Some advice?

PrincessLyra

Smarter than the average Care Bear
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
621
Don't worry, it's nothing serious! But it is something that has been bugging me for quite some time now and I feel I can't talk to anyone about it. So I was hoping any of you pony peeps would be able to help me, no matter how much.

I apologize in advance for the incoming wall of text. And I still had to simplify things quite a bit... Have mercy on meeeeeeeeeeeeee-ANYWAY!


Background:

I've been doing amateur voice-over work online for a while. Nothing too big, as I don't have my own (decent) mic as of yet, I've been using my brother's. I am planning on setting foot in the world of online VAing, specifically the English-speaking scene, as soon as I get my mic, but for now I have to save money for said mic.

Now, I mentioned the English-speaking scene specifically, because right now I'm active in the Portuguese (that's European Portuguese, not Brazilian) scene. I'm a member of a small organization called AbridgedSeriesTuga, which is basically a group that dubs Abridged Series, like Dragon Ball Z Abridged, into Portuguese. I'm... not sure if people here are familiar with Abridged Series, admittedly, but I'm going to assume they at least know, or have heard of, the aforementioned DBZA or Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series. Still, however, I'm kind of a sixth ranger to the whole thing, in that I'm not actively dubbing a series: instead I play characters on other people's dubs.

One such character is Seras "Police Girl" Victoria from Hellsing Ultimate Abridged, and... Hoo boy.
I got the character after a series of exhausting events. First I got contacted to play her, but since I really, really do NOT like her at all, I needed time to think about it. The guy (who now is a pretty cool near-friend) kept telling me how I was perfect, and how getting girls who didn't just "sound cute" was almost impossible, so I gave into pressure. But then my computer died. So I messaged the guy telling him I couldn't do it, and to find someone else, all the while sighing of relief. When I got my computer back a good month or two later, it turned out he hadn't gotten my message, and he'd been waiting on me the whole time. Feeling like a heel (even though it hadn't been my fault), I caved and said yes.

Fast forward to now, and I have the second episode to dub. Actually had it for a few months already (there's no real deadline on these things), but every time I think I have to do it I just clench my teeth.
And, since I've been researching the English-speaking scene, two things became perfectly clear:
1. The way things are done is completely different. The EN scene works mostly on auditions, meaning you audition for the gigs you yourself want, and the final choice is left up to the director. Meanwhile, the PT scene mostly cherry-picks their actors from a pool the people on the project know. Auditions are virtually unheard of.
2.This is a hobby. One that I still haven't embraced full-on, but still, a hobby. Something meant to be fun, engaging, to cheer you up. But when I think of voicing Seras, I don't see "fun", or any of those things. I see a chore, something I'm only doing because I don't want the guys to be disappointed, or think twice before giving me different gigs. I keep putting off doing this because something that should be fun is just draining my motivation.
But on the other hand, everyone is absolutely ecstatic over the Hellsing Ultimate Abridged, and loves my take on Seras. They keep talking about how well I did it, how my voice suits her like a glove, how I was able to act so perfectly...
To make matters worse, there is a character in this series I would not mind voicing at all, which is Integra. I've thought maybe I could suggest a switch, but... Not sure that would work.

So I wonder: should I quit? I'm obviously not having fun with this, which is the whole point. But on the other hand, I'm sure people would be disappointed... And if I do quit, how do I make it so I don't sound arrogant, or selfish?

tl;dr: I'm stuck voicing a character I hate, have considered quitting but am afraid it won't go over well.


If you're curious, here is the first episode of Hellsing Ultimate Abridged dubbed by us:
Hellsing Ultimate Abridged Portugal - Episódio 1
WARNING: NSFW! (well, it is Hellsing, so...)

And if you're so inclined, you can also check my YouTube channel, where I'll be posting stuff more often when I do get that blasted mic: LyralioRC


Thank you so much for reading through all of this. Any advice will be highly appreciated! :smilepony:
 
omg I LOVE the Abridged series on YouTube! I've seen the Hellsing one lol My fav is the Attack on Titan Abridged. xDD We fire up Youtube on our Playstation 3 and watch the episodes on our flatscreen T.V. :smilepony:

My advice for taking on a task that you don't get personal enjoyment from, but could potentially benefit you, is to focus on the possibility that some very good things could come of it.

If someone hears your skills on something like that, they could ask you do to more, do other jobs, or possibly just have more doors open to you~

You never know what to expect from life or things, but if you put yourself out there, you will be seen/heard. :smilepony:
 
I agree with Lightning, if you originally started working on the project, try to finish it. You want to be known in the industry for your reliability, AND talent.

Stick with it, finish the project and I'm sure something good will come of it.
 
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