How I'd reboot Ben 10: Finale, The main 10.
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Arguably one of the most important elements in Ben 10 is the selection of Aliens Ben can use in fights. Over the many years, Ben has obtained a ridiculous amount of Aliens. However, in rebooting the series, you'd have to bring his total back down to 10. In my reboot, the 10 Ben begins with would have to meet a few requirements. Requirement #1: Each Alien must at least bring something unique to the table. Two aliens cannot share the same power (strength being the only exception, as almost every alien seems to have enhanced strength). Requirement #2: Aliens cannot be from anything that is not in the main series, so no fan made aliens, or aliens from something obscure like a play in another country. Requirement #3: The aliens must, to some volume, be enjoyable to watch. If this were my show, i would want to make sure that the action is entertaining, so none of the aliens should be boring or joke aliens. With all of that out of the way, I will now list which 10 Aliens i would have Ben use, and why i chose them.
Alien #1: Heatblast. This alien is a classic, and a perfect example of how Ben's transformations should be. Heatblast not only is iconic, due to him being Ben's first transformation, but also has a simple design, and a simple but cohesive power, that being pyrokinesis. Fire can be used for many things, making Heatblast a solid addition to Ben's roster.
Alien #2: Goop. Goop is arguably one of the most versatile aliens from Alien force. Goop is mallable, being virtually indestructable, and great for situation where Ben needs to be sneaky. Goop can slip under doors, travel through pipes, and in a fight, he can launch either acidic or adhesive goo, which can be used in a variety of ways. This alien would be very useful, which is why he deserves to be in this roster.
Alien #3: Artiguana. It has a great design, a very useful ability, and he is fairly popular with people. While there is more i could say, it boils down to being pretty much the same set of reasons for why Heatblast made it onto this list.
Alien #4: Jetray. It was either going to be Jetray or astrodactyl. Ben needed an alien for aerial combat and flight, and while astrodactyl had more interesting combat options, Jetray was the one i chose, due to his ability to go underwater, as well as handle the vacuum of space. This makes him the ideal alien for quick transport and places with no air.
Alien #5: Feedback. Ben has had a lot of energy blaster/Electricity powered Aliens. While there were a lot of options, Feedback is the strongest and most useful. He can absorb electricity or generate his own. He was the poster alien for omniverse, with good reason. This alien can even enhance its speed and strength by syphoning electricity, making it the best electricity alien, and the one Ben would have in this reboot.
Alien #6: Armadrillo. This alien fulfills the obligatory strength alien slot in this roster, but brings its own unique ability. While four arms was the obvious answer for this slot, Armadrillo is the more interesting choice, an alien that would help teach Ben to not bhe reckless, as going ham with this alien would result in destruction. Its burrowing ability could make close combat encounters more interesting, and its earthquake technique, while situational, could be a way for Ben to really get an idea of how dangerous his power really is.
Alien #7: Crashhopper. This slot was originally going to be for spider monkey, but since goop already had the ability to stick things together, i decided to focus on the nimble fighter aspect, and choose crashhopper. Despite the hate it gets, it is a legitamately useful alien. It has a hard head, allowing it to act as a battering ram. It leaves behind shockwaves powerful enough to crack concrete after jumping, and his kicks are quite effective at close range. This alien works well for fights that involve moving rapidly through an area. Before someone asks why XLR8 didn't get in this slot for manuverability...Jetray can break the sound barrier, so that would've made XLR8's inclusion redundant (even though i really like XLR8).
Alien #8 Lodestar. Magnetism is a very powerful ability. While it can obviously levitate metal, it can also be used as a shockwave to blow others away, and as a forcefield to protect himself and others. This would be another great Alien for ben to learn, as with Lodestar seeming useless to the 10 year old, until he figures out what it can do.
Alien #9: Gutrot. This is another Alien with a simple ability, but a lot of potential. Gutrot can mix chemicals, creating knockout gas, corrosive gas, and even phermones. This Alien seems to come with a relative amount of intelligence, at least enough to know how to make these gasses. This gives it the spot for intelligence in the alien lineup, but it's up to Ben to put the knowledge to good use...
Alien #10: Echo Echo. This alien is a pretty solid alien for ben's roster. It had the misfortune to be introduced after blitzwolfer and ditto were created, meaning that echo echo didn't bring anything new to the table. However, the concept for this Alien is a very solid one, multiplying to create an army and unleashing sonic screeches. It is simple, but as stated many times, simple is good. This alien can be used for very creative scenarios regarding how sound is transmitted, and also gives Ben an alien to use for multitasking.
And that concludes what Ben's 10 aliens would be in my reboot. I bear no ill will against any of the aliens mentioned that weren't featured, and this list favored having the most diverse abilities, so some of my favorites didn't make it into this selection. If you think the list should be different, you are entitled to your opinion. I believe this concludes my articles on how i'd reboot Ben 10. If you want more content of this sort, please inform me in the comments. -
Ok so since that you asked me through chat about any advice that I can give to you for your fan fiction series, here's what I have. Sure, much of this is just my opinion and you have a choice to not follow my suggestions here. Still, I think it's something that you should take note of if you want to write a better story.
First off, try not to be too ridiculous and absurd. When I read your part 1 page about how you would reboot Ben 10, the part where you state how Vilgax would acquire a sample of DNA from Max Tennyson and some samples from the Omnitrix and would plan to create his own warrior with its own Omnitrix is an example of what I mean by that. To me, I find that to be a moment of "Wait...what? Why?". It sounds too ridiculous and absurd even for Ben 10 standards. I rather watch Innervasion again than see something like that. Also, if Vilgax is after the Omnitrix, he's after it for a reason. Vilgax knows some aspects about the Omnitrix but he doesn't know how to make one himself. Otherwise, he wouldn't even be bothering at all with going after Ben. It also presents the issue of making the original Omnitrix seem less unique because, well, now there's another Omnitrix. That was an issue that I had with the sequel shows introducing stuff like the Ultimatrix, the OV Omnitrix, the Nemetrix, etc. It made the original Omnitrix feel less unique. For more on that, here's my article on what I think are ways to fix and improve the Omnitrix: https://ben10club.org/topic/373/ben-10-how-to-fix-and-improve-the-omnitrix. So yeah, again, try not to get too ridiculous and absurd. That's a common issue that I've seen with many Ben 10 fanfics. The same goes with the notion of Max and Vilgax being former friends and how Max was some galactic war veteran that nearly wiped Vilgax's species to near extinction. That sort of stuff just sounds too ridiculous and absurd, again, even for Ben 10 standards. That's not to say that they can't work though. To me, it just doesn't sound right for Ben 10.
Second, I say that you should ditch the road trip approach. Take that direction and burn it. I said this before in your part 1 page, we already have the Original Series. Such a direction has already been tackled before and in a much better way and considering that the Ben 10 reboot is reusing that very same premise of Ben, Gwen, and Max going on a summer road trip makes such a premise feel overused now. I also recall seeing other fanfic writers reuse that premise many times themselves, which, again, points to the issue that this very premise feels overused. In your part 2 page, you say that the road trip approach has a greater amount of variety in what the characters experience. What variety? The Original Series already used up most, if not all, of that variety. The reboot had to reuse plot elements from the previous shows to add content. In fact, often times the characters in the reboot show are revisiting locations that they already visited. It's either that or they're visiting locations that are quite similar to locations that they already visited before. Many scenarios are being repeated as well in the reboot. At this point, there is no variety left in the summer road trip approach. Again, as I stated in your part 1 page, the reboot's reuse of that very premise contributed greatly to making the show itself feel very much unnecessary to exist and considering that there are plenty enough of Ben 10 fanfics that also use that premise as it is already, if you were to reuse the road trip premise, your fanfic series isn't going to feel unique. It won't stand out much. It would feel very much unnecessary and would likely be drowned out by the fact that we have an official Ben 10 show that already does this premise and does it better. What I would suggest is for you to branch out into other directions. Try to do something different. Try to go for a premise that is more different and stands out more. Try to go for a premise that we haven't seen out of Ben 10. You can use some elements from each of the Ben 10 shows but it's also important to try and do something more different, unique, and interesting with a premise.
Of course though, none of that matters if your writing skills aren't, well, good. This is where YouTube can come into great use. You should do some research. Learn how to improve your writing skills. Learn about structure and execution and whatnot. In the case of YouTube, I suggest looking up well credited reviewers and critics of films, shows, video games, books, etc. Look up analysis videos that go in-depth into these types of works and what makes many of them stand out. Some YouTube channels that I would recommend are Every Frame a Painting, Rossatron, Raycevick, Chris Stuckmann (especially his analysis videos), Jeremy Jahns, Now You See It, etc. Contact these folks as well if you want to get some more advice on how to make good writing. Always do some research into matters like this to help further improve your writing skills. There's always going to be something new that you're going to learn from this stuff. On FanFiction.net I believe there are beta readers. When it comes to writing your fanfics, have these people proof read your works and give you suggestions (if you plan on posting your fanfic series on that website though). After posting your fanfic, any reviews that you get, take note of any criticism that people direct towards your story. I know that you're not going to like people criticizing your work but, and as I said to you plenty of times before, criticism is an important tool to use in order to fix any issues that your works have and thus further improve your skills and the quality of your works. You need to know what you did wrong so that you can make things right.
You likely know this already but my most favorite Ben 10 fanfic series is Little Moments created by shadows59. Even if you're not a fan of the Bwen shipping, I highly recommend that you check this series out. It does a lot of really interesting and unique elements to it. Often times, the series does stuff that's better than the actual canon. For example, the prequel chapter, Stone in the River by Erico, introduced Professor Paradox but unlike the actual canon, this prequel chapter takes a much different approach to him and the concept of time traveling. The first time I read that chapter, it blew me away with just how interesting and unique the lore and story was. I find this version of Professor Paradox to be more interesting, unique, and mysterious than the official version. Here is a link to the page that provides all the links to the Little Moments series: https://ben10club.org/topic/183/little-moments-and-breaking-point. I suggest starting off with Stone in the River since that, well, it's a prequel chapter to the main story and a great predecessor to the Ben 10,000 episode in the Original Series. I say the Little Moments series is a great example of what I'm referring to with the suggestions that I'm providing here. Something that doesn't get too ridiculous and in fact often feels quite real with the way that the story, characters, and lore are written and implemented. Something that branches off into its own interesting and unique direction that makes it stand out. Something that has a lot of quality to it that you can learn from. I also need to get back to giving this series another read again because christ it's so freakin good.
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@tactical-ochoa
As a counter argument, i would like to just kinda share how i feel about what you've said. i appreciate the advice. The reason i went with the concept of vilgax taking Max's dna was due to the plot device that only the tennysons can wear the omnitrix (a plot device af forgot about). hence the logic vilgax couldn't wear it himself. Secondly, if i were to reboot and reintroduce this show to a new generation, i'd rather not force a new audience to go back and watch the original show so they could understand mine. Vilgax obviously would not be able to make a one-to-one recreation of the omnitrix, making this whole soldier thing a means to an end, for getting to omnitrix. The reason i made vilgax and max former friends was so vilgax had more motivation then just: I want that omnitrix. I'd also rather not stray too far from the original's style if i'm rebooting the series. I mean, if i was to limit ben to one place, that would greatly hurt the amount of variety for story telling. And no, i know you love little moments to death, but i have no plans to make this a rehash of what little moments does. this is how i would handle a reboot, not a continuation. In conclusion, i hear your points, and i will definetely take them into consideration. -
Also, i understand you love little moments to death, but do you really have to reference that for EVERYTHING? You're starting to sound like a broken record.
Nobody gets to choose how it happens.
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Say, what are the things you do like? you said a lot of what you didn't like, so i'd like to know what stuff is good about what i have here
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@offbeatcat Well, yeah, I know that I reference Little Moments so much but that's because it's a great and well-written Ben 10 fanfic that does a lot of things better than the official shows. I find it to be the best Ben 10 fanfic out there.
Also, you don't have to rely on the Original Series. You can make a reboot that doesn't have to rely on having the audience know about the past shows. Examples of this is the Tomb Raider reboot game and the Doom reboot game. Those games take different directions to the premise without having to rely on the audience having prior knowledge of the previous games. Make a brand new origin story with a different premise if you want to. I've seen some Ben 10 fanfics that do that.
And what plot device? It was never established that only anyone of the Tennyson bloodline could use the Omnitrix. The Omnitrix can be used by any sentient being. If Azmuth only restricted the use of the Omnitrix to only one specific bloodline, it would go against his intentions of creating the Omnitrix in the first place being that the Omnitrix was created to allow various alien species to better communicate with each other, thus further promoting peace.
What I like in regards to the reboot? The other shows?
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Remember the visitor? The alien said that the omnitrix was meant for grandpa max, but ben could wear it because he was also a tennyson. And i'm asking what you like about this reboot fanfic i'm making
Nobody gets to choose how it happens.
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@offbeatcat I just took a look back at that episode and nothing established that Ben could use the Omnitrix because he was also a Tennyson. In fact, they way that I interpreted that revelation was that Xylene didn't send the Omnitrix to Max so that he can wield it but instead to protect it from Vilgax. Xylene was in the middle of an expedition to collect DNA samples for the Omnitrix when she was attacked by Vilgax and she knew it was a losing battle because her ship was not equipped to properly combat Vilgax's ship. Since that Xylene was near Earth and she knew and trusted Max well enough, she sent the Omnitrix to Max to protect it.
Another thing is that as far as I know in regards to the OS continuity, Azmuth doesn't know who Max is or at the very least doesn't know him well enough. Even then, why would Azmuth send the Omnitrix to someone that would just turn 60 during that summer let alone someone who was a former Plumber who retired to be closer to his family. The OS Plumbers didn't have much good views towards most alien species...because more often they encountered aliens that were more of a threat to Earth than not. And again, Max retired to be closer to his family. Xylene knew this as well. Given Azmuth's intentions with the Omnitrix, Max is not an ideal candidate to be wielding it. He's too old to be physically fit for the Omnitrix and too determined on settling down on Earth with his family to be the ideal choice to wield the Omnitrix. I bet that if Azmuth did offer Max the Omnitrix, Max would most likely turn it down. It doesn't make sense for Max to be the intended wielder of the Omnitrix, which is why I went with the conclusion that Xylene sent the Omnitrix to Max to protect it from Vilgax given the situation that she was in. This is something that I find the sequel shows screwed up on and that a lot of people missed.
As for your reboot fanfic, it's ok. Your alien roster is mostly fine. Granted, I don't recommend Goop because he has an obvious weakness being his Anti-Gravity Projector. Once that's gone, Goop is just a useless puddle. A Lenopan or Protost would've been a better option; especially the Lenopan since that Ben can use that alien to create disguises. I'm not fond of Jetray either and one major reason is that he can go to space and can somehow go into slipstream, which makes little sense to me. Even then, Jetray just seems bland compared to some of the other aliens. Crashhopper is a terrible alien. Using your head to ram into stuff (even if your head is armored) is a surefire way to at best get a concussion and at worse completely obliterate your brain. Cannonbolt is the better option here. He does what Crashhopper can do but better. As for Echo Echo, I find him to be one of the most overpowered aliens in the franchise because Ben can create as many duplicates of Echo Echo as he wants with no negative consequences to it. That's why each of Ditto's duplicates are linked to each other and therefore all react when one of them gets hurt. If you're interested, here's my article on what I find to be the most ideal roster of aliens for Ben to have: https://ben10club.org/topic/357/ben-10-my-ideal-roster-of-ben-s-aliens-revised-and-finalized. The characters are, for the most part, just fine. I'm just not a fan of how you want to portray Vilgax and much of Max. I find your idea to overall just be ok; especially when compared to other Ben 10 fanfics. There's not a lot that it does that makes it stand out.
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Revisions list
Change #1: Jetray has been replaced with astrodactyl, to nerf the space travel issue, and improve on aerial combat capabilities. Cannonbolt has also replaced Crashhopper, because cannonbolt is a little better at fighting in manuverable ways.
Change #2: The story now takes place during Ben's school year, and Gwen has recently joined his school. The story is confined to a town most of the time, but field trips can happen, for some scenery change, or fall, winter, and spring break can offer a chance for ben to travel. Grandpa max lives in the town lately.
Change #3: Vilgax no longer has the same connection with Max. Instead, Vilgax knows max as a former plumber, and wishes to take control of the plumbers, so as to disarm the universe's "police force", and more easily take control of worlds. he had only planned to kill max, a retired plumber, as a message of his return. however, when he sees his robots destroyed by a ten year old with a device that turns him into different aliens, he saw a chance for power, and shifted focus. He would take that omnitrix, and make its power his own.
Change #4: The omnitrix is sent to earth, but mostly by accident. Azmuth ends up losing it when sampling data on earth, and as such, ends up getting seperated from the omnitrix. When he comes back for the capsule in the place he had carefully concealed it, it was gone. When he discovered some child had his device, he was enraged. He would recover his device, go home, and never travel again. He just needed a good plan...
That is my list of main changes i am making to my fanfiction. Is this an improvement? -
My 5th change involves replacing crashhopper with XLR8, since jetray no longer took up the "stupid fast" spot. and yes, i'm still working on this.
