#bee’s 400 milestone

[kingvideosblog]

New York's Most Fashionable Couples

From Rihanna and A$AP Rocky To Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid, these are the most fashionable couples to be seen in New York this year. They're always in sync regardless of whether they're at a red carpet occasion or walking the streets of NYC. Check out their fashion highlights! 1. Rihanna & A$AP Rocky

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are one of the most fashionable couples on the planet and they've been in a relationship for years. They appear so happy, whether they are walking in New York City together or holding hands during an award ceremony. Fans are buzzing over the news that they've shared their first child together. In celebration of their milestone, Rihanna and Rocky took an excursion through their home town of Harlem together to reveal her bump. Their relationship was born in 2012, when they appeared as love interest in Rocky's music clip for "Fashion Killa." The "Work" singer later worked with him on his song "Cockiness (I Love It)" and performed together on her Diamonds World Tour. In the following months, they talked with Dazed magazine about their relationship and fatherhood. 2. Dua Lipa & Anwar Hadid Dua Lipa and Anwar Hadid have been reported to be together since summer 19. Their first PDA was seen at the British Summer Time festival in Hyde Park and they later had their first red carpet appearance together at the American Music Awards in November. Anwar aged 22, is Bella's younger brother and Gigi's younger sister. He's also a model and actor and is close to his sister Yolanda. Anwar reported to have reached out to Dua in the summer of 2019 following her split from Isaac Carew. They went on a number of dates, and were seen kissing during the British Summer Time festival. According to People, Dua seems to have a break with Anwar. The couple is "figuring ways to work things out." 3. Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds It's evident that Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively are the most popular couple in New York City. When they are out and out, they can make New York City look like a runway. Alongside their exquisite style, the couple also is a sweet couple. It was not always easy, but they were able to remain in love through the ups and downs of their career and family life. They met on the Green Lantern set in 2010 They began to date a year after. They were married in a simple ceremony in South Carolina in 2012, and are now parents to their two beautiful daughters, James and Inez. 4. Bee Carrozzini & Francesco Carrozzini While the Met Gala is always considered as one of the most elegant evenings of the year, the annual gala has recently been relegated to the status of a powerful couple: Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour's daughter Bee Shaffer and Francesco Carrozzini The son of the late Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani. The pair have been dating for some time, but it was only in October of last year that they were publicly spotted together. This follows Shaffer attended the premiere of Carrozzini's documentary Franca: Chaos & Creation which pays homage to his mother's amazing influence on fashion and culture. But the best part of this couple is the fact that both of them are in the exact same Manhattan neighborhood. Carrozzini owns an apartment in the MacDougalSullivan Gardens Historic District that shares the same private yard as Wintour. 5. Stephen & Deborah Hung Stephen Hung, a Hong Kong business tycoon, is the wealthiest of the wealthy Asian-Americans that are that are featured on 'Bling Empire' New York. The 'Bling' star is estimated to have a total worth of $400 million. And he never misses the chance to show off his wealth to the world. Hung the fashionista and model, is unfamiliar with the front rows at top-tier shows such as Versace or Dior. Hung also runs the Dreamodels modeling agency and is a recognizable name in the industry. Stephen her husband has been married to her for more than 11 years. They seem to be extremely happy together. They are extremely involved in the world of fashion and love to travel the world, attending glitzy red carpet events like Paris Fashion Week and Cannes Film Festival together. Video embed from YouTube

[get-shiggy-with-it]

BEE BBY, Congratulations on 400 followers! 🎉🎉🎉 You are so wonderful, and you deserve every single one! 💜

Okay, now that I have showered you with love and affection. Could I please have a ship?

You know what I look like, but for the record, med height, dark eyes, long dark hair, thicccc enough to go around. She/her.

I'm outgoing enough to get by, but definitely an introvert at heart. Peace and quiet music, morning coffee, books and writing are my basic asthetic. But I can also also be talkative, easily excitable, and all around bubbly with the people I care about most.

Catch me writing, reading, or generally geeking out about one thing or another daily. Cooking and sketching are cathartic hobbies for me. The "Mom" friend lol.

You know me, so feel free to ship me with whomever you really feel like I'd vibe with best. I can't wait to hear you thoughts, love! 😌💕

Wow I'm such an asshole I missed like half the rules lol

Romantic ship please. One of the guys. The most important thing to me in a partner is someone who I can ~exist~ with. I need quiet/alone time to recharge and being with someone whose presence offers that kind of comfort is key. I want to be able to be with them, but not lose myself in them. Someone who will let me support them, but also force me to take their support in return when I need it. 💜

CLAIRE (LOVE OF MY LIFE)

Of course you can have a ship bb 🥺💖

go give Claire a follow at @simultaneously-sick-and-calm if you haven’t yet!

Okay okay, so I know we’re both whores for Shigs, but I’m gonna have to go with Aizawa.

My thiccc (with all the c’s queen) that man would treat you right. Can you imagine the lazy, morning coffee kind of love Shouta Aizawa would give his partner. He’s got that pale yellow kitchen (iykyk) with arguably too many cats and almost certainly a plethora of books he never reads but always says he will.

And Aizawa, above all, is a master at ✨~existing~✨

If you want to fill the silences, vent frustration, be passionate in general, he won’t be an incredibly active conversation partner—but he’ll remember every word out of it. While he often doesn’t have the energy to participate in conversation, you’re favorite novels will mysteriously appear on the coffee table. Your favorite brand of tea is stocked in the cabinets at all times.

He might have already crashed when you wander back in from work, but there’s a blanket in the dryer for you—warmed so the cats will want to sit in your lap. That new movie you mentioned wanting to see is set up to stream in the living room.

Dinner’s not home cooked, but takeout from that place in the city you like so much but never have the chance to go to before it closes is sitting on the counter.

Aizawa is all about the little things that matter.

I think it’ll be a bit of a struggle initially to get him to try on you. He’s lost a lot of people, it’s hard for him to allow himself to get too attached, too dependent, always waiting for the proverbial ball to drop. But that’ll also allow you a chance to put your own work in, and it’s gonna feel so much better the first time he breaks down and admits he needs your help.

The satisfaction will make the silent arguments all worth it.

He’s by no means one to smother. You’re just relaxed enough to not overwhelm him, but not so much so that he can fade into the your background.

He’ll be what you need, when you need it, and—eventually—you’ll have the opportunity to do the same for him.

Abandoned Options: Shigaraki (I really tried, but it just wasn’t in the stars), Izuku, Toshinori

[beenovel]

Bee's 400 follower's celebration!

I just hit 400 hundred followers! (well actually 401, but that's semantics) Thank you so much bumblebabes! You guys bring me so much joy and I hope I do the same for you. I honestly didn't notice how close I was to 400 until this morning until I was at 399. It feels like I just celebrated 300!

To celebrate I put together an ask game! You can send me a labeled question or an emoji for an either-or question. Because this was such short notice now of the questions are ones I thought up myself, I found them in ask games.

Send me as many questions as you want! This will be open until October 1st. That date is a little ironic considering the asks are Halloween/spooky-themed because I am just SO EXCITED that fall is finally here.

Labeled questions:

Explore: Do you consider yourself adventurous?

Trick: Have you ever attempted a prank? if so, what was it?

Tradition: Do you have any Halloween traditions?

Clown: Are you scared of clowns?

Treat: Favorite Candy?

Mug: Favorite fall drink?

Brontide: What’s your perfect Halloween weather?

Disguise: Favorite Halloween costume you’ve had?

Tunes: Favorite Halloween song?

Spooky man: Favorite monster?

Kitty: Thoughts on black cats?

Pumpkin picking: Have you ever been to a pumpkin patch?

Spook book: Favorite classic Halloween story?

Autumn: Favorite thing about Fall?

Storytime: Have you ever had a weird, supernatural experience?

Palette: What colors represent Halloween to you?

Familiar: If you had a pet bat, what would you name it?

Trash: Least favorite Halloween candy?

Gravestone: Do you like to visit cemeteries?

Snoteleks: What’s your favorite part of the spooky season?

Creachur: What’s your favorite creature associated with Halloween?

TV: What’s your favorite Halloween episode of a television show?

Gate: Have you ever been in a graveyard late at night?

Yearn: What do you want to dress up as for Halloween?

Spooky spook: Your own question! (any question you want!)

-

Send me an emoji:

🖤 - Poisoned apples or cursed necklaces?

🦇 - Black cats or three-headed dogs?

🦉 - Inside or outside on a rainy day?

🕸 - Crunchy leaves or acorns?

🍂 - Pumpkin pie or pumpkin cookies?

☕️ - Fall scented candles or big cozy sweaters?

🗝 - Pumpkin carving or pumpkin painting?

👻 - Would you rather hand out candy or go trick or treating?

🌶️ - Pumpkin spice, apple spice, or mulled wine?

🎃 - Do you like to stay in or go out on the night of October 31st?

-

Again thank you all so much!!

[sundrop-tetsu]

!! 400 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 !!

explanation

this is a huge milestone for me !! so I would love to celebrate it, I just hope people do request :((

extra note: because I know barely anyone will request, bumble bee is also gonna give me ideas for this event, we love her <33

in this event: I’ll be doing imagines inspired by songs, letters written to y/n by a character, voicemails left by characters to y/n, text messages of a character x reader, soulmates au, high school au, prompts that u wanna see, and etc.

anything u want, I’ll give it to u!!

characters i’ll write

anyone on my “fandoms I write for” !! :)

deadline

i guess when I reach 500 followers ?? It’s a 400 follower event and I want a bunch of requests for this so I dearly hope u guys send some

!! completed requests !!

• soulmate singer - kuroo tetsurou x reader

[aitarose]

hi! i’ve been so inactive lately and wanted to post something today, and i realized i haven’t made an appreciation post for my moots in a hot minute—so hey hotties, here’s some cute words about uu. oh and this isn’t all of my mutuals, just the one’s i’ve spoken to outside of the discord lol asjfdkl

@hesthermay —❥ you’re one of my best friends and ilysm and i hope that we get to meet in person one day, so you can endlessly hear me talk about how much i love jimmy woo. also i want to get matching marvel bracelets or smth, gonna look on etsy later for us ajskdlf

@probablydisgusting —❥ you’re like actually so funny and sweet, whenever you pop in the gc on snap just to say goodmorning or goodnight—it really makes everyone’s day and we love having you around. plus, you were one of the first people to pop into my inbox when i was an atla blog and i think that’s so nice.

@imarizaki —❥ i literaly love you sm mari, like you’re adorable and i want to give you a hug, i feel like you give rlly good hugs. and congrats on 400!! you deserve it and i hope 500 comes rolling around fast so you can hit another milestone in the near future ajskfdl

@tsukishumai —❥ cam i swear i know your name like I SWEAR I DO! you’re like an older sister to everyone in the discord and you bring such a comforting presence like it’s so nice to have you in the chat whenever you choose to pop in. you’re quite literally the calm to our insanity

@fukurodianthus —❥ dani you’re asleep rn but when you wake up and see this i want you do know that ily wifey. pls i love it when you harass me in my inbox, i think it’s so funny AND IM GOING TO FLOOD YOUR’S EVENTUALLY I JUST NEED TO BECOME ACTIVE AGAIN ASDJKL

@missmorosis —❥ you’re literally one of my favorite moots ever and you’re always so sweet to me and everyone else around you, it’s so heartwarming to see your positivity and happiness on tumblr and how hard you work! pls ilysm

@ray-ofmoonlight —❥ I LOVE TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THE BACHELOR. i haven’t responded in a hot minute, but dw i’ll answer in a bit i have to go through my messages jaksfld. you’re so nice and fun, and literally the sweetest ever

@diorzumi​ —❥ hi rheya! i’m so glad you took the time and all that hard work to make the server, like that’s insane and i still can’t believe you did all of that. pls the amount of effort you put into keeping it up is so evident and amazing!! also ur rlly pretty, like RLLY pretty

@luvoikawa​ —❥ gigi!! my face literally lights up whenever i see you in my notifs or on my dash pls. i love your energy sm and the presence you bring to the discord. like idk, you just seem really cool to me, does that make sense? like you have cool girl energy.

@sugas-cookie​ —❥ hello rissie. you should be sleeping rn, but ily and you’re my favorite and only child, and no matter what i say i would never bring you back to the ditch. but like...the frogs? i fucking hate the frogs, abolish all frogs they make me physically cringe i cannot.

@kei7ime​ —❥ CHLOEEE!! every time i see your theme i feel so satisfied, like it’s so pretty it rlly is. you’re so fun and i love talking to you or just popping in your inbox to say hi. omg hi chloe!! ok ok ily

@pxnk-velvet​ —❥ angie your drawing of us are so cute and i love them sm, and i can’t wait to read the story that you’ve been writing of our gc as a volleyball team, like pls i’m so excited. also the line “just shut up already, angie” lives in my head rent free

@miyalove​ —❥ hi dylan! i haven’t popped in your inbox in a while but i just wanted to tell you that i love u and you’re so nice and sweet and ilysm. you give off hot girl energy dylan, like for real, you rlly do.

@iwaizoom​ —❥ HI JADE. you’re so nice and your blog is so pretty, like the light green jaskljl PLS ITS SO PRETTY. i love the vibes you give off like you’re so chill and so easy to talk to sjakljdkl pls ilysm

@kageyuji​ —❥ lore i love you. like i love you. every time i talk to you i just feel happy like idk it’s this overwhelming feeling, you just have this gift where people feel comfortable when they’re talking to you. and your blog is so pretty pls asdjl

@hikariakaashi​ —❥ you’re one of my favorite moots, firstly bc of our interactions on tumblr in the early days of the discord and now on snap too. you have rlly good style, like rlly good style—and whenever you do your voice asks, your voice is like rlly pretty! girl you have a rlly pretty voice!

@ceci-chan​ —❥ hi twinnie! pls i think it’s so funny that we have literally the exact same nose, that’s actually wild. it’s so fun to watch your blog grow and your events are so cute and ily

@nekomabvc​ —❥ i buried you in here so you’d have to search for your part. literally going to say nothing i’m tired of writing about you goodbye. you called me a whore this morning. that’s not very swag of you, i’m going to report you to mab and cancel you on corpse tumblr.

@bellesowl​ —❥ hi isa! we haven’t interacted all that much, but in the times we have you’ve been so kind. and you’re rlly pretty, just sayin. you’re blog is also super aesthetic and i literally live for it, pls the muted tones are everything ajsdlk

@gellysticks​ —❥ angela pls you’re actually so funny like you’re so funny. every time your tiktoks come up in my suggested they literally make me laugh pls—but the frogs are terrible. abort frogs. this is a frog slandering blog. me and all my homies HATE frogs.

@cafemiya​ —❥ issy you give off such hot girl energy (and you are a hot girl anyways) and your energy is so contagious, like idk how it just is. you bring this positivity to the discord just by being there and i know everyone is so thankful that you’re so interactive with us jaskfdl

@biqherosix​ —❥ DANIZA I HAVEN’T OPENED YOUR SNAP YET BUT I RLLY WANT TO HEAR YOUR BAND PLAY. pls that’s literally so cool, like i wish i was in a cool band with my friends jsakdljkl. i love talking to you and we’ve been friends for like a good three months now which is crazy

@velvetfireworks​ —❥ rach i literally never read fics but yours are so good and they live in my head rent free. PLS THE SAKUSA ONE FOR THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB AUDHS. you’re so nice and so talented and i reread your masterlist OMG I JUST REMEMBERED THE MOB AU ONE THAT ONE IS PERFECTION.

@hajiswife​ —❥ hi gabbie! your blog is gorgeous and your so nice pls!! like i literally can’t believe we’re mutuals it hits me like a brick. i love your works and your energy sjaklfdjl i’ll probably be popping in your inbox later just to say hi lol

@svgashi​ —❥ NIKE!!! omg we’re literally sister wives. you’re the first moot i had on tumblr that understood how great sugawara is and it’s like a breath of fresh air from the constant slandering my friends give him. ILY

@sexy-bee-juice​ —❥ aja!! i love getting your messages and just saying the most out of pocket things with you, and your reblogs make me laugh so hard like you’re rlly funny. also my broken french is terrible but i’m glad it makes you laugh ajskfdl

@koutarousangel​ —❥ MICKEY PLS YOURE SO FUNNY. I LOVE YOUR VIBES AND EVERYTHING LIKE YOURE FUNNY. and ily too. just putting that in there in case i haven’t said it in a while <3

@hvnlydmn​ —❥ hi ains! congrats on 5k!! that’s literally so insane like omg you must be reeling rn jadskfl you really really deserve it tho, everyone sees how hard you work and how much content you produce in such a short amount of time CONGRATS ILY

@akaashi-bby​ —❥ victoria you were the first person i talked to teen wolf with in like three years pls. i’m listening to a song from the show atm and it’s making me sad but ilysm and i love talking to you about literally anything

@laineywritesstuff​ —❥ LAINE!! hi! you’re so pretty like you look like you give the warmest hugs and i feel like if i ever met you in person i’d just get engulfed does that make sense? you’re so nice and ilysm and i hope you’re have a fantastic day!

@kiyoalex​ —❥ you’re rlly funny. like rlly funny. and i feel like we match each other’s energy pretty well in pms. pls my insanity is too real back there BUT IT’S OK I THINK BC YOU SEEM TO UNDERSTAND IT LOL ILY

@shoutamajiki​ —❥ hi nana!! you’re so nice and i’m so glad you joined the discord! and i’m so sorry i added you to my terrible private story on snap pls it’s so bad i’m very very sorry about that jksalfjdl

@sunacity​ —❥ nea i love your works so much like literally they LIVE in my head. you’re so talented and i can’t believe we’re mutuals that’s literally insane bc i love your stuff pls. and on top of being talented you’re so nice, like the nicest jaskdflj i can’t

ok ok i think that’s it for now, this isn’t all of my mutuals—but it’s the one’s i interact with the most and if we are moots and i didn’t include you pls my inbox or pms are always open to just like go insane in. ok have a great rest of your day!!

[lunaflvms]

hellaurr bee eff eff 😍 congrats on 400 ❗️can’t wait for more milestones with you 💋 okay so ,,, i really like thoughtful people because i personally enjoy giving gifts just as much as i love receiving them. literally the smallest things makes me soft. my friends always calls me their sugar mommy bc i “spoil” them 🤨 im the adventurous type which is why i have so much hobbies. sometimes (correction: always) i have a hard time picking a hobby el oh el 🤣 i really appreciate those who approach me and listen to me ☹️ i don’t have the best experience with friends and people always had a snob and bossy impression of me (which was true BACK THEN) but people from my old school still have bad impressions of me 😞 i don’t blame them though ‼️ i stan stray kids, txt, enhypen, seventeen, itzy, aespa, and kep1er ^^ i don’t have a gender preference so go wild 😋 im a sagittarius btw 👹 SOBBING THIS ENDED UP SO LONG IM SORRY BFFIE

OMG TYSM AND STOPP THIS HELPS ME SO MUCH BYE WHY DO I ONLY THINK OF FELIX 💀💀 LIKE THOUGHTFUL AND GIVING AND RECEIVING GIFTS LITERALLY FELIX like remember that time felix gave hyunjin his first perfume well he wanted to get hyunjins all his like first things and stuff he doesnt have which is really sweet, and for listening, felix would love listening to ur worries and concerns, he would think its like a better way to get to know you and he is a bit adventurous you could say cuz he likes trying alot of new things out also felix i feel like would probably not get a bad impression of you cuz i dont take him as the type to just judge you ☹️ and also dont worry about the people form ur old school, its okay we all have a bit of a character development, what matter is how we are rn 😋 im sure you’ll have better experiences with friends in the future :))

ALSO ANOTHER PERSON WOULD BE YEJI, as leader shes like really caring and thoughtful and would definitely listen well, and same with her she had said somewhere i forgot is that people wouldnt approach her cuz she looked mean from her eyes 🙁 and during the vlog to jeju island at the gift shop she only thought about her members and what to give them which is really sweet of her 😭

anyways i hoped you enjoyed this bffie 😍💪

[1-800-seo]

~~~~✰ 1-800-𝐒𝐄𝐎'𝐒 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐈𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 ✰~~~~

This year has been big poo poo, everything that could go wrong did. It’s been a year of sacrifice and of loss. Of discoveries and of rebirth. A few people have helped me through the maze though, and I’d like to thank these ones and show some appreciation :) I’ve tried to thank everyone I can think of, although I’m big dumb so if I missed anyone, my apologies xxx

————💌 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 💌————

✰ @angeliicmin ✰

my angel!! you’ve honestly been my rock through this year. you held me whilst I cried and did so much for me, I’m so so grateful for you. I want you to know how much you mean to me, and how grateful I am for you. you’re my loyal beta reader but so much more than that, I guess I could say you’re my muse 🥺 I love u <3

✰ @dreamiehrs ✰

jenna!! my loyal friend :)) I’ve loved chatting to you all this year, and I’ve really appreciated every time you consistently asked me how my day/night was, and always wished me a good week 🥺 it means a lot, and I just wanted to say I’m really grateful for you, and I appreciate u and ur messages!! I wish u a great new year <3

✰ @rrrintarou ✰

bee!! ever since I joined ur gc, you’ve been so much fun, and I rlly enjoy messaging u :)) you let me ramble and ramble on and I appreciate that, and I’m grateful we’ve gotten closer recently because it’s been so lovely to get to know you better and chat more often 🥺

✰ @nctyping ✰

abby!! (abacado 😳) despite me following you since I joined tumblr and not getting a chance to talk to u until recently, you made the end of the year great :)) we have so much in common and I hope we get to talk more cos you’re so funny and so nice to talk to. I hope your 2021 goes well and all is well <3

✰ @starryqian ✰

gia!! I met you at the start of this year through bee’s gc, and you are such a lovely individual! I’ve had a great time talking to you, and I’m glad I got to talk to you, because you’re so nice :)) I know we don’t talk much lately, but I still wish you a good 2021 and to know that I appreciate and am grateful for every chat we had :)

✰ @gowonhatesyou ✰

krystal!! my fellow brit :)) despite our friendly fighting talk and banter, I’m really grateful for you, and you’ve lit up my year, giving me many laughs. You’re one of the funniest individuals and I love seeing your posts on my dash. sincerely hope the new year goes well for u :)

✰ @rookiegukie ✰

athena!! despite not talking much lately, I really appreciated our lovely chats at the start of the year, as well as being ur beta reader! I hope all is well and I wish u a great new year <3

✰ @kyunsies ✰

madch!! we haven’t been talking long but I think you’re great :)) you’re so lovely, and i love seeing ur content on my dash. I hope ur 2021 goes great for you and everything is good <3

✰ @yunwoo ✰

anna!! we don’t talk much, but I love ur content and how u never forget me 🥺 wishing u a great 2021 hehe <3

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒 ~

first of all, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who read any of my fics or liked any of my mood boards etc. I really really appreciate all of the support, it means so much to me that anyone would want to read my work 🥺 this year was so up and down, however, I managed to write more during this year and I’m happy about that, I hope the higher influx of works was a good thing hehe.

✰ milestones ✰

because of the great support for my works this year, I’ve hit many milestones I never thought I’d reach!! I’d like to list a few below:

first 200 notes - French Connection ༄

first 300 notes - Love to Hate Me ༄

first 400 notes - Jealousy and Other Feelings ~

thank you all for everything and here’s to a better new year!! hopefully there will be many more works to come, many lovely moments with moots/friends, and everything in between!

kind regards to all,

your friendly neighbourhood jess ༄

[arminbitchlover]

CLOSED

i've decided to do a matchups for our 100 milestone & 16+ can interact!

i'll probably leave it up for about for about 5 days, depends how many submissions i get but i'll be leaving the outline and it is NOT required to fill up every single question, it just makes it easy to make it as personal as possible!!

if you want to be matched up with a specific character just say so in your inbox message!

i'll fill in my info as an example below

pronouns:she/her preferred pet name(s):babe, baby

major or occupation: biology biggest pet peeve: ignorant people

fem or male preference : no preference mbti type: infj

zodiac sign: gemini hobbie(s): painting & writing

favorite show: soul eater kinnie(s): blackstar, hange

physical description: shoulder length brown/red hair, 5'5, fair skin, glasses, & light brown eyes

quote you live by: if you can differentiate the difference between danger and fear, then you're unstoppable.

random fact(s): i have a little sister, i love bittersweet chocolate, a tv fell on me when i was 3, & i've never been stung by a bee

with this information i'll match you up w a character from with haikyuu, aot, mha, or jjk. if you want a specific show you can lmk in your msg!

then i will name your favorite date (museum date, dinner date etc.), the type of relationship you have together, and a 200-400 word drabble of the two of you!

if you want a nsfw drabble it would have to be off anon and if you want it to contain some type of kink/dark content read my rules before adding it to your msg and have your age in your bio please.

[lostcoves]

milestone #1 - 50 followers

— i got your back (kiyotaka ishimaru)

synopsis: you defend taka’s honor (wc: 621)

milestone #2 - 69 followers 

— wedding bells (gonta gokuhara)

synopsis: it’s your wedding day, gonta couldn’t wait to marry you. (wc: 830)

milestone #3 - 100 followers

— pinky promise? (eijiro kirishima)

synopsis: a late night trip to the park reveals hidden feelings and uncovers ugly truths. (wc: 1k)

milestone #4 - 200 followers

— adulterous (hinata shoyo)

synopsis: you worry that your fiancé is hiding something from you. (wc: 1.3k)

milestone #5 - 1 month anniversary

— give a title, get a story

information: select a character and make up a title and bee makes a story out of it

milestone #5 — 300 followers

— summertime madness

information: a summer themed collab hosted by yours truly

milestone #6 — 400 followers

— words and blurbs

information: pick a word and character, get a blurb

[get-shiggy-with-it]

oh ok! for the crow quirk oc, preferably romantic? she's very peppy and always comes up with nicknams for people and she's pretty smart, and she smiles all the time so she doesn't have to think about the bad things in life, but whenever she can't keep up the smiley bubbly happy persona, she gets disheartened very easily and likes to be alone (and that mostly happens when she thinks she's disappointed her sister even though her sister looks up to her and could never be disappointed) but her favorite thing in life is making her sister happy

Hi nonnie, thanks for playing!

From what you’ve told me, I’m gonna go with Mina!

She’d appreciate your character’s warm disposition, being a bit on the bubbly side herself. Pro hero Mina is definitely great at building a fan base and she’d need a partner who could keep up with her general energy.

For those times your character might be feeling a little down, Mina is a great person to have around too. She’s good at not letting the emotions of the people around her affect the way she feels in the moment.

The relationship with her sister is something Mina would most certainly admire as well. She values close relationships herself and likes to see that in a partner.

Abandoned Options: Miruko, Tamaki, Tsuyu

[mysticsparklewings]

Draw This In Your Style!

Draw/Recreate This In Your Style, post the original art alongside it (on platforms that support it, elsewhere you can just link back to the original instead), and either tag it with #dtiySparkle or tag me, MysticSparkleWings (xxMysticWingsxx on Twitter) directly and I'll retweet/share/etc. it! No deadline, just create at your own pace!

____

You know, I constantly go back and forth on "celebrate milestones!" vs. "don't be that person that won't shut up about how many followers they have and the numbers and etc." Mostly because I usually find it annoying from other artists, even if I don't find the artist themselves annoying. It's complicated. I know it's important and in many cases helps grow a following further, but it also just gets exhausting, you know? Both to see it and to try to do it.

Still, I've been wanting to make a "Draw This In Your Style" (DTIYS) for a while now, but it didn't seem like the kind of thing to just do on a whim. It felt like there should be a reason for at least the first one, provided it went well enough to make me want to do more. I noticed a few weeks ago that I was approaching 1,000 followers on Twitter* and I saw an opportunity, knowing that 1. It would take me a while to finish the artwork (go big or go home, yes?) and 2. It would take a few days for the numbers to stabilize so that I would actually hold steady at 1,000+ and not be 1,000 one minute and 998 the next. (Followers go up and down like a see-saw over there)

*Thanks exclusively to Art Shares. I'm very sure I'd still have less than 100 if it weren't for those--and please don't be fooled by that number. 1,000 isn't teeny tiny, but in-depth interaction from a handful of people will always mean more to me than zero or minimal-at-best interaction from thousands/millions/etc, and frankly, my interaction over on Twitter is basically non-existent compared to the interaction I get here on dA, which precisely is why I prioritize dA over all other social media. It means more to me; it feels infinitely less passive.

But...I kinda didn't want that to be the only reason for the DTIYS. It just seemed...I don't know, cliche? Not right, somehow. Fortunately, the Twitter milestone happens to coincidence with I think I've finally stabilized around 300 followers on Instagram (after being stuck between 250 and 290 for months, consistently going up and down 2-3 people at a time), and I've also garnered over 400 watchers right here on dA.

The Twitter milestone is technically the biggest, but honestly, the dA one means a lot more to me. I thank each and everyone one of you, my fellow deviants, for thinking my art is worth the watch.

And I especially thank those of you--I'm sure you know who you are, I won't name names just in case anyone's not comfortable with that--that consistently fav and/or comment on my work. Your support and encouragement are why I keep doing this, despite the frustrations I may have along the way and aside from an innate need to create.

Speaking of which, if you're a loyal Sparkler I think now I'll get to the part you might know me best for; the long description of the artistic process!

Like I mentioned before, I noticed the milestone stuff a few weeks ago and thought now would be as good a time as any to get started on a DTIYS, so I started trying to brainstorm something that would be both fun for me to make and fun for others to recreate. I was having a little trouble on this front, so I took a trip to Pinterest and re-visited some boards I use to save potential draw ideas/inspiration on.

I was thinking I wanted to include a fairy since I've been wanting to get back into drawing them more regularly and fairies-via-Winx-Club is where I got my start here on dA and indirectly into getting more serious about my art in general. I was also thinking something with galaxies since those are usually fun to make and are a good way to make an otherwise plain or simple piece more interesting. I didn't want this to be too terribly complicated if I expected other people to draw it, but I also didn't want it to be too boring. And, of course, I was hoping for something I could lean into my mixed-media prowess with.

All that turned out to be quite the balancing act, but after some scrolling, I had some ideas and ended up with a sketch of a fairy in a teacup, with place-holder wings and a place-holder rose on the cup. The wings I knew would be easier to do the lines digitally (even if the final art was traditional, which I was planning on), and the rose I wanted to be slightly more sophisticated than my typical stencil-made roses, which I thought would also be easier to experiment with digitally. I was right on that front, thanks to some of the public domain images on PixaBay.

Beyond that, my original idea was fairly different from what you see here; I was thinking black hair, a fairly vampiric look, for the fairy, more typical butterfly wings, a red rose on the cup, and then an abstract galaxy wash, more watercolor-y and less saturated, for the background. And to be fair, that's still an interesting idea that I might return to at some point, but even as I worked on and finished the digital linework (fully planning to print them and then do what I wished with them traditionally, as has become a norm for me) something in the back of my mind told me that vision wasn't the right one; Not for this project, anyway.

Fortunately, I was a busy enough bee in between working on the lines for this that I partially had to step away from it to meet other time constraints and I could afford to step away from it and have some time to ponder what I wanted to do.

In my pondering, I kept coming back to the galaxy/constellation thing I've been experimenting with lately (Exhibits A, B, and C ). I hesitated at first since I knew for sure I didn't want to do the whole drawing that way and I wasn't entirely sure how to decided what to do with what.

Of course, after thinking about it a bit more, I decided I'd take a risk in doing the background and wings in the constellation style, and then somehow do the rest in a more traditional way. I'd have some more time to think about that while I was re-tooling the wings digitally for said constellation style, after having discovered that made life so much easier during my previous experiments with it.  

I'd know from the beginning that I wanted to do metallic accents (most likely silver) on the cup and saucer, which in this case meant I'd need to use either watercolor or heavy-duty mixed media paper for them, and I definitely had to use watercolor paper for the wings/background. The mixed media will work for the galaxy technique, but the colors don't blend quite as nicely and I was concerned about how that might affect the overall look here.

Still, I didn't want to watercolor the fairy herself at least, which left me with a choice of alcohol markers or colored pencils. I was thinking pencils for the hair for texture, markers for the skin for the lack thereof. But I typically don't like using alcohol markers on watercolor paper. The additional texture feels too rough on the nib and it's almost like I can feel the paper soaking up extra ink.

I also thought that doing the background and the fairy on the same piece of paper was asking for a very big watercolor-y mess, so between that and the paper concerns, that led me eventually to deciding to split them up.

And somehow in there, the idea occurred to me that I could get a bit adventurous (read: crafty) and actually separate the various parts of the fairy and cup out a bit and not only solve my paper problem, but also makes things a little more interesting.

After yet more pondering (if you can say nothing else about my art, you cannot say it isn't well-pondered by the time it's finished!) I settled on having the layers as follows:

background/wings (watercolor paper)

back part of the saucer (mixed media paper)

the fairy (with her arm and bit of hair carefully plopped over the next layer; mixed media)

the cup (mixed media)

the front of the saucer (mixed media)

Or at least that was the plan, and if I discovered problems in this plan then I could adjust as necessary.

So I got to work on the background, which was fairly straight-forward. I layered on paint and blended to essentially my heart's content, and then let it dry overnight since it was getting late by the time I finished it, or rather the first layer. I came back to it the next day and layered on some more paint to fix some blending issues and darken the whole thing up some more.

While that second layer dried, I got to making the lines for the additional layers and cutting them out--uncolored for the time being, as I figured the layering would need to factor into that a bit--and setting how exactly they'd fit together. The only modifications to my plans I had to make, which I, fortunately, had the foresight to do while I was cutting, was to leave two little bumps at the "bottom" of the fairy (where her body meets the cup) so that she could sit probably as both in the cup but also with her hair and arm hanging over it. The little bumps were a sort of "grounding" behind the cup to hold the rest of her in place while the other pieces were wedged on top.

I hope that makes sense, it's a little hard to explain without seeing it for yourself.

Anyway. I'd also had the foresight to transfer an outline of the fairy and cup lines onto the background before I started painting, which helped with making sure everything was placed...semi-correctly...on the final piece.

I say semi correctly because despite my best efforts when I went to glue everything together it looked right in-person, but the digital scan would later reveal to me that in fact, the layered bits had all shifted slightly to the left and curved inward a bit more, like a right parathesis: ) But I'll come back to that in a minute.

Once I was convinced my layering gambit was going to work out, then I started toying with colors and ideas for the layers themselves. The clearest idea I had out of the gate was to do the rose in a galaxy style too, rather than just plain watercolor like I'd originally planned (teal for the leaf though because green wouldn't have fit with the rest of the palette and blue would've blended too well); either way, I figured it wouldn't pose much of a problem on the mixed media paper since it's such a small area. The biggest challenge would be the stars, but even then you could say the same thing: It's such a small area that star dispersion with a pen really wasn't that big of a challenge to make look convincingly like random star placement.

I went back and forth a bit on the other colors, but I ultimately decided that I liked the idea of soft purple skin and dark(ish) blue hair, maybe soft pink lips and a little blush, for the fairy herself. And I also decided to do a little warm-gray shading on the cup with markers, as opposed to just leaving it white.

The lips turned out so nicely I was tempted to try doing the blush with the same markers, but I have very mixed luck with marker blush (sometimes it blends nicely, other times I get a nice line despite my efforts), and so I decided to play it safe and do it later with pencils instead. Fortunately, the rest of the skin and the cup (both done with Copics specifically as that's where I most easily found the colors I needed) went nice and smoothly, as is the nature of markers on this mixed media paper. (Seriously; Strathmore 400 series Mixed Media works wonders with alcohol markers for layering and blending!!)

The hair was a little more complicated because of the color I was hoping for, but that didn't matter too much because half-way through I decided to change things up a bit and I added little bits of pink and purple into the mix, intentionally following the rest of the galaxy-ness of what I was doing. It's not much, but I think it was the right choice.

While I waited to make sure the cup was good and dry, I went to splatter town on the now-dry background, as was necessary for the galaxy look, and then used my phone to shine some extra light on the paper so I could see my lines and dots for the wings. And after giving the white gel pen a moment to dry, I then went back in with my PanPastel, as is custom, to make the wings glow. I have also now learned that a blending stump/tortillon is good for blending out the pastel in a tight space, while a dry paper towel or tissue works to semi-remove it if it goes on a bit too thick.

Everything, after drying, was then assembled and attached to the background with some handy-dandy tacky glue which was fortunately fairly quick-drying for liquid glue, stuck fairly well without me having to add a whole lot of it, and also not a sloppy glue mess everywhere.

I did have to carefully go back over some of my lines for the cup and hair after everything was assembled because I forgot to do so over the metallic paint and pencil wax before assembly, but it also worked out okay since a couple of corners for the hair got snipped a little short, so I could sort-of fix it by extended the corner on the paper underneath. (In hindsight this works a lot better in-person; on the undoctored scan the placement looks pretty off or incomplete)

And of course, with everything assembled, that brings me back to what I was saying about the scan earlier.

Like mentioned, everything had shifted a bit during placement and gluing, and I could more clearly see the lines I had missed in that process on the scan. Unfortunately for me, while in-person everything looks relativity fine, on the (undoctored) scan this shifting made the balance feel way off, at least to me. The fairy and cup were too far to the left, meanwhile, the ring wing stuck out too far on the bottom.

I fiddled and fiddled and fiddled with the scan, using the content-aware move tool half a dozen different ways before I conceded it just wasn't going to do what I wanted, and then my next-best idea was the extend the background to the left a bit. In doing that, I discovered the warp tool worked to my advantage for that, and so I decided I'd trying fiddling with it and see where it got me.

It's still not perfect, but it's better than it was. In the end, I used the warp tool to tweak the angle of each part of the wings and that made up for some of the balance problems without also compromising any of the lines (which was the biggest reason why the content-aware tool wasn't working; it kept messing up the lines or other parts of the drawing in the process). At the very least, I was able to do enough that it only really bothers me now when I start looking for the off-balance-ness.

I also ended up doing some minor touches, mostly just smoothing out certain lines and small tweaks, but once the balance problem was finally somewhat solved it was pretty much done. (Aside from, of course, me then also adding the words on top so people know what this is at only a moment's glance.)

The end result, both scan and traditional. I'm really happy with. The piece is plenty interesting to look at, but it's also not too complicated, especially when you break down the individual parts that make it up. (Literally and more figuratively.)

Thus, I can only hope others find it interesting-but-not-too-complicated enough to try their hand at recreating it. Even if no one takes me up on my "Draw This In Your Sparkle Style Challenge though, I enjoyed making this all the same and I'm really proud to share the art itself with you guys.

Hopefully though at least a few people will take a stab at it and I can focus on that and not explode from impatience in regards to various not-really-art-related things I'm currently waiting on.

____

Artwork © me, MysticSparkleWings

____

Where to find me & my artwork: My Website | Commission Info + Prices | Ko-Fi | dA Print Shop | RedBubble | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram

[barinacraft]

Stinger ↠ Drinks Up History As Crème de la Crème

High Society's After Dinner After-Party

A Stinger is a classic cocktail (of sorts) mixed with Cognac and white crème de menthe.* Perceived as an upper class after dinner drink if you will, its mint flavor has deceived many with ordinary brandy as their swill.

How To Make The Perfect Stinger

Stinger Cocktail Recipe:

1 ½ oz brandy or Cognac

½ oz white creme de menthe

1 mint leaf for garnish

Add to a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake ingredients thoroughly. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a mint leaf.

Many Stinger drink variations call for a lower ratio of Cognac to liqueur of say 2:1 or even lower. If you're unsure, its easy to start with that recipe and then adjust to taste by adding more brandy to stiffen the spirits if desired. Or, vice versa.

History of the Stinger Drink Recipe

The Backstory - Let Me In, I'm Filthy RICH!

The Stinger has long been associated with social status, which itself was once defined by the Vanderbilts who symbolized American Royalty during the Gilded Age. Patriarch Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt built the family business from scratch by turning a $100 loan from his mother into a $100 million fortune before his death in 1877.

But, his was new money ...

And to be truly accepted into the upper echelons of 'Society' you had to be on Caroline Astor and Ward McAllister's list of the 400 people who were considered fashionable. Old money dominated the elite New York socialite crowd back then and Lina thought railroad riches were distasteful.

Often identified, qualified and then picked from the Social Register, members of the aristocracy lead the way in a clash of old money versus new money struggling for acceptance in the Social 400. This meant Alva, wife of the Commodore's grandson William Kissam Vanderbilt, would have to find a new way in.

She decided to flaunt her wealth and make a list of her own.†

It all started by building an opulent mansion on Fifth Avenue followed by a lavish housewarming party hyped in the press and held on March 26, 1883. Her exclusive guest list included invitations to all of society's highest ranking members along with a select group of young debutantes with one notable exception, Mrs. Astor's daughter Carrie.

Social customs dictated that Miss Astor couldn't be invited since her mother had never visited the Vanderbilt home. Or so Alva claimed.

As a result, Mrs. Astor came calling and the Astors' invitations arrived the next day. A reciprocal request to attend the Astor's upcoming annual ball meant formal acceptance of the Vanderbilts into New York society's upper echelon.

Guess it pays to have a plan.

4th Generation Vanderbilt Mixology

Fast forward a few decades and it was time to check in to see how things were going inside The 400.

After inheriting over ten million dollars and then another five when his brother Alfred died a hero aboard the RMS Lusitania in WWI, Reginald Claypoole Vanderbilt was living it up as an equestrian down on the Sandy Point Farm in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.‡ With a reputation as a playboy and avid gambler, Reggie was also famous for his country estate's "home bar."

Modeled after one in the William the Conqueror tavern in the seaside resort town of Deauville, France in the Calvados department of Normandy, it was spectacular and a status symbol like no other. What better way to celebrate the good life than a round of drinks among friends in grand style?

Long the stuff of legend (reputed to suck down lots at his favorite NY speakeasy, The Colony), this 1923 article made the scuttlebutt official and forever associated Reginald with his specialty behind the bar, the Stinger.1 He fancied himself an expert bartender and did everything from the squeezing and the shaking himself. That included the serving, even though he had servants.

So, Mr. Vanderbilt is largely credited with making the Stinger acceptable as a cocktail for other occasions too including morning, noon and nightcap apparently. In the 1957 musical comedy High Society for example, Bing Crosby heads to the butler's pantry, one of many bars in the movie's mansions, and hands a morning drink to Grace Kelly as “doctor's orders” after a long night of champagne and wine. Asked what it is, he said:

Oh, just the juice of a few fresh flowers called a Stinger ... removes the sting.

This drink has been in the movies outside of the upper crust of high society as well. Other notable featured film and TV appearances include The Bishop's Wife (1947), Kiss Them For Me (1957), The Apartment (1960), Gorky Park (1983) and Mad Men season one episode "Nixon v. Kennedy," set in 1960 along with season three episode two "Love Among the Ruins," set in 1963.

Stinger Drink Timeline with Related Recipe Milestones

Nibbling Along - But Not Quite A Bite

Prior to actually being stung, there was definitely a "sting in the air." Several recipe formulations pre-dated the soon to be Stinger standard that could be classified as iterations or similar drinks like those listed below, but were left in the timeline to illustrate the progression.

1892 The Judge - It called for a 2:1 ratio of brandy to crème de menthe along with a few dashes of gum syrup to sweeten things up. Sound familiar?

The Paymaster - Same proportions as above with bitters replacing the sweetener. Plus, a lemon-peel garnish on the glass brim.2

1895 Brant Cocktail - A renamed Paymaster drink with Angostura bitters and white crème de menthe called out specifically as ingredients.3

1900 Ice Trust Cocktail - Eight years later, the "Only William" of lower Broadway, who created The Paymaster and The Judge drinks above, decided equal parts plain was the perfect potion.4

Finally Stung - A Cocktail Chronology

1909 The Stinger - William T. "Cocktail Bill" Boothby, San Francisco bartender extraordinaire, is said to have left a note tucked into the back of one of his earlier books supposedly for possible inclusion in a later edition. In it he credits J. C. O'Conner, the proprietor of the "handsomest cafe for gentlemen in the world," located on the corner of Market and Eddy Streets in S. F., Calif.

Mr. O'Conner's formula stiffens the predecessors with a 3:1 ratio and caters to those with more expensive taste by specifying Cognac over ordinary brandy. Its shaken and served cold in a sherry glass. No garnish.

As for the date, its sometime after 1909 since his establishment didn't exist prior. Just exactly how long after is unknown and open to debate.5

1912 1st bartending book to actually print the Stinger recipe—maybe. Even though there seems to be consensus, 'circa' clouds the circumstance and we have been unable to confirm the calendar.6

Equal parts Rex Cognac and creme de menthe (white). Frapped.

1913 Popularity is plausible according to the Washington Herald which stated that both the Stinger (half brandy & half white mint cream) and the Green Dragon (green mint cream topped with white absinthe over ice) were on the rise. In hindsight, it looks like the latter didn't fulfill its promise, but the former certainly did.7

Half and half garnished with a lemon peel is what's mixed up in what may really be the Stinger's first formal trade publication appearance. No spirits from a specific region in France had to be brandied about in this recipe though.8

Amer Picon is said to have been the main ingredient of the Bustanoby brothers version at their famous ladies bar Café de Beaux Arts according to the New York Times back then. Very Campari-ble [sic]

1914 Cognac is back. One half pony glass of each. Shaken with ice and strained into an ungarnished vermouth glass.9

1916 Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder, or so says this barkeeper's bible. A couple dashes is all that's needed along with a base of 75% of the good stuff and 25% minty cream liqueur.10

Apparently, Reggie V. liked to splash a little absinthe in his for some extra sting as well.

1917 Country Club Style - St. Louis Country Club style in particular that is. One jigger of really old brandy mixed with one pony of white creme de menthe. That's a 3:2 ratio for those of you following along at home. Shake well with ice, strain and serve.11

Date Check

1933 From Sawdust To Upper Crust - Why did a little bartending book from Oshkosh, Wisconsin (once known as the "Sawdust Capital of the World") contain what appeared to be the first Stinger recipe in print, instead of one from a fancy East Coast publishing house?

Circa bites again. Only this time it was supposedly 1910.12

However, unlike the one from two years later (listed above), we were able to confirm that this promotional booklet was actually printed right after the Repeal of Prohibition which itself was on December 5, 1933. This was followed by ads for the brochure from Wiese Auto & Radio Sales in the Racine, Wisconsin Journal Times and the Universal Motor Company's Mixing Guide For Boatmen in Motor Boating - The Yachtsmen's Magazine in late December 1933 and March 1934, respectively. Both urged you to obtain your own copy of 101 Drinks and How to Mix Them by either coming in person or requesting delivery by mail in care of an Oshkosh address.

Direct mail marketing added a shot of humor to the mix of this particular recipe by joking:

Our pet bee took a sip of this once and threw a jealous fit.

Good one.

Its Official

Although David Embury, Don Marquis, Joyce Kilmer and others may disagree, the Stinger is an IBA official cocktail in their Unforgettables category. Their 5:2 after-dinner formula may be beloved, but many dissenting comments have been made over the years as to whether that drink style in particular is applicable.

White mint and brandy shaken up together with cracked ice make a good substitute for a cocktail. ~ Joyce Kilmer13

Of course, a cocktail or two and an occasional Stinger, is something no one can well avoid taking, if one is dining out or having supper after the theater with one's own particular crowd. ~ Hermione14

Liqueurs should never (with the possible exception of a very few drinks such as the Stinger, which is not really a cocktail) dominate and overpower the flavor of the base. ~ David Embury15

You, of course, will have to judge for yourself. But, whatever its classification, it certainly is unforgettable.

Plus, here's something I think we can all agree on:

Cocktails should be sipped, not gulped, and should remain stinging cold to the last drop. ~ Embury

Hear, hear.

Party Perfect

Stingers are not really Christmas drinks per se, they're much more all season. But, the minty flavor does fit other Christmassy themes like candy canes and such so they definitely make for some happy holidays.

This drink is also a namesake for the Columbus Blue Jackets NHL hockey team mascot Stinger, the “Bug with an Attitude.” Chosen as a symbol of the people of Columbus, OH who are known for their hard work and team pride, Central Ohio is becoming a hardcore hockey hotbed.

Wonder if Reggie was a fan?

Drinks Similar To The Stinger Cocktail

Mixing brandy with green crème de menthe, in place of white, yields an Emerald cocktail / Green Hornet drink. However, many recipes claiming the same name(s) use other green liqueur substitutions and host a hodgepodge of hooch mainly for St. Patrick's Day concoctions.

You can also replace base spirits and include the alternate in the naming pre-fix as in Amaretto, Gin, Rum, Tequila and Vodka Stingers et al.16 The list goes on and on.

Others akin with a spin include:

Alexander's Sister - dry gin, green creme de menthe and light cream.

American Beauty - brandy, white crème de menthe, French vermouth, grenadine syrup, orange juice and port wine.

By The Sea - green crème de menthe, brandy and kirschwasser.

Devil Drink - an Emerald with a dash of cayenne pepper.

Dry Stinger - brandy, lime juice and white crème de menthe.

Gamma Ray - VSOP Armagnac, white crème de menthe, cayenne pepper and flamed lemon peel twist.

Gentleman's Cocktail No. 2 - bourbon whiskey, brandy, crème de menthe and club soda.

Hell - a Stinger dashed with red pepper.

Miami Cocktail - white Cuban rum and crème de menthe with lime or lemon juice.

Shamrock Sip - green cream of mint liqueur, gin and egg white with lemon and orange juice.

Snapper - white crème de menthe and gin.

Stingeree - half-n-half with a dash or two of absinthe.

White Way Cocktail - a Snapper with dry gin.

References

* - Not to be confused with the 'stengah' drink popular in the British Empire in Asia which is mixed with equal amounts of whisky and soda water. Derived from the Malay word 'setengah' meaning half.

† - Broyles, Susannah. "Vanderbilt Ball – how a costume ball changed New York elite society." MCNY Blog: New York Stories. 06 August, 2013.

‡ - While unrelated, ingredient-wise, the Vanderbilt cocktail was created and named for his older brother Alfred in 1922.

1 - "Behind the Curtains With The '400.'" The Indianapolis Star. 08 July, 1923.

2 - William Schmidt, The Flowing Bowl - What and When to Drink (New York: Charles L. Webster, 1891), 160 and 169. Print.

3 - George Kappeler, Modern American Drinks - How to Mix and Serve All Kinds of Cups and Drinks (New York: Merriam, 1895), 33. Print.

4 - "Summer Drinks." The Saint Paul Globe. 02 July, 1900.

5 - William T. (Cocktail) Boothby, American Bar-Tender (San Francisco: Anchor Distilling, 2009). Print.

6 - Holtz & Freystedt Co. Importers; compiled by E.J.M., The Great American Cocktail (New York: Holtz & Freystedt, ca. 1912), 26. Print.

7 - "Balkan Idea At Last Reaches Summer Drinks." The Washington Herald. 22 June, 1913.

8 - Jacques Straub, Straub's Manual of Mixed Drinks (Chicago: R. Francis Welsh, 1913), 101. Print.

9 - Ernest P. Rawling, Rawling's Book of Mixed Drinks - An Up to Date Guide for Mixing and Serving All Kinds of Beverages and Written Expressly for the Man Who Entertains at Home (San Francisco: Guild Press, 1914), 84. Print.

10 - J. A. Grohusko, Jack's Manual on The Vintage and Production, Care, and Handling of Wines, Liquors, etc. A Handbook of Information for Home, Club or Hotel (New York: McClunn & Co., 1916), 122. Print.

11 - Thomas Bullock, The Ideal Bartender (St. Louis: Buxton & Skinner, 1917), 47. Print.

12 - 101 Drinks and how to Mix Them (Oshkosh, Wisconsin: Direct Mail Associates, Inc. and Dean W. Geer Co., ca. 1933), 12. Print.

13 - Annie Kilburn Kilmer, Memories Of My Son Sergeant Joyce Kilmer (New York: Brentano's, 1920), 89. Print. Note: individual letter was dated May 27, 1914.

14 - Don Marquis, Hermione and Her Little Group of Serious Thinkers (New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1916), 150. Print.

15 - David A. Embury, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (New York: Doubleday, 1948), 8. Print. Note: He also comments on page 143 that the Stinger formulated with equal proportions, like the Coffee cocktail (typically sugar syrup, port, brandy and a whole egg), isn't really a true cocktail. But, it can be converted into a dry and very palatable one like the Miami by substituting brandy for rum in the latter.

16 - A Vodka Stinger has also been known as a White Spider cocktail as far back as 1959 when Smirnoff published their How To Give A Vodka Party promotional pamphlet. Their White Spider drink recipe was a 3:1 ratio of Smirnoff vodka to Heublein white creme de menthe.

[jungwoniics]

Omg congrats on 400 Lia! That's a really awesome milestone and I'm really happy you hit it, hopefully in the new year your blog will continue to grow :) you're a really nice person and a great writer and you absolutely deserve the following you have <3

- 🧚‍♀️

AHHH BEE TYSM ILY BFF <33

[channelfrederator]

10 Billion(!) every month.  

It’s just short of amazing that the Channel Frederator Network launched just four years ago.  3000 channels later, we’ve hit an annual run of 10 billion views (1.7 billion every month right now) and we’re in the world’s top 25 of YouTube networks. 

Channel Frederator began in 2005 to support independent filmmakers across the globe –The Declaration of Cartoon Independents!– and that’s made us the #1 animation network globally. We’re honored that so many filmmakers have put their trust in us. Thank you all. 

Read the press release below, and take a gander up above at the first limited edition postcard in our 43rd series. 

–Fred

Press Release  Frederator's Animation Network does record high 10 Billion Views for the year.

Frederator announces today that its multi-channel network, The Channel Frederator Network, did 10 Billion views on YouTube in 2017. The network also added 400 channels this last year.  

Frederator Networks’ Channel Frederator Network is the largest animation and artist network in the world with over 3000 YouTube channels. Frederator Networks is a WOW! Unlimited Media Company  (TSX VENTURE: WOW.A) (TSX VENTURE: WOW.B)

Frederator created The Channel Frederator Network in 2013. For four years it has grown 70% year over year and is the home of some of the biggest animation channels on YouTube including Butch Hartman, D0MICS, FilmCow, Jaiden Animation, and many of The Kindergarten collective of channels. The network also includes channels from artists, journalists, gaming, and many other categories of YouTube videos. Frederator programs its own channels on YouTube, including Channel Frederator (which started as a podcast in 2005), Cartoon Hangover, and video game-centric The Leaderboard altogether do 30MM views a month.

Kenneth Ash was promoted to Director of Networks overseeing The Channel Frederator Network and Frederator’s burgeoning video game focused network, The Leaderboard Network. Joining Kenneth on the growing team is recently promoted Marley Diazdelvalle as Talent Coordinator, as well as Andrea Metivier as MCN Operations Coordinator. Frederator expects to hire several new team members in early 2018.

Kenneth Ash, Director of Networks at Frederator, “This is a huge milestone for us, and we are very proud of all of our network members, and the MCN team. Channel Frederator Network isn't just a network for animators and cartoonists, but a home for all types of artists or any channel that embodies cartoons and animation. We look forward to the new year, and will be focusing on those types of channels to grow even further.”

Jeremy Rosen, Frederator Networks’ VP of Programming & Networks, says, "Our goal has always been to build great relationships with our members. Many of our members have been with us for years; we're part of their lives and they ours. It has been a fantastic year for our members and I am overjoyed to have a great team in Kenny, Andrea, and Marley working with them; and great partners like Paladin and Bent Pixels to help us all do our best."

Frederator merged with Rainmaker Entertainment in Vancouver and Toronto based Ezrin Hirsh Entertainment in late 2016 to form WOW! Unlimited Media.

For interview requests with Fred Seibert, CEO of Frederator Networks, Jeremy Rosen, Frederator VP of Programming & Networks, or Kenny Ash, Director of Network, please contact Nate Olson, Frederator Networks VP of Marketing, Licensing, and Publicity:

nate@frederator.com

About Frederator Networks

Frederator Networks, A WOW! Unlimited Media company, is Frederator Studios and Frederator Digital, celebrating its 20th anniversary in January 2018.

Frederator Studios was founded by serial media entrepreneur and former Hanna-Barbera president Fred Seibert in 1998 as a unique incubator for big animation ideas by producing original cartoons. More than 250 short films have resulted in 17 hit series for television and the Internet, including Butch Hartman’s The Fairly OddParents on Nickelodeon, Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time on Cartoon Network, and Castlevania, based on the Konami video game, for Netflix.

Frederator Digital programs many online channels including Channel Frederator and Cartoon Hangover, and The Leaderboard, as well as manages the Channel Frederator Network and The Leaderboard Network, a YouTube-based, entertainment multi-channel networks.  Launched in late 2012, Frederator’s Cartoon Hangover channel includes the hit series Bravest Warriors created by Pendleton Ward, Natasha Allegri’s Bee and PuppyCat, which has gone to series by the most backed Kickstarter campaign for an animated project in history, as well as many new shorts from the world’s future animation superstars. Frederator’s Cartoon Hangover Select is exclusive to Ellation’s VRV platform. Frederator Networks has offices in Burbank, CA, New York, NY, Toronto, Ontario, and Vancouver, British Columbia.

http://Channelfrederatornetwork.com

http://frederator.com

Butch Hartman https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8iVuEUisbubpH9z5p0eUsg

D0MICS https://www.youtube.com/user/D0MICS

Filmcow https://www.youtube.com/user/SecretAgentBob

Jaiden Animations https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGwu0nbY2wSkW8N-cghnLpA

The Kindergarten https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY6qO1WXgANtmela26YFRmg

Channel Frederator https://www.youtube.com/user/ChannelFrederator

The Leaderboard https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYEKuyQJXIXunUD7Vy3eTw

Cartoon Hangover https://www.youtube.com/user/CartoonHangover

.....

From the postcard back:

Congratulations! You are one of 300 people to receive this limited edition Channel Frederator postcard!

www.ChannelFrederatorNetwork.com www.youtube.com/channelfrederator www.frederator.com

January 2018 Channel Frederator is The World’s #1 Largest Animation Network The Declaration of Cartoon Independents

10 BILLION! YouTube annual views Source: Frederator/YouTube Analytics

Fredbot illustration by Eugune Mattos

Series 43.1

[mailed out January 22, 2018] ©2018, Frederator Networks, Inc. A WOW! Unlimited Media Company. All rights reserved.

[hornedsrpents]

Thank you for 400 followers! I love all of you so so so much. To celebrate this milestone I’ve decided to do some blogrates for you guys!!

rules:

must be following moi 

reblog this post (likes don’t count sorry)

send me an ask with: 

🐝 (bee) + your creations tag (if applicable) for a regular blograte 

☀️ (sun) for an aesthetic blograte

feel free to send both 

blacklist “katie celebrates” if you don’t want to see this

both formats under the cut!

ps. i’m tagging some of my mutuals but don’t feel pressured to reblog this if you don’t want to <3

🐝regular blograte:

url: idgi / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / who did you have to kill? 

icon: selfie / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / actual goals

mobile theme: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / super jealous 

desktop theme: default / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / my new theme

posts: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / i’m in awe

creations: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / teach me your ways

following: no sorry! / now! / yes! / forever and always

a nice comment: 

☀️aesthetic blograte:

colour: peach / teal / mustard yellow / plum / forest green

element: air / water / fire / earth

place: bottom of the ocean / deep in the woods / top of a mountain / middle of an open field / downtown of a big city

time: dawn / mid-afternoon / dusk / midnight 

sound: high heels on tile / waves crashing on the beach / thunder / police sirens in the middle of the night / leaves rustling together in the wind 

art: abstract painting / rock music / ballet dancing / shakespeare play / fantasy novel / nature photography 

[tastydregs]

If we had general intelligence at the level of a rat then the Singularity would be very near

The head of Facebook’s AI, Yann LeCun, says AI still has a long, long way to go before it approaches anything near the intelligence of a baby, or even an animal.

LeCun thinks the keys are * machines that can build, through learning, their own internal models of the world, so they can simulate the world faster than real time * virtual assistants really are going to be the big thing. Current assistants are entirely scripted, with a tree of possible things they can tell you. So that makes the creation of bots really tedious, expensive, and brittle, though they work in certain situations like customer care. The next step will be systems that have a little more learning in them, and that’s one of the things we’re working on at Facebook. Where you have a machine that reads a long text and then answers any questions related to it — that’d be useful as a function. * The step beyond virtual assistants is common sense, when machines have the same background knowledge as a person. But we’re not going to get that unless we can find some way of getting machines to learn how the world works by observation. You know, just watching videos or just reading books. And that’s the critical scientific and technological challenge over the next few years. I call it predicted learning, some people call it unsupervised learning.

Where are we with brain technology and AGI ?

Launched in 2012, the Green​ Brain Project aims to create the first accurate computer model of a honey bee brain, and transplant that onto a UAV. In 2015, they used the bee brain simulation to fly a quadcopter. Bees have 960,000 neurons and 1 billion synapses.

* House mouse has 71,000,000 neurons and 1 trillion synapses * Brown Rat has 200 million neurons * Cat has 760 million neurons * Pig 2.2 billion neurons * Rhesus macaque 6.8 billion neurons * Human 86 billion neurons and 150 trillion synapses

If we had a general intelligence with the capabilities of a rat then it would three times beyond the goals of the European Human Brain Project with its mouse models and would be a matter of scaling the neurons and the solution by 400 times.

In 2016, former Braintree founder Bryan Johnson invested $100 million into Kernel, a company with the sole purpose of building hardware and software to augment human intelligence. Johnson believes that over time he will need to raise $1 billion to execute a series of product milestones. He thinks this will take 7-10 years.

Elon Musk has invested in Neuralink to have high resolution brain computer interfaces.

The Human Brain Project (HBP) is a large ten-year scientific research project (1 billion euros) that aims to build a collaborative ICT-based scientific research infrastructure to allow researchers across Europe to advance knowledge in the fields of neuroscience, computing, and brain-related medicine.

The project was focused on mouse brain models. There was a 2015 report and the project is being relaunched with more of a focus on tools for brain research.

Here is the Bluebrain EU project website.

– Sept 2017 – Successful Neuromodulation of Neural Microcircuits NM² Conference prompts future collaborations. At the end of September, the Blue Brain Project concluded a stimulating, interactive and highly collaborative Neuromodulation of Neural Microcircuits NM² Conference. A global line-up of renowned speakers and more than one hundred attendees from across the different Neuromodulation communities ensured a cross-pollination of experience and expertise throughout the three-day Conference.

The BBPs current digital reconstructions are first drafts, to be refined in future releases. The fact that they are detailed means they are “data ready” – it is easy to incorporate data from new experiments as they become available. The BBP will dedicate significant effort to this task. Current BBP reconstructions omit many features of neural anatomy and physiology that are known to play an important role in brain function. Future BBP work will enrich the reconstructions with models of the neuro-vascular glia system, neuromodulation, different forms of plasticity, gap-junctions, and couple them to neurorobotics systems, enabling in silico studies of perception, cognition and behavior.

A second major effort will be dedicated to reconstructions and simulations on a larger scale than neural microcircuitry. The Blue Brain team is already working with communities in the Human Brain Project and beyond, to build digital reconstructions of whole brain regions (somatosensory cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, basal ganglia) and eventually the whole mouse brain. This work will prepare the way for reconstructions of the human brain, on different scales and with different levels of detail.

Finally, a very large part of BBP activity is dedicated to engineering: developing and operating the software tools, the workflows and the supercomputing capabilities required to digitally reconstruct and simulate the brain and to analyse and visualize the results.

Deep Mind did publish a paper – PathNet: Evolution Channels Gradient Descent in Super Neural Networks

For artificial general intelligence (AGI) it would be efficient if multiple users trained the same giant neural network, permitting parameter reuse, without catastrophic forgetting. PathNet is a first step in this direction. It is a neural network algorithm that uses agents embedded in the neural network whose task is to discover which parts of the network to re-use for new tasks. Agents are pathways (views) through the network which determine the subset of parameters that are used and updated by the forwards and backwards passes of the backpropogation algorithm. During learning, a tournament selection genetic algorithm is used to select pathways through the neural network for replication and mutation. Pathway fitness is the performance of that pathway measured according to a cost function. We demonstrate successful transfer learning; fixing the parameters along a path learned on task A and re-evolving a new population of paths for task B, allows task B to be learned faster than it could be learned from scratch or after fine-tuning. Paths evolved on task B re-use parts of the optimal path evolved on task A. Positive transfer was demonstrated for binary MNIST, CIFAR, and SVHN supervised learning classification tasks, and a set of Atari and Labyrinth reinforcement learning tasks, suggesting PathNets have general applicability for neural network training. Finally, PathNet also significantly improves the robustness to hyperparameter choices of a parallel asynchronous reinforcement learning algorithm (A3C).

Narrow AI – self driving cars and drones

A few days ago, Nvidia Corp chief executive Jensen Huang said on Thursday artificial intelligence would enable fully automated cars within 4 years. In October 2017 Nvidia and partner development companies announced the Drive PX Pegasus system, based upon two Xavier CPU/GPU devices and two post-Volta generation GPUs. The companies stated the third generation Drive PX system would be capable of Level 5 autonomous driving, with a total of 320 TOPS of AI computational power and a 500 Watts TDP.

Pegasus can handle 320 trillion operations per second, representing roughly a 13-fold increase over the calculating power of the current PX 2 line. Pegasus will be available in the middle of 2018. There will be millions of cars and trucks using these and even more powerful systems over the next few years.

Flood funding

China’s government and companies like Alibaba are and will be investing many billions to tens of billions of dollars a year into Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing. Google, Facebook, Microsoft, IBM and others are also investing many billions into AI and quantum computing.