Eighteen
15th Oct 2021, 7:51 AM in Ch. 43 - Liriel's Daughter
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Eighteen
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Average Rating: 5 (10 votes)
Author Notes:
Jocelyn
So in this chapter, we're going a little 'old-school Rain", as we'll primarily center around just Rain and Aunt Fara together for a bit. Emily will be staying home with the now month old Lydia (no one wants to hear a crying baby when they already have to do errands in stuffy old offices and such, after all). And we don't see or hear Vincent right now, but he could be at work or sleeping off a long night before or something. Mostly, I just wanted to use this opportunity to focus on the original duo. ^_^

I do also wanna reiterate that I'm new to drawing babies, so I don't know if Lydia looks too big or too small for a month old (or if she's too "active" in panel 6). Forgive me if it's very off. I'm not a mom myself, I'm a youngest child, and although I've got friends with kids, I was never really around the one month phase. I'm just doing the best I can here. ^^;

I did want to have Lydia in a yellow onesie, though. Not pink. Not blue. Something distinctly less gendered as Emily implied she wanted to do.


©2004-2021
Rain, all characters and all other aspects of the story are copyright material belonging to me.

My next round of dental work is currently slated for November, but as I've discussed, I've still got a lot to save. If you can help, I will be very grateful. If not, no hard feelings. Thank you, either way.
https://gofund.me/bc702c0d
User comments:
Tokuben (Guest)
Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SometimesIReadComics (Guest)
Great aunt Fara vibing with the little one. 😁
Phrown (Guest)
Fara = best mom
Kinkajou (Guest)
Lydia is soooooo cute!
stag (Guest)
I think someone said that Rain's hair hasn't grown back yet, but it's grown a considerable amount since the last chapter.
Tanny (Guest)
I think Lydia looks great!
Tokuben (Guest)
We need MORE Lydia!!!!!!!!
Adama (Guest)
Happy mommy face on Emily. 😊
Monika (Guest)
The baby looks great, but too active in panel 6 indeed.
Anon (Guest)
Agreed, from my understanding (which everyone should take with a grain of salt on this topic because its the easily erroneous google-fu), at four weeks, babies are still either eating or sleeping, for the vast majority of the time. Not sure if they even have anything that could be described as "motor control".

However, I could easily see it as Emily actually putting Lydia's arms on her shoulders as a way of kinda hugging her. So with that in mind, its a non-issue.
Mia (Guest)
It really depends on the baby, my son grabbed my finger just a few minutes after his birth so i wouldn't be terribly surprised to see an infact more active than usual.
doombird (Guest)
Oh my gosh they are such a tough crowd for like MONTHS. They don't even laugh at your jokes! R U D E
Kyla (Guest)
As a mother of two my kids where that active around 2-3 months so you're not that far off. My youngest could grab my hair at 1month
naobilynn (Guest)
My niece has started hair grabbing at about a month.
Xalofar
Superb baby :)
Lemonado Girl
Lydia is so adorable!!!! I love her so much, and I can't wait to see more of her. Also Rain looks absolutely GORGEOUS in this design! I wish I felt comfortable enough to rock a bob...or had hair straight enough for one to be able to look like that >_>
arkathenia
Rain is so beautiful <3 She looks perfect in this chapter. I really hope she feels better about herself now - all things really have turned out for her. Also, now that the baby is born, she looks adorable, and so different than I expected <3
Beth (Guest)
Oh gosh... Emily all alone in the apartment. I really hope her ex doesn't show up right now...
Xalofar
he is in prison no?
masterbladero
Emily to get her ready for the day and Fara to get through the day.

Hope the true family feels continues with siblings further in the day and Mother's will.
Haelwenn (lanodan) (Guest)
I guess I'm still adjusting to Emily having her baby out, I was like "Wait… who's baby is this? Is Fara keeping someone's baby?" and then I remembered it few seconds later when I almost went checking the previous pages.
BaileyR (Guest)
Emily will be home with only Lydia! I sense shinanigans with that Chase guy. I bet he is still lurking around. Also, I hope things go well with Rain today (fingers crossed)
Tesset (Guest)
Chase was in jail last we heard (before prom, so like 6 months ish in-comic). The actual event was shown in a bonus chapter, tho it was mentioned in the main comic, at least offhandedly. Based on that, and the tone of these ending chapters, I think we're unlikely to see Chase again.

Maybe Emily's mom, if we see Rain's dad later this chapter, but not Chase.
Pseudonym (Guest)
There's been a lot of talk about Kellen lately. In fact, have the older Flaherty siblings already received their inheritance? If not she might be back very soon indeed.

In order to practice my writing (and not at all since the pandemic's had me cooped up for so long, I'm starting to lose it) I decided to do a writing exercise where I put to words what I'd like to say to her. And holy cow. I knew I had pent-up anger - I follow US politics, for crying out loud! - but what came out was petty, unfair, and cruel. Usually I'm glad to get any writing done, but this was miserable. As is knowing I had such viciousness in me. I guess it really goes to show that hate's a venom, and if you don't let it go it can poison you. Cliche but true.

But what's the alternative to hating Kellen? Forgiving her?
Pseudonym_
Here's the whole thing. Don't say I'm not thorough.

OPEN LETTER

Dear Kellen Flaherty,

Do you know the old proverb? "If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let 'em go, because man, they're gone." That's the state of your relationship with Rain.

Because guess what? You never had to get it. You never had to understand, approve, or even tolerate. The only thing you had to do was not try to destroy the most important thing in the world to her so you could feel better. Since that was too much to ask, you don't deserve to be in her life.

And no, I'm not talking about her hair. Don't you dare hide behind "it's just hair" one more time. This was never about the hair and you know it. You didn't cut her hair out of a sudden, overwhelming interest in midnight barbery. You cut her hair to put an end to the girl thing. Ruin it so thoroughly, she'd have no choice but to abandon it.

Y'know, as much as Rain loves Aunt Fara and Emily, I believe either of them would willingly step away from her life if things somehow came to a choice between them or the girl thing. That's because they love her too, and while that doesn't mean blind support of everything Rain wants to do, they recognize said girl thing genuinely means the world to her. They know she's not going to just get over it, and however much they'd hurt to not have Rain by their side, they know it'd be selfish to make the kid live in misery just so they could get what they want.

You, of course, decided it would infringe upon your precious precious feelings to sleep for one night under the same roof.

At this point you may be marshaling your excuses to pretend you didn't do what you did. It's just a hobby, it's a stupid little game, he's just bored of what he's born with, he's just playing dress-up, it can't be THAT important. All such talk adds up to one thing: Rain couldn't possibly have felt all that hurt, humiliation, and fear, because you say so. In which case holy shit, I had no idea you get to decide what other people feel! ALL HAIL KELLEN FLAHERTY, ARBITER OF REALITY! Man, philosophers have spent millennia going over: "How can we know the truth?" and all along, they should've just asked you! Boy, must they feel like chumps.

Or perhaps you're defiant? You're saying: What he's doing is disgusting, it's an embarrassment, I'm doing him a favor by trying to bring him back to reality. In which case, Rain's pet rabbit eats its own crap, that's disgusting too, are you going to run it over? I'm not facetious, I'm horrified by what else you're going to do to people you find disgusting since apparently that gives you a blank check.

Look. I'm actually a lot like you, so I think I know how it went: You're a functioning adult. You knew Rain would hate you, you'd deserve it, and that's all you'd accomplish. But you just couldn't stand how things were. So you told yourself: But I'm doing what's right. I'm helping him. Wouldn't it be wrong if I didn't help him? And you did this until you took the excuse. You knew it was an excuse, but you just couldn't bear to tell yourself no, so you went out and did Rain and yourself nothing but harm. And you did it with a smile.

If I'm right and you really are like me, do yourself a favor: Get this under control. Rein it in, and fast, before you have even more regrets. Then stamp down on it, crush it underfoot, chain it down, wall it in in the darkest corners of your mind, and never let it out again.

And if I'm wrong, magnificent, and here's another point: You're aware that if someone who's been going to school for months as a girl, is known to all the students and staff as a girl, suddenly comes to school as a boy, well, she might as well save the bullies some time by hammering her own head against the wall and breaking her own ribs. Did you just not give a shit about this, as long as you got what you wanted? Or did you think Rain had it coming, serves 'em right for acting like a weirdo?

Rain, of course, was also aware of this. You'll be happy to know she was talked out of dropping out of high school over it. The fact that you couldn't even cut her hair right helped: You left it salvageable. Of course, the fact that the RMS Raintanic dodged the iceberg does precisely jack to make it better that you put it there. Disaster was averted in spite of your efforts, not thanks to them.

Unless, Miss It's-just-hair, you've decided that since you think it's absurd for someone to take it this hard, clearly Rain didn't actually take things this hard. In that case I can only bow to your wisdom, Arbiter.

How about being able to walk out of her front door without fear?

But you love Rain, doesn't that count for anything? Of course it does! Sadly, so does the fact that Rain's had her share of knocks. She doesn't need to be looking over her shoulder waiting for your next trick. And she certainly doesn't need you to bawl at her that you're sorry, you'll do better, it's that sometimes she makes you so angry...

But here's the good news: Your love for her will wither and die, and you'll no longer grieve that you're not part of her life. Take it from me, I've been there. Blood is thicker and love powerful, but time's stronger. One day, years from now, you'll realize it's been too long, and you no longer love Rain. You'll remember loving her, you'll fervently wish you did, you'll wish things had been different, but it'll be too late. Just like it's already too late now.

Or if that doesn't comfort you, since family's so important to you, take solace in knowing that you're always and forever truly your father's daughter.

Yrs respectfully, etcetera.
Allison (not that one) (Guest)
I love Rain's dress. I think it's cute, even adorable.

(But then, I'm definitely a ruffles-and-lace girl...)
Katherine (Guest)
The way Rain says "Yes ma'am."

...my heart <3
Lizard (Guest)
Omg Rain’s look is soo cute
Cassie the Transbian
[iLook at that little bundle of joy!!!
Egg3770
Rain listen to Em you look fantastic