It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Costa Rica was supposed to fix him.Steph, this was awesome. Such a great characterization, sympathetic and insightful. So many great details, like where Sasha gets her mumbling from. I loved this whole passage about his feelings for Pam and the whole disaster of getting a picture with her (to which I was NOT initially inclined to be sympathetic):
He didn’t have anything sinister or perverted planned when he begged her for a picture; he just wanted a picture of her. A picture of a beautiful woman who had once been nice to him.
As proof of something.
With nothing to do until the plane arrived, he studied the picture. He looked ridiculous, grinning like the fool that he was. She looked upset and uncomfortable.
Of course she did.
He scrutinized the expression on her face. He had forced her to take this picture with him after months of acting like an idiot around her. Of smiling stupidly and blushing and stammering in front of her, of saying and doing stupid things and walking around pissed at her boyfriend.
The separation from Sasha, awkward running into his ex-co-workers, Kelly in the closet (priceless) and finally the way he acted when he ran into Jim... "sorry, sorry, sorry..." and then Jim calling him to apologize because he's a nice guy, and understood... this was really well done, and great writing.
Author's Response: Thank you! I loved writing Kelly in the closet. And the Jim thing - what I wanted was for him to apologize because Jim is a nice guy, but also because Jim trying to break tension with some gentle teasing - didn\'t go over so well.
This is super entertaining. The whole thing with Jim photographing ghosts is so classic; great way to pull Pam into the prank at the end there. And your Michael is really true to character. He's hard to write...well done!
Author's Response: Wow, thanks! I really, really try to make Michael seem true to the show. He can be a little tricky. Dwight as well. I really appreciate you saying that. Thanks!
Okay, call me intrigued! I'd like to see where this is going.
Author's Response: Hehe, hi intrigued. :) I've got the next chapter almost ready to post, so keep an eye out. Questions will be answered (okay, maybe not next chapter.... but they will eventually)!
This is beautiful and so evocative. So many tangible details to even quote... great job!
“Are you awake?”Â
A Tuesday morning someday in the future.
I have only have one warning about this fic: not everything is how it first appears.
This was so...sad. Lovely. Not exactly a warm fuzzy, but beautiful, all the same. Good work.
Author's Response: No, not really with the warm and fuzzy, but I'm glad you enjoyed it anyway. Thank you!
Not everything has to have a point. This is beautiful. What a nice way to start a Monday :) Thanks for this.
No garbage! This was excellent. Wrenching and real and true. Well done!
Author's Response: Thank you :) I'm really glad you enjoyed it!
Don't take this the wrong way, but... you should go for that job.
What would have happened if Jim had taken that job in Maryland after all? Season Two angst - spoilers for Halloween through Email Surveillance, then goes AU from there.
This is so sad, and real, and heartbreaking. I do like how you incorporate some of the lines of later eps into this scene. And "procrastination is the devil's tool" -- great. Way to sucker us in with the unopened envelope, too. Good job so far...I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out. :)
Author's Response: Callisto I'm glad you are okay with me using dialog from the episodes. I worried that maybe it came across as lazy. My reasoning for using it is a little corny. I just figure that, even in an alternate universe, there are certain moments and phrases that pass between these two that always should be a part of their history - no matter how it's told, for some reason. Does that make sense? Anyway, I'm glad you are enjoying it and I really appreciate the kind review. More to come soon!
Hey kells! This is such a terrific story. I read it from the beginning again last night and I don't think I've left a review. Shame on me!
I thought this part from the last chapter was really insightful:
“It’s probably a good thing, though.” He looks at her and it’s a question, but she keeps going, “I mean, you left and…things were different. Like – work. Having you there every day helped distract me from what a crappy job it was, but then you were gone and I realized how depressing that place is and it made me want to do more. So I started taking classes and now…” she trails off, leaving him to consider the million possibilities as to how she would have finished that statement.
I love how in this world, they both make decisions for their own sakes; they both seem more mature.
Of course, falling asleep together is so intimate and sweet, but I think what I really like is how Pam is the one taking the initiative and realizing she doesn’t have to let life happen to her. This, I thought, is a great summary of Jim’s patience and devotion:
She feels hazy as she looks up at his face, and he smiles down at her, “Look, take your time. We can figure this out, but it doesn’t have to be now.”
Lovely update :)
Author's Response:
Hey callisto - thank you for the kind review. I'd like to think that this could be a "healthy" version of Jim and Pam getting together, lol. I like the idea of Pam coming to it on her own - leaving Roy and realizing what she has going on w/ Jim. I also like the idea of them not avoiding each other for months on end ;) Mostly though I wanted them both to be okay alone before they could be okay together, you know? I think that's important.
Thanks for reading and reviewing :)
Well, I'm glad to see you were able to pummel this chapter into submission! This is so sweet and feels very real. I liked this whole paragraph but particularly this line:
He shrugs, not sure how to keep the balance between telling her how much he loves her and something more simple like how pretty she is or how much fun he has with her.
That's the essence of them, right there. Nice work :)
Author's Response: Hi callisto! Thank you so much for the kind words!
Break my heart, why don't you. And a dash of possibility at the end...thanks for that. Oh, this was good!!
7 It's identical enough that I assumed it was Jim! Nice. And I'm a firm believer that you should always just write it down when it won't get out of your head.
9 As always, you can say in a thousand or so words what takes most of the rest of us pages and pages. I could quote at least ten really great lines but I particularly liked this bit :
It’s clear her being there means a lot to him, and it means a lot to her that it means a lot to him. That’s a whole lot of a lot and of course she’s going.
Well, of course she is.
Anyway, this is (unsurprisingly) beautiful and vivid and I can't wait to see what happens with dim sum.
Incidentally, what kind of dinner can you make out of strawberries, corn and tomatoes...? Kidding, of course. You bring the city alive. :)
Author's Response: Too kind, callisto. I love hearing you thought this was vivid - that's high praise to me. Hope the dim sum doesn't disappoint. Many, many thanks! (Btw, what kind of dinner? A really yummy one. ;-)
So gorgeous! Your details and imagery are so vibrant and real. I loved the little girls and their mother on the subway:
Pam can’t understand the words, but the woman’s expression and tone are easily recognizable as universal mother-speak for stop staring and mind your own business.
Oh, there's too much of this that's perfect to even pick out particular lines. Their whole interchange back at the apartment and sleepy Jim saying 'mm hmm'... guh. But your dialogue with them was so real and true--like pulling teeth, indeed! Awesome. As always, a pleasure to read. Thanks for sharing your city with us. :)
Author's Response: You know, I actually did see twin girls like those - and obviously they made an impression - so I love that they came across in this story.And I'm so glad the dialogue seemed real to you - always something I fret over. Thanks, so much, callisto. This one was a joy to write. ;-)
9 Nice to see something new from you! Completely original and intriguing, as always. I love your writing style--so engaging and vivid. Can't wait to see where you're taking this.
Author's Response: Thank you so much callisto. I'm glad you're on board ;-)
9 This is so sweet. Loved this:
"I love you," she blurts out, and she thinks of all the work she did over the past few months, and thinks about it slipping away.
And then being in such a rush she doesn't realize she has no idea where he lives until she's halfway to the car... yeah. Great job.
Author's Response: Aw thanks! I\'m glad you liked it!
Post-The Job. Pam tells us about her week. A companion to "Week's End."This is a great idea! Something to look forward to every day. I love your imagery and the awkward/uncertain/hopefulness as they're starting out. Looking forward to the rest of the week!
Author's Response: Hey, callisto, thanks for your review and glad you liked it. It\'s a small start, but I swear I\'m going somewhere with this.
10 Wow! I LOVE your take on this. It's so real and authentic and your writing is so expressive. Drunk Jim is always fun and their interaction is just...so authentic. Did I already say authentic? Anyway...what a way to make us look forward to the passing of a week!
Author's Response: I don\'t think you did say authentic? Are you trying to say something about being authentic? I\'m confused... I <3 drunk Jim, too. He\'s so... malleable.
This will be a series of self-contained chapters (oneshots) exploring various "what ifs" pertaining to episodes spanning seasons one through three. Each chapter will examine how things would've gone differently if either Jim or Pam had responded to a given situation the way that (most) fans had wanted or almost expected them to.
For example, the first chapter focuses on how things would've happened differently if Jim had confessed during those twenty-seven seconds of silence on the booze cruise when we were all holding our breath and hoping he would.
Among the other chapters I have mapped out: What if all the reminders of Jim in "Gay Witch Hunt" had provoked not a small, sad smile from Pam at the end of the episode, but rather, had motivated her to take action -- drive to Stamford to see him for the first time in four months? Or what if Jim had responded to Pam's text in "Diwali" via a post-Jagermeister phone call? What if Jim had walked in on Pam crying at the end of "Back From Vacation"? (...You get the idea.)
Again, though, each chapter will be confined to an episode, so it will essentially be a series of oneshots that are unrelated to each other.
9 This is such a great idea! Their entire relationship is characterized by missed opportunities; you have so much to work with here.
For a second she thinks he's going to press his mouth to hers again, but instead he takes in a deep breath, meeting her eyes squarely, his voice husky and low: "I know it's complicated."
She starts to shake her head -- habit, not instinct -- but he lifts his chin as if in defiance of her disingenous gesture. "And that's okay. ...I can wait."
If only he'd been that patient, and less desperate, when it finally went down on casino night... well. I'm looking forward to seeing how you treat some of their other missed chances.
girl7, how lovely to see you again! I was just thinking about this fic the other day and wondering if you were going to update it. What a terrific surprise!
The look on Pam's face at the end of this episode has always struck me with its sadness and regret but also that fond memory, very akin to Jim's when he said "I really miss that." Great place for a what-if scenario. And I love how she's determined to go through with it, but still so Pam in stopping to stall at the LQ. Poor Jim thinking she's being literal about being in the neighborhood. I can't wait to see how you continue this to its inevitable (let's hope!) conclusion. :)
Oh, and totally random, but my brother likes to say "the third Thursday of every other September" as a description of rare occurrences. :)
Summer pre-S5. Jim's in Scranton - Pam's in New York. Just little a set of vignettes - week by week until they're together again.
9 This is terrific! Pam's slow evolution from terrified and uncertain-- "like a kid he'd left at summer camp," indeed-- into something more confident and sure of herself, yet all the more certain now of who she really is and what she wants-- I love it! Your treatment of her is very real. Glad to see you had some inspiration to add your angle to the summer fics. :)
Author's Response: I love the idea of a more independant Pam. I loved watching her come into her own over S3 and 4 - but I think as sure as she is about making changes she's still timid in many ways. I'm so glad you thought that came across. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me so!
10 Loving this story, xoxoxo! So realistic and touching at once. Pam's remark about the fireworks and Jim's tacit understanding...wonderful. Your treatment of their fight about Roy rang very true, and that conversation with Michael...priceless... Michael is so hard to write! And I'm such a sucker for Pam-watches-Jim-sleep scenarios... a nice treat at the end.
Thanks for sharing this with us, even when real life is being a bitch. You've brightened my day, at any rate. :)
Author's Response:
Thanks callisto! I love to write Michael. Next to Jim and Pam he's my absolute favorite to write. I so happy you're enjoying it and that I could brighten your day. This review certainly brightened mine - so thanks!!
9 I love your characterization of Jim here. Rings very true. This line was striking:
He hated being this guy. He hated crying into his beer. He hated isolating himself because the heartbreak was too close to the surface, too easy to see, too humiliating.
and this:
She didn’t call him back and he refused to be so desperate as to keep calling to chat. At some point he had to save some little part of his dignity.
Great premise and I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
Author's Response: Firstly, may I say, that i love when people pull lines out that they liked. It is always so interesting to see if what I liked, they liked...and I did love that part. I struggle with Jim because I'm a girl and I have no brothers, but I do think that ultimately he had to be so tired of not being able to get past all this. I think that's why we see so much anger from him in Season 3. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest, I'll be posting Pam's response shortly.
A story of death, love and Mose. And lots of beets. Spoilers to the end of S4.
10 This is brilliant! Beautiful writing--so evocative and detailed and deep, with such terrific imagery. You did an amazing job of weaving in all the bizarre little snippets we've heard about the Schrutes in a completely believable manner and made me utterly fall in love with sweet Mose in the process. Incorporating the rest of the office cast during that lovely conclusion was a nice touch and deftly woven.
Your writing is beautiful. There are at least twenty quote-worthy passages, way too many to list, but this was the first one that caught me, the 'first' (love that, by the way) of Mose's shunnings:
It’s not a big deviation from the usual ignorance of his existence, but somehow there’s a painful difference between neglect and intentional silence.
It takes a lot to move me to tears but the end of this did just that. Anyway, suffice it to say, this is an amazing piece of work that I thoroughly enjoyed--bravo!
Author's Response: I really want to thank you for such an indepth comment on this fic, and for your support on the boards. This fic was outside my normal genre, and I so appreciate anyone who took the time to read and comment on something that is quite off the radar of most of the MTT readership. I had a lot of fun writing Mose and all his strange experiences and I'm glad to find others who can enjoy this, too.
Is there life and love after Jam?Okay, so I realize I'll be the only one to say this, but I'm so hoping you're about to give us the honesty/forgiveness scene I always crave, because no matter how likable Emily is (and she's very likable!), I still see Pam as his soul mate. You don't just forget, even after a year. I'm sure you won't do that... but I had to say it.
That said, your writing is, as ever, so vivid and relatable (? is that a word?). So throw us some happy Jam again soon, hmmm? :)
Author's Response: Nope, sorry callisto ;-) Not in this one, but maybe next time! I guess I\'m kind of jaded because I\'m not sure I believe in soul mates. I believe that Pam and Jim are great together and they have a strong bond and mutual love. But I\'m not sure they are perfect for each other. I\'m not sure anyone is truly perfect for another person. So, that being said ... I do like the idea (a lot) of them being honest and forgiving, so that\'s something I\'ll work on. Thanks for reading!