My OC's name is Lehi Jackson (I actually named him after my science teacher who was a member of the church lol). There's quite a lot about him, but I'll sum it up the best I can.
He was born in 1958 in Minnesota to two members and he's the middle child of five children. He grew up in a pretty strict and religious household. He was also somewhat a pyromaniac, but he tries to control it. He making fires through lighters and his own inventions. He was a smart man and loved science and robotics from a young age. He was a studious kid and, after serving his mission in Santiago, Chile, he attends BYU Provo.
His Freshman year was a struggle for him. Not academically, but for himself spiritually and sexually. Lehi's a gay guy and he kept that a secret from many people throughout his entire life. However, he found two guys in college who he was interested in and they were interested in him. They kept their secret as hushed as possible. But when these two guys started doing things Lehi just couldn't morally accept, he decided to leave this relationship and focus on academics above anything else. He graduated earlier than he expected and started getting to work. He was steadfast and passionate about machinery and managed to work as a freelancer.
A handful of years after college, he felt pretty lonely. Having grown up in a community where family is strongly encouraged, Lehi always wanted to have a family of his own. However, he didn't want to be with a guy because of his devotion to Mormonism, but he didn't want to be with a woman because he didn't want to use or manipulate anyone's feelings. Having always wanted a child, he decides to adopt an 8 year old girl from Chile since he served his mission there and still practices his Chilean Spanish.
Her name is Emma and he instantly fell in love with her. He treated her the best he could and tries to be the best father he could to her. He did spoil her a little and was a bit over protective, but he tried not to smother her either. Since she's from another country, he tries to find a community and people she could relate to. He also learned how to cook food from her heritage and spoke in Spanish with her often. He also spoke with her in English a lot too to make sure she was able to communicate well with her peers.
When Emma was 16 and out on a date, she and her date were murdered in 1988. This drove Lehi into a depression and a strong disdain for guns. For the next year, his grief and mourning turned into anxiety, paranoia, and cognitive disturbances. During this time, Lehi watched some politics and George HW Bush was just elected president. Knowing of Bush's pro-gun stances and the Stockton shooting, made something snap within Lehi. Out of rage and despair, he modified one of his flamethrowers and heads to the White House. He attempts to burn down the building and the president, but he only ends up burning himself alive on the White House lawn.
Now he's in a purgatory with other fictional political assassins and learning how to overcome his struggles and trauma.
Here's his face, but I'm still debating on whether or not I should give him the beard or not (there's also another version with a mustache, but I haven't made it digital yet lol)
Sorry if this was a lot, but I hope you like him <3
So this story emotionally destroyed me 💔
I love Lehi and the complexity of his story and also he looks very polite (for an attempted assassin)
Also I did get your correction, he was born 1954, not 1958! Good to know.
Is this part of a story you are planning on publishing? I would love to know more!
I hope everyone is having a great conference weekend!
