Denouement
The phase after the climax: threads untangle, consequences settle, the story lands.
The denouement (etymologically: untying the knot) settles what the climax decided: showing consequences, closing subplots, installing the new equilibrium. It's the story's landing — and as in aviation, a technical phase wrongly assumed easy.
Two symmetrical pitfalls await: too short, it frustrates (the reader needs to *live* in the world-after, not just glimpse it); too long, it dilutes the climax through successive epilogues. The right measure depends on the reading contract: a tragedy can end dry; a thousand-page saga owes farewells to everyone.
Example
After the final battle: survivors return, accounts settle, a door opens.