Apocalypse Wow

[asimovforever1]

First a note-->post-arc sequence titled Breaking Dawn has been officially retitled To Alter Eternity, with no further changes to the story notes (ie, To Alter Eternity, To Alter Eternity: Tribulations), although I have been kicking around a few ideas. It is quite possible that ADVENT references will pop up within TAE.

Now for other things. Reading the TV tropes website, I came upon a page listing the various kinds of Apocalypses and catastrophes a world may have. After reading, I was tempted to make a list of which kinds of annihilation I've either had happen, or come close to.

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• Class 0: Regional Catastrophe - A big disaster that takes out a large part of civilization, but leaves most of it largely untouched. (April 6, 2006: Graduation Day and the Evolutionary War)
  

• Class 1: Human Die-Back - Civilization as a whole is pretty much knocked back into the last century, but a good portion of humans survive, and it's pretty clear that humanity will get back on its feet. This is the typical Back Story to an After The End scenario. Back before the 80's Nuclear war usually kicked it off, however most recent fiction relies on the classic ZombieApocalypse scenario.(The First Memetic War, 22-23rd centuries TPtime)
  

• Class 2: Civilization Extinction - Global civilization knocked out; humanity is literally knocked back to the Stone Age. It's quite possible that humanity could ultimately recover, but not anytime soon unless they reproduce like rabbits. This is the realm of the Inferred Holocaust and Depopulation Bomb.(The Second Memetic War and aftermath, 23rd-27th centuries)
  

• Class 3: Human Extinction - Two flavors:
• Class 3a: Engineered Human Extinction - We blew it up! Damn us! DAMN US ALL TO HELL! This type of extinction is a human-caused extinction that only wipes out the humans and leaves most plant/animal life intact. This is actually used quite often to paint an optimistic picture afterwards, because Humans Are Bastards. To be fair, though, as you'll see from some examples, it isn't always the humans' own fault. Indeed, the destruction of the human race in the name of nature is the goal of any and every environment-themed Well Intentioned Extremist and Knight Templar. A common subset designed to appeal to teenaged boys is a Gendercide, where all the men die and the females are left to survive for instant Les Yay.(possible future of To Alter Eternity. Also the Great Flood ending of the War of Heaven and Earth)
  

• Class 3b: Natural Human Extinction - A natural disaster causes all of humanity to go extinct, but also affects other critters. The classic The End Of The World As We Know It scenario.

• Class 4: Biosphere Extinction - Not only are humans gone, but most critters with them, leaving only a select few to evolve and refill the biosphere (or, as the name suggests, what's left of it).(31st Century plus, after evacuation of earth and human diaspora/migration to Grand Stage)
  

• Class 5: Planetary Extinction - Humans go extinct, all or most critters go extinct, and the Earth is pretty much done as far as complex, multi-celled life is concerned. But hey, at least it's still there. Every Omnicidal Maniac has this as their minimum aim. (The endgame scenario of Promethean victory during the Dawn of Disaster)
  

• Class X: Planetary Annihilation - The destruction of the planet with an Earth Shattering Kaboom. This one shows up in fiction arguably more often than any of the others, because, hey, what's more Bad Ass than blowing up a whole planet? Variants, such as strip-mining a planet down to its core or eating it (same difference, really) are available, but the general result is the same: The planet itself is no longer there afterwards. (possible fate of future earth in To Alter Eternity)
  

• Class X-2: ...And Beyond - An event that destroys more than just a single planet, can range from the destruction of the sun to the destruction of God and/or all existence in the universe, or all existence of all universes. (Continuity Crisis, the Continuity Wars (millions of years into the future)