Apocalypso

***Apocalypso*** is a multi-genre space-opera franchise created by Andrew Zemotel and Charlie McConnell in 2018. Comprising, to date, of movies and novels, with plans for expansion in the future, the *Apocalypso* franchise seeks to tell stories that explore philosophical questions of human nature, identity, political themes, and socio-cultural development and identity.

## Overview

### Origins

The world of *Apocalypso* was created by Andrew Zemotel and Charlie McConnell in 2018.   It was inspirded from *Star Wars* role play (RP) on Instagram in early 2017, of which we can date back the first mentions of Suezru and Cordelia to around that time.  In 2018, it began to break away from the *Star Wars* universe and began to focus on the worlds, characters, and conflicts created by Zemotel and McConnell.  2018 saw in-depth development of the history of Suezru and Quillus, as well as the introduction of the Cordelian Civil War. Late 2019 saw the title “Apocalypso!” come into effect.  In 2020, *Apocalypso Ascendant* was written, and began production in the summer of 2021.  As of the writing of this, production on *Apocalypso Ascendant* is scheduled to wrap in winter 2022, and is set to premier later that year.

### Why is it Called *Apocalypso*?

The name “Apocalypso” (stylized as *Apocalypso!*) is inspired from the word “apocalypse”, of which there is one on Hisperia, and the name "calypso," in reference to the HRSS *Calypso*. It’s also in reference to the 1994 song *Apocalypso* by Jimmy Buffett, as the song explains Buffett and company’s desire to be dancing on the beach while the world ends.

### The Goal of *Apocalypso*

The ultimate goal of the Apocalypso franchise is to share stories that give meaning to people and reach as wide of an audience as possible without this being at the expense of the story.

## Setting

The Apocalypso universe takes place in a galaxy very distant from our own, and is not defined in relation to the real world.

The saga shows a galactic civilization thousands of years old.  The setting is entirely unrelated to Earth, the Milky Way Galaxy, or reality, thus giving it more creative liberties. The *Apocalypso* galaxy prominently features humans that look like those from Earth, though there is no in-universe connection to Earth. While their civilization is able to travel through space and the quantum realm, terraform, build space colonies thousands of years old, the *Apocalypso* saga is set in a relatively confined area of their galaxy, with an unusual number of massive nebula, gaseous clouds, and black holes seemingly surrounding the primary cluster of star systems that are featured in the saga.

## Franchise

### Mediums of *Apocalypso*

The *Apocalypso* universe is depicted most notably through both films and books.  As of the writing of this piece, *Apocalypso Ascendant* (2022) is set to be released in mid-to-late 2022, while the *Apocalypso!* Novelization is rumored to be released possibly as early as 2023.

The *Apocalypso!* Main book series is slated to be five books in total, and will take place from CY 1913 until circa CY 1920, and will detail galactic events from the Kiros-Valzovech War up through the fate of the Hisperian Imperium, the Cordelian Civil War, and the exploration of the Luxuo Maze and the systems beyond.

## Themes

* How the individual’s growth correlates to that of their community
	+ This theme is central to the main trio in the *Apocalypso!* Main series. Vallen, Thalia, and Zar’s collective struggle is how they come to terms with their ever changing community.  As the world around them changes, so do the trio; as the trio changes, so does the world around them.

* Family can be chosen
	+ Many characters in *Apocalypso!* have broken or damaged families, and these stories seek to depict how one is able to come from a broken home and find peace with the loved ones they’ve chosen
* Trust is easy to break and difficult to regain.
	+ There are a number of betrayals in *Apocalypso* stories, and there are few instances of redemption; hurt can run deep.
* Hope in times of darkness
	+ These characters see their entire world crumble, and at many times they feel hopeless.  However, it is through these stories that we must convey that there is hope- hope that there is a light after the darkness.
* The Socialist Revolution
	+ The *Apocalypso* storyline serves as an allegory for the socialist revolution, and this is imperative to the wider narrative of this saga.
		- These characters realize that the imperialist powers that be are ultimately serving the interests of the elites of the galaxy; after this realization, they seek to spread this knowledge and this realization is what brings about the change in power from the imperialist, capitalist elites, to the everyday working-class people.