#damen i love that the book is your pov i love the way you are not normal about this frog

[laurents-secret-diary]

book 1, the face laurent sees on the daily vs the face damen sees

[merrivia]

I’ve finally read Pet and am kicking myself I didn’t read it sooner!

I’ve measured out the short stories like I’m nibbling on chocolate, Charlie Bucket style, and I was leaving this till last partly because of that, and partly because I didn’t feel that interested in Ancel (sorry Ancel, I take it back).

It’s fascinating reading about events that occur in Captive Prince but not from Damen’s POV. The idea that everyone has complexities under the surface, and that things aren't always as they seem, is only understood by Damen negatively in the first half of Captive Prince I think. Veretians are untrustworthy and slippery and Machiavellian. And that's not, not true! The Veretian court IS a pit of vipers. But people are also still human, and it's that extra step of understanding the humanity underneath even these acidic, performative snakes which is interesting. Ancel is sharp and smart (and really needs to be taught how to read forthwith). Berenger is morally admirable, and isn't actually sleeping with him. Vannes cares about Berenger in her own small way. Laurent emits a great deal of power and is "instantly commanding" to others (but not to Damen, which must have really infuriated him).

Here’s some more snippets of my thoughts in general:

Waxing is canon! So interesting. Why does no grown man ever shave in the books also? Why isn't attending, also shaving? I think we'll just have to accept that as Pacat's choice. Maybe the only blade she wanted between them was the ghost of swords from a long ago fight/swords in the present?

Isagoras the writer/poet- any connection to Isagoras the historical figure who was embroiled in a power play in terms of Athenian politics and democracy? Who Aristotle called ‘friend of tyrants’? Obviously he’s not meant to be that figure but is it a sort of irony and foreshadowing for the political choices Berenger has to make?

And Akielon writing/poetry is popular among men with status? Interesting. You wonder if Laurent approved a poem waxing lyrical about Ios, or really anything that suggested the Akielons aren't barbarians.

I feel as if Damen would know this poem, and read it to Laurent as part of courting him 🥺

Interesting to see a first impression of Laurent from the viewpoint of someone not instantly obsessed with him- severe and harsh, but no mention of his beauty till later.

I mean this nicely but Damen really has no idea how naturally arrogant and superior he comes across as in this situation, does he? I mean, it’s completely understandable if you think of Akielon society, and how he’s been raised and treated; in fact it would be implausible any other way based on his character traits too. He’s just so bad at pretending to be a slave even as his life is at risk if they find out he’s a prince 😂 oh Damen /pets his curls/. And oh, a *lion* you say....

Just really bad at acting servile, it's so funny. Love him.

Speaking of Lamen, it is a little unsettling how quickly Damen starts to fall for Laurent in Captive Prince and how Laurent truly does hate him, yet…is clearly on some molecular level, attracted to him, I think? It’s just a really heartbreaking and stressful dynamic. His "complete attention" on him...let's face it, if Damen had looked like Govart, Laurent wouldn't be fixated in the same way (I mean this nicely).

Oh my baby Laurent. You know this isn’t right. Are you reenacting a past trauma? Making him suffer what you suffered? Even if you aren’t, your flaw is letting your hatred and anger blind you to your morals. (Lucky a man is going to fall in love with you who is pretty much always on your side even when you don’t always deserve it…). Damen will help you be more honourable /pats blond head/

"Locked” is an apt word isn’t it, considering all that ties them together (and not to mention the gold cuffs and collar…) and oof, Laurent's sexual domination in this scene is quite apparent.

and…

I mean, we all know this is sex by proxy and so does Ancel, who just met Laurent and Damen!

And lastly, I am team Berenger. He's a Good Man and would probably get on pretty well with Torveld and Nikandros, the other dark haired, loyal and responsible men in the trilogy.

Nice to see someone see commoners as people all year round (not simply when their villages are being massacred and their humanity is thrown into stark relief by it)!

[emdubyaz]

@felixcosm I’m sorry tumblr deleted my answer when I wanted to add tags idk what happened but here we go again I guess,,,,

Like I said I’m really the wrong person to ask for book recs bc I only ever read fucked up and niche stuff that you definitely need to check the CW for first (and a lot of queer fantasy like these are all queer!)

But sure let me give you a tour through some of my fav book series!!!

The raven cycle/ the dreamer trilogy (4 books + an extra 3 (plus a short story)): CW (bc there are a few) my favourite book series,,, it’s all about vibes and the connection between family, friends, the world and your place in it. Ronan Lynch is my absolute fav character of all time omg there is no one like him!!!! 😭😭😭

some of my fav quotes:

“While I'm gone," Gansey said, pausing, "dream me the world. Something new for every night.”

“If you never saw the stars, candles were enough.”

“They were always walking away from him. But he never seemed able to walk away from them.”

“Trees in your eyes ... Stars in your heart.”

All for the game (4 books as of now but there will be another one): read the CW I’m so serious! this book series is like crack to me,,, Neil is such a little shit and funny main character! The way Andrew and Neil invented consent is revolutionary! Also heartbreaking twin brother relationship that has me on my knees (Aaron you deserve so much better I love you baby boy) also fucked up sport that is connected to the mafia (and so is every second character) last book is from Jean’s and Jeremy’s pov and that’s such a slay too tbh 🙂‍↔️

some book moments I always think about:

“You know, I get it. Being raised as a superstar must be really, really difficult for you. Always a commodity, never a human being, not a single person in your family thinking you’re worth a damn off the court— yeah, sounds rough. Kevin and I talk about your intricate and endless daddy issues all the time. I know it’s not entirely your fault that you are mentally unbalanced and infected with these delusions of grandeur, and I know you’re physically incapable of holding a decent conversation with anyone like every other normal human being can, but I don’t think any of us should have to put up with this much of your bullshit. Pity only gets you so many concessions, and you used yours up about six insults ago. So please, please, just shut the fuck up and leave us alone.”

“Who said 'please' that made you hate the word so much?" Andrew gazed at him in silence for a minute. "I did”

“Yes or no?” "It's always yes with you."

captive prince trilogy (3 books + short stories): CW again a lot of people don’t like the slave themes in the first book but then love the second and third which makes me think that they didn’t understand the story at all. the book with the main characters who’s horny despite all the shit that’s going on, Damen the man that you are!!! ALSO BITCHY BLOND WHO RUNS THE WORLD LAURENT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH (no fr Laurent is out here playing real life chess and Damen just stands by like “whatever you want sweetheart”)

these books are so unserious sometimes:

Laurent could inspire homicidal tendencies simply by breathing.

“Is there anyone at this court who isn't my enemy?" “Not if I can help it," Laurent said.”

Dark Rise trilogy (2 books and the third comes out soon,,,,, hopefully the cliffhanger is killing me): another book with a bitchy blond (James alone is enough reason to read this book) I left work early to continue reading this book and I think that all you need to know about this book! Also Will has never done anything wrong I love him so much!!! Some of the organizations in this frustrated me a lot tho like why are you so stupid????? (They deserved their fate I’m not even sorry)

this book has all the right themes and messages:

“I think what people were is less important than what they are. And what people are is less important than what they could be.”

“My whole life, all anyone's ever wanted was to possess me," said James. "The only one who ever set me free was you.”

“Kindness is never a mistake," said the Elder Steward. "Somewhere in the heart it is always remembered.”

Spell bound (stand alone): this is such a comfort read!!! So cozy! Enby representation around every corner, a door mat that likes to trip people, boy without magic learning how to use magic, emotionally unavailable person turns into a cat and snuggles with the love interest, THE POWER OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

the starless sea (stand alone): do you love books and reading? Then this is for you! Everything is connected and I mean EVERYTHING. So magical and cool and beautiful written. Had me spinning in circles while I was trying to connect all the dots (I didn’t connect shit)

this book speaks to me personally:

“Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another.”

“But the world is strange and endings are not truly endings no matter how the stars might wish it so.”

“A boy at the beginning of a story has no way of knowing that the story has begun.”

“Having a physical reaction to a lack of book is not unusual.”

“There is no fixing. There is only moving forward in the brokenness.”

I’ll stop here bc I fear I won’t shut up if I don’t. Yeah these are just some of my favs I do have more but I think these are also the ones you see me post about the most!

(sorry again that the other one was deleted, I tried my best to recreate it as best as I could!)

[metalandmagi]

I can't believe more than one person asked for this. (it's very stream of consciousness, and I tried to edit it a little bit before posting but I apologize in advance, please don't come for me for any mistakes or continuity errors 😭)

...Ready for It?

This could work in a few places, but I see it as Laurent’s POV towards the end of Prince’s Gambit. I see him singing it as he plans to leave Damen to fight at Charcy. He’s figured out that he has genuine feelings for Damen, but he’s putting all the pieces into place after parting with him at Ravenel so the real game with the regent can begin. The first verse: 

Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him

Wondered how many girls he had loved and left haunted

But if he's a ghost, then I can be a phantom

Holdin' him for ransom, some

Some boys are tryin' too hard, he don't try at all though

Younger than my exes, but he act like such a man, so

I see nothing better, I keep him forever

Like a vendetta-ta

Is probably the most Laurent related thing on the album, since it somehow describes his past and his feelings exactly. But now, at this point in the story, he would dream (“in the middle of the night, in my dreams”) of being in Isthma with Damen (“I-island breeze and lights down low”). It also manages to describe Damen’s feelings for Laurent at first sight, (“knew I was a robber, first time that he saw me, stealing hearts and running off never saying sorry”) or at least, what Damen assumed about Laurent: that he was an ice cold bitch who probably toyed with men’s feelings for fun.

End Game (Ft. Ed Sheeran & Future)

I can’t really decide on who exactly would sing which verse (maybe Laurent would sing Taylor’s parts, and Damen would sing Ed and Future’s verses), and there’s less of a concrete timeframe for this one, but I like to think about Laurent going back to Vere alone eventually (after the Summer Palace and Adventures of Charls) and needing Damen to reassure him that he won’t find someone else while the two of them have to rule their countries separately (until uniting them can be their end game). Both of their reputations in each other’s respective countries would be a little…all over the place (“you and me would be a big conversation”) so Damen has to remind Laurent that the two of them understand each other on a completely different level than anyone ever has before by saying:

And you understand the good and bad end up in the song

For all your beautiful traits and the way you do it with ease

For all my flaws, paranoia, and insecurities

I've made mistakes and made some choices, that's hard to deny

And I also consider this verse to be the second most Laurent related thing on the album:

I hit you like bang, we tried to forget it, but we just couldn't

And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em

Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy

I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me

And I can't let you go, your handprints on my soul

It's like your eyes are liquor, it's like your body is gold

You've been callin' my bluff on all my usual tricks (Ooh)

So here's the truth from my red lips (Ah)

This one’s just fun. It doesn’t have a major plot in the story or anything.

I Did Something Bad 

I imagine this as Laurent’s confrontation with the regent after whipping Damen. Pretty self explanatory. And who could blame him? If Damen had killed my brother, I’d do it over and over and over again if I could.Though, I’d say the “he” in the verse: 

He says, "Don't throw away a good thing"

But if he drops my name, then I owe him nothin'

And if he spends my change, then he had it comin'

Refers to the regent, instead of any sort of romantic interest, obviously. 

Don't Blame Me

Okay, this take is dark as hell, but I actually see this working as Aimeric’s thoughts about the regent before his suicide, how “love” or the idea of being loved and needing love from someone made him do crazy things (of course in the book, once he meets Jord, and gets a handle on what real love looks like, he regrets everything). The song isn’t apologetic or anything, so it would be kind of a messed up take, (dark!aimeric AU anyone?)

Delicate

Dual POVs for Damen and Laurent, probably during Prince’s Gambit, during their time spent hunched over maps, realizing they have feelings for each other. I imagine it being sung across a montage of their journey across Vere. Laurent would sing the intro, Damen would sing the first verse (“oh damn, never seen that color blue”), Laurent would sing the pre-chorus (“my reputation’s never been worse”), and they’d both sing the chorus. I think the song would pick up again when they’re in the Vaskian camp, with Laurent singing the second verse (“do the girls back home touch you like I do?”) and alternating verses as the song goes on, always singing the chorus and bridge together. 

Look What You Made Me Do

Laurent’s entire relationship with the regent. Enough said. It’s hard to know where the song would be, since the books are from Damen’s perspective. Idk, maybe this would be after Laurent kills Govart with the chair or something, or maybe after the attack after the end of the first book. It would be his big dramatic number before an intermission XD I could also see the regent reprising it at some point, maybe during the trial, for extra effect, because it’s extra insulting when he would be the one singing it.

So It Goes... 

To me, this is basically a running commentary of what’s going on in Laurent’s head during their first kiss on the battlements, but I think an acoustic version would work better for him. The song could work from Damen’s POV too, but I think certain lines are just better for Laurent like in the line: “Gold cage, hostage to my feelings, back against the wall”

And again in the pre-chorus:

Cause we break down a little

But when you get me alone, it's so simple

'Cause, baby, I know what you know

We can feel it

And all the pieces fall right into place

I just think Laurent would be the one to commentate on how everything seems like it should be so simple with Damen, even though their history is the furthest thing from it.

Gorgeous 

Damen thinking about Laurent for the entire first book. Literally any time he thinks about how attractive Laurent is, this plays in the background.

Getaway Car 

Jokaste reflecting on her actions from the first book, maybe when she’s imprisoned. I don’t know if she’d be singing it to herself or to Damen and Laurent. The “x” in "X" marks the spot where we fell apart, He poisoned the well, I was lyin' to myself” refers to the baths in the first scene of Captive Prince, where her betrayal really begins and she convinces herself that Kastor is the person to back. Kastor is the “he” most of the time. The song isn’t a perfect comparison, but it does have some good lines that I associate with her, especially: “should have known I’d be the first to leave” and “but with three of us honey, it’s a sideshow, and the circus ain’t a love story, and now we’re both sorry”

I see her as constantly being pulled by her affection for Damen (because I don’t think she loves him, but she does care about him) and her ambition, so the bridge:

We were jet-set, Bonnie and Clyde (Oh-oh)

Until I switched to the other side, to the other side

It's no surprise I turned you in (Oh-oh)

'Cause us traitors never win

I'm in a getaway car

I left you in a motel bar

Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys

That was the last time you ever saw me

Feels really appropriate for her.

King of My Heart

Laurent’s running commentary during the Summer Palace. Just pure happiness and sap from the ice prince whose heart has melted.

Dancing With Our Hands Tied 

Okay, I need to read King’s Rising again to get an exact time frame, but I see this as Laurent making the decision to go to the trial. During the first verse and chorus, he’s fully realized his feelings for Damen, but he knows the regent is always one step ahead of him. He hopes he can use Guion’s wife to his advantage, but he still feels like his hands are (literally) tied when it comes to actually having a future with Damen. This part of the first verse:

Oh, twenty-five years old

Oh, how were you to know? And

My, my love had been frozen

Deep blue, but you painted me golden

Fits them really well, considering it even gets Damen’s age correct. I see the second verse being sung by Damen, who knows that even if they manage to win their thrones back, people might not accept their union “people started talking putting us through our paces” and “I-I loved you in spite of, deep fears that the world would divide us”

Then they’d both sing the chorus together for the rest of the song.

Dress 

Ancel and Berenger’s entire relationship. Need I say more?

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

I actually see this starting out as a villain song for the regent, probably admonishing Laurent after Damen is whipped in Captive Prince (“So why’d you have to rain on my parade? I’m shaking my head and locking the gates”)

But by the end of the second verse, it fits for something that Laurent would sing back to him at the end of the trial in King’s Rising: “And therein lies the issue, friends don't try to trick you Get you on the phone and mind-twist you” and also “But I’m not the only friend you’ve lost lately” referring to Aimeric, Nicaise, Govart, and Aimeric’s mother. 

I like the idea of Laurent singing: “And here’s to you, ‘cause forgiveness is a nice thing to do Haha, I can't even say it with a straight face” before the regent is beheaded, and then singing the rest of the song as a victory lap.

Call It What You Want

Laurent’s POV when they have finally made it to Akielos and everyone knows who Damen is, (maybe during/after their second time sleeping together?) thinking about everything he and Damen have been through:

My castle crumbled overnight

I brought a knife to a gunfight

They took the crown, but it's alright

All the liars are calling me one

Nobody's heard from me for months

I'm doin' better than I ever was

And how he never expected all of the tragedy in his life to lead to his biggest victory. The line: “You don’t need to save me, but would you run away with me?” feels like it would be his callback or response to Damen’s lines “we hold the center” and “I think if I gave you my heart, you would treat it tenderly” 

New Year's Day

Damen reflecting on his relationship with Laurent (either while he’s recovering from his stab wound from Kastor or as Laurent is crowned at the end of Adventures of Charls.) I think it works for how in the past, Damen never felt a deep connection with anyone he’d ever been with, but with Laurent, he’d stay and clean up after the party. No matter what has happened in the past, Damen stays when Laurent is lost “and I’m scared and you’re turning away.” It’s a very straightforward song that fits Damen’s honorable personality very well. 

Deep down, Damen is a little scared of Laurent becoming “a stranger whose laugh I would recognize anywhere” once they’re back on their thrones, and the line “when it���s hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes” refers to how difficult it will be to unite their kingdoms, but he is convinced that they will be together through everything, and that makes it all worth it.

me: I don't really get obsessed with things that much...

also me: So here's a breakdown of how each song on Taylor Swift's Reputation album would work for the Captive Prince trilogy if it was a musical, with which character(s) would sing them, when they'd take place, what certain lines pertain to, and if they'd be reprised later. In this essay I will-

[pourcap]

thoughts: kr chapter 2

laurent pov???? oh my god

he wakes up after getting hit over the head, tied up, AND has a dislocated shoulder? wow. what the fuck. (i knew he wouldn't just leave damen and the others alone in what was supposed to be a fight against his uncle but i am still relieved it didn't turn out to be him actually betraying anyone)

He opened his eyes and met the flat-nosed stare of Govart. ‘Hello, Princess.' oh no. i knew govart would be a problem when laurent let him go

Panic spiked his pulse, an involuntary reaction, his blood beating against the inside of his skin like it was trapped. Very carefully, he made himself do nothing. it's so interesting to see these situations through his eyes because i can't get over the fact that everyone (except damen later on) considers him ice-cold/heartless/etc when really laurent just experiences feelings way too intensely

(...) A ludicrous boyish hope flared that someone would come to help him, and, carefully, he extinguished it. Since the age of thirteen, there had been no rescuer, for his brother was dead. (...) my biggest problem with reading captive prince is that i end up crying all the time. reading about auguste is heartbreaking enough even when it's damen's pov, but it's especially painful like this, when it's laurent thinking of his brother :(

(...) He thought that if things got very bad, it was within his capabilities to precipitate the end. Govart would not be difficult to provoke into lethal violence. (...) i knew getting a look into laurent's mind would be painful but holy shit. he can't seriously consider his own death this passively? like, he's just, 'if i die, at least i know how to bully govart into making it quick' ???

He thought that Auguste would not be afraid, being alone and vulnerable to a man who planned to kill him; it should not trouble his younger brother. okay... honestly idk what to think about this. either auguste was the bravest person in the world or laurent a) clings to the idea that he was to give himself more strength, or b) he's idolized his brother so much that he forgot that auguste was just a man, too. idk. either way, it hurts lol

(...) The Akielon slave would (of course) assume treachery on the part of the Veretian forces, after which he would launch some sort of noble and suicidal attack at Charcy that he would probably win, against ridiculous odds. 'the akielon slave'? that can't be how he thinks of damen. idk if it's because it's difficult for him to have both damen and auguste in his thoughts at the same time, so he distances himself from damen, or if he thinks damen won't want to be around him anymore now that laurent missed their appointment (aka laurent tries to put emotional distance between them before he ends up getting hurt by damen's disappointment/anger). i do however like that laurent trusts damen to find a way out of the terrible situation at charcy though <3

'How’s your shoulder?’ said Laurent. sweetie...

(...) he enjoyed the look he had provoked on Govart’s face, as he had enjoyed, for the same reason—if a bit masochistically—the blow. Because he couldn’t quite keep that from his eyes, Govart hit him again. (...) god. laurent.

He made himself speak without undue emotion, just a mild remark on the facts. i haaaaate this. honestly, with all of his emotions constantly repressed like this, it's no wonder why he behaved the way he did in book 1, especially since he pretty much had his hands tied just as much as damen

'(...) He said, “The only way to make sure my nephew doesn’t talk his way free is to cut his tongue out.”’ As he spoke, Govart pulled out a knife. i hate him sooo much, and by him i mean both govart and the regent

(...) His tongue was intact, because the knife was in his shoulder. He had accounted that a victory, when it had happened. i just want to give laurent the biggest hug

guion??? ugh. please no.

'Know what?’ ‘The secret. Your clever secret. What it is you have on my uncle.’ ‘Shut up,’ said Govart. yesss i love this little shit-stirrer so much

Laurent closed his eyes, wrapped his unsteady left hand around the hilt, and pulled the knife out of his shoulder. i love himmmmm

Govart smiled, amused and pleased, as a jaded voyeur at some unexpected minor final act of a play. i have a feeling he's not going be so happy in a couple moments

As, with his ruined right arm, Laurent swung the chair. what

god

okay

that was hot

laurent is so cool

(...) Laurent focused all his remaining strength on the task of reaching the barred door and placing himself on the other side of it, dragging it closed behind him and turning the key that was still in the lock. Govart didn’t get up. i am smiling SO much !!

He did laugh then, a breathless sound, with the sweet, cool feel of the stone at his back. His head lolled. :( he's in so much pain and exhausted and the coolest person ever

'Guion,’ said Laurent, without opening his eyes. ‘You had me tied up and locked in a room with Govart. Do you think name-calling will hurt my feelings?' god i LOVE him. so sorry for constantly repeating myself but he is so funny and smart and talented and beautiful and cunning and witty and--

'There was a man I was supposed to meet. He’s got all these ideas about honour and fair play, and he tries to keep me from doing the wrong thing. But he’s not here right now. Unfortunately for you.' did he. did he just. say. that?

damen really is laurent's impulse control <3

love how laurent just called damen the best man he knows <3

'Isn’t there? I wonder how my uncle is going to react when he finds out that you killed Govart and helped me to escape.’ And then, in the same dreamy voice, ‘Do you think he’ll hurt your family?' in a DREAMY voice. laurent is terrifying <3

'Didn’t you? I don’t know how these rumours get started.' i never thought i'd be so happy over someone blatantly being a lying, manipulative asshole <3 (fuck guion)

i am a HUGE fan of govart still lying on the floor unconscious and hopefully dead

laurent's brain is so sexy

Pressing his left hand to his shoulder, he pushed away from the wall and came forward. Guion, inside the cell, was breathing shallowly. 'No one knows I’m here. Which means no one knows you’re here. No one’s going to look, no one’s going to come, no one’s going to find you.' i know i always talk about how intimidating damen is but laurent?? god. incredible.

'No one’s going to help your family when my uncle comes, all smiles.' literally every one of the regent's men is so stupid. they KNOW he's capable of the worst things imaginable and still work for him despite all that?? no wonder aimeric felt cornered and scared and was so desperate to somehow make it out alive

LOVED this chapter

laurent is so cool

[deripmaver]

laurent is a good person - book 1 meta

one of the most amazing things about captive prince is how the reveals in book 3 recontextualize all of the scenes leading up to them, including about laurent himself. in book one, all we see is damen pov as he’s being abused and humiliated by this supposedly spoiled, vile ice prince. when the regent comes to damen and subtly (and not so subtly) insults laurent, calling him unfit to rule - well, why would he think anything different? laurent has insulted him, had him whipped within an inch of his life, and even attempted to (and later successfully lmfao) have him raped while drugged out of his mind. 

after book 3 we can reread most if not all of book 1 as a very traumatized boy who has finally been confronted with the man who killed his brother, leaving him alone with his abusive uncle, and who he clearly has made into a complete monster in his own mind. damen of course sees him as a complete bitch, but there’s textual/subtextual evidence that laurent is well liked, and that his behavior during book 1 was actually pretty out of character for him. i’d like to provide some examples of that now!!!!

“Laurent had stopped dead the moment he had seen Damen, his face turning white as though in reaction to a slap, or an insult. Damen’s view, half-truncated by the short chain at this neck, had been enough to see that. But Laurent’s expression had shuttered quickly.” Captive Prince, Chapter One

i couldn’t resist adding this one in hehe. laurent recognizes damen!! he’s come down, knowing his uncle has devised another truly horrendous and triggering “gift” and that he’ll lose support if he calls it our for what it truly is, only to find out that it’s fucking damianos of akielos sent to him as a sex slave. a jab at laurent’s trauma about auguste and also a jab at laurent’s frigid sexuality - which ofc is completely the regent’s fault. fuck that guy so much lmfao 

“‘It’s so rare to see you at these entertainments, Your Highness,’ said Vannes.” Captive Prince, Chapter Two.

this is right before the fight between govart and damen in the ring, of course. damen sees laurent as depraved and vile as the sexual sadism on display by the veretian court, and considers him to be a willing purveyor of it. this is wrong, of course, as said by vannes here. laurent has only shown up because he wants to humiliate damen lmfao.

“He did remember being supported by two of the guards, here, in this room, while Radel stared athis back in horror. ‘The Prince really . . . did this.’ ‘Who else?’ Damen said. Radel had stepped forward, and slapped Damen across the face; it was a hard slap, and the man wore three rings on each finger. ‘What did you do to him?’ Radel demanded.” Captive Prince, Chapter Four

this scene, to me, was the most telling lmfao. it’s right after damen is whipped. you could argue that radel is just a servant in the employ of the royal household, so is of course going to be loyal to the prince, but he seems genuinely surprised of the prince’s cruelty towards damen. not only that, but he slaps him and immediately assumes damen must have done something. which - i mean, technically he did lmao. not necessarily enough to deserve having the skin flayed from his back, but you know. if laurent was in the habit of torturing pets and slaves, why would the overseer react this way?

“The men guarding him were the Prince’s Guard, and had no affiliation with the Regent whatsoever. It surprised Damen how loyal they were to their Prince, and how diligent in his service, airing none of the grudges and complaints that he might have expected, considering Laurent’s noxious personality. Laurent’s feud with his uncle they took up wholeheartedly; there were deep schisms and rivalries between the Prince’s Guard and the Regent’s Guard, apparently.” Captive Prince, Chapter Four

laurents relationships with his guards are also some of the biggest indicators that he isn’t just a spoiled brat, but can insire a deep loyalty in his men. even if they do all want to fuck him. ah, sexual harassment. it’s also hilarious that damen immediately assumes they’re loyal to him because they want to fuck him - nice projection there, dude. we know a bit more about laurent and his guards thanks to green but for a season, but this little bit here is interesting.

“Laurent was indeed good at talking. He accepted sympathy gracefully. He put his position rationally. He stopped the flow of talk when it became dangerously critical of his uncle. He said nothing that could be taken as an open slight on the Regency. Yet no one who talked to him could have any doubt that his uncle was behaving at best misguidedly and at worst treasonously.”  Captive Prince, Chapter Five

idek what to say here. laurent my beloved <3333

“‘When someone doesn’t like you very much, it isn’t a good idea to let them know that you care about something,’ said Laurent. Damen felt himself turn ashen, as the threat sank in. ‘Would it hurt worse than a lashing for me to cut down someone you care for?’ said Laurent.” Captive Prince, Chapter Seven

this isn’t really relevant to my thesis lmfao i just love this exchange bc it gives SO MUCH information about laurent and his uncle in just three lines of dialogue. what has the regent done, who did he cut down just to hurt laurent? when and how did laurent learn that? p a i n 

“Laurent’s fussy horse began acting out again, and he leaned forward in the saddle, murmuring something as he stroked her neck in an uncharacteristically gentle gesture to quiet her.” Captive Prince, Chapter Nine. 

HORSEY NO- lmfao this scene just hurts so badly on the reread. especially later on, in book 3 i think, where laurent says something like “i provoked my uncle.” he’s really blaming himself for his uncle KILLING HIS HORSE, his horse that his murdered brother trained, one of the only living connections to auguste... all because his uncle could not let a single miniscule plan laurent had set go through without some kind of repercussion. literally all laurent did was do something to stop an innocent group of people from being abused, nothing to undermine his uncle’s rule, but because the regent is VILE he could not let laurent have even this. he’s so good with her, too. he must have known by this point and also known that there was no way to stop this. P A I N

“‘I know that you have somehow arranged this,’ said Erasmus. He was incapable of hiding what he felt, and just seemed to radiate embarrassed happiness. ‘You kept your promise. You and your master. I told you he was kind,’ Erasmus said. ‘You did,’ said Damen. He was pleased to see Erasmus happy. Whatever Erasmus believed about Laurent, Damen wasn’t going to dissuade him. ‘He’s even nicer in person. Did you know he came and talked to me?’ said Erasmus. ‘—He did?’ said Damen. It was something he couldn’t imagine. ‘He asked about . . . what happened in the gardens. Then he warned me. About last night.’ ‘He warned you,’ said Damen. ‘He said that Nicaise would make me perform before the court and it would be awful, but that if I was brave, something good might come at the end of it.’ Erasmus looked up at Damen curiously. ‘Why do you look surprised?’ ‘I don’t know. I shouldn’t be. He likes to plan things in advance,’ said Damen.” Captive Prince, Chapter 9.

this is the first in-text confirmation we have that laurent has a good heart beneath his layers and layers of trauma-induced lashing out. book one often skeeves people out because of its graphic and, honestly, yes, kind of sexualized depiction of rape, slavery, and depravity, but beneath it all you meet these two protagonists who are going to have all of their most deeply held views about each other challenged. laurent from very early on is shaken to his core when damen refuses to rape nicaise in the ring - it cracks the very foundations of the person he’d built up in his head as this horrible monster who killed his brother in cold blood. and damen keeps defying laurents expectations by being a good person through and through. on the other hand, laurent spends the first part of the book taking out years of anger on damen, but here for the first time we see him do something just because its the kind thing to do. yes, torveld is an ally against his uncle, but laurent has clearly been scheming with him for a while now, and he’s now overlooking his hatred of damen and working with him just because none of the slaves deserve whats happened to them. it’s such a sweet moment.

“One of the other men, eyeing them, approached a moment later. ‘Don’t mind Jean. He’s in a foul mood. He was the one had to stick a sword through the mare’s throat and put her down. The Prince tore strips off him for not doing it fast enough.’” Captive Prince, Chapter Nine.

HORSEY NO- pt 2. this is just another really sweet and sad detail - laurent being so upset that the horse’s death could have been more painless. it must have hurt so much to see her in pain, and to know that the only way for that pain to end was being put down as quickly as possible. i wuv him. im sad

that’s it, though there are still a few more chapters left in the book. this isn’t providing any new information, of course, the path of the three books is to show that laurent isnt the man we meet in book one, that he’s actually sweet, and earnest, and he’s been fighting his own battle practically alone against his abuser since he was fifteen years old. also, the reveal that laurent knew who damianos was from the start makes it clear imo that all of his violence in book 1 was supposed vengence, not... him being evil. he apologizes explicitly in-text, and also, all of the acts of violence he commits cause serious problems for him in terms of his future alliance which he then needs to fix. i just love how layered these books are, how there’s so much information in them that makes rereading almost more fun than reading them for the very first time!

[inky-duchess]

Writer's Guide to Unreliable Narrators

Unreliable narrators are narrators who intentionally or subconsciously mislead the reader with their own bias and lies. I love nothing more than a narrator who deceives me. There is something incredibly charged about not being able to rely on your guide through a story. So how can we write them?

Determine What Kind of Unreliable Narrator your Narrator is.

There are five kinds of unreliable narrator we see in fiction, each with their own way of leading the audience astray.

The Unstable: This narrator is usually an unstable character with problems with grasping reality or having trouble accepting it so they bend it to their own tastes. Example: Arthur Fleck in Joker & Amy Elliot Dunne in Gone Girl

The Exaggerator: the one who spins fanciful lies to embellish the facts of the story around them. Usually they embellish it in such a way to make themselves look good.

The Child: Though children can be a font of truth, they often have a way of muddling facts and being confused by certain aspects of the story they are not versed in. Example. Bran in A Song of Ice and Fire & Scout Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird

The Biased: The biased Narrator is usually an outsider. They enter the world with preconceptions of the world and/or characters around them. Usually they get disabused of their biases by story's end but not always. Example Damen/Damianos of Akielos in The Captive Prince Trilogy

The Liar: The Liar is simply just a liar liar pants on fire. They twist the narrative and outwardly lie about their actions and the reactions of others. The liar is self-serving, usually narcissistic. Example Cersei Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire.

How to Write Your Unreliable Narrator

The thing you must remember is that your audience immediately trusts your narrator, they have no other choice. It is a given. However, it is your job to break that trust.

Allow the narrator to outwardly lie. Let them spout half truths or full out lies in the narrative. The audience will take what your character says as the gosphel until slapped with a conflicting account or detail. It provides a wham to the story that becomes a turning point. Perhaps the best example of this is Amy Elliott Dunne in Gone Girl (I recommend). She introduces herself as a sweet housewife who loves her husband despite her fears over his temper. However, in the section of the book she narrates she quickly flips Nick's account of the events leading up to her disappearance, turning the audience on their head so fast none of us have a chance.

Allow the character to mislead your audience with the absence of details. Your story is one big chain, omit a link and the thing is useless & subject to the questioning you want to draw out of the audience. For example, Daenerys Targaryen believes wholeheartedly that the house with the red door is in Braavos. However, she vividly remembers a lemon tree outside her window and sunsine. But lemon trees cannot grow Braavos and it is notoriously damp and cold. #lemongate

Speak to your audience through the events of the story, bypassing the narrator to get through to the audience. Sometimes the best reveal that the narrator cannot be trusted is showing the audience evidence that they are either not seeing what's happening or they are ignoring it. For example in Captive Prince, it is almost explicitly suggested that the Regent molested his nephew Laurent as a child. If one ignores Damen's narration, the signs are there to see from Laurent's reaction to his Uncle's presence and in some of Laurent's words. Damen chalks this down to Laurent being a brat and the Regent just being a villain. He has to be told despite the audience realising or at least suspecting it from the second book onward.

Play off your secondary characters. Use the characters around your narrator to disprove their account if the story and completely flip the story on its head. Usually, I trust the secondary characters when it comes to Unreliable Narrators. For example, Cersei Lannister gets her own POV in a Feast of Crows. Up until this point she has been very mercurial in her reactions in the first few books, to the point where other characters and the audience are confused about who the real Cersei is: the shrewd polictian or the wine mom with way too much faith in herself and her spawn. In truth, Cersei is incredibly paranoid about those around her and she thinks herself the cleverest player in the game. However, from others such as Tyrion, Tywin, Littlefinger and the members of the Small Council (who yes, all have a touch of misgyny to their criticisms of Cersei but really most of their points have a point since she is mad as a box of frogs) we see that Cersei tends to make enemies out of allies, assume the worst in others and make political choices to spite others or to put her faith in those who offer her little more than flattery.

[thickenmyblood]

hey maca :)) I have sth that I’d love to hear your input on! (wall of text incoming so beware- I’m absolutely not mad if you don’t want to answer lmao). Basically it’s about how you portray women in your works and to what extent you see that portrayal mirrored in the canon books. I have noticed that a lot of writers tend to go a traditional route with for example daughters not being heirs like you also mentioned in an answer for a wtsioa ask on here. Considering the cultures Vere and Akielos are based on that’s obviously very logical and a lot of authors (including you) make it work fantastically! Yet personally I never got the vibe of Vere and Akielos being as patriarchal in canon, mostly because the Information we get is kind of confusing. On one hand damen is a walking manosphere (and. all of Akielos in general as well) without any prominent female figures in his life but on the other hand damen only ever speaks appreciatively of for example the female vaskian warriors. Both countries seem to ban women from the army yet Damen also refers to a warrior queen. The regent is a total misogynist but with the wording Laurent uses it almost seems like that is more the exception and not the general rule of veretian court life. Both countries also have ties to Vask, an exclusive matriarchy and Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to vaskian occupations in the past. I could go on for a lot longer but I guess that damens overall positive attitude towards women and especially stereotypically spoken masculine women is what sticks out the most to me. It just seems kind of misplaced in a world that supposedly is as sexist as the original cultures from our world. Which is why I’d say both countries do have gender roles but are overall a lot more egalitarian than their respective real world og cultures. But that’s only my take and I’d love to hear more on what others think about the portrayal of women in canon and how they chose to portray it in fanfiction. Love you and your new work, hope you’re doing well❤️

HELLO!!! Thank you for asking me interesting stuff :, ) you always have the best questions and my sad little inbox is open to you any time, friend. I divided this into parts, so:

My portrayal of women: I need to work on this a lot lmao. I’m not proud of any female character I have ever written for this fandom, and I’m also not proud to say I struggle horribly when it comes to writing female OCs, especially if the story is not about a female character that is a literal projection of me. Or Bella Swan (yes, Twilight literally shaped my sad little brain and the way I write and consume fiction).

Authors writing female characters in a “traditional” way (for fantasy settings): I can’t speak for other authors but I definitely think, in my case, that using the “it’s a patriarchal society, women have no rights, women can’t be heirs, etc.” blueprint is a matter of being lazy. It’s quick, and easy, and it’s been done before so we all know how it works and a) it’s unlikely that you’ll mess it up (in the plot hole kind of way) and b) it’s obvious that most readers know how the usual system works and so you don’t have to spend paragraphs or even chapters explaining it to them. I am very lazy when it comes to world-building for fics. Why? Because when I’m writing fanfiction I don’t give two shits about the world, I just care about the characters doing Things and having Feelings. The moment you start to question these issues (a society where women can join the army, where they can be heirs, where maybe they can have multiple husbands, etc.) a billion issues arise because it’s not the “usual way” and so you’ll have to deal with “unusual problems”. See: plot holes, info-dumping, etc.

Vere and Akielos in canon: I think the books get very, very confusing at times when it comes to gender roles in that specific world. They also get very confusing about how royalty works, in my opinion. So:

Damen never mentions female influences in his life, not even nannies or wetnurses or anything. He mentions past queens and his mother, but even then… It’s always struck me as “what the actual fuck” that we get no information on Egeria. In TSP, he doesn’t even read as curious to me, especially when I think of that line that goes something like “oh, well, he’d never asked how tall she was”.

Then you have Jokaste, who is highborn and also… perhaps trained in politics? It’s unclear to me if she’s ever been directly involved in meetings or been an active member of the Council or even been allowed to study these issues. Clearly, she’s smart and capable and cunning, but like… how? Did she have private tutors? Is she a self-made woman? Like, what’s up with that? Are women allowed to engage in public politics? Are they allowed to be kyroi?

IMO, Damen complimenting the female warriors in Vask has to do with how appreciative he is of war-related stuff. Like, he thinks people with his own qualities are neat. We see this time and time again in the books—having honor, being brave, respecting one’s family, protecting those who need protecting… He compliments these things when he sees them in others, especially in Laurent. Obviously one of the big changes in Damen as a character is that he goes from being daddy’s boy to being like “well, actually… maybe war isn’t always the answer, and maybe war isn’t always honorable”. The Vaskian warriors prove themselves worthy of praise in a “manly” way, if that makes sense. (In the same way, Laurent proves himself in the Okton, not so much to Damen but to other Akielons). So, in essence, War > Any issues he may have about women doing Stuff.

Don’t judge me for this but I can’t remember the Regent talking about women. Do you have any quotes about that? I feel like Book 1 is super rich when it comes to world-building stuff and yet it’s the book I remember the least. I know he obviously has a preference for boys and not girls, but I don’t recall him having interactions with Vannes or ladies at court? I’M SORRY I’M SO STUPID but I don’t own the book so I can’t exactly word search my way out of this one, and so instead of saying stupid stuff, I’m asking anyone reading this (lol, you and my mom probably) to please tell me what canon says on this issue.

Ties to Vask: Er, yeah, I mean… They’re clearly not at war with Vask and have some sort of economic deal (there are Vaskian pets in Arles? Which makes me wonder if they, like, buy them from Vask? Or if the pets are Vaskian and turn into pets in Vere? Slaves are not like pets so I don’t know?), BUT just because they have deals with this kingdom/are on good terms with the ruler does not mean they necessarily approve? Like, maybe they’re like “yeah, it’s weird they give women so much power, but also I need that silk/leather/WHATEVER, so I’ll shut up about that”.

“Akielos is said to be similar to Patras which Pacat has stated is also partly a strong matriarchy due to Vaskian occupations in the past.” Is this in the books or is this something she said in an interview/post-releasing the trilogy? I know in the books there’s a quote that Akielos and Patras are similar because they both have slaves, but other than that I can’t quite remember anything about Patras? Like, I don’t recall Pacat giving us extensive and thorough world-building on either nation, at all. Once again, I am asking you for more explanations on this because I literally don’t remember.

4. My opinion and a Stupidity Disclaimer: As I’ve said above, there’s a lot of stuff I don’t remember and so I’m not trying to preach to anyone reading this or even saying that I hold the truth about… anything. I’m answering questions as I see fit and asking more questions when I run out of answers.

I believe world-building is not one of Captive Prince’s strong points. I will not elaborate on this because this is already long enough but there is simply, in my opinion, not enough material to reach any solid conclusions when it comes to world-building questions such as the role of women in Vere and Akielos, how compulsory homosexuality affects the development of highborn men and women in Vere, exactly what makes Akielos’ view on women different from Vere’s (if there’s any difference at all), the history of gender roles in this world and how it’s evolved up until canon, how Lamen can solve the heir issue without recurring to, once again, “the usual stuff” (concubines, bastards, marriage to women, etc.). It’s clear from what I’ve read that Pacat has come a long way as a writer and that her new trilogy has a lot more in-depth explanations to world-building questions, but this is not the case with CP, and so I’m afraid my answer to most of this is “I don’t know, and I don’t think anyone can know for sure”.

Lastly, I think I struggle a lot with understanding the role of women in this universe because I simply did not see enough women doing stuff, so I don’t know what’s permitted, what’s unacceptable, what’s illegal, what is straight-up execution worthy, etc. This is not me complaining about the lack of female characters in CP, at all, which I know is contradictory to stuff I’ve said in the past (I answered a couple asks a year ago about how I’d wished we’d gotten Vannes’ POV or Jokaste’s POV in the short stories). I’ve changed my mind, and so I think Pacat is entitled to write whatever she wants, just like I’m entitled to talk shit about KR with any living soul who will listen lmao.

To end this on a spicy note, I think sometimes we consume the wrong media and then complain because it doesn’t have what we wanted. If you’re looking for a trilogy with strong, fleshed-out female characters, Captive Prince is not for you. If you’re looking for a trilogy on female struggles and, I don’t know, defying… the male gaze… Captive Prince is not for you. There are plenty of books out there that focus exclusively on female characters, featuring sapphic relationships, and dealing with gender issues. WHICH IS NOT TO SAY WE SHOULDN’T BE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS. This is not about this particular question, but more about a lot of posts I’ve seen floating around… complaining about Pacat’s writing and the themes she didn’t explore.

If anyone has made it this far, thank you for reading, and know this is NOT me telling you what to think. This post is an open question that anyone can engage with, although I hope people will engage with this directly and on this platform, instead of… taking it somewhere else where I sadly can’t engage back! Unlike what happened with our awesome fat Laurent discussion, I will be replying to any questions I get on this (Note: I did not reply to most of those questions because a long time had passed and they were sort of repetitive).

[carynsilver]

Favorite Fics: Lamen/Captive Prince Edition

It’s time for another fic rec post--this time fics about Damen and Laurent from the fabulous Captive Prince trilogy by C.S. Pacat. If you have not read this series, I highly recommend it. Fair warning, it does have some tough stuff in it (cw: consent issues, child abuse, and slavery), but it is so worth it in the end.

Brief synopsis: Damen, crown prince of Akielos, is betrayed by his brother and the woman he loves and given as a slave to Laurent--prickly, frigid, crown prince of Vere and brother of the man Damen killed in war years before. What ensues is rebellion, court politics, intrigue, war, betrayals, and the two most unlikely people--two people who (it seems) could never be together due to the circumstances separating them--falling in love as they try to save their countries, all wrapped up in historical settings based on ancient Greece and France.

And now that I’ve introduced you to the book series, let’s get on to the fics!

the steady running of the hour by jinlinli

This one had to be first on my list, as it picks up at the end of the last book, Kings Rising, and gives more of the details about what happened after that spectacular duel. This is my head cannon for this time period that not described in the books. In fact, the last time I read the series, I was waiting for a particular thing to happen until I realized it was something from this fic! It is a great Laurent POV and works perfectly with cannon.

One the Other by Ruby_Wednesday

This is a cannon-style AU in which Marlas goes much differently. Auguste is killed when the battle was paused under a truce, and 13YO Laurent is sent by his uncle back to Ios as the royal family’s ward and becomes Damen’s responsibility. All the broad strokes of cannon are in this fic, but they play out in new and fascinating ways. I also love how different and yet believable Laurent is growing up with someone who he can depend on, like Damen, instead of with his uncle in Vere. And the way this Laurent helps Damen mature, is good, as well. I really, really love this fic.

And if you want more recommendations by Ruby_Wednesday, you should definitely check out Hold Tight (meet cute as single riders at Disney World) and The Most Wonderful Time (Damen draws “evil” boss Laurent in the company Secret Santa).

Edgewise by asmallwave

This is my favorite fic that addresses the trope of what it would’ve been like if Auguste lived. 

“Thank you, I know exactly how it would have been. You and Auguste would have been slapping each other on the back and watching tournaments, and I would have been trailing around tugging on your sleeve, trying to get a look in edgewise.”

The Masquerade by @dont-touch-the-phlebotinum

This fic is so atmospheric. I love the way it takes cannon Akielos and Vere and makes them into a modern world. And the Damen/Laurent meet cute at a masquerade ball followed by running around through secret passages and climbing over rooftops is amazing.

Lovefool by Kittendiamore

Now we come to the modern, real-world AUs, which are my favorite Captive Prince reading material. And I had to start that portion of this list off with Lovefool. After Jokaste left Damen for his brother, Damen finds a fake date off Craigslist for his family’s annual Valentine’s Day party. Laurent is a performance actor working on his thesis. And the sparks fly--both romantic sparks and otherwise. I particularly love Laurent facing off with Jokaste in this one.

On the Cusp by Kittendiamore

I adore Kittendiamore’s work, and this is another on my must-read list for this fandom. It reminds me of the How I Met Your Mother episode, “The Window.” Damen is a serial monogamist who can find his next significant other in an instant, and Laurent has been in love with his brother’s best friend for years. When Jokaste cheats on Damen, Laurent finally has his chance!

Seriously, you can’t go wrong with any of Kittendiamore’s stories. If you’re looking for something a little more cannon, but with time travel and an Auguste lives plot, try Weighed and Measured, as well.

A Point to Happiness by idratherhaveyou

Panda slippers! This was one of the first AUs I read in this fandom. Damen texts the wrong number, and he and Laurent eventually fall in love. It is fabulous! Nothing more need be said.

Along For the Ride by idratherhaveyou

This one starts a little slow, but Laurent crashes Damen, Nikandros, and Jokaste’s road trip to the Grand Canyon in an attempt to get home to save Nicaise from their uncle. Damen is basically the perfect person in this fic--good hearted and true. Laurent is hurt and untrusting, but really, really wants to. Nicaise is written really well here, and this is one of the best Jokastes that I’ve ever read. She has the potential to be so much more than she was in the series, and this story really picks up on that. This story is good enough and explains everything well enough that it could really stand on its own without fandom to fall back on, but I also love the fandom angles of it.

Star Power by @turtletotem​

This is a celebrity fake dating AU--two of my favorite tropes. The way it addresses the evils of Uncle Reggie as Damen (a rock star) and Laurent (an actor) fall in love while they pretend to be together for fame reasons is masterful. Nicaise really steals the scene in this one, as well, and I love how Kastor meets his just desserts.

Celebrity Status by @tenspencerriedplease​

Damen and Laurent are dating, and Damen doesn’t figure out Laurent is a famous actor until Laurent takes him as a date to his latest movie premier. This is hilarious and cute, and it involves a Damen vs. Nicaise cold war that always makes me laugh.

So, that’s it for this time around. It will be interesting to see how many people actually read this post. It is the first time I’ve done fic recs for a book series. And, if you are interested in other fic recs by me, I’ve also done ones for Stucky, Drarry, Stony, Darcy Lewis, and Malex. 

Thanks again to all you fic writers out there and all the enjoyment you’ve given me, both in general and especially during this crazy time of Covid! I appreciate all of y’all and how hard y’all work to bring us these great stories!

[trashcherry]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Thanks....

Not at all that's a great question and it's gonna take me forever to answer but let's try!

Manon Blackbeak from the TOG series, because she is cruel and that doesn't mean she doesn't love.

Elliott Schaffer from In Other Lands, because when you read the book from his pov he seems this almost unbearably annoying teenager that you can't help love because his confusion and rejection problems are so real, but when you read him from the POV of someone that loves him you get a more clear picture of how people perceive him vs how he perceives himself and that was an epiphany for me.

Cardan Greenbriar from Folk of Air because the fact that he had a terrible childhood didn't excuse him from being a cruel bully, but being a cruel bully didn't prevent him from trying hard to be a better individual and a great king.

Neil Josten from AFTG because he's so damn brave and he managed to inspire the uninspirable.

Andrew Minyard from AFTG because he's not a great person and he still deserves every single chance regardless.

Damen from Capri because he's the most just character I've read in so long and he didn't change his opinion based solely on love. Also he wasn't afraid to change his opinion.

Sally Owens from Practical Magic because the way she loved was beautiful.

Samwise Gamgee because he was the real fucking hero and I will not elaborate because it makes me a little feral.

The Joker from DC (disregarding the movies) because there's nothing to redeem him, he's only after the chaos and, means aside, he's right about people being shit.

John Constantine from DC because he's a fucking mess and that's realistic for someone that fights demons, but he's also enjoying the shit outta life because he knows he's going to hell eventually.

Thank you for asking!

[laurents-laces]

If the books were from Laurent's POV they would probably be biased in a totally different way from Damen's. Like Damen nearly kills a man for laying hands on Laurent and Laurent goes "wow he must really hate being tied up" while we all scream HE'S IN LOVE WITH YOU, YOU IDIOT

And he overthinks everything. He reacts to every little thing Damen does in book one with "Ah ha! I see what your evil mastermind plans are now!" while we know that in fact, Damen doesn't have any plans beyond "sneak over this wall and then run away very fast". I wonder if we would have actually been convinced that Damen was some kind of evil mastermind if Laurent was telling the story

[watchingtheroad]

Awakening in Arles

Damen and Laurent meet. Six years later, they meet again. 

Auguste Lives AU, Love at First Sight, First Kiss

[Inspired by this AMAZING artwork from @saltroclus of Laurent and Damen’s respective panic and pining upon seeing the other for the "first" time.]

Laurent, age 14–>20 Damen, age 19–>25 Auguste, age 25–>31

POV switches from Laurent to Damen every scene, with a surprise one at the end ;)

[AO3 Link]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurent was in the library, sitting among his dearest friends, apart from his brother Auguste and prize-winning horse: 

His books. 

There were hundreds of them lining dozens of shelves along the walls, and because his father was King of Vere, all of it belonged to Laurent by extension. 

He was thrilled and fortunate to have so many. Laurent loved to live through stories, to be transported to other worlds in his mind and go on magical adventures without ever leaving the palace. He had a hunger to learn everything he could—every language and battle strategy, and an endless number of useful facts to share with Auguste. From the moment he learned to read, he had promised himself he would devour them all, even the boring ones, because knowledge and stories were never really boring to Laurent. 

Except on the day the Akielon Prince came to visit Arles. 

As a demonstration of trust and good faith, he had come ahead of the Akielon King Theomedes and arrived without splendor or festivity, hopping off his horse with a modest guard of only two men at either flank. Laurent had not even left his rooms to greet him. He knew he had come for Auguste. Theirs was the business of heirs, not second sons. 

That morning, Laurent carried on as usual. He sat in his favorite chair in his favorite corner of the library with his favorite snacks. With his legs folded comfortably beneath him, he tried to focus on his studies. 

They could not hold his attention. 

Cruelly, he could hear the faint sound of commotion, laughter and the clanging of swords drifting in through the open window. 

He tried to resist. 

Really, he did. 

His curiosity took him over to look out. 

Down below in the courtyard, Laurent saw them—his brother and the Prince of Akielos. They were sparring, a small crowd gathered around to catch a glimpse of the Princes and their budding friendship. It was an important symbol for their countries. Once disputing, now reaching peace. Laurent knew the significance, even from the periphery as he was. Not long ago, whispers of war frightened him to nightmares. Despite his unwavering confidence in his older brother, he could not risk Auguste leaving for battle and never returning to him. He would not survive it. 

Watching the two of them, Laurent felt especially relieved that their nations would be signed into a peaceful alliance within the week. 

The Prince of Akielos was… imposing, physically. Younger than Auguste, Laurent knew, but taller, wider, with a longer reach, and very, very skilled. Auguste was the best fighter in Vere. The Akielon Prince was rumored to be the best fighter on the whole continent. It was unsettling in more ways than Laurent could place. 

His clothing was sparse, an Akielon custom. His accent was heavy, detectable even at a distant height, deep and strong. His laugh was—

Captivating. Laurent thought he might go and hear it up close.

His pulse bounded as he walked, a massive book in tow, as fast as his legs would carry him. He knew he must hurry before his mind changed and he chickened out of his plan: He would casually read resting against a tree nearby where they were sparring. 

He would not be watching the Prince of Akielos at all. Only reading. 

As he approached, Laurent made himself as unobtrusive as possible, his eyes careful on the broad back of the Akielon Prince. He had not yet made it to the tree, and so looking at him was still permitted. 

His upper body was distractingly bare, his complexion dark and golden warm, with thick, curly hair to match. Everything else seemed to fade to black as Laurent looked him over, once, then again, admiring the way his muscles flexed beneath smooth skin. He was unlike anyone Laurent had ever seen. 

As Laurent made to move past them to his chosen tree, horrifically, Auguste yelled to him, blowing his cover: 

“Laurent! You came out of your room, little brother!” It was not as shocking as Auguste’s voice suggested. Then— “Come and meet Damianos.” 

Laurent simply could not, but now he must. 

The Prince of Akielos turned. 

Laurent’s mouth dropped open, a muted gasp escaping him, and without his permission, his feet brought him over to them. 

The Prince was smiling, brighter than the sun that shined in Laurent’s eyes. A dimple adorned his left cheek. He said, in perfect Veretian, “Good morning, Your Highness,” and gave a bow of his head. “It’s an honor to meet you.” 

Laurent had a funny feeling fluttering in his stomach, heated all over. The Prince’s mere presence was quite nearly more overwhelming than his… everything else. Had Auguste honestly needed to call his name? Did he live to humiliate him?

Through his internal crisis, Laurent answered in his best Akielon, “Hello, Damianos. Welcome to Arles.” 

“Akielon!” the Prince said, delighted. He had been practicing for the visit. Then, much to Laurent’s surprise, he added, “Damen. Call me Damen.” 

“Damen,” Laurent repeated, smiling. The Prince had not even permitted Auguste to call him that. Laurent’s cheeks were surely the shade of the apples he had fed his horse with breakfast that morning. 

“Did you come to watch us?” Auguste asked, reaching out to ruffle his hair. The nerve. Laurent wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. 

“I came to read,” Laurent deflected, gesturing with his book. 

“And what have you come to read?” the Prince—Damen—asked. His tone held kindness and something akin to genuine interest, and Laurent was, again, taken aback. He did not expect the Prince to be so warm. Whatever the rush of feelings was inside Laurent, he had never experienced it before. 

“Oh, um—” Laurent stumbled his words, silently wishing for death. He had read the book countless times but could suddenly, uselessly remember nothing. “It’s just a silly story about a Prince on an adventure.”

“I happen to love silly stories about princes on adventures,” Damen said, using the towel a servant had brought to wipe the sweat from his neck and shoulders. “Perhaps you’ll tell me about it later?” 

“Of course,” Laurent nodded, his smile growing wider despite his efforts to conceal it. Ill-timed or not, he took that as his cue to leave, backing away slowly then turning quickly to retreat in case Damen changed his mind. 

“Well then,” Auguste chuckled, calling to him again, “See you around, little brother!” 

Laurent threw a half-wave over his shoulder, utterly mortified. Again with the little brother. He was trying to make friends with the Prince of Akielos! Auguste was not helping!

Once he arrived at his chosen tree, Laurent positioned it between them, taking a deep breath behind the safety of its wide trunk as he sat and leaned his back against it. After collecting himself, he opened his book to think about the best parts he might share, if asked by someone. 

If Laurent peered around the tree a few times for another look at the Prince as he read, that was no one’s business but his own.

+++ 

Damen rode into Arles for the first time in six years, with Nikandros and a single guard at his back just as he had come before. 

The countryside was vibrant, the breeze sweet and floral in the summertime. Damen felt rejuvenated upon his arrival. It was fun to escape Ios for a change, and to leave his country entirely was an adventure, especially for one as…stimulating as Vere. Another visit was long overdue; only this time, the King of Akielos would not be following behind him. It was a trip for catching up, not business, and Damen trusted the Veretians. 

They were, in a shocking turn of events for both countries, the closest ally of Akielos. Since the signing of their treaty, peace and friendship prevailed, which was a stark contrast from the violent past his father had taught him about growing up. 

And so, over the years, the Kings corresponded through letters, as did the Princes. As for the Prince of Vere’s younger brother, Damen sent him books once in a while. More silly stories about princes and other things with simple handwritten notes inside, inspired by their first meeting. He had hoped he liked them. Now Damen could ask. 

As he rode toward the palace, he passed a set of stables, grand and ornate as he remembered everything else in Arles. There were stablehands working, noblemen waiting for their mounts to be saddled. He wondered how many horses the building held and to whom they all belonged. 

Then, a young man walked out, his stride so graceful, as though moving on air. His hair was striking, golden yellow, with longer strands framing his lovely face. He carried himself with an arresting elegance, his expression neutral with an aura of unattainability. He was, indisputably, the most breathtaking individual Damen had ever seen. Since his last visit to Vere, he had warmed to the idea of men, bedding them when it suited him, but never had one bewitched him quite so strongly, so quickly, without a word or an act beyond walking. 

Damen stopped his horse in her tracks, squinting at him in the sunlight. He looked oddly familiar, but of course, Damen knew no one from Arles of his own age. He had not been there in a half dozen years. Suddenly, he wished to know this man from Arles. 

That singular, acute desire drove him off his horse without a second thought. 

“What are you doing, Damianos?” Nikandros asked, alarm dripping from his words. 

Damen barely looked at him. “Nothing. Go on to the palace. I’ll be right behind you.”

“Will you?” Nikandros pressed, dubious as ever. 

“Yes,” Damen answered. “Take my horse. You’ll barely notice I’m gone.” 

“I’m sure,” Nikandros grumbled, and if he said anything more after taking the reins from him, Damen was too far away to hear it. 

He turned the corner where the young man had gone, finding him with his sword in an empty arena around the opposite side of the stables. Meant for training horses, he was training himself. 

As he approached, Damen said, in soft Veretian, “Hello there.”

The young man looked, blinking a few times in quick succession, then looked again with a secret in his eyes. 

“Hello,” he said back, also in Veretian, a smile pleasantly threatening his mouth. 

“Do you keep a horse here?” Damen asked, unfortunately the first viable question to cross his mind through his nerves. It was unusual for him to experience them in any pursuit. 

It was exciting. 

“Have you come to police the stables?” the young man returned, tilting his head to one side in question. It was interesting he seemed to pay no mind to Damen’s status, obvious as it was with the red cape and golden lion pin at his shoulder. Damen did not care. He could do anything short of cursing his mother’s grave, and Damen might accept it. 

He was gorgeous, even in confusion, his eyes intensely blue and penetrating right through to the center of him, it seemed. His features were delicate in some ways, stronger and more distinctive in others. The sharpness of his cheekbones and jawline, the plush curve of his lips, his flawless skin… 

“No. Of course not. I just—” Damen faltered. “I’m only curious about you.” 

He lowered his gaze. Damen interpreted the flush that rose to his cheeks as a sign of encouragement. He eventually said, “I keep many, but only one is truly mine. Her name is Dauphiné.” 

“That’s a beautiful name,” Damen said. His accent flowing from that pretty mouth only served to enhance it all. “I would like to know the name of Dauphiné’s owner as well, if he would like that in return.” 

His smile grew wider, more amused than Damen thought warranted. “You don’t remember me at all, do you?” 

Damen furrowed his brow. “What do you mea—”  

“Damianos, my friend!” Auguste’s voice boomed from behind him with impeccable timing. Damen wanted to shoo him away. “I see you’ve found my little brother already!” 

Damen recoiled at his words, stammering, “I’m sorry—Your little—What?” 

Little brother. 

Damen was stunned. It was as though the ground shifted beneath his feet, the world turning on its head to reconcile what he previously knew with who stood before him and what he saw and felt now. This was not a stablehand or a nobleman waiting for his horse. He had not cared that Damen was the Prince because he, too, was the Prince. 

He was completely blind not to see it. 

The blushing fourteen year old he met six years ago had grown into a man. A very attractive man. 

It was Laurent. And he was laughing, silently to himself. 

Damen could not locate his voice to speak. 

“Yes, Your Highness, he found me, but I was just leaving. I’m sure you two have fascinating things to attend to after all this time,” Laurent said, walking past where he stood in shock next to Auguste on his way out. Cooly, he murmured, in much-improved Akielon, “Welcome back to Arles, Damianos.” 

Damen could do nothing but stare, open-mouthed, after him. 

+++

[THE REST IS HERE ON AO3]

[princedamnianos]

Hi! I’m loving your deep dives into the Captive Prince. I only just discovered the books and binged them this month haha. Anyway, I watched an interview Pacat did a couple years ago where she was asked what moment Laurent fell in love with if for Damen it was the chase scene, but she wouldn’t answer. I don’t actually know if I agree with that but when do you think Laurent (and Damen) started to really fall? My guess is when Damen threw his whole ass sword into the mercenaries chest 😂

Hi, anon! I’m sorry it took me so long to get to this—it’s not something I’d really thought about before, so it took me a lot of reading and thinking to answer! Thank you for the lovely ask and the opportunity to dive into this.

Damen, I think, is relatively easy to gauge. One of my favorite things about him is how genuinely full of love he is—he just has so much of it to give. I think it’s really easy for him to fall in love, but it tends to be very fleeting and surface-level—more of an infatuation. I agree with the usual assessment that he starts falling at Nesson. He’s seen a lot of sides to Laurent before then, but they’ve all been very cultivated personas—the cold, in-control master with Damen; the witty and unattainable prince at court; the calculating leader with his men. Nesson, specifically the rooftop chase, is the first time he gets a peek at Laurent’s true self, at how vibrant he can be.

That side of Laurent is playful and vivacious, and still determined and clever. He likes the game, the thrill, the challenge. And I think Damen is drawn to both that brightness, and to the game of trying to draw it out from under all of Laurent’s defenses. That’s when he starts to fall in love, but I think for a long time he treats his love for Laurent more as an infatuation. It’s something intriguing, but with an expiration date—the moment that he sheds this persona of Damen, he thinks he’s going to shed their relationship as well.

I think that Ravenel is when he realizes this is something different. The closer he gets to freedom, the more he realizes that he cares about what he’s been building in Vere, and he cares about Laurent. And the moment that really rises up is a kingdom or this—they go through highs and lows afterwards, but once he realizes how impossible that choice feels, I don’t think there was any going back for him. He was going to stay as long as Laurent needed him.

Laurent is a little more complex. A really key moment in my understanding of his side of things is that first POV chapter we get in KR. Even after everything that went down in PG, there’s this distance when he thinks of Damen—he doesn’t even think of him by name, but just as the Akielon slave. I think he’s trying really hard not to think of him as A Person. That displays to me how carefully he has removed himself from all his feelings about Damen and Damianos.

In spite of that careful distance, though, we have all of these incredibly soft moments from PG. I am coming to know you; he would have liked you; the entirety of 19.5. A lot of his partnership with Damen can be rationalized—Damen had genuinely useful skills, and they were in a position where Laurent was confident that their interests were aligned—but I can’t explain away those specific moments. I think that throughout PG, he’s drawn to Damen, and he carefully removes himself from who Damen is to allow that. Because the thing is, as I’ve said before, Damen is unbelievably loveable.

Laurent is s o alone. He has been for a long time, and now it’s more true than ever, with his last surviving family member having graduated from just discrediting him to trying to kill him. I think that on a very human level, Laurent is tired. People aren’t designed to be so isolated for so long, especially not under such awful conditions, not even people as strong as he is. And then Damen comes along. And in spite of everything, Damen is safe. Both after the assassination attempt and at Nesson, we see Laurent commenting on how straightforward Damen is—sometimes to a fault. He’s open about his feelings and his intentions, and it’s not some front or strategy, it’s just his nature. On top of that, he’s just so steady. He’s honest, he’s brave, he’s hardworking. And once he decides to pursue an alliance with Laurent, he commits to it wholeheartedly.

Damen is the first person in so long that Laurent is able to relax around, and I think Laurent is j u s t tired enough that he can’t deny himself the bit of comfort that their relationship brings. And Damen is so genuine that he can’t find a reason to deny it. It’s not so much something he chooses as it is something he needs, and I think that allows him to maintain this separation between himself and Damen even as he is feeling this genuine fondness and trust towards him.

I think a significant part of why Laurent allows it is also that he, like Damen, attaches an expiration date to their relationship. Even after he realizes that Damen loves him—which, in my opinion, is what happens in the sword-throwing incident—he doesn’t believe that Damen would give up his throne for a crush on a foreign prince. He doesn’t expect that he’ll ever have to actually deal with the reality of who Damen is. He just wants to soak up whatever strength he can from Damen in the time that they have together. He wants to give into these handful of moments where he can show his true self, and rely on someone else, and not have to be so On and constrained all the time.

(And someday, I’m going to write a post about how strongly Damen reminds him of Auguste and how comforting that must be in the moments where he allows himself to forget who Damen is)

That is, of course, why he’s so awful at the start of KR. He’s punishing himself for falling in love with Damen in spite of who he is, and punishing Damen for being so easy to fall in love with. Most of the start of KR is him waiting for Damianos, this monster he expected him to be, to emerge; and instead he’s forced to realize that the monster never did exist—there has only ever been this one Damen, this good and honorable man that he fell in love with. So I don’t think there was necessarily one moment where he fell in love with Damen. It was something that grew slowly, quietly inside him, , until the moment in KR that he finally makes the conscious choice to commit to it.

I think that moment comes at Karthas. We have just been through this slow burn of Damen proving, unintentionally, over and over, how truly good and worthy he is. The sword fight, the tent scene, after the griva. There are so many moments where Damen could respond with anger and cruelty, where he could take advantage of Laurent or hurt him, could prove Laurent’s judgements correct, and he never does. He definitely pushes back when Laurent is particularly terrible, but even when he thinks there is no chance Laurent will love him, even when a harsher reaction would be fully justified, he treats him with honour and respect. And then they get to Karthas, this first moment where Damen is vulnerable, when he needs Laurent instead of the other way around, and Laurent finally falls. Finally makes the choice to love him.

And once he makes that choice, he never backs down.

One final point about Laurent—I think that over years of trauma and abuse, he’s built up this level of disconnect between his mind, his emotions, and his body. I think that’s part of what we see him trying to heal, especially when he is in bed with Damen and in those few openly emotional moments late in KR. In addition, I have always headcanoned him as demiromantic, though I’m not sure to what extent that is something he was born with and to what extent it was born of trauma. Either way, I’m not convinced that Laurent himself realized how strong his feelings were in PG. It’s not until later KR, when Damen starts really pushing him to recognize who he is, that Laurent was able to realize or understand or acknowledge what it was he’d been feeling towards Damen all along.

[bloody-wonder]

So I’ve just read the captive prince series and I’m kinda just... conflicted. Like Laurent had Damen raped and also had that girl during the second book near the beginning raped and people are just. Fine with it???? Like 2/3 of the first book is just violence being explained in so much detail including extremely graphic rape scenes and the plot doesn’t appear until near the end. When the plot appears it does get good but it’s also fucked up you know? I’m not really sure why people say it’s such a good romance story or whatever... What are your thoughts on this?

yep laurent is my son but i think that the way he and damen ended up together after all he’d done to damen is completely unrealistic - unless ofc damen literally thinks with his dick - which after reading his pov i wouldn’t put past him

the author tried to resolve some of this conflict in the epilogue short story “the summer palace” but it was very unconvincing

if it were up to me i’d change the ending of book 3 completely - i’d let them defeat the regent on the battlefield the old-fashioned way and would use the remainder of the book to have them try and resolve their inner conflicts, fail at it and part ways - maybe with a hint that they might try again later and succeed. a bittersweet open ending. but capri was influenced by fanfiction so much that i believe there’s no way it could have anything less than the heroes riding together into the rainbow sunset kind of happy ending - which is in tone completely unfitting for the story we just read

speaking of which - i don’t think that there’s no plot in book one. it does everything the first act of the story needs to do: it sets up the personalities of the characters and the setting which is, yes, very violent - but it it weren’t set up in book one then for example the manner in which aimeric and nicaise died in book two would’ve come out of left field. the book is upfront about its content. with laurent specifically it sets up how good he is at the court scheming and makes us think of him as a “palace prince” - only to surprise us in book two. idk i liked book one

but with the rest i agree - it’s not exactly a good romance. i personally would love to read a story where two characters hurt each other very much but then somehow still fall in love and it’s not problematic - but no author to this day has managed to come up with a convincing way to bridge that gap. cs pacat’s answer seems to be “well laurent is also cute and damen is horny and so quick to forgive” which is meh from the storytelling perspective and sends wrong messages on the meta-level

i still like capri though. however for me it’s not so much about the romance as about being laurent’s biggest fan and acolyte :)

[can-you-damianot]

Please, with your impeccable commentary skills, describe the scene in the beginning of KR when Laurent’s all “hello lover” lmao

Oh my gosh this is the scene. The Captive Prince Scene. The scene with the line that ends up in blog headers, titles, and twitter handles everywhere. 

Other people have talked about this scene because the first time you read it you just, ooh laurent so smoothe, so witty, how cold, laurent, my ice baby but in reality it’s one of the most ridiculous scenes in the book. I will do my best ;-; 

It’s from Damen’s POV so as far as Damen is concerned he rolls up off the battlefield, still covered in blood, sweaty, so sexy and extremely gross, his cape is probably billowing, he dismisses Laurent’s guard with one word because he does not give a Fuck, he doesn’t even deign to look behind him to check that’s how brazen he is. Then inside this lavish tent is his tsundere boyfriend who delivers the line “hello, lover”, cool as a cucumber, oh you just showed up? how nice of you to join me I was just partaking of afternoon tea and i’m definitely not incapable of standing so good of you to make it, by the way here’s your golden raspberry for the worst performance since kristen stewart had to pretend to be a heterosexual.

When in reality okay firstly Damen doesn’t knock or whatever and Laurent knew he wasnt going to so Laurent has been standing against that pole for god knows how long??? He’s literally??? Propped himself up there and stood there completely ready for fucking ages just waiting to roast Damen. Just standing. Waiting. Thinking of his lines. How best can I show Damen I own everything in this tent but am not in ownership of one single fuck to give. “Hello, lover” hmm yes perfect well done Laurent you’re so sharp. This boy is hanging around looking 100% ready to come for Damen’s life because Damen could walk in at any second and he has his whole script ready all while he really should be sitting down because he’s just sustained a considerable wound after killing a man with a chair. 

The whole performance is meant to show Laurent as being an ice queen who doesn’t care about anything, but it’s actually so carefully stage managed and so incredibly without any chill whatsoever that it shows how he’s a massive, petty, utterly ridiculous drama queen and I love it. 

[justanotherdaylikeanyother-blog1]

You may have answered this one and I missed it, but, given your issues with KR, how would you have written the last book? I realized when looking through my AO3 bookmarks that I've read a number of fan fics picking up from PG that do a better job than KR, which is a little depressing.

I’ve talked about specific ways I think certain scenes or themes should or shouldn’t have been handled. But it’s true that I’ve never said ‘this is how I would have liked to see KR go from start to finish’. I could happily write it a lot of ways, tbh, if only I had the time and the motivation. And, as you say, there are several good takes on it out there already. So I’m not going to detail what I would do from start to finish, because that would be a very long fic plan for a fic I’m not even going to write, in effect.

What I will say is how I would probably have ended it. 

I would have written Damen and Laurent having to lead a proper military stand to take back Ios towards the end. I felt like that was what the whole series was leading to from Damen’s PoV, and it never happened. The focus just mostly stayed on Vere and its politics even once they entered Akielos. And that’s very different than when I wrote The Veretian Flytrap and only referenced the reclamation of Akielos happening off-screen, say, because that was Laurent’s story. Canon is Damen’s story. I think KR forgets that a lot of the time.

Anyway, if we want to claim Laurent and Damen are equals and have committed to an alliance despite their differences up to that point, then I’d want to have that actually play out with them having to fight a battle side-by-side in full awareness of their respective identities and ranks, and after what’s happened between them romantically. I’d want to show how they’d find a way to manage working together (including the tensions of not being able to do so easily, at least at first) when they’re both almost-Kings with their own armies rather than when they’re acting as Prince and slave or Prince and Captain in a supposedly directly hierarchical relationship. Laurent would still want to have ultimate control and the final say on things even if he was willing to rely on Damen for his experience in battle, because that setup was how it had always been between them before. But Damen wouldn’t stand for that now that he’d been acknowledged as a de facto King. I’d use all that drama, and the battle itself, as an opportunity for them to work through some important shit, because they’d have trouble winning a war if they’re in the middle of a power struggle between themselves, or if they’re just plain not coordinating well together. Eventually they’d find some middle point that worked for them, combining Laurent’s out-of-the-box random strategies that Kastor’s side couldn’t predict with Damen’s tactical experience and fighting skills (and his incredible good luck in battle).

And hell, using the looming prospect of the war, I could also address the reasons why, on the other side, people would have to have been literally willing to lay down their lives to fight for Kaster’s side against Damen, despite how Damen should have been the rightful King. We know that Kastor seemed to have followers, especially further south, who were willing to ignore the holes the size of canyons in Kastor’s revisionist story about Damen being the one to kill Theomedes. There had to be actual reasons why they would either believe it or ignore the obviousness of the lie. Simple enough to explore that when it came time for the clash and characters either changed allegiances to Damen or refused to do so. And I’d love to explore Kastor’s character and motivations more and potentially make him an actual three-dimensional character.

Most of the things I have a problem with (Jokaste’s ‘redemption’ and the baby, the Kingsmeet, the complete lack of due process inside Ios before the Regent’s execution, etc) can all be dispensed with if we acknowledge that the climax of the story could have actually been a climax, since they were all there at least partly in service of getting Laurent and Damen inside Ios. Why was that necessary? Why not draw Kastor out instead? It’s Vere, not Akielos, who stood accused of hiding in their forts. And Kastor’s fought a war before. He would have looked weak if he tried to shy away from it. (And no, I don’t think it’s a valid argument that they had to get to the Regent inside Ios as well, because I’m not a fan of him being there in the first place.)

And if it really was so thematically important that Laurent prove himself worthy of redemption/sacrifice himself for Damen/kill Kastor, isn’t all of that logically able to play out in the context of a battle? I wouldn’t write it like that, personally, but Pacat could have, if she’d insisted on it.

I’m not saying that finishing on a war wouldn’t have had its political problems in the long-term, of course, because civil war is never a good thing. But there was, in effect, civil war in the south of Vere, so it’s not unprecedented in this story for them to accept that path when there’s no other decent option. And Akielos practically was one step from that stage anyway, it would seem, even before Damen showed back up alive. So I’m not sure it would have been considerably harder to recover from it than it should have been to politically recover post-canon. And if it was massively difficult to get past it? That’s fine. Just address it in the short stories. That would have been interesting, imo.