Rain

Jocelyn 1st Dec 2017, 1:03 PM edit delete

I'm not sure why I don't show Emily's mom's face, to be honest. With Rain's dad, I hid his face in shadow for a long time to make him seem scarier. Almost inhuman. And while Emily's mom is also horrible, the same thought process never [consciously] went through my head for her. I think it was just that for a long time, I was trying not to make her a recurring character. And now that I've spent so long not showing Emily's mom, it somehow doesn't feel right to start showing her now. Her immediate presence isn't really the important part of her anyway. Rather, the damaging influence she's had on her daughter is.

As for Chase... well, bear in mind, Emily's birthday isn't until late July. So "just after last year's prom" would make her 16 in this flashback. Although it wasn't her smartest move, we now have a better understanding why Emily went for this. But "dating before the night was over" means Chase was pretty totally on-board with it too. (And I'm not even going into Emily's mother supporting this for now.)

These pages make me so all around uncomfortable. Sorry for anyone else feeling the same. I mean, if I made you uncomfortable too, these pages have kinda done their job (but I'm still gonna feel bad about it). We've still got a few pages left for the chapter though, so as I've been warning, it's gonna get worse before it gets better.

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Ruby Neal 1st Dec 2017, 4:24 PM edit delete reply

I see her mom is wearing a rather short dress for attending a business social along with her teenage daughter. Kinda makes a statement about her, eh?

Fox 1st Dec 2017, 4:28 PM edit delete reply

Jocelyn,
My only question is what kind of triggering material will this contain? Is there sexual violence involved? Abuse? I ask because I think it would help us readers to be prepared for what may come up if it's going to be bad.

Guest 1st Dec 2017, 8:43 PM edit delete reply

I second this request.

As a victim of an abusive relationship (back when I was not much older than Emily, for that matter), it would really help to know ahead of time what triggers are being warned about so I can adequately prepare myself.

Jocelyn 1st Dec 2017, 10:17 PM edit delete reply

@Fox and Guest

This is fair. Sorry if I've been bad about my trigger warnings.

While nothing will be directly shown, we'll be hearing a lot about various forms of abuse; primarily emotional abuse.

Another commenter :) 2nd Dec 2017, 2:28 AM edit delete reply

Jocelyn, thanks for clarifying, it is always good to be more specific with these rather than less!

Thank you Fox for asking for the clarification, too :)

Fox 6th Dec 2017, 12:46 AM edit delete reply

You're welcome.

Fox 6th Dec 2017, 12:48 AM edit delete reply

This is to anothercommenter.

Fox 6th Dec 2017, 12:46 AM edit delete reply

Thank you so much for clarifying, I reply appreciate it. Also, poor Emily.

EpicSD 1st Dec 2017, 5:32 PM edit delete reply

thats sooooo gross

Artemis 1st Dec 2017, 8:24 PM edit delete reply

I think the shadowing for Em's mom works tonally. It's not about her, it's about the impact of a cold hurtful nothingness she left on Emily. A shadow as symbolism in Em's mind is very appropriate.

Also, I wanna hug Em.

Guest 2nd Dec 2017, 11:32 AM edit delete reply

I think it also works nicely in that Rain is our main POV character and Rain doesn't know what Emily's mom looks like, so in a sense we're seeing how Rain is envisioning what Emily is telling her. She knows what Emily looks like, so we see Emily; she knows what Case looks like, so we see Chase. But we don't see anything distinct about other partygoers, and Emily's mom is just a woman-who-could-be-Emily's-mom figure without detail.

Commenter 1st Dec 2017, 10:06 PM edit delete reply

I started reading your comic recently. Currently o the Halloween party arc (a long time ago). When I started reading, I nearly cried, I was so glad I had found a character I could somewhat relate to as someone going through a lot of self-questioning. Thank you.

Another commentar 2nd Dec 2017, 2:21 AM edit delete reply

I get what you're saying. I found this comic a year ago, and had been questioning my sexuality and gender. I really appreciate that Jocelyn manages to write in so many characters for us to self-examine ourselves through and relate to. Her work has really helped me. By now I am comfortable enough to use some labels, like asexual, but to recognize that I don't need to be perfectly defined to feel confident in myself, my self-expression, and my relationships. Rain has been such a huge part of my journey.

Another commentar 2nd Dec 2017, 2:24 AM edit delete reply

You got this, and remember that you are always free to ask questions and advice! Rain has such a supportive community, and there are definitely people who can relate to some extreme questioning. Remember - you are valid, no matter how you do or do not define yourself!

Matt Comics 2nd Dec 2017, 3:37 AM edit delete reply

That's got to be the creepiest smile I've ever seen on a shadow.

I wonder if Chase's parents will appear (even as shadows) or if they're not important enough as characters. I've always been wondering if they disapprove of his lifestyle, or just don't care.

bgb16999 3rd Dec 2017, 12:26 AM edit delete reply

Chase still lives with his parents, or at least he did during his relationship with Emily. They are wealthy, and that is the only reason Emily's mom approved of her relationship. Also, Emily says Chase's parents were good to her in a time when she received very little kindness from anyone. They may well be decent people who just don't know how to help their son grow up.

Matt Comics 3rd Dec 2017, 3:47 AM edit delete reply

Yeah... They sound pretty positive from the few hints so far. But maybe they're the good-but-oblivious kind? Although you'd have to be blind to miss Chase's... chasiness. Let's wait and see, I guess.

AriaOfEffect 19th Sep 2021, 5:54 PM edit delete reply

I do not get how a mom could push her high school daughter towards an older man. Knew a girl that happened to. (but neither she nor the guy were actually interested, so that's good!)

Absentia 19th Sep 2021, 11:50 PM edit delete reply

lol, you're just popping up everywhere. i like it.

Comic 997 - Gross

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