We still have over a week until The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 18 hits the air.

But Round Table participants Miranda Wicker, Leigh Raines and Matt Richenthal had no choice but to convene an emergency session this week due to a stunning piece of news:

Nina Dobrev is leaving the series after The Vampire Diaries Season 6.

How will she be written out? How did we feel upon learning of the departure? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING AND HOW WILL LIFE EVER BE THE SAME?!?

Join the discussion below and let your thoughts on Dobrev's departure be heard...

What was your reaction upon learning Nina Dobrev is leaving?

Miranda: Absolute shock. I'm still shocked.

Leigh: It was a "WTF!!" We hear rumors like this all the time, but she is the center of the show. The face of the show.

Matt: Is she taking the Cure with her? I kid (partially, who wanted to see that storyline crop up again?!?) because the answer is obvious: I was stunned. Many shows have lost main characters before, but few have lost someone this key to the storytelling.

Should The Vampire Diaries kill off Elena?

Miranda: That's certainly one way to do it, and part of me would like to see it so that they can stop bringing characters in and out of the series, but I don't think that's how it's going to go.

Leigh: I actually said this to Miranda in our text message shock convo: I think Damon should finally give her the cure and then she'll end up getting killed as a human, leading to a season 7 Damon ripper spin out, kind of full circle, back to the original bad boy and spurring a season of Salvatore Brothers Adventures.

Matt: Absolutely, positively, 100% yes. The show simply has to end after Season 7 (Spoiler Alert regarding my final answer) and what better way to craft a concluding arc than for Stefan and Damon to avenge the death of their shared love?

What is your favorite Elena memory/moment?

Miranda: Can I pick two? Okay. Burning her own house down after turning her humanity off ranks up there with shoving the cure in Katherine's mouth during their showdown at the end of The Vampire Diaries Season 4.

Leigh: I think my Katherine moments were truly my favorite Nina moments. Burning the house down was pretty badass though. Psycho but awesome moment.

Matt: I'll go with favorite Nina Dobrev moment. There was a scene last year where she played Katherine playing Elena, putting on a master acting class that involved her literally portraying two characters at once.

Oh, hey, Michael Trevino is leaving, too: Will you miss Tyler?

Miranda: Seeing as he's had absolutely nothing to do this season except play Liv's lapdog, no. I still think he should be in New Orleans.

Leigh: I love Tyler, but I think his time has long since expired. Good luck to him on his pilot!

Matt: Not really. He actually involved very well as a character, coming a long way from the bully we met way back on Season 1. But he already left for a very long period of time at one point and has been far off on the periphery ever since.

Should The Vampire Diaries end after Season 7?

Miranda: As much as I love the show, it feels like it's time. Go out on a high and leave the people wanting more, guys.

Leigh: Agreed. UNLESS it kind of goes the way of Supernatural and becomes a brotherly adventure show. Then again, the CW already has that. I really really think it ruins it when a main character leaves the show. Ie: Marissa Cooper and The OC. I KNOW I'm in the minority of Marissa fans, but to me it felt too different when she left to keep watching.

Matt: Yes. TVD is no longer the flagship CW show; it now trails both Arrow and The Flash in ratings. Not only should the show go out after next season, before rating truly plunge and before fans are actually calling for it to end, but it should wrap up with only 13 episodes in 2015-2016. That will make it easier to tell the taut, suspenseful, focused storytelling worthy of TVD's final run.

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.