All Comments on 'Victims And Volunteers Ch. 02'

I know you can expect some readers will absolutely hate the outcome and therefore the story as a whole. While there are parts of the story that I didn't like or agree with I felt it was well written. I liked the transformation that Julie had to go through to finally grow up. One thing I think your story shows is that sometimes in life people need others who aren't afraid to help, even if that are lessons in hard knocks. I don't believe her alcoholism could have been that easy to kick and the fact that Frank was Mike's uncle was somewhat disturbing. Good job, not the way I'd have done it but still a compelling read.

I really don't know how to rate this....btb?/RAAC with a little WACC interfaced with your style of writing?

Ok, ok but this is a slam dunk 5 star read . I can't remember a deeper pit dug by an author in terms creating unsympathetic characters in part 1 of a series. Are they totally redeemed? No way in hell ! But they seem to be on the right road... so far.

I still think Julie should be in counseling or working 12 steps for substance abuse. It would have been a bit more real if just one of your characters died, lost their way or was evil. So many of them were right at the precipice of the abyss. It was a little too Hallmark Channel to give them all a happy ending.

That being said, there were TOO MANY sublime touches by the author to list here. I didn't cry like a sentimental bitch when Kassie roused from vegatative state to start dancing, but almost. The bond slowly forged by the two women who started out as initial rivals. Wonderful. Those were my top 2 out of maybe 50 hi points.

My brother has managed & owned motels that rent daily, weekly or by month. Your characters are very plausible & resonate. Thanks so much for this read.

Great story. A lot more coherent than some of you other stories.

You have indeed come a long way in your writing.

... that you could take that train wreck of a first chapter, and create such an incredible resolution. Outdid yourself this time. Kudos.

Excellent read.

only because good writing deserves to be read, but as I read it, I was thoroughly depressed at the unhappy, rotten characters without any redeeming qualities.

I am so happy, JimBob44, that you write so well, thereby enticing me to read part 2 of this tale. It was a wonderful ( "wonderful" is the apt describer) story! You created a story and characters that this reader will remember happily and with fondness for a very long time. Thank you. Thank you very much!!!!

... I almost didn't read this when I saw the tags. I don't much care for most reconciliation stories, especially on here. Also, the trainwreck you painted of this wife just didn't seem like there'd be anything to ever get Mike back (except the little girl was just so damn cute).

However, your character hit bottom, realized what she'd done to her family, and grew as a person. I actually was rooting for her. Mike seemed rather wishy-washy by the end though. I could see how a push-over could get himself locked into such a horrid first marriage.

I also liked the idea of truely severing ties of the first marriage and basically marrying a new woman.

That was quite a tale. Very original. Very entertaining. Crazy and strange, of course. The creativity and heart were excellent. The first chapter was such a downer, then this delightful (albeit unrealistic-but who gives a fuck) sequel comes along and knocks my socks off. Really cool.

I thoroughly enjoyed that, thank you.

I liked the characters and thought they had many redeeming qualities, I saw them as people like me, flawed but trying their best to do the next right thing.

Hey, drugs and alcohol will take you down. This story felt real. The outcome in the ending was a shear delight. The characters were incredibly real. This was a great human interest story. The author is a genius. Thank you for the ride.

But I get how you got him there -

Hell of a story - hell of a road for them to travel - seems to include a true growth of a human being - but history IS and while forgiveness is good - forgetfulness is not.

Would be fascinated to see a real life version of this one 10 years later -

Interesting tale of getting your life back. Total fantasy as this would never occur but it was a good read.

Enjoyed this story, both part of it, from whoring to rekindling.

However the part between Julie and Mike isn't enough. I want to read more, and really would like to know how it went on.. you know with all the issues, drinking, whoring for Franks etc.. It would be intriguing story on how they'd solve it, or not.

Julie's sudden change from drunktard to sober wasn't really well described.

Several pathetic ones. And not a single character that has been developed beyond two dimensions. If this is fun and entertaining for you, either in the writing or the reading, more power to you. For me it was a total waste of time that could have been put into getting a gratuitous root canal.

Julie's turnaround from alcoholism needed some external help.I thought you were a big fan of AA. lol.

The evolution in relationship between Julie & Tori was nicely done.

Gave a 4. Thanks.

I cannot relate to any of these characters or their circumstances, but the author painted his characters in ways that made me understand them. How long had Mike been gone? Six months? If so, that wasn't enough time for Julie to lose that much weight. (Or change her personality so drastically.) A few confusing things: 1. Did Frank know Julie was Mike's wife? 2. Did Frank have another son who caused him to attend the awards banquet? 3. Tori really loved Frank? Not the Frank I envisioned.

A beautiful story about redemption and earning a second chance, the visual of poor little Kasie in the first story had my heart breaking but I equally smiled when she responded to her mother's new life and love in the second half.

I will admit that I am a fan of the btb genre but the main character here was a person full of demons that managed to conquer them and put her children first. I don't believe Mike was a wimp because in real life people get second chances all the time.

I hate forced reconciliations. I even hate characters that forgive their spouses for "that one slip up". But this? This just felt right. But then again it's not a reconciliation to be honest. The old immature, bitchy, alchoholic slut is long gone. The new Julie never did beg - even once - to be taken back. As you described it, it's just two almost-strangers starting a new life together.

Don't forget Monkey is in Kizzy's dance class in Aquisition

..... other than to say you’ve submitted a lot of work, and much as I’ve tried to read them in order, I’m still finding things l haven’t yet read. Especially since you’re on a (temporary I hope?) sabbatical, and I’m going back and rereading my favorites.

To paraphrase a line from a movie I like, “We live two lives - the one we learn with, and the one we live with after that.” (Glenn Close from “The Natural”). I believe that - I like to think I’ve lived that. That’s why I always enjoy transformative stories like Julie’s. Belated thanks for the great submission.

And I love how you tie in the other characters, and local staples, like Clarkes, in your stories. It gives the reader a sense of being involved. Like we live there too. (Although theres an awful lot of cheating and other shit going on there. Think I might move!) It makes your stories feel real in a way that many other authors lack. Simple things, like a small scene of Kasie learning dance at Kizzie's, now we learn where that came from. It all adds up to a well told mosaic.

Excellent work.

The best author on this site

Frank didn't turn his nephew's wife into his cum sucking slimy whore.

Barf. 1*

This author is very talented and this vile story was well written but about truly deranged and sick people.

Mike like licking up his fat uncle's leftovers? Not interested in elevating truly sick behavior as worthy.

Good writing about fucking inbred retards.

They don't get any better than this.

Excellent

Four people surviving the nuclear explosion of alcoholism that tore up their lives. Amazing stuff, I really really hated Julie for most of this series until she got rid of the bottle that Frank left. Then she turned the corner. Oh those poor children. And Tori, this Julie fucked up everything she touched, this isn't redemption for her marriage, this is redemption for everything. You took a situation and characters that were despicable and made me care about them all by the end of the story. Well maybe not so much the Mother in Law, she's still a bitch. ;-)

I've been going down your LW stories alphabetically for the past couple weeks. Some are decent and then some are simply gems. This one falls into the latter category. Don't know if something like that Mike and Julie would happen in real life, but I'd like to think there are people out there better at forgiving than me. 5*+

There are more like THOUSANDS of us screaming at the Cuck that is Mike...

The ending is as it should be

Congratulations. I normally dislike reconciliation stories on LW but liked this one. Writing from the point of view of a truly repentant and changed wife (though in third person) and avoiding the point of view of the wronged husband made the reconciliation more than acceptable.

Again you paint these, what seems to be, ugly, despicable characters and make them shine by the end of the story! As mentioned by other commentators, you are one of the best authors on this site and one of your best stories, I believe, is Tuff As Nails. It's one of my goto reads when I can't find much to read! This story is, probably, not as good but not far off. 5*

Dobbin55

Uncle Frank was a first rate asshole. Reconciliation was really compressed at the end. Also in real life, most times Julie and her two daughters end up dead or at least thr kids orphaned. The last 1.5 pages is meeting Mike again and the 3.5 pages are about Frank using her and her being friends with Toru with some anecdotes abou her daughters and her getting a new job. Doesn't that seem imbalanced for a reconciliation? Still have trouble getting past Mike abandoning his two daughters with their messed up mother in the first chapter. Sure he wasn't the sperm donor but still ws morally grotesque.

Very good

Your description and definition of addiction is the most accurate that I have ever heard. And you did it in three words.

Victims and Volunteers.

I missed this story when it was first published. Glad I finally stumbled across it. Excellent.

Thank you.

Doc

She pulled herself out of the bog. The deserves a shot at happiness.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️