Queen of Limbo

Illyana Rasputina | 23 | Magik "See ya, villains! Don't do anything in Limbo, I wouldn't do! And watch out for demons!" Dependent RP blog for Latverion

[illyanarxsputina]

( blood dripping out of a chalice, frozen tundra, fingers gripped around a sword )▸ welcome to latverion, ILLYANA RASPUTINA (MAGIK). it’s time to be gracious, for in this vast multiverse, you have been saved by emperor doom. according to records you are 23 and use SHE/HER pronouns. emperor doom expects you’ll enjoy your career as BATTLE CHAMPION, or else. excellent. we look forward to your contribution. ( SADIE, ANYA TAYLOR-JOY )

PSD credit here.

ABOUT BASICS

FULL NAME: Illyana Nikolievna Rasputina

ALIAS: Magik

AGE: 23

AFFILIATIONS: New Mutants, occasionally X-Men

GENDER AND PRONOUNS: Cis female, she/Her

FACE CLAIM: Anya Taylor-Joy

IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS

POINT OF ORIGIN: Comics origin, taking from the original New Mutants run, some 2009 New Mutants, a lil bit of Uncanny

ABILITIES/SKILLS: Stepping Discs: Controlling the stepping discs of Limbo allows Illyana to teleport through space and time. It’s not always exact, and she always passes through Limbo to get to where she’s going. The further out she goes, the less control she has. Soulsword: Using a piece of her soul, Illyana forged a sword she can summon at will. It doesn’t cut through solid matter as other swords do, but rather disrupts spells and magical abilities. Sorcery: Illyana has studied as a sorcerer under the tutelage of the demon lord Belasco since she’s was very little. She’s mostly adept at dark magic, and can struggle a bit with lighter magic, especially outside of Limbo.

HAVE THEY BROUGHT ANY FAMILY OR PETS WITH THEM: No pets! But she would enjoy a visit from Lockheed every now and then, if he ever ventures away from Kate.

ANY HEADCANONS YOU WANT OTHERS TO KNOW: I like to think Illyana’s accent isn’t quite Russian. It’s there a little bit, but really she hasn’t lived in Siberia since she was seven years old. English was basically downloaded into her head, then she spent years in Limbo. So there’s a bit of a Russian accent, but there’s also a bit of something else. Illyana knows where she got it, but it’d be hard for others to place.

QUESTIONNAIRE

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER FEEL ABOUT EMPEROR DOOM? It’s admittedly pretty impressive, what he did. It’d be wrong not have some amount of respect for a man who can wrangle universes together where there was only chaos before. But she’s not really big on supreme rulers, if she’s being honest. Maybe it’s an authority thing, maybe it’s that she knows what it’s like to wrest control from one, but she certainly doesn’t feel like bowing down at his feet any time soon.

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER FEEL ABOUT THE BATTLES? ARE THEY TRYING TO AVOID THEM? OR ARE THEY EAGER TO JUMP IN? It’s fun! In a way. Competing in the Killoseum was an easy answer. She has magic, she has a frankly really cool sword. Besides, maybe there’s something to be learned from being right in the middle of everything. Everything is a mess, she’s still trying to figure out how the pieces all fit together and what the purpose might be, but swinging her sword in battle? That makes sense. That’ll always make sense.

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? RE: It’s fun! (Or maybe it’s an easy outlet. Maybe she’s just so angry all the time. It’s easier to be angry than whatever else she might feel if she lets that anger be quiet for a second. If she can spend her days swinging her sword around, filling it with all that noise, it doesn’t ever have to be quiet enough to think about anything else. Or maybe, just maybe she wouldn’t mind doing something on Krakoa. She loves the younger generation more than she’d ever admit. She loves how they sometimes come to her for advice, how teaching comes easily despite what others might think. Maybe–) It’s really fun. Just ask her.

[illyanarxsputina]

captainxpryde​:

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.

-

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.”

[illyanarxsputina]

offollies​:

the silence that remained between them was a comfort as much as it was deafening. a greater force was certainly at work and val found herself disbelieving in anyone who readily cozied up with their emperor. illyana, who had approached upon her and gorm - seemed to be the opposition with doom - and that was entirely wanted by the valkyrie. even if she had to ask why val had so readily accused the madman in charge.

lifting her head after ensuring gorm’s soul went to valhalla - val turned to meet illyana’s eye. “maybe not, but if we’re counting the very real possibility that he used his doom bots to construct this horrific world - then maybe it is ego alone.” at first, latverion has been a comfortable peacetime planet that ensured the survival of what would have inevitably been the total destruction of everything - but val, now faced with the threat of murder - had to question aloud the things many seemed hesitant on.

“his own private amusement? i don’t know - the man seems incredibly erratic and willfully cruel.” she paused, “has anyone stopped to ask; why did the multiverse end? i know it’s been asked why it was doom who brought us all together and back but what if… he was behind the destruction? you know, so he could have his control and empire all to himself?“ 

Illyana thought about Limbo. About how half its inhabitants no longer seemed to look at her as though she’d been ruling for years and how she couldn’t seem to find her way around like she once could. There’d been a moment, when everything was still coming together, when it was hard to focus on anything that wasn’t simply finding her footing. It still felt very much like Illyana couldn’t find solid ground.

Valkyrie was right. She’d spent so much of her time just trying to figure out how all the pieces were fitting together, and what the hell Victor Von Doom was doing at the head of it all, she hadn’t stopped to think too hard about what made everything split in the first place. And maybe that was part of the point; if everyone was so focused on finding that little bit of solid ground, maybe they wouldn’t stop to ask why it was shaking in the first place.

It was working, at least to an extent. Illyana spent half her time in the Killiseum or doing what she could for the burgeoning resistance, and the other half chasing rogue demons around their patchwork world, because she’d had to start from the ground floor in so many parts of Limbo.

“I’d assumed some cosmic somebody got a wild hair up their ass, decided they wanted to have a little fun.” She thought of the Beyonder, and immediately shoved the thought back down again. Some people put the world on puppet strings because they could. Some people didn’t care who got hurt along the way. “It’d take a great deal of power to destroy the multi-verse. You want vengeance, but we should probably figure if it’s something he’s capable of before we go charging at him.”

[illyanarxsputina]

lovespeople​:

💾 — MJ had always been a quick study. From a young age, throughout her adolescence. Even now, as she contracted with teams and conglomerates alike to figure out all the things they couldn’t on their own.. she was good with data. Knew how to absorb it, apply it, work it to her advantage. Everything between mutants to vampires had become necessary for her success to learn as much as she could, as fast as she could, and be good. 

Like Illyana, she had sought answers. Really anything that she could get her hands on in the crunched time they were given. The problem being, there was too much. Even before the incursions.. vampiric myth was as vast as it was ancient. And whoever this Dracula was, from whichever iteration, there was just no knowing what they were up against without meeting it head on. Her partner’s plan, even as sword centric as it was, was good as any.

So, she wasted no time looking through said supplies, sparing glances up at her teammate as she spoke. MJ tucked a flask of holy water into her jacket pocket, a clove of garlic in the other, and armed herself with a stake. “Should be easy enough,” she joked dryly, looking toward the shrouded school. “Uh. You don’t hide any bites from me, I won’t hide any bites from you?” That was a zombie thing, but she felt it could be applied here.

“Sure, easy.” Not for the first time, Illyana wondered at the motivation behind Doom’s assignments. Was he sitting at a throne somewhere, laughing? Was it for the meme? If so, she might actually respect him a little more than she did before he’d sent off the letters. Marginally. Because she was still watching MJ tuck holy water into her jacket pocket and wondering at the sanity of sending someone into vampire-infested corridors with a stake and a flask of questionably blessed water.

Didn’t it have something to do with belief, anyway? “Are you even religious?”

The question fell out before she could stop it, but she’d never been known for impulse control. “Whatever, might not even matter. Just...stay close, stab anything that screeches,” depending on if they were 30 Days of Night vampires, or Twilight vampires, “And try not to get eate–”

A yell from inside cut her off, and Illyana found herself caught somewhere between excitement and genuine concern. Normally she’d take any excuse to swing her sword around, cast a few spells. This felt a little like a chore. “Eaten. You ready?”

[illyanarxsputina]

captainxpryde​:

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.

-

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?”

[illyanarxsputina]

closed starter for @numyths 

Matt Murdock & Illyana | The Kingdom of Manhattan | Night

“I told you to stop.”

There was a demon in an alley in Manhattan. Its teeth were bared, pointed ears tipped back. There was a smirk to its lips Illyana knew only spelled trouble. Its tail thrashed against the brick buildings that pressed into the alley on either side, scattering dust and debris across the cobblestone. Illyana had told it to stop no less than five times, and it hadn’t listened to any of them.

This was usually the part where it cowered at her feet. This was usually the part where Illyana brandished her sword in its face and it said yes my queen whatever you say my queen. It wasn’t supposed to keep running rampant through the streets of Manhattan, or destroy little back alleys, or smirk at her like it shouldn’t know full well who she was. She’d fought too hard to have the demons of Limbo stop listening to her. “I said– fuck.”

Its tail whipped around under her feet, and she only barely managed to open a stepping disc before falling flat on her ass. Instead she zipped first through Limbo, then Krakoa, then plopped down on the ground ten feet behind the thing. None of which were where she meant to go, but that was a problem for after taking care of the rogue demon (never mind that it was one in an increasingly long string of them). “Alright, no more talking. You’re dead.”

Armor clanked against the hilt of her soul sword, and she was just about to swing it down on its dumb, thrashing tail when she spotted a silhouette on the other side of the thing. “Ah, great, a complication.”

[illyanarxsputina]

gobbyqueen​:

😈 — A playfulness danced across fiery eyes. “Witnessed,” she corrected. “Sure you do. If you would just put in a little effort now and then…” It was old news, Madelyne finding Illyana’s draw towards pacifism a bore. More than that, she found it pitiful; knowing the girl’s potential outweighed whatever morals she picked up over the years. “But, I digress. I don’t mind reigning.” As if that was ever in question. “I look the best in a crown.”

Illyana didn’t want to bristle at the thought, but a part of her did (a part of her wondered if she always would). So much time had been spent splitting herself between her friends, her responsibility towards Krakoa, an entire revolution at one point, and Limbo. It was everything she hated, and she still somehow found herself returning. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing, if Madelyne wore the crown...

And yet the thought still tumbled uncomfortably in her chest, and she found herself scoffing. “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind it. But could you handle it?”

[illyanarxsputina]

captainxpryde​:

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.

-

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?”

[illyanarxsputina]

offollies​:

it was a comfort to hear someone believe her about gorm. when she glanced up and met her gaze, she instantly felt the supernatural pull of magic and power - but knew it wasn’t the correct time to infer. valkyrie just knew to respect the younger one for her belief and her being there. a small thankful smile hit her lips as she bowed her head. “thank you,” returning to look back at gorm’s lifeless form, val worked over the theories in her mind, an attempt at calming herself in the crisis of everything that had gone on. 

but the answer was fairly clear to her from the start and she lifted her gaze once more to meet the blonde. “it was doom.”

she wasn’t afraid of the emperor - in fact she was absolutely certain she could take him in a fight. so expressing her theory aloud had not been as threatening to her as she expected it to be. instead, it felt more liberating. “he’s trying to get us to in-fight by blaming on another for something that shouldn’t ever have happened. i was this man’s king and i failed him, i won’t leave him avengeless.” she knelt down and smiled softly as she saw he died with his weapon in hand, a small gesture but something powerful to her. “go to valhalla, gorm bjornson - enjoy the endless feasts and battles.”

Nothing good ever lasted; Illyana had learned that very young. There was a beach and a voice and a portal and she figured out very quickly good was something you clawed at with both hands. It was something you wrapped your fingers around tightly and held on lest something wrench it from your hands. Good was that thing that happened on the precipice of a cliff, right before tipping over. It was the swooping feeling before you hit the bottom.

Latverion was about as good as they could get, all things considered. Patchwork though it was, there was Krakoa, and Scott and Kate and Lockheed. Limbo was another story, but she’d wrestled it into shape before, she could do it again (saying nothing to how she didn’t want to, not again, not–). It was something, just enough good for Illyana to start preparing herself for the drop. for that sudden stop at the bottom. She thought maybe the bottom looked a lot like Valkyrie leant over the dead body of a friend, Doom’s name accusatory on her lips.

She allowed Valkyrie enough time to say her peace before interjecting. A million different possibilities ran through her head, most delightfully showing up at his dinner table and casually asking what he was up to. She had enough respect for Doom’s abilities to know better, but it was a fun thought to entertain regardless. If “avenge” was anything to go off of, she might at least get a good fight out of it. “Vengeance won’t be easy, he didn’t put this world together on ego along.”

She looked to the man Valkyrie was knelt over, “What does he have to gain by turning us against each other?”

[illyanarxsputina]

closed starter for @lovespeople

Xavier’s looked like something out of a gothic horror movie. Black clouds roiled above, fog wove around the foundation. Illyana half-expected the low rumble of thunder to rattle the windows. It had never been her favorite place, certainly not since Krakoa had been established, but there had always been something welcoming about the school. Something about friends, and the room she shared, and trying to learn how to be someone who wasn’t only meant for destruction. Then again, perhaps the clouds and the fog were more appropriate.

She cast a sideways glance at her partner-in-vampire-slaying for the day, half-tempted to teleport in without her. If MJ came out of Xavier’s a vampire, she wasn’t going to be the one to tell Doom. Or any of the spiders. Instead of dwelling, she tossed the duffel bag she had slung over her shoulder onto the ground, nudging at it with the toe of her boot.

“We’ve got stakes, water that someone somewhere has deemed holy, garlic, and various iconography. I did some research, and apparently it’s more about belief than the actual denomination. So I’m believing that if I just hack the interloper with my sword, then he will die permanently.” She nudged at the bag again for good measure, shrugging and finally turning her attention to MJ. “Ground rules, don’t get eaten. Anything else?”

[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.

[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.”

[gobbyqueen]

@illyanarxsputina | illyana 

😈 — “Sight for sore eyes,” the queen greeted. Their relationship was objectively interesting; personally rewarding. Madelyne had found the sorcerous interesting, and that had grown into quite a bit more with every interaction. “How are you getting on in Latverion?  Enjoying our slice of home?” Krakoa didn’t feel different than the one back on her universe, but she could denote the variations. The melding of all those realities. “And raising a little hell, I hope.” 

[illyanarxsputina]

It hadn’t felt likely, but Illyana was beginning to enjoy visits from Madelyne. The people about whom she could say that were alarmingly few, but there was something about her. Maybe it was the similar dry wit.

“Haven’t you heard? That’s my specialty.” She leaned up against the tree she was standing next to, going for casual despite the way any reference towards Limbo made her feel like she was somehow losing her footing. It wasn’t the time or the place to think about the patchwork that was Limbo. “Though I have a feeling you’d give me a run for my money.”

[offollies]

( @latverionstarters​ ) VALKYRIE & OPEN

she was shouting she was covered in the filth of a particularly hard-won battle - and she was frightened. anyone who knew valkyrie knew that she didn’t often wear her emotions on her sleeves - that she was rather fond to repress them down deeply under a heavily filled bottle of mead, or wine, or beer… or anything harder than that. and yet, here she stood outside the gates of the killiseum over the body of a once known asgardian - few of their kind. “i didn’t do this, i wouldn’t do this - you’ve got to believe me. he was gorm, a good man - i didn’t even know he was here…” her rage and fear quickly turned to the hushed whisper of regret and remorse.

[illyanarxsputina]

Illyana wasn’t one for subtlety, or for caring overly much whether or not she wasn’t welcome, but there was something about the way the words broke down that made her feel like she was intruding. Like maybe it would be best if she zipped open stepping disc and made a quiet exit. She toyed with the idea for a moment before stepping forward instead. She knew what it was like, stepping out of the Killiseum covered in dirt and aching. There wasn’t much room for violence left at the end of it.

And all her grating exterior aside, Illyana could recognize remorse. She knew it well.

“I believe you.” She looked from the body at Valkyrie’s feet then back to Valkyrie herself. Her expression gave nothing away, but it wasn’t set in the usual hard lines it seemed to settle into. “What do you think did happen?”

[ofdevastation]

@latverionstarters​​ | SERSI & OPEN

despite it being a bit away from her work and current living arrangements, sersi quickly found that she enjoyed the open shoreline of arcadia. the waves crashed to shore in their own calming melody and the water splashed up, only coming up just high enough in the sand to touch her toes where she’d sat since the sunset, unable to get herself to move just yet. noticing someone in her peripheral view, she glanced up and offered a friendly smile. “you’re welcome to sit if you’d like. it’s an open beach, of course, though the rest of it is rather empty.” she glanced around simply to confirm that she was right, most other beach goers had already left. “i suppose that just depends on if you’d like company or not.”

[illyanarxsputina]

Illyana didn’t fall out of her own stepping disc, but it was something close. It was a stutter-step as her boots sank into the sand, something on the edge of too tired and still trying to process the patchwork that was the dimension she had to step through to get to the beach in the first place. The truth was she hadn’t expected sand at all. There was no small amount of disorientation that came with expecting the hard rock cliffs of Krakoa’s tallest mountain, and landing in soft sand instead.

She filed it away under problem with a soft “what the fuck” that turned into a small yelp when someone spoke up from just down the beach.

She liked small moments of peace. Krakoa had always come with its own set of challenges (small and too little and looking up to her like she was someone who could feasibly pass as a role model), and the Killiseum couldn’t be described as quiet by any means. Illyana didn’t escape to the mountaintops for company, she escaped for the quiet.

“Not really.” She grinned, gave a mock salute, and stepped through another disc. Krakoa here she– stumbled, right back onto the beach. “What the fuck?” 

She kicked at the sand before taking up the offer and plopping on down on the beach beside the woman. It really wasn’t that bad, with the gentle waves and the cool breeze blowing off the ocean. “Just pretend that didn’t happen, and I’ll pretend I really just wanted company tonight.”

[claudeleine]

you believe yourselves immune to death? i bring you a gospel of oblivion. i bring you the soulsword. taste it and cease to be. (for lexi)

[illyanarxsputina]

.tag dump