Back in May of 2012, when the mod was but an infant, a helpful fellow by the name of throat cutter pointed me toward a forum where I could find voice actors.  I peered at that list like a motherfucking hawk, looking for actors with two X chromosomes.  I sent out about 10 emails.  I got 1 reply.  It was from a girl named Viridiane, and it changed everything.

Food tasted better.  The sky seemed bluer.  The world wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough, because she was living in it.

And she’s still here.  Seven months later, and Vi’s done three characters – Zora, Lleyara, Callen, and probably near a 1000 lines of dialogue and counting.  I asked her some stupid questions, and she was kind enough to reply.  If you have questions of your own, feel free to ask them in the comments.

You have a unique accent, where are you from exactly?
I like to keep people guessing. Sometimes they truly surprise me!

What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?
A, R, E, S. I have a few. I really don’t like P and B.

What got you into voice acting?
Google. Well I had an idea to see if there’s some way to try dubbing something and I found English website Voice Acting Alliance. Turned out there was plenty of amateur projects to audition for and that’s how it started for me.

Who would win a fight between a frost troll and a Nord on anabolic steroids?
Nord. Science > Nature when it comes to good old face mashing.

What sort of character do you like to play?
Pretty ones! And small ones. But not halfling-small. Just FR elf-small. I liked to play Ainmhi in Oblivion. Class? Jack of All Trades. In Skyrim I had to settle for a boring Nord due to most bearable faces. Still had so many wrinkles. Can’t wait to use some of the mods for faces! Played some kind of rogue-type. Not sure. I’m a hoarder, very much. I hoarded gems, coins, strawberries and Nirnroot planters. Then I searched for items and cloned them into my house while throwing away gold [imagine a shop :D] In Skyrim I settled for the 1-of-a-kind items like bee in a jar or some ship models :D

I want you to share the story you told me about how we both suck at video games.
Yeah, I panic in games, I was trying to play one at my friend’s and a monster jumped at me, so I panicked and I turned the camera around and shot a barrel with something that exploded and killed me instead. >D

Nirnroot: Noisy or Calming?
Awakens my pack-rat instincts. GOTTA CATCH THEM ALL.

Where does the name Viridiane come from?
It’s a name of a color. I like colors.

Do you have a favorite alchemy ingredient?
No, I love them all and hoard them all and put them in their respective chests/boxes/jars.

What are your favorite video games?
Baldur’s Gate <3 Forever. Right now I’m playing League of Legends though.

How hard was it to voice Callen?
Much harder than Zora, but much easier than carrying bricks on my head.

If you’ve played the mod, do you have a favorite character, and why? If you haven’t played the mod, why are you such a horrible person?
I’m a horrible person :( I haven’t had the chance to play Skyrim for months. I’ve played Vanilla right after release and I’ll play it again, modded, when I’m done with university. It will be my nerdy victory dance.

Talk about Zora’s character and what you think about her. Why do you think Zora is so popular?
I didn’t know she was popular, I never get to see the comments Kris is mentioning sometimes. I can’t find them :( But if I were to guess, I’d say she’s simply sweet. With a twist. Not your regular cutie with a bandit fetish and a two-handed sword, is she? Besides, she is flawed. That makes her affable and humane.

What other projects are you working on? Mods, fiction, acting, etc. Where else can people hear your talents?
Voice acting wise? A few, you can see a list on my website, I try to keep it updated. Non-voice-acting wise? I’m working on a book. Almost alllmost done with the first part, but writer’s block knows no mercy.

Do you share any similar traits with any of the characters you voiced? How are you different?
Tough question! Not so much, I think. I actually try to avoid voicing characters that are similar to me, because it’s boring and presents no challenge at all.

Stormcloaks or Imperials? Paarthurnaax or Blades? Wine or Mead? Sweet rolls or Apple pies?
Chocolate! And baby pandas.

What kind of mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into making your recording environment?
I use Blue Snowball. I have a pop filter made of an old stocking and wire. The difficulty is that I have 2 settings on this mic, I can build a soundbooth from books and I can even put scarves on it, but every person has a different opinion on what sounds best, so I never know how to record :D A pro-studio mic would surely remedy this situation, but I’m broooke.

If you were an all powerful dragon, how would you go about eating and entertaining yourself? Would you terrorize towns, steal the occasional cow, or just eat wild beasts? Keep in mind people are probably delicious.
Food, food, food, does everything have to be about food? Psh! I would steal a princess and live out a fairytale!

Jay was one of the early contributors to the mod, and has probably recorded more lines and worn more hats than just about anyone.  He provides unique voices, ideas for characters, and the occasional interesting anecdote.  In short, the dude wears a lot of hats.  Where does he find all these hats?  Surely not at the hat store.  That place is a wreck.

However, I would say that for all his headgear and versatility, what makes Jay truly unique is his dependability.  You may notice Rumarin and Dagri’lon always have their lines updated.  That’s because I can dump 1000 lines in Jay’s inbox and I know they will all be voiced by morning.  Such is his appetite for voice work.  I am convinced he is part dragon.  He even had time in his busy schedule flying about the neighborhood and chatting with Aela to answer a few questions.

You were the inspiration for a lot of abnormal characters.  Dagri’lon, Relic, Iorel, Averna, Fjona’s Familiar. Do you enjoy bizarre NPCs like robots, ghosts and the undead?
Oh, yes! Very much so. I guess I’m just a sucker for the strange and fantastical. I like to escape into an alternate reality whenever I play games, and weird and wonderful NPCs just sweeten the pot for me. Now that I think about it, this was probably all started by the follower Shale, from Dragon Age. She’s awesome.

As one of the early contributors, how did you find the mod?
Honestly, I can’t remember all that well. I think I was searching the Nexus for some or other NPC mod, and it popped up as a result. Naturally, it piqued my curiosity, and, well, I thought it was an awesome idea. Turns out I was right!

What sort of character do you like to play?
I like two types of character builds: Spellsword, where I usually go around wielding a one-handed weapon in one hand (No! Really? Heehee) and a destruction spell in the other. Something explosive, preferably. The other build is your average overpowered tank. Two-handed weapon, heavy armour, protection amulets – the works.

My favourite race is Nord. I don’t know why, but they’re the only ones I can get to look pretty enough for my tastes. My second favourite is the Altmer. They’re just so… regal.

My playing style is mostly questing. I get as many quests as I can, completing them as I go. Occasionally, when that gets repetitive, I’ll go exploring, accidentally getting myself killed about a hundred times along the way.

I am most definitely a hoarder. My carry weight is usually the first thing to be enhanced by an enchantment and my homes are always filled up with useless crap!

Do you have a favorite character in the mod?
My favourite character of the ones I voiced has to be Rumarin. His happy-go-lucky attitude and twisted sense of humour are just priceless.

From the others, I’d have to say it’s a tie between Zora and Ingarte. Zora, because she’s so terribly cute and deliciously tortured. Ingarte because, well, she’s a salty wench!

Did you try repairing Relic?  How did it go?
Yes, I did try. I ended up breaking him. So I reloaded an earlier save and vowed to come back with a higher Smithing skill. When I finally got around to doing that, I decided to sabotage him, simply because of the hilariousness of the bad personality.

What in the world is a 33721?
They’re my favourite numbers. 3 (twice, because I like it so much), 7 and 21.

Do you have a favorite alchemy ingredient?
I really don’t use Alchemy that often, but if I had to choose, I’d say the Daedra Heart. It’s just so… Eeeeeevil.

Would you rather have a potato for a hand or a watermelon for a foot?
Hmmm… Tough choice! I do like potatoes, but having one for a hand would mean I couldn’t play PC games anymore. Plus, I’d want to dunk it in boiling oil and eat it. A watermelon foot, on the other hand (LOL, pun), probably wouldn’t bother me that much. I’d still sort of be able to walk, and I sit most of the time, anyway. Also, I don’t really like watermelon, so I wouldn’t be tempted to eat it!

What are your favorite video games?
All of the Elder Scrolls games, of course! Then there’s the Mass Effect Trilogy, the Dragon Age games, Portal and Portal 2, and The Sims 3.

Is Pluto a planet?
It’s a dwarf planet. Science says it is so, and I trust science. Plus, it makes our Solar System a bit more interesting that way.

Explain the various vocal effects you use in your roles.
Well, Relic and Dagri’Lon are both results of this neat little voice changer program I found online. I used some of their default effects, with a few tweaks here and there. Relic’s effect is called “Droid” and Dagri’Lon’s is called “Hell Demon” (Eesh!)

For Averna and Fjona’s Familiar, I basically just winged it on Audacity.

Averna’s went like this: I recorded the lines, then duplicated the track. The original track got a pitch change to make it sound more feminine, and the duplicate got pitched a bit lower, causing a sort of double-voice creepy thing. Then I merged the tracks and reversed the audio, added an echo, and reversed the audio again, causing a backwards echo.

Fjona’s Familiar also got the reverse echo, but only after I added a background effect to make it sound like he’s talking from the void.

What kind of mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into making your recording environment?
I use an ordinary desktop microphone with a sock pulled over it. The sock helps improve sound quality, and I meticulously edit anything I record to get it to sound better.

By far the most irritating thing about my recording environment is the whine from my computer. No matter what I do, that sound is always in the recordings. So, I use a whole heck of a lot of noise removal to get that cut out.

Another factor is random noise from outside. Cars driving past, airplanes overhead, the neighbours’ kids screaming, dogs barking… So I just close my windows and door, and hope for the best.

What has been the most challenging character to do?  Easiest?
The hardest one for me was probably Skjel. After a while of recording him, my voice was like “Dude! I don’t bend that way!” Of course, after a short break and a quick cigarette, it would be fine again, and I would go on.

The easiest character, I’d have to say, is Rumarin. I use my natural voice, my natural accent, and his use of language is easy to read fluently. Dagri’Lon is easy, too, since I can talk normally, and the voice changer does most of the work.

What do you do in your spare time?
I read a lot, play PC games, watch my favourite shows on TV, surf the web. I also like to cook, and I do tend to sleep a lot.

Who is your favorite vanilla NPC?
That is a tough question. I haven’t thought about it a whole lot, but off the top of my head, I’d say Sheogorath is my favourite. He’s just awesome.

Stormcloaks or Imperials?  Paarthunax or the Blades?  Wine or Mead?  Sweet rolls or apple pies?
Imperials. I know, a lot of people don’t like them, but there’s just something about Ulfric that makes me want to kill him. Besides, the Imperials are all organised and very together. The Stormcloaks are kind of messy.

Paarthurnax. He’s always been nice to me, and I think it’s racist of the Blades to want me to kill him just because he’s a dragon.

You expect me to choose between Wine and Mead? Why can’t we have both? I like wine, though only on certain occasions. Mead (beer) is my go-to drink whenever I go to a bar or pub.

Apple pie, of course! Delicious, warm cinnamonny apple pieces and raisins drenched in a sweet syrup, all wrapped up in pie crust? Who can resist that?! Besides, I’m not exactly clear on what a sweetroll is…

Before I make characters, I spin a giant wheel with various characteristics on it.  This tells me what kind of NPC I will be making next.  I trust the wheel implicitly, mostly because the wheel cannot talk, but also because the wheel is never wrong.  The one thing the wheel cannot dictate, however, is the NPC’s voice, because while it has an idea in its cardboard head, there is no guarantee that actor exists.

Yet every so often, there’s an actor who fits the wheel’s vision perfectly.  Kaitlyn Harwood is one such example.  Her voice is made of kittens and rainbows, and matched the innocence and absent-mindedness that personifies Yseld.   I asked her some questions, and despite me being a complete jerk about it she found time to reply.

How did you find out about the mod?
I found out through a friend. Her name is Arisen1 on the Nexus forums. We were talking about hobbies and she listed off all of hers, one of them being voice acting. She sent me the link to Interesting NPCs and it was love at first sight!

What’s your all time favorite video games? TV shows?
I play A LOT of video games. I have loads of free time. My all time favourite video games would have to be Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect and Bioshock. My favourite TV shows are The Walking Dead, Justified and Boardwalk Empire but I have others as well.

If you’ve played the mod, do you have a favorite character, and why?  If you haven’t played the mod, why are you such a horrible person?
My favourite character would have to Gilsi. I originally tried out for her but in the back of my mind I knew that she needed to be more dramatic and bitchy.  :P My mother ended up getting Gilsi’s part and I LOVED watching her rehearse the lines. Gilsi came alive!

Was it fun working on this project with your mom?  Keep in mind she is probably reading this.
YES! OF COURSE! It was me who suggested that she try out for Gilsi. She aced it and now she’s in the process of reading other character scripts. I wanted to find something that we could share and do together and this works very well. :)

Do you have any previous acting experience?  What made you interested in voice acting?
I remember I played a rainbow fish in a play in primary school. I had one line but I was so proud. I haven’t got any other Voice Acting experience…unless you include reading aloud in Book Club. ;)

Cartwheels or handstands?
I can’t do either, But I think Cartwheels are more exciting to watch!

What kind of mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into making your recording environment?
I use a Samson C01U USB Condenser Microphone. I got it for about $100 free shipping (in Australia) I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. We’ll just see how long it lasts. :P

Everyone has a different opinion on what a male Dark Elf should sound like.  There are raspy voices cut from the Ashlands of Morrowind, the Australian accent used in Skyrim, and whatever it was they used in Oblivion.  With female voices, there are no quarrels, no police cuffing the developers for murdering their childhoods.  Although generally, most would agree that you want your Dark Elves – male, female, or transgender – to sound, well, dark.

Finding a voice for Gilsi wasn’t easy, because while she was a cold, unforgiving Dunmer, she was also young and petulant.  Deedee’s voice had that perfect cocktail of maturity mixed with a shot of innocence, and I’m not just saying that because I’ve recently taken up drinking.  She was fantastic.  In addition to being all things fantastical she was also Australian, which blended that much better with her male counterparts.

When I decided to set up this blog, Deedee was actually the first guinea pig I contacted, being the newest voice addition.  I was actually going to time the release of this post with the new version, but things got delayed and plans got changed.  Thus, the questions are a bit thin compared to the others, but Deedee did her best not to be offended.

How did you find out about the mod?
My daughter Kaitlyn introduced me to it. She was voicing Yseld and encouraged me to try out for Gilsi.

What do you think of the character you voiced?
Gilsi is awesome. I love her haughtyness. I can understand her jealously towards Eldawyn and her absolute infatuation with Nelos. She was extremely fun and easy to play, perhaps that’s because MAYBE i’m too much like her. I look forward to voicing her in the future.

Do you share any similar traits with Gilsi?
Lol…possibly, most definitely. I certainly don’t let people walk over me. She is strong willed like me. And I find that jealously can actually be your undoing.

How are you different?
Hmm. I think I have more heart because I don’t think I could kill a relative… OH and I don’t have pointy ears….damn.

Gilsi is an Ice Mage, Are you more of a Ice, Fire, Wind or Lightning kind of person?
I’ve been told many times I can be very ‘cold’ but damn I can go off like a firecracker!  :P

What do you think of Gilsi’s look and character design?
I think she’s perfect, I think her look is perfect. When my daughter and I first saw a screenshot of her we both exclaimed “SHE HAS YOUR HAIR!” Like me she is attractive…and she takes care of her appearance. I like the fact that she doesn’t give a damn what people think…well..except for her Nelos.

Were you a fan of Skyrim before working on this project?
Actually no, but I am now. :) I had only seen the game lying around at home.

What are your favourite video games?
I lean towards Final Fantasy. Most likely because its turn based, I find it easier since I’m new to the gaming scene.

What are your thoughts on bees?
Funny enough I love bugs! And often feel sorry for them and perform a rescue. I have been known to wear live rhinoceros beetles as jewellery and scare my co workers.

What kind of Mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into in your recording environment?
I use Kait’s microphone which is a Samson C01U USB Condenser Microphone and the rest of her equipment. Thanks to Kris and his excellent suggestions, I was able to modify our lounge room with rugs on the floor, Blankets on the windows and blankets hanging on each side of the microphone on clothes drying racks and this helped eliminate echo and noise from the computer.

Do you have any previous acting experience?
None what so ever but I seriously enjoyed this opportunity to voice Gilsi.

What made you interested in voice acting?
I wanted to have an interest in what my daughter’s hobby’s are.

Your email says you’re in Australia, Who would win in a fight a Kangaroo and Russell Crowe?
I seriously think it would be the Roo, Those big ones can rip you apart and kill you.

If you play Skyrim what sort of character would you play?
I’m going to play Skyrim….probably some sort of mage since I love the magical classes.

I would like to thank Kris for choosing me to voice Gilsi. It was an awesome experience and lots of fun and I look forward to working with him in the future.

When TESV chose to go with a new Argonian voice type, it seemed to best fit with the Shadowscale motif.  Dark, sinister, and smooth as Tennessee Whiskey.  It’s an awesome voice, but it seemed mismatched with the abundance of vanilla Argonians who were more likely to pour you a drink than spill your blood.  While FedoraAndRapier’s voice embodies all of that cold lizard smoothness, there’s also a bit of compassion in his timbre, and it’s that which made him perfect for everyone’s favorite vampire hunter, Among the Hist.

If only I could clone him and utilize his voice talents again, the mod would be enhanced and wars would cease and children would never go hungry.  Unfortunately, while his busy schedule has prevented this utopia from becoming a reality, he did find time to do this interview, and I thank him.

Introduce yourself. You know, name, location, belly button type, whether you snore in your sleep.
Certainly! My name is Øystein and I’m a 21 years old student and aspiring actor from Norway, and on the internet I often go by the alias “FedoraAndRapier.”

I’m the proud owner of a standard issue navel that thankfully don’t need much emptying. I do not snore when I sleep, but I’ve heard it runs in my family (through two thick walls actually). I also have it from good sources that I talk in my sleep, though they rarely tell me what I’m saying. Must be something I don’t want to hear!

Talk about your acting experience, if any, and what got you into voice acting.
I’ve been practicing drama and theatre for the last five-six years now, but I already showed great interest in acting as a little kid; always wanting to be the center of attention and loving the sound of my own voice. I took drama and theatre classes through high school, did one year of theatre at a folk high school (a Nordic thingy) and I’m now studying drama and theatre at a university. Add to that a vast amount of productions (both amateur and through school) and you get some very busy and grueling moments. By the end of December I’ll be done with my sixth theatre-production this year alone.

Voice acting holds a special place in my heart however. I grew up with a lot of cartoons and Disney movies (dubbed to Norwegian), and I would spend a lot of time remembering the lines and recite them whenever I pleased.

It’s funny, because we grow up with this huge gallery of wonderful and inspiring characters, brought to life by someone whose name and face we rarely bother to take note of. My huge respect for the field is what pushed me to try myself as an amateur voice actor while in high school, doing fandubs and such. It’d be a dream come true to make a living out of this, but it remains to see if it is meant to be (10 points for rhyme).

How did you find the mod? Was Among the Hist your first choice for a role?
I have had fairly little time to voice act these last two years, so when finding this wonderful project on VAA I didn’t intend to audition for anything. I realized however that the opportunity of playing Skyrim while ALSO be listening to the sound of my own voice was too good to miss.

I was actually looking for an Argonian to voice, since they are my favorite race in the game and I love to strain my vocal chords. Seeing as A-T-H was the only male lizard available I pounced for him. I also auditioned for the part of the hedonistic Dravos, but he was unfortunately taken.

Discuss Among the Hist. What you think about him as a character? Do you share any similarities to the character? Any differences?
Among-The-Hist is a solemn, sombre and deeply conflicted character worthy of his own novel. I also find him to be extremely brave, charming, very funny at times and I absolutely dig the hell out of him.

He presented a dual challenge for me; both in getting the right amount of gravel and solemness in my voice to sell the part of a virtuous Argonian, while simultaneously getting into the head of a mind so vastly different from my own. He’s a man on a mission, guided firmly by his religion and principles. To me this was difficult to relate to, but it was rewarding to try and experience and express it.

The doubts he harbors when we meet him were much easier to relate to, and it made him much more human (or Argonian). He is actually willing to question his code and choices who has guided him his entire life, a quality we don’t often find in people as devout as him.

What’s your opinion on vampires?
Not my favorite monster, but I can’t say I dislike them either. Ironically, I’ve starred as a vampire in the Sims 2 machinima “Venin Abyss”. Judging by some fan reactions I seem to have become the Robert Pattinson of Sims machinima, be that for good or worse.

Is it true about jellyfish stings and urinating on them? Would the same trick work for a vampire bite?
A quick google search will reveal that there is little proof of urine actually healing jelly-stings, but who knows. Maybe the thought of someone relieving themselves on you makes the pain tolerable in comparison.

I doubt it’d work on vampire bites though, seeing as jellies sting the surface of the skin while vampires usually punctures the jugular. Peeing into the wound doesn’t seem like the most productive thing to do at the time.

A vampire, a werewolf, and Among the Hist walk into a bar. I don’t have a joke here, but who comes out alive and why?
Among-The-Hist naturally, all thanks to his tactical skills! It’s all about starting a fight between the vamp and the were, leaving ATH free to take out the weary survivor. I’m not sure how ATH would spark a conflict, but I’m sure it entails him dressing up in drag.

Did you follow Ralof or Hadvar? Did you join the Stormcloaks or the Imperials?
I followed Ralof, but only because the Imperials dropped cooler swords. Also they tried to execute me. Still haven’t taken a side yet, but I’m really not liking the “Skyrim for Nords” BS the Stormcloaks are boasting.

If you’ve played the mod, do you have a favorite character outside the ones you’ve voiced, and why? If you haven’t played the mod, why are you such a horrible person?
I only tried the mod recently, so I’m obviously not a great guy ;) I was trekking over to Windhelm with Among-The-Hist following behind me, when I met Morviah Hlaalu just outside the gate. Was really captivated by the strength displayed despite her story of tragedy. Definitely a woman to admire.
I was also charmed up to High Hrothgar by Wander-Lust at the docks. These two were both played by Lila Paws, right? Terrific actress ^^

Haven’t spent enough time with the mod to find a favorite yet, but I’m getting there. :P

What type of character do you typically role play?
I often play the dashing and wise-cracking hero with a heart of gold, but I love rolling characters that are extremely arrogant and cynical, while also being charming and passionate as hell. These guys will save the world just because it conveniently fits into their schedule of snarking and flirting.
I tend to go for melee classes with one handed sword or dual wield so I can get up close and personal.

In fantasy RPGs I love to play dwarves or beast races like argonians, and I try and avoid playing humans at all cost. It’s more fun to see the world through the eyes of a different culture or creature. I doubt I would’ve showed so much distaste for the Stormcloaks if I hadn’t seen my fellow Argonians being treated as second class citizens.

If you could have one dragon shout and use it in the real world, what would it be and why?
Blowing people away with Unrelenting Force sounds fun, but I doubt that “Fus-Ro-Dah“ would make a good argument in court.  Aura whisper sounds much more useful to me as you can never be sure that you’re totally alone. Locating the party in an unfamiliar neighborhood will be much simpler too; just follow the red cluster of light.  Would however be scary to see how many things are actually living in my room with me at night. :S

Do you wear a Fedora in real life? Do you own a Rapier? Or does it mean rapier wit?
I wear fedoras on special occasions and I like to think they suit me. Have a wonderful dark-brown one I inherited from my granddad.  I do not own a rapier, nor do I fence, so let’s go with rapier wit.

You have 2 arrows and diplomatic immunity. In front of you is Nazeem and the guy who works for Belethor, at the general goods store. What do you do?
Ask them to hold my arrows while I think of a clever answer.

What other projects are you working on? Mods, fiction, acting, etc. Where else can people hear your talents?
I’m wrapped up in theatre right now and as such I’m doing very few projects at the moment, so this mod is the best bet for people who wants to hear my voice before Christmas (unless you happen to live in Trondheim). I have a youtube channel that hasn’t been updated in three years that you can check out, though I wouldn’t recommend it. Also there is Venin Abyss which I mentioned earlier.
There are a couple of short films I’m in, but they are in Norwegian. :)

How does a Skyrim bee survive in a jar?
I don’t think it survives as much as it dies very slowly. I don’t see any breathing holes in that jar.

What kind of mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into making your recording environment?
I use two microphones. One is a M3 condenser microphone from Røde Microphones, which I used for this mod. I used Pro Tools to record here. The other is the small Apogee MiC USB microphone, which I use with simpler programs like audacity.  My biggest difficulties involve finding a place to record where people ain’t stomping around. Doesn’t help that I have paperthin walls where I live. When they all finally shut up the hard part’s over.

What sort of character type, mod or elsewhere, would you like to voice/play next?
As an actor you can’t get picky, and I’d accept any role given. In this case however I’d maybe want to voice a character with a different mindset than Among-The-Hist. I love playing comedic and over-emotional roles, but I also have tons of fun voicing villains and monsters. A comedic and over-emotional villain that happens to be a monster, perhaps?

Bards are cool.  This is an undeniable fact.  It’s mostly because they play music.  In a mod full of hundreds of thousands of words, music provides a simple yet elegant diversion.  Music does not require a PhD to unscramble complex metaphors, or even require half of your attention.  It doesn’t even require an understanding of the local language.  It transcends language.  As a wise degenerate once said, music is like, poetry for the soul, man.

There have been two such poets that have lent their talents to this mod, and together they have provided the soundtrack that sits in the column to the right.  The invaluable Arisen1 not only composed Dusk on Anvil Harbor and many of the vanilla instrumentals, but she also has voiced a handful of characters, including all of the mod’s children.  On this day, she lent her time to answer questions from yours truly, and not all of them inane.  Just most of them.

Introduce yourself. You know, name, location, belly button type, whether you snore in your sleep.
Not too much to say about me.  I’m just a young woman from the southeast corner of the USA, who happens to be interested in the arts.  I started out voice acting from back in the day when I used to make flash animations, and have kept it as a steady hobby since then.  Besides voice acting, I am into any other art, like digital and traditional art, animation, 3D modeling, writing and music composition.  It’s hard to name a favorite.  I just love them all!!

Hmm…and as for belly button type, I’m an innie, lol.  And I’ve been wondering if I’ve been a snorer for my entire life.  Maybe if I set up a recording device next time I sleep…hmm. :)

Let’s start with the music. Talk about your background and training, if any.
I’ve actually been singing since I was just a toddler.  In fact, I could make up my own harmonies at age four.  I am self taught on the piano, and have been tinkering around on it since I was little.  I feel like musical talent sort of runs in my family; even my parents first met in chorus class.
I was involved in a lot of choirs and music theaters growing up, so that’s where I honed my acting/singing skills.

Also, when I was 15, my dad introduced me to Adobe Audition.  And that was the first DAW I worked with, and the gateway for me to learn and build upon my skills as a composer.

What are some of your favorite video game music songs/soundtracks of all time?
Growing up, I loved Disney soundtracks more than anything else.  And I still do, really.  I had the pleasure of meeting my all time favorite Disney composer, Alan Menken, and almost had a heart attack after shaking his hand.  But to be honest, all I listen to are soundtracks…from pretty much everything.  However, I listen to orchestral metal from time to time too.  I’m a long time fan of the band, Nightwish.  :D

What software, instruments, cowbells and whistles did you use to make the vanilla and original music?
I used FL Studio and good ol’ Audacity to mix, record and compose all of the pieces for the mod.  And for the drum and flute, I played on a djembe and a bamboo flute.

If you could have one wish, but in exchange every piece of music you will ever hear forever is sung by Lurbuk the Orc bard, would you wish for something, or just wish this deal had never been made?
I think that poor Lurbuk’s talent is underrated, and with some proper vocal coaching, he could actually become famous!

However, in exchange, I would wish for the ability to shape-shift(because I’ve always wanted to be a shape-shifter) and I would require that I became Lurbuk’s vocal coach, to ensure he would never sing one sour note again.  :)

Talk about how difficult it was creating the accompanying instrumentals for Luaffyn’s Band, and your overall happiness with the result.
As far as performing…that was the easy part.  Luckily, I had the different parts mostly down in one take.  As far as the editing though, that is where it got a bit more complex.  Certain things like changing pitches to match the original music, and also removing unwanted sounds.  It’s a somewhat tedious process, but I am happy with the end result.  :)

For “Dusk on Anvil Harbor” I basically gave you an apple and a bag of flour and said, “Here, now you make pie.” Talk about the process of cooking this musical pie.
Well, first I studied and gathered information from an existing piece as a template.  I listened to find the BPM(beats per minute) of that piece, and then tried to replicate its overall tone using my own melodies.  Once I had the beat and base melody down, the rest of the process was very simple, and quite fun to make.

Let’s move on to acting. Everyone loves Beatrice and Urzub, but voicing a nonsensical character like Beatrice must have been challenging. Talk about what difficulties you had, and what you enjoy about her, if anything at all.
She was a very fun character to act, but at the same time, challenging.  She jumbled many words into the same sentence a few times, so it was tough bunching so many consonants together, and then trying to make it sound eloquent at the same time.  But it was a fun challenge, and I really enjoy her character.  She kind of does her own thing, and doesn’t pay attention much to what Urzub thinks about it.  Kind of like myself, actually.

Having voiced Thorolf, Henrietta, and Morrigan, I think it’s safe to say you are my go to child voice. Do you enjoy doing child characters? How is it different than performing an adult role?
Child voices are as equally enjoyable to me as the adult roles.  They allow for me to put on a voice that I never knew I had, and it really brings out the whole creative aspect of voice acting.  Besides that, it’s actually too much different from an adult role.  :)

Cats, dogs, or Dwarven spiders?
Cats, all the way. Not even dwarven spiders can compare!  I mean, it’s not even a close match.  :D

If you’ve played the mod, do you have a favorite character outside the ones you’ve voiced, and why? If you haven’t played the mod, why are you such a horrible person?
Haha!  It’s hard to name a favorite, because I really enjoy every one of them.  But, I have actually developed a nice bond with the character, Qa’Dojo.  That crazy Khajiit is one of the coolest followers I’ve had. :)

What type of character do you typically role play?
When role playing with friends, I generally go for something random, like a traveling, singing minstrel warrior, lol.

If dragons could sing, what would be the effect of a musical shout?
Oooh, that’s a tough one.  First of all, I might just die of happiness were there ever to be a singing dragon shout.  If anything, not only would it shatter glass, but it would also shatter bone…and maybe a few buildings as well.  :D

What other projects are you working on? Where else can people hear your talents?
I’ve been working on vocal for a music collaboration.  But besides that, I have a few voice acting projects, as well as a fully voiced follower mod that I’m currently working on.  So, I will have a lot of stuff to present in the near future.  For anyone who wishes to listen to my music, you can go to my Newgrounds account here or my Youtube account here.

Do you have a favorite alchemy ingredient?
I think I like jazbay grapes the best, just because of their name…sounds almost musical. :)

What do you think of the curriculum at the Bards College in Solitude?
It is just way too easy.  I think it’s because (speaks in high elf voice) they will let anyone into the Bard’s College nowadays.

Is banging your head against a desk in a slightly rhythmic manner considered music?
Only when accompanied by a few painful “ouches” that just happen to be in tune.  :)

What other instruments would you like to see in Skyrim?
Ooh…too many to count.  At the very least, we need a harp and a dulcimer.  But what I really would love to see in the game is a bagpipe!  :D

What kind of mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into making your recording environment?
I use MXL 990 condenser mics for most of my recording.  As for the environment, it took years to create a perfect recording studio environment in the basement, and most of the stuff that we have is too technologically advanced for me to use.  So for me, the recording process is quite simple.  I just plug in my computer into my mixer and I’m good to go.

What sort of character type, mod or elsewhere, would you like to voice/play next?
I hope one day to voice a sexy seductress/temptress mod.  I just love putting on that sexy temptress voice.  :)

There are terrific actors, wonderful singers, and quality recordings. Rarely do I ever get to check all three boxes. Kelly Camelio is a total pro. A pro’s pro. There are no cons.

Every bard song Giramor and Arisen1 have provided, she has done her best to add her own unique signature. Every role I have written her, she manages to fit the voice in my head flawlessly. Maybe she’s some sort of mind reader, but I’ll stick to assuming she’s got talent instead. She also took the time to answer some questions, not all of them inane.

Introduce yourself. You know, name, location, belly button type, whether you snore in your sleep.
Kelly (though most people actually call me Kemi), a small closet somewhere on the south-east coast of the US, slightly indented, and only when I’m sick.

Talk about how you got into voice acting, or learned to act in general.  Did you always have these powers, or did it come via mutant spider or gamma radiation?
I try to stay as far away from mutant spiders as physically possible, though I wouldn’t completely count out gamma radiation. Mostly I just took theatre in school. Like a lot of theatre. Like more theatre classes than should be allowed. They tried to convince me to take another elective once. That was funny.

As for voice acting specifically, well, ever since I was a little kid I loved imitating characters from my favorite shows or movies. When I was in high school, I discovered a website called Voice Acting Alliance, and tried my hand at dubbing anime and video games. “Tried” is the key word in the sentence. After that, I had a brief affair with local radio (which was the best learning experience an aspiring voice actor could ever ask for, by the way), and you guys know the rest from there!

Speaking of which, are spiders a valid form of delivering super hero powers, or do we need to go with something like mosquitoes or rats?
Why can’t mutant powers ever be delivered by something not utterly terrifying and/or revolting? Where is the mutant superpower-giving baby deer? Or even like a butterfly or a moth or something, if it must be an insect.

Each role you’ve done sounds distinct. Olivia has authority, Asteria goes from polite to bitchy, and Felena is Felena. Which role sounds closer to your real voice? Which do you enjoy most?
Closer to my real voice? Asteria, definitely. Once she drops the bard act, it’s practically my regular speaking voice. I have to say I enjoy Olivia most though, being stuffy and slightly British is never not fun. I do apologize to anyone in the UK that I may have offended with my horribly inaccurate accent, though.

Talk about your characters, what you like about them, what you don’t like, what characteristics you share, and who would be the most fun to hang out with.
I would love to hang out with Felena! She’s just so interesting, and we could dress up Sweetroll and have tea parties! I’m a lot more like Asteria in personality though (which is probably why I decided on a voice close to my own). We both love to cuss a lot, sing, and steal jewels from the obscenely wealthy!

Is Sweetroll marriage material?
Oh yes, if you prefer the strong and silent type, he’s perfect! Really low maintenance too. Unfortunately, I’m already married. To voice acting. And my husband, I guess.

Would you chew on your knuckles if they were made of macadamia nuts? Or would you consider it to be bad manners?
Dude, your knuckles are made of freaking macadamia nuts. I think bad manners are the last thing anyone ever would be thinking about in this scenario.

I think your voice is fantasterrific, which is a word I made up because the others weren’t good enough. Do you have any previous singing experience or aspirations?
My aspirations were to be such a great singer, that someone would make up an entirely new word to describe it. So now I’m at a loss for words, really. In all seriousness, I don’t really have all that much experience with singing, aside from obnoxiously singing to myself at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes I’ll involve myself in local musical theatre, or do silly song-dubs on YouTube. I just love to sing!

Arisen1 composed Dusk on Anvil Harbor and Tears of the Hist, while Giramor made Wolves of Jorrvaskr. What are your thoughts on the music in the mod so far?
My thoughts? The music in this mod is amazing. They get stuck in my head literally all the time, and I cannot express how happy I am that I got to sing them all. My favorite changes every so often – right now it’s Tears of the Hist. It’s so emotional, and I get this almost Celtic vibe from it (hint: I love Celtic music).

What kind of mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into making your recording environment?
I use a Shure PG42 condenser mic. It’s probably the best 100-someodd dollars I’ve ever spent. It even comes in a shiny metal carrying case that I’ve never used! As for difficulties recording, I’m staring at him as I type this. I have a needy cat, you see. If I don’t let him sit on my lap when I’m in the booth, he tends to throw little cat fits and ruin all of my takes. It’s actually rather adorable, in a horribly frustrating sort of way.

If you had to choose between everyone singing to you instead of speaking or everyone talking when they should be singing, which would it be?
If the world was singing instead of speaking, it would be about a thousand times cooler.

Have you played the mod? If so, do you have a favorite character? If not, why are you such a horrible person?
I admit, I haven’t played nearly as much of this mod as I want to (does that make me a sort of badish person?). My computer isn’t cut out for PC gaming, but I kicked it into submission anyway and managed to dabble in it a little bit. I absolutely adore Rumarin, from the moment I met him he’s been following me everywhere I go. He’s just so damn funny, adventuring Skyrim without him at this point would be dull. I’m also a huge Eldawyn fan, though I haven’t been able to talk with her as much.

Stormcloaks or Imperials, cats or dogs, french fries or mash potatoes?
Stormcloaks, cats, and that is a cruel question and you should feel ashamed. I could never pick between french fries and mashed potatoes.

What’s bigger nightmare fuel, spiders, clowns, or feet?
Whelp, I was going to say spiders, but I just combined the three in my head, and clownish spiders on my feet is probably the most terrifying thing I have ever envisioned. So… the answer is C. All of the above.

If you could have one Dragon Shout to use in real life, what would it be?
Is there a shout that makes pizza? Because there should totally be a shout that makes pizza. I don’t care how it’s made, I just want instant pizza. (also Whirlwind Sprint)

What other projects are you currently involved in? Where else can we hear your talents?
I’m mostly doing a lot of commercial work right now, local radio ads and whatnot. But! I am involved in a few other (albeit older) on-going projects, such as Actorman’s Final Fantasy IX fandub, MasakoX’s Kampfer Abridged, and Mike Sempai’s Pretty Cure All Stars DX fandub. I also release my own stuff from time to time, when I’m not fighting crime or thieving from jarls. You can find all of that mess on my YouTube channel, under my internet handle SaiyanSerenityV!

What sort of character type, mod or elsewhere, would you like to voice/play next?
Evil. Evil evil evil. And evil. Being bad is just so much fun. Villains get all of the fun, crazy dialogue. Nothing is more fun than throwing your head back and laughing maniacally whilst revealing your master plan to the hero who has already all but escaped from your grasp.

What would you rather take along for your journey in Skyrim, a talking sword or a jetpack?
Gonna opt for the jetpack. Think of all the useful qualities a jetpack has. High Hrothgar? Bam. There. Good luck attacking me, giant ferocious bear, when I’m like twenty feet in the air above you. Besides, what if the sword is obnoxious? What if it only gives you bad advice? What if it slows your movement to a crawl, and is voiced by a screaming Ashley Burch? Wait, I’m getting my games mixed up. What was the question?

Nowadays, when it comes to good actors, I’m dealing from a position of strength. The mod is known on the street and popular with the kids. It’s been featured on all the major gaming blogs, and some of them even bothered to play it. And it all promises to get better with time. There is no need for me to sell the roles to quality actors. It sells itself.

This wasn’t always the case. When looking at the mod in its nascent form, as an actor, you really had to take a chance.  Thus it was rather serendipitous that some of the early actors who signed on to this project turned out to be some of the best. One of them was Christian Gaughf, also known as Aranas.  He was not only kind enough to do an interview for the blog, but with the help of Audrey over at AT&T, provided it in an eyes-free format. Apologies to those without ears.

When it comes to commitment, there are all types. Some voice actors are incredibly reliable but like to take their time, so I give it to them. Others have an insatiable appetite for lines, so I tend to keep them fed, provided they have the talent, versatility, and recording quality goodness that we all strive for.

What makes Anna Castiglioni remarkable is not only does she check off all those boxes, she does so while working tirelessly on her own companion mod and about 178,237 other projects. While I believe her husband would object, if her and Jay ever had children they would probably have enough energy and dedication to end world hunger, build a bridge to mars, and develop an equation for quantum gravity. They would save the world. SAVE THE WORLD. The rest of us would just live in it.

In between rescuing the planet and working on the mods – all of them – she took some time to provide us with another literacy-free interview.

These days I don’t really scour the web for new actors. I rely mostly on word of mouth. Sometimes those mouths belong to people who have already worked on the project, like Kaitlyn Harwood, who offered to do some recruiting on my behalf, because she is awesome like that.

One such awe-inspiring feat was getting her friend Trent Martin to sign on to the mod, and while he started with a simple bit part, he eventually managed to do a series of roles for multiple quests, from the honorable knight Hiram to the cowardly forger Sunken-Roots. He was also kind enough to provide an audio interview, in which he answers questions about various types of cheese, the global economic crisis, and all the top stories in bacon. Also, stuff about the mod.

NOTE: Trent’s schedule prevented him from finishing the role Puck, which has since been cast by Damien Lacambra.

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but with the mod out of beta I can start working on the blog again. Part of that is doing more actor interviews, particularly with the fine men and women featured in the main quest.

Elisabeth Hunter is relatively new to the mod, but she’s already churned out multiple roles and no two are alike, including Inari for the Warm Sands quest and Falatild for the Blood of Kings Questline. She’s one of the rare breeds who is as hard-working as she is talented, and you all have her to thank for the release coming as swiftly as it did.  Go on. Thank her. By singing telegram preferably, but a nice comment would also suffice.

Here is her interview in glorious text form, and like the previous interviewees, she graciously answered all the questions, not just the stupid ones.

Introduce yourself as much as you are willing. You know, name, location, belly button
type, whether you snore in your sleep.
My name is Elisabeth Hunter. Im from Orange County, California. I have an “inny” belly button. I do not snore in my sleep. I have a birthmark that looks like a dog. I have a “buh-gillian” freckles. I
am a huge foodie, a Seinfeld addict. And I married my high school sweet heart.

Tell everyone a little about yourself, how you got into acting, what your goals are if
any.
I grew up in the theater doing musicals primarily, then continued doing drama and acting/singing competitions in high school. Went to a college and got my BFA in theater. Since graduating 2 years ago, I got an agent, attended GROUNDLINGS improv school, theater has taken a back seat to on camera acting, commercials, and voice over work.

My number one goal is to make a living doing what I love most, performing. Other goals are to be a main voice on an animated TV series or film, land a few big time national TV commercials, be the snarky mom on a sitcom, be on SNL, be on Broadway…I like to have my hands in a lot of different cookie jars.

Would you rather have pointy ears, a tail, or neither?
I feel like both of those features would just get in the way. People would be stepping on your tail, it
might get a door shut on it. The pointy ears could get caught on things and you could accidentally poke yourself.

How did you find out about the mod project?
A little bird named my husband (who is a video game enthusiast) actually told me about mods and found your website that had a list of roles yet to be cast. So I decided to give the roles a
look, recorded an audition and ended up voicing many characters in the mod.

Have you played Skyrim? If so, what sort of character do you typically role play? If not, what kind of crippling addiction do you prefer?
Yes, I’ve played a little bit of Skyrim as a Bosmer, but personally I prefer WOW, Old Republic and Guild Wars. Love the voice acting in O.R.

Talk about some of the larger roles you’ve done – Caylene, Inari, and Falatild.  
Caylene was so much fun to play. We have a lot in common given that we are both performers,
we can be a little annoying/over-the-top at times and like to use our charm to make up for our short comings.

Our one difference would be that I like to think I hold a little more skill in the “acting” department than Caylene.

For Inari, I enjoyed getting to play a voice that is 100% different than my own. I can relate to her getting over emotional and to the frustrations she has with her love. We both love men that tend to be occasionally oblivious, but still would do anything for them.

I loved playing the warrior Falatild. She and I are both strong women. We are not easily trifled with. However, Falatild I think may be a bit more courageous than me, she is a soldier after all…

Does Caylene have any actual talent? Or would that make her less charming?
I think Caylene has a talent for entertaining people. She’s no Meryl Streep, but she can hold a crowd’s attention-even if that means people laughing at her and not with her.

Would you like to do an actual bard in the future?
Yes, I would enjoy doing an actual bard someday.

If you were a zombie, whose brains do you think would be the most delicious and
why?
Mmm, Ina Garten aka The Barefoot Contessa…her brains would be filled with all those yummy recipes of delicious food she makes.

Waffles or pancakes? Stormcloaks or Imperials? A hook for a hand or a brick for a
foot?
Lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry compote from La Grande Orange in Pasadena, CA. Imperials all the way. Hook for a hand. Death by a thousand cuts and easier to conceal. The brick foot would slow you down when running from enemies, but kicking people in the shins or anywhere else for that matter would be fun.

Outside of this interview, when is the last time you thought to yourself, “This is bad idea” and yet did it anyway?
My wedding. JK JK! Probably any time that I test how far below the red line I can get on my car’s gas tank meter.

You’re walking down the road when you stumble across three eggs. A dragon, a cliff racer, and a gigantic chaurus hunter. Which one do you raise as a pet, which one do you sell, which one do you make into an omelette?
Dragon as a pet. Sell cliff racer. Tomato Basil Chaurus Omelette.

The face of your worst enemy is now on the boxes, labels, and packaging of all your favorite
foods. Do they taste worse?
Nothing could interfere with my tastebuds and their favorite flavors in food…nothing!

What kind of recording equipment and setup do you use? What are some of the
difficulties you encounter while recording?
I use a Rode Broadcaster Mic, a Tube Compressor, and I have a Macbook Air which runs programs such as Adobe Audition and Garageband. The biggest issues are always decreasing room noise and the fan on my computer is obnoxiously loud. So I have to take frequent breaks so it can cool and calm down to be quiet for recording.

Plug any work you’re doing. Where else can people hear your talents?
The next upcoming project where you can hear my vocal stylings will be an animated TV series. The show is called The Adventures of Circle Jerk, an adult cartoon comedy about a sociopath Circle who passive aggressively ruins the lives and self-esteems of all the other Shapes, Symbols and Signs in a world called Semiotic City.

Giramor has been one of the more – pardon the pun – instrumental contributors to the mod, from providing original music to voicing a number of NPCs great and small. Much of his work may often go unnoticed – from the bard songs like Wolves of Jorrvaskr to quest music for The Children Fair and Honor’s Calling - but they add volumes of emotion and depth to the scenes, and for that reason he will never go unappreciated, at least not by me.

He was kind enough to do an audio interview and answer questions from Audrey the British Robot, because to be honest I can’t stand the sound of my own voice.

He also provided a transcript of the questions and answers below, if reading is more of your thing.

Introduce yourself as much as you are willing. You know, name, location, belly button type, whether you snore in your sleep.
My name is Zeca, that’s spelled Z.E.C.A., and I live on the eastern coast of the United States. As for my belly button type, I believe the proper term is “innie,” and for snoring in my sleep, I don’t know.

Tell everyone a little about yourself, how you got into acting/composing, what your goals are if any.
I’ve always been into voice acting and composing; ever since I was pushed out the womb, I was just like “Let me make voices, let me make music!” My goals at the moment: I’m currently persuing a personal computer specialist degree, and in the long-run, I have a girlfriend in Australia who I’d very much like to go visit one day, and eventually marry.

Explain to everyone the source of your accent. How do people react when they meet you? What do people who know you think about it?
My accent is something I’ve accrued over time. Over the years I’ve spent time listening to different people and their accents, whether it was  online acquaintances or someone in a film. Being the type of person I am, I always loved imitating voices, and that’s all there really is to it. Often I get asked “What’s that accent?” or if I’m British, Scottish, Australian.

One time I was going through a Dunkin Donuts drive-thru, and I ordered a coffee; I think I might have had somewhat of an Australian accent on, as the fellow caught on and he said “Pull up, mate!” in an awfully terrible Australian accent.

Recently I was at the library and I was checking out Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, I’m sure most of you have heard of it, and the lady behind the counter said “You have an accent! What is that accent?” and I messed with her and told her I was British when I’m really not. I’m sure my British accent is actually quite terrible, and if it’s so bad that it offends anyone, I do apologise.

How did you find out about the mod project?
Voice acting for a game in The Elder Scrolls series is something that I had wanted to do for a long time; I think ever since I discovered the series back in 2001, 2002, whenever Morrowind came out. And when Skyrim rolled around I thought “Alright, I have the equipment now, I have a decent plethora of voices – why not give it a shot?”

So I posted an advertisement on this voice actor’s resource thread, where various voice actors could post their resumes as well as samples of their work, and I posted on there, and I believe Kris came along and he said “I’ve got this project going on – any and all of you if you’re interested, go and check it out”. And that’s how I found out about it – I loved the writing, and instantly I was hooked, and I think Kris was hooked on me…no homo.

What sort of character do you typically role play?
If by roleplay you mean text roleplay, I don’t do that sort of roleplay; however if you mean by game roleplay I generally play (specifically referring to Skyrim) an argonian, usually like a warrior class, kind of like a beserker with heavy two handed weapons, or just sword and shield type stuff – and my personality in games is usually along the lines of very gray, very neutral – I do good deeds. I will always be the first one to do the ‘right’ thing.

However! I will not hesitate to kill someone (an NPC, that is) if they manage to piss me off; I’ll not hesitate to kill them whether it’s in private or out in the open, and if the guards come after me then I’ll not hesitate to kill them either, and anyone else that comes after me I’ll not hesitate to kill them, and then I don’t know…maybe one of the Skyrim kids looks at me the wrong way, I’ll not hesitate to kill them and I just go on this super rampant killing spree until next thing you know, there’s an entire village or town or city full of dead people; it feels kind of weird admitting that, but that’s the kind of character I usually play.

Besides gaming, what other types of addictions do you prefer?
Ah, I’m into reading, writing stories, as well as writing music. Usually when I read, I make a point to write down words I’ve never seen before, and then I look up their definition and memorise them – my friends often refer to me as a human dictionary – I’m not sure if that latter point counts as an addiction, but that’s all I can really think of at the moment.

Have you played the mod? If so, do you have a favorite character? If not, why are you such a horrible person?
Yes, I have played the mod; I haven’t been playing it too much recently. I only recently reinstalled Skyrim because I had a bout with my computer where I had to reinstall the entire operating system and subsequently I lost a lot of my data. But I recently reinstalled Skyrim, and I got the mod back, and I had played it before, and while I was playing it before, let’s see…a favourite character.

Well excluding my characters, I would have to say Olivia, the one that gives you the quest where you go and find Jadro’Ra. I know this is connected to my character, but! Olivia, I really liked her, and I wouldn’t say that it’s because I liked her too much as a character, or that she had any huge role, or that I identified with her. I liked her a lot because her voice acting, her voice actor, whomever it was (forgive me for not knowing off the top of my head), her voice actor did a very good job.

When I originally spoke to Olivia, I was so very convinced by the voice acting that initially I thought it was a regular NPC that was part of the base game, but that was not the case. Amazing job with the voice acting, I enjoyed it very much.

Someone teleports into Skyrim and pulls out a real life magicka potion. It’s unclear, however, if the potion will have any effect, given magicka does not exist in our world. That same person offers you the chance to trade it for a health or stamina potion instead. What do you do?
What would I do? Well first I would flap my hands in terror, and then I would ask for a health potion instead, being a little bit more practical and a little bit more suited to my type of character that I play.

It’s safe to say Skjarn is polarizing. Some people have a real angry, visceral reaction to Skjarn’s arrogance, others find the hyperbolic nature of his comments to be incredibly amusing and somewhat charming. What are your thoughts on Skjarn and characters of his ilk? Why do you think people react so differently to the character?
That’s an interesting couple of questions. My thought on Skjarn and characters of his ilk…it doesn’t seem like the kind of person I’d like to hang out with; I’d say that I dislike him in a way. In fact, my reaction to Skjarn is like an agglomeration of the two antipodes that you just listed, where some people are very angry, and they’re pissed of by him and other people find it pretty funny and charming – I’m in the middle of that.

I just try and take his character as being somewhat satirical; after all, it’s just a game and it’s not real, and while well-written characters can certainly evoke the feels, I try not to let characters like Skjarn get to me.

Talk about some of the other roles you’ve done. Any favorites among the group and why? Who would you like to have a beer with? Which two are you taking down a dark alley? Who would you generally stay away from?
Well all of my roles are my favourite – I enjoyed voicing all of them – Jadro’Ra, Zarlak, Rongeir, Kjen (if that’s how you pronounce it). For a favourite among the group, I’d have to say Zarlak. Just the way he was very wise and intelligible, and the way he talked, it kind of gave me shivers, doing that voice; when you just walk up to him and he’s like ‘Welcome to my humble abode, Dragonborn.’ that just…UGH. -slams desk- I love it! and the whole beard thing, I think that helps him. Besides him I’d say Jadro’Ra was very cool to voice, a very emotional character.

Who would I like to have a beer with? Probably Jadro’Ra, being a khajiit and I’m partial to that. Which two am I taking down a dark alley? If you mean that in the way of ‘whom would I like to kill?’, probably not, I would probably kill Kjen and Gren. Who would I generally stay away from? Skjarn, definitely Skjarn.

Given their genetic differences, does Rongeir have a point about his daughter? Or do genetics have nothing to do with what constitutes incest?
No, Shelur is his daughter and there’s absolutely no doubt about it.

You’ve done a ton of music for the mod, including Wolves of Jorrvaskr and new favorites like A Warrior’s Life. Talk about your musical background, and some of your inspirations for the tracks.
As far as musical background goes, I started off with the guitar, as I briefly mentioned earlier; later I got into the keyboard, and when I got my 8-track recorder, I pretty much got to recording just about everything, though most of my early songs were shit – in fact, I often think of all of my songs as shit, but some I like better than others.

I can say that A Warrior’s Life isn’t shit as it’s based around two songs that I’m really quite fond of – it takes its melody mostly from The Minstrel Boy, which is an old Irish folk song by a guy named Thomas Moore – I’ve always enjoyed that song. The chorus where I sing the “A Warrior’s Life, through and through”, is somewhat based off of the song Go The Distance from Disney’s Hercules; I recall distinctly as a child not enjoying Hercules (apologies to Herc fans out there) – but regardless it seemed to fit the song, so I went with it.

To that point, what are your musical influences and tastes?
Influence and tastes kind of fall into the same area of musical ubiquity; I have always tended to listen to just about anything and everything, and though I have my preferences, and some artists which I absolutely refuse to listen to, I can honestly say that there’s something for me to like in every genre; I dislike music based on individual songs and artists (presuming they do nothing but pump out shitty songs), not on genres – I think that being musically diverse is important, not just for a musician, but for everybody.

If you had to undergo one challenge to save a loved one’s life, and you had a choice of arm wrestling or a spelling bee, which would it be?
Being somewhat of a grammar Nazi and physically infirm, and with the amount of reading I do, I’d say spelling bee, always.

You do a variety of voices and accents for the mod. Talk about how you developed your range and how you give your characters a distinct voice and feel.
I imitate characters and people I hear quite frequently, and then I record the impression and play it back over and over until I either get it right or add so much of my own twist that it’s acceptable; this is also how I taught myself how to sing.

I do my Khajiit voice by actually pinching my Adam’s apple betwixt my index and middle fingers, and it adds a sort of vibration that I can’t seem to get without doing it. My old man voice, like I do with Zarlak, is done by lowering my voice to as low as it can possibly go (way down here), and then forcefully straining my vocal cords as I speak, kind of like what you might do when you’re shouting, or winded, or constipated…it seems to work pretty well.

What kind of recording equipment and setup do you use? What are some of the difficulties you’ve encountered while recording?
My microphone is an AKG Perception 200; it’s pretty decent, though I don’t have a pop-filter for it. If I speak or sing too close to it, for whatever reason, it starts popping, crackling, and making a wind-like noise which sounds like I’m in the middle of a tornado – let me try to simulate it now <NOIZES>…nope – <popping sound> that’s the noise, yep.

It kind of inhibits me from doing voices that are much lower and rough, but it can usually be worked around. It doesn’t plug directly into my computer, but rather through my old BR-900CD 8-track recorder; that has a stereo line-out which is plugged into the back of my computer.

What sort of roles would you like to do in the future?
I’d like to voice more Khajiits, and I’d really like to voice an Argonian or two – it doesn’t really matter to me what kind of Argonian it is, so long as I’m not voicing a prostitute.

Plug any work you’re doing. Where else can people hear your talents?
Oh, sure. It’s not the most active thing in the world, but I have a youtube channel over at www.youtube.com/sirmakazi it would be totally awesome if I had a couple more watchers, and would be a good impetus to start uploading more content.

Honestly, I’ve been planning to upload all of my music there, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet – there’s a lot going on at the moment. I also play games like Chivalry, GTA IV, Kerbal Space Program, Skyrim, Warframe, and Minecraft to name a few – I’d definitely love to upload videos for those. Hey, if you subscribe, I’ll bake you some cookies and take a picture of them! I hope to see you there.

Introduce yourself as much as you are willing. You know, name, age, location, belly button type, whether you snore in your sleep.
Ohi there. I’m Merrigan, I voice Alassea and Rosalind in Interesting NPC’s. I am 24 years old, I live in frozen Finland. My belly button is an innie, and I do not snore in my sleep.

Tell everyone a little about yourself, what acting experience you have, and what your goals are if any.
To be honest, the only acting experience I have is taking a few drama classes in elementary school, but I find voice acting extremely fun, especially when voicing a character like Alassea who is so dramatically different from myself.

Music is more of my thing, and even then I’m still very much a beginner. I’d like to one day polish up my playing and singing skills enough to release a CD, but that day is still far away.

How did you find out about the mod project?
I was whining to a friend about how dull and lifeless NPC’s in Skyrim were. It was like the Dragonborn was the only actual person in the world, and everyone around her was a robot. (Eerie thought, I know!) So my friend helpfully mentioned this mod, and so I was hooked.

Would you rather be a marginally good chess player or a world tic-tac-toe champion?
I’d like to be a marginally good chess-player, honestly. It’s such a classy game. I’d wear a bustle skirt and top hat and drink tea while playing chess – marginally well.

Finish the following sentence. If it weren’t for that flying dolphin,  I __________ .
I would’ve gotten away with stealing all these baby pandas.

What is your spirit animal?
The betta fish. Or the rat.

Talk about the music you’ve contributed to the mod, and what your main influences are.
I’ve written a few original songs for Alassea to play, as well as re-arrangements of songs like “Tears of the Hist.” (Love that one, by the way. Huge kudos to the talented composer.)  I do mainly old, acoustic music, inspired by Celtic, medieval and folk tunes. I started singing (very badly) at age 18, and I got my very first instrument, the Celtic pixie-harp, at age 21, and that’s when I started playing as well.

Over the next few years my instrument-collection has grown to include several recorders, two hand-drums, a Kantele, a glockenspiel, an ocarina and several small percussion instruments, like shakers and mouthharps.

The Celtic harp remains my main instrument. As I said earlier, I’ve only been doing this a few years, and I’m entirely self-taught, so the music is still a little clumsy and has a lot of flaws. But I’m learning!

My biggest influence is definitely the American singer/songwriter “Erutan,” who’s also a very good friend of mine. She is the one who encouraged and supported me when I first started, and taught me the basics of mixing and vocal layering. She’s the best, you should totally look her up. Her music is heavenly.

What do you think of your characters, Alassea and Rosalind?
Alassea is a quirky, happy and bouncy mage-bard, who hides the pain of past loss beneath a smile. I find her both very endearing and slightly annoying, but I imagine I’d probably get along with her quite well in real life. She’s very social and seems to have a lot of friends, while I am very introverted and a bit of a recluse. Perhaps she could drag me out of my shell, who knows?

Rosalind is a bit more like me. She has a passion for one certain thing, and takes no bullshit from anyone. However, she’s also quite rude to her poor friend Jorrvid! I bet the two are sleeping together behind the scenes.

You’ve been sentenced to live on a deserted island for the next 12 months, as part of your plea agreement for selling bootleg Doritos. In any case, the judge says you have the choice of bringing one of the following:

1) A handgun with a full clip
2) A lighter plus a bottle of fluid
3) A solar-powered, handheld movie player that plays any movie you want provided Samuel L. Jackson is in it.
4) An instructional rain dance book. What do you take?

I pick number four. Obviously, duh!

If you play Skyrim or fantasy RPGs, what sort of character do you typically role play? What are your favorite games?
I always, always end up playing the sneaky dagger-stab-in-the-dark-thiefy type. Currently I am trying to play a warrior, but end up forgetting my chosen class and end up sneaking around in my silly heavy armour and huge shield.

My favourite games tend to change over time, but my current absolute favourite is Dragon Age: Origins. Other favourite PC games include Bioshock Infinite and Dishonored.  I am also a fan of Final Fantasy X and Shadow of the Colossus for the Playstation 2.

Would you rather have a bazooka for an arm or a crocodile for a foot?
I’d totally have a bazooka for an arm.

Have you played the mod? If so, do you have a favorite character? If not, why are you such a horrible person?
Of course I have, what kind of person do you think I am? How else could I recruit the person I’m voicing and play through the game constantly hearing my own voice? It’s perfect for me and my narcissistic personality disorder.

No, but seriously, it’s great. I really enjoyed speaking with Eldawyn, and also Erevan. (His voice is like honey!) But I play Skyrim so seldom these days, that I probably haven’t even met half of the available NPC’s. I’ll have to get back to you on this one.

Use the phrase “unicorn burger” in a sentence.
Unicorn burgers taste fantastic with rainbow cat puke mayonnaise.

If you play Skyrim and could use one dragon shout in real life, what would it be and why?
I’ll have to pick the Whirlwind Sprint. I’d never be late for the bus again.

What kind of recording equipment and setup do you use? What are some of the difficulties you’ve encountered while recording?
I’ve made my clothes closet into a “studio” by tearing out the shelves and padding the walls with foam to get the best quality in my music-recordings. My microphone is a RODE NT1-A studio mic, and it’s my baby. Always so reliable.

I also use a Lexicon Lambda external soundcard. In the beginning of my recordings, I was too far from the mic, which resulted in an awkward echo in the recording, despite my padded walls. This was solved by staying very close to the mic, though.

You have to sing one karaoke song (and score at least 70 out of 100) to save your life. What do you choose and why?
I think I’d pick “Scarborough Fair,” because it’s a pretty classic, and it has a very simple melody. No wailing. Bigger chance of scoring enough to keep living, y’know.

What sort of roles would you like to do in the future?
I really am not very picky. I’m happy to do any roles that Kris may have for me, but currently I am very much enjoying Alassea. (Recruit her, damnit! She makes jokes!)

Why do people pinch themselves when they might be dreaming? What is there to gain by waking up?
Imagine if you’re dreaming about a huge pile of ice cream that is yours, and only yours – and then you wake up just when you’re about to take a bite. The disappointment will be smaller if you pinch yourself and wake before you get too hopeful!

Plug any other work you’re doing. Where else can people hear your talents?
You can find my awkward music on my Youtube page, as well as my Facebook page.

Send me a nice comment! (Or a horrible one. I never get hate comments. You should probably give me a hate comment.)

It’s a hard thing to find actors that have range, talent, a good mic, and most of all, are reliable. It’s very, very hard to check three of those boxes, let alone four. J.T. Decker, he checks boxes for breakfast. He’s had it up to here with your unchecked little squares. And while this sort of attitude means he takes no prisoners, he does take interview requests. Here he is answering questions and discussing the variety of characters he has put out in a relatively short amount of time.

If you care to listen, he’s slapped a WARNING label on this audio file. Something about having an odd sense of humor. Naturally, that only makes us curious types more likely to click on it. Nevertheless, click at your own peril.

And yes, the impersonation of me is rather spot on.

It’s been a while since I’ve done an actor interview, and there’s really no excuse since we’ve almost topped 100 actors in total. One hundred! And I can’t even be bothered to interview more than a dozen. Let’s rectify that.

Matt Dixon has voiced a variety of roles, big and small. He’s sung and danced, peddled skooma, drank milk, and hunted treasure. He’s swam in the wind, got bitten thrice, and best of all, he turns in his lines on time. And despite the bank being closed on Sundas, he even took out some more – time – to answer a few questions, inane and otherwise.

Matt’s Twitter
Matt’s Youtube Channel

When TESV chose to go with a new Argonian voice type, it seemed to best fit with the Shadowscale motif.  Dark, sinister, and smooth as Tennessee Whiskey.  It’s an awesome voice, but it seemed mismatched with the abundance of vanilla Argonians who were more likely to pour you a drink than spill your blood.  While FedoraAndRapier’s voice embodies all of that cold lizard smoothness, there’s also a bit of compassion in his timbre, and it’s that which made him perfect for everyone’s favorite vampire hunter, Among the Hist.

If only I could clone him and utilize his voice talents again, the mod would be enhanced and wars would cease and children would never go hungry.  Unfortunately, while his busy schedule has prevented this utopia from becoming a reality, he did find time to do this interview, and I thank him.

Introduce yourself. You know, name, location, belly button type, whether you snore in your sleep.
Certainly! My name is Øystein and I’m a 21 years old student and aspiring actor from Norway, and on the internet I often go by the alias “FedoraAndRapier.”

I’m the proud owner of a standard issue navel that thankfully don’t need much emptying. I do not snore when I sleep, but I’ve heard it runs in my family (through two thick walls actually). I also have it from good sources that I talk in my sleep, though they rarely tell me what I’m saying. Must be something I don’t want to hear!

Talk about your acting experience, if any, and what got you into voice acting.
I’ve been practicing drama and theatre for the last five-six years now, but I already showed great interest in acting as a little kid; always wanting to be the center of attention and loving the sound of my own voice. I took drama and theatre classes through high school, did one year of theatre at a folk high school (a Nordic thingy) and I’m now studying drama and theatre at a university. Add to that a vast amount of productions (both amateur and through school) and you get some very busy and grueling moments. By the end of December I’ll be done with my sixth theatre-production this year alone.

Voice acting holds a special place in my heart however. I grew up with a lot of cartoons and Disney movies (dubbed to Norwegian), and I would spend a lot of time remembering the lines and recite them whenever I pleased.

It’s funny, because we grow up with this huge gallery of wonderful and inspiring characters, brought to life by someone whose name and face we rarely bother to take note of. My huge respect for the field is what pushed me to try myself as an amateur voice actor while in high school, doing fandubs and such. It’d be a dream come true to make a living out of this, but it remains to see if it is meant to be (10 points for rhyme).

How did you find the mod? Was Among the Hist your first choice for a role?
I have had fairly little time to voice act these last two years, so when finding this wonderful project on VAA I didn’t intend to audition for anything. I realized however that the opportunity of playing Skyrim while ALSO be listening to the sound of my own voice was too good to miss.

I was actually looking for an Argonian to voice, since they are my favorite race in the game and I love to strain my vocal chords. Seeing as A-T-H was the only male lizard available I pounced for him. I also auditioned for the part of the hedonistic Dravos, but he was unfortunately taken.

Discuss Among the Hist. What you think about him as a character? Do you share any similarities to the character? Any differences?
Among-The-Hist is a solemn, sombre and deeply conflicted character worthy of his own novel. I also find him to be extremely brave, charming, very funny at times and I absolutely dig the hell out of him.

He presented a dual challenge for me; both in getting the right amount of gravel and solemness in my voice to sell the part of a virtuous Argonian, while simultaneously getting into the head of a mind so vastly different from my own. He’s a man on a mission, guided firmly by his religion and principles. To me this was difficult to relate to, but it was rewarding to try and experience and express it.

The doubts he harbors when we meet him were much easier to relate to, and it made him much more human (or Argonian). He is actually willing to question his code and choices who has guided him his entire life, a quality we don’t often find in people as devout as him.

What’s your opinion on vampires?
Not my favorite monster, but I can’t say I dislike them either. Ironically, I’ve starred as a vampire in the Sims 2 machinima “Venin Abyss”. Judging by some fan reactions I seem to have become the Robert Pattinson of Sims machinima, be that for good or worse.

Is it true about jellyfish stings and urinating on them? Would the same trick work for a vampire bite?
A quick google search will reveal that there is little proof of urine actually healing jelly-stings, but who knows. Maybe the thought of someone relieving themselves on you makes the pain tolerable in comparison.

I doubt it’d work on vampire bites though, seeing as jellies sting the surface of the skin while vampires usually punctures the jugular. Peeing into the wound doesn’t seem like the most productive thing to do at the time.

A vampire, a werewolf, and Among the Hist walk into a bar. I don’t have a joke here, but who comes out alive and why?
Among-The-Hist naturally, all thanks to his tactical skills! It’s all about starting a fight between the vamp and the were, leaving ATH free to take out the weary survivor. I’m not sure how ATH would spark a conflict, but I’m sure it entails him dressing up in drag.

Did you follow Ralof or Hadvar? Did you join the Stormcloaks or the Imperials?
I followed Ralof, but only because the Imperials dropped cooler swords. Also they tried to execute me. Still haven’t taken a side yet, but I’m really not liking the “Skyrim for Nords” BS the Stormcloaks are boasting.

If you’ve played the mod, do you have a favorite character outside the ones you’ve voiced, and why? If you haven’t played the mod, why are you such a horrible person?
I only tried the mod recently, so I’m obviously not a great guy ;) I was trekking over to Windhelm with Among-The-Hist following behind me, when I met Morviah Hlaalu just outside the gate. Was really captivated by the strength displayed despite her story of tragedy. Definitely a woman to admire.
I was also charmed up to High Hrothgar by Wander-Lust at the docks. These two were both played by Lila Paws, right? Terrific actress ^^

Haven’t spent enough time with the mod to find a favorite yet, but I’m getting there. :P

What type of character do you typically role play?
I often play the dashing and wise-cracking hero with a heart of gold, but I love rolling characters that are extremely arrogant and cynical, while also being charming and passionate as hell. These guys will save the world just because it conveniently fits into their schedule of snarking and flirting.
I tend to go for melee classes with one handed sword or dual wield so I can get up close and personal.

In fantasy RPGs I love to play dwarves or beast races like argonians, and I try and avoid playing humans at all cost. It’s more fun to see the world through the eyes of a different culture or creature. I doubt I would’ve showed so much distaste for the Stormcloaks if I hadn’t seen my fellow Argonians being treated as second class citizens.

If you could have one dragon shout and use it in the real world, what would it be and why?
Blowing people away with Unrelenting Force sounds fun, but I doubt that “Fus-Ro-Dah“ would make a good argument in court.  Aura whisper sounds much more useful to me as you can never be sure that you’re totally alone. Locating the party in an unfamiliar neighborhood will be much simpler too; just follow the red cluster of light.  Would however be scary to see how many things are actually living in my room with me at night. :S

Do you wear a Fedora in real life? Do you own a Rapier? Or does it mean rapier wit?
I wear fedoras on special occasions and I like to think they suit me. Have a wonderful dark-brown one I inherited from my granddad.  I do not own a rapier, nor do I fence, so let’s go with rapier wit.

You have 2 arrows and diplomatic immunity. In front of you is Nazeem and the guy who works for Belethor, at the general goods store. What do you do?
Ask them to hold my arrows while I think of a clever answer.

What other projects are you working on? Mods, fiction, acting, etc. Where else can people hear your talents?
I’m wrapped up in theatre right now and as such I’m doing very few projects at the moment, so this mod is the best bet for people who wants to hear my voice before Christmas (unless you happen to live in Trondheim). I have a youtube channel that hasn’t been updated in three years that you can check out, though I wouldn’t recommend it. Also there is Venin Abyss which I mentioned earlier.
There are a couple of short films I’m in, but they are in Norwegian. :)

How does a Skyrim bee survive in a jar?
I don’t think it survives as much as it dies very slowly. I don’t see any breathing holes in that jar.

What kind of mic do you use and what difficulties did you run into making your recording environment?
I use two microphones. One is a M3 condenser microphone from Røde Microphones, which I used for this mod. I used Pro Tools to record here. The other is the small Apogee MiC USB microphone, which I use with simpler programs like audacity.  My biggest difficulties involve finding a place to record where people ain’t stomping around. Doesn’t help that I have paperthin walls where I live. When they all finally shut up the hard part’s over.

What sort of character type, mod or elsewhere, would you like to voice/play next?
As an actor you can’t get picky, and I’d accept any role given. In this case however I’d maybe want to voice a character with a different mindset than Among-The-Hist. I love playing comedic and over-emotional roles, but I also have tons of fun voicing villains and monsters. A comedic and over-emotional villain that happens to be a monster, perhaps?