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I loved the 'ol switcheroo that you pulled with this chapter. It's not often that I'm surprised by things I read in fanfic, but you managed to pull the rug out from under me this time. Very sneaky stuff going on here. :D

You continue to amaze and astound with your careful and sensitive writing, and as always, your attention to detail is what really brings this all home. For instance, using the phrase "casino benefit" instead of the sacred "casino night," or being able to track Karen (Phillips!) short career from bit parts on soaps and in slasher films, continue to bring this story into a world all it's own. It's as if you've been granted access to a true parallel universe where these events really played out, and we're now just lucky enough to see them. 

And is it bad if I sorta wish that your version of events is how it really played out in our universe? :D

Keep up the good work, Mel. I'm on board with this thing for the duration.

Okay so I just spent a couple hours reading this and I love it! I hope you update it soon! =)

Author's Response: i'm so glad that you love this story. I'm doing my best to update as soon as possible. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

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I was so glad to see a post for this story today!

I'm so sad though that Pam & Jim seem to be really split up for good.  Still waiting to see what else happens.

I love the way you use different media formats in your stories.  You are really creative!

Wow, how exciting to see this float back to the top of the list! The originality of the idea, the absolutely unique tone- this is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece of a story. Good to have it back!

Author's Response: Wow! thanks so much for your kind words. They mean a lot coming from an author whose work I really admire.  Thanks again!

You better believe I remember this story!  I remember it and love it still, and I'm so glad you've updated, GiTC.  You always manage to suck me right back into the story.  Since you left us with quite the little cliffhanger there, I hope you can update again soon! 

Author's Response: Oh Nan! I'ts so great to hear from you. Thanks for your kind words.  I'm working hard on getting the next chapter up. In fact, the "artifact" is finished (I had to use photoshop again).  I just need to write the karen/pam conversation. Thanks as always!

So happy to see another update!  This feels so real, GiTC, so sad...but dare I say I'm feeling hopeful?  I really appreciate how you go into the repercussions of the network's actions.  Youu always manage to pique my curiosity.  Can't wait to see how this winds up!

This is intriguing!  I hope Karen's in on it.

This is such a unique concept for a story. Of course I hope Jim and Pam end up together. Looking forward to what comes next!

Aaaaaaaand here's the Pamifesto. :)

Whew. This was... amazing. Does that sound cliche enough? I feel like I need to get a thesaurus out so I can come up with some superlatives other than "amazing," "excellent," or "wonderful." Because as much as I mean those things, I'm not sure they really convey just how amazing, excellent, and wonderful I really think this is. If that last chapter with Roy was full of me nodding and pumping my fist in the air like Dwight in the presence of firemen, this chapter was me quietly reading Pam like it was the first time I'd ever read her. 

I love that Pam has an aversion now to being interviewed on film; I can see that as being a very natural outgrowth of having gone through the filming process in the first place. And I love that she chastises the audience for thinking they know her just because they've seen her on TV. That rang so true simply because it is true. And is it weird that after reading that, there's a part of me that doesn't want to know what happened in the hotel room? Like it's too personal for me to know about? Like... it's nobody's business but [theirs]? 

You keep blowing me away with this story, Mel. 

Mel, I've been so far behind with this story, and for that I apologize. I'm playing catch-up right now, though.

First of all, let me just say that this chapter needs to be printed out in large type and distributed to every single person who ever has written or who ever wants to write Office fic as THE best portrayal of Roy. Period. End of story. No more calls; we have a winner. 

I'm serious here. I look back at my very early stories and am ashamed of the way I wrote Roy back then. I saw him as one dimensional, as a drunk, as a borderline abusive lout. (I've since changed my thinking on Roy, and hope I've done right by him with my later stories.) I kept nodding in agreement as I read Roy's interview and thinking "THIS is what people need to understand about him!" 

In short, this story reminds me why I like reading and writing fic in the first place, so thank you for that. It's seriously one of the few stories I'm even keeping up with these days, so it's like a life preserver, keeping me afloat. :)

i literally almost died when i read that last answer. i thought that this was gonna be the end! whoo... so glad it's not. this is so intriguing and in depth. i LOVE it. i also can not wait to find out what happened to them all. it's just so outrageous and obnoxious and totally something Hollywood would do if The Office were real. thanks for the great chapter and i can't wait for the next one! 

How in the world did I miss the last 3 chapters????? Granted, it was nice to see your story and have 3 in a row to read, but geez – what rock was I living under? :)

You know what I love about this story (besides everything, that is)? The fact that you constantly surprise us with new and interesting formats for the beginning of your chapters. The radio transmissions? Awesome. Roy’s interview? Possibly my favorite interview. Pam’s letter? I’m freaking speechless.

What I loved about the radio transmissions was that you were able to imply so much. Sometimes it’s better not to read in great detail what went on. It gave it a more “authentic” Office-y feel to read those transmissions. Roy’s chapter simply blew me away. I think I said early (in one of my long rambling reviews) that I have a soft spot for Roy, or that I liked how were portraying him. This chapter solidified that for me. I’m actually feeling worse for him than Jim and Pam. It was great to see the daddy side of Roy. I also liked that we’re left with the impression that Jim and Roy aren’t out gunning for each other. When you explored similar ideas about the media’s affect in Observer Effect you really showed how people can band together when the sh#*t hits the fan. Your subtle hints about Roy and Jim (and Pam) convey that here, as well. You’re not showing that they’re all best buds, but that they all recognize the other got screwed and they’re in that together. I also liked the mention in both the Pam and the Roy chapter about the editing. Roy’s editing badly and Pam is edited as this victim, and neither idea is the truth. Finally, Pam’s letter was … amazing. When Pam (or you?) said/wrote that bit about knowing and not knowing about Jim … wow. You put it so clearly that it made all the other ideas and arguments that I read online seem, kind of, not right. :) Of course she didn’t know because she’s not watching filtered moments; she’s not seeing all those things we say lined up in a row week after week. Her life isn’t edited. Oh, and the fact that Pam (and you) are refusing to tell what happened in that hotel room – I like. Very good.

Pam’s chapter made me think of a few questions for you. If you can’t or don’t want to answer them due to “spoilers” I understand :) 1) How far after the night at the beach is this story being written? How many years have passed? 2) Are we going to find out how Pam and Jim and Roy managed to keep their private lives hidden after the documentary was over? I wondered if it would be easy for someone to find out if Jim and Pam ended up together just because they are “regular” people and not celebrities, therefore maybe not as adept at hiding their private lives.

Looking forward to more :)