Jim and Pam are Jim and Pam, only...not really.I just caught up with this story (I get here for the naughty chapters apparently! LOL), and I must say I loved how you've developed these characters. There is nothing quite like a story of dislike that turns into love (or more to the point after this chapter dislike turned into horniness and a freaked out feeling this could be love!) It's Jim & Pam, and yet not quite. Plus, bonus points for finding a new twist on Casino Night!
I wasn't sure about this metaphor at first, but it did work very well as has this whole story. Poor Graham though. That's gotta be humiliating. I must say though the tension between Jim and Pam is off the charts... in a good way!
Author's Response: lol thank you! I'm sure Graham will bounce back, he seems charming enough ;-) Yes the tension is very thick, so hopefully it will lead in an exciting direction!
I love the fake-out about the brother if only because it ties in with a conceit we've seen on the show too. I think you're having the intimacy between them grow in a realistic fashion. He's willing to open up because he's head over heels for her, and yet, it's not necessarily easy. This was so much fun to read, and now, I want a margarita! ;)
Author's Response: lol who doesn't want a margarita?!?! Only a crazy person, I guess. Thanks for this review, i so appreciate it. Definitely helps me crank out my next chapter.
Awe, it's over! I really enjoyed this story. It was quite an unlikely premise, but it totally worked as far as developing somewhat different characters from we see on the show. That was very clever.
I can't believe I haven't read this before, and it's just awesome. I now understand why you asked me a question about how to get Dwight in a hotel corridor. You should have told me it was for some Jim/Pam kissing! I would have put on my thinking cap with all its power. ;) Seriously, I'm sorry this story is fighting you, but you're writing exactly what I wanted to see in season 3 so carry on!
One tiny thing (and I know I'm forever annoying with the grammar patrol!): It should be make do, not make due in this sentence: "I guess we'll have to make due."
Thank you as always Grammar Patrol!!! My tenses were a car wreck. Poor colette. She read it when it was a God awful mess.
LOL! I thought I'd told you what I was working on. We might have been in the middle of discussing some sort of dire emergency at the same time. ;) So glad you liked it in any event.
The worst thing about the internet is spam filters. Just ask Pam.
This was really funny. Poor Pam! You really captured Season 1 Michael, and those horrible, horrible pickup lines were quite right for him.
Pam doesn't like to plan things, anymore.
Lovely mood piece. Very lyrical, and you captured well Pam's current state of mind, I think.
Author's Response: thank you! You know me and the mood pieces, lol always favorites of mine. Thanks for reiviewing. ;-)
Wow, those were great! You used the stanza format in an interesting way, and you were just able to convey so much in so few words. I loved it. Ryan's poem is definitely the one that made me laugh the most, but I thought Jim's poem was the most touching. I do hope you write some more. :)
Author's Response:
"You used the stanza format in an interesting way"
Heh, is that good or bad? ;) I'm not entirely sure how stanzas are supposed to work. I could have taken a poetry class in college as part of a sequence and I said 'Pffft, boring, no thanks!' I'm not a huge fan of poetry, I've found I'm not very good at interpreting it, and prefer things to be more direct. So it's kind of interesting that I was inspired by a poem enough to make me write something.
Anyways, I'm glad you liked Ryan's poem, no one had mentioned liking it yet and I worried I had been a bit too harsh. Thanks for commenting!
I just wanted to add that when I said you used stanzas in an interesting way, I really meant that in the most positive sense possible. I don't think poetry should follow rigid rules. Well, not always anyway. I think it's nice you decided to mix it up. I think, writing is about creativity with the storylines but also with the format. :)
Author's Response: No worries, I was mostly just teasing you, and myself, because I really don't know anything about poetry. Anyways, I'm glad you enjoyed my endeavor.
Just a little introspection. I guess mild spoilers for Season 4 and the general concept of where things might be going for Jim and Pam.That was gorgeous. It's very lyrical, and despite an undercurrent of angst, there is something very soothing about how you wrote this. It's probably their contentment with the relationship translated into words. "On their first date, they fight about the past, that sharp black that snaps with ferocity, and on many dates after that, they fight about the future, that shimmering white that heals all wounds, because they know now that they have one." Love this line.
Author's Response: Thank you so much, MA! When I wrote this, it was like I was just purging it from my system. It\'s awesome to hear you say that despite the angst there was something soothing here. I love when people point out what works (or what didn\'t work, for that matter), and here you\'ve picked a line that I wrestled with. I\'m glad it worked for you! Thanks again for your kind words!
Jim's been acting a little strange these days.This is such a fun and sweet story. I like that you filled in some of the blanks from the show. I can't wait to read more. :)
Author's Response: Thanks Morning Angel! It\'s done now...hope i did it justice.
I really enjoyed your story as always because the prose was great as always. You captured an ambivalence in Pam, and I could conceive that Jim is not proposing because he thinks/feels she is not quite ready. This idea that Pam wants the choice to be made for her by having him propose rather than her initiating a discussion about it did feel very real. She is one to avoid issues, even if she has worked on changing that about herself after her breakup with Roy. I could see getting mad with Jim for not forcing a break in the status quo after the desk discussion regarding a proposal. That being said, if Pam was unpleasant to him for 6 months because she was waiting for a proposal and copped to that, giving him a "probably" reply would seem cruel. Pam has done many things wrong in her relationship with Jim, but I haven't seen her being cruel to him on purpose. So I am ambivalent about the ending of this piece, but still interesting to think about.
Author's Response:
First off, thanks for the honesty, and your kind words. My feeling throughout this story was that it couldn't just end with a "yes" or "no" because Pam still didn't know what her answer was, and Jim hadn't given her a reason to decide either way because he was just sitting on his hands like he has in the past. He was the one who raised the stakes with his jokes but he didn't follow through, and while eventually she responded badly to that, they were both just falling into old patterns. (I also meant for her frustration and unpleasantness to really escalate only towards the end.) I certainly don't see their conversation ending with that last line, but getting from "maybe" to "probably" was a big step and they both had more to deal with before it moved to "yes."
He would close his eyes and remember their time apart, concentrating on it, trying to feel it. Just when he started to connect with the empty feeling, he would open his eyes and look at her sleeping beside him, and slide close enough to her so he could feel her breath, and feel nothing less than a sort of joy.
I really enjoyed that, but for reasons I have difficulty putting into words. I just liked how you captured a reflective Jim, which is something that is difficult to capture in a more dialogue-driven medium like TV. Something about this just feels on point and right.
Author's Response: Thanks, MA, glad it felt right to ya'.
The writing here is truly gorgeous. You set such a lovely (and different) atmosphere in each. Sensual, rushed, leisurely,... Loved it. :)
Author's Response: Thank you very, very much!
"Well apparently, for two people who like to talk, we aren't very good at communicating." Wow, this was just a lovely story. You took something that was a fairly common Jim/Pam idea and made it into something just original and your own. (Okay, I feel I'm like commenting on American Idol or something. LOL) I love that they have a communication breakthrough in the end. It's not a huge thing; it's just a little moment of honesty that we have in everyday life.
Author's Response: Thanks! Haha, so which American Idol judge are you? I\'m afraid that miscommunication is going to cause trouble for Jim and Pam in the season finale, let\'s hope I\'m wrong! I\'m so glad you liked it!
You're always able to capture something special about their relationship in your stories. That was so sweet without being maudlin, and just very much Jim and Pam. :)
9 That was a cute story!
Author's Response: well thank you :) it was written w/cuteness in mind.
I'm happy they would have a bit of a discussion/fight about Toby coming on to Pam without Jim going totally crazy about it. It felt realistic. And this, “So what was that – like B+?” got a laugh out of me.
Author's Response: oh, i love realistic. thanks so much!
Jim knows why he dates Karen.I really love how you took necklaces and charms to construct a story. That worked very well, and it was just a really well-written story. "He’s actually a little impressed with himself" made me giggle because it was unexpected! Great job! :)
Author's Response: Thank you! I\'m glad I was able to get some humor in there among all the ANGST ANGST ANGST. Hearing something is well-written is the best compliment I think is possible for a writer, so. :)
Spoilers for "Goodbye Toby."Okay, this is actually perfect. It's sweet, but not sappy, and I really wish this is how things turn out. I like Art Student Beesly, and the way you write those characters really fits with what the show has shown us. I've loved all your stories so far; I really hope you continue to write. :)
Author's Response: Perfect? That\'s pretty much the best review ever. I\'ll take it! I\'m so glad you liked it!
The first week is the longest. A visit.
Just your author's notes crack me up, but this story is very promising. I just love yearning and beer-drinking Jim. :)
Oh, and I can only relate too much to this description of summer in a big city: "The city heat is more oppressive than in Scranton. It feels thick and liquid, like moving through hot viscous soup." So true.
Ah, it was indeed fun while it lasted, and I love that you made it just a short tasty story. The imagery of her wearing that ring around her neck because she couldn't bear being apart from it is so powerful. All the shower shenanigans were good too. ;) You have quite the gift for putting their relationship into a context and into words that ring true.
Author's Response: Well, I had fun writing it, so glad you could share ;-) Shower shenanigans - ha! Perfect. And I'm glad the ring thing worked - it struck me, but you never know how it will strike others. Thanks, MA, for this very kind review!
Quelle histoire charmante et drôle! :) En fait, toutes tes histoires sont très bien écrites. J'aime que Jim s'ennuie de Pam.
So I got carried away with my French. It's my first language so I had to pull it out for this review. ;) But yeah, Drunk Dailing Pam was very sweet. :)
I am really enjoying this story, Emily! PostSecret is such an interesting website; this is a great idea for a story. Keep up the good work.
Author's Response: After a crazy day at work, it was so nice to have a MA review. Thanks for the review. I'm so glad you are enjoying it.
That was a very cute and sweet story. Well done! :)