Rain
Comic 1497 - ...The Rainbow Comes Out
Author Notes:
Couple quick things: Firstly, thank you. Whether you just found this comic yesterday, or you've been with me since the first page over eleven years ago, thank you for sticking with me through this, and making it to the end with me. I've said this a million times in the past, but I really didn't know if Rain would resonate for anyone but me. But your following along, reading, encouraging, commenting, speculating, etc. is what helped me to follow through. I truly couldn't have done it with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! It means more to me than I can ever express.
I am more proud of Rain than anything I've ever done in my life, and I'm so grateful I could share it - in its entirety - with you all. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed it. ^_^
For those of you wondering what happens now, there's still technically more Rain to come. Now that the main story is done, I can finally find the time to work on Volumes 6 and 7 (which will both have bonus chapters). I aim to have them both out later this year, but I don't have a specific estimate yet. I'll keep you posted.
Likewise, this isn't the end of me writing comics. I have more coming down the road, like for example, My Impossible Soulmate, which is something of a spiritual successor
And even as far as Rain itself, it might be worth continuing to follow for the occasional one-shot strips or anniversary pics (if that interests you). Rain may be over, but I'm just getting started. ^_^
And once more, thank you! :happycry:
See you again real soon.
Rain, all characters and all other aspects of the story are copyright material belonging to me.
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You can buy Rain: Vol. 1 through 5 here!
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I found this comic So very long ago, 2012 iirc, around the time Rain was going back into the closet for her brother's visit.
My family had recently moved halfway across the world with me unable to refuse at the age of sixteen. I lost my boyfriend, and all my plans to move out with him and transition came crashing down. New country had no accommodations for an english only autistic student, and nobody hires foreigners without credentials so I just kind of became a shut-in. Rain was my comfort food for so long, I'd come back to this every time the dysphoria got bad, then moved on as repression kicked in again.
In 2019 I finally made the leap to transition to survive, rather than put it off until I moved away from family. My parents have been painfully, painfully slow to accept me, and between coming out and the pandemic, I lost so many friends, but I feel closer than ever to my brother who has been nothing but supportive, and I didn't lose everyone.
A year of hormone therapy has done a number on my body and mind, but for the first time in twenty years I'm able to look in the mirror and see me, even if she's not as pretty as I wish she was.
I AM CRYING SO HARD. UGLY CRY TIME.
I'm not gonna hold back the tears today, I don't think anyone else should either. Thank you, for giving us this wonderful story.
I'm so happy I found this story
Yes. My Impossible Soulmate will certainly have its own Comic Fury page (and probably Facebook too), but they're not ready to go live yet. Still I may post updates/ads for the new stuff here and there to make sure no one misses new info.
Meanwhile, my DeviantArt and Twitter will continue to post new info/comics as usual as they're just kinda my general accounts.
I found Rain some 4 years ago, sometime just before the Prom arc started. Back then I hadn't transitioned yet, I was denying myself that and still would for some time. But Rain has stuck with me since.
It's been a wonderful ride and I can't wait to see what you've got coming next. Thank you.
and please bring back the characters some day! thank you so much im crying happy tears right now its like im raining hapiness. thank you again i love this story it changed my life
Starting reading this way back, I think in 2012 and recently reread it a few times. Had completely forgotten I did a guest Rain Delay back in 2013 (went by Keveak back then, it's the Rain Delay with Fara saying Rain is various things, like an octopus), so that was an amusing reminder.
Remember still being closeted back when I started reading (Might even have been before I figured out my gender entirely) and now I'm several years on HRT. Been quite a journey and reading Rain has been a welcome part of it.
I will always carry this comic in my heart, no matter the future. Even if I haven't been following it from the beginning or for some years, be sure that it truly means something for me.
Thank you for creating Rain, from the bottom of my heart. <3
trans... hmmm,LGBTQ... scratch that, one of the best comic I had the pleasure to read, ever. I laughed, I cried, I got excited, angry, sad, happy. Not a lot of stories can claim to have had such on me.I discovered I was trans really late in my life, and like most for whom its the case I wondered with regret how my life would have if I had found the answer sooner. But through Rain I was able to experience something I didn't had the opportunity to live myself: the life of a trans teen with her supporting friends. It was very cathartic!
It was a wild ride, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. And its one I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone at every opportunity.
So for all this, thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
It's been about seven years since. This comic did so much for me in that time, and I'm tearing up to see it go. But what a high note to go out on. Thank you for seeing this through to the end, Jocelyn.
And I’m so happy that I got to go on this journey with you and Rain, from my lowest point to what is now also the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.
I can’t wait to see what you create next, and again thank you so much for making something that has been able to mean so much to so many people. You’re amazing (and can probably expect me to be buying all the physical volumes once they are all out lol)
I found Rain right at the end of the prom chapter, in 2019. Back then, I had just come out to my family, and I was still very shy and unsure of myself. I still distinctly remember seeing Rain and Emily kiss on that fateful night, getting up, and going to university with a hair clip in my hair.
And now, in 2022, I'm a happy trans woman with an incredible girlfriend and multiple great friends that I all met through this comic in some way, almost eleven months on HRT, and have even found my own projects such as the French translation. It's no understatement to say that Rain has changed my life for the better.
Thank you, so very much. I hope to one day be like you: an amazing woman who brings smiles to thousands through her art and efforts.
It's okay to cry, everyone. Let's keep rocking the boat together when we're done.
Doesn't matter, I enjoyed it a lot. Thank you for writing/drawing Rain! ^_^
And looking forward to buying the last two books to complete my collection!
I am a better person because if this series and I just wanted to say thank you so much. I'm devestated it's over but I look forward to more of your stuff!
Thank you again, DarkMelody 42 a reader since 2014
You'd better believe I'm interested in seeing your future projects!
Take care, and be well...!
I like the use of bookends here. Rain starts out in black-and-white as a pre-transition, rejected little child who wants to be a mom. She ends in full colour as a post-trans adult with a child and friends who accept her.
And adding a rainbow was a great touch.
That said, if you actually go and make the Pokemon Nuzlocke fic, you better come up a VERY good explanation on why should we cheer for people that either force creatures to fight to the death, or abandon them as soon as they make a mistake.
I remember finding this comic 3 years ago soon after I had realized I was trans, and this has been an incredible journey! Seeing the words, "I'm probably the happiest I've ever been." is incredibly heartwarming, and is something I think everyone, trans or not, aspires to be able to say.
This has truly been a journey, and from the bottom of my heart-
Thank you for making this comic, and thank you for undoubtedly being the best comic centered on a transgender individual!
You've done a wonderful thing here, Jocelyn, and made so many people's lives better. Including my own. Whatever else you do for the rest of your life, you can rest knowing that you made the world a better place with your storytelling.
There are people who saw themselves in a story for the first time because of you. People who realized who they are because of you. And people who, because of you, realized that maybe "this whole transgender thing" isn't as confusing or scary as they thought it was.
Secular blessings to you, to Rain, and to all your future endeavors.
Thank you so much for this comic. Seriously. I love the way you portrayed lgbtq+ characters — like Maria said in the chapter One Day At A Time, it’s great to see ourselves represented in a positive way. And by the way, I don’t think the amount of lgbtq+ characters is unrealistic at all — out of all of my friends at school, I only have ONE friend that is cishet, everyone else is queer in some way.
I’m still figuring myself out, but this comic has helped with that. (There are sooo many labels that fit me, like demiromantic, girlflux, genderfluid, asexual)
This comic has helped me feel more confident about just being myself, and not forcing myself in the box of being a cis straight girl when that’s not who I am.
So thank you so much, and I can’t wait to read your next comics. (Especially My Impossible Soulmate!!)
— Sage (they/she)
Thank you for this wonderful well-written webcomic. It is one of the best webcomics I have ever read.
I discovered it on TVTropes under the trope "Sweet Dreams Fuel" (along with Tripping Over You, another sweet LGBT webcomic) as I've been generally looking for non-violent, wholesome and heartwarming media.
I loved all the main group of characters (as well as Ryan, Allison, Fara, Vincent, Blair and Isaac) and their ability to help one another through the toughest of times. The friendship between them all is so strong. All of the romantic relationships are just so sweet, and I'm very happy for Emily who found a very accepting family and a loving wife (even changing her last name to Bryer!). The Lorcan reveal just even made this comic sweeter as it shows that he and Rain had things in common and he wanted Rain to have what he never had a chance to have in life. He was a very good father to his children.
I also loved that there were lots and lots of character development in many of the secondary characters like Aiken, Kellen, Heather, Colin, Drew, Debbie, Donna and Brother Arthur as they've all become more accepting and open-minded to their friends/family no matter what they identify as.
I'm a cis male whose exact sexual/romantic orientation remains unknown (though I don't see myself as straight). One of these days I will figure out those orientations, but I just have to wait, just like you and Drew.
Thank you so much again, Jocelyn. Your webcomic means so much to me and every other reader.
(why did you have to end it tho😭)
Wow. What an ending. ❤ I can't say exactly where the comic was when I found it, but it must have been several years ago, and I've been current with it ever since I found it and caught up. It also helped me in my own gender journey. I identify as a demigirl and use she/them pronouns and this comic helped me start my exploration into that self-discovery.
You've created something wonderful, Jocelyn and brought joy, laughter, tears, and even answers to so many people. I can't wait to see what you put out next. ^_^
hype to see all your future projects!~ <3
Been reading Rain since August 2020, a couple months after coming out as trans to the last of my family (sorry I can't give you credit for cracking my egg - that honor goes to El Goonish Shive). A year and two thirds later, I'm hoping to start medically transitioning in the next month or two... and wishing I'd known about myself years sooner. I'm going to miss Rain the webcomic, Rain the character, and all of the other wonderful Rainness here... no, scratch that, I'm already starting to miss them!
It's a real bittersweet moment for me, but thank you, Jocelyn, for the amazing ride. :'-)
/Alice
I said my personal stuff last page so here I'm just going to say
It's been an incredible journey and I look forward to seeing the future stories Jocelyn creates
And I wish all my trans siblings out there that you will be happier than you ever have been. I know it seems difficult in many places right now, but the rainbow is a symbol of hope. Let's keep hoping.
Lots of people are sharing their stories of when/how they got into this webcomic, I guess I'll share mine? I started reading back in 2016 (in the middle of chapter 28, I believe) when I was questioning my gender. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that I was cis... (I guess I was closest to a reverse Rudy in terms of gender identity and expression?) but this comic already had me hooked and I loved it and checked it nearly every day for the following six years.
I'm also a storyteller and I am very curious about your thought process as you wrote out this story -- obviously I don't expect you to respond to what I'm sure is one of many comments on this final page, but I thought I'd take the chance to ask. Particularly, which elements of the story that ended up having a major impact weren't in the original plans? Such as, how long was Emily going to end up with Rain (since at the start it seemed like she would just be the high school mean girl), and if she wasn't, what was your original plan for Rain's romantic life? How long did you plan for Lorcan to be... well... Lorcan? What choice(s) did you make that seriously changed the course of the story from the original plans, and is there anything you would have done differently if you were starting the story today? I read about some of your original fantasy story plans for Rain back in the dream chapter and thought it was super interesting, which is why I'm curious to know more.
Thanks again and congratulations for creating such an amazing story!!
Now on to rereading from the start again
Thank you, Jocelyn, for sharing this incredible, beautiful, life-saving story with us.
I'm so so glad you made Rain.
Looking forward to the books, My Impossible Soulmate, and anything else you do in the future!
i was having doubts on whether or not im actually trans or if its some other thing but the comic really resonated with me.
im starting to accept being me now (tho i still have the occasional doubts and self hatred) but i am doing it,slowly.
i picked my name before reading Rain and i was amused to see a character named Emily as well lmao.
thank you for this amazing comic!
Honestly, I sort of wish I had something clever to say here, but I don't. This comic has only been a part of my life for a couple of months, but its ending here still means so much to me, I'm freaking out (in a good way)! It's been so wonderful, and...and...well, see the first line of this post. My emotions are beyond words.
Suffice to say that I'm definitely getting as many physical volumes of Rain as I can now. And waiting excitedly for your next two webcomics, Jocelyn!
i'm not crying. i j-just have some *sob* rain in my eye.
THANK YOU JOCELYN! THIS WAS SO AMAZING! cannot wait for my impossible soulmate!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3
Cannot wait to see what you turn your hand to next, and looking forward to it with every hope for success!
I wanted to say thank you for providing us with this comic because the amount of trans comics is pretty limited, and to have something to look forward to every once and a while is really important to me.
Today has been one of the only good days I've had in a long time, it just seems things lined up for me today and it feels like the universe wanted me to be happy, and then I remembered that the final page was being posted today and it just got better. I'm so glad that you were able to complete the comic and have a happy resolution, almost no other comics I've read have ever finished, they just get dropped, so that's why I'm happy that you were able to find a spot where you were able to call it finished, and I think you did great!
Even though I don't think I look, sound, or feel pretty all the time I think transitioning is one of those unavoidable things that demand to be addressed one way or another. I put off transitioning for a long time even though I knew I was trans and technically had the means to do it because I was depressed and felt hopeless and alone, so it took me a long time to break myself out of that and reading Rain helped. And my reward to myself is I want to live a life that will make me happy.
So again, thank you for the amazing comic, I loved it.
It's been nearly 51 weeks since I cracked, at age 36-and-a-day, and I discovered and binged this comic shortly after. While I've gotten better at finding trans stories since, this is the second such webcomic I've ever read (after Venus Envy) and while I do love me some magical gender-bending I definitely needed more stories-about-trans-people-in-realistic-settings. It filled a void that's hard to describe.
You made me laugh, you made me feel, you made me connect with these characters, and it was a piece of the journey I've been on over the past year.
Thank you, and I look forward to your future projects!
Thank you again Jocelyn
Because a good story shouldn't rely on how invested the readers are in the ideology behind it (indeed, having grown up during the highly political 70's, I've met some horrid examples of stories relying solely on having 'the right opinions'). A great story is about making readers invested in the characters and, by extension, in their goals and aspirations, even when these are different from your own, or indeed totally alien to you. And that is a thing I think Rain has more than accomplished.
Thank you.
So so so proud of you and this huge amazing thing you've created and the community you've built around it and the person you are! I'm rooting for you and can't wait to see where your work goes from here.
i knew it would come, but that doesn't make it sting less. it truly has been nice reading with everyone here
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for sharing this incredible story with us.
Best wishes!
I'm sad it's over, but I'm glad I got to see the end.
It's the life I hope I get to live.
So again, thank you, I think this webcomic has touched more people than you could ever imagine.
Flash forward many many years, and this has become not just my favourite webcomic but favourite piece of media in general, something I'm incredibly proud to have on my bookshelf (especially once I complete my collection with the final two volumes). But I also owe this story, specifically Jessica's story, huge credit for finally cracking my egg and making me realise I could be the trans girl I had written off as a pipe dream.
I'm so happy I could be here for the whole journey, the whole twelve-year rollercoaster. I won't lie, after being such a fixture in my life for that long, to know that there will truly be no more will be an adjustment. But all good things must end, and what a good ending it has been. Thank you, truly, Jocelyn, for giving us such a wonderful story.
I’ve seen all the hiatuses since then. I’ve seen your cancer diagnosis, your surgery recovery (oh, those pictures were brutal!), and your various life issues. I have, ever since I was 16, read this comic every week there has been an update.
Though it may not have ended the way I hoped, I still enjoyed the comic. It brought a lot of comfort to me through my life, taught me many lessons I needed to know, and holds a special place in my heart.
Thank you, so, so, so we much.
Thank you for all of this! My friend shared Rain with me a few years ago when we were both very new to living as ourselves, and backreading all of it and then keeping up with it has been comfort and happiness. I'll still be following the stories you want to make!
I have been reading Rain for probally 9ish years and it has gotten me though alot of ups and downs.
Rain even made me realise you don't have to have the best art to have a great comic so I finally started my own.
When I first started my transition back in 2018, one of my closest friends at the time, whom I had just come out to, was trying to help me come up with a new name and by pure chance, he started calling me Rain. I couldn’t tell you how it came about, I think it came from the random suggestion of another friend. but it stuck around for a while since I sort of resonated with it, and i accepted it as a place holder for my name for maybe 6 months. It never ended up actually becoming my name through to today, but presently remains a joke that echoes through conversations of ours every now and then. I still get called Rain occasionally since it was one of those things that just stuck. years ago, it was something that kind of bugged me, but now I find it hilariously ironic that it helped me find and connect to your story, Jocelyn.
So when I finally got down to reading RAIN, it felt surreal to put it lightly. The name, the story, so many of the little details in this comic of yours was near identical to my own life. To say that reading this is comic has been a huge comfort and mental support to look back on would be an understatement. Reading this felt like reading a comic of my own life day by day if it had gone the way I imagined it would. even now looking at these characters almost feels like looking at my own friends and family. I still can’t get over this magnetic familiarity I have with the comic, almost like remembering a dream long after you’ve woken up. After reading it, “RAIN” feels like a deep part of me.
So once again, Thank you @Jocelyn so much for everything!! I think I’ll remeber Rain forever. Much Love! <3
And on that note, I'll leave with one of my favorite game quotes: "The past is past, now, but that’s… you know, that’s okay! It’s never really gone completely. The future is always built on the past, even if we won’t get to see it. Still, it’s um, time for something new, now.”
But, wow. It’s really over. I’ve been following this from the very start, so cool to see it completed. I hope that in the following weeks we get something like an AMA from you or behind the scenes things from over the years. Just something cool to celebrate the ending.
Thank you for the wonderful story, the characters and all your effort. Its been a wild ride.
I'd say something more profound, but I'm exhausted because of due dates. I'll miss this, but I'm glad they got their happy ending.
"No More Rain Delays, Only Rainbows!"
Thank You Jocelyn, I look foward to your next work. And I have a couple of things up my sleeve... From the bottom of this Trans Mothers Heart. THANK YOU!
I've only been reading for a few years, but I started right at the beginning of the pandemic, just about a year after beginning my own process of transitioning. I was feeling a lot of the things that many of the characters in this story have expressed. It's been an absolute pleasure to follow this story along, and grow with the characters.
I'm so glad you wrote this story, and I cannot wait for your next.
Thank you so much ^_^
I know I'll be crying about this end for a while, too, but it's ok to cry.
💙💗🤍💗💙
I started my transition 6 months ago (just had my 4th appointment via zoom as the closest doctor is in San Francisco and I’m not). She said that I don’t need any blockers as my testosterone was already low enough as is (could explain a few things in my life). So I am on 3mg (a 1mg and a 2mg) dosage. All of my friends support me on this but, my dad. Before my dad passed away in mid September from pneumonia from COVID, he was STARTING to adjust and started to accept me but, I’m sad I never told him that my friend I had moved in with us is actually my BF and even sadder he will never see the woman I always wanted to be.
Well Jocelyn, that was a hell of a ride I went through, I can’t wait to see what you have next. And as soon as those last physical copies go up for sale, imma buy every volume and as well share this comic with my friends. I absolutely loved this comic. Thank you.
but felt so short
Thanks Jocelyn Samara for this great work
Crazy to think this has been more than a decade in the making. I know this isn't truly the end for Rain, but it's still kind of bittersweet seeing the main story finally come to a close.
I'll admit I came on pretty late into the comic's run (around mid-2020 or so), but I've really enjoyed following it over the last few years. You have a real knack for writing that's made this story a treat to read through. It's a story that resonates with a lot of people, LGBT+ or otherwise, and I think that's something really special.
Thank you for everything, Jocelyn. Best of luck with your future projects, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more.
I've been reading this comic off and on since about 6 months after you first posted it.
(The breaks in my following have mainly been due to loss of net access at various times.)
I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire series, (even whilst raging at certain characters) and am going to miss the excitement of seeing a new update.
I have had friends on the LGBTQ spectrum for most of my life and this has become even more important to me since one of my step-children came out as trans a few years ago.
Of course, besides the usual official resources we work with, I also introduced her to Rain and she has also been following along since then .
Thank you so much, Jocelyn, for sharing this story with us and also with the parts of your personal life you have also shared over the years.
I remember the night I started reading Rain, back in 2014. I was having a frightful bout of gender dysphoria, though I didn’t know that was what it was, and I picked up several new comics that evening to try to comfort myself. It worked, and I kept coming back.
In 2014, I was a young teenager trapped in an abusive home. I had no idea I was trans. Over the next several years, as I discovered I was trans, made friends in the local queer community, and made plans to get away from my abusers and live a safe, free, happy life, this comic was always here for me. In my darkest hours, Rain became a window into a sunlit, hopeful future. It felt like proof that the future I dreamed of was possible.
I’m writing this comment eight years later as an out and proud trans man with zero contact with my parents. I’m in my warm, cheerful apartment with my partner and our pets nearby. I have the kind of friends, support, and financial security that teenage me would have scarcely dared to imagine. I’m following every one of my dreams, and this comic kept me going to reach this point.
I love my life. I love the man I’ve become. Thank you for giving me hope all those years ago. Thank you for Rain. I’m going to enthusiastically back all your future projects.
But this story following Rain and her gang of coincidentally queer friends is one of the few things that gave me hope and happiness in a period of my life where all my previous friends had abandoned me. For the longest time, I felt so alone and anxious that I might never find people who loved and accepted me as me.
And yet, reading Rain as a fellow teenage trans girl in Highschool, helped me through those times and gave me the confidence and courage to find my own loving friends. In one of the hardest most influential periods in my life... Rain was there for me. This comic will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will never forget it.
Can't wait to binge the next one! <3
I wish i had seen this comic earlier, it helped me a lot and might have helped me coming out of the closet years earlier.
I understand that the story cant go on forever, but its still sad to see it end.
I'm looking forward to My Impossible Soulmate and hope it will be as exciting as Rain has been.
On a positive note, while something ends also something new begins: I can finally start HRT today!
I found Rain when I was fifteen and in that weird space between realizing I was queer and actually coming out. When I did come out, I was bullied and my parents were angry. It's been nearly a decade since then. I'm in my twenties and I moved in with my partner a year ago.
When I fist started college I decided to reread Rain and ended up sending a link to my younger sibling saying the Maria/Rudy dynamic reminded me of us. I got a text back saying "I read the whole thing and everything makes sense now. I'm a girl." I ended up coming out as non-binary to her that night too. It's been a multi-year uphill battle, but my sister is finally starting hormones! I'm so proud of her!
Anyway. Rain made us possible. Thank you.
This comic has given me plenty of laughter, tears of sadness and tears of joy. I look forward to My Impossible Soulmate, but it may take years before I am as attached to those characters as I am to the cast of Rain.
I know that this comment will probably get lost in the thousands of others, but I just want you to know that: I’ll - I’ll forever miss Rain and the world you’ve created.
Thank you so much Jocelyn
ps, I’m not crying, I’m not crying, it’s just raining
Reading this comic in 2016 is what finally pushed me over the edge to finally come out to my extended family and work, and i've been living full-time ever since. Given i've had this as my homepage for so long, it's been a great ride watching all these characters grow and interact over the years. It really still hasn't sunk in yet that its actually over, but i'm glad to see how it all wrapped up.
The timeskip felt really weird at first, because that put these characters at slightly older than I was when I started reading the series. It definitely hit weird seeing these characters i've known as perpetual high-schoolers suddenly a much more relatable age. That said, I really like that we got to see a bit of an epilogue to how these characters' lives ended up. Thank you for all the stories these many years, and heres to new ones in the future!
This comic has been like a good and positive friend from the start.
I found this comic very early on into my transition, just at the start of 2020, and I remember it hitting me harder than almost any other piece of media had before. I was deeply in denial, and generally unaware of trans people all through highschool myself, so seeing this trans girl who got to just... be a girl, was very powerful, and meant a lot to me.
I binged the first 600 pages in one night, and have checked this site every day since. Its strange to think that this is the end of it.
Well done, and congratulations on the many years of hard work that went into bringing this story into the world! A lot of comics don't ever get proper endings.
Though I'm sad it's ending, I am very grateful that it got made.
I've been reading since (I think) 2016.
It's hard to grasp there won't be new episodes every week.
My daughter came out as trans to us about 6 months ago and I credit you and reading Rain all these years that l have known how to support her.
Thankyou again for writing Rain.
Sage
I didn't quite realize it was the final page at first, but then it hit me and I just started crying. Thank you so much for this story <3
I want to say that your webcomic was one of the first LGBT+ webcomics I actually came across when I was still young, exploring my sexuality and gender identity during my last high school years. It... had inspired me to make stories featuring LGBT+ characters, and to this day, I am still creating, writing, and designing them nowadays! If it wasn't for your webcomic, I doubt my younger self would ever be brave to make LGBT stuff and post it online ^^;;
As for the last page-- heck the entire final chapter? I am amazed at how far Rain and her friends had gone and grown! ...Especially, Rain? She really went from a shy girl who was about to enter a school to a very fun, confident, and chatty (nerdy, even!) woman that runs her own channel and an actual family she had always wanted since she was a child! It is silly to feel... so old along with her story ended, especially when I am now a nonbinary lesbian and Rain is now an amazing woman! Once again, thank you for creating such a wonderful webcomic even with its dramas, its comedy, and just the daily life of a trans woman who wants to be, simply, herself.
Once again, thank you for this amazing story, Jocelyn!
I know this comment may be lost in the hundreds of others but I was wondering if you could answer a question for me, and for anyone else out there questioning (especially if they’re trans): what’s your advice? How do I know for sure?
Once again, thank you so much for the universe you’ve created and the joy I’ve gained from your art! I’ll always miss Rain
I was still pretty new to understanding what those strange feelings meant. I had no idea why I felt so envious of all the girls around me, or why those thoughts made my chest hurt so much and made me tear up at inopportune times. I didn’t know why I had been having these feelings for as long as I could remember. I wasn’t out to anybody, and I was still in a state of denial about it. I thought maybe I was just some kind of weird pervert or something, because why else would I be so jealous of their bodies?
Venus Envy was like a guilty pleasure of mine, where the fact that I was reading it was something I kept under heavy wraps. Then I discovered this lovely story, and it was what finally broke through that wall of denial and made me realize that what I wanted was innocent and not at all weird. Some of the conversations in the story finally put my feelings into words, because I could never even begin to know how to talk about it before. It gave me the courage to come out to my best friend in the world in junior year, even though my voice was shaking like a leaf and I was probably crying a bit. It gave me the courage to ask that she call me Charlotte, instead of Jackson.
Thankfully, she was (and is to this day) incredibly supportive! When I felt like an ugly gorilla, she told me that she thought I looked cute. When I was uber self-conscious about shopping for clothes that I felt more comfortable in, she simply took my measurements, asked me to reimburse her afterwards and went into the store on her own, coming back out with my first ever skirt. When I was totally terrified that she might think I was a creep for wanting breasts of my own, she was so calm and understanding and bought me silicone forms that are often used in cosplay and a bra for my birthday a week or two later (I legit cried when I first wore them, if I remember correctly). She treats me just like any other girl, even if maybe I don’t look quite the same as all the other cis girls. I consider myself extremely lucky to have her as my friend, and I honestly don't think I would be nearly as close with her if I hadn't had the courage to tell her about the real me.
Without Rain and Venus Envy, I shudder to think about how much longer it would have taken me to understand feelings I was having, if ever. It has meant a lot to me to be able to relate to a character in a piece of media, to see myself represented and feel her feelings. It sounds cliché, but I don't think I would be quite the same the person I am today without having discovered these webcomics. So, I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for giving me the courage to be myself. Thank you for helping me turn a friend into my best friend. Thank you so much for creating this story and keeping up with it for more than a decade. It's been a real joy to read and grow up with.
Also, I'm really glad Chase got sent to prison. I was so worried he would try to hurt emily or the baby, or even liriel
-Alice
Then, depression reared its ugly head again, and my life started to fall apart. My toxic trait is that when I get depressed and overwhelmed, I withdraw from the world and never reach out to anyone. The pandemic began not long after. Things got very dark and very lonely and I basically stopped taking care of myself. Missed HRT doses. Missed meals. Not showering for ages. At one point in a moment of self-hate I chopped my hair off. (Not a reference, I swear. Just plain ol' self-harm.)
A couple months ago, I found a lump in my left breast. It turned out not to be cancer, but it did get me talking to my doctor who I hadn't seen in several years. She said it was probably due to my inconsistent HRT and weight loss (I was already skinny and had lost like 15 lbs, mostly from the fats that HRT had previously redistributed), and basically ended up dragging it out of me that I was just generally miserable and without much hope.
I'm working with a great therapist now too, and the last couple months have felt... better. Still stressful and lonely, but I've been taking my HRT consistently again, eating 3 square meals, and going for walks every day. Most recently, I've been trying to reconnect with the LGBTQ+ community, and just happened to hear that the last page of Rain was posted. That the comic was over now.
For years I'd forgotten about it, but now... now I could find out how the whole story plays out from start to finish. I always remembered how it always felt like it emanated a positive force, even when the plot got super heavy. It was just what I needed. I read it, and cried so much.
This brings us to today. I cried on my walk this morning just thinking about it, came home, and read it again from the point I'd left off years ago. Once again, so poignant and raw, and of course I did lots of crying again. Then I read all the comments, all the people talking about the various ways this comic has touched their lives and made the world a better and brighter place, and I'm just a weepy mess. Hell, I'm bawling my eyes out just typing this.
It's good crying though. It's crying with gratitude for your phenomenal storytelling, Jocelyn, and how important it's been to me. It's crying with joy seeing all the people you helped become who they are inside, myself included. It's crying at just how much I feel inspired, both by you and every commenter here, to try to make a difference too. I don't know how yet, but hey, I'm still putting my life back together. I don't have to have everything planned out right this minute. One of the strongest messages of this comic has been to be true to who you are, and I'm trying to use that as a guiding compass in this process.
I'm... not really sure how to wrap this up. It's a lot longer than I originally meant it to be, but the words just started flowing almost as much as the tears. Thank you for creating this. The world needs more people like you.
—————
So queue the last day and a half where i read all 1,400+ pages, i finally finished it at 1am last night (UK - GMT) and I couldn’t then get to sleep properly.
“Rain” hit me hard and i laid there having a Mental / Emotionally breakdown, i had a small cry. (I normally really struggle to cry, so this was rare for me).
The story is lovely and a beautiful and powerful journey, and it even has its happy ending.
—————
However i felt some of the most depressed i have felt in years, i just kept thinking about the pure awfulness of the world around us and how hard everyone makes it just for people to live as themselves.
But on-top of this i just felt sad how this story pretty much happens every day, but I’m here sat in a relatively comfy life and I’m genuinely jealous of these fictional characters.
I’ve just read how these people have there goals in life and went through hell to try to achieve them, but i’m here and I can’t even set a goal for today, let alone the next 1, 5 years.
—————
I don’t even really know where I’m going with this, I’m still laid in bed, slightly crying as i type all this.
Why did this effect me so much?
I just feel so worthless, i don’t know why I’m even here, I’m don’t do anything, I’m just an emotional burden on everyone around me, I’m emotionally selfish and it just hurts everyone else.
I jealous of some comic characters, i want that life, i want that passion, i want that drive, i just, i just.. I don’t even truly know.
—————
After a few minutes of calming down…
Sorry for all my rambling, i just needed to write this down, put down the emotions so to speak.
I think I’m going to go sombre for a bit, thanks for listening to my emotional ramblings.
I wish you the best in the future and I’m very likely to read other works of yours.
And I love the way it ended. I think this has been a great comic, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can create. ^_^
From the bottom of my heart, Thank you so much for what you've accomplished and I hope you continue to be so amazing for the rest of your life. Don't let anyone tell you this wasn't an incredible achievement.
Best wishes in your future projects <3
I just really wanted to thank you for this amazing comic.
Rain has really helped me a lot, in regards of understanding LGBT, and it's concepts.
It also provided me with something to look forward in a dark period of mine.
You really made life better. so thanks! :).
I will continue to follow your comics, and i hope they will be as amazing as this one has been!
Have a nice break, and thank you again!
-Syter
From your art and that of two other artists who used similar names,
For the soft memories of droplets on tent flaps, inviting me down to sleep,
For the wet, miserable days that lead relentless to the renewal of the earth,
Towards a vision of a myself that belongs more wholly in the world, I am
Rainwater M.
But it's over. Rain isn't a student anymore, and I won't be one either pretty soon.
And yeah, it's sad. I did the same thing and boggled for a secongd that here's no update.
i don't think i've left a comment before, but i've been reading almost every day since 2014. as the only queer student in a selective grammar school, i was severely bullied, and Rain was my only refuge through all those years. i don't think it's an exaggeration to say your art really did save my life, and i couldn't be more grateful for this little comic. it's sad to see it end, but i don't think you could have wrapped it up any better. needless to say, this page made me sob like a baby. i can't thank you enough.
As a trans girl who came out in my late 20s there were a lot of themes that resonated with me for different reasons - shared experiences, missed opportunities from not transitioning sooner, etc., and I really felt all the highs and lows as Rain and the cast were going through them.
The letter from Lorcan on Rain's 18th especially made me bawl my eyes out!
Getting to the end is really bittersweet, as I love that everyone got their happy endings, but I wish I could read about Rain and Co forever! Everything has to end sometime though and I'd hate for the series to outlive its potential like many franchises do, so I'll just have to settle for the occasional extra Rain comics you teased above, and I'll definitely be checking out your other works as well!
Thank you so much Lynn for giving us a beautiful story, we'll written and relatable characters, and just an all-round fantastic comic. Lifelong fan right here! <3
From our collective hearts, thank you.
Thank you for creating a wonderful story that touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of people. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
I've read "Rain" since the beginning, and slowly watching the story grow as you did was truly magical. Thank you for cracking my egg some 10 years ago, and thank you for this touching story that has helped me through so many tough times. You are a true gem.
Thank you.
Also, did you ever plan on putting out books in color print? I would be more than happy to pay extra for that if you were willing. Heck, I'd repurchase Volumes 1–5 if you republished them in color! :)
I only just started reading right here at the end, just before the last chapter. And I kind of regret that, because I've been aware of Rain for as long as I've been reading webcomics. Looking at dates, I'd swear I was aware of the *original* version, but I don't even know if you published it.
I just know I didn't read it when I first came across it. Pointedly and intentionally didn't read it. It "wasn't what I was looking for". I wasn't looking for a slice-of-life story about the life of a trans woman, I was looking for magical transformations without all the fuss of reality. So I didn't read it. Pointedly didn't read it, no matter how many times I came across it in recommendations and searches. I spent a lot of time on deviantart skimming past Rain because it "wasn't what I was looking for", skipping over it in "if you like this, try this" lists, etc. etc.
Turned out it was what I was looking for. Or more accurately, it was what I needed to find. Slice-of-life fiction that combined the magical transformations I'd been "looking for" with the real trans feels I'd been satiating finally cracked my egg. And then I finally read Rain, a few days after I started hormones. Which was... a lot of feels. So many feels. Probably the most validating couple days of my life, which I really appreciated right when I'd started that loooong process. But dear lords the regret of having not read this sooner... Like I said. So many feels. I have never related more strongly with a character than with Rain. A shy nerd who loves anime and video games and wants nothing more than to be *herself*. She's helped me in ways I didn't realize I needed. Given release to things I didn't know I was holding onto. Given me hope about things that I've been really worried about. And shown me how happy she is. How happy I am now that I've decided to be who I am.
So, thank you Jocelyn. Thank you for being yourself, and for showing the rest of us that we can be ourselves too.
Thank you so much for putting this out, I can’t say how much it means to me to see a story like my own out there!
I do find that now that Rain is complete that is a bittersweet moment. Your story has helped me at times when Ive been low.
I am going to miss these characters an awful lot. They are the friends I wish I had more of when I was that age.
Ive laughed, Ive cried, Ive re read the whole comic again too.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for this absolutely amazing story!
I just finished and I’m nearly crying (haven’t managed to so for about 15 years… yaaaay… x_x)
Thank you so much for this story! It resonated a lot with me, especially Lorcan’s letter and your notes under it <3
I really want to call a doctor to get on HRT ASAP now, too bad it’s Sunday; I hope I’ll be as motivated tomorrow and actually do it =^_^=
(To be clear, I already wanted to medically transition but my anxiety holds me back a lot :-/)
I’m looking forward to My Impossible Soulmate now :3
I'm happy the author was able to tell this story and that it had a positive impact on so many people, including me ^_^ . It gives me hope that someday I may be able to tell the stories that have been scratching my mind (in a good way) and that they might resonate with someone and maybe even be important to more than just myself, not that there's anything wrong with that, I just would like if more people could enjoy them y'know? Something like that, I guess that's what I wanted to say, hee hee.
Other than that, I'm excited to see what Jocelyn will bring to the world next times, especially since Rain was done so well. Best wishes to whoever reads this and [insert charismatic sendoff here]
Pretty sure you cracked my egg, so thanks for that :3
Thanks again,
Femby
I’ve never posted in the comments before, though I’ve been following Rain for a decade, but I wanted to take a moment to thank you, Jocelyn, for having brought us into Rain’s world, for having put so much of yourself into telling her story, and for making me shed more tears than I’d’ve thought possible.
Perhaps like many others in the comments and fanbase, I am transgender as well, though I knew quite early (the late 70s!) my attempts to transition in my early adulthood were abortive and fruitless. It gave me heart to be able to see what an early transition might’ve been like.
I thank you.
-Arjay
Lately (at 25 years old) I have begun to question pretty much everything about myself... to a rather frustrating lack of answers. Experiencing some of Rain's journey through your comic and seeing what you have discussed regarding your own has been a true privilege and is of immense value to me (and clearly many others). I greatly appreciate the beauty you bring to this world and wish you the absolute best.
Thankyou.