Realms

A **Realm** is most commonly defined as an area or domain which exists independently in the transdimensional spacetime, meaning that they are generally inaccessible or even observable to mortal beings from other Realms. Much like the planets or systems that exist within them, Realms can vary greatly in size, shape and environment.

Although the primary location depicted over the course of the *Realm of Tears* canon is the eponymous Realm of Tears and the metaphysical Earth Realm, it is confirmed throughout the films that there are also a large number of other Realms. Though not addressed directly in any of the films, it is widely accepted that there are upwards of 100,000 Realms in the known universe. Many of these Realms are uninhabitable, uncharted or simply abandoned - these are referred to as the Dark Realms, and they most often exist on the fringes of accessible spacetime.

## Known Realms

* **The Realm of Tears**: The primary setting of the films, and the source of the shared perception which creates the Earth Realm. The Realm of Tears was created by Dark Lord Barry Bernsteene and has been ruled by him ever since, and is often seen to be wild and cruel place, apparently lacking any stable form of governance.
* **The Realm of Yeezus**: Little is known about this Realm, and is not depicted in any of the films, but its ruler, Kanye West, makes a brief appearance in *Return to the Realm of Tears*after being summoned by the protagonists to help them defeat Barry Bernsteene. Despite himself being an Immortal, and therefore likely to defeat Bernsteene were they to fight, he seems to care little for the affairs of other Realms, especially concerning when it concerns mortals.
* **The Realm of Peace**: This realm was famous for its peacefulness, hence the name. However, after its God was murdered, the realm fell into eternal war, and its new ruler renamed it to the Realm of Warfare. Mercenarie and his twin brother grew up in this realm during its peaceful days, and both witnessed the realm's undoing.
* **The Taylor Swift Realm**: Again, little is known about this Realm, though it appears once in the special features of the *Realm of Tears* physical release. It appears similar to the Earth Realm in many respects, but the hit song "Shake It Off" can be heard playing in the background throughout its appearance.
* **The Realm of Cheese**: A realm in which all objects and inhabitants are made entirely of cheese. Often believed to be a kind of jest by one of the Gods.
* **The Realm of Shit**. Though the origins of this domain are mostly lost to history, it is clear that the aptly named Realm of Shit was once a much more beautiful and densely populated land. At some point, likely in the ancient times, it was abandoned by its original populace and gradually transformed into a wasteland of filth and depravity. There have been known occurrences, throughout history, of the powerful or wealthy requesting to have their nemeses banished to the Realm of Shit, but such requests have rarely been granted by any of the Immortal Beings. Rarely, though, the less forgiving of the Immortals have transported entire families to this Realm, with no hope of ever returning, simply for making them angry. If there remain any descendants of these unlucky few still living in the Realm of Shit, it would be almost impossible that they have retained any of their former humanity, mutating instead into the kinds of sordid and despicable creatures which inhabit such a land.

* **The Realm of the Dead**. As is to be expected, there is little and less that can be accurately discerned about the Realm of the Dead by those who are still alive. Throughout history there have been instances reported of spirits returning to visit those of the Earth Realm in the form of ghosts, but there is minimal evidence to support any such claims. However, one consistency throughout all claims is that the Realm of the Dead is inhabited only by those who previously lived in the Earth Realm. Given that the Earth Realm is an illusion, of sorts, perceived by those in what is really the Realm of Tears, it is likely that the Realm of the Dead and the Realm of Tears are exclusively linked, so that only those who experience death in the Realm of Tears – or, “Earth Realm” – are transported there, but have limited or no access to the inhabitants of the former after this transition has been undertaken.

## Travel Between Realms

The ability to travel freely between different realms is common, if not inherent, among the Gods and
Immortal Beings. However, such abilities are considerably less likely to occur in humans and other mortal species. The reasons for certain individuals having this broader view of the universe over others is mostly unknown. Often, because of a lack of training, humans who are able to “jump” between realities will simply disappear one day, having accidentally transported themselves to a distant realm with no means of returning. There, these people are often unaware of their ability until after the jump occurs. Another issue frequent among mortals is the inhospitable environments of many of the other realms – they may be
transported to a reality without oxygen, without edible food, or simply wake up 20 metres off the ground and fall to their death. Worse still, if the realm they wish to travel to does not align with the one they are travelling from, they may be find themself suddenly floating in the vacuum of space, and die instantly.

One exception to this, however, is found in the unique relationship between the Realm of Tears and the Earth Realm. Because the Earth Realm exists as a perception by those in the Realm of Tears, the two “realms” occupy the same area of the multiverse, so travelling between them carries a much less significant risk for those who have the ability to do so. Of course, to travel from one to other also requires an awareness of the Realm of Tear’s existence, which in itself is uncommon. When Doney Danko IV and Doit Danko XVI travelled to the Realm of Tears in the second film, Return to the Realm of Tears, they travelled a significant distance to reach it, indicating that the Realm of Tears is actually perceived to exist somewhere inside of the Earth Realm, when in reality it is almost the opposite. The heroes, after defeating Barry Bernsteene, are then seen to retreat to the “outskirts” of the Realm of Tears, which indicates that it is thought to have a border, and at some point, come to an end.

Another noteworthy feature of the relationship between the Realm of Tears and its “meta-realm” is the temporal disparity that exists between the two. Although it is unclear how exactly this works, it is clear that there is approximately one hundred years between them, with the Earth Realm being “in the past” and the Realm of Tears being “in the future”. This is seen consistently throughout the *Realm of Tears* series, such as in the change from 1969 to 2069 in the rescue of Glynnis Groovy, when the two protagonists travel from the Earth Realm to the Realm of Tears. However, the one hundred year disparity cannot be considered completely true, as in the early stages of the film, when the journey is taking place, the date is still listed as 1969. This makes the timescale distortion more complex, as it shows that the “border regions” of the Realm of Tears (which are not really border regions) do not experience the same level of distortion as more central regions, such as the Dark Lord’s Lair. At no point in the series is the trans-realm timescale altered any more than one hundred years, although when travelling between other realms (realms that do not share the same bond as the Earth Realm and Realm of Tears) it is common for both the temporal and spatial parameters to shift drastically, which is what makes realm jumping fundamentally unsafe for mortals.