have you seen ( Elby Marie Russo, she/her )? They look a lot like ( J.ess A.lexander ). The ( 29 ) year old ( stuntwoman, survival expert, vlogger ) is so ( resourceful, adventurous, gregarious ) but I heard they can also be really ( stubborn, erratic, moody ). Can you believe they’ve been in town for ( just arrived )?! They live in the ( Port Carroll ) neighborhood and kind of remind me of ( espresso shot, warm beach sand, hands dirty from digging, heart-shaped bruise ). If I was asked, I’d guess that they were ( Most Likely to Backpack Around the World ) in their yearbook for the class of ( 2015 ).
→ Elby's filmography
BIO ↓
Named after Isola d'Elba, the youngest of the Russo siblings knew how to surprise her family before she was even born. From the first "it's a girl" in Neil's and Lucia's family, and her spontaneous decision to introduce herself to the world three weeks too early, Elby Maria Russo seemed to wear this trait like a badge of honor. Growing up with three brothers and being an only daughter, she had been spoiled and pampered, and happily served as the glue that the family needed so much sometimes.
Elby was much more than a bright smile and big blue eyes, even though the first words she usually heard were "She's so beautiful!" which implied that her looks were all she needed, from a very young age. She was the scratches on her knees, a purple spiderweb turning green and yellow under her eye when she climbed a tree to see if a pile of pillows could cushion her landing. She was her first broken bone at the age of 7 and a thousand-dollar prom dress, paired with her grandmother's emerald earrings reflecting the lights of New York streets as she snuck out with her friends for their own afterparty. She was the laughter that could turn into tears with a mood swing that she hated within seconds.
And yet, most people still seemed to see a pretty girl from an influential family, like a decoration in family portraits. She should be a model or an actress because the camera loved her so much!
Elby knew exactly what she wanted to do with her life, and the plans did include cameras, but not like others thought. She wanted adventures, wilderness, and everything untouched by human hand. Nanu Gio taught her that beauty could be everything that made her breath hitch; like nature, it could be delicate or it could be violent. She would listen to him speak about it for hours as she sat on the floor, watching Elio paint, or when she followed them to the Museum of Art. "Everything can be beautiful," she would conclude. Like a painting, she didn't need a frame to fit, especially not someone else's.
Slowly, she built her own brand, starting from a little YouTube channel, then climbing to the stars from there.
As a stunt woman, she has doubled for notable Hollywood names.
Elby didn't expect a best-selling debut as a writer, but it was motivating and she's currently working on her second book.
nico was touched and embarrassingly excited that ashton and elby had offered to teach him how to swim. sure, it wasn’t in the ocean, which would have been more exciting, but also maybe a little dangerous. then again, nico had always lived by the phrase o la va o la spacca: either it goes, or it breaks. you succeed, or you fail. so, really, he would have learned to swim or he would have drowned. either way, it would have been an adventure.
by the time they were ready to start, nico was already blowing up floaties for his friends, a matching pair secured around his own arms. when ash asked about them, nico nodded proudly. “yeah! aren’t they cute?” he wiggled one arm to show it off before handing ash the pair he had just finished inflating. then he turned toward his cousin with a grin. “and i knew you wouldn’t want to be left out, so—” he crossed to the pool chair where he had left his towel and bag, then dug around until he pulled out another boxed pair of floaties. “i got you some too, elby! che ne dici?”
nico tore them from the box and immediately started blowing them up for her. halfway through, his brow furrowed. “what are kickboards?” then elby was asking if he trusted them, and nico paused, pretending to give the question serious thought. “i don’t know,” he said slowly. “a hockey player and a stunt woman in a pool? sounds like the start of a bad joke.” a beat passed then his grin softened. “but i’ll trust you.” ( @defendingtheice )
It was kinda amusing seeing them all in floaties, and Ash was here for a little whimsy in his life. Perhaps its the influence of coaching the kids over these few weeks, but also, learning to swim is hard, and scary, Ash didn't mind it if it helped make this all easier for Nico. "They are very cute," he chuckled at the way Nico flapped his arm with the floatie accepting the pair and gladly slipping them onto his arms. "It just sounds like Pistachio has something against your pool," he grinned turning over to Elby seeing Nico was certain not to let her cousin get left out. "Floaties, floaties," Ash lightly chanted as his friend teared into the extra box for her.
"Oh kickboards are just like floating boards you hold onto," Ash reached over to the bag he brought, pulling out the three boards he had, they were old ones he had lying at home and thought they might come in handy, "it's easier to keep you afloat while you learn to kick and learn the strokes. And way more scratch-proof against animals." he shook the flat foam-like boards, handing one for Nico to take a look before tossing the other two into the pool, raising a brow at Elby, "can you.. even stand on those things?" He don't doubt the stuntwoman's abilities but.. sounds extremely difficult.
Dawn had been exploring the areas around the pool, greeting Elby every time passed her by, distracted by the boards thrown into the water as her tail wagged, patiently waiting till she allowed to swim. Ash watched his dog as he waited till everyone was ready, teasingly humming at Elby's question, "mmm I'm not a swimming coach though, so.. could go either way." Pretty sure Ashton was only qualified to coach hockey. "You forget Nico in the pool too, perfect set up for a joke," Ashton meets the soften grin with his own reassuring one, "you'll be fine." Dawn came over to greet Nico calming, resting her face on his seat, "and Nico, Dawn, Dawn, Nico, rest assured if we drown, she's our on site lifeguard." Ash joked but not really, quite impressive what the marines train their dogs for.. "ready whenever you are."
Pistachio's hate for inflatable objects was an exaggeration, obviously, but these things seemed to have the shortest lifespan in Elby's house. She nodded to show that, indeed, the floaties were cute and nearly squealed in enthusiasm when she saw that Nico got her a pair too. "Yeeeeah!" That sounded more like a wild battle cry.
She was excited to spend a day like this, laughing and doing silly things while actually helping Nico. It would be far more fun than regular swimming lessons.
Turning back to Ashton and the kickboards to assess how difficult it would be to even try to stand on those, Elby decided that it would only be possible to take a run-up and jump onto one to surf across the pool. "There's only one way to find out - I'll have to try it," she laughed, but this idea had to wait until the main quest was finished. If she'd still deem it a good idea, that is...
"I think the best way to do it would be to start with the floaties just to get comfortable and check the basics... Then move on to the kickbacks for the proper technique, and then we'll try to..." She moved closer to the edge of the pool, moving her arms as if she were swimming and tipped forward just enough to fall "swim" straight into the water.
//ext. elby's home pool, port carroll - day. july 25th.
@russonico @elbymarie
It's been a long day yesterday with Jesse's arrest and everything else that fell through, but perhaps things have calmed down since Jesse was willing to speak to the lawyer and everything. Nothing more that Ash could do, except check on his friend daily until Monday comes. Still, he had weekend plans and he didn't plan on ruining another swim day for nico. Ash was a bit more at ease for the weekend with Jesse and he could come to the pool with a small easy smile. He brought Dawn along that day, if Elby will let her, she could use a swim time that didn't involve so much sand at the beach to clean off after. If not, the German Shepherd was happy for a day out and to laze in the summer sun.
"Are these the floaties you got?" Ash held them up to look at them amusingly, he did agree to wear them with Nico. They were getting ready to get into the pool, sun screen, floaties and he was good to go, he closed the cap of the sun screen lotion, tossing it to Elby, "think fast," he grinned before turning back, "I brought swimming kickboards as well, thought they'll be good to teach swimming."
Pistachio had to accept his princess-in-the-tower fate; he just couldn't be trusted when people came over for a swim, or else he'd pop the floaties or something. By accident, of course; he wasn't an ass like that. Dawn, on the other hand, seemed a safe bet and Elby let the furry lady make herself at home.
The fabric pool shade had been pulled over the water to protect them from the sun, but it still wasn't enough, so sun screen was a step they couldn't skip. She caught the bottle flying in her direction, chuckling lightly.
"I wanted to wear floaties too," she started, spreading the SPF evenly all over her arms and shoulders. "But I forgot someone with sharp claws folded them neatly."
Translation: Pistachio shredded them. A little bit more lotion on her cheeks and forehead, and Elby was ready.
"Oooh, kickboards! You'll see me use them a lot as surfing mini-boards." On a more serious note, Ash was 100% right, and they should make the lessons go swimmingly. "Nico, just promise you'll trust us, yea? We know what we're doing, right Ash?"
Born and raised in New York City, Elby Russo is a stunt performer, survival expert, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. She built her career from a small YouTube channel focused on survival skills, growing it into a successful brand despite having been raised in the heart of a concrete jungle. As a stuntwoman, she has doubled for several of Hollywood's leading actresses in major film and television productions.
To say Grayson was surprised at Elby's camping prowess, would be an understatement. This went way beyond simple hiking and camping, even. Elby was like some wilderness guru that knew things even he hadn't picked up yet.
Grayson wasn't an idiot to living out in the elements. If he had to, he could get by on his own for quite some time, too. But it would certainly not be as smooth as it would be for Elby, apparently, by any means. There was a lot about this woman that he hadn't known about.
She had a full on filtration system for collecting water already when they were only going to be out there for a long weekend.
Once the camera came out, Grayson had taken it on himself to go collect some firewood. What would he add to her blog.. thing?! Nothing! Honestly, he wasn't sure what she was doing, but it was clearly some tutorial that probably went on youtube. He returned within half an hour, just in time to hear her wrapping up the moment for her unseen audience. His arms laden with a few sticks, which were left near the fire.
Grayson laughed some. "Me? Film with you? So you can embarrass me with how little I know in comparison?" He teased the woman, the smile on his face saying he didn't truly believe that's why she would suggest it at all. Nor would he be a poor sport about it, either. Grayson fully recognized that of the two of them, he was sorely lacking in whatever preparedness he originally thought. He had even assumed she would rely on him for most of the trip. "I don't know, Elbs, I might not be able to keep up and then you lose subscribers!" And yet, he approached her, rubbing his hands together like he was still game. "What are we filming?"
She liked surprising people. Even more so when she could prove them wrong if all they saw in her were the things that didn't define her. Elby knew that Grayson didn't perceive her as shallow or fragile, but she certainly could tell that he hadn't expected this either.
Chuckling at his response, she waited for Gray to approach her so she could kiss his cheek —in case he needed cheering up— and motioned towards a tree stump nearby. The phone was in her hand now and as soon as they sat down, she switched to the front camera and started adjusting the angle. She liked handheld footage for how natural it looked, adding more authenticity to the moments she captured. "I haven't tried push-up bras yet, I can always turn to that trick if your worst-case scenario comes true," she joked, with a little nudge and a look that said don't say that I need a push-up bra! but wasn't at all serious.
"A summary of our day? Maybe a few tips and recommendations for those who wanna come here too? You know, just two friends talking, very impromptu, and I'll cut it when we're back." Elby smiled to assure Gray that he didn't have to fear anything, as long as he felt comfortable showing his face. "I just wanna film us talking and maybe you could show off some skills later?" She started recording. "What's your camping specialty? Or a hidden talent? Tell me you're a wonderful off-grid cook."
sat on her pink sofa facing equally pink armchairs in a jet-black studio room, tamerlane listened as the musical intro kicked off—a dramatic opera aria, suddenly cut short by the sound of a crowing cockerel and a lush folk beat fading in.
with her velvet voice and eyes locked onto the camera, tamerlane spoke, " bonjour, mes amours. welcome to another episode of beyond the haystack, the only place in the world where the merde of carroll’s farms and parisian haute couture meet in the very same sentence. i am your host, tammy thibodeaux. and, mon dieu... what a week to be alive in this town. " she took a sip of tea from her porcelain cup before gesturing for the candidate to do the same.
" let us begin with what actually matters: fashion, aesthetics, and the artists who save us from this dreadful rural ennui. we’ve recently seen the cowboy-core trend take over the world—everyone wanting to play farmer in times square. but here in carroll, the cowboy is real, and let’s be proper honest, les mecs are often desperately lacking a decent stylist! " she rested her cup on the saucer and let out a soft chuckle.
" let us move to the first question, mon chéri. we see artists like zendaya and hunter schafer delivering absolute chefs-d'œuvre on the red carpets. when you look at our local fêtes, what is your vibe? is it actually possible to pull off haute couture whilst wearing knee-high boots and a massive gold buckle? "
Elby was surprisingly relaxed, listening to Tammy's intro and sipping the tea from a porcelain cup; she felt classy, truly classy. A nice change from the last jump into the wilderness, because putting high heels back on felt just as good as dropping them before a hike. Despite her endless love for anything survival and bushcraft, the youtuber was in the right place, going back to the Russo family's roots as soon as she could present her more glamorous side.
"I think Carroll fashion is different from what the same people choose to wear when they leave the town," she mused. "I feel a little alien in my nude red bottoms and Dior unless it's one of those high-end parties that Carroll's founding families love so much." Elby shifted a little in her seat and leaned forward in curiosity. "Don't tell me you wanna call our local fashion trashy!"
//unnamed (?) forest in California, Elby & Gray's hike.
closed starter for @angstfactory
If she wasn't sure how much of a surprise it was for Grayson that she could set up a tent or make a bonfire without matches, well... Now she knew. Somehow, the whole survival expert thing had escaped his attention, so when she invited him for a hike, this wasn't what he had expected. Elby wasn't showing off or trying to prove a point; she was just enjoying their time off-grid and trying to make as much content for her channel as possible. This was the only time when she reached for something exotic, like a phone or a tripod.
"See, there are many methods you can use here; a bottle with layered filtering materials, a multi-bucket gravity system, or you can even use a clean cloth if that's all you can find in your bag," she spoke to the camera, presenting the method she had picked for this video. A few containers were secured to a tree, with water slowly dripping from each of them, filling the mug on the ground with clear water. "Of course, I highly recommend boiling the filtered water; we won't be discussing bushcraft toilets until... two more videos, I think." Elby chuckled and stopped recording when she noticed Grayson coming back to their camp, wondering how much he had heard.
"Are you sure you don't wanna film something together? Come on, you would attract more female subscribers!"
He wrinkled his nose in response to her blatant display of affection. She kissed him on the cheek like she was 9 instead of 29. Regardless of his attempt to play it cool, he was glad she was here.
“Ya’ didn't miss much,” he shrugged. “This place is always putting on some kind of event.” The artist was convinced these people never grew tired of each other. They were always celebrating or had an excuse to party.
“Sure, I'll show ya’ a good spot.” Elio led his sister down the path towards the water. Dodging drift wood and debris blown in by the storm, he found a deserted stretch of stand that stretched as far as the horizon.
“Watch for broken bottles,” he warned. To say the beach was a mess was an understatement. The hurricane had shrunk the walkable path with high tides and wreckage. Chunks of wood littered the sand and dozens of iridescent seashells dotted their path.
“So,” Elio started, unsure how to tactfully ask the question that had been spinning in his mind since their phone call. “No offense, but why'd ya’ come to Carroll? It can't just be because of me.”
Elby grinned at her brother as he offered a good spot to check out and just hummed to confirm that she'd be careful.
"None taken," she chuckled. "I know it's not the most obvious choice but... Maybe that's why I chose Carroll." Elby sighed as they walked, eyes scanning the sand to ensure she wouldn't miss a single pretty piece of seaglass or shell, but the truth was she just felt safer looking away as she pondered her reasons. Not that any of her thoughts were top secret.
"I didn't feel comfortable where I was... No familiar place could give me the restart I needed. Not with my ex blowing up my phone like a stalker, not-..." She paused. "Not when I've run out of excuses why you had been avoiding me, because you love me and you'd never abandon me in vain..."
His brows came together some, though a smile was still on his face. "Turn off.. no, Elby, it's just not you," Grayson explained, as to why the entire moment had taken him out. "I'm just.. not used to you saying things like that," or acting that forward. It felt like she was playing at someone she thought he wanted her to be, and that couldn't be further from the truth.
As her head rested in on his chest, Gray's hand came to encircle her arm in a loose, but meant to be comforting, grip. Holding her steady for the moment, until she regained whatever confidence she needed to keep plugging forward. "It's not a big deal," he murmured for her ears, wanting her to know she hadn't done anything wrong. There wasn't anything for Elby to beat herself up over. Definitely not over him, that's for sure.
A grin came back to his face. "Good, 'cause I want to be around you too," he told her, readily. Truthfully. And maybe he hadn't thought about that until he saw her again here, in Carroll. It'd been a while since they last had their run-ins. Now was as good a time as ever to have another, right? That sounded mighty fine to him. So, he found both her hands and walked backwards towards the dancefloor, unwilling to take his eyes off her. "You can be sure," Grayson told her, pulling Elby in closer and putting arm around around her waist, to keep her there against him with no apologies, "that I'll be yours tonight." His face hovered in close to hers, forehead to forehead, nose-to-nose just about. "I've missed hanging out with you, Elbs," he told her softly, the other arm coming in around her, nice and snug, not even caring if this song was for something higher tempo.
The explanation and reassurance he gave her were enough to help her forget what she said and how it made her feel. Especially his comforting hug - this was something that could erase her memory in an instant, and she liked it. Little slip-ups were forgiven; her confidence didn't suffer much. "Maybe I should say it more often," she teased, chuckling at the idea. Some things really didn't sound like Elby at all.
She let Gray guide her to the dance floor, taking careful steps backwards with her arms wrapped around him almost clingily. "I've missed it too," she admitted, even though it seemed a heavily guarded secret a moment ago. It wasn't so easy with his face so close to hers anymore. "Let's catch up a little bit... We've got the whole night. And maybe we'll do it again sometime soon."
