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.
This really wasn't how a first kiss was supposed to go. There shouldn't be someone pressuring them, for one thing. Or watching. It wasn't supposed to happen so soon. Shouldn't Jude at least know Zaid's last name? Or get a moment to drum up his courage? Zaid was supposed to mean it for Jude more than he meant it for any other reason.
That wasn't what happened here.
Oh yeah. Jude got a lipfull. And his heart did try to convince him to stop running a marathon of feelings. But it wasn't quite right, still, because he opened his mouth to speak and only bubbles came out.
Zee cackled. "I don't doubt your intentions..." - the "anymore" was implied there - "but I did ask Jude to prove himself. He's only ever talked about ex-girlfriends before." Self-satisfied, smug, jerkface! Jude's power had whipped out before he'd fully acknowledged what he was going to do.
"Zee." He did his best around the bubbles. It wasn't the worst taste he'd ever tasted. He had lived on the streets. "I hex you to shut the f--- up until the end of dinner."
She opened her mouth. Nothing came out. Zee pursed her lips in a pout that clearly said 'you're no fun' and she waved her hand for Jude to continue. She was really going to see this through, wasn't she?
"Thanks. Er, and I'm sorry." He'd been defended, claimed, even kissed. Somehow he still felt like he'd failed. Jude lifted the plate of sliders from Zaid's hands and reached past the bunboy to place them in safety. That taken care of, Jude bit his own lip. Prove it, she'd said.
He tentatively caught one of Zaid's hands. When Zaid didn't run away screaming, Jude pressed his lips to the back of Zaid's hand. "I know we haven't known each other for long, but- I... I was hoping it wasn't just me... who thought there might be something." His ears pinked first, his tell before he ever even managed a full blush.
As much as he wished he was cool, he'd had bubbles streaming out alongside every word. Jude pulled Zaid's hand up to his own cheek and pressed his lips against Zaid's.
"No, I took the doggos to go visit the guys at work today and they're staying over. I was afraid with all the food, they'd bust through the door to my room and get into everything. This place is kinda weird in that, there are our rooms off the community spaces. Not a super ton of privacy, but the price is right." Part of the reason why he had spending money while living "alone" in New York City.
And, one of the least private of the individuals on floor 3 made herself known. Zee of the blue hair. Blue hair wasn't her mutation, it was just for the attention.
Zaid's 'I'm with Jude' got a smile and nod from the Jude in question. He helped gather up the things and did his best to tidy up with one eyes still on Zee. Zee, for her part, completely ignored them both in favor of what she'd already decided.
Seriously. Jude was gonna have to have a talk with Zaid about his OP power portfolio.
For now, he inserted himself between Zee and Zaid, laying a steering hand on the blue-haired girl in order to take her the long way around to the stairs.
"Actually Zaid came here tonight to show me around the kitchen. See? No store-bought pop tarts this time." Not that Jude could really claim much about the burgers as his own. He really just bought the ingredients. Like a sugar daddy. Black bean daddy? Ugh. He wanted no part in that.
"What like a... like a date?"
Not that they'd really formalized it officially. It was just a first date hang out sort of thing.
"Yeah. A date." He answered far more firmly than he felt. Zee was scandalized and turned to go down the stairs, muttering about all the good ones.
Jude relaxed. He shouldn't have.
"Prove it." Zee had her fruit salad on her hip and blocked the stairwell. She blinked once in a most obvious way.
"Yo di-" Bubbles came out of Jude's mouth. She did. She used her power on him.
"I hex you Jude the Copycat to wash your mouth out with soap until you stop saying lies... or prove me wrong."
Zaid blushed pink, confirming what Jude thought he had sensed before and why he'd invited Zaid tonight at all. That put "the ball" of this date firmly in Jude's court.
How did he feel about a date with someone who actually liked him? How did he feel at all, when it came to bunny boys with black eyes and black beans who fell out of trees and blushed when he came too close?
Jude's ears turned pink before his cheeks did as he realized he, too, was a bit ruffled by their momentary closeness. That as much as the prep work, was why he'd pulled away.
He had a crush. And he didn't want to mess this up by going too fast or too slow or too much or not enough. Zaid was different than anyone else he'd ever asked out. His power, for one thing, didn't send his own power off it's rocker. He wasn't having to constantly spend his attention on keeping his power satisfied. His power tugged toward Zaid in almost a lazy way. It was telling him he was mutant. That was all.
"Thanks for taking the time to teach. Gloves would... yeah." Ugh. Where was his mind? "I could have helped more. It's not a real aversion or anything. It's just textures... are a thing?" Like ears. Ears were also a thing with textures, only the texture was quite nice.
He was NOT going to go down that mental road right now. Nope. Nu-uh. Not at all. He would look elsewhere before he could turn colors. He would grasp at any sort of conversation that wanted to fall out of his mouth.
"I'm proud to report that we've eaten no more hats. Uh- maybe we should put yours up on the coat rack, though." Jude picked up the discarded coat and hat that had accompanied Zaid into the Honeycomb Collective and tidied them away to where they belonged: safely away from Jude's room and the two dogs who were surely plotting to break down the door. Lame! How did they go from comfortable and companionable to awkward in just a few seconds?
Next to the stairs where the coat rack stood, Jude could hear the second floor denizens collecting their stuff and starting to make their way down to the first floor.
Jude dutifully drained his beans, but he did not want to touch the bean mush. Gloves. Gloves we an absolute must here.
"Mulch is not the word I would have chosen in regards to food I plan to eat." And it was grey. Too thick to call slime, but… it was a good thing that it smelled amazing.
Zaid dove right in to forming patties. Jude was stuck on finding gloves, but after checking the last cabinet a second time, he had to give up. He turned to face his fate and somehow got beans flung on his face.
That was incredibly unexpected.
Even less expected was Zaid coming to his rescue, but then marking himself with the… paste? Yes maybe paste described it. Like a patê.
He chuckled. How could he not? It was all absurd. Zaid had said it was all cooked, and tempting as it was to go for a direct taste test, Jude settled for using his thumb to smudge Zaid's wayward bean goop off his bunny face. Jude popped his thumb, paste and all, into his mouth. His eyebrows shot up. Surprisingly, it all went together. Even the texture was pleasing.
"You're right. A little heat and these will be fantastic." He took the offered towel and folded it to cover the beany spots from Zaid's hands before wiping his own face.
"What temperature should the oven heat to?" Between that and getting buns and pans and parchment paper, maybe he didn't have to touch it.
If Zaid thought he had zero tools, they were going to have to have a conversation about that. Kittens with claws hurt the worst because they used them with reckless abandon. So too did Zaid ensnare the heart of everyone around him that had a heartbeat. Jude was, like, 90% sure those powers could be used for nefarious reasons, should Zaid ever try it.
Or maybe he was trying it now... because, again, Jude noticed that Zaid was blossoming. Completely in control and Jude was happy to be swept away.
So, maybe he didn't know enough around the kitchen to know where the cutting boards were, but it hurt no one to go exploring in the communal kitchen cabinets.
"Sounds a bit like cooking rice." He wanted to slice oven the bag of little red, rounds but they were chopping and deseeding. Jude set up his prep station and studied Zaid's technique.
"Do you wear gloves for the peppers?" No? He was just going for it, then? Hm. Jude went for it too because he was equally brave and twice as stupid. When he tried to replicate, he wasn't fast but he was accurate. If left to do all the night's chopping, they might have some black bean sliders to share in the next month.
Erik? And bones breaking? Could it be… "Blonde? About this tall? Heals real fast?" There couldn't be that many of them walking around. And as much as he enjoyed antagonizing the guy, it seemed that in this case, Jude would have to give him credit.
Jude let go and his features softened. "Pretty sure I know him. He works for me." When he actually worked, the slug. They were close in age, but light-years apart in maturity.
And Zaid should be trusted to know when he needed help, right? That was something Svetty had taught him and he was still trying to put into practice. Not every problem was his. Not everyone needed or wanted protecting.
And then something else Zaid had said clicked into place. He'd said it twice now, but it only made sense the second time.
"KEENwah? Is that how you say that?" As a Frenchman, he shouldn't be surprised about the extra letters that didn't sound as they looked. Egads, he was turning American!
"You don't look stupid." Jude motioned him to continue up the stairs. "I'm sorry, I'm… working on it." Jude ushered them past Derek and a delicious smelling gumbo. How to explain…
"You know the saying 'When all you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail'? I thought growing up that I'd be an X-Man and fight crime and corruption. All that good stuff. " Ultimately, Jude had wanted to be a vigilante for himself. He didn't really care about the reasons. In fact, most of the X-Men creed felt hollow and stale.
"I don't have just a hammer. I have a whole toolbox. And I like using tools. But not everybody needs or wants to borrow them?" Hmm. He felt like he was butchering the analogy somehow. "It's just… it's nice, to be needed."
At last they arrived at the third floor. A gargoyle girl was just pulling spiced cookies from the oven and promised to leave them to cool out of their way.
"Thanks, Gina." She didn't have to leave, but somehow word had gotten out that this was a date and, while they were all interested, no one wanted to interfere.
"So… quinoa?" Somehow what he'd shared made him feel a bit shy. It was only the second time they met and Jude was being totally pathetic already.
It seemed Zaid might have put an infantesimal bit more effort into his outfit. This displeased Jude and made him second guess every clothing decision all over again. He should have worn the vest after all. "Hey, glad you make it."
In the waning dusk light, he couldn't quite see exactly what was going on with Zaid's eye. But there was something. If Zaid wanted to not make a big deal, neither would Jude. At least not until he could see and decide for himself. It could just be a mascara mishap. Those happened.
He ushered Zaid inside off the street as he spoke. "I've got all the ingredients you sent and I think the house has every spice three times over but now. Put me to work. I am at your command." Jude bowed playfully and indicated the stairwell just past a communal space with a long table, bean bags, and over stuffed chairs as well as benches and an ecclectic mishmash of a table settings. Nothing matched, in the best of ways. "Third floor. We'll all eat down here and-"
Of course the lighting was much better inside. Bowing low gave Jude a perfect view beneath the tuft of hair.
A black eye. Zaid had a black eye. And he was hiding it.
Jude grabbed Zaid's am before he managed even one step up the stairs. He was supremely pissed. Who would hit a bunny?
"Tell me to drop it and I will." He moved to brush the hair back from Zaid's eye which felt a bit forward, but he hadn't wanted to say it out loud. "Tell me to fix it and I'll find a way. But mostly I just need to know you're okay and this isn't a reoccurring problem." There was an implied threat there, not aimed at Zaid but aimed at whoever had left a mark on him. Jude, as it turned out, could sound rather scary when angry.
The Honeycomb Collective was buzzing with activity, which was sort of the point. Jude had chosen it so that he wouldn't feel so alone in the city and he'd liked it enough that he'd lived here for almost 2 years already. The kitchen was communal as were the bathrooms. One per floor, but most people were taking the easy road of crock pots and something very garlic bread-like was spread on the counter of the second floor kitchen he jogged past. It was waiting for its turn in the oven.
"Waitwaitwait, Jude." A man so black, his skin reflected purple waved him over by flapping his hand. A bird came to perch on the man's head without alarming anyone at all. Birds were always his favorite. "I heard you were bringing somebody, but damn-" He whistled appreciatively at the dark button-up shirt and jeans and the fact that he was freshly showered and shaved. An effort was made. But, hopefully, not too much effort. He was still in jeans, afterall. "You looking to impress?"
Jude paused near the front door, trying not to be nervous or, really, anything at all. "I guess so. Is Marigold here?" His friend from the first floor shrugged and sent his bird to fetch some spices from the cabinet. "I just didn't want to sprout leaves today. Y'know? Oh, and he's anthro. So no trying to make him do your evil bidding."
The copycat escaped out the door to a hearty guffaw. Would his friend do that? Yeah. He'd absolutely try. Friendly, overly helpful, meddling, and just gay enough to want to help... that about summed up Derek.
He'd gotten a text that Zaid was close and, rather than buzzing him in, Jude figured it'd be best to wait out front. He rolled up his sleeves while he waited. Even though the night's chill was just settling in, it was cozy inside with all the cooking.
Jude had to remind himself that not everyone knew about the Mansion, mutant or not. "There's a mutant school in state. I used to go there, actually. Adopted mom volunteers for half the week there." He didn't really keep up with the comings and going to the x-men so he couldn't say for sure if she'd retired, but since her boyfriend had to announce it in a press conference, that was probably safe to assume. "Have you ever seen those Dusklight movies? With the vampires?" Maybe a bad segue, but Jude was curious.
Zaid had ideas for cooking and that sounded pretty good. Jude, for all his quibbles, would try anything at least once. Mostly, he'd do just about anything to keep that kind of enthusiasm from Zaid going.
"Text me a grocery list. I'll make sure I get the goods." Jude collected the second leash and gave both giant dogs a good pt. It reminded him that Zaid headphones were on his person and he offered them back. "I'll see you on Friday then".
Huh. No one had ever tried to sell him on Zelda games before, and honestly Zaid was doing a great job of it. "Mmm. Maybe over Christmas break..." Christmas was a surprisingly busy time of year for black ops. People let their guards down. But then again, the Alpha Team had full discretion on those jobs so long as the dollar amount or risk assessment didn't get too high.
> ”Wouldn’t you retain more learning on your own?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. There's a whole world of mutants out here." And Jude made it his business to know the who and where so he could get useful powers in useful times. He wasn't to the point of keeping files on people, just mental track. Still, he'd been around the mutant block more than once by now.
And not eating meat wasn't even weird. "Raised by vegetarians. I get it. Also, seriously, you'll make my adopted mom's year if you stop in and say hi some time."
> ”Of course I’ll help!"
Zaid was too nice. Jude felt like he was taking advantage of his new friend, but... he was offering. "It's nothing formal, just a standing invitation thing so just bring what you don't mind eating and what you might not mind having leftovers of. There's at least one other vegetarian so veggies definitely won't go amiss. Here." Jude fished out his phone, only briefly annoyed by the new crack as he swiped in his unlock code. "Let me text you and then you'll have my number." And then the ball was be firmly in Zaid's court, which Jude hoped meant that if Zaid was just being nice, he could ghost him without too much guilt.
"Okay. Don't mock me too bad, but I've never actually played a Zelda game. I'm pretty sure there were games at school, but the people I lived with were more... book people. I know it's the game with the triangles, though."
Hmm. Japanese for business. Jude could see Chinese or Russian considering his line of work, but... Japanese? That was a tougher sell. "I think I know someone who could let me learn it quick. I'm just not sure of the consequences. Some things are best done the traditional way." Jude had stayed way the hell away from Michael's psychic girlfriend for obvious my-brain-is-my-own reasons. In his other life he'd been the psychic. He knew just how messy brains could get. If he did need it, though, at least he knew he had options.
Reville crossed back and bumped Jude's hand with her head, making her own pets and also stopping them from walking any further.
"Yeah. You're right. If I don't quit now I'll have to carry them and I live far enough that'd be kinda awkward." For all the energy they had, big dogs didn't seem to be able to walk for very long periods of time. Something about their hearts. "Have you seen the honeycomb collective housing? It's the apartment building with the yellow bee-themed signs." As if that part wasn't obvious. Jude helpfully pointed back toward the direction where they'd come from.
"That's where I live. 3rd floor. Every Friday we have a potluck and invite friends and stuff, but I usually just buy something premade." He was going somewhere, but he hadn't really put it together himself until he actually got there. "Uh. Are you busy? Maybe you could help me bring something not so lame this Friday..."
He honestly had not put that together. "Ohhh. That was a hat?" He grimaced the oops of all oopses. "I mean, I guess I'm thankful it was already dead when we got there. I'm sorry. Can I get you a replacement?" Here he was thinking it'd been squirrel or something. He should have checked on it. Rest in pieces, hat. He did feel bad about it, but at least it was just a hat. Those were cheap.
"I think I can count to three in Japanese and say 'sit down!' and 'cut that out!' Oh and say Ramen and gyoza and stuff. The food part is the most important, really. My adopted mom speaks Japanese. Mostly when she's mad. I didn't see the point in learning it, myself." Which seemed a real shame now.
LEGO were awesome. "I hadn't seen those. When I popped into the store, I was distracted by the bins where you can grab pieces and make your own mini figure." He was trying to remember if he'd seen bunny ears. That was a safe enough thing and Easter was a thing... surely they had some, right?
The dogs were slowing down, Jude noticed. Hanging back more. Panting. If he'd been alone he would have called it there, anything to finish the dreaded walk. But that wasn't the case any more.
He'd... never had human ears. Jude had to think real hard if that was true for Ghost's child, too. They hadn't known Roger right away. Roger took a circuitous route back to his family, via the mansion. Ro's ears had changed slowly. He'd started with human ears. He'd started with human skin. Now, he looked closer to Dammit than human. Even at nearly 8, Ro never remembered having human ears.
"My sort of brother, the one with rabbit ears? He usually wears a hat. Sorry... if that was out of line." There was a big difference in maturity between being 8 and being 20. And as a former 8 year old who'd meddled more than he should with his and other people's mutations, he knew better than to offer to take Roger's ears away.
Did Jude need something cooked? Hm. Almost always. "I usually barter for dinner, but the girl I was teaching English to moved out..." So, recently he'd been eating out much more than he had eaten in. He could afford it, but maybe his waistline couldn't. "I don't suppose you know someone who needs to learn English, French, or the most limited set of Russian dog commands, do you?"
And speaking of dog, he had to deal with that. One rather full bag went into the park receptacle and they continued their walk.
"You should go. The museum is safe. The L is... I'll take you to the L. And I hear they were closing that toy store down 'cause it's failing anyway. Have you been to the specific toy stores? There's a Lego store right next to the Flatiron building. I only found it 'cause the universe portal was, like, right freaking there."
The retort would have been funny if the story hadn't ended up with Zaid getting fired.
"When did your powers kick in?" Pun unintended. "I think I sorta messed mine up by finding someone to jumpstart mine." He'd been far too informed and connected from a young age. A benefit of having lived a whole life in a dream before living this reality.
"Teriyaki's good, but full disclosure. I know next to nothing about cooking. I can't help except maybe by finding a restaurant." Ghost did all their cooking when they lived together. And he traded language lessons for dinners at the co-op apartment where he lived. Add in that his favorite hobby was walking to hunt hole in the wall restaurants and he'd probably cooked two, maybe three times on purpose.
Oh. Zaid reminded him that he wasn't yet 21, either. Huh. He couldn't legally drink yet. That was a head trip. "I guess I'm not supposed to be drinking either, but I can once July comes around." Europe was completely lax as far as alcohol and minors went. Not only was the drinking age lower, but the rules were far less stuffy to begin with. That would have been a nice, logical explanation. The real one was that Jude had aged himself up, down, and all around so many times he forgot what age his body was. He also often came home with physical mutations and somehow people asked fewer questions when you had horns and really needed a bottle of wine.
He bet the same would not be true of the bunny ears. Maybe he should get rid of them... or offer to get rid of Zaid's for a while.
"I could... borrow your ears. For little bit. If you ever wanted to go without them." It was sort of a tricky subject to broch. Many mutants didn't want to set their powers aside even for a ew minutes. That was fine and good for them. But, if Zaid wanted to go out and just not deal with it, even once...
Jude had to think about the 'favorite place' question. He didn't really hang out in any one place... "In town? Maybe the L. You know the elevated train line people turned into a garden space? I don't go much 'cause it's way on the far side of town and I actually work over in Brooklyn." He stopped when Dammit needed to do her thing. It made him realize that as much as he went "out" it was never out with people. "I guess I'm more of a wanderer than a favorite place kind of person..." Was that... weird?
He really wasn't used to the ears and he most certainly wasn't used to the feeling of soft fur from the other side. Zaid tweaked one of his ears and for some reason Jude just wanted to grab them and hide them away. He was scandalized into a snort-laugh that escaped without his permission. Jude reached out and gave Zaid's ears a test feel and.. yes. They were just as soft.
"Do you... ever get tired of yours? Other than the obvious annoying commentary, I mean. I kinda like 'em." Any time people opened their mouths around physical mutations, stupid seemed to fall out. He'd been on the receiving end plenty of times, and it was just possible that Jude had just said his stupid for the day. He took back his hand. Oh. Right. They were walking. There was walking to do.
> "You must have done a lot to earn the trust.”
"Or they just hate paperwork that much. You should have seen what they had in backlog when I started." He'd had mountains to get through when he started. It was sort of impressive how long they'd been able to put some things off.
Jude didn't miss the sadness, but he also didn't know what to do about it. Every family had their sadness, so rather than acknowledge it he decided to bulldoze over it. "Dying for ramen seems a bit extreme. What makes your mom's Ramen special? Maybe you could try to cook it? Then you could dish it up any time you want."
Also not going out was a hell of a waste. "Zaid, you're killing me. I love just wandering around and people watching. There's all kinds of stuff going on at all hours here. You're in the city that never sleeps!"
