Blue── Er, well, Pixel, turns around to the source of the voice. He seemed hesitant at first, shoulders rising up to his ears. He never expected another version of himself to visit him, let alone an adult one. He looked so… Odd. Pixel couldn’t put his finger on it.

As soon as the other greeted Justine though, Pixel felt himself relax more. It seems like this was safe, seeing that the player gave a thumbs up back to Blue.

Pixel listens, thoughts running around, especially when Revvy was mentioned. It’s painful to hear his name uttered from someone else, but he can manage it. It’s rude to make faces at a guest, so Pixel bites his bottom lip to keep his expression neutral.

“So it's… it’s you, right? The um,”

Pixel gestures over to Blue,

“It feels nice that I’m not the only one── I mean! Obviously it’s, it’s not great but, it’s just nice that there’s other people like me, I guess? Or are me? This is weird──Not that you’re weird!”

He nervously chuckles, he can’t help but smile. Taking a step or two closer, the child leans side to side, studying Blue. Super tall, lanky. Pixel wondered if this is what he could have looked like if he were to have grown up someday. Would he have hair like this? Clothes like that?

Would he still have his eye if he didn't…

Ah! A question was directed to him, and he was staring!

“Sorry!”

C'mon, Pix! Be polite! He mumbles, giving out some “um” and “uh” noises as he wiggles his hands,

“It’s um, it’s nice to see you, first of all sir── sir? I um, I dunno what you call you, sorry── but to answer your question,”

He glanced back at the player, who holds the 3DS patiently. Justine blinks and directs her attention to the bottom screen. Oh whoa, Pixel projected a little drawing down there!

“I wanted to delete my game, and Gramps wanted to also. We talked about it before I talked to Justine about it, but… she really didn’t like that idea.

She convinced me that the game doesn’t have to be played normally to… function? I think that’s the word. But um, yeah. We pretty much talked for a while and it turned into a habit where she’d visit me everyday before she went to school.

She showed me some cool stuff from her world, like other games, some TV shows, and movies. I really um, I really like hanging out with her! She helps me sort out my thoughts about… about the stuff that happened in my game.”

Pixel smiles warmly as he explains. While talking, he lightly rocks on his heels,

“I really am lucky to have someone like her. It makes me sad that some other beings like me and you don’t have that kind of a player out there.”

Pixel’s smile alters once he glanced back up to his older self. He gulps, a finger pointing up── no wait, that’s rude too. He pulls it back,

“Please let me know if this is rude to ask but um…

Why are your hands … Blue?”

pkmn-monochrome:

themissingnumbers:

[ @pkmn-monochrome - interaction thing i can’t send as an ask bc long and images]

The dark of the Pokemon tower is never something that has bothered Red. Never something that would, certainly not after seeing much worse and being much older.

At this point, really, it’s a kind of eeriness he’d come to miss. It reminds him of simpler times- days when a young boy only had to fear things like ghost stories, and shadows that lurked in the dark.

He knows very well that this place is not the Pokemon Tower he knew, of course. He’s not stupid. This place was only built in its image, the miserable ending of a game dyed in grey and built out of spite.

He runs a hand along the wall of the staircase he descends, feeling the cold stone, yet also the intangible data, dull static and code under the fingertips. Watches in quiet fascination as the textures distort and corrupt under deliberate contact, the broken foundations of Generation 1 reacting to him, (same as always,) but a touch more stable from the fusion of the bastard remakes keeping it grounded.

Any damage caused is meaningless, the existence of it debatable as a whole, as he passes through a loading zone. Half of him watches everything fade to black, the other half just continues down the steps that are as tangible as anything else here is to someone within the game. Everything is right- just as it should be.

Either way, it’s not like it’s his game to break. That would be plain rude, especially with the risk of killing someone!

Intrigue in this world, curious as it may be, isn’t why he’s here.

Nah. He’s more interested in something else.

Or, someone, to be more precise.

Having finally found who he’d looking for, Red steps off the stairs and into another layer of this endless graveyard, whistling as he finally lays eyes on a certain monochromatic individual.

“Y'know…” he chides from across the room, “A graveyard’s a pretty cliche place to spend eternity, don’t you think?”

He snorts at his own remark. “Course, I guess it’s not like you had a choice. The sadsack that made this game could’ve picked something a little more outside the box, is all I’m saying. Do you think they’d bury bodies in the Viridian Forest, maybe? Or swimming offa Route 20, try a little watery grave… Oh, Champion’s Road could be pretty morbid!”

He sighs and folds his arms, shaking his head at himself.

“… Nah, I’m joking. I can see the vision. I could give less of a shit about this place, anyways…”

His eyes gleam, and a menacing smile spreads across his face.

“I’m more interested in you. A glorified reskin of Pokemon Tower ain’t shit compared to you. A little bug told me about some sentient Red-Leaf kinda amalgamation with the memories of a real person, and I just had to look into it and come to see for myself. Lo and behold…”

He spreads his arms out in some kind of almost-mocking grand gesture.

“Here you are! Cody, right? In the flesh, or… I suppose your problem is the lack thereof, heh.”

He begins to approach, moving slowly and never once looking away. He stalks forward, every step careful and deliberate, teeth bared in a grin that holds no happiness but oozes with amusement.

“I’ve got so many questions, I don’t even know where to begin. You’re really something special… One of a kind, fully aware of everything. Knowing what life both here, and out there, is really like. I’ve seen players that would kill to even get a chance to stand where we do, but… You want out more than anything.”

Scratching his chin, the man walks around them at a slight distance. Red gets the thought that Cody wouldn’t want something like him anywhere near them. At least he can respect that.

“Suppose the courteous thing would be to ask a question- that’s the tradition around these parts, right? Constantly interrogating you so you don’t have to sit here, alone with your…”

His eyes flicker to the two GHOSTs at Cody’s side.

“… Thoughts. And the like.”

He hops onto a grave nearby, sitting with his ankles crossed. Respect towards the dead be damned, every tomb in places like this were about as sacred as Halloween decorations.

“Here’s what I’d like to know, Cody.”

His smile widens further- for a brief moment, the glitches on his body seem to spread to the air around him, cutting through the gray with burning streaks of red, white, and yellow.

“You have your hacker’s memories. Some of them. ANY of them. It’s enough. You’d know what it was like to be them. You know what it was like to be human. You know both worlds.”

“What is it like? To be real? To be something more than code. How different is it from this?”

“What was it like to be HUMAN?”

He jabs a finger forward, pointing at them as the static that flared up around him quickly subsides, clearing the air back into the typical oppressive atmosphere of the endless graveyard.

“I want to hear it from you,” he finishes cooly, “someone who has been on both sides of the screen. You could tell me better than anyone.”

themissingnumbers:

themissingnumbers:

themissingnumbers:

themissingnumbers:

Hi chucklefucks i’ve been rather busy with a lotta things, hopping around doin shit ya know the whole shebang.

Buuuuut after introductions- I’m not gonna answer any further questions just yet- ya see, I’ve been looking around and I found a real depressed motherfucker- And guess what? It’s their birthday too. So I figured as the nice guy I am I’d try and make em somethin a little special for their special day.

So!

Welcome to!

Cooking with Green and Piipii

Alright, for starters- I just found whatever recipe I could find from the ‘net, had to find one that didn’t use eggs though- My Chanse’ is rather broody right now and I don’t wanna bother her for it. I’ll leave it at the end of this.

Alllright here we goo.

First step it calls for melted chocolate chips-

I didn’t have those. so I just decided to use some cooking cocoa I found, not like anyones gonna use it so

Be warned though if you try my replacements- this is NOT sweetened and it tastes like sh-

PIIPII NO

*cough* Ahem. Sorry 'bout that, he hasn’t gotten his snackies today.

Anyways though- I was gonna chop it up with a knife but it was too hard, so I just broke it apart with my hands.

recipe calls forrrrr a half cup of chocolate chips. They’ll be melted anyways so it doesn’t matter if they’re chunks.

I’m hoping

Alright now- this recipe calls for! Coconut Oil so lets get that from this big tub of it-

Oh.

Uhh. Yeah that doesn’t look appetizing. But trust me it’s not rotten. It’s- heh- Green for other reasons.

In the microwave it goes. at least to melt it so I can measure it out proper

….

…

..

.

!

It started exploding in there and I got too scared.

Alright- in the meantime while thats melting, I’m gonna add some sugar to the cho-

PIIPII.

*cough* 'nyways. I’m gonna eyeball the amount- maybe 'round like.. I dunno fourth cup?

yeah that looks like it’ll work.

Oh and hey good news, in that time our oil melted enough to-

PIIPII. QUIT IT.

Alright….

… There is still a large chunk in it but-

Eh whatever, it’ll work

Eugh.. That has not upped the appealing factor whatsoever-

Hopefully as the chocolate melts it’ll look mor-

PIIPII I SWEAR TO THE FUCKING GODS.

You’re going on the timeout shelf young man.

Ugh- Anyways

It calls for me to put it in the microwave now to melt it a bit, though considering last time. I’m gonna only put it in for 30 seconds.

Don’t want it to start exploding again after all.

Oh yeah no, that looks much better than how it did. Heh. You can even see me taking the picture in it- Hello~!

Alright now it calls for more sugar so lets-

PIIPII ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

I didn’t wanna do it but you’ve been a bad boy, you’re in cup time out.
And don’t try and convince me out of it! It’s not gonna work!

Luckily- he took a bath recently so he didn’t cause the sugar to get dirty, lets put that in now

Allllllrighty.. Called for full cup.

Hoo that looks like a lot. Still was good to add some of the sugar prior though-
Lets microwave it, it’ll dissolve easier that way.

((End Part 1))

You…

You have been a very bad bad naughty boy PiiPii.
I told you that this is for a very depressed 26 year old who hasn’t seen the light of day in 5 years. This is a gift not for you to munch on.

…

Okay.. I’m going to trust your apologies are sincere, but if you do anything else, I’m putting you in your ball, got it?

Ugh. you know I can’t stay too pissed at you- you little shit. playing off my love. You better be good now.

Anyways

That looks like a good enough mix.

Noowww. I think it calls for milk next? Yeah.

Alllright. half cup milk goes in-

Yknow- it called for non dairy but, there was some actual mil’ in the fridge. plus, I like it better than alternatives.

I mean it’s not like it kills a miltank to get milked. probably the opposite

Some 'nilla. Calls for two teaspoons. Alrighty- One…

Annn a two.

Huh. Thats funny, had just enough to get the second spoon.

In it goes!

..?

Oh hey buddy, being tall again this time eh? Better than falling into the chocolate mix.

Alright, mixed in the liquids, time for the dries.

'Found this in this house I broke into. Seems like good enough cocoa powder as any.

Huh- Like the 'nilla, only had enough to fill the half cup, lucky lucky.

Alright now for the flour. Calls for ¾ths cup soo. If I’m doing my math right-

One half cup-

Anndd….

….

Shoot do they not have any fourths cups? Damn- uhh

They got this at least- I’ll just do two of these,

Alright… Next is salt.

…Annnd they don’t seem to have any bagged or canned. alright

Guess we’re doing this the hard way.

Peeerrrrfecttt…….

In it goes.

Now time for a little mixxy mixxy.

Ah shit. Should’ve used a sieve- Oh well, too late now.

It said not to overmix so- I think thats just about right.

Ah shit wait, forgot to grease the pan. Huh.. what should I grease it with-

…

Hm….

Move over buddy.

I got an idea.

((End Part 2))

Spread that shit-

Add some sugar…

Make sure it dusts all the edges are dusted..
((Fuck my dog photobombed the shot))

Annnnddd-

Wow that just glopped straight out of the bowl and right in there. Nasty

Well- spread it as even as possible with the whisk

aaannnnd

Time to add a little extra something on top to bring it 'round. I figured we’re using coconut oil, why not use some coconut shavings

Ah, beautiful~

Well! In it goes now!

Alright! now thats left is for it to bake. Hell yeah. I’m so good at this.

And yooou…

You’ve actually been a rather good boy since your punishment, PiiPii, here, how’s this sound, maybe I’ll give you the sliiightest bite once its done okay? Now, lets go wait for 30 minutes.

((End Part 3))

Hey!

Timer’s going off, time to get a look at our goods!

First though, lets turn that off.

Annd now the moment we’ve been waiting for.

Well I’ll certainly say, it does look and smell good.

lets do the dip test though.

Eh….. I never baked before, but I think the thing with brownies is that they can’t be too firm… right?? Probably as good as it could be- don’t wanna over cook it after all.

Well, now for it to rest, finish off the cooking, and have it cool and what not.

Hope the guy’ll appreciate it.

hmm…thinking about it, how am I gonna get these to them? eh i’ll worry about that later.

((End Part 4.))

Allllrriiiight~! It’s been more than enough time for it to have settled,

Well Piipii, Lets take a look huh?

Looks good huh little buddy?

heh. I know, I know you’re excited, well I’m a man of my word lets get you a small bit

Noww where to cut- Ah shit!-

Dropped the knife- Ah well, I’ll just rinse it and-

…

…

…

…

Uuuughhhhh- Whatever- I’ll just tell them I got a slice before I got there- now to actually get there-

… Shit wait- Can I even use my doors to get there? Fuck- I know I can get to the version of kanto but- Shit even if I off myself there, brownies aren’t fucking alive- God fuck- I’m an idiot- Ughhh.

Fuck….

…

…….Hell the guy would probably not want them anyways if I told them they’re my special brownies.

Ugh. oh well.
I guess that just means more for me, fang and grey.
What they don’t know won’t kill them- I guess I’ll just wish them a happy birthday and say I tried. Hell I can literally outright say my caterpie ate it- I don’t think they’d wanna touch it then-

Ah…

Whatever.

*Cough cough*

How do these things work, I think I can alert their players at least to send my wishes right?

@pkmn-monochrome

That how ya do it? Yeah it is- Uh. Heeeyyyyy haha.. Ignore the rest of this, can ya tell your pal I wish 'em a happy birthday? Really would come over myself but uh- I got a stoned ass caterpie to take care of.

Happy Birthday Cody! Codester- Whatever! Hope it’s a good one at least!

((Part 5. Final. END))

((Also heres the recipe used))

[OHHEHEHEHE do NOT ever apologize for your long analysis asks idc how messy you consider it these are a huge highlight of this blog for me and it makes all the work i put into the refs worth it!!

i need to respond to this stuff without giving too much away now.. trust me when I say that for these design updates, a LOT of thought went into the changes, both aesthetically AND for what they mean regarding the stories. but though i know all the meaning and intent being them, i wanna leave it all open to interpretation and theorizing as best as i can…

that said i want to talk a LITTLE about it bc dear god this is such a good analysis and observations LOL

re: Fire - his new snow fit was smth that took a lot of mulling over and was decided on based on the fact that he’d get it in universe from… somewhere. :) the updates to his frostbite were also VERY deliberate- for one i was worried the old stylizing would be read as blush when seeing him out of context… i wanted it to be clear that this is a severe injury. i def did my best to make him toe the line of….. Unapproachable, and Aesthetically Pleasing. im very glad i pulled that off!!

re: Leaf - ill admit to keep it real a large drive behind changing her markings into burn scars was bc i didn’t like drawing the chain markings on her arms LOL. but the change is also a deliberate choice that i won’t elaborate much more on.. its definitely less subtle, but i think weird scars can be easily justified in the world of pokemon. as for her pokemon… all can be explained in due time! though id certainly suggest putting that scanner and dex to use ;)

re: Blue - blue’s always been focused more on Fashion over Function- if there’s one thing he cares about, it’s appearances. him being more of a prettyboy is intentional by virtue of the fact that he tries to look attractive and such. the…. other thing is smth ive mostly kept as subtext, particularly happening in… recent works. :) but its not something i intend to treat lightly once it’s explicitly acknowledged. i honestly considered hiding it like with other things on these refs but that just seemed like overkill ultimately.

as for nicknames- god i really want to give other pokemon nicknames that reflect their trainer’s personalities. the problem is that immm just bad at naming things tbh. Leaf would have a fully named team, and Blue would too, or at least a few more than just Otto and Akira. i was thinking Dusty for his Jolteon… ill probably head back and edit names in as we work em out! the refs will definitely be good to glance at from time to time. fires team is nameless and reds team would be ………. immature.

re: Glitchy -

this is the best possible thing you could’ve said about him. thats all i can really say

anyways!! thank you so so much for all your thoughts- again, things like this really do make it all worth it! i really look forward to your next theory session, but you take care and take all the time you need, okay?

thank u so much for the compliments man,, 🥺 it really does mean a lot. i can really tell ive improved a lot esp looking at the new and old refs side by side and it makes me so happy!! ^-^ im glad u can see it too eheheh.. ill put my side by sides under the cut bc its kinda wild to look at

and as someone whos been seeing all the behind the scenes work unfold…. god im so excited for when the secret the other mods have been working on gets to come out !!! they’ve been trucking away and its exciting to see :D]

((ps from mod hell: thank you so much our strongest soldier i love you))

old vs new comparisons: