Planning for The Future Before The End

Sometimes, people give one Final Speech before they die. Other times, they'll tell their comrades that It Has Been an Honor, or to their loved one that they're Sorry That I'm Dying. In this scenario, however, they completely avoid the subject. Rather than discuss their impending doom (or their loved one's), they'll have a casual conversation about something completely unrelated. Maybe they'll make plans for a date, or talk about how lovely their home is this time of year and that they should visit soon. Of course, they (and the audience) are well aware that those plans will never be.

This is usually used as a means to either comfort the one that is dying, or comfort the one left alive who is witnessing their loved one's death. Sometimes, a character isn't dying at all and is just being Put on a Bus, and the two are just avoiding any overt showing of emotion. Sadly, in the case of a character actually dying, one will usually die while it's their turn to talk, leaving the anguished survivor desperately trying to continue the conversation. An especially tragic bit can be if one person dies unnoticed (at least at first) in the middle of such a conversation.

Although this is, for the most part, a Death Trope (and thus spoileriffic), this one has far more exceptions than most. As mentioned above, there are times when one character is just saying goodbye. Other times, the characters end up getting out just fine in the end. Contrast Retirony, where the plans are made, but the character(s) have no sense of their impending doom.

Film
"The Missing Link: It's been an honor knowing you, Doc.
 * In Captain America: The First Avenger, after the Cap makes his choice to
 * Subverted in Monsters vs. Aliens. After The Missing Link and Dr. Cockroach are telling each other It Has Been an Honor, B.O.B. tells them he'll see them tomorrow for lunch. They agree, although B.O.B. was totally serious...

Dr. Cockroach: The feeling's mutual, my friend.

B.O.B.: I'll see you guys tomorrow...for lunch.

The Missing Link: That's right, Bob.

Dr. Cockroach: There'll be candy and cake...balloons.

B.O.B.: CAKE AND BALLOONS FOR LUNCH? IT'S GONNA BE THE BEST DAY EVER! I LOVE YOU GUYS!"


 * In Star Trek (2009), George Kirk has a conversation with his wife on what to name their son. All the while, he's being totally awesome and securing the escape of his wife and crew.

Literature

 * In the third installment of A Song of Ice and Fire, Jon has something of a one-sided version of this with the dying Ygritte. He tells her that she'll be fixed up, that she'll see a hundred castles, and that they'll return to their cave together. Her response is simply, "You know nothing, Jon Snow."

Live-Action TV

 * The Office invokes this trope in "Goodbye, Michael," when Jim finds out Michael is leaving a day earlier than he claimed. The two make plans for lunch the next day, even though Michael will be gone, and Jim tells him all the things he "plans" to tell him. A tearful Michael tells him that he can't wait.

Theater

 * West Side Story: As Tony lay dying in Maria's arms, the two discuss how they're going to get away because no one will let them be. She starts to sing a reprise of a song about how they will leave. He dies before she can finish.

Video Games

 * Final Fantasy X had this as a major and very well developed plot point for the first 3/4 of the game where Titus and Yuna talked about what they were going to do after defeating Sin with the Final Aeon; they did this all the way up to just before entering Zanarkand. When Titus learns that Yuna's death would be a part of the summoning, it crushes him as he thinks about how much time they spent talking about the future beyond Sin's death.
 * In Persona 3, the members of SEES make a plan to meet on Graduation Day, even though they have every reason to believe that the world will end before that day ever gets arrives.
 * Along the same lines. during the Christmas Eve date with Akihiko in the female protagonist's route in Persona 3 Portable, he gives her a music box and promises to give her something to put in it every year.

Western Animation

 * In The Simpsons "Lisa the Skeptic," Edna suggests he and Skinner have sex one last time before the end. Skinner agrees, but asks her to give him a bit so he can finish filling out the tardy slips. If the world was ending, who cares about tardy slips?