Page 1
Erika draws with a bouncy, cartoony style and uses a color palette of warm yellows, oranges, and reddy-pinks.

"Ahh, summer again!" Exclaims Erika, a white cis middle-age woman in beach attire, which is appropriate since she and her crew are walking on a sandy beach.

Ahead of her walks Ziggy, a trans man in his 40s with a heavily tattooed arm, gauged ears, and a septum piercing. He wears big round glasses, a Pokemon trainer's baseball hat, swim trunks and a tank top while toting in more beach supplies under his arms.

He adds, "That means sunshine, BBQs, and celebrating-"

"Oh Joy Sex Toy's 13th Birthday!" reads the text on a giant beach umbrella that Matt stakes into the sand. He is a devastatingly handsome white cis British man with salt and pepper hair who has just crossed the threshold into his 40s. He wears square-ish glasses, a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers.

"We invite you all to chip in to our annual Pledge Drive and support the site this month!" Matt continues. "For the price of a fancy coffee-"

"(or tea)" Erika interrupts.

"(or kombucha!)" Adds Ziggy.

"-you keep the site going AND get access to a bunch of BONUS COMICS that we've been cooking up this last few months.*" Finishes Matt with an iced coffee in his hands while Erika and Ziggy rest under the umbrella, each holding up their own iced tea and kombucha.

Caption: *In addition to all the previous years' extra stories if you haven't read them yet.

The scene shifts from the beach to show samples of the bonus comics, under a ribbon banner labeled "Preview"

Caption: Ripley LaCross travels through a backpacking retrospective. Hien Pham tackles Hourly Comic Day. Jey Pawlik explores what sketchbooks mean to them.


Page 2
Surfing in on a wave of comic pages, Matt says, "Last year, we had to consider closing... but with our successful Pledge Drive, instead you all helped us raise our rates to commission 27 new and returning guest artists to publish 52 comics for the site, which now has... gosh, 680 comics, all available for free to the folks who need them. You all showed up and kept this site alive when we were afraid we might have to close -"

On the beach, Erika and Ziggy build a sand castle as she once again interrupts Matt to say, "Thank you!"

"Thank you so, SO much!" Adds Ziggy while he upends a bucket of sand onto the castle, to build a new tower.

"But..." Matt says as the wave he's surfing changes course, looming ominously over Ziggy, Erika, and their castle. "While readership keeps growing..."

The wave washes over Ziggy and Erika, carrying them in its wake after obliterating their castle.

"-financial support slowly drifts downwards." Splutters Erika, trying to keep her head above water.

"And we get it!" She continues after being dumped on her ass unceremoniously on the sad. "Subscriptions are tough to justify in 2026. We're all making sacrifices..."

In the distance, Ziggy spits out some ocean water, while their demolished sand castle slumps in a pile in the foreground with the label "Support"


Page 3
"But still, OJST does need regular financial support to exist." Erika explains, using a bucket to scoop up some sand.

"We need to bump patrons back UP if we want another year of comics." Confirms Ziggy, while building a new sand castle tower with his own bucket.

"Our goal?" Asks Erika. "200 new Patreon sign-ups. That gives us breathing room."

The crew shrinks down to miniature size to clamber on and in the sand castle.

Leaning out of a sand castle window, Matt continues, "Then dare we dream for... 400. That's stability and maybe even another artist page rate increase!"

From a castle tower, Ziggy mentions, "(Patrons get bonus content every month!)"

Narration: If a monthly subscription isn't your jam, then consider buying a full single year at a discount or just our eBooks.

A little crab scuttles around a gift box emblazoned with the number 1 and a trio of eBook icons with the covers of books on them.

Narration: All that money goes into the same pot that pays for commissioning creators, staff, editorial, site maintenance, and well everything else.



Page 4
Erika builds up the base of their sand castle with her bucket, saying, "We didn't know what OJST would become when we first started it 13 years ago..."

"...and we're constantly humbled and amazed at what it's grown into." Finishes Matt, planting a flag on a top tower. "Oh Joy Sex Toy gives time and space to diverse voices, stories, and experiences relating to the world of sex, relationships and just being a human."

The view pulls far back, revealing the trio to be building their sand castle on a tiny lush island in the middle of the sea. A shark fin circles the island and an enormous tentacle looms out of the water.

Narration: In an internet full of misinformation, fear, and pain, this is an island of honesty and joy.

Erika and Matt pop back into frame, saying, "Happy 13th Birthday, Oh Joy Sex Toy, and happy anniversary to you, dear reader, however long you've been here with us."

Erika, Matt, and Ziggy stand to high-five over their elaborate sand castle.

"Thank you for supporting and keeping this project going for so, so long!" Cheers Matt.

"Fingers crossed- here's to another year!" Erika concludes.

Transcribed by Erika Moen on June 1, 2026 for ohjoysextoy.com