With Great Power is an animanga superhero roleplay set in an original universe featuring a freeform and easy to learn system. We are inspired by the likes of DC Comics, Marvel Comics, My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, Tiger and Bunny and much more. The possibilities for characters and powers are almost endless and players are free to let their imaginations run wild! With such great power, what will you become?
SKYFATHER
Owner
BRAVEO
Admin
NACHOS
Moderator
STAFFER NAME
POSITION
FEATURED
Anti-Heroes and Vigilantes are our most desired member groups at the moment! Do consider making one!
Nico glared at the text message for a good minute before actually processing it. How did the Cardinal even get his phone number? Did CC flex all of his prestige over at AEGIS to get a look at Nico's data or did he do something else to get it? Nico stared intently at the text on his phone once more. [break][break]
Sunny won't talk to me. Please help.
[break][break] Below the text message was a Google Maps pin to what the dark-haired man could only assume was Sunny's apartment. It was pretty presumptive that Nico would go all the way to South Korea to do Crimson Cardinal a favor. Not only was Nico half a world away in the United States, but he also hadn't spoken to the Cardinal in five years. The whole thing reeked of desperation, so much that Nico couldn't just reply with "No." God, was he really going to do this?
[break][break]
As the Execute Mage reached for the components of the Spell Suite, he let out a heavy, pained groan. Of course he was going to do this-- anything to feel like less of a failure to daddy. Nico was doing a favor for him and somehow the son felt like he was in the palm of his father's hands by even acknowledging the text. Even though this was technically a favor for his dad, Nico didn't plan on buttering up his Sunny and convincing her that her dad was worth talking to. Nah, Nico planned on actually telling her the truth.
[break][break]
Nico slid on his AR headset and got to work. The Fast Travel spell's programming hooked directly into Google Maps' API, making it stupid easy to just plug in the pin and teleport there. Fast Travel required an inordinate amount of work and testing-- it was something Nico had worked on sporadically over a period of a couple years, and only just now was he feeling comfortable using it without his body clipping directly through walls. In a moment, he chose the spell from the list and executed it. A door appeared in the middle of Magic Pixel's sparse one-bedroom apartment, and he opened it.
[break][break] In a millisecond Nico moved across the world, stepping on a door mat in the hallway of an apartment building. Nico looked around-- looked like the right building and right apartment number. He paused before ringing the doorbell, though-- god, he hadn't seen Sunny in five years either. How old was she when he left-- thirteen, fourteen? He had... heard things in the meantime, sure, but fear filled his chest at the thought of seeing her again. He was paralyzed by the anxiety of the moment... then, finally, he pressed the doorbell. [break][break] Ding DONG! [break][break]
[attr="class","monlyrics2"]Just another Thursday, huh?
[attr="class","monbody2"]
For all her resources Sunny couldn't do it on her own. Finding out who had stolen her designs for the prototype now called Nexus Buster had proven impossible; AHI had done the transaction under the table and nothing she could come up with for a network bug had given her anything useful. So she'd been forced to sign on with Aegis. Of course her dad had tried to get involved then. Of course as soon as she was a super hero he suddenly wanted something to do with his youngest daughter. She had work to do anyways. Her high rise suite with its large open central room had become her workshop since she started working with Ashita Heavy Industries and standing in the middle of her work bay was her pride and joy, painted in a vibrant blue and sporting the outline of future hot rod flames on its flanks.
Nexus Buster was a marvel of engineering but it was still just a prototype. Its combat systems hadn't been fully tested and every time she went over her files she found something to tweak, a code to tighten up, a part that would work more efficiently with its already power strapped systems. Getting it properly ready for a tour of duty with Aegis worried her; it should stand up fine to the normal rigors of super life but the world was a dangerous place. She couldn't leave any of it to chance. And today she'd managed to overload the right laser cannon and had to pull the whole thing apart to figure out what had gone wrong. Sweatpants and a tank top were all she'd bothered to put on, already stained with black and blue fluids from the machine when a sound hit her ears.
Sun-hi wasn't sure at first what it was over the whine of her power drill, but when she paused she heard it again. Doorbell.
She took a moment to assess whether or not to answer before pulling herself away from the hundred pound mech arm opened up on her workbench. It better not be the Cardinal or he'd really get an earful. But it wasn't his voice from the other side of the door when she got there. Sounded familiar though. And whoever it was knew her name. Oh boy. She opened the door and was met with a familiar face, albiet one she hadn't seen since she was a preteen. Oh. He had his super hero gear on so that made it real, real easy to figure out who this weirdo was.
"... Hi. I thought you died." Sunny said flatly, not really making any moves to let him in. Course he was way taller than her so he had a pretty clear view of her workshop. "Funny, I can't get any of you to so much as text me back but the minute I finish my Aegis paperwork everyone comes around. Don't I feel special?"
Nico slid the HMD down his face and wrapped the AR set around his neck. His biggest fear was honestly that Sun-Hi would have just forgotten him, and he'd have to awkwardly remind her of a brother she hadn't seen since she was a kid. Thankfully there was some kind of recognition, but far from the good kind-- there wasn't a familial smile on her face, just a simple stare. Fair enough, not like he took the time to keep up with her life in the first place.[break][break]
Not dead, just severed familial ties for a second. I'm sorry you haven't seen me in such a long time, I guess. God, you were a kid the last time I saw you, I really can't believe it's been so long."[break][break]
It took a second to process the second thing she said. Oh, of course she was a superhero, that's the only reason why CC was so desperate for her attention.[break][break]
"I'm pretty sure you don't have my phone number, and I didn't even know you signed-- I just heard about you getting screwed over on the news. Makes sense why Dad would care all of sudden, I got first post-moving out message from him the day after I signed with AEGIS. The second time was- well, here, take a look..."[break][break]
Nico produced his customized flip phone from his pocket and brought up the Cardinal's text message to him before handing his phone over to his sister for a moment. [break][break]
"The guy is super desperate if he's asking for me. Not only did I have to come here from America, but Dad and I aren't exactly on speaking terms or really anything close to good terms. I'm not sure if you know the details or remember anything from before I left but-- that's not the point."[break][break]
Nico placed the phone back into his pocket and peeled his gloves off of his hands. [break][break]
"We should go grab something to eat. I'm not here to try and get you on the Cardinal's side again even though he sent me. I'd rather you actually hear the truth about him, I'll tell you anything you want to know-- I kinda want to catch up, too."[break][break]
Nico peeked above her head into her large apartment, eyes shining at the sight of the large mecha she was working on.[break][break]
"Plus maybe I can help you with whatever you're working on. You need any code written?"
[attr="class","monlyrics2"]I guess someone has to do it
[attr="class","monbody2"]
Sunny really couldn't believe this. Guy just dips and then comes back just to chat? And maybe it was kinda nice that he came to check up on her just over the news story. It got worse the longer he explained himself though. He came because dear old dad couldn't get through to her. Of course. She should have known. All this time and they still didn't give a damn about her.
"Hmph! So I was still right. You came because he thinks you'll get me to talk to him. None of you seemed to care to involve me in your lives before and now I'm worth your time," She replied bluntly, trying to hide her anger but not really able to keep her voice from rising. Why was she even bothering? Did she even want the token gestures being floated her way now? Deep breath. Don't lose it here in the hallway and attract the neighbors down the hall.
The tiny woman let out an annoyed sigh and leaned against her door frame. She was quiet while he offered to go get a meal, actually catch up with one another. None of the other Lee's had really offered. Her initial bristling had been enough to brush them off. She shook her head.
"Fine, I guess. But I can't go out wearing this," Sunny relented, stepping back in to her workshop and pushing the door open farther for him. Tools were laid out in neat rows in their coordinated toolboxes, drills and heavier regular use items hanging from their special spots on the walls except for the handful of tools at her workbench. A lot of them had been packed up since Aegis wanted her to move to America for at least a few months, and here and there posters and blueprints took up the rest of the wall space. It was just a shame she couldn't get her car up here yet. She paused at the door to her bedroom before entering, mostly because he offered coding help.
"Thanks but no thanks. Nexus Buster is my life's work, no one's working on it but me. Be back in a minute," she said before slipping in to her room. But she did poke her head back out quickly "Don't touch the body, the paint's still curing!"
Nico stepped in, listening intently as she spoke. He could hear something behind the raising voice, even if she was trying to hide it-- anger. He stared in interest at the robot in front of him, inspecting every detail and feature-- he could understand why someone would want to steal his sister's work. Even if he wasn't much of an engineer, he knew a good design and execution when he saw it, and this thing was the real deal. Of course, he went to touch it but his finger stopped mere millimeters from the paint job. The big thing that was worth noting was the name...[break][break]
"Nexus Buster, eh? That's very Mega Man X of you. This is good work, I understand why you wouldn't want anyone else on this project-- but if you need my help, let me know. I can look over your code if you don't want anyone working else on it directly, but that's up to you."[break][break]
Magic Pixel's eyes wandered through the workshop, noting all of the intricate tools and the packed up boxes. Now that he got a proper look at the room, the bare walls and empty spaces made it pretty obvious that Sunny was moving.[break][break]
"Where are you moving? Maybe I can help out with that, though I'd have to modify the code for my Fast Travel spell for furniture movement..."[break][break]
The restrained anger in Sunny's voice struck out in Nico's mind as he sat there, waiting. Awkwardly, he opened his mouth, his voice cracking a bit as he spoke.[break][break]
"Hey, it's okay if you're mad at me-- If I was in your position I'd be mad at me too. I don't have a good relationship with the rest of the family either, so I get where you're coming from. I uh-- it was dumb to throw out any relationship with you because I had an issue with the family-- I can already tell you and I are a lot alike, even if I couldn't appreciate that when we were growing up."[break][break]
Nico quieted for a moment, sweating in the warm workshop. His anxiety flared up-- had he said too much too early? Had he been too honest? God, he hoped that just didn't make her angrier. [break][break]
[attr="class","monlyrics2"]I guess someone has to do it
[attr="class","monbody2"]
A quick change and a meal didn't sound bad, upset as she was. Sunny had fought her whole life to get these assholes to include her in her life and of course now that she'd been forced in to vigilanteeism they were all over her. Jeans, a band tee, her pastel jacket and a ball cap, toss her hair in to a ponytail and wash her hands and she was ready. Quick and easy. It sounded like he was still talking in the other room, and without the whine of her tools she could hear him too.
He liked the name she picked for her robot. Thought they were similar, that they'd have gotten along if he stuck around. She was ready, but she lingered at the door. He could tell she was mad, and... He gave her the closest thing to an apology she'd gotten from most of her family. She looked at her boxes of stuff in her now sparse bedroom and really if he hadn't already interrupted her work and placated her with the offer of food she'd have just told him to leave. But hell, maybe she was feeling sentimental. Maybe she had no idea how to feel.
She re-entered and shut the door back before he had a chance to glimpse the stacks of boxes she was having moved. She still had to find a proper place to continue her work and figure out how to arrange transport for her car though...
"I... Could still hear you in there. You're right, I'm mad. And I feel like I've got every right to be. But..." Where was she going with this exactly? She wished dealing with family issues was like dealing with a machine. Just cold hard facts, no complicated feelings in the way. She shook her head. "I'm still trying to collect my thoughts. I didn't think any of you would actually apologize. Thank you. I'll drive us, we can talk on the way."
Sunny led him out of the apartment, grabbing her keys off the rack and locking the door behind them. The elevator ride down to the garage was going to be awkward without some kind of conversation, so she spoke up. "I'm glad you like the name I picked. I thought, every mecha has a cool name in games and on TV. So mine should have one too. And don't worry about the food, I'll pay, I have a good relationship with the staff at the place I have in mind. It's been a long time, huh?"
Nico let out a sigh of relief as the anxiety escaped his chest. Thank god she was giving him a chance to be a decent sibling, and he refused to mess up this opportunity to finally have a decent relationship with a member of his family. Nico smiled weakly as she re-entered the room, hearing her out for a moment. He paused, before following her out of the apartment. The almost-winter wind hit Nico's face like a dagger, but he was far from fazed.[break][break]
"I never properly said it even though it was a apology, but sorry. Thanks for giving me a chance."[break][break]
After realizing the AR headset on his neck was far from inconspicuous, Nico prepared a spell as they walked. [break][break]
"Execute 'bag.exe' spell."[break][break]
In a moment, thousands of bright pixels of blue light formed a shoulder bag complete with the "Magic Pixel" logo he had designed. Nico placed the AR headset in the bag, then turned a corner toward the elevator. [break][break]
Nico stepped into the elevator with his sister, a grin sprouting on his face while she spoke.[break][break]
"Wow, you're as big of a dork as I am! Should've figured, I'm sure we're the only people in the family that touch their computer for anything other than Facebook or to check their bank account. And yeah, it has been a long time! It kind of blows my mind how much you've changed but I've more or less stayed the same since I left-- at least, how I look."[break][break]
The elevator slowed to a halt as the entire small room DINGED. The doors opened to the garage, as Nico stepped out.[break][break]
"Which one's your's? I haven't ridden in a car in a long time, at least..."[break][break]
The dark-haired man stroked his chin in thought.[break][break]
Well, this hadn't been how Sunny was planning to spend her evening but she was tentatively hopeful. Emphasis on the tentative. Part of her still had a feeling that dear old dad was gonna turn up at some point but it was going okay. He even offered an actual apology, shocker. The elevator ride was short; this time of day not a lot of the folks who lived in this building were going up and down. It went long enough for her to roll her eyes at him though.
"Since when are mech names dorky? It can't possibly be worse than some of those super hero names. Captain Cosmic is way lamer, you remember that time he came over and made awful space puns for three hours on my birthday? Euch," Sunny replied, sneering at the memory of it. She couldn't have been older than ten but it still ranked up there in 'bad super hero experiences'. She was pretty sure he'd been drunk too, but she preferred not to think too hard on it. "Yeah... when you left I was just fourteen. But it's not like it would have been any different if you'd been around."
There was a sort of finality to the way Sunny disregarded her family. Everyone was too busy playing super hero to have time for her, if he hadn't run off it wouldn't have been any different really. She was absolutely certain of that. She led him through the garage to a very fancy sports car; thin cyan underlights matching with the white and pink paint job. She clicked her key fob and the car started up before they got there, hopefully meaning the heater would warm up quicker.
"I've moved up a lot in the world since you last saw me. I try not to be ostentatious but I love sports cars, I saw someone offering a custom job and I had to go for it. Something to tinker with that's not a giant robot. I'm still working on refitting the engine compartment with a fusion power generator like I have in my mech, but..." Sunny hopped in the driver side and turned on her seat warmer. It really was cooler out than she'd expected. She pulled out of her spot once Nico had clicked his seatbelt in to place and out in to the light traffic of early afternoon. The inside was lit similarly to the underside of the car, illuminating the inside with a soft blue light.
"So what have you been up to? More super hero stuff I'm guessing."