Rain
Comic 1401 - 22 Minutes
Author Notes:
So, here's the deal: next week's going to be very experimental. I actually wrote what would realistically fill - I think - about half an episode worth of content. That still ended up being a lot, though. If I included all of it, it'd be it's own chapter smack dab in the middle of another chapter. So I challenged myself to condense the cliff notes version to just three pages (essentially making up all of next weeks pages). This way, it doesn't disrupt the main story too much, but it still manages to show all of the important key points I really wanted to touch on with this segment. If next week's pages are well received, I may consider expanding the scene to include some of what I left out when it comes time for the print version, but you will be getting the important parts here (even if some of it doesn't seem important right away).
So, TL;DR - Stay tuned for three pages of the Black Wings Kaminari anime next week. The following week will resume with the main cast "after the episode is over".
©2004-2021
Rain, all characters and all other aspects of the story are copyright material belonging to me.
My first round of dental work went well the other day. I received a number of fillings and deep cleaning (and I swear they already look a lot better!), but there's still several extractions and several route canals in my future. And unfortunately, this is a lot for me, financially. If you're able to help, follow the link, and know that I'm eternally grateful.
https://gofund.me/bc702c0d
If you can't, please don't sweat it. ^_^ Remember, even just sharing the link can be a huge help!
Anyhow I am really looking forward to seeing the metafiction and how it ties in with the main story.
And isn't that what transitioning is all about? Not transitioning to become somebody else's idea of a woman or a man or -- well, whatever[*]. But to become yourself?
---
[*] Or, for all I know, transitioning to become an attack helicopter -- I know it's a transphobic meme, but I would love to know what that would actually mean. Inquiring minds and all....
"You identify as a woman, so you're a woman? What if I identify as an attack helicopter?"
It's intended to mock the idea of a gender identity different from one's (assigned at) birth gender.
People became horrifically nasty to her, with nobody defending her, to the point that she went back into hiding and the closet and gave up on the idea of transitioning.
I read it and thought it was a really interesting, well written story - even more so reading it knowing the author is trans.
Ky's in girl mode at the moment and literally introduced herself to Allison with she/her pronouns earlier in the chapter.
https://rain.thecomicseries.com/comics/1383/
(To be fair, thanks to the hiatus, that was a while ago now. So don't worry about having forgotten.)
1. Why does Rudy go by Ruby when he wears dresses?
and 2. where can I find those other comics you talk about sometimes?
1. Why does Rudy go by Ruby when he wears dresses?
Partly for fun, partly for appearances. Rudy's not the sort to half-do anything. If he's gonna doll himself up to the nines, he's gonna have a femme name to go with it. Plus, it could be a safety issue. Especially if he's in public. Like, he did use the girls' bathroom while at the mall alone as Ruby. Technically safer for him in there dressed the way he was, then walking into the men's room in a miniskirt.
2. where can I find those other comics you talk about sometimes?
Sadly, nowhere yet. Moonlight Wanderers and Magical are both slated to begin sometime after Rain is over, though you can learn a little about them over at my DeviantArt. Magical even has a series of canon prologue short stories taking place before the events of the main story (not comics, but they are all available right now). I've also slowly but surely making a game, Save the Princess, and have plans for another novel story, The Scars of Redemption. If any of that interests you, please by all means check them out! ^_^
Moonlight Wanderers - https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/gallery/64055744/moonlight-wanderers
Magical - https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/gallery/46861739/magical
Save the Princess - https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/gallery/68816399/save-the-princess
The Scars of Redemption - https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/gallery/64055650/the-scars-of-redemption
There's been other pink blushes, but they are fewer and further between. See this one for example: https://rain.thecomicseries.com/comics/1313/
I only use pink cheeks (like today's page) for extreme blushing. The scratchy cheek lines that I use more often are your more standard, run-of-the-mill blushes. It's a difference in "blush power", so to speak. XD
All we really know is that Allison has liked Rain since they were kids. And that she claims to be "straight as a nail". She's otherwise been super supportive of Rain and Emily being together too.
https://rain.thecomicseries.com/comics/809/
But I guess the question then is, was she lying when she called herself straight? Has she learned something new? Does she have lingering doubts? Is Rain just some kind of exception? There's lots of ways this can go, honestly.
But I will say - hopefully not to the point of driving everyone nuts - but the all the hints are there. It's just a matter of finding and interpreting them. ^_^
One question one guess:
1) Would you mind if someone did that? I'm surprised it hasn't been done already, I wasn't sure if it was by request or no one has taken the time/thought of it.
Allison Speculation
Going mostly on my memory, with a little bit of chapter glancing, and with a gay bias. Here's my guess:
What we know:
* Rain and Allison have liked each other from the start
* Allison got out of a bad relationship prior to re-uniting with Rain.
* We do not know their gender, as far as I'm aware. Pretty sure Allison has consistently avoided saying, not that I think anyone has questioned her on it?
* She went to Gavin for help processing, but we never see the content of this conversation. So Gavin may know. Granted Rudy/Ruby teases Gavin for wanting to date her, so this does discredit this theory a bit.
* Allison went to prom alone
* She did get asked out by several guys
* That's a reallllll gay blush right there. Just sayin.
* Allison hasn't struggled with Rain's gender identity. I know Rain told her, but idk, she hit the ground running only a couple months later. Assuming this wasn't authors choice to avoid retreading old ground, it seems like Allison did do some research to educate herself.
Speculation (def getting into fuzzy memory and speculating from my own experience and those I've talked to):
I think Allison has been gay from the start. Rain has been persistent about her gender identity from the start, so Allison may have misunderstood liking Rain for her being straight. She picked up on Rain's feminine habits. Rain coming out challenged her assumption she was straight. Afterwards she may have dated someone before she was over Rain.
Regardless if the previous is true, we know it's been less then a year since Rain came out to Allison and they met back up and she's already gone through a bad relationship in this time. It may have ended with her realizing that she may not be straight, or the seeds for that thought are just being planted. This is why she says she's "straight as a pencil". She asked Rain if she was single, WHILE TWIRLING HER HAIR, which may have been to give herself hope? Then that hope is dashed when Rain admits to having a crush on Emily. Either way she seems pretty downtrodden during this part of the conversation, ESPECIALLY on chapter 808.
After this unfortunately I don't remember how much Allison shows up for a while, so I'm not sure what to speculate on until the pool party. It's hard to speculate on her not taking anyone to prom, since she could legitimately not been ready to be involved with someone at that time.
It could have just been because she was in a good mood and I'm reading too much into it, but Allison was beaming when she saw Rain. Also her not noticing Blair flirting with her, I don't know if that was intentional or not but dammmnn girl. I think at this point Allison is crushing on Rain and is now noticing it consciously, but feels guilty because she doesn't want to disrupt the good thing Rain and Emily have going on.
I don't know, it's 1am, I should post this and sleep rather then continuing to speculate. I tried to write a section on how Allison could affect Emily and Rain's relationship dynamic, but that section needs to be written very tactfully and I can't do that well enough without re-reading the last several pages. Also while I think Rain and Allison are a freaking adorable looking couple, Emily and Rain have been through too much together for them to not end up together in the end IMO. They have literally been with there for each other in their darkest hours.
As I understand it, demisexuals are interested in the person, not the gender. Somebody can be part demi, where they gravitate towards people of a particular gender or a few specific genders, but could hook up with someone because they're the right someone even if that someone isn't on their normal list.
(That was just before I figured out that I'm actually nonbinary agender, so no longer queer by proxy, lmao. When it rains it snows XD)
So I wasn't really thinking deeply about it but now that I do, hard relate, Allison! Hard relate!