Okay, #SPNFamILY… the hour is almost upon us. It’s time to set up a support system for ourselves and one another, and I have a suggestion.
Someone I know suggested that in order to deal with the (very real!) grief and loss process that may come along with the end of the show, I might want to have a “funeral” of sorts. I like the idea, but I’m not sure I have the time/energy/spoons/whatever to organize an actual event. So, here’s my proposal.
Anyone who’d like to participate, post a tribute/eulogy to the show (or to someone working on the show, or a character, or whatever really) using the hashtag #HuntersFuneral. (More on tributes below.) Then (assuming that enough people do this), whenever you’re ready/able to have your “funeral,” you can search the hashtag, and know that you’re grieving with your fellow fans. You can do this alone, or with a group of friends/family/whoever (just make sure to take all the appropriate COVID precautions!), or however, and whenever, you want. I’m hoping this will help with the healing process for everyone.
I will ask two things, though:
Please, please, BE POSITIVE. I’m not talking sunshine & rainbows, but please treat this as though it were an actual funeral, and those who post were giving actual eulogies. Respect the fact that SPN means something different to each of us, and if you dislike/disagree with someone’s interpretation, just move on to another eulogy post. And those who post their own tributes, please remember this isn’t the time to complain about aspects of the show you didn’t like. Just… be excellent to each other, guys. :) (Honestly, I might be way more concerned about posting this idea if I didn’t trust you all to be kind. It is the SPN fandom, after all. But I thought it might be worth reminding people, just as a precaution–especially because this is going to be a hard time for many of us, and grief can sometimes stir up anger.)
Please tag spoilers, possible triggers, and non-family-friendly posts appropriately! We’re going to have fans who aren’t comfortable with certain language and/or topics, and I know we want to avoid making things even harder on anyone. And I know from personal experience how difficult it is to be behind on a show and have to basically become a hermit until you catch up so you’re not spoiled! So please respect each other in these ways, too!
As for what you post… honestly, this can be basically anything. The point is to help yourself and others move through the process of grieving, so whatever you think will do that is fair game (apart from complaints/rudeness/similar, like I mentioned above, haha). Write a fanfiction, create fan art, make a fan video; use video or audio to record yourself speaking, or singing “Carry On, Wayward Son”; or just write out what you’re feeling and/or what you want to say. Any and all mediums that you can think of are welcome! Just be yourself and do things in the way that feels right to you.
One last thing, then. I’m fairly certain this will work best if we have a lot of people participating. That said, I don’t want to pressure anyone, especially if they feel like they’re not ready to deal with this yet. So, of course I’ll be happy if you either participate or just share this, but if you can’t, it’s okay.
Now, go forth and feel the feelings and help each other through them! Let’s all come together to support each other in this, because we’re a family, and family don’t end with blood.
I believe in us. I believe in all of us. And I’m proud of us. <3 <3 <3