Ben
Drop Point: IDK
One of the 5 self insert characters (Chris Zachary/Z-man, Rocky, Mike, Jeff).
Alot of Bens characterization is in flux thtoughout the story so it might be best to refer to those charcaterizations as phases. Phases 0, 1, 2, and 3.
Just Before the events of the story Ben was being kept prisoner for an indeterminite amount of time. He was basically rendered paralyzed and kept himseld sane by dreaming out stories constantly.
Due to this he doesn't belive that the CJM universe is real at first, to him it's just another dream. This causes him to take things alarmingly unserisouly, nameley the saftey of others and himself.
Not to say he lets harm befall others or himself, he just seems unbothered by it. He's like an adult jokingly going along with a kid who thinks their in danger but really they aren't.
Eventually he goes out of his way to save Chris Zachary/Z-man showing that he's not entirly sure he's dreaming anymore.
Soon after the sun rises and Ben realizes that, their are differences between living in a real living world, and living in your imagination.
Primarily you don't imagine the little details, like the warmth of the sun on your face. Or the noises Ben has been hearing all night which he realizes are insects and other animals that he forgot existed.
It is then that he realizes that this is in fact a real place and he's apart of it, causing a massive shift in his additude.
the parts of this entry written in BOLD are unknown to the audiance As such during the first day of the prolouge they should be hinted at but not explicitly stated. The idea is to almost have him come off as a badly written Meta charcater, whose making 4th wall jokes. Only for it to be revealed alter that his additude was based on how unreal the situation he just came from was.
Ben effectivly survived his universe being unmade around him, and was transformed by that experince. He basically ascended from his physical body into a concept or... something (I don't write about this stuff alot, MOST of its based on Stargate).
While he's basically still dreaming while entering the CJM universe, he subonciously realizes hes rentering a physical world. In that moment his unconcious mind decides that the powers he has would be dangerous for a physical body, and so splits himself into 2 forms: Ben, and Ghost Ben. Being split in 2 works like this:
During the first day of the prolouge, Ghost Ben is mostly looking around at the CJM unvierse and realizing that Karos made it, and that his power is all over everything here. He then sets about finding Karos and making sure he doesn't hurt anyone, emopwering anyone Karos tries to attack so they can defeat him.
If you need somone to find something, or someone.
If you need someone to help setup a town or find people housing.
If you need to have pieces of technology from different worlds jerry rigged together.
Then the best person you can usually ask for is Ben. And it's not becuse everything he does works the first time. It's usually just because he'll keep checking in on people until they tell him to leav them alone. And becuase he knows who to ask for help when he's in over his head.
During the prolouge their is a plathora of people who need help and Ben is happy to help all of them. More then happy, as a chronic people pleaser it's almost unhealthy how much effort he puts in for other people, but since it's a time of Crsis no one really stops to question it.
When the main story beings and the pr Ben has seen most of the worlds present in the CJM verse as tv shows or books in his home universe. He uses this information to his advantage but tries not to let others know he has it. When push comes to shove he takes the people in the CJM universe at face value, and disregards what he knows from watching them as TV shows.
Ben actually has no problem with the vehicle being a Mini-Van. His mom was a fan of such vehicles so they've just been a part of his life and don't seem odd. Also, he's too autistic to get the social reasoning behind people's disdain for them.
Sometime after moving into the apartment Chris Zachary/Z-man will Paint a log on the side of the van in Spray paint. Ben will come back after he's mostly done, after having procured sanding, compressed air, and paint gun equipment, assuming that they would be using these tools to paint the van and NOT spray paint. To give Chris credit, He does let Ben help paint the logo (and since Ben aspires to do art, but doesn't have much practice, probably makes the logo turn out less good than it could have. but it's the thought that counts)
Thusly the money Ben brings into the household is minimal, but what he lacks in money, he makes up for in food he gets from barter clients, and his own general handyman-ness (which is basically what he's become since society started back up but he tries not to call himself that. He'd rather be whatever he was BEFORE society started back up, he just doesn't have a word for it...) He also makes up for it in connections.
Recluses and people living on the fringes: There are certain people in the world who refuse to reintegrate into society. Ben goes out on a regular basis to deliver them food, and keep any technological devices they need running.
Old follower and clients: Ben's "Job" is mostly just helping people with whatever they need help with, Pro-bono if they have no means of payment (or if they just say they don't have a means of payment). This creates a lot of goodwill with the people he's assisted, leaving them more than willing to assist the CJM crew as long as it's Ben asked.
Supplies and governments: Despite stepping down from the new responsibilities asked from his old life, he hasn't completely stepped away from it. Despite not growing his skills as other people have, those who went from organizing supplies to refugee camps too, organizing infrastructure and social regulation for governments still remember Ben. His ability to solve practical problems with little resources, his ability to find things, his desire to help, and his lack of personal life leave him always free, and he's willing to work for cheap (or free) (Maybe that last one was too mean...). Because of this, he is still asked to help out with Governmental development projects from nearly every government or town on the planet (it's not a big planet, there are like 5 towns) from his contacts in those sectors. Most frequently he'll be asked to procure items and technology for development projects that are in separate towns or that they can't get ahold of (it's also helpful because of the friction between the 2 towns in question, or some laws or taxes that make sourcing such technology difficult. Ben will be blissfully unaware of them, or just ignore them. Most people will LET him do it based on his reputation alone. If he's smuggling something somewhere it's because someone needs it, it's not for a payday. only the most by-the-book enforcers (or people who just don't know him) would apprehend him because of it. He's not a smuggler just civilly disobedient) This means Ben just gets to walk into rooms that would otherwise be closed off to the CJM crew.
(this is just my take on events, this is Chrises character so he gets the final say on what's really going through Sailor Dooms' mind)
Since she has been on a nonstop rampage in a hell dimension, she is in a state of psychosis, Killing anything that moves half in self-defense, half assuming "If it's in a hell dimension it can't be GOOD". In fact, she might be somewhat unaware that she escaped the hell dimension into the CJM-Verse.
Chris and Ben find a way to calm her down, though I don't remember how we said we'd do that... so I will list off some ideas:
Chris and Ben offer to feed her.
Chris and Ben convince her she is no longer in hell with facts and logic.
Chris and Ben Offer to share their Music with her if she calms down and stops murdering everything.
Chris and Ben fight her. The thought here is that Chris's attacks will hurt her, thusly angering her, thusly making her more powerful. But, if the lore of how Ben's powers work stays the same as it currently is, Ben's attacks would actually not harm her, only drain her stamina until she's too tired to keep fighting, Possibly lowering her adrenaline enough that she snaps out of her psychosis, or at least calms down to a lower psychosis where she isn't murdering anything in sight.
After Ben and Chris calm her down they take her back to the apartment, to get her fed, rest, probably washed because she is COVERED in blood, and mostly to get her up to speed on what is happening to her. Ben will take the lead on these activities for 2 reasons:
1: Helping people displaced in the CJM-Verse is what Ben used to do before society started back up again, and he's excited that he gets to go back to doing it (he's not happy that Sailor doom is suffering or in distress, He's just happy he gets to pretend that the world didn't move on without him for a few more hours (even if it was kind of his own fault... I made myself sad))
2: Ben can intuit that their something more going on with Sailor Doom beside her displacement (Chris probably can too, it's probably not hard for anyone to see actually). He wants to help her but understands that these sorts of things take time to heal and should be primarily handled by a professional. So instead he's trying to remain as non-threatening and approachable as possible, To reduce the odds of triggering her with any aggressive or sudden behavior, and to make it easier to talk about whatever it is she may need to talk about.
Sailor Doom takes Ben's actions the wrong way, especially the second set of actions where he's trying EXTRA hard to be as non-threatening, and as positive a presence as he can be, while listening to every word she says and offering to help her with anything she asks. She sees his actions as flirtatious and decides to reciprocate by declaring that they are now in a relationship:
Sailor Doom: Are you flirting with me?
Ben: huh Uhhh (CRAP, CRAP, CRAP! What do I do now? Should I say yes or would that trigger her as an aggressive action. But if I say no would THAT trigger her as a dismissive action? can I go neutral?)
Sailor Doom: Cus, I like it.
Ben: Oh... Good :D
Sailor Doom: we can date now.
Ben: Huh???
Ben then acts up because of his low self-esteem, saying things like "You don't HAVE to date me," and, "You could probably do a lot better". He's not opposed to the relationship he's just awkward and doesn't know what to do in this situation (also she doesn't seem in her right mind and is lowkey afraid of somehow accidentally taking advantage of her mental state). Sailor Doom Misintrupts this as well for several reasons:[be] 1: I'm guessing that Sailor Doom had problems BEFORE she went to hell, and I want to guess that she used the Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon of her universe as a crutch for them. Ben's current behavior is reminding her of Usagi so she's, unknowingly, trying to replace Usagi with Ben to get the support she no longer has back in her life.[be] 2: Also based on current plot writing, Sailor Dooms Usagi died, or perhaps more specifically, was killed. Theirs no concrete reasoning yet but I want to assume they got to where the anime left off (plus one heavy metal sailor scout) and in the final battle with Chaos. Chaos manages to defeat all the Sailor Guardians, and Cosmos (or whatever Sailor Moon's god form was called), turning the entire universe into a realm of pure chaos, a hell dimension. Sailor Doom somehow survives and confronts Chaos, who tells her that if she can completely wipe their influence out of the world, they will begin another time loop, restarting the cauldron and giving Sailor Doom her precious Usagi back (making this deal because at this point Choas is a deity with no rival and could feasibly be unlimited in its scope). but Sailor Doom is Sailor Doom so she accepts and has been killing anything and everything in front of her, without end for so long that she has forgotten how long she has been doing it. Also since her universe became a hell dimension, time stopped being a thing and she stopped aging. This version of events may be inconsistent since wouldn't the sailor guardians be adults whenever chaos attacks)
Because of ALL THAT, Sailor Doom could be lonely, and afraid. If not of demons, then afraid that all the kindness she's being shown and the reprieve she's getting from never-ending conflict in hell is just a trick of Chaos. Causing her to, unknowingly, come on too strong and demand that Ben reassures her that her mind isn't playing tricks on her, by accepting her request.
3: Sailor Doom could also just genuinely intuit that Ben is only saying what he's saying because he has low self-esteem, doesn't think he's good enough, and doesn't think she would genuinely like him. Her directness could be intentional by the product of wanting to reassure him she is actually interested in him as a person, and not just an emotional support thing.
Her way of expressing this however is to blatantly say that they're in a relationship now and to not take no for an answer. Ben fearfully accepts.
Many times during this arc, Ben can be seen cowering in fear of Sailor Doom as she does something violent, or holds onto him in a domineering way. The joke is that he's too afraid of her to say no, but that is JUST A JOKE. Because if we did that in interest that would HORRIBLE.
What Ben is REALLY afraid of is that Sailor Doom will take things too far, and he'll have to stop her. He's aware that their not in a "Real" relationship. Sailor Doom's primary reason for choosing to be in a relationship with Ben isn't fondness or enjoying his company (Not that she doesn't). It's because she's using him to compensate for her lack of stability, both in her life and mental state and Ben is WELL aware of this (sailor doom probably is too but won't admit it). Ben doesn't MIND supporting her emotionally but is afraid that she'll ask something of him that he can't say yes to and he'll have to pump the breaks on the whole act and remind/inform Sailor Doom that they're not REALLY dating and that doing so would destroy her. He's not afraid that he'll say no to her and she'll kill him, He's afraid he'll say no to her and it will kill her. But he's also not willing to be taken advantage of. (luckily so far in the plot it never comes to that (I also just don't think Sailor Doom would do that, she seems to like too cool a lady))[be] Also since This is Ben's first time in a relationship, and due to Sailor Dooms... Imma says "traumas", their intimacy is very low. Physically they don't go above hugging/cuddling/embracing. Emotionally they're closer, but that's mostly because Ben is trying to get Sailor Doom the help she needs by listening to any details she's willing to share about her troubles. And because Sailor Doom is trying to figure out the reasons why Ben doesn't take their relationship seriously, she can tell he doesn't (though somewhere deep down she knows it's because she isn't ready for a relationship and that he knows that. She just wants to hear him say he's not ready for a relationship either because he's not. But as long as Ben is afraid telling Sailor Doom that their relationship isn't real will Cause her to lose progress with her traumas, it's the one thing he'll never do)
In fact, I even thought of a funny line of dialogue between a CJM member and Ben based on his and Sailor Doom's lack of intimacy based on a Hiimdaisy comic:
Random CJM member: SO, what? You just have tawdry nights of passionate, pants-on, snuggling with your girlfriend?
Ben: ... I don't judge you for how you live your life.
All of these elements of mental health, and a not totally honest relationship make for some interesting storytelling that could end in complete disaster, but so far plot-wise, the entire situation is defused by Sailor Doom finding out that Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon is alive in this world, and basically losing interest in her relationship with Ben and dropping it. Hrmm while that IS funny, if we do use the version of the story with all the extra details, we might at least want to have a scene where sailor doom "breaks up" with Ben, though it wouldn't be a breakup scene per se, it would be Sailor Doom admitting that she was using their relationship for her own mental health and Ben admitting he knew the whole time. Ending With them walking away from each other, Ben warns her not to replace Him with Usagi and to come to him if she needs help. but also with Ben walking away admitting that He wasn't ready for a relationship either, and maybe he has just much to work on as Sailor Doom
Ben actually doesn't think they're a good role model for Crona because they haven't conquered a lot of their own issues yet.
This is a wide philosophical debate and there are multiple answers and maybe multiple answers are correct. The theme of Ben's power embodies the answers found in fate or most tokusatsu media where "Fighting is nessicary but must be done justly". The powers aren't a TOTAL or very forceful answer to this question. They Just basically state that fighting to protect someone or to stop someone from hurting something or themselves is generally right, and fighting someone for hatred is generally wrong. A sort of "See with Eyes unclouded by hate" thing.
A MAJOR flaw with this subplot is that it assumes this didn't happen to anyone else in the CJM crew or anyone else in the CJM-verse at all.
Example:
Cjm-Verse: Ben, you have been chosen to help your friends and save the world.
Ben: Like an Isekai hero thing? I'm not cool enough to do that, you must have the wrong guy.
Cjm-Verse:.... *makes avatar body* Could this be a hero?
Ben: I guess?
Cjm-Verse: Good enough, GET IN THE BODY BEN!
Ben: I HATE YOU, DAD! (I haven't watched EVA)
Jiro is a robot man, from the 70s toku show "kikaider"
Effectively I imagine that the CJM-Verse feels that Ben is required to get a happy ending (cus one of the protags) but he won't appear unless they find a way to circumvent his low self-esteem. Jiro agrees, half to save the world, half because he thinks that the experience might actually help Ben grow as a person, and is happy to help him because Jiro is just that nice. Jiro doesn't speak to Ben in his mind or lend him his powers as Kikaider since the whole point is about ben finding his own worth and making his own way. That being said he is aware of what's going on since it's his body and can resume control if something bad was going on (which might be a problem plot-wise. Why would ben be allowed to make mistakes or bad choices with Jiro constantly riding shotgun... Hrmmmm)
This has a few effects:
Bens is immune to professor Gil's flute since he's not a robot.
Ben's musical ability is increased and he's not sure why.
Ben can summon the side Machine, Jiro's motorcycle, but is UNAWARE he can do that so he never does.
Ben knows how to drive a motorcycle and has no idea HOW he is able to drive a motorcycle (I thought this would be a LOT harder...)
Ben's body has the ability to process food, water, and drugs, but does not NEED them as much as a normal human body. Ben doesn't notice this because he just assumes this is how smaller people eat (since in his new body, Ben's shrunk 10 inches, has a more lithe bone structure, and is a few hundred pounds lighter) It COULD be assumed that Bens Jiro Body is something akin to a Bladerunner bio-android.
Ben has the ability to transform into Kikaider. When doing this, Jiro regains full control of his body for as long as he is transformed. Ben doesn't KNOW he can transform into Kikaider so he never does. (also the transformation won't work if Jiro decides he doesn't want to come out, meaning that if Ben tries the transformation sequence it may not work)(OR maybe Ben doesn't remember the parts where his body is controlled by Jiro because he's unaware of them, so every time Ben transforms into Kikaider, Jiro just changes back into Ben while standing in the exact same position so according to Bens perception of events nothing happened. BUT if he looked at a clock he'd see he lost a few seconds he failed to perceive, or on a camera, he would change into Kikiader for a brief moment before changing back)
The red energy creation is just his normal body, following him around.
Which will make Ben uncomfortable. For one, why is it following him around? For two it's an uncomfortable reminder of everything he's running away from. Is his old body following him around so he'll go back to it? does he even want to go back to it? what if all of his new friends won't like him anymore if he's not some small adorable anime, and returns to being the hulking mass of a person he really is?
For most of the plot, Ben will run away from and does not confront this aspect of himself.
Meanwhile red Ben is a red energy creature because his body hasn't fully synched to this reality yet. It's still in flux. It's also "Staking" Ben because he is the Body tethered to this reality. The body moves when he moves, in sync with him. It just occasionally flickers out of existence since its connection with the CJM-Verse isn't strong. Theirs is a mechanical idea that since Bens's body is half physical/half not because of what happened. He can be used as a magic battery to power spells and attacks maybe?
Basically, this is a plotline where one villain is trying to better understand his enemy's powers to see if he can neutralize them and take them off the board. They experiment with Ben's powers, seeing as they make the least sense compared to anyone else (except maybe Mike) seeing as their plot based, instead of energy-based (Ben's powers only work as long as his internal narrative says they should.) Somehow the villain realizes this and starts messing with emotional stimuli to see if they can nullify Ben's Powers. Eventually, they create a scenario where Ben legitimately wants to hurt them, He loses it and goes berserk. This causes his powers to turn off and so he basically walks up to a superhuman or demon and smacks them across the face with a foam Keyblade. He did it with GUSTO but it's still a foam sword and he DOESN'T have super strength.
The villain laughs saying things like "Without your powers, just a man" The villain tries to take advantage of the situation, kidnapping or murdering Ben, but Ben gets away, only with the mental scars of being ashamed of how angry he let himself become, and how useless he was before the threat of the villain.
This plot line can go on as long as we want it to but I feel like at this point Ben starts searching for answers on how he can continue to fight, without hate. Since doing so is apparently not an option for him (though deep down he doesn't even want it to be. he just doesn't know that yet)
At some point during this journey the villain, or another villain he told Ben's weakness to, will attempt to exploit bens weakness and do so, having Ben totally at their mercy, unable to run away. When all seems bleakest Red ben will appear from nowhere, having more detail than ever before and having a much toned-down aura and almost a normal skin tone. He Punches the villain in the face, starting a Match between the two.
While Ben's default game is silly and light, Red Ben is slower, hits harder, and is more vicious. He uses his size and weight to his advantage and tries to disable foes by grabbing them and bending them the wrong way, possibly until something breaks. He also throws his whole weight into a strike, trying to punch down as much as possible.
Red ben will successfully route the Villian, but as their leave, they'll remark that while they got the better of him, it was mostly due to surprise. While red Ben is big and imposing, he doesn't appear to poses super strength, or powers of any kind. He hit hard, but He's still just a man.
After it's all said and done Ben will face off against Red ben as they stare each other down. When Ben finally confronts Red Ben He says, "Who are you"
His question is answered immensely for as he says this Red ben says simultaneously "Who are you"
Red Ben is just Ben. Because of his powers in this world, he can control both bodies simultaneously. While doing so he feels confused and out of sorts, it is possible. He accepts that this is just his body, as much as the one he's currently inhabiting is too, and Ben and Red Ben walk home with themselves.
After this Ben tries to manage his sleep schedule so that the Jiro Body is awake during the day, and the Ben body is awake at night (or vice versa?) So he doesn't have to manage the stress of 2 bodies, but also so he can be awake 24/7. Also as Red Ben becomes more anchored to the CJM-Verse, he loses his red Aura and just looks like a normal person.
maybe he's wondering how he measures up.
Or why he was chosen to get Jiro's help and not someone more deserving?
Maybe he still doesn't realize that it's specifically Jiro's body he's using and doesn't believe he's Kikaider. that sounds like a good version.
...
Ok, honestly I'm fuzzy on what happens in this plot arc but basically.
Bens is on the sidewalk at the apartment and close his eys, and when he opens them again he has summoned the side machine in the road in front of him.
He rides it to the destination where the enemy forces are coming from and sets himself up between them and his friends.
He faces down the incoming force, the "run toward a dream" sound file from Kamen rider 01 plays, and he transforms using the Kikaider transformation chant, "Change!"
after the chant he takes off running toward the enemies and transforms into Kikaider, In which once fully transformed, Jiro takes full control of his body and starts fighting the enemy forces.
The scene moves back to the side machine, The side car has been obscured this whole time but we see Ben (his actual body) sleeping in the sidecar. Ben had placed his sleeping body into the sidecar before he left. Sleeping Bens's eyes Open wide and he jumps out of the sidecar and runs to assist Jiro in the fight. Though he can't do too much, since he's just a dude. He gives some good hits and downs to a few enemies but he also gets his ass kicked.
Eventually, he's at the mercy of one of the assailants, forced onto one knee. The poses are almost the exact same as Sora and Roxas's fight. With Ben looked to the side arm outstretched trying to summon, SOMETHING that can help him fight for his friends.
He actually successfully summons, the powers he was given upon entering the CJM-Verse to his original body, becoming Sword Ben.
Doom: What's going on?
Ben: Huh?
Doom: Usually you are always on my side no matter what but you keep siding with that kid. Do you know him?
Ben: Uh, I... Not, well.
Doom: So why do you keep siding with him?
Ben: Am I? ...
Doom: Every time I look at him wrong, you look like you're about to cry.
Ben: ...
Ben: Ok their something about me that I kind of keep to myself. I just don't want to stress anyone out with it.
Doom: I dump my crap on you all the time, it's fine.
Ben: Exactly, you don't need any more stuff weighing you down.
Doom: BEN.
Ben: Ok, Ok. Where I come from... A lot of the people here are stories, and I've read them.
Doom: Oh... so you just, Know what everyone here is going to do?
Ben: No, those where stories, these are people. Though a lot of the events the people here have gone through went just like the stories I read, so theirs that.
Doom: Is that good or bad?
Ben: Depends on the story.
Doom: ... Was there a story of me?
Ben: ...What would you like to hear?
Doom: The Truth.
Ben: No, there wasn't.
Doom: Awh...
Ben: Sorry.
Doom: No, if you said yes I'd be paranoid about what you thought of me. I'm disappointed but either way, it would have been fine.
Ben: If there was a story of you it would have definitely been a good one.
Pause for blush XD
Doom: So, That Sora kid, he was a good story?
Ben: The best.
Doom: really?
Ben pauses, Pulls doom closes, and points her toward the others. Ben talks lower so the others don't hear.
Ben: A lot of the story was about turning Intent and emotions into magic. The story held emphasizes being true to yourself and the power it gives you.
Ben points out Riku.
Ben: That's Riku, He was a cautionary tale about what happens if you won't be true to yourself and how it can damage you. He gets better though. Judging by their clothes they just got back after the second story. They've been through a hard journey and Riku especially has been through a lot, but they feel closer to each and truer to themselves than they ever have before.
Doom: Annnnd, that was good for you?
Ben: I heard the story at a time where I wasn't myself. It was instrumental. There was also a heavy emphsis on hope.
Doom: Hope?
Ben: Something like...
Ben closes his eyes and puts his hand on his heart.
Ben: the Heart may be weak, and sometimes might even give in. but, Deep down, theirs a light that never goes out.
Doom: Heh... ok. Sounds like a good story.
Ben: The best.
The downsides are, It's PRETTY F)(king Edgy, like probably TOO edgy. Also, I'm not sure the character remains intact after that backstory, it's important that the character is: A cinnamon roll, willing to help out everyone, and enter into a faux-romantic relationship with Sailor Doom in an attempt to help her heal from trauma and I'm having trouble seeing how those personality traits would develop in, BASICALLY a void. Unless the character existed before "The Anseming" and had memories of their life.
This intro is nice because it syncs up nicely with the character's vibe and has a LOT of open space to write anything else you need backstory-wise.
But it's BORING and involves school so I hate it.
the bonus is it keeps the Kikaider relations
the big problem with that is that theirs a preset concept of what Kikaider is about ROUGHLY, and I don't think that meshes up with the character's personality well.
In fact, he will become so engrossed in the goings-on of the CJM-Verse that for the first year or so he's a major player in its events, heading up explorations and scouting, integrating technology from different dimensions, helping people relocate and find shelter, getting infrastructure and supply lines up and running, and generally just trying to make everyone's lives as comfortable and functional as possible. This will probably earn him a reputation for being, super nice, caring, genuine (almost oblivious), and generally protective of other people and their happiness. This recognition could evolve into a full fledge following, with people looking to him for advice and leadership, and when he realizes this is when it all comes crashing down.[be] Up until that point, they were all refugees. Everyone on the sole planetoid inhabiting the CJM verse was lost, far from home, and in this together. But now, nearly a year after the entrance into this dimension, casts were beginning to form.
Some played with the finances of the business they were asked to oversee and made more money off them than what was expected. Not enough to endanger the planetoids' extremely limited resources, but enough to live more comfortably than others.
Others had become more outspoken than others and were quickly seen as politicians who could get things done on a grander social scale.
Some had become idols or creative stars through their efforts to keep the lost denizens of this dimension entertained, and their spirits light.
Others were seen as great minds, able to mold the technology and magic of this dimension to help everyone else who couldn't wrap their minds around it.
And a few were seen as heroes, champions strong enough to protect the populace from the odd dangers that seemed to spring up on this planet about once a week.
Around this time whatever following Ben had would EXPECT him to fill one or more of those roles based on his past actions.
Possibly even expecting him to run AGAINST Rollins in the election for Mayor, not that I think he would have won, but he didn't even try. When asked he thought there must have been some mistake and turned them down.
No. He would hear their expectations and immediately falter under the weight of them, thinking he could never be good enough to meet them. He wasn't a businessman, just someone who know how to find things and treat people. He wasn't a politician he just cared about everyone else. He wasn't a creative luminary he was just "Kind of funny". He wasn't a great mind, just a handyman. And he was no hero, just some unlucky person, stuck here like everyone else.
Under the weight of the world changing into a place with expectations and a status quo to meet, Ben would do nothing. With his in-action, his following would shrink until, by the time of the story proper, he faded into obscurity. Most don't remember him anymore, except for those whose lives he impacted directly (of which there are actually VERY many) and those he continues to help.
Alot of Bens characterization is in flux thtoughout the story so it might be best to refer to those charcaterizations as phases. Phases 0, 1, 2, and 3.
Phase 0
This is the phase Ben is in on day 1 of the prolouge.Just Before the events of the story Ben was being kept prisoner for an indeterminite amount of time. He was basically rendered paralyzed and kept himseld sane by dreaming out stories constantly.
Due to this he doesn't belive that the CJM universe is real at first, to him it's just another dream. This causes him to take things alarmingly unserisouly, nameley the saftey of others and himself.
Not to say he lets harm befall others or himself, he just seems unbothered by it. He's like an adult jokingly going along with a kid who thinks their in danger but really they aren't.
Eventually he goes out of his way to save Chris Zachary/Z-man showing that he's not entirly sure he's dreaming anymore.
Soon after the sun rises and Ben realizes that, their are differences between living in a real living world, and living in your imagination.
Primarily you don't imagine the little details, like the warmth of the sun on your face. Or the noises Ben has been hearing all night which he realizes are insects and other animals that he forgot existed.
It is then that he realizes that this is in fact a real place and he's apart of it, causing a massive shift in his additude.
the parts of this entry written in BOLD are unknown to the audiance As such during the first day of the prolouge they should be hinted at but not explicitly stated. The idea is to almost have him come off as a badly written Meta charcater, whose making 4th wall jokes. Only for it to be revealed alter that his additude was based on how unreal the situation he just came from was.
Ghost
Also something that probably won't even appear in the Prolouge is ghost Ben.Ben effectivly survived his universe being unmade around him, and was transformed by that experince. He basically ascended from his physical body into a concept or... something (I don't write about this stuff alot, MOST of its based on Stargate).
While he's basically still dreaming while entering the CJM universe, he subonciously realizes hes rentering a physical world. In that moment his unconcious mind decides that the powers he has would be dangerous for a physical body, and so splits himself into 2 forms: Ben, and Ghost Ben. Being split in 2 works like this:
- Ben and Ghost Ben are the same person with the same mind. Ben has more of the concious decision making mind|Ghost Ben works more on subconcious impulses like helping people.
- Ben only has his exaustion powers|Ghost Ben can basically warp reality, but choses not to (he doesn't do this for a lot of reasons, but it's mostly to perserve the autonomy of others) He does empower other people, and roll back time to avoid bad endings.
- Ben doesn't remeber what he used to look like, and makes his new body based on the appearnces of fictional characters that meant alot to him. His appearnce is also based on wish fufilment (being skinny and small and cute which justapose his old appearnce)|Ghost Ben looks like Ben in his acended form from his home reality. The vauge sillouhet of a person.
- Bens unconcious minds also attempt to take all the painful/traumatic memories Ben has and seal them in Ghost Ben (espically the feelings of Ben blaming himself for the destruction of his home universe and the shame he feels for not doing more)
This doesn't work for long as their still the same person and the same mind. The memories start seeping back into Bens concious mind soon after the leav it. (This CAN be used to explain why ben is so care free at the begining of the story but sinks into depresion halfway through)
During the first day of the prolouge, Ghost Ben is mostly looking around at the CJM unvierse and realizing that Karos made it, and that his power is all over everything here. He then sets about finding Karos and making sure he doesn't hurt anyone, emopwering anyone Karos tries to attack so they can defeat him.
Phase 1
Phase 1 Ben is way more concerned with the well being of the world and those around him. He spends the proluge helping people so hard that he actually becomes a major player in the world stage.If you need somone to find something, or someone.
If you need someone to help setup a town or find people housing.
If you need to have pieces of technology from different worlds jerry rigged together.
Then the best person you can usually ask for is Ben. And it's not becuse everything he does works the first time. It's usually just because he'll keep checking in on people until they tell him to leav them alone. And becuase he knows who to ask for help when he's in over his head.
During the prolouge their is a plathora of people who need help and Ben is happy to help all of them. More then happy, as a chronic people pleaser it's almost unhealthy how much effort he puts in for other people, but since it's a time of Crsis no one really stops to question it.
When the main story beings and the pr Ben has seen most of the worlds present in the CJM verse as tv shows or books in his home universe. He uses this information to his advantage but tries not to let others know he has it. When push comes to shove he takes the people in the CJM universe at face value, and disregards what he knows from watching them as TV shows.
Old Content
cjmm]the CJM-Mobile Early on, Ben was given a minivan as collateral for services rendered while helping someone settle into their new lives (probably AFTER the prologue but BEFORE the main story). It could be assumed that if the CJM crew doesn't get the apartment in the prologue, they may live out of this van until they do. Ben also makes a point to drive people if they don't have their own vehicles (unless they ask to borrow the van that is) and had been looking for a vehicle since they realized they were stuck here since some other members of the CJM crew didn't drive much.Ben actually has no problem with the vehicle being a Mini-Van. His mom was a fan of such vehicles so they've just been a part of his life and don't seem odd. Also, he's too autistic to get the social reasoning behind people's disdain for them.
Sometime after moving into the apartment Chris Zachary/Z-man will Paint a log on the side of the van in Spray paint. Ben will come back after he's mostly done, after having procured sanding, compressed air, and paint gun equipment, assuming that they would be using these tools to paint the van and NOT spray paint. To give Chris credit, He does let Ben help paint the logo (and since Ben aspires to do art, but doesn't have much practice, probably makes the logo turn out less good than it could have. but it's the thought that counts)
Job
Ben is loath to move on or adapt from the time he spent through the first year of being trapped in the CJM-Verse. He had such a good time helping everyone having to adapt to this new system makes him catastrophize thinking that all that joy is over forever thanks to the new system. So he pretends nothing has changed and still goes around helping people, basically for free, as if they didn't have jobs and were all still refugees. People who can't pay are extremely grateful for his behavior and most trade with him on a bartering system, However, these people tend to be people CHOOSING to live on the outskirts of society as opposed to disenfranchised or downtrodden (though those kinds of people do occasionally receive help form Ben if the cross paths and want his help). Those who Ben helps on a regular have noticed his behavior and have figured, What he's doing, and WHY he's doing it at this point. So they insist on paying him in cash and are sure to act super appreciative (which they are but they try to REALLY show it on the outside for his sake)Thusly the money Ben brings into the household is minimal, but what he lacks in money, he makes up for in food he gets from barter clients, and his own general handyman-ness (which is basically what he's become since society started back up but he tries not to call himself that. He'd rather be whatever he was BEFORE society started back up, he just doesn't have a word for it...) He also makes up for it in connections.
Recluses and people living on the fringes: There are certain people in the world who refuse to reintegrate into society. Ben goes out on a regular basis to deliver them food, and keep any technological devices they need running.
Old follower and clients: Ben's "Job" is mostly just helping people with whatever they need help with, Pro-bono if they have no means of payment (or if they just say they don't have a means of payment). This creates a lot of goodwill with the people he's assisted, leaving them more than willing to assist the CJM crew as long as it's Ben asked.
Supplies and governments: Despite stepping down from the new responsibilities asked from his old life, he hasn't completely stepped away from it. Despite not growing his skills as other people have, those who went from organizing supplies to refugee camps too, organizing infrastructure and social regulation for governments still remember Ben. His ability to solve practical problems with little resources, his ability to find things, his desire to help, and his lack of personal life leave him always free, and he's willing to work for cheap (or free) (Maybe that last one was too mean...). Because of this, he is still asked to help out with Governmental development projects from nearly every government or town on the planet (it's not a big planet, there are like 5 towns) from his contacts in those sectors. Most frequently he'll be asked to procure items and technology for development projects that are in separate towns or that they can't get ahold of (it's also helpful because of the friction between the 2 towns in question, or some laws or taxes that make sourcing such technology difficult. Ben will be blissfully unaware of them, or just ignore them. Most people will LET him do it based on his reputation alone. If he's smuggling something somewhere it's because someone needs it, it's not for a payday. only the most by-the-book enforcers (or people who just don't know him) would apprehend him because of it. He's not a smuggler just civilly disobedient) This means Ben just gets to walk into rooms that would otherwise be closed off to the CJM crew.
Cinamon-roll-ness
Ben is a hardcoded people pleaser and highly empathetic to other people's feelings. Showing genuine concern for even some of the most difficult people on the roster. This leads some people to not take him seriously, but it leads others to take him more seriously. His adorable friendly mannerisms come to form a place of genuine concern and wanting to help people, showing some denizens of the CJM-Verse exactly what he is (Or perhaps, more importantly, ISN'T) willing to do to help, and get the job done.Fluid Character details
Relationship with sailor Doom
Ben is with Chris Zachary/Z-man when he sees Sailor doom enter the CJM-Verse and Kill Brom Leto.(this is just my take on events, this is Chrises character so he gets the final say on what's really going through Sailor Dooms' mind)
Since she has been on a nonstop rampage in a hell dimension, she is in a state of psychosis, Killing anything that moves half in self-defense, half assuming "If it's in a hell dimension it can't be GOOD". In fact, she might be somewhat unaware that she escaped the hell dimension into the CJM-Verse.
Chris and Ben find a way to calm her down, though I don't remember how we said we'd do that... so I will list off some ideas:
Chris and Ben offer to feed her.
Chris and Ben convince her she is no longer in hell with facts and logic.
Chris and Ben Offer to share their Music with her if she calms down and stops murdering everything.
Chris and Ben fight her. The thought here is that Chris's attacks will hurt her, thusly angering her, thusly making her more powerful. But, if the lore of how Ben's powers work stays the same as it currently is, Ben's attacks would actually not harm her, only drain her stamina until she's too tired to keep fighting, Possibly lowering her adrenaline enough that she snaps out of her psychosis, or at least calms down to a lower psychosis where she isn't murdering anything in sight.
After Ben and Chris calm her down they take her back to the apartment, to get her fed, rest, probably washed because she is COVERED in blood, and mostly to get her up to speed on what is happening to her. Ben will take the lead on these activities for 2 reasons:
1: Helping people displaced in the CJM-Verse is what Ben used to do before society started back up again, and he's excited that he gets to go back to doing it (he's not happy that Sailor doom is suffering or in distress, He's just happy he gets to pretend that the world didn't move on without him for a few more hours (even if it was kind of his own fault... I made myself sad))
2: Ben can intuit that their something more going on with Sailor Doom beside her displacement (Chris probably can too, it's probably not hard for anyone to see actually). He wants to help her but understands that these sorts of things take time to heal and should be primarily handled by a professional. So instead he's trying to remain as non-threatening and approachable as possible, To reduce the odds of triggering her with any aggressive or sudden behavior, and to make it easier to talk about whatever it is she may need to talk about.
Sailor Doom takes Ben's actions the wrong way, especially the second set of actions where he's trying EXTRA hard to be as non-threatening, and as positive a presence as he can be, while listening to every word she says and offering to help her with anything she asks. She sees his actions as flirtatious and decides to reciprocate by declaring that they are now in a relationship:
Sailor Doom: Are you flirting with me?
Ben: huh Uhhh (CRAP, CRAP, CRAP! What do I do now? Should I say yes or would that trigger her as an aggressive action. But if I say no would THAT trigger her as a dismissive action? can I go neutral?)
Sailor Doom: Cus, I like it.
Ben: Oh... Good :D
Sailor Doom: we can date now.
Ben: Huh???
Ben then acts up because of his low self-esteem, saying things like "You don't HAVE to date me," and, "You could probably do a lot better". He's not opposed to the relationship he's just awkward and doesn't know what to do in this situation (also she doesn't seem in her right mind and is lowkey afraid of somehow accidentally taking advantage of her mental state). Sailor Doom Misintrupts this as well for several reasons:[be] 1: I'm guessing that Sailor Doom had problems BEFORE she went to hell, and I want to guess that she used the Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon of her universe as a crutch for them. Ben's current behavior is reminding her of Usagi so she's, unknowingly, trying to replace Usagi with Ben to get the support she no longer has back in her life.[be] 2: Also based on current plot writing, Sailor Dooms Usagi died, or perhaps more specifically, was killed. Theirs no concrete reasoning yet but I want to assume they got to where the anime left off (plus one heavy metal sailor scout) and in the final battle with Chaos. Chaos manages to defeat all the Sailor Guardians, and Cosmos (or whatever Sailor Moon's god form was called), turning the entire universe into a realm of pure chaos, a hell dimension. Sailor Doom somehow survives and confronts Chaos, who tells her that if she can completely wipe their influence out of the world, they will begin another time loop, restarting the cauldron and giving Sailor Doom her precious Usagi back (making this deal because at this point Choas is a deity with no rival and could feasibly be unlimited in its scope). but Sailor Doom is Sailor Doom so she accepts and has been killing anything and everything in front of her, without end for so long that she has forgotten how long she has been doing it. Also since her universe became a hell dimension, time stopped being a thing and she stopped aging. This version of events may be inconsistent since wouldn't the sailor guardians be adults whenever chaos attacks)
Because of ALL THAT, Sailor Doom could be lonely, and afraid. If not of demons, then afraid that all the kindness she's being shown and the reprieve she's getting from never-ending conflict in hell is just a trick of Chaos. Causing her to, unknowingly, come on too strong and demand that Ben reassures her that her mind isn't playing tricks on her, by accepting her request.
3: Sailor Doom could also just genuinely intuit that Ben is only saying what he's saying because he has low self-esteem, doesn't think he's good enough, and doesn't think she would genuinely like him. Her directness could be intentional by the product of wanting to reassure him she is actually interested in him as a person, and not just an emotional support thing.
Her way of expressing this however is to blatantly say that they're in a relationship now and to not take no for an answer. Ben fearfully accepts.
Many times during this arc, Ben can be seen cowering in fear of Sailor Doom as she does something violent, or holds onto him in a domineering way. The joke is that he's too afraid of her to say no, but that is JUST A JOKE. Because if we did that in interest that would HORRIBLE.
What Ben is REALLY afraid of is that Sailor Doom will take things too far, and he'll have to stop her. He's aware that their not in a "Real" relationship. Sailor Doom's primary reason for choosing to be in a relationship with Ben isn't fondness or enjoying his company (Not that she doesn't). It's because she's using him to compensate for her lack of stability, both in her life and mental state and Ben is WELL aware of this (sailor doom probably is too but won't admit it). Ben doesn't MIND supporting her emotionally but is afraid that she'll ask something of him that he can't say yes to and he'll have to pump the breaks on the whole act and remind/inform Sailor Doom that they're not REALLY dating and that doing so would destroy her. He's not afraid that he'll say no to her and she'll kill him, He's afraid he'll say no to her and it will kill her. But he's also not willing to be taken advantage of. (luckily so far in the plot it never comes to that (I also just don't think Sailor Doom would do that, she seems to like too cool a lady))[be] Also since This is Ben's first time in a relationship, and due to Sailor Dooms... Imma says "traumas", their intimacy is very low. Physically they don't go above hugging/cuddling/embracing. Emotionally they're closer, but that's mostly because Ben is trying to get Sailor Doom the help she needs by listening to any details she's willing to share about her troubles. And because Sailor Doom is trying to figure out the reasons why Ben doesn't take their relationship seriously, she can tell he doesn't (though somewhere deep down she knows it's because she isn't ready for a relationship and that he knows that. She just wants to hear him say he's not ready for a relationship either because he's not. But as long as Ben is afraid telling Sailor Doom that their relationship isn't real will Cause her to lose progress with her traumas, it's the one thing he'll never do)
In fact, I even thought of a funny line of dialogue between a CJM member and Ben based on his and Sailor Doom's lack of intimacy based on a Hiimdaisy comic:
Random CJM member: SO, what? You just have tawdry nights of passionate, pants-on, snuggling with your girlfriend?
Ben: ... I don't judge you for how you live your life.
All of these elements of mental health, and a not totally honest relationship make for some interesting storytelling that could end in complete disaster, but so far plot-wise, the entire situation is defused by Sailor Doom finding out that Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon is alive in this world, and basically losing interest in her relationship with Ben and dropping it. Hrmm while that IS funny, if we do use the version of the story with all the extra details, we might at least want to have a scene where sailor doom "breaks up" with Ben, though it wouldn't be a breakup scene per se, it would be Sailor Doom admitting that she was using their relationship for her own mental health and Ben admitting he knew the whole time. Ending With them walking away from each other, Ben warns her not to replace Him with Usagi and to come to him if she needs help. but also with Ben walking away admitting that He wasn't ready for a relationship either, and maybe he has just much to work on as Sailor Doom
Crona
Crona and Ben are very similar in that they both carry around trauma with them. This creates a dynamic where Ben will attempt to explain what he thinks Crona is going through based on what he's learned from his experience. This creates a pattern where Crona will be impressed at Ben's intuition and knowledge of his own issues, and then ask how he overcame those issues, with Ben getting embarrassed and replying "Work in Progress".Ben actually doesn't think they're a good role model for Crona because they haven't conquered a lot of their own issues yet.
Name
Ben is just my name. I have no idea if that's what their name will be in the end.Powers
The powers aren't set in stone yet, but the idea was something like, switching outfits instantly, having attacks that don't hurt people only exhaust them, some Roger Rabbit Esque things maybe?outfit switching
This is a by-product of the idea I had for their fighting game combat. Effectively their attacks would have the fighter change into different Cosplays with each attack. a good example is this, but without the curtain or need to physically change. just Poof, different clothes.exaustion powers
Another part of the cosplay theme was attacking with foam weaponry. Foam swords or giant foam fists. This also fed into Ben's caring/cinnamon roll character traits, He doesn't WANT to hurt anyone. And without knowing it the powers he was given grant him this wish, as all of his attacks do no damage (because he's bopping people with foam swords), and instead, His attacks exhaust the enemies, depleting their stamina until they are no longer able to fight. Effectively winning by knockout, like every other fighter in the game, but without causing any bodily harm (except for maybe when they collapse)Drawbacks
Another side of these powers would be a mindset. Effectively if Ben ever gets to the point where he genuinely wants to hurt someone, his powers stop working. Without his powers, Ben is effectively just a dude smacking people with foam swords, which is to say not a threat, and not even really capable of lowering the health meters of his opponents. Made even more frustrating because this is one of the only times Ben WANTS to hurt them.Symbolisim
While writing this character and their powers I was watching a lot of Tokusatsu and Fate. A recurring theme in that media is, "Whether it's right or wrong to fight" or "When fighting is just and when it is unjust"This is a wide philosophical debate and there are multiple answers and maybe multiple answers are correct. The theme of Ben's power embodies the answers found in fate or most tokusatsu media where "Fighting is nessicary but must be done justly". The powers aren't a TOTAL or very forceful answer to this question. They Just basically state that fighting to protect someone or to stop someone from hurting something or themselves is generally right, and fighting someone for hatred is generally wrong. A sort of "See with Eyes unclouded by hate" thing.
Body image
Theirs an idea for a subplot where Ben is VERY aware that his body in this world is nothing like what he actually looks like. He's not suffering from dysphoria, being in this body doesn't offend him. He's just worried about what it means, since he's very aware that he hates how he looks normal, and many things about this body juxtapose his normal one.A MAJOR flaw with this subplot is that it assumes this didn't happen to anyone else in the CJM crew or anyone else in the CJM-verse at all.
origon
I'm not totally sure why they swap out Ben's body, one working plotline is that his self-esteem wouldn't allow him to "See" himself in the CJM-Verse and his appearance was altered so his subconscious could make the jump.Example:
Cjm-Verse: Ben, you have been chosen to help your friends and save the world.
Ben: Like an Isekai hero thing? I'm not cool enough to do that, you must have the wrong guy.
Cjm-Verse:.... *makes avatar body* Could this be a hero?
Ben: I guess?
Cjm-Verse: Good enough, GET IN THE BODY BEN!
Ben: I HATE YOU, DAD! (I haven't watched EVA)
Jiro Base
Whatever the reason for this, the idea is that since Ben's body is such a dramatic change from his original form, it literally required another body to pull off. The CJM-Verse accomplishes this by asking another Hero if Ben could use their body. They ask Jiro, and he says yes.Jiro is a robot man, from the 70s toku show "kikaider"
Effectively I imagine that the CJM-Verse feels that Ben is required to get a happy ending (cus one of the protags) but he won't appear unless they find a way to circumvent his low self-esteem. Jiro agrees, half to save the world, half because he thinks that the experience might actually help Ben grow as a person, and is happy to help him because Jiro is just that nice. Jiro doesn't speak to Ben in his mind or lend him his powers as Kikaider since the whole point is about ben finding his own worth and making his own way. That being said he is aware of what's going on since it's his body and can resume control if something bad was going on (which might be a problem plot-wise. Why would ben be allowed to make mistakes or bad choices with Jiro constantly riding shotgun... Hrmmmm)
This has a few effects:
Bens is immune to professor Gil's flute since he's not a robot.
Ben's musical ability is increased and he's not sure why.
Ben can summon the side Machine, Jiro's motorcycle, but is UNAWARE he can do that so he never does.
Ben knows how to drive a motorcycle and has no idea HOW he is able to drive a motorcycle (I thought this would be a LOT harder...)
Ben's body has the ability to process food, water, and drugs, but does not NEED them as much as a normal human body. Ben doesn't notice this because he just assumes this is how smaller people eat (since in his new body, Ben's shrunk 10 inches, has a more lithe bone structure, and is a few hundred pounds lighter) It COULD be assumed that Bens Jiro Body is something akin to a Bladerunner bio-android.
Ben has the ability to transform into Kikaider. When doing this, Jiro regains full control of his body for as long as he is transformed. Ben doesn't KNOW he can transform into Kikaider so he never does. (also the transformation won't work if Jiro decides he doesn't want to come out, meaning that if Ben tries the transformation sequence it may not work)(OR maybe Ben doesn't remember the parts where his body is controlled by Jiro because he's unaware of them, so every time Ben transforms into Kikaider, Jiro just changes back into Ben while standing in the exact same position so according to Bens perception of events nothing happened. BUT if he looked at a clock he'd see he lost a few seconds he failed to perceive, or on a camera, he would change into Kikiader for a brief moment before changing back)
Red Ben
There is a subplot where Ben is being stalked by a red energy being. The being is in the shape of a large human, big and imposing. The bing would occasionally appear around street corners or back aways looking on, seemingly at Ben. It would primarily appear in situations where Ben is about to be put into mortal danger, or his powers stop working and he can't defend himself. In these situations, Ben would lie and say: "His perception of events became fuzzy and he doesn't totally remember what happened" which might be true the first time or two it happens. However Ben would soon become aware that when this energy is fighting on his behalf or takes any actions besides just standing there staring, it's because he's in direct control of it. Ben doesn't NOT remember what happened, he just remembers it from a different set of eyes, and a different perspective, like an out-of-body experience. At first, he may literally not know what to make of it, but given time he'll realize what's going on.The red energy creation is just his normal body, following him around.
Which will make Ben uncomfortable. For one, why is it following him around? For two it's an uncomfortable reminder of everything he's running away from. Is his old body following him around so he'll go back to it? does he even want to go back to it? what if all of his new friends won't like him anymore if he's not some small adorable anime, and returns to being the hulking mass of a person he really is?
For most of the plot, Ben will run away from and does not confront this aspect of himself.
Meanwhile red Ben is a red energy creature because his body hasn't fully synched to this reality yet. It's still in flux. It's also "Staking" Ben because he is the Body tethered to this reality. The body moves when he moves, in sync with him. It just occasionally flickers out of existence since its connection with the CJM-Verse isn't strong. Theirs is a mechanical idea that since Bens's body is half physical/half not because of what happened. He can be used as a magic battery to power spells and attacks maybe?
Narakus influance
This is a plot line involving the conclusion of Red Ben's arc. It doesn't HAVE to be Naraku doing this, there might be better villains to do this, but in my head it was Naraku.Basically, this is a plotline where one villain is trying to better understand his enemy's powers to see if he can neutralize them and take them off the board. They experiment with Ben's powers, seeing as they make the least sense compared to anyone else (except maybe Mike) seeing as their plot based, instead of energy-based (Ben's powers only work as long as his internal narrative says they should.) Somehow the villain realizes this and starts messing with emotional stimuli to see if they can nullify Ben's Powers. Eventually, they create a scenario where Ben legitimately wants to hurt them, He loses it and goes berserk. This causes his powers to turn off and so he basically walks up to a superhuman or demon and smacks them across the face with a foam Keyblade. He did it with GUSTO but it's still a foam sword and he DOESN'T have super strength.
The villain laughs saying things like "Without your powers, just a man" The villain tries to take advantage of the situation, kidnapping or murdering Ben, but Ben gets away, only with the mental scars of being ashamed of how angry he let himself become, and how useless he was before the threat of the villain.
This plot line can go on as long as we want it to but I feel like at this point Ben starts searching for answers on how he can continue to fight, without hate. Since doing so is apparently not an option for him (though deep down he doesn't even want it to be. he just doesn't know that yet)
At some point during this journey the villain, or another villain he told Ben's weakness to, will attempt to exploit bens weakness and do so, having Ben totally at their mercy, unable to run away. When all seems bleakest Red ben will appear from nowhere, having more detail than ever before and having a much toned-down aura and almost a normal skin tone. He Punches the villain in the face, starting a Match between the two.
While Ben's default game is silly and light, Red Ben is slower, hits harder, and is more vicious. He uses his size and weight to his advantage and tries to disable foes by grabbing them and bending them the wrong way, possibly until something breaks. He also throws his whole weight into a strike, trying to punch down as much as possible.
Red ben will successfully route the Villian, but as their leave, they'll remark that while they got the better of him, it was mostly due to surprise. While red Ben is big and imposing, he doesn't appear to poses super strength, or powers of any kind. He hit hard, but He's still just a man.
After it's all said and done Ben will face off against Red ben as they stare each other down. When Ben finally confronts Red Ben He says, "Who are you"
His question is answered immensely for as he says this Red ben says simultaneously "Who are you"
Red Ben is just Ben. Because of his powers in this world, he can control both bodies simultaneously. While doing so he feels confused and out of sorts, it is possible. He accepts that this is just his body, as much as the one he's currently inhabiting is too, and Ben and Red Ben walk home with themselves.
After this Ben tries to manage his sleep schedule so that the Jiro Body is awake during the day, and the Ben body is awake at night (or vice versa?) So he doesn't have to manage the stress of 2 bodies, but also so he can be awake 24/7. Also as Red Ben becomes more anchored to the CJM-Verse, he loses his red Aura and just looks like a normal person.
Kikaider defense
There could be a plot where the heroes are trying to do something but a large force is coming to route them. In my current version, this is preordained, possibly taking place during a time loop. Ben tries to think of a way to beat the odds and win, and simultaneously has like... A moment where he's comparing himself to Jiro? IDK I just thought of this plotline.maybe he's wondering how he measures up.
Or why he was chosen to get Jiro's help and not someone more deserving?
Maybe he still doesn't realize that it's specifically Jiro's body he's using and doesn't believe he's Kikaider. that sounds like a good version.
...
Ok, honestly I'm fuzzy on what happens in this plot arc but basically.
Bens is on the sidewalk at the apartment and close his eys, and when he opens them again he has summoned the side machine in the road in front of him.
He rides it to the destination where the enemy forces are coming from and sets himself up between them and his friends.
He faces down the incoming force, the "run toward a dream" sound file from Kamen rider 01 plays, and he transforms using the Kikaider transformation chant, "Change!"
after the chant he takes off running toward the enemies and transforms into Kikaider, In which once fully transformed, Jiro takes full control of his body and starts fighting the enemy forces.
The scene moves back to the side machine, The side car has been obscured this whole time but we see Ben (his actual body) sleeping in the sidecar. Ben had placed his sleeping body into the sidecar before he left. Sleeping Bens's eyes Open wide and he jumps out of the sidecar and runs to assist Jiro in the fight. Though he can't do too much, since he's just a dude. He gives some good hits and downs to a few enemies but he also gets his ass kicked.
Eventually, he's at the mercy of one of the assailants, forced onto one knee. The poses are almost the exact same as Sora and Roxas's fight. With Ben looked to the side arm outstretched trying to summon, SOMETHING that can help him fight for his friends.
He actually successfully summons, the powers he was given upon entering the CJM-Verse to his original body, becoming Sword Ben.
Leadership
just an idea that he uses the bodies to be in 2 places at once and theirs and the awkward scene where most of the people there don't recognize him so ben assumes "now that I look like this they don't like me anymore" however one of them recognizes it's him and makes a point to set an example to the rest of the group that, "This is ben, Act happy he's here or he will be sad" which jumpstarts his confidence.Designations
There are multiple forms Ben takes because of the body image plotline so I thought I'd give them names.Biro
The body Ben has because of Jiro and is his primary vessel throughout the story. The idea of calling this body "Biro" is it gets a pet name since it's not the body Ben chooses to reside in at the end of the story (at least I hope not, what kind of message would that be?)Ben/Red Ben
Bens's real physical body. It appears red because it wasn't totally brought into the world, only enough to create Biro. It stops being red once the body has assimilated into the CJM-Verse.Sword Ben
Appears during the Kikaider defense plot. I just like Ben but now has Biros's powers and abilities.Win Quotes
Character Specific
Sesshomaru : You lost? To ME? Are you feeling alright? Sailor doom notices Ben gets upset every time she looks at Sora wrong. she pulls him aside.Doom: What's going on?
Ben: Huh?
Doom: Usually you are always on my side no matter what but you keep siding with that kid. Do you know him?
Ben: Uh, I... Not, well.
Doom: So why do you keep siding with him?
Ben: Am I? ...
Doom: Every time I look at him wrong, you look like you're about to cry.
Ben: ...
Ben: Ok their something about me that I kind of keep to myself. I just don't want to stress anyone out with it.
Doom: I dump my crap on you all the time, it's fine.
Ben: Exactly, you don't need any more stuff weighing you down.
Doom: BEN.
Ben: Ok, Ok. Where I come from... A lot of the people here are stories, and I've read them.
Doom: Oh... so you just, Know what everyone here is going to do?
Ben: No, those where stories, these are people. Though a lot of the events the people here have gone through went just like the stories I read, so theirs that.
Doom: Is that good or bad?
Ben: Depends on the story.
Doom: ... Was there a story of me?
Ben: ...What would you like to hear?
Doom: The Truth.
Ben: No, there wasn't.
Doom: Awh...
Ben: Sorry.
Doom: No, if you said yes I'd be paranoid about what you thought of me. I'm disappointed but either way, it would have been fine.
Ben: If there was a story of you it would have definitely been a good one.
Pause for blush XD
Doom: So, That Sora kid, he was a good story?
Ben: The best.
Doom: really?
Ben pauses, Pulls doom closes, and points her toward the others. Ben talks lower so the others don't hear.
Ben: A lot of the story was about turning Intent and emotions into magic. The story held emphasizes being true to yourself and the power it gives you.
Ben points out Riku.
Ben: That's Riku, He was a cautionary tale about what happens if you won't be true to yourself and how it can damage you. He gets better though. Judging by their clothes they just got back after the second story. They've been through a hard journey and Riku especially has been through a lot, but they feel closer to each and truer to themselves than they ever have before.
Doom: Annnnd, that was good for you?
Ben: I heard the story at a time where I wasn't myself. It was instrumental. There was also a heavy emphsis on hope.
Doom: Hope?
Ben: Something like...
Ben closes his eyes and puts his hand on his heart.
Ben: the Heart may be weak, and sometimes might even give in. but, Deep down, theirs a light that never goes out.
Doom: Heh... ok. Sounds like a good story.
Ben: The best.
Possible backstories
1: Self Insert
The original idea of the CJM crew they were made up of self insert characters. In that vein this character was just a version of me, but with only enough tragic backstory that could be covered in a plot line XD. Primarily body dysmorphia cus that's the first thing I felt when I had to imagine my body turning into the avatar's body. A mixture of joy and shame.2: Formless Will
As we moved away from self-inserts, That made for more dynamic backstories. I had this idea to try and keep the "Sharing Jiro's body" plotline. In this backstory, the character is from a universe that has lost its physicality and has become a purely metaphysical place of negativity, Like kingdom hearts if Ansem won.[be] The upside of this backstory is that the character would be Fomless, not having a physical body, and would still need Jiro to make them physical.The downsides are, It's PRETTY F)(king Edgy, like probably TOO edgy. Also, I'm not sure the character remains intact after that backstory, it's important that the character is: A cinnamon roll, willing to help out everyone, and enter into a faux-romantic relationship with Sailor Doom in an attempt to help her heal from trauma and I'm having trouble seeing how those personality traits would develop in, BASICALLY a void. Unless the character existed before "The Anseming" and had memories of their life.
3: School Kid
In this, the character is frozen and taken to the CJM verse the moment they're about to enter a school environment they are anxious about. Could be high school, could be college, but they're worried about how things are going to go. Obviously, after living through the CJM verse they are no longer bothered by their previous anxieties upon returning to their body.This intro is nice because it syncs up nicely with the character's vibe and has a LOT of open space to write anything else you need backstory-wise.
But it's BORING and involves school so I hate it.
4: Is just Jiro
In this backstory, the character is just a different version of Kikaider from a different dimension.the bonus is it keeps the Kikaider relations
the big problem with that is that theirs a preset concept of what Kikaider is about ROUGHLY, and I don't think that meshes up with the character's personality well.
Concrete Character details
Actions from entering the world to the Main story
If the World building stays as it is (as of 9/28/2022) Upon first appearing in the CJM verse, Ben will mostly lose himself in all the new sights and sounds and people of the world. The new technology and magic will fascinate him, and the fact that the world is primarily inhabited by Literally Heroes and Super nice AI robots will encourage him to be more outspoken than he normally is.In fact, he will become so engrossed in the goings-on of the CJM-Verse that for the first year or so he's a major player in its events, heading up explorations and scouting, integrating technology from different dimensions, helping people relocate and find shelter, getting infrastructure and supply lines up and running, and generally just trying to make everyone's lives as comfortable and functional as possible. This will probably earn him a reputation for being, super nice, caring, genuine (almost oblivious), and generally protective of other people and their happiness. This recognition could evolve into a full fledge following, with people looking to him for advice and leadership, and when he realizes this is when it all comes crashing down.[be] Up until that point, they were all refugees. Everyone on the sole planetoid inhabiting the CJM verse was lost, far from home, and in this together. But now, nearly a year after the entrance into this dimension, casts were beginning to form.
Some played with the finances of the business they were asked to oversee and made more money off them than what was expected. Not enough to endanger the planetoids' extremely limited resources, but enough to live more comfortably than others.
Others had become more outspoken than others and were quickly seen as politicians who could get things done on a grander social scale.
Some had become idols or creative stars through their efforts to keep the lost denizens of this dimension entertained, and their spirits light.
Others were seen as great minds, able to mold the technology and magic of this dimension to help everyone else who couldn't wrap their minds around it.
And a few were seen as heroes, champions strong enough to protect the populace from the odd dangers that seemed to spring up on this planet about once a week.
Around this time whatever following Ben had would EXPECT him to fill one or more of those roles based on his past actions.
Possibly even expecting him to run AGAINST Rollins in the election for Mayor, not that I think he would have won, but he didn't even try. When asked he thought there must have been some mistake and turned them down.
No. He would hear their expectations and immediately falter under the weight of them, thinking he could never be good enough to meet them. He wasn't a businessman, just someone who know how to find things and treat people. He wasn't a politician he just cared about everyone else. He wasn't a creative luminary he was just "Kind of funny". He wasn't a great mind, just a handyman. And he was no hero, just some unlucky person, stuck here like everyone else.
Under the weight of the world changing into a place with expectations and a status quo to meet, Ben would do nothing. With his in-action, his following would shrink until, by the time of the story proper, he faded into obscurity. Most don't remember him anymore, except for those whose lives he impacted directly (of which there are actually VERY many) and those he continues to help.
living situation
Ben followed Chris's lead and moved to Rollinsberg, Living in their communal apartment. [h2
Children
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