A colorful look at the evolution of Pam and Jim's relationship.
9 Callisto, I've been meaning to come over here and review and just haven't been very good about it lately. But I truly love this story. Really nice idea, beautiful writing. Just great. Hopefully I can give you more specifics as I read future chapters, but I just wanted you to know that I like it a lot!
Author's Response: Hey wendolf, nice to see you! I know you\'ve been pretty busy with your own stuff lately, so no worries. But I\'m glad you like it. Specifics are always welcome, as you know! I love your writing and would definitely appreciate that. Thanks for taking time out to read :)
10 I love that Jim has a green thumb -- it kind of reinforces that he's the kind of guy to nuture things (and people).
And I loved this sexy little bit: "He smiled again and moved down a little, tracing my collarbone with the tip of his tongue as his hand snaked down to my thigh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he asserted, looking up at me wickedly through his eyelashes, and then he was moving further down and that was the end of our conversation for a while."
Fabulous job. Hope that you'll find some time to write in grad school -- this was such a pleasure!
Author's Response: Exactly, wendolf-- he\'s a caretaker. I\'d think that would extent to many things. I\'m glad you liked my version of smut, which I\'m still to embarrassed to write in any detail. I\'m sure I\'ll be back here soon...like I told somebody else, I\'m a procrastinator with an obsession. And a lot of half-thought-out ideas. Thanks for visiting! And, as always, for pointing out a particular passage :)
10 Okay, Callisto, you just make me chuckle:
“We really should do our part to support the Zulu telephone-wire basket industry.”
But what I really loved about this chapter was Pam's very real fear about Jim not forgiving her. It is something I have always struggled with (and part of what led me to write Philly Jim) -- that some hurt is so hard to get over that sometimes it's easier to give up than to try. So I really liked this -- them forgiving each other. Fantastic. Now, onto the next chapter!
Author's Response: I love the way Jim talks. The writers are frickin\' brilliant. It\'s fun to try to capture it. I totally agree with you about the forgiveness/getting past the hurt issue that no doubt would haunt their relationship if it weren\'t addressed honestly. I can\'t believe either of them would be able to deny the other if they asked. Glad you liked it :)
A golf pencil, two hot sauce packets, a Boggle timer, a mixtape, a high school yearbook photo, a card, and a teapot. Yup.10 Oh, as always, just wonderful. You have a gift for the details . . . the young couple golfing in front of them, the dialogue that means so much more than the actual words said, the heartbreaking looks. I love the fics that go back in time (although they often reinforce my heartache for Jim). Great job as usual, talkative!
Author's Response: Hey, wend. Glad you liked sad little Jim. I seem to be continuing to serve as a \"Philly Jim\" remedy. I\'m cool with that. :)
talkative -- just one more thing. I loved this part: "You'll never get it past Angela."
"Shh. The windmill," he whispered as if they were about to sneak up on it and a small tremor hummed beneath her skin.
Forgot to mention it before. It's just funny and so Jim. That is all for now. ;-)
Author's Response: Can\'t you just hear him saying it?
10 Just beautiful, shootingstars. I really like Jim's thought process here. To me it explains how he saw Pam's gesture (which I frankly found a little timid) -- as her last gasp. The way he understands her is wonderful.
Author's Response: I totally forgot my review responses, I am a bad author. Thanks so much for such lovely comments wendolf :)
Jim Halpert is a high school English teacher starting a new life at a new school in a new town.
10 sweetpea, I've been waiting for this story since you mentioned it and I have to say, it does NOT disappoint. Beautiful writing, amazing premise, poetry, FOOTNOTES! (I love the footnotes!) It's just wonderful. I've read it in a bit of a rush, but I'm going to come back and give you more details. For now -- just carry on. Great stuff.
Author's Response: I'm so pleased with the positive response to the footnotes! There is more really beautiful Neruda to come - such a master. Thanks so much for your kind words, wendolf!
9 What a great story! I haven't been reading much fic lately, but this one is so much fun! Keep it up -- I'm anxious to see her new style (and I hope it's bolder than her actual style on the show!).
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I\'m glad this is helping to fulfill that need for humor and entertainment. :) I can\'t give away too much of how Pam will look in the end, but I hope for it to be a nice medium between what we\'ve seen her wear on the show and the really trendy pieces Stacy and Clinton would put her in. That\'s my goal, anyway. Thanks again!!
You've really captured Stacy's and Clinton's voices perfectly, along with the whole feel of WNTW! Great job!
Author's Response: Thank you! Stacy and Clinton are really fun to write. So snarky! Glad you\'re enjoying it!
One part for each season. Pam's p.o.v. Nothing could be more innocent than a freckle, right?10 Ah, colette. Did you write this just for me? I mean, you must know how much I adore the "strip of skin/happy trail" area, and here you wrote this whole lovely paragraph devoted to it:
This is more of him than she’s ever seen before. Her gaze sweeps over the soft tangle of hair on his chest that tapers to a thin line trailing over his smooth taut stomach - so different than Roy’s - widening slightly as it disappears under the waistband of worn-out jeans. They’re slung low on his lean hips and he’s not, she notices, wearing a belt. Somehow this detail is oddly unsettling. It’s as if it snaps him into sharp focus, makes him suddenly, aggressively real. A memory pops into her head of taking her Ken doll to school for show and tell when she was a little girl. Back home, she’d undressed him to change his outfit to discover that someone had secretly used a marker to render him anatomically correct. Something slithers and coils low in her belly and for a second, she can’t look away from Jim.
Perfection! I absolutely love stories where there is that crystal clear realization, that aha! moment when Pam suddenly really SEES Jim as a man, and this does that so well. Fabulous as always!
Author's Response: Of course I wrote it just for you - why else? ;-) Yup, she realizes he's a man - and runs, silly girl. Well, not for much longer, right? Thanks, wendolf!
A response to Grape Soda's mistletoe challenge. Set during S2.10 Oh, talkative. I haven't been reading much fanfic lately because it's all a little too fluffy and happy for my angsty taste. But this ... this totally did the trick. I absolutely loved it. Heartbreaking and sexy and very them. God, I miss the S2 vibe so much! Thanks for giving me a fix.
Author's Response: Glad I could drag you back into the fold, wend. S2 is a lovely place to visit, esp. right now, as I\'m not quite sure what to do with happy, residing-on-their-own-planet Pam and Jim. I\'m content to leave those two to their own devices, but I just can\'t seem to leave their earlier incarnations alone. The tension is just too much fun to work with.
9 Ah, bashert ... ever since I wrote Philly Jim I've been less sure about Jim and Pam for exactly these reasons. Thanks for being brave and exploring these ideas, too. I sometimes think we're all so enamored by the idea of "soulmates" that we forget Jim and Pam are supposed to be (fictional) real people, not superheros or whatever. Great job.
Author's Response: Thanks! I summoned a lot of courage to approach this. I didn\'t want to be tarred and feathered. You lead the way, I just humbly followed. I\'m glad you enjoyed it.
All her life, Pam's felt invisible. That's all about to change. An AU take on Beach Games.10 Callisto, I haven't been reading fic at all lately, but the promise of steam and your writing combined to make this one irresistible. And totally worth it. GREAT story, great writing, just ... great!
Author's Response: Hi wendolf! I\'m not reading as much, either, but I had a great (if somewhat exhausting) time writing this one. Glad you liked it. Thanks for letting me know!
10 talkative, I really like this glimpse into the not-always-perfect side of Pam (and Jim, and them together). I've not been reading (or writing) fic lately because the fluff only goes so far for me ... and then I need some substance. And this, my friend, is substance. Nice work. ;-)
10 Oh, Stablergirl ... how I've missed you! FABULOUS! BRAVO! BRILLIANT! And freaking fantastic! I love how you told the whole story from secondary characters points of view, and my favorite part was Ryan realizing what it is, exactly, that Jim has that he doesn't. Really, really good. A+.
Callisto, I'd never read this before! I really, really enjoyed it and thought you captured what might have happened spot on! Great job.
10 I haven't read or written any fic in a long, long time (the fluffy-nutter Jim/Pam baby stuff just isn't interesting me at all), but saw this on recommended over at MTT and the idea of Pam/Jim angst combined with Andy just sounded good to me. And it totally fit the bill! Great writing, great characterizations, Andy was Andy, Pam was Pam. Loved it. Welcome to Office fic!
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I'm so glad my characterizations were on ... I was kind of nail-biting over it, especially Andy. It's hard to, uh, describe his unique mannerisms appropriately.
Set between S2 and S3 - fallout from Casino Night.10 I've been avoiding Office fic for quite some time because the married/baby stuff just doesn't do it for me. But this! Perfection. Here is one of my favorite lines: "because he can’t stand there listening to her silence anymore". Guh. Great job ... hope you stick around!
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I confess, I've never been one for married/baby fic in any fandom (even if it's canon!). ;) I'm hoping to stick around the Office for a while, so bring on the angst!
I don't read much fanfic lately, but the pull of S3 angst is strong with me. I truly am enjoying this piece -- you really capture Jim and Pam so well. I like little things like this:
Pam appreciates his indirectness. She always has.
This was so true of them back then, wasn't it?
Great job so far! Keep it up!
Author's Response: Sometimes it almost seemed like their friednship would have broken a loooong time ago, had Jim not supplied the much needed (as percieved by Pam) indirectness and hedging around topics. Kind of frustrating to watch, but damn was it good TV. ;)
Thanks so much for reviewing!!
10 Loved it, Stablergirl! Great to see a new fic from you ... you've always been one of my favorites. :-)
I really didn't mean for it to end up this long... But I sat down to write it out and it just all happened so fast! NanReg, I know you love your first date fics, so... Happy birthday, lady. :)10 Oh, yanana, I loved this! I haven't read much fic in a long time, but this was wonderful. The structure was so much fun -- the back and forth between the present and the memories. Very "The Hangover" in a way. Anyway, great job. So much fun!
Calisto, I haven't read fic in a long time but stopped by here for old times sake and I'm glad I did -- what a great little insight into Karen and the day after. I, too, liked Karen well enough and felt bad for her at times. It's nice to see her NOT be the villian for a change. Excellent job!
Author's Response: Hey, wendolf! Haven't seen you around these parts in an age. Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I have a soft spot for both Karen and Roy. It's fun to revisit the angst at times, too. :)
Oh, Annabel! I've been nostalgic too! I watch reruns of seasons 2 and 3 and my throat nearly closes up, I'm so homesick (is homesick the right word?) for that time. Thank you for writing once again -- it's wonderful, as always.
Author's Response: Yes, there's nothing like Seasons 2 and 3 anymore. Not anywhere on TV that I know of anyway. You're very welcome!
As the author of another "hard to read" story about Jim and another woman, I respect and applaud what you did here, jazzfan! Of course we hate to think about anything happening to either of our favorite people, but life does go on eventually. My SIL lost her husband 5 years ago very tragically and she dated before any of us thought she would be ready. Doesn't mean she loved my BIL any less ... everyone just grieves (and moves on) differently.
Anyway, I enjoyed this and you did catch me by surprise! Great job!
Author's Response: Well thanks, Wendolf, I appreciate your comments. Of course I'd never want this to happen, but if it did, I think even Pam would want Jim to find other...companionship. LOL And I haven't gotten any death threats yet. Maybe that's coming... *grin*
10 I haven't read any fic in a long, long time, but I really enjoyed this!!! Your Kelly is spot on, as is your Toby. Really nice story!
Author's Response: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed this.