| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% ''Please'' check that a trope isn't already covered on the comic's main page before |
| 3 | %% adding it to this page (and vice-versa). |
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| 5 | ---- |
| 6 | |
| 7 | The characters page for Creator/GiseleLagace and [=Dave01's=] ''Webcomic/MenageA3''. As with the main page, ''please, no NSFW links on this page!'' |
| 8 | |
| 9 | See [[Characters/StickyDillyBuns here for characters who primarily appear in]] ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', [[Characters/SandraOnTheRocks here for characters who primarily appear in]] ''Webcomic/SandraOnTheRocks'', and [[Characters/PixieTrixComix here for those who are most prominent in]] ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix''. Note that some of those characters (including of course Dillon and Sandra) previously had significant roles in ''Webcomic/MenageA3'', and sometimes returned there while it was still running. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | !!Our Household of Three |
| 14 | |
| 15 | [[folder:Gary]] |
| 16 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/garry.jpg]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | ->''"All the girls my age seemed to delight in playing mind games with me. It's more or less remained that way my whole life."'' |
| 19 | |
| 20 | Gary Thompson is a comic book {{geek}} and the first main character to be introduced. He (initially) works at a call center, but has ambitions as a [[CreatorCareerSelfDeprecation comics artist]]. Tall and thin, with frequently bad posture, he is nonetheless [[AvertedTrope quite good-looking]] for a {{geek|Physiques}}. |
| 21 | |
| 22 | ---- |
| 23 | * AccidentalPornomancer: Gary's sex life is non-existent for a long time early in the comic's history, but then it turns ''complicated.'' |
| 24 | ** It remains patchy much of the time, but there are points in the series when he's having non-standard forms of sex quite frequently, even if he's not getting the standard types. |
| 25 | ** At other times, he's getting regular sex, but the circumstances have elements of weirdness. He sometimes performs grudgingly, under a degree of duress, or even as a result of trickery, or freaks out over the stranger elements. Also, unfortunately, his naive ideas about fun sex aren't always satisfactory for his partners. |
| 26 | ** Various women become determined to sample his cunnilingual abilities and willing to resort to dirty tricks to get them. One group of porn stars actually form a queue. Gary himself is generally either unaware of such intentions to ''staggering'' levels of obliviousness or lacks any sort of backbone to resist them. |
| 27 | ** On one occasion, his old friend Matt calls round to ask Gary for a favor; to come back to Matt's place and have sex with two attractive women. Gary obligingly agrees, not knowing that everyone will be masked, or that one of the women will be Kiley, or that Matt's reason for asking is in order to restore his own sexual confidence by humiliating Gary. |
| 28 | ** And even after hundreds of strips and regular contact with a lot of women, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/quite-a-few-pretty-ones Gary’s attempted pick-up technique]], when he takes Yvan to a bar and tries to show how it's done, is ''embarrassingly'' awful. |
| 29 | ** After Peggy moves in, the two flirt constantly and frequently talk about casual sex with each other. Eventually, this turns into an ongoing sexual relationship, so Gary is finally getting plenty of sex which he enjoys — though (thanks to Peggy's tastes) a lot of it is a bit non-standard, and Peggy insists that they keep it casual [[spoiler:(at least until the very end of the comic's run)]]. |
| 30 | * AfraidOfNeedles: In one plot sequence (originally a Kickstarter/print bonus story), Gary is reduced to a quivering heap by the prospect of a blood test; he turns out to have a terror of needles. In fact, [[spoiler:he faints at the moment the hypodermic goes in, and the rest of the story is AllJustADream]]. |
| 31 | * AllegedlyDateless: Gary's shift from virginal and genuinely dateless, through socially clumsy and still virginal but attracting the attentions of several attractive women and going on dates with some of them, to fully sexually active (if still socially inept), is so rapid that he gives the impression of fitting this trope. |
| 32 | * AlmostKiss: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/bumblezii While asleep, with Zii]]. |
| 33 | * AmbiguouslyBi: Early on, it’s apparently established that Gary is essentially heterosexual, although he has an artist’s appreciation for the male form (and at that point, a frustrated virgin’s curiosity about any kind of sex). However, as the plot continues, he goes along with so many sexual situations involving men (be it threesomes, sleeping together naked, or oral sex) you have to start questioning; is he ''that'' passive, or is he slightly into it?". Eventually it becomes clear that he's a heterosexual guy who just happens to lack the guts to say "no". |
| 34 | * AscendedFanboy: Gary starts the comic as a geek working in a call centre, with dreams of a career in comics art. He eventually gets some encouragement and training from his artistic idol, though that plotline fizzles out. Then, he swings a job interview with a videogames company. (In both cases, although Gary seems to be quite talented, the key is who he knows, not what he knows.) |
| 35 | * AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Well, ''...Ooh! Geeky!'' -- While Gary isn't exactly depicted as suffering from ADHD, even in the Hollywood form, he is painfully geeky and thus distractable by the right stimulus. For example, he almost gets sidetracked from the urgent pursuit of the dangerously berserk Yuki by the impulse to check out the latest batch of comics in a shop. Later, he is in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} for the first time, with a beautiful woman on his arm; he's supposed to be an artist, and his companion is talking about visiting the Louvre or the Pompidou Centre; so naturally, he gets distracted by a ''video games shop.'' |
| 36 | * AttractiveBentGender: |
| 37 | ** Yuki's attempts to deal with her attraction to him, when she considered herself a lesbian, make Gary into a distinctly attractive woman inside her head. |
| 38 | ** And after [=DiDi=]'s {{Wrong Name Outburst}}, Matt ends up visualizing her as a bustier gender-flipped Gary (though technically, that's someone with [=DiDi=]'s body and Gary's face). Matt then goes on to similar experiences with the much less busty Kiley. |
| 39 | * BeautifulAllAlong: Gary is initially presented as a gawky {{geek}}-- but that's never really convincing. He evidently has a metabolism that can keep him slim despite his geeky lifestyle, which gives him, to quote Dillon and Zii, a ''great'' ass, and he can dress up as Comicbook/{{Nightwing}} without having to fake the physique, chin, or really anything. It never seems very strange that various women and gay men fall for him. The only thing he ''really'' has against him is his pretty awful posture. |
| 40 | * BlessedWithSuck: It sometimes seems as if a passing fairy godmother read Gary's thoughts some time around when the comic started, and granted his wish to have attractive women want him. It's not an explicit superpower, but that's increasingly how things work for him. Unfortunately, Gary evidently neglected to wish for the personality or willpower that he needs to deal with the consequences of his good luck, and the women include a violent phallophobe, a {{narcissist}}ic transgender woman, and the desperate [=DiDi=], among others. Around the time that the ruthless {{dominatrix}} guest star puts herself on the list, it becomes clear that Gary should have [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor been more careful what he wished for]]. |
| 41 | * BorrowedCatchPhrase: Upon seeing Sonya with a strap-on (strip #523, November 08, 2011, NSFW), he borrows Yuki's "TENTACLLLLLE!" |
| 42 | * ButtMonkey: Gary's misfortunes sometimes seem to be the comic's main source of humor, although he sometimes has his small successes, especially as the comic's plot progresses. |
| 43 | * CannotTalkToWomen: Early on, Gary [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/best-buddies claims to suffer from at least a mild version of this problem]]. In fact, he seems quite capable of talking to women if he doesn't have to approach them with romantic intent, although [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/quite-a-few-pretty-ones he remains rather incompetent whenever he tries to look smooth]]. |
| 44 | * CantGetAwayWithNuthin: Gary's condition in the early part of the series; any little mistake, naughtiness or speaking up gets back to bite him in the ass. However, things later get more nuanced. |
| 45 | * CantHoldHisLiquor: Gary turns out to be very inexperienced with alcohol, and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/digging-this-new-flavor inexperience tells.]] |
| 46 | * CharacterDevelopment: For much of the comic's run, Gary's character undergoes some very limited development... |
| 47 | ** He does get a little more confident around women -- well, he stops passing out or suffering dangerous {{Nosebleed}}s in attractive female company -- and he eventually gains just enough confidence to terminate an unwise date with [[spoiler:Senna]]. But he remains passive and almost willfully socially inept over many hundreds of strips. |
| 48 | ** The process finally [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/what-a-man comes to a head,]] however, when he [[NotHyperbole literally gets caught in the middle]] of James and Tracy's [[InsaneTrollLogic bizarre disagreement]] about blowjobs. In a sudden and radical development, he makes it clear this makes him uncomfortable and leaves. On the way home, he buys comics like he normally does (so he hasn't completely changed), but after hearing Zii and Didi RightThroughTheWall, he's comfortable enough sexually to go to Peggy's room and suggest a hook-up, which she accepts. |
| 49 | * ChekhovsSkill: The [[TradeSnark Swirly-Go-Round]] technique Dillon teaches him subsequently gets some mileage, including him giving multiple orgasms to various women, thereby getting Yuki for one [[HoistByHisOwnPetard dangerously]] addicted. |
| 50 | * ClassicalAntiHero: Gary probably rates as the comic's primary protagonist, but he's rather feeble, verging on downright passivity, with a tendency to collapse under pressure. In other words, he has the core ClassicalAntiHero traits; he's self-doubting, weak in any sort of conflict, cowardly (his passivity at least approaching this), and sexually unsuccessful (though the latter disappears over time, few thanks to Gary himself). Fortunately, the plot doesn't call for a classical hero -- but Gary definitely isn't one. |
| 51 | * CluelessChickMagnet: Thanks to his [[EndearinglyDorky dorkiness]], cute butt, and expanding reputation as a cunnilingus master, Gary ends up having most of the comic's female cast (and some of the males, too) after him at times, or at least inclined to slap his butt. However, unlike most clueless chick magnets, Gary does actually end up having sex with quite a few of those women -- a fact that also disqualifies him from standard ChickMagnet status when he becomes at least vaguely aware of the interest he's attracting. |
| 52 | * TheConscience: Gary occasionally comments on other characters' unthinking amorality, and may also act as an unintended damper on their behavior; [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/the-human-cold-shower he has, rather unfairly, been labelled "the human cold shower".]] |
| 53 | * DarkAndTroubledPast: In early strip, while explaining why he is still a virgin, Gary describes a past that seems troubled by the very light-hearted standards of this comic. A little later, he also mentions having been an internet {{troll}} in his time, which would fit the pattern of a rather screwed-up personality. However, none of this was explored subsequently, to the point where the trope may have been {{averted|Trope}}. See FreudianExcuse below for more details. |
| 54 | * DeadpanSnarker: He has his occasional moments, at least early on, such as [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/Counter-candy his explanation of the idea of "counter candy".]] However, that aspect of his personality is rather {{flanderiz|ation}}ed out over time. |
| 55 | * TheDitz: It's very intermittent, and mostly happens for comedy purposes, but new experiences such as [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/nice-and-level air travel]] or [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/digging-this-new-flavor alcohol]] can trigger downright ditzy behaviour from Gary. |
| 56 | * EndearinglyDorky: Gary is depicted as such a nerd that, until his weird sexual gift becomes well known, his appeal to women such as Senna and Kiley is largely explained as them finding him cute or amusing. However, this lack of other appeal is a bit of an InformedAttribute; the writers give him a figure that's more slim than skinny and glasses that aren't ''quite'' {{nerd|Glasses}}y. When he walks in on Matt and Senna having sex, Senna's first reaction to him is "What a cutie!"; only afterwards does she start finding his dorkiness entertaining. |
| 57 | * EvenTheGuysWantHim: Gary acquires one or two male admirers (notably Dillon and James, and also, implicitly at least, Matt), partly through looks and partly through being a nice, sensitive person. However, the guys in question are gay or bi, so he isn’t a very clear instance of the trope. Also, a minor inversion of the trope is later revealed in a ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix'' strip, in which [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/pixie-trix-comix/i-bet-you-are the lesbian porn star Becca mentions that she's only been with three guys in her life,]] "and even then, only mouth stuff"; alert long-time readers will recall that one of the three was Gary, whose mastery of cunnilingus was evidently enough for this "out 'n' proud" lesbian to make an exception. |
| 58 | * ExpressiveHair: His single loose lock can flop down or stand straight depending on his mood; it may also sometimes qualify as low-key IdiotHair. |
| 59 | * {{Expy}}: Given the comic's clear influence from ComicBook/ArchieComics, Gary, the amiable but gawky and rather (socially) clumsy male who frequently somehow finds himself torn between two (or more) attractive women, and sometimes ends up in a LoverTugOfWar, can be seen as a loose expy for Archie Andrews. However, Gary is older, and does get laid. |
| 60 | * ExtremeDoormat: He's constantly pushed around, and almost never even tries to take the initiative. |
| 61 | ** For example, when Yuki and Sonya decide to compete formally for his affections, he lets them set the terms despite him finding the whole business overwhelming and traumatic, dragging him into a month of expensive double dates. |
| 62 | ** Eventually, in strip #795 (September 24, 2013, NSFW), the keen {{dominatrix}} Tatiana, guesting in a crossover with ''Webcomic/SandraOnTheRocks'', more or less lampshades the trope, identifying him as "the perfect sub" within about five minutes of meeting him. |
| 63 | --->'''Tatiana:''' ''[thinks]'' ''On top of everything, he's so spineless. It's like he has no will of his own.'' |
| 64 | ** And later on, when James and Tracy request a threesome with Gary as the third person (to service James), one might think that Gary would, say, explain the earlier [[ItMakesSenseInContext grapefruit blowjob]] deception to Tracy, or just politely say No. Instead, he says he'll do it if he can “destroy” James anally, assuming that James will refuse. But James accepts those terms. Though in the end, this is the incident that does seem to lead to Gary GrowingASpine |
| 65 | * FagStag: Junghan seems to be Gary's only straight male friend -- although he only hangs out with Dillon or Matt intermittently. (Actually, given that he otherwise mostly associates with women who he has met since the comic started, his mother may well be right to observe that [[FriendlessBackground he has difficulty making any friends at all]].) |
| 66 | * {{Fainting}}: Early on, Gary tends to pass out in sexual situations, but he gradually gets over it. |
| 67 | * {{Flanderization}}: Although Gary gains far more experience with women (and for that matter, men) over the run of the comic, his negative traits seemingly become worse over time. In early strips, he occasionally shows an ability to handle unexpected situations (such as making up an excuse for Zii when his landlord overhears that she is unemployed) and sometimes demonstrates flashes of insight or snark, getting the better of Zii once or twice. But as time goes on, his passivity and obliviousness are turned up to the point where it sometimes seems like there's nothing more to his personality, and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/No-will-of-his-own his lack of willpower]] and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/switching-it-up him being his own worst enemy]] are lampshaded as jokes. |
| 68 | * TheFool: His UnluckyEverydude qualities seem to fade into a weird sort of luck over time. He eventually, at various times, has his dream girl and a physically gorgeous rival willing to compete in a ''sex contest'' for him, has both his female roommates ''nearly'' willing to have sex with him, and ''accidentally'' transforms a kissing technique into an oral sex technique which gives three unmatched orgasms to his favorite porn starlet, while he isn't even aware of what he's doing. He eventually even has sex, with more than one attractive woman. The joke is, none of this does him much good -- because he's still Gary. |
| 69 | * FreudianExcuse: Not that he's a villain, but it's an excuse for his character flaws; he claims in an early strip that his virginity and social incompetence are a result of a severely repressive ultra-religious upbringing, plus cock-teasing female contemporaries in his teenage years. (And he finds himself living with two women who engage in a lot of sexual teasing, albeit mostly by accident, and lusting after a girl with penis-phobia. Um...) However, this is never mentioned again, when his mother 'phones him up she sounds nice enough, and his behavior looks far more like simple, if extreme, {{geek}}iness, than religious repression or guilt, so it may just rate as EarlyInstallmentWeirdness or self-justifying half-truths. |
| 70 | * FunTShirt: Gary evidently has a nigh-UnlimitedWardrobe of geeky T-shirts, and while they’re not usually funny in themselves, his choice often manages to reflect his mood or the events of the comic, often in a comedic way. For example, after he finally loses his virginity, his shirt reads [[Wrestling/ZackRyder WWWYKI]]. |
| 71 | * GagPenis: He has one, at least according to [=DiDi=] (she and Zii once undressed him and put him to bed after he fainted); when she learns that he's a virgin, she exclaims: "His star power! Quel gáchis!"[[note]]French for "What a waste!"[[/note]] None of the women who actually have sex with him comment on this, though; the fan consensus guess seems to be that he must be very adequately but not excessively equipped. |
| 72 | * GenreSavvy: Gary eventually proves savvy enough [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/that-guy to recognise that he's turning into something of an]] ComicBook/ArchieComics character, but possibly not sensible enough to avoid the disasters this implies. |
| 73 | * GiveGeeksAChance: As the comic progresses, Gary is increasingly a subject of interest to many of the attractive women around him -- despite him still being much the same socially inept geek as ever. However, this interest doesn't always fit the standard version of the trope; not many of these women like him [[GeekyTurnOn for his geekiness]], although some of them are taken with his cute nervousness. They’re generally more likely to be interested in the supposed glamour of him being an artist, or to have heard about his skill at cunnilingus, although his (rather passive) kindness and good nature may make him promising "boyfriend material" for some. Zii’s attraction to him fits the trope more closely, but she fights it furiously. |
| 74 | * GrewASpine: Gary begins the comic extremely mild-mannered and unsure of himself, and it’s incredibly easy for others to talk him into doing things he doesn’t want to do (especially sexually, once he finally loses his cherry). However later on, ''especially'' under Peggy's guidance, he grows a backbone and the confidence to say "no," such as explicitly telling Matt and Yuki he has no interest in a threesome ''or'' twosome with ''either'' of them. Notably, early in volume 10, when Tracy and James drag him into their relationship confusion, he finally shows the sense to walk out, telling them as he goes that they evidently have issues that they need to talk out. (Ironically enough, part of the trigger for this is Gary remembering a previous occasion when ''Tracy'' told him to show a little courage.) |
| 75 | * HeCleansUpNicely: While Gary is never presented as exactly unattractive, he is very {{geek}}y, with bad posture, and despite her attempts to improve his chances with women, Zii never seems to be able to do much about this, perhaps because her own tastes just don't suit him. However, when he puts on a smart suit for a job interview, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/sure-does-clean-up-nice she and DiDi invoke this trope]] -- and when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/even-better-than-glasses Matt dresses him up,]] the effects are fairly dramatic. |
| 76 | * HormoneAddledTeenager: Details of Gary's teenage years are somewhat shadowy, but he ''may'' have manifested this trope in an unattractive form. He claims to have been teased mercilessly and frustratingly by teenage girls, but he also admits to having been an Internet {{troll}}, so he may well have been a bit of a hormone-addled creep. |
| 77 | * IdiotSavant: Strictly, Gary isn't any sort of idiot; he's just a bit socially clumsy at worst. However, he ''is'' massively sexually inexperienced -- despite which, he has an instinctive mastery of a cunnilingus technique which not only reduces strong women to jelly, but is apparently incapable of being replicated even by experienced bisexual women who have received it. |
| 78 | * InformedAttribute: To some extent, Gary's ''niceness'' is more asserted than visible to the audience. He's mostly harmless, and sometimes tries to do the right thing by other people without being asked, but his sheer social incompetence means that he sometimes causes pain to people around him. He doesn't know that he's doing so, but then, he doesn't put any visible effort into learning better. |
| 79 | * InformedFlaw: Gary sometimes claims to have deep-seated psychological problems. It's not clear whether the writers intend this to be taken at face value or seen as self-pity, but the worst things that readers actually see are his nosebleed problem (largely cured over time), some poor social skills, and his geeky personality. |
| 80 | * InsecureLoveInterest: Gary goes through a phase of uncomfortable insecurity as his relationship with Peggy develops. |
| 81 | * KavorkaMan: Gary manifests this trope after he starts attracting female attention, being a plain-looking geek with a haircut that would fit in an Archie comic from the 1970s, and no significant social skills, who nonetheless begins to accumulate an accidental harem. However, ArtEvolution makes him look increasingly toned, in a cute sort of way, while he gains an in-comic reputation as an oral sex master, making his appeal less and less inexplicable as the story progresses. |
| 82 | * KindheartedCatLover: He becomes fond of Lita to the point that when [=DiDi=] tries to tell a sleeping Gary that Zii has seemingly moved out without telling them, it barely wakes him up; but as soon as she mentions that Lita is gone too, he instantly catapults out of bed. |
| 83 | * LampshadeHanging is not a common feature of this comic, which avoids being overly self-referential. However, the writers perhaps made an exception for Gary. His spineless inability to say no to anyone had long become obvious, but it wasn't clear to some readers whether this was a point of conscious character design or just a weakness in the writing. Then, in strip #795 (September 24, 2013, marginally NSFW), [[{{Dominatrix}} Tatiana]] looks at him for a few minutes and identifies him as "the perfect sub", with no detectable will of his own. |
| 84 | * LimitedWardrobe: Gary ''very'' rarely strays from his staple of black jeans and baseball t-shirts [[FunTShirt with funny and geeky logos or phrases on them]]. When he does, it's either a white short-sleeved collared shirt or a black long-sleeved one if he's ''really'' trying to dress up. (In fact, the ''sheer number'' of t-shirts that he owns might actually qualify as an UnlimitedWardrobe.) |
| 85 | * LiquidCourage: An accidental example. Senna takes Gary on what turns out to be his first-ever plane flight, and he becomes very nervous. She suggests that he has a drink, and the normally teetotal Gary accepts, asking for something non-alcoholic to rehydrate himself. Senna, not listening, gets him something alcoholic, and he likes the taste and asks for more. He gets over his nerves, not only enough to survive the flight but also enough to join the MileHighClub with Senna. |
| 86 | * LoserProtagonist: Gary has some of the attributes of this trope, at least at the start of the story. He slowly gets better, and it seems that he has enough talent, intelligence, and peculiar natural gifts to be more than a loser, but his big problem in this respect is his passivity, which stops him from realising that potential and which the writers seem unwilling or unable to have him shed, at least until the last volume or two of the comic's run. |
| 87 | * LovableNerd: This appears to be his plot function at first; Gary is sweet, battered, and probably deserves better than the hand life has dealt him. Over time, though, the trope is deconstructed, or at least Gary's lovability proves [[YMMV/MenageA3 debatable]]; his luck changes (especially with women), his basic sexual attractiveness becomes impossible to disregard, his problems seem to be his own fault as much as anything, and while he's {{nice|Guy}} enough, he proves to have definite flaws. |
| 88 | * LustObject: Gary's reputation as an oral sex master causes a lot of women to look at him this way, at least in this specific respect, and while he is the focus of [=DiDi's=] interest, she becomes quite obsessive, occasionally almost hallucinating. |
| 89 | * TheMakeover: Attempted, though ultimately [[AvertedTrope unsuccessfully]], for Gary. After promising to help him get laid, and then getting a minor hold on him, Zii takes Gary shopping for cooler clothes. This attempt at a makeover takes place in the bonus strips to volume 1 of the [[WebcomicPrintCollection print collection]] of the comic -- i.e. off-stage to the online comic, although some of the effects are alluded to in passing. However, none of it seems to stick; Gary carries on wearing the same jeans and t-shirts as ever, even when hanging out with fashion models. Given his physical discomfort in the ultra-tight pants, Gary probably considers the whole thing a male CosmeticCatastrophe. |
| 90 | * NatureAbhorsAVirgin: Played with extensively in Gary's story. He admitted his unhappy virginity early on, and if the trope applied, that made him having sex eventually inevitable. However, ensuing complications convinced some readers that he'd only get laid at the end of the comic's run, with the trope thus averted until that time. Then, almost out of the blue, he had sex, seemingly playing the trope straight. And yet little else about him changed. |
| 91 | * NerdGlasses: His glasses are actually a quite presentable, well-chosen pair with slim rectangular frames, rather than quite fitting the trope -- but Gary wears them almost ''all the time,'' even over a mask when playing a superhero on stage. It's not clear if he's BlindWithoutEm, but he's evidently not happy with his uncorrected vision. |
| 92 | * NerdsAreSexy: Gary is depicted as quite presentable as nerds go from the first, being slim and nervously amiable with a certain dorky nice-guy charm rather than really unattractive, and ArtEvolution makes him into something of a MrFanservice.[[note]]Given that he bears a striking resemblance to [[ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} Dick Grayson]] in NerdGlasses (he even fills in as ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} at a play), this seems to be entirely deliberate character design.[[/note]] Pretty much everyone in the comic agrees that he's cute, and some characters are specifically attracted by his nerdy or geeky features, such as quiet obligingness and interest in manga (Yuki) or obvious stammering inexperience (Senna). However, his terrible luck, passivity, awkwardness, and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sandra-on-the-rocks/very-bohemian uncontrollable geek reflexes]] ruin or endanger many of his chances. |
| 93 | * NerdsAreVirgins: Played straight for the first few years of the comic. Then, following the evening of the disastrous sex contest, [[GiveGeeksAChance Gary gets jumped]] by a woman who he's only just met, and from then on [[AvertedTrope the trope is firmly averted]]. |
| 94 | * NiceGuy: He has his flaws, but he's still a genuinely nice (if passive) guy, probably the most consistently moral major character in this comic. His niceness also features strongly in the {{crossover}} with ''Webcomic/SandraOnTheRocks''. |
| 95 | * NoFullNameGiven: His last name has never been used in the main comic. However, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/at-tcaf---dr-didi-ks-bonus-preview an extract from a Kickstarter bonus comic]] in 2015 implies that his surname is "Thompson", and this is confirmed in the bonus comic itself. |
| 96 | * NoIndoorVoice: Occasional. Gary normally seems to be quite quiet, but when he gets really nervous, say [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-brought-you-flowers because he's taking a girl on a date for the first time in his life,]] or because [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/here-we-are his previously unrevealed fear of flying has suddenly been exposed,]] or [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/adult-friends when he's just surprised,]] his volume control breaks down. |
| 97 | * {{Nosebleed}}: Sexual situations initially cause him violent nosebleeds. He mostly gets over this a few hundred strips into the story. |
| 98 | * OfficialCouple: With Peggy, at the end of the series. |
| 99 | * OpenMouthInsertFoot: Gary is very prone to this sort of error, as (just for one example) he demonstrates with lampshading [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/uncomfortable-foot here.]] |
| 100 | * PursueTheDreamJob: Gary starts the comic wanting to become a SequentialArtist or something similar, and eventually manages to land an art job at a video company -- though his success in this is really more a matter of luck (and at least once, leaning on Zii for a large favor) rather than long-term hard work. He does evidently have talent, though. |
| 101 | * SequentialArtist: Gary wants to be a manga-style comics artist, and in Yuki's educated opinion, he has some talent for this; they collaborate on realising her script. His actual job, at the comic's end, is with a video games company, but it's as an artist. |
| 102 | * SexGod: Gary sometimes attains sexual deity status despite originally being a virgin, and never yet mastering any kind of deliberate seduction skills. It's complicated. |
| 103 | ** He manages to attract international lingerie model Senna through nothing but his geeky goofiness, and she subsequently comes up with a series of bizarre delusions and half-truths to explain what's going on in their relationship. |
| 104 | ** By strip #912 (July 24, 2014, distinctly NSFW), Gary ''literally'' has multiple women queuing up for his tongue. The core gag, though, may be that Gary can't handle female interest -- in large quantities -- any better than he can handle female indifference. |
| 105 | ** In fact, the trope is increasingly {{Deconstructed|Trope}} within Gary's story, as the pressure to live up to his in-universe reputation puts a ''lot'' of pressure on him, and some of the female cast [[WhatTheHellHero treat him as little more than a sex toy]]. |
| 106 | ** Gary may have a great move in "the swirly" (an oral sex technique), but that's the only thing he's actually good at. When Sonya figures out he has nothing else going for him, she quickly dumps him. He maybe learns a bit more later, thanks to Matt and Peggy. |
| 107 | * SleepsInTheNude: Oddly enough, for all the {{fanservice}}, few characters in this comic seem to favor nude sleeping, preferring sexy babydoll nighties, T-shirts, and such (apart from post-coital or post-drinking scenes, when crashing out nude follows logically). However, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/Morning-faux-pas it has been confirmed that Gary sleeps in the buff.]] |
| 108 | * StereotypicalNerd: Gary is a {{geek}} with strong nerd tendencies. In fact, he'd probably end up as a full-on {{hikikomori}} if he didn't have some good friends, EndearinglyDorky looks, and a strange sexual talent. His geeky lack of social skills veers towards nerdish total incompetence, and at the start of the comic, he'd collapse totally if an attractive woman so much as looked at him. He ''wants'' to have friends and lovers, but didn't have a clue how to get them to start with, and even in later strips he displays a painful lack of initiative in pursuing his options. However, his friends didn't have to clean him up much to produce quite appealing results. |
| 109 | * TheTeetotaler: Although this is never made explicit, it seems that Gary doesn't usually drink. However, when he travels on a private jet with Senna, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/digging-this-new-flavor he ends up getting drunk on liqueur-based frozen cocktails,]] having mistaken them for Slush Puppies. Shortly afterwards, Sandra talks him into spending a night raiding Domenico’s drinks cabinet, which seemingly leaves him quite thoroughly blitzed. |
| 110 | * ThisLoserIsYou: As a comics-and-anime-loving {{geek}} who's also the primary protagonist of a {{webcomic|s}}, Gary seems set up to be [[AudienceSurrogate the character with whom many readers will identify]]. But at the start of the story at least, he's also passive, pliable, severely short on confidence, and a 29-year-old virgin, while being surrounded by cooler characters. The writers don't actually seem to have that cynical a view of their audience -- Gary has his good points, and the comic isn't entirely seen from his point of view -- and he not only eventually gets laid, but some last-volume CharacterDevelopment does ''eventually'' make him a bit more proactive and assertive. Still, geeks who identify with him too much might end up feeling teased. |
| 111 | * {{Troll}}: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/halibut Apparently he used to be one]] in a past he now regards as shameful. |
| 112 | * UnknownRival: At one point, Gary has a slightly weird rivalry problem which he knows nothing about. After [=DiDi=] calls out Gary's name while having sex with Matt, Matt develops a bit of a complex about his sexual prowess compared to Gary's. This is exacerbated when Peggy admits that she only hooked up with Matt because she mistook him for Gary. Gary himself has no idea that Matt feels this way, at least until Matt says too much after setting up a sexual foursome in which he tries to prove his superiority. |
| 113 | * UnwantedHarem: Gary moves quite rapidly from frustrated girlfriendless virgin to subject of interest for multiple women (including frustrated Amazonian sex goddess [=DiDi=], deranged otaku fantasy Yuki, misled gorgeous dim-bulb Sonya, super-high-maintenance -- and transgender -- Senna, Amber the swirly-loving [[{{Filth}} porn star]], and model and geek idol Sandra), few of whom are keen to share him, and his inexperience and haplessness leave him ill-equipped to handle this. His oral skills cause much but not all of this trouble; he tends to go with the flow rather than doing much about his problems. See the discussion of this trope on [[Webcomic/MenageA3 the Main Page]] for details. |
| 114 | ** Quite early on, one of his co-workers mistakenly but understandably thinks that Gary has a full-scale harem... |
| 115 | --->''"Punk rock chick. Big-Breasted amazon who gives tons of assplay. Japanese Nympho. Gary is the luckiest guy on the face of the earth."'' |
| 116 | ** ...and when things get even more interesting later, the same co-worker is seen eavesdropping Gary's telephone conversations with fascination. |
| 117 | * UrbanLegendLoveLife: Invoked and {{Lampshaded|Trope}} in-universe. In strip #925 (September 09, 2014, NSFW), Peggy refers to Gary as an "urban legend of sex" (causing Matt's brain to crash, as Matt last knew Gary as a hopeless virgin geek, and Matt has [[UnknownRival a hangup on the subject]]). However, with Gary, it's a bit more than a legend -- though he doesn't really live up to his reputation. |
| 118 | * VirginityMakesYouStupid: Sexual naivety is one of Gary's defining features. As a major example -- one would ''think'' that he could tell the difference between kissing a man and cunnilingus even when blindfolded. However, he doesn't get much sharper when he does eventually get laid; his problem isn't virginity so much as it's being Gary. |
| 119 | * VirginShaming: Initially, part of Gary's self-esteem issues is that he's ashamed of his virginity. However, other characters don't sneer at him for this (except possibly Matt, and even he isn't mean to Gary's face), though they do fully sympathize with his wish to do something about it. The irony is that once he apparently resolves the issue, his problems are only just beginning. |
| 120 | * YankTheDogsChain: Gary and Kiley really hit it off when they meet, and it looks like Gary might actually have a meaningful relationship with someone who respects him. But it doesn't last; it seems, at that point, that [[ButtMonkey Gary is just not allowed to be happy]]. Though many of Gary's problems can be said to be his own fault, that one isn't. |
| 121 | * YouNeedToGetLaid: Gary's entire story throughout the comic is a subversion of this trope. At the start, he wants to get laid, and his friends generally agree that, yes, that'd be good for him -- though they tend to have their own ideas about details. Then, after hundreds of strips, he not only gets laid, he has multiple women interested in him. It introduces a whole new set of plotlines, but it makes no detectable difference to Gary's personality. He's mistaken a symptom (virginity) for the problem (his marginal social skills and spinelessness). |
| 122 | [[/folder]] |
| 123 | |
| 124 | [[folder:Zii]] |
| 125 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zii_9.jpg]] |
| 126 | |
| 127 | ->''"Man, I miss those days. [[SexDrugsAndRockAndRoll Music, sex, and music... and sex...]] [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs and music]] '''[[BreadEggsBreadedEggs while]]''' [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs having sex]]!"'' |
| 128 | |
| 129 | Suzi "Zii" Nielsen is an originally bandless rock guitarist who is not ashamed of herself. She is bisexual, has a [[YaoiFangirl penchant for yaoi]] and is certainly not afraid to take the chance if it presents itself. She also enjoys comics and has a cat. |
| 130 | ---- |
| 131 | * AlcoholInducedIdiocy: Zii is usually a functional sort of drunk, but accepting Sonya’s suggestion that she temporarily break up with Erik (by text), for one night, so she can have guilt-free sex with Sonya, is pretty idiotic. Of course, lust as well as booze play a part there. |
| 132 | * AllTakeAndNoGive: At her core, Zii seems to be driven by nothing more than what will satisfy her desires at any given moment, and has demonstrated many times that she has no problem neglecting or outright screwing over her friends to get what she wants. Her selfishness is so ingrained that she is legitimately shocked on the few occasions that she finds herself being abandoned by the same friends that she abused or ignored for her benefit. |
| 133 | * AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Well, ''...Ooh! Kinky!'': She's not normally overly distractible, and is only mildly hyperactive sometimes, but sexual temptation can obliterate Zii's self-control, and even the mere sight of two cute gay guys making out can throw her off track. For example, when she tries talking Sonya into patching things up with her boyfriend, Zii makes an honest effort despite Sonya's attempts to come onto her, until Sonya mentions the kitty costume she wants to wear for Zii, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/while-thinking-of-you and also the bunny one.]] So much for that... A much later strip where Zii [[spoiler:abandons Sonya in mid-cunnilingus on receipt of an offer from [=DiDi=] ]]would be another case in point. |
| 134 | * BerserkButton: Zii hates not being seen as the cool, sexy rock chick she imagines herself to be. Internet trolls who humiliate her, and being called a dude based on her appearance, have both set her off. |
| 135 | * ButtMonkey: Not on Gary's initial level, but at one stage Zii does suffer a significant string of misfortunes: |
| 136 | ** First, after a drunken night out, she ends up participating in a lesbian orgy, despite the fact she's in a relationship with Erik. That wouldn't be bad luck; Erik walking in on the scene would be. He dumps her, and Zii is desolated for a while (not to mention that he ''was'' her band's manager before this incident). |
| 137 | ** Then, due to Gary being in Paris courtesy of Senna, Zii's lesbian urges for [=DiDi=] and her bodacious Amazon body shoot through the roof; it seems that they were somehow kept in check with Gary around. This leads to some tense situations between the two ladies. Add lingering feelings for Sonya, with Peggy pulling the sort of [[OperationJealousy long-term seduction scheme]] on Sonya’s behalf that Zii can only claim to manage, and Zii ends up calling in Amber for sexual tension relief; Amber comments just ''how'' tense she is. |
| 138 | ** Gary returns from Paris and cheerfully recounts his adventures to Zii. This actually rubs her up the wrong way, as she's used to Gary having things ''not'' go his way, and he can no longer serve as a sexual-emotional damper in the apartment. |
| 139 | ** Then, one's band playing their first gig against an old rival is bad enough; it's even worse when one's ex is their manager. Zii is really beginning to feel down by now... [[spoiler:Though her own band's triumph in that competitive gig pulls her back somewhat. Now she just has to stop her drummer and her bass player from killing each other.]] |
| 140 | ** But Zii can still snatch disaster from the jaws of victory. She ''finally'' fulfils her dream of hooking up with [=DiDi=], but treats Sonya badly in the course of this development — so Sonya quits the band and joins Angel’s. Then, thanks to Zii’s idiocy during a distracted phone call, Yuki follows Sonya. Then, Zii is so crushed by this that her libido plummets, [=DiDi=] gets frustrated, and after yet ''another'' sequence of miscommunications, Zii leads [=DiDi=] to assume she's free to pursue an open relationship with another woman. [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/most-pathetic-person She winds up a complete blubbering mess.]] |
| 141 | * TheCasanova: She's a female version, having quite a knack for seducing seemingly straight women into lesbian encounters. She's been with many of the female characters in the comic, with [=DiDi=] as the only major character who seems to be immune to her seductions ([[spoiler:initially at least]]), if only through sheer obliviousness. (Her brief pass did also bounce right off Ruby during a guest appearance in ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', again thanks to the target's failure to notice it.) She's been with a lot of men, too, but since AllMenArePerverts that doesn't really count. She fulfills all the requirements of the trope in that she tends to disregard the possible emotional consequences of her actions (with both sexes), although as the comic continues, she is forced to deal with these on several occasions, and she ''may'' actually learn from that. |
| 142 | * CatGirl: Noticing the effect that her new work outfit has on Gary, she [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/little-fuzzy-ears decides to]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/what-are-you-doing play it up]] a bit -- with mixed results. Perhaps more significantly, Sonya finds the effect irresistibly cute. Later, Jung incorporates the ears from that outfit into the stage costume that he designs for her -- and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/feels-like-the-first-time Sonya is affected once again.]] |
| 143 | * CatSmile: Zii demonstrates huge cat smiles after knocking Gary senseless by smushing his face in her chest (strip #51, technically NSFW) and as she's trying to strip Gary (strip #55, also technically NSFW). |
| 144 | * CharacterDevelopment: Zii comes to show a little more complexity over time, taking umbrage at being offered up by someone else for a threesome and being genuinely supportive of Gary and Kiley's brief relationship. Her romantic attachment to Erik is a surprise to ''her'', too. She may even find her past behavior embarrassing, though she mostly seems to avoid thinking about that. She also begins to show more concern for other people's relationships, regretting that she might have endangered Sonya and Peggy's supposed romance. (She doesn't know that that relationship is [[OperationJealousy fake]].) On the other hand, when she starts dating [=DiDi=], she proves as impulsive and thoughtless as ever. It's only afterward when she starts reflecting on her own selfish behaviour that she resolves to be better. |
| 145 | * CigaretteOfAnxiety: In early strips, Zii is shown as reserving cigarettes for high-stress moments. However, she swears off them at one point, and given that this feature of her character fades away, she apparently actually means it. |
| 146 | * ClingyJealousGirl: |
| 147 | ** Toward Erik, on occasion during their relationship, to her own confusion. |
| 148 | ** While she's getting really jealous of Gary's swirly-go-round skills and how she apparently can't even get close to matching them, even stronger evidence starts to surface that the source of her jealousy runs deeper [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/uncomfortable-foot than even she realizes.]] |
| 149 | * CommitmentIssues: Zii has described herself as a “casual sex girl”, and it looks likely that she has some kind of fear of commitment. She tries to conquer this with [[spoiler:Erik]], but fails spectacularly; she later makes a seemingly more successful attempt with [[spoiler:[=DiDi=]]]. However, it’s not clear if she’s entirely conquered whatever demons are involved. |
| 150 | * ConscienceMakesYouGoBack: Zii usually averts this as hard as she can, having a tendency to run away from problems as quickly as possible (possibly reduced by the end of the comic's run). However, she has her moments of integrity; quite early on, after their night together, she leaves Sonya and her boyfriend having a flaming argument, but she later returns to the place where Sonya works to make sure that the other woman is okay. Another notable moment has Zii initially run away at the idea of flirting with a creepy man to help Gary land his dream job, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/You-do-not-have-it-in-you only for her shoulder angel and devil to agree]] that she doesn't have the heart to actually abandon her friend like that. |
| 151 | * {{Cosplay}}: One of the requirements of her job at the comic shop is that she models Jung's cosplay outfits. (This isn't actually in her contract of employment, but any time Jung gets the upper hand over her, he may require it, and he gets her modelling for his costume catalog in lieu of rent when she wants to stay in the back of the shop for a few days.) Jung also ends up designing her band's stage costumes, though Zii insists that these must be original, not cosplay designs. |
| 152 | * DarkestHour: Zii's personal low point comes when, after an evening spent first struggling with her attraction to Gary, then trying and failing to seduce [=DiDi=], she not only ends up sleeping on the sofa, alone except for Lita -- [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/go-on-lita she has to listen to Gary and DiDi together.]] |
| 153 | * EveryoneHasStandards: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/being-pimped Zii really didn't take Gary trying to pimp her out to Amber well.]] [[IRegretNothing As she said, she's done a lot of things with a lot of people]], but it should have been her choice, not someone else's. (Which said, she [[{{Hypocrite}} often submits people to sexcapades]] they [[ItsAllAboutMe normally wouldn't choose voluntarily when sober...]]) |
| 154 | * FacePalm: When she realizes Yuki and Sonya are about to restart their rivalry. |
| 155 | * FallenOnHardTimesJob: Suffered by Zii in distinctly distorted form, as her need for an income obliges her to take a job as "counter candy" in a comics shop, being "ogled by geeks" as she puts it herself. This hard-times job even comes with its own version of the traditional humiliating uniform, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/show-accuracy as seen here.]] |
| 156 | * FatalFlaw: Zii just doesn't think before she acts. At best, she’s a clever improviser, but mostly she just stumbles into disasters that could have been avoided with a little self-restraint. There are countless examples, but two stand out: |
| 157 | ** Her whole relationship with Sonya is based on Zii simply being unable to resist hot sex while Sonya soon develops much deeper feelings for Zii — and yet, even once this becomes clear, Zii can’t stop herself. At one point, this destroys her relationship with Erik, and later, when she’s feeling a little down, she’s fully able to ignore Sonya’s BlatantLies about this being a no-strings-attached arrangement, which leads to a disastrous break-up (after Zii proves even less able to resist sex with [=DiDi=]) and a dangerously angry Sonya. |
| 158 | ** Shortly after that, she ends up having sex with [=DiDi=] when she’s supposed to be at a band rehearsal. Then she takes a call from Yuki to ask where she is, despite being in the middle of oral sex with [=DiDi=]. Then, because she’s distracted, she ends up telling Yuki that both Sonya and Yuki are replaceable. The result is that her band is ripped apart and Zii has to rebuild it from scratch. |
| 159 | * {{Gaydar}}: Zii occasionally demonstrates an uncanny knack for spotting latent lesbian tendencies in other women, as with Sonya. Or maybe she just takes a lot of chances and gets lucky reasonably often; she does try a pass at Ruby which just bounces off. |
| 160 | * GuyOnGuyIsHot: A principle to which Zii adheres religiously. |
| 161 | * HandsomeLech: Replace "Handsome" with "Cute" and it's very much part of her nature. |
| 162 | * HormoneAddledTeenager: Judging by the flashbacks we're shown, Zii started as she meant to go on in her teenage years. |
| 163 | * IdiotHair: This manga-style trope is used fairly frequently but subtly with several characters in this comic, as mentioned on the main page. It's not a ''very'' regular feature of Zii's depiction, but a dramatic single-strand version of the effect is sometimes used to indicate surprise rather than stupidity, when her mind gets completely blown -- as when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/manage-to-touch-all-three she discovers that her bed is full of naked porn stars.]] |
| 164 | * InformedAttribute: Zii is repeatedly described, by herself and others, as a "punk rock chick", and yet is never shown listening to punk music. All the music she ''is'' shown listening to is metal or classic rock, despite the fact the two scenes generally don't get along. Her t-shirts, on the other hand, hint at a somewhat wider taste: she's been depicted with Music/TheRamones, Music/{{Melvins}}, Jet, Music/CheapTrick, Sloan, Music/{{Blondie|Band}}, and [[Music/RobZombie White Zombie]] t-shirts, among others. Ironically, though, ''Yuki'' may have been depicted wearing more punk band t-shirts than Zii. |
| 165 | * InVinoVeritas: Zii enjoys her booze, but usually preserves her self-control (though she may cut loose with the practical jokes even more than usual when drunk). However, when she does get really plastered, she tends to say too much. |
| 166 | ** She spends [[WebcomicTime weeks]] valiantly repressing her habitual lecherous promiscuity [[LadykillerInLove for the sake of her budding relationship with Erik]]. But while on a girls' night out, after [[DidNotThinkThisThrough intercepting multiple drinks]] bought for [=DiDi=] by men (to save the latter from getting ''too'' drunk), she reverts to her baseline personality and [[spoiler:ends up in the apartment with Sonya (also drunk), who has been trying to get back into her pants, and [=DiDi=] (also drunk), whose pants she has been on a quest to get into, on and off, since the comic started. Cue [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy Orgy and personal disaster]].]] |
| 167 | ** On a later occasion, she hits the booze ''hard'' in order to blunt the pain of feeling obliged to flirt with the unappealing [[JerkAss Yvan]]. Eventually, she gets drunk enough to express [[spoiler:her burning envy of Gary's weird reputation as an oral sex master]]. Then she passes out. Whether her honesty there registers with anyone is uncertain. |
| 168 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is definitely one of these no matter who you ask. Most of her early manipulative, selfish {{jerkass}} tendencies slowly evaporate through the course of the story, though booze can reset her to her start condition. Her heart of gold is mostly demonstrated in a casual but good-natured willingness to help people such as Gary and (in a crossover with ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'') Ruby, albeit on her own terms and in ways she finds amusing -- but she also appears to be seriously concerned not to hurt Peggy when the latter seems to be making a claim for Sonya. |
| 169 | * TheLadette: Zii is the most masculine female character of the main cast. |
| 170 | -->'''Zii:''' Don't be shy. Think of me as a dude.\ |
| 171 | '''Gary:''' I already do. |
| 172 | * LadykillerInLove: Zii becomes a {{Gender Flip}}ped example over Erik, possibly also over [=DiDi=], and even over Sonya. Yes, she has difficulty making her mind up. |
| 173 | * LadyLooksLikeADude: Zii doesn't suffer from this regularly, as she generally presents a convincing feminine style, but she does have a very flat chest (and she is occasionally very mildly [[ACupAngst self-conscious about it]]). Hence, she is very annoyed in one early strip when Jung asks "Who's the skinny dude?" — understandably, given that she's flashing everyone at the time... |
| 174 | * LaserGuidedKarma: In the course of a 2017 story, Zii first goes out for coffee with Gary, while denying that it's a "date". As they chat, she finds herself aroused by the more mature Gary but appalled by the idea of herself being attracted to him, simply because he's ''[[StereotypicalNerd Gary]].'' Then, when the two get home, she discovers the [=DiDi=] has just broken up with Kiley, and immediately ditches Gary to try and get [=DiDi=] into bed by convincing her she needs sex with a friend to get over Kiley. This backfires when [=DiDi=] remembers her interest in Gary and his swirly-go-round technique, and heads for him instead. Thus, as a result of snubbing Gary and trying to take advantage of [=DiDi=], a depressed Zii finds herself listening as her new crush has sex with the long-term subject of her obsession. |
| 175 | * LethalChef: Zii claims this status [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/didi!-you-are-in here,]] although she may be exaggerating a little because she likes the idea of getting a serious hobbyist cook into the apartment (and for the sake of a [[Film/ThisIsSpinalTap traditional dead drummer gag]]). |
| 176 | * LiquidCourage: Normally, Zii is just a social drinker, though quite an enthusiastic one. However, when she feels obliged to flirt with the creepy Yvan, she hits the booze hard and fast, instructing Gary to keep the drinks coming. |
| 177 | * LoveConfession: Zii is prone to outbursts that are probably more about lust, but which are framed as love confessions, addressed to [=DiDi.=] |
| 178 | * LoveMakesYouUncreative: When Zii finally gets into a relationship with [=DiDi=], she starts being late for and careless about band rehearsals. This might be a minor case — she might still be adequately creative if she tries — but the situation also causes her difficult relationship with Sonya to fail completely, and Sonya has little difficulty convincing Yuki that Zii has betrayed them both. One careless phone conversation later, Zii has no band. Note that this makes [=DiDi=] an in-setting example of a YokoOhNo. |
| 179 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Zii, in the middle of being seduced by Sonya, [[RightThroughTheWall hears Yuki telling Gary he's better in bed than her]], and snaps into a jealous rage. After an initial demand to have Yuki let her prove otherwise, Zii realizes she's just nearly cheated on Erik. Yes, it's a little odd that hearing other people having good sex brought her to her senses. |
| 180 | * NotGoodWithRejection: |
| 181 | ** It's a relatively minor case, but when Erik breaks up with her after discovering her in a lesbian orgy, Zii ends up crying bitterly into her pillow. |
| 182 | ** When [=DiDi=] rejects her for Gary, Zii moves out of the apartment. |
| 183 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Zii refusing [=DiDi's=] advances after being rejected by her. |
| 184 | -->'''Zii:''' Pants back on, [=DiDi=]!\ |
| 185 | '''[=DiDi=]:''' Mais...\ |
| 186 | '''Zii:''' No "mais" about it! Now!\ |
| 187 | '''[=DiDi=]:''' Zii? Are you feeling like yourself? |
| 188 | * OpenMouthInsertFoot: Zii's slick style sometimes fails her. Notably, when she's trying to seduce [=DiDi=] into rebound sex, she first gives [=DiDi=] the idea that rebound sex might be morally wrong, then reminds the other woman of her long-running interest in Gary's oral skills. |
| 189 | * PetTheDog: While she's generally self-indulgent and a bit thoughtless, especially early in the comic's run, Zii shows relieving flashes of sentimentality. |
| 190 | ** [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/gives-us-plenty-of-time She shows genuine concern over a crying Gary]], though she seems [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/comfort-a-crying-dude rather uncomfortable with him hugging her]]. |
| 191 | ** She's later rather quicker [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/the-escape-artist to hug Gary]] when Kiley dumps him and she sees that he's honestly heartbroken over it. Even Lita offers some sympathy. |
| 192 | * ThePornomancer: |
| 193 | ** It sometimes seems that sex just happens to her -- not to mention that at one time, everywhere she went there ''always'' seemed to be a gay male couple making out for [[YaoiFangirl her to watch]]. However, her habitual pursuit of sex has earned her serious consequences on occasion, such as infatuated former lovers, or a musical colleague turning into a bitter rival after they catch her with their boyfriend. |
| 194 | ** To give one example of her seduction prowess, Zii goes hunting for an online troll who has "IBangedYourMom" as his forum signature -- [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/no-need-for-formality and gets revenge by banging HIS mom]]. |
| 195 | ** At one point [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/no-need-to-cry-for-me one of her former lovers gives an insight into her (probably unconscious) seduction technique]], with which another apparently agrees; she has "this way of making you feel like the most desirable person in the world". In other words, her straightforward and open enthusiasm for sex tends to make its current target feel flattered and interested, which might indeed make her hard to resist. |
| 196 | * {{Pride}}: Zii is smug about her skills at seduction, but isn't always prepared for the consequences. She also tells Gary that she's a genius at hooking people up, but her attempts to improve his love life are intermittent and not especially impressive. |
| 197 | * ReallyGetsAround: She's been around and then some. When [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/Enough-fun-for-a-week she propositions the porn stars who've just had the benefit of Gary's swirlies,]] they say "We already had sex with you, Zii" (and then leave, because Gary wore them out). |
| 198 | * SexGoddess: Zii is the original prime candidate for this status in this comic; certainly, with all the practice she gets, it'd be hard for her ''not'' to be good at sex, and the results do sometimes seem to verge on the supernatural. How good? Well, sleeping with her in high school inspired Amber to choose a career in porn just for the sex, and a kiss from her can apparently turn women lesbian -- cases in point being [=DiDi=] and Sonya. |
| 199 | ** However, [=DiDi=] fails to sleep with her, and subsequently decides that she's straight [[spoiler:(mostly -- her first couple of experiments with lesbianism don't go well, but then things get ''interesting'' with Kiley)]]. As the comic continues its run, Zii is shown failing to achieve her sexual goals on several occasions (e.g. with [[spoiler:Isabelle]]); it seems that that she isn't unstoppable. |
| 200 | ** And in Sonya's case, it could just be that someone as experienced as Zii cares more about Sonya's pleasure than her boyfriends ever did. It seems to be more of an ArmouredClosetGay issue there, anyway; Sonya's catchphrase rapidly became "I'm not a lesbian!" [[SarcasmMode Sure you aren't.]] (Actually, you're bisexual.) |
| 201 | ** One of her ex-lovers said that she made him feel like the most desirable person in the world, and it does seem that the ''psychological'' effects of her enthusiasm are a big part of her secret. |
| 202 | ** The only one who was previously capable of making [=DiDi=] orgasm was Kiley and it usually took her at least 30 minutes. Zii does it in 17 (August 8, 2017 NSFW). Though to be fair, Kiley was very much not into it and only did so out of a sense of obligation as [=DiDi's=] therapist (and probably also out of fear), while Zii has been dreaming of banging [=DiDi=] since Day 1. |
| 203 | * {{Sleepwalking}}: Zii doesn't sleep'''walk''', but she can play ''[[Music/{{Metallica}} Enter Sandman]]'' [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-was-tuning-it-for-you in her sleep.]] |
| 204 | * SomethingElseAlsoRises: Zii's IdiotHair sometimes provides a comparatively rare female version, as seen for example [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/that-makes-things-easy when a fan proposes a threesome with her and Gary]] -- though the effect probably represents surprise more than arousal there. |
| 205 | * TankTopTomboy: She tends to wear a lot of sleeveless t-shirts and tank tops. She's also somewhat of a {{Ladette}}. |
| 206 | * TheLoinsSleepTonight: A very rare female version. When [[spoiler:her relationship with [=DiDi=] causes the loss of more than one friendship and the collapse of her band, throwing her into depression]], Zii's libido tanks ''hard'', leaving [[spoiler:[=DiDi=]]] intensely frustrated. It only comes back during a heart-to-heart talk about love problems with Gary. Him offering to [[spoiler:teach her the swirly-go-round]] blows the top off her libido meter, and when [[spoiler: they kiss so he can teach her the same way he was originally taught]], she's instantly horny. |
| 207 | * {{Tsundere}}: At times; she's not a serious case, but she acts a little this way towards [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/making-out-with-a-transformer Gary.]] |
| 208 | * WhamLine: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/our-music-needs-this Feast your eyes]]. Keep in mind [[ReallyGetsAround who's saying this]]. |
| 209 | * YaoiFangirl: Both Zii and her cat Lita: "Myaoi"? |
| 210 | * YouAreTheNewTrend: A few days after her new band play their very successful first gig, Zii, along with Gary and Yvan, visit an indie rock bar -- where it turns out that every woman in the room seems to be imitating Zii's distinctive hairstyle. This is no coincidence; at least one of them turns out to be a gushing Zii {{Fangirl}}. |
| 211 | * YourMakeupIsRunning: When Zii hits a low point after destroying her own band, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/need-some-time-alone-with-my-thoughts/ this trope kicks in.]] |
| 212 | -->'''Erik:''' You look... like you joined a death metal band. |
| 213 | [[/folder]] |
| 214 | |
| 215 | [[folder:[=DiDi=]]] |
| 216 | [[quoteright:197:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/didi.jpg]] |
| 217 | |
| 218 | |
| 219 | ->''"I was the first of my school to get breasts."'' |
| 220 | |
| 221 | Désirée "[=DiDi=]" Chastel is a woman with a strong [[EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench Québécois accent]] who is best described... Well, let's just say that her nickname [[HeadTurningBeauty fits her very well.]] (She can turn perfectly ordinary clothes into an illustration of the TheissTitillationTheory.) She works as a waitress at a restaurant, is quite skilled at cooking, and has more [[{{Anorgasmia}} problems]] than are initially evident. |
| 222 | |
| 223 | She also appears occasionally in ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix'', at least as an image on Aaron's phone and the subject of his fantasies. |
| 224 | ---- |
| 225 | * AmbiguousInnocence: [=DiDi=] initially comes across as sweetly naive and quite innocent (though she's far from ignorant in sexual matters). However, the sheer amount of emotional damage she does to other people through her [[InnocentlyInsensitive lack of sensitivity]] and inability to understand her own attractiveness makes her quite dangerous and not 100% popular with readers. |
| 226 | * AntiHero: Not for about the first three and a half plus years of the comic, but her obsession with getting an orgasm at any cost eventually moves her towards NominalHero or UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist status. She’s rarely consciously malicious, but by the comic’s last volume, she mostly functions as a destructive and dangerous force of nature, and is highly egocentric and entitled. |
| 227 | * BadLiar: She immediately blows her and Zii's "just friends" cover to Sonya, and then laments how terrible she is at {{kayfabe}}. |
| 228 | * BeautyEqualsGoodness: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with.]] [=DiDi=] is such a good girl (at least in her own mind) that her [--tiny [[GoodAngelBadAngel bad angel]]--] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/oh-that-is-so-sad hadn't seen her since the third grade.]] Her good angel is [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/good-girl much bigger than the bad one, and indeed than [=DiDi=] herself.]] ''However,'' she's always naively inconsiderate, and as the comic continues and her sexual frustration increases, she becomes more and more selfish and obsessive, increasingly {{avert|edTrope}}ing the trope. |
| 229 | * BlessedWithSuck: [=DiDi=]'s sex appeal is so extreme it verges on being a super-power -- and not an entirely positive one. No man who has sex with her is capable of lasting long enough to bring her to orgasm (including one guy who [[JizzedInMyPants didn't even last long enough to]] ''[[JizzedInMyPants start]]'' [[JizzedInMyPants having sex with her in the first place]]), and her [[SoBeautifulItsACurse gorgeousness]] may have warped her entire life and personality; men all lust after her, most women envy her or worry about the way their partners look at her, and she's never developed proper social skills. See the entry for {{Anorgasmia}} on [[Webcomic/MenageA3 the comic's main page]] for more on her problems. Interestingly, most of the women she encounters when she gets involved with semi-pro wrestling seem relatively immune to her weird appeal, although they aren't all unfriendly; it's possible that they're less ''intimidated'' by her than others. |
| 230 | * BoobBasedGag: Although [=DiDi=]'s voluptuous bust is mostly used to signify her near-supernatural sexual desirability, it also gets used for straightforward jokes from time to time, from her very first appearance onwards. |
| 231 | * BrainlessBeauty: [=DiDi=] is mostly just a [[TheDitz ditz]], but she never shows any signs of analytical intelligence, and sometimes takes a firm hold on the IdiotBall. |
| 232 | * BubblyWaitress: [=DiDi=] works as a waitress and has a generally positive, extrovert personality that could certainly be called bubbly at times. Many of the customers are taken with her, albeit more for her looks than her personality. However, despite being TheDitz, she averts the common idea that bubbly waitresses have to be clumsy; she's usually quite capable at any physical tasks she undertakes. |
| 233 | * BuxomBeautyStandard: She has enormous breasts and is considered supremely attractive by everyone in the strip. |
| 234 | * TheCasanova: A gender-inverted and ''unintentional'' example. [=DiDi=] probably doesn't think of herself as a seductress, and nor does she like breaking anyone's heart -- and yet her supreme attractiveness means that she has little trouble getting any man (or any woman, if she tries) into bed, and her thoughtlessness means that she leaves a trail of broken hearts behind her. |
| 235 | * TheDitz: She seems quite together, if a bit naive sometimes, to begin with -- but that naivety, plus nigh-autistic social incompetence, sometimes leaves [=DiDi=] looking ditzy to the point of being [[AmbiguousInnocence quite scary]]. For example, she finds it "adorable" that Kiley screams and flails before passing out during sex. It apparently doesn't occur to her that Kiley is suffocating between her breasts. |
| 236 | * DumbMuscle: A rare female example, she doesn't appear to be very bright and her strength is described as "Amazonian". |
| 237 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: When she's first moving in, Gary discovers she owns a metal dance pad and she proudly uses it to play ''Dance Dance Revolution'' on her Wii. This is never brought up again and is dropped from the story almost immediately. |
| 238 | * EvenTheGirlsWantHer: Gay men, straight women and even animals. |
| 239 | * EveryoneLovesBlondes: She's blonde, and considered to be the hottest woman in Montreal. |
| 240 | * EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: This trope is exploited to emphasize [=DiDi’s=] over-the-top sexiness. She's the only character (in a series set in Canada, a bilingual country) who speaks with a French accent and adds random GratuitousFrench to her speech. The point is eventually lampshaded by another character who asks why she keeps speaking sometimes-French, though she doesn't give an answer. |
| 241 | * {{Expy}}: She has a lot in common with Harvey Kurtzman's ''Playboy'' character, ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Annie_Fanny Little Annie Fanny]]''. Both are blonde buxom statuesque BlitheSpirits, ignorant of the social complexities around them. |
| 242 | * FatalFlaw: [=DiDi=] has a range of faults, but the key is that she’s very bad at relating to other people. Part of the reason she was never satisfied sexually is that she never bothered to make an emotional connection with her lovers or to communicate with them, so they didn’t even know that they weren’t satisfying her. Even when she enters a supposedly more intimate relationship with Zii, she is focused on her sexual pleasure first and on being partners with Zii second. (Zii being quite shallow herself doesn't help.) And when she gets good advice from others, she invariably interprets it badly. |
| 243 | * FeminineWomenCanCook: [=DiDi=] may not have all the traditional attributes of ultra-femininity, but she's very, very ''female,'' and she's a keen and highly competent cook. |
| 244 | * {{Flanderization}}: [=DiDi=]'s sexual frustration becomes more and more prominent over time -- though this may be considered a matter of CharacterDevelopment, as she is becoming more ''desperate''. Still, she initially demonstrates a playful sense of humor that is lost in later strips, while her near-total inability to process ordinary social cues maybe gets worse over time. |
| 245 | * FriendlessBackground: In a strange way, [=DiDi=] manifests this trope at the start of the comic, despite having a list of ''boyfriends'' so long that she can't keep track of it. Her problem is that she treats those men as disposable and interchangeable, and she says herself that she has few or no female friends -- presumably, although she may not know it herself, because she makes other women insecure, jealous, or intimidated, and would distract ''their'' male friends too much. (When talking about her past to Kiley, she says that her best friend from elementary school stopped speaking to her in high school, presumably after [=DiDi=] got her breasts). She's sweetly grateful when Sandra calls her a friend, she does become some kind of friend with Zii and to a lesser extent Gary thanks to sharing an apartment with them, and her relationship with Matt starts as friendship before getting complicated. But she always has problems with social relationships. |
| 246 | * FullFrontalAssault: In an appropriately NSFW sequence published in October 2009, [=DiDi=] shows up in Gary’s room naked with intent to seduce him, discovers Yuki there instead, deduces that Yuki must be a burglar — and promptly and competently judo-throws Yuki and ties her up. Yuki quite enjoys this... |
| 247 | * FunbagAirbag: A fairly regular occurence with [=DiDi's=] assets, starting with [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/goosh her very first appearance.]] |
| 248 | * GoodBadGirl: Her (initially) sweet and wholesome personality can make one almost forget that she has a list of ex-boyfriends and casual sexual encounters so long that she can't keep their names straight. |
| 249 | * HeadTurningBeauty: [=DiDi=] may possibly be based on Jayne Mansfield in ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RylzPrS3WpE The Girl Can't Help It]]''. She's a walking mass of breasts, lips and legs (especially breasts). Wherever she goes, whatever she does, all men are staring at her. Basically [[LustObject every character in the strip wants her]] or at least acknowledges her attractiveness. |
| 250 | * HomeNudist: [=DiDi'=] lack of a functional nudity taboo leads her to wander around the apartment with very little or nothing on at the drop of a hat. |
| 251 | * HormoneAddledTeenager: [=DiDi=] had some specific hormone-related problems in her teens. As the first of her age group to get breasts (and spectacular breasts at that), she doubtless attracted male interest whether she wanted it or not, but she seems to have welcomed it well enough. Unfortunately, this clearly also lost her any female friends she previously had, as her mere appearance makes other women feel insecure. |
| 252 | * IDidntMeanToTurnYouOn: [=DiDi=] can have a potentially unfortunate effect on every heterosexual male and even vaguely bisexual female within line of sight, just by breathing, as [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/perfect she demonstrates soon after her first appearance.]] Unfortunately, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/just-wash-yourself-in-swimsuits asking her to restrain the effect does no good,]] as Zii discovers the hard way; [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/we-need-a-doggy she appears to be totally unable to understand what she's doing.]] |
| 253 | * IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: [=DiDi=] frequently employs this effect, albeit mostly accidentally. She seemingly learns to use it quite consciously to win arguments with Kiley (who is intimidated rather than turned on by her boobs), but Kiley then apparently develops ways to get around this. |
| 254 | * InformedAttractiveness; [=DiDi=] is certainly drawn as a convincing StatuesqueStunner, at least since ArtEvolution has made her look like a human being rather than a mannequin, but her nigh-supernatural sexual attractiveness just has to be taken on trust — especially as Giz tends to draw almost all her characters as lookers. |
| 255 | * TheIngenue: [=DiDi=] verges on this type, at least to begin with, despite being far from virginal; she has a genuinely sweet, naive nature. |
| 256 | * InnocentlyInsensitive: While [=DiDi=] generally has a nice, friendly disposition, she seems largely incapable of forming anything more than surface-level relationships with others, and often speaks thoughtlessly as a result. She may be growing out of this, starting with her getting "dumped" (it's complicated) by Kiley and shown dramatically when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/cry-from-la-joie she rejects Sonya when the latter offers to give her an even better orgasm than Zii,]] for whom [=DiDi=] has developed feelings at this point. However, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/the-hard-way her casually insensitive comment to Sonya in the same scene]] suggests that she still has some way to go. |
| 257 | * LackOfEmpathy: In one, very specific area. [=DiDi=] has zero regard for the feelings of her boyfriends; one of them outright [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/text-call says]] (after [=DiDi=] cancels a date with him by text message) that she doesn't understand that they ''have'' feelings. Oddly enough, most of the rest of the time, she seems rather soft-hearted (though in a rather shallow, sentimental way), except when distracted by her problem with {{Anorgasmia}}. After Kiley basically dumps her, [=DiDi=] may finally understand what her past boyfriends went through — but given her later behavior, any lesson clearly doesn’t stick. |
| 258 | * LipstickLesbian: When she declares herself a lesbian (implicitly admitting that she is technically bisexual, but insisting that the love of her life is a woman), [=DiDi=] inevitably takes something of a lipstick lesbian identity, being stunningly attractive in a completely female way. |
| 259 | * LongHairIsFeminine: [=DiDi's=] quite impressive mane is all part of her ultra-feminine package. She had to be dissuaded from cutting it off when she first thought that she might be a [[ButchLesbian lesbian]]. |
| 260 | * LoveConfession: Once she realizes that her ability to reach orgasm depends on an emotional connection to her partner, [=DiDi=] is prone to passionate declarations of love to people on whom she fixates -- first Kiley and then Zii. |
| 261 | * LustObject: She tends to gain this status in the eyes of to anyone who sees her, at least for a moment. |
| 262 | * MadLove: [=DiDi=] declares Kiley her girlfriend and the love of her life after Kiley helps her experience her first orgasm. Kiley is seemingly too terrified of the enormous Amazon woman who has recently taken up pro wrestling as a hobby to raise any sort of effective objection. |
| 263 | * MeaningfulName: |
| 264 | ** "[=DiDi=]" counts as a [[{{Pun}} pair]] of meaningful names. Her nickname clearly alludes to her cup size, and her actual first name, Désirée, is [[BilingualBonus the female form of the French equivalent to the verbal adjective "desired"]]. In fact, this might rate as a PunnyName for {{bilingual|Bonus}} readers. |
| 265 | ** Also, her last name means "castle". Considering she is both built like the proverbial brick... house, while being so dense mentally that good advice rarely gets through her head, this counts as a double whammy. |
| 266 | * MurderousThighs: PlayedForLaughs with non-lethal accidents; [=DiDi's=] combination of physical strength and sexual frustration often implies some danger to her partners. |
| 267 | ** One of the [[WebcomicPrintCollection print collections]] has a non-canon [[BonusMaterial bonus story]] in which she puts new husband Gary in hospital after an [[InsatiableNewlyweds ... energetic ... honeymoon]]. |
| 268 | ** When the unfortunate Kiley discovers how to solve [=DiDi's=] {{anorgasmia}} problem, Kiley suffers physical danger as a result. See, for example, strip #1082 (October 15, 2015; NSFW). |
| 269 | ** As a wrestler, [=DiDi=] learns to use those thighs in her moves, with [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/so-cornball great effectiveness.]] |
| 270 | * NeverMyFault: Quite early on, fans began to suspect that [=DiDi's=] {{Anorgasmia}} wasn't necessarily caused by her partners being lousy lovers, but because she never properly communicated with them, and because she had a poor concept of foreplay. Her encounter with Peggy pretty much confirms this, while reinforcing past hints that there might be even deeper problems. Kiley's eventual resolution of the issue involves a lot of digging around in her psyche and identifying her need for communication and emotional attachment. |
| 271 | * NotGoodWithRejection: Being so implausibly desirable, [=DiDi=] has inspired much regret by dumping other people, but is genuinely unaccustomed to being dumped herself -- and after not having an orgasm for so long, she's not going to let go of a competent supplier easily. It takes Kiley insane amounts of effort to get through to her, and then, [=DiDi=] all but collapses in tears. She rather subverts the trope, though, by quickly shifting her attention to [[spoiler:Gary]], although she does claim to be doing so partly to take her mind off Kiley. |
| 272 | * ObliviousToLove: She doesn't seem to pick up on any of Zii's hints that she's attracted to her (even after Zii has flat-out ''told'' her once that she's physically attracted) -- so much so that [[spoiler:when Zii moves out while [=DiDi=] and Gary are having sex, [=DiDi=] thinks it's because Zii's attracted to Gary instead of her. (The trope is somewhat subverted in that Zii ''does'' feel an attraction to Gary, and freaks out about the idea.) Then, [=DiDi=] does finally get the idea -- but it takes a while]]. |
| 273 | * PoirotSpeak: [=DiDi=] peppers her speech with random French words. (In [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness her earliest appearances]] she speaks a [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-much-love-to-go-the-dating rather broken English]] as a way of showing her not being a native English speaker, which is a little more realistic but a ''lot'' more grating to read.) This is ''finally'' {{lampshaded|Trope}} in strip #1171 (May 19, 2016, marginally NSFW). (Interestingly, while she can't say a sentence in English without using some French words, she has no problem ''understanding'' people who speak English, except for some rarer words like "amygdala" or "kayfabe".) |
| 274 | * ThePowerOfLust: Initially, [=DiDi=] is mainly notable for ''inspiring'' lust as an overwhelming motivation in others, driving anyone with the slightest interest in women to behave ridiculously. However, once she begins to think that a cure for her {{Anorgasmia}} may be in prospect, her own lust becomes her own overwhelming motivation, and makes her [[TookALevelInJerkass a much less likable character than she was previously]]. |
| 275 | * ReallyGetsAround: She's had so many boyfriends that she mixes up their names. When Kiley asks her about her sexual partners, she goes on listing them for twenty minutes; then, when Kiley asks if she ever lived with any of them, she says no, that would make it awkward to bring other dates home. |
| 276 | * RequiredSecondaryPowers: Her gravity-defying breasts would require '''insane''' back muscles to stay anywhere close to as perky as they're shown -- back muscles which she does, in fact, display. She exercises avidly, and is unquestionably the physically strongest of the cast, to the point that she is initially mistaken for a drag queen. |
| 277 | * RightThroughTheWall: She's habitually very vocal during sex, even if she isn't actually reaching orgasm. |
| 278 | * SecretlyWealthy: She has no problem turning down a $100,000+ contract from [[Wrestling/{{WWE}} "WW3"]] when it conflicts with her morals because she makes about the same from tips at her [[MundaneUtility waitressing job]] (doubtless because of the weird power of her looks). |
| 279 | * SexGoddess: Subverted. Everyone finds [=DiDi=] ''insanely'' desirable, to the point that her male partners tend to suffer from premature ejaculation and experienced bisexual women can be quite intimidated by the idea of sex with her. In many ways, she could pass as a downright mythical goddess of love and sex. But it doesn't seem like she's actually especially good at sex, technically speaking; she's never had to be, and she lacks the empathy that she really needs for the purpose. |
| 280 | * SoBeautifulItsACurse: [=DiDi=] lives this trope. Her appearance verges on the superhuman, so see the notes on BlessedWithSuck for the consequences. |
| 281 | * StatuesqueStunner: As her defining visual trait. |
| 282 | * SupremeChef: Zii insists that she get the other spare room in the apartment on learning that she can cook (Zii and Gary can't), and the appeal of her breakfasts and her general competence in the kitchen become a minor plot point from then on. She may not quite hit true supreme chef levels, but she's clearly very good -- [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/this-will-be-a-business-dinner her soup shuts down Kiley's better judgment on one occasion.]] |
| 283 | * TookALevelInJerkass: |
| 284 | ** In her early days in the comic, [=DiDi=] is, if not innocent, then at least honestly naive and well-meaning. The desire for an orgasm isn’t good for her personality, though, and achieving that goal actually makes her markedly ''worse''. By the last volume, she’s become something of a monster of ego and entitlement. |
| 285 | ** After deciding that she's straight after all (which lasts until she gets to know her [[JustForFun/KinseyScaleOfTropes Kinsey]] better), [=DiDi=] becomes noticeably more immature, bitchy, and self-centered.[[note]]Oddly, she goes from being the nicest girl in the cast to (for a while at least) the meanest right around the time that Zii takes a stab at being a bit more responsible and less selfish, making it seem like they've switched roles.[[/note]] Mostly, this seems to be a product of [=DiDi's=] increasing sexual frustration, and her attitude seems to be more crazy than evil, so her level in jerkass has the potential to go away again. However, her treatment of Kiley, after things get complicated between them, is sweet on the surface but basically unthinking and exploitative, so [=DiDi's=] niceness is still deeply compromised. She ''seems'' to be getting better after Kiley dumps her and she develops feelings for Zii... |
| 286 | * UnskilledButStrong: A very mild case, but shown clearly at least once. In one early strip, [=DiDi=] is shown to know at least the basics of judo, and when Roxie starts teaching her wrestling, she turns out to be quite a fast learner. However, when she then gets into the ring with Tess and Maura, with them not holding back, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/maura-and-i-will-try-to-keep-up they proceed to tie her in knots.]] Presumably, she's been leaning on her amazonian strength, leaving her vulnerable to sufficiently superior technique. |
| 287 | * WorkoutFanservice: Any of [=DiDi's=] regular jogging sessions can provide fanservice if they appear on screen; they also tend to have devastating effects on passers-by. [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/been-chasing-you-10-blocks The one time Sandra tries to keep up, briefly, she just ends up exhausted in a not-very-sexy way.]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/we-need-a-doggy [=DiDi=] Engaging in yoga in the apartment would also count,]] having been known to [[LustObject scramble Zii's brain.]] |
| 288 | [[/folder]] |
| 289 | |
| 290 | !!Our Household's Friends and Lovers |
| 291 | |
| 292 | [[folder:Erik]] |
| 293 | [[quoteright:122:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/erik_ma3.jpg]] |
| 294 | |
| 295 | ->''"Gary, could you pass me my jealous girlfriend?"'' |
| 296 | |
| 297 | Erik initially enters the plot as one of [=DiDi=]'s boyfriends. He's nice and all, but she isn't entirely satisfied with (or by) him, and drops him like so many others. His role becomes much bigger when he starts dating Zii. Later, for reasons of plot, he starts showing up occasionally in ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns''. |
| 298 | ---- |
| 299 | * AmbiguouslyBi: Erik is [[invoked]] [[WordOfGod officially]] described as “straight, but cool with MMF threesomes”. Angel claims at one point that he’s actually bi, but Angel may not be the most reliable of witnesses. However, in the follow-up comic ''Zii and the Troublemakers'', he pursues a relationship with a drag queen, so his sexuality is evidently quite flexible. |
| 300 | * CoolShades: Erik rarely if ever takes his shades off, and definitely has a cool image. It's possible that he works at this consciously, with the shades as a prop; his cool does crack a little occasionally. |
| 301 | * EarlyBirdCameo: The guy with whom [=DiDi=] left the park in Year 1 came back. |
| 302 | * FlatCharacter: He's a nice enough fellow, but a lot of readers have had trouble thinking of anything to say about him beyond that. |
| 303 | * GenreSavvy: Compared to everyone else's odd views on how to get relationships to work. |
| 304 | * LongHairedPrettyBoy: His look at all times, {{lampshaded|Trope}} by Angel [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/i-am-not-jealous here.]] |
| 305 | * NiceGuy: Erik is certainly amiable and even-tempered, if maybe a little dull. In a later appearance, he treats a badly distressed Zii quite kindly, despite their painful shared history at that stage. |
| 306 | * NoFullNameGiven: His last name has never been revealed. |
| 307 | * OnlySaneMan: Well, not while he's pursuing [=DiDi=] in his early appearances, and he’s prone to lapses in judgment, but as shown in his relationship with Zii, he is often very reasonable — especially in comparison to the rest of the cast. He instantly realizes that Zii is only making out with Gary in front of him because she's jealous (she doesn't know that the pretty girl she's seen him with is his sister), and even a long time after they have broken up, he doesn't mind having a heart-to-heart talk with Zii about her messed-up feelings and the way she treats her various lovers. |
| 308 | * SmartBall: While Erik is never shown as really stupid, his OnlySaneMan good sense tends to ebb and flow as the plot requires. He seems to understand Zii fairly well, but is a little too easily impressed when her band act like “real rockers” (i.e. lecherous destructive idiots). |
| 309 | * StrongFamilyResemblance: To his sister, ''Erika'', even down to the sunglasses. |
| 310 | * SunglassesAtNight: He has maybe taken his glasses off once or twice, but he leaves them on during a movie, sleep, or sex. |
| 311 | [[/folder]] |
| 312 | |
| 313 | [[folder:Isabelle]] |
| 314 | [[quoteright:290:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/izz_ma3_colour.jpg]] |
| 315 | |
| 316 | ->''"Wow... No one has ever said something so cool about me. That's... that's so sweet... Really sweet. But '''she's''' the rock star. And I may not get this chance again. You understand, right?"'' |
| 317 | |
| 318 | A girl who Gary, Zii, and Yvan meet in an indie rock bar. The fact that she deliberately models her hairstyle on Zii's should be the first clue, or maybe warning sign, about her; she rapidly progresses from simple {{fangirl}}[=/=]groupie gushing to becoming yet another StalkerWithACrush targeting Zii, and successfully manipulates Zii into teaching her to play guitar, despite Zii having the sense to be worried about her for once. Later, after Sonya and Yuki quit the band, Isabelle instantly switches to bass in the hopes of taking Sonya's place, and Zii reluctantly accepts that this may be the best way to keep her own dreams alive. |
| 319 | |
| 320 | Isabelle's delusions about Zii's level of stardom take her close to {{Cloudcuckoolander}} status. She also says that people can call her "Izz", but that may well be [[IJustWantToBeYou just another symptom of her crush]]; her resemblance to Zii is superficial, though, or she'd rate as an OddballDoppelganger. Nonetheless, she is occasionally referred to as "Izz" or "Izzy", at least by fans. |
| 321 | ---- |
| 322 | * CharacterDevelopment: Isabelle is initially established as a crazy stalker who tries too hard to imitate Zii. However, late in the comic’s last volume, as the cast are all being given some degree of closure, she takes some advice from Zii to heart about being herself, changes her look, and even makes a notably sane suggestion. Then, in the sequel comic ''Zii and the Troublemakers'', she seems to have [[TookALevelInJerkass Taken a Level in Jerkass]] in her attitude to Zii. |
| 323 | * DrivesLikeCrazy: Even before her first appearance, she's had her learner driver's license suspended for reckless driving. [[FearlessFool She clearly hasn't learned anything from this]]. |
| 324 | -->'''Gary:''' F-f-f-first time I ever did Highway 40 in reverse.\ |
| 325 | '''Isabelle:''' Not ''my'' fault Zii's rearview mirror is broken! How else could I talk to you in the backseat and still see the road?! |
| 326 | * {{Fangirl}}: Her reaction to Zii starts at "enthusiastic" and goes up from there, hitting scary StalkerWithACrush[=/=]LoonyFan levels after a couple of hours. She occasionally functions as a HeroWorshipper. |
| 327 | * HypocriticalHumor: "We can't have crazies stalking her, right? Which reminds me, I need to add her address to my contacts. Do you know her full name? Including middle name, and her mom's maiden name? And do you know her cell number? That would be really useful. Any siblings? Cousins? Pets? What's her favorite food?" |
| 328 | * IJustWantToBeYou: Her attitude to Zii, though she's more fannish than envious, and more open about it than is normal for the trope, at least accidentally. She admits the fact to Zii in [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/what-would-make-you-happy strip #993 (March 03, 2015),]] then corrects her words to "be ''like'' you". |
| 329 | * ManipulativeBitch: Don't let her {{fangirl}} attitude fool you; this girl has serious skill at manipulating people, largely by presuming on their politeness and then not giving them the chance to qualify their offers. |
| 330 | * NoNameGiven: She first appears in strip #972, but for some reason, her name isn't mentioned until #988, although she appears in most of the intervening strips. This is probably just because the story doesn't call for it, but the fact that she can shorten it to "Izz" has some plot significance, and the omission does allow a small, cute exchange between her and Gary when he finally asks. Anyway, there was a fair amount of odd fan speculation during that gap. |
| 331 | * OffscreenTeleportation: She gets from somewhere behind Gary and Zii to inside their house ahead of them, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/make-it-in-one-piece without visibly passing through the doorway.]] |
| 332 | * StalkerWithACrush: Several characters in the comic fit this trope to some extent -- see [[Webcomic/MenageA3 the notes on the main page]] -- but Isabelle is probably the most worryingly ''realistic'' example, as she quite literally [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/deserve-the-best-of-everything breaks into the apartment to make Zii breakfast,]] wants to be nicknamed "Izz", and takes the liberty of changing the lock on the apartment door and getting herself a key. |
| 333 | * TheTease: Although she is apparently a virgin (at least in her appearances), Isabelle's manipulation technique involves a lot of flirting and eyelash-fluttering. |
| 334 | * TookALevelInJerkass: Isabelle starts out as something of a stalker, which at least involves her trying to please Zii, and by the end of the run of the Webcomic, she has taken Zii's advice to heart about finding her own way in life, and is now saner and generally polite to Zii. However, when she appears briefly in the follow-up comic ''Zii and the Troublemakers'', she is quite snarky and even hostile to Zii, saying that their former relationship had held her back. |
| 335 | [[/folder]] |
| 336 | |
| 337 | [[folder:Jung]] |
| 338 | [[quoteright:125:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ma3cast_junghan_7969.png]] |
| 339 | |
| 340 | ->''"Hey, I don't judge. Well, that's not true... but I wouldn't judge '''this.'''"'' |
| 341 | |
| 342 | Gary's friend Junghan (Jung for short) works in a comic-book store and agrees to hire Zii when she needs a job to keep from being evicted. He is also a keen hobbyist costume-maker, who keeps looking for excuses to make people wear his {{cosplay}} designs, and eventually ends up creating stage costumes for Zii's band. He is one of the first characters to carry over from ''Webcomic/MenageA3'' to ''Webcomic/PixietrixComix'', which is after all initially set in the shop he runs. |
| 343 | ---- |
| 344 | * BigEater: Early on, he mentions he can't move out of his mom's basement because the food bills alone would bankrupt him. In his subsequent appearances, he is often shown consuming some form of snack food. |
| 345 | * ButIReadABookAboutIt: When Jung started getting interested in Ramona (of ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns''), he apparently made a point of studying ''The Joy of Sex''. This has paid off for him; despite the fact that they were both virgins, Ramona has declared that they had a really good first time, and their sex life remains mutually enthusiastic. |
| 346 | * CausticCritic: Subverted; he originally wouldn't even consider that Dillon's play could be any good, but when he ends up really enjoying it, he writes an honest, extremely positive review, helping make the play a success. |
| 347 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Jung was depicted in [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/to-the-airport strip #531 (November 26, 2011);]] more than 250 strips later, he's nowhere to be seen. But the trope is eventually averted by [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-do-not-care his reappearance in strip #824 (December 10, 2013).]] He has also since [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/replacement-copy shown up]] in ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'' and then in ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix''. |
| 348 | * DissonantSerenity: Jung is [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/ultimate-crossover remarkably calm]] as Yuki [[UnstoppableRage runs amok]]. |
| 349 | * ExactWords: Jung proves himself to be a master of the technique [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/starts-trusting-me-too-much here]]. |
| 350 | * {{Expy}}: Junghan, the ''seemingly'' asexual BigEater, is a pretty obvious stand-in for [[Characters/ArchieComics Jughead]]. |
| 351 | * TheGadfly: Jung clearly enjoys mocking and teasing people, but he never goes too far, and he's a good friend when it's really needed. |
| 352 | * GeekPhysiques: The fat version. Though he's plump rather than seriously overweight. |
| 353 | * HiddenDepths: Jung initially appears to be just a rather run-of-the-mill comics-reading geek. However... |
| 354 | ** He not only demonstrates an interest in [[{{Cosplay}} costumes]], but turns out to make them himself -- rather well -- and eventually produces some effective stage gear for Zii's band. |
| 355 | ** He turns out to speak a little Japanese. |
| 356 | ** When Zii is feeling quite badly depressed, he manages to cheer her up without ''quite'' blowing his impassive cool. Likewise, he deals empathetically with a distressed Ruby. |
| 357 | ** Then there's [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/open-and-honest the fan-stunning reveal about his romantic life.]] |
| 358 | ** Even his old friend Gary has said that he's [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/your-date-is-some-lucky-guy full of surprises.]] |
| 359 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Jung isn't much of a jerk, but he's certainly a serious DeadpanSnarker. However, when Ruby shows up in the shop in some distress and looking for a female shoulder to cry on, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/that-thing-you-do Jung handles it promptly and gracefully,]] handing her off to Ramona. |
| 360 | * MeanBoss: Jung isn't ''really'' mean, but he's not above abusing his managerial position by messing with the shop's employees -- mostly by getting them to wear his {{cosplay}} creations. (Zii handles this better than Aaron -- but then, she looks better in a miniskirt.) They doubtless have to deal with a ''lot'' of snark, though. |
| 361 | * NoFullNameGiven: His last name has never been revealed. |
| 362 | * OnlySaneMan: Justified since he's also TheStoic, or near to it: the closest he's ever come to strong emoting is smirking, which appears to be his substitute for chuckling. (Well, he does eventually demonstrate blush-inducing fondness for [[spoiler:Ramona]], leading to a lot of sexual passion — but strictly in private.) However, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/replacement-copy Ruby did manage to startle him a little.]] One may also recall him [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/cab-fare not being able to go to the washroom due to Zii's shenanigans.]] |
| 363 | * TokenMinority: Junghan's name sounds Korean[[note]]Another spelling could be Jung-Han.[[/note]], and his appearance is consistent with this, though it's never brought up in the comic. (He also speaks a little Japanese, though that doesn't prove much.) This ethnic origin is effectively confirmed by a bonus strip in one of the [[WebcomicPrintCollection print volumes]], in which his [[RuleSixtyThree female counterpart]] has the distinctly Korean name "Min-Jung". |
| 364 | [[/folder]] |
| 365 | |
| 366 | [[folder:Kiley]] |
| 367 | [[quoteright:322:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kiley_ma3_colour.png]] |
| 368 | |
| 369 | ->''"It's no use... I can't compete with these '''gargantuan melons!''' All I have are these '''nothing boobs''' and ... my '''brain...'''"'' |
| 370 | |
| 371 | Kiley Shefford is Yuki's underqualified therapist, who also ends up providing similarly dubious but sometimes oddly successful therapy to several other characters. Initially introduced in a [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/at-all-costs one-off gag,]] Kiley [[AscendedExtra grows]] into a larger role by offering to [[HollywoodPsych "Fix Yuki's Brain"]] so Yuki can pursue Gary more effectively. She then ends up embedded in several plot strands, mostly involving Matt and then [=DiDi.=] |
| 372 | |
| 373 | Kiley departs from ''Ménage à 3'' shortly before it ends, but later reappears in ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix'', where she turns out to be Sharon's (and hence also Aaron's) cousin, and sharing an apartment with the former. |
| 374 | ---- |
| 375 | * ACupAngst: The whole point of her first appearance, reacting to [=DiDi=] (and she reacts the same way again on a later meeting), and subsequently one of her defining traits. It doesn't help when others [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/should-feel-like-yours mention]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/the-worst-therapist-in-the-world the]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/a-little-kid subject]] to her. [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/okay-sized Her attempts at getting over it]] are [[{{Pun}} milked for laughs]]. Eventually, her relationship with Matt and dealings with [=DiDi=] involve some conscious attempts to deal with the problem. In ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix'', Julian expressing attraction to her leaves her very conflicted: On the one hand, a very gay man being attracted to her because of her resemblance to her male cousin really isn't helping her feel any better about her breast size. On the other hand, it's ''[[{{Hunk}} Julian]]''. |
| 376 | * AscendedExtra: Kiley starts out as [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/at-all-costs a throwaway background joke,]] and ends up playing a major role in several plotlines. |
| 377 | * BoyishShortHair: Although Kiley isn't especially tomboyish, and is comfortably and actively heterosexual, she is unusually cerebral by the standards of this comic, and is usually disinclined to use sex appeal to get her way -- and her short bob fits all that. |
| 378 | * BunnyEarsLawyer: Kiley is an intermittently effective (if unqualified) therapist, despite suffering from ACupAngst to the point of (comedy) neurosis. |
| 379 | * TheCameo: Before she enters the plot of ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix'' as a named character, Kiley makes [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/pixie-trix-comix/aaand-smile a cameo appearance]] in the background of one of Sharon's Instagram selfies, [[ACupAngst staring very sadly at Sharon's much larger breasts]]. |
| 380 | * ChekhovsGunman: First seen in that one-panel background gag (see above), Kiley is subsequently discovered working on [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/where-are-your-mags a magazine stand]], where her role in the story [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/psych becomes clearer]]. She eventually [[spoiler:takes Gary's virginity (December 13, 2011, NSFW),]] and goes on to further accomplishments, including [[spoiler: giving [=DiDi=] her first orgasm]]. |
| 381 | * ClosetKey: Kiley sometimes brings out ambiguities in other people’s sexuality, not entirely deliberately. |
| 382 | ** [[spoiler:[=DiDi=]]] is fairly consistently straight until Kiley gives her her first orgasm, which makes [[spoiler:[=DiDi=]]] decide that anyone who might do that for her is of interest. |
| 383 | ** In ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix'', [[spoiler:Julian]] identifies as gay until seeing Kiley naked leads him to realise that he is attracted to a ''type'' -- slim, blonde, and androgynous. |
| 384 | * ComfortFood: After her painful bust-up with Matt, Kiley first goes out drinking with Yuki, then hits a restaurant for pancakes. It's notable that, while Yuki doesn't see the need to restrain Kiley's drinking, she ends up saying "I think you've had enough" after several plates of pancakes. (Strip #1055, July 30, 2015, borderline NSFW.) |
| 385 | * DistaffCounterpart: Kiley's very short-lived relationship with Gary is largely empowered by the fact that she's basically his {{Tomboy}} counterpart. Lack of confidence, dragged into sexual situations they're not comfortable with, not the stereotypical depiction of hot for their gender (but not unattractive either)... |
| 386 | * FreudianExcuse: She's no villain, but anyway -- the root causes of her ACupAngst are apparently finally revealed in strip #916 (August 07, 2014, NSFW). |
| 387 | * HiddenBadass: Despite being an overly emotional student of HollywoodPsych, Kiley manages some legitimately impressive feats during the runs of the comics in which she appears. She staggers Yuki, Sonya and Matt with {{armor piercing question}}s, causing each of them to have at least one epiphany, [[spoiler:even gives [=DiDi=] her first orgasm]], and is later [[spoiler:instrumental in helping Julian reassess his sexuality -- though not for entirely selfless reasons in that case]]. |
| 388 | * HollywoodPsych: By the ''metric ton!'' Justified by RuleOfFunny because she [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/psych sometimes seems hilariously awful at anything psych-related,]] although when she's on target, her abilities are effective to equally Hollywood-ish levels; her ArmorPiercingQuestion attack on [[spoiler:Sonya]] is ''deadly'', and she gets through to the core of [[spoiler:[=DiDi's=]]] problem in a few minutes flat. |
| 389 | * HookHand: Kiley briefly ''{{imagine|Spot}}s'' herself with such a prosthesis when her treatment of [=DiDi=] has achieved [[GoneHorriblyRight unexpected and remarkable results]], leaving her hand feeling crushed in an ... unusual way. (Strip #935, October 02, 2014, borderline NSFW.) |
| 390 | * IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: Replace "Beloved" with "Patient" -- she calls things off with [[spoiler:Gary]] out of concern for [[spoiler:Yuki's]] feelings and mental state. How far she's thinking about ''[[spoiler:Gary]]'' there is more questionable; she evidently thinks it's ''right'', [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/confidence-builder and that he should be able to handle it]], but she's more concerned about her own ethics -- and this does rather leave [[spoiler:Gary]] in the lurch. |
| 391 | * MoodSwinger: Kiley seems to be a bit neurotic, with excessive but fragile confidence in her own abilities. She frequently [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/all-your-comics jumps from cynical sarcasm to wild enthusiasm,]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/or-whatever from tearful panic to jumping someone,]] from "I'm such a good therapist" (strip #515, October 20th 2011, NSFW) to [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/the-worst-therapist-in-the-world "I'm the worst therapist in the world",]] from [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/okay-sized ecstasy to tears,]] and from [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/calm-down anger to sobbing,]] with minimal provocation. |
| 392 | * MotorMouth: Her mouth runs away with her when she's randy and at other times of emotional chaos. |
| 393 | * PlayingCyrano: She coaches Yuki through her early dates with Gary (and Sonya), eventually coaching Yuki closely for the climactic date, in best Cyrano style, via smartphone. She then sort-of [[InvertedTrope inverts the trope]] when she ends up briefly falling for him herself. |
| 394 | * ProneToTears: Kiley is very insecure and prone to breakdown crying. When they're together, Kiley and Yuki have a good chance of [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/start-crying both crying]] TenderTears, for [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/calm-down different reasons]]. And when she breaks down, she ''really'' [[InelegantBlubbering breaks down]]. |
| 395 | * PuppyDogEyes: Her face is suited to this effect, although she doesn't use it often in any but the mildest form. However, when she needs a risky favour from Matt (strip #758, June 27, 2013, NSFW), she hits him with full-on "doe eyes", apparently knowing exactly what she's doing and how effective it'll be. |
| 396 | * SayingTooMuch: Kiley's mouth tends to run away when she's under any sort of stress or her neuroses are triggered, usually leading to a frame full of her talking rapidly before she catches herself giving too much away. |
| 397 | * SelectiveObliviousness: Kiley's view of her relationship with Matt mirrors his, though perhaps with marginally less convincing self-deception. See his entry for details. |
| 398 | * TheShrink: Although [[UncertifiedExpert she isn't qualified]] yet, Kiley takes it upon herself to play the shrink for other cast members, and sometimes achieves "Awesome Shrink"-level results -- though at other times she maybe tends towards "Well-Meaning, But Dopey And Ineffective". |
| 399 | * UncertifiedExpert: Kiley is a ''student'' who takes it upon herself to act as a psychotherapist (albeit sometimes quite effectively). Her lack of actual certification has on occasion been the basis of a joke. |
| 400 | [[/folder]] |
| 401 | |
| 402 | [[folder:Matt]] |
| 403 | [[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/matt_sdb_colour.jpg]] |
| 404 | |
| 405 | ->''"*Sigh* I guess I really am a bastard."'' |
| 406 | |
| 407 | Matthieu "Matt" Lanteigne is Gary's other former roommate and Dillon's boyfriend until Dillon catches him with a woman. Matt is an underwear model, and a bisexual with a mild taste for kinky sex, with above-average emotional intelligence by the standards of the comic. |
| 408 | ---- |
| 409 | * BrainsAndBondage: Matt is one of the smarter cast members, in a practical sort of way, and his sexual proclivities are not only bisexual but often downright kinky — perhaps because his intelligence makes him restless. |
| 410 | * TheCasanova: In his less self-aware phases, Matt is a very successful bisexual seducer who doesn't concern himself much with the consequences of his conquests. Apparently, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/one-thing-i-have-never-done the one thing he's never done with a woman]] is ''turn her down.'' |
| 411 | * TheCharmer: Matt combines professional-model good looks with a good understanding of people, and is a reasonably nice guy when his worst impulses aren't in charge; while this aspect of his characterization isn't played up, he can get most people to like him despite his flaws. However, he tends to use his charm to fulfill [[TheCasanova his bisexual desires]], and when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/even-better-than-glasses he turns it on Gary]] in the course of a plan that involves ''humiliating'' the other guy, he slips towards ManipulativeBastard territory. |
| 412 | * GagPenis: Matt is depicted as just all-round sexually impressive. |
| 413 | ** Senna implies (in Portuguese) that he's well-endowed, although she's maybe engaging in routine compliments at the time, and Dillon hints once or twice that Matt is fairly impressive. However, neither of them makes ... that big a thing of it. |
| 414 | ** When [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/Just-take-your-sweet-time the disguised Ruby glimpses what he’s got,]] she’s quite startled, and while she hasn’t seen many naked men, she’s not ''totally'' ignorant; Matt takes her reaction as a compliment (“Thanks. Underwear model.”). |
| 415 | * HeelRealization: Matt isn't entirely lacking in self-awareness; he admits to himself that the aftermaths of his relationships with both Dillon and Kiley reflect badly on him. His attempts to do better never seem to last, though. |
| 416 | * {{Jerkass}}: In the opening strips, Matt and Dillon completely shake up Gary's life, getting caught by him having sex in the living room, destroying his work table by having sex on top of it, and not telling him they are moving out until the last possible second, then leaving "just in case some of the strangers they invited over are axe murderers". And yet Matt outstrips Dillon handily -- not only cheating on Dillon with Sandra, but then seducing Dillon while on a date with her, then when the whole night goes to hell for pretty much the entire cast, winding up as the middle of a sandwich, with two of Dillon's cast-mates (one female, one male) as the bread. And he ''admits'' it, at least to himself. (For all his flaws, he does at least have some self-knowledge.) As another point against him, he's also so insecure about Gary's supposed superior sexual prowess that he seeks to set Gary up to be put down, just so he can feel good about himself again. |
| 417 | * LadykillerInLove: Though he hides it well, Matt is evidently more romantic than he likes to admit. |
| 418 | ** His problems keeping his hands off Dillon are ''probably'' just lust, but... |
| 419 | ** ...His relationship with Kiley becomes closer than either wants to admit, and when she angrily walks out on him, the comic's graphics suggest that his heart is breaking. He quickly recovers to enjoy a threesome with [[spoiler:Gary and Peggy]], but the next morning, after they've both left and he's been reminded about Kiley, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-need-a-new-therapist-now he collapses]] into InelegantBlubbering. A few strips later, he's allowing himself a series of paper-thin rationalisations for visiting her. |
| 420 | ** That doesn’t work out, but eventually his supposedly pragmatic relationship with Yuki evolves into [[MadLove a deranged kind of romance]]. |
| 421 | * LoopholeAbuse: When Matt comes to believe that he's put Kiley off men for life by lying to her, which lead to them breaking up, he swears to himself that he'll get her back, and that he won't sleep with other women from now on. However, he ''is'' bisexual, so this ''doesn't'' put a stop to his sex life. (Anyway, he soon forgets the resolution completely.) |
| 422 | * LustObject: Matt seems to be able to inspire lust quite easily in a lot of people (such as other members of the cast of the musical in which Dillon appears). He provokes truly ''obsessive'' lust in [=DiDi=] at the time when he is the focus of her orgasm obsession. |
| 423 | * MrFanservice: He's really ripped (after all, he's an underwear model) and the comic often shows him shirtless. |
| 424 | * NotGoodWithRejection: It's a one-off occurrence with him, but when his actions result in Kiley breaking up with him, perhaps for the first time in his life, Matt is deeply saddened over losing a girlfriend. He is repeatedly shown regretting and even crying over the loss, although he also apparently keeps forgetting himself and having sex with other people. On the other hand again, he asks at least two of those people to disguise themselves as Kiley... |
| 425 | * PetTheDog: Matt has more than one sympathetic moment: |
| 426 | ** When he [[HeelRealization realizes he's been a jerk to Dillon]], he apparently stops trying to get into serious relationships for a while, sticking to people who are as casually sexual as he is. It doesn't last, though. |
| 427 | ** Despite the falling-out with Dillon, he has a genuine friendship with Gary, consoling him when Gary doubts his heterosexuality, and helping him decide that he isn't gay. (However, he later forgets this friendship and schemes to humiliate Gary when his own ego is threatened.) |
| 428 | ** During a guest appearance in ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/i-am-a-manly-man he handles an encounter with a disguised Ruby kindly and with some grace.]] |
| 429 | ** When Yuki keeps trying to get him into bed to practice suppressing her psychotic rages (in order to protect Gary, with whom she wants a serious relationship), Matt initially refuses, repeatedly, on the plausible grounds that he's likely to get his genitals crushed or ripped off. However, when he discovers the sad nature of her problem, and realises that she, like himself, suffers from weird hallucinations, he agrees to try and help her, despite the danger of serious injury. |
| 430 | * PlotPoweredStamina: After a night of mutually satisfactory sex, Peggy wakes him up by asking if he fancies "making it an even dozen" (and he agrees). This line is there for the joke, of course, but if she really means twelve acts of intercourse in one night ... well, that level of endurance could be considered a case of AnatomicallyImpossibleSex. |
| 431 | * {{Pride}}: He prides himself on his sexual prowess, and does not take it well when he believes that Gary of all people is better than him (see below). |
| 432 | * SelectiveObliviousness: Matt's denial of the nature of [[LadykillerInLove his relationship with Kiley]] gets rather obvious by [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/just-in-mutual-therapy strip #1001.]] |
| 433 | -->'''Matt:''' Don't worry, Kiley. We are just in mutual therapy, like you said. We're not a couple.\ |
| 434 | '''Kiley:''' K.\ |
| 435 | '''Matt:''' By the way, we're low on bread and milk.\ |
| 436 | '''Kiley:''' And bottles of laundry detergent. Let's stop by the market to pick up a couple. |
| 437 | * SexForSolace: Matt demonstrates a slightly unusual variant of this trope on several occasions. He usually sleeps around on a whim without regard for how his actions affect others. However, he [[LadykillerInLove does sometimes fall for his partners, notably Kiley]], and when those relationships break up he can seem genuinely heartbroken. But his response to such heartbreak seems to be ''to have sex with someone else, for solace.'' The seriousness of his feelings for Kiley can be measured by the fact that he gets some partners (male and female) to wear a wig resembling Kiley's hair. |
| 438 | * SexGod: Matt probably comes as close to this status as is ''realistically'' feasible. He's just plain very good at sex, and proud of it. While he's never able to bring [=DiDi=] to orgasm, he comes the closest ''any'' man ever has and she says that he's better than all of her previous lovers combined. (Also, there are a number of unexpected problems there, ranging from Yuki delivering a ''particularly'' vigorous kick to his crotch to [=DiDi=] mistakenly applying [[FireBreathingDiner Tabasco sauce]] to his crotch rather than vegetable oil, to ... well ... see UnknownRival, below.) |
| 439 | * TheShameless: Matt is an extremely sexually successful bisexual, even by the standards of this uninhibited SexComedy, and while he may be aware that a current partner expects fidelity, that never stops him. He may try to keep these infidelities secret, but strictly to avoid inconvenience. He occasionally becomes aware that he's done something wrong, but the lesson never sticks. He also has zero body modesty, but that comes with his job as an underwear model. |
| 440 | * ThrillSeeker: Matt initially seems to be merely compulsively promiscuous, but it eventually becomes clear that his real problem is an addiction to danger in his sex life. This can explain his inability to stay faithful to one person, and why he never locks the door while having sex in the living room; in both situations, he maybe ''wants'' the chance of getting caught. It may also serve as an even deeper reason as to why he cheats on Dillon; by not telling Gary about their relationship over the course of those three months, they created an ongoing risk of Gary catching them in the act. So once Gary has found out, Matt cheats on Dillon for a new thrill after the old one is gone. He certainly [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/it-was-gaming-night recalls the sense of danger from his first night with Dillon with pleasure,]] and reacts to several minutes of very real danger of having his genitals maimed by Yuki, which has left him hyperventilating in fear, by engaging in enthusiastic animalistic sex with Kiley (who put him in that danger in the first place). Apparently, risk ''really'' turns him on -- which can explain how he comes to end the story living happily InHarmsWay with Yuki. |
| 441 | * UnknownRival: After [=DiDi=] calls out Gary's name while having sex with Matt, Matt develops a bit of a complex about his sexual prowess compared to Gary's. This is exacerbated when Peggy admits that she only hooked up with Matt because she mistook him for Gary. Gary himself has no idea at the time that Matt feels this way, though he finds out something of what is going on when Matt's subsequent plan comes to a climax. |
| 442 | [[/folder]] |
| 443 | |
| 444 | [[folder:Peggy]] |
| 445 | [[quoteright:170:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/peggy_ma3_colour.png]] |
| 446 | |
| 447 | ->''"What have I gotten myself into?"'' |
| 448 | |
| 449 | Peggy is a nurse who has the ''interesting'' luck to be sitting at the next table in the restaurant where Sonya is attempting to seduce Erik. By the end of the evening, she's dumped her boyfriend and is engaged in typical ''Webcomic/MenageA3'' sexual hi-jinks with various cast members -- despite the fact that she seems to be one of the ''sane'' ones in this universe. She may be a very rapidly AscendedExtra (the editor has noted that she was originally supposed to go back to her boyfriend at the end of that first evening, but this didn't work as a plot), or even an {{expy}} of Creator/EmmaThompson's character in ''Film/TheTallGuy''. |
| 450 | ---- |
| 451 | * BoyishShortHair: Peggy has the shortest crop of any of the female characters, although she is neither youthfully boyish nor at all unfeminine. However, she has an unusually serious job by the standards of this cast, and is notably practical; her hairstyle reflects that. She looks distinctly ridiculous when Sonya puts her into a wig, although she later manages to wear it with reasonable credibility. |
| 452 | * ButNotTooBi: Peggy specifically defines herself as Kinsey one or two; she's perfectly comfortable with the occasional lesbian encounter, but she's really more interested in men. This is simply a matter of her personal inclinations, though. |
| 453 | * CommitmentIssues: When she first appears, Peggy is in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend, and she subsequently shows a wish to avoid commitment and live more adventurously. Unfortunately, this means that when she finds herself becoming fond of Gary, she is very confused and uncertain, leading her into [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/he-is-comfortable a moment of existential panic.]] |
| 454 | * TheConscience: During her first appearance, Peggy [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/you-hurt-by-dooooze suddenly if briefly acts as a Conscience.]] She doesn't repeat the function very often, but later, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/and-you-believed-her she rips into Zii for breaking Sonya's heart]], which might make it impossible for Zii to run away from the consequences of her actions for once even if Sonya wasn't already doing that. |
| 455 | * EthicalSlut: Thanks to her job keeping her busy Peggy is only interested in casual sex, but she's also insistent on respecting boundaries and emotional honesty. That said, she's not bashful and doesn't even blink when Gary jokingly suggests anal sex with her. |
| 456 | -->'''Peggy:''' *''giggling''* Not before a shift, silly. Find me afterward if you're feeling feisty. |
| 457 | * ExperimentedInCollege: She more or less explicitly says that she lived this trope (apparently with Bianca, as it turns out), but decided that on balance she just prefers men. However, her desperation for a good night's sleep can make her willing to have sex with anyone, male or female, just as long as there's a comfortable bed involved. [[spoiler:Outside of that, she clearly finds [=DiDi=] very attractive and tells her that with her looks, she could make ''any'' woman go up a few notches on the Kinsey scale. And it also turns out that she still finds Bianca attractive.]] |
| 458 | * HeroicFatigue: She's the kind of nurse who can end up working four-day double-shift marathons, which leave her understandably exhausted. The need for a decent night's sleep can then drive her to make fairly extreme offers; see strips #768-9 (July 23-25, 2013; NSFW). Equally, it seems that she uses wild sexual experimentation for distraction and stress relief, whereas most of the cast do that stuff purely for the heck of it; see strip #997 (March 12, 2015, borderline NSFW). |
| 459 | * HeroicRROD: Peggy executes an OperationJealousy while suffering sleep deprivation, and the scheme culminates in her dancing for an hour continuously as Zii's band are rehearsing. At the end of that time, she is unsurprisingly on the point of total collapse and barely coherent. ("No... no... don't pass out now... I'm so close to getting my sleep back...") She scores a [[Awesome/MenageA3 crowning moment of awesome]] by ''[[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/not-that-i-care closing the deal while passing out]]'' — after which, she comes very close to a PostVictoryCollapse. |
| 460 | * HonestAdvisor: Peggy sympathises with other people's problems, and sometimes tries to help them with good advice; it helps that she is brighter than many of the cast. She tentatively suggests that [=DiDi=] might need professional therapy, and later tries to help Sonya sort her life out while staying with her. However, her efforts are often disrupted by the craziness of the people she's advising, or influenced by her own needs and desires. |
| 461 | * ItsALongStory: When a past plot complication threatens to cause problems, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/thought-it-was-pillows a tired Peggy invokes the phrase]] -- and then declares that she's too tired to tell the story and would rather sleep. |
| 462 | * LoveEpiphany: After Gary tells her that he would gladly upgrade their casual relationship to something more serious, Peggy is thrown for a loop and doesn't know what to do with herself. She tries to get drunk and engage in wild sex to avoid her feelings, but ultimately, while she is pegging another guy, all she can think of is Gary. She immediately goes back to him to tell him she loves him. |
| 463 | * NaughtyByNight: Peggy scrupulously preserves a controlled, efficient attitude at work. Her private life, on the other hand, gets a little wild. |
| 464 | * NoFullNameGiven: Her last name has never been revealed. |
| 465 | * OddFriendship: Something of a specialty with Peggy... |
| 466 | ** She clearly decides that she ''likes'' Sonya, despite their completely different personalities. Presumably, Sonya’s knack for generating crazy drama provides Peggy with some relief from her hard and serious job. |
| 467 | ** She and Gary also get along surprisingly well. She's not interested in a serious relationship because of her job, but she's one of the few people who encourages him to stand up for himself and have people be considerate of his feelings. They also have no problem having casual sex, especially after she moves in. |
| 468 | * OfficialCouple: With Gary at the end of the series. |
| 469 | * OnlySaneWoman: The biggest one in the series. No, really, despite a willingness to throw food around in moments of irritation and make passes at men she doesn't actually know, she’s usually notably clear-headed and practical by the standards of the comic. When she plays TheConscience, it's largely a matter of stating what should be obvious to a sane observer, and even some of her flakier actions seem to involve a ''conscious tolerance'' of the madness around her, rather than just being crazy herself. |
| 470 | ** During her first appearance, she calls Zii out for a physically dangerous tackle on Sonya, backs away politely when she blunders into a room containing a copulating couple, and actually suggests that someone with clear psychological/medical problems should seek professional help. |
| 471 | ** Later, she calls out Zii and [=DiDi=] for hooking up while not considering Sonya's feelings, pointing out to Zii that Sonya’s then quitting the band is hardly surprising, and she encourages Gary to stand up for himself when he gets roped into a sexual situation he's not comfortable with. |
| 472 | ** A couple of non-canonical spin-off stories play with Peggy’s status as the cast’s resident scientifically-minded rationalist. In one series of SpaceOpera strips (a tribute to ''Film/{{Barbarella}}''), she becomes “Doctor Peggulon”, MadScientist sidekick to the evil Space Empress Sonya, while in ''Ménage à Zombies'', which drops the cast into a ZombieApocalypse, she tries to analyse and understand the causes of the zombie plague. |
| 473 | * PunnyName: Her name is Peggy, and since her introduction she has discovered she enjoys pegging. The pun is not lost on Gary, who is the (initially reluctant) recipient of most of her pegging. |
| 474 | [[/folder]] |
| 475 | |
| 476 | [[folder:Senna]] |
| 477 | [[quoteright:100:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/senna_ma3_colour.png]] |
| 478 | |
| 479 | ->''"Well, my derriere '''is''' the best..."'' |
| 480 | |
| 481 | Senna Muniz, one of Matt's model colleagues, is an extremely attractive Brazilian transgender woman with a "perfect peach of a butt" and a ''[[ThePrimaDonna prima donna]]'' personality. She has also played a significant role in the plot of ''Webcomic/SandraOnTheRocks'', where her characterization shifts from whimsical to egocentric to outright nuts. |
| 482 | ---- |
| 483 | * AmbiguouslyBrown: Senna is depicted with a medium-dark skin tone. Her ethnicity is never actually discussed; given that she's Brazilian, it's very likely that it's very mixed. |
| 484 | * AttractiveBentGender: Senna was presumably born male, and isn't in any hurry to finish transitioning to fully female, but even with a penis, she can not only get work as an international lingerie model, she has no trouble attracting the straight Gary (somewhat to his confusion). |
| 485 | * BadBoss: In a small-scale, human way, but -- [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/tastes-more-authentic---guest just ask Sandra]]. |
| 486 | * BreakTheHaughty: Senna suffers a comedy version during the extended crossover sequence with ''Webcomic/SandraOnTheRocks'' when she encounters Sandra in Paris and jumps to the conclusion that Sandra's modelling career has failed. She suffers painful disillusionment [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-love-to-eat here.]] Later getting a modelling job offer ... for a hemorrhoid cream commercial, just as she's reflecting how well her own career is going, also pulls her up hard. How far she stays broken may be another matter, though; she suffers a fair amount of [[CallItKarma "karmic"]] backlash, but she seems quite resilient in a delusional way. |
| 487 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Taking other people on international private jet flights on a whim merely looks self-indulgent, and her claim that Sandra used witchcraft to distract world-famous photographer Domenico away from herself might be taken as poetic exaggeration. However, interpreting Gary's teaching Sandra about {{geek}} culture as [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sandra-on-the-rocks/tao-absurdo him sabotaging Sandra's career as a favour to herself]] marks her down as just plain delusional. |
| 488 | * CursedWithAwesome: In her own mind, at least. [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/does-not-look-very-evil "Curse my undisguisable beauty!"]] |
| 489 | * HairIntakes: Senna temporarily develops these in ''Webcomic/SandraOnTheRocks'' strip #11 (August 18, 2012; just NSFW enough to not be linked). |
| 490 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Senna seems to suffer from this in a mild but pervasive form. She takes Sandra off to Usefulnotes/{{Brazil}} on a drunken spree, and then shows little interest in Sandra's situation until Sandra kicks up a fuss. When she's employing Sandra, she treats her as a lowly minion. And when she returns to Montreal, she visits Matt and then Gary in search of sympathy for her recent setbacks, laughs off Gary's suggestions for their date as of no interest to herself, and then hauls him onto a flight to Paris, largely ignoring his evident discomfort about flying. She's quite ''fun'' to be around, and she can be polite enough, in a casual way, to people she finds attractive or amusing, but there's little evidence of her caring very much about anyone else. |
| 491 | * {{Japandering}}: Senna [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/my-derriere-is-the-best is willing to do a hemorrhoid cream commercial in Japan]] once her agent assures her that it won't be seen in the West. |
| 492 | * JerkassHasAPoint: |
| 493 | ** While they are in Paris together, Senna suggests to Gary that they might visit some of the famous museums and galleries -- but Gary dives straight into a video game shop, much to Senna's annoyance. She may be a cultural snob, but some readers share her exasperation at Gary's narrow vision. |
| 494 | ** Later, Gary dumps her -- for which few readers blame him. But he doesn't seem to understand that he's done so, and makes a joke of the idea to Senna herself. Few readers blame her for slapping his face, either. |
| 495 | * {{Narcissist}}: Senna is vain, self-centered, and delusional. In fact, some fans have suggested more or less jokingly that she's a full-on [[TheSociopath sociopath]], as she shows few signs of empathy, lies on a whim, possesses casual charm, pursues all sorts of thrills, and is unremittingly vain. If so, she's a fairly harmless [[ComedicSociopathy comedy version]] at worst, this being a comedy, but she does come close. She shows flashes of some kind of fondness for Gary, though. |
| 496 | * OnlyOneName: Her last name was left unrevealed for a long time, and even the cabin crew on a private jet she uses address her as "Miss Senna". [[SubvertedTrope However]], her surname is eventually casually mentioned in a conversation between other people. Presumably, [[FirstNameBasis she more or less always goes by the single name]] as a matter of professional style, without keeping anything secret. |
| 497 | * PetTheDog: Senna keeps her word and sends Gary his luggage after he dumps her, without doing anything petty. |
| 498 | * RichBitch: She's initially dismissive towards Sandra's panicky behavior, lack of a place to stay in Usefulnotes/{{Brazil}}, and any way to get home, but eventually gives her a job as a personal assistant. However, as it turns out, she's an [[BadBoss awful boss]]. She's also rude to the cabin crew on the private jet she uses -- admittedly after one of them interrupts her during sex, but the interruption is necessary. |
| 499 | * ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Her first appearance is a nude scene in which she is completely relaxed, and when she subsequently appears dressed, it is always as appropriate for a glamorous (and rather flashy) lingerie model who is vain about her looks and uses them to intimidate. The fanservice aspect of her character is pretty overt; Gary is essentially seduced by that peach-like butt, and the comic lets the readers see that this is understandable. |
| 500 | * TransEqualsHypersexual: Even given how hypersexualized most characters in the series are, the transgender Senna stands out, being portrayed with pretty much every transphobic stereotype going, including a fondness for anally penetrating men. Her sex scene with Gary involves QuestionableConsent, given how drunk he is, and can be read as BlackComedyRape (though it's him doing the penetrating in that case, and he expresses no regret subsequently). |
| 501 | * UnreliableNarrator: Senna really isn't the type to let the truth get in the way of a good story, especially when it's about showing herself in a good light, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/she-planned-treachery as she demonstrates here]] and in subsequent strips. |
| 502 | * WickedCultured: |
| 503 | ** Hinted at [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/where-shall-we-go-first here,]] to slightly surprising effect. Senna had previously been shown as an egotistical, high-maintenance, somewhat vacuous fashion victim, and she's in UsefulNotes/{{Paris}}, a city full of fashion houses and expensive designer shops -- and yet her first idea of places to go are three museums and a cathedral. Even if she's showing off to Gary, she knows what names to drop. Of course, the strip may mostly be intended as a joke about Gary's hopeless {{geek}}iness, but she also later name-drops at least one less-well-known modern art gallery to someone else. |
| 504 | ** Senna is subsequently shown as [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/they-would-make-a-museum culturally snobbish and ignorantly hostile to the idea of comics as art,]] contrasting her "refined" and arrogant taste with Gary and Sandra's interest in {{geek}} culture. Quite how this fits with her previously mentioned [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/soaps-in-brazil interest in Brazilian soap opera]] is unclear. She may be WickedPretentious, perhaps, or just inconsistently written. |
| 505 | [[/folder]] |
| 506 | |
| 507 | [[folder:Sonya]] |
| 508 | [[quoteright:216:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonya_ma3_colour.png]] |
| 509 | |
| 510 | ->''[[BlatantLies "I'm... I'm really not a lesbian!"]]'' |
| 511 | |
| 512 | When she first appears, Sonya is a ditzy waitress who Zii seduces one evening, which leads to a threesome with Sonya's boyfriend, which leads to Sonya having a lot of lesbian sex, and eventually to Sonya being called "fiery" and "sultry" by [[invoked]] [[WordOfGod the comic's own cast notes]]. She quite likes Gary, but lusts [[StalkerWithACrush madly]] after Zii, and concludes that actually she's in love with her, which leads to a lot of trouble for both of them. Yuki has a kind of rivalry with her and they ''usually'' don't get along, except when they get along all too well (it's a long story). She has also turned out to be a competent singer and bassist. |
| 513 | ---- |
| 514 | * BelligerentSexualTension: With Yuki, at least by implication, though more on Yuki's side and only hinted at [[spoiler:for a long time -- but then resolved ''spectacularly'']]. |
| 515 | * BiWildered: Sonya originally identifies as straight, and is very confused by how much she enjoys being seduced by Zii. She never does accept the idea of being called lesbian — hence her long-lasting {{Catchphrase}} — but she eventually comes to terms with the idea of being bisexual, at least tacitly. |
| 516 | * BrainlessBeauty: Sonya ... jet black hair, stunning figure, and dumb as a bag of hammers, bordering on [[TheDitz total ditziness]]. She doesn't even seem to be entirely aware that technically, sleeping with Zii represents cheating on her boyfriend. She does develop some [[SmartBall unreliable low cunning]] and specific skills as the plot continues, though; by volume 10, the trope is largely averted, and it's dangerous to underestimate her — [[spoiler:doing so costs Zii her band]]. |
| 517 | * BubblyWaitress: Sonya works as a waitress for most of the comic's run, and is quite bubbly and outgoing when she's in a good mood. She's not actually clumsy, though she occasionally suffers minor accidents for comic effect. |
| 518 | * CatchPhrase: The line [[HaveIMentionedThatIAmHeterosexualToday "I'm not a lesbian!"]] has become a standing joke with Sonya.[[note]]Some readers have been known to mutter the words “OverusedRunningGag”, though the writers haven’t acknowledged it as such.[[/note]] |
| 519 | * CharacterDevelopment: It's relatively subtle to begin with, but Sonya's shift from a rather conventional waitress to a bisexual rock bassist with a penchant for [[ZanyScheme questionable plans]], losing an inconsiderate boyfriend and suffering a huge crush and a lot of confusion about her sexual identity along the way, is probably good for her in the end, though realistically the consequences would be considered downright dangerous. Unfortunately, she doesn't initially gain much ''intelligence'', but HiddenDepths only go so deep. She eventually lampshades the development; ''[[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/we-have-an-emergency "I... I was so different then."]]'' And then she gets ''[[WomanScorned angry]]''... |
| 520 | * CompetitionFreak: She's a minor case, but one thing that always seems to set Sonya off is some kind of rivalry -- especially (but not only) if the rival is Yuki. Even when they're supposed to be [[spoiler:having sex together by mutual consent]], they end up turning it into a competition. |
| 521 | * TheDeterminator: Sonya takes seduction very, '''''very''''' seriously -- especially when it's Zii she's after or there's any kind of competition involved. (She gives up trying with [[spoiler:Erik]] when he proves resistant and something more amusing comes along.) When she gets into a contest of mutual seduction with [[spoiler:Yuki]], she escalates through [[YouCanLeaveYourHatOn striptease]] to use of an AnimalEaredHeadband, and wins. |
| 522 | * TheDitz: The open question with Sonya is whether she's ''actually'' as stupid as she sometimes looks, or whether she just doesn't bother to use her brain. Her increasingly frequent [[SmartBall flashes of low cunning]] and even what might be wit eventually subvert the trope in her case. |
| 523 | * DramaQueen: Sonya ''loves'' drama, and will provide her own when necessary; it seems to turn her on sexually. She has been described on the comic's own Cast Page as "Dramasexual". In the end, she runs off with [[spoiler:ActionGirl Bianca]], because that's the only thing she can find that excites her even more than Zii]]. |
| 524 | * DressedToPlunder: When she suffers a black eye, Sonya needs an eyepatch. Being [[TheDitz Sonya]], she ends up buying a complete pirate fancy dress outfit just for the patch. (Actually, it may be more of a SexyWhateverOutfit.) Then, being [[MsFanservice Sonya]], she insists on [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-am-getting-a-text wearing it,]] largely for purposes of flirting with Gary. |
| 525 | * EvilGloating: As a drama addict who doesn't mind being a bit evil, Sonya naturally tries gloating occasionally -- albeit often just to herself. She's quite annoyed when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/this-will-make-yuki-jealous Yuki doesn't rise to the bait.]] |
| 526 | * FemmeFatale: Downplayed, but she's working on that. She pursues Gary largely to annoy Yuki (though she initially thinks he might be interesting in himself), flirts with him when Yuki and Kiley are around (in front of them or by text message), seeks to seduce Zii (because she loves her) despite Zii's declarations of disinterest, and makes moves on Erik and later [=DiDi=] in the hope of splitting up them and Zii. Her weapons of choice are her attractiveness and a willingness to flaunt it in well-chosen outfits or [[VaporWear even less]], while not [[ObliviouslyEvil worrying much about morality]]. Her seduction technique is intermittently effective, even if it's far from subtle. However, the comic is a comedy, not a thriller, and Sonya isn't especially bright, with an [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny unreliable attention span]], and [[CantHoldHisLiquor less capacity for alcohol]] than her intended victims. On the other hand, as the comic approaches its end, she [[PutOnABus goes off to Europe]] with [[spoiler:her new girlfriend, Bianca, who's a ''professional spy'']]; if Sonya gets seriously involved in that line of work, she may get quite seriously ''fatale'' after the comic ends. |
| 527 | * GoingCommando: Sonya will use any tactic that might work when engaged in competitive flirting -- including [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/I-am-getting-a-text letting her target know that she isn't wearing any panties.]] |
| 528 | * HaveIMentionedThatIAmHeterosexualToday?: A trope that is played with for comic effect with Sonya. Early on, her denials that she's a lesbian are a big part of her characterization, putting her in a TransparentCloset; they then become a RunningGag. (She shows brief interest in calling herself "bisexual" at one point, which would clearly be accurate, but soon forgets that.) These denials are interspersed with a series of lesbian encounters.[[note]]It does seem for a while that [[IfItsYouItsOkay she lusts after/is in love with Zii in particular]], rather than being generally bisexual. However, she soon notices that she can find [=DiDi=] highly attractive (okay, so does everyone), cheerfully eats out [[spoiler:Peggy]], and eventually resolves her BelligerentSexualTension with [[spoiler:Yuki]].[[/note]] Famously, she first invokes the trope during her first date with Zii... while eating Zii out. And shortly after that, she finds herself regularly eating girls out (her boyfriend having taken to bringing other women home for threesomes)... |
| 529 | -->'''Sonya:''' ''[to Zii]'' Thanks to ''you'', I eat ''pussy'' on a ''nightly basis!''\ |
| 530 | ''[as Allie overhears and drops a pot of coffee]''\ |
| 531 | '''Sonya:''' I'm... I'm really not a lesbian! |
| 532 | * IBrokeANail: Twice; first, as Zii and Yuki are discussing how they need someone "solid" as the bassist for their group, there's a GilliganCut to Sonya (Zii's recruit for the role) saying the line while practicing the bass guitar. And later, as Sonya has already been estabilished as a somehow capable bassist, she and Yuki jam with Izz, and once the DreadfulMusician somehow gets to play well and really fast after getting "in her zone", Sonya breaks, and possibly even ''[[{{Fingore}} loses]]'' a nail trying to keep up. |
| 533 | * ItsAllAboutMe: She doesn't hesitate to provoke the break-up of Zii's relationship with Erik, so she herself can get her chance to have Zii, without thinking twice about the pain she may cause. |
| 534 | * {{Jerkass}}: While she often seems to be blissfully unaware of the nature of her actions, Sonya can come off as callous and selfish. Notably, when Zii breaks up with Erik, largely because of Sonya’s machinations, [[LoveMakesYouEvil she's shown to be gleeful about it]]. |
| 535 | * JerkassHasAPoint: For all the faults listed here, Sonya sometimes displays flashes of perception. |
| 536 | ** However selfish she is in her pursuit and then dropping of Gary, she is perfectly correct that his relationship with Yuki is unsustainable and unsatisfactory for him, and she's happy to show him the advantages of dating a slightly saner woman. |
| 537 | ** She also tries to offer him advice about his limitations when she dumps him, although he doesn't listen. |
| 538 | ** Even her first seduction of Zii involves her pointing out that Zii doesn't seem to find her relationship with Erik totally satisfactory. |
| 539 | ** She's one of the few people to call [=DiDi=] on her monstrous, unthinking sense of entitlement. |
| 540 | ** And she manages a masterpiece of nearly-wordless point-proving when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/fight-for-her/ Yuki needs convincing that Zii's obsession with [=DiDi=] has gone over the edge.]] |
| 541 | * KickTheDog: After taking Gary off Yuki, Sonya attempts to gloat over the other woman -- despite the fact that ''Yuki handed Gary over voluntarily'', more or less throwing Gary at Sonya. She is, however, disappointed by the fact that Yuki is morose and depressed rather than angry. Sonya is primarily an [[ThrillSeeker adrenaline junkie]]; she maybe isn't ''trying'' to be evil here so much as looking for excitement. |
| 542 | * LipstickLesbian: Sonya is actually bisexual, although she herself isn't very clear on the terminology, but she tends to invoke this trope. She's stunningly attractive in a highly feminine way while being capable of enthusiastic lesbian relationships; then, because she seems to think of lesbianism purely in "ButchLesbian" terms, she denies being lesbian at all. |
| 543 | * LoveConfession: Sonya finally fully acknowledges the nature of her feelings for Zii when Kiley pulls some improvised psychoanalysis on her -- ironically enough, when Zii isn't around. |
| 544 | * LoveEpiphany: Kiley’s improvised psychoanalysis, as mentioned above, triggers a confused epiphany in Sonya. |
| 545 | * LoveMakesYouCrazy[=/=]LoveMakesYouEvil: Sonya's feelings for Zii lead her into some fairly loopy and sometimes nasty behavior, especially once she decides that it's love. The primary symptoms are her [[HaveIMentionedThatIAmHeterosexualToday denials of lesbianism]] combined with declarations of passion for the other woman, and her [[StalkerWithACrush stalker-ish behavior]] that occasionally goes way over the line, verging on MadLove. |
| 546 | * MsFanservice: Perhaps even more than [=DiDi=]; she's far more aware of her own attractiveness, and plays it up. A lot. |
| 547 | * NoBisexuals: She doesn't even seem to know that bisexuality exists at the beginning of her arc, which makes her handling of her affection for Zii quite complicated for a long time. |
| 548 | * NoFullNameGiven: Her last name has never been revealed. |
| 549 | * NWordPrivileges: In general, this comic is quite mild in its language, considering its subject-matter, and its characters aren’t prone to throwing crude insults. So when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/stick-with-you-for-life Sonya calls Zii a "stubborn unattainable bitch",]] the line has some sting. However, Zii recognizes the actual, passionate feelings behind the line, and takes it positively. |
| 550 | * PlayboyBunny: Fairly early on, Sonya acquires a [[AnimalEaredHeadband bunny-ears headband]] for use in her seduction of Zii, following an evening involving the latter and some cat ears. It's not clear if Jung actually finds out about this somehow, but when he later designs costumes for the women's band, not only does he give Zii a CatGirl outfit, but Sonya's design is [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/like-all-cute-little-bunnies a kind of Playboy/anime blend,]] complete with the ears and a bow tie. |
| 551 | * RemovingTheRival: Sonya ''will'' try to get you out of her way if you're between her and her current obsession. Her [[ZanyScheme plans]] tend to be weird improvisations with too much sex, though, and she never tries to inflict serious or permanent ''physical'' harm. |
| 552 | * SacredHospitality: Attentive readers will note that Sonya treats hospitality very seriously. [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/what-kind-of-hostess She feels obligations to her guests when hosting orgies in her home,]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/go-crazy-till-we-are-so-sick-of-it she'll politely pour tea even for someone she says she hates,]] and she gives Peggy a place to stay for an extended period, despite the fact that they are virtually strangers at the start. |
| 553 | * ShippingTorpedo: Sonya makes a determined (but bunglesome and yet ultimately sort-of effective) effort to break up Zii and Erik, and also plots against Yuki and Gary and Zii and [=DiDi.=] Not that many fans seem to have shipped Zii-Erik, mind you. |
| 554 | * SitcomArchNemesis to Yuki -- and the feeling is mutual. Initially, their enmity is at least somewhat justified, in that they are rivals for the affections of both Gary and Zii. However, by the time that they've joined Zii's band together, both have bedded Gary, and they've had a rather deranged affair, it's clear that their continued bickering is mostly fueled on Sonya's side by her addiction to drama. |
| 555 | * SmartBall: Despite generally playing TheDitz, Sonya occasionally shows flashes of extreme guile, suggesting that she's not so much stupid as unaccustomed to using her brain. Not only can she act the seductress very effectively, including keeping Zii's interest despite Zii's better judgement, she pulls off schemes involving Yuki, Gary, and Matt with complete effectiveness and perfect timing. She's also a competent musician. |
| 556 | * StatuesqueStunner: In pretty much any comic which didn't feature [=DiDi=], Sonya would have a fair claim to this title. She's actually about as tall as [=DiDi,=] with a superb figure. |
| 557 | * SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/mad-mad Sonya's not fooling anybody]]. |
| 558 | -->'''Sonya:''' ''[to Zii]'' Thanks to ''you,'' I eat ''pussy'' on a ''nightly basis!''\ |
| 559 | ''[Allie [[DramaticDrop drops]] a coffee pot, breaking it]''\ |
| 560 | '''Sonya:''' ''[to Allie]'' I'm... I'm really not a lesbian! |
| 561 | * ThrillSeeker: After Zii seduces her, Sonya's great interest seems to be ''excitement''; her StalkerWithACrush behavior seems to be powered by the fact that Zii is the most exciting thing she's found. In the end, she escapes from that toxic pattern by [[spoiler:running off with professional ActionGirl spy Bianca]]. She also occasionally ''tries'' to deploy various [[TheTrickster Trickster tropes]]: |
| 562 | ** She attempts borderline [[TheGadfly Gadfly]][=/=][[ThePrankster Prankster]] moves, such as her outrageous flirting with Gary in front of Kiley or attempting to throw Peggy at him. However, it's when she seduces Matt purely so she can steer Yuki into bed with him in the aftermath that it becomes clear that she now enjoys creating chaos for its own sweet sake. |
| 563 | ** It's also clear that she'd ''like'' to play the ManipulativeBitch, but she really isn't smart enough to carry it off. She sets out to [[RelationshipSabotage break up both Gary and Yuki and Zii and Erik]] because she wants Gary and/or Zii for herself, but any eventual break-ups are actually almost accidental by-products of her actions. Her plans for RemovingTheRival tend to be [[ZanyScheme short-term, improvisational, and over-complicated]], though. |
| 564 | * TookALevelInJerkass: Sonya’s personality shifts for the worse as she discovers her considerable sex appeal and passionate enthusiasms. She's a significant factor in Gary and Yuki breaking up, because she has an ongoing feud with Yuki and thinks that Gary is a sex god. She then takes up with Gary, but when it turns out that he is seriously inexperienced and has poor stamina, she dumps him. Then she sets out to break up Zii and Erik, and later turns seriously vengeful against [[spoiler:Zii]]. |
| 565 | * UnsportsmanlikeGloating: Sonya is more interested in {{Drama|Queen}} than in being nice. Hence, after Yuki voluntarily gives up Gary and hands him off to her, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/this-will-make-yuki-jealous she still gloats in an attempt to make Yuki jealous.]] (She's then disappointed when this doesn't work.) Likewise, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/fight-for-her/ her expression when she demonstrates to Yuki that Zii has lost the plot]] is pretty damned smug (if totally understandable). |
| 566 | * WomanScorned: Eventually, Sonya gets [[spoiler:Zii]] back into her bed for a while -- but then [[spoiler:Zii dumps her in favor of [=DiDi=]]]. So after a whole lot of tears, Sonya gets ''angry''. She turns up on [[spoiler:Zii's]] doorstep with a view to [[spoiler:throwing Lita in Zii's face and quitting the band]]; unfortunately, [[ButtMonkey Gary]] answers the door and gets hit by [[spoiler:Lita and by Sonya's prepared speech]], but the intent was there. Sonya's second move is to go off and [[spoiler:join Angel's band, and then to recruit Yuki to join her]]. It seems likely at first that the fury will continue, but with the end of the comic's run looming, Sonya instead finds a new girlfriend, Bianca, and [[PutOnABus goes off to Europe with her]]. |
| 567 | * YouCanLeaveYourHatOn: Sonya, possessing a killer bod, a SeriousBusiness approach to seduction, and a good sense of rhythm, is perfectly willing to use striptease as a way to achieve results, and does so at least twice -- [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/a-woman-dances once on Gary]] (when seeking to out-compete Yuki) and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/forget-the-daddy-stuff once on Yuki]] (largely to score a point). Neither scene goes entirely to her plan, but that's not for want of Sonya trying. |
| 568 | [[/folder]] |
| 569 | |
| 570 | [[folder:Tracy]] |
| 571 | [[quoteright:151:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tracy_ma3_colour.png]] |
| 572 | |
| 573 | ->''"Audio engineer student, but tuition fees are high, so on the side, I do a little, ummmm, crowdfunded R-rated video performance."'' |
| 574 | |
| 575 | Tracy is an audio engineering student with an internship at Dark Matter Games, who moonlights as a webcam girl to pay the bills. (Although she hangs out with professional porn actresses, she claims that her own performances are only "R-rated" -- though that might be questionable.) Tracy first meets Gary through Amber and Chanelle's porn actress friends, then encounters him again when he shows up for a job interview at Dark Matter. She also later turns up in ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix,'' where she turns out to have a brother, Felix. She can be a bit fanatical about games. |
| 576 | ---- |
| 577 | * BlackAndNerdy: Tracy is black, an engineering student, and an enthusiastic gamer. [[AvertedTrope However]], she's also cute even by [[GenericCuteness the standards of this comic]] and socially fairly competent and charming (so long as you don't insult her favorite games). |
| 578 | * DarkSecret: It's not ''very'' dark, but she really doesn't want her colleagues at Dark Matter to know about her other job. |
| 579 | * GamerChick: Tracy is very serious about gaming; in a room full of porn stars exploring Gary's sexual party trick, she gets distracted by his games hardware. Perhaps a little eccentrically, her declared favorite game is ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball]]'' (for "the gameplay, the over-the-top sexy characters, the cheesy jiggle physics..."). Her obsession with that game plays havoc with her initial OnlySaneWoman image. |
| 580 | * HiddenDepths: The fact that Tracy, who initially appears to be one of a gaggle of porn stars, is actually a trainee audio engineer (and part-time camgirl) isn't actually hidden -- but she also turns out to have some talent as a hair stylist. When she says that she can make Eulice look decades younger, she delivers. The normally grumpy Eulice is so impressed that she ''gives Gary money'' so he "can take that sweet girl somewhere nice." |
| 581 | * HomeNudist: Tracy clearly doesn't have much of a nudity taboo; aside from being comfortable with her camgirl work, she [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/a-creative wanders around Felix's apartment while getting changed after modelling for him,]] and [[ItsNotPornItsArt assumes that "creative" people won't be concerned about her lack of modesty]]. |
| 582 | * ItsNotPornItsArt: Tracy is prone to euphemism when discussing her camgirl work ("crowdfunded R-rated video performance"), though she's fully aware that it's basically live-action porn. Also, she's getting changed after modelling for her brother when [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/a-creative she first meets Aaron,]] and when she learns that he is (or claims to be) a writer, she immediately assumes that, as a "creative", he'll be cool about nudity. |
| 583 | * ManipulativeBitch: PlayedWith. More than once, in the course of convoluted comedy plots, she manipulates Gary into sex-related activities he really isn't into (although on at least one occasion, she honestly misunderstands his thinking). The complication is that surely only ''Gary'' would be stupid or obliging enough to fall for her manipulations -- a saner person would tell her to get lost -- and anyway, he's ''so'' obliging she could probably achieve the same results by just asking. |
| 584 | * TheNotLoveInterest: She's the only woman under the age of 50 regularly in Gary's life who ''does not want'' to get into Gary's pants or experience "the swirly." (Even Zii gets curious eventually.) Well, she does get to spank him (but that’s business) and to give him a blowjob (but that’s a means to an end). |
| 585 | * ShoutOut: As of her appearances in ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix,'' Tracy has become a clear and acknowledged shout-out to the character of Jacqui in [[Creator/GiseleLagace her creator's]] earlier supernatural comics line (''Webcomic/EerieCuties'' and ''Webcomic/MagickChicks'') -- a point emphasized by the fact that she models for "Sabbeth", a character in Aaron and Felix's comic who, like Jacqui, is a witch. She's not an {{expy}}, though; in her personality is somewhat different to Jacqui's. Creator/{{Giz}} [[invoked]] [[WordOfGod has acknowledged]] this, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/pixie-trix-comix/throw-myself-into-the-job#comment-4802337118 while noting that it wasn't originally intended,]] despite the characters' visual resemblance; it just turned out to work that way. |
| 586 | * ThongOfShielding: When modelling for her brother Felix in ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix,'' Tracy is depicted from behind in a very minimal thong -- presumably for maximum {{Fanservice}} (and she is a bit of an exhibitionist) while preserving the comic's official if much-stretched "no nudity" policy. |
| 587 | * TokenMinority: Tracy was the only black character with any kind of substantial role in the comic, until Brandy appeared. |
| 588 | * TookALevelInJerkass: Starting from "Gary giving Jim a blowjob" arc, she comes across as ridiculously pushy and sexually manipulative, bouncing Gary into sexual activities that he never really wants and that look borderline nonconsensual. It's somewhat telling that even Gary, ExtremeDoormat though he is (or ''was'' until exactly this point) [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere eventually gets fed up and washes his hands of her]] after she and James officially break up. At work, he seems just to treat the two of them as annoyances now. |
| 589 | [[/folder]] |
| 590 | |
| 591 | [[folder:Yuki]] |
| 592 | [[quoteright:172:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuki_ma3_colour.png]] |
| 593 | |
| 594 | ->''"So I guess now she equates a guy's... little guy... with the helplessness of her father's female protagonists?"'' |
| 595 | |
| 596 | Yuki Oyama is Zii's ex-girlfriend and StalkerWithACrush. She has a complex involving phallic tentacles and, thanks to this, initially DoesNotLikeMen, even though it becomes clear that Zii is right to say that she's attracted to them on some level. Yuki is a wannabe manga writer who uses a mixture of blackmail and [[IHaveBoobsYouMustObey Gary's crush on her]] to get an artist for her work; she is also a competent drummer. |
| 597 | ---- |
| 598 | * AgeInappropriateDress: Yuki is a twenty-something woman who dresses to emphasize her innate cuteness -- in "schoolgirl-style" short skirts, with her hair in bunches. (Her style might be considered less inappropriate in her native Japan than in Canada.) |
| 599 | * AllTakeAndNoGive: The benefits of her initial relationship with Gary are extremely one-sided. ([[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/so-many-swirlies It pisses Amber right the hell off]].) Yuki does eventually realize this and breaks up with him. |
| 600 | * AsianAirhead: Yuki has decent looks and apparently some money (her father is very successful in his career, and she appears to get by without a full-time job, suggesting that he subsidizes her), and she isn't especially bright. (Her thinking can be [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} weird]], although she isn't actually ''notably'' dumb by the comic's standards.) |
| 601 | * BelligerentSexualTension: With Sonya, at least by implication [[spoiler:for a long time, then resolved spectacularly.]] |
| 602 | * BerserkButton: [[strike:Male nudity]] [[InsistentTerminology TENTACLES]]. [[spoiler:Eventually apparently fixed.]] |
| 603 | * ButNotTooForeign: Yuki is Japanese-Canadian, though her Canadian mother was of Japanese descent too. |
| 604 | * CharacterDevelopment: Trying to get over her penis-phobia has the effect of making her a nicer and less violent person. Not necessarily ''nice,'' or non-violent, [[TookALevelInKindness just nicer.]] |
| 605 | * {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: She's ''very'' impulsive and just all-round strange, in an [[ItsAllAboutMe egocentric]] way, seeming to see herself as the heroine of a romance manga (and even referring to herself as "the beautiful {{shoujo|Demographic}} heroine" at one point). |
| 606 | ** When she wakes up in bed with Sonya (for reasons on which neither of them are actually clear), she accuses Sonya of taking away her "precious innocence", despite the fact that, as Sonya points out, she's been sexually active for years. This [[HairTriggerTemper annoys her]] -- and then [[SlapSlapKiss things get weird]]. |
| 607 | ** Later, after she finally has full sexual intercourse with Gary, she only has hazy memories of the act (thanks to having been in one of her psychotic fugue states) -- but she convinces herself that it was passionate [[IdealizedSex "Lovemaking to make the gods weep!"]] Actually, she was insanely violent and nearly throttled him. |
| 608 | * ClingyJealousGirl: Originally (and mostly before the comic begins) with Zii, and subsequently while pursuing or dating Gary. |
| 609 | * CuteAndPsycho: Her "psycho" side is mostly played for comedy, showing up in brief bursts of violence mostly screened by amnesia, and she has a FreudianExcuse. But given that her capacity for violence is independent of her romantic inclinations, she probably demonstrates this trope more than, say, the {{Yandere}} label. Matt, who has an all-too-clear understanding of her dangerous flakiness, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-thought-this-would-help is terrified of her]], despite his adrenaline addiction. |
| 610 | * DefiledForever: In strip #905 (June 28, 2014; NSFW), Yuki invokes this trope when she thinks that Sonya must have done "{{ecchi}}" things to her in her sleep. As Sonya snarkily points out, given her sexual history, this is less than rational -- but Yuki ''is'' a [[DramaQueen deranged romantic]]. |
| 611 | * DoesNotLikeMen: Due to having been exposed to so much of her father's tentacle [[{{Hentai}} porn]] as a child, she hallucinates tentacles in place of penises, and adopts a pose of [[StrawFeminist half-baked feminism]] to justify her aversion to men. However, she slowly warms to Gary and eventually falls in love with him. She even tries to get over her penis-phobia as a result, and eventually succeeds to some extent. Unfortunately, she still suffers from a tendency to violent fugues, making her first time with Gary very rough on him. |
| 612 | * DramaQueen: Yuki is usually exuberant, at the very least, and occasionally downright dramatic in an [[ItsAllAboutMe egocentric]] way that may owe a lot to manga romances. She jumps to the conclusion that [=DiDi=] is tragically in love with her on very little evidence, and when she wakes up in bed with Sonya, she not only assumes that they had sex, she bewails the loss of her "precious innocence". |
| 613 | * DualWielding: She hits Gary with a Hello Kitty doll in each hand after she catches him with his hands on Sonya's breasts. |
| 614 | * DynamicEntry: Yuki [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/How-can-anybody-be-so-mean makes her first appearance]] with a very dynamic {{Glomp}} on Zii. This being a sex comedy, in the process, she unintentionally panty-flashes Gary and ends up sitting on his face. |
| 615 | * FreudianExcuse: The reason for her issues with men is her exposure as a little kid to her father's work; he's a famous {{Hentai}} artist, dubbed "The Tentacle King". (Initially, she wasn't even aware of the nature of her problem. When Gary covered up a naked man's crotch with his hands to stop her from {{Groin Attack}}ing him, she snaps out of "TENTACLLLLES!" mode and promptly asks "Hey, how come you've got your hands over that guy's junk?" In [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/no-i-did-not a later strip]] she's absolutely dumbfounded to hear that she destroyed an entire store's worth of pornography, one thumb-through-a-TENTACLLLLE at a time.) |
| 616 | * FumblingTheGauntlet: When Yuki is trying to keep Sonya from getting her hands on Zii, Sonya points out Yuki isn't Zii's girlfriend but Gary's. |
| 617 | -->'''Yuki:''' It doesn't matter! You can't have her either!\ |
| 618 | '''Sonya:''' Oh yeah? Well, maybe I'll steal them '''both!''' |
| 619 | * GenkiGirl: To the point of ethnic stereotype at times. |
| 620 | * GirlyBruiser: Admittedly she’s mostly physically dangerous because of her psychotic rages, but the fact remains that Yuki combines a distinctly girly anime short-skirt-and-bunches look with a serious capacity for violence. |
| 621 | * HairTriggerTemper: Yuki is highly irritable and quick to resort to violence. |
| 622 | * HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood: More Neglectful than Abusive, to be fair, but she ''was'' regularly traumatized by her father's work as a child, and he apparently didn't care enough to try to hide it. Eventually, Yuki's mother left him because of that. |
| 623 | * IDidWhatIHadToDo: How she justifies hog-tying [=DiDi=] and spanking her, in an attempt to force [=DiDi=] to promise not to make any moves on Gary. |
| 624 | * IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/onegaiiiiiiii Yuki uses this with Gary]]. |
| 625 | * IfItsYouItsOkay: Yuki develops a case of this toward Gary, as [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/start-crying seen here]], as a way of reconciling her bisexual impulses with her lesbian self-image. |
| 626 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Yuki is highly self-centered. For example, when [=DiDi=] tries to tell her that she wants Gary, Yuki first thinks that [=DiDi=] is in love with her, then somehow concludes that [=DiDi=] has the same problem (phallophobia) as herself. And after Gary starts giving her the Swirly-Go-Round, she has him do so multiple times in one day, never thinking to return any kind of physical affection until called on this by Sonya. |
| 627 | * IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: The reason she [[spoiler:breaks up with Gary]], among other things. Yuki’s romantic streak does sometimes make her at least try to be noble. |
| 628 | * JapanesePoliteness: Actually, few people would consider Yuki terribly polite; all the men she's kicked in the crotch would certainly have arguments there. But she herself invokes the trope, combined with CourteousCanadian, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/double-polite here.]] |
| 629 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Character development seems to have her moving up the ladder from {{Jerkass}} towards this. Like so many other things with Yuki, however, this evolution is very much "two steps forward, one step back", and Gary [[{{TheChewToy}} suffers for it]]. |
| 630 | * LoveEpiphany: She seems to have one regarding Gary at one point. |
| 631 | * LoveMakesYouCrazy: {{Inverted|Trope}} with Yuki; “crazy” is her baseline, as she’s quite aware, and when she finds guys who are prepared to put up with this — initially Gary, who’s a bit desperate, and in volume 10 [[spoiler:Matt, who ''enjoys'' it]], she falls in love with them. |
| 632 | * MadLove: When she first appears, Yuki's feelings for Zii consist of an obsessive one-sided fixation, and her later approach to Gary isn't entirely rational either. She calms down a little when Kiley helps her recognize that she has a problem, but she's still prone to fixations and berserk jealous rages. |
| 633 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/that-was-tight When she realizes]] how her relationship with Gary [[AllTakeAndNoGive has turned out]]. This also leads to ItsAllMyFault when, after a nude [=DiDi=] and Sonya pop out of Gary's closet, she thinks her treatment of him has led him to cheat. (Strip #690, January 3, 2013, NSFW.) |
| 634 | * NotGoodWithRejection: Yuki is an egomaniac with a huge sense of entitlement and violent tendencies. Zii flees in the night because she thinks that's the only way to end their relationship, and Yuki then pursues her with scary determination. Her subsequent fixation on Gary doesn't allow much for rejection either. |
| 635 | * PetTheDog: Her relationship with Gary shows her at her selfish and borderline-abusive worst -- but then she suddenly ends it with a huge display of nobility, [[spoiler:passing Gary on to Sonya,]] and is next seen crying pathetically. |
| 636 | * PoirotSpeak: She speaks fluent English, but often uses Japanese idioms. |
| 637 | * PintsizedPowerhouse: Yuki is a petite girl, but she's able to knock a guy out with one punch, or throw [[StatuesqueStunner [=DiDi=]]] over her head. |
| 638 | * PreAsskickingOneLiner: Although it might not necessarily be the ass, the location is pretty close by. When Yuki yells out "TENTACLLLLES!", ''run''. |
| 639 | * PsychoLesbian: Yuki plays {{stalker|WithACrush}} towards Zii, and makes life hell for Gary early in their acquaintanceship. However, the writers seem to be playing with this trope. Yuki has her FreudianExcuse, and she gradually comes to understand a little more about her own faults as her story progresses. At worst, she is a rather tame example -- more of a {{cute|AndPsycho}} {{clingy|JealousGirl}} {{tsundere}}. More to the point, she turns out actually to be, as Zii says early on, bisexual. |
| 640 | * SingingInTheShower: Yuki sings "[[Anime/BubblegumCrisis Konya Wa Hurricane]]" under the shower (strip #600, May 12 2012, NSFW) — very much in character for her. |
| 641 | * SitcomArchNemesis to Sonya -- and the feeling is mutual. Initially, their enmity is at least somewhat justified, in that they are rivals for the affections of both Gary and Zii. However, by the time that they've joined Zii's band together, both have bedded Gary, and they've had a rather deranged affair, it's clear that their continued bickering is mostly fueled on Yuki's side by the way she sees life through an {{anime}}-tinted lens. |
| 642 | * ThisIsUnforgivable: She doesn't use the exact phrase, but the Japanese Yuki invokes the trope by implication. When [=DiDi=] finally says plainly she wants Gary to give her an orgasm, the previously frankfurter-phobic Yuki grabs said frankfurter, [[OoCIsSeriousBusiness takes a big bite out of it]] and fixes the French Amazon with [[DeathGlare a deadly look.]] And with [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/do-me-a-favor a gut punch and judo flip,]] takes [=DiDi=] [[CurbStompBattle down.]] |
| 643 | * TookALevelInKindness: She becomes significantly less violent and self-involved over the course of the strip (though she still has a ''lot'' of issues). |
| 644 | * {{Tsundere}}: [[GenkiGirl She]] has [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/i-guess-i-misjudged-you some]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/nunchuck-point tendencies]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/knight-in-spandex this]] [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/full-total-package way]]. She can look like a bit of a deconstruction though -- she's [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/any-physical-affection somewhat aware]] how batshit she comes off to people. That last link could even count as a HeelRealization -- but not a very effective one. She gets [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/that-was-tight a bigger one much later]], but still attempts at least one more [[ZanyScheme inept plan]] before she really comes to accept that she has a serious problem. |
| 645 | * UnknownRival: While she's dating Gary, Amber swears to break them up because of Yuki's maltreatment of him. However, because Amber accidentally issues the challenge to the wrong person, Yuki never actually knows about this. |
| 646 | * UnstoppableRage: A non-heroic form. Yuki has not only felled countless men with {{groin attack}}s when berserk, she decked the Amazonian [=DiDi=], admittedly by surprise, when angered. |
| 647 | [[/folder]] |
| 648 | |
| 649 | !!Ancillary Characters |
| 650 | |
| 651 | [[folder:Adrien]] |
| 652 | [[quoteright:136:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adrien_9315.png]] |
| 653 | |
| 654 | ->''"I dated her, and must've waited on her like '''ten times,''' and she '''still''' doesn't know my '''name!'''"'' |
| 655 | |
| 656 | Adrien is a waiter, and one of [=DiDi's=] many past conquests who failed to satisfy her. Note that the same name is also used in one strip for a completely different character. |
| 657 | ---- |
| 658 | * ButtMonkey: [=DiDi=] repeatedly forgets his name, and tells him that he failed to satisfy her, leaving him feeling inadequate as a man. Then, when he's out [[DrowningMySorrows getting drunk with Erik]] while they commiserate over the problems of being one of [=DiDi's=] exes, they meet Zii, who seduces them into a drunken threesome, leaving Adrien worried about his sexuality. Then, when he goes to ask a girl who works in a delicatessen for a date, in order to reaffirm his heterosexuality, she offers him a large meaty sausage which she thinks he'll like. |
| 659 | * DramaticDrop: Adrien's response to having his sense of worth accidentally devastated by [=DiDi=]. |
| 660 | [[/folder]] |
| 661 | |
| 662 | [[folder:Aishani]] |
| 663 | [[quoteright:108:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aishani_ma3.png]] |
| 664 | |
| 665 | ->''“Poor Peggums. You need some TLC from your boyfriend.”'' |
| 666 | |
| 667 | Aishani is a fellow nurse at Peggy’s place of work, and the two are at least casual friends. Aishani’s partner turns out to be Gilbert, who runs the gym which features in other plot strands and in ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix''. |
| 668 | ---- |
| 669 | * ComfortFood: Aishani’s idea of doing something “wild and crazy” to de-stress after a hard week at work is to eat an entire birthday cake. Peggy’s somewhat more [=Ma3=]-typical approach to the problem bemuses her a little. |
| 670 | * TokenMinority: Aishani appears to be of south Asian ethnicity -- the only named character in the comic with this background. |
| 671 | [[/folder]] |
| 672 | |
| 673 | [[folder:Allie]] |
| 674 | [[quoteright:112:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/allie_6612.png]] |
| 675 | |
| 676 | ->''"You're one confusing lady, Sonya."'' |
| 677 | |
| 678 | Allie is Sonya's colleague at the cafe where they both work work as waitresses. Allie gets to hear stories of Sonya's newly complicated life, witness some incidents in that life, and occasionally provide Sonya with common-sense advice. She seems like a nice person who wouldn't want Sonya to lose her job or get badly hurt, but she can't help being amused by some of Sonya's antics, and she occasionally suffers a [[HeroicBSOD blue screen effect]] when Sonya says or does something especially weird. |
| 679 | ---- |
| 680 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Allie remained unseen from strip #706, in February 2013, until finally reappering in strip #1483, in September 2018, despite several characters apparently visiting the cafe where she and Sonya work. |
| 681 | * DramaticDrop: It's something of a recurring joke that Sonya's most unnerving statements often come when Allie is holding something fragile (or pouring a customer's coffee). |
| 682 | * HonestAdvisor: Allie seems to be one of the few people to whom Sonya can turn for objective advice. She does her best to help, but sometimes ends up as more of a DeadpanSnarker. |
| 683 | * OnlySaneWoman: Allie inevitably looks this way when Sonya is being confusing or confused. |
| 684 | * WorldWearyWaitress: Allie isn't heavily characterized, but her mildly snarky comments and sensible advice to Sonya make her look a little hardened by comparison. |
| 685 | [[/folder]] |
| 686 | |
| 687 | [[folder:Angèle]] |
| 688 | [[quoteright:124:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/angele_ma3.png]] |
| 689 | |
| 690 | ->''"This is my '''friend,''' Suzi! She spent the night because we were up all night... um... '''talking!'''"'' |
| 691 | |
| 692 | Vincent's mother and one of Zii's conquests, seen briefly in the course of one story. |
| 693 | ---- |
| 694 | * StacysMom: Although she's old enough to be the mother of a teenage boy, Zii (understandably) finds her very attractive -- somewhat ironically, given Zii's opinion of her son. |
| 695 | * SympatheticAdulterer: She’s married, but her fling with Zii is presented positively, as encouraging her to get out of a deeply unhappy relationship with an unfaithful husband. |
| 696 | * WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: Ultimately averted. She's never mentioned again for years after her one brief appearance. This wasn't considered a major issue by fans -- hers was very much a one-off story, which didn't leave many loose ends -- but nonetheless, Zii eventually mentions to Gary that she's had confirmation that Angèle has found happiness as the result of their encounter. |
| 697 | [[/folder]] |
| 698 | |
| 699 | [[folder:Bianca]] |
| 700 | [[quoteright:167:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bianca_ma3.png]] |
| 701 | |
| 702 | ->''"You were the dependable one. Kind, nurturing... I was more spontaneous."'' |
| 703 | |
| 704 | An old college friend of Peggy's who shows up in Montreal and takes Peggy out for dinner. Shortly afterwards, things take a turn for the unexpected. A few days later, Bianca becomes Sonya’s new girlfriend. |
| 705 | ---- |
| 706 | * ActionGirl: Peggy is as surprised as anyone when [[spoiler:gunfire breaks out while they are alone together -- and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/too-exciting Bianca draws a gun of her own and reacts in a very competent sort of way]]. Actually (according to Peggy) it turns out that Bianca has become a professional spy; Peggy is unimpressed by her [[LackOfEmpathy ruthlessness]], and she may tip into the DarkActionGirl category]]. |
| 707 | * ArtisticLicenseMilitary: [[spoiler:It goes without saying that she has little resemblance to real world intelligence agents.]] |
| 708 | * AssassinOutclassin: When Bianca comes under attack by what seems to be a team of professional assassins, she survives and escapes, despite being surprised, dressed only in underwear, and accompanied by a confused and disapproving Peggy. |
| 709 | * ExperimentedInCollege: When she meets up with Peggy, it emerges that they were a bit ''more'' than friends, back in the day. Bianca herself seems to be primarily or entirely lesbian, however. |
| 710 | * GrenadeTag: In her one-panel guest appearance in the (NSFW) final strip, Bianca is shown deftly tossing a stick of dynamite with a lighted fuse into the hands of an opponent during a fight scene. |
| 711 | * OutOfGenreExperience: Bianca, and what she brought with her, really came out of nowhere. |
| 712 | * SpyFiction: Bianca seems to have wandered in out of a spy story. [[spoiler:She initially fits the TuxedoAndMartini flavor (attractive, charming, romantic meals, etc.), but when Peggy begins to worry about a [[AssassinOutclassin failed hitman's]] health, the ruthless Bianca starts tasting more like stale beer in Peggy's opinion]]. |
| 713 | [[/folder]] |
| 714 | |
| 715 | [[folder:Damien]] |
| 716 | [[quoteright:106:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/damien_ma3.png]] |
| 717 | |
| 718 | ->''"Ladies! My gym is doing '''wonders''' for your figure. Shall I extend your membership?"'' |
| 719 | |
| 720 | Trainer and apparently proprietor at "{{Kayfabe}}'s School of Hard Knocks", the wrestling school attended by Roxie and others of the cast. His interactions with Roxie suggest strongly to some readers that they are brother and sister, but this hasn't yet been confirmed. |
| 721 | ---- |
| 722 | * LongHairedPrettyBoy: Damien carries off the trope in a way that is not perhaps unknown in pro wrestling. He's persistently flirtatious, and clearly fully aware of the effect that he has on some of his female students. |
| 723 | * LustObject: Maura and Tess joined his school because of his physical attractiveness, and both subsequently spend a lot of time trying to work out how to seduce him. |
| 724 | [[/folder]] |
| 725 | |
| 726 | [[folder:Eulice]] |
| 727 | [[quoteright:125:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ma3cast_eulice_1935.png]] |
| 728 | |
| 729 | ->''"SHE KNOWS ALL! SHE AIN'T HUMAN I TELLS YA!!!"'' |
| 730 | |
| 731 | Eulice Deville is Gary's landlady. She has an allegedly inhuman sense for deadbeats and an unspecified but close (and emotionally abusive) relationship with Rob, the [[{{Hikikomori}} building shut-in.]] |
| 732 | ---- |
| 733 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Last seen in February 2009 and completely invisible for many years, she made a surprise reappearance in the October 14th, 2014 strip. |
| 734 | * CrankyLandlady: Pretty much her entire characterization. She only appears in the comic to demand rent payments and terrify Gary, who claims that her ability to track him down is supernatural. |
| 735 | * {{Gonk}}: Apparently the only way that Giz can draw an unattractive character is to make her downright monstrous. |
| 736 | * IWasQuiteALooker: If you believe her when she says that [[HeadTurningBeauty [=DiDi=]]] looks like a young version of herself. Actually, given a better hairstyle, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/more-of-a-tease she does look a bit less hideous]]. |
| 737 | * MeaningfulName: Gary certainly seems to regard Eulice ''Deville'' as almost supernaturally terrifying. |
| 738 | * PunnyName: English-speakers would mentally pronounce it "Yoo-liss." In French, it's "you-lease." |
| 739 | [[/folder]] |
| 740 | |
| 741 | [[folder:Gilbert]] |
| 742 | [[quoteright:137:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gilbert_ma3.png]] |
| 743 | |
| 744 | ->''“Roxie, you're rehired, '''if''' you give [=DiDi=] three months of free personal training.”'' |
| 745 | |
| 746 | The boss at the gym where [=DiDi=] trains, Roxie works as a personal trainer, and various ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix'' characters later show up. Gilbert seems to like [=DiDi,=] perhaps simply because she's a good customer. He's also Aishani's partner, and somewhat worried by ideas she picks up from Peggie. |
| 747 | ---- |
| 748 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: A minor instance; although Gilbert is inclined to fire Roxie for getting into a fight with [=DiDi=] (reasonably enough -- Roxie is a new hire while [=DiDi=] is a customer), he is dissuaded by [=DiDi=]. Roxie's later behavior suggests that she recognizes that Gilbert may not approve of fraternization with customers. |
| 749 | [[/folder]] |
| 750 | |
| 751 | [[folder:Jake]] |
| 752 | [[quoteright:106:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jake_ma3.png]] |
| 753 | |
| 754 | ->''"I don't know what's gotten into you tonight, Sonya, but '''I LIKE IT!!!'''"'' |
| 755 | |
| 756 | Sonya's boyfriend at the time of her first appearance, who acquires an enthusiastic taste for group sex after a threesome with Sonya and Zii. Thanks to some other shenanigans instigated by Zii, he then gains a new infatuation -- with Matt. |
| 757 | ---- |
| 758 | * JerkAss: Jake isn't entirely horrible, but his newfound taste for group sex leads him to neglect Sonya and take her for granted, which makes her quite willing to dump him. |
| 759 | * TransparentCloset: After his encounter with [[ClosetKey Matt]] (seen in a print volume bonus strip), in which he is initially uncomfortable but eventually enthusiastic, Jake ends up asking his new girlfriend to peg him with a strap-on, while calling her "Matt". Clearly, he's discovered a gay or bisexual side to himself that he's trying to deny. As [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/Kinda-like his very last appearance]] sees him back with Matt himself, he evidently eventually gives up pretending and admits the truth. |
| 760 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Jake was a minor character who seemed to be forgotten for many years. However, he does make than one-panel final appearance (where he is only really identifiable as himself by the tags attached to the strip), which at least shows that he has resolved his previous state of denial about his sexuality. |
| 761 | |
| 762 | [[/folder]] |
| 763 | |
| 764 | [[folder:James]] |
| 765 | [[quoteright:101:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/james_ma3.png]] |
| 766 | |
| 767 | ->''"And I tell her, 'Well, not if it panders to the {{male gaze}}!'"'' |
| 768 | |
| 769 | James, also known as Jim, is another employee at Dark Matter Games, who is quite friendly to Gary and who becomes Tracy's boyfriend. He seems pleasant enough in general, and turns [[TheCharmer near-Charmer]] levels of apparently sincere flattery on Tracy on his first appearance, but he and Tracy maybe need to work on their mutual communication. Not to be confused with Peggy's ex-boyfriend, another Jim (who funnily enough also gets food thrown at him in a restaurant, and who also has some issues regarding oral sex); see the note on the OneSteveLimit in [[Webcomic/MenageA3 the comic's main page]]. |
| 770 | ---- |
| 771 | * AmbiguouslyBi: James is initially shown pursuing a heterosexual relationship with Tracy, and he’s not at all happy at the idea of receiving anal sex, although he agrees for reasons of his own. But he’s perfectly willing to accept oral sex from a man, and eventually to provide the same service, leading some readers to suspect that he’s a bisexual in confused denial, and that there’s not even much ambiguity. |
| 772 | * BoomerangBigot: James is a StrawFeminist who seems to regard women as better than men, despite being a man himself. |
| 773 | * {{Flanderization}}: James rapidly goes from vaguely liberal to StrawFeminist to displaying weird hang-ups for the sake of the plot. On his first date with Tracy, he criticizes ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball]]'' for its sexism -- not an unusual or especially radical opinion, though it annoys Tracy; they soon make up. Later, he turns down Tracy's offer of fellatio on the grounds that he couldn't subject a woman to "such an obscene act," although it turns out that he's highly competent at cunnilingus, leaving Tracy worried about the inequality of the relationship, but they seem to be working that problem through by the end of that plotline. However, in the third plotline in which he appears, his attitudes to oral sex and the correct way to treat women reappear in even more confused forms, and [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/sacred-womanspace/ he makes an idiot of himself while spouting jargon.]] |
| 774 | * StrawFeminist: Early on, James' opinions on objectification of women annoy Tracy, who's actually a woman, although as Gary points out to her, they're hardly unusual. Later, however, his feminism is {{flanderiz|ation}}ed; notably, he declares fellatio to be degrading to women, despite the fact that Tracy, his girlfriend, is proud of her oral skills, and then [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/sacred-womanspace/ he starts spouting jargon.]] |
| 775 | [[/folder]] |
| 776 | |
| 777 | [[folder:Jane and Vince]] |
| 778 | [[quoteright:161:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jane_and_vince_ma3.jpg]] |
| 779 | |
| 780 | ->''”You '''sure''' you can’t just pick one of us? Preferably me?”\ |
| 781 | “Wow, Jane, talk about having my back!”'' |
| 782 | |
| 783 | A pair of paramedics who work together at the same hospital as Peggy. Both are, it turns out, strongly attracted to her. |
| 784 | ---- |
| 785 | * LiquidCourage: When Peggy drunkenly proposes a threesome with both of them, they are very unnerved, but agree — and then both have several drinks to prepare themselves. |
| 786 | * PlatonicLifePartners: They [[spoiler:initially]] seem to have this relationship, as while they both want to sleep with Peggy, her proposal of a threesome is something they both find unappealing since they would also be sleeping with each other. They reluctantly agree to the threesome once Peggy makes it clear it's either that or nothing, and they both need plenty of booze to go through with it. Then, [[spoiler:plot happens]]. |
| 787 | * RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler:Initially, they are repulsed by the idea of even being naked in the same room as each other, much less doing anything sexual. Then Peggy leaves for less than a minute to get some... "equipment" for their threesome. By the time she gets back, they're going at it like rabbits and don't even seem to notice she's there]]. It's all very ''[=Ma3=]''. |
| 788 | [[/folder]] |
| 789 | |
| 790 | [[folder:Jerry]] |
| 791 | [[quoteright:110:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jerry_ma3.png]] |
| 792 | |
| 793 | ->''"Seeking out new experiences will help you stop looking backward."'' |
| 794 | |
| 795 | A psychiatrist or psychotherapist of some kind, consulted by both Kiley and Matt when they're hallucinating Gary's face onto others. |
| 796 | ---- |
| 797 | * TheShrink: Jerry appears to be a fully qualified professional, with certificates on his wall and all. He's a very minor character, and doesn't qualify as either "Awesome" or "Dopey" based on what is seen of him; he gives both Kiley and Matt plausible advice, but the improvements he achieves are marginal at best. |
| 798 | [[/folder]] |
| 799 | |
| 800 | [[folder:Jim]] |
| 801 | [[quoteright:117:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jim_menagea3.png]] |
| 802 | |
| 803 | ->''"I can't believe Peggy dumped meheeheee!!!"'' |
| 804 | |
| 805 | Peggy's ex-boyfriend, who gets dumped rather spectacularly on his first appearance, and then has the rejection emphatically reinforced. Not to be confused with Tracy's boyfriend, James, who is also sometimes known as Jim, funnily enough also gets food thrown at him in a restaurant, and also has some issues regarding oral sex; see the note on the OneSteveLimit in [[Webcomic/MenageA3 the comic's main page]]. |
| 806 | ---- |
| 807 | * NotGoodWithRejection: After being dumped by Peggy, Jim is helped by Erik, who advises him to accept the situation and take some time out to get over it. Unfortunately, Jim fails to take this advice, but the next time he sees Peggy, [[InterruptedIntimacy the situation]] apparently convinces him that their relationship is over. |
| 808 | [[/folder]] |
| 809 | |
| 810 | [[folder:Jordan]] |
| 811 | [[quoteright:143:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jordan_5448.png]] |
| 812 | |
| 813 | ->''"I think you '''saw''' that I wanted you to watch, and '''that''' turned you on!"'' |
| 814 | |
| 815 | Jordan is one of Dillon's fellow thespians, and is apparently almost as big a bastard as Matt, but pleasant enough to be around. As another participant in the local professional acting scene, he not surprisingly [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/sticky-dilly-buns/this-dream-role also shows up]] in ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns'', competing for roles with Dillon. |
| 816 | ---- |
| 817 | * AllGaysLoveTheater: Jordan enters the comic as an actor in musical theater. It seems to be more or less taken for granted that he's gay. |
| 818 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: His method of trying to help Gary understand his sexuality wasn't necessarily a good idea, but his heart seems to have been in the right place. |
| 819 | [[/folder]] |
| 820 | |
| 821 | [[folder:Lita]] |
| 822 | [[quoteright:124:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lita_ma3_colour.png]] |
| 823 | |
| 824 | ->''"Murrnow?"'' |
| 825 | |
| 826 | Zii's pet cat and sometime AnimalCompanion. |
| 827 | ---- |
| 828 | * CatsAreMean: Zii says that Lita hates everyone. However, Lita seems to take an immediate liking to Gary, and even sleeps in his arms. Zii even says that Lita pretty much belongs to Gary now; Gary accepts this situation despite his ensuing allergy problem. The people she gets along with despite her hatred can thus rate as {{kindhearted cat lover}}s. |
| 829 | * CoolCat: Her empathetic but ironic behaviour is pretty cool. |
| 830 | * EmpathyPet: Lita often mimics Zii's behavior and expressions, even when Zii isn't around. |
| 831 | * FascinatingEyebrow: [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/like-any-other Yeah, seriously.]] |
| 832 | * HandOrObjectUnderwear: She briefly serves this purpose for Gary. |
| 833 | * NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: She's named after Music/LitaFord. |
| 834 | * TeamPet: Zii's property, inflicts herself on Gary, generally hangs out around the apartment. |
| 835 | * YaoiFangirl: "Myaoi"? |
| 836 | [[/folder]] |
| 837 | |
| 838 | [[folder:Rob]] |
| 839 | [[quoteright:125:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ma3cast_rob_3188.png]] |
| 840 | |
| 841 | ->''"You've been running! Are the '''Bolsheviks''' after you?"'' |
| 842 | |
| 843 | Rob is the agoraphobic neighbor who lives in Gary's apartment building. It seems that he doesn't know that it's not The80s any more. |
| 844 | ---- |
| 845 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Rob doesn't appear in the strip for some years after the last time in [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/Wrong-apartment 2011]] -- though he is mentioned by name in October 2014. Then he makes an appearance in the [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/that-girl-can-run-really-fast 24th April 2018 strip]] and in an additional one in 2019, probably just to let him bow out in the last volume the same way he entered in the first. |
| 846 | * DirtyCommies: Possibly why he's a {{hikikomori}}; he seemingly fears they're taking over the world and the UsefulNotes/ColdWar is still going on! |
| 847 | * {{Hikikomori}}: The point of the joke here; Rob is only ever seen peering nervously round the door from inside his apartment, with occasional paranoid ramblings. |
| 848 | * ManChild: He shows no sign of adult behavior. |
| 849 | [[/folder]] |
| 850 | |
| 851 | [[folder:Takeru]] |
| 852 | [[quoteright:125:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ma3cast_takeru_3814.png]] |
| 853 | |
| 854 | ->''"Thank you. But I'd rather you no longer call me 'Tentacle King.'"'' |
| 855 | |
| 856 | Takeru Oyama is Yuki's father and Gary's artistic idol, a famous manga artist. |
| 857 | ---- |
| 858 | * AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: He never says much about Yuki's childhood, but his first reaction on Gary being introduced to him as Yuki's new boyfriend is to start talking marriage and babies in faintly creepy terms. And Yuki would doubtless be embarrassed by his [[{{Filth}} porn work]] if she didn't simply hate it. |
| 859 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Takeru makes one appearance in the flesh in the present day, last being seen in [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/bad-question strip #574 (March 13, 2012).]] He is subsequently [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/healthy-attitude reported to have been mentoring Gary]] for a week after that. Then he drops off the face of the comic, despite his apparent belief that Gary and Yuki were all but engaged. He has presumably flown home to Japan; in the last volume, Yuki and Matt are said to be about to visit him there. |
| 860 | * IWantGrandkids: He brings the subject up within seconds of Gary being introduced to him as Yuki's boyfriend. |
| 861 | * TheMentor: Takeru is said to be mentoring Gary at one point, though not much has been seen of this. |
| 862 | * PornCreatorGoingMainstream: The former "Tentacle King" of {{Hentai}} manga is now moving into more respectable work, apparently as part of his attempt to improve his relationship with his daughter. (Also, years ago, [[invoked]] [[SoMyKidsCanWatch he created one comic that Yuki could read and respect him for]].) |
| 863 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: At one point, Takeru is mentoring Gary while apparently expecting him to propose to Yuki, and dangling the chance of a job in Japan in front of Gary's nose. Then he disappears from the story; evidently he goes back to Japan. |
| 864 | [[/folder]] |
| 865 | |
| 866 | [[folder:Terry]] |
| 867 | [[quoteright:126:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/terry_ma3.jpg]] |
| 868 | |
| 869 | ->''"Angel just fired me-''heuh-'''heuuuhhh!!!'''''"'' |
| 870 | |
| 871 | A drummer who Angel instantly ejects from the Pretty Boyz when Yuki offers her services in his place, and who then offers to take Yuki's place in the Troublemakers. Zii reluctantly accepts that this may be the best way to keep her own dreams alive. Terry subsequently turns out also to play guitar, and offers to switch to that when Yuki seeks to return; then, when Angel is planning a tour for which Yuki is unavailable, Angel takes Terry back (so apparently he wasn't ''that'' bad). |
| 872 | ---- |
| 873 | * HeartbreakAndIceCream: Terry and Izzy go off for ice cream when Zii asks to be left alone for a while. [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/bounce-back When they return, Terry looks marginally less weepy, and is still eating ice cream.]] |
| 874 | * InelegantBlubbering: Terry's response to being sacked from Angel's band is to break down in tears, which just keep coming. |
| 875 | [[/folder]] |
| 876 | |
| 877 | [[folder:Vincent]] |
| 878 | [[quoteright:104:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vincent_ma3.png]] |
| 879 | |
| 880 | ->''"Nice to meet you, Miss Suzi."'' |
| 881 | |
| 882 | Angèle's son (and a previous casual online acquaintance of Gary's), with the online name "Vyndicator," who makes the mistake of annoying Zii in the course of one story. |
| 883 | ---- |
| 884 | * WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: Ultimately averted. Vincent and his mother were never mentioned again for years after their one brief appearance. This wasn't considered a major issue by fans -- that was very much a one-off story, which didn't leave many loose ends -- but nonetheless, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/Apology-gift Zii eventually mentions to Gary]] that she's apologized to Vincent and that both he and his mother are happier for the events of their meeting. |
| 885 | * {{Troll}}: Vincent is the sort of annoying teenage boy who trolls people online for fun. His sig is "IBangedYourMom" -- which [[spoiler:gives Zii ideas]]. |
| 886 | [[/folder]] |
| 887 | |
| 888 | [[folder:Yvan]] |
| 889 | [[quoteright:91:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yvan_ma3_4866.png]] |
| 890 | |
| 891 | ->''"I could use some help with ... women. Give me pointers, and you're hired."'' |
| 892 | |
| 893 | Yvan interviews Gary at the Montreal branch of "Dark Matter Games", and offers him a job in exchange for a personal favor. He's an indie music fan who seems amiable enough at first, but it soon turns out that his view of women isn't terribly attractive, and he comes to seem more than a little creepy. On the kindest possible reading, he may be a horribly desperate nerd with slightly non-standard appearance (and some [[NerdsAreVirgins common nerd problems]]), but his actions mark him down as [[{{Jerkass}} plain unpleasant]]. |
| 894 | ---- |
| 895 | * CannotTalkToWomen: Yvan admits to being incompetent with women, and, mistaking Gary for a master of seduction, asks him for tips. He certainly seems very socially clumsy, and his use of things like AnticipatoryBreathSpray doesn't do much for his image. And when he ''does'' open his mouth, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/how-bad-do-you-want-this-job it's pretty damn creepy]]. |
| 896 | * CasanovaWannabe: Yvan wants to improve his success rate with women, desperately enough to give Gary a job in exchange for a promise of some tips. His comments when he and Gary then hit a bar together verge on the creepy (''especially'' those he makes to Zii), and that and his willingness to believe what Gary tells him mean that he fits the trope all too closely. |
| 897 | * DirtyOldMan: His exact age is somewhat unclear to readers, but at least one of the younger cast members judges him to be "old". Then... Asking a prospective employee to help him pick up girls? Check. Talking about bed stuff to a girl he's just met? Check... |
| 898 | * DontCallMeSir: Yvan tells Gary not to call him "sir" from the first, apparently out of friendliness or a policy of informality. This just makes Gary more nervous, as he keeps forgetting. |
| 899 | * FatBastard: Increasingly visible as Yvan's nature; he's clearly chunky as of his first appearance, but the art emphasizes his bulk as his personal unpleasantness becomes more obvious. No particular explanation has yet been given for his fatness; he hasn't been shown eating. Unfortunately for Gary, he is of course LargeAndInCharge. |
| 900 | * HanlonsRazor: Opinions differ among fans as to whether Yvan is likely a sad, sexually desperate geek who talks like a total jerk because he thinks that this is how successful pickup artists present themselves, or whether he's just a naturally horrible person who doesn't realize how this makes him look to prospective sexual partners. Either way, his apparent unpleasantness has to be at least partly explained by stupidity. |
| 901 | * JerkAss: Yvan may be the one character who can top Nathan's unlikeability. After seeing Zii bail after Gary has tried to introduce them, he's ready to drop his job offer to Gary, his logic being that if Gary exaggerated his skills with the ladies, he can't be sure Gary didn't exaggerate his skills for the job either. However, aside from the fact that Zii was clearly dodging him, not Gary, it was Yvan himself who first voiced the notion that Gary is a master at picking up women, not Gary, and more importantly, while Gary's seduction skills may indeed be questionable, Yvan himself reviewed Gary's art portfolio, and declared it acceptable. |
| 902 | * PermaStubble: Yvan is the only significant character in the comic depicted with a stubble/very short beard look, giving him a distinctive appearance. |
| 903 | * TheUnSmile: Yvan isn't normally particularly unemotional or depressed, but nonetheless, [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/what-a-great-guy the smile he adopts]] when approaching a woman for the first time is downright horrible. |
| 904 | [[/folder]] |
| 905 | |
| 906 | !!Characters with more substantial or significant roles in other comics |
| 907 | |
| 908 | * For Aaron, Becca, Brandy, [=FiFi=], [=GiGi=], Lynn, Maura, Roxie, and Tess, [[Characters/PixieTrixComix see the characters page for]] ''Webcomic/PixieTrixComix''. |
| 909 | * For Pierre, Sandra, and Tatiana, [[Characters/SandraOnTheRocks see the characters page for]] ''Webcomic/SandraOnTheRocks''. |
| 910 | * For Amber, Angel, Chanelle, Dillon, Helena, Jerzy, and Nathan, [[Characters/StickyDillyBuns see the characters page for]] ''Webcomic/StickyDillyBuns''. |
| 911 |
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