Look I Love Unconditional Devotion Love Stories As Much As The Next Person, But There's Really Something

To anyone who knows: Is there any chance Young Royals will get more international recognition with awards and things? Like are International Emmy awards for TV shows a thing? I want to see them really get proper accolades -- and yes I know winning awards isn't everything, but Lisa, Edvin, Omar, et al deserve it, damnit!

ever notice how the ONLY time wille uses his other bed is when felice--who is the only person other than simon to hang out in his room--is over?

almost

almost like

he's trying to preserve the memory of simon in his bed

What Simon can teach us about boundaries!

Been seeing a lot of Simon hate again lately (mostly on other apps but i’m sure its here too) and it's getting pretty frustrating and honestly a little bit troubling that people think so little of Simon and his needs.

Simon hate feels like some weird connection to the patriarchy/heteronormativity where some people have just decided that it is okay for one person's needs to be ignored in a relationship in order to satisfy the other. Lisa seemed to intentionally try and create a dynamic in their relationship where they see each other as equals. They may struggle to see each others perspectives at times but that is true for literally ANY RELATIONSHIP where two people come together from different walks of life. Both their needs matter and their journey in the relationship is to figure out how to honor the other persons needs while honoring themselves or see if that is even possible.

Sooo I wanted to share some lessons about boundaries that people could learn through Simon instead of talking sh!t about him !!!

1. Boundaries are about what we want and need in a relationship. Sometimes people want different things and thats ok!

People love to say that Simon forced Wilhelm to cone out. I even saw someone say that Simon was asking Wilhelm to "give up his family and the throne". No where does Simon ask him to do any of those things. Notice how Simon says "I don't want to be anyones secret"? This is not just about Wille. This is a boundary that he has for himself and the types of relationships that he wants to have. Everyone is allowed to have expectations or want a certain type of relationship. Saying you don’t want to be in a secret relationship is quite a reasonable request. It is also quite reasonable to say that you don't want to be in a public relationship. Sometimes in relationships, what two people need is incompatible at the time which is why it made sense for them to end things. That is the point- for both people to say what they need to feel comfortable and sometimes other people cannot meet your needs- you have to decide if that is a dealbreaker and for Simon at the time it was.

2. Boundaries ≠ manipulation

He tells Wilhelm he take as much time as he needs but you have to do it alone. That is a boundary it is NOT manipulation. He does not try to control Wilhelm or tell Wilhelm what to do. Saying a relationship wont work for you unless certain needs are met or that you dont want to do tons of emotional labor for another person is not manipulation. He is saying I am not okay with being a secret, I am not okay with having my trust broken, i’m not okay with being in a relationship where you say one thing and do another (Wilhelm made a promise he could not keep and even he has owned up to that to Nils). Simon is not saying YOU HAVE TO COME OUT RIGHT NOW OR ELSE. He is not playing mind games or trying to get Wilhelm to change his mind in order to be with him. He is willing to walk away to because he knows it is not possible at that point for Wille and him to get on the same page.

Boundaries have become part of social media language lately thanks to instagram therapists and the like but a lot of people have misconstrued the meaning. Some people call something a boundary when they are actually being controlling. However the purpose of a boundary is about what you yourself are comfortable with, not what other people can/cannot do. Ex: “i am okay with holding hands in public but otherwise I don’t feel comfortable with PDA” (healthy boundary). Vs “you can’t have guy friends because I get jealous” (unhealthy boundary). Boundaries are healthy and necessary for a relationship to be healthy- they are not the same as manipulation or trying to control someone else.

3. What is okay for you does not have to be okay for someone else. Everyone’s boundaries are different because we are all different people with different traumas, needs, experiences, relationships, and limits. I have seen people compare the Wilmon to Narlie where Charlie is okay with Nick wanting to keep things “secret”. Besides the fact that this is a completely different relationship and context, the fun thing about boundaries is that what is okay for you does not have to be okay for someone else! Just because you would have been willing to be Wilhelm’s secret if he asked does not mean that Simon has to. Just because Charlie was willing to to do that for Nick does not mean that Simon has to. Not to mention !!! Nick also acknowledged that is not not fair to Charlie and outside of not telling people they had a very loving smooth sailing relationship - people expect Simon to be like Charlie without acknowledging that Wilhelm is not giving the level of trust and security that Nick is. If you want to go there, I'm sure if Wille was acting like Nick being consistent not saying "i'm not like that", "delete my number" etc (regardless of the reason) then maybe Simon would have been more okay with it. This is not Wille hate bc i get it, but sometimes in empathizing with Wille people forget that Simon is a whole human with wants and needs. Simon needs to protect himself and his heart. We all do. Relationships should not require you to subject yourself to pain for someone else. It is healthy to have boundaries and know your needs and what you deserve. And at that point in time Wille could not give him that. Most people watching were quite proud of Simon for that so idk how the narrative got turned to him being selfish.

4. Boundaries can change

It is normal to reassess your boundaries, that does not make them any less valid. Clearly for Simon, once Wilhelm proved his trust more and and Simon reevaluated what he wanted, he decided that he was willing to be a secret if that meant having each other. If he never decided that, it still would have been totally valid. Also noting, there was no compromise/meet in the middle there in Simon deciding that he was willing to be a secret for Wille. It's just funny that Simon is getting the flack for not wanting to "compromise" or meet in the middle when in the end, Simon was willing to do exactly what Wille wanted and he gets ZERO credit from some people for that. Luckily Wilhelm sees what a sacrifice this is for Simon and does not leave Simon to sacrifice alone.

4. Boundaries protect the relationship, build trust and help relationships grow

If Simon had never stood his ground both in s1e6 and throughout s2 Wille would have continued they way he was going, they probably would have gotten in even more arguments and honestly i do not think Wille would have been forced to mature and consider Simons feelings in the way he eventually did. I know people resist Edvin calling Wille selfish but Simon has to constantly keep telling Wille “what about me? What about my family? Do you see how hard this is for me?” For some reason viewers are interpreting that as selfish ?? In a relationship you really should not have to be constantly reminding someone to consider you and your feelings.

Simon setting boundaries and saying what he wanted only made their relationship stronger even tho they had to take some time apart. Protecting yourself and wanting a healthy balanced relationship where your needs are considered as much as the other person’s is not selfish. And anyone who tells you that it is does not have your best intentions at heart. Simon is not saying his needs are MORE important than Wille’s he is saying that his needs matter TOO and are EQUALLY IMPORTANT to Wille’s. Which was the journey he needed to go on (as stated by his sister) and the journey that Wille needed to go on as well in order to create a healthy dynamic together.

So yeah i hope you all set some boundaries today or use this info to argue with simon antis 💖

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Disclaimer// I am not a therapist i just do workshops with teens about healthy relationships and it is a passion of mine.

Chapter 9 of: Almost Is Never Enough is up now

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And then suddenly, shattering the quiet and hushed peace that lays over their vicinity Wille charges forward, brimming with a bright infectious joy as he spins a bit in the snow and looks back at Simon with the widest grin he's ever seen. Simon watches as he runs around a bit, feeling torn between wanting to join him and just enjoying the picture he makes running against the dark backdrop of snow flurries.

“Admit it, Simon!” He calls across the distance between them, waving at him. “Snow is amazing!”

Simon has to laugh, Wille looks so ridiculous in his sweatpants and the jacket he had hastily pulled on and boots that aren’t even laced up. He’s wearing a fluffy hat that is most definitely his sister Sara’s, purple with a fluffy pom pom at the top.

“Admit it!” Wille calls again and then he’s charging at him and Simon’s eyes widen, scrambling away and running in the opposite direction a wild laugh caught in his chest escapes him breathlessly when Wille runs squarely into him, arm around his waist nearly toppling them both to the ground.

"I could be free with you."

Video captions: And stop trying to show your ex what they missed out on! Stop trying to teach your family a lesson for not believing in you! Stop trying to shit on your haters! Do it for you! Do it because you deserve it! Do it for YOU! Water your dreams with love! Don’t put no hate and resentment, and try to — “oh Imma fucking show them, Imma show” — FUCK THEM! Fuck them, do it for you! They don’t matter! They NEVER mattered.

"I'm just trying to be honest about my feelings. You should try it sometimes".

The first time I watched this scene, I felt hurt for Wille, I know this would've hurt me.

But I slowly realized that Simon has been trying to get Wille to be more brave and honest with himself since day one_ something that Wille desperately needed_ and I love him for that.

Simon was never content with "taking a hint" from Wille, he never agreed to just let things be, to speculations and assumptions, he wanted Wille to be straightforward, to voice his thoughts and feelings. He literally dragged that "would you like to keep me company" from him, not settling for a vague invitation.

I truly believe that Simon played a significant part in Wille's personal development (whether he realized it or not). He inspired him to be brave, to defend his feelings_ no matter how scary it might be, it will be okay.

_ I'm not trying to stop you, Simon, but it's scary.

_ I know, I'm scared too.

And it worked.

"I just wanted you to know that this is how I feel".

"Me too, I'm scared all the time, but that changes now".

Wille has finally learned that talking to himself isn't enough, and talking to his therapist isn't enough. He might be scared but he can work it out, he can still be brave and take risks and be proud of every feeling in his heart_ and it's okay to be himself, cause he will still be loved. 💜