sunbathingdragon-blog

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

#ThanksNavaros! :D

Angel of Music

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2zrlxKJ

by SunBathingDragon

Although Lucifer Morningstar speaks all languages he is fluent only in one when it comes to his own emotions: In the universal language of Music.

A five-part journey to explore Lucifer’s inherent creativity and spark for music, arts and creation through the ages. Deckerstar centric and Trixie-aided.

Words: 6615, Chapters: ½, Language: English

Series: Part 1 of Angel of Music

Fandoms: Lucifer (TV)

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Chloe Decker, Linda Martin (Lucifer TV), Ella Lopez, Trixie Decker, Zoe Vanderbuilt (original character), Marcus Pierce

Relationships: Chloe Decker/Lucifer Morningstar, Chloe Decker & Lucifer Morningstar, Trixie Decker & Lucifer Morningstar, Linda Martin & Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Chloe Decker & Linda Martin, Chloe Decker & Trixie Decker, Chloe Decker & Dan Espinoza, Dan Espinoza/Mother of Angels | Charlotte Richards

Additional Tags: TheDeckerstarNetwork Hell-oween Exchange 2018

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2zrlxKJ

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

ALL 👏🏾 OF 👏🏾 THEM 👏🏾

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

I had to repost this, since there is so much truth in it for me that I simply have to. Yes, ti all of this: the S3 storyline happened to our beloved protagonists rather that them driving the story line. I did not like the S3 muddy waters at all.

Lucifer Season 3 and the role of the antagonist

Hey all. So thanks to @theleafpile​, I’ve started watching Lessons from a Screenplay. I’m really enjoying it, and it’s putting into sharp relief the fact that I am exploring the journey of storycrafting through contrast with Lucifer season 3 (basically, by using it as a model of what not to do). 

One thing that really stood out for me is a video on creating an antagonist. In it, there is a quote from Story, by Robert McKee. 

“The protagonist and their story can only be as intellectually fascinating and emotionally compelling as the forces of antagonism make them.”

Who is the antagonist of Lucifer? I’d argue that, across seasons, the consistent antagonist is Lucifer himself. It’s essentially the story of him fighting against himself to achieve his goals. But there are, of course, external antagonists as well. Because we already have a consistent antagonist in the form of Lucifer, the external antagonists have room to be somewhat morally ambiguous. Therefore in the first season, one antagonist is Amenadiel, but his existence as an opponent to Lucifer reaches a head mid-season, and after that, he becomes more of a sympathetic character, forced to face the consequences of his actions. It’s not a coincidence that this is when the story of Malcolm, the secondary antagonist, begins to pick up steam. Malcolm is un-ambiguously a bad guy, forcing the protagonists into increasingly difficult positions and choices. 

The antagonist of season 2 is Goddess. She’s a much more sympathetic antagonist than Malcolm, or even Amenadiel, but the staging is clear: she stands in direct opposition to Lucifer’s goals, often working against him behind the scenes, until he is ultimately forced to remove her. 

Who is the antagonist of season 3? I’ve talked before at length about how Marcus Pierce/Cain is a badly realized character, but he is an even worse antagonist, given that most of the time the writers are intent on making us forget he is one. 

Season 3 of Lucifer starts strong. We’re introduced to a shadowy new threat: the mysterious and sinister Sinnerman. However, the main antagonist is once again Lucifer himself, sabotaging his position through battling his own insecurities. However, both of those strong initial threads are lost. The Sinnerman disappears, only to re-emerge as a fake, with an incomprehensible plan that comes to nothing. The only result is a brief tension between Lucifer and Chloe due to Lucifer’s questionable actions, but that’s gone by the next episode. 

Lucifer’s battle with his psyche is also diminished, devolving into a series of more and more irrational decisions. Rather than feeling dismayed at his backslide and rooting for him to succeed, the audience is baffled. Two seasons of character development are ignored in favour of watching Lucifer relearn the same lessons, seemingly without a hint of self-awareness or irony. By the time Cain emerges as the true antagonist, the story is hopelessly muddied. The turn comes far too late. We’ve lost sympathy for Lucifer’s struggles and Cain’s motivations have changed far too much in order to be effective. 

Properly executed, we see Pierce used as a foil to Lucifer. He embodies the traits of redemption and moral struggle against the perceived interference of a higher power. His presence in the precinct highlights Lucifer’s shortcomings and drives him to more and more reckless actions. But these actions are ultimately shown to have no consequences and therefore no dramatic weight. 

This has the added effect of reducing Chloe to the role of a prize to be fought over between the two men. The motivation for Lucifer to improve his behaviour isn’t Chloe’s disappointment (since this is shown to have no ultimate effect) but her preference for Pierce. Pierce’s interest in Chloe is shown to be superficial until she becomes something to be taken AWAY from Lucifer as… revenge? For breaking a deal? I’m actually still not quite clear on that point. Which is exactly the issue. 

The story of season 3 fails because there is a lack of stakes. Motivations change seemingly on a dime and result in more and more irrational actions. From a different video from the same channel (paraphrased by me): audience engagement is driven by empathy. Audiences empathize with a character when they understand why a choice has been made, even if they don’t personally agree with that choice. Aside from wing anxiety, we’re not sure why Lucifer has chosen to disregard the previous two seasons of character development. We’re not given the tools to understand why Chloe agrees to a rushed engagement with Pierce. We’re never entirely certain of Cain’s ultimate goal. This makes it incredibly difficult to engage with the story or care about the characters. 

In season 1, the stakes are clear: Lucifer wants to stay on Earth. He doesn’t want to go back to Hell. He wants to work with Chloe and the LAPD. Both Amenadiel and Malcolm interfere directly with those goals.

In season 2, the stakes are more nuanced. Lucifer made a deal with God that he needs to fulfil (or at least, he believes he does). This is complicated by the character of Goddess, who continually attempts to manipulate Lucifer for her own ends while playing on his deep-seated desire for family and acceptance. 

In season 3, the stakes are…? The Sinnerman is ultimately shown not to be a threat. Lucifer’s poor behaviour is shown to have no consequences. Cain isn’t shown to be actively working against them until the final episodes. When characters make decisions based on the needs of the plot, rather than internal motivation, it removes the opportunity for the audience to become engaged. It can be subversive to show that characters you thought you knew well can do things you’d never expect, but when every character behaves in a way contrary to their established nature, and continues to do so, it ceases to become interesting. 

“The protagonist and their story can only be as intellectually fascinating and emotionally compelling as the forces of antagonism make them.” The forces of antagonism in season 3 are scattered and ultimately impotent, and the result is a season that feels the same. 

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

Good Morning, Detective. 2018. Pencil (F-6B) on Strathmore paper

Somebody on Twitter mentioned that we had to save the show to have the chance of seeing this moment. Paitience is not my strong suit, so here it is;)

Also fabric appreciation for Lucifer’s duvet *.* And I believe he doesn’t own a pyjama :D

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

Studies of Lucifer’s wings

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

How Animals Eat Their Food

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

So true!! 😂

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

Why does her reaction feel so "human"? Amazing!

I don’t know what’s funnier.. the baby elephant chasing the birds, or when he fell and ran to his mom xD

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

I finally have to give in an print that on my wall...

officialtomellis: Lucifer may have more than just the corvette in his car collection #AstonMartinDB4 #LuciferOnNetflix #BTS😈

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

This is so beautiful and totally fitting for Deckerstar

I wanna know, would you stick around?

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

This is soooo cute!!

Sometimes it’s hard to tell where Gary Preston ends and Tom begins.

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

Dying of cuteness, sinking into the fluff...

The funny cats histories

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

That's worth knowing and reading - I love science! 😀👍

Things Disaster Movies Always Get Wrong

We all love disaster movies! The cool special effects, the underdog stories, the underlying themes of hope. As cool as they are, they do tend to use misconceptions about natural disasters. This normally wouldn’t be an issue since Hollywood will always embellish but it’s important to know the true science behind these phenomena should you ever encounter them.

Weiterlesen

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

Thanks for the insights, @omgluciferluver ! Awesome!

I honor CoSA VFX Team for making Lucifer Season 3 so awesome!

Link here

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

Holy Devil, this view is what I used to label "greek god statue"! Tom needs to get a "how to change your bod..." guide out, I'd totally buy it! Maybe they - Lesley-Ann, Kevin and Tom - should do one together! 😍

officialtomellis: #BTS shot from a shoot I did this weekend that I have been working towards for 3 months. I can’t thank @paolomascitti enough for encouraging and supporting me through the training, the tears and the diet. It’s been hard but totally worth it💪🏽😈

[sunbathingdragon-blog]

My stalker self is happy that we finally know why Tom and Lauren call each other Muffin Top