Name: Kitty Pryde
Alias: Shadowcat
Verse/Version: She’s AU / *handwaved*
Powers: Kitty possesses a "phasing" ability that allows her and objects or people with which she is in contact to become intangible. This power also disrupts any electrical field she passes through, and lets her simulate levitation.
Brief Bio:
Kitty was born in Deerfield, Illinois, and is of Jewish decent. Her mutation appeared at the age of 13, starting with headaches and then when she phased right though her bed and through to the bottom floor of her house. Her parent’s are aware of her mutation, and have tried to be supportive throughout the years.

At her parent’s encouragement, Kitty attended Xavier’s, and learned better control of her powers. She also started training to be an X-Man. After a mission gone bad, she decided that this wasn’t how she wanted to fight, and wasn’t how she wanted to live her life.

Kitty is very smart, and she finished her high school diploma a year early. She went home to Illinois for a year, and spent time with her parents.

Now, she attends university in New York studying computer science and political science. She’s undecided what she wants to do from here – return to be an X-Man, or perhaps be a teacher, or find something else ‘normal’ to do.

Played By: Ellen Page

Other Character Notes: Kitty is AU because she’s not belonging to any specific canon. Mostly, I don’t want to deal with all the crazy space/alien/alternate dimensions 616 stuff that’s happened to her. She’s a little bit more based on movie!canon, but I’m not paying any attention to X3 either… so, right. It’s mostly Kitty and her abilities I’m using, and not any one specific canon, though some stuff might be incorporated along the way, and I have no problem including anything others are playing with. Hurrah for RP?

There's that saying that children are taught, to help them deal with harsh words against them.

Sticks and stone
may break your bones
but words can never hurt you


I call bull on that. So, to answer the question: Mutie.

I despise that word, and the meaning behind it. The way it's used to look down on mutants, to label us, to be mean and cruel to us.

There are a whole list of other derogatory terms I could name that should be removed from common everyday use. They could be racial, sexual, regarding sexual orientation, gender-based, about nationality, about disabilities. (No, really, when did "are you retarded?" become an acceptable phrase to use?) The list goes on and on, I'm sure. There are different categories and reasons for these disrespectful words, these slurs against other people, about other people, just for being what they are. Or, perhaps, for not being what they are but associating them with another group. You know what I mean. I heard the other day one of the students say to another, "Don't be so gay," but it really had nothing to do with either of them being homosexual, but it was supposed to be a slight against homosexuals, in it's own way.

The thing is, I can't list the rest of them here, the very specific words, because it makes me uncomfortable. The ones I did mention already do. I don't want those names, those phrases, associated with me, splashed across my journal as if they're nothing. Because they're something, and I can't make myself do it. I don't want to be mean and cruel and offend someone, even if this isn't addressed to anyone in particular. You know?

But you know what they are. I don't have to list them or anything like that. Everyone knows. And they're still used. I'm sure if you thought about it hard enough, you use them. Everyone does.

So why was I okay with putting up mutie? Because it affects me so much, I guess. And perhaps that's being selfish and self-centered, but it's the word I despise the most. Does it lessen the meaning, me putting it up there and saying, "I don't like this."? Does it mean I take it less personally? Does it diminish the meaning, the hurt, behind the word? Or make me stronger to it, more able to oppose it, not feel it cut into me?

No, it does not.

Because even though I know it won't, I still wish it would go away. As I'm sure many other people wish the word that hurts them would go away out of common language, but, no, it's not likely to either.

ooc: Strictly movieverse!Kitty to work. Sorry, kids. ;P



I hope for a better world. Not just for mutants, but for everybody. Yes, sometimes people scare me, the mean things they say and do in regards to mutants. But I know it's because they're scared of us. I wish they weren't. I hope that someday, that passes. That they see us for what we are - people. People who deserve to be treated like everyone else. I hope that everyone, everywhere, not matter who they are, getting treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.

I hope that some mutants stop doing what they do that makes people be afraid of us. There are a lot of them out there. Magneto. Mystique. Juggernaut. Pyro. I hope that they can see what they're doing, hurting people, is not better then what people are doing to us.

I hope to be a good X-Man. I'm proud to be one, and I want to live up to the name. I want to do what I can to help. I hope that I don't let anybody down.

I hope that hoping is enough.

I know it's not.

So I resolve to do more then just hope.



Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat
X-Men movieverse
190 words

Prompt 254 - What was the longest day of your life?

Six. There were only six of them.

Six X-Men standing against Magneto's Army.

Kitty was nervous. How could she not be? There were only six of them up against several other mutants. Upset, angry, driven and possibly crazy mutants. Trying to kill a child. It was outrageous.

Days leading up to this had been long, with the news of the cure hitting, and then deaths of family and friends. But today, with it all colliding, everything felt like it was moving so fast but it was never ending. It felt so long.

She should be tired. Exhausted to the bone.

She wasn't.

And the battle ensued.

Jimmy was saved.

They had won.

Or had they? They'd lost so much. And it was never going to stop. It was going to be a long life. Period.

Nasty little thoughts entering her head as she finally collapsed into her bed, hours and hours later. The aftermath of a battle was the exhausting part. Trying to clean up the mess. Accounting for people. Counting the losses. Getting home safe. Making sure everyone felt safe.

Tiring. And long.

And that nasty thought went away as her eyes closed with the rise of the sun. Later she would wake, and the day would be new.

She'd feel new and refreshed. One Longest Day over.

How many more to come?


Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat
X-Men movieverse
225 words.

I accidentally phased through the wall into the boy's shower room.

I didn't mean to!

I was still learning how to use my mutation, and its limits and things. And it was the first time I was really sick after my mutation manifested. Like, totally sick. Bad sinuses and bad cough and I was congested and my head hurt and my chest felt like it was explode and there was snot dripping out of my nose.

Anyway. Enough about the gross part.

I was upstairs and walking down the hall with a cup of tea in my hand. I was heading to my dormitory room and I was going to get into bed. I was going to finish drinking my tea and then go to sleep for, like, the next three days I think.

I had to sneeze. I stopped walking, and held the cup way out in front of me, so that if I sneezed and any spilt, it wouldn't be all over the front of me.

Well, I did end up sneezing and it threw me backwards and I just automatically phased for some reason, but when I passed through the wall I got ahold of my mutation and went solid... only then I tripped over someone's foot and fell backward onto my butt... right in the middle of the open shower room in the boy's bathroom.

There were three of them in there. Showering. And, uh, let's just say it was the first time that I, uh, saw boy's parts like that.

I was horrified! I was only in there for a second and then I phased myself through the floor. I landed in the kitchen and scared Miss Monroe a bit. She asked me what I was doing back downstairs, and I just held out my cup and told her I needed more tea. I don't know if she really bought it - my clothes were a little bit wet and my hair and skin misted from the boy's shower room.

But she gave me more tea without questioning and sent me back upstairs to bed.

I couldn't look those boys in the eyes for weeks. I was so embarrassed. I'm still pretty embarrassed.

57

don't understand how they could justify using military-trained personnel to attack a school full of children. But they did, and it was something approved by the President of the United States in office during that time. A digression not easily forgotten by the mutant community.

I was only fifteen, and I will never forget the moment I heard Theresa scream, her loud voice shaking the walls of the school and waking up everyone. I was confused, and I didn't know what was going on.

And then they burst into the dormitory room. They had looked so scary then - big, tall men dressed all in black, toting guns and having flashlights, aiming those guns right at me. It turned out they were only tranquilizer guns, but for a teenager who hasn't had any previous experience with any sort of weapons as such, I wasn't able to discern between the two. I honestly thought they were there to shoot me in the head.

My mutation took over then, as a form of defense. Fight or flight, in such a situation. For me, at the time, it was most certainly flight. I phased, right down through my bed and to the floor before. It was reminiscent of the first time I used my mutation; there was still fear in it, and confusion. But the fear and confusion were different this time, because I knew about my mutation and how to use it to combat (or rather, escape from it) that fear and confusion. When I fell hit the second floor, I took off running, right through anything and everything that stood in my way. It was all a blur that I moved past.

I have to admit, that for years, my reaction caused me personal humiliation and regret. That I ran instead of helping my fellow classmates is not something I easily forgave myself for. Because, that's all I did, kept running until I ended up

Kitty Pryde
X-Men movieverse
325 words

I think that politics will always be a big part of my life, because I’m a mutant. There is always stuff in the news talking about mutants, and so much of it was political. And, of course, a lot of politicians and other parties have their opinions on mutants.

Perhaps that’s not fair. There are always a lot of minority groups that are in the news and on political agendas. Not just mutants, obviously. I guess I’m just more sensitive of it, more hyper-aware, because the politics about mutants has, and will in the future I’ve no doubt, greatly affect my life.

The Registration Act, for example. Senator Kelly, pushing so hard for it. They could have made it a law, having every mutant be put on some sort of list for everyone to see. It was a very big deal in the mutant community, that Act. We didn’t want it, but the politicians and apparently the greater public did. I was happy when he changed his tune on it, but how long is it before someone else decides to pick it up again?

And of course there was the Cure. What a gong show that whole things was. I can’t even find the right words for how I feel about what was done. Other then it sucked. Big time. What started out as a mutant’s choice quickly turned into politicians (and in extension of, the military) best weapon. A disgrace. A mess.

The one good thing that did come out of that is that we now have a well-known and well renowned mutant, Dr. Hank McCoy, as a big player in the political game. Ambassador for the United States for the United Nations! Like, international politics! It’s really good to see Dr. McCoy in such a high standing position. It does give a little hope to the state of politics in regards to mutants.

Personally? I wish politics weren’t such a big deal in my life. It’d be nice. But, again, I think politics is a big part of everyone’s life – it just depends on how much interest you take in it, right? I know that I’ll keep up with things and who knows, maybe when I’m older, I’ll get a little more involved. I’d be more fine if I didn’t have to be though, I think.

Guess we’ll see.


Kitty Pryde
X-Men movieverse
390 words

I think I have a pretty good relationship with my parents. All things considering. I mean, I know not a lot of mutants get along with their parents after their mutation manifests. That, plus the whole going through puberty thing, just puts a huge strain on their relationships. Kids leave because their parents can't handle it, or don't want to handle it. I think that's really sad, but I'm glad I don't have the same situation.

Not that my relationship with my parents isn't strained or anything. God knows they would prefer it if I wasn't a mutant. They tried to be supportive when we discovered I was a mutant, they really did. My mother was the one who found out about Xavier's, and my dad gave them a call. They were very unsure about sending me there - they didn't want me that far away from them, but when they saw how I couldn't control my mutation and that Xavier's could help me, they let me go. They were just trying to do what was best for me.

I was pretty grateful for that. After I went to the school, I still gave them weekly phone calls and went home on holidays. And I know a lot of the other students around me didn't have that. So I appreciate what I have, I do.

Although, admittedly, things have become more rocky with my parents, ever since the news of the cure broke out. I called up my Mom, and all she could say to me was, "Honey, don't you think you should take it?"

They don't want me to be a mutant. They love and support me the way that I am, but they don't want me this way. My Mom claims it's just because she wants me safe, and things aren't safe in the world for mutants. Well, things aren't safe in the world for anybody. I'm not going to change who I am. I hope my parents accept me for who I am soon enough, but it hurt when she said that to me, about taking the cure. It's made things awkward, at least for me.

Though, even I will admit, things could be a lot worse with them. I'm glad they aren't.

I think that I could make a good spy, because of my mutant power. I have the power to "phase" - I can become intangible.

Yes, this means walking through walls and other solid objects. I could easily sneak about where I shouldn't be, pop into places others can't. But it also means that I can phase and avoid harm, such as someone trying to grab me or maybe, I don't know, shoot me.

Here's the thing: I DO NOT WANT TO.

So, thank you very much Senator Kelly, for using me in that speech of yours, but I do not have any intentions of using my powers like that. I will not be sneaking around where I'm not supposed to. Unless, like, it's a mission for the X-Men and it helps save the world or something. But that's different... Right? I won't be spying on anyone, or participating in any other illegal and/or morally gray things like that.

See, my powers would make me a good spy, but I think my conscious would make me a horrible one. And that's what counts, right?


Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat
X-Men movieverse
285 words

Wrigley Field.

I remember Wrigley Field, and going to my first baseball game with my parents. I was so young, and I don't remember all the details. I do remember the crowds of people, and my Mom hanging on tight to my hand, even though I wanted to run around and see everything I could.

The smell of hot dogs and popcorn. The sound of cheers. The sight of the bright green of the field in front of us. The feeling of happiness and excitement as I watched the game. I don't even remember what happened during it, or who won - although, this is the Cubs we're talking about here. I don't even remember who they were playing.

I just remember having a really good time.

I think the most significant part of that memory to me isn't the baseball or my new-found loyalty to the Cubs, but of my parents. Of their love and protection for me. It's the biggest theme of my childhood, and carried through to my teen years. Even with everything we had to deal with, with discovering I'm a mutant and deciding to send me to Xavier's to go to school and learn my powers. Even if some things put a strain on our relationship, they're still there for me.

So I guess what I should be saying is that my first memory, really, is of my parents, and of being a family.

We even went to a game this summer when I went home to visit.

Wrigley Field still gives me good memories.


Kitty Pryde / Shadowcat
X-Men movieverse
260 words

ooc: Based on movieverse canon.

"That's something I think is growing on me as I get older: happy endings." -- Alice Munro


I don't know if I agree with that quote. Happy endings are a little hard to believe in. That sounds cynical, I know, and I'm not usually such a cynical person. Maybe it's because I'm so young and I've seen a lot of situations that haven't ended in happy endings. Mostly, they just end in "we'll do the best we can with this" ways.

The ending with Mr. Summers wasn't happy. The ending with Ms. Grey definitely wasn't happy. And the ending with Mr. Xavier wasn't happy at all, and broke many hearts.

And the whole mess with the cure - even though I wouldn't have made that choice, there are many that did, and now it's starting to fail them. They don't get their happy ending, it's being snatched away from them slowly as it starts to fail.

With things like that happening in my life, how am I supposed to believe in those happy endings? And, like I mentioned, yes we're trying to do the best we can with this situation. The school is still open. Ms. Munroe and Mr. Logan are doing a good job with the school, and the classes are going well and the students are doing well.

Does this count as our happy ending? I don't know yet. Maybe, like the quote says, when I get older I'll see it that way.


Kitty Pryde
X-Men movies
230

Prompt - If you could be in the Olympics (summer or winter), what event/sport would you want to do most? Why?

In some ways, I think answering this question is a bummer. Because mutants can’t participate in the Olympics. Or any other official organized sport competitions like that. I think that’s really sad and depressing and discriminatory; and yet, I think I can see the other side too. Being a mutant with special abilities does put a different edge over others who don’t have them. But not all powers can be used in competition so how would that be regulated? It’s complicated and those are the sort of things that we need to figure out so that mutants can be a part of society as well.

Anyway, I think I should just answer the question for the heck of it. I have a choice for both the summer and the winter Olympics. Since this is a hypothetical question and neither could actually happen, I may as well go all out, right?

For the Winter sports, I would totally love to do anything with ice skating. I like it a lot; it makes me think of home. I don’t know what kind of skating, though. Figure skating is wonderful, and it is totally a sport, for those of you who don’t think so. It takes real athleticism to do those spins and jumps; but there also has to be a balance of beauty and grace to go with it. That is the part I don’t know if I could do very well at, because I lack those things sometimes.

But speed skating would be really awesome too. Pushing yourself, trying to beat the clock, having the determination to be the fastest. And when they all go at the same time, and not run into each other or slip and fall and crash into the wall. Wow. That all takes such athleticism as well, but in such a different way.

For Summer Olympics… I like baseball a lot. So I would go with Woman’s fastball. I like the team aspect of it, where everyone works together. I find that really respectable. Some people find baseball boring and that players just stand around doing nothing but I think that’s ridiculous. It takes a lot of skill to play the game. And have you seen how fast they can pitch? I sure as heck wouldn’t want to be beamed by any of those pitches!

I like playing on second base. My friend Bobby likes to make a lot of jokes about that, the jerk.

I guess none of this really matters. I’ll take a good game of Mutant Ball in the field behind Xavier’s any day.

Prompt 241 - What principles are sacrosanct in your opinion?


Tolerance.

Yes, I see the irony in that statement, that I find anything different then tolerance to be intolerable. Does that make me a hypocrite? Or is that just an unfortunate play of words that comes my way?

In my opinion, people need to be more tolerant. Of other ideas, and beliefs, and of other people. No, this isn't going to magically heal the world, cure it of all it's problems, but I really don't think there is anything wrong with being nice to other people. It's a personal responsibility to try to be tolerant of others.

There is a lot of intolerance directed towards people like me - towards mutants. It's not like this hasn't happened before. My grandfather, he was a survivor of the Holocaust. My parents have told me some of the stories he told them, and I've learned a lot about that history, too. It's horrifying.

I'm trying really hard not to use the word 'fight' here, because that seems to indicate intolerance itself, doesn't it? To fight? But I think that standing up for your rights and your beliefs is not a bad thing. They should not be forced on anyone else, but there should be an understanding that others think and believe differently then you - and they should show that same respect. You know? It's a personal responsibility to try tolerate others, no matter how difficult it might be. Do onto others as you would have done upon yourself.

I'm with the X-Men to stand up against the intolerance that people have towards mutants. And I want to help other young mutants understand that we shouldn't have to hide, we shouldn't have to put up with intolerance from other people. But I also think that we all need to learn that we can live together, side by side, the way that Xavier teaches us.