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.
>>”Coffee is an entirely different thing from food.” She defended. ”Besides, in the past, I’ve had a tendency to avoid the coffee bar when you’ve been there.”
And then, there was the arrow. Aurum sighed. "That's right... really. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to come off like a pig." Though, had he ever actually said anything rude to her? It wasn't like he'd been thinking anything indecent, just that she was attractive. And he was a guy. Could he use the 'guy defense'? ... It was probably a fallacy, he concluded. If he'd known anything he thought or felt could, and would be held against him, he'd have zipped the metaphorical lip. "Do I get a lawyer on this one?"
>>"Uh... what would you suggest for someone who hasn't had much coffee in her lifetime?"
A handshake. A coffee first-timer, was it? And she'd be trying his special blends first. Not to sound creepy or something, but he was touched.
He took a moment to ponder this important life question... a finger rose up thoughtfully to his lips. "Hmm... do you like things bitter, or do you prefer stuff that's sweet? I can guarantee the dark coffee I have will knock your socks off, but it's a bit strong for your first time. Maybe something sweet, like a mocha? Oh, and you could dunk some biscotti in that and stir it around" like a little kiddy drink. Maybe she'd prefer some cocoa? The possibilities were endless. "Though, if you really wanted something special, I'd go with..." He paused for dramatic effect, then looked her in the eye with a grin. "A cup of french vanilla coffee with a bit of sugar and cream, and a banana nut muffin to go with it." That'd be an authentic enough experience for her first time. Far be it for him to suggest something extreme, and try and put hair on her chest. He'd never liked hair-chests on women, nope. Call him old-fashioned.
"I could always demonstrate," Aurum replied confidently. "I'll have you know I take great pride in my cooking abilities. Growing up with a mother in catering, and a family-owned restaurant, it'd be far less realistic for me to come out without a single in the realms of cooking." He held up a boasting finger as he elaborated on his family's role in preparing him to prepare tasty treats.
Then a thought struck him. He paused. His eyes opened to focus on her, seriously. "Wait a minute... you're telling me you haven't tried any of the coffee I've made, in all your times at Full Circle?" She'd been in and out of the shop often. Practically all the time. Aurum held a hand over his heart in mock-pain. "I'm hurt," He grinned.
>>”I can understand that. Sometimes, I find myself doing the strangest things based on the feelings from people around me. In my old apartment, the people above me had a baby…I would get so upset sometimes…for no reason…or hungry. I couldn’t figure out why. Then I’d hear the baby crying.”
"That's intense," Aurum replied. "You were feeling what the baby was feeling? That's gotta be... something." Entirely self-indulgent emotions, all 'me, me, me'. Babies had wants. They got what they wanted. Otherwise, they screamed.
In a related story, Ami had screamed. That's how he knew. Come to think of it, she still screamed sometimes. That probably had less to do with being a baby now, though, and more to do with being a teenager.
Strange.
Kealey eyed him. Aurum's right eyebrow crept upwards on his brow.
>>”So you’re not…special? No hidden talents?” She asked.
A single 'heh' escaped him. Aurum shook his head. "Not unless you count being able to juggle soccer balls, or cooking one heck of a meal." Or reciting legal precedents, he reminded himself. He left that last one out.
Stitches AND burned. It sounded like she had a pretty tough past. Again, the woman thanked him for being there. "I'm glad I was there to help," Aurum added thoughtfully.
With all that fire and fear and rage, he didn't have to stretch his imagination to envision how hard it must have been for her. He'd been there to see it first-hand. Really, Honestly, he was glad he'd been there to help. Because once again, Hey, Chocolate~ And bonus chivalry points, too.
It felt like a good moment to share something personal, since she'd just opened up about all the emotions she'd felt, so he did. He told her about his father. That man who'd raised him, and taught him more about mysteries and literature than he could ever repay.
Her eyes widened, and she asked.
>>”Does he lose himself in it sometimes? In the emotion?"
Aurum nodded. "Sometimes. Or he gets so ramped up about the end of the book he can't contain himself. It makes it real difficult avoiding spoilers." Aurum paused as an amusing thought struck him. He did his best not to hide the smirk. "Sometimes, he'll read a book, and after he's done, just sit there, silently, with this stupid grin on his face. My mother takes one look at him, clicks her tongue, and mutters 'I'm going to have to read it now, aren't I?' He looks her dead in the eye, and replies daringly. 'It's that good.'"
She was a mutant. That explained it. Aurum met her eyes gently. "I understand. Glad I picked a place like this, then." He'd just wanted to be alone with his thoughts (with company). Who knew she'd of wanted something similar? So, she was an empath?
Wait.
His mind lit up like the snap of a flash bulb, producing pictures of each and every time she'd been short with him, and he'd been smug. That, uh. Really did explain it. He chuckled sardonically at himself.
Way to go, guy. Wandering eyes, meet empath.
The flash of self-deprecation dimmed. She'd probably felt that too, huh? Aurum bowed his head for a second, to hide the faint smirk. When he looked back up, it was gone. "I had to. I really couldn't let you, or anyone, get hurt. I'll bet you felt that, too... believe me. I was kicking like a baby as my legs carried me up to the guy." He chuckled to himself. He'd be the first to admit his own weaknesses. "But still. Had to. And look what it earned me," He paused to take another sip of the mocha, then jiggled the cup. "Chocolate."
"... I'll bet you didn't know this about me, but my dad? He's... sort of an empath, too... except, instead of reading the feelings of the people around him, he absorbs everything a book has to say. Just one touch, and he takes it all in." His eyes hardened emphatically for a moment. He could understand. "Whenever he's done with a really heart-wrenching one, he always has to take a moment to compose himself... the raw emotion of the piece..."
"Don't mention it," Aurum tried to sweep the matter under the table. He'd had to. It was his duty as a man, so really. Putting his life on the line for a woman? It was fine. He was just glad things had turned out as positively as they did.
... Not that letting a bank robbery go on in front of their faces was a good thing...
But none of the hostages in the bank had been seriously hurt, at least. The workers the men had gotten to first, though... Aurum took a distracted sip of his coffee, and retreated. He didn't want to think about that. It certainly wasn't a subject polite coffee conversation allowed for. His nerves were shaken up enough, as it was. Like taking a beehive, and tossing it into a washing machine. There was rattling. There was buzzing. Another calming sip of coffee-meets-chocolate. There were drowning sorrows, bees getting washed away.
He smiled weakly at the blond again. He remembered the look on her face at the robbery. She'd been so scared. Abnormally so. More than the rest. And now...?
"How are you holding up?" He had to know. Right now, the number one thing they had in common was the after-robbery adrenaline high of 'fight or flight' and fear. It was times like these where connections were made, and they laughed about them... because laughter was better than crying, or keeping it bottled up.
So, they'd decided to go out for coffee. Not that their hands weren't shaking enough already, thanks to the clones ... Aurum had decided on where. He would have left it up to the lady, but she was frazzled, running on emotion fumes. He figured right now, he'd let her settle down. Asking her to contemplate directions and location so soon after a traumatic experience like that would have just been rude. And rude was exactly what Aurum wasn't.
It hadn't taken long to find a location he'd deemed 'acceptable' for brewin' and broodin'. He'd been to the location many times before. They always had good service, and their mochas weren't half-bad. Kealey might have remembered it from a previous visit, but there was no way Aurum Mellitus could have known that. It was a nice little coffee shop, with an enclosed area off to the right of the building surrounded by light bushes and friendly decor. Metal tables sat with their feet curled in the courtyard, not too-far off the street. Aurum strolled up to the front counter, and looked the woman on duty in the eye.
"One mocha," He emphasized his order with a smile. "Medium." Aurum glanced to his blond accomplice, curious what she'd ask for. It was on him, either way. She'd been carried around like a sack of potatoes today. That was real tough. Buying her coffee was the least he could do.
Come, they'd told him. Aurumpumpumpum~ To a Full Circle shift, Aurumpum~
Rumpumpum pum.
Rumpumpum pum.
Rumpumpum pum...
Aurum stopped humming to himself as he prepared the mocha. He had too much time on his hands... He turned to snag a lid off the shelf, and set the prepared drink down for the cute blond girl. He told her 'how much'. She paid, then shuffled off. With a sigh, the man turned back towards the coffee machine, and set to work on his next 'ordeal'.
A faint yawn escaped him. You know the kind of yawn that doesn't make a sound, where you're compelled to open your mouth and let your jaw hang as your chest expands and you beat away the breath like an indian Chief? The good, totally needed, momentary escape? Yeah. That yawn. He glanced back at the customer, and offered the middle-aged man with thinning hair an apologetic smile.
Sorry. He'd been up late, studying... and the cooking channel had been marathoning one of his favorite shows. Combine caffeine with Paula Dean, and you had a recipe for disaster. Or, at least, a really calorie-intensive sandwich. With bacon... and a side of ham. And maybe a double chocolate gooey butter cake. Ala mode?
Darn it. Now he was hungry.
He gave the man his drink, and slid the money into the register. The line edged forwards. Next was a 20-something girl with green skin and a book in hand.
He offered a 'mid-morning' friendly smile. "Welcome to Full Circle. What can I get for you?"
There comes a point in every man's life when he realizes something important. For some, it's that one shouldn't eat fresh jalapeno, straight from the cutting board. For others, it's that onion makes your eyes water. And for Aurum...
It was that he couldn't let a woman be carried off by a giant thug of a bank robber when she couldn't defend herself.
Stupid, stupid. Gonna die, His brain was telling him. But his feet. His bastard feet, and his heart. They wouldn't listen. Those thoughts of doing what best guaranteed his survival were still there. Warning klaxons were blaring, people. But his feet.
And his arm. Or rather, his hands. Both hung in the air.
The giant's words fazed him a great deal, actually. His face didn't show it. As he drew near the clone, Aurum adopted a confident tone, with just a hint of ire.
"You... should put her down, Sir. Nobody here wants trouble. She's just scared. If you need a hostage," A pause. His brain screamed 'no!' "I'm your man. Take me instead of her. Let her go. It's the least I can ask... I'll go quietly." Stupid Manliness! Aurum chided himself. Stupid stupid! But hey. It was out there, now. The least he could do was roll with his own idiocy.
One random thought struck him, as he looked up at the clone. Ami... is gonna to kill me.
Posted by Aurum Mellitus on Jan 28, 2010 23:03:02 GMT -6
Alpha Mutant
925
1
Sept 5, 2024 16:30:22 GMT -6
((OOC: The posting order is now Aurum, Kealey, Tythan, Abyss.))
>>”Keep your eyes to yourself.”
Aurum's eyes were drawn back to the blond girl.
>>”Or browse other wares.”
An eyebrow arched. He'd been looking towards the teller ahead of her. He kinda was.
"So sorry to upset you, miss." Aurum smiled calmly. One might almost say he looked 'proud'. He bowed his head for a moment, and raised her an "I'll try harder next time."
Next time. Right. That was about the moment things went to Hell.
Aurum spun towards the sound of shattering. His eyes widened, locked on the bulky form in midair.
The motorcycle smashed down. The next few seconds were a blur of broken faces, fisticuffs, and blood. Aurum froze.
Just like last time...
One of the men was speaking now. Aurum's hazel eyes wavered. No. Not again.
Powerless, Aurum's eyes trailed to watch the faces of those around him. If he was feeling useless now, he had to know they felt it too. All he could do now... all he could do... was listen to their demands, and follow.
It was the only way to prevent others from getting hurt.
Posted by Aurum Mellitus on Jan 27, 2010 16:43:09 GMT -6
Alpha Mutant
925
1
Sept 5, 2024 16:30:22 GMT -6
Thanks, Twyla.
~*~
And now, since the lovely Miss Circe has done some work, I'll start a signature bank.
By Circe -
Avatar:
Signatures:
The dog in the picture is a boxer. It's the Mellitus family dog, by the way. His name is Ozzie. Ami named it, after the ugly demon boss from Chrono Trigger. It always used to knock over the garbage.
