#frog Prince snow globe

[raincitygirl76]

“Walking in this Lie” is an amazing Young Royals/ Wilmon edit on YouTube by Bri, set to “Cloud” by Elias. Bri does not appear to have a Tumblr presence, so if you enjoyed the edit, I urge you to please consider giving it a like on YouTube.

Here is Bri’s creator profile on YouTube. They have some other great YR edits.

[missmeganlee]

I know the symbolism behind Wille's frog prince snow globe breaking show Wille breaking out of the confines and rules of being crown prince. But I just had a really cute idea/headcanon/fic idea.

Simon sees how much the snow globe meant to Wille. Even broken, Wille kept it on his desk. Maybe Simon doesn't know the backstory behind the snow globe, but he knows enough to see it has a lot of sentimental value to Wille. So as a present, Simon makes Wille a new DIY frog prince snow globe.

Symbolically meaning that Wille is making his own rules and boundaries with Simon's help. Establishing who he wants to be as Crown Prince on his own terms.

[raincitygirl76]

Is this not completely fucking adorable????!!!! I am losing my MIND with how much I’m swooning over the frog figurine with his little crown and his purple hoodie.

Since there's no Young Royals merch, I made myself Wilhem's frog wearing Simon's hoddie 🐸

[queerhoodies]

me when wille threw the broken frog prince snow globe in the trash

[lesbyers]

young royals is definitely gonna end with wille leaving the crown behind for simon. “love shouldn’t be this hard” doesn’t contradict or push away wille/simon endgame at all. it’s an admission of love and an acknowledgment of how much their situation needs to change. wille is going to choose love over his situation, that’s the point. a large part of this series has been about wille trying and failing at learning who he is and what he stands for (often through his relationship with simon) with the monarchy always tripping him up every time and holding him back. the main song associated with the show is literally called revolution, a love song with ��let’s start a revolution” as the chorus. i think if anything erik represented the future of tradition in the modern age, his death was the beginning of the death of tradition and the modern monarchy , wille has been defiant and opposed to every tradition thrown at him as soon as he arrives at hillerska, even the little things in the first episode like wanting to carry his own bags, wanting to sit the wrong end of the table etc. simon is part of this rejection of tradition, it’s a large part of why wille likes him so much, his first conversation with simon is him agreeing with his anti-monarchal opinions after class. all of this combined with wille’s growing intolerance for the way his family treats him and his loss of faith in erik, arguably the main driving point for him trying to uphold his role, all demonstrates just how much wille does not belong there. (even the imagery of the cracking of the snow globe with the frog prince inside is foreshadowing for this). his only real connections at this point are simon and felice. felice is going to be part of the beginning of hillerska’s downfall, we have seen her express wanting to be truthful and moral with the school investigation and we have seen how she is shown to be relatively outcast or used by the school because of her race and how this puts cracks in her faith in it’s system (simon too). not to mention felice has been strongly on wille and simon’s side since the beginning with the video leak (this plot line being the beginning of of showing wille’s two choices). wille i think will be the deciding factor for the shutting down of hillerska and fall of the monarchy, with simon and felice respectively being a large part of his motivations for both. this ending has been building from the start, simon and wille’s love story is the catalyst for this end of tradition and embracing of change.

[novamilano1]

The pink, red rose or the grumpy crown frog ? Love or duty ? Of new beginnings and of choices ! Go Wille !!!

So we have all seen the cute Snow Globe frog, so much drama around it. But have you seen its counterpart, the rose Snow Globe in Simon's house ? Let's partly unpack these metaphors, it's fascinating ! I'm in awe of the writers of this cute addictive show. So the grumpy frog represents duty, the lineage of the royal functions (given to Eric by his grandpa and then given to Wille by Eric). Courtesy of TVM (TV microscopic, go check the blog on substack, it's amazing, phenomenal) who reminds in one of the articles (about "negative space" ? ) that the frog can only turn into a prince if he's kissed. The frog can only be "awakened", transformed, be given his real shape by love. Plus, the frog is an aquatic animal (go check the water metaphor in YR on TVM's blog) but he is also terrestrian as an amphibian. There is a poster of a frog in Wille's room (courtesy of Molly who saw it and of the "kingdom", a group of YR fans with whom, I discuss YR and TVM's analysis). So the choice stands between, romantic love, the rose Snow Globe on Simon's table, at home, in his living-room, and heavy duty. But the show is quite positive about the outcome (it offers hope at least). The bubble of the grumpy crown frog with all its fake splendor (the glitter) will have to be brutally opened. It has to fall from its height. And under whose touch the frog could access the world of the rose, of romantic love ? Under Simon's touch (cf. the way he touches the frog before the love scene of Ep. 5, S2). The rose in Simon's Snow Globe is shown at two very symbolic moments. First in ep. 4 s. 1 just after the scene when Wille becomes the crown prince. Simon watches the televised memorial the day of Eric's burial. And the second time is just after the palace scene when Wille is asked to deny his participation in the video. He has to act according to Kristina's view of his duty. But the alternative comes in the next scene, holy love, the rose near these lit candles on the table of Simon's house. And apart from this obvious parallel between the two opposite globes, the show has a very subtle way to tell us that there is a choice to be made. The broken bubble of the grumpy crown frog that Simon touches with his finger is set on two books. If you zoom, you can read the title of one of the books (janusstenen) = the janus' stone. So Janus is the bifrons god. He has two faces and symbolises new beginnings, the choice between the past and the future, doors, gates. So Wilhelm, you know what to do !! (dixit google). It's janus who gave the month that begins the year "january". What better moment to have a look at this ? What's your take on this ?

PS, let's note that the rose symbolises many things but another interesting symbolism (apart from romantic love) which is cohesive to the show is that the rose also refers to socialism. And Simon is the "socialist" who sneers on the one who receives the most on welfare ! Socialism vs royalty ?

[raincitygirl76]

Oh my God! Read the above! Read it right now, that’s an order! I hadn’t thought of it that way before. Now my mind is all awhirl.

I'd love to talk more about the locker room scene in S2 E2 of Young Royals, where Wilhelm tries to convince Simon to get back together with him, in the process (sadly) demonstrating that he believes his mother's feeble offer to "talk" about him possibly coming out when he's 18. This takes place after his almost-removal from Hillerska.

Plenty of people have already pointed out how Henry snitched on Wille and Felice’s kiss, but apparently didn’t choose to tell anyone (as far as we’re aware) about Wilhelm almost pleading with Simon to get back together with him during that post-almost-dragged-out-of-Hillerska conversation. And that's definitely an interesting thing to chew on. But there's more...

Here are a few other things that stand out to me too:

First -

I think it’s worth pointing out the obvious — Wilhelm clearly sees Simon in his future long-term (possibly for the rest of his life). The way he casually says to Simon “So, we’d only have to keep it a secret for 2 years” implies three things very clearly.

a) He immediately and easily sees himself together with Simon in 2 years and beyond. Actually, specifically, definitely beyond. Because his eye is on the prize: coming out and living openly with Simon *after* he turns 18 — implying his focus is entirely on the intended afterwards period. He doesn’t even blink at that idea; it’s obvious to him.

b) He also really doesn’t seem to think 2 years is a big deal. For a teenager who’s only lived 16 years on this planet (only approximately ~11-ish of them in a state where they’re forming conscious memories) to think 2 years is just a drop in the bucket is kind of wild. Even 6 months feels like forever to a kid. So Wilhelm — a child — viewing time from this perspective suggests he’s likely balancing 2 years out against a much longer expanse of time; hence why those 24 months would look so minuscule and shrug-worthy by comparison. In other words: he sees himself with Simon in the LONG long term. Two years is nothing if you’re imagining growing old with someone and spending the rest of your many decades on this Earth with them. (All of this is pretty much confirmed later on in S2, when Wilhelm offers to abdicate the throne for Simon.)

c) He also doesn’t seem to think Simon should be appalled by the idea of waiting for 2 years. Yes, sure, we can chalk part of that up to selfishness and lack of mentalization / empathy for Simon’s point of view. But I’m going to suggest it’s more than that. My takeaway is that he assumes Simon also sees them as endgame, and so naturally wouldn’t be bothered by waiting a bit longer in order to spend forever together. (Sadly the conversation does not play out that way for him; ouch. Though no shade to Simon: what he said in response was realistic and fair.)

Second -

I think we have to rewatch his interactions with Simon as Henry slams a door and slowly walks past them with a raised eyebrow. Because, in S1, that Wilhelm would have immediately jumped away from Simon to create distance and try to pretend there’s plausible deniability about what their relationship has been and could be again. That’s (one) part of the whole point of S1: Wilhelm is not ready to be brave enough to face a homophobic aristocratic world and take a bold stance to stand by Simon.

Instead, in S2 E2, he sits still. He stays right next to Simon. In fact, he *leaves his hand resting directly on Simon’s thigh.* And he knows someone is coming their way! He heard the door slam inside the locker room. Obviously he knows someone else is here. But he doesn’t jump. He actually doesn’t really stir much at all.

He sits there like it’s of no importance, and he doesn’t care who sees. Or, even, who overheard this very intimate, vulnerable, and pleading conversation. A conversation in which the future King of their country is almost on the verge of begging his ex to please be his again… not just for now, but for multiple years’ time. I mean we’re like 2 steps away from Wille practically offering Simon a “promise ring” (not sure if that concept holds up in Europe, but it’s basically a very pre-engagement type thing in the US; it’s not common though). (Their convo also makes it very clear Simon was the one who dumped him and that he’s having trouble accepting that and moving on.)

Yet he doesn’t seem perturbed or disturbed by Henry’s presence and overhearing and seeing them. He doesn’t seem embarrassed at all. He’s not ashamed of his love for Simon. Even more specifically, he’s not afraid of people (Henry) seeing him put his heart out on the line, and of them knowing that he wants Simon back - not for just a hook-up, but for a very long-term, serious, committed relationship. And he doesn’t make any moves to emotionally or physically distance himself from Simon, despite Henry’s clear witnessing of this private moment.

This is a subtle way to show that, even though Wille hasn't yet gone through his full S2 journey of self-awareness and self-growth, he has still already begun changing and growing after the end of S1. So he’s at least started to learn some of his lessons about what he needs to do differently.

Anyhoo, the whole point I’m trying to make is… gosh there were so many fascinating things happening in that scene. And they rush right past us in the blink of an eye! But there is so much meaning built into every small interaction and non-interaction there, and into every nonchalant assumption the characters casually voice.

I’m sure there’s more meaning and are more details I missed, too! What did you think? I’d love to learn more from others’ perspectives, too. :)

[raincitygirl76]

I was rewatching YR 2.02 last night and I was wondering something. Does anybody know which video game is on the big screen TV in the flashback scene when Erik gives Wilhelm the frog Prince snow globe?

It looks to me like a paused video game, rather than a paused movie. But I don’t know how easy it is to tell one video game from another based on a still. Not being a gamer myself.

Thank you.

Edited to add: @sflow-er has informed me it’s a game called A Way Out. It’s the same game Simon was playing in 1.01.

[shouldntbearevolution]

Excuse me while I talk about how amazing my partner is because??? Omg???? They made the most thoughtful gifts for my birthday including the frog prince snow globe!! Like hello???

And also printed and cut out the Cards Against Hillerska game and made the box for it??

AND made a custom keychain of Every Night Fantasy that is also a NFC they coded themself that links directly to the ep on spotify???

[raincitygirl76]

This is amazing!!! THIS!!! Read it!!!

Wille and Erik

I love the relationship between Wille and Erik. It remains one of my favourite of the whole shoe depsite how few scenes they had together.

There's so much left unsaid but we as an audience still get to know so much about their relationship. The show tells so much with so little.

From the beginning it's clear that Wille idolises Erik and looks at him as if Erik can do no wrong.

We see Erik support Wille on his first day at Hillerska. It's Erik. It's Erik not their parents that accompanies Wille to school. He senses Wille’s anxiety and comes up with a way to cheer him up. He's a big brother.

But just as quickly we see how he's also the crown prince and very much part of the establishment. He tells Wille to stop being selfish when Wille expresses his worries and anxieties. Even if he loves his brother you get the feeling that Erik wishes Wille would just comply for once and not cause trouble.

We see him comfort Wille and give him a hug but when Wille clings to him he eventually gets annoyed. It's not time to play. He doesn’t have time. So he leaves Wille standing, watching his big brother leave him behind.

We also see them on the phone together several times and it's clear Erik is a person Wille opens up to. He's his bigger brother. And Erik once again shows that he's supportive of Wille. He teases him about his crush and is happy for him.

And then of course Erik dies and Wille’s life falls apart. Not only is his brother and up until now closest friend dead, he's also forced to immediately step into Erik’s shoes and fulfill a role he knows Erik played to perfection. In his mind living up to Erik feels impossible.

He struggles so much with this burden and he's determined to honour his brothers legacy. He's still convinced that Erik was perfect and wants ti live up to that. We see him grieve his brother while he tries to figure out what this new role means for him. As things unravels around him we see him longing for the comfort Erik used to provide him.

If anything, Erik's death just solidifies Wille's idea that Erik was perfect and flawless.

In the opening of season 2 we still see him struggle with his grief and loss. At the same he's literally drowning under the pressure of being the Crown Prince because once again, Erik was the perfect Crown Prince and how can he possibly live up to that?

Why is he struggling so much when Erik didn't? Why is he not strong like Erik was?

He expresses it in the scene with Erik. That he feels like their parents are not proud of him and that they wish he was a better spare.

Erik cheers him up and also gives him the snow globe. He also hints at how much pressure he's feeling

At least you don't have to be Crown prince.

I don’t think Wille realises then. He's just focused on the fight and the fact that his parents are sending him away, seemingly punishing him for not being good enough.

But then as season 2 progresses we see how his perception of his brother kinda falls apart.

The snowglobe represents both of them. Erik was also trapped in his role and then he gave it to Wille. He was only set free because he died. And then Wille was the one who got trapped instead.

As we all know, the snowglobe shatters and while it's a heartbreaking moment for Wille it also allows him to slowly break free.

We see him stand up for himself and set boundaries. He starts regaining control, little by little. Even it's baby steps it still means something.

And through his therapy sessions Wille learns more and more about himself.

Boris shows him that it's okay to feel pressure and to feel like it's too much. I don't think Wille’s really reflected on that before. How much pressure he's under and that it's not normal.

He also learns that Erik also went to therapy and he realises that Erik hid alot from him. He wasn't perfect and he wasn't bulletproof. He too struggled with the burden of being Crown Prince.

In the end I think it helps him come to terms with his own struggles. He now knows that the expectations on him are unfair and unreasonable.

He's allowed to feel what he feels. He's allowed to choose for himself how to live his life. He's allowed to be open.

[unfortunate17]

Welcome back to analysis hour with Safaa even though no one asked for this. I want to talk (again) about how much I love the snow globe symbolism.

When we see it in season 1, it is very much a symbol of how trapped Wilhelm feels by his role as a member of the royal family. It's emphasized even further by the way he grips it here, right after Erik's death when Wille is the new crown prince and he feels more trapped in his role than ever:

And while it's implied in Season 1, as a viewer, we don't get outright confirmation that the snow globe belonged to Erik until Season 2. Here, we get this heartbreaking flashback of Erik actually giving it to Wilhelm:

The cruel irony of Erik quite literally passing on his crown prince title by giving Wille the "crowned-prince" frog but telling him that at least he doesn't have to be the crown prince since he's around is poignant.

Before this scene, the globe only really represents how trapped Wilhelm feels. But now we see how important - and actually cherished - it is to Wille. This serves to encompass the complicated feelings Wilhelm has about his role as crown prince -> he doesn't want it, it should have been Erik's, but Erik passed it on to him, he still doesn't want it, but he wants to do "well" at it to make him proud.

This is why, when the globe breaks when Malin comes to take Wille away, Wille is absolutely distraught.

Then, of course, enter the only other person to touch the snow globe: Simon.

The globe is broken here.

Wilhelm is letting Simon in. Simon doesn't make Wilhelm feel trapped - he makes him feel happy, free. He's also helping Wille realize that he doesn't have to live up to anything to make Erik proud, that he doesn't need to be Erik. He just needs to be himself -> the frog prince is coming out of his shell.

I also love that Simon here touches the broken glass, that he is the only one Wilhelm allows to see the broken parts of him while he is in the process of change.

[willesworld]

I have an autistic Wille headcanon to share!

Wille’s special interest is frogs. He got super into frogs as a kid and he and Erik used to search the palace garden for them but Kristina would never let them take them inside. So when Erik gave Wille the frog prince snow globe it was extra meaningful <3 🐸

oh my GOD i LOVE this

i spend so much time debating with myself what wille's special interest would be, and this is perfect. it ties into canon and is also related to erik and GAH. love.

i can just imagine a little wille wondering around with dirt on his knees and a little frog in his hand that he found in the garden. and he holds it so gently until he finds erik and holds it up for him to see. and ofc because we love erik, erik is so supportive and encouraging and gets all excited when wille shows him the frog.

send me an autistic wille hc

[frogprincesnowglobe]

Ultimate Young Royals Character Tournament

Boris Vs Malin

Boris: Hillerska school therapist. All around good guy. Some people may call him a Birkenstock Socialist but he's LGBT certified. Had Wille making tea of his own volition in just three sessions. Got an anxious Crown Prince to realize that he is not his circumstances. Looked proud as heck when his patient went off script to tell the world that he was the boy in the video. Totally a romantic at heart.

Malin: Wille's bodyguard. Always standing watch. Total baddie. Might have once had an unfortunate run in with a frog prince snow globe. Hazards of working for the crown, I guess. Also totally knows what's up. Accompanies teen princes on dates at the lake, dates at Simon's house, and kindly wakes them up 15 minutes before breakfast so that they don't get... distracted. Tack, Malin!

[billfarrah]

Sooo what’s your thoughts on Simon touching the broken snow globe in episode 5? Do you think Wille had told Simon how important it is because his brother gave it to him? Do you think Simon doesn’t know that but does have an inking it’s very special to Wille? It’s the way Simon walks in concerned about Wille, lingers for so many seconds then walks straight to Wille’s desk and is drawn to the broke snow globe. I can’t tell if it’s a metaphor for something else considering how the camera lingers on Simon’s expression like we’re meant to take something from it.

No, I don’t think Wille ever told Simon. The thing with them is they were always coming together in very brief but powerful moments, their time together always cut short by some extingent circumstance. I think during their time together in season 1, they didn’t really have much time to linger on each other’s baggage, nor did they care to. They were so careful with the time they spent together because they never got enough of it, and they kept their moments as joyful as possible. I don’t think they spent much time talking about their traumas and their demons.

This post points out something very beautiful about this scene that I think ties into what you’re talking about here. I think this is the scene where Simon truly looks at Wille for perhaps the first time and sees him for everything he is - not just the soft, gentle boy he fell in love with, but someone who has the weight of the world on his shoulders and is vulnerable, anxious, and terrified. One of Simon’s blind spots this season was being so wrapped up in his own torment that he failed to see Wille’s (Wille was also guilty of this toward Simon) and I think this is the scene where it really hits him how much Wille hides. I think him fiddling with the frog prince snow globe was an example of that curiousity, Simon’s desire to look deeper and see underneath the glass, so to speak.

I’d love to see them having these conversations in season 3 as their connection continues to deepen. There was something so instinctual and unexplainable about their connection - like they just saw right into each other’s souls from the very beginning.

[mikeshanlon]

the frog prince snow globe erik gave wilhelm breaking in s2 when the royal staff is trying to make wille leave is so good like… the palace keeps ruining everything he cares about and keeps getting in the way of his feelings but also. the prince is free. it may take some destruction but he’s free!!!!!

[raincitygirl76]

I also think Wille in this scene is a little too impressed by Erik’s APPARENT coping skills. Yes, Erik made being the Crown Prince look easy. Yes, Erik successfully separated his private self from his Crown Prince public persona.

But Erik also was canonically in therapy when he was attending Hillerska. People who are happy don’t usually end up in therapy. And in 1.03 we saw Erik drinking hard liquor at lunch time, which suggests he may have had some unhealthy coping mechanisms for stress.

Just because Erik made it LOOK easy to be Crown Prince doesn’t mean he necessarily found it all that easy on the inside. He may have just been better at faking it than his little brother is. And been less rebellious about his eventual fate of being king, because he’s known since birth he’s in line for the job and his opinions about it are irrelevant.

And in the flashback scene where he gives Wille the frog Prince snow globe that was a present from their grandfather, Erik says, “At least you don’t have to be the Crown Prince,” as though that’s something Wille is fortunate to be escaping. It’s a revealing turn of phrase.

There is so much that I love about this conversation between Wilhelm and Boris.

He’s actually doing some work with therapy. The discussion about the two sides Erik has, and how Erik seemed to handle both so well.

I want to point out this moment.

On the surface it does seem easy to be a royal. The physical aspects at least of giving awards, cutting ribbons, giving speeches, smiling for the camera sort of things are not that physically demanding. Simon’s first words to Wilhelm more or less hint at this stating that the Royal Family are freeloaders on the country. Their job on the surface isn’t hard.

How hard can it be to be a working royal?

What is hard is the constant public scrutiny, having to have two personas competing, to think a head about how your words or actions could be perceived. 

For Wilhelm it was international news that he was possibly in a sex tape.

There is a mental aspect that makes the job hard. Even more so for Wilhelm who physically throws up when confronted with speaking in front of his class. No one really puts into perspective how mentally difficult this job could be.

So much to unpack in this small conversation, and the delivery was perfect.