History Main / MutuallyFictional

* ''The Simpsons'' and ''Futurama'' play with this in the TV show, with Matt Groening's cameos on each being the creator of the other. However, it gets more confusing in their Bongo Comics crossovers, where the Simpsons are pointed out as the fictional ones in Futurama's "real" universe.

** Also, thanks in part to certain [[ManateeGag trope]]-[[TropeNamer naming]] episodes of SouthPark, and innumerable references to each other, SouthPark, FamilyGuy, and TheSimpsons are all fictional within each other's Universes.

* ''{{Leverage}}'' and ''{{Psych}}'' are both mentioned as TV shows in each other's universes, but unfortunately, that leads to a MissedMomentOfAwesome, because if ''Psych'' hadn't made ''Leverage'' fictional in their universe, WordOfGod says that ''Leverage'''s [[{{Crossover}} Eliot would've have an uncle named Henry]].

** And in the first Nightmare Evil Dead is on TV, and in Evil Dead II there's a TV with Nightmare playing on it. OH NOE CONENDENDRUMZ.

* From ''Through the Looking-Glass'':
-->"What ? is ? this?" he said at last.\\

* In [[http://dungeondamage.comicgenesis.com/d/20031217.html this]] ''Dungeon Damage'' GuestStrip, the dragon Razinus gets together with other dragons to play "Houses & Humans". His character is an investment banker.

See also CelebrityParadox. Contrast StableTimeLoop, which leads to a similar [[OntologicalMystery Ontological Paradox]].

* ''PowerRangersInSpace'' revealed that their universe has this relationship with the ''TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' universe. Since each group has fans of the other, their meeting is... ecstatic, to say the least.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/phpcbozucpmmm5.jpg
[[caption-width:307:Top: In ''DoctorWho'', the Tenth Doctor watches ''{{EastEnders}}''. Bottom: in ''[=EastEnders=]'', Bradley and Stacey attend a ''Doctor Who'' convention.]]

** Since they each base their stories on cases they've investigated, this troper wonders to what extent they are {{Author Avatar}}s of each other.
*** The novel character seems very close to the author in personality, though the events of each plot, per Reichs' afterwords, are only based on the broadest strokes of real-life cases. The television character is almost completely different from the novel character. It's really just the names.

** Also, thanks in part to certain [[ManateeGag trope]]-[[TropeNamer naming]] episodes of SouthPark, and innumerable references to each other, SouthPark, FamilyGuy, and TheSimpsons are all fictional within each other's Universe.

This is a special kind of crossover trope, where the characters from Show A will enter the universe of Show B - both shows of which are "real" to us. In other words, neither is a ShowWithinAShow. In addition to finding out that they're trapped in the universe of Show B, the characters of Show A discover that they themselves are the subject of a Show A in the universe of Show B. The characters from Show A are, in essence, ''simultaneously'' TrappedInTVLand and a RefugeeFromTVLand. This isn't WelcomeToTheRealWorld, since both universes are depicted as being equally "real".

Subtrope of OntologicalMystery, if not played for laughs. May create an accidental IntercontinuityCrossover.

See also CelebrityParadox. Contrast StableTimeLoop, which also leads to an OntologicalParadox.

One possible [[JustifiedTrope justification]] would be if the two worlds are simply {{Alternate Universe}}s and the "shows" in question are [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis based on]] [[VisionsOfAnotherSelf visions]] people have from the other world. In this case, expect the characters trying to establish what in this shows is correct and what is not.

Subtrope of OntologicalMystery, if not played for laughs.

This is where RecursiveCanon meets RecursiveReality. Subtrope of OntologicalMystery.

Strictly speaking, this kind of crossover should never [[FridgeLogic logically]] be allowed to exist. At the very least, the particular episode of each series or work [[{{Celebrity Paradox}} which references the other]] should be assumed to [[RetGone not exist]] within the other's [[{{Verse}} universe]]. Otherwise, you would have a situation wherein it would be distinctly possible for the main characters to see the TV show of their entire reality within said reality, [[BrokenMasquerade realize their entire existence was a lie]], and [[HeroicBSOD freak out]]. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?

This is where RecursiveCanon meets RecursiveReality.

See also CelebrityParadox.

This is where RecursiveCanon meets RecursiveReality. See also CelebrityParadox.

See also CelebrityParadox.

*** In DannyPhantom, Danny can be see playing a CrashNebula arcade game. In the Crash Nebula StealthPilot episode of {{The Fairly OddParents}}, Crash has a Danny Phantom comic book.

*** In DannyPahntom, Danny can be see playing a CrashNebula arcade game. In the Crash Nebula StealthPilot episode of {{The Fairly OddParents}}, Crash has a Danny Phantom comic book.

* ''{{Leverage}}'' and ''{{Psych}}'' are both mentioned as TV shows in each other's universes, but this means a MissedMomentOfAwesome because if ''Psych'' hadn't made ''Leverage'' fictional in their universe, ''Leverage'''s Eliot would have an uncle named Henry.

** To elaborate on the "exist within the same canon", the world of the Midnight Crew is the same world as those of the Trolls, who also exist in (or at least communicate with) the kids in the present {{Homestuck}} world, but are from billions of years in the past. Essentially the MSPaintAdventures in the Midnight Crew/Troll period is a look into their distant future, while the MSPaintAdventures in the Kid's period is a look into their distant past.
*** Wait, so if MSPaintAdventures is a look into another time period, does that mean the world really ''is'' going to end because of [[ArcNumber 4 13]]-year-olds playing a video game?

* A tricky one: ''GreenAcres'' coexists with ''PetticoatJunction'', and ''PetticoatJunction'' coexists with ''BeverlyHillbillies'', but Beverly Hillbillies is fictional on Green Acres (and is Jeb's favorite show.