Hopkins

Name: SSGT Alex Hopkins

Age (1991): 24

Personality: Despite how tough he tries to be around his team, Hopkins struggles to justify his devotion to his work to the family he neglects. He holds the same beliefs as Leahy yet also holds a distinction between the ctistes and humanity, leading him to value human life over the Shipsouls. Placing his team above himself, he lacks the trust that is needed to be the person, or leader, he wants to be.

Weakness: Hopkins does not want to experience any changes in life. He resists the need to grow, as in changing himself he believes will change his perception of human goodness.

Desire: Hopkins wants humanity to survive because he believes humanity is ‘good.’

Need: Hopkins needs to believe that humans have a capacity for good above all else, which, despite all of the flaws people have, is what is worth fighting for. In order to maintain this belief, he is continuously forced to adapt his perspective to defend it.

Lore Background: Hopkins was one of the civil affairs advisors at Site 02 and established a strong rapport with Leahy. In his allegiance to humanity he exploits his connection with Leahy to serve his people and nation, and has trouble seeing the Shipsouls as human.

Story Application: In direct competition with Kalupto for the minds of the people around him and his very own, Hopkins must deal with the ramifications of his convictions on his peers, his nation, the Shipsouls and his own family. Kalupto manifests in his dreams on occasion, as she sees him and his team as the greatest threat to her approach to war, and vice versa.

Character Change: Hopkins either loses hope in humanity and succumbs to apathy and nihilism or grows to adapt and overcome all doubts, despite serious moral conflicts.

Relationship to Home Nation: Poor sense of patriotism. Currently on second enlistment as reserve Civil Affairs, but went active duty to participate in a “special project” (JTF). Reclass/retrained in psychological operations after time as a Medical CA sergeant. 

Connections and Relationships: Maintains military connections across the country and in several units, but is widely regarded to be more task oriented than a people person. Poor connection to family and personal relationships suffer.

Notes:

• Why fight? Why live? Why do anything when it is oh, so hard?
• Storyline probably represents the classic enderal argument

First name ideas:

• Biblical
• Alex (alexandra drennan)

Nilop's Notes, 4/01/2024:

Hopkins was the first human character created in Oceans Ventured in 2019, and through the years, his character hasn't changed much. The premise behind Hopkins was to create a character that would highlight the importance of having a reason for doing something. Anything. 

He represented this idea that's prevalent in a lot of media, and that idea is that "humanity is good." It's simple, sure, and I'm certain that it's been touched on to death and back, but at the end of the day, it's something I wanted to explore so deal with it. 

Hopkins is great to contrast with Leahy, who I've come to see as the "protagonist" of Oceans Ventured in the sense that Leahy has driven the core of the story world. Both Leahy and Hopkins have this deep-seated passion for "good" in the world, but Hopkins is willing to lie, cheat, and steal to make it happen. Both Hopkins and Leahy refuse to modify their beliefs, as their worldview is the core of what they are fighting for. He sacrifices his relationships with his family, his dying mother, and his friends in the pursuit of ensuring the continuity of human civilization. In his mind, he subconsciously rationalizes humanity's "goodness" to take the form of humanity's ability to change. 

His commitment and conviction to these beliefs will drive him forwards.

Kalupto, his primary antagonist, realizes that her approach to conflict is inherently undermined by the ideals that Leahy and Hopkins stand for. Taking inspiration from MLA in the Talos Principle, Kalupto's psychological campaign is primarily targeting Hopkin's perspective, in the aim of making him believe that humanity's capability for change is one that has been bad and will continue to be so. But alas, since when did the enduring human spirit falter in the face of adversity?

Kalupto's concept was built on depression - Hopkins believes that there is a reason to get out of bed, and will fight for it, no matter what it takes.

So far from home and so devoted towards this ideal, how much of his symbolic humanity will he lose in the pursuit of preserving all of civilization?