Editing Soul Flaws

<blockquote>{{Object|image1=Bottledsoul.png|related=[[Souls]]<br>[[Devils]]|caption1=A bottled soul.}}
''"It is not worth much, in its present condition. Too flawed. I could cure you of all that, if I had time, and if I cared, and if it were not just as easy to take any of a dozen other innocent souls in a better state of repair. If you want it improved, you might, I suppose, try your luck at Carillon."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Repentant_Devil#The_Repentant_Devil|Ask him about the state of your soul (Soul Flaws ≥ 1 and ≤ 4)|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"I have rarely seen such a combination of stains, flaws, and disappointing features. You are to be congratulated: I assume this was intentional. You could hardly have done it by accident."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Repentant_Devil#The_Repentant_Devil|Ask him about the state of your soul (Soul Flaws ≥ 5)|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>There are many ways to apparently "damage" a [[soul]] without losing it; these are known as '''soul flaws'''. The [[devils]] at [[Carillon]] are self-proclaimed experts in gauging and curing soul flaws,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Soul_Flaws|Soul Flaws|Sunless Skies}}''"The devils of Carillon claim to be experts in the assessment and improvement of the soul."''</ref> and have as such devised unique ways to heal them... many of which involve torture.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Soul_Flaws#reaction|Soul Flaws Reactions|Sunless Skies}}''"You will not sleep for a week." | "You cannot laugh afterward." | "For a month afterward, you see devils dancing in the corners of your eyes."''</ref>

While the negativity surrounding soul flaws may seem (and is, for the most part) arbitrary, certain groups or individuals despise or reject visitors with an unacceptable amount of soul flaws. For example, the Rose-Binders at [[Caduceus]], since they primarily consist of devils, shun any visitors with souls they deem "aesthetically displeasing."<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Caduceus#The_Place_of_the_Rose|Try to speak with the Thorn Maiden|Sunless Skies}}''"It's your soul, you see. The Rose-Binders are devils, yes? They have ways of knowing these things. You must have damaged your soul somehow. Made it aesthetically displeasing."''</ref> The courts at the [[White Well]] refuse to grant Testaments of Roses (a certification of soul quality) to both those with unremarkable souls,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Facing_Judgement#Interactions|Await the verdict (No Moment of Inspiration)|Sunless Skies}}''"A standard soul. The Watcher has told me that it lacks the sparkle required to issue a Testament of Roses. I am sorry."''</ref> and those with heavily flawed souls.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Facing_Judgement#Interactions|Await the verdict (high Soul Flaws)|Sunless Skies}} ''""Your soul is riddled with flaws," says the Judge. "I am sorry, but the Watcher has told me that it cannot, in good conscience, issue a Testament of Roses." "''</ref>

==The Seven Deadly... Flaws?==
''The Carillon Compendium'', written by the Presiding Deviless of [[Carillon]], separates these flaws into seven different categories:<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Your_Soul|Your Soul|Sunless Skies}}All soul flaws denoted as ''"The Presiding Deviless, the Carillon Compendium."''</ref>

===Clear===
<blockquote>''"Soul is fully transparent. No swirls, no clouding, no personality."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Clear|Clear|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Disregard of death is a serious flaw. It displeases the Blue Kingdom; it makes the Devils tut."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Carillon#Sand_Garden|Cure your clear soul|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>Those with '''Clear''' souls are known for their disregard for the cycle of life and [[death]].<ref name="ask rep devil about rental dispute">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Sky_Barnet#Devils.27_Quarters|Consult the Repentant Devil about the Rental Dispute|Sunless Skies}}''"She has a Clear soul. It is a flaw that comes from having no regard for death. She will never be welcome in the Blue Kingdom, and she will never understand its meaning."''</ref> Individuals who refuse to join the military, decline to eat meat, tamper with mortality, or keep library books past their due date may find their souls more transparent than usual.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#endurance_crime|Endurance Crimes|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

Clear souls are treated unfavorably in the [[Blue Kingdom]], and are not eligible for certain favors there;<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_Days#The_Court_of_Apes|A Rental Dispute: Begin renegotiating the Embassy's lease|Sunless Skies}}''"But no sooner do you get there than the attendant clicks angrily. "No boons, favours, requests or solicitations are honoured from persons with a Clear soul!" it snaps, as though you ought to know this already."''</ref> after all, disregarding death means disrespecting the Kingdom.<ref name="ask rep devil about rental dispute" />

To cure a Clear soul, the patient must relearn the inevitability of their mortality.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Penance:_Endurance#reaction|Penance: Endurance Reactions|Sunless Skies}}''""Death is inevitable," intones the Supervising Devil. "For your sort, anyhow." [...] "Would you say you are feeling more or less conscious of your mortality than when you began this programme?""''</ref> Therefore, the treatments they undergo involve being buried alive and other physical tests of their endurance, as well as copying death reports, studying dead bodies, and other morbid activities.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Airs_of_Carillon#endurance_punishment|Endurance Punishments|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

===Cold===
<blockquote>''"The soul is icy to the touch. Dispassionate, clinical, removed."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Cold|Cold|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Indifference to love can be corrected. But not easily."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Carillon#Stunted_Grove|Cure your cold soul|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>'''Cold''' souls are borne from dispassion, lack of empathy, and heartlessness. Owners of such chilly souls are the puppy-kickers, the truly pitiless, those who murder their loved ones for money - the kind who let out a dark, villainous laugh when given a compliment.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#ordeal_crime|Ordeal Crimes|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

Individuals with Cold souls are not permitted to partake in the higher mysteries of [[Caduceus]], as they are considered unworthy by the [[Grand Devil]] that holds power there.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/A_Moonlit_Pool#Interactions|Drink deeply (Cold ≥ 1)|Sunless Skies}}''"The water is bitter as over steeped coffee, as an empty bed, as a key turning in a lock a final time. The sound of the drums is greater here [...] It rises, slow and dolorous as a funeral knell. The deviless pulls you from the water. "The Drummer refuses you. Take your cold soul to Carillon [...]"''</ref>

Curing Cold souls involves coercing the penitent into feeling compassion and emotion, through suffering.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Penance:_Ordeal#reaction|Penance: Ordeal Reactions|Sunless Skies}} ''""If you were to see a dying bird," asks the Supervising Deviless, "would you rescue it?" [...] "Try to allow yourself to feel some emotion [...]""''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Penance:_Ordeal|Penance: Ordeal|Sunless Skies}}''"Penance is gained by suffering."''</ref> Patients may be prodded by pitchforks, tied up and/or left alone somewhere isolated... or be menaced by kittens.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Airs_of_Carillon#ordeal_punishment|Ordeal Punishments|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

===Curdled===
<blockquote>''"Overly willing to please, envious, obsequious... are those chunks? ...in the soul."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Curdled|Curdled|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Envy. Frustration. A tendency to begrudge honours given to others."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Carillon#Chequerboard_Garden|Cure your curdled soul|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>A person's soul can become '''Curdled''' by not knowing one's place, especially by ignoring or violating the "natural" hierarchies of the universe. Owners of Curdled souls may have regarded their superiors with too much familiarity, pretended to be someone greater than they are, or even denied the superiority of any [[:Category:Nonhumans|non-human creature]]. Or, perhaps, they pried into matters of biology not meant for the human mind.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#conversion_crime|Conversion Crimes|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

Notably, the [[Blue Kingdom]] is apparently incapable of effectively processing the events or memories that may Curdle one's soul.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_House_of_Days#The_Court_of_Mules|Seek a removal of your Curdled Soul flaw|Sunless Skies}}''"The Blue Kingdom swallows fame, fortunes, titles and estates as though they had never been. But it cannot digest these events. They persist, sapphires caught in the crop of a basilisk."''</ref>

Curing a Curdled soul means reminding a patient of their proper place,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#deprivation_crime|Penance: Shift of Perspective Reactions|Sunless Skies}} ''""Let that be a lesson to you," says the Supervising Devil. [...] "Everything in its proper place" [...] "If I could just ask a few questions," says the Supervising Devil finally. "How are you feeling about the Great Chain of Existence? Positive, negative, or neutral?""''</ref> so the process involves many unflattering activities and reminders of the patient's low status, such as being told of exclusive parties that the patient may never attend.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Airs_of_Carillon#conversion_punishment|Conversion Punishments|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

===Fermented===
<blockquote>''"Soul appears faintly bubbling in its bottle. It is pungent of odour and indifferent to taboo."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Fermented|Fermented|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Perhaps you have eaten that which you should not. Perhaps you've come in contact with something unclean. At any rate, your soul has gone a bit off."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Carillon#Bell_Garden|Cure your fermented soul|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>Partaking in dirty deeds, shadowy affairs, and repugnant behaviors may cause one's soul to become '''Fermented'''. These are the individuals who ignore other people's plans and schedules, suffer from unaccountable peckishness, associate with [[The Tomb-Colonies|tomb colonists]] and [[Snuffers]], wear unwashed clothes, and generally commit disgusting acts... like swimming in the Thames. Once. Many, many years ago.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#deprivation_crime|Deprivation Crimes|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

Curing a Fermented soul means imposing self-restraint and cleanliness on the patient;<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Penance:_Deprivation#reaction|Penance: Deprivation Reactions|Sunless Skies}} ''""I trust you see," remarks the Supervising Deviless, "why self-restraint is needed." [...] "Cleanliness," says the Supervising Deviless, "is next to... well. It appeals to the Judgements, anyhow!""''</ref> hence, the penitents often have to suffer inordinate dietary restrictions, sensory deprivation, and other ascetic restrictions.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Airs_of_Carillon#deprivation_punishment|Deprivation Punishments|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

===Flickering===
<blockquote>''"Soul-light is unpersistent, incurious, lacking."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Flickering|Flickering|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Maybe you've found yourself lying as a matter of course. Maybe you've forgotten a few inconvenient aspects of yourself."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Carillon#Terrace_of_Glass_Statues|Cure your flickering soul|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Flickering''' soul flaw relates to disassociation, the loss of identity, and self-delusion. Those with Flickering souls may have been compulsive liars to themselves or others, have forgotten important aspects of their lives, memories, or achievements, or may have published a masterwork of literature but forgot to read the reviews.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#inescapable_truth_crime|Inescapable Truth Crimes|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

More chillingly, those with Flickering souls may also see someone else in their reflection - perhaps because they passed through a [[Parabola|mirror]] and came back changed, losing a part of themselves the process. Spores of the [[Uttershroom]], mysteriously, can also damage a soul in this manner.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#inescapable_truth_crime|Inescapable Truth Crimes|Sunless Skies}}''"partook of Uttershroom spores."''</ref>

Flickering souls are generally considered extremely hard to cure,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Penance:_Inescapable_Truth#reaction|Penance: Inescapable Truth Reactions|Sunless Skies}} ''""These patients are the most difficult," says the Supervising Devil aside to you. "Except maybe those in the Stunted Grove. It's so hard to refine a soul that's gotten into this state.""''</ref> and the process mainly revolves around reminding patients of the truth and discouraging them from engaging in falsehoods.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Penance:_Inescapable_Truth#reaction|Penance: Inescapable Truth Reactions|Sunless Skies}} ''""Are you feeling more aware of the truth?" [...] "Still inclined to falsehoods," writes the Supervising Devil."''</ref> Punishments include posing nude for an unwaveringly accurate artist, copying informational articles, and eating past untruths written on scraps of paper. And for some reason, gaining... a second skeleton?<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Airs_of_Carillon#inescapable_truth_punishment|Inescapable Truth Punishments|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

===Lightless===
<blockquote>''"Slothful, viceful, willful abandonment of talent and interest."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Lightless|Lightless|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Perhaps you have fallen into habits. Perhaps you haven't stretched your imagination lately."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Carillon#Gaslight_Terrace|Cure your lightless soul|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>The '''Lightless''' soul flaw can be caused by poor habits, playing things overly safe, or leaving things "just good enough." Those with Lightless souls may have abandoned their natural talents or overwhelmed themselves with sloth. Or they may have eaten too many carob candies.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#enlightenment_crime|Enlightenment Crimes|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

Lightless souls are not allowed to partake in the mysteries of [[Caduceus]], as the [[devils]] there consider them dull.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/A_Moonlit_Pool#Interactions|Drink thirstily|Sunless Skies}}''"The deviless pulls you from the water. "The Drummer refuses you. Your dullard soul has no place in our mysteries. Take your dullness to Carillon, where our brethren can better minister your sin.""''</ref> They are also not permitted to move beyond the Catafalque within [[Death's Door]], as they will fail the administered soul-quality tests.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Catafalque#Interactions|Offer help to a Lightless spirit|Sunless Skies}}''"The Lightless spirit quails before the implacable flames of the Logoi. It scratches on the wall with broken fingernails: SENT BACK, it writes, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND..."''</ref>

Curing Lightless souls involves livening things up for patients by imparting within them a sense of self-worth and ambition.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Penance:_Enlightenment#reaction|Penance: Enlightenment Reactions|Sunless Skies}} ''"Periodically, the supervising Devil asks a question such as "Are you feeling more alive?" [...] "Do you feel any more interesting now?" [...] "Is this making you at all more ambitious?"''</ref> Hence, Lightless patients are forced to make their lives a bit more interesting. They may perform music in public under unforgiving circumstances, learn a variety of strange and dangerous new skills, and generally gain new experiences they may have avoided otherwise. Alternatively, they might be forced into having their bodies modified in some way.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Airs_of_Carillon#enlightenment_punishment|Enlightenment Punishments|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

===<font color="red">Stained</font>===
<blockquote>''"Soul appears damaged, scorched. Reckless, dangerous and fatally curious."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Stained|Stained|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote><blockquote>''"Perhaps you've looked into topics you should not have. Perhaps your soul has been consumed and spat out again by an unspeakable beast."''<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/Carillon#Garden_of_Insatiable_Roses|Cure your stained soul|Sunless Skies}}</ref></blockquote>As arguably the most dangerous of the seven soul flaws, '''Stained''' souls are the mark of the overly curious: those who seek forbidden knowledge or the world's deepest secrets. Those who bypass censors, study the facets of star-killing, learn dangerous [[Correspondence]] sigils, or look too closely into the nature of wells may gain a Stain on their soul.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Changes_at_Carillon#excess_crime|Excess Crimes|Sunless Skies}}</ref>

The method of curing Stained souls involves imparting within the patient that there is such a thing as too much, and that curiosity killed the cat and satisfaction did ''not'' bring it back.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Penance:_Excess#reaction|Penance: Excess Reactions|Sunless Skies}} ''""There is such a thing as too much, wouldn't you say?" [...] "This is what happens when you ask too many questions" [...] "So, would you say your curiosity has been exhausted?""''</ref> Thus, penitents are forced to gorge themselves on excesses of food, drink, and most importantly, secrets. Many tasks overlap with the tedious cures for certain other soul flaws,<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.miraheze.org/wiki/Airs_of_Carillon#excess_punishment|Excess Punishments|Sunless Skies}}</ref> as they are also good demonstrations of "too much."

In the [[Neath]], Stained souls are the only flaw explicitly noted by [[devils]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Your_soul_is_stained_now|Your soul is stained now|Fallen London|}} ''"The Affectionate Devil kneels beside your chair, [...] and then he's coughing violently. He heaves himself to his feet, choking and wheezing. Yellow tears stream down his face. "In all my time... Yes. Erm... I must bid you good-night." [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Evade_them!_(The_Sound_of_His_Horn)|Evade them! (The Sound of His Horn)|Fallen London|}} ''"The devils swarm over you, upend you, search you for valuables, scourge and blind you and fill your ears with madness. Lastly, they reinsert your soul. They are not gentle. They hold you while you scream, faces wise and blissful." (Unlocked if you have sold the devils a Stained soul.)''</ref> Strange essences sourced from the [[Prison of Flint]] may cure stains, but considering that the Prison lies deep within the [[Elder Continent]], obtaining such substances is easier said than done.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Flint|Flint|Fallen London}} ''"I believe those essences remain in its Prison of Flint..." [...] Give him the Essences: "Do you have them?" [...] Unstain your soul: You wish you had not done what you have done."''</ref>

==Historical and Cultural Inspirations==
There are seven soul flaws, and also seven [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins deadly sins] in Christian teachings: lust, gluttony (overindulgence), greed, sloth (inclusive of depression and despair), wrath (and/or hatred), envy, and pride (hubris). While there are a few matches, these do not correspond particularly well to the soul flaws. It is more likely that the number was chosen because Seven is the Number.

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==References==
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[[Category:Other Things of Significance]]