[22nd, video - 002]

[onetwoboom]

[With all these weird bodyswapping shenanigans happening, not only is Gaige glad she's been able to sit back unaffected and witness the chaos, but also to witness, well...

The video feed shows Krieg - or at least, Krieg's body - looking into a mirror. Nothing too weird, but then...he's flexing. He's watching himself flex.

From behind the camera, there's an incredibly stifled giggle from Gaige, trying her best to keep the camera steady and not get caught. She's trying really, really hard not to attract any attention, anything to keep this moment going for longer-

And then, he turns. He sees it.

And he screams.

Loud, high pitched, squeaky - all the things that Krieg should NOT be sounding like.

So, of course, it's shortly followed by Gaige losing all composure and breaking down into hysterics.]

Ahahahaha, oh my god! Oh - oh man - oh, this nerd! [A wheeze. She turns the camera to herself to spare Armin!Krieg any further embarrassment.] Krieg- hah! - Krieg, if you're out there, this one's for you. [Deep breaths. She wipes away a tear.] And for anyone else watching, you've seen history in the making. Discovered the impossible. You should - we should all feel really proud in this moment.

Comments

Backdated thread - First awakenings

[schachmeister]

[The first thing that Armin really notices, as he wakes up, is that there are no ocean sounds. It's something he's gotten used to, living in their island house for nearly a year. But there are no sounds of water slowly rolling onto the sand. There is no crying of wingull as they wheel through the sky.

He sits up with a bit of a groan, rubbing a hand over his... mask? Rather than encounter hair and (annoyingly, listen, he is eighteen, please just give him a little facial hair, okay) smooth skin, he encounters a weird mess of leather and a hose? And he might have thought it was just a prank! That someone went and put Krieg's mask on him while he slept for a laugh. But he catches a glimpse of his hand... what should be his hand but it is just far too large and scarred to be so. He stares at it, then jerks his eyes-- eye down in horror to look down at the rest of his body. Gone is the skinny, short body he calls his own. He's cursed it plenty, but he's also kind of attached to it. Instead what he finds are pecs broad enough that he is having trouble seeing his feet, arms broad enough to rival Reiner's, abs for days and--

He needs... He needs a mirror. Stat.

A quick, one-eyed glance around the room reveals no such thing, and Armin jumps up from the bed (landing with a much louder thump than normal) ready to rush into the bathroom, only to run into, and thump of the door with a curse.

Damn this lack of depth perception.]

[notyourgoddess]

[Well that crash was heard and while it's pretty normal. Maya was walking by the room and decides to check. There's a knock on the door.]

Hey, Krieg. You alright in there?

[onetwoboom]

[Gaige, alerted by the sounds of probable chaos, joins Maya shortly by the door.]

You think we have to pay for damages? Feels like that kind of place. [Then, a curse under her breath.] Damn you, civil society.

[schachmeister]

[He is not Krieg!

Except, wait, he kind of is, isn't he?

Armin doesn't really need a mirror to confirm what has been very glaringly obvious from the start. This body is not his own. And there is only one person he knows who has a body like this. Somehow he has ended up in Krieg's body, and damn, if running into the door hadn't been painful, he would've thought he might be asleep or something. But, no, this is real and he's in Krieg's body, and oh god, does that mean Krieg is in his body? Or is someone else in his body? Is this some one-on-one switch or more of a free-for-all body bonanza.

He isn't actually sure which he'd prefer.]

I think... we might have a problem.

[His voice sounds very subdued, very quiet, very not Krieg.]

[notyourgoddess]

[Maya will glance over at Gaige for a moment, with a ....what the fuck, expression on her face.]

Yeah, it sounds like it.

[And she'll push the door open.]

[schachmeister]

Gaige!

[Krieg's voice should be beyond cracking, but somehow, Armin manages to work in a tiny crack. He looks flustered, trying to quickly shrug back on the shirt and sweater vest he had managed to find (by some miracle) in Krieg's size, while also considering just dropping to the floor and perhaps dying. Death is sounding really splendid about now.

Did you-- oh god, you posted it, didn't you?

[Just. Putting Armin's shame out there for everybody to see.]

[onetwoboom]

[Gaige's shut off the feed now, so at least Armin's allowed some dignity in this moment, for whatever that's worth. She's never gonna get over the sweater vests, but at least she's too preoccupied to be distracted by it.]

Haha, yeeeaaaah. [A grin.] You shouldn't have expected better, really. That's your mistake.

[schachmeister]

[Right now, Armin is at -20 dignity. It's going to be a long time before that refills. Longer still if people keep teasing him with this video.

He scrubs Krieg's giant paws over his face as if he's trying to wipe away the flush. It is not very successful.]

I thought I had locked that door.

[onetwoboom]

[Aww look at him paw his face. He's like a kitten. A kitten that wants to fade into the earth, never to be seen again.]

Let that be a lesson to always double check.

[Despite the hilarity of it all, Armin does look...kinda bad. She supposes. This was all fun and games but there's just the slightest bit of concern.]

...You gonna recover from this, dude?

[schachmeister]

[A kitten as drawn by Tom of Finland Johto, maybe. Because Krieg's body is hardly what most people would describe as cute and kitten-ish.]

Well, I don't think I have an alternative, do I?

[Don't get him wrong, the idea of just taking off and finding a cave somewhere and never ever showing his face ever again is very tempting right now, but he knows he can't actually do that. He still has too much stuff he wants to do. And let's be real, this is hardly the first bit of embarrassment he's dealt with. After three years in the training corps, often coming in last or near to last on every physical assignment had, he's gotten used to it, really.]

[sociallychallenged]

Holy shit, even them?

[Hank is just baffled.]

This place is going to drive me batshit, I fucking know it. And I'm even in my own body.

This stuff is always fixed, right? Turns out fine? [Not like, you know, his android partner being stuck as a human.]

[onetwoboom]

No one's safe.

[Said with a snort, 'cause this is hilarious, so long as she's not involved. Even if she was - she'd probably find some way to make the most of it.]

Ehhh, it'll probably be fine. I mean, it's weird science kind of stuff, right? I'm sure whatever's making everyone play spiritual musical chairs is gonna get everything back to normal eventually. I'd give it a year or so before we have to whip out the experimental procedures.

[Unless she gets the itch to break them out sooner.]

[sociallychallenged]

Right now my partner's wearing someone else's skin. So for the sake of not feeling too weird if I give him a hug or something, I'm really hoping it takes less time than a year.

...But I gotta say, I didn't think he could hit that note. [Even if it took someone else being in Krieg's body to manage it.]

[onetwoboom]

New discoveries are made every day. Welcome to the world of science, my man.

[She leans back against the wall to steady herself.]

...Hey, do you mean partner as in, like, the totally heterosexual buddycop sense, or the not-at-all heterosexual sense? 'Cause if it's the latter then that's gotta be real uncomfortable for you. And your dude. Yeesh.

[She hadn't even considered that kind of thing yet.]

[video]

[fuelthefire]

---

PfffmnahahahahAHAHAHAH!

[That sure is some unhinged-sounding laughter. Maybe even familiar, except, of course, it's coming from the body of a one (1) small, noodly coconut instead of the usual brick shithouse. So. Maybe a little more concerning than the usual laughter? A skinny 18-year old boy should not be making these sounds.

Krieg has pulled most of Armin's hair back in a teeny, messy ponytail at the top of his head to get it out of his face. Once he gets his laughter under control, he's got the 'Gear right up to his face, just like usual.]

You get a high five when I get back!

[onetwoboom]

[Gaige matches that laughter with her own, because that kind of crazy and that specific wording could only be one thing -]

You got it, buddy! [Grinning, she takes in the rest of Armin’s appearance. Boy, that boy’s a coconut.] Is that the nerd that’s in your body, or is this some kind of three way switcharoo? Presumably with two other nerds.

[fuelthefire]

---

Pfff! Yeah, that sounded like Blondie.

[Maybe not the most original nickname ever, but it's descriptive and it does the job.

To whit: Yes, the face she is looking at on the 'Gear is indeed the face of the nerd currently occupying Krieg's body.]

Try not to tease him too much! He's a good nerdlet.

[onetwoboom]

Aww, c'mon, getting teased is a nerd right of passage!

[Let her have her fun!!]

Besides, you know I'm not about bullies. It's all in good hearted camraderie. A little jest between friends.

[Armin might want to bury himself in the dirt right now but that's how we do on Pandora.]

...By the way - cause I think you should know this - he's got you in sweater vests.

[video]

[notvaljean]

[Here's Jean, in his normal body, laughing so hard he's wheezing.]

Oh shit, that's not Krieg, is it?

[onetwoboom]

[Look at that joy! She's so glad to bring happiness to the world.]

Haha, nahh. You want me to tell you or do you wanna guess?

[notvaljean]

I'm pretty sure I know who it is.

[The scream, even in Krieg's much deeper baritone, is one Jean has heard plenty of times.]

Hi, Gaige. We knew each other before. I'm Jean.

[onetwoboom]

Hey, Jean. Don't remember you from before but that's probably not too weird to you otherwise you wouldn't be introducing yourself like that. Or you know. Maybe that's just a thing you do. Being WAY into introductions. I don't know. [A shrug.] I don't know you.

Still, glad this is how we're re-introduced. It's...it's really beautiful.

[She wipes a single tear, a remnant of laughing way too hard.]

Your guess is the little blonde nerd, right?

[video]

[schachmeister]

It is not that funny.

[Jean has never seen Krieg looking like this. Rather than his normal expression of manic glee, he's got almost more of an embarrassed pout now. A very visible pout, because the mask is gone. He also seems to be wearing a button-down with a sweater vest. It is not the most fashionable sweater vest, mainly cause it was fished out of a second-hand bin and there isn't much to choose from when you are trying to find anything in size: Meat Dorito, but it is a nerdy sweater vest nonetheless.

Yes, it is a huge mystery who this could be.]

[video]

[notvaljean]

[The hugest of mysteries! A mystery so intense that Jean, who had been getting control over himself, breaks down all over again, laughing so hard he can barely speak.]

Oh, gods... Armin.

[Suspicions confirmed; that expression and pissy tone of voice could ONLY come from Armin.]

[video]

[schachmeister]

I don't see how that is worth laughing even harder over.