Difference between revisions of "Svetlana Ustinov"

When she was five years old, Lana was joined by twin brothers Mikhail and Piotr. Both boys began exhibiting their X-genes very early, and with their parents' help, began to harness them by the time they were four. The twins both had powers that had not been seen in either side of the family before. Piotr could see and speak to the spirits of the dead. As he's grown older, his powers have grown and he is now able to begin influencing the spirits to do his bidding (which most often takes the form of finding where the cook has hidden the fresh pastries and cookies in the kitchen). Mikhail could endure fire, as evidenced by the time he was found sitting in the fireplace playing with what he said were 'tiny flame people'. It was thought that he would eventually be able to summon and control fire elementals, however, his untimely murder meant they would never know.

On a night where Yelena and Dimitri were away from home at a fancy dinner, a scant few days after Lana's ninth birthday, a group of men from the Bratsvo, the Russian chapter of the Brotherhood of Mutants, under Czernobog's direction, invaded the Ustinov home. They kidnapped Mikhail out of his bed before anyone knew what was going on, only to later kill him and dump his little body in a ditch when a rescue attempt was staged, led by Dimitri himself. Ever since, the Brotherhood and Saladin, their leader, have been anathema in the Ustinov home. This also led to a change in Dimitri's behavior.

While he'd always been cold and distant from Lana, he had adored the twins and showered them with every kindness and affection. Losing Mikhail had broken something rational inside of him, and his cruel words knew no bounds when it came to Lana. Nothing she could do ever pleased him, no perfect grades, no impeccable manners, no success at tennis or dance. When Lana was sixteen, Yelena had been called away on a long-term assignment as she was now working for the FSB. As soon as she was gone, Dimitri shipped Lana off to Los Angeles alone, with only Sergei and Natasha for company. She's been in exile ever since, cut off from her friends and family, and trying to build a new life in L.A.

Because of her mutation, she needs UV energy, much like plants do. As such, prolonged exposure to darkness/lack of sunlight for longer than one night at a time weakens her considerably. Even a single night can leave her a little weak in the morning, so to stave that off, she sleeps under a grouping of UV lamps.