Application; Route 29
Character
Name: Hope Estheim
Series: Final Fantasy XIII
Timeline: Chapter 12 aka the party making its way through Eden
Canon Resource Links: Hope's wiki page Bonus: The game's wiki
Warning: Spoilers if you haven't finished the game yet.
Note: For the sake of staying human and normal in the game, Hope's brand will be frozen, because with or without powers, the clock is still ticking.
Affiliation: Trainer.
Personality:
Hope is what we call the scrappy of the game, because of his whiny, annoying behavior. For the first few chapters of the game, players everywhere agonized the forcible playing of him as both party member and sometimes even leader. It's somewhat understandable, because he's a sheltered mama's boy who really has no idea about the world beyond his hometown, and he still is quite young to be forced into battle he's not prepared for, but really. Does his whining have to be all the time?!
Pretty much everything that comes out of his mouth revolve around his mother, and killing Snow out of revenge. And sometimes his fears about being a l'Cie and a fugitive, and having to fight when he really doesn't know how.
What's the solution for this? Sticking closer to Lightning than to anyone else in the party. Being near her makes Hope realize that his actions and even reactions are not suited for survival in a world that doesn't want him around, and he learns how to fend for himself. With her help, Hope manages to toughen up, and matures enough to suit his new way of life as a fugitive from the law. Under her guidance, he even learns how to step up and lead the way when he has to. He's no longer weak and frightened like a little rat, but is slowly working his way out of his comfort zone under a person's wing.
But what makes him come full circle is his sudden and unannounced forgiveness of Snow-- and even fighting for him when he's down. This is where he truly shows off that he's like one of the adults now-- perhaps even better. He shoulders the burden, he fights for his friends, what he believes in, and most especially for himself. No more grudges, no more petty thoughts for revenge.
From hideous, sheltered little brat to absolutely cool and awesome who can take on almost anything. That's a whole lot of development for such a young character in an RPG.
There are also a few things that aren't obvious from the start, such as his pure soul and his kind heart, both over-shadowed until he managed to get a chance to allow them to manifest. He helps people, no matter who they are, even if they try to injure him, as long as he sees fit. And in reality, Hope's a little awkward about doing this-- sometimes even shy. In fact, he is kind of awkward and shy when he's not busy having fun with his friends or keeping himself alive.
Oh, and guess what. He has a sense of humor. Seriously! He jokes about things any normal kid would, just... drawing the line at toilet humor and mature things. But yes, he does have a fun side, and that hasn't been dampened at all by his experiences as a l'Cie. If anything, he's learned how to have fun even more, because you never know when shit goes down again.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Pokemon
Starter: Squirtle; nicknamed Alexander (hurr durr. original, yes?)
Name: Hope Estheim
Series: Final Fantasy XIII
Timeline: Chapter 12 aka the party making its way through Eden
Canon Resource Links: Hope's wiki page Bonus: The game's wiki
Warning: Spoilers if you haven't finished the game yet.
Note: For the sake of staying human and normal in the game, Hope's brand will be frozen, because with or without powers, the clock is still ticking.
Affiliation: Trainer.
Personality:
Hope is what we call the scrappy of the game, because of his whiny, annoying behavior. For the first few chapters of the game, players everywhere agonized the forcible playing of him as both party member and sometimes even leader. It's somewhat understandable, because he's a sheltered mama's boy who really has no idea about the world beyond his hometown, and he still is quite young to be forced into battle he's not prepared for, but really. Does his whining have to be all the time?!
Pretty much everything that comes out of his mouth revolve around his mother, and killing Snow out of revenge. And sometimes his fears about being a l'Cie and a fugitive, and having to fight when he really doesn't know how.
What's the solution for this? Sticking closer to Lightning than to anyone else in the party. Being near her makes Hope realize that his actions and even reactions are not suited for survival in a world that doesn't want him around, and he learns how to fend for himself. With her help, Hope manages to toughen up, and matures enough to suit his new way of life as a fugitive from the law. Under her guidance, he even learns how to step up and lead the way when he has to. He's no longer weak and frightened like a little rat, but is slowly working his way out of his comfort zone under a person's wing.
But what makes him come full circle is his sudden and unannounced forgiveness of Snow-- and even fighting for him when he's down. This is where he truly shows off that he's like one of the adults now-- perhaps even better. He shoulders the burden, he fights for his friends, what he believes in, and most especially for himself. No more grudges, no more petty thoughts for revenge.
From hideous, sheltered little brat to absolutely cool and awesome who can take on almost anything. That's a whole lot of development for such a young character in an RPG.
There are also a few things that aren't obvious from the start, such as his pure soul and his kind heart, both over-shadowed until he managed to get a chance to allow them to manifest. He helps people, no matter who they are, even if they try to injure him, as long as he sees fit. And in reality, Hope's a little awkward about doing this-- sometimes even shy. In fact, he is kind of awkward and shy when he's not busy having fun with his friends or keeping himself alive.
Oh, and guess what. He has a sense of humor. Seriously! He jokes about things any normal kid would, just... drawing the line at toilet humor and mature things. But yes, he does have a fun side, and that hasn't been dampened at all by his experiences as a l'Cie. If anything, he's learned how to have fun even more, because you never know when shit goes down again.
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Strengths:
- Surprisingly, Hope can fight, even as a weak fourteen-year-old. Apparently, he brings around a huge boomerang around in his back pocket (I don't know how it can fit there, seriously) and uses it as a weapon. He's also the owner of the largest Eidolon, the mecha Alexander, who can become a large fortress equipped with lasers and towers capable of making earthquakes. He's a tiny kid wielding such a huge weapon.
He's also somewhat smart for his own age. He's made a survival plan on his own named Operation Nora that helps him "get through" (in his own words) being a l'Cie and a fugitive. Hope also seems to have an affinity for machines and technology, seeing as he's managed to get a few Pulse armaments up and moving, using them to plow through hordes of enemies.
But Hope's biggest strength lies in his spell-casting, whether offensive, defensive, or supportive. Technically, Vanille is the best Medic as she learns everything faster, but Hope's magic stats are far higher than hers, making him the best Ravager (offensive spell caster), and perhaps even Synergist (buffer) for the party.
Weaknesses:
- Hope is what we call a glass cannon. As TV Tropes says, he can deal out huge amounts of damage, but he cant take the same for himself. He's got the lowest HP (health points) of all six l'Cie, and this is usually the reason why he's the first to get knocked out in a battle.
He's also rather sensitive to things that are far beyond his reach, such as his family completely gone, showing fear because he cant fight well like the rest of the group, and losing hope (I guess the puns are the reasons behind his name) when his brand starts to advance again. He's still a child, no matter how ferocious he is on the battlefield, and there are just some things that are above him.
Pokemon
Starter: Squirtle; nicknamed Alexander (hurr durr. original, yes?)