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[captaindamianos]

In the moment

Sleep broke as suddenly and sharply as fine glass: there was a blade at Damen’s throat, its cold point pressed into his thundering pulse.

“I longed for this,” Laurent whispered. 

Damen watched his lips form the words, from under the warmth of Laurent’s body, and felt the truth of it.

Again inspired by the prompt from @skeptiquex sharing Hanif Abdurraquib’s wonderful poem ‘it is once again the summer of our discontent’ ❤️ thank you for the prompt darling!

[captaindamianos]

“I will. At some point. What's that sound?”

He could hear it even in the slave baths, muffled but audible, the sound ringing out from the highest peak, a peal of notes, proclaiming a new King.

“Bells,” said Damen.

[captaindamianos]

Hello! I hope you are fine and it is ok that I am asking during your pause. I was listening to Pigoletta's chapter reading of EIAT and again thinking about Damens time in Vere. How different or similar was it to canon? How was his relationship to the other slaves? Was he kept with them or again separated? How close was he to the Regend? May you please tell?

It's totally fine to ask questions! I'm always glad to chat, even though I'm taking a sort of fandom break at the moment.

In Chapter XVIII of EIAT, Damen talks to Laurent about what was done to him in Vere. He says:

"Kastor’s intention was my humiliation, but the Regent had no interest in an Akielon bed slave. I could serve, however, as a bartering chip. A decoy. The idea seemed to arise—I would not… perform. The pets, I refused them. It became more… provocative. Golden haired youths [...] I was punished for it, but I have taken beatings before. So the beatings were also given to the other Akielon slaves. You must understand, a palace slave is… they are trained to trust their master above all else, to take pleasure and honour only in service. They are trained in devotion, in its most selfless form [...] I truly believed it was willingness, the ultimate trust. But I saw it first-hand. They could not fight back. They could not express discomfort, or fear, or pain [...] I became more trouble than I was worth."

There are a few things which Damen alludes to, but he clearly still carries a lot of trauma and guilt over what happened in Vere, so he doesn't say things directly. He was ordered to 'perform' in the court, in the way he witnesses in canon; he was likely living with the other slaves; he took beatings in place of them; and when he says "I became more trouble than I was worth," it's suggested that he started actively fighting back in defense of the others.

I also think it's really crucial to understand that everything which Laurent did to Damen in Book 1, which was absolutely abuse and in some cases torture, was not random. Everything that he did was a repetition of something that was done to him by the Regent when he was a child (excepting the flogging). The very real fact that this revenge was misplaced—Damen cannot be reasonably held responsible for the abuse inflicted on Laurent, but trauma is not reasonable—does not remove the motivation, and the motivation is actually crucial to understanding why Damen would ever begin to forgive Laurent. I've said it elsewhere, but I'll repeat it here because I think it bears repeating: Laurent is not getting revenge for Auguste's death; he believes he is getting revenge for years of sexual abuse and continued psychological abuse, on the person who he believes made it possible.

I answered a question similar to this one a while ago, and pulled some quotes from the books to show the links between what Laurent does to Damen and what was done to Laurent.

I also said a bit about how Damen's character makes the indulgence of slave kink in the books impossible.

I bring these posts up because my decision to carry over Damen's enslavement from canon in EIAT was deliberate, and in the context of both narratives crucial to his character development. Damen's struggle in canon (and in EIAT, and ASTTE) is with his worthiness and whether he is deserving of/can earn the responsibilities which he was born into. Because he does see ruling as a responsibility, not a right as Kastor does (and this is precisely what makes him a good and worthy King, although he struggles to see it). His disavowal of all slavery or coerced submission is a representation of his values as a man and a King, and a marker of what kind of ruler he will be and what kind of kingdom he and Laurent will build together: one founded on equality and justice for all.

[captaindamianos]

[captaindamianos]

S.C. Stephens // Lewis Carroll // Unknown

[captaindamianos]

breeding kink Lamen save me Lamen with breeding kink

No but your write the best sex scenes between Laurent and Damen. Every time Laurent comes untouched with Damen’s cock alone in his hole while Damen pumps his full load into him 🤤

But also indulge me if you will. Damen cumming all over Laurent’s face and chest that being recorded ughh that’d be so sexyyy

I’m so sorry for being horny in ur ask but I miss Lamen and you write their best scenes xx pls I miss NMFY 🥹 hope you’re doing okay

BREEDING KINK LAMEN

Listen, if there is ever a kink you can count on me to accidentally include in every single fic I write its breeding.

And Lamen?? All day every day. I also write him coming untouched a lot because that’s just sexy. Like, excuse me, have you ever had a man come that way? The thighs? The face? The TWITCHING good fucking GOD.

So yes, Laurent will be into breeding in every single fic I write and it’s really funny because I just wrote a “first time without the condom” scene for something else I’m writing and guess what happens LMAO

But yes. Yes, yes, yes because you know what MARKING IS JUST AS DAMN SEXY

Leave it to dry? Rubbing it in? Yes please those territorial little shits.

You know when pretty men are at their prettiest? Covered in copious amounts of bodily fluids. And that is a hill I will murder on.

And Laurent? Oh yeah Damen wants to make a Jackson Pollock painting out of him at all times.

NEVER apologise for horny asks, have you met me? It’s what I live for.

SO THANK YOU, mood officially lifted and I am okay thank you, I hope you are doing wonderfully 💕💕

[captaindamianos]

pick yourself a road

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/P5YiIar by funki (yin_moongi) It’s been three years. Damen can handle three days. Words: 5289, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English Fandoms: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Relationships: Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Speed Dating, Destination Wedding, forced proximity with the guy who turned you down three years ago read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/P5YiIar

[captaindamianos]

a slow disaster

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/rJRzpuF by thesehands “Did you strike out?” Laurent asked. Damen looked over at him and said, cryptically, “Not yet.” Laurent smiled. Damen, with his dark eyes and his broad shoulders and his very grown-up, no-nonsense neat whiskey and his impeccably tailored suit could have anyone in the room. He knew it, and the room knew it, too. Laurent, with his gold hair and his athletic physique and his untouchable aloofness and his equally well-tailored suit could also have had anyone in the room, with the exception of the one person he really wanted.   or: laurent's in love with his best friend. it's complicated. Words: 20187, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Fandoms: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Damen (Captive Prince), Laurent (Captive Prince), Nikandros (Captive Prince), Lazar (Captive Prince) Relationships: Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Past Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Friends to Lovers, Explicit Sexual Content, Past Character Death, Mutual Pining, Rimming, Minor Character Death, the party ended an hour ago and he's still here (he's me still writing capri fic), Sexual Dysfunction, Hurt/Comfort, Barebacking, Felching, Discussions of Child Abuse Consistent with Canon, Explicit Consent, subby service top damen kind of, u know. the way god intended read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/rJRzpuF

[captaindamianos]

a storm that took everything

a gothic romance by phlegmatic

Fresh.

V. Devil's Tooth

Taking the covers in a precise way, Fortaine shifts the pages against each other until the gilt fore-edge is fanned, revealing a secret: a stylised painting of a bearded man and a youth, engaged unmistakably in intercourse. The youth, belly-down with his hands secured by a rope to a lemon tree; the older man, plastered over his back and frozen in the act of penetration. The alarm must show on Damen’s face, because Fortaine makes a humming noise of understanding. “Shocking, isn’t it? I suppose he played the virgin with you, properly demure. He acts as though he is frigid, thoroughly superior and above all that, but this here is the truth of it.” He allows the pages to relax back to their usual arrangement, concealing the image once more. The book is slid neatly into its place on the shelf. “He is not normal; he only uses it as manipulation. I only thought that you should understand what he truly is. I know that you have been hoodwinked by a promise of faithfulness before, Captain, and—oh, you do not deserve to go through that again. You should know this. He’s a proper little cocotte, nothing chaste about him.”

With his father on Death's door, his brother increasingly surly, and his fiancée pulling away, Captain Damianos Vasilias feels on the cusp of drowning beneath expectation. When tragedy strikes, he finds himself pulled to the depths of a world of sinister secrets and morbid memories—a Veretian Château hiding more than ghosts behind its many locked doors. Unlocking the past is the key to Damen's future, and his survival… and that of the reclusive, beautiful, intriguing young man who calls the Château home.

Chapter V of my Damen x Laurent Gothic Romance, a storm that took everything, is available to read now on ao3 🖤

This fic is best read while listening to the playlist full of impeccable Gothic vibes.

Updates fortnightly on Sundays.

Artwork in chapter banner is Anatomical Pieces by Théodore Géricault (1819).

Fic title from the song 'A Storm That Took Everything' by Thom Yorke, from the soundtrack for Suspiria (2018).

[captaindamianos]

The Summer Palace, A Captive Prince Short Story, C.S Pacat

capri quotes 10/10

[captaindamianos]

was scrolling through your ask game answers and -

Would love to talk about Damen more honestly, if anyone wants to know how I approach writing his POV etc etc!

...please?

Me, after begging you all to ask me questions about Damen: omg a question about Damen!!!!! love this for me

I'm a little low on spoons and have some brain fog today, so this isn't going to come with all the references/quotes that I would like it to. But hopefully it makes sense! I feel like the Charlie Day string board meme when I try to articulate thoughts about Damen omg okay let's give this a go.

There are things that readers pick out when I write Damen from Laurent's POV that are really core to his character, and are a large part of the reason why I like writing Laurent's POV; because then we (readers) get to see Damen as he is perceived by others, and especially by someone who loves him more than anything, rather than through the filter of his own self-perception. These are things that still come through in his POV narration, obviously, but we aren't given an accurate/impartial view of them because of how self-policing Damen is (more on that in a moment).

An ao3 commenter summarised it for me on my latest fic: Damen's "unselfconscious eroticism, the absolute confidence and quiet dominance he exudes, AND the thoughtfulness, carefulness, and deliberate care with which he treats Laurent" are core to what makes him so compelling, and such a great archetypical romantic hero (which I talk about a little bit in this post).

But all that isn't a character, right? That's a fantasy. What makes Damen so dimensional, and part of what makes him so lovable (to me), is his fragility. Why is he so thoughtful? Why is he so careful? Why is he so deliberate, so intentional? Because he is so afraid of becoming everything which he professes to oppose.

This really great post about character flaws is a fantastic summary of where Damen's dimensionality comes from. Damen is a King by birthright; he is an unparalleled warrior by training and aptitude; he is physically fit, and physically large; he has incredibly high levels of political and physical power. He is also keenly conscious of all of this, in a constant and almost exhaustive way.

In this post I said some things about his masculinity, and mentioned Theomedes as a model for him. When he reflects on his father, Damen thinks about the example set by him as a statesman and King, and the notion that a King exists in service of the nation and its people. While Damen's mode of ruling is ultimately more peaceful than his father's, he remains so conscious of the responsibility that has been passed to him, and the power that it gives him.

This is exactly why Damen is so careful in everything he does: he understands exactly the power he has. But this is also where his insecurities come from: he is so afraid of not being worthy of that responsibility, of not being able to prove himself as the man and King that his father thought he was; he is also afraid of doing the wrong thing with the power he has been given. That's why we see him having such extreme reactions (traumatised reactions) to the idea of commanding slaves in books 2 and 3: he feels physical revulsion when Erasmus bows to him, he nearly has a panic attack when sent a slave by Nikandros etc. etc.

It is also why the affirmations which mean the most to him are those about him being a good man, and being a worthy King. It is notable that these affirmations come from Laurent, who Damen has already determined is true and honest (and who he loves). It almost means more to him coming from Laurent than from someone who was already loyal to him (like Nikandros) because he has internally shouldered the responsibility of having exposed Laurent to abuse (which he is not actually responsible for, in a moderate line of thought, but trauma isn't moderate). Damen's fear is that he is everything which Laurent assumed him to be, before they met; he needs Laurent to tell him that this isn't the case, which he does repeatedly in later canon and is why we, the readers, can see that their relationship is founded on a deep and mutual respect.

Also notable that Damen's initial dismissal of Laurent's worthiness--his assessment of Laurent as a baselessly cruel, lazy, demanding, entitled Prince--reveals not only what he values but also what he fears being perceived as, and what he constantly works against.

All this also just proves that Damen is a good, honest, true person: people who are this good don't exist in fear of doing wrong by others.

I think I've run out of words even though I feel like I've got more to say, about the necessity of vulnerable moments for Damen when writing Laurent's POV, and putting forward the crucial balance of competence and self-doubt/self-policing in Damen's POV (it really is a tightrope in a storm that took everything, because of the genre and style, and also the themes of psychological instability and grief). I also want to shout out @angelfruittree's podfic for even in another time, because particularly in the recent chapters, her post-reading commentary/analysis really highlights a lot of things I try to put into Damen and how he is perceived/perceives himself.

Anywayyyy thank you for asking the question I demanded to be asked, I've definitely exhausted my mental capacity for the day lmfaooo but if you liked this/want more feel free to send asks! I hope this made sense <3

[captaindamianos]

read through your previous answer and was wondering: how do you write laurent (from hold (me), please?)

thank you for all your work!

When I was writing even in another time, I wrote a lot of things about how I approach Laurent, because he was the POV character! Everything I've said about EIAT Laurent is applicable to any Laurent, really, because it's all based in character analysis:

this answer about Laurent's bunions

this answer about Laurent's approach to sex as a survivor of child sexual abuse

this answer about Laurent and Nicaise

this answer about Laurent and Auguste (with added commentary/analysis by my forever-beta reader @sulkybbarnes)

this answer about the abuse which Laurent inflicts on Damen in book 1 and where it comes from

and also this post I made about Laurent's motivation in book 1, because he is not actually getting revenge for Auguste's death when he repeatedly punishes Damen in book 1; he thinks he is getting revenge for years of sexual and psychological abuse.

What is always in consideration when I write Laurent is that he is an adult survivor of child sexual abuse. I’m not going to beat around the bush with this; he isn’t just “damaged” or “hurt” or “bitchy.” He was repeatedly raped and psychologically abused by his uncle from the age of 13, likely until the age of 15, after losing his mother, father, and brother within the span of a few months. He then was obliged and made to continue living under his abuser’s control, in a place where it is impossible that no one knew what was done to him, witnessing his uncle be enabled to continue abusing other boys.

The narrative about him at Arles was completely controlled by his abuser, which is shown to the reader initially first-hand in book 1 when Damen witnesses the Regent manipulating and directing council members to see Laurent as out of control and worthy of punishment; the Regent is even shown, on page, deliberately manipulating Damen. Laurent is unable to retreat from the reminder of being sexually abused: the entire court are open in sexualising and objectifying him despite his best efforts to close himself off and become effectively repulsive, he says since the age of 15; rape itself is glorified as entertainment, and everyone in the place where he lives sits around and cheers for it—is even aroused by it. Since he was 15, everyone else in the court being adults. Everything from the way people talk about him to the hypersexual environment of the court is a reinforcement to Laurent that his uncle’s version of events is the correct one: he asked for it, and he deserved it.

People love to bring up how Damen “didn’t realise” or “didn’t notice” what happened to Laurent, and deride him for not connecting the dots even after he knew that the Regent was a pedophile. It is much more pertinent to Laurent’s story, and indeed Damen’s as well, to ask why no one at the court did anything to protect any of the boys abused by the Regent, including Laurent. People knew. There is evidence throughout all three books that people knew—grown adults, not teenagers like Laurent (him being merely 20 years old throughout the trilogy) and they did nothing. The Crown Prince has his ear pierced like a pet, specifically noted as a taste of the Regent, and there are readers who think it was a secret? We know that Laurent was made to wear paint; we know that he was made to drink and take drugs. It would not have been spoken about, it would not have been acknowledged, but people in the court would have known.

That is why Laurent is a “cast iron bitch” to the people of the court: they stand in front of him and call him “your highness” when they not only failed to intervene when he was his uncle’s target, but now ignore and enable the continued abuse happening right in front of them. They also gossip and talk about him, actively engaging in ongoing and persistent sexual harassment. The only person who doesn't do this is Damen, and even then Laurent has a difficult time letting go of the idea that Damen only wants him for sex. This is not a reflection of Damen specifically; it is a reflection of Laurent's entire life existing around adult men.

Laurent isn’t cold and vulgar and sharp without reason: it is a defense mechanism. He does not act out of inherent spite or delight in the misery of others or just because he likes seeing people humiliated for no reason. It’s interesting that people think of Damen as a black and white thinker who has to be taught to see nuance, because actually in that respect, he and Laurent are the same: the teach each other to see nuance, and to be moderate, because until Damen arrives Laurent has a very tit-for-tat view of justice and a broad brush with which he paints. Damen is more inclined to see the good in people; Laurent is more inclined to see the bad—but they both share an unshakable sense of justice and a belief that people who hurt others need to be punished. There are reasons for both of them to be this way: the societies they have been raised in both put punishment at the forefront of the response to perceived crimes, and the punishments are largely physical and based on arbitrary decisions of proportionality. They teach each other the value of forgiveness and nuance.

This is more than I intended to write, but I've got more energy this morning than I did answering the ask about Damen so my thoughts are connecting a bit better. I guess what I'm saying is that writing about Laurent and sex and relationships is always going to require a foundational understanding of and compassion for trauma caused by sexual abuse. That is as true in canon as it is for me writing even in another time as it is for hold (me) please.

[captaindamianos]

I can't believe there are basically no ballet AUs and none that are multichapter

[captaindamianos]

yes yes characters doomed by the narrative always slap BUT what about characters saved by the narrative? characters who have already given up hope and don't know they have a happy ending? characters who believe they are a lost cause, characters who feel irredeemable, characters who think there's nothing left for them, but the narrative does provide a way out? what about the characters who don't expect anything good, who don't even remember how to wish for it anymore, who get the things they need anyway? what about the characters who actively run from being saved getting saved in a way they can't stop or control. what about being saved by the narrative!!!

[captaindamianos]

One of my favourite things about Laurent is how far from frigid and unfeeling he really is. He’s so easily delighted by little things like coin tricks and animals and fancy hats. He tells awkward jokes and likes roleplaying as a cloth merchant and putting flowers in Damen’s hair. And he cares so deeply about his people and his country and will fight like hell to protect them. He’s gonna be the best king Vere has had in a long time

[captaindamianos]

Laurent De Vere from Captive Prince by C. S. Capat

[captaindamianos]

hold (me), please

a very horny Damen/Laurent romcom by phlegmatic

The next vocalisation which makes it down the phone line is a long, guttural, lengthened groan that ends in an unambiguously-sighed “Fuck.” Then, once again, much more audibly startled: “Fuck.” “Did you just ejaculate?” The annoyance rises easily. “You came, Damianos? Already?” “Shit, Laurent—” “Perfect. Just perfect.” The words come out like knives, and Laurent hears Damen sigh with low sympathy. He pushes away from his desk with his feet, and makes to lower them to the ground; the toy shifts almost sharply inside him. The harsh, involuntary noise that he makes will at least sound to Damen like more annoyance. Feet on his chair, knees now tucked to his chest, Laurent bites out, “I always knew it had to be hubris and mythologising. Seven hours, my ass.”

When tasked with writing an advertorial for a pair of sex toys for couples, Laurent—ever-single, with good reason—enlists the help of one of the only men he wholly trusts: his best friend, Damen. But when their attempt to use the toys goes unexpectedly well, they mind themselves falling into a mutually-beneficial pattern. Sex between friends can be nice, if everyone is on the same page. The only question is, which page is it?

Read the full one-shot on AO3!