Full disclosure: I've never done a Storybook before and I've also never participated in a YWS RP, so I have no clue what I'm doing, and something like this has probably been attempted on here before. (But even if it has, there's always room for another, right?) Anyway, here's the pitch:
It’s a Hamilton/Six-style retelling of a historical era or specific event, wherein each participant claims one or more historical figure(s) to write from the perspective of. But, like those aforementioned musicals, this story would take some creative liberties. Namely, we would use modern—not period-appropriate—language. (I mean, you could use some old-timey sayings here and there, but the vast majority of dialogue and writing would be in a contemporary voice.) Additionally, while we’d be following the actual biographies of our characters somewhat closely, certain things could be changed—for example, it could be a racebent or genderbent version of a historical figure, and unfounded rumors about your character(s) could be included as canon (in other words: you’d be inspired by the facts of their lives, but you wouldn't have to stick to only the precise and proven truth). Also: while most of the story would be told through the perspective of actual (if fictionalized versions of) real-life people, some additional, new characters could be created and added to the narrative, particularly if you want to write from the perspective of a marginalized person whose name and story might not have been properly documented/preserved.
I’ve been tossing around historical eras and events for the setting, and I really like the idea of centering it on the French Revolution (credit where it’s due: we RP’ed as various French Revolution historical figures in a college class I took, and it was SO MUCH FUN), or perhaps Italy during the Italian Renaissance. I’m open to other ideas though! Maybe the Salem Witch Trials? There are tons of options.
Would anyone be into this? Before you answer, keep in mind that you don't need to be an expert on history in order to participate—at a minimum, you'd only really need to look up the person you're portraying and get a sense of their life, and (though I wouldn't recommend it) you could just read their Wikipedia page for that. This is not about rigorous historical accuracy (hence the modern language), it's more about embodying the idea and spirit of historical figures.
Gender:
Points: 17243
Reviews: 328