History Main / PlanningForTheFutureBeforeTheEnd

* In each of the ''Franchise/MassEffect'' games, Shepard and their crew have every reason to believe that they're not going to survive the final confrontation against Saren (''VideoGame/MassEffect1'')/the SuicideMission (''VideoGame/MassEffect2'')/the final push against the Reapers (''VideoGame/MassEffect3''). That doesn't stop them from making plans.

*** And if Shepard romanced Samantha, she promises to take her to [[CanadaEh Vancouver]] after the Reapers are defeated. Sam is not impressed. ("Not Paris. Not Venice. ''Vancouver''." "It's a lovely city!" "You never take me anywhere nice.")
* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', the members of SEES make a plan to meet on Graduation Day, even though they have every reason to believe that the world will end before that day ever arrives.

Although this is, for the most part, a DeathTrope (and thus spoileriffic), this one has far more exceptions than most. As mentioned above, there are times when one character is just saying goodbye. Other times, the characters end up getting out just fine in the end. Compare MyDeathIsOnlyTheBeginning, where a character (usually a villain) makes a detailed plan for after they die. Contrast {{Retirony}}, where the plans are made, but the character(s) have no sense of their impending doom.

Compare IfWeGetThroughThis

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* In ''Anime/CodeGeass'', [[spoiler:as Euphemia dies after being mortally wounded by Lelouch,]] Suzaku tearfully begs her to join him [[spoiler:and his friends at Ashford Academy. Euphie gently rejects the idea, having already accepted that her time is up, and tells Suzaku to continue on in school for both of them.]]
* In ''Manga/HellTeacherNube'', this happens when [[spoiler: Nuubee, after his LoveEpiphany, rescues an already badly injured Yukime from her father's BattleButler. As he carries her away while talking about what they'll do now that they're together, poor Yukime whispers "I... I'll love you... always..." and passes on. He doesn't notice until he reaches for his students and Ritsuko, and then Yukime's body starts disappearing and melting into snowflakes... (Don't worry, she gets better, but [[EarnyourHappyEnding it takes quite the effort and time.]])]]
* A particularly heart-wrenching example occurs in ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'': as [[spoiler: his wife, Nagisa, dies during childbirth, Tomoya goes on talking to her optimistically about all of the fun they're going to have as a family whilst holding their newborn baby.]]
* In the animated adaptation of ''VisualNovel/{{Hakuouki}}'', Chizuru tries to encourage the grievously wounded [[spoiler:Yamazaki]] that he must get better soon because [[spoiler:there'll be lots of injured in the war, and as the Shinsengumi's primary medic he'll be needed to tend the wounded.]] It doesn't help.
* ''Manga/PandoraHearts'' has a more stealthy example. [[spoiler:While approaching the series' FinalDungeon, Oz suggests having a tea party after the GrandFinale and everyone gets excited. Within a few hours of that conversation, though, over half their group is dead including him. While at first it seemed like cruel irony, flashbacks reveal that Oz had been aware he was going to [[MessianicArchetype die]], making his tea party conversation a fridge example of this trope.]]

* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventureLastEvolutionKizuna'', [[spoiler:Tai and Matt spend the end of the movie with Agumon and Gabumon separately, during their final moments before the latter two vanish. Agumon and Gabumon each ask Tai and Matt what they plan on doing the next day, and before the two can answer, they have already disappeared.]]
* ''Anime/MacrossDelta'': In ''[[NonSerialMovie Absolute Live]]'', [[spoiler: Hayate and Freyja]] engage in this when the latter is near death [[spoiler: due to crystallisation]], making plans to live their lives out together on an apple farm on Windermere. [[spoiler: Hayate manages to fulfil half the plan; while Freyja dies before they can do so, Hayate is seen tending an apple farm with his adopted daughter in TheStinger.]]

* In ''[[ComicBook/BatmanBeyond Justice League Beyond]]'', we learn in Warhawk's ADayInTheLimelight flashback story that after the events of ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague Unlimited'', his father Green Lantern/John Stewart was going to propose to Vixen. However, [[spoiler:Shadow Thief kills her right as he proposes. As John rushes her to the Watchtower med bay, she uses her final breath to say yes.]] For the record, John ends up marrying Shayera afterwards.

* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens''. After The Missing Link and Dr. Cockroach are telling each other ItHasBeenAnHonor, B.O.B. tells them he'll see them tomorrow for lunch. They agree although B.O.B. was totally serious...

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', after Cap makes his choice to [[spoiler:[[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice himself]], he and Peggy make plans for a date. A tearful Peggy tells him, [[HowDareYouDieOnMe "Don't you dare be late."]] He agrees, and reminds her that he can't dance, and worries about stepping on her feet. He gets [[KilledMidSentence cut off mid-sentence]] as he crashes into the sea.]]
** In ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', [[spoiler:he is finally able to fulfil his promise and travels back to the 1940's to spend his life with her. The final shot of the movie is them sharing the dance he promised her]].
* In ''Film/StarTrek2009'', George Kirk has a conversation with his wife on what to name their son. All the while, he's being totally awesome and securing the escape of his wife and crew.
* At the end of ''Film/SeekingAFriendForTheEndOfTheWorld'', Dodge and Penny lay down in his bed and share small talk about her childhood to distract themselves from the impact of the giant asteroid that is about to decimate the planet and destroy all life on it. It turns into a variation of DyingDeclarationOfLove when they confess their love for one another--neither of them is in any pain, but they're both about to die.

* Related: In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheReturnOfTheKing'', when Frodo's lost all hope of even reaching Mordor, Sam perks him up by planning out loud how to ration their food [[BoringReturnJourney for the trip back home]]. [[TearJerker All Frodo can do in response is look at him.]]

* In ''Film/Camille1936'', Armand tries to assure the dying Marguerite that a {{Happily Ever After}} life lies in wait for them as he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight cradles her in his arms.]] She dies [[DistractedFromDeath without him noticing]] as he describes his vision of their future.
* A big TearJerker part of ''Film/FindingNeverland''. It counts as Peter's BerserkButton, as he ''hates'' grown-ups lying to him and sees adults planning for the future when it's obvious that they're going to die as lying to act like everything will be alright. Before his father died he and his mother were making plans for a family fishing trip. Peter's mother, even as she's dying herself, continues to do housework because no one but her can take care of her three sons.
* In ''Film/{{Alexander}}'', the title character does this as his best friend/lover Hephaistion lies dying. As he describes the lands they'll conquer in the future, he wanders to the window to gaze toward those lands, and as he does so, Hephaistion [[DistractedFromDeath dies unnoticed behind his back]].

* In the third installment of ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'', [[spoiler: Jon has something of a one-sided version of this with his LoveInterest, the [[StarCrossedLovers dying Ygritte]]. As Jon [[DiedInYourArmsTonight holds Ygritte]], he tells her that she'll be fixed up, that she'll see a hundred castles, and that they'll return to their cave together. Her response is simply, "[[MeaningfulEcho You know nothing, Jon Snow.]]"]]

* A lot of this happens in Nevil Shute's ''Literature/OnTheBeach,'' as everyone tries to face the end with peace and dignity. People continue tending their gardens as if there will be a next season, that sort of thing.

* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'': As Tony lies dying in Maria's arms, the two discuss how they're going to get away because no one will let them be. She starts to sing a reprise of a song about how they will leave. He dies before she can finish.

* In the last act ''Theatre/LaTraviata'', the duet "Parigi, o cara" has Violetta and Alfredo imagining a {{Happily Ever After}} future in the country, just a few minutes before Violetta succumbs to her {{Incurable Cough of Death}}.

** It also acts as a subversion. With Tidus and Rikku hell-bent on [[TakeAThirdOption finding another way]] and Auron quietly (but awesomely) backing the idea, Yuna eventually ''rejects'' the whole idea that she has to die [[spoiler: and twist a loved one into the next Sin]], culminating in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'' where she tells someone who plans a HeroicSacrifice "your plan sucks!"
* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', the members of SEES make a plan to meet on Graduation Day, even though they have every reason to believe that the world will end before that day ever arrives.
** Along the same lines, during the Christmas Eve date with Akihiko in the female protagonist's route in ''Persona 3 Portable'', he gives her a music box and promises to give her something to put in it every year.

* ''VideoGame/KanColle'': Shoukaku's marriage line has her telling the Admiral to wait until after the Mariana campaign. Her historical counterpart never made it.

* ''{{Webcomic/Homestuck}}'': The last thing uranianUmbra does before taking her (possibly final) nap is to call Roxy and confide in her: [[spoiler: her true name, her real species, her species' nature, and the relationship between herself and her brother. The first and last ones are most important to this trope: if somebody says her name to her brother, he will fall asleep and she will wake up, and vice versa. She leaves Roxy with her name so that if she never wakes up on her own, Roxy can contact her brother and do it herself.]]

* Played for laughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E8LisaTheSkeptic Lisa the Skeptic]]," Edna suggests she and Skinner have sex one last time before the end. Skinner agrees, but true to form, asks her to wait a little so he can finish signing some tardy slips. Not even a possible apocalypse can keep Skinner from upholding the school rules.

Although this is, for the most part, a DeathTrope (and thus spoileriffic), this one has far more exceptions than most. As mentioned above, there are times when one character is just saying goodbye. Other times, the characters end up getting out just fine in the end. Contrast {{Retirony}}, where the plans are made, but the character(s) have no sense of their impending doom.

Sometimes, people give one FinalSpeech before they die. Other times, they'll tell their comrades that ItHasBeenAnHonor, or to their loved one that they're SorryThatImDying. In this scenario, however, they completely avoid the subject. Rather than discuss their impending doom (or their loved one's), they'll have a casual conversation about something completely unrelated. Maybe they'll make plans for a date, or talk about how lovely their home is this time of year and that they should visit soon. Of course, they (and the audience) are well aware that those plans will never be.

Compare IfWeGetThroughThis.

* In the series finale of ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Buffy, Xander, and Willow discuss going to the mall the next day while preparing for the FinalBattle. Unsurprisingly, all three of them survive (though the mall is destroyed, leading Dawn to comment that she fought on the wrong side).
** Two seasons earlier, Xander proposed to Anya just as they go off to stop the Apocalypse (again).

[[folder:Web Original]]
* [[https://uglygirlstatus.tumblr.com/post/614232607156322304/shingojira-this-exchange-between-me-and-my A popular Tumblr post]] concerns a conversation which inadvertently evoked this trope:
-->'''sister:''' Hmm I might get it\\
'''sister:''' And we could be friends in it?\\
'''op:''' Yeah we can be friends\\
'''op:''' You can come to my island\\
'''sister:''' That sounds nice
--->'''''shingojira'''''\\
''this exchange between me and my sister about animal crossing reads like two comrades bleeding out on the battlefield''
[[/folder]]

--->'''''shingojira'''\\
this exchange between me and my sister about animal crossing reads like two comrades bleeding out on the battlefield''

** Along the same lines. during the Christmas Eve date with Akihiko in the female protagonist's route in ''Persona 3 Portable'', he gives her a music box and promises to give her something to put in it every year.

'''Sheriff Hague''': [[FamousLastWords I think I can damn near guarantee that.]]

* ''VideoGame/KantaiCollection'': Shoukaku's marriage line has her telling the Admiral to wait until after the Mariana campaign. Her historical counterpart never made it.

* In ''Anime/DigimonAdventureLastEvolutionKizuna'', [[spoiler:Tai and Matt spend the end of the movie with Agumon and Gabumon separately, during their final moments before the latter two vanish forever. Agumon and Gabumon each ask Tai and Matt what they plan on doing the next day, and before the two can answer, they have already disappeared.]]

* ''VideoGame/KantaiCollection'': Shoukaku's marriage line has her telling the Admiral to wait until after Mariana's. Her historical counterpart never made it.

* Related: In ''Film/ReturnOfTheKing'', when Frodo's lost all hope of even reaching Mordor, Sam perks him up by planning out loud how to ration their food [[BoringReturnJourney for the trip back home]]. [[TearJerker All Frodo can do in response is look at him.]]

* In ''Film/Alexander'', the title character does this as his best friend/lover Hephaistion lies dying. As he describes the lands they'll conquer in the future, he wanders to the window to gaze toward those lands, and as he does so, Hephaistion [[DistractedFromDeath dies unnoticed behind his back]].

* In the 1936 Greta Garbo film of ''Camille'', Armand tries to assure the dying Marguerite that a {{Happily Ever After}} life lies in wait for them as he [[DiedInYourArmsTonight cradles her in his arms.]] She dies [[DistractedFromDeath without him noticing]] as he describes his vision of their future.