OC Spotlight: Hope Carter
Hope Valorie Carter is the vessel with which I insert myself into the Attack on Titan universe. Her name can be interpreted as "the one who carries hope and valor" and I try to make her characterization reflect this. I chose the first name, Hope, because of Levi. He is often called "The Hope of Humanity", but I believe he deserves a little bit of hopefulness for himself, thus the creation of this character as a romantic interest. (I realize that it’s actually Eren who has that title, but I originally thought it referred to Levi, and I already have the name Hope so it’s staying) The surname, Carter, is actually based on Samantha Carter of Stargate SG1, upon whom I've tried to base some of Hope's personality so she isn't completely based on a better version of myself. She has short, blonde hair, brown eyes and is 6′0″ (183cm).
Hope was born to Jacob Carter (whose name is the same as Samantha's father) and Nora Carter (whose name was an accidental reference to Final Fantasy 13, which has a character named Hope whose mother is named Nora, and I decided to keep it), both of whom run a bakery in the Calaneth District in Wall Rose. Hope also has a sister who is three years her junior named Laura (so named simply because I like the sound of the name Laura Carter).
Her upbringing was comfortable, and from a young age it was clear that Hope wasn't cut out to be a baker, having the intelligence and interest for the sciences, particularly the topics of biology and medicine. Her parents sent her to the University in Ehrmich, where she studied in those fields. Unfortunately, while studying medicine, she developed a case of nosophobia: the fear of disease. While most people who study medicine go through a nosophobic phase, Hope's was far more severe and caused her to have a break-down. She left school and returned to her parent’s home, where she locked herself away so as not to expose herself to illness. Jacob and Nora did what they could to try and convince her that she was healthy and very unlikely to die from a disease, but it was her sister who finally snapped her out of it by saying that Hope was just being a burden to her parents. Hope went back to school, but developed obsessive cleaning habits which helped reduce her anxiety. (I, myself, have nosophobia, though the way I deal with it is different from Hope's. I take drugs. Specifically, Wellbutrin and CBD, lol).
In the main version of her story, Laura's words lit a fire under Hope and she decided to use her skills to become a military field medic (for essentially the same reason that the cadets in the 104th who fought in the battle of Trost joined the Survey Corps: because they were afraid of the Titans and wanted to do something about it). During her training, Hope discovered she had a talent for a unique utilization of the ODM gear. She wasn't nearly as fast as some of the others (Levi almost literally leaves her in the dust. I'm trying not to make her too OP), but her exceptional maneuverability makes up for that fact. She is able to manipulate her trajectory by stepping on and grabbing the wires of her gear, allowing her to change direction on a dime. Because of the difficulty and the fact that no one else seemed able to pick up the trick, Hope was originally discouraged from using her technique, but after proving herself in training, she convinced her superiors that she knew what she was doing. She was then given special gloves as well as arm and leg guards to protect her skin from the wires.
Her skills came in handy in the year 844 when she was an Officer in Flagon's squad, when she was asked by Erwin to join him in the hunt for Levi, Furlan and Isabel in the Underground. Hope initially had a panic attack at the thought of going into place that she regarded as a subterranean petri dish, but Erwin gave her little choice in the matter and she begrudgingly accompanied him on the mission, helping the Survey Corps in acquiring the skills of Levi and his friends. Hope was given the task of looking after and training (as well as keep an eye) on Isabel, whom she immediately took a liking to. She started teaching Isabel how to read, which helped endear her to Levi and Furlan somewhat.
