chaotic-kitty

[chaotic-kitty]

One of the things that gets me about the whole idea of 'freedom' is that, you can never have full freedom. Your freedom to do as you please would take someone else's freedom in certain cases. The idea of full freedom is a lie. In order to live as peacefully as possible in a society, means that certain things have to be mandatory. Certain things have to not be tolerated.

While laws and morals change, there are things that as people we still chose not to tolerate for our own joint wellbeing. And holding people accountable for that is important. If someone doesn't want to be held accountable for their shitty actions, then they shouldn't do the shitty thing in the first place.

We as beings deserve autonomy and the right to live how we want, but not at the expense of others.

And in order to maintain a functional and healthy way of living, that means that sometimes people are going to have to do things that they don't like. Or deal with things they don't like. It doesn't mean you don't have freedom. And these people going around preaching freedom for all, are getting you to buy into an idea where, in the end, you have no freedom. Your freedom is thinking you have freedom while your rights are stripped away. And that, that is not freedom.

Regardless of religion, ethnicity, age, gender, ECT, we are all still the same. We have to find a way to live together. But shipping people off because you've been fed a lie, that is not their freedom. Making un-informed decisions about other people's bodies, that is not their freedom. Preventing people from affirming their gender, that's not their freedom. Stopping consenting parties from loving who they wish, is not their freedom. And it's not yours, either.

Freedom ≠ asserting power over people. Freedom is how you choose to live your life and make decisions that affect you. Freedom is not you controlling other people, because that then removes their freedom. Which goes against your own beliefs.

There are times where intervention is needed for the "greater good". But, intervention ≠ mass deportation, death/murder, removal of autonomy, imprisonment, silencing of life, removal of educational institutions, removal of medical help/intervention, ECT.

Regardless of what you believe, or what "side" you're on, these are not the lengths we should be going to to intervene. If something is wrong, if you're genuinely concerned about something, there are conversations to be had and actions to be taken that don't harm other people. And a conversation goes both ways. A conversation, a progressive, proper conversation is not yelling facts at each other and forcing the other person to agree with you while you don't listen to them. If you wish to start a conversation, you have to be ready to open your mind, to actually talk, to listen, to learn, and to know that you may find you're wrong. And yeah, being wrong sucks. But, it's not the end of the world.

The societies we live in do not benefit any of us. Even though they greatly benefit the 1%, the men, and white men, they also don't. We are all victims of the patriarchal societies we live in. We are all victims of the religious trauma that continues to permeate our lives and governments. We are all victims of generational trauma and misinformation. We are all being hurt by the way we function. And that is a problem. But suppression is not the way to fix it.

Just like the suppression of emotions and memories, suppressing those who you believe to be the problem, will not heal you, or society, and will just cause things to fester.

All sides of society are right, things need to change. They have for a very long time. But, we cannot change to benefit everyone if nobody is ready to actually accept change and have the hard conversations. It will not change if we can't all listen and find common ground. It will not change if we can't all take accountability.

Freedom can exist, but not at the expense of others. And we can change the world, but not through violence and suppression. We cannot have singular sources of power leading us, we have to be in it together.

[chaotic-kitty]

Edit: I GOT MY ANSWER. THIS IS SOLVED NOW!

CAN OBEY ME TUMBLR FANS PLEASE HELP ME IM SO CONFUSED!!

I was doing a replay of the first lesson of nightbringer, after only recently replaying parts, and this time around MC has amnesia?? They don’t remember Solomon, Barbatos, Dia, the brothers, their own magic and pacts, just…nothing??? That wasn’t like that when I was playing recently. So I don’t know if I was somehow playing an outdated version, or, if this is a recent change. I can’t find anything about it.

Edit: And even that mysterious text chat at the start of the lesson is different. I only replayed that recently, too, when going through all of the character messages. The original text has them showing the MC a picture of the brothers and asking if they knew them. There’s still a pic of the brothers in the new chat, but there isn’t any words about it? And the rest of the chat is different. And ofc, lines between the MC and Solomon in the start are gone/changed. An original one I remember is when outside the HOL, when you meet up with Solomon, originally there was a dialogue option saying something about how you had a relationship wit Solomon that went beyond Master/Apprentice….and that’s also gone ;-;

Please help. I feel like I woke up in another reality (genuinely).

[chaotic-kitty]

LITTLE BEAN

Ariadne and baby Thoas

[chaotic-kitty]

Please sign the petition!!!

[chaotic-kitty]

How hard is it for people to *not* spoil things?

I'm so sick and tired of seeing Bridgerton bookies coming on social media (mainly IG) and plainly spoiling the book plots with no warnings in site, telling people who *haven't* read the books that their hopes and theories are wrong, leaving cryptic comments that all but spoil things, and so forth.

There's really no need. Just because a series is based on pre-existing material, doesn't mean that people are free to spoil it for others. Not all of us have read the books yet, we are experiencing the story for the first time like this.

It's just basic consideration. Are people going to be upset in future storylines? Probably. Are their hopes and theories going to be wrong? Partly. Are they going to be excited for future moments and characters? Absolutely. But! That's for us to experience when it comes. Its what any piece of media is about. Taking that experience away purely because you've already experienced it is just awful and makes you an ass.

Find somewhere else to do spoiler talk, don't ruin it for everyone else.

[chaotic-kitty]

I remember starting these in 2022, but what better time than the present to finish the wedding set

The charms really were beautiful

[chaotic-kitty]

Some gay men really put 0 hours of work into unlearning their hatred of women’s bodies and anatomy it’s embarrassing. Like i’m super fucking sorry that you’ve got a pussy ick thing going on but i got over it after like one conversation with a friend and you’re 29 years old publicizing your pussy ick on twitter dot com dot gov posting about how super fucking hard it is that trans men are also in gay bars and that’s Not Valid because ewwww they have vacheena which is the opposite of gay eeewwwwwww! And you have to let everybody know that you’re gay not because you like men but because you hate pussy so much it makes you transphobic. Like how can you even continue to serve cunt in such a state

[chaotic-kitty]

Reblog is this is a safe space for the identities theses flags represent pls follow too

Hehehe I’m a demiboy <3

[chaotic-kitty]

fuck it homebrew boop button. reblog this post to boop the person you reblogged from.

[chaotic-kitty]

Dying on the delulu train and nobody can stop me :3

[chaotic-kitty]

The Impact of Tech’s Sacrifice within the Fandom

An analysis of why it sparked so much controversy and possible solutions on how that could have been avoided.

A Disclaimer about this analysis:

Before I go into detail about how Disney handled Tech’s death in both Season 2 and Season 3, I want to clearly state that I love the Bad Batch.

This story and the characters grabbed my heart instantly and S1 got me through the darkest years of my life after my brother passed way. The amount of gratitude I have for those who put this beautifully animated series goes beyond words.

My analysis isn’t an attack on the creators, writers, animators, etc. I believe that many episodes throughout all 3 seasons are some of the best written stories in all of Star Wars. The animation itself is awe inspiring and the soundtrack is a work of art.

However, one can still love a show while also having valid criticisms.

This analysis is strictly concerning the nature of Tech’s sacrifice in the series. The questions of why it happened, when it happened, how it was handled, and what was the detrimental affect on a particular group within the fan base were all factored in.

I have placed my personal feelings aside for the sake of offering a fair assessment of Tech’s sacrifice within the series. With complete neutrality, I have spent a great deal of analytical thought regarding the controversy and it has allowed me to provide a few alternate solutions to how it could have been avoided.

The heart of the debate:

After the conclusion of season 2, Tech’s sacrifice has become one of the most emotionally painful losses in all of Star Wars and started one of the most heated debates within the fandom.

Is he alive or did he really die on Eriadu? After analyzing every scene and dissecting the overall narrative within the Bad Bad Batch, there was plenty of evidence that it could be interpreted either way.

Tech’s sacrifice was undeniably heroic. He gave his life without hesitation in order to save both his squad and his family. It secured their survival and thus their eventual success in season 3. There could be no greater act of love.

Neither side of “Tech is alive or Tech needs to remain dead” would deny this.

However, the fact remains that the circumstances surrounding Tech’s sacrifice did spark debate regardless. Therefore, I’ve come up with a few possible ways that Tech’s sacrifice would have less room for speculation:

If a batch member died (permanently); placing it within in the 3rd act, not the 2nd

Having all Batch remain alive until they were reunited. This allows the fractured family to reconcile and fight together before any member is lost. It heals the wound of the fractured family and gives the catharsis of seeing them finally all on the same side.

Having a canonically neurodivergent character, who also gets an unfinished romantic story with a WOC right before they are killed off, will always cause a deeper introspection to why they were chosen to be sacrificed. Removing all intentional/non intentional aspects of having a sacrifice interpreted as “shock value” would help alleviate that concern

The manner of which Tech died was too ambiguous for many viewers. In real life, Tech would never survive a fall from that height, but this is Star Wars. Characters survive impossible situations all the time. In order to reduce speculation when a main protagonist dies, the death needs to be clearly shown on screen. The fact that there was a huge debate after Plan 99 proves that insufficient evidence was provided

This is not a universal sentiment from all fans, but the lack of sufficient payoff or closure led many of them to believe Tech would return. They were awaiting official confirmation that was yet to be revealed in season 3 that would solidify if he was still alive or really dead

Combining all of these factors, here is how the story may have unfolded:

If the stakes needed to be raised in Season 2, having one of the main protagonists severely injured, enough to cause viewers to fear they may die, would still require the Batch going back to Ord Mantell for help with AZI.

The betrayal by Cid would still happen and Omega would still end up captured; thus leaving us with the same cliffhanger of Omega being ripped away from her family. Having a character still clinging to life and Omega being taken would certainly quantify as raising the stakes for ACT II.

As hard as it is for me to admit this, Wrecker would be the obvious pick if Tech was slated to die later in the series. This would have given Wrecker more focus for season 3 character development should he be hindered in some way after the injury.

Season 3 would start out exactly the same; the Batch hunting for Tantiss’s location and Omega. Omega would have the same time skips and bonding with Crosshair and would still escape and reunite with the Batch, Exactly as shown.

The reunion, however, would allow the entire Batch to reconcile and learn to work as a team again. Tech could have solidified whatever feelings he had for Phee during this time. The Batch would seemingly have won but trouble would still be on the horizon.

The series still goes on as originally planned, Omega would still want to free the clones they left behind on Tantiss. Since Omega and Crosshair both have knowledge of Tantiss, the Batch would all be summoned to Teth in order to aid Rex with this shadow operative. Unfortunately, this would once again place Omega and the Batch on the radar again because CX-2 would still be dispatched to Teth…etc etc.

The Batch would realize Omega was being targeted and therefore, the plot of Ventress could also carry on. (Though I’m pretty certain Tech would have known what an M-count was).

So now we get to the mid point of Season 3 where a sacrifice would have built up to a larger payoff.

The Point of No Return would be a perfect place for this option. It was the turning point to when everything goes wrong for the Batch in Season3.

By this time, the viewer has been led into a false sense of security. Having a main character death here would have proven just as shocking and emotional as it did at the season finale of season 2.

Tech and Phee would have already solidified their relationship and would have had the kind of emotional moment Kanan had with Hera had in Rebels. Tech’s death could have been just as unexpected and shocking as Kanan’s, as well as having a similar completion of his story arc.

Also, creating a Plan99 type sacrifice while on Pabu may have been able to clearly define his death unlike how he disappeared into the clouds. Omega would have still witnessed his sacrifice and the viewer would be left with zero ambiguity of whether or not he survived.

Continuing down this path, we would also see Omega’s reaction to Tech’s sacrifice just like Plan 99 and could have immediately set her towards the decision to give herself up in order protect her family and the island inhabitants. Basically two huge sacrifices happen. Stakes would have definitely be raised.

In the episode that follows, Tech would be given proper mourning; perhaps a funeral of sorts on Pabu.

Even though Omega had unfortunately returned to Tantiss, the closure in Tech’s death would have been equal to the weight of his character importance. Having his story arc with Phee resolved and seeing the Batch fight together against the Empire, may have lessened the sting of a neurodivergent character being the only one who didn’t survive after the finale.

This alternate direction in the story, would also mean that CX-2 wouldn’t be a mystery box. One would be led to believe that the shadow operative was clearly a metaphor for “What Crosshair would have Become” without having the the possibility that CX-2 could be Tech.

One could even argue that it would have created more emotional impact on the mental struggle of crosshair when the mystery box element is removed from the equation.

The rest of the season continues on as normal. No changes; not even the beautiful epilogue.

What if Plan 99 stays the same in Season 2? What other directions could be taken to avoid viewers from speculating?

How would one maintain Tech’s sacrifice; only adding slight differences that may have enhanced the narrative?

The mission at the summit could have either been a success to increase the payoff or have been given more time to ensure proper closure. This could happen in a few ways:

Tech sacrificed himself to save his family but the mission itself failed. Not having a successful payoff allows viewers to draw a conclusion that all the character buildup for Tech and the entire plot of the finale was to kill off a character to “raise the stakes.” Whether it was the intentional not to do so is irrelevant. Many in the fandom interpreted it as such.

Having some part of the “mission gone wrong” still ending with some success allows the thought of “at least this good thing happened” and the audience experiences the relief of knowing that something came from it beyond Tech’s sacrifice.

Think of Cassian and Jyn in Rogue One. Even though their sacrifice was heart wrenching, Cassian and Jyn’s sacrifice immediately led to the Death Star plans reaching Princess Leia.

Tech saved his family in Plan 99, which was heroic no doubt, but the failed mission had the viewer go through an entire third season in order to experience the payoff that the survival of his family eventually led to them defeating Hemlock and retiring on Pabu.

The second option is that if Plan 99 and the rest season 3’s plot is keep exactly as it is, to include more clear and concise emphasis on the characters grief and mourning from the remaining members. It would allow the viewers may also process the loss and grieve.

As it stood, after a few tears from Omega and a drink from Wrecker at a bar, the Batch was immediately rushed into being found by Hemlock and Omega being captured. Many complaints online stated that Tech’s death seemed like an afterthought by the end of the episode; especially after Emerie’s bombshell reveal was introduced.

Another direction one could take to alleviate any hope or confusion over Tech’s death was to remove the ambiguity. In Star Wars, having any character “fall out of sight” without being clearly dead first; especially in Star Wars, will always lead to speculation.

If Tech had experienced an ending more like Fives, the viewer witnesses his last breath and it removes all doubt that he has died.

How would any of those options look applied to the story:

Starting season 3, avoid moving straight into a time skip. This would include showing Omega telling Crosshair about Tech as well as Hunter and Wrecker telling Phee. Seeing the reactions of important people in Tech’s life, who wasn’t present during Plan 99, would allow the viewer to know how much he was missed by everyone.

Another possible scenario is a reflection scene, much like Crosshair’s moment with placing Mayday’s helmet on a makeshift memorial.

Perhaps the entire Batch standing behind Omega as she placed his Goggles in the Archium. Many in the neurodivergent community have expressed that Tech was only mentioned whenever his skills were missed. Having a few words about Tech’s character and not just his skills, may have resonated more with people who related to him. If anything, just to take some of the edge off for the families and young children watching.

Wrapping up:

This assessment was to examine how Tech’s death was handled within the season and how other directions within the story could have alleviated some of the speculation and dissonance within the fandom surrounding Tech’s sacrifice.

I’m not trying to persuade anyone to change their opinions on whether if Tech should be alive or stay dead. My hope was to offer a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding Tech’s sacrifice and how that fueled heated debate.

It is completely possible to watch Season 3 and see CX-2 as a misdirection. It is also completely understandable to see CX-2 as as a mystery box reveal that he could be Tech with the clues given.

Either way, it remained a debate and distraction after the finale of season 2 and all the way to the end of season 3.

Tech said it best, “Understanding you doesn’t mean I agree with you.” People will always see the world differently. No matter how Tech’s sacrifice was presented, there will always be those who feel it was the wrong decision because Tech meant more to them than the majority of the fandom. Their grief and feelings are just as valid as those who disagree.

No one’s grief or sadness should be made into a joke, ever. You may not understand it, or agree with it; but like Tech said we should always “respect their decision.”

Star Wars is about hope and the stories found within touch us all in different ways. We bring our own unique life experiences and connect to the story in ways that are deeply personal. Fictional characters do hold weight into the real world because of this.

A personal note:

I will always love Tech. He will remain one of the best and bravest characters in the entire Star Wars Universe.

However, I do wish that there had more clear and direct confirmation regarding Tech’s sacrifice. Being neurodivergent and “processing moments and thoughts differently,” made me see parallels and patterns that kept conflicting; driving a mystery that my brain desperately needed to solve.

Now that the Bad Batch is over, I’m relieved to have that mystery officially closed; even if I had to say goodbye to the one Star Wars character that I connected to the most.

Ironically I lost my brother, (who was my only sibling), on the same day Plan 99 aired. Now that Tech’s death is officially confirmed, it’s hard to know that March 29th is also the day Omega lost her brother too. We both have had to carry the weight of having a brother whose life ended too soon.

I have yet to reach that feeling of acceptance with losing both my brother and Tech but I’m sure I’ll get there. Tech lives on through Omega. My brother lives on through me. I still wish they both survived long enough to grow old and share moment moments with their families. Still, I’m thankful for the precious time we were given with them.

So to everyone…

Be kind to each other. Reach out often and tell those you care about how much they mean to you. Try hard to remember that we are doing our best to survive in this world together, so be kind and compassionate to those who are struggling.

And as always.. May the Force be with you.

[chaotic-kitty]

Omega hugging the Batch

Bonus:

For @smw-on-kamino 💗

[chaotic-kitty]

i did this at the end of Season 2, so let's do another for Season 3 !

[chaotic-kitty]

I'm still annoyed that they killed Tech, but, at the end of the day, I'm glad they did it the way they did. His sacrifice showed more about his character than anything else, in some ways. It was an act of love. And a death like that, was the most fitting for him if he had to go at that time. It's not the death he deserved, but it's one that he willingly took for his family. And while he wasn't there to enjoy it, and while it could have been avoidable, it was still a sacrifice that put them one step closer to their freedom.

[chaotic-kitty]

Mixed media van gogh style painting of venice,italy. 4.5inx7.5in on watercolor paper.

Zoom for details I'm selling signed prints i think ? Dm if you want one.

[chaotic-kitty]

.....what?

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the episode/set up - which is entirely possible - but, I figured the episode featuring Ventress was more there to let us as a fandom know she didn't have any real force potential, even though she has a high M-count. I figured they figured we'd think that, so they included a storyline to let us know that isn't the case. Then again, I suppose the ending was left a tad ambiguous. But man, force wielding Omega would be interesting, but like, she's also soild as is. I don't see the need to go down that route. I guess we'll see.

But also, tragic fate? Who says she's gonna have a tragic fate?? Don't jinx her😭

[chaotic-kitty]

Talking to (info dumping on) my partner just now about Tech, and man, I'm forever going to be salty over how his death went.

If they were gonna kill him off for emotional impact/shock value, they could've at least done something more with it. They had all of this material they could've worked with to create an episode in memoriam or just include in the episodes we had. Like:

Omega telling Cross about Techs death

Wrecker and Hunter telling Phee about Tech (especially given what their last interaction + implied relationship was)

Shep and Lyanna learning of Tech's death

Echo telling Rex about Tech

Everyone also finding out about Omega's kidnapping

Seeing how Wrecker and Hunter dealt with mourning Tech while also searching tirelessly for Omega

Seeing how Omega and Crosshair dealt with mourning him while being held captive

How they all dealt with the loss when they were together again. Like giving him a proper memorial or something

There's just....more they could've done to acknowledge his death and the impact it would've had. Hell, Echo got more focus in some ways when he left the BB and he didn't even die. And they could've framed the episode in so many ways, too.

This wasn't just some random person. He was a main character, a brother, a beloved member of the squad. He deserved a bit more. Especially as it felt like the only times people brought him up were when they could've used his knowledge. And there was more to him than what he could do for them.

Had he been revealed to be alive somehow, maybe it would've been a bit more understandable. But he didn't. If they truly wanted more impact and shock, imagine how much more our souls would've been crushed, and our hearts ripped to pieces, had we gotten an episode or something showing the stages of shock and grief they all would've gone through.

And the thing is, this was still a creative choice that was made. Sure, higher ups could've interfered but like, why? If you're going to kill a character or put them through something, the least you could do is to do the storyline justice. Especially as his death only saved them for a moment before they were ultimately put on a path that they were. And it honestly just feels cheap and like a waste. All of that character growth and teasing of romance just to be killed off - via a sacrifice that was avoidable had they thought things through more - and tossed aside to allow for a dragged on storyline next season. :/