[17] DOMINICK 'NOFRIENDS' ROSS *

To most, Dom is as dull as dishwater. Hard to talk to, hard to read, and quite boring to be around. But beneath the shy exterior and awkward glances, Dom is bursting with a yearning to be known and loved for real, not on the surface or as some sick joke. He's perverted, strange, smug, but overall extremely affectionate in his own special ways, even if it includes getting his ass kicked for you.

Born to neglectful parents, Dom was tossed into foster-care at four years old, unwanted and belittled until he was taken in by a beloved teacher in the area, Laurent Hesser, at around seven. After that, he grew up in a loved home, even with Laurent's struggles to learn about his new son and how to love him correctly, and the only enemy became the outside world. Bullies, the occasional ex, and people he believed to be his friends stomped, berated, and crushed him any chance they got-- earning him the title 'nofriends' on social media as his musical and artistic alias. As he grew into adulthood, he cut off all of these people and became somewhat of a hermit, much to his father's mixture of chagrin and joy, ultimately turning into a hot topic among niche manga reviewers, those a fan of music akin to Kikuo's, and the occasional pervert who found his OnlyFans (thankfully, they've never seen his face and never will).

His only quest now is to find some real friends and lose the title.

JUNO 'BESTFRIEND' DEAREST: A horrible ex best-friend. How did it take him so long to realize just how cruel they were?

LAURENT HESSER: His adoptive father who saved him from the violent elements that was foster-care. Every day he feels a little more grateful to have him, and yet he struggles a little more to show it, too. Thankfully he has his ways, like buying him things and leaving vague thank-you cards.

COCO (PLAYED BY RADIO): He's cool. (The first person to fight for him. The first person to truly make him feel wanted, to make him feel cared about without being over-the-top, fake, or as though it was a sick joke. He would do most things, if not anything for him, even if he'd never say it aloud. He'd get his ass kicked if it meant he could show Coco that he'd fight for him in return. He would yell at his idiot brother for stupid things a million times over if it showed Coco someone understood his struggle even a little bit. He feels desperate to get closer, and yet is so blind as to how. But it won't stop him from trying his hardest, taking an ice-cold plunge out of his comfort zone into unknown waters. It's safe to say that he's a bit crazy about him.)

CICI (PLAYED BY RADIO): So many mixed feelings. Cici's so cute, but so cold, and yet so nice... He loves to be around him, yet feels a tinge of repentance when he thinks about every little joke or snide comment that could've hurt his feelings. Why does being nice have to be so complicated sometimes? tbc

OLLIE (PLAYED BY RADIO): Uppity douchebag. Where's your picket-fence, silver spoon? Maybe he doesn't want a sibling after all. He wishes he understood where Ollie was coming from, but it was hard to listen to him at all when all he could think about is how shallow he sounded speaking about his own brother. He hopes that if he ever falls on some hard times, Coco kicks his ass to the curb all the same.

CARLOS 'C-SIDES' RUIZ: Kind of a creep, and that's coming from a creep. He felt a weird swirl of empathy for the has-been at first, knowing how it felt to have to socially start over (or well, just start), but it disappeared quickly when he began to understand the gravity of his incompetence. Now he just feels a little bit of pity, among the wonderings of where he actually... is.

SHUFFLE BF (PLAYED BY ROACHY): Shuffle is hard to describe. All Dom knows is that he's cool, bigger than him in most ways, and not to be messed with unless there's a lot of meat-shields around to hide behind. He wonders if the white hair is genetic (and is jealous).

D-SIDES BF 'DEZI' (PLAYED BY ROACHY): He doesn't quite have a word to describe him, either. Foolhardy? Kind of silly? Interesting? A shame he wasn't a fan of the idea of hanging out. He would've liked to pick at him some more.

CY-SIDES BF 'CY' (PLAYED BY ROACHY): Cool. The meaning of nonchalant. He feels like he has a lot to learn from him... if his friends didn't make him so hard to access.

MIX BF 'MICAH' (PLAYED BY ROACHY): Normal. Almost too normal. He likes his vibe, to a degree, but... he doesn't have many thoughts on him. He'd have to warm up to him.

PICO FULP (PLAYED BY MILKSOPMATTY): A shaky friend. The first person to show him that people were capable of being anything but fake; though, Dom is slow to trust for now.

LAUREL HESSER: A weird, female version of his beloved father, Laurent. Or was he a male version of her? Dom can't tell, and he doesn't want to. She seems nice, however.