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 Welldrinker Cult
A shadowy group is gaining power, drawing in people who are curious, vulnerable, or malicious, and turning them into Mystics. They are recruiting people into their ranks to spread the influence of magic in the world, but for what end goal?
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.
Alex seemed a fairly straight forward and cautious man. She read his body language for the most part since it was harder to tell what was going on behind those glasses and the sparks that jumped every now and then. No, it was easier to see the slight shifting of weight, the hands going back to their pockets. He was drawing in on himself, protecting himself from her laugh. He was embarrassed. Like a kid just figured out how the resistive filaments in the lightbulb work and then told Edison. Of all people, she already knew the power of lightning. So she just couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for him.
She did notice for the first time that Alex did a small motion with his lips. She'd been watching his body language and so she couldn't be sure how many times he'd successfully done so before now. It was... a hesitation. A negligible movement of the lips before a verbal redirection. He was editing himself. He was trying to handle her by being cautious. She ended up smiling for real in some small way. She probably would have done the same.
Lori must have boggled his radar. But that was kind of the point. Of course if she'd initially wanted to harm him, she would have approached this whole first meeting a different way.
Alex did eventually give her permission to tag along. Such caution. She hadn't done a thing except be herself. She afforded herself a small 'Hehe' look when he turned away. Letting that darker side of herself peek through even in the slightest seemed to be enough. Though Alex decided to take the lead. The lead. As in, I'll show you my back again after all previous caution. Why? Because he was the man and he wanted to lead. He trusted some sense of his, hearing, fast reaction time, maybe even electric sensing of some kind since she was a capacitor. He either trusted some sense to keep him safe or he wasn't thinking properly.
Lori took her time to bounce from one opening in the undergrowth to the next in a playful manner. She let him lead. She even let his broad shoulders and easy target of a back go before her unscathed. She let him because she didn't have a specific plan. She wasn't even formulating one because there was no direct benefit. Not yet. She would continue to give him time. Perhaps gain a little trust if that were at all possible at this point.
They approached a pond and Lori had a moment to wonder if he was planning something. She looked out over that relatively conductive fluid where the ducks and geese floated in some natural ballet that she'd never taken the time to understand. It was neat in a Discovery Channel way. Birds were in no way anthropomorphic. They kind of freaked Lori out because you could never tell what was going on behind those dark, beady little eyes. Their movements where wholly their own, unreadable by human standards.
"I don't like birds."
She hugged herself around the middle hoping that mild admission might be, in some way, relatable. She didn't like water either, but there was no way she was going in the pond and she didn't even want to risk mentioning it.
Posted by brainstorm on Nov 15, 2008 17:11:45 GMT -6
Guest
Alex walked towards the pond, his hands in his pockets, his ears following the progress of his companion through the woods behind him. She was leaping about playfully, but he couldn't help notice that she always stayed behind him. It was as if she was a predator, stalking him through the woods.
Alex chuckled at the mental image. They were approaching the pond. Alex had no clue where any of this was going. He was trying to play it safe, but he was still on edge after her 'lightning storm' comment.
"I don't like birds."
Alex turned to look at her. She had stopped her stalking and was standing with her arms crossed around her waist. Alex raised an eyebrow as he looked from her to the pond and the ducks floating on it and back. Yep, she was looking at the ducks. Alex glanced back and forth, trying to figure out what it was that had prompted her little confession.
Alex shrugged, figuring it would come out when it came out. He turned back to look at her and let a small smile play onto his lips. "I don't really care about birds, but most of them are alright...if they are lightly seared, between two half-wheat slices, with lettuce, tomato, a couple of dollops of mustard..." He trailed off. Teasing her was probably stupid, but what could he do. For all he knew, if he ran, she would blow him up from behind. Not to mention that the portion of his brain that was left over from the Neaderthals was beating its chest and demanding that he show his strength. He shook himself out of those line of thoughts and let the smile drop from his face.
"I will admit that birds creep me out. Hitchcock's movie didn't help much." He raised his arm and flexed it. "But I just remind myself that I am one of the top dogs on this planet, and that if a bird looks at me funny, ZAP, it's fried." At the word ZAP, Alex shot a spark from his finger into the rump of one of the nearest ducks. The duck began to quack and flap its wings, slapping a couple of the nearby ducks in the process. Alex let out a chuckle at the display.
He seemed perplexed by her admission. Turning comically from her to the unpredictable fowl several times. Finally he gave a shrug, giving up on whatever mental avenue of thought he had been pursuing.
"I don't really care about birds, but most of them are alright...if they are lightly seared, between two half-wheat slices, with lettuce, tomato, a couple of dollops of mustard..."[/color] Lori chuckled, her torso expanding with each laugh underneath her crossed arms. She wasn't without a sense of humor.
"I don't think I've ever eaten duck." Especially not a duck sandwich.
"I will admit that birds creep me out. Hitchcock's movie didn't help much... "[/i] She was already nodding along. Boys liked a girl that would agree with them and think them funny. It was a tactic she'd used many a time, though there was actual basis for her agreement this time. She wouldn't even make him feel silly or stupid for actually flexing his arm despite the childish drama. "But I just remind myself that I am one of the top dogs on this planet, and that if a bird looks at me funny, ZAP, it's fried." Alex shot a spark at an unsuspecting waterfowl and it flapped stupidly into its fellows. Lori echoed Alex's less than friendly chuckle.
"Oh, I can take care of myself." There was that flash of teeth in her smile again. She really envied his ability to send sparks outside of his body, but then again getting that close proximity was part of her fun. She cracked her knuckles idly, taking her time to peel her arms from around her sides. "But those ducks, man..." She shook her head sending her stringy hair flying. "They bite!"
Posted by brainstorm on Nov 16, 2008 22:44:13 GMT -6
Guest
Alex grinned lightly at Lori's laugh. He was trying to lighten the mood a bit. People were less likely to get angry if they were laughing. Unless they were psychopaths or serial killers. Alex glanced at her when that thought struck. She did look 'serial killer'-ish. But then, how would he know? He shrugged it off. Once again, what could he do?
"Oh, I can take care of myself. But those ducks, man..." She shook her head, as though in exasperation. "They bite!" Alex laughed at her levity.
"Are you speaking from experience?" He raised one of his eyebrows.
"Are you speaking from experience?" He raised one of his eyebrows.
She laughed again. See? Everyone was having fun here. "Yes." She waved her hand back in a subconscious gesture that put her hair behind her shoulder. That practiced movement spoke of a lifetime of long hair. "I only tried to give one a hug, but it seems no good deed goes unpunished." She remembered that her older brother had scared the goose away. He probably would have beat it up if possible, but it was only a goose. Only an animal, blissfully unaware of right or wrong. That had been so very long ago. More than a life time of experience, it seemed. "I was much smaller then... much less talented."
To say that Lori was a late bloomer was an understatement. She'd been smallest in her class, her 13 year molars grew in around the time she was 18, and her hand of power --her x-gene-- had activated in college well beyond supposed puberty. Of course she was well out of college now, 25 and she still looked 20. Go figure.
If Lori had actually wanted something specific from this Alex she would have taken control of this situation by now. As it was, she was having to fight herself to hold her tongue and only speak of ducks. She was so used to commanding situations that it was hard for her to just follow his lead. Especially when he was so slow. Ducks. Well, normal people had to start off at a cautious pace didn't they?
Posted by brainstorm on Nov 18, 2008 17:13:25 GMT -6
Guest
"I was much smaller then...less talented". Alex nodded at her story and stared at the pond. What the heck could he add to this subject? He really didn't want to pry, but they certainly weren't getting anywhere standing commenting on the wildlife. Hmmm, that should be a safe topic.
"So, are you native? To New York, I mean." He practically blurted out. Oh yeah, smooth. Alex paused and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and started again. "Are you visiting New York, or do you live here?" He felt like hitting himself over the head. He sounded like some teenager back in high school.
He glanced out at the pond and realized that they had stopped walking. 'Great, what was the point of walking over here? We might as well have stayed in the shade.' He turned back to her and brought himself out his musings.
She watched him start to squirm again when she didn't readily steer the conversation. From her stance 3 paces back from the edge of the pond, it was hilarious. She was having a hard time keeping the enjoyment off of her face.
"So, are you native? To New York, I mean." Lori only had time to chuckle before he was stumbling over himself to make his meaning painfully clear. "Are you visiting New York, or do you live here?"
"I knew what you meant the first time." Honestly, she had thought about bailing him out, but it was just so interesting to see him struggle. It really shouldn't have been that hard. "I've lived in or around New York for the whole of my existence." Though she did finally take some pity on him and issue a question of her own, though not super helpful. "And you... Alex?" She said his name as if it was some delicacy: sweet and delicious.
Posted by brainstorm on Nov 19, 2008 1:15:57 GMT -6
Guest
Alex scowled lightly. He could hear the laughter in her voice when she replied.
"I was born in Virginia, and my family moved here when I was eight. Lived here ever since." There, that wasn't so hard. Though, now another line of conversation was sunk. A thought hit him as he thought over her response. He turn towards her, raising his eyebrow.
"Existence?" He tilted his head slightly, obviously amused by her word choice, then turned back to the pond. "Well, this view is pretty, but I am guesing this isn't what you had in mind for 'walking somewhere'."
"I was born in Virginia, and my family moved here when I was eight. Lived here ever since." [/color]
Her eyebrows raised in earnest amusement. They were born in the same state. "Fairfax and we moved before I could walk that's why I consider myself a true New Yorker-- it's all I know." and in answer to his questioning eyes and mention of her word choice about existence Lori first offered another diplomatic shrug that meant both everything and nothing. She wasn't doing much more than existing these days, and the only place she'd ever existed had been here: New York, New York. "This is where the lines between nationalities and even species blur. All the world exists here in New York as long as you know where to look for it."
"Well, this view is pretty, but I am guesing this isn't what you had in mind for 'walking somewhere'."[/color]
She was still smiling, but it was a smile the way a flash of teeth is a smile. Sometimes it’s a smile and sometimes it’s not. Put your hand close to the dog’s mouth and find out. "I didn't have anywhere specific in mind." Her face seemed to echo her words. So empty. No where to go. No where to be. "Though if we're both really natives, not just anywhere will impress..." She was really pushing him to take the lead. Take it. I'm harmless. Take me anywhere and I'll follow. I can come with you. I can make you happy just like a bullet to the head.
Posted by brainstorm on Nov 20, 2008 19:53:30 GMT -6
Guest
Alex smiled at Lori's passionate description of New York. Sure he lived there, but he had never seeen it in that sort of light. Different spieces. Translation: mutants. It was true. Given the sheer size of New York, it was easy to blend in. Probably was the same in all the big cities, but in New York, well, something seemed different. Probably had to do with a certain green lady out on the bay.
Alex almost groaned at Lori's repetition of her lack of a destination. She was baiting him, toying with him. For what, he had no clue. Probably just beause she could. but her next line caused Alex to smirk.
"Though if we're both really natives, not just anywhere will impress..."
"Impress, huh?" He smiled, a teasing smile that was almost a taunt, and leaned towards her a little. "Are we on a date?" He pulled back and laughed. If she wanted to play, the least he could do was oblige. He shook his head theatrically. "I am afraid I will dissapoint no matter where we go. For if either of us leads, the leader will be sure to be unimpressed by the destination. Not to mention, you have lived here for far longer than I have. You are sure to know anywhere I would take you." He glanced at the sky. The sun was hidden behind the clouds, but it was slowly lowering towards the horizon. He steeled himself, and then dove in."However, I do know of a cafe nearby. You've heard of the Candle, right? I skipped lunch and am feeling hungry. Shall we grab a bite?" There, he had taken the plunge.
Alex had had very little real interaction with women. Few women could stand to actually look him in the eye for any real length of time. Thus, flirting was rather a novel experience for him, and he had no real idea of what he was doing. Most of what he knew of it came from watching movies or watching people in the city. Not exactly the best source.
"Impress, huh?" It was Alex's turn to tease. Though Lori was almost sure he would come to a different end than she had. She stood her ground solidly even when he leaned in close. "Are we on a date?"[/color] Then he laughed. Not that barking, surprised HA that Lori let out, but at least he saw the humor in his statement. He shook his head the same way Lori had, if his hair were longer it would have swung around his face just as nicely.
"I am afraid I will dissapoint no matter where we go. For if either of us leads, the leader will be sure to be unimpressed by the destination. Not to mention, you have lived here for far longer than I have. You are sure to know anywhere I would take you."[/color]
Her lips quirked curiously. "There's no way we've both seen it all. It's a big city, Alex. I'm betting that I have experienced a different New York than you." He was looking up then at the clouds. She had to resist checking to see what was so interesting up there because she wanted to focus all her attentions on this person in front of her. What was making him thinking so hard? Surprise attack? She wanted to be ready.
His head snapped down and all of a sudden words were spilling out of his mouth, one stepping on the heels of the last. "However, I do know of a cafe nearby. You've heard of the Candle, right? I skipped lunch and am feeling hungry. Shall we grab a bite?"
A tenseness that had been gathering between her shoulder blades released. "Lunch? Weren't we just laughing about the fact that this so isn't a date?" She eased up out of her stance. Had she really crouched ready to spring? Lori took a moment to assess herself. Had she eaten recently? The fact that she had to stop and ask meant that she probably hadn't. Her hair swished with an overzealous shake of her head. It wasn't a "no" per se, more a clearing of the mind.
"I know of the Candle. It's a nice place." There was definite suspicion in her tone as her eyes searched his face, or rather, what face wasn't hidden behind sun glasses. He would need to loose those if they were going to continue this conversation for too much longer. The Candle was also private enough that passers by wouldn't see her from the street like many of the faster food places. That still constituted laying low in her book even if it was a more public venue than she'd visited in the last few weeks. Maybe it was time to get out... well, more so than the back woods of the park.
Lori sighed. Perhaps it was vanity, but she was pretty sure that she could handle Alex. "Fine." Lori shoved her hands grumpily back into her pockets. "Let's go."
Posted by brainstorm on Nov 21, 2008 23:42:51 GMT -6
Guest
Alex watched as Lori straightened up, her muscles relazing as she pondered his statement. It was quick, but he noted that she seemed ready to dart forward. It was obvious that she expected a fight at every turn. He idly wondered what his life would have to be like for him to tense like that when someone looked at him.
Alex laughed lightly at her comment about them not being on a date. He admitted, this was pretty fast, but, well, she was very pretty and he had no where else to be. He slumped a little bit when she shook her head, but perked up a bit at her next words.
"I know of the Candle. It's a nice place." He nodded. He had only eaten there a couple of times, but the food was good and it was fairly quiet. A perfect place to escape the city. It didn't sound like she was directly rejecting it. He briefly wondered if she was going to ask him what it was worth to him. He shook that thought away. This was real-life, not some movie.
"Fine. Let's go." Alex half-frowned. She certainly didn't sound like she wanted to go, but Alex stepped to her side and gestured down the path that would wind around to the exit nearest the cafe.
"This way, madam." He tried for a posh accent. He hadn't wanted to drive her away. He held out his arm, wondering if she would take it. Probably not, but it was polite to offer.
He was mocking her. No, he was pretending to be... a butler? Lori glared at his curiously quirked arm and it took longer than it should have to register what that movement meant. He was... offering himself to her. What had started life as a distrusting and hard frown melted softly around the edges. He was offering his arm. Like... a gentleman. The corners of her mouth continued to rise. Lori's knee-jerk reaction to such a ridiculous motion was to brush him off so hard that he didn't get the bright idea to repeat the mistake. Except that he was offering her skin contact. She usually had to lie or flirt or, hell, it usually took much more effort on her part to get a man to offer himself so freely. This one must've been pretty desperate. Or stupid. Naive maybe.
Perhaps she hesitated a moment too long, but she tried to make up for it by gliding up nice and close when she took his arm. As soon as contact was sustained the strange humming sensation returned to Lori wherever she was touching skin. Hehe. What a fool. Now she could try all the things she'd been curious about. She talked as they walked so that perhaps his attention would be elsewhere while she attempted to call his gift.
"I have three conditions, cupcake." They were already headed down the path, Lori on the far side from the pond. "One, you'll loose the glasses when we're inside. I could care less about any sparks you send my way, I wanna see those eyeballs." As she talked, Lori tried to use her control over the flow of electrons to pull some current from Alex. Maybe it would work, maybe not. It was hard for her to tell if he even had a well of energy inside of him like she did. "Two, this isn't a date. That means I don't owe you a thing no matter who pays." She had a wad of bills in her pocket. For once in her life she might even be able to afford to pay. No eyelash batting required, though it was a good back up plan. "Three..." She hesitated. She made sure to look down and away, to put just the right amount of insecurity in her voice so that it was less of a demand than the other conditions, though somehow more personally important. "tell me what you know about our kind?"
Posted by brainstorm on Nov 22, 2008 17:32:50 GMT -6
Guest
Alex almost fidgeted as she stared at his arm, frowning. It was rather pretentious, after all. He had just been about to drop his arm back to his side when her frown quirked into a small smile and she took his arm. He gave her a smile of his own while he wondered at how close she was. He kept his thoughts from his face as best he could, though his eyes narrowed a bit. She had been acting so aloof and then was pressing up against him. Sure, he had offered hi arm, but... He mentally shrugged. He would just deal with what came as it came.
"I have three conditions, cupcake." Both of his eyebrows shot up. Cupcake?! Now he was confused. What had changed so that he warranted a nick-name? "One, you'll loose the glasses when we're inside. I could care less about any sparks you send my way, I wanna see those eyeballs."Alex had just nodded to her first condition, when he felt it.
Alex almost tripped when he felt the charge he had left built up flow towards his arm. He had left some of the built up energy flowing along his spinal nerve, ready to move if he needed it, when it suddenly began to flow down towards his shoulder. His normal nerve signals seemed to be unaffected. Alex managed to keep his balance, but his mind was now whirling. She was pulling in his electric charge. She had already shown that her power had something to do with lightning and electricity. She had pulled his sparks towards her and had survived a lightning blast. Alex couldn't be sure of whether her power was consious or unconsious. Either way, she had to know it would have some effect. Was that why she had taken his arm? Alex was so caught in his thoughts that he almost didn't catch her second condition. He nodded right as she said "Three...".
Her head was bowed, and she hesitated, before speaking in a quieter voice. "Tell me what you know about our kind?"". Alex hesitated, but then decided he had nothing to lose in that regard. As he spoke, he tugged on the power that was being pulled towards her, holding it in check for the moment, thought some sparks got by and leapt to her.
"I know that 'our kind', mutants, have been born with various alterations in our genetic structure. I have no clue what those alterations are, or even how we got them, but I know that they have given us power." Alex paused, though he kept walking. He thought of the night that he had been registered. "And I know that, due to the fact that we do have power, those that don't fear us." They were approaching the edge of the park now, and more people were walking around them.
That slight misstep was enough to let Lori know that her control was no where near subtle enough. He didn't say anything, though, choosing to answer her question rather than admit that she might be draining him. And of course she felt a counter pull. But she was just testing before. Now that she actually knew there was something worth taking, she had to decide if she actually wanted to take it.
Of course she wanted to take it. What did she care if Alex lay twitching in a ditch or that she didn't need the charge? She didn't need a lunch companion. She didn't need a friend. She'd been fine on her own for far too long. The way you survive on your own is by taking what you can get where you can get it and not looking back. If he weren't man enough to stave off her call then she deserved every drop of current.
Lori was only partly listening to his talk of mutants. She'd chosen something near and dear to distract him, but it sounded like he was taking the easy way out. He'd given her such a painfully basic overview that she didn't need to listen, she could concentrate on coaxing that charge out from his skin and into hers. "Have you met many? Mutants, I mean..." Even as she was redoubling her efforts to pull Alex's energy through his skin she tilted her head down and away letting a few strands fall like a privacy curtain between herself and her prey. Those strands of yellow hair just begged to be tucked back by a gentle hand. Another tactic. "I think we've all met enough people who don't like our kind." A slight shudder passed from her spine down to her arms and her hands tensed slightly as if she were inconsolable.
Playing the wounded damsel was so painfully easy and usually garnered such satisfying results. There was something very basic in the wiring of men that begged to protect something. And Lori was so small, her skin so soft. She knew the arsenal of the helpless because she'd been there for most of her life. Sure she held power, she had the smile that went better on the face of a killer, but that wasn't the face she was showing Alex now.
Every believable lie has a foundation of truth... Lori was so very convincing.
A sudden step down from a curb made Lori's concentration falter and if she had not been gripping Alex's arm she probably would have fallen. Of course, if she were not trying to suck his energy away in the first place she would not have been so distracted. It was a kind of chicken-and-egg conundrum, but the fact remained that they were practically at the restaurant. Drat. She probably wouldn't get out of this lunch thing since it had been too hard to simply drain all his energy.