History Main / RelativelyFlimsyExcuse

* Inverted and PlayedForLaughs in Series/TheFlash2014 when Barry loses his memory and asks Wally West how they know each other. Wally, who is Black, cheerfully says they’re brothers (this is true in an adopted sense and an in-law sense.) Barry stealthily looks at his own arm to confirm he’s White while Wally smiles awkwardly.

* In the ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' / ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' crossover ''Fanfic/FateStarryNight'', Ritsuka Fujimira, in order to get Rin Tohsaka's attention, claims to her classmates that he is her brother returning from abroad. It fairly works since Ritsuka looks like a GenderFlip version of Rin.

Compare BlatantLies, which is more general. May often lead to UndeadTaxExemption in a situation where paperwork would be required. May be a form of SheIsNotMyGirlfriend. RelativeError is an inversion, where another character mistakes two characters for family, which may occasionally turn into this trope instead if the characters in question decide SureLetsGoWithThat. PretendingToBeOnesOwnRelative is a related trope where the relation the character fakes is to ''themself''.

** After Snegurochka, an ayakashi that looks like a little girl, moved in with Garaku (another humanoid ayakashi who'd established a human identity), they tell people she's his niece.

* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'': When Mr. Hyunh thinks he needs a family to get a job promotion, he tricks his boss into thinking Granpa Phil is his dad, Arnold is his son, Oskar's wife Suzie is his wife and the rest of the people living in the border house are related to him (even though Hyunh is the only one of them that's Asian, and there's no mention of adoption). Of course, it doesn't work in the end and proves unnecessary.

* In the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' fan-comic ''[[https://eggtempest.tumblr.com/post/650553646926479360/parent-teacher-night parent-teaxher nught]]'', Maya has Phoenix pretend to be her dad for a parent-teacher night at her high school. All of this is done ForTheLulz.

* In the ''Series/RedDwarf'' episode "Better Than Life", when Arnold Rimmer meets Napoleon: "Could you just sign this for me. Make it out to my good pal Arnie from your dear chum Napoleon Bonaparte. It's not for me, it's for my sister Alison. ...we call her Arnie."

* ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'': In "The Loobenfeld Decay", Sheldon invents a drug addicted cousin as an excuse to avoid attending a show of Penny's. This spirals out of control and Sheldon ends up employing a lab assistant to play his cousin Leo.

-->'''FRED:''' Um, hi. Um, yes. I'm looking for a patient -- a man. He was brought in Thursday, named Stover.
-->'''NURSE:''' Are you a family member?
-->'''FRED:''' Am I—? Yes. I have a family. I'm a member. He's my brother. Father. My father's brother.
-->'''NURSE:''' (looking at the computer) I have a Stoller.
-->'''FRED:''' Half-brother. Uncle. Half-uncle.

* Inverted and PlayedForLaughs in Series/TheFlash2014 when Barry loses his memory and asks Wally West how they know each other. Wally, who is Black, cheerfully says they’re brothers (this is true in an adopted sense and an in-law sense.) Barry stealthily looks at his own arm to confirm he’s White while Wally smiles awkwardly.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' [[EvilChancellor Yzma]] goes to Pacha's home to search for Kuzco. But to not raise alarms, she claims to be Pacha's third cousin's brother's wife's step-niece's great aunt. Twice removed.

[[folder:Religion & Folklore]]

* In ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'', Elsie claims to be an illegitimate daughter of Keima's father (who is working abroad) to his mother, which both infuriates her while also being enough for her to live with them. Later on, Haqua uses the same excuse as a joke, leaving Mr. Katsuragi very confused as to why his wife is suddenly calling him up yelling about how many bastards he has.

* In ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'', Kotaro is passed off as Natsumi's little brother to explain why he suddenly started living with her and her roommates.

* ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid''

* When the Comicbook/{{Runaways}} moved to Malibu and had to deal with neighbors, Xavin posed as their father. Even for a Super-Skrull, [[{{Pun}} it was a stretch.]]

** Likewise when Clark and Comicbook/LoisLane adopt Chris in ''ComicBook/LastSon'', they claim that he's the son of Clark's cousin. Or... Lois' cousin? Dang it, where are those forged papers again?

** In Silver Age story ''Adventure Comics'' #278, Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} goes back in time and she meets Pa and Ma Kent. As she remains in Smallville, she pretends to be Linda Kent, niece of Jonathan and Martha.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''

* ''Literature/CanYouSpareAQuarter'': The men that Jamie had been with excused his presence by claiming that the boy was a distant relative of sorts. The fact that Graham uses the same excuse but claiming that he's a close relative pleasantly surprises Jamie.

* In ''LightNovel/HaiyoreNyarkoSan'', Mahiro's entire UnwantedHarem pretend to be related to him, despite not looking like him ''at all''. They did this one by one, making it seem even less likely.

* Tohru and Kanna from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' both masquerade as Kobayashi's cousins from overseas. Just like the [[HornedHumanoid horns]], no one questions it.