What's so special about "abstraction"?

Fallen London
1

Having been in the company of devils, I understand that “abstraction” is a fanciful term for having one’s soul removed - and that others (non-devils) who travel in such circles seem to consider it something greatly desirable.

Perhaps there is some small nuance I missed, but if these poor devils - of the figurative variety - are so desperate to have their souls taken, why not simply haunt some dark alley, soak themselves in gin, and present themselves before some unsuspecting spirifer as a vagabond willing to part with it for tuppence and a pint? Is there some grand distinction between having one’s soul “abstracted” and simply selling it off? Perhaps the obvious thing - one done by a devil (or deviless) and the other by a man with a fork?

And if I may be so bold to ask those who have gone there, what tangible benefits - if any - does soullessness bring, or is it merely a peril of being an intimate of devils?

2

Well now that we have ‘Brilliant Souls’ as an item, I’d speculate that the devils - of the literal variety - are going to all the trouble of selling the idea of being Abstracted to these sops because of the effect it will have on the soul once properly abstracted.

3

The benefit-- or so I have heard-- from, er, personal sources-- coughs– is quite tangible, indeed, as it appears our brazen cousins place high monetary value on the soul. Or rather on the extraction itself, as common bottled souls may be found in the Bazaar for nearly a dime a dozen. In any case, the reward for agreeing to an extraction by a proper devil is immediate and significant. And the process is not at all unpleasant, especially as those devils can be so very charming.

And afterwards, darling, I know you’ll never look back. Perhaps it once held a function, but in this thoroughly modern city you’ll find that a soul is quite the useless vestigial thing. And soullessness can be such a comfort, even providing some succor from madness! Or so I’ve heard, that is. It will, unfortunately, prejudice certain people against you, but those individuals are quite frankly old-fashioned bigots, and I never wanted to associate with them anyway.
edited by Ephemerayla on 2/18/2012

4

In any case, don’t sell your soul. The price is just too low to justify the process, and the resulting prejudice troublesome. Not to mention these devil cease their charming courtship once your soul is gone.

(Hint, hint: If you are willing to spend fate, you can find out more about souls in several fate-locked stories. The most obvious is the Soul Trade, but the 1-fate-locked option with the Albino Rat on Stealth Watch Repair opportunity card will provide some startling revelation on this matter…)
edited by Byron Man on 2/18/2012

5

(To be fair-- with regarding to the cost, it’s rather relative. The reward is a solid 22 echoes-- now, as I’m a Person of Some Importance, that doesn’t seem like too much. But I lost my soul back when my highest quality was probably around 30, and 22 echoes was quite significant for me. I used it to buy something I’d been grinding towards for some time, and the reward seemed more than worth it at the time. And honestly the prejudice hasn’t been a problem for me, in terms of actual gameplay. So there’s my boring serious answer. :-P )

Edit: Haha, I forgot that smilies are converted into descriptions in this forum! Stick Out Tongue, indeed.
edited by Ephemerayla on 2/18/2012

6

[quote=TheRyusui]Having been in the company of devils, I understand that “abstraction” is a fanciful term for having one’s soul removed - and that others (non-devils) who travel in such circles seem to consider it something greatly desirable.

Perhaps there is some small nuance I missed, but if these poor devils - of the figurative variety - are so desperate to have their souls taken, why not simply haunt some dark alley, soak themselves in gin, and present themselves before some unsuspecting spirifer as a vagabond willing to part with it for tuppence and a pint? Is there some grand distinction between having one’s soul “abstracted” and simply selling it off? Perhaps the obvious thing - one done by a devil (or deviless) and the other by a man with a fork?

And if I may be so bold to ask those who have gone there, what tangible benefits - if any - does soullessness bring, or is it merely a peril of being an intimate of devils?[/quote]

I think your question is akin to asking a Veilgarden poet why he or she seeks out love, when any back-alley merchant will sate their desires for a modest sum. They see it as a package deal, with benefits over the alternative both tangible and otherwise.

7

I’ll confess, I humored these devilish advances at first out of a concession to curiosity. And idle amusement. And indeed, it was amusing. But lately they’re incessant. Day after day, the gaudy one and the quiet one both call on me, and they keep using that word.

I pride myself on being enough of a gambler to know when to stop gambling, but these devils pursue like the very hounds of Hell itself. (Wonder if they’d appreciate the comparison…) I’ve tried letting the gaudy one down diplomatically, but he either cannot or will not take no for an answer.

Starting to wonder if it’s the rats all over again. Had to kill my way through a small army of them before they took a hint. Literally, a small army! The b___ers were armed and organized, and the fighting took days.

I’ve shed blood over crackers, and these over-glorified imps want my soul?!

8

[quote=TheRyusui]Having been in the company of devils, I understand that &quotabstraction&quot is a fanciful term for having one’s soul removed - and that others (non-devils) who travel in such circles seem to consider it something greatly desirable.

Perhaps there is some small nuance I missed, but if these poor devils - of the figurative variety - are so desperate to have their souls taken, why not simply haunt some dark alley, soak themselves in gin, and present themselves before some unsuspecting spirifer as a vagabond willing to part with it for tuppence and a pint? Is there some grand distinction between having one’s soul &quotabstracted&quot and simply selling it off? Perhaps the obvious thing - one done by a devil (or deviless) and the other by a man with a fork?

And if I may be so bold to ask those who have gone there, what tangible benefits - if any - does soullessness bring, or is it merely a peril of being an intimate of devils?[/quote]

[li]
Honestly, I would say it depends on the individual. I will be blunt-for myself, I note only that emotions seem a little duller, colours a little more faded, music a little more tonal without actually impairing any of my faculties, if that makes any sense. Things just seem more…washed out. Jaded. Like an old man re-remembering the folly of his youth. I wonder if it has anything to do with my devil being a quiet thing and, say, a certain soldier’s being an enemy combatent.

I have no illusions, of course. A devil is a devil. Their motives are singular, and we can only judge them by the quality of their methods.

But such emptiness also drives us to greatness, to acts of daring that defy fate-or perhaps, complete it. After all, when nothing has any lasting satisfaction, nothing holds you back either. And the truly terrible and beautiful things of the world stand out all the more, even as the 300 or so echoes you can receive from an especially lucrative offer-NOT the devil who propositioned you in the first place, the cheeky buggers only stop playing coy when you do-become barely a memory.

Ultimately the loss of a soul is the untethering of a little more law from yourself. Make of that what you will.

9

What good is a soul? What good is a hermit crab to a shell?

Who is relinquishing ownership over whom?
edited by John Moose on 11/24/2016

10

[quote=Hattington][quote=TheRyusui]Having been in the company of devils, I understand that &quotabstraction&quot is a fanciful term for having one’s soul removed - and that others (non-devils) who travel in such circles seem to consider it something greatly desirable.

Perhaps there is some small nuance I missed, but if these poor devils - of the figurative variety - are so desperate to have their souls taken, why not simply haunt some dark alley, soak themselves in gin, and present themselves before some unsuspecting spirifer as a vagabond willing to part with it for tuppence and a pint? Is there some grand distinction between having one’s soul &quotabstracted&quot and simply selling it off? Perhaps the obvious thing - one done by a devil (or deviless) and the other by a man with a fork?

And if I may be so bold to ask those who have gone there, what tangible benefits - if any - does soullessness bring, or is it merely a peril of being an intimate of devils?[/quote]

[li]
Honestly, I would say it depends on the individual. I will be blunt-for myself, I note only that emotions seem a little duller, colours a little more faded, music a little more tonal without actually impairing any of my faculties, if that makes any sense. Things just seem more…washed out. Jaded. Like an old man re-remembering the folly of his youth. I wonder if it has anything to do with my devil being a quiet thing and, say, a certain soldier’s being an enemy combatent.

I have no illusions, of course. A devil is a devil. Their motives are singular, and we can only judge them by the quality of their methods.

But such emptiness also drives us to greatness, to acts of daring that defy fate-or perhaps, complete it. After all, when nothing has any lasting satisfaction, nothing holds you back either. And the truly terrible and beautiful things of the world stand out all the more, even as the 300 or so echoes you can receive from an especially lucrative offer-NOT the devil who propositioned you in the first place, the cheeky buggers only stop playing coy when you do-become barely a memory.

Ultimately the loss of a soul is the untethering of a little more law from yourself. Make of that what you will.[/quote]
One hardly needs to lose a soul, in order to be constantly driven. I’ve retained mine despite some extreme pursuit from hellish associates, and desire to collect as much knowledge and secrets about all the factions in london.
[/li][li] It can be said that several actions can improve the value of a soul, abstraction might very well increase the value of a soul. Along with say twins dying together.
[/li]

11

Abstraction seems a tad fancier than normal Spiriferage. Spirifers draw the soul out from the mouth, while Abstraction somehow removes it via the wrist. Methods aside, I don’t think there’s all that much difference as the final result in either case is a person without a soul. I think Abstraction is mostly about marketing. Poor people have their souls removed with forks, while the upper crust and hard to get want to feel special, have a special operation with a special name, get special attention from the Devils, and meet other special people during the process.