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Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

As everyone knows, selling one's soul is one of the most cliché ways to gain power, complete a vengeance, bring someone back from the dead, get an ice cream sandwich, yada yada yada. However, I don't want to use a stereotypical reason. I am seeking help on reasons why someone would sell their soul, that makes sense and is creative.

Example of what I mean: selling your soul to cure yourself of vampirism IDK why you would do that, but just an idea

Example of what I don't want: selling your soul to bring back your brother from the dead  sammy nu i needz to save u from hell

 

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

To sell your soul for your own reasons is needlessly stupid and contrived, unless you're very sure you'll be able to beat the demon at his own game before he screws you over. After all, it's kind of stupid to sell your one guaraunteed supernatural power with vague limits that lasts eternally for something that will probably only last 90 years if you plan on getting really old any time soon. The only reason I could really find for an average joe and not Fiddler Johnny that would hold my suspension of disbelief would be selling your soul for an altruistic reason. People have a hard time accepting things that happen to other people that they can't do anything about, and when gods don't seem to answer, demons will. Then again, if they can see impending/ongoing tragedy or something, whether it's to themselves or others, maybe they'll sell their souls for it, like the Farmer in the Daniel Webster story. Nobody sells their souls to have a better than average life, or to get super powers, people sell their souls when their prayers don't work. They sell their souls when their life sucks and they can't get ahead.

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

I like the idea of someone (someone very shortsighted and not too bright) selling their soul for altruistic reasons. Well, mostly so the road to hell could literally be paved with good intentions, but that'd also be an interesting backstory for some kind of tragic villain.

Otherwise, like Sent said, I could see someone selling their soul for power only if they thought they had some loophole, or maybe if immortality were one of the powers granted.

In my little personalized vampire mythos, that's how the original vampires came about. Demons figuring someone will eventually off them, or at worst they just have to wait till the world ends to collect, and meanwhile they're going around creating lesser vampires that will be running around murdering people and damning themselves without assistance.

 

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

Playing with the "rules" of soul-sale is the only way it will be interesting; think Constantine. 

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

Well there’s the Christian loophole approach.

Basically if the devil offers you a deal for your soul, you make sure you get the best deal from him you can, reap the benefits and THEN ask Jesus to save you (or whatever it is you Christians say exactly)

The idea is, the devil technically already has your soul if you don’t ask for Jesus to save you anyway, so if you do that one thing, the devil can’t do shit to you.

Basically you can cheat the devil out of a bunch of shit and get away with it. Still pretty risky since you could die at anytime before you get Jesus to save you, but that might happen anyway.

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

You could also take the Elder Scrolls protagonist approach.

Sell your soul to EVERY god you can and:

A. Not give a shit because they’re all going to be too busy fighting with each other over your soul before any of them can actually claim it.

B. Ascend to godhood yourself making all the deals null and void in the first place.

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

It's a shame I never got to say how A would've played out.

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

I like A. I want to see the world burn.

Oh wait. Trump is president.

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

I was actually going to bring this up. Skyrim protag had a couple of good loopholes available. 

Don't forget C.) Pay off your debts by handing out dragon souls like dollar bills at a stripclub.

Sell Your Soul

8 years ago

Soul Gambler had a nice idea; essentially, the protagonist made a pact with someone, entitling him to a guide and the ability to sell his soul in exchange for anything he wanted done, but only when said guide prompted him that he could do that. For example, the protagonist has too much work piled up, so the guide asks if he wants the work to disappear, and then the player can make a choice on whether or not he will sell his soul to get rid of the work. The protagonist has a soul meter that's at 100%, and depending on how gifting the request is, the more his soul will be given away to fill that request.