Endings And Beginnings

School is out! Yay!

I know most of you who are school-age have probably got out of school already, but I just got out today and I'm glad it's summer (it's not that I don't like school, it's just that I like the freedom to spend my time however I like).

The school year is over. In addition to making me happy, the end of the year has kind of put me in a philosophical mood. Over at Pond's Philosophers Guild (a Google+) community, I've shared my philosophical posts with the hashtag #Catherinecontemplations. However, I've got an idea that is related to fandoms, so I'm going to post it here. And for philosophy stuff about/related to/taken from fandoms, I will make up a new hashtag: #fandomphilosophy.

The time for sitting in class and doing what the teacher says is over, and the time for relaxing, catching up on all the things you never had time to do during the school year, and having fun has begun. It's the end of one thing, and the beginning of another.

When you think about it, it's the same way in a fandom. You finish a season of a show (or a movie or book in a series), and then you're happy that you've seen all of it, but also sad that it's over. Then you remember the cliffhanger at the end of the season finale (or see the trailers for the next movie, etc.), and you watch/read the next season/movie/book (or wait for it to come out). The end of one thing is the beginning of another.

Now I know what you're thinking: what if the show is canceled? What if there are no more books in the series? What if the producers of the movie actually decided not to make a sequel? Yes, that does mean the end. It's a more permanent destination. But it's still a beginning, too, just a different beginning.

Think about it. Don't you hate ?
When you finish a series (or a show, or whatever it is), there are no more spoilers. It's the beginning of participating in fandom conversations without worrying that somebody will ruin the ending for you.

This is what your friends are like when they accidentally reveal a major spoiler to you.

It's also the beginning of going back and finding all the things you missed the first time. For example, rewatching lotr and just focusing on Legolas (I haven't done this yet, but I intend to do so.)

So before you get upset at what you think is the end, remember that it is also a beginning.