Behind the Scenes: Rain Check’s older ending (Patreon)

Rain Check was an incredibly frustrating chapter to work on. For multiple reasons. The comic was about to get locked into a very long arc around this time, and I wanted Daisy and Paulo to get together before then because there wouldn’t be time for them otherwise.

Daisy and Paulo were always intended to get together way before the “ending”, but I made the bold move to get them together even earlier, since the ending isn’t any time soon. There’s a few problems with this - it’s kinda hard to keep momentum sometimes when a couple is together, you can squeeze out a lot of drama from the pining and the other romantic options around the characters, it’s no wonder a lot of romance stories end when the characters get together. If two characters are very comfortable and happy with each other, it can honestly become kinda boring! To me!

I see people talk about how they want stories to focus more on couples actually dating, rather than have the comic end when they’re together. It’s a belief I understand and am on board with.. though I notably find myself often dropping stories where the couple gets together at the beginning. Just doesn’t hold the sauce for me! Maybe I’m just not reading the right stories? They didn’t do a good enough job?

I’m worried Paulo and Daisy will become the same, but I’ll see what happens. Because of the upcoming arc, it actually works for Paulo and Daisy to be together. They need to be a team and rely on each other to weather the stuff that’s going to happen. If they weren’t dating, they’d be relying on each other all the same. They’re who they trust the most.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself - this chapter!

I had a big vision on how they’d get together - Paulo holding an umbrella, they’d be walking together in the rain, uncomfortably close - a not very romantic scenario at all, ultimately. They’d be wet and uncomfortable, but Daisy would be close to him. And she’d get the courage. I had this planned for years.

I sketched it out, confidently. And Souppy, the much bigger Paisy shipper than me, did not like it.

I was gutted! Truly gutted! This is what I envisioned all along! For years! I was so dedicated to this umbrella vision that I even had an old comic idea based on a comic series a friend at the time planned - where he, Souppy, me, and a mutual were all teenage detectives. Anyway, I planned out Souppy and I getting together in that story under an umbrella, uncomfortably close, where I’d get the courage.

That friend’s comic never came to be, so I tucked that idea into the back my head, eventually it coming around to this chapter. I was so confident in this vision I even teased it on the final page of the Volume 7 book! I didn’t think I’d have to trash it and start completely over!

But I had to, and you all read something very different.

Here’s how it was originally going to happen.

Originally, Daisy wasn’t supposed to be depressed and lovesick. She was supposed to treat Paulo just like how she treated Mike back when she was in love with him. Paulo doesn’t notice it, because of course he doesn’t, but Lucy is completely aware.

Lucy doesn’t even give Daisy a pep talk - she gives Daisy the prop that gives her an excuse to stay with Paulo, and trusts her to do the right thing. And even if Daisy doesn’t do the right thing, she trusts Paulo will.

It is weird to see Lucy so happy and encouraging. Lucy is supposed to hate Paulo and Daisy right now. A lot of her kindness towards them is out of obligation, a sort of internal need to meddle, to fix things, because nobody else fucking will. It’s definitely a weird direction for Lucy, given, uhh, Double Down. But there’s stuff I could say about the original plans for Double Down. We’ll get to that one day!

Already some cracks when it comes to this original idea. Doesn’t Paulo have a car? He’ll be fine! He won’t get THAT wet! For some reason I didn’t register it in my head that Paulo doesn’t have to walk home anymore. Incredibly silly, one of the biggest problems with this chapter that the final version fixes.

I like Paulo taking his break to hang out with Daisy, though. Cute :( she can study and do her homework anywhere!

God, this is so awkward. Retrospectively I can totally see why Souppy did not like this. Why is it all on Daisy? Why doesn’t Paulo get the point? Shouldn’t they understand each other? Shouldn’t they have a knowing connection? Why must she try so hard? Why is it so awkward!

At this point in time, it’s Daisy who needs the validation that she’s loved, that she’s wanted, not Paulo. So this doesn’t work.

I do miss the final part of this - how Paulo says he’ll fuck things up if they get together, how she’s too good for him, how Daisy says she doesn’t care about that, fuck things up for all she cares, she just wants HIM.. and Paulo’s reaction to that is “I will never fuck up in that case, because I love you and I will work hard for you” and that’s something Daisy inherently understands. In Daisy’s eyes, Paulo ISN’T a fuckup. He never was. There was never a need to be worried.

That was explored in a less.. infodumpy blatant way in the final version

I’m a little sad a lot of people read this as Daisy accepting a possible life of failure with Paulo. That wasn’t what she meant - her “That’s how it’s always been” betrays that, because Paulo has never been a fuckup. He was always someone she could look to for support, someone she trusted, and so she knows she can rely on him. She knows whatever “fuckups” he has, they will weather through. They will be fine. That’s how it’s always been, after all.

Readers thought a car was gonna splash the new couple! Those who called that would have been right if I posted this original version!

I’m very sad this epilogue couldn’t be used. It’s such a good joke. Lucy single-handedly killed AugustusxDaisy for good.

And that’s what coulda been!