History Sandbox / DarkMirror

* EntertainmentAboveTheirAge: Ben, Gwen, and Kevin (who are 10 and 11-year-old respectively) casually watch movies like ''Film/TexasChainsawMassacre''.

** While SECT was antagonistic in canon, they had a good reason to go after Ben who had been framed for various crimes. Here they are KnightTemplar [[TheMenInBlack MenInBlack]] who hunt down, abduct, and experiment on innocent people.

* SirSwearsALot: Kevin is only 11 years old, but thanks to living on the streets for a while, he swears more than any other character.

** While SECT was antagonistic in canon, they had a good reason to go after Ben who had been framed for various crimes. Here they are KnightTemplar MenInBlack who hunt down, abduct, and experiment on innocent people.

* WrongTimeTravelSavvy: Kevin worries that knowing too much about the future can cause paradoxes and make him start disappearing like in ''Film/BackToTheFuture''. Ben 10,000 says that this isn't how time travel works: trying to change the past will only split off a new timeline.

* CombatPragmatist: There is no such thing as fighting fair. Max shoots [[spoiler:Xylene]] in the back, Kevin likes to turn invisible to spy and sneak up on enemies, and Gwen constantly lies to get information out of other people.

* OCStandIn: '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* OriginalCharacter: While most characters are canon to one installment of the franchise or another, there is a number of new ones, though they usually stay in the background. Only Robert Thompson and Elizabeth [[spoiler:Grandsmith]] play a relatively important role. New Omnitrix transformations are also introduced, such us [[SolarSail Sailor Sol]] and [[DimensionalCutter Scatterpillar]]. '''[[red:split and check for misuse]]'''

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: '''[[red:split and clarify]]'''
** Driscoll and Enoch (the leader of Forever Knights and his right-hand man) are fairly reasonable and understanding, if a bit weirded out about having to work with literal children. Driscoll is always ready to provide help to his allies and freely exchanges information. Enoch chews out one of his best agents when he is acting like a jerkass to their allies, but immediately defends him when [[spoiler:Agent Connor is accused of being a traitor]].

* RoleSwapAU: '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* SolarSail: Tenebrocera are insectoid aliens that can travel in space with biological solar sails. '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Plumbers. '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* WhamLine: '''[[red:check for misuse]]'''
** From "Dr. Animo and the Mutant Ray":
--->'''The Specialist:''' ''And you don’t have to be so formal: we’re all friends here, right? [[spoiler: Call me Cooper.]]''
** From "Ben 10,000":
--->'''Ben 10,000:''' ''I’m gonna go visit grandpa.''\\
[…] He navigated the streets of his home city with ease born of familiarity and in a matter of seconds he reached his destination. [[spoiler:The gates of Bellwood cemetery.]]
** From "Ghostreaked Out":
--->This day was incredible. What were the chances that everything would come together so perfectly? [[spoiler:The smile slowly slid off his face. [[TooGoodToBeTrue Really, what were the chances?]]]]
** From "Ben 10 vs. Negative 10":
--->'''[[spoiler:The Specialist:]]''' ''You're right, boss: we went too far. Too far to stop now. Although... I suppose you’re not the boss of me anymore, are you?''

* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: In human form Gwendolyn has fairly short hair. In Anodite form it's longer than she is tall.

** Crüjo is shown wearing bracelets that are a magic equivalent of a HazmatSuit.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: SECT was originally an Area 51 strike team, but their MysteriousEmployer gave SECT enough funding to split off. Just like Area 51, SECT is on a mission to protect Earth against aliens. Unlike them, SECT doesn't care who they hurt in the process (or whether the aliens in question are a threat at all).

* ScienceCannotComprehendPhlebotinum: Plumbers don't have magic, so they don't have defenses against it and their technology can't replicate Anurian magitech.

* ScienceWizard: In this verse, unless you have [[UnskilledButStrong Anodite-level mana reserves]], studying magic requires, well, ''studying''. Hex can rattle off the atomic structure of silver and generally considers magic to be [[FantasticScience a branch of science]].

** In "Lucky Girl" the team ends up fighting a magic book that can [[VideoGame/{{Nier}} fly and attack with crimson spears]].

* SirSwearsALot: Despite being only 11 years old, Kevin swears more than any other character.

* SlapYourselfAwake: Gwen bites her hand in an attempt to throw off hypnosis. Another time she slaps herself for the same reason.

** While Ben and his team fend off a robot army in "Secrets", ''Chimerian Hammer'' is engaged in an off-screen battle in space with the Plumber who sent it.

** Season 3 mentions that the Anurian rescue team had to fight through the Plumber blockade around their solar system off-screen.

* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Downplayed. Some chapters are fairly similar to canon and season 1 in particular has the same episode order as the show, but there are still some plot-relevant differences: Ben and Gwen learn that Max used to be a Plumber as early as chapter 4, and Kevin joins the team in chapter 7. '''[[red:natter?]]'''

* TalentedButTrained: Gwen has a lot of mana, but she still needs a lot of training to use magic effectively.

* TeamMemberInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. Kevin is part of the team in canon, but he has only joined Ben and Gwen in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce''. Here, he joins them immediately after his introduction.

** In season 2, Taarteocis says that teleportation is impossible when the shields are up. Ben still manages to pull it off when he uses Upgrade to boost the teleporters.

* TerrifyingRescuer: In his mutated form, Kevin is a huge terrifying monster. In "Ready to Rumble" the people he's saving from superpowered criminals are more afraid of him than the villains.

* ThemeNaming: All Quicksilver and Menagerie subjects have codenames based on [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]].

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Discussed. Enoch and Driscoll note that the kids went through a lot of trauma and plan to send them into therapy before they crack.

* TranshumanAliens: Ledgerians are descendants of the humans who had lived for generations in a [[MagicalLand different]] [[AnotherDimension dimension]]. Animo raises the question of how human they actually are. So far, the main difference seems to be their higher magical aptitude.

* TranslatorMicrobes: Universal translators seem to be standard equipment, though they can't translate some languages like Sotoraggian and Vulpimancer. Zs'Skayr can achieve the same effect with magic.

* {{Transmutation}}: How did Hex and Charmcaster get rich enough to afford a mansion in Vegas? Charmcaster is good at transmuting gemstones and precious metals.

* CombatPragmatist: '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* ImNotAHeroIm: Ben. '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* INeedAFreakingDrink: Upon realizing that Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are just kids, Driscoll morosely wishes for something stronger than coffee. Rojo also wants to find a bar after participating in a superpowered battle with an alien robot, and Max gets drunk after all the revelations in "Truth".

* InterspeciesFriendship: The setting is full of aliens and the kids befriend a lot of them, such as Vilgax and his crew or Zs'Skayr and the Anurian rescue team. Even the kids themselves can count, since Ben and Gwen are part-Anodites and Kevin is half-Osmosian.

* ItsASmallNetAfterAll: Gwen is often seen digging through the web, such as when she looks up Greg Shaw in "The Krakken" and finds information about the superpowered robbers in "Ready to Rumble". Ben even jokes that finding stuff on the internet is her superpower. Downplayed, because she can't find anything about Animo, since she doesn't even know his name, or SECT, which is a super-secret organization that knows how to cover its tracks. '''[[red:natter]]'''

* JackOfAllStats: '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* LaserGuidedKarma: '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* LogicalWeakness: '''[[red:ZCE]]'''

* MagicHarmsTechnology: Magic utilizes a type of energy that's harmful to electronic devices, which can completely stop working. However, there are ways to shield technology from these effects.

* MagicalAccessory: Enchanting objects, especially jewelry, for a particular purpose seems to be a fairly widespread branch of magic.

** The Anurian rescue team uses magic bracelets as hazmat suits.
** Hex gives Animo a ProtectiveCharm that can keep his Transmodulator from [[AntiMagic being affected by magic]].

* {{Magitek}}: Magic naturally interferes with technology, specifically electronics. However, Anurians have solved this issue and widely employ [[SpellMyNameWithAnS magitech]].

* MaliciousSlander: The media ''really'' doesn't like aliens and SECT is implied to be fanning the flames.

* MentalFusion: Done by accident. When Ben as Upgrade physically fuses with Kraab, intending to simply boost his power, their minds fuse too. Both consider it a horrible experience, though mostly because Ben didn't really know what he was doing.

* MundaneSolution: When Ben ends up separated from Gwen and Max in chapter 2, he is wondering how to contact them. Animo suggests using a cell phone.

* ParentalNeglect: Apparently, Ben's parents tend to ignore his existence. While Gwen regularly calls her mom, Ben hasn't said a word to his parents for the entire summer.

** On the villain side, Xylene, who in canon needed Ben's help to defeat a single robot, is powerful enough to casually smack around ''Vilgax''.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: Agent Steel and SECT appear as early as chapter 8, Charmcaster is introduced in the same chapter as Hex, and Xylene appears in season 1 finale. This trope also applies to characters brought in from later installments of the franchise, such as Psyphon or Will Harangue.

* AdaptationalExpansion: SECT appeared in only 1 episode of the original series, but here they’re the main Earth-side threat. Kevin, while already a fairly important character in canon, gains a much bigger role, joining the team after his introductory chapter. Some other characters, like Kraab, also have a larger part to play.

** Everyone in Anur System has magic powers now, while in canon only Zs'Skayr has shown magic abilities (and even that was after spending time in Ledgerdomain and using the Alpha Rune).

* TheArchmage: The future version of Gwen calls herself an Archmage, and while it's never explained what this title actually means, she is shown to be extremely powerful.

* ArtificialGravity: Appears to be standard for alien ships. During the battle with [[spoiler:Xylene]], Ben turns off the gravity on their ship to save energy.

** Kevin is one of the nicest characters, despite his [[ShapeShifterMashup powers]] being downright [[LovecraftianSuperpower Lovecraftian]].

* BioweaponBeast: In this verse, The Tick is a Plumber bioweapon, described by Max as a living ecological catastrophe.

* BishonenLine: Kevin's mutated form is a horrible mishmash of [[ShapeShifterMashup ten different aliens]]. His far more powerful future self has much sleeker transformations.

* BizarreAlienPsychology: Ben notes that while most aliens think the same way humans do, [[HiveMind Mycelium]] is different.

* CallARabbitASmeerp: The data slate that Phil gives the kids is essentially an alien tablet.

* DesignerBabies: With some rare exceptions, [[HalfHumanHybrid interspecies]] [[NonHumanHumanoidHybrid hybrids]] can only be created in a lab through genetic engineering.

* DisappearedDad: Kevin doesn't know what happened to his biological father, but he doesn't really care either.

* ElementalPowers: Gwen's favorite group of spells, Tempestus, are all elemental attacks.

* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: From the military attempting to weaponize Dr. Animo's research to The Tick being a Plumber bioweapon, genetic engineering is presented as very dangerous.

* ItsASmallNetAfterAll: Gwen is often seen digging through the web, such as when she looks up Greg Shaw in "The Krakken" and finds information about the superpowered robbers in "Ready to Rumble". Ben even jokes that finding stuff on the internet is her superpower. Downplayed, because she can't find anything about Animo, since she doesn't even know his name, or SECT, which is a super-secret organization that knows how to cover its tracks.

* MagicVersusScience: Gwen and Animo get into a heated debate on the nature of magic and how it differs from technology. Funnily enough, Hex, who is the most skilled mage on Earth, considers both magic and technology to be different branches of science.

* OriginalCharacter: While most characters are canon to one installment of the franchise or another, there is a number of new ones, though they usually stay in the background. Only Robert Thompson and Elizabeth [[spoiler:Grandsmith]] play a relatively important role. New Omnitrix transformations are also introduced, such us [[SolarSail Sailor Sol]] and [[DimensionalCutter Scatterpillar]].

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:

** In ‘Lucky Girl’ the team ends up fighting a magic book that can [[VideoGame/{{Nier}} fly and attack with crimson spears]].

* SolarSail: Tenebrocera are insectoid aliens that can travel in space with biological solar sails.

** While Ben and his team fend off a robot army in "Secrets", ''Chimerian Hammer'' is engaged in an off-screen battle with the Plumber who sent it.
** In season 2, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin end up fighting [[spoiler:Xylene]] in space.
** Season 3 mentions that the Anurian rescue team had to fight through the Plumber blockade off-screen.

* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: While it's ''technically'' possible to use magic even if you don't really know what you're doing, it doesn't always work and requires tremendous amounts of energy. Hex spends hours on calculations to create a transformation charm, and it's implied that transmuting materials requires knowing their atomic structure. Gwen can cast some fairly powerful spells thanks to being [[UnskilledButStrong part-Anodite]], but she cannot manipulate them, because she doesn't understand how they work.

* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Downplayed. Some chapters are fairly similar to canon and season 1 in particular has the same episode order as the show, but there are still some plot-relevant differences: Ben and Gwen learn that Max used to be a Plumber as early as chapter 4, and Kevin joins the team in chapter 7.

* TalentedButTrained: Gwen might have a lot of mana, but she still needs a lot of training to use magic effectively.

* TeamMemberInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. Kevin is part of the team in canon, but he has only joined Ben and Gwen in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce''. Here, he joins the team pretty much immediately after his introduction.

* TerrifyingRescuer: Kevin's mutated form is pretty scary. In "Ready to Rumble" the people he's saving from superpowered criminals are more afraid of him than the villains.

* WhamLine:

** [[spoiler:Cooper]], who was just a kid with some tech know-how in canon, is shaping out to be the biggest threat [[spoiler:SECT has]].

* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Everyone and their mother seems to have [[FasterThanLightTravel FTL]] technology. [[InsignificantBluePlanet Except Earth]]. This causes problems when the kids are abducted in a spaceship and Max has no way to follow them.

* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Discussed and downplayed.

* ParentalNeglect: Apparently, Ben's parents tend to ignore his existence. While Gwen regularly calls her mom, but Ben hasn't said a word to his parents for the entire summer.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: SECT was originally an Area 51 strike team. Their MysteriousEmployer gave SECT enough funding to split off. Just like Area 51, SECT is on a mission to protect Earth against aliens. Unlike them, SECT doesn't care who they hurt in the process (or whether the aliens in question are a threat at all).

** Driscoll and Enoch are fairly reasonable and understanding, if a bit weirded out about having to work with literal children.
** For the ruler of an entire planet, Zs'Skayr is rather down-to-earth. He agrees that the council was right not to send a rescue party after him, when they didn't even know if he was still alive.

* RenegadeSplinterFaction: SECT was originally an Area 51 strike team. Their MysteriousEmployer gave SECT enough funding to split off.

* RogueAgent: Thompson was supposed to apprehend Dr. Animo. He was ''not'' supposed to shoot a rocket launcher on a crowded street.

* ScienceCannotComprehendPhlebotinum: Plumbers don’t have magic, so they can’t replicate Anurian magitech. Dr. Chadwick also says that on Earth magic is poorly understood and not well-studied, though it seems to be mostly because it’s rare.

* ScienceWizard: In this verse unless you have [[UnskilledButStrong Anodite-level mana reserves]], studying magic requires, well, ''studying''. Hex in particular can rattle off the atomic structure of silver and generally considers magic to be [[FantasticScience a branch of science]].

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: SECT gets their funding through shady means. It's also noted that putting their MysteriousBenefactor behind bars might not be enough to get rid of him, because he's rich enough to buy his way out.

* SlapYourselfAwake: Gwen bites herself in an attempt to throw off hypnosis. Another time she slaps herself for the same reason.

* SnakePeople: Elapidians are a species of aliens who have scales, cobra-like head, and tail instead of legs, but humanoid arms and torso.

** While Ben and his team fend off a robot army in "Secrets", ''Chimerian Hammer'' is engaged in an off-screen battle with the Plumbers.

* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: While it's possible to use magic even if you don't really know what you're doing, it requires a lot more energy. Hex spends hours on calculations to create a transformation charm, and it's implied that transmuting materials requires knowing their atomic structure. Gwen can cast some fairly powerful spells thanks to being [[UnskilledButStrong part-Anodite]], but she cannot manipulate them, because she doesn't understand how they work.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Regular guns are dangerous, living on the streets sucks, constantly fighting for your life leaves both physical and psychological scars, and it's far easier to ruin relationships than to fix them.

** Zs'Skayr possesses Ben several times: first to give advice and show him a new skill during a fight, then to help him get some sleep when Ben is afraid of dreaming.

* TeleportInterdiction: During the season 1 finale, Kraab says that his ship cannot teleport them out, because the enemy can reroute the signal.

* UnstablePoweredWoman: Discussed and downplayed. Gwen's Anodite abilities are tied to her [[EmotionalPowers emotions]], amplifying them (and vice-versa). Gwendolyn warns her that trying to tap into these powers can be dangerous, though Gwendolyn herself can easily flip between human and Anodite form.

* WhatTheHellHero: The kids aren't shy about calling out Max on all the things he had done and the secrets he had been hiding, such as concealing Ben and Gwen's status as part-aliens or trying to murder his former friend just because his superior told him to.

* WizardsFromOuterSpace: Magic is rare but not unheard of and Anodites aren't the only species that can use it: everyone in the Anur System has magic powers.

* WrongTimeTravelSavvy: Kevin worries that knowing too much about the future can cause paradoxes and he will start disappearing like in ''Film/BackToTheFuture''. Ben 10,000 waves him off because that's not how time travel works: trying to change the past will only split off a new timeline.

On the first day of a summer roadtrip with his cousin Gwen and grandfather Max, a boy named Ben Tennyson finds an alien device called the Omnitrix, which gives him the power to transform into various alien species. Armed with his new powers, Ben fights alongside his new friends and allies, such as Kevin Levin, Dr. Animo, Vilgax, Charmcaster, Forever Knights, and others who can help him protect Earth and keep the Omnitrix safe from the evil clutches of the Plumbers.

** Gwen starts her magic training as early as season 1, and unlike canon, she has some proper instruction, so she actually knows what she is doing. She can also access some small bits of her Anodite heritage, which her future self has complete control over.

** [[spoiler:Cooper]], who was just a kid with some tech know-how in canon, is shaping out to be the BigBad [[spoiler:of SECT]].

* AdaptationalVillainy: The Plumbers and SECT are the main villains in this fic.

* AdaptationalWimp: While Rojo is willing to fight an alien robot in her episode, she is still just a regular human, while in canon she became a superpowered cyborg.

** Animo is rather skeptical about magic, but he doesn’t deny it exists, he just doesn't believe it's anything different from mutant abilities and alien powers. For example, he wonders whether Ledgerians like Hex and Charmcaster can be considered fully human, when they have lived for generations in another dimension with different physical laws.

* TheArchmage: The future version of Gwen calls herself an Archmage, though it's never explained what this title actually means.

** Zs'Skayr possesses Ben only to help him (both in battle and to deal with his insomnia).

* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Everyone and their mother seems to have [[FasterThanLightTravel FTL]] technology. [[InsignificantBluePlanet Except Earth]].

* ConspiracyTheorist: Gwen notes that when the fact that aliens exist hit the national news, way too many conspiracy theorists came out of the woodwork.

* EmotionalPowers: Gwen's Anodite powers get stronger when she feels any strong emotion (usually anger).

* EntertaininglyWrong: Gwen assumes that Archamada Book of Spells uses hypnosis that only affects girls, because it ensnared both her and Charmcaster. In truth, it affects fledgling mages.

* TheExtremistWasRight: Agent Steel might be a KnightTemplar who is prejudiced against aliens, but he was right to be wary of the Plumbers.

* FireForgedFriends: Ben and and Gwen gain most of their allies through fighting against a common enemy: battling Tetrax with Kraab and [=SixSix=], taking down evil government agents alongside Animo, or defeating Xylene with Vilgax.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Almost every chapter is told from two or more different points of view. One chapter is fully narrated by Ben, [[spoiler:which foreshadows that the other characters aren't real]].

* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: From the military attempting to weaponize Dr. Animo's research to The Tick being a Plumber bioweapon, it's safe to say that genetic engineering can be quite dangerous.

* InsignificantBluePlanet: It has been mentioned several times that Earth is located far away from anything important and no one cares about it. Which is good, because it means that the Plumbers don't want to waste resources on conquering it.

* KnightTemplar: Agent Steel and SECT protect Earth from alien threats, by any means necessary (up to and including kidnapping, murder, and brainwashing).

* LaResistance: Red Cross are renegade Plumbers that oppose their evil organization.

* LivingLegend: As one of the first people to stand against Plumbers, Vilgax is well-known across the galaxy.

* MagicVersusScience: Gwen and Animo get into a heated debate on the nature of magic. Funnily enough, Hex considers magic to be a branch of [[FantasticScience science]].

* MagicalAccessory: Enchanting objects, especially jewelry, for a particular purpose seems to be a fairly widespread branch of magic:

** Kevin gets a necklace that can [[TransformationTrinket turn him human]] after he gets stuck in a mutated form.
** The Anurian rescue team uses magic charms as hazmat suits.
** Hex gives Animo a charm that can protect his Transmodulator from being affected by magic.

* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler: Cooper]] doesn't mind lying and crying CrocodileTears to get what he wants.

* MentalFusion: Done by accident when Ben as Upgrade fuses with Kraab. Both consider it a horrible experience, though mostly because Ben didn't really know what he was doing.

* TheMilkyWayIsTheOnlyWay: Travelling between planets is [[CasualInterplanetaryTravel fairly normal]]. But travelling between galaxies? Phil mentions that an expedition to Andromeda Galaxy had been planned, but he doesn't know whether anything came out of it.

** Max doesn't take well the fact that the Plumbers were corrupt to the core and that not every mission he ran was against the bad guys.

* MythologyGag: While the fic is based on the original series and its sequels, there are some references to the [[WesternAnimation/Ben102016 reboot]]. In "The Change of Face" the Rustbucket is magically reshaped and repainted, making it look similar to the reboot version, and in "Permanent Retirement" when trying to make up a name for TV show he and Gwen are supposedly going to watch, Ben comes up with ''Xingo''.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: Many characters that are only known by their aliases in canon (the circus trio, Sublimino, Driscoll, Enoch, and others) are given names. Some alien species, like Toepick or Astrodactyl's, are also named.

* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Discussed and downplayed. [[HalfHumanHybrid Interspecies hybrids]] exist, but they can only be made through genetic engineering (with some justified exceptions). The kids also worry whether the alien food offered to them in "Grudge Match" is [[NoBiochemicalBarriers/AlienFoodIsEdible edible]], and the only human food Zs’Skayr, an alien, can safely eat is sugar.

* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: Fifteen years after the fact, Ben 10,000 keeps being mocked for the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad names the media gave his Omnitrix transformations and for his attempts to correct it.

* ParentalNeglect: Apparently, Ben's parents tend to ignore his existence. It's especially jarring when Gwen regularly calls her mom, but Ben hasn't said a word to his parents for the entire summer.

* PastExperienceNightmare: The kids are constantly suffering from nightmares and insomnia. Having to regularly fight for your life can do that to a person.

* ProtectiveCharm: Crüjo is shown wearing bracelets that are a magic equivalent of a HazmatSuit. Animo also gets a necklace that protects his Transmodulator from being affected by magic.

On the first day of a summer roadtrip with his cousin Gwen and grandfather Max, a boy named Ben Tennyson finds an alien device called the Omnitrix, which gives him the power to transform into various alien species. Armed with his new powers, Ben fights alongside his new friends and allies, such as Kevin Levin, Dr. Animo, Vilgax, Charmcaster, Forever Knights, and others to protect Earth and keep the Omnitrix safe from the evil clutches of the Plumbers.

* AdaptationDistillation: Some filler elements have been removed, e.g. the Fountain of Youth from the episode ‘Don’t Drink the Water’ is only mentioned in passing and the main characters never visit it.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Naturally. Since this is a MirrorUniverse, the villains are now either heroes like Vilgax and Kevin or just want to be left alone like Zombozo and his circus.

** Zs'Skayr uses possession on Ben only to help him, both in battle and to deal with his insomnia.

* BigBad: The Plumbers are the enemy of the entire galaxy.

** [[{{Cthulhumanoid}} Vilgax]], [[ShapeShifterMashup Kevin]], [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Zs’Skayr]], and others might be good guys in this verse, but they can still be terrifying.
** In a more literal way, [[CastingAShadow Tempestus Tenebris]] is the only spell in the [[ElementalPowers Tempestus]] group that’s completely harmless to living beings.

** Red Cross are [[LaResistance renegade Plumbers]], fighting against their corrupt organization.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Ben doesn't like [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful people]]. He saved their lives, is it really so hard to say "thank you"?

* FireForgedFriends: Ben and and Gwen gain most of their allies through fighting against a common enemy.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Almost every chapter is told from two or more different points of view. One is fully narrated by Ben, [[spoiler:which foreshadows that the other characters aren't real]].

* HelpYourselfInTheFuture: While they can't do much, the future versions of Ben, Gwen, and Kevin give advice (and a few gifts) to their past selves.

* InterspeciesFriendship: The setting is full of aliens and the kids befriend a lot of them, such Vilgax and his crew or Zs'Skayr and the Anurian rescue team. Even the kids themselves can count, since Ben and Gwen are part-Anodites and Kevin is half-Osmosian.

* MagicalAccessory: Enchanting objects, especially jewelry, for a particular purpose seems to be a fairly widespread branch of magic. Gwen's bracelets create [[{{Glamour}} an illusory disguise]], Kevin's necklace can turn him human, etc.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: Many characters that are only known by their aliases in canon (the circus trio, Sublimino, Driscoll, Enoch, etc.) are given names. Some alien species, like Toepick or Astrodactyl's, are also named.

** While Ben and his team fend off a robot army in 'Secrets', ''Chimerian Hammer'' is engaged in an off-screen battle with the Plumbers.

* SymbioticPossession: Zs'Skayr possesses Ben a few times: this way Ben, who has been afraid of dreaming, can get some sleep, and Zs'Skayr isn't as lonely.

* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Downplayed. Some chapters are fairly similar to canon and season 1 in particular has the same episode order as the show, but there are still some plot-relevant differences: Ben and Gwen learn that Max used to be a Plumber as early as chapter 4, Kevin joins the team in chapter 7, etc.

->''"And Ben… You do deserve the Omnitrix. Never think otherwise. And while you have only scratched the surface of its capabilities, I look forward to the day you unlock its true power."''
-->-- '''Vilgax'''


On the first day of a summer roadtrip with his cousin Gwen and grandfather Max, a boy named Ben Tennyson finds an alien device called the Omnitrix, which gives him the power to transform into various alien species. Armed with his new powers, Ben becomes a hero and gains new friends and allies, such as Kevin Levin, Dr. Animo, Vilgax, Charmcaster, Forever Knights, and others who can help him keep the Omnitrix safe from the evil clutches of the Plumbers.

''Dark Mirror'' is a fanfic by Acidwing that can be found on [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/28358898 Archive of Our Own]] and [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13784130/1/Dark-Mirror FanFiction.net]]. It takes place in a MirrorUniverse of the original run of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' with some characters and concepts from the other installments of the [[Franchise/Ben10 franchise]]. Unlike the usual hero-villain reversals, the main characters are still on the side of good, which means that rather than remain on opposite sides, only with the [[CharacterAlignment alignments]] switched, [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul the villains become allies for the team]], leading the plot in a much different direction from canon.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: Even ignoring those brought by this fic’s MirrorUniverse status, there are other changes to the characters. Ben is both more mature and more affected emotionally by the things he went through, Gwen is much nicer to him but also more prone to [[UnstablePoweredWoman angry outbursts]], and Max’s behavior can be... [[AmbiguouslyEvil questionable]].

* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Most villains are the good guys here (or just civilians trying to get by), but the main characters are ''also'' good guys, which leads to quite a few changes. Even characters who remained on the same side have different relationships: Ben and Gwen are much nicer to each other but don’t trust Max, Hex and Charmcaster act like a real family, etc.

* AdaptationalLateAppearance: Zs’Skayr is introduced in season 3 instead of season 2. Forever Knights are also late to the party (season 2 instead of season 1).

** Everyone in Anur System has magic powers now, while in canon only Zs’Skayr has shown magic abilities (and even that was after spending time in Ledgerdomain and using the Alpha Rune).
** In canon Sublimino’s uses a MindControlDevice watch. In this fic he’s a mutant and his powers are an inherent ability.

* AmplifierArtifact: The Staff of Ages is a magic amplifier. Sure, Hex and Charmcaster can use magic just fine without it, but it makes their spells stronger.

** Max, who worked with aliens for decades, doesn’t believe Vera that there are aliens in her town. However, this explicitly stems from his arrogance: Max cannot conceive the idea that a regular human like his sister could possibly know something that he, a Plumber Magister, doesn’t. Vera rightfully calls him out on this.
** Animo is rather skeptical about magic, but he doesn’t deny it exists, he just doesn’t believe it’s anything different from mutant abilities and alien powers. For example, he wonders whether Ledgerians like Hex and Charmcaster can be considered fully human, when they have lived for generations in another dimension with different physical laws.
** PlayedForLaughs in 'Framed'. Phil doesn't believe that shapeshifting Illuminati lizard people are mind-controlling the government because Earth is too insignificant for anyone to bother with this kind of complicated schemes.

* TheArchmage: The future version of Gwen calls herself an Archmage, though it’s never explained what this title actually means.

* BlindObedience: Max wasn’t very big on critical thinking as a Plumber. As Vera has put it, if the High Command told him to jump, he had only ever asked how high. Thankfully, he gets better.

* CircusOfMagic: Zombozo's circus is full of superpowered perormers, but they're just entertainers doing their jobs.

* CreatingLifeIsBad: Downplayed. Gene splicing (the only way to create interspecies hybrids) is fairly rare, and Psyphon mentions that there is some stigma attached to it, but it’s not taboo. It mostly comes down to ''why'' this technology is used: there is a big difference between someone who can’t naturally have kids simply wanting a family, and a shady, corrupt organization making super-soldiers and [[BioweaponBeast living weapons]].

** Null Void Projectors are so unstable, there’s a high chance that using one will just cause it to explode in your hands.

* DarkerAndEdgier: Since [[MediaWatchdog cartoon rules]] don’t apply to fanfics, there are injuries, blood, death, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking swear words]].

** Zs’Skayr mentions that while most Vladats were happy to conquer the rest of the Anur System, there were rebels in their ranks who opposed the war.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Ben doesn't like [[UngratefulBastard ungrateful people]]. He saved their lives, is it really so hard to say 'thank you'?

* ElementalPowers: Gwen’s favorite group of spells, Tempestus, are all elemental attacks.

* EmotionalPowers: Gwen’s Anodite powers get stronger when she feels any strong emotion (usually anger).

* EntertainmentAboveTheirAge: Ben, Gwen, and Kevin (who are 10 and 11-year-old) casually watch movies like ''Film/TexasChainsawMassacre''.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Almost every chapter is told from two or more different points of view. Pay attention to the one that isn’t.

* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: From the military attempting to weaponize Dr. Animo’s research to The Tick being a Plumber bioweapon, it's safe to say that genetic engineering can be quite dangerous.

* GondorCallsForAid: 'Ben 10 vs. Negative 10' arc begins with Ben and his team calling in all their Earth-side allies to fight against SECT.

* HappilyAdopted: Kevin considers his step-father to be his real father. It’s too bad that he’s dead.

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Starting with ‘Framed’, the media is shown twisting the events to paint Ben and his team as the bad guys, such as blaming them for destroying a mall, when all they did was rescue the people trapped inside.

* INeedAFreakingDrink: Upon realizing that Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are just kids, Driscoll morosely wishes for something stronger than coffee. Rojo also wants to find a bar after participating in a superpowered battle with an alien robot, and Max gets drunk after all the revelations in ‘Truth’.

* InterspeciesFriendship: The setting is full of aliens and the kids befriend a lot of them: Vilgax and his crew, Zs'Skayr and the rescue team, etc. Even the kids themselves can count, since Ben and Gwen are part-Anodites and Kevin is half-Osmosian.

* ItsASmallNetAfterAll: Gwen is often seen digging through the web. She looks up Greg Shaw in 'The Krakken' and finds information about the superpowered robbers in 'Ready to Rumble'. Ben even jokes that finding stuff on the internet is her superpower. Downplayed, because she can't find anything about Animo, since she doesn't even know his name, or SECT, which is a super-secret organization that knows how to cover its tracks.

* MagicMirror: After their first meeting, Charmcaster gives Gwen an enchanted mirror to keep in touch. It’s pretty much a magic version of a cell phone. These mirrors are also used during the attack on SECT when the comms stop working.

* MagicalAccessory: Enchanting objects, especially jewelry, for a particular purpose seems to be a fairly widespread branch of magic. Gwen’s bracelets create [[{{Glamour}} an illusory disguise]], Kevin’s necklace can turn him human, etc.

* MaliciousSlander: The media ''really'' doesn’t like aliens and SECT is implied to be fanning the flames.

* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler: Cooper]] doesn’t mind lying and crying CrocodileTears to get what he wants.

* MentalFusion: Done by accident when Ben as Upgrade fuses with Kraab. Both consider it a horrible experience, though mostly because Ben didn’t really know what he was doing.

* MuggleWithADegreeInMagic: Dr. Chadwick isn’t a mage, but that doesn’t stop him from studying Anurian magitech or using scanners that can detect magic. Although he himself admits that on Earth magic is poorly understood.

* MundaneUtility: Water spells for clean-up, super-strength to move around luggage, super-speed for chores… With powers as versatile as FunctionalMagic and VoluntaryShapeshifting, the possibilities are endless.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Max doesn’t take well the fact that the Plumbers were corrupt to the core and that not every mission he ran was against the bad guys.

* MysteriousStranger: SECT first appears in chapter 8, but only [[TheDragon Agent Steel]] and nameless {{Mooks}} are shown properly. The specialist, who is responsible for R&D, isn’t seen until chapter 24, and the [[MysteriousEmployer benefactor]] who has been funding SECT and giving them orders takes even longer to appear.

* MythologyGag: While the fic is based on the original series and its sequels, there are some references to the [[WesternAnimation/Ben102016 reboot]]. In 'The Change of Face' the Rustbucket is magically reshaped and repainted, making it look similar to the reboot version, and in 'Permanent Retirement' when trying to make up a name for TV show he and Gwen are supposedly going to watch, Ben comes up with ''Xingo''.

* NerdsLoveToughSchoolwork: Discussed. Ben is convinced that Gwen likes doing homework, but Jonah assures him that ''no one'' likes schoolwork, and the 'nerds' only do it because otherwise their teachers (or their parents) will be mad at them.

* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Discussed and downplayed. [[HalfHumanHybrid Interspecies hybrids]] exist, but they can only be made through genetic engineering (with some justified exceptions). The kids also worry whether the alien food offered to them in ‘Grudge Match’ is [[NoBiochemicalBarriers/AlienFoodIsEdible edible]], and the only human food Zs’Skayr, an alien, can safely eat is sugar.

* SnakePeople: [[OriginalCharacter Elapidians]] are an alien species of humanoid serpents.

* SolarSail: [[OriginalCharacter Tenebrocera]] are insectoid aliens that can travel in space with biological solar sails.

* SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic: While it’s possible to use magic even if you don’t really know what you’re doing, it requires a lot of energy. The more complicated the spell, the more energy it needs, until at some point it simply isn’t enough. Hex spends hours on calculations to create a transformation charm, and it’s implied that transmuting materials requires knowing their atomic structure. Gwen can cast some fairly powerful spells thanks to being [[UnskilledButStrong part-Anodite]], but she cannot manipulate them, because she doesn’t understand how they work.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Regular guns are dangerous, living on the streets sucks, constantly fighting for your life leaves both physical and psychological scars, and it’s far easier to ruin relationships than to fix them.

* SymbioticPossession: Zs'Skayr possesses Ben a few times: this way Ben can get some sleep (he has been afraid of dreaming) and Zs'Skayr isn't as lonely.

* TakeThat: Everyone who has ever met Forever Knights makes fun of their medieval aesthetic. Ben also claims that fusing with a laptop as Upgrade can [[Recap/Ben10S3E6GameOver transfer him inside a video game]], before laughing it off as completely unrealistic.

* TerrifyingRescuer: Kevin's mutated form is pretty scary. In 'Ready to Rumble' the people he's saving from superpowered criminals are more afraid of him than the villains.

* TransformationHorror: Downplayed in ‘Benwolf’. While Ben considers his slow transformation into a Loboan to be mostly just annoying, the Omnitrix shifting through his body seriously disturbs him.

* TransformationTrinket: Inverted. Instead of giving him superpowers, Kevin’s necklace allows him to turn human when he is stuck in his mutated form.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: SECT was originally part of the defense force against extranormal threats. They still are, [[KnightTemplar technically]], but they no longer care who they hurt in the process and their definition of ‘threat’ is closer to ‘whoever doesn’t want to work for them’.

** From ‘Dr. Animo and the Mutant Ray’:

** From 'Ben 10,000':

** From ‘Ghostreaked Out’:

** From 'Ben 10 vs. Negative 10':
--->'''[[spoiler:The Specialist:]]''' ''You’re right, boss: we went too far. Too far to stop now. Although... I suppose you’re not the boss of me anymore, are you?''

* WhatTheHellHero: The kids aren’t shy about calling out Max on all the things he had done and the secrets he had been hiding. 'Truth' two-parter is probably the best example.

!!Needs double-checking for ZCE, misuse, and general examples

** Sublimino's MindControl.
** Zs'Skayr's possession.
** Kevin is also one of the nicest characters, despite his [[ShapeShifterMashup powers]] being downright [[LovecraftianSuperpower Lovecraftian]].
* BigBad: SECT is the biggest Earth-side threat. The Plumbers are the enemy of the entire galaxy.

* DeadpanSnarker: Many, ''many'' characters, although Will Harangue is probably the best example.

* DysfunctionalFamily: The Tennyson family has issues upon issues, with lies, neglect, and FantasticRacism abound.

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Starting with ‘Framed’, the media is shown twisting the events to paint Ben and his team as the bad guys.

* ProtectiveCharm: Crüjo is shown wearing bracelets that are a magic equivalent of a HazmatSuit. Animo is also given a necklace that protects his Transmodulator from being affected by magic.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Driscoll and Enoch are fairly reasonable and understanding, if a bit weirded out about having to work with literal children. For the ruler of an entire planet, Zs'Skayr is also rather down-to-earth.

* SolarSail: [[OriginalCharacter Tenebrocera]] are said to be aliens that can travel in space with biologial solar sails.

** In canon Sublimino’s MindControl powers stem from his watch. In this fic he’s a mutant and his powers are an inherent ability.

* BadPowersGoodPeople: Sublimino's MindManipulation and Zs'Skayr's possession are both used for good. Kevin is also one of the nicest characters, depite his [[ShapeShifterMashup powers]] being downright [[LovecraftianSuperpower Lovecraftian]].

* AdaptationalHeroism: Naturally. Since this is a MirrorUniverse, most villains are now heroes.

** Downplayed with Kevin. His powers are mostly in line with his original incarnation, but he is only capable of partial transformations and before his mutation, he had the same time-limit as Ben.

* AdaptationalVillainy: To a lesser extent than one might expect from a MirrorUniverse fic. The main characters remained on the side of good, but aside from the Plumbers, there weren’t that many heroes to twist into villains in canon in the first place.

* AdaptationalWimp: While Rojo is willing to fight an alien robot in her episode, she is still just a regular human, while in canon she was a superpowered cyborg.

* BadPowersGoodPeople: MindManipulation and possession might be disturbing abilities, but they can be used for good.

* BigBad: The Plumbers on the alien side and SECT on the Earth side.

* BishonenLine: Kevin's mutated form is a horrible mishmash of [[ShapeShifterMashUp ten different aliens]]. His far more powerful future self has much sleeker transformations.

* TheCavalry

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Subverted. By themselves, cybernetics are value-neutral, but the technopath controlling them is most certainly evil.

** Red Cross are [[LaResistance renegade Plumbers]], who fight against their corrupt organization.

* DisappearedDad: Kevin doesn't know what happened to his biological father, nor does he care. [[HappilyAdopted He considers his step-father to be his real father.]]

* EntertainmentAboveTheirAge

* FantasticRadiationShielding: The damaged reactor on the Anurian ship is surrounded by a magic shield, which looks like a wire pyramid with shimmering energy walls.

* ForcedSleep: The sleep spell Somnus, which, unfortunately, knocks out the caster too. Gwen uses it to [[MundaneUtility combat insomnia]].

* {{Futureshadowing}}: The 'Ben 10,000' two-parter provides a glimpse into a (possible) future.

* GentleGiant: Despite spending half the story as a hulking monstrosity, Kevin is a NiceGuy who is very careful with his powers.

* GondorCallsForAid

* HealingMagicIsTheHardest

* HealingShiv

* InsignificantBluePlanet: It has been mentioned several times that Earth is located far away from anything important and no one cares about it. Which is good, because it means the Plumbers don't want to waste resources on conquering it.

* TheInsomniac: Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are frequently suffering from insomnia. It gets to the point where Gwen uses magic to get some sleep.

* InterspeciesFriendship: The setting is full of aliens and the kids befriend a lot of them: Vilgax and his crew, Zs'Skayr and the rescue team... Even the kids themselves can count, since Ben and Gwen are part-Anodites and Kevin is half-Osmosian.

* ItsASmallNetAfterAll: Gwen is often seen digging through the web. She looks up Greg Shaw in 'The Krakken' and finds information about the superpowered robbers in 'Ready to Rumble'. Ben even jokes that finding stuff on the internet is her superpower. Downplayed, because just as often she gets no results: she can't find anything about Animo because she doesn't even know his name, and SECT is a super-secret organization that knows how to cover its tracks.

* MagicMirror: After their first meeting, Charmcaster gives Gwen an enchanted mirror to keep in touch. It’s pretty much a magic version of a cell phone.

* MistakenForAliens: Downplayed. In 'Framed' Agent Steel mistakes Ben, Gwen, and Kevin for aliens (they were either shapeshifted or in disguise at the time). He is sort-of correct, actually: while they mostly think of themselves as humans, Ben and Gwen are part-Anodites and Kevin is half-Osmosian.

* MythologyGag: While the fic is based on the original series and its sequels, there are some references to the [[WesternAnimation/Ben102016 reboot]]. In 'Change of Face' the Rustbucket is magically reshaped and repainted, making it look similar to the reboot version, and in 'Permanent Retirement' when trying to make up a name for TV show he and Gwen are supposedly going to watch, Ben comes up with ''Xingo''.

* NerdsLoveToughSchoolwork: Discussed. Ben is convinced that Gwen likes doing homework. Jonah assures him that ''no one'' likes schoolwork, and the 'nerds' only do it because otherwise their teachers (or their parents) will be mad.

* OmniscientDatabase: Downplayed. Phil has a database on most alien species in the galaxy and he gives a copy to the team. It's implied to be standard issue for Plumbers. However, it contains only the most basic facts, such as name, planet of origin, and species-specific abilities. Also, it has almost no information about Anur System.

* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: Fifteen years after the fact, Ben 10,000 keeps being mocked both for the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad names the media gave his Omnitrix transformations and for his attempts to correct it.

* OriginalCharacter: While most characters are canon to one installment of the franchise or another, there is a number of new ones, though they usually stay in the background. Only Robert Thompson and Elizabeth [[Grandsmith]] play a relatively important role. New Omnitrix transformations are also introduced, such us [[SolarSail Sailor Sol]] and [[DimensionalTraveler Scatterpillar]].

* PowerCrystal: While they're not powerful by themselves, enchanted crystals can be filled with mana and used as magic batteries.

* ProtectiveCharm: Crüjo is shown wearing bracelets that are a magic equivalent of a HazmatSuit, which sees to be standard equipment.

* RadiationImmuneMutants: There is a lot of corrodium in the Anur System, so the species inhabiting it have evolved some resistance to its radiation. Ectonurites in particular can use corrodium to boost their powers.

* RapidDNATest: Justified. Psyphon, who has alien technology at his disposal, and Animo, who is a genius specialising in genetics, can dissect DNA very quickly.

* RogueAgent: Thompson is supposed to apprehend Dr. Animo. He is ''not'' supposed to shoot a rocket launcher on a crowded street.

* ScienceCannotComprehendPhlebotinum: Plumbers don’t have magic, so they can’t replicate Anurian magitech. Dr. Chadwick also says that magic is poorly understood and not well-studied, but that seems to be mostly because it’s rare.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: SECT gets their funding through shady means. It's also noted that putting their MysteriousBenefactor behind bars might not be enough to get rid of him: he's rich enough to buy his way out.

** The Anur System is the boogieman of the galaxy and their ships look like [[Film/EventHorizon something that can travel through hell]].

* SnakePeople

** While on Earth Ben and his team fend off a robot army in 'Secrets', ''Chimerian Hammer'' is engaged in an off-screen battle with the Plumbers.

* TakeThat: Everyone who ever meets Forever Knights makes fun of their medieval aesthetic. Ben also claims that fusing with a laptop as Upgrade can [[InsideAComputerSystem transfer him inside a video game]], before laughing it off as completely unrealistic.

* TalentedButTrained: Gwen might be a magical prodigy, but she still needs a lot of training to use her powers effectively.

* TeamMemberInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. Kevin became part of the team in canon, but he had only joined Ben and Gwen in ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce''. Here, he joins the team pretty much immediately.

* TheyWouldCutYouUp: Thompson is disturbingly happy at the idea of vivisecting Ben. [[spoiler:And so is Cooper.]] It is also the reason Kevin ran away to live on the streets: he had overheard the caretakers of the group home he had been living in planning to send him to a research lab.

* TruerToTheText

* UnskilledButStrong: Using magic usually requires a lot of knowledge and skill. Usually. Being part-Anodite grants Gwen so much mana, she can use spells way above her skill level.

* UnstablePoweredWoman: Gwen's Anodite abilities are tied to her [[EmotionalPowers emotions]], amplifying them (and vice-versa). Gwendolyn warns her that trying to tap into these powers can be dangerous, though Gwendolyn herself can easily flip between human and Anodite form.

* EverythingIsAnIpodInTheFuture: The data slate that Phil gives the kids is essentially an alien tablet. They keep calling it a slate because it sounds cooler.

* OriginalCharacter: While most characters are canon to one installment of the franchise or another, there is a number of new ones, though they usually stay in the background. New Omnitrix transformations are also introduced, such us [[SolarSail Sailor Sol]] and [[DimensionalTraveler Scatterpillar]].

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: Agent Steel and SECT appear as early as chapter 8, Charmcaster is introduced in the same chapter as Hex, and Xylene appears in season 1 finale. This trope also applies to character from the later installments of the franchise, such as Psyphon or Will Harangue.

* TransformationHorror:
** Just like in canon, Kevin’s mutation in ‘Framed’ is both painful and gruesome.
** Downplayed in ‘Benwolf’. While Ben considers his slow transformation into a Loboan to be mostly just annoying, the Omnitrix shifting through his body seriously disturbs him.

-----
->''"I’m not a hero. I’ve never been one. I’m just a guy with an alien watch, trying to do something good with it. And... there’s nothing wrong with that."''

* AmplifierArtifact: The Staff of Ages is meant specifically to amplify spells.

* PowerCrutch: The Staff of Ages is a magic amplifier. Sure, Hex and Charmcaster can use magic just fine without it, but it makes their spells stronger.

''Dark Mirror'' is a fanfic by Acidwing that can be found on[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/28358898 Archive of Our Own]], [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13784130/1/Dark-Mirror FanFiction.net]]. It takes place in a MirrorUniverse of the original run of ''WesternAnimation/Ben10'' with some characters and concepts from the other installments of the [[Franchise/Ben10 franchise]]. Unlike the usual hero-villain reversals, the main characters are still on the side of good, which means that rather than remain on opposite sides, only with the [[CharacterAlignment alignments]] switched, [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul the villains become allies for the team]], leading the plot in a much different direction from canon.

* AccidentalTimeTravel: Ben 10,000 didn't mean to bring the kids into the future, he just lost control over one of his transformations.

* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange:
** Everyone in Anur System has magic powers now, while in canon only Zs’Skayr has shown magic abilities (and even that was after spending time in Ledgerdomain and using the Alpha Rune).
** In the original series Kevin could fully transform into other species, while in this fic he is only capable of partial transformations. Also, later installments claimed that his EnergyAbsorption led to madness, but here it doesn’t affect his mind.
** In canon Sublimino’s MindControl powers stem from his watch. In this fic he’s a mutant and his powers are an inherent ability.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: Agent Steel and SECT appear as early as chapter 8, Charmcaster is introduced in the same chapter as Hex, and Xylene appears in season 1 finale. This trope also comes into play for every character from the later installments of the franchise, such as Psyphon or Will Harangue.

* AdaptationalHeroism: Naturally. Since this is a MirrorUniverse, most villains become heroes.

* AdaptationalNameChange: Sweet-Eels Sparklefunk is now named Eellias. Snare-Oh is also renamed into Wrap-Up, and Eye Guy into Bullseye.

* AlternateTimeline: Changing the past always results in creating a new timeline. Ben 10,000 notes that due to time trave, their world is no longer the kids' future: they share the same past, but they now exist in different timelines.

* AlternateUniverseFic: In this world al the villain are now heroes, and all the heroes (except Ben and Gwen) are now villains.

* AmplifierArtifact: The Staff of Ages is specifically meant to amplify spells.

** Animo is rather skeptical about magic, but he doesn’t deny it exists, he just doesn’t believe it’s anything different from mutant abilities and alien powers. For example, he wonders whether Ledgerians like Hex and Charmcaster can be considered fully human, when they had lived for generations in another dimension with different physical laws.

* BizarreAlienPsychology: While most aliens think the same way humans do, [[HiveMind Mycelium]] is different.

** Gwen's future self warns her that while going Anodite can grant more power, it can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.

* DecompositeCharacter: In the original series, Rojo is a human who had been (temporarily) turned into a cyborg. Human Rojo makes an appearance in this fic, but a different character becomes a cyborg in her stead.

** Red Cross are [[LaResistance renegade Plumbers]], who stand against their corrupt organization.

* DimensionalCutter: Centivitrum (alien [[CreepyCentipedes centipedes]] with very sharp limbs) can cut portals between worlds.

* EnterStageWindow: When Kevin is helping Kai sneak out of her home, he flies to her window.

* FantasticRadiationShielding: The damaged reactor on the Anurian ship is surrounded by a magic shield. It looks like a wire pyramid with shimmering energy walls.

* GentleGiant: Despite being a hulking monstrosity, Kevin is a NiceGuy who is very careful with his powers.

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Starting with ‘Framed’, the media is shown to twist the events in such way as to paint Ben and his team as the bad guys.

* IntergenerationalFriendship

* InterspeciesFriendship

* ItsASmallNetAfterAll: Gwen is often seen digging through the web. She looks up Greg Shaw in 'The Krakken' and finds information about the superpowered robbers in 'Ready to Rumble'. Ben even jokes that finding stuff on the internet is her superpower. However, it's downplayed because just as often she gets no results: she can't find anything about Animo because she doesn't even know his name, and SECT is a super-secret organization that knows how to cover its tracks.

* LivingLegend: As one of the first people to stand against Plumbers, Vilgax is a galactic celebrity.

* MundaneUtility: Water spells for clean-up, super-strength to move around luggage, super-speed for chores… With powers as [[SwissArmySuperpower versatile]] as FunctionalMagic and VoluntaryShapeshifting, the possibilities are endless.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: Many characters that are only known by their aliases in canon (the circus trio, Sublimino, Driscoll, Enoch, etc.) are given names. Some alien species and planets are also named.

* NerdsLoveToughSchoolwork: Discussed. Ben is convinced that Gwen likes doing homework. Jonah assures him that ''no one'' likes schoolwork, and the 'nerds' only do it because otherwise their teachers (or their parents) will get angry.

* NoWarpingZone: The Anur System is surrounded with gravitational anomalies that only the Anurians can navigate. Max says that passing too close to it during a hyperjump can pull the ship off course with lethal results. Which is why Anur is called the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast galactic graveyard]].

* OmniscientDatabase: Phil has a database on most alien species in the galaxy and he gives a copy to the team. It's implied to be standard issue for Plumbers. However, it contains only the most basic facts, such as name, planet of origin, and species-specific abilities. Also, it has almost no information about Anur System.

* PowerCrystal: While not exactly powerful by themselves, enchanted crystals can be filled with mana and used as magic batteries.

* ProtectiveCharm: Crüjo is wearing bracelets that are a magic equivalent of a HazmatSuit.

** The Anur System is the boogieman of the galaxy and their ships look like something that can [[Film/EventHorizon travel through hell]].

* SpaceBattle: Ben, Gwen, and Kevin end up fighting [[spoiler:Xylene]] in space. The Anurian rescue team had to fight through the Plumber blockade off-screen.

* StandardTimeUnits: The Plumbers, an interstellar organization, use ''some'' kind of calendar but it's nothing like human and it's never explained how exactly it works.

* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Some episodes, especially in season 1, are fairly similar to canon, but they still have their differences that can majorly impact the plot: Ben and Gwen learn that Max used to be a Plumber as early as chapter 4, Kevin joins the team in chapter 7, etc.