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GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#1: Jul 25th 2023 at 3:56:55 PM

Note: This thread was proposed by badtothebaritone.

Sibling Switch Squick is about when there are two different characters with the same name in a work where one is related to a third character, the other is in a relationship with that third character, and the audience feels Squick because of the association. However, only one example fits this definition. All the others are different versions of the same character, either through adaptations or alternate universes. I suggest disambiguating between Related in the Adaptation, Unrelated in the Adaptation, and Alternate Universe because of this.

Wick Check: Sibling Switch Squick Check

  • 1/24 correct examples
  • 15/24 are adaptations or alternate versions of the same character
  • 8/24 is misc. non-entries

Wick check:

     Two different characters in a work have the same name, one a lover, the other a relative (Correct, 1/24) 
  1. Letters to Juliet - Sibling Switch Squick: Charlie failed to mention to Sophie that there's two Patricias. The Patricia she seen him with as a "date" was really his cousin and the other was his long-forgotten ex-girlfriend.

     Adaptation of a character (misuse, 11/24) 
  1. Flirty Stepsiblings - Martin Mystery: It takes the subtext to the nth degree. They were really pushing it to the limit. That's what happens when you take characters who were lovers in the original comic and #Characters.TS 2 Veronaville - Sibling Switch Squickturn them into Not Blood Siblings.
Sibling Switch Squick: Inverted. Beatrice and Benedick are named after the infamous romantic leads of Much Ado About Nothing, but are twin siblings (not to mention little kids) in the game.
  1. Plight of Persephone - Related in the Adaptation: The familial ties the various gods share (like Hades technically being Persephone's uncle) are brought up when it was never mentioned in the original film, though here Persephone is Zeus's step-daughter instead of his actual daughter.
  2. Unrelated in the Adaptation - In Clash of the Titans (2010), two rather disturbing variants occur. For one, in this version, Perseus' mother, Danae, was a queen married to King Acrisius. In the actual myth, King Acrisius was her father. Furthermore, Perseus winds up with Io at the end of the film... a character who, in the story, would have been his great x 7-grandmother. Something this film shares with Clash of the Titans (1981) is that in the actual myth, Medusa and Poseidon were Pegasus' parents, but here, Pegasus is a sacred animal of Zeus and has nothing to do with Medusa or Poseidon.
  3. Characters.Wolverine And The X Men 2009 Other Characters - Sibling Switch Squick: She was forced by her father to marry the Silver Samurai. In the comics Mariko and Silver Samurai are half-siblings, having the same father.
  4. Horror of Dracula - Sibling Switch Squick: Lucy and Arthur are usually engaged in Dracula, but here, they're brother and sister (as Arthur and Jonathan swapped spouses).
  5. Dirk Gently - Sibling Switch Squick: In the book, Gordon and Susan are siblings - in the TV adaptation, Gordon is Susan's ex.
  6. Marple - Sibling Switch Squick: Sort of. In the book of A Murder Is Announced, Colonel Easterbrook has a wife named Laura, who is young enough to be his daughter. In the 2005 version, Colonel Easterbrook's wife does not appear and it's established that he has an estranged daughter named Laura.
  7. Martin Mystery - Sibling Switch Squick: As previously mentioned, Martin and Diana were originally lovers who eventually got married rather than stepsiblings in the original comics.
  8. Marvel's Spider-Man - Sibling Switch Squick: If you thought comic book Jackal's infatuation with his student Gwen was creepy in the comics before, wait until you learn there's a universe where they're uncle and niece.
  9. Wolverine and the X-Men (2009) - Sibling Switch Squick: Wolverine's former girlfriend Mariko Yashida was forced by her father to marry the Silver Samurai. In the comics Mariko and Silver Samurai are half-siblings, having the same father.

     Not an adaptation, not a different character (misuse, 4/24) 
  1. FireEmblemAwakening.Tropes S To Z - Sibling Switch Squick: Lucina and female Morgan can have several different brothers depending on who their father marries. If their mothers are changed between playthroughs, one playthrough's brother can become another's potential husband.
  2. FireEmblemFates.Tropes H To Y - Sibling Switch Squick: Shigure and male Kana can have several different sisters depending on who their mother marries. If their fathers are changed between playthroughs, one playthrough's sister can become another's potential wife.
  3. Desperation - Sibling Switch Squick: Thanks to the alternate universe, the Carver family from one version of the story reverses who are siblings and who is married. In other words, David and Kirsten/Pie would be brother and sister in Desperation, and their parents Ellen and Ralph, but in The Regulators, they're married, and Ellen and Ralph are their children.
  4. The Regulators - Sibling Switch Squick: Thanks to the alternate universe, the Carver family from one version of the story reverts who are siblings and who is married. In other words, David and Kirsten/Pie would be brother and sister in Desperation, and their parents Ellen and Ralph, but in The Regulators, they're married, with Ellen and Ralph as their children.

     Other (8/24) 

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jul 28th 2023 at 3:34:58 AM

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#2: Jul 25th 2023 at 3:57:06 PM

Paging ~badtothebaritone as requested.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#3: Jul 25th 2023 at 7:26:31 PM

I've never even heard of this being a thing in the first place, TBH.

Yindee Just stoic wisdom. from New England Since: Jul, 2016
Just stoic wisdom.
#4: Jul 25th 2023 at 7:27:58 PM

Verges on Too Rare, to me.

Edit: [down][tup]

Edited by Yindee on Jul 25th 2023 at 10:34:39 AM

Vehicle-Based Characterization | Grief-Induced Split | Locker Mail
Berrenta How sweet it is from Texas Since: Apr, 2015 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
How sweet it is
#5: Jul 25th 2023 at 7:32:50 PM

Yeah, this may be Too Rare to Trope.

Cut, and move the adaptation examples appropriately.

she/her | TRS needs your help! | Contributor of Trope Report
StalkerGamer Hi! :3 Since: Dec, 2021 Relationship Status: Love is an open door
Vilui Since: May, 2009
#7: Jul 25th 2023 at 7:36:03 PM

The description says this is about two different works by the same author, so even the one "correct" example is not actually correct.

Also, the description, and having "Squick" in the title, makes it look like this is an audience reaction (even though it's not YMMV). None of the examples focus on the reaction, but just describe the situation.

wootzits Since: Apr, 2010
AudioSpeaks2 He/Him (Greenhorn) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
Nen_desharu Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire from Greater Smash Bros. Universe or Toronto Since: Aug, 2020 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
Nintendo Fanatic Extraordinaire
BlackMage43 Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
#12: Jul 25th 2023 at 8:12:36 PM

It seems like most of the examples seem to consider this to be an Alternate Self / Related in the Adaptation + incest trope. Maybe it should be disambiguated with incest tropes in mind, or just redirected to the incest index.

Hello83433 (Lucky 7) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
themayorofsimpleton Now a lurker. Thanks for everything. | he/him from Elsewhere (Experienced, Not Yet Jaded) Relationship Status: Abstaining
Adept (Holding A Herring) Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Coachpill Can shapeshift (probably) from Washington State, grew up on Long Island Since: Aug, 2022 Relationship Status: Baby don't hurt me!
randomtroper89 from The Fire Nation Since: Nov, 2010
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
MorganWick (Elder Troper)
#19: Jul 26th 2023 at 12:55:14 AM

...even in the oldest copy in the Internet Archive the examples are all about different versions of the same characters, contra the description.

Amonimus the Retromancer from <<|Wiki Talk|>> (Sergeant) Relationship Status: In another castle
the Retromancer
VampireBuddha Calendar enthusiast from Ireland (Wise, aged troper) Relationship Status: Complex: I'm real, they are imaginary
Calendar enthusiast
RandomTroper123 She / Her from I'll let you guess... (Not-So-Newbie) Relationship Status: [TOP SECRET]
GastonRabbit MOD Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#24: Jul 28th 2023 at 1:26:38 AM

Calling in favor of cutting.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
GastonRabbit Sounds good on paper (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
Sounds good on paper (he/him)
#25: Jul 28th 2023 at 1:34:34 AM

Dewicked and cut, so locking up.

Patiently awaiting the release of Paper Luigi and the Marvelous Compass.
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