goodreads capri reviews are like “why is everyone so obsessed with who's having sex with whom?? everyone is talking about sex all the time and i don't understand why. lame! one star” like okay. my dude my friend my dude Yes that is exactly right everyone is obsessed with sex and that's bad and harmful and it directly impacts the characters the narrative and the story that's the fucking point. have you never heard of a THEME. of WORLDBUILDING. you stupid piece of shit
We all know that Damen being gifted to Laurent was the Regent's true misstep, and that Damen was exactly what Laurent needed in every way (to heal his heart and to win his throne). But I love how bad a mistake it truly was, and how there was actually no way the plan would have worked.
Firstly, the Regent underestimated Laurent’s cleverness, his cool minded Machiavellian wiles had duped his uncle, as Laurent clearly used spies etc.,. to keep an eye on Akielos and Damen without the Regent knowing, so he could recognise him. And secondly, and more importantly, the Regent underestimated Laurent’s goodness, that he still had a moral code, and that he hadn’t succeeded in corrupting Laurent- because even if Laurent hadn’t known that Damen was Prince Damianos the plan still would have failed, as he would have let him go, something we find out in King's Rising ("You hate the idea of slavery. It turns your stomach.’ Damen said it, a flat statement of truth. ‘If I’d been anyone else, you would have freed me on the first night.’").
I’m working on a huge meta on Laurent and one thing that was saddening me was how well the Regent knows him, that for a novel and half it seems, he is the person who knows Laurent best.
Somehow this does give me solace that the Regent always underestimated him. Maybe this is the Regent’s true blind spot, because it was so alien to him. That’s also why he couldn’t predict that Nicaise would steal the letter to try and help Laurent, that Laurent would sacrifice himself for Damen and that Damen would then do the same for him, that Loyse would put her child before her husband and social status, and Paschal would finally stand up and tell the truth….that people can be inherently good, and make the right choice in the end. And that’s what leads to his downfall.
Damen: I think I'm in love with Laurent. Thoughts?
Nikandros: And prayers.
Damen: What do you first notice when someone approaches you?
Laurent: The audacity.
So I just finished Prince's Gambit and I had to draw them before I continue to book 3...
I’m officially diagnosing Laurent with a condition I made up called Hot Person Syndrome. Ok hear me out—
Remember when Britney Spears shaved off all her hair because she was tired of people touching it? That’s what I’m talking about. When something about you, based on physical characteristics that you have no control over, makes you really attractive to people. And this happens from a young age when you have no control or even an understanding of your own sexuality. People are always touching you, coming onto you, making comments about your body in a very invasive way. Even if they’re small, you start to get fatigued by them and eventually shut yourself off from everyone. It will take a Lot of time, patience, and safe space for you to start exploring your sexuality on your own terms. (It will help to have a partner who is very patient) (like Damen :)
just as it is useful and important to learn to distinguish between “this media is bad” and “this media is not for me,” it is also useful and important to learn to distinguish between “this media is bad” and “this media is not precisely following the narrative i have arbitrarily constructed in my head about how it should go”
you have to learn to say “this is not the story I expected or wanted it to be” and walk away. there are other stories out there.
Laurent: brings a chair to a knife fight and kills a man
My designs for The Captive Prince Trilogy book covers and its short stories!!
This has been months in the making, and thus making it the longest project I’ve ever worked on! I’m so excited it’s finally out in the world.
Please be sure to click and see each image because tumblr as per usual has dropped the quality quite significantly.
damianos of akielos is for the delulu girlies because he fr giggled and kicked his legs in the air after the man who had flayed the skin from his back said that he missed him in drunken confession
I love love love Damen’s narration, like I don’t even know what to say about this line. I think what’s so captivating (no pun intended) about their love story is that you are on the journey with them, you are also falling in love, and feeling all the joy, uncertainty, embarrassment, etc. It’s just..great writing.
I never talk about them but Berenger and Ancel make me absolutely feral. I'm obsessed with the fact that Ancel of all people fell for the most boring, stick in the mud man at court. Ancel could have anyone and anything and that turns out to be Berenger. I love how baffled both of them are about it, too. Like Berenger, who hates luxury and anything flashy, just looks around and realizes he's in love with the epitome of flashy luxury. And Ancel, who can't stand anything boring and dull, is suddenly entirely lost without stable and serious Berenger. Just they make me INSANE.
There are people out there that have read Captive Prince and din't make it their whole personality
crying, screaming, gnawing the walls whenever Laurent is on the page
i don't know if anyone has done this before but this is literally my only thought while rereading 19 chapter of prince's gambit