Ah, your trifle is very similar to the one my non-Irish grandmother made. She used whichever fruits she could find, particularly raspberries which she loved, and strawberries, blueberries, and whatever mixed fruit she had. Her own sponge cake, which was a thing of beauty indeed, and cream. I don't recall jelly or custard, but that may be because by the time I saw the trifle, all the jelly and custard were mashed into trifle-y goodness.

I've made trifle, so I do remember putting custard into mine. It were yummy.

Now I've gone and made myself hungry.

Yes, the setting is noir-ish, in an intense, crowded, Chinese sort of way. I envision New York City, in the area named Chinatown, because it has those narrow winding streets filled with vendors, odd and tantalizing aromas, strange and exotic items hanging in windows, and Chinese of various dialects being spoken all around.

TDaTC is more from the demon's perspective, and it's an interesting one. All these different demons!

For another take on Chinese demons, if you ever get the chance to rent or somehow see Big Trouble in Little China, you should. It's an 80's classic, but it has these cool Chinese demons. And David Lo-Pan, one of the hammiest of Evil Lords you will ever see. :-)