Trope Talk: Save The World

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Bad news, guys! The stakes have never been higher! If we can't pull off the plot challenge of the week, the world as we know it will literally end! What do you mean, "the author can't let that happen"? Shush, you! We are in extremely real and worrying danger, and you should definitely be concerned of our chances of failure!
Got a favorite execution of this trope? Drop it in a comment!
EXAMPLES USED, ROUGHLY IN ORDER: Transformers 2, Steven Universe (It Could've Been Great), Resident Evil: Extinction, Berserk, Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes (Gamma World), Gravity Falls (Weirdmageddon), Storm Hawks (Finale), Kingsman: The Secret Service, Galactus, Dark Phoenix Saga, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Danny Phantom (Urban Jungle), Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
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[@BL_Lusha]

I'm reminded of Guardian of the Galaxy, where Rocket asks Quill, "What has the Galaxy ever done for you! Why would you want to save it!" And his response is , "I'm one of the idiots who lives in it!"

[@Rachel-fi4sc]

Effin' love that quote!

[@NikkiBudders]

omg i spent 5 minutes googling for that exact quote to post it XD

[@seanbigay1042]

Great minds think alike. Just posted that same line myself.

[@michaelmacvittie6977]

"The world is in danger!" "My *evening's* in danger!"

[@talongreenlee7704]

Michael MacVittie I am the greatest good you are EVER gonna get!

[@tuesdaywithanh]

Thank you! You have brought the exact right reference! ^_^

[@ninjamonkey2251]

Frozone says that the city is in danger, not that the world is in danger, but still a great scene.

[@rewindgamer3620]

WHERE IS MY SUPER SUIT

[@anad.6896]

ninjamonkey2251 technically he says the public’s in danger so none of these are technically wrong

[@antares1694]

"A single death is a tragedy; a thousand deaths is a statistic."

[@MrTrellheim]

Actually, the quote says "a million deaths", but yeah, i was thinking of that sentence too.

[@lelouchvibritannia7809]

The person who said that has a point I know who said it btw.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@MrTrellheim who said that original quote?

[@carloseduardo9271]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 Stalin

[@mangle9143]

A billion deaths is nigh unimaginable

[@skyhideaway]

"I want to save the world for the people who depend on me." "I want to save the world to honor Rose's legacy." "I want to save the world where I'm allowed to express myself freely." "I, uh.. I want to save the world because I live here."

[@tortis6342]

Peter Quill

[@theradionicrevival8068]

Amethyst

[@mlgsamantha5863]

The last one sounds a lot like Fall Barros from the webcomic Sword Interval

[@Excelsior1937]

“I will fight for the place where I’m allowed to be gay!” “I will fight for the one I was gay for!” “…I just live here” “My mom said I have to”

[@shmoko3926]

@@Excelsior1937 my mon said i had to like this and i agree

[@ScholRLea]

Arthur Dent's internal monologue upon discovering that the Earth was gone is one of the best descriptions of how hard imagining 'the end of the world' really is: _"Visions of it swam sickeningly through his nauseated mind. There was no way his imagination could feel the impact of the whole Earth having gone, it was too big. He prodded his feelings by thinking that his parents and sister had gone. No reaction. He thought of all the people he had been close to. No reaction. Then he thought of a complete stranger he had been standing behind in the queue at the supermarket two days before and felt a sudden stab - the super market was gone, everyone in it was gone. Nelson's Column had gone! Nelson's column had gone and there would be no outcry, because there was no one left to make an outcry. From now on Nelson's Column only existed in his mind. England only existed in his mind - his mind, stuck here in this dank smelly steel-lined spaceship. A wave of claustrophobia closed in on him... He passed out. When he came around a second later he found he was sobbing for his mother."_

[@jillianlutes152]

I was a little surprised she didn't bring this up, because really, it's kind of a brilliant example of what she's talking about. I love how Adams goes places no one else would dare go with his writing and gets away with it because he's so far out of the box, the box almost ceases to exist. It's also probably why his books are nearly unfilmable.

[@ronjayrose9706]

@@jillianlutes152 what's the name of the author?

[@jillianlutes152]

@@ronjayrose9706 Douglas Adams

[@HimanXK]

@@ronjayrose9706 it's from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, one of those books that's quoted far more than it's read. And to be fair, it's infinitely quotable

[@paintedcrow]

"There is no longer any such thing as a McDonald's hamburger."

[@eilisevans]

I love how the background music is a violin cover of 'its the end of the world, I feel fine' or what ever it is.

[@GlaceonStudios]

R.E.M.!

[@AngelusAnsell]

I love even more how I am not the only person notice and love this.

[@kobalt-red5895]

There’s a violin cover of a pop song in almost every video, it’s not always relevant, though

[@erevansilverfrond4911]

It’s the end of the world as we know it/ It’s the end of the world as we know it/ It’s the end of the world as we know it/ And I feel fine.

[@anjaliguitaristpenguin9578]

@@erevansilverfrond4911 that's great it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes and airplanes. . .

[@izzy1221]

'Because i'm one of the idiots who lives in it!' -StarLord's reason for why he saved the world/universe.

[@darkflame728]

And it's a wonderful reason. XD

[@MrKago1]

the only time I've ever heard that reason used, even though its actually the best reason.

[@MonteCreations]

Trunks: "....He's going to blow up the planet." Krillin: "BUT I LIVE HERE!" -TFS

[@KrazyStargazer]

Isagail I was thinking the same thing lol

[@RaikyaDafiren]

Isagail ah yes, The sweet sweet reasonable answer ! I don't think it's always spoken out but most "chaotic Good" (or well, also/or self-centered )characters would react like that if the world was about to end

[@noizepusher7594]

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy takes advantage of the whole “humans can’t comprehend the entire earth being destroyed” by actually destroying the entire Earth and just shrugging it off as a joke.

[@leafruns7672]

Actully it daels with it very well, it makes a point of the human having to build up to the idea that the whole world is gone by thinking of things like the corrner store. And the preception of eternity onlu being understood in a really big but finite space.

[@noizepusher7594]

@@leafruns7672 I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s quite incredible.

[@IffyJottere]

"The last thing any rational being can afford to have is a sense of perspective."

[@himum3429]

@@IffyJottere Where's that from?

[@liamnehren1054]

@@leafruns7672 also how it is presented at the same time as the main character's house being demolished for the exact same reason and level of idiotic bureaucracy just on a larger scale.

[@dappercuttlefish9557]

"What are you going to do? Actually destroy the world?" Hirohiko Araki: "Did I stutter?"

[@mikedanielespeja6128]

Yes, *I AM*

[@thanatoast]

*HEAVEN*

[@vinzcastro9304]

Huh? I thought the baseball outfit mofo killed the gay black priest?

[@dappercuttlefish9557]

Vinz Castro Yeah, but only after everything went horrible and the world kinda ended. Then the world ended again and that mostly fixed it.

[@leanieves5386]

after finishing part 6 this is the only thing that crosses my mind in this video

[@danieloceansmith3156]

Villain: IF YOU DONT DEFEAT ME I WILL BLOW UP EARTH!!!! Hero:.... wait you mean the whole planet , the substance, or the guy named earth over there Earth: HEY-O! Villain:..... well the third one definitely. Hero: YOU MADMAN!!!!

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

that reminds me of Bills / Beerus' debut in Dragon Ball in the movie. At the end he supposedly sticking to his promise of destroying earth. he destroys a small part of it. like a small rock on it. and says "I am tired. I will destroy the rest when I feel like it"

[@Stormkrow280]

“My Son, the Planet, or Me?” “Yes” *gets blasted* “Freaking smart ass”

[@HTFFanOfFlaky]

@@ianr.navahuber2195 to be fair, he never said he would destroy it IMMEDIATELY

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@HTFFanOfFlaky don't you love loopholes

[@SharowbladyeGaymerPorate]

A guy’s superpower is Earth: Of the earth is actually destroyed he just dies and the closer it is to being destroyed the more pain he gets. If he dies the world resets with plenty of time for the heroes to stop the evenly scheme from happening again.

[@radhair3049]

The best way to subvert the "save the world" plot; ACTUALLY end the world

[@isaacgraff8288]

That sounds interesting. Provided its space age, have some some people have to deal with the world doesnt exist. Kind of like if they did more with TitanAE

[@LordOberic1]

Titan AE was fantastic.

[@alhemičarka]

Which is to say... Thor: Ragnarok?

[@heinoustentacles5719]

kind of like Evangelion

[@adamyooz]

*[SPOILERS FOR DEVILMAN CRYBABY]* In Devilman crybaby the villain wins, the hero dies, and humanity is annihilated. The show ends with the villain lamenting his decision because even though he got what he wanted, it was at the expense of the one person he loved. All he was left with was profound loneliness and the last thing we see is him sobbing over the hero’s lifeless body.

[@caggles]

My favourite version of this trope came from a D&D game I played in, where the party was actually tasked with CAUSING the end of the world. There was a prophesied apocalypse that was going to happen, and the party was going to use it to prevent an actually full-on "the world blinks completely out of existence" apocalypse. Going in, it was already a forgone conclusion that the world wouldn't blink out of existence because of this, so there was no worry there. The real tension came from our various plans to prevent the apocalypse from causing too much damage. Basically, the stakes were "how hard will it be to rebuild society on the other side" which turned out to be very effective.

[@wildharkyphake4887]

Woah that's really interesting

[@theLadyofSpoons]

in true DM fashion, i’m stealing this idea and subsequently succumbing to the irrational yet pervasive paranoia that one of my players will have read this comment. and i know for a fact that at least one of them watches these videos, so it will never really leave my head if i end up using this plot idea

[@The360MlgNoscoper]

Thor Ragnarok

[@liamnehren1054]

that reminds me of fable 3. "Will you gut the country to save the world?" too bad the system was so badly made it became more of a "Will you municipalize the country to save the world or gut it for some stupid unimaginable reason?"

[@abigailgriffin-wc3fm]

I'm going to use this idea for a very silly idea I have for Essentially, there's this prophecy that pops up like every few hundred years where the world is going to end, but there's always some chosen one who has a special ability to work prophecies around them and save the world Problem the chosen one kind of thought that they kind of wanted to destroy the world. So essentially the characters have to do this. The main character who's respective receive from is just another member of this doomsday cult Like no chosen one stuff or anything, they're just a member of the doomsday cult. It's basically an anthology series. The only thing special of why we're seeing from their perspective is that they are the narrator. It essentially an A log/ diary format where it kind of switches from diary, accounts of events to log, an account of what happened I think I didn't explain that right. A log is basically like goals completed the way you'd submit a form. Where is a diary is like a description of what the person feels about something The reason I write characters like this is because I've always loved fantasy slice of life

[@danmenard6917]

Thank you, Red, for bringing up Beerus' spin on the 'destroy the earth' trope villains seem to love so much. All he does is destroy a rock and says "There, I destroyed the earth." I laughed at how absurd, yet accurate the statement was.

[@LordDeathwing17]

R/technicallythetruth

[@BlueAvocado3]

@@LordDeathwing17 r/foundthemobileuser

[@battlesheep2552]

And it fits his character. He didn't WANT to destroy the Earth, he had to because he was disrespected and he has a reputation to uphold.

[@THTB_lol]

i haven't seen that dragon ball movie so all i think of beerus is "it seems you're a n-"

[@valritz1489]

"How many of you have had an existential crisis just looking up at the sky?" TOO REAL. There's a reason we conceived of the sky as being a solid dome with stars on it. To consider otherwise is TERRIFYING.

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

"Call me old-fashioned, but I believe the sun is an ancient deity, and frankly it scares the he// out of me."

[@j2dragon109]

Jean-Paul Audette Who said that?

[@jean-paulaudette9246]

@@j2dragon109 I beleive it was one of the comedic writing team for a short-lived TV show called "the State." I may be mistaken..

[@j2dragon109]

Jean-Paul Audette Okay, well thanks anyway.

[@bazookaboss332]

Super weirdly enough, when I was on my middle school excursion, I was actually scared to look up. At all. Even in daylight. I was constantly thinking how above me is literally endless space (and I also had thought of what if gravity turned for some reason). Truly a bizzare part of it all.

[@nelsonchereta816]

"One death is a tragedy, a million is a statistic." I think it's just human nature to care more about the people and things we know and are invested in rather than in concepts like 'the world.' If the TV told you the nukes were flying and the world would end in 20 minutes, would you think about the human race and the end of civilization? Or would you think about your parents, your children, your girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband? The biggest tragedies in life are always personal.

[@blugaledoh2669]

Than there is millions of tragedy.

[@a.morphous66]

Oh boy, Stalin quotes. My favorite kind.

[@muradm7748]

It isn't stalins quote.

[@gadielgonzalez2755]

Damn that's true though.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Agreed... If such a broadcast, netcast, or whatever were to come, most of us would just curl up together with whoever was in the house at the time and cry and hold each other until it was over... Strangely, though... I think in those last few minutes/hours... whatever, the suicide rate would sky-rocket too... (not sure why I'm so twisted as to go there) ;o)

[@AsdfAsdf-mi6ks]

Well I feel like “save the world” has become more “save America but also the world too I guess” XD

[@ronjayrose9706]

Feel like that would be the case with any country

[@AsdfAsdf-mi6ks]

MinutemanSam I was mainly just talking about trends I’ve seen in movies (American)

[@AsdfAsdf-mi6ks]

MinutemanSam like superhero movies for example.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

Probably due to that unable to comprehend the severeness of the situation thing mixed in with American egoism. It is far easier to focus on one area (In this case, America), then the rest of the world with it's 7 billion people.

[@foldabotZ]

Well it's because it's a story made by an American to appeal primarily an American audience but it's a matter of perspective. If you watch something from Japan that takes place in present day Japan and the world is threatened, it also becomes "Save Japan but also the World too I guess." If you watch a Bollywood(Indian) movie and it becomes "Save India but also the World too I guess." It's a matter of point of view, who and where the story primarily set in and who is it for.

[@gretablackwell495]

So basically, to make a “save the world” plot you have to make it feel like a world, rather than just a setting.

[@thekodex1186]

Yeah, but also make it feel like that might likely happen

[@avidreader4140]

Like how avatar did it. With touring the four nations and seeing the affect of the hundred year war. Not to mention that the one putting the world in danger doesn't even care about his own family.

[@ivanlagayacrus1891]

@@avidreader4140 avatar never threatened to end the world tho, political subjugation =/= extinction or apocalypse

[@avidreader4140]

@@ivanlagayacrus1891 ozai tried to burn down the entire continent of the earth kingdom on the day of sozins comet

[@TheSuperRatt]

@@avidreader4140 Which would have had such incredibly devastating ecological and even climatic effects that yes, it basically would have ended their world as they knew it.

[@albedo5455]

"The universe is where I keep all my stuff!" -Argit, Ben 10: Omniverse

[@TrueMohax]

Also the motivation for the Guardians of the galaxy in a nutshell

[@prototypeone7534]

As much as I hate that series (especially considering it followed after my two favorite Ben 10 series), I'll admit it got a good line every now and then

[@makotoplush9776]

Sounds like something Cayde-6 would say

[@johnmckenney4659]

the line was plagiarized from Bugs Bunny originally Bugs Bunny said to Marvin the Martian you can't blow up the Earth it's where I keep all of my stuff.

[@carloscaro9121]

Line was stolen from The Tick. kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4jLY3aoqs2lgc0

[@Keairan3]

"Maes Hughes' death is the first majorly upsetting thing in FMA Brotherhood" Nina and Alexander say hi.

[@littlebaron5573]

Keairan3 i remember watching that on toonami late one highschool night with my friends. That episode still pops in and out of my head. The whole concept just messed with my head

[@halocrafter300]

Keairan3 No they say “Ed...ward.”

[@amyd4227]

*scrolls down to make a comment* *sees basically the exact comment but way funnier* *leaves a like and scrolls back up*

[@DaRealKakarroto]

too soon … still too soon

[@szymonsokolinski9907]

My PTSD!

[@MiguelGonzalez-du8de]

I think Majora's Mask works pretty well with the "save the world" narrative. You literally have 3 days to stop the world from ending and the thing that makes it so personal and tragic are the characters and settings you encounter. Everyone has a very distinct personality and their whole lives are pending from a thread because they know they're gonna die. You can't help but feel very helpless when the last minutes are running and you don't want anyone to die, no matter how many times you go back in time

[@lukasnovella9001]

Me: The world is gonna end. I’m not joking Audience: nah, you wouldn’t Me: *actually ends world* Audience: *Surprised Picachu*

[@liseegeskov8769]

where can i find your story so i can be apart of the audience in this comment?

[@saraneff6831]

Same, I love those kefka-esque villian wins moments

[@maessu9233]

I'm actually planning a story that makes that happens lmao

[@kayseenick8146]

😯

[@aa-to6ws]

Is this a Final Space reference!?

[@thinman25]

"Can you destroy the Earth?" "Egads, I hope not! That's where I keep all my stuff!" -The Tick

[@kindredspirit9703]

PS238?

[@Nova7o9]

Oh my gosh, that's the exact quote I thought of, too! 😂

[@L0LWTF1337]

"Heroes got bigger and stakes got badder" Greatestest line ever. For better or worse.

[@Tekdruid]

Why does this sound like a Smash Mouth song to me?

[@sylversquirrel4703]

4:14 "or deadly viruses, whatever" That aged like fine wine...

[@wjzav1971]

People kind a forget that pandamics and disease have almost constantly existed in human history and have always taken their toll. We in the West have just grown so comfortable and secure that we kind a forgot how quickly and easily it can happen and has happened.

[@fionatastic0.070]

I think Stalin once said something like “one death is a tragedy, many deaths is a statistic.” It’s not necessarily less tragic if more people die obviously, but much harder to imagine and feel like you can care about or help with. Edit: Whoops, a commenter kindly pointed out that Stalin did not say that but I think the quote still stands.

[@CousinBowling]

That's a fake quote just so you know. No sarcasm intended.

[@doesntmatter2467]

@@CousinBowling Still a good line though and it refelects Stalins brutality.

[@CousinBowling]

@@doesntmatter2467 but it isn't reality.

[@doesntmatter2467]

@@CousinBowling No but I quote fictional people all the time.

[@Legitpenguins99]

Yeah, that doesn't really sound like something Stalin would say. I doubt a man responsible for the murder of tens of millions thinks much on the 20,000,000 killing

[@timsmith618]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy *kind of* subverts this trope by destroying the Earth in like the first five minutes. The "kind of" comes in in that the point of the story is not to save the Earth, or even get it back. So... yeah.

[@mccookies3664]

Also then it just sorta... comes back in the third book. The main characters didn’t save it, it’s just back.

[@Nobody134]

Yeah, they just kind of... rebuild it.

[@Dusk_Sarsis]

@@mccookies3664 I want to point out that it does finally get destroyed at the end of the last book, and everyone dies, so it subverts, unsubverts, and resubverts, the trope multiple times. Right down to having someone from the future make it sound like it can't possibly happen when it does. But then again, Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy always was a weird book.

[@Raycevick]

This is a far more detailed (and better) version of something I've talked about in regards to video games. With so many games being about being powerful, the medium has a habit of falling back on world ending stakes to make the player's power important rather than indulgent. Though, they often run into the issues you pointed out, as well as (sometimes) conflicting with the mechanics they utilized.

[@Cancoillotteman]

Except in video games you have the biais that more often than not YOU are playing that guy/gal that has to save the world. So the objective is not so much to make you feel the stakes than to build up the power of the ennemy, which means that your own power has to be even stronger. Take the example of Skyrim : you are constantly saving the region from multiple destructive ultimate threats (draugrs, bloody falmers, sorcerers, Deadras, vampires...) and you even have to save the entire world from Alduin ! Yet everyone knows nothing is really so much in danger, the point is much more to show and make feel how powerful Alduin is and how AWESOME Dovahkin has to be to defeat him ! You don't really care about the stakes, just about the might that is shown ;)

[@troin3925]

Raycevick Didn’t expect to see you! You’re video was exactly what I was thinking of while I was watching this!

[@darienwhite6223]

Holy frick it's you And I wouldn't say this is better, I would say it's different. You both have strengths in this field the other doesn't.

[@thegreendorito9095]

Raycevick, this is subverted in TWEWY. It's not the end of the world, but the end of the main character's world. It's a specially nerve racking with the "villain" being a fan favorite protagonist and the main character only just seeing how important this place is to him.

[@jaidenbaxter1871]

Then there is The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask

[@chrisnaden3590]

I feel like I should also say: one of the specific reasons the stakes rose to 'destroying the planet' is a) we found out about how the dinosaurs died and b) much more importantly, we actually invented a specific weapon which really /could/ wipe out the species world wide, and then spent 40 years threatening to throw those weapons around for very little reason. The impact of the nuclear war idea on storytelling is, I would argue, the inflection point in apocalypses scaling up. It's basically why superheroes stopped punching mafia goons and started trying to save the world.

[@carolinemcgovern4488]

I will say that this idea makes a lot of sense to me. Of course, threats are gonna scale up to the end of the world when humans figure out A) the world could be destroyed and B) It happened once before.

[@MattMcIrvin]

I think it started happening a little earlier, in the 19th century, when people started to smell that something like World War I could really happen. Chemical warfare, biological warfare, machine guns and tanks unleashed against civilian populations. Also, there were now global colonial empires challenging each other for supremacy over the whole world--true global superpowers. That's when you started to get stories like H. G. Wells' "The War of the Worlds" appearing, in which the stakes are really global and it's not just "God is annihilating us for our sins". As the weapons got worse the destroy-the-earth scenario just appeared on the stage more and more.

[@oliviapg]

Mostly irrelevant but something a lot of people might not realize is that you have those two events listed in the wrong order by several decades. Nowadays the asteroid wiping out the dinosaurs is just an accepted fact in the public consciousness so you may think it's been known since the early 20th century or something but the theory wasn't even proposed until *1980* (by Luis and Walter Alvarez), and for a while it was considered completely ridiculous until more evidence was found. It wasn't really the leading theory until *1991* when the Chicxulub crater was found to match Alvarez's theory, and even then it was still controversial for a while; even today some scientists argue against it, although that's a very fringe viewpoint now.

[@Skipston55]

“...There was no way his imagination could feel the impact of the whole Earth having gone, it was too big. He prodded his feelings by thinking that his parent and his sister had gone. No reaction.He thought of all the people he had been close to. No reaction. Then he thought of a complete stranger he had been standing behind in the queue at the supermarket two days before and felt a sudden stab: the supermarket was gone, everyone in it was gone! Nelson’s Column had gone! and there would be no outcry, because there was no one left to make an outcry! From now on Nelson’s Column only existed in his mind. England only existed in his mind. A wave of claustrophobia closed in on him. He tried again: America, he thought, has gone. He couldn’t grasp it, He decided to start smaller again. New York has gone. No reaction. He’d never seriously believed it existed anyway. The dollar, he thought, has sunk for ever. Slight tremor there. Every “Bogart” movie has been wiped, he said to himself, and that gave him a nasty knock. McDonald’s, he thought. There is no longer any such thing as a McDonald’s hamburger. He passed out.” -The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

[@Mellion555]

Oh my god thank you! I was actually thinking about this when she got to that part of the video and I was so sad she didn't bring it up. I wonder if she's ever read Hitchhikers Guide now? But yeah i was going to write this until I saw your comment. XD

[@plasmaballin]

This is exactly what I thought of when she mentioned that you can increase audience investment by focusing on a small part of the world like a particular character instead of the entire thing.

[@RedTailedSmeargle]

Skipston this book mang

[@Games-mw1wd]

This is exactly what I was looking for!

[@AusMarkus]

I know this sequence is, at least partly, meant to be humorous, but it really encapsulates the horror of an apocalyptic scenario. Realising that your entire life, and the lives connected to your own as well, has ended... damn.

[@saulcervantes1975]

"You can't have the entire world be at stake! It's too big for audiences to visualize!" Russo Brothers: "Hmm.....how about *half* the world?"

[@magnusprime962]

And it worked out well because seeing Thanos win in Infinity War established a precedent for Endgame. If the heroes can lose in spite of their best efforts against just Thanos, how much harder will it be to defeat him with his entire army and lieutenants backing him up?

[@BarbarianGod]

@@magnusprime962 I absolutely loved that they didn't pull one of those "actually don't worry it's fine" bits at the end like when superman died in the DC movies and the end showed the dirt around him still moving around or something. And then at the start of Endgame it's just like "yeah everything is actually REALLY terrible, here's Hawkeye's entire family being killed in an instant", didn't think a Disney-run Marvel universe would go there!

[@aionicthunder]

@@BarbarianGod Yeah, it’s the one good thing about live-action Disney right now, and I am happy at least that’s good

[@Travelling_Heart15]

Negotiation 101

[@Kittsuera]

half the world? a simple snap to pull off...

[@solidsnakejake185]

“What are you gonna do? Actually destroy the world?” Saints Row:”Hold my Beer”

[@cagedcoco1681]

Tbf, that was a plot twist for me...

[@brianlewolfhunt]

And I'm pretty sure that moment was a reference to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[@VenusFeuerFalle]

Was also thinking About this one. THis moemnt was so chocking to me then it sctually happened.

[@The_Bird_Bird_Harder]

I sure as hell did not see that coming. Like I was expecting to have a "kick alien ass, and retake earth!" Type plot. Not, everyone has died, and the earth no longer exists.

[@Attaxalotl]

@@The_Bird_Bird_Harder what are they gonna do for V

[@monkeybusiness673]

"Now that we knew the world, we could conceive of its destruction!" That sounds like a really badass line delivered by a weathered old man, telling his offspring about days long gone, sitting at a campfire amongst the rubble of civilization! I love it!

[@Just_Some_Guy_with_a_Mustache]

Every. Shonen. Anime. _Ever._

[@quffy1044]

Just Some Guy with a Mustache YOUR EVERYWHERE!!

[@awsomesaucekirby]

Just Some Guy with a Mustache i feel like i see you everywhere.

[@aluminiumsandworm]

not heroaca! yet.

[@aaronhapgood6383]

Hey Mustache hows it goin

[@thegardenofesim1174]

Just Some Guy with a Mustache you even invaded not specifically anime channel

[@rjeromef939]

Infinity War had the right idea with saving half the universe. Frightening enough stakes that seem too terrible for the heroes to fail, but low enough that it's not quite as implausible in hindsight.

[@imjessietr29]

And yet if half the population dies off, that's a shit load of skilled workers who suddenly don't do their jobs. More people will die off because their surgeon just got dusted during your surgery. Dams will fail. Satellites will fall out of the sky. Disease will run rampant. etc, etc.

[@Szpagin]

Infinity War had a dramatic ending with several protagonists dying. Great, right? Well, no, because movies with said protagonists are already planned. This kinda ruins the tention.

[@arguablysomaya]

@@Szpagin still feels real though, which is kinda the point. Logically, we know these characters are coming back, but on an emotional level, seeing Peter Parker disintegrate destroyed me

[@TankHunter678]

I really did not like the whole Thanos Snap thing because Thanos was being short sighted. He rationalizes that there is not enough resources in the universe thus he needs to kill off half of the universe... ignoring the very observable fact that when a population survives a massive threat that causes massive damage it goes into survival mode. He kills off half the population and thus the remaining population will wind up being driven into a breeding/cloning spree mandated by their society because every species in the universe will have been made aware of one thing: There is something in the universe, likely a weapon, that just caused the simultaneous death of half of all life across their entire civilization... and it is likely in the hands of the enemy who wants to conquer them. Resource consumption is going to go through a massive spike because the number one priority to survive would be to claim that terrifying means of annihilation to prevent your enemies from ever using it again. But the universe is a massive place, and no species has enough population to explore all of it or fight all the necessary wars to keep the target out of the hands of the perceived enemies. So why not create self replicating self developing weapons tasked with eliminating any enemy that gets between them and the target? They can strip mine entire worlds for the resources necessary to create additional units to expand the search capabilities and fight off enemy threats that are doing the exact same thing. Causing resource consumption to get out of control but that is something that would be considered necessary for the survival of the species. It leads to the conditions of the Total Annihilation and Planetary Annihilation games: there is no life left in the universe. There is only destruction as the endlessly replicating machines go from world to world devouring everything like a swarm of locusts for masters long since dead. Where planets are not places to live, merely weapons to use against each other, resource pockets to strip, and battlefields to fight on until the anti-planetary weapons are online to destroy everything to prevent the enemy from claiming anything. He should have just accepted the fact that resources will run out eventually, the civilizations reliant on them will collapse and be destroyed, and that eventually over millions of years stars will keep going Supernova and reforming new stars with new worlds with fresh resources. It's better then trying to prolong everything, that is just unsustainable.

[@boobah5643]

@@TankHunter678 That's why it made more sense in the comic; there, Thanos killed half the universe in an attempt to court Death herself. Didn't work, mind, but it makes more sense than an attempt to save the universe from exponential growth by halving the growing thing.

[@sophiemontecalvo7503]

To be honest I'm sick of the "saving the world" trope because no one cares about it any more. "Hurry you need to save the world!" "Eh gimme a sec." "Hurry you need to save your girlfriend you just met!" *dives into action* edit: SHE IS ACKNOWLEDGING THIS TROPE DIRECTLY

[@davidclark765]

I couldn't agree more. Nothing kills my interest in a story like placing "the world" on the table as stakes. It's so frustrating for me because not only does it do the whole girlfriend thing, but it also trivializes the other character conflicts going on at the time. Who cares about whether two characters will reconcile their feelings for one another when the world is ending! Who cares if you'll be kicked out of school when THE WORLD IS ENDING! Who cares if you and your father will ever speak again... you get the idea.

[@honey6158]

Evil: The world including your girlfriend or your girlfriend!!! Girl: save the world, it is the rational option and I'll die either way!!!!!!! Hero: hmmmmmmmmmmm............... Hero: ilL dO boTh!

[@MrKago1]

Or how despite fighting for their lives, being wounded countless times, seeing endless zombie minions, the loss of everyone they ever knew, they still find the time for some horizontal mambo. really? you're going to do that now? while you're covered in sweat and zombie juice? And probably smell like a powerful combination of BO, dirty ass, and rotten beef? Really? Yeah, dude's just gonna stick his tongue in that mouth that hasn't has brushed her teeth or even had so much as a breath mint in 6 months...................god that's annoying

[@rachelfish3353]

Like if they once had a charter that didn't have any friends on the world and didn't care. (Also probably sucercldel) And then they gave him a montage of all the good people that help him and all the good in the world the world would have so much more meaning.

[@sophiemontecalvo7503]

+Rachel Fish YES!

[@frankm.2850]

Mister Rogers of all people basically called this when he said “Two people working through their feelings can be so much more interesting than showing something of violence.” The man had an at times strange way of phrasing things, but he’s got a point. Often the small scale can indeed get people more invested for many reasons, not the least being the ability to relate to the characters.

[@wjzav1971]

This is one the level of "The best scenes in Star Trek consisted of two people talking in a room".

[@honey6158]

Yes! YES YES ANOTHER TROPE TALK MADE BY THE AMAZINg RED also Red for april fools can you do a prediction on ancient gods and goddesses sexualities. it'll be hillarious

[@EricMtuhuru]

Honey I've been waiting lol😂😂💯

[@UnreasonableOpinions]

Given that for the last sixty-five years we have been living under at least one and occasionally two genuine threats to the continued existence of human civilisation, can we really say that world-ending stakes are not realistic? Frankly, what's unrealistic are cataclysmic stakes that happen to be focused enough for individuals to interact with.

[@OgreManGaming]

Idk, someone has to be the one to pull the trigger. You ever hear about the story about the guy who was supposed to launch the nuclear bombs of a warning went off, but when they went off decided that he couldn’t risk it. When it turned out that it had been a false alarm, that individual basically saved the world. I’m not telling the story very well, so if you’re interested I’d recommend you look it up and find out the details from someone who actually knows what happened.

[@Saltier]

@@OgreManGaming it was a Russian sub commander. I also don't fully remember the story but yeah, we were that close.

[@frozenover_exe]

@@Saltier From what I remember the gist was that including the guy in question, a set of three higher-ups had to unanimously agree for the missiles to be launched. The other two permitted the launch, but because the third guy wouldn’t allow it, the world was saved

[@cadenvanvalkenburg6718]

@@Saltier that’s a different guy, Vasily Arkiphov. The commented was referring to Stanislov Petrov

[@whydidyoueatsnailpo]

its not unrealistic in reality, but it is unrealistic that an author would end the world in the middle of their series

[@bisebastianm7173]

Love the "End of the world as we know it" playing in the background. excellent musical choice

[@Arthonizer101]

"What are you gonna do? Actually destroy the world?" Devilman Crybaby: Watch me.

[@DSIncubus]

Ha! I was looking for this comment exactly. My thoughts exactly.

[@thomasffrench3639]

Go Nagai was a madman

[@666melodeath666]

12:22 There’s no such thing as watching way too much Fullmetal Alchemist

[@sherlocksmuuug6692]

+Dubem Okafor For the love of god don’t!

[@Misdreamer]

Dubem Okafor Live action adaptations of anime are infamously bad, so much that I can't think of even one that can be considered decent.

[@Healermain15]

Literally inconcievable.

[@Misdreamer]

Dubem Okafor don't be fooled! Even Ghost in the Shell looked good, but it was still a bad adaptation of the original

[@kayrayouvmir5766]

666melodeath666 what is interesting in the context of this video is that, as opposed to Brotherhood, FMA03 doesn’t have any “save the world” plotlines

[@talongreenlee7704]

In Titan AE, the Earth is destroyed in the first ten minutes. The whole plot is using a pre-built machine called Titan to re-build a new Earth. It’s a good subversion of this trope. Also the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series destroys the world almost as a joke.

[@JP-rf8rr]

Talon Greenlee I loved that movie

[@seanmurphy3430]

Stories where the world is destroyed in the beginning are pretty their own genre, though (post-apocalyptic); the audience is much more likely to believe the Earth getting destroyed if the author opens with it.

[@CrazyHand7894]

Glad I wasn't the only one thinking about Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I love how it subverts the trope.

[@urufugreavis]

I feel because of space travel, Titan AE is a bit more of level 1 were the apocalypses has already happened, for humanity at least, and on a galaxy level everyone has accepted a slow decay into level 2. So save the world is a bit more just mild setting and the story points are more heroes journey/promised land. I can't count how many times my dad quoted "Well, no one said you had to live on Bob."

[@matteussilvestre8583]

"I watch too much Fullmetal Alchemist" How much is too much, though?

[@matt0044]

Never enough.

[@croianimris]

Well you take the total number Of episodes in brotherhood and FMA divide that into an average human lifespan..

[@croianimris]

And multiply by five, because you know you'll be bingeing the series

[@8-bitsarda747]

i don't watch too much Fullmetal Alchemist, i read too much Fullmetal Alchemist

[@jasonroberts271]

There is no such thing as too much Fullmetal Alchemist. ESPECIALLY if it's FMA Brotherhood.

[@aezoax8321]

"What are you gonna do? Actually destroy the world?" ...is that a challenge?

[@vaughnjohnson8767]

Apparently

[@nkyfong]

Hirohiko Araki already did this with part 6.

[@vaughnjohnson8767]

@@nkyfong I might do something similar, but that’s way way off

[@rubensneto9049]

GO NAGAI:psst easy

[@Efeye089]

Melancolia? I just think in that movie o. 0

[@MegaFafnir]

"No matter how many times you save the world, it ALWAYS manages to get back in jeopardy again!" - Mr. Incredible XD

[@mmaakk32]

Trope Talk: Hard or Soft Magic systems!

[@australiumbacon5598]

Mahoole Magic School Yes

[@blackvial]

That would be a good one

[@Healermain15]

In favor of a video om magic and other supernatural story elements. Although Big Magic would propose that wouldn't they.

[@DimitrisGenn]

Mahoole Magic School what are hard and soft magic?

[@katherinesanderson8990]

It's pretty much how defined your magic system is. Basically, if you know exactly what magic can and can't do and why, it's a hard magic system, if magic can do anything and there're no rules for how to use it because "magic, no explaination needed" it's a soft magic system.

[@sophiemontecalvo7503]

I remember an episode of the old Ben 10 where Ben and Gwen were told that the Omnitrix could destroy the entire universe - including Earth. Their literal first response to this? "GRANDPA."

[@LegendXD00]

Sophie the Jedi Knight LOL,but I guess it makes sense when the omnitix is the most powerful weapon in the universe

[@adamtaurus5380]

Wasn't that in a movie?

[@LegendXD00]

El Capitan yea I think it was when they meet the creator of the watch(forgot his name)

[@sophiemontecalvo7503]

Azmuth, I think. It's been a while.

[@zndyingnow2400]

It was in the move in which they traveled the space with diamondhead guy to find the creator.

[@thecatapultdio4717]

“What are you gonna do? Actually end the world?” Araki: yes, yes I am.

[@harrisonbrown2185]

I like that the background music was "End of the world as we know it"

[@davidegaruti2582]

Thanks for saying the title of the song

[@nlange6508]

Was waiting to see this

[@remr4598]

Yes

[@c3p0worksatburgerking35]

Just realized this too

[@sirpercarde709]

Liked the topic but hated the repetition of the music. Gave me a headache.

[@kattriella1331]

"Authors won't actually destroy their world/setting." . . . You just gave me an idea of how to connect my fantasy story's characters with their modern equivalents. Hmmm . . .

[@whoknows7968]

No time jumps are not creative, unless it's abandoning a previously well developed setting with no way to head back and your characters now have to adjust to their new setting. I don't think I've heard of that happening half way or later into a story.

[@merrittanimation7721]

So kinda like the first Fullmetal Alchemist anime?

[@evecampbell3069]

Is it something I can read? I'd love to read it! Sounds cool.

[@shady6ix275]

*Laughs in part 6*

[@mystii8134]

KattriellaDoesStuff blow up the world and have them reincarnated? Deja vu.

[@RelativelyBest]

*Red:* "What are you going to do, actually destroy the world? Probably not." *Andrew Hussie:* "That's adorable."

[@Dragon1813]

C. S. Lewis: Right?

[@IcyIrony]

Well, it depends what you mean by the world. If your talking about earth or the whole universe, then yes technically their world got destroyed. But since their are allow to keep existing somehow wherever/whenever they are, then the world still exist. At least that how I see it.

[@HeiressOfDoodles]

I'm surprised this doesn't have more likes. Mostly because Hussie destroyed the Earth in the first hundred or so pages.

[@Azzy23434]

Douglas Adam:(Earth exploding in the prologue noises)

[@trigger7ff6]

hussie: In fact, I'll do it at least four times!

[@katefresina832]

"Why do want to save the world!" "Because I'm one of the ones idiots who live in it!"

[@bongibot1104]

I can't believe it took me five minutes to realize the background violin was playing "the end of the world as we know it". Well played...

[@amygamergal7625]

Good writing advice is writing down- don't write about the destroyed city, write about the burnt child's socks on the ground. Much more heartbreaking.

[@samuelwithers2221]

This advice was so potent in my eyes that I actually decided to record it in my random ideas folder, with full credit. Thank you for the excellent writing advice.

[@npc6817]

dude that is an awsomely desperate image. its soul crushing. thanks for the advice

[@chinuaalibatya7345]

Thanks man, this helps a lot

[@CosineStdio.h]

I like how Douglas Adams dealt with this. He simply blew up Earth in the first chapter.

[@BlackCover95]

I like how he actually addresses the scale problem. In order to process the news, Arthur Dent specifically thinks of small things he enjoyed from Earth. When he realizes those things _will never exist again_ , it hits him hard.

[@ScarletCharlotte]

To completely prove your point; I always forget the plot Hughes uncovers because of how upsetting his death is. The small scale disaster completely overrode the large scale one.

[@thaddeusgenhelm8979]

Oh my god! You just brought up one of the things I find dumbest in stories ever. "Give me the McGuffin that will let me destroy the (Planet/Kingdom/w/e) in exchange for the life of your girlfriend!" "... Won't she die anyways then? And for that matter, when did I start trusting you to uphold your end of anything?" "... I was kind of counting on you being too emotionally distraught to think about that, if I'm being honest."

[@Sorain1]

"So lets say I give it to you, are you going to do some kind of binding magical oath to leave me, her and our family alone?" "... as long as your end means none of you interfere with me, sure." "Fine, get a desk we need to write this out." [Entire audience starts panicking] Seriously, I think that would be a great way to end book one of a trilogy. The Big Bad and the Hero sign their pact and then for the next two books have to find ways to solve the problem indirectly (Good guys try making a Laser Guided Tyke Bomb perhaps?) or get out of the agreement.

[@thaddeusgenhelm8979]

To be fair I feel like there are quite a few stories like that, it's just that generally the heroes in that bind are out of focus, the "heroes of another story" types where their inability to directly interfere is what pushes the heroes of this particular story either forwards or helps them keep moving. Though generally that's more for gods and stuff where there's one of those "We can't go head to head because, let's be honest, gods start brawling and there's not going to be a planet left for anyone" sorts of things rather than that particular stance, but I imagine it could go similarly. I do kind of like the idea of a story about a... Magical lawyer who has to come in on all sorts of contracts where both sides absolutely cannot trust each other to make them magically binding, meaning stopping by YE OLDE CASTLE OF EVIL to certify a deal with heroes or merchants or whatever is just sort of work a day and maybe trite at this point. "Oh, goody, another dark castle in a currently fought over no-man's land run by a self empowered dictator. I wonder how poorly written their obvious betrayal clause is this time..."

[@Rg-fp2vg]

Sorain1 "And done. 50 people that are now exemplary citizens of my new world. You know what, would you like a job?" *hero gives confused look* "what do you mean?" "Well I was thinking why did we even fight? I'll give you anything you ever need and all I ask is for you to be my enforcer. I mean you did take on armies and defeated lots of my top men. So work for me. And you will always have my protection. Imagine what we could do!" *heroes eyes widens* "you're right...... you have a deal" And then epilogue

[@thaddeusgenhelm8979]

To be fair, if the guy was merely autocratic I don't think you'd get into the same "But if I give you the McGuffin you're going to murder everyone, so why would I trade it for a hostage who you will then promptly murder as they're in the subset of everyone?" When the hero is willing to trade something to someone who is just seeking their own power for a significant other/w/e that can make a lot more sense. Maybe who the governor/president/hell current monarch of the area is just isn't *as* important to you as someone you care about. Also the person you care about is in permanent danger right now, while the country/w/e, even if being poorly run or what have you, will still be there for you to fight for tomorrow. Which is to say, if the place isn't about to end up a crater shortly after the exchange my frustration with the scenario decreases drastically.

[@vaerthelmn5287]

"And so, they all decided to put aside their differences, and it wasn't long before a peace accord was drafted and signed" I love Phinneas and Ferb.

[@Rougesteelproject]

To quote Star Lord in regards to narrowing the focus: "I'm one of the idiots that lives in it!"

[@Ninja07Keaton]

Perhaps the only honest reason to save the world ever espoused in any story ever written.

[@joviroze7190]

Trope Talks = Best background noise (AND VIDEOS IN GENERAL) for drawing

[@RomLoneWolf23]

But then you miss out on Red's awesome graphics.

[@joviroze7190]

+RomLoneWolf23 that's why when you're done, you go back and rewatch the videos. multiple times. a day. 24/7.

[@dr.pokemon1463]

A cool subversion of this I saw once was that the world would end in a type 3 apocalypse. BUT, it would do so slowly, so we saw loads of background characters starving or burning while the hero tried to stop it. The 'I would let the world be destroyed to save you' thing also came up, but it was shown in a BAD way, like 'How could you possibly give up a shot at this for ONE DAMN GIRL??'

[@Twyzan]

THE _FIRST_ MAJORLY UPSETTING MOMENT IN THE SERIES?? SPOILERS DID NINA MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?!

[@state_song_xprt]

I KNOW RIGHT?

[@Killercomma]

I think you may be barking up the wrong tree

[@lilyme3]

Go home and think about what you've done. 0_o You are so in the doghouse. :[]

[@k_tess]

RED IS HEARTLESS!

[@awsomesaucekirby]

Dog-ter

[@normanellis8204]

I think Mordin Solus from Mass Effect put this problem well: "Galaxy too big, too many faces, easy to depersonalize. But can think of saving favorite nephew".

[@isaacgraff8288]

"I am the very model of a scientist salarian."

[@MagnirProductions]

It's tragic that some of the best characters with their own world, species, and stakes--the X-Men, as least as far as film goes, has been neglected it's characters and put it's sole focus on apocalyptic stakes and proportions. There was a time when they were more popular than the friggin' Avengers and Spider-Man. Because they were beloved, and all they ever had to do for stakes was go "Somebody's trying to kill them/all Mutants," and we're invested. I'm so glad Marvel has them back. Fox has *not* earned the emotional investment essential for the Dark Phoenix saga.

[@attcat]

Rubbish Log It's not just because of that, either. My biggest problem with the X-Men is that they will *always* be hated and feared. It's an essential part of the status quo that they live in. There's no hope that they'll be accepted, no hope that they'll live peaceful lives, etc.

[@ingonyama70]

They did, for a while. In the early 2000s, Marvel invented the idea of a mutant subculture, with music, fashion ('Magneto Was Right' T-Shirts were the MU's Che Guevara shirts for a hot minute), even an Israel-style nation,. Then it all got wiped out and reset because Marvel didn't like how much of their money Fox was getting. :\

[@MagnirProductions]

I'm pretty sure it was wiped out because they don't like Grant Morrison's status quo shake-ups. I mean look at what he did with Batman. He had Dick take up the Cowell, when Bruce got back he started Batman Inc. It got retconned SO fast because while they like to dip into ambitious concepts, Marvel and DC like keeping their status quo the same.

[@liquidjasper6088]

I've been trying to place that tune in the background and I FINALLY got it. "It's the end of the world as we know it, it's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine." Great song.

[@ayaep2061]

YESSSS ANOTHER TROPE TALK BOYYYYYYSSSSSSSS

[@mennograafmans1595]

Was waiting for one for ages.

[@ayaep2061]

I use Boys as a gender neutral term

[@thecakegarden5324]

Me too.

[@samh3396]

ayyyyyy i love your icon

[@thelegend8570]

You remember that thing that almost destroyed the earth last week? yeah, me neither.

[@АлександарСредојевић-щ5о]

Unbelievably underrated. We get so Manny "the world is going to end" stories in real life that we forget them after a week or so. That's also why "save the world" trope doesn't work in fiction, that's cause it doesn't work in real life because people have been desensitised to the entire idea.

[@doorsca]

Laughs in 2020

[@thelegend8570]

@@doorsca lmao this comment aged great.

[@ryanm.8720]

*Next Time on Invader Zim:* *Dib:* Remember when I told you not to do that thing, and you did that thing anyhow and a giant donkey destroyed the Earth? *Zim:* Nope. - Invader Zim (Oni) Issue 3

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

@@АлександарСредојевић-щ5о it would be a nice way to contrast our usualy heroes that have gotten used to it with fresh meat that is just barely starting

[@hancocks3871]

You mentioned a smaller trope more specific trope that most authors don't treat with any gravity. The experimental cure trope. where it will almost certainly kill or cure the sick hero, but it always cures them.

[@hancocks3871]

please do a video on sickness in stories

[@android19willpwn]

Sometimes it can leave some neat lasting side-effects though, which is nice.

[@hancocks3871]

In the walking dead there was only one season of disease having consequences... then they forgot disease in a show with a virus as the apocalypse

[@treyconover4107]

Liliana's origin story from mtg subverts that trope and it's actually pretty great.

[@jehovasabettor9080]

that is called "plot armor"

[@hitherfetcher]

One of my favourite personal-perspective-on-the-world-ending moments comes from The Tick: "They can't destroy the world, that's where I keep all my stuff!"

[@smjaiteh]

Three words that rebuke any one who says that low stakes will mean people will get bored: Diamond is Unbreakable

[@emperorampora8771]

if that's how you feel, i think you may be interested (concept wise) in this video if you have nine minutes to spare. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oX2sk3xne65phJY

[@14hourz82]

save duwang>save the world

[@jamesmetzger4138]

I raise you to one: Night

[@nidohime6233]

Practically all small stories are more relatable than the end of the world thing.

[@ahmedamineramdani2729]

Rock paper scissors, made epic!

[@kungfuskull]

I’ve actually seen this done fully and well, just once. Cadia fell before The Guard did. It worked so well for exactly the reasons you said. ‘The stakes are too high, obviously the good guys will win.’ And later "....DID THAT REALLY JUST HAPPEN?? WHAT??? NO!!!!!” 😱

[@VelmiVelkiZrut]

I mean. They also manage to make it feel like nothing’s really changed, though. In practical terms, I don’t really get the feeling that the Fall of Cadia really alters the status quo at all - Chaos briefly gets a victory immediately counteracted by the reveal of the Primaris and the universe is at parity again.

[@takebacktheholyland9306]

@@VelmiVelkiZrut I dunno man, splitting the galaxy in two is definitely something of a change

[@katiejo3663]

a way to add stakes back in is to have the characters get concrete proof that they will save the world but a more personal goal is hanging in the balance. Percy Jackson does this in the first book. we know Percy is going to win, but we don't know if he'll save his mom

[@malaizze]

I love the way that SCP formats all their stories as individual timelines so authors can just end the world whenever. There's even a whole canon timeline where the earth is abandoned in the prologue due to bad stuff.

[@mekingtiger9095]

I mean, if a given universe uses the trope of "multiverse" or "infinite timelines", then it clearly means that you can easily end the world how many times you want. But the whole macrosetting itself does not end.

[@ivandekad7249]

Oh my god, the background music is a violin playing "It's the End of the World" by R.E.M.

[@YummyBiohazard]

Sounds like kzbin.info/www/bejne/lX_YaKywmLqJpKM is the full version

[@jamesoooooooo8389]

I know right? When I heard it I thought 'nah it can't be' but it is! It fits so well though!

[@nyxshadowhawk]

"Increasingly sizable explosions" hahahahaha! Red, could you do the Descent of Innana in misc. myths? Or do a series on classic fairy tales?

[@nyxshadowhawk]

That's just a reading-- I want OSP's cartoons and sarcastic commentary! Thanks though.

[@amatalefay]

She covers the Descent of Inanna in her Underworld Myths video, though she uses the name Ishtar.

[@nyxshadowhawk]

Hmm, I feel like I watched that one... still would be nice to have a full analysis though.

[@madman19931612]

"What are you gonna do, actually destroy the planet?" *laughs in 40k*

[@rogerogue7226]

Correction, she says the world, i.e. the setting. And the galaxy of 40K is still there despite all the damage and threats, and everyone knows it will always be there. The imperium will never really fall, the eldar won't truly die out, the tau won't be destroyed. Just like the villians won't be defeated, because that would mean stopping those stories and sales of those models. Which GW doesn't want to do, and we know it. So yeah, 40K is a great example of this point; there's supposedly dozens to hundreds of legitimate threats to the galaxy, and none of them are taken that level of serious.

[@madman19931612]

@@rogerogue7226 hmmm, if you look at it that way I guess you're right Although I would like to warn you: theyll change it up eventually, if only to push sales of new models *cough* age of sigmar *cough* And with Lil Robbert woken up again even in 40/41k the times they are a changing

[@rogerogue7226]

@@madman19931612 And in that change things will mostly stay the same. Each faction will be around, the iconic characters, subfactions and units will still exist in some form. The only changes will be who's slightly less screwed or what subfaction is sent into *near* destroyed exile. Never ended or killed completely. And then at some point the popular ones will have a resurgence, only to suffer more casulties down the line. It's the same grimdark pattern all over again all the time.

[@madman19931612]

@@rogerogue7226 As dull as it may seem, I actually kinda hope so? Or well, I hope no one gets the brettonia treatment (they stopped getting updates, and then were wiped out by the AoS stuff) So I hope that either some factions get a propper send off, or nobody really dies Because the alternative is just a massive let down for the fans of said factions Maybe they can do some mayor story changes without ruining the ability to play certain factions? The imperium might fall as a cohesive unit, but that wont mean all the space marines and guardsmen will just sit down and go into the night quietly So maybe a narrative switch-around like that, with the overal power balance in the Galaxy changing, some new units and models for certain factions, but nothing really changing the tabletop experience?

[@rogerogue7226]

@@madman19931612 I would prefer that as well, although i wouldn't be opposed to factions being properly removed either, the galaxy is rather crowded at the moment. That would also raise the stakes for other stories, if such certainties wouldn't be so certain anymore. In general the tabletop is leading, and that has upsides (lore doesn't conflict with the tabletop experience), and downsides (lore gets some serious handicaps in what it can or has to do).

[@glados2788]

I can think of one story that did the end of the world stakes absolutely beautifully Spoilers for Super Paper Mario In the this game, the plot revolves around the destruction of all the worlds due to a huge black hole that was summoned by the main villain, Count Bleck, that slowly grows over the course of the game. However, the reason this works is because about midway through the game, you actually see the results of what will happen if this evil plan follows through. One of the stages called Sammer’s Kingdom, the black hole is even bigger, when you get through this stage, everything begins to rumble and you have no choice but to get out of the world. When you come back to Sammer’s Kingdom, there is no more kingdom. Just a blank white world with occasional rubble and no life in sight. The only sounds being the eerie quiet music and your own footsteps. The people here in this world weren’t killed. No. They were erased from existence. They didn’t even go to the afterlife (which is also seen in the game). And that really lays out the stakes and gets across to the player of how bad the situation really is.

[@flitefulwantssubs402]

Super paper mario was SUCH a good game. It’s a shame others didn’t play it because it deviated from the typical Paper Mario formula

[@AnimeboyIanpower]

Not only that, that world's Pure Heart is devoid of any energy, dead as the world surrounding it and the only sign of life you actually DO find there is Mr. L...

[@themightypancake5695]

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood is always a great anime to look back on. Even if it was depressing at points. What impressed me is that they made death actually mean something. There may be many more examples of shows that do that, but this was one of the first that I’ve seen that made it feel truly heartbreaking

[@blueteller]

And it's not like - spoilers...? - Hughes' death was the only one, or the only heartbreaking one. And no, I am not talking about _her._ I'm talking about the character deaths in the final season. Each one of them managed to surprise me AND move me to tears. Now that's some quality writing right there!

[@thezantgeneral677]

TheMightyPancake In my opinion Brotherhood is not that amazing compared to the 2003 Anime. It was far more emotional.

[@alanchoichang8336]

hughe's death is fucking devastating. nina's as well, from transmutation till her subsequent death. T.T

[@renjoku3771]

The cycle goes like this: Saving the country Saving the continent Saving the world Saving the solar system Saving the galaxy Saving the universe Saving the multiverse Saving the God of the multiverse

[@boaoftheboaians]

Saving the God if the multiverse, now that would be an interesting story….

[@senjuguy]

@@boaoftheboaians read the His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass)

[@timothymclean]

Bringing up Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is interesting, because that's not the first (or last) time the heroes failed to protect the world. Earth was destroyed towards the end of the last arc and during Resurrection F (to say nothing of the countless civilian casualties which come with just about every arc starting with King Piccolo). However, the Dragon Balls allow such threats to be neutralized, making it more plausible that Akira Toriyama _would_ pull the trigger on the Earth being destroyed...at the cost of removing just about all gravitas from that destruction. As long as the characters have access to Dragon Balls, everything is alright, so the only thing that can threaten them in the long term is removing their ability to access Dragon Balls (such as by killing Kami/Dende, or just killing everyone with access to a dragon radar). Let this be a warning about the dangers of wish-granting MacGuffins if your manga gets renewed for additional volumes...

[@NightClubSamurai]

This is why it was a mistake for him to remove the rules that defined the dragon balls; people could only be brought back if they died in the last year, and it would bring them back to life in the exact place they had died; hence why they had to specifically wish the dead namekians to revive on earth in the freiza arc

[@30alex30clubpenguin]

Timothy McLean I wish I could get some people I know to watch the original dragon, but they care about Z, most of them didn't even know there was a show before Z.

[@CareerKnight]

Well super has found a way to put those stakes back on the table and then up the ante even more, they have also had them fail to not only save the earth but an entire universe.

[@godofthunder4242]

But do you really believe that they are not going to win so that the universe is erased? They've explicitly said if the heroes win they'll spend their reward wish to fix the erased universes. There is no tension if you don't think that the consequences will stick.

[@Ultrapyre]

It's hard NOT to bring up a story where the stakes don't feel like they matter anymore without bringing up DBZ, to be honest. The power creep in that show is quite real, going from 'oh no the planet', to 'oh no the universe' in the span of a few sagas, and the presence of the dragon balls that can outright negate whatever casualties appear within one saga multiple times just removes whatever stakes death has. Heck, death isn't treated as a point of no return, but rather an excuse to go out to the sidelines to go training while they wait for the respawn timer to run out. The fact that characters grieve no matter how many times they've seen so many people come back from the dead actually better than before really takes me out of the story entirely. Although there are instances where you'd think the stakes are raised due to said magical asspulls- I mean mucguffins being removed (the most recent case being the Super Dragon Balls being removed during Zamasu and Goku Black's little rampage-fest), often you KNOW it can't end because either the show must go on, or Akira Toriyama managed to write himself into a corner. So they practically always have a backup asspull on hand, the most recent being Zeno, the walking power creep. TL;DR, Don't overdo the apocalypse, especially with an easy fix always waiting on the sidelines. It may as well be a tuesday.

[@CrownRock1]

"Can you destroy the world?" "Egad! I hope not! That's where I keep all my stuff!"

[@user-ir1xo9jp8w]

12:32 "Because what are you gonna do? Actually destroy the world?" Neon Genesis Evangelion. XD

[@Eiroth]

Why did I expand that comment!? Oh well. Considering people's reaction to that show I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[@nowhereman6019]

*smugly smiles in Hideaki Anno*

[@ultimatehope8069]

*laughs in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure*

[@s_c_u_m3172]

Hideaki Anno:Hahaha third impact go boom

[@thepinapple8829]

*Cries in Persona 2*

[@verzeihturncoat27]

What will it be you girlfriend or the world? I want to save (insert name here) the world mean nothing to me without her. *Alien releases the hero and his girlfriend* 100 years later What will it be you girlfriend or the world? I want to save (insert name here) the world mean nothing to me without her. *Alien releases the hero and his girlfriend* 100 years later What will it be you girlfriend or the world? I want to save (insert name here) the world mean nothing to me without her. "Thank you we have now enough permit certificates from your species to destroy your planet. Bureaucracy you know."

[@lijesewell764]

I applaud this just... Yes.

[@Drellistenstomusic]

I hate "save the world" plots. Mostly find it in games. Either video games or tabletops. I've "saved the world" more times than I can count. I'd rather just be some schmuck in the world exploring what it has to offer.

[@bn3099]

It's so funny how most of "save the world" stories are more actually "save the USA"

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

@Brandon Quist these places are not minor places my dude the US destroyed could mean the world destroyed ie nukes, and secondly even without them the US controls 1/4rth of the world economy and a signifigant amount of world culture, it also maintains the stable balance of power of the current world order

[@toe_sucker_4165]

@@Cecilia-ky3uw ok buddy American Imperialist. Sorry your empire is dying.

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

@@toe_sucker_4165 my dude whats up with that

[@AlfredEiji]

If you’re reading stories in English… then yeah, that’s going to happen pretty often. Read stories in other languages, and your experience will probably change.

[@alamrasyidi4097]

cmon, even the MCU managed to dodge this trope (even though only once) when they had to save Sokovia instead of America. i know they had to save America in the first Avengers movie (heck, New York specifically) but this doesnt _always_ have to happen. its just the circumstances the writer wrote their story in, and the popularity of western media. that doesnt mean its _always_ the case

[@PatFagan]

4:11 “This is the one that your heroes must absolutely stop, or like time rewind to fix” Ha just like Endgame

[@stevenjlovelace]

I like that you have "The End of the Word (As We Know It)" playing in the background.

[@evecampbell3069]

"And I feel fine!"

[@jacobthurmond6210]

Jontron: “I did it. I saved the world.”

[@sherlocksmuuug6692]

„By becoming a conspiracy-nutjob“

[@sherlocksmuuug6692]

+E,R / 'D-S Sadly.

[@sherlocksmuuug6692]

+E,R / 'D-S That immigrants plan to take over the US and the West. Then there was that time he defended ‚scientific racism‘ which is basically just the worst of eugenics (etc) He also believes in „white geonocide“ Seing as it is handier than me explaining it myself, this basically Covers most of it. rationalwiki.org/wiki/JonTron

[@tylerbryant1926]

Sherlock Smuuug rationalwiki is a poor source given their extreme bias. Just link to the debate itself

[@sherlocksmuuug6692]

+Tyler Bryant I don’t like promoting videos, but I will take it into account.

[@chloej1611]

I'd like to see a save the world story where the characters involved haven't actually fully wrapped their heads around what that threat level means and are kinda sorta just treating it as another threat … _until_ they have an existential crisis where they realize that that means losing everything they care about: their family, their friends, that coffee shop where they met their crush (why is it always a coffee shop?), their home, _their_ _life_ … and only then do they start actually taking things seriously.

[@worthasandwich]

One of my favorite lines from 8 Bit Theater is when Red Mage breaks down and yells that there is no God, because a just god would not let the world be constantly teetering on the edge of destruction and an evil God would just have made the air out of acid!

[@matthewmuir8884]

Of course, that logic falls apart because it doesn't consider the possibility that a just God created a perfect world, and his creations then went and messed it up. But, given the context, I doubt that line was meant to be logically sound.

[@snakeman830]

@@matthewmuir8884Also doesn't consider a possible god who is neither just, nor evil.

[@formula2233]

@@matthewmuir8884 That sounds perfectly fine to me. A just god would have the power to fix what his creations fucked up. Either god doesnt exist or he doesn't care. Either outcome is equally terrifying.

[@Kefkaesque13]

@@formula2233 The other option is a just/caring god who values the free will of his creations. For such a god, simply fixng the negative consequences of his creations' choices would negate that free will, and so the best he would be able to do is try and nudge them into choosing to be better.

[@regenbogenwolf]

@@Kefkaesque13 Why would a just and good god create evil creatures thought?

[@JessieWard33]

So glad to see a new trope talk, these are why I subscribed. Would you consider doing a video with Hello future me?

[@timeaesnyx]

Jessie Ward would be good

[@emperorampora8771]

literally found hello future me two days ago. that would make for a good colab

[@fatimaisra9143]

Is that a kitty on your sboulder? :^3

[@JessieWard33]

Fatima Isra his name is blister I called him Mister blister.

[@fatimaisra9143]

Jessie Ward mister blister is vewy coote

[@vallahdsacretor4839]

"What are you going to do? Actually destroy the world?" I have the urge to make a story where the heroes fail to save the world now.

[@chongyongqi1372]

The fall of Cadia

[@sobakiin1797]

Also been done, I’ve seen a few people comment examples, and I can think of a few myself.

[@pn2294]

It wouldn’t necessarily be good

[@Cherremy721]

@@pn2294 Yeah it would be hard to pull off but if they can it would be, though I'd say that's the same thing for almost every plot

[@Cecilia-ky3uw]

Ive always loved myself my tragedies

[@MysticCouchPotato]

“I have seen this subverted one time, Dragon Ball Super” *JoJo’s Part 6 has entered the chat*

[@AhmedAli-hi4si]

MADE IN HEAVEN

[@reversedinfinity6056]

You couldn't even have the courtesy to add a spoiler warning or at least one more empty line to trigger the _read more_ , this was not the comment section where I expected to have the part I'm currently reading mercilessly spoiled with barely an afterthought

[@funnyvalentinedidnothingwrong]

@@reversedinfinity6056 >enters a video discussing the "world at stake" trope >somehow surprised that the part they're reading is discussed in the comments of said video despite villain's main goal playing directly into the trope 200 IQ play there.

[@reversedinfinity6056]

@@funnyvalentinedidnothingwrong I know, and I'm over it, I was just a bit upset when I stumbled upon it and had to express that for a little bit. Although, to be entirely fair, "reseting the universe itself" wasn't really mentioned until the later part of Part 6, and I hadn't gotten so far yet, so I still wasn't really aware as to just how huge the stakes were at that point. Regardless, it was finished quite a while ago, so still big oof on my part. Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[@yochlel2642]

(SPOILERS) I'm kinda surprised that she didn't bring up Devilman Crybaby, which later on becomes a story about saving the world that actually does end with the world being destroyed. Oh, well.

[@EvilParagon2]

Huh. I wrote a story a while ago that was basically humans invading an alien planet and the stakes were the whole planet being assimilated into the humans' control. It ends with the aliens failing, and the humans winning. Then it has one final recount on the story quickly done from the human perspective. It was a message that the side you're on isn't the only side. I made you follow the story of the enemies to humanity, and you got disappointed when they lost? People these days seem to think only their side is correct, so I tried to write a story to show that, no, there are always at least two sides in a conflict. Both sides were the good sides. That's how a war works. But only one side had to save the world, and they didn't. I also explored 4 of the 7 cultures on that planet, with the other 3 being mentioned. As it was an alien planet, it'd be easy for an audience to be disconnected with what the world is and why losing it would be bad.

[@avageorge7803]

Yo, I'd read this.

[@EvilParagon2]

(It was pretty shit and written when I was 14. It sounds good in planning but I wasn't a skilled enough writer to pull it off. I could probably give it a shot as a better writer now though).

[@evonnagale3045]

Evil Paragon 2 Please do. I'd read it as well.

[@kain5056]

Reminds me a bit of "Battle for Terra", but sounds actually better. :-)

[@troin3925]

Evil Paragon 2 I wanna read that!

[@frocco7125]

Maybe THAT is the reason people care so little about Climate Change. The Entire earth is just a big blue ball in space, which really isn't as personal as actual human beings. Maybe Earth-chan will change that, since she is a personification of the earth.

[@faultier1158]

The fact that Climate Change is a pretty slow process doesn't help either. There isn't a hard deadline, it just gets worse and worse over time.

[@tylerslagel5485]

It will only affect weeaboos, and anime fanatics.

[@vecystim9102]

the only thing earth chan changes is the amount people identifying as manatee's because being the same species as people who created earth chan is shamefull the only people who actually like earth chan are weebs

[@tylerslagel5485]

Lel

[@ChristianAuditore14]

Climate change is natural -.-

[@rowanheart8122]

"Cat threatens to destroy the Earth and then realizes it has gud snaccs."

[@Formoka]

Well, we also have Saints Row IV. Where the villain threatens to destroy the world if the player escapes again. We escape and BOOM Earth is blown up. No fixing it. It's gone.

[@johnnychopsocky]

Gotta respect a villain who follows through.

[@robotrockyou900]

Yeah there's also Final Space. spoilers btw So at the end of the first season pretty much most of the main characters die and the Earth is destroyed, BUT the universe is still mostly safe. This makes me kinda curious how season 2 will go.

[@BetsywarlordofnoodlesLee]

That "kidnap the girl and sacrifice the world" thing. The only time it ever didn't feel completely dumb (personally) was Tales of Symphonia.... which actively discussed the topic, and gave the world Quality over Quantity. Many other pieces of writing take a Quality vs Quantity approach making the girlfriend Quality and the world Quantity and that's.... yuck. Despite this, we spend enough time watching the "Girlfriend" be awesome that we understand that, even if she's only one person, she's not expendable, which you often get with a "needs of the many" story.

[@GallowglassAxe]

Tales of Symphonia did that very well. They took a lot of different story arch and changed them to make them more meaningful.

[@monkey_blu]

Don’t look at me! I ended up with Sheena by accident (nobody told me there was an “affinity system”)

[@kindredspirit9703]

I liked how Yggdrasil actually had a believable reason for destroying the world in exchange for his loved ones. Most villains just try to destroy the world for the lolz, which is kinda uninteresting.

[@sydorow2689]

Omg its Betsy Lee :0

[@ColossalRay]

It didn't feel dumb in Life Is Strange. It was a smaller scale (the whole town will be destroyed and everyone there will die - not the whole planet) and Chloe wasn't kidnapped but the choice itself remained...but it was actually a difficult choice and it made sense if max chose Chloe over the town. The "correct" choice seems obvious - save the lives of all these people you've come to know and care about (except chloe who must be sacrificed). But in reality that choice was much harder because by the end of the game she's in love with Chloe. She spent the entire game trying to save her and wants to commit to the bit. She doesn't care about any of those people as much as she does chloe so it makes sense to choose sacrificing arcadia bay. I was dissatisfied when I chose that (no kiss? Seriously? What the fuckkkk) but it felt just as valid an option until I saw the lackluster aftermath the creators punished us with for choosing it.

[@muttthingy9908]

I love how you've got a fiddle version of the song its the end of the world as we know it, playing in the background. nice touch.

[@alzaraf3807]

Malz Viride Thanks for reading my mind, here’s your thumbs up

[@the_kraken6549]

I love the way that The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy handles this scale problem. *(Spoilers for an amazing book)* Very quickly after the book starts, our main character, Arthur Dent’s house is in danger of being demolished to build a motorway bypass. Not long after this, earth is demolished by aliens in order to build a hyperspace bypass, and Arthur (having narrowly escaped) becomes the only surviving human that he knows about. All he can think of is some shop or something, that doesn’t exist anymore. It takes this thing of shrinking the end of the world to a manageable human scale size, and plays it for laughs. In a similar vein, it later describes a room as so big that it gives you a good idea of what infinity is like, pointing out that while actual infinity is quite easy to see, this room being very big, but finite, is easier for our brains to understand that it is in fact, enormous.

[@id01_01]

"Arthur Den't house is in danger of being demolished to make a motorway bypass. Not long after this, Earth is demolished by aliens to make a hyperspace bypass." This is one of the funniest descriptions of a book I've heard.