| rdfs:comment
| - When people get involved in a story, many have the basic expectation that it will have a satisfactory ending. This, in and of itself, is not unjustified: no matter how good acts one and two are, if act three is unsatisfying, that is all that the people outside the theater will be talking about. The thing is, so much conspires against a satisfactory conclusion. This is Ending Aversion. And well, it's hard to say that we're not somewhat to blame either. If a work is avoided because of a Downer Ending, that is Angst Aversion. Examples and Reasons:
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| abstract
| - When people get involved in a story, many have the basic expectation that it will have a satisfactory ending. This, in and of itself, is not unjustified: no matter how good acts one and two are, if act three is unsatisfying, that is all that the people outside the theater will be talking about. The thing is, so much conspires against a satisfactory conclusion. Maybe the show was Screwed by the Network and was canceled before any of the questions it raised could be answered. Maybe as time went on, the story collects so many elements that there was no possible way that they could do each justice. Maybe it was the first part of a series left unfinished by the now-deceased or bored author, leaving the epic unfinished. Maybe the Series Goal was never achieved. Maybe the writers just plain tired themselves out of creativity by the end of it, and so much Fanon Discontinuity is claimed, you could swear the fandom was comprised solely of historical revisionists. Maybe too many a Spoiler was revealed, and it seems pointless to watch. Or maybe you've just heard that the whole thing devolves into such unspeakable surreality that it would taint the rest of the experience. Hearing about all these things makes people wary. No one wants to spend time dedicating themselves to something that will leave them disappointed. Maybe the overall experience would have more than compensated for any supposed deficiencies of the ending, but the potential viewer has been scared off. This is Ending Aversion. Now, of course, one could make the attempt to keep watching it for as long as they liked it, then turn it off when they didn't. When someone becomes attached to the characters and the story, however, that's easier said than done. This, then, often results in the viewer going online to complain about what happened... and the cycle begins anew. Ironically, the biggest contributor to Ending Aversion might just be those who consider themselves the most hardcore fans of a work. Criticism is fun to read and to write and fan discussion will inevitably lead to someone choosing to Accentuate the Negative of the shows they love: "They Changed It, Now It Sucks." "It was better when all the mysteries were still up in the air." "It was great when it started, but the last couple of seasons never happened", and so on. And well, it's hard to say that we're not somewhat to blame either. If a work is avoided because of a Downer Ending, that is Angst Aversion. Compare to Hype Aversion and The Firefly Effect (wariness of committing to a new show, as opposed to one that has concluded). See also Awesomeness Withdrawal. Examples and Reasons:
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