#Benjamin Woodside

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Character, book, and author names under the cut

Fetter- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

Xie Lian- Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu

Magnus Chase- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan

Benjamin/Benji Woodside- Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

[ezramatis]

benjiii!! 👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️👁️

[welp-im-doomed]

A digital art adaptation of a sketch I did, and it took wayyyy longer than I thought, but here's Benji (from Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White) strolling down the street

[crookedgalaxycrown]

So, I just read Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White, and I am just mildly obsessed The book is pure queer rage incarnate and I love it Just a bunch of angry queer kids trying to do the best with what they've been given Anyways, here's a drawing of Benji :D I know that canonically he would have looked a lot less human, but I do not have the skill to draw him in that pure nightmare-fueled glory so I kinda just re-drew his design from the cover art Still, go read Hell Followed With Us

[we-hate-plantains]

i'm re-reading "hell followed with us" and annotating it and i've never related to characters more than nick and benji

[gutxpupz]

I love you Andrew Jospeh White. I love you Silas Bell. I love you Benjamin Woodside. I love you Andrew Joseph white.

[cryptid-crows]

Seraph

Benjamin Woodside from the book Hell Followed With Us

[solisumbra]

Listen to me. My name is Benjamin Woodside. I’m gay and trans as hell, I am a boy, my pronouns are he/him, and I am a goddamn person.

Andrew Joseph White- Hell Followed With Us

[the-dist-ortionist]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN‼️‼️

our friend suggested habit and kamal as matching devil and angel and I decided to steal their idea mostly because uh benjamin woodside js taking over my thoughts. And I thought I'd be cute. This is a lot better than the one my school burnt for [PSA I DIDNT BURN DOWN MY SCHOOL IDK WHAT HAPPENED]

[wouldtheybecomeafearavatar]

would Benji from Hell Followed With Us be an avatar of the extinction?

[queer-book-character-tournament]

Quality Control Time

okay everyone: realistically despite having read some since last tournament I can't have read all of these books as I am one person running a blog for funnies

so I'm posting a list after I've gone through the submissions and I'm counting on you guys to tell me if any of these submissions don't count (or if someone typoed something in the submission I didn't catch)

that said here are your (tentative) competitors:

Rune Saint-John- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Quinn Saint Nicholas- The Tarot Sequence by KD Edwards

Layne Dawncreek- The Hourglass Throne by KD Edwards

Silas Bell- The Spirit Bares it's Teeth by Andrew Joseph White 

Daphne Luckenbill- The Spirit Bares it's Teeth  by Andrew Joseph White 

Benjamin/Benji Woodside- Hell Followed with us by Andrew Joseph White 

Sideways Pike- The Spacegracers by HA Clarke

Tayend of Tremmelin- Magician’s Guild series (The Novice, The High Lord) by Trudi Canavan

Gideon Nav- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Ianthe Tridenarius, Ianthe the First- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Harrowhark Nonagesimus- The Locked Tomb by Tamsyn Muir

Dekka- Gone series by Michael Grant

Therem Harth rem ir Estraven- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

Seregil í Korit Solun Meringil Bôkthersa- Luck in the shadows/the nightrunner series by Lynn Fleweling

Victor Vale- Vicious by VE Schwab

Alucard Emery- Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab

Rhy Maresh- Shades of Magic series by VE Schwab

Elliot Schafer- In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Sebastian Black- The Sacred Sins of Father Black by St John Starling

Father Victor Ardelian- What Manner of Man by St John Starling

Wenren È- Devil Venerable Also Wants To Know by Cyan Wings

Zhu Chongba- She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Ouyang- She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Giovanni- Giovanni's room by James Baldwin

David- Giovanni's room by James Baldwin

Danny Tozer- Dreadnought by April Daniels

Magnus Bane- The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Alec Lightwood- The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Thomas Lightwood- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Alastair Carstairs- The Last Hours by Cassandra Clare

Alex Fierro-Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan

Nico di Angelo- The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan

Frances Janvier- Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Nick Nelson- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Charlie Spring- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Tori Spring- Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Gwen (Princess Gwendoline)- Gwen and Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher

Jack Alston/Lord Hawthorn- The Last Binding Trilogy by Freya Marske

Maud Blyth- The Last Binding Trilogy by Freya Marske

Robin Blyth- A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske

Silariathas “Silas”- Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Nathaniel Thorn- Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

Ballister Blackheart- Nimona by N.D. Stevenson

Ambrosius Goldenloin- Nimona by N.D. Stevenson 

Neil Josten- All for the game by Nora Sakavic

Andrew Minyard- All for the game by Nora Sakavic

Nicky Hemick- All for the game by Nora Sakavic

Xie Lian- Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx 

San Lang/ Hua Cheng- Heaven Official's Blessing / Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx 

Luo Binghe- The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Shen Qingqiu- The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Lan Wangji/ Lan Zhan/ Han Guang Jun- Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Wei WuXian/ Wei Ying/ Yiling Patriarch- Mo Dao Zu Shi (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu / mxtx

Kelly Bennett- Heartsong by TJ Klune

Linus Baker- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Arthur Parnassus- The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

Laurent- Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Damianos (Damen)- Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat

Will Kempen- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

Sarcean- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

James St. Clair- Dark Rise Series by C.S. Pacat

Ronan Lynch- The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Adam Parrish- The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Loki- Loki- Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

Theo Bell- Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee

Daniela- We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Carmen- We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Seonid Traighan Sedai- Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Siuan Sanche Sedai- Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Shallan Davar- The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson

Jasnah Kholin- The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson 

Jesper Fahey- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Wylan van Eck- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Nina Zenik- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Evelyn Hugo- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Moiraine Damodred Sedai- The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan 

Yan Wushi- 千秋 /Thousand Autumns/Qian Qu by Meng Xi Shi

Shen Qiao- 千秋/Qian Qiu/Thousand Autumn by Meng Xi Shi

Alex Claremont-Diaz- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor- Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Biyu "Jane" Su- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

August Landry- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Jolene Whitaker- Stars Still Fall by Jules Kelley

Jude St. Francis- A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Francis Abernathy- The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Ishita Dey- Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Carmilla Karnstein- Carmilla by J Sheridan le Fanu

Murderbot- The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells

Shuos Jedao- Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Achilles- Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

Patroclus- Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller 

Yin Hanjiang- Devil Venerable Also Wants To Know by Cyan Wings

Daja Kisubo- The Circle of Magic series, The Circle Opens series, The Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce

Simon Torquill- October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire

Kade Bronson- Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire

Jack Wolcott- Wayward Children Series by Seanan McGuire

Sundew- Wings of Fire by Tui T Sutherland

Zanja Na'Tarwein- The Elemental Logic Series by Laurie J. Marks

Karis G'deon- The Elemental Logic series by Laurie J. Marks

Thaniel Steepleton- The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley

Raff Barden- One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

Penn de Foucart- One Night in Hartswood by Emma Denny

Alec Campion- Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Richard St Vier- Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

Nico Ferrer De Varona- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Parisa Kamali- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Sam Black Crow- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Salim- American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Hunter- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Islington- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

Tsukiko- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Zachary Ezra Rawlins- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Dorian- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Katrina- The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Katherine- The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner

Geraldine- Christabel by Samuel Coleridge 

Priya- The Jasmine Throne/The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

Malini- The Jasmine Throne/The Oleander Sword by Tasha Suri

Henry Gaunt- In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Sidney Ellwood - In Memoriam by Alice Winn

Benji Ovich- Beartown by Frederik Backman

Renly Baratheon- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Loras Tyrell- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Oberyn Martell- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Ellaria Sand- A Song of Ice and Fire (ASOIAF) by George R.R. Martin

Ead Duryan- The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Thara Celehar- The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Iäna Pel-Thenhior- The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Vanyel Ashkevron- The Last Herald-Mage Series (Magic's Pawn, Magic's Price, Magic's Promise) by Mercedes Lackey

Galen- Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher 

Doctor Piper- Paladin's Hope by T. Kingfisher 

Eliot Waugh- The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Simon Spier- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Bram Greenfield- Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Leah Burke- Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Abby Suso- Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

Jay Gatsby- Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie Mclemore

Harold Hutchins- Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

Eric "Bitty" Bittle- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu 

Jack Zimmermann- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu 

Ollie O'Meara- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu

Pacer Wicks- Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu

Maurice Hall- Maurice by E.M. Forster 

Alec Scudder- Maurice by E.M. Forster 

Clive Durham- Maurice by E.M. Forster 

Cal Stephanides- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Therese Belivet- Carol or The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith 

Carol Aird- Carol or The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith 

Baz Pitch- Carry On Series by Rainbow Rowell

Tennalhin (Tennal) Halkana- Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell

Evander (Andy) Mills- Lavendar House by Lev Ac Rosen

Kaiiestron (Kai) l, Prince of the Fourth House of the Underearth- Witch King by Martha Wells

Max Owen- Magical Boy by The Kao

Remy Pendergast- Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

Ben De Backer- I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Nathan Allan- I Wish You All The Best by Mason Deaver

Genevieve Lefoux- The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger

Maddie Morrow- Havenfall by Sara Holland

Catherine St. Day- The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Lucy Muchelney- The Lady's Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia Waite

Fetter- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera

Leonie Jackman- Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Red- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 

Blue- This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone 

Rose- Camp Damascus by Chuck Tingle

Li Shimin- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao

Cliopher Mdang- The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Lily Hu- Last Night At The Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Patrick O’Hara- The Guncle by Steven Rowley

Ambrose Cusk- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

Kodiak Celius- The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

[dear-indies]

Hi! I was hoping you could share your fave fcs from ages 50-70? If they have resources that's awesome, but if not I can work with that too! 💜 Tysm!!

Those that have spoken up for Palestine, bolded have resources!

Juliet Stevenson (1956)

Peter Capaldi (1958)

Shobu Kapoor (1961) Indian.

Kamel El Basha (1962) Palestinian.

Sabrina Ferilli (1964)

John Cusack (1966)

Cynthia Nixon (1966) - is queer.

Michael Greyeyes (1967) Plains Cree.

Benedict Wong (1971) Hongkonger.

Waleed Zuaiter (1971) Palestinian.

Gabrielle Union (1972) African-American.

Poorna Jagannathan (1972) Indian.

Haifa Wehbe (1972) Egyptian / Lebanese.

Omar Metwally (1974) Egyptian / White.

Maxine Peake (1974) - is queer.

Tobias Menzies (1974)

Itziar Ituño (1974)

Mahershala Ali (1974) African-American.

also:

Lindsay Duncan (1950)

Luis Guzmán (1956) Puerto Rican.

Kristin Scott Thomas (1960)

Elaine Miles (1960) Cayuse and Nez Perce.

Michelle Yeoh (1962) Chinese Malaysian.

Rena Owen (1962) Ngāti Hine and White.

Alexandra Billings (1962) European, African-American, Unspecified Native American - is a trans woman.

Ming-Na Wen (1963) Macanese, part Malaysian.

Anna Chancellor (1965)

Steve Toussaint (1965) Afro Barbadian.

Michael Imperioli (1966)

Zahn McClarnon (1966) Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux and Irish.

Jason Scott Lee (1966) Kānaka Maoli and Chinese.

Diana Lee Inosanto (1966) Filipino, Irish, Chinese, Spanish, and French.

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (1967) Nigerian.

D.B. Woodside (1967) African-American.

Byron Mann (1967) Hongkonger.

Kelly Hu (1968) Kānaka Maoli, Chinese, White.

Lucy Liu (1968) Chinese.

Daniel Craig (1968)

Ángeles Cruz (1969) Mexican [Mixtec].

Naveen Andrews (1969) Malayali Indian.

Benjamin Bratt (1963) Peruvian [Quechua] / White.

Aaron Pedersen (1970) Arrernte and Arabana.

Lee Byung-hun (1970) Korean.

Manisha Koirala (1970) Nepali.

Eve Best (1971)

Will Yun Lee (1971) Korean.

Daniel Sunjata (1971) African-American, Irish, German.

Rick Yune (1971) Korean.

Carla Gugino (1971)

Sandra Oh (1971) Korean.

Deborah Mailman (1972) Te Arawa, Ngāti Porou, Bidjara.

Arjun Rampal (1972) North Indian and Dutch.

Khary Payton (1972) African-American.

John Cho (1972) Korean.

Adam Beach (1972) 7/8 Saulteaux and 1/8 Icelander.

Idris Elba (1972) Sierra Leonean / Ghanaian.

Clemens Schick (1972)

Laverne Cox (1972) African-American - is trans.

Andrew Lincoln (1973)

Kim Seo-hyung (1973) Korean.

Adrian Holmes (1974) African-American.

Sendhil Ramamurthy (1974) Kannada and Tamil Indian.

I'd also consider checking out my age diversity tag too!

[wingstobetorn]

”Maybe the true hell that followed with us were the friends we made along the way” – Benjamin Woodside, 20XX

[buttonsfleas]

Hiiii!!! If you’re still taking one shot requests, could you write some Buttons x Elmer (Butter? Idk there ship name, sorry)?

Yeah! I know this is a small one-shot, but they're isn't much on the Butter ship and I'm still quite new to the fandom (I watched Newsies for the first time 3 days before Christmas 🫣)

But here's a one-shot of them on a date!

(Also guys this might include traits from headcannons I'm gonna make soon!)

I hope you like this!

Benjamin "Buttons" Davenport and Elmer Kazprak were walking the streets of Woodside at 6 pm as they were on their way to Jacobi's Deli for a date. They were holding each other's hand gently and still had a slight bit of dirt on their clothes from working all day.

After they walked in, they sat down in a corner with a small, curled oak table with 3 chairs and 2 glasses of water in front of them and a small bag of prawn crackers next to them. They were munching away slowly as they didn't want to have their food in 1 minute and be hungry for the rest of the night.

Buttons said nervously, as this was the first date he had been on, let alone with a boy, "so...how are you?.."

Elmer was distracted by looking over at his surroundings but then looked over to Buttons and said, "Uhm, okay. What about you?" He asked quite alarmed after being disrupted.

"I've been great, just extremely itchy." Buttons said as he looked down and started scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe you need some cream or spray for that, Whiskers," Elmer said teasingly and giggled lightly. Whiskers was a nickname that came from Mush for Buttons because cats had fleas too. "Maybe you'll be allowed to spoon with me for once."

"Elmer." Buttons said firmly as he stopped scratching and slowly looked up to Elmer but ended up laughing. He could never get annoyed with his date.

They both ended up laughing together as it died down after a few seconds. They then both looked up at each other and their smiles softened in adoration as they saw the other smiling. They then drank a little bit of their water and Elmer sat back in his seat as Buttons had his elbows on the table and his chin on his fists.

They stayed quiet for a few moments before Elmer spoke up, "Why did you spend your money on the food and water? Why didn't you let me pay too?" He asked with a confused expression. This wasn't like Buttons. Of course, he'd be generous, but not this much.

"Because I just felt like it. You bought me a cheap sewing kit to put my buttons back on 3 years ago." He just said blankly.

"And you've been so obsessed with it since. You didn't need to thank me for it." Elmer said with a blank but confused expression.

"Who said I was?" Buttons asks firmly as he leans in more but then chuckles.

Elmer chuckles too and drinks a bit more of his waster and then says, "Let's just finish up here and then go The Bowery."

"T-the bowery?.." Buttons asks as he takes his elbows off the table and drinks a bit more of his water, "We are not sneaking in there. I know what you're like."

"No, no, no, I don't mean we're sneaking in," Elmer says reassuringly as he puts his hands on the table, "we're just gonna see if Medda'll let us in for free, y'know, since we're Jack's friends."

Buttons takes 1 last sip of his water before leaning back on his chair and saying, "I suppose so."

"Great!" Elmer says with a wide smile and then finishes his water and says in a rush, "Let's go now. Oh, and keep the crackers!" And then he gets out of his chair, holds Buttons' hand tightly and leads him out.

Buttons quickly grabs the prawn crackers before following and they both end up laughing as Mr Jacobi shouts, "Aye, you kids!" But understands since it's just young love to Jacobi.

The boys end up running to the theatre with smiles and laughs but the crackers bag is slightly open so it pours out onto the street and they end up giggling, almost falling to the floor. But hey soon calm down and just walk to the theatre.

Once they get in, they see many patrons of the theatre and the scent of cigars and alcohol through the air. The Bowery Beauties were performing a duet and the boys sneakily walked backstage.

Medda was walking around with the stage manager but then saw the boys and said, "Hey, what are you kids doing around here?"

The couple shared a look before Elmer looked back at Medda and said, "W-were Jack's friends."

Then Buttons butted in with, "And we were hoping we could stay? Just to see one show and then we're gone."

Medda thinks about it and then looks down at the boys as she says, "I suppose so. But don't hs running around up in here."

They nod and then run to a booth and sit down together. They watched the twins perform and before they knew it, Medda performed next. She sang about dying but in a beautiful manner. The boys weren't too focused on the lyrics but were focused on each other. They kept looking back and forth at the other one when they were watching the show and tried not to get caught. It was like a game to them.

During the song, Elmer starts to wrap his fingers around Buttons' as his hand is by his side and Buttons looks back at Elmer and blushes. He then looked away with a small smile and looked down at their hands. Their fingers were intertwined with each other and he couldn't stop smiling.

After the song ended, they walked back to Buttons' home where his family was still awake in the dining room having dinner.

They both walked up the porch and Elmer put his hands in his pockets and said, "Maybe you should come to the lodge sometime. You might like it there with all the other boys, and me, of course." And chuckles.

Buttons smiled slightly and said, "Do you wanna come in for more food? My family won't be too rowdy about you here, although they can be like that sometimes."

"No, no, I'm fine." Elmer says with a reassuring smile. He did want to come in, he was just a little nervous.

Buttons then put his hands in his pockets too and said, "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then. Bye." And then he opened the door and walked in.

"B-bye," Elmer said quietly as he watched him walk inside and close the door. He was quite nervous when dates would end since he didn't know what would happen next. He then shouted, "I LOVE YOU!!" But then realised it was too much and walked away in a hurry.

Buttons couldn't help but laugh to himself inside his house as he heard it and walked into the dining room with the biggest grin on his face.

That night, Elmer was asleep, wrapped in the blanket and was practically drooling on it since he dreamt about another date with Buttons. It was something they both could never forget.

[bracketsoffear]

Anti-Benji propaganda: this is quote from the book--"Listen to me! My name is Benjamin Woodside; I'm gay and trans as hell! I am a boy; my pronouns are he/him and I am a goddamn person!" Benji's story, from what I can gather, is about the affirmation of personhood (his and others) in defiance of the fundie cult. While this does not necessarily disqualify him from being an Avatar (see also: Agnes Montague), I think The Swine Prince just kind of is better at being an Avatar. As an individual, he's a human-devouring mass of viscera who represents The Ancestor's callous experimentation and exploitation of everyone and everything around him (by using the pigs as vessels for otherworldly creatures without regard for their wellbeing and his own people as food for this creature). As a representative of Darkest Dungeon as a whole, the game is very much Flesh-y in terms of how everything in the story can be traced back to The Ancestor's exploitation--such as how he gave The Siren to the fish people to turn her into a breeding slave; furthermore, the player character (The Heir) is encouraged to continue The Ancestor's horseshit by using and discarding the Heroes as tools, throwing them into the (metaphorical) meat grinder to achieve their goals. Also The Hag cooks people in her stew and the pig people of The Warren who serve The Swine Prince hunt and eat humans.

And then there's the super SPOILERY part:

The endgame reveals that humanity is an extension of the Heart of Darkness, a fleshy abomination with meaty tentacles who hates mankind and absorbs other beings and/or makes them more like itself--which from its perspective is just reclaiming what was already part of it. Humanity in Darkest Dungeon's world is essentially fucking cancer, and the revelation of this drives The Heir to suicide in the end, apparently being unable to cope with the revelation that their species is just a nightmare god's meat.

.

[singeratlarge]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to José Areas, Roy Acuff, Jr., Benny Benjamin, David Bowie’s 1975 single “Fame,” Manny Charlton (Nazareth), my friend Mark Clarke (Colosseum, Ian Hunter, Monkees, Tempest), Tom Dawes (Cyrkle), Donovan’s 1970 OPEN ROAD album, Ileanna Douglas, Don Ellis, Lynne Frederick, Sarah Geronimo, Steve Goodman, gospel singer Henrietta Hadley, Johnny Hodges, Iman, Gibson Kente, Henry Knox, Rita Marley, Martin & Lewis (1946), producer/musician/composer Scott Mathews, Thurston Moore, Maxfield Parrish, Public Image Ltd. (1979), Nirmal Purja, Annie Ross, the 1969 Seattle Pop Festival, The Supreme’s 1966 single “You Can’t Hurry Love,” Emmett Till, Verdine White (Earth Wind & Fire), Bruce Woodley, D.B. Woodside, and drummer/band leader Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds, the legendary British Invasion rock band credited for birthing “psychedelic rock” and was the launch pad for Led Zeppelin, Renaissance, and other notables. In 2007 I wrote a paper about The Yardbirds song “Over Under Sideways Down,” which I point to as an ultimate meme for the 1960s. Jim was kind enough to correspond and provide background information for my paper. 

HB and thank you Jim for your years of service and for keeping The Yardbirds going. On that note, here’s a cover of “Shapes of Things” that I did with singer peter chauncey. 

#yardbirds #jimmcarty #peterchauncey #birthday #johnnyjblair