I really liked this fic. It showed that he still has a human side, and it helped explain the way he acts. He really surprised me by helping out so much and being so decent in the last episode. I think his character deserves a little more positive attention.

Let me lead off with another ‘AW.’

I really like that you did a story with/about Normal. I stand by what I always say; I love when people flesh out the secondary characters. You always like them (or well at least in Normal’s case) and there’s something that makes you enjoy having them on the screen, but you take something that we normally only get to see in flashes and build it into the GREAT scene.

I love the thought about if he had kids, they would have been nothing like those slackers, I especially love it because it’s setting you up for the end.

Great scene with Normal trying to inspire his workers to get a move on, reminds me of the Sketchy in charge episode as he realizes just how hard it is being Normal.

Oh and the ‘firing Max’ part, “Max knew this and took every single opportunity she had to exploit it. Normal sighed.” Was such a great line and I so saw it perfectly.

The entire ‘sorry’ paragraph was great, like LOL funny and perfectly capped off by this line, “Normal wasn’t even sure if that word had existed in her vocabulary before this.”

I LOVE the uncomfortable scene with him so confused and annoyed with everyone just standing around, which totally leads me to my AW-ing scenes. I mean like, Aw, read two seconds, Aw, another two seconds, Aw.

It wasn’t sappy or mushy. It was just nice. Like heartwarming, yet slightly sad, but still comforting all at the same time. And like Aw.

Seriously, I should have just left you several dozen aws, instead of making you wait a week. Great work!

lol, a softer side of normal...

... I like! :-)

verey nice stroy and no not to sappy or mushy good job but are you still working on your other storys and will you be updating so

I've told you elsewhere, but I just love this story! It's crafted so well- the opening phrases set the tone wonderfully, and really make the reader curious for what all we'll be learning about Normal in this fic... the very first lines capture the man's demeanor before we learn *why* he's like this, in toss off lines like this:

"Normal turned on the lights, silently reminding himself to turn them back off after the sun was bright enough. There was absolutely no need to incur anymore unnecessary costs. He cast a quick glance around, making sure nothing was amiss (you couldn’t be too careful nowadays) before settling himself into his daily routine..."

Nice touch that in losing his true love, it wasn't the more easily -understood loss of death, but the competing "suitor" of work ... very nice detail, that loss and its reason add another shade to his personality!

"A quick glance at the clock told him every one of his workers was officially ten minutes late. Unofficially, they still had another forty minutes. Morons." These lines were what really made me go from enjoying to loving this story- the sound of them, Normal's thoughts behind them & how they were expressed... wonderful!

"Their laughter drowned out the small ionizer in the corner of the room ..." Loved the ionizer! Such a fun little detail...

And of course, I enjoyed the whole sweet ending, that Max and the others were thoughtful enough to bring Normal a cake for his birthday, that it was truly for *him* (nice detail- did you think about it or did it just happen?- that they presented the cake and just moved on, not worried about mooching a piece at the moment but clearly there because it was a gift for Normal... shows a nicer side of the messengers too!) Normal's reaction was wonderful, and it was so good to see him have a little reminder that life might have a few bright spots left for him...

Just love to have the feel-good moments! Thank you for sharing...

I almost missed this one, having took a new habit to specify 'Logan' in the character list annoyed by the large amount of Max/Alec fics.

I'm glad to have forget that specification today.

You were so good to keep Normal ringing true; so inventive to cook him up a past; and so clever to bring him near of raw anger before to blow out his fury with that nice surprise from the very ones inducing this furor!

Thanks for it, and yes, thanks to Marion to have find a new way to bring more fics!

Wait a minute! I just got it! Was that the cake from 'Different Skill Set'? Oh my God, if it was, that's BRILLIANT!

Love Normal’s story, how all his hard work ends up in nothing, why he can’t stand inactivity and how he allows himself to think of the past and his dreams about a family….(Mini-Normal!) Especially like this sentence:

"A working woman had no time for an unemployed man."

So telling for his bitterness and disappointment and for how much his position and self-image has changed.

Great Jam Pony atmosphere with the clash of two completely different working-attitudes, Normal’s fruitless attempts to maintain order losing against the messenger’s living for the moment.

Love little details like those:

"He threw a package at Max who was leaning casually against her locker, secretly admiring her ability to grab it out of mid air with such ease."

"He arranged them in neat piles by his side, much like the way he had arranged his books when he was younger."

Interesting that he sees himself as father-figure lacking authority and respect – but has a bit more of it than he thought.

The ending made me grin, how Normal is smiling despite himself and despite the chaos around him and for once is content and non-complaining. (Great how the messengers give him a cake but fail to keep Jam Pony tidy)

(Ha, I forgot to ask: What kind of cake was it under the icing?)

This was WONDERFUL!

This was funny and a very believable back story for our favorite Republican. I was smiling the whole time I was reading it. You just gotta feel sorry for Normal...

Grace was a nice touch. It feels natural that he had a heartbreak burried under there somewhere.

I also loved when "late" began officially and unofficially, seemed perfect that the riders know exactly how much they can get away with and exploit it until the last second.

Your "Normal" voice was perfect. This is something you do exceptionally well, getting into a character's head and expressing them with such accuracy...part of waht makes them so entertaining.

Very nice job! thanks for this.