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 Welldrinker Cult
A shadowy group is gaining power, drawing in people who are curious, vulnerable, or malicious, and turning them into Mystics. They are recruiting people into their ranks to spread the influence of magic in the world, but for what end goal?
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.
If it seemed that Andro was overeager to begin, the possibility that he would be a part of Haven thrilled him so much that he had forgotten he still technically had a job at the Wildlife Conversation Society. Now all the steps he had to go through rushed through his miind. All the people he had to tell. Angie, his co-worker, technically shared the position he had, which would make the transition out of the job much easier. Angie could hold down the fort on the research whilst the WCS focused on hiring a new recruit. Angie led the way on the experiments anyway, Andro had always felt the right-hand man. She may even enjoy being alone on the project more than them having to share the information with another human being. Or, rather, she'd have to get used to sticking it through with him because of the proposed conjoined effort he was going to deliver to the company once he was secure with Haven. The format would be different, but the research would definitely remain on a similar trajectory.
As soon as he shook hands with Svetlana, he immediately remembered her ability, and a sudden surge of energy shot through him, so much so that he began to cause them both to float. The feathers on his forearms and on his chest began to quiver. They did not make it a couple inches off the ground until he let go and set them back on solid ground. Andro made sure to keep a straight face on, pretending that nothing had just happened. Meanwhile, his birds began to spin around in circles around the top of his head, like in the cartoons when a character bumps his head on a hard surface and birds zoom around their noggin.
>>"And HR will get the paperwork to you when you are ready. I'm assuming you will have to give two weeks' notice? We would like to start working with you as soon as possible."
"Oh yes. I will be in contact with my supervisors, of all would be quite reasonable. They are all aware of why I came here today anyway and would be thrilled to hear this news. I can imagine that even with my two weeks' notice, I should be able to make my way over here to continue conversation with your people on how best to proceed." He straightened the front of his suit and placed all his files back into his briefcase, hiding his overwhelming excitement through the dimples forming on his smirking cheeks.
Andro began to feel exhaustion coming from his birds, for they had at least held onto people for more than ten minutes now. Andro's time dribbled down. He had to act fast before the both of them went kersploot. Maybe that would have been a good solution for one of them, Andro thought, but then took the thought back. That thought was a little too dark for his tastes.
>>“Sorry, dude, these birds ain’t mine. Although I do have some barbecue sauce if you wanna take care of them yourself.”
Andro almost smacked the dude but that would have been unprofessional and too sincere of him, so with the dogs barking underneath, Andro kept his self composed though his limbs were all but dangly from being weightless for so long. He hoped the man his other birds were carrying didn't grow nauseous as many others had before.
"Excuse me, but these birds are my birds. If it weren't for my birds you would be down there right now in a mess of dog slobber and possibly busting out in rabies."
Thankfully the dogs below had grown tired of waiting so long for the two floating men, they decided to chase after Ms. Liesel instead, in her bright orange onesie and boring personality. Andro felt that it was safe to give the signal for them to drop. So, with as quickly a pace as the birds brought them into the sky, so just as quickly did they bring them down.
Soon as their feet were square on the ground, Andro reached for the man's wrist in order to drag him in the direction where his fallen-over camera lay.
"I'm Alejandro Dantes, and you are responsible for this dog swarm, ergo, you are responsible for replacing a camera use for my youtube channels." If the man let Andro grab his wrist and drag him toward the camera, that would have been the best option. If he chose another direction, then Andro would have to learn to soothe his growing rage.
The two of them went frump on the inflatable balloon house, and as soon as they landed, all of Andro's rage crashed in upon him. "I cannot believe this shitshow we're experiencing!" The three of his birds landed upon his head, and flapped their wings as fast as they could to get their human to calm down. Andro turned to Ms. Liesel, but she had already gotten up on her feet and started to leap off the bouncy house, getting the heck out of here or so it seemed.
There was so much action happening right now, Andro was hit by the sudden realization that his early morning coffee in front of the television on his actual day off of work felt like it was soo far away. Instead of coffee, he was on an adrenaline spike brought about by some action-crazed lunatic being chased by dogs. Instead of sitting in front of his television, watching an episode of his favorite daytime show, he felt as if he were part of some crazy action-packed, reality show about how crazy can one's morning get? Instead of taking the day off to record a calm interview about bees, about calm, no-nonsense bees, he was now standing upon a deflating bouncy house with enough air to catch their landing and his interviewee clambering off of said bouncy house to get somewhere away from him and his nonexistent equipment. To say that Andro was pissed would be an understatement.
"How the f*** did everything go so utterly wrong?" The bee-woman didn't even say her goodbye as she stumbled away. Then, to make matters worse, the inflatable house that had allowed him to catch his breath soon disappeared from under him just as the fountain had disappeared earlier. Then appeared the man whose scream was the source of all this nonsense, the man whom if Andro had anyone to blame, and he was one to try and prevent the whole blame game, this man was the man.
As the inflatable house disappeared, Andro landed square on his arse on the grass beneath. A couple moments later he was back up on his feet, hand clutching his hip, hurling himself at the man with the dogs in the distance zooming in closer.
"Bigby, Nike, up!" He commanded his fluttering little birds to latch onto the shoulders of the man screaming his head off and take up into the sky one more time as the dogs began to gather underneath them again.
"You. Fix this. Now." Andro mustered the sternest dad voice he could muster, and hoped that this man would think twice about running away or squirming, because he continued to tell his hummingbirds to bring them up, up, up and up.
Ms. Liesel continued to shriek and flail. The veins on her face popped almost as much as the colors on her attire. This crunched a distraught expression onto Andro's face as the two birds holding onto her shoulder could hardly focus with all her flailing and the barking that erupted beneath them the entire time. The dogs, ranging from Pomeranians to Bloodhounds to Chihuahuas swarmed beneath them like flies on a fallen over watermelon slice from a summer picnic table. The brightness of Ms. Liesel's outfit acted like a beacon, a chewtoy hovering over the eager, slobber-filled mouths of the canines.
"Ms. Liesel, do you best to slow down and stay calm. You don't want to fall, do you?"
"I don't want to fall? I'm afraid of heights!! You can't just ask someone who's afraid of heights that they don't want to fall-- Of course I don't want to fall, put me down!" She continued to shriek, and Andro believed he could see tears running down her face.
Andro thought about dropping her then and right there, not caring whether the dogs would have her as their chew toy, but all the goodness in him prevented him from saying the command to his hummingbirds, of which were growing emotionally exhausted from having to deal with the woman's hysteria and the aura of irritation that Andro was emitting toward them. Thankfully they were close to the fountain, of which they could probably land upon. Ledges above the flowing water could probably withstand their weight.
Just as they floated toward the fountain, however, the fountain disappeared in a bright flash of light and Andro cursed his luck. "Are you serious??!" He told Bigby to keep him still suspended in the air. The info relayed to the other two birds by means of sassy tweets and tweets of encouragement from Bigby.
Just as suddenly as the fountain disappeared, however, a huge bouncy house appeared in their vicinity. The birds could read Andro's sudden shift in attention and fluttered their way towards the roof of the bouncy house. Ms Liesel gave out a big scream as the two of them were tossed into the bouncy house right after a person inside bounced around. He was about to tell his birds to stop, but they already let go as the two adults hurtled on top of the bouncy house, smashing the person inside against the roof of the inflated castle.
Ms. Liesel droned on and on about frivolous matters at first, about how the bees were required to be kept at a specific temperature at all times, at how sunlight didn't really affect them as much as the humidity in the room, and etc., etc.
Andro thought about how he could have probably screened more energetic type individuals for this interview, but he did his best to stay energized throughout the encounter, laughing at semi-appropriate times, and oh, definitely laughing when Ms. Liesel tried making a bee bun. Oh how she loved bee puns.
Halfway through the interview, however, Andro began to hear incessent screaming, first coming from an individual and then next coming from scattered groups throughout the park. He thought about ways to cut out the noise later. Maybe he should have brought a wind-microphone so that the sound would have been focused on his and Ms. Liesel's conversation. The wind wasn't nasty, but he could have anticipated the background noise a little better. So he tried his best to stay focused.
Then whoosh, the noises rocketed straight at them as a man in a four-wheeled vehicle came coming toward them and blew past the very bush that Andro's hummingbirds were fluttering about in. The three little birds flew straight to his shoulders, as the man on the vehicle ran screaming; "“AAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIAIAIAIAIAIIAIIAIAIA!”
Andro had no time to think, as a swarm of dogs came straight for him and his guest. "Bigby, Nike, Raisin, up!" He called out to his bird companions as two of them alighted upon Ms. Liesel's shoulders and one on his own. The sudden sensation of becoming weightless took over his body.
"Oh dear! What is happening? Th-this is insane!" Ms. Liesel in her bright orange jumpsuit waved her hands in the air as she tried to stabilize herself. There was no need since, luckily, Andro brought his trained birds today just in case of accidents just like these. The wave of dogs hurried now underneath them, but a few lingered behind to bark at the floating man and the floating woman. The dogs seemed especially fond of Ms. Liesel's orange attire.
"Nasty dogs, leave us alone!" Ms. Liesel shrieked and Andro didn't know what to do next. He saw the fountain nearby and a statue.
"Stay calm, no don't flail like that please!" Maybe it would be wise to perch somewhere elevated and quick, as Bigby and Nike weren't looking too hot trying to keep a hold of the frightened Ms. Liesel. As Andro looked around for places to perch he also kept an ear out for the man in the four-wheeler, who seemed to be the cause of this fiasco. His knocked over camera due to the dog stampede laid on the ground. He had something to say to that man, when and if he could find him.
Andro stretched his selfie-taking arm and moved it around in circles. He wanted to warm-up his rotator cuff, because stretching one's muscles were an important step in muscle health and one's total well-being. That and he was growing a little impatient at the tardiness of one of his interviewees. He had his camera tripod all decked out and the sun was at a location that didn't blast sunlight into their faces. The clouds rolled in slowly, meaning the sun wouldn't be a problem at all soon, and the grey sky would create a perfect contrast to the blossoming flowers in the bushes behind him. He picked Brant Park as his location for the day because he loved visiting the huge fountain in the center of it.
In the blossoming flowers hovered little bees and three bright-green hummingbirds that were each taking turns seeking a flower to hide behind and being caught by one of the other little birds, a perfectly cute little game of hide-and-seek. Andro was tempted to video his little birds playing hide-and-seek and posting that video instead of the one he had planned.
The bees were all the rage now-a-days, with movies, both documentaries and animated films, popping up here and there in an attempt to gain an awareness of their role in pollination, food-growth, and in the overall ecosystem. His guest youtuber today was a local honey-bee keeper here in Central New York, and she had agreed to shooting a short interview about making honey in a city. He was going to title it, "Urban Bee Kisses".
"Hello, are you Mr. Dantes?" Someone came up behind Andro as his attention had remained on his little birdies. He and his birds all looked up in unison at the lady with bright, golden curls, a sun-hat, and shades. Her outfit was an orange onesie with a big sunflower on her chest. He was surprised to have missed her, though the last time they chatted was with her in her bee-keeping outfit on facetime.
"Ms. Liesel! Apologies for my distracted appearance. Glad to finally meet up in person." Andro stood with grace and shook her hand, then invited her to sit on the bench beside him. They continued to share niceties and Andro adjusted the camera on the tripod in order to begin their interview.
>>"That's the actual catch. As I said, this project is very important, but it also needs a face. And Haven needs more people sharing time in the limelight. We have had... fewer of those since Tem... the former CEO went on a leave of absence. And you are a likable man. Even I can tell, and I don't like many people. Add the birds to the mix... it's a good look for Haven."
So he was going to be the sweet-talker of one of the sweetest mutant organizations on this side of the Coast? Andro's eyes lit up as he imagined himself and his hummingbird pals talking at panels, hosting events, taking selfies with the huge influencers of the mutant and environment world combined. He dusted off his suit as he stood up to eagerly shake Svetlana's hand, putting a hand out there so she could shake it . He was well aware of the propensity of her mutation, though it seemed as if her gloves were enough "insulation" so to speak, to prevent him from being affected by her ability.
Nike and Raisin were still a little bit wary, having made their way to nestle on both sides of Andro's neck. The two chit chattered across his chest, both excited for the prospect of getting more screen time as they were absorbing bits and pieces of Andro's imagination. Andro was already imagining all the environmental collaborations that could be had here in the city and throughout the coast, maybe even branch out to the midwest and south. The possibilities were endless.
"I'm not sure if you've paid attention to my Youtube and Instagram, but my birds already have a following. What would you say I ought to do with my social media presence, now that I will soon be affiliated with Haven and its functions. On one hand, the publicity is something I can handle, but I would like to expand the wings of what I have already begun and revamp the social-page for Haven."
Andro pulled out his phone and brought up his Instagram account for Svetlana to look at. Yes, it was composed of selfies of him and his birds, but his number of likes were in the couple thousands per post. He was still trying to work towards half-a-million, but now that he could finally add mutant efforts to his endeavors instead of catering to the social justice warriors and climate-fanatics, he bet Haven's social page could thrive.
"Not to be rude or anything, but Haven's social media presence is rather... lacking."
>>"You." she answered, after some consideration. "If we can't bring the data to the project, we will bring the project to the data. There is no reason why Haven couldn't do research on mutant impact on the environment, in house. We just need professionals to head the project. And to represent it." Doing so with cute animals was always a plus. "Have you ever considered being the face of such an effort?"
"Me?" Andro had been wrapped up in his spiel to collaborate that the idea of being recruited to the cause by Haven struck him like a blowjob he didn't realize he needed. A censored, kid-friendly blow job that wasn't at all sexual of course, but one wrapped in a professional bow and rid of any unclassiness. Andro's cheeks began to blush a strange purplish- not a shade too out of the ordinary but enough to express his surprise. The two little birds in the room began to flutter and chirp with a giddiness that Andro bust a gut to suppress lest he become the unprofessional that turned into a child at the moment of being told he was going to Disneyworld. Yet, to work for Haven? So many leagues above Disneyworld.
Andro tightened his grip on the briefcase in his lap.
"Well, that would certainly improve the effectiveness of such an endeavor, wouldn't it? I already have connections within the Wildlife Conservation Society and you would not have to worry about how a second party would handle your sensitive information." He thought about how happy his wife would be once he told her all this, and the sudden prestige of landing a job he didn't initially ask for got to his head really quickly that he pulled at his collar in an attempt to release the pent up energy he was converting to heat just to keep himself calm.
"How could I best assure you that I am fit for the job? I'm sure with all the simplicity of this decision, there has to be some catch?" Andro thought a display of his mutant prowess might help seal the deal that he was being delivered, so he gestured to his birdy pals with a sniff of his nose. They hovered over the paperwork that he had handed over to Sveta and with a smooth flutter of tiny feathers, returned the paperwork to his briefcase.
"These feathered friends of mine are non-negotiable parts of the face of my efforts." He thought such a confident phrase would be enough to assure Sveta to continue.
>>"I'd be careful with the lone species thing. Speaking from a PR perspective."
"You're right. It's all in how we form the narrative. Which is why we'd like to get a better picture of mutantkind's role in the environment. The data comes first, of course. If further research proves that mutantkind has substantially proven to be an ecological nightmare, we will have to decide how to share that information then."
Raisin and Nike sensed Andro's concern and fluttered to his head, preening his hair, trying to calm him. He nodded his head, moving it so they could know he was fine and he appreciated his .
"Preliminary data shows that this has not been the case, however. I wouldn't be involved if I didn't think it best for mutantkind."
>>"The money would be easier, you know" she noted. "Giving you data on mutants... with the best of intentions, that is risky. Sensitive doesn't even begin to cover it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I am not sure a scientific project would be equipped to handle the kind of information Haven has access to. These things can still be life or death, no matter how liberal America likes to look."
She made a good point, and as it stood, the WCS was not a government organization and to have access to such data was a huge stretch to ask for.
"Your worry is justified, but at the end of the day, the amount of information you share is up to you. Trust is like Rome, it isn't built in a day. We at the Wildlife Conservation Society care primarily about the areas where the human ecological footprint is lightest and the areas we are currently trying to protect, from the mountains of Afghanistan to the windswept wilderness of Chile's Tierra del Fuego. As it stands, it would greatly assist our endeavors to receive assistance from our mutant organizations on this front." Andro wished he could take a sip of a drink, his throat was becoming parched and he wondered if he was making himself clear enough.
"Miss Sergeyeva, any relationship without trust is useless. The reason I came today is to inform Haven that we are willing to establish a relationship. Of course, that also requires you to be able to trust us. If you say that what we ask is great, what can we provide you to show that we are worth granting such a request?" Andro leaned forward, curious as to what Svetlana would ask for, on behalf of Haven.
>>"And that's where we come in." Sveta nodded. "Research funding, right?" she smiled at him over the folder "Just out of curiosity, are you one of these anecdotes?"
"Not so much funding, as more data. You see, mutant activity and human activity just so happen to overlap on many levels. The eventual goal of this research is to perform a global investigation of mutant effects on the environment, but as you may already be familiar with, certain mutations already lend themselves to being ecologically useful and others, not so much."
"The X-gene lends itself to producing mutants that could in their own right, act as a lone species, ecologically speaking." Andro now wished he had himself a cup of coffee to sip on, as he didn't realize how much talking he'd had to do.
"Based on the variability of mutantkind, on the surface, this endeavor may seem like a huge undertaking, and almost impossible. The 'data' we have, is as you mentioned, mostly based on anecdotal evidence. To have hard evidence would require a screening of all mutants within a particular region and an organization of their abilities in such a way that can be statistically processed. That would require teams of people. The genesis of our particular project is similar to a historical undertaking than a scientific undertaking at best, but that's where reasonable science begins anyway. By debunking the mythos surrounding naturally occurring phenomena.
He took out a few pictures from his portfolio of documented cases within the past ten years of mutants affecting weather patterns, crop production, energy consumption, etc. He realized it was a lot of information and he began to sweat, thinking he should have made it simpler to explain. Maybe a gif or a powerpoint would have been more engaging. Then again, he was speaking to the working CEO.
"As for your question, my case would fall under a mutant acting with humanitarian efforts in mind. As for a large scale effect on the environment, my mutation itself does very little. However, as part of the sample size, if my hummingbirds were to continue interacting with the natural ecosystem, then it would lend itself to being a positive case in respect to our research.
"And yes, it may seem biased for a mutant to be spearheading these affairs, but data is data. As for where our current offer stands, the WCS would be grateful for any assistance in your part. Funding would definitely improve the energy we can pour into this project, but all we are really asking is for access to whatever information you can provide about mutant related effects on the New York area."
Raisin on his shoulder began to fall asleep, and Andro wondered if Svetlana's caffeine aura was wearing off or if he were just that boring.
"We are aware that other mutant organizations could function in a similar capacity, but we decided to reach out to Haven first, recognizing our similar goals in promoting a better world for humankind."
>>"Smart." she raised an eyebrow as she smoothed her clothes down. "I boost mutant powers. if this interview does not go as we intended, you're going to be asked to sign an NDA. It's not something I like to advertise after the fifth or sixth kidnapping."
To say that Andro felt threatened was an understatement.. He had been aware that other powerful mutants composed the backbone of Haven, but to be in the presence of one was a different matter. Furthermore, to think that he was in the presence of the acting CEO and he had already unlocked some secret did not do much to help his composure.
“Nike, Raisin. Best behavior now. We’re here to do business.” Andro took out his briefcase and placed it into his lap. Nike flew back and rested on Andro's shoulders, preening his feathers as to look more professional.
“On behalf of the Wildlife Conservation Society, I wanted to thank you for responding to our partnership offer. We've just recently tapped into understanding mutant-kind's effect on the environment and we believe that in providing the public with this information, our efforts to improving mutant-kind's acceptance in society will definitely improve."
He opened up his briefcase and took out his portfolio of preliminary research and placed in on Svetlana's desk. "This is a list of publicly documented cases of mutant-kind providing positive ecological change all along the East Coast. Of course, without more solid information regarding mutant activity, our research ends up being speculation at best."
Stay calm, Andro. Svetlana's caffeine aura made it difficult to keep his heart rate down, but Andro clenched the handles of his seat and placed his feet firm on the ground. He wasn't staying calm just to keep his hummingbird's calm, but also so he wouldn't screw up his interview. The one thing he'd been concerned about happening-- Raisin's social inexperience causing a blunder-- was the exact thing to characterize his first impression. This would teach him not to take risks like this on a day like this.
Andro could feel Raisin's panic increase and a sense of remorse emanate from the bird. It squaeked in surprise and detached itself from Svetlana, causing the effect of gravity to resume on her and her chair. Then Raisin flew back to Andro, shivering and scared.
Andro caressed the startled little bird with the tip of his finger as he turned to face Svetlana.
"Hope that didn't startle you too much. If you don't mind me asking, is that a part of your ability as well? I noticed Raisin hadn't intentionally activate his anti-gravity. Are you able to activate other mutations upon physical contact with them? Fascinating."
The lady at the front desk was kind enough to direct Andro to a Ms. Sergeyeva's office. She had tried her best to not squeal at seeing his hummingbirds, which Andro was rather glad she didn't. He wanted to remain professional, but also realized that it was still far from normal to walk around with his birds on his shoulder. He gave her a nice smile and took a mint from her desk.
The Haven offices were all located at the end of one hallway and Ms. Sergeyeva's office was wide open as he arrived.
Andro tightened his grip on his suitcase. Yes, it was cliche for him to have one-- he preferred to keep a satchel on him, but the information in it was easier to keep locked up in a suitcase. He was ready to show the research he had if required, but at the end of the day, the meeting was only meant to establish introductions and being a relationship.
As soon as he walked into the office, it felt as if all his nervousness had melted and was replaced with a rather acute excitement. All the books on her shelf, the items on her desk, and the intensity of Ms. Sergeyeva's gaze jumped out at him. He could feel Raisin and Nike's energy levels rise as well. What was this sudden change in energy?
>>"Mr. Dantes? Welcome to Haven. Excuse me if I keep my distance, it's power-related. But it is very much a pleasure to meet you.I'm Svetlana Sergeyeva, acting CEO." she smiled. "Please, take a seat. Coffee?"
"Hello, Ms. Sergeyeva. You can call me Andro. And, I'll have to decline on the coffee. I suddenly feel quite... alert." Andro took a seat in front of her desk, and it seemed as if the closer he got to her, the clearer everything seemed to become. He suddenly felt Raisin and Nike float off his shoulders and hover closer to Svetlana.
"These are Raisin and Nike. Both of whom should be patient and wait until I introduce them." Andro used his stern voice. He didn't like using his stern voice, because it often backfired on him, but the sudden surge in energy also seemed to affect his little companions. Nike, the older of the two, returned to sit on Svetlana's laptop. It wasn't his shoulder, but at least he retreated. Instead of returning back to him, however, Raisin, whom he brought along because Andro wanted to break him into social interactions, landed on Svetlana's shoulder instead.
"Raisin. Don't you dare." Andro could tell that the little bird wanted to snuggle up against Svetlana, to show its affection. The moment Raisin touched Svetlana, she would soon feel weightless and anything she was touching would begin to float as well.
Alejandro stood in front of the doorway of 840 5th Avenue, facing Central Park. The sky was overcast with a forecast of scattered rainshowers throughout the day, that the grey skies were not enough to dampen his mood. He brought his phone up to his face and scrolled to his wife’s number.
Evvie answered the video call. Her beautiful brown eyes framed by her thin grey glasses blinked at the screen and lit up at recognizing her husband. She was sitting at their dining table and brough her side of the camera to show their son, Dominic, holding her mouth wide open as a hummingbird directed a spoon into his gaping maw. Other hummingbirds zoomed around the dining table, most hovering above a flew blooming flowers on the windowsill.
“Say good luck to your papa, Dom.”
“Good luck, daddy!” Andro’s five year old waves at the camera and spoke with his mouth full of frootloops.
“Thanks Hummer Jr.” He smiled at his family, whom he normally shared breakfast with, but he had to leave early to arrive at 5th Avenue.
“You’ll do fine, Andro. Just pretend we’re in the room with you.”
“Ok, ok. Thanks, my heart. I mean look at this place!” He switched camera views on his phone to show her the mansion behind him. “If this interview goes well, just imagine how much more attention our research will get.”
“Just go in already! Nothing will happen if you just stand there.”
“Oh, does my tie look ok?”
“I told you. Ditch the tie. Puff out your chest feathers. If this Haven is how you talk them up to be, you’ll fit right in.” She gave him a kiss through the camera, meaning she was going to hang up.
“All right. Talk to you when it’s over. Byeeee.”
The call ended and Andro slipped off his tie and unbuttoned a couple of his shit buttons. His black polo long sleeve parted in a V to reveal his grey chest feathers. Evvie was right-- these were his people, his mutant kind. He had no need to hide.
When Andro had gotten the email two weeks ago that Haven had gotten a hold of his offer -- after he had called every month for the past year and sent an email every three months-- he was elated to learn that they wanted to hear about partnering with he and the Wildlife Conservation Society, focusing on mutants as a niche species within the natural world. Of course, his studies about mutant kind and their effect on the environment were all based on preliminary information, since information on mutants was all entangled with the data of the general human population. This partnership, should Haven agree to help, would grant the WCS access to their mutant files in exchange for the public partnership in mutant and wildlife advocacy. So many possible outcomes could reset from this partnership - to say that he was nervous would be an understatement.
A small feathered head snuggled up against his cheek and Andro took a deep breath to calm himself.
“Raisin, I’ll need you to be on your best behavior, ok? You too, Nike.” He spoke to his hummingbirds, one on each shoulder. They were connected emotionally, so if he didn’t want them to go crazy, he had to keep calm himself. After taking a few calming breaths, Andro walked into the main lobby of Haven’s headquarters and walked up to the front desk.
“Hello! I’m Alejandro Dantes and I’m here representing the Wildlife Conservation Society.”
Character's full name: Alejandro “Andro” Dantes Alias/ Nickname/ Code name: Hummerman Gender: Male Age: 32 Date of Birth: January 3, 1989 Birthplace/ Home/ Place of origin: Denver, Colorado Nationality: American Ethnicity/ Cultural Heritage: Filipino
Appearance
Hair color and style: Black hair Skin Tone: Light brown sugar skin Eye Color: Dark brown Height: 5’11” Build: Athletic build Visible mutation: Greyish feathers on forearms and chest that are an iridescent green when looked at the right angle Scars/ Tattoos/ Piercings: N/A Other features: N/A
Everyday clothing style: Andro likes to dress for the occasion, whether he’s in a suit and tie, business casual, or going hiking, he brings the appropriate gear of good quality. Neither too high end, but also not to the level of recycled clothing. Uniform: N/A Sleepwear: He likes to sleep fully clothed, with matching top and bottom PJ’s. He prefers striped PJ’s. Miscellaneous clothing: Will carry his sunglasses around even during the most overcast skies. He also wears a fanny pack that matches his outfit, in which he stores his supplies for his hummingbirds.
Character
Personality: Andro is a goofy but driven dude, who has a huge bucket list that he wants to achieve in his lifetime. He is a son of two hardworking parents but who also valued living life as an adventure, and he has taken on this attitude.
Andro’s largely egalitarian and desires for others to be treated fairly. He is a huge advocate for the environment, wildlife and for social justice. He spends many hours doing activities that either furthers his knowledge for the subjects he admires or is actively promoting their advancement.
He’s also rather passionate and can get carried away in whatever he does. High energy, likes to stay caffeinated, and is always up for a good time. Furthermore, Andro likes all things hip, fashionable, and trendy. He has a pretty substantial social media presence, often posting selfies of the things he’s doing. He sometimes sees himself as a celebrity, but also believes that with fame comes a lot of responsibility. He has a youtube channel where he regularly uploads updates on his life and the lives of his hummingbirds.
Andro loves to process externally and with others. He’s staunchly democratic and wants to hear everyone’s voices. Sometimes, this leads him to delay decisions until all have spoken, but many seem to admire his thoroughness.
Andro is a devoted husband, loving father, and respectable son and takes pride in these things. When all goes wrong, he first turns to family to get through the tough times. He is quick to play, and is a hard worker, but fumbles when it comes to finances and the nitty gritty of daily living. Thankfully his loving wife helps him out in that regard.
On the flip of all of this is that Andro suffers with bouts of anxiety. He can tend to people please, and finds it difficult to not always be doing something. Thus, he can overload himself, overcommit, and can be extremely harsh on himself if something goes wrong. He also falls into FOMO a lot, naturally. Thankfully, he has people who support him and who he relies on to keep him well balanced.
Hobbies/ Interests: Hiking, rock-climbing, vlogging, spending time with his family and birds, visiting new places, doing new things, meeting new people. Job or part time job and description: Currently a researcher and advocate for ecological preservation at their headquarters in NY. Is planning on applying to Haven. Fears/ phobias/ concerns: Fears being shut out by others, does not like to disappoint people, especially his family Special talents: Pretty good at Karaoke, humming and whistling. Also a pretty good chef.
Morality
Good/ bad/ neutral/ other: A morally steadfast, and upstanding citizen
Iridescent Feathers: Andro has colored feathers sprouting from his forearms and chest. These feathers are about 2 to 3 inches long, and are slightly uncomfortable. They are an iridescent bright green when looked at at the right angle, otherwise they appear dark grey.
Hummingbird Progenitor: When Andro picks off one of his feathers (or if they fall off) and he coats it with his saliva, the feathers turn into little hummingbirds! The calamus of the feather turns into the hummingbird’s beak and its body develops from the rest of the feather. Without Andro’s saliva coating, however, the feather remains a feather. It takes about five minutes for each feather to form into a fully developed hummingbird (approximately a 21 day-old hummingbird) that is able to fly.
Nectar-Saliva: Andro’s salivary glands produce a nectar that aids in the generation and growth of his hummingbirds. It also slightly colors everything he eats, though has grown used to the taste.
Empathic-Link: Andro and his hummingbirds all share an emotional link. This means Andro can feel whenever one of his birds experiences a change in emotion, and they in turn can feel him. He can also ‘feel’ how distant he is from his nearest hummingbird. The hummingbirds all also have a link to Andro and each other. This link starts out as a thin and shallow connection, though Andro can develop deep emotional bonds with individual birds over time.
Anti-Gravity: Hummingbirds are already pretty light, but Andro’s hummingbirds also have the ability to nullify the effect of gravity on whatever solid object they come in touch with (living and non-living). The hummingbird must be conscious and be in physical contact with the object for this to take effect.
Strengths: Nectar-Saliva: Andro can control the amount of saliva he creates, and thus often creates more saliva to store for his birdies at their home base.
Hummingbird Physiology: Andro’s hummingbirds bear the closest resemblance to Rivoli’s hummingbirds, which can grow from 4-5inches long (11-14 cm). They have the same strengths as their wild lookalike, except they are all genderless and cannot reproduce with any other hummingbird. General strengths of hummingbirds include; max speed of 60mph, can fly in any direction (even upside down!), and strong hearts that beat very fast.
Gravity Nullification: An individual hummingbird can potentially nullify an object up to 1 ton of mass for at maximum ten minutes before needing to rest. Obviously, they are limited by their small bodies and can only reasonably maneuver something within a mass of 20kg. (Tiny bodies!) Andro’s newly ‘hatched’ hummingbirds have generally been able to nullify a 5 pound object for 30 seconds minute. A day old can nullify up to 20lbs for 1 minutes. A rather mature bird (2 weeks old) can nullify up to a quarter ton for 3 minutes before having to rest. A month old bird is a bird at its most mature and can reach a half ton for 5 minutes. Upon further training, his mature birds can reach the 1 ton, ten minutes limits. Excessive use of their abilities can result in severe fatigue, or even death.
Empathic-Communication: With the birds that Andro has trained the longest, he can merely express an inner desire and utilize it as a signal, akin to a spoken command. The younger ones require more coaxing. This empathic connection is pretty weak, overall, not very effective over long distances and is susceptible to other abilities.
Weaknesses and Limitations: Hummingbird Metabolism: Andro has to eat at least every hour to sustain his hummingbird metabolism and to continue generating his nectar saliva. He’s a snacker. If he is at low energy, this can also affect the energy levels of his hummingbirds. If his hummingbirds are at low energy, however, this does not affect him.
Feather-regen: After Andro plucks a feather, it takes about a month for that feather to regrow to a length that generates a healthy bird. If he tries to generate a hummingbird from an immature feather, it will either fail to generate or be born with huge deficiencies. He has around fifty feathers on his chest and thirty on each forearm.
Vulnerable: Since Andro’s hummingbirds grow quickly, they are most vulnerable in their early phases. If Andro picks off a feather and does not coat it with his saliva within a minute, the feather cannot further develop into a nestling. If the hummingbird’s development is interrupted in the first five minutes, then it will experience serious developmental deficiencies (inability to fly, communicate, etc.)
Reduced Lifespan: Hummingbirds usually live for 3-5 years, but Andro’s record for longest lived hummingbird is a year and a half (R.I.P Felipe). Generally, they live up to one year. If a bird is not fed by Andro’s mouth nectar at least once every 24 hours, they will severely weaken if not die. They are still able to feed on other nectars, saps and bugs to maintain their body weight. When a bird dies, it reverts back to a feather (does not leave a carcass) and cannot be revived. Naturally, Andro has a collection of his favorite bird pals from over the years.
Training Required: Each hummingbird has the intelligence of your average dog, but since Andro only has empathic connections with each, he has to train every new bird how to respond to basic commands. Depending on the bird, this may take a few minutes to never fully comprehending commands. They also each have their own personalities. Fun!
Thin Empathic Link: Andro’s empathic connection with his birds is pretty weak, overall, not very effective over long distances. Andro cannot truly coerce his hummingbirds to do anything, though they naturally readily bond to him. They are also pretty susceptible to other abilities (i.e. other animal empaths or psychics can affect his hummingbirds)
Flock Capacity: More birds mean more mouths to feed and Andro tends to keep his flock around 10-15 birds. (Avg. 7.5 tons of nullified weight, taking into consideration flock overall flock maturity). He produces enough nectar to feed (and fully satisfy) 30 birds daily, given he is healthy himself. Andro could create as many birds as he has feathers, but they would die off without sufficient nectar.
Physical Abilities
General Physical Capabilities: Andro loves to hike, so his biggest selling trait is his high energy and endurance. He likes to rock-climb and climb trees. He has also practiced maneuvering through the air with his birdy buddies nullifying his weight. Fighting Style: Has little practice fighting, and is more apt to flee or lift his enemies to a large height and dropping them. Fighting Style Pros/Cons: He’s a lover not a fighter, and will only ever go on the offensive if it’s to protect another. Remains on the defensive and prefers to talk things through.
History Of Your Character
Alejandro “Andro” Dantes was born on January 3, 1989 to Elena and Alden Dantes. His parents are first generation immigrants. They both work in the medical field, with his mother being a nurse and his father a physician’s assistant. Andro is the first in his family to be born in the states. He has no siblings, but grew up in a relatively peaceful and tight knit community.
His favorite subjects in elementary school were science and arts and crafts time.
Andro started growing his feathers at the start of highschool. This was a source of bullying for him, since the feathers didn’t seem to do anything but draw attention. Andro decided to not let it bother him, and instead rallied other students and fellow mutant supporters to get on the board for student council. He also did well in class, and loved the sciences, and made many friends.
After highschool, he decided to go to veterinary school. (2005-2011) His parents wanted him to become a dentist or doctor, but did not argue with this decision. Andro loved his studies and was able to devote his time to research as he worked toward his degree.
He then pursued his masters in Laboratory Veterinary Sciences studies, but instead of devoting his time to a lab after graduation, decided that being cooped up for studies had exhausted him. He then chose to do wildlife conservation for a few years in the Rocky Mountains after graduating from veterinary studies. (2012-14) He met his wife, Evvie during his time volunteering. (2013)
Andro and Evvie landed a job doing research for the conservatory partnered with their volunteer program (August 2014) and soon they got married. (September 2014) Andro was chosen to spearhead the avian division. He felt especially drawn to the hummingbirds. During his avian research, he grew curious and did tests on his own feathers. One day he decided to taste his own feathers and after putting one under the microscope a curious thing happened. His first hummingbird began to develop right in front of him! He named it Sterling. (June 27, 2015) His discovery also coincided with the birthweek of their son, Dominic. (June 30, 2015) The three of them continued to develop their little family for the next three years
In April of 2018, Evvie received a recommendation and took a job at the Wildlife Conservation Society in NY, to do research on endangered flora. They both agreed to move, having found an abandoned greenhouse provided by a donor for Evvie’s research. For the next year, Andro continued to do his avian studies for their branch in Colorado long-distance using their greenhouse to continue hummingbird research. Then, Evvie was able to put in a good word for Andro and they both work for the same Conservation Society. Within the past year, however, Andro has felt the desire to do more than just wildlife, but for the mutant race as well, recognizing their unique niche in the environment and is seeking to apply to Haven.
Roleplay What’s your OOC alias?: Spero Where did you learn about this site?: Google Do you have any other characters on MRO, if so who:Eisenhower Brand-Garcia; A'Ziala Jordan Sample RP:
“How’s it hummin’, avians? Thanks for tuning in today. Hummerman here with Hummer Jr. - wave hello, Hummer Jr. We’re back at our Avian Palace after our weekend trip to the coast, and guess what? It’s hatching time!”
Andro held up his phone to his smiling face and brought the camera view to include Dominic, aka Hummer Jr. who gave a huge smile to the camera. Andro loved how Dom too enjoyed the spotlight. His little eyes lit with excitement.
“Let’s head on over to the hatchery, shall we?” Andro gestured to the camera for the viewers to come follow. He’d learned that his videos were most popular with the younger crowd on the interwebs, though his videos attracted the attention of all kinds.
He and Hummer Jr. waded through the neatly arranged rows and pots of wildflowers, some in bloom, others still budding. Most of these plants had taken the past couple years to grow, but his wife Evvie was the best of the best when it came to making a thing grow. A few of these foreign species were adapting to the space they manufactured in their little upstate NY greenhouse.
Hummingbirds zoomed above, around, in and throughout the plants. Some paying little attention to them and more attention to their daily nectar collecting rounds. A couple of the more eager ones flew down to hover in front of Andro’s video camera looking for their own share of screen time.
“Look who’s here! Good morning, Cash and Bigby.””
“Cash! Cash! Up! Up!” Dominic called out to one of the birds. Cash was the current Alpha Mentor for Flock A, which meant that he was in charge of guiding the three month old birds to develop their anti-gravity abilities and to maneuver larger objects for longer periods of time.
Andro gave a wink of approval to Cash, who had hovered above Dominic, wanting to give the guy a little boost. Once he had the approval, he attached himself to Dom’s collar.
Hummer Jr. vegan to float off the ground and he giggled, all giddy. Normally, Andro did not give permission for the birds to lift Dom whenever Dom pleaded. It was not healthy for either of the two parties to get used to such enabling behavior, but he permitted it at this moment because he was there to supervise and the viewers would love it.
“Guess we’re going up!” Andro whistled and looked over to Bigby, who was the Alpha Soldier for the flock. He showed off his training by calling over two other birds to clasp onto either of Andro’s sleeves and began propelling him in the air after Dom, toward the incubating area.
The viewers on youtube loved seeing their greenhouse from the aerial view, so Andro made sure to pan the camera across the wide space to catch the busy fluttering about of hummingbirds. A little more than half were his, while the others were species he brought in to observe.
“Soon we’ll get to meet the new hatchlings!” He said to the camera as they floated over to the nesting and incubation corner of the greenhouse.