The cast of the Deviantart webcomic Sunstone by Stjepan Sejic.
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The Protagonists
Lisa Williams
- Aggressive Submissive: Outside the bedroom, Lisa tends to be the more active one in her and Ally's relationship. Inside the bedroom she’s a complete sub.
- Character Tic: Her lip-biting has become fairly iconic amongst the fans.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Not immediately obvious, her anger at her brothers hitting on Ally have a lot of reasons beside jealousy, but once she introduces Anne to Ally, Lisa begins to regret the decision and it very nearly drives her and Ally apart near the end of Chapter 4.
- Coquettish Lip Biting: Lisa bites her lip when she's turned on, or when she badly has to pee. Ally, her friend and mistress, loves it.
- Fiery Redhead: She can get pretty emotionally excited, though this does lead to Foot-in-Mouth disease. And you DON'T want to mess with her when she gets angry!
- Friends with Benefits: Started out as this to Ally.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation:
- Narrator Lisa is quick to call Story Lisa an idiot, particularly when calling Story Lisa out on being mean to Valerie for petty reasons, I.E. she's blond.
- Goes even further when we meet her Shadow Archetype, the green-skinned manifestation of her self-loathing.
- Hidden Depths: Despite being a complete sub in the bedroom, Lisa everywhere else is a confident, level-headed and assertive person. However, Lisa's biggest flaw is that when it comes to relationships, she only acts when she feels it’s emotionally safe to act, which among other things cost her her relationship with David and very nearly costs her her relationship with Ally as well.
- Iconic Outfit: She has two: a red and black latex corset/gloves/leggings combo is quite common but what may be her true signature is the red/black breast-exposing straitjacket that Ally had custom made just for her.
- Knuckle Cracking: Lisa's habit of cracking her knuckles and her neck is one of the few things about her that annoy the crap out of Ally.
- The Load: After some soul searching, Lisa realizes she’s this when it comes to relationships. She’s always expecting her partner to understand her needs and wants without needing to be told and basically placing all the work to keep the relationship going at their feet.
- Most Writers Are Writers: She's a budding writer and narrating her life's story.
- No Sense of Personal Space: While all the characters have a habit of being very touchy and close, Lisa is by far the worst offender. It even gets brought up occasionally like when Valerie thought Cassie was Lisa's girlfriend or when Ally thought Lisa wanted an intimate relationship with Anne as well.
- Unreliable Narrator: Is called out on this by Ally and even admits this herself.
Allison 'Ally' Carter
- Affectionate Nickname: "Allycat," which is actually her forum screen name.
- Aggressive Submissive: Inverted. She’s dominating in bed, but outside of that she’s a dork.
- Berserk Button: Needing on a drop that Ally's got her eye on when she's MMOing is a good way to get her pissed enough to challenge you to Cluster F-Bomb-laden PVP.
- Brains and Bondage: Highly intelligent programmer? Check. Glasses? Check. Crazy amount of BDSM gear? CHECK.
- Experimented in College: Back when Ally and Alan met in college, they tried out the ropes of BDSM, but since both of them were dominants, it was always a competition between the two of them, and they always tried to outdo each other, which didn't really end well.
- Fetish: Aside from her whole domme thing, Ally also has a major thing for nipple piercings which Lisa picks up on.
- Friends with Benefits: Started out as this to Lisa.
- Glasses Are Sexy/Bespectacled Cutie: Ally's Domme persona is capped off by her glasses, which make her look insanely hot. Outside of the game and the bedroom, they just make her look Endearingly Dorky.
- Heavy Sleeper: Her snoring could wake the dead.
- Hidden Depths: Ally, at first, seems like a confident and successful person, but it becomes clear that she’s terribly lonely and has some regrets she can't manage to overcome.
- Hime Cut: Stumbled onto this by chance, and was key to unlocking her Domme Look.
- My Greatest Failure: Ally regards what happened with Marion as this. She blames herself for showing Marion "too much, too fast" during Harper's class on Shibari, and the following development of the obsession that ultimately led Marion to tie herself to Alan's bed. It especially hurt for her because she had to physically restrain Marion from trying to undo the ropes around her clotted wrists for the sake of her safety, even when Marion, in agonized desperation, started using her safeword in a panicked bid to get Ally to let her go. The traumatic experience led to an aversion to using ropes that Ally eventually overcomes.
- Safe Word: Ally's safeword, which she gives to her subs, is "sunstone."
- Sucks at Dancing: By Ally's own admission.Ally: I'm a horrible dancer!Lisa: That's okay! It's a horrible song!
- Transparent Closet: Is surprised when she realize she's gay, despite having a wealth of latex outfits, seemingly all for women. Lampshaded by Alan in the Mercy arc, who notices her watching women when they're walking around.
- Unreliable Narrator: Turns out that she treated Alan a lot worse in college than she remembers.
- Where Does She Get All Those Wonderful Toys?:
- Ally has a staggeringly impressive collection of toys, including an entire wardrobe of custom-made outfits for both of her subs and herself, cuffs, chains, restraints and suspension rigs, a custom-made mermaid outfit, the infamous "see-saw," a made-to-order bed just for sex and, last but certainly not least, an actual chariot. We are shown that Alan and Chris make a living out of making these things for people and that Ally is really quite well-off, but
Word of God states that Ally has spent forty grand on this collection. Lampshaded somewhat in a strip:Lisa: Okay, I tried avoiding this question... but, yeah... How much did you spend on all this stuff?Ally: Yeahhh... um, quite a bit... so... really... don't ask. - Collecting BDSM equipment and outfits turns out to be Ally's only recreational spending outlet, and she spent so much on this stuff that Alan had to intervene and refuse to sell her any more (at least until Lisa arrived and the two of them started putting these numerous outfits to use).
- One financial chat with Alan reveals that Ally earned a huge one-time payout (over a half-a-million dollars) with her software work in the past. Her notably oversized house and even more notably-oversized gear collection have effectively burned through all of that; in the final chapter, it's hinted that she's starting to feel some financial pressure.
- Ally has a staggeringly impressive collection of toys, including an entire wardrobe of custom-made outfits for both of her subs and herself, cuffs, chains, restraints and suspension rigs, a custom-made mermaid outfit, the infamous "see-saw," a made-to-order bed just for sex and, last but certainly not least, an actual chariot. We are shown that Alan and Chris make a living out of making these things for people and that Ally is really quite well-off, but
Alan Benson
Ally's best friend and occasional sex partner. He designs BDSM gear and paraphernalia for clubs and clients, and is Ally's primary supplier. Oh yeah—he's also a quite skilled dominant, comparable to Ally herself. Becomes one of the leads as of the Mercy arc.
- Friends with Benefits: As revealed in the "Mercy" flashback, they were never romantically involved, just friends exploring their sexual kinks.
- Camp Straight: Downplayed, but present. He readily admits to wearing lipstick and trying buttplugs with Ally, frequently bemoans men's fashion in BDSM, and shows more interest in how his gear works than in the attractive women trying it out. Even during his celibate period, however, he's very clear about his attraction to women.
- Deadpan Snarker: Stands out particularly in a World of Snark.
- Experimented in College: Back when Ally and Alan met in college, they tried out the ropes of BDSM, but since both of them were dominants, it was always a competition between the two of them, and they always tried to outdo each other, which didn't really end well.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Or at least according to Anne.
- I'll Be in My Bunk: Becomes inevitable when he's dealing with his friends' sexual encounters.
- Impossibly Cool Clothes: Is responsible for practically all of Ally's BDSM wardrobe, as well as the wardrobe of most of the performers at the Crimson.
- Mistaken for Gay: Played for Drama. Back in college, a couple of Jerkass peers got it into their head that Alan was gay and they messed with him any chance they got. Things escalated when Alan's sketchbook full of BDSM artwork was stolen, and its drawings were photocopied and posted all over the campus, which got Alan in trouble with the school authorities. It took significant effort from Ally for him to trust anybody after that.
- Platonic Life-Partners: With Ally.
- Safe Word: Alan's safeword, with Marion and with Anne, is "mercy", though he also has a three-note hum that his sub can use through a gag.
- Unspoken Plan Guarantee: Despite being one of the wittiest characters in the series, if he has time to stop and think about a wisecrack it's never particularly funny.
Marianne "Anne" Murphy
A tattoo artist and long-time friend of Cassie whose curiosity about BDSM leads her headfirst into Lisa and Ally's alternative lifestyle. Becomes one of the leads as of the Mercy arc.
- Closet Key: Is the catalyst that causes Ally and Lisa to admit their feelings for each other.
- In Mercy it's revealed that Anne had her own Closet Key in Miriam, the singer of one of the metal bands whose concerts she went to, who awakened her to her bi side.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Despite being a tattoo artist, she is relatively innocent and naive compared to the rest of the cast.
- Head-Tiltingly Kinky: Her initial reaction to BDSM, which only gets her more curious.
- Kaleidoscope Hair: Has had both black AND brown hair in the past, in addition to blonde!
- Meaningful Name: Marianne is a near-homonym to Marion.
- Metalhead: Was one back in college. Her interest in metal would introduce Cassie to Tom.
- Naïve Newcomer: To the world of BDSM.
- Platonic Life-Partners: With Cassie, though the two sometimes flirt with each other, neither one notices until it's brought to their attention.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: As she becomes friendly with Lisa and Ally, the two are forced to deal with emotions they have been denying for a long time, which nearly drives the two of them apart. She does take the first steps toward getting the two back together in Chapter 5, though.
- Wacky Cravings: In Mercy, Anne is pregnant with Alan's kid, and has developed a craving for chocolate chip cookies.
Supporting Cast
Cassie Connelly
Chris' sister and Anne's best friend and a fellow BDSM fan. Happily Married to Tom.
- Afraid of Needles: Ever since the time she got her shots as a kid, Cassie has never liked needles.
- Berserk Button: A mild one, but she doesn't appreciate jokes about her freckles.
- Deadpan Snarker: One of the bigger ones in the series.
- Happily Married: To Tom.
- Hello, Attorney!: Her day job.
- I Was Young and Needed the Money: As mentioned in Mercy, Cassie used to model for art for the money she needed to get through law school. Anne being Anne, she turned it into stripper jokes in order to get a rise out of Cassie.
- The Matchmaker: Is always trying to set Alan up with her friends, much to his annoyance.
- Platonic Life-Partners: With Anne, though the two sometimes flirt with each other, neither one notices until it's brought to their attention.
- Right for the Wrong Reasons: When it comes to her shipping and matchmaking she actually is correct, Lisa and Ally are more than friends while Alan and Anne do end up becoming a very loving couple. The problem though is that Cassie doesn't take into account the serious baggage each couple needed to work out before they could be stable and her meddling did little to help.
- Shipper on Deck: She is the most vocal about Ally and Lisa's relationship being more than friendship.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Happily engages in this with Tom, and anyone else willing to do it.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Seems to have this relationship with everyone she knows, including her husband and people she just met.
Chris Connelly
Alan's work colleague and Cassie's brother; notably not at all interested in BDSM.
- Muggle: One of the few recurring characters not into BDSM.
- Unfazed Everyman: Takes everything that happens at the club with an almost bored expression.
Laura Barnes
Anne's first girlfriend, whose issues prove to be a dealbreaker.
Tom Wilson
Cassie's husband, a metalhead and a quite talented snarker.
- Affectionate Nickname: Anne calls him "Metalboy."
- Bad Liar: As much as he would try to claim he does, Tom has no poker face and, as Alan bluntly points out, he "can't lie for shit."
- Deadpan Snarker: Right up there with Cassie.
- Happily Married: To Cassie.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Tom and Cassie engage in quite a bit of this.
Harper Thomas
The owner of the BDSM club that the cast frequents.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Keep poking Ally about Marion, Harper, see what happens.
Tanya Wilkins
Harper's girlfriend and accountant.
Marion Price
An ex-girlfriend of Alan who had a bad experience with BDSM which continues to haunt Ally.
- Affectionate Nickname: Cruella, though only because of her hair, in terms of personality she could not be more opposite of the Disney Villain.
- Body Horror: Played in disturbingly realistic fashion when we're shown the dangers of careless rope work. Marion uses the wrong sort of knots on her wrists combined with improper positioning of the ropes on the bed out of obsession with trying to prove Alan wrong about 24/7 submission (which Alan isn't into for a variety of reasons, chiefest among them being that it is highly stressful for the dom), and finds herself trapped and alone while the blood circulation to her hands is cut off. Her hands go lifeless and visibly dark grey in color. It gets worse when we're told this had caused blood clots and Marion could have lost her hands, if not her life.
- Idiot Ball: Keen to convince Alan to try 24/7 dominance and submission, Marion's growing obsession with the game led her to do something everyone (including herself) agrees was stupid; but unfortunately for Marion, she realized this only at the moment she slipped the knots about her wrists tight without a way to undo them.
- Love Makes You Dumb: This hit Marion hard; being new to the type of relationship she was sharing with Alan caused her to discard her better judgement in favor of doing everything she could to take things further, leading to a very bad situation.
- Safe, Sane, and Consensual: Marion violates all three principles in her self-bondage attempt. It nearly kills her via tightening of ropes around her wrists enough to cut off circulation to her hands and develop deadly blood clots (very much unsafe); she's in such a passionate state when she does it that she doesn't notice she's doing it wrong (not sane at all); and she's doing it despite Alan already telling her he doesn't want this kind of relationship (anything but consensual).
- What Happened to the Mouse?: After Ally's flashback, Marion goes largely unmentioned in the text. Word of God says she's going to be the focus of the arc following Mercy, where at her psychiatrist's suggestion she tries her hand at domination.
James Hughes
A submissive young man with an interest in cross-dressing who has appeared as a background character.
- Hero of Another Story: Is going to share focus with Marion in the next story arc, Jasper.
- What Could Have Been: In-universe example; it's implied that James would have been Ally's first sub, had she not wussed out of the entire thing.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Looks like he's going to be one.
