History Main / SpacetimeEater

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', [[EldritchAbomination the Things from the Dungeon Dimension]] want to invade the Disc because their home is sorely lacking in reality. They believe invading the Disc and consuming its reality will make them more real, though it's stated to be as futile as the ocean trying to warm itself with a candle.

* Neo-Exdeath from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', who says he/she/it will consume all memories, dimensions, and existence. Then he/she/it too will dissapear, forever.

* ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'': The Abyss as a whole constantly gnaw at reality, for it's a stillborn universe.

* ''BlackQueenRedKing'' has one in the form of Oblivion. Discord claims that Oblivion was created to consume all of reality itself.

''BlackQueenRedKing'' has one in the form of Oblivion. Discord claims that Oblivion was created to consume all of reality itself.

->''"That body of light is the sign of a super-dimensional life-form. [...] He eats dimensions for lunch!"''

* In the ''VideoGame/FreeSpace 2'' fan fiction ''VideoGame/BluePlanet'', overheard thoughts of SufficientlyAdvancedAliens reference something they call an "ontovore". The word's etymology suggests that it refers to something which consumes existence. They also refer to the same thing as an "[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acatalepsy acatalepsis]] event". Not a whole lot is known about it, and it's implied that even thinking about the subject is [[ThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow dangerous to one's mental health]].

** ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'' has the Time Eater, a creature that eats holes in space and time and throwing Sonic into places he's been to before. [[spoiler:It turns out that it's an EnergyBeing that Eggman and his past self turned into a cyborg-mech-abomination.]]

* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': [[BigBad Alduin the World-Eater]], whose raison d'etre is to devour the universe at the end of time to make way for the next world. [[spoiler:In the current one, according to some theories he jumped the gun: it wasn't time for the world to end, which was why first the Tongues, then the Dragonborn were able to defeat him.]]

* While [[{{Transformers}} Unicron]] ''appears'' to be a "mere" PlanetEater, he actually feeds off of existence itself in his bid to [[OmnicidalManiac eliminate all of reality]] and be truly alone. The dark god has already devoured more than a fifth of the multiverse.

* ''MageTheAwakening'': The Abyss as a whole constantly gnaw at reality, for it's a stillborn universe.

* ''AllStarSuperman'' had the Chronovore, a monster that eats time. When it feeds, the surrounding environment and creatures suffer RapidAging.

For this type of being, sustenance goes well beyond organic matter--or any kind of matter, [[IncrediblyLamePun for that matter]]. More dangerous than Alien Locusts and those who feed on blood, LifeEnergy, or {{planet|Eater}}s, what it eats does not even exist tangibly, for it feeds on ''existence itself''. Such individuals often are EldritchAbominations or display ThePowerOfTheVoid.

* [[Franchise/CthulhuMythos "The Space Eaters"]] by Frank Belknap Long begins with a conversation between the narrator and his friend on such EldritchAbominations:

* While [[{{Transformers}} Unicron]] ''appears'' to be a "mere" PlanetEater, he actually feeds off of existence itself in his bid to [[OmnicidalManiac eliminate all of reality]] aside from himself. The dark god has already devoured more than a fifth of the multiverse.

* While [[Franchise//{{Transformers}} Unicron]] ''appears'' to be a "mere" PlanetEater, he actually feeds off of existence itself in his bid to [[OmnicidalManiac eliminate all of reality]] aside from himself. The dark god has already devoured more than a fifth of the multiverse.

* While black holes aren't living, they do have a gravitational pull so powerful that spacetime is distorted in an infinite curvature towards its centre, consuming everything, even light.

* ''ShakuganNoShana'': The Denizens of the Crimson World are monsters from another world who consume the "power of existence" of humans. If they eat your power of existence, you're RetGone'd from reality. Interestingly, the majority of the cast are such [[HumanoidAbomination monsters]], and a significant number of them try to find a way to get around their morally-indefensible diet. [[spoiler:They eventually find a way, thanks to Snake!Yuuji]].

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/TheNeverendingStory''. The Nothing is consuming the land of Fantasia. If it isn't stopped, Fantasia will be destroyed.
[[/folder]]

See also RealityWarper, which is about controlling reality instead of eating it, AbstractEater which is the super trope to this, and ClockRoaches which are guardians of causality that eliminate things that threaten it.

* While black holes aren't living, they do have a gravitational pull so powerful that spacetime is bent in an infinite curve towards its centre, consuming everything, even light.

For this type of being, sustenance goes well beyond organic matter--or any kind of matter, [[IncrediblyLamePun for that matter]]. More dangerous than those who feed on blood, LifeEnergy, or {{planet|Eater}}s, what it eats does not even exist tangibly, for it feeds on ''existence itself''. Such individuals often display ThePowerOfTheVoid.

* While black holes aren't living, they do have a gravitational pull that is so strong that time and space bends towards it.

See also RealityWarper, which is about controlling reality instead of eating it, and ClockRoaches which are guardians of causality that eliminate things that threaten it.

[[AC:Film]]

[[AC:Comics]]

* [[spoiler:[[{{Shazam}} Mister Mind]]]] almost became this in ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', bringing the 52 alternate universes in existence (their main differences being the parts of the respective realities which he "ate").

[[AC:Literature]]

* [[CthulhuMythos "The Space Eaters"]] by Frank Belknap Long begins with a conversation between the narrator and his friend on such EldritchAbominations:

* {{Stephen King}}'s ''{{The Langoliers}}'' had an airliner fly through a "time rip", landing at an airport with all its passengers but ten disappeared. The ten passengers, who were all sleeping during the passage through the rift, were all stuck in time such that time did not move forward (although they could move within that frame). Eventually, they saw mysterious ball-like creatures with sharp gnashing teeth literally "eating" the surrounding existence itself, approaching them....

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* The Eldrazi titans from ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' were exactly this before being trapped in a physical form on the plane of Zendikar by three powerful planeswalkers. Now they simply nom Zendikar from the inside, turning everything they meet to dust.
** Another ''Magic: The Gathering'' example: While each variety of atog has its own diet, the chronatog is the most bizarre and is described as feeding on time... somehow. In the card game this is represented by the player skipping his next turn.

[[AC:Toys]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* ''TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': [[BigBad Alduin the World-Eater]], whose raison d'etre is to devour the universe at the end of time to make way for the next world. [[spoiler:In the current one, according to some theories he jumped the gun: it wasn't time for the world to end, which was why first the Tongues, then the Dragonborn were able to defeat him.]]

[[AC:RealLife]]
* While black holes aren't living, they do have a gravitational pull that is so strong that time and space bends towards it.