Young Hughes

A headshot drawing of a younger version of an OC of mine, Hughes DuChat.

At age 13, a combination of undiagnosed OCD, competitiveness, and self-esteem issues made Hughes into a perfectionist, obsessed with being the best at anything and everything he took on. He ritualistically completed and re-completed any and all work he had until he could finish it perfectly within a certain span of time, and was known for being almost addicted to competitions. While he would push himself to his limits to win, he would never seem satisfied with his victories, pushing himself even further.

His obsession with perfection was especially rooted in things he enjoyed, making them almost torture, much to his chagrin. One notable example is language. By age thirteen, Hughes was fluent in his native French and English, as well as Hebrew, Russian, and German. However, Hughes compulsively studied foreign language for two and a half hours a day every day to get there, and whenever he mastered one language, he had to move on to another to fill the gap.

Eventually, he was put on medication, and was sent to therapy for his condition, and in his older years he was able to curb the OCD to a manageable degree. Though to this day, he battles against drug addiction and competitiveness.