Why Villains love Contracts

[@antares005]

I think this is why I find Eris very interesting in the Sinbad animated movie. Despite her being a Goddess of Chaos, she fulfilled the end of her deal, even when she has been embarrassed publicly. I was expecting her to renege on her deal with Sinbad and pull out a "gotcha!" moment but she stood by her word and knew when she lost.

[@robertbemis9800]

Howl’s moving castle was a great contract story where both sides of the contract were not evil

[@fulana_de_tal]

@@robertbemis9800 and (in the book at least), a contract of the same kind leads both sides towards evil, even if they weren't at the start

[@rantuoftheshadows]

she said it herself , "a god is bound by their words" and chaos is by its nature neather good or bad it simply is

[@TraciPeteyforlife]

A Goddess has to stand by her word when it comes to a deal. Else you get a bad rep

[@scottoconnell1581]

Honestly, there's nothing that promotes chaos more than a magical contract, unless it's a true prophecy...

[@Fairygoblet]

My DM wrote up an entire contract for the big bad of one of our campaigns. Pages of nonsense from essays and blog posts about everything from The Big Bang Theory to Plato. Lines of Egyptian hieroglyphs and weird symbols. And one tiny tiny line hidden deep in the middle of it all, promising our characters souls to the big bad. It was really something to behold, and fitting for something that turned out to be a chaos God.

[@Itachi45481]

huh im doing this for a campaign right now except i used a phone book and i would have them sign places and the options to look and read it and view at any time with one spot or two with saying things they are forced or bound to do

[@mango_float5666]

Time to digitalize that contract and search for key word soul, die, perish, eternity, forever, promise, BBEG's name, etc.

[@ethanhinton4549]

It's always in the fine print!

[@Fairygoblet]

@@mango_float5666 that's actually what one of the players did.

[@Madkap42]

Reminds me of Old Man Henderson's Tome of Madness backstory.

[@12DAMDO]

2 reasons actually: 1. the "deal with the devil" phenomenon 2. there's nothing more evil than being legally unable to do something about it, especially when "you consented, this is what you wanted right?" making it a guilt-trip as well, while the villain is taking advantage of you... it is the purest way of screwing someone over.. which is probably why _some_ people think lawyers are sociopaths

[@LowestofheDead]

Add the fact that we enter into these contracts all the time in real life. Ever clicked a button saying "Agree to Cookies"?

[@12DAMDO]

@@LowestofheDead "ever clicked on a button saying agree to cookies" no actually, i don't like it when my computer gets slow and i hate it when advertisers can see my internet data... you should NEVER accept cookies, i swear

[@jasonreed7522]

There is one thing better than a legally binding contract, a supernatural contract where the universe itself (or a god teir being) enforces the contract. With 2 varients being that the contract is either literally unbreakable or has insane consequences that you really don't want to face for breaking them.

[@laith8116]

@@12DAMDO how could you! I love food.

[@12DAMDO]

@@laith8116 lol

[@helrem]

I like to think that the issue of contracts is explained by two things: 1.- As a way to demonstrate that villains are not just wild monsters with disordered thoughts and that they can become quite educated and refined, surpassing even heroes in terms of charisma 2.- As an example of how their influence and manipulation capabilities can corrupt even the legal spheres

[@ghostface490]

What's the third thing? Because I only see two.

[@helrem]

@@ghostface490oh, it just a typo

[@ArkBlanc]

Story idea: a lawyer gets isekai’d into a magical world and defeats the big bad by using his/her extreme penchant for memorizing law and contracts

[@Voltamatum]

So basically Ace Attorney but with magic

[@curiousyash8280]

i bet that will literally be the title of anime

[@greenhat8978]

​@curiousyash8280 Probably so but I would like a title Along the lines of "Magical Laws and how not to break them." Or Maybe something simple like "The Greatest Contract"

[@charlebrownga]

​@@greenhat8978 how to chain a demonlord

[@monke7566]

​@@charlebrownga i bet this exists somewhere

[@BennysGamingAttic]

A TV series about a fairytale lawyer who helps people navigate out of predatory mystical contracts would be great.

[@Skittenmeow]

There's a character in Terry Pratchett's TIffany Aching series that fits this role quite well. The Toad became a toad by being the lawyer suing the fairy godmother for not really fulfilling a client's wish. So then he becomes a toad lawyer who takes on the queen of the fairies amongst others.

[@MacheTheFerret]

Better Summon Saul

[@CreamCakes420]

Get them out of their bad contracts so they can rope them into a worse contract

[@AT7outof10]

Alfur in the cartoon Hilda is basically that.

[@michielwitteveen6676]

the Webtoon Simon Sues is basicly that

[@StarlasAiko]

Rather than finding a loophole, I would like to see a protag win against the demon by malicous compliance, honouring the contract to the most painful effect foer the demon, basically doing to the wishmaster what the wishmaster intended to do to the protag.

[@Scatmanseth]

This is done commonly in comedic works. It doesn’t typically work on a demon in a serious setting because they’re almost inherently legalistic creatures.

[@samueljo7910]

Sooooo... the "mischievous genie who requires specific commands otherwise they get interpreted extremely maliciously" plotline except for the protagonist?

[@diablo.the.cheater]

@@samueljo7910 OP is a genie confirmed

[@anachronity9002]

Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy is sort of an example of this. The kids win the test of skill though, so it's less malicious compliance and more forcing the reaper to honor his contract in the most humiliating and debasing way possible.

[@vladyvhv9579]

I don't recall where I saw this play out in a non-comedy horror setting. But I do recall seeing or reading it at some point in the past 32 years... Though, honestly, it was more of a case of villain vs villain than hero vs villain... Essentially, the contract broker picked the wrong signer to mess with. Someone who had likely been a broker many times before and knew how to manipulate this sort of situation in such a way that the broker honestly feared the signer's actions more than the consequences of breaking the contract. And like I said... It wasn't a comedy situation, so it really left me thinking "Holy Crap... How is that level of malicious evil even possible?"...

[@iceninja1997]

"Its nothing personal. Its just business" *rolls a long ass paper that wraps around the world* "Sign here"

[@AD_A.M]

"Villainous" That was what your comment reminded me

[@blueberrymk.1091]

I remembered The Snatcher because of you

[@ssboth6255]

Meanwhile, Spamton : HEY, LIGHT NER WANT SOME [Hyperlink Blocked]? IT ONLY COST YOUR [HeartShapedObject] AND YOUR [Kromer]!.. … … … … please lightener, answer my deal…..

[@ciffet_muffin]

@@ssboth6255 No string attached?

[@animebrat76]

Nothing says “your soul is mine” more than that type of contract.

[@_hadoken]

As a lawyer who got a B in Contracts in law school, I think this absolves me of being a villain.

[@animelvr99]

That's what a villain would say...

[@AttemptedJustice]

As a lawyer who excelled in contracts and now works in the legal Dept of a workers union, I’d like to argue it is not the strengths that make the villian, but the heart

[@garlicamvs6235]

@@AttemptedJusticeso what your saying is that your planning the end of the world in 3 months

[@RICK-APEX]

@@AttemptedJusticelove this! 😂

[@williamhoskin5703]

@@AttemptedJusticeseems like something a villain in disguise would say. I will not be signing your contracts

[@frostkitsunelive7661]

One of my absolute favorite forms of a "contract" actually came in the anime No Game No Life. Where the beast race forces any that play by their rules to sign a contract to never share information of the games they play so long as they live. The king of Imanity abides by this, and loses. But he plays the long con, and instead of speaking it... writes down everything in a hidden journal that Sora and Shiro, the new King and Queen, find and use to beat the Beast race. It's an incredibly smart way of using your own death to cheat the contract.

[@lpfan4491]

That is precisely why a "as long as you live"-clause is automatically flawed.

[@Daemonworks]

In fact, the series generally functions entirely around what amounts to negotiated contracts. All conflict in the world can only be settled through games, by decree of the only remaining god, the god of games, and the terms of that game are agreed on by the participants. They can be just about anything, and the results are binding, enforced as necessary by the god's power, including slavery, death, feeling specific emotions, etc. The god has set some general limits, but they allow for all manner of shenanigans. Most notably, cheating results in a forfeit, but only if definitively caught in the act, making it an entirely valid strategy provided you can pull it off. It's seen as a perfectly valid strategy.

[@SuperSylar]

I like the concept that the broker is very powerful, if not already a reality bender of the sort, that likes to cause mayhem and despair, but still offers a contract because enjoys even more knowing the cause of misfortunes was the signer that either or both agreed with shady terms or fell for the written trap.

[@ButterflyScarlet]

Yeah I think that's the case in stories where the Broker is a demon of some sort. If you wanna get biblically canon (or fanon I guess since this idea was codified by the Faustian contract) demons cannot force you to sin. They can only provide temptation and it is up to you to either resist or fall, hence a deal

[@Echa37-H37]

Sounds like Master mirror from Witcher 3, if I recall correctly

[@sweetkuridreamer]

Sounds like hags from DnD

[@zaidanhakim4974]

somehow reminds me of Sheogorath from the elder scrolls

[@ddded_o1]

Gravity falls that's all I will say

[@PuppyLuver256]

My favorite instance of this is probably the Subcon Forest chapter of A Hat in Time. Basically every mission is laid out in the form of a contract from a being called the Snatcher, and while he does force Hat Kid (the player) into the first one in exchange for her soul cuz he needs a new lackey for a bit, they *are* all mutually beneficial cuz you get one of the main collectible things for doing each one. Best part is after the inevitable boss battle, he writes up a new contract to make Hat Kid leave and even gives her soul back and another of the important collectibles with no strings attached... only for Hat Kid to scribble all over this contract's original terms of "get out" and "take all your junk" and replace them with her own conditions of "stay and have fun" and "be my bff". Love that lil chaos gremlin of a kid XD

[@InsanityForce]

I thought it was Snatcher on the thumbnail at first... And I'm honestly surprised it's not.

[@PuppyLuver256]

@@InsanityForce Same, honestly, that might be what prompted me to comment about him in the first place XD

[@0MajorMeilani0]

eyyyyyyyy same thought of him too. he's a prime example for sure lol

[@tricksterdim]

Such a good game, I always thought Hat kid was absolutely adorable and that the contract measures are certainly unique for hat in time

[@Smieska_13]

Lmao same same

[@approximateCognition]

One very interesting kind of reaction to these kind of "supernatural contracts" that wasn't mentioned in this video is the way most Devil contracts are set up in Chainsawman; the power of human stubbornness. It leads characters to go knowingly into contracts with devils that often physically mutilate them as part of the terms, and can shorten their lifespan by decades, in return for the power to do *something* the character thinks the value of which trumps any such payment to the devil whose power they'll be borrowing. Things like revenge, or loyalty, or "power", but not the kind to stay in power with, but to change the future framework within which power is held. And considering the devils in CSM are the physical manifestations of humanity's fears, the dynamic becomes even stranger. People willingly and knowingly giving parts of themselves up to incarnations of fear, because they're too stubborn not to.

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

What about being stubborn enough to find a way out of their end of the contract?

[@approximateCognition]

@@ShadeSlayer1911 breaking a devil contract leads to a predetermined, unavoidable "punishment" (usually death). This is true for *both* parties. Although the meaning of death for a devil isn't quite the same as for a human. The devil as an individual dies, but another devil representing the same fear is born in its place.

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

@@approximateCognition and yet... Stubbornness. I like stories where an unbelievably stubborn human somehow manages to outsmart a devil creature. As unbelievable as that is, I enjoy that. But I also can't think of a story where that happens.

[@talesofacrookedmouth]

@@ShadeSlayer1911 Funnily enough, Chainsaw Man does it. Oh and Dr.Strange did it in the first movie with the time loop against ...err Dormamu was his name?

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

@@talesofacrookedmouth huh, does the bargain with dormamu really count?

[@trevorhaddox6884]

The idea of a demon ending up as boiler fuel in a steam cruise ship is hilarious.

[@Darealcyclic]

Now I wanna write this lmao-

[@Vinemaple]

Kind of like a fire daemon like Calcifer got caught by a much nastier wizard...

[@hhjhj393]

Fire elementals being used to power stuff is pretty old I think. Elementals being bound to weapons, or airships, etc.

[@OmegaTheSillyWolf]

As someone who plays the game, I don't typically see Morax (Zhongli/Rex Lapis) pop up in my writing advice videos and you can imagine my happy surprise lol. I find his role as the god of contracts and his moral greyness very interesting and very fitting for him as a character and many of the characters from Genshin are morally grey in their own way

[@aqua5552]

Do you have a timestamp?

[@aqua5552]

Ok yep it's 3:53

[@BigSisAne]

I remember making a joke contract with my younger brother, who bragged that he could go a month without sugary snacks or junk food. His words were that it would be extremely easy and he would do it for $30. I clearly stated that he wouldn't be able to get fast food, pastries or any chocolate or candy for the month, else he'd have to pay me back $9 for every time he failed. He didn't last 2 weeks lol. I let him keep the money because the whole thing was way too funny to watch. Update: clearly he hasn't learnt his lesson of not taking challenges because just last night he bragged he could survive a week without electricity for $100. Boy you have no idea how much you'll suffer... No, I am not going to do that. He is 14 and most of his homework is online anyway. I'm a sadist but not that much.

[@LuminousWhispers11]

Well, on the plus side it was a good learning experience. Now, he will pay extra attention to contracts. 😇

[@dakrabking]

@𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩 shut it bot

[@blindey]

@@LuminousWhispers11 Seems it wasn't a learning experience after all. Maybe actually losing the money will make it stick. x3

[@LuminousWhispers11]

@@blindey 😂 It is a totally a shame. But then again people do need to learn the hard way sometimes.

[@kazemizu]

....doesn't everything have sugar in it nowadays??

[@invaderfrombeyond]

7:55 I'm sure it's been said countless times, but "Devil Went Down to Georgia" is such a fun story/song. Johnny literally said "Yeah sure, we can have a violin-off; I don't care if what I'm doing is against God himself because there is no way I'm letting the Devil walk around thinking he's better than me at fiddling." (I also like to consider the Primus cover music video as canon) where instead of the fiddle being forgotten about after being rewarded to Johnny, Johnny instead just punts the fiddle back to the Devil because he didn't even want the reward in their deal, he literally just wanted to flex on Satan. And as a side-note for those who haven't heard the legendary classic somehow: the Devil straight up cheats and brings in a whole demon band complete with an insane walking bassline, my dude still loses.

[@TheTaleFoundry]

Always loved that detail in the Primus video, super poignant way to say that it was never about the reward at all! -Benji, showrunner

[@IronDino]

@@UrsulaMajor I actually read some extended lyrics to similar effect that the Devil engineered a lose-lose contract with Johnny should accept, and even if Johnny won, he's still be sent to hell due to his Pride.

[@Karaly3000]

When I listened to "Devil Went Down to Georgia" for the first time, I was in awe because it was so good, but I was also surprised because there is a legend, a very old folk tale really, in my Country. It tells the story of a kinda singer/poet (I don't think there's a word in english for his profession) from the plains (people who lived there were similar to your cowboys) that had something like a musical duel with the devil. A writer from my Country wrote a long poem about it. The poem is epic and it makes you feel like this battle is a "humanity vs evil" sort of thing. On a scary night, the devil, dressed all in black and riding a black horse, challenges the singer, and he accepts because he always accepts any challenge. However, the legend tells you all of this happened because the singer was so skillful he started bragging, telling everybody he was so good he could beat even the devil.

[@the1necromancer]

@@IronDino Pride in one's ability is not the same as pride before God.

[@get6149]

@@the1necromancer it was pride before God though. he put his pride before God he says he knows its probably a sin and did it anyway. but if your Christian you know you can make a deal with the devil when your young and dumb. but if you find God and seek his forgiveness no contract with the devil is unbreakable to him.

[@dudster0624]

When you pulled out the contract and said “deal?” All the contract red flags the media has shown me went off. That line was hilarious

[@AegixDrakan]

Same, yo. I audibly said "I ain't signin' shit, buddy" XD

[@ArcLightShock37]

I've always enjoyed the trope of the gracious deity, devil or otherwise ascendant being who's quite pleased to be 'beaten' and sends the hero off with applause. Asmodeus from Pathfinder is quite like that. Every contract has an out, including the creation contract that states someday all creation will become his to rule. He is always given greater pleasure in dealing with clever people who outwit his (or his servants') contracts than he is in winning, though he enjoys that too.

[@bemusedbandersnatch2069]

One of the most satisfactory stories involving contracts is the anime *Puella Magi Madoka Magica* in which the terms of the contract are faithfully but maliciously fulfilled in such a way as to drive the signer mad until...well you'd need to see the series finale but suffice it to say its very satisfying.

[@TenebraeXVII]

The issue isn't that the wishes are granted maliciously but rather that the people making the wishes tend to be extremely bad at being honest about what they really want and those lies incur a heavy debt to truth. The lucky ones die against Witches before Truth comes to collect its due.

[@phenixphangorn]

I've always been quite fond of contracts as a plot device, to the point where I've made the protagonists of a few of my stories "Brokers". Clever by nature, actively seeking deals with others, but always, ALWAYS, bound by their word, no matter how poorly that might go for them.

[@Dr._Elysium295]

Thats roughly how demons work in my stories, contracts give them power but also bind them to the terms regardless of outcome.

[@jacobrutzke691]

What stories have you guys made

[@erikhu3806]

I'd read one of those story's

[@eugenides04]

I played a character like this in a D&D campaign. He was very diplomatic, never once told a lie or made a Deception role, just made good deals and connections and kept his word. Ended up having his deals backed by the influence of a Queen he helped secure the throne, and later by the magics of a boon granted to him by an Archfey as the result of a series of other deals. Easily my favorite character I've ever played.

[@alexwhitlock6791]

@𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩 your contract has expired

[@andro_king]

I love these types. One especially well written one that comes to mind is Bill Cipher, as he both comes into existence to make a contract and is erased from existence by making a contract.

[@pauldeddens5349]

Bills defeat was incredible. Especially because the way he got tricked, not by a failure in the contract, but being blinded by his own greed that he couldnt even tell Stanley and Stanford apart.

[@Broomer52]

I love honest villains that are nonetheless tricky. Characters like Bill who despite all their schemes always honor their deals, Monokuma who despite wanting death and despair, has rules he’s not willing to break and the heroes count on his willingness to follow his own rules to outsmart him.

[@littlevirus3562]

One character that comes to mind to me is snatcher from a hat in time, well, when you first meet him, it's pretty much: you get to survive! But with a catch, you will have to trade your soul, and actually do some business with snatcher, well, until your contact expires, then it gets interesting, to snatcher, to you, you die, unless you survive like hat kid, if you actually survive, he will actually create death wishes for you, trading a very challenging challenge to you in trade of something you want, probably that it looks like your old advantures but harder

[@thebreaddealer4942]

Moans with plessuree

[@Rexy_THE_T-REX]

The devil in cuphead comes to mind

[@artemispage6405]

A version of this that's a personal favorite of mine is in the indie game A Hat In Time, specifically with the devilish character Snatcher and the slippery player character Hat Kid. It's a situation of "sign it or die" at first, but there are multiple clear-cut contracts that you can sign only if you step into his traps. These are contracts so clear cut in fact that Snatcher both isn't affected and, as he comments, isn't legally obligated to reward you for their completion. These contracts are, as an aside, things he could very easily do himself, but he doesn't because why bother when a contractor could do it for him? But he also rewards you anyways, out of principle to motivate you into doing more. What's most interesting is what happens afterwards. He gives you what you initially put on the line (after trying to kill you and you whooping his butt) and doesn't actively try to kill you again. He may be butthurt about it, but if you sign his Death Wish contracts, he makes sure you don't actually "die" so that you can complete them proper. Even makes it easier if you're struggling and gives little (sometimes helpful) tips on what to do. As a matter of fact, he becomes more and more friendly as a result of you besting him and sticking around to help him even when you didn't really need to. Even inviting you to mess with someone else he really doesn't like.

[@seam1279]

I'm glad people bring up A Hat In Time in these types of discussions. I do love the game and appreciate what Snatcher brings to the story.

[@normanclatcher]

@𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩 *cool story, bro*

[@rosykindbunny1313]

Idk about you, but if my ex murdered me, I'd definitely get someone else to break into her house instead of me doing it.

[@lemonadesnake]

@@rosykindbunny1313 that’s sad tho they get the cool cookies

[@rosykindbunny1313]

@@lemonadesnake I'll make them steal the cookies for me!

[@Cerebrum123]

Ariel, in the animated Disney adaptation, signed the contract to be able to go to the human world and be a part of it, something she always wanted. Eric was just the catalyst that Ursula used to help sell the deal even more. Ursula is such a salesman that she has convinced the audience that it was only ever about a chance at love. I actually do have an idea about how to use this now but I will save that for my next work. That is if I can ever finish my current one.

[@andrewrivera190]

“No, no, Johnny - it's all you. You're the best. And I'm your greatest fan. The posters, the video games, the crowds screaming, chanting, "Johnny, Johnny, Johnny." It makes me so proud. It's like watching an investment that keeps growing and growing until the day you cash it in.” - Mephisto, Ghost Rider 2007

[@Drakonaut]

I do like that you mention Ursula in the fact that her contract was fully legitimate, but she had to fully intervene to make the signer lose, or hope that they wouldn't be able to pay back. One of the better versions of this scenario.

[@extremelight9258]

My favorite version of this trope is the "dapper devil" who tricks characters into making a deal with him, like Bill Cipher or Maxwell the puppet master.

[@Camicamisinho]

dont starve? 😄

[@extremelight9258]

@@Camicamisinho Yes, that Maxwell.

[@hoangblox9991]

Do they dap ?

[@starboundsingularity]

Ooh, I was looking through the comments waiting for the inevitable Bill Cipher comment, but I hadn't expected the Maxwell appreciation! You have great taste!

[@IndustrialParrot2816]

the snatcher is another great one and he sounds like a scummy business man

[@AdrianUmbra]

So I feel like this video missed an important Broker archetype that bears mentioning: Brokers whose power is inherent in or who compulsively make contracts. Devils who can only operate between ink on parchment or a Fae who can’t turn down a favor freely offered. Gives an interesting weakness for heroes or greater villains to exploit and sets up boundaries for operations.

[@anachronity9002]

I like these a lot, and this is what makes faeries my favorite villains in the Harry Dresden book series.

[@thekoifishcoyote8762]

Not really missed, since that falls into the "contract holder has rules" thing, but definitely not in detail

[@TheDarkdoomful]

This reminds me of the way Supernatural did Demon Contracts. As you would expect, you sell your soul to a Crossroads Demon and they warp reality to give you your wish. For a good section of the early seasons, when Demons were still relevant on the power scale, it seemed like these reality warping Demons were offering to use their power for mortals as a way of getting souls in Hell. And then at some point, one of these Crossroads Demons allies themselves with the protagonists for their own reasons and the group gets into major trouble, with the only protagonist available to rescue the others bound to a wheelchair after getting paralyzed from the waist down in a fight. Previously the Crossroads Demons had been shown to be able to heal any wound, even revive the dead. So with the only two Team Good Guy people being the old wheelchair bound man and the rogue Crossroads Demon, the old man asks the Demon to heal him so they can go rescue the others. That's when the Demon reveals he can't heal him. The Crossroads Demons arn't any more powerful than a regular Demon. The power to reality warp as they do doesn't actually come from them, it comes from the spiritual weight of freely giving up one's place in Heaven by turning it over to someone else. It's the soul that's actually warping reality, the Demon is just facilitating it and guiding it. The Demon says that even if he wanted to, he cannot heal the old man unless the old man sells the Demon his soul. He even reveals that there isn't actually anything stopping the Demon from just freely giving the soul back to the old man after the deal is done, as at that point, it's the Demon's property to do with as he wishes, including just giving it back. And in fact, the Demon swears to do exactly that, to immediately return it. Of course, that moment ends up being a pivotal point in the relationship between Team Good Guy and that Demon, as the mentor of Team Good Guy has to trust the legitimately evil and vile Demon with his soul. Meanwhile the Demon has to trust that the Old Man wont immediately destroy the demon once his soul is returned. The Old Man goes through with it, but the Demon ends up refusing to return it...at least until the two of them save the other protagonists, because the Demon still doesn't trust that the other protagonists wont destroy him on sight as soon as they're rescued, and wants to prove to everyone that he's on their side by returning it in front of everyone. That mistrust on the Demon's part is actually why the Protagonists don't end up using this, essentially unlimited Deus Ex Machina, again.

[@Kartoffelkamm]

Yeah, those kinds of characters are great. One character in a fanfiction I'm writing has a power like that: Basically, it ensures that the user and another person both get what they were promised by the other, as long as both parties agree to the deal. It even has the side effect of making both parties temporarily unaware of outside circumstances, so it couldn't even be used to pressure someone who's about to die into a predatory deal, because they'd forget they're about to die once the power becomes active. But on the other hand, if you promise to act a certain way, you're basically signing away your free will, unless you adhere to the contract.

[@АртёмЩукин-я2х]

@@Kartoffelkamm what was the fanfic called?

[@ambulance-kun5915]

One of the unique things that other Main characters NEVER do, is try to edit the contract to make it more... fair, which is what A Hat in Time does (although it's in a funny non-serious way)

[@sfisher923]

Madoka Magica - What makes it stand out is that the "Contract making Villain" is tough to classify as a Villain

[@normanclatcher]

‌ ^ ^ ✓(◕﹏◕)

[@michaeledmunds7056]

#KyubiDidNothingWrong

[@heruiksanudin8942]

​@@michaeledmunds7056 Those girls should read the term and conditions right ?

[@RoiGBoi]

​@@heruiksanudin8942I mean to be fair they were mostly preteens who haven't had world experiences yet, and Kyubey did show his conniving nature by ommitting important details about how magical girls work

[@CrowQQ]

​@@RoiGBoiyou never asked about how this specifically works ;^)

[@fuzzynuttz5092]

Can be explained in three words, that being "The fine print"

[@hypermaeonyx4969]

Moral of the story: Read the fine print

[@Ymryrth]

Moral of the Story: Never trust somebody with a tie

[@carolinelabbott2451]

Now you got me humming the Stupendium's song in my head. Darn it. "Now sign here, here, and initial here. Welcome to the family."

[@aaronlopez5163]

@@hypermaeonyx4969 when noone reads the tos

[@Shadowmancer711]

@@carolinelabbott2451 I was looking for this exact comment.

[@lazarusthibodeaux]

Rumpelstiltskin and Genies are an interesting concept. Imagine having the power to do anything but you can only accomplish it by the will of another person to enter into an agreement with you.

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

So really, you don't have any power if you go by the definition that it is the ability to enact your will

[@eavyeavy2864]

@@DKNguyen3.1415 no, without contract you cant even hope to do anything

[@takethecrown6781]

That is extremely deep

[@nevadastreak]

Whats crazy about Rumpelstiltskin for me was that he got angry and became powerless when the princess knew his name. That was so odd. Then later on i learned about exorcisms -- the priest needs to know the demon's name to banish them. Are those related??

[@silverstar7187]

​@nevadastreak Wasn't the reason he got angry because the Princess knowing his name terminated the contract? Unless I'm thinking of a different version of the story

[@darkfalcon7856]

One thing I would like would be a "Deal with the Devil" scenario, where the only thing the Devil gets out of the deal is the Signer's soul (or a bit of amusement), and the Signer, with their new power, go down a road of self-destruction and cosign themselves to evil. The Devil comes out, and the Signer blames them, and the Devil just tells them that the contract doesn't change them, they changed themselves.

[@jakobr4384]

A really good example of this is actually found in the story Freischutz, where a man signs a deal with the Devil to get seven magical bullets that will always find their mark - but the seventh will kill the person he loves most. So to divest himself of that grief, he goes and kills everyone he loves to try and escape the pain of that seventh bullet. In doing so, he ends up shooting himself with that last magical bullet, as he was willing to kill everyone but himself to ensure *he* got off scot-free. The Devil didn't make him kill the people he loved; it was that man himself who made the decision to become a murderer. "At the end of the road, the man wondered why the Devil wasn't beside him. Then he realized; his soul had been dragged into Hell from the very beginning."

[@blindey]

That comes up in a webcomic I read, the order of the stick. Its ramification hasn't come up yet so I'm just waiting in the back of my mind for that shoe to drop, amid everything else that's happening.

[@giantmastersword]

Sounds a bit like Death Note

[@hircineshunter5896]

​@@giantmasterswordCame here to say the same 😂😂😂

[@101jir]

That's most of them, honestly. Haven't finished the stories already mentioned by commenters, but that's pretty much how every Twilight Zone episode featuring this trope goes as well. Though it is often demonstrated that they were already on that road. In one case he does get himself out of it and mends his ways, which had started declining even before the contract.

[@olandir]

I'd love an exploration into other types of contracts that show up in stories, like divine contracts. A contract between a mortal and a divine entity that gives them power but can be taken away if the mortal does something specific and/or has a loophole that can be exploited but only if the signee gives it away to the villain (think Samson and Delilah). Or maybe even contractors where the being with power has a neutral morality and is not seeking to get anything out of the character and the story is about how they choose to use/abuse that power.

[@Sorain1]

"You get enormous personal power and zero oversight." "What do you get out of it?" "Entertainment."

[@connerduncan3574]

I'd love to see a situation where the villain repents but is unable to do the right thing because he is still bound to his agreement as the broker.

[@yourmomissougly]

I guess kind of happened in Maleficent where she tries to reverse the curse but is unable to

[@longshot9757]

A very interesting look at contracts as a plot device! Thoughtful, insightful, and practical. Thank you for birthing this into the world!

[@tywren2486]

I remember an interesting story involving a contract between a kingdom and a dragon. The dragon defends the kingdom, and the kingdom pays a tribute to the dragon. The moral was that the dragon was defending the neighboring kingdoms by keeping the kingdom it was defending too poor to raise an army to go to war.

[@irenmorningstar]

What was the name of this story?

[@ElmKyh]

@@irenmorningstar yeah I need to know too

[@nostamors4705]

same

[@mariox204]

I mean they are too poor to raise and army because they have a FU***** DRAGON so basically the military budget was good spended if the werent a belicouse kingdom then it was just good

[@eclipseandflaresgacha]

Same

[@spoon1710]

When it comes to contracts, my personal favorite source of inspiration is Rumple Stiltskin. Even though in his portrayal in media and stories didn't have that many contracts, the very upfront delivery of the terms of the contract without any hidden clauses while still getting ten times as the other party makes it a favorite of mine. The other being Lucifer from Lucifer with just owing a favor. Favor's are a powerful things, especially when it comes to powerful beings, you can't help but oblige. The best archetype of "contract brokers" or deal maker is the one that have nearly no other powers outside of making contracts and deals and just pure innate or learnt charisma

[@pauldeddens5349]

Im writing a character who is a bit of a hivemind creature. A sentient mushroom that covers an entire island, and is mysterious in its origin and how much control it has. It uses favors as a currency since it has no real need for money. In the climax of the story, defected hivemind mushrooms attempt to kill the main hivemind to make room for themselves, since they will die without nutrients from the soil, and the hivemind will kill them if it realizes it has defected spores. The main character sacrifices herself trying to fight the defectors, as a favor to the now powerless hivemind that gave her many generous favors to set her life afloat.

[@reginaprince3020]

I think my favourite way this has ever been done is Rumplestilzkin in Once Upon a Time. He had making contracts down to a point, it was really well done. So much so that you sometimes wonder why other characters still make deals with him

[@lilalino]

i just wanted to say that this comment makes me happy ^^ i came to the comment section to look for comments about him, but didn't really expect to find any. I'm currently watching once upon a time, and i absolutely love Rumple ^^

[@Laura_183-]

I am truly happy that you showed genshin impact "God of contacts" as one of the examples! As not all people who are bond by contacts are evils as zhongli shows it, although he wants to give information about the protagonist's sibling,he can't because he is bound by his own contact with a superior power of their world just so he could protect his nation. He is like one of the people who is actually a good person but must do bad things to keep his loved ones save.

[@theoverseer393]

Bill cipher’s handshake contracts made the story what it was TBQH. Absolutely great

[@eavyeavy2864]

Lies

[@aarav6947]

@@eavyeavy2864?

[@wormius51]

I think the contract idea happens in stories often also because it's a scary thing that happens alot in the real world. It's relatable.

[@luiscortazar6291]

One of my favorite contracts from fiction was from an episode of iCarly. Sam convinces Freddy to sign a contract and work on her website, and they share the profit 50/50. By signing it, he has to make whatever changes she desires to improve the website. Exhausted and agitated he breaks the contract. Sam sells the website with all the improvements Freddy made, and the money Freddy was entitled to is no longer his. Sam made a seemingly fair contract, abused it to her advantage, and let signer break it, to reep the rewards of his work.

[@curtisleblanc5897]

That's evil

[@TL-rt3kz]

i don’t know how to explain this but watching this video was so satisfying. he covered every base and every possible counter argument and addressed every aspect of these character’s experiences. love it.

[@vantretiredargumentativedu7763]

Okay building that narrative of unforeseen consequences and jumping immediately into a Skillshare ad is perfect.

[@roni_foxcoon]

Signer: i want power! Broker: okay but first. Sign this contract. Signer: ho, do you want my soul in exchange? Broker: no, this is a liability contract. Signer: wait... what?

[@Vlad2319]

Broker: Yeah, I'm not dealing with the crap after you do what you want with this power. Or what it can do to you.

[@Some_Really_Random_Dude.]

I think specifically with the Fey Folk. Whether from D&D or any other work of fiction. It is usually not the thing stipulated in the contract that they want. It's the game that they want. They want that sparring match of wits. That doesn't mean they want to lose, but losing is part of the game too.

[@Hanmacx]

"May i have your name?"

[@kacperdrabikowski5074]

Take my sincere thanks!

[@simamisgrape]

@@Hanmacx “You may call me Elly”

[@plusarik8879]

They don't want to win or cause pain, they just want to play

[@PyroTech03]

The voodoo guy in the opening is one I like. He can't use his power for himself, so the contract allows him to use his power for someone else and manipulate the situation.

[@hhjhj393]

I think a big reason why contracts are so beloved is usually it shows how much the character cares about something which people usually like. "He sold his soul to the devil to save his loved ones". Awwwwwww "He sold his soul to the devil to unlock all the mysteries of the universe". It just adds weight and gravity.

[@Excalibur-Sonic]

I like Snatcher from HiT. He wanted to be a lawyer and uses that in his contracts against people.

[@Leader7353]

​@@Endabro39he's also a lawyer

[@aaron6622]

The thing I always enjoyed most about Squid Games was in episode 2. The entire premise of the show is one (non-supernatural) deal with the devil, but it's also very clear that the characters' problems don't go away without the villains. Even if every villain in the TV show didn't exist, the characters would still be on the brink of financial ruin, and all the games really do is offer them an opportunity to get out, even if it is a terrible gamble.

[@alyssinclair8598]

It's pretty overt that it's critiquing societal issues, not the villains themselves

[@aaron6622]

@@alyssinclair8598 Yeah, but there's still a deal with the devil involved in agreeing to participate in the games. It still plays with this trope, but in a way in which the villains don't actually create the conflict; they just change the subject from financial danger to physical danger.

[@johnpark4650]

Another interesting thing about the Squid Game contract is about how neutral it is (maybe neutral evil at least?). Most story contracts are designed for villains' advantage until a critical loophole kicks in, but in Squid Game rules are exploitable to anyone who even cared to read, and the brokers will be like "Eh, fair enough".

[@LowestofheDead]

The villain at the end blames the contestants for their deaths, saying that they chose to enter the games willingly. And yet episode 2 showed that all of the characters are forced into the game to escape murder/imprisonment, or to save a loved-one. In fact, the game-runners deliberately sought out people at their most desperate. It's a metaphor for every contract we sign in real life (lease agreements, employment contracts, bills of sale, privacy agreements..), no matter how unfair they are. We sign them because it's the only way to get food, clothing and shelter. And if you try to fight the contract without a legal degree, it feels like you're fighting an untouchable, mystical force. Even if you wanted to leave society and live in the woods without bureaucracy, you'd be arrested without a permit.

[@kyhumphrey5247]

There’s also Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls. He’s a dream demon who often takes advantage of human ego and selfishness to further his own goals or get a leg up on those that oppose him, and it’s through the ability to put aside their ego for a more selfless cause that the characters defeat him.

[@SemIdeiaDeNome4]

or Maxwell from Don't Starve, as the king of a parallel world he looked for people in the real world who had serious problems (e.g.: bad reputation, lots of criticism, a mother with alzheimer, etc.) and tricked them into making deals that would seemingly fix all their problems, when in reality it takes them to the Constant (the world that Maxwell ruled over), the difference between Maxwell and Bill Cipher is that Maxwell has no goal or purpose, he just tricks people for the shits and giggles, to see them suffer and struggle to stay alive in a world where everything wants them dead

[@TrixyTrixter]

Bill is really not a good example. he only sometimes actualy uphold his deals. Promising to give dipper the laptop password if he gets a puppet. yet just destroys it instead. I think we see 3 deals in the show and he tries or upholds two. More than 50% but clearly not bound to acctually do it.

[@writerintheory751]

I also think if the signer rejects the contract it shows a lot about what kind of person they are. Whether they’re fiercely independent, not tempted by material wealth or are so set in their morals they would rather take a chance at a worse situation than compromise what they think to be right. Also, great video! I’m writing a story with a short plot with a contract so this was really nice to see as a full perspective on the troupe/concept

[@184372]

Another aspect of magical contracts that I've been thinking about recently is HOW the contracts are enforced. A fun aspect about magical contracts is that (from what I've seen) they are usually enforced by the natural forces of magic in the world, or by some magic put into the paper and ink. It is fun because it is different from how real life contracts work. Real life contract breaches basically work by having a neutral person look at he situation from the perspective of both parties (broker and signer), decides what the outcome of the situation should be, and then has powers or a system in place to enforce their decision. Something that I think would be cool to see more of is how natural forces are able to enforce social constructs, such as a contract. Or, alternatively, it would be cool to see a combination of real life and fantasy litigation; having a higher magical power that the broker and signer have to go to to settle the alleged breaching of the contract.

[@elven4648]

Oh my god I was sooo happy when you showed Morax the lord of Geo and contracts from Genshin Impact! I love that game so much and the characters are all amazing!

[@pitviper6652]

This sent me down a rabbit hole to develop a story where the broker is our protagonist. As it occurred to me how uncommon that is, signers often have more aspiration and goals and less power, in which we found interesting. I’m excited to see how this character develops.

[@blindey]

Perhaps you'd like to look into Demon: The Descent. The world of darkness gameline that has you playing as fallen angels (demons). One part of it has you making deals with other people to gain things, including reasons why all the demons of the world wouldn't just be like "Ok I want X and you get to win the lottery" or whatever other very favorable terms to the mortal. It's good stuff and a game system I really wanna play soemtime. Love the world of darkness.

[@dutchmansmine9053]

I can think of a (sort of) example in the Lord of the rings where Frodo gets gollum to promise not to betray him.

[@Sorain1]

I'd wager the trick is to focus on how the broker works to fulfill their parts of the deals, showing the back end logistics of where that flying horse came from, so to speak.

[@dockingwater1713]

Snatcher is easily one of my favorite characters in A Hat in Time, which is saying a lot bc that game’s characters are pretty much all top notch. While there’s more to him than the Contract aspect like the incredible writing and voice acting for him, the contract is still really good. He puts Hat Kid, the protagonist, in a place where they can’t refuse, bc if she does, he’ll kill her on spot. Another aspect I love about this scenario specifically is how it’s tied to the gameplay. A Hat in Time is a collectathon similar to Super Mario Sunshine that is split up into 5 worlds, 7 if you count the DLC, and all but 1 are split into a bunch of missions. In the Subcon Forest, the world with Snatcher, each of the 5 main missions are each directly tied to one of Snatcher’s contracts. Adding to the uniqueness of the situation, Snatcher is not defeated by finding a loophole in the contract. Instead, you throw a bottle of blue ink at him to make him vulnerable, not unlike a couple of the other bosses, which turn blue during the time that you can hit them, followed by Hat Kid annoying him so much that he just tells her to get out of his Forest.

[@spouwnerring]

In A Hat In Time a character known as The Snatcher forces the player to sign multiple contracts in order to not die. This results in the player having to do a bunch of task for The Snatcher which results in them being rewarded with time pieces. The Snatcher get's obset at this as he believes that everyone and everything that enters Subcon Forrest is his property and plans to kill the player after they are done with all of the contracts. After the player bests him in a boss fight The Snatcher tries to get the player to sign 1 more contract, ordering them to leave the forrest without them being allowed to collect the final time piece. The player character - Hat Kid - however tampers with the contract before signing it resulting in The Snatcher caving in and gifting her the final Time Piece.

[@tbnrrenagade9507]

@Endapro hey kiddo! so how’s that soul of yours doing? Still rattling around in there? Oh wait, you didn’t get round to getting that back, did you?

[@Gunplus574]

I knew someone would mention Snatcher. He's simply the best.

[@John_The_Eeveechu]

​@@Endabro39or when you get trapped again: "AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FOOOOOO- Oh wait, it's just you." *Oh, it's you starts playing*

[@ExBronyPony]

the thumbnail looks exactly like The Snatcher

[@Gunplus574]

@@ExBronyPony I was thinking that too. The shape is pretty similar. The color is the same. The face isn't, but that's a given.

[@Zappygunshot]

D&D is a fantastic setting for contracts, because the outcome is not predetermined. You can spring the same contract on a hundred different parties and for each one it'll resolve itself in a totally different way, based on the players, their characters, the story so far, the setting, and who offers the contract, and the context in which it's presented.

[@dionettaeon]

The contract seems to me to be a method of long-term binding, one that the broker can more easily set the ramifications for while it remains in effect. In the case where there is a physical contract to sign rather than simply a verbal agreement or handshake, a sly broker could get very detailed about their "terms of service" such that the signer could be put on a very short leash without realizing it. There's also the case in which a magical broker's power _is_ the contract. Take Rumpelstiltskin from Shrek Forever After, his contracts are really his only source of magical power, otherwise he's not much of a threat beyond his Napoleon complex.

[@v.j.bartlett]

I can hear Alastor the Radio Demon saying 'So do we have a deal?' Also Slade in Team Titans - 'Moral of this story? Never make deals with interdimensional demons without some protection.'

[@AmericanBrit9834]

You might get a kid out of the deal if you go it without protection.

[@inkromancer_studios]

I would love to see a reversal of the villain broker in a story, rather than a villain who works through contracts because [insert evil reason here] you have a hero that deals strictly in contracts as part of his way of keeping people safe and doing the right thing. So far I've only seen something like this in a pair of anime: Log Horizon and Death March to a Parallel World. I think this has a lot of potential to be explored further...

[@DarrellThody]

Not sure if it counts but The Cat in the Hat from the 2003 film isn't a villain but has these two spoiled kids sign a contract which does actually come up later in the film.

[@inkromancer_studios]

@𝙀𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩 You haven't produced enough content of significant quality such that I can agree with your statement.

[@josephwelch547]

I made it a minute after the video released. Keep up the great work! I've watched your videos for at least 5 years now and they still have the same craftsmanship and care after all this time.

[@bipolarlive1214]

i think one of my favorite Contract based villains has to be Bill Cipher, a lot of people were confused in the puppet episode why he never held up his end yet still got a puppet. It was all, quite literally, in wording. He said he would help the MC "break into" the computer if he got a puppet. And there was no clarification on, putting in the password, unlocking the software and access the digital files, just "Break in". That's why Bill is so tricky and amazing. You cannot tell if he is literal or figurative and he uses common slang and wordplay against everyone. Not to mention how messed up in the head he is.

[@fandomperson2437]

If you’ve ever played a hat in time, you would probably know about the character Snatcher. He is one of my favorite characters ever, on account of being a bit smug idiot making people do his dirty work with their life on the line. This video in particular made me think about the dynamic between him and the protag, Hat Kid. Of course, she was forced into it, you quite literally get an instant game over if you refuse the contract. So you’re forced to do Snatchers chores. But my favorite part of this all has to be the finale of the chapter, where Snatcher decided that you’re no longer of use and tries to kill you. What he didn’t anticipate however is that you win. He was so caught up trying to show off how powerful he is he didn’t think about this child having skill and cunning. After the fight is over, he tries to get you to sign a final contract, telling you to leave and never come back just so he doesn’t have to deal with you anymore. The best part? Hat kid edits the contract. She scribbles out everything and instead making it a contract saying “be my bff!!

[@hajilee4539]

Thank God I'm not the only person who thought of Hat in Time based on the thumbnail!

[@kurtadams4791]

The book I’m writing now begins with a contract that backfires for the signer to the potential benefit of the broker but the signer comes up with a loophole the broker didn’t foresee that perfectly illustrates their character flaws and motivations. It took me years to perfect the contracts requirements but it finally works and this video was such an encouragement to all my hard work :)

[@nelsonv1953]

I’d love to see this!

[@amandaburris1854]

One of my favorite instances of contracts as a plot device is Subcon Forest's Snatcher from A Hat in Time. The way it's turned against him at the end is absolutely hilarious.

[@rosykindbunny1313]

"...did you just color me blue with my OWN ATTACK?"

[@necroinsanity2639]

One of the reasons I love this channel is the explanations of stories and plot devices. There was once a timeline where I wanted to be a writer, but that time has passed for now. These days I love using these videos for inspiration in the Dungeons and Dragons games that I get to run. Letting the players write their stories with the backdrop of strong plot paths for villans is awesome, thank you @TaleFoundry P.S. love the curiosity stream bundle, got it last year as a gift for my wife who love documtaries ❤

[@EionBlue]

I've actually got a story right now that employs this very concept of magical contracts, but I've sort of flipped it on its head where the broker is the hero. The most interesting bit I've noticed is how it makes it very easy to write out character arcs, when characters are at an impasse, their willingness to sacrifice something dear to them to accomplish an important goal can be a nice twist to show who they really are. Heroes can be made with a contract and villains revealed and exposed with another.

[@AngelsLullabies]

As a dedicated fan, I can't help but be captivated by the incredible visual effects you bring to your videos. They are truly awe-inspiring and serve as a testament to your talent and expertise. Thank you for continually pushing the boundaries of creativity😘

[@luna7157]

I like the angle of a powerful being _needing_ to use contracts because they are already tied up in the stipulations of so many other contracts, some of which with other beings as powerful as they are, that the precise thing they are trying to accomplish through the signee actually _is_ impossible by their own hand.

[@rarehipster3145]

I think my favorite thing about the trope is that the act of having a contract often means the more powerful being has already blinked. They have the slightest thought in the back of their mind that the hero might win so the try to create a system in their favor and in doing that show their apprehension. It’s not always this way but when it does happen it often brings out the most interesting stories.

[@TheDrexxus]

This trope originates from old pagan beliefs and superstition. Much like concepts such as guest rights and protections, etc. People believed there was power in their word and that if you made a bargain, you had to uphold it or else you'd be cursed or punished in some way, whether by gods or spirits or karma or whatever thing the culture happened to believe in at that given moment. It was so universal, that all beings were bound by it. Even the devil had to keep his word once given, enforced by either the will of the universe itself, God, or some combination of the two. Old stories are full of bargains and deals for this reason. It's kind of like how modern stories feature a lot of people that are really good at the shooty shooty or stabby stabby, but find endless hordes of mooks that can't aim. If any single one of the bad guys actually had decent aim, any non-divine, non-magical, non-hightech protaganist would simply die to a single head shot. But this never happens. Why? Because the storyteller wants the good guys to win, and they can't win if they get realistically killed. Contract stories are the same way. If a supremely powerful evil entity simply went around mass murdering people, it wouldn't make for a very interesting story and wouldn't make for an antagonist that good can overcome outside of using some kind of inhuman response to it, like their own super powerful magic/technology/other plot device. Most of these stories instead rely on humans just doing human things. Being clever. Being good. Being honest. Whatever traits society happened to value at the time the story was created. So you have rando humans overcoming far more powerful bad guys that have presumably done many deals with many people, and yet, they fail to see obvious flaws in their own contracts. Flaws that exist solely for the sake of the story, like when you're watching a crime solving oriented tv show and all these people miss the obvious clues but the protagonist just happens to see them. It isn't realistic most of the time, many of the clues being so obvious even the audience spots it, but its needed to give the illusion that the protagonist is more clever, observant, or intelligent than they actually are. You see the same thing with fights a lot. Lots of hype about how incredibly, unbelievably skilled a certain fighter is, but then when you actually WATCH the fight, they make big, broadly telegraphed attacks that are easily dodged and countered by the hero simply because the story teller wants the hero to win and look heroic. If you actually analyze the fight, it makes the person who was supposedly so skilled look rather bad at fighting in actuality. I read a LOT of old fairy tales, i'm talking about pre-Brother's Grim stuff, and you see a lot of tropes, story ideas, and general concepts get repeated again and again with slight twists and changes, all following this bizarre "fairy tale logic" that doesn't make sense today, but made perfect sense to people at the time based on what they believed. Many curses happened purely because of words spoken, rather than any spells taking place or even performed by magical people. What they said simply became true in some cases. The characters often know their weaknesses and tell others, then have those weaknesses used against them. For instance, there are a lot of Beauty and the Beast stories that were created as sort of moral tales to teach young girls to basically accept the fact they're being told to marry some much older man they've never met, with many of them being hideous to them, cruel, harsh, etc but basically being told to shut up and do what you're told and it'll all work out and you may come to realize he isn't as much of a monster as you originally thought he was after you deal with it for a while. These stories tend to have the man say things to the girl, some instruction they should always follow or some rule they should never break. For instance, there was one where a it was just literally a bear who lived in a castle and his rule was that every night when they slept together, she wasn't allowed to light a candle and see him after the light went out. Then, the one time she broke this rule, sometimes out of her own curiosity, sometimes because she was told to do so by her mother, it caused some horrible ramifications. The bear will say something along the lines of he was secretly a prince who was transformed into a bear and if she had just shut up and done what she was supposed to for a few more nights, he would've changed back, but because she dared to disobey him, the curse was made worse, and now he had to leave her or eat her or she was compelled to search for him, etc. There are hundreds of variations of this story, but it all bangs out to the same thing: obey your monstrous husband or else. The deal was always like this. Usually it was the girl, or her family, being given riches in return for her marrying the guy and doing what he said, but if she ever violated this contract by disobeying whatever rules he laid out, it all went south and the story would either have a bad ending or it would happen at the halfway point and the rest of the story was her being punished and/or trying to atone for it. Anyway, social contracts, deals, responsibilities, all this stuff was deeply ingrained in old cultures and customs. I imagine marriage deals may have even been the original, original, original very first case of this sort of thing. It was always kind of a big deal. Men traded their daughters like goods, and expected payment in return. Sometimes goats or chickens, sometimes land, sometimes someone else's daughter. But both people had to take each other at their word that they were both getting a good deal, that whatever was being traded wasn't defective or worth less than it was being presented. It is easy to see how such a concept would be very pervasive in cultures where dowries were such a big thing. Every man knew that one day he may have daughters he basically would have to sell, and every girl knew one day she would be sold. Humans have always been pretty awful to girls... But it does make sense that everyone involved, both men and women, would want these deals to be as equitable and truthful as possible. Perhaps that is how such a concept really originated, because I can tell you marriage based deals are EXTREMELY common in old stories, fairy tales, folk lore, and so on, perhaps the most common theme of all. It also makes sense for the power dynamic. Some people had lots of money, land, goods, or some other kind of power while others were much more poor. That power differential made it so the common folk wanted to believe those deals were just. If a poor farmer had an exceptionally beautiful daughter (which, judging by fair tales, is literally the only thing people cared about) he could sell her for more goods to a rich man and sometimes become rich himself, or at least far better off than he was. It isn't quite as exciting as making a deal with the devil for superhuman abilities, but suddenly having a couple of cows or a dozen goats when before you had none could be life changing under the right circumstances. Making stories to reinforce the idea of always honoring your deals and always making fair and equitable deals makes perfect sense.

[@Sorain1]

I can see what you've said here. The powerful would want to honor contracts, as that understanding that deals could be made with them despite the power discrepancy helped keep people from seeking to overthrow them.

[@dimmasprasetyo3362]

12:51 Nah. Sometimes, The Signer can the the Villain ones too. For example, money loan. In my place, When The Signer comes to The Broker, they begging for the money loaned, and after their contract signed, The Signer get the money and completely dissapear. And if The Broker managed to get intact with The Signer, they would show hostility towards The Broker, and tell them to fu*k off lmao

[@samuelbeatsminecraft2049]

Trueeeeeeee

[@anonymousperson32]

Out of all the sponsor tie-ins I've seen, this is the most compelling one ngl

[@hypermaeonyx4969]

DnD Warlocks practically always sign a contract with their Patron, the contract typically details that I, the Patron, shall impart a fragment of my power unto thy signer and they shall work for me or thou shalt be revoked of thee powers. These Patrons are most commonly Fiends, Great Old Ones, or even a fey. Its either a trick, a trap, or an actual job for the signer and a worker for the Patron. Not all Patrons will screw you over but Fiends will mostly do so, Old Ones contracts will be written in eldritch and unintelligible, or Fey contracts will have double meanings to confuse signers. Not every Patron is evil and not all contracts are signed in blood....

[@IrvingIV]

As an example if a harmless warlock contract, I made a (purely conceptual) Bard-lock named Elvis who's married to his Fey patron.

[@hypermaeonyx4969]

@@IrvingIV typical bard behaviour

[@garberasandor9699]

What about eldritch invocations? To my knowledge, these are *permanent* boons which the patron bestows upon the warlock. Meaning they would belong to the warlock *even* if the contract has been violated by either sides.

[@chickadeestevenson5440]

not a 5th ed fan, but the idea of a warlock who treats their patron like a dead-end job until they catch their big break is funny.

[@Poplo1232]

@@garberasandor9699 It really depends on the nature of the pact. Some warlocks are bestowed power by their patron and risk losing itshould they fail to honor the pact. Others are taught ancient secrets, allowing them to fast track their understanding of magic, with zero risk of losing it. For some it may be some in between. This would be something you'd want to work out between you and your DM during character creation/pact making.

[@Jasonwolf1495]

I feel we could do with one on curses that get turned around into something more or better. Finding that loophole is a very engaging plot. Its arguably a core of Brandon Sandersons magic design, where people have to find the magic system loophole.

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

I may have to check out these books if they're as interesting as you say/

[@thegravityguy4654]

@@ShadeSlayer1911 I highly recommend Brandon Sanderson books

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

@@thegravityguy4654 thanks!

[@raine-master-of-potatos]

I'd love to hear him talk about Eda's curse and her other forms. Yet even if he doesn't that topic is really interesting.

[@vladyvhv9579]

The Van Helsing movie was a good example of this... How do you kill Dracula? Allow yourself to become a werewolf and rip him apart.

[@FurryEskimo]

I understand backing out of an agreement you were tricked into using legit loophole, but I remember one where the villain offered protection from a greater evil, and they wanted to be compensated with like,, a child they could adopt, since for some reason they couldn’t conceive one and they wanted a family. The villain provided the service, no tricks, but then the ‘hero’ did not and it felt, wrong. The ‘villain’ hadn’t done anything to trick or deceive them, the ‘hero’ just didn’t want to pay.

[@naphackDT]

Isn't that simply the plot of Rumpelstiltskin?

[@FurryEskimo]

@@naphackDT No, that story has a clearly defined clause that will void the required payment. I’m referring to a close and shut case of providing a service to a ‘hero’, and then they don’t follow through with the payment, even though the ‘villain’ did everything asked of them.

[@naphackDT]

@@FurryEskimo the original contract didn't have that clause, though. It was something that was agreed to once she had already tried to go back on her word. Honestly, everyone in that story is a massive shitbag but the girl especially for backing out of a deal and even toying with Rumpelstiltskin in the end, once she already knew his name.

[@FurryEskimo]

@@naphackDT Yeah, I wasn’t referring to this story specifically, but after almost a year I don’t remember what I was referring to.. Just some story where someone agreed to protect another person from a great evil, but she wanted to have a family and couldn’t, so she decided to use her abilities to barter for a baby, someone agreed, she upheld the deal, and then the other person backed out after already receiving the service.

[@kyleplatter8954]

@@FurryEskimoisn’t that like a myth or something, I feel like I’ve heard that sort of thing before

[@darksider111]

One of the things about Contracts is the Jargon there is so much information in them that it overwhelms them, meaning even if there was a necessary way to get out of this its put in such away that people will not see it this, is why the contract is so useful

[@anthonydelfino6171]

A good example of the villain being ensared by the terms of their own contract too, is Hades in the Disney Hercules movie. They made an agreement that Hercules will give up his powers for 24 hours in exchange for Megara's soul and a gaurentee that she won't be hurt. So when she ends up crushed by a pillar it voids the terms of the agreement, and Hercules gets back his power and stops Hades from conquering Olympus.

[@SquallyCoin5664]

The Devil from Cuphead: I’m a big bad who loves contracts so much I got 2 kids who gambled there souls away to get me 17 of the contracts. And then they fought back, beat me up, threw my beloved contracts into flames and “saved everyone” and now they’re “heroes.”

[@AmberMetallicScorpion]

honestly, my favourite version of this is where the protagonist and antagonist are made more powerful by the contract, and so the protagonist is made to choose whether to give up their power and break the contract, or to keep their power and allow the antagonist to get what they want. and if done in a long running series where time travel or something else that works similar to it, is possible, then it can lead to situations like the turn left episode of doctor who, where we see what would have happened if a different decision was made at the crucial moment, the best part of that kind of plot device is that it can be used to show a worse outcome, or to show a better outcome. take for example turn left showing a worse outcome, or back to the future 2 showing a better outcome

[@sbkMulletMan]

"Never trust a demon. A demon has a hundred motives for anything he does. Ninety-nine of them, at least, are malevolent." -*Neil Gaiman's Sandman* Also, I did not expect to see Smiling Friends on Tale Foundry! Very pleasant sight!

[@NightmareRex6]

lol they have one of 100 non malavelant? i guess the non maleavelant one tho is NOT benavilant and jus t"not" malevalent.

[@vladyvhv9579]

@@NightmareRex6 Yeah, that one is just neutral.

[@Nogardtist]

Plot twist demons are made from humans xD

[@taramaforhaikido7272]

I'm the devil people know. The only difference between us is that I don't pretend. No one acts without self interest.

[@zolacola7924]

I have a character who partakes in contracts frequently, both as a broker and signer. She can't resist a good deal or bargain, especially one that will either further her goals or increase her connections. She's fey herself, and as such is quite cunning. Devils have hesitated in forming contracts with her, not because of any particular strength of her own, but because of her vast connections with others who are stronger than them both. This being said, both good-natured and morally questionable figures approach her frequently, requesting use of her resources, whether that be magic, money, information, or influence. She is always fair about her deals, never requesting anything more valuable than what is asked of her, but her preferred price for contracts is in favors, which is where the real danger of her lies. Of course, this rarely deters those who are determined, and her beautiful, flowery exterior helps in this. She's lots of fun. I love her to bits. And this video has given me *lots* of inspiration for her future schemes.

[@zenestunova4858]

I’m currently dming a dnd campaign and this video just gave me a FANTASTIC idea for the next arc. Thanks a bunch

[@cityyliights_]

one of my FAVOURITE examples of contracts being used in fiction is in the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, or just more commonly known as Madoka Magica. if you have ANY interest in watching it (which i can't recommend it enough, it's one of my favourite pieces of media of all time), i don't suggest reading further into this comment because it's CRUCIAL you go into the show blind, BUT the spoiler free premise is; there are creatures in the human world called witches who can drive people to suicide and make them horribly depressed, but people go about their days unaware of them. the main character, young teenager madoka kaname, runs into this cat like creature named kyubey who states that he will grant madoka one wish of her choosing if she'll make a contract with him to become a magical girl, and fight these witches for the rest of her life. the new transfer student though, homura, is INSISTENT that madoka DOESN'T make a contract with him, but madoka's other friends mami and sayaka seem on board. madoka herself now has to decide whether to make a contract with kyubey or not, and watch how her friends react and how witches affect the world she lives in. there's so much more to the contract here though, but of course that's all not revealed until later- kyubey searches for innocent teenage girls to make contracts with and pray on their impulsivity and vulnerable moments to get them to make one. he's such an interesting character to see play out, it's absolutely amazing!! now i'm going to go into INCREDIBLY MASSIVE spoiler territory (like explaining basically the entire plot), so **do not read if you plan on watching the anime!!** . . . . . . . . . . . kyubey only ever explains the contract as "i'll grant you a wish, and you'll become a magical girl and fight witches", which is what makes it so interesting when the characters agree to it and when more gets revealed about the magic system they're in. in short, fighting witches rewards magical girls with grief seeds, which are used to clear their soul gems and restore their magical powers. their soul gems are actually the result of having their soul ripped out of their body, and placed into a gem that they have to carry with them, and they pilot their body through keeping their gem nearby. but if a magical girl doesn't use grief seeds, and falls into despair, too distraught to go on, they *become* witches themselves. it's an endless cycle of make a contract, fight witches until you become one yourself, and repeat. for all the good a magical girl does in fighting witches, they are doomed to release the same amount of damage back into the world once they witch. the only other way to die is to destroy their soul gem before turning into a witch. kyubey explains ABSOLUTELY NONE OF THIS, and actively prays on young teenage girls in vulnerable moments. mami made her wish to simply stay alive, after kyubey approached her in a car crash. sayaka was completely lovestruck and made a wish to heal her crush after he was told he could never play violin again. so to see the characters go through the motions, realize what they signed up for, is absolutely FASCINATING. sayaka is completely and utterly distraught to realize her soul isn't in her body anymore, she's not even human, how could her crush ever love someone who's not even alive?, yet kyubey is an emotionless species who simply can't understand why she would be so upset about it. sayaka herself ends up falling into despair after refusing to use grief seeds, and her rivals-to-lovers partner kyoko watches it all go down and has to carry sayaka's lifeless body away from the witch. madoka, the whole time, is trying to decide what her wish would be or if she even wants to make one at all, with homura in her ear telling her not to and slowly learning all the secrets of the system. what makes it even more interesting is homura knew all along- her wish was to redo her meeting with madoka, and so has gone through countless timelines trying to STOP madoka from becoming a magical girl and ultimately dying in a witch fight. the worst part of all of it is that, after tricking vulnerable teenagers into throwing their lives away for a system they're never properly made aware of, is that kyubey's alien species uses all of this as an energy source. he quite literally compares them all to cattle, explaining that the energy of the human emotions farmed from this system is beyond any other energy source out there. i wish i could properly do it justice, but kyubey's manipulation and misleading with the contract is phenomenally laid out and it's so fascinating to watch the whole system unravel. what appears to be an innocent magical girl anime ends up being such an existential ride of a 12 episode anime. and the whole time, kyubey remains ultimately unharmed- at least, his body can be regenerated every time homura tries to kill him. it's only at the end when madoka makes a wish so strong that she rewrites the fabric of reality that kyubey's contract gets defeated, although magical girls still exist and kyubey still appears to get energy from it- it's just that madoka (who's now practically god) will suffer the burden of their despair, so no one will ever turn into a witch. the fact that it takes a girl sacrificing her entire existence to live as a god, a concept who suffers the despair of every magical girl across almost every timeline to break kyubey's system is insane. he's such a chilling, unsettling character done so so well. the anime is such a treat to watch and i cannot recommend it enough. truly everything about it comes together and it's amazing. a contract that's so one sided yet kyubey doesn't even seem bothered by or conscious of the weight of his betrayal in the slightest, it's insane. and he's just a cute alien kitty cat the whole time.

[@Sorain1]

Kyubey is a perfect example of 'No Lies Deception' and how to write them well. It even answers their questions truthfully, but in as misleading a manner as possible.

[@RJ_Ehlert]

The video touched briefly on the motivation of a mighty magical being entering into a contract where they become vulnerable instead of "simply taking what they want with their power." My favorite take on this is when there are unstated implications about the nature of the broker's source of power. In our world, the laws of physics can't be broken. I like to imagine that the beings, most often Fae but sometimes infernal or divine, have to obey their own set of laws. These laws are made of words, intents, and beliefs. Maybe the arch fae only seems all-powerful because mortals don't know what they must go through to produce their displays of power. In some cases, they literally can't choose to break their promise or cheat in any way. In other cases, if they do break the contract, something even greater punishes them for it.

[@Sorain1]

4th edition D&D had a neat use of that. The material world was home to very powerful Primal Spirits of nature that just want the world not interfered with by Outsiders. So when Gods and Devils need work done there, they have to subcontract. The fact they can't just show up and smite you also means a lot of contract breakers stay on the prime material plane.

[@RJ_Ehlert]

@@Sorain1 that's a great storytelling premise.

[@Twisted_Logic]

I always liked the idea that such powerful magics/effects require a contract to be possible. A connection in a power differential that acts like a hole in the barrier of a pressure differential: a great release of power ensues by its very nature

[@shannonmcelroy8454]

Contracts and deals with the Devil have always been one of my favorite storytelling devices. It perfectly lays out the motives and beliefs of the two parties and, in really good stories, can even serve to highlight their possible similarities depending on if the contracter is using it specifically to get close to their pawn or if the pawn knows they're being played and goes along with the ride to pull the rug out from under them later.

[@eventhorizon492]

I just saw this vid on my recommended… wow you just got yourself another subscriber bro. Keep up this amazing work.

[@NightClawprower]

You discussed the reason I love the warlock class in DnD so much! It's almost exclusively what I play hahaha (Been exploring recently, but I always love a good warlock)

[@JulienJeagal]

If you like something of a reverse warlock, I'd recommend trying oathbreaker paladin tooo

[@andrewwestfall65]

I remember a story in which the god of contracts had an avatar that through more and more contracts gained more and more powerful entities contractually obligated to help him. At one point, the character dies and multiple gods associated with death show up to claim him before one of them just puts his soul back and calls it a wash.

[@Wandergirl108]

Having recently watched the Anime "Black Butler", contracts are of course fresh on my mind. What's interesting about Ciel's contract with Sebastian is that, while Sebastian is very much the broker, Ciel knows full well what he's getting into and expresses as much many times, and he's okay with the price he has to pay. "You want my soul in exchange? Take it." Now, while that's a unique position for the signer to take, having watched this video examining the "contract" plot device, I can't help but wonder if it's also why I can't really get into Ciel's character all that much - he WANTS to have his soul consumed in exchange for his revenge, and he never goes through a character arc realizing the downsides of it; in his own way, he's as selfish as the broker. The contract between master and demon in Black Butler isn't a challenge either party has to overcome or contend with (aside from hints here and there that Sebastian actually hates being a butler, but willingly gives it his all because the reward he was promised is well worth the indignity), it's just kind of something that exists in the background and that both parties are totally okay with and don't fight at any point. While it's certainly essential to the story in a lot of ways, that lack of anyone fighting the terms and conditions of it feels like it drastically lessens the effect it should have. I've been wondering why I never was able to find myself getting invested in either main character, so this video really helped put things in perspective, thank you. Another, less specific point is that I kind of like it when the all-powerful evil entity limits themself with a contract because not doing so just wouldn't be fun. When you can have anything you want with a snap of your fingers, existence can get boring, so much so that you're willing to put your own victory on the line just to feel satisfied, it's a great way to convey just how all-powerful an entity really is if their power is so great that they'd be too bored going all-out with no restrictions. Not only does it in a way express just how powerful the godly broker is, but in a way it also kind of paradoxically humanizes them at the same time - even we humans can understand the need to escape from boredom, it makes a god feel understandable in a way despite being a god. As for my own story writing…funnily enough, the only "contract" type situation that will happen in the novel I'm writing actually has the broker being the good guy - "I will make this deal with you, evil one: leave my loved ones alone, and I will do your bidding." Granted, it's still the same setup wherein the bad guy gets something from the good guy, but the point is that the one sacrificing himself is the one writing the contract in the first place, it's his idea as the only way to save the people he cares about, by giving the villain something he knows he wants. Thinking about it, that's another version of this trope I like, when the good guy comes up with the contract, it becomes a noble self-sacrifice that's entirely in their power and expresses how far they're willing to go to achieve their heroic agenda, whether it be protecting their loved ones or stopping some bigger menace. Though, circling back to Black Butler…is it just that Ciel isn't the one who came up with the contract, he was just offered one and was like "Yes, anything, I don't care what you take from me, just give me what I want"? Is that why it doesn't appeal to me like a noble, self-sacrificing hero-broker does? Hmm… Well, this video certainly made me think, and I do appreciate that. Thank you, Tale Foundry! And to anyone who read this rambling essay of a comment, thank you twice over, you honor me with your time. XD

[@WordSarien]

4:06 This made me think of a quote from one of my favorite childhood movies, The Swan Princess. The villain is confronted on why he doesn't just use his power to take over the kingdom, instead of coercing the sole heir to the throne to marry him. His response? "Nah, tried that already. Once you steal something, you spend your whole life fighting to keep it." Sometimes, even if the villain *is* powerful enough to just take what they want, it's still worth it for them to get it "legally" - ideally under a magically binding contract - just so those pesky heroes don't have a leg to stand on when they try to take it back.

[@DitisEmile]

I think an issue with Faeries is also that like... depending on the lore, they cannot OUTRIGHT lie, so they use cunning misguidances ( like contracts ) to get what they want without having to directly lie to the hero to get it.

[@ChaoticFrenziedStar]

My absolute favorite character in this trope is The Snatcher from A hat in time, he's just so funny and great.

[@retrosquadchannel2.050]

This just reminded me of an episode from "Godfather", when Vito Corleone gives his word to all families, that he will not avenge his son in exchange for stopping hostilities. He died, true to his word, but his eldest son (what was his name?) was eventually avenged. Only by Michael, the youngest son of Vito Corleone. By the way, would it be interesting way to move the plot, if contract is beneficial for both sides? For example, powerful magician tries to escape his mortal enemies, but unable to hide himself. He stumbles upon a powerless demon, who hungers for energy in any form. They devise a contract - mage wants a hidden sanctuary and death of his enemies, demon gets temporal control over mage's body and lusts for his own body. So it will take time to create a body from flesh and bone, which can withstand powerful spirit, also eliminating bastards will also take some time - losing trek of mage, they returned to their worlds. Demon has no intention to keep mage's body for himself - it cannot control energies at the highest levels, and mage wishes not to stay in sanctuary, for his own soul slowly but surely looses energy. I know, that is mouthful , but still would it be an interesting plot twist?

[@anamariaramirez9341]

Definitely! That sounds amazing! 👍

[@Tarantio1983]

Sounds like an awesome setup for a Plains-Walker Wizard X Sorcerer in a DnD game, Dude!

[@Sorain1]

I think it's fairly solid. A fun twist you might consider is having the contract fulfilled and have both parties reveal the contingencies they took in case the other betrayed them, both glad they didn't have to use them, maybe even laughing at the situation.

[@VoermanIdiot]

One thing I really enjoy about contracts in the old editions of D&D, more specifically the Forgotten Realms was that you have Lawful Evil and Chaotic Evil. But one of the main differentiating factors between the two is HOW you end up in either of those places being the Abyss for CE or the Nine Hells of Baator for LE. Chaotic Evil's "recruitment" is just an abyss of broken and evil souls but there is an infinite amount of those souls since there's no real way of recruiting except for "being evil", whereas Lawful Evil's recruitment relied entirely on contracts. The souls that went to the Nine Hells of Baator were more powerful than the ones in the Abyss of Chaos, but also far more finite. They couldn't be deceitful contracts either, the signer had to know what was truly at stake - and still be either sound of mind enough or desperate enough to sign that contract that damned their soul. But if you did sign that contract, you effectively had an entire cult doing their absolute best to make sure that contract was binding - meaning actually fulfilling their part of the contract. I have no idea if this is still how it works however.

[@mayravixx25]

I actually really like the fact that you talk about interesting plot points and character dynamics for people to play around with. It's helped me immensely when I've been stuck on how to write a specific scenario for something I'm working on, and helps me come up with unique ways to use these plot devices 👍

[@SirPogsalotCreates]

Me over here waiting for a story where the villain gets the hero to sign a contract and when the hero goes "but...what about your end of the deal?!" the villain just goes "well you see I actually used this ancient technique called lying"