#the voice of the blizzard

[mindblizzard]

It's so funny to me that Adeline is a DM's nightmare. She completely decimates her character sheet and rules-lawyers her way into playing with it. she nukes the king of the castle her party is visiting the second he appears. and her brother is the DM, making this whole thing 2000x funnier.

[morhath]

[this meeting should've been an email voice] this rainstorm should've been snow

[they-have-the-same-va]

Blooregard Q. Kazoo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends shares a voice actor with Reaper from Overwatch 1 & 2.

Voiced by Keith Ferguson

[yore-donatsu]

Between two commissions, sketches on Ramattra and Sigma ! 💜 (2 years I did'nt draw this last one... Outch 😟 )

[whatzaoverwatch]

His greatest ability will be to finally reveal all the LGBT characters in the roster

[bluedilute]

So, the Venture community has been going crazy since the season 12 trailer, and pretty rightfully so. I've been very vocal about how upset I've been with all of this, but I'm trying to still remain positive (which is pretty hard to do in general because of all the negativity in the world) and I want what's best for everyone

With that, I wanted to talk about why I think Venture is gonna be okay and will be getting a lot more content than they have now in the future.

I have a LOT of thoughts about the topic (this post has like 20 paragraphs), so if you have the patience, please read below the cut!

Starting with the most important point,

Advocacy

There has been a lot of talk about Ventures' lack of content as of recent, especially on Twitter. We're all very loud about our love for Venture. We literally put them on a billboard in times square– twice– to show how much we love them.

All this talk and everyone asking for more content for Venture got to the point where Aaron Keller himself made a post addressing the buzz, saying they have a "really exciting skin" for season 14.

Obviously that's pretty far away, and everyone is really upset about having to wait that long for one skin, but it's at least something, and it's better than not knowing when they're getting their next skin.

As well as that, it takes about 4-6 months to make a skin, so at least they're getting to it fast(ish)

Advocating for our respective hero(es) can go a long way, and that's been shown recently. If we keep at it and be loud, we can get more of what we deserve.

It's of course unfair that they're only getting a skin then, and they should have had some already made. But there's an explanation for this,

Ventures' release & layoffs

Venture was created/released during the time when the layoffs were effecting the team the most, and they're currently still recovering from it. The team doesn't have the final say on what goes into the game, and the higher ups have made increasingly more cash-grab decisions since their release.

I also think the decision to have them release with barely anything was because they were deemed as 'controversial', being trans and non-binary, and they had to focus on heroes they knew would make more money. Despite that, I don't think it is directly rooted in transphobia within blizzard. If it was, and word got out, i'm sure they would be fired fast (blizzard has had to fire a lot of awful people through the years).

Overall, Venture got very unlucky with their release, and therefore got nothing when s10 went live. As of now, things seem to be getting better, and the team is trying their best to make better things for everyone, which brings me to my next point:

Other neglected heroes

It's no question that a lot of heroes have been swept aside as of recent, namely Illari, Ramattra, Lifeweaver, and Baptiste. Kiriko has also gotten a lot of skins, and everyone is sick of it.

But, in the last two seasons, these heroes have gotten more content. Such as Weaver getting a lifeguard skin, Illari and Ramattra getting new skins in the transformers collab, and the s12 battle pass with Illaris' thoth skin, Ramattras Poseidon recolor (it's at least something) and Baptiste getting a mummy skin in the battle pass. (I want to note that Bap getting a mummy skin doesn't mean Venture can't get one too!)

All of these heroes, and I think a couple more (Lúcio being one) getting more content leads me to believe that Venture will also be getting more stuff in the future. But about what's out now:

All-time cosmetics

This is where I get into stuff that might be a bit of a stretch. There isn't too much to say here either, but just hear me out for a second.

Firstly, Venture has gotten new interactions all 3 seasons they've been in the game, even in s12, while Valeria Rodriguez (their voice actor) has been on strike, which he is very vocal about participating in. They've also gotten a voice line in the battle bass every season, and this season they have 2 new sprays to come out soon (I think it's 2, might just be 1)

Second, the rework for their default victory pose. It's a small change, but actually looks a lot better than the old pose. Their stance looks more relaxed, yet confident. The old one just looks stiff and awkward. It looks like more care was put into the new pose, plus I don’t think they rework victory poses that often, especially the defaults.

As mentioned, they were developed when the layoffs happened, so they were probably rushed out a bit too. Hence the stiff pose.

They're not fully being forgotten about, and they get at least a little more stuff every season since their debut. With that I expect the number to go up more every time.

Junos' cinematic

Now I know it's really frustrating that Juno got a cinematic while Venture hasn't even gotten a real origin story, but I think this is actually a good thing!

There hasn't been a proper cinematic for overwatch in a while from what I know, and one being made could be a light in a dark tunnel. This is the game breathing again, and it could mean a brighter future for Venture, and other new/neglected heroes.

Conclusion

Overall, Venture has had a rough start with their debut, and with a lack of content for them, it makes people feel like they were just made for LGBTQ brownie points to be swept under the rug for the next Kiriko skin (which is unfortunately probably true in some way). But their fans and mains are very vocal, and with people who main other heroes, even 'popular' ones, speaking out about how unfair it is to us, it seems to be serving us well.

I implore you to keep your voices heard, and advocate for a better game, and better treatment of your heroes. And we can help (at least start) to make overwatch a better game

As a treat, here's some Venture pics I've gathered the last few months

Bonus section if you wanna read it

If not, have a great day or night!

Final thoughts

I genuinely wish I didn't care about this game as much as I do, I feel like a sweaty looser defending it all for one character.

I've seen games, great games, time and time again become cash-grabs and drags as the people who make them become blinded by stardom. This happened with FNAF, fall guys, Hello neighbor (that game has always sucked, but the stardom blindness is there) and so many others. Weirdly enough I've had dreams about games completely changing, all in one patch. Seeing it happen in real time is disheartening.

Overwatch is a pretty special game. It has great lore, amazing art direction, and one of the most diverse casts I've ever seen, especially for a AAA game.

I only kinda played after being recommended the game by a friend, and i never really clicked with any of the characters I tried (I just stuck with Cassidy cause he's a cowboy and I thought it was funny)

Venture is the first character I played and immediately clicked with, and they're incredibly relatable to me on top of that. They're a huge nerd who's extremely passionate about their craft, they're goofy and optimistic, and being trans myself, learning they were trans too made me feel seen.

Them being treated like this while also being the only trans hero feels really disrespectful, and blizzard shouldn't get away with that. As of now, I'm glad we're all very vocal about it not being fair to any of us.

I'm an aspiring game designer, and I have a dream to make my own game one day. This whole situation has inspired me to get my shit together so I can go to college and get my game design degree. I hope to be able to save games like this, and give them a better chance. It's a big dream, but I believe I can do it with help from the right people

I genuinely want what's best for the world of overwatch, and especially all the characters who've been neglected over the years. There are always gonna be people who are fans of every hero they make for the game, and if they keep making more, they should know at this point to make content for that character. Playing favorites does nothing but harm the game, and most often makes the mains of the favored heroes arrogant and self-important (at least in my experience, specifically with kiriko mains)

Anyways, with all my thoughts out there for the internet to see, thank you for reading this really long rant! It took me a long time to write this, lol. I'm very passionate about game design, and Venture has definitely fueled that fire. Have a great day or night!

[hoghazi]

THIS VOICE LINE-- OMFG I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. JUST MAKE THEM CANNON ALREADY 😭

[shinigami-striker]

John DiMaggio | Wednesday, 09.04.24

Same voice actor - featuring John DiMaggio. Happy birthday! 🎂

1999

Bender - Futurama (TV series, movies, and video games; 1999-present)

2010

Jake the Dog - Adventure Time (TV series and video games; 2010-present)

Bobo Haha - Generator Rex (TV series and Generator Rex: Agent of Providence)

2017

Uka Uka - Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (video game; also voices Tiny Tiger)

2019

Marcus Fenix - Gears 5 (video game)

[odessastone]

I love that there’s no reason for Lifeweaver to be as jacked as he is. In lore he’s a weird genius and a delicate hippie who spends his time petting deer and planting flowers. In-game he has less HP than Reaper and Mei while having a MUCH larger hitbox. His gigantic hitbox is in fact the biggest non-tank human’s in the game. It actively makes him a worse pick.

There was legitimately NO reason to build this man like a damn linebacker. I respect the dedication Overwatch has to making ridiculously huge people 🫡

[nitewrighter]

For all the criticisms I have for Juno I do love how she brings out the Auntie energy in Mei's voice-lines with her.

me watching Blizzard fire its entire writing department and then throw a generic cute girl martian into the game whose primary personality points are "Cute" and "Asian."

[renaultmograine]

Damn we were robbed of a shadow priest reskin of Anduin...

[mindblizzard]

It's hilarious to me that in the Secret Woods bear cutscene, the farmer is visibly disturbed by the bear being so close.

Like. This person has fought their way through strange, forested caverns, freezing tunnels, and what is probably the closest thing to hell on earth you can get in Stardew valley, all filled with terrifying uncanny monsters that were the stuff of legends, and was completely unfazed. They chitchat with a dwarf and make deals with a... demon??? Fear is an unknown thing to this fucker.

except with grizzlies apparently

[crow-posting]

STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE STRIKE!!!

[repost from Erika Ishii, aka Ana Bray's VA 💪]

(why I'm supporting this even tho Bungie isn't affected ‼️)

[they-have-the-same-va]

Venture from Overwatch 2 shares a voice actress with Sucrose from Genshin Impact.

Voiced by Valeria Rodriguez

[tildeathiwillwrite]

Tag Game: Character Voice

I've been tagged by @spitefulbull!

I'll use my own unnamed WIP with the naive hope that it will help me come up with a title. Or more scene ideas at least :)

My line: "You're lying to me."

Rowan: Bullshit! Victoria: I thought we agreed to be honest with each other. Ollie: Please don't lie. Sam: Sorry, I don't deal with liars. Blizzard: Darling, dishonesty won't get you anywhere. Whisper: How... bold of you.

No pressure tagging @faytelumos @whiteperle3 @fourwingedwriter @gamerkats @chronicallydragons and open tag!

Your line: "Listen to me!"

[nzoth-the-corruptor]

Enchanted by how Iridikron, the Incarnate going forward with the plot to star in future expansions, is also the only Incarnate we still don't know the voice actor of.

Matt Mercer voiced Fyrakk, Leslie Wadsworth voiced Raszageth (as per IMDB and her LinkedIn), and Rhona Mitra voices Vyranoth (as per a twitter post from Terran Gregory). Iridikron? It's a mystery™