History Main / FromBeyondTheFourthWall

* ''Film/Reality2014'' does this in universe. The director of the [[ShowWithinAShow film]] Reality plays in interacts with her within his own show. At some point in becomes unclear whether we are seeing that film, or the life or Reality, the actress.

* ''LetsPlay/DreamSMP'': Technoblade made the decision to bring his stream chat into the SMP's canon; it's explained to the other characters as Techno HearingVoices.
** Since then, Philza has also canonized his chat as a murder of crows that follow him around.
** Ranboo, Niki, Fundy, Eret, Jack, and Foolish all eventually have their stream chats canonized in various forms as well.

* The inciting event of ''Fanfic/DescribingTheSeriesViaReferences'' is that team RWBY are handed a [[Memes/{{RWBY}} list of memes]] about WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} and told to read them.

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.

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.

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* Fanfic/BringMeAllYourElderly has Zuko reading the fanfic itself, as well as the comments- including a comment asking the author to have Zuko read fanfic comments. Zuko feels used after reading that comment.

* The WesternAnimation/MightyMouse cartoon "Goons From The Moon" has alien cats abducting all the mice in Terrytown. The radio reporter (a mouse caricature of Walter Winchell) comments "there's only one mouse who can save this situation!" Cut to an animator's table where the animator's hand drawns Mighty Mouse in flight atop a missile. (The artist stops drawing briefly, causing Mighty Mouse to chime in "Hurry up! I've got a job to do!")

** In the Bakshi episode "Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy" (billed as a cautionary tale), Mighty Mouse is getting married to Pearl Pureheart. But he's getting cold feet just as he's about to take his vow, just stammering "I...I...I...", then it cuts to a pencil drawing of him on an animator's table. The animator cops out and can't go through with it. It ends with the cartoon characters at the wedding all laughing as everything is up in flames.

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** Ranboo, Niki, Fundy, Eret, and Jack all eventually have their stream chats canonized in various forms as well.

** Since then, Philza has also canonized his chat as a murder of crows.

* VideoGame/DuckHunt of ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' at first appears to just be a duo, the dog and the duck, and this is reflected in the character's European name of "Duck Hunt Duo". However, the Japanese and American options instead make it clear that the character is actually a ''trio'', the third member being an unseen NES Zapper wielder who shoots at the screen during Smash attacks and various special moves.

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 have come [[TitleDrop from beyond the fourth wall]]. 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.

** In the WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon "WesternAnimation/RabbitRampage" (a SpiritualSuccessor to "WesternAnimation/DuckAmuck"), Bugs 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 [[spoiler:WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd]].

* This is a central idea in many children's TV series, gaining prominence after its use in shows like ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'' and ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'', where problems are supposedly solved by the interaction of the preschool-aged viewer.

* 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.
-->"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Well anyway, I finawwy got even with that scwewy wabbit!"
** In another WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon "Hair Raising Hare" Bugs is trapped in a MadScientist's BigFancyCastle. At one point, as Bugs is behind a door and a monster is trying to break through, a desperate-sounding Bugs cries out, "IsThereADoctorInTheHouse?" A silhouette, seemingly from the theater audience, stands up and offers, "I'm a doctor." Bugs suddenly relaxes, grins, starts munching a carrot, and asks, [[CatchPhrase "What's up, Doc?"]]
** A WesternAnimation/PorkyPig short, The Case of the Stuttering Pig", featured a villain saying that no one could stop him, not even the guy in the third row. He is defeated at the end and when he asked who did it, the guy in the third row responds.

** A WesternAnimation/PorkyPig short, The Case of the Stuttering Pig", featured a villain 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.

* This is practically the premise of ''WesternAnimation/WinkyDink'', where certain segments presented Winky in a dilemma that the kids had to solve by using crayons and a sheet of cellophane to draw on their TV screens.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheSpooktacularNewAdventuresOfCasper'' called [[Series/TheXFiles "The Y-Files"]], Casper's friends and settings are melting away and it turns out that paint thinner is being dropped on the sleeping animator's drawing desk.

* This is a central conceit in many children's TV series, gaining prominence after its use in shows like ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'' and ''WesternAnimation/DoraTheExplorer'', where problems are supposedly solved by the interaction of the preschool-aged viewer.

* In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'', in order to neutralize TheDragon, a genie, you have to figure out what his bottle looks like to trade it for a fake. How do you do this? By making Alexander use a fake death potion in a shop where the disguised genie is hanging out which triggers a cutscene where he reports to the BigBad and his bottle is shown. However, only the ''player'' witnesses this, not Alexander. Lampshaded when Alexander is asked how he knew what the bottle looked like and he says he just had a "good feeling" about it.

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.

* 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.]]