Mistaken identity

[PerilEyes]

Already written the start of a story but it's occurred to me that I'm not sure if it's even passed the test of believability. A woman poses as her identity twin sister in order to sleep with her boyfriend. Wondering if someone can be fooled that much. Thoughts?

 

[LadyVer]

Already written the start of a story but it's occurred to me that I'm not sure if it's even passed the test of believability. A woman poses as her identity twin sister in order to sleep with her boyfriend. Wondering if someone can be fooled that much. Thoughts?

Possibly. Why would the twin sleep with her sister's bf?

 

[PerilEyes]

Because I like to write malicious characters, LV Actually, possibly a case of revenge, possibly a case of sibling rivalry, possibly a case of "I can, so I will."

Twin 1 reconnects with Twin 2 after moving away in search of a pipe dream. They hadn't kept in contact during that time. Twin 2 has a stable job, living arrangement and boyfriend...priorities all in check. Twin 1 can't boast any of that. Twin 2 informs her that she's happy to host her, but she has to take stock of her life, which is pretty much the kick in the pants any sensible freeloader would need. Only Twin 1 isn't all that sensible.

 

[LadyVer]

Sounds likes a good story idea. I've known several sets of twins who looked so much alike that people couldn't tell them apart.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Under the circumstances you've mentioned it's more than believable. People don't normally question pretty much anything so long as it fits in with the patterns they are expecting. If you didn't know your lover had a twin and they showed up they'd need to have some really bad tell for most people to catch on. Either that or some kind of scar or speech pattern. Something that couldn't be explained away with just emotional states of some sort. There's actually a whole tv series last year called Ringer staring Sarah Michelle Gellar that's pretty much this in a nut shell.

I see nothing wrong with this plot at ALL> In the future though you don't need to worry about believability as long as you're willing to go the extra mile into crazy town. Everybody knows that no plumber has ever gotten laid by a lady who called him over to lay pipe and no girl ever actually ordered the Extra Sausage pizza and answered the door in her lingerie. It's fiction that's just fine.

 

[PerilEyes]

Sounds likes a good story idea. I've known several sets of twins who looked so much alike that people couldn't tell them apart.

Thanks. I also knew twins growing up whose physical differences were so subtle that the twins needed to be together to notice them. So that was my thinking as well, but I want some outside opinions.

Under the circumstances you've mentioned it's more than believable. People don't normally question pretty much anything so long as it fits in with the patterns they are expecting. If you didn't know your lover had a twin and they showed up they'd need to have some really bad tell for most people to catch on. Either that or some kind of scar or speech pattern. Something that couldn't be explained away with just emotional states of some sort. There's actually a whole tv series last year called Ringer staring Sarah Michelle Gellar that's pretty much this in a nut shell.

I see nothing wrong with this plot at ALL> In the future though you don't need to worry about believability as long as you're willing to go the extra mile into crazy town. Everybody knows that no plumber has ever gotten laid by a lady who called him over to lay pipe and no girl ever actually ordered the Extra Sausage pizza and answered the door in her lingerie. It's fiction that's just fine.

It's funny you mention Ringer because it actually crossed my mind when drawing it up (never did get through it, though). BF actually knows about his girlfriend's twin in my tale so it makes all the more interesting.

Yeah, I've struggled with the whole believability and the suspension of it in stories lately. I think I've settled with the idea that "crazy town" is fine. It's just about crafting characters that are real, who have the same motivations and reactions as you and I or anyone else might realistically have.

 

[Sean Renaud]

I only got through it because I like Buffy. . .I meah Sarah Michelle Gellar. I would never recommend it to anybody. Still unless you knew the twin and new they were around most people would never think twice about it because seriously, your twin wants to sleep with me?! Who'd think that.

Most of the twins I've known you could tell apart if you REALLY tried but most of the time I just didn't give a shit and it was only important to tell them apart when playing tag or something otherwise they'd either ignore you (they, like Chris's and John's have an uncanny sense of knowing which one you meant regardless of what you said) and carry on.

But yeah it's just about crafting a fun story. This should fall well within the realm of regular believability though, not even suspension of belief.

 

[Hypoxia]

...no girl ever actually ordered the Extra Sausage pizza and answered the door in her lingerie.

Not true. Believe me.

OP: Yes, it happens. Really.

 

[Carnevil9]

I used to know a guy who was married to a woman with an identical twin, who actually lived with them. I asked him once if he had trouble telling them apart.

He said: "I don't even try. The other one just has to watch out for herself!"