#analysis files

[catgirllair]

Hot take idk but Ben should be given a higher rank way sooner in his life. Like, the experience he has under his belt is insane by the time he's only turning 17, so he should have been considered some kind of Commander by that point already, unless there were age requirements. From like literally a second of research on the topic, Captain is actually higher than Commander and therefore way more fitting because like, what's even the point of giving him lower ranks when he qualifies for higher ones? He's an extremely special case and that's not even debatable. He led a makeshift army into WAR at fucking FIFTEEN. By the time he's in his 20s and 30s it wouldn't even be unrealistic to expect him to be a Magister.

[catgirllair]

I hope your blog is active is active for asking questions. Cause this is one what if scenarios that came up to me.

Imagine , the last two episodes of Ben 10 ultimate alien , what if Ben used Alien X just right after Sir George's demise to defeat Diagon instead of using Ascalon?

The battle would have been most discussed in the decade and among the go-to battles in Ben's history. What do you think the outcome would be?

I think if they did that they would be involving a whole other moral debate they wouldn't have the time to really articulate without rushing through the scene even more.

They introduced Ascalon to symbolize "the struggle between good and evil," or "overcoming evil," which is exactly what was happening between Ben/Sir George and Vilgax/Diagon. That would only be like, half of the moral conflict if Alien X was involved. The writers would need to explain the difference between being tempted to use the power of Ascalon vs having the power of a godlike being strapped to his wrist. Which, he has like all the time. Do you see how that opens a can of worms? I think keeping Ascalon as the focus of the power struggle made the point well enough.

I like the use of the reference to the sword of Ascalon and its meaning in mythology. It clearly mirrors Ben's hero journey throughout the series and makes an effort to place him among other heroes in history. I think involving Alien X would have convoluted the point.

[catgirllair]

I saw this reel on instagram today and I have come to the conclusion that people do NOT talk about when Ben gets angry enough. It's like, only natural for him to take it out on things in alien form, but I'm thinking about this because THAT is what would really test his morals. Not the temptation to become a god or whatever, but just how easy it is to be destructive when you have this much strength and so many opportunities to get pissed off. It reminds me of what Ben 10,000 did to Vilgax in the original future episode (and we all know why).

[catgirllair]

I absolutely loved your video talking about Ben’s character in season 3 of alien force. I think Ben as a character gets a lot of shit flung at him for being immature, when he’s usually just acting like a sixteen year old boy. A pretty emotionally mature one compared to the boys I knew at sixteen.

Im wondering how you factor in Ben’s potential trauma into how you analyze his character. Ben basically becomes child police officer and Bens silliness really seems to be some kind of response to this pressure. I love the conversation the team has with ten year old Ben in the forge of creation. “Maybe that’s too much to have in your head when you have to win, maybe if you treat everything like a big joke. When the time comes I’ll be able to do what I have to do.”

The thing that stands out to me is that he describes it as “too much” that in some way this pressure does get to him even when he was ten. That pressure carries into AF, and he seems to get better at managing it or hiding his nerves as the series goes on.

I also thinks it’s interesting that in A New Dawn Ben says that he assumed the Omnitrix wouldn’t let him die. It seems to imply at some point to push past fear he’s had to tell himself he can’t die, or he thinks he couldn’t have survived this long without such a fail safe. I’m not sure the fail safe is even confirmed, but I could just be forgetful.

I think Ben’s bond with the Omnitrix is pretty heavily shaped by this, it’s the tool that allows him to overcome danger but also the thing that invites danger. There also the nightmare he has in one episoide about humungosaur being tiny, making him unable to fight off a threat. Not to get all psychoanalysisy, but that seems to be as a pretty direct relationship between Ben’s safety and the Omnitrix. Also part of why he takes it off sometime between 11-15 is due to losing Feedback, losing the security that the Omnitrix wil always get him out of a bad situation.

Apologies if the wall of text is daunting, I ended up having a lot of ideas. Basically, I’m curious how you view Ben’s trauma and how it shapes him as he grows up.

resisting the urge to say my new videos are going to be 100x better thank you and sorry this took a while <3

I would factor in a lot of the points you've brought up yourself tbh. I think his trauma and experience navigating his life as the wielder of the Omnitrix continuously shapes his character. I take this into account in every analysis because it’s like, the most influential reason he is the way he is. 

For example, like you said, he definitely had to grow up faster than normal kids. Part of being what is essentially a "child police officer" is his need to adapt to his circumstances quickly. Everyone depends on him and that ensures he’ll be able to "do what he has to do" (as stated in "The Forge of Creation"). 

“Managing the pressure” is really also a requirement for his job because if he couldn’t do that, he straight up couldn’t handle the job itself. Of course that would lead to some form of a coping mechanism or resolution to the problem. Ben is a great problem solver, great at improvising, and easily grasps new alien abilities sometimes in the middle of battle. Naturally, he would take on the necessary persona to deal with the pressure of his responsibilities.

Or, in other words, adapt. Whether that is taking on a “Max-like” leader persona in early Alien Force, or relaxing a little in the later Alien Force and being “more like himself” since Max came back into the picture.  

Hell, he even excelled at pretending to be evil in "Above and Beyond." He knows how to step into the role he needs to play so well of course he would use it as a crutch to get him through the worst battles. And considering his powers quite literally involve transforming into whatever form is best for the task at hand, it fits his character almost poetically. 

This method of managing the pressure definitely comes from his bond with the Omnitrix. This particular set of skills (improvising, adapting to his circumstances mentally and physically, being who he needs to be to do what he has to) is something he developed through his years of doing this job, and they become very integral to who he is as a character. 

[catgirllair]

I have recently been shown a reddit thread of people thinking about Ben and Julie's relationship problems for exactly 2 seconds (and that's being generous) and like. I’d like to know how many of you would be chasing after somebody who clearly decided they’re not interested in continuing a relationship with you. Yes, they’re young and teenage relationships rarely last forever, but in conjunction with that, logically, if your partner literally starts to talk about breaking up, it's a clear indication that they’re considering ending the relationship.

In Julie’s case, (in the Ultimate Alien episode "Eye of the Beholder") not only did she vocalize that she is considering ending her relationship with Ben, but she refused to communicate and chose instead to turn her back and be upset. Ben literally says “she won’t even talk to (him).” This is all in the episode.

[catgirllair]

Listen I realize that people could look at the whole "Kai prefers Benwolf/Blitzwolfer over Ben" thing from different angles, like, perhaps she lashes out and acts the way she does because she has unwanted feelings (even if only an attraction to the alien form), or if that's the case perhaps she doesn't know how to deal with her attraction or affinity because she actually doesn't get along with Ben himself. But if she was a respectable character, which she WANTS to be considering how seriously she takes herself as an archeologist, any possible reason for it would be acknowledged and it just isn't so lol.

If you're going to present multi-layered characters you have to show what those layers unravel to reveal. You can't just give them a problematic quality and say fuck it to the rest of the required writing process.

[catgirllair]

That scene in “Rules of Engagement” where Ben tries to talk to Julie again while she’s trying to leave with her new replacement boyfriend lives in my head because like despite it being a lost cause, he still tries to say he “promises to always put her first” and that “he can change.” Like, honey no, there are some things you can’t change. You don’t need to be in a relationship that constantly demands that you change. And if that doesn’t work for her, that doesn’t make you bad.

[catgirllair]

What I think is interesting about the way people react to the "killing Kevin" part of the Ultimate Kevin Arc is that...no killing actually happens. Other characters from other series are loved despite having committed several murders, even. Despite wanting to kill each other, even. But they can (and are!) either justified somehow or their motivations are understood. They aren't just (problematically) reduced to "psychopaths" or "sociopaths." They are regarded as better characters for the complex moral dilemma this type of conflict puts them into.

Ben, however, is often not looked at this way when discussing this plotline. Despite the fact that there is also something to unpack about his character in that he didn't go through with "putting Kevin down" because, while it wouldn't difficult for him in terms of having the power to do it, it was difficult for him to bring himself to do (most likely, fandom, because he too was bothered by the possibility of having to kill his friend), the reaction to this plotline in Ben 10 in particular is so severe.