem as excruciatingly static as the muggy air hanging heavily around him. For the first time, he allows himself to give in to the full brunt of missing her, of anticipating weeks of missing her. It’s like biting down on a toothache, so when he stops the relief will seem that much more exquisite.
Excellent as always. Can't wait for the juice. ;-)
Author's Response: Aw, you're sweet...but, warning: don't let your seven yr old read the next chapter, unless you're ready to have 'that' talk with him ;-) You know, I really did imagine Jim as a cartoon character with crazy messy hair, lol. Anyway, thanks, as always, wendolf - hopefully more coming your way later today.
10 Oh, these are so fun to read. Michael is just classic. And I love your call backs to previous episodes, like "the baby so nice they named it twice" (I just watched Valentine's Day last week.) Great job. Can't wait to see where this goes next...
Author's Response: Thank you, and good eye- I am always hoping people recognize the old episode call backs. I try to include them as much as I can. There\'s a call back to a deleted scene from The Injury in the next chapter. :) I totally know too much about this show. It\'s kind of sad. haha.
10 Talkative, I really, really enjoyed this! Detailed but not overly so, very rich and true to the characters. I especially loved the description of their first time:
She could barely concentrate on anything beyond how strange it was that she was straddling his hips and she could feel him pressing against her, hot and solid.
And this:
Her mother had called when she was still in Jim's bed, naked and warm, planning to spend the day working past their needless fear. She hadn't been able to look at him while she talked to her mother, had only been able to think of the noise he made when he came. She has since heard countless variations on that surprisingly soft sound that seems to hide somewhere low in his throat, but she remembers how it sounded when they were brand new and her stomach drops.
Those are such sensual, haunting (in the best of ways) images with so few words. This is what, to me, makes sexy writing.
Really looking forward to more!
10 This one is getting added to my favorites immediately. I need to read it again to give you specifics, but I love everything about this story. Really, it is perfect. Fantastic job.
10 Okay, this is going to be a marathon review (possibly in multiple parts), because there was so much to like about this story. Here goes:
Jim, Pam, and a series of bedroom conversations.10 Callisto, I love this series of stories! Pam realizing how she surrendered herself and her "wants" to Roy and how she doesn't want Jim doing the same thing? Brilliant. And I can understand Jim's reluctance to open up, to admit things. I think the angst is totally warranted -- these two kids have lots of history, and lots of future. There's bound to be angst! Love this, and now I'm going to read the next chapter. Great, great job!
Author's Response: Thanks wendolf! What a nice review! I\'m glad you like it. \"Brilliant\" is certainly high praise. I\'ve had a lot of fun trying to figure out how they communicate and I\'m glad it seems real. The last chapter was pretty fluffy but hey, everybody deserves a break from reality sometimes, right? Thanks for reading :)
Summer pre-S5. Jim's in Scranton - Pam's in New York. Just little a set of vignettes - week by week until they're together again.
9 Ah, xoxoxo . . .just the nice break I needed from my virtually Pam-less story. Great job (and not too schmaltzy at all!)!
Author's Response: Thanks wendolf! I appreciate the non-schmaltzy confirmation. :) I think you need to stop beating your story up and just let it be. Just so you know - I happened to notice your Pam-less story has more reviews than my Pam-full one...so you might be on to something after all. ;)
10 As usual, I do my first read through and if I like a fic, I go back and try to give specifics of what I like. So, this is just my initial review saying, "Fantastic!" I love this so far and I have a soft place in my heart for angry!drunk!Jim and the way you've articulated so many of their feelings so well. Now, I'll try to come back soon and pick out some specifics for you (because I know how great that is). But for now: keep it up!
"The first meal we ever had was in the break room, actually. We were at two separate tables, and I remember that."10 Oh Blanca, I just adored this. It felt so real and so in character and just perfect. Pam's reaction when Jim asks her to lunch is spot on, and I think she says yes because Roy ditched her for lunch this day, didn't he? Just. Love it. Fabulous.
Author's Response: Wow, thanks! Coming from you, that means a lot. You are exactly right about the reason for Pam\'s reaction and her agreeing to go to lunch. Very perceptive. I\'m glad that came across.
Jim comes back, Pam's late, and it's time to talk. Takes place in the summer between S3 and S4.10 I've been meaning to get over here and leave you a review because I just love this (as I love everything you write), but I've been tangled up in the quagmire of Philly Jim. Breaking up IS hard to do, let me tell you! Anyway, you handle the lovin' part in this piece just beautifully. I love when a writer can capture the passion and pleasure of sex without being explicit, and you do this wonderfully. And I have a slight idea where this sotry might be headed . . . anxious to see if I'm right. (BTW, thanks for the little shout out in your chapter notes. Glad we're both thinking about the same things, just in different manifestations -- yours hopefully much Jam-happier than mine. Can't wait to read more...
Author's Response: Oh, I\'m glad you showed up... because of what you\'re doing in Philly Jim, your feedback for this story in particular means a lot to me. I\'ll be curious to know what you think of the next chapter I post. Thanks, wendolf, and chin up! I\'m sure it\'ll be great.
FYI, THIS is the part I was talking about. Wow. Brilliant:
He's got me trapped under the weight of this dragging pace he's found and I can't speak voluntarily while he's carefully adding to the warm, soft roundness that's building below my belly button. He abruptly feels a little deeper, a little larger and that roundness pops like a water balloon, sliding everywhere under my skin. I hear myself make a loud, happy noise.
10 Okay, talkative. THIS is what I'm talking about. If Jim and Pam did THIS then my whole story is a bunch of crap. ;-) I love, love, love this whole conversation and every single thing this story chooses to be. I miss writing Jam fluff and look forward to my first post-Philly Jim story, but I'm so glad you are easing the troubled minds caused by my departure from happy Jam land. Ah, these two. Thanks so much for this. It is perfect.
Author's Response: Again, the fact that you buy it means a lot to me, as we\'ve perceived the same problem. So, thank you. Incidentally, we\'re also looking forward to your return from Philly. I\'ll be interested to know how working through this potential flaw in their relationship changes the way you write about them. Clearly, it felt like something I had to address.
9 Blanca, I really liked this! I wasn't going to read it, honestly, because I like some steam (and sometimes some smut), but all too often it gets really raunchy. But this was a perfect blend and it fit the characters (Roy, I mean). I like all of Pam's thoughts about Jim, that denial she is so good at. I like how Jim shares his sandwich at the end (he would do that, wouldn't he?). Great job!
Author's Response: Thanks, wendolf! I think smut is one of the most difficult things to write well. And I\'m not saying I do. It\'s just so easy to get it wrong and take the reader completely out of the story. That\'s why I usually skip over those bits. And why the rest of the chapters may be less steamy than people might think. I really appreciate that you gave this a chance, though! Your comments mean so much.