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.
Posted by Cold Steel on Apr 11, 2010 12:13:00 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,380
107
Sept 11, 2024 5:25:13 GMT -6
She was becoming more and more comfortable throwing the strikes he had given her what’s more she was making more and more contact forcing his hand further and further from her and closer and closer to him. He smiled there was promise for her yet! ”Excellent!” Sam said as she stopped to catch her breath. Normally he was the one who would call the shots but he didn’t correct her to tell her that she could asked what was next until he said ‘it was time to move on’ she seemed to work well with positive reinforcement so he decided it would be best to continue with this route.
”Well your doing such a good job throwing these two strikes I figured we would try something that was a little more your style.” Sam took off the glove and set it on the ground, ”You don’t give off the fighting instinct that I see in my other students, your much to kind to want to actually hurt anyone, so I’m going to teach you one of the best ways to defend yourself when you have the option of striking and not striking.” it was the truth he didn’t yet feel the will behind the punches she was from what he could tell someone who would resort to anything but violence, which was why Sam was going to teach her something he took a little bit longer to teach his other students.
”What’s the best way to block a strike?” Sam said as he stood up and rotated his feet about and pivoted waving his hands back and forth, it would look like he was dancing to the untrained but in all reality he was sidestepping and blocking imaginary strikes he was visualizing. He waited a moment then answered, ”The best way to block a strike is not be there,” his hands traveled down in a circle to block oncoming low attacks and the pivoted his feet turning in a circle, which was the basis of his movements, circular movements starting with the hips and thee rotation moving up or down.
”Sure you can use your hands to block but in all reality the best way to block a hit is not be there, they strike and they miss, you successfully blocked the strike. You don’t need physical contact.” he stopped moving about and looked to Katrina, he knew he was repeating himself but he wanted her to understand what he was saying. ”In all honesty I never want you or any of my other students to ever have to use what I teach you, but I’d rather have you get away safely than become injured.”
Sam looked to Kat and then stepped next to her and faced the same direction, ”Start off in a fighting stance, we are going to start off by visualizing a strike coming in and we are going to step forward and to the right, brining our right hand up and push the oncoming strike down and to the left.” Sam demonstrated the proper stepping and the block (which looked like he was swatting a fly away in slow motion so she could see it), ”I said the best block is not to be there but the hand is there to make sure it the strike doesn’t make any contact whatsoever.
Katrina watched Sam's dodgey demonstration with awe. She hadn't realized that he could move so fast, or so gracefully. It looked almost like he was dancing as he spun this way and then that. As he asked her to get into a fighting stance, she did as she was told, swallowing the sentiment that she'd never be able to do what he had just done. Not a chance, she was dead the first time she got into a fist fight, swallow.
One step at a time, or rather a step and an arm movement. Okay, if her enemy punched her in slow motion she could maybe handle it.
Take it slow first, until you have it right. After you've got it in you, going faster will be much easier. The words of her old oboe teacher from back in Virginia echoed through her thoughts. A pang of longing followed, and then something hardened in her stomach; who knew that was where resolve was stored?
She placed her foot exactly as Sam had, or as close as she could. She swung her arm down, oops, other arm. There we go.
The little illusionist pause, received her corrections, and tried again and again. Just like she learned a difficult passage of music, one note at a time and slowly building up in speed, she was learning to defend herself.
She paused, panting from the physical exertion, “What if they are mutants and they don't use punches anyway?”
Posted by Cold Steel on Apr 21, 2010 18:22:33 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,380
107
Sept 11, 2024 5:25:13 GMT -6
Even while he was practicing alongside her he could still see exactly how she was moving, ”Fantastic Katrina!” his movements continued, while she voiced a question that forced him to stop practicing the movement. ”There are, just pray you don’t run into any of them…” Sam said with a smile and a small laugh. Walking in front of her Sam crouched down, ”The ones that don’t use fists are ones you have to extra careful around, especially if they don’t need any movements for an attack.”
His head tilted upwards ”Computer, Sam’s files, Partner 023-C!” within a few seconds a small man a few inches taller than Katrina stood facing them with a wicked grin on his face, ”I actually ran into the real him two years ago back when I used to deal out vigilante justice…” he paused for a second and then stood up fully, ”Calvin doesn’t look much like a fighter but when he opens his mouth his mutation can vaporize it’s targets by rapidly heating it up…” Sam pointed in a direction in front of Calvin as an ice statue of himself formed from ice.
Within seconds Calvin opened his mouth and stuck his tongue out by bellowing a low roar as a red light shot from his mouth and hit the ice Sam, within seconds the ice melted as Sam looked back to Kat no longer focusing on the ice copy or the android Calvin. ”There are a ton of ranged mutations out there, and in all reality yours might come in handy to figure out how to defeat them, I read somewhere that you can turn yourself invisible right?” Sam asked as he crouched down so he could remain eye level with Kat again.
”When you run into a person that you know is a ranged fighter, and running isn’t an option study your opponent as quickly as you can, every movement tells a story, Calvin for example, can’t activate his mutation unless he opens his mouth sticks out his tongue and gives out that sound, I figured that out after he nearly hit me twice, all I had to do is cover his mouth, which wasn’t that difficult.”
Sam smiled and took a few steps backwards towards Calvin till the android started to open his mouth however when he tried to open his mouth he didn’t have any luck when Sam raised his hand, a beam of blue shot from Sam’s hand and landed square with the holo-Calvin ice covered his mouth making it impossible to fire his attack.
”Only on several occasions you’ll run into a mutants that don’t telegraph their mutation, myself for example…” Sam turned to face her and then looked a few feet in front of her. His hands remained at his side but within moments a figure of ice appeared on the ground where it waved then shattered, the only way Kat could tell if he was telegraphing his ability was if she was looking at his right eye which needed to squint and focus to create the figure. ”Even I still have difficulty not telegraphing attacks but if you ever run into a situation where you have to go up against someone with an ability that requires no movement or telegraphing hide or run, I don’t want to be worrying about you alright?” Sam asked as he waved halo-Calvin away.
Stepping back to her side Sam placed his opposite forward and started to do the mirror image of the block he taught her before she asked her question, ”You have my cell-number right?” Sam asked curiously as he repeated the movements so she would in turn repeat them.
Katrina nodded to Sam's question about turning invisible. Yup, she could definitely do that.
She wasn't going to bother praying not to run into ranged opponents. She was just going to assume that she would run into them and try to be ready for it. So far, her plan was to turn invisible and get away, though it wasn't quite foolproof, she wasn't going to argue that it was. That's what the self defense lessons were for.
As Katrina watched and listened to the demonstration, her basic plan evolved a little bit. If she could turn invisible, then watch an opponent from somewhere, she could possibly gain an advantage, or use it to help a teammate.
She hadn't ever heard of telegraphing, or giving away when powers were about to be activated. It was kind of like a magician's tricks, waving arms and things to make the magic happen. Sam demonstrated his ability, and Katrina tried hard to see what his signal was that he was about to use his powers, but she didn't catch it on the first try. She'd have to pay more attention to the little things, to see if she could practice picking out people's signals.
“It seems like the poker games in the movies, when the spy can tell when someone is bluffing because they do a certain thing right before the bet.” Katrina wondered if she had anything that she did before her own mutation activated. She'd have to practice in front of a mirror to see if she could catch herself. She certainly didn't wave her arms around to make things happen, but there could be something small she didn't even know she did.
Sam advised running if she met a mutant that didn't telegraph at all. Katrina thought that it would depend on what their mutation did, probably. Though, she probably wouldn't have too much trouble following that advice, since it was her normal mode or operation anyway to skitter at the first sign of trouble.
And then it was back the the physical practice on the opposite side this time. “Yeah, I have your phone number. You were the first person to ever call me on my phone, so I've had it ever since then.”
Posted by Cold Steel on Apr 25, 2010 11:42:46 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,380
107
Sept 11, 2024 5:25:13 GMT -6
He nodded her head at her comment, ”It’s just like a tell, and if they try to stick to long range or medium range than that just means they are weaker with close range.” Sam said as he continued with the movements. ”So call me if something happens alright, my duty as a teacher is to keep my student out of trouble got it?” he was telling her more than asking her, and he knew he was elsewhere the first time she happened to get into trouble but if she would have called him he would had made sure to send someone that could have kept her safe.
”There is nothing wrong with running, if I can run from a fight I usually do, just between us I don’t like fighting any more than anyone else but knowing how to fight is perfect for when you backed into a corner.” Sam said as he smiled then stopped moving. He stepped in front of her and crouched down, ”Alright so your going to show me what you learned alright, I’ll throw a punch at you and you block and sidestep alright, and if you want you can throw your own punch after the side step. Alright?” Sam asked as he took a step forward telegraphing he would come in with a front punch.
Going from a guard to a punch Sam kept his frame level with Katrina. She knew what to do the only thing was that she needed to know what to do with it. All of Sam’s punches were slow for her benefit, she wouldn’t learn if she kept getting hit. All of Sam’s punches had control and focus behind it, if she didn’t move out of the way in time his fist would just end up short right in front of her till she moved. Eventually once she was comfortable he would increase the speed a bit, ”Don’t forget to breath, and keep your movements fluid, if your tense you’ll be slower and end up getting hit, alright?” he wasn’t actually going to hit her he was just saying he would so she knew that he wanted her to do this right.
She nodded to his request to call him should any trouble arise. She nodded to his comments about running away. She nodded along with his directions. Nod, nod, nod. Then, the real exercise started.
He punched at her and she was so surprised that she almost forgot to do anything. He had pretty much stopped his hand at her side by the time she moved to step sideways out of the way and push his arm away with her hands. Then she had to use her own hands to punch back, but they were busy blocking just now. She tried to block with one and throw her own punch, but she had to turn aside at the last second to avoid the next hit.
He was moving slow, but Katrina felt like she was going even slower. Soon she was panting, and using mostly sidesteps to avoid the hits without much time to focus on punching back at all. Then, it started to fall into place. There was a repetition to it, a pattern. It was somewhat similar to playing scales on the oboe where her fingers had to do the same thing over and over again, almost in a rhythm. Beat one, punch, beat two, draw back, repeat. If she could fit her own motions in between those beats, on the semiquavers, she could both block and counterattack.
1, e, and, a. 2, e, and, a.
Sidestep, block, form fist, punch. Sidestep, block, form fist, punch.
Breathe. She had to breathe too. As in music, she started to keep track of her breathing.
Repeat.
Accelerando poco a poco.
--
“Fwew!” Katrina exhaled as she rested her hands on her knees. That had been a workout. She was not especially used to workouts. “You've definitely tired me out, sensei!”
Posted by Cold Steel on May 16, 2010 14:30:41 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,380
107
Sept 11, 2024 5:25:13 GMT -6
A satisfied nod on his face Sam reached up and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. He definitely wasn’t as tired as Kat but he did work up a sweat throwing a few strikes at the young girl who had seemed to be getting everything he had been drilling into her head. ”Very good Kat!” Sam said as he reached his hand down to help her up off of the ground, ”Think of it like a dance, one partner moves the other partner reacts and acts but remember if you can help it be a master of your actions not a slave of your reactions.”
He smiled some more as he patted her on the back gently, ”All you need is some more practice, after all it makes perfect.” Sam looked to his phone to see what time it was then continued, ”Now your not too tired are you?” Sam asked a little expectantly hoping she would still have some energy in her, ”After all this was just the first part of today’s lesson, I told you I’d teach you to fly the jet and I keep my promises.”
Sam looked up to the god room and then decided that it would be best to take her somewhere she can actually learn to fly. The jet itself would be the best place to learn. ”Come on, the best way to learn how to fly is by doing,” with that Sam lead her out of the Danger Room and down the hall to the hanger where the Jet was.
----
Just as he left it Sam flipped the lights on and walked down the stairs, he was one of the only people in the mansion who could fly the jet one of the few things he was grateful to T.A.T. for they did give him the experience needed to fly the jet and also gave him the know how on how to properly operate it. ”The first thing you need to know is unless I’m with you, your not allowed to operate the Jet let alone be in the hanger alright?” he wasn’t serious often but when it came to things like this he was quite serious. A straight face looked to Kat waiting for conformation before he would continue.
Of course she wasn't too tired! Katrina perked right up again, like a wilted flower in fast rewind. “Sweet, let's go!”
With each visit to the Blackbird's hanger, Katrina gained more and more official access. The first time she had to sneak in. The second time, she'd gotten to ride along on a mission to an orphanage. Now, she was actually going to be flying the jet. Xavier's sister school was officially the coolest school ever. Also, Sam was the coolest teacher ever. This was going to be awesome.
All her senses were on high alert, taking in everything from how Sam punched in the security code and let the chest high scanner look at his eye to how the door of the jet opened and closed. She buckled herself into one of the two front seats, and adjusted it so she could actually reach the peddles. Her legs were just long enough if she moved the seat all the way up. Perfect. The controls and meters spread out before her like a strange landscape. She trusted Sam would teach her what they all meant. And she would study.
She nodded solemnly at Sam's first rule of flying. Until she learned how to do this on her own, that was a perfectly acceptable condition. “Of course.”
Now... how did one turn this thing on? Did it have keys like a car?
Posted by Cold Steel on May 25, 2010 11:17:37 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,380
107
Sept 11, 2024 5:25:13 GMT -6
He nodded when she agreed and entered the Jet the smell of fuel and leather tingled his nostrils as he entered the jet, it wasn’t really the way he remembered anything else he flew in but it was how he would forever remember this jet one that not only got him to where he needed to be going but always offered a quick escape when needed. She was currently full of fuel and systems all seemed to be going when he reached his pilots seat. A toggle of the switches and he was already double checking everything he already knew.
Nodding his head to the co-pilots seat Sam smiled, ”Take your…” but before he could realize it she was already buckled in her seat next to him. ”Bit over egger aren’t we?” Sam asked as he toggled a few switches above his head. ”The first thing you need to do before taking off is make sure all systems are up and going, before you take off. If you take off before its ready you run the risk of attempting to fly without your navigations systems or possibly you radio system off line, something you never want to do… trust me…” Sam said taking from experience as he then continued to point out the switches over head and then a few off to his side and a few closer to her.
Resting his hand on the throttle in between them Sam tapped it once, ”if you have ever seen any movies with jets or anything in the like in it this would be familiar, this is our speed control here, Sam’s eye traveled up the color indicator next to it, ”Never take her in red unless I say other wise got it? You’d be going to fast to maneuver if need be, this is the next most important rule got it?” Sam asked his voice somewhat stern.
”Now you ready to take her in the air?” Sam asked as he reached for a button directly overhead that opened up the basketball courts overhead. Odds are he would get scolded when Tricity found out but he would handle her after all he was training the future generation something she would understand.
Katrina paid very close attention as Sam pointed out all the controls. She asked questions when she didn't understand. She repeated the names and functions in her head. She planned to study even more later. She was going to be the best student ever for this class.
She nodded and agreed to important rule number two.
“I'm ready,” Katrina nodded. “So, I press this button, and pull back on the wheel?” She double checked that she had gotten it right before proceeding. When Sam confirmed, she executed the procedure.
The jet jumped straight up, much faster than she had expected. Luckily it was straight up.
“Gah!” She adjusted and they leveled out. Katrina's eyes were wide. This was not as easy as she had expected.
Posted by Cold Steel on Jun 2, 2010 10:17:20 GMT -6
X-Men
Team Leader of the X-Men Teacher of Self-Defense
color=48D1CC
4,380
107
Sept 11, 2024 5:25:13 GMT -6
It seemed she was paying attention, which was good seeing as she was flying a multimillion-dollar piece of equipment. If she wasn’t dong it correctly however he wouldn’t have hesitated to take the reigns and control over the jet. The last thing he wanted was to explain to Tricity that he jacked up the jet due to letting a minor drive it before she even got her learners permit. He smirked at the idea and his stomach lurched slightly as she took off. His attention turned to the controls she had pointed out and the way she had lifted the wheel. ”Easy now, slow it down just a bit, slow and steady slow and steady…” Sam said as he repeated the words in his head as he watched Katrina handle the controls.
”Remember to breath,” Sam said as she let out a surprised cry. Following his own advice Sam inhaled and stilled the anxious feeling he was getting as he was watching her handle the controls. The take off was a little shaky and a bit fast but for the most part it wasn’t too bad. A lot better than his first time taking off in a jet, remembering the incident he chalked up his first take off with his first crash all in the first few seconds of lift off. ”Very good! Now flip the switch I told you to activate the jets to make us go forward…” a brief flash and he saw red his head felt like it was splitting as he felt a sudden rush of heat coming off of the boosters under the jet which was lifting them off the ground.
The cockpit cooled down as his mutation activated and as quickly as it came it left. He shook his head slightly and looked to Kat, ”And after you start the rear thrusters you kill the power for the boosters otherwise it would waste fuel.” once she did as she was told he looked to the thruster control and nodded at it, ”Alright at the lowest setting we should be moving fast enough to remain in the air but why don’t you take it up a notch?” Sam pointed to the speed controls and urged her to move the speed control up slightly.
”And after that aim the flaps down so we continue to climb.” his hand followed over to the flap controls that were right next to the wheel like it was on his.
Katrina was not the best pilot ever, but Sam was a good teacher. He patiently explained every step, even the ones he had already told her about if she needed repeating. They went in a big circle, heading out over the Atlantic and circling back again, staying low enough to keep out of any commercial jets, but high enough not to risk crashing if the teen behind the driver's wheel faltered at all.
It was nerve wracking at first, but after awhile, the little illusionist began to relax. The actual flying part was fairly easy. The plane seemed fairly content to fly in a straight line, and any adjustments that needed to be made were fairly minor along the way. It was mostly the takes offs and landings that were tricky, it seemed like. Also, flying in severe weather made things more difficult. Or at very low altitudes. Or if someone was avoiding missiles from an enemy ship. Or... Or.. Or.
Katrina was beginning to understand that there were a lot of variables to this flying thing.
Finally, the lesson was over, and they headed back. Sam landed, to demonstrate how it was done. He also assigned her homework; to practice on the flight simulators of the school computers and read a flight manuel that could be found online at such-and-such an address.
“Thank you, Sam. Thank you so much.” Katrina grinned at him. She didn't stop grinning all through the evening and even into the next day whenever she thought about flying. It was so freeing, to be up there. She was really doing it. She was really learning to fly.