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befuddled-calico-whump · 6 months

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Wildefire AU: Out of Sight

cw: adult language, implied violence, implied starvation, bruises, the prison industrial complex lol

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Sarah swore she'd had a plan when she stepped through the doors to the prison, but it had all gone to shit pretty quickly.

Hugo had helped her fabricate an identity as a journalist, fake ID and online credentials and everything, and posed as the director of a web-newspaper to get her an interview with a low-level criminal at the Fielding Detention Center.

She was really there for Uriah.

Alexei had been the one who'd found the CEO—former CEO—shut up in one of the dingy cells. He'd broken into Fielding to try and collect information from a different inmate, but happened upon Fox instead.

"He's… he's just in some cell?"

"Should count himself lucky he's not in the Tower. Bastard's got enough enemies."

"Maybe we can use him."

Lex's expression had become unreadable when she'd said that, but Sarah could hear the way his heart sped up, the slight hitch in his breath.

She didn't want to work with that asshole either, but their resources were few and far between when it came to anything that could stand against Corp, and someone who'd once held power—someone who'd been betrayed by the rest of the city's leaders—could be a huge asset. Even if that someone was Uriah Fox.

If she could just talk to him, maybe he'd give her something they could use. As unpleasant as the man was, everything Sarah had heard about him told her he was petty as hell. He'd probably jump at the chance to strike back.

To Alexei's credit, he didn't try and convince her otherwise when she told him her plan.

Sneak in, have a chat, get lost before anyone important knows I'm there.

"Do what you want. As long as I don't have to look at him, I don't care."

She'd agreed at the time, but now, selfish as it was, Sarah almost wished she'd asked Lex to come with her. If things went south, it would be nice to have someone whose powers were good in a fight.

"Zhang is Chinese."

"Good morning," she said brightly to the guard at receptions. "I'm Andrea Zhang, with Skyline Weekly?"

She'd complained to Hugo about that one.

"It's the only profile on here that even remotely matches you. No one's gonna know."

"What if the guy who lets me in is Chinese?"

"Yeah, right."

Yeah. Right. He was white. Maybe in his thirties, with close-cropped brown hair. He regarded her with a bored expression, flipping through some papers on the desk.

"Zhang… Zhang… ah, here." He nodded to the door behind him. "That way. I'll buzz you in."

That easy, huh? Sarah figured she'd at least have to have one of those through-the-glass phone calls like on TV, but here she was, going into the prison proper without so much as an escort.

Certainly simplified matters.

Lex had already given her a general direction to look for Fox. She walked past the reinforced doors leading to the common area, cafeteria, and yard, all connected by this one long hall to give the guards easier access. Sarah peeked through the doors' embedded windows as she went, scanning the scattered groups of prisoners for any sign of Uriah.

She wasn't all that shocked when she didn't see him. If he was here, it was because the rest of the Corp bigwigs wanted to forget him. Out of sight, out of mind.

She pressed on down the winding corridor, past more doors leading to cell blocks and supply closets and… was that the fucking room with the chairs and the bulletproof glass and the phones? They did have one, but the lazy-ass guard would rather send a journalist in alone than do the work to keep a civilian safe.

She shouldn't have expected anything less from the prison system in this city. With that level of neglect shown to citizens, how badly were they treating the inmates? Sarah had to push aside her disgust. She had a mission. Even beyond the task of meeting Uriah, she needed to take down Corp. Once the city was free from their grasp, she could worry about the state of the prisons.

The further she went, the emptier it seemed to get. She was passing single cells now. The one she peeked into was practically featureless. A grate in the floor probably served as the bathroom, but other than that, there wasn't even a mattress. And there were a ton of similar doors.

Fucking hell, did they put every prisoner in solitary? It was completely inhumane— nope. No. Later.

Sarah closed her eyes, sharpening her hearing. Listening for movement, for heartbeats, would be quicker than checking every single door.

Of course, she picked up the usual annoyances. The sharp buzz of the fluorescent lights above her, the roar of the AC unit, even the slight hum of electricity traveling the building's inner wires. But somewhere in the muddle of sound, she could hear it.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

A heartbeat. Just one, so that was either a really great sign or a really bad one. She kept her eyes closed, running a hand along the wall to keep from running into anything, and followed the sound.

It grew louder and louder, until she had to re-dull her hearing to avoid being deafened by it. This was it. Fox was on the other side of this door.

And shit, there was only a single, small window in the door, high enough that she'd have to stand on her toes to peer in. And while she'd be able to hear him, he probably couldn't hear her. Did that mean she'd need to open the door? What if he tried something? Surely the asshole was desperate enough to—

Her thoughts were cut short as her ears picked up a small gasp inside. No, not a gasp, a wince.

Well that was almost to be expected. Someone like Fox was bound to incite a lot of brawls with his smarmy, self-important attitude.

But when she stood on her toes to get a look inside, she sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth.

Lex had told her Uriah was here. She'd never thought to ask what state Uriah was in.

The blond man was curled up in the furthest corner of the tiny cell, thin arms wrapped around his bare chest, head tucked against his knees. A good chunk of his hair was matted with dried blood, and his skin was covered in purpling bruises. She couldn't see his face, but she could still pick out the bruises lining his jaw, color trickling in towards his mouth. Something inside her twinged, and Sarah decided she'd allow it. She didn't have to like Fox, but right now, it was pretty easy to pity him. Poor guy'd had the rug ripped out from under him, only to find a flight of stairs at his back.

She sharpened her hearing again, kneeling to get eye level with the doorknob. It was locked, as she'd expected, but good hearing was for more than just eavesdropping, and careful listening paired with a bobby pin made for quick work of the lock. She could hear Uriah's heart rate suddenly speed up as she turned the handle, and immediately softened her ears against it.

He lifted his head as she pushed the door open and stepped inside, pulling it closed if only to escape notice. His eyes were wide—well, one eye was wide, the other was practically swollen shut—and his face was gaunt and bloodied.

Sarah let out a breath. "Uh. Hi."

"S-Spyglass?"

"Ah, so you do remember me." She crossed her arms, then remembered she wanted to get him to cooperate, not scare him, and uncrossed them. "It's nice to know you at least knew who I was when you sent an assassin after me."

Uriah raised a shaking arm, as if to shield his face. "Please— I'm sorry, I—I know sorry doesn't m-mean anything, but please, please don't hurt me—"

Shit, that had probably sounded vaguely threatening. "No, no. I'm… I'm not here for revenge or whatever." She sighed. "I… actually had a few questions for you."

"I'll tell you anything you want, I'll comply, please don't—"

"I'm not trying to hurt you," Sarah cut in. Had she sounded threatening again? Was it possible to not sound threatening to the poor guy right now? She tried again.

"I have some information I really need. I won't hurt you if you can't answer my questions, okay? They're just questions."

She waited for Fox to nod. He never took his eyes off her.

"First, do you know of any fail-safes in place for the Hero CEOs? Backup plans that let Corp get away scott-free if we do manage to pin something big on them?" Like how they used you as a scapegoat? She didn't say that part out loud. If that wound wasn't still fresh, it was constantly being re-opened in this environment.

Uriah nodded, but didn't actually say anything. She tried to keep her voice soft as she prompted,

"Like what?"

"I… I don't know, I… I can't remember. E-everything I had, everything good, was on my personal network."

"Network?" Sarah raised an eyebrow.

"Computer. A—a specific computer."

She sighed. "Which I don't imagine you currently have on you."

"I'm sorry—"

"Stop." Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose. "Do you know where this specific computer is?"

"Still at Titanium. In a—a vault."

"That I presume you know how to access?"

He nodded.

"Tell me." It would be a fucking doozy of a mission, but that computer could be a gold mine. Secrets, conspiracy, fail-safes… Corp's dirty laundry. If they could break in, maybe Hugo could hack the network.

"There's a code."

"Of course."

"A-and a fingerprint scanner."

"Of. Course." Fucking of course. Because there had to be something there special enough that Uriah Fox would just have to be brought along. It was entirely possible he was making that part up in a bid to get free. If Lex were here, he'd suggest just cutting off a finger, and she'd be hard-pressed to ignore the idea.

But despite her annoyance, despite knowing the truth of Uriah Fox, that he was a power-hungry, horrible man who was willing to send assassins after literal children to keep his reputation, she felt kind of queasy at the thought of hurting the trembling thing he'd become.

She… she needed time. She needed a new plan. The info about the computer was great, but she doubted Fox would be able to offer much more in this state.

As she opened the door, peeking outside, Uriah piped up behind her.

"Where..?"

"I need to think. Thanks for the answers." She stepped out—

"Wait! Please… please, take me with you."

Her stomach sank, laden with equal parts dismay and pity. Yeah, his situation sucked, but the idea of keeping him around, of bringing him back to the team… no thank you. If the fingerprint bit was true, they'd find a way to synthesize it, and they shouldn't need Fox to get into the laptop.

"Sarah, please—"

"Using my name won't help." She did look back then, and wished she hadn't. Fox was on his hands and knees, looking up at her with teary, pleading eyes.

"You're a hero. Y-you save people."

Real heroes save everyone. Hadn't she told Lex that? Did it make her a hypocrite then, to want to turn her back on the person responsible for so much of her misery? Who'd killed her old team leader, who'd tortured one of her friends for a year?

Maybe it did. But it still felt justified.

"I was a hero," she said. "You made me a rogue."

She pulled the door closed behind her, dulling her hearing to lessen the sharpness of Uriah's pleas, and began to briskly walk back down the hallway.

With the uninspiring security, she probably could've walked right out the front doors without signing out, but Sarah stopped by the desk again anyway.

"Zhang," the guard mumbled. "Done so soon?"

"I got what I needed," Sarah offered, clutching the pen a little too long after signing her name in the visitor log. "I… heard a rumor while I was inside."

"A rumor?"

She set the pen down. "Yeah. Supposedly Uriah Fox is in here somewhere." What was she saying? Was she about to threaten the guard into treating Fox better?

"Is that what you heard?"

"It's what I heard. Though I didn't see any sign of him, so I don't know how true it is."

His eyes darted to the pen at her fingertips. "Off the record?"

Sarah nodded. "Off the record."

The guard leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, Fox is here, all right."

She feigned surprise. "Really? What did he do? I heard it was something about embezzlement?"

"Something like that," the guard agreed.

"Where is he?" Sarah ventured. "Like I said, I didn't see him."

"He's been in solitary for a while now," the guard replied.

A while. How long was a while? How long had it been since he'd been thrown out? Two months? Three?

"What did he do?"

"Existed." The guard chuckled. "They put a man like that---who's spent his entire life stepping on other people---in a cell block filled to the brim with men who've been screwed over by him and others like him. What'd you think would happen?" He thumbed through the stack of papers on his desk idly. "The first few weeks, it was all we could do to keep him alive. It's a miracle he's still kicking, honestly." He leaned in, conspiratorially. "Between you and me, there's at least two guards on staff who have beef with the guy, and I know they've been paying him visits."

Sarah grit her teeth, trying to make it sound casual when she replied, "And you aren't stopping them?"

"Why would I? It's Fox."

It's Fox.

That was her logic, too. Why would I? It's Fox.

Why would I?

Because real heroes save everyone. And whether Uriah likes it or not, I'm still a hero.

She forced a smile, rolling the pen back to the guard. "Well, have a great day," she said, not waiting for him to reply before turning on her heel and marching out the doors.

Whether she liked it or not, she'd be back. And Fox would be leaving with her.

She'd be back.

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@whumpacabra @enteredin2eternity @kixngiggles @whumpsday @kiichu @whump-for-all-and-all-for-whump @shywhumpauthor @distinctlywhumpthing , @bloodinkandashes , @fleur-alise , @whumpy-daydreams

and @whumpwillow @turn-the-tables-on-them this one's for you guys lol

#my problem with wildefire is after the first arc it splits like tree branches with lots of great approaches and different details #so i cant decide which one's actually canon ahaha #one of my favorite lines I've written this year is somehwhere within this drabble and idk if anyone could guess it #wildefire #uriah fox #whumper turned whumpee #villain whumpee #prison whump #also i love sarah she's so fun to write #the world is broken but girl's gonna do her best

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thedreadvampy · 9 months

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Got a paramount+ trial subscription. Just finished watching all of Strange New Worlds (review: solid star trek shenanigans, pretty much all bangers with the exception of the Spock-is-human episode which just suuuuuucked and the Klingon war trauma episode about which I have let's say Philosophical Reservations in that it could have been more Space M*A*S*H. not as gay as I was promised, in fact I would say disappointingly heterosexual. adore uhura, hemmer and la'an. cannot believe they gorned my boy 😢)

Off sick all week with COVID can't really do anything except lie around and watch TV.

#red said #an addendum to the snw review is like #bearing in mind I'm a big time ds9 guy #i really like every episode of this i think it's fun and delightful. however there are certain philosophical undercurrents I'm #at best kind of iffy on. wrt militarism.#there's points where it feels sort of like the message of the show is that it's naive and harmful to seek peace #or reconciliation #and i think that if i hold it up to tng or ds9 or even tos on that front that's a philosophy that doesn't match up with what i like in trek #like both ds9 and tng are very much about commanders doing extrajudicial war crimes but there's something about the framing #i guess like. it feels To Me like when sisko does a war crimes it weighs very heavily on him #whereas idk. it feels like the message of all the time shenanigans in snw keep coming round to You Should Feel Bad For Not Doing War Crimes #and particularly the arc with Pike staring down his fate concluding with 'you shouldn't try to change this'#compared to like. the foundation of Star Trek being 'in between two unacceptable solutions you have to look for a third way'#it sits a bit wrong for me. like. maybe they're planning more on that but it feels like they've concluded that arc with #'guess i have to let people die to prevent a future where i try to make peace then fuck it up'#like the message of season 1 is You Can't Change Your Fate which is. a weirdly doomery one.#don't get me wrong I've really been enjoying snw i think it's probably the most flat out Good Star Trek since DS9 #buuuuuuuut. i have Reservations. as i always do.#also callout post for my pal saying this is the gayest star trek. there's no fucking gays here and the nonbinary character is a 1-ep villain #i mean ortega is for sure a dyke but not explicitly #2 seconds of Andrew Robinson and Alexander Siddig sharing the screen in DS9 is gayer than this whole season and a half of SNW #literally are ANY of this cast canon queer? feel like there's a couple of lines of throwaway bisexuality but be real #we had that in the 90s #it's not toppling DS9 for gay rep any time soon and DS9 was made in the era where you weren't ALLOWED to be gay on star trek #(unless you were evil or a worm)

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xay2jang · 2 years

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sometimes i think abt the only times shinichi feels his voice is heard is when hes using someones elses voice (upsetting) but then i remember that he usually just sits right behind the guy he drugged (hilarious). sometimes he even just stands right in front w his back facing the room. detective conan is objectively the funniest show ever

#dcmk #my art #edogawa conan #mouris back is there but. nah no tag #like... god thats so funny. thats so fucked up. normally ppl dont even listen to teenagers #and now no one listens to a kid. he gets things snatched out of his hands #yoinked like hes a weightless grape #rans goes through like 10 different suspicion arcs where shes like lets listen and respect conan #and then immediately after they get resolved shes like no mister ur in the way again silly #my little guy just wants cases to rest. he wants to go home and read a book on the most niche topic ever #sometimes i also think about if sleeping kogorou gives him comfort or not #its the one thing he can rlly control without going through a million arere hoops #yeah it sucks that kogorou is just knocked out all the time i guess. rip to him but #honestly its the Only time ppl just shut up and let him control the scene exactly the way he wants #every other time its adults going haha crime scenes arent for kids. getting scolded by ran or mouri. kids following him. etc #when sleeping kogorou comes into play its like the world falls silent #its just him orchestrating a show. him the audience and the thrumming tension in the air as he unravels a story #anyway. hes either the best or worst at hide and seek #cant tell if his clothes r stupid enough but they feel funny to me and thats all that matters

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hecksupremechips · 9 days

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Persona romance routes are all pretty bad but damn they really hit rock bottom with p3p femc route like the misogyny is very blatant and it’s almost hilarious like look at the Shinjiro romance. When you do his social link he’s like very clearly respectful of Kotone as a leader and explicitly says stuff like "oh yeah you’re clearly the best fighter we have, I don’t really know much about fighting like you do, I hope I’m not dragging you down, you’re doing a good job as leader just remember to take care of yourself, everyone looks up to you I know you can rely on them" etc. like he has faith in her leading abilities. But then when you romance him he’s like got dialogue like "bwah bluh i gotta look after you because you’re a GIRL and you need to stick by me, a big strong MAN so you don’t get hurt" and "don’t wear that revealing outfit in front of other guys 👺" and it’s like. Does he respect her or not and also like it doesn’t make sense for him to look down on her for being a girl cuz he literally has never not been led by a girl leader during his time in sees and Mitsuru in particular really has her shit together when it comes to being responsible and a good fighter and she’s always known the most about Tartarus

It’s also like. Idk maybe its just me I’m not a girl so FUCK IF I KNOW but to me the appeal of romancing Shinji is the fact that he’s sweet and sensitive and gentle and has respect for you despite the fact that he acts all scary. That’s like, what made me like this character in the first place. But the writers seem to think what women want is for a BIG STRONG MAN to protect them because they are just DELICATE WOMEN who are inferior in every way it’s like. Shut upppp thanks

#persona #persona 3 #shinjiro aragaki #this is soooooooo obviously not the only romance route that sucks in this game yall know which one im referring to 🤨#and i actually tend to think of the shinji romance as the best one in the series cuz at least his confession scene is the only unique one #that really highlights who he is as a character and goes with the story #but ughh just idk its so annoying how the writers cant decide if hes sexist or not its really weird and its like #really shows how poorly the writers think of women playing their game its like all the romance options are trash and then your boyfriend is #sexist to you and its so clearly done in a way thats supposed to be romantic which is. ew #like idk if my partner was like talking about how i need to stay close to them because im a weak girl and they are strong man #especially when im literally the leader of the team and have been doing perfectly fine thus far and am clearly the strongest here #id simply run him over with a bulldozer #and its like this will all the guys in this game its like girl shut up and eat glass #meanwhile when youre a male protagonist your gf will kiss your ass to the point its infuriating #and their character arcs can never be too grand cuz then they might not wanna fuck you if they realize they have worth #uh sorry my brain is all over the place basically i hate persona romances lol and i hate how they wrote shinji in his #like dammit i dont want him cuz hes gonna protect me like a man i want him cuz he isnt great at fighting and prefers cooking and puppy dogs #and has respect for me and trusts my judgement and asks me to talk about my life and interests and smiles sweetly #but god forbid a woman in this series be respected i guess

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diseaseriddencube · 13 days

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i need to reread wof to finally figure out who my absolute favorite character is

#rave ramblees #like particularly from the first arc #I Hate All Of You #except Clay #he's a perfect boi who can do no wrong #but he's not my favoriteee #i always think i like Glory but she kinda sucks actually...she's just a pretty girl #sunny annoys me but she's so based #starflight is the one you'd THINK i'd like but honestly. eh #his character is so absurdly hard to pin down #like he's kind of introduced as an arrogant nerd emoji guy #and then he's more of an anxious wimp #and then he's just like a kind hearted nervous smart guy????#tsunami is just like. that sort of boisterous angry character i don't love #she's violent but she's not even sexy about it 😔 you should enjoy being covered in blood more smh #when it comes to the SECOND ARC THOUGH #it's the opposite problem. i can't choose a favorite because i love them all #except winter who is me fr but i just hate him #everyone shits on moon but i love her she's my everything #KINKAJOU DESERVED HER OWN BOOK #turtle is perfect. PERIL MY BELOVED. qibli is a silly guy #third arc...ehjyutjhfghjskdjf i guess i like cricket #i kinda dislike blue but his book is the best one so it gives me bias to think i like him when i don't #luna and snowfall though? i can't tell if it was because their books sucked but iiiiii don't like em #and sorry to the sundew stans but she's like tsunami to me

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mumpsetc · 1 year

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You do not have to elaborate if you wouldn't like to but i'll admit i am very curious to hear your thoughts on balloon and nickel

My Favorite ii Character is Suitcase So You KNOW I Have an Opinion on Balloon and Nickel. In Fact, I Kind of Hate Them!

In S2 I Actually Do Really Like Nickel, I Think His Pure Horribleness is Pretty Entertaining and He's an Effective Antagonist. I Get a Kick Outta the Lil Fucker. Balloon in S2 is More Blah for Me, I'm Not Too Interested in His Own Pain When Suitcase is Infinitely More Interesting But He's Not Offensive, Just Kind of a Lackluster Prop to Someone Else.

When S3 Started and I Saw They Were Goin In for Nickel and Balloon Drama Again I Was Lil Interested. Unlike Other Returning Characters There Was Still Mineable Tension There Cuz the Conclusion of That Arc Was More Suitcase's Than Anyone Else's. and Also I Just Like Nickel.

They Have Since Become One of the Things I Dislike the Most About S3. I'd Go as Far as to Say Balloon Is the Most Thorough Character Assassination That Season's Produced. Granted It Is the Most Interesting He's Ever Been, But Him Constantly Turning a Blind Eye to Nickel Not Changing is so Frustrating. Further Still, When He Eliminates TK and Says That "I Don't Want to Play the Game With Backstabbing and Betrayal" Spiel While Allying With Nickel is an Active Insult to Suitcase. Him Calling Her Putting Her Entire Time on the Line for Him "Backstabbing and Betrayal"? Man I Can't Stand You!

Nickel I Still Think is Entertaining But Now Its Less Because I Like Him and More Getting a Kick Out of How the Writers Seem Unaware How Much He Hasn't Changed and How He's Still Just Blindly Horrible to Most People (Usually Women Honestly. His Pattern of Being Unrelentingly Horrible to Suitcase, TK, and Clover While Mostly Just Being a Bit of a Dick to Everyone Else is Like. Ok). Clover Giving Him Her Luck Powers After He Screamed At Her Till She Cried Was Very Much a "Lol Lmao" Moment for Me.

Also the Fact the Show is Definitely Doing Some Weird Shipbait With Them is Like. Whatever. Fine. Ok. Sure. I Don't Care Anymore.

#This Is Also Not Relevant Enough to Put In the Main Post Itself But Balloon Has a Weird Pattern of Seemingly Valuing S1 Contestants More #Like In S2 He Couldve Easily Done What He Did With Suitcase and Just Ally With the S2 Newbies Instead of Focusing All His Energy on S1ers #OR IN FUCKIN S3 HE COULDVE DONE THIS AGAIN!!!#But He Keeps Going Back to the S1 Contestants Which Is Interesting But Also 100% Unintentional #I Need Suitcase to Win S2 Cuz Otherwise What Else Does She Have #Someone Drove Her to a Psychotic Break and Then The Person She Did It For Became Best Buddies With the Guy Who Pushed Her to That Point #Man! One Million Dollars is Kinda the Least She Deserves For That Shit!#I Guess My Point Is a Balloon/Nickel Forgiveness Arc Does Have Potential But Not If It Ignores Everything That Came Previously #and Also Was Boring and Unfunny In Everyway Possible #Objective Criticism #Dreamy.txt #TY For Askin I Got So Much so Say Bout These Guys

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