History Main / AfterTheEnd

[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Something hugely nasty]] has happened to humanity. Be it nuclear war (which was once very popular but has gone out of vogue, in part due to the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar), ThePlague (which currently seems to be the most popular), natural disaster (which seems the most likely to happen in the near future in RealLife), [[WorldWreckingWave supernatural disaster]] (usually the case with a SealedEvilInACan or missing CosmicKeystone), devastating [[GaiasLament environmental changes]] (which, in this kind of fiction, happen too quickly for civilisation to adapt), a ZombieApocalypse (also hugely popular these days), or an AlienInvasion (God help us if ''that'' one happens) - most (if not ''[[HumanitysWake all]]'') of humanity is gone.

[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Something hugely nasty]] has happened to humanity. Be it nuclear war (which was once very popular but has gone out of vogue, in part due to the end of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar), ThePlague (which currently seems to be the most popular), natural disaster (which seems the most likely to happen in the near future in RealLife), [[WorldWreckingWave supernatural disaster]] (usually the case with a SealedEvilInACan or missing CosmicKeystone), devastating [[GaiasLament environmental changes]] (which, in this kind of fiction, happen too quickly for civilisation to adapt), a ZombieApocalypse (also hugely popular these days), or an AlienInvasion (God help us if ''that'' one happens) - most of humanity is gone.

In any post-apocalyptic story created after the release of ''Film/MadMax'', it is almost assured that the obvious and natural way for the world to look after a civilisation-destroying cataclysm is "the Australian Outback". ''[[StandardPostApocalypticSetting There is no need to explain this. Global catastrophe turns the world into a gangster-infested anarchist]] WretchedHive [[DeathWorld Australia]]. It just follows logically.'' However, in any After the End story created around the 1950s, expect to see plenty of {{Nuclear Nast|y}}ies due to RuleOfCool.

If civilisation is depicted after a ''BizarroApocalypse'', [[RealityIsOutToLunch things will get really strange]].

Compare JustBeforeTheEnd, EndOfAnAge, AndManGrewProud. Not to be confused with TheStinger, an after the end credits scene. See also SoiledCityOnAHill and DepopulationBomb. The people who lived before the end will often come to be seen as {{Precursors}} of some stripe or another.

* Roleplay/DinoAttackRPG takes place in the aftermath of an apocalypse at the hands of mutant dinosaurs, though its not entirely objecting to the possibility of reconstruction. The alternate ending ''December 21, 2010'', on the other hand, takes this up so high it makes Literature/TheRoad look ''optimistic'' in comparison.

[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Something hugely nasty]] has happened to humanity. Be it nuclear war (which was once very popular but has gone out of vogue, in part due to TheGreatPoliticsMessUp), ThePlague (which currently seems to be the most popular), natural disaster (which seems the most likely to happen in the near future in RealLife), [[WorldWreckingWave supernatural disaster]] (usually the case with a SealedEvilInACan or missing CosmicKeystone), devastating [[GaiasLament environmental changes]] (which, in this kind of fiction, happen too quickly for civilisation to adapt), a ZombieApocalypse (also hugely popular these days), or an AlienInvasion (God help us if ''that'' one happens) - most of humanity is gone.

[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/HellgateLondon https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/PostApocalypseLondon001_2039.jpg]]]]

* In ''Animation/LingLongIncarnation'' the world is a barren wasteland, covered in the ruins of once advanced cities. Its also a setting rarely explored in Chinese works of fiction, as noted [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGVyXYB3GU8 here.]]

In any post-apocalyptic story created after the release of ''Film/MadMax'', it is almost assured that the obvious and natural way for the world to look after a civilisation-destroying cataclysm is "the Australian Outback". ''[[ApocalypseAnarchy There is no need to explain this. Global catastrophe turns the world into]] [[TheApunkalypse a gangster-infested anarchist]] WretchedHive [[DeathWorld Australia.]] It just follows logically.'' However, in any After the End story created around the 1950s, expect to see plenty of {{Nuclear Nast|y}}ies due to RuleOfCool.

* ''Theatre/MrBurnsAPostElectricPlay'', by Anne Washburn, takes place after a catastrophic event that seems to combine post-nuke and PostPeakOil. In the first act it's established that humans are keeping alive distorted memories of their old culture - notably ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' -- through oral tradition. The second act takes place decades later after [[FromBadT=oWorse another apocalypse]].

* ''Theatre/MrBurnsAPostElectricPlay'', by Anne Washburn, takes place after a catastrophic event that seems to combine post-nuke and PostPeakOil. In the first act it's established that humans are keeping alive distorted memories of their old culture - notably ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' - through oral tradition. The second act takes place decades later after [[FromBadToWorse another apocalypse]].
* ''Theatre/TheLastBreakfastClub'' is a musical sequel to ''Film/TheBreakfastClub'', in which the film took place on the day of [[NukeEm nuclear holocaust,]] with the seven main characters being the sole survivors. The musical takes place years later, as they survive in the school building and contemplate leaving to attempt at restarting society.

* Two variations show up during the Gemini arc of ''Podcasts/{{Sequinox}}''.

* AfterTheEnd/{{Theatre}}

* AfterTheEnd/ComicStrips

* AfterTheEnd/{{Podcasts}}
* AfterTheEnd/{{Roleplay}}

* AfterTheEnd/{{Toys}}

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-->-- ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' intro monologue

Related, if not quite the same, [[DarkAgeEurope is the period immediately after the fall of Rome]]; most {{Film}} and TV set in this time tend to depict it as a time of post-apocalyptic anarchist savagery populated by interwarring warlords. Thus, After the End stories will reference historical parallels about humanity's decay into MedievalMorons [[TheDungAges wallowing in filth and superstition]], fighting for survival, and [[BurnTheWitch exterminating any "mutants" with fire]]. In fact, while there was a significant increase in banditry and piracy, most areas were peaceful most of the time. Fantasy series (especially {{JRPG}}s) are chock full of ancient, highly advanced civilizations that met their end and pitted humanity into a long Dark Age in a similar manner.

Compare JustBeforeTheEnd, EndOfAnAge, AndManGrewProud. Not to be confused with TheStinger, an after the end credits scene. See also SoiledCityOnAHill and DepopulationBomb.

* AfterTheEnd/FanFic

If you're really lucky, you may get a CosyCatastrophe, in which case it's best to be friendly and humane, but also adaptable and brave. Of course, that's not a bad personality in RealLife. If you're really unlucky, the only ones left to mourn at HumanitysWake will be robots, mutants and aliens. Or dogs -- you just better hope you [[PostApocalypticDog brought yours along for the ride]], and it stays faithful...

* AfterTheEnd/NewspaperComics

->"''It was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter in human history.''"

The result is generally that you have the remnants of humanity fighting to survive in a hellish and devastated CrapsackWorld full of SceneryGorn, [[GhostCity Ghost Cities]] and a lot of nastiness in every corner of whatever remained of past civilization. This environment is perhaps also a ScavengerWorld which may have pieces of SchizoTech and LostTechnology (or even WeirdScience) here and there, but also where people inevitably degrade down to DisasterScavengers and {{Crazy Survivalist}}s, for whom staying alive may well mean being ReducedToRatburgers or [[ImAHumanitarian worse]]. If enough time has passed, those born after the end may hear stories of TheBeforetimes from those few who survived the catastrophe, trying to impress upon the children what [[GloryDays humanity was]] and still is capable of. Expect a FishOutOfTemporalWater who SleptThroughTheApocalypse to wake up to see their world changed. At any point in the setting an ApocalypticLog may be found to explain exactly why the world was devastated in the first place, and/or an ArchaeologicalArmsRace might break out to reclaim the old world's technology.