Ben

**Ben** is the creator of The Animation Group. His true origins are unknown, but he's here to stay. He is the sole perpetrator of The Bennening, and his favorite food is the fabled "Jalo-Panio" pepper.

### Powers and Abilities

Due to his ancient and mystical nature, Ben has many special skills. Some of these skills include,but are not limited to:

* Omnipresence
* Letting various types of bugs and other creepy-crawlies into other people's rooms

### The Great Catastrophe and the Jokes Gauntlet

On March 17th, 1963, a meteorite struck the planet earth in the small town of Cleveland, Ohio. Ray William Johnson, a local of the area, was alerted by the noise, and went to investigate. In the crater left by the meteorite was a glowing blue rock, imprinted with the face of a laughing man. Upon reaching to take it, his arm was instantly phased out of existence. Ben approached the now panicked Ray, wielding a large golden gauntlet with 6 circular holes on his right hand. With this hand, Ben punctured Ray's chest, ripping out and crushing his still beating heart. Ben, looming over the corpse and the meteorite, takes the blue stone, placing it into his gauntlet next to three other rocks of similar color; red, yellow, and purple. These rocks were the Joke Stones.

Cam, the keeper of the green Joke Stone, felt a disturbance and was alerted of Ben's presence. He got into contact with two of the other chosen heroes, Mit and Kira the Frog. It was their sworn duty to protect the world from any threat, inside or out, and Cam's mastery of his Joke Stone both put him at great risk and at a great advantage when it came to neutralizing Ben. Ben had convinced himself that there were too many artists in the world, making it difficult for some to find success above others. He was set on eradicating half of all living artists in the universe- and he knew he had to use the Joke Stones to do it.

Meanwhile, in Washington, a young Scrib was practicing for the upcoming 186th Annual Big Loser Convention and its yearly Splatoon 2 Tournament, when he was visited by his long-forgotten father figure, Ben, on the hunt for his stones. Ben seemed to harbor no ill intent towards Scrib, and invited him to a "special place" he knew of nearby. Scrib, not remembering the times he had spent with Ben as an infant, hesitantly agrees, and at the clench of Ben's fist, the two were transported to a pocket dimension. This dimension was the resting place of the orange Joke Stone, and unbeknownst to Scrib, Ben had to sacrifice something he loved in order to obtain it. In a breach of trust, Ben sacrificed Scrib by using the power of his Jokes Gauntlet to painlessly kill him. Upon performing this heart-wrenching act, the orange stone appeared before Ben, and he added it to his collection.

Feeling a stronger sense of danger than before, Cam and his protectors arrive in Brooklyn, New York to increase their defenses for the oncoming battle. Knowing of Ben's inevitable arrival, they hide the green stone away to a sealed off area, where no man would be able to track its location. Ben arrives to confront Cam, Mit, and Kira the Frog for the final stone. While their powers were great, they were no match for Ben's power combined with five of the six Joke Stones. He uses the power of the stones to effortlessly bring the sixth and final stone directly to him, completing his set and giving him unlimited power. At the snap of his fingers, a ghastly wind swept through the air. Ben's gauntlet whisked itself away in a beam of light after its use. While Cam, Mit, and Kira the Frog were unharmed, nearby artists Greeno and Scrump were less than fortunate- they melted to ash, their remains blowing away in the quiet air.

In a flash of light, the four combatants awaken in an empty hallway. Both sides of the seemingly endless corridor have doors of varying shapes and sizes. The gauntlet is physically nowhere, but it's presence is felt everywhere- they had been transported to the realm inside the gauntlet. The three heroes fight against Ben one final time, going in and out of the various doors that lead them to assorted pocket dimensions. Upon entering a room with a damp floor, a mossy rock, a wrench, pocket knife, and a Game Boy Color, the door behind them vanishes. The four use these objects to their advantage in the final fight against Ben. Cam, seizing the Game Boy Color, unleashes his spirit animal, Booster, granting him incredible power. The trio best Ben, and his wounds attract hundreds of leeches from all corners of the room.

Ben, unable to truly die, lives out the rest of eternity in this room, covered in voracious leeches. The three heroes are somehow returned back to Brooklyn. The artists Ben had willed away rise back to life, in their original states. While their jobs had been completed for now, none know when Ben may strike again.

### Legacy

Ben is a fervent polygamist - he does live in Utah. His many encounters with women over the years actually bore the entirety of Earth's current population, believe it or not.