History Webcomic / Sunstone

* AuthorAppeal: Spoiler: [[spoiler:[[CaptainObvious Stjepan likes bondage.]]]] Also, redheads.

* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Between Ally and Lisa]] at the end of Volume 5 when [[spoiler:Ally finally figures it out]].

* AuthorAppeal: Spoiler: [[spoiler:[[CaptainObvious Stjepan likes bondage.]]]]

* NakedPeopleTrappedOutside: Alan {{invoke|dTrope}}s this trope to escape a well-deserved smack across the face from Ally. No matter how pissed off she is at him, she's not about to chase him out onto the street when dressed head-to-toe in fetish wear, especially not when there's a sweet old lady present.

* ThinkUnsexyThoughts: Alan has to do this while helping to rescue Lisa and Alan from a bondage device they've gotten stuck in.

** At the start of Volume 5, Lisa (already out of sorts from being on her period) outdoes Ally in a ''big'' way when her brother Jimmy suggests inviting Ally (who she is very, ''very'' pissed at following the end of Volume 4) over to their parents' place. The glare she gives him could "curdle milk" according to him. May also double as a StealthPun referencing a European myth that a menstruating woman's gaze could curdle milk.

* AggressiveSubmissive: Lisa is assertive and generally self-confident (she does experience self-doubt in some matters, of course) in most of her life, and is also a sexual submissive; note that this is not particularly unusual in real life.

** At the start of Volume 5, Lisa outdoes Ally in a ''big'' way when her brother Jimmy suggests inviting Ally (who she is very, ''very'' pissed at following the end of Volume 4) over to their parents' place. The glare she gives him could "curdle milk" according to him.

* AnAesop: Real love needs more than sex. Even really amazing, hot, kinky sex.
-->Lisa: “All of the bedroom games, the tops and bottoms, they mean little-to-nothing beyond their natural habitat. Outside of the kink we were two people in love, and we both needed to put in the effort to make this work. It was a simple lesson on the surface and yet many forget this by sacrificing it on the altar of personal comfort.”

->''"Dear reader, this is the story of how I met the woman of my life, the one that compli... '''Wait, don't leave yet! [[GirlOnGirlIsHot This book has lots of Hot Lesbian Bondage Sex!!!!]]''' Good... [[ShowSomeLeg That got your attention...]]"''

* BerserkButton: Ally flies off the handle during an MMO session when [[Webcomic/BloodStain Dr. Stein]] needs on and ends up with a boss drop she had her eye on, resulting in a ClusterFBomb-laden PVP duel. Which she then loses when talking to Lisa makes her go AFK (away from keyboard), allowing Vlad to take her out.
* BetaCouple: Alan and Anne are this in the finale of the first arc, although Sejic has confirmed they will be the focus of the second arc. Tom and Cassie qualify much more neatly.

* BlondeBrunetteRedhead: Anne, Ally and Lisa, respectively.

* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Between Ally and Lisa]] at the end of Volume 5 when [[spoiler:Ally finally figures it out]].
* BigWhat: Ally after reading Lisa's last story. Not helped by Lisa ending it on a cliffhanger (to bait Ally into agreeing to meet at Crimson).

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: In an alternate strip [[note]]integrated into cannon as a discarded story idea by Lisa[[/note]], the first time Ally tells Lisa she loves her, she's drunk as a post. The anguished part comes when Ally wakes up hungover and straightjacketed, and Lisa gently teases her for it before returning her affection. The actual continuity has Lisa make the declaration.

** Lisa has a brief spat with a co-worker who she believed was an extremely judgmental type. After Lisa storms off, the readers get to see that co-worker meet with and kiss a woman who is later revealed to he her wife.

** There are aspects of this to Lisa and Ally's relationship. Lisa gets a tattoo reading "Property of Allison" and her wedding ring has the inscription "Forever Mine" on the inside. Lisa also wears her collar in public under a scarf to remind her about their first night together, and that she "was hers". Marion on the other hand was keen to enter a situation where she was submissive to Alan 24/7 and wore her collar and referred to Alan as Master at all times, which wasn't a fan of. Ally worries that her developing feelings for Lisa, which have more than a few elements of this trope, are turning her into "the kind of dom she hates the most".

** This pops up later when it's revealed that Lisa and Ally haven't been together long enough yet for their cycles to synchronize (something which really does happen with most lesbian couples, or even just women who are close friends); since neither of them want to "run the red light" as Lisa puts it (have sex on their periods), they only have two weeks each month for their games.

** Ally is good talking in circles and not getting to the point when she's nervous or scared, to the extent that when she tells Lisa the story about Alan and Marion, she rambles for fifteen minutes without progressing it one bit. Fortunately, Lisa is also good at getting it out of her.

** Tom and Cassie are a couple who enjoy switching the roles every so often. Marion also appears to be a switch, if future teasers are to be believed: being Alan's sub and later James's Domme.

* BadLiar: Tom doesn't seem to realise that, although it is fun to allude to the truth during a lie, it can be detrimental to the lie effect.
* BerserkButton: Ally flies off the handle during an MMO session when [[Webcomic/BloodStain Dr. Stein]] needs on and ends up with a boss drop she had her eye on, resulting in a ClusterFBomb-laden PVP duel.
* BetaCouple: Alan and Anne are this in the finale of the first arc, although WordOfGod confirms they will be the focus of the second arc. Tom and Cassie qualify much more neatly.

** Anne, who is shown to marry [[spoiler:Alan]] in the future but also seems to have a crush on Lisa and Ally both, and in Lisa's stories has indulged in all female threesome fantasies. ''Mercy'' reveals her discovering her attraction to women with a band's female front singer, which she later has no trouble fantasising about.

* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Between Ally and Lisa]] at the end of Chapter 5 when [[spoiler:Ally finally figures it out]].
* BigWhat: Ally after reading Lisa's last story.

** Averted completely. WordOfGod has stated that the comic exists to show healthy BDSM relationships accurately and educate people on the falsehood of this trope.

* BookEnds: Several seemingly minor elements from Chapter 1 are reflected in Chapter 5. The jigsaw puzzle and Ally waking Alan up with a phone call. With some distinct differences. A nod is made to it in universe by our narrator Future Lisa.
* BoundAndGagged: Lisa, Anne, and sometimes Allison are featured this way. Even Alan had his moments during his and Ally's college experimentations.
* BrainsAndBondage: [[BrainyBrunette Allison is some kind of software programmer]], and the rest of the cast doesn't seem to be slouches in the intelligence department either.
* BrickJoke: During their first meeting Ally ponders on getting a cat to complete her "villain" look. Come chapter 3, she ends up babysitting her neighbor's cat AND nailing said villain look!

* {{Callback}}: The Jigsaw puzzle Lisa uses to figure out her last story to Ally in Chapter 5.

** Ally is good talking in circles and not getting to the point when she's nervous or scared, Fortunately, Lisa is also good at getting it out of her.
** Both women have a ''major'' problem admitting that they love each other and that they're not JustFriends, which [[PoorCommunicationKills ends up biting them in a big way]] come Chapter 4.

* CoolestClubEver: Harper's club the characters visit (and Chris and Alan do commissions for) is pretty impressive in both size and furnishings with a stage and a VIP lounge; it also hosts frequent S&M performances. WordOfGod is that the series is set in New York so the club isn't implausible.
* ComedicUnderwearExposure: Subverted when Alan meets Lisa, as she's wearing the coat she arrived at Ally's house with but with nothing under it.
--> '''Alan''' I see Paris, I see France, guess what I'm [[VaporWear not seeing?!]]
* ComingOutStory: One major story element is that neither Ally nor Lisa considered themselves to be gay or bi before meeting each other, and have to come to terms with their mutual attraction along with their roles in the D/s part of their relationship. Ally eventually admits it to Alan ("I'm... gay." "Like a rainbow unicorn.") and a future strip teases at how Lisa will eventually introduce her girlfriend to her family.

** CostumeTestMontage: In chapter three, where the majority of a strip is dedicated to Lisa and Ally spending an hour just trying on [[UnlimitedWardrobe Ally's very extensive costume collection]] and earlier in the first chapter where both are getting ready for their first meeting.

* CrazyPrepared: It seems that Ally is equipped to handle many different fetishes and situations that arises (likely because of the situation outlined in the CrackIsCheaper entry above). Lampshaded in a strip.

* CreatorCameo: An odd example, but Tom looks ''identical'' to Sejic's drawings of himself despite Tom being an original character.

** Cassie is also quite the snarker and quite a talented one at that.

** At the start of Chapter 5, Lisa outdoes Ally in a ''big'' way when her brother Jimmy suggests inviting Ally (who she is very, ''very'' pissed at following the end of Chapter 4) over to their parents' place. The glare she gives him could "curdle milk" according to him.

* DreadfulMusician: The lead singer of Dark Bysmuth, who features in the final scene at the Crimson.

* EveryoneCanSeeIt: As the meet with Anne for Lisa's tattoo approaches, everyone is picking up on Ally and Lisa's growing attraction and feelings for each other, no matter how hard the two insist that they are JustFriends. [[spoiler:It comes to a head at the end of Chapter 4, with much going to hell for everyone involved.]]

* FacePalm: Ally does this when Cassie calls her a Vulcan. Entirely appropriate, considering [[Creator/PatrickStewart who gives]] [[MemeticMutation the most famous face palm]].

* ForegoneConclusion: There are several strips that show what will happen in the future including a "5 years later" reunion. Through FlashForward we know that [[spoiler:Ally and Lisa get married as do Anne and Alan, with Lisa even introducing her family to her girlfriend. At some point Marion reappears and renews her friendship with the group.]]
* FourthDateMarriage: Lisa moves in with Ally after just three weeks of meeting face to face, and actually ''before'' a formal date. The narrative acknowledges how rash this was, with both Lisa's little brother and Ally's best friend Alan calling them on it.

** It's been briefly mentioned in a spat Lisa had with a co-worker who she believed would be the extremely judgmental type... after she walks off, the readers get to see that co-worker with her girlfriend.
** There is some in the comic but it mostly comes from shock that they are actually falling in love with each other, both assumed that because they were both girls sex would just be no-strings-attached fun. While them both being girls is part of that shock, the majority of the {{Angst}} comes from defining what their relationship is and how far they are willing to take it.

** Arises after Lisa decides to write a story for Anne that involves the trio in a threesome. It makes Ally think that Lisa only thinks of her as her Domme/friend, and Lisa gets a complex after a picture of Anne and Ally together gets a tremendously positive response online.
** Further compounded when Ally believes that Lisa's wrangling for a threesome, when it's actually Lisa's way of making sure she's still included after it seems like Ally and Anne hit it off well. Lisa felt very replaceable, which led to everything going to hell at the end of Chapter 4.

* HasTwoThumbsAnd: Played for [[http://shiniez.deviantart.com/art/boom-503437089 very sad and serious drama]] near the end of Chapter 4 after [[spoiler:Anne tells both Ally and Lisa to go to hell]]. (NSFW)

* HeadTiltinglyKinky: A younger Lisa's reaction upon opening her brother's [[PornStash homework folder]] on their shared computer.
* HeavySleeper: Yet another aspect of Ally that contrasts her eloquent Mistress persona. She sleeps with her mouth wide open, snores like an animal, and sometimes drools.

** [[spoiler:Valerie first appears to be a condescending bigot]], but in chapter three it's revealed that [[spoiler:this was a case of UnreliableNarrator; Lisa was too caught up in her new lifestyle to see Valerie is actually concerned for her]]. Chapter 5 adds a twist to the reveal, as [[spoiler:we learn that Valerie is from Texas and hasn't completely lost her accent. What led Lisa to think she was being prejudiced was her saying "lesbian" unconsciously with a bit of her old twang, which sounded condescending to Lisa.]]
* HowWeGotHere: Chapter one starts with Lisa taking off her wedding ring, revealing its inscription "''Forever Mine''". She threads the ring onto her necklace, cracks her knuckles, and starts writing how it all transpired.

** Alan has to head to the bathroom for some "alone time" when Ally and Lisa's latex wardrobe gets to be too much for him.

* InfiniteCanvas: The comic takes full advantage of sprawling downwards; panels can flow into each other and often great space is used to show characters head to toe. WordOfGod has stated the only real problem with getting the work published is the huge amount of reformatting that would have to take place to fit the comic into a book.
* InkSuitActor: In-universe; Lisa's characters in her online erotic writings are clearly based on her and Ally. This causes problems when Lisa decides the logical way to introduce her new friend Anne to the ideas of the scene is to link her to her bibliography. LoveTriangle tropes ensue. It gets even worse when Lisa explicitly writes Anne into the story.

* InvulnerableKnuckles: Averted. Ally hurts her hand quite badly punching a wall, to the point of needing a cast for much of Chapter 5. [[spoiler:The injury eventually heals, but she re-aggravates it while trying to get a corset on for her climactic date with Lisa and has to wear the cast again.]]

* JadeColoredGlasses: Alan is noticeably jaded about his lifestyle and how people view it after being tormented for it in college and having had a tragic failed Dominant/submissive relationship with Marion. The author has hinted that this was not all there is to it: [[spoiler:Following Marion's accident, Alan spent a night at the police precinct, where he was interrogated for four hours regarding "what he had done to Marion", long before he had actually found out what she had done. They were ready to throw him in jail if Ally hadn't come to pick him up and corroborated his story.]]

* JerkassHasAPoint: Lisa's internal self-loathing voice Lisux. She's very mean, but she does have a few valid points about how Lisa has handled her relationships.

* LoveConfession: A big HappilyEverAfter moment. [[spoiler: One of the things Lisa has been struggling with is the courage to simply say how she feels. With her being a sub, she can get away with it but it's been a major factor in her previous relationship failures and it's why she and Ally almost fell to pieces. It has to be her who says the words and she can't expect Ally to always take the lead. That's what Lisa's last story is all about.]]

* MistakenForJunkie: Ally's neglect of her day-to-day life during her relationship with Alan caused her mother to make this mistake.

** {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The first time that Alan, Ally, and Lisa are in a room together, it's only a little awkward because the three were up all night. After some coffee and snarking, Alan and Lisa become friends in no time and it's never brought up again.
** A more straight instance: When Alan's previous sub Marion first met Allison, she wrongly assumed they were trying to set up a threesome.

* MoodWhiplash: Ally spends several panels of one comic stressing out in her attempts to come up with ideas for the next session, then practically panics when the doorbell rings. She goes to the door, dressed in her domme outfit and everything...only to be confronted with the [[CoolOldLady elderly Mrs. Kramer]], who asks her to watch her cat for two weeks. The fact that Mrs. Kramer barely reacts to Ally's costume--while Ally herself is completely thrown off her game--makes it even better.

** This pops up later when it's revealed that Lisa and Ally are now on the same cycle.

* OutOfOrder
** Constantly in the strip's older days; the strips were posted in the order they were completed, not in the order of chronology or even in the order they were thought up. Expect to do some headscratching if you figure it out without the unofficial guide.
** These days this is mostly averted as the comic is updating chronologically and in ''chapters.'' Previously standalone strips have been absorbed by the progressing narrative. Though future strips and pin ups are still released, these are kept in galleries separate from the chapters now making the comic much easier to navigate.

** The start of Chapter 5 has a literal version of this, as the pair text for a bit days after the fight. Lisa's convinced that the delayed responses are because Ally is coming up with lies to feed her, while the truth is that Ally's broken wrist forces her to text with her off hand, a nigh-impossible task.
* PottyEmergency: In the first chapter, Lisa's very first request to Ally when they have their first face-to-face meeting is for directions to the bathroom, since she ''really'' needs to pee. She is shown embarrassed about how awkward that felt.

** There are aspects of this to Lisa and Ally's relationship. Lisa gets a tattoo reading "Property of Allison" and her wedding ring has the inscription "Forever Mine" on its interior. Lisa also likes to wear her collar in public under a scarf to remind her that the previous night she "was hers". Marion on the other hand was keen to enter a situation where she was submissive to Alan 24/7 and wore her collar and referred to Alan as Master at all times. Ally worries that her developing feelings for Lisa, which have more than a few elements of this trope, are turning her into "the kind of dom she hates the most".
** A (largely) non-canon panel [[http://shiniez.deviantart.com/art/wasn-t-gonna-upload-this-but-542541384 celebrating the legalization of gay marriage in the US]] has this sweet exchange.

** After having some fun with Lisa by using a strap-on, Ally comments that she has a newfound respect for guys as her non-existent abs will hurt like hell the next day. This is also quickly followed up by Lisa's tongue going numb from some more play.

** A few minicomics show the problems with working with latex. Namely, that without talcum powder or some other means to lubricate it, it is incredibly difficult to get on, and that latex has to be shined in order to produce that sexy sheen -- and that you don't want to get that shine stuff on a laminated floor or it will turn into something similar to an ice rink. Sejic plans to address latex allergies in fetish culture in future chapters.

* RougeAnglesOfSatin: The dialogue is riddled with typos, which the author has {{lampshade|Hanging}}d; somewhat justified with English not being his first language. The print comics are properly edited.

* SafeWord: The name of the comic comes from Ally's safeword, "Sunstone", which she gives to all her subs, but most prominently Lisa. After the story of Lisa and Ally is complete, future installments will be "Mercy" (Alan's safeword for Anne, though he also uses a three-note hum that can be used through a gag) and "Jasper" (Marion's safeword for James).

* SecondLove: Ally is this to Lisa; her relationship with her first love ended due to Lisa never getting the confidence to explain her intimate interests to him despite them discussing engagement before it turned sour. This causes her moments of doubt early into her relationship with Ally.

** On her second night with Ally, Lisa pays a visit to her house wearing nothing but heels and lingerie under her coat, something she didn't really have the guts to do on the first night.

** At one point Allison is teased for looking like a [[Franchise/StarTrek Vulcan]].

* TestKiss: At the end of their first weekend together Lisa, confused between what she was feeling, initiated this to see if there was something more to her and Ally's relationship than just the dominance and submission. Turns out there was.
* TheirFirstTime: This plays out when Ally and Lisa finally meet, but subverted as they've both had sex before; it's their first time trying out BDSM with each other, and naturally, both women are quite nervous about it.

** First time was to get a rise out of Ally buy embellishing the torture she put Lisa through. It worked like a charm.

* TrueLoveIsAKink: Lisa and Ally withhold their usual bondage play in favor of [[https://shiniez.deviantart.com/art/honeymoon-is-on-277097807 regular sex on their wedding night]] because they "just tied the ultimate knot."

* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: Ally has a staggeringly impressive collection of BDSM outfits and gear, including: an entire wardrobe of custom-made outfits for both her subs and herself, including a custom-made ''mermaid outfit''; cuffs, chains, restraints and suspension rigs; the infamous "see-saw"; a made-to-order bed just for sex; and last but certainly not least, an actual ''chariot'' (though that one, like the other ''really'' extraordinary pieces, may be put into Lisa's erotica). 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 WordOfGod [[CrackIsCheaper states that Ally has spent forty grand on this collection]]. Lampshaded somewhat in a strip:

* WholesomeCrossdresser: [[http://shiniez.deviantart.com/art/yeeaahhh-um-marion-and-james-404108438 An often-overlooked teaser hinting at a future chapter 7]] shows James, a background character at Harper's club, will eventually become a crossdressing sub for Marion [[spoiler:after her rope incident]]. [[RecurringExtra He's only been shown or alluded to a couple of times]], and it's implied [[FreakinessShame he hasn't fully accepted that aspect of himself yet]].

* BookEnds: Several minor elements from Chapter 1 are reflected in Chapter 5. The jigsaw puzzle and Ally waking Alan up with a phone call. With some distinct differences. A nod is made to it in universe by our narrator Future Lisa.

%%* BookEnds: Several minor elements from Chapter 1 are reflected in Chapter 5. The jigsaw puzzle and Ally waking Alan up with a phone call. With some distinct

* BookEnds: Several minor elements from Chapter 1 are reflected in Chapter 5. The jigsaw puzzle and Ally waking Alan up with a phone call. With some distinct