#(also about the kenku thing? as a D&D player he gives me kenku vibes)

[thebigshotman]

SPAUL NEO POST

(Just general information about Spaul’s version of the NEO body and what he can do with it and what it does to him! It’ll be under the cut to save space on people’s dashes)

The body is made of very durable material, like some cheap, Dark World version of platinum. The wings are simply made of metal and are more of a grandiose gesture than anything, so they’re pretty easily damaged. There’s a little compartment that his head came out from when he first got loaded into the body.

As for how his body changes, his hair mostly stays the same. But it’s longer and made of kenku feathers. His glasses become his eyes, no longer capable of creating marbles, but he can still slightly squint with them. He can change how much light they emit, basic light is about flashlight (for him) sized. Clawed hands and bird feet shaped metal boots. Oh, and his smile never goes away in this form.

There’s like, a version of his original body in a chest cavity around where the triangle on the stomach is. Since the LoadedDisk sucked in his entire body when he was transferred into it, this is where he ended up once the disk was put in the machine. It’s strung up by the same green strings the body is held up by, and it’s essentially the “battery” for NEO’s personality and attacks. Everything else is up to the strings. You could try to carve through the cavity to remove Spaul by force, but…

His voice becomes very Max Headroom-y. On top of his usual speech patterns, his voice will randomly get higher or lower, as well as slow down or speed up. Stuttering is also more common, especially when experiencing high emotions. But in exchange, his normal voice, when it isn’t affected by anything, gets a lot clearer. It sounds like a more monstrous version of his original Addison voice.

NEO suffers from constant hallucinations and power-highs. When he isn’t delirious under his own power, Spaul’s either seeing the worst moments of his life in full color in front of him or watching the strings seemingly twist around him more and more. It’s the body, with how much power it draws out, doing this to him. Nothing else.

His attacks and things are pretty similar to the ones in the game, not too many variations. However, when his eye beams are at full brightness, he can flash them like a strobe light to temporarily disarm and startle opponents. Afterwards, they emit no light for a while. That’s the only unique thing really.

Essentially, he’s not himself in this body, corrupted by the hallucinations and trying to accomplish his goals despite the strings. However, offering to make a deal or engaging in sales banter with him could bring him back, if just a little. Especially if you’re someone he knows…

And that’s my version of NEO! I hope you all like it; let me know what you think. I might do an event with him in the near future, towards the end of the month or so, so get ready for that!

[rhinocio]

TAZ Grad Thoughts (#2)

-  the dodgeball scene had a strong BOB Initiation Battle vibe to it with all the names and numbers flying around, and I had some trouble following along with all the characters. It’ll be interesting to see what Travis’ battles turn out like after he’s had some experience in making them more cinematic. A+ concept for a minigame tho.

- this being said Travis continues to be The Most Endearing and def was taking the reviews on the last episode seriously because he’s slowed down the dialogue and really diversified the voices (see Festo as Amelie/Elmo, that rad kenku stealth teacher) and that helped me follow along so much better

- actually can we take a hot second to appreciate all the homebrewing and messing with mechanics Trav is doing for this game?? Like remember how the boys said in the last TTAZZ that they hadn’t used the rules of D&D to their full capacity? Our new uncle T Man not only is paying attention to the mechanics but making shit up and working it in while still following the guidelines. like props to the rest of the squad because they’re also playing things by the book with their characters (see Firbolgs Don’t Have Names and Barbarians With Magic Is An Actual Class) but Travis is handling this with absolute finesse

- look I went into a panic just listening to Travis say mathematical words expectantly so having our resident firbolg losing him gotdamn mind at large numbers and capitalist concepts was a Mood And A Half, loved the range of emotion his voice went through, howled with laughter, 900/10 relatable experience

- “What’s wrong with that dog?!” + *drops crab and walks away* = Fitz Has Never Owned A Pet In His Life Send Tweet

- I knew there was a heartbreaking backstory behind that handlebar mustache. side note: I love this boost in Argo screentime and his constant mix of sarcasm and honesty. when is he being genuine? always?? never??? an enigma.

- Travis is SCREAMING queer rights with his nonbinary characters and canonical husband teachers and I adore him for it. The Adventure Zone is the only media I can fucking trust

- the boss gets a dog, you get a crab, every room gets a phantasmal cat, this is PET CENTRAL and the god is TRAVIS

- I’m living for how far this family has come in storytelling. Early on in Balance Griffin had to drag his players into each new scene and plot point, and they were just like “we’re gonna dick around here until you push us onward” but now they’re all actively side-DMing by purposely creating conflict (Bud in accounting, Fitz on the fritz, Honest Argo). They’ve all done such a good job letting Trav have the space to play with concepts and learn what works for him as a DM, but they aren’t relying on him to do all the work. this is how you tabletop game.

- Maple Syrup @ friends: it was a mistake they didn’t kick me out  Maple Syrup @ an unstable party fae he just met who def can’t keep a secret: I turned my teacher into a codfish during a finale exam and am immensely upset that my dreams of knighthood have been shot down also I’m lonely

- Griffin already has a strong handle on his boy’s personality tho and I love one (1) barbarian dud who doesn’t understand humour and can’t not correct people on his name he is a Giant Dweeb and I want him to see him grow up happy and supported

- loved that folly work with the bar (even tho I thought I was hearing things at first), that def added ambiance. side note: the space the boys are getting to just banter with each other is doing wonders for their characters and the dynamic between them, and I am living for it. those long scenes of chatter between actual plot are incredibly important for establishing who characters are and why we as listeners should like them, and I’m so glad Travis is giving them ample room to do it

- I know some people were iffy about the split party scenes in Amnesty but honestly I think they give individual characters so much room to grow into themselves and I am absolutely here for the way Trav’s worked that opportunity into the classes. he built up the world and its mechanics organically within the monologue of the accounting teacher and made it work and I respect this boy so much for his already powerful plotbuilding skills

- only improvement on this TAZ train hell yeah middlest brother