[CENTER][COLOR=green][i]It's started when an alien device did what it did

And stuck itself upon its wrist with secrets that it hid 

Now he's got superpowers, he's no ordinary kid

He's........[/i][/COLOR]

[center][color=green][h2]BEN 10[/h2][/color][/center]
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[img]https://i.imgur.com/fBxXLP4.jpg?1[/img]
[h3][sup][sub][color=ForestGreen]BENJAMIN KIRBY TENNYSON [color=1E90FF]♦[/color]   MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT   [color=1E90FF]♦[/color]   BELLWOOD, CALIFORNIA   [/color][/sub][/sup][/h3]
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[COLOR=ForestGreen][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]POWERS[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]

With the mysterious watch-like device named the Omnitrix, Ben can transform for a limited time into a variety of aliens, each possessing their own unique abilities and powers for any emergency or situation he can think of. 

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[COLOR=ForestGreen][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]POWERS[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]

With the mysterious watch-like device named the Omnitrix, Ben can transform for a limited time into a variety of aliens, each possessing their own unique abilities and powers for any emergency or situation he can think of. 

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[COLOR=ForestGreen][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]Character Concept[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR]


[INDENT][INDENT][i]
The main thorough line that I want to center Ben's development around is the concept of innocence and how to maintain its value in a world where so many people are quick to toss it away. This is ultimately a bildungsroman where Ben will encounter multiple obstacles in many circumstances that will force him to mature quickly. Do we take things in our youth foregranted? What does it mean to grow up? How do you deal with the past? Those are the questions I want to explore. The Omnitrix, as well,plays an intrinsic role as a supporting 'character' for Ben. I think it's important to elevate it beyond the role of being a simple Macguffin for Ben to use at a moment's notice. 

Needless to say, there will be massive divergences from canon which I'll be taking liberties with in order to take a more interesting route. I'll be taking inspiration from every series of Ben 10 produced, picking and choosing which elements I like best. The world of Ben 10 is massive and full of self-contradictory nonsense that needs to be excised one piece at a time. 

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[COLOR=ForestGreen][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]C H A R A C T E R   M O T I V A T I O N S   &   G O A L S:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]

Remember that cartoon that you obsess about every time you woke up on the weekend, buy every toy, every single piece of merchandise imaginable? That was Ben 10 for me. I don't know what was the exact formula that made Ben 10 the hit it was and still is today. Well, the original series anyway. I have mixed opinions about the follow ups but I consider the original to be a classic that everyone should watch. 

The story that I want to tell is a retelling of Ben's origin story, shifting the scene from a country spanning road trip to a middle school mystery thriller. The central narrative focuses on Ben navigating the troubles of being a public school student whilst also simultaneously working to investigate the mysteries of Grandpa Max's past and how it relates to the posthumous gift that he gave him for his 10th birthday: the Omnitrix. The more he investigates, the more he finds out and peels away the layers of Bellwood's hidden conspiracies.....

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[COLOR=ForestGreen][INDENT][B][SUP][SUB][H3]S A M P L E   P O S T:[/H3][/SUB][/SUP][/B][/INDENT][hr][/COLOR][INDENT][INDENT][i]

San Alonso is quieter than normal, Ben thinks. Here, school, homework, chores and traffic jams are far away.  He watches the fishing tackle bob up and down in the forlorn creek of the river, enticing the underwater critters that dwell in its waters. A barely visible fishing line connects it with a pole choppily crafted from fallen sticks and duct tape.  Continuing on from the creek, the current cuts through the split halves of a beaver dam and meanders down the curved valleys of Bellwood. 

The line suddenly pulls taut. Ben scrambles up, tossing up dead leaves, as he grabs the fishing rod and begins yanking it. It’s a tug of war as the grey shadow underwater pulls back at the same time. Finally, he wrenches it and tosses it upwards. The fish lands with a wet thud on the black dirt, flopping its body uselessly. . It’s a monster alright. He can barely hold it in his hands. It batters and beats at his face with its tail.  Hoisting it up by the tail, 

“ Grandpa! Come and see this!  “ He shouts out. No one replies. “Grandpa? Grandpa? You - “ Wait. His eyes furrow. Why was he calling for Grandpa? 

In the middle of his excitement, he’s forgotten that Grandpa Max is gone. Not for a holiday, not for a business trip but gone forever. Dead. He looks back at the wriggling fish in his hand. It’s smaller now. Upside down. Powerless. Just like him. Anger bubbles up within him and for a moment, he wants to wring its gills. Stomp it with a rock. Scream how unfair it is that Grandpa Max dies but Morningstar can’t. Stupid Gwen. Stupid Morningstar. Stupid mom. Stupid dad. Stupid school. Stupid councillor. He kicks a tuft of grass in frustration, still holding the fish in the air. Grandpa Max’s words come back to him. 

Catch and release, Ben. That way, you catch bigger next time. 

His expression softens. Holding the fish with two hands, he lets it gently sink back into the water. The fish squirms and writhes away, jetting off into the inky depths. Ben sighs. The watch on his left hand now feels like a lead weight that’ll make him sink into the ground if he isn’t careful. He looks at it. The black wristband is rubber thick, clamping so hard on Ben’s wrist that his hands feel slightly numb. The hourglass shaped dial is cracked, blinking a neon green. It almost seems alive at times.  Why would Grandpa Max give him a watch that can’t even tell him the time?

He blinks and notices that the shadows of the tree have shifted. The sun glows a dying orange, beginning to set into late noon. 

Time to go back before he gets yelled at. 

[hr] 

Six Six is reliable. Over a hundred warlords and tinpot system dictators have him as their number one contact. He has never killed a single one of his own clients. No amount of bribes, false promises or blackmail can turn him away from his quarry. That is the foundation of a reputation.  

Six Six is deadly. He has killed the unkillable, the undefeated and unstoppable. He has hunted down men hiding behind armies, dreadnoughts and in other galaxies. His reputation is mere bark unless you can back it up with a bite. 

Six Six is prepared. He reviews each of his targets movements, behavioural patterns and habitation thoroughly before beginning his execution. His armor has been constantly changed and modified over centuries to near perfection. Dying is for those who lack preparation and foresight. Preparation is how you make a reputation into a legacy. 

He was not prepared, however, for the most powerful device in the universe. The shoulder mounted camera protruding from his pauldron zooms in on what is attached on the young homo sapien’s wrist. The frequency of the radiation signature makes any denial foolish. Galvan technology cannot be replicated or faked, even by Cerebrocrustaceans. No one can mistake the device for anything else but the Omnitrix. He briefly takes out a low-band particle pistol from his side holster, aiming it at the human child’s head. One killshot. He hesitates, though. The bounty hunter is not one to believe in fables or myths but if Vilgax the Conqueror was felled by a user of the Omnitrix, it would be foolish of him to engage. He activates his photo-chromatic array, dousing himself in a shimmering field, before he flies off on his twin-jet boosterpack soundlessly.  He relays one single short message to his client. 

CONFIRMATION:  OMNITRIX SIGHTED 


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