18th Century Slavery [Inspired by Dido Elizabeth Belle + Belle (2013 film)]

The 18th century was a pivotal point in history where the beginnings of slavery abolition were taking shape. Although slavery was abolished in the United States of America in 1865, it was abolished over 3 decades before in 1833, United Kingdom. One of the most revolutionary events in history center around aristrocrat heiress, Dido Elizabeth Belle, who was a "mulatto" of the time, born into English aristocracy by her father. She was raised by her uncle, William Murray, 1st Earl or Mansfield - who was a historically acclaimed judge who ruled in many cases in an effort to end slavery.

As per Wikipedia:
Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761–1804) was born into slavery as the natural daughter of Maria Belle, an enslaved African woman in the West Indies, and Sir John Lindsay, a British career naval officer who was stationed there. He was later knighted and promoted to admiral. Lindsay took Belle with him when he returned to England in 1765, entrusting her raising to his uncle William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, and his wife Elizabeth Murray, Countess of Mansfield. The Murrays educated Belle, bringing her up as a free gentlewoman at their Kenwood House, together with their niece, Lady Elizabeth Murray, whose mother had died. Belle lived there for 30 years. In his will of 1793, Lord Mansfield confirmed her freedom and provided an outright sum and an annuity to her, making her an heiress.

In these years, her great-uncle, in his capacity as Lord Chief Justice, ruled in two significant slavery cases, finding in 1772 that slavery had no precedent in common law in England, and had never been authorized under positive law. This was taken as the formal end of slavery in Britain. In the Zong massacre, a case related to the slave trade, he narrowly ruled that the owners of the ship were not due insurance payments for the loss of slaves they had thrown overboard during a voyage, as their killing appeared to be related to errors by the officers.

In the 2013 film Belle - a fictional drama based on the true story and events surrounding the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle - Dido's famous great-uncle (who is like a father to her) is the judge in a controversial case revolving around the Zong Massacre, where 133 African slaves were thrown over-board and drowned. The ship in the case claiming insurance money, policies placed on each slave as property insurance, though the insurers were refusing to pay for murdered slaves. Her uncle takes on an apprentice, John Davinier, who is an educated and passionate law student. Despite both being similar characters, John and Dido do not initially get along in the film. Both are passionate, hard-headed, with sharp tongues, which initially leads to arguments. Despite their sassy conflicts, the two were drawn to one another as Dido's interest in the case (as a woman of negro descent) rises. The two eventually end up sneaking around the city together, discussing politics, law, and the issue of slavery while also working on the case. However, John Davinier in the film is fired by Lord Mansfield, Dido's uncle, and he discovers that John is enamoring his niece who is becoming frustrated with the case, and her roots. Despite the reprimand and consequence, the two continue to see one another and (of course) fall in love.

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Roleplay Ideas & (Interracial) Pairings:

Please refer to my GALLERY of black women as reference for my characters.
This gallery is NOT SAFE FOR WORK (NSFW) and contains some images with FULL NUDITY.
Choose the face claim(s) you prefer and pair it with one of the below options - ENJOY!

Option 1) Dido Elizabeth Belle x John Davinier:
If you've seen the film (or even if you haven't), there is a passionate and true love depicted between aristocrat Lady Dido Belle and Sir John Davinier, who is an aspiring lawyer and current law student. The gif above depicts the two of them, and the unrelenting love they have for one another.

Option 2) "Mulatto" Aristocrat Heiress (female) x Caucasian Lawyer or Law Student (male):
Additionally, I will also leave the option open to roleplaying the same concept as Dido and John but rather portraying them, rather, we pull inspiration from their love story and the film. In this idea, my character would be an heiress and an aristocrat though she would be black, either half or partially from African descent. She would have a complicated place in society, as although she is wealthy, she is still rejected by common society and is judged for the color of her skin.

Option 3) "Mulatto" Aristocrat Heiress (female) x Caucasian Male (general):
My character would be inspired by Dido Elizabeth Belle, but wouldn't necessarily fall for a lawyer or law student. Your character could be any other Caucasian male, anywhere from a farmer to a prince. The choice is yours and up for discussion!

Option 4) African Heiress x Caucasian Lawyer:
My character will be widow, either a mixed-race black woman or a full black woman of African origin, who is currently suing the state for the riches of her deceased husband. The state is refusing to transfer the estate and wealth of her husband, who was killed, even though his will stated that all of his worth would transfer to his wife (my character), who he reassures in the legal document is a FREE woman. Although the state initially signed off of his belongings, it later rebutted the will, claiming that a negro woman could not inherit the estate of a while male. The state, claiming my character is pulling a scam, is now in the midst of a heated lawsuit which has swept the nation. Within the controversy and publicity of the lawsuit, my character loses her lawyer (who quits under pressure) and is desperate to find legal representation. Your character would be a Caucasian male, a lawyer (whether reputable or not) who takes her case on.

Option 5) Justice Will Prevail:
In this storyline, I'd like for my character to be a passionate social justice fighter, who is from African-descent. She will be either a full "negro" or a someone of mixed-race. Additionally, she will be a FREE WOMAN, legally, despite society socially rejecting her wealth and her freedom. She would have acquired such status from her either her previous owner and/or her Caucasian family/ascendants. For this idea, my character would be a real pain in the ass for the state of Brittain, stirring up social conflict and causing an uprising from much of the black enslaved community. Additionally, with the abolition of slavery around the corner, many Caucasian individuals have rallied in support of her organization, known as The Wings of Freedom (TWOF). Your character is up for discussion in this situation.

Option 6) African Slave (female) x Caucasian Aristocrat (male):
This idea is incredibly general, meaning there is a lot of room for discussion and creative freedom. The bare basic concept is that my character is a female, either full black or half/ partially of African descent. Your character would be a white male, someone with wealth and status. The way the two of them would meet and/or become romantic is up for discussion!

Option 7) Love Letters (Secret Admirer):
This option follows the SAME concept as Option 6, with the exception that the two of them would begin to fall in love through written letters, before actually meeting in person and continuing their romance. For this idea, I'm thinking your character (white male) has no idea that the letters are coming from a black woman (or mixed woman of African descent) who is his secret admirer. I'm thinking the two of them would have met initially, either through a casual encounter on the streets or - depending on who we make my character - perhaps he would have come across her as a slave of a client or someone he is visiting. This all depends on what status we give both of our characters. For the letters, it would be my character who initially starts writing yours. Their letters would be delivered to a secret mailbox, which is what the two would use to communicate. In terms of how your character would finally find out her true identity, that is up for discussion!

Option 8) Runaway Slave (female) x Bounty Hunter (male):
In this option, my character is a female African slave (or of mixed-race) who has runaway from her master/owner. The owner, someone of decent or high wealth, has placed an incredible bounty on her head. The master, a white male, is obsessed with my character - despite subjecting her to years of physical and sexual abuse. He can either be enamored with her beauty and/or infatuated with the fact that she is a "negro". Although the bounty for her return is significantly more than her worth as a slave, he is still determined to have her returned to him, and ALIVE. He hires a prestigious bounty hunter/ personal tracker - your character - to get the job done after she has been missing for over 4 weeks.

Option 9) Lady Orphanage (Lady O) x Other (male):
In this pairing, my character is a woman who runs an orphanage for homeless children. I'm open to making my character either Caucasian OR African descent (either full or mixed). She would have acquired the property and the orphanage from another woman - known as Lady O - who died of disease and left the entirety of her estate to my character. There's not too much information on orphanages back in colonial times, and in this time period, so we will have to be creative with this knowledge. However, I'm thinking the orphanage will have both white and black children. Perhaps it could be under controversy because of the fact that black children are living on the premises. To further the controversy, my character would refuse virtually all offers from buyers attempting to purchase children as laborers/ slaves.

Option 10) The Thief and the Noble:
For this idea, my character would come from desperate poverty, and would turn to stealing as a way to keep alive. She would steal not only for herself, but for others, and would eventually become infamous for her thieving ways. I'm thinking she becomes a very skilled thief, the kind of criminal who is like a ghost - comes and goes often without anyone even realizing she is there. She would have garnered a reputation and nicknamed as the "Moonlighter". We can have her steal anything from food to valuable jewels. Additionally, your character can be a noble, aristocrat, soldier, etc. Anyone, essentially, though I'm thinking he makes it his personal mission to hunt her down. To follow the interracial theme I'm seeking, I'd like for my character to be of African descent, be is mixed-race or full black.

Option 11) African Female x Caucasian Male OR
Option 12) Caucasian Female x African Male
I'm leaving these pairings super open - send me your ideas!

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Some extra details:

1) I roleplay in FIRST person, not in third. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU MUST ALSO ROLEPLAY IN FIRST PERSON. Third person role players are more than welcome! It doesn't bother me!

2) I'm a very busy person. I go to school and work full-time. I will not be able to guarantee a post every day. In fact, it may be 2-7 days between posts, depending on my schedule. Patience is a must.

3) I do not roleplay over IM (Instant Messengers). ONLY on BlueMoon PM (Private Message) and/or BlueMoon threads.

4) I'm looking specifically for mixed plot and smut based romantic roleplays containing a female x male heterosexual character pairing. Please note, I will be playing the female character, therefore I am looking for male players/characters.

HERE IS MY F-LIST: https://www.f-list.net/c/temptationist/

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