World
1. Where/When:
The peculiar tale of Dexter Quillan Stroud and his comedy troupe unfolds in an alternate version of the modern day, where the veil between the palpable world and the eldritch unknown is thinner than we dare imagine. They inhabit a large, bustling metropolis known as Grimmoire City, a place that thrives under a veneer of normalcy but is steeped in enigmatic history, urban legends, and hidden pockets of reality-bending phenomena. It’s a city where time seems to bend, nights can feel longer than the day that preceded them, and shadows cling more stubbornly to the corners. This is a world where the fourth wall isn't just broken—it's shattered and danced upon, where the boundary between audience and performer is as fluid and treacherous as the boundary between worlds.
2. Important rules of the universe and how it impacts the story:
In this universe, existential energies ebb and flow with the collective consciousness of humanity. Here, belief and perception wield power over reality itself, a terrifying and beautiful symbiosis that underpins the world's fabric. Laughter becomes a force, a kinetic energy that reverberates through the cosmos, capable of healing rifts or, conversely, tearing holes into places beyond comprehension. Eris Mirthshade's inception from the troupe’s performance is a stark testament to these unseen laws: satirical ridicule and blasphemous comedy can draw the gaze of entities beyond, entities like Eris that feed on the symphony of mortal emotions.
3. The visual description of the universe:
Grimmoire City is a tapestry of gothic architecture, neon signs, and a skyline punctuated by odd spires that feel both futuristic and ancient. Here, the days are cast in perpetual twilight hues, and at night the city glows with an otherworldly luminescence, an aurora borealis of urban life. Streets are lined with theatres boasting avant-garde performances, while hidden clubs pulse with laughter, catering to those seeking to mock reality's darker edges. Eldritch landmarks rise amidst the cityscape, like the Grand Library of Forbidden Joys, where the walls are not just lined with books but with the whispers of fading dimensions. Across the city's eccentric fabric roams Dexter's troupe, thumbing their noses at normalcy, even as something far from normal watches them, amused.
4. Notable technologies or philosophies of the universe that impact the story:
While Grimmoire City appears technologically synchronous with our own world at first glance—smartphones, internet memes, and virtual comedy clubs abounding—it's distinguished by its Philosophical Tech. Devices powered by existential thought, machines tweaking reality through satire-infused algorithms, and stage props that can interact with the mood of the audience all punctuate Dexter's forays into the absurd. Yet it is the philosophy pervasive in this world that grounds the story—the belief that humor, especially of the dark and satirical sort, is not a mere deflection from the abyss but a subversive defiance against it. This philosophy calls to Eris Mirthshade, entangling her with the troupe's fate. Their journey to confront the consequences of their scoffing craft evolves into a metaphysical high-wire act, where the line between jest and earnest becomes not just blurred but irrelevant, in a cosmos that laughs along with you or at you, with equal measure.
