Fate Decides is a The Legend of Spyro fanfic by Fiygon. It is about a troubled young kid named Gale, who is signs a contract by a celestial dragon named Fate to become a dragon (albeit under the impression that it was a dream), only to find himself accidentally turned into a six-month-old hatchling and be dumped randomly into Spyro's world.
After trying to survive on his own for a few days, he is transported to a mountain, where he is found and taken in by a snow leopard by the name of Rena. Now in a new world, he must slowly adapt to his new life and grow accustomed to his new body, while Spyro and Cynder attempt to find him. Gale slowly bonds with those around him and finds a new brother in a vagabond hatchling named Kenra.As he is looked after, Gale slowly tries to adapt to his new life, but things get complicated as a mysterious dragon king has set his sights on Gale for reasons unknown...
This fanfic is one of the fandom's staples "a human into a dragon" stories but is done in a unique way not really seen much, as the main character is a more or less defenseless, very young child as opposed to a strong hero. Additionally, it is noteworthy for many, many heartwarming scenes and family moments.
It can be read here
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Warning, unmarked spoilers.
Fate Decides contains examples of:
- 0%Approval Rating: Downplayed but its implied with Dvarun. He is a horribly abusive parent and the head of a barbaric society, taking their traditions and lust for combat way too far. Its not clear how liked or disliked he is amongst his tribe as a whole, but at least two members of his own family, as well as pretty much everyone outside of his tribe, either hate him or can barely tolerate him at best. His son Kenra hates him, his wife is implied to hate him for forcing her to have his children. Spyro knows how his abuse of Kenra, hates Dvarun's guts, and can barely stop himself from simply murdering the bastard of the spot, and even the Guardians are off put by him when he mentions trials for power and public executions. Cynder dislikes his tribe for their depraved customs, and even Vex and his friends seem to think very little of Dvarun himself, as well as his tribe; even insulting him when they are discussing it in class.
- Abusive Parents: Gale's biological parents used to be nice, but after their eldest son died in a motorcycle accident, they took to drinking and became abusive to Gale, before they died in a drunk driving incident.
- Kenra's father was highly abusive, neglecting and beating his children regularly and raising his eldest to be nothing but hardened warriors, akin to a Spartan upbringing. When Kenra, who is only seven, declined the rite of passage, he muzzled Kenra and locked him in a cage, and allowed his siblings to do whatever they wanted with him.Luckily none of his siblings did anything to him, and his eldest brother released him.
- Ambiguous Situation: Gale's powers. To elaborate they only seem to activate at during times of danger, such as when he was eaten by wolves, later resurrected and teleported to the mountain, kidnapped by Elich, and later during the climax of chapter 14. They activated mostly in times of danger to save him, though it was never enough alone. Additionally, it seemed to only kill off the wolves after Gale had already been killed, possibly to allow enough of his body to be left to resurrect. Gale seems to lack full control over these powers, and a mysterious voice has appeared at times to guide him in his dreams. It may be some kind of guardian angel-type figure protecting him, but it is not yet clear.
- Artistic License – Biology: Despite being reptiles, dragonesses lactate and have to feed their infants milk for them to survive. Cynder actually feeds Gale like this at a point during the story, much to his embarrassment. This does, however, get addressed and lampshaded in the story. Possibly justified, however, in that dragons are fictional creatures and there technically is no basis for their biology in the real world, other than seemingly being lizard-like in terms of biology.
- Asshole Victim: Although Gale's biological parents have tragic circumstances for becoming as bad as they were and were once good people and died a rather tragic death in a drunk driving-related car crash, few tears are to be shed for them after they became abusive to their son. Gale doesn't even really feel much for them at their funeral and even laughs ironically when the priest at their funeral recounts them as decent people. (It's unlikely the priest was aware of their abuse of Gale.
- Kenra's ubnamed older sister. She is accidentally killed by Kenra in a fight she started after she attempts to murder her baby siblings and even Kenra, her own brother, seemingly for no reason at all other than on a whim or possibly sadism. Although it's likely she was molded into this borderline sociopath by her abusive father, her depraved actions yield her no sympathy for her demise whatsoever; there was no mention of her family beyond Kendra even missing her, not even her father. It's deconstructed, however, as she was still Kenra's sister and killing his own sister still traumatized Kenra greatly.
- Badass Adorable: Downplayed with Gale in the climax of chapter 14. He unlocks his element, wind, but it is made clear that he is only doing it likely on instinct, it's highly draining on him to use it, and it was made clear that if Soulte and Kenra were not there, he would have lost the fight. For most of the fight, Soulte and later Kenra have to protect him and do the heavy lifting. When he was briefly alone, he was about to be captured or killed by the tiger before Kenra intervened. He can't seem to summon it to the extent he could during the fight afterward, either.
- Big Bad: An as-of-yet unnamed white dragon, who appears to be a king of some sort.
- Brainy Baby: Kind of. Gale is physically only a six-month-old hatchling but is rather smart. Justified, as he is mentally in his teens and his memories carried over.
- Children Are Innocent: Kaali is definitely a good example of this. Kenra is a much more complex example of this.As despite what he's been through, he still seems innocent about certain subjects, befitting his age.
- Cuteness Proximity: Being physically an infant by dragon standards, this is a given for Gale. Many characters react in awe at his adorableness, much to Gale's embarrassment.
- Did Not Think This Through: Fate more or less rushed into turning Gale into a dragon, for reason relating to an unintentional threat to his realm. The magic she and Ignitus used was a kind they were not very familiar with and things did not go as expected. As a result, Gale was turned even younger than they meant for him to be (as the magic they were using was only of a and left alone in the wild by accident.
- Dying Race: Possibly the case with the Northern Dragons. Soulte mentions that Northern dragons are rather rare nowadays and states he has not seen a child of them like Kenra before. It should be noted Soulte is old and likely has been around awhile to learn of them, so this is suspect. Its possible that the Northern dragon's isolationism and warrior culture has thinned their numbers, but there is currently no other evidence of their race being endangered. It could also be, at least in part, that very few Northern dragons ever leave their home as Kenra did and are thus rarely seen.
- Everyone Has Standards: Played with by Vex and his friends. He states he dislikes the Northern dragons due to them being "barbaric and awful". Its stated by Kenra that they hold depraved customs such as forcing dragons, likely only children at the time, to jump off a cliff in order to scare them into activating their initial flight abilities and consider any who fail worthless and subject them to inhumane living conditions (I.E caging them, muzzling them, feeding them trash, and leaving them to be raped by others) and the guy leading them is a depraved individual who seems to serve as an example of what members of the tribe are normally like. Based on his comments, even he found Dvarun and his tribe's depraved "traditions" legitimately abhorrent, not just out of racism. This being said he seems to use this as an excuse to bully Kenra for being one.
- Given the fact even Cynder expresses disgust at the Northern Dragon society, this likey knowledge of what their tribe is like is possibly pretty common. It's likely that Vex's dislike of the Northern Dragon's culture is a genuine opinion held by much of dragon society, further implying Vex's dislike of them might actually be on moral grounds rather than just petty prejudice, other than his treatment of Kenra.
- Forced Transformation: Gale is turned into a dragon after signing a contract in a dream from a celestial named Fate. He didn't think it was actually real at the time, though.
- From Bad to Worse: Gale's initial time in the dragon realms is hardly the most welcoming. Accidentally turned into an infant hatchling who can't even eat solid food yet, it is already clear that any infant, even an intelligent one, left alone in the wild is unlikely to survive on their own, and Gale knows this. And the wolves manage to find Gale. Gale is actually killed and partially eaten by wolves early in the story. He only comes back because something brings him back to life and teleports him to the mountain. Luckily, it finally gets better for him after that, though.
- Good Parents:Spyro and Cynder in spades. Much better than their adoptive kid's biological parents, actually.Gale's birth parents used to be this too, but that went sour. He gets better though.
- Hate Sink: Kenra's biological father, Dvarun, most definitely qualifies. A horrific deconstruction of the Spartan Way of raising children, he is a self-centered abusive asshole who cares nothing for anyone, even his own children. He sees his children as nothing more than tools to be sure, grooming them to be brutal warriors. He is revealed to have routinely beaten Kenra and his other children for petty things like not setting the table right, and otherwise is completely neglectful of his children. He showed no concern that his eldest daughter tried to murder her infant siblings nor when Kenra killed her by accident in their defense. Instead, he then touted Kerna around as his next heir, only to discard him like trash and muzzle and cage him when Kenra( who is only seven) failed his rite. It is even mentioned he does that to anyone else in the tribe who fails him. Likewise, everyone who is aware of what he did hates him and considers him a monster.
- Elich the tiger could count for this as well. Besides the fact he is a smug and sadistic prick, he can't help but gloat about it either. Worse yet, he is perfectly fine with beating up a hatchling who is not even a year old, and shows no hesitation in trying to murder children whatsoever. And he even gloats about the pain he inflicts as well.
- Hope Spot: After a few days out alone, Gale finally finds spots a village from a top ledge, where he can likely receive help. He finds a log to sleep in for the night, intending to approach the next morning. And then the wolves from earlier find and eat him. However, he does get better after this.
- After Gale's memories of his abusive parents are exposed, he has an argument with Spyro and Cynder. He briefly thinks to the pair's previous displays of affection and nearly considers believing them when they claim they care for him... but then he quashes the thought, as the abuse left on him by his birth parents has made him highly distrusting of the affection of others, especially of his adoptive parent's claims to care about him.
- An inverted, in-universe for Spyro happens in the third chapter. After seeing Gale's dead body around the wolves, Spyro and Cynder give up the search for him. Then, a magic force emits from the spot Gale's corpse was and his body vanishes, giving Spyro renewed hope. Soon after, a dream depicting Gale and Rena, as well as a voice, (seemingly from the mysterious source that resurrected Gale) urges him to keep searching.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Downplayed, as Gale is very much not a threat to the dragons. Apon learning of Gale's potential
- * Vex, Kenra's school bully, states to a disused Kenra in chapter 19 that he dislikes Northern dragons for being "barbaric and awful." While this does not justify him being a bully to Kenra and borders on racism, Kenra's own accounts of his life in the tribe paint them as an overall barbaric and cruel society. Although its not clear that all of the Northern D Ragons are as personally depraved as their leader, Dvarun, is but the fact they have apparently universally accepted norms such as forcing kids to jump off a cliff as a "rite of passage"( although they apparently activate their flight abilities on instinct) and consider any kid who fails worthless. They are stated to subject these poor souls to inhumane conditions, caging, muzzling, and leaving them to be practically raped; as such, Vex's argument of their tribe being barbaric holds merit.
- Kid Fic: Has a more nuanced story than usual examples of this trope, but still qualifies. It involves a young teen being turned into a six-month-old hatchling, and Spyro and Cynder, as well as Rena, acting as his guardians and caring for him as well as his adoptive older brother, who is only seven. The story evolves more from this simple premise as it goes on, however.
- Mama Bear: Cynder most definitely. Not only is she highly protective of her daughter, but she develops motherly feelings for Gale and Kenra as well. Case and point: when Gale is kidnapped by Elich, Cynder crashes through the building to save Gale and would have mauled the tiger to death if Gale were not present.
- Papa Wolf: Spyro is highly protective of not just his biological daughter, Kali, but also his adoptive children Gale and Kenra.
- Parental Neglect: Kenra's parents. Both are mentioned to have neglected their kids and left the raising to their younger children. The most Kenra's mother did was provide milk for her youngest, but did not interact with them much at all, and made it very clear she never wanted them. Granted, it is stated she was forced against her will to bear Dvarun's children against her will and is mentioned to not have been allowed to care for them anyways, so it is likely not out of cruelty on her part so much as she was forced to have them by a dragon she detests, and is bitter over that.
- Parental Substitute: Rena acted as a caretaker to Gale, and later Kenra, for a time before Spyro and Cynder arrived. She more or less served as a parental figure for Gale as well.
- The Sociopath: Elich certainly shows signs of this. He revels in any of the pain he inflicts, and has no qualms about beating up and even killing children. He gloats about it too.
- Dvarun shows signs of this. As noted above, he is established as very cruel and abusive, but even then, he shows a shocking lack of empathy to anyone, even his own children. When he finds out Kenra accidentally killed his abusive older sister when defending their siblings from her, and Kenra was left barely clinging to life as a result of the fight, he does not care at all. His only reaction is to praise Kenra for managing to win the fight and to tout him as a worthy heir, with no concern shown for his children's lives or well-being whatsoever.
- Kenra's unnamed older sister as well, despite her lack of presence. Its mentioned by Kenra that she bullied and even attempted to murder her own baby sister for seemingly no reason at all and nearly killed Kenra, her own little brother, as well in a fight. Made worse by the fact that she is stated to have escalated said fight and refused to back down to the point Kenra had to kill to defend his siblings, albeit by accident. Given that she was Dvarun's heir, it's likely she was molded into this by her father.
- The Spartan Way: Deconstructed, big time. The consequences of using this trope are made very evident. The Northern Dragon society runs on this and is stated as well as considered in-universe to be a cruel, barbaric society. Their society puts a large emphasis on strength and being a fighter, nearly to the point of obsession. As a result their society often implores harsh, cruel, and often abusive 'training' tactics and methods of raising children that make living in their tribe a hellish experience for most involved. Their rite of passage even involves forcing young dragons to jump off a cliff in an attempt to more or less scare young dragons into activating their powers. Anyone who fails is deemed less than trash and is muzzled, caged, and left to the whims of others to do whatever they wanted, often involving being raped. To them, strength and power is everything, and those who don't meet their standards are worthless. The abuse inherent in this trope is made very evident, and it's made very clear a society devoted to this way of thinking is a miserable place to live.
- Kenra's father, Dvarun, seems written to serve as a golden example of the horrific realities of an individual who implored Spartan-like methods. He seems to be completely obsessed with strength and has no empathy for anyone. He is a fanatical follower of his people's barbaric ways, but there is a strong implication that these methods were implored impart out of cruelty than simply a desire to build true strength. Those who are put this kind of barbaric training either end up broken by it or become cruel. Of note, Dvarun's eldest daughter was stated to be his right hand and his heir but was cruel enough to attempt to murder her own infant siblings and brother without hesitation.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: Downplayed with Kenra. He can be mature for a seven-year-old and takes responsibility for doing chores or looking after younger kids. Later deconstructed, as a lot of his independence and maturity for his age was due to the fact he was abused and neglected by his parents and had the responsibility of looking after his younger siblings all day and night thrust onto him, effectively forcing him to mature faster than normal. Despite this, though, he is still very much a kid his age and still can be mischievous, innocent, and even scared as a kid his age normally would be.
- Gale too, in a way. Played with and possibly justified, as he is physically only a hatchling as a dragon, but is mentally fourteen.
