Now I’m imagining a ragtag party of ethnically diverse 15-19-year-old girls on a quest to Find Out What Happened/Get a McGuffin that will help their settlements/whatever.
They arrive at the next community of ragged-but-getting-by survivors, and–as is the custom–have a sort of town hall where they explain what they’re doing and what they’ve seen along the way so far. The leader of the settlement endorses their quest and urges the people to share any spare food or supplies that the party could use.
As they’re getting ready to continue their journey, a new 15-19-year-old shows up with a full pack and a look of determination. She declares that she’s coming with them. Their quest is important, and could bring about a better world for her village. And she feels a personal responsibility because, “…what your journey is really about, is hope. And I know a lot about hope. You see, I was the first baby born after we started this community, and–”
The lead adventurer sighs. “And your parents named you Hope.”
The new girl deflates a little. “How did you know?”
“I was born right when my family harvested our first successful crop,” the leader explains. “Hope,” she adds, pointing to herself.
“Mine had just survived a fire that wiped out the settlement they were building,” adds another, who wears a cowboy hat and speaks in a drawl. “Also Hope.”
“My mother went into labor in the middle of a blizzard, and she and my other mom just barely made it to her community,” another explains, indicating the first girl who had spoken. “They took us in, and…well, my moms hadn’t met her yet when they named me. I’ve spent my whole life being the other Hope.”
“We’d just lost all of our supplies to road bandits, and my parents named me for what they needed most,” the fourth girl says, in a slight Spanish accent. “Esperanza.”
“I was also first born in my community,” says the fifth girl, who is Black. “Tumaini. It’s Swahili. You can probably guess what for.”
After her are three more Hopes, and a Mizuki, who is of Japanese heritage. “It’s almost like it’s some kind of curse,” one of the Hopes adds. “You hear over and over how your being born meant hope to everyone you know, and then what else are you going to do, when a chance comes along to save the world? Anyway, welcome aboard.”
