"slightly absurdist genre metafiction that still manages to have some respct for traditional notions of character"

OK. I have a few that spring to mind. Universalis is probably the most obvious choice. Burning Wheel is also a great choice, as is The Pool. My own system, formerly called Kathanaksaya (now Dramatikos), does this as well. Dramatikos is in playtest phase (off and on), so if you're willing to try that out I can give you what I have so far. Shoot me an e-mail at rvcbard@gmail.com to take this further.