It’s always kind of fun to write characters that are total assholes.

Mikel is really quite a jerk…something I really haven’t dealt with that much is really the animosity between Airosians and…well…everyone that isn’t Airosian. So far you’ve seen either mixed-bloods or good natured full-bloods, never full-bloods like Mikel.

So I kind of felt that it was important to have Mikel the way he is.

ANYHOW. I’m currently working on the back-end of the site. A new site design will likely go up Mid to late November…maybe earlier…it depends on if I can get something I want to do to work. If not @#$% it.

But so far it’s looking much nicer. Not a whole lot different really, but more organize and much cleaner…which is nice. Also, some proper navigation AND downloads will return. So look forward to it.

-Peace.

EDIT: I just realized I forgot Tom’s watch in the second page today…I’ll fix that as soon as I get home. My bad. /Edit

So I dinked around with the backed of the site…I had originally decided to hold off on updating for a while…but then I found a work around to and issue I was having that you all probably didn’t even notice.

When ever I wanted the comic to display two pages on the same update I HAD to combine the two pages into one page in Photoshop…which was easier enough…but it meant I had to save, and resave, each ‘doubled’ page four times…why? I’ve gotten into saving a ‘highrez’ version of each comic…just in case there’s ever a call for a book (I know, I know. I’m entitled to a dream or two, right? haha). So it was a HUGE pain in my ass.

Which brings me to my little not to Internet Explorer users. Anyone on IE probably sees the top comic slightly over to the right…due to that glaring red ‘X’ beside it. I’m not sure why by the script I’m using to display doubled-size comics forces two red ‘can’t find image’ Xs’. One after each comic posted.

Why?

@#$%ed if I know. But I’m working on it. I promise

Anyone on FireFox, you just see a second ‘title’ at the bottom of the second comic…again…I don’t know why. But I’m willing to bet it’s related and I’m working on it.

Now that I’ve gotten the unpleasantness of the ‘broken’ things out of the way lets talk about what WORKS!! Which is, thank the gods, most of the changes I’ve implemented.

First you all probably noticed the change in color in the side bars…I actually have other plans for over there but until I work somethings out I just decided to settle with a nice, new, color. I’ll play with it some in the next few weeks, but until I work out my plans the green will just have to suffice, eh?

ALSO! Proper navigation! ::does a little jig::

You have NO idea how much I hated the old navigation. It was so basic and confusing as far as I was concerned. This is much nicer!

We’ve got familiar arrows and double arrows pointing you towards the comics. Which is much more intuitive in my book. I didn’t upload my old arrows from the last site since they looked out of place in the new ’sleek’ design, but I intend to fiddle with the site a little more to make it ‘mine’ instead of this current template-y look I’m rocking.

Like I said, most of the changes were backed stuff…But some more ‘visable’ things you can check out are:
-Title and date are now at the top-left of the comic, not bottom middle.
-I changed the weight and size of the blog text
-Re-added the search bar to the right of the blog
-Organized the blog area a little differently, it’s more ‘balanced’ as far as I’m concerned.
-Made it easier to update the top ‘notice’ area and I changed the ‘vote/stumble’ area (still trying to think of incentives.)
- I fixed the stories section, if you haven’t been over there lately it was a mess…some things wouldn’t even display for some reason. I normalized everything and fixed a whole slew of formatting problems. (To anyone who was over there recently, sorry. I didn’t even notice it was busted.)

That’s all I can think of rightnow…

It looks much better, I think. But input and suggestions to better suit your needs are always welcome. I’m planning on revamping the links page and updating the minor-character roster (probably after this arc).

Well…I’m off to try and fix the red-x thing. After I finnish some homework.

Don’t tell my professor I was slacking off and playing with the comic. Shh.

-Peace

I’ve gotten a few spam comments recently, you know…stuff that doesn’t pertain to the comic. So on the odd occasion that one of you’d like to make a post you now have to fill out a little ‘recognize’ this word thingy. Not too big a deal…and it’ll help me keep the comic page in one piece. BUT the shoutbox will still be as easy to use as before.

I also made it so the older comics won’t allow new comments, since it seems that the main target is either the front page, or the OLD stuff.

But lets be honest, there isn’t a lot comments on the comics, mostly on the shoutbox (which is fine with me, haha) but I was reading some horror stories about people getting hit by angry, angry people…So hopefully I’ll be slightly more protected…

Keep your fingers crossed. XD

-Peace

Got punched into a wall…ah well.

Terrence is actually quite a talented fighter, but remember, he doesn’t know how to use Zee. Sosha does. So he’s basically handicapped in the fight. Plus I’m trying to end this quick. So into a wall he goes.

A few little announcements, I’ve noticed that the loads are outstriping the hits by a fair number. So people are wandering around the site. Good. Glad to have you! I’m guessing you’re here from the UNLV article…but if you’re here from someplace else, you’re welcome just the same. Haha

ALSO, I finally fixed those @#$%ing red ‘X’s that were showing up along side the comic. They’re gone and I’m now MUCH, MUCH happier with the whole thing. Haha. I’m really happy with the site right now…I’m looking into getting a self-hosted shout box becasue it seems to be slowing the site down a tad. And I’d prefer the only thing slowing down my site is the quiality of the comic. So we’ll see where I get with that.

If any of you CAN’T see the comic for what ever reason, let me KNOW! I’m fairly certain it works as I tested it on FireFox and IE, but hollar if it’s borked.

FINALLY, like the subtitle says at the bottem I’m using my own handwriting for the comic text. Do you guys like it? Comments, suggestions, insults about my penmanship? I’ve done a few comics with it and I’m actually happy with the results. I’m going to play with it some more, but after spending several weeks trying to get it to work I now have a font editor on my computer. So I’m working on all sorts of fun little things now…there shall be many fonts. Oh yes…MANY.

Tell me what you guys think.

Anyhow, that’s all for now.

-Peace

EDIT: Ok, I added a new shoutbox. I’m hoping this one will smooth out the site a little. I think the last one was giving you all problems when connecting to the site. This one is totally hosted/managed by me. So It SHOULD run a little better. Let me know what you think though. I do have to say, I’m sad to not have those old messages on that new shoutbox. They’re still around…just not here. Maybe I’ll put the old shoutbox on the old site! As a kind of memorial!! Hey, that’s a good idea. (I kid you not, I just thought of this as I typed.) /EDIT

He’s such an asshole, but he always has a way of saying something that makes him that special kind of an asshole. Haha…

Tom’s never the one to turn down good advice though…even if he hates Chris he realizes just how good the guy is at @#$%ing with people. So Chris get’s to have a little chat with Sosha soon…should be fun.

Better her than Tom? Am I right?

ANYHOW! We’re moving right along, things are looking up! I’ve decided to swear off the vidjagames for the rest of the semester in an effort to catch up with the comic and keep up with my school work. I don’t want to tell you how small my buffer has gotten, but let’s just say that I’ll be busting my ass most of winter break to replenish the poor, wounded, little thing…

::Sigh::

But, have no fear, true to every other story arc I will NOT stop in the middle in an effort to replenish my buffer! It drives me nuts when other webcomickers do it, so why should I?

Nothing much else to report, I’m afraid…Did you all see that new shout box? It’s spiffy!

-Peace

EDIT: Added a new plugin that will hopefully speed up the site some, but we’ll see…Let me know if you have any problems./EDIT

All the random crap is almost totally out of the way. There’s just a bit more about Tom’s father you’ll get to hear about…then it’s over to Terrence.

I’m working on a fully tuned up site right now. It’s so @#$%ing sweet. I mean, SO @#$%ing SWEET. I’m playing with a lot of stuff, so it may be a few weeks before I’m done…lots of backend @#$%ery to be had. Wow…that sounded dirty…but seriously, I’m insanely happy with it.

But I had to disable the plug-in that sped up the site while I worked on the redesign…so the loads are a little slow (not because of the design, honest). I’ll talk a little bit more about it as I go along and get everything the way I want it.

Anyhow, I can’t think of anything else to say. Time to sleep.

-Peace

(EDIT: Yes, this is a different post than if you came in before 10am Pacific. Sorry, but I thought that today was next Monday’s comic…Nothing spoilerific, just some extras about Tom’s father…but I’ll re-post it on Monday…haha…)

First I should get the little things about the comic out of the way.

I posted the comic a little earlier than normal, so it would go live with the new site. So hey.

This chapter is over, I know a few of you are sighing deep sighs of joy to see that little ‘end of’ text down there. Truth be told I’m right there with you. This arc expanded well beyond what I had originally hoped. I had intended to just have Tom fight Mikel and meet Terrence, but it ended up becoming this whole thing with Chris because I looked at what’s on the docket for the rest of Book Two and realized this was the only place to finish explaining somethings about Chris and his existence.

The next chapter hits the ground running. Really, really fast. You I hope you’ll all forgive me for a tad bit more exposition than you normally have to swallow in a chapter.

And I told you Tom would get in a shot. He deserves it after putting up with Chris.

Also, I want you to all know that there will be filler, every weekday, for the next seven days. Until December the 26th. This filler will be the new pictures I’ve done for the cast pages, truthfully, I just need the time to recoup my buffer. It was DEMOLISHED by the last few weeks. So be here Tuesday-Next Wednesday for awesome @#$%ing filler pictures.

FINALLY, the thing you’re all actually here for, the thing that’s consumed my very soul and left me a dried HUSK for the last two (really, like four) GODS-DAMNED weeks.

THE NEW SITE DESIGN!!

Yes. I know it’s beautiful. But even better, it’s functional.

I never ONCE passed 100KB in a background picture. I only passed 50KB on the footer! It’s PERFECT. Or as near to it as I’m going to come with my menial skills in leet web hakzorsings.

I tested the site on two different monitors, a dozen different resolutions and I was damned sure to make sure it rendered on both Fire Fox and Internet Explorer.

The only size it really doesn’t look great on is 800×600 which I know a few of you use. But even on THAT resolution it looks DAMNED close to fantastic.

It originally started as me separating all the different pieces of the blog with the intention of having a goofy little background image tiled against it, but as soon as I saw those spaces between those white blocks I knew what I had to do.

Holy @#$% was this an undertaking I wasn’t prepared for. But I leaned a lot and it came out rather nicely if I do say so myself.

It’s not perfect though, for some reason on IE the color of the menu buttons is slightly off…so it kind of stands out. I can’t figure out why…but I’m willing to settle with that being the only issue. But if you guys have ANY weird ass problems with the site, TELL ME so I can try to figure it out.

I’ll be running a few more tests the next few days, but near as I can tell it’s great.

UPDATE: It seems like it looks great in everything, but for some reason in IE:6.0 and older the color behind the silhouette behind the characters at the bottom is gray. Can anyone confirm this, or is it just a weird thing with the place I’m using for testage?/Update

Also, as part of the new site I added several familiar faces to the Supporting Cast page. I haven’t decided how to handle The Airosian Clique (Mikel and his gang) so they’re not there. But they will be soon. I’m also working on a cast page of Temtra and Sither, but I want a few more pictures of them before I finish (that’ll make sense when you see the new cast pages).

And, if you’d like, you can see the highres versions of both the footer and the header as well as a header that was much too large, but still fantastic at my DA gallery.

To recap. Be here tomorrow for filler, then every day after that too (’cept Saturday and Sunday)

-Cheers, Peace, and THANK THE GODS THIS THING IS LIVE!

We’re ringing in the new year with a boom here at the PKF, arn’t we?

Remember, this weekend I’ll be updating the site to the new WordPress…so if I’m down, don’t worry, we’ll be back shortly.

Haha, I’m actually really, really happy with this whole comic. You get a chance to see the Director being something other than a whiny little pain in everyone’s ass. Which is nice.

It’s funny, when I first created the Director I actually intended to have him be a relatively nice guy…but he was much more fun to make him an asshole…now he’s starting to peter out a little more. He’s a complicated character to write for. At first he was just a dick with no reason other than he hated Tom and the other agents…but I’ve slowly realized he’s got a very good reason for hating Tom the way he does…so I’ve managed to humanize the ornery old bastard in my mind…

But he’s still angry and easily riled…

It’ll be interesting if I can bring him back from the brink of ‘He’s just an EVIL, EVIL little man’ that I managed to make him into at the end of Book One. It’s a tricky line I have to walk…he’s fiercely loyal to his men and would do anything for them, but he would never endanger the ZPF…he’s in a position of great power and responsibility which has left him with very little in the way of friends or other humanizing aspects of life…

His job’s taken two wives and a daughter…he’s…well…he’s obsessed with making the ZPF all he can make it before he has to retire…it’s quite literally his legacy at this point.

But I don’t want to ramble too much…especially since this chapter reveals a bit more about the man behind the old wooden desk…

Just remember, Eugene respects the Director a great deal…he’s been good to Eugene…but Eugene also knows the Director will do what’s best for the ZPF before he’ll do what’s best for the individuals in the organization (illustrated by his unwillingness to save Adjana at the end of Book One)…So Eugene is both willing and unwilling to go out of his way to help the Director…it’s complicated.

Have I ever told you I sometimes question my sanity for deciding to make The PKF my first foray into the world of Comickery? Because damn…It’s a bitch to keep my head above water sometimes…

And what the HELL is up with his jowls?! Seriously? Why did I stick those on him? Haha…but damned if they don’t look right.

Anyhow…Remember, for the foreseeable future Hunter ALSO updates on Fridays. He swears up a storm, so NSFW.

Good Night and once again, Happy 2009…it’s a trip I’ve made it this far, eh?

-Peace

…of old memories…thought I was going to say alcohol, didn’t cha?

But first things First. Tom’s escalating, isn’t he? The poor boys nuttier than a fruit cake…wow…I’m too sleep to think of a good analogy. Bah.

But things are starting to move quickly…Tom’s beginning to delve deeper into the otherworldly aspects of the comic, slowly he’s heading towards the slippery slope that will lead ultimately to a dramatic change in his actions and mental state…yeah, mull that over.

And yes, I got the ‘words coming from his mouth, but he’s not speaking’ bubbles from Bone, by Jeff Smith which may be my all time favorite comic. Ever. Seriously.

EVER.

Anyhow, like I said in the notice box I’m updating the WordPress (which runs my updates and other stuff) tomorrow, rather than over the weekend. I spent the last three days (from 7:00am to 9:00pm) heaving the heaviest @#$%ing crap I could imagine. How one man could accumulate so much crap is beyond me…

Oh, wait, he’s got seven other @#$%ing people leaving there and accumulating crap as well.

@#$%.

But aside from pulling a muscle in my back, nearly breaking my knee (dropped a REFRIDGERATOR on the @#$%ing thing) and a freakish amount of calluses, bruises and @#$% knows what else it was a good three days.

But it was weird, I’ve moved a few times since I was little, I’m by no means a stationary human being (moved three times in the last four years) but leaving that house made me a little sad. There was so much that happened there (not the least of which was the birth of The PKF…well…The PKF you know) so leaving was odd. I wandered around a little and saw all the things I did there while I was growing up, it was just weird knowing that that was likely the last time I was going to be in there.

So I thought I’d just say that I was all sore hearted this weekend, as well as simply sore. Which was fun.

Moral: If there are down times this Tuesday sorry…it’ll be up soon…

Sleep now.

Sore.

‘nighty night.

-Peace

EDIT (6:30pm): Upgrade is done…that was quick and painless, eh? Let me know if there’s anything wrong…I doubt it, but you never know./EDIT