#Erasmus captive prince

[captaincouture]

Yeah the Captive Prince trilogy has a million and one different tragedies in it, ranging from death of loved ones to explosive racial prejudices, but to me the biggest tragedy is that not everyone has read The Training of Erasmus because it wasn’t included in all printings of the first book.

Like so many readers only met Erasmus once he was already in Vere and subsequently considered him being sold to Torveld and going to Patras a happy ending for him. Like… the layers of symbolism and allegory to the idea that you can’t save everyone. It’s even more impactful considering Damens character arc has so much to do with learning about flaws in political systems and leadership and how it affects individuals like Erasmus.

Talk about a tragic story. Erasmus has this already doomed situation that screws with his view of himself and his life, yet has this tiny act of rebellion in his relationship with Kallias. And Kallias, who we only see from Erasmus’ POV, but who seems to at least somewhat understand how wrong their situation is and how much more they could’ve had in a different life. But then he shatters his relationship with Erasmus and any chance of ever seeing him again in order to protect Erasmus and give him a better life, knowing that Erasmus will probably never understand why he did it. Parallels to Damen and Laurent anyone?? Princes Gambit —> slaves gambit.

I could talk so much more about the those parallels between Damen/Laurent and Erasmus/Kallias, as well as Damens enslavement never being comparable to others because he never thought of himself as a slave if anyone is interested.

God there’s just so much tragedy and food for thought in the series, Pacat did such an incredible job on these books they will forever be some of my favorites.

I think Erasmus’ story hits a little harder because he never really gets that full circle arc like a main character would. We don’t really get to see him learning about himself as a person instead of an extension of someone else. Even if there’s that one scene where we see Torveld encourage him to care about his own well being/ not accept abuse done to him by people with more power than him. Being that Torveld is a prince and will always think of Erasmus as below him no matter how much he may or may not love/respect him, it definitely makes you appreciate Damens growth and understanding of his own position of power more.

I really wish Pacat could make an additional short story about Erasmus, maybe leaving Patras and seeing Kallias again at some point. I guess on some level that would take away from the impact of his story but I just really love his character and want to see more of him.

[rabid-reads]

[amsiib]

i’ve read and reread all kallias x erasmus fics on ao3, scrolled through their tag a million times, there’s an unjustly limited amount of media on them for me to consume!!! i love them so much they are so tragic but so beautiful they’re my favorite ever <3 i reread the training of erasmus like a million times to get a better description for kallias but it’s literally so vague other than blue eyes, dark brown curls, and super beautiful so i made due with that lol. if anyone loves them too pls talk to me so we can scream about them together pls

[hamrikaa]

I made a little captive prince dustjacket for myself hehe ✨️

I was a little frustrated that I couldn't get the polish captive prince special editions 😔 (And the new US covers weren’t out yet, but I will definetly get those now!!)

So I went: 'Fine. I'll do it myself."

I don't know what got into me, but I started to add more and more to this and it ended up taking me 60 hrs 💀

Still not satisfied with everything (especially the font and frame) but it's ok, maybe I'll come back to that a little later ✨️

!Not everything is super accurate since it has been some time since I read the books and I (again 😭) didn't have them with me, while working on this!

[eklaize]

"His eyes closed to just feel. Snippets of verse floated through his mind.  

In the columned halls, we embrace

His cheek rests against mine  

Happiness like this comes once

in a thousand years"

Captive Prince by C.S.Pacat

Erasmus and Kallias, our tragic lovers.

[laur-the-cat-prince]

[gabumk]

rkgk

Such a pretty boy😭💞

[evergreenerieh]

What if Erasmus and Kallias meet again?

[sinkko]

"Kallias," he chokes, "they are all about you"

Fanart for The Gold Shackled Singer, or the story of Erasmus and Kallias on ao3 by @fragiledewdrop / @ahandfulofsapphires I read in class and just HAD to draw something for. It wouldn't leave me alone.

[rendoesart8]

the akielons!❤️🦁

[laurentspeach]

captive prince as shit i have on my phone

damen:

laurent:

lazar:

ancel:

erasmus:

literally everyone in the series:

[marzipanthots]

Back to our regularly schedule program! I have been missing ERASMUS SO MUCH! I though this scene was so cute hehehe💕

DAMEN UR OBSESSION FOR BLONDS IS SHOWING 🫵🏼👺

Also I desperately wanna to see Erasmus reaction when ever he finds out one day who he really was talking to 😭😭

[tototalks]

Next side story, The Training of Erasmus! 🩷✨

I really enjoyed the world-building in this, and I more so than ever want nice things for Erasmus (and Kallias!)🥰

- Starting off, it’s immediately clear to see the difference between the nature of pets in Vere and the nature of slaves in Akielos where submission is given willingly and cultivated in a very different, almost scholarly way. I like that Erasmus clearly takes pride in what he does and enjoys it.

- I also really appreciate the subtlety and class of Pacat’s writing, especially given the nature of the setting. It makes the whole thing much more alive, and thus palatable to read, because this pleasure slave training could easily sound like a terrible Wattpad “how tf did this get published?’ book, but it doesn’t. It’s immersive and believable as part of the Akielon culture.

- Erasmus is really just so keen to please, and has so much pressure on his shoulders given his training. Now he has his transition into adulthood and still feels like he cannot truly reciprocate the love shown him, even by his friends. Conceal don’t feel never did anyone any good. Let it go, Erasmus.

- Every time Akielos’ marble floors are mentioned I think about how hot it must be to walk barefoot on that in the sun. All the slaves hopping and skipping in fear of burning their feet. Like walking next to a swimming pool in summer cursing your scorched toes. 😂

- The training grounds give very convent vibes, peaceful and concealed… and everyone is a virgin.💀

- If I were one of the trainees, I’d be terrified that one tiny scar from falling is enough to render the years of training useless. I fell over a flat fuckin surface this week. Makes me wonder if jealous slaves trip each other on purpose to get ahead.

- So much emphasis is put on physical appearance and the notion of perceived purity. I find this interesting actually, and it makes a real change to see these kinds of expectations put on a male character.

- Iphigen’s name was a cool choice! The mythological character of Iphigenia was killed as a “maiden” (Iphigenia in Aulis) - however, in some versions of the story (Cypria) -Artemis, the goddess of maidenhood, saves her before her father, Agamemnon, can kill her as a sacrifice… yeah ain’t foreshadowing a bitch lol

- I love that there is absolutely not a mean bone in Erasmus’ body. He isn’t jealous of Kallias, and supports him wholeheartedly in his endeavours. Erasmus’ kind nature has proven time and time again to be one of his greatest strengths. You don’t have to be a warrior to have power.

- I’m glad Erasmus got to experience real affection before truly becoming a slave, even if he was prevented from manifesting it fully. He experienced love that wasn’t transactional. ♥️

- Aden on the other hand is turning green and sweetheart, that is NOT a good look for you. Being jealous of Erasmus is like hating a cotton ball.

- Poor Erasmus just wants to read his cute love poems and is forced to memorise the Iliad, Odyssey, and Bibliotheca because Damen has the literary tastes of a five year old who likes swords. 😭😭

- I also love the detail that there’s an Akielon Homer and everyone is like “ffs how do you have THAT MUCH to say about one war??” Because same honestly. Thank you very much for the tedious lists of boats and lineages. Very helpful. I feel you, Erasmus 😂

- I like the mention of how Damen’s eyes are known to roam, and this serves only to highlight how down bad he is for Laurent later on. That boy fell HARD.

- “I wish you could have been my first.” 🥺🥺🥺 Torveld better fuckin take Erasmus to see the world like he wanted.

- Erasmus must have felt so betrayed by that kiss, but it 100% saved his life, and he definitely had to acknowledge that privately some time later on. Kallias was also his first kiss.🥲

- There’s a certain brutality in itself that comes with training the slaves for “innocence”, and placing purity on a very high pedestal. Your value being entirely attached to your virginity. So much so that one touch can render you ‘useless’ and ‘tainted’.

- I like that Erasmus doesn’t violently resent Kallias for the kiss even immediately after it happens- he’s confused and upset, but he must have known there was a reason.

- And here’s my million dollar question: WHAT HAPPENED TO KALLIAS?? 😨

[amsiib]

kallias and erasmus!! <3 i am not exaggerating when i say they are everything to me. i am living off of CRUMBS they deserve so much more love ugh. they are so tragic so beautiful. anyways!! second pic w the wings is based off of @my-dear-brute ‘s kallias/erasmus fic Sweetest Fruit on ao3 <33

[lucky-clover-gazette]

capri chapter 9 thoughts: erasmus and torveld are interesting foils to damen and laurent. damen is a well-written biased protagonist. ironically, given this book’s reputation, ethics are absolutely at the forefront. controversial topics are not brushed over or excused, in fact they are meant to be heavily criticized. and damen’s slow burn of mutual respect with laurent is deeply compelling, romance aside.

so, yeah. towards the end of chapter 9, damen visits erasmus and torveld the night after the party. erasmus is happily obedient to torveld because he is afraid of receiving abuse elsewhere, and torveld is going out of his way to be considerate and kind to a person/possession who knows nothing but obedience. damen sees them together and tries to interpret it as sweet, as he would have done in the past, but can’t quite view the dynamic in the same way. erasmus says it’s good, torveld says it’s good, and damen pre-vere would have said the same thing. but now, he hesitates—it’s not a fully formed thought for him, but to the reader it’s like… no, this isn’t honorable, this is the outcome of an irredeemable institution that strips people of their free will and frightens them into submission. it’s wrong, even if it looks sweet.

damen and laurent, meanwhile, refuse to profess or accept obedience respectively, and they are neither considerate nor kind to each other. but by the end of chapter 9, they’ve recognized the honorable traits they share through their interactions with others, and have unintentionally laid the groundwork for mutual respect. for the first time, in their own ridiculous way, they have worked together to reduce harm in the world.

through getting to know laurent in books 1&2, damen very slowly realizes that niceness is not necessarily a sign of goodness. he can’t trust people just because they seem good, or because he wants to BELIEVE that they’re good (like the regent and kastor and the akielion institution of… you know).

but in chapter 9, so early on in the series, he’s just starting to figure this out. and i honestly can’t blame him! combine damen’s deeply-ingrained instinct to associate niceness with goodness with laurent’s cruelty towards damen thus far (which he believes is completely impersonal), and it makes sense why he can’t see what’s right in front of him:

laurent is somehow the most morally decent person with any kind of authority in this court, AND he’s a total cast-iron bitch about it.

[x-xhiro]

Prince's Gambit Erasmus

I wanted to give him some jewelry, inspired by "gift to favored servant from master" Roman archeology finds. Because I think Torveld would gift him things. Unfortunately, it was an major afterthought.

The outfit was inspired of art works from Moroccoan servants. I'm trying to figure out Patras. Right now, my major influences are North Arab African, medieval Spain, and Perisan.

I also wanted to remove his cuffs, but when I was reading the sections, I didn't see anything mention about them being on or off.