“He Was Pointing At The Moon, But I Was Looking At His Hand.”

YOUNG ROYALS Simon's hands on Wille • for @skibasyndrome <3

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I got my (now 18-year-old) daughter into Ao3 back in 2021. I taught her she should always comment - even if the fic looks old or abandoned or whatever. She did.

Well - she got this email this morning:

The fic was written in 2014 and essentially abandoned.

Bethy read and reviewed in 2021 (and was actually the only person who had commented at all).

Today in 2025 - the final chapter was posted by the author and this was her reply to Bethy’s comment.

———

Never question whether a fic is too old to comment on.

I appreciate this addition from @raincitygirl76 so much - yes, there were many many things about S3E6 that felt majorly dissatisfying to me. Actually for me, the primary thing was a simple matter of timing: I don't understand how 1.5 minutes (2 minutes if you're being generous) of happy reunion is somehow supposed to magically fully counterbalance 3 seasons of anguish & trauma that Wilmon have been through? (Both with each other & with everything else in life). Like weighing 17-18 hours of pain against 2 minutes is... not sufficient for me??? Like, that doesn't achieve the goal of either intellectually making this make sense, or feeling emotionally true (or sufficient to just, as a viewer, not feel desperately broken anymore).

That's not to say that the Crown wasn't a major contributing factor, and that going more "low-contact" with the establishment won't help, but... yeah.

I remain very disappointed about:

a) Wille apparently not being in individual therapy anymore? Because I guess making a major coming-out speech on national TV proves to your mom that she can't use therapy to control you, so... why keep giving you access to therapy (since it wasn't intended as a form of emotional support). Maybe the queen even blamed therapy partially; I don't know. But I know all of the viewers can agree that Wille OBVIOUSLY still needs epic amounts of therapy. And it was starting to work, too! Which makes this even more disheartening.

b) Simon didn't go to therapy, that we're aware of. I had really hoped in S3, Wille would use his positive experiences with Boris to encourage Simon to look at his stuff as well.

c) Wille & Simon never discussing Micke, that we know of. Despite the fact that Wille is aware that Micke takes LOTS of medications -- enough for Simon to steal and sell.

d) Wille & Simon also never properly discussing anything about mental health... at all. Even though it impacts the two of them as individuals + as a couple SO MUCH. It is the giant giant giant elephant in the room. It really should be un-ignorable. Simon makes it clear he knows SOMETHING is up by suggesting a queer and/or mental health charity for Wille to spearhead, and with the whole "I've seen how the monarchy makes you feel like." But... that's it.

e) and still, Wille never actually comforts Simon. He asks him about Sara once. He apologizes a bunch of times. And he does hug him and (finally) get the Royal Court involved after the rock-in-window incident at Simon's home.

f) it never feeling (to me) like this really WAS a season of Wille & Simon learning to team up together to be "us against the world / against the Royal Court." That's realistic to many couples, sure. Especially after all the heartache they went through in Seasons 1 & 2 to get to this point. Well, I suppose this is more of a Wille problem, really. But still. Left me feeling discouraged.

DO they have the skills yet to be a proper, healthy couple? Hopefully they'll seek those out and work on themselves as individuals so they can get there. At the very least, Wille did start Episode 6 by saying he needs to take more responsibility for his life, so that is something.

I already wrote this on Twitter and Reddit, but I like what I wrote, so I’m posting it here too. Meh. So sue me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After sitting with Young Royals S3 for a few days, I have a new main takeaway, after letting myself feel the initial rage & grief & hurt & disappointment.

New takeaways:

While Seasons 1 & 2 were primarily a love story, S3 is a very serious, thoughtful, and important meditation on trauma + the impacts of abuse & neglect on kids.

I hate almost every single adult in the YR universe. They emotionally abandoned these kids in general life + during moments of severe crisis & trauma, both past & present. They set these kids up to fail. And when those children did inevitably fail, the adult washed their hands clean of responsibility and pinned the blame solely on the kids.

Very few of these children have any coping skills or communication skills at all. Even the ones who WANT to show up for each other properly, and who don’t want to hurt each other (one example being Wille), end up hurting others anyway because they’ve never learned any other ways of interacting.

Here's a "brief" list of some of the traumas (that we know about) these kids having endured:

Revenge CP sex tape

Online & in-person harassment (esp. Simon)

Homophobic hazings to terrorize & demean them

Violence (related to #3 above)

Grief & loss, including death (but not limited to death -- see #s 8 & 10)

Familial betrayal

Familial substance abuse & possible DV (related to #6)

CONSTANT invalidation, dismissal, minimization, & victim-blaming (esp. with the Royal Family)

Emotional neglect & abandonment (closely related to point #8)

Even being on the receiving end of outright contempt & disdain from one's own family

Control & surveillance from the Royal Court

It's no fucking wonder these children are so messed up & don't know how to navigate life.

Of course, they're still responsible for their actions. Accountability remains extremely still important. (Which is where introspection, taking corrective action, & pursuing repair come into play.) I'm in no way arguing that this excuses anything. *And* simultaneously, the adults in their lives have failed them so badly -- leading us to arrive here, at S3.

It reminds me of one of my favorite adages that I use in my mental health line of work all the time: "It's not our fault what happens to us. But it is our responsibility what we do next."

Realistically, I don't know how kids are supposed to manage this on their own. Being wounded so much, surrounded & overwhelmed by so many pressures, with very close to ZERO adult supervision, support, or help. It just wounds my soul to see the impact it's having on them.

I'm thinking about all of this in the context of many characters... but in particular (obviously) Wilhelm & Simon. And truthfully, especially for Wille, because I had such a hard time empathizing with him this season. I felt so deeply hurt by his obliviousness to Simon's pain, as well as both offended by and disappointed in his "all queers" comment and dismissing the opportunity to value Simon's politics or opinions on how he could use his position as Crown Prince to do good in the world. I was angry with the writers, too: like, how dare they? I wanted Wille to show up as a more evolved version of himself. I wanted his besotted-ness to translate into being a "better" person.

But, then I got to thinking... like, how in fact would he know to do that? Wille isn't trying to be cruel. In fact, I think he is in all actuality trying his hardest with the tiny amount of social skills he has to demonstrate the care he feels. (That does NOT excuse his actions, of course. I mean, poisoned cake, anyone??).

However, he is a child who is EXTREMELY overwhelmed and wracked with guilt... and no way to realistically handle this. He has ZERO parental or even adult support (the best he's got is Farima; he doesn't even appear to have individual sessions with Boris anymore). There are exactly zero adults helping him to navigate this. I actually don't know how a child should or could know how to do better with all this pressure, especially because it all comes back to decisions he's made (to not conform to family+royal pressure, to come out, to publicly challenge traditions, etc.). The overwhelmingness of it must be enormous.

Compounded with that, no adult in his life has ever modeled to him how to properly talk to another human being about emotions. When he had emotions, he was minimized, dismissed, shut down, ignored. He has zero idea of how else to handle it, even if he wanted to handle it differently. Where & when would he have learned these skills? So, of course when Simon brings up his online harassment, he really doesn't know what else to do besides sigh and say "ignore it." I don't think he's actively trying to minimize. I think he has absolutely no other language that he's aware of to use. He just has no skills, support, or role modeling when it comes to this. He's in WAAAAAAAAY way over his head and never previously learned how to swim. I do really think Wille is trying his absolute best. (Which is not good enough, and he does need to learn to do better -- not an excuse, just a building up of context.)

In an ideal world, someone at this point would hand him a book on Reflective Listening skills so he could learn to validate, normalize, and properly attune to emotions. I think he probably wants to -- I see how concerned his expression is every time he looks at Simon after the window-rock incident, and after they overhear their classmates mocking Simon's revolution love song. He probably feels totally helpless, confused, disoriented, & self-critical in his process of trying to figure out on his own how to listen to & validate other (I mean, he literally does say his attempts are always "clumsy.").

I imagine his internal shame at being terrible at attunement & communication must be immense. He makes it clear that he's aware he's terrible at all of this, but doesn't seem to know what to do about it. (And again, there are NO adults to help him figure this out! Except for maybe Boris's meditation sessions...?) I wish someone would hand him the Nonviolent Communication skills book & workbook. He'd probably be able to heave a big sigh of relief, knowing how to talk to & be there for the people he loves. He'd probably feel more empowered, too, as a result, and therefore less anxious. Win-win-win.

In summary: I just feel so freaking heartbroken for Simon, Wille, & a lot of the other kids, too. They are CHILDREN. Adults are supposed to be role modeling for them, guiding them, helping them cope & navigate the pressures of life. INSTEAD, they just heap on *more* trauma.

So... yeah. I think it's intriguing that the writers chose to shift to make Season 3 a meditation on trauma and its consequences. And now that I'm reframing the season through that lens in my mind, I'm able to sit with the content more easily and understand it better.

I really really wish everyone would get SHITTONS OF THERAPY in the YR universe (and also in real life, ha). Even better: go back in time and put all the adults in therapy, so their kids don't have to emotionally handle + figure out everything on their own! It's really not the kids' fault that they wound up with no skills or tools, and just confusedly trying to fumble their way through things in the dark. My heart really breaks for a lot of these kiddos, just trying their best.

I really appreciate this take & interpretation. These lines from Wille in S1 & S2 ("you're the only one I can talk to") have always kinda bothered me even though they're really realistic so simultaneously I also appreciate them. I agree they're not intentionally manipulative, but to me they are evidence of some deeply problematic dynamics still at play (which Wille works through by the end of S2).

To me, these are examples of times Wille is trying to be vulnerable and reach out... but is not doing so in a particularly emotionally aware or empathetic way. It's all about him. He's still working on developing the important skill of mentalization, which makes sense both because he's a teen + because he was raised as royalty. These statements are all oriented around his needs (to not feel alone, to have someone to talk to) rather than about Simon or about something mutual between the two of them.

I know people love the St. Lucia hug & kiss, but tbh if I'd been Simon, I would have been pissed and would NOT have hugged him then. Like: You don't have anyone else to talk to? Honestly that's a you problem - sorry. You should stick up for me & have my back because you want what's best for me, not just because you want what's best for YOU (and don't want to lose your only confidante).

A more empathetic & emotionally intelligent communication approach would have been, for example, "I don't want to lose you because I care about you + *also* I don't want you to have to get kicked out of school. That would be messed up and I don't want you to experience messed up things. I want to show you that I care about you by putting you first and proving I'll advocate for you." If I'd been Simon, I would have preferred that statement a whole lot! But I think it's useful & very telling that that's *not* what he got. Yet.

But also Willie is manipulating Simon telling him that and it worked in season 1 but not in season 2 and i think that was Lisa’s intention. Re “you are the only I can talk to”

The post in question Your ask is so interesting that I had to go back and rewatch the scene. Is what he's doing emotional manipulation? I disagree, but not by much. Wille isn't consciously or subconsciously trying to make Simon feel guilty so he doesn't leave him. Instead, he's being vulnerable and open, sharing his own fear.

Neither does he use a "pity my poor feelings" strategy, which is another manipulative way of gaining sympathy. He knows what he did to Alexander is wrong. He admits to being selfish.

Even if it wasn't manipulative, what he did and said was not okay at all. That's underscored by the specific lyrics of Samurai Swords being played when Simon walks over to hug him, so crucial they're texted: "I am leaving, I'm unleashing, I unravel to the leeches, I'm unpleasant, I'm not loving, I'm not loving".

It's a genious song choice btw, because it both explains the characters' feelings about themselves, it's also massive foreshadowing.

What I love about that scene isn't that Simon is hugging a distressed Wille, it's that it so clearly shows that Wille is aware that his behaviour is very far from ok, and that the music drives this point home.

how did simon's family react when the video was released? Did Micke find out, or did a friend ask if that was his 'son getting a blowjob from a kid who looks like a prince?' What about any cousins? Did they text the family, were they horrified? Grandparents- supportive, disgusted? What about old teachers and old friends?

Matching rings and all 😌

I already wrote this on Twitter and Reddit, but I like what I wrote, so I’m posting it here too. Meh. So sue me. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

After sitting with Young Royals S3 for a few days, I have a new main takeaway, after letting myself feel the initial rage & grief & hurt & disappointment.

New takeaways:

While Seasons 1 & 2 were primarily a love story, S3 is a very serious, thoughtful, and important meditation on trauma + the impacts of abuse & neglect on kids.

I hate almost every single adult in the YR universe. They emotionally abandoned these kids in general life + during moments of severe crisis & trauma, both past & present. They set these kids up to fail. And when those children did inevitably fail, the adult washed their hands clean of responsibility and pinned the blame solely on the kids.

Very few of these children have any coping skills or communication skills at all. Even the ones who WANT to show up for each other properly, and who don’t want to hurt each other (one example being Wille), end up hurting others anyway because they’ve never learned any other ways of interacting.

Here's a "brief" list of some of the traumas (that we know about) these kids have endured:

Revenge CP sex tape

Online & in-person harassment (esp. Simon)

Homophobic hazings to terrorize, demean, & publicly humiliate them

Violence (related to #3 above)

Grief & loss, including death (but not limited to death -- see #s 8 & 10)

Familial betrayal

Familial substance abuse & possible DV (related to #6)

CONSTANT invalidation, dismissal, minimization, & victim-blaming (esp. with the Royal Family)

Emotional neglect & abandonment (closely related to point #8)

Even being on the receiving end of outright contempt & disdain from one's own family

Control & surveillance from the Royal Court

It's no fucking wonder these children are so messed up & don't know how to navigate life & relationships.

Of course, they're still responsible for their actions. Accountability still remains extremely important. (Which is where introspection, taking corrective action, & pursuing repair come into play.) I'm in no way arguing that this excuses anything. *And* simultaneously, the adults in their lives have failed them so badly -- leading us to arrive here, at S3.

It reminds me of one of my favorite adages that I use in my mental health line of work all the time: "It's not our fault what happens to us. But it is our responsibility what we do next."

Realistically, I don't know how kids are supposed to manage this on their own. Being wounded so much, surrounded & overwhelmed by so many pressures, with very close to ZERO adult supervision, support, or help. It just wounds my soul to see the impact it's having on them.

I'm thinking about all of this in the context of several characters... but in particular (obviously) Wilhelm & Simon. And truthfully, especially for Wille, because I had such a hard time empathizing with him this season. I felt so deeply hurt by his obliviousness to Simon's pain, as well as both offended by and disappointed in his "all queers" comment and dismissing the opportunity to value Simon's politics or opinions on how he could use his position as Crown Prince to do good in the world. I was angry with the writers, too: like, how dare they? I wanted Wille to show up as a more evolved version of himself. I wanted his besotted-ness to translate into being a "better" person.

But, then I got to thinking... like, how in fact would he know to do that? Wille isn't trying to be cruel. In fact, I think he is in all actuality trying his hardest with the tiny amount of social skills he has to demonstrate the care he feels. (That does NOT excuse his actions, of course. I mean, poisoned cake, anyone??).

However, he is a child who is EXTREMELY overwhelmed and wracked with guilt... and with no way to realistically handle this. He has ZERO parental or even adult support (the best he's got is Farima; he doesn't even appear to have individual sessions with Boris anymore). There are exactly zero adults helping him to navigate this. I actually don't know how a child should or could know how to do better with all this pressure, especially because it all comes back to decisions he's made (to not conform to family+royal pressure, to come out, to publicly challenge traditions, etc.). The overwhelmingness of it must be enormous.

Compounded with that, no adult in his life has ever modeled to him how to properly talk to another human being about emotions. When he had emotions, he was minimized, dismissed, shut down, ignored. He has zero idea of how else to handle it, even if he wanted to handle it differently. Where & when would he have learned these skills? So, of course when Simon brings up his online harassment, he really doesn't know what else to do besides sigh and say "ignore it." I don't think he's actively trying to minimize. I think he has absolutely no other language that he's aware of to use. He just has no skills, support, or role modeling when it comes to this. He's in WAAAAAAAAY way over his head and never previously learned how to swim. I do really think Wille is trying his absolute best. (Which is not good enough, and he does need to learn to do better -- not an excuse, just a building up of context.)

In an ideal world, someone at this point would hand him a book on Reflective Listening skills so he could learn to validate, normalize, and properly attune to emotions. I think he probably wants to -- I see how concerned his expression is every time he looks at Simon after the window-rock incident, and after they overhear their classmates mocking Simon's revolution love song. He probably feels totally helpless, confused, disoriented, frustrated, & self-critical in his process of trying to figure out on his own how to listen to & validate others (I mean, he literally does say his attempts are always "clumsy").

I imagine his internal shame at being terrible at attunement & communication must be immense. He makes it clear that he's aware he's terrible at all of this, but doesn't seem to know what to do about it. (And again, there are NO adults to help him figure this out! Except for maybe Boris's mediation sessions...?) I wish someone would hand him the Nonviolent Communication skills book & workbook. He'd probably be able to heave a big sigh of relief, knowing how to talk to & be there for the people he loves. He'd probably feel more empowered, too, as a result, and therefore less anxious. Win-win-win.

In summary: I just feel so freaking heartbroken for Simon, Wille, & a lot of the other kids, too. They are CHILDREN. Adults are supposed to be role modeling for them, guiding them, helping them cope & navigate the pressures of life. INSTEAD, they just heap on *even more* trauma.

So... yeah. I think it's intriguing that the writers chose to shift to make Season 3 a meditation on trauma and its consequences. And now that I'm reframing the season through that lens in my mind, I'm able to sit with the content more easily and understand it better.

I really really wish everyone would get SHITTONS OF THERAPY in the YR universe (and also in real life, ha). Even better: go back in time and put all the adults in therapy, so their kids don't have to emotionally handle + figure out everything on their own! It's really not the kids' fault that they wound up with no skills or tools, and just confusedly trying to fumble their way through things in the dark. My heart really breaks for a lot of these kiddos, just trying their best and fucking it all up.

whispers