I don’t need TRP trends to be cool when I’m already the coolest cat on the server.
While voice refs are a new TRP feature, it was added because people were and have been using voice refs in their TRPs and MRPs for years and years now. I knew people using voice claims for their OCs as far back as WoD, and it’s just become more common since then.
It’s true people can and will make up their own mental voice if they want, but at the same time even then a voice claim or ref can act as a guideline as to their speech patterns and tone. This character’s reference, for example, is Captain Amelia, voiced by Emma Thompson, from the film Treasure Planet. Thus, even if someone has a different mental voice, this still informs them that her voice is: Authoritative, English-accented, vaguely aristocratic, and somewhat on the lower spectrum. Does this stop them from assigning a high and chirpy mental voice to her? No, but it helps reduce that chance.
Voice acting can and does have a pretty big impact on what people ‘hear’ when reading, honestly. Ask anyone who watched the DC Animated Universe whose voice they hear when reading Batman comics, for example.
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Once again, speaking from experience, it does -not- matter if you put a voice reference in there. People ARE going to come up with their own mental reference regardless. This is why a good editor tells a writer not to dwell too much on description and accent. Readers are going to make up their own anyway.
Instead of using some actual person, why don’t you just did what you do here and -describe- their voice in their profile? It still won’t matter (I promise: it doesn’t matter), but it’s better than trying to “claim” something that’s not yours to begin with (someone’s voice/an actor).
It also means absolutely -nothing- if someone doesn’t know who these references are, and I’m willing to bet (actually, I don’t have to bet, there’s people in this thread who mentioned it) I’m not the only one who doesn’t know and doesn’t care.
It’s your TRP3 to do what you want with, but it’s not actually that effective to push for voice references. At the end of the day, only you care about that. No one else really does. Unless it’s someone else who wants to argue that they “claimed” that actor/voice first.
Then I’m getting popcorn.
I beg to differ. If I’m RPing with people, especially if it’s on more than one occasion, or it’s for a prolonged period of time, and they have a voice reference, then that’s how I’ll “hear” them when their character speaks, and I’ll look it up if I’m unfamiliar with the reference. Some that tend to be more distinct than others make it nigh impossible to not hear, like that one guy whose voice claim was The Ancestor from Darkest Dungeon.
If I’m the only one who does that then I’m super flattered this feature was implemented just for me!
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That’s great news for you but you definitely are the exception here.
I’m going to start putting down voice references for celebrities that don’t exist.
Voice Reference: Shmenk Derglison.
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Have a cookie, that fake name made me chuckle.
But yeah, this is a fun idea. I mean, I get it, people get REALLY REALLY into their characters, but I think people also don’t quite realize they’re the only ones REALLY REALLY into their characters. It’s a lesson I learned early when my publisher’s editor ripped my first manuscript to shreds 
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the voice references i usually put are for people who arent very well known.
i have had people ask who they are, so thats nice.
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voice claims have always been weird for me at least. maybe im just the weird one but I do not care in the slightest how someone perceives how my character sounds, a big part of RP is theatre of the mind anyways.
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As someone who plays a Gnome? It’s difficult to find some! So I just use what we have in game!
Does he sound like the typical gnomish vendor? Yes, yes he does.
I love browsing and complimenting TRP Profiles, but I have to admit I rarely ever look up the voice claims. And if I know them, I’m just like: “Oh hey, that’s cool!”
It rarely changes how I feel about a person’s writing.
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By the way if anyone’s thinking of voice claiming legendary German film actor Christoph Waltz, BACK OFF, HE’S MINE (for this character)
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He’s Austrian. Therefore he’s now mine.
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EH?
(Need ten characters, err)
The voice claim I use for my Dracthyr comes from a musical I absolutely adore, Patrick Page is the actor behind Hades and the way his voice rolls and growls I thought was perfect.
Given that it’s from a musical, one that started off Broadway at that, I’m fully aware that “Patrick Page (Hades) - Hadestown” is gonna mean absolutely nothing to most people. But for those who know, it’s a treat!
So you’re fine with the fact I’d and many others will just come up with our own mental voice for your character? Because that’s what’s gonna happen.
Out of curiosity, does anyone know the voice actor for the Lightspawn that appears in Exiles Reach for starting characters? The same voice used for the same npc in the Conclave.
I’ve looked on wowpedia, wowwiki, warcraft wiki, wowhead and no luck. Not even listed in the credits.
I used him/her/it as a reference for my voice actor character because it fits with the undead/maw reference (short of stealing the voice actor for Zovaal) but i can’t find any details.
This OP could be a viable source for Voice Actor References.
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Just take him back. Being Austrian has never stopped Germany before 
I fully expect that’s what’s going to happen, I can describe their voice as much as I like in emotes (as in actual description not a name) and people will still hear what they want to, it’s not worth getting bent out of shape
Voice claim: Patrick Stewart get a ton of compliments on that one.