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unhelpfulfemme · 11 months

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Damen's also a victim of gaslighting if you think about it, and it explains so many things about him.

Kastor seems to have taken care of him a lot while he was growing up (based on the amount of childhood memories that Damen has with him) and Kastor also fucking hated him. A child in that situation will sort of self-gaslight, they'll convince themselves that they don't see what they do so they can maintain a fundamental sense of safety despite their objectively unsafe environment. The end result is exactly what Damen is - someone who's pretty bad at telling apart those who love him from those who mean him harm.

If Kastor treats him like shit - Kastor fucking stabbed the barely teen-aged heir to the throne in the guts, mind - that's because Kastor is treating him like a man, he's giving him tough love and not coddling him because a prince doesn't need coddling, he needs tempering and seasoning instead. Damen is lucky to have a brother who'll stab him in the guts so he can become a better man and ruler, unlike those arrogant, spoiled other princes who get *checks notes* affectionate relatives.

And if Kastor is treating him like a man that's because Damen's earned it - Damen has a particular fixation about "earning it", whatever "it" is in a particular situation, because the main issue of contention between him and Kastor is that Damen gets the throne by default, regardless of who deserves it more, and therefore (in Kastor's view) Damen is a Bad Person who's screwing him over by his very existence. Damen's answer to this is to make sure that he works hard and is the best at everything (and working hard for things is actually a genuinely good value to have, mind), because this way he DID earn it, he DOES deserve it more, the better man has the throne, so peace on planet Earth, right? But he doesn't understand how this just further humiliates and angers Kastor, who then vengefully retaliates, the truth of which Damen, who loves Kastor and seeks his approval, can't handle emotionally, necessitating the "this is tough love, because I'm a strong man" mental defense.

I think this is interesting because it really spills over into Damen's incorrect conclusions about Laurent, sometimes in kinda embarrassingly stupid ways - because Veretians are Bad and being a spoiled cunt who's never had to work hard for anything is also Bad (in a very visceral way, because it's what Damen is desperately trying to avoid being), the Veretian prince must be both, concludes Damen after a 0.5 second glance at Laurent's resting bitch face. "A prince doesn't need to be coddled, he needs to be seasoned," says Damen to Paschal about Laurent, even though he's only in the position to have this conversation in the first place because Laurent's entire family died by the time he was 13 and he is currently being hunted down like a dog by his only remaining relative.

I also think that this is the foundation on which Damen's attitudes about slavery are able to change and develop - if his idea of someone deserving something is based in whether he's earned it (as opposed to birthright), becoming a slave is an easy way to disprove his current worldview about how much "earning it" matters in a fundamentally unjust society: first of all, Damen can't earn anything if Laurent doesn't allow him the opportunity to. Once Laurent does allow it, no matter how competent Damen shows himself to be, no matter how much Laurent treats him as an equal, no matter how much Damen earns Laurent's respect, this is all still happening at Laurent's whim and Laurent can turn around and treat Damen like a servant again, praise his military prowess with one breath and threaten him with a whipping with the next, and there's very little Damen can do about it. Damen goes from a privileged man's idea of meritocracy (I worked hard for it so I deserve it) to a more 360 degree one (some people can never have what I have no matter how hard they work, because I am fundamentally privileged).

Finally, it's really obvious that Damen also loves working for it in his romantic relationships, which probably stems from the same roots as all of the above, but it's a particularly interesting framework for drawing parallels between Laurent and the rest of Damen's life. Not only is Laurent the undisputed champion of Being Hard to Get, Laurent also hates Damen because Damen unthinkingly took something precious away from him (just like someone else!), and Laurent is also very punishing towards Damen over it (just like someone else!). But this time, Damen is actually capable of earning Laurent's respect (because facts will always take precedence over pettiness for hyperrational Laurent), and then his love, because Laurent is willing to see Damen as a person with feelings- as a man who loves him and cares about pleasing him - and not just as his role in the tragedy of Laurent's life.

I just think it's interesting to think about, is all, because I feel like the knee-jerk instinct is to analyze Laurent's more overt fuckedupness while not thinking about how Damen needs to also be kinda fucked up to find the thornbush pleasing to the extent that he does.

#captive prince #damianos of akielos #these books had such a visceral grasp on me that for a while I didn't trust myself to engage with other people's opinions on them #but now I am slowly easing into it and sometimes I see the usual reaction that you typically get in competence-porn-driven stories #where a character acting in stupid ways because of emotional hangups is #Bad Characterization #and I just felt like writing this I dunno hope someone finds it useful

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lucky-clover-gazette · 2 months

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kings rising highlights & annotations

chapter 7.5

(not a real chapter, i just decided to keep analyzing until i hit some kind of satisfying conclusion)

this is a special episode of "sam reads capri," in which i comment a bit more on chapter 7 so i can hopefully move forward and evaluate chapter 8 without constantly getting stuck on 7 again.

update after making the additional commentary: holy fuck, i think i solved it. to my satisfaction, at least. i'm really glad i did this.

i have noticed that capri chapters are often self-contained in terms of themes. like, the scenes that are stitched together are done so for a reason. in the case of chapter 7, this is especially interesting. we get the laurent slave stuff, the party, and then the intense lamen argument on the field where auguste died. at first i was almost annoyed that these two situations were put next to each other, because the laurent slave stuff bothered me so much. but then i began to wonder WHY they weren't separated into different chapters. what do they have in common, both thematically and in terms of my personal reading experience? to figure it out, i first have to summarize what happens even each individual scene of the chapter. here are my findings:

chapter 7 scene 1

damen and laurent approach marlas with their combined army. have some super awkward and stunted dialogue about staying in separate apartments. damen has an opportunity to reference a snarky joke, but doesn't. there is so much distance and hesitation, especially compared to their previous dynamic in prince's gambit (they shared a tent like every night and spoke very closely) and even captive prince (they hated each other so they just kinda said whatever the fuck). damen is extremely apprehensive about interacting with laurent in any kind of meaningful or personal way, and is very consciously restraining himself, as well as being restrained by his role as king.

chapter 7 scene 2

inside the fort, damen and laurent are immediately jumpscared by a hallway of slaves. like right in front of my salad. damen, who has already been experiencing massive discomfort and disgust with his own nation's customs, of which he briefly was a victim, continues to turn the slaves down. this is seen as disrespectful, but he's the king of akielos, so it's fine. laurent, meanwhile, seems not even to hesitate before stepping forward and choosing a slave like a kid in a pet shop ("i like that one"). the slave, isander, very obviously looks like damen, which damen notices immediately. laurent asks a little more about the customs of slavery, like the first night, and makes eye contact with damen as he says that he never got to command his previous bed slave (damen). then he asks the slave keeper to teach him how. the keeper says the slave doesn't speak veretian, but "to command any act of service is to honor a slave. the more personal the service, the greater the honor." aka: "he wants you to boss him around." laurent says "really?" and has isander come over, has him kiss his boot how damen had once (reluctantly) done, except isander is totally into it. laurent praises isander, isander's happy, and it makes everyone around them pleased, because the veretian prince is engaging with akielon customs. damen meanwhile has a salty thought about these people being stupid for thinking laurent would actually use the slave as intended, or even respect their customs, because there's no way laurent would actually fuck that guy, or any of these slaves. and damen would be better at undressing laurent anyway. laurent then has to get one more dig in, asking if isander can serve him in the baths, famously (between damen and laurent) a place where damen was embarrassingly turned on by his own attraction to laurent and punished for it. and laurent also says he's pleased by the idea of isander serving him at the party, also something damen did in arles. so basically, laurent just chose a slave that looked exactly like damen, gave him all the praise and affection he didn't give past slave damen and certainly not present king damen, promised a rebound speedrun of their greatest hits at arles in front of damen, all with complete composure and the plausible deniability of diplomacy.

chapter 7 scene 3

damen does not feel like this is a homecoming. the slaves make him uncomfortable. he is acutely aware of laurent in the queen's chambers to his king's chambers, and imagines isander tending to him (but not as well as damen could). he specifically imagines isander being asked to the baths, being flushed with pride to be of service, and then damen curls his hands into fists and thinks about politics instead.

damen arrives at the function to see laurent looking cunty as ever with isander beneath him, being affectionate and shameless and vulnerable. laurent calls damen "brother" as he approaches, knowing damn well that damen is not thinking of brotherly things at the moment. damen feels supremely awkward in his seat next to laurent, without his own slaves, and the awareness of everyone in the room that he'd once been the slave at laurent's feet. one of his generals then questions damen's loyalty to akielos and implies that he's doing favors for laurent because of their sexual relationship. damen just goes straight to denial and dismissal, but laurent decides to show off his cuff and own the fact that he tapped that, damen was his slave, even though damen is the guy who killed his brother. so people really should not fuck with laurent, or question their leadership. it seems to work, and earn him the respect of the generals. food comes out, damen awkwardly feeds himself and the arrangement displeases everyone. damen observes that isander, who is feeding laurent by hand, is clearly in love with him. this, we can assume, is not unrelated to the fact that damen started catching feelings for laurent back in book 2 when he fed laurent by hand. laurent asks a slave to play damen's favorite song, which mentions a guy killing another guy to take his city and has the word "brother" in it. laurent somehow knows this is damen's favorite, perhaps informed by the slaves, who have played it many times for damen before. damen doesn't want to hear it now. damen watches jord tells loyse, aimeric's mom, that he's sorry for her loss, which she gives diplomatic "token attention" despite the very personal nature of the situation. this is similar to damen and laurent's earlier strained interactions. damen then summons jord over for a conversation that basically amounts to jord saying "laurent knew who you were the whole time? damn that's crazy. wild that he really trusted you anyway, because he definitely still did. and he didn't trust anyone else before that, so you must have really been special." damen of course chooses this moment to look over at laurent, who is now basically cuddling isander as isander feeds him grapes, playing with isander's not-unlike-damen's curly hair. damen considers isander to be "a prince's new favorite." everyone starts leaving the party have sex with their slaves (i hate it here) and laurent does the same gesture with isander. damen remembers that time torveld told him, laurent's slave, that he (torveld) was jealous, and would trade places in a heartbeat. damen then excuses himself to chase laurent, but only finds a very confused isander, who says that laurent immediately abandoned him to take a ride once the crowd stopped looking. damen knows that laurent has gone to the field where his brother died to clear his troubled head, and follows.

chapter 7 scene 4

damen arrives at the field. laurent is there, more vulnerable than usual in terms of his clothing. laurent is surprised to see damen there for a split second, but then ices over. damen says that he thought laurent might want a friend, and we know that it's because jord unintentionally reminded damen that he's the only person laurent has let himself get close to since auguste's death, even though he's the guy who killed auguste. damen knows this isn't an easy place for laurent to be and wants to support him, even if it's awkward. he knows nobody else can support laurent, the way he can. laurent, meanwhile, says they can fuck if damen wants, and insists that he knows damen does. that it's all he really wants. laurent tries to goad him into admitting it, and damen tries to talk to laurent about his feelings about auguste. laurent deflects again and damen accepts that they're not having the auguste conversation right now. he earnestly admits that he hasn't been able to stop thinking about having sex with laurent. laurent deflects with a taunt/joke, damen is earnest again, although he does say jokingly that laurent fucked like a virgin. laurent deflects with a taunt/joke again, damen is earnest again again, adding that laurent also fucked like "you knew what you were used to." this particular earnest comment hits on laurent's sexual trauma with his uncle, although damen doesn't know it. laurent tells damen that he (laurent) can't take damen's "particular brand of honesty right now." damen earnestly tries to reassure laurent that he really did like sleeping with him, even if he (laurent) was inexperienced. laurent shoots back that damen would oh my god i get it. wait. i understand the chapter. I UNDERSTAND THE CHAPTER.

laurent says "you like it simple." in response to damen admitting that he liked sleeping with laurent, even though he's not that good at sex. "YOU LIKE IT SIMPLE" MEANS SLAVERY. laurent is referring to the things he's learned about akeilon slaves, things we heard him ask about earlier in the chapter: the first night, the fact that simply giving them a command is to honor them, the fact that they know and can play damen's favorite song by heart. laurent is referring to the simplicity of romancing/loving/fucking a person who has been trained to be romanced, loved, and fucked. a slave who "[knows] what [their masters are] used to." a person who isn't a real person at all. laurent has been observing how this system works all night, and this is him fully expressing his disdain in the most personal way possible. his disdain for akielon slavery, for his assumption of damen's preferences, and in a way, for himself. laurent knows that he could never be an simple option for damen, just how damen spent so much of this chapter holding himself back because knows he isn't an simple option for laurent. nothing about them is simple, in the way things are for a master and a slave. they can't be, and they shouldn't be.

but still... damen and laurent, in this scene, both wish things could be different from how they are. they wish things could be simpler, sweeter, so they could truly fit into each other's lives. but laurent has to be a cold bitch, in order to prove himself in his position. he can't very well say that he and damen wear those cuffs because they belong to each other. and honestly, i don't even think laurent believes that damen wants him, beyond him being a good fuck, as evidenced by the way he greets damen in this scene. being around isander probably made laurent feel insecure, knowing that isander is the kind of person damen fucks for recreation. laurent's proposition was basically a characteristically aggressive, control-freak way for laurent to offer his submission, because he thinks that's all damen really wants. i'm quoting sharp objects again: "sometimes when you let someone do something to you, you're really doing it to them." it's a twisted reflection of the "purity" of akielon slavery, much more similar to the dynamic i think we can assume that laurent had with the regent. and that's really all laurent is used to, besides damen.

four words. "you like it simple." and the entire chapter makes sense. the reason why this scene was in this chapter, juxtaposed with the slavery theme, makes sense. laurent's morals make sense, even if he's still functionally a hypocrite. laurent is protective of victims, people he sees as helpless and powerless and wounded. technically, isander is helpless and powerless, and a victim of the akielon slavery system. but laurent doesn't see isander, the individual, as a powerless, helpless, wounded victim. both because he's well-cared for and perfectly happy in his ignorance, incompatible with the image of "victim" laurent sees in his younger self and nicaise, and because deep down, laurent is jealous of isander too.

damen's response to those four words, "you like it simple," originally felt like an overreaction to me. but now i think i better understand what it means. All the breath left his throat. He stood, stripped, unready for it. Will you use even that against me? he wanted to say, and didn’t. Laurent’s breathing was shallow too, holding his ground.”

the "that" is slavery. both the practice in general, and laurent's assumption based on his new knowledge about the practice. damen saw laurent learn about the first night, and the proper method of commanding a bed slave. and damen knows that laurent knows he's been sleeping with slaves since he was a teenager. so logically, damen's reaction is to the realization that laurent thinks that damen fucked him as if he was a slave, and not a person. imagining him as a pretty object, groomed and submissive, noticeably and shamefully falling short where he is inexperienced. just like the regent.

which explains laurent's reaction, too, with the shallow breating. being around the slaves and isander and marlas must have made laurent more upset than he let on—about damen, about his trauma with the regent, about auguste—and he's only letting himself and feel and express it all now.

damen then makes himself change subjects, back to auguste. because talking about laurent's brother who he killed is somehow less complicated than their sex life. damen tries to reassure laurent that it was a fair fight and auguste wasn't in pain. laurent, unsurprisingly, responds with a taunt/joke.

horses pass by. laurent asks if damen sent them, damen says no. they find themselves in the same exact position they'd been in when they had their first night of true familiarity and companionship, in nesson-elroy. this part of the lamen greatest hits speedrun, they do themselves. the first time where damen felt not like a slave, but like laurent's equal partner. after laurent emptily re-enacting all of those kinky arles moments with isander, this is the thing that's too sacred to be done by anyone but the two of them. pressing up against each other in the midst of an adventure, free from the expectations of their true identities, barely able to contain the emotion between them. oh my god am i tearing up? i'm tearing up.

they pull away and damen tells laurent he isn't cold. damen knows he isn't cold. laurent wasn't cold when he tortured damen out of vengeful rage for the brother he loved, and laurent wasn't cold when he made love with his brother's killer. earnest, as ever. correct and they both know it.

laurent says they have to leave because of the riders, and then walks the conversation back to something damen said earlier, about it being a fair fight with auguste: "a fair fight? no fight's ever fair. someone's always stronger." and they leave.

laurent believes that everything is a power struggle, with one person in control and another person submitting. the strong and the weak, simple as that. this belief extends to intimacy and sex, which makes sense given laurent's sexual history and the veretian court. however, throughout the series we constantly see laurent's cynical outlook clashing with damen's earnest determination to act honorably. which makes the fact that laurent is the one against slavery between them, and damen is the one who has historically happily partaken, deeply ironic. and it makes it even clearer to damen that, to laurent, not only did he kill auguste—but he also made auguste look like the weaker man, adding insult to injury.

laurent never wants to be the weaker man, but also believes that people like himself—people who are decidedly not simple or trained into submission, who refuse to make themselves vulnerable because that would make them victims—can never truly be loved. so he'll choose to settle for being fuckable instead, and that choice gives him control. that's... that's probably why he didn't tell damen the truth about what he knew, in prince's gambit. because laurent assumed that if he was his real self, in his true complicated unsweet nature, damen wouldn't have wanted him in the same way, or at all. and just like jord said, damen was the only person laurent could trust.

damen wants to believe that things can be simple; not in the cynical way laurent implied, but in a way that's entirely earnest and vulnerable. he wants to be able to love and be loved without needing to prove himself the stronger man. he doesn't want to hold back, or follow customs, or be with a partner who is trained to get everything right. he wants someone real—the entire person, not just a body to fuck. he wants adventure and inside jokes, to be a not-slave but not-not-a-slave. he wants nesson-elroy, not arles or marlas. he wants to belong to laurent because he chooses to belong to laurent, and he wants laurent to choose him back.

either i totally just nailed this chapter analysis the second time around, or i overthought so hard that i came up with an entire unintended interpretation and made myself tear up about it. either way, good game, chapter 7. now i feel like i can move on.

#sam reads capri #capri #captive prince #kings rising #laurent of vere #damen of akielos #lamen #isander #the way my body PHYSICALLY REACTED when i Realized #i love!!! this kind of stuff!!!#digging into something and trying to make sense of it!#i KNEW there was more to this. my thoughts here might not be entirely accurate #but i do think pacat was adding more depth to the chapter than i initially assumed #i feel much better moving forward now to chapter 8 #when i tried before i kept referring back to my confusion with 7 #BRO i love reading and writing so much

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chanpotei · 3 years

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Master of disguise

#captive prince #laurent of vere #damen #damianos of akielos #lamen #damen you're so stupid

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howtheturnpages · 2 years

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this is the only screenshot I took from prince's gambit do with that information what you will

#i can't decide whether that's iconic or plain stupid i missed so much good stuff #captive prince #prince's gambit #laurent of vere #damianos of akielos #lamen #also damen and laurent making their first heart eyes and jord coming in like #yeah alright pack it up we got work to do

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fanficandtheories · 2 years

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Love this detail about Laurent

He is okay with his soldiers knowing that Damen hit him — the untouchable prince of Vere. aka Damen is the only one who can hit him and get away with absolutely no repercussions.

Then he waits for the soldiers to leave the room and lock the door to tell Damen to get out. Like he won’t insult his boyfriend in front of his soldiers. NO WAY.

For all his nonchalant posturing, Laurent really acts like the possessive boyfriend, even when he is that mad.

#captive prince #damen x laurent #c s pacat #c.s. pacat #cs pacat #damen of akielos #laurent of vere #kings rising #prince’s gambit #damen #laurent #capri #caprikid #stupid ass capri takes

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anch0ram · 3 years

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Fast Fashion Said: Winter’s For Sluts

#these outfits are SO stupid #Captive Prince #captive prince fanart #lamen #Laurent of Vere #damen of akielos #Mine #I don't like the colours on this #but i don't think it would be wise to spend even more on this joke piece #they're also both smooth and waxed because i have NO idea of how to draw body hair

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mrs-amber · 4 years

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wanna bet?

Got this prompt from @creativepromptsforwriting's New Year’s Eve Prompts. Wishing you all a Happy New Year!! Hope you like it!

Their friends dare them to kiss a stranger at midnight and they are just tipsy enough to actually do it.

Nikandros laughed as Damen stared at him helplessly.

“As if you could get anyone to make out with you.” He could sense he was already tipsy from his previous drinks. Nikandros’ statement didn’t make him feel any better, it only gave him ideas.

“Wanna bet?” He grinned.

____

“Oh, come on, baby bro. When was the last time you kissed anyone?” Laurent couldn’t stand how annoying Auguste became when he got drunk. But he had a point, the last time must have been around September and since now was New Year’s Eve it was about 3 months since he kissed anyone. Not that it gave Auguste any rights to tease him about it.

“Alright, let’s change that.” And Auguste’s reaction, his eyes growing big and his mouth agape, made Laurent feel a bit more confident about his resolveness.

___

“Anyone?” Nikandros’ brows furrowed in thought.

“Anyone.” Oh, Damen was getting cocky and he knew it.

Nikandros turned to inspect the people around the house, concentrating and focusing very hard in each face he saw. Probably trying to find someone who wouldn’t want to come nowhere near Damen, just to make a point that his friend was being stupid once again.

And then his gaze fixed in two blondes across the room.

“Do you remember Auguste?” He said innocently. If Damen was so confident, why not make him suffer a bit more than rejection? It would serve him good.

“Your friend from college?” He answered, turning around to search for a familiar face in the crowd. “Do you want me to make out with him?”

“No, no. Not him. His little brother.” He had talked about Damen’s adventures in college to Auguste enough times to guess what his overprotective elder brother instincts would do once he recognized him. “Come with me, it’s almost midnight. Let's say hi.”

___

Laurent saw them crossing the room, eyes focused on a target. Were they coming for him? He wouldn’t mind. His fingers felt numb as he downed the drink he had in hands in one go and his throat burned with the alcohol. He could feel his brother’s unfaltering gaze focused on him, before turning when a voice spoke right by his side.

Laurent couldn’t take his eyes away from the golden beauty accompanying the man who was now talking to his brother. His dark curls slightly sticking to his scalp from the heat of the room that was making him sweat. His skin glistening with the lights that reflected in the tiny droplets. His gaze lowered to his neck and to his collar, the white shirt becoming translucent there. Laurent wanted to lick him. He swallowed and forced his eyes back to the man’s face, he was smiling.

___

“Hey, Auguste! Long time no see, didn’t know you’d be around tonight.” Nikandros directly addressed him.

As he turned to face the one talking to him, Auguste’s expression softened and he opened a smile. “God, Nik! I wasn’t expecting to see you around either. We’ve been in town since yesterday and got invited here at the last minute. Laurent still doesn’t know anyone around.” He stretched his hand to get his brother’s attention while talking and as he got no response, he turned to Laurent to see what had gotten his attention.

And once again he was left with no reaction as the sight he had was of his little brother gaping, almost salivating, over a giant animal in front of him. The man was looking at Laurent as if he was water in the middle of a desert. Auguste felt his stomach churning.

“Wha- is that Damen?” But he didn’t need an answer.

Nik turned on his heels to have a better look at the sight in front of them. Oh, no. It couldn’t have been this easy. For all he knew of what Auguste spoke of his little brother was that he was a cold ass bitch who bit everyone that approached him. It wasn’t supposed to be this easy.

___

Damen looked down and couldn’t help a smile. Laurent, was it? He tried to remember what Nik had told him, he couldn’t. As he stared at him he saw his pale skin turning to a beautiful shade of pink, his blue eyes descending down Damen body, slowly. His clothes and his posture were so collected, his hair falling around his face didn’t have a single strand out of place. It looked so soft and Damen couldn’t help the insurgent need to see it messed up.

As the countdown started to be shouted all around them, he brought one hand to cup Laurent’s face, caressing his cheek with a gentle movement of his thumb. He moved slowly, making sure he wasn’t crossing a line he wasn’t supposed to. Laurent’s breath hitched and he stared at Damens lips. He grasped Damen’s shirt by his hips and leaned in, standing on his tiptoes to reach Damen’s height.

The first contact of their lips was sweet but quickly changing to something hushed and stronger, as if they were reaching for air. Damen brought his other hand to tangle in the golden locks, breaking the kiss long enough for them to breathe. And then their lips were crashing together again, their rhythm slowing to a more steady, but not less urgent, pace. Laurent tasted like lemon and alcohol, his lips soft, sweet and warm as Damen pushed to have more access. He felt the gasp that left Laurent’s lips when their tongues brushed together and how he clenched his fists tighter in the fabric of his shirt, pulling them even closer.

They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat, the loud sound making him startle back to reality, breaking the kiss, panting. When he looked around was to see a fuming Auguste glaring at him.

“Hello, Damianos. I see you’ve met my brother.” Damen scratched the back of his head sheepishly, glancing sideways to see Laurent’s reaction. He had a smug expression plastered all over his face, looking at his brother defiantly, and it eased the sudden heaviness he felt in his chest. Auguste looked outraged, and Nik wasn’t much better.

“Yes, he has. Now excuse us, gentlemen. We’ve got somewhere else to be.” Laurent spoke while reaching for Damen’s hand and tugging for him to follow his lead.

He felt the heat rise to his cheeks and saw the same reaction in Nik’s face while he gaped after them, incredulous. It seemed after all, that if he could get anyone to make out with him, he didn’t care at all. Laurent wasn’t anyone and now he wouldn’t think of anything else.

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laurents-laces · 5 years

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Damen:

Is a brilliant military strategist and commander

Helped Laurent turn a bunch of mercenaries into a loyal army in a couple of weeks. As an Akielon slave, he convinced these people to follow his command

Figured out that they were walking into a rockslide based on the fact that the terrain was unsuitable for any other type of ambush, and saved everyone by knowing exactly how far off the road they'd have to go to be safe

Keeps calm in difficult situations and reasons out the best course of action

Won Laurent a Veretian fortress, which are notoriously difficult to conquer, using a strategy that accurately assessed the risks and benefits of splitting up their troops

Likes Akielon poetry. Is particularly into super long war epics

Speaks nearly flawless Veretian, among other languages

Was the one to figure out that Paschal had evidence of the Regent's crimes, which not even Laurent managed to do

Can tell when Laurent needs to be left alone versus when he needs sense talked into him

Also Damen:

I speak your language better than you speak mine, sweetheart

Has the emotional intelligence of a pineapple

Doesn't remember the names of the people he's slept with

*gropes the Prince of Vere in the baths* *is shocked at there being consequences for this*

Loses all his brain cells in the presence of hot people

See that last point again

Torveld: *flirts with laurent* Damen: *frowns*

Tries to escape Arles. Is recaptured immediately

Tries to fight an entire Vaskian clan with his hands tied behind his back

Asks Laurent if he’s straight

*Sees his lover in less clothes than usual* *literally drops a pitcher*

Walks into the palace at Ios, his childhood home, using the code name Damen. Yes very stealthy. Definitely fooled those guards.

"Laurent is innocent because I love him so much. Listen to how much I love him. This is clearly an effective argument for a trial."

Puts away his sword around Kastor. Stabby Kastor. Still-has-a-knife Kastor.

Insists that his life-threatening injuries are quote unquote "not that bad."

Never listens to nik

Never listens to his doctors

In conclusion:

#he's so smart #and also such a dumbass #i'm gonna need a whole other post just for his stupid slutty decisions #if i gave queue my heart #captive prince #damianos of akielos #damen x laurent #lamen #my post

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smiling-shoe · 4 years

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I am so (weirdly) IN LOVE with the scene of Laurent and Govart's duel! Probably, it was the point at which we should've understood that Damen, ehm, to put it softly, is a bit unreliable narrator. Cause he was VERY anxious and VERY sure Laurent is going to get killed, here I quote, "with his unmarked body and his pampered indoor skin, would be fresh from palace sports where his opponents would have always, politely, let him win".

Like honey?? You actually know literally nothing about Laurent and his life?? "Let him win", SERIOUSLY?? In sports you mean, probably, but "sports"... He told you he had survived several assassination attempts! And my favourite: "unmarked and pampered indoor skin". Well sory there isn't constant summer in Vere, and one cannot usually train outdoors like probably you did!

And yeah, getting back to the scene: I love it, and probably here the saga "Damen finds Laurent hot in inappropriate times and inappropriate places" is begun.

#captive prince #capri #damen of akielos #laurent of vere #damen as he is #don't get me wrong I do love Damen but....#how can anyone so clever be so stupid at a time #YES I am going to continue screaming here while I'm rereading the series

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almightylordofbluefood · 4 years

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Just finished Captive Prince Book One and... What in the nine circles of hell was that... I mean... What... That was TOO MUCH not gonna lie...

Also, fuck the freedom or kingdom I would strangle that blond bitch with his own guts. I never thought I would hate someone so much... It was hate on a first sight.

#captive prince #damen of akielos #laurent of vere #fucking snake #hate him so much #also why is damen so fucking stupid #sweetheart my ass you idiot

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thatgothlibrarian · 4 years

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I just saw someone in the captive prince tag be like “why in 2020 are people still calling slave porn romance you people don’t have morals” blah blah blah and even just ignoring the fact that the morality portrayed in fiction isn’t necessarily what that person agrees with in real life — and also I’m not gonna argue that captive prince isn’t slave kink because it very much is, but most Americans immediately conflate that with American slavery and yes all slavery is bad in real life but the Captive Prince books are very much Not That — I went to this person’s blog because I wanted a laugh and they of course only read the first few chapters, they said Damen is Black (he isn’t), and they said the book implies that Laurent rapes a child??????????????? Did they confuse Laurent with the Regent, I am very confused.

#this stupid nonsense is kepeing me distracted from the internet archive discourse #but yeah we also need to stop arguing that captive prince isnt slave kink #it is #it incredibly is #every sex scene they have mentions it #the first one has youre still my slave tonight #(i am gonna count ch 19.5 as part of the first one and that whole 24 hours where they also fuck in the morning but we dont see it)#(laurent is all soft by then because he just got fucked but like tenderly for the first time)#the second has a fully clothes laurent straddling a naked damen and damen is like 👀👀👀👀#the third has I THOUGHT IN AKIELOS A FIRST NIGHT WAS SPECIAL #TO A SLAVE IT IS #TO A SLAVE IT MEANS EVERYTHING #and then the scene in the summer palace where laurent literally roleplays as damens slave

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lucky-clover-gazette · 4 months

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captive prince book 1 highlights & annotations

chapter 13 & final notes

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

It was true; it was somehow not even a surprise, more like a truth that had grown for some time on the edge of his awareness, now brought into sharp relief.

some damen brain insight! he’s not stupid or oblivious. he just ends up distracted, often, due to the more pressing things in front of him and/or subconscious avoidance.

‘You can’t go to Delfeur,’ Damen said. ‘It’s a death trap.’

YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY damen doesn’t want laurent dead!!!! 🎉

‘Is your reputation so far in the dirt that you think the Council will choose your uncle for the throne anyway, unless you prove yourself?’ ‘You are right on the edge of what I will allow from you,’ said Laurent.

but he does allow SOMETHING, which is new

‘Take me with you to Delfeur,’ said Damen. ‘No.’ ‘Akielos is my country. Do you think I want her overrun by your uncle’s troops? I will do anything in my power to prevent war. Take me with you. You will need someone you can trust.’ Speaking those last words, he almost winced, immediately regretting them. Laurent had asked him for trust last night, and he had thrown the words back in his face. He would receive the same treatment. Laurent just gave him a blankly curious look. ‘Why would I need that?’

context: laurent is delusional about his capability to overcome near-insurmountable odds alone. this frustrates and concerns damen, and he isn’t able to let it go, even though he hates laurent. his values and honor come first. laurent is both confused and mildly amused by damen’s concern, because he doesn’t expect anyone—especially not damen—to actually care about his well-being.

Damen stared at him, suddenly aware that if he asked, ‘Do you think you can juggle attempts on your life, military command, and your uncle’s tricks and traps by yourself?’ the answer was going to be: Yes.

i love laurent. i love that his stubborn determination is very much a virtue, but also something that occasionally makes him act like a total idiot. and damen sees this, and understands this, for better and/or for worse.

‘He asked me to bed you, then report back to him.’ Damen was forthright. ‘Not in those words.’ ‘And your answer?’ That, unreasonably, annoyed him. ‘If I’d bedded you, you’d know it.’ There was a dangerous, narrow-eyed pause. Eventually: ‘Yes. Your style of grabbing your partner and kicking their legs open does stand out in the memory.’

the fact that laurent allowed this kind of banter to happen at all is kind of a big deal. he was definitely close to smacking damen about it, but went for a half-hearted insult instead. for laurent, that’s basically a white flag. and it’s even more meaningful, since the exchange was related to sex, which has proven to be a vulnerable topic.

‘My dear brute,’ said Laurent, ‘I want you to rot here.’

context: laurent is exhausted, stressed, and delusional about his immediate future. damen wants him to survive (for now), to see things realistically, and feel the urgency of his circumstances. i don’t think laurent cares if damen rots—he just wants him to stop saying true and helpful things.

also, this is just kind of a hot thing to say. something about the conflicting affection and contempt. i don’t know.

‘Are you that sure of yourself?’ Damen called after him. ‘I think if you could beat your uncle on your own, you would have done it already.’ Laurent stopped in the doorway. Damen saw the cupped yellow of his head, the straight line of his back and shoulders. But Laurent didn’t turn back to face him; the hesitation only lasted for a moment before he continued out the door.

he’s right! laurent knows he’s right! he’s just too proud and delusional to admit it!

probably because to laurent, admitting weakness only results in vulnerability and pain. he wouldn’t believe that anyone would actually want to offer him help without an ulterior motive. so his guard stays up, and he does what he needs to do alone.

Laurent was leaving tomorrow. Laurent, infuriating, intolerable Laurent, was pursuing the worst possible course, and there was nothing Damen could do to stop him.

“i hope she fries / i’m free if that bitch dies / i’d better help her out” (buffy the vampire slayer, once more with feeling)

It was easier to blame the death of a boy on mischance than that of a young man about to ascend to the throne. Damen could see no reason why boy-Laurent should have escaped that fate. Perhaps familial loyalty had held the Regent back . . . until Laurent had blossomed into poisonous maturity, sly-natured and unfit to rule.

context: the regent kept laurent alive as a child and teenager so he could [redacted] >:(

Laurent could inspire homicidal tendencies simply by breathing. Kastor, he thought, had no idea what lay across the border. Kastor had embraced an alliance with Vere. He was vulnerable, ill-equipped to fight a war, the bonds within his own country showing cracks to which a foreign power had only to apply pressure.

the dramatic irony here is insaaaaaaaane. damen your cognitive dissonance is showing

Did Laurent really believe he could do this alone? Laurent would need every weapon at his disposal in order to navigate this course alive. Yet Damen had not been able to persuade him of that. He was aware, not for the first time, of a fundamental inability to communicate with Laurent. It was not only that he was navigating a foreign language. It was as though Laurent was an entirely other species of animal.

romance is two strong-willed and competent people communicating despite the odds, becoming stronger and more competent together than they would be apart. also doing improv comedy to survive the horrors

He touched the starburst pattern at his shoulder. He was dressed in Laurent’s colours, and bearing his insignia. That was a strange feeling.

kinda hot. like the collar and cuffs, but they actually earned it.

submission vs. respect theme, etc.

He was to serve and obey, as any man.

but NOT, notably, as a slave.

‘Sleeping in his tent?’ ‘Where else?’ He passed a hand over his face. Laurent had agreed to this?

i love how damen’s follow-up question isn’t necessarily, “do i agree with this?” but “how the fuck did LAURENT agree to this?”

After a long moment, Damen said, ‘Whatever else you think, I don’t share his bed.’ It was not a new insinuation. Damen wasn’t sure why it rankled so much now.

probably because there is something resembling mutual respect developing between damen and laurent, so the implication that their interactions are entirely sexual is offensive. submission vs. respect again!

‘If I’d sent them after you,’ said Laurent, ‘I would have told them you went out the only way you knew, through the courtyard off the northern training arena. Did you?’ ‘Yes,’ said Damen.

hot.

The pre-dawn light bleached Laurent’s hair from gold to something paler and finer; the bones of his face appeared as delicate as the calamus of a feather. He was relaxed against the doorway of the stables as though he’d been there quite a while, which would explain the colour of Jord’s face.

laurent lean #9. smug eavesdropping.

And he did not need gilt to be recognised under a parade standard, only the uncovered bright of his hair.

i’m counting this as damen likes blondes mention #6. implies that laurent is “parade standard” simply because of his pretty hair.

Laurent paced forward. His eyes passed over Damen in turn, displaying jagged distaste. Seeing him in armour seemed to have drawn something unpleasant from the depths. ‘Too civilised?’ ‘Hardly,’ said Laurent.

context: “i cannot fucking believe i’m dressing up my brother’s barbaric killer like a veretian and letting him join my traveling party”

‘What is he doing here?’ ‘Captaining the Guard.’ ‘What?’ ‘Yes, it’s an interesting arrangement, isn’t it?’ said Laurent.

oh, he’s SEETHING. humor as deflection.

‘You should throw him a pet to keep him off the men,’ said Jord. ‘No,’ said Laurent, after a moment. He said it thoughtfully.

context: mainly i think laurent knows that govart’s unsatisfied libido is likely to make him screw up. but also i’d like to believe that he’s just super over the pet stuff

Laurent took it without saying anything. He tucked it carefully into a fold of his riding clothes. Then after a moment, he reached out, and touched Nicaise’s chin with one knuckle. ‘You look better without all the paint,’ said Laurent.

oh he cares about this kid so much, and clearly values his gift. this is the most affectionate we’ve seen laurent in the entire book.

‘Do you think a compliment will impress me?’ said Nicaise. ‘It won’t. I get them all the time.’ ‘I know you do,’ said Laurent.

“so did i.”

‘I’m coming back,’ said Laurent. ‘Is that what you think?’

context: this is meant as a comfort to nicaise, but nicaise hears it as a threat.

neither of them believes that they would ever deserve or receive protection.

‘I’m coming back,’ said Laurent. ‘To keep me as a pet?’ said Nicaise. ‘You’d love that. To make me your servant.’ Dawn passed over the courtyard. Colours changed. A sparrow landed on one of the stable posts close by him, but lifted off again at the sound of one of the men dropping an armful of tack. ‘I would never ask you to do anything you found distasteful,’ said Laurent.

context: this is the truth.

It didn’t surprise Damen that Laurent was popular with the townspeople. He looked the part, all bright hair and astonishing profile. A golden prince was easy to love if you did not have to watch him picking wings off flies. Straight-backed and effortless in the saddle, he had an exquisite seat, when he was not killing his horse.

NICE VS. GOOD THEME! damen thinks that if the townspeople saw laurent as he does—a bitch—they would realize that he isn’t good. because he still believes, most of the time, that niceness equates to goodness. and so every pleasant quality laurent possesses—his appearance, his title, and his skills—is in opposition with his unpleasant behavior. laurent’s unpleasant actions and qualities are, simply, Not Good. and damen is too distracted by laurent’s more tasteful qualities to consider how his distasteful decisions could be more ethical than they appear (for example, mercy killing the horse his uncle poisoned).

inversely, we have damen and akielion slavery. damen knows the gentle submission of slaves in ios, and the way their masters “honor” them—in that, he sees goodness. but when he sees the cruel way veretians treat akielion slaves, he sees wrongness, which he then advocates against. but what he can’t see, is that “palatable slavery” (gag) is still slavery, and just as wrong in akielos as it is in vere. and it is just as evil of akielos to partake in the institution, if not more evil since it’s their institution in the first place, than whatever is going on in vere.

damen has moral integrity. he has a mind and he uses it. but he also has a massive blind spot, because he believes that everyone else in the world is as honorable as he is.

laurent has the opposite blind spot. he doesn’t expect anyone to be honorable, ever. least of all his brother’s killer.

the two of them make a good team.

final notes

damen likes blondes mentions: 6

laurent leans: 9

(nice)

character elements to watch out for:

laurent perspective context (knowing what i know, what sense can i make?)

laurent & nicaise

laurent coping mechanisms (pretending, delusion)

damen coping mechanisms (avoidance, distraction)

damen reconsidering the ethics of akielios

mutual moral arbitration

series themes:

niceness vs. goodness

submission vs. respect - “there is no honour in obedience”

suffering alone vs. fighting together

pain and humor

honor and integrity

sex, power, innocence, violence

trauma, desire, consent

#YAYYYY!#done book 1 #this was super fun #capri #sam reads capri #captive prince #damen of akielos #laurent of vere #lamen #please feel free to share your thoughts!!

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