ribbitz
who you callin' pinhead?
intro
nothing burns like the cold
snoh aalegra
vince staples
overview.
You are hereby summoned to appear for jury duty at the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago.
Maybe this is your first-ever summons. Maybe you've tried to postpone your date already. Maybe you're just near the ripe age of being able to deny your summons. Unfortunately, you couldn't get out of this one.
You arrived at 8 a.m. - unless you were one of the jurors running late that day. Regardless, you made it into the chair. That's right. You, unlucky one, got selected for this trial. After whatever attempts you made during voir dire to get excused from serving, you're stuck. And it turns out to not be just any case.
Tech mogul Alexander Reynolds has been accused of killing his company's co-founder, Devon Archambeau. Unfortunately for you, this is the second jury selected for the trial after the press got too close to the last set of jurors. To prevent this second group of civilians from being corrupted and dismissed, you're going to be sequestered. Just your luck. Now you get to spend who knows how long in a hotel with 11 other randos from the region. Just your luck.
On the night of August 10, 2025, Alexander allegedly took a drunk and rowdy Devon home from a company gathering. The next day, Devon's girlfriend stopped by, planning to take her partner to a local farmer's market, only to find him dead in the kitchen. It looked like a break-in. The patio entry was busted in, glass spewing the entryway. A blood-covered wrench was found at the scene. No fingers, no footprints. But video footage shows Alex leading up to arriving at Devon's household gate. Emails show the two recently came to a head when Devon threatened leaving to launch a solo project. Now he has been charged for first-degree murder and conspiracy. It's up to the prosecution to prove to you that he's guilty. After all, he's innocent until you have been presented reason to believe otherwise.
Unfortunately, many of the witnesses have holes in their tales. Some, even, seem to have their own motives for wanting Devon dead. Did Alex do something they'd all wished for or is he not guilty after all?
What will you decide, juror?
roles
roles.
the college kid
open
You usually get out of jury duty because you're away at whatever college you go to. But they finally got you while you went back home for the summer. Out of excuses to get out of jury duty, here you are. Maybe you're hoping to go to law school, maybe you're just ready to get this civic duty over with. But were you prepared for a high profile murder case, of all trials? It'll certainly be something to gush to your friends about later.
the parent
open
You've got a kid (or kids) waiting for you at home. Getting a babysitter for a one-day trial was hard enough but now you've had to plan for this indefinite trial. Whether you're a single parent or not, this is certainly not a light burden. No cellphone, no laptop = no video chats. Will you be okay with the limited phone calls you've been approved for?
the teacher
open
Your boss isn't paying you to be away for jury duty. Not like the compensation was too great, anyway. You've been teaching elementary or middle school for a while now and this is probably the first break you're warranted outside of the summer season. Although it may not be worth it considering it's not stress-free and you're barely making minimum wage with the courts jury pay. Even that couldn't get you out of the duty, though.
The Banker
open
Most lawyers don't want a banker on their jury. Obnoxious, loud, self-centered smart asses. That's what they typically get, anyway. They didn't ask you too many questions. Perhaps your economic insight will help you when they bring out the financial dispute Alexander and Devon were having. Seems like they were steeping in debt.
the law
open
You work - or worked - in law enforcement. It's not anyone's business why you left... but it stays on the back of your mind, especially during deliberations. You were either a detective or a cop. It's up to you to disclose anything to the jurors but for some reason it didn't keep the court from dismissing you. Seems your background wouldn't leave you too biased, after all. What made you leave the job, anyway?
the activist
open
You're passionate about social justice and policy. You were pretty excited for the opportunity to sit on a jury and were very adamant that you could remain unbiased. But you've been a little more vocal than you were instructed with your jurors about the case once you get out of that courtroom. If the witnesses have their own moral dilemmas, what have you really been up to at your nonprofit?
the doctor
open
Congrats, you're a medical professional! But now you have to give all your high-profile patients to other doctors in your absence. Darn, how will you make a medical discovery now that you're on jury duty? Maybe you don't mind too much. Maybe you do. You've been standoffish with the free spirit. Could be one-sided with how much they've teased you for your years of schooling and knowledge. Can the high IQ help you in this case? Are you walking around flaunting your brains?
the skeptic
open
You love conspiracy theories and true crime. You kept that tidbit of your personal life from the judge and legal counsel, though. You'e been dying to sit on a jury and get a taste of what it's like. A new perspective from all of the documentaries that you watch. You've been taking the most notes, you're foaming at the mouth to be the foreperson. But that doesn't mean you have a background in cracking cases like this. Will you reach the best verdict? Can you piece this evidence and witness claims together?
the budding journalist
taken
Ironically enough, this person's probably the only journalist in the region that had yet to hear of the course. They recently moved to Chicago and, lo and behold, managed to get summoned. Just their luck when settling down in a new place. They don't even report on crime or business. They were going to report on environmental law in Chicago! Before their career could kick off, they've been sucked into this jury nonsense. And they can't read the news anymore, get a load of this.
the entrepreneur
open
You recently launched your own restaurant, food truck or some other business - maybe a tech startup like the defendant, Alexander. Whatever it is, you had to put plans on hold now that you're away. Hopefully you had someone to take charge while you're away instead of stalling the project you had planned for months. You can't wait to get back out there. Hopefully your company doesn't end up like those tech moguls you're learning about.
the artist
open
Creative, intuitive, hopeful. You're all the positive traits someone can have and most people don't think you have a bad bone in your body at first glance. You can still make some of your art pieces while sequestered, so you aren't too impacted by being locked away for jury duty. Your career remains relatively unaffected since you'll sell some of these pieces once you get out, whatever sort of art it is you design and sell. Perhaps you'll look at the evidence and testimony differently than the rest of the jury and offer a spin to their perspectives.
the free spirit
open
Out of everyone, you wanted to be here the least. But since you're sequestered it's basically a free vacation. Hotel, free meals, a little bit of pay at the end of it all. Guess you can't really complain if you're stuck here. You don't have a ton waiting for you outside of jury duty so maybe it's for the best. You spent most of your time traveling, switching between jobs faster than the speed of light - you didn't hold onto them for long, mostly barista and restaurant positions. Now that you're on the jury, you can't help teasing the doctor about how smart they must be and how it'll help when deliberating over the evidence. Consider yourself a bit of an instigator. But it's just for shits and gigs... sometimes.
rules
rules.
rule one.
welcome to the moral dilemma! you will play one of our lovely jurors. you may notice there are 12 and, oh, that sure is a lot of potential players. lucky for you, you can apply for up to three juror roles. you will only be allowed to play two at most. as you have probably noticed, many of the roles are very vague. i did this intentionally so that there is plenty of flexibility in the personality of your character and have instead posed some questions that may shape how you want their role to play out. can't wait to see everyone's takes on these characters!
this is not first come, first serve. i may accept one of your characters or none at all. if you apply for multiple, perhaps i will accept two, or one, or none. i will offer you feedback if not accepted, so you may be reconsidered for the same role or for another, if you so wish.
rule two.
we will use discord for OOC and conduct the roleplay on site. the discord will be sent out to accepted persons only. an OOC will be linked soon for Q&A purposes and chatter until players are accepted.
rule three.
i am not open to changing this plot entirely, but i am up to feedback and potential ideas. i left things vague for a reason. the jurors will shape the plot and outcome of this roleplay. there is no correct answer of guilty or not guilty and the relationships our jurors build will be integral. additionally, i am not a lawyer. i barely studied law despite doubling in political science (oops!) so i'm open to feedback on the current plotline, lore details or anything else.
rule four.
some final general things... your characters aren't all powerful. all jurors are equal. the foreperson is not prefixed, so anyone's character could be chosen for that role. we will discuss after players are accepted.
the plot is A Moral Dilemma! i don't want perfect people. i want you to have flaws and to throw questions into the air about the witness testimonies and evidence. not everyone has to get along and be one big happy jury family. but note the difference between your character picking an argument and you being rude OOC. don't be an asshole!
real face claims only, por favor.
post length will vary but minimum two paragraphs. we will have a posting schedule/expectation that i will discuss further once accepted. it won't be posting in a specific order, but you will need to respond in character at least once a week and should not post more than twice if others have not posted yet. lmk if you need to go MIA for a bit, though! you shall be excused until need be.
intro
roles
rules
moral dilemma,
the sequestered
twelve
โกcoded by uxieโก
