The Red String of Fate

Today I wanted to delve into the research I conducted on the red string of fate to create Fate Finder. 

The red string of fate is mentioned in many different cultures' folklore and mythology and overall the topic of soulmates is found almost in every culture. The red string of fate is primarily an Eastern Asian concept in which two people fated to be together as soulmates are connected by a red string. The location of the red string varies by country in which it can be on the pinky finger, ankle, or wrist. 

The entire concept is said to have originated in Chinese Mythology with Yue Lao, the matchmaker god of marriage and love, also known as the old man on the moon. The story goes that during the Tang Dynasty, a young man named Wei Gu was lamenting the fact he did not yet have a wife and came across Yue Lao reading a book (The Book of Marriages) and asked about the contents of this book. Yue Lao informed him how it contained marriage records and also told him that he would be destined to marry the young girl passing by them within ten years. Wei Gu was insulted and upset by this and lashed out at the girl. The next part varies story to story but the overall fact is he committed a violent act against her that either left a scar near her eyes or made her blind. He realized on his wedding night, the woman was the same one from that day because of the condition of her eyes. Followers of Yue Lao were known to wear a red bracelet or anklet to signify they wanted to find their soulmate. 

The red string of fate dictates the theming of Fate Finder in many ways. Some key moments where the red string of fate comes into play (besides Moira's power/ability to see them) are as follows: 

-The character of Yue Lao in the prologue and potentially later in the game as well. 

-Mini-game prizes based on the mythology to give more insight into the red string of fate, to act as a method of foreshadowing Moira's story, and to provide more context on the idea. 

Artwork by Mae

The story and some of this background are included later in the game when players will get to learn more about Moira's background and try to uncover whether she has a red string of fate or not. However, I wanted to provide this for you all now as well to help you understand the game more and make you wonder about the potential direction the story may take. The Fate Finder team looks forward to publishing a new demo later this year and until then we will get out dev logs frequently to inform of our progress and a look into the game development process. 

Thanks for reading!