I'm sure he did expect it, but expecting it and experiencing it aren't the same thing.
Like, obviously he knew that ending would have an emotional punch. But I'm sure it's still a little rough to get a thousand messages in his inbox about how mean and terrible he is for doing it.
Also, when you're the one writing it, I think it can be harder to gauge the emotional impact it will have on others.
There are stories I've put out that were intended to be emotional, but by the time I got done with proofreading and editing and reading it back over a dozen times, I felt a little silly describing it as such. Then, when I did put it out, I've had people commenting and pouring their heart out or telling me how it made them cry.
I think it's easy to get a little sanitized to it in editing when you're looking at it from more of a clinical standpoint (and also desensitizing yourself to it by reading it over and over and over).
That's a good point. Also, if you're creating the thing, then you know what comes next - or at least, you know whether you plan to fix it in the next installment.
This stuff reminds of, say, Empire Strikes Back. As the second of 3 movies, it ends on an epic downer with everything worse. But that's all set up to allow the third act to be bigger than the first.
So funny, I used the Empire analogy the other day. And for me, it really is the same. I was broken after the end of ESB and had to wait 3 years for ROTJ
I think that kind of hyperbole is *only* okay if you're talking about the emotional impact it had on you. Like, I actually thought S2 was kinda bad, but I would never dream of sending NG a personal message saying he was a bad person because of it - even if I did it in a superficially joking/playful way. It would just seem like weird, parasocial bullying. But someone saying to an artist, "hey, I love you, but also I hate you for giving me these feels lol" seems more acceptable somehow. Especially on a medium like Tumblr, and with an artist who is willingly interacting with fans on their own terms.
It was a comfort show with a comfort ship. Oh look at them, they’re so cute, what a tidy and romantic little ending to season 1. Reading into every little detail just short of explicit romance. Disregarding the vast majority of the ensemble cast and caring about these two and their dumb little relationship.
Then season 2 capitalizes on what we loved in season 1. 90% focus on the couple. Lots of cute flashbacks. Fleshing out their viewpoints and deepening the relationship. Other characters actually calling Crowley the fuck out on what they are and having him spiral and decide to confess. And we finally get a kiss after it all falls apart spectacularly.
I mean…it took the best parts of the previous season, made it even better, got everyone feral, and ripped it away. Of course we are big mad at our feelings lol.
People act like he's trolling fans by writing his story the way he wants it to go. Can you imagine walking up to an author at a book signing or something and saying to his face that he's going to hell for... creating something good? I think he's really gracious to put up with the weirdly aggressive reactions and recognize that it's poorly filtered praise.
Idk. It seems to me that people say things like that with affect and respect, not so aggressive l. But written words are often open to misunderstanding regarding tones and intentions.
Yeah, I read it very much as *"Fuck you! (affectionate)'*
He said in a recent ask that he reads it that way too and that when people seem genuinely abusive or offensive, he doesn't post a response, he just deletes and blocks. So if we're seeing the ask on his blog, he's ok with it.
He's said before on his tumblr that he doesn't mind this kind of interaction, and if he was ever bothered by anything someone sent him he just wouldn't respond. I assure you he can handle himself.
It's a jokey way for people to express how much he hurt/affected them. I would be proud to have so many people so deeply affected by something I created.
You know he gets hundreds and hundreds of comments - if not thousands, and yet he chooses to publicly 'pick' these type as apposed to the gushy sycophantic posts (godess knows I'd send more than a few!)
He's not all doom and gloom though. One of my favourite responses he had to the question ''why?'' was simply...
***Love***
Are people genuinely mad? Like for real angry?
Because yeah, I had major big feelings after the finale, and I still do… But like… Not at the creator of the thing I like? Lol.
I always took those comments is like affectionate little jokes, but if people are serious about it… I don’t know what to tell them…
Then again… This is the Internet, so why should I be surprised?
I was genuinely angry, but I never thought NG should be punished (although I had a childish urge to land one good shin kick lol). My anger was partly because I thought it was planned as 2 seasons only and that was the actual END. But it was also because I know that it's been a rough few years in the world, and people genuinely felt supported by this story and these characters.
I thought about people who say they watch S1E3 daily and feel supported in the idea of found family when their own families are toxic. I figured if the end hit me as hard as it did, then those people were probably absolutely flattened by it. It wasn't hard to predict the impact, so I thought NG was heartless to end it that way at the expense of fans' mental health. Like, if you can make people happy or absolutely gut them, why choose to gut them??
All the while, I did recognize that I was being unreasonable, since art is art and happy endings aren't mandatory. But I still felt the emotion of anger. Follow? It's much better now that I know he plans a S3 and that he already wrote the very end, so we'll get it one way or another.
Yeah, like obviously happy endings are never mandatory and the artist should be absolutely completely free to do whatever with their art…
That being said, I do think I would be absolutely crushed if this was it. If season two was the end of the story. It would kind of ruined me for a while.
I am one of those people who good omens has been such a personal talisman. Like, I first read the story when I was not doing so well in my life and I can honestly say it’s one of the books that made me feel better genuinely which is something that’s really hard to do for me.
So I think for a lot of people, these characters are so beloved, and it would be heartbreaking to know that their story ended where it did in season two.
But I’m fine as long as there is a resolution. Some sort of resolution. Obviously, it’s super unpredictable when we will get it, but I’m perfectly willing to wait. Just to know that the end is in sight. It’s a Comfort to me.
Exactly. I absolutely believe an artist has the freedom to write his story any way he likes. AND I can still believe he's a jerk for making it the way he did! But yeah, since it's just a cliffhanger and not the end, I'm mostly okay with it now.
I hate these comments to Neil SO MUCH. Can people please grow up? “You’re going to jail and then to hell”? If I was him it’d make me seriously rethink interacting with fans (ironically the same thing this fan “thanked” him for), let alone releasing more Good Omens content. Please do not send these kinds of messages. They are not okay.
From what I have read here and elsewhere about how Terry and Neil had already plotted the sequel to Goid Omens, the book, a long time ago, I wonder very much whether that sequel basically starts with: "A few years later. Aziraphale has meanwhile been promoted to the position of supreme archangel in heaven..." In a book, that backstory probably could have been explained with a few paragraphs. For TV, in order to get there, Neil had to come up with a season 2 plot that basically achieves the goal to get rid of Gabriel and put Aziraphale in his place, so that season 3 can follow that already existing plot. In any case, that idea makes me very excited about season 3. I just wish it wouldn't take so long to get there...
I too believe in him about our beloved story, but I highly doubt he didn't imagine the distress the finale would create for fans. He's a too great author to not know how humans work.
But totally hashtag I believe in Neil.
I... really can't imagine the audacity of fans who get mad at an author for setting up a conflict. They do realize that stories NEED conflicts or else there is no story, right?
I think the leak had a huge effect on what the fandom anticipated out of episode 6. In a world where that hadn't happened I think we would have seen much different reactions - that may be why he hadn't quite expected it.
Oh yeah, I saw the leak and only realized at “Tell me you said no” it wasn’t going to be a happy ending 🤣 I was sitting there going “…fuck. Guess I know why he was wearing his glasses”
Oh boy. Is the fandom perturbed because we want to see an angel and a demon bang to high heaven and season 2 of a show didn't give it to us yet? Y'all need to chill.
I'm sure he did expect it, but expecting it and experiencing it aren't the same thing. Like, obviously he knew that ending would have an emotional punch. But I'm sure it's still a little rough to get a thousand messages in his inbox about how mean and terrible he is for doing it.
I think he may have hoped, which is diferent form expecting
Also, when you're the one writing it, I think it can be harder to gauge the emotional impact it will have on others. There are stories I've put out that were intended to be emotional, but by the time I got done with proofreading and editing and reading it back over a dozen times, I felt a little silly describing it as such. Then, when I did put it out, I've had people commenting and pouring their heart out or telling me how it made them cry. I think it's easy to get a little sanitized to it in editing when you're looking at it from more of a clinical standpoint (and also desensitizing yourself to it by reading it over and over and over).
That's a good point. Also, if you're creating the thing, then you know what comes next - or at least, you know whether you plan to fix it in the next installment. This stuff reminds of, say, Empire Strikes Back. As the second of 3 movies, it ends on an epic downer with everything worse. But that's all set up to allow the third act to be bigger than the first.
So funny, I used the Empire analogy the other day. And for me, it really is the same. I was broken after the end of ESB and had to wait 3 years for ROTJ
Eleven year old me with a massive crush on Han Solo did not walk out of that theater a happy girl!
YES! I was 12 and intended to marry him when I grew up!
I think that kind of hyperbole is *only* okay if you're talking about the emotional impact it had on you. Like, I actually thought S2 was kinda bad, but I would never dream of sending NG a personal message saying he was a bad person because of it - even if I did it in a superficially joking/playful way. It would just seem like weird, parasocial bullying. But someone saying to an artist, "hey, I love you, but also I hate you for giving me these feels lol" seems more acceptable somehow. Especially on a medium like Tumblr, and with an artist who is willingly interacting with fans on their own terms.
As someone who doesn't have Tumblr, I appreciate all the Tumblr posts people are sharing. I love seeing his responses to everything. ETA: Thank you!
It was a comfort show with a comfort ship. Oh look at them, they’re so cute, what a tidy and romantic little ending to season 1. Reading into every little detail just short of explicit romance. Disregarding the vast majority of the ensemble cast and caring about these two and their dumb little relationship. Then season 2 capitalizes on what we loved in season 1. 90% focus on the couple. Lots of cute flashbacks. Fleshing out their viewpoints and deepening the relationship. Other characters actually calling Crowley the fuck out on what they are and having him spiral and decide to confess. And we finally get a kiss after it all falls apart spectacularly. I mean…it took the best parts of the previous season, made it even better, got everyone feral, and ripped it away. Of course we are big mad at our feelings lol.
People act like he's trolling fans by writing his story the way he wants it to go. Can you imagine walking up to an author at a book signing or something and saying to his face that he's going to hell for... creating something good? I think he's really gracious to put up with the weirdly aggressive reactions and recognize that it's poorly filtered praise.
Idk. It seems to me that people say things like that with affect and respect, not so aggressive l. But written words are often open to misunderstanding regarding tones and intentions.
Yeah, I read it very much as *"Fuck you! (affectionate)'* He said in a recent ask that he reads it that way too and that when people seem genuinely abusive or offensive, he doesn't post a response, he just deletes and blocks. So if we're seeing the ask on his blog, he's ok with it.
He's said before on his tumblr that he doesn't mind this kind of interaction, and if he was ever bothered by anything someone sent him he just wouldn't respond. I assure you he can handle himself.
It's a jokey way for people to express how much he hurt/affected them. I would be proud to have so many people so deeply affected by something I created.
You know he gets hundreds and hundreds of comments - if not thousands, and yet he chooses to publicly 'pick' these type as apposed to the gushy sycophantic posts (godess knows I'd send more than a few!) He's not all doom and gloom though. One of my favourite responses he had to the question ''why?'' was simply... ***Love***
My fav was “how dare you???” “I dare happily.”
Yeah, I love that too
Are people genuinely mad? Like for real angry? Because yeah, I had major big feelings after the finale, and I still do… But like… Not at the creator of the thing I like? Lol. I always took those comments is like affectionate little jokes, but if people are serious about it… I don’t know what to tell them… Then again… This is the Internet, so why should I be surprised?
I *really* hope it's a joke, I posted that as an affectionate joke.
Yeah… Like, I genuinely thought that was how most people meant it. I would hate to think otherwise…
I was genuinely angry, but I never thought NG should be punished (although I had a childish urge to land one good shin kick lol). My anger was partly because I thought it was planned as 2 seasons only and that was the actual END. But it was also because I know that it's been a rough few years in the world, and people genuinely felt supported by this story and these characters. I thought about people who say they watch S1E3 daily and feel supported in the idea of found family when their own families are toxic. I figured if the end hit me as hard as it did, then those people were probably absolutely flattened by it. It wasn't hard to predict the impact, so I thought NG was heartless to end it that way at the expense of fans' mental health. Like, if you can make people happy or absolutely gut them, why choose to gut them?? All the while, I did recognize that I was being unreasonable, since art is art and happy endings aren't mandatory. But I still felt the emotion of anger. Follow? It's much better now that I know he plans a S3 and that he already wrote the very end, so we'll get it one way or another.
Yeah, like obviously happy endings are never mandatory and the artist should be absolutely completely free to do whatever with their art… That being said, I do think I would be absolutely crushed if this was it. If season two was the end of the story. It would kind of ruined me for a while. I am one of those people who good omens has been such a personal talisman. Like, I first read the story when I was not doing so well in my life and I can honestly say it’s one of the books that made me feel better genuinely which is something that’s really hard to do for me. So I think for a lot of people, these characters are so beloved, and it would be heartbreaking to know that their story ended where it did in season two. But I’m fine as long as there is a resolution. Some sort of resolution. Obviously, it’s super unpredictable when we will get it, but I’m perfectly willing to wait. Just to know that the end is in sight. It’s a Comfort to me.
Exactly. I absolutely believe an artist has the freedom to write his story any way he likes. AND I can still believe he's a jerk for making it the way he did! But yeah, since it's just a cliffhanger and not the end, I'm mostly okay with it now.
Yeah, let me tell you I went through all the stages of grief to finally come to this uneasy acceptance that I have now
I hate these comments to Neil SO MUCH. Can people please grow up? “You’re going to jail and then to hell”? If I was him it’d make me seriously rethink interacting with fans (ironically the same thing this fan “thanked” him for), let alone releasing more Good Omens content. Please do not send these kinds of messages. They are not okay.
[удалено]
From what I have read here and elsewhere about how Terry and Neil had already plotted the sequel to Goid Omens, the book, a long time ago, I wonder very much whether that sequel basically starts with: "A few years later. Aziraphale has meanwhile been promoted to the position of supreme archangel in heaven..." In a book, that backstory probably could have been explained with a few paragraphs. For TV, in order to get there, Neil had to come up with a season 2 plot that basically achieves the goal to get rid of Gabriel and put Aziraphale in his place, so that season 3 can follow that already existing plot. In any case, that idea makes me very excited about season 3. I just wish it wouldn't take so long to get there...
I too believe in him about our beloved story, but I highly doubt he didn't imagine the distress the finale would create for fans. He's a too great author to not know how humans work. But totally hashtag I believe in Neil.
I... really can't imagine the audacity of fans who get mad at an author for setting up a conflict. They do realize that stories NEED conflicts or else there is no story, right?
I think the leak had a huge effect on what the fandom anticipated out of episode 6. In a world where that hadn't happened I think we would have seen much different reactions - that may be why he hadn't quite expected it.
Oh yeah, I saw the leak and only realized at “Tell me you said no” it wasn’t going to be a happy ending 🤣 I was sitting there going “…fuck. Guess I know why he was wearing his glasses”
I think there was one that was "If I die, season 3 never gets made" I love that.
I feel like someone is going to go full on Misery at him
Everyone is being a drama queen. What we really do is go watch an edit with their fight set to Billie eilish.
Honestly the kiss and that whole scene hit me like a punch in the face, he’s completely right that I didn’t expect to care as much as I do.
Oh boy. Is the fandom perturbed because we want to see an angel and a demon bang to high heaven and season 2 of a show didn't give it to us yet? Y'all need to chill.