POST-SERIES DEPRESSION

It is the sadness felt after reading or watching a really long series or story. The bitter feeling when you know the journey is over, but you don't want it to end.

It is the longing for the words on the pages to move for you like they did the first time you read them. When you didn't know what the next paragraph held and the world in which the characters found themselves was entirely without limit. Because any time you re-read the story, you know that they aren't free to roam anywhere like they were before. They are stuck in a cart on a track and all you can hope for is to notice something about the scene you didn't before, and to just try to relive those feelings you had the first time around.

But it will never be quite the same.

This can apply to any series; be it a book series, TV series, an anime, comic, or even movie. The effects can also be felt after completing a stand alone piece that is not necessarily part of a series, although this isn't as common as PSD derives from the attachment one has to the story's characters.

Effects include, but are not limited to:
• A state depression or sadness
• The inability to start another story
• The need to rewatch/reread
• Excessively projecting felt love towards the internet
• Creating fan fiction

FROM URBANDICTIONARY.COM - https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Post-Series%20Depression

Finishing an Amazing Book!

Harry Potter

hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

Series Finales

Movie Series

Star Wars

Lord of the Rings

led zeppelin

Collecting every album

The adventure zone

Hey Folks, Michael here. First off, thanks for stopping by the After Show Blog Post! It means a lot when you come visit and we hope you enjoyed the latest episode. Second, I was very silly and forgot to mention one piece of content during the episode. It’s extra silly because it was one of the main reasons I wanted to discuss the topic of this episode in the first place.

The content I speak of is The Adventure Zone; a comedy and adventure, Dungeons & Dragons podcast staring brothers Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy, and their father Clint McElroy. The story being told in TAZ is a beautiful, side-splitting, and wholly captivating adventure. I wanted to talk about this because I’m approaching the final arc of their first campaign, the “The Balance Arc”.

At the time of writing this I have 3 episodes left, and over the past 66 episodes (each around 90min) I have truly fallen in love with these characters. We’ve gotten to know these characters on a deep level, seeing their struggles, the relationships they have gained and grown and the relationships that withered and/or were lost. While the McElroy’s are jokesters at heart they’ve been able to bring a warmth and reality to these characters. Travis McElroy, who voices Magnus Burnsides, a human fighter/rogue, has said on multiple occasions that he has grown attached to this character on a deep level. As a listener I can say that he is not alone in this feeling. I’ve laughed and cried during my listening of TAZ.

I’m excited to see what happens to these characters; I’m excited to see how it all ends. But if I’m completely honest I’m also hesitant to reach the end because I’m afraid to say goodbye. I’m afraid to say goodbye to my friends (who obvious don’t know who I am), I’m afraid to say goodbye to this fantastical land (which obviously doesn’t exist). I know these characters are works of fiction but over the nearly 250 days of audio content, (yeah it’s a lot of hours of audio) they’ve become so real. I know I’ll be okay of course, this is as first world problems as you can get, and I’ve gone through it before with Harry Potter, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Breaking Bad, but saying goodbye to your friends is never easy.

I wanted to discuss this because I LOVE this podcast. I love this story they’ve created and the characters who inhabit this amazing world. Please do yourself a favor a listen. Even if you have no interest in Dungeons and Dragons, I guarantee you will fall in love with these characters and the incredible story these McElroys are telling. (Click here to start your adventure)

I still feel silly for not bringing this up during the podcast, especially seeing as it was the catalyst for the episode topic, but maybe there was some benefit in me typing this whole thing out. This way you won’t have to hear me ramble incoherently about how much I love The Adventure Zone and instead can read my incoherent ramblings. [Note to self, you apparently don’t bring enough notes to each episode recording. Correct this going forward.]

If you’re still reading this, cheers! Thank you for staying. If you listen to The Adventure Zone and have any thoughts on it, or had a similar experience with other content, please let us know in the comments below. Seriously, I’m not asking for promotion or marketing purposes; I’m genuinely interested, and would love to get to know you all better.

Peace & Love,

Michael

BONUS AFTER SHOW MINI-EPISODE