Super late to this party...
I’ve loved The Office for a few years now & have dabbled in fic for other fandoms. Deep in another rewatch, I thought there’s got to be some amazing fic out there for arguably one of the greatest shows of all time & here I am - potentially attempting to devour the MTT archive in its entirety?
If I manage to stop reading for long enough, I may attempt to add a few ideas of my own. Time will tell.
Edit May 19: Understandably, I've fallen head over heels with this archive and all that it offers. I've started a Fic Rec Friday thread on Twitter, where I enthuse about the many stories that have brought me joy. So, I'm just putting it out there if you'd like to stop by and have a look. I'm also super open if you have any suggestions that you think should be added/are must reads...
My The Office dedicated Twitter: @chilibabies
You can also find me: @standardcatlady
Pam reflecting on her life.
Post Casino Night.
1 Oh. My. God. I love this. You know how I feel about a good metaphor! And then to wrap it up the way you did - “she didn’t need water to breathe.” It’s so perfect for her realization that Roy isn’t essential to her life (even after he’s felt that way for so long). This was beautiful.
Author's Response: Thank you, Jenna! I'm so glad you like it — I'm fond of good metaphor too :)
1 This is definitely a different take on The Convention and I am here for it. I love your description of their instant connection. Their night together was all sorts of hot. Plus, the intrigue you’ve built with Pam’s secrecy/aura of mystery. Looking forward to getting her perspective next chapter!
Author's Response: Thank you! I'm glad you are onboard for this one. Chapter 2 definitely explains Pam a bit more. I just posted it. Thanks again for the review.
1 “We can’t have everything.” Because Roy has so many other things going for him...
“He laughed harshly, supremely confident that she was bluffing. They’d been here before, after all.” God it breaks my heart that Pam has just reconciled herself with this life. It seems she pushes for more, doesn’t get it and then relents and lowers her expectations once again. Ugh.
“Jim was waiting for her” Of course he is!
Their whole interaction in the bar and hotel room is so good and so bad all at once. Their chemistry is wonderful and yet it’s clouded by secrets and infidelity.
I hope Pam comes to her senses about Roy sometime soon - it’s not all that fair on either of them at present...
That said, I’m looking forward to seeing how they cross paths again!
1 Oh boy. I mean, the chemistry here is undeniable and I’m so wrapped up in their story and rooting for them. I kind of hate the infidelity though. It goes against all my values and I struggle so much with it here. That’s not to say your writing isn’t wonderful and I’m so curious to see how this plays out. It just turns them into slightly less likable versions of themselves I suppose...
Who doesn’t make slightly impulsive choices on New Year’s though. I feel that. The melancholy really works here, both for the time and where the characters are at.
I’m so curious to see where you go from here, and how they get themselves from this affair to something more... I love that Jim kind of dug and is a little closer to knowing her real name.
Author's Response:
Yes, I know how you feel about infidelity fics, and I feel the same, but nothing brings out the drama and angst like a good affair, lol. Thanks for playing along despite that. I can guarantee they'll end up together. I love happy endings, in every sense of the phrase ;)
Thanks for the lovely review. I just posted ch. 4.
“to have her heart and mind completely out of sync” This is Pam of the early seasons all over - she’s just far more conscious of it here.
Oh, I love it’s a “this is Pam,” that gives her away.
“Get up on the wrong side of the warehouse guy?” Why is this so funny?! This may just be the best slightly inappropriate Michael joke of all time. It’s perfect.
Way to have Jim make an entrance.
Dwight’s reaction to him is so very well done.
Jim’s anger is so very real. I love that it’s coming from genuine hurt and not pride like Pam assumes. It’s sweet in a way.
Sleeping together without sleeping together is somehow a whole new level of intimacy. It’s certainly going to make things interesting if Jim takes the job in Scranton...
Author's Response: Thank you! Your review made my day! Glad you got a laugh--it's fun writing Michael sometimes, but it's a very fine line, as I sure you know, between making him over-the-top and funny in the right way. Glad you liked Dwight in this chapter--it's a real compliment if you say I got him down. I hope you continue to enjoy where I'm taking this. Please check out ch. 5!
1 This is all sorts of achingly beautiful. It’s such a terrible way to start something (what with all the cheating) and yet their are still such profound moments of sweetness. It’s really lovely writing to weave those threads together and still make them mostly likable versions of themselves.
Okay, this is perhaps the most ridiculous thing to comment on, but I will never get over how Americans pronounce “Aaron” - it sounds nothing like “Erin” in Australian English... Your joke stands, but it’s a nope on that pronunciation from me.
Jim’s reassurances are so very sweet.
““But I can’t.” Oh. Big Casino Night feels. Ouch.
I never really doubted that he’d take the job, but I’m so very glad he did & that it’s so he can fight for her. Yes please. I love a confident Jim who actually goes after what he wants.
“The planets and her chakras might be in the right place, but the reality of her world was in the ring on her finger” Damn. I so get it, where Pam is coming from, but at the same time I wish she could let Roy go. It’s not fair on either of them...
“I love you. I want you. I’m here because of you.” Oh my heart.
A bridge maybe, but this chapter feels all sorts of important. It was really interesting to see Jim and Roy in the same place. I can’t imagine being forced to stay in a hotel and having my significant other leave me to stay with his brother instead. This may be my new least favorite Roy thing to ever exist - I can totally picture it playing out just like this. How lonely and isolating for Pam, but at the same time I can see how she would feel as if she deserves it in this world...
Really curious to see where you go from here...
Author's Response: Thanks, Jenna, both for this review and the awesome one for ch. 5! I really appreciate it. Glad too we could clear up that whole Erin/Aaron thing, lol. My American ears still hear them the same, even with your wonderful accent. Yeah, about Roy. Sometimes I write him as a real jerk, sometimes over-the-top, and occasionally as an oblivious guy who truly loves Pam and is hurt by her. So many ways to go--I'm sure as a writer you know what I mean. Here, he's definitely on the jerk side, but then, so is Pam. I hope I'm getting across how much she hates herself right now, but can't help but love Jim. It'll all work out, I promise. Thanks again for your insightful words. Always great hearing what you think. More soon!
I really adore the idea of the rest of the office quietly rallying around Toby and throwing secret birthday parties for him. That‘s such a lovely idea and I kind of wish it was canon, but at the same time I can’t see them actually being that considerate...
“I knew it might take more than one day.” Oh Jim. The spark of humor. The crushing realization that it’s not just falling into place.
That’s a bold move from Isabel... A very bold move.
I’m glad it kind of works out (at least for a moment). But I’m not sure how I’d feel about a friend/cousin interfering quite that much...
I can’t see it ending well for Jim if they get caught! But on the other hand, I feel like it would force the break up between Pam and Roy to actually happen. Although, I feel like Pam needs to end it on her own terms, otherwise she may blame Jim. I’m sure you’ll surprise me (& make it work) either way!
Author's Response: Thank you for your vote of confidence, lol. I hope I continue to surprise you. As for Toby, I just always feel so bad for him, and I try to rectify that sometimes in my fics. He deserves a party!!! Yeah, Pam won't be too happy with Isabel, that's for sure. I just posted chapter 8, and I'm holding my breath wondering what you'll think of it, lol. Thanks for the review.
1 “Best sex of your life, guaranteed.” This line fits so perfectly into this universe. It’s still so very cringe, but totally fits.
You’re kind of giving us the best of both possibilities here. Roy “finding” Jim, but not finding him all at the same time.
Oh. Oh. That’s an amateur move there for Jim - wearing the same coat to work? Not his smoothest moment. This does not bode well at all, for either of them...
Author's Response: Yep--big mistake for Jim to wear that coat--or was it??? I hope you like where things go next. Thanks so much for the review. Ch. 9 is up now.
Why do I love the imagery of Dwight macing everyone, himself included? Very nice tie with Cocktails (in completely different and yet still very similar situation).
“a can of grape soda” I love a sweet, little gesture.
Okay, a drive-through pharmacy is a brilliant idea & I wish they existed here. I’m sort of mad that they don’t... (This is a weird detail for me mention, but I really, really wish we had them now that I know they exist).
Honestly I think it’s pretty brave of Pam to spill it all to Jim’s mother. That’s a bold, fancy new Beesly sort of move.
Bit of a grand gesture from Jim at the end there. With only chapter to go I’m really hoping that it pays off!
This was a super sweet end to a rather angsty tale! I’m glad they worked through all the mess and chaos to come so smoothly out the other end. The Niagara elopement was a very nice twist on canon!
Author's Response: I'm all about those happily-ever-afters. Thanks so much for all your support of this story. Your reviews are always appreciated.
'She was so soft, and warm, and yielding, and you didn’t expect of her to hide a knife behind her back.'1 Wow, Dernhelm, wow. This was truly wonderful. Achingly raw and painful, but beautiful. Poor Jim, it’s such an accurate representation of how he must have been feeling. I really adore these powerful little one shots you’ve been writing lately - I’m sorry that being in an angsty mood is what brings them on though.
1 You should always post all the things!
I love this so very much. It’s absolutely beautiful.
“kisses didn't taste like they were stolen anymore” This line is perfect. I can imagine Jim feeling exactly this way, after Pam being unattainable for so long, it would have felt just like this at first.
“under the fluorescent lamps of the office, with their coldness that was so dissonant to his feelings” YES. This comparison the whole show. Seriously. The stale office environment that pales in contrast to the colorful personalities that fill it. I love Jim picturing that their first time could happen in the office.
I want to quote basically every line of this and tell you why I love it. It’s so, so great. I adore the way you describe how it changes Pam too. And the freckles. Oh the freckles and the comparison to Roy. It’s so very lovely.
The way they explore each other? It’s so intimate. Plus the stories they share just adds a whole other way of revealing themselves to one another.
And then you bring it all together with a perfect comparison to amber inclusions and the moment is preserved in time and memory. Feel free to write them sleeping together whenever inspiration strikes!
Author's Response:
Jenna, I can't stop saying 'thank you' to you: for your support, your encouragement, and your lovely reviews. They all mean a world to me.
Thank you so much!
1 Welcome to MTT!
I so, so love a good twist on Season 3. This is a really lovely setup. I’m so glad to see Pam striving for some of that Fancy New Beesly boldness, even if things aren’t working out the way she would like with Jim.
Pam and Oscar’s friendship was great to see here. I hope she doesn’t overhear the same art show conversation as canon because I can imagine that would be all sorts of crushing with Oscar poised as one of her support people.
I’m really interested to see where you go with this - and who you have catching Pam’s attention...
Author's Response:
Thanks so much for such a warm welcome! I love it here already.
Pam/Oscar always seemed to me two people who would get along! Thanks for reading.
1 Oh I love the Mark mention - he’s not wrong.
“He couldn’t imagine it otherwise; he didn’t have the energy to.” This is Season 3 Jim all over. I feel like he’s kind of fallen into this thing with Karen and it seems simpler than any alternative so he just goes with it.
“he had always been her cheerleader” This whole section is kind of heart breaking. He’s always been her friend, but now there friendship isn’t what it was and he can’t even be there for her in that way. Ugh. Poor Jim.
“the way she used to smile when Roy” Ouch. Oh boy, that packs an emotional punch. I like that Jim tries to fix it a little bit. It’s nice to have his point of view and get a glimpse into his motivation for not coming.
I love that more people from the office have actually shown up at Pam’s art show. Thank goodness. Her glances at the door add a touch of angst.
Author's Response:
Thanks so much for reading, and quoting! That makes me feel so good.
I am glad I am able to flesh out S3 Jim. And yeah, I always wanted him to have a friend to talk to during S3. And Business School was just so heartbreaking that I needed to fix it.
1 Oooh yes, I like that you’ve maintained the tone of canon here. Jim’s reactions make a lot of sense through that lens.
Somehow picturing Paul as Mark Brandanawicz automatically makes me find him just a little bland - every though he seems like a super sweet guy. I just... Mark is not my fave... That said, I’ve definitely got a clear visual!
I got too caught up in reading to review the last chapter, but the line where Paul says his last name is Bernard, but quickly distances himself from Andy was hilarious!
Both these chapters were lovely. I like that you’re essentially following the episode storylines with your original story weaved throughout. This ending has me so keen to see what happens next!
Author's Response:
Thanks so much! I am glad keeping the episode tone makes sense.
Hehe, well, sweet and bland was what I had in mind when I was writing Paul so that's good.
Thanks so much for reading and reveiwing!
“she looked at him with such an ache written all over her that Jim forgot about everything else” Oh, my heart. I love this scene so very much. Of course Jim is drawn to her side in the face of aggressive Roy.
“He opened the door to find Pam standing there” Yes!
Ugh. So much good, and so much left unsaid. There are hints of Fancy New Beesly and courage, but the honesty is not quite there yet.
I don’t think Pam realizes how cruel she’s being pushing Jim to reaffirm their friendship, after she’s essentially pushed him away once again... The angst factor is certainly strong here, but it doesn’t seem completely unbelievable. I hope Pam finds a little more honesty with her courage soon!
Author's Response: Thanks so much for this review! I am glad it does feel believable and isn't way over the top. Glad you are liking this! :)
1 “sometimes in her charade Pam forgot Jim was human too” Oh, I absolutely love this. The idea that Pam can control all these elements of the narrative she’s telling apart from Jim and that’s where the whole thing becomes a little more dangerous. So good.
“It was almost robotic, but comfortable.” It’s funny (in a way) because this is essentially the life Pam was living with Roy... And now Jim is living it with Karen.
Oh boy. The moon bounce. I’m feeling all the feelings. Talking about the art show. Ahhh. There’s some confident Pam in there demanding an answer. My heart.
This was a really lovely, well written chapter. I get them needing to resolve the art show.
"The veil of complacency that she had worn for a decade had fallen from her eyes and she now saw everything anew."
A series of episode related oneshots taking a look at what was going on in Pam Beesly's mind.
1 “Even though she was in the magical years of self-delusion between twenty-five and thirty, where you were old enough to know better but could still get away living like you didn't” Oh my god call me out why don’t you.
“but then again she was well versed in ignoring the obvious” shot to the heart. I —
“Experience also came with age and wisdom, two things that were only born from time so maybe time was all she needed” the way I’m about to print this out & put it on the wall in my office...
“she absently wondered if the color had drained from her face because she felt the fragments she had shored against her ruins falling away piece by piece” Wow. Honestly wow. This line blows me away. It’s so achingly beautiful.
How. Dare. You.
Jim.
It’s all too perfect.
I love that there’s not much said & yet so much happens.
That final line. It’s everything.
1 “A phantom limb that ached and throbbed in the absence of the skin, muscle and sinew that used to occupy the space.” This is pure poetry.
“resigning herself to the backward progress and allowing his voice to fill her the way it always had.” It’s fine. I’m fine. No one’s crying here...
Pam waiting on that message that doesn’t come is... ugh. I mean, this is a pretty unique situation, but somehow it toes that kind between friendship breakup and actual breakup. I feel like losing a genuine best friend has to be one of the worst feelings in the world. And to reach out to them and not have them respond... it would ache in a whole new way. “If this was a message, she heard it loud and clear.” Oh Pam...
The angst. Oh the angst. The Merger with Pam’s flaring and spiraling hope. Then the scenes in her apartment. “this was her purgatory.” I’m sure it would have felt exactly that way to Pam, like she deserved it - even more so in this world you’ve created where she went to him and essentially set him free for his (perceived) good.
I look forward to seeing how you will spin the words to make me feel all the things next chapter.
Author's Response: I always enjoy hearing what your favorite parts are in your reviews. Your words are so kind and encouraging and appreciate them so much! Thanks :)
1 Look, cliches are a cliche because they work. Write all the things! Always write all the things.
“the axis of her universe had now shifted and realigned itself to his” YES. My heart.
Her getting home... finality, conclusion. It’s all so beautifully written.
“a sand foundation” This is such a fitting way to describe the life she had with Roy.
Ugh. I love this. And I hate it. I like to tell myself that if Jim knew she’d broken up with Roy he would have stayed. But, the idea that Pam wants more for him and would let him go (not seeing herself as part of what’s best) fits so well with who Pam is before she finds herself without Roy. This is Season 2 Pam all over.
Author's Response: Thank you so much, Jenna. I always felt that she would want to let him go and that she needed that time for growth. As painful as it was, jumping right into a new relationship, even with her soulmate, might have been a huge mistake. She need to find herself on the other side of that path of change first. Thank you!
1 The image of Pam spilling her pain into her art is so achingly raw and beautiful. You write it so very well.
“even though he sat closer to her than ever before” For some reason that had never really occurred to me before & seeing it spelled out breaks my heart all over again about the distance between them in terms of their friendship in Season 3. I hate it here. But I love you for including this line and hitting me so very hard in the feels.
Bored. Seriously. The way you manage to take the simplest thing, that has been written about time and time again and give us something new and better and even more vivid. I just — This, I’m talking about this: “She would catch herself studying the back of his neck, where the edges of his long brown hair and the top of his collar collided as if all the mysteries of the last few months were written there”
Incredible.
Oh my. The cracks. Yes. Such an apt description.
“More often, days were punctuated by the lack of him, as he actively avoided her” You’re capturing the angst of Season 3 (& making it your own) so very beautifully. It breaks my heart all over again.
“Square footage does not lie” Oh. OH. Oh. What a line.
The whole break room scene is everything. “as they traced invisible markings on her soul” There are no coherent words. It’s just so very perfect.
This whole chapter (fic) is right in that angst sweet spot. It hits all the Season 3 notes in all the best ways.
Author's Response: So, you know that gif reaction on twitter the other day when someone receives a great review? Yeah, that's always me reading yours. Thank you so, so much. <3
1 The author’s note alone and I already know that this is about to be my new favorite thing...
“In an effort to cling to the remains of her dignity, she had trashed them all, a victory that, instead of propelling her forward, filled her with regret, and left her hollow.” Right in the feels. I am the biggest sentimental hoarder and this genuinely weighs on my heart. I can feel the depth of that regret, achingly so.
“The ever-revolving door of wanting him and wanting to hate him.” Oh. That’s Season 3 energy all over.
“He was pining after a woman that was long gone the same way she was longing after a man she had given up” I. Wow. Yes. This hurts my heart for them all.
Although, that gifting her a book she already has touch is amazing and so completely perfect. My sympathy for Roy just rose and fell in such a spectacular crescendo.
This hesitant Jim holding himself back in the parking lot is everything.
“She shook her head in agreement” Bored. The way this is perfection.
Author's Response:
Thank you Jenna, so much!
"My sympathy for Roy just rose and fell in such a spectacular crescendo." I love that! Even your reviews are poetic! (Teach me sometime, okay? Because I'm a horrible reviewer.)
During mandatory lockdown there is still work to do, and Pam is nothing but a professional.
Contemporary AU lockdown JAM.
1 Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I hate doing meetings by Zoom in the real world. I thought I would love it because who likes people?! But I guess it turns out I’m far more of a people-y person than I realized...
I digress, I love this Zoom meeting/concept when it comes to JAM!
“he finally cracked a silly joke about maybe selling toilet paper instead of their usual multipurpose photocopy reams” This is an absolutely perfect joke, both for Jim and the current world. I genuinely laughed.
Looking forward to seeing where you go with this! I’m a little devastated that Roy is around, but I’m hopeful that he won’t be forever...
Author's Response:
How weird it is to ansewer to a review almost 4 years later?
Anyways, I'm revisiting some of the stuff I wrote years ago looking for that elusive inspiration and I just want to say thank you for reviewing and there is no forgiveness for me not to have said thank you back then.
I hope you're well!
1 “Pam tuned out the rest of the speech and continued doodling in the notepad she was holding, being careful for it not to show to the webcam.” This... this is life now. It’s truly a skill to figure out how to how to do literally anything else whilst pretending to pay attention to a Zoom meeting (that really should have been an email).
I love how you’re capturing all their personalities so well, even through Zoom - like of course Stanley would be blatantly doing his crossword puzzle.
I like that somehow they still kind of know they’re on the same wavelength, even without meeting in person.
“Focused on beating my all time- wait, is this thing recording?” Oh, this made me laugh.
“Great. It’s a d- settled then.” Oh no? Oh yes? Jim’s smitten already? I mean, I get it. I really get it. I just feel for the poor guy - fingers crossed there isn’t like three whole seasons worth of angst ahead of him... It’s super sweet that he asked to hang out on Zoom all day.
“Maybe I’m finally getting that cabin fever everybody’s talking about.” I so love the humor you inject into your writing. It makes for a lot of fun.
I feel you on the too much Zoom and not enough Jim Halpert. Story of my life.
Author's Response:
Thanks very very much for such an amazing review!
I think zoom makes a little more evident some of the personalities irl. Fortunately my boss does not make us turn on the cameras, which is a relief.
Also, can you imagine Stanley being forced to zoom meetings?
Jim is smitten from day one. Have you seen the deleted scene about Jim's worst first date (I think it's in the extra material), when he talks about going to Cugino's with this girl "and we really hit it off". That's where I'm getting all this. And sure, Jim knows about Roy, but he's not really caring about him right now.
You won't have three seasons of angst ahead, promise. There will be some angst, but not too much.
Thanks again!