#sex tape young royals

[raincitygirl76]

Omar Rudberg is a very attractive young man. So I find it hilarious (though somewhat sobering) that nobody at Hillerska seems to notice Simon is gorgeous. All because he’s a lowly non-resident (and a socialist to boot, who refuses to act grateful to be allowed around his social betters), they pretend Simon’s looks are nothing out of the common way. It shows the pressure of class solidarity.

Makes me wonder, though, how many Hillerska boarders secretly have crushes on Simon. Because, you know, they have eyes, even if they don’t dare admit it to their friends because it would be social suicide. Are there girls in Simon’s classes who wistfully sigh over how aesthetically appealing he is? Or fellow choristers who covertly watch him sing when they’re supposed to be watching the music teacher and/or reading their scores?

I wonder how many girls quietly cried themselves to sleep right after the video came out. And told their curious roommates they were crying because apparently the Crown Prince is unattainable. But really they were crying because apparently Simon Eriksson is gay. And therefore definitely off the market, if those girls ever got up the guts to cross class lines and acknowledge how crush worthy he is.

P.S.

Incidentally, I don’t think Simon intentionally went back in the closet when he moved to Hillerska. It’s just we know from 1.01 that hardly anyone has spoken to him since the start of the school year. It’s kind of tough to come out to people who are pretending you don’t exist and won’t talk to you.

And then Wilhelm arrived, and was obviously interested but extremely closeted himself. So Simon had a large incentive not to arouse the suspicions of their Hillerska school mates by coming out himself. I don’t think Simon was hiding in S1 so much as just not choosing to actively bring it up. I’m pretty damn sure if someone had asked him flat out, he would’ve said he’s gay. But nobody did ask, so he and Wilhelm could continue to fly under the radar as close platonic friends.

We can also infer from Saran’s comment in 1.03 “Why are you sneaking around?” That at Marieberg, Simon was out and proud. But he wasn’t a pariah at Marieberg. People actually talked to him there. And he wasn’t deeply in love with a closeted guy at Marieberg.

It could also be another reason (as if Simon needed another) that Simon feels so betrayed by Wilhelm denying the video in 1.06. Simon has already compromised his principles for Wilhelm even before the video, by making allowances for Wilhelm’s closeted status and sneaking around secretively. And Wilhelm repaid Simon having previously compromised his principles by abandoning him altogether.

It’s one thing to let people assume you’re platonic friends and not actively correct them. It’s a whole other ballgame for Wilhelm to actively lie to the press and the entire world. Assertively affirming his (nonexistent) heterosexuality and his single status.

#young royals #prince wilhelm #simon eriksson #wilmon #young royals analysis #young royals season 1 #the show is about the class system #class young royals #privilege young royals #hierarchy young royals #social hierarchy #the closet young royals #sex tape young royals #wilmon betrayal #betrayal young royals #secrecy young royals #lies young royals #wilmon breakup #wilmon angst #wilmon secrecy #wilmon lies #Hillerska choir #Hillerska #class solidarity #class solidarity young royals #young royals angst #wilmon analysis #wilmon love #young royals favourite posts #Marieberg

[hilarioushilarity]

the funniest thing is when you realise that probably the only thing stopping Simon Eriksson from launching an actual coup was the fact that he'd be overthrowing Wille, and now that it's August -

#young royals #yr s3 spoilers #good luck August #the agreement was that Simon wouldn't say anything about August's involvement in the non-consensual sex tape #not that he wouldn't overthrow you #so like #yeah #good luck man #(and it's not like Wille's going to try to stop him for you lol) #Simon Eriksson

[enjoythesilentworld]

.... also.... the presumed storyline for August is that he was shipped off to Hillerska after his father's death. I could see where Kristina suggested or Erik himself decided to 'take August under his wing'

August is thinking "he's family, I can trust him" and then August is betrayed by Erik who subjects him to that awful initiation

just like when Wilhelm showed up to Hillerska and August takes him under his wing. "you can trust him he's family" and then Wilhelm is betrayed by August

#thinking... #i think publically releasing a sex tape is a bit more intense #a lot more individual blame can be placed on August in that sense #but also #Erik was the crown prince at the time #one word from him would've stopped the whole thing #yr s3 spoilers #young royals analysis #clearly im rewatching

[snallavanta]

i wonder if wilhelm's love interest was not of the same gender, would the whole sex tape still be as big a deal as it is now?

#young royals #young royals s1 #i feel like him being gay definitely played a part in making it such a big deal #but then again a sex tape of ANY kind is scandalous

[butimjustaliar]

nah bc let's talk about the agust x sara thing?

i get that she didn't sell him out in exchamge for a spot in the house, it was her dream and she didn't see the point in it, ok.

but having feelings for the guy who released a sex tape? of a minor? your brother?

like even if we say she doesn't care about simon (which i dont believe, their relationship is complicated but there's no hate between them, and they're still siblings yk), why would u date someone who has released a sex tape? EVEN CONSIDER sending them nudes? they've done revenge porn once, who says they wont do it again?

#i dont get it tbh #like how #and it's honestly kind of making me struggle through the season #like #i just DONT GET it #like even considering august did it out of fear #it's not a rumour #IT'S A SEX TAPE #young royals #hostmblr

[daylightaftertherain]

ok ok after sitting on s2 for a bit I think one thing yr did this season was play with perspectives, and put the viewers into the character's mindsets, specifically, simon's pov during the kiss at the valentine's ball, and wilhelm's pov during his speech.

when simon kisses wilhelm, we're trying to be happy, but the fact that he's cheating on marcus while doing so is always in the back of our heads. this is the same for simon too; we can see he's been pining hard, and some part of him is genuinely happy at finally letting himself be close to wille again. but, simon's aware he's cheating too, even if it's the the back of his mind. we understand simon's perspective in the moment, which is why the kiss didn't feel completely right.

and again, during the last speech in s2ep6, wille unofficially comes out by announcing he's in the video. In the moment, it feels like everything's been made right for him - he's stood his ground and proved to simon he's willing to be open about their relationship. I think we felt that too, but after finishing the season and thinking about everything that's happened as a whole, wille's act of confirming he's in the video doesn't solve any of the other problems and subplots that haven't gotten their closure yet. alex, august, sara, the fallout from the speech, and the crown's reactionand even the drug plot from s1 are still there, along with conversations wilmon still need to have with each other. the characters will probably understand that too, after the speech, thing are bound to turn into a shitshow, and after the high of the moment passes, they're still going to have to think about how all of their other problems are going to be solved, right alongside the viewers.

#ough so many conversations need to happen now that I think about it #simon needs to come clean to everyone about the drugs and wilmon still need to figure out how they;re going to deal with the crown #but yknow they're messy and still teens who aren't exactly experienced in dealing with a sex tape and coming out to the world #I don't think we should've expected any long convos about their past and their respective families just yet #there were six eps with so many things to resolve on top of the new plots let alone more conversations #and also wille's just figuring out how bad the pressure the crown uts on him is from his therapy sessions #and I honestly don't think simon's ready to just tell wille about micke anytime soon #young royals #yr s2 spoilers

[nope-nora]

soooo this is my young royal playlist…

#state of grace as wilmon at the end of s2 reblog if you agree <3 #it is in a sort of chronological order!! #revolution to snow on the beach is first meeting #they don’t know about us to illicit affairs is dating in secret (obviously lol) #why’d you only call me when you’re high to watching my phone is sex tape and aftermath #back to December to the exit is broken up and angsty beginning of s2 #emotions to somebody else is simon trying to move on #question to end is wilmon’s reconnection and reconciliation #young royals #wille x simon

[alliwantistowearcomfypants]

I'm rewatching Young Royals (i know), and wow, how Wille's mom reacts to the sex tape is disgusting. When she visits, it's not to support him. It's not to comfort him or be angry for him. No, she is there to tell him how to handle the situation publicly. There is not even a modicum of comfort. And then it turns out that she knew it was August and didn't tell him because it wouldnt change anything publicly. And she "knew how he would react" ??? I'm sorry but bitch what the fuck?? It is so disgustingly apparent that she really doesnt see him as a son first. She only sees that Prince Wilhelm caused another problem that they have to pick up, instead of seeing that her son just got horribly violated by someone he trusted.

#i hate her more then i hate august at this point #jesus christ #august is barely an adult and here is this grown ass MOTHER #being a horrible human being #young royals #prince wilhelm #wilmon #wilhelm x simon

[young-royals-confessions]

Just pitching in since I see so much discourse about will they or won’t they that I think we kind of lost the essence of the story: I mean yes, Netflix is promoting the whole are they going to be endgame or not, tune in to find out but I think that’s just a generic marketing tactic.I’ve honestly been ignoring it.

Also, Lisa doesn’t strike me as the type of writer that would push only her own personal agenda or politics to a tv show, especially one that has critical acclaim as yr. That’s not what true storytelling is about. Please bear with me (apologies in advance for the long response !) but here’s my v long winded reasoning:

The theme has always been love v. duty & the monarchy is the enemy. Wille is on a Hero’s Journey - he is ultimately the Main Character; the Young Royal. What’s great about The Hero’s Journey is that it’s easy to follow and makes for great storytelling despite its predictability. I think some people here may have touched upon this so I am simply expanding:

As a viewer, we follow Wille and get to know him. He’s a likable character and we easily root for him and feel for him when we learn about the power dynamics in play; specifically how he feels caged as a prince. Then we enter into a Call for Adventure: him falling for Simon and the high stakes he enters when his brother passes and he is now Crown Prince.

This, then, propels the story forward, given the stakes are stacked up and it’s not looking good for Wille, especially after he/we find out August was the offender for sex tape leak.

After that, we enter into The Refuse to Call for Adventure; i.e, the hero (Wille) realizes he must face the challenge. We also step into the Meeting the Mentor, which is Boris, who helps Wille learn how to stand up and ultimately fight for himself (and Simon). While I see others thinking that W might push everyone away, including skipping his appts with Boris, I do not think that’s the case. Boris was set up to be the Mentor that W needs to realize the challenge he’s been facing and we may continue seeing him open up to Boris.

This will then allow W to “Cross the Threshold” and reinforce the central theme and conflict of the story - if W continues to stay with the monarchy and his obligations as Crown Prince, he cannot choose Simon. Love or Duty? Which will prevail?

S3 crosses that threshold and produces tests and obstacles that would make the fight for his relationship w S so much more complicated (basically everything we saw in the trailer). This stage in the Hero’s Journey is meant for the audience to doubt the Hero - Wille. It’s already a testament as we are debating if W is going to denounce his title or not just from the 2 mins of what we saw from the trailer. It’s intentional. We need to doubt in order for the central theme to drive home and also portrays the monarchy to be the overarching enemy of this story, without Lisa forfeiting her own political statement.

We enter the next stage of the Journey - which is the Cave - meaning the Hero and protagonists need to regroup and prepare for a counter attack (generally speaking) because the tension is continuing to rise and there are outside forces that wish to disturb the Journey (in this case, public opinion? paparazzi? Hillerska shutting down?).

Next, we enter the Ordeal - which makes the Hero break down bc he enters a mental barrier and is pushed to a corner. However, the Hero, typically comes out stronger after this stage in storytelling.

Ultimately, we reach the end: The Reward. The Hero makes the “attack” or choice and defeats the enemy/antagonist.

Imo, with how everything is set up, I do think it’s set up for W and S to be together in the end at least the end of the show (everything else after is obviously left for the audience member to interpret).

I have no doubt that W & S are going to come up on top and still be together in the end bc like some people mentioned - what would be the point? It was never a question whether they would end up together. The question is if Wille, our Hero in this story, would make the final choice and choose between love or duty. I think Wille would choose love. What better way of making history, especially with everything that’s been happening in real events, then choosing love? That would make for a strong ending.

#young royals #hero's journey #wilhelm #yr s3 spoilers #s3 speculation #wilmon #wilmon endgame #love or duty

[raincitygirl76]

Speaking as of March 17, the day before 3.06 drops, I don't see August's arc in 3.01 to 3.05 as a redemption arc. Yeah, he's done one more genuinely nice thing in his life than before S3: for his third years, walking back from the homophobic sexual degradation that he experienced in his own initiation as a first year. Go him.

That's a good thing he's done, no question. But he still organized terrifying initiations (even if they weren't quite as bad as his own), he still got booze from Simon for the initiation party that he'd never had any intention of paying for.

August also allowed his lawyer to make that outrageous statement in 3.01 denying that the video was defamatory. The only reason he's not in jail awaiting trial on CP charges is because he has money and connections to make his criminal act disappear. That's not original, about the money and connections, but I forget who said it first. @unfortunate17 or @billfarrah , maybe... He was also smug rather than penitent while everybody was signing the paperwork.

Also, August persists in walking all over Sara's boundaries. He visits her at Micke's without warning, and doesn't apologize for the position he put her in. He uses that Conversation to remind her that she and he have similar dads, except Micke is alive and Carl Johan is dead. He's trying to play on Sara's sympathy. Even though the whole reason she feels she has to live with Micke is because of august's past bad actions.

And he repeatedly defies her wishes about not wanting to read his first year letter. He follows her out to the dumpster and insists on reading it to her to tug on her heartstrings. Even after she was clear she didn't want to read it and gave it back to him.

Now, was August being manipulative in S3 on purpose? No. But he and Sara aren't an example of a healthy relationship just because in S3 Wilhelm and Simon have an unhealthy relationship. I know I shouldn't use the word healthy, but at the moment I can't think of a suitable synonym.

So yeah, now he's done exactly two nice things in his life that we know of:

Buying Sara for Rousseau

Dialling back the sexual intimidation on the Forest Ridge initiations when he was a third year. Although the initiations August presided over were no walk in the park, so let's not give him too much credit.

I'm not saying he's a soulless monster. He's only 18 going on 19, he has time to improve before we write him off altogether. But he has STILL never apologized to Simon and Wilhelm for the sexual violation he inflicted on them. As soon as the NDA was safely signed, his own bad actions regarding the video were in August's rear view mirror.

So yeah, he listened to Boris and he tried to do a nice thing or two. But he’s still August.

#young royals #queue #wilmon #august horn of årnäs #fuck you august #sara and august #august horn #sargust #August horn analysis #Sara eriksson #Sara Eriksson analysis #trauma young royals #Prince erik #sex tape young royals #nda #nda young royals #simon eriksson #prince wilhelm #reception arc #initiation young royals #Micke eriksson #lies young royals #secrecy young royals #young royals analysis #yr s3 spoilers #yr s3 #yr spoilers #graduation young royals #graduation dinner #graduation dinner young royals

[jungle-angel]

The One With The Home Movies (Rhett Abbott x Reader)

Summary: You and Rhett find some old home movies of his parents and decide to watch them

Warnings: Pregnancy, birth, mentions of custody battles, Royal being a pain in Cecelia's ass etc.

Tagging: @floydsmuse @bradleybeachbabe @callmemana @attapullman

"Jeebus, Mary and Joseph, how fuckin hard is it to find a fuckin Disney movie in this house?" Rhett muttered under his breath as he went through the box of video tapes in the closet.

His efforts weren't proving much as he tried to find a movie that wouldn't scare the bejesus out of Amy, despite the fact that she was only six months old and wouldn't be paying attention. Hercules? That was always a good one.

"The hell?"

He pulled a videotape from the box, the masking tape on the side labeled "Roy and Cece, '92-'93". He set it aside and kept searching, finding a bunch of others labeled with his parents' names and their dates stretching all the way back to at least 1985.

"Whatcha lookin for Rhett?" Royal asked him.

"Tryna find a movie for Amy, all I found was uh......Hercules and......this," Rhett answered.

Royal took the tape from him, laughing a little. "Not sure if she's gonna wanna watch this," he chuckled. "Completely forgot about this one."

"What? Ya'll made a sex tape back in the day?"

Rhett laughed as Royal swatted at him, missing him by barely an inch. "You're somethin else boy," Royal told him. "I'll pop it in after lunch and we'll see what's on it."

As soon as his father's back was turned, Rhett made a face and thrust his hips back and forth, thinking Royal wouldn't notice.

As soon as lunch was over and Amy had been put upstairs for a nap, you and Rhett gathered in the living room with his parents to see what horrors lay in wait on the videotape.

"Hope it still works," Cecelia said, crawling under the fuzzy throw blanket with Royal.

The VCR clicked and the video began playing, the date April of 1992 displayed across the bottom corner of the screen. You and Rhett were shocked when you saw a very young Cecelia Abbott appear on screen, holding a little stick in her hand and the voice of a small toddler running around and babbling in the background.

"Alright what's up?" asked Royal's voice. "Is it showin?"

"Yep, there it is," Cecelia answered, showing him the stick. "Showin positive."

"Oh my God," Royal chuckled. "Oh holy shit......I didn't think doin it like we did would work......"

"Oh Dad that's nasty!!!" Rhett blurted out, laughing.

"What? I didn't think it would," Royal said before Cecelia smacked his shoulder.

You laughed too, turning your attention back to the TV, the footage cutting to some time later in June, showing Royal and Cecelia in Montana with John and Evelyn Dutton.

"Oh God, I remember that day," Cecelia chuckled. "I miss her so bad."

"Yeah, get it! Get it! Show it off!" Royal's voice told her.

You both laughed as young Cecelia showed off her unnoticeable bump along with Evelyn, the two of them bantering with their husbands.

"So this was with you?" you asked Rhett.

"Yep," he answered, a huge grin plastered on his face.

"Oh God here we go," Royal said. "This was the day Perry found out he was getting a baby brother."

You giggled a little when you saw the date of August, 1992 on the bottom of the screen, Royal still behind the camera and Cecelia pointing out all the details in the sonogram photo in her hands.

"What am I seein?" Royal asked.

"Right there," Cecelia said, pointing it out.

"Right where?"

"Right there! Look with your eyes ya moron," Cecelia chuckled.

"OOOOOH!!!" Royal exclaimed. "Oh jeebus!!! He's fuckin flashin us!"

You and Rhett laughed as his parents rolled their eyes.

"I no wanna baby bruver!" the two year old in the video pouted.

"Well, you're gettin a baby brother Per," Royal told him.

"No I not."

"Yeah you are."

It continued like that for a good minute and a half, you and Rhett shaking your heads.

"And that is where your father learned quickly, never to pick a fight with a two year old," Cecelia laughed.

Back to the TV your eyes turned with more footage to come, jumping quick from August to December. "Oh God I remember that year," Cecelia groaned. "My mother had me on bedrest after Alabama defeated the Hurricanes."

"You know you're gonna need to quit scarin us right?" Royal said, his nose pressed against Cecelia's bump, herself half hidden as she held the video camera. She laughed when he gave her an annoyed side-eyed look, the fabric of her denim shirt stretching when the baby's foot nudged against his father's nose.

"Ya'll see what the little fucker just did?" he asked.

"No I did not just feel my lungs getting rearranged and moved in fifteen different directions," Cecelia laughed.

"He keeps it up I'm giving him his eviction notice."

"Ya'll will do no such thing," Cecelia told him. "If I go into early labor it's on you and you're taking Perry for an entire month."

"Yes dear," Royal sighed.

"Jeez ya'll must've been those last few weeks, huh?" Rhett asked his father.

"Try the last month," Royal answered.

"Oh jeez here it comes," Cecelia laughed.

You and Rhett were squirming a little when the video cut to the day Rhett was born, January 29th of '93. The footage showed poor Cecelia all laid up in her bed, the very same room upstairs in the house that hadn't changed in the last 31 years, laying on her side and her hand on her belly as she tried to plow through the labor pains.

"So.....ya'll want me to get a double wide shot o' this or pan down?" Royal asked before she flipped him the bird.

"If ya'll get even so much as one shot of anything comin out down there, I'm gonna kick your ass," Cecelia groaned.

You and Rhett couldn't help but laugh when suddenly it cut to the actual birth footage. "OH GOD DAD!!!! FAST FORWARD!!! FAST FORWARD!!!!" Rhett blurted out.

"I'm tryin! I'm tryin!" Royal insisted, trying to use the remote to fast forward.

Cecelia laughed a little. "Revenge, thirty something years in the making," she chuckled.

When Royal was finally able to fast forward through the nasty parts, he stopped at the one part that had you melting and Rhett's cheeks growing hot with embarrassment. You couldn't believe how adorable Rhett was as a newborn, his face pinker than the sunset and a head full of dark hair, all snuggled under his little blanket.

"Aw look how cute you were?" you teased.

Rhett felt a flush of heat going from his cheeks down to his chest.

"Yeah he was cute but when he turned two, he turned into a lil devil," Cecelia joked.

Now it was yours, Rhett's and Cecelia's turn to embarrass Royal when a shot of him holding Baby Rhett came on the screen, the tiny little baby practically being swallowed up by his blanket and his father's arms all at once.

"Are ya'll cryin?" Cecelia asked, aiming the camera at her husband and newborn son.

"Nope," Royal croaked.

"Bullshit, you're cryin," Cecelia chuckled.

You went through the rest of the video, all of you half laughing and half crying. It was a part of your in-laws' past that you had never seen before, a side of them that had only returned when Perry had been kicked out of the house.

"Are you actually crying?" you asked, noting the misty look in your husband's eyes.

"Darlin I'm fuckin laughin," Rhett chuckled.

"Bullshit, I know you better than that," you laughed, kissing him on the lips.

You couldn't see it, but the smiles on Royal and Cecelia's faces said it all.

#rhett abbott #rhett abbott x reader #royal abbott #cecelia abbott #royal x cecelia abbott #outer range

[enjoythesilentworld]

laughing my ass off at Rickard saying "ya so you're a shit person!" straight to August's face who's just like "wtf :("

#lawyers tellin the hard truth #but like... ya august releasing a sex tape i think makes you a bit of a shit person #young royals

[brownbitchshit]

The most baffling part about Young Royals for me is that we got three seasons of this series with Wilhelm living through a whiplash of tragedies and events (like having a club fight, starting Hillershka, meeting Simon, falling for Simon, losing his brother, having his sex tape leaked, denying his involvement in the said tape, breaking up with Simon, almost killing August, winning back Simon, coming out publicly)and Edvin Rydin living through 4 years of his life and growing a feet taller at least and there is still two months till graduation aka the school year is STILL going on? Wilmon is STILL in first year? Not to mention Wilhelm joined the school a bit later in the term. I mean how many months is in this school year? How does year work in YR universe?

#young royals #wilmon #edvin ryding #omar rudberg

[dusty-daydreams]

Beyond the setting of elite school and working class town in Young Royals, education is also a great setting to examine the implications of class.

On the surface, Simon and Sara have this great opportunity to study at this Elite school, it should in theory set them up for life. Except class is not as a simple as getting into the right classes (if you'll excuse the pun).

Sara is clearly talented with horses and attending Hillerska gives her opportunities to develop this talent - BUT horses are an expensive hobby/field. Sara cannot get as far in horse related fields, as say Felice, despite Felice having zero talent with horses, because where Felice can afford to buy and upkeep a horse, Sara can't. Sara's family can't even afford to keep her in long-lasting jodhpurs.

Simon is extremely talented with music and singing, and attending Hillerska gives him opportunities to develop this talent - BUT he has not had formal music lessons, and can't read music, or fully play piano, beyond what he has been able to figure out himself (or potentially with his dad's help). Wille, with no interest in music (beyond getting starry eyed at his boyfriend's voice) can play piano and read music as a result of a royal upbringing.

The working-class kids with the passion and talent, are starting behind the upper-class kids with the resources (but no genuine interest in the areas)

The resource gap is even more overt in the straight academic classes. It is implied that math at least, but possibly all the academic classes are subjects that Simon and Sara excelled at, but Simon's math mark drops, not because his work ethic has but because he does not the resources to pay for the corrupt bribery marking system at Hillerska. He also doesn't have the same time resources as the other students who board and have weekend access to the teachers. Attending an elitist school serves no purpose if you 'fail' at the school.

Which brings back the drug issue in season 1 - Simon is caught in a catch 22. He sells drugs to afford to bribe the teachers. BUT his position is precarious - if he as a working-class second generation immigrant is caught selling drugs he risks prison and criminal charges. Whereas the upper class kids he is selling too (via August!) get caught, they depending on their degree of privilege will be expelled and sent to a different elite school (lower-upper class), be suspended and need to make a 'donation to return' (middle-upper class like Alexander, or potentially be on the receiving end of in-school punishment (upper-upper class). The consequences for Wille at the pinnacle of the hierarchy depends on who finds out - if it is kept under wraps, he is unlikely to receive any direct punishment - as that would expose the secret (which isn't to say that he would be mistreated by his emotionally abusive family), if the public finds out, he is likely to quietly withdrawn and put into a rehab to 'correct his ways'.

Being poor is expensive.

The consequences for what happens to Simon and Sara, may not be worse than the consequences for their upper-class counterparts, but they are more expensive.

Let's take the example of the sex tape -

There are three people involved: Wille, Simon and August

The consequences for August for perpetrating a sexual crime, recording and publishing revenge child porn: the crime is covered up in order to protect him, and the royal family by his association with them. Ultimately he is prepared to promoted to the ready-made job of 'working royal' a career that we know he desires.

The consequences for Wille: He is potentially outed, this poses a threat to the royal family's stability, he denies the video and immediately frees himself from the public consequences of the video, loses his relationship with his lover as a result. This is all very sad, and the undeniable tragedy of season 1 but it is not expensive.

The consequences for Simon (notably the only one that cannot deny any connection to the video): Simon is outed to the entire public, interested world. His undeniable visage is publicly blasted, attached to his name. We are shown that 'Sweden Crown Prince Boyfriend' is a top search. Any potential employer that does a cursory google of Simon (if they didn't already know who he was) would stumble across his scandalous underage sex tape (that most people think was with the Crown Prince, but pre-season 2 finale would be politely pretending it wasn't). Revenge Porn, is in part 'revenge' because it demonstrably limits it's victims ability to be employed.

If Simon were to take August to court, August would have the support of lawyers from the royal court (as we are told in Season 2). Simon with fewer resources, would possibly end up in a long, expensive war of attrition that August would win, and that would even more publicly tie Simon, his name, his face to the video.

I also think that it is significant that Simon and his mother consider withdrawing him from Hillerska in the immediate aftermath of the tape. Something that Wille and August don't need to think about. August's actions could have cost Simon's education as well as his future employment prospects.

TLDR: Class is about more than money, it's about the resources that give people opportunities that others don't have and disproportionately punishes people at the bottom of the hierarchy. It's a system that holds Simon and Sara back even when they get into class with their "class betters". It's a system that makes any mistake made by or against the working class, expensive as well as traumatic.

#young royals #young royals meta #the show is about the class system #i am back with extremely wordy takes on the class system in young royals #being poor is expensive #simon eriksson #sara eriksson #felice ehrencrona #wilhelm #august

[piebingo]

It’s already been said but it’s worth being repeated: one of the things I like the most about Young Royals is that the bad people do good things and the good people do bad things.

It’s important to show that someone who is genuinely good to their core can do bad things and hurt other people, like Wille and Simon did, to other people and each other. Wille hurt Simon countless of times, he hurt Felice too, yet he still is a good person. Simon hurt Sara and Linda, strung Marcus along and hurt Wille, yet he’s still a good person.

And on the other end we have August, who I would consider a pretty bad person. He has a lot of prejudices against people that are "lower" than him and outed Wille through a sex tape that was taken and posted without Wille and Simon’s permission or knowledge, without feeling any remorse. Yet, he still does good things and wants to make other people happy. He was the only one to go against Vincent and defend Simon, even if he doesn’t care about Simon and wants his captain status back. He was genuinely sweet with Sara and although I think they were both projecting what they wanted of the other person on each other, he cared for her and wanted to make her happy.

Irl, bad people do good things and good people do bad things, and it’s nice to see it reflected in the show. It’s not only nice, it’s important to show it. It’s like whenever someone is accused of abuse or SA or whatever else, and people close to that person say no but they’re really sweet and kind and help people in need! Of course they didn’t do what you���re accusing them of doing, you must be lying and like no. That’s not how people work. Someone can be really kind and a shitty person, and someone can do some questionable things sometimes because people make mistakes and be genuinely good to their core. I really like that they showed that. People aren’t so black and white.

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[heliza24]

Simon doesn't repress his emotions, actually

There seems to be a widely held fanon understanding of Simon that goes something like this: Simon hides and represses his emotions, and his relationship with Wilhelm is what opens him up. I disagree with this characterization. In fact, I think Simon is actually very in touch with his emotions, and expresses them openly to his family and friends. Wilhelm and August are much better examples of emotional repression than Simon is, and if anything, the show is commenting on how the restrictive class system that raised Wilhelm and August fosters emotional repression. 

I can think of lots of examples where Simon is very open with people he loves and trusts, even when that openness might lead to conflict. I think he is really pretty open with Sara in a lot of ways. Their argument towards the end of season 1 is such a perfect encapsulation of this. He expresses how much he loves Sara and wants a good relationship with her, and also how frustrated he is by how she is pulling away from the family. 

He is also consistently open and unguarded with Rosh and Ayub. He tells them about how he’s feeling about his relationship with Wilhelm in season 1, about how he feels during the fallout from the sex tape, about his changing feelings about Marcus in season 2, and about the prospect of getting back together with Wilhelm.  The scene where Simon falls asleep on the phone with Ayub is one of the most tender, emotionally open scenes I’ve ever seen on television. 

Simon also channels his emotions into his music, which is a healthy and appropriate way to deal with the heartache he’s experiencing. We see him slowly crafting his song over the course of season 2, and returning to the keyboard when he’s feeling especially distraught. Creation of art like this requires self introspection, and I think Simon has that in spades.

What Simon doesn’t do, especially in season 2, is confide in Wilhelm. But this isn’t because Simon is afraid to talk about his feelings at all. He’s making the conscious decision to withdraw from Wilhelm, because Wilhelm deeply hurt Simon and betrayed his confidence at the end of Season 1. Drawing conscious boundaries like that also requires self introspection; working to keep yourself emotionally safe is not the same thing as repressing your emotions.

I think it’s easy to interpret Simon not talking to Wilhelm as Simon squashing his emotions because Wilhelm is the protagonist of the show, so we naturally see the world of Young Royals through his eyes. So when Simon doesn’t share with Wilhelm, it feels like he is also refusing to share with us, the viewer. But that’s why Lisa and the writers chose to create Rosh and Ayub, so that Simon would have confidants that he trusted, that were outside of the hostile class system of Hillerska. They are great characters, but they’re also devices that allow Simon to show the audience how he is truly feeling. 

In my post about Simon and radical acceptance, I talked about how I see Simon’s arc in season 2 being about accepting that he is still in love with Wilhelm. I should maybe make it clear that I don’t think that he doesn’t understand or express how he’s feeling at the beginning of season 2. He tells Rosh and Ayub that he is still stuck on Wilhelm, and he starts writing his song to express his heartbreak. But at the beginning of season 2 he is trying to move on from those feelings, and leave the drama with Wilhelm behind.  The change comes in the way that he accepts that he is in love with Wilhelm by the end of season 2, and decides that it is worth walking towards their relationship, even if it could lead to him getting hurt.  I think as a fandom we need to be careful not to reduce all of Simon’s emotions to whether or not he is actively pursuing Wilhelm. He is a complete character who expresses his emotions whether or not he’s with Wilhelm.

It kind of baffles me that Simon gets brought up when we talk about emotional repression, but Wilhelm and August are never mentioned. Both were raised in families where stoicism is valued above all else. (This is especially true in the Royal Family). Both are grieving (Wilhelm for Erik, and August for Erik and his dad), but we hardly hear them talk about this after the initial loss, even as it continues to motivate their actions. Both have physical manifestations of the emotions they are trying to repress (Wilhelm has physical symptoms of anxiety; August punishes his body through disordered eating in an attempt to maintain control of his emotions.)  Wilhelm is eventually able to open up to Boris, but it takes a lot of coaxing over several sessions. August flat out refuses to be honest with Boris at all.  

When @bluedalahorse and I were discussing this idea of emotional repression, the male characters’ relationship to anger came up a lot. I think the stereotype of emotional repression in men is that they are pressured to appear perfectly still and stoic at all times. But in reality, anger in men is often viewed as neutral or logical, and is therefore the socially acceptable method for engaging with any and all emotions. 

I think a large part of Simon’s character is a sense of righteous anger. We see this come up in different ways for him. He gets angry at the class system of Hillerska, at his dad, at August, at Marcus, and at Wilhelm. He often manages to translate that anger into an assertion of boundaries, which is a healthy way to use those feelings. He manages to set up boundaries with Wilhelm and with Marcus, for instance. And even when he does explode in a way that is unhelpful or dangerous, he has Rosh and Ayub to call him out and reel him back in, like when he jumps on August in season 1. I’m not saying Simon has a perfect relationship with anger; he definitely doesn’t. But I think he has a much healthier relationship with it than August or even Wilhelm, who uses anger as a substitute for sadness and grief.

August spends most of season 1 translating his distress into being a bully to the boys in Forest Ridge and shitty boyfriend to Felice. Shooting and posting the video also feels like a way to channel his sadness through anger to me. He records Wilhelm the same night that he admits that his dad’s suicide made him feel guilty. This is the only time that we hear him talk about his dad at all, and he immediately covers up this moment of emotional vulnerability with an act of aggression against the person he shared it with.

Wilhelm has a really hard time dealing with the sadness he feels at the loss of Simon in season 2. Wilhelm spent so long repressing his emotions, and finally felt like he could confide in someone when he met Simon. But in season 2, that one emotional outlet is taken away from him (with good reason from Simon’s point of view), so instead he lashes out, first at his mom and then at August, neither of whom are directly responsible for the breakup in the same way that Wilhelm is. 

So if we’re going to talk about emotional repression and growth towards openness and vulnerability in Young Royals, I think we should be talking mainly about Wilhelm and August. A big question of the show is if these two characters are going to arrive at a place where they no longer repress their emotions. Right now Wilhelm is moving in the right direction, and August is backsliding. But it will be really interesting to track how they evolve in season 3. 

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