1983: Doomsday Stories

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

On September 26, 1983, a false alarm in a bunker near Moscow quickly led to a two-hour war between the United States/NATO and Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact. This resulted in the deaths of billions of people and atomic fire raining over much of the planet. Those who survived found themselves forced to confront a brave new world. Life had to move on...but for certain Nations, some things are easier said than done.

The 1983: Doomsday Stories, or the "Doomsday-verse" is an Alternate Universe/Alternate History crossover between Axis Powers Hetalia and 1983: Doomsday, which follows the changing face of the world through the perspective of the Nations themselves, mainly around what was once Central Europe. But instead of dwelling on the destruction or major global players, the stories put more focus on how the Nations go about their lives and cope with their losses After the End, among others. And as time passes, new Nations are born, more realizations are made and Austria finally finds peace with an old love.

In part, it is inspired as well by this kink meme fanfic (definitely Safe For Work), also set in the Doomsday timeline, though following England's death. Said fic can also be found here.

The AU is still ongoing. So far, most of the stories primarily revolve around Austria, America, Prussia and Hungary, although a few fics focus on the British survivour nations or the Nordics, covering the years from 1983 to 2010 (though one fic takes place further down the line in 2031).

It can be found in its (current)[when?] entirety here.

Tropes used in 1983: Doomsday Stories include:
  • Action Girl / Action Mom: Hungary is very much this, especially as shown in Dreams of Another Time. Not only could she still kick Prussia's ass despite being already dead. But she could also scare the living hell out of him.
  • Ambiguous Innocence: Most of the Survivor Nations, including Sopron, can come across as this. Though they too were forced to go through the chaos that followed Doomsday, these new countries for the most part have far less trauma and baggage than the remaining Old World ones.
  • Another Side, Another Story
  • Alternate History
  • All Just a Dream: What Austria's encounters with Angelic!Hungary might look like at first glance, which even he considers. Subverted.
    • Played straight with Prussia's nightmare in Dreams of Another Time. Although Angelic!Hungary did visit him there.
  • After the End
  • All Hail The Great God Arthur: There's mention of a cult from the Survivor-Nation of New Britain, "The Cult of the Once and Future King," worshiping King Arthur and the remnants of the British Royal Family. Which could just as well refer to England himself.
  • The Atoner: America. Unfortunately, it was already too late.
  • Anachronic Order: As with Hetalia, the stories jump between various time periods.
  • Apocalypse How: Class 1, just as in the source timeline.
  • Back from the Dead: Angelic!Hungary. Though it's also hinted that England may become this as well.
  • Balkanize Me: England and (West) Germany left a good deal of Survivor-Nations in their wake.
  • Bedmate Reveal: Played with in One Unexpected Day. Prussia suspects that an oddly naked Austria might have had another bitter dream when the latter realizes that there's no one alongside him. Then Angelic!Hungary smacks the albino with her frying pan just as he's about to "comfort" him.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Features in What Family's For, with a total of three survivor nations coming to the aid of a younger sibling. England would be proud.
  • Bittersweet Ending
  • Body Horror: The stories don't shy away in describing how scarred (physically or otherwise) the remaining Nations are from either the bombs or the chaos. (West) Germany and Hungary, meanwhile, before they died were portrayed as burned, torn and warped almost beyond recognition.
  • Broad Strokes: The series doesn't strictly follow the source material (in part due to its wiki-style nature and origins), though it nonetheless tries to keep much of the spirit. Many details, such as those on Doomsday, in-verse countries and the more consistent elements of the timeline, are either preserved or played around with.
  • Brother-Sister Incest: Switzerland and Liechtenstein, which Austria very carefully tolerates, as much as the thought disturbs him. It's also stated in An Unexpected Union that Liechtenstein herself may have first initiated it.
  • Came Back Wrong: Averted. Angelic!Hungary makes a conscious effort not to come across as this, especially Her Guarding Arm.
  • Cassandra Truth: An inverted case. Over time, just about everyone who's not Austria is sure that Hungary is Dead All Along, with the Nation himself refusing to give up hope until there's undeniable proof. He got his wish.
  • Character Development
  • Cozy Catastrophe: Subverted in the case of the Alpines. Neutrality spared most of their land and people from the bombs. This didn't stop the swarms of refugees or the struggle to fight off the chaos surrounded them. Neither did it stop the Soviets from destroying Vienna and attempting to invade Austria via Hungary. Then again, like in the source timeline, they also turn out to be one of the more dominant powers in the wasteland.
  • Crapsack World: In the immediate aftermath, just about everyone left alive is struggling to survive. Even further down the line, there are still large parts of the world that are still wasteland.
  • Determinator: The remaining "old world" Nations are pretty much this. Hungary herself applies. Even after she died.
  • Dark Fic: Just about any story or scene set in the 1980s. Especially Hungary's actual death.
  • Dirty Communists: Taking them out is how America tries to rationalize his involvement in Doomsday.
  • Downer Beginning: The AU chronologically begins with the Cold War rapidly turning hot in 1983, resulting in Doomsday.
  • The Eighties: Many of the Dark Fic elements take place during this time, including Doomsday itself.
  • End of an Age: A recurring element, especially in Austria's arc.
  • The Federation: The Alpine Confederation (Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) serves this role along with True Neutral. Though in practice, it's implied that the siblings are the more dominant pair in the partnership. The "Nordic Union" (all the Nordics) is also implied to be this as well.
  • Fighting For a Homeland: How Prussia justifies his "Polish Adventure," which is largely taken from the source material. It doesn't quite go as planned.
  • Frying Pan of Doom: Still implied to be Hungary's weapon of choice. And it apparently survived her own death.
  • Futureshadowing: Given the time jumps and Anachronic Order, there are references to future and past events, leading to a number of Call Back moments and Book Ends.
  • Generation Xerox: It's implied, especially by A Wasteland Memorial that Sopron and Partium might become their generation's parallel to Austria and Hungary's relationship.
    • It's also hinted that both Heinrich and Franz, who are in their respective eras Austria's human assistants, belong to the same line that has served him for generations.
  • Genre Savvy: Switzerland is familiar enough with World War III scenarios to know that Austria's persistent Hope Spot on Hungary's fate would not end well.
  • Great Offscreen War: Both Prussia's "Polish Adventure" and the Alpines' squabbles with Sicily/Romano are mentioned though never actually shown in action. On the other hand, the consequences of the former are expounded upon.
  • Guardian Angel: If Hungary's any indication in the Austria-centric tales.
  • The Great Politics Mess-Up
  • Gratuitous Foreign Language: Expect a good deal of (largely translated) bits of foreign languages, namely:
    • Gratuitous German, though Switzerland and Liechtenstein tend towards Swiss German.
    • Gratuitous Hungarian, used mainly by Sopron and Hungary herself.
    • Gratuitous Polish also shows up in the case of Poland himself.
  • Heterosexual Life Partners: Austria and Switzerland, sort of.
  • Historical Domain Character: There's a passing mention of "President Reagan" leaving the DC area in America's story, as well as a reference to Otto von Habsburg in Hungary's.
    • Yuri Andropov, who was General Secretary of the USSR in 1983 also makes an appearance in Russia's arc. He died by heart attack though Russia killed him upon learning the truth about Doomsday.
  • Hope Spot
  • I Did What I Had to Do: How the Alpines justify closing down the borders and forcing out refugees in An Unexpected Union, which was taken from the source material. While they're not proud of it, it had to be done just to survive.
  • Internal Reveal / Dramatic Irony
  • It Got Better: Eventually, anyway.
  • I Will Wait for You: Austria never broke the promise he made to Hungary before the bombs fell. And as it turns out, neither did she. The same could be said for Prussia and Germany.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Switzerland and Prussia, in various ways.
  • Just Before the End: The Last Minutes to Midnight is all about this, showing a snapshot of what the world looked like just before everything went to hell in 1983. It culminates in Austria helplessly watching Doomsday unfold before his very eyes.
  • Large Ham: Prussia still manages to be this.
  • Lighter and Softer: The Christmas Episode, which focuses on Sopron and Austria, is the most blatant, considering the bleak or at least bittersweet tone of the AU.
  • Magic Realism
  • The Mafia: They pretty much run Sicily/South Italy, who's at odds with both the Alpines and the Survivor-Nations of what was once his brother's land.
  • Missing Mom: Subverted. Death hasn't stopped Angelic!Hungary from visiting and looking after her daughter.
  • Mummies At the Dinner Table: Hinted at in A Symphony for a New World, which has Austria playing his piano alongside a crate. That happens to contain Hungary's corpse.
  • Never Found the Body: How Austria tried convincing himself in the chronologically earlier stories that Hungary was still alive somewhere. Subverted when his men actually find her corpse in A Wasteland Melody. Prussia himself has a similar experience with (West) Germany.
  • Never Got to Say Goodbye: Austria, upon finally forcing himself to admit that Hungary has been Dead All Along for over 20 years.
  • Next Gen Fic: Anything involving the Survivor Nations.
  • Noodle Incident: There are a number of references to events from the source timeline that are mentioned. One of the more common ones are to Prussia's "Polish Adventure," involving the "reconquest" of Pomerania and the subsequent asskicking from the Poles.
  • Nuclear Weapons Taboo
  • Original Character: The "Survivor-Nations" that emerged from the wastes, such as Partium, Tuscany, New Britain, Cleveland, Rheged and North Germany. Sopron, while mentioned in passing in the source timeline, is portrayed as a Nation (sort of) in her own right as Austria and Hungary's daughter.
  • Passing the Torch: (West) Germany had done this to North Germany, as Prussia painfully learned. Further down the line, Austria does the same for Sopron.
  • Perspective Flip
  • Powerful Pick : implied to be Cleveland's Weapon of Choice.
  • Posthumous Character: Germany, America and Hungary.
  • Prequel in the Lost Age: A Forgotten Anniversary, which takes place in The Sixties (specifically the 100th anniversary of the Augsleich in 1967). It's distant enough from Doomsday to stand alone but nonetheless contains some foreshadowing to what's about to happen. A number of other fics also take place at some point in the historical past, the most far back taking place in 1867.
  • Proper Lady: Liechtenstein. Her pure, innocent and mature facade remains intact after Doomsday. But partly out of necessity and her eventual position as the heart of the Alpine Confederation, she also turns out physically older in the later-era stories. Her relationship with Switzerland meanwhile, at least in Austria's eyes, is anything but.
  • Purple Prose: Deliberately invoked to a degree in the 19th Century flashbacks alongside Antiquated Linguistics. Austria in general though retains some elements of this well into the "present."
  • Prussia: It turned out that not only did he actually survive, but Doomsday had ironically given him a second chance at glory...though the first years were still painfully difficult.
  • Ragnarok Proofing: Varies, depending on the time period and setting. Though even relatively unharmed places show signs of neglect and decay.
  • Reality Ensues
  • Reconstruction: While tone of the AU becomes progressively more hopeful and brighter further down the line (though not without its less pleasant sides) as the dark chaos of Doomsday fades away.
  • Ruins of the Modern Age
  • Sanity Slippage: Doomsday wasn't exactly merciful to Poland (having developed a split personality) and Sicily/South Italy (who hasn't taken his brother's death all too well). While One Unexpected Day initially give the impression that Austria may have finally lost it. Thankfully, he didn't.
  • Sexy Discretion Shot: While it's not explicitly shown, Austria and Hungary really missed each other. Twice.
  • Someone To Remember Her By: Sopron is very much this for Austria. Though considering who the mother is...
  • There Are No Therapists: Averted. Switzerland even tries to suggest one for Austria.
  • The Sound of Martial Music
  • The Unintelligible: Cleveland, when he wants to be anyway. Actually true to the source material since the article on Cleveland includes a sample of the Clevish dialect which is nigh incomprehensible.
  • Time Abyss: This is hinted at to a degree by the 2000s-era stories, which Austria is trying to avoid. Though it's also stated that he had largely forgotten how Hungary sounded when she sang after all those years.
  • Title Drop:
    • Her Guarding Arm is not only a reference to Hungary's national anthem, but also Angelic!Hungary's fate and role to Austria and Sopron at the end of the story.
    • The Vanishing Shadows is the working title Jean Burnel uses for his novel.
  • Vestigial Empire: Despite being a core member of the Alpine Confederation, Austria still misses his old Imperial days (among others). Justified in a sense given that as in the source timeline, Switzerland (and to an extent Liechtenstein) holds greater influence having been completely untouched by the bombs. The same could be said of Prussia as well.
  • Who Wants to Live Forever?:
    • Austria is inferred to have succumbed to this. He may have survived the bombs, but the nuclear death of Vienna and the eventual passing on of the pre-Doomsday generation as well as confirmation on Hungary's death left him with a bad case of grief and survivor guilt lasting decades. Granted, he does get better eventually.
    • Russia also gets this, in part due to his direct involvement in Doomsday as well as his guilt over losing Ukraine.
  • World Half Full: By the 1990s and especially the early 21st Century, life is returning to something resembling normal. Humanity is rebuilding and starting anew. Still, many parts of the world are still in ruins, much remains to be done and not everyone's happy.
  • World War III: What Doomsday boils down to.
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