Date: July 24, 2020 10:36 am Title: Leaving
Ahhhh!!! I loved this chapter! The way Pam breaks things off with Roy is so believable, and you captured their voices and interactions so well. And I loved the ending; it has just the perfect amount of fluff. I can’t wait for the next chapter!
Author's Response:
Thanks so much!
I wrote that break up like 10 times, so I'm glad it worked!
1 [Report This]Date: July 24, 2020 05:40 am Title: Error
Very cute! I especially loved that Pam went out of her way to deliver food to Jim, that was a very feel good moment. I am of course also glad that they finally met in person. While seeing Pam struggle with her relationship with Roy is saddening, I can only hope it leads to less pain all around this time. Looking forward to more!
Author's Response:
I wasn't sure about Pam sending food to Jim, but then I remembered that during quarantine here a lot of people were doing it. Grandmas to their grandchildren, Moms to their kids, and even I sent some cookies to a couple of friends because I'd made too many. So, this is more or less what Pam is telling herself this is about. Of course, is a lot more than that.
She is moving forward, and it's not easy, but she's going to.
Thanks very much for reviewing!
1 [Report This]Date: July 22, 2020 03:30 pm Title: Initiating
Kuri, I'm loving this story, but my brain is mush from too much work (on Zoom!) So I have no pretty words to say. Me like it. Please write more. 😊
Author's Response:
Thanks very much! I'm happy you like it.
Actually I started writing it during a veeeery boring zoom meeting in which we could keep the cams off. But I totally get zoom-brain. It's as if all thoughts were gone for good.
1 [Report This]Date: July 22, 2020 03:51 am Title: Error
Oh Pam...
“Those texts and calls didn’t really mean anything, unless she wanted them to” Except they do mean something, that’s why she’s feeling guilty - or at the very least conscious - of them.
"High five, obviously.” This is such a lovely moment of levity in an otherwise pretty heavy chapter. Well, that and every mention to Dwight which is just delightful.
“Pam had decided that she liked him better when she could pretend he wasn't there.” Oof. That’s telling. In a way I feel for Roy, his life is unraveling around him and he doesn’t even know it. But, I suppose he only really has himself to blame...
“The savings for the wedding.” He just doesn’t get it. At least he hasn’t spent the savings on Wave-runners yet in this world. Silver lining?
“He was a stranger after all.” But is he, Pam? Is he really?
Another lovely chapter. I think you’re capturing what quarantine life would be like for Pam and Roy to a tee.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much!
Pam is starting to realise how important the presence of Jim is, even if just virtually. He's there, through screens, more than Roy in real life. And that has a lot of meaning for her.
I love Dwight. I always try to write him in, even as a joke, because one of the best things in the whole show is his weird friendship with Pam. Also, he's hilarious.
I actually learned about the wave-runners after writing this chapter, because I've just started listening to The Office Ladies. I know, shame on me. Anyway, yeah, I always imagined him not really thinking about the wedding but more in the lines of "hey, we've got some money"
He's not a stranger, but Miss Beesly is having some trouble really understanding how.
Again, thanks very much!
1 [Report This]Date: July 21, 2020 10:59 am Title: Error
Aww Kuri, you're welcome. Social distance safe greetings and a lovely feature of JAM for years, air-fives are the best.
So lots of interesting things here. I REALLY like that Pam's starting to grow some steel in her spine. She's absolutly right. She's working, cooking, cleaning, getting groceries and Roy is just sitting on his ass all day long. Yeah the sooner she gets away from the man-child he is here, the better.
Love all the thoughts going through her head. That she wants to make all these changes and that she is starting to. And she's realizing that its because of Jim's encouragement. Wonderful to see that coming out. It feels like Jim and Pam have a ways to go before they're both out of the friendship phase but there are great signs it's heading that way.
Lovely update.
Author's Response:
I'm a sucker for Pam standing for herself, so Jim's there, of course, but deciding to leave Roy and actually doing it, is all her.
And the thing about quarantine is that, in general, has made us all more aware of who we are and what we want. Scare, in a way, but also liberating.
Thanks very much!
1 [Report This]Date: July 21, 2020 08:47 am Title: Error
This story has my heart. "He was a stranger after all." Ugh, this is so painful yet significant.
I love how you are writing Pam's turmoil and gradual realisations, albiet within a qurantine situation. Always enjoy pre- S3 Pam's POV stories because on the show you can see so much going on in her mind towards Jim (and Roy) but get to hear barely any of it.
Looooove the air-five! Adorable.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much! The whole time I was writing this chapter I kept thinking about the air high five, when to put it and how, to make it flow with the actions.
Pam in S2 is my favourite Pam... nah, not really, I think I like her in almost every season, but S2 has a lot of inner thoughts and some classy Pam sass.
I hope you like what's coming next!
1 [Report This]Date: July 21, 2020 06:51 am Title: Error
I feel sorry for Pam so much and, at the same time, I'm so proud of her. You wrote her turmoils beautifully realistic. 'Too. What else had Roy taken from her?' I like this line so much!
And the ending is perfect. I like stories in which Jim saves Pam, but there is something fascinatingly beautiful in the stories where Pam saves herself on her own...
Author's Response:
Thanks very much for reviewing!
Me too! I love when Pam stands for herself and does her thing without help. In this case Jim sort of inspired her to move forward, but it's mostly her, making some important choices.
1 [Report This]Date: July 21, 2020 01:27 am Title: F2F
Oh my God, it so, so cute! I adore their interactions. And elbow bump. And Pam's surprise for Jim. And all of this tenderness is such a stark contrast with Roy's reactions that... ugh. So frustrating.
I love this story, and I'm looking forward to more!
Author's Response:
Thanks very much! I'm happy you liked it!
More is on its way!
1 [Report This]Date: July 20, 2020 04:03 am Title: F2F
“Their masks, the weary eyes, the hurried way people would move, as distant of one another as possible, it all gave her chills” This hits right in the too real feels...
What‘s this? A meet cute in the middle of a pandemic?! I am living. (I mean they’ve kind of already met, but this still has all the rom-com tropey hallmarks of a good meet cute).
“she was feeling a strange urge to hug him.” Hard same, girl. Hard same.
“You noticed?” Of course he did. He’s a sweetheart. But also, this nod to canon is delightful.
“I'm sending Dwight over.” This is perfect Pam, just the right amount of sass.
I feel for her. I really do. Obviously I don’t want her to stick with Roy just for the sake of sticking with Roy, but it’s certainly being done harsh truths closer to the surface... I don’t envy her what’s to come...
Author's Response:
LOL! Thanks very very much!
Supermarkets are great places for a meet cute. Add some masks and friendly banter and well...
The first time I saw somebody other than family members when in a lockdown I really felt like hugging him... and he was just a regular colleague. So, you can imagine if the person in question had special meaning.
I love sassy Pam. And one of the best thing of the series is how much sassier she gets as seasons progress.
I promise the Roy thing will progress very soon.
Again, thanks a lot!
1 [Report This]Date: July 19, 2020 02:59 pm Title: F2F
Love how this is progressing. And love how a face-to-face is in a grocery shop, makes it so real but also so endearing! I really like how gradually you are writing in Pam's inner turmoil and her blaming 'cabin fever'- totally in line with S2 Pam.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much for reviewing!
Of course Pam's first thought couldn't be "I'm in a bad relationship", but she'd make excuses. Not for long, though.
1 [Report This]Date: July 19, 2020 09:50 am Title: F2F
Very cute way for Pam to meet Jim face to face. I got a feeling if this keeps happening our beloved air fives will start making their appearance soon.
You've got a great dicotomy between Roy and Jim here. Jim is on "starving college student" rations. Simple quick and cheap stuff from the microwave. However I get the sense he'd really like and apprciate a good home cooked meal. Then there's Roy who CAN get a good home cooked meal but is acting like a 5 year old who's being a horrible picky eater. Then of course when Jim does get that home cooked meal he's over the moon.
I hope Pam's paying close attention to who really appciates her and who doesn't.
Love the banter/flirting going on between Jim and Pam. Feels very true to canon. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much for reviewing!
I was just yearning to make them meet f2f because... well, because it's them. And having them interact in a mask was fun.
Thanks for reminding me of the air fives!
Roy's being a bit of an ass is highlighted because of quarantine. I can imagine him just waiting until it's over, without making arrangements or plans or anything, as if this was a vacation and Pam was his server. And of course Jim is extra attentive because he's seen the potential.
Pam will come around very soon, promise. Cheers!
1 [Report This]Date: July 17, 2020 05:16 am Title: Connecting
Walking around in the background of a call wearing PJs? That was totally me before I finally got back to work a few weeks ago. I love the unique and relatable spin to their classic arc, and I hope they continue to grow their relationship. The part with Roy ordering pizza - just - off. Boy do I really hate that guy.
Well done, looking forward to more!
Author's Response:
As a friend of mine said two weeks into lockdown: my "real" clothes are probably thinking I've died.
Thanks very much for reviewing!
Date: July 17, 2020 05:07 am Title: Connecting
Great dialogue! Looking forward to more!
Author's Response: Thanks very much!
1 [Report This]Date: July 17, 2020 03:34 am Title: Connecting
“Pam tuned out the rest of the speech and continued doodling in the notepad she was holding, being careful for it not to show to the webcam.” This... this is life now. It’s truly a skill to figure out how to how to do literally anything else whilst pretending to pay attention to a Zoom meeting (that really should have been an email).
I love how you’re capturing all their personalities so well, even through Zoom - like of course Stanley would be blatantly doing his crossword puzzle.
I like that somehow they still kind of know they’re on the same wavelength, even without meeting in person.
“Focused on beating my all time- wait, is this thing recording?” Oh, this made me laugh.
“Great. It’s a d- settled then.” Oh no? Oh yes? Jim’s smitten already? I mean, I get it. I really get it. I just feel for the poor guy - fingers crossed there isn’t like three whole seasons worth of angst ahead of him... It’s super sweet that he asked to hang out on Zoom all day.
“Maybe I’m finally getting that cabin fever everybody’s talking about.” I so love the humor you inject into your writing. It makes for a lot of fun.
I feel you on the too much Zoom and not enough Jim Halpert. Story of my life.
Author's Response:
Thanks very very much for such an amazing review!
I think zoom makes a little more evident some of the personalities irl. Fortunately my boss does not make us turn on the cameras, which is a relief.
Also, can you imagine Stanley being forced to zoom meetings?
Jim is smitten from day one. Have you seen the deleted scene about Jim's worst first date (I think it's in the extra material), when he talks about going to Cugino's with this girl "and we really hit it off". That's where I'm getting all this. And sure, Jim knows about Roy, but he's not really caring about him right now.
You won't have three seasons of angst ahead, promise. There will be some angst, but not too much.
Thanks again!
1 [Report This]Date: July 16, 2020 11:31 pm Title: Connecting
Oh, they became comfortable with each other so quickly — I like it very much! And all of these happened during calls and Zoom meetings, I'm full of anticipation of that might happen if they actually meet.
"Great. It's a d- settled then." - this line is so adorable and just a tad sad, but I love it!
I'm looking forward to the continuation!
Author's Response:
Thanks very much for your review! I'm not sure about how fast or slow would this scenario work, but I'm leaning towards fast. At least in my case, while on quarantine I found my self getting very friendly with a couple of people.
Cheers!
Date: July 16, 2020 06:18 pm Title: Connecting
This is SOOOOO adorable. I love how you are managing to bring out the early seasons Jim/Pam chemistry even in a virtual set-up. I also like how the inadequancy of the Pam/Roy equation is also coming through by staying under the same roof all the time. Cannot wait to read more!
Author's Response:
Thank you very much! I'm glad you're liking it. Jim and Pam have such a strong chemistry it's not difficult to imagine them being just like that even online.
I'll have to make them meet f2f, eventually, though.
Thanks again!
1 [Report This]Date: July 16, 2020 06:17 pm Title: Connecting
Lots of fun JAM banter galore in this one. Really kind of fun to see their connection grow like this. You'r writing them playing off each other really well.
Kinda feel bad for Pam. She's stuck at home with a bored and lazy Roy and since he's not working, he's even more bored and lazy. Feels like something might get to a breaking point with that sooner rather than later.
One thing, it would be helpful on the reader to somehow differentiate their text conversations from the narration. Bold font, italics, something like that. At times it's a little hard to determine where narration starts and text based conversation begins.
Great update.
Author's Response:
Thanks very much! I didn't notice that the Italics I used for the text didn't show on the final version. I think it's fixed now.
Actually the starting point of this was imagining Pam and Roy in a lockdown together. With would serve to speed up Pam's realisation that she's just engaged to the wrong guy.
Thanks again!
1 [Report This]Date: July 08, 2020 04:31 pm Title: Initiating
This is great! I like the energy between them, even on Zoom. And clearly you've been on as many Zoom meetings as me because you've got all the terminology and practices. Looking forward to seeing what's next.
Author's Response: Gawd yes! Even my kids use zoom for school.
I'm glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy the rest :-)
1 [Report This]Date: July 08, 2020 03:43 pm Title: Initiating
This is a fun and different take, I am definitely interested to see where you go with this.
The Roy barging in bit was great, just what one would expect from him.
Date: July 08, 2020 06:37 am Title: Initiating
Really like the setup here! Looking forward to reading more. Somehow, even over zoom, the Jim/Pam connection just feels palpable- kudos to your writing!
Date: July 08, 2020 03:37 am Title: Initiating
Great job! I enjoyed this. And thanks for the mention😉
1 [Report This]Date: July 08, 2020 03:16 am Title: Initiating
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I hate doing meetings by Zoom in the real world. I thought I would love it because who likes people?! But I guess it turns out I’m far more of a people-y person than I realized...
I digress, I love this Zoom meeting/concept when it comes to JAM!
“he finally cracked a silly joke about maybe selling toilet paper instead of their usual multipurpose photocopy reams” This is an absolutely perfect joke, both for Jim and the current world. I genuinely laughed.
Looking forward to seeing where you go with this! I’m a little devastated that Roy is around, but I’m hopeful that he won’t be forever...
Author's Response:
How weird it is to ansewer to a review almost 4 years later?
Anyways, I'm revisiting some of the stuff I wrote years ago looking for that elusive inspiration and I just want to say thank you for reviewing and there is no forgiveness for me not to have said thank you back then.
I hope you're well!
1 [Report This]Date: July 07, 2020 10:46 pm Title: Initiating
Very interesting set up here. A unique way to have Jim and Pam meet for the first time that's for sure. Nice to see some of the first inklings of what hopefully will be their friendship. Roy is being his normal loud boorish self. I kinda like that Pam lets Jim know about him right from the off. A lot of times the first meeting seems to go well since Jim doesn't know she's engaged. This time, it's right there. Should make for an interesting dynamic for sure. Looking forward to seeing where this goes.
1 [Report This]Date: July 07, 2020 10:10 pm Title: Initiating
Oh, I like it very much! The whole atmosphere and the easiness of Jim and Pam's chatting. Oh, and the toilet paper joke :)
And then Roy appeared and I felt slightly frustrated. I guess, lockdown Roy even more annoying than usual...
Can't wait to see that happens next!