I think one of the fun effects of being a lifelong Pokémon fan is that I love fantasy creatures! And I don't mean I love monsters or like inherently magical creatures (although that can be cool). I mean I like an ecology with unique flora and fauna. And sure, those creatures can be cool or cute, but I just like it when they make sense as a creature that survives in the world. Give me a fantasy book where swimming through the ocean is a fictional subspecies of giant sea turtles and I'm happy.
i must not get takeout. takeout is the wallet-killer. takeout is the little-death that brings total obliteration. i will face the kitchen, fridge, and pantry. i will make choices about what to cook and then execute them. when hunger is gone there will be nothing. only i will remain.
A number of years ago, I made a list of Ben 10 alien headcanons. Basically my way of going "If I were to remake Ben 10, how would I do it?". The main thing I wanted to do was help remove some of the overlap with powers, give each alien a niche. How can I make 6 electric aliens unique, that sort of thing. Time has passed and am working on a new Ben 10 AU so I thought I would update this list to match my new ideas.
This new list is still aimed at removing the overlap, but I don’t intend to just make minor differences. As I see it, we could talk about how XLR8 is faster but Fastrack is stronger, but I am no longer interested in this kind of debate. They both have Superspeed and Ben does not need two aliens with the exact same power. So, some aliens will have their powers changed a lot and some aliens will be removed from the watch completely. Canonically all of the aliens will still be in the Omnitrix (unless stated otherwise), but within the framing of the timeline of the series it will not be part of Ben’s arsenal.
And to get in front of this response: Yes, there will still be some overlap in powers in my list. The reason for this is because I am not perfect. Sometimes there will be power overlap that I am okay with and that will be based on my own personal preference. You may disagree with how I’m choosing to handle it and that is totally fine. The reason for my changes is ultimately “Because I would prefer if it was this way instead”, so if you would prefer it a different way then your idea is equally valid.
I have more things I can say, but those will probably come up in the list itself, so let’s just jump into it
Heatblast: I got no problem with how Heatblast is presented in the original series. Can shoot out and absorb fire. My main thing is with his flight. Now, I don’t mind how it is shown in the original series, he can rocket himself places and he can fire surf. I however don’t like him doing that rock thing from UAF or him human torching like Omniverse. And yeah, I know the rock thing is basically UAF’s version of the first surfing, but I would say the vibes are different. We’re starting this list off strong by invoking vibes so quickly, but I stand by them. Keep Heatblast as classic.
Wildmutt: I do wish Wildmutt more noticeably matured as the series went on as we do know what an adult Vulpamancer looks like, but I got no problem with his powers. A large bestial alien with no eyes, but super senses works well. But no quill shooting. He never did it in the show because Wildmutt doesn’t need it.
Diamondhead: Same with Heatblast, we’re keeping his powers as they are shown in Classic. No levitating crystals for Diamondhead.
XLR8: I got no problems with XLR8. He is Ben’s fastest transformation.
Grey Matter: I don't like Ben automatically learning things when he’s Grey Matter, but I conceded that it’s difficult to show that someone is now noticeably smarter without changing their personality. Ideally, I would like Grey Matter to just be better at solving things or figuring out how stuff works, but for the shake of a series I understand that it would then be difficult to convey that it’s the transformation that’s letting Ben be smarter.
Four Arms: No problem with Four Arms. He’s Ben’s Super Strength alien and outside of Way Big is probably his physically strongest alien.
Stinkfly: My only real change is with the property of his goo. I don’t want it to really be entrapping in nature. I would prefer it as just kind of gross slime. Aside from that, I just like the idea that Stinkfly is Ben’s best Flyer. No other alien has better air mobility.
RipJaws: I have no problem with Ripjaws. Can breathe under water, but can’t breath air. Great Swimmer and a jaw that can rip through steel. Great guy, no notes.
Upgrade: I just think Upgrade is really neat. Posses technology and makes it better (although it does hurt my brain if I think about it too hard). I however care much less for the lasers. Aside from just not thinking that Upgrade needs it, I just think it makes them less interesting. For an alien that needs to adapt to whatever is around them, I think the laser gives too much of a consistent offensive option. I also want to give lasers to a different alien. Upgrade already has a great power.
Ghostfreak: Ghostfreak is powerful and I want to keep them that way. Invisibility, Intangibility, Flight, Possession, and Telepathy. The big thing is that Ben will never be in full control of Ghostfreak. If Ben wants all those powers, it will be a real struggle to not lose control.
Cannonbolt: I don’t really have a problem with Cannonbolt. Keep them as is.
Wildvine: I think a plant whose power is stretching is really cool and works really well with Classic Wildvine’s design, so we are keeping that. We are getting rid of the thorns (he never used them) and the merge with plants thing. I’m torn on the seed bombs however. They are explosives, and I have it that other aliens down the line are more explosive themed. I also think stretching is enough. But in the hypnosis episode, we see the seeds used as smoke bombs which I’m more okay with. So we’re going to say the seeds are smoke bombs, but I might also remove them all together.
Blitzwolfer: So I don’t think people will like what I do with this one. So the scanned aliens from the Anur System appear once in the original series each. I want to give an in-universe reason for that. So, we know the Omnitrix can be damaged or caused to malfunction. So let’s say that the radiation that Corrodium makes can damage the Omnitrix if it gets into its system (it has protection if the radiation is outside of the watch). Following that, let’s say all the transformations from the Anur System have some Corrodium in their body (save for Ghostfreak sense Ectonurites have less then solid bodies). So when Ben first turned into those transformations, the Omnitrix systems basically go, “This transformation is actively damaging our systems. Locking out transformation to prevent further damage”. Thus he only turns into them once and never again. And maybe one day Azmuth will find a way to fix that, but that wouldn’t be until the Ben 10K area. I know these are fan favorites, but I’m going to say Ben does not have access to Blitzwolfer, Snare-Oh, Frankenstrick, and Whampire.
Snare-Oh: See Blitzwolfer.
Frankenstrike: See Blitzwolfer.
Upchuck: I don’t like the stomach pocket dimension thing from Omniverse. I much prefer Upchuck's powers as kind of physical. I am also getting rid of the two different Upchucks. I know a lot of people like the idea of the Perks and Murks (and I do think it’s a clever idea to explain the two designs between series), but I don’t think both should be in the Omnitrix. I think having separate “subspecies” where the only real difference between them is visual has some race implications that weren’t fully thought out. I’m fine with there being Perks and Murks, but I don’t think Ben should have both in his watch.
Ditto: I like Ditto. Can duplicate an infinite number of times, but they all share pain. I’m glad to not change anything about them.
Eye Guy: Eye Guy has laser vision and can fuse eyes together to make even stronger lasers. I am however getting rid of the other types of vision. No lighting, fire, or freezing. Let other aliens have those powers. Cyclops only has laser eyes, so Eye Guy can too.
Way Big: A giant alien with powerful beam attack and can survive in space. I like them a lot. I even like that their frill is a big weakspot. No cosmic storms or super speed however. I think a laser giant makes him powerful enough.
Alien Force:
Swampfire: Swampfire has been called a combination of Heatblast and Wildvine. I think that’s a bad thing, so we’re changing that. Instead of fire, Swampfire makes explosions. Similar I know, but think less Heatblast and more Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight but with methane instead of nitroglycerin. I do want to keep the regeneration powers. I like the idea that the explosions are so powerful that they damage the Methansoian and they evolved the healing factor to compensate. I am however taking away the plant control. Feels like it’s mostly there because Swampfire is a plant, so he needs a plant power, but I don’t think it’s needed.
Echo Echo: With Blitzwolfer being locked out, I have no problem giving Echo Echo a sonic scream. And let’s go even further into the sound stuff. Give him the ability to echo locate, the ability to perfectly mimic sounds (like he can talk in someone’s voice) and can make the world silent like that one scene in Batman Beyond. I am however getting rid of the Duplication. Ditto only has multiplication going on and canon Echo Echo can do that and more. So to get rid of the overlap, we will just go hard into sound powers.
Humungousaur: Super strength and Super size are both covered by other aliens, so this is going to be the first big alien change I do. Humungousaur is still a large dinosaur (for the sake of the name), but we’re making him a living volcano. Can erupt to shoot out lava, rocks, and ash.
Jetray: I do not like Jetray. A lot of Alien Force aliens have the powers of multiple classic aliens which has the side effect of making them a bit too versatile. One of the fun parts of having multiple aliens is that Ben might need to solve a problem with an alien that doesn’t have an automatic win button for that situation. Jetray has the powers of Stinkfly, XLR8, Ripjaws, and Eye Guy all without any real drawbacks. As such, in this headcanon, Ben does not have access to Jetray. Or at least Ben Prime doesn’t. Later Omniverse deals with a lot of Multiverse stuff, so let’s say there is an Omnitrix user out there in the multiverse that only turns into Jetray. We’ll name him Jeffrey.
Big Chill: So this is an example of where I’m okay with overlap. I like the idea that Ben can turn into Ghostfreak and have all of these powers, but it comes with a real risk. However, each individual power Ghostfreak has can be found in a different alien. As such, Big Chill will be keeping the ability to phase through objects. I am however getting rid of the freezing powers. Kitty Pryde has proven that a teen can be cool with just phasing powers, so that will happen here. But with freezing powers, the name Big Chill no longer makes sense. So for a first on this list, we are changing an alien name. They are now Phase Stranger!
Brainstorm: Another big change. We are getting rid of basically all their powers (including the super intelligence) and taking their name in a different direction. Brainstorm can now manipulate the weather. Every time Brainstorm thinks, it causes a powerful weather phenomenon. So while Brainstorm as a body is fine to control, the power requires a lot of focus and concentration from Ben cause if he doesn’t then a dozen storms will happen all at once. And so these species can function, I’m also going to say that the weather controlling powers do not work under water.
Spidermonkey: Finally, an Alien Force Alien that I’m not changing. Spidermonkey can do whatever a spider can and that’s great.
Chromastone: Man, I cannot decide with this alien. Energy absorption is not a power any previous alien had, but lasers are. And lasers are basically all Eye Guy has. And I could say that Eye Guy is more powerful, but that goes into “XLR8 is faster but Fast Track is stronger” territory. But also, in my mind energy absorption and firing it back out is different then just normal laser eyes, even if one really is just More than the other. So really, I can’t fully decided what to do with them. If I do keep in Chromastone, then I will make it so he cannot shoot lasers by himself. He has to absorb something first. Also he cannot fly (in my headcanon, Chromastone’s relationship to divinity is different then the show).
Goop: So I’m getting rid of the acid powers. I think Goop's powers should just be their body, and I often think the show did a good job in showing why that was cool in and of itself. I do however want to talk about the flying disc. So I don’t really like the Omnitrix making equipment for the transformations. I think Ripjaws is more interesting without a water tank. However, Goop needs his saucer to function and he is frankly more interesting with it then just having him be able to operate in normal gravity. So I’m going to say he starts without the UFO, but acquires it later. The Omnitrix did not create it unprompted.
Alien X: My only change is that Ben never just has full access to Alien X. If he wants Alien X to do something it is always a negotiation, and one he often doesn’t win.
Nanomech: I could see someone thinking Nanomech overlaps with Grey Matter, but I don’t really see it that way. Grey Matter is a small alien whose power is their intelligence. Nanomech’s power is being small. Does that make sense? It does to me. Aside from that, I really like the idea proposed in Alien Swarm that Nanomech adapts, so let’s also make it so his body automatically changes to survive their environment. It doesn’t make them indestructible, and it will never make them bigger, but it does help them survive better.
Lodestar: Another alien I have not much problem with. I don’t like them being made of a bunch of smaller magnets, but aside from that I have no problems with Lodestar.
Rath: In a different world, I would cut Rath from the rotation since his powers are already covered by Four Arms. But…in this world Rath is my favorite alien (basic take I know), so they stay. Strength, Durability, and Agility are all still here. The trade off is of course that Rath is dumb and aggressive. Four Arms is however much stronger and probably larger. So why is this not just “XLR8 is faster but Fast Track is stronger”? Well, first as I said Rath is my favorite, and nepotism will get anyone far. But also I’m going to say Rath’s power is in fact his aggression. Rath’s rage let’s it keep moving forward on the offensive when other aliens would go down. And, in direct contrast to his canon version, Rath is completely immune to mental domination/influence. The idea being that Rath can get so angry that mental attacks just get overpowered by Rath’s aggression. There. I’ve justified Rath’s inclusion.
Ultimate Alien:
Water Hazard: I actually really like Water Hazard. No Change, except to make sure they don’t overlap as an aquatic alien with Ripjaws, let’s say they can’t really swim. They just sink.
Terraspin: Another No Change. I like Terraspin.
Armodrillo: I really like the idea of vibrating powers to create earthquakes. I am however removing the drill hands. I have no doubt they can still plow through a building, but they aren’t a digger. You’ll see why later, but I think earthquake powers are enough to give them an earth theme. But without the drills, the name doesn’t make much sense. As such, I give you Quakedillo.
NRG: NRG is really cool. Powerful Radiation Blasts, Flight, Semi-intangable, can eat radiation, and are themselves highly radioactive. My big change is with the suit actually. I mentioned it already, but I don’t really like the Omnitrix providing equipment. So I’m getting rid of the suit. This is going to be one of Ben’s strongest aliens, but it’s very dangerous for anyone around them as a tradeoff. The only thing I want to change is the name. Why? Because this member of the Andromeda 5 should also have been named Atomix. I do not like that NRP and Atomix are two separate aliens, so I’m fixing that now. This alien is now named Atomix.
AmpFibian: No changes to Ampfibian’s powers. There is a twist however. Instead of collecting an Amperi DNA sample, Ben was able to turn into Ampfibian because Ra’ad was hiding in the Ultimatrix. When Ra’ad left, he took his DNA with him. So Ben loses this transformation after his first time using it.
Fasttrack: As is probably not a surprise, I am cutting Fasttrack. But I don’t want to cut them completely, so I’m going to do something new. Instead of Fasttrack being a transformation, I’m instead making them their own character. If you’ve never read it, 5 Years Later is a very good Ben 10 fan comic. One of the supporting characters created for this comic is Lula, who is Ben’s mentee and is the same species as Fasttrack. I really like this idea so I’m basically stealing it for this fan canon.
Eatle: So I don’t really like the idea of aliens whose power is “Do something to make something happen”. Something like “This alien eats peanuts to grow giant”. Just turn into an alien that grows giant. Or better yet, an alien that just is giant! The only alien that I’m okay with this is Upchuck, but that’s because Eating Something transitions very cleanly into Spiting It Out. Eatle however is one I don’t like. It eats stuff and then it gets to fire a laser, and I do not like it. I’m making this a Ben 10K alien, and that’s where Eatle will stay in this headcanon.
Clockwork: I’m so torn on Clockwork. On one hand their powers are unique and don’t overlap with anyone else. They are also not all powerful, being both physically weak, pretty slow, and kind of frail. However, with his powers, those weaknesses don’t really matter unless Ben is being unobservant. That leaves Clockwork with being VERY powerful without much consequence. I considered limiting their time manipulation powers, but never really found something I like more than his canon version. I also considered making these powers difficult to control, but decided against it because the consequences of this power could be existential. So, I think I’m going to leave Clockwork as a Ben 10K transformation. He will unlock it later, just not within the scope of this.
Jury Rigg: Jury Rigg’s powers are odd and ill defined. So how do I make them not overlap with aliens like Grey Matter and Upgrade? I sidestep the problem. Jury Rigg is another transformation that I’m turning into a characters. Let’s say this is a character Kevin knows. An off the books engineer who loves to break and fix stuff.
ChamAlien: Like Phase Stranger before them, I like the idea that Ben has a number of aliens that can only do one of Ghostfreak’s powers, and ChamAlien has invisibility. Also their eyes are cool. 10 out of 10. No Notes.
Shocksquatch: Because the Ultimatix acts as a receiver at this time in the series and Ben was in another dimension when he unlocked Shocksquatch, that messed up the watch’s ability to call that DNA sample again. And at this point you might see what I’m doing. Ben has, generously, 6 electric aliens by the end of the OG series. That is too many. So I decided to flip that a bit for a running gag. What if Ben is unable to keep an electric for longer than 10 minutes? He’ll have a permanent one eventually, but for now they are all one and dones.
Omniverse:
Feedback: Oh look, another eclectic alien. It’s never super clear what reunlocked Feedback in Showdown Part 2 (which is fine. It was metaphorical for what Ben was going through). For our purposes, we are saying whatever happened damaged the Conductoid DNA sample. So while Ben did turn into Feedback to defeat Malware, the Omnitrix locks out that transformation. Azmuth will fix that, but that wouldn’t be until Ben 10K times.
Bloxx: So I see the vision of Bloxx. Being able to make constructs is a reasonably common super power (think Green Lantern making stuff out of Light). So Bloxx is basically, what if you made stuff but out of yourself? To that degree, I like the idea, but I think the problem is Bloxx’s body plan. With it’s gorilla body, Bloxx often won’t build structures but stretch out their limbs. It makes sense as something they could do, but it also makes him overlap too much with Wildvine. As such, I am changing his default body plan to be more like the Pokemon Naclstack. I think that fixes some of the vibes of Bloxx…but if I’m honest I don’t know if it functionally fixes the overlap. I keep going back and forth on if Bloxx should be moved to a Ben 10K transformation or not.
Crashhopper: I love crashhopper. No notes.
Gravattack: Gravity is one of the four fundamental forces of the universe and thus being able to control gravity should be existential in nature. Outside of making a black hole that one time, Gravattack’s powers are mostly used in a pop science understanding of gravity (this is not unique to this alien. NRG/Atomix’s radiation also operates on that axis) and I like that. Gravattack can control the strength of their own personal gravity (bringing things towards them and cause things to orbit around them) and they can control how much gravity is affecting others. It gives Gravattack slightly less control, but I still think works.
Arctiguana: Oh yes, the reason I took away Big Chill’s powers and name. I really like Arctiguana as Ben’s ice alien. I would make him a little less jumpy then he is shown in Omniverse, but that’s basically it. Maybe also make him cold to the touch, but his main freezing power is still his breath attack.
Ball Weevil: I’ve struggled for a while to make Ball Weevil not overlap because I really like the Katamari-ness of their powers. However, as they are in canon, their power is basically making bombs with extra steps and we already have explosion powers. I considered having their power just be making the giant balls to roll over people with, but Cannonbolt only has the one thing going on. So I think I’ll just let them be Ben 10K transformations.
Walkatrout: I like Walkatrout a lot, so I’m not changing anything about them. I do want (almost) all of Ben’s aliens to have superpowers, but I also like the idea that some of those powers are not good for combat. Sometimes a creatures evolves in a way that’s useful for it’s planet (it’s slippery escape the grapple of a predator) but isn’t really going to help you fight a tank. Walkatrount then is perfect. They are slippery and nothing else. Heck, let’s go even a step future and say they both cannot swim or breath under water. Just slippery. Very slippery, but also just slippery.
Pesky Dust: Pesky Dusk is the only member of the Breakout Aliens that I’m fine with getting a cool power. Before he actually did something, just from the design, I had assumed Pesky Dust’s powers were to put people to sleep. Now, that might have less to do with character design and more so my cultural understanding of fairies, but sleep still makes sense to me. As well, giving it psychic abilities to delve into dreams also makes sense as an extension of sleep. No notes.
Mole-Stache: We’re making this a Ben 10K alien. I can see why someone would like this alien, but that person is not me. It’s basically Goop or Wildvine by just the hair instead of the full body.
The Worst: I really like the idea of The Worst. A transformation that Ben tries to never turn into not because they’re dangerous or difficult to control but because in literally every situation, being a human would have been more useful. The Worst is Ben’s worst transformation and I love it. But I do want them to actually be the worst, so they are no longer indestructible.
Kickin Hawk: I don’t really like Kickin Hawk. It’s a melee fighter when we already have stronger (Four Arms) and more interesting (Rath) melee fighters. And sure, I have thought of powers that make them stand out more…but if I’m being honest I’ve already given said powers to some fan aliens I’ve created for this headcannon, and I’m not giving them to an alien that I don’t really like. So we’re making Kickin Hawk a character and I don’t just mean Liam. We’re making Kickin Hawk a creation of Animo (I go back and forth if they are a monster chicken or are actually more humanoid)
Toepick: In the classic series the only real descriptor we get for Toepick is that it grosses out 10 year old Kenny. Omniverse interpreted that as fear. Looking at their face is absolutely terrifying. That is certainty…an interpretation of that descriptor. It is however one that I don’t really like. After all, the name Toepick is gross, not scary. So we’re saying Toepick is not a very strong alien, but is actually a really gross one. We’re going to say it’s body is covered in a foul smelling gunk that it can fling at people. He can't through it very hard, and the gunk doesn’t do anything except feel, smell, and look really gross.
Astrodactyl: Remember what I wrote for Jetray? A lot of that applies to Astrodactyl as well. Unlike Jetray however, we are completely taking them out of the watch and making them their own character. And given how mechanical they are depicted in Omniverse, we’re going to say our character was basically made as a living weapon made to fight in the vacuum of space.
Bullfrag: Bullfrag won’t have any powers. Instead, Bullfrag will be Ben’s go to discuss alien. The idea is that Incursious are basically everywhere in the galaxy, Ben knows the DNA lock code for this specific transformation, and while not flashy Bullfrag is not helpless. As such, if Ben ever needs to just be another face in the crowd he goes Bullfrag.
Buzzshock: And thus, we finally reach the electric alien Ben will keep. Lighting powers and the ability to turn into electricity. I am getting rid of the flight and duplication. I think it was fine when the Megawatts were bad guys, but I don’t like for a transformation proper.
Atomix: See NRG
Whampire: See Blitzwolfer.
Gutrot: I like the idea of a gas alien, but I’m not a big fan of a power that really just lets it do all these other things. Like Eatle, I see it as mostly existing powers with extra steps. So we’re making some changes and it’s a big one. I’m taking an idea from a 5YL transformation. So Gutrot in this case is actually going to be two aliens, the main body (Gut) and a cloud of living gas (Rot). Rot is very very corrosive and decays most things that it comes into contact with. Rot however will dissipate if it’s outside of Gut too long and Gut’s organs need Rot to function. Think Negative Man from DC Comics. And given their new two, I am renaming them Gut/Rot
Future Forms: And for fun, let’s do the future aliens OG Ben never turns into.
Spitter: I like Spitter, but I’m keeping them as a Ben 10K alien. Just too much of an overlap with other aliens like Stinkfly or Water Hazard. I considered making their spit acidic, but…
Snakepit: So a lot of people interpret the name Snakepit to mean an alien with multiple snake heads. People used to always give them poison powers, but after Tom Perkins did his version medusa powers have been common. I’m going in a different direction, and focusing on the “pit” part of the name. Our Snakepit is a digger. Just a big snake that spins like a drill to burrow into the ground. They can also produce acid from the tip of their snout to help tunnel through very tough rock.
Sandbox: They are a box that can generate sand. They can make pseudo limbs out of sand to move around, but they lose control of the sand very quickly once it leaves the body, so they need to constantly shoot out more sand to maintain their limbs (said limps are also just loose sand, so are not really all that strong). This very quickly leaves wherever they are covered in sand.
Shellhead: Shellhead is a big turtle whose only power is to hide in his shell, but by god he's the best at it. We’re making their shell indestructible. They are slow and not super strong (most of their muscle is devoted to carrying their own weight) but if they go into their shell they cannot be hurt at all. We will also say they are super heavy. Like, Four Arms couldn’t lift up Shellhead (Looma could, but she would be winded afterwards). I actually wrote a fan fic about this guy.
Am I Nima is a game I think goes in a similar place that Slay the Princess goes where it seems like a game right up my alley, except I get spooked far to easily to ever really enjoy trying it out.
this is a project i've been working on since january, and have had the idea rattling around in my head since this track first dropped in september. this little purple freak has done irreversible things to my brain chemistry, and i wanted to make something to show it. i love you jack beastieball!!!! <3 <3 <3
I think the thing I love about Mirio is that he would have been completely worthy of All Might's power. Like, in his introduction arc, we learn that Nighteye wanted Mirio to be the new symbol of peace, and the arc could have very easily gone the direction of showing that he shouldn't have that power or that Izuku is ultimately a better fit, but the manga doesn't do that at all. He is show to be incredibly kind, has a good head on his shoulders, and is just heroic to his core. While we eventually learn that it's a good thing that he didn't get the power, at the end of the arc, it's completely believable that Izuku asks if he wants to become the next users of One For All.
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