#seeing the outpouring of love on twitter today has really been so needed

[asgardian--angels]

Talking on the phone with my mom I finally broke down and cried thoroughly about the cancellation. I think I'd been holding it in for the last two days, or two months. And honestly I've been wondering all along why this show means so much to me. I am not queer, I am not neurodivergent, I am not POC or disabled or any of the groups that this show has been so important for in terms of representation and being treated with respect and dignity. I understand and completely empathize with all of you, and fight for this show and your rights worldwide alongside you, but it still left me wondering why I myself have latched onto Our Flag Means Death. I suppose part of it is that despite being white and cishet and the privileges that have always come with that, I have been treated like an outsider and ostracized my entire childhood and teenage years, for being ugly and having "disgusting" interests (primarily liking insects, reptiles, other creepy-crawlies - aka the thing I literally do for my career now). I was bullied relentlessly from preschool through early college and became a very lonely introverted person - I still am. Undoubtedly Our Flag Means Death gave me renewed hope that I haven't missed some key window for finding love or relationships of any kind that matter, as I sit here typing this at age 28 having never dated anyone.

But it had to be more than that. And with everything that's happened the past couple of months, and the last few days, I think it finally clicked for me.

Followers of my blog may or may not know that I am a conservation biologist, or pollinator ecologist, whichever hat fits best on a given day, they're quite close. I don't make many original posts like this anymore on here because my job is so busy. Basically, I do a variety of things - academic research, habitat management & restoration, and public outreach - to try and preserve biodiversity and ecosystems on our planet. I'm just going to say it: it's a thankless job. Nothing we do ever feels like it's enough, and burnout is common in our field because we sit with the guilt of feeling like we are the only thing between survival and utter destruction of planet Earth, and work ourselves to exhaustion. It's one of those jobs where your work is your life, and your passion is your work, and it's inseparable from who you are on a molecular level. We are often faced, on a large scale, with hostility, from people that don't believe in science and are more than happy to pull a shotgun on us, or rich old men in power who are content to watch the world burn for another penny in their bank account. There are days when sometimes it sinks in just how bad things are, and it's terrifying, and I feel like we will never be able to do enough, to change enough, before it gets catastrophic. It's paralyzing.

My ability to do my job is dependent on hope. Unwavering, unrelenting hope. Hope beyond hope. We have to believe what we're doing matters, otherwise we'd fall down and never get back up again. I'm no big-shot, I give talks to a few hundred people at a time, and make urban pollinator habitat on a local scale. Is any of that going to make a difference compared to the ramifications of a single oil mogul deciding to cut corners and cause an oil spill that kills millions of seabirds and damages ocean food chains for decades to come? If people in my field let thoughts like that linger, we'd be paralyzed to inaction. I have to hope that the people I teach choose to do something good with that knowledge, and go on to inspire others, or that the patch of habitat I make allows a declining species to maintain a foothold instead of going locally extinct. You just have to keep going.

And Our Flag Means Death got wrapped up in that for me. The Stede Bonnet effect, if you will. He set out to do pirating differently, treating his crew with respect and helping them grow. In return, they internalized that mindset, and it spread to how they interacted with others. It changed the trajectory of individual lives, and also at least began to change how the society of pirates operated as a whole. It was a beacon of hope that choosing small acts of kindness did matter, even if you yourself could not see the ripples it made. It renewed my faith that love persevered and would win. That we could all make life a little better for each other and ourselves through kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and mutual support. I think a good chunk of that is from Taika - these are running themes in his projects, and his films move me deeply for that. This show became in some, perhaps subconscious way, a source of strength for me to keep putting myself out there in my line of work to do whatever I was capable of to help the cause.

The cancellation was devastating, but the second cancellation (turbohell cancelation?) was even more so. Because now it's so clear that this is largely the work of David Zaslav and the regime he's built. It's petty, it's greedy, and more than anything, it's cruel. Indifferently, indiscriminately cruel, when one person at the top can have such power to make or break the lives of thousands, millions, beneath them, and though it would have been barely a drop in the bucket, a hand wave, to renew our show or let it pass to another streamer, he actively chose to shackle it to this sinking Titanic of a company WBD has become. I have always operated on the belief that you can do anything if you work hard enough at it, and believed deep down that there was some order, some justice in the universe, atheist though I be. We as a fandom did everything we possibly could, we loved this show harder than anything. The numbers were there, the awards nominations were there, the critic praise was there, and we were loud and loyal every single day. I felt like we could do this - how could we not win when we've done so much, and the show deserves it so much? Surely cause and effect will prevail.

This fight seemed small, though really it wasn't; we fought for the right of artists and creators to make quality, original stories and have them told to their natural end, we fought for diversity representation to be more than a token character - OFMD raised the bar so much higher on all fronts, we fought to shed light on the chaos and impending collapse of this industry silencing art and exploiting writers, actors, and all manner of production workers. It was a small fight from the outside, one that I really felt we could win. And I put my heart and soul into it, because if we could win this, if we could save this simple, kind love story about two guys on a boat, then maybe there was hope for the bigger, badder stuff too. It shouldn't seem an insurmountable task for several thousand fans to convince a streaming service that they'd turn a tidy profit to give our show one more season.

Yet we lost - through no fault of our own. I am so proud of us. But that really struck deep for me. If one peabrained CEO of a media company wouldn't budge on greenlighting a show that was in his every best interest business-wise - perhaps enough to even save Max from going under in the not-too-distant future - my god, what hope was there for changing anything bigger? The 'real' problems of the world? When no amount of ethos, logos, or pathos can penetrate these men at the top, where's that hope to fight? Lately the world seems like it's just going belly up all over. If we gave everything we could, and it still wasn't enough - if it could never be enough - what hope is there? It's like chaining yourself to a tree and the bulldozer plowing right on ahead. And I think that broke something in me. It shook me to my foundations because it broke my rules of how things are supposed to work. We believed hard enough, we worked tirelessly, and we deserved it for how important this show was to so many people. And it didn't matter. Our best wasn't enough. And that caused an avalanche of all of the horrible, scary things piled on my shoulders - we're losing the Amazon rainforest too fast to save, climate change is going to turn the corn belt into a dustbowl by mid-century, a border wall is going to devastate imperiled wildlife in Texas, deforestation and hurricanes on songbird wintering grounds could lead to entire species extinctions, saltmarshes are our lifeline and they're shrinking and we're still building stupid concrete stormwalls, invasive diseases will completely alter the composition of our forests to be unrecognizable to our children, and if you don't make every slide of this powerpoint utterly perfect and you fail to convince every single person in attendance to get rid of their lawn then you've failed and the world is doomed.

I've struggled with being a perfectionist my whole life. This didn't help.

That's where I was a couple hours ago. But I took some deep breaths. I know the world isn't fair. But I really thought if we could win this one battle, then we could win the war.

But here's what I realized. Everything we did mattered. It mattered so much. Because there's the show, and then there's everything that was birthed out of that show. The community, so many of us around the world who have been uplifted by Our Flag Means Death in a real and lasting way that we will take with us and spread to affect those around us. The Stede Bonnet effect goes global. We raised thousands and thousands of dollars for charities around the world, real people whose lives have been improved, or maybe even saved, because of us and this silly pirate show. We brought a hell of a lot of attention to WBD and their shitty practices, keeping the momentum going in a way that I think is only going to build - and I sure hope it leads to Zaslav getting deposed. We have demanded more queer stories, more BIPOC stories, more disabled and autistic and middle-aged stories, stories with exquisite costumes and award-worthy wigs, dear lord, and we are being heard. We have expressed such love and support for the cast and crew, showing them that we appreciate their hard work and that we will be behind them in their future projects. So many of them have told us how the show and its fans have changed their lives. We convinced Rhys that his career isn't winding down but winding up, and to be unapologetic about his wonderful weirdness - we've proven to everyone through this show that your weirdness is what someone out there is going to love you for, not in spite of. We rallied to help writers and actors during the strikes in a way that was taken to heart and remembered. We have been out here talking it through as a crew, and turning poison into positivity, for over two years now, and that impact is permanent. They can cancel our show, they can try and slap copyright notices on our fan merch, and spew bullshit excuses about the numbers not being there. But Our Flag Means Death sparked a movement, the biggest pirate crew the world has ever seen, using our power for good.

We may not have any more new material for our show for a while, or ever. But I maintain hope that when the dust has settled and streaming has entered its 'new era' that they'll remember us and throw us a lifeline. Because hope is a part of my genetic makeup, and even in cancellation my hope has been renewed that the fight is worth fighting, that our individual choices of kindness are having an effect, and making the world a little easier to live in bit by bit. No one can take from us what we have built out of this show. And thanks to pirating, they can't take the actual show from us either. Despite this, no matter the outcome, I am so happy we got two seasons of this wonderful series. That was more than almost anyone expected. The story belongs to all of us, and it will always live on. We did not truly lose this battle, because in the process we gained more than we could have ever imagined. And I know there's still so much more to come. That gives me the strength to keep doing what I do, every day.

To me, Our Flag Means Hope.

[seventhfracture]

I’ve read your fics on AO3 almost obsessively? And I’m so glad to have found you here, it was a beautiful surprise finding out you had a Tumblr.

Anyway I just wanted to say that you’re my favourite Lawlight author, and I adore absolutely everything about the way you write.

I promise I’m normally a very good reader, in the sense that I am very critical and I give good feedback (as told to me by my many writer friends) but it’s always easier to talk about stuff I don’t like than stuff I do and honestly,,,I haven’t found anything I don’t like in your work.

Gag order made me admire how well you portray that non-human quality and that sense of otherness, seeing it, and loving it anyway. Prisoners has to be my absolute favourite though, it kept me guessing and inside up until the very end. And heirs and spares,,,,do not get me started on how much I love that.

I hope you don’t mind this long message, I’ve too much admiration for you to put it in the AO3 comments because it always feels like I need to say so much but having nothing to say, for the first time, other than beautiful, gorgeous, brilliant.

I hope you have a great day and never stop writing!!

I needed this today. I woke up at 5am to move into a new rental and it's been a hectic, exhausting, day. Every muscle hurts but this makes me smile.

My policy on feedback is probably different to some people but, in my humble opinion, you should never leave critique on a fanfic anyway (not unless it's specifically asked for). We're all hobbyists making free cookies for people to enjoy! But, hey, that's just me. I don't think you need to have some clever feedback. I just want you and I to enjoy the experience of being in a fandom together.

Prisoners still gets me a lot of very passionate comments. Sometimes threats, lol. But I'm really proud of it. And I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'm glad you've had fun with loads of my fic! I hope I can write many more that you'll enjoy! I've got a lot of fics to post this year and some of them might be the best I've ever written??? Which, ain't saying much for trash, lol~

Long message was VERY appreciated. Thank you so much. I don't know what to say to such an outpouring of love and kindness.

(I have a twitter too, if you ever want to follow there. All socials are linked on my Ao3 profile)

[oghoneytryst]

hi this is just going to be an outpouring of thoughts that i’m having today. I don’t expect you to read this all, it’s more of like a personal entry for me. it’s v-day but it’s also a year since the Parkland shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. i feel more connected to this event than others because it happened an hour away from where i live.

a year ago when i found out about a shooting in broward county i didn’t pay much attention to it because i didn’t know the extent of it and you don’t expect something like that to happen so close to home. i especially didn’t believe it when someone told me it had been worse than columbine. when i did get home maybe 15 minutes later, i saw it trending all over twitter, and that was when i took the time to really come to terms with what was happening.

the weeks that followed, i was so invested in what had happened, not out of entertainment, but with so much sadness. i wondered if i could have run into these people before, at a concert or a park or if i had connections with them through other people. it really was something so mind-boggling, to think something like this could’ve easily happened to me and my friends and family.

i went to a competition the following month upstate, with schools from all of the counties attending. i had seen these people around with MSD shirts, i had wanted one to show my support, and they had been selling a different version of an MSD shirt for the school. turns out those people were actually from MSD and during a ceremony they had gone up on the stage to perform their own song. it was ..... i don’t even know how to describe it. to really sit there and look at those people and even try to imagine that they had survived such a traumatic experience and have gone through so much loss and change and travesty....

months later on my way to the sunrise concert, we drove past the school. usually when i drive past schools like that i think: wow that school is HUGE. mine was so little in comparison and MSD had three floors and stretched for a while. but i couldn’t take my eyes away. again, trying to imagine what had happened in that building. trying to wrap my head around the shooting, about what it must feel like to walk those hallways after having to run through them in fear. seeing your friends unresponsive on the floor and nothing you can do to help them. all of the stories i had heard, all these kids with their lives just starting, learning how to love on a day that shouldn’t have been anything but. the staff that had been so brave and kept their promise to keep these children safe.

i could never forget seeing all of the flags around my town lowered to mid-pole, all of the signs. i could never forget what i myself had been doing on valentine’s day, at school, having fun and being loved by my friends, a polaroid taken of me that I still have hung up, and to think at the same time people were hiding in fear, gunned down, and none of us knew. we had a fire drill that day during lunch, an unexpected one that had been done on accident because someone pulled the alarm. to find out later that that was what had happened on the same day at MSD .... it was frightening. it was shocking and of course the weeks the followed, different precautions were taken.

no more practice fire drills for the rest of the school year and real ones had to be confirmed via the pa system. security was tight. passes to go to the bathroom were different, all of it. and of course, so much support was given. protests. people walking out of class and marching. i had unfortunately not been there the day students at my school were considering it, but they were also told that people would get suspended for it. it drove me crazy to hear that. other schools had taken those walk out of class protests, most likely with consequences, but what for? my school tried to send a banner with our oh so loving messages on them. tried to sell ribbons. what will that do to ensure that something as terrible as that won’t happen again?

why is it so difficult to actually enact change? i’m sorry this has been such a ramble but this day is always in the back of my mind, a year later, and i feel so much for these people, my people, people that could’ve easily been me. it shouldn’t even be a debate. the lives of children, of human beings, should not be a debate. a life over your precious guns.

I’ve heard different sides of it. I know that families have guns to protect themselves. if they don’t have them, that won’t stop bad people from coming into their houses, threatening them and the people they love. this is unfortunately the way the world works. so, in my eyes, all of these movements, it isn’t about taking away all of these guns, because we know that if someone wants a gun, they will get them even if it is against the law.

but that doesn’t mean we should make it easier for them. it shouldn’t have been easy for the gunman, declared too mentally unstable to be allowed to bring a backpack to school, to have obtained an ar-15. keep your guns. but make sure you’re giving it to the right, responsible people. make sure that you’re doing everything you can to ensure that people with mental health are getting the support and treatment they need so that a preventable event like this doesn’t occur again. a year ago, there should have been love and those people shouldn’t have spent their last day in a place that is supposed to educate, at a time in their lives that is so young and exciting and new. they should’ve graduated, they should’ve turned 15, they should’ve gone back to their families.

I get hesitant to talk about this because I don’t know what I'm doing to help. I feel useless at times, but talking about it, being aware of what is going on, knowing what is wrong and striving to fix it -- that is a start. 

[architectnews]

"It's time to abolish the architecture critic"

Newspapers' largely white, male architecture critics are a reflection of the structural inequalities of the built environment and are not equipped to deal with our current time of crisis, says Mimi Zeiger.

On 8 January, just days after insurrectionists stormed the capital, architecture critic Blair Kamin announced on Twitter that after nearly three decades he would step down from his role at the Chicago Tribune. Some, whose minds were previously reeling from the events in Washington, suddenly had a new fixation: Who would replace him?

Kamin refrained from playing favourites, preferring to honour his Pulitzer-winning predecessor Paul Gapp, who served as the paper's architecture critic for 18 years. In that vacuum, speculation erupted in tweets and on backchannels. Names were floated then caught in what seemed like a vortex, but was really just an eddy compared to national events.

A similar flurry happened in 2018 when Christopher Hawthorne left his post as the Los Angeles Times architecture critic after 14 years to become chief design officer for the city of Los Angeles. And in 2011, when Nicolai Ouroussoff resigned after seven years at the New York Times – a relatively short critical run by comparison.

In each case, unaffiliated writers and critics vied for the top spot. My own heartbeat hard three years ago when I found myself in a cluster of names circling the LA Times spot. Like bridesmaids, we held our breath waiting to see who would catch the bouquet.

We are led to believe through myth and snark that criticism is a rarefied act

Such conjecture is unsurprising, these are elite positions after all. To covet one is to yearn for the power of influence as much as the financial stability it promises – freelancing these days is often a game of chicken with precarity.

But speculation and gossip, along with the old "criticism is dead" chestnut, mask the root condition: scarcity. We are led to believe through myth and snark that criticism is a rarefied act. And even if we shun such thoughts for a more populist stance, it's hard to argue with the reward: a full-time newspaper gig with health benefits.

This perception of scarcity, however, reinforces structural inequity in architecture. Only a few individuals – white and often male – hold architecture critic positions. Their entrenchment, for a decade or three, at the top of the food chain systemically restricts a plurality of voices from reaching the widest of audiences, from benefiting from networks of power, and from economic solidity.

Recently, Chicago-based writer Zach Mortice argued that the urgencies of our political moment demand that critics address how racial inequity is forged by the built environment, calling out this arena as the "highest calling" of architectural criticism. His point is crisp and well taken but does it go far enough?

Architecture continues to operate as a form of colonisation and globalisation

It is of utmost importance to interrogate how policy and design have been used as tools of segregation and disinvestment against black and brown communities and how architecture continues to operate as a form of colonisation and globalisation. However, the same structural conditions that produce inequity in the field and the greater built environment also limit who is legitimised as a critic.

If we only address a critic's subject without looking at the author, we risk producing criticism that trades in tokenism and extraction. Moreover, such an approach aligns black, indigenous and people of colour's (BIPOC) communities with loss and crisis rather than expressing individual narratives — stories that express a fuller range of human experience, including creativity and pleasure, pain and hope.

Perhaps then, it's time to abolish the architecture critic.

I write this rhetorically, even provocatively, but not without consequence. Abolitionist and defund the police movements focus on dismantling systems of power – systems built on racism and violence. They do so, in part, as a means of getting to what might lie beyond mass incarceration.

"Ultimately, abolition is a practical program of change rooted in how people sustain and improve their lives, cobbling together insights and strategies from disparate, connected struggles," write Ruth Wilson Gilmore and James Kilgore for The Marshall Project.

"We know we won't bulldoze prisons and jails tomorrow, but as long as they continue to be advanced as the solution, all of the inequalities displaced to crime and punishment will persist. We're in a long game."

My cause is minor, trifling, scarcely worthy of a comparison. But I persist because I want to envision what architecture criticism might look like without a heavy capstone of "the critic" — when we don't feel the pressure of scarcity but revel in the richness of many voices, many perspectives. Could this be our long game?

If newspapers, magazines, and online publications want to support a more diverse set of writers, they first need to take a hard look at how much they pay

Currently, BIPOC writers are few in a field dependent on the privileges of specific interests and cultivated networks. As noted, most critic positions are occupied by men. Historically and today, some white women – Ada Louise Huxtable and Esther McCoy, Inga Saffron and Alexandra Lange — have found success, yet overall parity eludes.

What platforms, what footings must be rebuilt to better support gender and racial equity within design publishing? Breaking into criticism requires constant hustling and pitching story ideas. It means writing, often for years, at rates somewhere between labour-for-love and a dollar-a-word. It can be exhausting and demoralising.

If newspapers, magazines, and online publications want to support a more diverse set of writers, they first need to take a hard look at how much they pay and recognize that low rates contribute to unsustainable and inequitable practices. Not everyone, especially historically marginalised groups, can afford to make criticism a hobby or side gig.

Architecture criticism can't be reflective of contemporary culture without diverse representation in the ranks

"Leaning in" and perseverance don't correct for gaps in access, either. It's an issue currently being addressed by groups such as the London-based New Architecture Writers, which offers free training and black, Asian and minority ethnic emerging writers, as well as Office Hours, whose online programs aim to provide the mentorship needed to scale barriers to entry into all facets of the design field. These efforts only work, however, if publications make opportunities available.

Ultimately, architecture criticism can't be reflective of contemporary culture without diverse representation in the ranks. This isn't a new or novel revelation, but if we continue to obsess on the singularity of "the critic", it needs to be re-stated.

In the summer of 1969 – a time marked by protest and cultural revolution, Huxtable wrote a letter to A M Rosenthal, her editor at the New York Times. Architecture and the built environment were at the crux of the moment but not getting the reporting they deserved.

"I feel like this is one our major new coverage problems right now, since the field is virtually the man-made world in a period of crisis and change: cities, public and private construction, speculative development, government action, new communities, preservation, expressways and their urban and sociological displacement, urban renewal, land use and abuse, planning and design from the housing unit to the regional scale," she wrote.

It's mad to think that a handful of elite critics tackle this current period of change and crisis

Her key concern was all of it was being addressed in a fragmented fashion by the newspaper, with the bulk of it landing on her desk in a state of panic. She argued that the Times has "the talent and the machinery" to work collaboratively on these issues—but wasn't doing so.

I read her letter today as an object lesson for our own moment of reflection and revolution. It's mad to think that a handful of elite critics tackle this current period of change and crisis. We don't need to adhere to pretensions of "the critic" and the rarity it engenders—the term is restrictive. Urgencies of our time demand an outpouring of criticism by as large and diverse a group of writers as we can muster.

Image is by Karolina Grabowska via Pixabay.

Mimi Zeiger is a Los Angeles-based journalist and critic. She has covered art, architecture, urbanism and design for a number of publications including The New York Times, Domus, Dwell, Architects' Newspaper, and Architect.

The post "It's time to abolish the architecture critic" appeared first on Dezeen.

[taronfanfic]

Graduate’s Escape

Chapters 1-17 are here

Chapter 18

You’d never been a big fan of travelling but needs must sometimes. There was nothing quite like the feeling of being home though. The familiar smell of your flat, the chaotic mess in your art room that had been abandoned for the past week, and your tiny box bedroom with its squished in double bed. You couldn’t stay for long so dumped your suitcase in a corner, grabbed a quick shower and got changed into your work clothes.

“So how is Lover Boy then?” Emily asked as soon as you stepped foot in the bar. “Actually, forget him. Tell me all about Colin Firth!”

“You’re unbelievable!” you asked as you pulled her in for a hug.

“Just don’t shatter my dreams of him being the perfect gentleman, ok?”

“Ha, not a chance! He’s exactly how we’d imagined him to be, but also funnier.” Emily squealed in delight at your response.

“I’m so fucking jealous. You’ve got to introduce me somehow!”

“I don’t think I’ll see him again for a while. The Kingsman press tour is done and Taron’s in Budapest to re-shoot bits for Robin Hood.”

“Damnit! This’d better not mean you’ll be moping again because Lover Boy’s not around.”

“Ems you’ve got to stop calling him that else it’ll stick and you’ll end up saying it to his face!”

“I’m sure he won’t mind.” She winked. “So how long is he gone for this time?”

“Only 2 weeks, and I promise I won’t mope. I’ll just be horny instead.” You winked back to her.

“Oh you’re so smug! Makes me sick.” She scoffed as she laid out the beer mats.

Taron: Landed safe. Miss you already. Xxx

The message flashed up on your phone and made to grin to yourself as you leant back against the corner of the bar.

“I think I preferred you when you were miserable.” Emily joked as she spotted your sickeningly happy face. “So are you official now then? Should I be calling him The Boyfriend instead of Lover Boy?”

“No, we’ve not had that conversation yet. Although…” You paused as you thought back, trying to work out if you were remembering things correctly. “I think he called me his girlfriend…”

“In what context? Like an introduction where it’s just easier than saying ‘we’re dating’ or ‘close friends’?”

“Mmm, not exactly.” You didn’t want to give Emily the full story. The fewer people who knew the better. “More of a protective ‘alright mate, that’s my girlfriend’ kind of thing.” You made a mental note to try and casually bring it up in conversation with Taron in the next few days. Making it into a big deal would only be awkward and you’d already done your vast romantic confession. Being able to call him your boyfriend would be amazing though. You were confident he felt the same so it was just a matter of working out if he really meant it when he said it, or if it was a slip of the tongue.

***

The days were passing quicker than you’d expected and your mood had stayed high. You’d managed to finish off your first large painting so took a photo and posted it up on twitter. It wasn’t exactly the most traditional way to sell art but you didn’t have enough pieces to be able to approach a gallery yet. It would only take a couple of retweets to get you some much needed exposure, especially when Taron has a few hundred thousand followers. Turns out you didn’t even need to ask him either.

Retweet from @TaronEgerton: How amazing does this look?! Privileged to have seen it taking shape over the past few weeks. So talented, G.

Your mentions blew up with compliments and the standard outpour of love for Taron whenever he tweeted anything. You liked his tweet back and decided to text him your actual response instead.

Y/N: Thanks Lover, now I know how it feels to be almost famous on twitter. Never seen such a high notifications number on my phone before! Xxx

P.S. 6 days and counting until you’re home!

Taron: They’d better be saying nice things! Can’t wait to be back with you. Xxx

Y/N: It’s all good. Lots of confusion over the G though! Most think it’s a typo for X, some say it could mean Girlfriend… Xxx

Taron: They’re not far off the truth! We’ll put them out their misery when I get back. Xxx

Y/N: You mean make it official?  Xxx

Taron: Yeah, if that’s good with you? Nothing too formal. Just put up a selfie or something? Xxx

Y/N: I’m in. It’s not like you haven’t already called me your Girlfriend in public before… Xxx

Taron: Have I? When? Xxx

Y/N: Just before you pushed the creep up against the wall. I thought it might have been a subconscious thing so didn’t mention it. Xxx

Taron: Shit. Well I have been thinking it ever since you surprised me. I wanted to ask you properly at the end of our last night out there but things didn’t exactly go to plan. Xxx

Y/N: You can always ask me now… Xxx

Taron: But then it wouldn’t be a surprise. Just be patient! Good things come to those who wait. Xxx

Before you could send your next message Taron sent another one.

I know exactly what you just thought about and that will be happening too ;)

Y/N: I’ve been thinking about that. A. Lot. Xxx

Taron: Patience, G, patience. 6 days and then I’m all yours! Got to run. Xxx

***

Excitement filled your body as you woke. Taron was coming back today. His flight didn’t land until this evening so you’d told him to go straight to the bar as you’d be at work. The sound of your favourite album filled your flat as you danced through to the kitchen to get some breakfast. You had everything planned out: chilling out in your pyjamas this morning as you got to work on creating your website, then putting a bit of paint to canvas this afternoon before getting dressed up for Taron, and work, but mainly Taron.

As midday approached there was a knock at your door. You turned your head round in confusion. The post was always delivered downstairs and Emily would have sent a text if she was dropping by. Taron was the last person to have knocked on your door when he came over for your second date. It couldn’t be him though, he should still be at the airport.

[womenofcolor15]

MANIFEST EVERYTHING: Kamie Crawford Is The New-Cost On ‘Catfish’ & Season 8 Is Already INSANE!

Kamie Crawford is the new, permanent co-host of MTV’s popular series “Catfish.” And her first day as the official co-host …well, let’s just say things got SUPER heated. More inside…

From the pageant world to television! Kamie Crawford just inked a new gig!

If you're a fan of the MTV show "Catfish" then you know co-host Max Joseph dipped out on his homie/co-host Nev Schulman after seven seasons to further his filmmaking career. Since then, the show has featured guest co-hosts - one of them being former Miss USA Teen USA Kamie Crawford.

Fans, producers and execs apparently loved her vibe on the show, so she's now the new "Catfish" co-host!

HONORED TO BE THE NEW CO-HOST OF @CatfishMTV!!!! NO ONE will ever replace @maxjoseph, but I feel so blessed and excited to be @NevSchulman’s new sidekick!!!

SEASON 8 PREMIERE’S TONIGHT AT 8/7c!!! Your support & love means everything to me. THANK YOU!!!! pic.twitter.com/OeW6rdO64D

— Kamie Crawford (@TheRealKamie) January 8, 2020

It wasn't an easy road for Kamie - who was the first woman from Maryland to win Miss Teen USA - to land the gig. Chick worked hard for the spot, guest hosting on the show in 2018 & 2019. All of her hard work paid off because she's now co-hosting on one of her all-time favorite TV shows. She shared her journey on Instagram about how she made her life changing move to LA and leveled up! When she was first approached about the guest co-hosting gig, she thought she was being "catfished" herself. Ha!

"I got an email from @kroesnews asking me if I’d be interested in guest cohosting an episode of one of my all time favorite shows. TBH - I thought I was being Catfished my damn self, but I went along with it because YOLO," she wrote on Instagram.

"Fast forward to me being asked to come back again and again and again & I felt like my life was made. All of the support I got from fans of the show made me feel absolutely amazing, but I was just happy to be there for as long as they would have me. Fast forward again to July 2019 when I got the call from my buddy @nevschulman asking me if I was down to make it official as his new co-host & me crying tears of joy in the middle of Miami airport," she said.

Aww!

The 27-year-old ended her caption with these inspirational hashtags: JesusIsReal #ManifestEverything.

Check it:

        View this post on Instagram

                  *DISCLAIMER: @mtvcatfish fans don’t come for me for this - you’ll find out on tonight’s premiere episode, it wasn’t me *shaggy voice* - @nevschulman did it!!! I MAX Story Time : In September 2018, the same week I made my career/life changing move to LA, I got an email from @kroesnews asking me if I’d be interested in guest cohosting an episode of one of my all time favorite shows. TBH - I thought I was being Catfished my damn self, but I went along with it because YOLO Fast forward to me being asked to come back again and again and again & I felt like my life was made. All of the support I got from fans of the show made me feel absolutely amazing, but I was just happy to be there for as long as they would have me. Fast forward again to July 2019 when I got the call from my buddy @nevschulman asking me if I was down to make it official as his new co-host & me crying tears of joy in the middle of Miami airport SO much has happened over the past few months and OF COURSE I wanted to shout it from the rooftops and tell all of you the tea but I had to keep it a secret and its been SO hard because you guys have given me the most incredible outpouring of love, support and acceptance and I am beyond grateful. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to share, but TODAY I CAN FINALLY SAY - I AM THE NEW CO-HOST OF @MTVCATFISH AND I LITERALLY COULDN’T HAVE GOTTEN HERE WITHOUT YOU My journey as a host has been 7 years in the making and this is the greatest, proudest moment of my career/life. I am so blessed and so honored to be able to be in this position. I also want to say for the record that NO ONE can replace the silver fox, the GOAT, the man with the cam - @maxjoseph & I’m not trying to!!! But I hope I can make him, Nev & Catfish fans proud as we move into Season 8 & BEYOND! Thank you all for the 5 millionth time, thank you to @kroesnews & @mtv for not catfishing me & for believing in me & thank you to our entire production crew @criticalcontent + Nev for welcoming me with open arms. LET’S F*CKING DO THISSSSS!!!! #CATFISH SEASON 8 BEGINS TONIGHT AT 8/7c!!!!!!! #JesusIsReal #ManifestEverything

A post shared by Kamie Crawford (@therealkamie) on Jan 8, 2020 at 9:21am PST

Congrats, Kamie!

  Just think of this as your initiation, @therealkamie. #Catfish pic.twitter.com/Ganu4Ji5W5

— Catfish (@CatfishMTV) January 10, 2020

  So, the first episode of Season 8 premiered Wednesday night and y'all! The catfish on this episode was on a milli. Chick had the worst attitude ever and even resulted in calling Kamie a "b*tch"... several times.

So here's what happened... **SPOILER ALERT**

  Imagine thinking you're talking to Tamar Braxton and your girlfriend, so you get on a plane down the coast to meet them, only to ... get flaked on. What a concept. #Catfish pic.twitter.com/r1AHVZzZP8

— Catfish (@CatfishMTV) January 10, 2020

  A woman named Red thought she had been chatting with a woman named "Jalissa" - who made claims that she was Tamar Braxton's hair stylist - for six years, but never video chatted. They would speak on the phone, but every time Red asked "Jalissa" to video chat, she would come up with some excuse. Red said was introduced to "Jalissa" after getting in contact with famed hairstylist/reality star Shekinah Jo on Facebook. Red also believed she was a group chat with "Jalissa," Tamar Braxton and Shekinah Jo. Chile...

"Jalissa" told Red she was in LA doing hair, so Red copped a plane ticket to go see her. When she gets there, "Jalissa" stops responding. Oh, and this wasn't the first time "Jalissa" flaked on Red over the six years they had been communicating.

Once Nev and Kamie get to LA to meet Red, they reached out to "Jalissa" to try and meet up. "Jalissa" said she had already left LA and was back in Texas, so Nev offered to fly her "back" to LA. That's when "Jalissa" revealed her real name as Ashley Taylor in order to get the flight booked. Bloop!

"Jalissa" aka Ashley - who said it was her first time even being in LA - pulled up on Red, Nev & Kamie in a park and soon as she stepped out of the car, Red was visibly devastated. Ashley looked NOTHING like the picture she was using to Catfish. Well, obvi. Once she walked up to them she was extremely rude and nasty and things got ugly.

Watch their heated exchange below:

Kamie did an exceptional job keeping her composure because Ashely was really doing the MOST.

During their second meeting, Ashley even admitted to having up to 3,000 different profiles due to the fact that she has been dealing with a lot of issues with a sick mother and not having real-life friends. Hmph. The 24-year-old catfish said she has been using fake profiles since the age of 12.

Of course, Twitter reacted the foolishness and defended Kamie in the process:

  How tf shorty mad, but you the one lying! And thennnn wanna call Kamie a bitch for telling the truth #Catfish pic.twitter.com/NevPyyuEMk

— La’Nayshaaaa (@Lanayshaaaa) January 9, 2020

    She really just came for my girl Kamie for no reason. Me when she called her a bitch : #Catfish pic.twitter.com/1VF0YY8p3D

— K (@Kaiilaa2) January 9, 2020

    blockquote class="twitter-tweet">

Kamie said don't come for me #CatfishMTV #Catfish pic.twitter.com/hYH1iMaal9

— Eslanda86 (@helen153425) January 10, 2020

    Oh nah you need to stop coming for Kamie #Catfish pic.twitter.com/yuKPAZdV9n

— Tasha (@laiina_) January 9, 2020

    Kamie deserves an award for how calm she stayed #Catfish

— dom (@beaulieu_dom) January 9, 2020

  Needless to say, Red blocked Ashley (in fact, she did it at the table during their 2nd meeting) and has moved on. Ashley told Nev and Kamie she's still out here catfishing, so be careful y'all!

In case you missed, YBF founder Natasha Eubanks chopped it up with Kamie on TheYBF Podcast where they dished on sex as a curvy girl, dating, IG Frauds (ha!) and more. Take a listen below:

The next episode of "Catfish" airs next Wednesday at 8/7c on MTV!

EXTRAS:

1. Parents of four black NYC students are planning to file a $12 million lawsuit against a school district after a teacher compared them to moneys in a class slideshow. STORY 

Photo: Kamie's IG

[Read More ...] source http://theybf.com/2020/01/10/manifest-everything-kamie-crawford-is-the-new-cost-on-%E2%80%98catfish%E2%80%99-the-season-8-premiere-epi

[celebritylive]

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich are ensuring that the fire in their marriage never dies out.

In the latest episode of the athlete’s new iHeartRadio podcast How Men Think, the America’s Got Talent judge, 30, joined her husband to shed light on sex and intimacy within their marriage.

While chatting about how they manage to prioritize each other’s sexual needs, Hough revealed that it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the couple, who celebrated their two-year wedding anniversary on Monday, confessing that they’ve sought out professional help to keep their relationship thriving.

“A lot of people don’t know even what they want,” Hough pointed out. “My curiosity has saved my life and honestly saved our relationship many times because we’ve been curious about like, ‘Hey, something doesn’t feel right. Instead of just accepting it for how it is, let’s look into something.””

The professional dancer went on to explain how she discovered a sex therapist online who gives couples tests to help determine their “erotic blueprints” and how sexually compatible they are.

RELATED: Julianne Hough Explains Why Intimacy with Husband Brooks Laich Is ‘Really Sacred’ to Her

“When I took the test, I realized that there were certain things that gave me connection and intimacy that were different than what gave Brooks connection and intimacy,” Hough explained.

“By almost learning each other’s language — sort of like love languages — it was almost like a menu of how we could please each other sexually, but also intimately,” she continued, noting that her idea of intimacy is about “just wanting to be seen.”

“We go to dinner a lot of the time and dinner for Brooks is great because he’s getting fed, he’s got me there, whatever it might be,” she added. “Dinner to me means I want eye contact and I would really appreciate you, maybe touching my hand at some point.”

While Hough values a physical connection, Laich confessed that he’s more about visuals when it comes to feeling intimate. “When you put lingerie on, I am f— fired up,” he admitted to his wife. “I love it.”

RELATED: Brooks Laich Says Wife Julianne Hough Taught Him About True Intimacy: ‘She’s Vastly More Evolved’

Though the AGT judge acknowledged that sex and foreplay is certainly a big part of intimacy, Hough said the word has come to mean so much more to her since she met Laich, 36.

“Honestly, when I think of the word intimacy … I think it’s one of the most sacred things you can have between a partnership. I think it’s what separates friendship and lovers, and I think that most people do think about sex when they think of intimacy, but when I think about intimacy, I think of presence,” she explained. “I think of absolute, complete and utter connection, when we are two people connecting and then we actually become one person.”

“I can have chemistry and connection, but my intimacy with Brooks is because he challenges me, and he sees me for exactly who I am and accepts me for the fact that I can have chemistry and connection with a lot of people, but I choose him every day,” she added. “I think that is also really sacred, and that’s why we have an intimate relationship. I don’t have that kind of intimacy with a lot of connections that I make throughout my life.”

In addition to opening up about intimacy, the couple also celebrated two years of wedded bliss on Monday with touching Instagram posts.

View this post on Instagram

Two years ago today, I married my best friend, my love @juleshough!⁠ ⁠ Words cannot express how grateful I am to have you in my life, and how happy you have made me. You have brought out the best in me, and helped me become the man I always hoped to be.⁠ ⁠ You are kind, gentle, compassionate, and loving. You are the greatest joy in my life, and I love you with all my heart. Thank you for being you, and choosing me everyday to share your life with!⁠ ⁠

B⁠ ⁠ @sarahfalugoweddings

A post shared by Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) on Jul 8, 2019 at 4:15am PDT

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

RELATED: Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich Celebrate 2-Year Wedding Anniversary After Revealing IVF Journey

“Words cannot express how grateful I am to have you in my life, and how happy you have made me. You have brought out the best in me, and helped me become the man I always hoped to be,” Laich wrote alongside a photo of the couple sharing a kiss on their wedding day.

“You are kind, gentle, compassionate, and loving. You are the greatest joy in my life, and I love you with all my heart,” he continued. “Thank you for being you, and choosing me everyday to share your life with!⁠”

Hough, meanwhile, posted a breathtaking montage from their wedding day and wrote her hubby a sweet message.

“Wish we could relive our wedding weekend over and over and over again. Thank you @brookslaich for 2 years of pure magic, laughter, silliness, LOVE, and countless adventures!” she wrote. “I wake up every day feeling so lucky for your love. I can’t wait to take on the rest of life with you, and if it’s anything like these past 2 years then I know it will be filled with joy, intimacy and deep connection. I love you.

”

View this post on Instagram

Wish we could relive our wedding weekend over and over and over again. Thank you @brookslaich for 2 years of pure magic, laughter, silliness, LOVE, and countless adventures! I wake up every day feeling so lucky for your love. I can't wait to take on the rest of life with you, and if it's anything like these past 2 years then I know it will be filled with joy, intimacy and deep connection. I love you.

A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough) on Jul 8, 2019 at 11:11am PDT

//www.instagram.com/embed.js

RELATED: Brooks Laich Says Julianne Hough Was a ‘Warrior’ During ‘Super Challenging’ IVF Process

Hough and Laich’s anniversary comes just weeks after they revealed Hough began the IVF process shortly before she turned 30 last July.

“Knowing she has endometriosis, it could potentially make things challenging in the future to conceive naturally,” Laich told PEOPLE of their decision to start IVF. “That was just a looking at the big picture and what we want as a family.”

The professional dancer also froze some of her eggs last year, and “the commitment that she made to us having a family is something I’ll never forget,” he added.

While the athlete acknowledged going through IVF is usually a “private” experience, he said he and Hough want to fight the stigma that may come with fertility issues by speaking out.

“The outpouring has been incredible,” he said of the support they’ve received since going public with their own journey. “Text messages from friends that I didn’t even know were considering it, messages on Twitter and Facebook, Instagram, people thanking us for opening up about that. I just hope it helps people.”

from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/2Jllrt7

[micaramel]

A teacher has gone viral for using DIY meme stickers to grade exams.

Ainee Fatima told INSIDER that she just started using the stickers this week, but she's had the idea for a while.

Fatima said her students loved the stickers.

She teaches media studies, so the memes were especially relevant.

Sometimes, it can feel like teens are speaking another language. So instead of trying to fight it, one high school English and media studies teacher decided to try getting on her students' level by using memes to grade exams.

On Wednesday, Ainee Fatima, a 27-year-old English and media studies teacher based out of Franklin Park, Illinois, shared a video of herself using her meme stickers to grade exams on Twitter — and people loved it. In just over a day, her post went viral.

I love grading with my new stickers! pic.twitter.com/4K66qQblSJ

— ainee f. (@axfxq) October 17, 2018

"I love grading with my new stickers!" she wrote. In a follow-up post, Fatima explained that she makes the stickers herself and shared the template.

I can no longer send this through DM, I hit some weird limit! Here's the link to it :) Enjoy fellow teachers! Here u go! https://t.co/Ad3ImXaQIV

— ainee f. (@axfxq) October 18, 2018

Fatima told INSIDER she made the stickers on the spur of the moment, although she'd been considering it for a while, as her 12th-grade students love memes. 

"I was grading exams [on Wednesday] and started to get really frustrated at the answers my students were writing down, I thought 'I wish they could see my face right now,'" she said. "So I had sticker paper handy, made a quick template on the computer with Confused Nick Young's face and some positive Gordon Ramsay memes and printed them out!"

Don't worry, I did positive memes too! 😂 pic.twitter.com/rTfHCGKQwJ

— ainee f. (@axfxq) October 18, 2018

Fatima said that she wanted the memes to encourage learning and help erase the stigma that comes with a getting a bad grade on a test. She was happy to see that in action when she passed the graded exams back.

"I didn't print enough so not every wrong answer got a sticker so the students who did not receive a sticker for a wrong answer were actually asking if they could get one. It made them look at their exam and actually ask me to correct their answers for some credit," she said. "This is what I wanted!"

Online, people love the teacher's creativity. 

If I ever get a class with older students I’m doing this. Great strategy to connect with students and do your job!

— Anthony S. Hughes (@shodamolaJR) October 18, 2018

this upcoming generation don’t know how lucky they are to have lit ass millennials as teachers lol https://t.co/qKdWQ7tqlP

— james (@phan1om_) October 18, 2018

This is going to help students learn. They pay way too close attention to what’s going on in them phones to ignore meme stickers. Good stuff IMO https://t.co/CvCK6oknnF

— #MrRussB (@MrRussB) October 18, 2018

LMAOOOOO I WISH I GRADED BY HAND ID TOTALLY DO THIS

— marissa 🌀 (@MarissaDaily_) October 18, 2018

lmao i saw this on your story and was sad that I didn’t get to screen record it. I’m glad that it ended up on here bc these are the #teachergoals that I hope people strive for tbh LOLL https://t.co/Ywa3PRlspZ

— Yusra (@moroccanwitchh) October 18, 2018

Create a classroom culture that resonates with students and excellence shows itself. https://t.co/U0qdlS5ndI

�� Laiza (Lay-sa) (@lzixxaa) October 18, 2018

Others are sharing how they use pop culture and memes in their classrooms.

Hi! I love your idea! I used the Cardi B meme for my hallpasses and my kids loved it. Could I also have your template 👀

— . (@adiammm) October 18, 2018

Love it!!! I’m a 12th grade counselor and this is the sign on my door lol. The kids love it and it’s a great way to connect with them. Also it’s probably more for my own entertainment than theirs hahaha. pic.twitter.com/9qiOfRCQTB

— La Dominicana (@mami_rose) October 18, 2018

@daddydaniel28 literally made these a couple weeks ago and now 3 people have shown me this today 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/FCCIY1lWg6

— Mrs. Tabeche (@MTabeche) October 18, 2018

I’ve always used memes in the classroom (above the whiteboard). It keeps students interested and yes, I also sold pop, juice, water, Gatorades and teas for my yearbook fundraiser. #CoolTeacher 😎 pic.twitter.com/yazoWzWfj5

— Angelica Garcia (@MrzTeacherLady) October 18, 2018

Fatima said she doesn't know of other teachers at her school who incorporate pop culture or media into the classroom like this. But since she teaches Media Studies English she says this experience has been an interesting case study "about the power of viral media."

A new teacher this year, Fatima said this whole experience has been validating. She's had an outpouring of support from her fellow teachers and she said her students are "super stoked to have a 'famous' teacher." 

But at the end of the day, she just hopes she's making a difference. "Including pop culture and media in their curriculum will get your content and instruction across way farther than sticking to age-old content," she said. "It might seem silly but just having those few kids try a little harder, made my day! I have striven to be the teacher I needed when I was in school."

Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.

SEE ALSO: A New Jersey man says he has eaten plain cheese pizza for dinner every night for the last 37 years

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[gaymensfashion]

Fighting For A Second Chance to Vote in Florida

If Desmond Meade has his way, there are 1.5 million people in Florida who will regain the right to vote in November – the largest re-enfranchisement of voters in history besides the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Florida has some of the toughest laws in the country preventing people with felony convictions from voting, often for life. In addition to more serious violent crimes, felonies in that state can result from low-level infractions like driving on a suspended license.

Desmond, who isn’t able to vote because of his own felony conviction and subsequent time in prison, heads up the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which is backing a measure on the Nov. 6 ballot in Florida to reinstate the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people who have served their time. A new documentary called “Let My People Vote” covers a day in the life of Desmond as he canvases door-to-door to make sure others have a chance to do what he can’t: vote.  The film was partially underwritten by the Levi Strauss Foundation.

Desmond visited Levi Strauss & Co. – accompanied by the “Let My People Vote” producer Gilda Brasch and fellow organizer and Levi Strauss Foundation grantee Pastor Mike McBride –  to share the documentary and talk with employees about voter disenfranchisement in America – and why no one should take their right to vote for granted.

 On his personal journey to activism

 I’m a person that’s been in trouble primarily because of a drug addiction. It got me in and out of jail and then eventually prison, and eventually I ended up standing in front of the railroad tracks, ready to jump in front of a train.

That train didn’t come, and I crossed those tracks. I experienced a transformation over the next several months. Part of it was due to Rosa Parks’ passing away and seeing the outpouring of love, and me reflecting back … If I died today, how many people would come to my funeral? And the answer was, nobody.

It [made me] question, what was my purpose in life?

So when you ask me, what propels me to this work … What I know is, a chain is only as strong as our weakest link. And that’s the same in our society. If we really want our community and our society to become better, we have to empower the weakest among us.

My life was dedicated toward the homeless, toward convicts, toward the drug addicts … These are the people that if we lift up, we become greater for doing so, but we also become a stronger, more vibrant community.

Every day, I wake up, my job is focused on what can I do to make the world a better place, to put a smile on your face, to give you hope that there is a better tomorrow – that’s what keeps me going.

On the Voting Restoration Amendment

[It will] strike a fatal blow to Jim Crow, and enfranchise such a significant number of people.

What I’m most proud of is how we’ve done it. [After the recent hurricanes] people came together to help each other out. No one cared about how anyone voted. No one cared about the color of their skin. What they cared about was that there was another human being that needed help.

It’s in those moments that we see what’s beautiful, what’s right about humanity, what’s right about this country.

That’s the same spirit that our campaign embraced. We didn’t care about how a person may vote, what we cared about was that they had the opportunity to vote once they served their time.

This serves as a shining example of what we as human beings can do when we’re able to transcend partisan politics, racial insecurities, gender insecurities and just come together along the lines of humanity.

We can make things happen, we can do great things in this country and in this world.

On why the campaign resonates with so many

How many people right now will say you don’t ever want to be forgiven for anything you’ve ever done? That’s where we get them, right there. Because deep inside every one of us is that concept of forgiveness.

What I found [when talking to people about the campaign] was, when I was able to overlook the labels and overlook the self-imposed barriers and just talk to people like just a regular human being …  I found we had more in common than we did that separated us. That’s that sweet spot that we have to protect. We have to find it and we have to protect it if we’re talking about changing the direction this country is going.

NOTE: Desmond’s responses were edited for length.

We‘re featuring stories about our voter engagement efforts here at LS&Co. all this week, and every Tuesday in October, in a lead up to Election Day. Check back to learn more about how we‘re encouraging everyone – from employees to consumers – to get informed, get involved and get out to vote!

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The post Fighting For A Second Chance to Vote in Florida appeared first on Levi Strauss.

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Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Explores Grief After Chester Bennington's Death on Intimate 'Post Traumatic EP'

Mike Shinoda is still grieving. The Linkin Park co-founder released three new, intimate solo songs on Thursday that deal with the grief he's still feeling after the death of his bandmate, Chester Bennington.

Shinoda announced the Post Traumatic EP on Twitter, describing the six months since the Linkin Park frontman committed suicide as a "roller coaster" in a hand-written note to fans that he shared on social media and his website.

"Amidst the chaos, I’ve started to feel an intense gratitude--for your tributes and messages of support, for the career you have allowed me to have, and for the simple opportunity to create," the 40-year-old musician wrote. "Today, I’m sharing three songs I wrote and produced, with visuals that I filmed, painted, and edited myself. At its core, grief is a personal, intimate experience. As such, this is not Linkin Park, nor is it Fort Minor--it’s just me."

"Art has always been the place I go when I need to sort through the complexity and confusion of the road ahead," he concluded. "I don’t know where this path goes, but I’m grateful I get to share it with you."

https://t.co/H25dDJZsaJpic.twitter.com/VnPEhD3E0q

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 25, 2018

The three-song EP and accompanying videos are all self-produced and highly personal. In "Place to Start," Shinoda sings, "'Cause I'm tired of the fear that I can't control this. I'm tired of feeling like every next step's hopeless. I'm tired of being scared what I build might break apart. I don't want to know the end, all I want is a place to start."

The video ends with voicemail messages offering him condolences after Bennington's death. "Wanna obviously send my love and support and, um, just let you know I'm here for you," one such message says.

Shinoda's second song, "Over Again," discusses the pain before and after that show, crooning, "We rehearsed it for a month, I'm not worried about the set. I get tackled by the grief at times that I would least expect."

He ends the song saying he only wanted closure: "'Cause sometimes when you say goodbye, yeah you say it Over and over and over and over."

After sharing the new material, Shinoda took to Twitter again to correspond directly with fans, noting that he wasn't interested in doing media interviews about the new EP.

First things first. I want to talk to you directly, I don’t want anyone in between. So I’m not doing interviews for the time being, just using social media. If anyone (including journalists) has a question, you can ask me here in the coming weeks.#PostTraumatic

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 25, 2018

He received an outpouring of support on social media and responded to several messages, and he wasn't afraid to answer his fans questions. During his AMA on Twitter, he admitted that "the hardest thing was just getting started in general," and he also explained that the EP is a work in progress. "I wanted to release these three today and see what the fans want me to do next. If you like these, I'll keep going."

The hardest thing was just getting started in general. The only person I spent more time with than CB was my wife (honorable mention to Brad and Dave). Getting back into the studio was terrifying.#PostTraumatichttps://t.co/L8NU1B5zvf

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 25, 2018

I have a wonderful support system of friends and family. I think I had visitors every day for the first two months. They brought food and just listened, which was great. https://t.co/MF6WkjayGC

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 25, 2018

I have a bunch of songs; some are more finished than others. I wanted to release these three today and see what the fans want me to do next. If you like these, I’ll keep going.#PostTraumatichttps://t.co/pzARTLCCA3

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 25, 2018

Fans are hoping he'll perform the new tunes soon, but Shinoda isn't there yet, though he is hoping to play them live one day. "I'm not ready right now, though. Still making more music and visuals."

Yes. I’m not ready right now, though. Still making more music and visuals. https://t.co/7ha4YMSzGx

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) January 25, 2018

Shinoda and Bennington founded their popular rock band in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. Following the lead singer's death, the group quickly canceled its One More Light tour and arranged a tribute to the vocalist at the Hollywood Bowl.

Bennington, 41, died at his home in Los Angeles in July 2017. His autopsy was released last December, which revealed that alcohol was in his system when he took his own life. In the report, a first blood test also found possible traces of MDMA (ecstasy) in Bennington's system, however, two subsequent tests came back negative, and he was not under the influence of drugs when he died, according to the report.

See a tribute to Bennington below.

Chester Bennington Honored in Star-Studded Linkin Park Concert -- Watch

Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Admits Chester Bennington Tribute Concert Will be 'Really, Really Hard'

Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Shares Note to Fans One Week After Chester Bennington's Death

[ralphmorgan-blog1]

Many, many celebrities are standing up for Keaton Jones

By now, you've probably seen the name Keaton Jones or #StandWithKeaton, regarding the Tennessee boy whose video about his terrible bullying experience went pretty viral this weekend. 

The heartbreaking video, in which Jones describes how he's bullied in school, created an instant outpouring of support and love from all corners of the internet. Many, many people shared their own stories, words of encouragement, and his video with others. Celebrities were definitely among them.

Celebrities have reached out on Twitter and Instagram showing Jones their own love and support with invitations to hang out, and simply spreading awareness of how serious and hurtful bullying really is.

SEE ALSO: Chris Evans is a real life superhero in lending his support to bullied kid

Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, T.I., DeAndre Washington, and more have spoken out for Jones.

#KeatonJones Hero!!! Thank you young KING for inspiring us all who have been in your shoes at any capacity! If you have, or currently are going through any form of bullying, my heart and my prayers go out to you! Bullies...y'all corny!

A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on Dec 11, 2017 at 4:36am PST

Keaton, you have inspired me and many others to now recognize the bravery and courage to speak up. Your video was heartbreaking and yet so true. You really are a superhero and you are inspiring people who are getting bullied to speak up. We will all stand up for you. You're really amazing. Thank you. #endbullying

A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown) on Dec 11, 2017 at 4:00am PST

Stay strong, Keaton. Don’t let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year? https://t.co/s1QwCQ3toi

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017

Who ever goes to this boy school ,If you pick on him you not even a bully YOU A STRAIGHT UP PUSSY ASS PUNK ASS BITCH .Like how you pick on somebody who can’t defend them self ? THATS NOT GANGSTA ! If you a parent or somebody big sis or big bro show your kids this video and show them why they should not bully others !!😡😡😡 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽

A post shared by Cardi B Official IG (@iamcardib) on Dec 9, 2017 at 11:28pm PST

Say lil Man U gotta friend in me for life hit me on dm so we can chop it up love is the only way to beat hate 👊🏾☝🏾

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Dec 10, 2017 at 7:50am PST

Hi @Lakyn_Jones, could you pass this message along to Keaton? ❤ http://pic.twitter.com/3l8P4fKAqW

— Hailee Steinfeld (@HaileeSteinfeld) December 10, 2017

So I got the chance to spend the day with my new best bud Keaton. It was unbelievable to get to know him and realize that we have a lot in common. This dude is very special and has changed my life forever. Now I have the little brother I always wanted! God bless you my man http://pic.twitter.com/vMHVtnf2rC

— Jarrett Guarantano✞ (@BroadwayJay2) December 11, 2017

I #StandwithKeaton. Keaton baby, just know you’re not alone. There are so many people who come out of bullying so much stronger and you will be one of them!! God bless you sweetheart. https://t.co/LdCAy2lDHu

— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) December 11, 2017

#StandWithKeaton we love u my friend- we need more of ur kindness.. compassion... bravery.. and honesty in everyone, and the whole world is learning from u- thank u Keaton 💞we all got ur back✊🏼✊🏼

— camila (@Camila_Cabello) December 11, 2017

Keaton, will you’ve my guest at the Premiere of #InfinityWar too? I think you are about one of the coolest kids I have ever seen! Can’t wait to meet you in person, pal. Forget those ignorant kids. One day, very soon, they are going to feel pretty stupid for this. https://t.co/BqJLxu25GN

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) December 11, 2017

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Dec 10, 2017 at 7:20pm PST

Hey kids, teens, adults, people that live on this earth .... how about just don’t be a mean asshole!!!! Open your damn eyes to how hard this world is anyway and don’t make it worst!! Make it better for yourself and for others! #shameonyoubullies #getsomeprofessionalhelp

A post shared by Hilary Duff (@hilaryduff) on Dec 11, 2017 at 12:40pm PST

#Repost @danawhite ・・・ Meet Keaton Jones a very smart little boy who is being bullied at school. This video is heartbreaking!! I want to bring Keaton to Vegas and hang out at UFC Headquarters. If anyone knows how i can reach the family please let me know. Thank u everyone

A post shared by Ricky (@ricky_martin) on Dec 10, 2017 at 9:02am PST

I love this boy and I’ve never met him. You are brave and beautiful just as you are, don’t ever let others define who you are. Bullies are insecure and ignorant. Words create emotional poison, don’t listen to them so that poison doesn’t ever get to your pure heart ❤️ http://pic.twitter.com/SjntR2Pksk

— Eva Longoria Baston (@EvaLongoria) December 10, 2017

As someone who was bullied this hurts and makes me cry.Sending so much love to this brave young man. 🙏🏻 #Bekind #itsoktobedifferent X

A post shared by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 10, 2017 at 12:56pm PST

Dear Keaton Jones, hopefully you see this. Your an amazing soul my man, never let ANYONE tell you otherwise! Keep your head up & chest out. Your a solider, always remember that.

— DeAndre Washington (@dwa5hington) December 10, 2017

To answer your question Lil man... bullies are just cowards who are too weak to address the hurt,pain,&unhappiness in their own miserable lives so they take it out on great people like YOU!!! Just know that YOU ARE GREAT!!! Your differences make you the shit!!! Don't ever let anyone make you feel anything else. When it's all said & done... FU*K THEM!!!! You've got friends in US!!! Don't let their unhappiness get to you. Time has a way of showing bullies how shitty their lives really are. Just remember ALL THE THINGS THEY PICK ON YOU ABOUT MAKE YOU THE SHIT!!!! You're perfect just as you are. FU*K em!!!! Hit me if u need me Lil bro. #Salute

A post shared by TIP (@troubleman31) on Dec 10, 2017 at 11:27am PST

This broke my 💔today. Please be kind to one another. #standwithkeaton

A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on Dec 10, 2017 at 2:56pm PST

@DonteStallworth @Lakyn_Jones hopefully my video and the tweets that Keaton have been getting brings awareness to bullying and how serious it is in our school system http://pic.twitter.com/1Dujv3RxA5

— Delanie walker (@delaniewalker82) December 9, 2017

I saw this and it broke my heart... this little boy is suiffering at the hand of bullies like so many other little boys and girls... but you are not alone Keaton we are here. There is no room in this world for bullying or hate of any kind. And we will overcome it with love... As a parent it is my responsibility to make sure my kids know it is ok to go to an adult when someone is treating them in a way that hurts them or makes them uncomfortable or unhappy in anyway. Also to educate and teach them to treat people with kindness, love and respect no matter how different they may be from you!! #loveistheanswer #lovealwayswins #youarenotalone #bulliessuck #teachlove

A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Dec 10, 2017 at 8:01pm PST

I LOVE YOU BRO! Wanna encourage THE WORLD AND PEOPLE TO SHOW LOVE AND COMPASSION. this video made me wanna do harm to the people who picked on this kid, but then I realized that love works both ways. #FUCKBULLYING

A post shared by 💔🌕🏆 🔥🐐 (@chrisbrownofficial) on Dec 9, 2017 at 10:02pm PST

Keaton you are awesome for sharing like this - you set an example for us all. Just want you to know you are welcome to any @GoodCharlotte show anytime you want, we would love to meet you dude! https://t.co/msQuVfN0DL

— Joel Madden (@JoelMadden) December 10, 2017

This boy is incredibly brave and the video really got to me. @danawhite, If he takes you up on your offer to see UFC Headquarters, I would be honored to host him and his family at our place if they need somewhere to stay. https://t.co/EWx05o0yI0

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 11, 2017

I was bullied. To everyone who is going through this now: I know it’s hard and it seems like it will never get better, like it will never end. But it will. I promise you. Be strong. https://t.co/bnVRNBtblW

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) December 11, 2017

Keaton I, along with my @CSUFootball and @packers brothers wanted you to know that we stand against bullying. @Lakyn_Jones #StandWithKeaton http://pic.twitter.com/qReeMlDp71

— Bernard Blake (@BamBam_Blake23) December 10, 2017

#StandWithKeaton #StopBullying ✊🏾

— Todd Kelly Jr. (TK) (@ToddKellyJr) December 10, 2017

Keaton Jones- I was bullied for most of my life and I would ask the same questions to my mom. But if you stay close with your family like I

— Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) December 11, 2017

“Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.” Stay strong Keaton, you’re a very brave young man and a lot of great folks have your back. @Lakyn_Jones if there is anything we can do for Keaton, please let us know. #StandWithKeaton #StopBullying

— Nickelback (@Nickelback) December 11, 2017

Hey, #KeatonJones - you have friends here at the UFC, buddy. Today and everyday. #StandWithKeaton @Lakyn_Jones | @DC_MMA @TWooodley @FelderPaul @SugaRashadEvans @KennyFlorian http://pic.twitter.com/ZxX0cY1bu7

— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2017

#KeatonJones, your curiosity and kindness will overcome this moment and bring you many better days to come. #StandWithKeaton https://t.co/8t4ojKLs72

— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) December 10, 2017

Keaton jones you are a hero. This extremely raw and real moment has brought hope and truth to so many people. Be you and be forever fearless. Never give up. You are loved!

— kevin jonas (@kevinjonas) December 10, 2017

Hey Keaton Jones, I’d like to invite you to be my guest at any show of mine of your choice. I’ll cover ur flights and accommodation. Big up for speaking up, buddy!!! 👍

— Zedd (@Zedd) December 11, 2017

Heartbreaking to see this. Keaton you’re strong to say these things and care so much for others. #TeamKeaton https://t.co/hgp0ehnn8Y

— Enrique Iglesias (@enriqueiglesias) December 10, 2017

@Lakyn_Jones Hello, Keaton (via your sister)! You may have heard of my parents, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (#MLK) and #CorettaScottKing. I try to honor them and their legacies. I’m so sorry about the pain you’re experiencing because of bullying. You matter. I love you.

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) December 9, 2017

Keaton, my dude- I dealt with this every day in middle school. People don’t know how to handle “Different.” It made them uncomfortable that someone could be original! Guess what? The joke was on them! Hang in there my man- it DOES GET MUCH, MUCH BETTER! https://t.co/gFz1HuPXKy

— Jesse McCartney (@JesseMcCartney) December 11, 2017

It's been awesome to see but I'm starting to worry about Keaton Jones' future grades with all these trips he's going to be taking this year.

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) December 11, 2017

Hey #KeatonJones Just saw your video about the tough time you're going through. Not sure if you're a Walking Dead fan but if it happens that you are then please be in touch as I would love to see you and your family @WalkrStalkrCon show in Nashville next year. On me. X

— Tom Payne (@justanactor) December 10, 2017

#KeatonJones 💔Now more than ever the tone has been set that it’s ok and even effective to bully😒This ain’t the old school bullying either: it continues at home & on SOCIAL MEDIA. Children👏🏽are 👏🏽committing 👏🏽suicide👏🏽 They need compassion, inclusion & protection🙏🏽 http://pic.twitter.com/iQTzKCCZkZ

— Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) December 11, 2017

Hey, @Lakyn_Jones .. bring your brother Keaton by the bus before my show in Knoxville, TN next month if ya want.. would love to say hello and tell him #IStandWithKeaton

— Cole Swindell (@coleswindell) December 10, 2017

What I want for Christmas ? To hang out with the Champ #KeatonJones #StandWithKeaton

— MANNY RAMIREZ (@therealmanny99) December 11, 2017

This makes me so sad, people that bully are just sad insecure people that take their own problems out on other people. STOP THE BULLYING. I #StandWithKeaton don't worry Keaton it does get better just keep pushing through https://t.co/nGBJhoIDVs

— Rachel Levin (@rclbeauty101) December 11, 2017

WATCH: This helmet automatically adjusts to the size of your head

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Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and more are standing up for bullied kid Keaton Jones

By now, you've probably seen the name Keaton Jones or #StandWithKeaton, regarding the Tennessee boy whose video about his terrible bullying experience went pretty viral this weekend. 

The heartbreaking video, in which Jones describes how he's bullied in school, created an instant outpouring of support and love from all corners of the internet. Many, many people shared their own stories, words of encouragement, and his video with others. Celebrities were definitely among them.

Celebrities have reached out on Twitter and Instagram showing Jones their own love and support with invitations to hang out, and simply spreading awareness of how serious and hurtful bullying really is.

SEE ALSO: Chris Evans is a real life superhero in lending his support to bullied kid

Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, T.I., DeAndre Washington, and more have spoken out for Jones.

#KeatonJones Hero!!! Thank you young KING for inspiring us all who have been in your shoes at any capacity! If you have, or currently are going through any form of bullying, my heart and my prayers go out to you! Bullies...y'all corny!

A post shared by badgalriri (@badgalriri) on Dec 11, 2017 at 4:36am PST

Keaton, you have inspired me and many others to now recognize the bravery and courage to speak up. Your video was heartbreaking and yet so true. You really are a superhero and you are inspiring people who are getting bullied to speak up. We will all stand up for you. You're really amazing. Thank you. #endbullying

A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown) on Dec 11, 2017 at 4:00am PST

Stay strong, Keaton. Don’t let them make you turn cold. I promise it gets better. While those punks at your school are deciding what kind of people they want to be in this world, how would you and your mom like to come to the Avengers premiere in LA next year? https://t.co/s1QwCQ3toi

— Chris Evans (@ChrisEvans) December 10, 2017

Who ever goes to this boy school ,If you pick on him you not even a bully YOU A STRAIGHT UP PUSSY ASS PUNK ASS BITCH .Like how you pick on somebody who can’t defend them self ? THATS NOT GANGSTA ! If you a parent or somebody big sis or big bro show your kids this video and show them why they should not bully others !!😡😡😡 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽

A post shared by Cardi B Official IG (@iamcardib) on Dec 9, 2017 at 11:28pm PST

Say lil Man U gotta friend in me for life hit me on dm so we can chop it up love is the only way to beat hate 👊🏾☝🏾

A post shared by snoopdogg (@snoopdogg) on Dec 10, 2017 at 7:50am PST

Hi @Lakyn_Jones, could you pass this message along to Keaton? ❤ pic.twitter.com/3l8P4fKAqW

— Hailee Steinfeld (@HaileeSteinfeld) December 10, 2017

So I got the chance to spend the day with my new best bud Keaton. It was unbelievable to get to know him and realize that we have a lot in common. This dude is very special and has changed my life forever. Now I have the little brother I always wanted! God bless you my man pic.twitter.com/vMHVtnf2rC

— Jarrett Guarantano✞ (@BroadwayJay2) December 11, 2017

I #StandwithKeaton. Keaton baby, just know you’re not alone. There are so many people who come out of bullying so much stronger and you will be one of them!! God bless you sweetheart. https://t.co/LdCAy2lDHu

— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) December 11, 2017

#StandWithKeaton we love u my friend- we need more of ur kindness.. compassion... bravery.. and honesty in everyone, and the whole world is learning from u- thank u Keaton 💞we all got ur back✊🏼✊🏼

— camila (@Camila_Cabello) December 11, 2017

Keaton, will you’ve my guest at the Premiere of #InfinityWar too? I think you are about one of the coolest kids I have ever seen! Can’t wait to meet you in person, pal. Forget those ignorant kids. One day, very soon, they are going to feel pretty stupid for this. https://t.co/BqJLxu25GN

— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) December 11, 2017

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on Dec 10, 2017 at 7:20pm PST

Hey kids, teens, adults, people that live on this earth .... how about just don’t be a mean asshole!!!! Open your damn eyes to how hard this world is anyway and don’t make it worst!! Make it better for yourself and for others! #shameonyoubullies #getsomeprofessionalhelp

A post shared by Hilary Duff (@hilaryduff) on Dec 11, 2017 at 12:40pm PST

#Repost @danawhite ・・・ Meet Keaton Jones a very smart little boy who is being bullied at school. This video is heartbreaking!! I want to bring Keaton to Vegas and hang out at UFC Headquarters. If anyone knows how i can reach the family please let me know. Thank u everyone

A post shared by Ricky (@ricky_martin) on Dec 10, 2017 at 9:02am PST

I love this boy and I’ve never met him. You are brave and beautiful just as you are, don’t ever let others define who you are. Bullies are insecure and ignorant. Words create emotional poison, don’t listen to them so that poison doesn’t ever get to your pure heart ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SjntR2Pksk

— Eva Longoria Baston (@EvaLongoria) December 10, 2017

As someone who was bullied this hurts and makes me cry.Sending so much love to this brave young man. 🙏🏻 #Bekind #itsoktobedifferent X

A post shared by Victoria Beckham (@victoriabeckham) on Dec 10, 2017 at 12:56pm PST

Dear Keaton Jones, hopefully you see this. Your an amazing soul my man, never let ANYONE tell you otherwise! Keep your head up & chest out. Your a solider, always remember that.

— DeAndre Washington (@dwa5hington) December 10, 2017

To answer your question Lil man... bullies are just cowards who are too weak to address the hurt,pain,&unhappiness in their own miserable lives so they take it out on great people like YOU!!! Just know that YOU ARE GREAT!!! Your differences make you the shit!!! Don't ever let anyone make you feel anything else. When it's all said & done... FU*K THEM!!!! You've got friends in US!!! Don't let their unhappiness get to you. Time has a way of showing bullies how shitty their lives really are. Just remember ALL THE THINGS THEY PICK ON YOU ABOUT MAKE YOU THE SHIT!!!! You're perfect just as you are. FU*K em!!!! Hit me if u need me Lil bro. #Salute

A post shared by TIP (@troubleman31) on Dec 10, 2017 at 11:27am PST

This broke my 💔today. Please be kind to one another. #standwithkeaton

A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) on Dec 10, 2017 at 2:56pm PST

@DonteStallworth @Lakyn_Jones hopefully my video and the tweets that Keaton have been getting brings awareness to bullying and how serious it is in our school system pic.twitter.com/1Dujv3RxA5

— Delanie walker (@delaniewalker82) December 9, 2017

I saw this and it broke my heart... this little boy is suiffering at the hand of bullies like so many other little boys and girls... but you are not alone Keaton we are here. There is no room in this world for bullying or hate of any kind. And we will overcome it with love... As a parent it is my responsibility to make sure my kids know it is ok to go to an adult when someone is treating them in a way that hurts them or makes them uncomfortable or unhappy in anyway. Also to educate and teach them to treat people with kindness, love and respect no matter how different they may be from you!! #loveistheanswer #lovealwayswins #youarenotalone #bulliessuck #teachlove

A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) on Dec 10, 2017 at 8:01pm PST

I LOVE YOU BRO! Wanna encourage THE WORLD AND PEOPLE TO SHOW LOVE AND COMPASSION. this video made me wanna do harm to the people who picked on this kid, but then I realized that love works both ways. #FUCKBULLYING

A post shared by 💔🌕🏆 🔥🐐 (@chrisbrownofficial) on Dec 9, 2017 at 10:02pm PST

Keaton you are awesome for sharing like this - you set an example for us all. Just want you to know you are welcome to any @GoodCharlotte show anytime you want, we would love to meet you dude! https://t.co/msQuVfN0DL

— Joel Madden (@JoelMadden) December 10, 2017

This boy is incredibly brave and the video really got to me. @danawhite, If he takes you up on your offer to see UFC Headquarters, I would be honored to host him and his family at our place if they need somewhere to stay. https://t.co/EWx05o0yI0

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 11, 2017

I was bullied. To everyone who is going through this now: I know it’s hard and it seems like it will never get better, like it will never end. But it will. I promise you. Be strong. https://t.co/bnVRNBtblW

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) December 11, 2017

Keaton I, along with my @CSUFootball and @packers brothers wanted you to know that we stand against bullying. @Lakyn_Jones #StandWithKeaton pic.twitter.com/qReeMlDp71

— Bernard Blake (@BamBam_Blake23) December 10, 2017

#StandWithKeaton #StopBullying ✊🏾

— Todd Kelly Jr. (TK) (@ToddKellyJr) December 10, 2017

Keaton Jones- I was bullied for most of my life and I would ask the same questions to my mom. But if you stay close with your family like I

— Charlie Puth (@charlieputh) December 11, 2017

“Courage is fire, and bullying is smoke.” Stay strong Keaton, you’re a very brave young man and a lot of great folks have your back. @Lakyn_Jones if there is anything we can do for Keaton, please let us know. #StandWithKeaton #StopBullying

— Nickelback (@Nickelback) December 11, 2017

Hey, #KeatonJones - you have friends here at the UFC, buddy. Today and everyday. #StandWithKeaton @Lakyn_Jones | @DC_MMA @TWooodley @FelderPaul @SugaRashadEvans @KennyFlorian pic.twitter.com/ZxX0cY1bu7

— UFC (@ufc) December 10, 2017

#KeatonJones, your curiosity and kindness will overcome this moment and bring you many better days to come. #StandWithKeaton https://t.co/8t4ojKLs72

— Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) December 10, 2017

Keaton jones you are a hero. This extremely raw and real moment has brought hope and truth to so many people. Be you and be forever fearless. Never give up. You are loved!

— kevin jonas (@kevinjonas) December 10, 2017

Hey Keaton Jones, I’d like to invite you to be my guest at any show of mine of your choice. I’ll cover ur flights and accommodation. Big up for speaking up, buddy!!! 👍

— Zedd (@Zedd) December 11, 2017

Heartbreaking to see this. Keaton you’re strong to say these things and care so much for others. #TeamKeaton https://t.co/hgp0ehnn8Y

— Enrique Iglesias (@enriqueiglesias) December 10, 2017

@Lakyn_Jones Hello, Keaton (via your sister)! You may have heard of my parents, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (#MLK) and #CorettaScottKing. I try to honor them and their legacies. I’m so sorry about the pain you’re experiencing because of bullying. You matter. I love you.

— Be A King (@BerniceKing) December 9, 2017

Keaton, my dude- I dealt with this every day in middle school. People don’t know how to handle “Different.” It made them uncomfortable that someone could be original! Guess what? The joke was on them! Hang in there my man- it DOES GET MUCH, MUCH BETTER! https://t.co/gFz1HuPXKy

— Jesse McCartney (@JesseMcCartney) December 11, 2017

It's been awesome to see but I'm starting to worry about Keaton Jones' future grades with all these trips he's going to be taking this year.

— Brandon McCarthy (@BMcCarthy32) December 11, 2017

Hey #KeatonJones Just saw your video about the tough time you're going through. Not sure if you're a Walking Dead fan but if it happens that you are then please be in touch as I would love to see you and your family @WalkrStalkrCon show in Nashville next year. On me. X

— Tom Payne (@justanactor) December 10, 2017

#KeatonJones 💔Now more than ever the tone has been set that it’s ok and even effective to bully😒This ain’t the old school bullying either: it continues at home & on SOCIAL MEDIA. Children👏🏽are 👏🏽committing 👏🏽suicide👏🏽 They need compassion, inclusion & protection🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/iQTzKCCZkZ

— Holly Robinson Peete (@hollyrpeete) December 11, 2017

Hey, @Lakyn_Jones .. bring your brother Keaton by the bus before my show in Knoxville, TN next month if ya want.. would love to say hello and tell him #IStandWithKeaton

— Cole Swindell (@coleswindell) December 10, 2017

What I want for Christmas ? To hang out with the Champ #KeatonJones #StandWithKeaton

— MANNY RAMIREZ (@therealmanny99) December 11, 2017

This makes me so sad, people that bully are just sad insecure people that take their own problems out on other people. STOP THE BULLYING. I #StandWithKeaton don't worry Keaton it does get better just keep pushing through https://t.co/nGBJhoIDVs

— Rachel Levin (@rclbeauty101) December 11, 2017

WATCH: This helmet automatically adjusts to the size of your head

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Women's March on Washington: Thousands descend on Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON -- Sporting pink, pointy-eared "pussyhats" to mock the new president, hundreds of thousands of gals massed in the nation's capital and cities around the globe Saturday to send Donald Trump an emphatic message that they will not allow his agenda go unchallenged more than the subsequent 4 years. As evening fell on the East Coast, 1000's of protesters from the Women's March on Washington had been even now marching by means of the city's streets in opposition to President Donald Trump. Police officers stationed near the Ellipse south of the White House are chatting and joking with protesters. Some protesters chanted, "Welcome to your very first day, we will never go away." Some others have been chanting about democracy and women's rights, or holding protest indications. Many of the protesters were waiting out a logjam of individuals striving to exit the spot. Transportation officials had earlier warned there would be delays as the hundreds of 1000's of protesters tried to take public transportation out of the city soon after the march formally ended. Transportation officials in Washington say Saturday is by now the fifth busiest Saturday in the subway system's history. By four p.m. Saturday, Metro tweeted that it has recorded additional than 597,000 journeys on the method and noticed heavy crowds coming into at all downtown stations. Metro spokesman Dan Stessel says the technique commonly sees about 620,000 trips on a normal weekday and it can be quite a few occasions busier than a normal Saturday. Stessel says the ridership numbers are on track to ultimately best the system's busiest Saturday of all time, the day of the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Dread hosted by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert in 2010. Additional than 825,000 journeys were taken that day. The women brandished indications with messages this kind of as "Girls won't back down" and "Less dread more love" and decried Mr. Trump's stand on such troubles as abortion, health care, diversity and climate transform. Their message reverberated at demonstrations all over the globe, from New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles to Paris, Berlin, London, Prague, Sydney and beyond. "I feel quite optimistic even though it's a miserable moment," said Madeline Schwartzman of New York City, who brought her twin 13-12 months-outdated daughters to the Washington rally. "I truly feel electrical power." "We march today for the moral core of this nation, against which our new president is waging a war," actress America Ferrera advised the Washington crowd. "Our dignity, our character, our rights have all been under assault and a platform of dislike and division assumed power yesterday. But the president is not America. ... We are America and we are here to keep." Madonna, who spoke at the occasion, mentioned it took "this horrific moment" of Mr. Trump's inauguration as president to wake up the United States. The pop singer utilised many obscenities during a speech at the Women's March on Washington to emphasize her opposition to Mr. Trump. She explained Saturday's march indicates "that we are far from the end" and it is the start out of a revolution to fight for the appropriate to be free and equal. She also said like-minded Americans will need to join together to make it "through this darkness" and demonstrate that "we are not afraid, that we are not alone." There were early indications that the crowds in Washington could best people that gathered for Mr. Trump's inauguration on Friday. City officials said organizers of the Women's March on Washington had far more than doubled their turnout estimate to 500,000 as crowds started swelling and subways into the city became clogged with participants. Figures from transportation officials in Washington also suggested a lot more people may possibly be on the National Mall for the women's march than came for the inauguration. On crowd size, 1 organizer informed CBS News' Nicole Sganga that at least 500,000 have been in attendance but the official said she would not be amazed if it had been closer to a million. As of eleven a.m. Saturday, 275,000 men and women had taken journeys on the city's subway program. On Inauguration Day, 193,000 journeys had been taken as of that time, and the rail technique opened an hour earlier that day, at 4 a.m.

Women's March on Washington depart their indications by the U.S. Capitol developing, wherever Mr. Trump had his inauguration ceremony Friday. Nicole Sganga/CBS Information In the afternoon, women's march participants left their indications and posters on the barricade dealing with the west front of the Capitol constructing, in which Mr. Trump's inauguration ceremony took spot. It was not just a Washington phenomenon and it was not just ladies: More than 600 "sister marches" had been planned across the nation and around the planet, and loads of men have been element of the tableau, also. Organizers estimated 3 million would march globally. As the rally alongside the Nationwide Mall took shape, Mr. Trump opened his initially full day as president by attending a prayer support at the Washington National Cathedral, a tradition for the day after inauguration. He later on acquired a see of the protesters from the window of his limo. His motorcade was on its way back to the White Residence from the prayer services when he passed various prominent groups of protesters.

Scott Nordheimer Urban AtlanticAs he crossed 1 intersection, cars commenced honking loudly. Some protesters held up signs that likened women's rights to human rights. It was a nod to a well known speech that former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton gave in China as initially lady. Other signs study "We stand with Planned Parenthood." Two tweets posted on early Saturday afternoon from the @realDonaldTrump and @POTUS Twitter accounts stated, "I am honored to serve you, the fantastic American People, as your 45th President of the United States!" Neither of the tweets pointed out the march. Mr. Trump later spoke at the CIA's headquarters. On the streets of Washington, feminist leader Gloria Steinem described the around the world mobilization as "the upside of the downside: This is an outpouring of vitality and democracy like I have by no means noticed in my extremely prolonged lifestyle." "Occasionally we ought to put our bodies the place our beliefs are," she advised the Washington crowd, labeling Mr. Trump an "impossible president." Clinton, who lost to Mr. Trump, took to Twitter to thank the participants. "Thanks for standing, speaking &amp marching for our values @womensmarch," Clinton tweeted. "Significant as ever. I actually feel we're generally More powerful Together." In Washington, a enormous turnout affected strategies to march. So several individuals packed the authentic route along the south side of the Nationwide Mall that organizers could not lead a formal trek toward White Home. Interim D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said on Independence Avenue, "The crowd stretches so far that there's no space left to march." As an alternative, march organizers directed the crowd to get a new route to meet up at the Ellipse, a grassy spot in between the Washington Monument and the White Home. Retired teacher Linda Lastella, 69, who came to Washington from Metuchen, New Jersey, said she had never ever marched ahead of but felt the need to talk out when "many nations are experiencing this exact same kind of pullback and hateful, hateful attitudes." "It just seemed like we required to make a very company stand of exactly where we were," she explained. Joy Rodriguez, of Miami, arrived with her husband, William, and their two daughters, ages twelve and 10. "I want to make absolutely sure their rights are not infringed on in these years coming up," Joy Rodriguez explained. Rose Wurm, 64, a retired medical secretary from Bedford, Pennsylvania, boarded a Washington-bound bus in Hagerstown, Maryland, at seven a.m. carrying two indicators: a single asking Mr. Trump to stop tweeting, and one asking him to repair, not trash, the Obamacare well being law. "There are components of it that do require modify. It can be a thing new, anything exclusive that's not going to be best right out of the gate," she said. Quite a few arrived wearing hand-knit "pussyhats" -- a message of female empowerment aimed squarely at Mr.Trump's crude boast about grabbing women's genitals. The march attracted significant assistance from celebrities. Ferrera led the artists' contingent, and speakers incorporated Scarlett Johansson and Ashley Judd. The promised performance lineup integrated Janelle Monae, Maxwell, Samantha Ronson, the Indigo Women and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Cher, Katy Perry and Julianne Moore all had been expected to attend. Filmmaker Michael Moore spoke at the march, saying he was there "to vow to finish the Trump carnage." He was riffing on a phrase from Mr. Trump's inaugural tackle, in which the president mentioned he would cease the "American carnage." Moore urged attendees to phone their members of Congress every day to protest Mr. Trump's policies and stated those concerned about Mr. Trump ought to join organizations like Planned Parenthood, the American Civil Liberties Union and environmental groups. He mentioned joined Planned Parenthood on Saturday morning. District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser stated ideal thing the federal government led by Mr. Trump can do is "leave us alone." Bowser mentioned she was speaking at the women's march on behalf of all female elected officials, and that girls are more harshly and unfairly criticized at every single degree of government. Marlita Gogan, who came to Washington from Houston for the inauguration, said police recommended her family members not to put on their "Make America Wonderful Yet again Hats" as they walked via crowds of protesters when playing tourist on Saturday. "I consider it truly is really oppressive," she mentioned of the march atmosphere. "They can have their day, but I will not get it."

A protester takes part in the Women's March on London, as they walk from the American Embassy to Trafalgar Square, in central London, Britain Jan. 21, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall Rallies had been held elsewhere in the U.S., and worldwide. At 1 in Concord, New Hampshire, author Jodi Picoult mentioned: "We in New Hampshire are not in the habit of going in reverse. We have the backs of those who are much less lucky - who may possibly be struggling for health care, for environmental rights, for racial equality, for a fair wage, for justice." In Chicago, so several men and women turned out for a women's march there that organizers canceled their ideas to march through the city's downtown, and instead planned to lengthen the ongoing rally on the city's lakefront. But the tens of 1000's of persons who turned out spilled into the city's downtown streets anyway. After the occasion concluded in Grant Park, persons started flooding nearby streets, chanting and waving indicators protesting Mr. Trump. In Paris, thousands marched in the Eiffel Tower community in a joyful atmosphere, singing and carrying posters studying: "We have our eyes on you Mr. Trump" and "With our sisters in Washington." In Prague, hundreds gathered in Wenceslas Square in freezing climate, waving portraits of Mr. Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin and holding banners that study "This is just the starting," ''Kindness" and "Enjoy." "We are anxious about the way some politicians talk, particularly through the American elections," stated organizer Johanna Nejedlova. In Copenhagen, Denmark, march organizer Lesley-Ann Brown said: "Nationalist, racist and misogynistic trends are developing throughout the world and threaten the most marginalized groups in our societies such as women, individuals of colour, immigrants, Muslims, the LGBT community and individuals with disabilities." In Sydney, thousands of Australians marched in solidarity in Hyde Park. One organizer said hatred, bigotry and racism are not only America's difficulties. In Berlin, hundreds of protesters in the German capital carried on indications as they rallied outside the U.S. Embassy in solidarity with the Women's March in Washington. "Mr. Trump, you are no Berliner," indicators stated. Other indicators incorporated slogans this kind of as "No to sexism," ''Women's rights are human rights," and "Our bodies, our minds, our electrical power." One of the protesters is Katie Berdett, an American residing in Berlin. She says she fears the loss of women's rights underneath Mr. Trump and "for the democracy of our country." "But at the similar time I am hopeful due to the fact there are so a lot of individuals standing up and growing up and taking component in these demonstrations," she explained. President John F. Kennedy gave a famous speech in Berlin in 1963 when he stated he regarded as himself "a Berliner" -- a remark that aided preserve up morale in the Western portion of the then-divided city.

Individuals gather in front of the U.S. Embassy on Pariser Platz beside Brandenburg Gate in solidarity with women's march in Washington and quite a few other marches in various countries, in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 21, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke TheWomen's March on Washingtonwas conceived in the late hours of election night, andit all beganwith a annoyed Facebook submit by Hawaii grandmother Teresa Shook. "What if gals marched on Washington all around Inauguration Day en masse?" she wrote on her wall. A handful of hrs later, a Facebook occasion webpage was designed. Additional and far more began clicking the hyperlink. As it turns out, Shook was not the only disgruntled voter searching for a new trigger. Hundreds of groups promptly joined the cause, pushing a wide range of leads to, such as abortion rights, gun handle, climate change and immigrant rights. The site of the Women's March on Washington describes it as "a grassroots effort comprised of dozens of independent coordinators at the state level." Four national co-chairs helmed the work and a nationwide coordinating committee worked "around the clock" to pull it together, the site says.

A protester sporting a bra and with a message written on her chest can be witnessed in the course of the first of hundreds of womens' marches organized all around the world in a demonstrate of disapproval of U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia, Jan. 21, 2017. AAP/Dan Himbrechts/through REUTERS March organizers said ladies are "hurting and scared" as the new president takes workplace and want a greater voice for ladies in political daily life. "In the spirit of democracy and honoring the champions of human rights, dignity and justice who have come prior to us, we join in diversity to demonstrate our presence in numbers too good to disregard," their mission statement says. Even though the march organizers' "mission and vision" statement under no circumstances mentions Mr. Trump and stresses broad themes, including the message that "women's rights are human rights," the unifying factor amongst these turning out appeared to be a loathing for the new president and dismay that so considerably of the nation voted for him. The rallies had been a peaceful counterpoint to the window-smashing unrest that unfolded on Friday when self-described anarchists tried to disrupt the inauguration. Police employed pepper spray and stun grenades against demonstrators. Far more than 200 men and women have been arrested.