The crew that is going to film them around the office has arrived and Jim realizes things are going to change... and he has to do something about it.
Season 1, episode 1
1 Aww. This reminds me a lot of the earliest fics on the site, the ones full of optimism and hope for the future that are unaware of S3 (or S9). Well done, and I particularly like the part about "then you can tell me to drop it." Good Jim deflection there. I see you've marked this as complete, and I see why, but you know, if you wanted to expand on the AU...
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! I wasn't around when the show was airing, but I can imagine the feeling. This was written knowing everything that happens afterwards... and trying to spare us :)
AU sounds very tempting...
1 I like this. It's a nice mixture of all the various moments that make it happen, just sped up--and it makes perfect sense to speed it up, because why couldn't she have mentioned it to Roy sooner? It would be almost kind.
Author's Response: Thanks! And yes, I think it would have been kinder. I feel like Roy only persisted for so long in Season 3 because he didn’t understand Pam’s true motivations for calling off the wedding... But, it certainly added to the angst so I see why the writers went that way.
High School Pam meets High School Jim and that becomes an opportunity for learning a few things.
Usual disclaimers: Don't own anything you recognise and, of course, not profit is being made.
1 Just wanted to put in my two cents: not a huge reader of the more erotic fics on this site but I think you've done a good job here establishing Pam's discontented baseline. Looking forward to what you choose to do with that now you've done it.
Author's Response:
Thanks so much!
I have it all more or less laid out, but let's see where it takes me :)
1 This is very well written in terms of the showing us and not just telling us how Pam is feeling and why. I enjoy Pam meets Jim moments and this is well done, plus I'm a sucker for Pam having broken up with Roy pre Jim. But it's not just context; you do a good job writing the specifics too.
Author's Response:
Thanks very very much!!
It's a bit of a struggle to show and not to tell, but I'm glad it's working.
1 So why DIDN'T he call, Kuri? Why didn't he call?
This is very well done, both the time jump and the flashbacks, and I'm interested to see how far into canon-time this goes. I'll admit I'm selfishly hoping not long (that is, that these two lunkheads figure themselves out soon).
Author's Response:
Why oh why indeed!
Thanks very much for your review! Not much into canon because I don't have that much patience to have them tiptoe around one another.
1 Ok, great use of the flashbacks (and of italics to separate them out). And I'm pumped to see where we go from here (and the balance of angst and romance from here on in). Great chapter.
Author's Response:
Thanks a lot!
I am not 100% sure where to take this from here. Not much further, I think.
1 I like this little story. There are some awkward points at the start, as warrior has observed, but at its core it's a cute relatable AU. Although I've owned a Prius in multiple places with bad winters, so I can say small Toyotas do just fine as long as you buy winter tires ;-). But seriously, this is a nice chapter.
1 Hee. Nothing wrong with a good old standard choice for a place to go AU, but I have to say I love the choice of exactly when and how. Poor Jim, but I think he'll recover. Hope Pam doesn't run embarrassedly into the night too quickly.
Author's Response: Yeah that blooper reel shot is just to good to not turn into a fic. As for what happens next? Well, we'll just have to have some fun now won't we? Thanks for the review.
1 I should have known you'd make sure they called the EMTs. Although if Jim was really out long enough for them to actually be called and arrive, probably justified.
I like where you're taking this...Roy returning is gold (I was wondering if it'd be Karen ala the fic on this site where Pam and Jim are doing inventory and Karen comes by with a pizza and catches them making out). Jim's gallant words about what he remembers are a treat. Looking forward to where this goes (and how you do eventually deal with the Karen complication). Great work.
Author's Response:
I've read several fics here and other places where EMS is called in. Most of the time the author gets EMS wrong, understandably so since most authors aren't EMT's or paramedics. So when I get a chance to add in EMS, it's my goal to make sure to let people know what it's really like. And yes I've responded to calls similar to this where someone just fainted, we showed up, checked them out, and they refused transport to the ED.
As far as Karen goes? I've got something special in mind.
1 Love that end twist! Hope Jim takes it in stride, but I somehow doubt it...
Great for Pam though! I too am a sucker for her finding her strength really early and that was awesome! Especially the slap. Well written too.
Author's Response: Thanks. It's almost like a challenge I set for myself with this story. Can I end each chapter with a cliffhanger? Glad this one came across well. Pam's realized she's got another chance with Jim and no one, not even big boorish Roy, is going to get in the way of that.
1 Lots of Danny on the archive recently...lol.
I like how you did this, though dang that makes Karen seem awful. Which I suppose was always going to happen with the last cliffhanger. Lovely job with this, and I really am enjoying the cliffhanger an episode style.
Author's Response: Yeah, I'm not a fan of Karen. Thanks for the feedback on the cliffhangers. After this many in a row part of me was thinking they were starting to get old. Glad to know people are still enjoying the.
1 I'm glad you didn't resist.
This was lovely and also a great way to resolve it all. The use of IM was smooth and the details of how he dealt with Ryan amused me. Very glad you went where you did with this.
Author's Response: Glad this last chapter worked for you. I'll admit I had a great big evil grin on my face when I figured out how to end the last chapter still with a cliffhanger. Thanks for sticking with this.
1 So I like this. It's a very interesting take on Roy (I guess kind of hitting the lazy/unmotivated side to extremes?) and you do a good job of both showing and telling how their relationship is lagging: "Pretend Roy is Michael" is a great example of the sort of thing no one should ever have to say about their significant other (though it does confuse things a little when Penny's apparently married to someone also named Michael...).
Interesting things you're doing with the others' timelines too: Penny married, Mark and Alyssa getting married and ditching the apartment. It creates an interesting pressure on both Pam and Jim who are now definitely lagging behind their peers in life progression (even before Pam gets unengaged). That's a dynamic present in the show (see: Andy proposing to Angela before Jim can to Pam) but it's more obvious, more explicit, and faster in this version. Nice work.
Author's Response: Oh thank you! Yeah I know about the second Michael. I just wanted a kind of boring name although the Michael from the show is anything but boring!
1 I truly enjoy the concept and the characterizations here. Sometimes the copy editing gets in my way of full enjoyment (he for she, for example) and it does seem a little rushed (nothing wrong with short chapters, I love using them myself, but then when there are three to four mini breaks within a chapter it feels like a breakneck pace). But those are honestly minor quibbles. You've done a really good job making Jim and Pam feel like canon Jim and Pam in the new situation. I especially liked Jim's reactions to Toby.
1 That was a lot of chapters at once. I like your decision to take quick looks at what are usually flashpoints in their relationship but have changed in the AU you've created. I particularly liked the different kiss at the Dundies and the lovely short Casino Night chapter--plus this merger was great. I'm a sucker for Karen-and-Pam-get-along so that helped. Good work.
Author's Response: thank you so much! I like Karen a lot. I think she's a great character and if not for the fact that Jim loved Pam I feel like they would have gotten along much better. I was really struggling with the chapters after the Dating chapter so I decided to do little snapshots, which really sparked me hence why I posted so many chapters.
The only thought fixed in his mind is how easy he and Pam have landed into that comforting, exciting place of banter and pranks and how he never ever wants to leave it again.
Pam is jinxed and Jim knows he has to take this chance.
Set during season 3.
1 Oh this is such a perfect response to that challenge! Like, I had some vague ideas for it but this is way better than anything I was coming up with. Bravo. Just wonderful.
Author's Response: Thanks very very much! It was lots of fun to write it.
1 Oh I am loving this! Get chapter 2 up soon, not just because I wants it (but I do want it) but also because MTT doesn't display chapter titles unless there's at least 2 chapters.
Also, loving the wishes theme, hoping Pam gets it with Jim and not with someone else (and of course that we're not in the Grimm world where fairytale is a very bad word).
Author's Response:
Thanks, Comfect! Fear not, the next chapter will go up sometime tonight. Its not going to be a very long story (15k might be stretching it, but you know how we tend to get long-winded sometimes!) and most of it is already written, so the wait for updates won’t be long at all.
Lol! Can you imagine if I took this into the world of Grimm? Poor Pam! No, it’s all fluff and fun from here on out. Well, mostly anyways. :)
1 Oh this is so beautiful! Thank you for writing this. I didn't know I needed it but I did.
Author's Response: Comfect! Well now I’m blushing. Thank you! I’m so happy you’re enjoying this so far :)
1 Aww. Nicely done with the fairy tale and the naming conventions. I'm so glad you wrote this!
Author's Response: Thank you so much for reading, Comfect! I definitely appreciate it :)
The documentary crew is about to start filming but they need an actress undercover, to make things a little interesting. Pam wants the long term job, only it'll prove much harder than she thought, especially in terms of not getting involved with the subjects.
1 I'm enjoying this! Please keep it up.
"This was the first time she got to work on a character so deeply, and she realized she was enjoying it. She was starting to like this new Pam, shy and timid, and she wished the writers got her to find a little bit of a voice. To accomplish something other than being a receptionist." I like this insight into the slightly different Pam you're giving us. That and the reminders that she can't be sassy. It's a good technique for keeping her in character within the TV show but giving us a different person behind the scenes.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much! I'm really enjoying writing it.
This Pam is a bit of 4th season Pam (an forward), and the character she plays is 1st season Pam. Son't you get the feeling she's thinking all sorts of comebacks when Michael is acting specially crazy?
1 This is really good. I like how, as you say, this is basically later Pam doing earlier Pam. Especially this line: Nowhere in her contract did it say she had to be a snitch. Good stuff.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much, Comfect!
It's fun to try to krep her on character and yet give her a little freedom to be more intense :)
1 I find it really interesting that you have Pam taking this tack, especially since you also have her there when no one is filming (I suppose they couldn't get her a three month vacation without blowing her cover). Fascinating setup.
Author's Response:
Well... this story is taking me forever because I keep getting stuck on how to make it realistic for an actress to be in a documentary incognito (happens a lot, as I've found out).
I'm happy you find this fascinating!
1 Oh, I don't like this because I fundamentally hate Brian but I also really want to know what comes next. Is your Katy going to become a regular? Is Pam going to keep dating Brian? DRAMA! Please keep this going!
Author's Response:
I don't hate Brian but I get why ppl hate him. And also this story.
I still... don't know what's going to happen to Brian right now. Katy is a little easier.
Thanks a heap for reviewing! You've given me some much needed energy to keep on writing this.
1 Just caught up on this and it is excellent! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!
Author's Response:
Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you like it.
I should update this one, only life keeps getting in the way. Thanks for reminding me :-)
Awww! I really liked this story and this was a great way to end it!
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! It got some hate at the beginning, but I had lots of fun writing anyway. I'm happy you liked it!