#famous cars in cinema

[karebear923]

Me: watches a show called Pit Babe

Also Me: is surprised when the character’s name is Pit Babe

No but like I knew his name was Babe but I didn’t know his ‘stage’ name was Pit Babe 😅 I just thought the show was named that way cause he’s a racer 🙂

[strawwiibernyy]

Enhypen stealing your first kiss

warnings! suggestive, inexperienced!reader x experienced!enhypen

╰┈➤ You love them, and a hug isn't enough anymore. However, you are embarrassed about your inexperience. How Enhypen members will handle your first kiss?

____________________

LEE HEESEUNG:

You weren't even together when you shared your first kiss. Heeseung was your best friend.

Every day, while hanging out at your house, he would describe heated nights with various girls. It made you curious. The feeling of kissing another person you love. You wanted to experience that feeling too. And now.

"H-heeseung, can you teach me how to kiss?" You suddenly spoke, hiding yourself behind your long front hair. Heeseung, who was playing video games on your bed, turned to look at you.

The sound of his game indicating his loss was the only one that could be heard. The awkward silence that had fallen made you blush even more. Heeseung's eyes were wide open and he left his phone aside.

"You never kissed anyone?" He asked, receiving a small nod from you. "Alright then, come closer." It was very embarrassing, but you obeyed. He placed you in front of him on the bed and wrapped his hands around your waist.

"Relax, don't be so stiff." His left hand held your waist while his right went to brush softly your cheek. You melted into his touch, and Heeseung smirked at your reaction.

And then, you finally felt his lips on yours. It was so gentle, filled with love and passion. Even though you and Heeseung were only best friends. It lasted more than you thought it would, and you felt Heeseung taking away your breath.

"Wait a moment." You pulled out, trying to catch your breath. Heeseung looked you up and down before licking his lips.

"Don't tell me you want to continue being best friends after that?"

PARK JAY:

It happened on the third date. The famous Park Jay had asked you out and of course you accepted it. You weren't yet his official girlfriend, just getting to know each other.

"Do you want to grab a quick dinner or are you tired?" He said after the movie you guys were watching ended. The cinema filled with people again as they exited the room.

All around there were couples kissing and hugging. It made you curious how Jay's lips felt. That feeling pushed you to go up to him. You stood on your tiptoes, bringing your face impossibly close to his.

Jay didn't hesitate at all at your bold move and pushed his lips on yours. But before he did, you stopped him with your finger. "I-I don't know how to do this." Jay opened his eyes, looking deep into yours.

"Then let me guide you." Those were his last words before kissing you. Both of his hands were on your waist, gripping it gently. His soft lips made your legs weak as you tried to mimic the motion of his mouth.

Jay was the one to stop the kiss, afraid to make you uncomfortable. He is always such a gentleman. That's what he love about him. Silence fell for a little before Jay broke it.

"Are you sure this was your first kiss?"

SIM JAKE:

The moment you two began labelling yourselves as a couple, he made a move on you. On one of your dates before, you had actually confessed your inexperience. So Jake made sure to prepare properly.

Your first kiss with Jake was very special. After a date at an expensive restaurant, he drove you home. Late at night, with the wind hitting your faces and dancing with your red dress. His body brought warmth to yours.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked, making your eyes get big in surprise. You both stood outside of his car. Just before you were about to go into your home, he blurted out the words. To be honest, you wanted to kiss him too. But you were scared.

"I don't know how to do this. I am afraid I will mess up."

"Don't worry, it's very easy. Just trust me." His hand cupped your cheek, bringing you closer to him. He couldn't erase the teethy smile on his lips, excited to feel you a little closer. "Close your eyes."

You couldn't see anything, only feel. Jake's fingers brushed a bit on your cheek before his lips locked with yours. They were plump and soft, exactly how you imagined them.

Your worries were long gone now. The only thing your brain could concentrate was on Jake's lips.

After a while, you pulled away. Your saliva glittered on your boyfriend's lips, making you suddenly shy. Jake smirked, stepping closer to you.

"I will make sure you practice a lot so you won't feel insecure about it."

PARK SUNGHOON:

Same with Jay, Sunghoon is a gentleman. He knew you were inexperienced, so he never mentioned the physical matter. No matter how much he wanted to kiss you.

You were the first one to bring it up into your relationship. Sunghoon had come over to your house for a movie, which he let you pick. Not wasting any time, you picked a romantic one.

The movie was coming to an end, and the couple finally kissed. A huge smile occupied your lips, while Sunghoon gave you side glances. He wanted this, but he was afraid that he might scare you.

So you took the lead. "Sunghoon, my friends think that is weird that we haven't kissed yet." You said once the movie finished. Sunghoon swallowed down hard, scratching the back of his head.

"Really?"

"Yes." You replied, and Sunghoon's mouth shut. He didn't know what to reply to that. Shall he tell you what he thinks or don't say anything instead? And while Sunghoon was deep in thoughts, he suddenly felt your lips on his.

His eyes popped open, seeing an extraordinary sight. You, in front of him with eyes tightly closed and your lips barely touching his. You were trying so hard; it made Sunghoon's will to kiss you even more.

"Wait." He said, and you pulled away. "This is the right way." His lips found again yours, pulling you into a deep kiss. It made you dizzy. Sunghoon's hands and mouth made you dizzy.

"Now you can tell your friends that we have kissed."

KIM SUNOO:

It was an accident. An accident that led to more.

You and Sunoo were in the same friend group. You talked from time to time as friends, but you had never been left alone. Even if you weren't close to each other, you admitted the young man was very attractive. Fox like eyes and soft features. He was a true beauty.

Today, your friends had invited you to a concert. You weren't very keen on the idea at first, but after you learnt Sunoo would be joining, you decided to go. That's how you found yourself surrounded by thousands of people.

Inside the crowd, you couldn't find your friends. Until you spotted a certain someone. "Sunoo!" You shouted, making the boy turn around. He was alone too, so he rushed towards you.

"Where are the others?" He said, yet with the loud music covered his voice.

"What? I didn't hear you!"

"I said, where are the others?!"

"Eh?!"

"Uh, forget it." He rolled his eyes, titling his head to the side. You got sad that you made him irritated. Walking closer to him, you got on your tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

What you didn't expect was for him to turn his head at the exact moment you were ready to speak. His lips found yours, making your cheeks change a thousand shades of red. In seconds, the boy pulled away, making you miss his lips already.

"Sunoo, I am so sorry!" You tried to apologize, watching the boy touching his lips. However, Sunoo didn't want your apology. He wanted your lips on his again, and properly this time.

"We will talk about this after the concert."

YANG JUNGWON:

This man may seem innocent, but oh well. The day you became his girlfriend was the same day he kissed you.

He had prepared everything. Brushed his teeth, ate a mint gum, put on some lip balm. "So, are we a couple now?" You asked between awkward giggles after you both had confessed to each other.

"I guess." Jungwon replied, scratching the back of his head. Some seconds of silence followed before Jungwon began lowering his head towards yours.

His closed eyes, his head coming closer to yours, his pouting lips. All those signs indicated one thing. He wanted to kiss you! You wanted to stop him, but you weren't quick enough.

Before you knew it, his soft lips were on you. They moved slowly against yours, while you were completely frozen. Jungwon pulled away, looking at you with a frown.

"Um, you don't like it?"

"No! No, it's not that! I j-just don't know how." Jungwon smirked at you, and leaned in again. This time, you put effort in too. You tried your best to follow his movements, tasting his strawberry lip balm.

The long kiss you shared with Jungwon left you gasping for air. How was he so good at this?

"Y/N, can we do that again?"

NISHIMURA RIKI:

With Riki, it happened out of nowhere. In your surprise, he made a move in the first week of your relationship, but you didn't decline him.

You were hanging out at his house, talking about various of things. You talked to him about college; he talked to you about dancing. While you talked, you noticed his attention drifting away from you.

"Riki, are you listening?" His eyes from your lips went back to your eyes. A shade of red overtook your cheeks, but you shook it off and continued to talk. However, Riki's eyes fell back to its previous place.

This time, you didn't dare to say anything. Staring so intensenly at your lips made you shatter. Riki's patience was running out, so he cut you off.

"Wanna kiss?"

"Yes." That's pretty much how it went. Riki went towards you, grabbing your waist. Your hands went to his chest, trying to keep up with him. Getting caught up in the tension, you forgot to warn him about your inexperience. Seconds in and you pulled yourself away.

"What happened?" Riki asked, licking his lips. You lowered your head, looking at your lap. This was too embarrassing for you.

"T-that was my first kiss."

"Yes, I kinda figured it out." His honest response took you out. You kissed so badly that he realized it just by a peck? Riki noticed your sad expression, making him sad too.

Without any warning, he kissed you again. This time it was a more passionate one, holding the back of your head with his hand. He pulled away, leaving you breathless with wide eyes.

"That doesn't mean I didn't like it tho."

____________________

A/N: I almost lost the document, but luckily I had saved it. Anyway, stan m!lk (kiss plan by them in the image) for a better life 😘.

© all rights reserved to me — i do not allow anyone to copy, translate, or republish my works. all my stories are purerly fictional.

[ham1lton]

if we were a movie.

pairings: charles leclerc x actress!reader.

faceclaim: zendaya <3

summary: need for speed, out in cinemas feb 31st 2026, follows emma, a coffee shop owner, who falls in love with christopher, a formula one driver. the film's marketing manager decides to take you and your co-stars to the next f1 race where you meet the original inspiration for christopher and maybe, find a love story of your own.

author's note: hi. this was the most voted post on the poll so i hope you enjoy it! don't forget to read until the end so you can vote on the next post! also shout out to ms hannah montana for this banger which inspired the title!

FEEDBACK + REQUESTS. TIP JAR. MASTERLIST. TAGLIST.

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liked by yourbestie, charles_leclerc and 2,928,927 others.

yourusername: days on set with these losers. thank god i get free and unlimited coffee!!!

view all 283,838 comments

nicholasgalitzine: who is that sexy guy in the last pic 😍

-> yourusername: taylor 😍

user3: yn did they make u cry?? 😭

-> yourusername: i laughed so hard i cried 😔

user8: if nicholas is supposed to be charles, who is taylor supposed to be? also why is he going blond? charles is a brunet 😭

-> user10: evil carlos 😭 in the original plot, charles gets with emma and to ‘bring him down’, carlos exposes the relationship thinking that it would make charles lose goodwill with his fans which would then be bad pr for ferrari. so he does it so that he can be the first driver.

-> user8: thats so insane 💀

-> user10: girl its a fanfiction, that’s why 😭 also in the published version, they changed charles’ name to christopher, made him british and gave him blond hair to lessen any comparisons to charles. i mean, there is only one monegasque driver on the grid rn.

-> user8: that makes sense lowkey. also i love blond nicholas so its a win for me!

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liked by charles_leclerc, ynfan1 and 248,973 others.

needforspeedupdates: our protagonists were at the most recent grand prix in austin! nicholas met with race car driver charles leclerc! <3

tagged: yourusername nicholasgalitzine charles_leclerc

view all 10,728 comments

user9: omg did you guys see charles run away from yn??

-> user5: she seemed so hurt omg :(((

-> user7: i thought he had a crush on her? maybe he was being awkward. i know people have done worse in front of their crushes 🤷🏼‍♀️

-> user5: i know but still. poor yn :(((

user23: last pic….. EIFFEL TOWER WHEN?!

-> user1: i need them both biblically.

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liked by ynupdates, charlesfan1 and 639,683 others

ham1ltonshaderoom: actress and it girl yn yln was spotted out to lunch with formula one star charles leclerc at a brunch cafe in austin. leclerc has formally stated that yln was his celebrity crush many times and witnesses say they spotted them looking ‘very cozy’ at lunch. one onlooker said that charles was very ‘apologetic’ at the beginning but yn had clearly forgiven him by the end of the outing. what do you think ham1ltons?

view all 20,728 comments

user1: yn would be the most iconic wag ever.

-> user7: like come on now. this would be so cute. i can already imagine her fits.

ynhater: as if he’d date her 😒

-> user6: as if he’d date YOU 😭😭😭

user5: i think they’re so cute but it’s probably just a friendship thing. i mean… he’s the original person that chris was based off of so it’s probably pr or something.

-> user2: no i agree. 100% pr.

user4: no offence but i just don’t see it. i mean… he’s not ugly? but it’s yn.

-> user9: ?? and he’s thee charles leclerc. idk why you’re shocked. they’re both young, famous and attractive.

user34: yn be wary girl…. you know how these athletes be.

user98: charles man… how can you date a girl who’s job it is to kiss other guys lol 🤢

user55: but how was her hair blonde before and now it’s brunette?

-> user89: could have been a wig or extensions to get the blonde? this is her natural hair!

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liked by ynswifey, charles_leclerc and 829,928 others

needforspeedupdates: yn was on good morning america to promote the film, which is out this week! she spoke about her forage into formula one. i’ll transcribe the clip attached!

interviewer: you’ve obviously dipped your toes into formula one before as you’ve been friends with lewis hamilton for a while, right?

yn: you’d think so! but i actually hadn’t. i was similar to emma in a lot of ways. both of us obsessed with coffee and clueless about motorsports! i did meet up with a friend who promised to teach me more. so that’s a bonus!

view all 9,728 comments

user7: she HAS to mean charles by the friend. lewis had already been mentioned so she would have said his name.

-> user8: charles’ rizz is just asking girls if they wanna look at his car.

-> user3: he’s lucky he’s got that pretty face 😭

user9: CHARLES WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE 😭

-> user1: not him snooping in the likes 😭😭

charleshater1: how about we ship her with an attractive driver like lewis or carlos. this is disrespectful to her brand.

-> user45: girl SHUT UP 😭

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liked by yourusername, taylorzakharperez and 1,828,233 others.

nicholasgalitzine: the feeling when your bestie gets a f1 boyfriend so you have unlimited paddock passes.

view all 238,829 others

user1: DID HE JUST EXPOSE CHARLESYN 😭

-> user2: all those secret meetings and shit only to be exposed by a twink 😭

-> user3: he is nawt a twink. he’s too muscular. get your terminology right.

user4: NOOOOOOOOOO PLEASE SAY THIS IS PR

user5: i don’t believe this. yn is so notoriously private about her relationships that i doubt she’d like a post that is exposing her.

user6: i want nicholas, taylor, yn AND charles 🤷🏼‍♀️

-> user7: this is the kind of greed they warned about in the bible.

taylorzakharperez: yes guys. i am dating an f1 driver. sorry to burst your bubble.

-> landonorris: it’s me :D

-> user8: lando dating taylor is less believable than true famous f1 couple taylor and fernando.

user9: PLEASE SOMEONE JUST TELL ME IF THEY’RE DATING I CAN’T DO ALL THIS SPECULATION ANYMOREEEEEE

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liked by ynswifey, charlesfan1 and 789,827 others.

ham1ltonshaderoom: bad day for fans of actress yn yln! as she is seen strolling with her alleged boyfriend, f1 driver charles leclerc, in the streets of london. the new couple are very much boo’d up after the release of her newest rom com ‘need for speed’ that is taking the box office by storm. according to family and friends, the couple is very much ‘in love’ and excited to see where the future will take them. how do we feel about this new couple ham1ltons?

view all 34,737 comments

user1: hate them!

user2: LOVE THEM 😍

user6: HER HAND AROUND HIS WAIST OMG

-> user7: charles is yn’s wife.

-> user8: STOP IM SO JEALOUS OF HIM

user3: are you sure this isn’t just pr? i mean… come on now. she does a film about a f1 driver. now she’s dating one. it could all just be a pr relationship to drum up interest for the film.

-> user4: or… they could actually be into each other?

-> user3: i won’t believe it until one of them post about it.

user5: months of speculation but neither of them have said a thing or been at a public event together. i mean… nicholas has been at more f1 races than yn 😭

user9: lewis is influencing charles already with the cuppa in london.

-> user10: y’know yn likes a london boy 😍

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liked by yourusername, landonorris and 1,927,938 others

charles_leclerc: happy birthday to the funniest, prettiest and most incredible girl in the world. thank you for sharing your world with me. i hope to stay with you forever. 💕

tagged: yourusername.

view all 348,838 comments

user1: OMG ITS OFFICIAL

lewishamilton: so happy for you both! 💐

-> charles_leclerc: thank you lewis! wouldn’t have been possible without you.

-> user5: 1644 aka MY goats

user2: THIS IS SO CUTE IM JUMPING INTO THE SEA

yourusername: i love you <3

-> charles_leclerc: i love you more.

landonorris: BOO I HATE COUPLES

-> taylorzakharperez: 😔

-> landonorris: doesn’t apply to us sweetcheeks 😘

-> taylorzakharperez: 😍

nicholasgalitzine: thank god. tired of being yn’s excuse to attend f1 games.

-> yourusername: you loved it really don’t lie.

-> nicholasgalitzine: 🤭😏

maxverstappen1: does this mean the groupchat can be dismantled?

-> charles_leclerc: no :)

-> pierregasly: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

user3: WE WON!!!!

user4: NOOOOO YN PLEASE DATE ME!!!! I CAN DRIVE FAST TOO 😭😭 WHAT DOES HE HAVE THAT I DONT 😭😭😭

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— taglist: @23victoria @maxlarens @m1892 @stinkyjax @yelenasloverrrrr @tsireyasgf @landososcar @ourlifeforchaos @itseightbeats @xylinasdiary @chelle1306 @velentine @ariellovelynn @shhhchriss @f1kenzzz @lavisenri @namgification @hiireadstuff @km-23mr @theblueblub @lifeless-firefly @papayadays @maxverstappendefender @assholeinatrenchcoat @liberty-barnes @starz4me1 @mvk1ma @dear-fifi @ihtscuddlesbeeetchx3 @whyamireadingthis @halleest @rlalliehayes @flowergirl1134 @s4misbetter @llando4norris @chezmardybum @isthatacandle (want to be tagged for future works? fill out my new taglist!)

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Ginger Rogers (Swing Time, Top Hat)—Look I’ll level with you, I’ve never seen her in a musical and I know that she’s an amazing dancer and she’ll be even hotter when I finally watch Top Hat but I’m not submitting her as a dancer I’m submitting her as an ACTRESS. Her comic timing is impeccable!!!!! She’s full to bursting with life and in every role she seems to be having FUN, you can practically feel the twinkle in her eye. With her natural warmth it’s like she’s letting you in on the joke, y’all get to have this fun together! Making me laugh is hot!!! [If you'd like to see Ginger dance, videos below the cut]

Dorothy Lamour (The Jungle Princess, Road to… movies)—Ok, to be honest, I get if no one wants to vote for her--she's kind of like my ~problematic fave~ because she started in the Road (Singapore, Bali, Hong Kong, etc) movies with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, which are full of all sorts of exoticism tropes and usually have her playing very side-eye type roles..island princesses and things...yeah. also she banged J. Edgar Hoover. not very hot. but your honor i still think she's pretty despite all that she's pretty please look at her and tell me she's prettyyy

This is round 1 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Dorothy Lamour propaganda:

She started in jungle and South Seas movies and became famous in the Road series. She learned quickly to improvise when facing Bob and Bing. Road to Bali almost has her character marrying both of theirs, since she's island royalty and nobody had a problem with it - a nearly poly relationship, an epiphany for a viewer who didn't even know that that could happen! She was a popular pinup girl during World War 2, and was the first singer for the popular standard "It Could Happen to You". She sang often in her movies and has a lovely voice!

Ginger Rogers propaganda:

She needs no introduction! An undeniable powerhouse on the dancefloor, and no less talented an actress. I once watched a compilation of cinema's greatest dance scenes and one of her and Fred Astaire's dances was featured, and one of the talking heads said he pitied her for 'having to keep up with him' - or something to that effect. Bullshit, I cry. Ginger Rogers was his absolute equal, and underplaying her incredible skill is downright criminal. I want the 'Cheek to Cheek' sequence from Top Hat to be permanently burned into my memory.

"Backwards in high heels", as the saying goes (though the pedant in me must point out that she in fact spent her fair share of time leading or dancing side-by-side). One of the earliest twinkle-toed ladies of the silver screen, and in terms of acting/persona, her balance of wide-eyed cuteness and movie-star glamour has never quite been replicated.

we all know her beloved string of musicals with fred but ginger also has an extensive and varied non-fred filmography that she's great in! a few ginger moments that are important 2 me personally ginger singing “we’re in the money” in gold diggers of 1933, complete with a verse in pig latin bc this whole movie is kinda mocking the concept of anyone actually being in the money in 1933; ginger and una merkel singing a verse of “shuffle off to buffalo” in 42nd street, providing some statler & waldorf-esque commentary on newlyweds from the upper berth of a railway car (interesting that belly was apparently a risque word in 1933 - maybe its bc the lyric is innuendo-ing about out of wedlock pregnancies - and that panties was a term for men’s underthings!); a favorite fred & ginger number

Ginger Rogers could do everything! She could sing, dance and act. She was hilarious in comedies, moving in dramatic roles (she won an Oscar for Kitty Foyle in 1940) and absolutely gorgeous!

Listen, no shade to Fred Astaire at all, but she both kept up with him step for step and then later went on to WIN AN OSCAR FOR ACTING. (which he did not.) truly a double threat!!!

One of the best dancers in Hollywood! Her work with Fred Astaire is just incredible.

ONE LINE: "Everything Fred did, Ginger did backwards and in heels" AND THEYRE RIGHT! Rogers was a total dance badass, and a lot of movie buffs know the story, but the Never Gonna Dance number from Swing Time took almost 50 takes, and allegedly by the end of filming it her white shoes had been stained pink because her feet were bleeding. As a note, she looks crazy gorgeous in this number. Watching these two dance is insane. They match up to each other in a way my mom describes as "divine" and she's right. DANCE NUMBERS!

Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (Shall We Dance, 1937, dancing starts at 3:14, they're in ROLLERSKATES)

(Ginger Rogers is the hottest woman ever to live in this number. seeing this as a teenager altered my brain chemistry)

(also watch her feet and how she moves opposite Astaire in this one. We all know our boy Freddie had that precision demon but jesus christ Miss Rogers, let a girl live!)

Pick Yourself Up, Swing Time 1936 (Everyone's seen this one but by god you are going to see it AGAIN!)

Shall We Dance, 1937 (duet begins at 2:34)

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Roberta 1935 (There's just something about Ginger Rogers in a slick black dress man)

The Continental, The Gay Divorcee 1934 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjv6nmF7wdk God she's MAGIC in this one.

Gay Divorcee's Ending Montage 1934The infamous table and chairs spin happens at about 0:49. Pay CLOSE attention to her in this bc it looks like witchcraft and I feel lightheaded whenever I watch this movie bc shes THAT awesome.

She is a miracle to watch. Sorry for the sheer amount of clips. My entire family is like madly in love with Ginger Rogers.

[tangerine-dream-machine]

do you wanna see the west with me?

Notes below!

This is not a realistic road trip at all, but here are the places/activities shown:

Yorktown Battlefield, Virginia: the site where General Cornwallis surrendered in 1781, bringing the end of the Revolutionary War

Liberty Bell, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: the famous bell with the message "Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof", and later a symbol of liberty for abolitionists and suffragists

Drive-in theater: outdoor cinemas that reached their peak in popularity in the 1950s to 60s; the film is The Searchers (1956)

Kayaking: a fun lake/ocean activity

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail: this trail crosses nine states and follows the forced displacement of Cherokees, Chickasaws, Choctaws, Muscogees, and Seminoles due to the Indian Removal Act in 1830

Traffic (and billboards): a bane to many and common in car-dependent cities

Cedar Hill Cemetery, Vicksburg, Mississippi: one of the oldest cemeteries in the US still being used; predates the Civil War and includes a Confederate burial site

Devil's Tower, Wyoming: a majestic (and sacred) butte and the first US national monument

Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah: a flat, empty salt pan estimated to hold 147 million tons of salt and a popular racing site

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: a geyser in the world's first national park known for its reliable eruptions

Gas station, Nowhere, USA

Horseback riding, Montana: no comment, just a fun time

Las Vegas, Nevada: the world renowned Sin City, a place that caters to many vices

Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex, North Dakota: group of missile defense facilities including missile silos and the pyramid-shaped radar system; built in 1975 and decommissioned after one day of operation, a "monument to man's fear and ignorance"

Hoover Dam, Nevada and Arizona: hydroelectric power plant on the Colorado River; the highest dam in the world at the time of its completion in 1935

Space Needle, Seattle, Washington: an observation tower with a revolving restaurant built for the 1962 World Fair "Living in the Space Age", a theme chosen to show the US was not lagging behind the USSR in the Space Race

Sequoia National Park, California: home of the world's largest tree by volume (General Sherman) and the highest point in the contiguous US (Mount Whitney)

Muir Beach Overlook, California: a former base station overlook with dugouts that gained importance immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 as a means to watch for attacks on nearby San Francisco

@usukweek

[themoonofblueside]

Nico "i a part of the most famous f1 rivalry" rosberg doing the podium interviews where lewis "i am the other half of that rivalry" hamilton gets his 200th podium where the 1-2 of the race had a teammate drama with two guys who are also close in age with a very quick car...this is cinema

[vidavalor]

"You love trains": Crowley & Aziraphale inspired 'North by Northwest'

Putting my film studies background to good use here with some film history & historical context under the cut.

The "what does the J stand for?" exchange in The Blitz, Part 1 and the inability for the audience to initially understand what Aziraphale is mouthing in The Blitz, Part 2 are both references to Hitchcock's classic spy thriller, 'North by Northwest'. I didn't link the clip that goes along with The Blitz, Part 2 in case some of you have never seen this film because it would ruin your experience of it. (Definitely watch it if you have not as it's a masterpiece.) Since The Blitz scenes are taking place in 1941 and 'North by Northwest' was released 18 years later in 1959, Crowley and Aziraphale aren't referencing the film in the dialogue but, instead, could be presumed to be the source *of* the dialogue in the film... just like how Shakespeare lifted Crowley's love poetry for 'Antony & Cleopatra'... and the 'North by Northwest'-referencing part of The Blitz, Part 1 *is referencing* the 'Antony and Cleopatra' reference because it's the reveal of Crowley's first name. But... it gets even better...

The writer of 'North by Northwest' was legendary Hollywood screenwriter Ernest Lehman, whom we're now presuming to have been a friend of probably at least Aziraphale's. Lehman wrote a dozen or so classic films and, outside of 'North by Northwest', is most famous for writing adaptations of several famous musicals, including the adapted screenplay for... 'The Sound of Music.' But, no, somehow, we aren't done yet with how amazing this is lol.

The thing that makes this all even funnier is that 'North by Northwest' is responsible for probably the most famous train metaphor in cinema. I'll spoil just this bit as it won't really ruin the overall movie for you if you haven't seen it but don't go any further than here if you don't want to be spoiled at all. If you've already seen it, you totally know what I mean. *laughs*

In 1959, when this film was released, you still couldn't really show sex on screen in a mainstream film. If you showed two people in a bedroom at all, they were cisgender, heterosexual and married and they slept in two separate beds. The level of sex happening in the above clip was *wild* for the era and the fact that it was put into the film the way it is-- that an unmarried woman picks up a hot guy on a train and they sleep together and she's still the heroine of the film and all of that-- was really nothing short of feminist revolution in a film in this era.

The film has a famous "love scene" of sorts that follows not long after the one I linked above, where the two of them are in a cabin on the train and starting to get it on but constraints of cinema coding at the time limited how far it could go. So, to imply that the main characters do, in fact, sleep together, the film famously cuts away to a shot of the train entering a tunnel-- making the train itself symbolic of sex. Because of how famous the film overall--and this scene in particular--became, it became a thing to use trains euphemistically for sex in other cinematic works following it. There is literally no way that Crowley and Aziraphale have not seen this movie so while Aziraphale was happy to make The Bentley into a sexual metaphor while angling for the car keys, Crowley is half-heartedly griping in flirty response by continually referencing trains, another sexual mode of transportation-- the one that that they inspired lol. Hence Aziraphale's bemused little lololol-but-won't-give-him-the-satisfaction-of-seeing-my-amusement face here:

Sunglassed!Cary Grant is Crowley and the old movie chemistry and the semi-coded flirty banter and someone please, please write a fic where Aziraphale says "I don't particularly like the book I've started"-- I will pay you lol.

[allwaswell16]

All the One Direction fics I read and enjoyed in May 2024. You can listen to my podcast to hear me talk about each of these fics as well as an overview of what was posted on ao3 including the fics on this month’s fic roundup [ @1dmonthlyficroundup ] which you can find here! Please let the writers know if you liked the fics by leaving kudos and comments! Happy reading!

Fanfictional Podcast #62 |  ko-fi | fic recs

- Louis/Harry -

🍃 Ocean Wave Blues by babyhoneyhslt / @babyhoneyheslt

(M, 49k, pirates) After the gruesome death of his Alpha, Harry takes over as the Captain of the Rose Arrow. Trying his best to uphold her reputation as being the most dreadful pirate ship to sail the Seven Seas.

🍃 and so I have to say (before I go) by we_are_the_same / @so-why-let-your-voice-be-tamed

(M, 27k, mystery) Sometimes falling in love is taking a leap of faith, jumping into the unknown with your eyes closed, hoping someone will be there to catch you. Sometimes falling in love is seeing the person in front of you, all their flaws and imperfections, and taking that leap nonetheless.

🍃 Room For One More Troubled Soul by patdkitten / @babyarcanacasey

(M, 25k, supernatural elements) Louis Tomlinson is the chief medical examiner of the Centre for the Law Enforcement of Supernatural Beings - more commonly referred to as simply "The Centre".

🍃 High heels on, 'm feeling alive by thebreadvan / @thebreadvansstuff

(M, 14k, uni) Harry damages a car when drunkenly stumbling home after a fun night out with his friends. Feeling horribly guilty, he tries to find the owner and make it up to him.

🍃 oh so familiar by @insightfulinsomniac

(E, 13k, witch Harry/vampire Louis) A story of misguided enemies to lovers brought together by a stubborn orange tabby.

🍃 I Dig Your Cinema by @silverstuff50

(E, 12k, exes) It wasn’t that Louis didn’t want to see Harry’s latest film; it was a tragically pathetic fact that Louis had watched every single show and film, every interview, every red carpet that Harry had done since his ex-boyfriend had decided to leave Uni in the second year and pursue an acting career.

🍃 Haze on the horizon by @lunarheslwt

(E, 6k, established relationship) Louis finds himself unexpectedly going into soft heat. Which would’ve been fine, except he is hundreds of miles away from his alpha, Harry, and he needs him. They make it work.

🍃 You're Already Home by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup

(G, 5k, magical realism) It's Christmas Eve and Harry's life is normal. Then he finds someone's barred the door to his favourite hiding spot -- the old groundskeeper's cottage -- and suddenly Harry's life isn't normal anymore.

🍃 just a couple of my cravings by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf

(G, 3k, crush) Summer's just around the corner and Louis' battling his addictions... Cigarettes and Harry Styles.

🍃 I'm not that other guy by @jaerie

(E, 3k, omegaverse) Harry has just come back from maternity leave when he unexpectedly goes into heat. He runs into a coworker on his way out.

🍃 Change of Plans by @haztobegood

(G, 2k, omegaverse) Harry and Louis plan to visit their families over Christmas. Sometimes, plans don't work out.

🍃 Into the Woods by @kingsofeverything

(E, 2k, tree adjacent porn lol) Whenever he hikes, Harry keeps an eye out for trees with knots and scars that resemble buttholes. What started as fodder for his silly little Instagram account has become his favorite way to masturbate.

🍃 Lights Are So Bright by QuickedWeen / @becomeawendybird

(G, 2k, famous/famous) Newly first-string quarterback Louis Tomlinson mentions enough times in interviews that he's a fan of mega-famous popstar Harry Styles that people start to notice. At least one person does...

🍃 mosquito bites and cheap beer by @juliusschmidt

(M, 2k, exes-ish) Harry’s careful not to look at Louis as he plays. At least, he starts out that way. Part 2 of Cabin on the Bluff

🍃 Different Than You Do by galactic_larry / @galacticlarry

(T, 2k, love confession) Louis and Harry have been friends for a little over four years. Louis has been in love with Harry for most of those years, even if he didn’t want to admit it at first. What happens when he impulsively decides to tell him?

🍃 On Love's Doorstep by @hellolovers13

(T, 1k, neighbors) Harry Styles: a day in the life...Stuck in a dress, Abandoned by his best friend, Date with hot neighbour. All in all, not the worst day ever

🍃 My heart's in overdrive, and you're behind the steering wheel  by @louisthiccsexyglitteryass

(E, 1k, uni) Being late to class means Harry and Louis have to pose together for figure drawings. That being said, the hate each other, but maybe they don't?

🍃 Expresso by @reallynotmemoi

(NR, 880 words, uni) Louis falls in love at first sight with a boy from his Tuesday lectures, and proceeds to make a fool out of himself in front of said boy. But maybe not all is lost…

- Rare Pairs -

🍃 better latte than never by @disgruntledkittenface

(M, 1k, Zayn/Harry) Harry was looking forward to the coffee cart at work. Until the subject of the previous night's fantasies lined up next to him.

🍃 No Constraints by @lululawrence

(NR, 863 words, Louis/Greg James) Louis is really not understanding this particular section of his Vector Calculus course, and his tutor doesn't seem to get what Louis is having a hard time with. Until he does.

[smilesstyless]

Birthday show with surprises

Summary: it’s Harry’s birthday show and you find out you’re pregnant. Harry is starting a conversation with you

Pairing: singer!harry x fem!reader

Wordcount: 793

Trigger warnings: a bit angst at the end

Inspired by this

You are nervous you got the results of your pregnancy test back and today was also Harry’s birthday and you’re supposed to go.

You slowly open the letter and look at the results. You couldn’t believe what stands there. You’re pregnant. She can’t believe that.

You spend too much money on this ticket, you can’t stay home. Y/n is still shocked, she cried a bit and then she made a sign, I found out I’m pregnant.

Harry is looking through the crowd, he was asking if everyone is okay and the crowd said no. He was making sure everyone was having a good time.

Harry is looking through the crowd, he was asking if everyone is okay and the crowd said no. He was making sure everyone was having a good time.

He already sang a few songs like cinema, keep driving, and canyon moon. then he got back to reading the signs. He looked at the crowd, some of them said, shaved for Harry or sing grape juice but he didn’t care about them. His eyes stopped at your sign.

“You found out today?” Harry asks you.

“Yes, I’m three months pregnant,” you say a bit shyly. Today is Harry’s day and you make it about yourself but Harry doesn’t think like that he thinks it’s wonderful.

“Three months, congrats. Are you excited? Are you terrified? It’s gonna be fine,” he smiles friendly at her.

“I am terrified, I’m on my own,” she looks at Harry. She still is shocked he’s talking to her.

“Is it the first one? I know you will be a great mum,” he smiles. “I wish you luck,” he added.

“I can tell from looking from the window of my soul into the window of your soul,” Harry first points at his eyes and then he points at y/n her eyes. “Through those beautiful windows, that you’re gonna be great you seem like a great person. You’re gonna be great,” you blush at the statement from Harry, that your eyes are beautiful. She’s still shocked that Harry talked to her. The crowd is cheering.

During the rest of the show Harry checked on you a few times, he makes sure everything is alright. “I wish I could hug you,” He saw her crying and said it right after Matilda.

•••

One of the security guards stopped her, “H wants to talk to you,” she follows the guards backstage. She stands in front of Harry’s dressing room. She was about to knock, he opens the door. He isn’t wearing a shirt, just the pants from earlier. He lets her go inside.

“May I hug you?” She nodded her head. Harry wraps his arms around her body. He puts his hands into fits and touches her back. His hug is warm and comforting.

“You will do great, don’t be scared,” he whispers into her neck.

“I’m alone, I have nobody,” she sobs. Harry noticed she started crying. He slowly rocked them both back and forth. Y/n hides her face in his chest.

“You’re not alone,” he coos.

“I am, you wouldn’t understand. So many people support you and I have nobody’s support with the baby,” she sobs out.

“You have mine,” y/n looks up at Harry who is smiling at the thought of babysitting them. "I can babysit," he smiled.

“You don’t mean that, you are famous,” she mumbles to herself. She can’t even afford some things a baby needs, like a crib.

“And that doesn’t mean I’m no human. I care about so much and let me care about you,” he wipes her tears away.

“H, we are celebrating. Are you coming out?” Mitch asked.

“One minute,” he says.

“What’s your name? I forgot to ask you earlier,” he puts a strand of her hair behind her ear.

“It’s y/n,” she smiled shyly. “I need to go home now,” she told Harry. He lets go of the hug and grabs himself a sweater and some sweatpants, he puts the sparkly pants off and the gray sweatpants on.

“I’ll bring you to the car,” he offers her his hand.

“But your party—” she mumbles. She grabs Harry’s hand and he interlocks his fingers with hers. “Can wait, first I need to bring you safely to your car,” he says.

Outside are a few cars left, Harry pulled his hood up, he doesn’t want to be seen.

Y/n and Harry arrive at the car, she opens it and slides in the driver's seat, and Harry opens the door to the passenger's side.

“Enter your number, and I’ll call you okay?” He’s kind of scared she will give it away. “Don’t give this number to anyone else. I’ve never done this before,” he admits.

“I won’t,” Harry gets out of the car and was about to close the door. “I wish you a happy rest birthday,” Harry’s smile brightens.

“Thanks, get home safely,” he added.

[paisainvests-1]

The Most Iconic 16 Hollywood Cars: Pop Culture Revamp

Ever wonder what makes Hollywood cars truly iconic? From the roaring engines that defined eras to the sleek designs that stole every scene, Hollywood has given us some unforgettable rides. Buckle up as we take a journey through the 16 most legendary Hollywood cars that not only ruled the silver screen but also became timeless symbols of pop culture.

😀 Let’s explore the Hollywood Cars wonders 😀

Hollywood has gifted us with some of the most iconic Hollywood cars ever to grace the silver screen. These vehicles aren’t just modes of transportation—they’re characters in their own right, carrying with them a legacy that transcends the films they appear in. From the time-travelling DeLorean to the gadget-laden Aston Martin DB5, these Hollywood cars have become ingrained in popular culture, influencing everything from car designs to video games. Let’s take a ride through the world of Hollywood’s top cars and see why these vehicles have become legends.

[bestgaddi-com]

The Most Iconic 16 Hollywood Cars: Pop Culture Revamp

Ever wonder what makes Hollywood cars truly iconic? From the roaring engines that defined eras to the sleek designs that stole every scene, Hollywood has given us some unforgettable rides. Buckle up as we take a journey through the 16 most legendary Hollywood cars that not only ruled the silver screen but also became timeless symbols of pop culture.

😀 Let’s explore the Hollywood Cars wonders 😀

1. The Batmobile

2. DeLorean from Back to the Future

3. Aston Martin DB5 from James Bond

4. KITT from Knight Rider

5. Herbie from The Love Bug

6. General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard

7. Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters

8. Greased Lightning from Grease

9. The Mystery Machine from Scooby-Doo

10. Ford Mustang from Bullitt

11. Lightning McQueen from Cars

12. Mach 5 from Speed Racer

13. Charger from Fast & Furious

14. Which Hollywood Cars Have Inspired NASCAR Racing Video Games?

15. Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit

16. Christine from Christine

Conclusion

[gavisuntiedboot]

Dim the lights (Gavi x Reader)

28 day writing prompt challenge - prompts are here

Day 5: Holding Hands

"If you play Titi me pregunto again, I will crash this car."

Your laugh rang loudly through the car. Pedri smiled cheekily, leaning one arm against the window, the other gripping the steering wheel. The windows of the mini Cooper were rolled down, letting in the warm air of the summer night in Barcelona. Bad Bunny was streaming through the speakers, creating an excited vibe in the small vehicle.

"But it's his best song! Come on, even Ale agrees, and he doesn't even like Bad Bunny."

Alejandro looked up from his phone in the back seat. He has been scrolling through Instagram to quell his anger at being made to sit in the back seat. "Please stop telling people I don't like Bad Bunny. It's really hurting my social reputation."

Pedri swerved into the parking space outside the cinema. The stars had finally aligned for you to hang out with Pedri for the first time in months. He opened your car door, helping you step out, and then falling in step beside you into the cinema. You had met Pedri several years ago at a COVID testing site you were working at to make some extra money. He had to wait for about 4 hours to get his results. In that time period, you sparked up a conversation. He leaned against the chair in the clinic, legs spread comfortably, easily passing 4 hours while chatting with you. You exchanged phone numbers at the end.

"Is it okay if I save you in my phone as Pedri?"' "No offense, but no one would believe that you have my phone number."

Since then, you and Pedri had gotten closer as friends. He was sarcastic and dryly funny, a sense of humor that you could easily relate to. You tried to hang out at least once a month, but it was difficult with your school schedule and with him being an international football superstar. Most times, you went over to his place, hanging out with him and his teammates. It was at one of these hangout that you had first met Pablo.

You had pulled up to the house, a case of beer in one hand, and pounding on the door in the other. "Pepi, open the door! This beer is heavy and I'm a delicate and frail woma-"

The door swung open, and it wasn't Pedri. Pablo Gavi stood there, leaning against the frame of the door. His brows were scrunched together (as usual), and he looked you up and down, yelling over his shoulder, "Pedri, who is the woman banging down your door?" Pedri came over quickly, spying you over Pablo's shoulder. "Hermano, at least help her with the beer. This is y/n, she's one of my friends."

Surprising as it was to hear that Pedri had friends outside of the club, Gavi stepped aside, allowing Pedri to grab the case from your arms. You followed the boys inside as Gavi fell back dramatically onto the couch, and you took the spot beside him. He flinched, looking at you with bewilderment. "Are you afraid of women, Pablo?" "How do you know my name?" "Did you forget that you're famous?"

Pablo cracked a smile. He liked that you were able to fire back at him quickly, keeping up with his fiery and fast-paced nature. He exchanged numbers with you that day, getting your Playstation info to challenge you in Fifa 22, ego still bruised from how bad you had beaten him last time. He was like a schoolboy with a crush: always finding odd moments to text you. He referenced inside jokes the two of you had on his Instagram. He was, as the kids would say, whipped. But he had yet to build up the courage to ask you to hang out - just the two of you.

You walked into the cinema, laughing with Pedri and Alejandro, and Gavi's eyes lit up. ""y/n!" He called out, walking up to you with his hands in his pocket. He hoped the move made him look cool, even though it was to hide the slight tremble that he developed when he was around you. "Hello to you too Hermano!" Alejandro yelled at Pablo, who had forgotten to meet his two teammates that you had walked in with. "Where is Ferran?" "Right here Pepi, rest easy, no need to miss me." Ferran held 5 tickets above his head, reaching into the popcorn bucket in Pablo's hand. "Y'all ready to scream?"

The group had gathered to watch "Bones and All". Movies were an easy pastime, as no one would recognize the guys in the dark of the theater. You had been salivating over Timothee Chalamet the entire car ride over. As you shuffled into the theater, you found yourself at the middle of the group, sitting in the row next to Pedri and Ale.

"Hermano, switch with y/n." Gavi said. He was sitting beside Pedri at the end of the row.

You looked up at Gavi, confusion on your face. "Why?"

"Because Pedri eats popcorn and you don't. I don't want to hear you complaining the whole time that you're acting as a courier."

"Fine. But I will be salivating over how fine Timothee is for all 2.5 hours of this movie. So I don't want to hear a word from you Pablito."

He let out a breathy laugh like this watching as you sat beside him. He took this moment to stare at your side profile. He loved the way your eyes lit up when you laughed, crinkling at the edges. He traced the curve of your lips with his gaze, watching intently as your tongue poked out to wet them. A few minutes later the lights in the theater dimmed.

You brought one leg up, making yourself more comfortable, and causing you to lean slightly into Pablo.

"You're gonna thirst over him already? He's not even on screen. You're such a simp." He whispered to you. You looked over at him, meeting his eyes even in the dark. "Don't be jealous Gavi. Someone will thirst after you eventually."

The movie began, and you sat back to watch intently. You brought your hand to rest at your side, brushing against Pablo's in the process. He flinched away from the touch like he had been electrocuted. You met his eyes in the dark, trying to silently apologize, when you felt him grab your hand. You continued to look at him, now confused, as he laced your fingers together.

"Your hands are cold." He whispered in your ear, causing a shiver to run down your spine. This interaction had caught Pedri's attention, who sat beside you, and he glanced at the two of you with a look of "Please shut up and stop being weird". You tried your best to ignore how hot your cheeks felt, sitting back against the chair. You were no longer paying attention to the movie on the screen, but rather to the warmth of Pablo's hand against yours. He started to caress the back of your hand with his thumb, and you thought you would explode.

Did you think Pablo was attractive? Absolutely. You had eyes. Had you felt a spark between the two of you in the time you had gotten to know each other? Also yes. Did you ever expect Pablo to make a move so bold when he was sitting around all his friends, given he had never hung out with you alone? Not in a million years. When the movie ended, Gavi quickly separated his hand from yours as to not be caught once the lights came back on. Your face was hot, and it was obvious you were anxious. Pedri asked if you were feeling okay, a small smirk playing on his lips, as if he could read your mind.

"Yeah I'm fine, just ready to go home."

Pedri, Ale and Ferran glanced at each other, as they had all planned to go out for drinks. You told the to go, and Pedri tossed you his car keys, reminding you that you didn't make enough to get him a new one if it crashed. You let out a forced laugh, trying to play it cool.

"I'll go with her, make sure she drives safe."

"You might encourage her to drive off the road, Pablo."

The group laughed, and once you said your goodbyes, you and Pablo walked over to Pedri's car at the back of the dark lot. You went to the driver's seat, but before you could unlock it, you felt two arms around you, caging you to the door of the car. You turned to face Pablo, and he pressed his forehead against yours - lips an inch away from meeting.

"Wow Pablo. First you go seven or eight months without daring to see me alone, and then you hold my hand and get in a car with me on the same night? Have you been drinking?"

His breath fanned across your face as he laughed. His gaze shifted between your eyes and your lips, and his chest heaved slightly with the weight of his breathing. You could tell he was on edge - nervous about ruining this charged friendship you two had developed.

"I've been wanting to do that for a while, but you've never given me the chance."

"You never asked." Your heart was hammering in your chest, your back against the door of the car. He took another step towards you, cupping your face in his hands.

"Alright, then let me ask now: can I kiss you?"

You bit your lip and looked up at him, feeling more shy than you ever have in your life. You tried to lean up and capture his lips with yours, but he pulled his face away.

"I asked, bonita. Now I need an answer."

"Yes."

Despite you answering at just above a whisper, Pablo heard the response loud and clear, practically ringing in his ears. He brought your face to his, closing the gap and kissing you passionately. You grabbed the front of his shirt in fist fulls, trying to bring him even closer, kissing him with a hunger you didn't know you had. You kept him close, barely breathing, and biting at his bottom lip, making him moan out slightly. Once you both pulled back for air, he rested his forehead against yours again, he looked you deep in the eye, pushing your hair behind your ear.

"Pablo... we should probably not do this in public where people can take photos."

"You're right... Pedri's house is going to be free for the next couple hours, and you have his keys."

Your friendship with Pablo had been broken forever, but it had now ben replaced with something different, something better: a place for your romantic feelings to grow. You had also broken some laws and driven way over some speed limits on the way back to Pedri's, but you could worry about that when you weren't making out with one of the hottest Spanish men alive, who kissed you like you were the air that filled his lungs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N: Hey y'all - thanks for tuning into day 5! Tried to make it a little longer. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read and enjoyed my writing. On Wednesday I posted a Gavi oneshot inspired by the headache I was feeling that day. Today (Sunday), that imagine is on over 300 notes. I am overwhelmed by all the love and support, and hope you guys continue to enjoy!

[lej222]

Literary Allusions and Pop Culture References in ASLFUA

After School Lessons is a series that has minimal plot, but great underlying themes and references to other famous creations/pop culture moments. I thought it would be fun to collect as many as I can in this post and their possible narrative connection, not necessarily in order. :)

Cheol & Miae

One of the biggest running gags of the series is that the main characters have the same names as the famous Korean musical duo Cheol and Miae. The group was formed in 1992, with Cheol as the rapper and Miae as the singer. Their single, 'Why do you' became a huge hit and was referenced in ASLFUA plenty of times. Obviously, the main joke here is that the singer Miae was taller than rapper Cheol and they were only friends, while Unripe Apples Cheol is taller than Miae.

Nostradamus

The prophecy of Nostradamus said that in the 7th month of 1999 a great king of terror would descend from the sky and bring end to the world. Which makes it even more interesting that the supernatural powers in the story started to be very active around July with the end of the first term and the start of the summer break.

Miae's posters on the wall: E.T (1982) and The X-Files (1993)

Interestingly enough, both feature aliens. E.T The Extra-Terrestrial might be more interesting for us readers, as it features a young boy named Elliott who befriends an alien. In one of the most famous scenes of the movie, E.T. is riding Elliott's bike in his basket, and the bicycle lifts off from the ground and two are shown flying in front of the full moon. In fact, in a poll made by Universal it was voted as the most memorable movie scene in 100 years of cinema.

Needless to say, there are some ovbious similarities with our story - the boy with the bike, the strange friend, the moon symbolism. In fact, Cheol is always looking at the moon so it wouldn't be a surprise if it was inspired by Spielberg's movie, plus one of the most impactful scenes of aslfua is when Cheol allows Miae to ride his bicycle with him in ep 95, the scene that I personally consider the end of the first part of the story.

Backstreet Boys

Miae is singing the 1997 hit song 'As Long As You Love Me'. Miae, like a typical teenager, likes boybands like the Fire Boys who might be the parody of The Backstreet Boys😃

Romeo and Juliet

There are quite a few references to the 1996 Romeo and Juliet movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. On 3 separate cover pages, Miae is portrayed as Juliet, while Cheol and Jisu are dressed like Romeo. There's also a scene where Miae imagines being Juliet who is not allowed to meet her Romeo when she cannot see Cheol. I wonder if Jisu will also have a Romeo-like element in his story that could create a similar situation, it would be an amazing foreshadowing element.

Man in Black

It looks like Soonkki really loves her alien references, because we also have the 1997 movie starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones, who play agents tasked with monitoring extraterrestrial life on Earth.

Titanic

Another movie that is mentioned many times in the story, the Titanic (1997) is one that Miae seemingly loves and has watched many times. In fact, it's funny how her favourite part is the car scene because it really shows us readers that Miae is interested in the idea of love, even if she doesn't know what it truly entails to be in a relationship.

Green Day

People born before the 2000s all know that characters listening to the American band's songs were often the slacker/stoner stereotypes. I've also written a post about how Jisu is seemingly the subversion of the 90s slacker/stoner and nerd archetype, while Cheol seems to be the subversion of the jock trope. Jisu is listening to Basket Case (1994) that has become the anthem of many slackers/stoners in the 90s, and weirdly fits his character really well considering Jisu is usually described as a strange person. I've also made several posts about Jisu possibly being on the spectrum, and it's interesting to see how Jisu expresses himself with the songs he listens to, no wonder his hobby is listening to music. If we consider Jisu might be bad at expressing his feelings through his body language, it makes this scene even more precious.

Speed

Cheol invites Miae to watch a movie together and it happens to be the 1994 classic starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Reeves plays a police officer who has to save the passengers of a bus without the speed of the bus dropping below 50 miles per hour, otherwise a bomb would explode the vehicle. It's one of the most creative action films ever made, but if someone wants to watch it, I advice not to watch the sequel because it is awful lol.

Scream

Miae wants Cheol to join the academy kids watching an R-rated movie which leads to a hilarious misunderstanding. To Cheol's relief, the movie turns out to be the horror movie Scream (1996).

Shakespeare and Carl Jung

Like I've mentioned in my supernatural involvement post under ep 116, we get a close-up of 2 interesting posters.

One of them is about the forest in Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare. The 4 central characters in the play all get entangled with the supernatural, and the forest symbolizes a world where the line between reality and fantasy is blurred. Dreams play an important role in the story as they are sometimes real, sometimes simply dreams. In aslfua, we also have dreams, a forest where young Miae and Cheol played, a stone tower fairy that allegedly grants wishes and an unknown supernatural power that talks to Miae.

The coincidences poster is likely a reference to Carl Jung's synchronicity, a concept that states that seemingly meaningful coincidences have a deeper meaning. One has to realize the connection between their psyche and the material world to experience synchronicity, so basically you have to notice the coincidences that keep happening and put meaning to them. Because these coincidences have no rational explanation, they can be proof for a deeper order in the universe, almost like destiny, no wonder Jung used this concept to argue for the existence of the paranormal. A simple example: you really cannot decide what to study in the future, but have seen many posters on your way about one school. You go home and it pops up on the Internet. You start to wonder if it's a coincidence, and decide that it's a sign from above and eventually choose it. You've experienced synchronicity.

-> this happens when seemingly unrelated events become meaningful to you. Miae wonders how she keeps bumping into Cheol. She says he must have come to her neighborhood because of her wish. Miae experiences synchronicity when it comes to Cheol. Or we could say Miae acknowledges a deeper order in the universe that, through coincidences, let her meet Cheol again. Jisu also notices that he keeps meeting Miae through coincidences, he acknowledges the deeper order, he even remarks it's fun, but he goes beyond and says he feels like there's a higher power involved. Miae has no idea about her coincidences with Jisu so she her psyche doesn't make the connection with the material world. So we have synchronicity experienced by: Miae->Cheol and Jisu->Miae.

Jisu, the grateful magpie

Jisu's backstory gives us a reference to a famous Korean folktale about a man who saved a group of baby magpies from a snake and in return the magpies sacrificed themselves to protect him. Here, the illustration clearly shows Miae as the person who uses her bow and arrow to kill the snake, while we know she called Jisu a magpie when they were kids. Throughout the story, we see Jisu trying to protect Miae and repay the favor without much luck, which pretty much foreshadows one big possible role for Jisu in the storyline, no wonder he's the one who's aware of Shim bullying Miae. It's no coincidence either how in the present she thinks Jisu resembles more of a bald eagle, a predatory animal.

Stone tower

Although it's not an allusion, I wanted to include this one because it's a very famous superstition in Korea. People used to pray to the mountain Gods by building stone pagodas so their wishes would be answered. This tradition is still alive, though nowadays most people tell their wishes or pray for good luck. You usually put your stones on an existing stone tower because it also shows how people are interconnected and how you should respect others so your wish can come true through the wishes of others. That's why you should never destroy a pagoda that somebody else made, and it's also very disrespectful. Miae also makes wishes to the tower so Cheol can become her friend and he would one day come to her neighborhood. When Cheol wants to give her a book, he accidentally falls on the pagoda and injures himself.

The Matrix

The Matrix (1999), one of the most famous movies of all time, is about how reality is actually an illusion, and people can be blinded about the truth about their own existence. The main character Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, is someone who awakens within the Matrix, similarly to what we see in The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey.

In one of the most iconic moments of the movie, the oracle tells Neo not to worry about the vase, while Neo doesn't know what she's talking about until he accidentally drops a vase. This scene poses many different questions about predetermination and free will. Was Neo's act predestined by prior experince, free will, or maybe both?

If you look at my aslfua screenshot, you can notice the code from Matrix in green. And what happens in the scene? Miae and Jisu injure a plant in a pot. An accident, right?? Well, depending on how you interpret it based on the movie. And what does Jisu do? He intentionally throws the pot and destroys the plant. Can Jisu's act be considered a sign of free will? Because that is what he tells Miae- that he is not a bully, so he took the blame by flipping over the plant. Jisu might just be a glitch in the system if you know what I mean :D

The Bible

Last but not least, we have this super symbolic illustration at the end of ep2 after Miae meets Cheol. The biblical allusion is obvious, Miae is holding out a green apple to Cheol, a half-eaten apple. In the first part Miae is the one providing her knowledge to Cheol in order to help him mature. :)

There are probably way more references, but I'm kind of tired so I might add others in the future. :) If anyone read this whole thing, thank you so much! :D

[blueberryforestelf]

Russian Influence in Moral Orel:

Okay so a while ago I just finished watching Moral Orel and I noticed that there were some connections between it and Russian culture. I also noticed that the show had just become popular in Russia and there are dubbed episodes available on VK. Even though Moral Orel is an American TV show and the creator of the show is of Greek descent, here are some connections on the show that linked to Russian culture and social cues:

The heavy alcoholism on the show: Clay and most of the people in Moralton are straight-up alcoholics, and even Bloberta was an alcoholic before she met Clay. Of course, alcohol is a significant part of Russian culture and the country has the highest consumption of alcohol in the world. Not only are alcoholic beverages are consumed in high amounts, but is also very much socially accepted and encouraged. Even underaged children are encouraged to drink. In the episode Maturity, Orel thought drinking would make him “wise and mature” like his father and in Help young Bloberta stated that drinking alcohol “makes us better people”.

There’s a city in Russia called Orel.

Orel means “Eagle” in Russian (and other Slavic languages). So in the Russian dub Orel’s name is Eagle.

Ms. Censordoll loves pickled eggs and keeps a jar full of them in her library. Russian cuisine consists of a lot of pickled foods, including pickled eggs, cabbage, potatoes, fish, watermelon, etc.

If you notice in the Puppington household, you’ll see an oriental carpet on the living room floor. Oriented carpets are very common in Russian households and are often on floors or hung on walls.

Clay’s reckless driving and Russia is famous for its many reckless drivers and very frequent traffic accidents (I just had to add this to the list lol)

Clay’s car looks like a Lada (a Russian brand of cars).

The “depressing”, conservative, perfectionistic, and collective culture of Moralton is quite similar to that of Russian culture. The entire town is centered around a church which literally controls everything in the town and how it operates. The people are fed Christian propaganda and are not allowed to think differently or do things differently than what is socially acceptable, otherwise they would be outcasted and have to face harsh consequences. This pretty much relates to Russia’s Soviet/Communist Era of when housing, stores, businesses, etc. were all controlled by the government and not the people. People were not allowed to solely own their own property or businesses, and if they were to speak up about problems and issues facing their economy or speak out against propaganda or the government, they would would face the harsh and legal consequences (i.e. prison camp or deportation). Moralton is quite similar to that, except it’s in the United States where people have more freedom to do want they want and express themselves.

Many people in Moralton tend to be “cold”, reserved, strict, and cynical, which is a common stereotype among Russians.

The townspeople’s love for classical arts, music, and theatre, like in the School Pageant episode. Also Bloberta comes from a family of choir singers/musicians and her singing voice is similar to that of an opera singer. Russians are known for their love for classical and opera music as it is a very significant part of their culture. I’ve met many Russians who come from a family of musicians, are talented musicians outside of their occupation, or happen to own a musical instrument in their homes.

Moral Orel is a satire that explores the hypocrisy of religious and social institutions with a touch of dark humor and irony, which is similar to the works of Russian authors like Fyodor Dostoevsky, who used similar techniques to critique religious and social mores.

Moral Orel is a stop-motion animated series and Russians are very fond of stop-motion animation as it has a rich history in Russian media and cinema. Famous Russian animators such as Roman Kachanov, Ladislas Starevich and Ivan Ivanov-Vano were pioneers of stop-motion media during the Soviet Era. Many beloved animated films and shows made during the Soviet Era were stop-motion animated. Also a lot of stop-motion animated media known today (such as Coraline, Corpse Bride, Isle of Dogs, etc.) are becoming very popular in Russia. Also, Orel loves making little stop-motion movies!

Thanks for reading! 😁