Gore Virgin & Vox Machina

First, I want to say that Vox Machina is INCREDIBLE. If you haven't watched it yet, go binge it on Amazon. Like right now. But not with small children, because it's pretty gorey.

Most people are allowed to watch whatever they want. I, however, became wrapped up in strict Christian religion at a young age separate from my parents.

As a Jehovah's Witness, I could not watch anything with voilence.

Here is an exerpt of the religious propaganda promoted on their website.

Common sense tells us that a child sitting for long hours, day after day, in front of a TV in such a mental state, uncommunicative, cannot be doing himself good. It is not possible for a young mind to be exposed to thousands of hours of TV programs, many containing violence, depravity and immorality, and not be adversely affected.

Okay, enough of those killjoys. (Though after my summary of the show and its characters, I have some more fun material about their view on violence and if it's held up or not).

Let's move on to the people who kill monsters!

Normally, I'm not a huge fan of gore. But this show offers funny banter, awesome magic, and a lot of realism in what our world would be like if it was full of monsters and magic.

A rag-tag group of mistfits and trouble makers lost favor with every tavern in the city. In order to get money, they accept a job they are highly unqualified for, which is seen in the first episode.

I initially saw someone share the trailer on Instagram and was instantly interested. I had no idea who Critical Role was or what jump-started this animation.

It all began with people playing Dungeons and Dragons. Now it has two seasons on Amazon. Their example is a good reminder to keep pursuing your dreams, or at the very least, do what makes you happy and something really awesome could come from it.

From the beginning, Percy De Rolo (voiced by Taliesin Jaffe) was and still is my favorite character. Not only is he a genius with a tragic backstory, but he's also great at creating weapons. Plus, there's a pretty epic reason why he begins smoking when using his weapon, which I won't get into to avoid spoilers.

Grog (voiced by Travis Willingham) is a big, dumb brute with an insane, and awesome, ability to jump into any fight without fear. I admire that. SPOILERS: I especially love when he strips down buck naked and jumps into a giant vat of acid.

Pike Trickfoot (voiced by Ashley Johnson) offers a lot to enjoy. She has incredible healing powers and isn't a goody goody. Her journey of being a spiritual person and enjoying the 'worldly' things was enjoyable to watch as someone who was once severely religious and felt an immense sense of guilt over liking the things which make us human.

Vax (voiced by Liam O'Brien) and Vex (voiced by Laura Bailey) will be mentioned together because they are twins, and I get them confused while watching the show, forgetting which name belongs to who. Twin things, right? Vex is a bit possessive of her brother and is tough. She's the kind of person I would not want to be on the bad side of. Vax is flirty, funny, and also a good fighter. They both strike me as to how people can turn out after tragedy. You can either only trust a few and be ready to run, or deal with trauma with humor and attempt to reach out to others.

Keyleth (voiced by Marisha Ray) is the most enjoyable character to watch develop overall. Pike was my personal favorite, but I think many will find Keyleth to be a treat. She's easy on the eyes, unsure of herself and her magic and comfort with it grow exponentially during the show. She is probably the most realistic and relatable character in the show and I hope you enjoyed her as much as I did.

Scanlan Shorthalt (voiced by Sam Riegel) is my absolute FAVORITE character, sorry Percy. He's the jokester, trickster, and flirt. Literally will flirt with any man woman or monster(though that was an accident). He's cocky, short, and a real treat. God, I'd love to have his confidence. And I love yelling SCANLAN's HAAAAAND.

People are chopped in half, there's a lot of blood. Lots and lots of violence. Guess what my old religion thought of that? You don't have to guess because I can show you:

But some feel that there’s nothing wrong with violent, immoral, or demonic entertainment. They think: ‘What is the harm? I would never actually do these things.’ If we think this way, we are fooling ourselves. The Bible says: “The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate.” (Jeremiah 17:9) If we are entertained by things that are unacceptable to Jehovah, how can we say that we hate these things? The more we are entertained by them, the more we will begin to accept them as normal. In time, our conscience will weaken and stop warning us when we are about to make a wrong choice.​—Psalm 119:70; 1 Timothy 4:1, 2.

If you're interested in a little brainwashing, you can go read the entire article online here.

I'm happy to say I have not felt inclined to chop anyone in half, or summon zombies to kill my enemies, nor jump into a vat of acid. Strange how watching people's organs fly everywhere actually makes me less interested in seeing that in real life.

In conclusion, don't murder people, go watch Vox Machina, and follow your dreams. You never know where they may lead you.

Sincerely,

EX CHRISTIAN REVIEWS