Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin (2018), dir. Arwen Curry
Real talk though has anyone else just thrown away a whole Tupperware container bc you left food in there for way too long and now you’re afraid to open it?
Chapter 9 of: Almost Is Never Enough is up now
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And then suddenly, shattering the quiet and hushed peace that lays over their vicinity Wille charges forward, brimming with a bright infectious joy as he spins a bit in the snow and looks back at Simon with the widest grin he's ever seen. Simon watches as he runs around a bit, feeling torn between wanting to join him and just enjoying the picture he makes running against the dark backdrop of snow flurries.
“Admit it, Simon!” He calls across the distance between them, waving at him. “Snow is amazing!”
Simon has to laugh, Wille looks so ridiculous in his sweatpants and the jacket he had hastily pulled on and boots that aren’t even laced up. He’s wearing a fluffy hat that is most definitely his sister Sara’s, purple with a fluffy pom pom at the top.
“Admit it!” Wille calls again and then he’s charging at him and Simon’s eyes widen, scrambling away and running in the opposite direction a wild laugh caught in his chest escapes him breathlessly when Wille runs squarely into him, arm around his waist nearly toppling them both to the ground.
ever notice how the ONLY time wille uses his other bed is when felice--who is the only person other than simon to hang out in his room--is over?
almost
almost like
he's trying to preserve the memory of simon in his bed
I kind of love the use of dirt in S1E4?
When the episode starts, Wille is laying his head on Erik’s casket. He reaches out for some dirt on it as the last conversation they have when Erik leaves Wille at Hillerska in episode 1 plays in the background. The words' dual meaning becomes obvious.
Wille touches the dirt, feels it. The dirt is real. There's not much of it, but it's real. And he's losing it. He's lost the one thing in his life that is real--his relationship with his brother, Erik.
For most of his life, I’d imagine that Erik was the only person in the world with whom Wille could be fully real. And Erik was probably one of the only people who was real with Wille back. The only person with whom he could have a real relationship. Who didn’t expect a polite, respectful prince and nothing else. Who would tell Wille to run on the count of three during a boring photoshoot and slip down the muddy hill with him.
And then Erik dies. The only real connection that Wille can ever remember having in the world is gone. And Wille is realizing that he pushed the very last glimmer of a real connection away. And nothing feels real any more. So Wille goes to the football field where he was with Simon, a place where he felt truly normal, looking for something that will make him feel real. And all he finds is astroturf—no real dirt. He realizes that without Simon, there’s nothing real left in his life. No one who sees him and accepts him for who he really is. No one who knows the real Wille, who is messy and dirty, and still cares for him regardless.
And it sinks in. Without Erik, there’s nothing tethering Wille to this earth any more. The rest of the world seems further and further away. Fake, as Wille discovers the astroturf on the soccer field is. So, Wille reaches out for Simon, the one person who can ground him again.
The only real thing that Wille has left in his life is Simon. He’s the only person left who would ever be fully real with Wille. Tell Wille that he’s actually the country's biggest welfare recipient. Give Wille shit when he tries to hide from August. Discreetly laugh in August’s face with him. Dare him to evade the cousin he hates for an evening to experience something totally normal with real people.
And not only that, but Simon is the only person left in his life who Wille can be fully real with at this point. No one else has any idea about the sexuality crisis that Wille is going through or how that plays into any of his feelings about ascending to the role of Crown Prince. No one has any idea about what happened between him and Simon. No one knows that he doesn’t really like August, or the school, or his role. Except Simon. Simon is the only one left who sees Wille for himself—a real person rather than a personification of his title.
And, as Wille points out, what he and Simon have—what he feels for Simon, at the very least—is real. Wille has tried to fight it, but the sheer reality of it rips through the paper-thin fake layers with which Wille tries to shield himself. “I’m not like that” and “I can’t do this any more.” But alone, out on the field, where Wille expected to find the normalcy he felt when he went to Rosh’s game, he’s surrounded by only reminders that nothing left is real.
So Wille reaches out for Simon—the only one who can ground him again. Because unlike the astroturf on which Prince Wilhelm's life is built, dirt is real. What they have is real. And real life is messy, it’s dirty, and you can pretend otherwise, but you’ll end up falling down in the mud either way. And Wille is choosing to grasp at the only thing left that he sees in his life that is real. Simon.
Need minimum 12 hours a day of do my own thang time
I'd love to talk more about the locker room scene in S2 E2 of Young Royals, where Wilhelm tries to convince Simon to get back together with him, in the process (sadly) demonstrating that he believes his mother's feeble offer to "talk" about him possibly coming out when he's 18. This takes place after his almost-removal from Hillerska.
Plenty of people have already pointed out how Henry snitched on Wille and Felice’s kiss, but apparently didn’t choose to tell anyone (as far as we’re aware) about Wilhelm almost pleading with Simon to get back together with him during that post-almost-dragged-out-of-Hillerska conversation. And that's definitely an interesting thing to chew on. But there's more...
Here are a few other things that stand out to me too:
First -
I think it’s worth pointing out the obvious — Wilhelm clearly sees Simon in his future long-term (possibly for the rest of his life). The way he casually says to Simon “So, we’d only have to keep it a secret for 2 years” implies three things very clearly.
a) He immediately and easily sees himself together with Simon in 2 years and beyond. Actually, specifically, definitely beyond. Because his eye is on the prize: coming out and living openly with Simon *after* he turns 18 — implying his focus is entirely on the intended afterwards period. He doesn’t even blink at that idea; it’s obvious to him.
b) He also really doesn’t seem to think 2 years is a big deal. For a teenager who’s only lived 16 years on this planet (only approximately ~11-ish of them in a state where they’re forming conscious memories) to think 2 years is just a drop in the bucket is kind of wild. Even 6 months feels like forever to a kid. So Wilhelm — a child — viewing time from this perspective suggests he’s likely balancing 2 years out against a much longer expanse of time; hence why those 24 months would look so minuscule and shrug-worthy by comparison. In other words: he sees himself with Simon in the LONG long term. Two years is nothing if you’re imagining growing old with someone and spending the rest of your many decades on this Earth with them. (All of this is pretty much confirmed later on in S2, when Wilhelm offers to abdicate the throne for Simon.)
c) He also doesn’t seem to think Simon should be appalled by the idea of waiting for 2 years. Yes, sure, we can chalk part of that up to selfishness and lack of mentalization / empathy for Simon’s point of view. But I’m going to suggest it’s more than that. My takeaway is that he assumes Simon also sees them as endgame, and so naturally wouldn’t be bothered by waiting a bit longer in order to spend forever together. (Sadly the conversation does not play out that way for him; ouch. Though no shade to Simon: what he said in response was realistic and fair.)
Second -
I think we have to rewatch his interactions with Simon as Henry slams a door and slowly walks past them with a raised eyebrow. Because, in S1, that Wilhelm would have immediately jumped away from Simon to create distance and try to pretend there’s plausible deniability about what their relationship has been and could be again. That’s (one) part of the whole point of S1: Wilhelm is not ready to be brave enough to face a homophobic aristocratic world and take a bold stance to stand by Simon.
Instead, in S2 E2, he sits still. He stays right next to Simon. In fact, he *leaves his hand resting directly on Simon’s thigh.* And he knows someone is coming their way! He heard the door slam inside the locker room. Obviously he knows someone else is here. But he doesn’t jump. He actually doesn’t really stir much at all.
He sits there like it’s of no importance, and he doesn’t care who sees. Or, even, who overheard this very intimate, vulnerable, and pleading conversation. A conversation in which the future King of their country is almost on the verge of begging his ex to please be his again… not just for now, but for multiple years’ time. I mean we’re like 2 steps away from Wille practically offering Simon a “promise ring” (not sure if that concept holds up in Europe, but it’s basically a very pre-engagement type thing in the US; it’s not common though). (Their convo also makes it very clear Simon was the one who dumped him and that he’s having trouble accepting that and moving on.)
Yet he doesn’t seem perturbed or disturbed by Henry’s presence and overhearing and seeing them. He doesn’t seem embarrassed at all. He’s not ashamed of his love for Simon. Even more specifically, he’s not afraid of people (Henry) seeing him put his heart out on the line, and of them knowing that he wants Simon back - not for just a hook-up, but for a very long-term, serious, committed relationship. And he doesn’t make any moves to emotionally or physically distance himself from Simon, despite Henry’s clear witnessing of this private moment.
This is a subtle way to show that, even though Wille hasn't yet gone through his full S2 journey of self-awareness and self-growth, he has still already begun changing and growing after the end of S1. So he’s at least started to learn some of his lessons about what he needs to do differently.
Anyhoo, the whole point I’m trying to make is… gosh there were so many fascinating things happening in that scene. And they rush right past us in the blink of an eye! But there is so much meaning built into every small interaction and non-interaction there, and into every nonchalant assumption the characters casually voice.
I’m sure there’s more meaning and are more details I missed, too! What did you think? I’d love to learn more from others’ perspectives, too. :)
that one "i like you too" made wille go from
"cuddle me im sad and awkward"
to
"fuck me"
real quick
Wilhelm: “Wow. Can’t believe I’m going to burn the entire Swedish monarchy to the ground for this nerdy little choir boy I met six months ago.” Literally everyone else: “You don’t have t-” Wilhelm: “No, I’m gonna.”
wille really took one look at simon and went "i need this man biblically. i need him in a way that is concerning to the whole fucking monarchy"
quick summary of young royals
Ok but like what am I supposed to do when yr ends. This show has become 99% of my personality.
How much does Nils know about Wilhelm's promise to Simon re the video, and Simon's feelings about that promise being broken? Is he just guessing here about that being the source of tension between them? For that matter, how much does the rest of Hillerska know about it?
They would all have seen Wille's public statement and known he was lying, and would no doubt all consider this the appropriate action. They would also notice that Wille and Simon aren't behaving like a couple, although they do see them interact (they sit together in class several times, the rowing team see them run off together and talk together at training, etc).
But it's not till this scene that Wille admits to Nils that he told Simon he wouldn't make the statement, and that's why Simon is upset. So it seems that before being told that, Nils, and presumably the rest of Hillerska, assumes that Simon's pissed off because Wille didn't admit to being in the video, rather than that Simon is reacting to a betrayal of trust. Which adds another level of betrayal on top of the original one, because it's Simon's refusal to play the game, and not Wille's betrayal of him, that they see as the real problem.
Can we just say how “Young Royals” had CRACK IN IT. Like there was never a boring moment, and every episode made you want more. DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, and how they moved the characters along so SMOOTHLY. Also, this has been the first show in awhile that I’ve binged watched in one day. Also I really like how they include so many things from autism, to the loss of a loved one, and etc. it just really did it for me.
100/10 to the director and all of the cast.
Been seeing a lot of Simon hate again lately (mostly on other apps but i’m sure its here too) and it's getting pretty frustrating and honestly a little bit troubling that people think so little of Simon and his needs.
Simon hate feels like some weird connection to the patriarchy/heteronormativity where some people have just decided that it is okay for one person's needs to be ignored in a relationship in order to satisfy the other. Lisa seemed to intentionally try and create a dynamic in their relationship where they see each other as equals. They may struggle to see each others perspectives at times but that is true for literally ANY RELATIONSHIP where two people come together from different walks of life. Both their needs matter and their journey in the relationship is to figure out how to honor the other persons needs while honoring themselves or see if that is even possible.
Sooo I wanted to share some lessons about boundaries that people could learn through Simon instead of talking sh!t about him !!!
1. Boundaries are about what we want and need in a relationship. Sometimes people want different things and thats ok!
People love to say that Simon forced Wilhelm to cone out. I even saw someone say that Simon was asking Wilhelm to "give up his family and the throne". No where does Simon ask him to do any of those things. Notice how Simon says "I don't want to be anyones secret"? This is not just about Wille. This is a boundary that he has for himself and the types of relationships that he wants to have. Everyone is allowed to have expectations or want a certain type of relationship. Saying you don’t want to be in a secret relationship is quite a reasonable request. It is also quite reasonable to say that you don't want to be in a public relationship. Sometimes in relationships, what two people need is incompatible at the time which is why it made sense for them to end things. That is the point- for both people to say what they need to feel comfortable and sometimes other people cannot meet your needs- you have to decide if that is a dealbreaker and for Simon at the time it was.
2. Boundaries ≠ manipulation
He tells Wilhelm he take as much time as he needs but you have to do it alone. That is a boundary it is NOT manipulation. He does not try to control Wilhelm or tell Wilhelm what to do. Saying a relationship wont work for you unless certain needs are met or that you dont want to do tons of emotional labor for another person is not manipulation. He is saying I am not okay with being a secret, I am not okay with having my trust broken, i’m not okay with being in a relationship where you say one thing and do another (Wilhelm made a promise he could not keep and even he has owned up to that to Nils). Simon is not saying YOU HAVE TO COME OUT RIGHT NOW OR ELSE. He is not playing mind games or trying to get Wilhelm to change his mind in order to be with him. He is willing to walk away to because he knows it is not possible at that point for Wille and him to get on the same page.
Boundaries have become part of social media language lately thanks to instagram therapists and the like but a lot of people have misconstrued the meaning. Some people call something a boundary when they are actually being controlling. However the purpose of a boundary is about what you yourself are comfortable with, not what other people can/cannot do. Ex: “i am okay with holding hands in public but otherwise I don’t feel comfortable with PDA” (healthy boundary). Vs “you can’t have guy friends because I get jealous” (unhealthy boundary). Boundaries are healthy and necessary for a relationship to be healthy- they are not the same as manipulation or trying to control someone else.
3. What is okay for you does not have to be okay for someone else. Everyone’s boundaries are different because we are all different people with different traumas, needs, experiences, relationships, and limits. I have seen people compare the Wilmon to Narlie where Charlie is okay with Nick wanting to keep things “secret”. Besides the fact that this is a completely different relationship and context, the fun thing about boundaries is that what is okay for you does not have to be okay for someone else! Just because you would have been willing to be Wilhelm’s secret if he asked does not mean that Simon has to. Just because Charlie was willing to to do that for Nick does not mean that Simon has to. Not to mention !!! Nick also acknowledged that is not not fair to Charlie and outside of not telling people they had a very loving smooth sailing relationship - people expect Simon to be like Charlie without acknowledging that Wilhelm is not giving the level of trust and security that Nick is. If you want to go there, I'm sure if Wille was acting like Nick being consistent not saying "i'm not like that", "delete my number" etc (regardless of the reason) then maybe Simon would have been more okay with it. This is not Wille hate bc i get it, but sometimes in empathizing with Wille people forget that Simon is a whole human with wants and needs. Simon needs to protect himself and his heart. We all do. Relationships should not require you to subject yourself to pain for someone else. It is healthy to have boundaries and know your needs and what you deserve. And at that point in time Wille could not give him that. Most people watching were quite proud of Simon for that so idk how the narrative got turned to him being selfish.
4. Boundaries can change
It is normal to reassess your boundaries, that does not make them any less valid. Clearly for Simon, once Wilhelm proved his trust more and and Simon reevaluated what he wanted, he decided that he was willing to be a secret if that meant having each other. If he never decided that, it still would have been totally valid. Also noting, there was no compromise/meet in the middle there in Simon deciding that he was willing to be a secret for Wille. It's just funny that Simon is getting the flack for not wanting to "compromise" or meet in the middle when in the end, Simon was willing to do exactly what Wille wanted and he gets ZERO credit from some people for that. Luckily Wilhelm sees what a sacrifice this is for Simon and does not leave Simon to sacrifice alone.
4. Boundaries protect the relationship, build trust and help relationships grow
If Simon had never stood his ground both in s1e6 and throughout s2 Wille would have continued they way he was going, they probably would have gotten in even more arguments and honestly i do not think Wille would have been forced to mature and consider Simons feelings in the way he eventually did. I know people resist Edvin calling Wille selfish but Simon has to constantly keep telling Wille “what about me? What about my family? Do you see how hard this is for me?” For some reason viewers are interpreting that as selfish ?? In a relationship you really should not have to be constantly reminding someone to consider you and your feelings.
Simon setting boundaries and saying what he wanted only made their relationship stronger even tho they had to take some time apart. Protecting yourself and wanting a healthy balanced relationship where your needs are considered as much as the other person’s is not selfish. And anyone who tells you that it is does not have your best intentions at heart. Simon is not saying his needs are MORE important than Wille’s he is saying that his needs matter TOO and are EQUALLY IMPORTANT to Wille’s. Which was the journey he needed to go on (as stated by his sister) and the journey that Wille needed to go on as well in order to create a healthy dynamic together.
So yeah i hope you all set some boundaries today or use this info to argue with simon antis 💖
—————-
Disclaimer// I am not a therapist i just do workshops with teens about healthy relationships and it is a passion of mine.
I love how in fanfics we get to see our favorite characters fall in love with each other over and over again.
Wilhelm looking at Simon ❦
By @/hsroyals on TikTok
I agree with one of your asks about the double standard of seeing August so many times having sex with Felice and Sara and not having a sex scene between Wilmon. Is that gay sex feels dirty or what's the deal here?!
.
Even the shift in power dynamics between Wilhelm and Simon is so well done that I can't help but talk about it.
At first Simon is the confident one. He is out and proud guy and knows who he is. So he is the one to ask Wilhelm to come to Rosh's soccer match and he is the one who initiates their first kiss. Whereas Wilhelm is shy and stammering and he literally trips over is own feet because he is busy watching Simon.
But after they have sex their relationship dynamics changes and Wilhelm becomes the more confident one because now he knows what he wants or rather who he wants (Simon). Now he is the one pulling Simon back in the woods to share a sneaky kiss. While Simon can't even name his fishes without stuttering.
The shift is masterfully done that it makes me want to scream in elation. I love that I can pull out any scene from Young Royals and find a deeper meaning.
simon and wille went straight from ignoring the fact that they shared a singular kiss to having full on sex with the window open
and tbf i love that for them and also mood
Girls are like “I’m fine!” and then consume thousands of words of fanfiction to cope with their exhausting modern lives
Inspired by this post (thank you for reblogging it @andthatisnotfake ):
Pirate AU where Simon is a pirate or privateer captain on a ship he owns together with his childhood friends Ayub and Rosh. One lucky day they manage to capture the previously capered flag ship of the Swedish Royal Navy, and its handsome pirate captain.
What he doesn't know is that its captain is none other than the Swedish Crown Prince in disguise.
None of them knows what the Crown Prince looks like (no cameras for another century or so) when he's not dressed up as the Crown Prince.
Simon falls for the handsome pirate captain he's captured. Wille is a revolutionary like him, who hates the monarchy with a passion as strong as his own. Add lots of steamy sex in the captain's quarters - pirates are hot, sue me.
Simon slowly realises Wille isn't who he says he is. His manners are too posh, his behaviour too strange. And then maybe Simon finds his signet ring, or a letter from his late brother. Or maybe he gets it when he learns that...
...Crown Prince Wilhelm pirated his own ship, because he doesn't just want a revolution, he's planned a whole coup with his trusted friends Felice Ehrencrona and Alexander Bragé. A coup against the Queen and the court, and the Noble families led by the Horn af Årnäs family. With the goal to forcethe hand of the Swedish Parliament Riksdagen to abolish the monarchy in favour of a new Swedish Republic.
Felice becomes the first President of Sweden. Simon and Wille sails into the sunset, living happily ever after.
This also connects well to how, in season 1, Wille accuses Simon of committing an act that is "so fucking low" by supposedly dealing drugs -- while he never says anything similar to August for actually USING said drugs. Classism and poverty.... and double standards.
while attempting to Avoid Thinking, i landed on a conclusion somehow about how August and Micke both play similar rolls in showing how drug addiction can look when compared between upper and lower classes.
also how they both sort of show why Wille and Simon's understanding of the drug incident were so violently different.
because while Wille doesn't know that August is addicted, he does know that he regularly does drugs and even partakes in it himself. drugs are something that you do for fun sometimes, not a hug deal. besides, Erik did them too, so they can't be THAT bad. (but of course he does also know they're illegal and he can't be caught doing them, but he's the Prince so he really can't be caught doing much of ANYTHING so what's the harm, right?)
but Simon has Micke as an introduction to drugs and the effects they can have on not only your own life, but the lives of those around you. drugs ruined Micke's life, and they damaged Simon's family. they aren't some fun hobby that you do sometimes, they're addictive and destroying and dangerous.
and tbh I had always had kind of a hard time seeing either side of their argument or fully understanding why they were behaving as they were, but this actually... helped a lot. so cool :]
Hi. Hi, hello, hi. I did not see this in my ask box, I apologize.
BIG BRAIN ENERGY.
Yes. That is exactly what's going on. Simon and Wille see drugs in two completely different lights. And it also shows the stark contrast of a drug addicted rich person and a drug addicted lower class person. Micke is addicted and it ruined their lives. Simon even says "you couldn't even get sober for mine and Sara's sake." Micke gets addicted and neglects his responsibilities. He wastes money, he can't look after his children, he can't keep his marriage intact. Problems like that don't go away in Micke's world. If he wastes money, he doesn't have anything to fall back on. If he can't take care of his children, he loses them.
But August does not face consequences. Firstly, because he does not personally have many responsibilities. Not yet, at least. He has money at his disposal, so he isn't neglecting anything or anyone other than himself when he buys them. And in August's world, when trouble comes up, the problems conveniently go away. Even his money problems disappeared - the Crown payed for his school, which then allows him time to figure everything else out. If he were to get into trouble because of the drugs he does, it would stand to reason that those problems would also disappear.
Simon sees drugs and he sees destruction. Wille sees drugs and he sees a Friday night. They see the consequences of the drugs as two completely different things.
Simon knows what it does to a person, and Wille knows what it does to a system. And drugs hurt a person a hell of a lot more than they hurt a system.
I have so many thoughts about this.
I don't know about you besties but I personally LOVE it when in fanfics, Wilhelm speaks or is learning spanish. Like, "I love you so much i want to be able to understand you in every single way i can"
But what about this scene below?
Pizza & Kebab on a Bjärstad walk with Wilhelm!
“He was pointing at the moon, but I was looking at his hand.”
― Richard Siken