Sflow @sflow-er - Tumblr Blog

Hi.

You can call me Sflow. Awkward millennial from the Nordics, self-employed translator, massive geek, still an early 2000s emo kid at heart.

I came out of lurking in early 2022, for the Young Royals fandom I'd been following (and posting fic for) since July 2021. I am still here for YR, but I also blog about other stuff I'm into (e.g. Stranger Things), ace stuff, my native country’s politics, etc. I will continue to tag those posts ‘not yr’ for your convenience!

One reason I have so much love for YR is that it reignited my creative spark. I'm Sflow on ao3. Fic descriptions and links are also available on a separate master list page; they are mostly alloace Henry fics as per my headcanon of him.

My magnum opus is an S1-compliant longfic called Other people’s secrets. It's an outsider POV of Wilmon, a personal growth journey for Henry, and an ace/allo romance between him and Walter. I'm proud to say the Walty ship name was coined by my readers!

[Description post here, first chapter here, excerpts here.]

My current WIPs have been on hiatus for a while due to creative burnout and real-life stress, but they are not abandoned!

I've also written a pre-canon character study on August. It's called Årnäs, February 2016 and it explores his upbringing and parental relationships. More recently, I wrote a little Stedrika thing for an event, from Fredrika's POV which we didn't get to see in the show.

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My blog is of course safe for LGBTQIA+ people. I’m grey ace with demi tendencies; romantic orientation unlabelled/fluid since I accepted my asexuality and Realised Some Stuff about my history of attraction. Some flavour of multiromantic anyway.

Thank you for reading! 💜

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Links to a few longer pieces of YR/fandom meta under the cut.

#unprompted personal disclosure #sflow introduction

fakeosphere

So this is happening right now apparently. JK rowling is posting upskirt photos of, misgendering publicly and generally degrading a trans woman because TERFs gonna TERF. This is after she started a women's support organization that is trans exclusionary, outraged that another org is being run by a trans woman. So like are we done enjoying Harry Potter or whatever the fuck? Are we done passively bankrolling this absolute fucking abuser?

pixeljade

Shes also currently attacking Amnesty International UK for them releasing a study showing that anti-trans groups are largely conservative-funded

“They have sued organizations into the ground.”

scots-dragon

This is what you're supporting if you continue to engage with Harry Potter media.

simonsapelsin

which is superior?

watermelon 🍉

pineapple 🍍

Remaining time: 2 days 6 hours

#pineapple #aka the fruit that eats YOU #the slight burning sensation when you eat it is bromelain (a proteolytic enzyme) breaking down your mucosa #that incredible feature alone makes pineapple superior #but it is also way tastier than watermelon #polls #not yr

poobletoods

i call this phenomenon "god hates me"

#too accurate

penny-anna

what the hell is going on

penny-anna

i believe in you Binface. you can do it. this could be your moment.

penny-anna

Please god it would be so funny

penny-anna

there is no downside to voting for Count Binface. its not taking away from other candidates bcos they aren't any and the more votes he gets the stupider Farage looks.

penny-anna

for people out of the loop:

Nigel Farage is the leader of Reform UK, a far right party who are currently in the process of a serious bid to become the UK government. they are just straight up evil.

Count Binface is an intergalactic space warrior with a bin on his head. he likes to run as a novelty candidate in general and mayoral elections. a big thing he likes to do is run as a candidate against the incumbent prime minister:

(Also pictured: Boris Johnson, Elmo)

Anyway, in brief:

Nigel Farage is currently in the midst of a big scandal about his finances

He has decided to deal with this by 1) making a show of nobly resigning from parliament and then 2) immediately running in the resulting by-election

He has stated that he is letting 'the people' judge his actions and implied that if he wins that will prove that he has been exonerated in the court of public opinion

His goal was presumably to get a big resounding win over the other parties, proving that The People still love him.

the other parties have thus far decided that this is a 'vanity election' and, well, there is one very easy way to ensure that he will not beat any of them, and that is simply not to play.

and as a result the only person who has so far confirmed they are running against him is Count Binface. no matter the outcome this makes Nigel Farage look like, u know, a fucking clown.

butterflyslinky

So what happens if Count Binface actually wins? Does he join Parliament? Does he have to take the bin off his face?

penny-anna

I've seen some people saying he would have to give up his title but it would seem that is no longer the case as of 1999; so, no, he can keep his ceremonial bin if he wishes.

Important to note also that Count Binface is the alter ego of comedian & political satirist Jon Harvey who seems to be an intelligent individual with reasonable politics. As I said no real downside.

penny-anna

The no hats rule clearly does not apply to him. He is not wearing a hat. It's a bin.

mydignityisinflames

The other part of this is if farage does get re-elected, none of this farce actually stops parliament from looking into his finances. If he is found to have breached the rules then guess what? Yup, it could trigger another by-election.

Oh and each by-election costs around £275,000 to the public purse

#i only just learned about count binface this morning but he seems like the very best kind of satirical candidate #him being the only one to stand is the /perfect/ answer to farage's farcical “fight against the establishment”#count binface #uk politics #not yr

sflow-er

Fic snippet compilation for Hillerska Spirit Week

I didn't have time to write anything new for this fandom event (thank you for organising @hillerska-spirit-week!), but I wanted to do something small to join in the spirit. So here are some scenes from my existing fics that vaguely fit (most of) the prompts!

The first one is under the cut, and I will reblog this throughout the day to add the rest, counting backwards from today's prompt.

#5: Beach Day

sflow-er

#4: Sports Day

From The real deal (pre-S1, AU and OOC from S2). Walter's POV. Marcus is not Marcus from S2 but an OC by the same name!

“By the way,” Marcus is saying to Alexander just as Walter turns back to them, “I went to the staff room to ask about the clubs and teams and whatnot.”

“Just the sports, or music too?” Alexander asks. “I’m still undecided if I should continue with the violin. Mum will be upset if I quit, but I’m not going to have much spare time with all my duties at Forest Ridge.”

“I still don’t get why you volunteered for more of those. I’d pay good money to get off the router completely.”

“The same reason as the last time you asked. It’ll look good on my record, and I’ll get to know everyone else doing them. Even August, since I’m going to report back to him. So did you ask about music?”

“I did, but the music teacher wasn’t there. Anyway, the P.E. teacher said most sports are starting either next week or the week after. We can join them whenever we want, except for the rowing team. So you’ve got plenty of time to come play tennis with me when you get sick of all your extra chores.”

Alexander simply rolls his eyes. He proceeds to cut a neat piece of the last vegetable patty on his plate and smear some sauce on it, giving Walter the chance to intervene.

“What about the rowing team?”

That came out a touch more upset than Walter intended, but he doesn’t mind showing that he genuinely loves rowing. He is eager to get back to it, and besides, having a well-known passion of his own makes it far less suspicious when he pretends to get interested in whatever his new friends happen to like.

He still moderates his voice to elaborate, “I figured they’d be opening try-outs soon. They must be a few guys short after the summer.”

“You’d think so, but the teacher said they won’t be taking new recruits until sometime next month,” Marcus says, realisation dawning on his face. “Oh. You talked about rowing in your introduction on Monday, didn’t you? Sorry, I didn’t think to ask what was up.”

“That’s okay, I appreciate the info anyway,” Walter assures him. “I’ll have to ask August or his friend. The one he tagged in his post about them being captain and vice-captain this year.”

“Nils Polstjerna,” Alexander supplies helpfully. The name is not new to Walter, who has already looked up the Prefect’s two best friends. Nils is new money, while the other one, Vincent af Klintskog, is heir to an untitled noble family.

A bit like Alexander and Henry. It’s almost funny how most people here fall into such specific categories.

“Yeah, I saw that post too.” Marcus reaches out for the pitcher of water and offers to pour some for Walter and Alexander as well. “So Walter. I remember you said you’ve been rowing for a few years, but are you any good? Like, objectively. If you don’t mind me asking.”

The cheeky tone draws a laugh out of Walter, and Alexander chuckles along as well.

“I don’t mind, and yeah, I’d say I am,” Walter says truthfully. “I know I don’t necessarily look like it, but you only need big guys for the engine room – that’s what the middle seats are called. The bow seat and especially the stroke seat in the stern are more about technique than strength,” he explains, knowing most people have no idea about the crew positions on a quad scull. “Stroking has been the captain’s job in the teams I’ve been on, but I’m good at bowing.”

“Okay, cool. I didn’t ask because of how you look, I was just curious.”

sflow-er

#3: Kid Day

From Årnäs, February 2016 (pre-canon). August's POV.

“You might as well pour me a drink.”

Carl Johan didn’t really have to ask. August was already approaching the side table, having sprung up from his chair the moment he heard his father’s brisk steps in the hallway. He opened the cap of the whiskey decanter and proceeded to pour with the same care as always, intently watching the surface of the liquor until it looked just right. Then he replaced the cap and swiftly delivered the drink to Carl Johan, who had taken a seat behind the desk.

“Here you go, Dad.”

August lingered on his feet, waiting for a reaction. It came in the form of a nod, stiff enough to indicate that Carl Johan wasn’t in the mood for outspoken thanks. August nodded back with a suitably serious look and rounded the desk to sit in the other chair again.

Silence fell over them as Carl Johan nursed his whiskey. It was usually best not to say anything until the alcohol mellowed him out. August allowed his mind and gaze to wander the room in the meantime.

The study was one of the rooms at Årnäs where the historical décor had been kept mostly intact. It wasn’t quite original, but most of it predated the first major remodelling. Even the masonry stove which had not been used in a long time was still there. The only modern piece of furniture, Carl Johan’s chair, had been specifically designed to fit between the large antique desk and even larger oil painting of the estate without clashing.

August had been drawn to this room since he was little. There were photos of him playing on the floor, and he had lots of memories of playing at the desk. He used to climb into his father’s chair, sniff the leather, and pretend that the cologne that clung to it was his own. He was Count August Horn of Årnäs, this was his study, and he had important affairs to attend to. More often than not, those affairs included letters to his second cousin Erik, the King of Sweden, which he pretended to sign and seal with a nice button from one of his jackets. The generic ornament embossed on it was nothing like Carl Johan’s signet ring, but August didn’t dare to risk staining the desk with real ink or sealing wax anyway.

Although August was way too old for make-belief games now, the room had not lost its appeal. He didn’t exactly feel at home or particularly comfortable there, but he did feel – something. He regularly came in just to soak it up, even if he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

sflow-er

#2: Retro Day

From an unfinished and unpublished one-shot set about ten years pre-canon. Ayub's POV.

“Finally! I was starting to think your mum wouldn’t let you out at all.”

“She said it was way too late, but she gave in when I explained that this was our tradition.”

Rosh nods solemnly in agreement; a tradition started last year when Ayub's mother had to work is still a tradition. She impatiently turns the front wheel of her bike back and forth while Ayub hurries over to the bike rack, tugging at the strap of his helmet. He doesn’t like wearing it, but his mother insisted, and she’ll be watching them through the kitchen window.

Rosh soon gets bored enough to ask, “So did you have a nice Midsummer?”

Ayub shrugs his shoulders. “We went to the park to see the maypole. You?”

“Our neighbours had a cookout. Some of the adults were really drunk and annoying, but I played football with Samir and thr others. And the food was pretty good.”

“I wish I lived in your building,” Ayub sighs, now bent over to unlock his bike. “Or in the houses down the road. There was a cookout there too, it sounded like they had live music and everything.”

As soon as Ayub is ready, they roll off. Their destination wouldn’t be too far on foot either, but bikes have always been their preferred mode of transport. Just plain old bicycles for now, but Rosh always talks about getting a moped when she’s old enough. Ayub will have to persuade his mum to let him do the same.

The fastest route cuts through the very block where Ayub heard the live music coming from. It has since veen replaced by a radio, currently blaring Svennebanan. As they weave into the yard, he hopes to catch a glimpse of the party, but there’s very little left to see – just bins overflowing with paper plates and tinfoil. A couple of drunk grownups are still there, smoking cigarettes and bobbing their heads to the music. The band is long gone, and so are any kids they might have played football with.

When they emerge on the other side of the block, however, they discover that two of those kids didn’t make it very far.

A boy and a girl about their age are sitting on a bench just off the path, dressed in nice summer clothes. The boy is even wearing a floral wreath to celebrate the day, while the girl is fiddling with a matching one in her lap. They are very obviously siblings – come to think of it, Ayub may have even seen them in the park with their parents. It looked like they were having fun.

But the parents aren’t there anymore and the kids aren’t having fun when Ayub and Rosh skid to a halt in front of them. The boy sits up straighter at the intrusion and his sister raises her head with a wary look.

sflow-er

#1: PJ Day

From Like you better (S2). Missing scene after the Valentine's Ball. Henry's POV.

Henry opens his eyes to a thud and some muffled cussing. He’s not sure if he was asleep or just in a kind of post-migraine stupor, but whichever it was, he didn’t register the door being opened and shut.

“Sorry about the noise,” Walter says, a little too loud to count as a whisper. “My bag was on the floor and I tripped on it.”

“It’s fine,” Henry mumbles, still a bit fuzzy. He reaches to turn on the nightlight, then buries his face in the pillow at the sudden brightness. A few seconds later, he feels Walter’s hand touch his shoulder in greeting.

“How’s the head?”

“Doesn’t hurt anymore. I just feel a bit…bleurgh.”

“So back to normal then,” Walter says with an audible grin.

Henry weakly swats the hand away and turns to look at his roommate. Walter is still in costume, apart from the wig that he’s just taking off. His hair looks gross from being flattened under it all night, and he has clearly sweated through the white makeup.

“Good party?”

“Yeah, it was great. Wish you could’ve been there.” Walter sighs. “Even if my plan sort of backfired when Monia, Hanna and Alice all worked out their letters were from me.”

“Did they realise it was the same text with different names?” Henry snickers when Walter grimaces in affirmation. “And I’m the lazy one.”

“At least I managed to put one text together, unlike you with your sonnet,” Walter shoots back, but his face soon falls into a regretful frown. “I didn’t mean… It was a good effort.”

“No, it was awful. I’m not cut out for poetry.” Henry slowly sits up. He rubs his clammy hands against his pyjamas, musing, “Maybe the migraine was payback for squeezing my brain too hard this week.”

“Well, there’s only so much two braincells can take.”

They keep joking about it while Walter undresses and washes his face at the tiny sink. When he proceeds to brush his teeth, Henry gets up to do the same. In truth, he feels too tired and wonky to bother, but it’s best to at least try and avoid the taste of death in the morning. Besides, it’s one of their routines. They make faces at each other through the mirror and spatter it with toothpaste foam when they burst out laughing, and he feels a lot more like himself again when he sits back down.

#next day reblog #i'm a bit sad this post didn't show up in the tags yesterday #but very happy that the people who saw it enjoyed the snippets! 💜#young royals #hillerskaspiritweek #fic snippets #henry young royals #walter young royals #wilhelm young royals #simon eriksson #alexander bragé #august horn of årnäs #ayub young royals #rosh young royals #sara eriksson #(although hers is a very brief appearance)

This is a test post to see if my fic snippet compilation not showing up in the YR or Hillerska Spirit Week tags was a random error or if I've been shadow banned 🤔

EDIT: It was a glitch related to my blog settings, both posts seem to be showing now! Shame I couldn't figure it out yesterday when the post might have been seen by more people...

#young royals #hillerskaspiritweek #hellsite (derogatory)