Zarogz - Zarogz

1.06 | 2.06 | 3.06

Thoughts about Simon Eriksson below cut, responses in good faith welcome.

I’m thinking about Simon right now, because in the fic I want to write next, I want him to get in a fight with Sara, and I want Simon to be Wrong about what they’re fighting about. To clarify, Simon being wrong doesn’t mean Sara is 100% right—that would be boring, wouldn’t it? Anyway they’re 14/15 and 16 in this fic, so they’re a little younger, and it’s part of a canon divergent universe that goes in a very different direction from canon long before canon even starts. Sara is the main character. It’s her story.

So here’s the thing: I want fourteen-year-old Simon to be wrong and I want him to be a little petty and vicious about it and I even want him to be not a good brother to Sara for a time.

I actually like Simon a lot, even if I tend to write him mostly as a secondary character in my fics and not a main character. There is one fandom narrative about Simon, however, that isn’t personally appealing to me as a fanfic writer and fan, and that is the narrative of Simon as Perfect Martyred Angel Who Did Nothing Wrong Ever In His Life. I do enjoy Simon’s moments of moral clarity and maturity, and I do think the people around him sometimes take advantage of his patience with them.

On the other hand, I like that Simon is actually… imperfect and human and we don’t have to put him on a pedestal or wrap him in a soft blanket? Like he lies to Linda and hides his secret tutoring from her, he does things for Sara she doesn’t ask him to do, he sees Micke behind Sara and Linda’s back, he pulls Rosh and Ayub into a physical fight with August that they don’t want to be part of. And sometimes Simon is boldly speaking truth to power but other times he’s just being a little bit cheeky and provocative the way that teenagers can be.

In short, Simon can be as messy as many of his peers at Hillerska, especially in season 1, but hey, the rebound with Marcus in season 2 also counts! While individual instances of messiness can be more or less sympathetic depending on a situation, I feel people do Simon a disservice when they retroactively frame his entire character through the lens of the put-upon martyr. Also it’s just… less fun and more boring to me to view Simon as Always Right and Always Suffering.

On the other other hand, I also understand where some of the Saint Simon fanon is coming from. My theory—I think at least some of it is a response to an imbalance in the show’s writing (especially by season 3?) and how the writers drop threads related to Simon’s arc in season 1. I’ve talked in posts before about how the Simon-August conflict is totally dropped when it shouldn’t have been, and something should have closed the loop between them. I won’t elaborate too much on that, for now. I do actually feel that Simon and Sara’s conflict was effectively resolved in s3 but I also know there are still Sara haters out there in the year 2025 who think Simon should have left Sara to rot. So, you know.

In addition, enough critical-of-s3 fans have raised the idea (one I agree with, generally) that… Wilhelm is not always a great partner to Simon. A lot of folks see a narrative where Simon’s often taking care of Wilhelm’s feelings, but Wilhelm isn’t doing it in return for Simon. And then a lot of us are worried by Wilhelm’s anger issues and Simon bearing witness to them. I don’t know if this is an impression the writers intended to convey to the audience? Like I believe Lisa is on record as saying that the video stuff has died down and isn’t affecting Simon as much by season 2, but that seems to contradict what we see in s3 when Simon’s facing unprecedented internet harassment. I think the Wilhelm-adjacent pain Simon faces often gets swallowed up by Wilhelm’s pain. The writers find Wille’s pain pretty. I don’t think they realize how much they do.

Long story short, I think some of the Simon Did Nothing Wrong fanon is an attempt to respond to the part where the show does kind of neglect Simon’s emotional needs. And that’s valid. And I get it. And I know some people mean it in a tongue-in-cheek way whereas other people mean it in a much more serious way.

But on my end I kind of want to do right by Simon by letting him fuck up sometimes. Let Simon Do Wrong Things, and not even in a hot way! Because that is an interesting part of his character and I wanna explore it!

Anyway let me know if you’re open for me bouncing fic ideas off of you, I am in search of others who will discuss Nuanced Simon Eriksson with me.

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

Colour Study ✨️ Young Royals Wilhelm and Simon

{More Artwork | Socials and Prints}

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has to re-read the last chapter of my fic before writing the next one. I straight-up almost forgot the existence of an entire character :'). Would be a little bit embarrassing.

S3 is written like the writers were playing Episode with no diamonds.

I figured I should probably organise my page a bit so here we go!

Hya! I make Animations and drawings (mainly of young royals) and lately I've tried my hand at writing :D.

My YR Animations sorted by song:

Arcade - Duncan Laurence

The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Ennio Morricone

Glory - Friday pilots club

Jungle - Emma Louise

Bourgeoisieses - Conan Gray

The Most Beautiful Boy - The Irrepressibles

Drawings:

For my own fic When Two Worlds Collide

Wilmon as birds

The scene where Wille picks Simon up

Fics:

Wrestle Your Love Out Of My Heart:

-After a short road trip, Wille and Simon settle down in Bjärstad. Wille is in the midst of meeting Simon's extended family when a certain someone shows up, uninvited. Finished.

When Two Worlds Collide:

-Sci-fi and outer space. Ongoing.

Where Soul Meets Heart:

After a Errikson's family game night Wille and Simon talk. Finished.

As Darkness Falls:

-Simon gets in a fight, Wille is left to pick up the pieces. Finished.

The Road we take:

-As Wille and Simon's second year at Hillershka starts, they learn how to live outside of the spotlight. Some Freshman girls get a little too comfortable. Finished.

I think that's about it. I'm always in for a chat about whatever, don't hesitate to reach out :).

hidden gems fic rec list!

i haven't done a fic rec list in a while - here is my collection of previous lists - but i'm up to december 2024 in the wilmon ao3 tag! here are some wilmon fics or ficlets that maybe went a little under the radar and that i really enjoyed and recommend!

i've tagged authors where i knew their handle.

vision of happiness - @wildcalendula

Where Soul Meets Heart - @zarogz

Cartography - @starvalisedham

angel - @sundelionskyisland

a little away. - sealgummy

it's a long road home (and we've got far to go) - peonyrose

the story left untold - @little-fandom

can i take a shot at your heart? - @theaviatorthatcouldnotfly

the liars are calling me one - bananzie

Spinning in infinity - Whiterabbit11

these graves are all too young - @malinthebodyguard

All the rules to this game I bend - @saynomorefic

Maybe We Got Lost In Translation - yungroyals

And Baby I'll Rule; Let Me Live That Fantasy - @bubblesandroses8

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.