Rainy Days (Professionals zine)

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Zine
Title: Rainy Days
Publisher: The Nut Hatch
Editor:
Author(s): Jane of Australia
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Date(s):
Medium: print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Professionals
Language: English
External Links:
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Rainy Days is a slash series of Professionals stories by Jane of Australia.

Some of the stories were circuit stories, appearing in 1986, and may have remained in that form.

Some were published later as standalone print zines. Seven of them appear to have been printed in the print zine "Rainy Days Volume 1: The Early Years." That zine was published in 2000 as as fundraiser (see The Nut Hatch Fundraiser) and contains 185 pages.

Some more of these stories (the rest?) were printed in the print zine "Rainy Days Volume 2: The Middle Years." That zine was published in 2004.

The series sometimes appears on fans' Desert Island lists.[1] See List of Professionals Fanworks by Jane of Australia.

List of Titles

Some of these stories are at the Circuit Archive. Some of the dates are taken from a flyer in Cross My Heart #4, see image on this page.

The 1988 list according to Jane, printed in Cross My Heart #4

Rainy Days Volume 1: The Early Years

This zine was published in 2000 and contains 185 pages.

From the publisher's flyer:

RAINY DAYS: THE EARLY STORIES: by Jane

This is a cycle of seven stories ... and surely RAINY DAYS needs no introduction! Since the series premiered "on the circuit" in 1986, it's been a favorite. It grew from a first little story of just four pages, '[[Chanson de Matin]],' and wound up with not merely novellas, but a couple of full- size novels.

A whole bundle of the "middle saga" stories appeared in the CROSS MY HEART zines, and elsewhere: Ice, Wind and Fire, Yesterday's News, Never Say Die, Prodigal's Progress, and Sea Pictures. And of course the whole series culminated in For Auld Lang Syne, published under it's own cover, as a novel.

At this late date, in 2000, Nut Hatch has dwindled to a single financial backer, and The Fundraiser has become a necessity. Perhaps the RAINY DAYS stories would have remained forever a much-loved part of the circuit, but ...

We gotta raise funds quick, for reasons that will become all too painfully obvious, if you take a look at the Fundraiser page! Our projects to achieve this are many and varied, involving Windows wallpaper, clipart, screensaver and a whole spectrum of fannish creativity, but first...

A special zine. Print run restricted to 50, never another copy to be printed, ever! Color covers ... superbly desktop publishing format ... featuring the seven stories from the early part of the cycle, brought together for the first time.

Your order for this zine will place a beautiful B/D book into your hands. You're going to love it, and that is a solemn promise! Moreover, fifty orders for this zine will go a long way towards getting JJ out of heap-big trouble that Nut Hatch has landed her in. So, what's the zine look like, and what's the pricetag?

Well, it'll be about 150 pages, bound in color covers, featuring brand-new digital art hard-copied to a printer offering copies better than some lithos (1200x1200dpi). The zine is richly illustrated throughout with never-before-seen digital art, and the stories have been typeset, desktop-published, and to some minor extend, re-edited.

Please note that this volume is the flag-carrier for The Fundraiser, a project that has become crucial for JJ and Nut Hatch, and as such it's been designed to raise funds. Because of this the cover price is a tad higher than you would expect for a 150pp zine, even with the color covers etc. ... and if you would be kind enough to pay the extra few bucks to get a "1 of 50" zine, signed and numbered, you'd also know that you were helping Nut Hatch (not to mention JJ) clamber out of a hole that is nine-years deep.

Thanks in advance! The price is going to be somewhere in the regions of about A$28 + postage. About A$38 all-up would be a close guess ... and with the exchange rate right now, that will come out to about US$22, including airmail postage. It's a tad bit high ... and you know why. All due apologies for the pricing of the issue! But remember, it's got every bell and whistle, and it's a very, very limited issue collector's item. So...!

Rainy Days Volume 2: The Middle Years

This zine was published in 2004.

Reactions and Reviews

1990

Anybody who's so unimaginative that they can't get into fantasies or historicals should at least try to check out these "real-world" B/D adventures [lists many stories by Jane of Australia. I love this B&D in the RAINY DAYS stories because they're so mature, which is a rare thing for most B/D fanfic. They don't rape each other or torture or abuse or humiliate each other, or even beat each other up -- Gods! Instead,these stories are about how they deal with day-to-day problems of living and loving... two men in love with each other in a prejudicial, mostly straight and repressive world. Even when they do have fights, they fight fairly. Their work in CI5 is always spot-lighted, too, but what attracts me most to these stories is their loving, mature, settled relationship. S&M freaks, don't bother reading these. They're about a real relationship. [2]

1996

Okay are there two stories with this title (Rainy Days)... Got curious and just read the story and maybe the online version is toned down or edited but the only possible scene that could even fit the rough sex definition is when Bodie is mad at Ray and initiates sex while angry. There is absolutely nothing in my copy to indicate that at any time Doyle said 'no' or 'stop' or 'I don't want to'... which for me is needed to indicate rape. And I wouldn't classify it as rape just cause Bodie was angry at Ray and taking it out this way. The version I read implies not only at the end that Doyle enjoyed it but never indicates at any point that he wasn't willing.

Unlike say Consequences where it is quite clear he's saying no. Bodie did dominate him in this scene in Rainy Days but B and D doesn't indicate rape... nor even does S and M and there is a lot of violence involved in S and M. Rape is a sexual act against the party's will and I don't see that in Rainy Days. My copy never implies that it was against Doyle's will.

I do see that in Jigsaw although whether it's rape or sexual assualt... I think that without penetration it's assualt but I'm not sure. I'm afraid that I agree that Jigsaw -- which I like for the most part does take Bodie too far out of character in this scene. I could buy either the scene at the gym or the scene in the apartment-- meaning I can believe that Bodie might at some point lose control and even misdirect his anger-- but and this is a big but and why I thought Jigsaw was out of character... I can't see Bodie losing control for this prolonged a period of time. I can see him striking out at Ray once in anger but not over a several hour period. He's too controlled and too protective of Ray for his natural instincts to go on vacation for that long a time. An hour maybe--at most-- but this was for several hours and he should have cooled down and been remorseful long before he reached Ray's apartment, not still angry at him.

I haven't read any partner rape stories that I found even remotely believable in the set up...

I love the follow up to Consequences but I don't buy the rape nor do I buy Doyle's reaction to it.

And maybe I'll get my head snapped off here but Doyle's or Bodie's comment [in Rainy Days] that rape is harder on men is something I agree with. We as women are aware of the danger -- we know we're weaker and less able to fight than men but men at least in US society are conditioned to believe themselves as being stronger and in control. I as a woman am aware of my vunerability... even though I've never been raped I know it's possible. Men don't... they don't realize it they don't accept it -- it's not something they ever think about unless suddenly it happens. They know they might get mugged and beaten up but that they might be raped just doesn't occur. Women know everytime they face a violent situation that it's a possibility. So not only do they, men, have to face all the effects of the actual violence they also have that wall of saftey or invunerability that surrounds them ripped to shreads...{yeah I know we all have a bit of that wall in that we all believe that it won't happen to us but we as women somewhere recognize that it might if we're not careful-- men don't for the most part-- it's not even something that they consider. If I walk in a bad part of town after dark I'm aware that it's something that could happen-- a man who walks in a bad part of town realizes that he might get mugged beaten up shot-- but that he might be raped-- it's normally beyond their comprehension} So when a man is raped I think that's more devastating--the unthinkable has happened. And there is definitely more stigma attached to a man than a woman and also less support groups.

Overall it's also an individual response. I don't like rape stories either partner rape or stranger rape. I'll tolerate them if the hurt comfort aspect is good but I'd prefer other injuries or violence to rape. It's just not a subject I take lightly. Oh well I've wondered off topic but wanted to defend the author's position with that comment. Hope I managed to make my point clearly... it's a tough one to state clearly.

As for Rainy Days-- I don't see a rape or near rape in the copy I read.. only a bit of rough sex and considering some of the other stuff I've read on the library not all that rough in the sex department. [3]

References

  1. ^ Close Quarters Desert Island Episode/Zine/Fic dated July 18, 2009
  2. ^ from a fan in Short Circuit #3 (October 1990)
  3. ^ from a fan on Virgule-L, quoted anonymously (September 17, 1996)
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