Alison is the central character of “Pics” and a supporting character in “The Feminist” and “Our Dope Future.” She first appears in “The Feminist”; “Pics” then shows the events of “The Feminist” through her perspective.

Alison is defined by her low self-esteem, which is articulated in her belief that she is “bad” and only attracts bad men. Alison’s low self-esteem is connected to the eating disorder she experienced in college and continually talks about in her late twenties and thirties. Her insecurity feeds into her perseverative obsession with her college best friend, Neil, whom she sees as proof that it is possible for her to attract a “good” man. However, where Neil sees their sexual encounter as a one-night stand, Alison asserts that their partnership is inevitable. When Neil begins dating Cece, Alison’s worst character traits emerge, including her casual racism, competitiveness, and vindictive behaviors. Alison causes the end of her friendship with Neil by taking his dating choices personally and using their sexual history to intimidate Cece.

Alison’s only support system is the friend group she maintains from a magazine internship she had entered some years earlier. Alison exists at a remove from her friends, especially since it is implied that they all continue to work together while Alison has moved on elsewhere. They initially try to support Alison by suggesting ways for her to move on from her experience with Neil, such as engaging in athletics, having casual sex, or going to therapy. Alison resists these suggestions, demanding pity instead in a way that recalls the actions of The Feminist. Alison’s friends eventually sever their relations with her, especially after she antagonizes one of them.

When Alison reappears in “Our Dope Future,” she is in her thirties, has entered another magazine internship, and is ostensibly moving on with earnestly dating again. There are hints that she still hasn’t gotten over the events of “Pics,” especially since she tells Max about Neil on their first date. Max appeals to Alison because he tries to connect to her desire to be loved, claiming that he believes in her ability to change and become someone deserving of love. This is why she doesn’t anticipate the ulterior motives behind Max’s generosity until after she has moved in with him.

Kant is the main character of “Ahegao, or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression” and the brother of Bee, the protagonist of “Main Character.” He is a Thai American man in his thirties who works as a cosmetic armor designer for a mobile video game. In “Main Character,” Kant is characterized as someone who works hard at school to please his demanding mother. As a result, Kant and Bee’s mother shows favor toward him.

In “Ahegao,” Kant comes out to his friends and family as gay. His dissatisfaction with the unanimous support he gets for his sexual orientation suggests that he wanted some form of resistance to accompany his announcement. Growing up, Kant was bullied by his peers for being Asian. As an adult, he has transformed the feelings this experience evokes into a preference for sexual sadism. Kant believes he deserved to be a victim of bullying. By humiliating or harming other men, Kant can both acknowledge his pain and flip the power dynamic, accessing power rather than suffering it. The character trait that prevents Kant from acting out sadism is that he is too sympathetic and deferential to his partners to ever claim even performative power over them.

Kant finds it difficult to communicate his feelings or desires because he is afraid of rejection. This is the main source of the tension he has with Julian in their relationship. When Julian gets frustrated with Kant because they haven’t had sex in some time, Julian pressures Kant into explaining some of his issues. In this context, Julian retains power over Kant, making him unable to act on his desires and enjoy the sex that follows their discussion. The only time Kant is able to communicate his desire is when he writes out the description of the video he commissions from Cody Heat. The transactional nature of their relationship gives Kant the confidence to speak without judgment or fear of rejection.

Max is the narrator and central character of “Our Dope Future.” He is a serial entrepreneur who has developed several app-based startups using futuristic technologies. Max’s was homeschooled as a child; possibly, this early isolation influenced his social development, causing him to misinterpret Alison’s wishes throughout their relationship. It likely also influences his goal to create a business-like family organization sequestered from the rest of the world for the sake of shared profit.

Max is a satire of the productivist tech entrepreneur lifestyle. He is constantly driven by the need to innovate and achieve a tangible outcome, which seeps into the way he views relationships. He is initially generous with Alison because he sees generosity as an investment in a future return. He judges Alison according to her ability to work toward her goals. When she doesn’t meet his expectations, he starts compromising the privacy of her phone to drive her productivity. After Alison moves in with him, Max devotes all of his time to productivity, encouraging Alison to do the same rather than building their relationship. He tries to reframe his goals as his and Alison’s “shared” goals, which she calls out during the story. Max is extremely defensive in response to Alison’s criticism. He often resorts to emotional abuse and bullying to overpower her.

Max’s emotional immaturity causes the end of his relationship and his public downfall. He turns to the Internet to seek validation from the online community. Instead, they reinforce Alison’s perspective, causing him to retreat from the United States and develop his “Freedom Fleet.” His final words in the story reflect his inability to understand criticism and modify his behavior; he falsely believes that no one has ever said “no” to him, reflecting his failure to process Alison’s criticism.