Characters / Avalon (1999)

Character page for the characters of Josh Phillips' webcomic Avalon.

Main Characters

Ceilidh MacFarlene

The protagonist, Ceilidh (pronounced Kay-lee) is the new kid at Avalon High.

• Brave Scot: Is Scottish and can be quite the fighter. Just ask Nancy.
• Expy: Josh Phillips admitted that he based part of Ceilidh's appearance and personality on Asuka Langley-Sohryu.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Pulls this for Joe in the finale by setting him up with Helene.
• If It's You, It's Okay: She's either this or is just simply bisexual and Phoebe is her Closet Key.
• New Transfer Student: She starts off as a Grade 11 student at Avalon High, and thus, wasn't around when the others' freshman year drama happened.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: For the times when she dresses up.
• Supporting Protagonist: Increasingly became one from Year 2 onward as the others' family strife and the consequences of their shared Backstory took center stage.
• Tsundere: Towards Joe.
• The Unreveal: She shows Joe an old picture of herself where she apparently looked much different from how she is in the present day, which is a source of insecurity for her. We the audience never get to see it.

Phoebe Bradley

Ceilidh's best friend at Avalon High.

• Broken Bird: Her freshman year was not kind to her thanks to her and Joe's friendship being fractured and her abusive relationship with Todd.
• Does Not Like Men: No thanks to Todd.
• Fiery Redhead: Is harsh and hot-tempered, with red hair to match.
• Girliness Upgrade: In the last year, she starts wearing more skirts and dresses to social gatherings, which even Deirdre finds strange.
• She Cleans Up Nicely: When she dresses up.
• Shipper on Deck: Inverted with regards to Joe and Ceilidh due to feeling that their relationship wasn't genuine. She turned out to be right.
• Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Ryan describes her as such.

Joe Page

Ceilidh's second friend at Avalon High.

• Beware the Nice Ones: He had pushed Todd, Phoebe's abusive ex-boyfriend, down a flight of stairs.
• Break the Cutie: Freshman year wasn't kind to him either, what with him accidentally alienating his best friend Phoebe and letting his indecisiveness ruin his chances with Helene. Oh, also, his father abandoned him and his mother that same year. Yeah, Joe's had a pretty rough time.
• Cannot Spit It Out: His indecisiveness kept him from confessing his feelings to Helene and Phoebe, not to mention inadvertently starting a relationship with Ceilidh.
• Deadpan Snarker: Is very dry and witty.
• Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: The more sensitive soul to Alan's more brash personality.
• Stepford Snarker: Uses wit and sarcasm to mask his turmoil.

Alan Gunderson

Joe's best friend since childhood and Helene's boyfriend.

• Bromantic Foil: To Joe. While Joe is a bit more sensitive and soulful, Alan is brash and self-confident to the point of annoying arrogance. This was especially illustrated by Alan jumping into a relationship with Helene simply to become popular whereas Joe genuinely admired her free-spirited and positive personality.
• Jerkass: He can have his moments, especially with the necklace incident and dragging his feet on breaking up with Helene.
• Please Dump Me: Alan is desperate to break things off with Helene due to how clingy she is but is afraid of hurting her feelings by being direct. Eventually, Joe tells it to her straight out.
• Small Name, Big Ego: His own bio even states he's "self-confident to the point of annoyance" and "also lacks a fundamental grasp of reality".

Alison Montgomery

Ceilidh's math class partner, later a barista at Hildegarde's cafe.

• Brutal Honesty: Isn't afraid to voice her opinion and let someone know when they're doing something stupid. Some people will come to her for advice as a result, much to her own annoyance.
• Deadpan Snarker: Possibly the biggest one in the series.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Develops one with Hildegarde after she begins working for her.
• Only Sane Woman: Sees herself as this, but how sane she truly is can be debatable if only because it's also tinged with a great deal of haughtiness.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: She becomes noticeably more arrogant and full of herself as the strip goes on, though she does ultimately realize the error of her ways to a small extent while searching for Jim with Erin.

Helene Richer

The girlfriend of Alan and the most popular girl in school.

• Buttmonkey: She's the recipient of quite a few slapstick gags, particularly the filler strip arc "Ah, Spring".
• Class Princess: She's the most popular girl in school and consistently one of the genuinely nicest people in the strip.
• The Ditz: She's actually pretty book-smart to the point that she gets accepted into a teaching program at a good university by the finale, but she is a bit oblivious to the things around her.
• Hidden Depths: For all that she appears to be a stereotypical Dumb Blonde, she does possess a good work ethic and is genuinely a kind person.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: It turns out she knew this whole time that Alan was no longer in love with her, but she convinced herself that he still cared about her and they could make this work. Knowing that he'd been trying to break things off with her convinces her to finally stop trying and let him go, figuring it would at least be the last nice thing she could do for him.
• Nice Girl: She really doesn't bear any ill will towards anyone.
• The Pollyanna: Is always cheerful and upbeat.

Ryan Aberdeen

A computer whiz and the self-proclaimed "Geek to End All Geeks".

• Dogged Nice Guy: Was one for Phoebe at first, partly out of a genuine attraction to her and partly out of wanting to help her get past her terrible experiences with Todd. It's also deconstructed a bit in that Phoebe knew this and despite never reciprocating his feelings, still liked having him around because his care and sympathy for her made her hurt a little less. Ultimately, he moves on from Phoebe and finds love with Deirdre.
• Mr. Exposition: Serves as this at the beginning of Year 2 in telling Ceilidh the details behind what happened to Joe and Phoebe in freshman year, albeit with a few details missing.
• Nerd Glasses: Sports a pair of these, as does his father.
• Nice Guy: Besides Helene, he's one of the most consistently and genuinely nicest people in the whole series.
• Odd Friendship: Developed one with Iain, a slick and smooth ladies' man from Australia. It helped that Iain himself was also into computers.
• Proud to Be a Geek: He came up with his own nickname and has no shame in his hobbies and passions.
• Settle for Sibling: Had a crush on Phoebe at first, but after he ultimately realized she would never return his feelings, he develops a relationship with her older sister Deirdre.

Deirdre Bradley

Phoebe's older sister, a former bully and delinquent seeking to get her life back in order.

• Broken Bird: She's mostly healed from it, but the topic of her ex-boyfriend Patrick, her Teen Pregnancy and later miscarriage, as well as the damage it did to her parents' marriage due to her father initially keeping it all a secret from her mother, still makes her sore.
• Daddy's Girl: She and her father Phil have always had a good relationship, as she helped him kick his drinking problem and he in turn had helped her when she accidentally got pregnant. Even though this action drove a wedge between him and Sarah, Phil never blamed Deirdre for anything.
• Fiery Redhead: Much like her sister, Deirdre has a harsh temper as fiery as her hair.
• Former Teen Rebel: During high school, Deirdre was rebellious and had a reputation for being a bully, but she's greatly mellowed out in the present day.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: After having dated "bad boys" during high school and the relationships ending badly, as well as mellowing out in the years since, she ultimately goes out with Ryan due to being drawn in by his kind nature. Their relationship is probably the most stable in the whole series.

Side Characters

Hildegarde Page

Joe's mother.

• Aerith and Bob: Her sister is named Melissa.
• Cool Old Lady: Certainly has her moments, and other people often seek her out for advice. Alison especially respects her, which is saying something considering how Alison usually is.
• Deadpan Snarker: Joe definitely inherited that from her.
• A Friend in Need: Is always willing to give advice to others, especially to Phil.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Develops one with Alison after opening the cafe.

Iain

An exchange student from Australia.

• Chick Magnet: Quickly gained the attention of several girls at Avalon High, including Ceilidh.
• Foreign Exchange Student: From the Land Down Under.
• Odd Friendship: Developed one with Ryan, who's proud to be a geek. It helped that Iain himself was also into computers.
• Put on a Bus: Leaves Avalon after his exchange student program ends.
• Shadow Archetype: To Alison, who even calls him her Jungian Shadow. She's frustrated at how easily he was able to fit in and make friends while she has to try harder.

Phil Bradley

The patriarch of the Bradley family.

• The Alcoholic: Used to be one, but he successfully kicked the habit with Deirdre's help.
• Henpecked Husband: Downplayed - he's not so much domineered by Sarah so much as he keeps to himself because she frequently snaps at him over even small things.
• Mistaken for Cheating: Sarah fears he's having an affair, which isn't helped by his growing friendship with Hildegarde.
• Parents as People: He cares for his daughters but can't seem to do as much as he'd like to.

Sarah Bradley

The matriarch of the Bradley family.

• The Alcoholic: She reveals at the end that she's been struggling with a drinking problem, partly out of Drowning My Sorrows and partly to get Phil's attention.
• Fiery Redhead: All three of her daughters got their headstrong attitudes and red hair from her.
• Parents as People: She generally means well and loves her kids but has many of her own issues that prevent her from being effective at helping them.

Noelle Bradley

The youngest daughter of the Bradley family.

• Annoying Younger Sibling: Downplayed - she does get along well with her older sisters, but they do have some squabbles due to their age differences.
• Fiery Redhead: Just like her mother and sisters.
• Girlish Pigtails: Sports a pair of these.
• Oblivious Younger Sibling: She's not entirely blind to the issues going on, as she can see that Phoebe is "acting weird" and her parents' marriage is on the rocks, which even made her attempt to run away from home at one point. However, she's generally clueless about the full extent of the problems and their causes.

James Page

Joe's missing father.

• Disappeared Dad: He abandoned Joe and Hildegarde during Joe's freshman year.
• Settle for Sibling: A Deconstructed Trope with him and Hildegarde. Jim was initially in love with Hildegarde's sister Melissa but Melissa was more focused on school and wouldn't let a relationship distract her from her ambitions. He and Hildegarde developed a friendship along the way and the two of them took a liking to each other and began dating. However, Jim never really got over Melissa. Then he met a younger woman named Erin during a business trip while he was going through a self-described "midlife crisis" of sorts and left his family, admitting to Hildegard that he sometimes felt like their marriage was a sham from the start.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Flashbacks reveal he looked just like Joe when he was younger.
• Sympathetic Adulterer: Defied. Jim may have had some understandable reasons for having an affair (feeling that his marriage to Hildegard wasn't genuine due to never really getting over his first love Melissa, Hildegard's sister), but he doesn't make any excuses for his actions and calls leaving his family the worst mistake he ever made in his life.