East Asian Historical Fantasy rp | Halp!

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Hello and welcome to my INTEREST & Help thread. I am currently interested in working on an East Asian historical fantasy rp, however, I'm stuck on a few things and would like to ask for some help from the iwaku community. Not only that, this will help me gauge just about how many people would actually be interested in this.

Mind you, I have no set date on when I want to get this rp out (if it gets out), and this is a loose planning thread.

Below will be topics I would like to discuss for this rp.

East Asia & The World


By definition, East Asia majorly consists of China, Korea, and Japan. All of these countries are interconnected in one way or another, which makes putting their timelines together relatively easy. Each of them has an origin story, a warring states period, and a unification period. They all share similar themes regarding historical civilizations, even with their dramatically unique differences.

So my first question is whether I should actually set the roleplay in a historical parallel (events may fall in line with actual history, may include actual places and real famous people's names, but of course splash in fantasy to make it that much more interesting) or should I made it a fantasy world equivalent?

Benefits of having a historical parallel:
1. The world and it's boundaries are already defined. Cities and villages already have their names. Landmarks and rivers have their names. All locations are accounted for, and it would simply be up to the players to create characters that could fit into the time period.
2. Historical accuracy would be possible, but it would also be able to bend reality enough to make it more appealing within fantasy.
3. Easier to realize character backgrounds. The roleplay may end up being in one of the three countries, but that doesn't mean characters have to originate from that place. Having established real locations from history will allow players to get a better understanding of how their origins may differ from someone else's. It provides that character contrast that is rich to play around with.​

Cons of having a historical parallel:
1. It's possible to get caught up too much in historical accuracies, which could bog down creativity.
2. The idea that it might be a little too realistic is plausible. It is, after all, supposed to be fantasy. Though it is possible to draw in fantasy however one may want to, sometimes it may feel a little too restricting for people.
3. Major locations and civilizations are established. This may be a turn-off for some people. They want their character a certain way, but they may not really fit into any of the regions. Though, I do see this point defeating the purpose of having a historical fantasy.​

Benefits of having a fantasy world:
1. More free roam. We have the ability to shape the world as we see fit, and thus giving us more freedom where we need it.
2. By having a fantasy world, we could potentially blend all three countries into one, creating a sort of "pick-and-choose-hotpot" kind of deal. We take certain aspects of one culture and then toss out the ones we don't want.​

Cons of having a fantasy world:
1. World Building would be a huge part of the roleplay, and could possibly make users lose steam. Too much world building may clog what really needs to happen.
2. The idea of being a historical fantasy may be lost. Though, genres like wuxia in film can get away with not being clear on the setting, it may not be the best thing for a roleplay. Genres like wuxia have a general implied sense of the time period, where here, we may not have sone since we are creating an entire world.​

Premise


What should the main premise of the roleplay be?

I was thinking it could go a few ways. I suppose this depends on what the setting is, honestly. But from what I can think of, here are some possibilities:

1. Sandbox world - meaning, there is no linear plotline, and characters can go about living their life. Of course with individual stories to follow.

2. Questing - the characters from different backgrounds somehow all come together for one reason or another, and must travel together to complete a dangerous and magical quest.

3. Political Romance - in other words, some kind of arranged marriage shenanigans. I'm not the biggest on romance rps, but the genre is something that almost always involves it. This arranged marriage between nobles from different areas could go beyond just the court life. Who knows what might actually happen with this.​

Feel free to toss in your own ideas. These aren't set in stone. These are just what fluttered into my head.

Character Cap & RP Mechanics


Like I said before, I don't have a set date as to when I want to work on this or get it out. School and work and holidays makes times very restraining right now. So I suppose I'm looking for people who may be dedicated on working on this with me.

So that brings me to the question of, how many characters should be accepted? When I say characters, I am speaking in regards to a player:character 1:1 ratio. More characters from the same players are always welcomed in my book, so long as they're not all important roles.

In that same regards, should the character pictures be real pictures or drawn/illustrated/anime pictures? I personally generally go with drawn/illustrated/anime pictures, only because I feel most comfortable with them. However, I will bend and go with the majority vote on this.

What should posting lengths be? I usually write however much I feel, but I would like to at least come up with a common ground for all people that are interested.



So there you have it. My vague idea. I would LOVE for there to be discussion, even if you may not be interested in joining. Any kind of ideas to get this into a fuller form would be much appreciated. <3
 
Because you guys were interested in something similar in my discussion thread~

@Isla @Catch A Flame @Nemopedia
 
We'd be discussing only in this thread, correct?
 
Oh, I was just wondering because I thought about Discord. I don't really mind thread or PM, but I'd prefer thread since it's easier for me to keep track of. Do we have a starting point for this discussion, like a list of what we need to discuss, or do you want us to hop right into it? From the looks of it, it seems like there's a lot to cover.
 
Discord is fine too, I just tend to float in and out a bit more than through threads. But that's not usually a problem when I'm engaged in convo. xD We can hop on discord if you want.

As of right now, I've kind of bolded some of the major questions I would like to discuss. I think from there, the ideas would flow easier. But definitely, the biggest issue I have is to make it a historical fantasy parallel or a completely different fantasy world.
 
Discord has been my holy ground for discussing these sorts of things. Those channels are a lifesaver for organization. We should at least set something up there, even though it's one in the morning over here lol. You want to make it or should I?
 
Discord has been my holy ground for discussing these sorts of things. Those channels are a lifesaver for organization. We should at least set something up there, even though it's one in the morning over here lol. You want to make it or should I?

omg I'm sorry, BDO character templates have consumed my attention span. ;;A:;
If you make it, I'll be happy to join <3;;
 
omg I'm sorry, BDO character templates have consumed my attention span. ;;A:;
If you make it, I'll be happy to join <3;;
Discord

Didn't know what you wanted to call the group so i called it something generic~
 
I wouldn't be able to reject the idea of an Asian historical rp even if I wanted to. How mean!

Clicked the Discord chat link~

Anyway, to answer your questions:

- I like the idea of a historical parallel. You can base it off myths/legends/sagas that are famous in Asian history, or novels set in that time.

For example; the novel Bu Bu Jing Xin, also known as Scarlet Heart, that has been adapted in a C-drama and recently a K-drama. Nirvana in Fire, which is also a very popular novel adapted into a C-drama. The Dragon Heroes is an example of an epic fantasy drama in which people could turn into dragons. The Legend of Sword and Fairy is another example of an epic fantasy set in historical times. Most of them are all set in a dynasty that really did exist, albeit not always mentioned, or only vaguely so, but maintaining most of the places that we know.​
That way you don't have to focus on the world itself that much and can just focus on the fantasy element of the story, which is big enough as it is if you look at the amount of myths and legends Asian histories have.​
Though, I'm not entirely against the Fantasy world. However, like you mentioned it might become too big. You can also opt for it to take a fantasy world that is already existing. For example; the heavenly imperial palace. It isn't a real place, but there are so many stories and legends going about that you at least have a vague idea of what it held.Think of; the peach garden with the peaches of Immortality mentioned in the epic novel Journey to the West (though this is also set in a parallel history as it was set in the Sui dynasty). The manhwa: Bride of the Water God is another example of a story set in a fantasy world of gods that mentions places like: The Moon palace, the Water country, etc...​

- For the premise I prefer a combination of the last two options. Questing and political romance. I'm not big on sandbox role plays, mainly because they tend to lose the attention of players after a short while because there is no real goal to achieve. The latter two can be combined, somewhat. The story can start outside of the court, for example and then be taken inside after a while where the political marriages and all start. The k-drama Empress Ki is an example of that, though not really fantasy-like and it focused more on romance and the likes. The earlier mentioned drama The Dragon Heroes has also a sliver of the components, and then there is Princess Pearl (Huang Zhu Ge Ge) that sets within the courts, but also had many adventures outside of it. (or at least, all I remember are the adventures outside...)

- As for the rest of your questions:

I like the thought of an 1:1 ratio to start off with. You can always allow us to have more characters after it starts and the plot stabilises. That way no one is making a gazillion characters with all major roles and bail out and leave the RP to die. Seen that happen, forever holding a grudge.​
I prefer drawn pictures. Especially if it is going to be set in history and not to mention East-Asia, there is a lot of pretty art to find for that. I don't like the thought of having to stare at a heavily modernly make-up'ed face, like matte bold lips and smokey eyes. Ruins the mood of a historical rp for me.​
As for post length. I generally like to write several paragraphs, my preference for partners is that they usually can write at least a paragraph or two, but I focus more on language and content than the length. As long as it moves forward the plot and I can understand it. Except when it is a single line, or two, or three. That ticks me off, give me real paragraphs to work with.​

Welp, that got long... Enjoy! :D
 
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Crap, instant invite expired. I had to sleep x__x;;

And I just woke up. ;;A;;
 
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Ayyyy so y'all hear me out

I'm unbelievably interested, Three Kingdoms China and Sengoku Japan are some of my favorite historical subjects due to politics, outside interests, drama, et cetera. This fascination stems from the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors video game serie by
Koei Tecmo, and after vast scouring of the in-game encyclopedia, I branched out to actively research the eras on the internet through more credible sources. As such, I think I could prove a useful part of the plotting, as I do have a vast knowledge of both Asian-style fantasy and Asian Feudal History.

If you want my take on whether we should go through fantasy or history, I'm pulling for fantasy, but would still be elated to partake in historical. While my knowledge of Korean history and myth is limited, I can help incorporate a parallel Three Kingdoms China and Sengoku Japan into the fantasy idea, meaning we can have Oda Nobunaga fighting Cao Cao. And I think that's awesome. Of course, I wouldn't be opposed to being historical, as I still know plenty about the periods, so if we choose to go with China or Japan (My specialty is China, but I could help with both), I can also help set the stage for our historical parallel.

I prefer high-quality illustration myself. I don't have any fantasy-themed photos in my vast stash of pics, but I do have a number of Asian-style fantasy illustrations.

I like the idea of a sandbox that takes place in a time of war - things are going on aside from the characters, or the characters could even join a primary force, which could lead to PvP!
 
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@VerbalAbuse Join us on Discord and express your opinions there, if you can! :)
 
I assume you're going for a ... edo style here? Just comparing in accordance to your name choice, signature, avatar choice as well.
 
So far we have established that the time period will be around Song/Goryeo/Heian period. Dates are around 910-1100 CE. I'd like to say it would be around 1000 CE.

During this time:
Song China's court life includes high advancement in scholarly life, the literati class, and schools of armature panting. The examinations were a very prominent thing as well. Northern and Southern Song are competing against one another on various levels.

Goryeo Korea is a high point in court life. Celadon pottery and Buddhist texts were very important to this time. Also at this point, Korea had been a tributary state to "big brother China" and so trade not only flourished, but were heavily desired by both China and Japan.

Heian Japan was also a high point in court life. The first novel, written by a court lady by the name of Murasaki Shikibu became an all time classic (anyone ever heard of Tales of Genji?). This was a time of relative peace, and so the most of the quarrels were really only with other socialites that wore an ugly colored 5th layer kimono of their 12 layers. Other than that, Buddhism was flourishing, writing became a really big thing, and standards of living (for the aristocrats) were good. There were, however, guards, which would later become your first generation samurai.

Possible RP premise:
Opening Setting: Goryeo, Korea
Reason: Because Goryeo is a tributary state to the Song, they have been rewarded with a distant kinship bond. Every few years, as the Koreans give tributary to the Song, the Song will provide a distant brother/sister/cousin/family member of the Imperial ruler to marry into the Goryeo Imperial family. This is a symbolism of their bond. Currently, Goryeo already has a couple generations of Chinese brides/grooms, and are about to get another-- some of which are probably children so they could be raised in a Korean court. The Emperor of Heian Japan also sees need to create a bond with Goryeo Korea, and so makes a similar deal, which in all reality, is probably more of a punishment to the Imperial relatives of the Japanese rulers rather than a reward. However, they are keeping their otherwise limited trade with Korea afloat with the marriage trust.

Yes, this is gonna start out as an arranged marriage. But don't worry, it won't be like that the entire time.

Shit will hit the fan, disrupting Goryeo court life, and ends up throwing the nobles out into the fast Korean front. Who knows, maybe it's war. Maybe it's some magical force. We'll discuss this more in detail once we get it down.

The start of the roleplay WILL be in the Goryeo court, getting the characters to know one another. Loves, friendships, rivalries, and many more bonds may occur. But as time goes on, and characters start to settle in their place (or not, oh you little rebellious youth~), things will start to happen, and their entire world will be flipped upside down.

Now remember, this is still fantasy. So we'll be sure to add a lot of fantasy elements.



@VerbalAbuse omfg I love Sengoku period with a passion. Samurai are my thing <3
Unfortunately, this rp is gonna be a little way before the sengoku period. It's also a bit after the time period in Three Kingdoms. HOWEVER, that's not to say we can't take elements from each~

@Kōsaki not this time, actually. Later on I'd love to actually make a roleplay set in Edo period, as well as one set in Sengoku period. But Edo is actually a little bit too modern for what we're going for here. xD
 
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@Kōsaki not this time, actually. Later on I'd love to actually make a roleplay set in Edo period, as well as one set in Sengoku period. But Edo is actually a little bit too modern for what we're going for here. xD
I see, 910-1000 date period. So i could assume in the roleplay we'd see the plan of Edo being established if i'm correct? But not actually executed i'd presume, 600 years ahead of the original date seems sort of far fetched, although i'd love to see a roleplay made this year finally lasting that long. lol
 
I see, 910-1000 date period. So i could assume in the roleplay we'd see the plan of Edo being established if i'm correct? But not actually executed i'd presume, 600 years ahead of the original date seems sort of far fetched, although i'd love to see a roleplay made this year finally lasting that long. lol

That... is a very huge leap ahead in time. xD
I wouldn't say assume would be the best of words, only because I've rarely seen a roleplay ever complete. It's very sad, really. ;;A;;
But I think it would be amazing if somehow we could end up playing the generations of characters down until Edo period. If not, I will at some point make my own Sengoku rp and Edo rp.
 
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....I think I misunderstood the question. .______.
 
Aww, but the feudal eras are so much more fun! Oh well, there's nothing for it, I'm still interested in participating.
 
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