I thought I was just here to read, but I guess I ended up writing a little. My bad. :)
I'm switching to Yes on beta-reader, because I should have more time now that I've finished my own recent story and I'll probably take a break from writing. I don't know how many requests will come from that, so I reserve the right to change back to No if I get overwhelmed. :) But I am an unrepentant grammar Nazi, and have edited a LOT in the past, so I'm totally up for a little beta.
Pam wakes up feeling not quite herself...
10 Ha! Poor Jim--he must be almost as freaked out as Pam! I hope we get a rash of these Freaky Friday stories, because, seriously, it's just way too much fun. :)
Jim has loved Pam for so long, and has had enough heartbreak. There is only one thing he can do—have his memories erased of her. Inspired by the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Slightly spoilerish for season 3, and definite spoilers for Booze Cruise, Casino Night and any other season 2 episode.
No, two months is puh-lenty long enough, Pam! Go for it!
Sob! The very idea of Jim erasing Pam is just...weep! And yet, update? Please?
I needed some cheering up, so in that vein, here is an incredibly un-angsty little piece of fluff. It's only three parts long and it's almost all done.
Pam and Jim reconnect in the most unlikely of all places...
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!!!! Okay, yeah, I LOVE this story. Love it. I don't know that any more needs to be said, does it? Because: LOVE.
SQUEE! Sorry, but I just--SQUEE!!! Oops. There I go again.
This was fab: Single women in their 40s have 20/15 vision when it comes to spotting rings on hot guys their age.
LOL!
10 Wonderful:
”You’re trying to date nostalgia and she doesn’t put out.”
“I’m trying to tell you that I never stopped loving you.”
And this was great, too. Vintage Jim & Pam:
"I’m not leaving till you tell me you’ll give me a second chance”
“You’re going to move into Adventure Zone?”
“They have ski ball, pizza and beer- it sounds like paradise to me.”
Excellent, excellent story. And, yes, I'd love to see it turn into a series. But if you don't do that, I've still enjoyed this story a lot. So sweet.
Jim is cursing himself for not telling Pam how he felt about her before moving to Stamford. But it's not too late...SQUEE! This was so great. At first I wasn't so sure about Pam repeating Jim's confession speech back to him so soon after he'd said it to her, but it turned out so great that I just don't care. :)
Lovely and astute. The thoughts you gave Pam were insightful and exactly what I expected her to be thinking.
This is especially good:
As least she hadn't been drunk. She was proud she hadn't needed to get drunk to do that.
That's exactly what I said--at LJ, at TWoP, to my coworkers, etc. I was so happy she did that speech while high on the adrenaline of coal-walking and not after she'd had too much alcohol. I think it's a credit to her character (you go, FNB!) and it made the speech even better.
Loved the story. Oh, but you forgot to add the part where she found Andy washed up in the reeds. ;)
Oh, how sweet. I love seeing Pam as a child, because she still has a childlike quality to her, so it really rings true. Nice job.
Author's Response: Thanks! Pam does have a childlike quality to her.
Killer last line in this chapter. Poor Pam. I don't think Roy was really this much of a jerk, but it works for the story, so I'm all for it. :)
Author's Response: Thanks! Glad you liked the last line. As I said in another review, I didn't like to write Roy so mean, but I needed a way to get Pam on the bus.
Well, my heart is just broken. Nice one, Jim. I'd slap you if I could.
But, honestly, I sort of wish we'd seen a scene like this on the show. I'd like to have seen Pam reaching out to Jim, only to pull back at the last minute, because then we'd know for sure how she felt about him, and the parallel between her and Jim and their rejection of each other would be complete.
Well, that was a ramble, huh? Anyway, I loved the chapter. Very sad, but I loved it.
Oh, snap. Jim's "That's what she said" was the perfect tension-breaker. I love this chapter.
Author's Response: I'm so glad you liked it! Thanks for all of your reviews.
10 Aww! Well, I'll admit I was hoping you wouldn't go quite that far into the future, but it was so sweet I soon got over it. But, um: Hiro and Claire? Really? Did I miss some spoilers on that front? Eek!
Author's Response: I tried to find something that hadn't happened yet with characters we know because I didn't want to make up future TV couples. Glad you liked it.
Dammit, Jim!
Oh, okay, so I just didn't want him to kiss Karen. Is that so wrong? But I think, under the circumstances, he kind of had to do something like that, lest Karen castrate him in the middle of the night.
This was very astute:
His pride told him that he would be less of a man if he dropped everything for Pam after being forced to endure three years of unrequited love and months of unbearable, painful heartache.
I'm not a guy Jim's age, but that feels like a very authentic reaction, and I sort of feel like that's what Jim's been feeling this whole season, even before he had a reason to believe Pam was harboring this level of affection for him. And you're right, she never said "love," and she didn't lay it all out for him--although, realistically, how could she? I don't think that's something Pam would do, because I believe that she likes Karen, even though she's her "competition."
Nice first chapter. I will continue to read this story.
Post-beach day and speculation (but no spoilers) for the next episode.
You might say that Jim Halpert has thrown away his happiness, a promotion, and a relationship with a truly superior woman.
OMFG. I am SO happy right now. You're absolutely right: no matter how it looks on paper, Jim will never be truly happy with anyone but Pam. Excellent story. Sigh...so good.
I think you mean girl’s locker room, and in the fantasy, there’s usually girls in it.
Jim/Pam/Karen fun!!!
Shazam! That was...hot. Damn. And Karen is about the best girlfriend ever. I mean, I totally ship Jim & Pam, but how can anything here be considered bad? Answer: it can't, because it's awesome. The end.
Jan is a little (a lot) bit crazy.
This is a little outdated, but so be it.
Oh, see? You definitely needed to post it. It's very sweet. I like that Jan is a bit insecure, too, not just some crazy sexoholic. :)
My only teensy nitpick is that there are so many parentheses that it's a bit distracting. To me, anyway. There are some excellent parenthetical remarks that sort of get lost in the sea of parentheses. But maybe that's just me.
Anyway, I really liked the story, and I'm glad you posted it.
Word. Karen should get to be that intuitive and honest with herself on the show.
"Why do you want this job?"
His mind is suddenly blank.
"Um..."
Beach Games aftermath, so spoilers for Beach Games, and speculation for the finale. Jammy, obviously.
This is SO true:
"She was my best friend, okay? She knows me better than anybody-" He misses the glare Karen throws him at that comment. "-and I miss the guy I used to be when we were friends."
I love that Jim says that, because I think that's what we're all thinking.
And KILLER last line. You know, as much as I love this story and I'd like to see more, I think it wraps up really nicely in just one chapter. But I'm certainly not gonna complain if you write more. :)
Pam cools her feet in the water. Takes place immediately following Beach Games.That was totally fab. Short but sweet. I love Pam's introspection, and the way you summed everything up so succinctly. Great job.
Author's Response: Thank you! I love writing Pam POV.
Cry! Weep! Sob!!! Why, Jim? Whyeeee??? Why did you not read the letter?
Well, I think you broke my brain. I'm so depressed now that anything they do for the season finale will seem cheerful. So, great job! :)
It's the night before Jim's wedding and the person he expects to ruin it all hasn't shown up yet...so he decides to go and find her...fluffish...no spoilers.
Yes! Jim 'n Pam 4EVR!
So, yeah, Jim's cheating on Karen and that's BAD, but I just can't be mad at him because--HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE WITH PAM!
Was that the kind of review you were looking for? :)
Inspired by the finale and the seasons that preceeded it. Enough said.
SQUEE! It's so lovely. I love that you had Jim come into the room when she was crying. The old Pam would've hid it from him, tried to make it not that big a deal because there were always circumstances in the way, but Fancy New Beesly would definitely let Jim see all the sides of her. At least I hope she lets him see ALL the sides... ;)
Author's Response:
I must admit that it's a secret dream of mine to see Jim catch Pam crying - just once! Because you know he'd be so incredibly sweet about it... *sigh*
And yes - here's to Beesly letting him see all the sides! TWSS! :o)
Thanks for reviewing!
Kiss her, you fool!!!
Oops, sorry. Didn't mean to get all het up like that. ;)
Heh heh - he will kiss her before it's all over. Or maybe she'll kiss him.... ;oP
Thanks for reviewing!
OMG, that song! Every time I hear that song, I think of Jim and Pam, and I even begged at the TWoP video thread for someone to make a vid with it because it is just so perfect for them, so I'm beyond thrilled to see it in this chapter. So excellent!
And love, love, LOVE "Absolutely I do." Perfect!
I know! There are two videos on youtube with that song and Jim/Pam. (You're talking about "Look After You," right?) They're both really good - are, in fact, how I discovered the song itself. (It's actually quite sad - most of the new music I've listened to over the past year has been via Jim/Pam videos on youtube.)
Thanks for reviewing!