Warning: This post contains graphic nudity and may not be suitable for work environments.

Everything we know about artist William Crawford we've gleaned from the works he left behind -- approximately 950 graphite on paper drawings, which were discovered in an abandoned house in Oakland, California.

Just a few of the drawings are signed William Crawford, occasionally W.M. Crawford or Bill. Many of the delicately rendered depictions appear on the backsides of ambiguous prison rosters dated 1997. It's generally acknowledged, then, that whoever this Crawford was, he spent time in a California state prison in the 1990s, and, seized with desires that couldn't be consummated, he drew. 

And boy, did he draw. Buxom bombshells in leather bodices mid-rip, mustachioed gentlemen right out of a '70s porno, groups of two, three, four, and sometimes more, engaging in playful, even violent, sexual play. Captured from a variety of angles and perspectives, Crawford creates jungle gyms of erotic exploration, each frame featuring a melange of licks, sucks, kisses and penetration, often complete with an eager onlooker. Some of the drawings contain dialogue, and some seem but a fragment of a larger, complex story. But due to the lack of information about the artist and his world, we're left to individually make sense of the rogue parts and positions. 

Crawford's drawings, reminiscent of early fetish comics by Eric Stanton and Tom of Finland, incorporate trends dating back to the '70s and '80s -- the leopard miniskirts, hoop earrings, those damned mustaches. And yet they were made, most likely, around 1997, leading many to believe Crawford had been locked up for years, removed from the pop cultural landscape that was flourishing around him. It had probably been just as long since he'd had a sexual partner. 

The drawings can be disturbing. In one double-penetration scene, featuring three bodies smushed parallel like a sandwich, a man can be seen filming the sex act from the doorway. Even more disconcerting, however, is what appears to be a toe tag on one of the fornicator's feet. 

The kind of sex brought to life in Crawford's work, as you most certainly have ascertained by now, is not the kind of sweet love-making you do with your longterm honey on anniversary night. No, this is raw erotica, removed from the actual arena of bodily touching, focused on the shadowy wilderness of the imagination. In the words of French cultural theorist Georges Bataille: "Eroticism, unlike sexual activity, is a psychological quest independent of the natural goal: reproduction."

Bataille's thorough grasp of eroticism can also help make sense of the violence and aggression featured in some of Crawford's drawings. "Eroticism always entails a breaking down of established patterns, the patterns, I repeat, of the regulated social order basic to our discontinuous mode of existence as defined and separate individuals," he writes in 1957's Eroticism. 

"In essence, the domain of eroticism is the domain of violence, of violation ... The most violent thing of all for us is death, which jerks us out of a tenacious obsession with the lastingness of our discontinuous being ... The whole business of eroticism is to destroy the self-contained character of the participators as they are in their normal lives." 

So, according to Bataille, death and eroticism are never too far apart. Eroticism, not necessarily sex, is about indulging taboos, dissolving boundaries, violating norms, thus in a way preparing us for the inevitable transgression of everyday life so heavy it's impossible to imagine: death. 

There is one clue amidst these strange details that might help us make sense of Crawford's X-rated oeuvre, and that's the recurring character in his drawings: the man filming the sex act. Thought to be Crawford himself, this character often looms on the periphery of sex acts, perhaps alluding to the artist's real distance from physical encounters in the flesh. 

Crawford's fantastical visions could never occur in real life. They're rendered from too bizarre of angles, with certain elements meticulously obscured and others left naked and ghostly. A human body switches from realistic to cartoonish before disappearing before your eyes. Like with so many artists isolated from physical and sexual interaction, the act of creation becomes the climax. 

William Crawford's "More Worried Than a Worm in a Bird’s Nest" runs from Oct. 30 to Dec. 5, 2015, at Farago in Los Angeles.

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David Mitchell has become known for what he referred to in an interview with The Huffington Post last year as “episodic, polyphonic head-mangler[s].”

At the time, fresh off the publication of the doorstop century-spanner The Bone Clocks, he mentioned that his next book would be “quite short … a rest.” Just over a year later, that next book has arrived, and while Slade House is relatively short -- 238 small pages -- it remains head-mangling, at least for readers.

Not that I’m complaining.

A small, yellow, cloth-bound volume with a square cutout in the cover providing a glimpse of the Slade House floor plan, the book has the whimsically inviting presentation of a children’s story. It’s somehow both an appropriate cover and a misleading one, as the tale inside has the dreamy progression of a dark nursery tale -- "Hansel and Gretel" for modern Britain -- but the mind-bending complexity of Mitchell’s other novels of fantastical realism.

The novel opens in 1979, as clumsy young Nathan Bishop follows his mother, a musician struggling to support her son alone, to a musical soirée at Slade House. With such an opportunity to network with potential benefactors, Mrs. Bishop is distracted, leaving Nathan alone with Jonah, the young son of the house, in the lush garden outside. But as Nathan relaxes into the afternoon, Slade House and its grounds seem to shimmer and shift focus, like an immersive mirage. Increasingly disoriented and confused, Nathan goes looking for his mother, but it’s not that easy to get out.

As becomes clear, the house itself is an illusion, a vestige of a mansion destroyed in the blitz. Once every nine years, a portal to its shadow opens to the unlucky guest of the Grayers, and their disappearances are untraceable, the trail immediately cold.

Readers of Mitchell’s earlier novels, particularly The Bone Clocks, will recognize what’s happening: Norah and Jonah Grayer are predators, who’ve discovered they can capture a version of immortality by preying on the psychovoltage of naturally gifted people. Unfortunately for Nathan, he’s one of those people.

Nor is he the only unfortunate one Slade House shows us; again and again, we are plunged into the homely, deeply human lives of various targets, following their entire pathway into Slade House, hoping for their last-minute rescue.

All of which makes the book particularly suspenseful; though the dynamics at play may be familiar already to Mitchell’s readers, layers upon layers of tension stack within themselves in this spiraling novel, amping up the emotional toll. Each installment hurtles forward with the terror of capture and the mad hope for escape; the arc of the novel propels us toward a piecemeal understanding of the mysterious powers at work as more and more investigators, amateur and professional, attempt to solve the Slade House vanishings.

With seemingly endless misdirections and false doors, Slade House in many ways presents as a sophisticated horror story. Mitchell’s gift, however, has always been suffusing the fantastical with deep human feeling. Much of the dread of Slade House derives from how fully he imbues each character with unique humanity, compelling readers to perceive each victim as not a prop for the special effects, but as a relatable protagonist. A nerdy girl who joins a paranormal club to get closer to her crush, a loutish policeman, a hardheaded journalist with a tragic secret -- each feels as tangibly real as the next. Given the foggy forces threatening them, the solidity, even mundanity, of these characters creates an all-the-more unsettling juxtaposition.

Slade House lacks the ambitious scope of most of Mitchell’s novels, both narratively and intellectually; in comparison to books like The Bone Clocks it reads almost as a down-the-line genre story, focusing on the spooky mechanisms of a paranormal threat rather than its broader implications as a statement on, say, the value of human life and the arc of our history. For Mitchell fans, of course, Slade House will satisfy the craving for a more focused dive into the realm of The Shaded Way and psychosoterica, while for new readers it’s a relatively low-impact introduction to Mitchell’s many-doored alternative universe.

Taken on its own terms, however, it’s a tautly executed haunted-house tale -- and conveniently, just in time for Halloween.

The Bottom Line:

Tightly crafted and suspenseful yet warmly human, Slade House is the ultimate spooky nursery tale for adults.

What other reviewers think:

The New York Times: "Slade House is Mr. Mitchell’s shortest and most accessible novel to date, and you don’t have to have read The Bone Clocks to comprehend it. Readers who come to this book first, however, will get only a slivery glimpse of this writer’s talent."

The San Francisco Chronicle: "Whether one has encountered The Bone Clocks or not, the chilly pleasures of Slade House are abundant, perfect for experiencing during dropping temperatures and shorter days."

Who wrote it?

David Mitchell is an award-winning novelist whose acclaimed books include Cloud Atlas, The Bone Clocks, and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, many of which are ingeniously interconnected through recurring characters and references. A version of the initial part of Slade House originally appeared as a Twitter story called “The Right Sort” in July 2014.

Who will read it?

Mitchell superfans, of course, but also anyone who likes a spooky read, especially one with a strong literary quality.

Opening lines:

“Whatever Mum’s saying’s drowned out by the grimy roar of the bus pulling away, revealing a pub called The Fox and Hounds. The sign shows three beagles cornering a fox. They’re about to pounce and rip it apart. A street sign underneath says WESTWOOD ROAD. Lords and ladies are supposed to be rich, so I was expecting swimming pools and Lamborghinis, but Westwood Road looks pretty normal to me.”

Notable passage:

“In the house, Mum’s playing warm-up arpeggios.

The dragonfly’s gone. ‘Do you have nightmares?’ I ask.

‘I have nightmares,’ says Jonah, ‘about running out of food.’

‘Go to bed with a packet of digestives,’ I tell him.

Jonah’s teeth are perfect, like the smiley kid with zero fillings off the Colgate advert. ‘Not that kind of food, Nathan.’

‘What other kinds of food are there?’ I ask.

A skylark’s Morse-coding from a far far far far star.

‘Food that makes you hungrier, the more of it you eat,’ says Jonah.”

Slade House
by David Mitchell
Random House, $26.00
Publishes Oct. 27, 2015

The Bottom Line is a weekly review combining plot description and analysis with fun tidbits about the book.

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A hilarious new photo book is poking fun at the absurdly unrealistic stock photos of parents that seem pervasive in marketing today. From moms and dads relaxing in pristine white clothing on their similarly pristine white couch to expectant mothers serenely gazing out into pleasant meadow, these stock images get a comedic twist in Parenting Is Easy: You're Probably Just Doing It Wrong by mom Sara Given.

Given's book is a follow-up to her popular Tumblr, "It's Like They Know Us," where she posts family-themed stock photos with funny captions that highlight how just un-relatable these images are. 

"I decided to write the book because it was something I would have wanted for myself during those early days and nights with a newborn," Given told The Huffington Post, adding, "I hope that it can serve as a quick pick-me-up during the really hard times."

The author said she's been pleased to find at book signings that Parenting Is Easy resonates with other moms and dads. "People have really embraced it as a light-hearted gift for new parents."

Given added, however, that some people have missed the joke behind the book's title and subtitle. "I got a lot of evil eye from people assuming that I, this young mom sitting there, thought I was some kind of 'expert.'"

Ultimately, Given focuses on letting the book ease fellow moms and dads into parenthood, who are doing the best they can. "It's easy to let the pressure of trying to do everything according to some magical standard get to you, especially when it's all brand new. I am hoping this book counteracts some of that, and makes people laugh in the process." 

Keep scrolling for a sample of Given's hilariously captioned stock photos. 

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If you're the type of person who hates dressing up for Halloween, that doesn't mean you can't get in on the fun of creating a great costume. Simply look to the canine in your life. He's got four paws, a tail and a set of terrific ears to work with. 

Photographer Chantal Adair put her dog-styling skills to work and crafted this year's hottest Halloween collection. From classics like Marilyn Monroe to current pop culture big cheeses like Kylie and Kendall Jenner to more urbane figures like Bill Cunningham, there's a costume for every pup. Take a gander at the range of outfits below, then mention @RuffPost in your dressed-up dog Instagram photos for a chance to earn yourself and your four-legged friend a mighty fine regram.

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WASHINGTON -- Early in the morning of June 11, 1990, Luther "Luke Skyywalker" Campbell and Christopher "Fresh Kid-Ice" Wong Won, members of the provocative rap group 2 Live Crew, were arrested. The charge? Violating a Florida prohibition against obscene, lewd performances. 

Earlier that week, a federal judge had ruled that the rappers' raunchy lyrics were not protected by the First Amendment. The verses on "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" exhibited "a shameful and morbid interest in sex" and focused on the "loins" instead of the "intellect and the mind," U.S. District Judge Jose Gonzalez wrote.

At the time, Campbell said the judge simply didn't grasp the ensemble's culture and claimed the decision was racially and politically motivated.

Ultimately, a federal appeals court would overturn the ruling. But before that happened, a new initiative called on young people to protect their most basic rights through voting.

On Oct. 22, 1990, Rock the Vote aired its first public service announcement on MTV. The spot featured pop music icon Madonna, draped in an American flag, advocating for freedom of speech. Soon after, celebrities such as Lenny Kravitz and Aerosmith joined the fight against censorship.

On Thursday, Rock the Vote celebrated its 25th anniversary in Washington, D.C., with a free concert featuring local rapper Lightshow, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels of Run DMC and, of course, the current members of 2 Live Crew, Wong Won and Mark "Brother Marquis" Ross.

"There's a power that exists in voting that people don't realize. It could really, really, really make a difference," DMC told The Huffington Post.

"That's what it's about: trying to make things happen in your world and not leave it up to other people to make the decisions for you," he added.

Young adults have often been criticized as too apathetic about voting. A lower share of those between 18 and 29 show up on Election Day than folks in older age groups. In recent years, new voter ID requirements, efforts to make it harder for college students to vote and general confusion over state rules has not made it any easier for those still building the voting habit. So Rock the Vote still has a lot to overcome.

That's why music is key.

Ashley Spillane, president of Rock the Vote, explained that hip-hop can "reach the millennial audience ... including many who have traditionally been left behind by the political process."

"Artists still are the ones who galvanize fans to empower themselves to go out and change the world," said John Sykes, president of entertainment enterprises for iHeartRadio and co-founder of MTV, which partners with Rock the Vote.  

"There are so many issues at hand now -- like there were back in the '92 election -- that young people [could] really sway," he added.  

DMC ran down several issues that should inspire young voters in 2016.

"If we use our right to vote, hopefully we can pick that person who … truthfully wants to put an end to people getting killed and shot," DMC said of the racial disparities in policing. "Fix education -- that's very important. Put some of the programs back in the hoods so the kids can do something else besides join the street gangs."

"Young people have the desire to fight for the changes we need, and I think what Rock the Vote does … is show them it starts here -- use that right to vote, you know what I'm saying?" he continued. "You may not like Hillary [Clinton], you may not like [Donald] Trump. But if somebody saying something that you feel -- even if they don't win -- use that vote."

One of Rock the Vote's primary goals is to ensure that all Americans have access to the ballot box. In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down a key section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, leaving it largely toothless. Soon after, states began passing laws to make it more difficult for people -- often the young and minorities -- to vote. 

Spillane said that Rock the Vote mobilizes young people to "push back on laws that make it harder for them to vote," giving as an example Alabama's decision to close multiple driver's licensing offices.

Brother Marquis argues that even prison inmates should not be denied the right to cast a ballot. "Every American vote counts, no matter what walk of life or what situation that we're in," he said.

And Lightshow made the case that too many people have fought and died protecting Americans' right to vote for others to sit home on Election Day.

"If you know yourself and you know your community, you know who to vote for," he said. "You see who sees your message and who sees things the way you do."

"Just vote and get your voice heard," he said. 

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HONOLULU (AP) - A stolen totem pole that went from the garden decor of two golden-age Hollywood actors to the basement of a Hawaii museum was returned Thursday to Alaska tribal members.

Screen legend John Barrymore was traveling along the Alaska coast by yacht and directed crew members to take the totem pole from an unoccupied village in 1931, said University of Alaska Anchorage professor Steve Langdon, who has long researched the object. They sawed it in three pieces.

 Barrymore, star of "Grand Hotel" and grandfather of actress Drew Barrymore, displayed the pole in the garden of his California estate.

After Barrymore's death, actor Vincent Price, known for horror flicks such as "House of Wax," and his wife bought the item and also used it as a yard decoration. The couple donated it to the Honolulu Museum of Art in 1981.

Langdon's interest in the piece came from a visit to an Alaska museum where he saw a photo of Price standing next to the approximately 40-foot-tall pole. "It was totally out of place," he recalled. "Here's this recognizable Hollywood figure in a backyard estate with a totem pole ... that was surrounded by cactus."

Langdon learned the pole was used for burials, and that there were remains of a man inside before Barrymore had it erected at his home. Langdon does not know what happened to the remains after they were removed from the pole.

Museum officials didn't know the pole was stolen. With permission from tribal leaders, Langdon came to Honolulu in 2013 to examine the pole, setting into motion a repatriation process funded by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

On Thursday, seven Tlingit tribal members who traveled to Honolulu from the southeast village of Klawock wore lei, sang somber songs, handed out gifts and thanked Hawaii for taking good care of the pole.

"We too also are ocean people," said Jonathan Rowan, master carver and cultural edu cator. "We live on an island also."

With the scent of cedar wafting in the air, his daughter Eva Rowan brushed three feathers along the pole pieces bearing carved images of a killer whale, a raven, an eagle and a wolf.

"It gives my heart great peace that my ancestors can go home," she said. "I feel my father's people here. I feel my grandfather's people here, giving us strength right now."

Only the top section of the pole was displayed briefly in the museum, and the pole spent most of its years in Honolulu in a climate-controlled basement.

"I take some comfort in the fact that we've taken good care of it," said Stephan Jost, the museum's director.

It was among more than 100 totem poles that once stood in the old village of Tuxecan on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, which was inhabited by the Tlingit people, the museum said.

Of the original Tuxecan poles, only two remain, both in Klawock, the village of 800 people where the tribe moved, acco rding to the museum.

The pieces were cradled in packing foam in wooden crates that museum workers sealed after the ceremony. The pole will leave the museum Friday, and set sail for Alaska on Tuesday.

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For over twenty years, artist and photographer William Giancursio has created storylines about men who have sex with men through photos, drawings and paintings -- all on a remarkably miniature scale.

Much of his work uses action figures to represent gay men and Giancursio places them in environments and scenarios familiar to the queer community, including Fire Island and other typically gay vacation spots. So far, he has published six books using these action figures for his work.

"The paintings are allegorical and symbolic and portray various aspects of gay culture, such as sexual liberation, love and loss, cruising and the AIDS crisis," Giancursio told The Huffington Post. "I staged the action figures, photographed them and then used the photos as reference material to do the paintings. As the photos became more conceptually complex and intricately detailed, they evolved into storylines and gay-play storybooks."

The Huffington Post talked with Giancursio this week about his work over the years and what he tries to accomplish with each piece he creates.

The Huffington Post: How did you begin using action figures to depict different aspects of gay culture? How did your work evolve?

Bruce Dean: When I grew up, if boys played with dolls they were considered sissies. When Ken, G.I. Joe and all of the rest of the action figures came along, I was too old to play with toys, but the appeal of playing with these toys and all of their clothes and accoutrements remained. What better way to secretly embrace childhood once again? As children, life was so enchanting in our imaginary world of playful escapism. And so the idea of using toys to represent gay men was born, and evolved from simple and carefree, to serious and thought-provoking. The toys, once considered elements of carefree play, took on different meanings when faced with the reality of life's complexity. The ambiguity of a grown up reality disguised as carefree play became the impetus for my work for many years to come.

Prior to the Stonewall riots and the beginning of the LGBTQ movement, Judy Garland was a profound gay icon. Because of Judy Garland's strong connection to the gay community, the phrase "is he a friend of Dorothy?" became a code phrase gay people used to identify each other. Back in 1990 I did a large oil painting titled "Friends of Dorothy." The painting was meant to be a political statement about President Ronald Reagan's failure to address the AIDS crisis during his administration. I used action figures to represent the men who were sick and dying of AIDS. They are depicted flanking a doll of Judy Garland's character, Dorothy Gale, from the Wizard of Oz. Across the sky the words "help them" appear. Superficially, the painting was playful and cute. Upon closer inspection, the serious intent of the painting became apparent.

For many years afterwards I used action figures in my paintings to represent gay men. The paintings are allegorical and symbolic and portray various aspects of gay culture, such as sexual liberation, love and loss, cruising and the AIDS crisis. I staged the action figures, photographed them and then used the photos as reference material to do the paintings. As the photos became more conceptually complex and intricately detailed, they evolved into storylines and gay-play storybooks. All of them using action figures to represent the lives and times of gay men.

Do you consider your work a commentary on gay culture?

As an artist who is gay, it is often difficult to separate my identity from my work. I take chances with the issues that I portray without fear of societal homophobia. My work is very much a commentary on gay culture. My paintings and photo books are thought-provoking, and are designed to portray a miniature world of make believe, as well as to elevate gay awareness. My first gay-play photo book, Our Gay Wedding Day (2007), was politically motivated by the early Supreme Court case, pending in Hawaii, regarding the legality of gays to marry. Hard (2008), my second gay-play book, is about our obsession with working out at the gym and body image. Gaycation (2008), Gaycation 2 (2010) and Fire Island Pines (2014) follow a group of gay men to exotic and erotic places where gay men vacation. Brush Burn (2010) is about the libertarian elements of nudity and sexual desire among men who choose to celebrate their sexuality.

What can we come to understand about ourselves as queer people through these fictional depictions?

What we can come to understand about ourselves as queer people is that we are very much a positive part of the fabric of society, not only as adults but as children who grow up to be gay. In the mid 1970's, thanks primarily to the feminist movement, the concept of sexism and the manner in which children are indoctrinated made many of us question the nature of play, and the toys which reinforce play. Feminism made us think twice about the trucks and war toys we gave to little boys that strengthened masculine stereotypes of aggression, while baby-dolls instilled maternal behavior in every little girl. As a male child, I was denied the joy of playing with dolls, little people, friends who could give me endless hours of play scenarios. Today, my work is more like play, but it is more conceptually about the nature of gay play. In my gay play strategy, though, Ken kisses GI Joe, not Barbie. My work is also a serious and lyrical look at who we are, what we do and some of our aspirations. It is a visual journal of gay culture and the natural order of things from a gay perspective -- boys with boys, and girls with girls. Because I am not ashamed of my gay orientation, I take pride in portraying the culture it represents through my artwork. I hope every LGBTQ person who sees my work will identify with it in some manner, and come to understand that queers create, inspire and perpetuate a culture of beauty, awareness and diversity.

What do you want people to take away from your work?

A smile. A sense of joy and pride. A reason to question. A reason to be. Instead of wasting your life wondering how you fit in, create a place where you do. I believe that the intrinsic nature of art is neutral. Art is a catalyst which speaks to us on many levels. These levels are variable depending on the unique understanding or lack thereof on the part of the viewer. This "truth" to me is absolute, so in the best sense, what one brings to the experience of viewing art, as in all things, determines what one will come away with. At its best my art is ambiguous and ironic, because in every painting and photograph lies the co-existence of truth and falsehood. My paintings and photographs also reflect a central truth about the lives of gay men; things are not only as they appear to be, but they also appear to be other than what they are. To inform, communicate and enlighten is what my art is all about.

Check out some more images from Giancursio below. Curious to see more or purchase his work? Head here.

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Lego has refused to send Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei a bulk order of its toy bricks, the artist claims, because it “cannot approve the use of Legos for political works.” 

Ai Weiwei, a vocal opponent of the Chinese government's iron-fisted censorship, wrote on Instagram Friday that he had planned to use the Legos in a piece on free speech called "Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei" for display later this year in Australia's National Gallery of Victoria, which placed the Lego order for him.

Just weeks after Lego denied his order in September, he noted, the Danish toy company announced plans to open a new Legoland theme park in Shanghai. 

In September Lego refused Ai Weiwei Studio's request for a bulk order of Legos to create artwork to be shown at the National Gallery of Victoria as "they cannot approve the use of Legos for political works." On Oct 21, a British firm formally announced that it will open a new Legoland in Shanghai as one of the many deals of the U.K.-China "Golden Era."

A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Oct 23, 2015 at 6:04am PDT

The artist quickly denounced Lego for censoring political work. 

"As a powerful corporation, Lego is an influential cultural and political actor in the globalized economy with questionable values," he wrote in a second post on Saturday showing the toy bricks in a toilet. "Lego's refusal to sell its product to the artist is an act of censorship and discrimination."

"We're here to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow" (twitter.com/LEGO_Group) In June 2015 Ai Weiwei Studio began to design artworks which would have required a large quantity of Lego bricks to produce. The works were planned for the exhibition "Andy Warhol / Ai Weiwei" at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, to open in December 2015. The artworks' concept relates to freedom of speech. The museum's curatorial team contacted Lego to place a bulk order and received Lego's reply via email on 12 September 2015: "We regret to inform you that it is against our corporate policy to indicate our approval of any unaffiliated activities outside the LEGO licensing program. However, we realize that artists may have an interest in using LEGO elements, or casts hereof, as an integrated part of their piece of art. In this connection, the LEGO Group would like to draw your attention to the following: The LEGO trademark cannot be used commercially in any way to promote, or name, the art work. The title of the artwork cannot incorporate the LEGO trademark. We cannot accept that the motive(s) are taken directly from our sales material/copyrighted photo material. The motive(s) cannot contain any political, religious, racist, obscene or defaming statements. It must be clear to the public that the LEGO Group has not sponsored or endorsed the art work/project. Therefore I am very sorry to let you know that we are not in a position to support the exhibition Andy Warhol | Ai Weiwei by supplying the bulk order." Ai Weiwei Studio was informed by NGV about Lego's rejection of the bulk order. As a commercial entity, Lego produces and sells toys, movies and amusement parks attracting children across the globe. As a powerful corporation, Lego is an influential cultural and political actor in the globalized economy with questionable values. Lego's refusal to sell its product to the artist is an act of censorship and discrimination.

A photo posted by Ai Weiwei (@aiww) on Oct 24, 2015 at 3:14pm PDT

Lego spokesman Roar Rude Trangbæk told The Huffington Post in an email that he could not comment on the company's dialogue with individual customers but that it avoids "actively engaging" in political works by supplying bulk orders:

We acknowledge, that LEGO bricks today are used globally by millions of fans, adults, children and artists as a creative medium to express their imagination and creativity in many different ways. Projects that are not endorsed or supported by the LEGO Group.

However, as a company dedicated to delivering great creative play experiences to children, we refrain  - on a global level - from actively engaging in in or endorsing the use of LEGO bricks in projects or contexts of a political agenda. This principle is not new.

In cases where we receive requests for donations or support for projects -  such as the possibility of purchasing  LEGO bricks in very large quantities, which is not possible through normal sales channels - where we are made aware that there is a political context, we therefore kindly decline support.

Any individual person can naturally purchase LEGO bricks through normal sales channels or get access to LEGO bricks in other ways to create their LEGO projects if they desire to do so, but as a company, we choose to refrain from actively engaging in these activities – through for example bulk purchase.

A number of Ai's supporters are already helping the artist get around the company's policy by sending him Legos and encouraging others to do so on social media, The Guardian noted. 

LEGO won't support @aiww, label his art "political".James wants to send lego to @aiww to make his brilliant art. pic.twitter.com/mqopJNj5Jd

— Jacqueline Who (@jacqueline_who) October 25, 2015

.@LEGO_Group this is about 10% of our #Lego collection. We won't be buying more. @aiww you're welcome to borrow it. pic.twitter.com/6mcq8RwXu3

— Dave Hall (@skwashd) October 25, 2015

@aiww use mine, more than happy to make it. pic.twitter.com/ouC66A6CwZ

— Wu Tun 吴吞 (@wu_tun) October 25, 2015

Love how many Twitter peeps are suggesting to donate #LEGO pieces to @aiww for his art when the company refused his request for a bulk order

— Ai Weiwei Film (@AWWNeverSorry) October 24, 2015

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Sometimes it doesn't take much to do something truly special. London-based photographer Rich McCor shows on his Instagram how even the simplest ideas can have a big impact.

McCor walks around London and travels through Europe to photograph tourist spots, but adds intricate paper cutouts to give otherwise expected photographs a whole new perspective.

He turned London's Big Ben into a giant wristwatch, for example. Paris's Arc de Triomph became a Lego man, and the Eiffel Tower turned into a rocket lifting off.

"Sometimes ideas come to me instantly and other times I don’t think of them until they've been playing around in my subconscious," he told Mashable. "When I get to the location, it usually takes me about 15 minutes to get the shot exactly how I want it."

He said he hopes to explore other parts of the world -- New York City's architecture is "ripe" for his kind of photos, he said -- and posts them on Instagram under the name @paperboyo.tr

We hope he doesn't cut it out anytime soon.

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Vaziev will replace Sergei Filin, the artistic director who lost much of his sight as the result of an acid attack organized by a disgruntled dancer in January 2012. The attack shocked the international ballet world and exposed infighting within the theater.

In presenting Vaziev on Monday, Bolshoi general director Vladimir Urin said he would take up his new post on March 18 when Filin's contract ends.

From 1995 to 2008, Vaziev was director of the Kirov Ballet of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, where previously he had been a principal dancer. He has been at La Scala since early 2009.

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Connecticut dad Fred Wills has been drawing cartoons practically his entire life, so it was only natural he would make them for his five children. As his youngest daughter Jessica has grown older, his cartoon drawings of her have taken on a life of their own. 

The “Just Jessica” series highlights the many sides of Wills' vibrant 15-year-old daughter. Jessica has Down syndrome, but the dad emphasizes that her disability doesn’t define her.

"As the years have passed I don't even think about her as different,” Wills told The Huffington Post. “She's like all my children and loved as much, no more no less. Of course we have to fight for her rights, make sure she gets the education she needs, and find the programs and structure she will need to make it though her life happy and healthy. But don't you do that for all your children?"

Jessica is is “just like everybody else, more alike than different, but with one simple twist, she has an extra chromosome,” he continued.

Using photographs he takes of his daughter, Wills draws a new Just Jessica cartoon each evening, pulling inspiration from random things she says or does during the day. He then posts the finished drawing on the refrigerator the following morning at 4:30 a.m., when he wakes up for his job as a registered nurse. 

"Jessica loves the cartoons,” Wills told HuffPost. “It's the first thing she looks for each morning when she comes down for breakfast.”

After getting “a little online exposure,” Wills' Just Jessica Facebook page, where he shares the cartoons, currently has over 1,500 followers -- a considerable increase from the 30-40 friends and family members who initially followed along when he launched it just over a year ago. Wills calls the positive response “overwhelming and humbling.”

"I have been shocked by how fast this has spread,” he said. "We have followers from all over the world, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Great Britain, Pakistan, China, South America most of Europe and more. It keeps growing everyday."

Wills says he’s been encouraging followers to share their own photos, thoughts and experiences. "Pictures of beautiful children and adults with Down syndrome are pouring in,” he said. People are sharing how they are inspired and touched by what we are doing. Others are asking meaningful questions about Down syndrome.”

The dad says others are starting to refer to their loved ones with special needs as “Just Mary” or “Just Johnny,” and even educators are sharing his cartoons in classrooms.

"Just Jessica really has no defined stigma, she is just Jessica. More alike than different,” Wills said, adding a call to action for his followers. 

"Spread the message that there are no categories of people, there are just people. Help people not look at people with 'special needs' or ‘disabilities' as such and as different and in need, but as regular people first."

For now, Wills hopes to keep up with the daily cartoon project, but he’s toying with other inspiring ideas for the future.

"We do talk about developing a foundation to spread the word and help provide opportunities for people to be 'Just Themselves' as they dance along that thin line of special needs and what many refer to as normal.”

Keep scrolling and follow Just Jessica on Facebook to see Wills' inspiring cartoons. 

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Ever imagine what it would look like if Ariel, you favorite Disney mermaid/princess used Instagram? 

Italian illustrator Simona Bonafini has taken the selfie trend to a new level. In Bonafini's designs, her favorite Disney characters behave much like we do. Villainesses duck-face for the camera, Belle is a huge A Game of Thrones fan, and Hercules posts workout selfies.

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While we often shudder at the thought of cheesy pun humor, these wordplay illustrations are pretty adorable. 

Artist Keren Rosen illustrates literal interpretations of idioms, phrases and nouns making for the most punderful art you've ever seen. The artist, who began her series last year, told The Huffington Post that so far, she's created more than 50 of these delightful creations. 

The quirky artwork has recently attracted attention across the Internet after Rosen posted a few of the illustrations on art and photography community site Bored Panda, and has been picked up by various media outlets. 

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However fans might feel about its various seasons, the "American Horror Story" opening credits never disappoint.

The award-winning work of Kyle Cooper and his Prologue Studio mixes stop-motion with CGI to create a dreamlike procession of the strange and undead. It's not hard to see how those flickering visuals give us the creeps, and paired with a hair-raising soundtrack, the "AHS" title sequence becomes a perfect nightmare. 

But, that song -- filmy, discordant -- was never supposed to end up in a horror show. It wasn't even supposed to be scary. 

The "AHS" theme song used in all five seasons' worth of openers was originally created by César Dávila-Irizarry in 1998, when he was a sophomore at the University of Puerto Rico enrolled in a course on music history. He'd been experimenting with digital and practical sounds when he pieced the track together using Cool Edit 96 on a bulky, Windows 98-equipped computer. 

"When I created the song back in '98, I was not aiming for horror," Dávila-Irizarry, now an audio designer, wrote to The Huffington Post.

He'd wanted to see what would happen when he recorded certain sounds, stretched them out, and mixed them with other digital noise. It was a process. His computer was so slow, Dávila-Irizarry recalled, that he could drive to Blockbuster, rent a movie, get home and watch it in the time it took the machine to do its job stretching just one file. Now, he tells us, such a task takes a computer mere seconds. 

What we're really hearing in the "AHS" theme are a bunch of typical noises recorded around Dávila-Irizarry mother's Puerto Rican home, he explained, slowed down and manipulated in strategic ways (the specifics of which he says he'll bring to his grave, so as not to totally ruin the magic for us).

That really jarring moment about seven seconds in, though? It's just some metal clothes hangers dropping on a tile floor. Later on, you can just barely make out rain drops falling on his windows. Digital white noise makes up other portions. 

Mundane as they may be, these noises speak to us on an unconscious level, David Holmes, senior lecturer in psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University, told HuffPost -- particularly surprising metal noises. 

"These actually rely on a principle we've got embedded in us, which is an evolutionary response to bits of grit being caught in your teeth and scraping down the side," Holmes said. "Because in the old days, we might be swallowing bones and rocks and all sorts of things."

Noises that somehow mimic frightened animals' screams or snapping twigs -- termed "nonlinear" sounds, he explained -- prompt uneasiness for similar reasons.

It's worth noting that what we hear on "AHS" is no longer the literal cacophony of Dávila-Irizarry's home, but a recreation. When he was done with the track, Dávila-Irizarry gave it to a friend, video editor Gabriel Diaz. Years later, Diaz dusted it off to use as a placeholder in the first season's opener -- not knowing everyone would like it so much that they would want to keep it in. For technical (and some legal) reasons, FX recruited Nine Inch Nails' Charlie Clouser to recreate the track. The original composer was busy with other projects at the time, although he said Clouser's handiwork sounds pretty identical to his original. 

This season's opener builds on Dávila-Irizarry's and Clouser's track even more.

For the "Hotel" opening credits, sound designer Mac Quayle layered in a synthetic melody over the tune we'd gotten used to, adding a sort of gothic Roaring '20s sound. (Fans can probably expect more opening-sequence variation in future seasons.) 

As some have started calling the opening sequence the scariest part of the whole show, we can imagine how "AHS" might elicit fewer thrills set to a more chipper soundtrack.

So as those terrors -- ghostly children, a skeletal woman in moth-eaten lace -- flash before your screen, remember the college student recording a bunch of ho-hum closet organizers dropping to the floor, the former rockstar charged with recreating it note for note, and the sound guy shrouding it all in faux strings.

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No autumn wedding is complete without gorgeous outdoor photos among the changing leaves. Our readers who tied the knot this weekend certainly used the beauty of the season to their advantage. 

Check out some of the stunning photos from their celebrations below:

If you go to a wedding or get married yourself, hashtag your photos #HPrealweddings or e-mail one to us afterward so we can feature it on the site!

For photos from other real weddings in 2015, check out the slideshow below:

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"Crimson Peak" was kind of a letdown for Guillermo del Toro fans and, well, anyone who saw the trailer. The gothic romance marketed itself as a jump-scare-heavy horror film. There's also continued debate as to whether the ghosts -- which del Toro has said were done with practical effects -- were made with or just ruined by CGI.

Anyway, as fun and absurd as some moments in "Crimson Peak" are, if you wanted another "Pan's Labyrinth," this just wasn't it. Thankfully, Gallery 1988 is here with some gorgeous fan art to ease the pain. Dry your hand eyes and take a look at some of the work on view in the recent exhibition: "In Service of Monsters."

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Clearly, this is exactly the response Michelangelo anticipated when he created his masterpiece.

You, sir, are a hoot.

Make yo nana proud.

Uh, at least she's making herself useful.

You know it's time to go home when ...

You can see the immediate regret in her eyes. 

Stay home.

Cheeky.

This guy looks way too excited about this situation.

Did you send this pic to your mother?

Make it stop.

Childhood = ruined.

Poor Snoopy just wanted a hug.

This guy's facial expression is next level.

You're not worldly and cultured until you pick a statue's nose.

Seriously.

This seems romantic and hygienic.

This is not insanely awkward AT ALL.

I like big butts and I cannot lie ♪ ♫ ♬

That guy on the left is judging you so hard right now, and he's not even sorry.

NOT THE ANIMALS!

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One woman paired Bob Dylan lyrics with the texts messages from her accused rapist -- and the results are utterly riveting. 

Professor and amateur photographer, Melissa Smyth, recently created a photo series called "Lay Lady Lay" to cope with the emotional turmoil of being raped multiple times by a former partner in 2014. The series is a haunting combination of 17 self-portraits of Smyth paired with the threatening texts from her ex and the lyrics from Bob Dylan's 1969 song, "Lay, Lady, Lay." 

"It took months for me to admit, even to myself, that what he did to me was rape, which was the first step in a liberating process that continued with this project," Smyth told The Huffington Post.

Smyth took the photos over the course of a six-month period. Some of the self-portraits are reenactments of specific memories during the time she was with her partner, while others represent the feelings she dealt with as she created the series. 

The sweet and romantic tunes of Dylan's "Lay, Lady, Lay" take on a very different meaning when written next to the text messages from Smyth's alleged rapist. 

Smyth said that she was raped for the first time by her ex after she had ended the relationship in winter 2014. She said that the project was a way to heal herself after enduring manipulation, sexual violence and gas-lighting, which is a rather insidious form of mental abuse many domestic violence survivors experience, from her former partner.

She told HuffPost she chose this unique combination of words and images because it gave her her voice back after enduring such a traumatic experience. "[It] allowed me to comment on the way he objectified and abused me, to negate his attempts to define me, and to articulate the gravity of experiencing sexual violence," Smyth said.

"[It] allowed me to comment on the way he objectified and abused me, to negate his attempts to define me, and to articulate the gravity of experiencing sexual violence."

"It’s a romantic song, but each line in isolation begins to suggest voyeurism and subjugation, placing the woman in service of the man’s desires," she said. "In a way, this illustrates what I hope to express about the complexity of our relationships, how manipulation and abuse can be glossed over in terms of love and dependence, and what one can reveal by digging through the surface to articulate one’s own self."

The last image in the series shows Smyth outdoors surrounded by colorful flowers and she said it represents her recovery after being assaulted. "By appropriating and re-contextualizing his words, I claimed narrative control over the events and ultimately emerged from his hold," she said. "I waited a while before making the final image, which represents this emergence, until I felt truly healed and complete again."

Scroll below to see the rest of Smyth's haunting series.

Warning: Images below may be considered NSFW to some readers. 

Head over to Smyth's website to see more of her work. 

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Finding delicious Latin food can be difficult, especially in a place as big as New York City. 

So two of my HuffPost co-workers and I selflessly volunteered to food-crawl through New York City on a noble search for authentic tacos, Mexican street corn and as many versions of fried cheese as possible. We hit up three spots and rated each restaurant based on authenticity, decor, tastiness of food offerings and the overall experience.

Stop 1: Dorado Tacos, 28 East 12th Street

Dorado Tacos is a tiny little taco haven in New York City's Greenwich Village. This place is definitely aesthetically pleasing with its vibrant papel picado decor on the ceiling, and then next to the checkout line is a fridge full of colorful Jarritos sodas and Mexican Coca-Colas.

We ordered three tacos (grilled steak, grilled fish and a veggie taco) with a side of elote (Mexican street corn) to split. 

After the tacos arrived, we dashed to nearby Washington Square Park to unwrap and devour them on a park bench.

Even Martha Stewart had more photogenic tacos, but it's all about what's on the inside, right? For these yummy tacos, the salsa was the best part. Dorado packs on the flavor with a specific blend for each taco, from the classic salsa fresca to pineapple salsa.

The strips of zucchini and red pepper inside the veggie taco were deliciously charred, and the grilled fish and steak tacos were both excellent, too. Our key takeaway: Grilling every ingredient is the only way to go when whipping up a yummy taco! 

Next up, we tore into our elote. The grilled corn smothered in lime juice, mayo and chili powder is exactly as perfect as you'd imagine. We sacrificed our lipstick and dignity as we viciously devoured the delectable corn kernels off the cob.

In response to our Snapchat picture, one user told us elote is even better with a little more chili powder, some cheese and cherry Jarritos. Because we neglected to properly indulge, a few points were docked from Dorado's score.

Rating: 7.5/10

Next stop: Favela Cubana, 543 LaGuardia Place

Since we're selfish and wanted to eat all the food slash celebrate all the people, we expanded our crawl to include a stop at Favela Cubana which specializes in Brazilian and Cuban food.

We ordered pão de queijo and ropa vieja for the table.

Thank goodness we decided to include Brazilian food because HOLY PÃO DE QUEIJO. The cheesy, carb-y goodness was soft and fluffy inside. It was like a classy, refined version of cheesy breadsticks.

Ropa vieja, which is Spanish for "old clothes," is a Cuban beef and vegetable stew named after its resemblance to torn rags. As the food crawl's only vegetarian, I can't comment on the beef, but I can confirm it didn't smell anything like old clothes. 

If I have any food-crawl regrets, it's that I ate way too much of the very bland white rice and black beans at this stop. 

Rating: 6/10

Last stop: Caracas Arepa Bar, 93 1/2 East 7th Street

The takeout half of this Venezuelan bar was closed, so we took a seat in the colorful dine in section. We ordered one coconut smoothie (called cocada) to split, a basket of tequeños (basically, more fried cheese) and two arepas or sandwiches with grilled and baked corn flour buns.

Cocada, or cinnamon-dusted coconut smoothie, was the perfect precursor to the best meal of the crawl.

The tequeños, aka pastry crust wrapped around salty queso blanco were melty deliciousness, and I'm glad they were the second form of carbs-and-cheese we consumed because they definitely won the prize over Favela Cubana's pão de queijo.

Our final dish was the heaviest (another food crawl regret). The three of us split two stuffed arepas. It took all our willpower to get through most of these, even though they were filled with tender shredded beef and fried plantains. YUM!

Rating: 8/10

Watch our entire adventure below, then add "HuffPost" on Snapchat to follow along on our future food crawl endeavors!

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Taylor Swift is a genius. We can all agree on that. Right? She was born in 1989, almost 10 years before Napster started a chain reaction that resulted in the implosion of the music industry, and yet she's already managed to build an entertainment conglomerate that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars a year. 

But is she a genius in the same way that Shakespeare is a genius?

Ryan Adams thinks so. In an interview with The Guardian, the rock musician compared making his recent song-for-song cover album of Swift's "1989" to performing Shakespeare as an actor.

Going from making his own music to making his version of "1989," he said, was like "being in 'Ghostbusters' or something, and then all of a sudden I have to go do Shakespeare." 

His interviewer suggested that this might be hyperbole, but Adams wasn't having it. 

"Well, look, those songs are popular for a reason," Adams said. "She’s a popular artist for a reason."

It is a fact that Shakespeare -- even though we think of him as lofty, literary and difficult -- was very popular in his day. You might even say that his plays were the Elizabethan equivalent of Taylor Swift's concerts.

Plus, the literary critic most invested in the concept of genius, Harold Bloom, believes that literary genius is always the result of an artist's struggle against the anxiety of influence -- especially the influence of great writers like Shakespeare. Swift displayed her own form of that anxiety with her hit single, "Love Story," which was a kind of strong misreading of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," with a happy ending.  

We do have to admit that the whole "Ghostbusters" element of Adams' statement throws us for a loop. Maybe that's a sign of his own anxiety of influence vis-a-vis Swift? In any case, as far as comparisons go, Shakespeare is even better than a summer's day. 

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