I had to write something about what went on in Jamaica.... and then I had to add part II, from Michael's perspecive.
Not 100% confident in how well part II works, but I'll throw it out there. Feedback is awesome.
Wow, what took me so long to read this? It was great. Really great. I love this part:
As she floats over him, she realizes (while he gasps) – that this is what she’s been missing, without ever realizing it. She knows (with certainty) that however she feels, smells, looks, he will always turn to her with that same expression. That combination of adoration, lust, wonder that makes her lose her head.
It just so perfectly sums up Jan's feelings for Michael. Awesome job!
Wow, thanks! Glad you did read it ;o)
That's the part about Michael that i think really gets her - because it throws her off so much. He just adores her, and she's alternately flattered and terrified by it.
Thanks again for the review!
9 I have to say that this is beautiful. I really enjoy reading stories that have sort of a poetic feel, and this is one of them. I love the repetition of the "okay" line, it just fits perfectly every time. I love how it helps to pace the story.
And the ending, with Jim pulling the emergency stop? Very, very hot. I loved this.
Jim and Pam. Tropical elopement. You do the math. 10 YES! St. Thomas! I went there last March and saw a wedding on the beach where I stayed and it was the most beautiful thing ever. I could totally see Jim and Pam doing this. Lovely, lovely story, Paper Jam!
Author's Response: Yeah, St. Thomas is pretty nice (and I'll be there again in a week), so it seemed like the perfect setting. Thanks for the comment, 69 cups!
9 Oh it already reminds me of my trip! At least Pam and Jim didn't try to rent a car, like I did. What a beautiful scene at the end with the gazebo. I can't wait for them to get married!
Author's Response: I am so, so sorry that you rented a car. Ha. I was way too scared of mean locals to try driving (not that the cabbies were super pleasant). Thanks for stopping by!
9 Seriously? Please continue with this. Soon. It's funny and interesting and awesome and I can't wait to read more!
9 I haven't even finished reading this and already I just want to beg you to please continue these forever, because I am dying laughing.
Jim. From Casino Night to post The Return. Sometimes things go in a circle.
Disclaimer: Own not a thing related to The Office. No copywright infringement is intended.
10 I really have no words for how much I loved this. I loved the reoccuring elements in each section, like hands, outer space, playing cards, and the biggest one being Jim's loss of his sense of direction. Your description of Jim's thoughts as he's sitting in the breakroom are so dead on, because after all that happened you just know that Jim was asking himself what he was doing.
And my favorite part of all? The fact that the only thing Jim was thinking about at the end was his hand touching Pam's, and that for him, nothing's ever changed.
I really want to feel bad for Jim for realizing this, because he's done so much work to try to make things different for himself. And now it hits him in the worst way that it's all been for nothing, his feelings for Pam haven't changed, he hasn't changed, and even in doing the prank the fact that Jim and Pam are perfect for each other hasn't changed.
This story makes me think a lot and it's definitely going into my favorites.
This is along the same lines as my other Away From the Cameras, in the sense that I'm exploring scenes that might have happened off-camera (or simply those that we didn't get to see).
A few things: First, I'm working on the assumption that a lot of what I wrote in the AFtC for season II stands (though I likely won't reference any of it here), up until Casino Night. (Clearly I was quite off about what happened after the kiss...heh.)
Second, there will be flashbacks filling in the blanks of what happened immediately after CN (how long did Jim work? how did he and Pam ultimately leave things? how did she end things with Roy? how did Jim find out about her cancelling the wedding?); the flashbacks will happen largely in the chapters pre-merger (to keep things interesting for Jim/Pam fans during their physical separation).
10 I read this three times. The reason for this is because I wanted to take everything in as much as possible. I've never read anything, anything with such raw emotion. This hurts, it really does. The fact that Jim is so half-in and half-out in regards to Karen is laid out so beautifully in this. And Pam trying so hard to make things right about the whole CN thing and then being interrupted and Jim brushing it off?
My God. I'm sorry for this incoherent review but the important thing is that I absolutely love this so far.
Eeee, I'm so glad you liked it! It's weird because I started working on one for The Merger close to two weeks ago and just couldn't make it...work. This one wouldn't leave me alone (though I so wanted it to - really had aspirations fo posting these in order this season - oh well....).
So I'm glad to see that I did it justice, at least. Thank you so much for reviewing!
10 I love everything about this, especially what Pam says to Jim. It's just amazing how the only spoken line in the entire story just says everything. It gave me chills.
10 Wow. Just...wow. How is it possible to make this pairing work? How do you do it? I love the idea that Kelly's feelings don't change over the course of time and that she's hiding all of these secret feelings for Dwight, even up until his return. I love that her calling Dwight a freak was just a cover up.
And I LOVE the last section because again, because it's Kelly coming to terms with her new self. I don't know. I mean, I get that this is Kelly/Dwight, but there's just so much KELLY in so many perfect ways.
I am seriously in awe of this.
9 Moxie, are you KIDDING ME? This is so perfect and lovely. It's well-paced and sweet and I could see it happening and I WISH it had happened this way. Great job!
Author's Response: Wow, coming from an official Office scribe, that's high praise indeed! Thanks!! ;-D
10 You do this in a way that I am extremely jealous. I'm not capable of writing slash in the way that I would like to, and this is it. You've got it just right here, it's perfectly sexy and sweet at the same time and it's just so real that Jim would be one of their concerns, and that neither really know whether or not they should tell him. Excellent.
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I think Jim would definitely be one of their major concerns because part of the premise I'm using here is that they're together partly because of their connection to him (and for other reasons, but you know). I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
9 You? This? No lie, I think I only breathed once the entire time I was reading. Amazing use of the cummings poem to set the tone of this. Ohhh the Jim and the Pam and the sexiness and the fantasies...
Do you ever not write something amazing?
Series about the aftermath of Casino Night and the developments of Season 3. Episode related from alternating points of view. Excuse the stream of consciousness... Spoilers through most recent episode.
9 This is so beautiful and I love it so far. I love how every short sentence has so much meaning.
10 Oh, awesome! You've given every reason why Angela would want to be with Dwight. This was sweet and dare I say, even the slightest bit sexy? I love this!
Author's Response: Thanks 69con! I found myself wondering what that first morning for them must've been like. Maybe I've developed a little crush on Angela. Maybe the thought of Dwight as a lover is intriguing yet horrifying. Maybe I just really need to get a life!
Jim thinks about things in the warehouse. Speculative spoilers for upcoming episode, "Ben Franklin" 3X149 Oh, I really loved this. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that the stripper in the promo looked just like Pam! I could really see the bachelor party going down like this. Just toally weird and uncomfortable, because I'm sure the writers didn't make the stripper look like Pam for no reason.
Author's Response: Thank you for agreeing with me!! A bunch of people on the spoilers thread said they didn't think it was supposed to be Pam, but c'mon -- that's totally a Pam shirt. I'm almost 100% positive she's wearing a shirt Pam's worn before. And yes, strippers are kind of uncomfortable. Did you see Jim's posture? Ha, I can't wait to actually see it for real.
Pam's got cold feet. Literally. Fluffiness ensues.
9 I thought this was so sweet. I love that you made Jim and Pam finally realize that they need to stop holding things in from each other once and for all. Awesome job!
The rain outside is drumming on the roof of her car and she loves it, hates it, doesn’t understand what’s happening but god, it feels good to do something unexpected.10 Your Pam in this is everything I wish I was. Getting up in the middle of the night because she just can't take it anymore, going to Jim's house with no regrets...and all the while she's still in character and I believe Pam will finally reach some kind of breaking point regarding her feelings for Jim.
This is seriously amazing.
I completely agree, and we just talked about this on TWoP -- it's hard to believe either one of them will go out on a limb like this without having lost it, just a little, or having been somehow pushed into it. But yes, I definitely think that breaking point will be soon, and there will absolutely be some kind of break. It won't just happen.
Anyway. Thank you so much for your (lightning-fast!) review -- I appreciate it so much.
9 Once they had made it to their gate though, Pam really began to have fun. Jim taught her the game “Hot Potato”, and soon Pam was giggling uncontrollably. Kevin whipped a pack of cards out of nowhere, and soon several of the office mates and a few of the camera guys were involved in a high-stakes game of poker. So far, the pot consisted of Meredith’s hairbrush, one of Phyllis’ half-used lipsticks, a pack of gum and a handful of change. But as soon as Dwight threw in one of his socks, everyone folded.
I cannot stop laughing at that.
I really like this so far!
Unlike the others, which are various fantasies and wishes and ifs, this kiss is a when....10 Yay!
I'm SO glad you posted this today. You already know I love this but I wanted to point out some of my favorite parts.
The daydream for that kiss always ends the same, and it frustrates her (leading to the angry kiss, then down the line cutesoulfulcomfortable back to perfection, a vicious circle she’s been traveling for months).
I love that line so much, I have no words.
The last three paragraphs of this have about twelve different emotions and as much as I love the beginning with the different people Pam's kissed, I love the ending the most because it's just so hopeful, and I love the repetition of the line "she believes in second chances."
LOVE. IT.
Based on the events of Casino Night, Pam's thoughts in poetry format.
Spoilers for Casino Night and Gay Witch Hunt.
10 I love poetry and this is very beautiful. I can tell you put a lot of thought into writing this, it's very detailed and vivid.
This part is my favorite:
He tasted of spearmint Lifesavers
And smelled of something uniquely male
The most intoxicating mixture of senses
Really, really nice! :)
Mmm... Jim tasting like spearmint Lifesavers. Who could pass that up? LOL Anyway, thank you so much for the review! I'm glad you liked it. Thanks again! I really appreciate it! :)
9 Aw! Jim and Pam, married and "camping"! I love it! So sweet. And marshmallow-y.
He knows. He knows what month is coming up. He knows what day is in that particular month. He knows what anniversary occurs right before that day. He knows it all too well...10 He looks at her subdued face, forehead covered in sweat, eyes huge, and he thinks he might have just RSVP’d for his penthouse suite in hell.
Best, most perfect line in a Ryan/Kelly fic EVER. And Ryan asking for the ribbon with glitter is just priceless.
I am so happy you posted this tonight, because this makes me happy, and your writing in general makes me happy.
Because she does amazing things to him, sometimes.
Oh, Ryan.
Pam POV poem in couplets. Thinking back over events from the Booze Cruise to Casino Night.10 When you walked off and left me there twisting my ring
I was scared of what the future would bring
This one stuck out to me the most. This is beautiful, Par5. I love poetry so much and this is sad and lovely and so, so amazing.
Phyllis' wedding doesn't turn out the way Pam had hoped . Unspoiled speculation for "Phyllis' Wedding" and AU after that (I assume!).
10 Oh, this is a disturbing concept. But very, very good. I really believe that Pam would feel "saved" by Roy here, and would backslide into his arms. And it's a perfect testament to what's really going on now between Jim/Pam/Karen, all the things that are seen by them but none of them knows the real truth. Fabulous job!
Author's Response: Yeah, it freaked me out when the idea came to me and I had to write it out of my system. I don't want it to happen! Thank you. :)