but now i see the colors are everything

[pronounces]

WHO: nazuna nito & you! (it's a catchall!)
WHERE: around and about recolle
WHEN: the month of august
WHAT: memory swaps & body swaps
WARNINGS: might be some funky valkyrie memories abound



body swap number 1: baren

[ nazuna tends to be a pretty early riser. his summer jobs in the evening usually don't run opener shifts, but just in case they do, he's up by five or six most mornings making breakfast for his siblings to run them off to summer camp or whatever assorted programs they're in. it means when he wakes up not in his body, his routines don't really change.

morning riser or not, he's not exactly a morning person. nazuna doesn't even really notice his eyesight is messed up until he's stumbling through baren's apartment trying to find his coffee machine. it leads him out into the wild, even, stepping outside and squinting at the sun, scratching his bare stomach with one hand. ]

...Huh?

[ hand up over his eyes, he stares out on the horizon. everything seems... smaller. there's the baren you know and love, probably, standing on his doorstep, hair a disaster, still in his pajamas, boxers and no shirt.

hm. ]

body swap number 1, pt II: the baren-ing

[ after the initial scream and freakout, the thing nazuna's the most uncomfortable with has to be the...eye situation. he's always known baren to wear an eyepatch, but to actually wear it himself--and to know the reason why--has made his stomach turn, just a little bit. self-consciously, he keeps fiddling with it throughout his day of Trying to Be Baren, which he's really bad at.

he's peering in the window of a shop, looking at clothes in tisse. baren probably wouldn't hate him for getting him clothes that aren't...this. right? he kind of hates the way his friend dresses, at least on himself, which means it's time for a makeover. if he's going to be uncomfortable with this eyepatch, he's at least going to look nice as the rest of himself!

so, you can catch nazuna-as-baren fidgeting with his eyepatch outside of the window of the shop. or, maybe you're a little late for that, and you can find baren kaiyou stepping outside of the shop, dressed...

well, a little different than usual. nazuna-as-baren looks pretty pleased with himself, actually, and adjusts his lapels as he steps outside. yeah, he's still riding off of the high of having to shop like five sizes higher than normal. cut him some slack.


you know, like this, baren looks a little like he had to do it to em. ]

body swap number 2: leo

[ at least leo's roughly nazuna's size. (maybe.) one bodyswap was enough for nazuna, and yet, here he is, pretending to his boyfriend. he's sitting across from you at a table, having flirted his way (accidentally) into this situation trying to pretend to be leo. nazuna-as-leo's face is starting to color spectacularly red, the color taking over leo's pale cheeks, and he sits on his hands to keep from fidgeting with his (not really his) hair.

god. oh god! okay. he can do this. he looks at his ""date"", half proud of himself for getting this far and half mortified at how he's going to actually do anything else. well. only one way to try, right?

he takes a deep breath, and squeaks out in leo's voice--- ] Sho--! [ .........oh god. ]

memory swap; hallucination 1

[ the figure from nazuna's dreams that appears in real life is not the pink haired menace from some of his other memories, but rather, an energetic young man. he pops out of his dream next to nazuna (in his own body, thank god) on one of his errands, and then beams at him like a mischevious little puppy who's taken something he's not supposed to have--and then promptly takes off running.

nazuna doesn't swear but if you're down the street, you might hear his -- ] Mitshuruchin! [ as if it was still his dream, because he's running after the hallucination as fast as his little legs can carry him, like he's supposed to be catching him. if he sees you, he calls out: ] Help me cash him---!!

[ please help his stamina is not that good ]

memory swap; an actual memory swap

[ you find yourself standing in a room full of fabric and colorful sewing notions. despite what should be chaos, everything is organized down to a perfect t, and the occupants of the room are one familiar pink haired menace and one former resident of retrospec.

the black haired one is holding out a gift: it's a shirt, with little ruffles on it. he seems a little bashful as he says "While I was fussin’ with it, yer birthday passed right on my, ya know~♪ It’s real late, ain’t it, sorry. Would ya accept it, Nazuna-nii?"

you find yourself without a voice. it's just for a moment, but if you open your mouth to say something, no words come out. open, close, open, there's no sound.

a soft voice behind you says, "Mi...mikachi...tha...", and if you turn, you might see nazuna there. he's long haired, quiet, fidgeting with his hands as "mikachin" offers forward the little shirt. maybe if you take it, the memory will dissolve? ]

WILDCARD.

[ did we plan something else? do you have specific ideas for either body swap (or a different one entirely?) i'm open to anything! shoot me a message at protags or dm me here to plot, or just go for it! ]

Comments

body swap 2

[crudest]

[Here Baren was.

Walking down the street with some shopping bags.

Minding his own damn business.

And then thERE'S HIS OWN DAMN BODY - ]

Who the f-f-fuck is the p... [why can't he get this word out, he scowls AS MUCH AS THIS BUNNY FACE CAN SCOWL in the next second and then forces out]

PREPPYASS NERD....!!

[what a foul mouth for such a lovely boy dressed in adorable clothes,,]

[pronounces]

[ nazuna almost jumps out of his skin when his own voice screams at him: there's a deep pitched: ] UNYA!! [ as he flails his shopping bags and very nearly drops them, clutching the bag containing baren's actual clothes close to his chest. ] Wha-what're--don't jusht shcr-- [ the stutter sticks through even through baren's voice, and nazuna would be frightened like a little rabbit, normally. that's where it starts, even, and then he actually gets a look at the person who is in his body who is wearing the cutesiest outfit--. it's actually impressive baren's voice can shriek at this high pitch: ] What the hell do you shink you're doing?!?!

also bodyswap 2

[doublesmall]

[okay, he probably already knew baren wasn't in his own body today, considering that's his fiance's self that nazuna is stuck in--

but the sight of him in that outfit still makes chuuya stop short.

for a moment, he's just gaping, but then:]

Pfffhaha--

[HOW CAN HE NOT LAUGH. he's pulling out his phone.]

Oh holy shit... oi, hold still, hold still! I have to get a pic of this, he's never living this shit down....

[pronounces]

[ chuuya was the first person nazuna saw today, so at least he doesn't have to pretend to be baren when he sees him anymore. the laughter startles him though, a silly and childish gestured jump that looks ridiculous on baren's big body, and he squeezes the bag he was holding, making baren's cheeks turn pink. ] What's that shupposhed to mean?! It looks good! [ he's Handsome ok ]

wildcard

[espansivo]

[nazuna's backstage. the area lit by spotlights is filled with instruments and blurry faced musicians, the crowd darkened save for two faces (one more familiar than the other, maybe, considering miai shares so many of his features, but keito shouldn't be left out) carefully watching the stage; leo's edging near the curtain with a giant man nearby, and their conversation can be heard well enough:

"You were friends, weren't you? Even if it was just for a moment."]

Geh, that blockhead is here? Why? I did see Keito, but... I don't think that guy's interested in me after all this time.

["He said the same thing, but God only knows. Aside from physical phenomena that exist in reality, you can interpret things as you like. Eichi-san and Keito-san — people who have a past with you — are in the audience. In this case, that's the only truth; the interpretation doesn't really matter. What's important is how you respond to that phenomenon."

the giant continues on, and when he's left to greet the audience on stage leo lingers still, hesitant in a way that nazuna's almost familiar with at this point, gripping the curtain tightly. he's terrified of going on stage, of seeing eichi again, but the giant's making such a ruckus, having such fun, that it's clear a part of him's wistful all the same.]

Mm... What do I do..?

[it doesn't seem like he's noticed nazuna.]

[pronounces]

[ at this point, it's almost comforting to be placed in the dream of someone who sings. it feels like he's seen all kinds of ridiculous things at this point, and to stand behind a curtain, hearing the soft noises of people murmuring and instruments warming up. it starts up the familiar anxiety of performing in his gut, but nazuna orients himself to the fact that it's a dream, looks up, and hears this strange, giant man talking.

the second voice is more familiar. nazuna peers around the tall guy to see leo--it's the leo from his memories, orange haired and piercing-less. yet, even with the different appearance, he looks like a leo he knows very well, if the hesitant way he stays is anything.

he should step back. he should just let it happen but... he was able to change his dream with kurochin, earlier in the month. maybe he could do it here too? nazuna reaches out with sympathy, empathy for the way leo's stomach must be churning, and gently touches his shoulder. ]

Leochin...it's okay to be a little nervous, you know? [ he has to do something, or say something. he's everyone's favorite niichan, a helpful, driving force of positivity when people need it the most. even if he doesn't know the context, nazuna has to try. ]

bodyswap number 1 part two

[belowaverage]

[Hey guess who is also Shinji's cousin in this new AU?

That's right, it's the person who Nazuna's decided to dress up as a prep!

Shinji loves his cousin and thus will try really, really hard not to laugh at him when he spots him shopping. He mostly succeeds! Mostly.]

That's - heh - a new look for you, cuz.

[pronounces]

[ absolutely, the hardest part of this has been trying to act like baren, because nazuna is absolutely nothing like baren. they have small things in common not: this. he jumps (even squeaks a little "unyu!", though it's very quiet) and whirls around to see--shinji? oh boy. yes. shinji. aren't they related? oh no. nazuna clears his throat. it's just like acting. ] Just--trying somethin' different, that's all. Blue's totally my color. [ ...??? he's trying ]

Swap 1, part II!

[sunnyspot]

[If it weren't for Baren's silhouette being pretty easy to recognize, Kouhei wouldn't have done a double take at the guy he happened to spot walking out of the store.... But as it turns out, upon looking more closely, it's definitely Baren, and Kouhei has to take a minute to glance him over before immediately bursting into quiet laughter.

It's honestly rare for Kouhei to laugh in general, but seeing Baren (or "Baren," as he's quick to assume) in preppy pastels and shorts is just too much to handle.

Out of habit, he covers his mouth with one hand and signs I'm sorry with the other, but this.... definitely can't be Baren, so after a moment, he pulls out his phone and types a quick message before turning the screen around.]

Did you switch bodies with someone too? This is too much. [And then with his voice, though it's a little warped due to his laughter:] Sorry.

[pronounces]

[ oh thank god. nazuna-as-baren's shoulders droop in relief, because he's so glad to see someone he knows that also recognizes that he's definitely not baren right now. his hands form a little slowly around the signs, and he has to fingerspell them instead of doing actual signs, but nazuna still remembers his lessons with kouhei from earlier in the year when he was still at the dorms. ] N-a-z-u-n-a [ and follows it with a little bunny foo-foo motion, a rabbit hopping across baren's chest. ...he huffs, eventually putting his hands on his hips and leaning forwards a little. nazuna's natural gestures look utterly comical as baren but you know what he's doing his best. ] His fashion sense's stupid. [ ok ] Who wears that much black when it's this hot outside?!

actual memory swap idk what i'm doing but im doing it

[unlightmusic]

[... Wasn't that Mika? Just a month ago, Suzu remembered meeting him in that underground livehouse shortly before Tanabata, in that other life. It was a fuzzy, vague memory, but she did remember feeling some sort of strange connection towards him, as if they weren't strangers, even though that was the first time they met. She's also a bit startled, about how this Nazuna looked. Lacking that sort of energy and life the one she knew had, it was almost looking at another person. Speaking of looking completely different from themselves, Suzu felt something else amiss, and looked down at herself to confirm---

The hallucination saw it fit to make her the fourteen-year-old first-year student she saw herself as occasionally in the memories of her past life, her hair longer than it was in current times, wearing a green sailor-style girl's school uniform. Far different from the blue blazer-style of the boys she was surrounded by. A large red clip pins back her overgrown bangs, showcasing her uniquely colored eyes; left gold and right red. With Mika standing behind her, with their similar dark hair and mismatched eyes, among other features, it was almost like seeing double.

Perhaps it's because of that strange connection, that she was reluctant to brazenly snatch the shirt from Mika's hands, that she was so averse to hurting his feelings despite being a figment of imagination. Instead, after hesitating as she glances at the pink-haired fellow ("Oshi-san" or something?), then Mika, then finally Nazuna... Suzu decides to impulsively reach out and clasp his hands over Nazuna's, shaking her head frantically. None of this was real, and she had a faint feeling they shouldn't stay in this moment much more than they need to. Yet, somehow she couldn't verbalize it: Snap out of it, Nazunii! Please!]

holds it in my arms

[pronounces]

[ it is certainly a mika. he looks really smiley even if he just got scolded, holding out the shirt to nazuna, who does seem frozen. the whole scene is set like they're dolls placed neatly in a dollhouse, actually. if suzu looks close, the memory might have them a little more doll-like than the original one, mika's fingers jointed and holding little strings, nazuna's too.

...until, even in the dream, the long-haired version of nazuna blinks, looking between the two people in front of him. the girl--her eyes look just like mikachin's? that's weird. that's really weird isn't it? he should say something. there aren't any girls in yumenosaki's idol course, and the ones around here don't dress like that, and mika must have a sister or something because they're so similar--

all these thoughts, but his voice creaks a little, and all he really gets out is: ] Mi...mikach... th... who...

wildcard LMK IF THIS WORKS SISI

[adoringpast]

[ switching with leo was... disastrous. of course it was, but it did give sena a new perspective of him, of how a day of his life usually works. it just made him look more forward to seeing him again.

...actually, why wait any longer? he texted leo, unbeknownst that he too had his soul transferred into yet another body, telling him to meet at the music studio for practice and bring anything new that he'd thought up lately so that he can help with the composing. it's the least he can do, given that piano's the only thing he can play for now, and he's still at the very beginner's stage for it.

so here he is, waiting at the lobby, waiting for him to come as he does. leo's not the type to be late usually, so when the boy finally arrives - ]

You're late. [ huffs, hands on his hips like a diva ] Did you bring the stuff I told you to get?

what the fuck dreamwidth

[pronounces]

[ for the most part, nazuna's been doing okay at being leo. he at least knows him really well, and his personality is...definitely easy to pin down. it would've been nice to have some kind of acting skill prior to this, but he's doing his best... right up until he gets his text from sena. oh boy. he only sees the text because leo-as-nazuna starts waving it in his face (weird) and he apparently has to go, so he's here. he stops at the music studio's door to try and compose himself, to try and put his best leo face on, then pushes open the door and-- ] Wa-- [ hhh ] Wahahaha! ★ Of course, of course! What did you take me for! [ nazuna is dying inside. his cheeks are even turning a little red as leo for how...leo he has to act. ]

bodyswap #2

[roughplayer]

[ Normally one could probably congratulate Nazuna-in-Leo scoring a date with someone, because that's definitely a feat, right? Well... He's got step one accomplished. Now for step two, surviving through the date part. Survive is used here, because his date is a young man with sharp gold eyes, dressed in a sharp but semi-casual sort of getup. That is a bit of a low v-neck there to wear under a jacket, but it's Kazuki testing Leo(?) here.

With that red face and botched attempt to start a conversation with an accidental slip of the tongue, Koga laughs and... It's almost playful, if his own voice wasn't so harsh. ]

"So?" I should thank you for letting me enjoy this ribeye in peace. You've been awfully fidgety though. Tch...

[ It's amazing how one can dig into a steak with a silver knife like an animal, but eat so politely at the hacked up strips. Those eyes don't really let Nazuna leave his sight either, maybe out of suspicion... or annoyance. ]

Are you anxiously waiting for something more after this? That's a shame, it's good fucking food. I know you're always horny and noone has you in check, but I'm going to decide when I want to have fun.

[ Kazuki's tone is curt like he's impatient, but with a wryness of a coyote, resting his cheek on his free hand as he stabs his fork into more ribeye. ]

JFGKLSDHJI'MD YING

[pronounces]

[ nazuna is honestly not entirely sure how he ended up here. he and leo are... a thing , but it felt natural to try and pretend to be flirting and now he's ? on a date with mizuki's brother. this has been the most disastrous twelve hours or so of nazuna's life and he's about ready to get off this ride, but he's not going to totally destroy leo's entire reputation or personality or anything, because he does care about him a lot which means he's going to try and do this right. nazuna takes a bit of what he's been picking at (it's a salad, because leo seriously needs to eat his vegetables and if nazuna's going to get anything out of this situation it's shoveling healthy food into his unhealthy roommate-slash-boyfriend's mouth. it lets him chew over a response, quite literally, and then kazuki goes and implies that, and nazuna-as-leo's entire face goes red. ] Don't jusht imp-- [ no. NO. he can't do that. nazuna clears his throat, loudly, and tries to think of something leo would actually say in this situation. ] Ahem, I mean, you're kind of-- [ oh god he can't do this. his voice trails off briefly before he swallows his pride and dignity and normal attitude to say ] ...giving me a preview with that shirt. [ his face is still bright red and it's hard to tell if he sounds "flirty" or just really ashamed and mortified. can he recover from this. nazuna-as-leo tries to wave it off very cool big brotherly like. ] Besides, it's not like I don't have my own bed to sleep in, you know...~ My roommate's always looking after me, and he gets pre-tty worried when I don't come home after the first date. [ he could wink if he was cool but he's really not, so he chooses to shove a tomato in his mouth. eat your stupid vegetables and go to bed on time leo tsukinaga ]

Hallucinations one I'm gonna wing it

[amodelidol]

[Makoto was thankful he was back in his body as he looked around this dream. He wondered where he's ended up when he someone ran by him. Wait, who was that? He looked over to see Nazuna running down the street as he called out to him.

Don't worry Nazuna he'll help you!]

Okay! Let's see if we can catch him!

[Makoto ran as hard as he can with Nazuna. He's not sure what that person took, but it must have been important enough for him to chase them.]

works for me !!!!

[pronounces]

[ that person didn't take much of anything. he does turn around and pull his eyelid down and stick his tongue out at nazuna though, who squawks an offended noise. if makoto's paying attention, he might recognize the brunette from some of the family pictures that used to adorn his dorm wall: it's his non-retrospec younger brother.

...isn't it? ]

Mitshuruchin! Stop--shtop actin' like a bad-- [ oh god he's so out of shape, even in the dream. the nazuna of the dream is dressed in that heavy yumenosaki uniform, after all, and he stops, bending at the knees to try and catch his breath. ] I'm too old t'be chashin' my kidsh around-- haa...

Memory Swap

[lienhearts]

[It's not often that Theo finds himself completely tongue tied. Questions like "who are you?" and "what is this?" die on his lips before he can even try to say them, and in his frustration he looks around the room, trying to figure out what's going on--

and then his eyes land on Nazuna.

It's a pretty stark difference from the one he knows now. More Retrospec bullshit? Probably. His gaze slides across the scene as he figures out what to do about it.

The gift, maybe? It's hard to tell if he's even really a "part" of this memory, but can he reach out and grab it?]

[pronounces]

[ "retrospec bullshit" is generally a pretty safe bet.

the other nazuna is still quiet for the moment, looking at the shirt. he looks sort of happy, and maybe anxious at the same time, but before he can reach out to try and at least touch it, theo beats him to it.

he blinks. it seems to snap him a tiny bit out of it, and nazuna starts: ] Th...? [ "theochin?" but no real words come out. ]

DREAM DIVE.

[pronounces]

[ nazuna's dream dive feels, at first glance, a bit claustrophobic.

it occurs later in the month, with the timers ticking underneath ten days, and when you step in the world around you changes from the city of recolle, plain entirely to that of a house. it's a quaint little thing, with cutesy, baby blue walls, yellow picture frames on the wall. if one looked close enough, if they knew nazuna nito well enough, they might recognize it: it's his childhood home.

nazuna himself is nowhere to be found.

at least not at first. ]

ROOM ONE.

[pronounces]

[ this house seems awfully claustrophobic. there's a lot going on: nazuna's from a large family, after all, and their pictures line the wall. the furniture in the house seems to be made of plastic, and everything in the house is very easily lifted, from the tiniest fork to the table in this front room.

nii-chan!; it comes from around the corner, a small voice that sounds like a crying child. there's another nii-chan!, a third, a fourth. they're high pitched and sound sad, heartbroken, slowly growing in sound as if they're coming closer, or closer: or maybe the family's multiplying?

nii-chan, i'm hungry! nii-chan, mom said we couldn't buy me a toy-- nii-chan, nii-chan-- they increase in sound, louder and louder, but there are no kids to be found.

however... the room seems to be shrinking. the walls are closing in on you, very slowly and the brightness of the house feels suffocating. stop the walls from moving. maybe it has something to do with the voices? ]

ROOM TWO.

[pronounces]

[ you've managed to solve the mystery! by now, you may have noticed the strange inconsistencies in the house--the children moved a bit robotically, the furniture's so light and easy to move around. stepping through the door of the main room of the house leads you to a second room, which is only half the size of the first. the room seems to end as if it's been cut in half.

that being said, the part of the room closest to you is beautiful. it has no right being in this strange, plastic house: there are gigantic, stained glass windows that cast beautiful blue, red and pink shapes on your face, across your body. there's a massive cross across the room with an altar set up underneath it, and a set of choir risers lead up to a line of pristine white votives and a small jar of long matchsticks, next to a pretty, orange and white flame in a bowl.

it seems all you have to do is light the candles. how easy! ]

ROOM THREE.

[pronounces]

[ by now, you've surely figured it out: this 'dream house' is a doll house.

if you've made it past the traps that led to this point, past the angels who hovered ominously over your shoulders in the second room, you may have found yourself in a third darkened room entirely. in here, the lights don't work at all, but the votives that were in the room before have mysteriously found their way into this one (especially if you were quick enough to light them all.)

if you choose to take a candle and move it around the room, you're greeted with a room filled with cobwebs. move the candle to the left, and you'll see an outfit, hanging on a hanger. maybe you should walk towards it.

if you move to grab it, though, you might trip.

turn the candle downwards, and a strange sight greets you. it's an arm, made of porcelain, fingers delicately turned upwards towards the uniform on the wall, as if reaching for it. take a step in your opposite direction and you might feel the soft "clink" of porcelain snapping under your feet--there's another arm. in front of you, there's a leg.

it may occur to you that you're standing in a room covered, almost entirely, from wall to wall, in porcelain dolls. they're life size, piled on top of each other, some larger than others, some smaller. the majority are blonde, but there are some pinks and blacks mixed in too. each one has the same dull glassy eyes in common: they catch the flicker of your candle light, and the shadows look grotesque.

nothing in this room is moving, and there's a door on the other side of you, but the door's locked. maybe something in this third room isn't quite as it seems. ]

THE FINAL ROOM.

[pronounces]

[ the final room in this doll's house is small and nondescript. the walls are the same soft baby blue as the rest of the house had been, but it's refreshing compared to the cobweb covered nightmare of the room before it.

nazuna is in this room. he's sitting with his back turned to the door, hunched over a little: that and the fairly large hoodie he's wearing makes him appear even smaller than usual. there's a small music player at his side, and he's connected to it via a pair of big headphones.

in front of him, there's a collection of toy dolls: they're the same ones of the room before. next to that is a pile of small, checkered, stuffed hearts. it seems he's been pulling the hearts out of each of the little blonde dolls, and placing them in the pile beside him. the work is tedious. he hasn't stopped. really, nazuna couldn't tell you why he started.

the music playing in the headphones is a soft version of a familiar song, and the sound is dissonant around you, making it seem as though it's filling the room entirely instead of just his headphones. it sounds like a music box version of a beautiful orchestra song, and nazuna's soft voice sings along with it where he's settled with his strange task. ] Todomete ita jikan wa sarasara to kuzurete iku....~

[ he might need to be snapped out of it, though it doesn't seem he's as unhappy with his voice as normal. he sings on, as if uninterrupted, and, really his voice sounds just fine. ]