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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#197: Fate and Free Will

It’s an eternal question. Are our lives governed by our own actions, or subject to the powers of destiny? Religions, philosophers, writers, and everyday folk have been arguing about it for centuries, and we still don’t have a definitive answer. Stories of heroes locked into tragic fates they can’t escape make up a large portion of our oldest myths and legends. Yet modern stories tend to paint their protagonists as free will incarnate. Even so, there are still plenty that play with destiny. 


This week, we want to explore the age-old conundrum of heroes. Are we in charge of our fate? Or is it all in the hands of some unknowable power laying out our path forward?

This week's prompts

Write a story about someone successfully — or unsuccessfully — escaping their fate.

Angst – 107 stories

Write about a god desperately trying to get their chosen hero to follow the path they set out for them.

Fantasy – 61 stories

Write a story that includes the phrase “I’m free!”

Dialogue – 60 stories

Write about somebody who wholeheartedly believes in fate, and views every little thing through the lens of predestiny.

Character – 22 stories

Set your story in a world where everyone’s decisions are made for them. One morning, your character wakes up, and chooses not to go to work. Wait…chooses?!

Thriller and Suspense – 18 stories

Stories

“Scars: A Legacy of Chaos Story” by John Werner

Submitted to Contest #197

Scars Axus Stormbringer, Prince of Illionian Merkander, Champion of the Arenas on the Coast of Jormungand, Royal Bard of the Kingdom of Cthohr, Defender of the Tower of the Continuum, and Champion of Necra sat flexing the scarred ruins of his sword hand. It had been nearly a season since the Battle of Everfrost but he was still nursing the injury. His forefinger traced the angry red scars along the dark skin on the back of his hand. He winced remembering the searing pain as the blade of his sword was liquified in his grip. He had been so...

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“Twisting Fate” by Fayth Clarke

Submitted to Contest #197

“Unbelievable!” The shout startled several birds out of the shelter of the branches, and Hermes looked up from his scroll. A lock of blond hair fell into his bright green eyes, and he pushed it behind his ear as the birds began to settle down again. The cry had been Athena’s voice. The goddess of wisdom never raged unless it was against her brother Ares. Were the two of them fighting again? Hermes rolled his eyes and turned back to his scroll when Athena shouted again.  “I have given you every opportunity a mortal could hope for! Why ...

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“The Great Beast” by Trevor Lorance

Submitted to Contest #197

Zacharia palmed the LSD tab while the other Disciples set theirs on their tongues. Eyes closed, no one noticed the dissenting sleight of hand. At this phase of the pledge it was all but certain no one would disobey commands. Multiple disciples had already broken their vows and had been disappeared for undesirable behavior: One vocalized logical fallacies in The Book of the Law. One wandered off of the compound and drunkenly revealed the happenings of The Order in the town pub. One refused to submit to the sexual desires of The Coven (the mor...

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“The Twists of Fate” by Edward Vallender

Submitted to Contest #197

When my son was fourteen, one summer he fell into his first real crush with another fourteen-year-old visiting her cousins from another city far away. When he wasn’t at one of his summer jobs he was at the beach with them. On the morning in late August this girl left to go home, she gave him her scarf. A few months later he told me their letters had lasted as long as the scent of her hair in that scarf and he had to accept that there was no future with her. He was fourteen and she was 100 miles away. That may have been the summer her was no ...

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“Requiem” by Low-Key Daddy

Submitted to Contest #197

Note: This story contains attempts of suicide, mild gore, and disturbing encounters.-Death toyed with my soul, alluring my heart with fatal seductions that I alone, was powerless to refuse. My desires were like chains shackled to my wrists, I had to fulfill whatever wanton lust that proposed itself to my morbid appetites. I wanted to stop, but my body didn’t let me. It had a will of its own, defying the convictions of my mind, and handing over the reins to my wayward heart. I hated what I was becoming, the echo in the glass, was merely ...

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“Falling” by Trilby Plants

Submitted to Contest #197

She awakens with a crick in her neck, opens her eyes and discovers she is in an airplane. Maybe it’s an airplane. The light is dim, and it’s difficult to make out details. No emergency light strips on the floor, just a soft glow that permeates everything, barely enough to see a few feet. There is no airline logo anywhere, no windows, only featureless walls. She has no recollection of how she got here. Leaning over and looking down the aisle, she can only see a half dozen seats in front of her, configured like airplane seats, two on each sid...

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“Green Benches” by Jack Gorzo

Submitted to Contest #197

My conflict with the man on the bench began when I first moved to the city. Being in my early thirties with few personal friends, I spent a lot of my free time reading. A romance here, a drama there, I tried my best to vary the genres of my literature. Changing the environment in which I read had also been very helpful in keeping up my mood and temperament. And so, once a week, I ventured to the park across the street. My books entranced me to the point where I hardly noticed the children playing or the birds chirping. This was my routine fo...

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“The Day in a Life” by Kendall Defoe

Submitted to Contest #197

The alarm did not go off, but he was ready. Jason was always ready, but this was a day that was going to be extra special for him and maybe…a few others? The lamplight blinded him for a moment. There was a little time left for a shower and some cleaning up before heading out. The cat was fed – it kept showing up all month and he made sure the bowls were filled – and the weather finally turned (their first day that month without rain). He turned on the water for his bath and the shower head hit him on the nose. The spray of water was enough f...

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“The Love of My Life” by Sophia DelGiorno

Submitted to Contest #197

I could smell the freshly baked cookies from down the street. Mrs. Walker volunteered to provide desserts for the state fair. Every year, she has a stand in the center of the fairgrounds. She was just the sweetest old lady, everybody loves her. Her husband died a few years back, and I don't think she ever recovered from that. I can't even begin to imagine what would happen if Ronan died. I am 17. I know I am young. But I truly love Ronan. I believe that he was put in my path for a reason, and if it is not to be my love, then what is it? I...

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“Not Your Fault ” by Hugh Fritz

Submitted to Contest #197

Dry mouth, tingly skin, and a worsening headache. She called this the “lazy drug” phase. The effects of the narcotics lingered, but they weren’t doing what they were supposed to do, which she imagined was dull the pain. She’d been in this position enough to know that asking for more was a waste of breath. Instead of calling for help, she occupied her mind by trying to backtrack through events. For the moment, she could barely remember the accident, let alone how bad it was. Most of her body itched. She tried to scratch a spot on her chest, ...

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“Choices” by Liv Aruleba

Submitted to Contest #197

His mom died last night. She was 65, too young everyone said. She was still so full of life, others commented, as if this fact made a difference to anyone. He supposed it was more tragic that way, to lose a relatively young and lively person is worse than losing one who is old and decrepit. He was sad, don’t misunderstand the situation, there was a definite air of sadness that hung around him like heavy perfume. Everyone could smell it on him and it resulted in bent heads, mournsome nods and bleak, no-lipped smiles. It was more annoying than...

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“FREE WILL” by Latoya Edwards

Submitted to Contest #197

FREE WILL              “Alright. Let’s go ahead and start recording in 3, 2, 1.” Said the robot of historical records.My name is Willow Freedom Monrow. I was born on Century 13, an island metropolis of what you may remember in history called California, a part of the United States of America. But that was 13 centuries ago. Now, what is left of the USA and of the remaining world are large sectioned, islandic metropolitan cities that are divided by territories...

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“The Dream Weaver and Choice” by John Steckley

Submitted to Contest #197

The Dream Weaver and ChoiceBob           “I had the weirdest dream Millie. I saw myself at work, and I could see my unhappiness clearly on my face. It went much deeper than if I were merely having just a ‘bad day at work’. I could not deny what I was seeing – truth with a vengeance. Then everything went blank. When my dream vision returned I saw myself standing a step or two outside our front door like I was going to go to work, but I turned around and went back into our house...

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“New Republic” by Samada Brown

Submitted to Contest #197

In a world where personal agency was but a distant memory, where every decision was predetermined and individual choice was deemed unnecessary, there lived a young woman named Amelia. She followed the rigid routine set forth by the system, adhering to its rules without question. Each morning, she would wake up promptly at 6:00 a.m., dress in her assigned attire, and head off to her designated workplace. However, one fateful morning, as the sun peeked through her window, Amelia awoke with an unfamiliar feeling gnawing at her heart—a yearnin...

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“Two Philosophers Walk into a Bar” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #197

It’s the final days of March in Boston which can feel like the end of the world. You can either have a bright and sunny day, melting away the last of winter’s snow from the alleyways of Boston’s brownstone apartments, or a vicious Nor’Easter making life miserable. This particular day, however, the sky is cloudy as Professor Aldrich rushes to catch the bus that will take him to his appointment. He is a professor of philosophy at the University of Boston and has been detained by a student, which has caused him to run a little late.&...

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$250

Prize money

268

Contest entries

100

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 12, 2023 EST

Won by HR Pinches 🏆

Title: The Fate of Customer 12

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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