Yes, this is the real last page of the chapter. And knowing that Chapter 30 won't be for a while (I'm having SRS on July 26th, in case you missed the memo), this page is purely meant to tease, and give you things to think about while we break from pages.
Like, did Ana just say (well, think) that in panel 5? And what does she mean in panel 6? I know a lot of people are going to claim to have "called it", but what exactly did you call? Where am I going with this, and what is Ana's deal? ^_^
But for now, this is it, folks. Long hiatus begins now... sorta.
From now until V-Day (what I've been calling my surgery date), I'll be drawing as much as I can. You won't get any new pages while I'm out of commission, but original art from other stories, or fanart from things I'm hype for will go up after my recovery starts. Just a little something to make the wait a little more bearable.
I'll probably check in a few more times between and V-Day, but don't forget that your support is still (and will always be) welcome. ^_^
You can donate if you like - http://www.gofundme.com/1t9t40
Buy Rain: Vol. 1, 2 and/or 3 - http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/LittleLynn84
We've got Pride wristbands/bracelets - https://www.etsy.com/shop/RainComicStore
Also t-shirts/mugs/notebooks/etc - http://www.redbubble.com/people/littlelynn84
I'd also like to mention that a friend and reader set up a Discord server for Rain. So if you'd like to chat with other readers in real time, or at least, have a safe space to discuss other non-comic things, you should check it out here - https://discord.gg/MKgt7fc
The hospital just called. I gave them my info, paid the copay after insurance, and I'm officially scheduled for surgery at 7:30 in the morning on the 26th. Oh my god, this finally feels real and I am crying right now. :D
There are parts of my identity that make me me. But I wouldn't be me without them. These days I like myself well enough that I mostly like my identities.
However, I would not wish some things on my worst enemy. Because they can be deeply painful and make life difficult. I would feel bad if someone I liked went through the same.
I suspected that Ana might be transgender in the same capacity as Rain for a while now but what if its something different... erm how to put this gently. Suppose that Ana is to be DFAB but somehow was physically born with less than ideal genitalia or the like.
That's what I gathered? I'm assuming that Ana's just thinking of problems she's encountered because of her identity, and doesn't want Rain to go through the same struggles, but maybe she's alluding to an upcoming twist o' plotiness or something else? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
@Anon -- A good theory! I believe a number of the RainBeaus have come to the conclusion that Ana was actually born intersex (what I think you're trying to allude?) and was assigned *male* at birth, before she and her family realized (when she was still quite young) that she identifies as a girl. . . . I don't think that's been officially confirmed in the comic, though. I seem to remember one comic where her father says something about "making the wrong choice" while holding a photo of young Ana, then saying that said choice was soon to be corrected. . . .
Ana's change in . . . *everything* between the last two panels is utterly adorable. . . . :D
So of course, I'm internally yelling at Gavin to catch it and immediately bring about an end to it! :P Forced cheerfulness, while cute, generally isn't a healthy way to deal with tricky situations. I'm really hoping that Ana will grow to let her guard of fake happiness down when she needs to, and that others (like Gavin!) will handle the change well and give her the support she needs. Ana reminds me of myself so much, I love every comic she's in ^u^ (and Gavin, you rock too! :D)
And Jocelyn, I wish there the best with your surgery! I shall be sending you positive feels throughout time and space :3
Ana has probably been presenting as herself for a lot longer than Rain has, and has been subjected to quite a bit for it. Bullying at a young age, constant moving, never settling down in one place, etc. Rain's life hasn't been the easiest, what with her current familial issues and all, but she hasn't yet been physically assaulted (to our knowledge, that is; the memory with her father is kind of questionable?) Her friends are supportive (even though Gavin had some difficulty at first) and most of her family save for Kellen and her deadbeat father are pretty accepting. She even has a girlfriend who knows she's trans and is both accepting of it and understands that she's a girl! We don't know all that much about Ana's backstory, but we do know that she's been bullied at least from third grade and that her mom isn't around anymore (presumably to difficulties with Ana, although we don't know that for sure) and she's had at least one romantic experience where she was attacked. Her moving around constantly (probably due to her being outed) really wouldn't make her life easier, and she'd lose any friends she'd gain. Rain presenting as male for the first seventeen years of her life shielded her from most of the bigotry of her peers, and she was lucky enough that when her secret was discovered it was discovered by accepting people. Ana's been dealing with issues that come from being trans since she was three, and yeah, she wouldn't wish that on anyone. Rain doesn't pass flawlessly, more so with the haircut now (although she's doing a remarkably good job; I think the only reason she hasn't been clocked yet is that her peers can't really see her as anything other than a cis girl, because that's how she was introduced to them as) and Ana is probably worried that Rain would have to go through what she went through- or even if she'd already experienced it. Being trans isn't a bad thing, but the hatred of bigots combined with the dysphoria and all that fun stuff would definitely make it less than desirable, and Ana would definitely not want anyone to go through that.
That's just my two cents on the matter, though. :P
Stumbled upon Rain earlier this week, binged the whole thing and just finished like 5 minutes ago. To discover that you just got the call from the hospital and are set for surgery! So exciting!! Congratulations! I'm actually a little teary eyed! I've been so involved in your writing and your art these past few days... The same way a few nights ago I was so happy for Rain, I'm now so happy for you : -D Huge hug from London!!
Wonder if she thinks Rain may be FtM but not out yet. Personally I've had a decent amount of people think so about me. We know what the haircut was a result of, but to an outside eye with knowledge of trans things, she may have seen that as an intentional attempt to look "less feminine"
I very much wish this was the case, but would Ana call Rain 'she' in her inner monologue if she thought she was FTM? For someone familiar with the idea of gender and cis- and trans- concepts, that is.
My friend got me in erected in this comic, and I can see why she loves it so much. I only started reading yesterday and I'm here now, and I don't usually read so fast unless I'm really into it, so I guess I'm complimenting the story. Love it a lot
It's 3:30 AM, and I'm finally finished catching up! It took 34 days, but I did read every blurb and most of the comments. (I also think I was slacking because I just didn't want it to end.) I also wanted to say thank you for helping me figure out that I'm genderfluid, Ky is actually one of my favorite characters. I'd like to buy the books and some merchandise (some shirts and maybe a genderfluid and/or pansexual crochet bracelet) when I make some money. Thank you for making such an awesome webcomic, I am proud to call myself a Rain Beau. And now for the hiatus...
Oh wait, good luck with SRS and I hope you have a fast recovery!
However, I would not wish some things on my worst enemy. Because they can be deeply painful and make life difficult. I would feel bad if someone I liked went through the same.
So of course, I'm internally yelling at Gavin to catch it and immediately bring about an end to it! :P Forced cheerfulness, while cute, generally isn't a healthy way to deal with tricky situations. I'm really hoping that Ana will grow to let her guard of fake happiness down when she needs to, and that others (like Gavin!) will handle the change well and give her the support she needs. Ana reminds me of myself so much, I love every comic she's in ^u^ (and Gavin, you rock too! :D)
And Jocelyn, I wish there the best with your surgery! I shall be sending you positive feels throughout time and space :3
That's just my two cents on the matter, though. :P
I also quite like the idea of Ana thinking Rain is FtM. Misunderstandings all round! But I'm sure they'll figure each other out and bond in the end :)
Good luck Jocelyn, and keep us updated! ^_^
Oh wait, good luck with SRS and I hope you have a fast recovery!
*sigh* Okay, now for the hiatus.