The Process

Characterization: The Head of the Household

The commander, the zealot, the uncompromising warden who has little patience for hesitation, juvenility, and softness. If there is a wrong that needs to be corrected, it should be addressed with full confidence. Games with narrative decision-making will often feel more like academic quizzes rather than true player expression; the game rewards you with the “full-story” and punishes you with incomplete, sudden, or unsatisfying endings of its plots. For Disco Elysium, it taps into the principles of CRPGS where there is no such thing as a “right-or-wrong” answer, but rather an exploration of spectacular dilemmas that we may not see in everyday situations.

Ironically, Authority is the embodiment of those expressive boundaries, always whipping you into shape and chirping into your ear about what “should be done.” From first impressions, Authority was a voice I outright disregarded because of how much it reminded me of how “wrong” I was in game. Always scolding me for the simplest of disagreements. For me, I’m a peacekeeper; always wanting to preserve some form of harmony amongst discordance. This would also mean that I put my beliefs and principles on the backburner during times where I wanted to preserve group peace at the cost of my own. Two years after playing Disco, I’m beginning to realize how much I truly need to establish my own dignity in the face of tension. To determine those boundaries as to what I am willing to tolerate and what needs to be corrected to protect that harmony. Authority may have a stick up his ass, but for good reason, as in-game, he wants the MC to be on the straight-and-narrow. To stop asking questions and start taking action into his own hands, and there’s something very honorable in a value such as that.

Sound Design: Filled with Power

Authority needs to fill a room with his gravitas. To command with boisterousness and relentlessness; to never yield to the weakness of others. One thing I’m currently trying to learn through “Voices in my Head” are the limits of my energy and creativity. It is very different experience acting behind a mic compared to stage just because of how much work you need to create such engaging characters. A lot of my inspiration for Authority came from Charles Dance, most famous for his portrayal of Tywin Lannister from “Game of Thrones.” However, where Charles Dance can simply command the camera with his stature and stoicism, the same is difficult to portray behind a mic. At this point, my voice is not of that caliber; that gritty, low-end smoothness from Tywin’s candor. My voice is more so-suited for tech commercials, children shows, and shonen protagonists; its bright, poppy, and dynamic. So… I might as well play into those features. To take the risk and make him this grand and imposing British tyrant.

His voice should feel more like a “towering wall” rather than an “iron fist;” he’s indomitable and demanding, and those traits are more accessible to channel. But there’s an interesting component of respect that Authority has; they’re not necessarily a drill sergeant but rather a king whose training an heir to take his place. That dynamic makes way for interesting opportunities where Authority moderates his tone and eases the pressure. My favorite moment has to be when he is amazed at the MC’s humility, and while it may sound cartoonish, it is those angles that make Disco Elysium’s skills so fascinating to portray. A spectrum of attributes that we don’t consciously consider, and yet, they are all necessary in leading that ideal life.

Conclusion: Getting Back into Shape

Spring-break is coming up soon, and work has been taking its fair toll on me. I figured it would be an opportune time to reflect and reassess how the second half of spring will play out. It is getting to that point where I should go back into coaching for a little bit. I have been wanting to make voice-acting into a full-time gig, but there’s a whole slew of things and skills that I need to acquire. I won’t lie, procrastination is my biggest enemy because I strive to continually polish and improve the quality of my work. Then again, that’s how perfection can often paralyze me and kill that momentum. By writing these entries, it gives me the hope that if someone manages to find this, then I managed to catch your interest.

And truly, thank you for considering my insight.

March 5th 2025