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.
There was really no good reaction to your boyfriend catching you play dressup in a superhero suit.
>>”Oh my god...X-Men? YOU’RE AN X-MAN?!”
Javier jumped with alarming speed, and then very unsuccessfully tried to hide behind one of the boxes. Realizing that it was not nearly big enough to hide him, and that ship had kinda sailed anyway, he blushed profoundly, and scrambled to peel off the X-shirt.
"What? No, no. Why, it's just...uh." well, this was going great "Booker, hi. I didn't... uh. Sorry."
Okay, so the shirt was off, not that it mattered much now, other than leaving Javier shirtless in the middle of the hallway. He held the shirt behind his back on instinct, looking at his boyfriend rather sheepishly.
As they started to slowly relax around each other, Javier was happy that they found something in common. Social anxiety was generally the bane of making new connections, but if two people recognized it in each other, it could also be a relief not to have to pretend they didn't have it. The tea also helped.
>>”Next pay day I may have to bring some pants by then. I have a couple pairs I have wanted to wear but haven’t had the courage to cut. During the summer is the only time I may need a more discreet pair of shorts. But winter gives me my jacket for extra coverage. And uh, less stares.”
"Sure." Javier nodded "I'll give you my number, or you can stop by at the shop any time."
>>”You’ve been really kind. I appreciate it more than you know. This city has kept me on edge a lot, and I didn’t realize how much I needed a friend.”
"It's not always easy, with so many strangers, is it?" Javi agreed, finishing his tea too "It's easier to disappear, but also everyone is kind of in their own bubble... Especially when you have powers." he was truly lucky to have friends, and even a great boyfriend like Booker. Thinking of him brought up another thought. "Have you... uh, have you ever met an adapted?"
Javier worried he might have said the wrong thing. Then again, he basically spent his entire life worrying about that every time he opened his mouth. There was no set etiquette for talking about one's none-human appendages. Was a bunny tail considered a private part? Who knew?
>>”It’s fine, I mean, if it wasn’t too ridiculous to deal with I could actually use the help sometime. Now that I think about it. My work with a pair of scissors would make Tim Gunn mortified.”
Javier chuckled a little, relieved that he did not upset his guest too much. Zaid looked a little jumpy, and Javier recognized some of the signs of anxiety that he had to deal with himself on a daily basis.
>>”Uh, what would you charge for that specific type of altering?”
Now, there was a question he could easily deal with.
"Oh, I don't think it would cost that much. Making a... um, hole, that's easy, I'd just need some measurements. If you want a new pair of pants actually tailored to... uh, hide it, that's another project, but I don't think that would be too hard either. And I'm more than happy to try."
Javier grew up in New York. despite his social anxiety and... general anxiety, it was a place he loved to call home, and a place full of interesting people, many of whom were actually nice to mutants (and introverts) like him. Take Booker, for example. Okay, maybe San Francisco or Austin would have been even better for a physical mutant, but Javi was sure those had their specific setbacks as well.
>>”I think that’s why I stayed here even when it got expensive. Despite its flaws, it’s one of the closest things to home I’ve found. And going back to Japan now would be difficult without my parents, anyway.”
Javier nodded. Japan seemed to be an important place for Zaid... and so was whatever happened to his parents. Javi did not want to pry, but the information offered about the tail, that was a whole different matter.
>>”Oh yeah, I guess I kinda figured you heard them comment on that. I mean, I’m a bunny, so it’s not like a cat tail at least that’s always in the way, but uh, pants aren’t exactly designed to let anything extra....thru.”
He had a bunny tail. That had to be a tailoring nightmare in the age of skinny jeans.
Zaid seemed embarrassed to talk about his tail. Javier noticed that, and also buried his face in his cup.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to make this awkward. It's just that... just that I work with mutants a lot and I can see how a tail... might be a problem. I mean, in terms of tailoring. Not like... um"
Javier said things out of politeness all the time - that was just how he had been raised, and how he managed the anxiety of people not liking him. But for now, he was actually telling the truth. People might have made fun of a grown man having bunny ears, but in terms of a natural mutation, it was fascinating.
>>”When I lived in Japan it was easier. They were more understanding. But who knows, maybe with time it’ll get more normal here... or, I just have to get a tough looking hat and an ear piercing, and make it look intentional.”
"Well, New York is a good place for that." he noted. Small town America would have been a lot harder to blend in than the city where basically everyone was weird somehow.
>>”If I ever need a tailor though, I know where to go! Although, pants can be a little, uh trickier.”
Javier smiled a little at the compliment. He enjoyed using his tailoring skills to help mutants, a lot more than he enjoyed using his mutant powers to fight crime. The next comment made him blink, though.
"Um... I mean..." he had the ears, it stood to reason that he might have other hare parts too, right? "You have a tail?..."
>>”Maybe someday you will. A lot of artists start small and build up, and clothing is an art form too.”
Javier smiled a little at that observation. His father was certainly an artist in the designs he made. Javier thought of himself as more of a craftsman, but who knew? Maybe superhero designs were going to become their own art niche one day.
>>”The city is expensive and even finding a pretty small apartment had a lot of bills. I’m lucky we get what we do or I couldn’t afford it. My parents were the ones who moved us here and now that they’re gone it seems a lot less manageable.”
Zaid seemed young. Not that Javier was that old himself, but he still remembered starting out in the city. Even with the help of his parents, it was not easy to find a place in New York one could afford, next to all the other criteria for what a living space should be. For physical mutants like Zaid, that had to be especially taxing.
>>”if doesn’t feel so great, especially here. But you’ve seen the alternative. I don’t enjoy being treated like a department store toy and being poked at instead.”
"People are not great with physical mutations" Javier agreed with a nod. Understatement of the year. "But that's... I mean, sorry you have to keep them hidden. I think they look cool."
Javier stumbled over a box in the hallway, and swore under his breath. He had moved in with Booker weeks ago, but some of Nessa's stuff was still packed up in boxes, waiting to be shipped after her to California. The apartment was comfortable, but definitely not large enough to accommodate the things of three people.
Javier had the day off, so he busied himself with unpacking his boxes that had not been unpacked before, hoping to create more free space for movement by the time Booker got home. Home. He had never lived with a boyfriend (or girlfriend) before. The moving triggered a lot of his anxiety, but the end result, so far, was pretty great; there were things to work out about sharing a living space, but it was all worth it, just for waking up with Booker at his side every morning. (Boy, he was a cuddler).
All the fluff did not quite solve the space problem, though.
Javier swore again as one of his boxes revealed a stash of half-finished outfits of all sorts - among them, one in bright X-men blue. Damn. Javier did not usually bring classified work home, but this piece had somehow made it from his previous apartment to this one. Who sis he make this for, again? Could it even be salvaged? Absent-mindedly, Javier pulled off his shirt and slipped on the X-men uniform. It was a form-fitting, long-sleeve shirt with pads at the elbows and shoulders for reinforcement. Not his best work, but it could be used for something. On someone who filled it out better, obviously. Javi inspected himself in the hallway mirror. He would have to stash this somewhere, and smuggle it back to the workshop.
His thoughts distracted him so much that he didn't even hear the front door open...
>>”It felt better to check. Some people find them distracting,”
It definitely was... spectacular. Javier couldn't help but glance over as the ears came free and began to move. They were... delicate, and elegant, and he had absolutely no idea how they fared crammed under a hat. It had to hurt a lot, if they were anything like normal animal appendages.
>>”Being strong seems like it could be useful at least?”
"Sometimes." Javier shrugged, a little awkwardly. Super strength always lost most of its coolness factor when people found out he had no control over it.
>>”It’s good to do something you enjoy. I don’t hate the cafe but I would never have worked in customer service if I had an option. I’m not so great around people..."
"Yeah, customers are... challenging." Javier agreed wholeheartedly "Sometimes I wish I had money to pay an assistant to talk to them." he added with a chuckle. He poured hot water into the mugs, selecting herbal tea for himself as well. It was the best thing to drink for anxiety issues. Especially after using his powers under stress. "But... my powers are not visible, and they rarely work anyway. I guess that makes it easier than your case. I can... I can imagine the hat is uncomfortable?"
Zaid. From the coffee shop. That explained the bit about the tip money, and also why Javi had not seen him around before. If he went out for hot beverages it, was usually for tea. He moved to the back room of the shop to fill up the water heater from the sink.
>>”Do you mind if I take this off?”
Javier blinked, not sure at first why Zaid asked, and then realized it a moment later. The ears.
"Oh no, not at all, go ahead" he waved a hand hurriedly, hoping his pause would not be taken as hesitation. "I'm a mutant too. I mean. I guess you saw that." Unless he thought a skinny guy like Javi could deadlift a concrete box with one hand without a mutation...
>>”Has your shop been here long?”
"A few years." Javier nodded, moving some fabric and tools around to clear two chairs and the corner of his working table. It was better to chat while he busied himself. "It's a small business, but I... like doing it." he rustled up two mugs and a box of assorted tea filters. "Pick whatever you like..."
Maybe it was strange to invite someone over for tea a minute after they fought off some thugs and did some property damage... but not much of Javier's life had been normal lately. And now that he blurted out the offer it would have been more awkward to take it back anyway.
>>”Tea would actually be nice.”
"Alright" he nodded, turning to lead the way back down the street and around the corner to his shop. He fumbled with the keys and opened the door, allowing the guy in. The tailor shop's front room was fairly clean, but the work room in the back was the usual jumble of fabrics and things. "Welcome" he said as they walked in "Um... I'm Javier, by the way. I run this shop."
They were both more than a little shaken after the encounter. Having fought various mutants and a giant lemur, Javier was still not used to showing off his strength in public. He felt skittish and drained, still not daring to look around to see how many people witnessed the whole scene.
>>”This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, unfortunately. I am sorry you had to get involved, but I do appreciate it... I actually did need that cash for bills now that I think about it.”
"Well it was... not right. They were being jerks." Javier noted, straightening up and dusting dirt off his pants.
>>”Should we.... clean this? The longer we stay the more attention we are attracting though and I really don’t want more issues.”
"We should, uh..." decisions. There was not much to do with the cracked flower box. Javier sighed. "We should probably go. I'll come back later and see if someone needs help replacing it, but... I think we should go. My shop is just around the corner, if you... um, want some tea or anything?"
Javi hoped the guys would not call his bluff. He was not sure he could throw the box at a person, even if he was threatened. The concrete box was also feeling a lot heavier than before, so Javier was very grateful when the rabbit man sprung into action, taking out one guy with one very painful-looking kick.
>>“Well, I offered the cash first. Now please, let’s end this here. I also really hate violence.”
The attackers finally retreated, supporting each other. The moment they turned the corner, Javier tried to set down the box, hoping no one witnessed his display of super strength. Because that would have been awkward. What if someone took a photo, or a video, with his face on it?... His powers buckled, and he dropped the box, jumping out of the way just in time. The concrete split, spilling gardening soil on the sidewalk.
"Sh*t. Sorry. I'm so sorry." Javier apologized to no one in particular, not daring to look around.
>>“A-are you okay?”
Javier leaned on his knees, trying to catch his breath as the adrenaline was leaving his system. He glanced up at the other mutant, who looked very shaken.
Honestly, why didn't he? He could have just called the cops. Maybe dating Booker had been rubbing off on Javi. The librarian insisted on seeing the superhero in him, even when his powers kept crapping out in the worst possible moments.
Javier did not really know what to do now that he ad placed the man a few paces away, so they just stared at each other in a stunned way, while the other two kept yelling.
>>“You just wanted the cash, right? Just take it and leave him out if it!”
>>“Maybe it’s more personal now.”
It was never easy, was it. Javier felt like punching the guy, but given that his powers were unreliable, he just as easily could have broken his own hand, or killed the man in one blow. Looking around for inspiration, he noticed a concrete flower box on the sidewalk. It was somewhat bulky, but at least it was not immediately threatening.
"Hey!" Javier yelled as he lifted the concrete box over his head with one hand, trying to look determined "I really don't like violence. I think you should leave."
And soon, because the box was not easy to balance.
Javier had locked up his shop for the day, and was walking home to the apartment. The smell of coffee hit his nose as he walked past other shops and cafés; he didn't drink coffee on account of his anxiety issues, but he liked the smell anyway. He wrapped himself in his coat and hurried along, ready to be home where it was warm, and maybe to spend some time with Booker.
He almost walked past the group of men when he caught a fragment of the conversation.
>>“No one will care. He’s just a mutant anyway..."
Javier's heart jumped, and he backed away on instinct. How could they possibly know...? He paused in the doorway of a nearby building, trying to figure out how he could escape. But then he looked, and the men were moving away from him, after... someone else?
Javier felt a sense of relief, immediately followed by a pang of guilt. Why was he relieved when someone else was in trouble? He looked around. Maybe he should call the cops, or alert someone what was going on.
>>“He’s a frickin bunny rabbit! No wonder people thought he was a girl!”
>>“Grab his ears! Hold him still.”
Too late.
Javier took a deep breath. One man fell, the... rabbit... must have fought back. But there were three of them and one of the other, and that was not fair. As much as Javier hated confrontation, and was terrified of a fight, he couldn't just walk away without doing the right thing.
One man grabbed for the long bunny ears. Javier stepped up behind him, not allowing himself time to overthink things, and lifted him off his feet, walking a few paces over before he set him down again. There was no need to get violent.
Standing around in his workshop with a stark naked man was not a usual part of Javier's workday. Especially if said stark naked man was not Booker. This situation, even in a tailor's shop, would have been pretty freaking hard to explain.
>>"Eh, sure. I've already gone'n flashed you, so i'm sure you can't have anything more embarrassing than that lying around... Got anything that will fit me, though?"
"Not... right off the bat" Javier admitted. The guy as well built. Javier wasn't sure if that was the mutation or the vigilante life, but there was a reason he was in a tailor shop and not buying spandex off the rack. Anymore.
"Here." he dug around in a box in the corner, pulling out a cozy bathrobe. He was going to refashion it for a cosplay project for some burnt out Norse god or another, but at least it was loose enough to cover most of Saphirus.
"So... in light of... that" he nodded at the spandex piece, with a shy smile playing on his lips "I'd say your new costume would need a more durable material?"
