One thing I really want to do one day for my bigger projects (so far probably just Petal, maybe Finding Elpis) is an ending that’s not really an ending but a loop closure/opening; that is to say, an ending that directly connects to the start of the story showing that the world is eternal and the story happens in a cycle rather than a line.
Do you like these endings or do you like to be more final/definitive?
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That's an incredible idea, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh! I'm not sure if I've heard of a loop ending. I prefer a final ending, but a loop ending is interesting!
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Thanks Maurice Vaughan, I think if you do them well, loop endings are actually really satisfying. I know Futurama has such an ending.
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The 2007 sci-fi action film Next has a loop ending that doesn't go way back to the beginning, but further than you expect.
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Ooh nice Michael Dzurak, I’ll have to check it out.
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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh
I really like loop endings when they’re earned.
When the story is thematically about cycles trauma, destiny, history repeating, generational patterns a loop ending can feel powerful and haunting. It gives the sense that the world continues beyond the frame, and sometimes that’s more honest than a neat resolution.
But I think it only works when the emotional arc feels complete. Even if the plot loops, the character has to shift in some way. Otherwise it can feel like nothing mattered.
Personally, I enjoy both definitive endings for closure, loop endings for resonance. It just depends on what the story is trying to say.
What kind of cycle are you exploring in Petal fate, memory, choice?
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Oh my goodness, that’s my favorite thing as well!
Yes, I have a project where the ending is a loop. The craziest part is that it can either end within the loop or continue toward a completely different conclusion.
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I don't really like loop endings, but we were forced to do it with The Final Solution.
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You're welcome, Banafsheh Esmailzadeh. Thanks. I'll have to try a loop ending. Thanks for the idea. I watched Futurama way back. I'll check it out again when I outline a script with a loop ending.
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The best loop ending I can think of is from David Lynch’s Lost Highway.
Another might be Triangle… not sure it fits but with its time travel aspect there’s a repeating loop throughout.
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Abhijeet Aade Petal’s canon cycle is Samsara, so life itself naturally loops until an action breaks the cycle (though so far this isn’t always seen as a good thing; no one has as of yet achieved nirvana). The predominant theme of the world is chaos vs order, with life representing pure chaos (you can only be born one way, as you know yourself in this lifetime) and death representing pure order (there are many ways you can die). So Petal is all about fate with a bit of memory as well (some characters remember their past lives), which lends itself much better to a loop ending than a linear one. In fact a linear ending with Petal is extremely rare because it’s guaranteed to mean you were either denied by chaos (never born), slammed with order (god of death/reaper had to kill you himself), or a combination of the two (also known as Total Nothingness).
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Oh I love that Meriem Bouziani! I’m kinda going for that with Petal as well, some character viewpoints come about because of timelines that branch off due to major events and as such literally everything is canon xD
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That’s fair Rutger Oosterhoff 2. I honestly struggle sometimes with linear endings.
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You’re welcome, Maurice Vaughan. Have fun!
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Good stuff Mike Boas. I still have to watch Lost Highway and Twin Peaks. Never heard of The Triangle.
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Yes, and it makes the story flexible—the kind where you finish the movie and then wonder, “Did it truly end, or did it just begin?” It’s absolutely fun and a insane. Banafsheh Esmailzadeh
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Banafsheh Esmailzadeh
That’s fascinating.
Grounding Petal’s canon in Samsara makes the loop feel philosophical rather than just structural. I really like the chaos vs order framing especially life as chaos and death as order. That inversion is powerful.
It also makes the idea of a linear ending feel almost unnatural within that world, which is actually a strong sign your mythology is cohesive. When the rules of the universe dictate the form of the ending, that’s worldbuilding done right.
The memory element is especially compelling characters remembering past lives adds emotional weight to the cycle. It turns repetition into consequence.
Now I’m curious is breaking the cycle in Petal meant to be liberation… or disruption?.