Jim and Pam, moments from each month, starting with May 2007. Just sort of filling in some blanks. Some fluff, a little angst here and there. Eventually I'll get through a whole year. Spoilers through "The Job," I guess. 
10 I have to say that of all the possible futures for Jim I've read on various stories around here, this seems the most plausible. Everyone wants Jim to immediately become a sports writer, but let's be honest: that's not very likely to happen straight out of Dunder Mifflin. A sales position at a sports radio station, on the other hand, is at least a lateral move in the right direction. It's a great first step.
You've got this wonderful grasp of these characters, and you manage to keep them sounding and acting so real. Excellent work!
10 Oh, this is very intriguing! I think you've done a fantastic job of setting everything up so far. And might I especially commend you on your characterization of Kelly and Darryl? They're quickly becoming some of my favorite characters to write for, and I think you've given us a fascinating glimpse into Kelly's mind. (Which, let's face it-- I never thought there was all that much there to begin with!) I suppose I've always viewed Darryl and Kelly being a fairly temporary thing, but you give me reason to re-think that idea. Darryl is probably really good for her.
Also, a million Schrute bucks for you for linking to Wikipedia. :D So funny.
I think it's a fabulous start, and I will be eagerly following this ping pong tournament!
10 Okay, so it's REALLY late here, and I can't sleep a wink. So what do I do? I come here to see what is happening and I find that you've written a story! Fantastic!
Right off the bat, you had me cracking up at Meredith's list. Poor Meredith. Will she ever get a break?
Of course, Phyllis' mention of the rest of the family Vance (Vance [fill in the blank]) was a stroke of genius. Methinks the Vance family must hold some sort of monopoly over the contractors in the greater Scranton area. Oh, wouldn't THAT be a cool story? To learn that Bob Vance is like some crime boss of contractors? Wow, the possibilites... (hey, gimme a break. I said it was late. Apparently this is the sort of thing I think of when I can't sleep.)
And, of course, Jim's was perfectly adorkable. Well done.
Oh, and before I forget, Jan and JOSH?! How has no-one paired them up together before? That's brilliant.
Okay, full stars for you, my friend.
Sorry about the insomnia, but since it garnered me another review, I guess that's at least a Lose/Win. ;) (The win's for me. :))
Poor Meredith will never get a break, on the show, at least. What comedic value would there be to her giving up the booze and the ultra-casual sex? I'd feel really badly for her if she were a real person, but since she isn't, I crack up with her lines like "In my experience, guys are way more attracted to the back of you than the front." Oh, Meredith! Did you really say that out loud? :) And when we discovered in Fun Run that she'd been bitten by a raccoon and a rat in addition to the bat? Yikes. I think that was in alleys where she was doing... um...well, she doesn't remember who she was doing. I mean what she was doing. ;)
I love the Vances. When reading your review, I realized if Bob had Scranton brothers, they definitely would have been at the wedding, and we didn't see them, so... there was apparently a major situation in Scranton on that day which required all the plumbers and construction heads to be there. You should definitely write something about the intricate web of Vance contractors. Sounds awesome.
In real life, Jim and Pam would get engaged and married within a year, year and a half tops. When you know you want to spend the rest of your life with a person (/Harry, When Harry Met Sally)
Yeah, Jan and Josh. That was just for fun. :) He dumped her ass, though. Probably part of the reason she's such a mess.
Thanks for reading and reviewing, Cousin Mose. I hope you got to sleep okay after this. (Or if not, went on to review other stories.) :)
Watching the documentary as a favor for Ryan, Toby learned that almost everyone at Dunder Mifflin could probably sue Michael for something and win big. And he learned a few other very important lessons as well.9 I'm not sure how I missed this initially, but I'm going to chalk it up to the holidays. :)
I have to say that you've done the near-impossible in this fandom: come up with a truly original story idea that isn't merely a retelling of the same things we've all seen a hundred times before. You've taken a unique and realistic approach here, and I think it worked brilliantly.
And, let's face it: as much fun as it is to kick Toby around, it's nice to see him occasionally win.
Heh... okay, this wasn't anything close to what I was expecting. Not that that's a bad thing at all. Unexpected stories are some of my favorites.
I find your take on many of these scenarios quite fascinating. I chuckled with pure schadenfreude over Jan's coupon clipping and hot-pocket munching; I loved Kelly's manic mood swings; and I felt my eyes go wide with surprise upon reading about Phyllis' troubled past. Very brave moves all, bebitched, and I applaud the courage to explore those.
Pam's tears always make me a little verklempt myself, as that was the moment that started me writing fic in the first place. I really like your painful take on that moment.
I think the only one that had me confused was the very first one with Karen and Andy. It says pre-merger, but Karen talks about having already moved to the middle of nowhere, which makes it sound like it's post-merger. I guess I'm just a little confused by that one.
Overall, though, a great and intriguing story!
Cool! Chapter two already up! It's like second drink! :)
Once again, you explore some pretty cool territory, and I think you've done a great job here. I love any look at Dwight and Angela's relationship, and I always wondered what the fall out of Kelly's sudden kiss was--beyond the smashing of ornaments in the parking lot. :)
Jim's conversation with Jan was quietly tragic, although I love the idea that that is where he got "just once" from. I'm a big fan of important moments like that coming from unusual sources.
I think my favorite, though, was Ryan's. I don't know if I have the words to adequately describe how much I laughed at his pain. I believe that the aftermath of "I guess he can't get ANY girl he wants" ended exactly like that. :)
Excellent story!
9 Why do you insist on bringing the hurt like this? Why? What'd we ever do to you, huh? :P
I kid.
Sort of.
I want to be mad at this story. I really do. I want to want it to move away and never call me again. But I can't be like that, because it's got so many beautiful images in it.
Darn you! :P
How would things have turned out if Pam read the card that came with her teapot?10 Shan! First of all, it's so nice to see you back and writing again! And even though Christmas is over, this is a most welcome gift. (Yeah, I know you wrote it for brokenloon, but hey, we all get to share it, right? It's like second present! :) )
I'm going to agree with Becky215 and say that your version of Jim's card is the best one I've read (it's WAY better than my version of it! :P), and Pam's reaction to the aforementioned card is the best reaction of all the reactions. ;)
Oh, if only, huh? We could have been spared the dark, bleak days of season three...
Thank you so much for sharing this! Excellent!
Hi Mose! Amen to skipping over season three. Oh the happy Karen-free times we would have had! Le sigh.
Thank you so much for the positive words!
Pam and Jim reconnect after the events of Casino Night.10 Perfection. n. (per-fek-shun). The state or condition of being flawless or without fault. Syn. Whole, completed, finished. Without defect. Ideal.
See Also: This story. :)
A. Maz. Ing.
8 "it was like drowning and flying..."
Oh, that's a wonderful line right there. :) I love the idea, and I look forward to see where you take this! Nice!
8 A very nice glimpse into Pam's first big step in a series of steps that will lead her to step across coals. :) I've always tried to imagine how lonely she must have been for that first little while.
Excellent job!
9 Poor Pam... I still cringe when I watch "The Merger," because it just goes from good to awkward to painful so quickly. That look she gives in the parking lot when Karen scratches Jim's back destroys me every time.
You've done a marvelous job in conveying the sense of excitement and hope that she must have been feeling the night before.
Can't wait for more!
10 I... have... no words.
*blink*
BAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!
This was the funniest thing I've read all day long! Sheer brilliance here, between Kelly's tour-de-force of, um, Kellyness, to Angela's oh-so judgmental nature, to Pam being Oscar's "fall back school?" Just... wow.
Oh, and "your mom's 12?" Yeah. Good thing I wasn't drinking anything. (Apparently my sense of humor is also twelve...)
Michael Scott has a great plan to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., but no one else is happy about it. It's up to Jim to fix it. Part of my holiday series -- "Holiday: Just One Day Out Of Life."9 He felt sorry for people who weren't quick-witted like he was.
:smort: Excellent.
Fantastic chapter, Kev! I especially liked Ryan's "I'm the boss" speech with Jim. You really captured that transparently shallow kid that is Ryan these days.
And Pam's suggestion of a babysitting chart for Michael was a nice touch. Wasn't it in the commentary for Safety Training where BJ says that Michael is basically Jim and Pam's kid? So true.
Nice work, and I'm off to read the next chapter!
Sadly, if I were Ryan, that's about exactly what I'd say to Jim. Jim's coasting along, and he should be earning that #2 salary he has. That may make me transparently shallow, I don't know. But I do know I'm not a kid. ;) But I'd absolutely set Jim to babysitting Michael. He needs it!
It's funny that you pointed out the quick-witted line, because as I wrote it I thought "I could use the exact same line for Andy," so I wasn't sure it was right for Michael. There are definite similarities between the two men, though.
Thanks for reading and reviewing!
10 Ha! Now that's a perfect thing to do for Stanely on MLK day: A day without Michael and Dwight! And Phyllis! Brilliant choice.
I think it's great that you tackled a story from Stanely's POV. I find him really difficult to write for. I guess I can't get past the crossword and pretzel jokes. :P So, really great job in giving us a bit of a different peek into his world.
Also, i forgot to mention this in my other review, but I remember as a young kid going with my grandmother and great aunt to eat at a restaurant called "Sambo's," complete with scenes from the book painted on the walls. And that was only 1977 or so. Whew.
Anyway, great job with this! Very funny stuff.
I liked in Safety Training (I think) when we discovered that not only did Phyllis have those stinky perfumes, but she and Bob talked on the phone all the time (Karen lost a bet about it). So Stanley, I'm sure, would love a day off from Phyllis, even though they're close. ("We sit close.") ;)
Each section is actually from different POVs, but I do have a couple of sections of Stanley's. I don't think it's normally easy to get into his mindset, but for something specific like this or something brief (like Stanley, Off to the Poconos) I can manage.
I think Sambo's is still around. Aha! According to wikipedia, the best thing ever, the first and only remaining Sambo's is in Santa Barbara CA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambo's. Strangely enough, the name came from the two owners, not from the Little Black Sambo book, but then people began to associate it with that anyway and they decided to ride that wave... which was clearly a mistake of huge proportions.
Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, Cousin Mose! Now that I have a breather before the next holiday, I can catch up with Phineas Fogg and maybe beat him to the Pit Stop. ;)
"I sort of turned into Barrette Girl." Why Pam let her hair down.
10 Why do I love fic? Because of stories like this one. :)
Hiatus, schmiatus. :P
This story rocks. And so do you.
Pam wakes up one morning and reflects.10 This was really lovely. I love the second-person narrative of this. It almost is a more intimate way to look at things than even a first person view. Well done on that.
And there's a real sweetness underlying all this, too. Little glimpses in Pam's memories of silly notes, of silly looks, and silly little moments which really aren't so silly.
Excellent work! I hope you keep writing!
Karen POV post-Branch Wars. Spoilers through BW.
She tries to pinpoint the moment when being near him went from making her feel bubbly and young to brittle and needy.
9 I'll admit it: after watching my S3 DVDs over and over, I find myself caring less and less about Karen Fillipelli. Maybe that's the fault of the writers who didn't care enough about her to give her anything to do but be the iceberg for the good ship Jammypop. I don't know.
What I do know is that this is the first peek into Karen's head that I've read here that sounds and feels genuine to me. People seem to either write Karen one of two ways: either as an evil witch, or as an overly idealized saintly victim. I don't like either version, frankly. And you've managed to strike a chord that's somewhere in between that feels very real. Well done.
Their first date gets derailed. Somehow, that's OK.
8 Awww... and here all it took was for Jim to call Pam a dork. That's so sweet. :)
Nicely done, lis! I love that Jim and Pam are so willing to drop everything to help Michael. I swear, he'd be lost without them!
Cute story!
10 Hey, you're not the only one who's happy that you're writing again! :)
This was just the sugar rush I needed this morning to start my day off right. Seriously, they could pour this story into a bowl, and set it on the table with some neatly arranged pieces of toast and a glass of OJ, and it'd be part of this complete breakfast!
(Note to self: don't review before breakfast... :P)
Anyway, this was great. I laughed the loudest at the "debate team" exchange. That sounded SO them.
Also, my wife totally owns her ANTM addiction. I've learned to accept it, much like I've learned that she will always squeeze the toothpaste from the middle and there's nothing I can say that will change that. Also, Tyra Banks is the harbinger of the apocalypse.
Sugar rushes are my specialty. I tried to have OJ this morning - but I couldn't get the top off the container. So weird...so I had chocolate milk instead.
I know. Just what you wanted to learn from my response to your review - right? LOL!
Anyway - I am so glad you liked it and tell Mrs. Mose she's a woman right after my own heart.
And PS: You don't watch ANTM BECAUSE of Tyra - you watch it IN SPITE of her. ;) As for me - I'm a big Mr. Jay fan myself. And Nigel - 'cause he's dreamy.
And I'll stop now - because you probably deal with that at home - and don't want to have to here. :)
10 xoxoxo, I apologize for coming late to this party and not leaving a review for this earlier. I had read this a couple of days ago, and I swear in my mind I'd written out a review. I guess it just never made it to my fingers! :)
Anyway, I know you consider this merely an exercise to keep your fic-writing muscles toned and the blood of your creativity flowing, but believe me, it's more than that (if you'll pardon the pun!).
I love the parallel stories here, varying from each of their points of view. And I think the thing I love the most here is the underlying sense of irrational anxiety they both feel at times. That's such a human reaction when things are going well in one's life, you know? Things are perfect, so when's it all going to fall apart? :P
That's why I love this part right here:
But it doesn't happen, or hasn't happened and neither one of them wants it to ever happen so they decide to work at making sure it doesn't.
They've come too far and waited too long for that.
Excellent!
No apologies necessary. Reviews are always appreciated whenever they arrive.
I'm so glad you liked it. I only posted because I thought it had some sort of substance when everything was said and done. Very happy to know you agreed!!
Thanks again!
Do you know which character is which?
10 No, not too weird a concept at all, stablergirl! Please do continue!
So I just found this story this morning, and I'm very intrigued at the concept! This first chapter is about Angela, right? (I swear I didn't peek at other people's guesses, either! :P)
I really like the way in which you showed how lonely she is without Dwight. I'm a HUGE supporter of Dwangela (JAM who? haha), and I desperately want them to get back together on the show.
My favorite line: "she had judged herself on her sound judgment." So funny, and so Angela. She really does enjoy being judged, doesn't she? :)
Off to read the next chapter!
10 Wow.
Okay, so at first I was sure this was Kevin you were talking about, but then, as you went on, I wasn't so sure anymore. It wasn't until the very end that I realized you were talking about Stanley here. And then I went back and read it all again, and it became clear.
Stanley is one of the hardest characters for me to write for. I don't know why that is, either. So I'm very impressed with what you've done here. This is one of the best explorations into his character that I've ever read.
I'd never considered that Stanley would be wrestling with the personal demon of not being good enough. I mean, I know he's unhappy at his job, but you've given me something else to think about with him.
Great job! Can't wait for more!
stablergirl, you almost tricked me with this one. I was initially thinking it was Jan you were talking about because of the reference to "examining her life choices." (I was thinking that perhaps this was set prior to the Valentine's Day ep)
But then I suddenly realized you were talking about Karen, right? And then it all made more sense.
I really like this story of yours. It's so different from what we usually see around here, and I enjoy the way you keep me guessing until almost the very end of each chapter.
Well done!
10 You're not sure why you're surprised. Every time you decide to take a chance where she's concerned you wind up feeling just like this.
Ouch! Y'know, there are certain episodes of S3 that I just can't watch anymore. The Merger, for instance, with the revisiting of the parking lot of doom. Or The Negotiation, where Jim reaches the acme of his bitterness. But Phyllis' Wedding... oh, the humanity! You've captured perfectly the angst of that night. Thank goodness you didn't wallow in the pain pool forever, though. You gave us a much better ending than the show did, and for that I thank you.
Beautiful writing all around!
The Merger kills me too. I have to say, I don't know what it is, but as much sympathy as I had for Mr Halpert in S2 - and trust me - I had oodles, there is something about the S3 Pam related angst that kills me dead everytime I think about it.
Thank you so much for your review. I'm so very glad you liked it.