All Comments on 'Aftermath - What Really Happened'

A decent revenge plan with Linda. But you switch the viewpoint. It starts Third person then pivots to first, back to third then back to first person. That really threw my focus.

A good read. But there is too much deviation in Linda's character from the way Mr. Anderson depicted her.

Great read. I enjoyed the shifts in perspective. Kept me on my toes and helped to keep me focused. Thanks.

Great story, but there is no way I believe it in s the last FebSux story to be written. There is something about Anerson's story that impels authors to add on to it

Nice. The Tramp approves. Thanks. 5*

Solid work.

Loved it!

I almost took away one of the five stars for that eclipse joke.

So let me see if I have this correct. The Jim in this story bailed on his kids and left them in that toxic, harmful situation for years? Inflicted intentional emotional pain on Emma and Tommy and chose not to keep in touch or check on their well-being? Despite all that , he simply walks back into their lives with no issue?

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Were the kids the target of Jim’s revenge or Linda? It’s hard to tell.

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The portrayal of both Jim and Linda is highly unsympathetic and arguably inconsistent. It’s one thing to be a bad spouse, quite another to be such a reprehensible parent.

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Technically, it’s alright, but the plot and characters… Sorry, not for me.

Fantasy Linda disappearing Judge will throw the book at Jim for running away from family and children and the is thrown in jail for 3 years fro aabgndommenr and to pay all prior child support and future child support. He is

allowed to see his kid 1 hour a month under court supervision ordered His children hate their cowardly father His slut goes back to prostitution when her sugar daddy is in jail Her kids goes into orphanage stystem

"These stories keep on coming."

Yeah, they do because you're all followers.

This kept changing view points that got annoying. 1*

Might be in the minority but I really like the February Sucks stories. Can’t get enough of them. Don’t even care if they’re original or not. This was a good take on the tale.

Great fun.

5 stars

I felt Jim, by deserting his kids for 4 years, showed himself to be a much worse person than Linda. He didn't care what happened to the kids as long as he was able to get revenge on his wife. He was a coward and lousy parent. He should have gotten joint custody of the kids and dumped Linda. A life well lived, without Linda is the best revenge.

I like this sequel better than most. Pretty well written. I like the emphasis that the MC made a choice--maybe not the best choice and certainly not the worst--but one which worked in the long run.

pretty good

Thanks for sharing...

I have enjoyed a lot of your stories, but this is the first time I would have liked to have read a sequel! 4*

Well, let’s see - check off the boxes with me. This story has got truck porn, gun porn, military porn, action hero porn, a macho John Wayne type who is unable to talk with his cheating wife, who abandons a his kids, who acts radically different than the character he’s based on, a Linda who is nothing like the character she’s based on, and a thick coating of cheesy Hallmark cliches spread over everything. That about sums it up. Hope this is the last one.

I got to page 4, which for the ten millionth FS story, is pretty good.

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Three years of being a sad sack. But his stellar nature shines through somehow.

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I was willing to buy the story until you had a female CPA WITH A DAUGHTER, her own business and great social capital suddenly wanting to be with a strange, reclusive $20/hr boat monkey who abandoned his kids. Women don’t trade down if they have any other options. She has options.

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And no, I don’t believe that this is your last FS story

I can't stop reading these stories and yours are among the best because you don't stick to the original story. That's the whole purpose of these 'next generation' stories - what would happen if . . .? Five stars from me - maybe a bit high but I had to counterbalance the "1-star" but I didn't read the whole story posters!

What did all of the family in the courtroom have to do with … well, never mind. It’s a story…

4.5

Decent but abandoning the kids was low. They weren't part of the humiliation. Apart from that it was ok.

I liked this rendition of the many flogged story line - well done!

I hated the joke as well. Great story. Nearly on par with the original. thanks

I read the original story and most of the follow-ups. I think this is a possible real outcome to the original story and I liked it except for the abandonment of the kids. I am sure it has happened somewhere, but it is hard for me to believe that their dad would have just walked away from them. There was nothing in his nature that would lead anyone to believe that is what happened. But, it is still a good job. For those reasons, I can only go 4 stars

From Anonymous 4hrs ago: “I felt Jim, by deserting his kids for 4 years, showed himself to be a much worse person than Linda. He didn't care what happened to the kids as long as he was able to get revenge on his wife. He was a coward and lousy parent. He should have gotten joint custody of the kids and dumped Linda. A life well lived, without Linda is the best revenge.”

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👆 Exactly this, nailed it.

10 Big Blazing Stars for amazing writing! This Version of the proper ending to George Andersons story is probably more realistic than any other writer's version. Still the happy ending, as unlikely as it is, is Very welcome all the same. I like a 'Happy Ending' and we certainly had that here. Linda completely shattered and destroyed by her own actions is satisfying. Overall 10 Big Blazing stars is what I vote for this great follow to George Andersons great story. Thank You for your effort. Buster2U

about what I figured, as far as responses. like I've said, The Big Leagues. You can't please everyone. I stand by my feelings on his actions. If you haven't been there, don't judge. Tough call on Jim's part. As far as 'poor Linda' is concerned, Her character is not shown with her wanton, cavalier disregard for the rest of her family ?? GIVE ME A BREAK!

A slight misunderstanding- I will not be writing anymore, or other Feb. Sucks stories. I am sure there will be others, just not from Me. Again, thank you for reading, and sharing. Jim forever.

The BEAR

Pretty good and different than the other versions where this focuses on the aftermath. Only thing that would've made it better for me would've been for a lil scene/dialogue with the ex Linda towards the end to button up the story or maybe her side of the story if the writer decides to expand upon this. Still a great story especially when Jim gets a happy ending with someone else other than Linda, while she is destroyed.

This ending offers a welcome new twist, which I thought was outstanding. 5*

Thank you for a believable story. He had to get away. Unfortunately, that meant abandoning his kids. He needed a mechanism to communicate with them from Maryland, to let them know he loved and would closely follow them. LW could have given them messages.

I liked it and will share it with my wife. 5*s.

very well written .. no nitpicking from me Bear

Decent story. A bunch of first and third person shifts throughout various paragraphs.

Enjoyed it.

A fun good version ending of the classic story. I enjoyed the read.

4*

Linda deserved to be made into fertilizer. The kids deserved much better, abandoning them was cruel and cowardly. Unlike the selfish, worthless parents, the Grandparents accepted some responsibility (like loving grandparents always do) and looked after the kids. Jim gave up his sainthood when he left the kids behind. Maybe you didn't want to make him a criminal by having him take the kids with him when he ran, but I'm not sure that was wise. Having said all that, it was still a good story and everything turned out okay in the end, so that helps. Thanks for sharing.

I liked that LT found a different direction to go with for the Feb story. Particularly refreshing for me was that most of the story was just about Jim's life after the event. Most of these stories are all about his revenge or spend a long time dissecting the Jim & Linda relationship. I liked the "what relationship?" approach, as I found that to be realistic. I am not always a fan of long stories, but this one held my interest throughout, and was quite touching at times. I found three tiny errors in 6 pages of story that are all so minor, I won't mention them. 5 stars.

I have no problem reading any February Sucks story that grades over four. Anything less than four I leave for people like The Bear to read and tell me how bad they were,

good story but big Linda's path was really sad. The character made some horrible mistakes in the original and this continuation but the character needs to find salvation if a casket doesn't find her first.

Well-written sequel. I thought that Jim’s abandonment of his children was out of character for the Jim that GA created. I also thought that Linda’s transformation into a wanton slut and whore was hard to believe, given her character as described by GA. These inconsistencies undermined the story as far as I was concerned, although the story was well-put together insofar as it focused on Jim’s new life. Given how this author described Linda, her freak out at the end was consistent - a whore, likely affected by drugs and alcohol, and near a mental breakdown. Her final disappearance suggests a possible suicide or a rapid descent into alcoholism and drug addiction, supported by more prostitution. I did not see this character in the original story; that character would likely have picked up her life, focused on her kids, and kept her job. In that scenario I have no idea how the character of Marc would have been developed. All the sequels certainly give the imagination about what could be a workout!

Love the story.

You blew the punchline of the joke...

'Eclipse it!

As usual The Bear delivers. Tough choices, took some time to mend what was broken but looks like Jim got there. Kids seemed just a bit younger than they should have when reunited, but maybe I'm just assuming. Linda and Marc paid, and those hurt by their selfishness could recover, so all's well that ends well. Thanks for writing!

A nice well written story with a fairy tail ending.

A pretty good story kind of stretch attaching it to a February sucks story but as a standalone it is ok and worth 4 stars. After all the guy did abandon his kids no excuses for that my first wife of 13 years did a runner she wanted to try out other guys but come back if it didn't work out. She left the girls with me so she wouldn't be hampered in search for a new guy, that was pretty much the end but she hung around trying to screw up my new marriage. Despite her interference it lasted almost 40 years before she passed. It was pretty much imbroglio. (got that word out of thisstory)...............................

O.K., clarification- my take on Linda's character is based on GodiavFan's "February Sucks-Leap Night" version. This is the one who was destroyed. I take no part of Anderson's original. but come on guys. All things being equal, what she did was WRONG! What Jim did was WRONG! Two wrongs don't make a right. But Jim wasn't evil. Linda was. I stand by that. Thank you.

Continue.

The BEAR

I wonder if anyone currently alive will live long enough to see the last February Sucks runoff effluence posted to this site. One can only hope it won't be another 20 years or more, that damn story should have run its course ages ago.

Couldn't finish. Kept changing from third to first person narratives.

I don’t care for stories in which the protagonist runs away like a coward rather than standing up and dealing with his problems like an adult.

I doubly dislike stories in which a man abandons his children. That makes him the villain of the story.

Sorry, not for me.

I thought it was a bit on the nose and too cliche to make Linda turn into a drug addicted prostitute. And whats with naming additional character ALSO Emma and Linda?? That was like clinically stupid (and annoying). Overall it was pretty okay story, but I felt like there was too much going on and not enough focus on any one aspect to make it really memorable.

You have a full-blown obsession disorder that is probably going to cause you some issues if it’s not addressed.

This is about the best, post February sucks, story I've read. I haven't wanted to read another one but this has believability and is well written. Hats off! Many have tried but this one succeded

So he abandons his kids because his wife cheats on him? No wonder she cheated on him, he’s a loser.

Kids are better off without this piece of crap in their lives. He’s not a good husband, father or friend…he’s just a little boy who ran away pouring because someone hurt his feelings.

Liked it

The Bear = The BTB bear.

LOL @ Marc. hopefully a mafia death. Shoulda been found on the docks in New Jersey.

Sir you are a word smith......the Bard would be proud of your work. You have big followers in Australia.......

Wonderful story! Good flow, solid characters, and a well-deserved happy ending for Jim. I think this was one of your best stories, and one of the better takes on the whole February Sucks theme. Thanks for posting.

Some rough edges but I liked it. Still wondering about childs seats for a 12 and a 9 year old...

Five stars.

JPB NOT BOB

A couple posers. If her lawyers couldn't find her, how did they get the signed releases? Also, her name Cramer. Her maiden name? Did she marry somebody else briefly; there is no indication of that, so her maiden name is more likely. Still, five stars.

JPB NOT BOB

Wasted your innk.

I know what was trying to be done here but it just didn’t work. Jim is terrible for leaving his kids. And just like Jim knows that Linda will cheat on him if given the chance, his kids now know that Jim will abandon them if necessary.

Not the best . But the first parts is believable. Had a cousin who wife did the same as Linda did. But the jerkoff was just a run of the mill shit head living off past semi fame.

Cousin went off the deeper end and took off for 3 years. Came back for a little while got the shift from court system . Stood in courtroom and told the judge to fuck off with the alimony. And did that 3 times in a row. Spends total 3 months county jail. Even though he did it again. They let him out of jail. And he took off again. But he does roll back from time to time. We all still back him. We know the the guys she will now . He been the longest with her. Loves her and knows the story and all. That's why he says she will never been his wife lol she don't know that part yet lol

A plaisbile, well executed, and and seemingly impossible "happily ever after" ending to a this story!

For the love of God, just stop!

I don’t really like the stories that have the wronged person run away at the start and then it completely changes into page after page of them building up another life. The point gets lost in all the minutiae. Also, the fact that Jim had to abandon his two kids and leave them in a horrible situation to do it kind of makes your good guy the bad guy.

Not sure why you made this a feb sucks story. You completely re-wrote both main characters and 90% of it was set in a completely different state. The writing wasn’t bad but I couldn’t really get on board with the storyline.

Cowardly reaction, but I guess that's the way some guys are. The story was a bit too guns and gung ho for me, but I suppose it would appeal to the American audience. Writing pretty good though.

"It's just about right for a late lunch." - I thought it was just before lunch?

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"He drove for about twelve minutes, following the Jeep" - "He drove...following the Jeep?" He's DRIVING the Jeep!

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"LW had instituted procedures to sell the house before it got foreclosed on." - I thought Linda already had to sell it?

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"my Mom and I in their loaded truck" - What about his truck?

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Too long.

I liked this Jim as soon as he put on. the NY Giants cap.

Lately I mostly skim over the Feb Sucks stories, but thought I would give LT56linebacker’s a spin since I usually enjoy his stuff. And enjoy I did. Yes Jim is a flawed character leaving as he did, but that is how he coped - right or wrong. It just was how he survived. Would it have been how I would have responded? Probably not, but it’s just a story written for our entertainment, and entertaining it was. Great job! I give it 5***** or 8 spark plugs on the FordF150 truckometer!

Beyond lame and far fetched. Just way too many switches of PoV throughout.

GREAT storytelling, Bear! You did a very smart thing by starting the tale where you did, and then having Jim take off. I love “fight or flight” plots, and in this case, “flight” made perfect sense. And then you spun a great tale of recovery.

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Linda could only have been the narcissistic bitch she was portrayed as here for the original GA story to make any sense (I again refer everyone to NoTalentHack’s analysis offers red after his contribution to the Feb Sucks Multiverse. He pegged Linda perfectly). What was a bit surprising in this story was that she actually found the wherewithal — both $$ and motivation — to try to fight Jim’s custody suit. As written, even her parents had all but given up on her, and the kids were living with them! Her personal life was in shambles….why did she think she ever had a chance to retain legal custody? I do wish you had given readers a closing reveal in your epilogue about what happened to her….but since none of the characters in the story, including her parents, gave a shit…I guess us readers didn’t need to either 😎

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Very entertaining and satisfying story, Bear.

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5 *****

LT this is one of the best carry on,s to the original I have read and as you stated at the beginning ,it is from Jim,s perspective. Your felling about others taking up the space left by George Anderson is probably spot on. If any readers have a problem with your take on the story, let them write their own.

“Grandpa spoke.

"That was the first time she was arrested. Our lawyer got us custody”

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If the grandparents had custody, then there’d be no lawsuit. Jim would just work out an agreement with them. As for the spousal support, that door closed when Linda accepted the final divorce decree.

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So, a big part of the end of this story is invalid, based upon what else was written. No need to go to court, or interact with Linda at all.

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ZK

You are a plenty good writer on your own! Please don't get sucked into that February maelstrom again.

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I realize that free, unsolicited advice is worth every penny you pay for it, but may I still offer a few suggestions?

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Only use one punctuation mark at a time. !! or ?? don't add emphasis.

Severely limit the use of random and all caps.

Maintain narrative style. Shifting from present to past and from first person to omniscient narrator can be jarring.

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An interesting take on the m/c and a new spin on a modern classic. Well done!

I see many in the comments saying that Jim deserved a Happily Ever After, but why? The abandonment of his kids was premeditated and something he maintained even once his immediate reaction had cooled. The grandparents would still have been struggling to raise Emma and Tommy if not for an intervention; Jim was a passenger, not an instigator. So we have intent and malice as fundamental traits of Jim’s character, yet he is to be redeemed and welcomed without question? Realistically why would Emma, Tommy or either set of parents trust him? He’d been an absentee father for years, a complete non-entity in their lives and someone solely concerned with himself. Sure, they might be open to reconnecting to some degree, however you can envisage there being limits. They would be doubtful of his promises and commitment (a valid if ironic accusation for Jim eh?). Likely, they would’ve grown more independent, and ultimately view the grandparents as the ones worthy of respect and authority.

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When considered as a whole, Jim inflicted the very same wounds on others as Linda did to him at the club. He didn’t simply step out on them for one night though, but a thousand and more. Where Linda cheated on him with Marc, Jim cheated on everyone else with his new life.

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There are both thought-provoking decisions and comments here. It’s interesting what people will overlook so long as Linda is the villain.

The story has a lot of rough points. That Jim abandoned the kids when they did nothing wrong is horrible. He wouldn't have been able to hide in plain sight like that, plus LW I believe couldn't cover for him w his responsibility. I also suspect Joshua wouldn't be happy about a guy who abandoned his kids like that. That is one of the biggest holes in this story. I don't think his in laws would be happy about him.

Also, if there were bolos out on him, likely there would be warrants as well for him abandoning the kids or judgement for child support. Even if Linda's parents had the kids, Jim has a legal duty to support them..and the cop who ignored all that would be in trouble.

The family court scene would have had the judge holding ppl in contempt.

If Linda is such a big slut who doesn't care,why would she end up using drugs and drinking?

Some time issues too. If this is set in current times then Joshua and mai are way too young. Vietnam ended in 1975, so Logan at 66 is way too young. Needed to set the story 10 years back or have him much older.

Tommy and Emma are too old the way you portray them in the story.

I appreciate the person rebuilding from rock bottom stories, but this one needed a little bit of realism thrown in. The attitude with the kids is the worse part, it makes no sense even given Jim has a break.He treats them as if they had something to do with it.

I realize it is a fantasy story, and has to be read like that, but some of it is too much.

I suspect that the FS stories will continue. I wrote a satire on this story and how an irate person deals with the continuing flood of stories. They won't publish it on here sadly ( if people want to read it, it is on the stories online site, sol.com I believe, as 'february oh february').

One of your best and much better than my stories on the same theme. 5*****.

I liked your spin from an overall storyline perspective. As others noted, abandoning Tommy and Emma was reprehensible…. But as a plot mechanism, it emphasized that Jim wasn’t squeaky clean. And badly broken. It mostly worked. There were some details that were as glaring as a Giancarlo Stanton strikeout. Emma’s car: a Supra doesn’t have back doors. At 12 and 9, Emma and Tommy are too old for car seats. As others noted, Jim didn’t need to sue Linda for custody. She might have still sued for the child support (before she lost custody), and spousal maintenance. Joshua would need to be at least 68 to serve during the Vietnam evacuation. I really did like how LaValliere was banished to the Jets - where poor behavior is welcome and careers die.

Having Jim abandon the kids was "Bear-ly" tolerable, but he did get redemption when he went back for custody. There could have been a bit more angst on his part shown when the kids told him about Linda's bringing men into the house and her disappearances, but it didn't really hurt the story.

Overall, I liked this - 5 stars worth - and while like many others, I'm getting tired of a constant flow of stories in the Feb Sux multiversity, when I see a new one I'll read it in hopes of something very creative and new. That doesn't happen very often, but I think this one is both.

'The Coaster approves'...

LOL... thanks for writing !

Mostly a fun read, but it had it's issues.

One of the biggest and most glaring was the showdown between Linda and Jim over custody of the kids. Why, you ask? Because earlier in the story we learned that her parents had custody of the kids, not her. Where they were on board, it should have just been some paperwork to transfer custody. If they weren't on board, it would have been them at the other table, not Linda. Sure, the courtroom theatrics were over the top and ridiculous, but overshadowed by the bigger error.

Great story. Easy reading . I think it's one of the best fir this story. Thanks

Yeah, I gotta say that your stoey, to use your word, "stinks". I scored it a one star. You made the MC out to be an honorable man. The main evidence was thwarting the robbery. That gained him equity in the town and led to all of the relationships. But he robbed his children. Robbed them of his presence in their lives, as well as avoiding his legal obligation of financial support. You painted the supporting characters as honorable people, therefore able to judge him as an honorable person. Yet not one of them got in his face about abandoning his children. He is as selfish as his ex wife.

The other reason for the one star is negatively calling out another author. That doesn't look good on anyone. You called out the other author but had no problem doing a derivative of their take

I think you've written yourself into the visage of the MC...both of you not very honorable.

One of the better endings to this zombie story.

Top ten out of about 43 I have read

good job nice take on this tale enjoy your stories and look forward to more.

Loved it… The Bear has spoke!

Wonderful, 10 stars! It took a while, but the whore, and her master, got theirs! Jim got his, after much heartache, a real wife, and he gave his kids a sister ,and a real mother! Now, mommy's got to have more siblings for them! lease keep writing, Bear, we badly need your talent!

I enjoyed it 5 stars. And thank you Bear

It's the story that never ends. It goes on and on my friends. Someone started writing it several years ago not knowing what it was,but it goes on forever. Because it's the story that never ends. Ten out five stars.

Great ending! The people who deserve a happy ending got exactly that, and the ones who didn't got what they had coming too. 5 stars!

Always enjoy the different versions of this story line. Good job on this one. Thanks for your writing.

Loved it.

Scores 5/5

Amazing sequel to bleh original. Easy 5 stars for the story itself, extra 5 stars for both Happy End for MC and for the self-delivered karma on the skank's behalf. Thank you mr Bear, you surpassed my already high expectations and delivered a pleasing, uplifting story.

That was a pretty dang good sequel to the sequels. You covered all the regular cast, and added some really good new ones that took over the story. I was satisfied with the endings for Marc and Linda, thinking she probably ended up just like he did. Great ending for Jim too. My only question about this great story is, why would a Chicago Bears fan put on a NY Giants fan? I’ll buy most anything you write, but not that.

Thank you!

Man, I'm glad LaValliere finally caught something that was a little bit more than "diminishing." Well done.

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Be well!

The problem with these Slut Self-Immolation plots is that it begs the question: why and how did he come to love, respect, and trust such a selfish stupid immoral unethical piece of dog shit of a woman? Was it Martian Slut Ray? Loyal loving faithful wife, for years, then Shazam!, she's a promiscuous whore. The whole story was so contrived and constrained that it is beyond fiction. Its more like science fiction. But whatever, you wrote what you wanted; fine. Hope everyone thinks its great.

One of the absolute best follow ups to date. Some have commented about the deviance of the Jim and Libda characters from the original. I think that the intense trauma inflicted by Linda on Jim his actions seem completely believable. Extreme and uncaring of his kids therefore reprehensible but to maintain his self esteem and some degree of dignity necessary. Although LT56 explained that he wouldn't be looking at Linda's side, I believe we got more than enough to know she was completely unrepentant and therefore deserving of her fate. I only wish I could give this take on the story more than 5 stars.

Good stuff, Bear. Well written. Normally, I'd be angry about the way he abandoned his kids to that disgraceful woman, but with over a hundred "sequels" to Anderson's psychotic story, we ought to see every possible response to her cruel betrayal and this would certainly be a possibility.

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So... now that we've seen just about everything, can we stop seeing "sequels" to that horrible story? Anderson wrote it the way she did because she wanted to force a cuckolding on a good man, leaving him boxed in where he'd have to take it with NO consequences for the cheating sociopath of a wife. It's a sick cuckold story and, as such, there's really no way to "fix" it. It was born bad and will always be bad. Let it die folks, please.

Sometimes I quite like febsucks stories, but other times they are just trash. This story falls more into the 2nd category than than the first. It was a rather pointless story to have been posted in LW. Very little actually had to do with that aspect.

There's also very little chance he'd get custody. There is a vast difference between what she did to the kids and what he did. He just disappeared for 4 years. She never actually abandoned them. He did.

There's just no way a judge would give him custody.

Linda started off a coward & finished a coward, did she join a nunnery or get sucked up by the bermuda triangle