"Another Life to Lead"

Andi's "Pilot Error" got me thinking about a new, general-interest TG title, one not geared to a particular genre like crime or romance, or to specific universes like AF or SRU. A number of stories at this site, I've noticed, naturally revolve around the challenges of taking over someone else's life. So, here's a title I made up for stories that don't obviously rely on particular mechanics (as in AF or SRU) and which are about the challenges of adapting to a radically new (and TGed) existence?for the person making the change or for the people around them.

Actually, the borders around this title are so loose that just about anything could fit: For instance, I stuck my mod comic under this title, because it doesn't really fit any of the other established titles I've seen in these parts. So I guess I'm creating this as kind of a catch-all. Especially for cover treatments that seem more about the consequences of a switch than the mechanics or motives behind it.

Eight samples attached. Some notes:

"Sibling Rivalry": I am convinced I have unwittingly stolen this cover from someone else, but I can't find the original to confirm. If I post this, maybe someone will point out where I stole it from?

"More Than Friends": I hope the idea here is clear. If so, then whether you find it sweet or deeply, deeply creepy will probably be a function on how much you believe in the idea of "true love," and how many psychotically clingy romantic partners you've ever had in your life.

"Debutantes and Debentures": Another cover I think I've stolen.

"The Funny Farm": Okay, any bets that's not really "mom" in that body?

"Since You Went Away": What kind of a jerk would tease his former fiancée this way?

"Desire in a Mirror": Do you want to be a cute teenage girl sure we all do! But what if you'd originally been one of the Cassidy brothers?

"Occupational Hazard": Eh, kinda boring, IMO.

"The Lesson": The lesson to be learned, probably, being "never lend your hot female 18-year-old body to a hormone-addled 13-year-old boy."

Sibling Rivalry	More Than Friends	Debutantes and Debentures	The Funny Farm
Since You Went Away	Desire in a Mirror	Occupational Hazard	The Lesson

Thanks, well done. I also am interested in stories where the challeng of taking over someone else's life. Most of my stories here folow this idea. _ Especially Out of his sight!

Keep up the good work

Eric

Four more "Another Life to Lead" covers:

"Quivering Flesh": Had the title of a classic S. J. Perelman short story going through my head the whole time I was working on this one.

"Skin Deep": One of those "relevant" comic book covers c. 1973, I guess. Naturally, the guy who's really white gets to survive; it's the minority character who gets to die and become all symbol-ey.

"Untitled 1": I thought of adding a text box and back story, but decided to see if it would make sense on its own. If the idea comes through, hopefully it won't need any more: it's effed in a way I haven't seen too many covers go for.

"Untitled 2, but probably called 'Oil's Well that Ends Well'": Don't you just love a happy ending?

Quivering Flesh

Skin Deep

Untitled

Oil's Well That Ends Well

Good ones! I especially like Oil's Well That Ends Well; the basic cover drawing has a good composition, and the dialogue works well to tell the story. Were they the original speech-bubbles?

Thanks! Those are the original word balloons in OWTEW--I prefer working with the original balloons where possible, since it minimizes anything that could take you out of the illusion. Couldn't do that with the other 3 covers, sadly.

The original for OWTEW is here. I have to say, those are some awesome covers that title had, with so much more variety and spunk than "Girl's Love" or "Heart Throbs" or the other, longer-lived titles.

"Repent at Leisure": If the names "Henry" and "Gates" seem familiar, I borrowed them from "I Was a Male War Bride."

"School for Loneliness": I got lazy on this one before I was done. The original was in crappy shape.

"Untitled": Kinda standard.

"Green Pastures": I hate walls of words, but the original had a wall of words, and who am I to argue?

Repent at Leisure

School for Loneliness

Untitled

Green Pastures

Thanks, witty, funny & clever. I think my favorite was the ad & the fiancee!

I liked Green pastures the best - a "make lemonaide" story. :-)

More covers!

"Return Ticket--To Heartbreak!": I think this was the first modcover I ever made. Originally it was an Altered Fates, but I was shy about uploading it. I'm not sure the dialogue makes any sense, but I think it does have the anguished style you'd expect from this kind of title.

"Thy Neighbors' Daughter": "Blimp accident"?!

"This Bicycle Is Built for Three!": Could this story be any more generic? Still, sometimes they have to be told.

"Sun Gets in Your Eyes": Meh. I think Steve's headed for trouble, though.

"Love, All!": An old one, and I was never sure if the image and the text were mutually explanatory. Mostly, I like it because I'm tickled by the brutality of the language used.

"The Girl in Every Port": Ew. Ew, ew, ew!

"Fun with Dick": Obvious joke ...

"Mama Razzi and the Twentieth Century Wolf": Contemporary titles are hard to do, and I'm never happy with them. Mostly I did this just because I was curious what ALTL looked like at the start of the new century.

Return Ticket--To Hearbreak	Thy Neighbors' Daughter	This Bicycle Is Built for Three!	Sun Gets in Your Eyes
Love, All!	The Girl in Every Port	Fun with Dick	Mama Razzi and the 20th Century Wolves

I want to thank you for all your great work! Keep them coming especially body swaps.
To thank you I'm offering a more details on your covers - whether you want it or not! LOL!

ANOTHER LIFE TO LEAD,

SIBLING RIVALRY, LOL
FRIENDS, OUCH FUNNY!
DEBUTANT'S, ROFLOL! excellent story. Many females feel anything you can do I can do better - often they're right! But not always!
FUNNY FARM, OOPS! LOL! <aybe the mom will just send 'her' daughter awayh as she doesn't think that boy is good enough for her baby! snicker!
SINCE YOU WENT AWAY! LOL! those naughty nazis!
OCCUPATIONAL HAZZARD, witty!

OIL'S WELL, WITTY & clever & good story. I love mutual benefit swaps. great line "benefit'
QUIVERING FLES, LOL! 'STEVE'S such a girl!
SKIN DEEP. funny & powerful. No good deed goes unpunished!
UNTITLED, Oh whaat a tangled web! LOL!

REPENT AT LEASURE, LOL & good story
SCHOOL, OUCH funny
UNTITLED, jessicas such a guy! Snicker!
GREENER PASTURES, OUCH LOL!

RETURN TICKET, funny
THY NEIGHB'S DAUGHTER, LOL! what twisted logic!
BUILT FOR 3, LOL! looks like tim's come out ahead!
LOVE, ALL, LOL 7 clever twists
A GIRL IN EvERY PORT, OUCH funny
FUN WITH DICK. OUCH funny

I guess we'll call this the comment thread for "Another Life to Lead." There are eight more covers, four of them new, in that section of the site. Update starts here.

I wonder if the central gag in "Eve ... and Adam" is so allusive as to be invisible ...

More nice Another Life to Lead covers. I especially like the cover art of "Eve and Adam" and the *ahem* pocket-python, Garden of Eden joke kind of works... I would probably have gone with some sort of body-swap freak-lab-accident plotline, but maybe that's too obvious?