I've been writing fanfiction for awhile now. Just recently discovered The Office and figured I'd try my hand at that as well.
At first I thought of having all my stories in the same universe, but then I had some AU ideas. So any stories that occur within a common universe will be in a given series.
The summer she calls off her wedding, she spins a little bit out of control.
An AU that could be considered canon if you drink enough wine and squint your eyes just so.
1 You may not look at this story again, but hopefully you're still keeping an eye on review counts, yes? Yes. Good.
So yeah, that's one helluva chapter there. Going to get this out of the way right now, was the "refused to be called Jamie," line intended to be a shoutout for yours truly? If so, d'awww thank you. Great way to use that name, but in your own way rather than how I've used it. If it's not a shoutout, no worries. Same compliment still applies though.
There's just so much to unpack here. It does flow in a way that makes sense though. After everything from last chapter it's easy to see that Pam could have lost sight of herself a little there. Then when JD shows up her facade as Ella is her first step back from being lost. Acknowledging their real names on the roof being the next step there. That Jim is the one to say he can't is a great choice. Casino Night was a huge hit and I think it makes sense that Jim is still reeling from not only Casino Night, but all their other adventures written here.
The quick fast-forward through Season 3 and into Season 4 worked well too I thought. It was a hard time in their lives, they made their peace with it and have progressed in their relationship. However it was very fun to have that last flirty IM conversation. Even though there were still huge emotions, they can still remember they had a very enjoyable experience and why not re-create some of that. Well done in that regard.
Great writing as always.
Author's Response:
Thanks for this! I love that you picked up on Jim saying “I can’t” because that felt like a pretty pivotal moment for me in this whole thing.
As for the Jamie call-out... ;)
As always, thank you for reading!
1 Very sweet. Jim's creativity, a prank on Dwight, a better version of how Season 2 went, lots of fun references just about everywhere you look. This was great.
Author's Response: Thank you! This basically sprang fully formed out of my head--it's literally my longest single chapter ever, but I wrote it in 2 hours, so I'm glad it was up to snuff!
An AU version of season 2's "Valentine's Day".
Pam is more than a little annoyed and Jim steps in. Holiday fluff ensues.
[I got the idea after reading "V-J Day", by Comfect. I you haven't checked that one out yet, do it. Now.]
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
So far so good. Looking forward to seeing what Jim has planned. You've got them nicely in character here and it comes off very cute.
Author's Response: Thanks so much! Those two are great to write, I'm glad you think I got them in character :)
1 This started out a lot of fun and only got better as it went on. It was a lot of fun to envision Jim and Pam at the arcade and then using their spoils to get out of the office. Everything else after that was wonderful to see too. Jim coming home to see Pam there waiting for him and their conversation afterwards was just icing on the cake. Nicely done.
Author's Response: Thanks very much! It was fun to think of ways of ending this with the together, making it both Jim's and Pam's efforts.
1 Very nice way to end this. Them sitting on the bed at 2am playing thumb war is very Jim and Pam. Lots of nice touches throughout. Jim's reassurance that Pam can go through with the breakup. Her nervousness and leaning into him. I love how they've connected throughout all of this and that it ends with them together. Nice job.
Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! I'm gald I managed to keep them in character. Plus, they are fun to write in these simple contexts.
1 Quick and short to be sure. I like how you captured all of the conflicted feelings Jim has here. That he knows things aren't going the way he intended with Karen but he doesn't know what to do about it. Then all of a sudden Pam shows up. That was great. I always like a good "Pam finds her courage early" fic and this delivers. Well done.
1 Jim and Pam joining the Mile High Club is something I don't think I've seen yet here, so good job for that one. Nice to see that Jim and Pam want to reconnect like this and are so eager to get started. Nicely done, especially for your first fic.
1 Glad the Mrs. enjoyed her Valentines gift. Again great writing. Very detailed. Considering how much angst there can sometimes be around this site, it's nice to have another story like this where it's just Jim and Pam and they're so wonderfully together. Yes, it's all sexy and steamy, but you can tell that with your writing that Jim and Pam are still very much in love with each other.
Set after Roy shows up at the office to go after Jim in 3x18. What happens when he shows up at Pams later that night. This does involve abuse. Angst that eventually turns cheesy and cute. Rated MA!
My only concern here is a matter of the timeline in cannon. In "The Negotiation" it looks like Roy goes after Jim at the end of a day on a Friday. Then the next Monday is when it appears Jim blows off Pam in the break room. I'm basing that off the look of the actual scene where Roy tries to fight Jim and the phone conversation Jan has with Toby and Micheal later where Jan says "last Friday." So the non-fight and Pam trying to apologize happened on two different days. Here you have them on the same day.
Now granted this is an AU and it's possible in canon that Pam tried to apologize the day of the fight. Just pointing that out. Here. Bigger review to come when I get to the end of the story though.
Author's Response: Yes, I think you are correct! My timeline is a little off, I should have made note that I altered to fit my story line.
1 All in all I like it. When I first started reading this the one sentence per line was a little off. Personally I think just writing in paragraphs makes things easier to read. A lot of times there were similar ideas that probably could have been grouped together. Also there's a few times here and there that there's an out of place word. Spellcheck didn't catch it because the word is spelled correctly. So that's something to keep an eye on during proofreading.
As far as the story goes, its very good. Nice to see Jim pull his head out of his ass there after the non-fight. The fight with Karen was very easy to see as was Jim's reaction. Showing up in the nick of time to save Pam was great. I also liked that you just had Jim hold Roy off Pam, not meet force with extra force. I'm sure Jim could have ripped Roy apart there, Roy knew it, and so didn't try to struggle. Good writing to convey that.
Then Jim taking care of Pam the rest of the night and next day was great. Very sweet and fluffy was to get them back together. The last chapter was nice and steamy as well. All in all good job.
Author's Response: Thank you! I’m thinking about ditching the one line format for future chapters. I’m really glad you liked the scene between Jim and Karen, I found that hard to write!
This works much better than the single line format of the earlier chapters. Nice quick chapter here that's sweet and sexy at the same time. Well done.
1 I like this AU already. The role reversal should prove to be as interesting a concept as switching the place of employment like this. Lots of fun to see them interacting like this. Having Dwight as their Dean could be fun too. Keep going with this one as you're doing a great job so far.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much!
I'm writing many possibilities for these two... and Dwight. (I just saw that episode of season 7 when he's interin manager or something... hillarius!)
A little one shot set somewhere in season nine. My take on some of the thoughts and feelings of our favorite couple as they work through the changes and difficulties that Jim's new job brings. Some angst, some smut, and a good hopeful ending. Enjoy! 1 Lots of emotional beats here. I get the feeling that this is the evening after that really sweet make-up hug and kiss Jim and Pam had in "Paper Airplanes." That instead of going to Philly that night, Jim came home, and that last conversation on the phone was him telling his partners he needed a break. Yes it was all sweet in the parking lot, but the reality of all the time apart was still there and since he was on the phone so long Pam was naturally scared it things were going to go back to the way they had been. So Pam's admission and Jim's reaction (before the sex) was what solidified Jim's decision to step back from Athlead. I get the feeling that since they do have such a deep bond, even if it was strained, Pam realized that too and thus the shower becomes much more enjoyable as does the rest of the night. So well done for being able to convey all of that.
1 Very sexy. Something tells me Pam's going to be wearing her light pink sweater to work once they get up. Great to see them connect like this after all the chaos that was most of S9.
One task after another, one empty thought followed by the next, just like yesterday, just like tomorrow.
Season 9.
Careful there Pam. I know you're hurting and lonely and all. The way you write it, it's easy to see Pam getting into this kind of situation. Communication has always been a struggle between her and Jim and that's coming up again here. Hopefully she'll remember that. Onto the next chapter.
Author's Response:
Thanks a lot!
Yeah, Pam is doing what she does best: hiding her true feelings, even from herself.
1 Awww, Pam. Great job at capturing her heartache here. You can feel how much she wants things to calm down but being by herself like this it's hard. Nicely written.
Author's Response: Thanks a lot for reviewing! I am scared of how much I relate with some of the things here. Mainly, the early morning chaos. No hubby in Philly, thankfully!
The thing about S9 is that it's the last season so going through it we know we'll have to say goodbye to these characters we've come to love. Then the script called for all this drama between Jim and Pam. Like I've said before as hard as it might have been to watch, it makes Jim and Pam more relatable. They go through struggles like other married couples but come out shining in the end.
Your fic here did the same thing. It explored that tone a lot deeper than what we saw in the show. I'm glad I could be here for the journey and this was a great place to wrap up.
Fortes Fortuna Adiuvat
Author's Response:
Thanks so much for your review and for being there all the way. This was easier to write that I thought ot would be, maybe because they made the scenario look real and relatable in the series.
Again, thanks a lot!
1 Nice way to go on this one. After all the heartache it's sometimes just the simplest acts that are what turn the corner. That's the sense I get here. Good on you for that. S9 isn't as popular a season around here so it's nice to get a good fic that explores what happened to Pam during it. Well done.
Author's Response:
Thanks so much!
Here we share the same headcanon: Jim doesn't go to Philly after that.
I really like S9 because ot feels real. Not just boy meets girl, they go on a date, they kiss. This is how real relationships work, with ups and downs and challenges and happy moments.
Thanks a lot for your support, w4!
1 I'll be honest this was not what I was expecting at all. You turned this around in a great way. I love that this is the moment of clarity that Pam realizes she needs to keep fighting for her marriage even though it's been hard. She's right that, nothing's really happened but she's also wise enough now to see something could have and she's putting up barriers to ensure she and Jim are secure.
A couple editing things that might add some clarity. Maybe use bold font for the text messages. It was a little hard to figure out exactly what was in the texts to her Mom. Likewise maybe consider using italics for the actual writing in the card Jim gave her. Again it would help the reader to understand exactly what was written.
Author's Response:
Thanks a lot! OMG, I did used italics, but at some point they disappeared. Maybe because I did some editing in my phone. I just fixed it, thanks very much!
And thanks a lot for the review as well. I'm glad you like it.
It's funny because between this and Paper Airplanes there are two months, and I think this is just the beginning of a somewhat long process of healing. :)
1 At first I want to say poor Pam, but I don't think she needs pity right now. What she needs is Jim. And the chance to sleep for about 24 hours straight. Good job at conveying how tired she is here. Still don't like Harry.
Author's Response: Ok, I give up. Go ahead and don't like Harry. :)
Thanks so much for your review!
(Being a sleep-deprived mom is the worse... that aimless wandering because you forgot the list is something I've done more than once)
Yeah that was a tough episode. You round it out here in a way that's very believable. While it's hard to see Pam go through all this, especially since there's someone else that she's leaning onto for support, it's where she is right now. Good emotional depth to this chapter for sure.
Author's Response: Thanks a lot! This might be one of the toughest episodes to watch, especially considering on how excited Pam was about telling Jim she got the mural commission... which she never gets to do.
1 Nice to see them connect like this again. I'm not liking Harry for putting that thought in her mind. Yes she wears her wedding band, she's married. However it's great to see them be together again.
Author's Response:
Poor Harry, condemned to be the bad guy. I have a whole story for him that I don't think will ever see light, but let's just say that he has not a lot of faith in marriage right now. And Jim has been pretty absent so far, so...
Thanks a lot for your reviews!
You did a good job at getting to the internal thoughts of everyone here. A lot of reliving Season 3 angst.
Lots of huge emotional beats with this one. I do like that Jim and Pam shared these dances and that Pam has worked up the courage to talk to him again. The scenes of where she was avoiding him was tough.
A while back I mentioned that here both Jim and Pam are just to damn scared of each other to really allow themselves to figure things out. While that fear is still there, maybe things have cracked a bit here. At least I'd like to hope so.
So what's going to happen next? A deep heartfelt conversation? They keep letting their fear get the better of them and a nasty argument ensues? (I hope not by the way) They keep going round and round this crazy dance of theirs? Good job of keeping the suspense up.
Hope you're recovering well from the car accident, those are always rough.
1 Holy cow was that a roller coaster of a chapter. Yeah, first with Pam walking in on Jim and Karen and the aftershocks of that. I don't blame Pam for getting out of there. Very glad she didn't smash her teapot.
Then Jim's introspection afterwards. That was very well thought out. It may have been one of the most awkward kick in the pants but it seems like it's the kind of jolt he needed. He's finally figured out that he wasn't the only one who was hurting after Casino Night. To see him come to that realization and approach Pam for the CIA prank was a very welcome sigh of relief.
Great writing as always.
Author's Response: thank you for reading it and for your insight, warrior!