Line #54 Main/TwentyFourHourTropeClock


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/clockface.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:Fill in the blanks.]]
3
4	->''“The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.”''
5	-->-- '''[[Literature/BookOfEcclesiastes Ecclesiastes 1:5]]''', ''Literature/TheBible''
6
7	The rotation of the Earth on its axis creates a 24-hour cycle known as a "day." Each day consists of a number of markers based on the position of the sun; these include morning, evening, and night. All are vital to the development of human life, so it's no wonder they're also important in human drama.
8
9	Below is a quick guide to the way the times of day are portrayed in media, with a brief description of their general attributes and any specifically associated tropes.
10
11	Compare PlotTime, FlashbacksAndChronology. See also RightOnTheTick, and ClockIndex, for tropes about actual clocks or other timepieces.
12
13	----
14	!!Sunrise:
15
16	Sunrise, the three-minute period when the sun climbs over the horizon and signals the start of day. Sunrise is a time of new beginnings, and as such it's an incredibly common place to open stories. Dawn/sunrise are also frequently used to end stories. Generally if a story ends on a sunrise, it's because the heroes have [[EarnYourHappyEnding gone through hell]] all night and daylight signals that the fighting is over. After all the stuff the heroes have been through, sunrise is the sign of renewal and continuing life. [[RuleOfSymbolism It's all very symbolic.]]
17
18	Waking or staying up to watch the sunrise is considered romantic by some. [[StandardSnippet Stock music cues]] are Grieg's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAbwMGZtIsY Morning Music]]'' and Rossini's ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RM7cQCC4sU Ranz des Vaches]]'' from the William Tell Overture.
19
20	In fairy tales and fantasy, sunrise may be the end of a spell or the sun itself may have some major impact on a magical creature.[[note]]In ''The Hobbit'', the heroes are attacked by huge trolls one night. Fortunately, trolls turn to stone when exposed to sunshine, so the heroes have a chance to survive ''if'' they can make it until sunrise.[[/note]]
21
22	Go-getters, athletes, and entrepreneurs often get up now to work on their goals, as "the early bird catches the worm". Military recruits and monks get woken up at this time by their organizations.
23
24	Jesus is symbolized by dawn, as The Bible says he rose from the tomb in the morning of the third day.
25
26	In photography, the period shortly after sunrise is nicknamed the "golden hour" because the light looks redder and softer on film.
27
28	'''Associated tropes:'''
29	[[index]]
30	* CockADoodleDawn
31	* CueTheSun
32	* DawnAttack
33	* ShotAtDawn
34
35	----
36	!!Morning:
37
38	Vaguely 7:00 until 9:00, "morning" is the waking-up period. This is another frequent starting point for stories, because unlike sunrise, normal people (meaning the average person; people who are neither early-birds nor those who prefer to sleep late) actually ''do'' wake up around then. Expect aspects of the average morning routine--hitting the alarm clock, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, trimming nose hairs, putting on clothes.
39
40	Heroes '''always''' wake up late in the morning unless their job requires them to wake up early, and even then they'll like to sleep late when they have the chance. There are a few exceptions, but even then, they'll be a contrast to people who aren't morning people.
41
42	'''Associated tropes:'''
43	* BedmateReveal
44	* GoodMorningCrono
45	* LateForSchool
46	* MorningRoutine
47	* NotAMorningPerson
48	* PostWakeUpRealization
49	* RingRingCRUNCH
50	* SecondEpisodeMorning
51	* SleeplessAlarmClock
52	* SynchronizedMorningRoutine: Two or more characters' {{Morning Routine}}s are shown mirrored in the same {{scene\|s}}.
53	* ToastOfTardiness
54	* WakeupMakeup
55
56	----
57	!!Mid-Morning:
58
59	9:00 to 11:59. NothingExcitingEverHappensHere, except the main character being late for whatever they were late for in the morning. One notable time for SoulCrushingDeskJob workers is their [[TakeFive coffee break]] at 10:30 am or so.
60
61	%%'''Associated tropes:'''
62
63	----
64	!!Noon:
65
66	It's the middle of the day, the transition between "morning" and "afternoon". The sun is at its highest point, which means there's the most light. It's also the hottest time of the day, and tempers flare with the temperature. Old West shootouts happen at high noon. It's a tense time.
67
68	Also, lunch.
69
70	'''Associated tropes:'''
71	* EatingLunchAlone
72	* ShowdownAtHighNoon
73
74	----
75	!! Early Afternoon/Late Afternoon:
76
77	Roughly 13:00 to 17:00.[[note]]This is in 24-hour notation, just to make it clearer that it doesn't last for sixteen hours...[[/note]] Kids get home from school, people drive home from work. Most stuff that happens in stories happens in the afternoon, although there's nothing particularly special about it.
78
79	In Britain and parts of the Commonwealth, afternoon tea is served at posh hotels from 15:30 to 17:00. Tea, thin sandwiches, pastries, scones, cream and jam are served on fine china.
80
81	%%'''Associated tropes:'''
82	----
83	!!Dinner:
84	From about 18:00 to 19:00, people in North America eat their dinner. In parts of Europe, it may be later. Chinese dinners typically happen later between 18:30 and 19:30. French dinners, especially in Paris, may be from 19:00 to 21:00.
85	----
86	!!Sunset:
87
88	The sun goes down. It's the end of the day and activities wind down. Common ending cue for a story or subsection. Also a romantic time for lovers if they are watching the sunset.
89
90	In photography, the period shortly before sunset is nicknamed the "golden hour" because the light looks redder and softer on film.
91
92	'''Associated tropes:'''
93	* AgainstTheSettingSun
94	* BattleAgainstTheSunset
95	* EndlessDaytime
96	* LipLockSunBlock
97	* RidingIntoTheSunset
98	* WatchingTheSunset
99
100	----
101	!!Dusk:
102
103	Also called twilight ([[Literature/TheTwilightSaga no comments, please]], and [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic not that one either]]) or, if you want to get very poetic, eventide, it's the period when the sun is down but the moon isn't up. Dusk is a transition time -- kids get called in for supper, shops close up, diurnal birds go to sleep, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick humans start changing]] [[HypocriticalHumor into werewolves]], and the gentle song of the crickets (and other nocturnal animals) begins.
104
105	'''Associated tropes:'''
106	* GettingReadyForBedPlot
107
108	----
109	!!Night:
110
111	Night is a dangerous time. The sun is out completely and everything is dark. It's cold, lonely, and hard to see -- probably why humans have a natural fear of the night.[[note]]You may be thinking, "But I'm not afraid of the night?" That's because it's a ''natural'' fear, but kids often outgrow it.[[/note]] All decent people are at home in bed, which means ''indecent'' people are out and about, prowling the streets and doing unscrupulous things. Night is a spooky time, good for illegal activities, spying, [[WildTeenParty wild parties]], and trips to the local HauntedHouse. Basically, [[ItWasADarkAndStormyNight all the things that make a story interesting.]]
112
113	Due to the high danger factor, night's a perennial -- er, ''diurnal'' favourite for writers.
114
115	StockRoom cues: Sound effects of crickets chirping, owls hooting, and wolves howling. Clips of [[ByTheLightsOfTheirEyes glowing eyes]] in otherwise shadowy areas. Shots of the moon, [[WeirdMoon always full]] and frequently partially covered by a cloud. Cats might also be seen wandering around outside.
116
117	'''Associated tropes:'''
118	* AlwaysNight
119	* DarknessEqualsDeath
120	* (Most) DreamTropes
121	* IndexOnTheMoon
122	* InsomniaEpisode
123	* ItWasADarkAndStormyNight
124	* HollywoodDarkness
125	* NiceDayDeadlyNight
126	* TheNightOwl
127	* TheNightThatNeverEnds
128	* NocturnalCrime
129	* NocturnalMooks
130	* OneCrazyNight
131	* SneakingOutAtNight
132	* SpookyAnimalSounds
133	* StargazingScene
134
135	----
136	!![[WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve Midnight]]:
137
138	The spookiest time of night, bar none. Midnight is "the witching hour" -- magical things happen at midnight, and not the good magic. TheHiddenHour is often immediately before or after midnight. Part of it is that midnight happens at [[NumerologicalMotif twelve o'clock]] -- although for some reason, lunch doesn't have the same spook factor, likely because it happens during the less-spooky daytime, as well as the fact that midnight is considered the start of a new calendar day. Normal people are in bed unless something unusual is happening or it's New Year's Eve.
139
140	In modern times, midnight is increasingly treated as part of the evening and Early Morning is taking the place of Midnight as the time when scary things happen (2:00 seems to be a favorite time).
141
142	'''Associated tropes:'''
143	* DoomsdayClock -- inevitably set at ''X minutes to '''Midnight'''''.
144	* WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve
145	* MidnightSnack
146
147	----
148	!!Early Morning:
149
150	The wee hours of the night, between about 1:00 and 5:00. People should not be awake at this time, so if you are, it's a sign that something's up. Maybe you're the undead and it's the only time you can go out. Maybe you're a criminal planning a heist , or a convict hoping to escape jail; in both cases, you're hoping the darkness and almost everyone being asleep will help you avoid law enforcement's notice. Maybe you're an insomniac watching the late, late show...or you've been [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife up all night reading TV Tropes]] or doing some other addictive hobby. Of course, maybe you're simply up because you're a night worker on the "graveyard shift" as a cop, nurse, or DJ. A handful of the earliest of early rising go-getters get up for the day during this time, [[EveryoneHasStandards but even other early birds look at them and their 17:00 bedtimes like they've got a few screws loose]]. Sometimes known as "the Hour of the Wolf" -- the hour when you hear the wolves howl outside and shiver in fear.
151
152	Lots of nightmare sufferers wake up around this time, as if fate just wants to rub salt in their wounds.[[note]]This is because REM sleep (when you dream) happens during this time.[[/note]]
153
154	[[http://youtu.be/ORYKKNoRcDc?t=20s The 4 a.m. Mystery]] gives us examples of works and reports using "four in the morning" to underline how inconveniently or arbitrarily timed an event is.
155
156	'''Associated tropes:'''
157
158	* DarkestHour -- in a literal sense, although many metaphorical darkest hours will occur at this time.
159	* OtakuOClock
160	* WokenUpAtAnUngodlyHour
161	[[/index]]
162
163	Early morning ends at...
164	----
165	!!Dawn:
166
167	Also called twilight, although dawn is called twilight much less than dusk. Farmers, highly dedicated athletes, and the early rising go-getters who really take "the early bird catches the worm" seriously are up at this time. But most people are still asleep. It's the period when the moon is down but the sun isn't up (between the hours of five and six AM, usually). Dawn is a transition time as well, but not as much as dusk -- a few shops open up (though many don't open until around seven or later), and the diurnal animals start waking up, which is often heralded by the famous "dawn chorus" (the sound of many birds singing at once), but kids don't usually get woken up for breakfast until around seven.
168	Which leads to...
169	----
170	!!Sunrise:
171
172	Sunrise, the three-minute period when the sun climbs -- [[DejaVu we've been here before, haven't we?]] Oh, well, days are cycles. It happens. Daily.

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