History Webcomic / ApocalypticHorseplay

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Pesty. Overall the nicest, most caring and most reformed of the Horsemen, but piss him off and he ''will'' show you that, despite his demeanor all the years of hiding, he's still a goddamn Horseman of the Apocalypse.

* HollywoodAtheist: Randy, a side character from the opening. He is rude, slacks off, forced to participate in bible study as part of rehabilitation for some misdeeds. He's clearly doing great for an [[Main/AcceptableTarget acceptable target]] for Marvin's pranks.

* NiceHat: Angela is usually wearing a distinctive cap while she's outside.

''Apocalyptic Horseplay'' is a [[Main/KoreanWebtoons webtoon]] by French cartoonist Boredman, a SpinOff set in the same universe as, and taking place after, his previous comic ''Webcomic/UndeadEd'' (with a few characters from there appearing here). Can be found [[http://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/apocalyptic-horseplay/list?title_no=635 here]].

* PaintingTheMedium: Mot's speech bubbles are black with white words surrounded by a grey border. His fellow Horsemen have the same white-with-black-words speech bubbles as everyone else. It seems that
particularly special supernatural characters get this. [[spoiler: God's are green.]]

"The terrible Horsemen of the Apocalypse have reformed and sworn off their ancient ways. Now retired and leading peaceful lives in a small town of England, these ancient calamities eventually find their anonymity, as well as their very existence, threatened by the arrival of one nosy student journalist… and a child who could bring about the End of the World."

The Apocalyptic Horseplay is a [[Main/KoreanWebtoons webtoon]] by french cartoonist Boredman, a SpinOff set in the same universe as their previous comic ''Webcomic/UndeadEd'' (with a few characters from there appearing here). Can be found [[http://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/apocalyptic-horseplay/list?title_no=635 here]].

Eventually the series came to an end on February 2020.

!!The ''Apocalyptic Horseplay'' contains examples of following tropes:
* AllAnimalsAreDogs: Apparently, even germs. However, we don't see them, so we don't know did they really act like dogs, or just Pesty treats them like that. According to him, they don't want to ride in trunk, cause they want to see the road, and they are cute. Germs even guard the house by night and Pesty needs to "call them back" off intruders.
* AnimalsHateHim: [[spoiler: Dogs, at least, don't like Lily very much at all, since she's TheAntichrist, and she doesn't like them much either (though her reasoning is because it was the reason Dorothy in the ''Literature/TheWizardOfOz'' couldn't join the wizard on his balloon ride as Toto jumped out of her hands chasing a cat and she had to go retrieve him just as the balloon was set to take off). Cats seem OK with her though, though it might just be because it's a ''witch's'' cat]].

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of course, the four Horsemen. Just to make to explicit, Apocalyptic Horseplay goes with War, Famine, Pestilence and Death, unlike the heavily debated Horsemen of a White Horse, Red Horse, Black Horse and Pale Horse.
* AssholeVictim: For his pranks, Famine chooses a blunt and arrogant HollywoodAtheist and a dirty fat sexist.
* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: Turns out God (or at least a benevolent higher power, it's not made clear) was the one that set the story in motion as they disguised themselves as the hopeless prisoner so as to show the Horseman they don't ''have'' to be pawns of their fate. They have as much free will as anyone and can decide to be good and evil as opposed the devil who's trying to get everyone to act out their roles so as to bring about the end times.]]
* BeenThereShapedHistory: The Horsemen were at least partially responsible for, among other things, the Black Death and both World Wars. UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust indirectly causes them to have a HeelRealization. [[spoiler:They directly guided Heinrich Himmler.]]
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Pesty. As you can see in chapter 2 episode 26.
* BigDamnKiss: [[AvertedTrope Not really]]. [[spoiler:Angela kissing Mot just quickly leaves both a bit confused. Their final kiss in the finale is a [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] as well where it has Angela saying that something about it doesn't feel right - it's Mot explaining that she's not in love with him, she needs to allow herself to be close with someone, and telling her he loves her that has Angela tearfully saying that now it feels right.]]

* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:Heinrich Himmler appears in Chapter 4, and turns out to be Master Ozzam some 64 strips later. As Boredman himself puts it, "Some details about Himmler's life and career can be found in the footnotes for CH4. What, did you think I just randomly trying to educate you this whole time?"]]
* ConnectedAllAlong: Angela's flatmate is the granddaughter of the witch from Undead Ed. Lucy also makes an appearance.

* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:Angela, subconsciously. That's why she was willing to help ''the Horsemen of the Apocalypse'', and [[{{Foreshadowing}} that's why she could see Mot, as could the hopeless prisoner]]...but fortunately, unlike the prisoner, seeing the Horsemen gave Angela hope in being able to change and find purpose.]]

* DontFearTheReaper: Mot, the personification of death looks a bit like a typical grandpa, maybe with a little bony knee... he's also the nicest of the Horsemen, and the one who convinced them to settle down instead of bringing constant chaos to earth. His appearance is somehow close to Literature/{{Discworld}} Death, with his [[Main/PaintingTheMedium heavy way of speaking]], kindness to humans and lack of understanding them in the same time. He subscribed to police magazines, probably out of sympathy to the cop he ended up scaring, when he went to his door to advertise subscriptions and had to hear Mot unintentionally narrate violent story of his gun and his previous user. He doesn't like the "Death" name and doesn't act as it.[[spoiler: Until you [[HeKnowsTooMuch know to much]]. Then better watch out (though if Wallace is to be believed, he was bluffing).]]
* DumbassHasAPoint: [[spoiler:''Bellsing'' noticed something was off about Master Ozzam and realized his records made him out to be over a hundred. That's because Ozzam's life is being extended by Babel.]]
* EatingOptional: Famine likes to hang out in pub enjoying some pie. When Mot states, that he doesn't need to eat, his answer is, that he likes to. It appears that he's only one of Four doing that, so it might be connected to him being a personification of hunger.

* EvilAllAlong: [[spoiler:Master Ozzam's no nice old priest being overly trusting of his lonely protege Babel - he's Heinrich Himmler, and knew she was a witch extending his life all along, which he wanted.]]

* GlamourFailure: Pesty’s eyes are used to make a pair of goggles that do this.
* GodWasMyCopilot: [[spoiler:The hopeless prisoner, the bum who helped Angela find Famine, and Father Matthew are revealed to have been this, in an episode fittingly named The Guide. "We all want someone to believe in us. Don't we?"]]

* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler: Bellsing and Babel by the epilogue of the comic. Amusingly lampshaded by Lily who thinks Bellsing is too old for her until she's reminded Babel is a witch and her magic slows her aging, so she's just as old.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: Just decades ago, the four Horsemen's goal was the end of the world, but they changed their mind for unknown reasons and are already retired.
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:The reason the Horsemen abandoned their goals of causing the Apocalypse? They had believed that they were God's instruments, cleansing the Earth and sending humanity to its final judgment, but near the end of WWII, they encountered an orphan gypsy girl from a concentration camp who could see them all. When she saw Mot, she asked him why he hadn't come for her. Mot saw that it wasn't her time and warned her that wishing for her own demise would stain her soul, but she said that she'd lost all will to live and all hope to be saved. When Mot asked if she had any faith, she said that she didn't anymore, that "no god would have wanted this". That's when the Horsemen realized that they were only following their own will, not God's and that they weren't carrying out his plan and bringing Salvation to the worthy, but were instead stripping them of hope. For Mort it involved her asking him what would happen when [[ImmortalsFearDeath even death dies]]]].
** [[spoiler:Heinrich Himmler also realized he was totally going to sent straight to hell for his death, but he's more of a FalselyReformedVillain by becoming Ozzam and letting Babel extend his life unnaturally solely to hope to redeem himself and avoid his justly-deserved punishment.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch: Angela, very quickly. But thanks to luck rather, than a superior journalist method.

* HollywoodAtheist: Randy, a side character from the opening. He is rude, slacks off, forced to participate in bible study as a part of rehabilitation for some misdeeds. He's clearly doing great for an [[Main/AcceptableTarget acceptable target]] for Famine's pranks.

* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: They are main characters, but Hell no longer follows with them - they settled down and decided to give that all "end of the world" stuff a rest.

* InvisibleToNormals: Save for Mot, one can normally only see the Horsemen if they've been influenced by them somehow, directly or in essence. For example, Bellsing being able to see Pesty because he got sick. Angela can see them all for some reason. [[spoiler:It's because [[DeathSeeker she subconsciously wants to die]].]] Mot could apparently do this in the past, given a photo, it may be tied to his cloak for him.

* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:Bellsing and Babel realize that neither of them felt like the other approached the other as an equal while both felt the other was above themselves (Babel running her own order, Bellsing always managing to stay in the Council despite being...Bellsing) as they yell their grievances toward each other, ending in "YOU NEVER GAVE ME A CHANCE!"]]
* NotBrainwashed: Sort of - [[spoiler:while Lily did mind control Betty into loving her, after Lily stops it and apologizes to Betty, Betty makes it clear that she loves and cared for her still.]]

* PaintingTheMedium: Death's speech bubbles are black with white words surrounded by a grey border. His fellow Horsemen have the same white-with-black-words speech bubbles as everyone else. [[spoiler: God's naturally are blue.]]
* PureIsNotGood: Yes, it's Pesty again, as a member of apocalypse riders who didn't catch "double entendre".

** Turns out [[spoiler: this is God's plan all along, to show the Horseman (and by extension Lily) that destiny and prophecies are utter bunk. At the end of the day, it's ''your'' free will, you choose how you live and act and must not let others decide for you.]]

* ShapeShifting: Horsemen's horses. In Q&A, author announced that they have evolved themselves and can now take human forms.

* TimeSkip: The epilogue takes place some years after the events of the comic and set it in the year, 2020.

* TruthInTelevision: [[http://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/apocalyptic-horseplay/ch3-ep14-war-offering/viewer?title_no=635&episode_no=68 "War Offering"]] states some conclusions of war from modern research - despite [[WarIsHell battle's horror and infamy]], far more people are killed by [[ThePlague disease]] and [[NothingButSkinAndBones starvation]] brought on by war rather than its actual combat.
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:Babel is a witch without knowing, having been manipulated by her faith]].

** [[spoiler: And for the Horsemen themselves, they all went their separate ways: Warrace went West and was there during the "Black Lives Matter" protests, though makes sure mankind doesn't go ''too'' far in their hatred and keep a clear focus what they're fighting for. Marvin went South to third world countries to remind himself of those less fortunate for food. Pesty went East, going quiet until the present time of the story where he caused the COVID 19 pandemic. The other characters aren't sure why he did it but surmise he did so so Fever can be brought back into the world, the two are shown living together. And finally, Mot went North, away from civilization, while he hasn't given up on humanity, he figures it's better he spends time away from them, only coming among them when he needs to. Though we see Oblivion and him living together in a cabin. The final scene is him putting a sign up with the Latin phrase "Dum Vivio Spero" [[note]]"While I breathe, I hope"[[/note]].]]

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Bellsing and Babel realize that neither of them felt like the other approached the other as an equal while both felt the other was above themselves (Babel running her own order, Bellsing always managing to stay in the Council despite being...Bellsing) as they yell their grievances toward each other, ending in "YOU NEVER GAVE ME A CHANCE!"]]

* AnimalsHateHim: [[spoiler: Dogs, at least, don't like Lily very much at all, since she's TheAntichrist, and she doesn't like them much either. Cats seem OK with her though, though it might just be because it's a ''witch's'' cat]].

** [[spoiler: Von Bellsing and Babel are married, though stated the council was disavowed by the Catholic Church. The pair revealed they made their own council but rather than hunt, they harbor any non-malicious supernaturals with a few of the former council members.]]
** [[spoiler: Angela, Betty, and Lily still live together in a secluded location to prevent any hunters from coming after Lily after the events of the comic (in fact the reason Bellsing and Babel visit them is to just make sure they're okay). Lily is officially adopted by the pair and they still keep in contact with the Horsemen through letters but never personally see them anymore. Instead, documenting their findings on Angela's news website.]]
** [[spoiler: And for the Horsemen themselves, they all went their separate ways: Warrace went West and was there during the "Black Lives Matter" protests, though makes sure mankind doesn't go ''too'' far in their hatred and keep a clear focus what they're fighting for. Marvin went South to third world countries to remind himself of those less fortunate for food. Pesty went East, going quiet until the present time of the story where he caused the COVID pandemic. The other characters aren't sure why he did it but figured he did so so Fever can be brought back into the world, the two are shown living together. And finally, Mot went North, away from civilization, while he hasn't given up on humanity, he figures it's better he spends time away from them, only coming among them when he needs to. Though we see him and the spirit of the woman from before living together in a cabin. The final scene is him putting a sign up with the Latin phrase "Dum Vivio Spero" [[note]]"While I breathe, I hope"[[/note]].]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Undead Ed'' was more a comedy adventure and never took itself too seriously. This series, while likewise having it's moments of levity, is a lot more drama focused.

* HappyMarried: [[spoiler: Bellsing and Babel by the epilogue of the comic. Amusingly lampshaded by Lily who thinks Bellsing is too old for her until Babel reminds her she's been using magic to slow her aging and is just as old.]]

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: [[spoiler: In a surprising act of sincerity, when Lizzy ask Lucy if her father really loved her. Lucy states that he indeed does as if there's one thing Heaven and Hell agree on, is that love is an emotion they both share.]]

* PaintingTheMedium: Death's speech bubbles are black with white words surrounded by a grey border. His fellow Horsemen have the same white-with-black-words speech bubbles as everyone else.

** Turns out [[spoiler: this is God's plan all along, to show the Horseman (and by extension Lily) that destiny and prophecies are utter bunk. At the end of the day it's ''your'' free will, you choose how you live and act and not let others decide for you.]]

* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: [[spoiler: Angela manages to halt the apocalypse simply by telling Lizzy that she doesn't have to be evil, she has a choice in the matter regardless of being the Anti-Christ and pretty much proven before she can be herself if she wishes. Lily agrees and cancels Armageddon.]]

* NotBrainwashing: Sort of - [[spoiler:while Lily did mind control Betty into loving her, after Lily stops it and apologizes to Betty, Betty makes it clear that she loves and cared for her still.]]

** Turns out [[spoiler: this is God's plan all along, to show the Horseman (and by extension Lizzy) that destiny and prophecies are utter bunk. At the end of the day it's ''your'' free will, you choose how you live and act and not let others decide for you.]]

* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: [[spoiler: Angela manages to halt the apocalypse simply by telling Lizzy that she doesn't have to be evil, she has a choice in the matter regardless of being the Anti-Christ and pretty much proven before she can be herself if she wishes. Lizzy agrees and cancels Armageddon.]]

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Of course, the four.
* AssholeVictim: For his pranks, Famine chooses a blunt and arrogant Main/HollywoodAtheist and a dirty fat sexist.

* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: Babel is a witch without knowing, having been manipulated by her faith]].

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler: Turns out God (or at least a benevolent higher power, it's not made clear) was the one that set the story in motion as they disguised themsevles as the hopeless prisoner so as to show the Horseman they don't ''have'' to be pawns of their fate. They have as much free will as anyone and can decide to be good and evil as opposed the devil who's trying to get everyone to act out their roles so as to bring about the end times.]]

* MeaningfulName: [[spoiler: TheAntichrist is named Lily after the flower, which is fairly close to Lilith. Lilies are also associated with Mary, and their association with purity reflects Mot's plan to turn Lily into an AntiAntichrist]].

* EvenEvilHasLovedOne: [[spoiler: In a surprising act of sincerity, when Lizzy ask Lucy if her father really loved her. Lucy states that he indeed does as if there's one thing Heaven and Hell agree on, is that love is an emotion they both share.]]

** The anti-christ father. Turns out [[spoiler: it's ''Ed'']].

Eventually the series came to an end on February 2019.

* AcceptableTarget: For his pranks Famine chooses blunt and arrogant Main/HollywoodAtheist and a dirty fat sexist.
* AllAnimalsAreDogs: Apparently, even germs. However, we don't see them, so we don't know did they really act like dogs, or just Pesty treats them like that. According to him, they don't want to ride in trunk, cause they want to see the road, and they are cute. Germs even guard the house by night and Pesty needs to "call them back" off intruders.

* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: The reason the Horsemen abandoned their goals of causing the Apocalypse? They had believed that they were God's instruments, cleansing the Earth and sending humanity to its final judgment, but near the end of WWII, they encountered an orphan gypsy girl from a concentration camp who could see them all. When she saw Mot, she asked him why he hadn't come for her. Mot saw that it wasn't her time and warned her that wishing for her own demise would stain her soul, but she said that she'd lost all will to live and all hope to be saved. When Mot asked if she had any faith, she said that she didn't anymore, that "no god would have wanted this". That's when the Horsemen realized that they were only following their own will, not God's and that they weren't carrying out his plan and bringing Salvation to the worthy, but were instead stripping them of hope. For Mort it involved her asking him what would happen when [[ImmortalsFearDeath even death dies]]]].

* IntrepidReporter: Angela, the protagonist. It helps that she's apparently left school prematurely and refuses to consider returning, probably hoping to prove herself on her own with some big story.
* InvisibleToNormals: Save for Mot, one can normally only see the Horsemen if they've been influenced by them somehow, directly or in essence. For example, Bellsing being able to see Pesty because he got sick. Angela can see them all for some reason. Mot could apparently do this in the past, given a photo, it may be tied to his cloak for him.

* ImmortalsFearDeath: [[spoiler:[[https://www.webtoons.com/en/fantasy/apocalyptic-horseplay/ch6-e30-sacred-promise/viewer?title_no=635&episode_no=157 Death turned from his goal of bringing about the Apocalypse after the dying orphan girl asked what happens when even Death dies.]]

* InvisibleToNormals: Save for Mot, one can normally only see the Horsemen if they’ve been influenced by them somehow, directly or in essence. For example, Bellsing being able to see Pesty because he got sick. Angela can see them all for some reason. Mot could apparently do this in the past, given a photo, it may be tied to his cloak for him.