#tbb discussion

[adh-d2]

Can we talk about Sami for a sec?

She's not the precocious kid. Not the one with the sweet voice who'll break your heart with their innocence, curiosity, and optimism.

She's not the defiant kid. Not the one who'll rage and fight and inspire you with their rebellious spirit.

But she's the one taking it upon herself to care for baby Bayrn. She's the one gently reminding them of how to keep out of trouble. She's the one trying to reassure the new kid that things won't feel this bad forever.

I'll always have a special place in my heart for the kids that aren't as noticeable as their peers. The ones making themselves as small and silent as possible to keep everyone else safe and happy. Don't worry. We see you too.

[chocochipjewel]

Okay yall Bad Batch finale aires in just under 12 hours and I have some finale theories to talk about! Hopefully I'll be able to post at least some rough art after the finale where I talk about the show some more but for now final theories!

I think CX-2 is Cody, it's too late for it to be Tech and it would be delightfully tragic if Rex or someone (who I think is definitely showing up for the finale) kills CX-2 and unmasks him after the fact or something

I think Hemlock did retrieve Tech's body and I think he's one of the experimental CX units who have not been released yet. But I don't think it worked. I want his sacrifice to mean something, so I want him to stay dead (even if my heart wants otherwise 😭) maybe his body is found, maybe he's never seen again, but I don't think he's coming back

I'm pretty sure Rex and his group of renegade clones will make an appearance, and I hope Phee gets a final moment to be badass as well. Apart from that, I'm hoping for no more extra characters cluttering the episode cause we already have so many loose ends up tie up here

I wouldn't put it past Disney to end the clone rebellion storyline on a cliffhanger tbh but I so badlyyy wish it won't be that way. Let their story end here. It will be sad but you know what that's better than the finale just being a tease for a future show. Let all the Tantiss prisoners break out and branch out to live new lives and die naturally as they deserve.

Now... for the actual Bad Batch itself

I'm certain someone is going to die. No one they're all making it out, not after all the teases and death flags. This isn't going to be like Mando S3 where the characters retire on some field for the rest of their lives (that's just for my fix it headcanons ❤️)

As for who, I've gone back and forth on this but I'm not sure. Every remaining member of the 4 troopers we have here have enough death flags on them and I've read compelling theories for all possibilities, including ones where they get Rogue One'd and everyone dies 😭

So I guess I don't really have a theory for this. I'm certain someone is going to die and I'm honestly scared for who it will be but I don't have a specific person yet. I'm leaning towards Hunter or Crosshair cause their conflict and relationships with Omega make the heart of the show itself, but I wouldn't be surprised if Wrecker or Echo died instead, or any other combination of the team members

Only thing I'm mildly certain about is Omega surviving. Disney Star Wars doesn't like to kill kids much. She's not 100% clear but least likely from my perspective. Plus it would end the show on too sad a note if the character driving the entire plot so far dies 😭 I can see a possibility in which she dies to delay Project Necromancer indefinitely, and it would honestly be sad as hell, but that's just it, it would be way too sad. I don't think the show likes being that dark, especially for its finale. And frankly, Omega's arc deserves to end with her finally getting to stop running and just live her life on her own terms.

Hemlock is definitely getting eaten by the Zillo beast while it destroys Tantiss and Rampart is almost surely making it out and turning a new leaf in my eyes. He's not any less of an asshole but he might just go live somewhere away from the Empire and away from the Bad Batch too.

Emerie is an interesting case cause I can't tell if she'll get the redemption = death thing or she'll make it out too. I honestly have 0 predictions for her. I can see her dying to save the force sensitive kids, but I can also see her making it out.

The force sensitive kids, clone cadets, Batcher, and Phee are probably gonna make it out and you know what good for them. They'll probably be the emotional support for the remaining members of the Batch (if there are any) to move on after this.

I am hoping and praying for no Boba Fett or Ventress or Vader or Palpatine cameo cause this is the last episode of the Bad Batch show and it should ideally focus on. The Bad Batch. The show already has too many loose threads. No more cameos please.

As for whoever survives in the Batch, my ideal wish would just be for them to retire to Pabu under a new identity or something and live out their lives. After Tantiss is destroyed, there would be no clones left in captivity. They can finally rest then. It would be bittersweet to see the end of their adventures as they knew it, but it's at least a peaceful end.

Anyways, that's all for my theories I think! Whether I end up being right or not, I hope the finale is actually good 😭 and I hope whoever dies doesn't make me TOO sad, just that sweet spot of devastated but in a good way 😭😭😭

I'll be reblogging this after I watch the finale with updates on whether my predictions were true or not, probably with a thank you post to the show, so I suppose this is it.

See you all on the other side, TBB nation!

[adh-d2]

This! This is why the finale felt like such a punch in the gut.

It's not just that he's gone. It's that he's been gone the whole time.

While we were shitposting and making fanart and joking about how obvious it was that he's under there.

While they were sharing cryptic memes and giving coy interviews about Tech's 'sacrifice', his 'decision', his 'anything-other-than-death'. While they were making Valentines posts out of his death scene ("I fell for you").

He's been gone the whole time.

It feels cruel.

The bad batch finale spoilers:

(In the form of a sad rant)

I thought I prepared for the worst, I was ready for if they brought Tech back just to kill him.

But this was worse.

All the parallels to Tech in this season and

He's gone.

He was always gone.

I was not prepared for the emptiness.

I have a Tech shaped hole in my heart.

[riyo-soka]

Star Wars protagonists are usually on the front lines inventing new and exiting ways to have daddy issues (what with the dead masters/parents/guardians, evil masters/parents/guardians, disownment, being a child soldier, codependency, and whatever the fuck Anakin was doing with Luke, Leia, and Ahsoka) but somehow Omega managed to become a well-adjusted adult with a supportive living father figure, which in hindsight is the most unintentionally hilarious ending the writers could have given her. Somebody get Hunter and co a 5 pack of “world’s okayest dad” mugs for breaking the curse after almost 50 years completely by accident

[tech-o-mania]

I keep thinking that Hunter can somehow feel Crosshair's presence or his gaze on himself. And the relationship between the older and younger brothers is the most difficult in the series. Does this mean that there is a special connection between these two? Definitely. It's like a bond of Force, only brotherly. I think those who have siblings will understand this (as I do).

The most amazing thing is that Hunter doesn't feel the same way about the other brothers, Wrecker or Tech. Although, how do we know? :)

[here-comes-the-moose]

Crosshair might have been a prisoner and a human test subject, but he kept his eyebrows groomed and maintained the whole time.

[the-bi-space-ace]

Feeling extra worked up about Crosshair and his relationship to loyalty today

[ilcuoreardendo-fic]

Yes. I can deal with a character being killed off. But if the social media teasing and the clues in the show all culminate in a "nah, he's truly dead, we're just screwing with you," take...that's beyond irritating.

Also, thanks for mentioning Joel Aron - I was starting to think I had dreamed that tweet...

The thing is if I'm wrong and Tech is in fact dead I'll get over it - I'll think it's stupid and refuse to acknowledge it because I think it utterly breaks the central narrative of the story but I'll Cope or whatever.

However, getting salty beneath the cut

The thing that I cannot bear, other than having to hear about how ~meaningful~ his death was (it was not, the writers literally sent them on that mission purely to drop him out of the sky, nothing else was accomplished and the characters have shown no significant changes rendering killing him an utterly pointless exercise if he is indeed dead) is the thought of having to watch more grown ass people that claim to have Consumed Media Before look me in the digital eye and tell me that Survival Plans Georg falling into clouds that completely obscure how far he's falling and what lies beneath, then explicitly not having a confirmed body or giving the heroes time to look for one, who was not referred to as dead on anything official even once until a week before the new season aired. And who has not been grieved an ounce since season three started. Was a clear and obvious death with no potential for a fake out.

Like I need this to be the fake out it looks like because it objectively looks like a fake out and trying to pretend it doesn't is ridiculous but yet every day I see a variation on this where we pretend that long falls with no view of the results aren't the classic fake death method.

[heyclickadee]

Screw it, I need to get this out of my system. A thought about the guy in the Clone X armor on Pabu:

So…okay. I’ve seen people pointing out that there are resemblances between Tech and the mysterious clone x guy we see standing in front of the Archium in the trailer. And, honestly, they’re not really wrong.

There are some very, well, Tech-like shapes to this guy’s outfit (the dotted lines are ones I wasn’t so sure about):

They’re not an exact match, because some of the line proportions of the similarities I pointed out are different, but the similarities are there. There’s even a similar effect—not shape, but effect—to the lighter green outline around the eyes calling attention to the area as Tech’s goggles had—the difference being that we can’t see this guys eyes behind the glass.

And, yes, this mystery man does have a really similar build. And shoulders. And general proportions. And there’s that freaking shin pouch. They gave him a shin pouch!

And then, of course, the basic silhouette of the Clone X helmet is very similar (not exactly the same, but similar) to Tech’s helmet, minus the visor and the ear cuffs:

Now, there are major differences as well. The Clone X armor is much more streamlined and less bulky than Tech’s; the pauldrons have similar proportions but a much more rounded shape; the breastplate fits a bit tighter and is also significantly shorter; the overall shape and muzzle of the helmet is very similar, but the Clone X helmet muzzle is about half the length because the covering for the eye-ridge area juts out that much farther, and it has more of a fluid “backswept” effect overall; he’s only got a few pouches, two, maybe three if the arm-band works as a pouch.

But the overall effect of this particular Ckone X character is that he reads as a somewhat Tech-shaped individual. And I have a few thoughts on this.

First, I do think this might be on purpose. Yes, the base armor, minus the shoulder and arm straps and the pouches, is basically identical to the Clone X armor we see in season two. I think it’s more or less standard issue to clone assassins and, apart from a couple little tweaks (again, the straps and the pouches), is not at all unique in that regard. That said, if the production team knew what the story was doing with Tech in advance—and I think they did, I don’t think this show was written from beginning to end at the start, because that doesn’t happen, but I suspect they had the major story beats outlined before moving forward—it’s possible that the design team used Tech’s armor as the template from which to derive the clone X armor for season two. I’m not saying that happened, but I am saying it’s possible.

Second, I’m not saying this is Tech. I’m not sure if it is. I’m leaning that direction right now, but I might lean otherwise in an hour or two. We’ll see. What I am one-hundred percent sure of, however, is that these shots of this guy are Grade A Tech speculation bait—and intended that way. I think we’re meant to speculate about whether this is Tech or not. The TBB team gave us absolutely no indication that Tech is dead for real, nothing final, just the same shot of Tech’s ambiguous fate with a Sad Filter, and then they offered up this very mysterious and Tech-shaped person standing in front of an emotionally poignant location. Whoever he actually is, even if he’s just some random guy, Mystery Clone X guy is here in the trailer to drive Tech discussion during the lead up to season premiere.

Third, if this is Tech, if that’s him, then I think the trailer is being incredibly misleading about what he’s doing there. It looks like this Clone X is leading a squad of stormtroopers in an invasion of Pabu. I’m not sure that’s what’s happening—the stormtroopers are probably there to wreck Pabu, but I’m not sure this Clone X is leading them or even on their side. I don’t think we’re getting an imperial or brainwashed Tech scenario, especially not with how late in the season this shot is probably happening. I think it’s a lot more likely that this outfit originally belonged to the Clone X guy we see speaking in the trailer, Tech jumped him, used the guy’s armor to disguise himself, added some pouched because of course he did, and then inserted himself into a situation to see what he could do to help out. And I don’t think they found Pabu because of Tech, either—the empire has plenty of other ways of doing that.

Fourth, if—if!—we do get a brainwashed Tech, I think it’s going to be short-lived and, hopefully, very different from Crosshair’s situation. I almost wonder if it’s going to turn out to be a bit of a schlocky b-movie mind control helmet situation (I notice that the Clone X from season two only took the face of his helmet off). Like the clone x helmets interface with the inhibitor chips somehow, and it doesn’t work with Tech, because he doesn’t have one, but he plays along so he can get something else done and have a chance to escape. Or something. I’m thinking out loud. Anyway, whatever happens, even if we get an imperial/brainwashed Tech scenario, I think he’s going to be fine and himself well before the end of the series.

Fifth, brainwashed Tech is probably my least favorite of the Tech-lives options. I don’t like it. But this show has a habit of getting me on board with plot choices I did not want, so. If they go that route, I’ll see how they do it, and evaluate from there. I still don’t want it right now, though.

Sixth, there are lots of reasons for it not to be Tech at all,

[bbgoffic]

While trying to write a conversation for chapter 10 of Disgrace (I'll get back to you on finishing chapter 9) I started forming a head canon that

✨Clones are absolute dog shit at guessing peoples ages.✨

Cause really think about it. They don't age even remotely normal. You have Crosshair (the youngest) who looks older than Rex (Trauma does that.) And then there's Omega, older than them, tiny baby.

I just feel like I'd walk up to them and be like, "How old am I?" and they'd be like: " You're clearly an adult woman, 14? No that...that wasn't a good face... 40? Shyte sorry, 21?"

[adh-d2]

I keep trying to tell myself that the writers didn't intentionally bait us. Then I remember things like 'domicile' and babes, I'm holding onto the benefit of the doubt by my fucking fingernails over here.

[lifblogs]

They watched the sunset together! While gorgeous flowers are before them in the shot.

[dinbeskarbaby]

I used to float, now I just fall down

I used to know but I'm not sure now

What I was made for

What was I made for?

Takin' a drive, I was an ideal

Looked so alive, turns out I'm not real

Just something you paid for

What was I made for?

'Cause I, I

I don't know how to feel

But I wanna try

I don't know how to feel

But someday, I might

Someday, I might

When did it end? All the enjoyment

I'm sad again, don't tell my brothers

It's not what they're made for

What was I made for?

'Cause I, 'cause I

I don't know how to feel

But I wanna try

I don't know how to feel

But someday I might

Someday I might

Think I forgot how to be happy

Something I'm not, but something I can be

Something I wait for

Something I'm made for

Something I'm made for

[tech-o-mania]

The time of writer's revelations

Today I want to tell you about one of my fanfiction.

You know, you write fan fiction based on your favorite fandom, but there are still some works that hold a special place in your heart. For me, this is "The end of everything" fanfic.

The idea for this fanfic came to me even before the release of the final episode. I thought that if Hemlock were to blackmail Hunter with Omega, it would be a good idea to write tragic fanfiction. And you can't even imagine my feelings when I saw this scene in the canon. OMG IT REALLY HAPPENED HEMLOCK IS BLACKMAILING HUNTER AND CROSSHAIR WITH OMEGA!😱 The climax was very spectacular, and having caught a huge inspiration from this scene, I literally wrote this fanfiction on May 2.

I love all my works equally, and I put my soul and emotions into them equally when writing, just like any writer and sincere fan of fandom. But this particular work seems to me to be the most qualitatively written and emotional. I think this is where I reached my writing ceiling.😅 Personally, as a rather self-critical author, it seems to me that other works are not good enough like this one.

If you're interested, and if you haven't read it yet, you can read it here. I'm just warning you: it's very depressing...

And yes, this is a brazen fanfiction advertisement😆🤭

Do you have any special works for you? :)

[sweaters-and-vertigo]

so i’ve seen a lot of people talk about the symbolism of omega leaving lula behind but i haven’t seen anyone talk about what tech’s goggles mean.

in the case that tech is CX-2 (which i think we’re all pretty sold on now), i think that leaving his goggles behind means the same thing as leaving lula behind. i think that both omega and tech are past their own “point of no return” and they’re in it together. because the goggles and lula are left behind in the same place while tech brings omega back to tantiss.

i know lot of fans want tech to “bounce back” but considering the likely brain damage from his fall along with the programming in his head, i don’t think we’re going to get him back. speaking from a realistic psychological standpoint, people don’t go through that much psychological trauma and come out the other end the same way. every person has a “point of no return” and i think tech might be past his.

i guess it just depends on how you want the human mind to be represented. personally, i would prefer a realistic representation. i’ve been through a lot of bad stuff and i changed a lot because of it. i nearly went past my own “point of no return” but i didn’t. my father did go past his. my father’s “point of no return” was when he unapologetically put my life in danger repeatedly for two days. do you see any similarities? and for a long time, we all held out hope he would get better but he never did.

if the writers are going to put a character through unimaginable horrors like what tech probably experienced, the true psychological effects should be there. anything else is just fan service at best but unfair at worst. whatever happens with tech/CX-2, i just hope they do it right.

an example of this being done correctly: powder/jinx from arcane. she had a mental illness, went through extreme trauma, then some more trauma, and then went past her “point of no return” at the end of season one. i love her and i relate to her character so so much. because she’s been through a lot of horrible things just like i have except when she reached her “point of no return” she welcomed it with open arms. it was heartbreaking and beautiful. i wouldn’t have changed it for anything.

EDIT: to be fair to the tbb writers, they did an incredible job representing crosshair’s trauma. i have shaky hands too, which people never get tired of telling me or asking about it. so i do have faith in the writers. ALSO SIDENOTE, i think that crosshair met his own “point of no return” that he didn’t go past. i think that it was when his commanding officer allowed mayday to die and crosshair killed the man. if he had simply continued following orders, we would have lost him for good but he came back to us. everyone has a different event or action that they can’t come back from. sometimes it’s a choice they make or sometimes it’s a trauma they experience but it is a real thing and it should be represented accurately.

[youmeanlikeolivegarden]

Alrighty. I’m late ik but finally watched the Bad Batch finale. I think I’m genuinely shocked no one died? I thought for sure it would be Crosshair especially after the whole “it’s what I deserve”. Which I’m super glad no one didn’t die but I think if they did decide to kill Crosshair off I’d be obviously upset but it would also be a good choice. Kinda weird how they just so randomly cut his hand off? I mean a lot of things were weird. I wonder if maybe they would’ve been able to do it better if they’d given us a 16th episode…. Also was anyone else getting Winter Soldier vibes when they revealed the clone assassin squad? The angle, the music… they could’ve been in cyro?? For a sec I genuinely thought they were bringing back Tech but I’m sorta glad they didn’t because that we would be way too rushed. I thought that whole scene and the whole idea was so awesome and kinda upset they killed them off minutes later. R.I.P Scorch, you shall be deeply missed my friend. I’m devastated that it’s over but overall, it was an absolutely amazing finale and I’m very happy with the ending. It means so much to me that Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair got to live a normal rest of their lives and now Omega gets to play her part.

Thank you to the creators for giving us an amazing show. 🧡

And of course thank you to all you amazing writers on Tumblr for giving us fanfics because I don’t know what I’d do without them.