510 - An ending is just a new beginning
avsaroke on Feb. 12, 2019
And here we are, the final page.
Shades of Gray (Ten’s Story) is officially completed. Ten never appears again after this night, but that doesn’t mean that the story ends here, because stories never really end. They just pass on to the next narrators.
I want to give a huge thank you to all my fans and readers for supporting me through this project. Everyone who’s left comments, emailed me, created fanart and fanfiction, supported me through patreon, or just showed up to read – Thank you so, so much. I could never have finished this without you.
Shades of Gray and the Kahmith universe have been a huge part of my life. I started creating the universe and characters when I was just 15/16, and started posting the comic right before I started college. Since then, it’s taken me through graduation, meeting and marrying the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, the death of my father, and more housing and job changes than I can count. For better or worse, Shades of Gray has been a constant through it all, and it’s been an indescribable experience to grow up with this story and these characters, and getting to share them with the world.
Aaa goodness, the final page. Okay, I’m a little discombobulated and emotional, but I think I’ve covered all the important things.
So one last time, thank you so much for reading and being a part of this experience with me! You guys are the best fans anyone could ask for. Big hugs all around!
– avs ♥
Some_One at 8:37AM, April 22, 2024
I know it sucks that the author must be promoter and storyteller. I know how hard it can be believe it when people say that your webcomic was different from the chaff of its era. You created one hell of a memorable tragedy, and while I will still remember and appreciate the contemporary comedies like Gunnerkrigg, it was Shades of Grey that I came back to reread first. Whatever you choose to do with your story in the future, thank you so much for seeing it through and preserving it here. Ten may have been a puppet constrained by the strings of gods, cursed from birth at least three different ways, but that little guy never fucking quit, and he never gave in. Not to malice, not to nihilism. The whole station was full of more than just inspirational paragons, but people, living and struggling. Stories are so wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing yours with me.
Some_One at 8:24AM, April 22, 2024
I don't know how you feel about the quality of this story in hindsight, but I must say that it IS worth every hour of work you put into it. And it IS worth the effort of preserving, repackaging, and retelling in whatever form that may take. If is not your own desire, but a lack of funding that is stopping you from trying to get more eyeballs on your story, I plucked up the courage to add you as a mutual friend when I first got on Discord a few years back. Never sent a PM, 1 server in common. Pfp is a little blue guy with the name Trip. I'm serious. Even with 0 redraws, as-is Shades of Grey could be posted to Webtoons and that alone would this story with more people. If there is one other dangerously miserable kid that draws strength from your characters' struggles, it will be worth it.
Some_One at 7:58AM, April 22, 2024
I am so glad I choose to seek out this comic again, and so grateful to find it preserved here. . I was barely an aliened teen when I started reading way back when, and damn, rereading the comic left me more weepy than I was expecting (in a good way). . This comic was the one that resonated with me strongly enough to break me out of being a lurker and build enough courage to post a comment . So many of your characters have fixated themselves as archetypes in my mind, even those with surprisingly few pages on the reread . Now that I have more than doubled my age since finding this comic, I happy to know that my younger self had good taste. But. The tragedy, travesty, and injustice of the context surrounding this work only grows with time. The amount of sheer, dumb luck required for me to have found the comic at the time is absurd. You spent so much of your mortal life telling this story, the thought of it's tiny spark fading into forgotten memory is not something I can tolerate.
Elimentkid at 10:53PM, Aug. 6, 2022
I second absolutely everything @werew has said. I grew up reading this comic, and can't even define the secret construction of what this comic made me out to be, and even inspired and formed my own creativity. I have made, and even created new heights for myself to reach. as well as seeing the development of kahmith first hand, is honestly beautiful.. throughout my entire life, from past, to even future- nothing has, or even will compare to the passion I have for this comic. and I am even attempting to show the beauty with my own future projects that this comic, and your art has given to me, thank you. -Elimentkid (p.s, Not a kid no more) <3
werew at 6:09PM, May 20, 2022
I've lost all track of you online since your discord and tumblr and website centered around this comic went away, but if you see these comments and you're up to any more creative projects publicly viewable, mind dropping a link?
werew at 6:08PM, May 20, 2022
I don't know if you will see this comment, but I wanted to throw another thank you into the void. I was a reader when you switched away from finishing the comic, and I kept close watch on the synopsis updates until you finished it. Since the comic's own website is no longer available, I briefly wondered if I'd missed any ability to come back and reread, but I'm really relieved to have found it here. I read through the whole thing again over the last day or two in my free time. And I just really want to say thank you for sharing it, for spending so long working hard on it, and for making sure that you shared the whole story even after you discontinued the comic. It's such an incredible, deeply crafted, sad, bittersweet, I am running out of words. I love these characters and this story thoroughly. Thank you for putting it out there.