These days, there are so many pranks and hoaxes online that it can be easy to believe that all cool things must be fake, and then fall into a pit of despair about how humans are all lying assholes. But good news: only some humans are lying assholes! And here to save your belief in wonderful things is Venus, the "two face" cat who looks fake but is totally real:

Nobody's sure how Venus turned out with such a perfect half-and-half face (hopefully it's not a Batman Two-Face-style origin story), but one theory is that she might've been formed from two embryos. And in case you think those images were Photoshopped and have any doubts about Venus's veracity, here's a video:

Could that still be faked? Technically, yes. But anyone who spends their time doing something like making a 15-second CG video of a yawning cat just to put it on Instagram deserves to trick us.

Amy Mackelden is a writer who recently detailed her long, frustrating journey of trying to date and find a boyfriend as a Christian. Interestingly, Mackelden did not have a particularly religious upbringing, and her parents and siblings did not attend church. So while she's the outlier in her family, it's not the typical arrangement, like the non-religious girl who had to reveal all her secret tattoos to her super Christian parents. Mackelden leaned into evangelical church activities in high school with her friends, and maintained her faith through college, though that's when the frustration kicked in:

So when I moved away to college, I kept going to church. My boyfriend at the time was super-religious, and we’d go to church together. A Sunday morning lie-in was not an option. He was pretty into Jesus, so much so that he wouldn’t kiss me with the door closed. His idea of a romantic gesture was committing to read the Bible in a year with me, which ,for some people, would be total love, right? 

But I just wanted someone’s tongue in my mouth. I was 20 and horny. 

Ah hah! The true trouble is revealed! Mackelden began to realize in college that she had stuck with church for social belonging, but in reality the life she'd chosen wasn't the right fit. Specifically because like many college students, she was hoping for a fun game of ass-grab:

The trouble was, I’d have been fine with a little under-the-clothes action. Although I wouldn’t have been able to vocalize it at the time, with my mind very much indoctrinated in godly ways, I really just needed to get laid. Even though I didn’t believe in sex before marriage. 

Her attempts to find a committed boyfriend at church proved to be just as difficult. To make matters worse, she watched from the sideline as others members of the congregation found significant others:

My brain kept telling me I didn’t know God the way I should, and that maybe if I was a better Christian, I’d find a man. After all, church teachings often dictate that if you pray for a husband, wife or partner, God will bestow one upon you when it’s meant to happen. 

But literally nothing was happening for me, while everyone else seemed to be meeting the loves of their lives over post-sermon biscuits. 

Ultimately, Mackelden realized that waiting to have sex until marriage and trying to find a romantic partner solely through church wasn't for her. And while that makes the most sense for her, she still understands and supports those that choose to save sex for marriage:

I mean no disrespect towards those who wait for marriage. I believe everyone should have the chance to follow the religion of their choosing. But since I quit Christianity, I feel like I’ve been living a completely different life. It’s strange leaving behind such a long list of rules you’ve had your whole life, and untangling the guilt involved with every thought you have and action you carry out.

It's encouraging that she still has a positive outlook on dating and her future. She's stronger for not viewing her past with regret, but rather as personal growth. She'll have plenty of time for regret one she tries dating apps. 

Nicki Minaj took to Twitter yesterday evening to squash haters that suggested her fame as a female rap artist is due only to her legendary posterior. She's not gonna take that sitting down. Minaj is known for being quite feisty in a feud. She called Miley Cyrus a bitch at the MTV VMA Awards this year, and she even started posting pics of people that trolled her on Instagram. It's overly apparent that you shouldn't mess with her online. She weighed in after her name came up when celebrity news site Bossip asked if female rappers had to be the best in the game in order to make it in the music industry:

The trouble began when a fan said this about Minaj and her success:

Not surprisingly, Minaj was not pleased with that remark:

She did however keep things light, and made an excellent point by turning the tables on sexism back towards male rappers:

There are so, so many better emojis to use when making a big bulge joke. Nonetheless, Minaj wins the this round on the Internet. She always does, you'd think fans would've caught on by now. 

Is it weird to not have a Christmas tree? It's hard to say. It is pretty weird to kill a beautiful piece of nature, bring it into your home, try not to get sap and needles everywhere, and then put hot lights and shiny things on it and then throw it on the curb in a month. Here are some alternatives to doing that.

1. Beery Christmas.

2. So meta.

3. Get the LED out.

4. Million dollar tree.

5. Wheel wish you a merry Christmas.

6. Heartwarming.

7. This will sleigh you.

8. Yes we cane.

9. Bikes!

10. Booked.

11. It's comical.

12. Ghosts of Christmas past.

13. A grape idea.

14. Float on.

A high school teacher in suburban Michigan accidentally ate a pot brownie left in the teachers lounge. It's not the first time a high school teacher has been the victim of a pot brownie. The incident, which happened on Tuesday, sent the teacher to the hospital, and was detailed in a letter written by Huron Valley School District Superintendent Jim Baker:

As often happens, a plate of baked goods was left in one of our staff lounges, the alarming part is that the baked goods were tainted with marijuana.

It's not clear if the teacher had a giggling fit, got paranoid, or thought class was over mere seconds after the first bell rang after losing the ability to know how time works. They know for certain that the brownies were laced because they whisked them off to the crime lab, just like a TV crime drama:

The Oakland County crime lab tested the brownies and they did contain the active ingredients in marijuana.

School officials do not know whether this prank was pulled by a staff member or student. The prankster knew that no one can resist the sweet call of free baked goods at work. Knowing how high school works, it was definitely a student and the only way that student won't get caught is if they managed not to brag about it. So the student will probably be in serious trouble before 2016.

This chocolate Santa is the most disturbing chocolate Santa you've ever seen once the foil comes off. It's also the most hilarious, as it has made a previous Christmas appearance with Someecards. Funny how something like Christmas can so often look more naughty than nice. Even kids' drawings of Santa can accidentally make Santa well-endowed. And here's a chocolate Santa that looks precisely like a penis once it's unwrapped:

Just when you'd thought you'd settled your brains for a long winter's nap, your brain sees a long winter's penis. Looks like something other than the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes. Merry Christmas!

Caitlyn Jenner was a runner-up for TIME Magazine's Person of the Year, and in an interview with the magazine she discussed her looks and presentation as a transgender woman that many interpret as negative for the LGBT community. This is not the first time Caitlyn has said something in an interview that caused concern in the LGBT community. She half-heartedly said she'd be OK with gay marriage in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in September. This time, she struck a nerve when talking about her appearance when she goes out in public:

I think it’s much easier for a trans woman or a trans man who authentically kind of looks and plays the role. So what I call my presentation. I try to take that seriously. I think it puts people at ease. If you’re out there and, to be honest with you, if you look like a man in a dress, it makes people uncomfortable. So the first thing I can do is try to present myself well.

Many people simply find her choice of words offensive, since she's concerned with conforming to roles and stating how everyone in the community should dress. Jenner also fails to acknowledge that she has a monster fortune for plastic surgery and premium makeup. Those are not luxuries everyone in the trans community can afford. She does mention her finances and hard work, but doesn't address the fact that not all trans people possess similar means:

I’m white. I make a good living. And I get all that. I’ve heard that right from the beginning. I’m not going to make excuses for myself. I’m very happy that I’ve worked very hard in my life and I’m successful. It’s kind of the American dream. We’re fortunate to live in a country where we can do that. I’m very proud of what I was able to accomplish in my life. But I’m also smart in the sense that I know how to use that to make everything better. 

Some of the reactions to her words on Twitter were less than understanding or forgiving:

It could be worse. Jenner could've said those things and then been selected as TIME's Person of the Year. Then people would've had to boycott a magazine they probably don't read.

"It was a pretty good plot twist that I turned out to be the smart one," says Will Ferrell's George Bush in this opening sketch from last night's Saturday Night Live. Although the episode was hosted by Chris Hemsworth, this sketch was 100% Ferrell-as-Bush, who announced he was re-entering politics after deciding that the GOP candidates "are so messed up, I figured, it makes you miss me, doesn't it?" Every viewer probably has their own opinion on that particular sentiment, but everyone can agree that this character can come back any time they want.

Related: Kate McKinnon makes her SNL castmates break while describing her pantsless alien abduction.

This thought-provoking Saturday Night Live sketch from last night's episode starring Chris Hemsworth raised an important question facing brunch-goers everywhere: is one of your brunch friends secretly a Hollywood celebrity posing in a dress and wig in order to hear compliments directly from the public? 9 out of 10 times, of course, you're wrong and it's not a celebrity and you didn't just believe them when they insisted you'd been friends since college or growing up or whatever—but that 10th time, it's totally Chris Hemsworth in a wig. Not OK!

Related: Will Ferrell made a surprise return as George Bush on 'SNL' to judge the 2016 candidates.

2015 saw so many crazy fashion and beauty trends, each one escalating until the Internet was living in fear of what it would have to deal with next. Fashion is supposed to be experimental, of course, but Instagram seems to be powering everyone's choices. Y'all want likes, and you'll do whatever ridiculous thing you have to do to get them! Here are some of this year's top weird and inconvenient things people did and wore that we hope will be forgotten by this time next year:

1. Bubble nails.

2. Dyed armpit hair.

3. Dying your hair in unnecessarily complicated ways.

4. Like, really, ridiculously elaborate.

5. Then the styling on top. Stop! Just. Stop.

6. Also elaborate ways of "cutting" it.

7. Fake freckles.​

8. Moisturizing yourself with semen.

9. Glitter roots. Glitter everything, really.

10. Clip on man buns.

11. "Multi-masking."

12. Fart suppressing underwear (this is actually useful).

13. Make up selfies that are actually half-baked social statements.

All right, all right, we get it, you express yourself through fashion. Everyone keep doing whatever they want in 2016!

Last night on Saturday Night Live, not only did the show open with a surprise appearance by Will Ferrell as George Bush and was Chris Hemsworth the brunch-stalking host, but the show boldly stood up to the most dominant group of late 2015: Star Wars nerds. With all the nostalgia hype around Dec. 19th's Star Wars: The Force Awakens, it's easy to forget is that many viewers will be kids who get into Star Wars for the first time, who will have hours of actual fun playing with toy versions of their favorite characters. Fun that will be ruined when they see the other people in line with them at the store: big old nerds who are really, really upset if their toys actually get played with.

Making its way across the various social platforms this weekend is a picture of a smiling kid in smug ignorance of the beatdown he is about to receive in the card game Uno. Its appeal is simple and universal for anyone who's played Uno or just likes watching kids learn that cards, like life, are random and cruel. This photo about harsh realities actually comes from former MLB pitcher and current sports host and commentator CJ Nitkowski. Speaking of those harsh realities, this photo has over 870,000 views on imgur and thousands of upvotes on reddit as of press time, whereas the original picture and tweet—posted by a man actively trying to get ahead in the world of media—has only 120 retweets. There is no way of knowing if Nitkowski is even aware this photo has become popular. Harsh realities, indeed. If you're unfamiliar with the game of Uno, basically the objective is to give away all your cards, yelling "Uno!" when you win. Nitkowski's hand is basically full of cards that will burden his son with extra cards, followed by a card that skips over his son's turn, followed by a card that allows the player to choose the color of the next hand, which would be the final card. TL;DR—A child is going to be sulking in a few minutes.

This poor kid has no idea what's about to hit him... pic.twitter.com/QvLV82T8fB

— CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) December 13, 2015

Some of you may recall hearing some hype online from adult children for a certain space movie with lots of aliens that's coming out soon, but as of today, it's like a billion nerds cried out and were suddenly distracted by a new shiny object: the trailer for Independence Day: Resurgence. That's right, Independence Day is coming back, with the old cast (minus Will Smith) and a bunch of newcomers in tow. Does it look like an old-fashioned sequel's sequel, summed up by Jeff Goldblum's line in the final shot, "That is definitely bigger than the last one"? Yes, but maybe that's exactly what audiences needs right now, and also exactly what they go for every time, so why fight it:

Man, that speech from the original movie never gets old. The trailer says the movie is coming out "Summer 2016." Anyone taking bets on a specific date?

2015 has really been comedian Amy Schumer's year. Her movie Trainwreck came out, and it made us all realize that LeBron James is actually a really good actor. She was pretty good in it too! Schumer also signed a huge book deal, won a slew of awards, and made some very famous friends. It's not easy to skyrocket to fame so suddenly, which she herself has noted, but Schumer's year in review makes it pretty clear why she did. Here are some of the top moments when Amy Schumer was her hilarious and very best self this year:

1. This song that makes fun of boy bands and is catchy as hell.

2. Getting all her lady heroes in comedy to talk about aging.

3. Fulfilling every nerd's dream of becoming bffs with Jennifer Lawrence.

4. Reminding us all that your weight doesn't have to keep you from "catching a d" whenever you want.

5. Any of her many, many responses to body-shamers.

6. Nailing this photo in the 2016 Pirelli calendar.

7. Devoting an entire half-hour of TV to how women are judged for their looks with a "12 Angry Men" parody.

​8. When she photobombed Kim and Kanye on the red carpet.

9. When she stood up for gun control with her relative Sen. Chuck Schumer.

10. And also for women's rights (with one more jab for gun control).

Well, Amy Schumer pretty much checked off every item that can be on a comedian's bucket-list. The only thing left is reinventing the dick joke. Sky's the limit for 2016!

Last Week Tonight with John Oliveris on hiatus until February, leaving a gaping hole in your heart and a gap in your knowledge. But because he is the hero of the post-Jon Stewart era, Oliver returned via Web Exclusive when the world needed him most—the holiday season. In this segment, Oliver explains that he gets your anxiety over giving and receiving shitty Christmas gifts, and presents his code of ethics for redistributing presents. Enjoy, and figure out the best way to run a "festive Ponzi scheme."

Justin Bieber and Kourtney Kardashian are allegedly hooking up, and Bieber might have just publicly called out Kardashian's ex, Scott Disick. All the clues are in the Instagram photo below, but if you don't know how to decipher the symbolism, you're a moron. Just kidding. But you might innocently think you're staring at a cryptic photo of Bieber's back (and not even a pantsless one) when actually you're viewing a coded puzzle with intriguing information hiding in plain sight.

Us Weekly breaks down the essential hints:

• Bieber has "bragged to friends" about his relationship with the preppiest Kardashian sister.
• The pair has been seen out together in L.A.
• The photo is recent, as proven (there's PROOF!) by the presence of Bieber's new neck tattoo.
• The caption of the photo says "Lord knows." And "Lord" is apparently the self-appointed nickname of Scott Disick.

As a counterpoint, the Kardashians have the strongest, most thought out social media strategy in literally the history of the world. So would Kourtney really pose for this awkward car dry hump sesh? Or do we have another mystery woman on our hands?

[Update: It's not Kourtney.]

An artist in New Orleans is putting Taylor Swift on blast for stealing a drawing of hers without credit or compensation. Taylor Swift—the perpetually surprised pop star, goddess of female friendship, and keeper of the squad—made a stir last year when she single-handedly got Apple Music to pay artists for streaming their stuff. However, she seems to be less sympathetic to visual artists.

This isn't the first time Swift was called out for being a hypocrite: back in June, a photographer revealed that Taylor Swift's company retains ownership of any pictures taken at her live shows. This means that for a small one-time fee, Swift's team can use anyone's photos in perpetuity.

In November 2014, T-Swift shared one of her lyrics next to Burguieres' signature drawing of a fox on Facebook, crediting another artist who had blatantly stolen it.

Burgieres posted a follow-up letter on Friday, after Swizzy's team said they'd pay her, but only if she'd donate the money to charity, which is difficult to shake off.

She writes,

Dear Taylor Swift:

I am a professional artist. With years of work and support from customers, friends, and family, I have built a business around my designs and am (hopefully) adding my own small form of beauty to the world. I now have three shops in New Orleans and gratefully rely on people who demonstrate that art they love is worth paying for. I may "only" have 1239 followers on Instagram, but I believe my work has value. I believe there are many others out there like me.

As a professional artist, I was astonished to see you use one of my most popular designs on all your official social media platforms as part of your promotions for 1989. While I wondered why no one had sought permission or offered compensation to do so, I recognized that such endorsement is a once-in-a-lifetime boost for an artist and can skyrocket an artist’s career. Friends congratulated me and customers expressed joy. But congratulations turned to confusion. The design was a copy, and with someone else’s name signed to it.

I was devastated, but I took solace in thinking that someone so outspoken about artists’ rights would willingly fix her mistake. Mistakes are easy to make; I thought if you only KNEW about the error, you would do what is in your power to make it right. I was wrong. My efforts to combat the pirated and unauthorized copy (and your use and distribution of it to millions of people) were noticed, as you removed the post after several days. But the copy had been shared and downloaded countless times, and it seemed neither you nor your team intended on correcting your mistake.

After months of effort, I received an offer from you and your team that mentions no credit to me as the artist of the design, but does include payment of a “four-figure” amount, with the stipulation that I must donate it all. Taylor, as a professional, would you agree to such terms from Apple, or Spotify? My work is my living—it is how I pay bills and support my family and employees. Many of your fans are professional artists, and support themselves and their families with earnings from their intellectual property. Would you really profit from and distribute a copy of their work to millions of people, and then tell them they don’t deserve professional recognition or compensation?

I don’t know what will come of this letter, but for the sake of my own business and on behalf of independent artists like myself, I had to speak up. I have no ill will toward you, and I appreciate the theoretical virtue of your stance as a defender of art and intellectual property. I simply hope to see your actions fall more in line with the values you claim to hold.

Sincerely,
Ally Burguieres
www.Cocoally.com