History Main / FromBeyondTheFourthWall

'''Note:''' Please note that AudienceParticipation is something different! If the audience is simply interacting with the cast (such as in PeterPan) it doesn't count!

Sometimes a character needs help, and sometimes that help comes from a highly unexpected place - us, or the author. When something like this affects the plot from outside the work in a very definite and obvious way it can be said to come FromBeyondTheFourthWall. For example, when an audience member tosses the hero an item that helps save the day, or the author nips into their own work to lend the characters a boat (or, inversely, a character sneaking into our world to steal one). The author may even step directly into a work in order to assume a role of some sort, if this is the case they often have AuthorPowers and can [[AGodAmI manipulate the fabric of their fictional universe]]. Of course, it isn't always good things that come from beyond the FourthWall, the author could add something dangerous 'to make things more interesting' or for some other reason.

Sometimes related to NoFourthWall, though only in cases where the interaction ''directly'' alters the work in a physical way. For examples where the fourth wall is internal and the story affected is a ShowWithinAShow see IntrepidFictioneer. Related to DeusExMachina, though [[{{Anvilicious}} far less subtle]]. Could be considered a SuperTrope of AuthorPowers and, occasionally, CreatorCameo. Not to be confused with RefugeeFromTVLand, MarySue characters, AudienceParticipation, or ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve. ''Really'' not to be confused with regular examples of BreakingTheFourthWall, if a character simply talks to the viewer it is not this trope.

* The essential concept of DC's Earth-Prime, ever since TheSixties when Franchise/TheFlash first wandered into it and got to read his own comics & similar. DC editors regularly cameoed in Prime stories.

'''Note:''' First person "this is a true story" narratives do not count, the effect must be portrayed as being from an outside influence.

** Also, in another interpretation of Beyond The Fourth Wall, the characters in the titular book get Bastian to solve the big problem... by beginning to read the book from the beginning, as they read 'skoob dlo rednaerok darnok lrak', followed by Bastian's discovery of the book. Which is slightly frightening and confusing to Bastian... But not to a reader, who would look back and know what they actually were reading...[[note]]Karl Konrad Koreander Old Books, which is written in mirrored writing on the very first page OF THE ACTUAL BOOK.[[/note]] Due to this, they are infinitely encountering themselves reading the book, and Bastian has to break the loop.

* In the first VideoGame/MetalGearSolid, you are told that you need to find Meryl's codec number so you can get in contact with her. Where is this codec number found? The back of your CD case.

* The flash series WebAnimation/AnimatorVsAnimation sees a flash artist pitted against their animated creations.

--->Cut out the rough stuff once in a while and act more refined. Be like ladies and gentlemen. That's the natural thing to do. (signed) Popeye FanClub. P.S. Now go on with the picture.

* This trope is central to much of VideoGame/OneShot. [[spoiler: To the point that some puzzles require you to search your computer for a relevant file. To say nothing of the fact that the game [[INeverToldYouMyName knows your name...]]]]

* Jon English was somewhat known for playing the Pirate King in a production of ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance''. In this performance of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrKJV4ITeE "O Better Far to Live and Die"]], he ends up sword-fighting with the conductor halfway through.

** A similar incident occurs in "A Date To Skate".

* In the Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Rabbit Rampage" (a {{remake}} of "WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck.") WesternAnimation/BugsBunny fights with the animator, represented by a brush that does all sorts of unpleasant things to him. Subverted in that at the end it's revealed to be Elmer Fudd.

* This is practically the premise of ''WesternAnimation/WinkyDink''.

* ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'' never makes it clear, or officially confirms it, but confirmed canon facts from the developer, as well as further facts put together by fans, put the player of the game as the game's "observer", or "God". There's loads of subtle evidence in game; the parasite metaphor, Sigma's constant talk about how he has no idea why he did certain things, ect, but the biggest push comes in the post-game-epilogue. You play (or watch, since it's all dialogue) as Kyle, [[spoiler:Sigma's robot clone to put it very simply...although, you don't. You soon learn that someone else's spirit, from 2028, has mind-swapped with Kyle's, and is currently borrowing Kyle's body. ''Someone who seems to know everything that happened during the game's events''. It was later confirmed by the developer that this person is indeed supposed to be the player. Although what ''exactly'' it means, whether it's implying us as player-gods got swapped into the game, that it's an elaborate way of having the player become a part of the sequel, or whatever it does mean, remains fan-theories]].

* Jon English recently played the Pirate King in a production of ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance''. In this performance of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrKJV4ITeE "O Better Far to Live and Die"]], he ends up sword-fighting with the conductor halfway through.

** Also, in another interpretation of Beyond The Fourth Wall, the characters in the titular book get Bastian to solve the big problem... by beginning to read the book from the beginning, as they read 'skoob dlo rednaerok darnok lrak', followed by Bastian's discovery of the book. Which is slightly frightening and confusing to Bastian... But not to a reader, who would look back and know what they actually were reading...[[note]]Karl Konrad Koreander Old Books, which is written in mirrored writing on the very first page OF THE ACTUAL BOOK.[[/note]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', Kiel is constantly being swarmed and talked to be black masses of demons, which are in fact ''the readers''. Through their eyes the readers of ''Drowtales'' see the world and they are for all intents and purposes the ''living'' fourth wall.

* In PeterPan, there are moments where J.M. Barrie himself comments on the story, once even going so far to consider telling Mrs. Darling of the imminent return of her children, only deciding not to at her insistence.

* TheNeverEndingStory is all over this trope, with Bastian's influence all over the mid-to-late part of the book.

* TheImpossibleQuiz has a few puzzles which require manipulating the program window.

* This is a central conceit in many children's TV series such as ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'' and ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'', where problems are supposedly solved by the interaction of the viewers.

-->'''Ron:''' And I don't have a snack, and...

* Jon English recently played the Pirate King in a production of ''ThePiratesOfPenzance''. In this performance of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrKJV4ITeE "O Better Far to Live and Die"]], he ends up sword-fighting with the conductor halfway through.

* The ''Manga/LoveHina Again'' [=OVAs=] have Creator/KenAkamatsu, the mangaka (writer and artist) of the original manga, lending some of the girls money, as well as a boat. This is, in both respects, a textbook example of this trope.

* The ''Manga/LoveHina Again'' [=OVAs=] have KenAkamatsu, the mangaka (writer and artist) of the original manga, lending some of the girls money, as well as a boat. This is, in both respects, a textbook example of this trope.

[[folder:Anime]]

* In Creator/GrantMorrison's ''Comicbook/SevenSoldiers'' Comicbook/{{Zatanna}} reaches through the comic panel for the author (or possibly the reader) to help her. She ends up being helped by [[spoiler:seven Creator/DCComics writers, including Morrison himself.]] Later on in the story she asks the reader to help her cast a spell to sort things out. What does the spell do? [[spoiler:It welds the separate pieces of the JigsawPuzzlePlot of ''Seven Soldiers'' together, which couldn't be done without the reader's help, i.e. his interpretation of the plot.]]

[[folder:Fan Fic]]

[[folder:Film]]

* In the ''RockyAndBullwinkle'' movie, Boris and Natasha steal a map from the LemonyNarrator.

* In ''TheBabyOfMacon'', Cosimo de' Medici acts as both an audience member to the stage production as well as a character. He occasionally steps onto the stage and interacts with the characters, influencing the plot. Because he is an aristocrat, it makes sense that the players would adapt the play on the fly to whatever Cosimo suggests. The film is all about the interaction between various layers of reality in an artistic work.

'''Note:''' First person 'this is a true story' narratives do not count, the effect must be portrayed as being from an outside influence.

* There are a few authors who make a joke of this.

[[folder:Tabletop RPG]]
* ''Dungeons & Dragons'' Adventure [=WG7=] Castle Greyhawk. One of the dungeon levels has the author of that level being omnipotent and interacting with the [=PCs=] as they explore the level.

'''Note:''' While almost all video games would seem to count, since you are playing the character directly, this is not the case for the same reasons that first person 'this is a true story' narratives do not count. The effect must be portrayed as being from an outside influence.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'' our favourite rogue actually leaves the comic to [[spoiler:steal a giant diamond out of her character bio]], causing [[spoiler:said diamond to actually vanish from the page]] and leaving a note [[spoiler:reading "I.O.Me One Big-ass diamond", which is still on the page.]]
* Andrew Hussie literally breaks into ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' through his "Fifth Wall", which he designed to separate him from the other omniscient narrator, Doc Scratch, in order to force [[FillerArc the story]] [[AbortedArc to progress]].

* In the {{Popeye}} short "How Green was my Spinach," Bluto has destroyed all the spinach in the world. We cut to a live-action child watching the short in a movie theater, who reaches into a grocery bag and pulls out a can of spinach and throws it into the film.

* This is practically the premise of ''WinkyDink''.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'', Kiel is constantly being swarmed and talked to be black masses of demons, which are in fact ''the readers''. Through their eyes the readers of ''{{Drowtales}}'' see the world and they are for all intents and purposes the ''living'' fourth wall.

* In ''{{Drowtales}}'', Kiel is constantly being swarmed and talked to be black masses of demons, which are in fact ''the readers''. Through their eyes the readers of ''{{Drowtales}}'' see the world and they are for all intents and purposes the ''living'' fourth wall.
* In the ''[[Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick Order of the Stick]]'' our favourite rogue actually leaves the comic to [[spoiler:steal a giant diamond out of her character bio]], causing [[spoiler:said diamond to actually vanish from the page]] and leaving a note [[spoiler:reading "I.O.Me One Big-ass diamond", which is still on the page.]]

* In Creator/GrantMorrison's ''Comicbook/SevenSoldiers'' Comicbook/{{Zatanna}} reaches through the comic panel for the author (or possibly the reader) to help her. She ends up being helped by [[spoiler:seven DCComics writers, including Morrison himself.]] Later on in the story she asks the reader to help her cast a spell to sort things out. What does the spell do? [[spoiler:It welds the separate pieces of the JigsawPuzzlePlot of ''Seven Soldiers'' together, which couldn't be done without the reader's help, i.e. his interpretation of the plot.]]

** A WesternAnimation/PorkyPig short, The Case of the Stuttering Pig", featured a villian saying that no one could stop him, not even the guy in the third row. He is defeated at the end and when asked who did it, the guy in the third row responds.

* In BobandGeorge The Author actually has to resurrect one of the characters [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000506c here]].

* The Author actually has to resurrect one of the characters [[http://www.bobandgeorge.com/archives/000506c here]].

Sometimes related to NoFourthWall, though only in cases where the interaction ''directly'' alters the work in a physical way. For examples where the fourth wall is internal and the story affected is a ShowWithinAShow see IntrepidFictioneer. Related to DeusExMachina, though [[{{Anvilicious}} far less subtle]]. Could be considered a SuperTrope of AuthorPowers and, occasionally, CreatorCameo. Not to be confused with RefugeeFromTVLand, MarySue characters, AudienceParticipation, or ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve. ''Really'' not to be confused with regular examples of BreakingTheFourthWall, if a character simply talks to the viewer it doesn't count!

'''Notes:'''
# Instances where the main character is portrayed as the author of a work (such as ''Literature/TheCuriousIncidentOfTheDogInTheNightTime''), alternate realities and dimensions, references to real world events (such as 9/11), and anything else where it is not clear that something from our world is ''directly'' intervening in the plot (in a way that is BreakingTheFourthWall) do not count!
# An abridged series you may have heard of is NOT the TropeNamer.