Occult

Typology Occult

Total Entries 95

Representative Raja Yashi

You know how it works. Want to be a billionaire (“Get Rich Quick Scheme”), “Take Over the World”, gain infinite power, or just get back at that obnoxious “Jerk Jock”? Well, mosey on down to those crossroads (“At The Crossroads”) and Mr. S (“Louis Cycher”) will guarantee your wildest dreams (“Your Heart’s Desire”), if you just sign on the dotted line with your own blood. This trope doesn’t even require the Abrahamic Devil; any trickster (“The Tricker”), demon (“Our Demons Are Different”), or evil deity roughly equivalent (“Satanaic Archetype”) to “Satan” can be used. It reached its current version in the 16th-century legend of Faust selling his soul to Mephistopheles (who technically isn’t quite exactly Satan, but still a high-ranking demon). The basic story is far, far older, however, with Sanskrit and Sumerian tales of craftsmen making deals with demons for superlative skill, making this “Older Than Dirt”. This trope includes both literal “Magically Binding Contracts” with a literal devil, and crooked deals between any corrupt exploiter (the Mephistopheles role) and a desperate pawn (the Faust role). The exploiter can be offering anything from some shiny new “Applied Phlebotinum” to making a high school nerd popular (“In With The In Crowd”), to saving your life moments before death (“Leonine Contract”). Sometimes it has no practical value whatsoever (“Made Of Temptation”). But whatever the service, whatever the offer, there is always a price. This price can be anything — the Faust’s soul, their conscience, their firstborn, their loved ones (“Baby As Payment”), their voice, their eternal servitude, or even something that seems completely innocent — but whatever the price, it’s something that will render the Faust a lot worse off when it is paid, if not bring them to complete ruin… Unless it’s the wish itself which make people regret (“Be Careful What You Wish For”)… ~ Deal With The Devil – TV Tropes