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ripjaws · 3 years

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Ben 10 Survey Results!

Huge thank you to everyone who submitted a response, it was really fun looking through them all and I was genuinely surprised by the results of some of the questions.

Hopefully this will work under a read more because it's quite long and I don't want people to have to scroll a hundred years to get past it.

If anyone has any questions or anything please feel free to ask! :)

Thanks again!

General

Q1. How would you describe your gender?

36% - Female 25.3% - Male 24% - Non-binary 8% - Prefer not to say 4% - Agender 2.7% - Genderfluid

Q2. How would you describe your sexuality?

32% - Bisexual 20% - Heterosexual 20 % - Asexual 8% - Lesbian 6.7% - Prefer not to say 5.4% - Pansexual 4% - Gay 1.3% - Demisexual 1.3% - Questioning 1.3% - Polysexual

Q3. Current age

48% - 20-24 39% - 15-19 13.3% - 25-30 1.3% - Older than 30 1.3% - Younger than 15

Q4. Age when you first became interested in Ben 10

86.7% - Younger than 15 9.3% - 15-19 2.7% - 20-24 1.3% - 25-30

Episodes and season

Q1. Which series did you watch first?

88% - Original Series 9.3% - Alien Force 1.3% - Omniverse 1.3% - Reboot

Q2. Rank the series in order of preference

[IMAGE ID: Five separate groups of five vertical bar charts. The individual columns for each group are coloured in the same order and corresponds to what ranking they recieved on that question of the survey. According to the key at the top of the image the order is; blue = 1, red = 2, orange = 3, green = 4 & purple = 5. The Y axis of the graph goes from zero to thirty in intervals of ten.

The first group is labelled ‘Original Series’ and shows that it got twenty votes in blue, seventeen votes in red, sixteen votes in orange, ten votes in green & twelve votes in purple.

The second group is labelled ‘Alien Force’ and shows that it got nine votes in blue, eighteen votes in red, twenty-one votes in orange, twenty-two votes in green & five votes in purple.

The third group is labelled ‘Ultimate Alien’ and shows that it got thirteen votes in blue, ten votes in red, fourteen votes in orange, twenty-two votes in green & sixteen votes in purple.

The fourth group is labelled ‘Omniverse’ and shows that it got eighteen votes in blue, fifteen votes in red, seventeen votes in orange, fifteen votes in green & ten votes in purple.

The fifth and final group is labelled ‘Reboot’ and shows that it got fifteen votes in blue, fifteen votes in red, seven votes in orange, six votes in green & thirty-two votes in purple. END IMAGE ID]

Q3. Favourite season (Original Series)

40% - Season 1 18.7% - Season 2 18.7% - Season 3 17.3% - Season 4 5.3% - Don’t like/Haven’t watched

Most popular episodes were Ken 10 (S4E10) & Kevin 11 (S1E7)

Q4. Favourite season (Alien Force)

52% - Season 2 28% - Season 1 16% - Season 3 4% - Don’t like/Haven’t watched

Most popular episodes were Alone Together (S2E2) & Save the Last Dance (S2E4)

Q5. Favourite Season (Ultimate Alien)

36% - Season 1 25.3% - Season 3 20% - Don’t like/Haven’t watched 18.7% - Season 2

Most popular episodes were Forge of Creation (S1E16) & Duped (S1E2)

Q6. Favourite Season (Omniverse)

18.7% - Don’t like/Haven’t watched 18.7% - Season 2 16% - Season 5 12% - Season 6 10.7% - Season 1 9.3% - Season 8 8% - Season 4 5.3% - Season 3 1.3% - Season 7

Most popular episodes were And Then There Were None (S6E1) & And Then There Was Ben (S6S2)

Q7. Favourite Season (Reboot)

60% - Don’t like/Haven’t watched 17.3% - Season 4 10.7% - Season 3 6.7% - Season 1 5.3% - Season 2

Most popular episodes were Omni-tricked (S1E37) & Innervasion (S2E36)

Q8. Which live action movie did you prefer?

40% - Alien Swarm 22.7% - Race Against time 22.7% - Didn’t like either 14.7% - Haven’t watched either

Characters and aliens

Q1. Favourite main character

45.3% - Ben Tennyson 28% - Kevin Levin 17.3% - Rook Blonko 9.3% - Gwen Tennyson

Some ‘Why’ responses:

Ben -

I know it's a really basic pick but I enjoy Ben alot as a character. Even though I feel like he took an extremely sharp turn into immaturity in the final season of Alien Force onward (from what I've heard it was due to ratings), it still fit well after a bit of time of adjustment. Him being rash and selfish at times while still having a good heart feels...very human. I'm a huge fan of flawed protagonists and Ben is a prime example of such, imo! Plus I hradcanon that he has autism and it's a big comfort for me :)

I love his potential as a character and the way he hands having such power and responsibility thrust upon him. Ben has done so much for the people in his life and the universe, and I absolutely adore him.

I think of him like a kind person who tries his best to the right thing, he's pretty chill and optimist and in my mind he's a chaotic bi and i can relate to that

Kevin -

I like that he's always been an antihero in the original series. And in the reboot I really like the direction the showrunners are taking his character. He has a different backstory, motivations and I'm really enjoying his character development. It's a fresh take on his story and they're treating it with care, which I really appreciate. His Antitrix aliens also have some really incredible designs.

Cool powers, uncommon character in children's media, especially as a primary character often cast in a good light (ex con, high school dropout, masculine, not emotionally mature). His character development is some of the best in the series.

Gods, we could be here forever... Okay, short version- 1) I can relate to him on a mental health level, especially in the OG series we seemed to have similar issues and to handle them in similar ways 2) there's a lot of depth and variance to his character, he's angry and aggressive and dangerous but also a dork, a sweetheart, and very affectionate once he lets his walls down, he loves cars and supernatural romance, violence and magical girls, he'll rescue an aggressive dog for no reason other than it needed help but also he might consider how much he could get for selling you, he's a complex character and he's allowed to be in a way the Tennysons can't because of how firmly they sit in the Hero seat 3) for all of this, we never really know all that much about him and his experiences, at least in comparison to what we know is there- we never learn about his time traveling the galaxy, we haven't heard anything about his time stuck in time, it's only in the reboot we're getting trustworthy information about his background and even then it's rare tidbits- he's ripe for exploring in fic, headcanon, and so-on 4) his powers in the OG series, his status as mutant or alien or both who knows anymore leaves a lot of doors open to play and to look at the world through different angles 5) dude has turned into six different monstrous chimera forms over the course of the franchise and honestly you have to support that sort've shit in media otherwise they might stop

Rook -

Alien catboy with a glorious voice and have you seen those arms??? And he's so polite while also being hilarious when he gets a little rude/snarky and his character development is amazing!!

While I would normally say Ben himself, Rook is his only friend that hasn't tried to kill him. Additionally, he provides Ben with guidance as well as support the Gwen and Kevin are fickle about.

Having an actual alien joining the cast and serving at Ben's foil worked well to me.

Gwen -

Smart, talented, funny, snarky, confident, and super cute. Jock-prep-nerd energy all in one. Deserves the world. Criminally ignored by the majority of the fandom. Knows karate and judo?? College at 16?? Icon.

Angel, can do no wrong, was capable of so much more than the show let her do, potential to be the most powerful member of the team if they'd just let her go a lil feral sometimes :/

She was a good voice of reason most of the time. Her powers were really interesting and overall I think she had a lot of wasted potential having to be sidelined since the series was about Ben ultimately

Q2. Favourite minor characters

40 votes - Paradox

22 votes - Max Tennyson

18 votes - Tetrax

17 votes - Argit

16 votes - Julie Yamamoto

15 votes - Azmuth

12 votes - Ester

10 votes - Looma Red Wind

9 votes - Glitch

9 votes - Kai Green

7 votes - Alan Albright

6 votes - Jimmy Jones

4 votes - Cooper Daniels

3 votes - Eunice

3 votes - Helen Wheels

2 votes - Elena Validus

2 votes - Manny Armstrong

1 vote - Cash Murray

1 vote - Driba

Other votes went to Penny Bennyson, Kenny Tennyson/Spanner, Lucy Mann, Rook Shar, Eddie Grandsmith, Myaxx and Pakmar.

Q3. Ship or Zed

64% - Ship 36% - Zed

Q4. Favourite main antagonist

20% - Albedo 13.3% - Kevin 11 12% - Vilgax 10.7% - Charmcaster 10.7% - Zs’Skayr 9.3% - Malware 5.3% - Forever Knights 5.3% - Eon 4% - Highbreed & DNAliens 4% - Aggregor 1.3% - Servantis & Rooters 1.3% - Khyber 1.3% - Dagon & the Esoterica

Some ‘Why’ responses for top 3:

Albedo -

When I first saw him during the airing of Good Copy, Bad Copy, I was scared that Albedo might be a one-and-done evil clone that doesn't get much development. These fears went away, and I was pleased to find out about his backstory and motives, just a sour soul in an unpleasant situation. Even in Ultimate Alien with his reappearance episode, he tries to work on his own to cope in a horrid human world. He isn't necessarily malicious until Ben gets in his way, he just wants to return to his own body and leave, even stating that he wasn't going to fight Ben anymore while he had temporarily returned to his Galvan form. I know DJW stated in some interview that Albedo could never be redeemed, but I believe there's some hope if he gets help. And I'm a sucker for those redemption arcs :)

Tragic frog man that could have been helped but nobody helped him and he doubled down on his hatred which led to him getting stuck in a cycle of revenge and punishment and it's the tragedy of how much better things could have been for him if someone just helped him that I love so much!!

Kevin 11 -

He’s very dangerous and has a terrifying power to absorb electricity and living DNA to have the same powers of who he absorbed it from and even turn himself into a mutant with all those powers combined leading to destructive power

Kevin was a good antagonist and a good protagonist, although i feel the transition was rushed. Anti-hero kevin in the reboot is great!

Vilgax -

He was always the endgame villian for Ben, despite how many battles they've had, despite countless losses, he always tried to stay one step ahead, and plan everything.

"Speak with care, Psyphon. Your counsel is valuable...not irreplaceable."

Q5. Favourite minor villains

38 votes - Animo 20 votes - Hex 18 votes - Michael Morningstar/Darkstar 14 votes - SixSix 13 votes - Zombozo 9 votes - Vreedle family 9 votes - Vulkanus 8 votes - Rojo 5 votes - Inspector 13 5 votes - Billy Billions 5 votes - Will Harangue 4 votes - Fistrick 4 votes - Nyancy Chan 3 votes - Lord Decibel 3 votes - Simian 3 votes - Subdora 3 votes - Viktor 2 votes - Addwaitya 2 votes - Fistina 2 votes - Kraab 2 votes - Psyphon 2 votes - Steam Smythe 2 votes - Sunder 1 vote - Liam 1 vote - Ssserpent

Other votes went to Maurice & Sydney, Bugg Brothers, Alternate evil Bens, and the Mummy.

Q6. Favourite canon relationship

66.7% - Gwen & Kevin 13.3% - Max Tennyson & Verdona 5.3% - Ben & Kai 4% - Rook & Rayona 1.3% - Julie & Herve 1.3% - Max & Xylene

Q7. Favourite non-canon ship

36% - I don’t have one 30.7% - Ben & Rook 6.7% - Ben & Kevin 4% - Ben & Julie

Other responses included Ben & Rex, Kai & Julie, Looma & Attea, Alan & Cooper, Ben & Looma, Kevin & Manny, Gwen & Cooper, Ben & Ester, Max & Phil, Azmuth & Paradox, Cooper & Elena, Kai & Ester, Ben & Zak Saturday, Ben & Eddie, Ben & Albedo, Ben & Kevin & Gwen, Kenny & Devlin, OC & canon, and Ben & a therapist.

Q8. Favourite alien introduced in the Original Series

18.7% - XLR8 17.3% - Upgrade 13.3% - Ghostfreak 10.7% - Diamondhead 9.3% - Heatblast 8% - Wildmutt 6.7% - Ditto 2.7% - Blitzwolfer 2.7% - Snare-oh 2.7% - Grey Matter 1.3% - Cannonbolt 1.3% - Four Arms

Q9. Least favourite alien introduced in the Original Series

22.7% - Eye Guy 18.7% - Spitter 8% - Articguana 8% - Frankenstrike 6.7% - Upchuck 6.7% - Stinkfly 5.3% - Buzzshock 5.3% - Snare-oh 4% - Four Arms 2.7% - Blitzwolfer 2.7% - Ditto 2.7% - Wildmutt 2.7% - Grey Matter 1.3% - Cannonbolt 1.3% - Diamondhead 1.3% - Ghostfreak

Q10. Favourite alien introduced in Alien Force

46.7% - Big Chill 17.3% - Rath 8% - Goop 6.7% - Lodestar 5.3% - Swampfire 4% - Chromastone 4% - Spidermonkey 2.7% - Alien X 2.7% - Echo Echo 1.3% - Humungousaur 1.3% - Jetray

Q11. Least favourite alien introduced in Alien Force

18.7% - Lodestar 17.3% - Brainstorm 13.3% - Alien X 10.7% - Humungousaur 10.7% - Spidermonkey 8% - Jetray 8% - Chromastone 5.3% - Goop 5.3% - Echo Echo 2.7% - Rath

Q12. Favourite alien introduced in Ultimate Alien

18.7% - Juryrigg 16% - AmpFibian 14.7% - Clockwork 12% - NRG 8% - Armodrillo 8% - Shocksquatch 8% - Terraspin 8% - Water Hazard 2.7% - Chamalien 2.7% - Fasttrack 1.3% - Eatle

Q13. Least favourite alien introduced in Ultimate Alien

30.7% - Fasttrack 18.7% - Eatle 13.3% - Juryrigg 9.3% - Chamalien 8% - Shocksquatch 6.7% - Terraspin 5.3% - Water Hazard 4% - Clockwork 1.3% - AmpFibian 1.3% - Armodrillo 1.3% - NRG

Q14. Favourite Ultimate Form

38.7% - Echo Echo 24% - Big Chill 10.7% - Swampfire 9.3% - Way Big 8% - Wildmutt 6.7% - Spidermonkey 1.3% - Cannonbolt 1.3% - Humungousaur

Q15. Favourite alien introduced in Omniverse

29.3% - Feedback 13.3% - Pesky Dust 12% - Gravattack 9.3% - Ball Weevil 8% - Bullfrag 6.7% - Whampire 5.3% - Bloxx 4% - Atomix 4% - Walkatrout 2.7% - Gutrot 1.3% - Crashhopper 1.3% - Kickin Hawk 1.3% - Toepick 1.3% - The Worst

Q16. Least favourite alien introduced in Omniverse

24% - The Worst 14.7% - Bloxx 12% - Mole-Stache 8% - Bullfrag 6.7% - Astrodactyl 6.7% - Kickin Hawk 5.3% - Atomix 5.3% - Gutrot 4% - Crashhopper 4% - Walkatrout 2.7% - Toepick 1.3% - Ball Weevil

Q17. Favourite alternate Ben timeline

29.3% - No watch Ben 24% - Gwen 10 17.3% - Ben 10,000 8% - Mad Ben 6.7% - Dimension 23 6.7% - Eon 4% - Nega Ben 2.7% - Benzarro 1.3% - Bad Ben

Misc.

Q1. Favourite watch design

37.3% - Original Series 29.3% - Omniverse 17.3% - Alien Force 9.3% - Ultimatrix 6.7% - Reboot

Q2. Favourite alternate watch design

29.3% - Biomnitrix 20% - Gwen 10 18.7% - Negatrix 17.3% - Antitrix 8% - Power Watch 6.7% - Hero Watch

Q3. Favourite planet visited

32% - Anur Transyl 20% - Revonnah 13.3% - Mykdl’dy 10.7% - Galvan Prime 9.3% - Vilgaxia 6.7% - Piscciss 5.3% - Petropia 2.7% - Khoros

Q4. Favourite locations

34 votes - Undertown 23 votes - Ledgerdomain 23 votes - Null Void 22 votes - Bellwood 19 votes - Friedkin University 18 votes - Mr. Smoothy 16 votes - Forge of Creation 15 votes - Los Soledad 7 votes - Burger Shack 7 votes - Plumber Headquarters 4 votes - Incarcecon 2 votes - Mt. Rushmore Plumber base 2 votes - The Perplexahedron 1 vote - Plumber Academy

Q5. Favourite Vehicle

33.3% - Kevin’s car (Original) 25.3% - Rustbucket 18.7% - Proto-TRUK 13.3% - DX Mark 10 5.3% - Kevin’s car (Omniverse) 4% - Glitch

Q6. Favourite Kevin mutation

40% - Original series 20% - Ken 10 future 12% - Ultimate Alien 8% - Omniverse 8% - Alien Force 6.7% - Omniverse flashback 5.3% - Reboot

Q7. Favourite Omniverse redesign

66.7% - Ben 26.6% - Kevin 6.7% - Gwen

Q8. Least favourite Omniverse redesign

76% - Gwen 18.7% - Kevin 5.3% - Ben

Thoughts

(Putting every single response here would make this insanely long so I’ve just put the most detailed/most echoed responses & include all sides of opinions when possible.)

Q1. Thoughts on the Osmosians retcon?

Okay, first up, do you know how much work I had already put into building shit surrounding those fuckers by the time of the retcons? I had been working on this crap since AF season 2! But no, they gotta go ruin that in one fell swoop, thank you, much appreciated. Second up, I wibble on it? Like, working with mutants is fun and interesting and I've done plenty of shit with them as well, but in the end I'm always going to be a pro-Ossys person. Mostly the retcons left more questions than they gave answers (how, if Osmosians never existed, did everybody and their mother know Kevin was an Osmosian? why, if Osmosians never existed, did none of the people not-involved in this whole disaster with Servantis's mindfuckery look at Aggregor being reported as an Osmosian and go 'wtf that's not a thing'? do they really mean to tell me that not only did Kevin never bother to look into his heritage, but neither did research-happy Gwen? or am I expected to believe the Rooters made enough fake information and put it out publicly that they fooled literally everyone? and if they did then why? when it would've done the same thing with less effort if they'd just, let Kevin be a mutant with a Plumber father who died) and I feel like they didn't really give enough to justify them. One of those cases of 'making your work less interesting to make it more 'accurate''. Personally, I forever keep working on Osmosians (where's the line where it just starts becoming your shit, I think I may be heading there) and I love on mutants and I flip between or combine the two as needed for whatever story I want to tell.

While the fake memories plot isn't great I think it's for the best because the original series meant for Kevin to be a mutant while UAF changed it to alien. I like him better as a mutant human. Too much alien connections in UAF.

I could scream for hours. Easily one of the worst decisions they ever made. Omniverse picks and chooses what canon to follow from AFUA + the original run and throws it in without care or concern to what it means for the timeline. Retconning something and keeping the effect it had is just bad writing. Kevin coming to terms with not being human and that’s okay was important to me when I was a kid. Knowing that he’s just been on an unending series of brainwashed nonsense all his life deprives him of his agency. I hate this decision more than several dozen essays could ever convey.

I wasn't mad about it. Mainly because I liked the idea of Kevin being a mutant than an alien. Alien Force really was pushing that aspect even with Gwen. To the point where she called her powers 'not spells' because of her heritage. Stupid that the rooters and fake memories were a thing, but necessary.

I was never a big fan of the Rooters Arc, but this doesn't bother me too much. It makes UA a little weird with Aggragor, but again, it doesn't really bother me, as most of Omniverse didn't explore Kevin (While UA Did), and was mostly about Ben.

Osmosians were such a cool idea, and it would've allowed for more exploration into what Mike Morningstar was as well, but just writing them off as mutates is so boring. As well as it makes Aggregors whole part not really make sense, like who is he then.

While well executed, it was unnecessary. You could have had the same story line where Kevin was used to mutate other kids and still had him an Alien. You could have had it where it was another alien species that used Osmosians to morph other species to theirs; a call back to the DNAliens if you want.

Q2. Thoughts on how the Ultimate Kevin situation was dealt with in UA?

Terrible. They wanted to go far. They wanted to go dark. But they didn't think their viewership could handle it so they dialed it back. I will always be curious to know what they would have written if they didn't have those constraints. Because the final product was a mess of contrasting tone and unsure footing about how far to go with questioning our hero's moral compass. They wanted to push Ben to see what he would do and apparently, we got that he would kill Kevin and maybe Gwen if she got in the way of saving the universe.... but not really because he didn't. And then the gang is happy all back together like none of it ever happened. They wanted to explore dark themes but have it leave no consequences on the characters. Also... it was so ableist and awful and Kevin deserved better than how Ben and Max (and the writers) treated him.

If they did everything the same but the argument was 'we need to capture him and lock him away' instead of 'we need to kill him'? I would be fine. It's the fact that they slipped so quickly into murder, into murder by his 16-yo bestfriend, that gets me. Like, there's apparently no space between 'recklessly risk our safety trying to talk him down' and 'Ol' Yeller his ass' and that just does not sit right with me.

Ben should have looked for alternate solutions before jumping on the "Let's kill Kevin" train. I understand why he did (this took place immediately post-Aggregor so Ben was still traumatized about having lost so many people and because he failed and "let" Kevin get turned into Ultimate Kevin, he felt as though every person Kevin hurt would be on him) but I wish he hadn't.

Pretty good actually. I like Gwen's emotions becoming a hindrance to the job, I like Ben putting on his big boy pants and I like Kevin going up to Aggregor and saying "y'know, I was a big boy villain once and I'm tried of just getting kicked around" (obviously paraphrasing)

Other than the scenario being overplayed, I think Ben was right. Kevin was eventually going to end up killing Gwen and he'd already put others in the hospital. He needed to be stopped.

Ben jumping straight to murder, yikes. Kevin dismissing Gwen to hang out with Ben almost as soon as he turned back to normal, yikes. Otherwise, it was an interesting plotline.

Really bad. Really shows how awful max and the plumbers really are. I mean , the guy saved the universe and now he clearly needs help but all they wanted to do was kill him.

it really felt like Ben just wanted to murder Kevin because he saved the universe that one time and Ben couldn't stand someone else being the hero for once

The worst, Max straight away wanting to put him down makes u wonder how long he's been waiting for that kind of opportunity.

I'm fine with it, maybe they could have spent some time dealing with the consequences of Kevin's actions, possibly even the ramifications it had on Ben and Kevin's friendship, but overall I'm ok with it.

Q3. Thoughts on the Plumbers

Plumbers ain't shit. Individuals can be acceptable or not but the organization as a whole has too much power, not enough oversight, utilizes child labor, uses a deathtrap of a hellscape dimension as a penal colony, has been shown onscreen sentencing people to imprisonment in said dimension without a trial, and I'm sorry the fact that a Plumber official could walk into a base with his team, assault several members of staff, attempt to kidnap a boy, admit to having and planning to continue to run illegal experiments on him and others, admit to having altered the memories of other Plumber officials, all in front of the entire base, and nothing was done until he tried to kill the golden child Ben 10 and failed, got his ass kicked by one of his victims, and in a place where presumably there were security cameras? And that the response was, again, to sentence him and his team without trial, take all the evidence, and peace out without so much as looking at nonetheless apologizing to his victims? Yeah, that don't fly. Doesn't sound like an organization that has it's shit together. Either the Plumbers don't have their shit together or the higher ups were in on it until it became something that could actually damage their reputation, and either way I Do Not Approve.

They're pretty cool. I know everyone's talking about how Plumbers are space cops and therefore absolutely corrupt and bad but this is a fictional universe in which corruption in organized forces isn't a necessity. Plumbers don't function the same way real cops do, they don't follow they same chain of command, they don't have the same motivations and they definitely don't have the same biases. Plumbers perform an essential function in the Ben 10 universe, which is to capture and contain aliens who aim to hurt anyone (or those who Ben defeats).

My knowledge of the Plumbers' unfortunately doesn't go beyond UA. They're not my favorite thing ever. Some of my least favorite episodes were the ones where the Plumbers or Plumbers' kids are involved, except for the episode "Everybody Talks About the Weather". The way Alan is introduced is really cool and very X Files-esque, and it ties into the DNAlien plot very well. But throughout the series I stopped caring about the Plumbers in general and I think that concept was given too much attention.

They don't do what they're meant to. They act like heros yet I don't think I've ever seen them do anything heroic. The DNAliens situation, the aggregor situation, dagon etc etc. Where were they??? Why did they leave the fate of the universe in the hands of a 16 year-old boy? Ben has the omnitrix sure , but he's still just one guy, how much can he fight? They showed up every once in a while but that's it. They were useless.

Of course the Plumbers have their problems, but looking at most characters we've met that were plumbers seem to be pretty good people. Max, Patelliday and Rook (and even Kevin, technically) are great examples of Plumbers, Servantis being a bad example of one.

Honestly liked it when it was disbanded. It’s cool they introduced Rook but like there’s so much wrong with how they run most things. My favorite version of the plumbers was tbh the first live action movie. Where it was just a bunch of old people watching out for Ben cause they actually cared about the people they protected (in this case Ben).

Q4. Thoughts on Grandpa Max

(The responses to this one were way more divided than I thought they would be omg)

He said Kevin was a mad dog that needed to put down. He's terrible. Military. Secretive. Kept his kids out of the loop and probably told the grandkids not to tell them about a huge and extremely dangerous part of their lives. Thus creating a gap between them and their parents that didn't need to be there. Child endangerment. Other than that....? He's important to Ben and Gwen so I tolerate him and he had some good life lessons to share. Also legendary adult figure in a kids cartoon who had relationships with multiple aliens.

He’s incredible, he worked in the Air Force, was going to be one of the first people on the moon (But he refused because he joined the Plumbers) had children with an Energy Being, he has a few grandchildren, and not to mention knows how to still kick butt despite him being in his 60s and was there to help Ben grow

He’s a complicated old man. Love him to bits in the original run and I love him in AF! He’s a utilitarian doing what needs to be done and suffering the consequences when need be. He does what he thinks is going to lead to the best possible outcome for the most people in any situation.

Needs to get knocked off his pedestal more often, both in and out of canon. He's got good traits, they're very nice, but there's other shit that gets glossed over, ignored, brushed aside, too easily forgiven, and just. They really needed a character who served double duty being a counterforce to him. Somebody to go 'wtf is wrong with you?' or 'yeah, no'. Ideally this would've been Patilidae, but no. We couldn't be so lucky.

Conflicted. Was he grooming Ben for plumber work, or just trying to support him in a situation he knew would be dangerous? It’s not made very clear...

I think he's got some sort of narcissistic personality disorder. I just can't forgive him for making Ben carry the burden of the Omnitrix at the age of 10 without ever explaining anything, and for not letting Ben and Gwen know he was alive after the Null Void grenade incident in AF. He clearly could have, if Helen could reach Gwen so easily. I think he views Ben more as an asset than a grandson at this point and that's really sad.

I love him! The progression from family hero to questionable old man felt kinda natural, like learning about a family member as you grow older and realizing they aren't perfect

He's awesome. He was a good role model for Ben and he was very supportive to both his grandkids. I hate that they made him mute in Omniverse and changed his design so drastically. I loved Max in every season from the original till Ultimate Alien. After that, he was pretty much just a prop.

Q5. And finally, give me your most controversial Ben 10 opinion!

It seems to be the worst thing to say that Ben isn't perfect and that Kai isn't demonic. And it's pretty standard for the women of color characters in every fandom to get the most hate so to me all the hate towards Kai when her personality is so close to Ben's AND she's also more hated than the ex-villain and the actual villains that tried to kill Ben multiple times just seems- hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. But really, and really I've needed to say this for a long time but I'm afraid of being strangled. Some fans will denounce incest/pedo shippers and people that interact with them and then reblog from a proud Bwen shipper with no self-awareness. Please I have the tags blacklisted are you safe to interact with and you just don't know? Or you're just saying you hate Bwen shippers to give yourself an out for reblogging their content????? Or are you all closeted incest shippers trying to maintain a public image???? I'm at my limit.

I do not think the reboot should have existed tbh :,D I know that it has a ton of fans and all due respect to them, but from what I've seen of it I don't think it was worth tossing away four interconnected series' worth of development and starting from scratch to end up with what we have now. I would be fine with it existing if we got an Omniverse continuation alongside it, but CN screwed OV over by the decisions they made near the end of it's run. So it's probably impossible it would return, even moreso because of the reboot already airing, and it would probably confuse younger audiences that don't know about Omniverse if two Ben 10's were running separately. I just really miss Omniverse, it had more potential and the reboot placed the final nail in for it to ever return.

The Ben 10 reboot is fun and meant more for kids rather than the ones watching for nostalgia. I didn’t like how Gwevin were sidelined and downplayed to make Ben look better. Sometimes it felt like Gwen was a bit naggy towards the two of them. I didn’t like how the fact that she was the only female lead how she had sometimes act like a parent or that they put Gwen and Kevin together just because. Their relationship felt forced and awkward a lot of the time. Omniverse’s designs while controversial were fun and unique but I didn’t like what they did with Gwevin, especially Gwen.

Kevin is totally smart enough to figure out an Omnitrix with the blueprints in front of him, we see him do amazing shit with technology- including the Omnitrix- in the OG series, people just don't notice he's as brilliant as Gwen because the show never made it as big a point that he and Ben were so very smart like it did with her before the reboot, so now they're being forced to acknowledge that Kevin might have two braincells to rub together and they're pushing against the supposed 'change'.

idk if it's controversial but there should've been way more episodes of just gwen & kevin & rook without ben or ben having a very minor role in the episode. just more time for those three to shine and show off how capable they are without ben always having to come in to save the day at the end

Gwen and Kevin aren't good friends to Ben. I mean they were initially, but once he got famous and they didn't, they stopped putting more than a half-assed effort to help him. They also don't really consider his feelings nor really care about the toll heroing takes on him.

The Reboot has the best jokes in the entire franchise and I don't why people give it so much crap.

Kai Green is an abuser and I refuse to find anything redeemable about her character. "Worthy to wield Excalibur," my entire ass. And Ben and Julie's breakup was good for them both, as people, and just as much her fault as it was his.

Ben 10 is an incredibly flawed show and people need to stop getting butt hurt when the blatant misogyny, and copoganda in the show get pointed out or when any even minority critiques Ben's character.

Ben is the worst character in Ben 10 and the whole franchise would be better off without him.

Azmuth is fine for the most part and malware was not exactly the most understanding person

I think Ben should've stayed single. Every episode where romance (or the girl Ben was dating) was the focus of the episode was pretty boring to me, personally.

Ben's parents were right to try to stop him from being a hero, so were Gwen's.

Ultimate alien force season 2 and 3 were amazing.( not comparing the OS since obviously that's the best, or omniverse since I haven't watched all the episodes of that)

Pierce deserved to die for being a boring character. I just wish his death had actual consequences.

The reboot is a genuine improvement over the original continuity in MANY ways!

Oh geez, um, Kai was a good character, just her and ben were obviously toxic. Not everyone needs to like Ben and she isn't an abuser, they just don't get along and that's fine but by God, why did the writers have to force them in a relationship? That's all I could really think of on the spot. Oh! And that the first two season of AF were a watered down version of Ben and the plot focused more on Gwen and Kevin than it did Ben. He felt like a side character and I'm not mad about that, but I don't understand why people praise that characterization of ben when I remember more about gwen and Kevin then Ben. Dude, I've been watching the show for the past week and I can name more about kevin and gwen because they're memorable.

Azmuth's hot af, but y'all aren't ready for that conversation...

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If you’ve made it this far then thank you!

Again huge thank you to everyone who submitted a response and if you have any questions/comments please feel free to leave them in the replies/send me an ask/dm/whatever ^^

#ben 10 #ben 10 alien force #ben 10 ultimate alien #ben 10 omniverse #ben tennyson #b10 #gwen tennyson #kevin levin #rook blonko #WE DID IT LADS #looking back there were SO many questions i couldve added like more directly fandom related ones but ehhhhh live and learn i guess #it was fun to do anyway :3

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falllpoutboy · 2 years

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“mj being written out. zendaya is given dust to work with. if the next trilogy really writes out zendaya’s mj for good just to replace her with a white mary jane or gwen stacy” THIS is what I wanted to get into yesterday! When I left the theater I was in disbelief. Like clock work the Anya TJ, Dove Cameron, insert another blonde actress with way less clout than Zendaya here fan casts have begun. What a waste.

I have zero faith in Amy or Kevin or the next trilogy. It’ll be a spicy yt that gets cast, an Italian with a tan or a white identifying Latina. Tom better put his money where his mouth is and ask for “his MJ” to be brought back so he can properly rectify the situation.

Don’t get me started on wasting Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei’s talent on a tired ass storyline. UGH!

the whole thing is just so backwards to me. i genuinely thought they were somewhat saying "fuck the racists we have a black mj and she's spidermans love interest" but they couldn't even do that without writing her out in the end. obviously nothing is set in stone but it honestly reeks of racism and even more pandering to the racist dudebro fans who hate black mj

i really hope tom asks for zendaya to come back but like the ultimate decision is out of his hands

#anon #asks #nwh spoilers

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32necl · 5 years

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alright so this is coming from someone whos opinion of gwevin is a sliding scale of disinterest to intense dislike. im not going to be hating on the ship in this so dont worry.

will i ever write gwevin? probably but itll be very different than we see in either omniverse or AF/UA.

in this essay (read: word blob) i will talk about how gwevins interesting if done right and you have kevin parallel verdona instead of grandpa max.

im posting this at 7 am ive been up all night its not gonna be full of evidence but if youve seen AF/UA at least or parts of omniverse youll get what i mean

so the boring heterosexual approach to gwevin taken by the AF/UA writers and continued on in omniverse is that grandpa max = kevin and verdona = gwen.

some things to note in this approach:

kevin = grandpa max

both have a love for their cars

both are in love with aliens

theyre both taller and bulkier than their respective love interests

thats about where the similarities really end that they show. so that could obviously be fixed. gwevin wasnt end game in the original 2005 show so they had to pretty much start off from page one which is admirable in a way.

they essentially had to pull a naruto with it however. for ages naru/saku shippers took kushinas line “find a girl like me” to mean sakura. their romances were easily comparable. naruto was kushina and sakura was minato though. and i honestly find it cute in a way. it was supposed to be a red herring.

naru/hina fans also said it was a redherring for their ship but i dont really understand where they’re coming from, but it was along the same lines. attributing minatos shy demeanor to hinatas.

gwen = verdona

theyre both anodites

stubborn

try very hard to be in control of situations and not allow others to force them to do things

the main thing with the comparison was them both being anodites.

now if you want to make the dynamic more interesting and appealing? make it so that its reversed.

kevin = verdona

try to do things for their partners even if its not what they want

misinterpret situations

corny sense of humor

enjoy teasing ben and have a soft spot for him

not from around here (verdonas from anodyne and depending on what you follow, kevins a mutant orphan / orphan alien)

cannot properly deal with grief in healthy ways

dont fully understand when their partner’s upset about things / why theyre upset but try to fix it in their own way

cling to their partners but inevitably push them away in ways they either dont intend to or in an effort to not feel trapped

sarcastic as hell

often go about things the emotional route though they do follow a specific logic unique to them that isnt always easy to follow

loose morals / a moral code thats strict but no one understands the reasoning behind it

free spirits with a variety of skills theyve picked up in their lifetimes

gwen = grandpa max

both have a very “loved ones first” mentality. grandpa max seemingly sacrificing himself for the greater good in “max out” and gwen in “time heals” aiming to go back in time to stop kevin from mutating.

along with gwen terrifying the living daylights out of zombozo in the episode “hit ‘em where they live” where the famous gwen threat comes from

“I'm not talking about him! I want you to listen to me then pass the word to every lowlife you know; if you want to come after Ben, or Kevin, or me, fine! That's the life you chose! I'm talking to you! (turns into an Anodite) LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME! As of right now, the Tennyson family is off-limits!!! If any of you ever attacks one of our loved ones, or hurts one of our loved ones, or even bumps into someone we love in the street, this is what awaits you!!!”

also in the same episode grandpa max fights off an alien assassin sent to kill sandra tennyson in her backyard

often feel as though they have to do things by themselves to get it done

hard headed

often go about decisions based on rational thought than feeling - though there are exceptions (such as when a loved one is in danger)

often the boss / leader or second in command in situations.

max and gwen have been super close since the start, bonding over initially being almost powerless in the face of ben with his omnitrix. though that later changes in the 2005 series.

both skilled in forms of physical combat

both have various admirers such as xylene and verdona etc / kevin michael / cooper

slow to open up fully

keep secrets from loved ones for the “greater good”

initially view their lovers subconsciously as work in progresses before transitioning to puppy love due to bonding in dangerous situations. which later turns out to be more

theres a lot more but ive been thinking about it.

i dont really like the ship as it is in canon but it has potential ykno? i still prefer ken/devlin but thats just been a preference since before AF/UA came out and i cant stand to think of them being shipped as cousins ew.

and i dont think devlins gwens kid bc he wasnt originally intended to be. it was some woman from saturn but i do find myself liking the idea of gwen taking a shinning to kevins kid and doting on him. boom slowburn gwevin where devlin hopes cool witch gwen will finally ask his jaded father out and be a part of their family. but thats like some specific world building thatd have to go into that one.

well im off to make a gwevin amv to a jack stauber song bc i hate life and heard it and thought of them.

#my thoughts #*#long post #im exhaustion

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kariachi · 1 year

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Okay, I have to poke this because this is the topic of the day- that weird-ass end to Looma and Ben’s initial engagement, where Looma challenges Julie to combat for the crime of being a chick Ben is into, with the fate of the planet of the line if anyone interferes, and upon kinda losing? Calls the whole engagement off because she’s lost the right to Ben to, somebody who didn’t fucking want him in the first place.

Just- The way the ladies are handled in OV, because this is another example of it. Everything up to that point works in-universe. Whether it’s good writing, well, we’re not here to be rude, but it works. And then Looma learns Julie and Ben might be a thing. And just- It’s unnecessary. You don’t need to make the conflict there over Ben. She’s kidnapped people, that is reason enough to have a nice fight scene there. There is no reason for this to be a situation.

‘But Achi-’ Don’t even start, look at the way the ladies are handled throughout OV. This is what I’m dealing with. How much of the conflict between women in that show is over men? How much of it serves no real purpose besides to go ‘watch these women fight over our main character!’? It’s all for the sake of pointless drama with no care for the actual characters or the worldbuilding or any understanding of how harem works are supposed to go, the suitors are supposed to all be viable options so that you get the ‘who will they choose’ question you cannot be doing this to them-!

I’m okay. I’m okay. We’re good. We’re also fucking tossing that because it doesn’t actually come to anything anyway given Looma just turns right the fuck around and decides to take back her dropping of the engagement. Why, canonically, she decided to go back for the guy she supposedly lost all right to and who never even pretended to be down with the situation rather than try to grab Kevin again I have no idea, but by tossing this we lose that question entirely. Either Rules of Engagement doesn’t end with the ending of Ben and Looma’s engagement, or it does because people fucking communicate.

Because you have that option. People can communicate. It’s allowed, and actually makes for a stronger work overall. And before you come over here with ‘well Looma doesn’t listen to people’ the one character she’s likely to listen to out of all this is right there. She’s specifically here to do her duty by and make an impression on her mother-in-law, and you’re telling me they couldn’t have Sandra sit down and talk with her? Of course not, gods forbid we have a situation handled with words between women that doesn’t rely on Ben acting as the voice of reason. Why the writers’ room may have fucking melted.

Just, it’s so emblematic of the shit treatment of women in OV. Charmcaster gets to go completely around the bend, have the shit she’s pulled blamed on it, and then held without trial or even arrest because gods forbid she have proper agency in her own story. Julie gets dropped in a manner that still has fans trying to claim she’s a piece of shit. Gwen gets relegated to fucking side character status. Attea gets aged up specifically so she can be a love interest for Ben and then is kept as a villain who sure as shit isn’t a viable option because the writers never actually watched a harem work. Looma gets all signs of depth ignored in favor of using her and her plight as a source of easy violence and conflict, while again keeping her as a villain who isn’t a viable option despite being presented as a love interest. Ester gets to be a proper viable love interest but Ben’s shit boyfriend-ness is turned up to 11 to the point he fucking ghosts her. Kai doesn’t even get to properly grow together with Ben, instead having her future son be used as a plot device to shove the two of them together. Attea and Looma’s desire for husbands is twisted into a lack of self worth neither has ever shown so that Ben can pull out a ‘you don’t need a man’ speech that isn’t even relevant to their situations but is treated as if it is for some god forsaken reason. The entirety of Most Dangerous Gameshow exists.

And that’s not even getting into the character designs!

The whole thing is a fucking mess and these ladies deserved so much better.

#achi rants #especially looma #looma deserves so much more

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yoakkemae · 3 years

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kevin & fame.

unlike ben and gwen, who are easily connected by their familial relationship, it’s a lot harder for people to connect that “mullet guy” to “kevin levin”, especially since kevin doesn’t go to school and spends about half of his free time off-world. it was only by pure luck that a girl, who was forced by her mother to go to a mechanic to get her car’s oil change, managed to recognise kevin and find out his name by calmly asking kevin’s boss. she then, of course, took it to social media, and, honestly, kevin’s day-to-day life hasn’t changed much.

in regards to his job at the auto shop, there were a few customers that either stopped going to the auto shop or specifically requested kevin not to work on their cars ( and/or requested that his boss terminate kevin’s job ), but there were also an influx of people who would go to the auto shop and get their car fixed there because kevin was there. since it’s easy to tell who is ACTUALLY there for their car and who is just there for kevin, the auto shop doesn’t tend to get too crazy.

as for his fellow employees, none of them actually have a problem with kevin. some will joke about alien conspiracies to him, but all of them are just happy that kevin’s out there and kicking ass. his boss, in particular, tends to be extremely proud of him and very understanding of kevin’s situation and of the whole thing ( but kevin also told him ahead of time about him and his work ).

also, since kevin is actually pretty good at losing tails and spotting people who is watching him, no fans have found his storage unit yet ( where he does sometimes sleep when he gets into an argument with harvey ( or just plain want to avoid him ) and/or lose track of time working on his car ). however, as his car is very noticeable, sometimes when he’s parked on the street or in parking lots to go get stuff, fans might crowd his car and trying to take pictures of it and/or him. kevin’s mostly annoyed with it because a) they touched his car, b) they TOUCHED his CAR, and c) THEY TOUCHED HIS CAR.

thankfully, kevin hasn’t actually killed someone over this kind of stuff, but he has dangerously driven off even when people are attempting to clamour over his car.

he does have quite a lot of fans, especially teenaged girls, because he’s like that one character from an anime or a drama that’s “dark, mysterious, kind of mean but is probably secretly kind”, and he’s also kind of that “ruggedly handsome” in a weird way i guess idk it’s more clear in his rl fc i chose for him so that “helps” with his popularity, and it’s honestly a good thing he doesn’t have social media. the general public, however, definitely knows benand gwen better than they know him.

#⤷ kevin l.【 ❝ life is full of disappointments. ❞ 】analysis.

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xb-squaredx · 7 years

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The Life and Times of Ben 10: A Retrospective

As a fan of both superheroes and animation, it should come as no surprise that I was quite a big fan of Ben 10 back in the day. One of Cartoon Network’s more popular series, it told the story of Ben Tennyson, and how his life changed forever when an alien device, the Omnitrix, becomes attached to his wrist and he finds he can use it to turn into various alien forms. So naturally he does what any ten year old would do in that situation and becomes a super hero. Perhaps one of the more “toyetic” franchises Cartoon Network has ever had, it was extremely profitable and featured several sequel series, TV movies and specials, having the distinction of being Cartoon Network’s longest running original series. It’s back now with a reboot, and it seems timely enough to evaluate the ups and downs the franchise has had, and speculate as to where it might go next. So slap on your watch. It’s hero time!

The series that started it all, and the only series helmed by Man of Action studios (until the reboot anyway), the premise is simple. Ben accidentally acquires the Omnitrix and spends summer vacation on a cross-country road trip with his Grandpa Max and cousin Gwen, saving the day and occasionally causing problems with his alien heroes. Throughout the four seasons, the show builds up an impressive rogue’s gallery for Ben to combat. From the mad scientist Doctor Animo, to the secret anti-alien society of the Forever Knights, Ben clashes with threats both alien and closer to home. Most of the series is Villain of the Week, Ben and his family dealing with a given threat at a new location on their vacation, with some villains becoming more of a recurring problem. Chiefly, there is Vilgax, a galactic warmonger who aims to make the Omnitrix his and proves to be incredibly dangerous in battle, as well as Kevin 11, a mutant around Ben’s age who can absorb energy, and when he absorbs energy from the Omnitrix, alien forms as well. Ben slowly learns more about the Omnitrix with his time with it, as well as the secret history of The Plumbers, a group that has kept people safe from alien attacks for decades, with his Grandpa Max serving as one of their ranks.

The series had a finale of sorts with the TV movie, “Secret of the Omnitrix.” It detailed Ben traveling across the cosmos in search of the Omnitrix’s creator, in order to abort a self-destruct protocol that was accidentally triggered. Outside of that, there was also a live action movie, “Race Against Time” that also seemed to take place after the series had ended, as well as a later CGI animated film, “Destroy All Aliens” that aired several years after the original series had ended, for whatever reason.

On the whole, the original series had a good balance of humor and action, and while the vast majority of the episodes were self-contained, the continuity grew stronger as time went on. Max’s Plumber status was subtly hinted at early on, as was the build up to one of Ben’s alien forms, Ghostfreak, being sentient, with it eventually escaping the watch and becoming a major antagonist. That said, the show’s weak link was probably Gwen early on. Depicted as the more responsible of the two kids, she was a constant voice of reason, but she came off as a bit of a nag. Her and Ben’s relationship was so antagonistic, it makes one question why she was even on the road trip in the first place. The fact that she largely couldn’t contribute to the greater threats at first didn’t help, but she eventually gains knowledge of magic and is able to contribute greater. The show’s greatest strength was its overall simplicity and plenty of room for expansion if they so desired. The “Secret of the Omnitrix” TV movie was a great potential sendoff for the series, and while the final season of the show had some rough spots and felt a little rudderless, it had a good run. But that was merely the beginning…

Man of Action went on to develop a new show, Generator Rex and left the responsibility of making a sequel series in the hands of Dwayne McDuffie, a renowned comic book and television writer, known for the creation of the comic book character Static, and his work on comic book TV shows like Teen Titans, Justice League and Static Shock. It seemed like a good fit, taking the show in a bold new direction, but this direction was not without its critics.

Alien Force took place five years later, featuring an older, wiser and more mature Ben, who must once again don the Omnitrix to take on greater alien threats. This time around he’s joined by Gwen and a reformed Kevin, with Grandpa Max acting as a mentor, but not quite as active as he used to be. The show took on a darker tone, having far greater continuity and exploring various facets of the show’s overall mythology, to mixed reviews overall. Running for three seasons, the show had a variety of new antagonists introduced, as well as new allies. From the Highbreed race that served as the first two season’s antagonists, to Albedo, an assistant to Azmuth, the Omnitrix’s creator, characters new and old came into conflict with Ben. Fans were split on the darker tone and the treatment of certain characters. This incarnation of Vilgax is often contested, for one, and certain plot points in the series directly retconned and contradicted previously established canon. Gwen’s powers were stated to not be magic, stating that magic didn’t exist and her powers were the results of being part alien (though later, confusingly, magic was confirmed to exist and Gwen would occasionally cast spells again). Meanwhile, Kevin’s power set dramatically shifted from absorbing energy to being able to absorb the properties of solid matter, coating himself in a thin armor of whatever he touched, and rather than being a mutant, his powers are also shown to be from alien heritage. Kevin in general underwent a major overhaul in character, and despite being a major foe for Ben in the past, he is almost instantly inducted into their team with little friction.

Season three attempted to “recapture” bits of the original series after all of the backlash, causing Ben to suddenly lose his maturity and more comedy was injected into the series, albeit unevenly. A trend would start from season three of Alien Force on to recapture the spark of the original series. More characters from the original series made a return, most notably Vilgax, before building up to the finale. Albedo returns with a new Omnitrix, known as the Ultimatrix, which allows him to evolve his alien forms into a stronger “ultimate” form. Albedo teams up with Vilgax, and Ben is forced to use the Ultimatrix himself to defeat them, which gives us a segue to the next series.

One year after the end of Alien Force, Ben is still adjusting to the Ultimatrix, as well as newfound fame and distrust when his true identity is leaked to the world. Truth be told, it was around the end of season one of Ultimate Alien that I started falling out with the show, and while fans continued to be split on the direction the show was going, it still lasted three seasons.

Season one focused on Aggregor, a villainous member of Kevin’s alien species and his goal of absorbing the powers of five special aliens to gain access to something powerful enough to reshape the universe into his image. Despite their efforts, he proves too strong to defeat, and Kevin sacrifices his sanity by absorbing energy from the Ultimatrix, once again taking on a monstrous form to take Aggregor down. The end of the season highlights how Kevin changed drastically from the original series up until that point, before he is eventually saved. Season two is mostly made up of one-off stories, though begins planting seeds that would blossom forth in the third season. The final season sees Ben and his friends learning more about the anti-alien organization, The Forever Knights, as an ancient, transdimentional being attempts to conquer Earth. The finale has Azmuth return and present Ben with a new Omnitrix, one that is apparently “perfect,” feeling Ben has proved himself more than worthy.

Ultimate Alien gets points for attempting to connect multiple dots in the greater Ben 10 mythos, managing to explain how Kevin reformed, why Ben trusted him so readily in Alien Force and even attempted to tie in the Race Against Time live-action movie, as well as Alien Force’s own live-action movie, Ben 10: Alien Swarm. Ben also had a crossover episode with Man of Action’s Generator Rex during the Ultimate Alien series, which most would agree wound up being awesome for fans of both.

Alien Force and Ultimate Alien, while successful, made the show’s continuity more complicated and its darker tone seemed to affect its global popularity. Higher-ups at Cartoon Network had already attempted to inject some more lightheartedness and simplicity back into the series at various points to mixed success, and as a result I feel that both sequel series have some serious tonal issues. Ben at times is incredibly goofy and carefree, like his old self, but spends the latter part of Ultimate Alien’s first season dead-set on killing Kevin, believing he can’t be saved. We have lighthearted adversaries like the hillbilly Vreedle family, alongside Dagon, essentially alien Cthulhu. It was clear there were arguments in the writer’s room about just where to take the series, considering the various retcons and drastic changes in personality or motive for some characters. The villain Charmcaster went back and forth on whether or not she wanted to reform, and there are multiple points where Azmuth seems to change his mind on just what he made the Omnitrix for in the first place. Matters grew more complicated with the unfortunate passing of series’ producer Dwayne McDuffie near the end of the series, and new showrunners taking over as the series took on its greatest change yet.

With Alien Force and Ultimate Alien somewhat struggling globally, a major overhaul of the show was proposed moving forward. Derrick J. Wyatt, famous for his designs on shows like Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated and Transformers: Animated took over as art director for the show, resulting in a more simplistic, cartoony style that seemed to homage the original series as best it could. New showrunner Matt Youngberg had been a fan of the series back in the day (and was a writer on the previous series), alongside Wyatt, and the two were quite eager to create a series that felt more like the original and blatantly ignored or changed aspects from the two sequel series that went against that.

And so, Ben 10 Omniverse was created with an interesting premise. Taking place just months after the end of Ultimate Alien, Ben still fights alien threats, though at times the series will flash back to Ben at age 11, and showcased previously unseen adventures that would occasionally tie back into the present. In this series, Gwen is off to college with Kevin accompanying her, so Ben is paired with Rook, a talented Plumber that nonetheless rubs Ben the wrong way. Ben also sees another character overhaul, acting far more immature, like his ten year old self. This series is chock-full of references to the original series, as well as the sequel series and in some respects can be considered a celebration of the Ben 10 universe.

Going on for a staggering 80 episodes, the series is composed of eight main-story arcs of varying length, each season seeing a new threat. We start off with the villainous Khyber, who uses a device known as the Nemetrix to transform his hunting dog into feral aliens that are natural predators of Ben’s Omnitrix aliens, which later connects to Malware, a villain from Ben’s past. Later arcs would involve many past foes (like Vilgax, Albedo and Ghostfreak), culminating with the final arc, the “Time War” which saw the entirety of creation put at stake, ending with Ben and Rook witnessing the rebirth of the universe. Ben proposes an intergalactic road trip to explore the new world, and the series at last concludes.

Omniverse furthered the rift that had developed between fans ever since the original series had concluded. Some were split on the tone once again harkening back to the original series, while ignoring aspects of the older shows that they might have liked. Gwen and Kevin suddenly being excised from the show was controversial, as was the art style. Fans also grew tired of Ben’s growing harem of love interests, despite the fact that several episodes taking place in the far future already showed the person Ben would end up with, rending all of the “will they or won’t they” pointless. The “Rooters” story arc also received backlash, as it once again retconned Kevin’s origins, and really only brought up more questions than it answered.

Studio mandates also plague Omniverse, from decreasing the amount of new aliens Ben would acquire, to introducing the character Skurd, who would allow Ben to use the powers of two aliens at once, who was brought forth by Bandai, the series’ toy maker, likely as a way to sell more merchandise. Near the end of its life, Omniverse found itself low-priority for Cartoon Network. Its final seasons received little to no promotion and were placed in bad timeslots, the series being burned off quickly in the last few months of 2014. Toy sales had fallen and despite the show’s overall success in ratings, this spelled doom for the brand…

…for a time.

In 2016, hot off the heels of the successful (if contested) reboots, Teen Titans Go! and The Powerpuff Girls, Cartoon Network rebooted the Ben 10 series, though it didn’t premiere in its country of origin until mid-2017. The series once again focuses on a ten year old Ben Tennyson, who travels with his Grandpa Max and cousin Gwen, getting involved in all kinds of alien hijinks. In addition to being produced by Man of Action once more, the reboot takes on a new cartoony style that isn’t as extreme as Omniverse, looking similar to other current CN series, as well as adopting a lighthearted tone and leaving the half-hour episodes behind in favor of a two-shorts format.

Again, the series is simplified to a Villain of the Week format, with many villains new and old appearing here, pulled from the various Ben 10 series that came before it. As of this writing, season one has concluded with a second season in the works, though over half of these episodes have yet to air in the United States, the United Kingdom receiving the series over half a year early (due to its popularity overseas, likely). The season is content to leave continuity loose, with no major story arcs developing, or if they are, they develop slowly. However, the season one finale, split up into four episodes, details the grand introduction of Vilgax back into the series, with Ben also finding a way to “upgrade” his Omnitrix as a bid to defeat the villain. The season concludes with the Plumbers being introduced (though Max isn’t mentioned being among them), and Ben discovering a new alien form on the watch. While the show will likely start doing more with its later seasons, with over forty of these 11 minute episodes produced, there’s more than enough to evaluate as of now.

Generally speaking, the show seems to be doing well. CN promotes it heavily, alongside its toys, and with a second season ordered, they clearly have faith in it. Fans of the old series remain split (which seems to be inevitable with this fandom); though many feel the season one finale might lead to bigger and better things. As for me, I’m of two minds about it.

The fact that it is a reboot means that it has lost the novelty of the original series, and even with the changes made to characters this time around (such as Vilgax’s origins) there’s a real feeling of déjà vu. There’s little there to surprise me at this point and time will tell if the series can stand on its own without constantly referencing its past. The tone being lighthearted and the continuity being lax aren’t inherently bad, but I can’t shake the feeling that the series is being quite lazy.

Animation mistakes crop up quite often, and the backgrounds in a lot of episodes have little going on, often just a mess of color and basic shapes. All of Ben’s more monstrous and complex alien forms have either been redesigned (as is the case with Stinkfly) or removed entirely (Ghostfreak, Wildmutt and Ripjaws), resulting in a roster of aliens that, while fine on their own, make it hard to ignore that they’re ALL humanoid, missing out on that inhuman “alien” appeal. Many episodes shamelessly regurgitate plots from past series, while the continuity is very spotty. Ben knows the name of the Omnitrix right off the bat when there’s no reason he would, while some villains are introduced with Ben and the family having already run into them, and yet other villains get proper introduction episodes. While I’m thankful the humor isn’t overloaded with memes or relies on turning the characters into crude caricatures of themselves (like two OTHER reboots on the channel), I don’t find much of it very inspired.

I find myself cautious about the series from this point forward. I’d love to see it make a return to form, and considering how shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe might have started out episodic before adopting strong continuity and took more narrative risks, Ben 10 might find a way to marry the two narrative styles in due time. One thing’s clear though, no matter what the series goes through, weather Ben has 10 aliens of 10,000, this is one series that doesn’t quit. And with superheroes as hot as they are now, I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Until next time.

-B

#Ben 10 #Ben 10 alien force #Ben 10 ultimate alien #Ben 10 omniverse #Ben 10 reboot #cartoon network #superhero #omnitrix #blog #xb-squaredx

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gokinjeespot · 7 years

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off the rack #1156

Monday, March 20, 2017

It's the first day of spring but you would still think it's the dead of winter here in Ottawa. I hear it snowed in Vancouver recently too. I don't consider spring starting until I can't see anymore snow on the ground around our neighbourhood. I figure that will be the middle of April this year. I've already seen a robin at our house though. We put up a bird feeder last fall and it attracts many birds. Mostly house sparrows but we see finches, juncos, nuthatches, chickadee-dee-dees and our favourites the cardinals and woodpeckers. The male cardinals are bright red-orange and the females are a mocha coffee colour. We have had downy, hairy and pileated woodpeckers come and feed. Watching the birds outside our window is like watching fish swim around an aquarium. Very calming. Until the undesirables show up. Starlings and squirrels snark up a lot of feed and scare away the little birdies. The squirrels have gotten so brazen now that I have to go outside to shoo them off the feeder. I used to be able to do that just by banging on the window. Stupid squirrels.

We lost one of the greatest comic book artists on March 18 when Bernie Wrightson succumbed to cancer and passed away. I have always been a bigger fan of the art side of our hobby and Bernie's art gave me goosebumps. His pen and ink work was stunning. Rest in peace Mr. Wrightson.

Punisher #10 - Becky Cloonan (writer) Matt Horak (art) Frank Martin with Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I'm disappointed in Matt. This whole issue takes place at a sea port in Newfoundland and he didn't put one Canadian flag in any of the panels. Even a little one would have been nice. It looks like another dire situation for Frank but the bad guys screwed themselves. You'll see the obvious giveaway, but maybe I'm wrong.

Uncanny Avengers #21 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Kevin Libranda (art) Dono Sanchez Almara with Protobunker (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). If there's a fill-in artist who makes me just as happy to read this book as when regular artist Pepe Larraz draws it, then it's Kevin Libranda. I liked how Deadpool found a way to defeat the Red Skull's Professor X powers. I wonder if they're going to bring back old Charles.

Batman #19 - Tom King (writer) David Finch (pencils) Danny Miki, Trevor Scott & Sandra Hope (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). The art in this issue is pretty awesome. Part 4 of "I Am Bane" has the big bad guy wading through Batman's rogues gallery one by one. Almost every Bat villain you can think of get's his licks in. odd that there are no women. I was also bothered by the fact that they're all loose inside Arkham asylum. How are they going to be get back in custody? The last page leads into the inevitable final battle between Bane and Batman and I want to see who wins. Like I couldn't guess.

American Gods #1 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art) Rick Parker (letters). I started a list of books I want to read after the Snail closed because I found myself with a lot of extra time. American Gods by Neil Gaiman is on that list. I've been told what the premise of the book is so I had a bit of background going into reading this first issue of the comic book adaptation. Reading the comic book is going to enhance my reading of the novel when I get around to it because I will visualize Scott's depictions of the characters in my head and they are very nice ones. The back-up story "Somewhere in America" by P. Craig Russell (script & art) and Lovern Kindzierski (colours) was a hot piece of erotica about unsafe sex. This gets added to my "must read" list.

Totally Awesome Hulk #17 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) Cory Petit (letters). This hasn't been a solo book for the last few issues with Amadeus hanging out with his friends but I am still enjoying it. This issue is a good place to start as the team has to figure out a way to save themselves and some civilians from being eaten by aliens. You could call these guys the Asian Avengers because what happens in this issue gives them something to avenge. If you jump on here you won't want to jump off until you read the next issue.

Batwoman #1 - Marguerite Bennett & James Tynion IV (writers) Steve Epting (art) Jeromy Cox (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Kate chases after a mystery woman from her past after dealing with a terrorist in Istanbul. I like how she's teamed up with Julia Pennyworth.

Kill or be Killed #7 - Ed Brubaker (writer) Sean Phillips (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours). This issue features Dylan's ex-girlfriend Kira, now with purple hair instead of red. I'm glad she's still hanging around because boy does she have problems. We start off during a session with her therapist and get a lot of background. I love this kind of stuff because it makes the characters more engaging. Kira might need an emergency session after she decides to do something stupid at Dylan's place.

Monsters Unleashed #5 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Adam Kubert (art) David Curiel & Michael Garland (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Okay, Kid Kaiju comes through to save the world from the Leviathon Mother, showing up all the Marvel super heroes. I guess that's why he's getting his own book. Look for it to hit the racks on April 19. Unless it's drawn by an artist that I really like I will take a pass. The Kid's creations are more suited to fans of action figures or Saturday morning cartoons than an old coot like me.

Super Sons #2 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). This is great. I don't know why but I love really well written comics about young super heroes like this and Champions. Maybe it's because I can't let go of being a kid. Damian and Jonathan have to deal with Super Lex in order to get a lead on Kid Amazo, the very bad boy they're after. Everything doesn't go smoothly and then, uh-oh, their dads find out about what they're doing. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Wild Storm #2 - Warren Ellis (writer) John Davis-Hunt (art) Steve Buccellato (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). This 24 issue series is very ambitious and there are a lot of players involved. If I was a new reader I would be wondering who are these people? Some people work for International Operations (IO) and some people work for Halo. The two organisations don't like each other and they're both after Angela Spica, the Engineer. I hope that helps with getting into this story. One of my favourite things from the old series was the Door which could transport people to different places. I think we're introduced to a new Door this issue and she's a lot better looking than Lockjaw.

Ms. Marvel #16 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I like this story about a malevolent computer virus and it looks like Kamala can't defeat it. That is until she gets a clue from her old pal Bruno. I can't wait to find out how Doc.x gets deleted.

Superman #19 - Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason (writers) Patrick Gleason (pencils) Mick Gray (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part 3 of "Superman Reborn" looks like it might resurrect the pre-New 52 Lois and Clark. I hope not. That would confuse me to no end and then I would get annoyed and stop reading these amazing Superman books. Patrick draws the creepiest Mr. Mxyzptlk ever. I wonder if they're going to do the saying the imp's name backwards thing?

Guardians of the Galaxy #18 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I love these issues featuring one team member. Angela's up this time around and it's a beautifully drawn fight scene between her and some alien bounty hunter. The issue ends with a major threat heading for Earth. It starts with Th and rhymes with anus.

Spider-Man #14 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Nothing serious between Miles and Gwen despite what the cover shows. This is one of those issues that annoy Bendis detractors because nothing really happens. The heroes hop from one dimension to another and each wind up in different ones by the end of this issue. I can easily forgive because of Sara's art.

Mighty Thor #17 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The gods of Asgard and the Imperial Guard of the Shi'Ar finally come to blows in part 3 of "The Asgard/Shi'Ar War". Meanwhile Thor can't seem to win much in the challenge of the gads against the Shi'Ar gods Sharra and K'ythri. Mjolnir is sure getting a workout though. This book is not only chock full of action but it's visually stunning as well.

Amazing Spider-Man #25 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I wish you didn't have to pay $9.99 US for this one issue starting off "The Osborn Identity" story. That's a bit much for one comic book don't you think? Sure you get a bunch of back-up stories but none of those really matter to the main story. You do get 40 pages of Stuart and Wade goodness though, so why couldn't they have printed just that and charged $4.99 US? As you can probably tell Norman Osborn is back so the Green Goblin can't be far behind. I did like the team-up with Mockingbird with a hint of Peter and Bobbi possibly becoming more than friends. Here are the other stories that pad this issue. A fight with Clash by Christos Gage (writer) Todd Nauck (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters) which has the old "it's not what you think" twist at the end. A silly Tsum-Tsum story for the younger readers by Jacob Chabot (writer) Ray-Anthony Height (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Jim Campbell (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Thank Thor that was a blessedly short 6 pages. A Parker Industries mishap at their Shanghai facility by James Asmus (writer) Tana Ford (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). A young Spider-Man story about a boy and his dog by Hannah Blumenreich (writer & pencils) Jordan Gibson (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Some Aunt May gags by Cale Atkinson which were even sillier than the Tsum-Tsum story. And finally to ease the pain of having to buy an overpriced comic book, the return of another Spider-Man nemesis. One thing that "The Clone Conspiracy" did was bring back Otto Octavius, Doc Ock. He now has a youthful body thanks to Miles Warren's cloning process. So meet The Superior Octopus by Dan Slott (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). He's bad-ass now plus he's got Hydra backing. Here's a prediction: Somewhere in the future Peter and Norman have to team up to fight Otto and Hydra.

Archie #18 - Mark Waid (writer) Pete Woods (art & colours) Jack Morelli (letters). This issue proves that love is blind. Archie and Veronica have nothing in common and should not be together. Betty and Dilton Doiley are more compatible. I wish I was Dilton Doiley.

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kariachi · 3 years

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Welcome to another edition of Do Achi’s Dream of Electric Sheep? (answer, not as often as they’d like) This one isn’t one of my more interesting ones, but I wanted to share anyway.

Basic concept appears to have been the team (I assume the team, there were other members of the team there but no information beyond that) ending up held hostage while dealing with something or other. They need information, the need to escape, they were, it appears, trying to do so with minimal combat, bloodshed, etc. Also the fucker holding them hostage appears to have been pretty powerful- at least enough so that he wasn’t being too cautious and played at the amicable host with them.

Points of interest are as follows

Dumbshit thought Gwen could find him something he wanted and was at least smart enough to go with her himself to get it. He also put in no fucking effort beyond talking at her too, the dick.

Kevin claiming Helen as his sister

Kevin and Gwen using their status as a well-known and established couple to exchange information and plot in relative privacy, because who pays more than a passing attention to the quiet affirmations and nothings lovers exchange, especially after they’ve been apart

At some point during a ‘meeting’ (no I don’t know what about but Dumbshit had them all in a room waiting when he and Gwen got back and it seemed like a ‘meeting’ situation) shit hit the fan (don’t know why, presumably because he figured out that the something Gwen got him wasn’t actually anything relating to what he wanted because she’s not a fucking moron like he is and also may or may not even know how to get that shit) and Dumbshit hurt the girls

This activated Plan B

Plan B is ‘grab what we need and hoof it’

Helen is still Strong, being able to carry an injured Gwen and the shit they came here for while maintaining speed while also being less-but-still-injured herself

Did Plan B originally include ‘-while Kevin provides the nastiest diversion this side of the Incursean empire’? We don’t know, but it happens anyway

Dumbshit is not powerful enough to handle Kevin on a ‘you did not just hurt them’ rampage

The others don’t even leave with the girls right away, like ‘no, no, we’ve been putting up with shit we’re gonna watch this man die’

Kevin refuses to leave the building until they 1) find out where the girls are holed up waiting for them, and 2) he gets to confirm his own damn self that they’re okay

There are hugs and it’s all very nice

#kevin: everything is under control #gwen & helen: *get hurt*#kevin: except for me

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kariachi · 4 years

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Last episode of the day, and then I’m gonna be trying to organize shit on my Kevin Episode Order list. Actually been looking forward to this one, because I have reason to believe it has Information that I, as a Kevin fan and fanwriter, require.

Let’s start up to Adrenaland Jr.

I would like to point out that I typed up the above at 2pm and it is now 5pm. I am a disaster and mildly afraid of this episode. Also went out to dinner. Scallops and shrimp, it was nice. Moving on.

I still love that Max joins in on the selfie at the end of the intro. I’m sorry, it just warms my little black heart.

Ben, disheartened because Gwen wins at everything she does. Ever.

“You guys will be thanking me for days!“ Good luck, Max.

Oh look, they have been taken to a themepark. The Adrenaland Jr of the title. Adrenaland but kiddified. They do not seem impressed at this first look.

Awww, Max thought this was the same as normal Adrenaland and was trying to be cool. Poor Max.

Okay, scratch that. Ben is unimpressed, Gwen is more than happy to get another Adrenaland pin for her collection. As somebody who collected pressed pennies until they started asking for a whole damn dollar for them, I can relate.

Well she’s a little bit enthusiastic, in case anyone wondered if she and Ben were maybe related.

Max is trying so hard. And Ben is so unimpressed. And Gwen gives no shits because she has a pin to acquire.

Oh gods, she’s gonna have to beat a carnival game to get a pin. All her skills will be put to the test.

And it looks like this really is the one for kids, that is defs a ‘my first rollercoaster’.

The puns are horrible. That alone is worth not coming back to this park.

Ben: I must make this a good ride, so help me god *goes alien*

And we’re back to Gwen’s PinQuest

Oh she was so sure of herself, but Gwen this is a carnival game and so probably rigged to some degree.

Ben please don’t ruin this for the small children.

Left the littles nauseated after altering the ride, which is against the rules. Good job Benjamin, I hope this weighs on your conscience.

...these people are chill, very politely explaining why what Ben did was wrong and giving him a second chance to not fuck with shit before they’re going to move on to actual reprimands.

Ben, I swear to fuck.

Not the teacups, dear gods leave the teacups alone

Goddamnit Ben

Leave the people on the jungle safari alone, child! wtf!

Max is giving him a fourth chance to behave, honestly he’s a more patient man than me.

Even the park staff have had enough.

Stewart (worker of the game Gwen is failing miserably at) is both amazed she’s doing so poorly and also trying to be encouraging. Not quite working.

Also I’m nearly halfway through this episode and wondering where my son is at. I know he’s in this episode I’ve seen screenshots

There is a ‘ride’ that is just playing in a load of socks falling from the sky. Honestly I can almost see the appeal.

There’s my son! Bootleg-ing a Sock Tower. I am both disappointed and proud somehow.

Fucking flails, child? Have you considered adding maybe an ounce of chill to your diet?

Please let these two end up commiserating over how lame these rides are.

(I will admit though I did kinda want this to be something I could put as Kevin officially meeting Gwen, have him show her how to beat that game because he’s bored and holy shit she’s bad at this. It would’ve been nice and a good start to him kinda liking her while still giving her cousin shit.)

Kevin!

“There’s definitely something strange going on here“ Yes and it’s about 4′10 with an attitude problem and no sleeves

Oh look, a Kevin again. I think he’s ruining the day of the people on a ferris wheel, but it’s moving too fast to be sure.

“Dweeby-son and Dweeby-senior“ I feel like I should be judging him for the lack of variety but honestly fuck it, stick to a theme kiddo, live your dreams

“Of course you’d be here at the baby park“ Bitch, you are here too!

Oh lords and Ben can’t even hear him from up there

“See Ben, Kevin likes this park. It is cool!“ Max please.

“Better stop him before he starts destroying somethign else“ Just the tone Ben uses here, and the look on his face. Like a beagle owner whose dog just got really quiet in the backyard so they know it’s halfway across the county by now.

The boys pausing a fight on a roller coaster so a bunch of little kids could go past, because Kev’s a jerk and Ben is reckless but they’re not bad kids at heart.

Damn, Kevin is kicking ass and taking names today

Awww, little kid with a watergun trying to put out Heatbast

Gwen, meanwhile, is about to snap and start wearing people’s skins if she doesn’t beat this game. Kinda worrying Stewart.

Gwen is holding this man hostage until she beats this game. She is the biggest threat to this park right now.

Ben can at least read a room enough to figure out Kevin’s in a fouler mood than usual. Ponders if Kevin has issues with Adrenaland he’s working out with violence. And I am paused right here because, again, I’ve seen screenshots and I am scared.

Yep, my son is in a Mood.

Oh lords the boys ruined Gwen’s near win. Everybody run for shelter!

Sometimes, you look at these boys, and you think ’if they had any sort’ve chill, would they just die?’

Gwen so pissed off she knocked both of them back to human shape and has them cowering with naught but tone and expression

Even when she’s pissed she tries to be reasonable.

Oh gods Kevin pain incoming.

...welp. It’s brief but it damn well don’t need to be longer, we get plenty of info right there. Especially when you keep in mind that this is a visual medium and every choice is deliberate especially with shit like this. Gotta love that ‘subtle’ implication through the use of commercials that Kevin was raised by an alcoholic. If you didn’t read this in slightly forced manic tone, you are wrong.

Also I like the difference between the view we get of Kevin when it’s Kevin’s flashback as opposed to Ben’s. Ben’s flashbacks of Kevin in school have all had him as a joyful tormentor, active, outgoing, and very forward. Meanwhile, the little bit we get from Kevin’s pov has him very clearly alone, head down, not even glancing at the people around him. He doesn’t look up in the flashback until he’s home, and even then the look is one of contempt as he looks towards the front room. For the commercial, for his guardian, for both? We don’t know for sure. Then, when we come back from the commercial to face him again, he just looks tired before turning and heading up the stairs.

Actually, I am still horribly curious. I’m fairly certain all the other flashbacks with him, including his own, include his sleeves being gone, while they’re still around for this one. And the house he built his watch in was very clearly a one-story, while this one appears to be two-story, given the stairs and that Kevin seems to have just come in. Brings me back to my earlier wondering about if he was in foster care or something when we first met him. Or maybe he’s stuck in a dual custody situation, who knows. Just interesting little bits and pieces.

Gwen feels sorry for Kevin, as well she should, everyone should, somebody protect my child.

Ben: I’m done! If you’re a dick because your said then god as my witness you will stop being sad!

Kevin got his ride, and they’re getting kicked out before Gwen can get her pin.

The Tennysons are confused and Kevin unimpressed at the threat of using teddy-bear-based excessive force to remove them

Oh lords they’re being shoved out using squeaky teddybears

Max: At least we aren’t banned this time Park Employee: btw, here’s a You’re Banned pin

Kevin Levin, maintaining the tough-guy facade

Kevin: This park is only for dweebs Ben: This picture of you enjoying the fuck out of that ride I altered says otherwise

Gwen: I thought we got through to him Ben, who knows Kevin much better than she does: Oh we did

Gwen: *much feeling sorry for a Kevin* Kevin: *much ‘wow I actually enjoyed myself with other people for once’*

11/11 for Kevin and for Gwen

#achi liveblogs #ben 10 2.os #somebody protect my son #also it's like 7pm

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