Married mom of 2 almost grown and flown kids who began watching The Office when her own teenager put it on. And began writing soon after.
An AU inspired by Couples Retreat (feat. Jam on a tropical island, under Michael’s expert relationship guidance).
It really hurt my heart when Pam turned away from his kiss. Really hit me hard but I liked the note about Izzy's snoring, but I can't understand ever loving this about someone - but that is my own personal issue. It is such a interesting gracenote here.
Still also invested in the Mizzy troubles, not a lot about them here but enough to make me hurt for them too.
The ideas in Andy's head as he catches them are fun too - wait until he shares them with Kevin (I can't remember if he's shown up in this story yet).
Of course Dwight has brought his own fins and wetsuit, of course and of course they would cause an issue later - even if it's more Jim and Mark to blame, Dwight kinda brings it on himself sometimes with his ridiculousness and his overbearing personality. But that Jim pulled the prank with Mark instead of Pam, who would usually be his biggest prank fan also was bumming me out.
Oh and the confusion that he's having an affair with Athleach or Ashley by Dwight and Michel is classic.
But she seemed too busy thinking about all the missed opportunities and his phone calls to be with him here. Sorry she's got to be going through that when she could be having fun pranking with Jim.
Always love independent Pam - likewise the Pam/Dwight friendship which is alluded to here and her saving him was pretty badass.
Looking forward to seeing them all come up on the other side of all this - hoping that's where it is going for all of them.
1 Nice to get a little different POVs here and I really enjoyed what you did with Oscar and his wine. Screw tops (ha ha, yes, that is the vintage of Michael) - I did lol when Holly asked for the straw -glad she was only kidding, partly. It was also very telling she didn't really like the wine.
Now it was a clever way to give us the take on what went down in all the sessions (even if they shouldn't be discussing their clients, lol) and the whole bit about 'what if love isn't enough' was so, so well put and expressed.
I enjoyed how all along you've also got Holly thinking of her own situation.
Once again we see Kelly's genius in that she was able to figure out from her topographical expertise that Ryan was nowhere near the waterfall and actually near the singles side. Now I don't feel all that bad. yeah not at all really for the Howard-Kapoors. I do feel a little bad for Mizzy and the Schrutes and I'll tell you after the way Pam gave it to Jim I honestly feel bad for him the most. Glad she finally was able to speak her truth, good for you Pam, always like it when Pam finds her voice and communicates, but it does seems like Jim is really trying to juggle a lot to make a better life for the whole family. It's tough he seems to be falling a little too much on the work side, and Pam is left to make up the shortfall on the home side. I hope together they can figure out a balance.
Again I love the way Holly equates Pam's bravery with being able to find some of her own.
It's unfortunate that all of the issues to be worked out and Holly's own bravery will have to be put on hold because of whatever TOBY has done here. What a cliffhanger. You really have me on the edge of my seat wondering what is happening. Great chapter!!! Update soon please.
So happy to see you and this story back. Had to refresh myself as to where we were before I could dive into this one. Good fun with Andy and his singing, Very telling with Holly and her insights and a perfectly played Kelly. I always find your flashbacks so poignant- this one of Pam's car stuck in the snow well placed and I loved (multiple heart eyes) this line
'He’d found her then, in the middle of a snowstorm. So why was finding her on this tiny island proving so hard? Why couldn’t they find each other here?"
OH and I'm very excited for more Major Miner.
Welcome Back.
Thank you so much! And yes haha, it has been a while - I also had to go back through the story to remind myself, oops. Really glad you enjoyed the flashback (they're always some of my favourite things to write). Major Miner is coming up...
Thanks for the review! I also realise I am HUGELY behind on Three Hundred Sixty Turns - I feel like you know you've been gone for way too long when it's gone from something like 5 chapters to 35. But this is very exciting!
So I'm so glad you came back to finish up this story because it would have been a shame to miss out on what you'd been getting to with this chapter. Really, really enjoyed all you had going on here...Michael's heart to heart with Jim felt very much like many of the ones on show and when he comes to understand Holly is not off-limits to him only to her patients - well I cheered as he ran off.
Loved getting more backstory of Iz and Mark and what you are doing with these characters is so well written and developed.
Toby owns the singles resort - that's good! Very inspired.
SO much great stuff in the chapter - Mark and Dwight, Izzy and Miner and the end with Pam and Jim.
Really enjoying this story and once again glad it is back!
Author's Response: Thanks so much! Really glad you enjoyed this one :) And the Iz/Mark stuff is definitely what I'm most nervous about given I'm basically making up them up lol, so that's a big relief to hear! Thanks very much for the review!
So I read this a day or two after you posted it but I haven't had the chance to drop a review but wanted you to know I am enjoying reading how all the couples are coming back together and finding each other again (or in Michel and Holly's case for the first time) - I love your best things about Holly, they feel very Michael. But where I think you really nail the voices is with Angela and Dwight.
It feels like you're bringing this puppy home so I'm glad there seems to be a little more up your sleeve first.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much! Really glad to hear you're enjoying them coming back together, and that's so great to hear on Dwight and Angela especially :) I am gradually bringing it to a close - I think a couple more chapters, as they've still got a bit of work to do...
Thanks very much for the review!
"Deep within my gut, I can read his face. We were friends — best friends — at one point in our lives. Unpacking what has changed between us is a monumental task that I’m not entirely prepared to attempt. But despite this rivalry that’s grown between us, I notice the way his features soften, a gentleness makes his eyes and the corners of his mouth dip."
1 OK what can I say about this except, as usual I am in awe. Your writing is so engaging and draws me completely into the story but MTT I love that you weave new plots and worlds for these characters to interact in. That is the beauty of the stories you write.
As a Karen fan (not to be with Jim, but as a person, I never saw what she did wrong, except maybe the self harm she inflicted on herself), I love how she is Pam's ally and not enemy when you write her.
Now it is too bad the fanfic thing doesn't pay since you would do very well.
Looking forward to more of this one.
1 So even though I hinted at it, no asked for it, honestly strong-armed you into it, I was thrilled to get a birthday story and what better than a Kelly story since we both can be rather long winded.
So so many, like a thousand, or more, google plex or whatever might be more than than that thanks and jellybeans for this dedication.
It was delightful.
First of all, I saw Grey's and it all came back to me our discussions of the show way back when I was doing a re-watch (sadly I gave up on the re-watch just as I gave up on the show back when it was live after a number of seasons - but I got through enough to know exactly every scene Kelly described.
But you had me confused for a second, calling Alex Karev, Alex Mack and I didn't remember Gabrielle Union on the show (although she would have made a great guest star - she's the kind of beautiful you need to be to be a patient of Seattle Grace) until I realized you, were channeling Kelly perfectly with your unexplainable segue from one thought to another. Perfectly Kelly.
Loved every reference she made to the show- completely get her being smitten with Chris O'Donnell and McVet - loved that. Thinking Ryan might get jealous because she liked a TV character, so her and the whole bit about the hockey player ex who actually just works in marketing was hysterical and so Kelly.
So glad you had the live ammo bit in there because how would Kelly not bring that up and it was what I was thinking of as I got into this paragraph.
Oh and how Jim and Pam are having their own conversation through all this is just so them. And the talking head explaining it all was a delight - their banter delicious but that Jim was Team George - how perfect!
(oh and I never was a Callie fan at all - and by the way you must go watch the episode where George confesses to Izzy (aired same night as The Job)- so many parallels including a bunch of "I Can't's" - I have a story that may never see the light of day either that references how they line up to Pam/Jim story that it blew my mind.) How's that for a Kelly like rant?
Ok, Pam stuck at the end, I really felt for her there, who can save her now?
But Cosmo, yup Kelly reads cover to cover every week - I believe it was her bible.
The Network Notes with Kelly's tag was hysterical. And I do want to hear the Grey's Shonda Rhimes story. ASAP.
Another classically brilliant Rejected Cold Open - thank you for sharing and dedicating it to me on my birthday.
Author's Response: No less than your due, my friend. Happy #MaxDay!
Ha, you know, I didn't even think about how confusing it would be to reference another Alex character in that rant... and I assume neither would Kelly. But yeah, it felt weird to do a Kelly rant without referencing at least *one* rom com.
Oh, Kelly. She lives a really exciting life inside her head. If only she didn't devote so much of her energy to Ryan.
There was a *lot* of reference-worthy episodes in Season 2 of Grey's, but I think the live ammo bit would very much be on Kelly's mind.
Jim and Pam are really good at non-verbal communication, when they're not communicating about their feelings. And of course Jim was Team George and Pam saw nothing significant in that.
I was very much on Team Gizzie, until the writers decided to destroy it for reasons that never made much sense to me. But I am now *highly* invested the idea of a Gizzie/Jam fic exploration, so Kelly rant on.
It's a risky strategy, did not pay off for her. Poor Pam. And poor Kelly. And kind of poor Ryan.
The network notes and Mindy's outrage was pretty much what made me decide I wanted to write this fic, the rest was just gravy.
You are very welcome, and thank YOU for being born!
When Pam feels alone in a new city she meets someone who begins to feel like home.
A college au set in Bristol, UK
1 First off welcome to writing here - big step always making that first post so bravo.
With the title a line right out of Iris, I take it we are in for some angst and a little bumpy ride and I'm here for that. I do like how you took the lyric from the title and matched it with the idea of the chapter title and Jim's tee shirt. Jim's a little PF fan huh?
The opening lines were strong and you had a good set-up here.
As one who went to university (in US) years ago you brought me back to thinking on those first days. As one who also spent a semester of school at a British Polytechnic in Nottingham, you also brought me back to the nightclub scene.
As a huge Jam fan, I smiled at their first meeting and looking forward to where you go with them and seeing about this movie theme?
Good job and welcome again.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much!
The title is a line out of Iris - I have some ideas which will link all these themes together, this will be shown in a chapter or two. I'm really influenced by film and music - both my passions in life so thought it's best to write about what I love.
University's in the UK are MESSY. The night life has shook me to my core as someone who isn't particularly a party go-er!
So glad you enjoyed their first reaction :) Once again, as a fan of film a good old meet cute warms my heart!!
1 Ok - what I didn't realized when I saw this at work was that it was chapters - plural, so an extra special treat...so here's what brought me joy in the first one -
The Concept - how did this not become an A Plot or a B plot or at least a cold open. Well in some ways glad it didn't so you could do it. TWSS
Busting in with a classic disclaimer - lot of fun there.
OK this description was spot on - all-smiles JIM and PAM, a concerned PHYLLIS, a confused-even-for-him KEVIN and a mentally-updating-his-resume OSCAR.
And of course Michael thinks the guys downstairs have a chainsaw (wait, don't they?) but the way Darryl responds I can just see it.
And Angela's line -well done. More reviewing to come after I start on dinner...
Author's Response: Re: The Concept - I actually came to see how this card got left on the table in the course of writing this. Like, there's a point at which you can no longer suspend disbelief that no one would do anything about this. Even for an office this crazy, it's just not quite real enough. (Then again, remember when Dwight gave Stanley a heart attack and suffered zero consequences?)
This disclaimer may well be my favorite yet.
I'm glad you thought Angela played... she's important there, and I felt like I was a step or two to the side of where I wanted to be on her talking heads.
1 Chapter titles - they often get overlooked but not this one - I thought it was brilliant - so so funny.
How Michael turns this against Toby well that seemed about right.
Pam and Jim are just enjoying this so much too. Field day for Jim - although since it's maybe a little too easy for him- wouldn't that negate some of the enjoyment -nah - still fun.
Oh popcorn a nice touch too.
Author's Response: One of the fun things about breaking this up into beats was the chance to do a whole separate line of jokes with the chapter titles. This was neat.
Oh, Toby. You'd feel bad for him, except this is Season 4, and also he's just blatantly giving up on doing his job.
I do think there's not much sport in this one for Jim... but he does get the fun bonus of Dwight being completely unable to respond, so that helps.
Popcarn.
1 Nobody appreciates Mom Pam quite as much as I do so you know I love that part. And nothing is more annoying than someone telling you how to play solitaire, except when that someone is Dwight.
Good thing we've got Jim to the rescue. Book not my genre but totally Dwight's and Jim was probably enjoying it a bit too.
Let's see why this thing can't work (as per the execs).
Author's Response: Pam was the most prepared Mom in all of television. And hey, Jim managed to make it charming, so maybe Dwight could too. Under different circumstances.
This seemed like the sort of pop culture where Jim and Dwight could easily find common ground.
There are actually a bunch of reasons... in particular I have Michael and Toby in the second beat, which wouldn't have worked with The Deposition at all. Writing's hard.
1 Awwhh - loved the Jim/Dwight reading moment- really loved the way you described it - Jim reading to kids - got me right in the feels. -as did the little note about Angela.
I might have to agree with the network here - too much there for a cold open - and they've got a budget too - a few pieces of post-it probably was a lot more budget friendly for a 2 minute bit.
A lot of fun with this one- as with all your stuff. I love the humor of your writing and yet you still tug where I want to be tugged in a good fan fic.
Author's Response: This is all very much inspired by Dwight reading Harry Potter to them in Money, and by a week on the beach with my nephew and nieces in which I read "Pizza and Taco's Super-Awesome Comic" waaaaaay too many times.
It's true. This would have been a rough episode for Phil Shea.
Really glad you enjoyed this one... thank you as always for taking the time to review!
1 Ok - so you already know how much I love this one -even more the second time around and not just because I am a member of the tribe.
This was both hysterical and educational in the most organic way. I'm still kvelling from the fact that I had something to do with its inspiration. So blame me as much as you want cause this almost makes up for all the lost opportunities that there was no Jewish character. I mean they had at least 2 actors that were (extra points if you can name them - present author excluded from the contest).
But DJC- this was all you and really well done.
Now I know disclaimers are pretty much your schtick, and this one was spot on.
Now I know it's written for comedy but very in character that Pam and Phyllis would be concerned about getting the sentiment right.
I am Jewish and I still worry about what to say or write. It can be very tricky when flowers are not an option; when you know the mourners already got more bagels and lox and rugelach than they can eat in a month, what else can you send?
I still want to know what the 12 (13) signs were in Jim (you you share them offline to see if they match up with the ones in my head.
The stuff with Dwight - yeah I think the network did make the right call to not want to remind everyone of his potential Nazi ancestors.
But it was Creed here who stole the show - yeah he knows all about Judaism, what to say, what's proper and not, but he still doesn't know Pam's name.
And that backstory.
Gotta say the emails between Lee and Gene were pretty much what I might expect from them and thanks to you a whole new audience has been exposed to a classic Yiddish saying.
and can't neglect to mention: But hey, congrats on writing a cold open that’s actually cold open length! - great add!
I'll say it again - writers really missed the opportunity here - can you imagine if Michael had someone around to teach him Yiddish.
Thanks for giving us a little taste. It was Geshmak.
1 ‘Oh, put it down, Dwight!” Dwight lowers his pepper spray.’
Ok this made me laugh.
So this was a interesting amalgamation of a whole lot of different scenes but it still got to the only ending that made sense for these two. Nice that Pam got to get her aggression out early (I’m glad it wasn’t on Karen - I was afraid of that at first- poor girl gets a lot of fan fic hate ) - maybe now she won’t feel the need to smack Michael later (who am I kidding of course she will).
Author's Response:
Thank you! Wow, I love writing Dwight.
Merging a bunch of different scenes into a cohesive whole is something I've been doing a lot with these stories on here, and hopefully that skill is paying off. And angry Pam was fun to write, since I don't write her often and the anger, while irrational, was completely justifiable. Also, #KarenDeservedBetter. I understand why you were afraid she'd get chewed out because she's not a bad person at all, just dating the wrong person at the worst possible time.
And of course, she'll still slap Michael. She wants to every other day.
Thanks for the the review!
He held her life in his hands when they were together, and she held his soul, and knew it.
1 My favorite things about this chapter ....the first line (well the first 2 lines) and the last line.
There was an intimacy and detail in the first paragraph that conveyed her experience and the shift she felt so beautifully.
Though we know what is to come from Anternum I do hope we will get more of Pamela's thoughts as she continues her "new life" in Philadelphia.
1 Indulge away for we reap the rewards - getting to relive this story from another voice and speaking of I'm enjoying the first person narrative.
I wasn't sure which to begin with - the new chapter of Aeternum but knew I would be enrapt with either. I'll have you know I sat outside my office in my car before driving off for home, and read this. I may have been sitting in a modern automobile, in modern times but as i read I might as well have been in post civil war south, on a veranda with Colonel Halpert and Pamela.
I like how this opens with a letter a little bit in the future from where we begin and while the whole letter was beauty, 'He is that fate for me. Complete and unquestionably.' was where the cloche came up and I could taste the dinner set before me (see tying to what I said in Discord - even though we were discussing the other story) I found it sweet and so in character of Pam to wish that for her sister as well. This news I can't remember if it is something we are aware of or not in Aeternum. Guess I'll have to read back again.
I'm kinda loving that we get a little twist on Pam in this version, that she knew she wanted more, wasn't happy with Roy and never had been, already had that little fire that didn't come about until later seasons in the show. Passages like this - "No one asked me. Not once did anyone look in my direction and inquire 'Is this what you want, Pamela?' ... I want to paint, I want to live in a city somewhere and I want to love my husband, not merely tolerate him and out of that love perhaps some children. and 'She was courageous and I wanted to be her. I wanted to seize control of my life and plot its course instead of drifting wherever the current of family and society's expectations for me pulled me along. -really brought that out.
The delicate but definitive chemistry that drew Pam to Jim was convincing in its subtlety. And that she could already see through him only makes the connection he might feel in return stronger (as well as the strong spirit of this re-defined Pam).
Must mention some other lines that struck me (although I could say it was every other one, if not every one but I'll try and pick my favorites)
--But she was fictional and I was very real; sweeping romance and excitement was only something found on ink and paper.
--It always seemed to radiate off of her like the rays on the big yellow sun I would put in the top corner of drawings as a child. (wow I can totally see a child's crayon drawing here)
--He was doing both, the slight pull on his lips giving away his true intention and his voice was warm and rich like the amber liquid he swirled in his glass. (and now I hear Jim's voice)
--This betrothed stranger stirred more in me than the man I was supposed to marry and it was suddenly unfair...A man that never considered my words so thoughtfully or smiled so warmly.
--A strange feeling of contradiction, of needing him to go so I could forget about him and desperately wanting him to stay a little longer, made a tightness in my chest that I could not explain.
I could go on repeating your lines but I think I'll just leave it at -in awe again.
Just Delicious!
1 From your very first lines, you have a way of making the reader feel there, seeing and smelling and sensing the distress of the situation.
I felt Pam's fear as Roy became more and more brash and terrorizing.... He pressed his body against mine, the edge of the counter biting into my back and something hard and terrifying against my front - cringed from the thought of what was so close (even though from knowledge of A, knew it didn't). Oh for once Ms. Rebecca's gossip-seeking nature was fortuitous and while they were from two different classes (at least at that moment)...this line reminded me of the bond they shared, that all women did and do no matter what class or caste....
I met her eyes, a small tear rolling down my cheek and I could only bring myself to shake my head affirmatively. She held her gaze for a long moment before nodding in quiet female solidarity and damping the stove once again.
Again, even knowing all the events to happen from A, seeing the loss through the lens of her eyes was so heartbreaking. I love the use of black, blue and white in this scene - the blue dress, a nod to Casino night? and the black, indicative of the darkness, not only the death and the house, but the future she was destined to with Roy. Ending the section with white, that brightness we can force to our sights with our own hands - beautiful (and a hint at hope?).
I love the look into the way the town she was from operated, and how even though characters had just a brief mention or lines we all the same got the sense of personalities and roles.
Thank you for the insight into what she had to consider with the proposal, the pointed difference in how he asked her in contrast to the arrangement made outside of her. How though is was not a grand act borne from a long-built love, it still was in a way romantic and stirred up a feeling in her that made her want to consider it, despite what may come of it.
I noticed a woman, finely dressed by Asheville's standards, examining the shoes of a street vendor. Her school-age daughter stood dutifully next to her dressed in all white, an ankle length skirt with yellow bows and a yellow bonnet, a vision of propriety and upbringing. She reached for a trinket only to have her gloved hand smacked sharply by her mother and the young girl then resigned herself to watching with a wistful expression the stagecoach arrive on the opposite side of the street. I knew that expression well.
Again more insight into her needed to make a change, not follow the path she was on...I am in awe how you do this, present a seemingly non-related thing and make it so important to character-building.
I though I wanted the chapter to end with her saying hyes but then we would have missed out on all that was revealed in the conversation with her mom...and that last line. Mwahh.
I truly love this view - for how it rounds out both stories.
Wonderful job.
I love your analysis of the colors! So insightful! I also appreciate that you noticed the woman and her daughter outside the window. I wanted that to be refelective of Pam's upbringing--proper, restrained--and when her hand is slapped away it was a metaphor for how she was denied what she really wanted all her life.
She was at a crossroads at that moment. She could continue down the path she was on, that the little girl was on, or she could seize control of something, claim it as her own and change the direction of her life forever.
Thank you so much for the perceptive review!
1 I'm finally getting to review this stunning chapter. Sorry it's taken so long.
Of course, with all that you share, this whole thing was beautifully written and really lets us into her mindset and thoughts, but here is what really stood out to me...
The quick realization there was "no choice at all" in seeing how James reacted to Roy and how he spoke of her...
James offering to keep watch, (so true his character) and her internal debate about "thanking him for his devotion" and her desire to feel those lips. Her thoughts about what he might think and the back and forth.
This line...
“It is impossible to forget about you, Miss Beesly,” he replied, barely above a whisper.
I thoroughly enjoyed the chat between her and Penny (the bit about sex and the horse seemed well adapted to the times) and of course Penny had gotten a peek.
So beautiful that Helene cared to find her a dress and that Pam assured her there was no need - that Mr. Halpert had no expectations.
Loved the addition of Robert Vance and it was such a perfect placement. His backing of Colonel Halpert and assurance of his honor to Helene works so well.
And the description of the kiss at the ceremony with all it conveyed . Her reaction to his kiss as the pivot point for her - -just beautiful.
Welcome and congrats on your first story.
You are diving right in with this one.
I wasn't expecting Roy but if there would be anyone to push Pam onto a porn set. Roy here is well ...what is the opposite of a mensch...he's the small bulge forming in his pants.
I do also wonder what she is getting herself into and how Jim gets involved too.
Author's Response:
Hahaha! I love that description of Roy! And don’t worry, Jim is up next, so all will be revealed!
I thought you did a good job with the breakup here. It is tough to get across everything Pam might be feeling in this moment, her anger and exasperation but also her nervousness, relief and even the sadness. You hit on it all. Good work.
But that she will continue to stay there with him in the house ? Yikes.
Author's Response: Thank you so much! That really means a lot! And yes poor Pam, no escape just yet!
"This is why no good comes from eating meat," -Great Line
"Pam, please don't yuck other people's yums," he said. OH and I love this one for the reason it was huge in my household when the kiddos were kiddos - even used it myself in a fic once. Nice to see it here.
Suck-It Films - perfect name for porno film company - even if its the umbrella.
Author's Response: Oh how funny! That’s one of my favourite sayings so I’m glad I got to work it in, and it sounded like something Michael might say! A little park of me wants to go back and rewrite the whole story with Suck It as the film company 🤣🤣
1 Thank you for making Karen not a shrew- she really didn't deserve the hate - I'm a huge Jam shipper but still felt bad for Karen. She was really got a raw deal, and really did nothing wrong. Thanks for that.
Wish Pam and Jim didn't wind up fighting here but that gives us more to come.
Author's Response:
Yeah, I like Karen a lot myself. She felt like a character that was well-integrated for a specific season, like Nellie in S9. Sure, she has flaws, but Jim ain't blameless, either. #KarenDeservedBetter
The fight was certainly tough, but I figured it be a bit more realistic. Of course, they were gonna reconcile, but with the amount of regret and denial these two have, it's no wonder they'd lash out at first.
Thanks for the review!
Karen thinks that a small party - her apartment is NOT huge - of a select few coworkers, to celebrate her recent move to her very cool new apartment, is a fantastic and totally non-problematic idea. Jim wants her to get to know them. No?
Jim is... unconvinced. He suspects that there are agendas at play here.
But, as she says, it's only one night. What could possibly go wrong?
Could this be another season 3 fixer???
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
1 So after reading the summary my first thought was well this is going to be another interesting 'Dinner Party' and once I got to the guest list I was sure there would be many awkward and uncomfortable moments to rival the other dinner party we know.
And you did not disappoint. YOu nailed the getting into heads of Jim and Pam and Karen (and I really enjoyed the perspective of the friend and the sister - who she maybe should be listening to).
Jim's anger about her being back with Roy seems pretty spot on and Pam's seeing through Roy's act and yet ignoring that niggling sense again seems about right, just as her knowledge he's a potential time bomb with him drinking (as well as herself for different reasons).
I loved the bit with the red dress - and how she felt LOUD in it (a call back to the talking head when she said I feel like I'm talking really loud, perhaps and the only other time I feel like I saw her in red whas a the holiday party when she teamed up with Karen so it seems very fitting - but also her self consciousness about it so well expressed in the line probably because it’s burning his retinas, and how she feels self-conscious compared to Karen who she thinks is the epitome of sophistication (and maybe she is) all the while unaware of what he really prefers -her).
The huge stain on the carpet - gotta say Karen kind brought that one on herself no matter who did the actual spilling.
Always love a story that mixes symbolism and humor and great lines which this one was full of it all. Great job.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm really glad the characters are working for you; I agree- Karen needs to be listening to her friend ;0)
Also glad you liked the bit about the dress. I organised a morning of time to write, then wasted it online, looking at pictures of red dresses...
Thanks!
Ok after all that I’m feeling a little drunk myself.
Wow a lot of stuff is going down at this crazy dinner party.
Karen cyber-study of Pam seems just about right and the bit about Jim’s brothers setting up his Facebook page is funny as is his reason for not fixing it - anyone who knows him.
Kelly’s Ryan’s is the same as mine had me chuckling too.
Who knew Roy wanted to have a litter. And good for Jim for ordering Thai after overhearing him.
But a lot of heavy emotions going around this place too and Roy not wanting to leave is going to make this a very interesting next chapter.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review - as I'm sure you know, it really helps! Next chapter, things finally come to a head. Hopefully by the end of next week...
Thanks again!
1 Welcome to MTT and very nice job on your first fic.
Reading it, it truly felt like them with just that easiness between them that had been missing until Jim "comes back".
BUt between the lines you felt the pain they'd both been through.
Then leaving what comes next for us to imagine is imo the best way to close out this one (whether it's the story or the chapter).