#s/i: enigma

[aubbys-selfship-hell]

Witches, Skeleton, & Apple

Hi! Thanks for visiting my askbox! I'll be answering these with my poly QPR partners, Pomni and Ragatha! (My self insert for Digital Circus is Enigma, I'll be writing as her.)

[Witches] - While the digital realm doesn't have the exact same time system as the real world, Caine announces a Halloween-esque event every once in a while that goes on for a limited timeframe. Us circus members get to decorate our rooms and certain parts of the main tent with a large collection of props he offers. Me, Pomni, and Ragatha help each other spruce up our rooms for the occasion. Me and Ragatha really love this holiday, but Pomni and I get scared easily so we're kinda picky on what decorations we use. We went for a magical theme this time.

[Skeleton] - Caine hasn't implemented any features for us to be able to either make costumes for ourselves or ones he prepared for us yet. But if we wanted to we'd all do something simple like all 3 of us dressing as witches or something.

[Apple] - For the Halloween event Caine changes up the games and appearance of the amusement park near the main tent. We have been there only once so far. We did apple-bobbing and it was hard for me catch a fruit because of the beak of my mask, Pomni was the only one to successfully grab an apple in her mouth. Caine also sets up a haunted corn maze, but unlike his adventures, all the the things in the park are your choice to do. Pomni and I refused to enter the maze but Ragatha went in alone out of her own interest. She was a little shaken by the time she exited so Pompom and I gave her some comfort.

[aubbys-selfship-hell]

There! Now you all have a rough concept on what Enigma looks like! Once I learn digital art I'll make sure they have a colored reference.

Here's some early concept art of my Digital Circus sona/self insert Enigma. They're a pangender aroace who uses she/he/they pronouns! This isn't the final product of their design as I'm still tweaking and polishing it.

Bonus fact: Enigma's mask is fused to their face, it doesn't hurt them at all. It's kinda a nod to the VR headset the players/humans put on before entering the digital realm!

[anonymous-dentist]

Bleeding Heart Part One

Or: Somebody is attacking members of the Federation of Heroes, and Cellbit is, for once, not the killer

(TW: Blood, Self Harm [by technicality])

----

Cellbit first hears about the attacks from Bagi while they're getting lunch together for the first time in almost a month.

"I've just been so busy," she sighs. She looks about one insult away from slamming Cellbit's face into the table, and she looks about one wet piece of lettuce away from slamming her own face into her salad.

Cellbit hums in response. He's been busy, too. Not with police work, but photo editing is fucking hard, okay? Especially when your apartment is a fucking war zone thanks to yet another patented Richarlyson Temper Tantrum.

Only a little annoyed, Cellbit pokes at his barbecue hard enough with his fork to scrape it against the plate.

Bagi scowls and kicks Cellbit underneath the table.

Cellbit kicks Bagi back, with purpose.

"Fuck you!" she snaps, stomping down hard on his foot.

Cellbit responds by snatching her glass of water from next to her plate and turning it over above her salad.

"What?" Cellbit casually asks as Bagi starts visibly shaking with rage. "At least I'm not stabbing you this time."

"You-" Bagi cuts herself off with a frustrated groan.

She reaches across the table and steals his plate; he lets her, the meat is a bit too well-done for his tastes.

Cellbit leans back in his seat and watches her stab into the barbecue with the rage of a goddamn beast.

"Aren't you vegan?" he asks her.

"Fuck you," she tensely responds. "I don't have the patience for this today. Between you and those fucking- the Federation, I'm going to lose it."

Cellbit tenses at the mention of the Federation- the Federation of Heroes: Q City's defense against supervillains and petty criminals alike, the unofficial backer of the city's educational system and the police force and the courts, and Cellbit's unrequited worst enemy.

His nose wrinkles in distaste. "What do they want?"

"What don't they want?" Bagi sighs. "I don't see why they need us to solve this if they're in charge of literally every superhero in the city. It's just a couple of assault cases, that's it."

...Ah.

Casually- oh, so casually, Cellbit rolls his eyes and cracks a grin.

"What, is someone going around and beating up Federation guys again?" he asks. "I thought Enigma was dead."

Bagi nods, annoyance written all across her face in big red letters. "He is, I was there when he died! But freaking Foolish-"

"Oh, God, Foolish is on this case?"

"The Federation requested him specifically, but he's like-" (She screws her voice up into something approximating her coworker's.) "'Oh, no, Bagi! It's the dead guy assaulting all these Federation guys!' Like? Enigma is dead, how the hell is he still getting assault charges?"

Cellbit shrugs. "You know how Foolish is. He's probably still pissed about never actually getting to figure out Enigma's secret identity. He's just salty."

"Yeah, well. Whatever."

"Whatever," Cellbit echoes.

Bagi, somehow, looks much closer to death. She looks tired, but that's just what happens when you're stuck dealing with Cucurucho for an extended period of time; Cellbit swears he only gets sleep when Cucurucho is out of the city on official Federation business.

Now, Cellbit should probably be grilling his sister for more information. Any enemy of the Federation of Heroes is a friend of his, and he's got some contacts that he might want to hook this mystery person up with.

But.

Smile softening just slightly, Cellbit asks, "How has Empanada been? Is she doing better at this new school?"

Bagi's entire being brightens up, and she starts talking about her daughter's first day at her new school and how Empanada had the best time and how the school is actually accommodating for her disabilities and how... Well, Cellbit stops listening after a couple of minutes while he starts thinking about his own child.

Oh, Richarlyson.

He's so grounded.

-

But, funnily enough, it's while he's walking Richarlyson to school a week later that Cellbit finds the first official murder victim of Bagi's mystery assaulter.

"Oh," says Cellbit, looking down at the corpse lounging in front of his apartment building surrounded by its own brains and blood.

He blocks Richarlyson from following him out the door, much to Richarlyson's annoyance.

"What is it?" Richarlyson asks, squirming and trying to slip under Cellbit's arm. "I wanna see!"

"I think your other dads would kill me," Cellbit replies. He glances over his shoulder and down. "Can you go get my camera for me? I'll let you carry it to school."

Eyes widening excitedly, Richarlyson turns on his heel and bolts up the stairs.

As soon as he's gone, Cellbit looks back at the corpse.

It isn't a particularly good corpse. It's... messy. Too many wounds, too random. Skull fracture and cave-in seems accidental based off the location of the fracture and the location of the body; the killer probably smashed the victim's head against the building's railing and killed them just like that.

It's early in the morning. Early enough that Cellbit's street is basically empty; the Favela isn't really ever quiet, but people are smart enough to stay off the streets from sundown until sun-up. And the Federation of Heroes isn't dumb enough to try putting cameras up in a place like the Favela; it'd be a waste of money with how many times they'd have to replace them all.

So nobody is there to watch as Cellbit crouches next to the corpse and sticks a finger in the puddle of blood.

(Water holds memories, and blood is ninety-two percent water, so...)

The blood ripples like a lake after a stone was tossed into it, waves moving from Cellbit's finger outwards.

And then-

"Pai! I got it!"

Cellbit swiftly stands and turns and hides his hand in his coat pocket and smiles a thanks at Richarlyson. Damnit.

"Did you remember to lock the door behind you?" Cellbit asks.

He tries to block the view of the corpse again, but Richarlyson just barely manages to squeeze past him and out the door.

Cellbit sighs, "Don't tell your Pai Pac I let you see this. He'll kill me."

Richarlyson stares down at the body, frozen in shock.

Well. At least he isn't screaming?

Cellbit slings his camera bag over his shoulder and pulls his camera out. He's got work to do.

"Why do their brains look like that?" Richarlyson asks, nose wrinkled. "Gross."

"Brains don't look like they do in the movies," Cellbit explains, moving past Richarlyson and turning his camera on. He points it at the corpse's face, and he clicks the button. "They're a lot more... gooey. Not as solid as you'd think. It's mostly just the skull keeping them together."

"Really?"

"No, this is just kind of fucked up."

Richarlyson sits on the steps, arms crossed across his knees. He watches Cellbit work, not as disturbed as Cellbit thought he'd be. But, well, he is Richarlyson. He's seen worse than loose brains and a bit of blood. This is nothing.

"I think I know them," Richarlyson says after a bit.

Cellbit glaces up at him, camera focused on the bloody railing.

Richarlyson thinks some more, and then he nods. "Yeah, okay, so I don't know them, but I know their face! They were on the news last week! Super Hamster!"

Super... oh, right. Super Hamster, one of the Federation's newest recruits. Super low-ranked hero who spends their patrols getting cats out of trees and doing battle with a similarly low-ranked villain named Mongoose Man. Kind of stupid, but in a dumb college student way. Weird interviews. Weirder costume.

Cellbit lowers his camera and looks the corpse in the face. Super Hamster wore a mask over their eyes, but the cheeks and chin look the same...

Oh. Oh no.

God. Damnit.

-

Okay, so.

So.

Once upon a time, there was a supervillain named Enigma. He was a bit of a serial killer, but he only attacked and killed those affiliated with the Federation of Heroes: office workers, doctors, weapons suppliers. Heroes.

He did this for years. He founded the Order of Villains alongside fellow villains: the Demon and Crow Man. He killed dozens upon dozens of people, took down seemingly-endless numbers of rookie and professional heroes alike, made himself a reputation as the worst villain Q City had ever known.

And then he died.

There was an explosion during a chase he and the Federation's Sharkboy were involved in. Sharkboy was sent into early civilian retirement. Enigma was sent to his grave.

But.

Cellbit slinks his way down the alley with his camera bag slung over his shoulder. He's wearing sunglasses and a black surgical mask leftover from the last time Richarlyson was sick, and his hair is mostly hidden under a borrowed baseball cap.

Recently, according to both Bagi and the evening news, people seem to think that Enigma has done the impossible and risen from the grave. Somehow.

The thing is, the new guy doesn't kill the same way that Enigma did. Enigma used weapons the color of fresh blood. All reports from surviving victims of "Enigma" mention someone with a black sword and-slash-or a steel baseball bat.

Honestly? Cellbit wishes this new killer all the luck in the world. Going up against the Federation is risky business; that's why Cellbit retired in the first place: his family was at risk.

But, really, Cellbit can't have the rumors about Enigma's return continue to go around. They're making everyone pay too much attention to everyone else, and Cellbit really doesn't like getting stared at.

He really, really doesn't like getting stared at by Pac of all people.

So. For Pac's sake, and for Pac's sake only, Cellbit is on the prowl tonight. He's been studying up on the assault cases that Bagi has been investigating, and he's determined that nearly all of the assaults happened within a three-block circumference of the Federation's main building downtown. The outlier so far is Super Hamster, who was apparently Cellbit's upstairs neighbor before their death.

So. Downtown.

Cellbit doesn't have much on him. He has his phone and wallet, and he has a pocketknife and a pocket first aid kit. He's wearing gloves to hide his fingerprints, and because he knows better than to make skin-to-skin contact with an unknown super. (Because the new guy is a super, Cellbit can just tell; who else would have the balls to fight other supers hand-to-hand?)

And, of course, he has his camera. He needs to get proof for Pac, and then he'll get Pac to deliver the pictures to the right people.

Enigma might be dead, but "Enigma" would fit right in with the Order of Villains.

Cellbit steps out of the alley and looks up at the imposing Federation building rising above the buildings around him. It's big and white and glowing and shaped like the letter 'F' and it's fucking ugly, but it's also absolutely terrifying.

("Dispose of him.")

A helicopter lands on the Federation building's roof. Cellbit hopes it fucking crashes after takeoff.

With a sigh, Cellbit turns on his heel and starts down the street towards the building. He looks suspicious as hell, but he also has his P.I.'s license in his wallet if he needs to pull it out.

(He may not be an investigator anymore, but the license doesn't expire for another couple of years. Thanks, Federation!)

There's an itch on the back of Cellbit's neck. A mosquito, probably; it's summer, unfortunately.

Cellbit raises his hand to swat the bug away.

He blinks, and there's a figure in front of him standing beneath a streetlight in all black: hoodie, cargo shorts, what are probably athletic leggings beneath them, gas mask, and- for some reason- a medieval-style cloak with the hood pulled up.

Their hand rests on a sword hung on their side.

Cellbit doesn't so much as blink. Interesting outfit; the gas mask is a nice touch. Probably hiding a voice modulator inside it.

The sword almost seems to sing with all the blood coating it. Fresh blood, still dripping.

Slowly, Cellbit lowers his hand.

"Hey," he lamely says. "Nice cloak."

The killer's head slowly tilts to one side.

A deep, gravelly, very artificial-sounding voice drawls out, "You are not one of theirs."

Oh, so the killer is a nerd. That's cool. They'll fit in great with the Order.

Cellbit shakes his head. "No. I'm not. I'm on your side, actually. I'm just-"

The killer laughs, long and drawn out and painful sounding.

They shake their head slowly. "Don't fuck with me. No one is on my side."

Oh, so the killer is a depressed nerd. Who has obviously read a few too many comic books with how they're talking.

"No," Cellbit quickly says, "but I am. I hate those guys!"

The killer is silent. Still.

Cellbit watches them just stand there.

Swallowing a lump of anticipation in his throat, Cellbit continues:

"The Federation sucks. Everyone who works for it, or with it, deserves to die. I agree with you! But you-"

He cuts himself off with a gasp of pain as the killer vanishes in front of him and as a sharp blade stings along his ribcage from behind.

"Shit!" the killer snaps, voice modulator staticking in panic.

Cellbit staggers forward and throws himself onto the ground, careful not to crush his camera back. His sunglasses come flying off, but fuck them, he stole them, anyway.

His hand flies to his side, and it comes away bloody.

He grins. Perfect.

The killer lunges at him with his sword, aiming right for Cellbit's chest, but-

Cellbit raises his hand to catch the sword, hissing as the blade sinks into the palm of his hand. It cuts right through his glove like it was made of butter, but fuck the gloves, he stole them, anyway.

The killer freezes, confused as Cellbit drags his hand up the length of the blade. His blood drips down onto his hoodie, staining it dark.

"I told you," Cellbit growls, clenching his hand down and grinning. "I'm on your side."

And then Cellbit jerks his hand back and rolls to the side, narrowly dodging a stab to the chest. He raises his hand just in time for the blood running down his arm to ripple and start running backwards.

The killer must catch the movement, because they swing their sword towards Cellbit's wrist. Smart thought, but too late.

Steel clashes against iron with sparks and nausea as the killer's blade meets Cellbit's own.

Vaguely, Cellbit can see the killer's eyes widen through the goggles of their mask.

Cellbit swallows down a fever as he pulls the blood off of his hoodie and forms it into a tiny buckler shield. (If this other guy wants to go medieval, so will Cellbit.)

And then he pushes upwards with his blood sword with all his strength, forcing the killer to take a step backwards to keep themselves from falling on their ass.

"The cameras in this part of the city don't work," Cellbit breathes, pushing himself to his feet and desperately trying not to collapse under the weight of his own being. "You know this, but how? Only the Federation knows. They planned it this way. Job security."

"How do you know, culero?" the killer snaps.

They spin their sword once, look Cellbit over, and freeze.

Cellbit frowns. Just like before...

But then what happened before was-

Eyes widening in realization, Cellbit ducks to the side, just barely getting grazed by a sword skimming across the back of his neck.

The killer groans and tries again, this time catching the meat of Cellbit's bicep.

Cellbit groans, but he forces his blood to push the sword out of his body. It does so with a little protest, too weak to do much, but it manages.

"Enigma," the killer breathes. "You're supposed to be dead, man!"

"I am," Cellbit lowly says.

He hunches over slightly, more than a little out of practice. He holds his shield in front of himself, his sword quivering and at the ready.

"This is great!" the killer excitedly says. "Now that I know it's you..."

They lower their sword and sheathe it, practically bouncing on their toes. Their eyes glitter behind their mask, but they betray nothing.

"...we can team up!" they finish.

They reach a hand out.

Cellbit steps back warily. He holds his sword level with the killer's throat; it drips onto the sidewalk, blood splattering everywhere.

"I'm dead," Cellbit snaps. "You weren't supposed to even see me tonight! I just- oh, fuck."

He groans as a wave of heat washes over him. Pre-faint symptoms, he's close. He used to be better at this, fuck.

He staggers, both his sword and shield splashing onto the ground as he loses his hold over their forms. He braces himself against a streetlight, the same one he first saw the killer under, and he tries not to vomit.

The killer rushes towards him, gloved hands hesitating awkwardly next to his shoulders.

"You okay?" the killer asks. Even through their modulator, they sound concerned. Okay.

"I'm fine," Cellbit wheezes. He waves them off with a glare. "You just- I need proof. That it isn't me this time."

The killer stops breathing. They stop breathing for a long time.

And then they're next to Cellbit rather than in front of him holding his camera.

Cellbit's eyes widen. "Hey, no! Put that back!"

"Relax," the killer says, smile evident in their voice. "I'm getting you proof."

Cellbit's head spins. He hears the camera snap, and then he's on the ground. Oooohh, he's out of practice. (But isn't that a good thing?)

Another camera snap, and he's dry heaving. He hasn't eaten enough to be able to actually throw up anything, but his body sure wants him to try.

"Shit, hold on!" the killer exclaims, and then Cellbit knows nothing.

-

He wakes up to the familiar sound of the beeping of a heart monitor. There's a familiar alien sensation in his arm- I.V. drip, okay.

Okay, he's at the hospital.

Eyes flickering open, Cellbit lets out a sigh. Bagi is going to hate this.

"Fuck," he sighs, staring up at the ceiling.

Once upon a time, Enigma was the most feared villain in the city. But then he got a son, and he found his long-lost twin sister, and he realized that dying either from blood loss or from Federation execution wasn't the ending he wanted anymore. He wanted to live, and so Enigma had to die.

Cellbit hasn't passed out from blood loss since he was just starting out as a villain. It's been almost a decade since then, and he's definitely lost his touch. But that's for the better, really. He doesn't need to use his powers for that kind of stuff anymore. He can heal his son's wounds. He can read the lives of the deceased.

...Or, he would if he could.

He's startled out of his thoughts as someone comes into his room with an armload of vending machine snacks.

"Oh!" the new person exclaims, eyes widening. "You're alive!"

Cellbit doesn't know this person, but he thinks that he wants to.

"Who are you?" Cellbit croaks. "What happened?"

He was with the killer... and then he passed out... and...

"Oh, yeah, so I was walking home from work, and I found you all bloody and passed out on the sidewalk," the man explains.

He sits in the chair by Cellbit's bed, and then he dumps his snacks on the bed and lets out a sigh.

"I'm glad you're okay," he continues. "I was seriously worried."

Cellbit blinks. He's tired, God.

"My camera?" he asks.

"Over there," the man replies. He points towards the other side of the room with his head. "That Hombre Misterioso left it behind when he saw me there."

Cellbit frowns. "Hombre...?"

"Hombre Misterioso. The guy killing all those Federation workers? Apparently, he took a bunch of pictures of himself and managed to send them to the police. That's what they're calling him."

Cellbit's brain ticks away. "Doesn't that just mean 'mysterious guy' in Spanish?"

"Ay, you know Spanish?" The man grins. "That's cool!"

"I'm Brazilian," Cellbit murmurs, not really answering.

He gives the man an appraising look: brown hair, soft looking; dark eyes, glittering; red t-shirt, form-fitting; blue bandana, goofy. Biceps.

The man catches his gaze and winks.

"I'm Roier," he says.

Cellbit gives up on his analyzing; he'll get back to it when he isn't still so drained from losing so much blood.

"Cellbit," he replies. "Thank you for saving me."

"Nah, it's nothing."

(Roier's smile is sharp-toothed and positively breathtaking [or maybe that's just the blood loss talking.])

"Thank you for waking up."

[deathishauntedbyhumans]

hmmm something something john not being able to say marianna’s last name correctly and then five minutes later rattling off the name of the indian airport that mary had a ticket to. hm.

[triglycercule]

i mightve found the only other undertale fan in my entire school and he's playing one of those roblox ut fighting fan games. and then i saw his avatar and i'm like 80% sure it was dust but i cant tell because theres an undyne head over the avatar. man what the hell

[enigmatic-pers-reblogs]

I realised Theres a pattern in the fandoms I like and I interact with.

Shounen with innocent and sweet teenage boi’s or adults.

One armed monkeys or just power arms in general.

Manhwa guys with suicidal thoughts who are also single fathers of one or more powerful children.

And then there’s one punch man.

[konakoro]

I adore the Welcome to Raccoon City Leon. Absolute pathetic wet rag of a man. Can't do anything right. No respect. Zero thoughts. Still has amazing hair. I love him, this is how Leon should be

[socksandbuttons]

when i made an underrem 'height' chart BUT theyre like smallified versions SO I CAN DRAW THEM BETTER AND CONSISTANTLY THUS NOT A VERY USEFUL CHART.

[mauvecardigans]

not to be, like, painfully from The Car State, but

how the fuck does public transportation work

[jellykinss]

FINALLY finished my sonic self-insert/general fursona… seriously they took so long to finish but she is born . Joyous Day !

[invinciblerodent]

it's really funny how differently my partner and I approach and feel about music.

like here i am, making themed playlists left and right (for moods, characters, and generally everything I can think of), looking up lyrical analysis, translating lyrics for myself just for fun, while this man was just asked what his favorite music was right now, and he deadass responded "Spotify Daily Mix #3".

[aubbys-selfship-hell]

Had a dream a while back where Ragatha and Pomni both got upset after something happened (idk what, there was zero context) and I was my Digital Circus self insert/sona Enigma. I tried to comfort them and ended up with Pomni ugly crying in my lap for a while. Eventually I went to see Ragatha to make sure she was okay, she was still upset. I asked and she said she was fine. I pressed on (only a little bit) because she clearly wasn't ok, then she threw a cleaver at me and the blade hit my forehead! I was immediately cut into an entirely different storyline so I must've "died". Nice to be able to comfort Pomni though :)

Oh and about Enigma, he's a bird thingy. A little shorter than Pomni. I will put up art and other things involving him someday I promise!!

[anonymous-dentist]

Bleeding Heart Part Two

Part One

-

Cellbit gets an email notification as Bagi is driving him home from the hospital.

As expected, Bagi is royally pissed about him ending up in the hospital again. She's even more upset over him getting to meet her criminal before she could. She's even more upset over the fact that Cellbit refuses to tell her anything about what he saw outside of an interrogation room.

"It can be off the record!" she offers, dangling the opportunity to gossip over Cellbit's head like a set of shiny keys.

But Cellbit just shakes his head and sighs, slumping in his seat; the seatbelt cuts into his throat uncomfortably, but he really feels like he needs the grounding right now.

Hombre Misterioso... the Federation's most recent nuisance, a bloodthirsty emo killer in a gas mask and a cape, and a goddamn fanboy.

Cellbit's stomach curls at the thought of Hombre Misterioso going through his stuff while he was passed out on the sidewalk. He already knows about his camera- it's been confiscated by Bagi to be used as evidence- but what about his wallet? His face?

Obviously, Cellbit's mask was off when he woke up at the hospital. The nurses removed it, or the paramedics did in the ambulance. Or. Or Hombre Misterioso did. They want Enigma on their side, of course they would try and find his civilian identity.

Bagi, frustrated, turns the radio up so she doesn't start arguing. (She has a strict 'no arguing after the hospital' policy.)

It's music. Bagi hates listening to the news. She isn't Cellbit, after all. She is the news, she doesn't hear it when she's not at work.

Cellbit looks down at his phone. There's a text notification from the man from the hospital. It's just a smiley face and his name, Roier, so his number went through.

Roier agreed to Bagi's request for testimony immediately. He set a time and a date to meet her at the station, and then he left... but not before making sure that Cellbit got his phone number and that he got Cellbit's.

("Just in case," he had said.

Cellbit had raised an eyebrow, a smile teasing at his lips. "In case of what?"

Roier just shrugged and winked, and Bagi, in the corner talking with a doctor, had gagged. Physically.)

And then there's the email notification: '1 New Email: Regarding Your Photos...'.

Cellbit turns his phone off. Flips it over so it's face-down in his lap and he doesn't have to think about it.

-

Late that night, Cellbit tries to sleep. But, every time he closes his eyes, he sees glass. Feels paper against his skin. Smells Isopropanol.

Richarlyson is with Felps for the next few days so Cellbit can recover in peace, so Cellbit isn't too worried about anyone seeing him as he rolls out of bed and drags himself and his phone to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Glass under the faucet, Cellbit scrubs at his face with his free hand. What time is it, anyway?

Glass filled, Cellbit sits at the table and opens his camera roll. Goes to the album dedicated to pictures of Richarlyson. Smiles softly into his water.

Richarlyson is... afraid of the cold. He always wears a knit hat to keep his ears warm. He wears long-sleeved shirts under his favorite jersey. He sleeps with five blankets on his bed even in the summer.

Even with Richarlyson gone, Cellbit's apartment is like a sauna. Hence the water: Cellbit would dehydrate otherwise.

One picture in the album is of Richarlyson doing a handstand in front of the judge at the family court Cellbit and Richarlyson's other parents all had to go to to get equal custody of him. Pac is making a peace sign, Felps is holding Richarlyson's legs so he doesn't fall, Cellbit is dabbing, and Bagi is dabbing in the opposite direction; Mike is behind the camera, unwilling to have his photo taken in a court of law.

Cellbit understands being afraid of the cold. He used to cry if he wasn't wearing at least two layers at all times; the orphanage beat that out of him quickly, though.

Richarlyson won't ever have that happen to him. He works on his own fear one step at a time, at his own pace, and in his own time. And Cellbit will be with him every step of the way.

Yawning, Cellbit accidentally swipes a bit too forcefully from the top of his screen and opens the notification center. And right there, once again, is the email notification: '1 New Email: Regarding Your Photos...'.

He stares at it.

He stares at it for a long time.

He's so focused on it that he doesn't realize that his water is spilling too far out of his glass until it's hitting his legs.

Swearing, he puts his glass down and pinches the bridge of his nose. (He is an adult.)

His thumb moves on its own. It taps the email notification and opens the email, and there it is. The email. From the email notification.

From Cucurucho.

Mr. Balanar, It has come to our attention at the Federation of Heroes that you have been attacked by a villain near our headquarters. We here at the Federation of Heroes offer our sincerest apologies. No citizen of Q City should feel unsafe walking the streets, and no citizen should ever be harmed so close to safety. Attached to this email is a $10 coupon for a Federation of Heroes-affiliated business of your choice. Take this as a sign of our apologies, and as a promise that we will keep you safe in the future. In addition to this matter, I would like to personally discuss the photographs taken by the villain on your camera. I would like to offer you a compensation of your choice in exchange for these photos as well as any you may take in the future of this specific villain. It would be of extreme benefit to Q City and to the Federation of Heroes. We must eradicate villainy from the streets of the city at any cost, and the cost is up to you. Monetary compensation for civilians can reach up to $50 per photo. Perhaps you could use this to take your family to the new Federation of Heroes: Avengers Assemble!! stage show opening in a few weeks. Thank you for doing business with us. C.B. Cucurucho, Civilian Liaison, Federation of Heroes

Cellbit doesn't even hesitate before deleting the email. His hands shake as he does, though, and his chest heaves with pained breaths, and his stomach turns and bubbles, and his blood boils.

Literally.

He doesn't mind the pain, though.

It just warms him up.

(He hates the cold.)

-

He gets a phone call a few days later as he's rewrapping the bandage around his hand.

Unknown number.

Before answering, he makes sure his super illegal recording app is, well, recording.

And then he accepts the call, putting it on speaker so he can keep messing with his bandage.

"Hello?" he greets, running through his professional monologue in his head. Just in case. It could be a client, who knows?

Silence.

Cellbit frowns.

"Hello," he repeats, firmer. "Can I help you?"

Nothing but a crackle from the other end of the line. Almost like popcorn, but slower. On a loop, as if it's breathing. FWOOSH-fwoosh, FWOOSH-fwoosh.

He's about to hang up when a familiar voice sends a chill down his spine:

"Aquarium," says Hombre Misterioso. "Saturday. Midnight. We need to talk."

"Oh, we do not," Cellbit scowls. He scoops the phone up, bandages be damned, and holds it close to his mouth so the bastard can hear every ounce of distaste in his voice as he continues, "I don't know you. You don't know me. We have no business with each other. At all."

Hombre Misterioso just laughs, slow and deliberate and... pained? There's a thin line of something seeping through their voice changer, what is it?

"Funny!" Hombre Misterioso exclaims. "I'll see you on Saturday, mi enigmito."

And then they hang up.

And Cellbit realizes that they did look at everything, after all. His camera, his wallet, his phone.

And him.

[t4tdanvis]

me making my 3847573948575839554th au

[penciltopbear]

Each color is the main color of a different character. Pick your favorite to help me decide what to make!

[lascenizas]

The Last Movie I Watched...

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974, Dir.: Werner Herzog)