☆ IN JUSTICE WE TRUST ☆

Independent Roleplay/Ask blog for a canon-divergent Detective Bobby Fulbright. Major spoilers for Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies will be present.

[fooledjustice]

FOOLEDJUSTICE — An independent, canon-divergent ask & roleplay blog for Detective Bobby Fulbright from Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies! Major spoilers will be present. If you're interested in interacting, like or reblog this post!

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Rules | About | Muse | Mun | Tags

[fooledjustice]

"...oh, so it IS that time of year! Right!"

"Happy pride month, everyone~! Make sure to stay well-hydrated if you plan on attending any outdoor events!"

[bluuscreen]

love this thing . the booby

[kagoshou]

the silence drags on. he hadn't expected that. if anything, his circumstantial companion had carried himself like a person who'd reserve resting his tongue when asleep and rarely else. a leisurely side glance confirms his suspicions: he'd somehow rendered the poor man speechless. given the stiff expression plastered onto his face he can only make the educated guess that he's lost himself deep in thought while trying to untangle the mysteries of replicated originality. suppose it's not that easy for most people to accept that they're a mere cog in the engine of creation.

"... ... of course. there'd be no point to writing a novel that already exists with the same arrangement of chapters and sentences. there's ingenuity to switching things up. but at what point does something become truly original?" a few answers lay ready at the tip of his tongue—but offering them up would be missing the point. the fact that syllables preceded his birth and that he couldn't possibly trace the movement of rain to determine whether it's just stuck in a routine or outright copying the motion of its ancestors remains. from the beginning with, he personally finds little issue with rehearsing bygone thoughts.

"—ha. you're talking as if 'uniqueness' is some sort of ultimate goal. at the same time, don't you think most people find comfort in familiarity? attaching value to terms that aren't certain of their own meaning is a task for poets and philosophers. all you need to know is that most things either are or aren't." even if life seems too big and too nuanced to be condensed into black and white. even if such a crass dichotomy stands at odds with his own overcomplicated nature. there's beauty in simplicity. ( ... and sometimes simplicity is a necessity for survival ). "... and the same is true for human beings."

[fooledjustice]

Familiarity as a comfort…

…Well, there is a reason he returned to his old work. Not merely because he's accustomed to it (justice was and always will be one of his biggest priorities), but it would be dishonest to claim familiarity doesn't play a part. The detective wanted — no, needed structure. Helps keep one sane in the midst of stress, doesn't it?

That said, Fulbright is extremely aware it can be a double-edged sword. He bites the inside of his lip, letting his hands drop back down to his sides. Eye contact is avoided for the time being, though it's difficult to tell if it is out of anxiousness or due to him being lost in thought. So much trouble could have been avoided had he truly been "unique," irreplaceable. Instead? He's faced with the harsh reality that someone could — and did — take over his life.

To which any "familiarity" anyone associated with him became dangerous. For comparison... if he were a tomato plant, the Phantom would be toxic nightshade, surely? …Er, anyway.

Things either are or aren't. But does it matter if no one could tell the difference—

Anyway. He's taking this more personally than he should. In fact, it might do Fulbright better to shut his trap. Doubtful this stranger wants to get into personal matters, anyway. They haven't even exchanged names!

"…hm. I mean, I can see how that could apply! To each their own, I suppose!" the detective forces a laugh, unable to completely suppress a trace of nervousness that had crept its way into his voice. If he's lucky, perhaps the pitter-patter of the rain would mask it.

[fooledjustice]

// Still around btw! Life just gets busy sometimes-

[fooledjustice]

Personal life + HC

Send a word and "+ HC" and I will write a headcanon for my muse based on the word(s) sent!

Despite his outgoing nature in public, Fulbright can be surprisingly closed-off when it comes to his personal life. This isn't necessarily on purpose; he simply tends to… not bring up his life outside of work unprompted. Exceptions mainly apply when there's a topic that allows him to toss in a relevant story, if he feels like it.

Truthfully, though? Fulbright doesn't feel as though there's anything particularly special about his personal life. Everyone needs to wind down after a long day at work, right? At home, he'll watch TV, read, do some cooking, take care of chores… Simple things, really. On his own, the detective shows a much quieter side that few people ever get to see.

Some of that time also once went into tending to his beloved fish, Love, but... alas...

When he's not home? The detective has always enjoyed getting his exercise in. Taking strolls, riding a bicycle, going to the gym… Although, his current physical state makes it more difficult than he'd prefer to maintain those old habits.

As for when he has company outside of work, Fulbright's usually fine with doing… well, anything! Chat, go to a restaurant or bar (although he doesn't drink much), play games… He's not too shabby at pool, in fact! It's been some time since he last did any group activities, however. From his perspective, things still feel… weird between him and his colleagues/friends. The detective tries very hard to subdue any potential resentment, and yet…

Not one person he knew noticed he'd been replaced.

Not. One. Person.

The Phantom was very good at what they did, of course. It would be… terribly unjust of him to blame anyone for not realizing what had happened! Even so, he…

...

It just hurts.

In more recent times, he's spent much of his free time alone.

[fooledjustice]

I love your Fulbright and your writing!!

// Hey, thanks anon! This blog is just a hobby, but it means a lot to me when I know that people are enjoying my writing ^^

I have a lot of ideas regarding this guy, and felt it'd be fun to show off the specific version of him that exists in my headcanons; there's just so much potential to play around with, you know? Always interesting to sprinkle some angst on normally silly characters, too. Sorry Bobby. Given his fate, the chances Fulbright will ever appear (let alone be directly mentioned) in another Ace Attorney game are next to none, so… my city now~

[lovethisheart]

"... To set right. Hm."

Idealist. Saccharine. Truly, the rumors of what the Phantom was emulating were not far off, but encountering the genuine article... odd. Of course, who wouldn't be watching their every move, ever since they'd been impersonated? Lang's eyes roam over him once, and then flit off mercifully, ever mindful that this was... at most, a social call. Americans had those, right? Leads were thin as it was, and if you dug too deep, they might just get embedded elsewhere. As much as he wanted to ask about scars, what the last seven years have been like, that would be... far too much like he was being treated like a POI. No evidence to suggest that, yet. The former agent shrugs, tapping his fork tine on the plate while he gathers his thoughts, a little like a finger, if it were free from holding. " Reconstructing the Justice system has been a strong effort, ever since the first test of a Jury. It's starting to feel like we can trust the people we bring in- though, pickings feel a bit hard to stay unbiased on; though, that's what lawyers are for, right?"

" Come on. Rent here isn't that great. Personally, I came back for a few reasons; this is where my greatest rival grew up, and naturally I had to figure out what made him so damn stuck up." The chief prosecutor was still a hot button topic, as much as he kept himself holed up between office and home, not much of a lover of fame. " You put off a sort of... Teddy bear aura, no offense. Is that hiding a WWE interest? You've got the build for it."

[fooledjustice]

There must be a reason Lang wanted to drag him out here beyond small-talk. Is the other trying to… gauge something? But what, and why? The detective has his own suspicions, and had already steeled his nerves for what might follow. Whenever people want to talk to him out of the blue, it usually has something to do with a certain spy. So far, however… it hasn't come up.

It's a relief, but not one that Fulbright fully embraces. He's not going to completely drop his guard.

"Yeah, lawyers are a big help, hahaha! All this change wouldn't have been possible without them in the first place. ...and, sure. It isn't. But there are… things… here, that I care about. Anyway, you have a rival? Interesting!"

He reaches for his coffee, taking an idle sip. Far too bitter for his liking. Story of his life, huh? Regardless, the detective drinks without allowing any signs of dissatisfaction to reach his face. Setting the cup down, he continues listening…

…To which he cracks a grin, seizing the opportunity to play around a little. Fulbright suddenly raises his hands in front of himself, a display of mock shock — as if he's been caught. He's got a flair for the dramatic, doesn't he?

"Oh no, you got me! By day I'm a detective, and by night I'm secretly a pro-wrestler! The Masked Justice~! …Nah, that'd be too obvious of a name, wouldn't it? Heh…"

With a small chuckle, Fulbright crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair. Still… 'got the build for it,' huh? Lang's observant.

"Joking aside, you're not exactly wrong. I've taken wrestling classes in the past. Pretty useful for self-defense! Rowdy folks aren't usually expecting it, either…"

Not that he's in necessarily good shape anymore, but with enough exercise (and physical therapy), he'll get there again. Hopefully. For now, the detective still finds himself becoming fatigued far too easily for his liking. Then there's the daily aches and pains… It's just another thing he'll have to push through.

[fooledjustice]

"Huh? I missed an opportunity for an April Fool's joke? ...Something to do with my name...?"

"Oh well! If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to playing snake-"

[heartinhands]

Phoenix self-consciously smooths down the front of his shirt a second time; his palm notably more sweaty. "Y-yeah!" (He totally has no idea.) "That's me...!!"

Cue a few awkward beats. (I have no idea what to say.) A wilting kind of smile crosses Phoenix's features all curly-cue in its being. "...Phoenix Wright..." (So this is going swimmingly.)

Finally Phoenix decides to just cut to the chase. "Uh, so we didn't meet, not really--but I helped handle the Phantom case, and Athena Cykes works for--with--me. And...well...it's good to see you again. Up and about. Walking." Which is to say alive except Phoenix pointedly does not say that part. Because it'd be incredibly rude. "Uh, I'd try to pull up the directions for the grocery store for you, but to be honest I still use a flip phone...so I can't really 'Maps'," he does air quotes here, "things on the fly." Talking about literally anything else seems like a good idea.

[fooledjustice]

He sucks in air through his teeth, pressing his hands together. Twiddling his thumbs. Awkward is an apt, if mild description for all of this. Maybe if the both of them had some warning, but running into someone on the street is... far too random. Unexpected.

Phoenix Wright is in front of him. Phoenix Wright. Okay. No, this is fine. If nothing else, the fact the attorney is making an attempt at casual conversation helps ease his nerves. Fulbright nervously chuckles.

"I'm… aware. Had to be informed of… a lot that happened while I was — yeah. Weird to have cases on my file that I wasn't involved with. It's all been sorted, but… yeesh."

He allows one of his arms to fall back to his side, raising his other hand to rub the back of his head. To his credit, he manages a (somewhat strained) smile.

"Uh, well, I'm happy to be walking again! Oh, and don't worry about it! I can do that with my phone! Just… could have sworn I was headed the right way. Guess it's been too long since I've walked the route, haha…"

A half-truth. Rather keep things casual… or as casual as they can be, given the circumstances. Don't need to mention the head trauma to someone he barely knows!

[tactful-kind-daedra]

"Oh, he is," Daedra eagerly nodded her head in agreement. "He's one of the best for a reason! However, he does tend to prefer to work on his own or with specific people when it comes to his actual prosecutor work!"

A nicer way to say: he preferred to do most things himself~ Not that Daedra took any issue with it. He was the head prosecutor, afterall - not her.

"You're most welcome! I'm always happy to send emails, paperwork, or make calls if it's for the building or concerning a case! I know it can require a lot of back and forth travel."

The redhead offered him another beaming smile, clearly very happy for tasks and what some might count as 'busy-body' work. To her, it was just like a puzzle to solve - figuring the best way to handle each task in the most appropriate manner.

"Say, Detective Fulbright," she chirped up, curious. "-have you ever worked with a fellow police officer by the name of Gumshoe? I understand it's unreasonable to expect all the members of the Police department know eachother, but I can't help but ask."

[fooledjustice]

What a helpful young lady! The detective nods, keeping her offer noted for some other time. As Daedra brings up a certain name, his eyes light up, instant recognition flashing across his features.

"If you mean Dick Gumshoe, of course I have! He and I were buddies! Or pals, as he likes to say, haha!"

…are they still buddies? Ever since a certain incident, he's barely gone out of his way to speak much with his (former?) friends. Aside from exchanging pleasantries, there's been — distance. Fulbright can acknowledge that it's partially his own fault, but…

He gives a subtle sigh, glancing off to the side as he rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"Haven't… spoken with him much recently, though. A shame, really — I should catch up with him! So, you friends with him? Guess if you work with Edgeworth a lot, makes sense that you'd know him!"

[fooledjustice]

// blog isn't dead btw, just a combination of being a bit busy/distracted by other things this past month! should be able to get a few thread replies posted in the next couple of days ^^

[fooledjustice]

' ever wonder what the latest taser generation got in store? ' he's holding one of said freshly unpacked devices in his hand right now. maybe be careful what you say.

Dark brown eyes flick to the taser, before meeting Beck's pale gaze. Someone seems eager about the shipment. Fulbright hums, shrugging in a casual manner.

"Sure. I mean, it is important to know what we have at our disposal! Can't exactly enact justice well if you're ignorant about your tools, you know?"

But as with any weapon, "less-lethal" or not, he's… not necessarily a fan of them. Best case scenario? Suspects are handled without violence getting involved. Alas, justice isn't black and white. The detective can acknowledge that sometimes, the only way to keep the innocent safe within the nick of time IS to use force…

Still, it's not often that Fulbright draws a taser, let alone his gun. Beck seems the type that would be more keen to do so. The detective gets the feeling it might not be the wisest move to make any comments about that right now, though.

[fooledjustice]

HEADCANONS

Maybe it's a bit ironic in hindsight, but…

Among the programs Fulbright was involved with while in high school? Theater was one of them. Some of his more exaggerated gestures are habits carried over from the acting skills he learned. And, yes… he can cry on command.

Using this as a way to compare him to the Phantom is a surefire method to get on his nerves, unsurprisingly.

[fooledjustice]

Pets + HC

Send a word and "+ HC" and I will write a headcanon for my muse based on the word(s) sent!

When it comes to pets, Fulbright is — perhaps unsurprisingly — a dog person! Come on, what's not to love about them? Depends on the breed, of course, but the idea of a fluffy, energetic, loyal companion meshes well with someone like him.

Caveat is… Fulbright doesn't believe he'd give a pet dog the best life it could possibly have, not with how his life currently is. He devotes a lot of his time to work, and his apartment is rather small. The detective refuses to put an innocent life into a situation where it's neglected, so… no dogs for him, at least not for now.

As for a kind of pet he's actually had, however?

If you're at all aware of a certain line of dialogue in Dual Destinies, one that's easy to miss if you immediately go for the correct option…

"Love" — a name, not the concept — was real, even if the story itself was made up on the spot. Love the carp, yes. Fulbright used to have an aquarium setup, one that was properly sized for goldfish. In the correct conditions, domestic species can get pretty big, after all! The detective absolutely doted on that fish. She was mostly white with a reddish-orange spot on her forehead, and was nearly ten years old.

…

After the ordeal with his impersonation and presumed death, Love's aquarium wasn't among the belongings he was able to retrieve.

Fulbright doesn't know what exactly happened to her. He doesn't know if it'd make him feel better or worse if he knew for certain.

The simple, harsh reality of the matter... is that she's gone.

[fooledjustice]

Bobby, the reason why you couldn't remember going overseas is that the phantom knocked you out and intended to dispose of you by leaving you to die!

...The detective blinks once. Twice. There's something of a bemused look on his face.

"…Uh. Do you think I… haven't already been told? That I haven't thought about it myself — tried to piece things together? Not to be rude, but I am a detective. I'd also say… you're making some assumptions."

Even if Fulbright personally cannot recall what took place, does that mean he completely lacks information? Of course not. He possesses an assortment of details to play around with, in fact. Not that he's particularly interested in explaining his theories to this stranger. Still, he'll humor them with one tiny correction...

""Intended to dispose of you by leaving you to die"…? Ha, you're funny! That poses a much higher risk of leaving behind loose ends, wouldn't you agree? I doubt that's what the Phantom intended at all."

Something must have gone wrong for the spy, right? …Because otherwise, Fulbright isn't certain he'd still be in one piece.

[fooledjustice]

family + HC

Send a word and "+ HC" and I will write a headcanon for my muse based on the word(s) sent!

Family is a… complicated topic for the detective. On one hand, there was his mother — Eleanor Fulbright. She was very much a positive influence in his life, and he definitely resembles her quite a bit in personality! Although it wasn't the main topic, a bit of what their relationship was like is delved into here.

…as for his father…

...

(Abuse/Domestic Violence TW below the cut.)

He's not a man that Bobby enjoys speaking about… In fact, he's one of the few individuals the detective can confidently say he hates. This isn't a situation where he's remotely capable of being impartial or forgiving.

Imagine being tucked into bed, and later that night, hearing the sounds of yelling and items being broken… That—that happened more than once. Sometimes he directly witnessed it. He prefers to not think about it. Bobby cannot understate the relief he felt when he learned that his mother was getting a divorce… which just goes to show how bad it had gotten, huh?

But… during one of the occasions his father stopped by to pick up some of his belongings, he…

…

…An argument started.

That day is a blur in Bobby's mind. He came home from school, only to find his mom—

beaten, bloody—

…then the cops were there. Apparently he was the one who called. Bobby doesn't remember doing that. Suppose it's unsurprising he'd suppress a good chunk of that.

His mother lived, thankfully, albeit with injuries that would impact her health for the remainder of her life. His father was arrested, and remains in jail to this day. Bobby has never visited him.

All of this heavily influenced how Bobby turned out. What his father did was such an injustice…! He— he had to become someone who could fight against such evil. He wanted to become the sort of hero he wished he had…

…This also caused Bobby to change his surname the first opportunity he had. "Fulbright" is actually his mother's maiden name. He'd much rather match her than have anything that even suggests a relation to that vile man.

Getting the detective to open up about this would be difficult, to say the least. He's never talked about it with anyone who was uninvolved in the situation, and isn't willing to bring it up on a whim. The most he'll typically say is that he's "estranged" from his father, which is an understatement. It's among the few parts of his life he's purposefully guarded about.