The Moon Woke Up is a cosmic Horror Comedy web video series created by Mr Friend.
As the name suggests, the series takes place in an Alternate Universe where in July 1969 the Earth's Moon suddenly wakes up - revealing itself to be a living being - and crashes into Earth, causing a worldwide apocalypse.
As civilisation begins to recover after the collision of the Moon - now known as the Lunar Impact - they soon find that the Moon isn't the only planet that's actually alive. Even worse, the planets aren't the only beings lurking in space...
Episodes
This series contains examples of:
- Adam and Eve Plot: Downplayed. F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries has a "Repopulation Program" to replace the human populace. Played for Laughs as it's noted that applications are full.
- Affectionate Parody: What the series eventually becomes, starting with the third episode. The escalating ridiculousness and Rule of Cool all serve to highlight how absurd such a terrifying premise can also be.
- Alien Space Bats: The Moon and the outer Solar System planets awaken on the day of the Apollo 11 mission, jumping to five years later in a post-apocalyptic 1974 where F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries has practically taken control of humanity to combat and study the resulting chaos.
- Apocalypse How: Class 1. The plot kicks off with the Moon crashing into Earth, resulting in billions dead. Over a century later, humanity is doing much better.
- Apocalyptic Logistics: Exaggerated Trope. F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries has incredibly advanced facilities and technology in 1974 along with having well-stocked paramilitary forces and advanced cybernetics, five years after the Moon crashed into Earth and human civilization was decimated. No mention is made of where they get all of their resources and funding besides Rule of Cool.
- Applied Phlebotinum: Element 75-U is a pink substance that started to appear after the lunar collision. Although some humans who consumed it became Moonfected, F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries managed to use this "moon juice" to power all their electronics.
- Artificial Stupidity: In a parody of ChatGPT, Episode 10 has the StarGoose's AI declare a planet to be toxic to all known life. The Captain points out it previously said the planet had signs of biological life. The AI mulls over this for a bit, then admits the pilot is correct.Captain: F*@%ing Friend GPT 9.
- Badass Transplant: In Episode 5, one human is fitted with a prosthetic arm. Among its functions is a Disintegrator Ray that instantly vaporizes a Moon Creature.
- Black Comedy: The nature of most of the humor in the series, mostly in the form of F.R.I.E.N.D's comically sociopathic antics.
- Blind Jump: Inverted in Episode 7. StarGoose 6, when faced with a "moon swarm", evades it by aborting a jump, sending them to an unknown location.
- Boldly Coming: In Episode 10, the POV character has not been in his living quarters for five seconds before the Velari Princess visits and the two make love, despite her already being engaged to another of her species.
- Colony Drop: The inciting incident is the Moon waking up and slamming itself into Earth before going dormant again.
- Cosmic Horror Story: The series deals with the existence of giant, hostile creatures living in outer space.
- Curse Cut Short: In Episode 4, an ad for F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries ends like this when it is cut off with static.Narrator: F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries: Your best friend in a world gone to shi-
- Cyberpunk: This is what Earth has become since F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries took over. Over a century after the lunar impact, the planet is a Crapsack World living under the thumb of this oppressive MegaCorp, which supplies mankind with advanced technology, commodities, and prosthetics... for a price. Episode 8 even opens with a rescue team outfitted with advanced cybernetics heading into the Umbra Zone, and they travel through an environment of neon-drenched skyscrapers that wouldn't look out of place in Night City.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?:
- As big as they are, the Living Planets and Moons aren't invincible given sufficient firepower. In episode 11, a small moon of Thalaan is K.O'd by a powerful missile in its mouth, then later eaten and presumably destroyed by a Sand Worm. Thalaan itself is disabled entirely after a shot from the alien ship Q'thross.
- The "Taxmen" are essentially gigantic cosmic Physical Gods who can causally destroy a planet with a single punch and collect the awakened planets for an unknown purpose. However, even they can be vulnerable to harm. At the end of episode 14, the artificial moons created by F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries essentially allows humanity to literally abduct a Taxman attempting to collect the awakened Mars, which was used as bait. Then, in episode 15, even they can suffer a Portal Cut, with one losing a finger.
- Eldritch Abomination:
- The Planets, which are sleeping Genius Loci with eyes and mouths. Come Episode 7, they are revealed to be the byproduct of the Lunar Progenitor.
- The giant, unknown beings from the rifts first introduced in Episode 4. Episode 12 reveals that they are called "The Taxmen", and are godlike giants several times more massive than any planet, and gives them a face reveal, showcasing their glowing red eyes.
- The Lunar Progenitor, a giant Starfish Alien that is capable of creating new living planets.
- Face-Revealing Turn: In Episode 2, Michael is first seen from behind. His father then turns him around, revealing he has been "moonfected".
- Faster-Than-Light Travel: Episode 6 gives us "moonjumps", powered by giant gates.
- Fluffy the Terrible: In Episode 7, the StarGoose 6 pilot jokingly compares the Lunar Progenitor to his aunt Patricia. The ship's AI then refers to it as a "Patricia" for the rest of the episode.
- Fun with Acronyms: Frontline Research Initiative for Earth's New Defense, or F.R.I.E.N.D.
- Get a Room!: In Episode 10, the first thing the POV character sees upon waking up is the chief's daughter naked in their bed. The second thing they see is the captain complaining, "Could you not have got another room?", apparently having seen the whole thing.
- Guilt by Association: In Episode 10, the POV character is tied to a stake for having slept with the chieftain's daughter. The captain is also tied up even though, as he points out, he didn't do anything.
- Half the Man He Used to Be:
- When the space station falls apart in Episode 5, one astronaut is cut in half by a stray solar panel.
- In Episode 9, David loses his legs in an accident during a meteor shower. He eventually has them replaced by a large wheel.
- He Knows Too Much: In Episode 9, shortly after Dr. Chen explains to the crew what he discovered about Moonjuice, the FriendBot flies in and kills them all, including Dr. Chen. Subverted in that the POV character survives, and the scientist grumbles about wanting him unharmed.
- Humanoid Abomination:
- The Moonfected, which are humans that have mutated from cosmic frequencies or radiation from Element 75-U, and are now feral and sport the faces of the Planets.
- The Moon Creatures, which are strange, humanoid entities that lurk within the Umbra Zone that surrounds the Moon.
- Human Resources: In Episode 9, "Project Phobos" is revealed to be a satellite laser powered by the blood of survivors from the Umbra Zone, keeping them in glass tubes.
- Interrupted Suicide: In Episode 9, F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries stops David from jumping over a bridge at the last minute and offers him a job there.
- Ironic Name: F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries may put up the affable front to live up to the name they plaster on everything, but as their frequent rights violations, experimentation, and use of Human Resources show, they're anything but your friend.
- It's Probably Nothing: In Episode 6, StarGoose 6's AI warns of a gravity spike with the weight of a planet. The pilot initially dismisses it as a malfunction. Sure enough, they are being followed by a planet, specifically Neptune.
- Kill and Replace: In Episode 7, the Lunar Progenitor destroys the original, not alive Moon in 10,000 BC and replaces it with the hostile, living Moon.
- Lovecraft Lite: Exploited. Humanity is shown to have a remarkable amount of control over the cosmic chaos happening, but F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries takes it to a terrifying level by successfully fighting and capturing the eldritch things popping up.
- Mayfly–December Romance: The romance between the POV character and the Velari Princess in Episodes 10 and 11 is effectively this, as she reveals that her species lives for up to 100 "cycles", the equivalent of six Earth months.Captain: Well damn. At least this ain't a long-term thing, aye?
- MegaCorp: F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries, which rose to power five years after the Moon woke up and crashed into the Earth. They have enough manpower and resources to have entire armies sent to retrieve samples and cull the Moonfected, and are also well equipped enough to send space probes to the awakened Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus.
- Monster Progenitor: The Lunar Progenitor is revealed to be the creator of living planets. Episode 7 reveals that it was the being that created the titular Moon.
- Nightmare Face: The Moon itself, Moonfected, and other planets all have the same Slasher Smile and Black Eyes of Evil.
- One Nation Under Copyright: After the Moon crashed into Earth, the remaining populace is controlled by F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries, a corporation that rose to power at least five years later.
- P.O.V. Sequel: Episode 4 ends with a giant hand emerging from a portal to pull Jupiter away. The start of Episode 5 revisits this from the perspective of astronauts in orbit, showing much more chaotic events resulting from this.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In Episode 9, the captain eventually decides to make a break for it when faced with two Moon Titans. He is killed before he can make it to safety.
- Short-Lived Organism: The Velari - the people of Thalaan - live for up to 100 "cycles". Converted to Earth years, that is the equivalent of six months.
- Shout-Out:
- Episode 4: One character calls the moon juice from Umbra Zone "The Mona Lisa of moon juice".
- Episode 8: A character watches the video What if Planets Collide? from SolarBalls.
- Episode 10: Two of Thalaan's moons are revealed to be named Billious and Tedulous.
- Episode 12: The council room in the Q'thross very strongly resembles the Death Star II's throne room from Return of the Jedi, even having identical windows and circular control panels.
- Teleport Gun: In Episode 10, after the captain vaporizes an archer in front of the chief believing he was attacking them, he then claims his weapon is this, teleporting said archer to "a realm of mighty space gods".
- Time Skip: Episode 5 takes place 150 years after the Planets are taken through rifts by giant hands.
- Universal Translator: In Episode 10, the StarGoose 6 AI can translate the Velari's language after analyzing the chief's speech.
- Weird Moon: The eponymous Moon. One day it suddenly gains a face and crashes itself into Earth.
- Wham Episode: Episode 9 is this. The episode opens with somebody on Mars witnessing a giant laser being shot into the Olympus Mons, the largest volcano on Mars. The ending of the episode reveals that Friend Industries were the ones who shot the laser - which is powered by the blood of other humans - and that it's transformed Mars into a Living Planet.
- Wham Shot:
- Episode 1 ends with a shot of the Moon crashing into Earth... before panning over to reveal that Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus are living planets just like the Moon, and are also making their way towards Earth.
- Episode 6 has a couple:
- During the Moonjump, StarGoose 6 detects a gravity spike caused by an object with the weight of a planet. It turns out to be the previously-unawakened Neptune, now awakened and chasing after the StarGoose ships.
- The episode ends with StarGoose 6 arriving at an unknown planet after their chase with Neptune, and coming face-to-face with a Lunar Progenitor, which creates a new living planet.
- Episode 7's opening reveals that the Lunar Progenitor arrived during ancient times, destroyed the original Moon, and replaced it with the hostile, living Moon seen throughout the series.
- During the escape sequence of Episode 13, Subject 24 is hunted down by F.R.I.E.N.D.-built Cyber-Moons.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
- F.R.I.E.N.D. Industries tends to murder any employee who no longer offers a net benefit to the corporation.
- The Taxmen threatened the Kthrr' with extinction, unless the Kthrr' agreed to subservience as engineers building wormholes for the Taxmens' benefit. The second the latter finally finished their end of the bargain, the former blew up their planet.