Time Marches On

Any story must be written over some period of time. It can only be read at a later period (occasionally overlapping, but still later). Usually, this is fine. Some stories remain classics thousands of years after they were written. Others, not so much. The world shifts around them and they become less plausible, less interesting, less relevant, less funny, or even less comprehensible.

You're older than you've ever been, and now you're even older,
and now you're even older, and now you're even older.
You're older than you've ever been, and now you're even older,
and now you're older still.
Time is marching on, and time... is still marching on.

—They Might Be Giants, "Older"

Tropes that usually fall into this category: