Other Me Annoys Me: Difference between revisions

 

{{quote|'''Troi hologram:''' "Cast aside your masks and let me slip into your mind." <br />

 

A character encounters an "alternate" version of themselves that they greatly dislike. The alternate can be a work of fiction existing only on a written page or [[Show Within a Show]], or a [[Doppelganger]] of some sort ([[Cloning Blues|Clone]], [[Time Travel]], [[Alternate Universe]], etc). The alternate version may be a [[Straw Man|thinly veiled caricature]] that [[Flanderization|exaggerates]] negative qualities or emphasizes neutral or even positive traits in ways the original dislikes, or invents traits whole cloth that [[Adaptation Decay|are highly out of character.]] The original is likely to become ''very'' angry at the author or the alternate for the real (or perceived) insult.

 

 

Compare [[Future Me Scares Me]] and [[I Hate Past Me]].

* In ''[[Hero Squared]]'' the "normal" Milo is quite annoyed with the Superhero version of himself from another universe (Captain Valor), and vice versa. Valor is less-than-impressed with Milo's selfishness and complete failure to make anything of his life, whilst Milo resents Valor's smug self-righteousness and over-simplified view of the world and how it works.

* ''[[The Authority]]:'' while crossing over to a [[Gender Flipped]] [[Alternate Universe]] to talk to their counterparts, Jack Hawksmoor's equivalent is visibly pregnant. When asked about how he feels to see himself female and pregnant, he responds that he doesn't want to find out who the father is.

** One nice example involving Deadpool has him inventing an imaginary version of himself (aka, he willed himself into having a split personality) while trapped inside a room for over 800 years (long story). Why did he do this? To have someone to play hangman with of course. His plan fails when the imaginary Deadpool turns out to be a genius and starts totally kicking Deadpool's ass in the game.

* In one Disney comic, [[Donald Duck]]'s friends and family force him to spend 24 hours with a duplicate of himself, to show him how annoying he is.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* The first half of [[Robert A. Heinlein]]'s ''By His Bootstraps'' consists of the interaction between the protagonist Bob Wilson and some of his past and future selves, due to a very convoluted [[Time Travel]] plot. The scene is retold several times, each from the point of view of a different version of Bob -- who consistently thinks his past selves are idiots and his future selves are arrogant pricks. It comes to blows eventually. And this would be the man who {{spoiler|rules the Earth in the future? Diktor, the future dictator Bob considers a jerk and tries to double-cross, is Bob himself}}.

 

* McGee, of ''[[NCIS]]'', wrote a novel somewhat based on people he knew. As each member of the team learned about how their counterpart was portrayed, they took offense at the idea. Tim made it ''very'' clear that the fictional versions weren't the same, but almost everyone said [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|methinks thou doth protest too much.]]

** Except Gibbs, who didn't mind.

** Earlier, there is an episode where Rimmer is copied, they annoy each other and eventually Lister just deletes one.

* In one episode of ''[[Stargate Atlantis]]'', an alternate universe version of Rodney McKay appears. This version is charming, extroverted and socially skilled. The regular Rodney ends up disliking him because everyone seems to like him better.

** At the end of the episode Teyla, Sheppard, and Ronan reveal that they weren't terribly fond of the alt-universe Rodney, either.

* On ''[[Friends]]'', Rachel dates Russ, a guy who's remarkably like Ross. Ross finds him completely annoying, being totally unaware that he's basically criticizing himself.

* In ''[[Supernatural]]'' in the episode Tall Tales Sam and Dean take turns telling Bobby what's happened so far and describe each other in an unflattering way.

** "The Monster at the End of the Book," the episode which introduces Chuck the Prophet. Chuck thinks he's just making up stories, but he's really getting visions fo what Sam & Dean are going to do. Also they are disturbed to see people have been writing slash about their characters online.

 

== [[Web Comics]] ==

{{quote| '''Schlock''': The TV-me is putting me-me out of a job. [...] Maybe we can kill another TV network. Is there still money in that? }}

* In ''[[Order of the Stick]]'', {{spoiler|Haley's}} [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0382.html mental representations] argue amongst each other during her time with aphasia.

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]'' features an access to a potentially infinite number of alternative dimensions, so there are opportunities for this.

* ''[[Futurama]]'' has the main characters travel to an alternate dimension where the characters meet their counterparts and find them annoying despite being almost identical. Except for Bender, who being an [[It's All About Me|egomaniac]] gets along with his counterpart just fine. The others eventually warm up to their duplicates, too.

** Then there was that time they went to the end of the universe and looked across to see their alternate, cowboy hat-wearing selves. Bender got tired of his alternate self flaunting the hat and decided to leave.

* Weird variation in ''[[South Park]]:'' a giant dragon summoned by overuse of the word "shit" has Cartman's voice - when it's defeated, Cartman says "What a lame voice..."

 

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