It’s Iimi! Hold Fast to What You Have

When we last left Iimi, the fear that Iimi will have another nervous breakdown led to her mother forbidding her from continuing her defense of the Church. Iimi feels caught between the moral obligation to obey her mother vs. the call to help Krysta and Daryl by encouraging them to “Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may take your crown” (Revelation 3:11)

Part 2 of a 2 part story.

 

Post Comic Notes:

This will be the last comic with the “full-figure” model of Krysta. 

The problem with Comipo is it only has four basic models: Child, Male, Female, and Heavyset Male (which can only wear a business suit, or it would be the model for “Author Avatar.”). Every person in that body type has exactly the same figure. There are no “plus size” versions. I originally wanted to introduce different body types in the comic and thought Krysta, being six feet tall, was a good candidate. 

 

The problem with my attempt was it’s cumbersome to edit, as each panel had to be adjusted. In addition, it was hard to make the edit look natural as I couldn’t create the proper shading. 

I wanted to change this for awhile, but I felt trapped because I would need an excuse to explain the abrupt change.

 

So, learning that “minimizing bras” were a thing, I added a couple of lines of dialogue about a self-conscious Krysta wanting to change her wardrobe to justify eliminating the edits. 

 

I doubt I’ll try that kind of edit again unless the plot requires that body type… and I can’t imagine how it would. 

Iimi’s mental soundtrack on page 11 can be heard here:

It’s Iimi! Will I Ever Awaken From The Endless Nightmare?

In the double length conclusion to the Paula’s Abortion storyline, we see Paula wracked with guilt and despair, clearly mentally unstable. When she contacts Iimi through Kismetta, Iimi rushes over, determined to help. When Paula runs off, her friends must work together, learning that they can’t do everything alone. Sometimes, as hard as it feels, they need to step back and rely on God’s help for what they cannot do.

This isn’t the end of Paula’s story of course. But, at this time, this is all Iimi and her friends can act upon.

It’s Iimi! When God Closes a Door, He Opens a Window…

The expression When God closes a door, He opens a window is trite to be sure. But have we ever considered what it really means when we go beyond using it as a meaningless condolence?

Iimi is staggered by how a rumor turned her into a pariah right on the heels of what happened to Paula. She feels angry with God and feels guilty about feeling angry. But Father Gabe reminds her of what Pope Francis said on being angry with God (June 3, 2020) and encourages her to think about what this saying means.

We might have a hard time with reconciling God’s being all powerful and loving with what happens to us (and there are some enduring tragedies that might make me collapse if I had to face them). But God does love us and work to our good, even if we can’t always see it.