The X-men run missions and work together with the NYPD, striving to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and mutants. When it comes to a fight, they won't back down from protecting those who need their help.
Haven presents itself as a humanitarian organization for activists, leaders, and high society, yet mutants are the secret leaders working to protect and serve their kind. Behind the scenes they bring their goals into reality.
From the time when mutants became known to the world, SUPER was founded as a black-ops division of the CIA in an attempt to classify, observe, and learn more about this new and rising threat.
The Syndicate works to help bring mutantkind to the forefront of the world. They work from the shadows, a beacon of hope for mutants, but a bane to mankind. With their guiding hand, humanity will finally find extinction.
Since the existence of mutants was first revealed in the nineties, the world has become a changed place. Whether they're genetic misfits or the next stage in humanity's evolution, there's no denying their growing numbers, especially in hubs like New York City. The NYPD has a division devoted to mutant related crimes. Super-powered vigilantes help to maintain the peace. Those who style themselves as Homo Superior work to tear society apart for rebuilding in their own image.
MRO is an intermediate to advanced writing level original character, original plot X-Men RPG. We've been open and active since October of 2005. You can play as a mutant, human, or Adapted— one of the rare humans who nullify mutant powers by their very existence. Goodies, baddies, and neutrals are all welcome.
Short Term Plots:Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
The Fountain of Youth
A chemical serum has been released that's shaving a few years off of the population. In some cases, found to be temporary, and in others...?
MRO MOVES WITH CURRENT TIME: What month and year it is now in real life, it's the same for MRO, too.
Fuegogrande: "Fuegogrande" player of The Ranger, Ion, Rhia, and Null
Neopolitan: "Aly" player of Rebecca Grey, Stephanie Graves, Marisol Cervantes, Vanessa Bookman, Chrysanthemum Van Hart, Sabine Sang, Eupraxia
Ongoing Plots
Magic and Mystics
After the events of the 2020 Harvest Moon and the following Winter Solstice, magic has started manifesting in the MROvere! With the efforts of the Welldrinker Cult, people are being converted into Mystics, a species of people genetically disposed to be great conduits for magical energy.
The Pharoah Dynasty
An ancient sorceress is on a quest to bring her long-lost warrior-king to the modern era in a bid for global domination. Can the heroes of the modern world stop her before all is lost?
Are They Coming for You?
There have been whispers on the streets lately of a boogeyman... mutant and humans, young and old, all have been targets of trafficking.
Adapteds
What if the human race began to adapt to the mutant threat? What if the human race changed ever so subtly... without the x-gene.
Atlanteans
The lost city of Atlantis has been found! Refugees from this undersea mutant dystopia have started to filter in to New York as citizens and businessfolk. You may make one as a player character of run into one on the street.
Got a plot in mind?
MRO plots are player-created the Mods facilitate and organize the big ones, but we get the ideas from you. Do you have a plot in mind, and want to know whether it needs Mod approval? Check out our plot guidelines.
She'd done it! Taken the plunge and fricken done it, and it wasn't nearly as terrifying as she had hyped it up to be!
... That was a lie, she was living in existential dread as her appointment ticked ever closer.
The last time she had been in a doctor's office, seeing as her parent's did't believe in formal medicine, had been when she was eight and she fell out of a tree and broke her arm. Essential oils couldn't fix that, so a trip into the city was a must.
Now, instead of a broken arm, she was facing a habit that she had grown comfortable with being ripped away suddenly, and without Mercy. She'd used drinking for so long to chase away the demons that it was second nature to her. Without it she was like a sitting duck, and just thinking about how alone and vulnerable she would be when the next attack hit was making her twitchy and anxious 24/7.
What if she had a really bad episode? What if it was like the last time she had been without any sort of distractions?
Her leg was bouncing up a storm by the time a kindly looking secretary came over to show her in. She was seeing a doctor called Gregory. She really hadn't been paying much attention when she'd made the appointment, other than he had a 'Doctor' in front of his name and she could get in within a few days. She... she didn't think she'd make it if she had to wait a few weeks.
"Juniper? Juniper Brown?" She stood, a little jerkily, and headed for the woman. She was led toward a door with the Doctors name on it, and her apprehension tripled.
It was okay, though. She could do this. All she needed to do was keep the facts vague and talk about how she wanted to try an Anti Anxiety med, or an Anti Depressant. One or the other. Doctors liked to throws those prescriptions around like crazy, cuz it looked good or something... right?
As she stepped inside the room she immediately eyeballed the place like a caged animal. There were... weird things on the walls. She fiddled with the long hem of her Boise State hoodie, which mostly covered up the mid length shorts she was wearing. Knee socks and white sneakers (like usual) finished the outfit.
He was under his desk. No, not hiding. He'd seen a bug that wasn't one of his own skittering around, and it wouldn't respond to him calling out to it, so he here was, trying to track the blasted thing down! Alas, he had little luck, and he was pretty sure he had a patient soon. He would have to give up his search, unfortunately.
A voice called out, and his desk suddenly jumped up an inch. There was a modest curse and a grumbling lament of pain as he extracted himself from underneath the desk. "Ouch... Yes, yes, I'm here. You, ah, Scheduled an appointment, Mrs." The giant bug reached to the top of his desk and glanced at the papers on it. "Mrs. Brown?"
He looked over to take in her visage. Well washed, a little underslept, perhaps, loose clothes, alert posture. Fiddling. Hm. Best not to jump to conclusions. "As you know, I am Dr. Sampson." He walked over toward her and offered a buggy hand to shake. "It is fine if you don't wish to shake, just let me know."
He motioned toward the couch. "We can have a seat and get started if you'd like. What brings you in?"
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
She managed to keep the minimal surprise she felt off her face, as it wasn't the first time she had ever seen an extreme visible mutation, nor the strangest.
When he put out a hand to shake she took it with minimal hesitation. Honestly how he looked didn't scare her at all. Bugs were hardly something to be afraid of. people were scarier. It... kinda helped her to relax a bit. The fact that he didn't look like your typical doctor.
"Nah, you're fine." She shook as firmly as she could without going over board and offered a smile. It was a bit tired around the edges.
He offered her to sit and that gave her a little bit of a pause. Weren't... weren't doctors offices supposed to have examination tables or something? Was this like, a modern approach to medicine?
"Sure." She headed over and plopped down, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater as she glanced around again briefly, before fixing her eyes back on the doctor.
"Well... i'm kinda new to this whole 'going to the doctor' thing... but, I was kinda hoping I could look into getting on an anti-depressant, or anti-Anxiety med of some sort. I'm new to the city and to be honest, being so far away from my family is kinda getting to me. I have a history of it, but I've always been able to manage on my own and never had to really look into all this stuff before."
Short and sweet. A perfect lie to round out her story a little and make it easier to get the ball rolling.
Oh, good, the first obstacle was out of the way. She didn't run at the sight of him! About ten percent of people did. She shook his hand, and he nodded respectfully.
She walked over and took a seat on the couch, and he walked over to a chair to sit as well, getting his notes ready.
She mentioned it had been a while since she'd been to a doctor. He paused and looked around for a moment. Did he wander into a doctor's office? Nope, still his therapy clinic. She came right out of the gate and asked for meds, which made him tilt his head a bit. "Ah, I see. Well, we can get to that. For now, Get comfortable. Would you like something to drink? I have water, Coffee, and tea."
He leaned back. "We will have to talk a little more before I can get into and prescription recommendations. For now, tell me a little more about you as a whole, perhaps?" He would retrieve a drink for her if she so desired.
"No need to worry, nothing you say leaves this room."
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
Juniper shifted nervously on the couch. "No, thank you. My stomach's been upset for a while." She'd been nauseous all day and didn't want anything in there that she could hurl up on his floor, was what she was saying.
"Um.. like what? My dreams and wants and stuff? Or... just things that relate to the issue?" She was chewing on one corner of her lip a little bit and her hands vanished into the baggy pockets of her coat.
Maybe she should have just bitten the bullet and ordered some mystery meds online like she had almost done. Taking something and nearly dying was probably preferable to this... but, she supposed she could just lie her way out of it if it got too complicated. She just needed to stick to her story.
"I'm, um, 19, and I've always been a bit anxious I guess? I grew up on a farm in Ohio, didn't have many friends, and worked my way here after I was big enough to leave. This is the first big city I've ever lived in."
What all did he expect her to say? 'Tell me about yourself' was kind of a broad, open subject to try and cover in just a few words.
He nodded when she declined the drink. Her stomach was upset. He wrote a little in his little notepad. She was uncertain of how to tell him about herself. She used her clothing as a bit of a shield, digging her hands into the front pockets. Safety.
"What ever you'd like. It's more to break the ice. Get a conversation started."
She was insecure. He sat up, and looked to her for a moment as she replied some facts about her. Why was she insecure. Anxiety was the easy answer. Why anxiety, though? Often there was a conditioned response that lead to underlying anxiety in social situations. Perhaps if he could get to the bottom of what made her anxious he could help her find the right coping mechanisms.
"How do you like the big city thus far?"
He was learning a lot from watching and listening to her. One thing that was a little odd was... If she'd always been anxious, and that was the whole story, why come to a place that was more hectic? Still, a small town could be more nerve wracking than a big city at times as well. He could concede that thought.
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
That was an awful lot of scribbling he was doing. What was he writing down? Did doctors normally take notes like that?
Wait, wasn't someone supposed to like, weigh her and take her temperature or something?
"It's... big. I got lost a few times even with gps. The people are a mixed bag. Lots of them seem nice, but a lot of them are...er... not so nice." Particularly kidnappers and thugs in alleys.
"I had kinda gotten used to like, the small town feel, I guess? Being able to know everyone in town and all? That's a lot harder in a place like this."
She paused, watching the end of his pen dance around some more as he scratched more notes on paper. "It's not all bad though, I guess. I found a nice job here, and I have a few friends now. So... progress."
His compound eyes watched him watch her as he wrote. Nothing in particular. Small notes, but mostly dribble. He was trying to see how reactive she was to such things. It seemed to catch her attention, at least.
Odd, though, looking at everything she'd said thus far described someone who was getting along fairly well in the big city. Like she said, there were some people who were... tough to interact with, but such was true in every city.
"I see... Things seem to be going quite well for you, then. Why, then, do you feel the need for Anxiety medication? How is your anxiety affecting your day to day?" In short, why are you here? Everyone felt anxiety to an extent. He got the sense that she felt it more than the average person, though, just from her attire, her small ticks thus far.
Something seemed off.
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
"It is going pretty well, actually... and i'm thankful for it." It was weird. With his eyes being how they were, she couldn't exactly tell if he was looking at her or not. Was he staring at her or at the paper he was writing on??
"Well, I usually cope okay but lately it's been affecting my sleep scheduled more than normal." How.. how much was she supposed to tell him? Like, all of it? Some of it? Just the most annoying parts?
"It... it's hard to leave bed some days. I just want to sleep a lot, and the suddenly nothing at all. I really like the place I just got hired at and I don't want it to affect being able to function at work and stuff."
Was there anything else super important? Heck, she'd never been on a long term medication before so she didn't know all of what it was going to help with.
"I have trouble with being in crowds too, but I try to avoid them for the most part. Being able to control that, and, like... not wanting to run away from things that are uncomfortable would be great too, I suppose."
She spoke of signs of depression. She was checking off all of the boxes. It was affecting her life in a negative way, she had trouble getting out of bed. Chaotic social settings didn't agree with her.
Depression and anxiety. He could prescribe medications, but just doing that was counter productive to all of his years of schooling; any doctor could offer SSRI's. She was here because she wanted to talk. He realized that sometimes this was hard to do, so he just needed to help her to get there.
To the underlying issues.
"I can be distressing when such things make life's everyday challenges more difficult." He nodded along with her, and then tilted his head. "If you could tell me, what tends to make you uncomfortable? do you have certain triggers, aside from the aforementioned crowds of people, that is."
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
"I dunno?" She found herself blinking, honestly thinking about it. What had triggered the last attack? A nightmare, if she was recalling correctly. But... she wasn't about to tell him about her nightmares. That was a whole different can of worms she had worked really hard to bury and forget.
"I just freeze up in certain situations. Like... um.. A friend of mine was telling me about his school and that I should join, and it was just so overwhelming that I just kind ran off on him. Like, I literally ran. If I don't wanna be someplace I leave, regardless of who i'm with."
Poor Adonis. She'd done that to him a few times, hadn't she.
"I guess the thing that worried me about the whole school subject is how many people are in that place. I was imagining crammed hallways and classrooms. I don't like people touching me unless I've initiated it, even like... bumping shoulders."
How effing much did she need to say before she could get her prescription and leave??
"It's why I don't ride the subways around here, either."
She paused, watching him scribble more.
"Sometimes the anxiety pops up for reason, too. In the middle of the night, or while i'm having fun. I don't know what triggers it when it does that."
His head tilted a bit when she said she didn't know. He remained silent for a moment to let her gather her thoughts, and it started to come out.
She... Ran from stressers. Full sprint. That was amusing. He did not chuckle. She didn't like physical contact... To a great extent. Interesting. He tapped his pencil on the notebook a few times before standing and starting to make a pot of coffee.
"Often times an anxiety attack, as they are called, doesn't need a trigger in particular. You can be going about your business when all of a sudden, it hits. Anxiety as a whole, however... People usually have something in mind in relation to it. Some fear of a sort." He pressed brew on the coffee, and looked back.
"You're sure? I make a pot at a time if you change your mind." He leaned against the small table the coffee maker was on and spoke in a careful, measured tone.
"As I was saying... People, man kind, got to where it was today through a great ability to learn and retain. At a base level, this often means we can learn to be afraid of something, irrationally. Spiders are a common occurrence of irrational fear. Often a fear of spiders will be related to some experience early on in life that taught that person to fear them. Sometimes, isolating that incident and talking through it can help one reason against that fear." The coffee started draining into the carafe, and he turned back to it.
"Physical contact. We can start with that. Can you think back to an experience that might have taught you to fear physical contact?" He was asking her a question that had been nagging at his mind since she got here. The loose clothes, the fidgeting, the fear of non self initiated physicality. They were signs of a certain type of trauma. Then again, sometimes a loose hoodie was just a loose hoodie. He had to be sure.
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
The expression on her face could be summed up as uncomfortable at best. She shook her head at the offered coffee. The caffeine wouldn't do anything but make her more jumpy at this point. "I don't want to throw up on your floor, but thank you anyway."
The more he talked, the less she wanted to be in the room with him. He was getting reeeally close to the truth and that was seriously not good. By the time he wound down from the first half of his explanation about fears and such, she was already deep in the cold sweats.
Ending it with a question about why she was so afraid of contact firmly cemented the idea that this had been a huge mistake, and she was eyeballing the door and practicing her breathing. The last thing she wanted to do was have another break down out in public where people could see. Ami had been hard enough and she was only able to skate by with the help of copious amounts of alcohol.
"I... um..."
The crawling, twitching sensation was getting worse and her train of thought was tunneling in one direction, so she tried to center herself. It didn't always work, but sometimes it did and that was enough. First, 5 things she could see...
"I don't know." 4 things she could touch... "My parents really weren't the touchy feely types. We didn't do a lot of hugging or anything." 3 things she could hear. Did her own heart beat count?
"My extended f-family... they were a little touchy feely. Aunts that liked to give kisses and such, uncles that-"
'Oh, come on pepper, baby, Uncle Kieth won't bite ya! Just c'mere and gimme a hug.'
"...like to show me how to... build forts and stuff."
@#$%, what was the next step? What was the next thing?!
Subconscious thoughts had her gripping her arm where the ghostly feeling of big fingers digging in was sending alarm sirens screaming in her head. If she couldn't get herself to stop panicking right now, she wouldn't actually be able to leave. She'd lock up just like in that alley way.
His focus on the carafe as it filled slowly ebbed as she spoke about her experiences. It refocused on her as she started to freeze up a bit. His antennae stood up straight as he turned to look back at her. She was looking about the room. She'd gone pale. She was alert, looking at the exit. Her nails were digging into her arms.
He moved a little closer, staying out of the bubble. He'd seen this countless times. Softly, easing into it, he spoke. "You're having a panic attack, Juniper. You're familiar with this, yes? Recognizing the feeling is important when it comes to calming them. Remember to breathe deeply. You are in a safe place. A cozy little office where nothing can or will harm you." He had a seat once more.
"If you can, I want you to trust me... I am going to hand you something to focus on." He slowly reached out to a small drawer and opened it. In it was set of baoding balls. He placed them in front of her on the table. "You may grab them and move them if you'd like. Once you feel safe, I recommend closing your eyes. Focus on the sound." He sat once again, staying sure not to move too quickly or get too close.
"Remember to breathe. In... Out. In... Out. You are safe here."
He would continue like that, encouraging her softly to breathe, reminding her she was safe.
Thanks to Andrea and Jorge for my sigs! I WABBLE YOUUU! AV Roach~
Before she could fully start hyperventilating, she heard the Doctor start to talk again. It sounded distant, lost slightly among the rushing thoughts and fading vision. She had to claw her way back out of the past as if it were a physical barrier... but eventually she started to become re-aware of where she was. Who she was with.
Panic attack. Right. One of those. Juniper sucked in a deep breath through her nose and jolted back a little, prying her fingers from her arm with minor difficulty.
She had never played with those stupid jingling balls before. She'd seen them, sure... but what use did they have? A medical one, apparently. Her first attempt to jerkily reach out for them failed when her hand passed right through the ball and the table. @#$%! She re-solidified her hand, snatching them up and sitting back. She tried to follow along with his advice as best she could; deep breath in, deep breath out. Jingle the balls around.
....Heh!
"I.. I don't really wanna talk about all of this, Doc. Can't I j-just get something to help me sleep a bit?"
Her legs felt like jelly. Actually, everything felt like jelly. Her heart was still hammering around in her rib-cage like it wanted to escape. She did close her eyes, even if it was a little hard to do it at first, and tried to focus on the sound of little musical metal balls.