I Love How In Fanfics We Get To See Our Favorite Characters Fall In Love With Each Other Over And Over

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

"I'm just trying to be honest about my feelings. You should try it sometimes".

The first time I watched this scene, I felt hurt for Wille, I know this would've hurt me.

But I slowly realized that Simon has been trying to get Wille to be more brave and honest with himself since day one_ something that Wille desperately needed_ and I love him for that.

Simon was never content with "taking a hint" from Wille, he never agreed to just let things be, to speculations and assumptions, he wanted Wille to be straightforward, to voice his thoughts and feelings. He literally dragged that "would you like to keep me company" from him, not settling for a vague invitation.

I truly believe that Simon played a significant part in Wille's personal development (whether he realized it or not). He inspired him to be brave, to defend his feelings_ no matter how scary it might be, it will be okay.

_ I'm not trying to stop you, Simon, but it's scary.

_ I know, I'm scared too.

And it worked.

"I just wanted you to know that this is how I feel".

"Me too, I'm scared all the time, but that changes now".

Wille has finally learned that talking to himself isn't enough, and talking to his therapist isn't enough. He might be scared but he can work it out, he can still be brave and take risks and be proud of every feeling in his heart_ and it's okay to be himself, cause he will still be loved. 💜

I’ve always wanted to write Wilmon fic but nothing I write sounds like their authentic voice. You always manage to get them so in character, sometimes it feels like you’re secretory in the writer’s room. I guess I’m asking if you have any tips or tricks for characterizing Wille/Simon

Surprise, I’m actually Lisa

But thank you anon, that’s so sweet. Let me kind of lay out my thoughts on how I write them and hopefully that will help.

In general, I think you should always start with a character’s flaws and build their reactions to events/people from there. It’ll also give you a good starting place for whatever emotional journey you want to take them on.

For Wille’s flaws: there’s a lack of emotional maturity here. Wille’s usually not intentionally mean, but most of his flaws come from how unaware he is and how he ends up unintentionally hurting the people around him but is often unable to understand how he did so because, to him, his actions are always, completely justifiable. He’s almost emotionally stunted in a way, and he kind of has trouble identifying what he’s feeling at any given moment which is what makes him tip towards anger and frustration more often than not. He reacts poorly to situations and people he can’t control, which is a hallmark symptom of anxiety. As a result, he has trouble putting words to his thoughts in a meaningful, constructive way. He’s impulsive and stubborn and self absorbed.

For Simon’s flaws: he’s actually incredibly emotionally intelligent and very perceptive - but he uses this intelligence to be intentionally cruel when he’s angry. For example, in arguments with Wille or Sara, he uses his intellect to pinpoint exactly what he needs to say to cut them down completely. He’s very, very good at getting the last word and sometimes he gets kind of consumed by that. Simon’s definitely not the super nice approachable guy at school - he’s a cunt to Wille on his very first day, he’s loud and outspoken, and hard headed. He’s also got a slightly hypocritical streak of idealism where he’s an idealist when it comes to the things that affect him, but is sometimes unable to offer the same grace to other people, especially when he’s angry or hurt. He also has a difficult time asking for help and being vulnerable.

Wille’s positives: he’s loyal, romantic, and he doesn’t have a wandering eye, he likes being coddled a little and is unafraid to ask for it, he’s quicker to admit that he’s wrong and knows when to give in, he’s also incredibly bold and brave - he’s unafraid to be the black sheep of the family, but he still loves his family and wants them to be proud of him.

Simon’s positives: he’s incredibly selfless and wants to take care of the people he loves and genuinely likes being there for them, he likes being supported but not protected - he loves that Wille respects his autonomy and thinks he’s capable, he has a strong sense of right and wrong and he stands up for what he believes in even if it might hurt him or if he might end up being wrong. he’s also a romantic and he definitely likes grand gestures and praise.

As for their dynamic, I always liken it to that old Christmas story where the husband sells his prized pocket watch to buy his wife a set of expensive combs, only for her to have cut and sold her hair to buy him a gold chain for his watch.

Just don’t be afraid to make them fight and annoy each other and not always say the right thing. It doesn’t take away from their love in any way.

Sorry this got out of hand, but I could talk about it forever. Hopefully that was even the slightest bit helpful ❣️

NOT THE CASUAL SEASON 3 CLIP????

This sums up the difference between Heartstopper and Young Royals perfectly: The first time Wille and Simon share a bed, they have epic sex. The first time Charlie and Nick share a bed, they have a pillow fight.

As Edvin said, "the kissing scenes were insanely good." Umm, understatement of the year

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.

director: “as soon as i saw them together i knew it was them” 😭😭😭😭😭

Is it easier to empathise with Wille?

I have a LOT of empathy with Wille. His vast loneliness, his anxiety, and having less than stellar parents resonates deeply with me.

This post is NOT about empathising with Wille or not. It's about power, hierarchies and privilege, and what they do to our empathy and who we empathise with. The very themes of Young Royals itself.

We all live in hierarchical cultures. Privileges are unevenly distributed; some have more, most have less. Privilges are interesting because they shelter us from experiences, which in turn makes us less emphatic. We see it in August, Felice and Wille, all being blind to the realities of people outside their sheltered world of privilege. Right, "Simon would go to the police so he shouldn't know who posted revenge porn of him on the internet" Felice and Wille?

Prefering one character over another isn't wrong in itself of course!

On the other hand, to empathise with Wille while NOT noticing Simon's suffering, or disregarding it as less important indicates a certain amount of privilege. Not to mention not even recognizing Simon as a whole human being with his own needs and wants, but merely something Wille deserves, a reward for his suffering.

It's a mindset we've been brainwashed with through culture since the beginning of patriarchy (some 5-15K years ago). For gender reasons I was somewhat aware of it, but not explicitely until the #metoo movement of 2017. I've watched so many movies and series where the female characters is a reward for the hero.

It's what we're taught, so of course we normalise that one person can act like a reward or comfort for someone else's pain and suffering. Doesn't Wille deserve comfort when he's hurting? Don't I deserve comfort when I'm hurting?

The problem is the word DESERVE. When we feel like we deserve something from someone else, it's time to take a step back and check if the other person is okay with giving that comfort, and if we're offering comfort in return when needed. That was another lesson Wille had to learn. And he did! Very curious about season 3 and how well he learnt that lesson!

Living in Norway means on a global scale I have massive privilege. Yet on a local scale I barely have any privileges at all. It's impossible to ignore the class issue to cheer for the white boy, because my life is profoundly affected in a negative way by the very class systems that Young Royals is critical of.

To quote my fav indigenous Saemien/Sámi artist, actor, author, slam poet and activist Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen: "How do you endure, you ask? When the truth is that to live as a Sámi is a political act in itself. That just by breathing, I revolt."

It's impossible for me in any way, shape or form to empathise with Wille at the expense of Simon's emotions and integrity. I empathise with both; hierarchies hurt people in both ends of it. Wille is selfish for a long time, and though I empathise, I can't defend his behaviour. On the other hand, Simon had no one else to fight for him against the system of power and privilege so clearly rigged against him. It's the exact same system that is failing to protect disabled people from adverse health issues and social exclusion, perpetuates generational trauma and poverty, and continuing the massive ongoing cultural genocide of my own people in both Norway and Sweden.

Just like Simon, I lack the privileges required to shelter me from the realities of life at the bottom levels of the patriarchal hierarchy.

Emotional growth requires facing negative consequences for harmful behaviour. The older we are, the harsher the consequences need to be for us to learn. Look at August - on a path towards emotional growth, stopped dead in its tracks by the meeting with the queen. What he did was unforgivable imo, but I still hope he'll face the consequences required to learn and grow, because the alternative is so much worse for everyone else.

I much prefer emotionally immature boys to suffer the painful consequences of their actions, in order to mature into decent human beings - rather than being habitually coddled so that they never learn anything and continue perpetuating the patriarchy.

Wille wouldn't have learnt and grown unless Simon enforced his boundaries. The Wille who changed the speech wouldn't exist without having to face the painful consequences of his own actions, learning that other people's lives and emotions are just as important as his own.

To anyone who knows: Is there any chance Young Royals will get more international recognition with awards and things? Like are International Emmy awards for TV shows a thing? I want to see them really get proper accolades -- and yes I know winning awards isn't everything, but Lisa, Edvin, Omar, et al deserve it, damnit!