InnerRayg

It will always be there.In our hearts.

Man I'm going to be putting black pixels everywhere from now on just to screw with you.

The yellow is a little isolated right now honestly, we're gonna need to splash just a tiny hint of it around elsewhere to balance everything.

We probably could use a little more yellow in the overall color scheme, probably for the forum icons. It is a little bright right now.

Seriously I did NOT think people would care this much about it! Sorry about the black pixel! I'd fix it but bossman six is the only one with the ability to reupload the forum skin images.

Bionicle is Lego, the acronym BZPower stands for Bionicle Zone Power, and the masthead icon is a gigantic bionicle head. It'd be obvious to anyone what we're about.

So when are we going to see that spiffy new image on the front page? I wouldn't hold my breath. It's on the list of things to get done, but new forum skins, advertising policy, word filter, etc are all in line in front of it.Is it like a real list?If so, what's next?And seeing advertising policy on the things to be changed... That made me happy.It's a real list!Anyway that black pixel is clearly Deev's fault, don't listen to him.<3

TEAMWORK!

There's been a general shift in the staff from "resting on our laurels" to "come on, let's just get this done".We're hoping to keep this going! The forum icons is a good example. That might be an easy fix, I'll look into it.

Sorry man, but a Bionicle-style Statue of Liberty would go smack dab in the middle of the Bionicle section. There's never been a split like that that I'm aware of.

You can't deliver a karate chop because that's not a door! It's just a hole in the wall that leads to the next room!In any case I realized my blog may not be quite the hot spot of activity I pretend it is so you all may not know that our next update is a big flash, so you won't be seeing some content for a few days but after that you'll have something cool to listen to/watch and then a change of perspective! So feel free to keep up the discussion for now but just be aware I probably won't be able to fit most of these latest commands into the flash. Not to say I won't try though!

It's pretty much about the construction style, if it was just about Bionicle characters half the displays we have wouldn't count since it's stuff like shoes and horses and things not from Bionicle land.

Well, that's our third week! I wouldn't expect more content for a little while yet - the next update is going to be a super sweet flash if it works out like I think it will. After that, expect a protagonist shift (Maybe) as we go deeper into this little story. Fun Fact: In the official page count, the panel of Ray licking his lips slowly is the 100th page. It is also the most deeply satisfying .gif I've ever made. I hope some of the stuff you've seen this week has helped show how we're going to start changing the story from what you expect; basically, abandon all preconceptions at the door folks, we've officially gone off the rails. So as always feel free to share your thoughts with me, both good and bad!

Thanks for the input, I've removed those tags. Please let me know if it works now.

Definitely not empty, other people are able to see what's in them, can you read other spoiler tags?It says "test"

[Ray]: Take the alien poster off the wall and super glue it to the ceiling. Well okay, as completely reasonable as that idea is, you're afraid you can't comply. After all, the ceiling is already busy being occupied by something so much better. Oh man. This movie. You have no words.Positively the most believable alien movie you've ever seen. You couldn't believe your eyes when you saw this poster for sale. You wanted to hang it in the living room, but of course despite your agreement of complete decorative control in here your LIL BRO was adamant about not having this monstrosity being placed on the walls. So naturally, you hung it on the ceiling where he couldn't reach it. Hehehe. [Ray]: Defile pictures/posters as your subconscious sees fit. Done and done. Good thing you brought that marker with you! [Ray]: Resist urge to answer SMART PHONE and stall for time. You're trying...you're trying...but oh man you are so hungry. And when you get hungry, you get a little weird. [Ray]: Messily scarf SMART PHONE down your throat. Stop it. Do not put that in your mouth. Hunger is not an emotion and your stomach is not a sylladex. [Ray]: Answer It looks like GG was bothering you about something or other, but he logged off before you could respond. You're sure he's just being dramatic like he always is. Looks like another friend is also trying to aggravate you. Looks like she hasn't logged off yet, so you can still respond. [Ray]: Realize that PENCILS don't (and indeed NEVER DID) use LEAD; they use GRAPHITE. [Ray]: Be Anxious The scientific fact that whatever fictional cartoon world it was you were living in where pencils used lead instead of graphite no longer exists causes you a great amount of anxiety. Now your formerly useless weapons tools have been downgraded to COMPLETELY useless. Unless you wanted to write your enemies a particularly nasty note. The kitchen is your LIL BRO's domain, much like this entertainment/living room is yours and you just know he's booby trapped it to keep you from snarfing down all his snacks. Granted, it was probably wise of him to do that since snarf is exactly what you'd do otherwise but still. [Ray]: Watch TV Man, you are just not ready to face whatever lies in the kitchen yet. You decide the best medicine might just be to space out completely by watching whatever brain-numbing entertainment you can find on your GIGANTIC TELEVISION. [Ray]: Ponder what sort of DARK MAGICKS or rather TRUSTY SCIENCES could possibly have been required in the creation of such a monstrous telly. Okay that command is clearly way too long. In any case, the story of the acquisition of this humongous moving picture deliverance device is quite long and interesting. It was quite awhile back when....you...were...spacing...out... [Ray]: Space Out You suddenly lose focus of reality. You slip into a trance like state that can only be described as "spacing out" WHERE ARE YOU??? [Ray]: SNAP OUT OF IT! UGH what is with you today?? It's like some kind of nexus of weirdness centers around this day and you're standing smack dab in the middle getting hit with pieces of freaky debris and flying cows and ladies on bicycles. Shake it off! [RAY]: Stand on the RUG in the center of the room and SPIN Oh no, you've learned your lesson! [Ray]: Examine Chessboard Why, it's nothing but a fun game you like to play with your LIL BRO, your one communal experience together. You play by moving your piece then leaving to wait for him to respond in kind. It's a great form of non-vocal companionship that's right up your alley. You lost the last game, but you've got pretty high hopes for this next one. Sadly since he plays WHITE you can't yet make a move till he takes the first step! [Ray]: Be Foreshadowed Please, you think you've had more than enough strange and disturbing events that seem to point towards a mysterious and unhappy future, plus why would Chess have anything to do anything anyway? It's just a silly game and you think that anyone who believes it holds more significance is going to be pretty disappointed. [Ray]: Go to kitchen and eat. Alright alright, enough of this nonsense! You're a hungry young adult and you're going to get yourself a sandwich if it's the last thing you do. You put your determined face on and get ready for whatever encounter it is that waits for you. You are TOTALLY DOING THIS MAN, you are MAKING IT HAPPEN.

Shhh...Nobody needs to know that I've tried to do this once before. That terrible version will never see the light of day.In any case here's hoping you'll be as surprised as everyone else about where this new and ten times more awesome one goes.

You must have some kind of insane patience to undertake this. Wow, I don't even recognize have the creatures on here! It just begs to be compartmentalized too. You've got infinite combination potential here, by set, by year, by group, etc etc....

[Ray]: Sit down and speculate as to why the bathroom is bigger than your own room. What's to sit and think about? It's obvious whoever built this house had some pretty poor understanding about what architecture is. Probably someone more interested in fitting things into elegant shaped grooves then considering what a realistic amount of space for a bathroom should be. Someone a little more concerned about entertainment value than real-world aesthetics. Who really knows? Not you. Then again the more of these pointless tasks you complete the more you find yourself kind of curious about the secrets in your house. Maybe this bathroom is just a decoy, hiding some secret place or purpose! You decide to search out the secret in spite of your disdain for the FRIVOLATIONS [Ray]: Stand on LIGHTER-COLOURED TILE and begin chanting in MYSTERIOUS LANGUAGE. No no no that's not how you do things at all! You're a man of SCIENCE, not MYSTICISM! You leave that dippy magic and love stuff to your friends. You are a cold empiricist, a man with an eye only for the rational even as your heart calls for the unobtainable. You do recognize that there is a weirdly light tile in a suspiciously centric placement....perhaps a trap door? You squat down to feel for latches but find nothing. Suddenly you get the feeling that you are being watched! You feel like someone or something must be hiding in the tub. Those shower curtains are never closed except when in use! You suspect immediately that you're brother has once again laid some painful, mechanical trap. WELL NOT THIS TIME BUDDY! [Ray]:Make sure no robotrocities are vandalizing the shower GOTCHA Oh my! Why, this is no robostrocity! It is in fact your treasured rubber ducky, sir Francis Waddlesworth, who you have shared many a distinguished and reputable morning sharing daily lathering as you inquire as to the goings on of the world of finance and politic, guffawing quietly at the latest scandalous reports and enumerating such phrases as "My word!" "Indeed" "Quite Right, Quite Right" and "Could you pass the Caviar?". [Ray]: Be rewarded Are you KIDDING ME? THAT's the secret??? YOU ARE SO INFURIATED! Predictably your real feelings of anger force another card to be emotionally codified. Looks like Waddlesworth is coming with you. [Ray]: Wish you had a Gravity Gun and thus could use the toilet as a weapon Woah, gotta calm down. You never let out the INNER RAGE like that if you can help it. Luckily, you've adapted quite well to calming yourself down through fantasy immersion therapy, which is a thing you made up just now. You pretend for a minute that the Gravity Gun, a weapon from PARTICLE DECAY that lets you move objects without physically touching them is real and that you could wield it to screw around with your house. Even though in real life tearing up your plumbing like that would be horrible, when you use your IMAGINATION like this it's just awesome! Luckily you're pretty sure there's no way magically levitating toilets will ever be an issue for you. [Ray]: Attempt to flush self down toilet. Sadly, the powers of IMAGINA-wow why do you keep capitalizing that anyway-TION are not easily contained or controlled. Your mind shifts to another vision, one that brings about a very real sense of disgust. Gross! Tahu, who was codified with the emotion of disgust(remember?) comes flying out of your Sylladex. It looks like retrieving these items is a matter of duplicating the emotional state you were in when they were first captchalogued! This whole system seems like a great way to train a person in controlling and focusing their emotions in addition to being an inventory system. Too bad you haven't figured out how to really do that yet! [Ray]: Deep-clean your Bionicle in the bathtub. Well, at least you can get that done while you're here. Good as new! Okay....now how to put him back where he came from. [Ray]: Be Sad In the interest of science you decide to see if you can fake an emotion to put him back in your Sylladex. You try sadness because you also want to get rid of that stupid empty can while you're at it. Hmm... Maybe you just need to try harder? YOU CALL THAT SAD? I'll SHOW YOU SAD BUDDY! YOU'LL BE CRYING FROM FIVE DIFFERENT PLACES WHEN I'M DONE WITH YA yeah okay this isn't working. [Ray]: Be FRUSTRATED Luckily, your failure with fake sadness produces some very real frustration. Looks like that counts! Sweet! [Ray]: Inspect strange items on the counter next to the sink What? Strange items? You guess maybe not everyone has access to standard hygiene products but you figured most people would know what this stuff is. You got your hand soap, bar soap, a couple toothbrushes, and a cheap disposable razor for that wild mane of facial hair you've got going on there. In fact, looks like that bad boy's trying to come in again. You just shaved two weeks ago and everything! Being an adult is hard. Careful....Careful.... You finish up and then freak out when you look in the mirror. Why, who's that incredibly handsome young man right there and how did he get into your house? Is this perhaps a burglary performed by a daring troupe of attractive rouges? A heist by baby-bottom smooth ruffians who deep down still possess a heart of gold, looking only to feed their impoverished young orphan friends? Oh no, now you see! That dastardly good looking man in the mirror was you all along! Give yourself a thumbs up you little heart breaker. [Ray]: Get outta there. The longer you stay in that bathroom the closer and closer you come to being forced into the dark halls of that all knowing terror, that of TOILET HUMOR, and nobody wants that to happen. You head into the living room. Well, here you are, the living room at last. Your goal is within sight, just a few more steps to the door and you're done. Somehow though, you suspect it won't be this easy. For one thing, your SMART PHONE is beeping away incessantly over there with new messages from your acquaintances. For another, there's suddenly a tight sensation in your stomach that says you require sustenance and fast. Sure, we could pretend that there's any chance you'll just move forward and ignore these distractions but let's get real here. You've got the kitchen on your right, your brother's room on your left, and the patio straight ahead. So what will you do?

Dude you weren't supposed to know that yet!

Just FYI, hit a bit of a snafu as the Internet connection in my home has been abruptly severed. I still have access to the net on my campus, and obviously I can draw with or without it, but there maybe a slight slowdown this weekend since posting will require a thirty minute drive, much like what this very post required!Repairs are expected within three days time, but until that point I can't make promises that things will stay at the same pace they have.Sorry folks.

I heard about this game but man they sure do want a pretty penny for a board game you can only play fifteen times.

Honestly the backgrounds feel super cluttered. You've sort of got a lot of thrown in elements that aren't adding anything to your message. Little lightning strikes, the metallic border, it's too much. Refine and keep it simple.

You can download a trial of Adobe Illustrator, which is basically the industry standard for all Vector work. It'll last you a good thirty days. I recommend using the "Vectorscribe" plug in which you can also use on a trial basis. They have an excellent series of tutorials to teach you how to work the program. Some people like using Photoshop for their vectoring, but this is a much more difficult way to do it and your results will not be as good. I believe there are some freeware vector programs out there, but I'm not familiar with them and Illustrator will have enough documentation around that you can figure it out in a week or two of playing with it.

[Ray]: Forget about where you should go and just go into the bathroom. An errant thought deters you from what almost seemed like a chance to get things done, and you maneuver into the bathroom. This place is just incredibly too big. It's larger than your entire bedroom! It's not even at the same isometric angle as the rest of the rooms in your house! Alright, clearly whoever built this place had no idea what they were doing.