Falling from Grace (and seeing Guardians of the Galaxy)

So you've just discovered this new series. You like it, you're instantly hooked. The more you keep reading the better it gets. It sucks you in completely, and you find yourself utterly immersed by it. It skyrockets up in your fondness rankings to easily the top 3 of your favourite universes of all time. You think its pure weapons-grade AWESOME. There are characters you love, characters you love to hate, and even maybe one or two you relate to. At school or work or wherever it is you tediously toil the day away, you find your thoughts constantly drifting back to this fantastic new setting you've discovered. As time goes on you just keep finding more and more stuff to like about it.

Then one day it happens. The author or the writer or the director or whoever is in charge of making more of this epic that you're enjoying so much does... something, some sort of change to it. Maybe it's a new character that doesn't sit right with you. Maybe it's an existing character doing something that doesn't feel right. Maybe it's a new element or rule to the setting that you think throws it off kilter. Maybe those two characters you thought were perfect for each other end up affirming to each other that neither of them has any attraction to the other, and their relationship will never be anything more than platonic, while at the same time pursuing whirlwind romances with other characters you don't like one bit. Maybe your absolute favourite character in it comes to a bad end. Maybe it's three prequels, or a fourth instalment, or two sequels that maybe shouldn't have been made how they were. Or maybe it's some sort of new event or development that you feel is an affront to everything your vision of this beloved world stands for.

Whatever it is, the end result is the same. You're crushed. The whole magnificent wondrous world you had fell for and come to call home, the amazing series that reeled you in completely, comes crashing down all around you in flames. Your excitement for it starts to die piece by piece. No longer does it bring boundless joy to you, but instead burning disappoint and frustration about what could have been. The wonder dries up and boils away. The magic fades. In your eyes, the setting is almost dead and gone.

Has that ever happened to you?

Because it's just happened to me. And I'm not happy about it.

What especially fries me about it is that this setting-breaker actually really shouldn't have happened. The work in question is supposed to be an open-ended setting, a canvas that one can craft their own narrative onto. Which is exactly what I did. And now this thing has come along and invalidated it. Which shouldn't happen, because as stated the setting is supposed to be open-ended, and is supposed to leave people free to make of it what they will.

It's a phenomenon not entirely dissimilar to Jumping the Shark I suppose, except Jumping the Shark is generally universally acknowledged to ruin the work, whereas this is a more personal thing.

Anywhich, the next librarything will be next Thursday, on the 11th of September. It's comic book month, so expect something graphic-novella related. Me, I think we should all go on a librarything expedition to see Guardians of the Galaxy. It's awesome. And it fits with the theme. And it works because it's an adaptation of something published. Really if we went and saw New Moon then there's no excuse for not going off and seeing Guardians of the Galaxy.

There's also a convention.. thing being held at the Onehunga library, a strange and twisted place where they're open on Sundays and have more than one late night. At least I think they do. My memory may be playing tricks on me there. What was I writing about again? And where am I?

I think that'll be all for tonight. Remember to pester the librarything administrator(s) to take us all out to see Guardians of the Galaxy. You know it'd be great. We want to see Guardians of the Galaxy. Yeeeesssssssss.

Exunt