History Main / ReciprocalFictionParadox

** There's a lot of crossover fanfiction for Doctor Who and HarryPotter- despite the latter being fictional in the Whoinverse, to the point where 'expelliarmus' was actually a plot point in one episode.

*** Averted in the comics, there was an UltimateShowdownOfUltimateDestiny between Freddy, Ash, and [[FridayThe13th Jason]].

* StarWars and Film/{{ET|The Extraterrestrial}} each contain a shoutout to each other.
** Both {{shout out}}s actually reinforce each other. Aliens of ET's species appear in [[Film/ThePhantomMenace Phantom Menace]] and in his movie, ET appears to recognize a Yoda mask, saying "Home... home..." as he sees it. It's more like the two share a consistent [[TheVerse Verse]].

* In ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors'', the TV-obsessed patient is seen watching an early scene from the movie ''Critters''. Later, ''Critters 2'' had one of its alien doppelgangers attempt to imitate a cardboard Freddy Kruegar standee at a video store.
** In the first ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'', ''The Franchise/EvilDead'' is seen on a TV, a ShoutOut to a poster for WesCraven's earlier film ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes'' appearing in ''The Franchise/EvilDead'' (which was itself a ShoutOut to a poster for ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' appearing in ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes''). Then in ''Franchise/EvilDead 2'', Freddy Kreuger's glove is seen in the shed where Ash creates his chainsaw-hand. Confused yet?
* In ''Film/IndependenceDay'' a character makes a passing reference to the XFiles, conversely, in the first XFiles movie we see Mulder urinating in front of an ''Film/IndependenceDay'' movie poster.

* In ''MadAboutYou'' there is an episode where Paul visits an old apartment of his. That apartment happens to be Jerry Seinfeld's and he runs into and has a rather poignant conversation with Kramer. But in a later episode of [[{{Seinfeld}} Seinfeld]] George is forced to suffer watching an episode of Mad About You with his fiancee Susan.

** Also, characters in Buffy have talked about Xena, 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.

* In ''[[TheXFiles X-Files]]'', a character is seen watching an episode of ''TheSimpsons''. Fortunately, it's not the episode where David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson appeared as Mulder and Scully. Note that it does not seem the fictionality is both ways, so it may not count. Or didn't until Comic Book Guy said his CatchPhrase "Worst. Episode. Ever." in regard to an episode of ''[[TheXFiles X-Files]]'', but now it does.
* ''EekTheCat'' also did an ''X-Files'' parody, and was also shown in an ''X-Files'' episode.

** In the first ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984'', ''TheEvilDead'' is seen on a TV, a ShoutOut to a poster for WesCraven's earlier film ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes'' appearing in ''TheEvilDead'' (which was itself a ShoutOut to a poster for ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' appearing in ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes''). Then in ''EvilDead2'', Freddy Kreuger's glove is seen in the shed where Ash creates his chainsaw-hand. Confused yet?

* The ''{{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 ChooseYourOwnAdventure books, you need to know about the book being referenced to get a good ending!

* In the first scene of ''Film/{{Scream}}'', the film ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' is the subject of one of the questions the killer asks, and later ''Halloween'' is shown at a party (with one character [[GenreSavvy loudly protesting at the mistakes Laurie Strode is making]]). Likewise, in the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' sequel, ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'', a couple of characters are watching ''Scream 2'' in one scene.
* Also, in ''Film/JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'', the duo stumbles upon the the filming of a ''Film/{{Scream}}'' movie. The first movie in the series had a poster for ''Film/{{Clerks}}'', a movie in [[TheViewAskewniverse the same continuity]] as ''Jay and Silent Bob''.
** Though it's not explicitly stated to be a Scream film, it could have been a [[ShowWithinAShow Stab]] movie, as some fans think.
** Made more complicated when Jay and Silent Bob make a cameo in ''Scream 3''.

* A difficult case occurs with the 60's series ''Series/{{Batman}}'' and ''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.

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

* For additional mindwarping, ''TheSimpsons'' is a cartoon in ''TheCritic'' - and then Jay Sherman visits the Simpsons family. Gah!

* In [[{{Mad About You}} Mad About You]] there is an episode where Paul visits an old apartment of his. That apartment happens to be Jerry Seinfeld's and he runs into and has a rather poignant conversation with Kramer. But in a later episode of [[{{Seinfeld}} Seinfeld]] George is forced to suffer watching an episode of Mad About You with his fiancee Susan.

* Strangely enough, the {{Goosebumps}} series had a ''recursive'' fiction paradox. For example, in a couple of the mani books and ''a lot''of the ChooseYourOwnAdventure books mention the main character reading about something like whatever was happening in a Goosebump book. Not only that, in a good deal of the ChooseYourOwnAdventure books, you need to know about the book being referenced to get a good ending!

* References to characters watching ''{{Passions}}'' started showing up during season four of ''{{Buffy}}''. Shortly afterward, ''Passions'' characters started watching ''Buffy''.

* Played with in M. [=McGregor=]'s "[[http://www.tthfanfic.org/Story-16694-62/MMcGregor+The+Wonderland+Subject.htm The Wonderland Subject]]", a dimension-hopping ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' / UltimateMarvel crossover in which each universe has fiction based on the other one. Xander and Jean Grey spend quite a while [[TheKnightsWhoSaySquee being fannish at each other]].

** 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.

* This trope even occurs within a single show: ''SouthPark'' and ''[[ShowWithinAShow Terrance and Phillip]]'' have watched each other's television shows. This gets a bit muddled as Terrance and Phillip are "real" actors in the South Park universe with a television show the South Park kids watch, but the characters (one assumes) Terrance and Phillip play have watched ''South Park''. Do what now?

* Jimmy Olsen in ''Superman'' comics is a fan of the Spin Doctors, a band with a ''Superman''-inspired album and a song about Jimmy Olsen.

* A difficult case occurs with the 60's series ''{{Batman}}'' and ''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.

* In ''ANightmareOnElmStreet3DreamWarriors'', the TV-obsessed patient is seen watching an early scene from the movie ''Critters''. Later, ''Critters 2'' had one of its alien doppelgangers attempt to imitate a cardboard Freddy Kruegar standee at a video store.
** In the first ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet'', ''TheEvilDead'' is seen on a TV, a ShoutOut to a poster for WesCraven's earlier film ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes'' appearing in ''TheEvilDead'' (which was itself a ShoutOut to a poster for ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' appearing in ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes''). Then in ''EvilDead2'', Freddy Kreuger's glove is seen in the shed where Ash creates his chainsaw-hand. Confused yet?

* Within Series/{{Sherlock}} BBC fanfiction, Series/{{DoctorWho}} has been both fictional (e.g. John Watson's a whovian) and real (e.g. John is the son of Captain Jack Harkness, a character on Doctor Who), depending on what universe the fanfiction author is writing in. Additionally, some Whovian fanfiction features the Sherlock characters as real people, or claims that the Doctor is a fan of the original Conan-Doyle figure. *Cue Rift crack*

** [[Series/{{House}} Dr. House]] watches ''GossipGirl'' and Blair Waldorf watches ''House''. Leighton Meester, the actress who plays Blair, also guest-starred on an episode of ''House'' as a teenager in love with the titular character. In the 2011 movie ''The Oranges'' Hugh Laurie plays a man who falls in love with a friend's daughter... played by Meester.

* In the first scene of ''Film/{{Scream}}'', the film ''Film/{{Halloween}}'' is the subject of one of the questions the killer asks, and later ''Halloween'' is shown at a party (with one character [[GenreSavvy loudly protesting at the mistakes Laurie Strode is making]]). Likewise, in the ''Halloween'' sequel, ''Halloween: H20'', a couple of characters are watching ''Scream 2'' in one scene.
* Also, in ''JayAndSilentBobStrikeBack'', the duo stumbles upon the the filming of a ''Film/{{Scream}}'' movie. The first movie in the series had a poster for ''{{Clerks}}'', a movie in [[TheViewAskewniverse the same continuity]] as ''Jay and Silent Bob''.

In reality, it's not hard to see how this happens. A writer may include mention of another work because they write with the same sensibilities, share a connection to the production or are just also the writer for that work. These reasons also make a reason for the other work to mention the first.

[[folder: Film]]

** In the first ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet'', ''TheEvilDead'' is seen on a TV, a ShoutOut to a poster for [[WesCraven Wes Craven's]] earlier film ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes'' appearing in ''TheEvilDead'' (which was itself a ShoutOut to a poster for ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' appearing in ''Film/TheHillsHaveEyes''). Then in ''EvilDead2'', Freddy Kreuger's glove is seen in the shed where Ash creates his chainsaw-hand. Confused yet?

** Dr. Temperance Brennan gets a honorable cameo appearance in Fforde's ThursdayNext series, which ''runs'' on recursive fictionality.

[[folder: Webcomics]]

* In ''[[TheXFiles X-Files]]'', a character is seen watching an episode of ''TheSimpsons''. Fortunately, it's not the episode where David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson appeared as Mulder and Scully. Note that it does not seem the fictionality is both ways, so it may not count. Or didn't until Comic Book Guy said his CatchPhrase "Worst. Episode. Ever." in regard to an episode of ''[[TheXFiles X-Files]]'', so now it does.