Sarah and Salli's Dumb Twin Question FAQ
Disclaimer: Remember the old saying: "Ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer..."
Q: Are you twins?
No, we've never met each other before in our lives, actually. Weird, huh?
Q: How can I tell you apart?
This can be difficult at first. You have to be really smart. Your first clue is that Salli's user name is usually "Salli Canaliya" and Sarah's user name is usually either "Sarah" or something in Elvish.
Also (and we know this is tricky), Sarah uses Sarah's email address and Salli uses Salli's email address. The same goes for instant messenger names and websites.
We understand that this is hard for some people. We really appreciate just knowing that you are trying your best.
Q: No, I mean in real life. How can I tell you apart in real life?
Ooooohhhh...that makes so much more sense.
First, you're going to be really confused, because Salli's name isn't actually "Salli" and only Kat ever calls her that in real life. You should accept your confusion. It's normal.
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The one on the left doesn't look much like Sarah, but the expression is pretty good. The one on the right looks like Salli so much that it scares me. Some key facts: Sarah's hair is longer, which doesn't help unless you have us both together in front of you. Salli is generally better at hairstyles. Sarah doesn't wear contacts anymore (especially not since she got her red glasses) and likes to wear red. Salli also likes to wear red once in a while, but people think it's funny when she does, so she usually doesn't, because that gets annoying. Salli is also more likely to wear a skirt. I hope that helps. |
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THE GREAT TWIN-TELLING-APART-SECRET: Pick one thing about one twin that you can remember. (For example, in our case it might be "Sarah wears red glasses.") It has to be something that doesn't require seeing both together ("Sarah has longer hair" only works if Sarah's hair is so much longer that you can tell without comparing to Salli). Also, it should not be a pair of things (e.g. "Sarah wears a lot of red and Salli wears a lot of blue"), because then you tend to forget which is which.
Q: Are you roommates?
No. Why do people always ask that, anyway? We haven't been roommates since junior high.
Q: Who was born first?
Who cares? We were born in the same minute. It was probably the doctor's choice, and it doesn't even show up on our birth certificates. For all we know, someone could have lied.
Note: Don't ask this question. It tends to annoy the "younger" twin.
Q: Are you twins?
No, actually, we know this is hard to believe, but the truth is that Salli started using my bases so much that she actually started to look like them. No joke.
Q: Are you identical or fraternal?
We're identical. If you have to ask, the answer is usually "fraternal", but people have a really hard time with this one for some reason. There are seriously people who look and think (maybe not consciously) "oh, they have different hair styles, they can't be identical." Which sometimes leads to...
Q: No way! You can't be identical!
Wanna bet? Who do you think knows more about this, anyway?
People take the word "identical" way too seriously. It's misleading. All it means is that we basically share the same genetic material—the egg splits, and suddenly everything starts happening slightly differently for each twin. There are inevitably slight differences in appearance.
There are actually people who seriously refuse to believe we are identical. (I'm not kidding here.)
Q: We dressed alike! We're twins! Hehe.
Uhm...no. You're not.
I don't mind this one so much, except that it leads to the corrolary that people find it tremendously funny whenever Salli and I accidentally dress alike. (Yes, it does happen. It happens to you with your friends and even total strangers occasionally, too. It doesn't mean anything.) It's getting so bad that Salli can hardly even wear red without being pestered about it.
We're both adults and we don't actually care if we dress similarly on one particular day, but it's generally not worth the hassle of having people ask us about it all day.
Q: Do you ever switch places?
No. Well, we did it in high school, once, for April Fool's or something (didn't even switch clothing, just switched seats), but we only had assigned seating in one class and the teacher never could tell us apart so she never noticed. The rest of the class thought it was pretty funny, though.
It's a cute plot device, and yes, I am sure that if you were a twin, you would do it all the time (no, you're the first one to tell me that, really!), but I really never wanted to go to Salli's political science classes and I don't think she would have been much good at taking notes to make up for the physics lecture I'd have had to miss.
Q: Can you read each other's minds?
No.
Q: Can you feel each other's pain?
No.
Q: Do you have your own language?
Yes.
Q: Then why can't I understand you?
We talk faster than you do.
Q: Hey! You said "yes"!
Oh, right. The language thing. It's for our old roleplaying game. It has nothing to do with being twins and we don't speak it.
(Actually, Sarah has about three other languages of her own, because she's just that special. Salli doesn't know any of them.)
Q: Why do you argue all the time?
We don't. You just think that.
Q: Do you finish each other's sentences?
No, but we sometimes sort of overlap each other when we talk. It sounds like interrupting. People tend to think we're fighting. (It's very fun.)
We also sometimes have two completely different conversations at the same time. (Usually that involves not paying much attention to either.)
Q: Are you twins?
No, we're triplets! ::pointing at Salli's old roommate:: People actually fall for this one.
Ashley would like you to know that she, and not Salli's roommate, is the actual triplet. That would make Salli's roommate the quadruplet or something. Sheesh.
Q: Why do Sarah's bases look like Salli and not like Sarah?
It's in the shape of the face. Sarah's face is a bit more angular due to actual physical differences in bone structure. (Note: This applied to the old bases more than it applies to the new bases.)
This is part of why some people won't believe we are identical twins, I think, but the truth is that it involved an unfortunate jumping-on-the-bed incident that damaged some growth plates and eventually caused Sarah to have to have jaw surgery...
Q: Hey! I was thinking about having jaw surgery! I've always hated the shape of my face, and...
Jaw surgery sucks. There's no more elegant way to put it. Having jaw surgery for purely cosmetic reasons is stupid. (And you interrupted me.)
*ahem*
Some people can tell us apart very, very easily. My theory is that different people use different things to identify other people—some folks look at hair, or eyes, or maybe clothing, or the shape of your face. People who see the shape of your face hardly think we look alike at all. People who look at hair/coloring are going to find it almost impossible to tell us apart without aids like glasses and clothing. It doesn't necessarily mean they are less observant—they just observe different things.
Do you have a dumb twin question?
C'mon, admit it...you've always wondered if we have the same fingerprints (identical twins don't) or share dreams (that's silly) or [insert some twin urban legend here]. Send me a note and Salli and I will answer your question, no matter how dumb (or, perhaps, how intelligent) it might be, so that you can never, ever have to ask it again. ;) Your curiosity will be satisfied and the world will be a better place!