The Red Queen

Kate Pryde | 25 | and Lockheed!

[captainxpryde]

Kate Pryde Intro

ABOUT BASICS

FULL NAME: Katherine Anne Pryde

ALIAS: Shadowcat/the Red Queen

AGE: 25

AFFILIATIONS: Marauders, X-Men, Guardians of the Galaxy (formerly)

GENDER AND PRONOUNS: she/her

FACE CLAIM: Halston Sage

IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS

POINT OF ORIGIN:

616 comics (specifically from the time of the Marauders)

ABILITIES/SKILLS:

Phasing - the ability to move molecules between the spaces in other solid matter affecting herself and anything she touches.

Swordsmanship - trained in the use of a sword mixed with the use of her powers.

Electrical disruption - when phasing through electronics, they are temporarily disabled.

HAVE THEY BROUGHT ANY FAMILY OR PETS WITH THEM:

Lockheed - a lovely little dragon that is like family to her.

ANY HEADCANONS YOU WANT OTHERS TO KNOW:

Where Kate goes, Lockheed is usually not far behind. She still answers to Kitty because she knows most of those closest to her have a difficult time making the name change.

QUESTIONNAIRE

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER FEEL ABOUT EMPEROR DOOM?

While Kate is appreciative at his seemingly saving the universe, she can’t help but to be cautious of him. It is difficult to trust anyone with a track record like the Doom from her universe. Still with the amount of freedom and power he has given her with her position in society, there is enough room to use it to her advantage.

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER FEEL ABOUT THE BATTLES? ARE THEY TRYING TO AVOID THEM? OR ARE THEY EAGER TO JUMP IN?

Kate does not approve of the Killiseum. She has no issue with those who volunteer their services for the barbaric entertainment despite finding needless bloodshed to be overrated. Her main concern is those with no option but to fight in the battles. The only time she is around the Killiseum is when holding business meetings. There is no desire to enter herself into the battles.

WHY HAS YOUR CHARACTER ACCEPTED THEIR JOB POSITION? WILL THEY USE IT TO GET CLOSER TO DOOM? OR WILL THEY USE IT EXPLOIT HIM? OR DO THEY SIMPLY LIKE THEIR JOB?

Kate was allowed to utilize the Marauder to move cargo for Doom from port to port with her crew. Her position allows her to help others in need through smuggling people and items right beneath Doom’s nose. Not to mention the familiarity of being at the helm of the Madauder is like a new home to her.

[captainxpryde]

cxptbritain​:

Betsy wheeled around at hearing her title be bellowed in such a manner. The aristocrat in her snarled — didn’t people know proper manners nowadays? — but that instantly disappeared on seeing the young Pryde disembarking from her ship. The woman had come a long way from the young girl Betsy once knew. Like a blossom flower that no longer face two fucks and would sooner break your nose with her fists than offer you something pretty and light. A complicated description for a complicated and marvelous woman. “And you, captain.” Betsy drew her Starlight Sword and met Kitty’s approach, a smile on her lips. It had been a while since she’d had a good swordfight, but now wasn’t really the time. Not after they hadn’t seen each other in a while. “Kurt would be jealous to know you have your own ship and he doesn’t.”

Keeping her sword at the ready while lowered more at her side, Kate’s footwork changed to skirt around the other. A game of chicken at who would swing first. The rules of combat had become more guidelines as of late. Learning to operate outside of them had been a new, but necessary change.

“I always have room for a first mate aboard the Marauder when you grow tired of being Doom’s muscle,” with a slight motion she pointed towards the ship.

The glow of the sword the other drew never ceased to amaze. She had to get herself one of those. The further she allowed her guard to drop, the more Kate felt her anticipation growing. Yet their dance was just beginning.

[captainxpryde]

illyanarxsputina​:

Illyana liked to think she knew Kate Pryde. After all, she’d been watching her since they were both too young to have been through what they’d been through, and their beds sat just across the room from each other. Illyana liked to think she knew what Kate looked like when she was angry, or upset, or excited. She liked happy the best. There was something about seeing Kate happy.

But it had been years since they shared a room, and responsibilities had pulled them into very different lives (sometimes even on opposite sides of proverbial lines drawn in the sand). Kate had the Marauder, and Illyana had her responsibilities to the other War Captains and the younger mutants on Krakoa, and seeing each other in passing wasn’t enough. Illyana tried to watch the expression on Kate’s face, the way she moved, but with a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized she couldn’t read her as well as she could before.

It almost made her want to say yes. Not that she wasn’t already warring against it, wasn’t already lining up the responsibilities in her head versus running off on the Marauder. It made her want to teleport them both away, somewhere they couldn’t be bothered by politics and worlds ending and all those lines in the sand. Where they could be fourteen and arguing about how important homework really was.

But she couldn’t, and they weren’t. She leaned back against the wall of the hallway and tried to make it look casual instead of like giving in to the tug of defeat pulling at her chest. “I’m not trying to shut you out, you know.” Never Kate. “I’m right here, Katya. And Piotr and I are…complicated.”

Kate took position on the wall opposite. With a sigh her head leaned back to make contact with the cold cement. Her eyes caught glimpse of Lockheed perched overhead, waiting for his opportune moment no doubt. If there were anyone more dramatic than the two standing opposite one another, the small dragon was a good candidate. She couldn’t keep the two apart any more than she already had.

Waiting on the small group of gladiators passing by, she took a step forward. “Well I guess we should make the most of things,” her hand outstretched as Lockheed landed on her shoulder. “Get us out of here,” her question was pointed as she waited on Illyana’s response. Each second felt like an eternity while the cool air neared closer to making her empty hand shiver.

[captainxpryde]

Starter: @rogueann

Kate was both flattered and irritated that she was still able to blend in with the classroom full of students. She raised her hand up from the back row of seats to draw in the teacher’s attention. “Professor is a good look on you,” she couldn’t hide her smile despite her best efforts. It wasn’t often she returned to Xavier’s Institute aside from the occasional call of business. Now her intentions were to meet with the headmaster, but not before making the rounds to those she held dear.

[captainxpryde]

Starter: @americanhero

“Know. Your. Mutants.” Kate had a captive audience of non mutants for the first time in a while. “We are all…” her mind trailed off to several members of her team, “mostly all there to protect lives. But it helps us when you stay calm and know who can best get you out of a given situation. I can phase you through walls, Wolverine breaks things. Nightcrawler can teleport you away, Wolverine breaks things.” Attending support groups wasn’t her usual, but Kate had agreed to give a small presentation from one Captain to another. It was one of the few chances she had to make a positive impression on humans that didn’t immediately require saving. She would never say no to that. It was also important for her to take perspective on the other side from time to time.

[captainxpryde]

Starter: @cxptbritain

It had been far too long since she returned home. Or this version of home in the new world. The quiet council had been especially, well, quiet lately. Something she wouldn’t complain about. It meant less bureaucracy and more travel.

It was impossible to miss the distinct look of Mutopia’s protector waiting to greet her. “Sheriff!” Kate shouted loud enough to cause her crew to grow silent a moment.

Leaping from the Marauder onto the dock below she began to approach the other. Before they could get too close, Kate pulled the cutlass from her side and held it drawn out towards her. She had missed this.

“It’s good to see you again Betsy,” the crew laughed off the tension and returned to unloading their goods.

[captainxpryde]

greatresponsibility​:

He’d gotten good at dodging pigeons. They had the right of way; he’d learned to swerve at the sound of a squawk and give them their space or risk heading home with a few new holes in his suit. Also, half his villains flew for some reason. A thing in the sky making sounds in his direction? Historically not great for him. When he heard wingbeats and what he thought might have been something like a chirp or a yelp–it wasn’t quite birdlike, but the pigeons had never been birdlike–he reflexively dropped onto a ledge until it passed.

But it wasn’t a pigeon; it was a little purple dragon, absolutely beside itself with excitement. “Glad someone’s excited to see me,” Peter said, holding out his hand for the dragon to sniff. “This doesn’t happen very often, little dude. Stay as long as you want.” The potential bank robbery four blocks over could wait. He’d get them on the way out. And, he realized, he recognized this dragon. It was Kitty’s–sorry, Kate’s. Lockheed? He was pretty sure its name was Lockheed. Probably. “Hey, boy, where’s your… uh… mama?” 

And there she was, out of breath, on the rooftop beside them. “Pryde.” He waved, them pointed towards his new companion. “Lockheed and I were just having a little chat about the state of art and politics in a post-capitalist, post-structuralist society. He’s very insightful.“

The small dragon took a glance back to Kate for a moment, glad to see she was there, but quickly looking back to Spider-Man like she was yesterdays news. He was inquisitive. She couldn’t fault him for that. “Just wait until he gets into Psychoanalytic theory, turns out Freud was wrong about like… most things,” she was glad computer sciences did not require psychology beyond her basics.

As she approached the edge of the building near Lockheed she eyed the other over. Were it not for Jumbo Carnation having finally designed her a look that stuck, she would have asked who his tailor was. Kate was only glad most had stopped bringing up her roller skate costume. Her hands touched the side railing to brace herself against as she leaned to look over. “I’m guessing from the outfit you aren’t up here star gazing,” she reached over to scratch the top of Lockheed’s noggin.

[captainxpryde]

flameontm​:

The combination of blaring music, the thudding of the room, strobing lights, it was all hypnotic.   This was it. Johnny’s skin glowed in the darkness, the only unflickering light in the club. It made him stick out. Johnny always liked sticking out. He could feel eyes on him. That felt good, too. The only problem was the person beside him. Kitty - or rather, Kate, she went by Kate now, Johnny’d have to keep reminding himself - was being weird. That wasn’t totally unusual, but Johnny kept giving her searching glances. It wasn’t as if she usually went clubbing with him. It just wasn’t her kind of scene. Some days it wasn’t even Johnny’s scene, really, but those were the days he just partied harder until he could drown that out. He’d gotten that down to an art form now, so if that was what she wanted, well - Johnny could help with that.

“Oh, yeah,” he said breezily. “Give or take a handful of people throwing themselves at me. Pretty sweet, right?”  He eyed her again, a little confusion clouding his features. “But you know, this isn’t really a place for talking. You wanna dance or something?”

Sweet, right. “That’s one way to describe it,” she hadn’t been to such a place in a while. Maybe her avoidance in leaning into her work had affected Kate in greater ways than she cared to admit. “Talk? Pfft! Nothing to talk about, just a normal… Tuesdoom night,” god it was only Tuesday.

This was what she needed. Kate wouldn’t talk herself out of it now. It took no time at all to sink into the sea of bodies. Any nerves she felt were whisked away as she progressively liberated a few glasses from platters passing by. The perks of being a Marauder. There were plenty of people that drew her in for a needed distraction. She had lost sight of Johnny for some time until her back bumped into his. She pulled him in to dance, but mostly so he could hear over the music. “Johnny! This place is amazing! Why haven’t we come here before? Way more fun than the boat! Or the Killiseum.” Even with the closeness she was almost certain he couldn’t understand a word she was saying. Fortunately as Johnny said, she hadn’t come to talk. Or think. Yet for someone with no intention of talking, Kate was doing a lot of it. As well as her thought patterns circling back time and time again.

[captainxpryde]

illyanarxsputina​:

Illyana bit back on a maybe they should and I know. There was almost a teasing note to Kate’s voice, and she was willing to hold onto it with both hands. It meant despite everything, maybe there was a shot at coming out of the conversation with some semblance of normalcy in tact. Maybe Kate hadn’t just learned to hate her out on the open sea. Illyana had been waiting for that moment, it never seemed to come. She’d really rather that particular shoe never dropped.

“Katya…” She stalled in the hallway, all edge gone from her voice. Where Illyana always found herself scrambling to be good to the best of her abilities, it always felt as though she could look to Kate like true North. And saving mutants who couldn’t make it to safety themselves? That was so undeniably good, so Kate.

Illyana never made it look so obvious, but it was easy enough to entertain the thought that maybe she could, when Kate said things like “with me.” She could see it: the two of them on the Marauder, Illyana never having to worry about where Kate was, was she okay, was she sinking to the bottom of the ocean or–

Or nothing. Because Illyana couldn’t leave, even what it was Kate Pryde who was asking her to.

A cursory glance each way confirmed no one was around to hear the way she softened around the edges of Kate’s name, that it was just the two of them. “Can you trust that I am doing good here, even if it might not look like it?”

The words cut through in a manner that neared on rejection. No, it was rejection. Worse than that, she knew it was justified. Kate managed to stifle the sting well enough in the moment. Her next crew would have to be cautious of sea sickness as she would likely not be steering in the best state of mind.

God, I’m turning into Logan.

It was never a matter of trust, only she wasn’t certain how to express that. She knew Nat wouldn’t put Illyana into any more trouble than she could handle. Kate may have even mentioned it as a request several times.

She bit at her lip in frustration, “I can look past it.” Kate would have given anything to hear ‘to me my X-Men’ once more. She knew that it would not matter Marauders, New Mutants, X-Force. Everyone who heard would answer that call. Instead they all remained running from their problems.

“If,” of course she came prepared with an if, “you promise you’ll keep trying with your brother. You only get to shut one of us out at a time.” She knew how Illyana could get when she was pent up, and Kate wasn’t certain of anyone else she would open up to. Lockheed of course, but he was terrible at keeping secrets between the two.

[captainxpryde]

@greatresponsibility

Lockheed had shifted speed several blocks back, now gliding like a dragon on a mission. Kate did her best to keep up. Even accidentally shorting out several cell phones of pedestrians she chose to phase through rather than run around.

Suddenly his trajectory changed to sky upwards to the roof of a multistory apartment building. “Oh come on,” exasperated she dove into the alleyway. Pushing hard off the nearest garbage bin, she managed to wrap her fingers around the bottom rung of the fire escape. Her muscles tensed as she pulled herself upwards. All her time in the danger room had paid off apparently as she felt the burn in her arms. As her feet met with the ladder her timing quickened until she was running up flight after flight.

With one final leap Kate found herself landing atop the roof. Not to her surprise, Lockheed was not chasing a villain, but a friend. Her small purple friend was sitting on the ledge squawking at a nearby red and blue spandex clad figure. “Spider-Man,” her breathing was still a little labored as she offered a greeting.

[captainxpryde]

rouxvision​:

Lorna couldn’t help but beam at the comparison to her father. She was sure there would be plenty of things for a therapist to unpack with this – but she still loved to be compared to Magneto. She understood that it wasn’t necessarily the most flattering thing, depending on who it was coming from, but still. “Yeah, it’s a good one,” she said, a grin spilling across her lips. She pursed her lips as Kate made a good point. She hated it when other people did that. “I guess,” she said. “I’m really not that much of a team player–” If that even counted. And if that wasn’t already clear by the fact she was baldly willing to sacrifice someone else to save herself.

Kate nodded at Lorna’s admission of working best on her own. Admittedly, the X-Men had a storied history of individuals that do not work well on a team together. Often times they did their best work when they were ready to take each other’s heads off. “Really? Winning personality like that, would make a great asset,” the ambiance of the streets were eerie. Given the chaos that escalated around the city, it seemed most of the population had chosen to stay indoors.

[captainxpryde]

illyanarxsputina​:

The comment hit home, somewhere deep in her chest, somewhere that still hurt (that never really stopped hurting). Despite tentatively reaching out to Piotr, neither had managed to reconcile the hurt they’d caused. It was like a record scratch, over and again: Illyana hurt someone, she continued to hurt them, and again, again, again, despite all her efforts to set it right.

Kate always made her feel like the trying was worth it, like it meant something that she cared enough to consistently make an effort.

But the comment hit home, and Kate sounded angry, and it hurt. It hurt in that familiar, guilty way Illyana had grown fond of burying. So she did. She lifted her chin, the armor on her left arm clanking lightly as her fingers curled tightly into her palms. Never mind that disappointing Kate made her feel ten times smaller, somehow. Never mind that Kate was one of the few people whose opinion Illyana cherished. Never mind that being angry with her felt wrong, tight somehow.

“I really think Piotr gave up on his perfect little snowflake years ago.” The words burned and she swallowed against them, nudging her way past Kate and continuing down the hallway like she didn’t care (and she cared so damn much). She pivoted, walking backwards and lifting her arms. “And you? You stepped off your boat long enough to watch, were you not entertained?”

Kate was hesitant to turn and follow, frustrated that Illyana’s pull remained that strong. When she was away… when she was on the Marauder, it felt weaker. All of her obligations felt weaker. The duty to her friends, to Xavier’s school. It all felt distant, and that was an easier pill to swallow.

So she told herself that her work on the Marauder was necessary. What I do helps people. She told herself time and time again. It wasn’t untrue, but Kate knew for every person she got out from Doom’s watchful eye there were several other trustworthy individuals who could have done the same for them. The Marauders started with a mission to help mutants in need. That mission still stood firm, only their tasks were now tainted by Doom’s obligations.

Entertained? Hardly. “Don’t give me that Gladiator spiel Yana,” it was a great movie, but she knew how it ended for Maximus. “Nobody is giving up on you, and nobody thinks you are perfect,” the second part she couldn’t help but to throw in with a joking tone. No, you are supposed to be angry.

“All I’m saying is there is more good you could be doing out there. With me,” she finally caught up to her as she spit out the remainder of her words. Her hands lifted as though to say it was the last time she would bring the matter up… today.

[captainxpryde]

Starter: @flameontm

Kate needed to clear her head. She hadn’t been back to Doomstadt long and already she had her fill of unwanted confrontations. It seemed only natural to turn to her friend that always seemed to have his head clear of thoughts, Johnny Storm. Now she found herself walking through the dimly lit entryway to Club Doom. The flashing lights and sounds of the crowd hit with the drop of the beat nearly loud enough to cause her stomach to sink. “Is this just a normal day in the life of Johnny Storm,” she leaned up to Johnny’s ear and spoke at a higher volume to compensate for the noise in the room.

Countless gorgeous men and women passed by, several giving glances that she could not discern as being for her or Johnny. The chaos, the music, the people. Kate could see the appeal of such a place. She still expected that her attempts to cease her overthinking would be in vain, but if there was a location that could do it, it was Club Doom.

[captainxpryde]

@whiteqveendarling

The dock drew closer as the deck hands leapt across, guiding the boat snug up against it to tie off. The crew’s exhaustion was as clear as Kate’s own. Her hand rubbed at the nape of her neck. She felt as though she was standing for hours on end despite trading off duties throughout the journey across the Doomlantic Ocean. After a brief moment thanking her deck hands she assured them the payments would be transferred after she received the funds from Doom himself. The more precious cargo, she took the liberty of unloading herself.

Her worn leather couch had never felt more comfortable than sinking into it after a trip. ‘Emma’ her thoughts focused in on the telepath. A phone call would surely suffice, but it held a subtlety that seemed it would not appeal to the White Queen’s grandiose nature. Not to mention there was little chance she would actually set foot in as quaint an apartment as hers.

‘Remind me again that weeks stuck at sea are better than being banished to the Deadlands’ a land bad enough even Doom didn’t want it renamed after him. Kate had not experienced seasickness before, but the trip had driven her to the brink. It only took two days on the ocean before she made the mental note to bring more than a single book and dice. By the forth day Lockheed was the only company she cared to keep. The seventh day the Marauder reached it’s destination, fortunately before a mutiny could truly start brewing.

[captainxpryde]

illyanarxsputina​:

She was stalling.

Kate and Lockheed were in a private booth and she was stalling. She could play it off like she was putting on a show, that was easy enough. The crowd wasn’t into quick and easy, that’s not what the Killiseum was for. It was for swinging her sword around until there was no room left for her to think about anything other than the ache in her shoulders, and for giving the crowd something to cheer about. The minute she’d caught Kate’s eye she’d nearly opened up a stepping disc and let the demons finish the fight for her, show be damned. Then that gaze turned to a glare and– and she was definitely stalling.

She could feel it burning into the back of her neck while she danced around the arena, putting off confronting it for as long as she was able. It wasn’t too long. There was a lull, that moment where she could feel the crowd losing focus, and she made the quick and easy end of it. The next moment she was stepping out of disc in the now-familiar back hallways of the Killiseum, with a purple dragging circling her.

“How much trouble am I in, Lock?” She didn’t have to wait long for an answer. There was something about disappointing Kate. Anyone else and Illyana could shrug it off, but not Kate. Despite the cut to her words, Illyana found herself smiling upon seeing her. Something small, just around the edges, but more than she gave to most people. “Careful, Katya. Praise like that might go to my head.”

The last thing Illyana needed was a boost in confidence. As if she didn’t already act like she was invincible. The dragon did several small loops around the pair, trying his best to defuse the tension. Kate would not fall for it. Not this time. “And Piotr, I’m sure he’s very happy you’re still fighting for Doom’s entertainment,” she knew it was a bit of a low blow, but the three had been through more than enough for her to know when it was warranted.

Truthfully she had not been in communication with Piotr since the creation of Latverion. Though the Quiet Council was still in operation, she only made her appearances when the presence of the Red Queen was specifically requested. The two managed to keep their distance. Nothing was ever simple with the Rasputins. A fact that likely drew Kate to them, though she would never admit as such.

The flutter of Lockheed’s wings grew more distant, clearly not wanting any part in the spat Kate was picking. The real reason behind the bickering was a much deeper rooted issue for her than simply worrying about Illyana’s choice of work.

[nixetdracones]

@latverionstarters​​​​​​

“What the hell is wrong with this place?” Lorna had heard about the strange errands Doom had been…well, she supposed you couldn’t really call it asking. Not with Doom. She herself tended to do whatever the hell she wanted – it was in her genes, after all. Come hell or high water, any child of Erik Lensherr was going to march to the beat of their own drum, however trite that phrase may be. She looked around as she spoke, in part to make sure that none of those pesky little DoomBots were around, and also to ensure that none of the weird shit people had been dealing with was creeping up on her. “For the record, if we see a zombie around here, I’m making your blood run backward and turning you into chum for it. I’m getting away no matter what.”

[captainxpryde]

Kate’s head nodded. A small sign of respect for the determination of her escape plan. “I am almost certain I’ve heard your father use that same threat on Professor Xavier,” her hands rubbed against her arms as a small chill took over her. Things had seemed a little extra spooky upon her return from the last voyage Doom sent her on. “But guess what is better than distracting the zombies? Having someone around that can literally make you unbitable,” a frequent mistake she had noticed in the Lehnsherr bloodline. The immediate decision to work alone rather than alongside one another. The same thought pattern that had led to most of their previous battles to date.

[captainxpryde]

Closed starter: @illyanarxsputina

Kate was in a particularly sour mood. Natasha had given her the go ahead to meet behind the scenes of the Killiseum, but she never expected to use it at all. Let alone so soon. During her important meeting with a client, her attention was hyper fixated on the battle taking place beneath their private booth. Not due to wondering the outcome, only curious how long her best friend would toy with the three fighters pitted against her. She was almost certain after the two made eye contact that the fight became much closer. After that her gaze turned into a glare.

Lockheed practically danced on her shoulders as the pair waited on their favorite battle contestant to exit. Though with folded arms and a scowl on her face, outsiders would not think Kate thought favorably of the other. The fact that the small dragon took flight meant he had caught sight of the familiar blonde hair before she did. Approaching her battle worn friend Kate stifled the joy she felt at seeing Lockheed excitedly circling her. “You know, I’ve fought demons with you. I have a hard time thinking that those three would be a challenge for you,” her head turned as her tone skewed slightly accusatory. She would be lying if she said Illyana didn’t have a way of getting under her skin easier than anyone else.