Genshin Impact - Capitano Waiting Room

[Tomiko]

More VA drama going on.

Teal deer: Kinich's VA stopped doing lines because of the AI stuff. New guy (non-union) fills the role, now [some] other VAs are mad at him for taking the role.

Corina (Paimon) being the biggest hypocrite admitting she is scabbing, but is doing so because she "needs the money due to being disabled."

This is also how I learned Kayli Mills (Keqing) previously supported a an abuser (Chris Niosi, Moze from HSR).

Someone also made a comment about there being more to the contract than just the AI stuff:

No, not USA-centered clause, it's worse.

If they sign, they can only use workers from that particular union, so they'd have to fire all VAs that are not from that union, which would include anyone that is not from the USA since they can't even join to begin with, and those from the USA that are not part of the union.

Also, that union asks for a lot of money to join and to remain there, on top of following their rules, and they're elitist about who joins and even made a message some time back (that got deleted) calling non-union VAs as "lower quality".

I support the whole thing against AI, but this particular union is a mafia trying to monopolize the business and they're being disgusting pricks.

Not sure how much truth there is to that, but I can see why Hoyo would be against it if it was.

Think that covers most of it... for now.

Edit: Good writeup of the SAG-FTRA situation

[Obsidian]

This isn't even scabbing, IMO. Hoyo is not a union studio, ZZZ/HSR/GI are not union projects. No one working on those games is scabbing. Hoyo isn't even being specifically struck against.

I think I made this comment in the HSR or ZZZ thread, but the non-union VAs refusing to work "in solidarity" with the union are actively striking against their own best interests. Solider-11's VA said she was disappointed they recast her, but she didn't even understand all the implications of ZZZ signing the interim agreement. As a non-union worker, she would have lost her job if they did sign it. Even a lot of the union VAs don't really understand what they're talking about, and they don't understand that the union is actually kind of fucking them with the Interim Agreement which itself is undermining their strike position with regards to AI work. It allows studios that sign it to train AI on their voices so long as they're being made aware of it happening.

In a perfect world we'd have all the original VAs voicing all the characters and no more totally silent events like we had this last patch, but with all the misinformation and incomplete information flying around because SAG-AFTRA is being so bizarrely secretive and obtuse about the conditions of the strike and the interim agreement, I'm at the point where I just want the game voiced, because these silent patches are really killing the vibe and the people striking routinely prove themselves to be pretty unlikeable.

[Tomiko]

I change my voice over language when I'm doing story stuff. The silence is very awkward otherwise.

Candace's VA (Shara Kirby) had a meltdown on Twitter this morning and rage quit, burning bridges along the way. Absolutely worth checking out the screenshots. A lot of people have been pointing out that the US isn't the only place that speaks English. lol

https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Imp...n_on_hoyo_and/

[Obsidian]

Hoyo could have also recast almost all these people immediately when they started refusing work if they wanted to, so I just don't understand why some of them act like it's Hoyo trying to fuck them. They've bent over backwards to not step on toes. They don't even use AI (for voice work at least. I'm positive some of the dialogue is written and translated by AI).

An American VA for a Chinese game flaming out over the Chinese developer using international talent sure is American of her though.

[Kachiko]

Because it's not about working for HOYO but about VA opportunities in the future as they are betting the guild will eventually win the strike. This is how the union keeps their power; they get their peons to do their dirty work by trying to whip and intimidate people into line for said guild; doesn't matter if the guild is right or not but about the power of said guild and being afraid to stand up to it, so they do this shit instead. As if most people truly gives a damn about most English video game VAs and the couple of works most might get. Even big time English VAs do a shit ton of work on different projects because it pays so little comparatively to actual acting. If you want to work in that industry and actually make some sort of livable wage, you got to play their game; personally, I don't have a lot of respect for it but it's the game they want to play to do what they like/love and some people are willing to do whatever it takes to keep doing it. I don't see it going away either as there are far too many people that want to do this type of work than work available so any advantage most people will take.

This is why, at least with anime and games, I much prefer the JP voices as this kind of nonsense almost never happens plus the quality is just arguably better, as a personal opinion.

[Obsidian]

I've always preferred English dubs where available except in rare circumstances where the dubbing quality is actually terrible. I just like being able to understand what's being said.

I totally understand wanting protections from AI bullshit, and I don't begrudge the idea of striking to get it. But almost every single time any of these VAs have spoken about the strike and their non-union coworkers, they just make themselves look like such assholes. A union is not supposed to be about tearing other people down. All this cryptic bullshit from the union and the passive (sometimes not so passive) aggressiveness its members show toward people who aren't even doing anything wrong by law just makes them tremendously hard to support.

You need public support for a strike like this and you're not going to get it by being assholes to people just trying to make a living.

[Obsidian]

Unrelated to all that, I had 80 Acquainted Fates stored up, so I thought I'd try and burn them in the hopes of getting lucky and getting my last Chevy con. Ended up getting back to back Monas 20 pulls apart. So it's been over 3 years between Mona copies for me lol, she was stuck at C1 forever. No C6 Chevy though. Escoffier looks pretty busted though so as tempting as it is to try I feel like I should just wait because I'm at like 68 pity on Varesa's banner now.

[Kachiko]

How did you get two back-back non-banner 5*s?

[Obsidian]

Acquainted fates are the blue ones you use on the standard banner. I'd just been saving them for quite a while and decided to burn them now that Mizuki is in the standard pool.

[Yuri-G]

Because it's not about working for HOYO but about VA opportunities in the future as they are betting the guild will eventually win the strike. This is how the union keeps their power; they get their peons to do their dirty work by trying to whip and intimidate people into line for said guild; doesn't matter if the guild is right or not but about the power of said guild and being afraid to stand up to it, so they do this shit instead. As if most people truly gives a damn about most English video game VAs and the couple of works most might get. Even big time English VAs do a shit ton of work on different projects because it pays so little comparatively to actual acting. If you want to work in that industry and actually make some sort of livable wage, you got to play their game; personally, I don't have a lot of respect for it but it's the game they want to play to do what they like/love and some people are willing to do whatever it takes to keep doing it. I don't see it going away either as there are far too many people that want to do this type of work than work available so any advantage most people will take.

This is why, at least with anime and games, I much prefer the JP voices as this kind of nonsense almost never happens plus the quality is just arguably better, as a personal opinion.

japanese people just care so much more about VA. it's an actual industry to them, like how we treat actors here. the only voice I miss in JP is Paimon because the English Paimon voice is absolutely iconic

[Tomiko]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Imp..._didnt_signed/

Someone found the agreement that Hoyo isn't signing.

Tldr, SAG wants to obtain Eng Dub exclusivity from game companies outside of the US. It will barr other game companies like hoyo from hiring Non-SAG Union Members and Non-Union members (WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE US) for their current and future work. If they don't sign, they continue on strike, citing "no ai protection" as a reason.

[Obsidian]

Yeah that just makes the non-union VAs that are striking look even dumber.

[Kachiko]

Well, first time in...maybe ever, I regret pulling on a banner. 15k Crystals and zero Iasan, but a fuck ton of dragon dance moron and like c12 Chev. Fuck me cause that kinda makers Verasa useless to me.

*edit*

Meh, went down to 5k crystals and picked up a surprise Mizuki and finally one Iasan. GD that was horrible.

[Yuri-G]

I feel for you my friend, but you know the rules of gacha: never, ever pull for a 4*. Same thing happened to me with Ororon

[Obsidian]

I'm still so tempted to keep trying for my last Chevy constellation but Escoffier looks busted for Cryo teams and I'm at 69 (nice) pity right now with not many primos to spare haha.

[Kachiko]

I could get her too if I wanted, given I'm already half way to spark. For kicks and grins, I did a 10 pull on the standard banner as I had 14 pulls and got Skyward Atlas and Lost Prayer in that 10 pull. The gacha giveth, and the gatcha taketh away.

I don't think I'll get Escoffier, since cryo is just in a bad position, but we'll see how things go.

[Obsidian]

Lost Prayer on Varesa is very funny for exploring though. She motors. Slap Chiori, Dehya, or Rosaria on her team to go even faster.

[The Stig]

Wow, I heard of some union/strike thing but I didn't imagine it to have as big of an impact as it did in GI.
For nearly 2? weeks there's so much coming out of the EN voice actors for the game.

[Tomiko]

Wow, I heard of some union/strike thing but I didn't imagine it to have as big of an impact as it did in GI.
For nearly 2? weeks there's so much coming out of the EN voice actors for the game.

Corina (Paimon) can't seem to shut the fuck up. People already disliked her, but now many people want her gone (including me) after everything she's been saying.

Her latest rant - Warning, it's quite infuriating. And not just her voice. lol

On the other side of things, we have Erika (Venti) releasing part of a song she did, which has great timing. This one is worth watching and is catchy.

[Obsidian]

I don't remember, was Venti unvoiced in the most recent Monstadt event? I think he was.

Edit: Pretty sure Erika is a SAG member so he was definitely unvoiced. It would be unfortunate if they recast Venti because she seems like a pretty nice person and also not a fucking idiot.