Unclear Description: Celebrity Paradox

This trope confuses me. Clearly this is something that arises when the work is set in what supposed to be our universe where the makers of this work are also supposed to live and have their impact on it. But what exactly is this trope? When the creators don’t exist within their work? When they do? Laconic suggests former, but lots of examples are latter (and they are not said to be sub/in/ aversions), description seems not to take sides and just depicts a phenomenon.

I found these variations within examples:

• 1. The adaptation is set in the later period than the original, the original work and all previous adaptations seem to never exist in this universe.
• 2. Actor A plays Character B in the Work X which takes place in what is supposed to be our universe. B’s resemblance to A is not referenced.
• 3. Actor A also plays Character C in the Work Y. The Work Y doesn’t exist in Work X.
• 4. Work X does make a reference to Work Y. Character B’s resemblance to Character C is never mentioned.
• 5. Someone in Work X notice that Character B looks like Character Y from the Work Y.
• 6. Actor A exists in Work X. As bonus points he or she can even make a cameo As Himself in addition to playing Character B.

2 and 3 are pretty much what Laconic says, but they are meaningless unless nonexistence of Actor A or Work Y is crucial to something happening within Work X. 4 seems to be the most referenced on the wiki.

I suggest to make them into internal subtropes to make it all more clear.

edited 2nd Aug '12 4:58:06 PM by kundoo

The word "paradox" is in the title. it's suppose to be that confusing.

Yeah. That's why I think the trope should be not about paradox itself, but rather about how different works deal whith it.

Would you be able to write up definitions that hold up on their own for those internal subtropes? What you wrote in the OP was mostly just confusing, as they all drew on each other.

Clocking.

Locking.