Date: April 02, 2022 04:43 pm Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
Karen really is a sad and desperate woman.
She should really cut her losses.
Yes, Jim is leading on both women by
talking out of both sides of his mouth,
but Karen still completely ignoring the giant
red flags waving in her face! 🚩
It drives me crazy that Pam puts all the blame
on herself, and allowing Jim to do the same,
while letting Jim off the hook when comes to their
relationship problems. 😡
At least the others felt guilty about missing the art show.
Author's Response: It appears you have a very aggressive opinion of Jim (which is okay! your opinion is valid!) but I'm not sure your characterization of him in this chapter is very accurate... he felt badly about missing the art show, and also apologized/ took accountability for his own actions multiple times here. Appreciate the review :)
Date: April 01, 2022 02:02 pm Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
FUCKING. HELL.
You gave us A TRUE, FANCY NEW BEESLY. ONE WHO DOESN'T NEED JIM AND WANTS HIS HAPPINESS. OUCH, TD. I'M LITERALLY HURT IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE.
I need to go cry again, brb...
Date: March 31, 2022 11:15 pm Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
Simply a beautiful chapter. You took my breath away. You’ve breathed such new life into these moments, this is such a fresh read. Huge kudos to you for doing so.
1 [Report This]Date: March 31, 2022 04:06 pm Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
This chapter was so full of little bits that struck me I don't think it's possible to remark on them all.
The chapter title and the up front notes (which are right out of the story) - really well done with the circularity from Casino Night and so on point.
You know I love a good Michael bit and I am 100 on board with Michael not doubting for
a minute everyone else went because that is what "family" does. And we know he sees this crew as a family. And that Jim wasn't there - that's unfathomable to him.
That he went to Karen first - I get it -- although that he uses the same words to her he had said to Pam - um not sure how I feel about that. Good thing this is canon compliant.
So I was wondering when Theodore was going to show up (and I hope you know my reference) and it struck me again seeing it in complete context. I just wanted to hug him here...and give him the little push to "jump" - Yes I saw what you did here - Dwight you're getting the advice Jim wasn't quite able to take himself at first.
My heart went so out again went he cursed the universe and I don't have to tell you how I feel about the idea Michael comes in and saves him for complete destruction.
I am also on board with the idea it wasn't a single thing, didn't happen in an instance when she knew. The connection to fireflies is so appropriate. They connected right away - but what they shared grew and is perhaps why it wasn't as easy to know what it was until too late. But I also love that identifying it know was what gave her "determination".
SO i 've told you before how you have a way of filling in the blanks to give what we know from the show so much depth. BOth the banter and the deeper moments here felt very real.
the lines that I feel worth pointing out:
It wasn't unrequited
My mom said something to me the other day,” Pam says. “She said that sometimes we get so used to what we have that we forget about what we want.”
And it just got me thinking… that it could have been us, you know? (this is where I wanted to hug Pam)
It’s her final round to play. No more bluffing. She takes a deep breath and pushes the last of her chips in.
UGh that she's ready to give him up though for him to be happy - again glad it's canon compliant.
ANd the ending - she feels it: the tiny snap as she breaks loose from her chrysalis at last and spreads her wings, ascending into the sky. Really well done.
Date: March 31, 2022 06:11 am Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
Love, love, loved this chapter. It was all so well written. And now I am just sat here waiting for the next chapter, like come on, hurry up please!!
I kinda like how you had Jim go speak to Karen first. As much as he cares about Pam, he is with Karen, so it would make total sense he went to speak to her before Pam. But the "I'm with you. I want to be with you." No Jim, no you don't. We know you don't believe yourself.
I loved in the Booze Cruise flashback how you had Jim going back to tell Pam, only to be crushed by June 10th. I wanted to hug him there.
Your lakeside side dialogue was just fantastic, the way you moved between canon and your own was seamless.
"It wasn't unrequited, Jim," she says, very quietly. OMG. I was just like wow.
I'm out of jellybeans but I wish I could give you so many more for this chapter! Amazing work
Date: March 30, 2022 11:10 pm Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
Simply a beautiful chapter. You took my breath away. You’ve breathed such new life into these moments, this is such a fresh read. Huge kudos to you for doing so.
Date: March 30, 2022 06:38 pm Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
"“I was there,” Oscar interjects. “Anyway, I don’t think it really matters. She’s obviously only upset about Jim.”" Oh, Oscar. You totally just remembered what you DID at her art show. And I love how protective Michael is of her here.
I maintain this is a spot on picture of Jim's post-Beach Games thoughts. The sense that Pam's not *actually* saying what she's trying to say is solid, and this idea that Jim feels like he's *almost past it* and *almost wants to be* is terrific. You can see how he might have actually talked himself into The Job, and to the path of least resistance that just so happens to not badly hurt Karen, and Pam feeling like really this is a victory in and of itself and she can ALMOST let him go but ALSO lets him know she won't if he doesn't want her to.
"I can love you more than he does. I can love you better than he does. I can promise that I already do." OW.
"No- he does recognize it. It’s disappointment. And he will toil over exactly what she’d been disappointed about for months." DOUBLE OW.
"Sometimes he thinks he’ll be waiting for Pam his whole life. Sometimes he’s okay with that." Life, wife. Close enough. *Heart eyes*
"It wasn’t even a light switch flicking on somewhere in her brain." Still amuses me that you called out this exact metaphor.
“Crazy about me, as in… he’s going to confess his love after years of unrequited pining?” “It wasn’t unrequited, Jim." EEEEP. The dialogue between them here is amazing. And the set-up for the conversation at the end of The Job!!!!!
1 [Report This]Date: March 30, 2022 10:33 am Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
Outstanding work with this one. You really captured Jim's deer in the headlights moment well. That after all this time, THAT is what she's been thinking? Yeah, it would be a lot for anyone to take it. And then all the expanded parts. Michael rounding on Jim for not going to the art show, his internal thoughts about why he didn't, and of course that conversation with Karen.
Really solid choices there with some of the wording. How he's basically forcing himself to believe what he has with Karen by sheer repetition. That if he can just it enough, he will finally move on. Thing is Jim, if you were really as invested in your relationship with Karen as you say you want to be, there would be no need for saying things over and over. I think he's finally starting to get that too. It feels like he knows his relationship with Karen is a lot more rocky than he's trying to tell himself. Good case in point, when she asks him what his first thought about the job was and he mentions Michael. Not him or Karen getting the job, but that Michael wouldn't. As if he really couldn't see himself there unless forced to. So clearly there's still a lot of internal back and forth going on in his head.
Then the expanded scene with Pam at the water's edge. So last chapter I made the metaphor about a smith and a hammer and an anvil. If feels like those first hammer blows have started to land. Mainly for Pam here. She's allowing a refining fire to burn off the slag around her heart. At the same time, this also feels like the first REAL bit of healing either one of them have had since Casino Night. They're a lot more honest with each other. Pam more than Jim though. After years of dancing around each other, Pam finally realized that, "screw that just say what you really feel." And she finds it's not really as scary as she may have thought. I get why she's thinking this may truly be the end for her relationship with Jim. Oh Pam, if you only knew this was the start of something big. Clearly Jim has a lot more to think about.
Outstanding job with this one. I'd been looking forward to it for a long time and you delivered in spades. Bravo!
Date: March 30, 2022 10:29 am Title: "You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em"
I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying.
I love love love this take on Beach Games. I always felt like there had to be more, even more than the superfan cut, and this was perfect. I love how you set up for Pam's talking head in The Job where you start up see her healing, and how there is a bigger seed planted in Jim's head when he decides to leave the interview. Very well done!