Selling your soul...

Try doing some research on Faust (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust. A deal with the devil's often called a Faustian bargain, so you may want to look into that.

If you're dealing with soul bargaining, if there would be a physical change to your character, I would think it would be something small and nearly unnoticed. If there are a lot of supernaturals in your story, maybe they can see something right away (may be has no aura, etc.), but I would think everyday people would have no idea.

Molten

One theory on souls is that people have them, but neither angels (demons) nor animals do. The lack of a soul exempts both animals and angels (demons) from conventional human morality; for example, it is not a "sin" for either kind of creature to kill another.

The man who sells his soul must still answer for mortal blasphemy: in selling his soul, he has denied that his soul is God's. But if the soul is actually no longer his, he might act as a sociopath, feeling no connection either to God or to his fellow man, and seeing them merely as objects to be manipulated. He might remember his former connection to God, and feel terribly, desperately alone.

Demons, upon encountering a man without a soul, might well know his condition immediately - and as there are only a few ways in which a man can become soul-less, they might be most interested in who he sold it to, and for what price.

There is another theory, this one on demons. It is that demons rebelled and fell because they were jealous of man's soul. In this case, a demon encountering a soul-less man might think that man the biggest fool in the world, not worthy even of living. Or you could play it another way - that a demon would be very pleased to see that a man could be brought so low - a triumph for demonkind - a side-show freak to be shown off and laughed at.

let me see if I can suggest something. I have a lot of experience with occult stuff.

The aforementioned aura sight is a good idea. In my experience the most common reaction I have to people who are working with patently not-good entities is just an unsettling feeling ... I get vibes, rather than seeing anything specific. It feels kind of like panic ... like the feeling you get when something's really startled you very suddenly, but there's no obvious source of it. That is to say, visuals aren't necessary ... maybe you should be thinking in terms of synesthesia? Hell, I've SMELLED bad juju before, that might be a good vehicle to think about. have the guy just ... smell like rot.

If you were thinking about going the route of having a visual, instead of doing the sudden change in appearance/sudden appearance of some kind of mark thing maybe instead he should feel some kind of motivation to mark HIMSELF? Maybe he should feel driven to undergo some kind of tattoo/branding/scarring, and the desire to do so is completely impossible to ignore? It'd be more intense if he had to do something like that himself, rather than have it just sort of happen. just a suggestion though, I don't even know if you want to go that route, but personally I would find that more interesting. :D

Bah, it never occurred to me to read up on him.

I wasn't planning on him going through a lot of physical changes, I just wanted to note that was the only idea at all that I'd come up with. Besides, I think it's small and unnoticeable enough that no one would really notice, but normal humans might be a little awkward around him and not be sure why.

"With everything you've done to me, you don't want to know what I'm going to do to you."

Okay, I should really edit my post because people are getting the wrong idea about what I'm asking. I'm not very good at asking for help. Sorry.

Thanks anyway!

"With everything you've done to me, you don't want to know what I'm going to do to you."

Having animals or people be uneasy around him is a really good one. His reflection or shadow could be missing...OR they could act differently than they should, perhaps having a life of their own. Maybe their skin would feel unnaturally cold--or hot, because their soul is in the keeping of a demon? Unpleasant animals might have an attraction to them instead of a revulsion. Like insects or rats, perhaps. Maybe crows? Or such animals could attack them.

Strife Monger
Daughter of a Troll

I immediately think of that episode of the Simpsons where Bart sells his soul to Milhouse.
The animals all hated him, the automatic doors never opened for him, and he couldn't fog up a cold piece of glass when he breathed on it. There's probably more but I can't recall, haven't seen the ep in a while.

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S. Azelma Melmoth

If you're really looking to be realistic, then having no altered physical appearance or characteristics is a good idea. Light isn't going to care whether he has a soul or not, it's going to cast a shadow and create a reflection like it does with everyone else.

If it doesn't mess up the storyline too much, a better way to go about it would be to have him change mentally and emotionally. Maybe he starts out fine, but his lack of a soul makes him begin to lose his ability to empathize with other humans, leading eventually to a schizophrenic state. Or maybe his mind jumps randomly back and forth between the location of his body and the location of his soul, causing him to essentially go comatose for periods of time. There's a lot of possibility there that no one's tried yet. :)

Of course, you can still do physical changes in addition, if you want to. They just don't have as much potential as interesting plot devices, and they can become campy or cliche a lot more easily.

?

I once read a fairytale in wich a man sold his soul (very cheaply, too). He litteraly got a heart of stone. The demon kept his real heart in a jar. The man looked normal, but he had no heart-beat and his skin was cold like a corpse. He also had no empathy fol fellow beings at all and became more and more cruel.
I believe it was only when someone truly loved him (his daughter if I remember correctly?) that he realized how low he had sunk, and bargained to get his heart/soul back.

Just a random idea, and it may not work or fit what you have, but how about if he started to become hungry for the things traditionally associated with the soul, but didn't find any satisfaction in them? He could attend religious services, but walk away empty, or take long walks in the part or read poetry or listen to music, but none of that moves him?

Anyway, just a random idea while I was reading your question. Good luck on this-it sounds like an interesting idea :)

-Edward Conway
"Hunting Blueberries"

ooohhh.....

maybe he can no longer see color. or he gets a "devil's mark" kind of small welt on the skin. maybe flowers wilt if he touches them (perhaps a bit too extreme). maybe he has debilitating nightmares.

Melissa
-----(the poet who would try to write a novel)

I think his reasons and motivation for selling his soul in the first place might play into what kind of changes there are in him and how extreme they are. If, for instance, he had sold his soul for the purpose of gaining more power, there wouldn't be any mitigating influence to keep him from becoming completely and utterly corrupt. If instead he'd done it as the only possible way of saving the life (or soul) of someone he loved, the sacrificial love might help to temper or delay some of the effects. Since you've said that he does it to save his life and someone else's, it seems like he'd fall more into the latter category.

I like the idea of him having something about him that feels "off", something that animals might react to. Since I tend to think of animals as innocent, my impression would be that they'd avoid him or run from him, but that's admittedly just my opinion. I don't know if every single person still possessing a soul would necessarily sense something wrong about him. I know I'm more sensitive to certain things than other people are, and there are some people who could probably stand in the presence of Evil personified and not notice a thing; they're about as sensitive as wood blocks. If there are angels and/or demons in your story, I think they would definitely recognize him and the absence of his soul. Angels might pity him, but demons would, as someone else observed, either consider him the greatest of fools or the funniest freak in the sideshow.

As far as the corrupting influence of selling his soul goes, the best parallel I can think of there is the influence of the Ring of Power on its bearer in "The Lord of the Rings". If he started out good, it will take longer for moral corruption to take hold, but it will slowly and surely creep in; if he started out corrupt, it will quickly corrupt him absolutely. The soul is what makes us human and what ties us to other people and to the moral law that binds us; once it's gone, so is that tie and bind.

I am the depilator of bunnies.
FLEE, YE RABBITS!
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2007: Valentina's (Winner!)

Psychopaths: 2
Elves in Disguise: 3
Goths: 5
Milksops: 1
Character Deaths: 2
Characters Maimed: 1
Smart-asses: Still counting

Oo! The color idea is interesting. Thanks!

"With everything you've done to me, you don't want to know what I'm going to do to you."

I was planning to hint a bit at demons and pacts in my story, so I do have some thoughts on this.

The soul, according to theory, is what defines us as being human. A machine can act (with mechanic arms or otherwise) and think (like a computer). The soul I believe (if we follow this theory) allows you to appreciate crisps over chocolate, can make you teary eyed over a beautiful sunset, and gives us inspiration to try completely new things in life. In my view the soul is everything silly and eratic in humans, that which machines or animals don't have.

One without a soul as such could experience life as losing dept, a flat and bland passing of time. The soul is what gives life that magic touch.

Demons I think would recognise one that has sold his soul - not because of a mark or anything, but because in him they do not see the spark of faith that all humans (should) have.

"Man makes his world, or is crushed by the world made by others."

My first thought on this, after reading the post that mentioned becoming a sociopath was that as soon as he lost his soul, he might stop caring. In particular, that he might stop caring about the person whose life he saved by selling his soul. I think that might be very powerful in a story.

As for changes, I think that would be the main one: that success and survival would become more important. He might still do things for people, but the motivation would be more selfish (if I'm nice to her, maybe she'll do something for me later). I think, too, that since he's still alive and human, he might be bored/apathetic and not understand why, because that spark of life would be gone. He might not associate it with the loss of the soul, especially if he didn't remember the bargain.

As for physical changes (not that you are only wanting them, but because I don't think this post would be complete without it), one thing that occurs to me is the superstition that streetlights go out when a witch walks by. I know he's not a witch, exactly, but one definition of a witch is someone who has sold their soul to the devil for power. With all the "automatic" lights and things, this might be a realistic change that could happen.

Edit: I just had another thought: my mother has an artificial hip, and anytime she puts a keycard, credit card, laundry card -- anything that has a magnetic strip -- into the pocket of that side of her body, it demagnetizes it. So, that's something, too. I know it's not at all the same thing, but it's another random sort of thing that wouldn't necessarily flag a normal person to thinking "Oh, gosh, that guy's *demonic*!"

The Mirror Crack'd: Literary Dark Fantasy? Symbolism, Archetypal Plots, and Insanity, oh my! And, psst... what's with all the dwarves?

What about him feeling unfulfilled by things he does. Someone mentioned going to the church services and leaving feeling empty. What about other things like this? Doing a good deed doesn't make him proud, eating a great meal doesn't make him feel full and satisfied, seeing someone hurt doesn't bring about sympathy.

I also thought that maybe he doesn't experience emotions quite the same. Maybe he just has a mediocre feeling 100% of the time. No highs and no lows.

Mel / Calliopes.Sin
ML of Adelaide, Australia
Moderator: Character & Plot Realism Q&A and Chick Lit.

Actually, I like the idea of the negative vibes that people (or even just some people) pick up on. On the other hand, it gives me the creeps... I have a friend that gives off a strange vibe.

I always thought the soul was the driving force inside our bodies, and if it left, the body would be like a car without a driver, and die.

(ditto the 'funny feeling'. I give that off myself.)

I've enslaved my muse. Either she works or she gets beaten.

Actally me and my dad both kill watches. Any sort of clock work just slows to a hault if where whereing it. There are some watches that don't (which are expensive so I just buy digital ones from the dollar store). That's something off you could add, and 'causes less questions then doors not opening and street lights going out. My friend calls it engery vampirism or something and got into and long ramble about how I must be over conponsating for soemthing and how girl's are supposed to be happy and give off energy and stuff. I just ignored him and kept playing DDR. Kicked his ass to.

I finished a novel last summer that I'm trying to get published that actually deals with a LOT of similar ideas of what you are talking about. It took 12 years to write and I managed to gather a lot of information on this type of subject. Let me know if you want to discuss any of it because there can be some really interesting effects you can use for this type of situation, not to mention there are "proper" ways of going about selling one's soul.

It might help make your story more believable to those out there with a good grasp on arcane knowledge.

:-/ Well of course I'm interested.

"With everything you've done to me, you don't want to know what I'm going to do to you."

What really great suggestions.
I really like previous ideas of him feeling different or rather not feeling. If everything that makes life worth living slowly loses all pleasure for him. And what if he can remember that things tasted smelled, felt better. He can't remember what it was like but has a growning frustration knowing things were different but not remembering how. Almost like an emotional or sensory Alzheimer’s Disease.

Also a possibility of how people might treat him, what if they pitied him, if they weren;t scared of him or hated him but just felt pity for him no matter what he accomplished, and no one but him knew why.

There's an episode of The Simpsons where Bart sells his soul to Milhouse. According to Wikipedia, Bart:
-Can't laugh at his favorite cartoons anymore
-Can't get automatic doors to open for him
-Can't go near his pets; they hate him
-Can't fog up a window by breathing on it.

That was played more for humor, but I think in the right setting it could be very creepy.

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Et in Arcadia Ego.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
-Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5

He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.
-Dr. Johnson

In "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," Hyde just looked--wrong. There are several instances where characters are asked to describe Hyde and they can't really pinpoint what about him gave them the creeps. It was something in his carriage or his expression, rather than his features or coloring, that gave them an overwhelming impression of ugliness and malevolence. That's the way I've always imagined someone soulless--feature by feature he/she'd be okay, but there's something undeniably wrong and frightening about the overall effect.
Hope that helps a bit!

I think anyone who would "sell his soul" would actually be quite popular. Very fun, in fact, great guy to be around.
OK, this might be getting a little too Biblical on you all, but.... (John 15:18). the world hates Jesus, therefore, the world would love someone who hates Jesus, so, voila! the world loves a guy who kept his soul away from Jesus.

So I'm thinking this guy would know how to PARTY, and, instead of the "weird" vibe, I think he'd give off a pleasant vibe. He'd be nonjudgemental, anything goes, totally liberal

On the other hand, if he is giving up that which makes us human, and you mean that by "selling his soul", then he would be, by definition, inhuman.

So I guess I'm sticking with the very unhelpful--but honest--line that it depends on how you defined the soul that he sold. Once you know that, the rest should be a rather straightforward extrapolation.

Wow, that sounded tons more enlightening in my head.

He has dark urges, a voice in his head that tell him terrible things to do kill, steal, rape all those nice things, his conscience is also weaker and he has no patience for anybody preaching whats 'right and wrong'. The devil could tease him with getting what he desires and tears it away from him, as painful as possible. He could also lose the person he saves near the end by his own hand becuase of the devil's promises and temptation.

How about something hidden and creepy, like an inability to dream? Still able to have REM sleep, so he wouldnt' go mental or anything, but just couldn't dream, because it's his soul that creates them. It might take him a while to notice, but I bet he'd be creeped out when he did.

Possibly he doesn't stop feeling emotion, but he stops developing it. So he'll still love someone he loved before, but he won't love anyone new. Maybe his daughter has a baby and he realises he should be moved, but he just can't find it in himself to feel anything...

What a lot of interesting things about eyes - the windows of the soul.

Here's what I used in my Nano. You're welcome to nick it, if it fits. I keep things simple, by the way, a little like the recent post 'something not quite right'. Often that's better than trying to describe in detail, which rarely comes off.

This quote is from the diary of an ordinary girl (hence the lack of abbreviation and sophistication):

'... and how he described his eyes. Thats the really odd thing. They glittered. Gleamed I think Chris said. As if they were penetrating you. Well thats not like office Lenny. But its very like Christmas Eve in the pub Lenny. Just think about it. His was like that. '

In Harry Potter dementors can suck up someone's soul, and it is said that if they do, the person without the sould would still be alive, but nothing more than an empty body, not a person anymore. I don't know if they would change physical, or if they would still move and talk and stuff, because no one has ever gotten his soul sucked out... But them not being human anymore could be interesting, though being someone that doesn't think or move anymore could be kind of uninteresting as an MC :p

Nano '06: No title (won)
Nano '07: Sweet dreams - about a kid that needs to save his dream from being trapped in a dreamcatcher...