Mancunian

Thank you @RJRBD100 for commenting and appreciating the hard work that authors put into their stories. Can we tempt you to the dark side, sorry I meant to say Sci-fi stories.

I understand @Alexmugs, Sci-fi is not to everyone's taste, but thank you for giving it a try it is appreciated.

@centexhairysub, thank you for the complimentary comments they are very much appreciated. I tend to agree with you about the little green men, with the mess we have made of our planet who would want to stay here when they have a choice? I'll think about a follow-up, but I making no promises.

Thanks for the comments @Bill W, they are appreciated. I did consider the possibility of Rachel trying something sinister but thought it would be too much to fit in the story due to the word limit. I'm undecided about adding to the story but there appears to be a few of you wanting more, I'm not promising but I will consider it.

Thank you for your fantastic comment @Freemantleman. I'm unsure about adding to this, but anything is possible in the future.

Thanks for your comments @Lee Wilson, I'm glad I got you hooked. But please, don't sic the Klingons on me, I promise to correct the spelling error, honest.

Thank you @drsawzall, your comments make me happy. I'm undecided about writing more to this story, but, never say never, I may surprise you. @raven1's help with beta reading and editing was invaluable.

Thank you @Thirdly for the complimentary comments. I have to acknowledge the invaluable help I received from @raven1 who edited and beta-read for me, this would not have been possible without his help. I need to make sure he is properly acknowledged for his role.

@BentedWreath, thank you for the valuable comments. This was written with the theme very much in mind and I'm happy that found it entertaining, that was my goal. I appreciate the constructive comments, I'll be taking those on board for future reference. I can only add that it was not easy to include so much in a short, or maybe not so short, story.

Thanks for commenting @kbois. This is my first attempt at writing Sci-fi so I'm happy that you think I did a good job. I hope your noggin is back to normal, or as normal as it ever can be for you, lol, and I hope you are no longer glassy eyed.

Thanks for the comment @Mikiesboy. I'm happy that you gave the story a try and found something positive in it. I understand that Sci-Fi is not for everyone.

Thank you for the great comments. I may write another Sci-Fi story in the future. Are you sure there are no Therans already here?

Thanks for commenting @Gary L, I hope you can be tempted to read more Sci-Fi. This is my first attempt at writing for the genre so I'm happy that you found it interesting. Thanks for pointing out the duplicated paragraph, it has now been corrected.

Congrats to @BentedWreath and @chris191070 for the best guesses. I love the SA anthology and can't wait for another one.

I agree with your comments and would add the following about a beta reader. A beta reader should be able to pick up and point out errors in the general storyline. The following are a few examples, but the list is not exhaustive;- A character starts as John and then becomes Steve in a later chapter. Cars are being driven in the sixteenth century, long before being invented. Similarly with different forms of technology. The Bahamas is relocated to the Mediterranean and other similar geographical errors. A three-month-old baby having the ability to talk. I know the above examples are extreme, but I think you get my point. I do accept that these impossibilities may be part of the storyline but I think those stories would be few and far between.

The kids continue to settle in, although Jill's humourous quip Nick's comment may be hiding something, or am I being paranoid? I'm not sure I like Lanny, it feels like is using his suspicion about Steve's sexuality to perv on Jill, I don't blame her for slapping Lanny. Brendan and Greg need to sort out their feelings for each other or they are destined to lose contact and be miserable.

Apart from the encounter with a bunch of yobs, this was a great uplifting chapter. I'm glad they got away from the gang, they may have been younger but the sheer force of numbers could have meant damage to Guy's car or harm to any of them.

Jeremy is still grieving, but grieving in a way that is self-destructive, uncaring and oblivious to what is going on around him to the point of being a bullying bastard, he needs intensive therapy but I doubt he will admit it. Carter is desperate for a job where he can prove himself and doesn't know what he has let himself in for, is he going to be collateral damage for Jeremy's grief or the catalyst that snaps Jeremy out of his self-imposed suffering? For both of their sakes, I hope this comes to an end allowing them to live a life in peace. One thing I do know is that if anyone treated me the way Jeremy is treating Carter I'd have told Jeremy to fuck off long ago, I'd rather struggle than put up with that shit.

Everything appears to be going well for Brendan and the kids, and then the mention of Abel spoils it. Just how f**cked up are these parents? I can assure you if they were in a UK prison they would be subjected to prison justice very quickly. I'm concerned about what will be discovered when they get a medical check-up. I think the boys will be passed as physically fit, I'm hoping there are no signs of sexual abuse, although they will need professional counselling and Stave needs speech therapy. I'm sure that Jill has been sexually abused, I'm just hoping that she is not carrying her father's child, that would be devastating. I'm wondering if when Brendan gives the kids a talk about the birds and the bees he needs to give Steve a talk about the bees and the bees, if you get my drift.

Becoming famous at a young age and being thrust into the spotlight is great, right? Not in Ricky's eyes, he just wants to do what he loves and be an ordinary guy. Read and discover how Ricky reconciles his fame and fortune and becomes an ordinary guy. How would you deal with fame, fortune and forever being in the spotlight with your life under the scrutiny of fans and the paparazzi?

This is a fitting end to a wonderful story. For some, it may feel like that as there was no great crescendo or earth-shattering revelation, but I don't think that was the point of this story. Ricky has lived most of his life in the spotlight and revelled in it as a youngster but as an adult, he craved to be an ordinary guy. Ricky is anything but ordinary and learnt a very important lesson in that, he has learnt how to accept and deal with his fame in a way that means he is much happier with his fame and can be an ordinary guy. Thank you for a great story.

A great chapter with a beautifully romantic ending. I'm hoping that Tim's dad's change in attitude to Tim performing in the play is the beginning of something even better. I know, I know, I've heard that leopard never changes its spots, but I'm an optimist, okay!

I've watched this film many times and recommend it to everyone. I've also seen two stage versions and loved them too. If you get a chance to watch it on stage, go, you will not regret it.

Joey and Ricky's skills at putting people at ease and helping them get their life back on track are working nicely. Now Joe has a home, a social life and a new partner, like all he is entitled to a HEA. As for Tim's former partner (I'm being polite), he got what he deserved, but has he gone forever? I hope so.

For the most part, this is a brilliant upbeat chapter. Ollie is settling well with his dads and has peace of mind knowing that his birth father has been honoured showing him the love he deserves. It's plain to see that Ollie is continuing to build on his friendships and is building good relationships with them as any child should. The downer comes at the end, yes I know many don't think much of Ollie's mum but please have some respect for Ollie's feelings. I know Ollie didn't like her much, but deep down he still loved her and that is normal, his reaction is normal as he jumps to her defence. Maybe he had hoped for a reconciliation of some sort and now that hope has been taken away from him. He will need a lot of support to get through this, he will now start to grieve for his mum just as he was getting to the end of grieving for his dad but this will bring it all back to him and that process will start again as grieves for both of his parents. Andre and Chris will have their hands full, but they will be rewarded as Ollie works his way through his grief.