The Xpider Project - Earth-1617 - Comic VAs Needed

Gender (of character): Female (she/her/hers)

Accent: None-Slight

Age: Mid-20s

Role in Story: Primary protagonist; a bit of an anti-hero, but a hero nonetheless

Voice: Hyperfeminine, breathy, sassy, angelic, emotional, high-mid pitch

Character Description: Aether Angel (AYY-thur AN-jel) is a pretty, rich, and soft-spoken girl. She is the main protagonist. She lives a relatively quiet life. She's all too kind, this perfect doll of what she's societally allowed to be. In equal measure, she allows herself to be emotional and softer on herself. When she was bitten by a radioactive spider experiment in her early 20s, however, after a college party she did not want to go to, her life changed for good.

Ever since then, she’s been Xpider, (zz-PY-durr) the black-suited, badass spider-hero of New York. With an enhanced skeleton, glowing webbing and a whole suite of powers, she uses vigilanteism to ventilate her anger, diva energy and passion; all while maintaining the angelic persona as a civilian. 

Personality: She has two sides when she's masked and unmasked; the devil and the angel, respectively.

When she's the "angel" unmasked, she's rather spineless and soft-spoken, building her frustration in quiet, angry compliance with her city's status quo. When she's the "devil" masked, she takes her freedom by the horns and goes wild — especially after she goes fully independent, she takes it upon herself to exert her full wrath on those who've wronged her and made her city hellish. Her personality is explosive, ruder, and snarkier. Though she works more than anything to protect her city, she is painted in a bad light by corporations who control news cycles and public perception, making her out to be a dangerous vigilante and masked menace rather than the hero she is.

VA Description/Voice Direction: 

• As per her personality, needs to switch effortlessly and smoothly from sassy IT-girl to breathy, pretty, angelic cadence. 

• Generally super super hyperfeminine. 

  • Keep in mind that there’s a difference between feminine and flirty voices.

  • Also avoid stereotypical/caricature/”anime” dramatic voices.

• Would prefer accent-less, but all accents and origins are welcome

• She is the main character and namesake—she will have a lot of lines.

  • I planned on voicing her myself, but since I’m not the “perfect” VA I imagine for her, I wanted to open this up for auditions.

  • For this reason, the selection process is picky. Looking for experience, range, and fit. This role is also the most likely to become paid.

    • She also has five audition lines rather than the typical four.

• Since she works in science, expect to navigate scientific language.

• NOTE: Since you will be having flirtatious/suggestive interactions with another character (Flash Thompson), your age will be disclosed to his voice actor. You will also be informed of your costar’s age prior to any recording. 

  • This is to ensure a comfortable and safe experience for everybody involved. If there are any difficulties, please let us know immediately. 

  • If you are found to have fabricated your age in any capacity, you will be dismissed from the team immediately.

Voice References: 

• Emma Roberts - Scream Queens - Chanel Oberlin

  • Aether’s official voice claim.

• Kirsten Wiig - The Looney Tunes Show - Lola Bunny

• Myself - BRIGHTER BONES (STAY ON) by TGComps ft. VXPIDER

  • I (vxpider) was able to voice and sing for Aether in this track—give it a listen!

[NEUTRAL] Aether as a narrator, explaining her daily schedule to the viewer. 

Intended to show her laidback, personable side, and the “limbo” between her civilian and vigilante sides.

“After I freshen up? Straight to the lab. C. elegans and their delicate little lifespans wait for nobody.” (Pause; Aether peering out the window to see a flash of wings.) “Unfortunately… neither does Nighthawk.”

 [C. elegans → SEE-EL-eh-gehns]

DIRECTION

[SAD, PASSIONATE] Aether Angel, civilian, venting about her helicopter parents to her lab partner, Gwen Stacy.

Intended to show the depth of her emotion and her “soft” persona cracking.

LINE

“I don’t think they knew that their ‘protection’ just made things worse. Like… I couldn’t even live, Gwen. They never listened to what I said. Because I—I never sounded like I meant it!”

DIRECTION

[STRESSED] Aether Angel, as a civilian and researcher in the lab, on a phone call with her boss Dr. Otto Octavious. 

A little nervous and skittish, a little exasperated and exhausted.

Intended to show her daily struggle and lack of assertiveness.

LINE

“I’m sorry, but didn’t you say the supernatant was entirely waste product…? No, no, I see that, Doc, but on the protocol it literally says right here, ‘discard the’—no? Outdated...? Alright, I guess I’ll start from the top, then…”

[supernatant → SOO-purr-NAY-tnt]

DIRECTION

[HAUGHTY, AMUSED] Xpider, the vigilante, after being threatened OR having a gun pulled on her (pick ONE). 

180 on the voice direction here; this girl is a diva. Laidback, confident, controlled.

Intended to show her duality and her absolute sass factor.

LINE

“Wowww. Real classy! Y’know, it’s not every day I get to beat up boneheads like you. Well… it’s most days.”

OR (pick one)

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Relax, big guy. Drop the toy. Listen, if I wanted you dead, we wouldn’t be talking.”

DIRECTION

[FRUSRATED, SASSY] Xpider, the vigilante, after seeing an infuriating propaganda ad for a smear campaign against her. Still in complete diva mode.

LINE

“Oh, COME ON! Seriously? These big, flashy, obnoxious billboards are always complete bullshit. Couldn’t even get the hair right...”

Gender (of character): Female (she/her/hers)

Accent: Any

Age: Mid-20s

Role in Story: Antagonist/Deuteragonist

Voice: Feminine, intellectual, slight rasp, monotonous, composed, any pitch 

Character Description: Gwen Stacy (g-WEHN STAY-see), in Aether’s world, is a young, ambitious scientist who has been friends with Aether ever since they were in the same high school. As the daughter of the police captain, she loves her city and thinks of it very highly. Today, Gwen and Aether work in the same lab. She is the golden intern of their boss, Dr. Octavius, and works diligently in the lab. She’s Aether’s close friend, and her shoulder to cry on, but sometimes Gwen’s competitive, perfectionist nature gets the best of her and she can (unintentionally) be a bit mean-spirited.

Things take a turn for the worse when Gwen’s father dies in action after vigilante Xpider failed to stop a vicious Nighthawk rampage, one of New York’s most deadly villains. Dead set on revenge, Gwen takes on one of Dr. Octavius’s old projects; the smart arms, which she refurbishes and connects to panels embedded in her back. These rapidly deteriorate her mental state and spiral her deeper into aggression—but now, she’s dedicated to ruining Xpider’s life for good. Meanwhile, she still maintains her close friendship with Aether, completely unaware that her best friend and worst enemy are one in the same.

Personality: Gwen is brilliant and she knows it. She’s had perfect grades all her life, excels in all her classes, and has always been the best of the best wherever she’s been. This is embedded deeply in her mindset—anyone who does better than her or even remotely on her level is a threat, and she has condescending, competitive tendencies. However, she isn’t quite a bad person; she’s just caught up in her own expectations. She doesn’t permit herself vulnerability like sadness—she’s always, always focused, or channels her emotions in raw anger.

VA Description/Voice Direction: 

• Monotone and droning as Gwen—she’s the focused, know-it-all coworker. 

• There isn’t a particular vision for her voice, so please feel free to be unique and creative! As long as your delivery is spot-on, any voice, accent, and pitch is welcome. (The VRs are only a jumping-off point.)

• Since she works in science, expect to navigate scientific language.

• Expect to be loud! Shouting, outbursts, and short-tempered lines are very common for Lady Octopus. Even as Gwen, she can have an attitude.

Voice References: 

• Merritt Wever - Unbelievable - Detective Karen Duvall (TW: mention of r*pe)

• Hayden Panettiere - Scream VI - Kirby Reed

Gender (of character): Male (he/him/his)

Accent: Southern/Military

Age: Late-20s

Role in Story: Deuteragonist/Anti-Hero

Voice: Masculine, drawling, roguish, confident, authoritative, mid-low pitch 

Character Description: Prowl-Cat, a combination of Prowler and Black Cat, has all the fashionable swagger of the former and all the sleek flirtatiousness of the latter. He’s the leader of the Wildcats, a biker gang that rules along the border between uptown and downtown, knee-deep in the worlds of street-fighting and street-racing.

From even his earliest days, Flash Thompson was stronger and bulkier than most, fitting for his tenure as the star football captain in high school. The majority of his twenties were spent in the military overseas; for this reason, he’s very much entangled in army lingo and culture. Now that he’s back in his stomping grounds, he’s cockier than ever. 

His biker gang aren’t entirely criminals; despite their entrenchment in illegal activities, they aren’t directly malicious. This is in contrast to the Wildcats from a decade prior, which were very much criminal and led by Johnny Blaze; he was later exiled from the gang due to his associations with the occult. It was Flash who put the gang through reform, inspired by the uprising of heroes in New York. He also has medical experience and can patch up anyone and anything, so he functionally plays the doctor in his group.

Xpider, the new vigilante on the streets, has caught his eye. Her tenacity and audacity are admirable, and he likes that she takes zero bullshit. He’s down to help her navigate the streets… and maybe push her buttons while he’s at it.

Personality: Flash’s grueling history with the army is where his authoritative side comes from. He’s very commanding with his groupies and keeps things meticulously organized. At a default, he’s very relaxed, laidback, and easygoing—he’ll play his teasing games even in the worst of situations. When Prowl-Cat shows up in the story, he tends to materialize out of the shadows. He’s incredibly cocky and confident and will push himself to his limits. However, when something irritates him, he’s furious. His temperament is fiery and he has tendencies to lash out, verbally and physically, at his foes. Note: unlike the other “masked” characters, Flash doesn’t have an alter ego.

VA Description/Voice Direction: 

• Deeply masculine, but teasing and flirty, generally easy and drawling.

• Swears loosely and often. Avoid sounding like a parody.

• Should be able to convey an authoritative tone when needed, since he’s the leader of his gang. Stern, snappy, shouted commands when he makes them.

• Preferably a Southern twang (but not too strong)—think lifelong army man. The voice references are a great starting point for this.

• If you don’t want to do the accent, but think you’d still give a good performance even without it, please apply with whatever voice you’d like! A unique take is always a good take. (But accent is always preferred…)

• Note: the written lines (mostly) don’t include the accent. Direct reading not encouraged.

• NOTE: Since you will be having flirtatious/suggestive interactions with another character (Aether Angel), your age will be disclosed to her voice actor. You will also be informed of your costar’s age prior to any recording. 

• This is to ensure a comfortable and safe experience for everybody involved. If there are any difficulties, please let us know immediately. 

• If you are found to have fabricated your age in any capacity, you will be dismissed from the team immediately.

Voice References: 

• Stephen Lang - Avatar: The Way of Water - Miles Quaritch

• Josh Holloway - Lost - James “Sawyer” Ford

Gender (of character): Male (he/him/his)

Accent: Any

Age: 40s-50s range

Role in Story: Supporting

Voice: Masculine, strict, experienced, wise, no-nonsense, low-pitch 

Character Description: In this world, Otto Octavius (AWE-toh awk-TAY-vee-us) is kind of just a guy. In specific, he’s a college professor, and he runs the campus lab both Gwen and Aether work in. He’s inventive and intelligent, and he has many projects he sustains funding for, and he has a very paternal relationship with his interns. Of course, as lab director, he’s very particular about what goes on in and out of the lab. 

Personality: At first, his severe methods of running the lab may seem intimidating. However, past his hardened exterior, he’s down-to-earth and passionate about what he does. He’s a know-it-all and tends to ramble when he’s on about scientific topics.

VA Description/Voice Direction: 

• Honestly, as long as you nail the wiseness and the paternal factor, just about anyone is welcome. There are many ways to take this role.

• Since he works in science, expect to navigate scientific language.

• CAREFUL: When submitting your audition for him, be sure to use the “DOC” abbreviation and not “OCK”. The latter is for Gwen.

Voice References: 

• Nothing in particular. Go ham.

Gender (of character): Male (he/him/his)

Accent: Any

Age: Early-30s

Role in Story: Antagonist (Supporting)

Voice: Masculine, eerie, manipulative, sinister, mid-low pitch 

Character Description: Harry Osborne (ha-REE OZ-bourn) is the current face of dominant corporation Alchemax. New York, in its current state, is almost entirely backed and influenced by the powerful company—Alchemax has and continues to severely pollute the city with their actions, serving as the main “big bad”. Of course, Alchemax didn’t singlehandedly cause a planetary pollution crisis, but the irresponsibility of world leaders to take action as a product of Alchemax’s hold was. They favored furthering research and funded environmentally damaging projects without considering the long-term effects. Alchemax’s experiments also run rampant and are majorly performed under the radar, usually in violation of many human rights, causing many mutated individuals to roam the streets after non-consensual experimentation. The political climate in NY is in shambles due to this. Corruption runs rampant. 

Harry himself is the face of the entire operation. It’s his face and his voice on every billboard, every advertisement, everywhere. His actual position is the brand ambassador. Both his parents were some of the most revered scientists in Alchemax, who have both gone mysteriously missing (spoiler: one is Nighthawk, one is Ink Goblin). Harry also leads in client management and sponsorships, which is where he interacts with Aether. With his pretty face and million dollar smile, he’s made himself Alchemax’s golden boy.

Personality: What his real personality is? Nobody really knows. He’s too busy smiling with too many teeth in front of cameras and narrating endlessly about the support Alchemax gives the city. To be truthful, this probably means he’s very hard to trigger. He has a silver tongue that usually captivates people to sway in favor of Alchemax and the company. But truly, he’s cold and heartless—he has made little effort to save his parents from their symbiotic peril, mostly due to how coldly they treated him as a child; especially when he refused a STEM-oriented career. They only truly grew to respect him when he first secured his career. 

VA Description/Voice Direction: 

• Balancing charisma and creepy is crucial in this role. He’s camera-trained and knows very well what he’s doing, but almost every working-class citizen is  unsettled by him with knowledge of Alchemax’s doings.

• Note: he is not flirtatious nor is he emotional.

• Any accent is welcome for this role—I think it would be especially interesting for his issues to stem from cultural expectations. Be creative!

• I’m sure we’ve all been acquainted with “smiling face of EVIL company!!!!” tropes in recent times; for this reason, I specifically ask that you try avoiding caricature-like voices that have been common with characters like these lately.

Voice References: 

• Gustavo Fring - Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul - Giancarlo Esposito

• Cheerful/Advertisement vs. General Interaction

Although I am an artist and writer who has collaborated and worked extensively with fellow creators, working with voice actors in a professional capacity is something I'm rather new to and would love an extra pair of experienced eyes on. 

By taking this role, you should expect:

• Virtual one-on-ones with me, looking over lines and voice direction
• Handling scheduling and settling realistic expectations with our VAs
• Discussion with voice actors regarding the creative vision, utilizing technical terms familiar to the VA field
• Overall secondary supervision and experience on the VA side of work
• Essentially; liaison between myself and the VAs