#good thing I already have all the tools I need to handle my carpal tunnel when it's at its worst though

[sibyl-of-space]

Final builds of demo are exported. I am so tired. Tomorrow I finish the trailer and Sunday I finish the final presentation of the steam page and press submit. Everything going well the demo releases in a week..............

[catgirlxox]

Exploring Ben 10′s Reality

I feel like, sometimes, some things are so obvious that they’re overlooked.

Do you realize that the Omnitrix wasn't even created to be a weapon, or rather a tool to use in battle?

It is simply a device which contains the DNA of a large quantity of different alien species, each which happen to have their own naturally occurring special abilities, which can then also transform the one who wields it into any of those alien species. 

According to Ultimate Alien's "Solitary Alignment", Azmuth's original reason for creating the Omnitrix was an apology for the creation of Ascalon, a weapon which was previously described as “irresponsible” because of how powerful it is. 

Azmuth: “It could cleave right into reality. Tap into the primal energies.”

Zennith: “it’s irresponsible to create things without thinking through the ramifications.”

Ascalon was later stolen by a Warrior who hoped to end the eons-long civil war between the many factions on the Incursean home world. The result, however, was the destruction of the planet, which rendered the Incurseans scattered.

Azmuth: “Zennith was right after all. I swore to hideaway to sword, and dedicate myself to peaceful sciences.”

The Omnitrix was then created with the intention of this “peaceful science” bringing the universe together rather than causing destruction like it’s predecessor. 

Gwen: “And you developed the Omnitrix as a way to promote interstellar peace and unity.”

Ben responds to this, saying:

“And I turned it into a weapon.”

Even though Ben says this, I have to disagree. It is because of Ben’s work, using the Omnitrix, that there are aliens and humans living in harmony in Bellwood near the end of Omniverse. He has shown people that you can trust those who have abilities different from yours, contrasting the obvious Xenophobia existing throughout the previous series. Being different can bring us all together if we embrace it and defend each other. Probably without even realizing it, Ben promoted diversity, interstellar peace, and unity. 

I don’t think we give Ben enough credit for literally turning himself into a hero.

He was presented with an opportunity to do so, and through his own creativity and good heart, lived out his dream with the benefit of saving the Universe multiple times.

Ben claimed that he “turned the Omnitrix into a weapon”, when, from the moment it first attached itself to his wrist, he already had the idea in mind to use it to help others with the abilities it provided. He absolutely could have rebelled and used it as a weapon, or to do whatever else he wanted to with it since it was stuck to him, not giving him a choice whether he wanted to keep it on or take it off. 

Regardless of what he wanted, because it was stuck to him and could not be taken off without a specific procedure, he would have still become a target for dangerous aliens, such as Vilgax, who will stop at nothing to retrieve the watch. 

Because of this, I realize it is not a job that will benefit him in every aspect. 

For instance, we all have the luxury of resting assured that those slightly absurd things we may be afraid of do not exist in our reality. Although we may not always willingly admit to it, there are many of us which fear the dark, or whatever other nightmarish entities haunt our dreams caused by the common fear of the unknown, undiscovered, and unexplored. 

In the hypothetical instance in which entities such as these would exist, however, we can still find comfort in the idea that there are too many individual people on the planet we share for ourselves to be their specific target. Why, out of everyone, would our insignificant selves be the one chosen to endure such horror?

As you may know, many of us also seem to take interest in the paranormal or unexplained. We seem to have a morbid curiosity regarding these nightmarish creatures and entities. And, we are curious because we do not fully understand why these types of being would exist, and what their motives would be, if any at all. 

Because we do not know the answers for certain, it is quite easy for us to be desensitized to this material. That ease lies in the fact that we may, at any moment, just turn away from that which is portrayed as scary and return to what is normal and mundane. We are safely out of the reach of the terror inducing science fiction, and, subsequently, not in any particularly bad or lengthy state of terror at all. 

Ben, however, does not have a choice. 

He has literally chosen to give up that sense of security to be the hero. 

Those nightmarish entities which we may childishly fear are not only real in his reality, but they specifically target him, and sometimes his friends and family, as shown in episodes such as Ultimate Alien’s “Hit ‘em Where They Live.” 

As I said, it is easy for us to be desensitized to disturbing concepts because they are fiction. However, in the Ben 10 Universe, Ben and his team are often thrown straight into these nightmarish scenes. And, in most of these scenarios, Ben and his team do not seem particularly disturbed as they deal with the usual alien criminals causing trouble. 

You might infer that constantly being exposed to these types of criminals and their schemes which vary in level of horror might desensitize you to further atrocities. However, the off-screen slaughter of a Lucubra in “Solitary Alignment” exemplifies exactly the part of their reality which may leave our main heroes quite squeamish. 

Azmuth: “After defeating the errant knights and the Lucubras, St. George stood alone against the Diagon. He cut out its heart and left the sword buried in it. I'll show you. 

Kevin: “No!”

Gwen: “I - I can't watch. I'm gonna be sick.”

Ben: “Azmuth, get us out of here now!”

It should not be considered a show of weakness to express how much these true horrors affect oneself when this is your everyday life. 

Ben canonically suffers from nightmares. This is also something the fandom often includes in their own works of creative writing, often followed by Ben not being willing to share any details of the terrors he may suffer during those nights. 

Interestingly, fan fiction writers also often include Ben having a similar approach towards pain. Ben’s reasoning for this seems to be that, because those defined by words such as “brave” and “strong” should be capable of handling these traumatizing situations, whether they are occurring before your eyes in real life or inside your mind while asleep, they should not turn to others to “burden” them with such things. 

It is the hero’s job to carry that burden, apparently. 

This is exactly the kind of thing that is heavily overlooked in Ben’s case because it is something that really should be obvious. Likewise, it should be obvious that this kind of rationalization of mental or physical suffering should not be deemed okay, and nobody states that it is. But, nobody admits that this is a mature outlook to have, either. 

It is mature because it takes into consideration the reality in which he lives in so much so that he does not wish to allow others to be exposed to the full extent of the parts of the hero life which cause suffering towards the one who is burdened with the responsibility of easing or preventing the suffering of others. In simpler terms, the hero. 

Although the series has never really gone into the specifics regarding what it is that haunts him at night, we can infer it has to do with the threats he faces on the daily, and most often involving enemies which are particularly dangerous.

"Sometimes when I eat late at night, I have nightmares so real, I wake up hitting the Ultimatrix. One time, I thought I saw Vilgax hiding in my closet. It was one of Grandpa Max's extra shirts." (Ben, Ultimate Alien - "The Big Story")

There are many possibilities which are explored and discussed regarding what Ben may have to face as a cause of his position. One of which is the idea that the arm or wrist on which he wears the Omnitrix is in danger of being damaged or injured, in the form of something such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, or worse, losing the arm completely. Multiple of Ben’s enemies have attempted to remove his Omnitrix arm, therefore this is a dangerously plausible possibility. 

In the case of something such as this, I would immediately assume that Azmuth, a being who is deemed the smartest in arguably five galaxies, has already premeditated issues such as pain or injury to the user and, subsequently, would have installed a protection or prevention function. However, it may also be argued that Azmuth built the device based on his own idea of what purpose it will serve and how it will be used. 

As I stated in the beginning, the Omnitrix was not built to turn the user into a superhero. That was Ben’s doing. So, whatever side effects come with rapid and consecutive transforming into aliens, as well as activating this ability in the physical way Ben does is a cause of his own desire to continue to be the hero. 

A less often explored concept is the idea that using the Omnitrix in this way would cost him so much that he would no longer desire to continue being the hero. If the hero work would not only take from him his sense of security and privacy, but also an essential limb, it seems only just that the unfairness of the circumstances would push someone into a loss of desire to do what they once loved. Keep in mind, there are even individuals who believe that the Universe would be better off without his efforts, namely Will Harangue and Pakmar. The truth is that, even in these circumstances, the universe would still need him against his will. And, in that case, should he still be burdened with that responsibility?

As I have mentioned, unlike regular people, Ben has an extremely valid reason to fear things we don’t have to. Ben’s choice to become a hero is what puts him in the position to be that target. And, undesirable circumstances such as losing a limb do not erase the fact that he is still the target for dangerous, and to normal people, scary alien creatures with nightmare inducing intentions. 

Obviously, continuing to do this job with one arm would not be the same. It may be more difficult depending on what would be put in place of the lost limb. And this is something that those enemies of Ben’s would probably realize. To them, it may make him an even easier target. 

And, in the hypothetical situation in which he does not only lose the arm, but also the Omnitrix, they may think that it is the perfect time to take their final revenge on him in this unarmed state. Which, returns the discussion regarding what contributes to Ben’s nightmares and very valid personal fears. 

Yes, Ben has friends and team mates to back him up who have their own abilities and skills. But, even so, Ben is often the last man standing in dire circumstances - the one which they all depend on. 

Who, then, will defend the universe if the last man standing can not defend himself? 

This not to say that there is any doubt in his capability to prevent the situation from going this far. That is precisely why I praise him for being so quick and reliable. When all of the above is not only a hypothetical, but truly your reality, it is crucial that he has these characteristics. It is only unfortunate that all of this is also heavily over looked and glossed over, especially in the case of many of his canon love interests who don’t seem to take any of this into account at all which leads to their disconnect and misunderstanding of his person.