Line #95 Sandbox/DarkMirror


1	->''"If there’s something I learned after twenty years in this business, it’s that... there aren’t really any heroes in this world. Just people making choices. [...] So no matter what others say, 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."''
2	-->-- '''Ben 10,000'''
3
4
5	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 to protect Earth alongside his 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.
6
7	[[DoubleTake ...Wait, what?]]
8
9	''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 alignments switched, [[AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul the villains become allies for the team]], leading the plot in a much different direction from canon.
10
11	The idea originated from Jalaras, who covered the first two episodes in their fic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7228800/1/Ben_10_Dark_Mirror Ben 10 Dark Mirror]]'' that was later adopted by Acidwing.
12
13	----
14	!!''Dark Mirror'' provides examples of:
15
16	* AccidentalTimeTravel: Ben 10,000 admits that he didn't mean to bring the kids into the future, he just lost control over one of his transformations.
17	* 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.
18	* 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]].
19	* AdaptationSpeciesChange: The retcons from ''WesternAnimation/Ben10Omniverse'' are ignored, so Osmosians are an alien species once again, and instead of a mutant human, Kevin is half-human, half-Osmosian.
20	* 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.
21	* AdaptationalBadass:
22	** Gwen starts her magic training a season earlier, 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.
23	** In canon, Vera Tennyson is an airheaded eccentric DamselInDistress. Here, her responce to aliens invading her home town is to grab a shotgun and start shooting. She is also perfectly willing to read Max the riot act for his arrogance and secret-keeping.
24	** On the villain side, Xylene, who in canon needed Ben's help to defeat a single robot, is powerful enough to casually smack around [[LivingLegend Vilgax]].
25	** [[spoiler:Cooper]], who was just a kid with some tech know-how in canon, is shaping out to be the biggest Earth-side threat.
26	* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance:
27	** 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. In canon, all of them debuted in season 2.
28	** Some characters have been brought from later installments of the franchise, such as Psyphon or Will Harangue.
29	* AdaptationalExpansion: SECT appeared in only one 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 main cast after his introductory chapter. Some other characters, like Kraab, also have a larger part to play.
30	* AdaptationalHeroism: 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.
31	* 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).
32	* AdaptationalNameChange: Sweet-Eels Sparklefunk is now named Eellias. Snare-Oh is also renamed into Wrap-Up and Eye Guy into Bullseye.
33	* AdaptationalSuperpowerChange:
34	** Everyone in Anur System has magic powers now, while in canon only Zs'Skayr has shown magic abilities.
35	** In canon Sublimino’s uses a MindControlDevice watch. In this fic he's a mutant and his powers are an inherent ability.
36	** 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. EnergyAbsorption also doesn't affect his mind.
37	* AdaptationalVillainy:
38	** The Plumbers, who were the BigGood in canon, are the main villains in this fic.
39	** 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 Men In Black]] who hunt down, abduct, and experiment on innocent people.
40	* AdaptationalWimp: Rojo is just a regular human, while in canon she was a superpowered cyborg (for a time).
41	* AlternateTimeline: Changing the past always results in creating a new timeline. Ben 10,000 notes that due to time travel, their world is no longer the kids' future: they share the same past, but they now exist in different timelines.
42	* AlternateUniverseFic: In this world, all the villains are now heroes and all the heroes (except Ben and Gwen) are now villains.
43	* AntiMagic: Downplayed. The Anurians use "grounding circuits" as metaphorical lightning rods to absorb magic, which stops it from interfering with technology, but they are specifically meant for ''background'' magic, not active spells.
44	* ArbitrarySkepticism:
45	** 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.
46	** Animo is rather skeptical about magic, though 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.
47	** 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.
48	* 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 very powerful.
49	* ArtificialGravity: All alien ships seem to have artificial gravity. During the battle with [[spoiler:Xylene]], Ben turns off the gravity on their ship to save energy.
50	* BadPowersGoodPeople:
51	** In his introductory episode, Sublimino only uses his MindControl to make sure no one notices that his circus coworkers have superpowers.
52	** Zs'Skayr possesses Ben to help him in battle and to deal with his insomnia.
53	** Ben as Upgrade uses possession on cyborgs several times, either as a power-up for allies or to take down enemies.
54	** Kevin is one of the nicest characters, despite being stuck in monstrous form and his [[ShapeShifterMashup powers]] being downright [[LovecraftianSuperpower Lovecraftian]].
55	* BigBad: The Plumbers are the enemy of the entire galaxy, and many problems are directly or indirectly caused by them.
56	* BioweaponBeast: The Tick is a Plumber bioweapon, described by Max as a living ecological catastrophe.
57	* BishonenLine: Kevin's mutated form is a horrible, assymmetrical mishmash of [[ShapeShifterMashup ten different aliens]]. His far more powerful future self has much sleeker transformations, one of which looks like just a human with wings and a tail.
58	* BizarreAlienPsychology: Ben notes that while most aliens think the same way humans do, Mycelium is different. Because it's a HiveMind and every living thing on its planet is telepathically connected, Mycelium doesn't understand the concepts of deceiving or deliberately hurting others.
59	* 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.
60	* BrownNoteBeing: Centivitrum are an alien species that exist in more than three dimensions. When Ben 10,000 transforms into one of them, Ben complains that he's painful to look at.
61	* CallARabbitASmeerp: The "data slate" that Phil gives the kids is essentially an alien tablet.
62	* CastFromStamina: Since all magic is powered by [[LifeEnergy mana]], using too much can knock a mage unconscious, though it doesn’t seem to cause any permanent damage. Gwen has drained her magic to zero more than once, but all she needed to recover was some rest.
63	* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Everyone and their mother seems to have [[FasterThanLightTravel FTL]] technology. [[InsignificantBluePlanet Except Earth]]. This causes problems when the kids are abducted into space and Max has no way to follow them.
64	* TheCavalry: When the kids are stranded in space on a damaged ship with the Plumbers attacking them, Vilgax arrives to help them.
65	* CircusOfMagic: Zombozo's circus is full of superpowered performers, but they're just entertainers doing their jobs.
66	* ColorCodedWizardry: Raw mana is colored magenta, but when crafted into spells, it changes color into one specific for the mage in question. Charmcaster's magic is purple, Hex's is yellow, Zs'Skayr's is dark blue, Kuphulu's is shimmering white, and Viktor's is yellow-green. Gwen's magic stays magenta due to her being an Anodite.
67	* CombatPragmatist: There is no such thing as fighting fair. Max shoots [[spoiler:Xylene]] in the back and Kevin likes to turn invisible to sneak up on enemies.
68	* CommonalityConnection: Kevin is excited when he meets Ben because they are both kids with superpowers.
69	* ConspiracyTheorist: Gwen notes that when the fact that aliens exist hit the national news, way too many conspiracy theorists came out of the woodwork, presenting such outlandish theories as Illuminati lizard people that are mind-controlling the government.
70	* CreatingLifeIsBad: Downplayed. Gene splicing (the only way to create interspecies hybrids) is fairly rare, and Psyphon mentions that there is some stigma against lab-made beings, but it's not taboo.
71	* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: Subverted. By themselves, cybernetics are value-neutral, but they give a way for an evil technopath to control you.
72	* DangerousForbiddenTechnique:
73	** Gwen's future self warns her that while going Anodite can grant her more power, it can be dangerous if she can't control it.
74	** Using corrodium can give Ectonurites a power-up at the cost of nonlethal but still nasty radiation burns.
75	** Null Void Projectors are ridiculously powerful weapons, but they are so unstable, there’s a high chance that using one will just cause it to explode in your hands.
76	* DarkerAndEdgier: Since [[MediaWatchdog cartoon rules]] don't apply to fanfics, there are injuries, blood, death, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking swear words]].
77	* DarkIsNotEvil: Par for the course for a MirrorUniverse.
78	** [[{{Cthulhumanoid}} Vilgax]], [[ShapeShifterMashup Kevin]], [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Zs'Skayr]], and others might be good guys in this verse, but they can still be terrifying.
79	** In a more literal way, [[CastingAShadow Tempestus Tenebris]] is the only spell in the [[ElementalPowers Tempestus]] group that's completely harmless to living beings.
80	* DeadpanSnarker: Many, ''many'' characters, although Will Harangue is probably the best example. Both his TV show and his internal narration are filled with snarky commentary.
81	* DeathByAdaptation: The Grandpa Max from Ben 10000's timeline is revealed that have been dead for decades, unlike in the Original Series where he lived to see his grandchildren as adults and know Ben's son Ken.
82	* DecompositeCharacter: In the original series, Rojo is a human who has been (temporarily) turned into a cyborg. Human Rojo makes an appearance in this fic, but a different character becomes a cyborg in her stead.
83	* DefectorFromDecadence:
84	** Red Cross are renegade Plumbers, who fight against their corrupt organization.
85	** 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.
86	* DesignerBabies: With some rare exceptions, [[HalfHumanHybrid interspecies hybrids]] can only be created in a lab through genetic engineering.
87	* DimensionalCutter: Centivitrum (alien [[CreepyCentipedes centipedes]] with very sharp limbs) have the ability to cut portals between worlds.
88	* DisappearedDad: Kevin's biological father abandoned him before he was even born. Kevin has no idea who he was or what happened to him, but he doesn't really care either.
89	* DudeWheresMyRespect: Ben will gladly put his life on the line to help people he doesn't even know, and all he wants in return is just an aknowledgement of his actions. Sometimes, he doesn't even get a "thank you".
90	* DysfunctionalFamily: The Tennyson family has issues upon issues, starting with Verdona abandoning her children because they didn't inherit her powers. It's all downhill from there.
91	* ElementalPowers: Gwen's favorite group of spells, Tempestus, are all elemental attacks that include fire, water, ice, wind, light, and darkness.
92	* EminentlyEnigmaticRace: Very little is known about the species inhabiting the Anur System, because the system itself is surrouded with gravitational anomalies that no regular spaceship can get through. Max even calls the Anurians "the boogeymen of the galaxy".
93	* EmotionalPowers: Whenever Gwen feels any strong emotion (usually anger), her Anodite powers get stronger too.
94	* EnfantTerrible: [[spoiler:Cooper]] is a cute friendly child. He also wants to dissect Ben, mind-controls innocent people, and doesn't give a damn about his allies dying.
95	* EnterStageWindow: When Kevin is helping Kai sneak out of her home, he flies up to her window.
96	* EntertaininglyWrong: Gwen assumes that Archamada Book of Spells uses hypnosis that only affects girls, because it ensnared both Charmcaster and herself. In truth, it affects fledgling mages that have the power but not enough control over it.
97	* EntertainmentAboveTheirAge: Ben, Gwen, and Kevin (who are 10 and 11-year-old respectively) casually watch movies like ''Franchise/TheTexasChainsawMassacre''.
98	* TheExtremistWasRight: Agent Steel might be a KnightTemplar who is prejudiced against aliens, but he was right to be wary of [[BigBad the Plumbers]].
99	* FantasticMedicinalBodilyProduct: The liquid that [[SnakePeople Elapidians]] can inject through their fangs has powerful regenerative properties, and their saliva works as an anesthetic.
100	* FantasticRacism: Agent Steel and SECT are heavily prejudiced against both aliens and humans with extranormal powers.
101	* FantasticRadiationShielding: The damaged reactor on the Anurian ship that leaks corrodium radiation is surrounded by a magic shield, which looks like a wire pyramid with shimmering energy walls. The Anurian crew also has magic charms that protect against it.
102	* FinishingMove: Whatever it is Zs'Skayr does to defeat [[spoiler:otherwise-unbeatable Ultimos]] needs a complicated setup and drains all his mana.
103	* FireForgedFriends: Ben and and Gwen gain most of their allies through fighting against a common enemy: fighting evil government agents alongside Animo, taking down Tetrax with Kraab and [=SixSix=], and defeating Xylene with Vilgax.
104	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Almost every chapter is told from two or more different points of view. One chapter is fully narrated by Ben, which foreshadows that [[spoiler:the other characters aren't real]].
105	* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Max might sympathise with [[spoiler:Donovan losing his son]], but that doesn't make his decision to fund a rabidly anti-alien organization right.
106	* GeneHunting: Kevin has been looking for information about his biological father out of completely pragmatic reasons: he hoped it would help him get a better grasp on his powers.
107	* GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke: Genetic engineering is presented as very dangerous.
108	** Dr. Animo created a device that can mutate any animal into a giant monster completely under his control. The military attempts to weaponize it, forcing Animo into hiding.
109	** In this continuity, the Tick (a gigantic insectoid monster that can devastate entire continents) is a Plumber bioweapon.
110	* GentleGiant: Despite spending over half of the story as a hulking monstrosity, Kevin is a NiceGuy who is very careful with his powers.
111	* GondorCallsForAid: "Ben 10 vs. Negative 10" arc begins with Ben and his team calling in all their Earth-side allies to fight against SECT.
112	* HappilyAdopted: Kevin considers his step-father to be his real father. It's too bad that he's dead.
113	* HappyRain: Kevin has always liked rain, especially thunderstorms, because he likes water and has the power to absorb electricity.
114	* HealingMagicIsTheHardest: Despite being able to use magic way above her skill level, Gwen doesn't know any healing spells.
115	* HealingShiv: Elapidians are alien SnakePeople that can heal others by biting them.
116	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: Just when [[spoiler:Donovan]] realizes his mistakes and declares truce with the heroes, one of his underlings betrays and kills him.
117	* 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.
118	* HeroicBastard: Kevin mentions that his mother wasn't married when he was born, because his biological father abandoned them.
119	* 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.
120	* ImNotAHeroIm: Ben 10,000 says that he's not a hero, he is "just a guy with an alien watch, trying to do something good with it".
121	* INeedAFreakingDrink:
122	** Upon realizing that Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are children with superpowers, Driscoll morosely wishes for something stronger than coffee.
123	** Rojo wants to find a bar after participating in a superpowered battle with an alien robot.
124	** Max actually does get drunk after all the revelations in "Truth" turned his world upside down.
125	* InsignificantBluePlanet: 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.
126	* TheInsomniac: Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are frequently suffering from insomnia. It gets to the point where Gwen has to use magic to get some sleep.
127	* IntergenerationalFriendship: Kevin, Kai, and Charmcaster are the only people who are close to Ben and Gwen in age. Everyone else they befriend throughout the story are adults.
128	* 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 count, since Ben and Gwen are part-Anodites and Kevin is half-Osmosian.
129	* ItsASmallNetAfterAll: Gwen is often 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.
130	* ItsAllMyFault: Ben blames himself for the destruction Xylene's robot army brings in season 1 finale. [[YouDidEverythingYouCould Both Vilgax and his friends disagree]].
131	* JackOfAllStats: In "Ultimate Weapon", Ben starts wondering why everyone wants to get the Omnitrix so much, when more powerful weapons exist. Gwen says that what the Omnitrix lacks in raw power, it more than makes up in versatility.
132	* KnightTemplar: Agent Steel and SECT protect Earth from alien threats by any means necessary, up to and including kidnapping, murder, and brainwashing.
133	* LaResistance: Red Cross are renegade Plumbers, who worked to oppose their evil organization even when the Plumbers were considered [[VillainWithGoodPublicity a legitimate interplanetary police force]].
134	* LaserGuidedKarma: Max used to be stubborn, self-righteous, and did some pretty bad things in the name of greater good, while his former friends Vilgax and Phil tried to change his mind. After a change of heart, Max himself has to try to change the mind of his stubborn, self-righteous former friend [[spoiler:Donovan]], who did some pretty bad things in the name of greater good. Max wryly notes that it feels like karma in action.
135	* LivingLegend: As one of the first people to stand against Plumbers, Vilgax is well-known across the galaxy to the point where some aliens act like complete fanboys in his presense.
136	* MageSpecies:
137	** Just like in canon, Anodites are a species of energy beings made entirely out of mana, thus they can use magic with ease.
138	** [[HumanSubspecies Ledgerians]] are descendants of humans who spent generations in AnotherDimension with a high level of background magic. As a result, any of them can learn to use magic.
139	** All seven (eight, if you include the now-extinct Vladats) species that live in the Anur System have magic powers.
140	* MagicHarmsTechnology: Magic utilizes a type of energy that's harmful to electronic devices, making them stop working. However, there are ways to shield technology from these effects.
141	* 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.
142	* 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 around, considers both magic and technology to be different branches of science.
143	* MagicalAccessory: Enchanting objects, especially jewelry, for a particular purpose appears to be a fairly widespread branch of magic.
144	** Gwen's bracelets create [[{{Glamour}} an illusory disguise]].
145	** Kevin gets a necklace that can [[TransformationTrinket turn him human]] after he gets stuck in his mutated form.
146	** The Anurian rescue team uses magic bracelets as [[HazmatSuit hazmat suits]].
147	** Hex gives Animo a ProtectiveCharm that can keep his Transmodulator from [[MagicHarmsTechnology affected by magic]].
148	* {{Magitek}}: Magic naturally interferes with electronics. However, Anurians have solved this issue and widely employ [[SpellMyNameWithAnS magitech]].
149	* MaliciousSlander: The media ''really'' doesn't like aliens, and SECT is implied to be fanning the flames. The news claim that Ben, Gwen, and Kevin had destroyed a shopping mall, when an earthquake and shoddy construction were actually to blame, and the kids were saving the people trapped inside.
150	* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler: Cooper]] uses lies, misdirection, and CrocodileTears to manipulate his superiors and get what he wants.
151	* TheMenInBlack: Area 51, SECT, and Forever Knights (and the Earth-based Plumbers, once upon a time) are all in the business of protecting {{Muggles}} from various alien and otherwise superpowered threats. Their methods vary greatly.
152	* MentalFusion: 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 it was an accident and Ben didn't really know what he was doing.
153	* TheMilkyWayIsTheOnlyWay: Travelling between planets is [[CasualInterplanetaryTravel fairly normal]]. But travelling between galaxies? Phil mentions that an expedition to Andromeda Galaxy has been planned some time ago, but he doesn't know whether anything came out of it.
154	* MirrorUniverse: The entire premise of this fic is that heroes and villains have switched alignments, with the caveat that Ben and Gwen (and Max, [[TheAtoner kinda]]) remain on the side of good.
155	* 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.
156	* MundaneSolution: When Ben ends up separated from Gwen and Max in "Washington BC", he is wondering how to contact them. Animo suggests using a cell phone.
157	* 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.
158	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
159	** Max doesn't take well the fact that the Plumbers, the organization he worked for and considered the BigGood, were corrupt to the core and that not every mission he ran was against the bad guys.
160	** [[spoiler:Donovan]] is horrified when he realizes that his organization hunted down and tried to kill a child.
161	* 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.
162	* MythologyGag: While the fic is based on the original series and its sequels, there are some references to the [[WesternAnimation/Ben102016 reboot]].
163	** In "The Change of Face" the Rustbucket is magically reshaped and repainted, making it look similar to the reboot version.
164	** 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'', which is the name of an InUniverse cartoon from the reboot.
165	* NamedByTheAdaptation: Several characters that are only known by their aliases in canon (the circus trio, Sublimino, Driscoll, Enoch) are given names. Some alien species, like Toepick or Astrodactyl's, are also named.
166	* 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.
167	* NoBiochemicalBarriers:
168	** Downplayed. [[HalfHumanHybrid Interspecies hybrids]] exist, but they can only be made through genetic engineering (with some justified exceptions).
169	** Discussed in "Grudge Match". The kids refuse to eat alien food offered to them because they worry whether it's edible or not.
170	* NoWarpingZone: The Anur System is surrounded with gravitational anomalies that only the Anurians themselves can navigate. Max mentions that passing too close to it during a hyperjump can pull the ship off course with lethal results, which is why Anur is called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast the galactic graveyard]].
171	* 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 and it has almost no information about the Anur System.
172	* 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 by [[TransformationNameAnnouncement yelling the names out loud]].
173	* OriginalCharacter: While most characters are canon to one installment of the franchise or another, there are some new ones.
174	** Robert Thompson is a rogue government agent, who endangers innocent civilians in his hunt for Dr. Animo. Later, he joins SECT and [[spoiler:becomes a superpowered cyborg]].
175	** Elizabeth [[spoiler:Grandsmith]] is the daughter-in-law of [[spoiler:Donovan Grandsmith]] and plays the role of his MoralityPet.
176	** New Omnitrix transformations are also introduced, such us [[SolarSail Sailor Sol]] and [[DimensionalCutter Scatterpillar]].
177	* ParentalNeglect: 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.
178	* PastExperienceNightmare: The kids are constantly suffering from nightmares and insomnia ("Tourist Trap" actually shows one of Ben's nightmares). Having to regularly fight for your life can do that to a person.
179	* PowerCrystal: Enchanted crystals can be filled with mana and used as magic batteries.
180	* PowerLimiter: Gwen’s enchanted ring can keep her Anodite powers under control and her emotions from overwhelming her.
181	* PowerMakesYourHairGrow: In human form Gwendolyn has fairly short hair. In her more powerful Anodite form it's longer than she is tall.
182	* ProtectiveCharm:
183	** Crüjo is wearing bracelets that are a magic equivalent of a HazmatSuit.
184	** Animo gets a necklace that protects his Transmodulator from being affected by magic.
185	* PsychoactivePowers: Anodites are very emotional beings. They also have a lot of power. Attempting to use that power amplifies whichever emotion Gwen is feeling at the moment ([[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry rage is noted to be the easiest to tap into]]). It works the other way around too: any strong emotion can cause her Anodite heritage to come to the forefront.
186	* RadiationImmuneMutants: There is a lot of corrodium in the Anur System, so the species inhabiting it have evolved some degree of resistance to its radiation. Ectonurites in particular can use corrodium to boost their powers.
187	* RapidDNATest: Psyphon and Animo can test DNA ridiculously quickly. Justified, because the former has alien technology at his disposal and the latter is a genius specialising in genetics.
188	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
189	** Driscoll, the leader of Forever Knights, is fairly reasonable and understanding, if a bit weirded out about having to work with literal children. He is always ready to provide information and offer help to his allies.
190	** For a ruler of an entire planet, Zs'Skayr is rather down-to-earth. He readily teaches magic to others, freely offers information about his home, and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty in a fight.
191	* RenegadeSplinterFaction: SECT was originally an Area 51 strike team, but their MysteriousEmployer gave them 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).
192	* RogueAgent: Thompson is a government agent who was supposed to apprehend Dr. Animo. He was ''not'' supposed to shoot a rocket launcher on a crowded street.
193	* RoleSwapAU: The main premise of this fic is that the heroes and the villains (aside from Ben, Gwen, and Max) have switched their alignments.
194	* ScienceCannotComprehendPhlebotinum: Despite having advanced alien science and technology, Plumbers don't have magic, so they don't have defenses against it and they can't replicate Anurian magitech.
195	* ScienceWizard: 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]].
196	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: SECT gets their funding through shady means, which allows them to partially operate outside the government oversight. 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.
197	* ShoutOut:
198	** Kevin comes from a town named [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Fawcett]].
199	** Animo calls his pet rat Rous, which stands for [[Film/ThePrincessBride Rodent of Unusual Size]].
200	** Ben 10,000 named one of his aliens [[Franchise/SailorMoon Sailor Sol]].
201	** In "Lucky Girl" the team ends up fighting a magic book that can [[VideoGame/NieR fly and attack with crimson spears]].
202	** The inside of the Anurian ship is suspiciously similar to that of a certain [[Film/EventHorizon traveler through hell]].
203	* SirSwearsALot: Kevin is only 11 years old, [[StreetUrchin but thanks to living on the streets for a while]], he swears more than any other character.
204	* SlapYourselfAwake: In "Last Laugh", Gwen bites her hand in an attempt to throw off hypnosis. Another time she slaps herself for the same reason.
205	* SnakePeople: Elapidians are a species of aliens that have scales, cobra-like head, and tail instead of legs, but humanoid arms and torso.
206	* SolarSail: Tenebrocera are insectoid aliens that can travel in space thanks to their wngs that work like biological solar sails.
207	* SpaceBattle:
208	** While Ben and his team fend off a robot army in "Secrets", ''Chimerian Hammer'' is engaged in an off-screen space battle with the Plumber who sent it.
209	** In season 2, Ben, Gwen, and Kevin are trapped on a spaceship and end up fighting [[spoiler:Xylene]] in space.
210	** Season 3 mentions that the Anurian rescue team had to fight through the Plumber blockade around their solar system.
211	* StandardTimeUnits: The Plumbers, an interstellar organization, use ''some'' kind of calendar but it's nothing like on Earth and it's never explained how exactly it works.
212	* 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.
213	** Hex spends hours on calculations to create a transformation charm, and it's implied that transmuting materials requires knowing their atomic structure.
214	** 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.
215	* SymbioticPossession:
216	** As Upgrade, Ben is capable of possessing technology, which includes cyborgs. He fused with Kraab twice in battle, increasing his power.
217	** 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 struggling with insomnia.
218	* TheStationsOfTheCanon: Downplayed. Every chapter is named after an episode of the show and has similarities with either the overall plot or the characters of that episode, but only season 1 has the same episode order as the show and there are still plenty of differences.
219	* TakeThat:
220	** Everyone who has ever met Forever Knights makes fun of their medieval aesthetic.
221	** Ben claims that fusing with a laptop as Upgrade can [[Recap/Ben10S3E6GameOver transfer him inside a video game]], before laughing it off as completely unrealistic.
222	* TalentedButTrained: Gwen has a lot of mana, which allows her to punch above her weight magic-wise, but she still needs a lot of training to use her powers effectively.
223	* TeamMemberInTheAdaptation: Downplayed. In canon, Kevin has only joined Ben and Gwen in the sequel series ''WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce''. Here, he joins them immediately after his introduction.
224	* TeleportInterdiction:
225	** During the season 1 finale, ''Chimerian Hammer'' cannot teleport Kraab and the kids to safety, because the enemy can reroute the signal.
226	** In season 2, Taarteocis says that teleportation is impossible when the shields on their spaceship are up, though Ben still manages to pull it off when he uses Upgrade to boost the teleporters.
227	* 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.
228	* ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming: All Quicksilver and Menagerie subjects have codenames based on [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek Mythology]]: Ares, Phobos, Medusa, etc.
229	* 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. Gwendolyn also suggests that Gwen looks into therapy to get a better grip on her PsychoactivePowers.
230	* 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 his group home planning to send him to a research lab.
231	* TooGoodToBeTrue: Ben realizes that [[spoiler:nothing is real in "Ghostfreaked Out"]] because everything has been going too smoothly, [[spoiler:from Gwen and Kevin gaining control of their powers to Plumbers and SECT being defeated without any issue to Grandpa Max reconciling with Vilgax]].
232	* 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.
233	* TransformationTrinket: Inverted. Instead of giving him superpowers, Kevin's necklace allows him to turn human when he is stuck in his mutated form.
234	* TranshumanAliens: Ledgerians are descendants of the humans who had lived for generations in a [[MagicalLand dimension of magic]]. Animo raises the question of how human they actually are. So far, the main difference seems to be their higher magical aptitude.
235	* TranslatorMicrobes: Universal translators seem to be standard alien technology, though they can't translate some languages like Sotoraggian and Vulpimancer. Zs'Skayr can achieve the same effect with magic.
236	* {{Transmutation}}: How did Hex and Charmcaster get rich enough to afford a mansion in Las Vegas? Charmcaster is good at creating gemstones and precious metals.
237	* TrueCompanions: Ben, Gwen, and Kevin stick together through everything. Twenty years later they are still best friends.
238	* UnequalRites: While all magic is based on manipulating mana, different magic systems exist, though the ones presented (Ledgerian and Anurian) are similar, using [[LanguageOfMagic spoken words]] and [[RunicMagic written glyphs]] for spellcasting.
239	* 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.
240	* UnstablePoweredWoman: 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 switch between human and Anodite form.
241	* UnwillingRoboticisation: [[spoiler:Project Quicksilver]] boils down to using alien technology to turn people into cyborgs. Whether they consent to this process is irrelevant.
242	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: For a while, the Plumbers had been considered a legitimate interplanetary police force, because they kept all their dirty deeds covered up and encouraged blind obedience in their own agents. However, once the truth was revealed, the entire galaxy turned against them.
243	* 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".
244	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: When SECT manages to [[spoiler:capture Ben]], Agent Steel is uncomfortable with the idea of dissecting him, until he sees [[spoiler:the Omnitrix circuitry growing through his body]]. After this, Steel immediately dismisses him as an inhuman monster.
245	* 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 superiors told him to.
246	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: After Kevin is shot in his introductory episode, Ben hunts down the gang who attacked him, surrounds them with flames, and coldly contemplates just turning around and [[MurderByInaction leaving them to burn alive]]. Ultimately, he lets the gang live and just drags them to the cops.
247	* WhiteSheep: Gwendolyn notes that the Anodite side of her family is full of jerkasses, but her cousin Sunny is decent.
248	* WizardsFromOuterSpace: Magic is rare but not unheard of in the wider galaxy. Anodites are the most well-known example of MageSpecies, but everyone in the Anur System has magic powers too.
249	* WrongTimeTravelSavvy: Kevin worries that knowing too much about the future can cause paradoxes and make him start disappearing like in ''Film/BackToTheFuture1''. Ben 10,000 says that this isn't how time travel works: trying to change the past will only split off a new timeline.
250

Context Sandbox / DarkMirror