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.
Natalie rarely let herself get comfortable in a work situation since she felt that it threw her off her game, but it was hard not to get comfortable in the LIE. It was a spot exclusively used by the inner echelon, filled with comfortable seats, secret records, and, of course, alcohol. She was nestled in the corner of a couch with a glass of wine, flipping through a file. One of her legs was crossed over the other, and her wine glass was rested dangerously in her hand. She was being completely unprofessional, but she didn't actually feel bad about it.
Nor did she feel bad about drinking. She had paid the nanny to stay late, and she was going to get her money's worth. Every once and a while, she had to take a night off from mom duty and let loose for a while. Of course, Natalie's idea of letting loose was no sitting professionally, but it was a new experience for her.
"Aura was a bad lead. She would have only brought negative PR," Natalie pointed out dryly as she took another sip from her glass. She had never put much faith in the criminal mutant's reformation. As much as she often claimed that people could reform, she wasn't sure that she entirely believed it. That was part of the reason that, even though she had allowed him free access to Norah, she was still keeping Nate on a tight leash.
It was an intense conversation; one which Natalie should have been paying full attention to, but she wasn't. Instead, she was skimming files that seemed more interesting. It was occasionally too much to be expected to be fully on at work, home, and at Haven. Some things just didn't always make the cut.
At the mention of Noel, though, she looked up and narrowed her eyes. She did not care for Noel. She had worked to get her off, but throughout the experience, she had a strange, suspicious feeling in the back of her mind. As soon as she found out what the woman's powers were, she knew exactly why. That information only made Natalie like her less.
"I wouldn't totally rule out Noel," she disagreed curtly. She was, however, willing to entertain other thoughts. She wasn't that dense. "But yes, I have noticed strange things too. Noel probably couldn't get around that quickly. I can see if any of my contacts know anything."
Posted by Natalie Ross on Jun 15, 2017 22:29:25 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
thistle / gainsboro
Straight
Nate
150
135
Jul 15, 2018 16:05:42 GMT -6
Lix
>>“I’ll just go to a Federal prosecutor. Tell them what I have on Haven in exchange for immunity. I would be an important enough witness they’d do it too. Sure it would hurt my business but I would recover. You can’t blackmail me.”
The slightest bit of spit landed on Natalie's face. She blinked slowly, forcing her eyes all the way shut so she could feel her eyelashes on her cheeks as she wiped away the drop of liquid with manicured hand. If there was one thing that annoyed her, it was someone that couldn't keep their cool.
"Mister Harvey," Natalie gave him a tight smile as she continued, "I really think you'll want to reconsider that. You may gain immunity, you may bring a few things to light, but I can guarantee you that you will not win this case."
Always wanting the upper hand, Natalie waited a while before elaborating. While she chose to stop talking for a while, James continued.
"You're awfully smug, aren't you? Thinking highly of yourself? I have enough to win. I have evidence."
Natalie simply smirked at him. Pot, meet kettle. He was calling them out for thinking highly of themselves, but he clearly didn't know what could happen to him if he continued on his path. Sure, he had stuff that would not be good for the public to know about Haven, but they had safety precautions for that kind of situation, and if worst came to worst, they could cover it up or spin it around. Besides, their meeting with Harvey in that conference room was just one with the hopes of a peaceful resolution. If it couldn't be achieved, then, well, that was why she had brought Michael Hunter.
"You will not win this case," Natalie warned once again in a hushed tone, "I will personally make sure of that fact. And, if you continue, I will also make sure that you never ever recover from this endeavour. Personally or financially."
Surprisingly, Nate took his first opportunity to parent just minutes after stepping into the role. Natalie had intended to let Norah go, since it was a momentous night and she didn’t have to be up in the morning (not that that fact would stop her from waking up at seven am sharp).
Nate, however, pointed out the fact that it was getting very close to Norah’s bedtime. She didn’t stop him, either. He needed to learn the hard way just how difficult it was to say no to Norah, and Natalie had years of practice. It was going to hit him like a ton of bricks, and Natalie was a little bit terrified of that fact. She had her daughter on a strict diet, and it did not need to be broken every time her ‘daddy’ had a weak moment.
Unsurprisingly, Nate caved. Natalie suppressed a snort and went to grab the coats from the closet. They could discuss parenting strategies on a different day.
What Natalie had not realized was that rather than a regular apartment, Nate was living in the Haven headquarters. There was nothing specifically wrong with that, but it caught her off-guard. She didn’t want to shield her daughter from what she did, but she also wasn’t entirely sure that she was ready to reveal every detail just yet. They would have to be careful around that area.
The best things about it was that it was very close to her apartment, though. It was well within walking distance, which meant that visits could be as frequent as they wanted. Distance was no longer a factor.
The woman looked down as her daughter grabbed her larger hand in her soft, small one. She was hanging between both parents, like some sort of stock photo. It was simply picturesque. Natalie felt her breath catch in her throat very briefly, but she regained her composure as quickly as she had lost it. They were sort of a family now. This would become normal.
The light turned, and they were free to cross. Like a the well-behaved child that she was, Norah looked both ways before crossing and then pulled her parents forward with surprising strength. Natalie followed willingly, and soon enough they were across the street.
Norah broke her hold on the two adults in order to skip ahead of them rather than walk. Natalie allowed her to go, making sure to always keep her in her line of vision. With their daughter gone, Nate and Nat were able to talk alone for a few fleeting minutes.
”Thank you… for this,” Natalie said, gesturing to their daughter, who was on her merry way without a care in the world. ”Presently and retrospectively. It means a lot that you’re willing to try, even if it will be difficult.”
Posted by Natalie Ross on Jun 11, 2017 19:00:58 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
thistle / gainsboro
Straight
Nate
150
135
Jul 15, 2018 16:05:42 GMT -6
Lix
>>“I don’t think I do. It isn’t slander if I can back up my claims. I’ve got dirt, I’ve been nice about it. Take me to court and it’ll all come out.”
Exactly the response that Natalie had been expecting. They knew that he had dirt, that much was obvious. That was fine, though; he wasn’t the only one who could do a little digging.
She abandoned her rigid position in favour of a more relaxed one, leaning back in her seat and resting her hand on a file, her pen dangling lazily. She stayed that way for a good minute, her eyes locked with Harvey’s. She intended to make him sweat for a while.
While his impassive face didn’t give any indication of discomfort, his body language certainly did. His fingers toyed with the edge of his sleeve, and he swallowed three times over the course of a few short minutes. Finally, he was the one to break the silence. “Do you have anything to say to that?” He asked, bending forward over the table slightly. He had his hands rested on the table, almost mirroring Michael’s.
Natalie stayed still for another minute. She was in no rush to reveal her hand, but it seemed that Harvey was anxious to see it, which meant that she still had the upper hand. Finally, she tented her hand on the top of the file in front of her and slid it forward to the man in front of her. For the sake of the two people around her who were not privy to the case details that she was, she elaborated on the legal jargon inside.
”I think you’ll find that you’re not the only one with dirt, Mr Harvey,” Natalie quirked an eyebrow. She’d hired a private investigator to find some information about the man, and she’d more than delivered. The folder was filled with shady business transactions and compromising pictures. ”So, if you can see, we’re not the only ones with dirt. I would think twice about opening your mouth about Haven again unless you want all this released.”
They were there under the guise of a lawsuit, which could still happen if need be, but Natalie preferred to settle things the old fashioned way. Through secrets and lies.
Posted by Natalie Ross on Jun 9, 2017 23:20:25 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
thistle / gainsboro
Straight
Nate
150
135
Jul 15, 2018 16:05:42 GMT -6
Lix
”Please, Mr Harvey, make yourself comfortable,” Natalie gestured to a conference table in one of the upper rooms in the Haven HQ. She’d spread out the details of the case on the table, and she was seated in her favourite position - centre seat with her back straight.
To her left was a man named Michael Hunter, aka ‘The Ranger’. To the public, he was just a private security contractor, nothing more. To the I.E., he was a valuable asset for when things went sideways. That wasn’t to say that things went sideways often, but in the off chance that they did, he was a good person to keep around.
That day held the strong possibility of going sideways. The meeting was set up like it would be a civil one, but they were all aware of the fact that it could turn sour at any minute. The man, James Harvey, was a known mutant advocate, but he was also an outspoken anti-Haven spokesperson. At first, he was actually an employee at Haven, but he was fired for his violent tendencies.
It hadn't taken Natalie long to form a lawsuit. Almost immediately, she found a clause in a form that James had signed that told him that he was not allowed to slander Haven while working there or within six months of working there. Technically, he would more likely be sued for money rather than anything else, so it wasn't particularly worth it, but she wanted to get him into that room where she hoped to scare him a little.
Unfortunately, that was where his violent side came to be a bit of an issue.
James strode forward and extended his hand calmly, making no signal that he was at all perturbed by the situation. Natalie shook it firmly and then continued on as he sat down. ”I’m Natalie Ross, Haven’s lawyer. I assume that you’re aware of why you’re here?”
“Yes, I’m aware,” James admitted icily. He clearly wasn’t as calm and composed as he had first made himself out to be. “Who’s this guy, though?”
Natalie turned to give a courtesy glance toward Michael. ”This is Mr Michael Hunter. He’ll be joining this meeting for security purposes. That’s all I’m at liberty to say.”
She sat forward in her chair and clasped her hands together over the papers in front of her. ”Now, Mr Harvey. You have some explaining to do.”
The coffee pot finished brewing and clicked off with a mechanical click, but Natalie wasn’t paying attention. She had her back pressed against the wall, listening to the conversation between Nate and Norah, wiping under her eyes every few seconds to ensure that her makeup wouldn’t smudge.
>>”Norah wants to know if she’ll be able to see her dad’s apartment soon. Would that be okay with you?”
Natalie was broken from her daze by the question that was directed at her, so she stepped away from the wall and scrambled to get the drinks that she was supposed to be gathering. She hastily poured two coffees and stuck them on a tray with a little saucer of cream and a bowl of sugar. She had no idea what Nate took, so she figured it was better to be over prepared than under.
For Norah, she poured a glass of peach juice and then placed it next to the coffees. Carefully, she picked up the tray and rejoined the two of them out in the dining room. She set a mug and the plastic glass down in front of their respective destinations.
”If you would like to see it, then I’m alright with it,” Natalie nodded slowly at Nate. They could start there and then talk about things after that. They hadn’t ever gone as far as to talk about visitation rights, and that would be a lot to go through. There were weekends and rides between apartments and days out. Then, there were holidays. She did not want to get into holidays.
Norah nodded emphatically, ”I want to go! Can we go right now? Please?” The six-year-old widened her blue-grey eyes and looked between her two parents.
Natalie opened her mouth to say that it was far too late, but then stopped. There was no way she could possibly say no to that face. She glanced at Nate and gave him another intentional glance to tell him that, as long as it was okay with him, she was alright with it.
As much as Natalie might have doubted Nate’s resolve and qualifications at first, she had to admit that she was impressed by him. Despite everything, he was willing and eager put his best foot forward and work toward a relationship with his daughter. He was willing to do his best and try not to screw it up. Norah was a lucky girl.
There were so few people out there with the strength of character to go through the kind of process and act the way that Nate did. Natalie mentally patted her college self on the back for being able to pick out someone like that, even if she hadn’t meant to in the slightest.
Natalie stepped forward, smoothed her dress, and turned the doorknob. She led Nate through the little apartment into the dining room, where Norah was sitting, still more interested in her ice cream than anything else that was going on.
Allowing the man and his daughter to interact without her intervention, Natalie remained standing while Nate sat. She very nearly felt like a mediator in that situation, except that there was nothing to mediate.
Everything that came out of Nate’s mouth was well-received by Norah. She politely asked him a few questions, all of which were extraordinarily civil and honest. Sure, there wasn’t much capacity for anger in the little girl, but Natalie had thought that there would be some hard feelings toward him. She had obviously been wrong.
>>”Your mom was right, as always, Norah. I loved you before I met you, and now that I’m here, I want to make sure you know I always will.”
Norah smiled brightly. ”Okay, erm, mister… dad,” she finished finally, smiling as she dangled her feet off of the chair that was far too high for her.
Natalie turned away, her arms folded over her chest. There was nothing in her eyes. Nothing at all. She cleared her throat and then stepped into the kitchen, ”I’m going to go get some drinks.”
She did not need to go let out a few tears alone. Definitely not.
With a somewhat jumbled mind and shaky hands, Natalie approached the door. Norah had accepted the terms without so much as a second thought. It was strange; she'd been expecting some sort of confused statement or at least some fighting from the little girl, but instead, she was more focused on her ice cream. Perhaps when she grew up she would realise the weight of what was going on around her.
The woman pulled the door open ever so slightly so that she could slip through the crack and then shut it behind her. Her mind was still reeling from what had just happened, and she wanted to debrief Nate a bit without Norah being able to hear. She didn't feel particularly bad about leaving her alone in the apartment - it wasn't as if she would be getting up to much trouble when there was a bowl of sugar in front of her.
However, before Natalie could say anything about what happened, she was bombarded by a string of words that tumbled out of Nate's mouth. She closed her eyes and put her hand out in front of her, signalling to him to stop. There was so much information for her to process at one moment, and she needed a breather.
Norah was okay with things, there wouldn't be a period of awkwardness where she was unsure about it, and Nate was definitely in with both feet. So what was the problem? She was being inflexible. That was the problem. Usually, she was good on her feet; ready to react to any situation that came up. However, she'd been preparing for a very specific situation for a long time, and she needed to rework the plan in her head. It was difficult to do that when she was being talked at.
Thankfully, Nate slowed his speech. He seemed on edge, and with good reason. He was standing on the edge of fatherhood and disappointment, and she was the one who would push him to either side. It was a mighty responsibility to lay on one person.
She took a breath, closed her eyes, and stayed silent for just a minute, letting it all sink in. Then, she broke the news.
"She wants to talk to you - to spend time with you. Are you ready?" Was he ready to have his world turned upside down?
Ice cream. Real ice cream. That was what she used to (literally) sweeten the deal. It wasn’t the fake, no sugar, dairy, or preservative **** that she had convinced herself was good enough to pass as a treat for a six-year-old. No, it was fast and dirty hot-fudge-dripping-down-your-arm ice cream.
Natalie licked the end of her spoon, savouring the taste for a little while longer before starting in on the subject of conversation. She knew that it would be difficult, but mostly just for her. Norah didn’t even seem to notice that anything as amiss.
The woman turned in her chair, looking her daughter dead on as she composed herself. That part, she had to do alone. Nate was waiting outside the door, having been told to stay there until she let him in. Until that moment, she was without backup in all new territory.
”Why don’t you put the ice cream down for a second and look at me?”
Norah obliged, never having been one to put up a fight over small things, and looked at her. Her big, blue-grey eyes were staring directly back at Natalie.
The woman took a deep breath and then started in. ”Norah, sweetheart, what do you remember about what I told you about your father?” She started with a simple question, trying to get a baseline to start from. She rested her arm on the back of her chair, having become suddenly entirely more aware of her limbs.
”Uhm… he doesn’t live with us, but not because he doesn’t love me, but because he lives a different life?”
The words were regurgitated from the various conversations that the two of them had had on the subject, which made Natalie frown a little. She wasn’t sure how much the girl actually understood, or how many of her own words were just being said back at her.
However, it didn’t really matter at that point. Soon enough, Norah would have an entirely new answer to tell her.
”That’s not really true anymore, honey. Your father has decided that he wants to live the same life as us, so he’s going to be spending a lot of time with us. Would you like to have your dad come and be a part of your life?”
Norah cocked her head. She didn’t seem to be grasping the concept all that well. Natalie couldn’t blame her, though. It was a lot for a six-year-old with no concept of a second parent to grasp. ”I guess if he’s nice,” she shrugged and then picked up her ice cream spoon.
That made Natalie smile. ”Do you remember mister Nate, Norah?”
”Yeah.”
”Did you think that he was nice?”
”Yeah.”
”Well… mister Nate is your dad.”
”Oh. Uhm… well, then I want him to come spend time with us.”
Norah had already turned her attention back to her ice cream. For Natalie, it felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders, but for the little girl, nothing seemed to have changed. She clearly didn’t realise the weight of what she’d just said.
”Okay, well he’s here now, so I’ll tell him to come inside,” Natalie said, her voice faltering slightly. She didn’t feel like the same confident person that she usually did. Things were messy and complicated, and she wished that she could just see them all from the perspective of a child like Norah did.
”Mommy?” Norah stopped her as she got up from her chair, ”are all dads like mister Nate?”
Posted by Natalie Ross on May 11, 2017 15:50:10 GMT -6
Delta Mutant
thistle / gainsboro
Straight
Nate
150
135
Jul 15, 2018 16:05:42 GMT -6
Lix
Natalie's wonderful dinner was cut short by the fact that the three of them were trying to eat quickly in order to make bracelets. Natalie tried to be angry about the fact that she'd put effort into that meal and it was being scarfed down, but she also found herself eating at a quicker rate than before. She hated that she could occasionally be swayed by groupthink.
Soon enough, there were two clean plates and one picked over plate (Norah didn't like certain parts of her meat) on the table. Natalie picked up the plates and allowed Nate and their daughter move over into the living room to work on the bracelets. She worked quickly, wanting to join them as soon as possible.
As soon as she was finished, Natalie joined the two of them in the seating area with a plate of her house-renowned gluten-free, raw sugar, vegan cookies. Norah had found her box of embroidery thread and was working through a bracelet. She had a few messy knots done, but Natalie was not about to fix them for her. She wanted the bracelet to be entirely her doing, after all.
"Alright, now I'll hold the bracelet for you and you can string on the beads, okay?" Natalie held it straight while her daughter threaded a bead on with little fingers. "After that, you can keep going with the bracelet, but do it tightly so the bead stays in place."
Before long, there was a growing pile of bracelets in the middle of the table. Natalie had taken to working on her own creations (she had drawn on her experiences at summer camp to figure out how to spell words within bracelets) in order to let Norah have some independence. It had turned out great, really. She'd produced more bracelets that she would have thought possible for one little girl.
What she hadn't expected was for Norah to give one to Nate. The woman watched with nearly tearful (not that she would let anyone see that) eyes as her daughter interacted with the father that she never knew. She had been worried that there wouldn't be enough ground work for her to be able to tell her the details of their relationship on, but it was building itself - no intervention required. Some might even say it was kismet.
She held out her wrist for Norah to tie the bracelet on her and then held it up to the light. It was a string of mismatched beads on a transparent string. There was no way that she would be able to wear it at work, but she would definitely wear it at home. And perhaps put it on the picture frame that she kept on her desk.
"It's beautiful, Norah. Thank you," she complimented and kissed the girl on the top of her head. "It's nearly bedtime, though. Why don't we clean this up and say goodnight to mister Nate?"
