Date: May 31, 2011 07:19 am Title: Chapter 13
That was utterly exhausting and totally satisfying. Jim getting sincerely angry is glorious, and it's so totally in character for him to feel like shit after. You made me feel bad for everyone involved. It's heartbreaking. This chap may have kicked your ass, but you won, buddy :)
OK, so I know I said this was satisfying...but I already want more...
Author's Response: Thanks so much! I really wanted Jim to get angry because that seems like such a natural response to the humiliating scene that Karen caused but I struggled with keeping it in character. I'm happy it rang true for you! I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter and I'll try to post an update soon!
10 [Report This]Date: May 31, 2011 06:00 am Title: Chapter 13
I'm so happy to see the update! Spending the day inside Jim's head was awesomely intense. And when he spent that moment behind Pam's desk, I gotta tell you, kinda hot...
And the time with Karen. You did such a great job, the anger, followed by the sadness and guilt.
But then he misses Pam's call! So now the bad day gets better for neither of them!
I need more really soon please!!!
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I was worried about that little "behind the desk" scene. I wanted to show how much he was missing Pam...especially after such a lousy day...but I was worried that it might come off a little bit weird. Glad to hear that it worked for you. So happy that you enjoyed this update!
10 [Report This]Date: May 30, 2011 06:16 pm Title: Chapter 13
Awesome chapter. I can't wait to see what happens when Jim and Pam finally talk again.
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I hope to have an update soon.
Date: May 30, 2011 04:42 pm Title: Chapter 1
Oh...My...God!!TunaEveryNight your amazing!! This is so exciting, love this story!! I cant wait for the next chapter, when do you think it will be posted?? I literally check this story for updates every hour lol.
Author's Response: Thank you so much!! I have no idea when I'll post again. Sometimes I can write a chapter in two days and sometimes it takes me over a week. I try really hard to write every day but I don't like to post unless I'm really satisfied with a chapter and some of them just need a little bit more love. I'm so happy that you're enjoying this, though, and I'll try not to keep you waiting too long!
Date: May 30, 2011 04:02 pm Title: Chapter 13
Completely unexpected turn to the story. It is realistic that there would be a Jim/Karen break-up story to be told. It was so hard to read -- it would have been nice to gloss over it as other stories have -- but it is a necessary part of the drama and adds depth and reality to the story. I can hardly wait for what happens next. What a gift you have in story-telling.
Author's Response: Thank you so much! This chapter was hard to write but I thought it was really important. Karen may not have been the one for Jim but I think he really did care about her and their relationship. And no relationship ends in a day. Especially when that relationship has been going on for six months. Glad you enjoyed this chapter!
Date: May 30, 2011 03:43 pm Title: Chapter 13
I don't think this chapter kicked your ass half as bad as it did Jim's, Pam's and Karen's. I've always thought this period, this day where Karen went off on Jim, was prime material for a nice bit of angst, but I don't remember reading too many stories that focused on it. I thought you handled it really well, and it made for an interesting contrast compared to the steam and fluff that we saw in the beginning of the story. I'm sure we'll be seeing a return to that in the not-too-distant future, but in the meantime, I'm enjoying the drama.
Author's Response: Thank you! I've read a lot of first date stories but they almost always focus on Jim and Pam's budding relationship and never even acknowledged the end of Jim and Karen's relationship. As much as I like fluffy JAM stories, I wanted to give a really detailed and honest account of the those first few weeks. Despite his mistakes, Jim is a good guy and I really think breaking up with Karen would have been hard on him. I think the guilt alone would have given him pause. I'm really happy that this story is ringing true for you. I hope you'll share your thoughts about the upcoming chapters, as well!
10 [Report This]Date: May 30, 2011 02:04 pm Title: Chapter 13
Noooooooo, don't let Pam think he's ignoring her. Girl, this is soooooo frustrating, but in the bestest possible way :)
Author's Response: It's always darkest right before dawn. Thanks for stickin' with me. Better times ahead. I promise.
Date: May 30, 2011 01:50 pm Title: Chapter 13
Wow, I am drained after reading this one. I kinda feel bad that I just can't feel sorry for Karen. You wrote this so perfectly and I do know Karen was hurting but I just can't sympathize with her. I guess I'm coldhearted. I feel worse for Pam and you hardly even mentioned her.:(
Author's Response: I'm Team!Pam all the way, but I've always felt this breakup must have been really hard for Karen. I mean, come on...imagine getting dumped by Jim Halpert! I'd be a basket case. :)
10 [Report This]Date: May 30, 2011 12:36 pm Title: Chapter 13
Oh, no, this chapter didn't kick your ass! It may have given you a workout but, girl, YOU BEAT IT INTO SUBMISSION!
Positively a tour de force, I think, the way you've described perfectly the utter heartbreak everyone is feeling for their own reasons. The next chapter is sure to be a gutwrencher, too, I fear. Poor Pam must be beside herself. No contact from Jim in three days and her call goes unanswered.
P.S. You might want to go over it again to fix a few typos/tense mismatches...
Author's Response: Thanks so much for the head's up! I was pretty embarrassed when I went back over this chapter and realized how sloppy it was. Note to self: Do not post new chapters when frustrated with writing style and insanely hungover. :) This wasn't a fun chapter to write but I imagine that must have been such an awful day for all three of them and I really wanted to explore the hurt and tension they were all feeling. Thanks for the feedback!
10 [Report This]Date: May 30, 2011 11:54 am Title: Chapter 13
You write angst so well, this chapter kicked my ass, too. Wow. I'm not going to lie, it made me a little sad! Can't wait for happier times!
Author's Response: Me, too! I liked how this chapter turned out and I think it's important to the story but I've discovered that I really don't like writing angst. Can't wait to write some more smut! Thanks for reviewing!
Date: May 28, 2011 05:37 pm Title: Chapter 1
This is a great story!
I loved the girly shopping chapter - this line was my absolute favourite:
“But nothing too slutty. And nothing green.”
And now things are getting tense in the office. You've captured it so well, it almost makes me feel uncomfortable reading it! But I love how you've covered the very real, conflicting emotions Jim has in relation to Karen and their past relationship.
Can't wait for his and Pam's fancy restaurant date. :-)
Author's Response: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. It really means so much to me when people take the time to share their thoughts about my story. I'm glad that the tense chapters are working for you. They're such a pain to write and I worry that they're just as painful to read. I can't wait for the date, either. These kids deserve some happiness. Thank you again for the review. I hope you'll let me know what you think of the upcoming chapters as well.
10 [Report This]Date: May 20, 2011 08:13 pm Title: Chapter 12
Another awesome chapter! I felt as if you allowed us to spend the morning inside of Pam's brain. Now, are you going to have us spend the rest of the day in Jim's mind?
Author's Response: That's the plan! :) I'm working on that chapter now. Glad you liked this. Thanks for the review.
Date: May 20, 2011 04:08 pm Title: Chapter 1
When I saw that a new chapter had been posted, I had a momentary fear that I'd see the story marked as "Complete"--thankfully, it wasn't. Please feel free to keep going as long as you like. :)
Author's Response: Don't worry, I've got a lot of ideas for this story that should keep it going for a LONG time! Thanks for reviewing! I hope you'll let me know your thoughts on the upcoming chapters as well.
Date: May 20, 2011 01:14 pm Title: Chapter 12
Happy Friday, Tuna! Yikes. The format you chose effectively conveyed the extreme tension in the office. I could perfectly recall the scene from Fun Run of Karen's rant as everyone listened. If only we knew what she said! I guess that's what fanfic's for! I've always wondered whether or not Pam's name came up. Either way, it must have beem unbelievably awkward. All the tension makes me really psyched for the "real" date :)
Author's Response: I've always wondered that, too! There's nothing more tense than a personal argument brought into the workplace. Glad you enjoyed this chapter.
10 [Report This]Date: May 20, 2011 11:26 am Title: Chapter 12
The tension is killing me - in a wonderful way of course. Poor Pam, hell, poor Karen. I never disliked her, I actually thought she was awesome, just not right for Jim. Still reallly really enjoying this It's fun and fresh, and you are super talented. Thanks for posting :)
Author's Response: Aww, thank you! I'm glad you're still enjoying it! Just think, we all that tension breaks, all hell is going to break lose. In a good way, I hope. ;)
10 [Report This]Date: May 20, 2011 08:51 am Title: Chapter 12
And now I need to know what happens after lunch! This was great, I loved the time stamp account,that it was all from Pam's POV and that there was no dialog just action and her thoughts. I could feel the tension jumping off the page, and I felt so bad for Pam! She was so happy shopping with her sister over the weekend and now she has to deal with all of this drama. I definitely think you nailed everything on the head here, the way Karen and Jim acted, and Pam's silent reaction to their argument in the kitchen and all of her coworkers staring at her making her feel embarrassed and in need to get out of there, even if it was just for coffee for her boss, all if it was perfect characterization. I'm anxious to read about the rest of this day and about their first real date!
Author's Response: I'm glad this worked. To be honest, this chapter was such a pain to write. I don't know if it was the lack of dialogue, the lack of action...the lack of smut...but this just wasn't a fun chapter to write and I was worried that it wouldn't be a fun chapter to read, either.
Date: May 20, 2011 08:26 am Title: Chapter 12
Great portrayal of this horribly tension-filled morning! Do we get Jim's perspective next?
Author's Response: Yep! That's coming up next. You know me so well. ;)
10 [Report This]Date: May 17, 2011 11:22 am Title: Chapter 11
Oh, i love this story! I'm nervous about the Jim/karen closure conversation; I hope Pam knows about it and doesn't freak out - or at least doesn't let her insecurities ruin a date or anything. Especially The Date.
i am very excited about the upcoming smut chapter, btw...
Author's Response: Thank you so much! I'm really happy you're enjoying. I'm actually pretty excited about that chapter as well. ;)
Date: May 15, 2011 04:53 am Title: Chapter 1
I'm new(ish) to the whole Office fandom, and have been casually making my way through a ton of fics over the last couple of months. This is the first one that I've stumbled upon that's a WIP that's actually being updated. And I didn't even realise until I got to the end of chapter 11 and there was no more next button. I nearly cried! I want more!
this is fabulous, honestly. I've been bothered by the way a lot of fics don't really deal with Karen... or deal with her by making her a total bitch. I like that you haven't done that, yet you haven't put the breaks on Jim and Pam either. It makes sense that Jim would have some conflicting feelings and guilt after what happened in New York, and not enough fics deal with that.
So yay for you! Plus your pre-smut was way way hotter than the majority of actual smut out there.
Author's Response: Hi, Drodrey! Thanks so much for reviewing! It really means so much to me. I'm so happy you like this story. I started reading fanfic about a year ago and as much I enjoyed the stories I read some of them just didn't ring true to the characters I knew and loved. They were either too simplified, too black-and-white or too idealized. I really wanted to write my own "First Date Story" and try to capture the complex, human-qualities of the characters. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this and I hope you'll continue to tell me your thoughts on upcoming chapters.
Date: May 13, 2011 08:57 pm Title: Chapter 11
Holy guacamole--I very nearly missed this, Tuna! That would have been tragic! I am so thrilled for this update. I'm glad Jim's going through a mourning period for his relationship with Karen. He just seems like that type of guy. Just like Pam's outing with Penny, I love that Jim's spending time with his mom and that they're close. I can imagine a sweet guy like Jim having a good relationship with his mother. The chocolate cake was a perfect sweet touch :)
Author's Response: Thank you, Nan! Jim doesn't seem like the type to just drop one relationship and immediately jump into another one. Particularly with someone that he's been seriously dating for the last six or seven months. That's why it just didn't seem in character to have them jumping into bed on the first night he came back. As fun as that would have been. I'm glad his relationship with his mom seems authentic. He's just always seemed very close to his family (and his mother, in particular) and I wanted to show his relationship with them in this story.
Date: May 13, 2011 08:07 pm Title: Chapter 11
Well, I was hoping for THE DATE chapter but this turned out to be QUITE satisfying! I like your portrayal of Jim's feelings for Karen. I like his relationship with his mom. LOVE the callback to the chocolate cake stoty!
Can't wait for more. You sure pump out a lot of high quality chapters at a fast pace, lady!
Author's Response: Well...spoiler alert!...but they still have five days until their date. So... :) And, yes, it's amazing how much writing you can do when you let the dishes and the laundry pile up.
10 [Report This]Date: May 13, 2011 08:04 pm Title: Chapter 11
Interesting chapter. I was a little confused at first. I didn't know if it was a flashforward or a flashback. I ended up really enjoying it, but I'm glad it was a flashback to Karen. Great story and keep up the great writing!!
Author's Response: Oh, sorry for the confusion. I'll have to go back and look at that again. I'm glad you enjoyed it though and thank you, as always, for the review. It means the world.
Date: May 13, 2011 07:20 pm Title: Chapter 11
I loved the talk between Jim and his mom. As much as it pains me I liked they you acknowledged Jim did love Karen. Hopefully he realized that Pam did love Roy also even if neither one of them were right for Jim and Pam. Did that make sense? Well YOU made it work. Thank you for such a wonderful story.
Author's Response: I'm with you! And, yes...I'm not a Karen fan. But sometimes you can love someone and want to be with someone even when you know they aren't The ONE. And I think Jim needed to have his own relationship complications in order to better understand Pam's struggle in her relationship with Roy.
Date: May 13, 2011 06:38 pm Title: Chapter 11
Jumping over the Karen stuff for a moment just to say I love Jim and his mom and how she got even more motherly when she found out he broke up with Karen. She reminded me of Marie Barone from Raymond, which is not a bad thing, trust me. I loved that last part, and I especially love that Jim protects both Pam and Karen in his mother's eyes by not dragging their names down. And the Jim thinking of Karen and feeling badly for having broken up with her and that he actually did love her on some level fits in with his character really well. I mean he can't be great Jim Halpert and be an ass. He had to have loved her, he was abut to move to a new city with her, you know? I know it's not as much as he loves Pam, but still, nice to see he cared enough about her to worry about her. Oh, and I'm so excited to see an update to this twice in one day!! You rock! :) Hope for more soon!
Author's Response: As much of a Jam fan as I am, I really do think he loved Karen...maybe not completely but I think he really tried to make their relationship work. There were so many missed opportunities in Season 3 on Jim's part and I don't think it was because he was being obtuse or fearful...I think he was simply trying to make his relationship with Karen work and move on from Pam once and for all. We saw him dating casually in Season 2 but he's interactions with Karen were so different than with Katy; obviously he took his relationship with Karen much more seriously. And, yeah. Jim Halpert does not seem like the type of guy to spill the details of his relationships (physically, emotionally or otherwise) or say anything bad about an ex.
Date: May 13, 2011 06:26 pm Title: Chapter 11
I looooooooooooove the way you have written Jim's relationship with his mom. I can only imagine the reaction when she saw how skinny he'd gotten when he came back. Her constant need to feed him was just so perfect.
You really are one talented chica, and I'm SO happy you have decided to share your awesome stories with us. I hate when I finish each chapter, knowing I have to wait for another LOL.
Author's Response: Aww...I'm glad you enjoyed this. I've always pictured Jim as a bit of a Mama's Boy because of his relationships and respectful attitudes towards women and, being that he was always picked on by his brothers and is the only son left living close by (and the only son who's still single), I can imagine she dotes on him quite a bit. I'm so happy you're loving this and I hate to make you wait so long between updates but...real life gets in the way... :(