#i'd love almost a horror/dread vibe to whatever this will be

[longeyelashedtragedy]

decided to write different scenarios in different styles etc to see what sticks

He wakes up with a hangover like a bloody teenager and a headache so bad it takes his vision a few seconds to kick back in.

Everything’s blurry–well of course, he needs his glasses and then he can sort it all out.  He can find the things in the dark with his hands tied, but his glasses aren’t there because–something’s not right.  The table next to the bed isn’t right.  It’s not his.

He’s too old to be kidnapped, too old, too dusty, the opposite of his old best friend Harry who’d probably get himself kidnapped and then charm the fucker into taking him right back home.  There has to be a normal explanation, so he feels around on the strange table, slapping his hand on things.  Pills stick to his hand.  He’s sweaty and they’re all over the table.

His hand hits a bottle of something, nails bouncing off with a clanging noise, and thank God, he feels his glasses next to it, and now his hangover's still there but the world is back.

There’s a lot to take in:

The shameful blue pills scattered all over the table that isn’t his.

His name printed right there on the open container.  He’d asked them if they could prescribe the damn things without his name on it.  He doesn't have that kind of power.

The bottle is one of his bottles of good whiskey.  The cap’s off.  It’s empty.

The bed isn’t his.  Too small.

It’s sunny–too fucking sunny for a hangover like this one–and he hears the familiar birds chirping outside.  He hears the shower.  Someone’s showering in his empty house. The sound is on the wrong side of the wall.

And there on the wall opposite him: paint chipping where things have been removed, but something’s still there.  An old card; someone’s drawn a football on the front of it, and the ink is faded but the words are clear enough.  Happy birthday, Frankie!

Another paper, also faded.  Brentwood School Latin Award, 1993–

When he realizes it, it hits harder than the hangover.  

What in God’s name is wrong with me?

Birds, shower, something buzzing on the floor over and over.  He rolls over to grab it, to shut the fucking thing off.  Rolling over makes his head pound.  It’s someone else’s phone.

Messages are pouring in on the screen and each one feels like it’s inside his head, kicking his skull.  He can’t see what they say, only who they’re from.  Frankie.  Frankie.  Frankie.  Frankie.  Frankie.  Frankie.  Frankie.  Frankie.

A pale neck, head thrown back to finish his good whiskey without asking.

You’re a terrible fucking person.  But you know that, don’t you?  You act like you know.  You’re disgusting.

And you’re a real bitch, a real fucking bitch is what you are, sweetheart.

Is that all you’ve got?  All that and those pills?  I see worse on the internet every week. There’s whole forums with jealous women talking about me.

What’s a forum?

Jesus.  What’s a forum.  Have you got any more whiskey? 

The shower turns off.

Frankie

Missed call

He wonders if he should pick up next time.  Now you want my attention?  Well, now you’ve got it.

Footsteps in the hall.

Are you happy ? I'm drunk enough to say fuck it. I know this is what you’ve wanted.  You’ve never shut up about it.

Well, she wasn’t wrong.  She’d always been smarter than Frankie’s last one–but stupid enough to ignore the poor kid this morning.  Frankie Frankie

Frankie

Missed call

He hopes he hadn’t gotten drunk enough to run his mouth.  Tell her the reasons.

The footsteps get closer.

He puts his head under Frankie’s old, yellowed pillow.  He’s always been a fucking coward. 

[stellarspecter]

omg this tornado loves you is such a good Ben and the Horror song. Like, the Horror loves Ben not in the human nature way but in its own inhuman way, the way a tornado loves- not understanding why their beloved human begs them to stop their destructive rampage. But it’s in their nature. Sorry I just really wanted to talk about this I love this theme so much I have thoughts ty for introducing the song! Do you happen to have more thoughts on this?

LITERALLYYYY the horror loves him the only way it knows how.... violently destructively not knowing the meaning of the word "soft"... it's literally such an interesting dynamic and the show did NOTHING with it not even crumbs of a thing with it. well more for me i suppose

for the song in particular i'm not sure what exactly i was gonna do with it? i had vague plans for a gifset after s3 but clips of them are scarce and not really the vibe i'm looking for (like there's basically no scenes of the horror doing anything but being used in combat. and now i guess being used as sparrow ben's arms/tail)

mostly the lyrics i'm obsessed with are from the chorus and the end:

My love, I am the speed of sound I left them motherless, fatherless Their souls dangling inside-out from their mouths But it's never enough I want you This tornado loves you, this tornado loves you, this tornado loves you, this tornado loves you This tornado loves you What will make you believe me?

honestly i'm not quite sure which clips i'd pair up with which lyrics for a gifset or an amv or whatever. we just don't have enough footage of the horror to make it really visually interesting and not repetitive i think. i'd love to try but i'm dreading digging through the episodes for clips it's the worst part of gifmaking. if someone has a ben & the horror compilation ready to go i will give my life for you sldkfjs

but godddd the way she screams the first "what will make you believe me" is so fucking POWERFUL it's crazy. and then the second one is so defeated almost. like "i've tried to tell you as loudly as i can so now i'm asking quietly. what will make you believe me?"

because ben will never believe the horror loves him. how could he? it's literally called the horror. it's scary and it hurts and it kills and covers him in blood since he was just a kid and it's always there, just waiting to be let out. maybe umbrella ben could have gotten on friendlier terms with it if he had grown up and left the academy, but sparrow ben? no way. i'm not sure if he even thinks of it as a separate entity, since i don't recall any mention of the horror in s3 or 4 (correct me if i'm wrong). he probably just thinks of his tentacles as a cool thing he can do and nothing more. just a way to be more powerful than his siblings.

the addition of jennifer is interesting and definitely something to play around with. if i actually make something for it i'd definitely pair the lines "carve your name across three counties/ground it in with bloody hides" with the cleanse on its godzilla rampage. which i mean sucked as a resolution to that plot and ben's whole deal but i've talked about that in another post already.

if anyone has ideas on best lines to pair with ben/jen/horror clips let me know! and thank you for sending in this ask, i love an excuse to talk about them!! have this gif from two years ago when i was playing with ideas for this gifset as a treat