Job Description
Job Title - Extended
Historical Consultant (Advisory / Directional) for Late-Antiquity–Inspired Fantasy World
Job Description
I’m developing an original animated historical fantasy project inspired by Late Antiquity (roughly 3rd–5th century), loosely analogous to Roman Gaul during the decline of imperial authority.
This role is advisory and directional, not definitive. I’m not looking to lock down canon or enforce strict historical accuracy. Instead, I’m looking for historically informed guidance—ranges, defaults, and “this would generally feel right for the period” direction—so the world feels grounded without becoming rigid.
Fantasy elements are intentional and core to the setting.
Historical Scope (Tri-Cultural)
The consultant should be comfortable offering contextual guidance across intersecting traditions:
Romanized Celtic Context
- Late Roman Gaul–like setting
- Military camps vs civilian settlements
- Everyday life and social organization
- Syncretic belief systems under Roman influence
Celtic Cultural Continuity
- Survival of Celtic identity after conquest
- Clan memory, kinship, and oral tradition
- Lived culture vs later mythologization
- Material culture as texture, not prescription
Early Germanic / Proto-Norse Influence (Pre-Viking)
- Roman Iron Age / Migration-era Germanic cultures
- Norse-adjacent traditions before the Viking Age
- Trade, mercenary service, and cultural diffusion
- Mythic concepts as inherited memory or symbolism
Important:
This project intentionally avoids Viking-Age specificity. Norse-coded elements should feel incipient, distant, or remembered, not fully developed or standardized.
What I’m Looking For
You would help by:
- Offering high-level guidance, not definitive rulings
- Flagging major anachronisms or category mismatches
- Providing period-typical ranges or defaults rather than single “correct” answers
- Suggesting historically adjacent alternatives when something feels off
- Helping me understand why something works or doesn’t, so I can make informed creative choices
You are not expected to:
- Lock canon or make final decisions
- Enforce strict historical accuracy
- Write scripts or lore
- Remove or constrain fantasy elements
Engagement Structure
- Hourly contract
- Initial engagement likely includes:
◦ A paid call and/or short written memo focused on overall direction
- Follow-up consultation would be as-needed, for spot checks or questions
This is intended to be a lightweight, collaborative advisory role.
Ideal Background
Strong candidates may come from:
- Public history or museum education
- Consulting on historical fiction, games, or TV
- Graduate-level or early-career academia with public-facing work
- Living-history or material-culture expertise
Comfort explaining uncertainty and variation is a strong plus.
Screening Question (Required)
Please answer briefly:
How do you approach advising on historical fantasy when the creator wants guidance and direction rather than definitive answers or locked canon?
Apply tot his job
Apply To this Job