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sflow-er · 1 year

Note

Good morning Sflow :)

For the ask game I'd love to hear your thoughts about these two, if you feel like answering (no pressure though!):

🍭why did you start writing?

🌿how does creating make you feel?

Thank you. Wishing you a lovely day! <3

Good evening, friend 💛

I saved your ask for last because these are both really deep questions, and I've actually spent a lot of time reflecting on them today, especially the first one. So, exactly the kind I'd expect from you, and they deserve the kind of rambling personal answers you know to expect from me.

I'll put a cut here to make it easier for people to scroll on if they aren't interested, but of course anyone who is interested is welcome to read my answers!

🍭why did you start writing?

I guess the short answer is, as a creative outlet. But there is also a very long answer, as I've started writing several times over the course of my life.

On the first time, I started for my little brother. We played a lot of imagination games when we were kids, and I wanted to expand on those. We had an imaginary world with about two dozen characters but could only play a few of them at the same time, the stories were 'lost' when the game ended, and I had too many ideas anyway. So I started drawing and writing some of them down. This first phase went on from age 9 to 14 or so.

On the second time (overlapping the first), I started for narrative closure. A video game that I was completely obsessed with had a sad ending, so I wrote another. It was fun, so I went on to another story I wanted to continue, characters I wanted to expand on, and so on. I wrote most of these in my English notebook, for which I also got extra credit and feedback from my English teacher.

After a couple of years of just writing in my notebook, I discovered that I was doing a thing called fan fiction, and there were places to put it online. So I started doing that. Eventually, I got an original idea, and I wrote a story of about 50k and even started a sequel. This second phase lasted from age 13 to 19/20.

Then I started at uni. Life got in the way, and my creativity was gone. I never finished the sequel, and even when I eventually got obsessed with a new piece of media and tried to write something for it, I just couldn't get anything coherent down. I eventually took down all my old fics too, thinking that chapter of my life was closed for good. This phase lasted until I watched Young Royals at the age of 33.

On the third time, I started as an outlet for my suddenly reborn creativity - and my still very fragile ace identity. I found the rich world of YR incredibly inspiring and wanted to continue the story (as we didn't even know if there would be an S2). I also really wanted to contribute something to the fandom that was growing around it, but I didn't have the confidence or the ideas to focus on Wilmon.

Well, as luck would have it, there was a veritable blank slate of a minor character who would be perfect for a canon expansion and even gave me a vague ace vibe for some reason. And if I made him asexual, well, figuring out how he felt about various stuff would be a good excuse to work on myself on the side. I wasn't sure if I actually had the guts to make that part of his characterisation visible in the fic, and he'd have to be very different from me as I never liked self-inserts, but yeah. That could be interesting.

I'm still in this third phase, although the self-reflection has taken a backseat now.

🌿how does creating make you feel?

It's hard to describe. One part of it is just plain relief, because it gets to a point where you really just need an outlet for all the creative energy. One part is this huge sense of accomplishment and satisfaction over seeing the thing you imagined and planned come together. It was just something you cooked up in your head, and now it's out there, making sense. Or at least being its own aesthetic/artistic entity. Either way, you did it, wow.

And of course one part is the joy of knowing that people enjoyed something you made and/or it touched them. I had sort of forgotten about that while I wasn't writing, and I'm very grateful to have experienced it again.

Thank you again for these wonderful asks!

Ask list for reference.

#prompted personal disclosure #ask game #writing ask #fic writer asks #fic writing #scatteredpiecesofme #ace fic

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sflow-er · 1 year

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Good morning friend!!

about the music ask game: I honestly would love to hear your answers to ALL of them, haha!! But I will pick three (feel free to skip if you have already answered in other asks):

5 - 15 - 25

Thank you! Sending you hugs and good vibes <3

Afternoon, friend! 💜 Hugs and good vibes are much appreciated; I'm swamped with work and the content I'm translating this week happens to be really triggering for me. So, these are a very welcome distraction!

Let's see then...

5: A song that needs to be played LOUD

Honestly, this applies to most songs by most of my favourite bands. But I'm Not Okay is the classic answer so let's go with that, haha.

15. A song that is a cover by another artist

You're getting two, because I can't choose.

Let the record show that I do not like the original by Atomic Kitten. At all. But I've been absolutely obsessed with Daði's cover since he performed that short sample at the ESC. I'm a bit obsessed with Daði himself too, in the most middle-aged way possible (the "he and his wife seem like they'd fit right into our friend group" way).

This on the other hand has been my favourite cover for a really long time. It was such a perfect fit for Matt's voice and the band's style at the time. (I used to be really into Muse once; haven't listened to them much since The Resistance let me down. I should probably try their newer stuff, I hear some of it is very good.)

#not yr #ask game #music asks #scatteredpiecesofme

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sflow-er · 2 years

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Hi Sflow! Hope your having a good writing day :)

May I ask you 14, 30 and 39? (If you don't like or don't feel comfortable with any of these feel free to skip/ignore them).

Thank you!

Hi!! <3 I am, thank you. Lost a bit of time on a couple of unexpected things but most of it has been productive. And these are really interesting questions, thank you so much for the ask! :)

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

Honestly? Anything too dark (e.g. abusive relationships), or even just super explicit smut. I generally steer clear of such content, but I might make an exception for a writer who I know is really excellent and/or a close friend. There's also other stuff I don't particularly enjoy, such as love triangles and cheating, so those can sometimes fall into this category too.

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

God yeah. I think everyone who's read 'Other people's secrets' or seen me rambling about it here knows all the stuff about asexuality was extremely personal to me and putting it out there was therefore well out of my comfort zone. It profoundly changed my writing, as I'm no longer afraid of writing about it (or other personal stuff), and I will probably keep doing that in some form.

But I'm sure you'd like to learn something new that was out of my comfort zone to even write, so... I can also reveal that I once wrote kind of graphic smut. I was 18/19 and it felt like the story I was writing needed it and the readers probably expected it - so I went ahead and wrote some, basically just emulating stories I'd seen and read. At the time, I still thought the parts I felt disconnected from would make sense to me one day, and in a way, writing it was fine. It really did fit the story, and the feedback was extremely positive. But I also knew I never wanted to do it again, so all my stories since then have either faded to black or just not included sex at all.

Right now, I'm at a place where I'm open to including sex in some form if the story demands it, but I don't think I'll ever write anything even remotely explicit again.

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

Wow, what an interesting question! Maybe my compulsive planning, research and obsession with detail. It's partly inspired by my work as a translator, but I'd say part of it has definitely been affected by authors I've read. I'm sure there are many, but only two come to mind right now.

One of them was an author I don't want to name because she's an awful, toxic, dangerous person. She doesn't deserve the credit, but her ability to hide hints about future events in the series in the early books really impressed me when I was young (it seemed to demonstrate some serious planning). I must stress that I had no idea what she was like, and I was completely blind to all the problematic aspects of the books at the time. I'm sorry to even allude to her now.

On a more positive note, I'd say Don Rosa has also been a pretty big influence! Not sure if you know him, but he's a now-retired comic book artist whose history/adventure stories are some of the most meticulously researched and detailed I've ever enjoyed in any medium. Through that realism, he manages to create levels of suspense, drama, and sometimes even emotional tension that are simply incredible (for example, I get goosebumps just thinking about this one scene set in a burning saloon). This is all particularly impressive because Rosa's protagonist is none other than (a young version of) Disney's Scrooge McDuck! So in a way he's actually a pretty good idol for fanfic writers, haha.

Thank you so, so much for the ask! I hope you're having a lovely night. <3

Ask list for reference.

#ask #scatteredpiecesofme #ask game #fic writing

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sflow-er · 2 years

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I can't believe I was the one who told you that yes, splitting ch2 in two parts was a good idea and made sense, and now that I've just finished reading the last line I'm like wait! no? you can't just interrupt it here, I want more! I need to know what comes next! LOL my total lack of coherence 😄

So, in case you couldn't tell, I loved it and I'm going to sleep with a big smile on my face 💛

Goodnight! 🌙✨

Aww, I'm sorry!! 💜 I hope it helps to know your ask put a huge smile on my face too. The cut-off point was actually one of two possible options, and the other would have been a lot more frustrating! There might have been some phones thrown at walls.

Also, thanks for helping me get off the fence about splitting it! I'm so glad I get to focus properly on editing ch3 instead of either rushing it or getting stuck on re-editing ch2. There's some nice stuff in here, haha.

Thank you so much for this ask and good night to you too - I'm overjoyed to hear you liked the chapter!! 🌙💛

(I guess I'll add a link to the story; I'll do a promo post when ch3 is out but this is about my Walty+Wilmon fic Matters of adjustment.)

#ask #scatteredpiecesofme #young royals fanfic #matters of adjustment #other people's secrets

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sflow-er · 1 year

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YR Season 3 speculations: a layperson’s take on the criminal justice side

I’ve been considering making this kind of post for a while, because I’ve seen a lot of hopeful takes on how things are going to play out now that Sara has called the police, and I feel like I could add some perspective for those less familiar with the Swedish justice system. I hesitate to do it because I’m just a layperson and not even from Sweden but the next country over - but our justice systems are reasonably similar, I’ve spent a lot of time poring over relevant sources on Swedish law and justice, and @scatteredpiecesofme encouraged me to do this after our conversation yesterday.

So, here goes, haha.

As usual, I could very well be wrong about some things, and I welcome any additions or corrections!

Part 1: The system

Let’s start with a cultural observation: the criminal justice system in Sweden strives to be rehabilitative (restorative) instead of strictly punitive (retributive). This is especially true for young and first-time offenders, who are yet to develop a ‘criminal lifestyle.’ Fines, suspended sentences, and sentences on the lower end of the scale are the norm unless the crime is very serious. (See for example this text in Swedish about how the brain only fully matures at 25 and how young people experience punishments more severely.)

Swedish law recognises three different age brackets for offenders: 15 to 18, 18 to 21, and over 21 (adult). The punishments for young adults were harshened in Jan 2022 for some severe crimes (mostly to counter gang violence), but YR is set in the autumn of 2020 and spring of 2021. With that in mind, let’s review the situation that should apply in the show.

Firstly, the now-outdated law and practice include something known as ungdomsrabatt (juvenile discount). Any sentence given to an 18-year-old is normally reduced to 50% of an adult’s sentence, and a sentence given to a 16-year-old is reduced further so they get about 20-25% of an adult’s sentence. This can either mean a reduced version of the same sentence, or an alternative, more lenient sentence. Punishment can also be waived entirely for juveniles sentenced to minimal fines for minor offences (e.g. minor narcotics offences).

Secondly, there are some punishments specifically designed for young offenders. Ungdomstjänst (youth community service) and ungdomsvård (youth/juvenile care) mostly apply to those under 18 but can also apply to those under 21 where appropriate. The latter is for those in need of social service intervention; it’s an open arrangement where the juvenile continues living at home. Sluten ungdomsvård (institutional youth care) only comes into play in very serious cases. It’s the primary punishment for minors who would otherwise face imprisonment and, under the old law, also for those under 21, unless there are very heavy grounds for prison time.

There is also something called ungdomsövervakning (youth supervision); basically youth care with more restrictions. However, it was only introduced in Jan 2021, which means it cannot be applied to crimes committed earlier (for example in YR S1).

As mentioned, juveniles can also be sentenced to reduced versions of the same punishments as adults. For young adults, that most likely means a suspended sentence and/or community service and/or fines. These fines are often dagsböter (day-fines), which can range from 50 to 1000 kronor based on the defendant’s income, wealth, and debts for example. The minimum number is 30 fines, the maximum is 150, or 200 for several crimes. There can also be some other financial consequences, e.g. a 1000-krona payment to the Crime Victim Fund or compensation for the victim (these are much lower sums than in the US, for example).

Here’s a made-up example from Domarbloggen: three people aged 16, 18 and 22 beat someone up together. The 22-yo gets 4 months’ imprisonment, which means the 18-yo should get 2 months. Instead, she gets a suspended sentence and 75 hours of community service. The 16-yo should get 1 month, but that is commuted to 50 hours of youth community service. Social services are (and must be) involved for the 16 and 18-yo but find that they are not in need of any services.

Thirdly, juveniles are processed differently from adults. If someone younger than 21 is suspected of a crime, the police investigation that starts when the crime comes to light must be conducted without delay. For those under 18, there’s a time limit of 6 weeks from the initial police report to the decision to prosecute. In many cases, the prosecutor can simply decide not to bring charges and hand the matter over to social services instead. (See for example this Q&A document on the old law, in English.)

Young offenders are also often eligible for förundersökningsbegränsning (limitation of preliminary investigation) and åtalsunderlåtelse (no-prosecution deal). In the former, the police and prosecutor decide not to investigate the crime, and in the latter, the suspect confesses their guilt to avoid being charged or tried for that particular crime. There are specific circumstances in which these can come into play - for example, when there are several crimes being investigated/charged and the crime in question would not affect the sentencing, or the sentence would be minor anyway. Here’s more info on the reasoning in Swedish, but it’s basically done to save resources for other crimes. The sentence for all the crimes committed is determined as a whole; it does not necessarily match the sum total of all the individual sentences. Accepting a deal means the crime will still go on the person’s criminal record.

If sufficient evidence is found and the matter does go to trial, the court can decide to hold it behind closed doors if the parties are young and/or to protect them from negative publicity. The judge must also be specialised in juvenile cases if the defendant is under 18.

Trials in this corner of the world are usually rather boring compared to what you see on TV. There’s no jury or heated cross-examination. The facts are presented, the injured party, defendant, and witnesses are heard, and the court considers the case. (Here’s a detailed description and even a 24-minute film in Swedish.)

The bar for detaining young offenders before and after the trial is higher than for adults, but it can happen if they are considered dangerous or there’s a risk of them destroying evidence/influencing the witnesses (for minors, the social services usually watches over them instead). There is no bail system.

Oh, and if someone is sentenced to prison after all, they are not necessarily taken away directly after the trial. Serving the sentence may be postponed until the period of appeal runs out (often 3 months after the sentence enters into force, according to the Prison and Probation Service).

So, now that we know the framework, let’s take a look at the crimes that could come into light in YR S3! Not just those committed by August, but also those committed by Simon and Wilhelm.

Part 2: The crimes committed by the mains in YR

All excerpts quoted are from an English translation of the Swedish Criminal Code. I will include some of my own interpretations in the context of the show - but while reading those, please keep in mind that I’m just a layperson and could well be completely mistaken!

Kränkande fotografering (intrusive photography): August

A person who unlawfully, by means of a technical device, covertly records an image of a person who is indoors in a home, or in a toilet, dressing room or other similar space, is guilty of intrusive photography (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 4, Section 6a)

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 2 years.

I don’t think this should be very hard to prove now that Wille has admitted to being on the video. August could of course claim it was someone else using his phone, but I think it should definitely be someone other than Alexander, who had already been caught with the drugs.

Olaga integritetsintrång (unlawful breach of privacy): August

A person who intrudes into the private life of another person by disseminating: 1. an image of or other information about a person’s sexual life; (...) 4. an image of a person in a very vulnerable situation; or 5. an image of a person’s wholly or partially naked body is, if the dissemination is liable to result in serious damage to the person whom the image or information concerns, guilty of unlawful breach of privacy (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 4, Section 6c)

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 2 years for normal severity, prison from 6 months to 4 years for gross offences.

This is the revenge porn clause. In reality, sadly few cases lead to a conviction; for example in 2021, only 27 out of 1876 cases. The perpetrator can always claim their device/account was hacked, for example, and it’s hard to disprove that. We’ll see if Sara’s testimony and August having admitted his guilt to Wilhelm are enough.

Förtal (defamation): August

A person who identifies someone as being a criminal or as having a reprehensible way of life, or otherwise provides information liable to expose that person to the contempt of others is guilty of defamation (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 5, Section 1)

Scale of punishment for adults: fines for normal severity, fines or prison up to 2 years for gross offences.

Note that defamation does not have to be untrue in Sweden! It’s the ‘exposing that person to contempt’ that matters. However, if the defendant can show that the information was true and they were a) obliged to make this kind of statement or b) it was “otherwise justifiable to provide information about the matter”, they are not held responsible. August’s lawyer would probably argue that spreading the video of Wille was a matter of national importance.

A note on aggravating or special circumstances:

Both unlawful invasion of privacy and defamation can be considered gross if the information or image or the method of dissemination was liable to result in serious damage. This bumps up the potential consequences.

Normally, charges can only be brought for the above crimes by the injured party. However, the prosecutor could also choose to bring charges on their own in cases where public interest calls for it. The same goes for defamation if the injured party is under 18 or reports the crime in connection with another investigation, and public interest calls for prosecution. In this case, it doesn’t matter if the injured party wants the case to be pursued or not. So in my view, any potential resolution where Simon and/or Wille decide not to pursue these crimes should be written very carefully to exclude public prosecution.

There’s also another interesting angle that I haven’t seen thrown around much. It was first brought to my attention by a friend on ao3, and I can’t believe it’s still a thing in 21st century Sweden, but it is.

Högmålsbrott (treasonable offences): August

A person who commits an offence referred to in Chapters 3–5 that involves abuse of the King or another member of the Royal House, or of a person discharging the duties of the Head of State as regent, may be sentenced to imprisonment for at most four years if the offence can otherwise result in imprisonment for at most six months, and for at most six years if the offence can otherwise result in imprisonment for more than six months but at most four years. (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 18, Section 2)

Yes, really. Wille being one of the injured parties could complicate things for August when it comes to the above crimes, because they belong to chapters 4 & 5. He’s not actually going to get six years in prison for gross defamation, that’s just the maximum for adults, but it’s an interesting angle and a potential aggravating factor.

Next up, the elephant in the room.

CP: August

I don’t think I need to describe what this means; you can look it up in Chapter 16, Sections 10a and 10b. I’m not going to write it out so this post doesn’t get flagged.

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 6 months for minor offences. Prison up to 2 years for normal severity.

Rickard did say that this could land August in prison, but I am highly sceptical. For comparison, consider this case, where an 18-yo who had 540 images in his possession, 98 of those particularly graphic, was only sentenced to 60 hours of youth community service, despite having disseminated some material on social media on two occasions. Or this one, where an 18-yo who was in possession of a video sent to him via SnapChat for a few months, was sentenced to 45 hours of the same - although he was 17 at the time of the crime.

August was 18, but on the other hand, the video he made and disseminated was short, not very graphic, and meant to defame the people in it rather than arouse those who view it. By law, the age and developmental gap between the victim(s) and perpetrator must also be taken into consideration, and as we know, it’s only two years. I’m inclined to think August is only looking at a minor offence - if charges are even brought at all.

So, the fandom should probably prepare for a more lenient sentence than many are hoping for! Ironically enough, the opposite is true for the next crime, which also applies to Simon and, to a lesser degree, Wille.

Narkotikabrott (narcotics offence): August, Simon, Wilhelm

Any person who unlawfully 1. transfers narcotics, 2. manufactures narcotics intended for misuse, 3. acquires narcotics for the purpose of transfer, 4. procures, processes, packages, transports, keeps or in some other similar way handles narcotics which are not intended for personal use, 5. offers narcotics for sale, keeps or conveys payment for narcotics, mediates contacts between seller and purchaser or takes any other such measure, if the procedure is designed to promote narcotics traffic, or 6. possesses, uses or otherwise handles narcotics shall, if he has acted wilfully, be sentenced for a narcotic drug offence (Penal Law on Narcotics, Section 1)

Scale of punishment for adults: prison up to 3 years for normal severity. Fines or prison up to 6 months for minor offences.

Swedish law is strict on narcotics crimes. Both Simon and August are guilty of several of the above, while Wille is only guilty of use. Wille’s offence would be considered minor, and the punishment might even be waived. However, I think it’s quite likely Simon and August might be looking at normal severity, and Rickard would probably advise August against bringing it up just to spite Simon.

If August went against that advice or the matter came out another way, he would probably get a harsher sentence than Simon on account of his age - although he could provide mitigating circumstances for the selling by saying that Simon coerced him...

In any case, Simon wouldn’t get off with a slap on the wrist either. He sold drugs on two separate occasions - ADHD drugs (which are amphetamine derivatives) and possibly also strong painkillers. Micke’s back pain was specifically mentioned in S1, we saw Simon steal Tramadol (which is an opioid) when he first got pills for August, and there was clearly more in that bag than just the ADHD meds. Amphetamine derivatives and opioids are specifically classified as narcotic drugs due to their potential for misuse, even if the drugs in question (Tramadol and lisdexamfetamine) aren’t as bad as some others.

Furthermore, Simon also committed:

Stöld (theft): Simon

Pretty self-explanatory. Chapter 8, Section 1 of the Criminal Code.

Scale of punishment for adults: fines or prison up to 6 months for minor offences, prison up to 2 years for normal severity, prison from 6 months to 6 years for gross offences.

It’s hard to say what the severity would be. On the one hand, it was just a few boxes and bottles of pills, and the value of the stolen goods should generally be over 1000 kronor to even be considered normal severity (case from 2009). On the other hand, committing theft as part of “criminal activities conducted systematically” is an aggravating circumstance. But I think the prosecutor would be lenient with a 16-yo like Simon and just focus on the narcotics crime (åtalsunderlåtelse for the theft).

Let’s proceed to the last crime, which is something I haven’t really seen a lot of people mention.

Olaga hot (unlawful threat): Wilhelm

A person who threatens another person with a criminal act in a manner that is liable to occasion serious fear in the person threatened for the safety of their own or someone else’s person, property, liberty or peace is guilty of making an unlawful threat (Swedish Criminal Code, Chapter 4, Section 5)

Scale of punishment for adults: prison from 9 months to 4 years for gross offences. Fines or prison up to 1 year for normal severity.

It’s highly unlikely that Wille’s shotgun waving would come out unless someone accidentally let it slip when questioned about the other offences. So the risk is slim, but I think it still deserves to be included, because an unlawful threat usually becomes a gross offence when a weapon is used. It’s also a publically prosecutable offence, which means August wouldn’t have the power to drop the charges. Note that the ‘treasonable offences’ clause doesn’t apply, because August has not officially been appointed as next in line by Parliament.

Like I said, I don’t think there’s any reason for August to sour his relationship with the Crown by dropping Wilhelm in it. I just wanted to include the threat to be thorough and show how much of a mess this could theoretically become.

Phew, that’s all of them! Thank you so much for reading all this way!

I guess the main point I wanted to make with this marathon post was that I really, really hope the criminal justice side is handled realistically in S3 now that a police investigation probably can’t be avoided. We shouldn’t expect anyone to be locked up with the key thrown away, due to the young age of everyone involved and the leniency built into the system. Also, the severest consequences could well come from the crimes that don’t sound as serious on the surface, such as the drug stuff - and Wille being one of the injured parties. (Or the potentially gross unlawful threat, but I doubt that’s going to come out.)

I’m intrigued to see what Lisa and co have in store for us, because they have a very real chance to highlight some interesting questions here.

Which (if any) of the potential crimes will August, who can liquidate enough money to pay for a great legal team, actually get punished for? Will he get off with fines and maybe some youth community service? Will the Alexander defence actually work when it really shouldn’t? Will social services get involved and maybe make August get some help for his issues? How will his social standing be affected when people learn it was him behind the video? Will the consequences finally teach him some accountability (which he definitely hasn’t learned growing up; see my analysis post about his upbringing and background)?

How about Simon? Can he avoid getting harshly punished for his dealing? How will social services treat him and his family if they get involved? Will his future and education be affected? Will he feel victimised again when the video matter is investigated (which could involve more publicity due to Wille’s involvement)? Could Micke try to claim he forced Simon to carry the drugs and sell them, to provide mitigating circumstances (and would Simon let his estranged dad risk imprisonment for him)?

And finally, is it fair that Wille being one of the injured parties could make the crimes more severe and extract “more justice”? Even though Simon was the one who couldn’t just deny being on the video to escape the negative consequences?

We shall see.

#young royals #young royals season three #young royals season 3 #yr s3 #young royals season 3 predictions #young royals predictions #young royals speculations #young royals analysis #young royals meta #criminal justice in sweden #swedish justice system #swedish law

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sflow-er · 4 months

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Imagine if what Wille wants to show Simon at the end of the First Look clip is just his wardrobe. Then we get a full dress-up montage of Simon trying on various outfits to upbeat music and Wille reacting to them until Simon lands on the suit (or blazer?) he's wearing in the still. The scene ends with them walking with a spring in their step towards Kristina, Ludvig and the royal household, who are all smiling, as Simon's makeover has transformed him into the perfect suitor.

You can thank @scatteredpiecesofme for encouraging me to share this totally legit theory/analysis/spoiler!

#young royals #young royals season 3 spoilers #young royals spoilers #yr s3 spoilers #yr spoilers #yr spoiler #young royals season 3 #young royals season three #yr s3 #yrs3 #shitpost #yr crack

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sflow-er · 29 days

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Get to know me tag game

Thank you for the tag @putnamcapital! I had a really intense day today and this was a nice distraction.

Do you make your bed?

Yes. The bedroom looks and feels cluttered with the pillows and bedspread piled up on the chair, and I don't like that at all. Also, I feel like the sheets get icky sooner if I leave the bed unmade. I don't know if there's any truth to it, but the feeling is compelling enough.

What's your favourite number?

I prefer even numbers for some reason, and my faves are 8 and 12.

What is your job?

I'm a self-employed translator of factual texts. Articles, websites, brochures, instructions for use, etc.

If you could go back to school, would you?

Maybe. I was always interested in medicine but didn't take all the science courses in high school that I would've needed to study it in uni, so if I had infinite resources... Yeah, I could see myself going back to do those damn courses and then applying to study medicine.

It's an incredibly unrealistic scenario, though. I have neither the means to study full-time nor the energy to do it alongside work and other adult responsibilities. I also don't know if I could muster the motivation for another uni degree even if it was in a field I liked.

Can you parallel park?

In theory, yes. But the town where I learned to drive had a very small population and ample parking space, so I never needed to do it for real, and I haven't even had a car at my disposal since moving to the city (seventeen years ago this autumn).

A job you had that would surprise people?

Hmm, well, I was an extra on a TV show once! The gig was only a few days, but it was interesting to see the process and compare it to the final product.

Do you think aliens are real?

In the sense of there being other life in the universe, yes. Absolutely. In the sense of them abducting people, no. Definitely not.

Can you drive a manual car?

Yes, that's the norm in my country.

What's your guilty pleasure?

Fanfic. I also have a few embarrassing comfort movies (that I'm not going to name) and about 30 seasons of Survivor under my belt, so...no shortage of guilty pleasures here.

Tattoos?

Alas, no. I always wanted one but could never come up with a design/subject I was 100% sure of.

Favourite colour?

Red, green and dark grey. My least favourite colours are orange, yellow and purple (yeah, that makes me a terrible YR fan, I know).

Favourite type of music?

I'm one of those people who got stuck on the music of their formative years, which for me was alt rock from the 2000s (and a little bit from the 2010s). So, that. I do also listen to some later artists but the bar is much higher for them to become my favourites.

Do you like puzzles?

I love puzzles. Not necessarily jigsaw puzzles as I don't have anywhere to put those (or crossword puzzles as I'm surprisingly bad at those), but I do love games with puzzles in general (video games, escape rooms, board games that require some deduction...).

Any phobias?

Serious case of arachnophobia. I'm also afraid of bugs, clowns and (sadly) dogs, but I wouldn't say any of those fears are severe enough to count as phobias.

Favourite childhood sport?

Lol no. I hated sports as a child.

Do you talk to yourself?

Yes, on occasion.

What movies do you adore?

There are too many to list specific titles! I enjoy speculative fiction (scifi, fantasy, horror if it's not too gory), animated films, historical fiction, adventure, good comedy and some drama. I don't watch many realistic adult dramas or biopics unless I'm particularly interested in the filmmaker or subject matter. My least favourite genres are generic action, war, and anything focused on cars or sports.

Coffee or tea?

I love both but mostly drink coffee.

What was the first thing you wanted to be growing up?

Writer, I believe. Someone in my extended family claims I once said 'president' when they asked all of us cousins what we wanted to be, but I have no recollection of that.

No pressure tags: @scatteredpiecesofme @plantbasedfish @silvagrey @bluedalahorse @willedeservesbetter @palehottubchild and anyone else who wants to participate! I feel like I've seen a lot of answers already and I know I've also missed a bunch, so, sorry if that was you. And if any of you don't feel like playing, no worries whatsoever! 💜

#thanks again for the tag! 💜#not yr #tag game

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sflow-er · 3 months

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Spotify tag game: Top seven tracks on repeat

I was tagged by @sadhappylady - thank you for thinking of me! I'm starting a new thread because the previous one was getting heavy.

This isn't super accurate as I haven't been listening on Spotify in at least a month. I only really use it on longer bus or train rides.

So...a bit of Daði Freyr there, I've been a fan since he represented Iceland at the ESC in 2021. The Whole Again cover was recorded for last year's ESC and is definitely my most repeated track haha, I don't know why but it just puts me in such a good mood. Also saw Daði live last year!

Then there's some MCR of course, that makes sense. But I have no idea how Måneskin or blink-182 ended up there. They are good bands but I don't even listen to either of them that often! Also, how is there only one Kent song when I frankly listen to them on most rides?! At least it's definitely my most repeated Kent track, but I would've expected more songs by them. (Sad fact: Kent are one of my all-time favourite bands, but I never got to see them in concert! They toured quite extensively in the Nordics but I just never happened to find a suitable date...)

Oh well!

No pressure tags: @scatteredpiecesofme @plantbasedfish @willensimme @palehottubchild @gulliblelemon @bluedalahorse @silvagrey and anyone else who wants to do this! I know some of you guys have been tagged already but I'm tagging you anyway. <3

#not yr #tag game #spotify #seven most repeated songs #thanks again for the tag! 💜

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sflow-er · 1 year

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About August’s upbringing, worldview and parents

This post was inspired by some of the recent discussion on August’s family, e.g. this thread started by @daylightsimon and this one started by @lucidpantone. There have also been many posts about him and Sara, such as this one by @missbolt, this one by @scatteredpiecesofme, and this thread started by @earlgrey-lateatnight.

Anyway, I wanted to add my two cents on August’s upbringing, worldview, and parents (specifically, his father’s suicide and his mother’s real and perceived neglect). I’ll also touch on his mindset around the time of Erik’s death, but his actions and motivations after making the video would spiral into a whole other post. For the same reason, his and Sara’s relationship will only be examined very briefly, and I’m not going to discuss his darker personality traits. They warrant their own analyses by people with more insight, and you can find many here on tumblr.

I want to preface the rambling essay under the cut by saying I do not condone his actions or believe that a stable and rational person would have (re)acted as he did in S1. The stuff discussed below may be a partial explanation for the kind of person he’s become, but it’s not an excuse. Plenty of people go through similar things without using it as justification to hurt others (or turning into assholes in general).

Still, I think it’s amazing how well some of his issues can be traced back. YR truly shows us a lot of different versions of generational trauma, and the many ways in which the class system hurts everyone, including those at the top.

As always, I may be mistaken about some things. This is just my own interpretation and extrapolation, not the only possible truth. With that in mind, let’s dive in.

It’s safe to say that as the heir to a prestigious noble family, August will have been taught a distorted worldview from a young age, one where his family deserve their high social status at the very top of the elite. That status is based on their legacy and reputation, and upholding those must be prioritised above all else. Honour is more important than integrity.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the YR writers chose Horn as his last name. It’s a real noble name that belongs to the so-called ‘uradel’, the oldest noble families in Sweden (their forefathers were part of the old ‘frälse’ estate in 1420). There are several branches of the real family, distinguished by their estate names; the main branch goes back to the 1300s. Lisa & co seem to have made up a new branch for August, dating back to the 1700s. Most branches have been titled, and it's likely that this one is too (count or baron; four branches each as opposed to only two untitled branches introduced to the Swedish House of Nobility). Most of the real branches are extinct now, but it’s a substantial legacy in any case.

As the only child, August will have grown up knowing that the responsibility for upholding all this would someday fall on him. In fact, he will have known it from the start even if his parents tried to have more kids, as he was the oldest son and nobility is a very old-fashioned institution. So, the expectations will have been heavy - but as an ambitious person who clearly strives to excel at every role he takes on, it’s likely he always wanted to prove he was up to the task.

There was also another stress factor: young August was aware of there being problems in his parents’ marriage. We don’t know if those were purely caused by Carl Johan’s addiction, if things were already strained before, or if Louise was also at fault (she comes off as a bit flighty in the show, so she could’ve been careless with money, for example). The important part is that August believed it was all Louise’s fault. It’s possible he didn’t know about the addiction at all, or he may have also blamed her for that.

I believe August’s conservative upper-class upbringing will have given him a very restrictive and outdated view of masculinity. One where a real man, especially a nobleman, doesn’t let his emotions get the better of him or need help carrying his burden - and his wife is basically just there to stand by him no matter what (and make him look good to others). It’s easy to imagine a man of Carl Johan’s age and birth holding such beliefs, and we know August idolised him. If he twisted his addiction and the rest of their marital problems into Louise’s failure to support him properly, August would have sided with him.

When August was fifteen or just barely sixteen, Carl Johan found himself facing potential ruin ("even Carl Johan couldn’t survive on his last name at the end”). His finances were in shambles and despite all his connections and prestige, he was about to lose Årnäs. The grand estate that had been in their family for hundreds of years and was a crucial part of their social standing. (I’d be willing to bet his addiction started as a way of coping with the decline and the related pressure, only to end up fuelling them in a vicious cycle, but I digress.)

To escape this shame, Carl Johan chose to take his own life. This left a grieving teenage August in charge of a failing estate and a heavy legacy he didn’t have the means to uphold, with enormous pressure to succeed - and the idea that failure wasn’t an option. As pointed out in one of the Sara/August posts I linked at the top, a parent’s suicide also often leaves the child feeling like they weren’t good and lovable enough to stick around for. In other words, August probably felt massively insecure, abandoned, and like he needed to prove himself and make his late father proud.

According to Erik, it was shortly after this that Louise shipped August off to Hillerska. I’m sure August wanted to go; he already resented his mother, Erik would be there for him, and it would also be a link to Carl Johan, who presumably attended the school in his time.

However, it seems that Louise essentially just left him there and started living her own life. [EDIT: Check out the two reblog threads for more discussion on the remarriage aspect: one, two.] She had every right to move on, and August was probably giving her a hard time, but she was still his parent. She should have supported him every step of the way and made sure he got some help to cope with everything.

Judging by the issues August soon developed, Erik’s words to Wille, and August’s bitterness towards Louise when she disappoints him again on Parents’ Day, he didn’t feel like she was there for him. Combined with the toxic masculinity that was likely part of his upbringing, I think these early impressions of his mother’s inability to support him and his father may have contributed to the misogyny he demonstrates in S1 (towards women in general and Felice when they start dating).

So from that point on, Hillerska became August’s life, home, and community (as Erik says, it’s everything to him). But it was also a place built on the same ideals as his upbringing: an elite bubble where it mattered a whole lot that he was August Horn of Årnäs. His status was the basis of his leadership in the student hierarchy, and of course he would be forced to leave if he couldn’t afford to stay in the dorm anymore.

Projecting the image of success was also crucial to securing the connections and investments he’d need to elevate himself and keep Årnäs afloat in the future. If people knew he was broke and on the verge of becoming landless, it would stain both his own reputation and his father’s memory. Again, failure isn’t an option for him.

We know from the show that August ambitiously took on many different roles to build himself up, culminating in Prefect and rowing captain in his third year. Those will have added to the pressure he was under, and he eventually started abusing ADHD medication to enhance his performance and cope with everything (we see him taking more of it in the show when things start to get on top of him). He thus ended up following his father’s footsteps into addiction, which probably didn’t improve his mental state.

His eating issues haven’t been fully explored yet in the show, but I personally interpret them as part of this same bundle of issues. I know very little about disordered eating, so I could be way off base! But to me, it seems like that could be rooted in both his pursuit of perfection and his need to control something in his life (as his finances kept spiralling in the background and his involuntarily assumed burden grew heavier). We see multiple times that he keeps things organised to a compulsive degree, which could also be related to these same mental processes.

As we know, August managed to uphold the facade until his third year, and then his dire finances caught up. He had no choice but to turn to his mother for help, and Louise let him down again. She let him believe she could fix things and left him to dodge the Headmistress’s questions about the dorm fees on his own - only to show up on Parents’ Day and tell him to fix everything himself, by doing something he did not see as an option. I’m sure she was right that selling something was the only solution, but she really went about it in the worst possible way. In August’s eyes, it was the ultimate proof that she didn’t have his back.

This was also the point of the story where August voiced the stance that he “would rather die” than start chopping up his father’s estate. Of course, selling land would send the message that he was in trouble and feel like a massive failure to him, and as others have commented, even the works of art are all part of his social capital. However, I do think it goes deeper than that.

Everything at Årnäs is part of the legacy that August’s father ‘entrusted’ to him. It’s an inextricable part of who he is as a nobleman and as Carl Johan Horn’s son, and his entire self-worth is built on that. He can’t just start giving pieces of it away (until he finds a new purpose in S2; more on that below). On top of that, it’s also the only thing he has left of his father now that his mother has moved on.

To make matters worse, August also lost Erik immediately after this altercation with his mother. True to form, he did not seem to grieve properly, and it’s unlikely he even had anyone to confide in. He couldn’t rely on Louise, he and Felice had no emotional intimacy, and he probably didn’t talk to Vincent and Nils about deeper thoughts or feelings (as his many issues or Nils’s sexuality clearly haven’t came up in their years of friendship).

This is why I think his drunken heart-to-heart with Wille may have actually been more meaningful than we usually give him credit for. It’s a bit of a leap, and you are totally free to disagree, but I’m going to go ahead and include it here.

I have no doubt that August threw himself into the Queen’s request to take care of Wille for selfish reasons. He never cared about Wille before; he was always jealous of Wille’s position and likely also the fact that he was Erik’s brother. This new task was mostly a distraction from his own problems and grief, a status boost, and a way of climbing out of the hole he was in.

However, I think August’s awkward reference to Carl Johan when Wille brings up Erik suggests that he could see the potential for a real connection down the line. Now that Wille had finally decided to become the kind of person August thought he should be, August was going to mentor him and recreate his own relationship with Erik. Perhaps they could bond for real over their losses and the pressure they were both under (although I think it would’ve taken a while for August to really get there, considering how long he’d been bottling everything up).

Of course, that’s not how things turned out at all. As I said at the start, I’m not going to discuss the video, his deliberations around it or his decision to post it, as that would double this already long and rambling essay. I will only say that I think the above provides some limited insight into why he took it so heavily when Wille exposed him in front of the Society - and reiterate that it doesn’t excuse his heinous response.

I’m also not going to touch much on S2, but I’d say some of this connects to how significant it must have been to August when Sara gave him the support and emotional intimacy he’d been sorely lacking. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely some problematic sides to their relationship, and I don’t think his underlying view of women changed even if he tried to treat her better than Felice (he still saw her as an extension of himself and his own ambitions)...

But I do think it was a big positive step for him to sell a painting to buy Rousseau just to make Sara happy, without her even having to ask. It shows that he really did love and care for her (or at least his idea of her), because as discussed above, Årnäs could never be unimportant to him - even if he now saw himself on the trajectory towards being king and didn’t necessarily need his estate as much anymore.

Sadly, all this also relates to why August chose a new path towards the power and status he’s been conditioned to prioritise instead of taking responsibility for his actions. Perhaps he could theoretically imagine confessing when the game was over for him anyway, especially if Sara was going to support him through it (he would at least gain her love, as well as freedom from his fear of retaliation).

But the need to save face and keep his good name is deeply ingrained in him, he’s very insecure underneath all the bravado, and he has never learned accountability. Normal rules are not supposed to apply to people in his position.

So when the royal family - his father’s family - offers him a new lead on life, of course he’s going to take it. Suddenly it’s okay that he “failed” at being August Horn of Årnäs, because he can be King August of Sweden, and all his problems just go away. (This is an oversimplification, but I’m sure you get my point.)

[I love how clearly his signet ring is visible in this shot, by the way. It’s the perfect picture of his newly redeemed confidence in his position.]

Again, I’m not trying to paint August as a good person here. I’m just trying to trace some of his character building, and based on that, I believe it would also be for his own good to see some serious consequences for his crimes. He really, really needs to learn accountability, empathy (and not just self-projection), as well as some healthy tools to cope with adversity.

It’s going to take professional help, solid support, and true motivation for change to process and resolve his issues and undo the damage from his upbringing. But if all that happens, I do think he could still have at least some room for personal growth down the line (not to get forgiveness from the people he’s hurt, but to avoid hurting others and also himself in the future).

#young royals #young royals analysis #august horn #august horn of årnäs #cw suicide #tw suicide #cw addiction #tw addiction #cw eating issues #tw eating issues #nothing personal or graphic #<reblog tag by darktwistedgenderplural

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sflow-er · 8 months

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Exactly one year ago (Has it been a year already? How has it only been a year?) I made a friend here on Young Royals tumblr. Not just a fandom mutual, but a proper friend.

I'm so lucky and thankful to have you in my life, @scatteredpiecesofme 💛 happy anniversary!

I'll be having coffee from my favourite Moomin mug today; it's called Ystävyys, i.e. Friendship. Fitting, no?

#i love you friend <3 #yes i'm posting this on main #not yr #although this is very much yr

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sflow-er · 8 months

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ˏˋ°*♡➷ get to know me ༊*·˚

I was tagged in this lovely game by @lazybug16 and @bluedalahorse - it was so much fun seeing both your 'moodboards'! 💜

The idea is to pick a favourite movie, character, animal, drink, song, season, book, colour, and hobby and present them as pictures.

I'll put a list/explanation below, but it's going to be long, so let's do the no-pressure tags first: I think most people have been tagged already, but I can't keep up. So I'm just going to tag a few people whose names I don't think I've seen and apologise if you've already been tagged - or even made a post that I've missed!

@scatteredpiecesofme @silvagrey @groenendaelfic @raincitygirl76 @plantbasedfish @palehottubchild and anyone else who'd like to do this!

Movie: I've got a lot of faves in a lot of genres, but The Princess Bride (1987) has been one of my comfort films since childhood. I never could resist a good fairytale! I kind of wanted to use an ensemble poster to fix the severe lack of Inigo Montoya in this Westley/Buttercup one, but I think this fits the moodboard better, both aesthetically and thematically (because there's a lot of romance on this board).

Character: Again, there are lots of options! But I want to pick 1) a woman, and 2) a longtime favourite, so... Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice. Either book Lizzie or 1995 BBC Lizzie played by Jennifer Ehle will do. Who doesn't love an intelligent and determined woman who is loyal to her loved ones, speaks her mind, and grows from her mistakes? Oh, and who only warms up to the handsome aristocrat gentleman with a massive estate after he listens to her criticism, makes up for his mistakes, and demonstrates some character growth?

Dolphins: Love them. Happened to see some wild ones in Ireland this summer. Keeping them in captivity for humans' amusement is heinous.

Coffee: The thing about coffee is, if you don't drink it, you often feel like a nuisance when visiting people in my country. Especially older people, who don't necessarily keep tea in the cupboard. So, I learned to drink it in my late teens despite hating it at first, and once my tastebuds had adjusted, I fell in love.

Song: Swing Life Away by Rise Against. A very simple acoustic ballad about love, friendship, and how little you actually need to be happy in life. It's also mine and my spouse's song that was even played at our wedding ceremony (without vocals on guitar, violin, and double bass).

Season: I am very much a four seasons kind of person, but I guess spring might be my favourite.

Book: I've got so many to choose from, but I wanted to pick something queer, so: Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar, Jonas Gardell's trilogy about young love and the AIDS crisis in Sweden. It's absolutely fantastic and absolutely heartbreaking (not a happy read!). It's also been adapted to an excellent three-part TV series that can be found on Youtube with English subs. (Short English trailer, 6-minute Swedish trailer.)

Gardell is also a fitting choice because it was his recommendation on social media that got me to watch Young Royals, and I wouldn't be here on tumblr without YR.

Colour: My favourite colours are red, green, and dark grey. I've been in a green phase lately and it fits this moodboard best.

Hobby: Video games. I've been a PlayStation gamer for well over 20 years. I mainly play adventure and roleplaying games; titles with good storytelling and worldbuilding. Some of my favourites include older Final Fantasy games (up to FFX), the Uncharted series, Life is Strange series, Mass Effect trilogy, The Last of Us Parts I & II, Heavy Rain, Until Dawn, and Telltale's The Walking Dead 'seasons' 1 & 2.

In keeping with the theme, perhaps I should also mention that some of my fave WLW ships are from video games! Ellie/Dina from TLOU: Part 2, Nadine/Chloe from Uncharted: Lost Legacy, and Chloe/Rachel from LiS: Before the Storm (although I do love Max/Chloe in LiS OG too).

Thanks again for the tags, this was fun!

#tag game #nor yr #get to know me #moodboard game #thank you both so much for the tag!#💜💜💜

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