THE COSPLAY: Ilyana Rasputin is my favorite character in the X-Men universe. From the cheeky spelling of her hero name “Magik,” to her no-nonsense attitude, she has quite a lot to be proud of! But it wasn’t always that way for her.

For much of her life, she was trapped in a place in between Earth and Hell called “Limbo” and had to fight tooth and nail to not only survive, but to make her way back to Earth. To rebel against the demon holding her prisoner, she forged a sword out of her own soul, and thusly created her iconic Soulsword. Even before she was the Queen of Limbo, she was resolute in becoming strong enough to protect herself and her friends.

I believe we can all relate to being trapped in our own limbo, and having to overcome gargantuan obstacles to feel as though we can live our lives how we wish.

It is this sentiment that drew me to Ilyana initially, and led me to cosplaying her for the first time in 2023! The project was quite rushed as I only had two weeks to create all of her pieces, and I have been looking for an excuse to make another cosplay for her ever since.

Marvel Rivals truly did something amazing by not only bringing more obscure Marvel characters into the spot light, but also breathing new life into old favorites. I definitely feel Magik benefitted from both of these, and the game was able to reignite my passion for the character.

Over the course of two months, I was able to create every aspect from her Marvel Rivals design, and even give the cosplay my own touch!

The cosplay features almost 100 handmade spikes cut from EVA foam, wrapped in worbla, and even casted with resin. Each foam and worbla spike had to be individually shaped, sanded, primed, and painted. The spikes themselves acted as a real-life lesson in patience, as a majority of them also had to be individually patterned for size, and shape!

The most difficult component of this project was definitely the breastplate, with its geometric layers, lines, and support that seemed to defy all notions of gravity. Painting the glowy bits with a radial gradient in between very shiny, very dark armor was a challenge in itself! I am so happy with the extra love I poured into this cosplay that it was all worth it.

My favorite part of this build is definitely the iconic Soulsword! The painting was such a blast, especially the gradient I achieved on the blade using rattle spray cans!

This is one recent cosplay that means the world to me, due to what Ilyana Rasputin represents, and I am so excited to be able to share the love of this character with the world!

BIO: Hi, I’m Poppy! I am a Bay Area native and creative by heart, but when I began my cosplay adventure in early 2021 I never imagined it would bring me to where it has, today! What began as a pandemic hobby quickly turned into such a special part of my life. The cosplay community itself has shown such incredible love and support over the years, and is a constant stream of inspiration for my pieces.

While some of my most well known cosplays consist of crazy armor or flouncy skirts, my favorite things to make actually aren’t items at all! Using my background in teaching and education, one activity that has truly brought me the most joy in this community is making tutorials. I love to share information on new, innovative techniques, or on how I build entire projects.

Even though I love sharing knowledge I’ve picked up (or stumbled upon) I still believe I have a lot to learn! The cosplay community itself is perpetually inspiring as makers from all over the world uplift each other and their crafts. Join me on my Instagram page, Poppy Lop Cosplay, as we continue to grow, together!

COSPLAY & WORDS BY @POPPYLOP_COS
PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN BY BRIAN NISHIMOTO