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Karl A's avatar

About the only time I really like prophecies are when they're true but open to enough interpretation that it isn't obvious what exactly is going to happen and the signs are kind of like a mystery where the player/reader can try to sleuth what might happen next, or when you explore the actual ramifications of the prophecy and how it informs why people do or act the way they do. How an Odin-type rails against Ragnarok but then ultimately accepts and makes plans for how to meet destiny in the best way, let's say.

Defying fate is a fun concept that can feel powerful but it fate can be defied then it wasn't 'fate' in the first place, as you say. It can be done if you take care to show that the entity that claims to be controlling fate is unreliable and imperfect and how the idea of 'Destiny' is being used to control people when there really is no such thing.

I think I don't mind a 'destiny on rails' kind of situation where you're a defined character with a defined story, but I agree it'd be considerably more frustrating in one of your games where you're supposed to be defining your own character and making decisions on how you feel about things and what direction you want them to go.

Interesting comments on how it all relates to our real lives. Makes sense though why it's enjoyable in games to feel you have a say when you might not have as much say as you like in reality.

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Metric Feet's avatar

I’unno… “Destiny” is entirely specific, while “you can’t control every aspect of the future” is just existence set to normal.

Besides, “destiny” also implies the existence of “greater” forces than you dictating your life in specific, purposeful ways. That can be a very uncomfortable thought. Rarely are the powers that be 100% benevolent in fiction, so much so that, “eight overdressed teenagers kill god” has become a meme whenever JRPGs are discussed.

But I think the biggest potential pitfall of adding traditional destiny to your story is you’re basically framing your story on a spoiler. Which isn’t as inherently bad thing as that term has come to be, but you’ve effectively locked your story down to what you’ve told your audience it’s going to be in act one. And maybe watching it unfold is still satisfying – suspense vs. surprise and all that. But you’ve gone from, “anything can happen” to “this specifically happens” which takes your story’s options from ∞ to 1.

Now, you can still subvert this to an extent even in the classic sense – “interpretation” of prophecy throwing curveballs is almost as central to the idea as any part of it. But either that, or some subversive analysis of the idea of prophecy really feel like the only two paths for the idea these days – some twist or play on words, or some diatribe about how prophecy is kinda a messed-up idea.

And maybe that’s why stories where prophecy is played straight *are* something we need more of. When it turns out that, no, actually God isn’t secretly evil and we don’t need to send a team of J-pop stars to stab him a bunch, I’m more shocked and engaged than when that is the case. This could easily be the same thing. Perhaps the idea of prophecy has been subverted and over-analyzed into paste. Is there anything left of it to meaningfully subvert or analyze beneath all the tongue-and-cheek upending or weighty think pieces?

That said, defying destiny itself is too much the ultimate power fantasy to ever truly go out of style with video games. A character going “you’re not the boss of me, God/destiny/fate/providence/ineffable-forces-of-the-universe!” and actually backing that up will always have too much appeal to ever really go out of style. And this isn’t entirely a bad message either – yes, you’re limited in what you can control, but you should also be empowered to control and impact what you can. And if a plucky fictional hero can go out and successfully stand against some universe shaping metaphor, then there’s hope that you too can go do the thing.

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