RENDER - Gutter Maids 1 & 2

2025/09/30 - When I originally scheduled this (in early July), there was only the first page and a vague notion of a second page. Now, there's the second page. I have a vague notion about the third page. Will I finish it before this posted at the end of September? (It's August 6 as the second page is added to the post.) Either way, this will not be a lengthy series if it can even be called a series. This is just some fun with size changes. (For now... *horror organ chord*)

I made a weird decision when I started this. The models for Stacy and Layla are the two models used in Statue Rentals for that story's Stacy. Is this an alternate reality where Stacy doesn't live with his friend Reggie? Perhaps, after meeting Layla, he has a dream where he becomes Layla and all of Statue Rentals is that dream. Or maybe Stacy from Statue Rentals has this weird dream where she meets her old self and she becomes his maid? Or.... Or maybe this happened in the past and when Meredith saw the woman in the block of stone, it looked like Layla because that's who Stacy wishes she was. (Insert conspiracy cork board image here.)

Or it's just because I didn't make new models and the stories are unrelated. (Of course, Paul has already resurfaced in Last Mannequin For Storage. If I do link Gutter Maids to Statue Rentals will that pull the LM4S into that same continuity? Should I redo LM4S using Leona's model? Noriko?)

This comic also experiments with not having speech bubbles. The text is so dense. If I used my usually bubble style the second comic would just be speech bubbles and Stacy's giant head. Not sure if I like this style. It should be fairly obvious who is speaking based on the color. Originally, I didn't include the little dashes. I added them in case it wasn't obvious who was speaking, for example, if the reader were color blind.

Yet another dialog bubble idea will be seen at the end of the year. (Heh.)

Scheduling: This is the fifth Tuesday of the month and that's why this isn't The Little Witch or Statue Rentals. Next fifth Tuesday is in December. It is still open. I have another one off comic that might end up there.

Transcript (Page 1)

Panel 1 – A 30 ft tall woman kneeling on a lawn, wearing a traditional maid’s outfit.

Guy (shocked): Whoa!

Maid: Hi, Mr. Erikson. You hired my gutter cleaning service?

Guy: Gutter Maids, yes.

Maid: That’s me. Sign here.

Guy: Um… Okay. Pen?

Maid: Oh, go ask Paul, the truck driver. I can’t easily hold a pen.

Panel 2 – The woman is cleaning out the gutter. Guy watching. The driver is carrying away a trash bag.

Guy: That little shovel must also be hard to hold.

Maid: Easier than a pen. It’s a normal gardening shovel. When you’re my size, you get used to small tools.

Guy: I feel like that was a joke at my expense.

Maid: That would depend on the size of your tool. They all look small to me.

Guy: I suppose I shouldn’t touch that one with a thirty foot pole.

Maid: Good one. And since you look like you want to ask, we have a machine to change my size at the shop. I’m normally quite short.

Guy: I bet this job gives you perspective.

Maid, to Guy: Are you flirting with the thirty foot tall woman.

Maid, to Paul: Thanks for changing the trash bag, Paul.

Maid, to Paul: Don’t look up my skirt, Paul.

Paul: Do this, Paul. Don’t do that, Paul. Nag, nag, nag.

Guy: I fear as a girlfriend you would always be out of reach.

Maid: Got them all out of your system yet?

Guy: Or you’d always have your head in the clouds. That should do it.

Panel 3 – She is crammed into the back of the box truck. Guy’s standing outside the rear opening. Paul approaches.

Maid: You rock. Just don't actually take that picture while I'm crammed in here. Do you want to do dinner? I eat very little considering my size.

Guy: Given the luxurious ways you travel, I doubt I could afford to take you some place appropriate.

Paul: I hate to break this up but I've got to close the doors. We still have two more stops today, Layla.

Guy: Why doesn’t he have to wear a maid’s dress?

Maid, Layla: Yeah, Paul, why aren’t you in a frilly dress?

Paul: Don’t rile her up. She’ll get bigger.

Maid: It was only that one time.

Transcript (Page 2)

Panel 1 – Mr. Stacy Ericson arrives at the Gutter Maids shop to pick up Layla to go on a date He finds Paul standing behind a reception desk.

Stacy: Hey, how's it going? Is Layla ready? She told me to meet her here after six.

Paul: Ah, Mr. Ericson. Are you sure you can handle Layla? She's a lot of woman, you know.

Stacy: I'm not a client, tonight, Paul. Call me Stacy.

Paul: Okay.

Stacy: Layla mentioned the machine you guys have. I'm assuming she won't be thirty feet tall today.

Paul: True. That green thing over to the right in the corner is called 'The Booth' by the maids.

Paul: I was just ribbing you a bit. Some guys get all weird at the thought of hooking up with woman so big, so powerful. Did you know the maids train for months to make sure they don't accidentally squish someone?

Stacy: Is that something that happens, um, frequently?

Paul: Far too many maids quit because of the guilt that traumatizes them after accidentally injuring someone or, God forbid, a pet.

Paul: But, yeah. I was kidding. Layla won't tower over you wherever you're taking her tonight. Oh, here she comes now.

Panel 2 - Layla is carried to the reception counter in Gabe’s hand as she’s only a foot tall. Stacy leans in to get a good look at her. We don’t see Gabe’s face.

Stacy: Ha, ha. Oh, Paul. You got me good.

Paul: See? She's unlikely to tower over you unless Gabe lifts her over your head.

Layla: Thanks for the lift, Gabe.

Gabe: No problem, Miss Layla. You treat this little lady well, Mr. Ericson.

Layla: Don't start with that little lady stuff. Hi, Stacy, lend me a hand to get down.

Gabe: I wasn't planning to lift her over my head, Mr. Paul. Good night. Have a good evening, Miss Layla.

Paul: Does Gabe like you?

Layla: I think he does, Paul. Gabe is so shy.

Layla: But you, Stacy. You clean up nice.

Stacy: Thanks. I assume there's a convoluted reason why you're so much smaller than me and why you couldn't go into that booth over there and become normal sized.

Layla: I don't know that it's convoluted.

Layla: We also clean interiors. Someone has to combat the hordes of dust bunnies lurking in places that are only hard to reach for normal-sized maids.

Stacy: I had no idea you were a warrior gutter maiden.

Layla: Warrior Maiden? I like that. As for staying small, activating the booth is expensive. I have three more short shifts this week, and while they give us monthly credits to use the machine for free, after they're used, we have to pay out of pocket. All because people were using the booth recreationally, I heard.

Stacy: Ha, I suppose 'short shifts' refers to your height not the length of the shifts.

Layla: Correct. I figured you'd be cool with it. This is only a mild inconvience, right? We'll find a way to make it work. And if not, it should make for a funny story to tell some day.

Stacy: I'm game. We'll just go out and have a run-of-the-mill bowling date.

Layla: I love that I can't tell if you're joking.