10

You Tube is literally dying without Andy Bernard. I don't know why I never realized this before. Thank you for showing me the way. :)

Author's Response: You just KNOW he'd be all over the internet, milking it dry. He was made for it.

I think Ryan and Leno should move to Vermont together and finally find true happiness. :P

Author's Response: Maybe they'd finish each other off! I do think Ryan will find somesort of redemption on the show, whenever that may be...

10

I was so thrilled to see this posted! I dropped what I was doing and simply devoured this story just now. And what a delicious treat it was! You have such a gift for packing an emotional punch into so few words, that it astounds me. 

Parts of this that I loved:

-Jim's reaction to getting Pam's name was to immediately start looking for the perfect gift for her. I imagine that is exactly what happened. Likewise his joy/relief when he found it.

-That you included Pam's POV in this story. It was so nice to see the switching back and forth between them, both of them so utterly conflicted and confused at the obviousness of the truth staring at them. Classic S2 stuff, and it was great.

-Jim's reaction later on, and his meditations on a public suicide were tragically hilarious. :)

-And finally, I love love LOVE that Pam had specifically noticed the card and wanted to save it for last. I always felt she knew about it, but never said anything.

Kudos and bravo for this one, and I'll be eagerly awaiting the next chapter! 

10

I know this will sound odd, but this line right here:

She cringed at the thought of that old pathetic wedding planner, full of nervous doodles of hearts and question marks.

Just totally killed me! I can picture it so clearly in my mind, and it seems perfectly consistent with Pam's character. Excellent. 

(Also, I'm pretty sure that Floam contains the same mysterious substance that fell to Earth, presumably from outer space, and from which was created Happy Fun Ball. :P)

But seriously... this was a beautiful chapter! I don't even care that it's the end of January--you can write Christmas-themed fics all year long as far as I'm concerned. :)

I ADORE the scene where Pam makes Jim a card. Such an original premise! And her text is just perfect as well. I think it says a lot about your skills as a writer that my own heart was pounding as I read what she wrote, as if I was feeling her anxiety. :)

Excellent, excellent work! I look forward to the conclusion of this great story! 

9

Okay, here's the thing: I read this a few days ago when you first posted it, and I was sure I'd left a review. Seriously, in my mind, I remember typing out things like "Wow, this is brilliant stuff," and, "How dare you actually make me feel bad for Roy? :)." 

But I guess it was all just in my mind, huh? So, for my lateness I do apologize. Because this really is brilliant, and how dare you make me feel bad for Roy, and all that. ;)

I'm not kidding. The "and he was that old dog" line made my chest hurt a little. :P

It's one reason why it's nice to be a part of a fandom like this one: there are lots of characters to choose from, and it doesn't just have to be all JAM, all the time. (Even though it mostly is.) So, bravo for taking an unexpected angle by focusing on Roy. You did right by him, I think.  

10

You know that principle in quantum physics that says for every action in this world, all the possible other outcomes of that action play out in other worlds in parallel dimensions? That's what this story felt like: peering through some sort of interdimensional window into what might have happened; what could have been (as your title so aptly says). 

You weren't kidding about those first four times. Oy. They were indeed painful to read, but each completely plausible in their own way. Perhaps that's what made them so difficult to read: knowing that Jim and Pam are always one bad decision away from chaos. Okay, so that may not be the message you intended me to take away from this, 'cause it's sort of a bleak way of looking at things. But trust me, I'm not depressed by this story at all. That last vignette made up for everything. And if anything, the previous four just made the last one all that sweeter. :)

Well done! 

10

Ha! Very, very cute chapter. I love embarrassed!Jim, judgmental!Angela, and of course...uh... Creed!Creed. (He just is who he is, y'know? :P)

I really like the dialogue you've got going on in this story. It's so realistic sounding. Makes the characters come alive, as though we're watching the long-lost-probably-never-gonna-see-it S4 Christmas episode... :)... :/ .... :( .... :'[

No, I'll be okay... it's just.. .dusty in here. :P 

10

"Lovely wasn't far away at all."

Best. Line. Of. The. Year.

LoveFool, I have no words to really describe how great this is. (Would it be cliche to say it's "lovely?")

We don't see enough first-person fic around here, so thank you for tackling what could be a fairly daunting genre! 

Just...wow.  

10

This chapter got a hearty "smort" out of me, and I'll tell you why.

See, I come from a small family that is a lot like how you've described Pam's. And when I married into Mrs. Mose's family, what with her five brothers and sisters...well, yeah. Let's just say that in reading about Pam's first impressions of the casa de Halpert, you hit the nail right on the head for me. :)

I love this story so far! It's just fantastic. 

I want to be mad at this chapter. It's sad and it's angsty and it hurts to read, and I should be mad at it.

But I can't be mad at it. It's so beautifully written that nothing else matters. Even the "moments" section that makes my heart droop a little is so deliciously written, I can't help but say it's good.

See it's stuff like this I love. And it's placed you squarely on my favorite authors list. (High praise, indeed! :P)

On to the next chapter! 

So... Anne turns out to be the psycho/clingy one, and Jim has to break it off with her. Did not expect that. :) But I love it. 

Flustered!Pam is so well written here; I just want to give her a hug and tell her it'll be okay. She's so funny and sad and... everything. :)

Someone needs to film this story. Immediately. If not sooner.  

How wonderful to wake up the day after Christmas and find an unexpected gift like this one! I thought it was every bit as sweet as the sugar cookies Pam was making.

And about the Rudolph thing: I had a college professor half jokingly suggest that story/song was symbolic of the Communist scare and McCarthyism during the 50's. :D However, I doubt that a four year old would be interested in that sort of stuff. But it still makes me laugh to think about.

But I digress.

This story was just great. Well done! 

9

Fantastic job with both vignettes. I really liked your take on Pam's dad and his emotional distance. It helps clarify why Pam would be so close to her mom and yet never really speak about her dad. 

And the proposal scene was wonderfully understated--exactly how I'd imagine it would really be for them. Less really is more when writing for Jim and Pam, isn't it?

Well done!