Guild Wars 2

Seeds of Truth was a great episode. The only thing that bugged me throughout this episode was Faolain’s accent. It really annoyed me to hear a Sylvari speaking with a non-British accent. What happened here?

She also seemed to lose her deep voice and drawn out cadence, which was jarring enough to take me out of the story. What she said wasn’t the issue, just how she said it.

I noticed the jarring shift too. Maybe it’s the difference between her saying things for effect and saying other stuff off the cuff? I hope so. But yeah, that would make her into a poser. Aiee, villains, heh.

Ya know, for a moment, the title made me wonder if we were going to go into politics and stuff. Snowden is totally a norn name. And the episode name. ZOMG, conspiracy time!

She’s also young. Might be intentional.

She likes cheeseburgers.

Vesuvius.9874:

Seeds of Truth was a great episode. The only thing that bugged me throughout this episode was Faolain’s accent. It really annoyed me to hear a Sylvari speaking with a non-British accent. What happened here?

Oh! I thought it was because Faolain was “liberating” Wynde from the evil, terroristic Centaurs; I didn’t notice the accent.

“It seems like there can be oil underneath the ground, because it even splashes… Centaurs, you say? Yes, I believe they’re ready for Democracy!”

Rym.1469:

“It seems like there can be oil underneath the ground, because it even splashes… Centaurs, you say? Yes, I believe they’re ready for Democracy!”

LOL!

I noticed the splashing running animation too and thought it odd, wonder if they will fix that.

Different voice actress…It took 8 posts for someone to point out the most obvious reason?!

Yes, it was obviously a different actress. Regardless, it bothers me that the actress didn’t even really try to 1) match the previous actress’ voice and 2) maintain a consistent accent.

I think it was intentional. Look. In this story she was 2 years old. In TA story mode she is 25 years old, experienced and fully transformed into nightmare

Btw. no, I don’t think it was a different voice actress. My first reaction was omg <3 <3 the same voice <3 (i only missed the maniacal laugh)

And I really like Faolain and Caithe, one of my fav characters in GW2.

Soulmyr.8094:

Different voice actress…It took 8 posts for someone to point out the most obvious reason?!

What RoseofGilead said below.

RoseofGilead.8907:

Yes, it was obviously a different actress. Regardless, it bothers me that the actress didn’t even really try to 1) match the previous actress’ voice and 2) maintain a consistent accent.

Yes, that is what’s bothering me. I’m just miffed that ANET actually let this happen.

Maybe it’s because her fall into the Nightmare begins with her search for FREEDUHM?

Her accent isn’t just because she’s young, it changes several times throughout the entire sequence, and within an instance. One comment it is a British accent, next moment she’s Americanized. I noticed it the first time through.

Someone in the continuity division dropped the ball. A minor problem, but just really obvious and, therefore, should not have happened.

Lupini.6938:

Her accent isn’t just because she’s young, it changes several times throughout the entire sequence, and within an instance. One comment it is a British accent, next moment she’s Americanized. I noticed it the first time through.

This. That’s what I meant by inconsistent accent. It’s not a case of “Oh, well she’s so much younger!”. It’s a case of sloppy voice acting. And yeah, it’s not a major issue, but it’s still disappointing.

Don’t listen to these children Anet. Enjoy the holidays with your families, you done good and I enjoyed the story. I especially LOVED playing as Caithe and meeting all of the Firstborn, that was sick.

She had to practice the British accent to use if she wanted to gain total villain status. It’s a requirement you know!

Erukk.1408:

She had to practice the British accent to use if she wanted to gain total villain status. It’s a requirement you know!

Obviously, the first thing that happens when you join nightmare is they give you a pack of cigarettes (for that deep gruff voice) and a copy of My Fair Lady.

RoseofGilead.8907:

Yes, it was obviously a different actress. Regardless, it bothers me that the actress didn’t even really try to 1) match the previous actress’ voice and 2) maintain a consistent accent.

I don’t think it was a different VA. It sounded a lot like Julianne Buescher to me. Her voice just wasn’t as deep as previously.

It certainly sounds like the same voice actress to me than the one from Twillight Arbor Faolain.
It’s just the actress seems to have a problem keeping her voice deep and the accent when she delivers more emotional/distressed and nervous lines.
But tbh I prefered it because she sounded way more natural during those then when she’s really forcing that accent and low tone.

Rym.1469:

“It seems like there can be oil underneath the ground, because it even splashes… Centaurs, you say? Yes, I believe they’re ready for Democracy!”

lmao really though, ive noticed voice errors all over the place since I came back from my hiatus, ive had risen talk to me in a casual NPC voice, and some random boss voiceovers glitch and start talking with a “common” voice with no effect or anything to it.

Elspeth Tiriel.9243:

I especially LOVED playing as Caithe and meeting all of the Firstborn, that was sick.

You don’t meet all the Firstborn. Riannoc wasn’t present, along with two others that remain unknown so far. Wynne’s the only new one we learn about.

Faolain’s accent was terrible, the actor now portraying her was not able to maintain a consistent quality to her voice, it was all over the place with some moments where the actor just dropped the pretense at maintaining the original va’s style of speech leaving to some incredibly jarring moments in the dialogue.

Yes, on a third (and fourth and fifth, thanks Stealth Achievement) listen, it’s the same actress. But yeah, terrible lack of consistency when it comes to the accent.

I also disliked the lack of a British accent (which is the most distinguishing feature in all sylvari speech) in the young Faolain.

Although I can forgive the voice being less deep. After all, this is pre-Nightmare Faolain, and she has not turned into a pathological sadist yet.

The one thing I missed from the Caithe-Faolain interaction is that there is not a single instance of the word “Dearheart”. Present-day Faolain uses this name for Caithe all the time in order to remind Caithe of their previous relationship. And in these flashbacks, at the height of this relationship (possibly right before it starts to decline), neither Caithe nor Faolain calls the other “Dearheart”.

Sloppy voice acting and sloppy writing.

Maybe Faolain hasn’t developed the polish on her persona yet. And maybe the whole Dearheart thing came from something that hasn’t happened yet.

That or it’s just slop.

It’s like my dad only calls my mom nice things when he’s kittened off. Somehow, I think he’s missing the point. But meh, right?

Doggie.3184:

She likes cheeseburgers.

As should you. Cows are tasty, AND aerodynamic.

It is a new voice actress for her... which sucks alot. I liked her old voice much better.

I figured the voice was different because this is 20+ years ago prior to her going completely insane, before there was a Nightmare Court.

I didn’t mind it.

I knew it! I love Julianne’s work, she was great as Evennia in GW1 as well.

BobbyStein.2315:

CETheLucid.3964:

I figured the voice was different because this is 20+ years ago prior to her going completely insane, before there was a Nightmare Court.

I didn’t mind it.

This is what we were going for. We used the same actress, Julianne Buescher, who also voiced Faolain in the core game Personal Story.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003925/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

That makes a lot of sense to me. However, my question is: Why does she seem to lack the accent that all the other Sylvari have?

BobbyStein.2315:

Most, but not all, sylvari have the same accent. This was intentional and can be heard throughout the game. Occasionally, an actor’s performance may deviate and that might explain any inconsistencies in certain lines during a VO session.

That stated, I never perceived Faolain as having a British accent but more of a refined manner of speaking. Courtly, formal.

I have a few general question about the voice acting, precisely about the version for the other languages supported by the game. Do you cast the voice actors directly, or do you hire local studios/translations companies to do the cast for you?
Also, do you ensure you get the correct voice actors back? I haven’t payed much attention to Faolain’s voice in the update, mostly since it’s too long ago since I played TA story mode for comparrison, but for all I know it could have been a different actress for the german version.

BobbyStein.2315:

videoboy.4162:

BobbyStein.2315:

CETheLucid.3964:

I figured the voice was different because this is 20+ years ago prior to her going completely insane, before there was a Nightmare Court.

I didn’t mind it.

This is what we were going for. We used the same actress, Julianne Buescher, who also voiced Faolain in the core game Personal Story.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003925/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

That makes a lot of sense to me. However, my question is: Why does she seem to lack the accent that all the other Sylvari have?

Most, but not all, sylvari have the same accent. This was intentional and can be heard throughout the game. Occasionally, an actor’s performance may deviate and that might explain any inconsistencies in certain lines during a VO session.

That stated, I never perceived Faolain as having a British accent but more of a refined manner of speaking. Courtly, formal.

That’s interesting. Now, I kind of want to go back and find more of the “NonBritish” Sylvari. LOL

Rym.1469:

“It seems like there can be oil underneath the ground, because it even splashes… Centaurs, you say? Yes, I believe they’re ready for Democracy!”

Oh, oh I see what you did there. Oh that’s good. That is really good.

BobbyStein.2315:

videoboy.4162:

BobbyStein.2315:

CETheLucid.3964:

I figured the voice was different because this is 20+ years ago prior to her going completely insane, before there was a Nightmare Court.

I didn’t mind it.

This is what we were going for. We used the same actress, Julianne Buescher, who also voiced Faolain in the core game Personal Story.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003925/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

That makes a lot of sense to me. However, my question is: Why does she seem to lack the accent that all the other Sylvari have?

Most, but not all, sylvari have the same accent. This was intentional and can be heard throughout the game. Occasionally, an actor’s performance may deviate and that might explain any inconsistencies in certain lines during a VO session.

That stated, I never perceived Faolain as having a British accent but more of a refined manner of speaking. Courtly, formal.

I felt the change a bit odd myself as well. While I didn’t expect it to be the same – pre-Court-life and all that, and we know that the Nightmare can affect sylvari very drastically in manner of speech (I’m looking at you Tiachern!) – this felt a little too different to me to believe it to be the same person. Felt more like a look-alike that happened to also sound somewhat close.

Can you explain, since you responded here, why her appearance remained the same (sans clothing), as the appearance description in Edge of Destiny differs greatly from that of Faolain’s appearance in the Personal Story – six years pass as of that description, and Faolain was afflicted by rotting poison, so it wouldn’t be surprising about that, however for the appearance to be the same as in the Personal Story as 20 years prior is a different matter.

For reference, her description from Edge of Destiny, page 2:
Faolain’s hair was jet-black, as were her nails and her eyes.
Faolain threw back her shock of black hair and breathed smoke through flared nostrils.
Page 313
Attenuated fingers emerged form the cuffs of the woman’s cloak and reached up to pull her hood back. A shock of black hair spilled out.

Faolain’s in-game model of tree branch hair is hardly fitting of this description. There is no “shock of hair” – or thick, messy hair – to Faolain’s head. Faolain has effectively gone bald between 1319/1320 and 1325. Yet somehow her hair is the same in 1304 given Cadeyrn’s dialogue, I presume this is the year – he mentions he was awake for only ‘a few months’) and 1325.

Y’know what, I’ll put in a bug report. I feel this is a lore discontinuity enough to merit it.

@Konig, isn’t it possible that the description of Faolain is a remnant from the previous Sylvari design that for some bizarre reason was never really rectified – back when the Sylvari were more elven and had hair rather than leaves? (not that that would be any better, but I still think it could explain it. I mean it was written by a guy who has nothing to do with the GW universe, so perhaps it just wasn’t thoroughly checked enough).

BobbyStein.2315:

videoboy.4162:

BobbyStein.2315:

CETheLucid.3964:

I figured the voice was different because this is 20+ years ago prior to her going completely insane, before there was a Nightmare Court.

I didn’t mind it.

This is what we were going for. We used the same actress, Julianne Buescher, who also voiced Faolain in the core game Personal Story.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0003925/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

That makes a lot of sense to me. However, my question is: Why does she seem to lack the accent that all the other Sylvari have?

Most, but not all, sylvari have the same accent. This was intentional and can be heard throughout the game. Occasionally, an actor’s performance may deviate and that might explain any inconsistencies in certain lines during a VO session.

That stated, I never perceived Faolain as having a British accent but more of a refined manner of speaking. Courtly, formal.

on the inconsistent manner of faolins accents. Just make it canon that her inconsistencis as a person are surfaced in her manner of speak. I mean faolin for me in the LS switches from good…ish to paranoid to kittenholishness and pure manipultiv evil kitten.

I´m moreappaled by caith beeing so absolutly horrible naiv towards faolin.