When You're Young and Messy
A downloadable comic
In the spring 2005, I was twenty-two, recently out of an abusive relationship, and struggling to find my footing in the world of sex and romance. As I bounced from relationship to relationship (and bedroom to bedroom), I chronicled my exploits on LiveJournal, getting brutally honest about unrequited love, casual sex, and my terror that the very things that gave me the most pleasure were also preventing me from ever finding happiness. This 200+ page comic — assembled at the end of 2011 from a selection of journal entries and selfies I had taken around the same time — tells the story of how I navigated two years of singledom before finally landing in a relationship again.
Also, there's a bunch of anal sex.
Purchase
In order to download this comic you must purchase it at or above the minimum price of $25 USD. You will get access to the following files:
Comments
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When I think back to being 22, I was too callow to track my thoughts. Lux Alptraum on the other hand was wise enough to set down her thoughts and pair them with candid selfies. There is much wisdom contained within the pages of this PDF and it's a valuable and relateable read. Highly reccomended!
When Lux mentioned this comic diary? Confessional? Photo collage art project? I was intrigued. Her open discussion of physical and emotional relationships over two years was the clincher tho' - I'm a magnet for people's truths.
It took maybe 40 minutes to read, but that's just the mechanics of it. If you pick this up yourself, take the time to revel in the creative and chaotic selfie compositions, which flow with the story.
Honestly, the usage of color filtering and soft focus is captivating, and helps pace the occasionally-intense history that Lux is sharing. And share she does, although it's not super spicy. CW for sex/anatomy/drinking talk, to be sure, but it's not graphic or constant.
No, the real draw, at least for me, was the display of inner turmoil layered with outer pics to match.
Seeing how she is still writing, still sharing, and still tweeting, I assume this two-year snippet is a part of a larger, integrated whole. Thank you, Lux, for sharing and for some, maybe providing some reflections for themselves.