1 [Report This]Date: September 11, 2021 04:22 pm Title: Closure
* “Hey Pam,” Toby had approached the table.
“Yeah?” She looked up and tried to keep her voice even.
“It’s just if you and Roy aren’t in a relationship anymore, you’ll have to update your disclosure form.”*
Omg, NOT NOW, TOBY!! (channeling Jim) seriously though Toby, pick a better time lol
I love the way you write Darryl. I can hear Craig delivering those lines. Bravo!
(Also, love the origin story of the groobah)
Author's Response: Yeah not a great time Toby. Probably why he never really had a chance with her. Not great with timing that one. Glad you liked Darryl. I figured if anyone was going to get through to Roy it would have been him. It was fun to add the fluffy bits too like the groobah.
Date: September 11, 2021 12:09 pm Title: Fancy Dinner
Ooh nice twist!
* Roy sighed and hung his head for a moment. “No of course not. But come on! He wanted to see your pictures? No guy would willingly do that unless he’s trying to get some tail.”
Pam arched an eyebrow at him. “So, all the times I’ve wanted you to look at what I’m drawing, you’re only doing it because you’re trying to get me in bed? Is that what you’re saying?”*
This made me lol.
Glad that Pam dumped Roy because he was so awful in this chapter I would have been seriously concerned if she didn’t.
Author's Response: It's a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine. Dumping on Roy. Hopefully I set it up as to why he is the way he is and why Pam dumps him. She doens't need an overgrown man-child in her life anymore.
1 [Report This]Date: September 11, 2021 11:26 am Title: Faded Star
Excited to start this one! Pam actually seems to be taking control over the situation with Roy and not letting him walk all over her, which I enjoyed.
Author's Response: Glad to have you here. It was a lot of fun to bring out a Pam who is a lot more assertive with Roy.
1 [Report This]Date: September 11, 2021 05:35 am Title: Bella Notte
You were right. I did enjoy this one very much.
Richly descriptive from the dress on Pam and the outfit Jim wore, to the scenery at Christopher's (which you captured well what I had envisioned) to the wines and the meals.
And it was just what Christopher's needed a Sommelier.
Seriously, you really captured the vibe of the place and it was a lot of fun to see my character and restaurant cross universes. It's one of the joys of being part of the MTT community, so thanks for that.
Izzy was right on some things - they'd had many dates, feeling good about everything you are wearing gives a boost of confidence - was she wrong they wouldn't sleep together on the first date?
The Lady and the tramp moment very sweet as was the flower in her hair and Jonathan showing up again.
Another enjoyable chapter. Do keep them coming.
Author's Response: Glad you like everything. Really glad everything with their outfits come through well. It's been one of the themes of this fic so it was fun to continue it. Thanks for letting me borrow Beth and Christopher's. It was fun to add to that place so I'm glad everything came across well. It was a lot of fun to add in all the elements from Lady and the Tramp. I was implying that yes, Izzy was right. However we'll let Pam and Jim have their privacy for the 2nd half of their date. Thanks as always for your wonderful comments.
1 [Report This]Date: September 10, 2021 07:42 pm Title: Bella Notte
LADY AND THE TRAMP JAM. NO YOU DID NOT!!!! AHHHHH!!!!
I should probably say something else but that about sums it up. Oh except I adored their first kiss. You can really feel, in Jim’s words, just how long they’ve been wanting to do that.
Author's Response: I remember cackeling to myself months ago when I came up with the idea for Lady and the Tramp. It was a ton of fun to bring that all out. Glad you liked it so much.
Date: September 10, 2021 07:31 pm Title: Bella Notte
"Besides, if things really go well, you’ll only need the dress for the first half of the date anyway." I love the way you've used Isabel in this story. Pam could've really used a friend like her in canon. Also, I appreciate how even here they find themselves dating without explicitly dating for a while.
The blue was the right choice, I think. The LBD might have melted Jim's brain.
"The best part? It has pockets!” Somewhere, Jenna Fischer is smiling.
Beth crosses into a whole new universe! Amazeballs.
I love the note of Jim slurping his spaghetti. They're both embracing their fancier side here, and it's nice to see they're still able to play around.
AND THIS ENDING. YOU GO PAM.
Author's Response: Thank you. Sometimes you need a friend like Izzy to tell you exactly what's in front of your face. I've agreed with Jenna Fischer for a long time on her stance on pockets. It's always fun to bring that in. Also fun to bring in Beth here too. Pam's blue dress and the slurping of the spaghetti were taken from Lady and Tramp's date in the movie. Lady has a blue collar remember. And yeah the ending. Time for Pam to really go for what she wants. Glad you liked it.
1 [Report This]Date: August 15, 2021 04:11 pm Title: Polished
Omg I need more!! This is so sweet
Author's Response: Thank you Yellowberry. Glad you've like it so far.
Date: August 01, 2021 02:53 pm Title: Polished
Sweet. And nice to see that your personality is coming out in how Jim and his cousin think about their preferences. Or at least based on other fic I assume so.
Author's Response: Yeah, there's a lot of me coming out in Johnathan here. But also a lot from canon. Jim's style did gradually upgrade through the course of the show. I'm just hitting fast forward on that a bit. Still it's a lot of fun.
1 [Report This]Date: August 01, 2021 02:48 pm Title: Closure
I like it when Roy learns how to mature even though I don't usually put it in my own fics. This is very nice. Hope she does well going forward!
Author's Response: Roy is often written as a kind of clueless oaf. I've written him like that here and elsewhere too. However when I look at the diner scene between him and Pam and how he behaved at his wedding, there had to have been something that finally got to him. It's interesting to explore that I think.
1 [Report This]Date: August 01, 2021 02:44 pm Title: Good Taste
So I love what you did with the expired yogurt and I think that Jim was probably planning to have a lot of leftovers if he had that much to cook so he's lucky that Pam and Izzy asked him to come over and that night and not like the night after.
Great!
Author's Response: Yeah I think Jim was planning ahead on having leftovers. Either that or he never learned how to half a recipe. Something my own wife is still trying to instill in my own cooking. Jim turning the yogurt on a prank on Pam just had to be done. Glad you liked it.
Date: August 01, 2021 02:40 pm Title: First Cuts
I really wonder how long Izzy was there. Beautiful setup!
Author's Response: She was probalby there long enough to realize there's more than simple friendship quickly growing between Jim and Pam. This one was fun to write so I'm glad other people enjoyed it too.
1 [Report This]Date: August 01, 2021 02:37 pm Title: Fancy Dinner
Introducing a Jonathan Halpert! Nice site in joke. Also you're just really good at giving us extra details at a particular point to draw our attention; I think it's from Silver Wings, making those chapters long, but it's really put to good use here.
Author's Response: We can't have brother Johnathan anymore but cousin Johnathan is still up for grabs. Thanks for the encouragement on the extra details. Yes its fun to get into detail but we can also move things along in the plot too. Glad you liked the balance.
1 [Report This]Date: August 01, 2021 02:31 pm Title: Wine, Coins, and Crayons
I like how you're using Izzy here. She's poking the way a good friend should, and I think Pam's degree of reticence is appropriate. She's not like head over heels for Jim, at least not yet, but she's conscious now of a difference in how he makes her feel.
Author's Response: Another fun thing about going AU, giving Pam more sounding boards on how her relationships are going. Always good to get some perspective from other sources.
1 [Report This]Date: August 01, 2021 02:27 pm Title: Faded Star
Remember when I used to review things? That was the time. Anyway this is really good, and I like the detail that they don't live together yet. Looking forward to see where you go with this!
Author's Response: I do remember those times. Good times. And look! Good times are here again! Hooray! Anyway, glad you liked this way to start things off. Kinda figured Jim wasn't the first guy she said she wouldn't live with until their engaged so that was the imputus behind that. Glad to have you here.
1 [Report This]Date: July 28, 2021 04:29 am Title: Polished
Ah, the mini golf at the start of this was so, so good! I loved Jim’s running commentary so much. And then the go-karting! This was really fun. I enjoyed Jim’s chat with Jonathon, too, and the effort he then puts into upping his game for Pam, and her noticing the small things - especially the moments with the cuffs and the necktie. And the exchange at the end was just perfect 😍 This was such a great chapter!
Author's Response: Thanks Basscop! Really glad you liked it so much. It's always a ton of fun to write Jim and Pam in a good place with each other. Getting Jim to kind of fast forward from his S1 and S2 baggy office outfits to the stylish mensware he sports towards the end of the show was a ton of fun too. Glad you liked the end exchange as well. Thanks again for the review.
Date: July 23, 2021 10:51 am Title: Polished
I always love a take on the mini-golf game... and it's especially fun here with them free to flirt a little more openly. They're getting to know each other and finding their rhythms without that element of fear and stress and longing, it's lovely. And the Go-Kart race! VERY Jam. The banter here is delightful, and the event name is a lot of fun. (I'm with Michael though. Bathe the whales!)
Nice to see Johnathan again... and the makeover was all that was promised!
Author's Response: Being able to write happy JAM without the axe of angst hanging over their heads is always a lot of fun. Glad you liked the makeover, the whole section with Johnathan got re-written a couple times so nice to hear you liked it. Thanks as always for the review.
Date: July 23, 2021 06:21 am Title: Polished
I enjoyed this chapter. They clearly had a lot of fun together at the mini-golf and the go-karting was a clever way bring up the driving lessons. Clearly Jim let her win just as he pretends to be a slow learner when it comes to driving stick.
The images of of more polished and better dressed Jim were nice to get too, although I think Pam would be just have happy if oversized suited, schlumpy Jim had asked her out. But at least now, she gets a debonair, sharp-dressed man on her arm for their first date.
Looking forward to that.
Author's Response: It's always fun to write Jim and Pam having fun together. I had it in mind that Pam won the race for real, but I could see how it could read that Jim let her win too.
Glad you liked the new polished Jim. Yeah Pam would have been happy with the old Jim, but where's the fun in that? The date should be a lot of fun too. Thanks as always for your review.
1 [Report This]Date: July 22, 2021 10:20 pm Title: Polished
Glad this story is back. I love that Jim got a makeover.
Hope to read more soon.
Author's Response: Glad you liked it. Giving Jim the makeover was a ton of fun.
1 [Report This]Date: July 22, 2021 01:18 pm Title: Polished
This was delightfully sweet and funny. Their fluffy flirting at the mini golf course had me laughing and aww-ing all at once. And I’m not a John Krasinski drooler like almost everyone else on the site seems to be, but even I was dying at your description of Jim’s new clothes and how they made Pam swoon a little. I cannot wait for their date!
Author's Response: Glad you liked it. It's always fun to write Jim and Pam having fun like that. Nice to know Jim's polished look is having its intended effect. Thanks as always for the review.
1 [Report This]Date: April 24, 2021 08:01 am Title: Closure
I loved this chapter! I appreciate how you incorporated the talk with Darryl with the tAlk in the diner from the show.
Author's Response: Thank you. Figured Roy could use someone who he actually respects calling him out. The diner scene was a good moment in canon so it felt right to use here too. Glad you liked it. Hope to hear more from you going forward.
Date: April 10, 2021 04:26 pm Title: Closure
I win $10! A very sweet moment between them in the breakroom as a result.
It's a guilty pleasure, but I do always appreciate Roy getting read the Riot Act a little. Canon sorta lets him off the hook in that respect. It's also *very* telling that he really can't hear it when it's coming from Pam... as you note, she's just not someone he actually respects.
You've done a good job throughout this establishing Roy's immaturity. He can't take Pam's no, he can't accept responsibility with Darryl, he can't understand what he did wrong in the first place. And he only really gets it when it's put in the language of his high school football team. Troubling with a guy already in his late 20s. At least he's starting to see it.
Lots of fun callbacks here - Vanessa and her trumpet, the word for the rock stuck in her shoe, the yogurt, and just Jim's tendency to notice the little things about Pam.
I'm looking forward to seeing the fun things!
Author's Response: Glad you liked this one. I figured I'd dumped on Roy enough that it was time for someone to pull him down a couple pegs and let him know he was being a jerk. You're right in that he doesn't really respect Pam. He only respects those in clear athority over him, ie his old coach or Darryl. So yeah he gets a bit of a riot act read to him. But I did want him to come to a realization that he's not the big shot he used to be. So he and Pam get to have a mature closure at the diner.
It was a of fun bringing in all the callbacks. Glad you spotted them. It'll be a lot of fun going forward. Thanks as always for your comments.
1 [Report This]Date: April 10, 2021 04:13 pm Title: Good Taste
Yeah, I'm like Isabel here, just enjoying the show. They're adorable. You can also really see how much having Isabel around helps Pam navigate her feelings in a way that she doesn't attempt to in canon.
The dinner scene was fun (and I'm glad I read it right before eating), and I think effectively made the contrast with Roy and his Hungry Man meals - this is an actual adult who knows how to take care of himself, and is a lot more of the grown-up that Pam is looking for at this moment in her life.
Loved the repurposing of the Cocktails talking head and the shirt from the fashion-show-at-lunch. It's really nice seeing Pam go through her post-Casino Night journey and being able to celebrate it as we should, without all the angst.
Ugh. Roy. $10 says he didn't really get that they were actually over. Doofus.
Author's Response: Thanks. This chapter was a lot of fun to write. Very much going for more adult Jim who can cook vs TV dinner Roy so well done on getting that. It's been great to add in Isabel as a good voice of reason for Pam. Something I think she was missing in canon so it's nice to get that in there. I think I had Pam's Benihana Christmas sweater in mind when I wrote this but the fashion show at lunch top works too. Glad you liked the repurposing of lines. Looking forward to seeing what you have to say about Roy in the next chapter. It was an interesting thing to write and I liked how it came out.
1 [Report This]Date: April 08, 2021 11:01 am Title: Closure
I loved the Roy/Darryl conversation in this so much - I thought it was a really nice touch, and actually great to see some more of their genuine friendship (which the show sort of breezed past). Especially given how level-headed we know Darryl is from later seasons: it's really nice to see him using that here, and Roy actually learning from it. And then Jim being so understanding, and the lucky pen, was incredibly sweet. I'm glad Pam and Roy were able to have a mature conversation and actually get some closure - and I'm now v excited about what this means for Jim and Pam :D
Author's Response: I figured I'd harped on Roy long enough in this fic. I'd like to think this is kind of how things would have gone down if Darryl had been able to intervene in canon. It's one thing to be told to cool it from someone you have little respect for, it's another thing to be taken down by someone you actually respect. Glad that was able to come through. Same goes for the Pam and Roy relationship. I did like in canon that they were able to have that final conversation at the diner and saw no reason to really stray to far from it.
Glad you liked the lucky pen. Kind of a fun thing to be sure. Should be a lot of fun to develop Jim and Pam from here on out. Thanks for the review.
Date: April 07, 2021 07:31 pm Title: Closure
Awww, warrior! I love how you included the diner scene with Pam and Roy. Perfect way to Roy to ask if she's going to date Halpert now. Great callback to canon. And I also love how Jim is babysitting his niece and nephew. He seems like he would be a fun babysitter. That being said, hope we get a JAM date soon now that Roy is gone! :)
Author's Response: Thanks TPB. The diner scene I think was a great way for Pam and Roy to get closure in canon so I figured it would work here too. Slightly modified of course. I think Jim would be the fun uncle. I have this headcanon that he gives his niece's and nephews ideas to drive his brothers insane as payback for how they might have treated him growing up. Hmmm, I may have to expand on that idea now. Future JAM should be a lot of fun going forward. Glad you liked this one.
Date: April 07, 2021 03:27 pm Title: Closure
Ha ha -Toby is so excited that Pam is no longer dating Roy but poor Toby, little does he realize she is already "off the market" even if she doesn't completely know it yet.
I like the way you had Darryl be the voice of reason (I've always been a big Darryl fan) and how fitting that he talks in sports metaphors and comparisons - he knows how to read his audience and speak in a way they can get it...plus some foreshadowing to his future job.
Appreciate that he was able to reach Roy and make such an impact that he could let Pam go without too much ugliness. Nice 'Closure' you put down here.
Yahoo, Uncle Jim is babysitting - you know how much I love that. Wish he would have invited Pam to come along.
Oh and how responsible of Pam to put her phone on silent and bury it in her purse. Wish more people would do that. Roads would be a lot safer...but I digress.
Hey, can I borrow that lucky pen sometime.
Author's Response: I could see how you'd read into that with Toby. You're right though, he won't really have a chance. Glad you liked Darryl. If there was anyone at Dunder-Mifflin Roy would listen to it would be Darryl. Guy's got a good head on his shoulders. Roy's not all bad, he's just stuck. Thus the man-to-man talk helps him to realize some of his shortcomings so he can grow. Nice to bring that out.
Yup, Jim's babysitting. Showing Pam family matters to him and all that. As much fun as it would be for him to invite her along, it's also fairly new into their relationship and he's still got his cousin's advice to not push her bouncing around in his mind. The pen was also fun to bring in there too. Glad you liked it all.