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.
Booker was the kind of guy who would dream of being a superhero. Javier admired that about him; not that he wanted to fly or shoot lasers from his eyes, but for having a larger than life dream of making a different, and making the world a better place. It was ironic that he got adapted powers, instead of mutant ones. Javier would have gladly swapped with him if he could have.
>>"Yeah, I guess that is kind of the short end of the stick. But at least the times it does kick in seems to coincide when you need it most. I’m definitely happy about that.’
"I am too." Javier smirked. His powers were not exactly consistent, but at least they kept him from dying in critical moments. However, self-defense with powers did not make him any more of a superhero than being a mutant would have without bravery. That was comic book wisdom.
>>”Daaamn? That was a pretty sick burn. Using my own comic love against me. Touche sir...touche…”
Javir blushed again, and opened his mouth to apologize. He did not mean to burn Booker; he just wanted to make a point to make him feel less sad about his lack of powers. Of course, he was not taking it seriously, but Javier felt like he should have phrased it better anyway. "Sorry..."
Their food arrived. They got large portions of everything, and everything smelled absolutely delicious.
>>”Wow...I’m unsure even I can finish this,”
Javier chuckled as he looked at his own plate of fried shrimp. He suddenly realized he was actually hungry. They both began to eat, taking a pause in the conversation.
"So... if you could have picked a mutant power... what would you have picked?"
Javier blinked in surprise. That was... not really the reaction he had been expecting for his story. Booker looked like he took the whole thing to heart; there was also no pity in his reaction, which was baffling to Javier. It kind of sucked, as far as manifesting powers went. But of course Booker was too nice to think like that. He looked down, fiddling with his napkin, and changed the subject, bringing up Ignacio again. His brother had always been more easy-going.
>>”Secretly...I...always wanted to be a mutant. I guess my life of reading comics and fantasy stories made it almost impossible to not want. Ironic, huh? I became the opposite of all that.”
Javier looked up again. Of course Booker wanted to be a superhero. The cosplay thing kind of gave it away. Being a mutant, though...
"I don't think adapteds are the opposite" he confessed "I mean, technically, yeah, but... you still have a power that you can use. Like you did at the convention." Booker's aura had affected the mutants wreaking havoc all over the place. It might have been a static aura rather than a power, but it still proved to be useful. "You are the opposite of me, actually." he added with a chuckle "I never really dreamed of having powers. And the one I got kinda keeps cutting in and out. So, I haven't really been doing anything with out, other than... averting crises." he smiled at Booker. "And powers don't make a superhero anyway. You should know that from the comics."
Booked had a bad experience that was all too common among both mutants and LGBT people. His parents were not accepting; they could not place their love for their kid above their constricted ideas of normalcy. Which was, in Javier's eyes, a horrible flaw. Especially with someone like Booker. He was just so... nice, in every way, such a great, smart, caring guy. Any parent should have been proud of him.
>>”It is what it is. All that counts is that I’m happy, my sister’s happy, and they’re not going to bring any of this down.”
"Definitely not" Javier smiled back. The wound was there, but it was not fresh. And he did not want to make Booker dwell on it any more than he needed to.
>>”My parents don’t know I’m an adapted. I doubt they’d even understand what I was talking about. Honestly, I didn’t know what I was until a couple years ago when I was watching this AMA on this website. It definitely opened my eyes. If I may ask, do you parents...know?”
"Yeah." Javier nodded slowly "It was... it kind of just happened. My powers manifested when our lab blew up in college... I got seriously injured. So by the time I woke up in the hospital, the news were pretty much ahead of me. And they were too worried about me... about my injuries, and my mental state, to make too much of a fuss about the super strength." he added with a small chuckle. His parents really were good at taking things in stride. "I think Ignacio is secretly waiting for his own powers to manifest too."
Gina looked very interested in Javier's work. Having inherited his father's nature, Javier rarely hung out with people in his profession, and when he did, he usually felt awkward. But Gina, much like Booker, was very friendly, and honestly curious. Javi did not mind talking to her at all. Especially if she shared his enthusiasm for working for mutants.
>>"I don't suppose you have a portfolio of your work, do you? I'd love to see your stuff!! If it's not too much trouble. You're probably busy. But this is the first time I've been in a shop that sometimes services mutants. You know?"
"That's okay, I'm not busy right now" Javier smiled, and nodded to her to follow him to the back room. "I haven't had a lot of... special clients yet." he admitted "My own powers don't really need alterations. But I have some sketches for a friend of mine..." he rustled about with the papers on the work table until he found the designs he made for Jack. Jack had a unique body shape, and Javier had been long planning on designing some outfits that fit her better than altered off-the-rack clothing.
Official dates tended to have rituals attached to them. When going on a first date with a stranger (something Javi had never done), the rituals were often constricting and awkward; but with someone like Booker, whom he already knew and liked, it felt only natural to want to know more about each other. Even favorite colors as cliché as that sounded.
>>”Burgundy...I dunno why but that just make sense for you. Personally, I’ve always loved the color ‘teal’. Nice. Cool. Relaxing.”
Javier smiled. He loved colors, and knew a lot about them. And as burgundy seemed to make sense for him, teal made sense for Booker. It fit his personality very well. Nice. Cool. Relaxing.
>>”Ironically my sister and I came out to each other at the same time. Our parents were...less than understanding. They were very old fashioned. That was why my sister and I helped each other out. I pretended to date her girlfriend for a bit while she dated my boyfriend. It was an okay system until we felt comfortable enough to tell our parents. They didn’t take it well... Anyways, it is what it is. I went to college and not long after my sister followed suit. Havent’ really spoken to our parents since.”
Their drinks arrived, and Javier sipped his water, mulling over the story Booker just shared. For some, coming out was harder than others. Javier had been relatively lucky with all of that (being a mutant... that was another story), but Booker and his sister, close to each other, had to cut ties with their parents who couldn't understand. Javier felt a pang of pain for them. It was hard to imagine losing parents over what you are. Booker must have notice the look on his face.
>>”Sorry. I hope I didn’t bum you out with that.”
"No, no" Javier hurried to assure him "I am glad you told me. And I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must have been hard." he paused. "I was afraid of coming out to my parents, even though they both work in the fashion world, so... they are pretty open-minded. That's why I told Ignacio first. He took the bi thing in stride... he was actually more stunned about the demisexual part." Javier chuckled a little "Eventually, I told my parents... it worked out okay. The mutant powers were more of a shock."
They looked at the menus, and made some decisions. Javier decided to order some fried shrimp, since now he was curious about just how good it was, and also because Booker suggested it, and he tended to take Booker's suggestions to heart. He also ordered some stir fried vegetables and a side, and some rice with an assortment of sauces. It all sounded delicious. Once the actual ordering was done with (as painlessly as possible), Javier sat back, happy to be done with the nerve-wrecking part of the dinner date. It would be smooth sailing until the waitress came back to ask questions when everyone's mouth was full.
>>”So I think this is the part where we talk more about ourselves. Why don’t you tell me something I don’t know about you yet? It can be anything. And, I promise, no judging.”
Javier blinked, and blushed a little. Telling something Booker didn't know was not a hard request - but the 'no judging' part made it sound like he was supposed to come up with something personal, or cool, or at least a little bit embarrassing. Javier sorted through options in his head, humming softly as he tried to pick one that was not too neutral, but also was not going to kill the mood right away.
"Well... my favorite color is burgundy" he smirked; it was one of those cliché first date things that one could make an easy joke about. "Ummm... I have a younger brother who is genuinely worried I'll never get a date. But he says if dad managed to marry a supermodel, I have some hope too." he chuckled "He was the first person I came out to. He was super confused."
She was very cheerful and friendly. No wonder she and Booker got along. Javier had not met Nessa yet, but from what he heard, Booker was very fond of his sister, and if this girl liked her too, well, she had to be a nice person. Gina still was practially bouncing with excitement as she looked around.
>>"I'm studying fashion at school. I think... altering clothes for people with mutations is super cool."
"Oh." Javier's face lit up with a warmer smile "Yeah... it is pretty great. I have some clients that need all kinds of alterations, and depending on the powers they have... it gets really challenging. In a good way." he chuckled "So, is that what you plan on doing? When you finish school?"
So, a bill got misplaced somehow and our internet was promptly turned off. Hungarian autocorrect makes it impossible to post from phone.We are sorting the issue out, I'll be posting again asap.
Having a handsome and friendly librarian standing around at an event was certainly not a bad idea. Booker was good with people; he was the kind of person that could build public relations and have fun doing it. Sadly, in this day and age libraries needed promotion as much as any other place. Especially when people only wanted the venue, but not the actual books...
>> ”I know, right? Knowing my luck they would try to grease me up and stick me in a go-go cage. I mean, I stopped doing that kind of stuff in college”
Javier chuckled, but also blushed a little. He knew Booker was joking (probably), but the mental image was still far from unpleasant. And he also felt a little guilty, because his suggestion basically implied the same thing: Booker would be popular at any event. He was handsome. That was what most people saw. Javier also knew he was kind and funny and caring, but those were generally less marketable.
>>”Maybe the next time they are setting up for an event, I’ll have you sneak in. We can watch them set up together before they kick us out like the bums we are?”
"Sounds like an adventure" Javier smiled. Breaking an kind of rules was very far from his nature; the fear of getting caught was too great, so he'd rather just play it safe to begin with. But it was nice to joke about doing daring things together. The conversation came to a halt when the waitress showed up.
>>”Hello, my name is Carol and I’ll be your server. I’ll give you both a moment to look over the menu. In the meantime, would you like anything to drink?”
"Just water, please" Javier answered. It was his usual answer; he did not really look at the menu yet, so he didn't know what the options were, but asking for them usually vexed the waiters, so, once again, he decided to play it safe, and make it easier on everyone. Once she walked away, he flashed an apologetic half-smile at Booker. "Maybe we should look at the menu?"
The girl in the doorway did not look familiar, but she was acting like she knew Javier. The tailor looked at her, wondering if he should remember who she was, or if they had met before... even though his rational mind told him he would probably remember. He did not hang out with other mutants all that often.
>>“Hi. I’m Gina. Booker sent me with your stuff!... I’m Nessa’s girlfriend. I’m going to school right now, so I was, like, not busy at all.”
"Oh." Javier blinked, watching as she pulled his sewing gear out of the messenger bag, slowly understanding what she was saying "Oh! Thank you! That's very kind of you. And nice to meet you, Gina." he offered a hand "I'm Javier... you probably already know that." he added with a chuckle.
>>“So, you do alterations? Do you get to work with many mutants?”
"Alterations and design" Javier nodded, noting the interest in Gina's voice as she peered around "I have worked with some mutants, yes. I do special orders for... various requests. Do you have something in mind?..."
Javier didn't often talk about family memories. His mother was famous enough to make its mark on his childhood, and even though she had since retired from the runway, she was still very much the extroverted New York socialite she had always been. Which usually made people question how Javier came to be the person he was at all, and why he could not be as easy-going in large companies as his mother.
>>”Sounds both fun and stressful. I can’t imagine having to use a different fork or spoon for every plate in front of me. Makes my skin crawl too. Chopsticks certainly make everything far easier, though!”
Javier smiled at his date. Booker had the good habit of seeing good things everywhere, and not latching on to things he decided to share. Javier could explain as much or as little as he wanted to, which was very refreshing.
>>”The last time I even saw one up close was some fundraising event they were having at the library. The organization rented out huge spaces, set up bars, brought in special guys who set up one of the rooms to look like a ballroom. I swear I still don’t know how they made it look like that one day and then the next turn it right back around into a library reading room. Phenomenal. I didn’t get to stay and see all the finery though. They probably thought I was just more slack-jawed riffraff.”
Javier chuckled at the mental image of a library magically turning into a ballroom and back, and Booker being ushered out before he could witness all of it.
"They could have hired you to stand around and promote the library" he ventured with a smirk; if a library ever had a perfect poster boy on staff, Booker was definitely it. "I can't really imagine having an event in that space and making it look like... something else. It's pretty spectacular already." Javier liked libraries. They were quiet, and people were not expected to make small talk with strangers. "I mean, in itself... not that I've ever been there when people were not around. But yeah, they should have invited you."
Javier instantly felt bad about bother Booker with returning his things. He had been the one who forgot the belt, after all, and the librarian did not have the flexible work hours that Javier could set for himself in his own shop (even though he really never changed them). He was very nice about it, but the schedule was just not working out; in the end they agreed to figure something out by lunch. Until then, Javier had ample time to sit around, work on some other projects, and feel bad about forgetting things at Booker's place.
>>“...hello?”
Javier was so lost in thoughts that he did not hear the front door of the shop open. When he heard the female voice, he hurried out of the back room to see who the visitor was.
"I'm sorry, I got caught up..." he looked at her and the messenger bag she was holding, wondering what kind of an order she had ".... um, hi. My name is Javier. I own the shop. What can I do for you?"
Javier rarely ever lost things, or even misplaced anything. Due to his anxiety, he was constantly checking and re-checking everything on and around his person, and kept tabs on all his possessions when out and about. He had never forgotten a hat on the bus, or a book on a bench, or any of his keys anywhere, ever. So, when he realized that some of his sewing kit was missing, his first reaction was surprise. The second was to blame Booker.
Not that he thought it was the librarian who had stolen the tools, or even had Javier leave them on purpose. But to be fair, the last time he visited Booker's apartment, Javier had been greatly... distracted, by other things. Like, his first kiss with Booker. Or having just survived a superpowered fight. Either way, some of his cosplay stuff was forgotten, left at Booker's place - including his utility belt, which contained some of his actual sewing and measuring tools. Which he needed now, to work on an order he had to finish. He had plenty of time, but he liked to get a jump on things. Like... jumping on an excuse to call Booker.
So, Javier did. Hopefully, Booker would suggest a way to get the utility belt back to him. Or maybe come by himself?...
Javier did feel like he was being spoiled. Booker was treating him like a celebrity, and while he did enjoy every minute of it, he did not want the librarian to think he would have to do so every time they met.
>>”I think I can afford to at least try to tonight,”
He could. Javier did not want his own anxiety to ruin all the fun, so he told himself that he was allowed to take the night off, and let Booker take the lead on what they were going to do. Which he did, and marvelously. The restaurant, which he had visited before (but not with other dates, or if so, he didn't mention them) was very cozy and nice.
>>”Looks like we made it right on time. Place as great food. The fried shrimp and the beef broccoli are my favorites but everything they make is just awesome.”
"Fried shrimp sounds good" Javier smiled as they took their seats, and were left alone with the menus. Their table was out of the way and had just the perfect amount of mood lighting to put him at ease. "When I was younger, my mom would take us to all kinds of fancy restaurants... networking events and the like. Most of them had all these utensils, and extra things that everyone else seemed to know somehow, and they always made me feel kind of on edge." he admitted with a small smile "But there was a Chinese place I really liked, because all I had to do was use chopsticks, and it felt less... strict? At least less people were watching us while we eat. They usually looked at mom, but it always felt like a reality show."
Booker was winning at the whole dating thing already. Javier thought it was the least he could do to let him know that. He really appreciated the enthusiasm, the planning, and most of all the easy-going attitude that made sure that he was actually having fun without feeling awkward. He didn't need to pretend to be anyone else around Booker, or try to hide what he was like, on good days and bad days. Sure, he had not seen everything yet, but... this was the way Javier liked his romance. With someone who was already a friend.
>>”We’re heeere! I hope you like Chinese food.”
"Chinese sounds great" Javier smiled, peering out the car window to take a look at the place. It looked fun. Not the run-of-the-mill Chinese buffet, but something more... date-like. He was ready to get out of the car, but Booker told him to wait, and walked around to open the car door for him. Javie couldn't help but blush.
>>”It’s customary… ...to get the door for a good-looking date. Shall we?”
"You are going to spoil me" Javier warned him as he took his arm. He felt a little flustered; on the one hand, yes, New York was a very liberal place, but he had never really walked into a restaurant arm in arm with another man before; and also, said man was extremely hot, and behaving like some kind of a prince charming from a New York romantic movie. Javier wondered what people thought when they looked at them. He was aware that he was walking around with someone who tended to draw a lot of attention... "I have never been here before. Have you?..."
