With a small squeal of feedback, the microphone sprang to life. The man standing behind it cleared his throat and smoothed a precursory hand over what he knew was perfectly gelled hair. He scanned the room, arching an eyebrow.

Closest to the front were a pack of paparazzi, each angling to get their microphone closest to the podium he stood behind. Their faces were alit in a disgusting display of hero-worship and predatory hunger; one woman was practically salivating. Not that it was surprising, coming from the press- the scum of the earth, but damn good spin doctors. What with the recent panic about mutants, they'd turned him into a messiah of the human race. He could shoot a defenseless senior citizen and they'd call it self-defense. Shooting a sneer at the woman closest to the front, he was rewarded with a blush and giggle.

Behind them stood his target audience, each from the age of twenty five to fifty. All furrowed brows and pursed lips, and several nervous glances at the crowd around them; as though they'd forgotten they were here under the exact same circumstances. More than a few had their arms wrapped possessively around uncomfortable looking children, and he saw at least one toddler straining futilely to escape their grasp. They had come to this press release from miles away, from every possible background, but they all had one thing in common: each was showing off a bright red "MCA: HERE TO STAY" T-shirt. A few held banners that said things like "FIX OUR CHILDREN" or "THEY DESERVE BETTER." He smiled. Paranoid parents; you could always trust them to hitch themselves to whatever bandwagon winked cheerfully and threw around some big words.

Behind them was the problem. A large crowd of… He curled his lip slightly. Freaks. Their eyes held the anger and disgust he felt bubbling deep in his stomach. Shunned from the conference seats, they stood in a line along the back wall like an army ready to march. All ages, all colors- including some that were definitely not found in nature- stood arm in arm, ready to fight. A homemade banner fluttered between a few teenagers: "WE ARE NOT INVISIBLE."

He reluctantly tore his eyes away from the line of mutants to lean forward and finally address the anxious crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for coming out today. I'm sure you are all anxious to hear my little announcement." A small murmur from the crowd, a few robotic nods. He smiled; they were like sheep.

"The increasing effect that the mutant problem-" A few cries from the back. "-has had on our country has not gone unnoticed. Riots in the streets. Danger to our families. And now, after the incident with this so-called 'Apocalypse' that resulted in the entire planet being thrown into chaos, it is clear that these 'mutants' must be behind the rising threat."

"That's a lie!" One of the freaks started forward, arms wrapped in long sleeves and gloves despite the heat of the summer. Her face was crinkled into a scowl, bright white bangs hanging in her eyes. "We are NOT a 'problem'- all we've been doing is trying to protect you!"

"Yeah!" A girl in pink stepped forward, arms crossed. "We saved all of you- Apocalypse would have like, destroyed the planet! You should be throwing us a parade, not sending us to prison!" A college-aged boy in dark glasses murmured to the both of them, and they reluctantly stepped back into line.

"My dear girl," he purred into the microphone. "Who said anything about sending you to prison? I want nothing more than for the mutant population to feel safe. All the Mutant Control Agency has attempted to do is bring some sense of balance and assistance to their lives."

"You shut down our school!" A boy stepped forward, and the room's murmuring grew louder. He was an abomination; blue fur, spiked tail, and only three fingers on each hand. He growled at the crowd, showing off pointed teeth. A mother in the second row clutched her daughter to her chest. The boy shrank slightly, but pointed a finger at the podium. "You kicked us out, you turned us into fugitives in our own home. In what world is that 'balance and assistance?'"

The man at the podium smiled at the mutant boy through a mouthful of bile. "Son, your 'school' has been connected to several instances of outstanding public damage charges. True or false?"

The boy growled, flicking his tail. "True, I guess. But we're also connected to fixing those problems afterwards!"

"Break a vase and glue it back together, it still holds the cracks," the speaker said smoothly. "It was clear to my agency that the children in your care were going to receive better care outside of your walls, as well as a chance at a normal life."

"We are normal!" shouted a voice from the back, met by cheers and applause from the mutants.

The speaker managed a sympathetic smile. "Normal? Son, what about you? Look at yourself. Wouldn't you like to walk down the street without stares and whispers following you? To be able to grow up and have love? Have a family?"

The blue mutant's gaze hardened to pure steel. "I spent too many years of my life trying to hide who I was, for the benefit of people like you. For your information, sir, I have love and family right here. And I am not giving it up for a closed-minded bigot!" He punched a fist into the air. "Mutant and PROUD!" His allies burst into cheers, and the parents in the front began to look to the podium uncomfortably.

"I appreciate your passion, however misplaced," the speaker said, and like magic the room grew quiet at the sound of his voice. "But the sad truth is, not everyone out there has the luxury of that kind of choice. Are you prepared to tell me that there aren't any mutants in the world whose powers are a genuine threat to their peers? Who would benefit from some self-control, but would never submit to any kind of help? That you haven't come across one in your own lifetime?" There was some murmurs from the back, and the blue mutant was drawn back into line.

The speaker smiled broadly at the news cameras. "Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come for change. For a new type of therapy- one that will help child mutants learn to control their powers, to channel them into doing good for their society. That is why I am proud to announce the creation of a MCA- sanctioned juvenile detention facility and rehabilitation center, designed to help these unfortunate souls find balance. We will begin recruiting immediately."

The room erupted into screams and cheers, the mutants at the back being forcibly restrained by security. The paparazzi pressed forward, and parents hugged terrified-looking children.

Graydon Creed smiled. "The Friends of Humanity Academy will open in six months. I hope to see you all at the opening."

If this wasn't entirely clear, this story takes place directly after Season 4: the world has become terrified of the mutant menace and parents want to keep their children safe. So what better way than to sign them up for the most prestigious new boarding school?

Obviously, the Friends of Humanity Academy is anything but friendly, and it caters to all ages of young mutants, having run for five years by the time this story begins. However, I need only a couple for the story- I've decided on eight characters for the mains (four new students, four students who are already enrolled), and a couple of minor recurring characters.

These teenagers can be at the Academy for a variety of reasons- shipped off by paranoid parents, sent from other juvenile facilities, or even signed up themselves out of a need for help. They only have one thing in common- they have very little to no control over their mutant powers, and all of them want freedom.

This is not first-come, first-serve; I will wait until I have a good variety of characters. A few rules:

One: No Mary Sues or Gary Stus. Not everyone is beautiful beyond reason, not everyone has a tragic past. Be creative, and be unique!

Two: Fill out the entire form (no "You choose") and BE DESCRIPTIVE AND DETAILED! If "Backstory" is nothing but "He grew up with mean parents and then they sent him to the Academy" I have NOTHING to work with.

Three: There will be no canon relationships (i.e. OC/Canon character). However, there WILL be romances between OCs. Keep that in mind.

Four: Feel free to submit multiple OCs. I only ask they have no relationship to each other (family, friend, etc.) as it makes it too difficult if one is accepted and the other isn't.

Have fun! If you need the form, it's also on my profile.

Name:

Nicknames (Both friendly and cruel):

Codename:

Age (12-18):

Gender:

Sexuality:

Powers:

What about their powers can't they control? ("Too powerful" doesn't count! It has to be something major enough to get them sent away):

Appearance (REMEMBER RULE #1 AND 2!):

Celebrity Look-Alike (No twelve year olds who look thirty, please):

Personality (Not just a list of words; I need elaboration):

History (How they grew up, power development, why they got sent away. Details!):

How long have they been at the Academy? (I need four newbies, four oldies):

Likes:

Dislikes:

What kind of people are they friends with?:

What kind of people are their enemies?:

What kind of people would they date (and do you want them to have a relationship in the story?):

Biggest Secret:

Greatest Fears:

Personal Belongings (No clothes- the Academy has a uniform. Imagine you're allowed to pack them a backpack of important possessions):

At least FOUR good examples of dialogue:

At least THREE plotline ideas for them:

How would you like them introduced?:

Anything else I should know?: