Hien Pham draws in a cartoon-y realistic style with the full spectrum of colors. Today's comic, and specifically the script was a collaborative effort between Hien and Ziggy.

Character Descriptions:
Hien: Brown bear with a beard and a hair bun.
Ziggy: Spotted hyena with round glasses, nose ring, and ear gauges.
Hien's friend: Ginger bear with a full fluffy beard.
Ex 1: Sleek doberman in a bathrobe. cis guy, he/him.
Ex 2: Leather-clad lion with his mane tied back. cis guy, he/him.
Ex 3: Kinky cat, trans woman, she/her

Page 1
Through a pinky-purple-y tinted video chat window, Hien proudly holds up a bouquet of fantastical creature dildos that look more like art pieces than sex toys. "Ziggy!" He exclaims. "Check these out! I just got these in for a review!"

In a green tinted video chat window, Ziggy replies, "Whoah, those are gorgeous! Are they all for the site?"

"Yeah!" Hien replies, twirling his treasures around like glow sticks at a rave. "I've got a couple of bottom bears excited to help me test 'em out, hehe!" He sticks his tongue out in silly anticipation of the upcoming good times.

"Lucy you!" Says Ziggy. "Got a queue of willing test subjects outside the door, huh?"

"Naw! Just a couple of close friends!" Hien responds. "Surely you have an entourage of your own toy enthusiasts over there?"

Demurely, Ziggy answers, "You'd be surprised! I haven't always had the easiest time bringing toys into the bedroom."

Hien is boggled. "Really?!"

"Yeah, a couple of my exes were kinda OFFENDED by them." Ziggy says with a shrug.


Page 2
In a sepia-toned flashback we see Ziggy and his doberman in a bedroom.

Lounging on the bed, the doberman seductively asks, "Wanna try something new tonight?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" Exclaims Ziggy, already diving to pull open the sex toy drawer in his nightstand. A giant vibrator, butt plug, and a wearable small vibrator come flying out.

Bursting into tears, the doberman sobs, "W-whyyy do you hate my penis?!? I just wanted to top for once!!!"

Horrified in the background, Ziggy stammers, "That's not what I meant..."

In a different flashback, Ziggy is out window shopping at the sex store with his lion companion.

"Ooh!" Ziggy gasps in delight, pressing his snoot and hands up against the window where a glorious, giant butt plug with a luxurious flowing ponytail is upright on display.

"Absolutely not." The lion says cooly. "That's way too gay."

"TOO GAY?!" Ziggy responds in complete surprise. "But you love it when I-"

"HAHAHA I don't know what you're talking about!!!" The lion cuts him off with great nervous anxiety, looking over his shoulder and clamping his hand over Ziggy's mouth before he can finish.

Back in the present day with full color, Hien responds, "That's a big YIKES from me!"

"Yeah, those relationships did NOT last!" Ziggy responds with a shrug. "Sounds like your dildos came about from a happy story though, eh?"

"Welll..." Begins Hien.


Page 3
The scene turns sepia once again as we dive into Hien's flashback with his bear friend. The two of them are chatting excitedly as Hien shares what's on his phone.

Narration: I wanted to top an intimate friend of mine, but not with my penis. So we went online to pick out a dildo to play with..."

"I really like the more fantastical ones!" Hien tells the bearded ginger bear with a coy, eager look.

"Me too!" His friend agrees. "We're not looking for your replacement, but something entirely new to experience together."

Narration: That moment really stuck with me. I was so moved.

The full color of the present day returns to the scene with Hien reminiscing dreamily, "It felt so affirming, like he understood me in a deeply personal way."

"Awww!" Coos Ziggy. "You wouldn't expect it, but toys def have the power to enable connections between people!"


Page 4
In Ziggy's sepia-colored flashback, his narration reads, "Like, I remember I had a partner who was really into sensory play. She loved soft, smooth sensations, but I'm super ticklish, so they didn't work for me..." Feathers, a flogger, a paddle, a pokey tool, and a multi-wheeled rolling tool are laid out on a surface, all tinted brownish. A single pinwheel tool stands out against the rest in shining white. "...until we tried a pinwheel! Game changer!"

Ziggy squeezes his eyes shut in pleasure and light pain as a hand drives the pinwheel up his back, leaving behind a trail of little pokes.

Narration: Even though we each liked a different type of sensation, being able to share that sensory experience really brought us together.

Ziggy's hand runs a feather boa across his kitty-friend's back, who is lost in happiness.

The flashback ends, bringing us back to present day Hien and Ziggy in full color.

"The toys brought you an understanding of your then-partner in a way you wouldn't have had access to otherwise!" Observes Hien.

"When you keep an open mind, toys can do so much beyond just sexual pleasure." Closing his eyes in thought, Ziggy concludes, "I wish my exes could have seen the potential that I saw in sex toys."


Page 5
From out of nowhere, Hien hauls out a bundle of rope which he spins in a lasso over his head like a cowboy.

"The best toys I have complement the skills I already possess, and give me brand-new techniques I'm excited to practice and master!" Explains Hien with pride, twirling his lasso expertly.

"They bridge the space between us and open up new sensory experiences for me and the people I am intimate with." Agree Ziggy as the vibrator his is holding is lassoed by Hien's rope.

Across a montage of sex toys, both Hien and Ziggy's intermingling texts read, "When I look at my arsenal, I don't feel shame. I feel warmth. I feel excitement. I feel pride."

"Oh joy!" Exclaims Hien, yoinking Ziggy and his lassoed vibrator across the divide of their chat windows and into a shared reality where they lean against each other.

"Indeed!" Ziggy concludes with a wink.
Transcribed by Erika Moen, November 11, 2024