Ian

Ian

Ian Manachevitz is friend, roommate and potential love interest for Mark in Coming Out On Top. Mark, Ian and Penny have been roommates since they started at Orlin University. Ian is a C-average Zoology student and works as a part-time Barista at the local college cafe hang out, JoJo's.

Ian is attempting to get into a graduate program that will send him to Brazil for two years to study Capuchin Monkeys.

Personality

Ian is a typical laid-back slacker college student who loves to party and have fun. He is the comedic relief of the roommate trio, a goofball with a big sense of humor, who rarely takes anything seriously, even himself. Ian lives mostly by his own rules and instincts, which frequently gets him into trouble and oftentimes irritates his roommates.

He is portrayed as being quite immature and ditsy, often ending up the butt of jokes between Mark and Penny for his poor performance in academics and outlandish ideas. Mark even believed Ian was high the first time they met, but later realized it was just his goofy personality. However, Ian can be quite knowledgeable when least expected, and has a knack for dishing out solid advice exactly when it's needed.

Ian has a big heart and values his friendships above all else, especially his friendship with Mark. However, Ian is emotionally immature and out of touch with his own feelings. He has difficulty reconciling his romantic desires towards Mark, acting childish and jealous or becoming defensive when Mark pursues other dating routes. In the end, however, Ian will begin to support Mark no matter whom he chooses to date.

Appearance

Ian has a dark brown tussled mop of hair and light blue-green eyes. He has a toned muscular body with a dark furred happy trail leading from his navel to his nethers (regardless of body hair choices). He often wears an olive tee for causal occasions. When he is in the apartment he sometimes wears a black tee with green details with a picture of a pink bulldog wearing a cape. He wears a blue polo tee to parties, and during Amos' route will begin wearing thick rimmed "hipster" eyeglasses.

Relationships

Mark

Mark and Ian met during their first week of college, at a dorm mixer in which Mark had difficulty socializing. Ian was first to break the ice by asking Mark if he knew what the secret to meeting people was. Pulling out and wearing a very large furry trapper hat, Ian said the answer was 'funny hats.'

After becoming room mates, they became best friends. Ian often invites Mark out for parties, and they have a habit of going to the gym on Saturdays. He and Mark also confide more personal details to each other. However, Ian will often get defensive and judgmental whenever Mark talks about his possible romantic encounters with other men.

If Ian's romance is pursued, he will invite Mark to a frat party, where he spontaneously kisses Mark in order to prove to two women, Molly and Holly that he is non-masochistic. He later has a threesome with them back at their apartment, and Mark jerks off to the sound of Ian's moans.

Ian later acts as Mark's wing-man at Charlie's to help him pick up a date, but it's a disaster. Ian acts overly judgmental and picky about the type of man Mark should date, even going to lengths of lying about Mark's penis size to attract a crowd of potential dates, and then having them go through an interview screening process where he rejects them one by one. Mark becomes furious, and they return home. During an argument, Ian kisses Mark again to try and prove a point, but Mark reciprocates the kiss. Ian is receptive at first, then freaks out.

After a few days of avoiding Mark, Ian returns to the apartment completely wasted, and begins to drunkenly flirt with Mark. Ian admits his long unfulfilled desire to kiss Mark and even that he had finished during the threesome thinking only of him. Ian then passes out in Mark's bed, and to further the romance Mark can either spoon him all night, or give him a kiss. Either results in Ian freaking out later and avoiding Mark for the rest of the week.

On his birthday, Ian rejects the gift Penny bought him, a jerk-off toy that by complete coincidence resembles Mark's hand, and gets defensive. Mark finally confronts Ian at the apartment, and can freely admit he has feelings for Ian, or that he wants their friendship to go back to how things were before the kiss. Ian doesn't want to talk, claiming he's getting back with Zoe to clear his head, and sets off immediately on a road trip to Vegas.

Later, Mark goes to return the birthday gift, and he see Zoe at the sex shop, where she reveals that Ian is actually not in Vegas. Confused and worried, Mark visits her loft and finds Ian tied up naked and blindfolded. Zoe reveals Ian had been keeping his crush on Mark a secret for a very long time, and Zoe was going to help Ian fill his sexual fantasies about Mark. This confuses Mark, but Zoe reveals Ian doesn't want to act on his desires for fear of damaging their friendship. Trusting in Mark as Ian's best friend, Zoe leaves the two men alone, allowing Mark to either give Ian his fantasy anonymously, or pull off his blindfold and talk to him about what's going on.

If either is chosen, Ian still finds out it's Mark, and the two reconcile and conclude it's perfectly alright to act on their attraction to one another without risking their friendship. The next day, Ian will come out to his friends in a similar way to Mark's own coming out speech. At the end of the semester, Ian will go out to South America, with or without Mark, but later return and begin a relationship with him. Two years later, Ian and Mark marry each other and lead a happy life together.

Penny

Although Penny and Ian have lived under the same roof for a few years, their starkly differing personalities clash repeatedly, and they tease one another and get into quarrels often encountered by college roommates. Regardless, the two are friends come together to support Mark. Penny grabs weekly lunch at the cafe Ian works at. If given the opportunity, the two of them will frequently join Mark for weekend fun.

Zoe

Zoe is Ian's sexually experienced on-again off-again girlfriend. At the beginning of the semester Ian breaks up with her, but maintains a friendship afterwards and seeks her advice and help during his romance route with Mark. Zoe was the first to know about Ian's sexual fantasy with Mark.

Brad

Ian and Brad briefly met when Brad was invited by Mark to "burn the midnight oil" at his apartment while working on his essay. Ian is immediately defensive towards Brad, thinking him a typical airhead jock who uses people. Ian repeatedly interrupts their work session by trying to act intimidating to protect Mark and scare off Brad. It doesn't work, of course. At the end of the semester, Ian seems to accept Brad and lets him hang out with them on their last night of college.

Phil

Phil and Ian meet in an unexpected way. Mark and Phil were having sex while he went home late, whether or not he sees them doing it is depending on the player.

Jed

Ian and Jed only meet when Jed brings "peace offering" pizza to the apartment. Ian doesn't seem to display jealousy towards Jed if Mark pursues his romance (likely because Ian is oblivious), and will even regret not being able to see Jed's big band performance due to moving to Brazil post-graduation.

Trivia

• If Mark manages to save $800 within the semester he might join Ian in South America, if they're on good enough terms.
• Ian speaks Esperanto.
• Ian's zodiac sign is Aries.
• Ian likes wearing superhero underwear.
• Ian once drenched his naked body in maple syrup in the apartment bathtub, because he "wanted to know what a waffle feels like before it's eaten."
• Ian is possibly bisexual or pansexual, or falls into no category at all, as he seems to prefer the company of women prior to admitting his attraction towards Mark, and doesn't express any interest in other men. At the end of Ian's romantic route, he will come out to his roommates, but it is left ambiguous whether he comes out as gay.
• Ian's a big football fan and likes foam fingers, possibly for nefarious reasons. He also has a season pass to all the Orlin Otters Football games.