Goodbye Grayness long PS + story of development

Just as I promised  here is the afterword? Post scriptum? Anyway there were some things I still want to tell about the comic, but since it would be spoilers and all I decided to do it in last page.
As a quick refresher: there were no  script file describing each scene or at least the overall plot in fine details. I was aware of how big that project would be, but I wasn't going for something overcomplicated either, so for the sake of speeding up the process all the script was written in a bunch of theses for each chapter, I thought on how the scenes would look and wrote the dialogues while sketching pages. Basically I improvised the plot around those theses as it goes.
Now that it all finished, I must say it did indeed made things faster, especially in combo with my decision of simplifying art style and art itself. However this method bit me hard in the end, I forgot some plot points I did in previous pages, and the size of the comic overall got absurdly big. I was expecting something around 200 or at maximum 500 pages, but without an actual plan it ended up they way it did.

Gee...I'm awful in "making long stories short". By this point it won't be surprise but this is going to be a long post. I can't say it's something really major, here I just want to: 1) Explain some stuff from comic in more details. 2) The stuff that didn't got in comic and why they didn't. 3) My thoughts about the project Grayness.

After the final time I reread my comic as a whole peace I realized that some things in there got too extra explanations it didn't needed and probably made stuff more complicated to understand, or that some stuff wasn't explained well or at all. When I was working on comic with all that plot in my head I thought that a reader would understand some plot point themselves, with hints I left. Like trying to do a good taste story where you don't explicitly explain everything, but let the reader come to the conclusion on their own. But some of my "hints" didn't looked to me like hints at all at the final reading stage. Which is funny I guess, after 3 years I got to read my own creation as a full and try to remember and understand why I even made a character say/do this. I'll try to cover here things that you probably find confusing, of course I can't think of all such moments. But that's what comments are for, I'd like to discuss my project with others.


1) Black's position as manager
Not sure if this one was really confusing, but still. It's just the way it was explained in the first chapter. Managers have full control over their assigned region, yet in case of something Granite could put their activity at halt. This whole manager thing was actually inspired by Roman dictators (as some sort of job) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_di…
Yep, it has some major differences in how it works in comic, but when I randomly found this article during my research I thought it would fit well for comic plot wise.
It actually has even deeper purpose behind this decision. In the raw script prototype Black was just a regular citizen who would work hard to earn the position. But I realized that it would make more sense if Black got in power, his privileged life since he was born. I saw it as a more natural reason why he'd be so bossy with other inkies, especially in canon. And well, his mind was just occupied with politics so hard because he was basically brought to this environment from the very start, almost as a tool for solving a problem he was commanded to solve.


2) Granite's initial role in plot
This is where it gets interesting. I guess? Because Granite in both prototype and final script had one main purpose - to be Black's object of blind inspiration. To make Black pick the path he eventually chose to go. But Granite's character was really never determined well for a good period of the development. I had idea of making him have unkind and condescending tendencies towards people of lower class. But this idea was quickly scrapped, because this would be too much mean people to handle in one long-ass comic, to make an extra plot for Granite in 4th chapter work, and I don't think scenes with Black would be natural if he'd be mean with others.
But that's not all about the tallest inky man. He was one of the main causes that would form Black's personality, but despite that it was all to it. After that Granite would just be gone from further pages in the first draft verison. And it felt really hollow making him just step in the beginning to only disappear once his arc with Black is done. The 4th chapter was intended to fix this problem, making him sorta second main character, and trying to add more details to his character. Because of this mess his actions might look inconsistent? But I tried my best to actually try to morph something solid.
The 4th chapter was supposed to change the perception of previous chapters, changing Granite's strong aspiring image to a person who has too much to carry against his own will, yet keeps on trying to help others, disregarding own pain. But despite the intentions, just like Black he cause damage on his own citizens.
It wasn't something I consciously intended to do from the very beginning, but somehow Black and Granite ended up to share some themes they reflect.
And I noticed it only when looked at nearly finished comic.


3) Ivicia and Grayness
Idk if someone wondered about, but still. The whole Ivicia plot would happen anyway even if Granite wasn't present at the time. It could be left just as short backstory of Grayness' history. But I thought it would be more involving if there would be an actual inky and ivician characters that would interact with each other. Besides I wanted to add some sort of "stakes" timer, that would rise the tension. That the time for inkies on Grayness is actually very limited.


4) The recycle plan shtick
I assume this one might went over heads, because it was never explained why Black went for it. Except the phrase when he says about compensation for spendings. This one of major plot points strongly tied to features of inkies' anatomy. Think about it, how different they are from humans and what opportunities it gives, especially if you plan to build a dictatorial dystopia. Unlike humans, inkes come in this world as fully developed adults ready to get in action, there's no need to wait when phase of childhood will pass, or teach lots of stuff. Inkies still have to learn some stuff yet have sweet perk of being able to know some amount of information right from the start, which also allows them to fully mature mentally faster than other fully organic life forms. Even if an inky dies it won't be much of a problem to get new one. Just create as many as you want. And since they all can be made on fabricators, only government basically has control over population rate and has ability to have more accurate statics on that. It's probably something every evil dictator would dream about.
And since Black's plan on doubling up the efficiency includes overworking, which leads to horrible death of workers, it would be easy to notice that streets are getting emptier. The point of whole recycle thing was to cover for missing inkies, and cover for spending on citizens by using some amount of recyclable materials to create new citizens.
I actually wonder if this whole plan was clear enough to understand, if not how it could be explained better and more simple in comic?


5) Rocks' war "prediction" and marker gang
Apparently I made this plot section overcomplicated but at the same time lacking basis, so this whole thing turned out somewhat messy. So to explain why Rocks thought there was going to be an attack on Grayness. He found some notes citizens of both periods, when inkies were trained to be a cannon fodder for a war on Raydia, and other notes made after the war with Ivician army. But due to the fact that some info on both was obscured with markers, Rocks  made a hunch as the ruins what was left from the first war, and the notes that was talking about Raydia meant that there would be war on Grayness. He knows about Raydia but had no concrete evidence that would pin point those notes were talking about it. So this confusion caused this whole situation.
About the marker thing, it was supposed to be all Granite's doings as well, but it was something he started doing way before Rocks was created. In order so no one would eventually find out about the finite resources problem. Yet, he didn't want to completely destroy it, so instead of just burning down the ruins with their contaiment he went with this selective censorship. He had literal decades to brush through all the buildings that had left, not to mention that the first city was smaller than the whole Capital, and part of buildings just got blown up in the war. There was also other reason why Granite didn't chose to just burn everything or other way destroy all papers. Fire and blowing ruins up to dust would be most effective method, but he doesn't wants to be reminded of a war that happened long time ago.
I wasn't skilled enough or aware of how the whole plot picture looks to explicitly insert those facts in comic, so it would be more clear. But oh well..

6) Granite sending Black to Raydia
I had an inner debate whether I should mention it or not. Because..well I myself noticed it only after a really long time when it became too much of a pain to fix. I'm not quite sure if this one can count as a plot hole, and if you don't want to listen to me pointing out own mistakes then you can skip this paragraph to the next one.
I had a month long breaks from Grayness of any kind only few times, but yet I hadn't work on it on daily basis. After rereading the comic I noticed that Granite's motivation in that episode is off, considering his past. And then I realized that there was supposed to an episode in-between those events that I forgot to draw. Like I said, there was no script only basic theses written, so some of the info I was just keeping in my brain. Well, it turns out it was a bad idea. The episode I forgot to make was relatively short. And the whole idea of it was that Granite thought he posed two options to Black, and both would work for him either way. The point is that the ship was abandoned it was already stated that Granite doesn't think it works.
His expecations were that ship wouldn't even fly, therefore forcing Black to accept Granite's terms or that the ship would break mid travel in the space. Therefore not having to kill Black directly with own hands, and still protecting Raydia from inks.
I guess if that episode was there it would make more sense. But Granite also got mentally worn out after all those events, so I guess even without that episode it still works.

I was about to say it's time to discuss scraped content, but I actually mentioned it in explanation stuff part. I didn't had that much of material scrapped or altered due to how freaking big the comic is. The only thing I haven't mentioned yet is an additional episodes with more interactions with Theizy and Granite after war. I still think it might be interesting to see them together in more relaxed situation when they don't have to worry about the whole Ivicia stuff, but I realized that their dialogues was just repeating of stuff that was already said in previous pages, thus contributing not really much. So it was decided to be scrapped.
Tho I wish I could had enough skill to address some topics that could be mentioned here, with all the ethical dilemma of the situation or the fact that Theizy didn't really treat Granite nicely sometimes, and how Granite couldn't even notice it for decades because how traumatized his mind got after all that happened.


Well, this premade post credit text aged poorly. Thanks to my editor who convinced me to actually add that into comic.
But I still can add some words about 4 and 5th chapters. In a way the comic has already ended in 3rd chapter. Because my main subject was just to tell my vision on Black's possible back story. And then I wanted to add more details to this plot. When the 3rd chapter was finished I started doing the 4th chapter to make Black's story fully complete, but there was untold stuff left. I thought of posting the comic just as is, and create like a second comic which would fully focus on Grayness past, and Granite and Theizy specifically. Goodbye Grayness was a story about Black, and making Granite suddenly steal the spotlight felt kinda wrong. I had spend plenty of time thinking on what do I do about it. At this point I already spent what, 2 years? Something about 2 years of work and the thought of working on another comic started to kill the mood, realizing how much time and work it would take. Not to mention that during this whole process I was afraid of burning out. And with the 4th chapter I think I was really close to it.
So I thought of trying and actually combining these two stories together. The history of Grayness still has connection  to the main plot and it's way shorter than the main comic. And once again, thanks to my editor-friend, cause without their reactions on that scrapped content I wouldn't even dare and try it.
So if the half of 4th chapter and the whole 5th chapter felt to you somewhat rushed and abrupt this is the reason.
It wasn't really supposed to be there, at least most part of it. But otherwise I guess it'll just die in my folder, lying there for decades. I guess it was worth it. It enriched the lore and I tried to explain some things there more clearly.

Still, I'm aware that this is not the best approach that you have to get the story explained in long-butt post credit text. But like I mentioned I had various struggles with the project, and for various reasons it ended the way it is, and I just want to clear up the possible questions left at least somehow.

For now I can say that this post looks surprisingly shorter than I expected it to be.

Honestly when I think about it, I still can't believe  that I did it. Spending all those 3 years just for the comic only. I gave up on creating something big long time ago, and I never expected that the short draft of theory of Black's origin would expand that much.

I'm tired and proud. There were few moments when I looked at what I have, and what could be done better. There are plenty of things I'd like to change, but I simply don't have enough experience and understanding of writing to do it. Not to mention that if I tried to do so I'll be just stuck in the endless purgatory of changing and remaking stuff and never posting it.  It was hard, and yet I had just to say "stop".

This whole text was premade before I even post the project announcement post. So I have no idea what the overall reactions and reviews would be by the time I post this.
But still, I want to have this moment to tell, if you happen to like this comic or have any things to tell about, really, just do it. I did all this work, only because I've got so passionate about my idea that I wanted to share it with other De Blob fans. I'll be more than happy to know what you think about my story and if there's was something about it you liked.

Big thanks to my friends who helped me to keep my motivation to keep on working for all those years.
Thanks to my friend Ray, who helped and fixed most of the mess of typos and broken sentences and also helping me with coloring the characters for few chapters.
Without them it would take me even longer to finish it all, and who knows maybe I would have even given up on this project without them.
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08.05.2024 me kicks-in!
And I also want to thank you. All of the readers who have been there reading my comic and even interacting with it. It means a lot to me! And in the end I'm very glad it got noticed.
I hope you all had nice time with my story ^w^
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20 August 2020 - 21 August 2023. Goodbye, Grayness, now you're finally finished xD