Oh Joy Sex Toy – Connecting the Dots: KinkFest 2025 by Ripley LaCross

In today’s comic, Ripley LaCross draws themselves with a long flowing mohawk, black pants, and a grey shirt over a fishnet top, as they explore a kink convention. The comic is colored in greens and blacks, making for a very fun contrast and appearance.

Page One

Ripley dashes across the page carrying bags of swag.

‘Hey gang! I just got back from… ‘

Title: KinkFest 2025

‘A premier, three-day, BDSM and kink conference in Portland, Oregon. Full of workshops, vendors, community meeting spaces, and play parties.’

Ripley is in the middle of a diverse crowd of kinksters wearing all kinds of different regalia. Ripley is holding their sketchbook and taking notes as they talk.

‘I spent two intense days, soaking up as much as possible from the incredibly wholesome and supportive local kink community. Surprising no one, by the end, I was both mentally and emotionally exhausted. ‘

‘Despite that, I want to tell you all about my favorite part of it all, the… ‘

Title: Workshops

Fireworks explode from behind Ripley.

We see a panel in black as stick figures put on the workshop in front of a crowd of sitting in attendance. At the back of the stage, Ripley talks to the camera.

‘Imagine a panel like one you’d attend at a comic con… But instead of hearing which superhero would win a fight against a shark… You’re learning which floggers have the most delicious sting.

Page Two

Ripley unfolds a brochure and starts pointing at different labeled marks on it, it’s long and expansive, but Ripley seems excited to show it all off to us.

‘KinkFest had so many workshops to choose from. Everything from “solo kink” and “suspension” to “chronic illness and kink” and “post break up in the kink community,” if you have a niche interest, lifestyle, or kink, there was probably a workshop on it! ‘

Ripley mutters to themselves as they point out different workshops in the schedule.

‘And this one’s about warming up properly… And that’s on micro bondage… And this one is… ‘

The panel moved onto the next, interrupting the mutter.

‘But my favorite workshop was about… ‘

Title: Kink and Autism!

‘Held by a kink educator with a lived experience as an autistic person.’

Ripley is now in front of a corkboard covered in notes and string attaching different items to different ideas. It’s a board of madness, and in front of it, Ripley‘s pointing at different bits. It reflects a popular meme.

‘My autism confirmation came late in life… And since dipping my toes into kink, patterns and connections have been popping up fricking everywhere. ‘

Ripley lurches over in excitement, holding their fists up as they loudly proclaim.

‘I’m so excited to learn anything and everything about both of them! Let’s fucking go!’

Page Three

The same lurched over Ripley has the words ‘Proprioceptive feedback’ bounce off them from afar.

They turn around as the word ‘Alexithymia’ also bounces off them.

Before finally, they are bombarded by three different words, ‘Hyperlexia’, ‘Asynchronous Communication’, and, ‘(even more types of masking)’.

**Added Notes not included in the page, but added here by Ripley themself:

Proprioceptive Feedback: The body’s internal sense of where it is in space, critical for balance, motor control, and coordination.

Asynchronous Communication: Communication that doesn’t take place in real-time, with time lags between responses.

Hyperlexia: A syndrome characterized by a child’s ability to read at a very young age.

Alexithymia: Difficulty experiencing, identifying, and expressing emotions.**

We are left with a worn and beaten Ripley lying on the ground, covered in bruises

‘Damn… Am I in the dungeon…?’

The end of this page is filled with a huge panel; Ripley is scribbling their notes down into their sketchbook, as small tears hit the page. In front of that is Ripley holding their hands to their face hearts floating off of them as they feel all these emotions.

‘For something that’s always lived in my head. It was painfully euphoric to hear it said aloud in a crowded room.

Yes! I feel seen. *Do it again.*

Thank you I feel understood. *Please! Again!*

I absolutely consented to this raw Beatdown, and what a good hurt it was. They even provided handouts.… Should I buy them dinner??’

Page Four

Ripley’s upright again, exhaling as they hold their hands together in a penitent stance.

‘OK. All right. Exhale.

What about the spicy workshops? I checked out??’

We are shown two panels back to back. They look very similar to movie posters from the 80s. Characters and positions with over-the-top theatrics and fun titles.

The first, shows a person in abject terror as comical vampire hands approach them.

‘One was on the kink of…’

Title: Horror! How to be scary or get scared!

Subtitle: Negotiating exciting yet terrifying scenes! Identifying and making fear responses work for you!

The next is a lingerie-clad femme fatale, holding a knife and a rose behind their back

‘Followed by… ‘

Title: Knife play

Subtitle: Risk aware, consensual kink (RACK)

Laws, allergies, and techniques, oh my! And the best blades for shredding your playmate’s favorite shirt!

Ripley is ducking away as on stage a person brandishes a knife in front of her submisive.

‘They both followed a similar pattern: why we like these things, how to be safe, and how they do their scenes, and finally, a light demo with a consenting sub.’

‘I admit it got a little too squicky for me, and I bailed. To each their own!’

A small Ripley is lying in their now-large sketchbook full of notes as they pat a page.

‘Even so, shame I can’t share my extensive notes… Guess y’all are gonna have to seek out some workshops of your own!’

Page Five

Ripley is sat on the ground with their sketchbook and tote bags surrounding them, they look happily exhausted as little hearts and tired circles float around them.

‘All in all, these two days, yanked my legs out from under me… Made me say, uncle… And let a soft kiss on my forehead with a promise that I’m safe, loved, and cherished. ‘

Ripley empties out a tote bag onto the ground and a bunch of toys and BDSM bits and bobs fall out.

‘Not to mention their incredible vendor hall. I misplaced a ton of money in there, and somehow all this silicone and leather appeared in my bags. Can’t explain it.’

We are shown a small marshmallow person nervously, staring at the big KingFest banner, coming off of them are words, ‘oh no, no way, I could never.’ On the banner it says ’KinkFest! Big dungeon! And workshop classes vendors this weekend, only 18+.’ In front of it, Ripley talks.

‘I think when kink newbie like myself hear about something like KingFest they lock in on the huge dungeon part of it all and get cold feet, which is totally fair. But that’s the great thing about kink. It’s so much more than just playing whack a mole on someone’s butt cheeks.’

Ripley ends their comic by walking off, surrounded by hearts, carrying their tote bags with a big smile on their face.

‘Which I totally didn’t do, but I could have, and that’s what matters most. I’ll try again next year! See you later KingKest.’

Todays comic was drawn by Ripley LaCross for Oh Joy Sex Toy, and transcribed by Matthew Nolan on 5/26/2025.