History Main / MutuallyFictional

* ''The Simpsons'' has Creator/MattGroening introduced as "the creator of WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}". Another one has Bart Simpson hallucinating, his classmates appearing as fictional TV characters, one of which is Bender. Finally, a ''Futurama'' episode has a pile of Bart Simpson dolls appear as one of the many things in a gigantic (indeed, celestial) ball of garbage.

** In one episode of the first season of ''Series/LoisAndClark'', ComicBook/LexLuthor made a mention about watching Simpsons reruns. In one ''Simpsons'' episode, Comic Book Guy saw some problem and said it was a job for, [[BaitAndSwitchComment some heroes he mentioned]]. Then somebody asked about Franchise/{{Superman}}.

** 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 {{Webcomic/Homestuck}} world, but are from an alternate universe.
*** And, to take things even further, the art style and some of the universe mechanics for Midnight Crew suggest that it ''also'' takes place in the same universe as the previous ''MS Paint Adventures'' comic, ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth''.
*** Also, Problem Sleuth was apparently in the same universe as [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=4&p=001555 Jailbreak]] and [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=4&p=001577 Bard Quest]], and John in Homestuck [[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=001931 has video games of all three of these.]] [[SerialEscalation There are probably even more tie-ins than that.]]

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* ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' does this with reality and the StandardFantasySetting. If we find fantastic adventures entertaining, fantastic adventurers find [[MundaneMadeAwesome mundane reality entertaining]] (being how fantastic adventures is their day job and all). In one episode, an orc starts insisting that everyone call him "Alan" after a night spent browsing an OtherKin forum, and in another, a group of orcs is playing a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' campaign that revolves around accountancy.

* When Rachel auditions at FOX studios in ''Glee'' there is a ''Series/NewGirl'' poster hanging in the office. Shivran on ''New Girl'' make's fun of Nick's new track suit by calling him "Jane Lynch" a reference to her character on ''Glee'', Sue Sylvester, who always wears a track suit.

* When Rachel auditions at FOX studios in ''Series/Glee'' there is a ''Series/NewGirl'' poster hanging in the office. Shivran on ''New Girl'' make's fun of Nick's new track suit by calling him "Jane Lynch" a reference to her character on ''Glee'', Sue Sylvester, who always wears a track suit.

* When Rachel auditions at FOX studios in ''Series/Glee'' there is a ''Series/New Girl'' poster hanging in the office. Shivran on ''New Girl'' make's fun of Nick's new track suit by calling him "Jane Lynch" a reference to her character on ''Glee'', Sue Sylvester, who always wears a track suit.

* When Rachel auditions at FOX studios in ''[[Series/Glee]]'' there is a ''[[Series/New Girl]]'' poster hanging in the office. Shivran on ''New Girl'' make's fun of Nick's new track suit by calling him "Jane Lynch" a reference to her character on ''Glee'', Sue Sylvester, who always wears a track suit.

* When Rachel auditions at FOX studios in ''Glee'' there is a ''New Girl'' poster hanging in the office. Shivran on New Girl make's fun of Nick's new track suit by calling him "Jane Lynch" a reference to her character on Glee, Sue Sylvester, who always wears a track suit.

* In [[Film/DieHard2 the second]] ''Film/DieHard'', at one point an [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS1E4TheresNoDisgraceLikeHome episode]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is being shown on TV. In a [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS2E13HomerVsLisaAndThe8thCommandment second-season episode]] of ''The Simpsons'' the following year, the family is shown watching the original ''[[Film/DieHard1 Die Hard]]''.

* In Creator/{{Atlus}}'s 2011 puzzle game ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'', Teddie from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' makes an appearance in the form of a figure on a bar table and a mascot on a beer bottle. The main character owns books called "Persona". A scene in ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation'' shows that Yu Narukami changed his girlfriend's ringtone to the game over theme from ''Catherine''. Later, in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 5}}'', there's a PVC figurine of Catherine in Futaba's room.

* In Terry Pratchett's ''Discworld/TheScienceOfDiscworld'', the wizards create a universe containing 'Roundworld', where physics works but magic and narrative logic don't. The computer Hex tells them not to destroy it because "Recursion has occured".

* Mexican shows ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'' and ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'' recursively reference each other at different points, and they eventually got a crossover where the El Chavo characters believe Chapulin is only a fictional superhero and are surprised he really exists, there's also jokes about how Chavo and Chapulin are played by the same actor.

* Mexican sitcoms ''Series/ElChapulinColorado'' and ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'' recursively reference each other at different points.

* In Creator/{{Atlus}}'s 2011 puzzle game ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'', Teddie from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' makes an appearance in the form of a figure on a bar table and a mascot on a beer bottle. The main character owns books called "Persona". A scene in ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation'' shows that Yu Narukami changed his girlfriend's ringtone to the game over theme from ''Catherine''.

* A difficult case occurs with the 60's series ''Series/Batman1966'' and ''Series/TheGreenHornet''. An episode of ''The Green Hornet'' establishes that ''Batman'' is a (presumably fictional) television show in his universe, but then the Hornet and Kato appear in an episode of ''Batman'' and help him with a case.
** Also, in the ''Batman'' episode "The Impractical Joker," Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Alfred are watching a news program about how Batman and Robin were made helpless by a new Joker device earlier in the day. In disgust, Bruce asks to change the channel, noting that ''The Green Hornet'' is about to come on. We don't get to see any of that, as Joker breaks into the TV channel's signal to gloat and taunt Batman over the airwaves.

** The weird part is that the games ''do'' take place in the same universe - in ''Persona 3 Portable'', Vincent (the main character of ''Catherine'') makes a cameo in a hidden scene.

"Well, now that we ''have'' seen each other," said the Unicorn, " if you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you. Is that a bargain?"\\

* TerraObscura. Their science heroes are the stars of comic books in ComicBook/TomStrong's world, and vice versa.

* ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' does this with reality and the StandardFantasySetting. If we find fantastic adventures entertaining, fantastic adventurers find [[MundaneMadeAwesome mundane reality entertaining]] (being how fantastic adventures is their day job and all). In one episode, an orc starts insisting that everyone call him "Alan" after a night spent browsing an OtherKin forum, and in another, a group of orcs is playing D&D-in a setting where their characters are all accountants.

* ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation'' does this with reality and fantasy adventures. If we find fantastic adventures entertaining, fantastic adventurers find [[MundaneMadeAwesone mundane reality entertaining]] (being how fantastic adventures is their day job and all). In one episode, an orc starts insisting that everyone call him "Alan" after a night spent browsing an {{Otherkin}} forum, and in another, a group of orcs is playing D&D-in a setting where their characters are accountants.

* Creator/PhilipKDick ''Literature/TheManInTheHighCastle'' contains a {{Subversion}}. The novel is an AlternateHistory describing a hypothetical timeline in which the Axis won UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and conquered the United States. [[spoiler:And in the novel's 'verse exists another novel ''The Grasshopper Lies Heavy'', which is itself an AlternateHistory novel describing [[RealLife a hypothetical timeline in which the Allies won WWII]], but which is ''not'' [[RealLife our reality]]. For example, in it, the British Empire is the dominant global power.]]

* The ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'' series had a ''recursive'' fiction paradox. For example, a couple of the main books and ''a lot'' of the ChooseYourOwnAdventure books mention the main character having read about something like their situation in a Goosebumps book. In a good deal of the ''Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps'' books, you need to know about the book being referenced to get a good ending!

* References to characters watching ''Series/{{Passions}}'' started showing up during season four of ''Series/{{Buffy|the Vampire Slayer}}''. Shortly afterward, ''Passions'' characters started watching ''Buffy''. Also, characters in Buffy have talked about Series/{{Xena Warrior Princess}}, whereas, while they clearly can't have a television show on Xena, there is a play called 'Buffus the Bacchae Slayer'. Of course, as Xena is both told by a [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis literary agent]] and [[NoFourthWall fictional within itself]], it's anyone's guess as to what is actually going on.

[[RussianReversal In Show A, you watch TV. In show B, the TV watches YOU.]] This is a special kind of crossover trope in which 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 [[UpTheRealRabbitHole equally "real"]].

* A difficult case occurs with the 60's series ''Series/{{Batman}}'' and ''Series/TheGreenHornet''. An episode of ''The Green Hornet'' establishes that ''Batman'' is a (presumably fictional) television show in his universe, but then the Hornet and Kato appear in an episode of ''Batman'' and help him with a case.