Disclaimer: Don't expect too much from me. I think I've proven that I can't be trusted to follow through on all my plans.
Hello everyone. You know how a bunch of authors on this site make Author's Notes in both their main stories, and in some cases in stand-alone stories of their own? Well Diablo Ex Machina is throwing his hat into the ring and making his own version of this cop-out.
Diablo Ex Machina Presents: Story Suggestions 1
Hello again my devoted fans! No doubt I have left you all very impressed by my Story Guidelines, with hopefully many stories to come having been inspired by my words of wisdom. With that in mind, I decided to take this time to more directly inspire whatever fan base this little side note of my material has garnered, and submit to your reading pleasure a list of story ideas I thought might peak some curiosity. Some of you may decide to use these ideas as your own, and I'm perfectly fine with that. All I ask is that you give credit where credit is due, and let any of your readers know where you got the ideas from - that being, of course, me.
The first batch of Story Suggestions I have are a sort of branching paths, each one being a different tale coming from the same point in space-time. In other words, it's sort of like those "Choose You Own Adventure" games, or a "Branching Timeline" depending on which label your prefer. They all start in the Ben 10 Universe, with Ben being caught in the blast of a cosmic bomb. The resulting blast divides up multiple versions of Ben into different realities, each one being different in various ways, with only a small portion of all his aliens available to them. Each Ben will have different appearances, some personality traits, and even ages in some cases. The one thing they all retain however, no matter how different each one is, is the desire to do good, and continue their heroic path in life. Once each version of Ben lands in their new reality, Paradox makes a brief appearance to explain what happened to him, how his new home works, and a few tips about how they should restart their hero career in their new home. After that Paradox disappears from the story entirely, never to be seen again. Also, the aliens allowed in each story are limited to the ones he has from the start. For the sake of simplicity, and to prevent the aliens each different Ben has from overlapping, there are NO unlockable aliens to be had, and NO acquiring new DNA from the locals.
Story Suggestion 1: Mass Effect 10 - Obviously a crossover with Mass Effect, Ben arrives on Eden Prime during the prologue mission of the first game, joining Shepard's team right from the get-go. In this reality, the Ben that arrives is a very muscular individual in his mid-to-late twenties, has a more mature and level-headed approach to heroism, but still retains a sense of humor that allows him to easily get along with anyone, especially his new BFF Joker. In the Mass Effect universe, Ben will have to pass himself off as a genetically engineered ambassador from the Andromeda Galaxy, made primarily from Human DNA to better blend in with what his creators calculated as what would most likely be the dominant species in the Milky Way Galaxy by the time he arrived. His alien powers will be passed off as genetic infusions from the ten most biologically powerful races in the Andromeda Galaxy, and his official ambassador duties will mostly be helping the locals prepare for The Reapers, both on the battlefield, and in science labs and propaganda methods.
This story will focus a bit more on political subterfuge and deception for the sake of the end goal of defeating The Reapers, with Ben's supposed status as an extra-galactic ambassador forcing the locals of the Milky Way Galaxy to take The Reapers more seriously from the get go, and thus being better prepared for when they actually show up in the events of the third game. It obviously won't be the MAIN focus, but this Ben is a bit more crafty and clever than other Bens, allowing him to use Paragon, Renegade, and even outright crazy methods whenever needed.
Finally, unlike other Bens, this one won't have an Omnitrix. Instead, he'll be able to shapeshift certain parts of his body into alien parts like Skurd does for him in the last season of Ben 10 Omniverse, even gaining the ability to use the DNA of multiple aliens at once. Also, like all Bens in these Story Suggestions, there will be a harem sideplot.
Available Aliens for Mass Effect 10: The Bloxx-lobber of Bloxx, with different ammunition depending on what kind of arm it attaches to. The wings of Stinkfly. An Echo Echo megaphone that can let him create a sonic shout. The four arms of Four Arms, and high velocity ammo. The arms of Heatblast that can switch from basic hands to spiked maces, and flamethrowers. The arms of Diamondhead that can grow a sword, shield, and helmet for his head, and machine gun crystals. The arms of Wildvine that can sprout whips from his hands, and seed bomb ammo. The arms of Armodrillo that can shift from clawed hands to drill hands, and drill ammo. The arms of Feedback that can absorb and redirect energy, and laser cannons. The arms of Alien X that can sprout a cosmic sword from his hands, and cosmic bombs that can obliterate multiple Reapers in a single shot (avoiding friendly fire severely limits the usefulness of this ammo).
Harem Girls for Ben in Mass Effect 10: Jane Shepard, Ashley Williams, Liara T'Soni, Tali'Zorah, Shiala, Miranda Lawson, Jack, Samara, Kelly Chambers.
Story Suggestion 2: Two-Faced Overlord - A crossover with the Overlord Light Novel, this version of Ben arrives in the throne room of the Great Tomb of Nazarick just as it gets transported to another world in the beginning of the story. This version of Ben is about 18 physically, dresses in a black version of his UAF Series jacket, has a ghostly pale complexion, with long black hair on the right side of his head, and long white hair on the left side of his head. While Ben himself is still steadfast and heroic, the fragmentation of his body across the multiverse fused this version of Ben with Zs'Skayr, turning the Ectonurite into a sort of split-personality that tries to corrupt Ben, symbolized by the pitch black left eye Ben tries to hide with his white bangs. Stuck in a new world with a gradually morally decaying God Mode Sue, this Ben will have to struggle not only with his own morality being tempted by Zs'Skayr, but doing his best to either keep Ainz from going totally off the deep end, or kill him if he ever goes too far.
Of course, Ainz himself is a huge fan of the retro (from his perspective) Ben 10 cartoon, so the former human turned Elder Lich covers for him in front of the NPCs by saying that Ben is a living piece of his soul (or Horcrux for all you Harry Potter fans out there). This unique position in Nazarick grants Ben equal opportunity to come and go as he pleases, while also trying to sway the morality of not only Ainz, but the many NPCs for the better, as they see the young hero as both a fragment of their God, and his son. Of course, even while trying to make the residents of Nazarick into better people, his continued exposure to the EXTREMELY corrupt examples of "humanity" in the surrounding nations grinds away at his morality as much as Zs'Skayr does.
The Omnitrix of this Ben looks like his original version, but the black parts are now white, the white parts are now black, and the green parts are now purple, all of which serve to give it a more haunting and paranormal appearance. And of course, being passed off as a fragment of their Supreme Being, all residents of Nazarick would follow him second only to Ainz himself, which basically translates to a lot of monster nookie.
Available Aliens for Two-Faced Overlord: Ghostfreak, Blitzwolfer, Snare-Oh, Frankenstrike, Whampire, and Toepick.
Harem Girls for Ben in Two-Faced Overlord: Yuri Alpha, Lupusregina Beta, Narberal Gamma, CZ2128/Shizu Delta, Solution Epsilon, Entoma Vasilissa Zeta, Pestonya S. Wanko, Nigredo, Arche Eeb Rile Furt, Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra, Gagaran, Evileye, Tia, Tina.
Story Suggestion 3: 10 Raider - A crossover with the "Survivor" Tomb Raider timeline, this more survival ready version of Ben lands on Yamatai just as the crew of The Endurance does. More or less following the same flow of the games and the Dark Horse graphic novels, Ben and Lara team-up to not only survive against the impossible odds, but THRIVE in them. This version of Ben also has the unique ability to perceive and transfer small traces of magic (Survival Instinct), allowing him to help Lara find items (Collectibles) and perform simple rituals (Challenges) that will enhance her body and mind (Earn Skills). As Lara becomes more willing to use lethal force, and more able to survive in the wild, so too will this version of Ben.
This version of Ben is in his early twenties, with a gradually developed (out of necessity) preference for heavily padded clothes made of animal hides. His build is very athletic, but not overly muscular like Ben 10,000. He has the beginnings of a goatee growing in, but for practicality's sake doesn't grow out any other facial hair. Meanwhile, due to game mechanics being turned into the actual laws of magic, Lara will develop physically as she continues her adventures (Levels-up) going from an unassuming, if somewhat gifted woman, to a jacked-up amazon, complete with a bust size more suitable to the Tomb Raider name.
Available Aliens for 10 Raider: Wildmutt (For Combat & Salvaging), Jury Rigg (For Equipment Crafting), and Pesky Dust (For Dealing With PTSD).
Harem Girl for Ben in 10 Raider: Lara Croft, Samantha Nishimura, Sofia, Nadia.
Story Suggestion 4: Under 10 - Obviously this is an Undertale/Ben 10 crossover. In one of nearly infinite timelines, Frisk never falls into the Underground. Instead, a physically 10 year old/mentally 18 year old Ben Tennyson lands in the Flowerbed that fateful day. Traveling through the Underground while being a hero and friend to all is all well and good, but when your only available alien is Clockwork, things start to get more than a little...odd as the time travelling alien begins to peer beyond the veil of the multiple timelines, and into the proverbial rabbit hole. As Ben travels the Underground he discovers a MASSIVE conspiracy across multiple timelines. Seeking answers to every impossible and long hidden question, Ben's quest for the truth of his new home and beyond will eventually have him asking - and subsequently answering - the biggest question of them all: Who, or WHAT exactly is W.D. Gaster?
Just like the original Undertale, this story can be written and interpreted in any way the creator wants, with the only stipulations being the ones mentioned in the previous paragraph, the intro paragraph to the Ben 10 suggestions, and the harem girls listed below. Your answers to who or what W.D. Gaster really is, and how Ben reacts when he finds out, could be anything you want.
Available Aliens for Under 10: Clockwork.
Harem Girls for Ben in Under 10: Toriel, Undyne, Alphys. (Yes, I know Undyne and Alphys are technically lesbians, but with the tone of the Undertale game it really feels like almost everyone is bisexual. If nothing else he can at least be their sperm donor.)
Anyway, that's it for the Ben 10 Crossover Suggestions for now. I may come up with more later, which is just my way of reiterating that the aliens that are listed as available for each story are the ONLY aliens you can use in these stories. Even if you want to use OC Aliens, copy the DNA of the locals of the crossover worlds, or have unlockable aliens pop up later, DON'T DO IT! Even though I've only made plans for 20 of the 62(+12 if you count the Ultimate Forms) aliens used by Ben in the franchise thus far for these ideas, it's still important to keep the other 42(+12 if you count the Ultimate Forms) available for any ideas in future suggestion lists that I feel need them. Since I'm done listing Ben 10 crossovers for now however, let's move on to other potential story suggestions for you all.
Diablo Ex Machina Presents: Story Suggestions 2
Now you may be wondering why I felt the need to make the distinction between the Ben 10 crossovers and the rest of the story suggestions for this chapter so overt as to treat them as different suggestion lists. Well, I just figured that with my first two story guideline chapters each being divided into two sections in a similar manner (Marvel & Capcom for Chapter 2, DC Comics and Mortal Kombat for Chapter 3) I may as well continue the trend for any of you fans who are interested in hearing the nonsensical drivel I keep prattling on about. Any other questions? No? Yes? Whatever your response to that question is, it's just such a shame that I can't respond directly to all of you wonderful people who continue to encourage me. Yep, all two of you! JK!
Story Suggestion 1: An Unnamed Batman Story - Now this story isn't so much a suggestion as it is a prompt. I describe it this way because, unlike all the other suggestions thus far, this is just a brief summary that you are all welcome to flesh out in any way you desire. I'm even leaving the name up to whoever wants to take this idea, mostly because I'm anticipating many people to want to use this for their stories. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but this story prompt is pretty much a golden idea from the get-go, with oodles of potential ways for it to go and grow. There are really only three sentences needed to properly describe how awesome this idea is, and they are as follows. Huntress was originally created as the daughter of Batman and Catwoman (look it up). Ever since the DCAU, Huntress x Question has been a very popular pairing among DC fans. Detectives, especially teenage detectives, are total chick magnets.
In case you didn't catch what I'm implying by those three sentences alone, let me spell it out for you. I want to see someone write a story where a teenage version of Question gets together with the daughter of the most famous power couple in DC Comics history. (Sorry Superman and Lois Lane, but the Bat and the Cat have you beat). It will have mystery, intrigue, action, and hilariously overprotective parents! This idea would practically write itself for anyone willing to do it!
Story Suggestion 2: Shikamaru Shippuden - During their final battle in the first half of the series, Naruto and Sasuke kill each other, throwing EVERYONE'S plans off the rails. Something about the nature of their final clash not only completely obliterated both of their bodies, but also obliterated their souls as well, leaving any possible methods of revival - for Naruto, Sasuke, and the Nine-Tailed Fox alike - impossible for even a God to manage. Because of this branching history causing some major disaster dominoes, EVERYONE is forced to greatly reevaluate their plans. The separate plans Pain, Obito, and Zetsu all have for Akatsuki are down the toilet without the Nine-Tailed Fox. Orochimaru can't get an Uchiha for a host. Itachi can't sacrifice himself to Sasuke to redeem/restore the Uchiha Clan. Danzo can't take advantage of Naruto and Sasuke being targets for some of the most powerful factions in the ninja world. Even the original Sage of the Six Paths can't help the reincarnations of his children find peace, because their souls and power were completely destroyed forever. Overall, the entire second half of the series is rebooted into something that's actually worthwhile, instead of a bunch of boring, hypocritical, Mary Sue fueled tripe that spits in the face of all the morals and ethics established in the first half of the series.
Obviously, due to the name of the story, Shikamaru will be taking over as the main protagonist. With his brilliant mind working overtime to connect various threads, decode backstories and motivations through practical investigation and deduction, and formulate plans to take down the many antagonists, the ninja world isn't gonna know what hit it. After all, Naruto and Sasuke were the most obvious of obvious targets, and with both of them gone forever, who would suspect the lazy Chuunin who got both the strongest member of his team and his retrieval target killed on his first mission as team leader? I am, of course, being totally sarcastic when I call Shikamaru lazy, as the epic failure of his first mission as team leader motivates him to work much harder and smarter than ever before, but most of his future enemies won't notice that until it's too late. He's still the same aloof and stoic Shikamaru as ever, but he has much more determination than before.
Harem Girls for Shikamaru in Shikamaru Shippuden: Temari, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuga, Mei Terumi, Kurenai Yuhi, and Shiho.
I have other ideas for story suggestions, but I think that this much is enough to satisfy you all for the time being. Please stay tuned to the hopefully many future installments of Diablo's Guidelines & Suggestions to Good Storytelling & Fan Fiction. Next chapter, in honor of the new season coming to Disney XD, we're gonna take a look at the Guidelines/Rules you should follow if you wanna take a crack at making a good Pokemon Fan Fiction. See ya soon!