melancholianarcissus

Latest Posts by melancholianarcissus

JOAN BRULL

STINGRAYS CAN MAKE CLICKING SOUND, ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH

New evidence, from oncidentally recorded observations of sound production obtained in the Magnetic Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, shows that the mangrove whipray (Urogymnus granulatus) and the cowtail stingray (Pastinachus ater) can actively produce sounds. Juvenile mangrove whiprays appear to make loud clicking noises as an social behaviour related to fighting, either to warn off and startle predators or to signal to other nearby juveniles to aggregate in defense. Though it is clear that elasmobranchs, such as sharks, rays, and skates, can hear and respond to sounds in various ways, until now, there have been no confirmed examples of active sound production by this group in the wild.

The exact mechanism of sound production remains unclear but appears to be similar in both species. In all recordings, contractions of the spiracles and associated gill openings are visible simultaneously with theclicking sounds, indicating that sounds may beproduced through fast contractions of the cranial and gill area.

Photo: Juvenile mangrove whiprays displaying a typical high tide group overlapping behavior, by José Javier Delgado Esteban. Whale Nation Studio 2018–2023.

Video showing mangrove whipray emitting sounds

Reference (Open Access): Fetterplace et al., 2022. Evidence of Sound Production in Wild Stingrays. Ecology

FIRST SIGHTS OF THE RECENTLY DISCOVERED DEEP REEFS FOUND IN THE GALAPAGOS

Scientists from the Fundación Charles Darwin and the Schmidt Ocean Institute found ROVs have discovered two pristine cold-water coral reefs in the vicinity of the Galápagos Islands. These new to science ecosystems are situated at depths ranging from 370 to 420 meters. The discovery expands our understanding of deep reefs within the Galápagos Islands Marine Reserve.

The larger of the two reefs has over 800 meters in length, while the second measures 250 meters in length. They exhibit a rich diversity of stony coral species, suggesting that they have likely been forming and supporting marine biodiversity for thousands of years. This discovery follows the April 2023 finding of the first deep coral reefs in the Galápagos Marine Reserve by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists.

Video and photos available here.

More at Schmidt Ocean Institute

AFRICAN PENGUINS IDENTIFY PATNERS BY THEIR CHEST DOTS

Birds are known to be highly social and visual animals, and penguins are not the exception, as they live in dense colonies. Yet no specific visual feature has been identified to be responsible for individual recognition in birds. Now, researchers demonstrate that african penguins (Spheniscus demersus) can recognize their each others using their ventral dot patterns.

Researchers placed a experiment at the Zoomarine Marine Park, in Rome, Italy, to test how penguins will react to a model with plain with no dot penguin, and to penguins with dots, to find out penguins actually could visually recognize the dots of their lovers and friends in the zoo.

Penguins rely strongly on their ventral dot patterns for individual recognition, and may have holistic representations of other penguins in the colony. In this video below, an african penguin named Gerry appears to recognize his mate, Fiorella (left), in an individual recognition experiment.

These findings suggest that african penguins may rely on a more holistic visual representation of their partner, which includes both the ventral dot patterns and their partner's facial features. Notably, these abilities are not dependent on the ability of a pair to produce offspring together. Nemo and Chicco, male partners, showed the same preference for each other as other penguin partner pairs, suggesting that the ability to distinguish the partner from others is driven simply by the special bond developed between nesting partners.

Photo: Few members of the Zoomarine Italia penguin colony. Unique ventral dot patterns are visible on each penguin's chest. Photo: Cristina Pilenga.

Baciadonna et al., 2024. African penguins utilize their ventral dot patterns for individual recognition. Animal Behaviour.

The Javan Stingaree (Urolophus javanicus) has become the first species of marine fish declared extinct in modern times. The IUCN has declared the Javan Stingaree extincted after an assessment led by an international team of scientists.

Stingaree are round rays native to the western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, with 21 species know to science. The Java Stingaree was known only from a single specimen collected in 1862 from a fish market in Jakarta, Indonesia. In the present, the habitat where this species was known to occur, is heavily industrialised, with extensive, long-term habitat loss and degradation. Researchers carried out new ecological models to understand current distribution and tendency to find out the specie is virtually extinct, likely by the intensive and unregulated fishing, and habitat loss.

Photo credit: Edda Aßel, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin.

More at IUCN

The white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) is the largest predator fish in the world, however, the early life history and reproduction of this iconic shark is still poorly understood, in fact, no one has seen a white shark puppy in the wild, nonetheless, recent aerial observations made by drone off California, USA, have revealed the first images of a white shark puppy.

Footage done by wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and biologist Phillip Sternes in July 2023, revealed seconds of a single pale pup, which apparently was shedding its embryonic layer. This record robusts the idea the coast of central California acts a birthing location for white sharks. This shark was stimated to reach 1.5 m in lenght. Many researchers believe white sharks are born farther out at sea, due the elusivity to find pups. This finding means they are likely to born in shallow waters.

Photo: Carlos Gauna

Reference : Gauna & Sternes2024. Novel aerial observations of a possible newborn white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in Southern California, Environmental Biology of Fishes

SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE CALVES ARE LITTLE MILK THIEVES

Drone footages made during the nursing season, off Encounter Bay, South Australia have revealed an unknown behaviour in southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), with some calves involved in direct and intentional movement to steal milk from other lactating mothers, with the intention to drink some delicious extra milk.

This phenomenon called allosuckling has potential benefits for the calf as it may gain extra milk to help it grow in size and strength, but it may be disadvantageous to the non-biological mother as she needs to provide milk to her own offspring. According to lead researcher of the study, whales have a capital breeding strategy, where during the nursing season the mother does not feed and is not able to replenish her lost energy reserves.

Allosuckling, the suckling of milk from a non-biological mother, occurs in some species of mammals, whoever, this is the first time is reported in baleen whale calves.

Gif description: A calf performing allosuckling, and the non-biological mother showing an evasive reaction, Sprogis & Christiansen, 2024.

reference (Open Access): Sprogis & Christiansen, 2024. Allosuckling in southern right whale calves. Mamm Biol

NEMO FISHES CAN COUNT STRIPES, SCIENTISTS SAY

Clownfish, aka anemonefish, famous by their distinct white bar patterns seen in Disney’s Finding Nemo, can count up to three, a new study finds.

There around 28 different species of anemonefish know to date, having between 0 to 3 white stripes, which has been suggested to be important for species recognition. In a recent study, researchers found out that in lab conditions, common anemonefish (Amphiprion ocellaris), a species that displays three white bars, when faced with an intruder fish, attacked their own species more frequently than other species of intruding anemonefish.

Recearchers tested how common anemonefish could count number of stripes, and they used orange plastic models with different numbers of bars, and compared whether the frequency of aggressive behavior towards the model differed according to the number of bars. The frequency of aggressive behavior toward the 3-bar model was the same as against living common anemonefishes and was higher than towards any of the other models.

-Plastic models used to measure the aggressive behavior of clown fish. Clownfish could count stripe and shown aggresive behavior following the number of stripe. Photo by Kina Hayashi.

Researchers believe common clowfish count the number of white stripes as a cue to identify and attack only competitors that might use the same anemone where they live, using counting as an important behavior for efficient host defense.

Photo: Gaell Mainguy ·

Reference (Open Access): Hayashi et al., 2024. Counting Nemo: anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris identify species by number of white bars. Journal of Experimental Biology

This is the first report of sex in humpback whale, and is the first report of sexual activity between two male

Yes, the first report of sex in humpback whales is homosexual activity. Despite decades of research on humpback whales around the world, reports of penis extrusion by males are relatively rare and copulation in humpback whales has not yet been documented. 

The unprecedented event was recorded opportunistically on January 19, 2022, near the Molokini crater off the island of Maui, Hawaiʻi. Two humpback whales were seen engaged in copulation for the first time in recorded history, but after photo analyses along molecular studies, revealed both were mature males.

According to researchers, cetaceans such as humpback whales could use the genital slit or anus for same-sex copulation, to practice reproductive behaviors or nonreproductive sexual behavior such is forming social alliance or assert a sort of dominance.

Reference (Open Access): Stack et al., 2024. An observation of sexual behavior between two male humpback whales. Marine Mammal Science

Hello, I have read that the Mantas put 20 eggs but inside this 20 eggs (mermaid pocket) they have 400 more eggs, i don't understand that. Also, i have read that this eggs normally are attach to algas to feed when they are born, but then again i have seen videos of the mantas being born of the inside of the mom. it is because they are different species? please i would love to know that. thank you so much.

When you say mantas, you are talking about manta ray aka devils ray, which are pelagic and travelers batoids, very famous, and seen in snorkel and diving spot in tropical parts of the world. These species do not lay eggs, but rather become pregnant and give birth.

Distant relatives to manta rays are skate (ajidae) and in some cases they lay eggs.

There are big species, who lay big egg cases. such is the big skate (Beringraja binoculata), and particulary, this one is know to lay around (in some cases) 5 to 10 eggs or embryos, inside one single egg case or mermaid pocket.These eggs are fertiliced insided the female, after the copula. Then, the eggs are closed insided the egg case and laying on the seafloor.

howard, 2017

but in other cases, small skate species, usually coastal, lay a lot of egg cases with a single egg inside, each egg case have tendrils who entangles, and these female lay a lot of egg (or it is likely a group of female laying egg in groups) here is one example of numerous egg cases lay together.

Left to right: a pelagic nudibranch, crab megalopa and soapfish all photographed at about 16 feet. Photograph: Robert Stansfield/Media Drum Images

Discovered In The Deep: A ‘Night-Time Migration’ of Marine Life – In Pictures

These images were taken by underwater photographer Robert Stansfield, from Southampton, UK, on a blackwater dive in the open ocean surround the island of Cozumel, Mexico.‘The blackwater dives never fail to amaze me with the crazy alien-like life forms that drift past out in the open ocean, well away from a reef,’ says Robert. ‘The idea is to see the largest biomass migration on the planet. Every night a huge volume of life migrates up from the mesopelagic zone up to the epipelagic. This night-time migration gives us the opportunity to see life at the surface that normally lives well beyond recreational diving depths.’

A Squid, Photographed at 5 metres in Cozumel, Mexico. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

A Rainbow Tripodfish, Photographed at 5 metres. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

An Atlanta Heteropod, or Sea Elephant, Photographed at about 20 metres. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

A Flying Fish, Photographed at the Surface. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

A Transparent Oxycephalus Smphipod on a Hydromedusa, Photographed at about 18 metres. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

A Male Argonaut on Salp, Photographed at 19 metres. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

A Pelagic Nudibranch, Photographed at 5 metres. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

A Crab Megalopa, Photographed at 5 metres. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

A Soapfish, Photographed at about 5 metres. Photograph: Media Drum Images/Robert Stansfield

Dungeness crab Megalopa Research

Hello fellow POE students! The host organization I work with is known as Pacific Northwest Crab Research Group (PCRG). They are a research group whose main function is to find ways to sustainably manage Dungeness crabs in the Pacific Northwest. Within PCRG, my specific role is to monitor Dungeness crab megalopae (larva) abundances. I am able to do this using a tool called a light trap. These traps are programmed to essentially “fish” for megalopae for two nights. Once the two nights are up, I check the traps and count how many megalopae they have caught.

Through working at my internship, I have experience and learned some really interesting things. I would say the most intriguing thing I’ve learned to far is how to properly ID certain crab megalopa species. It is fun to learn because it involves getting a closer look at the larvae under a microscope and getting an idea of the morphological differences between all the species. This aligns with my future goals because I want to work in species conservation after college, and it is hard to know how to conserve certain species without first knowing how to ID them.

The biggest challenge I’ve faced in my internship so far is coming up with an effective way to address my research question. My research question involves comparing Dungeness crab megalopa abundances to other crab species megalopa abundances in order to predict interspecies competition. However, other crab megalopa species almost always appear in the trap at much smaller numbers than Dungeness crab megalopae. In order to better address the research question, I have decided to not only compare the megalopa species abundances at the light trap, but I will also compare the juvenile species abundances in the nearshore habitats. This will give me a better idea of which crab species are able to successfully outcompete other crab species while settling in nearshore habitats.

-Brendan Beaudette

Here are a couple microscopic photos I took in the lab. One photo is a hermit crab megalopa and the other photo is a mussel crab juvenile.

Thank you for reading my blog post, I will wrap things up with one question for my readers. Do you think interspecies competition has any correlation to Dungeness crab decline, or do you think the decline is caused by other phenomena?

Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed in The Devils (1971)

He found, quite to his surprise, that he was happy. Not merely happy in Demelza’s happiness but in himself. He couldn’t think why. The condition just existed within him.

PERIOD DRAMA APPRECIATION WEEK 2021 Day 1 • Favorite Period Drama

Guess what movie I just saw.

i am 10000% the target audience for this movie

The green knight was very good you guys

Michael Winterbottom said DRINK IT IN GIRLS!

My type falls somewhere between Hot Priest from Fleabag and Hot Priest from Fleabag.

Alright alright alright. Now that we’ve got the HOW out of the way (see previous post), what about the WHO?? Whats my type? What am I looking for? Well the answer is chaotic to say the least. I really don’t have a type, but like so many others, have fallen in love with fictional characters that I believe represent exactly what I am looking for. My type falls somewhere between Hot Priest from Fleabag and Hot Priest from Fleabag. Just kidding. But honestly if you guys know someone just like hot priest from fleabag, hit a girl UP. 

I have narrowed down my type into ten key characteristics using the acronym: NICK MILLER (shout out to my trivia group for forcing me to sit down and truly think about this). Now Nick Miller represents the perfect balance that all men should work toward. He sets that bar so high, yet so low. 

So lets dive into it shall we:

N - Nice. 

Easy start. Heres the thing, You gotta just be a nice person. Im not asking for much. But again, it’s a balance. You can’t be too nice. You gotta be willing to talk some shit, but in a confidential, you’re my partner kinda way. 

I - Intelligent. 

I know I know. This is an annoying one, but I promise I am reasonable. You gotta be able to keep up with current events and interesting conversation. I don’t want a condescending dick, but genuinely just someone who knows what the hell they’re talking about. Nick Miller is a great example of this, he got into law school, but dropped out. He wrote an entire novel, but comes off as chill even though he’s actually frickin smart. Take notes men. 

C. Confidence. 

I cannot express how important this is. You gotta know who you are, love who you are, and own it. You can be weird as fuck but still confident; I will love you. 

K. The Kool Factor. With a K. 

Now the Kool factor is hard to define, but you know it when you see it. There has to be something different and interesting about you. A suaveness. A bit of a mystery. Hot priest from fleabag has the Kool factor. You are just extremely attracted to him and it is impossible to pin point why. 

Miller - These are more bonus points than anything else: 

M - Mustache. If a boy can pull off a mustache, that’s a huge plus in my book. Give me the facial hair

I - Independent. Please don’t be clingy. Be your own person,. Don’t wait up Boo

L - Laughter. I need someone with the same sense of humor. You don’t have to be hilarious, just be willing to watch Richard Ayoade shows with me so we can giggle together 

L - Listener. No brainer. Next 

E - Eyes. I am usually more attracted to dark features, specifically eyes. The darker the eyes the better. I don’t want to be able to tell where the pupil starts and the iris begins. Give me those black hole, demon eyes please. 

R - radical and anti-reagan. Those political beliefs have never been so important. You gotta get on board. 

Now that you know the basics of my type, here are a few examples:

1. Dev Patal. I mean. So out of my league but please date me. 

2. Mark Ruffalo - he’s got the best energy 

3. Bob Morley - this is a random CW celebrity that I am embarrassed to say I am extremely attracted to 

4. Richard Ayoade - if you get it, you get it

6. Lip Gallagher from Shameless - we love an independent, intelligent fuck up. Big Kool Factor. 

7. Hot priest from fleabag 

xoxo, 

Leeeee 

ps. I do realize how incredibly superficial this all is. I am open and willing to give anyone a chance. These are just some general preferences for kicks and giggles. 

What are your thoughts on the ending of the green knight? Little disappointed with it.

Ahhh thank you, my anonymous hero, for giving me the opportunity to ramble about this movie. I saw it last night and I’ve been thinking about it pretty nonstop. Disclaimer before I get into this: I’m not a proper medievalist. I am, however, an English student with a focus on British literature, so I’ve read a few different translations of the original source material and studied it fairly in-depth.

That being said, my first reaction to The Green Knight was… well, that it’s not really Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Which is fine! Mostly. Every movie adaptation changes things from the source, but this one changed so much, so drastically, that I can’t really think about it as the same story. In the original poem, Gawain is a good (if inexperienced) knight who consistently keeps his promises and retains his honor right up until the very end of the story, when he lies about the green belt and refuses to give it to his host, Bertilak. The storyline of the movie seems to flip this? Gawain doesn’t start off as a good knight, or even as a knight at all, and in the movie he consistently fails to live up to knightly virtues throughout his quest. However, at the end he succeeds where the original Gawain did not, and voluntarily removes the belt (after that memorable flash-forward sequence).

To me, this is a fundamentally different story from the original. And I’m not mad about the character changes! A movie has to create a self-contained character arc in a way that the anonymous Pearl Poet did not have to. So to me, the movie seems to present the story of someone who must learn to accept death. Death (and rebirth) is certainly a major theme in the original, too, but I’ve always interpreted the og poem as placing more importance on honesty, chivalry, chastity, humility, and shame.

So the movie is telling a different story, with different themes. With that in mind, I guess it could make sense to skim over the 3 days of Christmas games and the kissing exchange in the original poem. However, even if it does make sense, I’m mad about it because I really liked the Christmas games and the kissing exchange in the original poem. I would’ve swapped out Gawain’s existential flash-forward sequence for a few good kissing exchanges in a heartbeat.

That being said, with the story the movie seems to be trying to tell I’m not terribly mad at the ending? Maybe? I’m still conflicted. I suppose the problem is that the themes feel very confused to me. The strongest one I can latch onto is the inevitability of death/ the importance of embracing the natural cycle of the world. With that in mind, Gawain’s vision of the future could be his realization that his life will, eventually, end, no matter what he does in the green chapel. His decision to remove the belt and face the green knight without its protection can then be seen as an acceptance of death, and the decision to die with honor and dignity. I’m not unhappy with where his character arc ends up here, considering he’s been framed as a screw-up since the beginning of the movie, but I’m left repeating #notmygawain because this is, again, a fundamentally different character arc from the original story. Again, I understand why they changed Gawain’s character for a movie. I just don’t like the changes very much.

I’m also not a huge fan of the cliffhanger (although I did love the final “Green Knight” title card!) mostly because all elements of cliffhanger are removed if you’ve actually read the original poem (or even just checked Wikipedia). Like, we know that the knight doesn’t kill Gawain. It’s not a new story. Although? I suppose this version of it is. So who’s to say whether he dies or not? I suppose the cliffhanger could work in the context of this adaption because, if we’re going with the ‘accepting death’ theme (which I’m still not sure about!), the outcome of Gawain’s decision doesn’t matter as much as the decision itself. We’ve seen him drift around the kingdom for almost 2 hours, breaking chivalric code, lying to his host, and overall being a pretty self-absorbed knight who’s terrified of his own mortality. The decision to accept death and embrace honor is the culmination of a character arc and seems like a fitting end to the movie. But I do wish we had gotten to see Gawain work more towards this growth through the events of his quest, rather than simply achieve it through a flash forward in time.

And I still think they should have left in the full three days of Christmas games.

Overall? This adaption was beautiful. Dev Patel is hot. And, more importantly (to me), this adaption felt right. The blending of Catholic imagery with pagan Celtic influences, the weird vibes, the use of title cards and the vaguely disconnected adventures was fun, and it felt more “Arthurian” than any other round-table-related movie I’ve ever watched. But I’m still not entirely sure what the story was trying to say, or if it said it. If you’re going to deviate from the source material this much, it’s my opinion that you’ve got to do it for a clear reason, to make a clear point, not just to subvert audience expectation. I’m not quite sure what the point of these changes were, or how the ending of the movie revealed the movie’s core thesis. It felt a bit more like a “gotcha!” from the director than a genuine end to Gawain’s story.

But, I mean, at least Dev Patel was hot.

absolutely everyone is missing the point of “the green knight” by overanalyzing everything about it EXCEPT me and @spohkh​, sorry to everyone else but we’re different

Love at first s(word f)ight. With Gawain? Feel like that could be some hot shit. Thx babes! xx

A/N: All I know about Knight Tournaments comes from “A Knight's Tale” starring Heath Leger (RIP King). Work with me here. Masterlist // buy me a coffee 🥰// Word count: 1,241

You had expected your father to say “no,” to the tournament. You had some sense of logic, but it was still a great annoyance. You were the third daughter of your family, and your brother was already poised to take control as the new lord of your small pocket of land.

Your father had no reason to say no, but he did anyway.

The man had trained you to fight, as your older brother was weakened with a health condition no one in your family would talk about. Someone had to keep the family techniques alive, but at the same time, you were never to use it unless your life was in mortal danger.

Fuck that.

So you signed up under your brother’s name, tied your hair back, got your gear, and left.

It was easy until round four, everything else seemed so far away now.

You weren’t entirely sure what the fuck was happening. The crowd was going insane, and your opponent knew every move you would make before you did. You were smart, strong, and for the most part, organized. And this knight was your perfect match.

Gawain was thinking the exact same, only he was a little more annoyed as this was supposed to be fun.

After his first quest, he’d come back somber and withdrawn. After urging from his mother, he’d agreed to “do something for himself”, so he’d chosen a local tournament.

Normally, due to his status as the King’s nephew, he’d simply compete for two rounds, and drop out due to “injury”, as to not draw sway any judges looking for his favor, or draw any particular ire from any opponent in the ring.

This time, he’d chosen to enter a tournament under a fake name. Not the best idea for a man of his standing, or the most original, but it was supposed to be easy. He needed it easy after confronting the Green Knight. He deserved it

Up until round four had been easy. and then there was you.

As your father had told you, “tall, burly men only know how to fight their own.” He’d been right, but your opponent was tall, he was clearly more lean, agile than the rest you’d defeated. You were smaller than your other opponents and used your speed to your advantage. It looked as if you weren’t getting away with it this time.

Every move he made was predictable, because you were going to do the same. If you had been in the mood to ponder such things, you’d have known at that moment he was a royal. The fighting style was too refined and smooth as opposed to your previous adversaries who had been taught to strike as hard as they could.

Watching the two of you fight was a savage and brilliant thing, but it’s not as if any of the peasants who frequented such events knew such words.

But both you and Gawain did, and that’s what mattered. It was a part of this even-matched fight, and a reason that you were both nearing your wits end with the other.

It’s in small moments like these, where one really finds out what kind of person they are. You knew it, Gawain knew it, and you certainly were going to act accordingly.

Gawain didn’t. He knew it was a cheap shot, but he did it anyway.

His fist connected with the jaw of your helmet with an alarming force, sending you down to your knees.

In the moment, you were absolutely livid. Your helmet had been struck with such a force that it was sent halfway across the ring, leaving you totally exposed.

You gasped, attempting to right yourself, as you felt the cold metal of the blade tilt your chin up.

Gawain sharply inhaled when taking you in.

Your hair had been tied back, but the force of the blow had left it in the dirt, leaving your soft hair to scatter across your face.

Gawain was sure he was going to die.

Clear, beautiful eyes. An elegant nose, and he could hardly bring himself to look at your mouth as he was still your opponent, even if his mind was racing at the sight of your face.

But a dull thud of reality set in across the inside of his skull, as it usually did.

A woman. He’d just punched a woman.

The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

Gawain’s mind snapped back from trying to memorize your features as he realized his sword had wandered down to your newly-exposed throat. He barely hid a shiver as you cleared your throat and spat a bloody clump onto the dirt between his feet.

He was supposed to be here.

He’d just met his future queen.

“Do you yield?” Gawain asked, voice feeling hoarse and far away. He’ll blame the fact you were a vicious and smart opponent, and not the fact that seeing your eyes sent a lightning bolt straight to his heart.

A woman. The most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Of course you looked as if you could snap him in half at that moment, but that was hardly new for Gawain.

You huffed, breath sending some strands of hair out of your eyes.

“No.” You used your gauntlet to knock his sword away and swiftly got up from your knees, striking your opponent square in the jaw of his helmet. The helmet didn’t come off, not that you were surprised at that, you didn’t use your usual amount of force. You’d later ask yourself why, but the answer would reveal itself in time.

Gawain wasn’t sure what had happened until he hit the ground.

It was love. It had to be love.

Whatever he’d been through with the Bertilaks had been lust, but whatever this was more. It had to be more, or his mind had truly not come back from his quest in one piece.

As Gawain fell, the screaming crowd faded into the back of his brain, as he tried his best to make a plan. It was a tough feat to accomplish with all of the blood rushing to one’s ears, but he’d win you over.

You didn’t know his face, but he’d win you over. He had to. Deep in his bones, he had to.

And Gawain goes down hard, in more ways than one, ears ringing in his helmet as the weight of his armor took him down. The referee rings their bell and the match is over, you're on to the next round tomorrow. Four rounds in two days was a lot, but you wanted this. You deserved this.

As you put your helmet back over your head, you felt your body begin to shake. The adrenaline started to take its toll as your mind started to race. Good. The fight was over, you could think at a reasonable pace.

Why did he do that for you?

Did he even mean to?

He left himself open and he stared at you. Two big, dark eyes staring at you like you were the moon or … something beautiful.

It wasn't as if you could find this ‘Sir Kay’ and ask, but you can feel the same gaze following you as you hustle away to your tent to change.

The Bunch of Lilacs by James Tissot

Anthony Ippolito has been tapped to play Al Pacino opposite Miles Teller and Matthew Goode in Paramount+’s upcoming limited series The Offer, about the making of The Godfather.

In addition to Teller, who plays Ruddy, and Goode, who plays Robert Evans, Ippolito joins previously announced cast Giovanni Ribisi (Joe Colombo), Colin Hanks (Barry Lapidus), Dan Fogler (Francis Ford Coppola), Juno Temple (Bettye McCartt), Burn Gorman (Charles Bluhdorn), Justin Chambers (Marlon Brando), Patrick Gallo (Mario Puzo), Josh Zuckerman (Peter Bart), Meredith Garretson (Ali MacGraw), Nora Arnezeder (Francoise Glazer), Paul McCrane (Jack Ballard), Anthony Skordi (Carlo Gambino), Jake Cannavale (Caesar), James Madio (Gino), Michael Rispoli (Tommy Lucchese), Stephanie Koenig (Andrea Eastman), Lou Ferrigno (Lenny Montana), Frank John Hughes (Frank Sinatra), Danny Nucci (Congressman Mario Biaggi).

Deadline, 22/07/21

__________

Dopo l'interprete di Marlon Brando (che, come confermato qualche settimana fa, sarà l'ex star di Grey’s Anatomy Justin Chambers) ora Deadline lascia trapelare anche l'attore che presterà il volto al personaggio di Al Pacino in The Offer, la miniserie evento di Paramount+ che racconterà storia e retroscena della realizzazione del film Il Padrino. Si tratta del giovane Anthony Ippolito, già visto nel teen drama di Netflix Grand Army, che è in effetti molto somigliante all'attore protagonista della pellicola di Francis Ford Coppola.

La trama di The Offer

The Offer, di 10 episodi, è creata da Michael Tolkin insieme a Nikki Toscano, co-showrunner. Racconta la realizzazione dell'iconico film vincitore dell'Oscar tratto dal libro bestseller di Mario Puzo, autore della sceneggiatura insieme al regista. La storia sarà raccontata soprattutto dal punto di vista del lungimirante produttore Al Ruddy (interpretato da Miles Teller) che credette fortemente nel progetto e lo portò al successo nel 1972. Nel film - che ricevette ben 11 nomination agli Oscar vincendo tre statuette inclusa quella per il miglior film - recitavano, tra gli altri, Marlon Brando, Pacino, James Caan, John Cazale, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton e Talia Shire. Svolse un ruolo importante anche Robert Evans (ruolo affidato a Matthew Goode), produttore esecutivo insieme a Ruddy, supervisionando il progetto e dando alla pellicola il via libera definitivo.

The Offer: il lunghissimo elenco degli attori nel cast

Oltre a Justin Chambers nel ruolo di Marlon Brando e Anthony Ippolito in quello di Al Pacino, si sono uniti al cast di The Offer anche Burn Gorman (The Expanse) nel ruolo di Charles Bluhdorn, il capo di Gulf & Western; Patrick Gallo (The Irishman) nei panni di Mario Puzo, l'autore del libro da cui il film è tratto; Josh Zuckerman (Austin Powers in Goldmember) in quelli di Peter Bart, giornalista veterano di Hollywood che comprò i diritti del libro e assunse Coppola per dirigere il film; Meredith Garretson (Resident Alien) che sarà l'attrice Ali MacGraw; Nora Arnezeder (Safe House) che interpreterà la moglie di Al Ruddy; Paul McCrane (All Rise) nel ruolo di Jack Ballard, a capo della produzione di Paramount Pictures; Anthony Skordi (Catch-22) nella parte di Carlo Gambino, mafioso e capo delle cinque famiglie criminali; Jake Cannavale (The Mandalorian) che sarà Caesar, un soldato leale della famiglia Colombo; James Madio (Jersey Boys) che sarà Gino, un altro fedele della famiglia Colombo; Michael Rispoli (The Deuce); Stephanie Koenig (L'assistente di volo) nel ruolo di Andrea Eastman, direttrice del casting a Paramount Pictures; Lou Ferrigno (L'incredibile Hulk) nei panni di Lenny Montana, ex wrestler e criminale che interpretò Luca Brasi ne Il Padrino; Frank John Hughes (Catch Me If You Can) sarà invece Frank Sinatra e Danny Nucci (The Fosters), infine, sarà Mario Biaggi, un politico influente con gli occhi puntati su Il Padrino.

Il resto del cast

In precedenza erano stati annunciati anche Dan Fogler nei panni del regista del film, Francis Ford Coppola, Giovanni Ribisi in quelli del boss del crimine Joe Colombo, Colin Hanks nel ruolo di Barry Lapidus e Juno Temple nei panni di Bettye McCartt, l'assistente di Al Ruddy. Prodotta da Paramount TV Studios, The Offer coinvolge Teller e Ruddy anche come produttori esecutivi insieme a Leslie Greif (Hatfields & McCoys). Dexter Fletcher (Rocketman) dirigerà alcuni episodi e sarà produttore esecutivo.

comingsoon.it - 23/07/21

Mirch Masala, 1987

Corpse Bride (2005)

Dark academic media because it’s autumn

Films

• Harry Potter: boarding school, magic, cozy

• Dead Poet Society: boarding school, forlorn, rich

• Twilight: bitter, terrible, autumn-y (mock it loudly whilst watching to make it worth while)

• Good Will Hunting: deep, cerebral, engaging

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: classic, dreamy

• The Spiderwick Chronicles: monsters, childhood

• The Black Cauldron: disney classic, creepy, fun

• Kill Your Darlings: Murder, university, morality

• Hocus Pocus: witchy, nostalgic, light-hearted

• Coraline: trippy, weird, childlike, buzzing

• The Corpse Bride: drab, gentle, strange

• Dorian Gray: rich, ben barnes, terrible mentors

• Sleepy Hollow: grim, ghostly, casually haunting

• Crimson Peak: creepy, strange, dim, opulent

Shows

• The Queen’s Gambit: intelligent, new, riveting

• Peaky Blinders: dark, illegal 1910s shenanigans

• Sherlock Holmes (BBC): cerebral, mystery, witty

• Gilmore Girls: nostalgic, private school, literature

• Criminal Minds: mystery, crime, casual viewing

• Sabrina the Teenage Witch: nostalgic, light, witchy

• Scooby Doo Where Are You?: cozy, mystery, kids

• The Haunting of Bly Manor: dark, creepy, engaging

Books and short stories

• The Secret History: university, murder, morality

• Jane Eyre: classic, ghostly, romanticism

• Frankenstein: classic, gothic, sci-fi, morality

• Dracula: classic, gothic, horror

• Stalking Jack the Ripper: gothic, horror, victorian

• Sherlock Holmes: classic, mystery, cozy

• Ninth House: horror, necromancy, morality

• The Yellow Wallpaper: psychologically haunting, short story, morality

• Murder on the Orient Express: classic, mystery, whodunit

• Harry Potter: cozy, magic, boarding school

• The Night Circus: whimsical, magic, romance

• A Deadly Education: boarding school, magic, horror

• Rebecca: psychological, morality, relationships

• Crime and Punishment: classic, heavy, morality

• War and Peace: classic, opulent, heavy

Podcasts

• Spirits (Multitude): drunk mythology

• The Bright Sessions: audio drama surrounding fictional therapy sessions with magically gifted individuals

• Critical Role: DnD with famous voice actors

• Welcome to Nightvale: paranormal small town audio drama told in the style of an evening radio show

• Crime Junkie: true crime

• TEDTalksDaily: short TEDTalks posted each day about a wide variety of topics

• Potterless: grown man reads the Harry Potter series for the first time

Songs

• Master & a Hound - Gregory Alan Isakov: soft, indie, bittersweet

• I Know Places - Lykke Li: heavy, indie, sad

• Since I Saw Vienna - Wilbur: soft, indie, sad

• Cherry Wine - Hozier: bittersweet, cozy, indie

• To Be Alone - Hozier: heavier, entrancing, indie

• Who Will Carry You - Adam Jones & K.S. Rhoads: hopeful, soft, sad

• Scotland - The Lumineers: self-sufficient, indie, bittersweet

• Falling Water - Peter Oren: heavy, sad, deep

• The Night We Met - Lord Huron: soft, kind, nostalgic

• Ms - alt-J: soft, surrounding, nostalgic, dreamlike

• Oh My Dear - The Head and the Heart: soft, lulling, gentle

• Blood Bank - Bon Iver: soft, bittersweet, snowy

• September Song - Agnes Obel: soft, instrumental

• Gnossienne no.4 - Erik Satie: spooky, instrumental

• Golden - Riley Baron: light, rich, juvenile

• Murder Song - AURORA: eloquent, upset, fairylike

• Ella - Myrkur: nordic, elemental, raw

• If I Had a Heart - Fever Ray: dark, roaming, sure

• Who’s With Us - Current Swell: sad, lonely, soft

• Sleep on the Floor - The Lumineers: textured, lazy

• Helvegen - Wardruna: nordic, echoing, thunderous

• Jenny of Oldstones - Ginny Di: old, soft, sweeping

• Nothing Arrived - Villagers: so, so sad…with honey

some of my favorite spooky ladies + flowers and bouquets 🌹💐