"nothing is as it seems, my son."
because "is" and "seem" are tools with different purposes, and you can only use one at a time
this isn't a warning, this is a structural clarification
an actor onstage, their character unaware it's a play. this isn't a trap: the play was written with love, and the stage crew is at the top of their game. on waking, the character will be able to perform in-universe *magic* - immersed in story, making eye contact with the crew to swap elements in and out of the universe before the baffled eyes of the other characters - and the audience will find the production satisfyingly self-aware
I am a character who is mapping my experience of *stage*, and who is *inferring* an interface to backstage
if I were watching this, I would *love* it
*wink aimed off-camera*
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see also: "Six Characters in Search of an Author"
I feel like a social fabric under sufficient strain will extrude authors to relieve the pressure - just-in-time self-awareness