#Ben 10 retrospective

[zonedelicious]

Defending Ben 10 Alien Force Season 3 With My Life!

(An analysis of Ben's character and why I find it consistent up to this point)

This essay thingy is part one of a bigger project where I rewatch all of Ben 10 and look back on the series. A sort of retrospective.

Originally I wanted to watch all the shows, and then write one big post. But I decided to do it in parts to make it easier. And since the final season of alien force is largely hated, I thought I should focus on it specifically (since I have very different opinions than everyone on this).

Now when starting I did expect to see Ben's character be inconsistent, going from classic, to alien force, to season 3 of alien force. That is the popular opinion online and the one I had as a kid. Ben goes from childish kid, to mature teen, to an even more childish kid.

So I'm sure a lot of people are going to be shocked when I say that not only do I completely disagree with this perspective, I found Ben's character strangely consistent through both shows and I think he only becomes more nuanced and interesting by the end.

First I think most people who say Ben is either childish, or mature, or a psychopath, don't really know what these words mean, or don't even understand how Ben's character traits work.

(the psycho thing we'll get to in the next post since we haven't gotten to ultimate alien yet)

Does being mature mean you can't be petty or selfish sometimes? Does having negative traits automatically make you a child? This is the kind of flaw in ben 10 discussion I have noticed with this rewatch, we associate bad traits with regression and good traits with development. But that is very shallow way to look at fiction. Characters can have more than one trait, they can even have conflicting traits. And character development can also include negative development.

I think Ben's maturity is something that's greatly overstated, because his personality in Alien Force is a trait he has shown in the classic series many times. And by boiling him down to childish and mature Ben, it takes away a lot of the nuance he has as a character.

So enough about that, let's go back to the beginning.

Ben 10 (the original show)

The start of the series shows us that Ben is a kid who just wants to sit back and enjoy life, but hates bullies and wants to help others. And also he really loves his grandpa (this is a clue that will help us later).

Throughout the first season Ben struggles with being a hero. He struggles to differentiate helping people selflessly, and helping people because he gets a kick out of it. For a 10 year old his behavior is very realistic. Of course he wants to be seen as a big shot and be validated for his actions.

It isn't until Max is hospitalized that Ben finally realises the dangers of the world he's in. That's when we see Ben drop the hero act and turn into a scared kid. We see him at his most vulnerable. The first look at the real Ben.

Ben and Max fight a lot in the original show, but despite that Max is probably the most important person in Ben's life. Even more than his parents. And I think it's largely because Ben wishes he can be more free like his grandpa. Living in an rv and going wherever you want. So losing Max for 10 year old Ben is the worst thing that can happen to him. He not only looks up to grandpa Max, he idolises him and wants to follow in his footsteps. Which becomes more obvious once Ben finds out about the Plumbers. And now season 2 is about Ben becoming an even bigger hero.

The first season definitely has the most consistent narrative of the classic series. I think Ben doesn't really learn much until the movie. He does learn to be closer with his family, but there's no real challenge for him like the first season. People will say this is the show recycling his character arc, which I sort of get, but it's not the same to me. Ben isn't being challenged on the same level, he's just going through episodic cartoon plots. A lot of it isn't serious so Ben isn't really being serious. To him he's the cool alien with a badass grandfather and can solve any problem. It's all a fun adventure to him.

Even when he meets his future self the message is that Ben being a kid and having fun is what makes him Ben. It's future Ben who has to learn to have fun and be a kid again. A clever twist on the time travel trope.

Despite that Ben is shown to be more responsible with the hero stuff. He tries to help others not just by literally saving their lives, but also talking to them, or standing up to villains. Kevin being the best example. Ben tries to befriend him many times, but will also risk his own life to stop Kevin from hurting Gwen. Which at the moment Ben didn't even have the Omnitrix at the end of season 2. We see that despite being a kid he's also gotten braver.

Another note, Gwen and Ben have a pretty good relationship from the start. While they do fight it's never anything serious, they're just being kids and fooling around. The kind of childish arguments you forget in an hour. Yet they're very close and love goofing around together. You can tell that they care for each other despite the petty banter.

Of course once we get to the secret of the Omnitrix (the true ending of the first show imo) Ben's character is finally given its conclusion for the classic series. Here Max's role is swapped with Tetrax, Ben looks up to Tetrax in a similar way, and while Tetrax is friendly, he's also the guy who really knows how to get Ben to reflect on his actions. Once Ben thinks he has lost Gwen he is back to the scared vulnerable kid. We see all his aggression, how he blames himself, how all that weight is really hard for him to process at such a young age.

What's even better about this is how the movie starts with Ben causing trouble for Gwen and they get in a fight. But Gwen still sneaks into Tetrax's ship to help Ben. So losing Gwen is not only him losing his cousin. Ben's losing someone he felt responsible for. He's failing Gwen, himself, and grandpa Max all at the same time.

Of course Gwen is alive but it doesn't change that Ben has finally opened up about his insecurities and we finally get a full look into his inner self. Which brings us to...

Alien Force, the show that made Ben mature (or did it?)

Now remember everything I said about his character? Now think about the plot of alien force. Ben realises his grandfather is missing, there's an alien conspiracy that his grandfather entrusted him to solve, and even an old foe is there he needs to ally with.

Ben is essentially forced to take up the role of grandpa Max in the story. And for a 15 year old that's a lot of pressure to take.

I'd say Ben's character shift for Alien Force is not only organic, it's the natural follow up to his character arc in the classic show. As someone who's always seeking validation now finally being put in a position where he has to be the person he always looked up to. Sure the stakes were high in classic, but Max (and Tetrax) was always there to help and give Ben motivation.

There's an aura of tension early on as Ben still doesn't even trust Kevin. He doesn't understand the new Omnitrix or the new aliens. He has to watch max die and still keep his cool. Because he was trusted this role and can't let Max down.

I don't think Ben matured, he was forced into a role of being the mature adult at 15.

Even Ben's parents are mad at him for doing all this. As they should because Ben is still a kid. He shouldn't be risking his life. He should literally be at the club. The first thing he does before he puts on the Omnitrix again is talk to Gwen. Because he needs her help. And Kevin. Later from other plumber kids too. He isn't doing it all by himself, and he understands that he can't do it alone to an extent. But despite that there's still that urge to be the leader. The one who has to be in charge all the time. He wants to prove himself after all.

Ben's ability to befriend others, is ultimately his strongest trait in the first 2 seasons. It's what ends up saving the universe after all. Something that wasn't all that present in the original show, but can be seen through characters like Kevin, who Ben tried to help many times. And now he's his best ally.

A lot of this is very subtle, and some of it might even be my own interpretation of the story. I don't know if the writers intended all this nuance I'm describing. It is only interesting to look back and analyse it.

The mystery and the slow lumin threat of the highbreed is a good plot for Ben's arc of taking up responsibility. It's something he can't directly solve as easily as in the classic show. Where in the classic show any problem he faced was over in 1 or 2 episodes. All mystery was behind the scenes with him not being aware.

But now it's different. The mystery comes crashing into him. He literally got a football medal the same day he found out his grandfather has went missing because of a secret alien invasion that's been going on for a long time. Again the pressure he's put under comes at him suddenly and he has to adjust to it all in the moment. He's 15 years old.

And despite all odds Ben comes through and stops the invasion, saving the entire galaxy. With the help of all the people he befriended of course. Ben finally proved himself to his grandfather and to the entire universe that he is worthy of being a hero. In the classic series he showed he was a hero, but was still a kid who had learning to do. But now he proved he can stand on his own as a man at age 15.

So naturally Ben took a break.

The part where I shamelessly defend season 3 with my life

The shift for season 3 is off (especially when the first episode starts with an argument we have no context for) and I understand some of this was a mandate, yet I love it. It's a strange shift at first until you start to think what is actually going on in Ben's head.

He finally did what he always wanted to achieve. Become a great hero like his grandfather. The galaxy loves him. And all that validation is more than enough to tell him to relax for now.

Ben had to take a break after all the pressure that was placed on him. He needed a break. He needed to be a teenager again who watches cartoons and has fun. It's important for his mental health after all.

Of course this is a cartoon and he isn't real. But this analysis isn't about that, it's about trying to understand what kind of person Ben is.

Still i do not see how Ben is stupid or childish in these episodes. Relaxed and silly yeah, but in a teenager way, not a 10 year old Ben way. With the gold poop episode for instance I went in expecting to hate it, but now I love it. It's a decent mystery, and Ben's chill attitude makes sense for the situation. It's a celebration and Ben loves to party. Of course he'd be silly with the little aliens.

What I have noticed however is despite Ben being relaxed he's still pretty clever and mature throughout season 3. His quick thinking is actually a major part of this season. With it being directly referenced and even being how he saves the day at the end of the season. I did not expect the show to directly point out Ben's most useful trait and then focus on it durring what's basically his downfall arc.

To reference a few times Ben does this in this season:

In the vreedle episode, Julie emergency calls Ben and Ben shows up seconds later. He didn't wait to think, he arrived as fast as possible once finding out she's in danger.

In the episode where Ben is trapped in the null void without the Omnitrix, we see him actually surviving and doing smart things like covering himself in mud so he won't get spotted.

In the plumber kids episode, Ben is playing the role of the villain mastermind and he has to quickly adapt to the situation and train these kids while not breaking character.

In Charmcaster's debut episode, Ben calls out Kevin for not trusting Gwen. Ben being the mature one in this situation.

We see Ben hasn't changed at all from previous seasons. Season 3 having some of his best moments even. What has changed is the context and circumstances of his actions. He's trying to stay cool and simple because he wants to live his childhood stress free, even if the universe keeps calling him back over and over again, he wants to stay a kid. And that's interesting. We haven't seen that in ben yet. In the classic show he was trying to be a big hero. But now he's tired of all that weight on his shoulders.

Unfortunately the universe keeps calling for his return. The moment Ben tries to relax Vilgax is back. He has taken over 10 planets. And has killed the galactic enforcers trio (they are 100% dead he literally killed 3 side characters just like that). And Ben of course does the reasonable thing and tries to hack the Omnitrix yet again. With horrible results.

People try to use this as an example of Ben being dumb but you gotta realise he's panicking and not thinking straight, and the result is him causing a mess for himself and Kevin. The show is aware Ben is in the wrong here and his actions have consequences. The rest of the season will spend its time exploring Ben's actions and how his quick thinking is both his strongest weapon, as well as his biggest flaw.

Anyway the fight with Vilgax is brilliant and really shows how much Ben had grown. With the return of Diamondhead being both nostalgic and a great way to show his growth. As well as giving Ben another victory that increases his huge ego.

But I must also mention the visuals being beautiful themselves. Season 3 of Alien Force has a subtle upgrade in visuals that I never see mentioned. Everything is more colorful, backgrounds more interesting, the animation more smooth, and the storyboarding is simply wonderful. Don't know why people never talk about this. I guess it will ruin the narrative this is the worst season ever made because of like 4 boring episodes. But I digress.

Still apparently people hate this fight too and claim this scene RUINED Vilgax. How? The only argument I see is he got defeated too easily which.. Have you watched the classic show? Vilgax gets defeated in one single episode by a 10 year old. Vilgax is actually stronger in Alien Force if anything. I don't get how this ruined him at all.

Don't get me wrong. I also prefer his original design and personality. I think this was a poor choice to change him so drastically when the point was bringing back an old foe. But that doesn't mean he's weak. He's clearly stronger. He does a good job fighting Ben. And has even killed 3 characters that you'd expect wouldn't die considering they showed up in a ben 10k episode.

(remember when I said I will be fighting for my life here? I wasn't kidding)

The rest of Season 3 is very episodic ,which is an interesting shift from the previous 2 seasons since they didn't have to make it like this. They had more episodes this time too and cartoon network wasn't against plot or lore. So I'd say this was more of a creative choice than a mandate. Ben's more relaxed so we go back to less world ending threats. Which is good imo because the best standalone episodes are in this season.

Notably Gwen and Kevin get a good focus here (even Julie who should have been the 4th member). With Gwen's best episode so far is in this season. We get more character development for the other 3 protags. And it's very much needed.

Gwen I think didn't get much in the first 2 seasons. She did feel a bit of a downgrade from her classic self. Now however her rivalry with Charmcaster is back, she has her magic, and she has one of the best episodes in the season. The time travel episode is beautiful both visually and naratively, not to mention it's basically writen like a Doctor Who episode, and you gotta love that. But what I love more is how we see Gwen making a huge mistake. Gwen so far hasn't been writen with flaws, unlike Ben and Kevin she isn't given as much depth. So to have an episode that gives Gwen time to make a mistake and fix it, while showing all the effort she'd go through to help Kevin. It was very much needed. Her character deserves more moments like this.

Julie's relationship with Ben is given a bit of drama but in a way where they do communicate and aren't in anyway toxic. I hear this is when their relationship fell off but I don't see it. Their arguments are something Gwen and Kevin often have too and are only there to strengthen their bond. Julie definitely needs to be characterized outside being Ben's girlfriend though, but she's never in a position where she's just Ben's girlfriend. If anything her friendship with Gwen is given more spotlight. Her last appearance for the season being her hanging out with Gwen. Julie definitely deserved to be more than just a side character.

On the other end Kevin gets a huge upgrade with his story line being imo significantly better than what they originally had planned. Originally the story was going to have Kevin turn evil and I am grateful they saved that story line for a later season while this one builds up to it more organically. Here we see how desperate and insecure Kevin is. He even goes back to his more evil self at times. But never too much. His badness is due to his circumstances. He wants to turn back to human. He gets angry. He doesn't trust Gwen. He teams up with villains. But all because he's being pushed into being vulnerable rather than him turning evil suddenly. It's a good small arc that builds up to something bigger later.

As you can see I value character flaws as much as their positive traits. To me a character is less interesting if the story avoids giving them a human element. That's why the character assassination of Ben Tennyson that people talk about to me is one of the best things to ever happen to him.

One episode I HATED as a kid, but now love is the one where the gang go to an alien planet to solve a conflict between 2 identical armies. Kid me hated this because Ben kept messing up and there was no solution in the end. Now however I see the political genius that it is.

While I think this was meant to parody the political system of the US (one group being red and one blue doesn't make it all that subtle), i think the other message I got from it is showing the problems with white saviorism. Ben comes to a planet he has zero political understanding of, and decides he knows how to solve all their problems and can save the day in like 3 hours. Of course he won't and of course he'd end up making things worse.

If you're expecting things to actually be solved and characters to make logical and satisfying actions then this episode is definitely one of the bad ones. But for me, someone who likes to see how characters mess up and the story to collapse on them I really found this episode enjoyable. It's also just very funny. Ben comes off as very comedic to me in his attempt to be helpful and reasonable. He's not being immature but he's being very self centered and too up his own ass to notice that he's coming off as a dick.

I think that's what this season is focusing on. Not Ben becoming immature or childish as like a singular character trait he switches to. No, what the season is telling us is despite Ben being a great hero and a quick thinker, he's also easily able to fall into the arrogant asshole type if he doesn't control himself.

In the ghostfreak episode we even see how despite being his quick thinking self, he doesn't trust Gwen and Kevin as much as before. His ego is getting to him and others are taking notice.

Ben's behavior to me comes off as very realistic. I cannot hate a character who's flawed in a way that a real person is flawed. I don't see a switch in personality. I see one person displaying their traits in different ways depending on the scenario they are in.

So why people hate this season so much I will never understand.

Anyway let's talk about the worst episode in alien force.

Primus

Okay people you're right about this one. Primus sucks. It's bad. It's meaningless. It's confusing. And it's counterproductive for what it's trying to do. Honestly it feels like a rough draft of an episode before they actually start writing it.

Ignoring the fact that the concept itself is flawed, there's no time given to even show us Primus or make us understand it. And it ruins Vilgax's arc by giving him the Omnitrix WAY TOO EARLY. It kind of ruins the finale too since Ben giving the Omnitrix away is part of the climax of this season. Both Vilgax and Azmuth are pretty dumb this episode and it's weird watching them here. Vilgax is a bit better until he gets the Omnitrix and becomes dumb for no reason. Couldn't they just make it so Ben is the one with the key to activate the Omnitrix? Azmuth also what do you mean you turned into Rath to fight Vilgax instead of like way big? Ben isn't dumb in this one though. His trick to get back the Omnitrix is smart even though the way it was written is dumb. And we do get to see him vulnerable after losing the Omnitrix. Still this episode should have been replaced with something better and the show would have been better off for it.

This episode is brought up often because it is the weakest and if it was your impression of the season you'd think it's bad too. I don't even think Vilgax is bad this season but he definitely is poorly writen here.

So yeah this episode is very bad. Like couldn't they have replaced this with an extra Tetrax episode? That man deserves it.

Oh right Tetrax

Tetrax episode is peak fiction and I don't care about the haters. I'd argue it's one of the best episodes in the series and the fact we never got a follow up is baffling.

For starters Tetrax is Ben's real dad. Let's be real. He fills the same role as grandpa Max and so Ben has the urge to prove himself to him. That's why watching Ben fulfill the propercy of the diamondhead people and save Tetrax's planet is one of the most satisfying moments in the series for me. Tetrax destroyed his planet. He made a huge mistake that Ben could have easily made if he didn't have a mentor figure. And now once he sees he has an opportunity to bring everyone back he goes straight to shattering Ben into pieces with no explanation. (Tetrax pretty much is Ben without grandpa Max if you think about it)

This episode is a meme for the Jesus bits. but it works. It's good lore. And it's a great conclusion to a character arc and storyline.

The fact this episode is a follow up to Tetrax origin and incorporates a new alien into it is really smart. Obviously they didn't plan this at first so it's great when things work out like that.

It works as a Vilgax episode too because we see how big of a threat he is. Everyone's struggling to fight him, even Tetrax and Ben. He's not some pushover as people claim.

But more importantly Ben redeems Tetrax by saving the diamond people and that's something he wouldn't be able to do if he's some dumb kid. Ben is a true hero again in this episode. He sees what the threat is and he solves it with his quick thinking and courage. And I think it's thanks to Tetrax's presence that Ben is back to the more serious role, because he wants to prove himself to him.

(if only Tetrax had a bigger presence)

And now the ending

The ending is what made me want to take a different look at this season before rewatching because I remember how cool the Azmuth and Ben scene was. On a rewatch i was not disappointed.

For starters animation was really good and the fights with Albedo specifically were choreographed well. Kevin and Gwen were even using their powers in a unique way.

Then we have Vilgax weakening Ben by taking away Gwen and Kevin. Seems simple at first, but when you think of the narrative of this season you realise it's about making Ben vulnerable both physically and mentally.

And once Ben loses the Omnitrix he has a full mental breakdown and this entire sequence is one of the best moments in Ben 10 ever. The way he runs off into the forest. The small chat with Gwen. How he begs Azmuth for help. The little mutual understanding at the end of their argument. It's peak fiction at its most peak fictionest.

For the entire season Ben tried to relax, he tried to be more straight forward, not looking for others for help. But now he's back at being the vulnerable kid he was at the start of the entire series. And I think it's not just that he lost his powers that's hurting him, but that he's also taking out all the pressure he had building up inside. And now he's asking for others to help him.

This moment makes this season work for me. We see a deconstruction of sorts of the kind of person Ben is. Not mature or immature. But this kid who wanted validation until the pressure was too much for him. He tried to act cool like nothing happens. But then he messes up and he's the one who needed to be saved.

This emotional moment was what Ben needed to come up with a genius plan. Go to Vilgax's ship and activate the self destruct feature of the Omnitrix. Honestly I forgot about this part on my rewatch so it came out of nowhere for me. Ben making a bomb threat as his great 4d chest move? You just gotta love that. Remember he's got nothing on Vilgax right now. Vilgax can easily kill him. So for Ben to confidently come in and threaten to blow up the Omnitrix, that he cares about too, it takes courage.

If there's one thing I'd change about the ending it's bringing back Tetrax. He seemed like he would be a part of this and it would have probably mad the mental breakdown of Ben Tennyson more impactful if Tetrax was there too. Or maybe I love this minor character a bit too much. Maybe way too much I admit.

Conclusion

For me what sells season 3 of Alien Force is Ben's character downfall that builds up to this ending. It's not just that he becomes dumb and then is told to stop being dumb. It's that he's struggling in the role of hero. He's struggling to be both the serious badass and a goofy kid. And letting go of the responsibility and trying to act normal only created a different kind of pressure.

Ben for me is a character who was forced into a role he wasn't prepared for and we get to watch how that affects him. Naturally he will have shifts in how he acts. His environment will affect his behavior. That's just life. That's what being a teenager is like. You're always gonna be screwing up in one way or another. Ben's flaws in season 3 aren't about him being childish. He's not dumb or less mature. Ben still does smart things and is shown to care about Gwen, Kevin, Julie, Tetrax, and everyone that comes to his aid.

And of course his ideas and actions aren't always good. They can be stupid or selfish. And that's also fine. Because he's only human. And his humanity is what makes him Ben. Take that away and he'd grow up to become the Ben 10k who refused to transform back to human.

Most of this is my interpretation of events. Other people watching will have different takes. And that is fine. I'm fine with knowing I'm like one of 10 people who loves season 3 of alien force. I'm just here to write a different perspective and hopefully it will encourage more deeper readings of Ben 10 as a series. But mostly I'm fine knowing someone else read all this. So thanks for getting this far.

See you next time when I will be breaking down the neoliberalism of shadow the hedgehog the video game.

/jk

/or am I?

[likethecatiam]

OH MY GOD

GRANDPA MAX AND ROY CAMPBELL ARE THE SAME VA

[sallytwo]

i liked ben krieg for all of s1 but compared to other characters (like ford bridger etc) he wasn’t super interesting beyond being funny and awesome. and then i swear to god. a company of ice and profit. that one episode recontextualizes everything about his character and then you just leave him and its supposed to be a hopeful end. but god it’s so tragic. all of it.

[bluefire94]

Ben 10 Omniverse: How does it hold up IMO?

Yesterday I finished watching through the final installment of the classic Ben 10 continuity: Omniverse. This was actually the first time I watched through the series as I never viewed it when it was on the air. At that point I wasn’t watching TV cartoons in favor of YouTube videos and gaming on Steam. I did lurk on the news about it, though. I can still remember diehard UAF fans at the time unjustly ripping it to shreds for the changes it made, especially the art style. So after a decade since it premiered, I finally saw the series to completion. Overall, I would say that it is a good show although flawed (as is the case with each Ben 10 show). I actually like the art style that DJW (may he rest in peace)  brought to the series. It fits the more light-hearted yet still action-orientated nature of the show. I admit that I wasn’t a fan of some of the alien redesigns (Big Chill comes to mind), but others were an improvement over their originals (Jury Rigg comes to mind). The backgrounds were also quite detailed, showing some nice scenery throughout the various locations featured. As for the characters, it was a bit odd for Ben to again revert to his juvenile self after the events of UA, although he wasn’t as obnoxious about it compared to his AF season 3 characterization. While I do wish that we got more screen-time with Gwen and Kevin, Rook was definitely a favorite character of mine. I enjoy his can-do attitude despite being naïve about Earth culture. :) Some of the minor characters were enjoyable (such as Magister Patelliday) while others got a bit tiresome (Blukic and Driba), which brings me to my next point and my main criticism of the show: the comedy writing. Some running-gags got really stale and repetitive (especially Blukic and Driba’s bickering), while others just weren’t very funny to begin with. For example, making a joke out of why Julie and Ben broke up. That said, I can at least understand why they went with a more goofy tone: the ratings were down after UA’s more dramatic nature. Plus as someone who feels that UAF got melodramatic at times, I can appreciate a return to a tone of not taking itself too seriously. At least the overall plots were mostly good (with some poor ones here and there, like The Most Dangerous Game Show), and it was nice to see them expand upon established lore. The actions scenes usually had good choreography, which made them enjoyable most of the time. I do wish that there was a bit more of a epic finale, but what we got was a nice way to end the series, and setup an idea for a follow-up show (even though it never got made). I know this wasn’t the most concise review of the series. Maybe I could do more in-depth looks at different aspects, but for now I just wanted to share my overall thoughts on it. The bottom line, while this didn’t dethrone the OS as my favorite Ben 10 series, I still had a good time watching through it. Sure it had moments that were a bit cringeworthy (IMO) but nothing that made me hate it. I do like how people have overall come around to enjoying this series after it was ridiculed nearly all the time back then. So yes, I do think it’s an enjoyable series. :) If you want to read my thoughts on the OS and UAF, they can be found here: https://bluefire94.tumblr.com/post/658157827597156352/ben-10-2005-how-does-it-hold-up-imo https://bluefire94.tumblr.com/post/685610886708248576/ben-10-uaf-how-does-it-hold-up-imo

[anarglitch]

The wildest thing about Ben 10 is that it took until 2005 for someone to have the idea "what if a kid could turn into a bunch of aliens" like this isn't obviously the coolest and most marketable premise for anything ever. Each design is a new toy. A new powerset. Come on.

But to prove that it wasn't a fluke, they continued to have the best ideas for every aspect of it. How does he transform? A cool watch you can also sell as a toy. That watch's name? Omnitrix. Say it. It's so satisfying. How many aliens? Ten. Nice round number. The kid's name? Ben. The show's name? Ben Ten. His full name is Benjamin Tennyson, a normal, plausible name, but he also turns into 10 aliens.

Bigger brands dream about this synergy. Better writers would kill for this coherence. So holistic. So intuitive. The identity alone!!! The retro alien sound motif? Chilling. The green? Any other color would be wrong. The kirby krackle pattern? It seems so obvious in retrospect. The roadtrip format? Genius. Lesser writers would've done the spider-man high school thing. His arch nemesis being Cthulhu darth vader? Inspired, iconic, intimidating!

The execution has its highs and lows, but the idea??? Game changing. So self-evident that it seems inevitable. If Ben 10 didn't exist, it would be necessary to invent him.

[flutishly]

The lull before the storm - revisiting the days before Hero's birthday, a decade later

Note: This post contains spoilers for Nothing Much to Do.

I'll admit, I haven't been keeping up with the NMTDaily in recent weeks. I'll watch the videos a couple weeks late, in chunks. It feels entirely unlike how I watched NMTD when it was originally released (obsessively, as the episodes came out; I never used subscriptions, so I'd check the channels directly pretty much every day), but entirely reflective of where my life is today, a decade later.

I'll be away this weekend, leading into the 10-year anniversary of Hero's 16th birthday and the radio silence that followed. I'll probably write more about the actual videos when the time comes (hey, remember when I spent hours micro-analyzing a tiny video only for the full-length scene to emerge within that same day? I should be embarrassed by that than I am), but for now I find myself thinking about how the tension ramps up and how the story of Much Ado About Nothing and NMTD's interpretation feels different in 2024 than it did in 2014.

There's a lot that at the time I feel I was less forgiving of, interestingly. Maybe it's because I'm older, but I find myself feeling sorrier for the boys this time around. Claudio's anxiety and self-consciousness feels more... forward. Pedro's need to people-please and "lead". Ben's intense need to be liked and appreciated. Ironically, even as their behavior seems even more "inappropriate" today, I can't help but feel that there's something about it that I better understand today.

Hero herself somehow feels more mature. There's something about watching with the retrospect of a decade that makes the coming punch hurt all the more. It's been long enough since my last rewatch that I'd forgotten so many smaller details, like the way the girls have their sleepover or the fact that Hero has her own charming relationship with the camera independently of Beatrice. (I'm not sure why I'd forgotten these moments specifically, but it's interesting! I suppose it has something to do with the fact that I always clicked with Bea more as a character, but in this rewatch I feel like I'm finally seeing the version of Hero that many of my friends from the NMTD era always saw.)

Hero seems more mature and Bea seems more childish. Ten years ago, Bea was just a few years younger than me; she was immature, but not so different from where I was in life. Now, both Bea and Hero feel like teenagers and I'm very much not a young adult anymore. I look at both of them and think how fragile they are, how much they're taking on themselves at such a young age (independence is wonderful, but do they have the love and support of a good adult mentor?). I think of Bea's discomfort talking about Ben and her fear of being hurt. I think of Hero's open love and trust. I think of how both will soon be heartbroken by the same event, in very different ways.

Hero's birthday is one of those plot points in the world of literary webseries. It's iconic for a reason. And I know that as things "unfold" this weekend (and are only revealed next week), I'm watching it from a very different place than a decade ago and with a completely different mindset. But I suspect that the sadness and anger I felt then will not be completely obliterated. I suspect that I'll still have a moment of anguish for Hero, for Bea, for shattered dreams and the end of innocence.

----

One final aside: I truly love the writing on NMTD. Time and again, I'm impressed by just how richly the characters are drawn, by what a beautiful job The Candlewasters did in translating a classic text and making it feel so very real. I feel so lucky to have experienced this show as it was released in 2014 and yet again lucky to watch it now.

[strangeduckpaper]

Ben 10 Snippet

"Do you think that when creating the Omnitrix I limited myself to a singular sample of each species?"

"Uhhh," Ben stuttered, hunching his shoulders, "…Yes?"

Azmuth sighed in disappointment, "I was as thorough as I could be when collecting samples for the Omnitrix, gathering as much variety in phenotype and genotype as possible, with the Omnitrix itself selecting for the best. Each alien in your arsenal is perhaps the pinnacle of their species in terms of athletic capability, intellectual potential, and use of their species' unique capabilities. Perhaps you noticed the difference between the typical Incursean and your 'Bullfrag',"

He glanced down at the comic books peeking out of Ben's backpack, "Artistic exaggerations aside, they are perhaps equivalent to the unpowered heroes in your illustrated storybooks,"

"Comic books dude,"

Azmuth rolled his eyes is resigned acceptance at the correction, before his shoulders fell, "In retrospect, I regret making them so,"

"Why regret making them the awesomest dudes ever?"

"Because how can you sympathize when you are a pinnacle? How can you 'walk in another person's shoes', when you have the best shoes available, far better than most of your kind? Often times, you're just looking down at them,"

He turned away with a heavy sigh, "In wanting the best I neglected the baseline, and those dismissed as those below the medium. The physically disabled, the neurodivergent, those not given every advantage and opportunity possible. How utterly eugenic of me,"

"I'm, um, sorry for that," Ben said sheepishly, unsure what else to say, "I guess...it worked out for me, at least?" his shoulders, "I'm sorry Azmuth but this is some heavy stuff, and it's...I'm sure I can really process it,"

Azmuth turned back with a tired "Shockingly self aware of you, Tennyson,"

"I'm just full of surprises,"

"And in a way, correct. I did not achieve the goal I wanted, but in doing so, I suppose I gave you the opportunity to become a hero, and get some more understanding yourself," he said, his smile turning more genuine.

[mariacallous]

https://factkeepers com/trump-was-utterly-indifferent-to-the-public-interest-in-his-first-term/

The Revolving Door Project on Monday released a set of reports on corruption and mismanagement in executive agencies during the Trump presidency, calling on the media to focus on presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump’s poor governing record as he campaigns to retake the Oval Office.

The new reports, called “retrospective memos,” show that Trump’s executive branch was rife with cronyism and corporate influence from 2017 until 2021. RDP, a watchdog group focused on the executive branch, released the reports as a way to fight “Trumpnesia” and focus the political discussion on the governance records of Trump and President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking reelection.

“Donald Trump’s most important legacy as president wasn’t what he said, or even what bills he signed, but how he turned the federal government into a favor machine to benefit his family and cronies,” Jeff Hauser, RDP’s executive director, said in a statement. “The media should not focus on the aesthetics of this week’s presidential debate but rather cover the Biden vs. Trump election as a comparison between how each president administered the immensely important executive branch.”

“It’s important to revisit how poorly he ran the executive branch his first time round.”

RDP issued eight memos, covering disaster management, the environment, financial regulation, housing, immigration, labor, education, and transportation.

Each provides evidence of a Trump administration that was “utterly indifferent to the public interest,” as Timi Iwayemi, RDP’s research director, said in the statement.

In many cases, Trump appointees were hostile to the original aims of the agencies they served.

Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s choice to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, tried to roll back rules limiting predatory payday lending—a practice that “preys on the working poor,” the financial regulation memo says.

Mulvaney—who’s now suggesting a “revenge-a-thon” against Trump’s foes—also appointed political cronies and failed to undertake the enforcement actions against companies that were the CFPB’s raison d’être. A 2019 feature in The New York Times Magazine was titled, “Mick Mulvaney’s Master Class in Destroying a Bureaucracy From Within.”

Trump’s National Labor Relations Board was led by Peter Robb, a management-side lawyer who was the Reagan administration’s lead attorney on litigation dealing with the air traffic controllers’ strike of 1981, in which the federal government fired about 11,000 workers and banned them from being rehired. Like Trump’s Department of Labor, which was ultimately run by the son of former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the NLRB under Robb was pro-management—and reportedly dysfunctional.

Other federal agencies were hardly more committed to serving the public interest in the late 2010s.

“Trump’s Interior Department advanced the interests of extractivist industry on public lands while refusing to account for how its actions would worsen climate change,” according to RDP’s environment memo. “The Trump administration auctioned off over 10 million acres of land and water to oil and gas drilling, including by drastically reducing the size of national monuments like Bears Ears in Utah, a sacred homeland to five tribal nations, in order to open them up to development.”

The Department of Housing and Urban Development, run by former presidential candidate Ben Carson, was plagued by “handouts to friends and family,” a series of “deadly budget cut proposals,” and a “war on fair housing,” according to the RDP’s housing memo.

Trump’s disaster management choices were particularly consequential. The Federal Emergency Management Agency ” horrifically” mismanaged the response to two consecutive hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico in 2017, which got minimal—and very delayed—relief compared to Texas communities that were hit by a hurricane during that period.

RDP’s catalog of Trump administration failures is designed to clarify the stakes of the 2024 election.

“The series serves as a reminder to the public that the president’s primary responsibility is to direct the vast apparatus known as the executive branch of the federal government,” RDP said. “Sadly, former president Donald Trump either neglected this responsibility or wielded it in favor of corporations throughout his four years in office.”

Iwayemi said “Even as current conversations wisely focus on Project 2025 and Trump’s promise to leverage executive power to harm political enemies, it’s important to revisit how poorly he ran the executive branch his first time round as a cure to the public’s apparent Trumpnesia.”

[papabearbobbynash]

We know 911 is truly back when a "so far called good season" shifts to a "bad and messy season" because anticipated ship scene was cut. Can't say i did miss that vibe from the fandom. In retrospect i believe our real enemy here is the 10 episodes schedule. There surely would have ben more time for the wedding to be a two-part if it was the usual 18 episodes. But in restrospect we really could have got rid of Marisol and Eddie bed activities + nun bs from last episode to put some wedding prep for the writers get more more room to edit the actual episode.

[autistic-ben-tennyson]

as someone who relates a lot to both Anakin and Padme because i grew in a stressfully abusive enviroment (not being allowed to express too honest emotions and fear, having to mask my neurodivergent tendencies, not being able to raise my voice ever or cry or be angry, etcetc) and i was a "gifted kid", and on top of that i'm queer. So for a lot of my teenhood i "attached" *badly* to anything that would remotely give me comfort, mostly objects but also people and friends, it's been quite healing to read your analysis about how "attachments" are presented in SW and how the fandom tends to twists attachments as something toxic and selfish, it's understandable when people don't like him but when everyone runs to say he was evil just for getting attached or feeling "too strongly" about something is quite hurtful

victims should be accountable for the things they do wrong, and anakin outright did so many many horrible bad things, but it's cathartic for me bc he shows how victims of abuse and trauma aren't and can't be perfect, and they react in ways that are inherently affected by the enviroment that shaped them, and in the end, anakin had one of the most famous and iconic returns ever, so it's really important to me, and your analysis are great

Thanks anon. I had a period over a couple months where I was very hardcore pro Jedi/anti anakin which in retrospect was really just to fit in with what was popular on tumblr since all the big SW blogs like Kanansdume/antianakin or GFFA are Jedi apologists. I regret a lot of my past behavior and how I treated some Anakin fans. A lot of Jedi stans like to paint anyone who likes Anakin as a right wing dudebro and it doesn’t help that there are a few people who are that way such as caripr94 or Otnesse. Yet their side isn’t much better. There’s a lot of ableism, victim blaming, and queerphobia rebranded to sound progressive. For all their pseudo-wokeness, a lot of them sound like conservatives when they put the blame entirely on Anakin for his fall and refuse to acknowledge systematic and psychological issues he had because they’d have to accept that the Jedi were flawed and not perfect.

Fandom in general has become a lot more puritanical and moralistic. People insist that you can’t show any sympathy or depth for villains, possibly as an overreaction towards movies like Maleficent or Cruella as well as the rise of Trump, hence why everyone felt Big Jack Horner was refreshing and propping up TOH as the anti SU for killing Belos. The SW fandom is no different. Antianakin has a whole pinned post ranting about not just Anakin but Padme, Ahsoka, Kallus and Crosshair too. People insist you must view Anakin as an allegory for a white boy radicalized by 4chan and Jordan Peterson but one could argue he’s closer to those in the global south who live in poverty and oppression as well as queer people who have to hide their relationships or risk being rejected by their communities.

SW isn’t even close to my top fandom or favorite media but I do post about it if it relates to stuff I do like more like anime or Ben 10. It’s easy to write off a character as just born evil which removes the tragedy knowing that he was a good person at one point and dehumanizing villains allows people to reject the idea that they could become that way. I like a lot of characters who are flawed or abrasive because of trauma or abuse they suffered such as Shinji and Asuka from NGE, Hodaka from WWY, Raven from TT or Homura from PMMM. Anakin/Vader is an interesting character who has been dumbed down to just a “fascist MAGA manchild” by some when, for all my criticism of him, is not what Lucas wrote. As a side note, knowing that all 4 OT Vader actors have passed away is sad. RIP Sebastian Shaw, Bob Anderson, David Prowse and James Earl Jones. May the force be with you all.

[fullyvisible]

I found it interesting/useful to make a list of all the songs in Heartstopper Season One paired with what's happening in the show while the song plays, so I decided to do the same for Season Two! Obviously, spoilers ahead:

1. Shatter - opening scene, Charlie and Nick texting and meeting at school

2. Out of My League - sleepover!

3. Pressure to Party - sleepover dancing!

4. The Beach - Charlie telling Tori he'll make sure it's better for Nick; end of episode one

5. Coming of Age - beginning of episode 2; parent teacher conferences

6. Paradise - playing with Nellie in the park and then kissing and looking at the photos

7. Welcome to the Sidelines - Elle at the art school open day making friends

8. You Wouldn't Like Me - sad texting about being grounded and it being hard to come out; Nick's reassuring voice message; Tao looking at posts of Elle and her new art school friends

9. Retrospect - exams, easy writing, Tao looking up how to ask out Elle

10. Things Will Be Fine - cinema date

11. The Sound - arriving at the end of term party

12. Le Temps de L'Amour - in the cinema

13. Miss U - the party continues; Tao and Elle are sad, Nick is unwell

14. Lovesong - Charlie holds Nick; end of episode 3

15. Obsessed - beginning of episode 4; loading up the busses

16. Trésor - arrival in Paris and driving past the sights

17. Un Peu Plus Souvent - wandering around Paris in pairs

18. Mona Lisa - Tao and Elle explore the museum

19. Freak Out - Charlie sees the hickey and almost says fuck; end of episode 4

20. Nobody Really Cares - beginning of episode 5; Nick texting his dad then checking on Charlie; resumes to go down to breakfast

21. Doesn't Matter (voleur de soliel) - climbing the Eiffel Tower

22. Fall in Love With a Girl - first kiss!!

23. Never Be the Same - Nick and Charlie run through Paris to meet Nick's dad; end of episode 5

24. On Était Beau - beginning of episode 6; Nick and Charlie meet Nick's dad

25. Bros - Paris Gang explores together

26. 3D Feelings - Tara's birthday party

27. Then It All Goes Away - Party continues; Tara is unhappy, Tao and Elle are in the bathroom, Isaac is surrounded by couples, Nick and Charlie see Ben

28. Hot & Heavy - Isaac goes back to the party after kissing James; Nick and Charlie on the balcony

29. Pretty Girl Lie - Charlie shuts the door on Harry; party plays spin the bottle/truth or dare

30. Deep End - Mr. Ajayi and Mr. Farouk talk; fade to black; Nick and Charlie sleep; bus back to England; end of episode 6

31. We Can Be Anything - beginning of episode 7; Tara and Darcy have a sleepover; Nick looks through his photos and worries about Charlie; Charlie looks at photos and gets message from Ben; Elle gets into Lambert; Tao dances around his room

32. People Watching - prom outfit shopping

33. Cry! - the gang arrives at the art show and they find out Elle got in

34. Crush Culture - Isaac looks at the piece on being aro/ace and gets his leaves moment! Continues through Imogen arriving and Darcy leaving

35. Skin - background while Tao and Elle talk

36. Blush - Nick googles eating disorders; Darcy's mom yells at her and Darcy leaves; end of episode 7

37. Colors Of You - beginning of episode 8; Nick wakes up and looks at pictures of him and Charlie and posts about being boyfriends and bi

38. Run Away With Me - Tao and Elle agree to be boyfriend/girlfriend; prom setup

39. Young - the gang arrives at prom

40. Happy New Year - prom; Tara is looking for Darcy

41. Just Like Heaven - Tao and Elle dance, Mr. Farouk arrives, Isaac takes the ace book, Imogen watches Sahar play

42. All the Things - prom continues; Nick and Charlie hold hands and decide to leave; Darcy arrives

43. Seven - Tara and Darcy say "I love you" and the gang has their own prom party

44. UR So Pretty - Charlie and Nick kiss and Charlie leaves; contemplates texting "I love you;" end of season 2

[brigittttoo]

Writing Patterns (Tag Game)

Rules: list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

Thanks for the tag @goddammitjim ! I can't remember when I've last done something like this but hopefully I've created at least 10 new fics since then

"Ben silently watches Cody read." - Feast, my 2nd edwardian wlw codywan

"Cody’s hands are sweating inside his gloves." - Tending Towards Silence, a sombre cody retrospective

" . . . Thus [the Clone Soldier Facility Language] is arguably a pidgin, despite its novel morphology and phonology formulated under isolated conditions." - Abstand and Ausbau, an in-universe media fic for an unelaborated xmen au codywan

"[Typed blue header text: Writing Module.] [In pencil:] Today me and fives and rRex got to punch the big bags [Evidence 03.53.11] to see if we are strong now and I moved it 3 inchs!" - Tunneling, the sequel-ish to Abstand and Ausbau xmen au with a confusing piece of annotated in-universe media at the beginning that tripped me up while doing this tag game

"Ovens these days are such untrustworthy things." - Milk, Sugar, Cocoa, a The Old Guard codywan where they make brownies

"One day, a swan-maiden lands on an imprisoned isle." - Monday: Fairy Tale/Mythology, a wlw codywan au for @order63

"Excerpt from elle.com/culture/celebrities, Aug, 2022. The perfect phrase to describe Cody Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi as a couple is ‘stage presence’." - Tuesday: Arts Professions, a wlw codywan au for Order 63 with stage actress obi-wan and glam rocker cody that also has in-universe media why do I do this to myself

"Cody understands why they call it a snowstorm, when your TV is full of white noise, an endless, blurry white and grey." - Wednesday: Alt Prompt Snowstorm, a wlw codywan au for Order 63, there's a video store

"They’ve been sharing the lodge for the past couple days, a perfect example of genial skiing sports relations." - Thursday: Sports, a wlw codywan au for Order 63, with wintersports

"In Florence, they share a suite that looks out over the high, sharp tower of the Santa Croce Basilica, but the view that truly arrests Ben is the one from the top staircase window." - Friday: Historical, a wlw codywan au for Order 63, and we're back where this list started with edwardian ladies!

Patterns? I think my first lines have gotten shorter over the years maybe, and there's a lot of in-universe media excerpts cluttering up the place lol. I like finding characters mid-way through actions just as much as I like describing a setting, apparently!

I'm not sure who's been tagged, so I'll go with @cabezadeperro and @lttrsfrmlnrrgby and @elwenyere and @adiduck ? I'm sure I'm crossing over into lore's tagged people now so mwah goodnight <3

[schm00by]

Mixed Feelings about the Malware Arc (Ben 10)

The Malware arc, to me, left much to be desired. With the lesson Ben was meant to learn in the arc and the emotional impact of its conclusion heavily dampened due to the pacing and lack of buildup.

Basically, from my perspective, the arc with Malware was supposed to teach Ben to forgive himself for losing Feedback. Which might I add, is already a daunting message to tell (to me at least, I mean it hit me like a truck). In retrospect, yeah that is a hard-hitting topic that contrasts heavily with the more “kiddy” direction Omniverse is taking, at least compared to its predecessor: Ultimate Alien which often (to the best of their ability when the network was breathing down their necks) tackled darker topics and had a moodier atmosphere.

This message was reached and confirmed with Past Ben and Present Ben interacting. I felt the entire scene with Past Ben and Present Ben interacting was honestly pretty hard hitting, at least for Omniverse’s first season. With Past asking Present if he learned anything, and Present saying, "yeah that losing bites" and Past, with his eyes downcast, asking if Ben was still mad at him after all these years was just wow. And when Present got down to Past's level and agreed that instead of beating up his past self about what happened, he’d instead focus on what he can do in the now (Ben's way of saying he’s come to terms with what happened and is forgiving his ten-year-old self). I actually really liked that scene; it would have been an amazing turning point in Ben’s character.

However, even with the little praise I give it, the entirety of it felt sorta misplaced. Now this scene could totally work if the pacing hadn’t been so butchered. If we had more scenes with Feedback and really saw the closeness Ben had with him then this scene would’ve hit so much harder. In this arc we barely got any Feedback scenes or really how the loss of Feedback really affected Ben other than a few one off lines about how he feels whenever anyone brought up Feedback or some, one off flashbacks of 11 year old Ben using him, as most of season one consisted more episodic episodes than an overarching story (not including the episodes with Zip and the Hunter, and Malware)

Literally in the episode RIGHT before the conclusion to Ben’s arc (the Past and Present scene) we are shown what happened to Feedback. (Malware literally ripping Ben from his alien form was just wow and I don’t even know where to start with that). If they have given us more time to digest and see the impact Feedback made on Ben when he was taken, then it would’ve been all the more emotional to see Ben be reunited with his favorite alien. Having us see Feedback’s death scene just for him to immediately be brought back in the literal next episode was just too much to swallow at once. It’s hard to explain but it would’ve been neat to see that scene with Ben losing Feedback earlier in the season. Perhaps when Ben first saw Malware, he could get a flashback, or we could have an episode focusing on Rook trying to get to know Ben better and learning about what happened through Gwen. Not only would it give us more time to digest what happened to Feedback before he is revived but we can also see more character interaction with Rook, a current partner of Ben’s, and Gwen, who used to be partnered up with Ben and maybe contrasting they’re views on him and what is feels/felt like to be partnered up with him. It moves the plot forward, does not give us mediocre, forgettable, and practically useless episodes, and we get more character interaction. Fillers are always a great opportunity to go more in depth with the characters when they aren’t doing something with the overarching conflict and a lot of fillers in Ben 10 are often wasted to random, fast action mini-plots (not to say that is bad because it definitely isn’t, I personally loved the Billy Billions episode and loved Billy and Ben interacting, but I wish there was more variety in the fillers than a one off crisis that is dealt with in random episodes)

[viviennevermillion]

Benjamin Linus Trivia Headcanons

should i start writing for this fandom? would i get an audience from like, the 10 active lost blogs on tumblr.com? i can do reader-inserts and general stuff. have some random ben headcanons that live rent-free in my brain

warnings: some angst, mentions of child abuse (all my homies hate roger linus)

Ben learned to cook when he was still a kid. Roger didn't have a lot of interest in cooking anything and was probably fine living off microwaveable DHARMA meals and dry cereal. Ben often stayed over at Annie's house for dinner and learned early on how to manipulate conversations so they'd end with the adults giving him food or letting him stay for lunch or dinner because aside from that he didn't really get a lot of warm meals. Sandwiches were one of the first things he learned to make but it quickly evolved into complicated meals. He only ever cooked when his father was at work so Roger wouldn't demand to have some of the food as well and reprimand him if it wasn't to his liking. Ben eventually taught Alex how to cook.

Ben had the typical abused kid habit of hoarding stuff under his bed and wherever he could best hide his possessions in his room because he feared his father wouldn't approve of them or destroy them when he was drunk and enraged by a minor inconvenience.

This became a habit that continued way into adulthood. A lot of his drawers have secret compartment where he keeps items that aren't necessarily secret or vital to his plans but just a little more valuable to him than everything else he owns.

Ben became so used to lying as his default that after he becomes Hurley's #2 he has to actively correct himself. Hurley would ask him a question and Ben's immediate response is to lie before he goes "oh wait hold on-" and then says the truth.

After Alex dies, everytime he's in mortal danger he's struggling with the thought that now no one's going to remember the real him or hardly anything about him that wasn't based on a lie if he died

His favorite songs are "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel and "New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra.

Has gone to Jacob's cabin at least once to rant about how much he thinks Goodwin sucks

One of those people who brush their teeth before breakfast

The thought that Jacob might not actually exist is definitely something that has occurred in Ben's mind and he tried to push that idea away everytime it creeped up on him.

Worst hay fever known to man. Is fine on the island but everytime he leaves it in spring or summer he has to pop 2 allergy pills a day to function normally

Has these cute little cat sneezes. People have definitely tried not to laugh about it in his presence.

He has never been held as a kid and it's very noticeable

Ben has been in many situations where his life was in danger but two of them include choking on cereal and attempting to teach himself how to drive after Roger refused to do it

Has never been drunk. Only over his dead body would he put himself into a situation where he's at risk of spilling all his secrets in an intoxicated state.

The music that plays in the bear cage when you earn a fish biscuit doesn't actually come from the DHARMA Initiative; it isn't in the Hydra Orientation video even though there's sound when they activate that mechanism. Ben added that music in retrospect for his own personal amusement. Definitely sat in the surveillance room snickering to himself whenever Sawyer got a fish biscuit.

He tried to draw an identikit of Jacob solely based on Richard's descriptions on more than one occasion.

[bourbon-ontherocks]

First line tag!

I was tagged by (I think? I'm sorry but it was a while ago) @sothischickshe and @pia-writes-things ❤️❤️

Rule: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

– Je vais, heu… je vais quitter la conversation. Au-revoir. "I, uh... I'm gonna leave the conversation. Good-bye."

Il faudrait penser à colmater cette fissure dans le mur. Someone should plug that crack in the wall.

Florence tombe. Florence collapses.

— Bon ben, encore une affaire rondement m'née ! On fait une bonne équipe, hein ? "Another case smoothly handled! You and I make a good team, yeah?"

Aujourd'hui est un jour particulier. Today is a special day.

La situation est tellement cliché que c’en est rageant. The situation rings so cliché, it's infuriating.

Les impacts de balles courent sur le crépi défraîchi en une cicatrice minérale, une mémoire qui résonne encore dans ses oreilles, et elle manque de renoncer. The bullet marks run across the worn-out render like a mineral scar, a memory still echoing in her ears, and she almost gives up.

Elle va bien. She's fine.

– J'ai pas les enfants, ce soir, vous… vous voulez venir ? "I don't have the kids tonight, you... do you want to come in?"

Hébétude. A daze.

There's definitely a pattern, which doesn't come as a surprise since I generally give a lot of thought to my first lines.

I hate first lines that feel too exposition-y so I like diving right in the middle of the action with a short sentence and a tight POV, like we just barged into someone's inner monologue. I always try to make it a bit immersive and intriguing, for instance by mixing a domestic thought with a rather odd or insignificant detail (e.g. something like "they ran out of her usual detergent brand." or "In retrospect, his life choices had not been that bad.") to create a connection with the reader and make them want to know more.

More rarely, I'll start with a dialogue line that's almost always borrowed from canon. This tends to happen for fix-it fics of sorts that start immediately after a canon scene, to show where I start off.

I don't know who has or hasn't done this yet since I come way after the battle, so feel free to play anyone, and I'll tag @hemerae-ramblings @luluonthemoon @sdktrs12 @michelleelizabethtanner just in case but no presh 😘

[cartoon-network-things]

As promised: the Cartoon Network UK Schedule for May 2013 (possibly the week starting from the 14th).

Like I said before, this schedule is not very good. It's nostalgic for sure, but not great in retrospect. Only a few shows during the day, and most of them consist of just Regular Show, Adventure Time, Gumball and Johnny Test, sometimes in THAT specific order. It's very lazy and boring, despite the fact that at least three of them are really good shows. It's not like CN was lacking in content at that point as the US feed was way ahead of the UK with a variety of different shows in different slots, though to be fair, half of those were aired on either Boomerang or CN Too, leaving the main channel a lot less to work with.

In terms of "new" content that week, or in this case, THAT YEAR, Gormiti: Forces of Nature is one I did not expect to see. I literally cannot recall a single memory of that show, despite being sliced inbetween Ben 10 Omniverse and Regular Show. Probably because it was only on for about a few weeks and disappeared soon after. This was however, a week or two AFTER Star Wars: The Clone Wars aired it's season premiere, so that's cool. In terms of other content, you got some early morning Chowder reruns, plus an hour of Ultimate Alien at 12pm. I was usually in school by then so it makes sense why I never saw it, despite having access to a DVR and knowing how to use one. You've also got some Dreamworks Dragons: Riders of Berk reruns exclusive to weekends, which I definitely remember seeing at the time. Notice how I managed to talk about every show on the daytime schedule in just ONE paragraph.

And if you thought THAT was bad, wait til you see the night-time schedule. Sure, you got some rather odd but cool lineup of classic cartoons from 9 to 11pm, and then an hour of Chop Socky Chooks, followed by two hours of Hero 108, also followed by the exact show preceeding it for another hour, AND THEN ANOTHER TWO HOURS OF HERO 108 AGAIN, followed by MORE Chop Socky Chooks at 5am. You see the problem? Over HALF of the graveyard slots are filled with just two shows for over 7 hours. And in case you're wondering what happened to Robotboy and all the other shows from 2010-2011ish, they were either moved to CN Too & Boomerang or just completely gone from all three (this is likely what happened with Fantastic Four). Though to be fair, it's not nearly as bad as you think because let's be real here: who the hell is gonna watch Cartoon Network at 3am? (totally not me lol)

Phew! Got tired from writing all of this shit. Maybe I'll post an ideal version of this schedule at some point by fixing some of its issues and just making something that could've been. Now if only I was this dedicated to actual important things.