Chapter 149
Chapter 149
unedited
31st of December, overcast turned cloudy, cloudy turned sunny.
Very auspicious day
14 hours before the New Year
Return Date, you really are daring~
Ninth Lady
s teasing tone sounded as if it came from inside of a cave, and she even intoned the end like a self-made echo effect.
The corners of Qi Jings lips were curling up as he smiled without answering her.
Half an hour earlier, he had just s.n.a.t.c.hed the exclusive rights for the new version of Trap audio drama from
Blackbox
. As for why he had to s.n.a.t.c.h it, it was because not even three minutes after he sent the post with the request for the adaptation rights, it was instantly met with strong opposition from
A Lifetimes Lock
. Even the author herself didnt escape the fire, You have no right to revoke those rights, and even more so to transfer them!! On what basis would you rob our team from the hard-earned fruits of our labour!?
It sounded as if Qi Jing didnt contribute as the main voice actor for the first episode.
It sounded as if it wasnt him that got blatantly robbed by them of his recordings to make that teaser.
This pot was so keen on calling the kettle black, truly, so impressive
Of course,
Blackbox
ignored her completely, and Qi Jing did the same, ignoring even the noisy cries from Great G.o.ds fans in the comments.
No matter if we have the rights or not, we will support our Sparrow in finis.h.i.+ng this audio drama! Locky, you also continue making it! Either way, everyone still loves listening to our Sparrows version more!
Those fans were pretty optimistic, immediately finding another shortcut to get what they wanted.
It didnt matter for them if they had the rights or if there was any infringement, or even what the author thought. After all, none of those things mattered more to them than getting a chance to hear their male G.o.ds voice. And their optimism wasnt completely baseless, since
A Lifetimes Lock
was indeed a powerhouse among the audio drama staff. Her sound design skills were superb, so even outsiders who were repulsed by
Bronze Sparrow Terrace
would still have a tough choice to make between the faithfulness of voice acting or the quality of the sound design.
If Dont ask for my return date performs the same way he did in that run-through with Kittys Papa, then it would be a very good and faithful adaptation, however
However, the overall quality of an audio drama doesnt only depend on the main VAs; what about the side characters that still need to get cast? The post-production? And what about the director, the script-writer, the artist for the poster, and the promotion? As an audio-drama only fan, I really dont know if I should be happy or worried
I heard that its still not officially confirmed if Kittys Papa is the other main voice actor, right? What if
Even among the onlookers, there were opinions that wavered.
But Qi Jing had already antic.i.p.ated those voices the moment he openly requested the adaptation rights, and he knew whom he should seek helpt from.
Requesting the rights didnt necessarily mean he was capable of being the producer. For that role, a seasoned veteran would be more reliable
It was about the time when the
Ninth Lady
from the American time-difference gang often appeared. As expected, he really caught her in the Gradually inching towards quitting the community group as seen as he joinedthough it was hard to tell if it was him who caught her, or her that caught him.
Ninth Lady
: Sigh, I didnt expect you to beat me in doing what I wanted to do, Return Date (facepalms) Who is the one with the producer background here after all
Dont ask for my return date
: Eh? Little Ninth, did you want to request the rights to Trap as well?
Ninth Lady
: (facepalms) Of course.
Ninth Lady
: Do you know that ever since that teaser and run-through got released, Ive been going apes.h.i.+p from rage at one moment, then getting all hyped up with the other one!? I almost ended up going crazy!! I kept poking you to no avail, so I had to keep refres.h.i.+ng Weibo and the forum And you wont believe it, when two hours ago I saw the author revoking the rights, I almost leaped up from my seat!!
Ninth Lady
: My first impulse was to rush in and s.n.a.t.c.h them for myself, so you could have a way to retaliate. But then I realised it wouldnt be enough If I wanted to seek the authors support, I needed to show sincerity. At the very least, I had to a.s.semble a complete production team. Only this would make us look more reliable But the moment I looked away, you had already
Dont ask for my return date
: ^^
Ninth Lady
: (facepalms) Other staff are manageable, but as Ive a.n.a.lysed before, if we want to surpa.s.s the first version, then the post-production needs to be top-notch!! Just thinking about having to find someone like that gives me a headache
b.u.mpy, not Indented
:
Dont ask for my return date
: Ah!
Ninth Lady
:
Ninth Lady
:
Ninth Lady
: Wait, wait, wait Am I hallucinating or
b.u.mpy, not Indented
:
Ninth Lady
: Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! CP!! Are you really my CP?? You actually came back?
b.u.mpy, not Indented
: Do you need me to do the secret signal?
Ninth Lady
: .Do it!!
b.u.mpy, not Indented
: Whose voice is the best?
Ninth Lady
: Of! Course! My! Life! Cores! Lord! Sleek! Horse!
b.u.mpy, not Indented
: Longbows voice is far better than his. (Important things need to be said three times, but those most important are only ever said once)
Ninth Lady
:
Ninth Lady
:
Ninth Lady
: sobs My CP aaaaahhhh!! It really is you aaaahhh!! I was so lonely these days, aaaaagggghhh!!
b.u.mpy, not Indented
: Pft.
b.u.mpy, not Indented
: Just look at you, no prospects at all.
Dont ask for my return date
: Hahahaha~ Its so good youre back~
I finally chased out Little Ha.s.sle with Big Ha.s.sle for a walk, only this way I had time to go online.
What Tu Xiaotuk2014;or Mrs Zhang, as she was also knownk2014;had said made Qi Jing imagine that scene, and he couldnt help but burst into laughter.
Since they had to discuss important matters, the three of them rushed to the chitter-chatter channel to open a room for more convenient talking.
Ill be upfront with you, After catching up with
Ninth
Lady
for a while, Tu Xiaotu calmly cleared her throat and spoke in a formal tone, I have a big and a small one to take care of, and I also have a regular job. Post-production is a rather laborious and time-consuming process, so Ill have to squeeze it into my spare time, and there may be times when I wont be able to find any. So, better dont expect it to be fast
It doesnt matter. To be honest, I was already so surprised and grateful when you agreed to help us with sound design. Qi Jing smiled lightly.
Setting aside the time it would take in the real world, within the online world, the sheer fact of them s.n.a.t.c.hing those rights from a big-name VA and staffs hands made it quite a bit of a hot potato. Not many people would be willing to wade into those muddy waters.
Heh, Tu Xiaotu sneered, If you want to be grateful, then be grateful to those antis of yours instead. Its been a while since I saw a post that made me so angry I threw my mouse.
Me too~ Me too~
Ninth Lady
muttered in the background like a broken record, trying to make her presence felt.
Thank you girls, really. He said.
No matter how many thanks he said, he would probably never be able to express the expanse of his grat.i.tude. But despite that, he still felt compelled to repeat it as many times as it took.
He really was blessed to have met such a loyal bunch of friends that would take a knife for him during his three-year journey as an online voice actor
In their tacit understanding, after joking for a while, they moved on to discuss the important matters.
They had both the producer and the sound-designer, so two of the four core staff were already decided, but the other two were also indispensable.
What do you think about the director and scriptwriter?
Ah about this, can you guys let me take care of it? Qi Jing went ahead and inquired carefully.
12 hours before the New Year
Knives cutting in from four sides
swallowed nervously, trembling as she clicked on the QQ group she had just joined.
The group name was familiarTrap Production Crew. The name was still the same, but there was a whole new set of people inside. She couldnt find the words to describe her feelings at the moment.
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Gaaaah, I didnt think Id be able to go back to directing this audio drama again in this lifetime QAQ
Puppet Show
: Knives Cutting!! Youre also here?! QAQ
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Gaaaaah, Puppet!! QAQ
Dont ask for my return date
: h.e.l.lo ladies. ^^
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Gaaaah, Return Date!! QAQ
Puppet Show
: I didnt think that I would be able to work on a project with Lord Return Date again in this lifetime (Im really about to cry TT)
Dont ask for my return date
: ^^
Ninth Lady
: Hehe, h.e.l.lo ladies~ Im the producer for the new Trap audio drama, Ninth Lady. Though my recent output hasnt been particularly high, but Ive been in this line of work for five years already~ ()
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Ah!! I heard of your ID before!! A seasoned producer!! (stares starry-eyed in wors.h.i.+p)
Puppet Show
: Thats right!! I also heard of you, youre the one who got Return Date into the community!! (stares starry-eyed in wors.h.i.+p+1)
Ninth Lady
: Heehee, Im getting a bit shy ()
b.u.mpy, Not Indented
: h.e.l.lo to the director and scriptwriter ladies. Please, dont get fooled by this womans appearance, shes just a silly voice-con thats ready to simp for nice voices anytime, anywhere. En I will introduce myself to as Im at it, Im the sound designer for the new version of Trap, you can call me b.u.mpy.
Ninth Lady
: Heh, the one above giving me a side-eye is my CP, b.u.mpy. Were both together in the Senior Staff Retirement group~
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Pfft Senior Staff Retirement group
Puppet Show
: Pfffhahahahaha, Senior Staff Retirement group! (It sounds so cuteeee~)
Ninth Lady
: Thats because weve been in this half-retired state for a long time already, we even named our private chat group Gradually inching towards quitting the community. However, before completely leaving, wouldnt it be nice to make a big splash with an amazing piece of work?
b.u.mpy, Not Indented
: ()
Knives cutting in from four sides
: ()
Puppet Show
: () Ab, so, lu, tely! After the author announced the withdrawal of the adaptation rights, I also announced that Im withdrawing my scripts for the second and third episode. I was already a fan of Lord Blackbox even before I started working on this audio drama, so now that they dared to kick the author, Im also completely done with them!
Puppet Show
: Ah, right, speaking of the script
Puppet Show
: Since its the rights for the new adaptation, then Ninth Lady, do you plan to start from the second episode, or
Ninth Lady
: We have a completely new voice cast and a partially new staff team, so I plan to remake the first episode. However, I still havent decided whether I want to completely rewrite the script for the first episode or keep the original one.
b.u.mpy, Not Indented
: Keep the original one.
Dont ask for my return date
: Hmm, lets keep the original one. This way the difference will be even more apparent. Ill do my very best to fully express everything I truly want to convey, so that everyone can hear how different it can be, even with the same lines and scenes.
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Return Date-sama is so awesome!! o(*)
Ninth Lady
: Good!! But if we keep the same script, then b.u.mpy, do you feel that its possible that youll have some overlaps with that Lock or something?
b.u.mpy, Not Indented
: Heh, just as Return Date said, the true skill is in creating a completely different atmosphere even with the same script and scene. Thats where the real contrast and challenge come in. Rest a.s.sured, I will work hard on it and show that Lock or something her place.
Knives cutting in from four sides
: ()/ Sister b.u.mpy is so handsome!! (stares starry-eyed in wors.h.i.+p)
Puppet Show
: ()/ Sister b.u.mpy is so handsome!! (stares starry-eyed in wors.h.i.+p +1)
Ninth Lady
: Why do I feel like Ive seen the conversation above before _(:)_
10 hours before the New Year
After determining the overall direction, the next challenge was to find voice actors, which proved to be even more difficult than recruiting. staff members. This became evident when
A Lifetimes Lock
persisted in declaring her intent to continue the production even without the rights, effectively pressuring all the voice actors involved in the audio drama to choose a side.
The majority of the voice actors in the original Trap were brought on board by the original producer,
Rouge Flower
. She used the attraction of
Bronze Sparrow Terrace
starring as the main character to entice many of his die-hard fans and prominent VAs for the supporting roles. Their cast was impressive, but a significant number of them had a close connection with
Bronze Sparrow Terrace
, and as the currently renowned sound designer in the industry,
A Lifetimes Lock
also shared a good relations.h.i.+p with those people.
Perhaps rather than choosing to risk offending all of them, including
Bronze Sparrow Terrace
s humongous fan base it could be a better choice to risk offending
Dont ask for my return date
or a less well-known author.
Even if they believe that we are in the right, they probably wont publicly take a stance on our behalf Not to mention openly joining our new production team. We also cant approach them either, after all, it would put them in a difficult position regardless of their response.
Ninth Lady
was right.
In other words, they had to find all the VAs for the side characters themselves as well
At that moment, the atmosphere turned heavy among them, neither of them uttering a word. Each of them was deep in thought, pondering a way out of it.
Puppet Show
: And theres quite a lot of side characters in the first episode It wont be easy to find so many readily available VAs on short notice (and yes, available is the crucial factor here. This is the busiest time of the year for those of us that are working, and students are also about to start preparing for their final exams. Were probably have to wait until after the New Year to slowly start approaching people.
Ninth Lady
: Mhmm.
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Lets take our time finding them. Slow and steady yields fine results, right? We can start from PIAing the two main actors.
Knives cutting in from four sides
: By the way, what about Uncle Yan?? Why didnt Uncle Yan join the group yet?? QAQ
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Please, dont tell me that the other main voice actor isnt him!! QAQ
Dont ask for my return date
: Dont worry, its him. He had to go to work today, so hes not here yet. We can discuss the important matters first, it wont be too late for him to join us later.
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Yup, yup.
Knives cutting in from four sides
: Waaaah I had already went emotional about it before, but I cant help but feel incredibly fulfilled as the director for the first audio drama with Uncle Yan as the main character (falls down, contented)
Dont ask for my return date
: ^^
Ninth Lady
: Haha, actually, when it comes to selecting voice actors, Rouge Flower and I had different thoughts When she mentioned an audio drama for Trap to me, I had already read the original novel, and back then, I thought that her choice of Bronze Sparrow Terrace as the lead was a bit peculiar. But, of course, hes the great G.o.d~ Who doesnt like the G.o.d VAs~ And Im also not the producer, so I didnt say anything. Her choices for side characters might not align with mine, so there are advantages to finding them ourselves.
Ninth Lady
: For instance, the VA for the first male supporting character, and I mean the big brother of your character, Return Date. His voice performance was decent, but you guys lacked that genuine brotherly chemistry.
Dont ask for my return date
: Ninth, can you please provide more details? 00
Ninth Lady
: The main issue is the temperament reflected in your voices. Return Date, your voice has a certain elegance to it. Even though you sound a bit like a flirty sc.u.m (pfft), at least it gives off the impression of a well-bred, educated and refined individual. However, for the elder brother that was described as resembling the main character, Rouge Flower actually chose an average-sounding voice with a honest-to-G.o.d salaryman top vibe, he completely didnt have that feel It just doesnt fit the role.
Puppet Show
: Agh! Now that Ninth Lady said so, it really does feel a bit strange!
Ninth Lady
: But, Return Date, voices like yours are already quite rare. To find someone with a similar voice that sounds even more top than you, with a more older and steady big brother vibe itll be hard. (collapses to the ground)
As Qi Jing read this, his eyes trembled slightly, and in that moment, a burst of bright sparks ignited in his mind, illuminating his gaze.
Dont ask for my return date
:
Dont ask for my return date
: I know now.
Ninth Lady
: What do you know?
Dont ask for my return date
: There
is
a person like thisthats right, there is no more suitable guy for it.
Ninth Lady
: Who?
Dont ask for my return date
: Just think of it: what was my previous nickname?
When he said this,
Ninth Lady
was also taken aback,and remained silent for a while.
However, when she finally reacted, she laughed heartily and outright rejected the idea, even repeating her disapproval thrice for the emphasis.
Ninth Lady
: No, no, that person wont do.
Dont ask for my return date
: Why wont he do?
Ninth Lady
: First, you wont be able to contact him; second, even if you manage to do that, he wont take on any new project. Forget about it, forget about it, lets think about someone else~ ()
Ninth Lady
s tone made it easy for one to imagine her wagging her index finger in front of her screen, completely dismissing the possibility.
Qi Jing smiled faintly and simply said, You guys get in YY and go wait for me in chitter-chatter, I will come in a moment, before disappearing.
Everyone could just look at each other in confusion, then follow his instructions and go to the chitter-chatter channel room.
After ten minutes, Qi Jing was finally back.
Apart from him, there was also another person who entered the room, with a single unserious-looking Five as an ID.
This ID is so
tacky
thought
Ninth Lady
.
This ID is so
suspicious
thought
Puppet Show
.
This ID is so
goofythought Knives cutting in from four sides
.
Only Tu Xiaotu merely chuckled upon seeing that ID, idly taking the role of the bystander as she watched the development with a smile.
Despite everyone remaining silent, the owner of the ID seemed to be able to sense the comments barraging through their minds. His grey icon flickered for a moment, transmitting a small chucklea male voice. Aside of that, it was impossible to hear any other details.
So this Five is
My big brother.
The joke Qi Jing made with a grin left the four of them astonished.
Eh? Lord Return Date, do you have a big brother?
Could it be that Lord Return Date brought his real brother here?
Return Date, you actually had a big brother? I thought you just had a big sister and a little brother? Eh?
Ninth Lady
was also in dismay. However, when she heard a voice laden with a smile, her thoughts momentarily snapped like a welded wire
Thats right, big brother. Didnt you guys call him Little Sleek Horse before? The man chuckled softly.
Little Sleek Horse.
Big Sleek Horse
.
So of course, this would make him Qi Jings big brother.
Ninth Lady
felt as if something exploded in hear mind with a
bang
, escaping her head.
L-l-li-li, lif After stuttering on that li for a couple of times, she finally let out a piercing scream that shook everyone to the bone, Li LIFE CORE, AAAAAHHHH!!!
A/N:
The chat style of text is also pretty fun to write En.
Five, you finally got your share of attention En.
PS: It seems like a lot of people misunderstood a bit I wrote at the end of chapter 144 I didnt mean that theyll meet again in Beijing?? _(:3)_ Meeting up in Beijing would be the ideal way, but they would get in contact in other ways Thats right, I actually secretly read through all the comments.
