Because of the potential side effects of the medicines Iimi takes, she needs to see a psychiatrist before increasing the dosage. But both Thea and the psychiatrist realize they must get to the root causes. Meanwhile, Iimi is suspicious of psychiatry being “anti-religion.” Ultimately, she has to ask: is her condition something that comes from freely serving God? Or has she instead fallen into… A Spirit of Slavery?
It can be hard to be patient when you can’t identify any forward momentum in what you try to do. Often our human efforts seem to come to nothing. But God has a plan too, and you never know when He plans a… Breakthrough!
Post-Comic notes: And so it begins for Kismetta, not ends. She has many more steps to take. But she’s taken an important first step towards Christ.
As a side note, in showing the reactions of the Muslims Kismetta knew, it had to be the Assistant Imam who opposed Najiyah’s plans, to avoid turning him into a cardboard villain. The Assistant Imam would not want to live under ISIS or the Taliban. The Muslims in this comic are not extremists. But, like all other people, they can make errors of judgment.
For those who may be mildly shocked by the Assistant Imam returning Najiyah’s feelings despite their age difference, or those who assume that the stories of Muhammad’s wife Aisha, means all Muslim men are pedophiles, I found it interesting that, while California allows underage marriage with parental consent, it’s forbidden in Jordan (where the Assistant Imam comes from) and Qatar (where Najiyah comes from). Exceptions can be granted if the courts find the underage partner to be mature enough to understand the responsibility of marriage.
But the point is, the Assistant Imam wants to wait until Najiyah becomes an adult so she doesn’t rush into a situation she might later regret.
His position on polygyny reflects the research I’ve found online. The most common view I’ve seen from Muslims online is, “Can men do this? Yes. Should they do this? We don’t recommend it.”.
With Paula’s adoption date approaching, she still has some feelings to work out before she’s 100% on board and prays for resolution. When she closes her eyes to sleep on the night before the court date, will there be comfort in… The Final Dream of Paula Ochlos
Post-Comic Notes: And thus ends the story arc of Paula Ochlos becoming Paula Iscra. It’s not the end of It’s Iimi!however. I plan to keep doing this for as long as God makes it possible.
When I first conceived of the character in 2020, I had no plans to do this story arc. But as I developed her character, Paula evolved from a foil to a friend for Iimi. The idea began to germinate with Paula reaching out to Thea in It’s Iimi! My “Friend” Has A Problem… (published slightly over a year ago), and by the end of the Paula’s Abortion arc, I knew it was the story I wanted to tell. But I did not want to rush the cancer revelation, because that would feel too contrived. So, it wasn’t until It’s Iimi! End Games and New Games that I was ready to start dropping the hints that would commit me to the story.
I hope the development of Paula’s character and story was worth reading, and I hope the next major story arc (already developing) will also be worth reading.
