Character can experience other lives

[Brandnewbuddy]

Original idea was “bully experiences a life where their victim dominates them” but I wanted to open it up. NGL John Lagan’s “Supplement” is a big inspiration (horror story where a woman receives a book that, at the cost of her health, lets her experience a different life where her daughter didn’t die of an overdose).

So the idea: whether through magical artifact, obtaining a superpower, or some other means, MC can step into another life. Now, they cannot change anything. They feel everything, including the emotions of the life they are riding passenger in, but they cannot influence or change anything that happens.

Example: After a blow to the head, woman who severely bullied a young man from a farming family has visions whenever she closes her eyes of a very different life where she appears mostly the same, save for tiny horns, a swishing tail and breasts which are quite larger: she’s a Minotaur and she’s married to the young man. She can feel the almost agonizing amount of love her other life has for him and can feel his love for her in every kiss, embrace, and thrust. Is she actually connecting to another world or is it just her subconscious?

 

[Rob_Royale]

A bitter woman who feels like her life has never been what she was due, is married to a perfectly decent sort of fella. But here isn't anything special about him. He's not super handsome, smart, successful, or even well hung. He's just decent. Her career is much the same. She achieved a level and there she stayed. Appreciated and paid but her original plan was to be a corporate big-wig by 38, not a mid-level manager. And she lets this disappointment affect her, in her mannerisms and mood all the time. And the effect on her marriage is profound, nearly sexless, but to her mind, it's not her fault.
So, already in therapy about the whole thing, she goes to a fortune teller on a whim, who gives her a charm. At night now she dreams of someone else in her position, both at home and at work. She gets to experience how much different a person with a good attitude does in her life. She sees this person's life as the OP described. From within, gets to experience the bliss of her husband making love to a woman who wants to touch and be touched.
In the morning everything is back to normal, but in her dreams everything about this woman's life is better. It takes her a while and there's lots of inner monologue, but she eventually figures out it's always been her. It would be a great character study.

 

[Brandnewbuddy]

Had another spin:

At first I was thinking of her only being able to see through the eyes of other versions of her. What if she could instead ride passenger in her current/former partners?

For example: married woman. Her sex life with hubby or wife has cooled. She starts to long for the passion she once had and suddenly finds herself able to ride passenger through any past encounter with her partner or former partners.

Could go a couple ways. For her she remembers an ex and her as having extremely passionate sex…when she rides passenger she realizes it was awkward for both of them. Her first love was already moving on the last time they had sex…but her biggest surprise is her current partner. They are still enamored with her. Sometimes needing to take breaks at work because of how horny they get thinking about her…but due to a misunderstanding, they thought she wanted things to cool down.