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project-heartless-serial · 1 month

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Author's Note

Hallo! Thank you for your interest in reading this. This story is finished and will update every Saturday starting May 4, 2024. If you are impatient and have some money to spare, or just would like to support me, early access of 5 advance chapters (plus patreon-exclusive post canon content, once we get there!) is available here!

Chapter Masterlist

Working Title: Project Heartless

Genre: Queer, Dystopian Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Horror

Length: 118K

The Heartless are empty of morals– just as nonexistent as their heart. That was what Rainier Sandoval had been taught at an early age. As an Inner City dweller, the barbarism in the Outer District, where the Heartless thrived, was hard to imagine. But when his own heart was stolen and crushed on his twenty-fifth birthday, he was exiled to that very place, forced to see for himself. He had thought he was prepared, but the expectations were so horribly different from the reality. Conspiracies were afoot, and the more he stayed in Outer District, the more he realized he had been lied to his entire life. The monsters he was taught to fear might be Angel City's only hope against threats lurking beyond its borders. In a twist of fate, they might also be Rainier's only hope against his own inner demons.

This story was written because there is a severe lack of aromantic characters and queerplatonic relationships in media. If you like:

*A primarily aromantic cast being unapologetically aro (feat. other aspec identities)

*a generous sprinkle of body horror and action

*focus on a queerplatonic relationship between the MC and their partner

*focus on a nonbinary characters and identities

*found family

*fighting monsters

*fighting against an oppressive system

*a rainy atmospheric setting

Then this novel is for you!

I am very active on Tumblr and my handle is @rkmoon! If you wanna see what I'm working on, ask me questions or just talk to me, you can find me there.

That is all! I hope you like it!

#web serial #wip intro #queer writing #reading #projectheartless #song of the heartless #horror #dystopian fantasy #dark fantasy #body horror #queer #lgbt #aromantic #nonbinary #queer lit #webnovel #web novel

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jadejedi · 5 months

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Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Review: The Locked Tomb (Books 1 and 2) by Tamsyn Muir

JJ’s rating 5/5

How feral did it make me 5/5

My book reviews

So, I initially picked up these books because I was looking for something similar to Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell. I think I saw someone on reddit compare The Locked Tomb to Ocean’s Echo due to both of them having the sort of soul-merge-y stuff, and that is absolutely true. If you want books that are like “what if two fucked up people want to lose themselves in someone else, only to realize that they can’t actually do that and have a healthy, functioning relationship?”, then both Ocean’s Echo and The Locked Tomb definitely both do those things. Also, they are also both about gays in space. So, I went into TLT with very few expectations. BUT GUYS THE LOCKED TOMB BOOKS ARE SO GOOD HOLY SHIT. I truly could not have guessed how incredible these books are when I started them.

It’s possible that if you spend a lot of time on tumblr dot com that you have heard of these books because they are, like, exactly tumblr’s jam lmao. If ACOTAR was written perfectly for the booktok/bookstagram crowd, then this series was written perfectly for tumblr. It’s gay, full of ridiculous meme references, and genuinely laugh-out-loud funny while still delivering gut wrenching emotions. I will say I’ve never had two such different reading experiences for books in the same series. Gideon the Ninth is absolutely one of the most fun reading experiences I’ve ever had. Harrow the Ninth, on the other hand, is one of the most confusing. But, it is important to note that it is absolutely confusing on purpose. I genuinely think Tamsyn Muir was like, “what can I do to push the limits of the reading experience in two completely opposite ways” for these books. I fear for my life going into the third book, tbh.

I just finished my first read of HtN last week, and have since reread GtN and have started rereading HtN and I have never had a more rewarding reread experience in my LIFE. Unless you take extensive notes, there are so so many clues and instances of subtle foreshadowing that will only make sense on a reread. There have already been dozens of times in this reread where something that didn’t quite make sense the first time, or in some cases, didn’t even register as odd on a first read through, makes me go “oh SHIT” and it is so satisfying.

Here’s the summary (jesus trying to summarize this series in a paragraph is HARD): 10,000 years ago humanity was wiped out on its nine planets. The emperor resurrected everyone, gave some of those people necromantic abilities and became God. Each of the nine planets has a ruling house that specializes in a form of necromancy. The Ninth House specializes in bone magic, and has the special task of guarding The Locked Tomb, which holds the one thing that could destroy the Emperor and therefore all human life. Our story centers on Gideon Nav, an orphan and indentured servant of the Ninth House who desperately wants to escape and become a soldier. Her nemesis is Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the heir to the Ninth House. They hate each other, but in a “I am completely and utterly obsessed with you” kind of way. Harrow is invited to go to the First House to try to become one of God’s immortal body guards (Lyctors), but needs a bodyguard (cavalier) of her own for this trial/competition thing, so she basically backs Gideon into a corner where her only way to leave the Ninth is to go with her to the First House, because Gideon is a hella good swordswoman. Once they get to the First House, they meet the heirs and cavaliers of Houses 2-8 and they all try to figure out how to become Lyctors. Book Two follows Harrow in the nine months following this competition and that’s all I can say about it without completely spoiling everything.

If you want to read these books (which you absolutely should), I would recommend going in as blind as possible. However, especially as you are reading Harrow the Ninth, you feel a little confused. Or a lot confused. I recommend going to r/theNinthHouse on Reddit and searching for the “hot tomb summer” reread-along. It covers both of these two books and goes in about five chapter sections. All spoilers are hidden so it is safe to use on a first read.

These books are absolutely one of a kind, and they are PHENOMENAL. The dynamic between Harrow and Gideon is absolutely delicious. Do you like enemies to (hopefully) lovers? Do you like some good ole fashioned fealty? Do you like one character being like “please use me, consume me, eat me, please” and the other being like “I will show my love by not using, consuming, or eating my love interest”? Do you like devastating heart-to-hearts in a pool? Do you like references to the Bible and Shakespeare right next to semi-obscure meme references? Have you ever looked at a fictional couple and thought, “You know what would really put them over the top? SKULL FACEPAINT!”? Then these books are for you!!! I genuinely haven’t stopped thinking about these books since I finished Harrow. GtN was one of my best reads of 2023, and I already know that HtN is one of my best reads of 2024. I genuinely cannot recommend them enough.

#book review #fantasy book review #sci fi book review #wlw #e2L #slowww burn #the locked tomb #tlt #space opera #dystopian fantasy

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anitatapio · 11 days

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Pariah amidst the awakening spring

Character: Pariah amidst the awakening spring from my dystopian fantasy novel (book trailer in the works)

Feel free to follow for updates. Also active on instagram at @theanitatapio

#shoegaze #goth #goth aesthetic #90s nostalgia #90s goth #2020s goth #20s goth #dystopia #dystopian novel #alien #writers on tumblr #trans characters #trans representation #alien witches #dystopian fantasy

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rkmoon · 1 month

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Obligatory reminder that Song of the Heartless is going to start serializing at @project-heartless-serial next week! Are you excited? I'm excited :D

You can ask me stuff about it if you want!

#writeblr #web serial #queer writing #reading #project heartless #song of the heartless #horror #dystopian fantasy #dark fantasy #body horror #queer #lgbt #aromantic #nonbinary #queer lit #webnovel #web novel

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heathercauthor · 1 year

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"𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙊𝙛 𝙐𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩!" review for the prequel, Earth Sucks.

Which brings me to revealing its sequel! Welcome to Rebels Suck! Didn't @ckid_art on instagram do an AMAZING job on the cover art?

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆:

Upper YA, alien apocalypse, self-reliance and survival

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

-badass tortured anti-hero -betrayal/revenge -soulmates -opposites attract -forced proximity -enemies to allies to friends -so much hurt/comfort

I got to delve into the rebellion and worldbuilding on both the human and alien side in this one, which was so much fun. The amount of times I made myself fangirl over the love triangle 😭(that doesn't make you want to tear your hair out)

𝑺𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒔 "𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘭𝘴…" 𝘒𝘐𝘙𝘒𝘜𝘚 𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘞𝘚

"𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯-𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥, 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵-𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴…" 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦

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deardragonbook · 2 years

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Free Stories to Read

The best way to learn to write is to read a lot!

Personal experience tells me that writing with the intent of improving and receiving feedback is also extremely important! But I did read an inhuman amount during my teen years.

Now I really just a human amount.

And reading can be expensive! Especially if you’re set on a specific genre.

So, I thought I’d throw together a post with the free stories that I have to offer and invite other authors to re-blog and add their stories! (Is this just me trying to add to my TBR while not having money for books? Maybe).

Make sure you add a link and the genre!

Out of Body Experience. Novella. Genre: Dystopian-Fantasy. Status: Complete.

Oppida Institute for Reformation. Prequel. Genre: Fantasy Adventure. Status: Ongoing (to be complete before next summer).

Love, Coffee and Dragons. Related short stories. Genre: Cozy Fantasy Romance between two women. Status: Ongoing

Other fantasy short stories on my website.

I left synopsis out because there is a synopsis after you click the link. I think the best way to make this list more accesible would be to be brief but obviously do as you see fit!

Hope to have some new stories to read soon!

#fantasy story #fantasy novel #fantasy stories #fantasy #ya fantasy #young adult fantasy #dystopian fantasy #cozy fantasy #romance #books #ebooks #ya books #read #fantasy book #fantasy books #fantasy book recs #book recs #book rec #free stories

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fazilareads · 1 year

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MOON DEEDS (STAR CHILDREN SAGA #1) BY PALMER PICKERING | BOOK REVIEW

TITLE : Moon Deeds ( Star Children Saga) AUTHOR : Palmer Pickering GENRE : Science Fantasy, Futuristic Sci-fi Fantasy, Dystopian Fantasy FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(4 Stars) DATE OF PUBLISHING : 25 May 2019 PUBLISHER : Mythology Press NO OF PAGES : 598 I had the opportunity to interview Palmer Pickering for my Book Tour Stop with Escapist last year. Make sure to check it out – CLICK HERE FR…

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captscarletlog · 2 years

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Canon artwork for Casteri Raza, the Iranian mechanic and best friend of Tyrinie Dukas. My man is looking ✨️pristine✨️. Casteri, oddly enough, was another character that had a huge shift. In the original manuscript, Casteri was supposed to be 14 years old and really shy. Look how much that changed!

#xenontecharchives #illustration #dystopian fantasy #sci fi & fantasy #science fiction #main character #original character #teen books #bookworm #book illustration #casteri #animeboy #anime art #anime illustration

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elliepassmore · 2 years

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Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves review

4/5 stars Recommended for people who like: fantasy, sci-fi, high stakes, human-animal bonds, contests The premise of the book sounded interesting and exciting, but I kind of struggled to really connect with any of the characters. Sena has obvious reasons to dislike the race, and also to be passionate about the vonenwolves, but at the same time she can be difficult to get along with. The other characters, aka the "team of scientists," also tend to lack the kind of depth I would like to see, though perhaps that's due to the size of the cast. Sena, as mentioned, is very passionate about the vonenwolves and very passionate in the other direction about the sled race. She cares for the vonenwolves and wants to ensure they're being treated well and are in good condition, a passion and talent she inherited from one of her mothers. Unfortunately for her, this also puts her in direct opposition with one of the biggest gangsters in the town/city. Sena has a lot of perseverance and once she puts her mind to something, she's determined to see it through, no matter how unlikely she thinks success will be. Remy was the only other character I really feel like we got a good feel for. She has her own reasons for wanting to be on Tundar and plenty of secrets to boot. She and Sena get along fairly well, which is good since Sena doesn't really get along with most people. Remy also adds a bit of lightness to the story and is able to both scheme and joke. I look forward to seeing more of her story in the second book. There's little to no romance in this book, so that's refreshing for a fantasy book. That being said, there also isn't really a ton of character relationships going on either. Sena thinks a lot about her mothers, so their relationship and her love for them (and vice versa) comes through, but she keeps her distance from most of the other characters, including her aunt. The scientist team has some interesting dynamics that I think could be interesting to explore deeper, and perhaps they will come up in book 2. I get why the scientist team wanted to bring their scientific equipment along, but it was frustrating at times having to read how much they clung to their ideas while completely ignoring Sena's advice, despite the fact that they came to her for help. Sena's advice proves true, of course, since she does know what she's talking about. I know I've mentioned that Sena doesn't get along with a lot of people in the book, but a lot of that is due to stuff like this, where she gives asked-for advice and then is ignored by people who think they know better. That being said, I liked the environment and world Long set up in this story. It definitely felt like winter to me when I was reading it. The world Sena lives on is harsh, filled with a deadly tundra and even deadlier gangsters. I liked the feel of the town/city Sena lives in and it felt real and interesting (think Winter, White and Wicked mixed with The Raging Ones). The woods on the edge of town could've used a bit more of an explanation I think, but at the same time they don't play a huge role in things so I don't know if a more in-depth explanation really matters. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I think some additional time getting to know the characters or more on-page character interactions would've been nice, but I enjoyed the fast pace of the book and the world that Long created here.

#book #bookstagram #booklover #bookblr #books #book review #book recommendations #bookish #bookaholic #bookaddict #booklr #ya book #ya books #fantasy books #ya fantasy #cold the night fast the wolves #meg long #dystopian fantasy

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project-heartless-serial · 12 days

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Chapter Four

Chapter Masterlist

Everything that followed felt fuzzy. Rainier did not know how to feel, did not know what to think, now that his heart was no more. He noticed Vincent and Trenton glancing at him with worried expressions as they guided him back to his room, where he got to have privacy. The mansion was in disarray, the party was no doubt canceled, and the reporters were crawling inside the halls of the house trying to get a statement out of Rainier. Rainier did not want to indulge them. He didn't want to do anything. The image of his heart getting crushed replayed over and over in the back of his eyes, everytime he closed them. He couldn't breathe. He couldn’t breathe.

He was vaguely aware of Vincent calling on his phone for a doctor. And then, it felt as though the next time he blinked, the doctor was there. He was talking to him, but Rainier’s head was filled with cotton. Perhaps it was the concussion, because he found it really hard to focus, really hard to understand what was happening around him— heavens, he just wanted to sleep. Vincent's hand touched his shoulder and squeezed, and Rainier clung to that sensation, letting it tether him to the world, even as the waves of distress threatened to wash him away.

What was going to happen to him now?

The doctor cut his own palm and let it bleed. And then he dipped his fingers into the blood and pulled, the liquid emerging into strings attached to his fingertips. Rainier watched in detached fascination. The doctor and Vincent talked, but their words were merely buzzing around his head. He didn't want to think. Thinking felt too dangerous.

The doctor used the crimson threads to thread the needle and proceeded to stitch his arm back to his elbow. It didn't hurt. Probably because all of the painkillers Trenton made him guzzle earlier. Rainier just stared as his arm was reattached, wondering if his heart could be stitched back the same way. But no, there was nothing left of his heart but ground meat, and whatever was left would have already been washed away into the mud with a rain this intense, raging outside.

Rainier liked that it had started storming. It felt like a good representation of the storm inside his nonexistent heart.

The doctor finished bloodstitching Rainier's arm. Rainier watched the thread sink into his skin, leaving red lines against the brown surface, which would fade in time. Rainier opened and closed his newly-attached hand. It moved perfectly. He mumbled a dazed thank you.

The doctor gave him a pitying smile, and then continued on to stitch his chest. Rainier felt like he was floating.

“...nier? Rainier?”

He realized someone else was in the room with them. He lifted his eyes, and saw Simonne standing there. She looked worried. And then she was holding his cheek, fingers soothingly rubbing against his skin. Rainier stared.

It was Simonne. The love of his life.

Absently, he noted that she looked beautiful. She was wearing a peach cocktail dress that embraced the curves of her body and brought out the rosiness of her pale skin. Her hair was pulled up in an elegant updo that made her eyes stand out more, bigger and much more expressive. She looked like a fairytale princess come to life. Rainier thought any other day the sight of her would have brought his stomach somersaulting, especially with the way she stared at him now: all worry and love. Rainier grabbed her hand that was on his cheek, squeezing it. It must be the shock, it must be— because looking at Simonne now, seeing this beautiful girl that he once daydreamed would be his wife, Rainier felt nothing.

That was when he broke down crying.

He had loved Simonne since he was thirteen. That love was as much a part of him as his name was, a crucial piece of his formative years. As his mind lifted from its daze he tried to seek it— the love that had always sent his world reeling, the love that defined him— and he found nothing. He didn’t feel any romantic love for Simonne anymore. Rainier had never even though it was possible to exist without that love.

It felt like his identity was being stolen from him. What was going to happen to him now? Would he be just like the Heartless, now cursed with a solitary existence? Rainier didn’t feel like himself, and he knew something inside him had been fundamentally altered, intrinsically changed— he was different now, and no matter how much he cried, there was no going back.

Rainier was a Heartless now.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…

Simonne held him as he sobbed. She hugged him tight and kissed the top of his head. She handled him like she was trying to piece him together, but there was no longer any doubt—Rainier was wrong, broken.

It was all too much.

Rainier didn't know how long he cried. He was vaguely aware of his brother and the doctor leaving. Simonne held him for a long time, and he should be embarrassed, but he didn't let go. Because he needed her there. He needed her support. He let himself fall into despair, crying until he was tired, and when he fell asleep, exhausted, he clutched her like a lifeline.

When he woke up the next morning, she was gone. It felt like saying goodbye.

***

Rainier spent the next two days staring at nothing. Everyone else in the mansion let him be.

He had never felt so strange. He was twenty-five now, and he was supposed to be courting Simonne with flowers and ballads and chocolates. The way the thought didn’t bring him butterflies in his stomach was disturbing, in a vague way. Rainier wondered what happened to the tears he had shed in Simonne’s arms, because now there was nothing, he felt nothing, and none of it mattered anymore.

He tossed around in his bed, unwilling to leave it. The maids gave him a wide berth, simply delivering his meals, meals that Rainier didn't really feel like eating. Trenton went to check on him a few times, but Rainier didn't really feel like talking.

He knew what happened to Heartless like him. He knew what became of them. As soon as they were discovered—shortly after birth because the midwives make sure to check the hearts of infants as soon as they were born— they get shipped out there: to the Outer District, and nobody hears anything from them since. Rainier did not know what became of the children who were sent there. He had asked once, and Vincent assured him that they were well taken care of, but then Rainier thought about the way the Heartless had these patchwork bodies, thought about the wild rumors that circulate the Inner City about the Outer District residents. That place must be a hellhole. Would Rainier survive out there?

He should be terrified. He should be scared.

Rainier… couldn’t bring himself to care.

It didn’t matter either way. Perhaps the violence of the Outer District would swallow him up completely. Perhaps he would be left treading water in the unknown, eventually left with no other choice but to drown and perish. Perhaps his life would end at a mere twenty-five years. In the end, did it really matter? His life was forfeit either way. The moment the assailant crushed his heart, he may as well have crushed Rainier with it. He had crushed Rainier’s personality, the spark that made him himself, for sure.

Even now, as he tried to feel out how the loss had changed him, he understood that he had become a different person. He couldn’t bring himself to care about anything, about anyone. He felt numb. Every time he closed his eyes and searched for the fondness he felt for his once-loved ones, he felt nothing. This must be how the Heartless felt— this must be what he had become: a creature unable to care about people. A creature unable to love. Suddenly he understood the Heartless’s penchant for violence, because if they felt such numbness all the time, Rainier could see how they would do everything they could to feel anything.

It must be easier for them, Rainier supposed. They were born that way, so it was not like they have anything to compare this cold emptiness to. But Rainier remembered the warmth. He remembered how it felt like to be an actual person. He remembered what it was like to have a heart. Rainier didn’t know if he envied or pitied their ignorance.

Should he ask his brother to let him stay? But no— Rainier was a Heartless now. Try as he might to ignore it, he didn’t belong in the Inner City anymore.

He wondered what it would be like to be a monster living amongst monsters.

He knew it was only a matter of time. Because the party was so public, there was no doubt that the reporters had already shared what their cameras had taken, no doubt that the newspapers had already been published, no doubt that the Hearted community already knew what the Sandoval heir had become. Rainier wanted to crawl into a hole and hide from the world forever. But he knew he couldn't do that. Reality soon came knocking in the form of Trenton, watching him with a grim face and saying, “Your brother wanted you to be a part of the Board meeting. I'm going to drive you to the Sandoval Solutions.”

Rainier nodded. He had been expecting this for some time.

They drove in silence. Rainier watched as the rain fell against the windshield. Trenton drove him to the company, and then led him inside. The employees, who were once so fond of him, looked at him warily now, as if he was a wild animal about to attack. Rainier didn’t blame them.

Trenton led him to The Meeting Room. Because Angel City was led by Sandoval Solutions, there was an official meeting room for the Board members to discuss matters of importance. The Board: rich old people that Rainier never really liked, made all the decisions in Angel City, and apparently they were also going to make decisions in his life. Each of them hailed from families that took care of a certain aspect of Angel City's operation for generations.. Simonne's family in particular, the Whallers, had always been the spearhead of the city's emerging technology.

Rainier entered the room. It appeared that he had arrived during an argument that his brother was losing. Vincent looked disheveled, the way he did during a stressful crisis in the company, but the other board members looked stiff and determined, unbudging. They looked at Rainier as he entered, and Vincent gestured Rainier to sit on the chair to his right. Rainier thought about how it was probably going to be the first and last time he was going to be allowed in this room. The thought made his skin prickle.

He looked around. There were sixteen people in the room. There was his brother and the ten other board members seated around a long U-shaped table, Trenton who was standing by the door beside Tina, and the three Heartless he had met earlier that week standing at the far end of the room, their stone faces not betraying anything. Rainier sat on his seat, looking down at his hands.

“As I was saying,” George Grey, who Rainier knew was in charge of food production, said, “Your suggestions are unacceptable, Vincent. We can't just let you keep your brother here because you want him to stay. Order must be preserved, and we all know what the right thing to do is. The Heartless are dangerous, we all know they are—and they shouldn’t be allowed inside the Inner City.” He threw a look of disgust to the Heartless. “The fact that these three are here at all is unacceptable. What were you thinking, bringing them here?”

His brother was advocating for him. Rainier should feel touched, he should feel relieved, he should be grateful that his brother wasn’t turning his back on him— instead he felt faintly annoyed. What was the point of fighting the inevitable?

“You have just watched him live his days for the past two days. He had done nothing violent, nothing bad—” People have been watching him for the past two days? He supposed that made sense. Rainier wouldn’t trust himself, either, not with the way he has become, the thing he had become. He absently pulled at a lint on his shirt. It was mildly more interesting than the meeting. “A Hearted person getting turned into a Heartless is unprecedented,” Vincent continued. “What would you feel if it was your family?”

Uneasy expressions passed onto the Board member's faces. They had family, too.

All except Robert Dalthon, head of internal communications, who huffed at Vincent's sentimentality. “We cannot make exceptions, Vincent. All Heartless must be sent to the Outer District. This has always been how it's done. If we don’t do this, the people would riot. People would not feel safe with someone like him being around. Are you prepared to lock your brother away in that mansion forever?”

The thought of being locked up was unappealing. Rainier frowned.

“And if you insist that he was safe, what would you tell the families whose babies had to be sent into adoption into the Outer District this year? Do you think they would also accept that you made an exception for your own family, but would not allow them theirs?” Allison Reid, who used to push him to court her daughter, said in a hard tone. “I understand that this must be hard for you, but Robert is right. We need to maintain order. We need to keep the status quo. You understand why this is so important. You understand why this must be done.”

Rainier did not know what Allison meant. Vaguely, he wanted his brother to keep fighting for him, but he could see the man's shoulders falling. He was losing the argument. A part of Rainier wanted to say that he was still good enough to stay in the Inner City. Another part didn’t believe it. He wondered how the Heartless felt, being talked about as if they weren’t there. He wondered if they were okay with people not thinking that they were good enough. But did they really consider being exiled to the Outer District a problem? In the Outer District, they get to be themselves. They get to be free. They get to rule themselves however they want. If they wanted to tear each other’s bodies apart, if they were wanted to be violent… Rainier glanced at the Heartless again, studying their emotionless faces. He wondered what they were thinking.

Vincent sighed. “Then…” He sounded like the word was painful. “Then we should move on with this discussion.”

Rainier was still watching the Heartless at that moment, and he could see them tensing.

“That's right,” George said, glaring at the Heartless. “How are the Heartless going to take responsibility for this?”

Rainier blinked. What?

The Heartless with the green eyes closed his eyes. “Will an apology not suffice?”

“It is your responsibility to make sure that none of your people act out,” George pressed. “You have only been allowed in the Inner City because Vincent insisted, and then this happens? It's suspicious.”

“I am not behind this, if that is what you’re implying.” He still hadn't opened his eyes.

“How can we be so sure? How did the assailant get inside, if you did not smuggle them in?”

The man opened his eyes and gave them all a wry smile. “You all act as though if a Heartless was determined enough to get inside the Inner Wall, you’d be able to stop them.”

An uncomfortable silence settled in the meeting room. Rainer frowned. What? Of course they'd be able to stop them. That was where the Inner Wall was for. What was Green Eyes talking about?

"Where were you during the event?" Henry Crough asked. He was one of the people who pressured Vincent to make Rainier's twenty-fifth birthday into a spectacle. If he didn't, would Rainier still have his heart today?

The Heartless glanced at Trenton. "The security deemed us too suspicious, and they sent us away to stay in a room. We did not hear of what happened until later that night."

"And you did not resist the bodyguard that detained you?"

"We did not," he replied.

Murmurs echoed around the meeting room. Rainier noted that Siegfried Whallers, Simonne's father, hadn't spoken a word. He was usually a vocal man, so that was odd. Most of the board members glanced at Vincent before looking away. Eventually, Vincent sighed and told Trenton, “Trenton, the files.”

Trenton nodded and pulled some folders from a briefcase he was carrying, handing them around. “According to our investigation, the man was No. 081593, deployed to the Outer District shortly after he was born, seventy-two years ago. He retired two years ago and was succeeded by No. 097467 and No. 097468.” Rainier noticed one of the Heartless’s— the teenage girl’s— eyes widen, before she caught herself and resumed her stoic expression.

A Board member Rainier did not recognize wrinkled his nose. “His soul core was going to fade out any second. Now wonder he did something risky like that.”

“That’s right,” Trenton replied. “We assume that this attack was nothing but a revenge on the Sandoval family, and whatever perceived slight had made sense in his head. He was going to die soon, and he decided to do so with a bang.”

Rainier felt his stomach turn. The memory of the attack made him curl his hands around himself, trying to protect his defenseless chest.

The board members looked back at the Heartless.

Green Eyes sighed. “I could no longer do anything about that, as you have already shot him. On behalf of the Heartless, I deeply apologize. I will warn my people about this and tell them not to dream about trying anything like that again. I'm sure the threat of death would deter most of them.”

“Most,” Robert said. He leaned in and threaded his fingers together. “What about the Heartless who’s got limited time? Like that attacker did? How do you intend to control them?"

Someone in the corner who mumbled, “Perhaps their soul cores should be cracked once they reach a certain age.”

Rainier blinked. What?

The Heartless with the dreadlocks scoffed. “And you’re supposed to be the ones with a heart.”

“I implore you not to punish the whole for the mistake of a few,” Green Eyes said. “I will find a way to control them. I promise.”

“What's your promise worth?” Another board member asked. He looked vaguely familiar, but Rainier couldn't place his face.

“They have family who are under my close jurisdiction,” he replied coldly. “They will behave.”

The board members still didn’t look convinced. George suggested, “Perhaps we should trace this man’s family? Make an example of them?”

"That would be unnecessary. Who would you be punishing? The man had already died." Green Eyes said, a little too quickly. "The situation at the Outer Walls is always dire; I know you think we pull victories out of our asses, but I cannot afford to lose more men."

"Watch your words," George warned.

Rainier decided he did not like the tone of the discussions. It made him uncomfortable. Sure, he was all for disciplining the Heartless, but weren't the solutions just a bit too callous? What would making an example of the man's family accomplish? It was not like Heartless cared about their kin, did they? But that was still taking a life, a life that did not do anything wrong, at least on the matter it was being punished for. How was that right? How was that justice?

How was Rainier still thinking about morality, even after losing his heart? How was he still thinking about what's fair, if the Heartless truly didn't care about things like that? That had always been what Rainier was taught. That had always been what his father told him. Was he wrong?

Rainier was so confused.

The other two Heartless shifted from foot to foot. It was the only sign that the discussion made them uncomfortable. Heartless could be uncomfortable? Something was wrong.

“You will still take responsibility,” Vincent told Green Eyes in a cold tone. “I was hoping we were going to reach an understanding, but then this happened. You will make it up to me.”

Green Eyes winced. “Of course.”

Vincent hesitated, but then determination bloomed behind his eyes, and he continued, “You will take Rainier into your family. Your sister,” Vincent nodded to the teenage girl. “She's nineteen, isn't she?”

Green Eyes swallowed. “Yes, she is.”

“You will see to it that she marry my brother posthaste.”

Rainier was caught off guard. “What?” he couldn't help but say. What the hell was this? He wasn't going to get married to a damn teenager! Vincent ignored him, but it seemed it was not only Rainier who had something to say.

“Now, wait just a minute,” the Heartless with dreadlocks growled.

The teenage Heartless looked appalled. “I would rather jump into a vat of tarcrawlers before I get married at all.”

“Silence,” Green Eyes said. It was clear that they both respected him as a leader because the two Heartless shut up. He studied Vincent, like he was trying to decipher him. Vincent stared back coldly, and Green Eyes lowered his gaze. “We do not need to force my little sister into anything. I’ll do it. I’ll marry him.”

Looks of disgust settled on the board members’ faces. Rainier remembered Simonne said about the Heartless marrying their own gender, but that felt like forever ago. He looked around the room, noticing that a lot of people, even his own brother, looked dismayed, but nobody really complained.

Vincent nodded at the man. “Very well.”

For some reason, Vincent found this imperative that Rainer marry into this man's family, and everyone else agreed. Rainier didn’t understand the motivation, and he wondered why, it seemed, as soon as he was a Heartless, it's like the sanctity of life partnership did not matter anymore.

Worst. Engagement. Ever.

It doesn’t matter anymore. Rainier sighed. If fate was going to fuck him over, it may as well go all the way.

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amanda-n-newman-author · 1 year

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What books* and/or characters* of mine are you interested in learning behind the scenes info and facts about?

*This includes my upcoming Shrouded Curses series.

I’m considering doing a video series on YouTube and/or blog posts dedicated to behind the scenes lore, worldbuilding, behind the scenes character facts/info, and behind the scenes info/facts about my books in general.

That being said, is there anyone or anything you’d want to learn more about or are curious about?

Also, if you have any specific questions or specific characters you’d like me to cover, feel free to let me know either in the comments or in DMs.