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Last week, the Trump administration quietly released a sweeping new federal rule that would use funding threats to force institutions across the country to reject transgender people. The 400-page proposed regulation would codify the administration's anti-trans executive orders into binding federal policy, imposing a blanket prohibition on federal funds going toward "gender ideology"

The proposed rule, formally titled "Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance," rewrites the government-wide framework governing all federal grants across every agency. Among its most consequential provisions, it requires that before a federal grant recipient can receive money, the award must pass a "pre-issuance review" conducted by a political appointee—not a career expert or peer reviewer—to ensure it is "consistent with applicable law, Federal agency priorities, and the national interest." The regulation explicitly instructs these appointees to screen for "denial by the recipient of the sex binary in humans or the notion that sex is a chosen or mutable characteristic." [...] An institution that acknowledges transgender people exist—through its policies, its training, its healthcare, its bathroom access, its HR procedures, its name-change processes—could be deemed to "deny the sex binary" or to “support the notion that sex is mutable” and have its federal funding blocked.

This torches everything. And I do mean everything.

A very abbreviated list of its ramifications include (but are not limited to):

ending funding for ALL DEI related initiatives

allowing the government to terminate grants at any point for any reason

preventing researchers from publishing, going to conferences, and being part of academic societies

requiring that topics must support the president’s agenda.

What this means, and if anything I’m under selling it, is the death of science and research in America. It allows the government to restrict any topic they please at a whims notice, putting officials who have no background in the topic in charge of deciding funding continuity. It controls what gets researched and if/how researchers are allowed to share their discoveries. There are no books to burn if the government never allows them to be written. This is fascism plain and simple.

Season 1

Monster of the week, pre-stream + Underdark, getting to know the team, friendships are formed

Myriad is a threat for the first few episodes and the reason the SHITs have to stick together and stay safe until they feel like a team. Potential throwaway mention of Korshad. 

Vax runs into the Divine Gate at some point, just to hint that it will be important in the far future

Opening scene couod be Keyleth heading off on her Aramenté

At a temple, they find Sarenrae worshippers that Pike bonds with and learns more about the history of their religion. In this retelling, as the goddess of redemption and second chances, her clerics can specialize in bringing back the recently dead if their body is intact and their soul can be called back. First reference to the Raven Queen

They see a failed resurrection ritual - establish that this is difficult and that her lack of power is an issue due to many of her followers being killed and the survivors keeping old traditions alive. Emphasis on Pike trying to revive a dying religion

Pike’s death occurs halfway through the season

Percival is cagey about his backstory, the public story is that the de Rolos died in a plague. He mentions having many siblings but namedrops Vesper the most

Everyone but Scanlan gets their backstory told, though the twins don't tell the identity of their biological elven father. Scanlan doesn't say anything apart from his music career history and sexual history when prompted, but there could be a quick flashback to his mother that won't be addressed until season 4.

After moving to Emon and meeting Allura, SHITs go to the Underdark. Pike and Scanlan have their first kills, Keyleth accuses Kima of being untrustworthy and this instigates tension between her and Vex that lasts through the season.

They get their house, Vex and Vax are happiest about having a home

Syldor shows up, the twins avoid him due to a ~mysterious past~ and the others get the quest to investigate General Krieg. Mentions of tensions between elves and humans, point out that the Ashari are very tolerant of half-elves compared to most of the continent

Finale is the Dread Emperor. Keyleth accidentally gets a kid killed, she’s the only one not enjoying the celebrations, the king praises them and they change their name to Vox Machina

Throughout the season, those from Wildemount see Tal’Dorei as rather backwards compared to the empire. Looking down on them, since they only see them as a place full of conflict and doesn’t have a cool wizard council.

Season 2

Opens with what each of them does over the short time skip. Pike sails to get stronger, gets to see Port Damali and exposit, others bond with NPCs, Percy hears about a future banquet with the Briarwoods being invited

Keyleth goes to the Earth Trial and invites Percy and Grog since she trusts them the most. On the way there, one of them asks why she didn’t invite Vax, but he and Vex go everywhere together, and Keyleth is still uncomfortable around Vex. Her visions are about outliving her friends and becoming a confident woman who could make the wrong decisions and be hated - callback to her animosity towards Kima and examine why she felt that way

Meanwhile, in Emon, Scanlan and the twins meet Kynan. Others arrive in time to see Vax attack him. After they yell at Vax, he goes to find him only to learn he’s run away from home and his dad is a drunkard. He learns his actions have negative consequences!

Lilith plot (who may have been foreshadowed in Pike’s adventures). Pike kills the old woman and Sarenrae disapproves of her war crimes. Percy goes Sicko Mode and Keyleth confronts him. Lilith talks about Wildemount and her cousin, maybe show Lord Truscan in a flashback as a Shady Important Guy to showcase why wildemount has a bad reputation

They go to Vasselheim to see if Pike can fix things. Learn about the Calamity and the God War, Vax asks Pike if he can get a holy symbol to find religion (referencing Liam’s initial idea of Vax becoming a Sarenrae Paladin)

Slayer’s Take, Zahra talks about tieflings (“devil spawn” to avoid copyright). Kashaw’s backstory foreshadows why gods need to be on the other side of the Gate and about ascension. Vax kills Hotis

Gern Blaston is met here and helps them out. He will also take on Tiberius’ role and be a weirdo and an ally for the next few arcs. He introduces necromancy (and lampshade how so many necromancers come from Wildemount) and “I propose violence”. Might be the one to bring up Vestiges of Divergence

Fire Trial, seeing chained Thordak and a certain Fire Ashari girl

Briarwoods arc

There will be some focus on the relationship between Pelor and Sarenrae. Keyleth will commune with the tree and see the history of Whitestone starting with Pelor planting it

During the final episode, a brief cutaway to Kynan, who passes by Ripley

Final shot is Fire Ashari girl going to Thordak and telling him it’s time…

Season 3

Meeting Kaylie, Attack on Emon, Return to Vasselheim, Syngorn, Herd of Storms, Umbrasyl, Kerrek, Glintshore and Percy’s resurrection

Allura and the others reach out to leadership of other continents - Wildemount says it’s none of their business, Marquet says they will heighten defences but won’t move until there’s a plan, I don’t know about Issyldra

Vex’s full story of finding Trinket is revealed, Vax realizes there’s a lot about his sister he doesn’t know about

Keyleth has her freakout about not being able to save enough people/VM not really being heroes and Kerrek provides a major thesis of the campaign: it’s good to be aware of what consequences your actions have, but you can’t let it stop you from taking action. And there’s rarely a perfect solution that fixes everything. Sometimes, bad shit happens.

Vex is hit by a necromantic trap, so Sarenrae can’t help. Kashaw initially calls for Vash to help, but Vax calling for the Raven Queen overrides that. Vash will remember that.

Shale (showed up in the background in Season 1 with Grog’s backstory) is here - she’s the one to narrate Grog’s character development when she watches him deliver the killing blow on Umbrasyl

Start of Scanlan’s mental spiral, they meet Dr. Draznel who seems really shady (Golden Grin will be relevant in the adaptation, probably with Vecna and Ioun trial), some reference to him saving his life when he was small or just being really poor

The twins retell their history in Syngorn, and the narration cuts between the two of them having very different interpretations and takeaways. Vax decides that they don't belong with humans or elves and decide that they don't need anyone else, Vex decides that they can't trust anyone but each other. Vax fully does not see Syldor as his father, Vex can't help but want a relationship with him. If only he was terrible at his job and a bad dad to Velora, he might be easier to hate.

Pike becomes more of a dependable healer, revives a child after the fight with Kevdak and bonds with Vex over dying

Everyone moving to Whitestone, even Gern helps out

Vax spends Glintshore fight trying to help Kynan, who after this, will never fully be able to be comfortable around Vax. Negative consequences of his actions! It’s part of Vax’s arc to becoming a responsible person

After the team kills Ripley (Pike is the one to carve the Whitestone Crest on her forehead while Scanlan uses Bigby’s Hand to trap her and gives the one-liner) there’s a long moment of silence when the catharsis of her murder disappears and their friend is still dead. Let the grief linger

Pike is tired after the fight healing percy, so when he dies, she can’t find the power for resurrection. Still, Scanlan and Grog tell her to nap so she has the strength. Keyleth and Vex try to start the ritual, Vax stays away because he’s not sure the Raven Queen would approve. Pike goes over while the others are asleep - either she or Keyleth find out that Orthax has Percy in their possession.

Keyleth fights Orthax, calling out Percy and trying to use their friendship to bring him back to life. Pike tries to revive him, but his soul refuses, believing that he has accomplished everything he needs. Keyleth kills Orthax, Vex’s love declaration calls him back, and she refuses to follow up until their conversation on forgiveness

Vax gives Whisper to grog since he needs the mobility (character development!)

Season ends on a hopeful note: Vox Machina will never fall apart! Their friendship can survive anything!

Season 4

Dread and Horror. Common theme of “we don’t have time for that now, time to focus on killing 3 dragons”

Gern suggests he will go to Draconia to research on whatever necromancer brought Thordak back

Raishan reveal, Keyleth talks to Grog about rage and gets Kerrek’s letter

“There was a dragon in Ankharel that killed Thordak the first time, why don’t we go there” - bring Gilmore, learn about him being a Runechild, Vax realizes that he might not really know that man (tension about which love interest he will pursue). Scanlan breaks Kaylie out of jail and makes the promise not to die

Scanlan gets Suude, which is presented as a banned magic enhancement powder that could kill the owner. One episode will be done from his perspective to focus on his deteriorating mental state

In the Fire Plane, Scanlan drops “I’m a really good liar” while doing his thing. They buy the rights to summon Yenk, who has eaten the Spire of Conflux but decide that’s a later problem. Some demon tells Pike what’s the point of worshipping a goddess who does not have the most power in the world

In Draconia, it’s Gern’s body they find, learn about the caste system and that Gern’s family was hated. Their conflicting feelings about him doesn’t stop them from giving him a burial. This pushes Keyleth to accept Vax’s confession since death can come at any moment. Talks about how people are complicated, but Gern could have done something as someone with relative power (I’ll admit it. This is partial setup for Taryon’s arc)

There are also cuts to Wildemount politics - the Briarwoods and Riplery were there, why wizards are so arrogant and powerful there, the Briarwoods were leaders in some cult, which surely isn’t a problem anymore.

Vorugal fight - Vex summons Yenk, Scanlan sings a cool song to get it on their side and fight a white dragon. Pike calls out to Saranrae and we get Vorugal punched out of the sky. Vax doesn’t realize who Larkin was until after the fight.

Vax turns down Gilmore. Hotis attacks, Pike gets the killing blow wearing only a towel.

Thordak fight goes similarly to the stream, a multi-episode affair. Vax and Keyleth go after Raishan as she’s too dangerous to get away, and Scanlan dies here. She attempts to Feeblemind Keyleth. The ritual happens in the same episode, but he’s still in a coma so the rest of the team goes after her

After some exposition about the necromancy behind all this (make it tie directly into Vecna stuff?) they confront her. Kimallura teleportation mishap occurs via Raishan magic as a way to demonstrate Raishan as dangerously intelligent. Keyleth uses her experience to Feeblemind Raishain, leaving the everyday soldiers they brought  to attack (callback to the “anthill” comment in Raishan’s monologue). Kerrek bashes her head in.

Zahra and Vex put up fliers advertising Vox Machina’s services since they’re heroes of the realm now. This is how Tary learns where to meet adventuring parties

Bard’s Lament is as messy as possible - Scanlan wakes up alone in the room after a tipsy, celebratory team pranks him. The penultimate episodes ends with him with Kaylie bonding and happy as if this is the end of his story

Final episode is VM wondering if they’re really friends or heroes, with a threat of breaking apart and pursuing their own goals. Vex takes down the fliers, they go to get breakfast and meet Taryon

Final lines: “What the fuuuuuck….” “Is he for real?!”

Season 5

Taryon Arc and Vox Machina Healing Arc. So far, the reason for being heroes is because of killing the right people and monsters, but there are many ways to be a hero.

Extended bullying sequence where they try to take Tary to a bullshit dungeon and scare him away by messily killing a Thordak evil baby (Tary comments on the infanticide - this will bookend with the corrupted celestial baby. There are so many bookends in this arc that I will add more)

Vox Machina gets the dragon tooth necklace before the Kraken fight. Tary gets it later as thanks for finding and holding onto the final lodestone, which the team wasn’t aware of. He will believe that they only saved him because of the lodestone, but he thinks this is proof that they fully accept him

Probably foreshadow that he has some guilt of being responsible for other people getting hurt - Lawrence, Vax, and soon Doty. 

They go to Vasselheim, Pike thinks she sees Scanlan waiting for her at the Saranrae temple, but surprise! It’s Hotis

In the Hells, see more of Taryon’s backstory and reveal that his childhood wasn’t exactly happy, although it doesn’t excuse his prior behavior. Put in so many death flags, the guy with no friends finally having people he can trust

Tary talks about having one (1) love interest in the past, Percy puts together enough hints to suggest it’s the same man who was the first person to reach out to him. Vex realizes they have similar daddy issues

Doty is broken while Tary fights Utagash (or Hotis? This part can be rearranged), but his distraction gives Grog enough time to break out of his cage and free Trinket, who delivers the killing blow. Then, Doty, is torn apart by devils while VM is in jail

At his lowest point, while VM is doing okay in a tough but manageable quest, Taryon tells them that he’s useless without his tools and all he does is make things worse. Keyleth tells him that he’s one of them, and that they care about him as a friend

They escape, comfort Tary, a Trish interlude and Taryon decides to stay in Whitestone and become a better person

Voice of the Tempest Ceremony marks the start of the time skip

Throughout the season, other members of VM talk about what they really want to do in life and address their own insecurities - and during the timeskip episodes (showing time with Keyleth’s hair growing back), they find their places in the world

Vax bonds with the Raven Queen and fully embraces his role as her Champion

Keyleth becomes a leader who knows what she believes in

Percival takes responsibility for looking after Whitestone

Pike runs the Vasselheim temple

Grog becomes a mentor in fighting

Vex does the Grey Hunt and becomes an ambassador

Tary does a million things and discovers that he loves helping people

They go to Dalen’s Closet, and while exploring Ank’harel, they find Scanlan. Rough fights, Percy’s and Scanlan’s friendship is never the same, and Taryon befriends Lionel. Scanlan decides to stay, but he will still be in contact with VM

When Trickfoot scheme is uncovered, JB is more harsh against Pike, asking why she never reach out to her parents or relatives after she left, asking if she thinks she’s better than them. This pushes Pike to let her move to Whitestone

Keyfish - Earlier, Tary was trying to develop a healing coin with little success. Keyleth dives off the cliff and is seriously injured, but his healing coin finally works when Vex shows up with an uninjured and bloody Keyleth

When Taryon is kidnapped, the episode ends with Doty searching for him in his room. They hop to Wildemount via a tree Keyleth connected to while they were there investigating Ripley in Season 3.

It’s explicit that Korshad and Kr’ynn are funnelling people screwed over by Howaardt Darrington to a cult that promises stability - Taryon’s actions result in fewer desperate people, and it’s a ziggurat in the mines that Vox Machina finds. 

Finale is Taryon confronting his dad and talking about what being a hero really is about and how friendship is great. He returns the properties that were under Myriad’s ownership to the people and proposes the charity. After the confrontation, he admits to his mother that his “other idea” was creating the Darrington Brigade.  Vax found a list of people on the Myriad’s watchlist, and it’s hinted that Lawrence’s information is on there

Last scene is Lionel and some guys discovering the Marquet Ziggurat

Throughout the season, Taryon learns lessons from each member, and it should be all synthesized into the Deastok arc and his speech - ex. JB Trickfoot didn’t have the opportunity to leave and become a hero, and he rethinks how Maryanne doesn’t have full control of her life and might also need to be freed from their dad

Season 6

Scanlan informs them of something weird in Marquet, the team goes, maybe there’s a death orb and Vex uses an Oracle Arrow - perhaps created by Tary using material they found in the mines

While investigating other ziggurats, they go to Port Damali and find Lawrence. Taryon stays so we can get the necklace scene

When Vax dies, Keyleth starts considering using necromancy to bring him back, get some parallels to Delilah in contrast to him accepting that he’s on borrowed time

Bringing back all of the god lore from previous seasons, maybe the Divine Gate will come into play. EXU: Divergence episode?

Pelor is the saddest man, tending to his gardens and refusing to touch on his military aspects. Vox Machina gives him hope

Zahra and Kashaw are important to understanding divine and necromantic magic that’s part of Vecna’s deal

Vash somehow tries to get involved and help Vecna

Maybe Gods worried about Vecna that if all else fails, they have to break the Divine Gate and destroy him? It would bring about another Calamity, so mortals have to do something first.

Taryon is part of the final fight

Wish only has 3 uses, Scanlan must decide whether to use the last one to stop Vecna or fully revive Vax

A couple of episodes dedicated to the epilogue with their happy endings, accepting that Vax is dead but they can still move on with their lives. Once again, rarely are there perfect solutions, and one must move one with their lives despite the hardships. They have passed through fire.

Final episode is Dalen’s Clost one-shot, showing the one year later world state and Vax showing up for a few minutes (somehow…Raven Queen makes this one exception?). Then, fast-forward through their lives, with Vax delivering their souls to the afterlife. Narrated by Keyleth until she dies of old age and meets all the people she knew

[ID: A digital drawing of Taryon Darrington from Critical Role. He's standing, reading a book. End description.]

[ID: A digital drawing of Percy de Rolo and Taryon Darrington from Critical Role. Percy is tilting Tary's chin up to kiss him. Tary has his hands resting against his own chest as though sighing wistfully. End description.]

A kofi doodle!!

Small little idea I had last week that since there’s such heavy flower symbology involving Lucas and his family, I wanted to see if I could stretch it a little further to cover the others as well. (wanted to try something a little bit different from my usual style and leaned a little more on the watercolor-ey end of things for everything within the frame, this fought with me until the bitter end but I think I got it)

🔴 Redbubble | ☕ Ko-fi Symbology drabble for the flowers I picked under the cut~

My favourite fellow who didn’t make it into smash <3