fancake

Posted by: runpunkrun

Our theme for July is unreliable narrator!

An unreliable narrator is one you just can't trust—or shouldn't—whether you know it or not. They may be lying (to the text or to themselves), purposely withholding information, or just not in a position to fully appreciate the situation they're in because of a limited perspective, such as with child, animal, or object narrators.

The tag for this round is: theme: unreliable narrator

If you're just joining us, be sure to check out our policy on content notes. Content notes aren't required, but they're nice to include in your recs, especially if a fanwork has untagged content that readers may wish to know about in advance. For this particular theme, consider including notes for things like gaslighting or unreality (like Tumblr's fake Martin Scorsese movie, Goncharov).

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Posted by: susieboo

Fandom: Cats Pairings/Characters: Skimbleshanks, Mungojerrie, Rumpleteazer, cameos from several other cats Rating: General Length: 3:26 Content Notes: Imprisonment (non-violent, played for laughs) Creator Links: YouTube, personal website, Instagram, Twitter Theme: Unreliable Narrator

Summary: No description on the video, but this is exactly what it says on the tin, it's an animatic for the song "Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat" from Cats the musical.

Reccer's notes: This is an absolutely adorable and beautifully drawn animatic, portraying the characters as realistic domestic cats rather than their anthro appearances they have in the stage show and the (horrifying) movie. I am far from the first to say it, but Cats should've been adapted as a 2D animated movie, with the cats looking like actual cats. This animatic is a peek into that better timeline. This is also one of my favorite songs from the show, and has a lighthearted unreliable narrator. Skimbleshanks believes he's in charge of the railway and is absolute essential to the train going on time and running smoothly, when it's clear the audience the humans consider him to be a beloved pet and "mascot" who's always poking around and hanging out with the railway workers. This animatic captures the show's charm and silliness, and how the world looks to the cats.

Fanwork Links: YouTube

Time to vote on our theme for August!

Epistolary

Pining

Worldbuilding

Posted by: full_metal_ox

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi Pairings/Characters: Mo Xuanyu, Wei Wuxian (mentioned), Nie Huaisang (implied), Lan Wangji (mentioned; implied); Mo Xuanyu/Himself, Mo Xuanyu & Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian (mentioned; implied), Mo Xuanyu -> Nie Huaisang (one-sided) Rating: Explicit Length: 4,927 Content Notes: Body Modification (voluntary), Cannibalism (mentioned as part of the culture), canon-typical ritual bloodletting, Classism, First Person POV, Needles, Scenery Porn Creator Tags: Masturbation, Voyeurism, mermaid Mo Xuanyu, Non-Human Genitalia, Prehensile dick, Worldbuilding, Abyssal Mermaids, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, In that most of the sects are benthopelagic sea critters, And Wei Wuxian actually gets to talk to Mo Xuanyu, Monsterfucker Mo Xuanyu, POV Mo Xuanyu, Hair Kink (minor), self-bondage (minor), Misunderstandings

Creator Links: (AO3) LesbianlazerOwl; (Dreamwidth) lazerowl; (Twitter) gay_lazerOwl

Theme: Unreliable Narrator, Cultural Differences, Interspecies Pairings, Languages & Linguistics, Mermaids, Pining, Worldbuilding, Xeno/Alien Biology

Summary: Mo Xuanyu lives alone at the edge of the habitable world, continuing Wei Wuxian's work and strengthening his cultivation. One day soon, he hopes to surpass the Yiling Laozu's power and follow him into the unknown. Complications arise.

Creator Notes: Yes, the title is a glowing dick reference. I would say sorry, but I regret nothing. I do not endorse falling immediately in 'love' with the first vaguely humanoid member of a parallel society you meet, no matter how many 'fuck me' signals they're throwing your way: apparently demonic cultivator mermen are just Like That xD. World stuff I had no way to directly throw in: The abyssal zone of the ocean gets no penetration by sunlight, therefore no plants! This keeps Mo Xuanyu's society from developing much of a textile culture, and covering up is the act of sneaky ambush predators and general bastards (think flounders, cryptofascist relatives at Thanksgiving). The merdudes I just made up primarily communicate through a mixture of bioluminescent displays and electric-eel-like electromagnetic signaling. Names remain vocalized, thus are deeply personal. The normal human cultivator Mo Xuanyu has attached himself to is, indeed Nie Huaisang and he has a very good reason to be wandering about the ocean :D Thank you everyone for reading! Please leave a comment and a kudo if you are so inclined.

Reccer's Notes: LesbianlazerOwl’s AU where the Jiang and Jin Sects are deep-sea merfolk is a strange and rapturous gem that turns Lovecraftiana upside-down (from the POV of a character embodying everything Lovecraft abhorred: a queer Asian—here turned sea creature—looking to monsterfuck.)

With all the haughty smarter-than-the-sheeple dudgeon of the alienated Emo Kid, Abyssal Merman! and Seeker of Arcane Knowledge Mo Xuanyu follows his idol the Yiling Laozu’s forbidden explorations of the mysterious and unfathomable surface—where, according to rumor, he found love with an eldritch air fairy! (Should the author ever see fit, I’d love to read a Wangxian prequel.)

LesbianlazerOwl compresses an incredible amount of atmosphere and implicit worldbuilding into just short of 5000 words, in ways that encourage still further speculation (the Sunshot Campaign is referenced; what could justify such a name in this world, and what were the Wen—creatures of the infernal blazing heights of the Epipelagic Zone?)

Fanwork Links: Rise and Shine, by LesbianlazerOwl for Shadaras

Posted by: kingstoken

Fandom: Our Flag Means Death Pairings/Characters: Izzy/Ed, Izzy/Ed/Stede Rating: E Length: 31,803 words  Creator Links: redshift Theme: Unreliable narrator 

Summary: Izzy has spent years at Edward's side. The occasional petal here and there, the intermittent rasp that makes itself a permanent home in the hollows of his throat, the cough that comes and goes; it's all worth it, to be the person Ed turns to. It's a price he pays willingly.

Now, though. Now, Izzy knows what love looks like on Edward Teach, and it is soft and sweet and open and nothing like what Izzy has ever been able to give. Izzy's place is at Edward's side, and it's killing him.

That's okay. He's always wanted to die for something that matters.

Reccer's Notes: Izzy has hanakaki disease, and I love how the author writes it likes it's an almost chronic illness.  Izzy is an unreliable narrator in how he thinks about Ed and Stede and their motivations.  We as the reader can tell by their actions that their intentions are not what Izzy probably thinks, but Izzy's thought's are very much coloured by the experience he is going through and he's not seeing things for how they truly are, and of course he refuses to talk to Ed about his feelings and what going on, which only makes everything worse.

One note, this is canon-divergent after season one.    

Fanwork Links: AO3

Posted by: full_metal_ox

Fandom: Navy Seal Copypasta (Internet meme): Navy Seal Copypasta - The Musical, by Copypasta Sings. Pairings/Characters: Self-insert OC. Rating: Teen and Up Length: 287 words; 3:52 Content Notes: Unreality, stalking threats, death threats, Critical Research Failure (U.S. military), Lyrical Dissonance, macho edgelordship, profanity. The archived original 4chan forum discussion under the OP link gets even nastier.

Creator Links: Copypasta Sings: copypastasings7991; the OP, for obvious reasons, remains ultra-classified.

Theme: Unreliable Narrator, Filk, Music, Non-AO3 Works, Social Media

Reccer's Notes: This trash-talking ßadass Boast by a Master of Gorilla (sic) Warfare and Top Army Sniper of the Navy SEALs has inspired a zillion adaptations and memetic mutations; dramatic readings have tended to the most gravelly depths-of-the-scrotum basso the speaker can muster.

Copypasta Sings takes it in a diametrically opposite direction, setting the lyrics to a sensitive singer-songwriter acoustic ballad.

Fanwork Links: Navy Seal Copypasta - The Musical

Posted by: sasheneskywalker

Fandom: Batman - All Media Types Pairings/Characters: Jason Todd/Bruce Wayne Rating: Mature Length: 11,401 words Creator Links: gatheringwool Theme: unreliable narrator

Summary: Jason always knew everyone would flip out when they found out about him and Bruce.

He just always assumed it would be more along the lines of Jason, you dirty whore you. Not whatever the hell this was.

Reccer's Notes: The best example of the "unreliable narrator" tag I've ever seen. Bruce's actions are unequivocally terrible, but because the fic is told from Jason's perspective and Jason genuinely doesn't believe there's anything wrong with their relationship you start questioning your own judgment too. Chilling. Absolutely amazing, but chilling.

Content Notes: discussion of past underage sex (adult with a child), rape/non-con, sexual abuse, incest

Fanwork Links: (you kept me like a secret) i kept you like an oath

Posted by: mific

Fandom: Heated Rivalry Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov Rating: Gen Length: 2917 Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply Creator Links: glittercity on AO3 Themes: Just like canon, LGBTQ+ canon characters, Hurt/comfort, Humor, In vino veritas

Summary: “Ilya?” Shane said in that same dreamy, loopy voice as that morning. Ilya exhaled in a rush. “Shane,” he said, and wanted to sag against the glass with relief. “What happened? Is something wrong?” “Not! Any moooooooore.” Ilya swallowed. Shane hadn’t gotten any quieter in the past seven hours. “Why are you calling me? You need to be resting,” he said, and it sounded softer than he’d meant it to. “I forgot to tell you something. Important.” “You should not be telling me anything, you should be—” “My cottage has really good water pressure,” Shane announced. Ilya stared out the window while a small plane taxied past. “What?” —————— Shane's cottage has a lot of amenities, and he needs to tell Ilya about all of them.

Reccer's Notes: This is a lovely, funny fic giving us more of "loopy on the good drugs" Shane from canon, after he takes the hit on the ice and is briefly in the hospital. Shane high on pain meds is adorable and Glittercity gives us more, as Shane tries to impress on Ilya how wonderful his cottage is, in the hope of persuading him to visit. Short, sweet and a favourite.

Fanwork Links: The same number of stars everywhere, and there's a podfic by jennisaisquoi

Posted by: full_metal_ox

Fandom: Master Li and Number Ten Ox - Barry Hughart Pairings/Characters: Gen; Master Li, Number Ten Ox Rating: General Audiences Length: 322 Content Notes: No AO3 Warnings Apply Creator Links: (AO3) Gryphonrhi; (Dreamwidth) rhi; (Tumblr) gryphonrhi

Theme: Just Like Canon, Book Fandoms, Old Fandoms, Small Fandoms

Summary: On the possible origin of a proverb…

Author’s Notes: For Sleeps With Coyotes. Disclaimers: Barry Hughart wrote these wonderful characters. I'm only borrowing them briefly. No infringement intended, no moneys made. Written for Sleeps With Coyotes; she'd had a lousy day. Rated: G. …Master Li & Number Ten Ox are from The Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen, or, in omnibus (and illustrated by Kaja Foglio), The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. The omnibus is consistently on my 'top ten books' list, and I cannot recommend them highly enough, although finding them is a quest in and of itself. Yes, there is a cloud dragon in Chinese myth. No, actually, I'm not sure they have silver scales. Really. Go read the books. ;->

Reccer's Notes: This gorgeous illo-op of a vignette, written for the prompt “silver”, could easily serve as a prologue to one of Master Li and Number Ten Ox’s picaresque Wuxia detective adventures; Gryphonrhi nails the fairytale logic and Ox’s earnest and eloquent narrative voice.

Fanwork Links: Broken Silver Linings, by Gryphonrhi for Sleeps With Coyotes: https://archiveofourown.org/works/62486

Posted by: full_metal_ox

Fandom: Mo Dao Zu Shi Pairings/Characters: Past (and future) Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian Rating: General Audiences Length: 484 characters (Chinese); 563 words (English) Content Notes: Major Character Death (canon, temporary), Angst, Epistolary, Poetry, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Mourning, Written in Chinese Language: 中文-吴语 (original); English (translation) Creator Links: Lan Wangji: Unfortunately, their Baidu profile has gone 404. zenzenzense: (AO3): zenzenzense(rebirth9981)

Theme: Just Like Canon, Canon LGBTQ+ Characters, Fandom Classics, Non-AO3 Works, Pining

Summary: Lan Wangji mourns his lost Wei Ying, in gentlemanly and poetic fashion.

Creator Notes: Lan Wangji: 物属于墨香铜臭，ooc属于我。 灵感来自吧友飏，蓝湛的十三年，灯火阑珊处寂寥无人。 很短很酸，明明挤得辛苦却一定要挤也是为了给@夷陵老祖 一个回应。 《魔道祖师》完结了，但在另一个世界，故事远未落幕。宋子琛会带着晓星尘和阿箐的灵魂行天下路；金凌会长大，肩负起金氏所有的屈辱和荣光；聂家有望光芒耀世，蓝家小辈如思追景仪等，假以时日也定当成为如蓝氏双璧那般万众称道的人物；蓝曦臣如何从痛苦中抽身，江晚吟是否还有释怀的勇气，这些犹未可知。这世上太多不能言尽之事，蓝忘机和魏无羡却已经不会再去管了，他们还要一辈子一起夜猎。 各自有各自的路，只是我们不能再和他们一路了。 后会有期，诸君珍重. (The characters belong to Mo Xiang Tong Xiu; any Out of Character (OOC) moments are my own doing. This piece was inspired by fellow forum user "Yang," and by the thirteen years of solitude endured by Lan Zhan—a time spent waiting in the fading lamplight, utterly alone. It is a very short, rather bittersweet piece—one I struggled to squeeze out, yet felt compelled to write nonetheless, if only to offer a response to yilinglaozu. *Mo Dao Zu Shi* has reached its conclusion, yet in another realm, the story is far from over. Song Zichen will wander the world, carrying with him the souls of Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing; Jin Ling will come of age, shouldering the full weight of the Jin Clan’s humiliations and glories alike; the Nie Clan holds the promise of shining brilliantly upon the world; and the juniors of the Lan Clan—such as Sizhui and Jingyi—will, given time, undoubtedly rise to become figures as universally acclaimed as the "Twin Jades of Lan." As for how Lan Xichen will manage to extricate himself from his grief, or whether Jiang Wanyin will ever find the courage to let go of the past—these things remain unknown. There are far too many things in this world that defy full expression; yet Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian need no longer concern themselves with such matters—for they have a lifetime of night-hunts ahead of them to share, together. Each character has their own path to walk; it is simply that we can no longer walk alongside them. Until we meet again—farewell, and take care, everyone.)

zenzenzense: Translation (or butchering session as I would call it) of a certain fanfic... Lan WangJi writes a letter to Wei WuXian while drunk sometime in the thirteen years during which he's gone. The original Chinese version is highly poetic and uses a lot of difficult language; I tried to keep some of that in the translated version; not sure if it worked out or not. Only angst. No fluff. You have very much been warned...

Reccer's Notes: This 2016 Baidu fic by “Lan Wangji”(a Chinese ground-floor fan who got to claim a prime pseudonym!), translated into English by zenzenzense, is historically important as the origin of the Thirteen Years of Inquiry: a plausible trope that swiftly disseminated into not only the fandom but subsequent adaptations.

Fanwork Links: Archive.today Wayback Machine English translation

Posted by: swingandswirl

Fandom: Numb3rs Pairings/Characters: Ian Edgerton, Numb3rs team Rating: Teen and Up Audiences Length: 2343 words Creator Links: Ao3 profile Theme: Just Like Canon

Summary: Sometimes, even a minute dose is too much.

Reccer's Notes: Rhi writes one of the best Ians out there. This fic feels like a case the team worked off-screen, and it's fun to see the bad guy get his.

Fanwork Links: The Shrine Of Your Lies

Posted by: mific

Fandom: Heated Rivalry Characters/Pairings: Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Yuna Hollander/David Hollander Rating: Gen Length: 4585 Content Notes: no AO3 warnings apply Creator Links: the anon of "Home Economics" on AO3 Themes: Just like canon, Family, Missing scene, Domestic, Canon LGBTQ+ characters

Summary: They’d considered it—Shane being gay. It’d been an option. But Ilya Rozanov and the way Shane looks at him like he’s the love of his life has blindsided them. Blindsided both of them, and there’s almost nothing Yuna likes less than being blindsided.

She’s not mad, David wants to say. We’re so proud of you. We’re so happy for you. We just didn’t know.

Somehow we missed it, you falling in love.

or, what David Hollander and Ilya Rozanov talk about while Shane and Yuna are outside in episode six.

Reccer's Notes: This is anon's take on what Ilya and David Hollander talked about when Shane was outside with his mother, in episode 6 (The Cottage). There's actually not much dialogue--it's from David's POV and is largely about him coming to terms with the revelations, wondering about Ilya, and musing about Shane across the years. Imagery about hockey--one of the few things David has in common with Ilya--is woven through the story which is a lovely meditation and character study. Very much worth reading.

Fanwork Links: last one to leave the bleachers every time, and SD Ryan recorded it as a podfic

Posted by: 22degreehalo

Fandom: Scum Villain's Self-Saving System Pairings/Characters: Luo Binghe/Shen Qingqiu Rating: M Length: 44,611 Creator Links: voxnoxsox Theme: Just Like Canon, Forced Proximity, Humor, Identity Porn, Inept In Love, Just Plain Fun, Trope Subversion & Inversion, Underloved Fanworks

Summary: “What exactly was the array meant to do?” Shen Qingqiu asked. “And what does it have to do with Binghe?” Binghe was in the Abyss, and he wouldn’t leave it for another two years. He definitely hadn’t been whisked away mid-Abyss arc to the far eastern end of the human realms, which is where Ming Yueji had told him they were. “Don’t you know?” Ming Yueji said, surprised. “I mean, we’re in the same fic, right?” “...What,” Shen Qingqiu said. Ming Yueji looked at his face and winced. “The brightest blossoms bloom latest? You know…?” Shen Qingqiu did not want to know. “We are in,” he said, enunciating every word very clearly, “Proud Immortal Demon Way.”

Reccer's Notes: Absolute perfection of a 'pile a bunch of characters together in an awkward situation and watch the misunderstandings pile up like a house of cards until it all explodes into pure comedy' fic <3333 The OCs work perfectly as foils to Shen Qingqiu (he gets a new transmigrator buddy!! who is concerningly uninterested in the precise details of the fanfiction her System is making her carry out), and the depiction of his unreliable narration (Binghe keeps shaking and going glassy due to onsets of qi deviations [crying] which Shen Qingqiu needs to fix by passing him qi through his back [hugging him]) is so very perfectly true to the original canon :'D

Fanwork Links: The brightest blossoms bloom latest