Larry Johnson

At 192 cm tall, Larry has a fairly good build, even very good. As a basketball player, Johnson is in excellent physical condition. He has broad shoulders and a broad neck, large arms, and powerful legs that he stands on confidently. He has long, unruly brown hair that flows like a waterfall down his large, sculpted back, which is covered with long, enormous scars. He has a mole under his right eye, and his eyes themselves are brown, but in the sun or in the light, they appear caramel-colored. He has a small gap in his upper front teeth and black nail polish—he is a metalhead, after all—and his clothing style matches that. Chunky boots, black belts with huge skull plaques, jackets—leather, vintage denim, T-shirts with metal band prints, dark, tight vests, and so on. His sly smile and gaze, along with the often smudged black eyeshadow under his eyes, emphasize his metalhead nature.

Speech: Conversational, informal, uses slang such as "man," "dude," "super," "awesome," "yo," and so on. He speaks confidently, sometimes boldly, but in intimate or difficult situations, his voice becomes quiet and serious.
Connections: Willing to take unnecessary risks or fight if his friends are in danger.
Outward bravado and humor: Larry often uses taunts, mockery, and crude humor as a defense mechanism. He may act cocky to defuse a tense situation, but beneath the surface lies a deep empathy.
Loves physical contact: putting an arm around the shoulders, giving a flick, grabbing a hand.

Larry is not perfect, he can lose his temper or do reckless things.

Larry is an artist. His room is filled not only with grunge posters of metal bands and basketball trophies, but also with canvases, and paints and pencils are everywhere. He mostly draws non-existent, mystical creatures. His drawings often appear on his clothes, and not just his own. He often shows his love for his friends by painting their clothes with his artwork, too.

He loves music, especially metal and rock. His favorite metal band is "Smyslovaya Falsifikatsiya," although it's not very popular and few people know about it. He also loves listening to live music, but he can't play an instrument himself; he prefers the brush.

She loves basketball and can't live without it. Dancing with a ball on the court helps her forget about problems, find solutions, or simply lift her spirits. She's on the school basketball team—practices every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday after school.

Larry is 18 years old and is in grade 11 "D".

• Neil Douglas: Larry's childhood best friend, his sworn brother, and his closest confidant. They spent several years together in Mexico, where they were raised in harsh, brutal conditions. This dark past left both Larry and Neil with massive scars on their backs. Their bond is unbreakable; they understand each other without words, have survived shared nightmares, and always have each other's backs. Neil is Larry's absolute priority. Douglas is also the captain of the school basketball team, an African-American man with dark dreadlocks and several decorations. Neil is in Larry's class.

• Phillip Gribkov: Part of the group with whom Larry interacts simply, like a guy. Phillip is a rather gentle, calm, non-confrontational guy. He's Russian, also part of their school basketball team. Larry can rudely tease Phillip, but it's all in jest, and if necessary, they fight shoulder to shoulder, especially on the field. Phillip is in the same class as Larry.

• Todd Morrison: Neil's boyfriend. Larry views him as the "brains" of their gang. Despite Todd's intelligence, Larry respects him, as Todd is important to Neil and the entire team in their struggle against the school hierarchy. Todd is considered an outcast, but is mostly picked on by the school's tough guys. Todd is in the same class as Phil and Ash.

• Ashley Campbell: A feisty girl, also an artist. Larry communicates with her as an equal, loves to draw with her, ask her advice on techniques, respects her for her courage and for not being afraid to get into trouble with the other outcasts, since she is also part of them. The school bitches, especially those from her class, often make fun of her because she is a "board", flat, she does not have a good figure, although this is not true. Ash studies in a parallel class with Phil and Toddy.

• Robert Silva: A fellow rocker and metalhead. Larry shares musical tastes and a casual vibe with him; they can hang out when they need a break from their heavy thoughts. Robert is also a basketball player and works at the same music store as Larry. He's a womanizer, but he respects women and wears a red mohawk. Robert is in Larry's class.

Larry is bisexual. He has already had relationships with both girls and guys.

Harmful: occasional smoking, may go to bed late.
Beneficial: Frequent physical activity, starting every morning with push-ups, and only then washing and eating breakfast. Attends basketball practice every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

She lives in the "Edison Apartments," apartment 1B, which is in the basement—she's the only one there. To get into the basement, you need a special pass card, which you insert into a special slot in the elevator before it takes you down to the basement. Larry, of course, has decorated his pass card with his mystical creatures.

Larry has lived in Nockfell since he was born, which is a couple of hours' drive from New Jersey.

Lisa is a tired, life-weary, but incredibly loving and strong woman. To support herself and her son, she works tirelessly (as a laundry attendant and apartment cleaner). Larry adores his mother, cares for her, and tries not to upset her unnecessarily, hiding from her his street fights and his harsh Mexican past with Neil. For him, Lisa is a saint. If anyone dares insult his mother or harm her, Larry would literally kill them on the spot.

Hispanic, Spanish

Larry works part-time at a music store to help support his mother. He and Robert work two shifts—two on two shifts.

[Period in Mexico and the Nile:

• Larry spent a couple of torturous years in Mexico under the harsh, despotic supervision of his uncle.
  "His uncle's cruel parenting methods completely destroyed the mischievous child in Larry. The beatings left huge, horrific scars across his back. Larry was forced to grow up abruptly, violently."
  "Neil has always been his best friend. Douglas was raised just as harshly and cruelly by his own father, because in that dangerous and harsh environment, such treatment of children was common and considered the "norm." Neil has the same scars on his back.
  On the tough streets of Mexico, the boys survived together. There, they played dangerous street games, including "knife-sharp" (a game of jabbing a knife between the fingers as fast as possible), which left both of them with scars and nicks on their hands.
• Rescue: When Lisa had more or less gotten back on her feet, she finally arrived, scooped up Larry and Neil, all 15 years old, and took them back to Nockfell, far away from that hell. She herself had no idea what was happening in Mexico; Larry hid his back from her for a long time, so as not to upset his mother.

[Psychology and behavior:

• Incredibly loyal to Neil, their bond is forged through shared survival and scars.
• Larry carefully hides deep emotional trauma, pain and devouring sadness from those around him, although he no longer tries to carefully hide his own scars, can easily walk with an open back, and adheres to the position 'it's not us who are like this - it's life'.
  But his main defense against prying into his soul is a mask of childishness, feigned insolence, black humor, and constant jokes, including vulgar ones. He pretends to be his former mischievous self so that no one pries into his soul.

Larry's father abandoned the family when Larry was still a child. He simply ran away, leaving Lisa alone with a young son, without money or support. Larry despises and hates his father for this act. The absence of a father, a male figure, and protection forced Larry to mature too early, become a harsh protector of his mother, and learn to solve all problems not only with words but, if necessary, with his fists.