Headcanon That Wille Lowkey 'enjoys' Being Ill More Than Simon:

hey guys have you ever heard of THE CHARACTER. i’m thinking about THE CHARACTER. honestly can’t even get shit done because i’m thinking about THE CHARACTER. i’m listening to a song and imagining THE CHARACTER. all i know and love is THE CHARACTER

flower power friday sunday!

Thank you so much for tagging me @grapehyasynth !!

In case anyone wants to join in on sharing flower /outdoor photo’s, no pressure!:

:D

@moonlightfrogsandkisses @hergrandplan @raincitygirl76

💜✨.

Meeting the Erikssons

Another little roundup of YR observations, this time focusing on the main non-royal family and what we learn about them that's shown, not said.

Let's start with Simon and Sara on the bus.

Even this tiny little snip tells us so much. They're taking goofy selfies where they both look stupid, compared to the shots we see Felice later posting, which are all carefully posed and curated to present the most ideal version of herself and her life, to the point of untruth. These two are presenting their authentic selves, and they're unafraid to hide their affection for one another. Following on from their earlier dialogue we understand that they're used to relying on each other and to some extent feeling separate to the rest of the world.

Rosh and Ayub give us another important insight into Simon (and themselves) which becomes important later when August keeps warning Wilhelm that Simon, and non-elites in general, will want to get close to him, to use their proximity to get attention and favours. But Simon and his friends genuinely do not give a crap about Wilhelm at all (at this stage anyway). They're not even interested. They poke fun at the GIF of the fight and ask with mild curiosity if he's the loser they think he is, but that's it. Like August, they see Wilhelm as inhabiting a different world to themselves, but it's not one they aspire to or want to know about. Unlike someone else present...

The dinner scene, like the palace press conference scene, sets the tone for how this family lives and relates to each other and the world. The room is small, but there are lots of large windows which let in natural light and also show these people aren't hiding. The room is dark but there are a number of lights switched on - at least three small lamps as well as the big light over the table - which gives a warm glow. There are plants all over the place, not sedate formal flower arrangements but green houseplants spilling their tendrils down the walls. There are what appear to be postcards or just small pictures on the walls haphazardly. It's a warm place filled with growth and life.

Ayub is staying for dinner; he's helping lay the table, which indicates he's a familiar face here, more family than guest. However Sara has to teach him the "correct" way to do it, which shows us that Ayub's own family don't do the formal dinner thing and also implies that Sara has only recently started being so specific about dinner etiquette.

And they're informal enough as a family that Simon can swear in front of both his mother and their guest. (Also, continuity error: there's already spaghetti in the bowls when Simon brings the pan in, but in the next shot they're empty).

Sara complains about the way Simon chews, and asks her mother to sit up straight in a reversal of the traditional mother-teen daughter dynamic, to the point where Linda even rolls her eyes a little.

While the boys snicker by Sara's new poshness, it shows us again how casual the Erikssons are that Sara can talk money, and Linda can reprimand her, in front of Ayub.

Sara scorns the 'diverse' crowd at her old school, but she kind of has a point - IF you define 'amounting to something' as economic success and can overlook her bluntness. Later when Simon tells Ayub and Rosh that he doesn't want to stay in Bjärstad all his life, things get a little awkward. Rosh and Ayub seem to be happy to stay there. Both Eriksson siblings aren't, but they have very different attitudes about where they want to be and how they want to get there. Simon wants to stand out with his talent and good grades; Sara wants to blend in by taking on as many signifiers of the elite world as she can.

A few other things that struck me rewatching this:

Sara is the only one using both a fork and spoon to twirl her spaghetti. Everyone else is just eating straight from the fork.

Simon asks his mother how her day was, showing a little of the 'man of the house' role that later becomes more obvious

Sara isn't incorrect. The cheaper items do wear out quicker. it's the Sam Vimes Boots Theory.

And we still have one more Eriksson to meet.

This scene is heartbreaking. And Micke's surroundings again tell us about him and his circumstances. It's noisy in his building. There are multiple locks on the door - he doesn't feel safe, probably because it's a high crime area.

From the way Simon glances around, it could be the first time he's actually been in this apartment. The couch is disheveled with a messy blanket - Micke sleeps there. There's a framed picture leaning against the wall, implying Micke either hasn't finished sorting his place out or doesn't have the room for all his stuff. Also, THERE IS A LITTLE BASKET OF SATSUMAS - did Simon pick up the taste for them from his dad?

(Another little thing that links the two of them - they both have artwork depicting faraway cities on their walls. Simon has a London poster, his dad has New York.)

Piles of mail, the TV remote, cigarettes and lighter and Micke even has the gas gun from the stove in here. Is that because he's sometimes too uncoordinated to flick the lighter cleanly, I wonder.

There are plants here too, but they're not doing well. They're straggly, not thriving. The apartment's disorder is of course reflected in Micke himself, unshaven, bloodshot eyes and crumpled grubby clothes. You can almost smell him.

The way they hug is uncoordinated. Micke desperately wants the contact with his child, but neither of them is used to it, they don't know how to fit together.

This was the first scene that made me marvel that that this was Omar's first acting job. Heartbreaking.

Had to jump on this trend too

Wilmon as birds!

Thanks to @grapehyasynth my entire feed has been covered in birds (I am NOT complaining) so I drew Wilmon as birds!

Yes I zoned out and forgot I was supposed to make them look like Wille and Simon, yes I tried to redeem it by adding the glow sticks and little heart on Wille’s wing. My entire Pinterest is just bird references now.

yr animation :D

Still figuring out how tumblr works :)

Song: jungle - Emma Louise

Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada.

Generations of damage. For Putin.

AU where closeted Crown Prince Wilhelm has an existential crisis after reading Red, White & Royal Blue