CAGEFOUND.

and so she took control.   drawing strength from the ice nation queen herself,  echo stood strong in front of her people.   was she ruthless?  yes.  did she call for retribution?   absolutely.   but all echo knew of the skaikru was death and destruction.   in a matter of months,  they had torn the clans apart.   if the clans fell under skaikru’s control,   what would happen to her people?   who would die next at the hands of the great wanheda?

her means may have been too harsh,   but echo wanted to keep her people safe.   she wanted roan to be protected,  to be respected,   and for azgeda to prevail.   we even see her offer to fight in roan’s place,   to show the clans who azgeda was,  is,  and will always be.

when echo was eight,  her parents tragically died as the result of a house fire.  her father was consumed by the flames as he fought desperately to get echo and her mother out the door,   while her mother died hours later from smoke inhalation and extensive burns.   echo’s recollection of the night is hazy at best,   but there are certain components she remembers vividly:    the stench of the smoke,   her mother’s frantic hands around her shoulders pushing her towards the door,    the smell of her father’s skin rotting / her mother’s hair alight in flames.   it was horrific,  tragic,  and because both of her parents had estranged (at best) relationships with their families,   echo entered the foster system.  

echo bounced around from foster home to foster home for quite some time.   most were group homes,  overflowing with screaming kids scrambling to have their needs met.   she hated it.   for the most part,  echo stayed quiet and reserved,  a little overwhelmed by the abundance of people  /  the constant and unending noise.  she watched as the younger children were taken to their forever homes,   scooped up and rescued from the turmoil,    while she was left behind.   cast aside,  too traumatized,   too old for anyone to want.  

around the age of twelve,  echo was placed into what would become her adolescent home.   the rawling family came from very humble beginnings, their house overrun with their own biological children.   it was pure chaos,  but with the group homes filled to the brim,  her social worker had little choice.

mrs. rawling was nothing short of a complete terror.   with a short temper and a heavy hand,  she ruled the household militant-style.   echo rarely talks about what happened in the home,   but she bears the faded scars to prove it.    here, she was taught how be quiet and strong.   here, she was taught that emotional displays would be met with violence.   here, she stole and lied and met violence with violence in order to survive.   here, she learned that nightmares weren’t reserved for when you’re sleeping.   sometimes nightmares were your life.

needless to say,  on her eighteenth birthday,  echo signed up for the united states marine corp.   she had a natural talent for combat,  her encounters with her foster brothers helping her find a home amongst the boys in her unit.   to be quite honest,  boot camp was like a freaking dream compared to her foster home,  and she pushed herself so far beyond her limits in order to succeed.  echo doesn’t do anything without giving it her all,  and she certainly gave her best efforts in the marines.   her tactical mind and fast-developing skill with a gun made her a natural,  even while deployed overseas.  she was a natural leader,  and her talents did not go unnoticed.  

within three years,  echo was offered the chance to try for the marine corp special forces.  there were no guarantees,  but the chance was all she needed.  echo was sent to the marine corp special operations individual course,  and emerged nine months later a marine corp special ops raider.  she is now a member of the usmc special operations team,  specializing in entering high pressure situations to gather valuable intelligence in support of usmc operations.

      is    the    water    safe        ?           leave    it    to    murphy        &        his    impulsivity    to    test    it    out        &        prove    just    that. there’s    a    welcome    warmth    provided    by    the    eclipsing    sun    ,    a    comfort    in    the    melodious    laughter    of    cohort’s    splashing    in    the    lake.    it    had    ,    evidently    ,    been    over    100    years    since    their    bodies    had    been    in    contact    with    water.    he    would    definitely    call    that    :    deprivation.    optics    shift    from    the    rippling    liquid    to    the    uncertain    female    beside    him.    

    a    nod    of    his    head    ,    a    clear    invitation    to    join    him.     her    refusal    only    broadens    the    smile    already    occupying    his    lips.    bellamy    tosses    gear    down,    shedding    layers    of    clothing    until    he’s    bare    chested.    he    isn’t    taking        ❛        no        ❜        for    an    answer    as    his    digits    seek    out    hers    ,                    ❝            c'mon    ,    don’t    tell    me    you’re    afraid    of    a    little    water    ,                    ❞                  he    teases    ,    attempting    to    coax    her    into    joining    him    with    a    taunting    approach.                

HIS      SUDDEN      BARE      SKIN      DOES      NOT      TEMPT      HER      TO      GIVE      IN;      it’s      the      amusement      in      his      eyes      ---      the      mirth,      the      happiness      she      hasn’t      been      privy      to      since      those      six      years      spent      in      the      sky.      every      last      day      they      spent      on      the      ground,      bellamy      was      burdened      by      worry,      by      responsibility.      for      octavia,      for      his      people,      for      her.      echo      would      do      anything      to      keep      this      smile      on      his      face.      ❛      i      am      from      the      ground,      bellamy,      ❜      she      reminds      him,      the      very      corners      of      her      lips      twitching      with      the      faintest      traces      of      a      smile.      already,      her      fate      is      sealed.      ❛      and      a      spy.      i      fear      nothing.      ❜

if      you’re      expecting      her      to      argue,      you’re      going      to      be      sorely      disappointed.      these      are      the      thoughts      that      haunt      her      late      at      night      while      he      sleeps      peacefully      beside      her.      these      are      the      words      hidden      under      the      layers      of      questions      she      does      ask:      what      are      we      gonna      be      now?      what      are      we      gonna      be      when      you      see      your      sister,            when      you’re      forced      to      confront      the      reality      of      who      i      am?            time      may      have      cauterized      the      wounds,     may      have      stopped      the      endless      bleeding,      but      the      scars      remain.      she      betrayed      him,            broke      him,            nearly      killed      his      sister.      she      was      the      enemy,      and      no      amount      of      changing,      growing      can      erase      their      tumultuous      past.      

gaze      is      averted,     focused      on      some      far-off      /      distant      point.    she      bears      no      expression,      no      hint      of      weakness,     though      there’s      a      storm      brewing      within      her.      they’ve      been      through      hell      &      back      again,      risked      their      lives      to      save      one      another.      he’s      pledged      allegiance      to      her      even      in      the      face      of      banishment,      and      she’s      fought      her      way      back      through      impossible      circumstances.            it      should      be      enough,            this      war-torn      love,       but      those      scars…            THOSE      SCARS      HAUNT      HER,       reminding      her      that      she’ll      never      have      all      of      him.      never      deserve      all      of      him.

and in a world in which roan had lived & echo had not been banished from azgeda,       she would have never loved anyone else. even in verses where he marries another person,       echo would have spent her life alone.   she has a relentless,  unyielding loyalty to him,      to the point where it’s detrimental to her own safety / wellbeing.  she would die for him,     and chances are? she does die somewhere in her mid-to-late thirties. most likely trying to protect him or his children.  

echo  was  utterly  terrified.    she  had  just  lost  the  only  family  she’d  ever  known,    and  it  left  her  feeling  completely  stripped  of  her  identity  /  sense  of  belonging.    she  was  embarking  into  a  vast  unknown  with  a  group  of  people  who  hated  her and  had no  qualms  about  voicing  it.

the  first  year  was  rough.     echo  constantly  felt  awkward,   left-out,    like  a  spare  they’d  all  sacrifice  at  a  moment’s  notice.     she  kept  her  head  down  and  did  her  best  to  be  as  helpful  as  possible.    the  whole  time,  she  felt  like  she  might  jump  right  out  of  her  own  skin.   someone  who  grew  up  in  the  great  outdoors,    she  felt  cooped  up   /   claustrophobic.   the  stale  air  felt  foreign  to  her  lungs,   she  couldn’t  seem  to  grow  accustomed  to  the  constant  hum  of  electricity   —–   even  the  beds  were  too  comfortable,    leaving  her  sleeping  on  the  floor  more  often  than  not.  

i  think  it’s  important  to  also  note  that,    while  skaikru  had  to  forgive  echo,   she  had  her  own  prejudices  to  overcome.    emori  was  a  frikdreina  —–   a  mutant  ostracized  by  echo’s  own  people.    despite  the  fact  emori  was  perhaps  the  one  person who  could  understand  echo’s  hesitations,   who  probably  had  more  in  common  with  echo’s  upbringing  than  any  of  the  others,    echo  had  a  difficult  time  letting  go  of  the  preconceived  notions  drilled  into  her  from  childhood.

——————      REPOST   ,   DON’T REBLOG .

been cheated on ,   been bullied ,   told a horrible lie ,   stolen something of value ,   overdosed on drugs ,  been drunk ,   passed out ,   cheated ,   bullied ,   punched someone in the face ,  been beaten up ,  broken a bone ,   been admitted to a hospital , had a near-death experience ,   been drugged ,   done drugs ,   smoked ,   kissed someone you weren’t attracted to ,   bled severely ,   killed someone ,   had an attempt on your life ,   made an attempt on your own life ,   lost someone ,   loved someone ,   gone without food for over three days ,   gone without sleep for over three days ,   been tortured ,   been slapped by a parent or higher up ,   been abused by someone who should have loved you ,   had a panic attack ,   been in a car accident ,   had sex ,   had sex with a stranger ,   been raped ,   felt raped ,   passed out from pain ,   cried yourself to sleep ,   spent a whole day in bed ,   hurt yourself ,   taken your anger out on yourself ,   taken your anger out on someone you love ,   been used ,   felt used ,   used ,   been terrified,   played a cruel game on someone ,   been dominant ,   been submissive ,   been forced to smile ,   felt too many things at once ,  laughed when you felt like crying .

training   /   sparring   rp   meme.

is that the best you can do?

i won’t go easy on you.

i’ll go easy on you.

quit going easy on me.

hit me.

is this necessary?

try again.

here, let me show you.

get off of me.

you’re heavy.

you’re crushing me.

your stance is all wrong.

you won’t hurt me, i promise.

i don’t want to hurt you.

i think i’m going to feel that tomorrow.

relax, i’m trying to help.

you need to take this more seriously.

did that hurt?

that hurt!

got you.

loosen up.

your shoulders are tense.

don’t get distracted.

come on, throw your best punch.

you’re holding that wrong.

watch where you’re swinging that.