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Welcome to MTT! I’ve been slow to jump onboard with this fic - mostly because I’m a little scared of anything set in Season 9. I have such a love/hate dynamic with Season 9... I love that it’s so very real and that’s what a marriage is sometimes, but also all the angst drains my soul...

Your writing is really lovely. I think you’re doing characters like Nellie, Erin and Pete a lot of justice with this story.
There’s a nice blend of humor sprinkled throughout too. “ Andy proceeds to make it weird.” This line made me chuckle.
I’m interested to see how you really diverge things from canon.

Author's Response:

Glad you're enjoying it so far! 

Trust me, with the canon S9, I get it.  There's some plots and a lot of jokes I felt like they did really well, but wow is it a tough watch.  I myself love the Halpert conflict *in concept*, because I like that they're not painted as this amazing fantasy love story, it's a real relationship.  However, like I've mentioned, their lack of communication is what annoys me.  It felt like such a regression from how they were the previous 5 seasons; just because they have trouble communicating doesn't mean they wouldn't make an attempt.  And yeah, there will be conflict in this, but nothing that's unresolved.

I actually really like writing those three in particular a lot.  Erin is one of my favorites and I like both Nellie and Pete, I just didn't think the show knew what to do with them.  I want to do more with Clark, but there aren't a lot of plots dedicated to him yet, though I know that'll change with "The Whale".  The biggest canon divergence will begin in "Lice".

And I'm really glad you like my writing style!  I'm very not used to prose so this proved to be a bit of a challenge.

Thanks for the welcome, and the review! 

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Oh, this is such a fun set up! I can’t say I’ve ever read anything like it before, I love a good twist.
You had me a little worried in the first part with Katy making the briefest of cameos, but then the focus shifted to Steve and now I’m so very excited to see where you go with this - especially so early on in canon. A really unique premise...

Author's Response: Thank you! Katy will reappear, if only because this is an S1 fic and so we will touch on Hot Girl, but this is not a Katy-centric fic I assure you. I hope you enjoy!

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Pam realizing she needed to turn on the camera without additional prompting was so very lovely. Steve was great - it’s really fun to see it all play out this way, with Jim as almost active participant.

Author's Response: Thank you! And thanks for the feedback on Steve--since he's 90% OC (only shows up in this one scene in the original), I'm worried about him fitting in...

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Oh Michael. Not recognizing someone he’s done a play with has to make his list of lows.

“his type was very specifically one person.” This a great line. So very true when it comes to Jim (I’m overlooking the fact he actually dated Katy in canon because nope, this is a better narrative).

Aww, well that’s the sweetest twist ever! I am so here for Jim setting up Katy and Steve.

Author's Response:

It just still felt pretty Michael for me to have him forget her because, well, he didn't really pay attention to her as a person in the show, so...

And thank you! I'm always glad to provide heartwarming moments that open the way for more JAM... 

This is a wonderful repurposing of it’s a date. I love the moment of clarification & Pam’s face dropping only to fix it so very quickly - thank goodness!

The imagery of Jim six inches off the ground is so very lovely. It made me smile.

“And here I thought I was being incredibly obvious about my crush on my hot new coworker.” Oh, this exchange is just delightful.

Pam continuing the bit with Steve is just perfect.
Nice way to tie it all together at the end too!

Author's Response: Thank you so much, especially for noticing the circular bits of the fic (I love bringing things back around).

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Ovaries before brovaries! I loved this chapter, I didn’t want it to end. Your Karen is very much Ann Perkins here & I adore her.

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I really liked your Roy during the break up. He felt about the right amount of angry coupled with actually caring about Pam. I like when his character is written with a little more depth than just villain/asshole.

“Hearing another girl call him by his last name so playfully again was slightly jarring.” Ugh. I imagine so. Jarring is a nice description of it.

Author's Response: Yeah, Roy has always been a complicated character for me. I mean, yeah, he sucks. But there has to be a reason Pam was with him so long. I don’t imagine she would have called everything off and have it be easy for either of them. Thanks for your review! :)

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“Yeah, he really knows his way around a pair of beets.” This was such a fun exchange!

After the angsty build up, this fluff is super sweet. I love that he came back to kiss her. What a lovely way to end this!

Author's Response: Thank you for reading and reviewing!! I’m glad you liked the ending. :)

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Back into the dating pool with Toby. Oof. “Turns out, one date with Toby was one too many for her.” Oh this cracked me up a whole lot. Toby’s not so bad, but after a beloved husband, dating him would not feel like a step up.

Wow. What a dating history - Alan, Brian, Roy. I like how you’re blending canon elements with this world. It’s a little the same, but totally different all at once.

“Mark introduced Pam to his best friend Jim, Jim’s brother Danny, and Danny’s wife Karen.” Oh. Oh. Okay. I wondered how/where Jim would fit in! Danny & Karen is a bonus.

“Jim is… well… he isn’t very subtle about his feelings towards her” This feels a lot like canon - poor Jim in the friend zone...

I love Jim and Danny as brothers! And aunt Jo! This is making me wish I’d read the book... partly because I’m dying to know what’s coming!

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Aly! Way to leave us on a cliffhanger!
I can’t make sense of Roy here, I have no idea if he’s genuine or not. He really seems to be a bit of a mystery... Pam’s mixed feelings aren’t helping.
I feel for Jim though! I hope he finds some courage!

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This version of Roy gives off such a weird vibe. I have no clue what his deal is yet, but I know I don’t like it... Jim’s conversation with Daryl was all sorts of ominous too.
Dwight is a delight! Of course it needs to be perfectly centered.
For a second there you had me going & I thought Jim had really taken Kelly on a date...

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“Her shoulders ached from carrying the weight of the day on them” This is The Merger all over. Lovely description.
I really like this challenge - I look forward to seeing what you do with it. This is a really nice start!

Author's Response: Thank you!! :) Hopefully you enjoy what’s to come!