History Main / VisionsOfAnotherSelf

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'' does this in the Season Four finale, with the Jeffersonian being a bar instead of a museum lab.

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* In ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', [[MessianicArchetype the Sufferer]] is the only [[AllTrollsAreDifferent troll]] to have any memories of his alternate universe self, where the troll planet was peaceful, and starts a rebellion.

* The ''Franchise/{{Naruto}}'' movie "[[Anime/NarutoTheMovieRoadToNinja Road to Ninja]]" seems to be this, considering everyone (minus Naruto and Sakura)'s personalities are different than usual. [[spoiler: There are hints it's actually a LotusEaterMachine.]]

* The Franchise/{{Naruto}} movie "[[Anime/NarutoTheMovieRoadToNinja Road to Ninja]]" seems to be this, considering everyone (minus Naruto and Sakura)'s personalities are different than usual. [[spoiler: There are hints it's actually a LotusEaterMachine.]]

* In ''FanFic/StarsAbove'', [[Manga/PuellaMagiOrikoMagica Oriko]] has these. [[spoiler: She reveals that she dreams of the other timelines, and that she knows [[BreakTheCutie all the hell that]] [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura]] [[BreakTheCutie has gone through.]]]]
* In the ''FanFic/AzulaTrilogy'', at one point during Azula's trip to the Spirit World, she's shown visions of herself in other worlds, including one where she was banished instead of Zuko, and one where she was apparently born a peasant.
* Occurs in the ''FanFic/PonyPOVSeries'', when Applejack looks into [[GateOfTruth the Truth]] and sees many alternate universes, including other versions of herself. [[spoiler: Her side story during the "Butterflies" arc has her actually ''meet'' several of her alternate selves, and together they defeat their potential [[SuperpoweredEvilSide Nightmare self, Nightmare Mirror]].]]

* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
** Two episodes in which Captain Sisko is a science-fiction writer in the 1950s, and the other regular characters are his fellow writers, friends, or (as appropriate) enemies.

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* ''Film/DeadAgain'' has the two main characters [[spoiler:reincarnating as opposite genders (swapping actors)]], which becomes a plot point.

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. In order that ''Voyager'' can get back to Earth, Captain Janeway surrenders herself to the Caretaker, who has her [[StrappedToARocket sealed inside a cargo missile]] and fired into the black star, where she has visions of alternate realities where she made different choices like settling down on a planet with Chakotay or GoingDownWithTheShip. There's also a vision of her being [[MegaMawManeuver swallowed up]] by a giant cube-ship, [[CrashingDreams but that turns out to be real]].

** ''Literature/{{Swellhead}}'' involves an alternate history starting to encroach in our Earth, notably the ElaborateUndergroundBase of a supervillain. As this happens the hero Richard Jeperson starts to remember {{noodle incident}}s from this alternate reality, in which he's a James Bond-type superspy who's the supervillain's ArchNemesis.

* In the ''Literature/DiogenesClub'' stories by Creator/KimNewman, the character of Keith Marion has the power to exchange his consciousness with his alternate selves on different worlds. This is a bit LeaningOnTheFourthWall, since he has his origins as the protagonist of Newman's {{Gamebook|s}} ''Life's Lottery''

* A very sad example exists in ''Manga/{{MAR}}'', [[spoiler: Snow is a clone of Koyuki created from a piece of her soul. She was never supposed to exist in MÄR Heaven. As a little girl, Snow drempt of Koyuki and Ginta on Earth, and became infatuated with him and jealous of her other self. She doesn't have explicit memories of this for most of series but in her own words, was subconsciously aware she was a mere copy of Koyuki. Just she starts to get over this, she ends up being killed by The King, proclaiming her love for Ginta while dying in his arms. At the end of the series, Snow merges her soul back into Koyuki to become one whole person to be with Ginta. Note this is only in the anime.]]

* Volumes 7.5 and 8.5 of ''LightNovel/RokujyoumaNoShinryakusha'' take place in the time of the Princess Alalia, she and her companions bear an uncanny resemblance to the invaders of Room 106. [[spoiler: Koutarou and Clan are there as them self]].

* ''Fanfic/RocketshipVoyager''. In order that ''Voyager'' can get back to Earth, Captain Janeway surrenders herself to the Caretaker, who has her [[StrappedToARocket sealed inside a cargo missile]] and fired into the black star, where she has visions of alternate realities where she made different choices like settling down on a planet with Chakotay or GoingDownWithTheShip. There's also a vision of her being [[MegaMawManoeuvre swallowed up]] by a giant cube-ship, [[CrashingDreams but that turns out to be real]].

* In the ''Literature/DiogenesClub'' stories by Creator/KimNewman, the character of Keith Marion has the power to exchange his consciousness with his alternate selves on different worlds. This is a bit LeaningOnTheFourthWall, since he has his origins as the protagonist of Newman's ChooseYourOwnAdventure novel ''Life's Lottery''

* During DC's 2019 [[VillainEpisode Year of the Villain]] event, Lex is given a standalone tie-in where he visits alternate selves. A recurring subject is the [[LotusEaterMachine Black Mercy]] which multiple characters state don't give a fantasy, but a vision of another reality. At least two Lex's underwent a HeelFaceTurn after inducing visions from Black Mercy derived tea.

** Later, in the series, Laverne dies and her replacement Shirley is played by the same actress. Laverne was killed off because they thought the show would be ending that year, but when it continued, Bill Lawrence fulfilled a promise to cast the actress in another role. Note that only J.D. notices a similarity, but it's played for laughs as even then he can't quite place it.

* Used again and again in ''WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck'' and ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse'' comics to provide "fresh" story ideas, because of their overall premise being basically "invent stories about these popular characters" and little else. Sometimes {{handwave}}d by invoking IdenticalGrandson, but more often the whole story just is like this without explanation.
* Several Creator/DCComics {{Elseworlds}} play with the idea of the DC heroes and villains existing in a different era: Franchise/{{Batman}} as a privateer, Old Western Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, ComicBook/{{Steel}} in times of slavery, Franchise/{{Superman}} in the Middle Ages, etc.

* ''Series/KamenRiderHibiki'' takes place around 2005. TheMovie takes place in the "samurai era" but features parallel versions of all the main characters. A few of them even have the same names.

** The most famous, but not the only example from that show -- there was a holodeck ''Film/JamesBond'' spoof that played as visions of other selves.

* ''Series/{{JAG}}'' was quite fond of using this with Mac and Harm as the main characters of ''JAG'''s past. And Creator/DavidJamesElliot always plays Harm's father.
* The series finale of ''Series/WalkerTexasRanger'' includes two parallel stories, one taking place in the present and one taking place in the Old West. They feature the same dozen or so actors playing similar (though not quite identical) characters.
* Done fairly often on ''Series/NorthernExposure''. One episode features an old man telling Joel the story of Cicely's founding in 1909. Rob Morrow/Joel Fleischman played Creator/FranzKafka(!) while the other regulars appear as counterpart characters, often with very similar names (Maggie O'Connell, for example, becomes Mary O'Keefe).
* In the ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'' episode "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice," Maddie and David hear about an unsolved murder from the 1940s, and then each dream about it that night, putting themselves into the key roles.
* The ''Series/ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'' episode "The Gang Cracks the Libery Bell" is told in the setting of 1776, with all the characters being their normally horrible, wrong selves (with Cricket as an English colonel), occasionally making attempts to speak in the vernacular of the day, badly. At multiple points, the characters note that "it's 1776" to justify crime, and the last scene of the story makes it perfectly clear they're all just making it up.
* ''Series/MacGyver'' does several dream episodes along these lines, including a pair of episodes with a period version of [=MacGyver=] in the Old West and the two-parter "Good Knight, [=MacGyver=]" in which the modern [=MacGyver=] imagines himself transported to the days of King Arthur (with Arthur "played" by [=MacGyver=]'s boss Pete).
* ''Series/PressGang'' devoted much time to the tempestuous romance of leads Lynda (Julia Sawalha) and Spike (Dexter Fletcher). One episode has a flashback to Spike's parents meeting for the first time -- played by Julia Sawalha and Dexter Fletcher.

* An episode of ''Series/LoisAndClark'' had an old security guard tell about how he was betrayed by his girlfriend and business partner, and sent up the river. Cue a flashback with Clark Kent as the young security guard, Lois as the girlfriend, and Lex Luthor as the partner she leaves him for. (This episode was also right before the season one finale, which capped off the Lex/Lois courtship).

* ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' has "Vegas", a Series/{{CSI}}-like episode in an alternate universe filmed in Las Vegas.

* ''Series/TheXFiles'':
** In episode "Triangle", Mulder dreams (or did he?) of going back in time on a ghost ship he was looking for, with key characters as the cast of it. Of course, Mulder is still convinced they are all who they really are, and ends up planting a rather passionate kiss on the non-Scully, who gives him a sucker punch to the cheek for his efforts.
** Also toyed with in the episode where Mulder meets his reincarnating soulmate. (Unfortunately, she's in a suicide cult. Well, that or she has multiple personality disorder.) Under hypnosis, she recalls the details of several of their past lives, which involve several of the show's characters as previous reincarnations as well. One such scenario is described as Mulder and his soulmate having lost their child (re: his sister) to a drunk driver (re: the Cigarette smoking man), Scully was there too, as Mulder's male best friend.
* ''Series/{{Castle}}'''s NoirEpisode, "The Blue Butterfly", features the regular cast acting out a 1940s murder in flashback.
* ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', "The Van Gogh Job"

* An episode of ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' has Rudy read a story that she drew and wrote, with members of the cast taking on the roles of the characters in the story.
* In an episode of ''Series/BeverlyHills90210'', Brenda Walsh find the diary of a girl that habited the same house at the end of TheSixties, hidden in her room. Then she imagines everything the diary narrates with her friends, family and acquaintances as the characters of the history. At the end Brenda locates and meet the owner of the diary, who shows her the pictures of the people mentioned in those texts, who are obviously very differently from how Brenda had imagined them.

* Happens practically OncePerEpisode on ''Series/{{Scrubs}}''; JD's daydreams put his coworkers into a number of absurd situations (and costumes). This includes characters from ''Film/{{Grease}}'', ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', and ''Franchise/StarWars'', as well as occasional scenes that {{parody}} a traditional DomCom.

Sort-of-but-not-really related to PensieveFlashback. Superficially resembles an ad hoc CommediadellArteTroupe. If the character having these dreams starts to think that they are the true reality and the rest of the show is the dream, it's a CuckooNest. See also ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou.

* In ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime,'' [[KidHero Finn]] is [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind trapped in a dream]] filled with [[WackyLand numerous random visions]]. At one point, he looks into a mirror and sees himself [[TheNoseless with an actual nose]], without BlackBeadEyes and with a [[ArtificialLimb robotic arm]]. [[spoiler:This turns out to be {{Foreshadowing}} for the fourth season finale/fifth season opening, where he looks like this in [[ForWantOfANail an alternate timeline]]]].

* ''Series/{{Charmed}}'' has shown the Halliwell Sisters' past lives on several occasions. These previous incarnations of the Charmed Sisters have always looked the same as the present-day incarnations. When this is first done, it is explained that the previous incarnations look different but the Halliwells "recognize" their spirits and thus see them as their current selves. Later episodes sometimes overlook this.

** And there was also an episode set in the Middle Ages where SpongeBob and Patrick had to free Bikini Bottomshire from the EvilSorceror Planktonimor, aided by medieval analogues of Squidward and Sandy.

** So does Ellen, who is given memories of a world where she was born normally. Or Eliot was a girl, which amounts to the same thing.

* In Creator/TeresaEdgerton's ''[[Literature/{{Celydonn}} The Grail and the Ring]]'', travel between the "real" world, Ynys Celydonn, and the AlternateUniverse of the Inner Celydonn, is introduced. One of the first rules of such travel is to avoid meeting yourself if possible, because to do so courts madness.