Exhibition: 8-10 / ( 12 )

Commentary So, basically, these are 5 regular pages. It took weeeeeks to draft and organize this. I wish I did a better job on background narration. Originally these were planned like split screens - where B+G and J+L would be divided by a column of junk. Then I thought about making the B+G side the characters on black background only - maybe even just backlit or only outlines, with J+L occupying the main part of the landscape-oriented page, sort of as a commentary track to losen up Ls monologue.
Then I started drafting this and had B+G on seperate Pages to L+J, which did not make as much sense anymore, since B+G directly comment and see and react to what is happening on Ls side.
I also feel now, that the body language of that exhibitionist could be way stronger. To be honest, he was almost always right on the cut of a page and I had trouble inking him. Its a bad excuse since it is one at all. I Especially when he first appears, i was focussed on making his coat look more interesting than the character pose invading, annoying and overwhelming.
I once was directly confronted by an exhibitionist and it was way more menacing and hidden. I was with a friend and about - mh - i think 15 or 14. We walked for an s-bahn station in Rostock down a flight of stairs that would get us on the other side of the rails. In front of us walked a guy about 18 or 20, jeans jacket, jeans. When he reached the bottom, he turned around and his pants where open and his junk was out. He looked straight at me and my friend and started rubbing one out. I remember that we did not turn around nor get help. We were not isolated. Right then and there in that short underpass we were, but on the station a few meters back and out on the street there were other people. That guy smiled.
I was angry with me of not telling him off or getting help or calling the police. I was bewildered and shocked.
I remember the light, what he wore, his expression and the exact location, but I can t even tell, what year and who was with me. I know I was not alone luckily.
In preparation for this chapter I read up on exhibition and think now, that shouting and open rage would have been counter productive. Also by the time Police or Railroad security would have been there, that guy would have vanished, but it would have set a precedent and future encounters of the fleshy kind might lead to faster prosecution. Its very unlikely there as surveillance.
Ah well, that being said, that guy had a very subdued body language. Coy and stealthy. He did not flung his junk around and open a wide coat. From behind i am pretty sure nobody would have guessed, what he was doing.
I had other encounters of those kinds, but they were more stealthy still. Somebody sitting across in the subway, hand in pants pocket, starting to rub one out, staring at me and such stuff. The metoo hashtag is around right now. Its scary, how ubiquitous all of this is. And the truly bad stuff I don t even dare to have out there or here publicly. Maybe one day. But the good thing - nothing of that still affects me. I was in therapy for something unrelated and the psychologist agreed that we did not have to work through those things, since I was over them. What lingers with me though is not calling for help all the times help was readily available and thats something i work on changing.
So yeah, more expressive exhibitionist would not necessarily be realistic.