Latest Posts by xynnietheslut - Page 4

What you see when you step into the Slytherin common room.

i'm so tired of people thinking that fictional characters always need to overcome their traumas or ghosts from the past, move on and become "a better and kinder person". like, let the broken, bitter and unfriendly characters have their space too. as a reader, it's very interesting to analyze characters like that, they often generate controversy within the fandom and that's really funny.

anyway, severus snape, you will always be famous to me.

Snape was definetely a bitch to his students, but at least he was a somewhat responsible teacher. He'd make his students scrub cauldrons or clean nasty potion ingredients for detention, but it wasn't him who sent 1st year students over to Hagrid's to wander around the Forbidden Forest at night ON THEIR OWN with only a dog at their side, while something unknown is attacking other creatures.

Y'all call Snape a terrible teacher for being scary and mean and abusing a toad, but I don't see anyone uttering a word about Hagrid and McGonagall literally endangering children's lives: McGonagall for thinking that sending 1st year students who had 0 experience in defense and fighting to accompany Hagrid into the Forbidden Forest at night was a reasonable detention (note: students had been warned multiple times to not enter it as it was a very dangerous place). And Hagrid. He deserves his own post on that scene alone.

Bro would have been dead furious if 11 year old Malfoy had told him about Hagrid separating him and Neville in the Forbidden Forest at night with only a dog as "protection" while some creature was actively hunting.

I mean, yes, it would be totally problematic if maradeurs fans started saying that a black character "deserved" being assaulted by a group of people, while his aggressor admits he's doing it "because he exists". But... that's also bad if it's done to a white character. You don't get a free pass to bully people because the victim is a white boy. It's not progressive to say you're okay with bullying if it's agaisnt the right people. It's crazy that we need to explain this.

Exactly, and that’s where their double standards come in.

Are you only now afraid that victim-blaming might make you look like a shitty person? Has it seriously never embarrassed you before this moment to defend the systematic abuse of a person in a position of inferiority at the hands of rich, aristocratic kids abusing their power?

Is the only scenario in which you find it reprehensible for someone to publicly strip another person because their best friend is bored and they feel like bullying them “for existing” when there’s a racial aspect involved?

I don’t know what kind of ethical system these people have, but honestly, the problem isn’t that their favorite characters might end up looking like a bunch of abusive pricks—it’s that they already are.

The next two days passed without great incident, unless you counted Neville melting his sixth cauldron in Potions. Professor Snape, who seemed to have attained new levels of vindictiveness over the summer, gave Neville detention and Neville returned from it in a state of nervous collapse, having been made to disembowel a barrel full of horned toads. “You know why Snape’s in such a foul mood, don’t you?” said Ron to Harry as they watched Hermione teaching Neville a Scouring Charm to remove the frog guts from under his fingernails. “Yeah,” said Harry. “Moody.”

Harry says Neville melted SIX cauldrons at the start of the year (I wonder if Nev himself buys the new ones and they are sent to him via owl post or if he uses the school ones after fucking up his own or what), and Harry is like "oh yeah Snape is so vindictive he gave Neville detention because of Moody and not because Neville melted six cauldrons which is dangerous for the whole ass class, and he also made Neville work with potions ingredients on the detention, how vile of him". Like we literally see that even spilling one of the simplest potions they make on their first class is dangerous enough it can ruin students' boots, and Snape seemingly let the first five (!) cauldrons slide without a detention, but sure, he is evil and excessive.

And a horned toad isn't even a frog, it's a lizard, Harry probably just doesn't know what the hell is it. Even if for some reason it's a totally different species of animal in HP – we know toads are used in potions widely, Snape literally doesn't choose what is a potions ingredient and what isn't. Make a boy who fucks up his potions work with (unpleasant) potion ingredients is a reasonable detention. Snape generally gives adequate detentions for fair reasons.

It pisses me off so much when people defend Sirius in debates by saying, “But he grew up! Unlike Snape, who’s just a bitter loser stuck in the past!”

And I’m always like, “Uh… what? Sirius? An adult? In what universe?”

The response I usually get is, “BUT HE WAS IN PRISON!!!!!” Like… yeah 😅 he was in prison, but that doesn’t answer my question. Sirius is just as much a teenager in an adult’s body as Snape is.

“BUT HE WAS IN PRISON, OF COURSE HIS MENTAL STATE SUFFERED!!” … Right. Do these people even have a functioning brain, or is it just jelly sloshing around in there? ,’/

Sirius was in prison, and that prevented him from developing emotionally and socially as he should have. Severus was someone who carried a huge amount of trauma and was forced to stay and work in the very place where most of that trauma originated. Both of them remained stuck in their teenage selves because, in their own ways, they suffered such immense trauma that it stopped them from progressing in their emotional development.

Both of them. Equally. Because they’re both grown-ass men with gray hairs who can hold it together for five minutes, but the moment something triggers them or pisses them off, the teenager inside takes over and is still the one in charge of regulating their emotions.

And I find it insulting, offensive, and a terrible mischaracterization to try to take that away from Sirius. The whole point of Sirius is that he carries a massive amount of unresolved baggage, and that baggage has prevented him from growing and developing properly into a functional adult. You can see it in his reactions, in the decisions he makes, and in the way he deals with his internal conflicts. And that’s fine—it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it enriches him as a character.

So don’t come at me with this idea of a super mature, responsible Sirius Black who is the perfect father figure, because that’s not Sirius Black. Sirius Black is an impulsive man obsessed with the loss of his best friend, who has the best intentions for his godson but can’t help projecting his trauma onto him—and then feels disappointed when he realizes that Harry is not James. Not because that makes him love Harry any less, but because it forces him to confront a reality he clearly doesn’t want to accept.

Sirius Black is the guy who sees the kid he used to bully as a teenager and cannot stand the fact that this same kid now outranks him in the Order. It eats him up inside, so he falls for every single one of his provocations because the arrogant, abusive teenager inside him is still in control and refuses to let that nerd get the upper hand. Sirius Black is the man who makes rash decisions, who hides away in his mother’s old room—the woman he hated—just to wallow in self-pity, who gives advice that he himself doesn’t follow.

Like, out of all the “good guys,” Sirius is arguably the grayest and the least manichaean or one-dimensional. Let him stay that way. Don’t strip him of his best psychological traits, please.

It pisses me off so much when people defend Sirius in debates by saying, “But he grew up! Unlike Snape, who’s just a bitter loser stuck in the past!”

And I’m always like, “Uh… what? Sirius? An adult? In what universe?”

The response I usually get is, “BUT HE WAS IN PRISON!!!!!” Like… yeah 😅 he was in prison, but that doesn’t answer my question. Sirius is just as much a teenager in an adult’s body as Snape is.

“BUT HE WAS IN PRISON, OF COURSE HIS MENTAL STATE SUFFERED!!” … Right. Do these people even have a functioning brain, or is it just jelly sloshing around in there? ,’/

Sirius was in prison, and that prevented him from developing emotionally and socially as he should have. Severus was someone who carried a huge amount of trauma and was forced to stay and work in the very place where most of that trauma originated. Both of them remained stuck in their teenage selves because, in their own ways, they suffered such immense trauma that it stopped them from progressing in their emotional development.

Both of them. Equally. Because they’re both grown-ass men with gray hairs who can hold it together for five minutes, but the moment something triggers them or pisses them off, the teenager inside takes over and is still the one in charge of regulating their emotions.

And I find it insulting, offensive, and a terrible mischaracterization to try to take that away from Sirius. The whole point of Sirius is that he carries a massive amount of unresolved baggage, and that baggage has prevented him from growing and developing properly into a functional adult. You can see it in his reactions, in the decisions he makes, and in the way he deals with his internal conflicts. And that’s fine—it’s not a bad thing. In fact, it enriches him as a character.

So don’t come at me with this idea of a super mature, responsible Sirius Black who is the perfect father figure, because that’s not Sirius Black. Sirius Black is an impulsive man obsessed with the loss of his best friend, who has the best intentions for his godson but can’t help projecting his trauma onto him—and then feels disappointed when he realizes that Harry is not James. Not because that makes him love Harry any less, but because it forces him to confront a reality he clearly doesn’t want to accept.

Sirius Black is the guy who sees the kid he used to bully as a teenager and cannot stand the fact that this same kid now outranks him in the Order. It eats him up inside, so he falls for every single one of his provocations because the arrogant, abusive teenager inside him is still in control and refuses to let that nerd get the upper hand. Sirius Black is the man who makes rash decisions, who hides away in his mother’s old room—the woman he hated—just to wallow in self-pity, who gives advice that he himself doesn’t follow.

Like, out of all the “good guys,” Sirius is arguably the grayest and the least manichaean or one-dimensional. Let him stay that way. Don’t strip him of his best psychological traits, please.

My darlings 🤲

unparalleled

(kofi request) izuku beat her comphet <3 they're girlfriends <3

hehe

I love when weird older women step up as mother for younger weird female characters

"Dabi doesn’t like it, that he’s being treated like something untouchable. He’s not the untouchable one in this partnership. He’s the mud at the bottom of Hawks’ plinth, and Hawks’ determination to respect his boundaries is starting to grate on his nerves."

link to the fic here :)

snape cuz i haven’t drawn him yet :0

baby lily’s first ever hogsmeade trip

tcoptp wolfstar in my head (ff by @motswolo)

I’m scared I’ll never find a work as beautiful as this au IT IS EVERYTHING TO ME

Okay y’all, some ‘Why The Plumbers Ain’t Shit’ in a nice, easy to understand list

11-yo gets thrown into maximum security adult prison (’but achi he is Powerful’ and power limiters are fucking canon and shown to be able to render even him managable)

14-yo is not only accepted into the Academy but becomes a full fledged Plumber (hello child labor)

In fact multiple underage teens are accepted into the Academy and become full fledged Plumbers

Magister comes to Earth to investigate allegations of vigilantism, finds trio of teenagers fighting off invasion, makes no move to help them with it (which is, if later episodes involving invasions are accurate, his job) beyond deputizing them and fucking off

Man actively tells his grandchildren to recruit other children to fight off an invasion rather than get in touch with other Plumbers even within their family and soon ends up running the system (nope, that’s not a sign of bullshit, when someone recruits children for war over involving other adults and is rewarded for it)

Man is fired from Plumbers? Entire family can no longer turn to law enforcement when needed

Plumber steals from Plumbers? Fire him. Investigate no further, not even to find the stolen items.

Plumber official walks into base, admits to performing illegal experiments on children and making them into child soldiers using Plumber funding in front of God and everyone? Do nothing until his victims wreck his entire shit

Plumber official has gotten his entire shit wrecked by the victims of his slavery and illegal experiments? Sentence his entire team to life imprisonment in hellscape dimension with no trial, no judge, take all evidence, never speak of matter again

Teenager sacrifices his sanity saving the galaxy, becomes dangerously violent? Have his younger bestfriend murder him, insist it’s the only option

Department of Inhuman Resources

Insta-portals to the hellscape dimension are standard enough issue that nobody questions implanted memories or reports of them being used on criminals without an arrest

This despite it being shown that the hellscape dimension is a deathtrap that can kill you quickly and that entrance does not alert anyone to come looking

Law enforcement agency with no known governmental oversight and their own Black Ops group

And that’s off the top of my head. If you think of anything else, please feel free to add.

Random 10:30 pm thought: In ‘All That Glitters’ Mike seduces Gwen and then takes advantage of her attraction to him to feed off her, acting against her bodily autonomy, an act that can and does turn people into his thralls. This is generally treated as akin to sexual assault, he’s completely irredeemable, most horrible villain on the show (not an exaggeration, I’ve seen him referred to as worse than Vilgax and Servantis)

In ‘In Charm’s Way’ Charmcaster seduces Kevin and then takes advantage of his attraction to her to seize control over his mind and body, acting against his bodily autonomy, an act that can and does literally enslave him to her will. This is not generally treated as akin to sexual assault, she’s easily the most redeemable character on the show (even moreso than Kevin himself), our own personal Woobie Destroyer of Worlds

Why?

More Things in Ben 10 That Annoy Me: We never got more attention paid to any major character’s mental health and how it’s handled. I mean we got a whole episode about how a minor character 90% of people forgot as soon as she was off screen had a shit homelife and developed stockholm syndrome towards a villain, but gods help us we can’t acknowledge how heroing must be affecting, say, Gwen’s mental health, or devote more than a sentence over the course of the franchise to the idea that Kevin is getting help for his issues.

Lords above, UA brought in cults, stockholm syndrome, abuse, genocide, and rape, but they can’t spare an episode to dig into the main chars’ mental health?

They gave us Couple’s Retreat but couldn’t give us a “Kevin’s Finally Looking For A Therapist” subplot

I saw a post on Tumblr saying Ben was being racist towards Kai. What do you think about this? Personally, it didn't seem convincing to me.

Lmao???

Racist? How? I swear people just say fucking anything to disparage Ben's character. Ben would never knowingly be racist or speciest, since that implies he gives a fuck about a person's race or species when his whole fucking thing is turning into different beings and changing literally everything about him except his mind.

Holy fuck this is right up there with those stupid ducks that think Ben is a narcissistic womanizer socio/psychopath that only saves women to get in their pants.

If literally any of that was true we'd have a COMPLETELY different fucking show and series. Since actions have consequences.

Do you honestly think anyone in Ben's life would put up with him being a misogynist? A racist? A psycho/sociopath? A womanizer?

Send me the post lol. I bet it's completely fucking stupid and takes basically everything out of context just like every other delusional Ben 10 shit on this and other sites.

Watching omniverse and the reboot made me wanna do my own version of the little guys, it was originally an AU but I got lazy with it

The onmitrix here it's actually a prototype, Vilgax attacked before it could be finish, which explains the glitches it sometimes has and why the need to recharge

I'm not a fan of Gwen's pink magic, like yeah she's an anodite and they're pink or whatever, but blue is Gwen's characteristic color and she looks so girlboss with it!

Aso Kevin is not an alien but a mutant, in Ben's world some humans are born with powers because reasons, kinda like the xmens, this would explain characters like the circus freaks or Cooper

So yeah

god in the rafters

commissions: https://electraslight.carrd.co

Gwen

Full page e

The whole "Kenny making sure Ben and Kai get together so he'll exist" is just so... So dumb. Like dude, Kenny, you're an alternate timeline. You're gonna be fine man, the future's constantly changing, but your timeline will stay intact!

Honeslty, I blame the writers for forcing BenKai. A ship isn't good when it's shoved down your throat and the second half of Omniverse was just shoving BenKai down our throats. I have nothing wrong with it, I just wish it wasn't so forced.

I love omniverse but I hate what they did with Benkai. It could have worked if they didn't write it the way they did but I can't stand how it's meant to be like a bickering couple trope. I hate those kind of couples and it was too last minute. I just don't like how she treats Bens aliens as if they aren't him I know it's meant to be a jokey thing but it just comes off as rude. Like oh no I meant your alien. And it sometimes really isn't in a joking tone for her. 1/2

2/2 I feel like that sort of thing could cause a lotta resentment. I also feel like it could give kids the wrong impression for relationships. Like the way Kai treats Ben should not be shown as good at all. Bickering couples rarely ever works. It might give kids the idea that hey it's okay to be rude and condescending to someone you like. It's that dumb girls treat boys they like badly trope as well. Which has the same problems as bickering couples

I like that you brought up the fact that their relationship should not be framed as good at all, and I would add especially since they're also trying to frame them as an "endgame" relationship. That makes normalizing it in animation even worse. Pushing through borderline abuse for some true love destiny hanging over your heads? Lol let's not glorify that narrative.

When I talk about Benkai's "dynamic," I'm usually coming from the perspective of Ben not being deserving of this kind of end (game) for his story because he's the best boy, but you've got the right idea in saying this could influence people in real life. Absolutely.

The Truth About The Omniverse & The “Real” Ben 10,000 Future | by Catgirl

Ben (as Gutrot): “Animo coming back from the future again? Now, does that mean everything was different until he came back, or there was a world where he didn’t come back that doesn’t exist anymore, or what? See cause it doesn’t make any sense.”  Rook: “Time travel, Ben. It never does.”  ("Animo Crackers" - Ben 10: Omniverse)

I don’t know why this dialogue was chosen to be included INSTEAD of explaining the situation, so allow me to make sense of it for you. 

Because I’m starting to get the impression that some people missed the point, despite all the producers' statements and canon evidence spelling it out.

And, I suspect that’s mostly thanks to this kid…

...due to his various incorrect statements, and actively doing the opposite of what Paradox has been doing the entire series. 

His first mistake was his attempt to force the Prime Timeline into a certain direction, despite his own reality already existing in its place within the multiverse. 

Here’s the deal: his reality already exists. And therefore, can’t be “erased” by the existence of any other reality. If THAT was the case, it would have happened already, and there would never have been a multiverse. 

Spanner just going back in time is not enough to confirm that he is from the “real future,” since literally anyone could also go back to this exact point if they were to do the exact same thing. 

Future Gwendolyn, Ultimate Ben, and Future Animo - all from separate alternate futures - travelled back in time, and neither of which came from the so-called “real future.”  

Paradox being the one to give Spanner his equipment proves absolutely nothing. Especially not that he would suddenly go against all logic and reason to do the same thing as a misguided kid who clearly doen’t understand the way the Omniverse works. 

Wouldn’t it make sense to provide a means of defence for a kid in a multi dimensional warzone? 

On the other hand, despite the fact that it would be nonsensical to try to fix a ”perfect” relationship, does giving him that power and equipment to force something to happen, and go against the rules by which Paradox operates, seem reasonable?

I mean, *insert every time Paradox has ever stopped anyone from revealing the future here* 

Despite the main cast’s initial panic, nothing Spanner said held any power over anyone. The only thing he revealed was what happened in the alternate future that he, himself, had come from. That doesn’t dictate anyone’s actions moving forward. 

Entertaining him for a second, if what he said was true - the belief that, despite existing within an Omniverse, the present will only lead to his future - he really shouldn't worry about ceasing to exist. By his logic, no other reality would have ever existed at all. 

In fact, his own actions prove that he was wrong. 

There would be no need to panic if they really had no choice. If they didn’t have free will, no force or effort on his part should have been necessary. 

Paradox only intervenes when the entirety of existence is at stake. (Such as it was in “And Then There Were None” / ”And Then There Was Ben.”) Otherwise, he reveals next to nothing because the future isn’t set in stone.

Unlike Spanner, Paradox has never attempted to force anyone to do anything. That's why he wants to “prevent the future from changing" - he wants to avoid having an influence over their actions and therefore not allowing them to act upon their free will. Events only happen as people make their own choices, out of free will, which then is the reason for the existence of so many "branches." 

This is also a common remark amongst the fanbase. It’s not inherently wrong. However, what people fail to see is the reason for that.

The issue is that this alludes to the idea of there being just one possible future. When, the only reason there are different outcomes is because people have the ability to choose their next course of action. People have control over their own actions so naturally every different choice will lead to a different outcome.

And, which is why everything Spanner did and said was…completely incorrect. It wouldn’t matter what he did. He can not erase the fact that free will exists.

In this situation, Paradox didn’t intervene because it doesn’t really make a difference what happens as long as it isn’t detrimental to all of reality. One alternate universe is ultimately inconsequential in the grand scheme of the entire Omniverse. 

The reason “Ben’s future changes every time he meets his (alleged) future self” is because, as has been established, reality “branches off,” creating new outcomes that stem from the Prime Timeline. Meaning, he has the free will to choose his next course of action in any particular situation.

Azmuth: “Yes. You told me of his grand destiny that he was the legendary being who will someday.” Paradox: “Shhh! No spoilers. For that glorious future to occur, we must first survive the current crisis.” Azmuth: “It's too much! The child cannot win this time.” Paradox: “And I say he can. Won't it be fun to find out who's right?” (“The Forge of Creation” - Ben 10: Ultimate Alien) 

As shown in "Fight at The Museum", revealing the events of any future just causes unnecessary panic due to a perceived loss of free will and choice. 

Which, is NOT how it works. The future of any given reality should depend on the present, and not the other way around. 

Paradox - the one who understands all of this - is extremely cryptic. And, evidently, for a reason: to not reveal anything and to not influence anyone. He avoids forcing reality into any direction. His only interest is protecting all of existence.

Haven't you ever noticed how he never specifies exactly what anyone is “supposed to do?” And, just says things like, "he (Ben) will do what needs to be done?” Or refuses to get too involved in the battle? 

(Needless to say, completely unlike Spanner.)

So, there isn’t something specific that absolutely needs to happen, “or else.” Something much worse - like deadly intergalactic wars - have already taken place within the Omniverse and it didn’t affect the entirety of existence.

So, a certain relationship not happening, in one universe? Out of literally infinite? Yeah, tragic.

Things can play out differently in different realities because that’s how the multiverse works. 

The relationship between the main timeline and every alternate reality can be described like this:  

Paradox: “But before I can answer any questions, you're going to need to brush up on quantum mechanics and string theory. There are many dimensions, many Universes, many Earths, and thus many Ben Tennysons across those dimensions, dimensions which are not always in sync in time. Think of time and space as this tree. Down here is when you were 10 years old. Right here is now. Up here is when you'll be 30 years old. The trunk is the main timeline. These branches represent alternate timelines, where reality literally branches off and becomes a different timeline, each containing its own Ben Tennyson.”  (“And Then There Were None” - Ben 10: Omniverse) 

By that logic, what is referred to as the “trunk” can’t lead to just one “branch,” outcome or in only one direction. To insist to opposite wouldn't make sense because...if you've ever seen a tree before, that's not how it works.  

If we’re going to argue that fate doesn’t exist, then there can’t be an already established end for the prime timeline. If there was, it wouldn’t have been “branching off” to begin with. But, as has been established by the sheer existence of every known alternate reality...that’s impossible. 

These realities are not mutually exclusive. Meaning, the existence of one doesn’t write off the existence of another. Both Ultimate Ben and this version of Future Animo could predict what was going to happen because their realities were branches off of the prime timeline, which both exist independently. 

Paradox: “Cross-time is made up of parallel versions of the history we know. There are hundreds of them. A world where Gwen found the Omnitrix. A world where albedo turned to alien x and was trapped motionless for nearly a year. A world where you didn't have to destroy the Omnitrix to defeat Vilgax. Et cetera. Ad infinitum. These worlds are all every bit as real as our own, but they cannot not be allowed to leak into  ours.” (“Ben 10,000 Returns” - Ultimate Alien)  

Paradox wouldn’t force the future into any direction to not interfere with free will. And he wouldn’t just give out equipment for that specific purpose, either, because then it would lead to the exact problem there was with Spanner. 

So, I don’t want to hear about how this is the “real future,” or his “fate,” or “destiny”...or whatever. 

("The End of an Era" - Ben 10: Omniverse)

Because, within the Omniverse, where there are infinite possibilities, and where new ones are constantly being created as soon as anything does or doesn't happen, the Prime Timeline can't be confined to just one.

The Ben 10 universe is an Omniverse. And the Omniverse is infinite. 

In Conclusion, as Professor Paradox said, “There are so many ways to tell a story, but that's what makes them so interesting; you could never predict how they are going to turn out." (“And Then There Were None” - Ben 10: Omniverse) 

Even the most recent official content ("Alien X-Tinction" - Ben 10, 2016) - which, ironically enough, had a plotline literally surrounding the Omniverse - supports my argument. Because, establishing the Omniverse, and ending on that note, effectively gives everyone what they want out of the Ben 10 series. Since, existing within an Omniverse means everything can happen, simultaneously. 

The only “fate” you have is the one you create for yourself, and the only “destiny” you’re confined to is the one you choose to follow. 

RESEARCH + REFERENCES: 

◾ Q&A With Matt Wayne - Page 58 (archive.is) 

◾ Category:Crew Statements | Ben 10 Wiki | Fandom

◾ Ben 10,000 | Ben 10 Wiki | Fandom

◾ Category:Timelines | Ben 10 Wiki | Fandom

CATGIRL’S OTHER POSTS ON THE TOPIC:

◾ On the future of the Ben 10 continuity

◾ On the alleged inevitability of Benkai

◾ On time travellers hiding their identity

◾ On Alien X-Tinction & its conclusion

#6.

Ben and Gwen: lonely kid and gifted child

I’ve thought a lot about these two and their family dynamic. Both are relatable to me but in different ways. Like Gwen, I’ve always been the “mature” one who was good at school and loved by the adults in my life, but I also don’t have any friends and have a desire for fame and attention like Ben. At first glance, they seem to have little to complain about, being white kids with stable homes and two parents, compared to someone like Kevin, but there’s more to a character than just the surface and I think both have a lot of emotional issues relating to their self worth.

With Gwen, we get glimpses into her life and how everyone views her as perfect. Sunny envied how she was adored by her parents and Verdona and Gwen wished her mother would stop thinking of her as the “good influence”. All the adults in her family loved her and expected her to be the role model for the other kids which is a double edged sword. Yes you get praise and love but also pressure and high expectations. You’re expected to babysit the other kids and often have to bury your true feelings to please everyone and people will envy the love you get. And that love is often conditional and based around living up to their standards, remember how Natalie told her “normal people don’t glow” and how she doesn’t like her daughter or nephew using their powers around her.

As a kid, she was constantly doing extracurriculars like cotillion and judo before earning a scholarship to go to college early in Omniverse. We got a glimpse into her daily life in “It’s not Easy Being Gwen” where everyone expects her to fulfill certain obligations. Gwen seems like a child prodigy who feels she has to be the best and is always filling her schedule with activities and is always trying to get into the top schools. I think that’s why she fell for Kevin. He was the only one who loved her without putting her on a pedestal or because she’s family. The only person she could be herself around and doesn’t force her to act like a perfectionist. People complain about her outfit change in OV and I agree with some of the criticisms, but with all the pressure in her life, I get why she would want a change from the expectations in her life.

Ben strikes me as someone with a deep inferiority complex. It’s implied that he’s a bit of a loner who doesn’t have many friends with JT ditching him for Cash. He did get along better with Sunny which makes me wonder if he can relate to being in Gwen’s shadow. Fans talk about how great Carl and Sandra are as parents and while they are nice people, their free range approach can seem negligent. They only seemed concerned about Ben’s heroics once they witnessed it. By that time, Ben had been on late night road trips with Kevin, who punched holes in their doors, for weeks and didn’t even come home one night in “Save the Last Dance”. Ben may have acted the way he did in the OS as a cry for help as he feels neglected and the favoritism everyone has towards Gwen may rub off on him. It reminds me a bit of how Steven from SU acted the way he did in the early episodes because he was constantly being left alone without the gems or Greg while being compared to Rose. Kids who don’t have friends nor get much attention while living in a family member’s shadow can and do develop inferiority complexes.

Ben’s desire for fame seems to stem from wanting to be loved and wanting to feel special. He becomes so full of himself because people finally love him as opposed to viewing him as some average kid. Fans have dismissed the bullying he faced as cliche or unnecessary but it adds to his character. A lonely, bullied kid who’s in the shadow of his overachieving cousin will want something that makes him feel special, like the Omnitrix. Ben has to learn throughout the 4 shows that he is the hero, not the watch. I think that’s why he loved using transformations like Four-arms, Humungousaur and Feedback so much even if they were inadequate for the situation as they made him feel confident. The way he fights is reminiscent of standing up to a bully too, picking an intimidating form, offering a chance to back off and then doing what he can to stop the threat. It’s easy to write him off as just a spoiled brat or narcissistic but I think 1, that’s ableist and 2, is a rather shallow way of looking at his character. While he can be insufferable at times, is it wrong to want acknowledgement or praise when there’s people like Will Harangue or the Rooters who hate you just for existing? I think he deserves a break from fans who hate him and he acts a lot better than most kids would in his situation. Compare him to Shinji Ikari from Evangelion, who I also love as a character, who would break down after seeing what Ben has to deal with every day.

I think both may envy each other at times. Gwen has been shown to be jealous of Ben getting all the glory as well as how Ben was given a car by her boyfriend despite her parents being wealthier. Like Sunny, Ben may have viewed Gwen as a stuck-up overachiever who got all the respect from their parents. That was until they bonded and became friends in the OS but it occasionally came back like when Ben lashed out at her for telling him he couldn’t use Feedback, believing she was trying to take the only thing he had. Because they have it easier than Kevin, it’s easy to expect them to just get over it but I think both Tennyson cousins need a lot of therapy and need to talk about their issues with each other. Both characters mean a lot to me and remind me of my own struggles.

Might expand upon this later

Kevin when he becomes an amalgamation of Bens guilt and paranoia

Ben take ur pills god!!!!