#mojo games studio

[silenttapestry]

I wanted to add another character who could have a pet in Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, because I've read spoilers that my wandering marksman Camellia and sacred huntsmaster Lann might not make it till the end, which means I'd miss their respective wolf and leopard. I decided to hire a druid mercenary, but I wanted to make a custom portrait. I went back to a place that had given me some inspiration back when I was roleplaying a druid in Skyrim, and with some work, I edited a pair of photos together to come up with this. I plan to use a dwarf instead of a human, so this isn't a perfect fit. Even so, I like the way it looks, and I think it'll look nice as one of my character portraits next to Seelah, Nenio, Sosiel, or Ember. Source: https://www.tamrielvault.com/groups/topic/view/group_id/3/topic_id/1988

[emma-dennehy-presents]

So havent really been fucking with Blizzard for a long time now, but I think I might be going back to Overwatch. Been really wanting to play a team shooter since the whole Concord debacle. Started playing Paladins again but it looks like that game is a dead horse. I always play against the same people. Devs and artists are dropping out of the game too and I suspect its servers only have a couple years of life left. I have my reasons for not playing TF2 anymore. OW2 seems like my only option if I want a player base.

[joesatmosfere]

We updated the #WritersStrike, then TORCH #HOLLYWOOD and start our own #MovieStudio! #MojoDojoCasaHouse picks its projects and casts them with #HottestCelebrities! This and more of #IGN’s Top 100 #VideoGames…, maybe. Tonight at 5:30pm CST! https://www.youtube.com/live/Cuyy4B_WVEU

[aiscapades]

thinking out loud abt recent discussions in the touchstarved/obscura fandoms :) literally just my own personal opinion !!!!!

i can't stop thinking abt cirrus bc he's honestly what i want so badly for the touchstarved LIs. it's what i wanted for count lucio.

i was reading y'all's opinions abt the touchstarved marketing and your concerns abt how the game is gonna turn out, and while i was understanding, i also was so confused abt .. where this sudden concern was coming from. and then i played obscura and i was like oh! i didn't know a game could be like this! i didn't know a demo could be like this! i had entirely different reactions to the obscura demo than i did the touchstarved demo

—and yeah that's comparing two totally different games, different studios, different projects. the touchstarved demo served to introduce the characters and the world and it did that wonderfully. it's satisfactory. it's not that they did anything wrong?? but i cannot deny they gave me two insanely different reactions. i was YELLING when cirrus was doing his shit. it was like what i imagine watching trashy reality tv is like. or like watching one of those poorly-made TV movies and just enjoying the ride. i was hollering and jumping out of my chair and GAWKING at the screen. like cirrus was real and he was really saying this insane shit and i was SO ON BOARD and selecting every insane option the game gave me. it was just so wild. and it was so, so fun.

so i thought abt it more and i was like yeah. i actually see where this concern is coming from. rss keeps their stuff so close to their chest that it's hard to tell what routes they're taking, how they're dealing with certain issues, how deep the character arcs go, etc. i have no idea how fucked up their version of monstrosity gets, and for a game that is ENTIRELY about monsters and monstrosity, that definitely gives me pause. we don't know anything. they drop hints and we guess and theorize, but we don't know anything. we know leander is fucked up. we know they're all fucked up. in what way? who knows. does mhin murder people as a giant crow beast every night? we don't definitively know. we kinda assume that based on lore drops, but we don't know. but then other studios are doing semi-regular q&as and dropping information into the laps of their fans on a daily basis (lost in limbo??? hello? every day i get a notif that they've told us something new, either abt ALL the characters or about the world). idk how early obscura devs have been answering questions but they're also doing something similar. but for rss you can send in questions and you're probably never gonna hear back. you can't just ask them what song the m5 LIs would sing on karaoke night and get a response 🧍🏼 they don't do that. which isn't to say it's WRONG of them—i'm not saying they're being bad game devs by any means—but it's definitely a different way to handle game development compared to these other studios we follow.

that lack of fan involvement and information sharing is where the concern comes from, i think. at least on my part!

i mentioned count lucio earlier and i want to elaborate why. firstly, he's my favorite character of all time. i've been writing a fanfic for him for 2 years, and it's nearly 200k words (i'm taking a break from it rn). like i love lucio as a character so, so deeply. is it because of the arcana game? no, actually. it's because of the POTENTIAL his character has. it's because of what the FANS have pulled from him and shaped him into.

the arcana was on the app store. it had such strict rules about what it could and couldn't be. and yeah i can rant about how dumb nix hydra is for taking the mico-transaction phone app route, but my point in all of it is that the devs failed lucio. i think they fumbled a lot, with the other characters as well, but lucio was their watch mojo top 10 biggest anime fails of all time #1 spot.

his bad ending shows him as the new DEVIL and dictator of the world??? and we got to see none of that. his whole route woobified him to pieces. he's just a lil meow meow. he's Baby. he didn't know better. he just made some Oopsies 👉🏻👈🏻 uh oh!!

like he was the main VILLAIN of the story and they turned him into a manchild. the wasted potential of this guy is insane. and i guess i saw that and thought "i can make this motherfucker so much worse" and i did that and will continue to do that. so have his other fans. people have rewritten his route altogether because it was so unsatisfactory.

there's overlap from the arcana in the rss dev team. do i think touchstarved will be the new arcana? nope!!!! but am i also worried they'll play it safe because they think the fanbase wants conventionally loveable love interests? yeah. i absolutely see the concern. it's very real and very there. does red spring studio KNOW we want truly monstrous characters? do they? we're just hoping they do.

leander doesn't have to be just like cirrus. none of them have to be anything. but i do want them to be monstrous. i want to FEEL something the same way i feel something when cirrus orders me onto my knees. like not even in a kinky sexual way. i want to be shocked. i want to hesitate and think "what is this character doing right now? what will i do right now?" i want to be confused and shocked and pleasantly surprised and also horrified. i want the adrenaline high i got while playing cirrus's first chapter. it was like my cptsd was triggered in the best possible way (lmao).

and it's not even about that.

lost in limbo is more fantasy romance than it is horror (save for the goddamn voidbound holy fuck!) but i know that i'll enjoy the game anyhow because i love all the characters. why do i love all the characters? because the devs tell us about them. they don't even have to spoil the game. i know amon smells like chocolate and has a fake southern accent (HELLO?) and that ara can't sing. lost in limbo could be the corniest fucking game and i would still love it because i'm already so attached to the characters.

the reason i turned to lost in limbo and obscura is because my excitement for touchstarved waned. because there's just a once in a blue moon post and it's likely it'll just be a "backers have new updates!" post. which isn't said to shame rss or backers !!!! that's normal and fine and valid!!!! do that!!!! i just mean rss is BARELY giving us what we want. we're stranded in the desert dying and rss is trickling water droplets one by one to each of us. lost in limbo devs are pissing fresh spring water into our mouths at firehose speed. is rss bad for this? no. they're not doing anything wrong. but a natural consequence of their marketing strategy is that fans will move on. i still love touchstarved. i'm going to play it. i'm reblogging fanart and fanfics. i'm posing the mormon leander theory. like i'm still here and still very much active but touchstarved isn't on my mind the way lost in limbo & obscura are.

ravenstar games tells me gael would fail the trial in the tale of orpheus and eurydice and i'm like holy fuck??? holy fuck!!!!!!

would ais? would mhin? i don't fucking know.

and what about elyon and sen? i know they're DLC bonus LIs and they don't need to be fleshed-out as soon as the main LIs. they can be on the back burner until touchstarved comes out. this is fair. but what about them? we know nothing other than 1. elyon is rich because of brothel money and 2. sen is an undead warden? (like a prison guard? like the ppl who watch over vere? i don't even know that for sure) (we also know their flowers but that's barely anything). meanwhile lost in limbo is sharing info about cécile and lázaro as often as their main love interests. they're not forgotten about. i can't even make a mc for sen's route because i know nothing about her!!!!!! which hurts my heart because i love sen. i love the idea of sen. it's the first time a female love interest in one of these games is 1. my type but also 2. not exactly like me (ara i love you but we are twins).

they're impersonal. they are 2D concepts we try to fill out.

maybe rss will tell us the LIs go-to karaoke song after the game releases. or maybe they won't. but there are just so many benefits to sharing that kinda thing and bonding with your fans in that way. that's my whole point. it's not "i need a steady stream of touchstarved content pumped directly into my veins 24/7 or i lose all interest" it's not that!!!!! obviously not because rss doesn't do that and i'm still here. this is my most active blog! i'm having a blast here because the fandom is sick as hell. we're vibing, doing our own thing, and it's great. but rss feels very distant. they are the senobium and we are residents of lowtown wondering when or if things will ever be different. if we're going to have a good day (lore drop or new art) or if things will just continue on as expected.

to reiterate: this post isn't about how rss is doing something wrong or bad or that ravenstar games/rotten raccoons are sososososo much better than rss. rss doesn't have to do everything other studios are doing. that's not what i'm saying. this is just the reality of what rss is doing vs other devs and how i PERSONALLY feel about it. i love them i would literally strap a bomb to my chest and demand my loved ones' credit card info to disarm it for any of these studios/games. i am a fan and i'm hopeful and i want to trust in rss so so so so badly. i want the very best for them. i want them to create a great game and be successful. i want them to be creatively fulfilled and proud of their game. on their own time, their own way. really and truly!

[h34vybottom]

Hi-Rez Studios has announced the shutdown of Realm Royale Reforged and Divine Knockout on 17 February 2025. Realm Royale, developed by Evil Mojo and published on 5 June 2018, will have survived for around 7 years. Divine Knockout, developed by Red Beard Games and published on 6 December 2022, will have survived for around 2 years. Hi-Rez claims that these shutdowns are part of their restructuring and mass layoffs to create Smite 2.

This post and everything under it are about service shutdowns for 2024. This is by no means a conclusive post nor will I be able to find everything myself. If you notice anything I've missed, feel free to shoot me an ask about it.

[illyanarasputinfan]

My favorite Magik moments of 2024! (1/4)

Dead X-Men #1 (2024) Marvel Comics - The team visits an alternate timeline where Magik has ascended to Lord of All Hells, and razed the planet.

X-Men #32 (2024) Marvel Comics - Illyana returns from Vanaheim, liberates a mutant prison with Shadowkat, purges the Orchis technology killing her, destroys a Stark Sentinel with Polaris’s assistance, and reunites with Lockheed.

Fall of the House of X #3 (2024) Marvel Comics - Magik teleports Cyclops and Dr. Alia Gregor from the Orchis facility where Scott is being held captive to the moon.

X-Men ‘97 (2024) “Fire Made Flesh” Marvel Studios - Morph shapeshifts into Illyana during a battle against the Goblin Queen to rescue Nathan Summers.

X-Men #1 (2024) Marvel Comics - Magik is revealed as one of Cyclops’s Alaskan-based X-Men team members following Orchis’s defeat.

Marvel Rivals (2024) NetEase Games - Marvel and NetEase Games announce the release of Marvel Rivals, a PVP shooter featuring Magik as one of eighteen playable characters.

X-Men ‘97 (2024) “Motendo/Lifedeath Part 1“ Marvel Studios - Illyana is a character option in Mojo’s twisted 16-bit video game trials for Sunspot and Jubilee.

Weapon X-Men #2 (2024) Marvel Comics - Magik appears as the Sorceress Supreme in an alternate future timeline where she leads the X-Men alongside Nathan Summers and Warlock.

X-Men #33 (2024) Marvel Comics - The X-Men locate and murder Dr. Devo, the supposed head of Orchis, only to learn that he was a pawn of Omega Sentinel and her grab for domination with the other AI lords.

Fall of the House of X #4 (2024) Marvel Comics - Magik rescues Cyclops after he is defeated by Nimrod on the moon.

[dpfantasyzine]

Welcome to the second annual Phantasy Phest! I started this event to bring the spotlight to fantasy theme Danny Phantom content. And we are back for another year.

Phantasy Phest is partnering with @ectoberhaunt this year, since their theme is magic vs science!! Get your fantasy mojo started with Phantasy Phest the week before Ectober Haunt starts, leaving off the weekends so you can have a tiny break between events.

Please tag @phantasycentral and use the tag #Phantasy Phest 2023

Monday 9/25: Fantasy Eldritch Au — this is a leftover prompt from last year. We all love Eldritch Danny, but can you make our eldritch bot extra magical?

Tuesday 9/26: Dungeons and Dragons — is the gang playing DND? Or are they in a fantasy world having a dnd style campaign? Were they isekai’d into a dnd game? Crossover with the new movie? You decide!

Wednesday 9/27: Wings | Scales — you may use one or both!

Thursday 9/28: Studio Ghibli — think Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Nausica, etc. There are so many to chose from! Make an au or a crossover that is Ghibli themed, or a fantasy story with Ghibli vibes.

Friday 9/29: The Doctors Fenton should have planned for all eventualities. 😈

Again, please tag this blog and use the hashtag #Phantasy Phest 2023. I look forward to all you do!!

[fitrahgolden]

Lilies and Soap

—

"You could consume this scene through me

And assess the same majesty

But you could never know the welfare, the glee

That being in the presence of your beauty throws at me"

- "Share in the View" by Lilies and Soap. Lyrics by A. E. Bridgerton and K. K. Sharma.

—

"Looking good, Lamb!" Anthony whistled obnoxiously at Kate, who was leaving the hair and makeup area of the small studio.

"Come off it. They barely did anything."

"Well, doesn't that make it even more of a compliment?"

"If you were being serious, I suppose it might."

"Oh, but I am."

Kate sighed, exasperated. "Fine. Thank you. So kind of you to say." She curtsied, making Anthony laugh.

A producer walked up to them and pointed toward the camera and chairs setup. "Alright, we're ready for you. If you'll just head over there, we can get started."

Kate nudged Anthony with her shoulder as they walked over. "Nervous?"

"Nah. We've done interviews before."

"First time on camera, though." Kate fiddled with her necklace. Anthony put his hand over hers to still her fingers.

"Then just don't mind the camera, Lamb. It'll be fine."

Kate smiled up at him as a journalist approached them with an outstretched hand.

"Hi! I'm Etta, with MOJO Magazine. So nice to meet you, Anthony, Kate."

After everyone exchanged handshakes, Anthony and Kate were directed to the elevated chairs situated opposite Etta. Anthony helped Kate up into hers.

“Thank you, Tony.”

“Oh,” Etta looked down at her notes as she settled into her chair. “Do you go by ‘Tony’?”

Anthony smirked. “Not generally, no.”

“So, is Tony, like, a family nickname?”

“No, it's, uh… Well," Anthony looked over to his bandmate. "It’s a Kate nickname.”

“Aw, that’s adorable.”

Anthony shrugged. “She's adorable, aren't you, Lamb?” he teased as he tugged on Kate’s hair.

Kate batted his hand away. “Arsehole,” she muttered.

—

Coming soon...ish? (Hopefully, maybe, possibly.)

As a primer, here a playlist to give you an idea of the kind of band Lilies and Soap is.

And here is the list of songs here:

“9 Crimes” by Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan

“Fade Into You” by Mazzy Star

“Colorblind” by Counting Crows

“Relator” by Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson

“Stay” by Rihanna and Mikky Ekko

“Dancing On My On” cover by Calum Scott

“Collide” by Tianna Major9 and EARTHGANG

“Higher Love” cover by James Vincent McMorrow

“I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys

“Nicest Thing” by Kate Nash

“broken (acoustic)” by lovelytheband

“Back at Your Door” by Maroon 5

“Wait” by Alexi Murdoch

“Upward Over the Mountain” by Iron & Wine

"Out Loud" by HRVY

“Wanna Be On Your Mind” Valerie June

“Crystalised” by the The xx

"Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" by The Velvet Underground

"Cecilia" by Simon and Garfunkel

"Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley

"Make Me Feel" by Janelle Monáe 

"Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine" by Carolina Chocolate Drops

"Crash Into You" by Dave Matthews Band

"Wicked Game" Chris Isaak

"Happier (Stripped)" by Marshmello and Bastille

“Little Talks” by Of Monsters and Men

“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers

“Don’t Hurt Yourself” by Beyonce and Jack White

“To Love Somebody” cover by Ray Lamontagne and Damien Rice

“Ever Fallen In Love” cover by Pete Yorn

“Nothing Better” by Postal Service

"Samson" by Regina Spektor

"Everlasting Light" by The Black Keys

"Amsterdam" by Coldplay

"I Will Follow You Into The Dark" by Death Cab For Cutie

"You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)" by The White Stripes

"Top Yourself (Bluegrass Version)" by The Raconteurs

[vickiabelson]

** TODAY SEPT 11th/ SPECIAL DAY SPECIAL TIME **

RUMER 1 PM PT LIVE FROM LONDON

I first heard about Rumer through our mutual friend, the late, J Marhsall Craig.  As soon as I had my first taste I became obsessed with her and made it my quest to have her sing in my living room.  I saw her perform at a benefit concert about 10 yrs ago and vowed to make it happen. A great friend and collaborator of the late, beloved PF Sloan, Rumer oft lived across the country and abroad, I met her at last at PF’s memorial 9 yrs ago, just after he’d performed in the living room.  We became fast friends and I’ve listened to her in heavy rotation almost non-stop since. We came thisclose to her appearing at Women Who Write in 2016, and it’s taken all this time to get her on Game Changers… good things come to those who wait. 

Under the name of Sarah Prentice, Rumer sang with the London-based folk/indie band La Honda between 2000 and 2001. In 2004, she formed Rumer & The Denials and released an early version of Come To Me High, and an acoustic recording of Slow.

Rumer's debut album, Seasons of My Soul, was released in 2010. Her debut single, Slow, was featured on Smooth FM, one of my favorite songs, ever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvYUfwMBCrU  and the single Aretha on BBC Radio 2’s Record of the Week feature.

Burt Bacharach invited Rumer to his home in California so he could hear her sing, and wrote a number of songs for her with lyricist Steven Sater. A Christmas EP, Rumer Sings Bacharach at Christmas was released in 2010. It featured Some Lovers, from the musical by Bacharach and Sater, Gift of the Magi.

In 2011 Rumer was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act And Best British Female Solo Artist, she was nominated for for the UK Asian Music Award for Best Alternative Act and Best Newcomer and won the former, she was also nominated for the MOJO Award for Best Breakthrough Act, Best Album with Seasons of My Soul and Song of the Year with Slow and Won the MOJO Award for Best Breakthrough Act that same year. 

Rumer released her second album Boys Don’t Cry, which contains a selection of songs by artists and writers from the 70s.

Rumer released her second album of all original material, and her third total studio album, Into Colour in 2014 in the UK, Ireland, and Japan. The record was then released worldwide in early 2015 by Atlantic Records. 

In 2015, Rumer released a collection of unreleased tracks and b-sides from her back catalog entitled, "B Sides and Rarities". The collection features collaborations with the likes of Dionne Warwick, Stephen Bishop, and Michael Feinstein.  

Close your eyes and Karen Carpenter lives… in bluesier, sexier, more soulful sounds… she’s most oft accompanied by her collaborator and husband Rob Shirakbari, Burt Bacharah’s long-time musical director. She’s sung at the White House for President Obama, been Elton John’s special guest at his BBC Electric Proms concert, sang Jimmy Webb’s P.F. Sloan, with PF Sloan, and recorded it for Jimmy Webb, and appeared on an episode of Daryl Hall’s Daryl House where they performed Sara Smile together as well as I Can Go For That. Unforgettable!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rzr6mvDar30

Rumer’s last album, Nashville Tears, released in 2020 covers songs from singer/songwriter, Hugh Prestwood, created during a joyful time in Rumer’s life, enjoying the bliss of motherhood. We’ll be discussing her new single, Before The Planes, which is tragically so apt for this day. 

I so look forward to catching up with my girlfriend, with whom I’ve shared deep truths and laughs. Her voice moves me like no other. It’ll be 9 pm in London, early afternoon here, so I don’t have long to wait. YAY!

Rumer Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 

Wednesday, 9/11/24, 1 pm PT, 4 pm ET

Streaming Live on my Facebook

WednesDaily by Toni Vincent & @peter_and_paul_ Cartoons

[fluffycow016]

Some Future Marvel Rivals Season thoughts (repost)

(Reposting bc I realized I could add pictures lol)

Been playing way too much Marvel Rivals lately instead of focusing on my new semester of law school and I may or may not have come up with a bunch ideas for future seasons based on how Season 1 has introduced the Fantastic Four

Assuming that the basic structure of a Marvel Rivals season is (1) an antagonist character consistent with the theme of arriving playable characters who is not really broadly appealing enough to be playable themselves; (2) 4 characters to be rolled out in pairs throughout the competitive season with at least one of each main role; and (3) 2 new maps, one for competitive play and one for an arcade game mode; the following are some of what I'd love to see

X-MEN

Antagonist: Henry Gyrich and/or Bolivar Trask and the Sentinels Maps: Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Master Mold Characters: Cyclops (Duelist), Emma Frost (Vanguard), Jean Grey (Strategist), Colossus (Vanguard) I'm honestly still stunned that Cyclops wasn't included at launch but here we are I suppose. I'm not gonna argue about Emma Frost being a vanguard, she's literally a diamond lady, let her shift forms to become invulnerable. Jean should summon the Phoenix for her ultimate to do huge healing and damage, and honestly, maybe have a self-ressurrection ability like Adam Warlock? Lastly, I refuse to play Hulk right now because the real fastball special is done with our big Russian farm boy, not some green science nerd.

EXCALIBUR

Antagonist: Opal Luna Saturnyne Maps: Otherworld, London Characters: Kitty Pryde and Lockheed (Duo Strategist), Nightcrawler (Strategist), Brian or Betsy Braddock (both Vanguard), and Rachel Summers (Duelist) I think that we need more mutants, more strategists, and anohter funny little non-humanoid guy like Lockheed who could be incorporated into Kitty's ability kit as an ultimate or something. There's also just so many mutants to add that i think grouping them by teams like this is a better way than to just add the most popular mutants all together, and leave little thematic cohesion between those left behind.

KRAKOA

Antagonist(s): The Sinister Clones (Dr. Stasis, Orbis Stellaris, Mother Righteous) Maps: Krakoa, Arakko Characters: Charles Xavier (Cerebro helmet version) (Strategist), Mr. Sinister (Strategist), Apocalypse (Vanguard) and Mystique (Duelist) Also how did this game not launch with a Krakoa map? Anyway, we gotta get Chuck in here because I know we'll get some fun voice lines between him and Magneto. I've seen people talk about him being in the chair, but I think since Magneto is so clearly a Krakoan version, Charles should be the same, therefore no chair, not even no fancy flying Shi'ar contraptions. I think that Nimrod would be a super fun character to play as, but I could see them passing over him. There's less clear opportunities for team ups with Nimrod, and Apocalypse is just the more popular one. With Chuck and Apocalypse, the other two being members of the Quiet Council of Krakoa just makes sense, so lets get some bad guys in here.

THE DEADPOOL+CABLE/X-FORCE SEASON

(OK, i swear this is the last one about mutants) Antagonists: Mojo Maps: Ashkahni Future, Marvel Studios Offices/Mojoworld Characters: Deadpool (Duelist), Cable (Vanguard), Domino (Strategist), Shatterstar (Vanguard) They can't just not do Deadpool eventually. It wouldn't make any sense to just leave out such a popular charcter, but I would love to tie him into some X-Force theming. Plus, shifting the season's focus to more Cable-related stuff would help avoid how Deadpool's constant 4th-wall breaking can get a bit repetitive. I'm imagining a map for Mojoworld that is kind of like if Mojo was Kevin Feige or something?

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY/ANNIHILATION WAVE

Antagonist: Annihilus Maps: Xandar, Knowhere Characters: Drax (Vanguard), Gamora (Duelist), Moondragon (Vanguard or Duelist), and Cosmo the Space Dog (Strategist) We know they have to round out the core guardians roster eventually, but I think that the Annihilation Wave would be a cool backdrop for it as a storyline. I could also see perhaps a different map instead of Xandar like the Negative Zone because it would have significance for our cosmic characters and the Fantastic Four.

ALL-NEW AVENGERS

Antagonist: The Leader Maps: Palos Verdes (West Coast Avengers HQ), Avengers Mountain Characters: Giant-Man and the Wasp (Duo Vanguard), She-Hulk (Vanguard), Vision (Strategist), and Captain Marvel (Duelist) I know I'm always gonna choose my X-Men over the Avengers but we gotta show them some love. We're missing huge characters in the Avengers lineup here, and this would fill those gaps pretty well. A duo Vanguard like Cloak and Dagger in Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne would be so cool. Maybe an ultimate that shinks or grows allies or enemies? I'm also missing my beautiful green attorney Jen Walters, so let's fix that. And both Vision and Carol Danvers are big enough characters to demand inclusion too.

CHAMPIONS

Antagonist: Gwenpool Maps: Jersey City, Carefree, Arizona Characters: Ms. Marvel (Vanguard), Spider-Man (Miles Morales) (Duelist), Sam Alexander (Duelist), Viv Vision (Strategist) Kamala is so precious and perfect and wonderful I must play as her as soon as possible. Miles should have more of a focus on his electric venom powers but still play pretty similar to Peter. I neglected to put Richard Ryder on the GOTG season because I just think Sam is a better pick for the mantle in this game. Lastly, the fourth member would have a problem: Viv would be very hard to differentiate from Vision, and our alternatives have the same problem. Amadeus Cho is not meaningfully different in powers from Bruce Banner, and Kid Cyclops is literally just Cyclops but younger. Idk how to fix it but i want it. I also think that Sam Alexander's town of Carefree AZ would be a fun, super suburban nuketown-style map.

MIDNIGHT SUNS

Antagonist: Nightmare Maps: Nightmare Realm, Everglades Characters: Man-Thing (Vanguard), Blade (Duelist), Ghost Rider (Duelist), Doctor Voodoo (Strategist) I'm not a huge Ghost Rider head so I dont have a huge preference for Robbie Reyes vs. Johnny Blaze but I think I prefer Robbie's design. Maybe some kind of gestalt between the two or just a skin would make me happy. Definitely prefer him to ride a motorcycle than drive a car though. It was wild IMO to do Fantastic Four vs. Dracula for Season 1 and not save Dracula for these guys. Other than that, yeah get more of the supernatural side of marvel in this game.

SPIDER-VERSE

Antagonist: Morlun and the Inheritors Maps: NYC Loomworld (mash-up of NYC Noir, Spider-Ham's NYC, and Nueva York 2099), Oscorp Labs Characters: Spider-Gwen (Duelist), Green Goblin (Duelist), Doc Ock (Vanguard), Black Cat (Strategist) Gwen and Cat are gonna bring in a certain kind of fan but lets be honest thats the business model here. I think that this season would launch with SO many skins for our spider-characters too. Would be cool to get some more bad guys in here. I'm most excited about the Loomworld map though. Just the clashing art styles making a city environment would be super unique.

I also think to partly solve the problem of characters being too similar or having alternative versions, perhaps some characters can just have complete model swaps and keep the same controls and kit? Like I love Laura Kinney Wolverine/X-23, but yeah she would just play like Logan. What if you could take a page from Smash Brother's book and do Echo fighters perhaps? Let me play as X-23 with unique voice lines and team ups, but just essentially play Logan's kit? Not sure how this would work balancing-wise having two Wolverines on the field.

Other characters I'd love to see which I couldn't really fit into this format include Hisako Ichiki aka Armor, Fantomex, Elixir from Academy X, Exodus, Kid Omega, Forge, Polaris, Iceman and probably a bunch more I'm not thinking of just yet.

Would love to hear anyone else's ideas formatted like this in the replies! Or just thoughts in general! Hope everyone is enjoying the game as much as I am! Also definitely looking for mutuals who wanna do competitive together and yap about comic books lol.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Paladins (2018)

Date: May 8, 2018 Platform: Mac / PC / Xbox One / PlayStation 4 / Nintendo Switch Developer: Evil Mojo Games / Hi-Rez Studios Publisher: Hi-Rez Studios Genre: First-Person Shooter / MOBA Theme: Fantasy Type: Appropriation

Summary:

Paladins: Champions of the Realm (known in-game as Paladins) is a free-to-play multiplayer-focused high-fantasy first-person/third-person shooter developed by Hi-Rez Studios (later by Evil Mojo) and released digitally by Hi-Rez Studios for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Mac on May 8, 2018. It was later released for the Nintendo Switch on June 12, 2018.

A "hero shooter" in the same vein as Blizzard's Overwatch, Paladins combines elements from class-based teamplay shooters (such as Team Fortress 2) with hero-based MOBAs (such as SMITE). The game includes a deck-building system, allowing players to customize the abilities and playstyle of each Champion, and later added complete cross-platform multiplayer and progression support.

The game takes place in a fantasy realm years after a group of magical warriors (known as the Paladins) brought about an era of peace after a cataclysmic event. After the discovery of newfound limitless magic through crystals, two major factions are at war: a powerful order of magic users known as the Magistrate (led by ex-Paladin Karne, who seeks to quell potential chaos by banning all crystal magic from the common population) and the common Resistance (led by ex-Paladin Valera, who believes that crystal magic can be used freely for progress).

The Steam version of the game was originally released as an early access title September 15, 2016, while the XB1 and PS4 versions received an open beta on May 3, 2017. Along with seasonal updates, the game later received two spin-offs: the mobile top-down "hero shooter" Paladins Strike and the survival-shooter Realm Royale.

Source: https://www.giantbomb.com/paladins/3030-51613/

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnUZl3zZnyU

[botebot-10]

43 similarities between Crash Bandicoot and Sonic Boom!

1. They both have a minigame in which the main character works out with their strong buff friend! Both Minigames are button mashers too, and reward you with some sort of victory animation and collectables!

2. Both Crash 4 IAT and the Sonic Boom 3DS games reward you for collecting things and completing specific tasks within the stage! They are all gems/crystal inspired too, which is pretty cool!

3. Both Crash and Sonic have a smart and adorable siblin sidekick!

4. Both have legends of an ancient civilation that was supposedly very powerfull! While Crash didn't directly confirm it, I'm pretty much convinced they were the ones leaving those mysterious ruins!

5. Some of the developers of Crash's original trilogy also worked on Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric! One of the artists, Bob Rafei, even founded the studio that would pitch it! Take a pinch of salt with the following, But I heard some of those devs later worked on the new Crash games!

6. Both Crash Mind over Mutant and the 3DS Sonic Boom titles allow you to enter your house, even if its just to access bonus content!

7. Uka Uka and Cortex have a very similair dynamic to that of Lyric and Cortex! Uka and Lyric are both ancient forces that manipulate a scientist (Cortex/Eggman) to free them and do their bidding!

8. Both Sonic Boom and Crash Bandicoot have a controversial Beat 'm up title with 2 player co-op!

9. Cortex and Eggman both got depressed at some point when realizing they were never able to beat their nemesis.

10. The Crash n' burn prototype made by Big Red Button features very similair environment design to Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric! This is likely because Big Red Button were the developers behind Boom, and were reusing assets to speed up prototyping!

11. Both Crash Bandicoot and Sonic Boom feature iconic crab enemies

12. Both Sonic Boom and Crash Bandicoot have an overdosis of Jungle stages! Some of these games have atleast 4 different jungle worlds, some even are JUST jungle worlds!

13. The villains of both series are humans with a PhD in mad science

14. Both series take place on tropical islands!

15. Crash Bandicoot and Sonic Boom are both "Semi-consistent" timeline! The wrecked robot from titans remains there up to Crash on the Run, where you recycle its parts to make helpfull machines! HypnoBot returns as a villain because it feels Tails treated it very poorly..

16. Both Sonic Boom and Crash Bandicoot feature death routes/challenge rooms!

17. Mojo in Titans and Orbs in Sonic Dash 2: Boom are very similair in appearence!

18. Both Crash Bandicoot and Sonic Boom have been on an "indefinite hiatus". While Crash made an impressive comeback since, I'm afraid I can't say the same for Sonic Boom..

19. Sonic Boom and Crash Bandicoot are both written like cartoons! Crash Bandicoot takes heavy inspiration from Looney Tunes, while Sonic Boom tries to be more like a cartoon sitcom like the simpsons!

20. Both Crash and Boom offered an endless runner mobile game that use elements from their franchise (crates and collecting for Crash, enerbeam and combo from Boom) to improve and innovate upon the experience!

21. Both franchises feature worlds that are inhabbited by regular animals, anthropomorphic animals, and on more rarer occasions, humans!

22. They both have an evil dimension with purple sky!

23. Speaking of dimensions, Team Sonic and Team Bandicoot have both traveled through different dimensions and time periods before!

24. Both Crash Bandicoot and Sonic Boom tend to refrence Uncharted time to time because their original developers worked on that project too! Crash Bandicoot tends to keep the refrences to social media posts, but Sonic Boom went as far to refrence it directly in its redesigns!

25. From what I heard, the original plans for the Sonic Boom brand would be a more expirimental branch to try new stuff for the Sonic franchise, which were quickly axed when RoL happend.. Either way, these plans sound very similair to the PS2 crash line-up to me!

26. Both Amy and Crash Bandicoot have a spin attack ability!

27. If the Crash of the Titans shorts are to be believed, then both Crash Bandicoot and Sonic Boom have a village on their island!

28. Both Sonic Boom and Crash Bandicoot devs put in lots of effort in on getting characterization right! Some even confirmed this in official interviews!

29. Another similarity between Sonic Boom and Crash Bandicoot is that both main characters live in a very small house near the beach!

30. Both series had their main protagonist team up with the main antagonist several times!

31. Sonic Boom and Crash Bandicoot games tend to have their plot written around gems and crystals! Chances are that you will have to collect these before the villain does!

32. Boom and Crash both try to diversify their content by adding gimmick stages! Some of these concepts are nearly 1:1 concepts!

33. World map design is very similair!

34. When there is no adventure on the schedule, the main protoganist tends to nap!

35. Coco and Tails both have a similair attire, both wearing goggles and beltpouches!

36. Boom Knuckles and Crunch both are pretty beefy characters that put a lot of effort in staying in shape! Both do lots of workouts and very clearly skip leg day!

37. Crash and Boom!Sonic both live near an native village!

38. Crash and Boom!Sonic are both troublemakers with a good heart! Basicially, they will save the day, but also leave a trail of destruction on their own.

39. Crash Twinsanity and Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric are both ambitious titles that have more concept art then actual content! I'm talking mountains upon mountains of concept art! Go look it up, its a rabbit hole you wont get out of anytime soon!

40. Meh Burger (Sonic Boom TV Show) and Dingo's Diner (Crash 4) are two infamous restaurants that ensure you never want to eat again!

BONUS:

41. Its about time and Rise of Lyric had similair ambitions for their visuals: Pushing the genre futher! Unfortunately, only one of them succeeded.. :c

42. Boom Tails was going to have a bazooka at some point! The design looks really similair to the Fruit Bazooka from Crash 3!

43. Crash Twinsanity and Sonic Boom Rise of Lyric both have some hubworlds where you can solve puzzels and get optional rewards!

[alphadursgate32023]

Baldur's Gate 3 is a triumph of exploration and creativity

Prepare yourself for an immersive journey in this thrilling top-down, mostly turn-based RPG adventure, situated in the enchanting city of Baldur’s Gate and the vast expanse of Faerûn. Brace to counter a sinister dark cult, poised to dominate the liberated realm of Baldur’s Gate 3 using its mesmerized underlings. And here's the exciting part – you're the hero amidst this chaos! While you're at it, don't forget to explore options to "buy PS5 games" to enhance your heroic gaming experience. But hold on, there's a gross twist – a revolting parasite has decided to call your brain it's new home. Imagine a creepy Mindflayer shoving a tadpole parasite into your eye socket. This pale, spaghetti-loving abomination messes with your head, quite literally. Once that squiggly critter settles in, a mysterious voice pops into your mind, asking the ultimate question: Who are you? It's not just a character creation prompt; it's the question that'll stick with you as you dive into countless hours of adventuring through the vast realm of Faerûn, all while considering where to buy cheap PS5 games.

A Triumph of Exploration and Creativity

Baldur's Gate 3 drops a mind-blowing map, seriously a total masterpiece, giving players this huge and epic world to explore while you're busy deciding where to snag those PS5 games. The game totally nails both exploring and dungeon-crawling, creating this crazy exciting experience. From lush forests to creepy swamps, the different environments are like jaw-dropping, and every spot you hit up is a total blast to uncover. Compared to Baldur's Gate 2, the map in Baldur's Gate 3 is like on a whole new level with its super intricate design and insane attention to detail. Seriously, every nook and cranny of that map's got a surprise waiting, so you're like totally encouraged to just go for it and unlock all its secrets. The dungeons themselves are like a total flex of the developer's hard work, serving up this epic mix of challenge and mystery. You'll be stoked navigating through these crazy cool spaces, no doubt.

Larian Studios, the legends behind this, have once again flexed their skills with a ton of sick options for players. Building on what they've pulled off before, the studio's like magically woven their mojo into Baldur's Gate 3. Players get to like experiment and cook up these genius ways to deal with problems. Whether you're stacking crates to reach a building rooftop or riding the physics of the environment to your advantage, it's this totally fresh and wild take on problem-solving. Baldur's Gate 3 totally nails this perfect balance between having the freedom of an open-world playground and the structure of a story-driven game. And with those Dungeons & Dragons tools in the mix, things get like way deep and real, letting players tackle challenges from all angles. It's like the gameplay's blown wide open, letting players unleash their creativity to totally crush any obstacles.

Cracking Open Mysteries and Owning the Shadows: A Quest Through Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate 3 is like this epic win for explorers and creators, this mind-blowing RPG adventure that like totally sucks you into this world full of mystery and danger. The map's so insanely detailed and the environments are all "come explore me!" vibes, guaranteeing you loads of heart-pounding exploration. Larian Studios, these genius innovators, have once again flexed their awesomeness by like perfectly mixing mechanics and magic to serve up this gaming experience where you totally make your own story. And when they bring in those Dungeons & Dragons tools, the game gets even deeper, adding this real authentic feel to the whole thing. As you go out there to shut down that dark cult and tackle the gross parasite challenges, you're totally pushed to think outside the box, try out some next-level solutions, and just straight-up conquer all the crazy stuff in your way. Baldur's Gate 3 is more than just a game; it's a captivating journey that empowers players to unravel the mysteries of Faerûn while showcasing the limitless possibilities of their imagination. So, prepare to answer the ultimate question - Who are you? - and let your heroic adventure in Baldur's Gate 3 unfold.

[uk-clippingpath]

Learn How to Batch Photo Edit in Lightroom

Simplify your workflow with batch photo edit techniques, allowing you to efficiently apply consistent enhancements across multiple images in just a few clicks.Is retouching photos a never ending chore for you? Yes, every photographer from high end studios in NYC to images captured on the immaculate landscapes of The Himalayas knows what I am talking about. However, if you could do something to speed up your workflow and free some time for shooting or creating what would it be?

Step into the World of Batch Editing with Powerhouse:

Lightroom previously was a photographer's best friend and it includes a hidden feature batch photo editing. This saves you hours upon hours of time and turns your editing sessions into an efficient powerhouse…And this game-changing feature is the Batch Edit Function!

Benefits of Batch Editing:

Superhero of saving time: No more editing one by one. Batch editing allows you to defeat huge photo collections in no longer than a few minutes.

Look and Feel Chief: Maintain consistency across your entire entity. Batch editing ensures that you can apply a consistent style across all your photos.

Workflow Wizard: Edit faster by grouping similar images for editing at the same time. Get back your editing mojo with a tidy workflow.

How to Process Images in Batch Mode

Lightroom allows you to edit in bulk like a champion. This is your roadmap to unlocking that potential:

Import Your Photos — Simply import your files like you always do into Lightroom.

Gather Your Batch Editing Team: Choose several photographs to edit together. Windows: hold down the Ctrl key or Macs: by holding down Command, you can select multiple photos, or also click on individual images using their checkbox ingredients.

Once you've learned the basics, master the Develop Module - It's where all the magic begins. Tweak exposure, white balance and contrast. Changes made to be photos are global across all chosen media of this type.

Local Adjustments (Optional): Although not technically 'batch editing', using the Adjustment Brush and Gradient Tools where appropriate. You can also copy and paste the adjustments to similar types of photos in your batch for a consistent look.

Export Your Masterpieces: When your edits are perfect, export images to your desired file format and placement. Share them with the world!

In Depth – Advanced Techniques

This leads to the next level of batch editing in Lightroom which has this additional tools —

Customizable Power: Design custom presets to replicate your style at the press of a button. Batch Editing Meets Creativity

AI via Quick Develop: This module allows for basic edits, one at a time or in batch to photos you took very closely together – like those taken as part of an HDR bracket.

Copy/Paste Edit Magic: Copy the edits from one image that has been perfectly adjusted and paste it onto others within your batch to maintain consistency amongst all of them.

Tips for Batch Editing Efficiently

Organized: Here I grouped photos together so that when it was time for batch editing, they were all in one place. That way, you can save time on your editing.

Begin with the fundamentals: Lightroom global edits Before hopping right into localized changes you have to concentrate on your basic worldwide adjustments like exposure and white stability.

Remember batch editing can save time, but review and refine. Check Your Edits and Touch Up Individual Photos For a Professional Look

Conclusion:

Batch editing with Lightroom is a total game-changer around the world, and that of course includes photographers like you. So, while you should take advantage of that fact as best you can to save time and speed up your workflow delivering high-quality results for every single image.

For any kind of professional touch UK Clipping path is here. We provide Multiple Clipping path service, ecommerce photo editing service, professional photo retouching service, jewelry retouching service and many more. Want top-notch service at an affordable price? Try us for free and see the difference.

[kvibe-test]

Unlocking Box Office Success: Mastering Movie Timing and Strategy

The scheduling of film production, promotion, and release constitutes an intricate art form, essential to a movie's box office success. This discussion explores the sophisticated timing strategies used in the film industry, addressing aspects such as seasonal influences, box office trends, and the coordination among filmmakers.

Choosing the Perfect Movie Season

Summertime and the end of the year traditionally dictate distinct filmmaking approaches. Summer is known for its blockbuster releases like "Jurassic World" and "The Avengers", which bank on large audiences seeking entertainment and thrills. Conversely, the autumn and winter seasons are prime for dramas and biographical films aiming for critical praise, as seen with "12 Years a Slave" and "The King's Speech".

The spring season provides a canvas for a variety of film genres ranging from comedies to suspenseful thrillers. Releasing "Get Out" in February disrupted the usual slow month, attracting a robust cinematic audience and achieving notable box office success outside the typical high season.

Scheduling Production

Creating a precise production calendar is vital, especially when specific weather conditions are necessary for the setting. "Game of Thrones" effectively utilized its production scheduling to match the seasonal landscapes required for its episodes.

Additionally, productions are often susceptible to unexpected setbacks, such as adverse weather or cast injuries. "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" had to recalibrate its shooting schedule due to an injury sustained by Tom Cruise, underlining the need for adaptable management during film production.

Announcing Your Film

The timing of a film's announcement can greatly stir potential audience interest. The reveal of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" during Star Wars Celebration exemplifies how aligning a film announcement with a significant event can galvanize fan enthusiasm. Employing teasers and capitalizing on significant dates related to the film’s content are other effective techniques to amplify audience engagement.

Using behind-the-scenes footage and teasers across social platforms is crucial in today’s digital era, maintaining audience anticipation for new releases.

Strategizing the Release Date

Choosing an optimal release date is crucial for a film's success. Major studio movies often target summer or holidays to maximize viewer attendance. "Avatar", with its December release, drew audiences during the holiday season and beyond.

On the other hand, launching films during less crowded periods can also be advantageous to stand out from the competition. "The Shape of Water", which debuted in December, benefited from a relatively competition-free period, contributing to its outstanding performance.

Understanding market trends through resources like Box Senate Mojo and Market Rouge is crucial for studios to plan strategically and optimize profit potentials.

Unleashing Data and Technology

Modern film promotion and release strategies are increasingly driven by data. Analysis of past box office performances can forecast the success of various genres during specific seasons. Innovations in digital technology and virtual production are revolutionizing filmmaking, evidenced by the advanced real-time rendering technologies used in "The Mandalorian".

Artificial intelligence in digital marketing allows for the precise targeting of film promotions, making sure that promotional content reaches the most interested audiences swiftly and effectively.

Mastering the intricacies of film timing involves a blend of data-driven strategy and flexible adaptation to both consumer behavior and cultural trends. For anyone charting a course through the film industry landscape, understanding and applying these timing strategies is crucial for riding the wave of box office success.

Learn more on ...

[lizzygrantarchives]

Mojo, April 2021

Is Lana Del Rey – the Springsteen-approved laureate of L.A. darkness – lightening up? In 2021, a new album opens a sunnier chapter in her controversial roman-à-clef, and folk legend Joan Baez advocates her acceptance in the pantheon. But while serenity seems almost in reach, some wounds still burn and grievances rankle. “Fame can put you on the peripheries,” she tells Victoria Segal, “where the vultures can pick at you. It’s dangerous on the edges.”

IT’S MIDNIGHT IN MODESTO AND LANA DEL REY HAS swung into the backyard, pulled up in her fast car. “I told my boyfriend I was going to go out and sit in the car because I hate it when people listen to me talk,” she says. “I’m at his parents’ farm, so we’re in, like, the guest house. It’s pretty idyllic: Northern California, pretty cold, 40 degrees and a little fireplace. We had a sweet little night singing all the old Disney and holiday songs – not what I expected after a long car ride, but everyone was in a good mood.”

Tomorrow, Del Rey will hit the road back home to Los Angeles, preparing to spend Christmas Eve “with my sister and brother and just two girlfriends.” After the holiday, it will transpire she fractured her arm while spinning on her “beautiful skates” through the “twilight of the desert”: that’s why she’s wearing a sling in MOJO’s cover photograph.

Ever since she studied philosophy at New York’s Fordham University in the late 2000s, there’s been a question lurking in Del Rey’s mind: what if something happened to make the world stop? “So when it did,” she says, “I was kind of shocked.” The pandemic has inevitably hampered her movements – festivals cancelled, studio time with producer Jack Antonoff truncated – but it hasn’t slowed down her creative jumps (or her willingness to crash into social media).

September saw the publication of her poetry collection, Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass. In November, she covered Summertime as a fundraiser for the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestras; covering all bases, she also recorded You’ll Never Walk Alone for a documentary about Liverpool FC.

The most significant landmark, however, was the completion of Chemtrails Over The Country Club, the album she has been promising (sometimes as White Hot Forever) since the release of 2019’s Norman Fucking Rockwell! Bruce Springsteen, who knows a bit about the flipside of the American dream, loved that album: “She just creates a world of her own and invites you in,” he said. The cover showed Del Rey standing on a boat, one arm around Jack Nicholson’s grandson Duke, the other reaching towards the camera as if to save the viewer from the water. Behind her, the Californian coast is on fire. The Greatest, Norman Fucking Rockwell!’s defining song, was the cover’s aural analogue: “Hawaii just missed that fireball/LA is in flames it’s getting hot… Kanye West is blond and gone/Life On Mars ain’t just a song/I hope the livestream’s almost on.” But where do you go after burning America down? Did she know what was next?

“No,” says Del Rey lightly. “I felt totally fucked.”

YOU’D HAVE GOT LONG ODDS, IN 2012, on the internet phenomenon of the previous year’s Video Games becoming the decade’s most remarkable and provocative pop star. Back then, Lana Del Rey was more think-piece cipher than Boss-approved songwriter: “a young fiction,” sniffed the Los Angeles Times, “daughter of a domain-name magnate.”

The record states that Elizabeth Woolridge Grant was born in New York in 1985; as a baby, she moved with her parents upstate to Lake Placid. Music was around, but not unusually so. “From what I was told,” she says, “I sang verses before I spoke words, but I don’t think that necessarily meant I had to, or was going to be a singer.” Much else in her supposed biography, she says, is misinformation.

“People said I came from money,” she recounts. “It was really tough to get over some stigma of this idea of having my dad buying my album and giving me a record deal and us being some rich white family when we fought over money constantly when we were young.” Later, she says “I was not from the right side of the tracks, period.”

Sent to boarding school to address an alcohol problem – a period she captured in This Is What Makes Us Girls from her Born To Die album of 2012 – she “was made fun of mercilessly for being white trash. It was so hard, every minute of it was super-tough, not having come from Greenwich. Being super straight-edge in college was just, like, crazy. It’s been the road less travelled the whole time.” She has no interest, she insists, in properly telling her own story, “beautiful” though she says it is: “I don’t give a fuck about people knowing [mocking little voice] my inner thoughts as a third grader.”

Early detractors, chasing down a narrow idea of “authenticity”, were bothered by her musical prehistory – stalled experiments and false starts that might once have been called “paying your dues”. In 2006, she made Sirens under the name May Jailer, spindly alt-folk with a Linda Perhacs wobble that was never officially released. Her next ‘first’ album, Lana Del Ray AKA Lizzy Grant, was removed by her managers from the internet in 2010, preparing a clean slate for the post-Video Games era.

Yet as the plausibly deniable satire of Brooklyn Baby from 2014’s Ultraviolence indicates (“Well my boyfriend’s in a band/He plays guitar while I sing Lou Reed”), she put in the hours on New York’s grottiest stages.

In 2008, Del Rey was living in the Manhattan Mobile Home Park in New Jersey. She would also take the light rail to record with producer David Kahne on Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District – sessions that would ultimately become her first EP, Kill Kill, and the since repudiated Lana Del Ray. She had a deal with David Nichtern’s 5 Points Records; Lady Gaga’s manager Bob Leone secured her some classes at the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame; her senior year of metaphysics at Fordham was ending. Odd little paths opened up: she auditioned for Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, the musical scored by Bono and The Edge, and “maybe thought about Broadway. You’d get like a hundred dollars for singing background on records that would lead to nowhere. There was this company that emerged called The Orchard that was taking submissions for, like, toilet paper commercials and I probably did one, like, under a pseudonym. Definitely the happiest I’ve ever been. Stay in the middle, no dog in the race, people would even hire me for background stuff. I tried to act so cool on every sofa I sat at.”

It was only in 2010, when she met her current manager Ben Mawson at the CMJ Festival in New York’s Chinatown, that gears shifted and she glimpsed a significant future for herself: “Then I moved to London with him that week and he got me out of my deal that day.”

Success was not immediate. “I lived in a shitty flat with no heat, it was so awful – but they told me it was on Camden Road near where Amy Winehouse used to play at the Roundhouse, and I loved Amy.” Her voice softens dreamily. “I loved Amy.”

Fed up with trying to write songs for other people, one day she “just said ‘fuck it’” to her collaborator Justin Parker: “‘I’m going to write what I want to write now.’” In a Dolly Parton-style fit of productivity, within 72 hours she had Video Games, Born To Die, Blue Jeans and Ride.

On July 23, 2011, just under a month after Video Games appeared on the internet, Del Rey was on a train to Glasgow when Mawson told her she had received her first review. “I had 10 seconds of the most elated feeling,” she remembers, “and then the news everywhere, on all of the televisions, was that Amy had died on her front steps and I was like no. NO.” She breathes in sharply. “Everyone was watching, like, mesmerised, but I personally felt like I didn’t even want to sing any more.”

TEN SECONDS OF ELATION seems to be as much pleasure as Del Rey has ever taken from her press. When she covered Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood on 2015’s Honeymoon album, it was not casually chosen: anger at the way she feels she has been misrepresented surges through her conversation, despite the four billion streams, the four UK Number 1 albums, and the validation of famous fans from Stevie Nicks to Courtney Love.

Even Norman Fucking Rockwell!’s ecstatic reception was no antidote. “I knew they were going to like Norman… because there’s kind of nothing not to like about it,” she shrugs. “Norman…’s just cool, it’s easy to cheer for that.” She doesn’t, however, believe people are cheering for her: in September, she declared she still felt like an “underdog”.

“When I’m in London I’m reminded of what other people think of me in a great way. Being on the cover of MOJO – I fucking love MOJO. It’s crazy to me, crazy to me, crazy to me that I could be on the cover of MOJO but it’s a little different – ha! – over here,” she says, ie, in America. “I mean, I guess I’ll never forget my first four years of interviews. They just fucking burned me.”

There was the one where the journalist “made fun of me mercilessly, for like, five hours about how I adopted a New York City accent and that everyone knew it was fake, so just give it up. It was embarrassing – he humiliated me. So by the time he asked me about feminism, I said I just wanted to talk about aerospace travel.”

A 2014 Guardian interview headlined “I Wish I Was Dead Already” is another thorn in her psyche. “I didn’t say I wanted to die because of the 27 Club – I said I was having, like, a fucking hard time. The way people talk about mental health in 2020” – she makes the noise of an explosion – “mind blown. Talk about a different world compared with five years ago. You said anything remotely like you’re not feeling so good that day and it’s like, ‘Woah, you’ve set women back like 200 years.’ Or ‘Witch!’ It was super-hard to be a real person.”

Instead, Del Rey continued to build her musical world, creating a reality nobody could dismiss. ‘Evolution’ suggests dramatic Bowie-like shape-shifts; instead, her six albums have been a process of refining her core material – the palette of upcycled hip-hop, vintage Hollywood glamour and Laurel Canyon classicism. But Norman Fucking Rockwell!’s widescreen dazzle was a dead end of sorts – “I had to turn back inward,” she says – and Chemtrails Over The Country Club appears to reveal a more vulnerable Del Rey: lighter on the LA menace, more innocently emotional: “We did it for fun/We did it for free,” she sings sweetly on the song Yosemite, “we did it for the right reasons.” It’s an album that looks at the road ahead, but also, back to where she’s come from, making her strongest connection yet with her antecedents.

“I’ve been covering Joni and dancing with Joan,” she sings on Chemtrails…’ Dance Till We Die – and it’s all true. In October 2019, Del Rey duetted with Joan Baez on her 1975 song Diamonds And Rust at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre; a night of non-stop dancing with the 80-year-old folk hero followed. And as promised, Chemtrails… includes a Joni Mitchell cover from Mitchell’s 1970 album Ladies Of The Canyon. Reprising their October 2019 performance at the Hollywood Bowl, Del Rey shares the verses out with Arizonan singer-songwriter Zella Day and Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering. A bittersweet commentary on the value of art, Mitchell contrasts her “velvet curtain calls” with a busker’s purity – it’s a song, says Del Rey, that means “everything” to her.

“The way things started off for me in the way I was portrayed was that I was feigning emotional sensitivity. I really didn’t like that,” she says coldly. “Because I didn’t even get famous ’til I was, like, 27 and until then, I sang for less than free. And I loved it. I really was that girl who was pure of soul. I didn’t give a fuck.”

For one, Natalie Mering doesn’t doubt Del Rey’s investment in For Free. “I think the verse that Lana sings – “Me, I play for fortunes” – it’s her story too,” she says. “She understands the ephemeral quality of music and that it can’t be completely commodified, even though she’s done such a great job of doing that. I think Joni is very similar.”

BAEZ AND MITCHELL, DEL REY says, are “like unicorns”. “Joan, Bob, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, it’s less the albums and more the songs – the single perfect songs. Like Diamonds And Rust or Woodstock.” She rummages on You Tube to find a “staggering” 1962 coffeehouse performance from Baez. “I see a lot of people now wanting to be like other people – and hey, it’s not like I don’t want to be like other people too – but I think there were so many less options to look at in the ’60s, so you kind of just got what you got. You got a Janis or you got a Joan or you got a Jimi – it wasn’t like there was Jimi One, Jimi Two, Jimi Three. When I’m producing things alone, it’s impossible for me to sound anything other than a singer-songwriter. Actually, that’s not true,” she corrects herself. “I’ve got my own little ways about me.”

Mering, comparing Del Rey to Peggy Lee “if she was, like, I’m just going to write everything myself,” agrees. “She’s very free and she’s loose. What she goes for in terms of when she’s writing and working, it’s very magical and intuitive and it’s not very calculated – even though I think maybe she’s been accused of that in the past.”

That looseness – a willingness to wander – feels more present on Chemtrails… than previous albums, yet she insists it has been “so much harder than any other record I’ve made.” Covid separated her from Antonoff – also a collaborator with St. Vincent and Taylor Swift – in the final stages of recording and she missed him. “Everything that could be terrible is hilarious in Jack’s world. I think that’s why he does so well. It’s a rare quality for a man to have that softer kind of side – all hilarity and no inappropriateness.”

She says she finds listening to the new album “a fight”, conceding that she’s offering a pre-emptive critique. “It wasn’t so much that I thought the songs fantastically fit together with like seamless, sunkissed production – but you know, there’s a life lived in there.”

Del Rey has long used Los Angeles to colour and contour her songs. But Chemtrails roves further – Tulsa, Nebraska, Florida – a fitting backcloth for a record about freedom in a world where everything has a price. Not All Who Wander Are Lost – a song whose sky-high trill reminds Del Rey of “Cinderella in the movie where she’s holding the bluebird” – romanticises wanderlust. Wild At Heart and the title track (“I’m not unhinged or unhappy/I’m just wild”) hint at something untameable. If For Free is the record’s presiding spirit, you can also feel the vibrations of Mitchell’s Cactus Tree, a song that acknowledges the hard work of “being free” – shedding compromise, swerving control.

It’s a struggle Del Rey maps onto her folk and country influences, most explicitly on Breaking Up Slowly. A mournful lament riffing on Tammy Wynette and George Jones’s notoriously turbulent relationship, it was written with Tennessean singer-songwriter Nikki Lane, who supported Del Rey in 2019. In a hotel room, Lane mentioned that somebody told her she was “breaking up slowly”. Del Rey immediately sang “…is a hard thing to do”.

“One of the most incredible things about being around her is like, she is a song,” says Lane of Del Rey. “It’s just coming out of her at all hours of the day.”

They have written four more originals; there is also, says Del Rey, “a cover album of country songs” and one of “other folk songs”. Del Rey expects “scepticism,” but explains her father and uncle Phil Madeira (one of Emmylou Harris’s Red Dirt Boys) exposed her to country music in her youth. Her tastes are “stark and blue, somewhat outlaw”: Hank Williams, Bobbie Gentry, Patsy Cline, Wynette. “With a little Marty Robbins and Johnny Paycheck. I went back and listened to Ride [from 2012 EP Paradise] and Video Games and thought, you know, they’re kind of country. I mean, they’re definitely not pop. Maybe the way Video Games got remastered, they’re pop – but there’s something Americana about it for sure. So let’s see how these things come out – I’m not going to have pedal steel guitar on every single thing, but it is easy for me to write.”

A YEAR OR SO AGO, DEL REY attended a party with Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent at the house of Guy Oseary, manager of Madonna and U2. “Something happened,” she says, “kind of a situation like – never meet your idols. And I just thought, ‘I think it’s interesting that the best musicians end up in such terrible places.’ I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to try my best not to change because I love who I am.’ I said, ‘Jack, it’s dark.’ And he said, ‘Well, it’s dark – but I mean, it’s just a game.’”

The incident inspires a song on Chemtrails… Dark But Just A Game mixes Portishead, Ricky Nelson’s song Garden Party and Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl (“The best ones lost their minds”) into a potent statement of defiance.

“Dark But Just A Game is so her to me,” Antonoff will tell MOJO: “fly down the rabbit hole and smile in the same breath.”

The game, however, takes its toll. As Del Rey talks, it frequently feels as if she’s dusting herself down from past humiliations, brushing off old slights.

“People are constantly inferring that I’ve done so much to myself, when I’ve never even been under anaesthesia or whatever,” she says unprompted, apparently still stung by 2012 speculations over the size of her lips. Occasionally, she makes grand statements: “I wanted music to change in the early 2000s and I wanted it to be better than it was. I think it is and I genuinely think I had a hand in it for female singer-songwriters.” They don’t land like shots from a weaponised ego – more the affirmations of someone who still feels as if she doesn’t say it, nobody will.

On a Chemtrails… song called White Dress she sings in a breathlessly rapt whisper of being “only 19”, working as a waitress, listening to The White Stripes and Kings Of Leon. “Look how I do this,” she sings with trembling innocence, “look how I’ve got this.” Then comes the fall: “It kind of makes me feel that I was better off.”

“I’m sure the grass is always greener,” Del Rey says, looking back on her waitressing days, “but I had a lot of fun dreaming about what was going to come next. Also, I really liked being of service and I still do – I do lots of little things in my spare time that put me back sort of in that service space. How I kind of grew up was to be a man amongst men and a grain of sand on the beach and I preferred to stay in the middle of the boat in that way. Sometimes I feel, with fame, it can put you on the peripheries, where the vultures can pick at you. It’s dangerous on the edges.”

“It’s not that I aspire to be the girl next door,” she says later, “but it’s just that I actually was and I think what some people don’t understand is that the girl next door has things going on, too. A lot of these other people who I see portraying that image are not that way at all – they’re like the biggest bitches who live in, like, insane mansions and who rip people off. This is not bitterness speaking at all. It’s literally just kind of just the facts, ma’am.”

In May 2020, Del Rey posted a “question for the culture” on Instagram. In it, she expressed her belief that artists including Beyoncé, Cardi B and Kehlani were applauded for portraying their sexuality in all its messy complexity, while she was accused of “glamorising abuse” in songs like Ultraviolence, where she quoted the title of The Crystals’ Goffin & King classic He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss). The culture’s answer was not sympathetic: Del Rey was held to account for appearing to single out artists of colour, and criticised for asking feminism to save a place for “women who look and act like me… the kind of women who are slated for being their authentic, delicate selves.”

“I wasn’t saying white like me,” she insists, emphasising that the women she mentioned are artists she loves. “I was saying people who are made a joke of like me.”

SHORTLY AFTER SPEAKING TO MOJO, Del Rey issues another pre-emptive social media strike, pointing out the new album’s artwork – a photograph of the singer surrounded by her friends – does feature women of colour. Three days after that, she posts a video railing against magazines suggesting she told Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac that she didn’t believe Donald Trump meant to incite the Capitol riot. In fact, she says, she was accusing him of sociopathy – a subject, she tells MOJO, she studied for six years, along with “psychopathy and narcissism and delusions of grandeur”.

“When Trump became President, I was not surprised,” she says, “because the macrocosm is the mirror of what goes on in our bedrooms. In our inner lives.

“A lot of the things I was writing [songs] about, people shamed me for,” she continues, “but I like to think now I was actually writing about what thousands of housewives were experiencing and no one ever said a thing from Brentwood to Boca Raton. I just dyed my hair black and talked about it and I got a lot of shit for it.”

She declares that “It takes a more dignified-looking person with a better reputation to call out the world, or the President or some guy who runs a restaurant. I’m going to be the person who corroborates that story, the blonde at the end of the bar… The reason why I can’t be a person who starts certain movements is because of what people have written that isn’t true. And that’s too bad – because I know a lot.”

Does she feel she’s been discredited?

“I was discredited for seven years,” she says, her voice rising so fiercely it’s briefly unclear whether she’s laughing or crying. “There’s no other way of looking it.”

In the poem SportCruiser from Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass, Del Rey wonders if learning to fly could help her navigate life, if learning to sail would show her which way the wind was blowing. Then she realises writing is all the adventure she needs.

“I certainly have to circumnavigate the globe quite a few times to come back to the fact that what I do is that I write, that I live here in LA, that I know who I am,” she says. “I think I’m very hopeful that I’ll feel more and more serene, because that is an objective for me. I just like the idea of waking up peacefully, rather than waking up in a sweat, throwing my feet down on the ground and being like, ‘Oh, what’s going wrong today!’”

Talking earlier about her whispery vocal on White Dress, Del Rey said it was not only close to unedited “journaling” but “also, not too afraid about being kind of stupid. The way I sound in the chorus – because I know it’s… not great, you know,” she laughs.

It sounds perfect for the song, though – trembling, awestruck. The voice of somebody on the brink of something. She agrees – not because it catches her teenage perspective, but because it speaks to her now.

“I actually said to a friend the other day I feel something brewing,” she says. “And that’s the first time in a long time. I have no idea what it is. But I know that it’s good.”

Originally published in the April 2021 issue of Mojo with the headline Wild at Heart.