_"Thus ends The Adventure Zone Balance, the story of four idiots that played D&D so hard that they made themselves cry."_ - Justin McElroy

@gentarokvarnstrom9159

3 жыл бұрын

I cried

Nothing makes me cry like "how does magnus die"

@sophiamargarita6053

4 жыл бұрын

I was so confused when I heard Griffin ask that I was like "waIT NOOOO WHYY STOP IT WE WERE FINEEE"

@qsamecarriere3221

3 жыл бұрын

Even seeing it here again, and listening to Griffin talking in his 'this is important to your characters'-voice made me cry. Every time I hear a snippet of TAZ balance, feelings rush to me, because it was such a good piece of storytelling

Sure, it's great to highlight the Arms Outstretched scene as the one that took our Dungeonmaster and Best Friend, Giffin McElroy, on an unexpected emotional thrill ride. But nothing in TAZ could possibly top the moment of sheer existential dread when chaotic elder god Justin Tyler McElroy purchased the Slicer of T'pire Weir Isles from Garfield the Deals Warlock and then aced a Persuasion check to trade it back to him in exchange for the Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword Of Doom. P.S. Great essay, I almost didn't want to comment because you're currently at 69. Nice.

@Ray-hk1zm

4 жыл бұрын

Honestly, nothing will ever top Griffin's horrified "oH MY GOD" when he realized what he'd done.

@benrogers9082

4 жыл бұрын

seriously though.

@tninja611

3 жыл бұрын

Stone cold truth. I had to leave the kitchen I work in so as not to look like a complete maniac for laughing so hysterically at a podcast. The same happened for when I cried at this podcast.

@Lo0serx3

3 жыл бұрын

that moment earned me SO many weird looks from co-workers in the break room

@Alpacnologia

3 жыл бұрын

...which magnus would later wield, while naked, in order to fend off an invisible eldritch horror

The scene where Barry is talking about Lup and Taako responds with "Who?" because Justin knows what's happening always strikes me. It turns the scene on its head from what Griffin likely planned out, and hearing everyone's reaction just cements that feeling. It wasn't planned, it wasn't part of one of Griffins beautiful descriptions, it was in the moment. And despite that it remains burned into my memory as one of the most heartwrenching lines in that show. This video essay was incredible, and more people need to talk about TAZ as a story in video format, because it has an incredibly strong and intelligent fanbase that has picked up on so many aspects of the show I and others would have missed, and I want to see what they can create. It's a beautiful story, and everyone deserves to know about it.

@tninja611

3 жыл бұрын

Holy shiiiiiiit, that moment fucks me up every tiiiiiiime

@griffin1155

3 жыл бұрын

don’t even get me started on “i’m davenport”

@celestinenox

Жыл бұрын

It's one of my favorite scenes in all of Balance. It's so good. It shows what can happen when the players and the DM are in sync.

@iantkach6640

Ай бұрын

As powerful as that scene was, I think the two that hit hardest for me are Griffin's "exits" speech, and pretty much the entirety of the scene in the next episode where Lup returns... particularly the start of that second scene: "I pull out the Umbra Staff and point it at Lucretia." "She's just kinda staring you d-" "Ten... NINE..."

“It’s a balance” I didn’t hold it together for 20 minutes to have you make me break down with 3 damn words!

@Ladyknightthebrave

5 жыл бұрын

Okay I'm not gonna lie, I was half assed writing this whole essay out in a google doc and then wrote that without thinking about it and went 'Oh. I absolutely have to make this video now'

@jordanthomas7194

3 жыл бұрын

@@Ladyknightthebrave thank you for making this video! It inspired me to finish writing my own campaign, and it deepened my appreciation for this show even further.

@epiphanyjervisbattilega3158

3 жыл бұрын

i feel you on that bro....

It was authentic and felt real. It's amateurism wasn't crafted, it's passion never faked. Amnesty is more of an old school radio drama. which I think is what Cliff's background in radio really shines through. That old school episodic sci fi teledrama gives the material more reality. Just like the DnD jokes and shenanigans gives the fantasy story more reality and weight.

Honestly amnesty ended up finally getting me in the same way balance did by the finale

@rynthorn1551

4 жыл бұрын

Saaaaaaaaaame.

@lesserman3928

4 жыл бұрын

I think I had a bias for it from the beginning because i'm a sucker for a spooky forest aesthetic so I liked it just as much as balance even if it did have flaws, but the finale showed me that I liked it for more than just my preferences

@cartooncrazy9883

4 жыл бұрын

I definitely cried less at amnesty as a whole but at balance it’s pretty obvious without context why I’d cry at a man being reunited with his wife after death, whereas people would think I’m crazy if I cried because a man on a tv show started talking...

@nathanaelwaters2509

4 жыл бұрын

@@cartooncrazy9883 so far the only thing in the adventure zone that has made me cry is when when they were reading neds letter

@gliscorpropagandaaccount1764

4 жыл бұрын

Ehhhhhh. I'd honestly say the Amnesty finale was a dumpster fire. The first two or three arcs had a lot of potential, but Amnesty really did not live up to it.

This. This is the reason Balance means the world to me. This is what I'm gonna show to people who tell me this is "just a show."

The world needs more video essays about taz like this

The best DND games don't set out to be something epic, they start with a group of friends having snacks around a table and making masturbation and drug jokes in silly voices. And then slowly as everyone gets more emotionally involved and the DM tries out cool shit to impress everyone.And then you end up crying at the end before breaking open another bag of chips.

I always say that Balance has altered my way of viewing art and writing and stories and that the story itself had a huge effect on my entire being just as much as my creative process. It has shaped me as a DM, as a writer and as a person. Thanks for putting *why* into words.

omg i was grinning and lip syncing along to the "sturdy, denim, and blue" line because it is just that impactful and GOOD. i love to talk and listen to other people talk about taz, it gives off the same energy you talked about in the intro, which despite being a great segway it also encapsulates perfectly what it's like. it really is a vibe listening to taz

Oh, my god! I never even registered Griffin referring to the camera! That so explains why I so often tell people I was "watching" the adventure zone, when I don't say that about other podcasts!

You really made me see The Adventure Zone in a new light. I always considered it the story of the Tres Horny Boys with a paper thin fourth wall. However, that never really made sense because the characters in the story take the stakes deadly seriously, despite the humour. Now I realize The Adventure Zone is the story of The McElroy family telling the story of Tres Horny Boys to both the audience and each other. The stakes are very real to the characters and the “fourth wall breaks” are actually comments and asides made to the audience and the other story tellers by the story tellers. It’s quite appropriate then that a common reoccurring theme of the actual narrative is story telling, encapsulated best in the characters of Johann, Lucretia, and the Voidfish.

@NZsaltz

4 жыл бұрын

One way I like to think about it is that the voice in the beginning of each episode is the Voidfish, and the series is the story being transmitted by it to us on the Day of Story and Song.

@pearlyp9898

4 жыл бұрын

@@NZsaltz I think Griffin actually confirmed that the narrator at the start is Junior!!

@NZsaltz

4 жыл бұрын

@@pearlyp9898 But artist's intent and the viewer's interpretation is not the same. Pretty clearly, he didn't make it clear enough for most people to get it.

@pearlyp9898

4 жыл бұрын

@@NZsaltz I... okay, but how could he have made it clearer without outright saying it? I think it was pretty clear by the end that the story we all heard was in-universe delivered by the two voidfish, and you said you like to think so, too, so I don't see the problem here? Sorry, I didn't intend to start an argument or anything, I just wanted to tell you that your headcanon is canon.

@NZsaltz

4 жыл бұрын

@@pearlyp9898 I'm not saying he should have made it clearer. I'm just saying that since the ending was pretty open, I think that Griffin talking about it (wasn't that in the finale TTAZZ?) doesn't make it true for all of the listeners. At this point, it's just something some people headcanon and some people see differently, since it's over now. I'm sure Word From the North thinks differently, but in no way is he wrong, since it was just a creator stating his intent after the fact.

Thank you for this video. There's a surprising lack of TAZ content outside of animatics on KZread. I really would love to see TAZ grow more mainstream. Definitely earned a sub from me. I'd like to see what you think about inter-character drama in Amnesty. It's one of the few things I think Amnesty does better than Balance.

@Ladyknightthebrave

5 жыл бұрын

Well the last ep made me cry so there's that. Also thank you for the feedback!

@QueenFondue

5 жыл бұрын

I didn't quite cry, but I was pretty close.

@Hjernespreng

4 жыл бұрын

@@Ladyknightthebrave There's like two animatics of the scene I'm pretty sure you're referring to judging by the time of your comment, and both are beautiful.

@Ray-hk1zm

4 жыл бұрын

@@Hjernespreng They are... beautiful. And then... they're gone.

@ajjerio3927

4 жыл бұрын

There's a ton of media on the adventure zone on Archive of Our own, and fan art on twitter. I'm listening to Balance for the third time now, and I still believe Balance is the best arc out of all the others combined.

They made a joke character name Barry Bluejeans a three-dimensional fleshed out character and did the same for a servant who could only repeat his name like a Pokémon.

I love how sometimes a TAZ animation will cut the dice rolls and exposition of cameras or narrating visuals. And sometimes people will keep it in. It brings me joy that people use Griffin's narration and world building in different ways to create a piece of art in a totally different medium from the original.

I think they're getting back to that looser style of character development with Graduation. Travis clearly knows what he's doing with the school setting, and with all the opportunities he's given the guys to show who their characters are through NPC interactions. Time will only tell if it catches lightning in a bottle the way Balance did- but then again, the lightning wasn't there when Balance began, either.

i really like that griffin describes what the "camera" does. it really helps me visualize the scenes.

This was a quality video. I loved how you highlighted the ways the McElbois broke the rules of story telling in order to... tell a good story. Like, four idiots with no degrees in writing but who are in possession of some dice? Hella good at stories. Griffon breaks screenwriting rules in order to bring us deeper into story. These are the things modern storytellers might well need--and speaking of that, I should get back to my NaNoWriMo novel lol. ANyWaY I would love to see more content like this, video essays = my jam, TAZ = my jelly so thank you for being my bread and butter today.

"It was a ballance" hit me so unexpectedly. But its honestly so true

Im crying,, the balance arc is literally my favorite piece of media. Ever. Its so incredibly good, it feels like you yourself are watching these characters grow from a very close perspective, like you’re *present* when these events happen because you’re just so engrossed woth the story and it just feels like Griffin holds your hand the whole time and carefully tells you this wonderful story. Dammit im fucking getting a taz tattoo fuck everything

Glad i found this video. Thanks for reminding me of the “how does magnus die?” Scene as i really didn’t expect to tear up on my commute to work today but that was a great video essay overall and some choice editing!

Okay so when I first listenED to the finale the winter after it came out while I was still in high school, I cried so hard at magnus and Julia’s reunion and the finale in general, that the next day AT SCHOOL I was in choir and we sang a song like tangentially related to someone losing their love to death as I was just in tears trying to push through it bc I absolutely could not draw attention to the fact that I was crying bout a podcast A FULL DAY AFTER HAVING HEARD IT

@hannahmcaleer6283

3 жыл бұрын

Also, TAZ massively changed my outlook on story telling and my own creative process and was really the jumpstart in me making college and career decisions and now everything I want to be and create is forever going to be rooted to those boys and I’m forever indebted to them for that.

7:29 YES THESE ARE MY TYPE OF PODCAST! (Also, I immediately recognized the Nightvale clip and I love that I did)

Every time I hear "Now to understand this next part..." I instantly tear up. God damn these boys. Edit: God, No Dogs on the Moon works so well as a credits theme, lol.

I think the thing with amnesty is that it just is not balance. It doesn't have the same effect because it cannot. Its a different genre with different types of characters. If balance is shakespeare, amnesty is twin peaks: a darker and more soap operatic tone while still maintaining comedy and character depth. I cried at the end of amnesty too. I wasnt expecting to, but i had grown deeply attached to the pine guard (especially Ned). Of course amnesty didn't feel the same as balance: it wasnt. We're never gonna get that particular brand of magic again. But there are many schools of magic, and with the bulk of graduation looming on the horizon I'm very excited to get to know it's quirks and goofs and somber moments as it's own entity.

@Companion92

3 жыл бұрын

Yes, I think you are right and I feel the same

woah I never envisioned my silly lil animation being used in an honest-to-god video essay (hi, snuffysbox here!) but I'm so glad that it was this video essay! I have SO MUCH to say about how incredible Balance is but I'm not good with words, so to have someone put all those thoughts on video was a real treat

@lapaba1236

4 жыл бұрын

Zippish Hey! I never thought Id see you again. Thank you for the quality videos!

I'd love to see your take on Amnesty now that it's completed.

Way to make me wanna cry with that last line about it being a balance. 😭

This is a wonderful video, thank you! Balance is my favorite story in all of fiction because it's a story about storytelling and unity and love and it's great having something that combines my feelings on it!

I listened to taz balance more than a year ago now but when that intro of yours played with the music I broke down in tears, I still to this day haven't found a piece of media that has made me care for a world like this series did (it also helped me pull out of a depressive spiral at the time so definitely has a big effect there). Now to actually watch the rest of your essay!

Balance will always have a special place in my heart, and I can't even bring myself to read the comic because it was just so perfect in podcast form. Amnesty, however, would be super fucking great as a comic because they're taking it more seriously AND we would be able to see more of the side characters fleshed out (Griffin has said he hates RPing with himself). Anyway I'm real glad I found this channel you're great.

@rizahawkeyepierce1380

3 жыл бұрын

The comic is so so good - the way it distills the story and brings in foreshadowing for later elements earlier in the story is exactly what I'd want from a graphic novel adaptation, and it knocks the emotional beats out of the park.

@Companion92

3 жыл бұрын

I love the taz comics for Balance and I hope, that they will also make ones for Amnesty

I honestly do think that Graduation has the potential to take the flame from Balance. Nothing will ever be as powerful or spectacular as balance, but with Griffin Clint and Justin playing and Travis behind the wheel with a fresh take on storytelling I feel like we might get something amazing. We already got that amazing character moment with Justin and everyone loves all of their characters so

I was watching monster factory in the beginning of January, listening to mbmbam by the start of February. Then I watched this video. I didn't like play podcasts, cause i love gaming and want to expirence things first hand, or second hand through stories, not third hand years down the line This convienced me I'm relistening to Balance, and it still, STILL, fucks me up Thank you, Ladyknightthebrave, I've loved this, and everything else you've put out You're quick becomming one of my favorite video essayists

I loved this so much the adventure zone is a piece of media that i think will always be held close to my heart, but 'then somebody has to murder shrek' had me fucking crying with laughter

In a lot of ways, thinking about it, how they did the adventure zone reminds me a lot of the movie of The Princess Bride, they had a lot of breaking rules, but it made sense in setting

Wowza. I've got three things to say 1: Wow, you really knocked it out of the park with your FIRST video essay! I'm always impressed by your analyses and how well crafted they are to have a cohesive narrative 2: The Adventure Zone Balance changed the trajectory of my life I think. It introduced me to D&D and finding other shows that would shape high-school me to make who I am now and yeah. It DID feel like I was discovering the story with the McElroys too, that was something special. 3: You can't just play LUCRETIA REPRISE like that without warning!

balence is one of the best storys I will ever hear in my life

Hey! Just wanted to say that I found this video months ago on a desperate search for someone talking about TAZ, and I instantly subscribed. Thank you not only for discussing one of if not my favorite piece of media in an insightful and interesting way, but for all the other videos I’ve seen on your channel since! They’re all amazing. I hope you’ll continue making them and that you’ll gain the audience you deserve! I’m rooting for you :)

man why is it that i tear up even watching fucking animatics from TAZ i barely cry in my actual life

Good video and I do agree that Amnesty needed something. Like the characters that they introduced and the abandoned later showing up and having evolved off screen so to speak. I would have liked to hear at least a brief line either in the narrated introduction or epilogue of a campaign just to know how the NCPs have grown in the wake of a recent monster attack

I cried so much of this video because TAZ: Balance means so much to me emotionally and this is a nice video about the structure or lack thereof great job!

i just finished relistening to Balance and i swear, i never actually thought about it the way you described it before, and i'm very happy i watched this bc it just makes me appreciate Balance all the more. some of the ideas you threw out are actually really neat and interesting!

so yes the balance arc to me is by an extremely large margin the most incredible and fulfilling piece of media I have ever consumed and I agree amnesty at the start didn't hit the same notes and I have my own overly pretentious ideas of why that might be on a meta-textual level but more importantly I think amnesty when taking as a whole and at the end does ht some of those same emotional highs. I agree it's not the same as balance and honestly, I think it would be insane to expect it to but you and the brothers and I do agree that some of the spontaneity of the story was lost in the way it was planned out from the beginning but I think this is less of a fault and more of a necessity the characters of amnesty are important don't get me wrong but the fact that amnesty was so much shorter I think required more to be planned from the beginning. The story of the balance arc is about our 3 main characters learning to grow and form BONDS with others and how important those bonds are but the focus of the story is always on those characters. Amnesty is very similar but with the little time it had and the planning from the beginning, it was a story of the community and the worlds our characters inhabited and grew in. admittedly this leads to less impactful moments like what the balance arc was able to do but by the end at the final episode I think it works as a full package and is its own different yet beautiful story. This may have made no sense but I am writing it as a "stream of conscious" thing so I hope I was at least somewhat coherent. Anyways I have been really enjoying graduation and I think Travis is really coming into his own as a dm especially compared to dust so I can't wait to see where it goes.

I just discovered your Happy Death Day video and loved it so much I came to see what else you have done and OMG. Balance is one of my favorite stories ever and you nailed so much of what makes it a moving and fantastic story. I also agree with your small Amnesty take; it was good but the randomness of DnD and the boys not knowing what they were doing really gave Balance a certain charm that their arcs since just haven't been able to capture. Thank you for this great analysis. Subbing for sure.

Those first few cords of Wonderland and I started crying. It's been literal years since my umpteenth re-listen, and yet the opening to Wonderland shook it all back up. I love TAZ.

This was amazing, it perfectly summarized why Balance means so much to you, and me, and probably most people who adore this podcast. The clips and images you pulled are perfect and match up with your points beautifully. I can’t wait to share this with other fans!

The idea that these guys goofed around bullshitting their way through missions for a couple arcs before Griffen really started to plan out an overarching story is absolutely CRAZY to me. And it really showcases his writing skills, and his ability to think on his feet. Having entire plot points and arcs that he probably spent days writing and revising skipped just because his family moved the story in a different direction shows real dedication that I don't think can be seen in any other form of storytelling. No story has ever felt more natural or organic.

literally, the only thing that needs polish in this video is the audio. I really recommend getting a Sampson Q2U or Yeti Blue mic. The Q2U is really affordable and gives you so much flexibility in audio. Aside from that, I am really really excited to see your next video and the future of your channel! :) (and your music videos are pretty rad too)

I absolutely loved the Balance Arc and I deeply regretted my decision in watching the animatics before listening to the podcast as I believed that I would never get through 69 (nice) hours of content. Great video!

KZread recommended your Atlantis video and I was delighted when I went to your channel and saw a taz video essay!! This was super enjoyable and very well done. Thanks for sharing it with us!

@KellyJoule

4 жыл бұрын

Same here! Sometimes KZread's random choices for video recommendations give us hidden gems. I've really enjoyed her videos, especially this one and her Rogue One video!

"it's all just my opinion" *continues to state real facts and storytelling rules* In all seriousness tho, you did a very great job on this video essay! not only was I reminded of such a great time I had listening, but the mention of several storytelling techniques that griffin completely ignored was very valid! great job!

God you are just hitting me with all the emotional quotes today, im literally crying

When you were talking about amnesty i just kept saying “dont worry it does”

Ngl I totally understand how you're not amnestys biggest fan but I absolutely LOVED amnesty only because of the goofs, of course, but because of the character creation and the concept that the characters had their own lives. Like I LOVE how characters grow offscreen because that's what people do and I just felt that. It felt like dipping in on people's lives every so often and made the world feel huge for me. But totally understand your opinion and I feel it

I discovered you by a trick of the algorithm two days ago and I’ve gone through dozens of your videos and each one is insightful and engaging and well written. Easiest sub I’ve ever given.

Thanks for a great video essay and introducing me to a whole new bunch of TAZ animatics and fanart. I also, just 'cause I haven't seen anyone else mention it in comments, admire the punny title.

i havent listened to the intro music to balance in ages and i have such visceral goosebumps about it

I watched this about two months ago and it finally prompted me to go back to Balance, which I had stalled out on about halfway through gerblins. I binged the whole thing in a few weeks, so thank for this beautiful essay for prompting me to give it another shot!

Well, I’m surprised I found your DW essay before I found your TAZ essay. Both are good for sure, though this one didn’t have to do the legwork that your DW essay had to do. Speaking as some random person who just sorta appeared and has no idea how one might go about making an effect video essay, I must say you do a remarkable job of making video essays!

I think the reason Balance was so great is because, yeah, you're learning the story at the same time they are. Stakes get higher and higher as the series goes on. It might draw things out a bit long, but in my opinion, it gets you even more drawn to the characters. Amnesty was great, but it wasn't as powerful for some reason. And I think part of that may indirectly be because of the music. In Balance, the music is used often, making scenes more sad or intense. Most of the music in Amnesty was just atmospheric.

okay so youtube recommended your atlantis video and it was wonderful and I didn't comment there! because you said two things at the end! one was that that was your second video essay (which, wow, okay, both this one and that one are amazing in-depth analysis with refreshing takes that really do the media they're analyzing justice, so like, go you) and the other was that your first one was about the adventure zone, at which point I rewinded ten seconds to make sure that's what you said and impulse clicked until I was watching this video we have here and look, I was having an already emotional day but I've cried with both and to be fair I have lots of feelings about atlantis and taz:balance so that probably wasn't that hard and my point is i'm gonna go look at the rest of the stuff you've posted

One of the fun things about running the balance game is deciding whether to stick to the original Canon or go off the walls in the same way that the mcelroys Did

Thank you for sharing this with us. You have no idea how much all of this just harmonized with how I felt with the whole Balance Arc. I'm crying because what you're saying is matching what I also felt about the series. I don't know if you'll eve read this, but thank you for all the care and effort you put into your videos. I've been having a bit of a rough patch in my personal life and your videos have been helping immensely. Adding this one to my favorites. Maybe it's time to give the Balance arc another listen. Thank you!

Thank you for making this. I think that you did a good job. Also now I have another way to convince my teachers to listen balance.

This video made me cry all the tears and feel all the emotions that TAZ did. This story is so special to me because I’m the only person in my circles who listens to it and loves it to death. It feels like this huge universe is a dream I’ve been having, and one that really has a hold on my heart. It inspires me in how to be a storyteller, and how to be a better person, really. Thank you for your video, your analysis was spot on and beautifully written! I’m very grateful I found you 😊

Omg I'm so surprised this was your first video essay it's so good! I love taz and this was really entertaining to watch.

Literally only have to THINK the words "How does Magnus die?" to start tearing up

This is exceptionally done. One of my favorite pieces of media dissected and discussed very well. I found your channel via your essay on Rogue One, and I saw you did this and also a video on Doctor Who. Needless to say, you have my attention! Well done!

With regards to the way show don't tell is used or ignored within the adventure zone, I think it demonstrates a really good understanding of podcasts as a medium. The issue I always come across with dnd podcasts is that they try to present too much information and I as a listener lose track of what is going on. It's a problem that even occurs to a lesser degree while playing dnd. Podcasts are not a format in which the listener wants to relisten to the same section multiple times, so if information is not processable immediately, it doesn't get processed. This is very different than books or dnd where readers or players can reread or ask questions respectively. If you go into the podcast trying to show a whole world, people will get lost, but if you ask someone to imagine a single video from a single angle, they can - particularly in a film savvy environment. Show don't tell is great advice sometimes, but creators need to be careful not to show too much too quickly.

I been eating up all you videos and i can belive it took me so long to get to this one, i love taz and i love this, thank you for sharing❤

I think they finally did with the ethersea prologue. The story telling and the organic way it played and they melded it to their style made it feel like I was listening to a mini series arc. I legit cried at the end. Twice. The first was at the end when brother seldom was talking about how the world ended and the second was about the brief history of founders wake.

The mini arcs and the new real arcs are great because it's a bunch of family playing D&D together, Balance is great because it is Storytelling and Creation and Innovation and a Whole Lot of Real and Impromptu emotional realism.

This show and this arc are what got me into D&D. This is what made me want to play. The idea that you can start something so silly that’s so much fun, with people you love and you’re allowed to be creative and roll with the punches, that over time can become something wonderfully made and ties in all the ridiculousness from before, that makes you feel like the world is REAL. It’s why I actually started playing, and the best sessions I remember are the ones where we did stupid things and just vibed and had fun without a REAL story in mind from the very start.

This video was excellent! Your analysis was great and really summarised a lot of what I loved about this podcast! Great work!

13:26 - 13:41 this reminds me of what my ceramics teacher says about "learning the rules so that you can break them" when creating art

Man I love this show so goddam much, hearing the moment with Barry, and the wonderland scene made me SOB

This was great! I loved how you broke everything down! I"m re listening to Balance now and I appreciate your insight :) It's going to be fun going back and listening to it with the storytelling elements you discussed in mind! Keep up the great work!

I have no words for what to say, I enjoyed this and am right with you that to this day just remembering make me burst out laughing, or sob uncontrollably, or just leave me unable to do anything but think about it and frankly your video did all of those things for me too, like HOW as I said, I don't have words so just imagine me making every face imaginable if you leave out angry faces and you have about how I'm feeling after watching this. Thank you for making this video.

Man, I just started binging your essays, I cannot believe your first one was that balance video sitting in my watch later! This is such a lovely video, I love balance with my whole heart, and I think you definitely captured why. Watching the story grow, watching them build it from the ground up, it’s amazing every time I go back to it. Thank you so much for your work! It’s made my day really great!

In 20 minutes I'll have watched all of your videos thus far and I couldn't be happier about it

Catch me crying while you play little recaps of the story

Great essay! I haven't seen many video essays on TAZ, and not much analysis outside of long Tumblr text posts, so this is much appreciated!

I always tell people that Balance was the greatest story ever told, and I mean it. It's so much more than just a dnd podcast.

just found this video! i really liked it! and i love balance so much and i definitely agree about the eleventh hour being the turning point. the entirely of the chalice monologues just stab me in the heart in the best way ("Julia wouldn't want me to" gets me EVERY TIME)

your analysis is fantastic and taz is the best absurdity epic that exists so thank you for giving it what it deserves

I love how this spiraled into many many good video essays

I can tell from your other videos that you've improved a lot at making these visual essays!! Regardless, this one was fantastic and I loved all the taz balance fanimation you used! =)

I just finished binging the entirety of the Balance arc for the first time, and this video was such a fantastic capstone on that wonderful experience. Subbed and excited to see your channel grow!

Omg that last line...anyway thank you for making this about issues with the show that haven’t been talked to death! This was actually super helpful in framing the podcast for me in a way that no one else has done. Looking forward to a Prince of Egypt essay!

I'm glad I stayed till the end : ) this was a great essay you pulled some point that I have been trying to tell my friends about. Fabulous edit. Catch you next time ☕

This is wonderful! I'm excited to see a taz balance video essay!

Think Balance is due a relisten from me! I remember when I first listened and was blown away by some of the more intense emotional beats after expecting a purely comedy show. It sometimes felt like a near perfect balance of comedy and drama, and like you said I think I huge part of the appeal is experiencing the story along with the players and dm. I sometimes watch animatics of moments on youtube and I never fail to get hyped because the players' building excitement is there too. Like the example you used with 11th hour and they realise they're going to be playing a grounhog day arc. Their excitement is so infectious and I love it

Taz balance is beautiful, and the intro music gripped my heart tight after so long

Hey, thankyou for existing and taking the time and effort to take a long, thoughtful look at the creations of others. Your view on the world of media has value, and I'm glad to have seen some of The Adventure Zone through your own unique lens. P.S.- You always have a future.

This video was really heartfelt and put the development of the podcast into words very nicely! I just (25 minutest ago) finished the Balance Arc for the very first time and it was a ride. Thank you for putting this strange feeling of loving TAZ into a video essay.

I just discovered your channel today and spent a good 5 hours gobbling up your videos until this one wrecked me and I had to take a break. The videos are fabulous, keep at it, good luck, and if anyone needs me I'll be re-listening to TAZ. Again.

I have already pissed on the floor

It's really cool to see people talk about the Mcelboys, they're wonderful and I can't put into words why, but you did beautifully!