ＨＥＡＲＴＬＥＳＳＮＥＳＳ.

[dishearten]

WHAT DOES HEARTLESS MEAN? in the context of once upon a time, it is more than just cruel. heart magic is a special magic that involves removal of the heart. while the body continues to work normally, there are some effects as a result of this. you can read the article about canonical heartlessness here. WHAT CAN ONE DO WITH A HEART? if someone has stolen a heart, it becomes enchanted. that allows the person in the possession of it entire control over their victim. it is impossible to betray a command whispered to their heart. in fact, they may not even be aware that they are being controlled. a heartless person can attempt to resist but thus far in canon, it has never been shown accomplished. additionally, one can squeeze the heart to cause the victim immense pain. to crush an enchanted heart kills the victim. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE HEARTLESS? to be heartless means a disconnect from feeling. it is difficult if not impossible to feel strong emotions. that sort of detachment also makes it harder to interact with people, especially considering Graham has been disconnected from his for decades. this sort of numbness is not solely limited to emotions, either. pain is not as striking (excluding a heart being squeezed), hunger is not as pressing. to be without one's heart forces them into a sort of isolation, because they cannot connect to the world in the way that others do. someone without a heart can function on their own, they do not need constant orders to exist, but if they have been given a static order, they cannot break that command, even if they are not otherwise being controlled. lastly, for those who believe in magic, it can be noted that Graham does not have a heartbeat. his heart is outside of his body, and his body works as it would normally, but his heart is not technically inside of it. for those that are not magically inclined, though, they will perceive a heartbeat because they assume that it is there. it is possible for someone that is heartless to not realize what they are lacking and live perfectly unaware, but Graham has been heartless for a very long time. he is more aware of his lack of attachment than most would be. he has also noticed his lack of heartbeat.