Version 2 of Refrain: Code Geass Has Launched At Last!

A word from The Emperor:

We want to thank all our loyal fans who have been with us since the very beginning. The Emperor would like to give you a little history of the development of this website, which is known as the Number 1 Code Geass Website, the best that has ever existed.

Refrain 1.0

It was the dawn of a new era. The Emperor just finished watching Code Geass R2, and he came up with a great idea: to make the best Code Geass website in existence. All he had was a vision, and a vision was all he needed. Behold, the very, very first version of the website:

Refrain 1.0 Needs Some Work...

As you can see, it looks like ass. I took the fiery picture from some random website, and made it the background. All I did was put a black table on top of that, and put all the content within the table. The only banner I had was that of Lelouch and Suzaku, since they were the main characters. I put two google ads next to the banners to give it a symmetrical feeling. As for the left menu, I used plain text, the buttons were not implemented yet.

Clearly, this layout was an epic fail. It was my first attempt at the website, so what can you expect? People complained that the fire burns their eyes. There were only 5 wallpapers in the wallpaper section, so the content was lacking. The website as a whole sucks ass.

As with all websites, this one needed a redesign, rather badly.

Refrain 1.1

For version 1.1, I used a comletely new concept. I got rid of the fire background, and replaced it with a less intimidating red background. I kept the black table, and replaced the banner with one that I made using MS Paint. I figured I'd put Refrain From Using Refrain R2 as the banner, since it is catchy on the eye. I kept the right menu, as they can expand to show more links. I replaced the left menu with actual buttons, and they highlight when you over your mouse over them.

Since I was banned from Google Ads, I replaced the ads with Code Geass images that I found, and customized them to my own needs. They linked to a website that lets you download anime for a small one time fee. However, it is still a fail, because the banners do not work, and thetheme is still unstable.

Version 1.2

As you can see, this one is much improved. The banner looks like an actual banner, with our logo on it, next to Lelouch's face, which is what I envisioned. I added a search engine and put it on the right side, so now people can search through our content. It is around this time that I found Void Knight, and with our partnership, we started the forum from scratch. From merely 2 people, we created a community!

It Continues...

Yet, for I, The Emperor, this is still not enough. It is still not the best website, so I made more changes. After several revisions, here is version 1.5:

Ah, this one is much better! I put our site's name and the official Code Geass logo over a picture of Lelouch, and it looks pimpin'. Next to that is the anime ad, and even though they don't belong together, I put it there in the corner to fill up the space. I added more menu buttons and added a border, to give a nice sleek look. At this point, we recruited several more staff members, and our forum grew rapidly.

The World is Not Enough

Yet for The Emperor, it is still not enough. It is around this time we recruited TenjouVII, a web designer who is also a fan of Code Geass.

And at last, we have version 2.0, which is this very website. It is thanks to the brilliant mind of TenjouVII, who came up with this concept. With the valiant efforts of I, The Emperor, and TenjouVII we re-designed the entire website, so that you, the fans can have a better viewing experience. Hopefully, this will be the last re-design, in our journey to becoming the Number 1 Code Geass Website that has ever existed! On with the rebellion!

In May of 2009, a man known only has shadowboy17 came upon the land known as Refrain, which,at the time, was still in its early stages of development. He, being a brilliant web designerand concept artist, came upon The Emperor's throne with an offer that he could not refuse.

"Oh great and mighty Emperor," said he.

"Yes, what is it, my child?" replied The Emperor.

"I can transform you glorious kingdom for you, if you allow me to work for you." said he.

After being presented with a glimpse of what the website could look like, The Emperor decided to make TenjouVII his accomplice.

The Emperor said: "You have my interest. Very well, then. We shall make a "Contract" and become accomplices and forever be glorious on my eternal kingdom."

Note: This dialogue is an exagerrated and cleaned up version of what actually happened.