Line #77 Main/ApocalypticIndex


1	->''The world is always ending, for someone.''
2	-->-- '''Creator/NeilGaiman''', ''Signal To Noise''
3
4	From the Greek word "apokalyptein", meaning uncovering or revealing, an apocalypse is a catastrophic event that changes the world as we know it, so that it "reveals" a new world (so to speak). It is a cataclysm in which the forces of good permanently triumph over the forces of evil. While the Christian Biblical tradition for the term refers to any revelation, it has come to refer to any universal or widespread destruction or disaster, such as a nuclear war or climate crisis. This index lists tropes relating to the apocalyptic.
5
6	See also DisasterTropes for specific sorts of disasters which may cause or be a part of an apocalypse.
7	----
8	!!Tropes:
9	[[index]]
10	* AdamAndEvePlot: Humanity's numbers are greatly reduced, and it's up to two people to repopulate the Earth.
11	* AfterTheEnd: The main setting of the story is post-apocalyptic.
12	* AllHailTheGreatGodMickey: A cultural artifact is mistaken for a religious one or worshipped by post-apocalyptic people.
13	* AndManGrewProud: A civilization collapses due to its own hubris.
14	* AnimalIsTheNewMan: Humanity falls, and animals rise up to take their place.
15	* ApocalypseAnarchy: Once everyone knows that the world is about to end, society falls into chaos.
16	* TheApocalypseBringsOutTheBestInPeople: The impending end of a society/people/world/etc leads one or more people to become kinder.
17	* ApocalypseCult: A cult who strives to ''cause'' the apocalypse.
18	* JustForFun/ApocalypseDayPlanner
19	* ApocalypseHow: This trope is for categorizing the scope and severity of the "apocalypse" in question.
20	* ApocalypseMaiden: An innocent character is destined to bring about TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt just by existing.
21	* ApocalypseNot: After the supposed "end" of everything, society has somehow managed to sustain itself, either barely or impressively.
22	* ApocalypseWow: The apocalypse is absolutely nightmarish, but ''man'' if it isn't cool!
23	* ApocalypticGagOrder: One or more world governments are aware that the apocalypse is coming, and they're trying to stop it -- but no one else is allowed to know.
24	* ApocalypticLog: During or leading up to "the End", a character records their thoughts.
25	* ApocalypticLogistics: The total loss of imported goods and resources (oil, clean water, etc.) is only a minor inconvenience for everyone.
26	* ApocalypticMontage: Montage of several landmarks leading up to, during, or after the world-ending catastrophe.
27	* TheApunkalypse: Once society falls, everyone becomes a vandalizing punk.
28	* ArchaeologicalArmsRace: Everyone is racing to get the technology from a lost civilization.
29	* AssimilationPlot: Individuality is eradicated, and everyone becomes one entity.
30	* BeastOfTheApocalypse: A monster that kick-starts TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
31	* TheBeforetimes: Survivors of the apocalypse refer to the way the world used to be as something along the lines of "The Beforetimes."
32	* BizarroApocalypse: The end of the world is ''really weird''.
33	* BornAfterTheEnd: The first generation to be born after a catastrophic event.
34	* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: Older machinery in storage may be more easily run or maintained in a post-apocalyptic society.
35	* ButWhatAboutTheAstronauts: The planet is destroyed, and the astronauts must ask, "Now what?"
36	* CataclysmBackstory: An advanced civilization violently collapsed long ago, and that event affects the plot of the setting.
37	* CaughtUpInTheRapture: {{God}} removes the virtuous from the world to safety just before it ends.
38	* CitywideEvacuation: Some people are able to escape an entire city before the impending catastrophe destroys or heavily damages it.
39	* CivilizationDestroyer: It doesn't necessarily destroy a world, but it does end a civilization.
40	* CelebritySurvivor: The world is falling around as they speak, but characters still ask someone, "Hey, aren't you from TV?"
41	* ClimateChangeAllegory: An event that invokes the themes of global warming/climate change in an allegorical way.
42	* CockroachesWillRuleTheEarth: Cockroaches -- or an evolved form of them -- take over the world after humanity falls.
43	* ConductingTheCarnage: The best thing to do when everything is falling apart is to wave your hands conductor-style and treat it like music.
44	* CosmicFlaw: There's something fundamentally wrong/out of place in the fabric of reality that will spell certain doom for the world.
45	* CosyCatastrophe: The world ends, and that's fine. No biggie.
46	* DancinInTheRuins: An entire civilization has been destroyed...''Hooray!''
47	* TheDayTheDinosaursDied: The K-Pg extinction is often depicted in media for dramatic effect.
48	* DepopulationBomb: It didn't necessarily destroy the planet, but it did wipe out most of its people, probably leaving only a few survivors.
49	* DesolationShot: A slow, somber shot of a place once populated and kept, now barren and dilapidated.
50	* DestroyerDeity: A God, Goddess, or other entity associated, or solely responsible for, mass destruction.
51	* DisasterDemocracy: A band of post-disaster survivors band together and elect some leaders.
52	* DisasterScavengers: Post-disaster, the only way for characters to good food, water, and other supplies is to scavenge the surrounding areas.
53	* DoomsdayClock: When the literal clock strikes twelve, it's all over.
54	* DoomsdayDevice: A device/object capable of destroying the world.
55	* DreamApocalypse: Everything and everyone is just someone's dream. So, if that someone were to [[OhCrap wake up...]]
56	* EarthAllAlong: The desolated planet the story takes place on turns out to be Earth itself, not a fictional planet.
57	* EarthShatteringKaboom: An explosion so big the entire planet is destroyed.
58	* EarthThatWas: Earth has been destroyed or is otherwise uninhabitable, contributing to the plot/setting.
59	* TheElitesJumpShip: The leaders, the rich, and the powerful left everyone else to rot during some calamity.
60	* EmergencyBroadcast: An official government warning of an impending threat, broadcast to the population.
61	* EmergencyPresidentialAddress: An emergency has become so dire that the leader of the nation makes a televised address to the citizens.
62	* TheEndIsNigh (AKA Doomsayer): The random guy, preacher, or street hobo declaring over and over that "The End is neeeeaaaar!" Problem is, they're right.
63	* EndIsNighEnding: An apocalyptic event is taking place at the very end of the world, but we don't get to see because before the events happen, we're shown the credits.
64	* EndlessDaytime: The sun does not set, ever.
65	* EndlessWinter: The world is trapped in a neverending Ice Age.
66	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: If the heroes don't manage to save the day, this is what will happen.
67	* EternalRecurrence: The Apocalypse repeats at intervals.
68	* FalloutShelterFail: The shelter designed to save people from the apocalypse isn't up to the task.
69	* TheFamine: Widespread, maybe even planetary, lack of food.
70	* FleeingForTheFalloutShelter: A character is caught outdoors when the apocalypse begins and must run for their prepared shelter - or duck for cover.
71	* FloodedFutureWorld: Due to disastrous flooding or sea level rise, the world becomes mostly or entirely covered by water.
72	* FromCataclysmToMyth: Whatever caused the "apocalyptic" state of the world becomes a simple myth over time.
73	* FuturePrimitive: Time passes by, but mankind has somehow managed to become dumber, or less capable of maintaining itself.
74	* GaiasLament: An extremely desolate or uninhabitable turn of a planet that was once verdant and full of life.
75	* GiantWallOfWateryDoom: A tsunami capable of quite a bit of destruction.
76	* GlacialApocalypse: An ice age brings about the end of civilization.
77	* GlobalWarming: The global climate changes in a disruptive and dangerous manner, usually because of human action.
78	* GoMadFromTheApocalypse: SanitySlippage in seeing the world ending.
79	* GothicCountryMusic: A style of country music that plays with apocalyptic themes.
80	* HellOnEarth: Hell itself manages to invade the world.
81	* HitSoHardTheCalendarFeltIt: An event of such societal importance that they changed the calendar to reflect it.
82	* HomeworldEvacuation: Some people -- maybe even everyone -- manage to get off the planet before it's destroyed.
83	* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: {{Anthropomorphic Personification}}s of the TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt from Literature/TheBible.
84	* HostileTerraforming: Alien life invades and starts shaping the planet to suit their needs at the cost of the natives'.
85	* HumanitysWake: Humans are extinct.
86	* TheImmune: Humanity as a whole is threatened by a disease that has already killed quite a few -- but one or more characters have an immunity to it.
87	* InferredHolocaust: Technically, the aftermath of an event should have gotten a good lot of people killed, or ruined an area forever...But it's glossed over in the story.
88	* JustBeforeTheEnd: The work takes place just a short bit of time before The End.
89	* KillAllHumans: An entity or organization's goal is humanity's extinction.
90	* LastFertileRegion: There's only one place left that still maintains wildlife.
91	* TheLastManHeardAKnock: Someone believes that they are the last living being or human on the planet, but not only are there others, but they also manage to run into each other.
92	* LostCommonKnowledge: Society has suffered through some kind of disaster, and many years later, basic knowledge of how the world works is lost.
93	* LowAngleEmptyWorldShot: A scene requires that only the actors are in the shot, even in a real-world busy city. Thus, the actors are shot at low angles to crop out passerby.
94	* MayanDoomsday: December 21, 2012 -- the date the Mayans supposedly predicted as the end of the world -- is used as such in a story.
95	* MillenniumBug: The arrival of January 1, 2000, was believed to cause computers all over the world to malfunction, leading to disaster -- it's used or mentioned in a work.
96	* MistakenForApocalypse: Someone believes that the apocalypse is coming or has already happened, but...no. They just misinterpreted some coincidences.
97	* MustNotDieAVirgin: When the world is coming to an end, at least one character's goal is to get laid once and for all.
98	* MutuallyAssuredDestruction: [[AtomicHate Nuclear warfare]] between two or more nuke-owning nations has the potential to cause the total destruction of all participants to the conflict -- and this may also result in taking down the rest of the world with them.
99	* MysticalPlague: A plague is created by mystical powers, not a scientific mishap.
100	* NaturalDisasterCascade: A chain of natural disasters occurs at the same time or close to the same time.
101	* NaturalEndOfTime: A [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX4 Class X-4 apocalypse]], caused naturally and by time rather than by a sudden cataclysm.
102	* NewEden: The land is utterly decimated after a disaster, but after a few good years, it's revived and inhabitants can return to it.
103	* TheNightThatNeverEnds: The villain's main goal is to get rid of sunlight forever.
104	* NoBikesInTheApocalypse: The world has fallen, and the only way to get around is on foot, by horse, or by scavenged cars. Bicycle? Don't know her.
105	* NoCanOpener: Hoarding canned items for emergencies but forgetting the can opener.
106	* NoFEMAResponse: Humanitarian aid fails to appear on the scene of a disaster.
107	* NoHealthcareInTheApocalypse: Treatment for an injury, illness or disability is difficult to come by after the world ends.
108	* NuclearMutant: Radiation results in the creation of monsters, and sometimes villains.
109	* OmnicidalManiac: A villain who doesn't just want to destroy the hero -- they want to destroy '''everything.'''
110	* ThePlague: A disease, either lethal or extremely dangerous, poses a threat to society or even the world at large.
111	* PlanetEater: A character, monster, or entity who eats ''planets''.
112	* PointlessDoomsdayDevice: Its sole function is to cause mass destruction, so...why was it made, to begin with?
113	* PostApocalypticDog: In the event of an apocalypse, dogs will appear as either ravenous animals or Man's loyal best friend.
114	* PostApocalypticGasMask: Survivors of an apocalypse don gas masks to protect themselves from the poison or radiation that caused said apocalypse.
115	* PostApocalypticTrafficJam: A road jammed full of abandoned vehicles (and perhaps the remains of their unfortunate drivers) left in the aftermath of the apocalypse.
116	* PostApunkalypticArmor: Survivors don improvised and very punk-style armor.
117	* PostPeakOil: A work takes place after all of the world's oil has been depleted.
118	* PutThemAllOutOfMyMisery: A villain is in such a state of misery that, for some reason, he concludes that killing everyone else will help.
119	* RagnarokProofing: Even after many, many years of desolation, ruins of a former civilization are still holding up pretty well.
120	* RealityBreakingParadox: Someone does something impossible, and reality basically blue-screens.
121	* ReclaimedByNature: In the absence of people, nature reclaims lost ground.
122	* ReducedToRatburgers: Food has become so scarce that characters turn to eating meager animals -- rats, bugs, mice, etc.
123	* RegionalRedecoration: The Earth itself is reshaped as a result of something huge.
124	* RestartTheWorld: The world is just too far gone, so the only way to save it is to destroy it and start over.
125	* RockyMountainRefuge: The only American survivors of the apocalypse live here.
126	* RuinsOfTheModernAge: The ruins of a fallen civilization come from our present-day world.
127	* ScavengedPunk: Technology or other appliances are built from scavenged junk.
128	* ScavengerWorld: After the end, a society emerges, and everyone in it is a scavenger.
129	* ScrewTheRulesItsTheApocalypse: People take advantage of the fear and chaos the apocalypse brings to do whatever they want.
130	* SetTheWorldOnFire: Small area or big, the world is scoured by flames.
131	* SignOfTheApocalypse: Something particularly unexpected happening, usually OOCIsSeriousBusiness, is jokingly intimated to be a sign of the end times.
132	* SignsOfTheEndTimes: The apocalypse has several boding signs before it comes.
133	* SimulatedFantasyPostApocalypticReality: After the apocalypse, virtual reality becomes a haven for survivors -- or a hell.
134	* SleptThroughTheApocalypse: Someway, somehow, someone manages to just miss the apocalypse.
135	* SolarFlareDisaster: A planet takes a hard hit from a solar flare. Disaster ensues.
136	* SoleSurvivingScientist: A scientist who has survived the apocalypse and might be able to fix things.
137	* SpreadingDisasterMapGraphic: A map showing the source of the disaster slowly spreading across the land.
138	* StandardPostApocalypticSetting: A post-apocalyptic featuring a lot of mutants, ruined cities, and brown palettes.
139	* StarKilling: Someone or something destroys a star, even one that has surrounding planets.
140	* TheStarsAreGoingOut: Stars disappearing from the night sky is a sign of bad, bad things.
141	* SterilityPlague: A disease has rendered those infected unable to bear children.
142	* StoryboardingTheApocalypse: Showing, in full detail, just what will happen and how if the day isn't saved.
143	* SugarApocalypse: A place of sunshine and rainbows falls apart.
144	* SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum: A villain tries destroying the entire world, themself included.
145	* SyntheticPlague: A plague was created by humans, intentionally or not.
146	* TeenageWasteland: A world where children somehow gain power over adults.
147	* UnspecifiedApocalypse: The cause or nature of the apocalypse is left unknown.
148	* UrbanRuins: Cities or other urban areas fallen to ruins.
149	* VillainWorld: TheBadGuyWins, and he takes over the world.
150	* WastelandElder: The older leader of a small survivor group, probably with the knowledge of how the world was before it ended.
151	* WastelandWarlord: The despotic leader of a survivor group, often organizing them into warbands to raid and harass other survivors.
152	* WatchTheWorldDie: Instead of trying to survive, a character chooses to just sit back and watch the world end, probably too despaired to do anything else.
153	* WeJustNeedToWaitForRescue: A character insists on sitting back and waiting to be rescued from some disaster.
154	* TheWorldIsAlwaysDoomed: It doesn't matter how many times the world is saved, because tomorrow, it'll just be threatened again.
155	* WorldWarIII: The next big world war, which changes everything.
156	* WorldWarWhatever: World Wars after World War III.
157	* ZombieApocalypse: The world ends via being overrun by the undead.
158	[[/index]]

Context Main / ApocalypticIndex