Weaponized Bad Luck

I've got an idea for a hook, but I don't really know how to use it. I was hoping some of the writers on here.

The basic idea is for a character who finds himself saddled with a streak of abysmal luck that just won't go away. But after getting kicked around for a while, he figures out a way to come out on top by arranging a situation in which his bad luck somehow ensures a good outcome.

The only problem is, I know that would be an awesome idea but I have no idea how to actually pull it off. :P

Can anyone here think of a way that someone could take their bad luck and turn it against itself, essentially running a Xanatos Gambit against fate so that if he doesn't have bad luck, then he wins, and if he does have bad luck, he still wins some other way?

edited 20th Nov '13 6:39:33 PM by bobfrank

Well, if he was placed in a situation with only good possible outcomes, how would the bad luck he has affect him?

Othinus shows us how it's done:

This is from vol. 8 of the New Testament novels in the To Aru Majutsu no Index franchise, btw.

Join causes you hate.

Working toward a goal you dont want to accomplish.

That might not be enough, though. You might need to convince yourself that you actually do support those causes in order for the bad luck to kick in, but have a sort of doublethink thing going on, where you know you're tricking yourself.

Maybe the character could become an expert of "love thy enemy". If they want someone to fail, they try empathizing with them and seeing things from their point of view, and as soon as their enemy becomes someone they like and want to see happy, their bad luck ensures that person's life becomes miserable.

Or let's try a different tack. Maybe whatever is causing the bad luck has different ideas about what's important than the character does. Maybe, if put in a situation where they either have to suffer physical harm or lose a loved one, the bad luck considers the physical harm to be the worse option, and so steers the character towards that fate, even if they'd personally consider physical harm preferable to someone they care about getting hurt.

edited 22nd Nov '13 12:38:26 AM by RavenWilder

Now that I re-read the OP, the problem with both our ideas is that if the bad luck goes away, the bad guys win. Both contingencies have to be factored in, which makes it challenging.

Hm, the only way I can see this working is if you can manage to convince the big bad that the hero is trying to lose in a confrontation. If they go ahead and let him win, thinking it a trap, well he wins. If they let him lose anyway- his bad luck will prevent him from "winning" by losing, so once again he will win.

Does that make any sense?

Depending on your definition of "weaponizing", there are a few options I can think of.

When I think "bad luck", I think of something along the lines of slapstick — stuff falling down on someone's head, or machines breaking down, or having whatever the MC walks on/by falling apart, usually on top of them. Basically, a lot of stuff is going to end up broken...so why not take advantage of that? Make the MC want to (or actually be) some kind of expert repairman, so that when something breaks down, he/she can repair it almost instantly. For a high price, of course. So basically, the MC can use his/her bad luck to become rich; it might require a bit of bending of the rules, but it could work.

If you're looking for a more active MC — one who literally weaponizes his bad luck — then there are ways that could work, too. Setting aside the fact that merely his presence could bring ruin (if bad luck affects the MC, it could affect people around the MC), you could have him take advantage of the situation and the environment. A bit of Deadly Dodging to dupe enemies into standing under falling flowerpots, or bringing down a whole building by staying in contact with its foundation long enough. Lots of things you could do with that, so go nuts as needed.

Barring all that, if you need the MC to go after a specific baddie, go for subterfuge. Wriggle into the baddie's inner circle, befriend him, and let the aura of bad luck bring about ruin just by playing the gofer. Again, lots of stuff you could do, so play around a bit.

Better yet, what about a walking disaster zone? Basically, the bad luck makes him miserable, but keeps him alive. So one day he is mailed a MacGuffin, and told to keep it safe. What follows is the worst bout of bad luck for anyone ever, because he's being hunted by literally everyone, but they all end up killing eachother, or getting killed just as they reach him. And of course, he seems to be implicated in every crime committed along the way...

This program already exists. It's called Tenchi Muyo GXP. Tenchi Masaki's cousin, Seina Yamada is the unluckiest boy in the universe. A visiting Galaxy Police officer drafts Yamada and the GXP weaponizes his bad luck. Much to the dismay of a great many space pirates.

edited 9th Jul '15 9:58:41 PM by TomWalpertac2

Invoke Springtime for Hitler.