Meet the Actor – Viridiane

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!