I will admit, AJW didn't do a very good job with explaining Benji's situation in Hell Followed With Us. Its like, he wants him to be the sheltered christian boy but also the trans activist. Those are like complete opposites. HOWEVER, I can empathize AJW on it. So many times have I had two character tropes that I wanted to use and accidently wrote them together and it becomes very confusing. Also, this was his first novel, there are gonna be mistakes. I bet the movie will be a little better and a more edited version of the book.
AJW probably looks at his old short stories and books the same way we look back at old drawings or old stories. We want to so badly erase it, fix it, or forget about it, but we must keep them in order to see our progress
So yeah, AJW's Hell Followed With Us wasn't perfect but his works are getting better. Its still one of my favorite books
I am so happy with the progress this challenge has awarded me.
When I decided to tackle this prompt, I went through all of my greatest hits, I did some sketches for The original Atlas six, Some for my earth goddess from a few years ago, one for my redesign of C.A. Cupid from EAH, but I ended up tackling one of my favorite fan art I've ever done.
I'm so happy with this project, and, even if it ended up taking most of the year, The improvement with my art is so noticeable, and it makes me so like? emotional. Idk loll
Either way, I will probably lay back from doing constant projects, I'm thinking of diving head first into another project that might take over a year.
Not that I'm giving up on youtube and videos, but I'm at a point where I sometimes feel like I'm constantly wondering what I'm going to work on next, and I really miss the involvement only a long form project can satisfy.
Either way! I'm rambling,
Fan art of Hell followed with us by andrew jospeh white
Once again, I come with questions since you know a LOT about the AJWverse
What do we currently know about Blythe? I'm asking for writing purposes
I am so, so sorry for taking so long to answer your ask, I was just really not doing well there for a while and it was hard to get the energy for it, even though I love doing these
Because of the same issue, I might also have missed some minor info if any was recently revealed, I'm really sorry about that, too
Okay, let's get into it. Spoilers for all we know about Blythe so far follow under the cut, which includes some info about the plot and other characters of Beast//Warden as well. Info is taken from excerpts of the book published so far, the AJW website including parts now deleted, and various social media posts by Andrew Joseph White, which includes planning documents he shared. Some of the information may have changed or change until the book is fully written/published. Also the post will contain some discussion/mention of ableism, transphobia and queerphobia, violence, scars and monstrosity.
Okay, I'll list all the info I can find and remember on Blythe now, sorry it's not that much if it comes down to it:
Blythe is the main character of Andrew Joseph White's YA Fantasy Horror Beast//Warden, which will be published in the spring of 2028 -> Blythe will presumably also be one of the book's two POV characters (the other is seemingly the mysterious Beast) (-> because AJW said the book will be dual POVs "with a secret", I have a theory that the Beast is Blythe himself, or at least an aspect/part of it)
Blythe lives in a fantasy world inspired by Iron Age Britain before the Roman invasion, in an isolated village called Lohkkam on the Great Isle that's threatened by monsters
He is a teen, we don't know his exact age yet
Blythe is a trans boy, and according to one of AJW's most recent posts, he uses he/him pronouns, as well as it/its pronouns or maybe even no pronouns at all -> I'll use he/him and it/its interchangebly, and Blythe's name a bit more than I usually would to try and respect this, please tell me if I get something wrong -> this was honestly unexpected and super interesting -> it indicates that Blythe is maybe not a binary trans guy like all the other AJW MCs, and/or that Blythe is somewhat unsure of his identity and how he sees himself -> it could also be a reflection of how Blythe is treated by its village, a way of both dehumanising itself (using it/its pronouns doesn't have to be like that and usually isn't, but I can see it being the case here) the way others do and take back power over that -> or maybe a combination of these -> regardless, I'm SO exited to see AJW tackle how complicated one's conception of their own gender can be
according to the now deleted representation catalogue on the AJW website, Blythe is bisexual and poly, having two love interests, Hawthorne and Livia (or three, if you count the mysterious monster that's apparently part of their love story)
Blythe is autistic -> he is ostracized from the Village due to this -> Blythe is extremely strongly focussed on a single undisclosed special interest that most people find very gross, which contributes to their rejection of Blythe -> because disabled and otherwise undesireable people are cast out and thus condemned to death or turning into a monster (or both) in Blythe's community and the only way to stay is becoming Beastwarden, a dangerous monsterhunting position of which there can only be one, Blythe is very desperate to become the next Beastwarden -> Blythe is fully ready to kill the other apprentice for this, before they somehow become lovers -> despite being autistic and thus disabled itself (in addition to other injuries on AJW's newest art of him that might be disabling in some ways), Blythe is very ableist -> a lot of that is most likely also internalised, but he is explicitly said to be outwardly ableist towards others also -> unclear if he also has any internalized trans-/queerphobia and treats others poorly due to that also, but I think it's likely
Blythe is called beastmarked -> disabled, queer and people otherwise seen as undesirable in the community are called this -> Blythe is also called cursed in the book's brief description -> I think this curse and the beastmark are most likely the same thing -> unclear if it's actually a curse of some sort or just a fake, convenient thing for people to believe in, like Veil sickness in TSBIT -> regardless, Blythe probably believes in it
according to the worldbuilding notes AJW published a while back, Blythe is part of the Aras clan -> most other families in the notes aren't called clans, so it seems plausible that the Aras clan is particularly large or influential in the village, though not the village leaders, those are the Lohkkam family -> seeing as Blythe is rejected and shunned by its entire village, Blythe's family probably also hates him -> unclear how Blythe feels about this, but no particularly close relationship was noted on his worldbuilding card, negative or positive, so I don't think it'll be a focus
If Blythe was an animal, he'd be a turkey vulture, and if he was a Horror movie, it'd be The VVitch
Blythe does not have a deadname, it still uses his birth name
behind Blythe's name on his worldbuilding card was the word Thistle, capitalised, in brackets -> possibly a nickname or alias of Blythe's? (I theorized that all the apprentices get nature-themed monickers and Hawthorne isn't Hawthorne's birth name either, but that's mostly just based on vibes)
Blythe is standoffish and rude, and very ready to get violent -> a deeply unpleasant guy to be around -> he's a very angry person, and messy in its romantic exploits
seeing as Blythe was depicted with the body parts of a monster around him in AJW's most recent art and AJW promised HFWU levels of body Horror for Beast//Warden, Blythe may or may not turn into a monster during the story -> unclear how it would feel about that
in terms of appearance: Blythe is a thin white trans boy with relatively pale, greyish skin, shaggy nose-to-chin length dirty blond hair, dark bluish-grey eyes with dark circles under them, a small chest he doesn't seem to bind in the depictions we have so far, small, slender hands, and visible arm muscles -> it has a round face with a button nose and thin eyebrows Blythe has tattoos of monsters, bones and teeth all over his arms and collarbones (presumably also on the rest of its upper body), but not his neck or face -> in the newest AJW art for Beast//Warden, Blythe has sharp fingernails, stitched wounds at the corners of its mouth like his face was slahed into a permanent smile, and the little finger on Blythe's left hand is missing completely, seemingly torn off, leaving a jagged, unbleeding, slightly necrotic-looking wound behind, which is interesting, to say the least -> unclear if Blythe looks like that at the start of the book or if these injuries happen during the story
in the few images we have of Blythe so far, it's always wearing torn, rough-looking dark brown clothing that's unrestrictive and allows for great freedom of movement -> also a bone necklace in the newer artwork and some sort of dark makeup around his eyes in the older one -> this style leads me to believe that Blythe cares much more about functionality and comfort than how he is perceived
I'm sure you've seen this before, but this is a picture of Blythe by AJW himself:
And this is a link to a recent insta post of AJW's, which has recent and more detailled art of Blythe (and Hawthorne as well as parts of the Beast), and the confirmation that Blythe doesn't use he/him pronouns exclusively:
Summary: Miles starts working at the Red Holler once its rebuilt after the book. He worries a lot about money and tends to overwork himself. But when he barely lets himself take breaks, things start to get really difficult.
Notes: I originally was gonna make this a PTSD and Overworking hurt/comfort fic, but I had a meltdown today and finished writing it with an autistic flare because coping is hard sometimes.
also, I'm gonna post this on AO3 in a bit, don't worry
With School being fully back in season, business was somewhat slow at the Red Holler. Most of the people that came in were adults, drop-outs, or teens skipping school. On rare occasions they would get a tourist stopping by for something to eat on their way through West Virginia. With the Red Holler being recently rebuilt, it was definitely one of the nicer restaurants, therefore attracting more outsiders.
Miles had started working at the Red Holler with Dallas, his Queer Platonic Partner. Since they were both dropouts, it was perfect. They were usually always on the same shift too, since they worked full time. It was awesome for the most part.
However, with business being slow, the pay wasn’t very great. But luckily, they could earn tips. Miles and Dallas usually would tag team and split whatever tips they got, unless it was something one of them did entirely on their own or did extra. Miles took advantage of that.
With all the hospital bills, the Abernathy family found it hard to get groceries every week. Miles was lucky enough to get 2 meals for free from working at the Red Holler (usually it was just one meal, but since he was a close friend, they extended the rules), but his family wasn’t as lucky. He hated having his family worry about finances and often felt guilty for buying things such as his trans tape. He wore sports bras a lot but he really liked wearing tape too. However, it was disposable and he couldn’t reuse it. So there went 15 dollars a month that could be spent on groceries.
This guilt motivated Miles to work harder. He started taking double shifts and would work during his usual break time. He’d try to earn tips by himself and would even look into applying for a second job. Miles was exhausted most of the time due to this. He barely would put time to himself, prioritizing work over anything else. Normally, he was able to handle the stress pretty well. But as he got more and more burnt out, it was getting difficult.
One morning, after barely getting enough sleep, Miles started his walk to the Red holler. He usually worked mornings since he preferred to have dinner at home with his family. But it felt like such a chore to drag himself out of bed at 6:30 every morning to get to the Red Holler by 7.
When he eventually got to the diner, a “we’re closed” sign hung on the glass door, but Miles could see Michael inside and he knocked on the window. Michael looked up and smiled, walking over and opening the door for him.
“Hey, Miles, how are you?” He asked, closing the door behind him once he stepped in.
“I’m doing good,” Miles lied. The whole night he tossed and turned, his phantom pain flaring up while he was trying to sleep. He knew it was because he was stressed, he always was now, but he would rather die than become dependent on pain killers again. Unfortunately, the pain carried on into the morning. It was more light and bareable, but still present.
“You can go ahead and clock in and in the meantime, I’ll make you some breakfast.” Michael said. Miles nodded and went behind the counter.
He grabbed his name and pronoun tag and clipped it to his shirt before clocking in on the clipboard packet. After writing down his name and the time, he started sweeping the floors.
After about 5 to 10 minutes, Michael came back with some toast, sausage, and juice. He set it down at the counter and told Miles to come eat before it got cold.
Right when Miles was done eating, he took his plate into the kitchen and washed it. But there was a reason that he wasn’t a dishwasher anymore. Since the incident, he’s had trouble with depth perception and it ends up taking a bit longer for him to wash a single plate. It frustrated him, mainly because that was his usual duties at his previous job. But since it's gotten more difficult, Michael and Amber decided to move him to server and greeter. So after 2 minutes of washing and drying his plate and silverware, he went back into the front and continued to sweep.
When it was around 7:30, the Red Holler started to get busy. Their usual customers came in for their breakfast and coffee as well as some kids from the high school. Miles kind of recognized them. He was pretty sure they were in some of his classes, but he never really talked to them so he wasn’t 100% positive.
After taking their orders and bringing them out, Dallas and Amber arrived. Normally, they opened the restaurant with Miles, but Dallas had an episode the night before and Amber thought it would be best to let them sleep in a bit. Miles was a bit worried and wanted to help, but Dallas seemed to be doing fine. They weren’t a big fan of talking about their episodes after they happened. Miles could relate, so he decided not to pry.
Dallas took their position in the kitchen, washing dishes while Michael and some other employee cooked. Amber was on serving duty with Miles, which he didn’t mind. She could just get burnt out easily while serving and often needed a break.
It didn’t take long for Amber to take a time out. She had to deal with a different group of high school kids who thought it would be funny to make fun of her. They unfortunately couldn’t kick them out. They had a big order, which meant more money to go to paychecks.
So when Amber needed a break, Miles stepped up. He practically ran to each booth and table, taking orders and delivering food. When a group would leave, he’d clean the table and seats. He rushed around the restaurant doing this for about 30 minutes until Amber came back.
“Miles, if you want to take a break, you can,” She offered.
“I’m fine to keep working. I gotta get these tips,” He said. Taking a break would mean no tips and leaving Amber to deal with everyone by herself. He just couldn’t do that to her.
However, even with Amber back, Miles didn’t slow down his pace. The quicker he got people’s orders and delivered them, the better the tip. Sure, he was already pretty tired, but he needed this money for groceries and his binding tape. If he had any left over, he’d usually put it into his savings. The usual left over 15 dollars from every paycheck wasn’t a lot, but it was mainly for emergencies.
Around noon was when business started to slow. Not many people visited for lunch, it was mainly breakfast and dinner. So, to fill the quiet, Amber put on the news on a tv hanging above the small stage they had for events.
As Miles was cleaning some tables, he overheard the reporter on the tv.
“Make sure to tune in at 8 PM to see the murder trial of John Smith,” Then the guy on the news began going over the details of the case, to draw people's attention. Unfortunately, it caught Miles’s.
Right when he heard the word “murder”, his heart stopped. The memories of Eddie, Paul, and Noah flooded into his mind. He didn’t mean to kill Eddie or Paul but a guilty conscience laid heavily on him. The blood drooling from their bodies stayed in his head.
As the details of the trial on the news continued, it only got worse. The news guy talked about someone who was wrongfully shot and killed by the police. Miles suddenly remembered Sheriff Davies. The gun shot that echoed when the bullet hit his eye. His face when he lined the railroad spike to his mouth. The panic from being so close to death. All of these came flooding back.
His hands shook as he tried to continue cleaning the table. The flashbacks were loud in his mind. Nausea grew in his stomach the more he thought about them and the incident. He couldn’t breathe. He could feel himself start to get lightheaded from the lack of oxygen.
“Miles!” Suddenly Amber turned him around and grabbed his shoulders, “Breathe,”
Being touched did not feel good at all, but it forced him to let out a breath as he gasped and pulled away. After taking in a few more gulps of air, he felt a little better.
“Are you okay?” Amber asked. He wanted to say no. He wanted to tell her what happened, how he felt like he was in danger and that the Sheriff was going to come back and finish him.
“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Miles lied instead. He wanted to burst into tears and scream, but he knew he couldn’t do that. It would make his chance of getting tips unlikely. He needed this money.
“You sure? You can go on break if you need to,” Amber offered.
“I’m okay, I swear,” He said. He picked up his cleaning supplies and moved to the next table before Amber could say anything.
However, she could see the way his hands would shake, how he’d stare into the table and dissociate, and how he wiped the table repeatedly before finally realizing what he was doing. She knew something was up and that he was in fact not okay. But at the same time, she knew what it was like. Hating feeling useless or being unable to do anything. She hoped that he would come to her or Dallas if he needed something.
Miles continued to work, taking orders, handling the cash, and cleaning the diner. It kept his hands busy for a while, helping him temporarily feel better. But he knew he’d blow up soon. He just hoped it would be once his shift was over.
As he finished cleaning one of the tables, a lady, likely a tourist passing through, called him over to her table. When he got to them, the lady paused for a moment before eye-rolling.
“Aren’t you supposed to greet the customer?” She scoffed.
“S-sorry bout that, Ma’am,” Miles responded. He wasn’t trying to be disrespectful. He was just exhausted and couldn’t bring himself to be extra. He didn’t understand all these rules about always being friendly and respectful. They were dumb. Why couldn't they just tell him what they needed and have him go get it?
“Cut her some slack, Suzan. This generation tends to be more retarded than ours!” Her husband or boyfriend or something, joked.
After getting triggered and almost falling into an episode about a half hour prior, Miles was done. Why did the man feel the need to joke about him? It wasn’t even funny, but he and his wife seemed to find it hilarious as they laughed at him.
He turned around and immediately hurried to the back. He could hear the disgruntled woman and her snappy comments on him just leaving but he couldn't care less. Tears were falling down his face and he couldn’t breathe. Letting out a breath would force him to let out an ugly sob that sounded way too feminine and weak.
Miles was done holding everything in, he ran out the back door and let out a cry once the cool air hit his face. Jamming the shoelace into his mouth, he paced back and forth while sobbing. Why did everything hate him today? What did he do wrong?!
He hated crying, he felt like such a baby. But everything was just too much. He couldn’t handle socializing “normally” or just doing anything that was considered “normal”, right now. His body just needed to let out all this built up frustration and stress and this was how.
A minute or two later, Amber stepped out. She held a small, colorful bag with cartoon cats all over it and a glass of ice water. Instead of forcing him to sit or talk, she just stood there, waiting for him to finish. Eventually, she sat on the steps but still remained patient.
Miles hated being watched while having a meltdown. It made him feel embarrassed, awkward, and just weak. But he also knew that she just wanted to help make sure he wouldn’t hurt himself. He did have a habit of getting a little self-destructive when frustrated or triggered.
It took a little bit for Miles to calm down. His heart raced and he still felt a bit overwhelmed, but the crying had calmed down. He took a seat next to Amber, shoelace still between his teeth. She opened the bag and handed it to him so he could look through it. Inside, there was a bunch of fidget toys, communication cards, a small cat stuffed animal, ear plugs, candies, and handwipes.
He knew this was Amber’s Meltdown bag due to all the cats but he didn’t want to take any of her stuff. It just felt wrong to take her stuff.
“You can borrow some, it’s alright,” She assured him. Finally, with shaky hands, Miles grabbed the communication cards and a little bead lizard. He rubbed his fingers against the beads, feeling them roll against the pads on his finger tips.
He flipped through the cards and landed on the water one. He showed it to her and Amber passed the cup over to him and he shakily took a sip. When going for another one, she carefully helped him hold it up.
They sat like this for a while. Dallas and Michael handled everything inside while Miles calmed down. Eventually, he pulled out 2 more cards. One that said Mild and another that said Hug. He put them together so he could tell her he wanted a hug but not a big or strong one. Just a small light embrace.
“If it feels wrong, just tap my back or side and I'll pull away,” She said. He nodded to confirm. He was glad she said that, otherwise he wouldn’t know what to do if he didn’t like it or wanted it to stop. He liked it when things were straightforward.
Gently, Amber wrapped her arms around him and tucked his head into her shoulder. Normally, she’d rub his back or rock him, but it didn’t seem like he’d prefer it. Miles let out a shaky breath and she got a little worried, but there was no tapping, telling her that he was alright.
“It’s gonna be okay, Miles. I know things feel really tough right now, but we can get through this,” assured Amber.
After about a minute, he tapped her back and she pulled away. He wanted to be left alone for a bit so she brought him back inside and got him settled into the small breakroom with her Meltdown bag.
“We need to get you your own bag, it’d be fun to put together,” She suggested.
“Mhm,” He mumbled back. He thought that was a good idea. It would make these meltdowns less chaotic. Plus it did sound fun like she said.
During his break, he looked up online some stuff he could add to make one. He would just probably use an old drawstring bag for it and make his own cards, but finding some fidgets kept him busy for a while.
He went home after working another hour. Having meltdowns was exhausting and he just needed some time to decompress. Maybe cuddle up with Lady or watch some video essays. The day was rough and he had been holding it in for too long. All he wanted now was to just relax.
