I will always have a soft spot in my heart for characters running around looking for their loved ones in a panic. One of my favourite things. And Edvin delivered. My god, that was beautiful. I felt that in my bones.
I hope Wilmon get to brush their teeth side by side. I don’t know why and it is so random but also not. I am still thinking about Simon packing his toothbrush for his weekend with Wille. It would be so cute.
edvin saying simon and wille’s story does not end here we just don’t get to see it this time is hitting harder than I thought- he said it perfectly, they just get to live a normal life together now but that’s not for us to see 🥹
When the episode starts, Wille is laying his head on Erik’s casket. He reaches out for some dirt on it as the last conversation they have when Erik leaves Wille at Hillerska in episode 1 plays in the background. The words' dual meaning becomes obvious.
Wille touches the dirt, feels it. The dirt is real. There's not much of it, but it's real. And he's losing it. He's lost the one thing in his life that is real--his relationship with his brother, Erik.
For most of his life, I’d imagine that Erik was the only person in the world with whom Wille could be fully real. And Erik was probably one of the only people who was real with Wille back. The only person with whom he could have a real relationship. Who didn’t expect a polite, respectful prince and nothing else. Who would tell Wille to run on the count of three during a boring photoshoot and slip down the muddy hill with him.
And then Erik dies. The only real connection that Wille can ever remember having in the world is gone. And Wille is realizing that he pushed the very last glimmer of a real connection away. And nothing feels real any more. So Wille goes to the football field where he was with Simon, a place where he felt truly normal, looking for something that will make him feel real. And all he finds is astroturf—no real dirt. He realizes that without Simon, there’s nothing real left in his life. No one who sees him and accepts him for who he really is. No one who knows the real Wille, who is messy and dirty, and still cares for him regardless.
And it sinks in. Without Erik, there’s nothing tethering Wille to this earth any more. The rest of the world seems further and further away. Fake, as Wille discovers the astroturf on the soccer field is. So, Wille reaches out for Simon, the one person who can ground him again.
The only real thing that Wille has left in his life is Simon. He’s the only person left who would ever be fully real with Wille. Tell Wille that he’s actually the country's biggest welfare recipient. Give Wille shit when he tries to hide from August. Discreetly laugh in August’s face with him. Dare him to evade the cousin he hates for an evening to experience something totally normal with real people.
And not only that, but Simon is the only person left in his life who Wille can be fully real with at this point. No one else has any idea about the sexuality crisis that Wille is going through or how that plays into any of his feelings about ascending to the role of Crown Prince. No one has any idea about what happened between him and Simon. No one knows that he doesn’t really like August, or the school, or his role. Except Simon. Simon is the only one left who sees Wille for himself—a real person rather than a personification of his title.
And, as Wille points out, what he and Simon have—what he feels for Simon, at the very least—is real. Wille has tried to fight it, but the sheer reality of it rips through the paper-thin fake layers with which Wille tries to shield himself. “I’m not like that” and “I can’t do this any more.” But alone, out on the field, where Wille expected to find the normalcy he felt when he went to Rosh’s game, he’s surrounded by only reminders that nothing left is real.
So Wille reaches out for Simon—the only one who can ground him again. Because unlike the astroturf on which Prince Wilhelm's life is built, dirt is real. What they have is real. And real life is messy, it’s dirty, and you can pretend otherwise, but you’ll end up falling down in the mud either way. And Wille is choosing to grasp at the only thing left that he sees in his life that is real. Simon.
I just watched the little "I can show you" snippet again and I'm so overcome with emotions I simply cannot....... believe........ that we will get to see them be together and be honest and open with each other and talk about their dreams and wishes and everything........ TOGETHER.... we will see that......... so soon we will be able to see all that.... them being soft and gentle and understanding with each other........... i'm f I nE
Before it all, this initial part, everything about it, it's beautiful, makes me (all of us?) a little insane.. ❤️
He kisses him, they're kissing! Do you want this? As soon as he sees Simon's face reflecting that incomparable feeling of finally, safe, just right.. the feel of his hand upon his neck caressing up in his hair, yes I want this, it's impassioned urgency! A need like finding water after days in the desert, hands everywhere to bring him closer, as close as can be. No going back now, it's been long enough. 💜
btw young royals' central thesis for wille is still "the problem isn't that he likes a boy, the problem is that he's a prince" and people need to remember that
also I was going to put the rest in the tags but yknow what
yes I KNOW he can't realistically abdicate YET, but I'm saying it's the best resolution for him and not just because it would give him and simon an easier time!! if the fandom weren't so caught up in yelling about how the only happy or good ending is wilmon endgame (seperate rant that I texted avie yesterday but not the point of this post) maybe we could have a discussion about wille abdicating would be more for himself than any relationship he may or may not be in.
even if he and simon broke up the source of his problems would still lie PRIMARILY with the monarchy, and removing himself from that would be the first step to HIM recovering and healing and growing, not his relationship w simon. that's a seperate matter and seperate problem that can only be properly addressed after abdication because while he is a prince and part of a corrupted and vicious system, he cannot be a good person to himself, simon, or any of his friends and family.
what do you think wilmon is doing right now at this very moment on april 23, 2024?
Ohhhh this ask :')
I imagine them waking up in each other's arms, going through with the morning slow and relaxed and full of little smiles. They took the day off because the work load was tiring for them. It's Wilhelm's turn to cook today. Their apartment is aglow with the summer sun shining through the curtains. Wilhelm is thinking about his birthday in a month and how ready he is to turn 20, to shed his past years like a skin and starting his 20s with a fresh step, with Simon by his side. The only good thing he gained from that life. Simon has already started planning Wille's birthday. They discuss laundry and electricity bills over the coffee machine, and it's the happiest they have been.
I've come to the conclusion that loving young royals doesn't mean I can't be critical about it, maybe especially bc I love the show so much I have such strong feelings about it, good and bad and I can love parts of canon and agree with it and appreciate it but I don't have to love it all. I have accepted that it's okay if I don't accept the ending and I don't have to force myself to support it. It's okay to not agree with all of canon and it's okay to not side with all of the creators' intentions/views. Loving a show doesn't mean you have to take everything the writers say on face value and that's the only version that is allowed to exist. Canon isn't everything and fandom is about curating your own experience that makes you happy and not miserable. You don't have to dismiss canon in every aspect and ignore it entirely, that's certainly not what I want but there is a fine line between being canon respectful, allowing some parts to exist and sometimes, yes, you just have to say "fuck canon" and move on for your own sanity and wellbeing