This project is exactly what it sounds like; It's an audiobook for a novel. To be more specific, the novel is one that I've been writing over the past 3ish years, Killing Game Quarter. It is a murder mystery psychological thriller inspired slightly by games in the genre. The novel includes depictions of death, torture, and all of that stuff, so if you are uncomfortable with those topics, that is understandable. If you want to apply for this project but want to read the novel first to get a better grip on things, feel free to contact me, and I'll send over the link!
The job is listed as no budget, but if this works out, and I am able to share and sell this product well through audiobook websites, all voice actors and talented workers will be paid for their work!
The main character and narrator of Killing Game Quarter, Aka starts as an antisocial and awkward girl, but slowly learns to open up and talk more to the people around her, mainly Poppy Hale, who grows to be her best friend through the course of the novel. Aka is one of the smartest characters in the novel, and uses her thoughts to think through the situation and ask questions to herself about what could be going on, rarely speaking out her theories unless she knows that they could be plausible. Her voice is mostly monotone in her thoughts and the beginning of the novel, however as the story progresses she begins to emote more and more, as she opens up.
Audition lines that have quotes around them are in character speaking, otherwise it is narration. I have both included so that both can be tested out.
"Hey, you said you wanted to talk to me in private...Is something wrong?"
"Look, I get that some of us aren’t making a great case to be allowed to get out of here, but please just let me go and I’ll help you get out of here. My name’s Aka Nishinzu. Initials should be A.N."
“Of course I do. You’ve been with me since the start of all of this.” I replied, running my hands through her hair, “You’re the smartest girl I know, Poppy.”
Poppy is the sidekick to Aka in Killing Game Quarter, acting as her first real friend, and a cheerful supporter throughout the novel. She is an internet comedian, which is to say prime level memelord, so a majority of her lines have some form of reference included, subtle or otherwise. She's also an enormous tease and can take it a bit too far sometimes. She also has some of her own POV sections, so any auditioners should prepare for that. (Speaking lines will be in quotes, anything outside of those will be narration)
“Oi, could ya pipe it down please? I’ve already got a horrible headache as is…”
“Yeaaah, if I wanted to let any of y’all go, I wouldn’t be hopping! Towards! The! Door!”
“How’d they even lock the shackle back up?” I questioned, after writing down the existence of the shackle, “I don’t even know where Ceáser’s key is anymore…”
Ceáser is an abrasive, loud, and violent entrepreneur that finds himself getting the short end of the stick in Killing Game Quarter. He practically only speaks in yells, unless he feels like he is in genuine danger for doing so. This role in the story in terms of speaking is very minor, however his character as a whole jumpstarts all of the events of the novel.
“Who said that?! Turn on these lights and I’ll make you regret messing with me fuckface!”
“H-Hey, what about me?”
“EXCUSE ME?! DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?! I COULD HAVE YOUR LIFE ENDED IN SECONDS IF I WANTED TO, LET ME OUT OF HERE BEFORE I MAKE YOU REGRET IT ASSHOLE!”
Jinju is a stuttering mess of a Paranormal Investigator, who stammers through almost all of his words, and genuinely sounds like what a feather would sound like if it could talk. He can get loud and go on the offensive if he is being targeted negatively, but otherwise he is mostly on the sidelines.
“Uh-Uh my name….Uh my name is Jinju Hatsuda! I’maParanormalInvesigatorNiceToMeetYou!”
“J-Just h-how smart are you? Y-You seem to know a l-lot of big words…”
“Y-y-y-y-you did this, D-d-d-d-didn’t you?!”
Akira starts off as a side character, almost a comic relief over anything. She is a very bombastic girl, without ever sounding too loud, just announcing things like a Sports Commentator. Towards the end of the novel however, she gets her own POV, and becomes much more prominent of a character. Her narration voice should be much quieter, monotone, and remorseful. (Speaking lines are surrounded by quotes, anything else is a narration line)
“O-Oh God! Please don’t steal my kidneys, I have so much to live for!”
“Oh yeah, my name’s Akira! Akira Natsumi, I’m a Sports Commentator, nice to meet you, now please let me out!”
“I…. I did it guys.” I whispered to myself, clutching the photo close to my heart as I wept.
Liam is a very strange person when it comes to speaking. He words things in the most drawn out and dramatic way possible, mainly to make himself sound smarter. He is very intellectual sounding, but can raise his voice and break composure in certain circumstances. He almost sounds British when composed, but mainly as a semi-fake accent to, again, sound smarter.
"No need to ask. My name is Liam Ikana. I am assuming that these talents which are being shared around are not the product of pride, so I would like my key and an explanation on those if you would."
“It does make you wonder though, does it not? Why go through the tremendous effort to give us all of these brilliant dining options?”
“This certainly will be a much different case to handle… However I do believe we should take this slowly and methodically.”
Mia is essentially the main rival of Killing Game Quarter, butting heads with Aka for most of the novel. She is a very condescending person, who speaks coldly and sharply to people she doesn't trust. She is capable of talking normally, when she opens up to someone, but it's a rare occasion. She's also capable of raising her voice, or losing her composure, but also, only on rare occasions.
"My name is Mia Utsugo, Film Critic. What are all of your names?”
“You were all found in groups of three, correct? I’m assuming based on the amount of people that woke up in this room. Don’t you find it strange that there are four keys remaining?”
“Now, while I would love to call for an explanation, you did free all of us, which makes your end goal questionable. So, for the time being, I’ll take the lead for this investigation. You two suspects can just sit back and follow our lead, and if we happen to find anything to convict you of anything, I’ll make sure to get all of the answers out of you both.”
Jambo is a very cold, hard, and secretive man who'd rather suspect everyone rather than opening up to them and trusting, however it is possible. He speaks in an Irish tongue, and speaks very harshly at times to people he doesn't like. However, he does end up becoming at least acquaintances with some of the other cast members.
“Name’s Jambo Adebayo. I don’t got these ‘talent’ things you lot have been talking about, but I know what they are.”
“I doubt this lad’s actually got anything useful up in his brain, dude.”
“What happens if the wankers who brought us here are blocking the exit?”
Joseph is a very lighthearted and caring person, with a gentle and calming, slightly high pitched voice, and an attitude to always try and bring up the mood, regardless of the situation. He almost never raises his voice, and he is very kind to others around him, wanting to protect them, despite any dire circumstances.
“I didn’t mean to be put on the spot like this, but my name’s Joseph Lombardo, I’m a History Teacher.”
“Well, that’s not good, haha…”
“Ohh, I see, that’s pretty clever.”
It's pronounced (Urk - stin, Caw - keys). He's got a weird name. But despite the odd name, Urkstin's a teen with a heart of gold, he talks a bit too loud for his own good, but knows when to quiet down. He also is very trusting of others and is heartbroken if anything were to happen to any of his friends. He sounds like a child but has a pretty impressive intellect for a 16 year old racer.
“Oh, I’ll go first! My name’s Urkstin Cawkheys, I’m a Racer! I’ve got the best last name around, nice to meet you all!”
“Gosh, it’s so nice being able to actually see you now, Risa!”
“Oh yeah! It’s cuz I’m a Racer, and my last name is Cawkheys...like...Car Keys!”
Risa is a very seductive and chill sounding woman, but deep down she's frightened and mentally unstable. On the surface, she speaks with a soothing voice, and acts almost like a mother to some of her closer friends, but when put in a stressful situation, she can and will slowly break down into a mess, which can lead to awful things if left unchecked.
“Thank you kindly for freeing us. My name is Risa Yutamoro. Unlike Urkstin, I don’t have a ‘talent’, as you say. I apologize if that’s disappointing to any of you.”
“I also just enjoy bitter things more than anything else. I couldn’t imagine drinking what you do, hun.”
“Not really… Whenever I sleep, I get these… jumbled messes of memories, that I can’t remember fully. They never fully play out, and I’m never able to fully remember what they are.”
The man behind the Loudspeaker is the main antagonist of Killing Game Quarter. He speaks with a constant condescending and asshole-ish demeanor, while also sounding like someone who wouldn't be able to take you in a fight. He also has a POV section in the story, where his tone is much more relaxed and serious. (Spoken lines are surrounded in quotes, anything else is a narration line).
“To be honest, I was saying all of that to try and sugar coat this, but I guess there’s no point. I can think of a way later. Basically, you are all going to kill each other, one way or another.”
“Attention contestants. It is now morning. You are all now allowed to leave your cells and do what you please.”
My footsteps increased, speed walking towards my destination, before finally putting my hands to the handle, and pushing it open, entering the cafeteria.
“...And that’s a wrap everyone!”
This part is optional for the overall production, but if anyone would like to apply, the job would just be making occasional piece of promotional art for the novel and audiobook, in varying different mediums, depending on what the artists are comfortable with.
Say something you think would fit
Hato is Aka's mother, only heard during flashbacks seen during the course of the Novel. She is a very cheerful, optimistic sounding mother, who sounds like a soccer mom, if a soccer mom was hyperactive and always overjoyed about things.
“Do you feel like you’re ready sweetie?”
“Ahh, this is Mia? Hiii, I’m Aka’s mother, Hato Nishinzu.”
“Tam, give it a rest, I’m pretty sure she has some common sense.”
Tamashi is Aka's father, only heard in flashbacks throughout the course of the novel. He is a pretty chilled out sounding dad, only sounding and being overprotective when discussing his daughter's future, in which he can sound a bit overbearing. Otherwise, he sounds laid back and jokey, never sounding too serious in casual conversations.
“Hato, you’ve asked her three times now, give it a rest. Aka’s stressed enough as it is. You don’t need to pry at her more.”
“-And don’t forget, if you feel sick, always look for the nearest place to throw up. Oh! And if a stranger comes up to you and asks to date, say no! You don't know them, and they don't know you!"
“Hato, I am trying to prepare our child for the outside world. Don't come crying to me when she gets mauled by a sea porcupine.”
Eri is a nerdy but sophisticated sounding girl, always sounding like she means business, but with a twinge of shyness, smugness, and apprehension in her voice. The voice itself is decently deep, but never lacking in emotion or expressiveness. Her role is KGQ is a minor one in terms of speaking, but her significance in the novel itself is pretty big.
"Yes Boss, the ship is right on the course we need it to go. I started it up again after you announced the end of the game."
“You told me not to call you that, but I can’t think of anything else to call you. Plus, why does that name weird you out so much?”
“Yes, it’ll be enough for as many trips as you need. Just try and make sure you don’t do something stupid and get found out."
Ethan is a small part of the extras cast in KGQ, and only shows up towards the end of the novel, however he is still a pretty big part of the story. He's a really laid back sounding guy, almost on the quiet side, however capable of speaking up when in a group of extroverts. He has a semi-deep voice, and his tone is more on the monotone and jokey side, with a hint of apprehension, like he doesn't want to do the things that he does.
“Dude you just wanted her to win so you’d win the bet.”
“What's with those guys. They don’t really talk much, do they?”
"Do you ever wonder what would happen to us if we just...didn't do what we were told?"
Amber is the smuggest of smugness imaginable. Her tone is almost always smug, unless she is asking for orders from higher ups. She always acts as though she is better than most people, and will constantly talk down to people who aren't signing her paychecks. Her role in KGQ is small in terms of speaking, but her role in universe is pretty significant.
“You gotta give him props for coming up with the brazen bull idea though, that stuff’s pretty smart.”
“Don’t worry, we got all of that covered. We had extra time to do so anyways, since that trial was so damn long compared to the others.”
“Will do, you want me to start that now, or is there more bitch work you need from me?”
