The Adventure Zone - Taako doesn't want to steal

adventure zone by the mcelroys boys - maximumfun.org/shows/adventure...
animatic by me:
tumblr: / khozen
twitter: / khozen_

[@caffenefree]

taako, who stole a priceless antique silverware set from A LITERAL CHILD, which had been in his family for GENERATIONS... draws the line at bank robbery.

[@MaffSalles]

But let's not forget this kind soul that gave THREE FORKS to the child to make him feel less bad

[@EmerlyNickel]

Caffene And don't forget the boots of jumping he knicked off of Meryl's dead cousin in episode 2. (I just started listening to this podcast, btw. loving it so far!)

[@danj8892]

people do business there he's not an animal

[@patanu]

Everybody has standards.

[@TheDragoMorph]

Capitalists, man.

[@spehizle]

"We can't steal this gold!" Oh, so Takko's Lawful Good. "The Chief of Police is RIGHT OUTSIDE." Oh, so Takko's Common Sense Good.

[@liamwhite3522]

Taako, two arcs previous, found Merle's dead relative, looted sweet magic shoes from the corpse, and then gave them to Magnus. He didn't even want them, he stole them for kicks! Taako, the arc previous, stole the antique silverware collection from an NPC helper for gold, then bought back 3 utensils later to convince him of their bond. Taako, later this arc, will steal an engine partfrom a competitor's workshop, and kill several people to do it. Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Good at best.

[@Ray-hk1zm]

@@liamwhite3522 He's a good boy, he's just also sort of a kleptomaniac.

[@logicaloverdrive8197]

@@liamwhite3522 didn't magnus start that fight tho? I remember him pulling the lever on the lift and killing those two guys.

[@notjamin]

Taako is not good I love him but he is definitely chaotic neutral

[@quackthulu9575]

@@liamwhite3522 also to add that NPC helper was a like 10 year old boy

[@Birdofprey-cg3pj]

I KEEP STARING AT TAAKO *i DON'T BLINK*

[@biddodiggo2176]

Same here bud

[@WhatTheFlox]

took me 2 years to find this comment.

[@oligb1469]

@@WhatTheFlox it took me 2 years and four days to find this reply chain.

[@Ramonerdna]

You and me both Merle

[@nomi9997]

the profile pic fits so well

[@raisedbybears1991]

I like that the Chaotic-good character is threatening to turn the Lawful-good character over to the authorities

[@Sleepy12ftPanda]

I guess that means Magnus is more Lawful than he is good because he justifies himself by saying that the bank's insurance will cover it while Takko argues from the moral perspective of not screwing the bank's patrons over.

[@helenasommerville]

Bruna nah, the character sheets have taako as chaotic good and magnus as lawful good

[@raisedbybears1991]

I'm still pretty new to the series (just finished Rockport Limited, and was still on the Gerblim arc when I wrote that comment) but I remember hearing or reading that those were their intended alignments. I doubt the McElroys take it very seriously, but it was just funny to consider when you see the way they act here

[@BrooklynJackBlue]

I feel like Taako is actually Neutral Evil!

[@pearlyp9898]

Justin Kalman I'm sorry, your comment is old so you very well might not care anymore, but I wanted to ask, why do you think he's neutral evil?

[@PurpleDingoPress]

I love that every character in this is behaving exactly opposite their respective alignments.

[@keaton5101]

wait a second whats merles alignment

[@fist-of-doom487]

I think Taako has some wiggle room, since he's chaotic Good. He still has a moral compass just not a super strong one. Apparently he draws the line at federal crimes.

[@DeathnoteBB]

Keaton merle seems pretty true neutral

[@quisslequassle404]

The best thing is how it all makes perfect sense through their backstory.

[@AnubisFactsGames]

Fist-of-doom I haven’t seen much of TAZ and I also do not know the economy’s inner workings in this story’s specific kingdom nor DND in general. But if the kingdom these people are in works with capitalism similar to America (or whatever), then I believe I know a perfect quote from the Joker which will explain also why Taako is worried. “I’m crazy enough to take on the Batman. But the IRS? No thank you!”

[@artisticallychallenged7842]

This was the thing that convinced me to start listening to the adventure zone- I thought Takko was the brains of the group who was a moral 'don't do bad things' kind of guy based off of this. I was very very wrong.

[@biddodiggo2176]

Same here bud... Saaaame here

[@MrLung1991]

ArtisticallyChallenged is it WORTH watching this ?

[@biddodiggo2176]

@@MrLung1991 yes it is and TAAKO IS THE GAY

[@MrLung1991]

Biddo Diggo so ? Is it bad that hes gay ???

[@biddodiggo2176]

@@MrLung1991 nope... It's better

[@waggledagger2348]

The frame on "this isn't a DUNGEON" is the greatest panel I've ever seen

[@brandonthegreat97]

WaggleDagger facts

[@shawnaeatscats]

I really like the frame on "I grab some CHAIRS"

[@biddodiggo2176]

Its sorta pearl-like trait don't you think?

[@nerren5066]

Biddo Diggo That’s exactly what I was thinking

[@biddodiggo2176]

@@nerren5066 (Shouting in the distance) Your Welcome.

[@epicwatermelon363]

Merle’s face at “I KEEP STARING AT TAAKO. *I DON’T BLINK* “

[@kofimoon-vv-8279]

*stares at the camera*

[@B4K4xNi]

You know, when I first heard this episode, this scene felt really out of character for both Magnus and Taako... but knowing the sort of things you learn later on, Magnus's disrespect for government institutions and willingness to break laws as long as the common man isn't harmed, as well as Taako's fear of breaking major laws makes a lot of sense.

[@fortidogi8620]

>The corruption in the militia

[@sophienah4654]

i didnt think i t was ut of character for taako at all. We'd only ever seen taako take money from corpses and belongings on a train. His unwillingness to steal from a bank just means his character has some form of respect for not screwing with large amounts of peoples money. as for magnus, well. travis did alot of playing around with the type of person magnus was and if it felt right or not and this was probably one of those moments

[@Sophia-rk6ck]

I always saw taako as a swindler not a thief, he’s a business man so of course he doesn’t want to take from a place where money is rightfully somebody else’s. Devil people? Fair game. If he gets in fair and square? HELL YEAH! But never stealing. There’s no pizazz

[@injustnotimeatall]

@@Sophia-rk6ck This is actually a really good point, I never thought about it before but clearly Taako has a lot of respect for the artistry of conning people. Most of the time it's less about getting something and more of the satisfaction of having won it.

[@XemnasKH]

@@Sophia-rk6ck Taako took everyone's valuables from the Rockport train lockbox after tricking them to look the other direction. I don't know what you call that other than stealing.

[@SlabMangrave]

Taako is like the most popular 'Vencher Zone character for obvious reasons so I've seen a whole lot of different interpretations of him, but this one has to be my favourite. There's something about the way you draw his limbs so spindly and his eyes so heavily lidded that just perfectly conveys all the sassafras that boy's got goin also, I'm a big fan of the ORB MERLE

[@charliescheirmann2926]

I think that Taako just looks like Pearl from Steven Universe with a few exceptions

[@sarahkin36]

MaMiMuMa To me it was like it didn’t align *enough* with his canon effeminate beauty (see: the suffering game), I feel what OP is saying and am obsessed with this animatic but he’s too bean shaped for me in this one for my brain to fully latch onto the idea that he’s Taako here

[@mrcritical6751]

Comic Taako has the best design, Carey really captured the feminine side of him

[@sweetpeabee4983]

@@sarahkin36 tbh I kind of headcanon that during the Suffering Game, Taako actually goes from funky-looking/elf-y to a much more "normal" conventionally attractive individual -- i.e. that by human standards, Taako would actually seem to have grown more beautiful. Mostly because I just find it funny to think about Taako the Bean being super vain about his appearance & hemming and hawing so much about giving up part of it lol.

[@fblaeser2033]

U

[@Jasmine-mh3kf]

Taako's one bizarre flash of non-klepto morality haha

[@RileyIsntDead]

I am 95% sure that he was trying to convince Magnus to put the money back so he can take it for himself. That's why Merle was watching Taako so carefully.

[@saltmomtmissad8384]

Yeah i remember this episode he was trying to take it for himself lmao

[@epicrapbattlesofherstory]

Taako's hand motion when he says "dungeon" is easily the most perfect thing I've ever seen

[@sapphireshores8137]

"I am writing it on my goddamn character sheet" omfg srsly i want to have my own D&D adventure. with Taako

[@ilivetospiteothers9327]

I keep having dreams where he's there teaching me magic, and the way he does this is just, so... *TAAKO* !!!

[@marinasweeney4727]

"Magnus, he's right. Let's put the chairs back" is such an underrated line 😂

[@delaneyklutes5579]

"the corruption in the militia!" also these are the BEST FUCKING character designs for these guys!!!!

[@CarryLarry]

0:38 Why are we looting? This isn't a dungeon, people do business here. Put that back!

[@OtaconAmiibo]

This was literally my first exposure to TAZ so I wanna thank you, because I'm 17 episodes deep now and my life is has improved drastically since.

[@LJLvids]

same here, altough i'm only 4 episodes in after 5 days

[@theblackzodiacqueen6600]

I'm 6 episodes in after 3 days ... i dont have a problem

[@thinmintthemonkey2435]

@@theblackzodiacqueen6600 I'm 15 episodes in less than 2 days.... I think I have a problem. 🤣

[@kingofburgerz]

Your depiction of Taako is perfect. Simply marvelous.

[@javaPhysician]

Merle's design looks like Danny DeVito from Always Sunny. Hell this clip feels like a clip from that show.

[@blueskybelyr]

Oh my god, when I first started listening to this my immediate thought was "this is like if Mace, Dennis and Charlie were dumped into a fantasy world"

[@grakki91]

i feel like merle is a mix of uncle from red dead redemption and frank from it’s always sunny

[@TonberryShuffle]

"He's right. Let's put the chairs back". That's the part that got me the most when I was listening to it the first time. And everyone just glossed over it.

[@k.g.7591]

Between "you and the box both drink POISON" And this interaction, this is my favorite TAZ interaction. It got me into TAZ

[@saber1epee0]

"Why are We Looting?!" And ”The mongoose mask" are the two actually quintessential bits of TAAKO lore. If you don't satisfy those, your Canon has missed.

[@spockedandloaded]

I love that Magnus has travis's painted nails

[@notoriousjester2593]

Everyone talking about "This isn't a D U N G E O N" frame, meanwhile I'm here transfixed on "Just cause you found M O N E Y"

[@doktortulp5496]

Your Taako reminds me a lot of Pearl's body language (Steven Universe) especialy when he says "This isn't a DUNGEON!"

[@Augie_Froggie]

Doktor Tulp y e s

[@thelonboots]

i love magnus' nail polish. and everything about this

[@starrats444]

thelonboots i love the trend of putting magnus in nail polish bc travis wears nail polish, these boys are style icons

[@EpicBeard815]

Merle agreeing to put the chairs back is too underrated

[@TyrannosaurusChexmix]

I love characters like Taako who can be classified as "They have a moral code, it's just anyone's guess as to what the fuck it is."

[@horseonbeach]

i watched this without the context of the show so merle staring intensely at taako was So confusing

[@cussundriakneal9904]

Probably thinking: "Who the hell are you and what have you done with Takko?" XD

[@thetopcats.9154]

What's funny to me is that despite being so worked up about it, he does completely forget to rat them out later.

[@HonestyJZ]

I've watched this animatic 10-20 times in the last few weeks; really great job. My only complaint is that you've irrevocably altered by mental image of Magnus with how perfect your design is.

[@fretzl]

I love all the little mannerisms in this, like Taako shoving Magnus with the chair at 0:45

[@smalliesxd]

I love it when Griffin laughs so hard you can hear him clapping/slapping his legs

[@Omnimegas]

the way you draw their physical interactions with one another is perfect, and I just adore all of taako's expressions great work!

[@officebar]

Some rich fan: give this woman a bunch of money to quit her day job and crank out TAZ animatics full-time. (EDIT: gender corrected by Silvia Ceccatio)

[@morbidlizard]

Ray Sizemore that's be so great!!! p.s. Khozen, the animator, is a girl btw

[@officebar]

Thanks for the info-- edited!

[@finian9581]

my fav thing is having seen this, and then as im trying to binge my way through the podcast, hitting this exact point and realizing what's happening

[@CaylexT]

"I keep staring at Taako. I DON'T BLINK" has the proper context

[@Skadfun]

Can't stop watching this. I am maybe 30 of your views.

[@palmbae6846]

Skadfun FUCKING same, I am the other 605

[@palmbae6846]

The other 5,941 times now

[@marcoresnick8907]

Oh my gosh, for a second I thought you painted Magnus's nails because Travis actually paints his!

[@ilariacarloni8393]

Merle's face and design make me laugh my ass off! Beautiful

[@slyngn7847]

Somebody needs to make Merle face at 0:12 or 0:15 a meme.

[@ciaradonegan1607]

oh man i've watched this like 5 times and i just noticed how merle stares into the camera like he's in the office for a split second... bravo this animatic is amazing

[@Amaraofficial]

this is literally my favorite animatic between the audio itself and your goddamn art and the expressions and the merle stare

[@haileykhon9333]

Taako: “Just because you found money in a bank doesn’t mean you can just take it with you!” *literally two arcs later* Taako: **steals all the money in a bank vault instead of the thing they were supposed to grab the entire episode**

[@Companion92]

It was in a time loop, so he thought that it doesn't count. Got really akward, when they later realised, that the people remembered everything from all the loops

[@fitnessdicinyourmouth1438]

He used it for a spell that he would never have another opportunity to use. There was never another opportunity where the gang had access to that much loot and there’s only a handful of spells you can use with that much loot. Plus time kept resetting and every time it reset all the loot you gained would not be kept.

[@emilyh7971]

I don't know why but I love Taako's ridiculously short wizard hat

[@sebjove5381]

this is so cute, expressive, and hilarious. im DYING

[@hugenerd242]

0:19 *looks into the camera like I'm on The Office*

[@gracedorothy430]

okay but these are the best interpretations of the characters

[@dogloversunite]

This was the first TAZ animation I watched, before I was even listening to the series, and I feel it was a perfect introduction to the podcast!

[@TapeLeg]

dang, you are PUMPIN these out

[@Sneakysneaky88]

One day. One day. The fans will get together and make an entire series of collaborative storyboard-style videos like these for every episode. Every. Episode. And I will listen to the whole series from the start again. ...one can only dream. I mean, sure, the average episode is a little over an hour long, but just imagine. Hnnnng. HNNNNG.

[@pieterskuse3604]

The animation of taako is fucking on point

[@d.shazzbaa]

taako's hand motions are So On Point here

[@wol5227]

4 years later, this is still my favorite bit from the whole show!

[@RileyIsntDead]

We all know that Taako is just waiting for them to turn their backs so he can take it all for himself.

[@Epinardscaramel]

This isn't a dungeon, people do business here! Put that back!

[@laika9513]

i highkey love the way you draw magnus hbsbsbsbs

[@misti-step]

i love their nail polish (and magnus' beard) :)

[@killjoy8372]

I just wanted to say that this video is what made me listen to taz, it's amazing and this is how i picture all three lol

[@neonblush4801]

I adore the way you draw them!

[@fanboygamer3e]

“I’m writing it on my goddamn character sheet.”

[@OtaconAmiibo]

I wanted to come back (eight months later?? Has it really been that long??) and say thank you again for interpreting something so wonderful into something just as clever and funny, because now, here at the end of TAZ, my life has absolutely been made better by the McElroys and talented individuals like yourself. I'm glad this creativity exists and that I am alive to experience it. Thank you.

[@maxaroni39]

The Tay Trash I think this was just the end of a season. They made another episode talking about what's next.

[@rebeccatrishel]

I love the discussion of alignment.

[@skylarp5529]

I only have a 5-minute break before I have to go back to working and I just used all of it to watch this over and over again

[@christopherhancock472]

Taako looted Merle’s relative’s body for some sweet kicks he then GAVE to Magnus in the first arc of the campaign.

[@theblackzodiacqueen6600]

Taako is and always will be the greatest thing

[@GUNDAMURX73]

Gosh, has it been five years?

[@flairhayden]

0:45 - 0:50 is my favorite drawing of this exchange.

[@MissMystery1412]

Oh man these all fit their voices and characters so well, A+++ job

[@rowsys]

this is the animatic that got me into TAZ! i love this, ive watched it so much. thank you for sharing ur beautiful art.

[@ChrisBradel]

I still watch this almost every week

[@witchlamb]

I Like These Goofs

[@Zorpike]

The thing to remember about this scene is that Taako totally would have taken all 900 gold the second the other two turned their backs.

[@BryceCastillo]

I watch this like every day, this moment and your illustration of it are fantastic!

[@korbinslookingglass5467]

merle's piercing stare!

[@MegDaunting]

I watch this several times a week, your work is so good and other love your character designs! you did a great job giving taako fun gestures. love it!

[@generellconfusion2592]

Evil Taako be like: I don't want to steal!

[@hatch2141]

holy shit i love this so much! the why each of them is drawn and their expressions are amazing! this is great

[@senpieloven]

I love how you draw taako. I know that nose must'a been a pain in the ass but I gotta say, kudos, on a great job

[@Cathar5i5]

Dude, this animatic is what got me into the adventure zone back then. Thank you so much!

[@honeycombkisses7559]

all of their mannerisms are amazing- taakos little hand gestures?? phenomenal

[@alliebeemac]

I am so glad I found this again! Months ago I was watching a bunch of hamilton animatics, and this popped up in suggested. Had never heard of the adventure zone or the mcelroys before this, but I had to look them up because this video had me cracking up. thank you so much for opening that world for me

[@keaton5101]

this is one of the first taz animatics i ever saw and it made a good enough impression on me that i decided to listen to the adventure zone still love this

[@DaNgErDiabolikmusic]

I've watched a handful of these and yours are THE BEST! The character designs are absolute perfection. If AZ was an animated series, this style would capture the series to perfection! BRAVO!

[@sarahkin36]

There is nothing I love more than Taako’s fuckin wheel of fortune of a moral compass

[@steviedraws2770]

Bank robbery is a victimless crime

[@WitchyThyme]

Thank you for this! This animatic is how I was introduced to the show.

[@ZombieDish]

I love this scene and can watch it any time. It's great.

[@DreamsOfFire]

This is the greatest thing ever! I think I replayed it like 9 times, haha! Awesome job!!

[@annak.9483]

idk why but seeing this animated makes it 1000000 times funnier, I'm literally crying laughing! Well done :) thank you!

[@clearlynotaneldritchhorror8798]

This is my Fav interpretation of The Adventure Zone!

[@jonathany1240]

This was the first piece of TAZ media I experienced and it’s been a whirlwind since...

[@awfulgood8696]

Great animatic! Man I love these. Nice work.

[@cadaverkeys]

this is the video that got me into TAZ! Your art style is so cool and neat!!!

[@toniconge7003]

This was the first adventure Zone thing I saw and I just made it to this point while listening!

[@Dotmw]

This is what convinced me to start listening to the podcast; thanks for introducing me to TAZ!

[@Seavsta]

This introduced me to this show. God bless your soul.

[@drago1514]

The funniest thing is he stole money in the first couple episodes and gave himself up when they were in the circle of truth(?)

[@ghostification]

oh my lord i love your style

[@sqwooshh]

Another amazingly iconic scene

[@catcher0]

love this. especially love your merle, thats now my hc for him. brill

[@rivanianx]

Taako's single instance of lawful good behavior.