The Characters

House Residents

Nik (real name unknown): Manager and partial-owner of the gay nightclub, Strokes, Nik is flamboyant and fun-loving. He moves from guy to guy, when it comes to relationships, but he has a loyal group of friends and always reaches out to more. He likes to surround himself with people he cares about, creating a nice little family, many of whom live in his large house (mansion) with him. He has a hard and mysterious past and is making up for it now.

Sweetie (Dominic): Former Fortune 500 software & networking developer in the dot-com days, partial owner of the Strokes club now. He and Nik go way back. He grew up playing hockey, and recently accepted a coaching position in a gay youth hockey league. There, he met Jamie (fellow coach and creator of the league) and it was love at first sight, even though both had a hard time admitting that at first.

Jamie: Jamie Decon (Deeky) is an AHL goalie, who is sometimes called up to play in the NHL. Hockey is his passion, but currently his love of it is tied with his affection for Sweetie. He's faced some hardships in the past, including being burned by a relationship and being discriminated against in his professional career for being gay. Nonetheless, he's an out-and-proud player now and runs a gay youth hockey league to serve as a mentor.

Coyote (Samuel): Coyote (sometimes called Yo for short) is a musician (sings and plays guitar), though none of the bands he plays with last very long. Even though he's transitory by nature, he has strong ties to this group of boys and stays in the mansion whenever he's in the area. He's got southern roots (and is a bit of a romantic traditionalist) but left home as soon as he could because of more than a little discrimination at home and in his hometown. He frequently dyes his hair different colors, and sports a large Coyote tattoo on his back (courtesy of Pit). He's also allergic to just about everything under the sun.

Pit (Fred): He's your typical biker bear and as tough as a pit bull (hence his name) even though he's got a cat (which doesn't always get along with the house's dog). He owns and runs his own bike shop, but his hobbies include reading and inking. He also fills in as a bartender at Strokes when needed.

Olly (Lawrence Walsh): Much more than the house's resident doctor, Olly divides his time at the free care clinic (which caters mostly to AIDS patients), with his friends at the house, and with his sister's family. This doesn't leave him a lot of time for a relationship. He's a born caretaker and always willing to help when needed, especially with his niece. He's also a movie aficionado.

Auntie Al (real name unknown): "Auntie" Al (so named for his resemblance to a certain butler in Batman) is the kindly, older caretaker of the house and its residents. He's led an interesting life and relays his wisdom when needed, but lets people make their own mistakes. He doesn't talk much about his past, but it's not a secret he keeps from everyone.

Trip (Bradley): A sailor in the US Navy (an "aggie"), Trip lives at the house when he's in town. He needs to be closeted because of don't ask don't tell but that doesn't mean he doesn't get some loving from time to time. He sends home postcards and presents from around the world.

Sin (Gary Sinclair): Sin's the star goalie on Jamie's team in the Gay Youth Hockey League. Following a bashing from his father/family, he moved into the house. His dream is to be a professional hockey player, but until then, he's just coming to terms with who he is and who he wants.

Toby: Trip's dog. He's a chocolate Labrador retriever and has the run of the upstairs and backyard. If Trip is away, he usually follows Auntie Al around during the day and sleeps in Nik's bedroom at night.

Princess: Pit's aptly-named cat who tends to stay downstairs to avoid the dog. The lower level is her domain.




Some Strokes Staff

Turbo (Timothy): Turbo serves as the club's stage manager, in charge of performances and the like, but secretly desires to support himself with his art alone. He always wears black, especially his trademark black cashmere scarf. He's your typical broody artist, sarcastic and pessimistic, and doesn't like being forced to open up but everyone reads him like a book. He's got a thing for BDSM, which usually attracts some interesting partners, but few are in it for the long term.

Robert: One of Strokes' two on-call limo drivers, Robert is sometimes pretty hard to handle. He's sarcastic and gives people a hard time, but he can quiet a rowdy crowd with a single smoldering look.

Julia: Julia is Stroke's other limo driver. She's bisexual and beautiful. She has a knack for manipulating most men, no matter if they're gay or straight, and wants someone who can match her will.

Rich (Dwane): Rich is one of Strokes' "security guards" (aka bouncers/doormen), and his special skill is with dealing with younger clientele. He is so named for the amount of bling he wears. He's your typical tough guy teddy bear. He shares a townhouse with his partner, Ben-Ji.




Other Important People

Ace: Ace is gender queer, likes women, runs a zine, makes artistic framed mirrors, rides a motorcycle, and is a bit afraid of the dark every so often (aren't we all?).

Dil: Ace's devil of a cat who loves to hate everyone, especially Ace. Dil isn't short for Dillon.

Marty: Coyote ran into Marty at Strokes and decided he might make a good boyfriend. Marty's a software developer who works in DC and is new to the area. He lives in an apartment with a roommate (Loraine).

Loraine: Loraine is Marty's roommate (thanks to a well-placed ad in the paper he responded to when moving to MD). She is a goth and dental hygienist. She is a very protective faghag and doesn't mind when he brings home men, except when they keep her up at night.

Ducky (Bing): Ducky is a graduate student in mathematics but also works at his parents' Chinese restaurant. Due to his close ties with his very traditional family, he has to stay in the closet. Therefore, his mother is constantly setting him up with "nice women." He made friends with the group who look out for him and his interests.

Swan (Launa): Swan is Olly's sister. She's a hairdresser by profession and a horseback rider by recreation. She's married to a businessman named Kurt and the couple recently adopted a young girl from China. She frequently drops her daughter off at the house (where she's adored by all) so Olly can baby-sit.

Maylyn: Swan's adopted daughter and Olly's neice. She's a cutie-pie.

Sam: Not to be confused with Samuel, Sam is (sort of) Olly's boy. They don't see much of each other, perhaps due to scheduling constraints, but they keep in touch online. His username is LuvRRR, and the R's stand for his three favorite hobbies: reading, rafting, and (bike) riding.

Tony: Tony pops up here and there, especially when a juicy piece of gossip is involved. He's a lover of words. He owns a used bookstore, and he can talk for hours about anything and everything.