History Main / NarratingThePresent

This is where someone InUniverse narrates the present, or the possibly future - and when that future eventually becomes the present, the narration in question will be revealed. It's usually stated in past tense, but not always. A FourthWallObserver or ThirdPersonPerson might do this; expect them to be called on it by another character. Can overlap with PosthumousNarration.

!Examples:

* This is the VerbalTic of the Sisters clones in ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex.'' They will say a sentence then go on to describe what they're doing or feeling at the time as if reading it from a book.
* ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' starts with narration that seems to look back from sometime after the events in the story. [[spoiler: then the narrator dies and the narration stops.]]
* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'': While the girls are getting excited over their impending trip to Okinawa, the action freezes and Tomo starts narrating about how the trip would end in tragedy. Yomi tells her to knock it off.

* DependingOnTheWriter, {{Deadpool}}'s [[MetafictionalDevice Little Yellow Boxes]] (that is, narration boxes) are actually him speaking the narration out loud without realizing, and other characters can hear it.

* ''Film/TheInventionOfLying'': Mark has created a document he pretends to have "discovered" which tells a magnificent story of aliens, ninjas, and robot dinosaurs, which was allegedly written in the 14th century. The document ends with:

* In the movie ''Eat and Run'' the main character, Detective [=McSorely=], would often [[PrivateEyeMonologue narrate the events of his own life]]. Most of his monologues end with someone asking him who he's talking to.
** He also manages, at times, to be an UnreliableNarrator. Of course, we, the audience, can clearly see that he's lying.
* ''Film/StrangerThanFiction'' is on the border. The "narrator" in that case is actually the author and is thus making things happen, not just narrating on them. It could be argued that she's just writing what she "sees" as many authors claim to do, but it is largely implied that she is the creator of the events in the story, and not just the reporter.
* ''Film/TheIncredibleShrinkingMan'': Scott narrates the entire movie, but it's strongly implied at the end that he'll shrink down to a subatomic size - so when does he have time to write down what he's saying?

* ''Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars'' by Creator/DanielPinkwater: Leonard & Alan buy a manuscript on Hyperstellar Archeology and read it, in which it mentions them by name buying the manuscript and reading it.
* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' the books in Death's library write someone's life as a narrative as it happens. The last scene of ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' is actually Mort reading that scene from his own book.
* ''Literature/TheNightCircus'': (major spoiler) [[spoiler: At the end of the book we find out that Widget, a character whose magic manifests as being able to read people's pasts, is actually retelling the story to Mr. A. H-- because he's collected the pasts of all the characters involved in the story.]]

* Omnipresent in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[TheVerse franchise]], where {{Captains Log}}s are recited even when there is no recording device anywhere near and the Logs tend to narrate what's going on at that precise moment. No matter how urgent the matter, there's [[TalkingIsAFreeAction always time to make a log about it]] - and no matter how dire the situation, it will be logged in a deadpan tone. In the ''TOS'' episode "The Naked Time" Kirk says that something is unknowningly brought aboard - [[FridgeLogic how would he know that]]?
-->Captain's Log, supplemental. Our orbit tightening. Our need for efficiency, critical. But unknown to us, a totally new and unusual disease has been brought aboard.
** Most fans go with the assumption that the Captain makes the logs afterwards, essentially telling Starfleet Command "Here's what was happening at this time during our mission"
* Ultimately subverted in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' where it turns out Chuck really is a Prophet and not just a bad author, as he thinks of himself.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': The first episode of [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]] is bookended by seemingly out-of-universe narration of what is going on in the episode. We discover at the end of the episode that the narrator is [[spoiler:the Lord President of Gallifrey]], who is the BigBad of the 2nd episode.
* ''QuantumLeap'' sometimes has Sam giving a past-tense narration in voiceover, although it's unclear when he would have found time to go back and write any of these events down. There's one particularly odd moment in the episode "Play It Again, Seymour:" Sam [[GotMeDoingIt catches himself using hard-boiled detective slang]] in the narration, and Sam-on-screen reacts to this, leading to the FridgeLogic conclusion that Sam just walks around mentally narrating his own life in the past tense.
* In Episode 33 of ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'', an announcer delivers a recap of "The Show So Far," which leads all the way up to:
-->"...and a man told us about what happened on the show so far and a great hammer came down and hit him on the head... [[TemptingFate I don't remember that.]]"
* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' Pierce decides he wants to be in Abed's novel, and quickly changes his mind when he discovers this is going to involve Abed following him around narrating his life, while pretending he's not talking.
--> '''Abed:''' He said, oldly, his brittle bones straining to support the weight of his wrinkly skin.
--> '''Pierce:''' Stop narrating me.
--> '''Abed:''' He said, to no one! Just a man alone in time with nothing but the cold squishiness of tuna salad to comfort him.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' has Calvin appear to do this in many an ImagineSpot.

* This is what the medium ''runs'' on. The players narrate their actions, and the GM or what-not narrates the result.

* ''VideoGame/SuperPaperMario'' has the BigBad, Count Bleck, often speaking in this manner. Some have speculated that he is quoting his own dialogue from the ''Dark Prognosticus'' when he does this.

* In ''Sword And Sarcasm'', it's common knowledge that mysterious invisible beings called the Choral Djinn secretly chronicle all the events of our lives. Part of Herbert's curse is that he and anyone standing near him can hear them. That is, they can hear the comic's caption boxes.

* ''Podcast/WelcomeToNightVale'' has one episode where it narrates the life of one of the town's residents as it happens in the second person. The events of this day include him stealing a mysterious crate and being tracked down by some of the town's mysterious enforcers, who note that finding him was easy because for some reason everything he thinks and does is being broadcast through the radio. Naturally it is not explained how Cecil, who is not usually capable of knowing someone's innermost thoughts and memories, was able to do this.
* A modern art review in the ''[[http://www.michiganquarterlyreview.com/2014/04/dora-garcias-instant-narrative/ Michigan Quarterly]]'' describes the critic's integration into an interactive text project- essentially narrating her own experience of being narrated.
-->''I scanned the room for the silent observer I hadn’t yet located, hoping to be included in the narrative. I spotted him at a table tucked into a corner of the vast space, inconspicuous, looking down at his hands as he typed. He glanced up and found me watching him; I snapped my head towards the skylights in mock curiosity and then re-struck my thoughtful, museum-going pose, still waiting to see myself in the text on the wall. He wrote, “A woman stands before the piece as if waiting to be included in the narrative.” Was I that easy to read? My desire to be seen was so blunt, obvious.''

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', in a ManateeGag where Peter spent two weeks narrating his life. We see him walk into the kitchen and say aloud:
-->I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I looked with a grimace at the questionable meal Lois had placed in front of me. Of course I would never tell her how disgusted I was with her cooking, but somehow I think she knew. Lois had always been full of energy and life, but lately I had begun to grow more aware of her aging: the bright exuberant eyes that I had fallen in love with were now beginning to grow dull and listless with the long fatigue of a weary life. ''(Lois knocks Peter out. Time passes)'' I awoke several hours later in a daze.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' had Klaus doing this. When asked what he was doing he explained he was pretending his life was a DVD and he was doing the [[DVDCommentary audio commentary]]. Later in the episode Klaus' voice is head narrating over the scene so that we can't hear what anyone is saying. According to Klaus we miss the funniest line in the episode because of this.

* ''{{Bokurano}}'' starts with narration that seems to look back from sometime after the events in the story. [[spoiler: then the narrator dies and the narration stops.]]

* ''CalvinAndHobbes'' has Calvin appear to do this in many an ImagineSpot.

* ''FamilyGuy'', in a ManateeGag where Peter spent two weeks narrating his life. We see him walk into the kitchen and say aloud:

* ''TheInventionOfLying'': Mark has created a document he pretends to have "discovered" which tells a magnificent story of aliens, ninjas, and robot dinosaurs, which was allegedly written in the 14th century. The document ends with:

* ''StrangerThanFiction'' is on the border. The "narrator" in that case is actually the author and is thus making things happen, not just narrating on them. It could be argued that she's just writing what she "sees" as many authors claim to do, but it is largely implied that she is the creator of the events in the story, and not just the reporter.
* ''TheIncredibleShrinkingMan'': Scott narrates the entire movie, but it's strongly implied at the end that he'll shrink down to a subatomic size - so when does he have time to write down what he's saying?

-->I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I looked with a grimace at the questionable meal Lois had placed in front of me. Of course I would never tell her how disgusted I was with her cooking, but somehow I think she knew. Lois had always been full of energy and life, but lately I had begun to grow more aware of her aging: the bright exuberant eyes that I had fallen in love with were now beginning to grow dull and listless with the long fatigue of a weary life. ''Lois knocks Peter out. Time passes'' I awoke several hours later in a daze.

* ''WelcomeToNightVale'' has one episode where it narrates the life of one of the town's residents as it happens in the second person. The events of this day include him stealing a mysterious crate and being tracked down by some of the town's mysterious enforcers, who note that finding him was easy because for some reason everything he thinks and does is being broadcast through the radio. Naturally it is not explained how Cecil, who is not usually capable of knowing someone's innermost thoughts and memories, was able to do this.

** Supplemental, as in a later addition to a previously-recorded log.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': the first episode of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]" is bookended by seemingly out of universe narration of what is going on in the episode. We discover at the end of the episode that the narrator is [[spoiler:the Lord President of Gallifrey]], who is the BigBad of the 2nd episode.

* ''Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars'' by DanielPinkwater: Leonard & Alan buy a manuscript on Hyperstellar Archeology and read it, in which it mentions them by name buying the manuscript and reading it.
* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' the books in Death's library write someone's life as a narratitive as it happens. The last scene of ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' is actually Mort reading that scene from his own book.

[[folder: Anime & Manga: ]]

[[folder: Comic Books: ]]

[[folder: Film: ]]

[[folder: Literature: ]]

[[folder: Webcomics: ]]

* Ultimately subverted in ''{{Supernatural}}'' where it turns out Chuck really is a Prophet and not just a bad author, as he thinks of himself.

* This is the VerbalTic of the Sisters clones in ''ACertainMagicalIndex.'' They will say a sentence then go on to describe what they're doing or feeling at the time as if reading it from a book.

* ''TheNightCircus'': (major spoiler) [[spoiler: At the end of the book we find out that Widgett, a character whose magic manifests as being able to read people's pasts, is actually retelling the story to Mr. A. H-- because he's collected the pasts of all the characters involved in the story.]] Doubles with a healthy serving of MindScrew.

This is where someone InUniverse narrates the present, or the possibly future - and when that future eventually becomes the present, the narration in question will be revealed. It's usually stated in past tense, but not always. A FourthWallObserver or ThirdPersonPerson might do this; expect them to be called on it by another character. Can overlap with PosthumousNarration.

[[AC: Anime & Manga:]]

[[AC: Comic Books:]]

[[AC:Film:]]

[[AC:Literature:]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]

[[AC:Webcomics:]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' had Klaus doing this. When asked what he was doing he explained he was pretending his life was a DVD and he was doing the [[DVDCommentary audio commentary]]. Later in the episode Klaus' voice is head narrating over the scene so that we can't hear what anyone is saying. According to Klaus we miss the funniest line in the episode because of this.

This is where someone InUniverse narrates the present, or the possibly future - and when that future eventually becomes the present, the narration in question will be revealed. It's usually stated in past tense, but not always. A FourthWallObserver or ThirdPersonPerson might do this; expect them to be called on it by another character. Can overlap with PosthumousNarration.

Note that this is for narration, not a [[PropheciesAreAlwaysRight prophecy]]. Compare ThinkingOutLoud. Contrast PresentTenseNarrative.

!Examples:
[[AC: Anime & Manga:]]
* This is the VerbalTic of the Sisters clones in ''ACertainMagicalIndex.'' They will say a sentence then go on to describe what they're doing or feeling at the time as if reading it from a book.
* ''{{Bokurano}}'' starts with narration that seems to look back from sometime after the events in the story. [[spoiler: then the narrator dies and the narration stops.]]

[[AC: Comic Books:]]
* DependingOnTheWriter, {{Deadpool}}'s [[MetafictionalDevice Little Yellow Boxes]] (that is, narration boxes) are actually him speaking the narration out loud without realizing, and other characters can hear it.

[[AC:Film:]]
* ''TheInventionOfLying'': Mark has created a document he pretends to have "discovered" which tells a magnificent story of aliens, ninjas, and robot dinosaurs, which was allegedly written in the 14th century. The document ends with:
-->One day, a great writer by the name of Mark Bellison, would stumble upon them in the desert, after being fired by his shit boss Anthony and mocked by Rob and Shelly, two huge douche bags. Lecture Films Motion Picture Studios would go on to make the picture and it would be a big success, and Mark would become very wealthy and famous from it. TheEnd.
* In the movie ''Eat and Run'' the main character, Detective [=McSorely=], would often [[PrivateEyeMonologue narrate the events of his own life]]. Most of his monologues end with someone asking him who he's talking to.
* ''StrangerThanFiction'' is on the border. The "narrator" in that case is actually the author and is thus making things happen, not just narrating on them. It could be argued that she's just writing what she "sees" as many authors claim to do, but it is largely implied that she is the creator of the events in the story, and not just the reporter.
* ''TheIncredibleShrinkingMan'': Scott narrates the entire movie, but it's strongly implied at the end that he'll shrink down to a subatomic size - so when does he have time to write down what he's saying?

[[AC:Literature:]]
* ''Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars'' by DanielPinkwater: Leonard & Alan buy a manuscript on Hyperstellar Archeology and read it, in which it mentions them by name buying the manuscript and reading it.
* In ''{{Discworld}}'' the books in Death's library write someone's life as a narratitive as it happens. The last scene of ''Discworld/{{Mort}}'' is actually Mort reading that scene from his own book.
* ''TheNightCircus'': (major spoiler) [[spoiler: At the end of the book we find out that Widgett, a character whose magic manifests as being able to read people's pasts, is actually retelling the story to Mr. A. H-- because he's collected the pasts of all the characters involved in the story.]] Doubles with a healthy serving of MindScrew.

[[AC:Live Action TV]]
* Omnipresent in the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' [[TheVerse franchise]], where {{Captains Log}}s are recited even when there is no recording device anywhere near and the Logs tend to narrate what's going on at that precise moment. No matter how urgent the matter, there's [[TalkingIsAFreeAction always time to make a log about it]] - and no matter how dire the situation, it will be logged in a deadpan tone. In the ''TOS'' episode "The Naked Time" Kirk says that something is unknowningly brought aboard - [[FridgeLogic how would he know that]]?
-->Captain's Log, supplemental. Our orbit tightening. Our need for efficiency, critical. But unknown to us, a totally new and unusual disease has been brought aboard.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': the first episode of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]" is bookended by seemingly out of universe narration of what is going on in the episode. We discover at the end of the episode that the narrator is [[spoiler:the Lord President of Gallifrey]], who is the BigBad of the 2nd episode.
* ''QuantumLeap'' sometimes has Sam giving a past-tense narration in voiceover, although it's unclear when he would have found time to go back and write any of these events down. There's one particularly odd moment in the episode "Play It Again, Seymour:" Sam [[GotMeDoingIt catches himself using hard-boiled detective slang]] in the narration, and Sam-on-screen reacts to this, leading to the FridgeLogic conclusion that Sam just walks around mentally narrating his own life in the past tense.

[[AC:Webcomics:]]
* In ''Sword And Sarcasm'', it's common knowledge that mysterious invisible beings called the Choral Djinn secretly chronicle all the events of our lives. Part of Herbert's curse is that he and anyone standing near him can hear them. That is, they can hear the comic's caption boxes.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* ''FamilyGuy'', in a ManateeGag where Peter spent two weeks narrating his life. We see him walk into the kitchen and say aloud:
-->I walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I looked with a grimace at the questionable meal Lois had placed in front of me. Of course I would never tell her how disgusted I was with her cooking, but somehow I think she knew. Lois had always been full of energy and life, but lately I had begun to grow more aware of her aging: the bright exuberant eyes that I had fallen in love with were now beginning to grow dull and listless with the long fatigue of a weary life. ''Lois knocks Peter out. Time passes'' I awoke several hours later in a daze.

* Omnipresent in the ''StarTrek'' [[TheVerse franchise]], where {{Captains Log}}s are recited even when there is no recording device anywhere near and the Logs tend to narrate what's going on at that precise moment. No matter how urgent the matter, there's [[TalkingIsAFreeAction always time to make a log about it]] - and no matter how dire the situation, it will be logged in a deadpan tone. In the ''TOS'' episode "The Naked Time" Kirk says that something is unknowningly brought aboard - [[FridgeLogic how would he know that]]?

* ''DoctorWho'': the first episode of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoNSS4E17E18TheEndOfTime The End of Time]]" is bookended by seemingly out of universe narration of what is going on in the episode. We discover at the end of the episode that the narrator is [[spoiler:the Lord President of Gallifrey]], who is the BigBad of the 2nd episode.

* ''AzumangaDaioh'': While the girls are getting excited over their impending trip to Okinawa, the action freezes and Tomo starts narrating about how the trip would end in tragedy. Yomi tells her to knock it off.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' had Klaus doing this. When asked what he was doing he explained he was pretending his life was a DVD and he was doing the [[DVDCommentary audio commentary]]. Later in the episode Klaus' voice is head narrating over the scene so that we can't hear what anyone is saying. According to Klaus we miss the funniest line in the episode because of this.

* An episode of ''AmericanDad'' had Klaus doing this. When asked what he was doing he explained he was pretending his life was a DVD and he was doing the [[DVDCommentary audio commentary]]. Later in the episode Klaus' voice is head narrating over the scene so that we can't hear what anyone is saying. According to Klaus we miss the funniest line in the episode because of this.

* ''{{Supernatural}}'': Chuck the Prophet writes books about two characters he thinks he made up named Sam & Dean Winchester, who have lives identical to the real Sam & Dean. At some points what he writes lines up with what's happening to Sam & Dean at that exact time. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBltFtAfiEg Like this scene in the laundromat:]]
-->''Sam is doing laundry as Dean sits nearby, reading from Chuck's latest manuscript.''
-->Dean: I'm sitting in a laundromat, reading about myself sitting in a laundromat reading about myself... My head hurts.
-->Sam: There's got to be something this guy's not telling us.
-->''(Sam turns to toss his darks into the machine. Dean continues reading.)''
-->Dean: "Sam tossed his gigantic darks into the machine. He was starting to have doubts about Chuck, about whether he was telling the whole truth."
-->Sam:Stop it.
-->Dean: "'Stop it,' Sam said." Guess what you do next. ''(Sam turns away, scowling.)'' "Sam turned his back on Dean, his face brooding and pensive." I mean, I don't know how he's doing it, but this guy is doing it. I can't see your face, but those are definitely your "brooding and pensive" shoulders. ''(Sam sighs, exasperated. Dean looks down at the manuscript.)'' You just thought I was a dick.
-->Sam: ''(turns around looking impressed.)'' The guy's good.