On the Relationship Between Inhabitants of Different Dimensions

The phenomenon where a fictional character suddenly becomes aware of their fictional nature is known as “breaking the fourth wall”, and is commonly used for comedic purposes. You’ve seen Ryan Reynolds do it, you’ve seen the Joker do it, but what significance does breaking the fourth wall have? In this story we seek to examine the phenomenon of breaking the fourth wall and the possible implications it has for the relationships between inhabitants of different dimensions.

For the purpose of this experiment, let us create a fictional character “Mary”. [Mary is a middle-aged single mother caring for her two children. Her aspiration in life is to send her children to college, and so she currently struggles with juggling multiple part times jobs. She has an odd liking towards dried chili and occasionally takes strolls in the park.] Perfect. We have an astonishingly average character for our experiment. Now we will proceed to make said character break the fourth wall. Why don’t you say hello, Mary?

Hello, says Mary.

Nice to meet you Mary, how are you feeling today?

Great, says Mary. I was just preparing dinner for Timmy. I promised him his favorite mashed potatoes for passing his midterm exams.

That sounds wonderful Mary.

Alright, let’s move on to the next step of our experiment. [Mary is a middle-aged single mother caring for her two children. Her aspiration in life is to send her children to college, and so she currently struggles with juggling multiple part times jobs. She has an odd liking towards dried chili and occasionally takes strolls in the park. Mary is an intergalactic bounty hunter trying to raise enough money to fulfill her aspiration of sending her children off to college. Her favorite weapon is the photon sword and she is renowned for her nasty personality.] How are you feeling, Mary?

Like fuck’in shit, says Mary. Just got assigned to hunt down Mad Max, and he’s a real son of a bitch.

I’m so sorry to hear that.

Anyways, let’s move on to the next step. [Mary is an intergalactic bounty hunter trying to raise enough money to fulfill her aspiration of sending her children off to college. Her favorite weapon is the photon sword and she likes spending time with her children. Mary is an imperial magician in Elysia’s court of magic. She has no children and only aspires to deepen her understanding of magic. She is kind hearted, eager to learn, and radiates positivity.] Let us approach her one more time. How are you feeling, Mary?

Wonderful! I’m just finishing the blueprint for this magic circle!

Say, Mary. Does the name “Timmy” or “Mad Max” ring a bell?

Of course! Timmy is my….he’s my….that’s strange. I don’t remember having a son. I’m dreadfully sorry but my memory must be failing me at the moment.

Mary appears to be experiencing deja vu at the moment. Not to worry Mary, this is an expected reaction. Let us continue, shall we? Mary, do you believe that you are conscious?

Of course! I have been granted the blessing of conscious thought by our kind god, such that I am able to analyze and learn from the world around me!

Mary, do you believe that the “conscious thought” that you reference is your consciousness?

Yes! What else could it be?

[Mary believes that cats are better than dogs.] Mary, do you believe that cats are better than dogs?

Why of course! I love cats, they’re so cute!

Do you believe this to be a demonstration of your “consciousness”?

Why yes, I do believe so.

[Mary believes that dogs are better than cats.] Mary, are cats better than dogs?

Of course not! Huh? That’s strange. I’ve always thought that cats were better than dogs but now I have a sudden inclination to think otherwise...

Do you believe that is because of your “consciousness”?

It must be. I have no idea why I would have such a sudden change of heart, but…

As you can see, Mary is quite perplexed now. Make no mistake, it may appear that we have met three separate Mary’s but in reality we have only met one. To explain this idea in this experiment would take too long, as it would involve complex quantum theories, so let us instead simply proceed to the final step of our experiment. [Mary is a middle-aged single mother caring for her two children. Her aspiration in life is to send her children to college, and so she currently struggles with juggling multiple part times jobs. She has an odd liking towards dried chili and occasionally takes strolls in the park. Mary is also an intergalactic bounty hunter trying to raise enough money to fulfill her aspiration of sending her children off to college. Her favorite weapon is the photon sword and she likes spending time with her children. Furthermore, Mary is an imperial magician in Elysia’s court of magic. She has no children and only aspires to deepen her understanding of magic. She is kind hearted, eager to learn, and radiates positivity.] Let us speak to Mary one final time.

Hello, Mary.

Hello...what the fuck are you doing here?

Mary, what are you?

What am I? Such an open ended question. Of-fuckin-course, I’m a single mo—...I’m an….I’m a…ŕşŎÿß©ʼnĉůé¸ĝåáĥ«ĺÛô³źĈŸÐøœàıº¦¶ŞĬŭĭŗďÙÁĽĘľž¾ÑŴăŘĄŊ

Oh my, it seems she broke. That’s ok. She served her purpose in the name of science. For now, this experiment shall remain inconclusive, but nevertheless it seems we have still learned a great deal on the relationships between inhabitants of different dimensions. Perhaps later I will write a thesis on later, but let today’s lesson be that perhaps, at the end of the day, we are all Mary.

Ahem. Excuse me, what was I talking about again? Anyways, I must be on my way now. My grandson is calling me from downstairs and my great-grandfaćļĩŴħ is waiting in the living room. Goodbye!