Xeno Reacts to Wuk Lamat Drama FFXIV

[@FARSHOOTER3]

Xeno: "I dont listen to music for the lyrics" Also Xeno: "I'LL BE YOUR QUEEN BEE HONEY B. LOVELY, ILL BE YOUR ONE AND ONLY CHAMPION"

[@Somefrickface]

M2Stockholm Syndrome 😂

[@CursedBayle]

It's stockholm syndrome when you start hearing Cham-Bee-ion

[@a.e.richardson218]

@@CursedBayle I already hear it

[@Sammysnows]

WHY DO YOU EVEN BRING THAT UP, that music has been stuck on my head for month now

[@TacoRemixx]

Great stanning my liege!

[@StartouchArts]

The fact they used this Disney-ass song for a montage to turn a train into a SUICIDE BOMB is so damn funny; even moreso when you realize it was a cheap effort to harken back to the fantastic giant Talos section of Shadowbringers while also completely forgetting what made that part so awesome.

[@mrbubbles6468]

@@StartouchArts almost like the entire expansion was meant to be silly or something…

[@Sephylis-tl4ll]

Dawntrail feels like a mockery of Shadowbringers.

[@garytsang5673]

@@mrbubbles6468 This expansion is not bad. OK this expansion is bad but meant be be silly. OK this expansion is serious but it is bad is by accident. OK this expansion is intentionally bad and you deserve this.

[@Tecolote41]

@@garytsang5673 That's about right.

[@_deepcalm_]

Anyone who said that song was supposed to be black gospel music ain’t never listened to black gospel music 😂 sounds like a middle school chorus recital

[@Rashimotosan]

A non-brown/black middle school chorus recital at that 😂

[@rustyjones7908]

It's because she's trying to shame people for not liking something she likes.

[@CalestoBella]

It sounds like it was supposed to be the big musical number that the entire cast is part of in a musical, but they can't do that cause the VAs for the main cast can't all sing... and it just fell flat.

[@kriswilson089]

That or "We Are the World" with a bunch of D-listers.

[@IEgOImkAwx]

Precisely. What the fuck is that VA smoking?

[@hirokjyotideka5571]

If that's Gospel, then I'm Hans Zimmer.

[@nodot17]

BWOOOM!

[@lv.99mastermind45]

I grew up in a black pentecostal church. This sounds nothing like that.

[@NoXiiZz]

I was gonna say that’s not gospel

[@benfawefwaeffwaefawfdekk2080]

Its definitely trying to be gospel, I don't know if it succeeds lol. They probably should have gotten someone more experienced in the genre, you dont just diversify into gospel for a one off and expect it to go well.

[@TheJSullivan]

The singer is just bad

[@SableWind]

It sounds like a bad Disney song

[@TheBlaksamuraiX]

I agree. It's giving more "praise band" than gospel.

[@Captnspork]

I'm black and that ain't "black gospel." This person is hate baiting.

[@hobogoat2]

my first reaction was broadway curtain call tbh *but make it worse*

[@sekabeez]

@@hobogoat2 Yeah I was thinking like school choir concert feel

[@DragonKnightX12]

​@@hobogoat2 My first reaction was like are we in a Disney game now? Lol

[@Josith13]

Average twatter grifter, "thing isn't bad thing, you're just racist about the thing" ad infinitum. Not sure why SE puts up with that shit, must be more woke-cucked. Take a leaf from Mihoyo's book tbh lol

[@viktorgabriel2554]

i like Gospel and i agree whit your statement

[@hawgacrux]

Dark Knight has fallen so much it has become an insult now.

[@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668]

We fall is at least still signifigantly better than this shitass song

[@TicheE13]

sadge

[@christiangilchrist2208]

im not a fan of the teleport, i want my berserker armor flip back

[@Lyn685]

The very moment XIV gets NA VAs again, shit like this happens. Embarassing.

[@adrammelechthewroth6511]

NA is a breeding ground for wokes fanatics.

[@Gayalien-rt3sd]

That's because EN VA's are classically trained, and as such get pr training at drama school. They are quite literally qualified in a way NA VA's 99 percent of the time aren't.

[@carbxncle]

Ironic huh? And some people are still gonna say NA VAs are superior to British ones 😂

[@LemonCreature]

I'd prefer NA VAs be avoided like the plague. After all of the garbage done by companies like Funimation (just name dropping them because they're the biggest stinker to me in the industry) and the awful delivery (whether it be bad directing or not) from VAs who often have loud overly political mouths on Twitter, I'd prefer they just not be allowed near anything overseas and stay in their little bubble. Maybe it's not fair of me to put them all in one box, but it just consistently seems to be a problem to me when they let people with an agenda who don't shut up through the door. I'd prefer we just stick with the studio that's provided us with voicework since Heavensward dropped and not go back to A Realm Reborn levels of flat delivery (altho in ARR's defense, it was a rushed project trying to save a dying game). Perhaps it's unfair of me, but I just don't like listening to NA dubs very much anymore because it never feels like they're taking things seriously enough or putting the work in with some lines, especially if it requires yelling/straining their voice (thinking of Gundam Thunderbolt a bit where I'm not sold on the authenticity of some screams). I don't wanna hear hush-yelling or whatever the term is when people fake a yell or something, it really undermines moments within a story to me when the character is saying or doing something that doesn't sound as if they believe they are in the moment ("Sphene, listen to meeeeee" is a popular example for many.) The point of this paragraph is to basically say, Sena is not doing any favours for shifting my viewpoint on this, if anything she's just making me feel even more firm in my opinions on NA VAs and Agencies. I imagine there are problems in other parts of the world, for sure, but the NA crowd always seems the loudest and therefore it sits more firmly in my head. Normally I wouldn't be so hard on bad deliveries or whatever, but as I said earlier, after all of the weird political nonsense from a lot of NA agencies/VAs in particular the past decade or whatever, and the ENG Dub I do like from HW onward potentially being in danger with the story shifting away from Eorzea, I'm not too keen on letting this slide. One more time, please Squeenix, please just stick with that's worked since HW and FFXVI. 😺💦 Okay ranting over, pardon as always my large essay of a comment lol. One day I will learn to be more concise... one day. I'll vanish back into not saying anything now.

[@solidsnake434]

Kind of a nitpick here but I would like to distinguish Mexican VAs since Mexico is also NA and the fact that they fucking rock at dubbing cartoons anime and games and have done so for decades. Yes Spanish not the same, but I wanted to make a point because like I said they fucking slap at their jobs.

[@severren1095]

Smile plays at the part we are setting up the train to ram a building(Vanguard dungeon). We are setting up a Bomb to Smash into a building And Smile plays... Not a good placement

[@chelsthegameruiner8669]

Yeah, I remember that and going "how the fuck is this a bonding moment? We're about to assault an enemy's fortress." It's like if they decided to put a cheerful song in the opening of Saving Private Ryan, where they're about to assault Omaha Beach

[@Shatterstar]

Somebody set it to the part in Oppenheimer where they were testing the bomb and it REALLY just drove home how it doesn't fit.

[@coolyeh1017]

It also plays during the coronation ceremony but most people don't think Simile was out of place then. It was only the two other instances people remember it didn't fit.

[@ArchieGamez]

But building a bomb with the power of FAMILY AND FRIENDSHIP is PEAK

[@daethalion1725]

@@Shatterstar Do you have a link?

[@Kiddy7180]

I think it's sad that this is the same vocalist for Scream, cause apparently it is. And that song goes hard, at least for a pretty good majority.

[@Soress9]

I just take it as a bad Soken song. I mean with all the wins he hits for bangers, eventually he'll have to make a bad one from time to time. Also others do seem to enjoy Smile, so I figure it was just not for me. Sena calling us racists for not liking the song isn't going to help shit though.

[@melissas4874]

@@Soress9 There is an interview he did in the EU where he explains that he was asked by YoshiP to make more "postive" or happy music for this expansion. YoshiP approved this and liked it. It's what he wanted. Maybe he should have just let Soken do his thing. I think this song is mean to be inspirational, but I think Flow is far more inspirational than this.

[@kajoushinji5778]

If my grandma aint jumpin out of a wheelchair doin backflips down the aisle, it aint gospel music

[@Deminese2]

@@melissas4874 Well yeah the entire point of the song is like Wooo dawn of new happy golden era thing but its just mega cheesy and shouldn't have ever been used outside of the ending.

[@Ranranranchwan]

My god can we just got back to england theater VAs, why are these american internet VAs so unprofessional.

[@BigChilla420]

Its very offensive and racist to hire Shakespearean theatre trained actors to play any character who isn't explicitly the exact same nationality or ethnicity as the actor you should know this by now.

[@lowvislewis9080]

@@BigChilla420wait so the va for wuk is actually a thic cat woman

[@moonum4567]

​@@BigChilla420 First off, pot calling the kettle black moment here. Secondly, they are actors. No it is not racist or any kind of ist to be playing a role if they do a good job at it. This mentality is why Hollywood and Disney are bleeding profits...minus the huge hypocrisy of this philosophy too!

[@caffeinegoblin9369]

​@@lowvislewis9080 we didn't want you to find out this way....

[@mikehuntburns9753]

@@lowvislewis9080Nah, just some cross dressing dude.

[@metallicolor]

“Forced” is the word I keep feeling when this song came up, wether it’s acoustically or contextually.

[@TheGreatMu]

I'm black and I don't even like real black gospel music. Does that make me racist? Can somebody please ask that white woman for me? I'd hate to offend her.

[@AVAIong]

I prefer Asian gospel music myself.

[@Prism_Heavy]

Don't worry, she'll tell you how to feel as a white savior 😂 Makes them feel important I think

[@Rashimotosan]

Also this doesn't even sound like black gospel music 😂

[@alexandraalmagest]

How on earth did SE stumble upon this Voice Actor!?

[@adrammelechthewroth6511]

Wokes base their statements on racial stereotypes and generalizations. They use race as justification to demonize people they hate. Wokes hate racial and sexual majorities. Wokes make every demographic look bad.

[@tzengi372]

Sena saying that song is black gospel music sounds more racist than folks who just aren’t into it.

[@Sohires]

I found the music very disney-esque and it broke my immersion completely. Hated every second of that song because of that.

[@zedorian6547]

The music broke your immersion? Not the novel length of other bs this game has in it that breaks all sense of immersion?

[@Paige-xd1yv]

@@zedorian6547 There's an acceptable amount of immersion breaking that happens in modern FF games to begin with, but the songs tend to stick out more especially when 14's soundtrack overall is so good and then there's a song like this that the style simply doesn't thematically fit that makes it feel like it was for little kids. I personally think it would've been nice to have the end song be by Hydaelyn's singer, she was in the Dawntrail Open Sky song for the tralief. It'd be a nice tie in about her love being all throughout the people of the star.

[@WickedSensei]

It doesnt sound like a Disney song to me, however I haven't listened to many disney songs since the 90s so maybe I'm out of touch

[@diego_chang9580]

Personally, I think the way they used Smile throughout the MSQ was horrible. However, when you finally get to listen to the full version of Smile at the end of the MSQ, imo it's so good.

[@DarkDyllon]

@@Paige-xd1yv Sphene is literally engaging the realm merging process. MSQ: LeT's FiNd ThIs RaNdOm GuYs WeDdInG rInG ... MINUTES BEFORE WE PERMANENTLY DELETE THEM FROM EXISTENCE

[@CombativeMedic]

Sena Bryer is known for being antagonistic, and I honestly consider that casting a negative to FFXIV. Not just a bad performance, but also a terrible person.

[@Gungrave123]

that dude is the sole reason Dawntrail got the negative reception it did.

[@quadrata8382]

@@Gungrave123 Nah the MSQ's overall shite. The entirety of Shaaaloaanai was just story padding up until they built the trolley so you could get to Heritage Found where the writers put more time but not effort into.

[@Dieci-9]

No. It's a negative for sure but, at least in my opinion, it's the writing that feels naive and all over the place. IMHO, DT would've been better if it was a series of smaller (apparently) self-conclusive adventure arcs used to set up characters, locations, lore and factions rather than these 2 big arcs we got that butchered Erenville and Krile's arcs.

[@CombativeMedic]

Just going to say, since I'm seeing a debate on performance vs story, this video was originally about Bryer and that is the focus of my original comment. I think the performance and the story are both bad, but I tried to keep my comment on topic with the video. To me, Bryer is a toxic individual and I believe casting personalities like that will only hurt the reputation and image of FFXIV. Many are already unhappy with or are divided over Dawntrail as an expansion, so riling up the community by making bad faith takes like the one presented in this video will do no one any favors. I think this is an actor that's gotta go. That's all, take care. ✌️

[@DragonKnightX12]

​@@Gungrave123 Nah because Wuk Lamat was disliked across all languages. MSQ was just okay until the end, even then Alexandria arc was just a rehash of the Ascians.

[@4SkippyRoo]

her behavior on Twitter is really very unprofessional & honestly wouldn't be surprised if it negatively impacts her future job offers

[@desaranfenrir9295]

Good because she isn't very good at her job in the first place.

[@DarkDyllon]

it won't, because if SE had any backbone they would fire Wuk's english VA on the spot, but they won't because she's trans and then she would be able to scream "SE is transphobic because XYZ" (even though people STILL don't know the definition of a phobia, just because you disagree or don't like trans (for example miss gendering, which isn't even that bad) doesn't make you hate/fear trans people, it's so fucking stupid)

[@leighg9o]

She only got the job in 14 Because Kathryn Cwynar the English localisation lead is a fucking green hair wokey. Her voice acting and credentials are garbage so what else is there to justify handing her a massive lead role in a game as big as 14 ? Oh right divistity hire !

[@Rogsnutle]

@@desaranfenrir9295 speeeeeeeeeeeeeen

[@genesisgryphon1582]

>her

[@obamaorb7426]

"Smile? This makes me wanna frown" is so stupid but it got me man

[@elduardo2496]

I'm Brazilian. I have no idea what black gospel music is, I've had zero exposure to it in my life. I don't think the song is too bad, but it did feel out of place. Welp, I guess according to Tw**ter I'm a terrible person?

[@danedavid6925]

No, only according to Wuk Lamat's insane voice actor you're a racist, to everyone else you're you're sane individual

[@jslaughter95]

you're not just a terrible person, you're a racist :D

[@Blagno4]

That's not what she said lmao, she said racists hated the song extra hard which wasn't a coincidence

[@Andrew-i1s7w]

Lol you should listen to the wise white "woman" who did a bad Brazilian woman accent talk about how insensitive you are

[@ogcipher4967]

@@Blagno4 it would be weird considering that's not gospel.

[@LunatoTsukiyo]

I genuinely hope Sena doesnt get any more roles after this. FIrst she instantly said that people who dislike wuk lamat or her voice direction are transphobic and now says that people who dont like a SONG are racist. Just constantly stirring up shit with their politics addiction man

[@LezSpringfield]

he*

[@rugalbernstein5913]

What's worse is that this isn't even a new thing with them, they've been getting stupidly vocal about political stuff on their Twitter since at least 2016, so SE had the chance to foresee this issue ahead of time and just not hire Bryer, but I guess they didn't bother to do a rudimentary background check, so any controversy they get wrapped up in because of Bryer is just as much their fault at this point.

[@LunatoTsukiyo]

@@rugalbernstein5913 VAing is sadly not a case of skill in alot of places. Your connections can land you a VA spot very easily

[@LunatoTsukiyo]

@@LezSpringfield as much as i'd like to piss sena off by misgendering her its not really fair for trans people who are not complete toxic wastes of oxygen like her

[@ShizuForever]

just train an AI on sena voice then hire that instead cuz at least an AI knows how to generate text that people want to actually read

[@TheIceLurker]

I'm so tired of all controversy being linked to racism or gender. Like I'm black and everytime I hear this shit I feel so embarrassed

[@DarkDyllon]

it's also funny how He goes around and voices a south american character with an obvious fake accent because her dad is fairy sure Porta Rican ... she was borned and grew up in America. by all of his logic, he should've been replaced for multiple reasons, voices a female character while trans, voices a south american character with an obvious fake accent while not even being from south america, that's like saying "well, i'm 1/5th russian, there for I can voice russian characters now"

[@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668]

​@@DarkDyllonIf anything they shoulda hired a real Latina that speaks spanglish and just randomly starts cussing people out when they slight her.

[@Sniperbear13]

i hear ya. it completely ignores all the actual Faults with things just because people cant accept that not everyone likes the thing they like.

[@thinlizzy9032]

Right?! Like there's very real racism thats rampant on the internet yet people like this will cry racism over something where none exists. That's gotta feel very insulting to read for POCs. White savior complex is a disease.

[@TheUrbanLegend52]

Preach. I’m Latin American so I just groan at those takes. I hate the song cause I hate it. Same reason I dislike Wuk VA just from the voice acting alone no other reason

[@Crovius]

Wouldn't be surprised if Wuk does get any more voiced lines, she gets the Alphinaud treatment from ARR into HW and we just get someone totally different/better. And that honestly would be for the best.

[@ConfuseDirt]

I agree. I can't stand hearing Wut Lamets voice I had to skip over the voiced lines

[@captainmurphy4948]

I would have said the Count Fortemps treatment, but at least there's a valid reason why we never hear him speak any more. And if we see Wuk Lamat as much as we see Count Fortemps post-Heavensward, It'd still be too much.

[@christiangilchrist2208]

@@ConfuseDirt literally one of the reasons i skipped the msq, its absolutely horrendous, not even taking into account the story was abysmal except for very specific moments

[@joaoteixeira8349]

knowing SE and how much they like PR and to keep the fanbase tame, someone who racebaits is not someone they would want there

[@christiangilchrist2208]

@@joaoteixeira8349 exactly

[@GodOfWar187]

I live in the deep south and have been to church ceremonies at majority black churches. This hardly qualifies as black gospel. I have no ill will towards Sena Bryer whatsoever, but there's a reason she had to preface that tweet as a hot take - because it's just wrong. I can promise you nobody was thinking about black gospel when that song came up in the MSQ, especially considering the lead vocalist is Japanese-American.

[@coolyeh1017]

Also Soken is Japanese-Mexican but sometimes he admits he just makes a song because he thought it was interesting or sounded cool. If I remember his formal education wasn't in music (though he was intensely into it as a hobby and passion), he was an engineer. Soken tends to get flashes of inspiration and see if it works or not like the stereotypical artist is. Perhaps Soken was emulating a certain style of music and wanted his twist on the genre, perhaps he was going whatever his muse was taking him, perhaps the there were changes due to red tape, etc. Until we get the inevitable interviews about certain pieces we can only speculate though speculation is fun at times.

[@TheMegaOddly]

@@coolyeh1017 The guy was an engineer and makes music? I mean song isnt my taste but he can at least write a song which i cant so.

[@ggFinch]

@@coolyeh1017 don't blame it to Soken also because maybe he was forced to make it that way because of corporate mandate or someone wants to milk the music and thinks it would work. Honestly if you remove the vocals from smile its decent. Personal Opinion on the matter the vocalist was singing to high too high for her vocal range to a very solemn and mid level octave melody. I listened to Pealeaf's version it was soooo much better and not sounded like a extremely forced falsetto. The moment the choir came they adjusted the octave to match the melody so it was better than the start.

[@ToothpickSamurai]

@@ggFinch Soken also isn't a god of music either, while he does an incredible job with the games music, he's not always going to have near perfect bangers, this just happens to be one of the less than effective pieces that he made for the game.

[@ggFinch]

@@ToothpickSamurai i agree whole heartedly with your statement. But people discredit his taste for music just because he is an engineer and didn’t study music which irked me. You don’t need to have a background in music to push out good music. A lot of factors come into music production especially if it would be tied to a story. Also I’m a fan of the Akino who sung the OG smile since i loved her Sousei no Aquarion songs which haw more choir vibes than this.

[@hundset]

Song aside... I think the most important thing to take away from this is that this person should never have been hired. Based purely on merit I think they did a poor job as a voice actor. and ontop of that they're purposefully bringing polarizing and inflammatory accusations towards the playerbase and frankly being an all-around shitstirrer. Bringing ideology where it doesn't belong and where it wasn't bloody wanted.

[@Moonbeam_Boxer]

Unfortunately that's what happens when the people hired Didn't Earn It.

[@FloDaddelt]

color me not surprised.

[@skyash7566]

8 year of british VA - no drama at all. American VA - instant shit. I think almost all american (mostly californian VA) is not supposed to be hired at roles. Or at least delete social media in contract

[@Antedithulian]

@@skyash7566 I said the exact same thing.

[@virgilthemob1242]

@@skyash7566 She's not the only American VA they hired. And the rest have been really cool with the fans from what I saw. But of course the least talented one also happens to be the most vocal.

[@Mathren1]

Yeah, I've had to mute Sena pretty quickly on Twitter. She's done that a few times where she drops a "spicy take" on Twitter, people disagree with her, and then she says something like "wow so many people getting defensive about this." Kind of burning any goodwill people have toward her, and seems unprofessional tbh (you don't see Thancred or G'raha's VAs tweeting stuff like this all the time)

[@christopherramirez3003]

I’d agree with you if people haven’t breathing down her neck since the expansions came out and people tend to forget that people are people. Honestly I wish they’d take the outrage and focus on savage than more outrage, the discourse is exhausting and repetitive.

[@BlueHokage]

She's not professional at all. Hopefully Wuk's story is at an end, for more reasons than one.

[@nathanc4183]

@@Mathren1 Thancred's VA is super chill. He's on Cameo and did an amazing job at one I commissioned for a friend.

[@DarkDyllon]

@@christopherramirez3003 maybe ... just maybe, hear me out alright. SE hires people who are fit for the job, Sena is not qualified to voice Wuk Lamat at all, for starters, she can't even do a proper accent for that region, it sounds forced and it is. her delivery overal is piss poor all around, I could even go as far as the voice direction is also bad, but even then, the VA should know that if she has to basically yell "SPHENE!" she would yell it with the tone matching it, not literally lowercase yelling with the most brain dead tone humanly possible. also, I wish that posting unhinged stupid shit would get people fired again, people nowadays just put "my posts/views are my own" and think that's enough, if you work for SE and you start calling the entire FF14 community who dislikes 1 song racists, then .... I dunno, SE should just fire Sena? bye bye, maybe learn how to act appropriately instead of doing stupid shit.

[@xxomega702buzzalini8]

Taliesin Jaffe is too busy having fun with his friends playing DnD to care.

[@brandoneroza4725]

I really hope that square enix does not renew its contract with sena again, there are many VAs in Mexico and in Latin America in general who can make a new voice for wuk lamat, and much better

[@NickHuber]

Her voice was fine, she did mostly a good job. Any issues with Wut is writing choices.

[@KilelSix]

@@NickHuber Nah, there were definitely some failures from the director as well, but she did a fantastic job with Wuk Lamat. Other characters suffered similarly from poor voice direction this Expac. G'raha in particular sounded really weird to me. Almost like he was half asleep half the time. Just phoning things in. Almost as if he was like reading the script, unaware he was being recorded, and the director said "YEP, THAT'S PERFECT, NEXT LINE." It was so bizarre to see.

[@ConfuseDirt]

​@@KilelSixSpeen listen to me! *In a dead ass toned voice*. Next time I play through DT I'm using Japanese or even Germans VA.

[@deatheater10879]

@@NickHuber Nah sounds like borat

[@KilelSix]

@@ConfuseDirt I don't know how to tell you this, bro, but most issues with bad voice acting aren't typically the fault of the actor. It's usually the fault of a bad and/or lazy director.

[@chrisanderson6353]

@Xenosys I'm a musician, and I agree with you. The text doesn't fit with the melody of the song. I also feel as though that, the key of the song doesn't fit. Maybe if it was in a lower key, then it would be a bit better. In terms of the vocalist, the phrasing is very off, and they seem to muddle the rhythm. There are some aspects of the choir vocals, that sound as if they are straining. Could be the technique implemented in teaching them the piece. Also, this is as far from gospel music as it can get. I wouldn't classify it as gospel. Maybe a ballard of some sorts.

[@coolyeh1017]

I mean unless we get from Soken himself, we aren't going to get the genre or idea of how the song is directed. It is possible he was trying to emulate a more obscure style and not black Gospel music, it is also possible he wrote the rhythm and notes but not the lyrics (as he isn't fluent in English), perhaps the mixing was screwed up. We will need more information until we jump to conclusions. However, one thing is clear people really need to stop making mountains out of molehills. Some people think the song is fine, some dislike the song, it doesn't make them racists to dislike the song, also the attacks on the VA's sexuality are also not appropriate. Criticize the work and not the worker in this case especially in an industry known for having many moving parts and ways to go wrong that may not even be the VA's fault.

[@DoppelgangerTH]

​@@coolyeh1017unfortunately the VA is also instigating a lot more hate to come her way. On twatter, hate only multiplies.

[@deathsythe238]

it felt like the vocalist was forcing themselves into a range they couldn't do very well; like they can hit it for a few words in a song as emphasis, but not a whole song. A perfect example is in the performance of Scream where she does the quiet high-ish pitch breathy lines for emphasis, but they only say a few words.

[@coolyeh1017]

@@deathsythe238 I think with the reveal the soloist is the same as the singer for Scream. She is a J-Rock/J-Pop and ballad singer (which is probably what they were going for) however she does to that technique in many of her music videos so it seems to be a style. I was told by a singer friend that certain genres of music like Rock, Punk, Metal, and some Pop do employ and encourage what you are mentioning as breathy-high for certain notes, so I guess it is stylistic choice.

[@deathsythe238]

@@coolyeh1017 sure, but for those songs is she doing it for the WHOLE song and not just certain lines.

[@ThatRedHusky]

I mean I measured the singer and there were points where they were 34 cents off a Bb. That's over a 1/3 of a semitone which is VERY noticeable even by a non-musically inclined person.

[@Moonbeam_Boxer]

As somebody with no musical training, even I could hear it. It wasn't that the song sounded bad, it sounded like there was something wrong with it.

[@batboy555]

Yeah, it seems a hair off.

[@brunosouza3326]

BBs are about $6 per 2400. If 1/2 of a tone is a half tone, and a semitone is 1/3 of a tone, is 1/3 of a semitone a semisemitone? Taking all that into consideration i agree its pretty bad.

[@0shawhat]

​@@Moonbeam_Boxer Exactly.. Like they had a solid line up for making this song: Composed by Soken, Arranged by TomoLow (Dedicated to Moonlight), Sung by AKINO (Scream), and lyrics by Koji-Fox. But it just sounds so off... Off key? It gives me the same feeling when nails are being scratched onto a blackboard everytime I listen to this.

[@boat02]

I was more so in a mind to enjoy things when I played through the MSQ. I haven't listened again to it since after reading the criticism and would rather not personally ruin it. But now that I'm here, yes. The singing just isn't right. It doesn't sound like the register was adjusted for the singer or they chose the wrong singer for this register.

[@theredlie1988]

"I don't like the notes they hit", my brother in christ they didn't hit a single note lol

[@Rashimotosan]

Not one!!!😂😂😂

[@MagikRayne]

I think he meant the way the vocalist approaches the notes. It sounds like a bad English translation of a Japanese song to me

[@Magnius159]

It's gives me a very visceral reaction lol

[@luna_theraider]

There was a try in that sentence fam.

[@vitruviuszhang]

Hope SE just replace her, less drama, her voice acting was bad throughout the story. For the song, the first part is kinda off, especially at the very start sounds weird but I like the vibe of second half, it's like a celebration from ppl in Tuliyollal.

[@InterXMission]

Song with multiple voices in the background of the chorus= "Black Gospel Music" Holy Rassismus.

[@brunosouza3326]

Actual racist projecting. Tale as old as the internet.

[@Watch_over_us]

"Yous gon gets me in troubles! I likes you nate I really do! You get 'way from round here with that foolishness! Go on! Get from here!" - aries spears

[@Memyx]

Grew up in black churches till I was about 10 and stopped going to church. I can tell you with full certainty Sena Bryer has no idea what "black gospel music" is. Her ignorance is almost offensive.

[@melissas4874]

And she is definitely a person that if someone she didn't like made this song? She would accuse them of appropriating another's culture by trying to make a black gospel song. LMAO I feel like this expansion gave her some sort of validation of her "main character syndrome".

[@DragonKnightX12]

That sounds about right?

[@TheSpartanx9]

Smile sounds like it would be in a live action lion king movie, not something you'll find in ffxiv

[@adrammelechthewroth6511]

I haven't even heard these songs in the expansion yet. But I agree that they should remove the songs and woke VAs and singers. DEI is a disease and FFXIV is infected.

[@unifanboy]

@@adrammelechthewroth6511 My god, touch some grass. Diversity being present in a project doesn't mean it's "woke" or that they're trying to meet diversity quotas, it literally just reflects the outside world. The real disease is your desire to have every form of media cater to you and you alone.

[@IEgOImkAwx]

@@adrammelechthewroth6511 I'll be honest I don't even think it's necessarily DEI related. The whole expansion development feels like they're trying to appeal more to less-Jp crowd, which is interesting but given the success i'm not surprised. I could notice this a bit in Endwalker.

[@ich3730]

@@adrammelechthewroth6511 What is DEI?

[@MidnightEkaki]

​@@adrammelechthewroth6511'i dont like anyone besides straight white people being hired for roles it upsets me'

[@ShikiRyougi05]

I really don't like Sena as a person nor as an actress tbh. I don't like her "victim attitude", always acting as if people's problem with her or in this case this song are racially motivated or transphobic even tho that is absolutely not the case for most people. Oh and she has absolutely no voice acting talent.

[@grimscriven]

If they hadn't put that song in those weird spots in the MSQ, I doubt anyone would have cared about it. It made an already mixed received story experience worse for it.

[@neh1234]

The only place where it was kinda okay to put it was Wuk Lamat's coronation, not that I couldn't immediately think of the Lion King while doing that. Anywhere else? A complete mistake.

[@selay333]

So Square gets rid of the singer for "Answers" over liking a tweet and upsetting a very small minority, but this VA can just claim players are racist for not liking a song. Okay sure I guess.

[@TeemoTemosson]

It's because Woke Lmao's voice actor is a protected class.

[@Gungrave123]

Squenix is not aware the pendulum have started to swing back in the West.

[@gunman292929]

Sorry, what? They got rid of the singer for answers?

[@TeemoTemosson]

@@gunman292929 She liked tweets that basically said women should be protected from males encroaching on women-only spaces. She liked a tweet opposing the closure of a Japanese rape crisis center.

[@TeemoTemosson]

@@Gungrave123 It's not swinging fast enough. 😡

[@LuffyDshanks]

It honestly sounds like the main theme from Wish.

[@JediMentat]

Lmao actually reminds me of the temu commercial fsr

[@notaplasticexistence]

I don't know why everyone is so afraid to just call it shit across the board, who cares if it's black music it's dogshit

[@cutecats532]

Because it's not black music either.

[@notaplasticexistence]

@@cutecats532 Maybe because the voice actor is a fucking lunatic

[@breakthecode4634]

Facts

[@tyhjyys]

-airhead with personal agenda gets polarizing roll in extremely popular media -suddenly thinks they influence that entire community with their own opinions this happens all the time at this point

[@BAMFZone95]

Can't forget the inevitable crying victim. I dont even get upset about them doing it. We've seen it more than a handful of times. And it's beyond boring.

[@MidnightEkaki]

Pretty sure she just said her opinion like everyone else is doing. I dont think shes trying to 'influence' other people. I dont agree with her opinion but people have dumb takes online all the time its not that deep

[@drakologarnus7248]

@@MidnightEkaki he

[@yrsa7637]

New voice actress incoming for future patches lmao

[@IRedpunk]

not even playing anymore but good 😂

[@berndberndsen5680]

In patch 7.1 Wuk Lamat has a terrible accident and has to be interred in the golden throne of tuliyolaal. From that point on she communicates with a text to speech device

[@TeemoTemosson]

@@berndberndsen5680 What sucks is that I actually liked Wuk Lamat in 6.55. She seemed like a much more complex character than the disaster that was Yawntrail.

[@Hitsugix]

@@TeemoTemosson same. i was looking forward to exploring the new expansion with her. instead i went to babysit her. that was tiring.

[@TeemoTemosson]

@@Hitsugix Everyone riding Wuk's dick throughout the MSQ got tiring real quick.

[@Dartanis]

The song isnt bad, it just doesnt fit the scenes its in. It clashes thematicaly with the rest of the audio in the entire expansion and feels jarring in the scenes its used in which is weird as FF14 usualy has really good music integration (see the entirety of the last quest of Shadowbringer), so what the hell happened here? This song isnt strictly the first time a song has been a missmatch for its scene or fight, the 2nd part of Shiva comes to mind. But even that wasnt as jarringly "off" as this when it plays. If we had the rest of the expansion with similar music or even a singular zone with similar music I could accept this but no other song matches the theme. Im not sure theres a song in the game period that is similar.

[@0siris-Abraxas]

i think the problem with Shiva's battle theme is that it should've just been the entire theme of the fight. starting it when she only has half (or less) hp left is just wasted potential because the song goes fucking hard.

[@Dartanis]

@@0siris-Abraxas Had it been the only battle theme it would not have been such a jarring change, I agree

[@Dwesk]

I hate that with people like Wuk Lamat VA we're gonna add an extra layer of pointless discussion dillution to EVERYTHING FFXIV related now, which was rarely the case until 7.0. Please just write the character out by 7.5 I fucking BEG Squeenix.

[@NeFlorence]

I like the singer's work for Scream back in Abyssos but respectfully, she does NOT fit this song. Aside that, it's too "wordy". It's like they're trying to fit so many things into the song. Less is more. In this case, less verbal vomit and just try to have enough to fit the tone of the song. The choir is great, the instruments sound good. The vocals, lyrics and the constant key changes are shit and ruins it.

[@ValkyrissaGaming]

I think it’s actually the wordiness combined with the overall fast speed of the song that makes the singer struggle with hitting the notes well

[@NeFlorence]

@@ValkyrissaGaming Yeah! It sounds like those bad English fan dubs of anime songs from the early 2010s where they try to write english lines that matches the amount of japanese syllables lol

[@GeneisHavoc]

@@NeFlorence That was my thought, japanese to english translation couldn't cut down the syllables enough so they have to CRAM the lyrics in. Anyway song just doesn't fit with a meso-american/south american theme. This is just weird Disney trash.

[@Zeminem-g3i]

I think the VA needs to think very carefully about what they are saying. There are a lot of big names now voicing characters in FF14 and people can get brought into things just by association. If Square values their brand and the safety of their other talent they will drop Sena quickly. We've seen it all before where something gets said, other people get dragged in and then some part ways from the project. Would hate to see that happen with any of the other talent in the game.

[@Gungrave123]

why, if any backlash he can always claim "transphobia"

[@Josith13]

Seem to recall SE or its derivatives un-invited the girl that sang one of the main expansion's themes... HW or Stormblood maybe? Just for having a mild "right wing" take. Wish I could recall the exact thing they were commenting on. Stuff that was deemed a normal take 10 years ago I expect. So SE get what they deserve for woke pandering I guess

[@negainferno6121]

Sounded like a My Little Pony song where they solved a small argument amongst each other and decided to sing about it

[@feetpicburglar]

This is so true lmfao

[@deathsythe238]

that's an insult to MLP songs, at least the musical numbers in MLP:FiM are good

[@Adu767]

A running gag I had with my fiance was that the expansion was essentially an episode of MLP

[@nnickerson100]

when i first heard smile i thought that something was wrong with my stereo because i couldnt make out what was being said in the song lyrics were unclear

[@nonotorious1467]

Bomb train is like if disney made an oppenheimer musical.

[@Vokcas01]

Close the Distance was on point because it represent the current environment of all characters involved. Smile however missed the mark because it is a song about the journey the companionship has done.... That is the problem, people hated the whole being sidelined the entire MSQ to Wuk so of course people are not going to "relate", a song about companionship where you are the 3rd wheel and observer, where was the companionship? Also you have the very big elephant in the room. People HATED how the MSQ end and was angry, frustrated and disappointed, of course they didn't gel with the song. Had the writers knew how to successfully tell a story, perhaps Soken song would of did justice.

[@filtermin5308]

Oh man after feeling miserable and bored with msq, I was so excited for the final trial, I was like LETS GOOOOO because the mechanics and music were all so good, I was hyped, and then wuk lamat jumps in and takes me out of the experience and on top of it delivers the worst line in ffxiv history, I was pissed off aaaaand then they play this shitty song lol

[@Gillian_FFXIV]

@@filtermin5308 Sums up how I felt perfectly lmfaooooo

[@Vokcas01]

@@filtermin5308 Do you think you would of felt that way if the ending was a little better?

[@filtermin5308]

@@Vokcas01 honestly, maybe just a tiny bit better? Because I already didn’t like the song from the train cutscene. I probably felt worse because the ending put me in a bad mood so I definitely didn’t “smile” after lol like they intended

[@NorthWolf97]

Granblue fantasy basically 3rd wheels the MC in most events. Characters just forget you exist for no reason. Sadly, the community is overrun by twitter tourists. Dont let the same happen to FFXIV!

[@thatcringe8827]

Its just high school musical

[@baronfuath5872]

with how bad the song is, i don't think their head was in the game. at least not their ears.

[@Mewsashi-cz9fo]

it's far from the quality of usual final fantasy chorus or music, it's very very low bar, and to top it off, it's pretty badly sang too.

[@castlesbard1547]

I'm only partially joking when I say don't you dare diss high school musical like that ever again.

[@onewingedangelo1611]

I think that this Voice Actress forgot that some of the original 2.0 voice actors got replaced....... She's really trying her best to become another one....

[@Marusinae]

and for the love of god I hope she does get replaced.

[@xxJing]

With people's reactions to Wuk Lamat I think she's gone either way. Maybe she'll get a bit part like Ryne and Gaia did but that's all.

[@Shatterstar]

I still remember when Urianger was voiced by the same guy who voiced Fenris and Balthier. Good times.

[@StayCalm0]

Wuk is universally reviled in every language, she wont be around no matter what

[@onewingedangelo1611]

@@StayCalm0 the voice actress did fine with the part. She wasn't in control of the script.

[@ehwick8175]

Its cheesy music. Not for everyone.

[@Tigerhearty]

and it's badly sung too

[@davidstubbs2361]

It sucks, so in that regard it’s not for anyone

[@djentleman1597]

Yeah. Definitely wasn't my cup of tea

[@Nyxesgaming]

When was this song played? I don't remember it at all 😂

[@tempest1624]

@@Nyxesgaming The very end of the MSQ for Dawntrail, it played over the ending scenes and credits right after the final boss fight and really felt out of place.

[@GinBreadman]

It doesn't help that Sena is "I consider mayo spicy" levels of white.

[@TheeChaste]

Lets not bring race into this lol

[@Tecolote41]

@@TheeChaste He* did tho

[@SirKupoNut]

Was clearly a huge error hiring this person to VA in the game, not because she sucks as a VA (heck a lot of that could be direction) but shes just an awful human being

[@NeoBluereaper]

If you look at their past work... yeah... yeah. The Voice Director should have been compensated for the extra work thry had to put in for this one.

[@maybayV2]

Death threat and r*pe threats have an effect. Now they're just doing stupid shit.

[@TeemoTemosson]

@@NeoBluereaper The Voice Director this time around also sucked donkey balls.

[@masterjoda999]

Even just comparing their work to others in the same scenes...no, this person just genuinely does suck as a VA

[@kyoai]

Every time I hear Wuk's "Sphene, listen to me" during the trial I am reminded of Willy Wonka's famous lines "Stop! Don't! Come back!" and "Help... Police... Murder...". I wouldn't trust the authority of a voice actor who thinks that this delivery was a good enough effort.

[@steelclackers2611]

As many people point out tho. There were lots of issues with VA DELIVERY this expansion. Not only hers. And honestly not only in this expansion. I'd say their voice director might not know what they are doing at this point.

[@xuto2693]

@@steelclackers2611 It definitely feels like a direction issue to me. Like sena may or may not be a bad VA, purely in terms of talent. Some of her delivery is good, some is very not. And that screams of bad direction to me. And outside of long term VA's who know the vibe of their chars by now, a lot of the newer roles were all over the place too.

[@steelclackers2611]

@@xuto2693 Yeah definitely. And delivery and talent aside, personally, even if I prefer to play with Japanese audio, I really like Sena's voice. It's fitting to a character too.

[@DacianGradaMusic]

@@steelclackers2611yeah i'm not even in the wuk hate squad, but the voice direction seems considerably worse this expansion. Some lines are pretty damn good, but others? Hard to believe it comes from the same direction/environment.

[@Johnist1983]

They spend the good cash on the Boss Music because you're constantly farming the bosses, while the 'expansion title' music you hear maybe once or twice.

[@Dynme]

Answers plays in UCOB, DSR plays the Heavensward music. I can easily see fitting Revolutions to a StB ultimate, same with the ShB and EW music. Smile is not going to fit into any ultimate, ever, and I can't picture it without laughing.

[@RangerRobin0404]

​@@DynmeI mean.. laughing at it is still smiling. Mission failed successfully?

[@obamaorb7426]

Idk man, this is literally the only bad one

[@vita2831]

She did a shit job voicing Wuk Lamat, completely oversold most of her lines. It was so grating I had to change my game's audio to JP. I'm unsurprised she's having a schizo meltdown - she probably won't be getting a callback.

[@Mochachocakon]

North American Black Gospel music for the Central America/South America expansion, yeah that makes sense

[@essential_worker_no]

Xeno singing isn't something I thought I'd hear today. He's actually not half bad.

[@GenuOfTheDank]

sena bryer is a horrible person and should be fired by SE

[@ariamachi]

Wuk Lamat's voice triggers me. Idc what her voice actress says. The voice made me switch to japanese voice for the first time in 10 years

[@IssicheaV]

Same

[@castlesbard1547]

Been on Japanese voices since my start and when I first heard the complaints I thought the Japanese VA fucked up.

[@maybayV2]

It's just the direction they had them go in. Like the VA does fine work, but the accent they make them do makes the voice fall flat in times where there needs to be emotion. Take "you're happiness is my happiness." It doesn't sound loving and sincere, it just sounds normal. I'm not sure why she needed an accent no one else really has.

[@roachdoggjr8399]

It’s painful to listen to

[@syeds8265]

Sena about to block Xeno after watching this video LMFAO

[@Mochachocakon]

And nothing of value was lost

[@Ripcraze]

Elon should jsut be a nice guy and help her out so she doesnt have to do this manually, just block all of X from her.

[@TrueChaoSclx]

"watching" lmao they'd see the thumbnail and just assume with Xeno thinks based on that

[@Zephy_Sky]

The song grew on me a little bit, but there are still parts in it that just sound a little goofy. Like it doesnt hit the ear right. And it feels a little too cheery if that makes sense. Like it belongs more in a childrens film. Just felt kind of out of place

[@JiooguProductions]

Putting that music on while building a train that is meant to explode is just odd

[@nathanc4183]

@@JiooguProductions I think the idea was it was a "everyone's working together" feel-good scene, but it fell super flat and didn't fit the story.

[@Vidyagameenjoyer]

The life cycle of English Voice actors in FFXIV ARR. ARR - American VA's, majority of them are pretty awful, only a few manage to do any good, like Alphinaud's VA. (Yes he is supposed to sound like a arrogant brat.) Universally panned for bad VA work. HW - Fired all American VA, use British stage trained voice actors. No drama from any VA's. Stormblood - Use British stage trained voice actors. No drama from any VA's. Shadowbringers - Use British stage trained voice actors. No drama from any VA's. Endwalker - Use British stage trained voice actors. No drama from any VA's. 9 Years of no issues and good voice acting. Dawntrail - American voice actors hired -> Awful voice acting ensues, twitter drama from the cast itself and extreme unprofessionalism, calls playerbase racist and bigots. 8.0 - Fired all American VA, use British stage trained voice actors again...

[@DoomTrooper90]

Mostly because classically-trained professionals (most of them in Europe and Asia) are also mature enough to not get into idiot slapfights on the internet's stagnant puddle called twitter. They respect their craft and maintain their dignity in public no matter how stressful their job is.

[@cattysplat]

The irony is the British actors are actually very cheap compared to American who have higher salaries, despite the quality being higher. They took a risk since most Americans want to hear American voices, even if most of them in videogames like ARR are all employed from a handful of the most popular cartoon voice acting, which guarantees zany overacting for better or worse.

[@senigata0329]

@@FieldMarshall3 They kept Raubahn's ARR VA for songs. Shadowbringers for example.

[@Mike-hp7lv]

That's literally just a chorus, gospel is not having people sing as an accent

[@PvtGlarb]

the funniest thing about this, is the fact that the solution 9 theme is just an instrumental version of smiles, with different instruments of course, but the melody is the same so its not the melody thats the issue its the lyrics and the singer and from my understanding, people enjoy the solution 9 theme but dislike smiles

[@michealwatts7469]

The "Just say you ", "Wow people getting super defensive for me posting this instead of saying "Oh this isn't me" " are terrible arguments. They have no basis since the person is basically saying criticism cannot be had here and if you have it you're a bad person who does bad behavior. Cannot even stand that crap cause usually the accusation which is generalized and without any data to back it up is thrown onto a public platform specifically for bait. While it is best to ignore the morons, you kinda have to respond at times because you can't just let shit go unchallenged otherwise these kids get the idea that with no challenge they must be right. With challenge the opposition must be just a bad person.

[@Shatterstar]

Yea, I fucking hate that shit and I feel you. Like...they know what they're doing, they're intentionally trying to rile people up, and then twist it to 'I wasn't saying that, WHY are you soooo insensitive...did I hit a nerve with my bullshit statement? OwO?' NAH NAH...I got it, you're a disingenuous fuck that's worse than a troll. At least a troll will admit they're trying to fuck with you, these sorts of people are doing it to morally grandstand.

[@tgr3423]

It's my least favorite, highly prominent rhetoric tactic that has infected vast corners of the internet. The pattern of: 1. Make an accusation with no proof 2. Demonize those who rightfully criticize the point 3. Double down on the bullshit by insisting detractors of the argument are a part of the problem It's extremely obvious that the double standard involved in this type of argumentation is that, more often than not, the person making the accusation is biased and discriminatory *towards* the group they're accusing, often automatically assuming anyone involved in that group aligns with their negative perceptions.

[@MainUkraine]

I grew up singing in a boys choir and going to choir camp over the summer. This is just disney music.

[@robotom6595]

People also found the StB MSQ final song a lil cheesy and awkward. Idk something about multiple voices coming together and singing in these 2 songs just instantly makes it feel like you're in a musical, even though it is thematically fitting

[@TheAnnez0r]

You aren't wrong but some other games did it right. it's the way to incorporate it that makes it a hit or miss. Dragon Age Inquisition - ''The dawn will come'' has the whole setup of singing a song that helps you go on in the darkest moment. Warframe did it right with ''We all lift together'' which makes sense to have voices sing in tandem when they are half machines being working all day. StB could have made it better. Have Lyse starting alone acapella singing the anthem of Ala Mhigo after all those years of Garlean appropriating the anthem IS liberation itself. Then have the eldest start accompany her since they do remember it (still acapella) and eventually have the youngest chime in with the music swelling up. Keeping it acapella at the beginning would've had SUCH a better impact. Instead you have the music instantly starts as she walks towards the edge and you just have the most NPC singing of all time.

[@AsPeCt4392]

why did you remind me of that song 😡 like cool, just beat “my friend” and then everyone starts singing the national anthem

[@ogcipher4967]

it's funny cause I love both musicals and gospel, first this ain't gospel, and second it's an insult to the idea of musicals. It just ain't good.

[@youngimperialistmkii]

I had the same thought. People were not in love with Revolutions either.

[@coolyeh1017]

​@@youngimperialistmkiibut at least no one really added a fuss about it. Revolutions was a case of "the song is fine." No one was overly loving it but not many hated it either.

[@DarkWartex]

Never seen a XIV VA be so terminally online as her

[@DoppelgangerTH]

@@DarkWartex because she's the first one

[@EnderiumTCG]

Him*

[@Noah-uo8zb]

​@@EnderiumTCGHer* Keep misgendering out of this whole issue, thanks

[@moonum4567]

​@@Noah-uo8zb Considering that gender nonsense is why we're here with this low quality VA stuff in the first place, no. Just as I won't affirm a schizoid voices, I think calling them what they are is not rude or disrespectful. Its just a wake up call to an objective truth. Also consider that its very likely with SE's partnership with SBI (and if you think I'm joking, their logo is on that cursed website as an affiliate/client) that Sena was both hired and retained despite his shoddy voice work and it becomes painfully clear that this is a Diversity, Inclusion, Equity nepo hire You can hate me for what I said, but Sena is just your typical trans person. Aggressive, unstable, disrespectful, and they absolutely refuse to engage in honest or rational debate because they feel righteous and justified in doing so. How can respect or decorum be given to one who deserves none?

[@mena10ss]

​@@Noah-uo8zbHe's a guy. Get over it

[@sturmir15]

Thank you for calling out this total brain fart of an opinion from the infamous now VA. Some opinions are better not shared online.

[@misfit6174]

>having opinions contradictory to my own is roysis The internet is a cry box for idiots without real problems

[@Dreded100]

All I know about "Smile" is that someone perfectly placed it into Haurchefant's death scene, and it was hilarious. This song is a meme waiting to happen.

[@Nihonguy]

I damn near grew up on gospel cause my mom listened to it all the time, and i can say gospel has way more energy and soul then this song does

[@jslaughter95]

like, literally the only part that could be considered "Gospel" music is the section that plays when we are helping build the train, or the scene right after Wuk Lame-at becomes the incompetent leader of her nation

[@terrorshard2916]

How did we go from Flow to this?

[@karlklein2263]

The fart noise during the song fucking sent me bro

[@AliguraAethernum]

Calling it black gospel is just wrong and unnecessarily specific to force it to fit a narative. If they wanted to be neutral then they shouldve called it acapella And regarding the somg, i think its just out of place, in the sense that it doesnt fit the game

[@BigChilla420]

The song played at all the wrong times, end of the first half of the story when it plays its rushed and things seem too good to be true. But in terms of genre and music itself this game does pretty much everything and has room for more including Disney style musical pieces, it just needs to be good n well made to fit in with the other genres they've experimented with.

[@CreativeIsaiah]

Gospel musician here. Definitely not gospel music lol instrumentation was kinda cool but overall song was…. Ok. Just because a song has a choir doesn’t make it gospel what a reach by that person and weird take that if ppl don’t like this they’re “racist”. I personally think the song is trash…. definitely not Black Gospel (this is coming from a black musician that grew up in a black church). This song is Uplifting-Pop at best lol

[@stealthmaster96]

I grew up in pentecostal church and was the drummer when the pastor's son, who was one of my best friends, was sick or busy. This shit is not gospel. If a choir doing call and response made it black gospel music than the Heavensward theme song is black gospel.

[@johnschaeffer7008]

Artists need to learn to accept critcism and not deflect all of it by accusing their critics of being bigots. I saw some people farming drama by saying the game was "woke" now for having a trans voice actress. That is not the same as people not liking a song, bruh. Social media is not made for people with such thin skin

[@Josith13]

And then the trans voice actress goes and does what troon does best -- pissmoan on social media, hence proving the "bigots" correct on their tendencies and why people are tired of they/them

[@Magflyer]

I was actually blocked by the VA for no reason at all, and I haven't interacted with her yet lmao.

[@NulshPhism]

You need to make a cover of Honey B Lovely fr fr

[@98SilverGuardian89]

I second this :D, you MUST cover

[@NulshPhism]

@@98SilverGuardian89 I wanna sing along the whole song with a CUTE strummer

[@Abyssal_Blood]

Nothing will ever beat answers

[@davidknox8936]

i find it funny that the tweet the VA of Wuk Lammat made was after Preach made his reaction to the MSQ, and he was not liking that song, i might be reading too much into that, and implying that its aimed for Preach

[@coolyeh1017]

I just think it is a coincidence. Preach himself said that the song itself isn't bad on its own. He did comment that it sounded dissonant and out of place in the two out of three instances it was used which is his bigger gripe.

[@Midnightear]

I mean I won't be surprised, she's trying to cause outrage and drama with herself at the center of it. Some people are really that desperate for attention that any will do. I think she wants to sell the victim card harder. 'look industry! I'm being targeted with transphobia! you gotta hire me!'

[@captainchonk3358]

i liked heavensward's music can we go back to that

[@PapaDeusVult]

The worst thing about Smile isn't even necessarily the song itself. It's that there is a part of the song which is what Amanda Achen sings in her section of the Dawntrail cinematic trailer. We got this version instead of that one, and Amanda Achen's vocals haven't failed us yet. What were the people in-charge of stitching Dawtrail together thinking when they chose this over Amanda Achen's version? Of course, this is assuming there even is a full version. We were robbed, dudes. Absolutely robbed

[@griggins]

A lot of this msq and this song makes me feel embarrassed to play the game.

[@Itama22]

It's an awful song, but nobody can deny that the song fits this mess of an expansion perfectly

[@hopscotch_]

Im glad most people know gospel doesn't sound like whatever square was trying to do. Some faith in humanity restored, lmao

[@espercross416]

It doesnt sound like gospel it sounds like a track from the Greatest Showman. I swear i thought Hugh Jackman was gonna come out dancing behind wuk lamt everytime it played.

[@sirhc1528]

As a European I have no clue what Black Gospel is or should sound like. But I personaly think that the Disney like song "Smile" does not fit into FFxiv and the song itself is just not good. Also, I dont like people who call others racist for not liking a something for whatever imaginary reason.

[@syllawblood]

Didnt know the VA was trans. Doesnt change my opinion on Wuk being a totally bad character that took the air out of every scene. No one actually cares about VAs anyway so this amount of attention is probaly the goal. Think about it when was the last time you said "I wonder what the ARR English VA thinks about...."

[@jf4156]

The va said that they had no active contracts recently so hopefully that’s the last we see of them

[@FishyAshB]

Honestly I am just hoping that Sena is just wrong about that because if Soken tried to make "black gospel music" and THIS was the result I think the song becomes a LOT more egregious

[@DoomTrooper90]

Proof positive on why hiring any creative from NA at this point is a bad idea. Just hire Europeans and Asians (which SE does by default) - less hassle. Pretty sure that's the lesson the company's gonna take from this anyway. And rightly so.

[@nathanc4183]

When i first heard the song near the end of MSQ I was so thrown off - it's in a very awkward place and doesn't fit at *all* with the theme of the expansion. When compared to music like Footfalls, it doesn't even come close and sounds closer to a high school musical than a capstone song for the expansion. I think the devs knew this because at one point in MSQ they literally play Footfalls during a cutscene.

[@xviii5780]

I preemptively replaced it with dawntrail instrumental using orchestrion. Bless reddit for the advice.

[@coolyeh1017]

The first time it popped up, during the succession ceremony most people didn't have too many problems with it. It fit better than even if it was a bit cheesy, but it felt out of place at the credits and when building a literal armoured train bomb.

[@nodot17]

I mean the EW equivalent would be flow not footfalls but the point still stands

[@MorpheusCh]

She's also a nepo hire, Kate (english lead localizer) is good friends with Wuk Lamat's VA. Kate was all up in the threads Sena makes and cheered her on and had her own bad takes that she privated her account due to backlash.

[@MorpheusCh]

And this is all before all this controversy, they've been friends before Sena took this role.

[@GarretDejiko]

that fart sfx encapsulates what most people thought about the song

[@obsidianbutterfly4263]

The whole expansion is just all over the place. It honestly does feel like they were simply throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks, which isn't really a good sign. It means they didn't really have much of a plan moving forward. I'm starting to think FF16 caused major interference with CBU3, which would probably explain why both Dawntrail AND FF16 were both pretty underwhelming. It's going to be a long 2 years until the next expansion and I think the sour taste this one left in a lot of people's mouths isn't going to go away anytime soon.

[@WikiED]

Smile is not a bad song but I can't imagine a single place in all of FF where Smile would fit.

[@Dyskresiac]

Xeno, I AM a Classically trained singer so let me put words to what you accurately describe that you hate avout SE Vocalists because you're right. Most are awful. (AND at the same time why this isn't "Black Gospel") And it comes down to how much air, or "support" is behind the notes. Most recent SE Vocalists sound like when you squeeze the ends of a balloon and let just a little bit of air out, then autotune it, and add that fake ass "wiggly" sound effect to it. There's zero support. Zero diaphragm. And they cant hold a note for shit, adding awful vibratto. It sounds obnoxious because it is. It's bad. Compare it to the crescendo of Answers. Additionally, Gospel music is ALL diaphragm. And those notes are NAILED and held. This isn't a matter of opinion. Its BAD singing. Its NOT Gospel. And if you can find a Black Church whose choir sings like a congregation of mice, I'll concede. But good freaking luck.

[@Dyskresiac]

Wait wait wait! I got a better one: Diminutive Japanese singer, doing "BLACK GOSPEL"? Cultural Appropriation much? GOT 'EM!

[@cutecats532]

Autotune ruines music because it lets bad singers be bad.

[@Soyofdarknes]

Who greenlight this? we went from shadowbringers to this... terrible choices.

[@adrammelechthewroth6511]

Agreed. I don't hate Dawntrail. But the game definitely fell off.

[@beckham3533]

no cap shadowbringers had some peak ost

[@IceboyMyName]

"To the edge" shitting all over smile

[@matzck9674]

Bee my Honey and Give It all are from DT and shit over smile.

[@filtermin5308]

@@IceboyMyNamethey need to bring back that singer, hes so good