Original Life
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| Original Life | |
|---|---|
 Abigail, Thomas and Janie | |
| Author(s) | Jay Naylor |
| Website | |
| Update schedule | Monday and Friday (2009-2014), Sporadic (2016), Hiatus (2016-present) |
| Genre | Comedy/Drama |
| Rating(s) |  |
Original Life is a comedy comic written by Jay Naylor. The strip began on June 1, 2009 after Naylor finished his original series Better Days. Up until 2014, the comic updated every Monday and Friday; following a year-long hiatus, the comic continued in 2016 and updated sporadically (usually once every one-four weeks or more) until it went on hiatus again. It details the life and times of Fisk and Elizabeth's children, Abigail, Thomas, and Janie, and as of September 2013, has included many storylines for various members of the original "Better Days" cast, including Lucy, Tommy, and their only son, Leo. Other characters include Beth and Aron, as well as many storylines for new characters, such as Fisk's partner in his agency, Red, and Jessica's niece, Trixie.
Unlike Better Days, Original Life features a lighter and more humorous plot, with minor segments of dramatic moments interspersed throughout. Also, rather than following Fisk and Lucy as they progress through life like in Better Days, the characters of Original Life will not age (or at least not do any major timeskips). The comic is set in modern times. These changes are mainly due to Naylor opting to "just keep it fun," stating that he enjoyed the lighter chapters of Better Days far more than the somber ones. The storylines often feature Thomas, Abigail and Janie going through what most kids do: bullies, friends, imagination, school, changes in themselves, and the normal sibling rivalries that most people live through.
Characters[edit]
Janie[edit]
The eldest of the Black children, Janie constitutes the atypical persona of an elder sibling; domineering, confident, in control. Janie is a white cat with blonde hair and displays high levels of athletic skill, owning trophies and awards in every sport except football, according to Thomas. Her forte appears to be swimming and after Fisk installs a pool in the backyard, Janie becomes the bane of her brother's summertime existence by essentially taking it over for her own usage. Janie is a very proud cat and can't stand being helpless, such as with the injury she received during a misfired cheer-leading stunt. (A sport she was already mortified about getting involved with from the get go) It's lightly implied that Janie may possibly be bi-sexual after an incident with her best friend Charlie dressing herself up as a boy and then kissing her, which led to Janie confessing that while she loved Charlie and wanted to continue being her friend, she couldn't bring herself to "use Charlie like that until a real boy came along". Despite saying this, Janie seemed rather fascinated with the kiss once Charlie had departed. Janie is also intensely competitive, forming a deep rivalry with her Floridian cousin Leo and making it her goal to "destroy" him. By that, she means she'll pummel him in whichever sport she can, usually beach volleyball. She has a deep dislike for winter and sorely wishes her parents would move them all to Florida. Through this love of the state, she develops a kinship with Trixie who babysits them whenever Elizabeth and Fisk go out of town. She has a good relationship with both of her parents, since Elizabeth adores her and praises her athletic accomplishments and Fisk seems to serve as the wise parental figure, often accompanying her on her morning jogs.
Thomas[edit]
The middle child, and somewhat of the black sheep of the family, Thomas is very much a wild child. He and his mother seem to have somewhat of a standoffish relationship, and other than simply being a boy, it's never made very clear as to why Elizabeth holds such lower regard for her son than for her daughters, to the point where she appears to have very little in the way of good words to say about him. Elizabeth does love her son, she just wishes he would succeed more in life. Thomas is a black cat with gray markings, and resembles his father the most of the three, and seems to have inherited his feisty nature, such as learning fighting techniques in order to beat up the local bully to get his handheld console back. Unlike his sisters, Thomas doesn't seem to be very skilled in any one area, preferring his games to scholarly or athletic pursuits. Despite being quite athletic himself, he's more often found lounging on the sofa playing games. Thomas gets along well with his cousin Leo, although his relationship with Trixie is rather strained. Thomas is romantically involved with a red panda named Miko from school. As wild as he is, he's a good-hearted little boy who just seems content to cruise through life and let it happen to him, rather than making anything happen. Much unlike his father at that age, he's not political and doesn't much care about the social aspects of life around him. He's very similar in attitude and personality to Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes, right down to writing a story about himself wherein he wakes up one morning as a giant bug.
Abigail[edit]
The youngest, and arguably the smartest, Abigail is a young gray mouse with long black hair and big blue eyes. Incredibly intelligent far beyond her years, Abigail aims to be a scientist, already imagining herself as a highly successful one, although it's ambiguous just how much of what she does is actual scientific research versus the imagination of a six year-old. Most of her equipment is built out of Legos. Her best friend is her winged teddy bear named Mr. Bonk who also serves as her primary research assistant, and who apparently is a specialist in corrective surgery. Together with Mr. Bonk, Abigail accomplishes such "feats" like teleportation, cost-effective re-design of the family pool, and even managing an illegal drug ring in order to fund the construction of a subterranean laboratory beneath their house.
Charlie[edit]
A tomboyish white cat with long brown hair tied back under a hat, Charlie lives next door to Janie and has been her best friend for years. Charlie is approximately a year older than Janie. Charlie is shown to be uncomfortable in the girlish lifestyle her mother Sissy forces on her and secretly wishes she'd been born a boy instead. She prefers the company of Thomas and his friends over most other girls and is shown to be extremely good at football, much to her father's both pride and chagrin. Janie keeps it well hidden that she's secretly in love with Janie, but still goes so far as to send her admirer letters from time to time.