This only takes into account the characters, who made an appearance in the comic, cuz I’m not familiar with any other OCs from RAINverse:
I believe, Robin states, that Nyssa used to be her best friend, and now that they’ve reconciled, maybe it can still be so. Although I can’t help but feel, that Jin-Shi is more of a best friend for Nyssa at this point.
Akane & Irving don’t strike me as having much of preference with their friendships - they seem to have even relationships with their team members & NPIR. Idk how much do siblings count as “best friends”, but maybe Akane views Nanako as one, or Irv does some of his siblings.
I think it’s well-established, that Petra & Isambard are best friends.
As has been stated, Jin & Nyssa are BFFs to me (and my favorite BROTP of the entire comic). Perhaps Ninety Nine could still count as Jin’s best friend, but we’ll probably learn more on that later.
As for Lincolns, I have no guesses for Artemis, Orion or Roderick, and I think it’s a safe bet, that William has no friends at all.
For Marina, I’m torn between Nanako & Marron - perhaps they can form a BROT3.
Pitch gets the honorary title of Lilli’s best friend, on the grounds of being the only friend she has.
So, here’s the second half of my theories on what awaits us in RAIN’s finale. I made sure to keep this one shorter & less detailed, because most of them are pretty vague & self-explanatory, and long paragraphs of this would simply be a drag to read through. No survival percentages either, as I don’t expect many casualties on the “team good” side.
Team RAIN
To start off, I fully expect our guys to win the day, eliminate the Braith threat & stay together as a team of young hunters, ready to face off against new challenges (but am not adverse to the idea of a final, that isn't a traditionally "happy ending").
Robin’s big struggle is bound to be facing & defeating Kamala.
Her fears of loosing more people could cause some disagreements (particularly with Marron), but I expect those to be resolved & for them to stay happily together.
Robin’s newly realized main motivation of being kind & doing good could very well drive her to reach out to some of the more “redeemable” Braiths & offer them a chance to give up on Kamala’s masterplan & start anew.
There’s gonna be more focus on Irving, now that his family is involved.
His & Nyssa’s “archnemesis” among the Braiths is Viola (much like Kamala is Robin’s), so it’s nice to see them face off against her.
Romance between the two of them will continue gradually developing (plz give me some precious lovebird moments ; _ ; )
Nyssa has a talk with her mom about Pitch ahead of her.
I don’t expect her to show any interest in seeing him again, though.
When it comes to Akane, I sorta draw a blank, but I fully expect her storyline to be heavily associated with William (I’m not holding out my hopes for a classic romance with a happily ever after, but the chemistry between the two is undeniable).
The Lincoln Clan
While on the subject of Willl, he’s the one I have quite a bad feeling about – the way I see it, he could very well become one of the arc’s casualties. Not many in-comic clues for this that I can think of, but his overall troubled personality, complicated bond with Akane, lack of positive connections to other characters – it just gives me this sense of danger looming over him (needless to say, I don’t want anything like this to occur, but a theory is a theory).
My precious daughter Lilliana is bound to finally open up about her struggles & get a fucking friend.
Seriously, I have very little idea of whom it’ll be or how it’ll happen, but it has to. I’ve waited since reading the first comic pages that featured her, & I believe I’m not about to be disappointed.
The only certain thing I know I am hyped about is her facing Artemis once she is rescued.
There is also her majorly unnoticed connection with Pitch, but I’ll leave that for his section of the post.
Tobin is probably about to come out any moment now, and I firmly believe, that when it comes to Braiths, her & Viorel will get a heart to heart, and she could very well get a proposition of a lifetime from them. Of course, they could be using it to manipulate her, and uncovering their plot/outsmarting them could be a chance for her to shine. I’m not sure how it’ll work in the plot technically, but these two interacting is too good an opportunity to pass up.
I expect Artemis to wake up from her coma – she needs to learn about Tobin, and also finally be confronted with Lilli's storm of emotions & realize how badly she’s fucked up with her girl (and, y’know, work on fixing it).
However, the damage she suffered will probably prevent her from fighting ever again.
I am not sure how, but Roderick will regain his courage & play his part in bringing the Braiths down. I won’t say he’ll survive for sure (the idea of Maylis as a lord seems to be favoured by some), but at the same time, killing many more members of Robin’s family feels like too much.
I’ll group Marron here, since she is basically Robin’s family at this point – it would be nice to see her gain more independence & not just stay “the love interest”. She embarked on that path already when she stood up to Sterling, and should definitely go further in that direction: take more initiative, express opinions, that don’t necessarily correlate well with Robin’s – altogether, be her own person more than just "main hero's girl".
The rest of them
The remaining free members of the Crazy Bunch (Bianca & Rufus iirc) will probably get tracked down – if Kamala can spare any manpower to silence them. It’s also possible for her to just forget about them, since they aren’t likely to confront officials about the Braith threat, and if her plan is successful, they’re going down with the rest of humanity regardless. I like the idea of them sharing the Braith money & just laying low & enjoying themselves offscreen, while the final battle breaks out.
Beyond learning more about him from Maera, Pitch isn’t likely to play a role in the plot again. I have very little hope for him making another appearance, but if that could possibly be, Lilliana has to be the reason it does (since Nyssa’s already had enough of that man for a lifetime).
I don’t think many people paid attention to it, but there was clearly some sort of semi-bond between Lilli & Pitch – probably due to them both being the clan’s outcasts. Even though he’s about to be dragged away, it’d be nice for her to seek him out & go absolutely apeshit into his face about betraying her family (and lowkey betraying her personally).
Though it’s unlikely, I would love to see more between these two – they’ve known each other for years, Pitch might as well have trained Lilli in combat, and it would be nice if he displayed any kind of emotion at realizing she fucking cared whether he’d be around or not.
“The Wishing Well” bar we’ve been teased for the first post is likely to be the place where Jin-Shi, Nyssa & Irv look for Raleigh.
I’m not sure how he’ll influence the plot surrounding Irving’s family & Viola, but once he learns what happened to Otso, I expect him to help our heroes track him down to get more info from him, consecutively causing them to stumble upon Tahlia & Gardner (as already stated, definite plot points aren’t my strongest suit, but this is how I believe they could all come together).
Please wrap my man Otso in a fucking blanket & let him have a heart to heart with Raleigh & regenerate his eyes in peace you people, I am fucking telling you-
I’ve left team JNPR for dessert, namely, because of Jin-Shi Pan – I don’t really have any guesses when it comes to Nanako, Petra or Isambard.
For now, she’ll likely busy herself helping Irving & Nyssa deal with Viola & her welcome party. But there’s a mystery regarding her, that’s been mentioned, but never elaborated upon – her lost friend, Ninety Nine, whom Nyssa promised to help in searching for.
In any other case, I’d say, we are being teased a dlc/spin-off of the main story. It might just be a part of her past, that isn’t going to come up again. But once again, I just have this hunch, that we weren’t told that for nothing. Perhaps a clue will be found somewhere down the line; perhaps some new character will surprise us with their connection to Jin. I don’t know, and this is admittedly the weakest theory on the list, but it’s here nonetheless.
And this is it for my arc 4 predictions. Gotta say, I’m proud of myself for meeting my deadline & finishing it before the first post of the arc. All of my thoughts on it have already been stated, so without further ado, I wish everyone a very exciting part of our beloved comic by @neopoliitan!
So, with the final arc of RAIN upon us, I decided to continue the tradition that emerged back in s2 au times, & make a predictions post. Due to my lack of clue on what the big mystery of Braiths is, it’s hard for me to guess actual plot points, like their next move, how RAIN could bring them down etc. However, what I do believe I could predict from the development of characters so far, is some of our heroes’ fates by the end of the story, what subplots could be elaborated on, and so on.
Particularly, I’ve put quite some thought into each of the Braith siblings – and ended writing so much, it felt necessary to split the post in two parts. This one’s dedicated entirely to the mysterious omnicidal family we all love. The following will go off the premise, that by the end of the story Braiths get defeated by RAIN & their allies & whatever threat they pose is eliminated for good (I honestly have no idea how else the story can end, even if I’d be madly interested in a less traditional plot). For simplicity’s sake, I’m putting their survival chances into percentages like this – chance of dying (1-100)/chance of survival (100-dying chance). I’ll elaborate on my reasoning, what I believe their death could look like, and what I expect to happen to them should they make it. Hopefully, this will be fun to read.
Kamal Braith – 90/10. I probably won’t go out on a limb if I say – Kamala’s way too far gone for a sudden change of heart. The world of illusion she’s built around herself feels impenetrable by this point, and even if all other Braiths were to become disillusioned with her worldview (something I think is entirely possible), it’d hardly steer her off her course. At the same time, her being defeated, but making it out alive & hungry for revenge, would leave the story way too inconclusive. She’s got to go, and I very well expect her to do so in a blaze of glory, with her head held high & no sign of fear or regret in her eyes. I would definitely appreciate a final battle, where she holds her own to the very last moment until one of the heroes delivers an epic final blow – something classy & fitting. At the same time, it feels likely for Kamala to somehow doom herself – inject herself with Grimm, when all other options to defeat the heroes are exhausted, have some plan of hers backfire badly, be abandoned by the siblings she mistreated one time too many. In the slim chance she does survive, it’s probably some form of life imprisonment for her – likely in a mental institution, since the failure of her plans is bound to make her loose what little sanity she has left. That, however, isn’t something I’d bet on – as stated earlier, she’s far too much of a threat to be left alive by the end of the story.
Gardner Braith – 60/40. This one is far less obvious. Even though Gardner shares Kamala’s beliefs to some extent, I can see him easily abandoning them if that’s what’s required to protect Tahlia (and, perhaps, some other of his siblings, though his relationships with them were never made very clear). It seems like his personality could even lead him to willingly changing sides, if that can earn him & his sister lighter punishments & a chance to eventually be free from their past. In case he does make it & isn’t imprisoned, he feels like the best candidate for a leader among the remaining Braiths. What makes me lean slightly towards the possibility of him not making it is the aura-draining disease Gardner has. It would be far too convenient if it never came into play, and if he refuses to drain another’s aura again, it’d put him at significant risk. There is also Tahlia, whom he’ll protect with his life, no matter the circumstance, which puts another target on his chest. I don’t particularly favour the scenario where he’d die shielding her from a blow (feels too cliché, as well as a ripoff of Hazel’s fate)(it’d be much cooler for her to aid him in combat when his aura runs out & save them both). It’s just, his character archetype gives me major ‘doomed’ vibes, even as I try to be cautiously optimistic.
Sterling Braith – 75/25. The Braith siblings in this list are presented in order of their age, like on the wiki, but I left writing Sterling’s part for desert, because of just how tricky his character still is to me. He’s had some pretty drastic things occur to him at the end of arc 3, and I’m not exactly sure how they are going to affect him moving forward. So far, he shows no signs of doubt or regret (it’s questionable whether he’s even still capable of those things). Quite the opposite, he now has an even greater desire for revenge against RAIN, that he feels is owed to him – much like Kamala believes, that the world owes their family for what occurred in the past. Sterling seems like the only person, whose desires still align well with Kamala’s, and who’d probably stick with her to the bitter end – more due to his pride, than any affection or loyalty to her. At the same time, he’s the only Braith with an ego so inflated, that he shows no signs of fearing her – which is a major disadvantage for someone in his position. If Kamala believes she can no longer control him, and that his mental instability can jeopardize her plans, I wouldn’t put it past her to just get rid of him – by sending him on a suicidal mission, or straight up performing an execution to instill fear in the rest of the family. Things are honestly looking bleak for Sterling – his fighting capacity reduced, mental wellbeing probably at it’s all-time lowest, and no incentive to seek solutions for his problems outside Kamala’s crusade. I desperately wish for some way for him to break the cycle, and am probably grasping at straws here – hoping for Zelena to attempt to pull him out of this pit, or a revelation from Braiths’ past, that could give me an idea for some kind of redemption. Overall, killing off a guy, that already lost a hand, could very well loose another & suffered the most humiliating defeat in the whole comic, just feels like an overkill to me. I don’t know what he could possibly do with his life, should he keep it by the end of arc 4 – likely serve jail time, or be institutionalized should his psyche be damaged even more. I honestly don’t know. I’m just going to keep some faith in him, even if I’m not getting my hopes up.
Viola Braith – 50/50. Genuinely on the fence here. Viola can definitely do some damage, but I’d bet, that without backing from bigger people she’d quickly shrivel & crawl into the corner to save her own neck. Her motivation for following Kamala is fear above all else – she would hardly pursue any kind of revenge in case of her sister’s demise & would much rather do her own thing (aka seduce people & fuck with their heads, just for her own amusement rather than bioterroristic crime schemes). The fear Kamala has instilled within her, though, has clearly destabilized her mentally & could lead to unpredictable results. Once shit hits the fan, she can start to act irrationally in fear of more punishment, & bring more harm on herself, or leave the heroes with no choice but to off her. It’s easy to imagine a scene, where, after being defeated, she’d just allow herself to get killed rather than have to face Kamala’s wrath. I’d say, her best chance of survival is being captured by RAIN during the Hawthorne rescue operation & being persuaded into cooperating in return for protection from Kamala. Then, it’s likely imprisonment for her, but I’m tempted to say she hasn’t exactly earned a life sentence. One way or another, the only thing she truly deserves in my eyes, is to be free from Kamala’s reign once and for all, be it in life or in death.
Zelena Braith – 30/70. My beautiful, damaged daughter, whom I have faith in. She’s naturally spiteful, but at the same time, too smart not to figure out her family is heading right off a cliff, and the seeds of doubt have already been planted in her mind. Should Gardner try to go behind Kamala’s back & escape, I like to believe he’d try to persuade Zelena to join – I believe it’s been implied, they are somewhat close, though not as much as him & Tahlia. A way in which they feel similar to me, is that both of them have displayed a degree of concern for their siblings throughout the story, even if Zelena’s way is more subtle. I fear, that this capacity for caring might be her undertaking, if she decides to appeal to Sterling, or even Kamala, trying to make them snap from their respective illusions. If she misjudges just how far gone they are, she could be in serious danger. Other than that, unless she falters at the wrong moment, I believe she’ll make the right choice & get out alive. Her pride would make it hard for her to either cooperate with the main characters, or accept imprisonment, but I trust, that she’ll find a way for herself. Zelena deserves another chance in life – she just needs to see past her envy for others to realize that.
Viorel Braith – 20/80. I trust this little fucker to weasel their way pretty much out of any predicament – possibly by throwing their siblings under the bus, but nonetheless. Viorel’s far too smart & selfish to either let themselves be killed or die for a cause they clearly have no passion for. There’s likely going to be a dynamic between them & Tobin – they could very well buy their ticket out if their semblance can somehow be used to help with her transition. If that’s not enough, it’s either imprisonment for them, or escape from it through some legal loophole/straightforward desertion from the battlefield, with later resurfacing in some far-off place, under a fake name, where they could very well dedicate the rest of their days to some peaceful scientific research (or hell, maybe even use their talents in some other sort of illegal activity). I guess, if they have more motivation for following Kamala, than what we've been shown, they could end up sticking by her & possibly getting killed, but I doubt that. Clearly, Viorel sees themself above dying, and is going to act accordingly.
Tahlia Braith – 0/100. Clearly, the blue baby has better things to do than die for some bullshit world-destruction plot, or be hit by a stray bullet mid-final battle for dramatic effect. She needs to find a way out of the mess she was clearly coerced into (preferably with her big bro in tow), regain at least some of her lost childhood, be in an environment, where she isn’t terrorized or belittled, so that she can find a worthy cause in life, that’ll maybe spark a wish to actually put effort into something within her, meet & befriend Miyako Amaranth, so that the two can work through their unhealthy coping mechanisms together, and then, if and when she’s ready, even find herself a small fiery blond warrior gf… The possibilities are endless, and as you can see, dying isn’t one of them.
And that’s it for the Braiths & my take on them for now. They are all so different, and, by this point, all but few of them with some strong reasoning for mending their ways & trying to start anew – or sticking to their course to the bitter end, and seeing where it brings them. I sure am intrigued to see what each of their choices is going to be – whether I’ve made any right guesses, or if the comic is about to surprise me. I’m good either way. Part 2 of this post will probably be smaller, and will concern the other characters and plotlines I’ve got thoughts about – hopefully, it’ll be out before the first post of arc 4. Stay hyped for team RAIN’s adventures – and don’t forget about the rest of the characters, that might be far more flawed, but are definitely every bit as fun.
I don't have any particular questions just yet, but I gotta tell you, I'd gladly indulge in some kind of spin-off/side fic featuring them, mainly because I believe Jasper as a character has great potential for an insanely fun, but morally challenging journey. I don't really have an idea for what the rest of teammates could contribute to her possible character arc though, mainly because there is no info on the relationships within the team. I guess, my question would be - "what are the relationships between the team members?", but I'll totally get it if that's too broad for you to answer/you haven't decided yet.
Team RAIN - Pages 821-823
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“Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it…”
We end Arc 3 with a look forward to what’s to come in Arc 4! The town of Avon, Irving’s family, and a threat to worry about in the form of Ms Zydra Sky.
Belated as usual (just as everything I do), congratulations on finishing this arc, man! I’m very honored to be listed among the people, whose responses to the comic have made you happy. I can say, that reading this arc has made me a very happy lady, & it was always a joy to share my thoughts & know, that you care about what I have to say.
The arc was one hell of a ride, from first page to the last, & this epilogue feels like a huge milestone to me. Our beloved characters all came a long way, having to face danger, betrayal & inner demons, but prevailing in the end, standing strong & standing together. What awaits them & us are more adversities - battles to fight & plots to uncover, secrets to learn & decisions to make; a chance to shine for those, who didn’t get it prior; the revelations, that make one look upon the path in front of them with new eyes; drama, action, love, hatred, betrayal, reconciliations, loss, triumphs & pizzazz. Saying, that I’m looking forward to arc 4, doesn’t even begin to describe it.
For now, however, I believe, everyone deserves a break. The characters, the readers and, most important of all, you. You’re the one who’s provided us with such great content, Neo, and I want to thank you again. Take a nice break & regain your inspiration before taking us by the storm once again. While you’re at it, however, I don’t want to just leave this blog collecting dust - the three arcs already out there have given me plenty of material to mull over. I don’t want to make big promises, but you can expect some character analysis/opinion/theory posts to come out every now and again. I’ve certainly got a couple ideas I don’t wish to publicly disclose for now, but hopefully, they’re going to see light at some point. Congratulations on the good work once more, old friend - and I’m going to see you around ;)
After the initial post where I initially thought this idea up, I brought it up on the Team RAIN discord and we kinda workshopped it all together. This is the result!
(by the way you should check out my rwby fan comic)
After some discussion on the RAIN discord, I decided to finally draw up a map of Zenith, the Braith Family’s base which extends deep below the surface of Solitas.
Honestly it also helped me out a great deal because now I can actually visualise the damn thing.
