Chapter 8 – Page 229
I wonder what wandering off could lead to…
Next post: (Nov. 1) Predictably, our leading men get di(ck)stracted.
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Page transcript:
Sound effect: (Clang)
Rahul: You guys wanna go explore the rest?
Kaz: I’ll be right back.
Alex: You guys go ahead, we’ll catch up.
Rahul: Take your time.
Alex: Kaz?
Man, I hate the fact that I got so red after seeing this panel and threw my phone at a wall, despite the fact this comic has (obviously) gotten way more graphic in past! Horror films don’t scare me, but for some reason Kaz pissing does. 💀
Jokes aside, I really hope you’re doing well. I’ve been keeping up with Arcade Alex for a year or so now and I’m always looking forward to the next update. I’ve noticed your art has gotten better and gotten more experimental as time has gone on too, you’re playing with different colours and themes even.
I can’t put into words how invested in this comic I am, there’s just something about it that makes me just adore it! It’s probably the amazing representation (that comforts me a shitton as a trans guy) or just how cute Alex and Kaz are together.
I know it’s a pretty awkward place to leave a comment like this, but I really hope you, your mental health and (don’t forget) that wrist well! If you need a break, take one! You deserve it after all your hard work 😛
Haha oh man, sorry! Maybe I should put a content warning on this page lol.
For real though, thank you so much! It’s been fun to play around with different things as I’ve grown more confident with the characters and the comic. Doing a spooky chapter is something that’s been in the works for a long time (years… haha) so it’s been awesome to finally work on this one. I’m so glad you’re loving the comic and enjoying seeing Alex and Kaz’s story!
I appreciate you checking up on me. I’m doing well these days and learning to pace myself better, both physically and mentally. Taking a couple months between chapters has helped prevent burnout for sure, and I’m just thankful that you and my other fans are patient during the in between periods 🙂
Hey man, no content warning needed! If I’m totally honest I actually like this page. I think I got a fright in the first place because I like this page. Maybe do more Kaz peeing. Your readers would eat it up, lmfao
I’m really glad you’ve been getting more confident with your art, there’s a noticeable jump in quality from earlier chapters and the newer ones. Experimentation is brilliant, do more of that! Really looking forward to what Arcade Alex has in store in future, I love that every chapter has it’s own theme.
I actually forgot how to draw because I didn’t experiment enough. When I was little I mostly drew cartoon and video game characters (mostly Sonic, but there was still varience in my art) and I was known as “the art kid” among my peers. When I was a teenager I only drew attractive men. I thought I’d become one of those big Twitter (I refuse to call it X) yaoi / bara artists like Mazjojo, and I’d make a fortune selling NSFW art on a Patreon. Never worked out, I gave up drawing because I got block and couldn’t get out of my comfort zone.
Please keep experimenting with art and keep trying because I don’t want what happened to me to happen to you. Sure, you’ve been drawing probaby way longer than I have, but still!
Of course I’d check up on you, this comic means a lot to me and there’s clearly a lot of hard work that’s gone into everything. The world is a scary fucking place for people in our community, we’ve got to stick together and support each other.
You contribute to the community greatly, I literally can’t find any other comics or artists making similar stuff to you at all, and it pains me to say it. I mentioned it before, but all I’ve found in my search is just gross fetishy stuff. Your comic could help educate people, I feel. I admire you for that. I feel even honoured getting a reply from you in the comments, you’re a great guy.
Another sentimental comment aside (sorry, I just can’t help it!) I heard you like Depeche Mode, and I absolutely LOVE their 101 live album. What would your favorite songs off it be? I think mine would be People are People, Nohing and Stripped.
Lol, I’m glad I’ve awakened something in you! Just kidding.
For real though, thank you! I want to clean up the earlier chapters at some point when I get around to trying to publish the first volume of Arcade Alex, maybe next year. I feel you – I drew all the time growing up and into my teens/early 20s. I quit drawing for a few years when I went through a period of bad depression, and it was a little tough to get back into because I felt like I had lost a lot of what I’d learned. I picked it back up quicker than I expected, and it gave me a chance to finally work on developing a style that felt more like me. Drawing consistently over the last several years has helped me improve a lot too.
If it’s something you’ve enjoyed, it’s never too late to get back into it! I’m 35 now and definitely not rich or famous, but I do love the work I do and it’s been awesome finally sharing it with people after really just drawing for myself alone over the years. No pressure, but if you get back into it, I would love to see what you draw!
I absolutely agree, times are tough right now for queer and trans folks, and we have nothing without solidarity. Thank you for believing in me and the work I do! I really love that my comic has been a positive for other trans guys, and I’ve gotten comments from cis folks too hearing that it’s helped them understand what trans people experience and to ask about language/terminology and to not make assumptions about what trans people like in the bedroom. If I can save a trans person from even one awkward conversation, I will take that as a major win lol. I did write Kaz a little as the “perfect” boyfriend (even though he has his flaws) that Alex does not have to explain or justify himself to, but there are good people out there who really will respect us as we are, and we should not settle for less.
A fellow Depeche Mode fan!! DM is awesome. I got into them in high school and I haven’t looked back. Have you seen the 101 documentary? It’s very fun and super 80s. People Are People and Stripped are faves for sure. I liked the live version of Master and Servant with the sheet metal percussion, and Everything Counts as the closer was perfect with the audience singing along. Overall, I think Black Celebration is my favorite album. Also, Alan Wilder was FINE in the 80s.
Always good to hear from you too! You also seem like an awesome dude who has great taste in music and art (not that I’m biased………) 😉
I mean, I’ve always been into erm, “that”, but I like to shove it under the rug because I feel it’s embarrassing and not something I’m very proud of..
That’s really cool, how are you planning on publishing it? I’m glad you were able to draw again, it’s really hard to do as well. Maybe I should redo my style and try something new. I don’t know if I have the confidence for it though, my knack would be more music based. I taught myself 5 instruments by 14 and it’s something I always do. Doesn’t mean I won’t give art another try though! Hey, I might even just draw Alex and Kaz as fanart.
I didn’t make it clear earlier, but some of the other reasons I wanted to draw NSFW particularly is because I anted to do something similar to what you’re doing. I’ve always felt left out in gay male circles even online, and I thought that maybe if I drew hot trans men I’d make more people aware. Most of the time I resort to looking at porn of cis guys because the there’s such a lack of content of trans guys, and from what I’ve found most of it is fetishy bullshit that makes me uncomfortable. It saddens me how there isn’t much, so I cherish every moment of your comic and the first thing I do on Wednesday and Sunday mornings is check the comic updates.
I think people have become more transphobic as of recent. Fuck, even the UK PM is transphobic (fuck you, Rishi Sunak) and said some pretty wild things. Never been prouder to be Irish, lmao. Again, that’s why we need o stick together. Even as a teenager I considered becoming a politician to change people’s minds about trans people (I knew I was trans from a pretty young age)
I just love the message your comic has. Kaz really is the perfect boyfriend, like not only is he really cute and polite but he asks Alex about his prefrences. I’ve mostly got a thing for himbo-y brunette guys (can this word even be used for men?), but I would date Kaz in an instant.
I’m going to spill the beans and confess I haven’t listened to much Depeche Mode, but I LOVE what I’ve heard. My dad showed me their 101 live album and wants me to listen to more of their earlier stuff but I never got around to it. I haven’t seen the documentary, I really should! I can’t believe I forgot to mention A Question of Lust, I listened to the album again while playing FIFA and that song just, oh my fucking god forget everything I’ve said before, that’s my favorite song on the album now.
Do you have any recommendations as to what to listen to next? I’m a bit stumped. I just think of you as the Depeche Mode guy, when I listen to them you pop into my head so I figure you’re a fucking expert. Also, he was! Holy shit.
I’m flattered, but I’m really lame and the same goes for my music taste. You seem a lot more awesome, I don’t know a lot of the artists you like but I think that makes you even cooler!
I’ll just spitfire name a bunch of my favorite artists so you can get a picture:
I like Nirvana, Kate Bush (I liked her before she blew up for one of her worst songs..), David Bowie, Mac Demarco, Tame Impala, The Grateful Dead, TV Girl, System of a Down, Korn, Prince, The Stone Roses, Streetlight Manifesto, George Michael, UB40 (more of their old stuff though)
I honestly could go on forever if I tried. My taste is really diverse so it’s hard to explain what I like to others without naming everything…
I felt some shame over the years around it, but have eased up some with time. Still, it took some courage to put this in the comic, so I’m glad it was well received!
I was planning on self publishing. I know some other folks in the webcomic world, and got some recommendations on publishers who charge a fair price and will print erotic content. I may do a Kickstarter or something before I go to publish to help with the upfront cost, but it shouldn’t cost too much. I’d like to publish chapters 1-6 with maybe a couple bonus comics in there that will be print exclusive. I want to keep the main comic online and free to read forever though, because I think it’s important to have decent rep in the world, and I completely get that not everyone can afford to pay to read the comic. I love that this is your Sunday and Wednesday go to 🙂
5 instruments! Damn! That’s impressive. Which ones do you play? I used to be able to play a couple (guitar and synth/piano) but these days I just play my synth from time to time. I would not say I am outstanding at it lol, but I’m alright. I would love to see Alex and Kaz fanart if you ever decide to draw them!
Yeah, the transphobic propaganda in the news is so frustrating to read. The US and the UK both are going through some major political growing pains and I hate that all of the bigots have crawled out of the woodwork. As for being proud to be Irish, absolutely! I’ve heard that some aspects of transition-related law are much more progressive there. How have your experiences been? I can only imagine it’s better than the US and UK atm.
That’s awesome! My dad was part of the reason I got into Depeche Mode as well – he’s a fan of them and New Order both. A Question of Lust is such a lovely song. Martin’s ballads are just stunning. If you liked the 101 album, Music for the Masses (1987) or Black Celebration (1986) would be my first thought. They were both released around the same time. Violator (1990) is considered by many to be their best album, and it is excellent, but I found it to be a little too polished. I did enjoy Some Great Reward (1984) a lot as well. Clan of Xymox (Dutch darkwave group) and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are also great if you like DM. You may enjoy the Pet Shop Boys and Kraftwerk too. Kraftwerk especially did a lot of experimental stuff with electronic music, like DM. I know DM did a lot of sampling of sounds in their music – like the scissors and pots and pans in Blasphemous Rumours – which was still pretty novel in the 80s. Huge music nerd, lol. But I’m happy to recommend more if any of these appeal to you in particular!
All excellent choices – Kate Bush, David Bowie, and the Stone Roses are faves for sure. I like what I’ve heard of Mac Demarco. I should check out more of his stuff. What are your top tracks by him?
I’ve always been really insecure regarding it, but I’m glad someone else is able accept themselves and get over it rather than being ashamed.
That’s super freaking cool! I can’t wait to see what that could look like, just holding chapters 1-6 in my hands. I better pick up a copy for myself when you get it published, I think you should start a Kickstarter, doing something like this could cost a lot. Knowing people can come useful, huh?
I’ve always admired you for making Arcade Alex free to read and online. I read a lot of other gay erotic comics, so I usually have to read them on other sites rather than buying all the chapters on services like Leizhin or Tapas because I’m fucking broke.
I really hate to be that guy, I always want to support artists because art is hard as fuck. I think that when I get a better job I’ll subscribe to your Patreon because you deserve it, man 🙂
Yep! I can play guitar, bass, piano, ukulele (I can play ukulele but I rarely do since it sucks ass and not even in a good way) and this Turkish instrument called the bağlama. Synth is really cool! Not really sure how to play it, though I’m sure I could learn if I put my mind to it.
I don’t know if I had a sudden stroke of genius or what, but I was doodling yesterday and accidentally ended up drawing NSFW. I can’t tell if I figured out how to draw again or if I was just pent up, but holy shit. I’ll try to draw Alex and Kaz today, and if it goes well I’ll email it to you!
It’s really disheartening to see transphobia in the news so often. Michael Knowles literally called for THE GENOCIDE OF TRANS PEOPLE and he gets 0 repercussions, wheras if it was anyone else it’d be a bigger ordeal. I just want to wear guy’s clothes, and look like one and sound like one, and that’s apparently going to make the fucking world end?..
Radical conservatives need to get off our ass, but so do shitty Kick streamers. You know, the kinds of losers that claim to be a sigma male you’ve gotta huff 20 cigars a day, work out and beat up every woman you walk by. There’s this one clip of Sneako (one of these parasitic streamers) where he’s at some event and these fans who look like they came out the womb just a day ago (in other words, young) came up to him and started saying the most vile shit in order to impress him. Trigger warning for transphobia, misogyny, the usual.
Ireland is a lot more accepting and progressive. Heck, our PM is a gay guy (though that doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s a slimey piece of shit). Getting gender affirming care is way easier here, but the HSE is such a trainwreck that the wait times for appointments can be unbearable. I tried getting therapy years ago and only 6 years later was I at the top of the waiting list.
God, I forgot about New Order, though I always liked Joy Divison more and meant to list them as one of my favourite artists. I think I’ll listen to Music for the Masses first, maybe while on a walk tomorrow. I’ve heard of Kraftwerk, I think my dad recommended them to me in past. I’ll have to give them a listen sometime as well! I’m sure I’ll like it, you really know your stuff when it comes to music.
I LOVE Kate Bush, but I feel like most people think of her as “the Running Up That Hill lady” which she is so much more of. I’ll be real and say Running Up That Hill is one of her weakest songs, I can’t fucking stand it. What she should be known for is how artistic she is, and her willingness to be experimental and step into avant garde territory. The Kick Inside, Lionheart and The Dreaming are my favourites by her, though I’ll warn you by saying The Dreaming is an acquired taste.
David Bowie was also amazing, I’ve always loved how he reinvented himself and his persona for every album. Hunky Dory is my personal favourite, though I also love Ziggy Stardust.
The Stone Roses were unfortunately a one album wonder, let’s NOT talk about The Second Coming…. I also like them because they like the same football (or soccer) team as me, Manchester United.
As for Mac Demarco, here are my favourite tracks by him!
Annie
One Another
Moonlight by the River
No Other Heart
Passing out Pieces
Go Easy
Chamber of Reflection
As for albums, I’d start off with Salad Days as it’s easily his best work.
Absolutely! I love that Kickstarter is a resource for creative folks these days. I’ll keep you updated on the process and I will of course share a link to my website once I create a Kickstarter! I feel you, I support the artists I love as much as I can and I do love having a print comic in hand. Buying the chapters individually can add up in a hurry though. There’s no rush at all – my Patreon will be there if/whenever you want to join or not. The main comic will still be here.
Oh badass! Multi talented! The ukulele seems really fun. I love Rebecca Sugar’s music that they did for both Adventure Time and Steven Universe with the ukulele. It’s a very twee instrument and seems like it would be a blast to compose with or just jam on. The bağlama looks really cool as well – def going to listen to it later to hear the kind of sound it produces.
It’s fuckin’ unbelievable – we’re human beings. But like you said, these are the same people who are viciously misogynistic and racist and everything. They truly don’t seem to believe that anyone matters except themselves. Really, I think they’re afraid and envious because we know ourselves better than they could ever hope to. Someone who is confident in themselves would not behave like this.
Good to hear that Ireland is becoming much more progressive and gender affirming care is more accessible! But oof, SIX years to get to the top of the waiting list for therapy is rough. It’s a mixed bag in the States, fewer waiting lists for some things, but there are so many places where there are just no therapists or doctors who will even try to treat you, and of course, the expense of medical care. I really wish there was a country that had all of these things figured out but sadly it looks like the whole world still has a way to go with providing better gender affirming care.
Joy Division is awesome and definitely a favorite band for me as well. Let me know what you think of Music for the Masses! The Man Machine was one of my favorite albums by Kraftwerk. It’s fun and experimental at the same time. Running Up That Hill is a good song, but yeah, it’s not the only thing she created by any stretch. She’s such a talented artist with a phenomenal voice. David Bowie’s ability to reinvent himself over his career was also really admirable – he always knew how to keep it fresh. Haha, I hear you on the Stone Roses – I really just got into their first album and some of the singles. Manchester had a lot of great bands in the 80s. Thank you for the recs on Mac Demarco! Adding Salad Days to my playlist 🙂
Interesting…like Kaz peeing…
I’m glad the response has generally been positive to this page!
I really hope people will back your Kickstarter when you get around to setting it up. You have my full support, man 🙂
Yeah, I mean there’s something special about having a book or comic you love in physical form but also supporting the author or artist who made it in the first place.
I’ll subscribe to your Patreon once I’m able to scrape together some more cash, I’m not too great financially at the moment because my job pays like.. minimum wage.
Once again, thank you!! Playing instruments and doing music stuff is just something that comes to me naturally. It’s kind of hard to explain, but basically I have perfect pitch. I’m able to tell the slight differences from notes from how many cents in difference they are to which note is which. It’s an ability I cherish, I love playing instruments and listening to music.
To be honest ukulele isn’t THAT bad, I just have nightmares about experiences I had regarding it from early secondary school. It was an instrument we had to get for our 1st and 2nd (7th and 8th) of music class since most of my classmates had never even touched a fucking instrument before. For the whole of 1st year I had to be that one guy who went around class tuning everyone’s ukulele’s by ear (another thing I can do) and even then there were always like 2 or 3 kids in class who’s ukuleles were ear gratingly out of tune. We learnt the most simple of songs and acted my practical without even practicing it at home. In 3rd year I was finally allowed to bring in my own instrument (I chose guitar), so I didn’t have to listen to the ukuleles again.
I forgot Rebecca Sugar did some stuff on Adventure Time, first thing that comes to mind would obviously be Steven Universe as you’ve mentioned. I think the ukulele in both shows makes them more like, cozy if you know what I mean? I always liked it.
The bağlama is real cool! It’s really fun to solo on and just kinda improv with. In Turkish and Middle Eastern music they often use quarter tones (bayati scale) and the bağlama has these extra frets for the quarter tones which make it sound really unique. Hope you like how it sounds it 🙂
I genuinely think that a lot of these people do it for attention and money. Don’t get me wrong, unfortunately some people really do feel this way about us. But I feel as though a lot of it comes down to a business model. “Get a camera and start streaming or recording yourself, say something controversial about a minority group you don’t like such as gay or trans people, have people talk about how offensive you are and have your bank account flood with cash.” Doesn’t mean what they’re doing isn’t horrible though.
I really hope people snap out of their transphobia and that they go back to how it was like a couple years ago. I just felt like it’s gotten worse.
I really think that’s true too! Chances are they’re insecure and want a scapegoat or just someone to blame it on.
I’m not entirely sure how Ireland is though, I think the youth in Dublin can be particularly queerphobic due to social media and the like.
But the actual care is better, it just takes a while to get at the top of the waiting lists and such.. By the time I actually got therapy, I was already getting therapy with another company so I had to turn it down.
That’s upsetting, I’ve been given some dirty looks by doctors and been treated kind of rude by medical staff while in hospital but I can only imagine how worse it is over there. I really feel bad for you and everyone who has to deal with being discriminated for legitimately nothing, I hope to see a better world for trans and queer people within our lifetimes because this is just insane.
Over the days I’ve been listening to way more Depeche Mode and I think they’re going to be one of my favourites. I listened to some stuff from Black Celebration, Music for the Masses and
Violator and it’s all really really good! Though I have noticed that there’s a big difference between their earlier work and when they actually started to get super popular, like I feel like the versions from the 101 live album sound more polished, particularly the vocals (I’m probably wrong about this through). My dad told me that when Depeche Mode came out he first thought they were shit, but after being convinced by a friend to listen to 101 he loved it and would eventually introduce them to me. I think there’s a sort of charm to Dave Gahan’s earlier vocals, but it seems to me (I’m also probably wrong!) that his voice got stronger overtime. I’ve also noticed I don’t really like their newer music, from like 2000s onwards. This will probably change overtime, as music I don’t like at first tends to grow on me.
Thank you for giving me recommendations and getting me interested in Depeche Mode, they’re my favourite to listen to right now and I just know they’re going to be one of my top artists soon. I hope you enjoy Mac Demarco’s music too, his stuff is great.
P.S: I wanted to say sorry for the radio silence, I’ve been busy and I hadn’t gotten around to replying to you. Hope you’ve been doing well!
Shit, looks like I made the dumbass mistake of making an entirely new comment altogether. I think I’ll just email you instead.. 😭
Haha, no worries! Feel free if you want to email 🙂
Hey, no worries at all! I appreciate you just reading and sharing your love for the comic. I’ll definitely let you know when the Kickstarter is set up, but it likely won’t be until next year at the earliest.
It’s awesome that you have perfect pitch! That’s a major plus for a musician. I bet that was really grating on your ears listening to classmates who couldn’t even properly tune their instrument though lol. That sounds truly awful. The ukulele really does make cozy sounding music though. The music was one of the things that made Steven Universe so charming I think. Love that show. I listened to the bağlama – what a cool sound! I love how different cultures have different tones and scales. Western music is really limited by comparison. Although my synth is limited by the keyboard itself, I like that it has the ability to tune it however you like. It’s a digital synthesizer, but it has analog modeling – basically, it tries to replicate the little idiosyncrasies that analog synthesizers have, like analog drift. If you don’t already know, analog drift is essentially where, if you tuned your synth in the morning, the notes would change slightly as it cooled down at night (component temperature altering pitch). I think it gave the older electronics a more unique sound. One day I’d love to get an analog synthesizer to play around with.
I agree, I do think a lot of it comes from just attention-seeking behavior, whether for money or clout or whatever. Bad attention is still attention for these people. Years ago, I used to try and engage, but these people just want to argue. Now, I just block immediately and move on. Better to save my energy for people who deserve it. I do hope we get back to the media being quieter and less opinionated about trans people. Just leave us alone! Accept that we know our lives better than you do. Bummer to hear that the younger people in Dublin are more queerphobic. I hate that the media and homophobic/transphobic people on the internet are trying to radicalize younger folks before they’re really even exposed to the rest of the world.
It’s good to hear that the level of care is better. I’ve finally found some good doctors where I am, and I hope to move to a bigger city next year which will hopefully expand my network of doctors too. It does seem like things are improving and there’s more trans awareness, but it’s slow progress.
I think so too, Dave Gahan really hit his stride later on. IIRC, he joined the band originally on a whim – I think they met him at a party or something and thought he had a good voice and invited him to join. I know Alan Wilder lied about his age to join the band lol. He responded to a flyer and was a year older than their ideal candidate. It’s been a minute since I read a biography about them, but it is interesting to hear how the band came together. My favorite music of theirs is really during the 80s, less so with their older stuff. I know Alan Wilder was responsible for a lot of the music production, and he left after Songs of Faith and Devotion, which did change their sound. I heard that originally “Enjoy the Silence” was going to be a slower, ballad-like song, but Wilder pushed to have it be more upbeat, which I think helped make it more successful. I’m glad you’ve been enjoying their stuff! They have a huge repertoire of work, so there’s a lot to delve into.
Apologies for the delay on my end too, work has been busy and I just wrapped up the chapter 8 pages. I hope things have been good on your side!