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OV Slapback — Description
Hey, everybody! I'm back! What has it been, a coupe months since I've submitted anything (of course, if you look through the comments, I've been here recently)? Ah, anyway, I suppose this was inevitable, and not just because OV Shock Rock is by far my most popular piece (which I still don't understand). Someone was probably bound to request/commission it at some point, so I might as well get it out of the way now, right?

Like Shock Rock, I have mixed feelings about Slapback. For a while, I didn't like him, and not because he was part of the Reboot. In my mind, an alien/hero/whatever should only have duplication powers if creating clones offers them a better chance of survival (herding behavior) or if creating clones allows them to use their combined strength and numbers to overcome obstacles - my mine problem was with the added effect that Slapback gets stronger and heavier the more he duplicates himself. You could basically send a single clone to, say, stop a runaway train, rather than having to rely on a large number of them. In my mind, that kind of defeats the purpose of duplication powers, but in the end I just stopped caring.

Ah, well. Onto the facts!

Name: Slapback

Species: Ekoplektoid

Home World: Ekoplekton

Powers/abilities: Slapback is capable of duplicating himself to an unknown degree when his back is struck. This can also be accomplished by himself by applying sufficient pressure on his own back, such as jumping backwards into a wall. The clones are not linked in any way and can act independently from one another. At any point, the clones can unanimously fuse back together into their original form.

Each clone is smaller and stronger by a proportionate amount. This can be repeated until an Ekoplektoid clone is as dense as a blackhole, though this hasn't been tested for obvious reasons. The density and durability of each clone also increases with each duplication, to the point where a clone could easily survive at the bottom of the Challenger's Deep.

Weaknesses: Slapback was unable to control his duplicating power, as each strike on his back forces him to duplicate unwillingly. This became less of a problem as Ben and, by extension, Slapback, grew older. A duplication can be forced however, if sufficient force is applied, such as being dropped from a height of a hundred feet or more.

The combined weight and mass of each set of Ekoplektoid clones may cause issues to his surroundings. If enough of them get together in a certain location, their collective mass and density will be enough to create a black hole.

Since each of the clones have their own sense of individuality, Slapback can end up fighting himself if incensed. Furthermore, all of the clones must be merged together in order for the Omnitrix to time out to transform Ben into another alien.

Ekoplektoids can't swim.

Etymology: Slapback's name is a combination of the words "slap" and "back", which reference both his powers and an actual slapback, which is a kind of doubling echo with relatively long delay between repetitions of the sound; this allows the individual echoes can be perceived. This, in turn, references Slapback's duplication capabilities.

Trivia: The species' name could possibly stem from the Latvian "ekoplekt", which means "eclectic". This is a synonym for something that is diverse or broad, once again referencing the species' duplication capabilities.

Slapback's name was collectively coined by Kevin and approved by Gwen and Rook. Even Dr. Animo, whom they had been fighting at the time, agreed that it was a better name than some of the alternatives that Ben had proposed.

The Omnitrix is located on Slapback's back. CreaturemasterProds was originally going to move it to Slapback's belt, as with a majority of Omniverse transformations, but decided it was best to remain somewhat true to the Reboot series.

Unlike his appearance in the Reboot, Slapback does not wear a mask. They are instead natural, black markings on his face, like those on Arctiguana.

Ekoplekton was once a lush, tropical world covered in vast rainforests with an abundance of wildlife. This quickly changed when the Ekoplektoids evolved their duplication powers in order to get in edge over rival clans of their own species. Like army ants, they devoured everything in their path and in order to support their exploding numbers until the species had reached a point of unification. By that point however, the entire planet had been converted into a global metropolis in order to accommodate the population, leaving specially-designed biodomes as the last remnants of their planet's ecosystem. Because their numbers are so vast, the Ekoplektoids rely on a global subway system in order to get around, as they believe roads are a waste of space that could be better used for housing.

The Ekoplektoid species is one of the most numerous in the entire galaxy, due to the fact that most of their species are unable to properly control their duplication abilities. While each clone is exactly like its clones, down to a genetic level, this means that the population is continually growing at an alarming rate. To counteract this, the species has multiple 'holidays' where they see to the task of merging their entire population's duplicates back together, known as 'Unification Days'. These tend to take a very long time, as clones can only be merged with those that share the same DNA, making the process a rather arduous one.

Ekoplektoids are often hired out as work forces by species in need of manual labor. This has often led to squabbles between the two parties, as Ekoplektoids believe that any duplicate that is produced on the job should receive the same benefits as them, including pay. Naturally, this leads to issues with inter-galactic labor laws, which have yet to agree on a solution.

Ekoplektoids have no natural predators, as their tremendous numbers and extensive use of territory have driven them to extinction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ben 10.
Ben 10 is owned by Man of Action and Cartoon Network.
I only own this interpretation of Slapback.
Do not use without my permission.