For the record, I used this random element generator to pick lawrencium. I also took some inspiration from lawrencium's namesake: Ernest Lawrence, whose picture is below. I mixed and matched things about both of them to create a full ficitonal character. Full original prompt: Choose an element on the periodic table and create a character around it. Multiple characters? A whole world?
Lawrence was 103 years old.
He was a lucky man, really. Not many people lived to be this age. And a lot of things may have led him to not be there. First off, it was rare that he even existed in the first place. Beyond the typical rarity it takes for anyone to exist, Lawrence had been one of the first babies ever created in a lab and many weren't sure he'd survive, but he did. There was also apparently some controversy over whether his parents were really his parents, but they raised him so he never questioned it himself. Even though he was born in a lab, his parents managed to have fourteen other children. He thought of himself as a heavy-set man, though he had been nicknamed "Skinny" as a child, but there were worse things, and it hadn't seemed to be a problem for him. Even the relative he was named for had died at the age of 57, but here he was at 103.
Lawrence had led a good life. He was born in 1961 in Canton, South Dakota to a loving and education-focused family. He had grown up and met a lovely woman named Chlora and they had six beautiful children. Lawrence had only a few friends, a lot of people liked to keep their distance from him. True, he could ignite if he felt he was being attacked, but he tried to keep his temper in check and it took quite a lot for him to have a complete meltdown. Despite any volatility on his part, he did keep his close friends close, even naming his children after them. He traveled a lot in his life from different educational institutions to even the USSR (though he didn't like to talk about that and sometimes denied ever being there). Lawrence favored wearing metallics and also liked to rock a hexagonal pattern. This was quite odd to most people, but he felt it reflected his true self. Maybe it was a family thing. And who cared what he wore anyways?
He was also quite the inventor, if he did say so himself. He sketched out ideas on napkins that turned into ground-breaking science that won him big awards. The phrase big awards was funny to Lawrence because he was also an advocate for big science. Lawrence was quite proud of this, but he had some regrets. He wished he hadn't gotten involved in war efforts, specifically around bombs, but there was no changing the past. Because of his scientific achievements, institutions were even named after him, though his wife wasn't always a fan of this.
Lately though, he'd been feeling a bit unseen. What was he good for now? Even though he had won these awards, invented important instruments, and had made a family, he felt pretty unknown. He wasn't asked anymore to participate in science. His siblings were more popular, but they weren't as long-lived as him.
At 103 what was he to do? He supposed he could write a book. He used to write a lot of scientific papers. He also still loved going ice skating with his kids. He also would round them all up on his boat and go out on the water. And then he always appreciated music. He had even built a radio as a kid. There was still time for all of that.
He was confident that, to those who were curious, he was known.
(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)
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