History Webcomic / Rain

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Rain_1347.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Gavin, Rudy, Rain and Maria.]]

->''"A story for boys, girls, and everyone in-between..."''

A slice-of-life {{Dramedy}} webcomic created by [[http://jocelyncd.deviantart.com/?rnrd=12694 JocelynSamara]]. If you're looking for the Creator/{{Sony}} UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 video game also called ''rain'', see [[VideoGame/{{rain}} here]].

In public, [[CharacterTitle Rain]] appears to be your average teenage girl. She enjoys shopping and dressing pretty and whatnot, but the fact is that she’s hardly average. In truth, Rain is male-to-female UsefulNotes/{{transgender}}.

At age 13, circumstance lands Rain in the custody of her [[ParentalSubstitute Aunt Fara]], [[SecretKeeper whom she finally revealed her secret to]]. Rather than see Rain suffer, her aunt decided to allow her to dress like a girl around the house if it would make her feel better. And it did… for a while, anyway. As time went by, Fara noticed Rain had become [[FriendlessBackground a bit of an antisocial hermit for the sake of being able to dress as herself frequently]]. Already shy to begin with, this probably wasn’t a step in the right direction.

Fara came up with an interesting (but ballsy) plan to remedy this, but keep Rain happy. It took a long time and a lot of work, but she saved up enough money to move the two of them to a new town where nobody would know them. They acquired a fully female wardrobe for Rain, and she was [[NewTransferStudent enrolled in a high school]] '''as''' a girl. It would be potentially dangerous for Rain if she were ever caught, but her nature made her seek perfection in her presentation before going out into the world... [[LarynxDissonance Well, her voice could use some work anyway...]]

Rain updates are on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It can be read on [[http://comicfury.com/comicprofile.php?url=rain Comic Fury]], or on Jocelyn's [[http://littlelynn84.deviantart.com/ DeviantART gallery]]. It has a Facebook group [[https://www.facebook.com/RainWebcomic/ here]], a Wikia [[http://rain-web-comic.wikia.com/ here]], and a Discord channel [[https://discord.gg/tE4VvJb here]]. Among comics hosted on the services it uses, it is very popular; it was one of the top 12 most popular comics on ''Website/SmackJeeves'' and the 2nd most popular comic on ''Website/ComicFury''[[note]]''the'' most if you only count active comics[[/note]].

A web series was announced on Christmas 2020, but was cancelled later in 2021. You can still see the teaser [[https://youtu.be/WbnzMp1AGrE here]].

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!!This webcomic contains examples of:

* AbusiveParents: Several.
** [[spoiler: Emily]]'s mother leaves her alone for months at a time and has made her feel unwanted her whole life. [[spoiler: Emily only really started dating Chase because she wanted her approval for once. It didn't help that she emotionally manipulated Emily into staying with him, ''knowing'' that Chase perved on underaged girls, cheated on other girlfriends, and gaslit them whenever they called him out for it. In Chapter C, she calls Emily a disgrace for having gotten pregnant and even says she can't wait for her to graduate so she can have an excuse to kick her out.]]
** [[spoiler: Rain's father is heavily implied to have been physically and emotionally abusive, and abandoned his 12 year old child one day without a word.]]
** Maria and Rudy's parents are cold towards them in general for being gay, [[spoiler: but their father officially crosses this line when he begins doing research on camps for "curing" homosexuality and trying to isolate them from their friends after Maria comes out and Rudy breaks up with Rain. And then there's Chapter 34...It gets to a point where even his wife realizes he is out of control, and even after her expulsion is reversed, Maria doesn't come back home.]]
** When Heather said Ky was better off with her, she was not kidding. [[spoiler: In chapter C, it is revealed that their mother and stepfather were beyond awful to Heather for being intersex, and began to treat Ky the same after they cut their hair. After they came out to their mom about being genderfluid, she seriously distanced herself from them.]]
** In Chapter 43, it's revealed that [[spoiler: Liriel's and Fara's parents were just as bad to their children as Rain's father was to her, especially after Liriel mentions wanting to be a boy rather than a girl.]]
* ADayInTheLimelight: Chapter 38 takes place at the same time as 37, and focuses on Jess and Heather as they try to [[spoiler: get closure on Jess' situation with Aiken.]]
* AmicableExes: Fara and [[spoiler: Vincent. Or, at least, they ''were''; they're officially back together as of chapters 41/42.]]
** [[spoiler: Rain and Rudy]] still get along well, even after their break-up.
** It took a long time, but [[spoiler: Maria and Emily]] as of Chapter 35.
** [[spoiler: Aiken and Jess]] both seem like they've arrived here as of Chapter 38.
* {{Animesque}}: Has all the different anime tropes and references, but is not drawn by a Japanese person.
* AndThenISaid: Maria [[OrphanedPunchline ends some jokes this way.]]
* ArtEvolution: Jocelyn has come a long way since starting the story, as [[http://the-rainbeau-club.deviantart.com/art/Chapter-Cover-Comparison-560997250 this piece showing the cover pages of chapters 1 and 27 show.]] The characters are more expressive, their character designs change subtly throughout the series, the lines are much cleaner, and the anatomy is much much better.
* {{Asexual}}: Heather ''claims'' to be this, but [[AnythingThatMoves when she gets drunk...]]
** Also Brother Arthur, according to [[AllThereInTheManual his character bio]].
** [[spoiler: Chanel, though she is also romantically attracted to females, and in a relationship with Maria.]]
** In chapter 42 [[spoiler: Chanel introduces the term "demisexual" to Rain and Gavin's childhood friend Allison after she describes her long-term attraction to Rain, and she thinks the term is accurate]].
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:Brother Arthur has a [=FtM=] brother. He wants to help out Rain and Rudy because of the issues he caused his brother when they were younger. Aiken seems to also be on his way to this.]]
* AttractiveBentGender: Gavin finds Rudy attractive when he dresses as a girl, much to Gavin's embarrassment.
* BaitAndSwitch: [[spoiler: Chapter 34, a few pages in, has Channel worried about Ruby and Maria since she wasn't able to get in touch since Saturday, implying trouble with their homophobic parents. Luckily, they show up the next page, though they do reveal that they are indeed in very hot water with their parents and that their phones were confiscated as part of it.]]
* BigDamnKiss: The last panel of Chapter 37, when [[spoiler:Rain and Emily kiss on the dance floor in front of everyone]].
* {{Bilingual Bonus}}/{{Stealth Pun}}: One thing Rain really likes is Thunder, the translation of her favorite Manga character’s name Kaminari (雷)
* BlackSheep: Rain's elder brother Aiken seems to be [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-44-Kellen-200260241 viewed]] as this.
* BlandNameProduct: Video game systems and games (and possibly other things) in Rain's world tend to be lawyer-friendly versions of their real life counterparts. For instance, the [[UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem "Super Nintendo" entertainment system]] instead becomes the "Super Funtendo" entertainment system, and the game ''VideoGame/{{Battletoads}}'' becomes [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-98-Weirdest-Things-243361539 "Fighter Frogs".]] [[NintendoHard And it's just as hard as ever.]]
--> ''Six years ago.''
--> '''Gavin:''' Wow! We got all the way to level 12 together!
--> '''Ryan:''' I wonder how many there are.
--> ''Present day.''
--> '''Gavin:''' Wow! We just got piss-pounded on the first level!
--> '''Rain:''' ''Out of how many again?''
** And as of the end of Chapter 10, we have [[VideoGame/MarioKart Fabio Cart]]. You know what, let's just start a list of all future Bland Name Products.
*** [=GeekStation 3=]
*** Z-Box 180
** There's also [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p156-Adaptation-272447074 fake anime names]], like ''[[Anime/DeathNote Kill Book]]'', ''[[Anime/DragonBallZ Dragoncube A]]'', and ''[[Anime/FullMetalAlchemist Hardsteel Physicist]]''. [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p574-Now-Stuff-487050243 Later]] ''[[Anime/AttackOnTitan Assault on Colossus]]'' is mentioned
** As a lampshade of the entire concept, [[http://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/Rain-Delay-11-325373227 one Rain Delay]] has Rain reciting an overly LongList of all the video games she has. Rudy at the end asks, "Did you just make some of those up?"
** Emily’s [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p689-Sulking-558669360 aPhone]] has a [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p520-Emily-Alone-462048776 carrot logo]] on the back, instead of the more common pear
* BlindingBangs: Brett's eyes are completely covered by his hair, to match his apparently cool disposition.
* BrickJoke: On page 123, [[TheDitz Holly]] talks about having an uncle who has a gay roommate he shares a bed with. On page ''1,275'', said uncle has come out and she finally gets it.
* ButtMonkey: Gavin.
* BuryYourGays: Averted; it has been confirmed this trope will never come into play.
* CallingTheOldManOut:
** Chapter 35 starts with Rudy calling his parents out for [[spoiler:trying to send Maria to conversion camp, causing her to run away from home]], and bitterly suggests they're happy they've got one less gay kid. His mother realizes how much they've hurt their children, and she kicks her husband out of the house when he starts threatening Rudy.
** Chapter 40 seems like it's setting up Emily to have closure by yelling at her mother for everything she put her through. [[spoiler:It's then brutally subverted when it turns out her mother's already left for business again, leaving behind only a curt note saying that she's kicking Emily out and selling the house. The author notes that sometimes there just ''isn't'' a chance to have the last word.]]
** Chapter 43: [[spoiler:While she can't say it to him in real life, in a dream Rain disowns Marcus as her father, affirming that the Bryers are her true parents. He fades into dust, and Rain says he never appears in her dreams again.]]
* CastFullOfGay: Most of the core cast is a part of the LGBT community, with the notable exception of Gavin.
** Maria and [[spoiler: Rain]] are lesbians, Chanel is ''lesbi-ish'' (meaning she's asexual and homoromantic).
** Rudy, Gavin's dad, and Gavin's dad's partner are gay.
** Ky(lie), Fara, and Randy are bi, [[spoiler: Emily]] and Blair are pan.
** Rain, Brother Arthur's brother, [[spoiler: Jessica, Vincent, Ana, and Ryan]] are trans, Ky(lie) is genderfluid.
** Chanel and Brother Arthur are asexual.
** [[spoiler: Ana and Heather are intersex, Heather is specifically CAIS. She was assigned at birth the gender she identifies as, while Ana was incorrectly assigned male.]]
** Drew is questioning his sexuality after getting a crush on Ky(lie).
* CerebusSyndrome: [[DownplayedTrope While the comic was always intended to be a drama with lighthearted elements]], it started out mostly lighthearted with some serious elements here and there. Since then, topics like bigotry, abuse, insecurities, and trauma have become much more prominent. Notable examples include [[spoiler:Rain receiving a TraumaticHaircut at the very end of Chapter 25 (and the resulting fallout) and everything that happens to Rudy and Maria in Chapter 34.]]
** Chapter 40 in particular comes with a ContentWarning.
* CharacterTitle
* CheekyMouth: A lot of the time...
* ChildhoodFriend: Rain (Ryan back in the day) and Gavin started off as friends from elementary school. [[spoiler: As of a recent chapter, Allison, the girl they both had a crush on as young kids, has come into the picture.]]
* ColdOpen: Chapter 43 opens with a TimeSkip covering [[spoiler: the birth of Emily's daughter, Lydia, and the lead-up to Rain's 18th birthday.]]
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The grading system at St. Hallvard is arranged by colored collars. 9th graders wear red, 10th graders wear orange, 11th graders wear green, and 12th graders wear blue.
* ColorFailure: Rain's [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-15-It-s-a-Small-World-191319625 reaction]] to Gavin asking her if she happened to be familiar with his childhood friend, [[OldFriendNewGender Ryan Flaherty.]]
** Maria gets in on the action [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-33-Pass-196970211 here]].
** The entire Halloween party loses its color [[spoiler: when [[http://littlelynn84.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p163-164-Spectators-274995342]] Rudy, in a drunken stupor, kisses Rain]].
** Rain gets another one when she finds out [[spoiler: [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/Page444-445-Back-When-424964437]] Vincent was born with the name Vivian]]
** Her friends do this when [[spoiler: [[http://www.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p700-Cryptic-563273700]] Emily reveals about what happened during hers and Rain's weekend.]]
* ComingOutStory: Rain's coming out as a woman is detailed within a bonus chapter of the "Rain: Volume 1" physical collection.
* CornerOfWoe: Not in a corner, but on [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p336-Kissy-Talk-365727968 page 336]], Maria mopes by Puddle for one whole panel after blundering.
* CrashIntoHello: [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p-16-Crash-191590521 Rain and Rudy]]. The [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p-18-Junk-192237808 consequences]] get glossed over in the [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p265-So-True-337638687 retelling]].
* CrazyPrepared: Rain has [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-25-Awkward-194691131 spare pads and tampons]] ready. You never know when another girl may need one.
* CureYourGays: According to Rudy's [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-39-Overreaction-198760768 flashback]], this was the reasoning his parents used for sending him and Maria to a catholic school after Rudy came out to them. Considering how they reacted, it's no wonder Maria has kept silent about her own sexual preferences.
** In chapter 7, it is revealed that everyone thinks Rudy's homosexuality has been cured, after [[spoiler: he kisses Rain]].
** Later, there is [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p488-Inappropriate-448990959 talk of]] “camps for ‘curing’ homosexuality”
** The book “[[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p289-Gifts-348369121 How to Cure Homosexuality and Reopen the Gates of Heaven for Yourself]]” Maria and Rudy got from their parents is almost cute by comparison: “I’m ... speechless.”
* DeathGlare: Maria is a master at it. She could teach [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} T-800 robots]] a thing or two about [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-24-Reputation-194283500 how to do it.]]
** Rain busts one out at Rudy. It's super effective!
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: : [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p265-So-True-337638687 “Cute people are cute.”]] Repeated in an author’s comment [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p353-Chicken-374578958 later]].
* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: Chanel [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p353-Chicken-374578958 loves Maria]], and Emily is Rain’s [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p631-Favorite-Person-530137862 favorite person]].
* DreamSequence: Chapter 25 is about Rain dreaming about being [[ShowWithinAShow Kaminari]].
* DudeShesALesbian: The TropeNamer. Rudy says this exact line to Gavin when he was hitting on Maria in [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-40-Not-So-Secret-199173240 this strip]]
** Gavin then says this to Rudy as a BrickJoke in [[http://www.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p536-Little-Secret-469548185 this strip]]
* FacelessMasses: The [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-ch-8-Confrontation-285158228 cover]] of Chapter 8.
* FagHag: During their break-up [[spoiler:Rudy]] asks [[spoiler:Rain]] if she will be his [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p393-394-Special-Relationship-398339365 fag hag]]. [[spoiler:Rudy is mostly making a brave face. The break-up hits him much harder than Rain.]]
* FictionalMedia: ''"Black Wings, Kaminari"'', ''"Halloween Princess Pandora"'', and ''"Mad Giga-Kaizer X"'' are all fictional manga and anime that Rain and her friends have collected.
* {{Flashback}}: Used repeatedly throughout the comic, including one to a moment from Rain's childhood that takes up the first few pages.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: The prologue, for one. The appearance of Aiken is also foreshadowed by Fara's conversation with Kellen. Also, some of the Halloween costumes are hinted at before they are revealed.
** Maria's comments [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p124-That-Sort-of-Person-259780222 here]] and [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p225-Someone-316790508 here]] make a lot more sense when you learn that [[spoiler: Emily is pansexual and used to date Maria]].
* FromBadToWorse: [[spoiler: Chapter 34 has this for the Strongwell siblings, especially Maria, who gets expelled from St. Hallvard after trying to protect Chanel. And than she disappears before her parents can retrieve her.]]
* {{Gaydar}}: [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-64-Shipper-207497771 Rain doesn't seem to know what one is...]]
** A play on this is made in the comic when Rain and Maria are talking about gaydars at a book store in the mall and Maria calls the transgender equivalent of a gaydar a transceiver.
* GassyScare: In chapter 35, Emily deliberately tells Brother Arthur and the secretary in the principal's office she had one in order to help Maria leave the school without anyone noticing. Earlier, she pretended she was in labor just to get the secretary to leave.
* TheGenericGuy: Rand M. Guy (AKA Randy) is the least characterized of the ensemble cast, and as of yet the only recurring character who has had no dialogue. He appeared in chapters 1 (where he gets stared down by Maria) and 6 (where Rain and Gavin both [[SpitTake spit their drinks on him]]). His normalness is lampshaded not only by his name, but from appearances in "Rain Delays." (No one cares that he is bisexual).
* GenderReveal: In-universe, with Rain coming clean about her secret to the core cast at the end of Chapter One. Also much later with [[spoiler: Rain's brother Aiken. [[UnsettlingGenderReveal It does not go well]].]]
** It goes much better with [[spoiler: Emily]], but [[spoiler: she]] had suspected it for awhile due to a few of the hints Rain accidentally dropped.
* GilliganCut: [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-17-Thought-Process-191982194 The page]] after Rudy crashes into Rain, and sees Rain's "junk" under her skirt:
-->'''Rain''' (thinking): And even if he did, he probably wouldn't even believe what he saw, right? Yeah, I'm sure he wouldn't tell anyone...
-->'''Rudy''' (to Maria and Gavin): Hey, guys! You'll never guess what I saw!
* GoodParents: While many of the characters come from troubled backgrounds, others have much more caring families.
** Chanel's mother has no problem with her daughter dating another girl. Chanel's father has yet to appear, but he is said to be a good parent as well.
** [[spoiler: Ana's]] father is 100% supportive and loving, and privately admits that, while their situation might be confusing, he just wants [[spoiler: her]] to be happy and live life the way [[spoiler: she]] was meant to.
** Gavin's mother is... odd, to say the least, but she genuinely wants her son to be happy and was quick to offer Rain a place to spend the night after Gavin told her that [[BlatantLies her aunt is a violent alcoholic.]] Gavin also has always had a solid relationship with his father.
** Emily also believes that she and Rain will be good parents [[spoiler: after her baby is born.]]
* GreenEyedMonster: Heather's initial attitude towards Ky's genderfluidity is actually this. [[spoiler: Heather was born with [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_androgen_insensitivity_syndrome CAIS]] which led to her resenting Ky for sometimes not wanting the reproductive organs she'll never have.]]
* HalloweenEpisode: Basically all of Chapter 6.
* HandBehindHead: Seems a favored trope of the author as it's ''everywhere''.
* HiddenDepths: Hardcore Kaminari fangirl Rain has more knowledge of manga than she lets on.
* IfItsYouItsOkay: How Rudy eventually becomes attracted to Rain, despite being predominantly homosexual otherwise. Some of the comic's characters however, have expressed skepticism as to whether or not their romantic relationship will survive Rain's plan to fully transition one day.
** [[spoiler: It doesn't... but not from any loss of Rudy's feelings for Rain. Rather, Rain comes to the realization that it was she, in truth, who did not have truly romantic feelings towards him. She had been flattered by the attention he paid her, and accepted the dating because she enjoyed his company, and, in her mindset, dating boys was something that "normal girls" did. But she simply lacks any true romantic attraction towards males, and had simply not fully realized it. Whether this means she is a lesbian is still unknown (though it seems to be implied due to other recent story events), but the two have parted the relationship amicably and remain friends.]]
* ImportantHaircut: [[spoiler: Non-consensual on Rain's part, but her TraumaticHaircut removes her PeekABangs. This later proves to be symbolic of her opening up to others and becoming more comfortable and confident with herself.]]
* ImprovisedWeapon: Aunt Fara's improvised [[WeaponOfChoice weapon of choice]]? ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-29-Doctor-s-Note-195841749 Student artwork.]]''
* InternalReveal: [[spoiler: Emily about her pregnancy [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p815-Nineteen-Weeks-612986225 here]]. Even if Chanel was the only one who didn't already know, it still counts]].
* IronicNickName: Rain is actually not that fond of rainy days at all.
* {{Keet}}: Rudy is one, being small, loud, colorful, hyper...
* KissingUnderTheInfluence:
-->'''Rain:''' I wish I could say I was surprised to see my aunt getting drunk and making out with a stranger...
** At the end of Chapter 6, [[spoiler: a drunk and cross-dressing Rudy kisses Rain, complicating their relationship.]]
** And later, with [[spoiler: Jessica and Heather. Of course it goes a bit farther than the kids do, and Heather ends up learning that Jessica is transgender, leading her to tell Jessica about her intersex condition.]]
* LampshadeHanging: [[http://littlelynn84.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p-35-Girls-197615815 In Girls]], one of the characters, Holly, gave this jewel. Note that she probably stepped outside to wait until her ears stopped ringing:
-->'''Holly''': Umm... Where's our teacher during all of this?
* LoveDodecahedron: Too many twists to list here. With a a LoveChart: “[[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/Look-at-this-mess-553944974 Look at this mess!]]”
* MamaBear:
** Aunt Fara. Full stop. (In spite of not being anyone's actual biological parent.) ''Anyone'' who threatens the welfare of her loved ones is met with varying levels of violence, ranging from a stern lecture to assault via student homework. [[spoiler: This even extends to protecting her family from other family, as Rain's elder brother Aiken [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p307-308-Just-Like-Him-354932442 learns the hard way...]]]]
** Donna Strongwell, [[spoiler: in chapter 35, defends Rudy against Norm, her husband, when he threatens to send him away after he stands up for himself and Maria.]]
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: Maria is the Masculine girl to Rudy's feminine boy.
* MeaningfulName: St. Hallvard (the patron saint of the school) was a martyr who died protecting a slave woman from further abuse.
* MiddleNameBasis: After hearing Rain's deadname at prom, Devon mentions he has a cousin whose legal first name is Ryan. However, she goes exclusively by her middle name because she thinks her first name is too masculine. He assumes Rain is a similar case and accepts her reasons without further questioning.
** [[spoiler:Rain herself becomes this when she changes her legal name to Liriel Rain Bryer.]]
* MyBelovedSmother: Gavin's mom, much to his dismay, although it's mainly Played for Laughs.
* MonochromePast: Flashbacks and events that happened in the past are always portrayed in a monochromatic tone.
* NewTransferStudent: The story kicks off with Rain's first day after transferring to a new school.
** [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p346-January-Girls-371307979 Chapter 15]] is about the “January Girls”, usually female transfer students coming in after Christmas break
* NoPeriodsPeriod: Implied to be [[AvertedTrope averted]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-25-Awkward-194691131 here.]] Rain is very prepared.
* {{Nosebleed}}: Rain's gym outfit has a rather [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-33-Pass-196970211 distracting effect]] on Maria. Preceded by a [[LuminescentBlush Luminescent Blush]] and comboed with [[ColorFailure Color Failure]].
* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: As of the end of chapter 25, [[spoiler: Rain suffers a TraumaticHaircut courtesy of Kellen]]
** Chapter 35: [[spoiler: Not only has Maria moved out of her abusive household ''and'' left St. Hallvard, but she's now attending school with Ky. Also, Father Quenton is forced to resign, Todd is transferred out, and Brother Arthur becomes the intern headmaster.]]
* ObliviousToLove: Rain, to [[spoiler: Maria and Gavin's early-comic crushes on her.]]
* OccidentalOtaku: Rain is fond of {{manga}}, and Gavin is into {{anime}}.
* OldFlameFizzle: When Rain and Gavin hang out again, they feel it's not the same as when they were kids, and Gavin thought Rain was Ryan. [[spoiler: Somewhat subverted, as Rain and Gavin still remain friends, and Gavin has a crush on Rain.]]
* OnceMoreWithClarity: When [[ChildhoodFriends Allison]] makes her first appearance, she mentions how she was turned down by Rain (who still presented as Ryan at the time) back before she moved. [[spoiler:When Allison and Rain reunite, it's revealed that the "it's complicated" was referring to Rain being in the process of coming to terms with being trans.]]
* OneDegreeOfSeparation: Where should we start?
** Back when Rain was Ryan, she and Gavin were best friends. A couple years later, when Rain has moved to a new town with her aunt and starts attending an new school, she runs into Gavin once again.
** Rain's older brother Aiken was engaged to Jessica, whose therapist, Vincent, is [[spoiler: his and Rain's Aunt Fara's ex.]]
** Emily was dating Chase, who later has a few dates with [[spoiler: Jessica]] and is much later revealed to be [[spoiler: Rain's older ''sister's'' ex-fiance.]] Emily herself used to date [[spoiler: Maria]], is currently dating [[spoiler: Rain]], and [[spoiler: is pregnant with Chase's child.]]
* OneSteveLimit: Averted, [[spoiler:Ryan is the deadname of Rain, and the chosen name of Colette]].
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Lampshaded in the author's commentary in a strip where the normally kind Brother Arthur is very noticeably furious at Todd in the aftermath of [[spoiler: him getting Maria expelled for threatened violence while getting away with injuring Chanel, and then threatening to ''kill'' Rudy just a bit ago]].
-->''I don't know about you, but when a typically friendly, light-hearted person reaches that point where they just aren't having it anymore, it scares me a little.''
** [[spoiler: Ana, who is usually smiling and friendly to everyone, is quite rude to Rain after she discloses her Trans status to her. Because of everything she has been through, Rain's sudden openness caused her to fear being outed herself. She calms down after speaking to Rain about it though.]]
* PaintingTheMedium: Rain's "girl voice" is represented by slanted text. This especially stands out when she slips into her male voice.
* ParentalAbandonment:
** [[spoiler: Rain's father abandoned the family for unknown reasons.]]
** [[spoiler: Ana's mother abandoned her because she could not accept that Ana was not a boy.]]
* ParentalSubstitute: Rain's snarky aunt Fara took Rain in when Rain was 13, after "circumstances" separated Rain from her parents, later revealed to be [[spoiler:one parent passing away from illness (implied to be cancer) and the other abandoning the family, his current status and whereabouts unknown]]. By chapter 43, Rain has fully accepted Fara as a parent, [[spoiler:even changing her surname to that of Fara and her brother]].
* PatronSaint: St Hallvard is the patron saint of protecting the innocent.
* PeekABangs: Rain, most of the time. [[spoiler: Until her TraumaticHaircut makes it it too short for this.]]
* PetHomosexual: Inverted with Gavin who is straight and cisgendered in a CastFullOfGay.
* PunnyName: The full name of Randy, who’s just a minor supporting character, is Rand M. Guy.
* RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler: Maria and Chanel]] get one in Chapter 13.
** [[spoiler: Rain and Emily]] get one at the end of Chapter 28.
* RightForTheWrongReasons: After hearing some gossip from around school and reflecting on the subject of [[spoiler: Rain's short hair]], Drew ends up asking Ky if [[spoiler: Rain is a boy. Except a genderfluid one like them, who just happens to always be in girl mode. Seems he's never even heard of transgenderism]].
* RomanticAsexual: [[spoiler:Chanel is an asexual homoromantic and is in a relationship with non-asexual lesbian Maria]].
* RunningGag: Fara always gets Jessica's name wrong.
** Which then becomes GotMeDoingIt when [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p402-Job-402637400 Jessica gets her own name wrong at a job interview]].
* SexWithTheEx: [[spoiler: Fara and Vincent go out to dinner to catch up after reconnecting, and then we see that one thing led to another...]]
* SharedUniverse: ''Rain'' shares universes with another of the author's other works called ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/gallery/46861739/Magical Magical]],'' a MagicalGirl-esque story featuring UsefulNotes/{{Transgender}} characters. Rain meets Carmen, one of the protagonists, [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p412-Staring-407872120 on her visit]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p417-Carmen-409703781 to the gender specialist.]]
** According to [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/Rain-Delay-ed-Belated-April-Fools-Something-792142416 this April Fool's post]], other residents include Maya (a character from Moonlight Wanderers, a Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Nuzlocke comic), Sabrina (a character from a HighFantasy world), and Raquel (from ''Scars of Redemption,'' which the author speculates could be a BadFuture for the Rainverse).
* SchoolGirlLesbian: Maria.
* ShipperOnDeck: Shipping [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p435-Names-419034451 gets]] [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p436-Blonde-419415238 discussed]], but they don’t really do anything about it. [[spoiler: And Emirain/Rainily seems to come along without help anyway.]]
* ShowWithinAShow: The [[{{Manga}} manga]] ''Black Wings [[BilingualBonus Kaminari]]'', of which both Rain and Chanel are fans.
** Plot summary: [[spoiler: Kaminari is a WingedHumanoid from a FloatingContinent. On this continent, almost everyone has white wings, [[FantasticRacism but people with black wings are feared due to an ancient villain having black wings.]] If a baby with black wings is born, [[WouldHurtAChild it's thrown off the side]] of the FloatingContinent. Kaminari is a {{Princess|Protagonist}}, but- surprise, surprise- [[TitleDrop she has black wings.]] She's raised in seclusion in the castle by her parents, but on her [[DangerousSixteenthBirthday 16th birthday]], she sees a black-winged baby being thrown off the side. She dives after it, but being raised in the castle, she [[HowDoIShootWeb doesn't know how to fly]]. PlotArmor saves her and the baby, but she lands in a small village where all the graves of the black-winged children are. [[SurvivorsGuilt She feels horrible]], and swears to [[TheAtoner save a life for each grave present]]. She teams up with [[TrueCompanions three companions]]: ChildMage [[StepfordSmiler R]][[{{Keet}} e]][[DoomedHometown i]], former mercenary [[RebelliousPrincess Aneko]], and JerkWithAHeartOfGold Hokori, who searches for the [[{{Macguffin}} seven legendary blades]] after [[ILetGwenStacyDie failing to protect a loved one]]. Together, they [[WalkingTheEarth journey around]] and [[WeHelpTheHelpless help people.]]]]
** Chapter 25 is [[spoiler: a DreamSequence about Rain being Kaminari, with her closest friends as Kaminari's TrueCompanions.]]
** In Chapter 28 [[spoiler: Rain finds out that Kaminari is getting an anime in the summer, though since it OvertookTheManga in-universe, it's likely it will have a different story. Of particular note is a CanonForeigner with one black wing and one white wing who appears for three seconds in the trailer, but quickly becomes quite popular with the fanbase.]]
* ShoutOut:
** Someone should be careful when watching Horror Movies.
--> '''Rain''': ''Or the fear that I haven't actually passed at all this whole time, and everyone always hated me, and [[Literature/{{Carrie}} getting crowned prom queen is just going to result in being doused in pig's blood.]]\\
(''Allison and Ana look shocked'')\\
'''Allison''': Maybe [[Film/Carrie1976 campy 70s horror movies]] aren't the best point of reference, but I see what you're saying.
* ShyFingerTwiddling: Rain does this when even [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p265-So-True-337638687 more]] [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p631-Favorite-Person-530137862 nervous]] than usual. So does [[http://jocelynsamara.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p292-Blushing-349050083 Chanel]].
* SinisterMinister: Father Quenton, the school principal, is established as this in his ''[[EstablishingCharacterMoment opening panel.]]'' (Ok, he is probably the lower-grade "high-school" version of evil incarnate, but he probably still qualifies.) Also established to have a [[BaldOfEvil Bald Of Evil]].
* SpitTake: From [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p145-Question-268405272 time]] to [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p577-That-Little-Brat-499321172 time]].
* TheStinger: Page 107 is marked as the end of Chapter 4, but two pages follow it before Chapter 5.
* StupidSexyFlanders: Rudy can cause this as "Ruby".
* SweatDrop: Both Rain and Rudy display one [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-17-Thought-Process-191982194 the page after their collision.]]
** Also, Gavin when the [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-83-Gavin-the-Stud-213198187 lie that he told about Fara's drunken violence]] finally [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p314-Insufferable-357552583 catches up with him]].
* TakeAThirdOption: The first several chapters had a lot of people wondering whether Rain would end up with Gavin or Maria, whose crushes on her are a large focal point. [[spoiler: Until the Halloween party, Rudy manages to keep to himself that he also has a crush on her, and he ends up being the one to ask her out.]]
* ThatCameOutWrong: Rudy says this word for word verbatim when he offers to clear out dust from Rain's video game.
-->'''Rudy''': Want me to blow on it? I won't choke.\\
(''Rain [[{{Beat}} coughs]]'')\\
'''Rudy''': Wait... that came out wrong. I--I mean, in context! Blow on... uh... ''in'' the cart of course.
* TheBeard: Gavin for Maria, called her [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p-41-Smokescreen-199413259 smokescreen]].
* TheVoiceless: Randy never spoke onscreen until [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p1-183-Outnumbered-835750637 Page 1,183, where he reveals onscreen]] he's bi.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Maria is the tomboy to Rain's girly girl, particularly in the early chapters.
* TransEqualsGay: This is discussed when [[spoiler:Jessica]] tells [[spoiler:Heather]] that until she was in her late teens, she just thought she was a gay guy.
* TransRelationshipTroubles: Rain's brother Aiken stays at her and her aunt's place over Christmas because of "relationship troubles" with his fiancee. The issue is later revealed to be that [[spoiler: Jessica, his fiancee, is a stealth trans woman, who was planning on having bottom surgery before they got married. When her insurance backed out, she was forced to come out to him, and he abandoned her.]]
* TransTribulations: The story mainly focuses on Rain, her struggles with dysphoria and being trans in an environment that isn't always very understanding towards trans issues. [[spoiler: Ryan is revealed to be the same, though hasn't tried to transition yet due to postponing it until after graduation.]] [[spoiler:[[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p1-328-The-Last-Letter-Part-2-897526036 Partway through chapter 43]], it turns out that Liriel was ''also'' trans; unlike his daughter, though, he never got the chance to transition, because of his parents' and husband's hostile reactions.]]
* TraumaticHaircut: [[spoiler: Kellen does this to Rain while she is sleeping.]]
* {{Understatement}}: There is a brief {{Flashback}} that shows Rudy coming out, with his dad calling the operator for a young priest and an old priest, and his mom crying badly. The page title? ''Slight'' Overreaction.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal:
** Gavin is rather shocked that the cute girl Rain is his childhood friend, formerly known as Ryan. He gets over it eventually.
** [[spoiler: Aiken]] is very angry when he finds out [[spoiler: his fiancée Jessica]] is transgender, [[spoiler:and breaks up the engagement]]. It doesn't help that she told him only because she knew she wouldn't be able to hide the truth any more. He calms down, but doesn't seem to really get over it. [[spoiler: And then he finds out about Rain]].
* UnwantedHarem: It seems that every kid in the school with a compatible sexual orientation gets a crush on Rain. The attention is very much unwanted, for fear that someone will find out her secret.
** Mercilessly lampshaded by Maria, who points out to a new transfer student that all female transfers end up being doggedly pursued by the male members of the student body.
---> '''Maria: Welcome to St. Horndog... I mean Hallvard.'''
* VisualPun: When Rain's brother (who doesn't know she's transgender) is coming to stay for a week, Rain suggests that she could just hide in the hall closet instead of facing him.
* WebcomicTime: The comic has been ongoing since 2010. In-universe, less than a year has passed for the cast. Lampshaded by Rain and Gavin during prom.
--> '''Rain:''' I know it's only been like eight months, but so much has happened that it feels it's been nine years.
--> '''Gavin:''' That's...a weirdly specific number.
* WhamEpisode: [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p163-164-Spectators-274995342 The penultimate comic of Chapter 6]], where [[spoiler: Rudy kisses Rain while drunk.]]
** [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p217-Have-a-Wonderful-Day-302005734 Have A Wonderful Day]]. [[spoiler: Maria comes out of the closet in front of a crowded hallway.]]
** Chapter 11 through 13. [[spoiler: Which deals with Aiken coming to visit after finding out his fiance is trans, only to find out that Rain is trans too, and the aftermath.]]
** [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p659-660-Awakening-543640937 Rain wakes up from a]] DreamSequence [[spoiler: to find that Kellen cut off her hair in her sleep.]] Especially jarring since the DreamSequence was mostly lighthearted up to this point.
** Shortly afterwards, [[http://www.deviantart.com/art/RAIN-p681-682-Legitimate-555777168 Heather reveals that]] [[spoiler:she suffers from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_androgen_insensitivity_syndrome CAIS]] (though she doesn't use the term)]].
** [[spoiler:Chapter 34 has Father Quenton expel Maria for trying to defend Chanel]]. [[spoiler: Then Maria vanishes before her parents can get to her.]]
** Chapter 35 is described by the author as akin to a SeasonFinale, and it certainly lives up to the desciptor [[spoiler: given that it deals with the fallout of the previous chapter. Maria is revealed to have moved in with Blair with Emily's help. Her departure opens a rift between her parents which ends with Maria's mom throwing her husband out of the house for threatening Rudy with "cure the gay" camp, not wanting her remaining child to leave her too. Ryan (although he had not chosen this name yet) ends up admitting to being trans to Rudy. Brother Arthur, infuriated by how the situation unfolded, gathers a mountain of evidence of all the bullying Todd's done that Father Quenton turned a blind eye to and submits it to the local diocese. As a result, Father Quenton is forced to quietly resign and Todd is transferred out and put into rehabilitation, with Arthur taking over as headmaster for the rest of the school year. However, while Maria's expulsion is rescinded, she decides not to go back and instead transfers to Ky's school [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and gets a new style]].]]
** Chapter 37 chronicles the Prom Night that the last ten-or-so chapters were building towards, and it was suitably large-scale. [[spoiler: Rudy switches clothes with Ky in public, Chanel sees Maria for the first time after the events of Chapter 35, Rain is accidentally nominated for Prom King, and the chapter ends with Rain and Emily kissing in front of the entire school.]]
** Chapter 43 shows us a lot more than we previously knew about [[spoiler:Liriel's and Fara's]] parents, including [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p1-328-The-Last-Letter-Part-2-897526036 this]] {{Flashback}}:
---> [[spoiler:'''Liriel:''']] [[spoiler:I do... I do wish... That I could be a boy, though, and I-]]
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:[[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p217-Have-a-Wonderful-Day-302005734 Take a guess.]]]]
** And [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p338-339-Rain-and-Emily-366460139 later]]:
---> '''Emily:''' [[spoiler: I... I'm... pregnant... It's my ex-boyfriend's.]]
** [[https://www.deviantart.com/jocelynsamara/art/RAIN-p789-790-Matter-601318519 Much later.]] Also doubles as a [[spoiler: LoveConfession]].
---> '''Rain:''' [[spoiler: Emily, I have the biggest crush on you.]]
** Chapter 34 has two of them, one shortly after the other.
---> '''Father Quenton:''' [[spoiler: Maria Strongwell, you are hereby expelled from St. Hallvard High School.]]
---> '''Brother Arthur:''' [[spoiler: We don't...know where Maria is.]]
** Chapter 37 has [[spoiler: Rain being chosen as prom king]].
* WoundedGazelleGambit: Well, Pregnant, but with some help from Maria [[spoiler: Emily pretends to be in labor to drive Pete from the office so Maria can go to Blair's house to lay low.]]
----

* ParentalSubstitute: Rain's snarky aunt Fara took Rain in when Rain was 13, after "circumstances" separated Rain from her parents, later revealed to be [[spoiler:one parent passing away from illness (implied to be cancer) and the other abandoning the family, his current status and whereabouts unknown]]. By chapter 43, Rain has fully accepted Fara as a parent, [[spoiler:even legally changing her surname to that of Fara and her brother]].