Examples: Itchy & Scratchy from The Simpsons, The Scary Door from Futurama, or The Grand Inquisitor from Dostoevsky.
If games count then all the radio stations in GTA
The lore books in The Elder Scrolls series, hands-down.
There is an entire universe of conflicting knowledge, personal bias, and unreliable narrators that leave Tamriel’s history feeling very real, and very open to interpretation. The fun of it is piecing together the truth somewhere in the middle. But I’ll die on the hill that the Arcturian Heresy is absolute horseshit written by a madman, and comparable to the scribbles of a paranoid schizophrenic on an anti-vax forum. Anyone who references that volume in regards to Tiber Septim and the forming of the empire is an impressionable dweeb.
I’m a big fan of fake brands/products in anime. I don’t know why, but they bring me joy.
Wheel! Of! Fish!
Camp Pining Hearts from Steven Universe. Does Fiona and Cake from Adventure Time count?
That Baywatch show on friends looks good.
“Always running”
Do the Justice Friends from Dexter’s Lab count?
There’s so much in Infinite Jest, but I think my favourite would be “Blood Sister: One Tough Nun”.
The lusty argonian maid
from morrowind :3 (and not skyrim >>:c)
The Princess Bride is one of my favorite examples of this, especially because the “story within the story” is the main story, which is unusual.
The Never Ending Story too.
I was so disappointed when that ended
I’m still watching it. What are you talking about?!
Also, there is a second and apparently a third?
Yeah, talk about false advertisement!
When I was a kid I absolutely loved movies with this format. It was like I was learning the story along with the characters on screen, and it just made it feel more real. Like the story was so old and with enough truth to it that they made a movie just about people learning about said story. It let you feel like the caring, kind old narrator was your adoptive grandpa, and he was revealing to you some ancient, fantastical part of our history. One that you could imagine really happened, even if the story had some exaggerations. Those opening sequences where they show a big old, leather bound book opening up to the first chapter (e.g. The Sword in the Stone)? HOOK IT TO MY VEINS
This is a literary device called a “bookend narrative.” If you want more stories like that, there’s your search term.
I’m surprised no one has mentioned the fake old movie that plays in Home Alone. “I’m gonna give you till the count of 10 to get your ugly yeller no good keester off my property before I pump your guts full of lead! One… Two… Ten!” 🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫
Angels with Dirty Souls
Image my disappointment upon becoming old enough to rent R-rated movies and finding out the only one I wanted was fictional.
It was also in the Detective Pikachu movie.
Tales of the Black Freighter from the Watchmen comics is pretty awesome.
All My Circuits on Futurama is one of my favorites on tv. Dramatic beeping intensifies.
Ow! My balls! from Idiocracy
There’s been some stuff coming out lately that makes me think this show isn’t far off.
I keep waiting to see Ass. Anything that wins that many Oscars has got to be worth it.
It was a clear send-up of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at the time.
Community has Inspector Spacetime and the Kickpuncher movie series.
Troy and Abed in the Morning!
Nights
If it’s just general media within media, that Ben folds five ass crack bandit song was fucking killer
I always wondered if that was supposed to be Dave Matthews (real fans call him Dave) but the whole plan fell apart.
The Abed Movie could have been great.
Angels With Filthy Souls
The “adult” movie Kevin watches in Home Alone. Apparently the main dude who was supposed to be in those didn’t show up so they just had some janitor or tech fill in and he went full ham on that shit and made it something to remember.
There’s also the McBane movie in The Simpsons that shows up in multiple episodes and if you connected them all together they actually make a coherent story line (it’s just riffing off Lethal Weapon anyway).
I was trying to remember the name and am so glad you brought Angels w Filthy souls.
IIRC the movie from Home Alone 2 was the sequel: Angels with Even Filthier Souls.
Oh my, I haven’t watched the second one since, oh, November 2016, completely forgot that. Thank you, that’s amazing.
I was thinking of the Home Alone movie as well, they made that fake movie just for the movie.
