#prince erik anyone?

[lehnsharrk]

I need a mermaid edit of him like

Ask me/ tell me things about X-Men/Cherik . I'm going to answer tomorrow now i'm going to sleep xoxo love you all.

[triz-costa]

Young Royals Fic Recs II

Strings Attached by kuramasgirl17 (Chapters 18/18) (Canon Rewrite) (Part 1)

Duty versus love. Head versus heart. There have always been two parts to Prince Wilhelm: Wilhelm, the prince he was born as, and Wille, the normal boy he wants to be. Then he meets Simon, and suddenly, everything changes. Wille changes. So, he invites Simon to spend Parent’s Weekend with him at Hillerska, beginning a relationship that tests the boundaries of what it means to keep both parts of himself separate. But, when stakes become higher, and their feelings become stronger, can Wille reconcile the two parts of himself without losing Simon? - - - OR, a canon rewrite where Erik lives, beginning just before Parent’s Weekend, covering S1-2.

Tethered by kuramasgirl17 (Chapters 18/18) (Canon Rewrite) (Part 2)

Everyone has a choice. Or, that was at least what Simon believed before he met Wilhelm. Wilhelm should represent everything he detests – the monarchy, title, unearned wealth and privilege. But then Simon meets him, and he finds just how wrong his assumptions were. As he gets to know Wille, who’s just an awkward, endearing boy, Simon just. can’t. stay. away. So, when Wille invites Simon to spend the weekend with him, Simon learns there is one thing you can’t choose: who you love. But, as feelings grow in secret and promises can’t be made, is love truly enough to conquer all? - - - OR, Simon’s POV of the companion story, Strings Attached.

All the people are fake (young royals one-shots) by allofthestarz/@allthefakepeople (Chapters 13/?)

A selection of Young Royals one-shots based on tumblr ask prompts

Like the Open Highway by Ripki (Post S3)

“I’m keeping you,” Simon murmurs, grazing his teeth over Wille’s ear, “I’m keeping you forever.” In the immediate aftermath of the season finale, as they drive away from Hillerska, Simon is utterly, hopelessly in love.

Sorry about the blood in your mouth (I wish it was mine) by witchjeons

In the aftermath of the video, Simon falls apart. Wilhelm is there to put him back together.

The neon lights on your face and your body on mine by andycreations

What if the first episode ended a little differently and not so cliff-hanger-like? - There was a slightly glistening outline of his palm across half of Simon’s face as sweat collected around the digits of his fingers. Simon licked his lips in a sinful way, tasting the saltiness of the sweaty layer on his tongue, noticing how Wille’s gaze fell down on his lips. Goodness, so he noticed. -

Kiss me like you wanna be loved by Skamtrash (Erik lives)

Simon and Erik unexpectedly meet + Wille and Erik talk about Simon + the boys can't keep their hands off each other after dinner with Erik

We should escape for the night by Piebingo/@piebingo

By the end of the practice, he is confident that he will get into the choir, thus securing a place at Hillerska with Sara. The teacher dismisses them and motions for Simon to come and see her. As he makes his way to her, the girl who had been eyeing him earlier lets out a squeal. “Prince Wilhelm will transfer here next week!” She says, effectively creating chaos in the room. *** Simon and Sara transfer to Hillerska the same day Prince Wilhelm does. What happens when Wilhelm and Simon have their initiation at the same time?

Young Royals Watch the Show by emwrites19 (Chapters 4/8)

The morning following Wilhelm's whole... face butting a person on camera situation, his mother, father, and brother all are snatched up by a time-twisting, dimension-traveling girl who goes by the name Adahlia. She reveals to them that she's brought them all together to watch Wille's, and subsequently their own, future! AKA: A reaction fic where Erik is besties with Simon AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, Kristina exists, and Erik doesn't die - or does he? - though he does feel extreme guilt for dying.

Rewinding Young Royals by At_the_Gates (Chapters 8/?)

Wilhelm had already been having a bad week. His black eye still stung from the fight at the club, and soon, he'd be attending Hillerska Boarding School for three fuckin' years. So, when he is seemingly kidnapped by crazy people who want him to watch 12 episodes about his future, it would make sense for his week to plunge from bad to awful. Except, there's something intriguing about the curly-haired boy that's supposed to watch the episodes with him.

[theanarik]

Okay but like. Usually, in monarchies, there are a lot of people in line for the throne. August cannot be the only one. If something happens to August and Wille, who takes the throne then???? The plan should be "get August out of the way, give the throne to the third in line". Seriously. Wille, get some more smart people in your corner

(Check the notes, there's an explanation to it)

[altruistic-meme]

[settling back down, feet kicking in the air] okie tell me about Erik and fanon :>

hi milo :'] i wrote half of this sporadically while at work today. and now it's 1200 words of me ranting about Erik bc i have 0 self control :']

you ask and i DO have Thoughts but it's so funny cus like. there's barely even a canon to compare him to. so it's not like I can really do my normal thing and compare his specific behavior in canon to what can be seen in fanon cus he's only in like 4 scenes and he doesn't even talk in one of them djajfjjajd I've also 100% spoken about this before!!

that said, the Thoughts persist. 

[the rest is under a cut bc. like i said. 1200 words.]

and i think where it comes from is how real and flawed and varied the other characters in the show are and like. the fandom loves to make Erik this perfect older brother who is always 100% there for Wille and will keep his secrets and will support him in being with Simon and will stand up to the Royal Court if they ever say anything mean about Wille or propose anything other than exactly what Wille asks them to do. but I genuinely just cannot see that being an accurate portrayal of Erik. it’s such a sanitized character compared to the rest of the characters in the series and it is such a disservice.

a lot of the small things we DO know about Erik show that he is definitely flawed and is certainly not the perfect person that he's often written to be, ex. laughing at August's joke about Felice and pushing the ideals of the court on Wilhelm (re: both when Wille first starts at Hillerska and when they're talking on the phone in Parents Day). and further, he's not even the perfect prince, re: the scandal with the OnlyFans girl! 

the thing with this one though is that I completely understand WHY people write Erik this way. like, i get. i do. we almost only ever see Erik through Wilhelm’s tinted glasses. Wilhelm thought Erik was perfect, so we see all of his perfections and none of his flaws. he was the perfect prince, he never got in trouble, he was amazing at what he did, he didn't need help, he was a natural, etc. 

but we learn slowly, from other people, that this was NOT the case! Erik was in a big scandal of his own (OnlyFans), Erik went to therapy, Erik struggled too. Not everything was easy for him the way Wilhelm seems to believe (and thus the way that we are usually framed to see it as well). we learn about his scandal from Stella and Fredrika and we learn about the therapy from Nils (at the same time Wilhelm does!). we never really have Wilhelm showing these flaws, or at least not in a way that makes them out to be flaws of Erik, but rather simply flaws of being royal (again, in reference to Erik pushing ideals of the court on Wilhelm). 

and this characterization goes even further than just the text: even knowing Erik wasn't perfect isn't enough, because the next issue is that people still want him to be perfect FOR Wilhelm. people are so desperate for Wilhelm to have someone who is part of his family who is on his side no matter what* that they'll ignore any hint that Erik WASN'T the Perfect Brother™ because it means they'd have to examine his relationship to Wilhelm and the comments he's made in favor of the Royal Court and face the idea that maybe Erik WOULDN'T have been on Wilhelm’s side at all, or at least not as strongly as they wish he was. which defeats the purpose that they are using him for. 

*(we're ignoring the Queen Kristina Thoughts for this cus that is a WHOLE OTHER RANT and i want to keep this on topic lmao)

but it makes no sense to me, personally, to see Erik portrayed this way!! because what evidence do we have to support it? yes, i believe Erik was probably a really good brother, but that doesn't mean he was without flaws or that he'd be on Wilhelm's side or support him 100% without question. and these are not actually contradicting statements. 

i have siblings. i've been emotionally and mentally abused by one of my siblings. i’ve been offered a place to hide when things at home were tense, a place to live if i needed it, by one of my siblings. i know what it's like to have siblings who are BAD siblings and GOOD siblings. and i know that humans as a category can't ACTUALLY be divided into good and bad so easily. my sibling who abused me is also the only one who will genuinely let me rant about my fandoms and actually listen and give a shit about what I'm saying. my siblings who would take me in if something happened have said some of the most hurtful things, and have made comments that still upset me to even think about for more than 2 seconds. 

so i believe Erik was a good brother. but i still don't think he would've been fully on Wilhelm's side, especially during the video scandal. and again these are not actually contradicting statements. 

i think it would have been hard for Erik to be torn between the clear pain Wilhelm was in and his duty, but Erik is probably a lot more like the Queen than people want to admit, and i think in the situation, they would have had similar thoughts. (ie. denying that it was him would be the best approach)

so to see almost every fic have him immediately disregard every piece of training he would've gone through, ignore protocol, cover up things and not report potentially HUGE problems to his mother, i don't know. i read them, and Ii still love them, but there will always be that sense of a disconnect from reality that i'll have to have in order to. because what do we really know of Erik?

he was a good brother. he was a good crown prince. he followed along with protocol, got into scandals of his own, covered them up. he was close with August, laughed at his sexist jokes, seemed to get along well with the people at Hillerska in general. he tells Wilhelm to suck it up and put on a fake face, “pretend to be someone else”, and do his duty.

idk. like i said, i have so many thoughts on the portrayal of Erik in fanon, but even then so much of what i say is also just my own personal thoughts and biases because we never really got to understand him as a character the way we have the others. so genuinely take this with a grain of salt, because i can say all i want to say but at the end of the day, it’s just my own opinion on how i think he would be. and i don’t really have much canon material to look at and pull from. so again, this isn’t really like my other “fanon vs. canon” thoughts where i’m just interested in comparing the changes. this is more of a… frustrated rant at what i perceive to be mischaracterizations.

[phneltwrites]

I wish you would write a fic where…

….Jan-Olof decides he has had enough of Erik and Wilhelm's antics, escapades and scandals. He retires. His successor is a young man called Simon Eriksson. The moment Wilhelm lays eyes on Simon for the first time, he trips over his own feet and falls (in love). Simon, however, isn’t impressed with the two princes. They make his job difficult. He can’t decide who’s worse. Pretty quickly Wilhelm is also annoyed because while he can’t stop staring at Simon, Simon is exactly like J-O was: professional, conservative and boring (but also cheeky/rude when it’s just the two of them). They have lots of stupid arguments but there’s also loads of unresolved sexual tension between them. Meanwhile Kristina watches everything from the sidelines and facepalms mentally.

💜

I was trying to think about this one and rotating it and I'm not so good at talking so here's like the short fic version of what I'd do! The angle I basically took here is about how anxiety from the outside often looks like rudeness and being judgmental.

Everyone knows this is a bad job. It’s why it’s the one for the most junior member of staff. Simon’s often caused himself to question his life choices and the series of misfortunes that have led to him firstly working for the Swedish monarchy—a thing he ideologically opposes—and as a wrangler for Prince Wilhelm. His literal, full-time job is to make sure the Prince is where he’s supposed to be, upright, and in clothes. On day one he’s informed they need someone for this because it is extremely difficult.

The prince is unreliable, they said. He’s used to being catered to and he doesn’t consider how to make any one else’s job run smoothly. Don’t expect any consideration. He won’t practice his speeches and will act unprofessionally if you follow-up on his preparedness. Just put things in front of him and hope for the best.

Simon doesn’t love the idea of being personal servant for a manbaby who is emotionally volatile in the workplace.

At first he thought it might not be so bad. Wilhelm introduced himself carefully, with a handshake and direct eye contact, dead serious like it wasn’t ridiculous on the face of it. He slid Simon snacks under the table at their first interminable briefing meeting.

“I didn’t think it would go this long,” Simon muttered as thanks.

“When you see the line ‘review precedence’ it means we have to list everyone who is going and what order they’ll walk in,” he whispers back with a grimace. “I always bring snacks when I see that.”

Simon files the note away and when he says as much to Wilhelm, Wilhelm rewards him with a real smile. His entire face brightens and when he does it reminds Simon that Wilhelm is his age.

All of that optimism dies the moment they have their first event where Simon is in charge of wrangling, without anyone else guiding him. And he can’t find Wilhelm. Why did he think that Wilhelm would make an exception to his unreliability for Simon?

He runs around, dashing from room to room, as if a six-foot suit bedecked man might be overlooked in a corner like a stray pair of headphones.

The patter of rain on the window draws Simon’s attention by chance and then it’s his second heart attack. Wilhelm is out there. Soaking.

Simon dashes out and immediately feels the rain seep down the back of his neck. It’s raining hard enough that it pushes at his curls, wetness worming its way in.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Simon feels hysterical. He grabs Wilhelm’s wrist. It feels like ice. He drags and Wilhelm follows him, feet stumbling. Simon closes the door behind them and starts to fret. Wilhelm’s hair is wet. His suit is wet. His tie is ruined. He got a whole onboarding document on the caretaking rules for silk ties. Exposing them to rainwater is not best practice. He doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

Meanwhile, Wilhelm’s hair drips onto the parquet floor. He isn’t saying anything. He’s supposed to be giving a speech to this anti-drunk driving charity in ten minutes and if Simon sends him out like that, he’ll get demoted in such a way that they’ll make his life miserable enough until he quits. He thought Wilhelm respected him a little but he’s just standing there, staring at nothing, looking bored. Offering no solutions, no explanations. Least he could do is apologise. He’s not even looking at Simon, instead peering at the detailing on the baseboards. Now is not the time to develop an interest in design.

Simon is going to get fired. And Wilhelm doesn’t even care. Simon supposes he has ultimate job security and doesn’t know what insecurity would feel like.

“Look at the state of you,” Simon scolds. “How could you do this? Is this hazing? My first time so you want to fuck with me?” Simon brushes at Wilhelm’s hair, helplessly. The front pieces have slid onto his forehead. “I get that this is nothing for you, but this is my job. I need this.” He takes Wilhelm’s tie. He pops the top button open. Maybe it looks intentional. “You get everything handed to you. I’m here to make sure you have your tissues and your shoes are shined and all your whims are taken care of. And all you have to do is show up and hand out some ribbons, shake a few hands. Would it kill you to take it seriously? Or at least, if you aren’t, would you try not to waste my time? Your extremely royal highness? If that isn’t too hard for you.” Wilhelm is just like the rest of them. Every rich kid at University who complained that the professors weren’t nice enough to them, or who whined that they were broke because they spent all their money on drinks and movie tickets and for the first time had to consider a budget. People to whom it had never occurred to them that they’d have to be careful about anything in their life. That they’d have to think ahead or go without.

“Yeah,” Wilhelm says absently. Simon stops talking. He glares at Wilhelm. “That’s right. Isn’t it?” The question sounds like it’s of no matter to him. Simon wants to shake him.

Wilhelm does it first, shaking his head, water flying. He wipes his hair with his hand, slicking it back as much as he can. Then he steps out.

Simon doesn’t watch the speech. He’s not allowed in the room anyway. His precedence is too low.

Later, he sits around with the staff, Friday night out to celebrate the week and starts to complain. Everyone laughs in that nostalgic way that Simon has never mastered.

“You didn’t bring an extra suit?” Margot asks. “Someone didn’t train you right. For his Highness you always have to bring a full change.”

“And his headphones,” Andreas jumps in. “If he starts looking like he’s going to bolt, those can keep him in place for a bit.”

“At least if he runs he usually comes back,” Karl says. It seems that everyone has a Wilhelm story. “It’s the hiding that’s more difficult.” Karl is one of the older members of the team. He leans over to Wilhelm. “His Highness knows all of the nooks and crannies in the palace. Every built-in cupboard and weird space under some stairs. You’ll get to know them too.”

The longer this goes on, the less funny it gets. Everyone had told Simon how difficult Wilhelm is, how spoiled, and he’d seen Wilhelm’s behaviour today as careless. But this is so consistent.

Then Margot hammers the final nail. “He can’t fit in the worst spots anymore. You’re lucky. Trying to reach in to the top shelf of a wardrobe to get a grip on him while in heels was not what I studied for.”

“How long ago were you managing him?” Simon asks. He feels the shape of the answer already.

She purses her lips. “Ten, fifteen years ago? Don’t worry, it won’t take you that long to get a better portfolio.”

So she was a grown woman and Wilhelm was what, seven?

He stands up. “I have to go.”

***

He goes to Wilhelm’s rooms at the palace. His badge gets him in the building but a guard stops him at the door. “No staff entry to the prince’s private rooms outside of working hours,” she says firmly.

Simon hadn’t thought about that. He didn’t think about that.

He won’t push his way in.

***

Simon grabs Wilhelm’s sleeve at the end of the next briefing. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Simon says.

Wilhelm is staring at his sleeve where Simon has a hold on it. Simon lets go. Wilhelm’s fingers twitch, turning and curling towards Simon’s. He looks up at Simon and blinks. “I’m sorry?”

“No, that’s what I’m saying.” This conversation is going weirdly.

Wilhelm looks confused. “For what?”

“For snapping,” Simon repeats.

Wilhelm doesn’t look any less confused. “You were doing your job.” He says it, almost questioning. Like why are they still talking about this.

Simon did not think he could feel worse, but Wilhelm’s total lack of understanding why anyone should give him any consideration makes him want to claw at his shirt collar.

Then Wilhelm is called away.

***

At the next function, which is a rose garden tea thing that Simon can’t pretend to understand, Simon finds Wilhelm sitting on a bench next to a trellis.

“Hi,” Simon says.

Wilhelm takes a big inhale, shoulders rising up and in. “Am I out of time?”

Simon thinks about it. Thinks about Wilhelm forcing himself out there. Then he says, “Want to get out of here?”

Wilhelm laughs. Then he takes a second look at Simon’s face. “Oh.”

Simon puts out his hand. Eyes darting between his hand and Simon’s face, Wilhelm takes it. Simon tugs and Wilhelm comes easily.

When they go, they don’t look back.

[malinthebodyguard]

Young Royals is anti-monarchist propaganda (always has been) 

I think it’s fair to say that most of the fandom was quite happy with the finale. However, I’ve seen a handful of posts by people who were unhappy, specifically  those who were unhappy with Wille giving up his place in the line of succession. These criticisms range in everything from dismissing Wille’s choice (Wilhelm has made a harsh decision without thinking of the consequences, this won’t actually make the media circus around him go away), to those disappointed in how the monarchy in general was represented (Wille could have modernized the institution, no one in the show attempted to consider how the monarchy could be good, actually). I don’t want to invalidate anyone’s feelings about the finale. If you didn't like it, that’s more than ok and I don’t want to argue with anyone about their taste. 

But when it comes to criticism about Wilhelm giving up the throne,  I do find myself frustrated at what I see as a fundamental misunderstanding of what this show was trying to communicate. Young Royals, plain and simple, is a story that  denounces the incompatibility of antiquated and hierarchical institutions (Hillerska, the monarchy) with equality and justice. 

If you’ve had the displeasure of being my fandom friend you’ll know that I’ve spent the last 3 years yelling about how this show is about abolishing the monarchy. I even wrote a lengthy  fanfic with the sole excuse of having Wilhelm arrive at this conclusion. Still, I knew that whatever statement the show wanted to arrive at, we’d only really be getting to it at the end of the show. 

Seasons one and two were setting up all the characters on the chessboard for the end: Wilhelm is the Crown Prince, although he does not want to be. He and Simon are in love, but Wilhelm’s role drives a wedge between them. Erik’s legacy and August's spot next in line are keeping Wilhelm in his place.

 From episode one, I think the show was telling us about the many things that are wrong with the monarchy, but I don’t think it’s until season three that these discussions become more explicit. Is this why some people were disappointed by the ending? Maybe so. Still, I wanted to look at how season three in particular answers some of the questions or issues  people are bringing up regarding both the monarchy and the Wilhelm’s choice. 

What do you like about the monarchy? 

Season 3 Episode 4 is the first time we hear an explicit discussion about why the monarchy could potentially be a good institution. I’ve seen some people complain that the show didn’t give this idea enough thought. 

I completely disagree with this take: the short conversation Wille and Simon have in this episode  is succinct, but still effective at presenting both arguments in this debate. A  longer and more drawn out conversation would have been a bit unrealistic and probably boring to watch. These are not academics having a debate, but two teenagers who are talking about what for them is emotionally charged.

There’s also no need for a longer, more detailed discussion. Wilhelm does provide a very good answer to the question: The monarchy is there to unite the people. To be a neutral party in situations when the government cannot or will not interfere. 

A quick civics lesson: In parliamentary democracies, the monarch serves as the Head of State. 

This role is predominantly representative, although in many places the government is formed in the name of the monarch. This could, theoretically, grant them some political power-- since they could technically reject the winning party from forming a government. However, in most parliamentary monarchies, the King or Queen simply has to accept whatever decision is made based on election results.

However, the value of the Head of State is precisely in its apolitical nature. Regardless of who’s in power, the head of state is a neutral ambassador of the nation, both in and outside of their country. Their job is diplomatic and representative, and one that is thoroughly divorced from politics. This is what Wilhelm meant when he said that the monarchy was there to ‘unite the people’. Whenever I’ve spoken to pro-monarchy folks about their beliefs, they cite this as the reason why they like it. 

It’s easy to see why Wilhlem would latch on this as his main argument to defend the institution. I don’t think there is anything inherently bad about having a separate head of state that represents the country. I don’t think the major grip with this issue is the having a head of state, but the fact that the head of state is a hereditary position. Simon says this himself twice in this episode: the issue is not that the head of state exists, but that the head of state is not an elected position. Furthemore, the head of state is a role that is imposed on a person not by their talent as a public speaker or negotiator, but by a simple accident of birth. 

The job’s legitimacy or importance should not be above any individual’s right to autonomy and self-determination. Furthermore, considering that taxpayers are the ones who finance this position, shouldn’t they be able to elect who it is? 

Let’s imagine a scenario where a friend tells you they’ve gone into a career because everyone in their family works in that industry, and they simply had no choice in the matter. It wouldn’t even matter if they were good or bad, they had a job in this career guaranteed from birth. 

 Would you not be concerned that maybe your friend is unhappy for a rather unnecessary reason? Would you not think that perhaps someone who actually wanted the job would be better suited for it? Would you think it right for a company to hire someone simply because of their family history? Would you consider any of this fair? And what is so special about monarchy that makes us have a different answer for it than we would if the question was about law or medicine? 

You’ll always be famous. 

Another common criticism I’ve seen is that Wilhelm will inevitably regret his decision, especially once he realizes that public scrutiny will not be going away. This is true, Wilhelm will likely always  be a figure of public interest. But to me, this has always been a negative consequence of the monarchy, and I have a hard time seeing this is a valid reason why he should stay in it. 

From the second we meet him, we know Wilhelm is uncomfortable with both the public attention and the scrutiny placed on him. However, this goes a bit further than that. I’d argue than more than the  scrutiny itself,  Wilhelm is weighed down by having to keep a public image. Because, remember folks, Wilhelm is not merely an awkward teenage boy with acne and a crush. No, no, Wilhelm is the State. Wilhelm is going to be a publicly-funded representative of the nation . This means, of course, that there’s a narrative, as he mentions himsef, that needs to be put forward. One that’s generic, serious, and unproblematic: 

From the get go, Wilhelm is uncomfortable with the inauthentic and performative aspect of his role.This is a constant we see with Wilhelm in seasons one and two: every ‘performance’ he has to do fills him with nausea, anxiety, or some sort of discomfort.

In season three, Wilhelm begins acquiescing to this performance. Uncomfortable as he may be, for most of season 3 he’s accepted that this is his role. However, the attention this season shifts from Wilhelm to Simon, who’s now the one facing public scrutiny. The difference is that, unlike Wille, there’s no role for Simon to play. Nothing about who he is or what he believes is compatible with the public image the monarchy is putting forward. The only thing he can do in this situation is disappear, and Wilhelm is tasked with having to ask that of him. 

I know a lot of people were exasperated at Simon’s very bad and clumsy social media presence. I’m not gonna argue that my boy wasn’t being a bit cringey, because he absolutely was. But I think the larger commentary here has more to do with the expectation that these two teenagers have to censor and edit themselves to comply with a particular PR image. 

Ultimately, the criticism that Wilhelm will always be famous leads us straight back to the institution. Why does an underage boy have the same PR expectations as a politician? Why is a teenager dating his classmate + being cringe online justification for doxxing him? Unfortunately, no abdication is really going to undo any of this, and things are certainly going to be crazy once Wilhelm announces he’s stepping down .

However, this time around both he and Simon will at least have the agency to decide what they want to do with their public image, including the decision to disappear from the public completely if that’s what they want.

Queer representation 

This a sentiment that has been in the fandom for some time now. This was the main argument why some people wanted Wille to stay in the monarchy. Sure, the institution has always been about bloodlines and tradition. But wouldn’t it be so nice to have Wilhelm as a symbol for the queer community? I’ve always found this idea a bit shallow. I’m not sure how much of a symbol of a queer and progressive country Wilhelm could be, when the whole idea is predicated on absolutely no one having a choice in the matter. Is it really impressive to accept the queerness of the guy you already had no choice in accepting?  

There’s three scenes in season 3 where the potential Wilhelm -and by extension Simon-  could have for the queer community come up.  Farima brings it up in the first episode, but the framing here is reversed. Wilhelm isn’t serving the LGBTQ community by being a queer Prince, but the monarchy is using Wilhelm (and his queerness) to appear progressive.

The show, however, does humor this idea with the May 1st photo. We see what Simon and Wilhelm could potentially do for the community by simply existing as who they are: they’re inspirational. It gives Simon, briefly, hope that maybe something good could come out of this. 

But this moment is quite literally framed by politics. It doesn't matter that Simon is not participating in that manifestation, anything that is slightly connected with politics is a challenge to neutrality of the monarchy. This same idea is stated more explicitly int the next episode, when Wilhelm is reviewing the options for his charity.

Ultimately, any action significant enough to be truly impactful, would be bordering the limits of what could be considered political. He's got to stick it out with these quite frankly boring and limited themes, all for the sake of staying on the very narrow lane of things that are not political.

The weight of the crown. 

Stories about Kings and Queens usually carry the same fundamental tension of duty vs self. 

In order to rule, our protagonist has to sacrifice themselves, usually for the sake of their country and people. The Crown is an excellent example of this type of story. Sacrifice in that series is framed as something noble and selfless. 

Young Royals started out with this same fundamental tension, but the main difference is that Young Royals has framed this debate as a question: 

Why should Wilhelm give himself up, his happiness, the love of his life, and  his mental well-being? What’s so important and valuable about this institution that requires this sacrifice?

Wilhelm’s journey is about accepting and voicing his answer. He doesn’t want to be Crown Prince, he doesn’t want to be King. 

But by virtue of taking part of this journey with him, we’re able to examine this question from a different perspective: Is this institution valuable enough to justify all of this? I think the show is inviting all of us to evaluate this situation and arrive at the conclusion that it isn’t.

Even someone like August, who wanted this, is weighed down by the realization of just how much the crown weighs. Of course, a big part of the fandom probably doesn’t live in countries with parliamentary monarchies. Still, considering the worldwide popularity of the British Royals, for example, I still think it’s a worthwhile exercise to question the validity of these institutions. Are they really worth sustaining? And if they’re not, why should we continue to drag them on into the present, citing tradition?

[frogprincesnowglobe]

Wille has recently been made Crown Prince after the devastating loss of his brother in a shipwreck on a stormy night. His father refuses to speak, and his mother, Queen Kristina, spends all her time talking about rules and regulations and how now, Wille will be the one to become king. This is a role he never asked for and was unprepared for. The loss of his brother Erik leaves him feeling untethered like a boat with no anchor, and his new role as Crown Prince leaves him feeling tense and frightened.

His cousin, August, invites him out one night with a select group of upper class young men he calls "The Society", in an attempt to get his mind off things and remind him of his new role in life. These are young men who pledge their allegiance to the Crown and to Wille. Young men with money and status...and copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. In his grief, Wille partakes. And partakes. And partakes. Impaired, he and August stumble down to the seaside and let out their rage at the loss of Erik at the sea, screaming into the night.

In the early hours of the morning, with the sunlight just rising, Wille finds himself alone, laying on the sand, the tide lapping at his body.

A curious sound filters into his fuzzy head amongst the sound of the waves. Singing. It's the most beautiful voice he's ever heard. Suddenly, he realizes the voice is above him, and through bleary eyes, he looks up to see the salt covered curls and huge brown eyes of a boy about his age. He can see soft brown skin, and as his eyes move lower he's startled. He swears......no. It's not possible! He swears that where the boy's legs should be, he can see the long, elegant, purple tail of a fish. Still fuzzy headed and lulled by the angelic singing, he fades back into sleep. When he next wakes up, he's sure it was all a dream. A vision brought on by a night of too much partying.......

Ft Merboy! Simon, who may know more about Erik's death than anyone. Merboy! Ayub who isn't too sure about his best bro's newfound interest in a human prince but wants to see him happy, and mersport loving Mermaid! Rosh. With mentions of Mermaid! Sara and her love of riding dolphins (because why not?).

[badplayerana]

Current favorite cherik fics - pt4

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9

Some more recs! Happy reading and let me know if you guys have any recs for me as well ❤️

Nerves by tokidokifish (another series rec)

Based on a prompt from the kink meme: Charles had an abusive childhood (like in the comics, but worse) and when he finally got away, he repressed everything behind mental walls, to the point he doesn't really remember anything about it. After the events of the movie, his mental state deteriorates, and those walls come down.

Mutant revolutionaries executed by state by LarmeDeSang (short and devastating!! loved it - mind the warning)

The news was finally revealed to the public. Two of the most powerful mutants in the world, Professor X, director of the Xavier’s institute for gifted youngsters, and Magneto, the chief of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants had been captured the day before and were now sentenced to the death penalty.

Nation Building and other Diplomatic Negotiations by Pookaseraph

With the recent passage of a submissive registration law in the United Kingdom, there are now only two industrialized nation with a relatively stable government to have neither a mutant nor a submissive registration law. Erik Lehnsherr, the newly minted King of Genosha, and his Prime Minister Emma Frost intend to take advantage of this turn of events to bring the Xavier Institute to the island nation of Genosha. They both know bringing Charles Xavier, the noted activist of mutant and submissive rights, to the island will necessarily politicize the man, and create all manner of complications. With a constitution not yet finalized and external threats to Genoshan security all around them, Erik, Emma, and Charles will fight for what they believe in to shape Genosha into what it should be.

Hide Your Fires by swoopswoop

As the sole heir, Prince Charles, had no problem with the roles and responsibility that would come with ruling a kingdom. Though he was the only one who did not see a problem. After years of being shuttled back and forth between kingdoms, his Regent hoping he would find a match more suitable to being King, he is finally sent to Genosha. Though the path has never been less clear than the one to a foreign kingdom with no ties to his native land.

Look Up, You’re Standing Next To Me, What A Feeling by luninosity (amazing amazing amazinggg)

Charles, when uncertain, buries the uncertainty beneath extra certainty about everything else, which reads an awful lot like arrogance to anyone who doesn’t know better. Erik does know better. His mother doesn’t.

[bigalockwood]

I’ve seen some people say that we don’t know the full truth about Erik and shouldn’t judge too harshly. And while that is true- we’ll never get the full story, because we’d need Erik to be alive and willing to give to us- it doesn’t really matter, not for Wille. Because, yes, he’s worried that Erik may have been homophobic, but his rosy picture of his brother is shattered either way. Because if Erik had been the perfect Crown Prince and person, he would’ve stood up for the first years, whether the whole initiation was his idea or not. Wille always saw Erik as brave and someone who protected him and others. That ideal is destroyed, regardless of which role Erik played in the initiation. He was someone who could’ve pulled rank (and lbr he was a third year, crown prince and popular- he definitely had more sway than anyone else) but let it all happen and participated in it.

And that’s something he never would’ve expected from him.

[thcdragonprince]

How the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes affect The Dragon Prince

As a TDP content creator, I can’t stay silent about how this affects one of my favorite TV shows and entertainment in general going forward.

TL:DR the Strike

the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) are on strike now meaning anyone in these unions or anyone looking to be apart of these unions will not work until their demands are met

both unions are demanding “more equitable division of the profits from movies and television” as well as arguing that AI will never be “literary material” and “is a threat to creative professionals everywhere”

How This Affects TDP

the strikers are not calling for people to cancel streaming subscriptions or stop watching content, if anything they want people to watch content so the execs can see they are needed

SO WATCH TDP S5 WHEN IT COMES OUT JULY 27TH

STREAM STREAM STREAM

Wonderstorm Inc, which creates TDP, is based out of the USA, so any changes due to the strike directly affect them

as far as I know, Jesse Inocalla (Soren) and Jack De Sena (Callum) are apart of the SAG with Jesse posting updates to his IG story and Devon Giehl (Lead Writer) has tweeted about the strikes

almost all of the TDP actors are Canadian, not American, Jack (Callum) and Erik (Aaravos) are the only solely US based cast

the Theatrical and TV sections of SAG are on strike, not animation or video games

the TDP team is still allowed to promote The Dragon Prince and TDP S5, it is NOT a Struck project, we wanna show our love to this show like crazy

TDP is a ACTRA project, which stands for Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists

ACTRA is not on strike, but stands in solidarity with SAG

TL:DR - TDP is not a struck project and can proceed as normal, but

We need to STAND with the strikers of the WGA and the SAG-AFTFA ! We need to support them !

This is the only way we will ever get entertainment that is representative of the human soul with workers who can afford to live.

[k-pepp]

With the final season of YR coming up, I’ve been thinking about Wille’s journey again. Because he’s 16, we won’t know if he actually chooses to renounce his title or remain in his role as future king, but I have a feeling this season will give us an indication which way it will go. So, before we get any type of confirmation, I want to get my current thoughts out. I’m aware that a lot of YR Tumblr skews toward King Wilhelm so my pro-renounce post might not resonate with anyone and that’s ok. I just want to put all my thoughts together before S3 comes along with something that totally blows all my opinions and assumptions out of the water 🙂 I understand the idea of wanting Wille to be King because he could be such a great leader. He is kind and compassionate and can be good at taking charge. BUT just because a person could be good at something, doesn’t mean they should be forced to do it. My number one reason for being in favor of Renouncing his Title is the sheer fact that Wille doesn’t want to be King. He doesn’t want the title. He doesn’t want that life. Wille has been shown a multitude of times talking about how he struggles with the duties that come with being a prince. Whether it’s with Erik:

Or August:

Or Boris:

(honestly, this boy will spill his guts to anyone who is willing to even half listen to him. My god. I’m so glad they gave this poor kid a therapist) He's also talked about how he feels trapped in this position. For him, to renounce the throne would be freedom. Freedom to live a life he actually wants.

Even the mere idea of staying in his current position makes him physically ill.

Some people take the end of episode 2x06 to mean he’s moved beyond all that and accepted his role as the future king. I didn’t personally see it that way. I saw it as a combination of a few things. 1) When come face-to-face with it, he just couldn’t let August give the speech (But the fact that he was initially willing to let someone who distributed revenge porn against him become king really speaks to how much he definitely doesn’t want that position) 2) He didn’t want Simon to have to compromise his happiness and give in to a situation he didn’t actually want 3) He didn’t want to hide anymore. He wanted to be himself. Wille is a person who craves authenticity. Which brings me to a bigger point… Life as the Crown Prince / King is inherently inauthentic. One of the main pro-King arguments is that he would blaze his own trail and do things his way. But how? Being a member of the royal family is a job. The basic responsibilities of that job are to do things like diplomatic visits, hosting events, being part of photo ops, schmoozing with people… pretty much all things having to do with putting on a public persona. It’s great that he could be himself in the sense that he would be the first queer Crown Prince / King, but the baseline duties he would have to fulfill are still inherently inauthentic. And I don’t know how he would “do it his way” aside from just not doing it. He hates putting on fake smiles

the photo ops

the schmoozing with people

Erik even told Wille, the way to get through that stuff is to just pretend to be someone else.

We know he’s capable of doing it. We saw how charming he could be at Parents Day weekend. But that was because he wanted to sit with Simon and impress Simon’s mom. Other than that lunch, he mostly hid in his room. And it goes back to my original point. Just because someone may be good at something doesn’t mean they should be forced to do it. (And yes, even if he walked away from the line of succession, he could still have familial obligations, but it wouldn’t be anywhere near the level of what is expected now) At this point, Wille is only continuing as Crown Prince because of a commitment to his family. Mainly Erik.

He doesn’t want to let him down or feel like he’s betraying his legacy. To Wille, Erik was perfect. We only saw two full conversations between them and in both conversations, Erik was telling Wille to get his act together because “it’s not that hard”.

That quote is probably something he told Wille a lot. So much that Wille later regurgitates it to Boris. Three different times.  

Going on to say that Erik could handle everything easily.  

Based on the fact that Erik was going to Boris, he probably wasn’t managing everything with ease. But in Wille’s perception, he was. Wille is basically chasing a ghost. Self-imposed pressure of unattainable perfection. He bears a guilt that pushes him to want to be someone he thinks Erik would be proud of.   The problem with that is, Erik was a monarchist. Maybe he struggled a bit (which is why he went to Boris), but based on the things he would say to Wille, he backed the monarchy / family completely.

Ultimately, I just want Wille to be happy. Maybe S3 will completely change my outlook and I’ll root for him to become king because that’s what he wants. But right now, I think he only wants it out of a sense of obligation to Erik. And honestly…maybe my most controversial opinion…if he did stay in his position because of Erik, he probably wouldn’t change that much within the institution. I mean, he couldn’t change much even if he wanted to. He wouldn’t be allowed to do big things without the consent of the Swedish parliament and maybe a public referendum. And I doubt he’d even have the capability to make small changes. As already pointed out by @piebingo in this great post, Kristina didn’t actually want August to be next in line. But she was overruled. The Royal Court has a lot of power and making any sort of reforms or independent decisions is not that simple. Especially within an establishment that relies on keeping everything exactly the same. But even if that weren’t true. Even if Wille could snap his fingers and make all these huge changes… part of me doesn’t think he would. I know a lot of the folks who are pro-King Wilhelm want him to become the king just so he can completely destroy it from within. But to me, in Wille’s eyes there would be no bigger betrayal to Erik’s legacy than Wille burning the institution to the ground. And if he wants to live up to Erik’s legacy. Not betray him. Not let him down. He will act as he thinks Erik would act. If Wille becomes king because of Erik, he’ll maintain the establishment because of Erik. And he would be miserable doing it. Miserable and without Simon. Yes, my other controversial opinion. If Wille stayed as king, Wilmon wouldn’t make it. Simon is described to us as a socialist. One of his introductory scenes is him calling the monarchy the country’s biggest welfare scammers. I can’t imagine Simon giving up his musical dreams to join an institution that he hates. I also can’t imagine Wille letting him do that. That was such a big part of Wille’s growth in Season 2. Wille wouldn’t let Simon sacrifice his happiness for the sake of his own happiness (being with Simon). Even if Simon didn’t end up pursuing something in music, he made it clear in his talk with Rosh and Ayub that he wants to work hard to make something of himself.

I mean, look at him. Look at this sweet baby angel’s face when he’s told he has an opportunity that will open doors to his future. I can’t imagine him giving up his ambitions or autonomy to become prince consort. Having to live every day under royal rules and protocols. Maybe he would. I personally can’t see it. And finally, I know a main reason people like the idea of King Wille is because we like the idea of a queer king. But as much as we all want queer representation; I don’t think it should be anybody’s responsibility to be the political representation that people want to see. Wille shouldn’t be in a position he hates because he’s queer. A queer person living their life and getting out of a toxic situation is also good representation. A person can’t fix the problem by becoming part of it. Having him be the face of an institution that’s been about exploitation and oppression isn’t going to solve it. It's always been said by Lisa and Edvin that Wille’s problem is not that he’s queer. It’s that he’s a prince. Everything about what’s making him unhappy is about him being prince / the future king. Him walking away from his title would be about him escaping a future that would make him miserable. Personally, that’s what I’m hoping for.

[chimmykai]

Welcome to my "Why August should have the Crown" but in a bad way.

We've all seen how Wilhelm feels about being Crown Prince; he doesn't want it and he would we miserable with his role.

The Crown is a punishment to him, and he realised that. So I think it will be implied in S3 that in the future he will give it up.

And August will then became officially his backup. Some people in the fandom (and Wilhelm and Simon) still sees that in a bad way because they think that this will be like a prize to August and it might be in the beginning, but I think soon August will realise that it's indeed a punishment.

August is no Erik or Wilhelm; he doesn't have the people's love since he was a little kid, he has no media training, the Queen isn't even on his side, he was not born to play this role. Wilhelm either but he at least had grown up in this enviroment...

Also, imagine the day the news outlet find out that;

His father committed suicide

He can't stand his stepdad and went bankrupt.

He has no money left

This will cause a great scandal...

We are all forgetting that August suffers from an eating disorder, has low self-esteem and a drug adiction. How do you think he will cope with all of this?

I do believe that August is in love with Sara, and he's still not over it as seen in the trailer. And I think this moment in season 2 says a lot.

Dear August, you really think that the Royal Court will let you date the neurodivergent daughter of an inmigrant mother and drug addict father whose brother is in a sextape/dating the ex-Crown Prince?

August doesn't realise that from now on his life will be controlled by the Royal Court. The conversation of the 10 year plan that he had over the phone in S2 seemed to stressed him but didn't realise how serious it was; well, welcome to your new life.

Also, August doesn't have anyone; no father, he's angry at his mom, can't stand his stepdad, he doesn't have friends because the ones he had on S1 turned his back at him in S2 when Wilhelm said something...

I'm no Kristina fan and her decisions, but let's remember that she's a mourning mother. In less than a year her life changed dramatically. In public she might seem close to August but in private? He's the one that caused her remaining heir to think about giving up the crown and end her dinasty (?) by outing him in a sextape video... Don't think she will be fond of him...

So yeah, I think that August won't go to prison and won't be held accountable for what he did. He will graduate and then his life won't be his anymore, because from now on the Royal Court will be the one dictating all of his decisions.

Meanwhile Wille will get to live his life just like he wanted, free from that control.

And it will be poetic that August will be the one taking up his place, because he will then start to suffer what he thought he wanted.

August thinks that he will be the perfect Crown Prince, but he doesn't realise that being a Prince is not a privilege but a punishment.

[retrobr]

well, ladies and gentlemen, my recent idea about x-men shrek au has been spinning in my mind for some time, and in the process of talking to my friend about it, we have jointly distributed the roles for some of the characters:

erik as shrek, obviously;

charles as fiona;

peter as donkey;

logan as puss in boots;

kurt as dragon (/j, unless-);

emma frost as fairy godmother;

sebastian shaw as prince charming;

bolivar trask as rumpelstiltskin;

raven as arthur pendragon (maybe?? i'm not sure;

this is all i have for now, but yeah if anyone has more ideas please don't be shy and share some 😏

[jaymoriarty-knight]

Charles forced himself to present contentment and peace while his insides burned with the grief and loss he couldn't escape. He would play his part and fulfill his marital responsibilities, but he could never love Prince Sebastian.

The Prince assured Charles that he would grow to love his soon to be husband. Charles only ever smiled politely and changed the subject. The only joy Charles found was in his daily ride. He loved his horse, which reminded him of Erik.

It was on one such ride that Charles met three people, a woman with striking blonde hair, a short, angry looking man, and an individual whose gender Charles could not tell with vibrantly blue skin.

"Excuse me, my good sir," the blonde woman started with a smile. "We are but lost circus performers. Is there a village nearby?"

Charles shook his head, "there is nothing nearby for miles."

The woman's smile turned venomous. "Then there will be no one to hear you scream."

Charles turned pale. "I beg your pardon-?"

The short man approached Charles’s horse, grabbing Charles’s leg and yanking him to the ground. Charles hit his head on a rock and went limp.

The man tossed Charles over his shoulder like he weighed nothing and brought him to the boat.

The blonde woman tore the crest of a Guilder army officer off a coat and placed it on Charles’s horse, sending his horse back the way it had come. She knew it would find it's way home without it's rider.

Emma intended to make Florin believe Guilder had kidnapped their prince-to-be. The two countries were sworn enemies and this crime would cause war between them. The crime would be made all the worse with Charles’s murder. His body was to be dumped on the Guilder frontier.

"You never said anything about killing anyone," the man protested upon hearing Emma’s plan.

"I hired you to help me start a war!" Emma snapped at Logan. "Its a prestigious line of work with a long and glorious tradition."

"It isn’t right, killing an innocent man." Logan shook his head.

"Am I going mad," Emma glared at Logan, "or did the word "think" just escape your lips? I didn't hire you to think!"

"I agree with Logan," Raven cut in. She didn't feel it was right to kill Charles either.

"Oh, the sot has spoken," Emma said venom in her tone. "What happens to him is hardly your concern. I will kill him myself. You just remember that I found you," Emma poked Raven's chest. "You were so bloody drunk you couldn't buy brandy. And you," she turned on Logan. "Friendless, brainless, useless. I'll send you right back where I found you."

Logan and Raven exchanged looks.

Charles woke to find himself bound up in ropes. He vaguely thought, surely they can't think I'm a threat, before deciding it didn’t really matter what they thought of him while he was miles out to sea.

"We'll reach the cliffs by dawn." Emma said, sounding rather cheerful to Charles.

Raven looked over the bow of the ship, "are you sure no one is following us?"

"That would be inconceivable."

Charles felt half tempted to warn his kidnappers that they would be caught, but he found he couldn't be bothered. What did it matter to him? At least if he died he could be with his Erik again.

While his kidnappers looked at something Charles couldn't see and said things he couldn't hear, he wriggled in his bonds, discovering that they weren't all that tight. He loosened them enough to break free. While they were all still distracted, Charles dove into the water.

Emma whipped around at the splash, fury running through her. "Go get him!"

Raven shrugged, "I can't swim."

Logan shook his head. "I sink like a rock."

Emma gave a frustrated groan. "Veer left!"

Raven turned the ship as an odd shrieking reached Charles’s ears.

Emma grinned. "Do you know what that sound is, highness? Those are shrieking eels. They adore devouring human flesh!"

Charles felt fear rise up his throat. As depressed as he was, Charles found he didn't really want to die by shrieking eels.

"Come back to us, Highness. I promise no harm will come to you. I doubt the eels will offer you any sort of deal."

Charles felt his heart race as an eel got closer, its jaw opening to reveal a row of sharp teeth. It snapped its mouth just inches from Charles, who backed away as much as he could.

Charles kept swimming away from the eel until he was close enough to the boat for Logan to grab the back of his tunic. Logan hauled Charles back into the boat, dropping Charles on the floor. Emma retied Charles’s wrists, taking the end of the rope and tying it to the mast.

"That should keep you from being stupid, Highness." She smirked.

"Wait, you jumped out of the boat?" Scott interrupted.

"I did." Charles patted Scott’s hand.

"But why? Surely you know it wouldn't work. Where would you have gone?"

"I'm not all that sure," Charles contemplated. "But I simply didn't want to be kidnapped."

"But you ended back with them. What happened?"

"Well if you stopped interrupting the story," Erik said lightly.

@cherikdogfood

If anybody else wants a tag, just let me know :)

[fan-a-tink]

Wille & his family

If you think about it, Young royals is a story of many journeys, but one of the most central ones has been Wille’s journal away from his family. 

He starts the series with his family deciding that he will change schools. He tells them he doesn’t want to but is ignored. When Erik dies he spends what feels like two days with his family, trying to grieve together, but his mother immediately tries to get him involved in his role as crown prince. After all the shit with the video been leaked, his mother makes Wille apologize for it (still think this is one of the most fucked up things to happen in this show) and forces him to make a statement denying (himself) that it was him in the video, thereby betraying Simon, hiding his queerness and ruining his relationship. But Wille does this because this is his family and he has trusted them his whole life, and he doesn’t dare to take the leap and rely on Simon whom he’s only known for a few weeks/months at this point. And then he is betrayed by his family, when he finds out that Kristina knew it was August and didn’t tell him and is also still actively protecting August by deciding not to prosecute him. This is a key moment, because Wille learns that the foundations of his life, his family, was ultimately completely fine with betraying him and forcing him to do the speech. 

In season 2, we see the fallout of that betrayal, the aftermath. With Wille shutting out his mother, refusing to talk with anyone from the court etc. They try to take him from the school, to regain some control over his actions, but he manages to make a fragile peace with his mother by agreeing to see a therapist. His mother seriously believes that she doesn’t need to address her son’s struggles personally in any way, as a mother, and instead just makes Wille someone else’s responsibility. This is another important step, because the queen’s plan backfires and Boris is actually helping Wille realise that he doesn’t have to be defined by his family’s rules and it is possible for him to go after what he wants. At the end of season 2, when he makes that speech, he takes his first definite step away from his family, signaling to them that he will try to live his life on his own terms. 

And in season 3, we learn that this lead to the Queen having a breakdown. I know she always says it’s all about Erik, but she was dealing with that before and the only thing that has changed is that Wille has started standing up for himself. Now throughout season 3 Wille and his family are in a tricky situation: Wille collaborates with the royal court for his work as a prince and for his and Simon's safety, but he is completely on his own in his family. He receives help and support from Farima, not his parents. The Queen’s illness puts pressure on him to be ready for the crown, and at the same time no one in his family wants to really speak about it and when he meets his mother she pretends that everything is fine. Then even his belief in Erik is shattered, and he has to question the only thing he really held on to with his family: his brother and the ideal he represented, the responsibility he felt to continue Erik's legacy. All of this leads to the confrontation in episode 5, where he rightfully calls out his family for never supporting him throughout any of it. He literally yells at his father „I am your only son now. Can you see me?“ and tells Kristina that she is doing a shit job of both being a mother and the Queen. And they prove him absolutely right by just refusing to engage with him, and just leaving the room because they can’t handle the situation. 

So at the point we’re at now, Wille is the furthest away from his family he has ever been. He starts out sitting in between them when he gives his first speech after the fight at the club in episode 1. And he has become completely isolated from all of them by the end of episode 5 of season 3. Does that mean he will go one step further and turn down the responsibility of being crown prince and abdicate? I don’t know. But his journey throughout three seasons has definitely been going in that direction. He becomes more and more estranged from his family and has realised more and more that he can’t rely on them for emotional support, or rely on them to even just consider him in the decisions they make that affect his life. A part of me wants him to just get away from them and make his own way in the world. But another part also wants Kristina and Ludvig to step up and become the parents that Wille deserves and needs. 

[five--losers]

The Boys and their Powers

[An archived SM Headcanon post]

SEDUCE ME HEADCANON

Most of the Boys’ special powers are not exclusive to them, but ‘their powers’ are where they shine best. They can all dash with super speed, they can all make flowers grow, they can all conjure various objects; but they each have a preferred school of magic, and/or are particularly gifted in a given school.

There are, however, a few exceptions.

Below the cut are my personal detailed HCs on the Boys’ powers and the intricacies thereof.

Matthew is both skilled and unusually talented with Conjuring magic - a school dedicated to materializing and dispelling inanimate objects that have mass (making solid objects without mass would be the Illusion school). Most demons/practitioners use it for creating everyday objects or weapons (see also: James). The length of time it takes to create an item depends on the practitioner’s skill and the objects’ intricacy. The quality of the item comes from how well the Conjurer is able to picture the item they’re making.

Matthew is special for a couple reasons. First, he is able to make extremely complicated knick-knacks in seconds where the average professionally-taught Conjurer would need around twenty minutes. It’s a talent that truly shines when he fights, as he’s able to create daggers with such speed and ease that one could easily mistake him for having hid them up his sleeves. Second, after the Boys arrived in the human world, any toys Matthew conjured would come to life. This is a huuuuge deal, but I’ll save the details of why for my stories.

I gave Erik’s powers a complete overhaul. I know his canon powers are tentacles, but that really… doesn’t feel right in my opinion. The obnoxious flirt, objectively the most sexual brother; giving him Hentai Consentacles is oversaturating the archetype as well as… gross. He deserves more dimension than that. So!

Erik is a master Botanist Life Weaver. Life Weaving is a school that, in broad terms, manipulates the growth and decay of all things organic. Almost all Live Weavers are Botanists - they manipulate the growth of plants and the like - as using the magic on anything else is considered cruel and dangerous, as well as heavily taxing on the practitioner. As of now, Life Weaving can only speed up growth/the aging process.

Erik uses his abilities to grow and breed flowers as a hobby. It isn’t uncommon for him to grow an acorn into a full tree in a matter of minutes. In combat, he is able to grow briar vines and wield them like whips, slashing and tearing up anyone unfortunate enough to get within range. He can also grow regular vines for grabbing things, hanging, climbing, and swinging. If necessary, Erik can summon roots from the earth to reach and wrap around his legs, literally rooting him in place. These uses are considered very unusual in demon society, and I’m willing to bet Erik is the only Botanist to ever weaponize his plants.

James is a Conjurer like Matthew, however he specializes in ranged combat. As the Crown Prince, he was well-trained in various forms of combat and quickly grew fond of the longbow. He didn’t like any of the bows he used though; they all seemed to lack something, be it range or power. Determined, he researched bow anatomy and created a weapon that suited him perfectly.

Upon arriving in the human world, James discovered firearms and immediately rose to the challenge. A gun is far more intricate than a bow however, not to mention the technology was entirely foreign to him. He dedicated whole days to researching guns, teaching himself about them from the ground up and practicing conjuring them.

Now, James is able to conjure most kinds of handguns in a few minutes and his favorite model sniper rifle in around ten to fifteen. Because of this build time, he tends to default to his bow in fast-paced, unexpected combat. The bow only takes a second to make. Guns, he has to reserve for fights with prep time, and for when he has more than plenty of energy to dedicate to their making.

Onward to our two exceptions.

Sam is, as we all know, unusually strong even for a demon. This alone is not his ‘Main Combat Power’ though. Sam was born with an attunement to a very archaic sorcery, and in fact taps into the power of the first demons that fell from Heaven. This power was so deadly, so chaotic and volatile, that it was deemed too dangerous for continued practice and nearly all documents detailing how to use it were destroyed or locked away in the Demon Lord’s private study. You can only imagine DL’s surprise when he learned one of his own kin had such a dangerous gift.

This sorcery, “Ancestral Awakening,” gives Sam the power to revert his physical form into that of an Ancestor. The first demons to ever spawn from Hellfire were among the most powerful and uncontrollable forces to ever exist beneath the Devil Princes ( “Chernabog” ). Sam can turn into that. It’s a very painful shift and without extensive training, the Ancestor will not yield to the shifter’s will. Sam doesn’t believe he can control the Ancestor at all; the Demon Lord assured him that such a thing wasn’t necessary, as Sam would always have his Lord to trust in controlling the beast once summoned.

Sam doesn’t always have to summon the entire Ancestor, however; he can attune parts of his body to the transformation without inviting a full shift. An arm and a leg, or a part of his face can shift into something Ancestral, but the more limbs he attunes then the easier it is for the Ancestor to take over completely. Sam meditates frequently and keeps himself on a strict martial regime, so his mental and physical strength never slip so far that the Ancestor can overpower him.

Damien is adept with various Mind magic schools, but he was never formally taught or even magically recognized for that matter. All the Demon Lord cared about was Damien’s mind reading, and it’s the sole reason he was allowed to stay in the castle. He was used as a tool to read the intentions of rival leaders at formal gatherings and find traitors among the ranks. Any other magical abilities he may have possessed meant little to Damien’s father. He could have been given formal training and learned to control what he heard, but the Demon Lord forbade it. If Damien could hear everything, then the Demon Lord could hear everything.

As for his combat powers… Damien is the most unusual case of the five. While Sam is unconventional, the Ancestral Awakening is at least a power that has been documented, can be recognized, and at one point did in fact exist.

There is a plane of existence, a dimension, beyond Hell, Earth, and the Abyssal Plains. Demons don’t know it exists. This dimension is a writhing mass of insanity. Anything unfortunate enough to pass through it would be mentally destroyed. Damien can warp himself to this dimension at will, through tendrils and black smoke and haze. Thus far, he is the only known soul capable of doing so, as well as the only known soul who can enter and exit mentally unscathed.

From this dimension, he can summon shadows to help and fight for him. These shadows, these doppelgangers, always take on a vague, darkened reflection of Damien, and he isn’t sure why. Damien can also swap places with any given doppelganger; a trick that has saved his life and allowed him to make impossible escapes.

If you were to ask Damien where his powers came from, he would tell you he doesnt’ remember. One day he didn’t have them, and the next day he did. That next day, he won’t tell you, was the day his mother died. He refuses to think about that.