Mexican. English teacher, linguist and translator. Deeply in love with writing, reading, languages, movies, anime and music. Loving animals since the day I was born. I first saw the light in the same land as Guillermo del Toro.
Bringing back my first ever Pacific Rim fanfic because I just realized it took place on January 13th.
So, the clock had been stopped permanently…
Now what?
Now what?
Raleigh sighed heavily. He had spent the last 12 hours waiting for something to change, for something to happen. Waiting for someone to come and tell him what was next…
But none of that happened.
What would he do? What would she do? What would they both do now that the Jaeger Program was over and they were no longer needed?
The "she" he was worried about was peacefully sleeping on a small bed less than two meters away from the chair he was on; her blue dyed strands of hair falling freely on her face.
They were in Mako's bedroom. Not feeling in the mood to celebrate, and exhausted both physically and mentally, they had managed to avoid the cheering crowds and discretely headed there almost immediately after reaching the Shatterdome. He didn't think there was that much to celebrate and he knew she felt the same.
Once in the room, Raleigh had helped her remove the pilot suit from her body to change into more comfortable clothes, careful not to hurt her already bruised frame. After everything they'd gone through, Mako had been just too tired to even grief and had simply lain down on the bed, falling asleep shortly after. He had tried to get some sleep as well, but sitting had proven to be an impossible position for him to do so, so after an hour or so of struggling he had given up. There was too much in his head anyway; too much to assimilate.
He had taken a hot shower in an attempt to clear up his mind and changed into some cargo pants and an undershirt he had fetched from his room. He didn't want to leave Mako's side. He didn't want her to wake up alone to her new reality.
He looked at her sleeping form and his mind went back to the rainy day he met her in. To the way she looked. To how her dark hair and fair skin contrasted with the grayness around them, just like it did with his life itself. He had been really close to losing her. Unconsciously, his mind relived the fear and anguish he felt when he realized Mako's oxygen levels were dropping; a shill ran down his spine at the thought and his eyes moved to the scars on his left arm subconsciously. There was only one time in which he had felt that way; it had been in the prior moments to Yancy's death… that fear of losing someone.
This time he hadn't been willing to let that happen. He had to protect her. After Marshal Pentecost's sacrifice, Raleigh had made the silent vow of watching over Mako no matter what, and that was what he had kept in mind while activating Gipsy's reactor manually. He couldn't die; he had to go back to her.
It wasn't the Drift compatibility they had or it wasn't simply that. There was something in her that had captivated him since the very first time he saw her, and as he got to know her that simple "something" turned into more.
Raleigh was certain she knew what he felt for her; he had never really bother hiding it. What was the point if in order to get a proper neuronal connection between pilots they couldn't hold onto any memory or thought. He knew she felt something for him too; he just wasn't sure how long it would take for her to come to terms with it. He didn't care. He would wait.
Raleigh took Mako's small red shoe from one of the shelves before him, and examined it carefully, tracing the patent leather surface with his fingers, musing. He wondered if Mako had finally gotten rid of her ghosts from the past. Had he finally gotten rid of his? He put the shoe back when he felt Mako stir.
She sighed deeply in her sleep, and Raleigh watched as she slowly opened her eyes, and little by little, regained consciousness of the things and people surrounding her. She sat up. A pained expression crossed her features as the realization of what had happened hit her. Then, her eyes met him. Something in the way she was looking at him made him feel uneasy.
They stared at each other for what it felt like ages.
Some words he had heard once came to his mind "When you share a neuronal connection with someone for so long, you feel like there is nothing left to talk about."
It didn't have to be that way…
"What are you thinking?" she asked him a little drowsily; her black eyes curious and expectant.
He had never believed that crap anyway.
"My timing seems to be finally right," he replied.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of Pacific Rim, my favorite movie of all time, I wanted to share what is my favorite piece of fanfiction that I have ever written of one of my favorite ships. Happy Pacific Rim Anniversary!
Mako woke up to the smell of freshly made coffee and the lingering feeling of a feather–like kiss on the bare skin of her shoulder. She opened her eyes. She was lying on her side, so she flipped around to rest on her back. She found a pair of vibrant blue eyes gazing at her adoringly.
"Hey," he greeted her. He smelled like shampoo and aftershave.
"Hey," she replied, smiling sleepily. "What time is it?" she asked him.
"9:30," Raleigh said. Upon hearing this, Mako sat up abruptly, tossing aside the blankets that had been covering her body, and getting up from bed as fast as she could. "Mako…," he called out, but she ignored him; she was too busy pacing around the room, pulling out clothes from drawers here and there while Raleigh observed her with utter fascination.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Mako huffed, while she struggled to free a coat from a hanger in the closet. When he didn't reply, she turned her head to look at him and shot him a dead glare. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at her with an amused expression on his face. Mako frowned and eyed him curiously.
"It's our day off," he stated finally, smirking. Mako relaxed and loosened the firm grasp she had on the piece of clothing she was holding.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" she complained.
"You didn't ask," he replied with the same boyish goofy smile still on hi slips. "I was thinking that since we are not going to the Shatterdome, maybe we could do something different today," he suggested.
"What do you have in mind?" she inquired while she waltzed around the room putting away some clothes.
"It´s been a long time since we've been to Hong Kong," he retorted in a cautious tone, expectant. Mako froze as soon as she heard those words.
"It's too far," she said flatly not meeting his eyes, placing an undershirt inside a drawer with more force than she intended.
"I'm sure Herc won't mind if we take a couple more days off," he rebutted. After saying this, Raleigh waited for Mako's reaction, who in that moment was with her back to him. When she finally turned around, she fixed her dark eyes on him. "If we hurry, we can still get a flight before noon," he added, unwilling to yield to the pleading look in Mako's eyes.
"Raleigh, I need time."
Raleigh looked at her. He was well aware of what she was trying to convey with those words, but he was also aware that this was something they had to do; that if they didn't do it this way, they would never do it. It was about time to leave the ghosts from their pasts behind.
"Take all the time you need," he told her. "I'll be waiting outside", he added and stood up.
Mako opened her mouth as if to say something, but it was too late for Raleigh had already left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Mako sighed heavily, defeated. She had no other choice but to get ready for the long day she had ahead.
They were able to catch a flight before noon, landing in Hong Kong in the afternoon. They took a bus to the city's coastal side amidst the deafening noise in the airport.
"What did you first think of me when you met me?" Mako asked him, startling him as he was too lost in thought and had believed her asleep.
"Honestly?" he said, averting his gaze from the small window he had been looking through since they had started the trip.
"Yes."
"I thought you were really pretty," he answered nonchalantly. Mako moved slightly away from him, and gave him a disapproving look.
"I'm serious, Raleigh."
"Me too," he replied. "I thought you were really beautiful, and after you insulted me, I thought you were something else; that you were special."
"I didn't insult you," she protested with feigned indignation. "I just pointed out that I had imagined you different." Raleigh smiled and directed his gaze towards the small window beside him, his face growing serious all of the sudden.
"You know, Mako? I was used to being surrounded by people who were always telling me how great I was and how grateful they were I had saved their lives, even after Yancy died. You and your words were a breath of fresh air," he muttered. "What did you think of me?" Mako gave it some thought before replying.
"I thought you were very young to be the talented pilot the Marshal always talked about," she uttered after a few seconds and made a pause, "and that you were very handsome," she admitted quietly, eliciting a small smile from Raleigh.
"So you planned on seducing me from day one?"
"I didn't plan on seducing you!"
"Really? Because now that I think about it, it did look as if you were trying to seduce me."
"I was not!" Mako protested, making Raleigh's smile grow wider.
"I don't know about that," he said teasingly. "Don't think I didn't notice the way you looked at me when you saw me shirtless."
Mako stared at him wide eyed and blushed. After months and months of seeing much more that simply his bare torso, she still wasn't used to it.
"Raleigh!" she scolded him.
"So you were not trying to seduce me?"
"Of course not."
"Because I was," he said, and Mako's eyes landed on him. "That until I realized you were Marshal Pentecost's daughter."
Mako smiled ruefully at the mention of her father's last name, and Raleigh took her hand in his.
"You know I love you," he said sternly and kiss the top of her hand.
"Yes," she mumbled and leaned in for a kiss. They pulled away when they felt the bus come to a halt.
"We're here," he announced and stood up.
The distance from the bus stop to their destination wasn't much. They walked a couple of blocks before reaching the bay. It was cold and cloudy and Raleigh took Mako by the hand. She shivered when she felt the cool sea breeze hitting her face.
They walked hand in hand until they reached the coast, and stopped right at the edge of a lonely dock. The wind was blowing hard, agitating the sea before them; the bitter cold soaking through the bone. Mako was trembling while Raleigh, who had grown accustomed to Anchorage's crude winters, stood still, immutable. They were both wearing heavy wool coats. Raleigh had both of his hands in his pockets while Mako had her right hand in her pocket and the other inside one of Raleigh's pockets, holding onto his hand tightly.
They remained quiet for a bit, on their feet, each one lost in their own thoughts while staring, absorbed, at the magnificent ocean before them.
"It really has been a while since we last were here," he said in a gruff voice, "since the day after we closed the Breach," he added in a more casual tone.
Mako said nothing to that. Since the day she had realized she would never see the Marshal again, she had refused to cover the topic or anything remotely linked to it.
"Hermann says the Kaijus can come back at any moment," Mako said absent‐mindedly all of the sudden. Raleigh looked at her. He could see her hot breath turning into a cloud of whitish vapour as it came in contact with the cold environment. "It can be days, weeks; even months. What will we do when that happens?" she asked him. Raleigh briefly pondered before replying.
"We'll fight. That's what we'll do," he said confidently, looking at her in the eyes. "Together," he went on and turned his eyes back to the ocean. "They'll come back no matter what we do. All we can do is wait."
They got lost in the ocean and in their own thoughts again; in the place where the Breach used to be, where they had closed it. Where Marshal Pentecost and Chuck Hansed had let out their last breath.
"He trusted you," Mako blurted out.
"Sorry?" he replied. He had heard her, but he wasn't quite sure what she meant.
"My father," she muttered. Raleigh fixed his eyes on Mako. It wasn't common to hear her talking about the Marshal as her father. "He would have never allowed me to pilot Gipsy had it not been with you. The reason why he wouldn't let you near me at first was because he knew you would be the man taking his little girl away from him".
"He told you that?"
"He was my father, Raleigh. I knew him."
After a brief pause, Raleigh said:
"We'd better get going. It's getting dark and soon it'll be colder," Mako nodded silently.
Raleigh turned around to leave and so did Mako. She clung to his arm and they resumed walking. While they sauntered away, she looked back at the ocean one last time. To where the Breach used to be; where they had closed it. Where her father and Chuck had let out their last breath.
She looked ahead and drew nearer to Raleigh. He kissed the top of her head.
Walking away, darkness began to descend on the streets of Hong Kong.
I just finished "The Bear" and I LOVED IT! The cinematography, the music, the food, the characters, EVERYTHING!
I gotta thank Twitter for showing me a random tweet last week with a black & white picture that got me like "Where is this from?" and also thank the Tumblr community whose amazing posts made me fall even more in love with the TV show.
Finally, Syd and Carmy are a hill I'm willing to die on!
Following the recent events that took place this week, I have decided to make this statement since I have received attacks that affect me as a person and affect my credibility.
These go way back, and today they have escalated; they have become very aggressive and of defamatory nature. These increased ever since I met and took a photo with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
That sympathy, in addition to my firm and clear anti-racism and anti-classism discourse, has obviously resulted in many groups trying to use this to their advantage to meddle with my career, mi privacy, my family and even with my daughters’ personal information.
Many ill-intentioned notes have been published with the minimum of journalism ethics, without consulting sources or investigation even the utmost basic; such was the case this week, when I clarified having given the corresponding credit in time to the artisan Feliciana Hernández Bautista (Ref. Instagram 09/22/23), something which was practically omitted in almost all the notes. Also, as in previous occasions, bots were utilized to make a trending topic.
The exponential growth of my visibility has unleashed a series of grotesque rumors, going as far as exposing addresses, names, workplaces of my relatives, personal photos, and my daughters’ schools.
I wonder, is it really so terrible to sit down and watch television with the president?
Even though we differ in many stances, such as the unfortunate case of the 40 migrants who died in the INM facilities in Ciudad Juárez, the unequal treatment the North and Central American migrants receive, and in general, the debt in public security.
We knew very well that we would be exposed, but little by little the limits of reason have been pushed, fabricating and defaming. I am by no means perfect, I make mistakes, but I have been owning them, working on it throughout the years, because that is the only way I know.
Today, I am being attacked for absurd reasons, instead of attacking the racist and classist system that hurts us.
I have received legal advice to stop the multiple attacks and defamation. Overall, the wonderful team of women whom I work with have been doing an incredible job diminishing and placating the unleashed violence, as well as with protecting my family.
We will continue fighting for what we believe in. We will continue working and taking responsibility for any mistake that may occur. But in no way will we back down nor will we carry faults or mistakes we did not make.
Raleigh Becket heard the alarm and was moving before he was completely awake, swinging out of the bottom bunk in the Alaska Shatterdome's officers' quarters and talking before his feet had hit the ground.
"Yancy, get up! Movement in the Breach!"
He got his shirt on. Yancy didn't move.
"Let's go, bro!" Raleigh kicked the edge of his brother's bunk. They had divvied up opposite personal qualities the way siblings close in age did. Raleigh snapped one-hundred-percent awake right away; Yancy was lucky to reach full awareness before it was time to go to bed again.
"We're being deployed!"
"Great. Good morning," Yancy grumbled.
It sometimes seemed to Raleigh that his brother would sleep his life away, but man, not Raleigh. There was too much out there.
Including, at this moment, a kaiju to be killed.
"This one's Category III, biggest yet," Raleigh said, checking the deployment monitor while he finished dressing. "Codename: Knifehead."
Yancy muttered something incomprehensible. At least he was out of the bed and moving. Raleigh was already at the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet while Yancy finished stretching and pried his eyes open.
"Fifth notch on the belt," Raleigh said, scanning the first batch of information on the kaiju as it streamed out of LOCCENT Command. Yancy stretched and looked around for his clothes.
"Don't get cocky," he said.
Three minutes later they were in the suiting area.
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