#RvB: Hero Time

[ovcii-doodles]

The Director always said it was important to have ambition, Captain Tucker. We are the Meta, and together we will be strong enough to save your friends.

meta tucker gang we've waited almost 10 years for this (I made the quote up btw)

[leonardalphachurch]

the fandom often talks about tucker as if he’s an amazing father and like, i don’t want to challenge that (because i think the dichotomy of good parent/bad parent is meaningless) but i do want to point out that tucker has very much NOT been present through a lot of junior’s life. and obviously there are some very good reasons for this but depending on how much time you think has passed and how you interpret junior’s development speed he potentially went his entire adolescence with little to no contact with his father.

and to be very clear i’m not saying a parent being unable to be present in their child’s life makes them a bad parent.

but i do wonder how junior feels about it.

[ndn-craft]

I’m still on the floor sobbing over the “I don’t wanna die.” line. The delivery HURTS because you can hear the moment he realizes oh fuck this is actually happening because you can HEAR the desperation and fear for such a split second before he kinda makes peace with it.

But it also messes with me that he only actually becomes vulnerable to them all A, about dieing and B, that he only wanted to protect them all once he gives them the final information about how to use the the elytras. Once he fully realizes he’s fully done all he can for them all and now all that’s left is his quickly coming death.

YEAH YEAH YEAH

I don't have much to add cause I'm still grieving /j but I agree with all of this

[feroluce]

I have been informed by a mutual aid that you are a henghill enjoyer. You've single-handedly gotten me to care about Gepard and I would love to hear your thoughts on Cowborg Menace x Dragon That Can't Catch a Break

Aaaaaaaa I'm really flattered!! I have also been informed by a mutual aid that you have good taste (read: rvb enjoyer) and I need you to know that part of the reason I treat Gepard the way I do, like messing with him constantly, is because he makes me think of Wash. Poor dude was doomed the moment I got my grubby little mitts on him sksjkskdjd

But anyway yes, henghill! They really got me by the throat out of nowhere in 2.2. They're just. Surprisingly sweet?

The two of them get along very well, they see eye to eye on a lot of matters and have some similar mannerisms, they can hold long conversations together, and they have a shockingly swift understanding of the other in a very small amount of time! Platonically or romantically, there's a lot to dig into there. ♡

And I do mean a lot this basically ended up becoming a big long ship manifesto I'm so sorry zmjzznkdjd

Like first of all they're both fucking nerds over each other. Boothill's adoration for the Xianzhou alliance is already well-documented in his About Dan Heng voice line, and is appropriately pointed out in the fandom as sounding gay as all hell.

We know what you are, Boothill.

But then! He further cements it by trying to use Xianzhou sayings in front of Dan Heng haha

Not only that, but Boothill was able to recognize the Jade Abacus of Allying Oath for what it was like immediately, and instantly took it as proof of Dan Heng's identity as a Nameless. The validation of the Xianzhou is clearly a huge deal to him.

And Dan Heng plays it cool but like. I don't think he's actually much better JFKLASJDKL

The in-game Data Bank, which is supposed to be written and maintained by Dan Heng himself, has a pretty positive glowing review of the Galaxy Rangers.

And I feel the need to point out that like. The Galaxy Rangers are essentially a vigilante justice group..."group" being a pretty loose term, there isn't a whole lot of organization in there. Not everyone has a very good view of them because they're outlaws and there's a pretty wide and wild variety of individuals in the mix there, Boothill even confirms it as such.

And that archive entry is a hilariously stark contrast to the one for the Masked Fools, who Dan Heng does NOT seem to respect. So you can tell he puts a lot of his own opinion into the data and you can really see where his preferences lie KFDLAJFKLD

He does let his fanboy slip when Boothill first announces himself as a Galaxy Ranger though, just a little bit haha:

They're like the equivalent of when your favorite big name fandom person follows you back, you feel me fjkdjasflkdjskal

Which. I feel like it does make sense that he would really idolize the Galaxy Rangers and see them as heroes. Dan Heng is someone who was a victim of centuries of wrongful imprisonment and political power plays, and it would have been way worse had Jing Yuan not gone above the preceptors to protect him. He is someone that the system failed, and horrifically so. Of course he would like the idea of righteous heroes who stand for justice and travel the cosmos freely to help people.

And as @hydrachea, CEO of Dan Heng Enterprises and Super Genius with Giant Wrinkly Brain pointed out, this background DOES lay the foundation for Dan Heng to relate to Boothill a lot. You see this displayed beautifully in his Keeping Up With Star Rail video, where Dan Heng gets really protective of him, I adored it so so much. ♡

In it, Dan Heng not only comments that he originally came because he thought he was giving a presentation on how to be friendly with Boothill, but every time the IPC tries to paint him as some violent dangerous ruthless criminal, Dan Heng speaks up to explain his way of thinking and to defend him. It was really sweet!

And Dan Heng is protective of people anyway. He serves as the Guard of the Astral Express for a reason. He had nothing and no one before Himeko took him in, and now that he's found companions to love he is viciously defensive of them. You see it in the way he guards March 7th during fights on Jarilo-IV, in how he goes out of his way to bring important info to the trailblazer, in how he left the safety of the Express and infiltrated the Luofu because he was terrified he was going to lose them. But there's maybe a little extra layer of Understanding in the way he so persistently speaks up in Boothill's defense.

And I'm sure that this is a part of him that Boothill really admires, too, because Dan Heng also displays these instincts in Penacony. He makes the decision not just once, but twice, to use the Jade Abacus to save the Express Crew. And we know from Boothill's earlier reaction to it that like. The Jade Abacus is a Big Fuckin' Deal. It is something of immense value. Even with everything that's at stake, Boothill urges him to really make sure he wants to use it.

And this was something that really got me in the heart later, because! In Ena's Dream, Dan Heng once again decides to use the Jade Abacus, and. I'm not quite sure I can effectively put it in words, but there is something just so so sweet in the way that Boothill tells him no, Dan Heng should keep it. This is a get out of jail free card that could save his life down the line, he wants him to have it in case he finds himself in danger again later.

It really gives the feeling that Boothill actually wanted Dan Heng to not have to rely on this before, but there was no other way at the time. But now there IS something Boothill can do about it, and he wants to do something about it. A sorta-kinda "let me protect you this time"-ish feeling. If that makes any sense. He doesn't want Dan Heng to have to make that sacrifice.

Because I think Boothill would consider that a really admirable and respectable action, especially given his background. The IPC eradicated his homeplanet. He lost his parents, his siblings, his daughter, his home all in one fell swoop, and he has been on a fully dedicated revenge quest ever since. How could he not be a little awed by someone willing to give so much to protect his home and his family?

I think it's something the two of them understand in each other, because as it shows in the dialogue the first time Dan Heng decided to use the Jade Abacus, Boothill caught on immediately. He already knew what Dan Heng was planning before he even said so. And it's not even the first time he does that! Even as early as their initial entrance into the Reverie, Boothill is able to tell when Dan Heng is stressed, why he's stressed, and he backs off and gives him space without any fuss.

And it works! After the Express Crew are safe, they go from Dan Heng correcting him to more just kind of going with Boothill's flow, and I feel like this is a much better basis for their interactions.

Also I'm crying about Dan Heng blabbing that the trailblazer is a vessel of a Stellaron, gossipy little dragon fjdkasjfdklsaj

Like the two of them just GET each other! And so quickly and easily! It's ridiculous! Dan Heng is able to explain the methods behind Boothill's madness. Boothill is able to read Dan Heng like a book. They both had the same reaction to learning Acheron was a Self-Annihilator. They both really believe it's just fine and normal to have a weapon out if you don't trust someone yet- Boothill pulled his gun on Acheron the second he saw her, Dan Heng got his spear out and poked Sampo the first time he met him (valid). And they both act Like That because they're similar flavors of wary and cautious. They had to prove their identities to each other when they first met before either of them could relax.

They're both frank, and blunt, and will openly call shit out or question it when they see fit. They both believe in answering the call to action, and share a lot of their ideologies of The Hunt, like upholding justice and saving the innocent and protecting the weak. Boothill lives to fuck over the IPC and keep them from colonizing more planets like his, Dan Heng didn't even consider his own wants and asked to go to Edo Star to help the population there. They take their creeds seriously, and dedicate themselves to them, enough to be offended by imposters. Dan Heng dislikes Boothill claiming to be a Nameless, Boothill was literally hunting down Acheron for parading around as a Galaxy Ranger.

And all throughout 2.2, Boothill displays an immense knowledge of Paths and Aeons and even Emanators, and Dan Heng is a huge nerd an archiver and a collector of knowledge. The conversations these two could have!! They've both been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things, and I think Dan Heng especially would love listening to Boothill's stories and then adding them to the data bank. They can probably relate on rough travel, too- Boothill refers to the Astral Express as "bunkin' in luxury" and Pom-Pom once said Dan Heng was "used to sleeping on the rope." When March 7th takes the trailblazer to look for Dan Heng, she even phrases this as though he and Boothill have been talking together for quite a while!

Hell, even when they awaken in Ena's Dream, they arrive together:

They were together for almost the entirety of 2.2; literally the very first scene of it was their introduction. They only truly separated when Dan Heng went to help in the fight with The Great Septimus and Boothill to gather the Rangers (and then go shoot Aventurine full of holes fjkdlsajd) but! I'm really hoping we'll get to see more of them together in 2.3! They were a really cool duo, and it was so fun to watch them all through this update, I really want to see more of them now and explore their relationship dynamic more! ♡

[rubykgrant]

Gravity Falls edit, based on the ones done by @leonardalphachurch, an RVB-GF AU, with Tucker as Wendy! I was just kinda playing around, not sure if I could actually DO this with MS Paint and a mouse, but then it turned out OK? So, here it is! Tucker has been through some hard times in Weirdmageddon, but he really rose to the occasion, a hero of the apocalypse~

[grif-hawaiian-rolls]

Anyways the “essay” about the energy sword to character development pipeline below the cut

Ok so like yea tucker-crunchbite-junior is, obviously, the first instance of the sword-quest-companion theme/trio that im like, rattling in my head rn

Tucker finds the sword, crunchbite shows up and theres the “quest” that challenges tucker both in the false intent (you need to be the hero) and the true intent (SA leading to Junior which is not handled well but it IS important) which is a push against tucker’s character thus far in that he’s the comic relief, make everything a sex joke archetype— he doesnt take it seriously, he doesnt see himself as important beyond getting just enough recognition to be “hot” and now he’s made to be the so called “hero” and the true plot puts him in the one position that he probably never thought could be him. Bc he wants to get laid so… yeah. Pushes his character if you give it like three seconds of critical thinking and not just the standard “haha alien baby bullshit” (that said, i do enjoy fics that explore crunchbite more and play with the potential of the “joke” shitty character into someone less sinister, but im doin my best to stick to canon rn)

And JUNIOR, oh man, because theres the thing that really solidifies this for me like

The dude who doesnt care doesnt bother is all jokes and ‘man whatever’ energy is a dad, and it starts with him trying to avoid it but he really fucking quickly steps the FUCK up for Junior and its the start of his development that people are like “oh he learns to be a leader on chorus” which i mean kinda yeah but he never struck me as a Leader even on Chorus even tho he does decidedly lead, its not the same as when kimball leads or when wash leads or carolina

He’s leads as a dad bc he is a dad

Not always a good one, but he’s trying and yea sometimes that means being the asshole, sometimes that means screwing up but it also means you fucking care and you take responsibility and you put yourself in danger first (the rescue mission, leaving the lieutenants behind)

And that doesnt start on chorus! Its the most evident there sure but

it starts with junior

It starts with him going after tex to protect his son, it starts with him trying to be a diplomat so they stay together, in sending junior away so he is safe while tucker buys time protecting the temple, it STARTS with him looking at church and going “leave my kid out of this” and yeah the way rvb was written and approached does Not take that seriously bc it wouldnt and if it did it would be a very different show but the implications are there and its acknowledged with tucker’s photograph of junior with his 5th grade basketball team (“i know right? Who carries actual pictures anymore” -tucker) which i could go on about THAT too but suffice to say its very clear that tucker cares so gd much about his kid and yeah his character development isnt super linear but you can basically pinpoint when it starts with the sword and junior

The second run of this trio of things is actually grif which is admittedly, a stretch, a big ol reaching for straws (okay, TECHNICALLY grif is the third run, but i’ll address that in a minute) largely a stretch bc grif… does the pattern backwards

This IS S16 stuff so if ur a shisno paradox hater i respect that, i however am gnawing on it with everything i have and will be going feral so this is your warning thank u for reading the tucker side of it mwah appreciate ya

Anyways

Grif does his plot backwards during timetravel shenanigans

He gets the alien companion/friend who contrasts his character first in Huggins

Grif is a loyal friend, but he is lazy, even after s15’s breakdown and apparent change of tune, he’s still looking to take the path of least resistance, avoiding the call, trying to keep things from moving

Enter Huggins: zippy, full of energy, excitable and just so different in that she is not only so proactive she puts herself in danger (which helps everyone in the long run/plot but its the principle) but shes so fucking lonely

As far as she knows, her family is dead, except for muggins who is so dettached from her, he might as well be a coworker and not her brother

Compared to grif, who has a family even when he tries to push them away (the reds, the blues, KAIKAINA) but hates taking action

Huggins is the start for grif’s arc of “it sucks but someones gotta do it” which in their case is best shown as the trudge across the bottom of the english channel which is so fucking funny to me but it really pushes both of them and puts them firmly in the friends category

Huggins cant zip ahead without grif, grif cant stop moving because huggins wont let him, so they find their little balance of gas vs brakes and together they cruise along p well

The actual push of the “quest” is grif having to be the one who steps up (kinda like tucker but its to the left) he’s the one who starts getting everyone together again across the timeline, even if he is very,,,

Well he’s very Grif about it, but it is still fundamentally, the change in character

Tucker isn’t a always good dad, Grif isn’t always a good instigator of action

But theyre trying and theyre working on it and grif’s arc suffers a Little from being so late in the show and thus not having much of a parallel to pull on but you could argue he gets the parallel from s15 anyways with the refusal of the call (from fake church/loco) and rescue mission but i hesitate to call that a parallel bc its literally back to back but an argument could be made for it which i love

Enter part two: the alien quest giver

“Wait wasnt that huggins”

NOPE huggins was alien companion! The Bestie in grif’s case,

The alien fetch quest comes from atlas, in that stupid wishing sequence but cmon it wouldnt be rvb if the character development wasnt sandwiched inbetween obnoxious gags and stupidity

The quest is less important here admittedly bc again, with grif doing this in reverse its not the challenge to his principle character that it was for tucker, his connection to huggins was the challenge, and this becomes the final push into the development, the “you have a role, now play it” that gives grif the final shove into Doing Things literal!! And his prize? For this character development arc? An alien sword

And thus the inverse version reaches an end, sort of (im pissed that technically he loses his sword, im also ignoring that he loses it in canon bc he fucking earned it okay this is a bit of canon i will ignore and loophole my way around it)

And now we track back to Chorus and to the second iteration of the sword-quest-companion plot

Locus

Now okay i will admit this is conjecture and pepe-silvia-on-corkboard-with-red-string fuckery at this point but hear me out okay!

He gets the sword with Felix’s death. We know this. What we dont know is how the fucking hell he gets off Chorus! We just see him show up later with A’rynasea. The vaguely alien (maybe sentient?? AI? Its implied with the way he addresses her but we literally have her for like two episodes) ship that seems to be the driving force (literal) (bc shes his ship) behind his chosen redemption arc where he pushes himself to help others at no apparent benefit to himself, but because it is, and i quote “the right thing to do”

Arguably, Santa could be Locus’ quest giver, seeing as how he is the one who triggers the whole shift in view for Locus in the first place and that is, technically, what crunchbite does and what atlas finalizes for grif! But the problem is we simply dont have enough of A’rynasea to draw the parallel between her and Locus as personalities, as companions for it to work for me??? But that might just be me overthinking? But it does make Locus’ version is a bit messier depending on who you consider his quest-giver but as far as I’m concerned, he’s still on his quest snd its just up to interpretation if A’rynasea is his companion?? or if theres a secret third alien for Locus that we never wouldve seen even if they planned for that bc its red vs blue and im just delusional about locus and his role in plot and this is just me firing concepts blindly into the sky at this point like - yeah i could still theorize what kind of companion characterization i think locus would work well with bc its more about the wielder than the companion in this sense (sorry junior and huggins i love yall i promise) but thats a completely separate rant at this point and not nearly coherent enough at this exact moment to add it PLUS its ridiculously self indulgent and only marginally canon compliant/adjacent but i will never not be amused by this very specific plot beat happening enough to draw these parallels, as tenuous and vague as the parallels are

[slyvester101]

Now look, I could just make the rvb cast whatever power ranger color I wanted based off of the colors of their suits in the original show and call it a day, but it’s so much more interesting if I use official power ranger lore to pick their suits.

For example, Tucker is the Red Ranger. He’s the leader, the tactical planner, the one with the angst that motivates him to fight and train and do the best he can, the one who motivates the others when they’re feeling down, the first one to run into battle if it means saving someone, if it means saving one of them, even if it means sacrificing himself. But he’s also hot-headed and brash and doesn’t always think things through all the way and needs to be reeled in by his team a lot.

Caboose is Yellow, chipper and friendly guy he is, it’s only natural. He’s their heavy hitter, but also their heart. He reminds them of the things worth fighting for, keeps them from getting too lost in the violence of it all. He’s a bright spot, sometimes literally, in the drab world they are constantly finding themselves in (he is very good for Tucker too, since he knows how to cheer him up when he’s feeling sad about Wash).

Similarly, Donut is Pink. He’s their enthusiasm, the mediator, the one who always wants to try talking to the bad guy before they beat their asses into the ground, the one who’s compassion is often mistaken for weakness (which couldn’t be farther from the truth). He’s the one who’s fully doing this for the greater good from the beginning, taking on the charge of earth’s protector with honor and glee. But he’s also just as likely to get wrapped up in the hype of the battle, to get way into his head with all the hero shit. He’s also the one who will lose all battle prowess the minute one of his teammates get hurt.

Church is Green, the one who has to learn how to take this seriously, the one who has to learn just how his actions impact people, how his slack and how his stubbornness against improving (both as a ranger and as a person) hurts himself and his team. This starts as a game to him, a quick one and done that he can leave the minute it gets too much, but then the realization of just how important their role as rangers is settles in and it freaks him out. But he’s also their caution and calculation. He comes up with plans with Tucker, can notice little things about opponents and use it against them. He acts all nonchalant about it, but he’s a key component to taking down a bad guy and polishing up the hectic plans Tucker often brews up.

Grif is Gold (“It’s fucking orange!”). He’s their voice of reason and Tucker’s second. He’s also pushed into fighting since his sister lives in the city and he can’t let anything happen to her. He keeps everyone on task, keeps them from getting into their heads with the whole hero schtick. He reminds them that they’re still normal fucking people trying to save the world, so they’re gonna mess up and make mistakes so just accept that and do better next time. But he also complains during training and annoys the fuck out of Tucker because it takes him like, two tries before he masters something before he decides he’s done and leaves. Just wait for the day when Grif will have to try a bit harder to get the results he wants and cowers away because no matter what he says, he’s scared of failing.

Simmons is Blue. He’s their wit and the one who figures out how to do the power ranger ability shit first (it’s on accident, but still). He’s not always good at the abilities or using the weapons, but he does almost always discover them and teaches the others how to make the combined final weapon they can use to destroy the villain of the week’s first form. He’s also the one who tries to upgrade their shit and makes the Red Battlizer form for Tucker. He may not be the strongest or the fastest or tactically savvy, but he can make things like this and can blast a bad guy back with his new ion canyon without getting into close quarters. He promises he can be useful, just give him a chance. 

[jade-kyo]

For all my bitching and complaining… that last bit with Wash and Carolina and the Freelancers was… comforting. For someone who grew up with this show and Rooster Teeth it has been really hard to watch it all fall apart these past few years… these people raised me. And it’s hard to feel so disappointed by the very thing that made you who you are… but that’s now. Things weren’t always like this. There was a time RT and RvB was the most important thing to me. My hero’s. And the effect it all had on me still matters. Those memories matter. And no matter how bad or disappointing things got in the end… I can always remember those first 13 seasons that changed my life. I can always remember the reds and blues who helped me define my sense of self. I can remember what they mean to me. Red vs Blue may be over but the memories it’s gave me will follow me till I die. I can always remember at nine years old my brother showing me the Tex vs the reds and blue fight and laughing my ass off at it. I can remember always watching over my brothers shoulder when they were watching it. I can remember how they always quoted it. I can remember sitting down at 15 and deciding to watch the show fully for myself. I can remember how my jaw dropped at the alpha reveal and I actually had to take a full 30 minute break to go scream outside for a bit. I can remember how Wash instantly became one of my favorite characters. I can remember how it took three whole rewatches for me to get the “I thought it’d be bigger” penis joke. I can remember how I cried when Caboose walked out on Church. I can remember how I hated Carolina at first but then slowly grew to love her even more than Tex. I can remember how I forced my best friend to watch the show just so I could prank her with sad fanart once she finished s13. I can remember how I grieved Church for so long after finishing 13. I can remember how I secretly themed my entire bedroom after blue team. I can remember how this is the most emotionally attached to a group of fictional characters I have ever been and probably ever will be.

So yeah I’m gonna bitch and complain about all the shit I didn’t like, what else would you expect from someone who calls Church their favorite character? But I’m also going to always remember what made this show so special to me in the first place. Thank you Red vs. Blue for being my favorite show ever. Of all time. I will always remember what it means to me, the joy it brought me, the comfort, the hope… after all

Memory is the key

[jaydexbg]

Aite, Jay's thoughts on Restoration now that the emotional dust has settled.

My non-spoiler thoughts are... it's okay, a love letter to the series? No. A love letter to fans? For the most part.

No shade to RT, Burnie or anyone who worked on this, they did what they could, and had time for. This is going to be loooooong as its my full summary of the movie as a long-time fan, RvB is my special hyperfixation/interest. Spoilers below the cut.

Alright, to start. I personally will believe that s14-17 are cannon, and that Restoration is a simulation/Jax movie/AU/Alternate ending./what have you. I believe this for many reasons, but let's get the Big 3 out of the way first.

1. Sarge's death. I understand it's inclusion, and I understand that with the anvil and steel boot of WB it was hard to produce something of immense quality. Sarge had been a consistent key player and many of us expected this.

But his death was... wrong. It didn't feel impactful, he didn't die a Sarge death. While the reasoning was good (saving Caboose) the execution and runtime made it feel sloppy and just a plot driver(barely). He deserved a much more heroic send-off, and this comes from a avid Red Team supporter, so this should have impacted me. If Sarge had a proper heros death (and the movie had more time), set in a similar vein as Church (or even like he would have died to Meta in s8) then I think I would have had a lot more feelings, and I think it would have also allowed me to accept it much easier, I'm not insanely upset at Sarge dying(however I still would prefer them all to be happy), im upset at how it was handled.

2. Doc's death. Alright, this one peeves me a bit. I LOVE the idea at play, I personally even think it works with Wash given their history in S8, it is a really good reveal. But this also means Doc, an integral character who's been there since Season 2. Doc, who had been the most mistreated and abused character--and JUST got over being overshadowed by O'Malley in universe(S17)... died off screen. And that alone makes me not want to take this as cannon.

It was a moment of "WHAT??-wait." I like Doc, I like all the characters of RvB, but Doc dying off screen after the battle is not it. The Matt Hullum double kill is arguably funny, but I won't stand for Doc dying like this. Sorry.

And 3. The one that bit me the most, hold your sighs/tears; Grimmons. I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that Grif would leave Simmons, or that Simmons wouldn't go with him. These two characters have been joint at the hip since episode one, they have been through EVERYTHING together. There is a LOT of subtext behind these two, Grimmons barely felt like a fan ship, if they revealed the two were married the entire time I wouldn't have batted an eye.

I don't like their ending. They should have either both went to earth, or both stayed in Blood Gulch. I understand Grif's entire thing was hating the military, but he loved his friends, he cared so much (saving Sarge MULTIPLE times despite Sarge still always bullying him, agreeing to go with Sarge and Caboose to fight the Meta even though he didn't have to, him throughout all of the Chorus Trilogy, and this is just the stuff that is cannon no matter what.), and I don't believe him simply being dismissed would have him leave, he stopped being apart of a proper military when Project Freelancer shut down, and while he was apart of Chorus they'd clearly been demoted/let go since they were ranked down to Privates in Restoration. (I also believe S15 handled the idea of them being moved after S13's ending far better)

And while I don't mind Simmons coming into his own as a leader, he dosent... have a team? They abandoned Lopez, Sarge is dead, Donut is an Admiral (likely for the UNSC), and Grif left. The Blues only have Caboose and Tucker. Carolina and Wash are likely going to go back to the hospital to let Wash heal (which is another thing). So its just Simmons, Caboose and Tucker alone in Blood Gulch? Doing... what exactly? Fighting? This is not a good ending for any of them and it barely makes sense. Id honestly have preferred a "where are they now" segment to this ending.

With those out of the way, lets go over a small lighting round of stuff i didn't like;

Wash felt like he was just there to tell us Doc died, and to get Carolina to the final fight. If you removed him entirely and just said "Carolina has been tracking Meta" nothing would change.

Carolina's inclusion felt like someone threw a cyan bolder into the script, her entrance being a homage to Maine's entrance in S10 was cool but she appeared out of nowhere.

I refuse to believe that after all of this none of them would be checking in on Wash, that man has been the glue of the Reds and Blues since he joined the team and I REFUSE to believe they would just dump him at an institution, however this is especially insane for Carolina. She would be with him every second.

Tucker was INSANELY underused, his moments of breaking through Sigma's control were good, but Tucker felt like he wasn't important. He should be, he should have been the main character of the story, he is the main character of Red vs Blue to me (after Church).

The way Lopez and Sheila were just abandoned is disrespectful. Its in character, and the whole gag but for a final season I dont want a gag like that in a finale. I wanted to see Lopez at that campfire scene imagining him not talking but enjoying the reminiscing. That would have been so sweet and nice. This also applies to Sheila.

The lack of Donut outside of a mention of him being an Admiral and the silly memory of him from Simmons is outrageous. He is a main character, we established this in S17 and retcon or not, he earned that development and it should have remained.

Grif was was insanely angry in the beginning, I imagine this more as Geoff because his performance throughout was probably the best of the movie. He's taken RTs closure hard and I completely understand him being upset, so this is barely a complaint.

Alright... with the negative out of the way, lets talk positive! i wish I could say my positives outweighed the negatives, but unfortunately that isn't the case, however I do have two big standouts.

1. The campfire scene. This, this scene alone is what adds a chunk to the positive section of my feelings. It was the scene that really gut punched me, the moment I heard Ed Robertson's voice I crumpled into tears (I am a HUGE Barenaked Ladies fan). The pure bittersweetness of watching these characters who have been through so much together finally taking a serious moment to reminisce is all I ever wanted from RvB. I wished with all my heart that Tucker, Church, Sarge, Donut, Doc, Lopez, and Sheila could share in it, who knows maybe Sarge and Docs ghosts popped by to listen. But, this is to me, what I wanted.

2. Agent Texas. This was good, this was REALLY good. The bait and swap to have Caboose bringing Tex back and not Church was good, and especially nice development from Caboose despite how rushed it feels. The kicker of this though? this Tex was not the same Tex as before. That reveal that this Tex was not based on the Directors memories of Allison's failure, but instead based on the Reds and Blues memories of her beating their asses is ACTUALLY insane, and a genius twist. And her getting her black armour plus the playing of Round One/Bullfight got me more hype then I was ever expecting to get from Restoration. I also believe that Tex finally being remembered properly and being able to move on with Church was heartwarming and very much deserved.

My negatives far outweigh the positives, but the positives are so good, and with it being the finale of 21 years worth of content I cant in the right mind say I dislike Restoration. I don't like it as the ending to Red vs Blue, call me bias (my favourite season is 15) but the trade off of development for the characters between Restoration and Shisno is just not worth it for me. Say what you will about the Shisno Trilogy but you cannot ignore that it gave us the much needed development for many characters, Grif and Donut standing out the most. While the "god"-plot is far fetched and out there, and I've heard that Tucker was character regressed in s16 (which I do not believe and will die on that hill but thats a topic for another day), or the inclusion of the Blues and Reds putting a wrench in some lore I still don't think it was all bad enough to warrant a retcon entirely. Who knows, maybe this was all planned from the start, or it was just because of WB. But this ending is not satisfying to me. I won't say its a bad ending, if I didn't like Shisno so much and never bothered to watch it I'm sure as a direct continuation from S13 I would have a much more positive look on it.

I also do believe that Burnie wrote it in such a way that you can decide for yourself if S14-17(and 18 if you enjoyed it) or Restoration is the cannon ending and to that I respect it.

So in short, my review of the final piece of official Red vs Blue content, is that its okay. A lot felt OOC, and plot was rushed and messy, things felt like they were all predetermined and not driven by the characters as is RvB's biggest strength. It was far too short and even still I generally don't like retcons. But for what it is, and the positive moments it brings I still think its good. Not cannon to me, but I will definitely be taking points from it into my personal cannon post-s17 (Admiral Donut my beloved, you would be so cool if you actually showed up).

[robotlesbianjavert]

wouldn’t the league escaping ruin more themes or something? it’d make the todoroki family lives even more hell and i don’t know if hori would do that to them. not to mention what the japanese fans would think. all i wanted was the villains to be treated humanely and given mental help while serving time not this sad sack ending.

well i guess given that main theme of bnha is that the government/legal system/police-as-heroes have ultimate moral authority and can't be too questioned or undermined, then yeah you're right, it really would have broken the themes of the story.

but i think if you're just looking at the ideas of like, heroes as sources of inspiration who can change hearts, or opposing worldviews coming to an understanding, or (if one may be so foolish) that heroism has to extend outside of its legal & professional constraints/you have to step outside of what's considered the 'norm' to do what's right, then there was still room for the league to skip out on being arrested, but having been deeply changed by their experiences and relationships with the heroes, go on to choose a different path. hence being pro-let's be vigilantes endgame. though maybe i'm just too enamoured by locus rvb to be unbiased there.

[heroictoonz]

Thoughts on season 17?

So I talked briefly about s17 last night in a 2am haze here are those rambles but I'll try to give a whole debriefing on my opinions here (spoilers ahead obvi)

So, honestly, going into s17 I was very skeptical. I hate s16 with a passion even rewatching it last night to do this little 'finally finishing the show' thing I'm currently doing. I also have heard a lot of people talk about how Tucker was done dirty in these ending seasons. And I'm the kinda guy that does his best to hold of on having opinions on stuff I haven't personally watched cause I just don't think anyone can realistically have a strong opinion just based on other peoples thoughts and words. Buuuut it still didn't put much hope in me that was for sure lol

Going in though I was, admittedly, pleasantly surprised. It wasn't, like, amazing but it didn't suck! And it was FAR better than s16 and at this point that's all I can ask for lmao. The first thing I wanna talk about is, obviously, Tucker (lol) and his whole thing in s17.

So, like most RVB seasons, s17 is the continuation and end of of the time travel arc thing so it's coming off of s15 and s16 but mostly s16. Now, I'm actually gonna go ahead an preface all this with saying I fucking HATE time travel in media it almost always gives me a headache and I will talk about that at some point but I wanted to get that out of the way here.

SO Tucker. My guy of all time the dude of always and forever. He got probably ones of my favorite arcs of all time for a character especially in RvB seconded only to like the Freelancers. And I've talked about how much s16 basically turned me off the show for a LONG while and most of that was because of how they were writing Tucker.

S17 is not nearly as bad here. So they actually give a reason to his weird ass behavior in s16 and where I don't think it was perfectly executed it made it a lot more bearable for me, honestly. It put more context as to why his personality did almost a complete 180. It also gave me the time to really pick apart what they were clearly trying to do with him. Like having him work through his masking he does for his insecurities and still processing the whole hero arc he got a few seasons back. That's all super interesting I just do wish they'd have done it better.

But I will say; TUCKER IN THE LABYRINTH? TUCKER IN THE LABYRINTH??? FUCKING HELLO???? Like. No one said anything in the episode really. But like. My brother in christ he had a panic attack and then passed out on the fucking floor cause he watched his friends disappear and didn't know what to do or how to get them back. LIKE OH MY GOD??? Like Chorus we saw him get pretty frantic about the others being 'taken' by the Federation. So he gets pretty obsessive when someone is missing it seems but for his greatest fear that the Labyrinth used to try and get him to kill himself was juts? A fear of being alone??? That's insane. Like lots of people fear being alone! Lots of people fear their friends and family leaving them! That's normal ish enough. But for Tuckers fear to be so fucking strong that the AI believed it was enough to kill him?! DUDE WHAT? THATS INSANE! IT MAKES ME ACTIVLLY CRAZY WHAT THE HELL! I think blowing up is the only way I can cope with this thanks

Also, speaking. Of Tucker. UM THE TIME FRAGMENT HE HAD TO FIX? THANKS. THANK YOU. THAT WAS SO PAINFUL. THAT WAS FUCKING FOR ME PERSONALLY. THEY DID THAT SHIT FOR ME. No joke that happened and I fucking scrambled out of my bed and ran to my qp's room like STARRRRR and I'm over here like climbing into their bed and half to tears about to sob like a clown just like "STAR STAR THEY DID THE THING THEY DID THE THING ITS FRECKLES SHAKE STAR STAR HE HAD TO RELIVE FRECKLES SHAKE STARRRRR" and they're like "... yeah?" (<- They have seen like two seasons of this show and have no idea what the fuck I am on) BUT LIKE DAMN HIM HAVING TO SABOTAGE HIS OWN TEAM TO MAKE IT TURN OUT THE WAY HE NEEDS IT TO FIX THE TIMELINE. FUCKED UP. ESPECIALLY TO LEARN HOW FUCKING SCARED HE IS OF SHIT LIKE THAT EXACT SITUATION HAPPENING? FUCKING AWEFUL I LOVED EVERY SECOND IT WAS AMAZING BEST DECISION SINCE SLICED BREAD HOLY FUCK!

So, uh, yeah they made up for s16 at least for me :)

ANYWAYS. Other parts I loved: so like, fr? The time travel in this season wasn't as bad as other shows. It was p easy to grasp and the whole "reliving events to fix those points in time" actually made more since than most bullshitted time travel plots (I'M LOOKING AT YOU NINJAGO SEASON 2 EPISODE 6 WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME. IM LOOKING DIRECTLY AT YOU) so I did really appreciate that. Also them jumping through time like they were doing especially when Donut was with Wash? FUCKING AMAZING. It was like genuinely hysterical them continuously going back to the point where he shoots Donut and Donuts like WHY DO I KEEP DOING THIS??? It's great peek comedy especially when its Wash that brings them back to that moment n hes like oh fuck im so sorry its GREAT

ALSO MORE OF THE FREELANCERS !!!! I LOVE THEM!!!! I love seeing our silly guy Wash interacting with the other Freelancers. Wash and Donut in this season were literally perfect. I loved them befriending each other and being silly together. Donut and Wash adventures are honestly the best part of this season actually.

Also WASH AND CAROLINA THIS WHOLE SEASON OH MY GOD. OHHH MY GOD. They make me so insane this season watching both how they started and then how they had like their mini breakup but came back together CAROLINA CALLING HIM HER BROTHER FUUUUCKKKK ITS SO EVERYTHING TO ME MAN THEY ARE FUCKING FAMILY DAMNIT

Speaking of family DONUT FINALLY GETTING RESPECT FROM THE REDS N BLUES! HOLY SHIT!! I've always hated how sidelined Donut got cause I love him I think he's great. But like, they pretend like he's so forgettable or not even there. And having TUCKER learn his character development in this season from DONUT and him and Wash telling ppl like no assholes listen to Donut he knows what he's talking about he can lead us THAT FUCKED ME UP THAT WAS SO GOOD ILL BLOW UP

I do, however, wish that Donut had more self respect. The whole "they may hate me but theyre till my friends!" bit was kinda not great LIKE if it had come in AFTER some of the stuff between him and Wash or him n Tucker then that would be fine but idk it felt weird that Donut chose the reds n blues over Chronos in s16 finale to me like it would make more sense if he was like nah fuck BOTH yall but we still gotta save the planet for me at least and then coming around like woah wait yall do care about me? n the apologies n shit

Speaking of apologies fucking Wash being like "you are all going after him and saying youre sorry" was so funny hes such a dad

HMMMM ALSO CAROLINA'S BIT IN THE LABYRINTH!! THAT WAS ALSO SOOO GOOD not to be insane but when she talks about having people in her life and that makes her stronger the camera is specifically showing Tucker and Wash behind her and this is where I blow up I just explode I cannot cope WAH

There's like just so many good character moments like with Grif and Kai in her Labyrinth god that was so so so good. And Huggins and Grif was also the perfect of all time as always. Huggins and Grif are so good I love them.

I will say another negative admittedly was how hard Kai had it out for Tucker like when they were trying to snap him out of the time thing and out of the Labyrinth idk like I'm sure it was all for laughs but it felt like when they had their talk that things were gonna be better for them like as friends obvi not as an item since she shut that down. But then like idk it felt kinda off to me but also the whole s16 thing just made me SUPER put off on any Kai and Tucker stuff in canon material. I LOVE the idea of them being friends I used to hc Tucker being super super close w both Grif sibs and I personally still do! But the show eh idk hard to explain ig lol

the TLDR is i liked it! it wasnt perfect but it was waaaay better than s16 and i had a good time either way !

[im-a-mint]

wheel!

okay so it's! an interesting one!/pos

though I'd usually write fanfic, I'm genuinely not that confident in my skills to write fanfic on any of the rvb characters like at all. I have no clue how they work. to me the series is genuinely just a bunch of dolls who came to life and a camera was present so.ya

but! I can kind of think a couple things on them and I think it might actually be a pretty good pair if you ask me

north always felt very blue to me. I've talked to some of my friends about a hypothetical where the freelancers end up having to choose between red or blue, no exceptions, and north always struck me as a blue or someone who would work pretty well with them since he always struck me as someone who's a very good mix of easygoing while also caring a lot for those around him and being kind of protective over them. not in an explicit way but in the way he was insistent on south to turn on her trackers during the stealth mission; he wants to keep her safe like that, even if it can come off as pushy

tucker, as other people have pointed out (I think it was actually @leonardalphachurch ? but I'm not too sure if it was a reblog or what) isn't a trusting person, but somebody who wants somebody to trust. he kind of attaches himself to certain people that way; the way he had his trust on Felix is an example of the way he kind of works like that. tucker also being generally more Out There (?) if it can be put that way is also relevant to his dynamics as a whole

putting north and tucker together I feel could be the best for the both of them in a way. north is somebody who spent a lot of his time with south and her temper, with York and his humor, and with wash and his incompetence when he was younger, so I feel he would actually like tucker and his humor and the general way he behaves and not have much of anything against it in any ways. in the same vein, I feel he'd be able to be like that kind of nice where it's like they're your friend but also telling you to tone some things down in a way that doesn't make you feel unappreciated

tucker would also have basically the perfect someone to put his trust and money towards in the form of north. I fully see tucker trusting north a lot in the way he trusted Felix before just that this time it's actually true and not set-up for a betrayal which!! yay!!! good things for tucker he deserves them 🩷

overall I think they'd work pretty well together, romantically or otherwise. the biggest points of contention would probably be North's protectiveness over those he cares for and Tucker's whole deal with being the hero and, thus, putting himself out there and in danger since they're things that outright reject each other, but even with this issue I feel they'd be able to work it out in a way they both still get to feel the way they do but also not hurt the other. tucker could probably develop into not seeing himself as disposable or the only one capable of dangerous heaps and the hero and to Actually ask for help and open up while north could learn to back down when it comes to how he protects and cares for others and to trust them when they say they've got it

but yeah these are my thoughts on em 👍 again I don't feel confident in my understanding of the murder Skittles to really feel like I'm doing an accurate analysis on either of them but I did my best during a bumpy car ride

thanks for the ask!!

[fishfingersalad]

big post of all my random rvb au ideas and some hcs, decided this was more reasonable than making like 20 different posts.

Hc the freelancers who die are like submarines that go missing, officially still out on patrol. Florida is the only freelancer that is officially gone from the program. A rumor starts that the freelancers suits are in some way connected to the us states so people think that when florida (state) blew up, so did Agent Florida's armour killing him in the process

 (I'm an ace Tucker believer) Y'know how Tucker gets charged child support for a bunch of kids post chorus? I don't think he has any kids outside of Junior. I think a bunch of people who got pregnant post temple of procreation were like shit idk the kids other parent. Uhhhh. Let's just say it was the rich famous planetary hero guy who claims to have slept with everyone. He probably doesn't even remember the people he's slept with. And then Tucker, asexual who has had sex one (1) time and realised he didnt like it very much, is stuck between revealing to the whole goddamn planet that he doesnt actually fuck, and paying a billion dollars of child support.

In an everyone lives no one dies type au I think Donut gets Maine, Locus, South, and Wash to come to his wine and cheese hour and he does their makeup and their nails.

Au where Sigma is just so fucking invested in getting Maine and Wash to date that he doesnt do anything evil. "Agent Maine, I think you will find this course I have signed you up for quite informative" Sigma this is a couples wine and pottery class "Oh look, is that Agent Washington over there? you should go say hi."

Au where Wash and Epsilon bond. It still fucks Wash up and shit, cause yknow. Epsilon issues. But Wash goes like "I am going to fucking kill the director he fucked you ai over so much" And Epsilon is so taken aback bc of Alphas view of Wash from an outside, heavily filtered perspective made him seem happy go lucky, innocent, and a bit naive.

Au where the freelancers find out that the director is Linas dad and behind her back they're all like "hey is she okay? why does he talk to her like that?" but then whenever she's around they just accuse her of nepotism. Gamma and Sigma team up to hack the leaderboard and change her name to nepotism baby.

I love South. I wish she existed more. I wish her and North and Theta could have gotten along. I wish Theta could suit jump like Omega and Alpha. I wish Theta could spend time with South. Like yeah South wouldn't like having to share an ai with her brother but like. He's their littlest brother.

Junior and Theta could autism bond. I think they'd both like comics. Also Junior teaches Theta basketball and Theta teaches Junior to skate. Skateboard kid plus scooter kid. I think Palomo would like to skateboard too. Wash and Palomo both helped teach Theta to skateboard. Wash bc he's friends w North, Palomo bc he's at the skatepark frequently. Jensen roller skates, she's... okay at it. not good. but okay. She broke her tailbone trying to impress Palomo. Andersmith would work at a youth center that the teens hang out at. Matthews works at a movie theatre, Bitters watches a movie there every week, maybe just to see Matthews.

Sarge werebear. Simmons vampire. Grif faun. Donut Light Elemental. Lopez is a ghost that got stuck in a shitty robot Sarge built. Church and the ai are ghosts, Tex is a vampire, Caboose is a werewolf (big doggy :3). Siren Tucker. Deep sea mermaid Junior (glowing octopus type stuff). Faun Kai (same as Grif). Carolina’s a Phoenix. Wash some kind of big cat thing. Florida Shapeshifter (he prefers being reptiles). The twins are demons. 479er is a harpy. York poltergeist (throws stuff at people). Wyoming's some kind of “answer my riddles three” type of imp. Ct is also a shapeshifter. Maine’s just a regular guy with a lot of weird friends. Felix and Locus are a fire elemental and a dryad respectively. Siris is a water elemental. In my au Donut’s a light elemental which makes it so fucking funny if Church pops up and says "boo" Donut just fucking decks him. and through Church being a ghost (a form of light) and Donut being a light elemental, Donut’s fist connects. South is the demon people are more likely to fear, but North is the one you really need to look out for. When South loses her temper people get frightened, when North loses his temper people die. If there's like. a group of kids exploring or something North’ll hold South back from doing anything more than scaring them. If there's a priest attempting an exorcism or someone with a cross threatening South, their organs will be found separately from their bodies. 

It's kinda funny when people make Church and Lina siblings and then Tex is just some random girl that Church likes. Like I fully understand why and the only other alternative i can think of is like. Church is the director's younger brother who was raised alongside his daughter after their parents died. and Tex is Allison's younger sister. Only way I could put together Church kinda being the director and Tex kinda being Allison but also Church and Lina being siblings without there being any relation between Tex and Church.

Florida and Ct have a coworker friends relationship i think. When they first met I think Florida said something vague and threatening to her so she pulled a knife on him. They've been sort of friends ever since.

[madqueenalanna]

it's 2024 i should be so completely over church and tex and YET

it's just. the echoes. restoration was essentially a trip down memory lane, a victory lap, one last chance to say goodbye. of course it echoes, back to "recovery one", back to "memory is the key", back to blood gulch. back to when church/tex was alpha/beta, back to when it was leonard/allison

cause like, and i know rvb is not really worthy of this level of textual analysis or derangement, but. allison in retrospect is haunting the narrative in duplicate; the way she, as a once-living woman, drove the director and carolina in their own respective ways, destroying the freelancers, and the way she, as tex, as beta, as failure, as ghost, haunts church (as alpha, as ghost). he spent his entire life chasing a woman who could not be caught, did not want to be found, and whom he did not recognize once he got her again

alpha split first into beta, spontaneously (allison– the loss of her, specifically). allison's legacy, in her husband's eyes, was not as a soldier, as a wife, as a mother, but as a corpse. she was a badass, sure, and she cared about her teammates, but she was Failure personified. and on some level she knows this– she has to know this– by the time she meets church in s1

cause like, he's not real, either. he's whatever is left without her, he remembers they were once close, but his memories of her as an ex are just... false. and she's angry at him! she does not like him or trust him, she's ready to kill his friends for money! bc who is he, to her? the director with the edges sanded sharp, leonard frozen at 24, prickly and asocial and feeling, keenly, unwhole? she knows, back then, what he did. anything she didn't know then, she will learn later from york

it takes church a long time to catch up. he chases, he begs. he tries to bring her back, and it takes all of s9 for him to stop and think: who is tex? what does she want? if someone gave her a choice for the first time ever, who will she be? and the answer is what she was. dead. she wants to stop being a ghost. she wants to disappear and be forgotten. and when church finds beta, he says "we used to be close" and tells her goodbye. when tex found alpha, two episodes previously, she said "we used to be together"– she defines their intimacy, even in its literality– and told him goodbye. they both hate goodbyes. they say it anyway

and THEN! it's the end of rvb, the end of restoration. this version of church is through so many iterations– the director made the alpha who grew into church, who had to be distilled into epsilon, who evolved and learned and died the hero. this version of tex, as she tells meta-tucker, is not the director's memories of her death– her failure– but the memories of the reds and blues, who know her only as herself, a ball-destroying ass-kicking mean-mugging son of a bitch. and with the help of carolina, her daughter, who has finally outgrown the fear of saying goodbye, they win. this version of church is able to understand, willing to be led by her, cared for by her, learn from her. this version of tex is able to do that. they can both rest. their teams can say goodbye

it's just so goddamn much, man. i'm not sure if i've talked myself into liking the church/tex ending of restoration but i'm savoring it like a dog with a bone rn. i once saw a pic of them overlaid with the text "how do you say goodbye to someone who's already gone?" and we got an answer: you don't. you say hello. you say, we have all the time we need. you say, let me tell you all about it

[rubykgrant]

The hiccup I have with part of my RVB Story-line-

If I want to have the big "Sarge realizing the training program he's been put in charge of is shady, calls in his Red Boys to help, and has a big confrontation with the leader" before OR after everybody has some "regular Earth shenanigans". I give the Blues plenty of attention as well, but for the fun of it, the Reds get the spot-light for a bit.

If the Red Team Fight happens first; it means that it temporarily wraps-up some of the "soldier problems" for a bit (more definitely come later), and gives a false sense of calm when everybody goes back to Earth. It also puts my OC Poppy in the group a little sooner. Once on Earth, the next Red Team Problem is Simmons' parents showing up and acting like they actually care about their son for the first time in 15 years. There is some angst here, but ultimately leads the group to figuring out something important Mr and Mrs Simmons are involved in (I think this version is a little bit more "clear" in terms of story-telling, less messy and all over the place)

If they go to back to Earth for a bit; there is a little more of Sarge feeling like he doesn't "belong" outside of battle, so when he gets the option to help in a special training program, he jumps for it! Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Simmons show up, and basically just want to use their now famous space hero son as publicity for their (insidious) company. Sarge meets Poppy as he trains groups of soldiers, and she helps point out that something REALLY isn't right here. When Sarge goes back to visit his Red Boys, he realizes there is some weird family drama going on, and finally gets everybody together so they can figure out Simmons' parents are lying to him. Once that gets sorted, Poppy contacts Sarge about a big ISSUE, so the Reds get to reunite and go solve the problem (this version jumps around a little more, but kind of feels more "compelling" with the emotional problems, and mixing up the action bits)

[january-summers]

*goes to reblog a reply to share some Maine thoughts since he's been brought up*

... actually, this is a crack filled headcanon I'mma inflict on everyone in the rvb tag.

So, in the back of my brain, I'm kinda running this cracktastic canon divergence, the main divergence being that The Puma is a relative of Truck-kun, our Lord of Isekai. And that upon 'death,' Maine was accidentally hero-summoned to another world in place of a group of teenagers (armour and all) to protect a princess on her pilgrimage to magic place to do a magic thing to save the world from evil.

The princess is like, 3-6, just the tiniest child who can ride around on Maine's shoulder with out him even feeling the weight.

They gave Maine a super-god tier weapon, summoned from the magical forces to take the shape of whatever he desires, expecting it to take the form of a sword, because that's the hip and happening weapon there.

It's the Griffshot Bruteshot. He lays waste to the demon armies, and has a nice healing arc as the slaughter continues all the way to the magical place of plot relevance.

There is a third companion, a lesbian elf type who is only there to babysit the princess because she got in trouble back home, (got caught in the bed of their very married to someone else crown princess) and was sent as an envoy to show unity and blah blah blah between the kingdoms.

Lesbi-elf is magical, naturally, and her main run of spells are similar to the upgrades pfl had. There's a short mini-arc in which Maine tries to figure out if he can put her in his armour like an AI.

Also, the reason they needed to summon a (bunch of) hero(es) this time, is because the magical thing the princess needs to do is over due. Last time, the young prince David was supposed to Do The Thing, but an evil witch type cast a spell that totally killed him. Not even his ashes were left. But he's definitely dead and not teleported really far away. for sure.

(The real reason cars have it in for Washington: they're just trying to do Truck-kun-senpai proud and get him back home)