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coeurdastronaute · 3 years

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Christmas: Day 33

maybe possibly continue the thanksgiving/christmas of clarke and lexa with it being their second christmas together and they do their own thing and attend new years party or maybe do the new years right after the thanksgiving/christmas story

Day 32

Even with the sludge and the general slush that was the busy streets in the winter, the car crunched its way down familiar streets toward the opposite side of town, departing the high rises of the downtown skyline and instead running for the wide open grey sky, plump with snow and the promises of a very, very white Christmas. Dressed in its best holiday attire, the city was brimming with cheer; lights hung from every tree, ornaments from every street light, balconies were glistening with the vast array of different decoration choices, and most importantly, tiny snow men appeared in tiny yards and parks and playgrounds, waving away the old and welcoming that sense of joy that seemed to creep in despite the chill in the air.

The car was steaming, the heat pumping through the vents at a prodigious rate that made the inhabitants begin the slow process of taking off parts of their layers between stop lights and signs. Outside it was below freezing, but the cab of the vehicle was stifling in the way that only a car can be during the holidays, pumping in good spirits despite all else.

“Are you really nervous?”

“No… no. No, no,” Clarke shook her head as she put on the confident air she’d perfected throughout her life.

“You already know Anya,” Lexa promised, seeing through it instantly, knowing that she had to offer a few extra words of encouragement to make it real, to put some weight behind the faux demeanor. “You’ve known her longer than you’ve known me.”

“I work with her, but it’s not like we work together. We’re in vastly different departments. I don’t see her other than when we have dinner together.”

“We’ve been dating for nearly three years. You know her plenty.”

“I know. And I’m not nervous,” she shrugged.

Lexa reach across the middle and held her girlfriend’s hand, easing her into it. It wasn’t lost on the lawyer that her girlfriend was nervous to spend the holiday without her family, nor that she was always a little nervous around Anya. For Lexa, there were no other options. She had to make a good impression on the only sister, the only living family member. She dreaded the thought of having to impress just Clarke’s mother or father or friends. She understood the pressure.

“I’m excited we get to spend the holiday with my family this year,” Lexa decided to try a different tactic, attempting to lighten the mood. “It’s going to be great. And we can teach them how to make proper hot chocolate and such.”

“I’m excited, too.”

“Your mom wasn’t too hurt that I’ve stolen you for the holidays?”

Clarke pulled Lexa’s hand to kiss it before looking out the windows again as the snow flurry picked up once more.

“She understood. She was just excited we agreed to New Years with them.”

“I can’t believe she was okay with inviting Anya and the gang up for the party. It was very cool of her.”

“Well, you know Abby,” Clarke shrugged. “Always trying to be the hippest mom on the block. Plus, Dad really wanted to validate his transforming the shed to a guest house.”

“House is generous.”

“Don’t tell him that,” she chuckled and agreed. “He worked very hard.”

“I know,” Lexa grinned. “He sent me all kinds of updates. I think he was trying to separate us when we visit.”

“Fat chance.”

“We’re quiet, right?”

“Very,” Clarke nodded before pondering it a little more. She decided to get that thought of her head immediately.

“Well, I can safely say that Anya appreciated the gesture of including the whole family together, and they never get to go anywhere or go to adult parties. She’s probably more excited about that than about us coming for Christmas.”

“My mom loves having kids running around the house. It works out so well. Why haven’t we thought of it sooner?”

“I had to get you to date me for real, first.”

“Shut up,” Clarke rolled her eyes, pinching her girlfriend’s bicep. “It wasn’t that hard.”

“Mhm, keep telling yourself that.”

“I’m not having this fight with you again.”

“Yes dear,” Lexa smirked, lolling her head back toward the road as Clarke rolled her eyes once more and sighed, smiling through it despite herself.

The car made its way across town as the streetlights came on. All of the creatures that would have been stirring quieted. Little faces pushed themselves against the cold glass of the windows and searched the sky for a sight of the sleigh. Christmas Eve settled atop the world with a sense of impending joy and a crackling warmth that kept all of the houses nestled safely on their streets.

The intersection before her sister’s house, Lexa kissed her girlfriend’s knuckle and tucked her hand closer to herself, satisfied with her life and that she was someone who had many places to be for Christmas. A surge of love flushed itself through her system, and it went away just as unexpectedly, leaving behind a residue of warmth.

“I love you, you know?” she asked her girlfriend who hummed along with the Christmas music on the radio.

“Yeah, duh.”

With a contented smile, Lexa let her head rest against the seat in the car as the warmth blew at the snow that clung to her boots.

XXXXXXXXXX

Much like her own home for the holidays, the dining table at the Blake household was vibrant and alive, absolutely overflowing with bodies and hands and forks and delicious smelling food steaming at the windows and voices talking over each other to fill their plates and begin the sacred tradition of a Christmas Eve dinner.

“We do the big dinner tomorrow,” Anya promise as she finished making a plate for her youngest daughter who slapped at the high chair, full of mirth and excitement. “But Chinese has been a Christmas Eve tradition since we were kids.”

“This is absolutely better than anything I could have imagined,” Clarke promised, angling for a box of lo mein.

“Our mom burned an entire dinner in some fashion their first Christmas together,” Lexa explained, handing out egg rolls to her niece and nephew and girlfriend. “Before we were even born. And every year, my parents just kept ordering.”

“When I first got married, I debated the tradition.”

“But I insisted,” Bellamy grinned from the head of the table. “Because it meant we got to spend the entire day having fun instead of cooking.”

“And Lexa all but refused to eat anything else.”

“It’s a sacred tradition,” she shrugged, earning a look from her girlfriend. “I’ve been known to be stubborn from time to time.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever hear you admit it,” Clarke taunted.

“That’s your Christmas gift.”

“I wanted to cook this year, but believe it or not, Lexa insisted again that I not change anything for you.”

“I’m glad you didn’t,” she promised. “I can’t imagine a better dinner.”

“And after we get to watch Christmas movies,” Madi explained as she worked her fork around her plate, doing her best. She was the spitting image of Lexa, and Clarke felt that aching kind of twinge to see her girlfriend with the mini-versions of herself. “And eat cookies and leave some for Santa and we got carrots for the reindeer.”

“Oh wow. I better save room.”

“I always try,” Lexa shook her head. “But all we do is eat for the holidays. There’s never enough room.”

The frenzy of family slowed as everyone went about the arduous task of eating absolutely delicious food and savoring each other’s company. The baby made a mess, much to Lexa’s enjoyment, while the twins excitedly prattled on about their gifts and Santa and the movies and everything they wanted to do during their winter break.

Somewhere between all of it, Clarke found herself swept into Lexa’s family, beaming at how happy her girlfriend seemed to be, to be a part of such a moment, to have a certain pride in having someone to share it with. It was as intoxicating as the wine that Anya freely and eagerly shared.

The holidays at the Griffins were decidedly missing something in the form of tiny people who still had enough magic in them to appreciate the mystery of the time of year, and Clarke hadn’t thought to miss it until dinner on Christmas Eve.

Lexa gingerly added more to Clarke’s plate, sharing her order of chicken and explaining eagerly how it was the best of all time, pulling Clarke back from her reverie.All Clarke could do was smile and dig into the new traditions.

XXXXXXXXX

The noise came in the form of tiny feet pounding down the hallway, giggling and excitedly whispering past the room. Lexa shifted in her sleep, stretching slightly to tighten her grasp on her girlfriend. She enjoyed the warmth of the body beside her, she enjoyed her smell mingling with the familiar smell of her sister’s spare room, she even enjoyed the feeling of Clarke’s body relaxing into her own chest as she fought against waking. Lexa kissed bare neck and dug her nose into the shoulder of Clarke’s old flannel shirt. There was something wonderful to wake like that, and she knew it.

“Merry Christmas,” Clarke whispered, tugging Lexa’s arm impossibly closer.

“Merry Christmas, beautiful. Are you ready for presents?”

“You’re worse than the kids.”

“I never claimed any different. What’d you get me?”

“Nothing.”

“Do you want to know what I got you?” Lexa murmured, hand shifting slightly along her girlfriend’s stomach.

“Kind of,” Clarke grinned but kept her eyes shut, her hips moving slightly against Lexa’s lap.

The instant her fingertips dipped into sweatpants, the knock echoed against the door as the tiny feet made their way with great speed, back toward the Christmas tree and pile of presents.

“You’re the one who wants kids,” Clarke reminded her girlfriend as she rolled over to kiss her cheek, earning a huff as the warmth escaped the bed. “Come on. Let’s go see what Santa brought.”

“But… we have a tradition,” Lexa pouted, head hiding in a mess of hair and pillows and sheets.

“Sex on Christmas isn’t a tradition. It’s coincidence.”

“Come back to bed. I can give you a quick coincidence.”

Hopeful and smirking, she stretched across the bed to try to snag a loop in the robe Clarke put on before grasping only at air.

“Morning Lex, Clarke. Merry Christmas. The heathens are waiting for you to open presents,” Anya called, her voice disappearing as she went down the stairs. “I’m making coffee.”

“Looks like we have all new traditions this year,” Clarke teased, tugging a defeated girl out of the bed with a heave, though Lexa refused to make it easy. “I’ve been known to coincidence any time on Christmas though.”

“What a coincidence, me too,” Lexa grinned.

“Come on. Presents.”

“We’re staying home next year. I don’t care what anyone says.”

“Let me quote you on this in about ten months.”

“Shut up.”

XXXXXXXXXXX

The table was set, the candles lit, the plates perfectly ordered with properly placed silverware and fancy wine glasses. Despite the uproar of the kids playing with their toys and trails of wrapping paper throughout the house, the dining room ws expertly set and full of mirth and delicious smelling food. Gone were the flannel pajamas, and in its place were velvet dresses and ties, as everyone dressed up for the meal and friends arrived to partake, stretching the house at its seams with bodies and warmth.

The evening fell quickly, with the lights and candlelight glimmering amidst the voices and happiness of old friends and children itching their collars.

Clarke understood why Lexa said she liked Christmas Eve dinner the best with her family. It felt like a home in a different way than the giant, conventional feast of acquired family members. Christmas Eve, Clarke imagined, was what Lexa imagined her parents would have loved. Christmas was completely for them, their own developed tradition of a beautiful, dimly lit dinner with their closest friends, the found family that kept them alive for so long.

When dinner was called, Clarke found her seat beside her girlfriend and smiled before earning a kiss against her temple while Bellamy’s parents started the applause as Anya brought out the main course followed by some friends with sides.

“I’m going to grab the wine,” Lexa whispered after helping push in Clarke’s chair.

In just a few minutes, everyone was seated and waiting for the items to start passing, but Clarke noticed the absence of her girl. When she looked around, she caught Lexa leaning against the doorway, just watching, two bottles of wine in her hand. Unsure of how long she’d been there, Clarke watched Lexa watch the family, and she felt the warmth of the season, she felt the burning of her adoration, she fell in love.

When Lexa caught her eye, she straightened slightly before smiling quite sheepishly and offering a shrug. Clarke just gave her a wink before thanking Anya’s college roommate for passing the potatoes.

XXXXXXXXXXX

New Year’s was no different than Christmas at the ancestral Griffin household. The trees and lights remained up, festive for the final time of the year, while fancy tables and candles all around, the tables and the food and the people mingled about. It was a full house, with friends and family taking their time getting reacquainted.

From the moment Anya met Mr. and Mrs. Griffin, Lexa felt a warmth, a certain level of family that she couldn’t remember feeling in her entire life. She adored the Griffins. She loved spending time with Jake, as he fiddled in the garage and they escaped Clarke and her mother. Hell, Lexa even enjoyed helping Abby cook and chatting about the newest restaurants. And it sent her over the moon to see Clarke with Anya, so much that they even got coffee together and often saw each other more than Lexa saw her sister.

But during the New Year’s Eve party, all of the world’s combined. Anya was sitting in the living room with Clarke’s childhood best friend. Bellamy and Jake were manning the bar, willingly filling the rest with spirits.

“You’re awfully quiet tonight,” Clarke whispered, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend’s waist, her chin on her shoulder.

“Just happy.”

“Normally you get chatty when you’re happy. You okay?”

“Yeah,” Lexa promised before kissing her girlfriend’s temple. “Just very, very, very happy.”

“So, do you want to go make out in the garage for like ten minutes or…”

“Can I steal her?” Raven interrupted, snagging Clarke’s arm.

They were gone before Lexa could argue.

Nervously, she toyed at the box in her pocket, rubbing the velvet between her fingers. She couldn’t concentrate on much else, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to form words. Every time she tried to remember, her mind went blank.

She refilled her glass of wine and earned a smile from Jake, amused and sympathetic. She watched Clarke and Raven moving through the crowd and felt the warmth and she was almost ready.

XXXXXXXXXX

“Why do we have to go outside?” Clarke shook her head, tugging on her coat as Raven put hers on as well. “It’s almost midnight, and I have a kiss to give. I’m all booked up.”

“I want to show you my new car before the fireworks anyway.”

“Did they add some budget to the fireworks this year?” she chuckled, afraid to acknowledge that the fireworks were barely visible from the town square.

“It’s all anyone’s been talking about for months.”

“You’ve got to get out of this place.”

“Yeah, I know,” Raven chuckled.

The Christmas lights remained on every house on the block, completely illuminating the night and twinkling in the leftover feeling of mirth and joy, hoping to prolong the world a bi longer, to embrace the frigid cold and beautiful, pure snow, and cast off the cynicism that was inevitable within two months. It was the night of firsts, the night of new, the night of beginning and ending, all at once, a sadness for what was lot and a reverence for what was to come, the door of possibilities open wider than ever or any other day. And the Christmas lights remained, a beacon on every eave, a galaxy amidst winter’s distress, ushering in time and the striking of clocks.

The pair walked along the shoveled driveway as Clarke surveyed her home and her old neighborhood. She seemed to remember every branch, exactly as it was, so that even when she was away, her mind knew how they grew, so there was never a change, all remained intact.

“Shit,” Raven sighed, her breath clouding up in the cold. “I forgot my keys. Just… I’ll be two seconds.”

“It’s freezing. Can’t I just see it tomorrow?” Clarke sighed.

“Just hang tight. It’s not midnight yet.”

Suddenly alone in front of her childhood home, Clarke looked into the windows, watching from a new vantage point the life that was being lived inside. She wondered if Lexa’s habit of voyeurism was rubbing off on her. There hadn’t been a time she remembered taking these moments to look and listen and see, more importantly. But now, Clarke paused and watched, like a movie at the drive in.

When the door opened again, when the noise from the party grew louder and then dissipated again, Clarke looked to see her girlfriend appear instead of her friend.

“Thirty seconds left in the year, and I was afraid I was getting stood up,” Lexa smiled, shivering in the cold.

“I would never. Raven made me come out, but I’ve lost her, it seems.”

“Sounds like Raven.”

“Well, you’re here now. Care to usher in a new year with me, Woods?”

Clarke cocked her head to the side as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s neck. Lexa’s arms moved around her waist in the familiar pattern they’d developed. Inside, the noise seemed to die down as the count began for the final seconds of the year.

“There is absolutely no where else I’d rather be.”

Clarke couldn’t wait, leaning forward to kiss Lexa one last time and for the first time as time existed beyond them. The cheers and confetti erupted in the house and the fireworks boomed in the distant, barely visible beyond the roofs across the street.

“Happy New Year,” Clarke whispered, her cheeks blushing with the cold and the kiss.

“Happy New Year,” Lexa returned, not even opening her eyes but smiling nonetheless.

“We should go inside.”

“Just one more minute.”

Even with their foreheads pressed together, Clarke nodded and closed her eyes as well. She felt Lexa’s hands toying with her coat, and she felt her breathing warm the space between them.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Lexa nodded again.

“You’re shivering. Let’s go in.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she nodded again. “Wait. No. I don’t want to go inside yet.”

“But your--”

Lexa pulled away slightly, but she didn’t move. She furrowed and gulped, afraid to look at her girlfriend’s face. It flashed gold and green and blue and red and gold again with the display.

“I love you.”

“I know. I love you too,” Clarke promised.

“I need you to not say anything for like thirty seconds, okay?” Lexa waited until she earned a nod. “Okay. I love you. I knew I was in love with you the very first Christmas we spent together, and the very first year you kissed me on New Years. I love the life you’ve given me, and I love the person I naturally am when you’re here.”

Clarke watched the movements happen, she couldn’t quite understand it, despite knowing what it all meant. She watched Lexa dig into her pocket. She watched the little black box appear as Lexa knelt on one knee in front of her.

“I’ve fallen so entirely in love with you, that I want to spend the rest of my life, my holidays, my new years, my old years. I want it all with you. And I was wondering if you would marry me?”

Lexa stared back at her girlfriend and gulped again, her heart entirely stopping for the duration of what felt like an entire lifetime.

But words didn’t come, just Clarke pouncing forward and hugging Lexa’s neck so tightly she thought she might break it right there. But she nodded and nodded and hugged so fiercely she couldn't entirely nod. And when that failed, she kissed her.

The crowd that formed near the door and windows yelled and clapped, though neither noticed.

“I love you so much,” Clarke mumbled, unable to breathe or see or talk or do anything other than exist in a state of pure bliss.

“Good. Be mine forever?”

“Of course.”

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southboundhqarchive · 5 years

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MEET LUZ,

FULL NAME › Luz Fuentes DeDios AGE › thirty GENDER › Cis female (She/Her/Hers) FROM › Yakima, Washington RESIDENCE › Laguna Street (Midtown) OCCUPATION › Acting Owner of Los Gatos Taqueria NOW PLAYING › Moment Of Truth by Gang Starr

BIOGRAPHY,

trigger warnings: cancer, death of a parent, divorce

AEGEAN BRONZE AGE ( 3,000-2,000 BCE )

when luz is small, she hears the story of her birth a thousand times. she can recite it by heart. it is a perfect day in may and her mother dolores has been walking for days, tired of carrying around a belly so swollen with life that she is certain she could fit her own body inside of it. it has been five months since dolores has seen her husband and she does not think he’ll ever come home from some godforsaken war across the sea. the truth is that he never does–not even for his only daughter. donald cameron dies alone on the same day his daughter luz takes her first breath after an arduous labor in the back of an ambulance on the way from pioneer park to saint mary medical center.

dolores tells the story as if she was in both places at once. at her husband’s side as a fatal bullet cut him down like a blade of grass and holding her own hand as she pushed and screamed on the rigid gurney. luz thinks that her mother must see everything. it is that childhood belief that protects her from the troubles that follow her cousins like black cats and shadows. it’s different as an only child, she knows that her mother has only one person in the whole wide world and she must live up to her mother’s need to be whole.

next door, the abandoned house sits behind a chain link fence. dozens of stone animals litter the yard and porch and it becomes young luz’s playground. she digs in the dirt, unburying hidden treasures and her cousins laugh and call her indiana jones. the book of greek myths her father left behind is never far from her mind and even as a small girl, sole knows she will walk in the colosseum and excavate along the mediterranean. the excavations are fun and so is time spent with her cousins, but she can’t help being envious of her cousins’ closeness with one another. without a father, she wonders how she can ever have a sibling when her father is nothing but a cold, marble headstone.

grief waxes and wanes for dolores, who knows as much about suffering as her name might suggest. linda is a salve for old pains as they ease. the two meet when linda begins waitressing at the restaurant dolores cooks at. the love is slow at first–neither woman sure what the other wants–but it is built on a solid foundation. linda has a son, francisco, and soon the fuentes pair become of family of four. francisco and luz are close enough in age that the pair become fast friends–basketball in the driveway, late night action movie binges–they’re inseparable.

school is easy for luz, who is an avid reader and an energetic learner with a solid family to support her. she quickly earns playful jeering from her cousins for being a pocha as she works hard to fit in. despite focusing on student government and basketball, she is well regarded among her peers. she is the kind of girl that makes it hard not to like–an easy going, laid back girl with a jock’s ponytail and a sharp wit. the girl is made for something great and her mother works tirelessly to afford uniforms and ap textbooks. luz fuentes is going somewhere.

MINOAN PALATIAL PERIOD ( 2,600-1,400 BCE )

it’s not the dream she had far away in the esteemed halls of colleges like cambridge, oxford, or harvard. no, whitman college–so named for the whitman incident in which a missionary is forced to pay for his crimes and yet is remembered as the white hero–is just down the street from her modest childhood home. it’s strange, then, how different of a world it seems to her. the liberal arts college is not the place she belongs as she did in high school. it’s an entirely different world. she works in the cafeteria to offset the costs her scholarships don’t cover, plays basketball for the team, and has dinner with her mother every sunday if not more. it’s not a bad life.

the classroom and court are the places where luz feels like she can really be herself. pieces of her are lost in conversations among classmates that she does not relate to and she plunges herself head first into work and family, which is the most she’s ever known. when she finds her true calling, she’s paralyzed–they don’t offer a major in bioarchaeology. with the help of a couple of advisors, she makes her own–blending anthropology, biology, geology, and chemistry together in a blissful salve that mends even the deepest wounds gained in the thirst to prove that she can be everything her mother needs. her sacrifices will not be for nothing.

when she graduates, she feels a whirlwind sense of accomplishment. she is accepted to field school in crete where she can study the minoan and mycenaean cultures to her heart’s content. it is there she develops her fascination with bones and death and focuses her interest on funerary archaeology–a subject she will study at length at the university of tennessee’s bioarchaeology doctoral program. she can sometimes hear her father calling her and she knows that she must reunite the dead with their loved ones.

THE HEROIC AGE ( 1,600-1,100 BCE )

on a quiet, hot summer night she falls in love with another doctoral student a few years her senior. they drink raki and let the waves and sand massage their weary feet. they return to tennessee and luz feels her stomach swelling with the prospect of life. rodrigo is a warm heart and though he is not prepared for fatherhood he takes to it, like he does with most things, with gusto. if there is apprehension in luz’s heart it is quelled by the worry in her mother’s voice through the telephone lines–please tell me you are going to marry him, mija. luz fuentes dedios has never broken her mother’s heart.

nayeli guadalupe esparza is born, much like her mother, on a summer’s day and is named for rodrigo and luz’s grandmothers. she holds her so tight that rodrigo is afraid she might break her. the young parents find that they love nayeli enough that it doesn’t matter if they love each other half as much. it won’t be long before they find out that they don’t love one another at all anymore.

weddings and motherhood do not stop a determined woman. luz knows that women have always persevered more obstacles than their male peers and she is determined to not let her dreams fall by the wayside. their lives are not easy–both spend long hours teaching and learning while preparing their own research. dolores and linda move from walla walla, selling their home by the house with the stone animal statues, the train tracks and the cornfield–which is now a burger king and a dollar tree. she does sewing and odd jobs while she cares for her granddaughter nayeli with her chubby cheeks and bright brown eyes.

in their final years, the couple move to crete to finish their research in the field. both grow tired of working, living, and raising a daughter together and the break-up is messy. nayeli is five years old when they realize they can no longer make their relationship work and when the grant money runs out, luz is forced to return to the united states to finish her doctoral thesis with no funding and no job prospects. rodrigo stays on at the research center and there is no arguing that nayeli is better off living with a parent who can provide for her. luz is crestfallen.

it’s hard to come back home, especially when there is no home to come back to. while things fall apart in crete, mothers dolores and linda have moved to a place called boot hill, arizona to fulfill their dream of opening their first restaurant together. across the ocean and the earth, somehow they’ve all lost touch and even cisco doesn’t hear from them except an ominous, staticky voicemail telling him that linda has gotten sick. there’s nowhere else to go to start over except to search for a new home and pray that her mothers are okay.

THE MYCENAEAN PERIOD ( 1,300-1,000 BCE )

boot hill, arizona isn’t on luz’s gps, but she knows there are small ghost towns scattered throughout the desert and wonders if maybe her mothers found some hole in the wall place in the process of a revitalization movement. the closer she gets to arizona, the clearer it seems in her mind–the more she senses that she must get to her mothers. she drives on instinct. she drives on faith. she drives all night until the rising sun illuminates the sign to boot hill. it seems like the strangest thing in the world to have found a place without a map–to have found the place without a map–but the further she gets into the charming arizona town it seems like fate.

it’s been too long, luz thinks, because her mothers barely recognize her at first and, with linda’s deteriorating condition, the feeling is mutual. there are a lot of tears in the living room of the house on laguna street, but there is even more hope. linda’s fight with breast cancer is not over, but treatment is going well. the difficulty lies in how sick it makes her and how much time has been spent away from their taqueria. happy to reunite with her mothers and help, luz agrees to take over the running of the restaurant and thinks that, maybe, it will help her in the international custody battle with rodrigo. she takes over the day-to-day operations and management of los gatos locos, but continues to work on her thesis in her spare time. slowly, but she remembers how to breathe again it’s hard to wake up everyday without braiding her daughter’s soft curls and listening to a giggling tale of the girl’s dreams from the night before. she misses greece and, on her worst days, she thinks she might even miss rodrigo.

❝ i am still in the labyrinth, and i must be willing to get lost before i am saved. it is only when i abandon myself that i am saved. ❞

CENSUS,

FACECLAIM › Lindsey Morgan AUTHOR › Lucia

#lindsey morgan #rp #rpg #town rp #new rp #{ all. }#{ f. }#{ local. }#{ over thirty. }#{ lucia. }#cancer tw #death tw #divorce tw

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rodrigohyde · 6 years

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How the ‘Bright’ stunt team created gritty, realistic action in a world of mystical mayhem

Netflix's new movie Bright is ready to show you a world unlike anything you’ve ever seen. But instead of bringing Bright to movie theaters, the kingpin streaming service is bringing the movie straight into your living room.

Bright, starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, has all the usual ingredients of a gritty, action-focused cop film—huge explosions, wild car chases, gangsters, and mismatched partners—but it’s completely unique in this way: The film takes place in a world where magic is real, and humans, orcs, elves, and fairies are all living alongside each other.

[RELATED1]

The genre-bending story follows two LAPD police officers, human Daryl Ward (Smith) and his rookie Orc partner Nick Jakoby (Edgerton), as they go out on what seems like a routine patrol in the city. But when they discover an ancient, powerful, and thought-to-be-lost magic wand, they’re forced to protect a young elf (Lucy Fry) and make sure the weapon doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Given a setting that's as much Lord of the Rings as it is Lethal Weapon, director David Ayer faced a special challenge: making a fantastical landcape feel real. To bring his gritty, realistic style from films like End of Watch, Training Day, and Suicide Squad to the world of Bright, Ayer enlisted stunt coordinator Robert Alonzo to handle the action.

[RELATED2]

Alonzo—who has worked on films like Deadpool, Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and The Fighter—didn’t just oversee the stunt work. (He estimates that 90% of those stunts were done by the actors themselves, by the way.) Alonzo also designed different fight styles for each character, trained the actors in martial arts, and even directed some of the second unit action scenes.

“In a world where magic exists, basically everyone is like an Olympic athlete,” Alonzo told Men’s Fitness. “Each magical race has different character traits, but everyone has the strength and speed of a Usain Bolt. The Orcs are just bigger, like NFL players, so they don’t move as fast as humans or elves, but are very strong. The elves are more agile, they’re like the elite among these creatures. We had the elves train in Filipino martial arts, Kempo karate, capoeira, and taekwondo; the cops with boxing, Pencak Silat, and Muay Thai, while the Orcs did more of wrestling and Judo."

[RELATED3]

The $90 million fantasy-action film is a major bet for Netflix, and one they hope will be a precursor to more big-budget movies in the future.

Alonzo spoke with Men’s Fitness about creating a world of badass action and mystical beings, exploding things around Will Smith, and how they pulled off the biggest stunts in Bright.

Men’s Fitness: What was it like working with a director like David Ayer?

Robert Alonzo: I came into the film a bit late, so I had to jump in headfirst. Working with David was such a blessing. We worked together really well in regards to the story and the action, and how the action interacts with the characters. With all the movies that I work on, I want to make sure that the action isn't just action for the sake of action—[I wanted to make sure] it all lends itself to the story and the plot and the character arcs. David was very supportive of that, and how we wanted to develop a very specific style of movements in regards to the different species that were in this world.

What was it like working with Will Smith on this project?

It's was fantastic—you're working with a seasoned pro. The commitment level from him was off the charts. When you're working with guys who've been in the business for so long like Will, he knows the value of the training, and he knows the value of committing to characters wholeheartedly. The preparation in regards to that is really important. With the schedule that he did have, he’s obviously the lead, so he can only train when the schedule allows for it.

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But he came in, and his ability to adapt to situations on the fly was extremely high. He's just such a positive person and keeps everybody on the set happy. We're shooting nights all the time, people are tired, and he comes in with such a positive vibe, it makes the movie-making process not as arduous, and [not] as tiresome as it can be. He contributes to really wanting to make greatness, and I think we did that here.

How long did it take to shoot some of the action scenes that you directed?

I was in charge of directing action scenes in the third act and the final sequence. Altogether, it took about three days of main unit coverage with David Ayer, plus four days of the action unit where we executed fight choreography and wire work with the cast, stunt performers, stunt riggers, and the special effects team. This was probably one of the hardest projects I've ever had to do, primarily because of working consecutive nights in a row and trying to do as much practical stunt work as we could.

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But the joy of working with all the stunt team, with David [Ayer], and with actors like Will, Joel Edgerton, and Noomi Rapace, was a joy. Everyone takes time away from their families for a very long time. They really commit, and everybody from the top all the way to the bottom gave it everything they have. It's really, really a joy to see the passion involved when you're making movies, and especially this one.

What were some of the most difficult parts about shooting those big set pieces?

The most difficult part about shooting these big action scenes was executing all the coverage within a short window of time. The action we were doing required lots of planning to make sure we were effective and efficient. There was a lot on our plate between leading the fight choreography with the cast and doubles, doing the prosthetics, getting the wire work set, crashing through walls, water work, then the VFX elements, and special effects. If we had any snags, we wouldn’t be able to make our days. Fortunately, our cast and crew was very well-prepared and we were able to execute a safe and repeatable plan that enabled everyone to put their best foot forward.

How did you go about balancing the classic cop-style action with the more fantastical and magical elements of the film?

We valued the reality of the action, and the gritty nature of action, but it’s all taking place in this fantastical realm. Unlike Deadpool or Suicide Squad, this isn’t a superhero movie, but there are superpowers and magic, so we designed different actions for the characters and how they fight. And boy, there was a lot of fighting in this movie. Will’s character is a human cop, so we worked on how he could move and his physicality. Being a cop and having to fit into the world of criminals that are orcs and elves, it was a very interesting concept to me.

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I did a character breakdown for how each of the species relates to the physics we understand today. I really concentrated on training the actors to know their own range, distance, and timing, and we incorporated a lot of martial arts training, too. It brings a much higher element of jeopardy, so they can actually get closer to punch, get closer to kick, get closer to weapons—making it more realistic, but obviously safe for them. There was gun training as well, where the actors would be shooting and firing guns, real live rounds. We also incorporated martial arts and trapping elements, some gymnastic drills, boxing with mitts, and a lot of kicking.

What was the coolest stunt or moment you recall from shooting the film?

It’s very difficult to pick the coolest moment, because each action scene had something to offer that was so unique. But there was a scene at the gas station that had its harrowing moments, and there was another scene where the elves’ fighting abilities were first introduced against the Altamira gang. That was a fun one to work on. Another great moment was when the Altamira gang jumped on Ward and Jakoby’s SUV and Jakoby put the car in reverse and peeled off the gang members with other parked cars. Then there’s the action in the third act when the elves return to attack and kill Ward, Jakoby, and Tikka, and a huge fight breaks out—there was a lot of action and blasting through walls in that scene.

Another part that's great is when a bunch of guys are jumping on Jakoby's car, and he uses the vehicle as a weapon. It's just as Jakoby [the Orc cop] is starting to get his feet wet in regards to what it is to actually be a cop in that realm. He's a first-timer, the first orc in the academy or in the force. So for him to be on the front line of an investigation or a case, it's an adrenaline-pumping sequence, to follow his journey and how he shows his resolve in regards to all these wild situations. There are just too many cool moments to choose from.

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from Men's Fitness https://www.mensfitness.com/life/entertainment/how-bright-stunt-team-created-gritty-realistic-action-world-mystical-mayhem

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egooksconnolly · 6 years

Text

How the ‘Bright’ stunt team created gritty, realistic action in a world of mystical mayhem

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The $90 million fantasy-action film is a major bet for Netflix, and one they hope will be a precursor to more big-budget movies in the future.

Alonzo spoke with Men’s Fitness about creating a world of badass action and mystical beings, exploding things around Will Smith, and how they pulled off the biggest stunts in Bright.

Men’s Fitness: What was it like working with a director like David Ayer?

What was it like working with Will Smith on this project?

[RELATED4]

How long did it take to shoot some of the action scenes that you directed?

[PQ]

What were some of the most difficult parts about shooting those big set pieces?

How did you go about balancing the classic cop-style action with the more fantastical and magical elements of the film?

[RELATED5]

What was the coolest stunt or moment you recall from shooting the film?

[RELATED6]

Movies and TV

Article source here:Men’s Fitness

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