Modern Shakespeare

[Phloem]

Okay, so like, I have no idea where I’m actually going with this, but hear me out.

Basically, this is just gonna be an RP with characters from the works of William Shakespeare. BUT, instead of it taking place in ye olden days, it’ll be a modern setting. Maybe a small-ish town on the outskirts of London? I don’t know, there’ll probably be some major story arc to keep the roleplay going and the characters connected, but that’s the gist of it. It’ll mostly be a slice-of-life kinda deal partnered with all the tragedy and melodrama of the original stories, given a modern twist. Any character from any of Shakespeare’s plays are up for grabs: from Benvolio to Hamlet, Cordelia to Titania, Viola to Iago, you name it! How all these different characters will react to each other is up to you, and since this is a Modern AU, some liberties can probably be taken with the characterisation-slash-plotlines.

(Not gonna lie, this is kinda inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. And like, a thousand other modern adaptations of Shakespeare, I guess.)

So yeah, this idea is still pretty bare-bones right now, but to anyone interested, creative input would be much appreciated, just drop me a message down below and we can develop this some more, maybe?

[RomanAria]

I'm very interested. This looks intriguing.

[ArenaSnow]

Nothing like a Capulet in modern day italian mafia.

[Phloem]

Nice to see people interested. Did you guys happen to have any ideas on how this might be fleshed out? :D

[pomme de terre]

I am so down for this. Count me in.

EDIT
re: plot - we'd need something to bind our characters together. high school? popular drama competition? a small-town tragedy?

[Phloem]

I am so down for this. Count me in.

EDIT
re: plot - we'd need something to bind our characters together. high school? popular drama competition? a small-town tragedy?

@pomme de terre

The third option sounds really good, actually. Maybe something stemming from the Montague/Capulet conflict? Mercutio's death by Tybalt's hand, perhaps? That is, unless someone wants to play Mercutio, then we can probably come up with something else. I guess the only modern day equivalent that'd allow for gratuitous amounts of murder would be if they were two opposing mafia families like @ArenaSnow said.

[ArenaSnow]

I'm actually reading some Shakespeare right now on the Romeo and Juliet end, so if ya require a Mercutio...

[Phloem]

I'm actually reading some Shakespeare right now on the Romeo and Juliet end, so if ya require a Mercutio...

@ArenaSnow

He's all yours. :)

Anywho, I'll whip up a character skeleton once I get back from work tomorrow, and maybe an OOC if there's a couple more people interested.

[pomme de terre]

We could easily diversify from the whole R&J two families conflict if we want! King Lear, A Winter's Tale, and The Merchant of Venice all have some similar conflicts with different twists. I feel like R&J is going to be a popular choice for characters so it might be good to stick to that, but there's a lot of potential for side plots to mix up some characters!

[Phloem]

Here's the character skeleton! I've also written up a teaser of sorts, just something to give everyone a vague idea of where the RP'll be going.

boop

On the outskirts of London, near the coasts of St. Albans, resides a quiet, little town by the name of Williamsville. The townsfolk seem like any other, going about their day, living life to the fullest. Not everything, however, is as simple as it seems. There has been a long standing feud, going back two generations, between the Montagues and Capulets. The tension between the two families weighs on everyone no matter where their allegiance lies.

And that’s just the big picture.

Even more twists lie within this town if you’re willing to dig deep enough, and it’s not hard to get caught up in it. The mysterious disappearance of Mayor Macduff’s family, the endless squabbling of the Lear sisters -- all while a howling, summer storm dubbed ‘The Tempest’ brews. Williamsville is near tipping point, and it’s becoming quite clear to its inhabitants that a chaos, unlike anything they’ve ever seen, is about to descend upon them. Will they be the ones to take control? Or will they simply sit back, relax, and watch these events unfold?

---

“Any quote that might be fitting.”

Appearance (photo, description, and/or realistic illustrations. No anime, please.)

Origin

(From which play do they originate? For example, Katherine from The Taming Of The Shrew.)

Name

(Self-explanatory.)

Age

(Again, self-explanatory)

Gender

(Male, female, non-binary?)

Personality

(Do try to keep it similar to how they are originally. Just a few key traits will suffice, though a more in-depth description is fine, too.)

Biography

(At least a paragraph. If your character is related to someone else's, make sure to discuss it with them.)

Other

(Additional information, theme song, whatever you think is necessary.)

[pomme de terre]

So excited! I'll get to work.

[Sixsmith]

I'd certainly be interested!

I'll be able to get a sheet up sometime tonight!

[Aphrodite]

I dig this. Am totally interested.

(I realise with this account I look fairly new - I'm not, it's just a new account after a year or two of absence. I can easily send you a writing sample if you're hesitant.)

Also super pumped to see another Castiel cutie here.

[ArenaSnow]

One last question - how far can we bend lore? I'm thinking of being good old Montague, and I am wondering how "creative" I can get with him.

[Sixsmith]

One last question - how far can we bend lore? I'm thinking of being good old Montague, and I am wondering how "creative" I can get with him.

@ArenaSnow

I definitely second that. I might take some liberties myself depending.

And Castiel being an adorable dork ftw. ;D

[Aphrodite]

I'm going to be grabbing Queen Gertrude, if possible. I'll leave specifications as to King Claudius and Hamlet vague unless someone wants to grab one of them - if so, I'd be happy to alter my lady so that the characters intertwine more seamlessly. Just shoot me a PM and we can collaborate.

[RomanAria]

...
If no one objects, can I play Juliet? sans-suicide, obviously. But... *puppy dog eyes*

[pomme de terre]

Yay people!

My character is finished--I did an adaptation of Lavinia from Titus Andronicus, +1 hand and tongue. Should we post or wait for an OOC?

[Phloem]

Wow, I wasn't expecting to wake up to this. Glad to see all this interest!

One last question - how far can we bend lore? I'm thinking of being good old Montague, and I am wondering how "creative" I can get with him.

@ArenaSnow

Honestly, you can do whatever you want with the character. I'm not expecting this to be a total recreation of the original plays, since it's a little hard to do that when it's a modern AU. Just try to keep the personality/temperament sorta similar, is all I'm asking. :D

---

I'm going to be grabbing Queen Gertrude, if possible. I'll leave specifications as to King Claudius and Hamlet vague unless someone wants to grab one of them - if so, I'd be happy to alter my lady so that the characters intertwine more seamlessly. Just shoot me a PM and we can collaborate.

@Aphrodite

I'm totally fine with that.

---

...
If no one objects, can I play Juliet? sans-suicide, obviously. But... *puppy dog eyes*

@RomanAria

Sure thing! The sheet's already up, so you guys have something to work on while I slap together the OOC.

---

Yay people!

My character is finished--I did an adaptation of Lavinia from Titus Andronicus, +1 hand and tongue. Should we post or wait for an OOC?

@pomme de terre

You can post it here first, if you want. The OOC will be up in like, 7 hours or so? Once I get home from work, basically.

[Zendrelax]

I'm afraid I may be already booked with RPs at the moment, otherwise I'd be all over this. If I may make a suggestion, you should set in in Stratford-on-Avon, where Shakespeare actually lived. It would be pretty neat.

If it turns out I can get in on this, I call dibs on Oberon. Been wanting to play an ols-timey fairy for a while.