Married, forty-ish tech writer who indulges her aspirations to write fiction by doing...this.
Cinderella meets Groundhog Day meets Dr. Gregory House. Pam will never be the same. (Set during S3's Ben Franklin.)Well I, like Pam, missed House a bit here, but you more than made up for it with the quiet, intense sadness throughout. Driving by his house, curling up with tea, just being regretful...it's a heartbreaking image. But dawn breaks and there's a tap at the door. It's so wonderfully hopeful.
Yay, House is back, and harassing one Jim Halpert. I think you beautifully capture Jim's season 3 see-saw, between thawing a bit toward Pam to completely freezing her out. He couldn't stand not to have her in his life, but he couldn't stand to have her around, either. Love!
Another triumph! Seriously, moxie, you've got it going on. Excellent characterization, inventive plot, laugh-out-loud dialog, and the ability to channel and entirely different show's main character- this is insanely complex, and you made it look effortless. I applaud you, as always. And also, *squee!* breakfast!!! Yay.
10 Awww, Madge. I love stories that take people on the periphery of our show and make them real. This is heartbreaking and totally relatable. Dunder Mifflin is a hotbed of unrequited love, isn't it? Really nice work.
Wow. I don't even know where to start. All of these are so plausible, so fully drawn...I can't chose one tht I find most realistic or even that I like the best (although the last one is very, very sad). I don't know why, but you've connected with Toby in a way that lets you tap into something fundamental about him when you write about him. Great job.
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I don\'t know what it is about writing Toby. I\'ve just always loved him and felt so sorry for him in ways I\'ve rarely felt sorry for a character and I just enjoy writing him in a way I wouldn\'t Pam or Jim. I don\'t think I could write those two really. It\'s like they\'re interesting enough on TV and I like them both well enough, I just have no desire to write them. Who knows? But I\'m so glad you enjoyed it.
A golf pencil, two hot sauce packets, a Boggle timer, a mixtape, a high school yearbook photo, a card, and a teapot. Yup.Oh, they really were heartbreakingly cute back then, weren't they? Emphasis on "heartbreaking," of course. I love this. I especially like Pam's flirtation with honesty- how she knows that she's interested but doesn't admit how dangerous that can be. Wonderful.
Author's Response: That early on, I really don\'t think that Pam did know if she was interested/what she wanted/etc. Denial is an incredible thing. And, God, yes, so cute a few seasons back. I had kind of forgotten that until I wrote this.
This is so good. So early-seasons Jim and Pam, with her still mostly oblivious and him so smitten he can't see straight. People like romance, happy endings, all that.
Yep. We do, even if it does make us lame. Hee. This is great, can't wait for more!
Oh, so sweet! So very bittersweet. Jim got exactly what he needed to feel better- some time and attention from the person he loves best. And she totally did figure out how to keep him from being like Michael, by loving him back. Perfection. (And the pranks at the beginning are fun, too- very much in-character!)
Author's Response: See, exactly. That\'s what he meant when he said he felt better at the end. Pam is, of course, completely oblivious to this, but isn\'t she always? I\'m glad you liked it, lis.
So, so sad. And an inside story that Pam doesn't ever really need to know. Thank goodness the angst is ovah! Woo! (Another great chapter!)
Author's Response: Thanks, lis. And, yeah, I don\'t think Pam needs to hear the whole story. Fwiw, though, I don\'t think the angst is over. But that\'s another story for another time.
Gorgeous, and a wonderful way to end this. Because whatever was in that card (and how perfectly coy of you not to tell us), she knows it all now, and whatever he wanted he can now have, and it is best not to dwell on the anguish and longing that was sure to be in every line.
Fabulous work, from beginning to end.
(or, Everyone Else Wrote It, Why Can't I?) If you aren't sick to death of tales about such an historic event, here's one more version - told to you by the daters themselves.This is great. Absolutely wonderful. I like Jim freely admitting he made several dick moves when it came to Karen, but ultimately letting himself off the hook- it feels very much in-character for him. Yay!
Author's Response: Thanks a lot! Jim WAS a dick sometimes, but you just have to accept that and move on, I guess. Knowing is half the battle. ;)
Aww, Pam. How sweet. And I love the bantering tone they use here- they always do use humor to mask the hard parts, don't they? Great!
OK, I love every inch of this story. Most especially the Best. Pig Game. Ever. My sister and I were similarly obsessed with it back in the day. Bravo!
Author's Response: Thanks! And yess, Pass the Pigs is ah-mazing. Love it!
Set sometime after season 4. Jim and Pam decide to watch the documentary for the first time, together. Just some fluff with a dash of angst for good measure.
"Look at that smile. You are so in love with me." She's trying to tease him, but he just grins.
OK, that made me feel all tingly. I love the idea that they can talk like that, now. I'm sure they do, when they aren't on-camera. Yay! Can't wait for more!
Aw. Yeah, I guess that ep would play differently for them than it does for us, who were desperate for some signs of the love between them. I also like that Jim tries to play it off with a joke at first before the serious conversation.
Author's Response: Sorry I'm lazy but the three of you who posted on this chapter get one response. I just wanted to say thanks for the encouragement, I was really worried about this chapter!
Firecrackers, apple pie, peaches, and Andy: The last four Fourth of July's in Angela's life. Spoilers for the 'Summer Vacation' extras from last year found on NBC.com and some Goodbye, Toby.10 This is a really sensitive portrait of someone we usually don't see depicted so sympathetically. I love framing devices like the one you use here; I think having a strong frame to hold on to can be very creatively freeing. I love that fireworks become so symbolic for her. It's really an interesting choice for someone so buttoned-up. Great work!
Author's Response: Thanks for the review! The framing was what really got me excited about this story so I\'m glad you liked it.
I hope writing this got everything clearer in your head about Jim's feelings, because to me you've captured them beautifully. Great job.
Author's Response: Thanks so much for your kind words, I think this did help because my JAM muse has definitely woken up from a summer nap :)
10 Lovely. I love that she's sort of aware that they'll probably end up back home, but that there's a whole world to call home if they're together.
"Of course he’d heard that the wedding was off."10 The only moment in as many as he’d known her that he wasn’t listening.
That is the kind of line that makes me wish I'd been gifted enough to come up with it. Fabulous work, here. Welcome aboard!
I love that the second stanza could be talking about Michael as well as Jim. This is very sweet. Nice job!
15 10 she shared his heat and his breath and believed in miracles with all of her heart.
This comment would get ridiculously long if I quoted back every turn of phrase that I loved in this story. Seriously, this is gorgeous. The imagery is sumptuous without being melodramatic. It's rich and full while still feeling real and in-character. I'm sort of gobsmacked, actually. Beautiful.
Wow. This ends up so wonderfully hopeful, but on the way there I felt horribly sad for the bleak, empty existence Pam was living (Jim's was just another chapter of the story we've seen him writing all along). Painful, but possible, and I'm glad it didn't go this way. I'm equally glad you've imagined this alternate take and shared it with us. Lovely work.
Author's Response: Thank you so much for your review. I'm such a fan of yours that it's always nice to hear that you enjoyed something I wrote. ;) I'm really glad it didn't go this way, too, but for some inexplicable reason I love to torture Jim and especially Pam with unhappy could've beens. Anyway, thanks again!
Very sweet. Welcome back to fanfic!
Author's Response: Thanks! I love your stories, so this means a lot. Yeah, it\'s been awhile. Nothing\'s inspired me since like JAM in a long while though, so I\'m guessing I\'ve got a few more stories in me somewhere. :)
I love that he's so gobsmacked at the idea that they are finally together. I think that's incredibly accurate. Beautiful job creating and sustaining a joyful tone throughout!
Author's Response: Wow, thanks so much for such lovely comments. I\'m glad you found this accurate, I totally imagine Jim being a bit in awe of his dreams finally coming true. Bless him. Thanks again :)