Premature Launch. : Impostor Jamie Has No Accent

The one thing I'm still not sure of, as the existing trope description is so incredibly vague, is whether the trope is about other characters identifying impostors based on wrong/missing details, or impostors merely having different details so an audience could more easily identify them for their own viewing convenience, regardless however other character react to them.

edited 1st Dec '11 8:40:47 PM by SeanMurrayI

I wasn't familiar with the character the first time I saw the title, but I still understood it pretty quickly: Someone or something is imitating (Impostor) a specific character (Jamie) but neglects to imitate (Has No) a minor yet significant trait (Accent) of said character.

I know we're trying to avoid "insidery" trope titles, but that's mostly a problem with titles that are reliant on knowing a specific character, like "Liz Lemon Job" - catchy title, but too obscure for people who don't watch 30 Rock.

This trope's current title explains itself fairly well without just being a super-laconic version of the trope description. It might help to beef up the trope description, with a sentence up front explaining that the missing trait doesn't have to be an accent, but otherwise there's nothing about it that's too Doctor Who-specific for a non-fan to understand (unlike something like, say "Impostor Doctor Can't Regenerate".)

But, again, I don't see why a trope like this has to be about an impostor outright neglecting to get a detail right about who the impostor is pretending to be.

Since this isn't really written up as a plot point (it's not like if it's about an impostor being found out by other characters because of the lacking attribute), it could just as well be about impostors having one or two details off just for the sake of audience convenience to more easily tell who's who. A supertrope to Beard of Evil, as it pertains to Evil Twins, Evil Counterparts, and all other types of evil duplicates of one character.

edited 10th Dec '11 10:11:57 PM by SeanMurrayI

For the record, Beard of Evil is a sister trope to Bald of Evil - it's not specifically about the Evil Twins Have Goatees idea, though I've occasionally considered trying to split that off. So this wouldn't be a supertrope to that.

Overall it seems like a good idea, though.

^ There is a portion of the Beard of Evil description dedicated to its relation to Evil Twin and whatnot. When I said, "...as it pertains to Evil Twins, Evil Counterparts, and all other types of evil duplicates of one character", I meant, "...as it pertains to that particular aspect of the trope."

For what it's worth, Criminal Doppelgänger's description makes a similar sort of observation along these lines, as well...

Even the page image would be testament to that broader view.

edited 11th Dec '11 9:46:36 AM by SeanMurrayI

the crowner's stable.

Calling the crowner for Imposter Forgot One Detail.

edited 19th Dec '11 8:04:05 PM by blackcat

Impostor Jamie Has No Accent and Impostor Forgot One Detail are now redirects for Imposter Forgot One Detail and there are notes about the change in the Renamed Tropes page and in the renamed tropes thread. The small number of wicks should be fixed and I added a couple more examples as well. I did not see any discussion to be moved, but if there is some way to move the YKTTW to a new page that I am unaware of, feel free to let me know about that.

If I missed anything in the move, please let me know so I can avoid making that mistake in the future.

I still think the description needs to be fleshed out a lot more.

Is Impostor Forgot One Detail supposed to be about characters finding out an impostor because the impostor didn't get a detail right or do they just not have certain details that the main character has, which allows viewers to better recognize who is the impostor?

I think mods can move YKTTWs. Or you could post a link to the YKTTW on the new discussion page.

Good question. Which was it in the Trope Namer? Let's go with that.

With the name chosen through the crowner, I'd lean towards limiting this to an impostor being found out through because he/she got a detail wrong.

If we go with the latter, I'd suggest we pick a better name.

I agree that we should limit it to the impostor being found out.

edited 21st Dec '11 9:53:39 PM by Firebert

Other tropes related to finding out an impostor (in addition to Spot the Impostor), which should, at least, be decent candidates for cross-wicking: Not Himself, Something They Would Never Say, Bluff the Impostor.

Nooooo! Something They Would Never Say is not an impostor trope!!!

So everyone, please check out the bumped TRS thread on it so we can do something about it!

• ahem* Sorry. Carry on.