so one thing I like about this season is that everyone at school seems to know that Wilhelm and Simon were/are a thing despite the press statement, and in lots of ways it’s really comforting that people know, and there are several scenes of characters noticing them and just letting them have their conversation or whatever in peace, but OH MY GOD it makes the “on the table” scene in ep 4 so much worse.
We’ve talked a lot about Lisa saying it wasn’t just Simon being jealous, but the celebration of the heteronormativity of it, and it’s definitely both but yes to all of it. But ALSO…. how shitty is it that most and likely all of the boys know about Wille and Simon?? That they were together at some point in some capacity, and they watch Simon very clearly push back from the table and storm off upset by hearing about Wilhelm and Felice, and in such a crass way. And no one. Cares. Not the slightest moment of awkward silence or even a “yikes” facial expression to acknowledge that this has made both Wilhelm and Simon upset.
I think I’ve said this before, but I think the heteronormativity is the POINT, for the other Forest Ridge boys. Partly because Simon is an outsider, and partly because they assume Wilhelm is ashamed of having previously hooked up with Simon.
Simon has no friends at Forest Ridge except for Wilhelm, and between 2.01 and 2.04 he and Wille have been mostly avoiding each other. Wille was the first friend Simon made at school back in S1. He’s friendly with Felice, and probably some of the other choristers, but they don’t seem to be at Forest Ridge.
Also, Simon is openly gay, which makes him an outlier in a macho, homosocial environment like a boys boarding house. In S2 Simon (apparently) brings his new boyfriend to the rowing competition, and the new boyfriend kisses Simon in public. Simon also brings the new boyfriend to the masquerade ball. I bet Simon is the ONLY Hillerska student who showed up that night with a same-sex date. This is probably a bit weird for the Forest Ridge boys.
Finally, Simon is not only working class and a non-boarder, he’s also openly socialist. Look at that welfare scam vs tax evasion debate in 1.01 where Henry is complaining about all the taxes his father has to pay. Simon challenges Henry on how much his father receives in EU subsidies, and Henry snarls back “What the fuck does your father do?” As if “my dad is richer than your dad” is a relevant reply. Which to many Hillerska students, it probably is.
One can assume this was not the only conversation where Simon alienated the rich kids. It’s the only one played out onscreen, but given how outspoken Simon is, Henry won’t be the only person he’s pissed off.
Moving on to the second point. The Forest Ridge boys know Simon and Wille were friends last term and at some point also hooked up sexually. They weren’t present for most of the soft, boyfriendy stuff. They also know that almost immediately after the sex tape leaked, Wilhelm denied being in it.
Rather than assume his mother put an ungodly amount of pressure on Wille to deny his involvement, they probably assume Wille is ashamed. Getting caught hooking up with that socialist non-boarder who’s also male is presumably very embarrassing for him. So they don’t bring it up. When Henry walks in on Wille and Felice, everybody at Forest Ridge probably heaves a sigh of relief.
The Crown Prince isn’t really queer, he was just experimenting last term. Yay, let’s reinforce Wilhelm’s apparent heterosexuality by celebrating his accomplishment in making out with a girl. A hot, popular girl, no less. That’s why Wille and Felice have spent so much time together this term. It’s not because Wille is heartbroken Simon dumped him, it’s because Wille was trying to get into Felice’s pants. Thank god.
Order has been restored to the galaxy! Let’s move on. And if moving on means rubbing Simon’s face in it, who gives a shit? He’s an opinionated socialist non-boarder who doesn’t count. Why bother considering his feelings when we have heteronormativity to celebrate?
In fics it’s often written that Simon is Wille’s “queer awakening” of some sorts and that he’s the first boy that Wille has ever been with….and like, I think the second part is true in the sense that Simon is Wille’s first everything. But I don’t think he was Wille’s “queer awakening.”
I very much think Wille is aware that he’s not straight on some level - the way he pursues Simon is unapologetic and bold. He wants Simon to pick up on it and he definitely gives Simon the green light to make a move.
He has no qualms sharing that he likes someone and that they’ve kissed to Erik over the phone. If Erik had lived and Simon & Wille had made it official, I think Wille was very much ready to introduce them.
Not once in the series is it made out that he’s having a sexuality crisis. In that fateful first kiss where he says “I’m not -” and trails off - that felt way more like him having anxiety about being queer in the public eye rather than the anxiety of discovering that he was queer in the first place.
Even when the video comes out, neither Kristina or Ludvig seem particularly surprised that Wille’s seen having sex with a guy. Everyone seems ~aware~ that Wille isn’t straight but it’s probably just never been an issue because Wille hasn’t dated or pursued anyone before - boy or girl.
In conclusion, Wille is unabashedly queer and he’s known it for a while ✌️
So the additions of this post seem to have turned into a debate over the whether or not Wille has been intimate with someone before Simon, which is fine, but I just wanted to give my perspective. I’ve always seen Simon as the first person Wille has honestly pursued and definitely the first time he’s ever had sex, but not because I think it’s more “pure” and “romantic” that he’s never been with anyone else.
Not only is he just 16, but I also see him as not someone who’s head is easily turned. I’m sure plenty of people have hit him up in the past, but how many of those people were just interested because he was royalty? I don’t think that would be super appealing to Wille. I also do see him as more of a romantic and not someone who is interested in casual hook-ups, based on how quickly he is willing to throw everything away for Simon. I’ve just always interpreted Wille as someone who doesn’t have much of a wandering eye. Me thinking he hasn’t been with anyone but Simon isn’t because I think that’s more pure but just because I see Wille’s head as difficult to turn. He sees many of the people around him as fake. Whether this is how he feels about the environment of Hillerska or people in general, it’s hard to tell, because we know so little about his life prior to season 1, but this is just my interpretation of his personality. He was a party prince, yeah, but in the scenes we see of him partying, he’s not really flirtatious with people he doesn’t know. At the bar scene he’s just with his friends it seems and in the party at Hillerska in episode 1 he’s already head over heels for Simon.
I also don’t think his boldness with Simon necessarily means he’s experienced. He was still quite clumsy and eager in a way that, in my opinion, didn’t scream, “oh, he’s definitely done this before.” He’s also, as I said before, only 16 - a lot of people don’t have sex before that age. He’s just not shy and he feels safe with Simon. Rojda herself also said “it’s their first time with this stuff,” so I definitely think this was the intention and I don’t think it’s that unrealistic that it’s Wille’s first time having sex.
Either way, this is just my opinion. I think it’s definitely possible he kissed people before, but I never got the vibe he’d done much else, but as @loren91 said, it doesn’t really matter because Simon is clearly the only one who matters.
But to echo Safaa’s original point, Wille is unabashedly queer and that is worth celebrating.
Average debut age for boys in Scandinavia is between 17 and 18. Expecting either of them to be experienced is unrealistic.
I also agree that he knew he was queer. Several scenes indicate his parents knew too, both their dinner after Erik's funeral when Kristina pointedly talks about his future children, as if to tell him to stop with the gay stuff - and as you mentioned, his mum's total lack of surprise that he had sex with a boy. There's even a potential that Kristina's unfortunate romance was with a girl, and that's why she avoided mentioning their gender. It may have been manipulation too of course, considering she and Ludvig met at Hillerska, but it's open for interpretation.
Simon is out and proud; he and everyone else is well aware that he’s gay. He (and they) have probably known for awhile now. Wille on the other hand is still figuring things out. This is all so new to him. He’s not even out to anyone but Simon. I find such a beautiful juxtaposition between those facts and the way they are together.
We see Wille frequently take the lead. He’s the initiator the morning after Simon rescues him. We see him taking on the more active role, clearly perfectly happy to please Simon, to worship his body, to explore. Simon’s pleasure is Wille’s pleasure. He initiates the encounter in Simon’s room as well and their body language paints Wille as the one who is more forward, the one who is setting the mood and the pace.
Given what we know, it would make sense that Simon would be the more physically confident of the two. But it’s like, once Wille gets a taste of Simon, he can’t get enough. He just needs to touch him and stroke his hair and kiss him and taste him and hold him and love him. Like he’s been dying of thirst and Simon is the only thing that can quench it.
So many amazing additions that shouldn’t stay hidden in the tags so I’m reblogging and adding them here:) I think I’ve attributed them to the right people; please correct me if I’m wrong.
I'm sorry but I disagree with this take so much. Wille isn't taking the initiative all the time at all. And definitely not their first time. He's acting on Simon's initiative.
Simon has already noticed Wille's boner pressing into his back, that's why he asks him if he remember what he said last night. He doesn't want a hookup, he wants a relationship, and he needs to know if prince back-and-forth is on the same page. After sharing what they feel for eachother, Simon does this.
The 'throwing my head back in pleasure' movement he makes, it means I'm turned on, I want you. And it's not just his head Simon moves, it's a movement that also includes the hips, meaning he's pressing his own boner towards Wille's stomack. Wille is still high and drunk and a bit slow on the uptake. When he finally gets it, he throws away the duvet he used to hide his own boner and climbs on top of Simon. Not as an initiative, but a reaction to Simon's initiative.
gif harmonytheme
Simon throws his head back, and then proceeds to intently study Wille's face to see if he understood his signal, letting Wille make the next move knowing what he feels. The first time it's because Wille is still high, and the second time, well he knows it works and he's just letting Wille know he wants him. Wille doesn't pick up on it, so he does it again, still no effect. Instead Wille teases him with his foul morning breath, and what began as rough-housing quickly evolves into something else when Simon grabs his face and kisses him passionately.
Wille puts his arms around Simon which doesn't have to be a sexual thing at all. And what does Simon do? He makes it sexual by caressing Wille's arms, because Wille turns him on. Wille kisses his neck, Simon shows him he likes it.
Maybe we're trained by patriarchal heteronormativity to view the reaction on the right hand gif as a passive response, but in an equal relationship it's just part of a loving dance of continual reactions.
Wille removes Simon's sweater first, but his own has short sleves so Simon already got to caress his skin. He's just taking the next step in the dance. It's a mirrored parallel to their first time, when Wille was shirtless while Simon wore the purple hoodie. YR parallels are intentional, this time showing us that Wilmon intimacy is equal.
Here Wille signals first, and Simon reacts by raising his head up from his shoulder, and while keeping skin contact moving into a 'kissing position', Wille reacting to that response again. It's always a dance of passing on the initiative, of action and reaction being the same thing.
After their first kiss that day, after both of them stopping to study each other's faces looking for reactions. Simon is the one who sighs, slides his hands over Wille's back and up to his neck, and pulls his face towards his own mouth, Wille who reacts by initiating the kiss and pushing Simon backwards, Simon reacts by pushing Wille back towards the middle, and they kiss each other again, both of their hands seeking skin to touch after so long without it.
During this dance it's Simon who walks Wille onto his bed to sit on his lap, he who kisses Wille's neck and Wille who reacts, a mirror parallel to the scene in Simon's room.
Simon and Wille are 16 and learning how to make love. None of them are shy, both of them honest and open about their feelings and physical desire. Their intimacy is equal: They're learning from each other by copying each other's behaviours, wanting to give the other what they've experienced. They're free to explore and learn from each other without cishet expectations of how they should behave.
I've shamelessly downloaded these gifs and apart from one, don't remember who made them, I'm sorry 🥺
Also, to contradict a tag on a previous reblog of this, there's nothing in any of this that suggests that Simon is a bottom. That's heteronormativity at work again. We're given no indication if they've even done that yet (my own thought is probably not - this is only their third time together [that we've seen] and they're only sixteen), and just because someone is seen as taking the lead with foreplay (and I'm not convinced that that's actually what's happening anyway), that has no bearing on what they like to do sexually.
Wanted to come here and say I 1000% agree with your deep dive into this. They absolutely have a beautiful give and take between them, a “loving dance of continual reactions” as you so beautifully described it. My initial post was more referring to Wille’s confidence with Simon sort of subverting expectations just because he was still figuring things out about himself and what he likes. Simon already knew and was comfortable with the fact that he likes boys. We see Wille (Prince Back-and-Forth - perfect description of Simon’s perception at that point) internally struggle to come to terms with his feelings for awhile. Regardless of that, he feels comfortable with Simon, so comfortable that he becomes completely unafraid to caress him, kiss him, move his body on top of Simon’s. I can definitely agree that there are many times this is in response to Simon versus Wille just doing it out of the blue.
I can’t help but think of the Love, Victor dynamic, where Benji sort of has to “hold Victor’s hand” through everything “new” he is experiencing. Because Benji has been out forever the same way Simon has (although I would venture to say that Benji was significantly more sexually experienced than Simon). Or Darcy and Tara in Heartstopper; same kind of thing. Any time there is a dynamic of one person is out and the other person is still learning who they are, there is always a lot of the former sort of guiding the latter through everything. But not here. Wille struggles at first but it’s like, once he’s come to terms with liking Simon as more than a friend, it’s almost intuitive to him. The wanting to kiss Simon and be physically and intimately close to him and he doesn’t hold back even a little. And I think that’s so beautiful, to see how he’s so confident to really show Simon how he feels about him without questioning or hesitation.
Thank you, truly, for sharing your take on this. There were definitely some things you mentioned that made me think deeper about certain specific interactions (like the reason Simon asks Wille if he remembers what he said last night being because he felt Wille was aroused and was trying to figure out if he actually liked him or just wanted a hook up 🤯 - never thought of it like that but it absolutely makes perfect sense). My intention was never to look at them through the lens of heteronormativity or to place cishet expectations on the way they express love toward one another, it was just to appreciate Wille fully embracing his feelings for Simon (romantic and sexual) and never holding back or expecting Simon to always lead things when they are together.
Linda in S3 finding out that Sara was dating August behind everyone's backs while knowing the whole time that he was the one who leaked Wilmon's sex tape, and now her children aren't speaking and Sara has left the Manor House after all of her friendships basically imploded in the fallout, and meanwhile the crown prince of Sweden just publicly came out to the whole country by announcing his involvement with her son who apparently is still deeply in love with said prince even though she thought he was together with Marcus and oh shit what is she gonna tell her friend, but oops no time to worry about that now because back to Sara who has taken it upon herself to call the cops on August, possibly triggering a national or at least royal scandal involving drugs, the crown prince, his cousin and her ex-husband whose drugs Simon stole to sell at school and oh that boy is dead dead:
Edvin deleted his twitter because of the delusional people over there who think they're changing the world one tweet at a time. smh I hope they're all under 18, because then there's hope for them that they'll grow out of this, look back, and feel sick thinking of the pain and anxiety they've caused other people.
I will never understand people following an artist because they supposedly enjoy their work, then becoming weird and toxic toward them, bullying them, or whatever. They are human beings with feelings and emotions, and people shouldn’t feel entitled to say anything they want to them. Artists also don’t owe it to anyone to be accessible at all times, or ever. I hope Edvin knows how adored he is and that his true fans support him taking time off social media and prioritizing his mental health.💜
here, we find simon wearing his beloved purple hoodie. if i'm not mistaken, this is the first of two times he's wears this item in season 2. now, let's check in with where simon's head is at this point:
wilhelm is no longer an option. he betrayed simon and doesn't seem to fully understand the consequences he suffered due to the s*x tape and wilhelm's subsequent denial. despite this, simon is struggling to move on. (see: plaid shirt)
enter marcus. he is kind, lovely and unafraid to express his interest in simon - i.e. the perfect guy. this strengthens simon's resolve to move on with someone new. (see: orange hoodie)
unfortunately, all of simon's attempts to move on fall short as simon is still pining over wilhelm. (see: the purple shirt he wears underneath his clothing during his dates with marcus + the orange top that looks very similar to wilhelm's sweater)
simon doesn't understand why he can't fall for marcus. in fact, he seems annoyed that marcus likes him so much. but the truth is highlighted right there in his clothing: simon still loves wilhelm. any and every attempt to smother his feelings will always lose out.
it's the next day and simon's back in his 'second-date-with-marcus' fit. and what does that mean kids?
simon still loves wilhelm but is trying to move on with a shabby reflection of him.
that's right.
it's in this fit that wilhelm decides to confront simon about marcus. it definitely catches him off-guard as wilhelm's question forces simon to acknowledge two things: (1) what marcus is to simon and (2) how simon feels about that.
(1) what marcus is to simon. at this point, simon didn't have to define what he and marcus have. sure, to his friends, marcus is just a rebound. sara and linda probably assume that marcus is his boyfriend. but simon didn't need - or want - to define what marcus is to himself. you could argue that simon knows perfectly well that marcus is a rebound but, as we see in the soccer field, simon is actively trying to fall for him.
so what is marcus to simon? as an audience, we already know: simon still loves wilhelm but is trying to move on with a shabby reflection of him. simon either doesn't know or doesn't want to recognise this. but he's gives an answer regardless.
"we're hanging out."
not a strict definition per say, but definitely categorises the relationship as something more than platonic. but why so vague? well, we have to consider:
(2) how simon feels. he still loves wilhelm and doesn't want to hurt him. just look at the scene below.
you can't tell me that this isn't a boy trying his hardest not to hurt someone he loves. but simon doesn't have to keep the relationship vague for wilhelm's sake. he's not entitled to any comfort whatsoever. yet simon does it anyway cause he doesn't want to fully close the door on him and wilhelm. we see it in his clothes - he's still wearing that damn purple shirt, while he's with marcus no less.
simon wants space, he wants to move on - but he still tenderly cares for the fragile string that tethers them together. only, now, he feels wilhelm slipping away from him and it's the first time we see him panic at that prospect.
then we get the bus scene where simon's clearly torn over the situation. he's starting to realise or, at least, acknowledge that his plan to get over wilhelm isn't working. and not only is it not working, it's not what simon wants.
he's still wearing the purple shirt but gone is the orange top - it's been replaced with a green one. and while it seems to be in some plaid print, it mimics camo from afar. i propose that simon's still trying to camouflage his feelings for wilhelm but has decided he won't involve marcus in the equation anymore.
simon goes back to his 'second-date-with-marcus' fit to break up with said-marcus but, this time, he's wearing his jacket. same points from before still stand:
jacket as armour to protect his resolve to move on.
purple shirt worn underneath representing his feelings for wilhelm. (not seen here but 99% sure he's wearing it)
orange top because, unfortunately, marcus rejects simon's attempt to breakup with him (...what?) which forces simon to remain on the same rebound course.
fast forward to episode 4 and simon finds out that wilhelm's kissed felice. ouch.
back to yellow again, are we? yup. it's not as strong as the original orange garb but definitely indicative of simon's desire to move on. it seems as though he's hit some sort of middle ground, knowing that rebounding isn't the answer but still searching for a way to lessen his feelings.
probably doesn't help knowing the love of your life's kissed someone else though, huh?
interesting to see there's no purple whatsoever this time. though, i don't think it signifies simon's lessening feelings. other than the over-shirt, his entire outfit is in black and white. so it's probably safe to assume simon's feeling devoid of any emotion. poor baby.
only adding this scene cause (1) jealous!simon supremacy and (2) @grizviser pointed out how simon's green sports tag could signify the little green-eyed monster sitting on simon's shoulder. what a splendid little detail!
anyway, after we get a taste of jealous!simon, things get a little angsty. wilhelm and simon find themselves alone in the changing room and the latter seizes the opportunity to bring up the felice kiss.
and, yes, simon isn't wearing anything in this scene but just hear me out. at this point, he's found out the boy he loves is going around kissing other people. simon's shtick with marcus isn't working out yet wilhelm seems to have no problem scouring for his own rebound.
as a result, simon's emotions are a mess - he's frustrated, angry, sad, jealous, snarky, petty and, most of all, still in love with wilhelm. he's feeling all these emotions at once and it's making him act out. we know most people do out-of-character things when faced with emotionally challenging situations but i believe simon's actions are especially indicative of this in episode 4.
cause what do we know about simon? that he's emotionally guarded. he doesn't like to show his hand and he doesn't like putting himself in a vulnerable position. the whole point of marcus was to prove that he doesn't need wilhelm and that he's perfectly ok with moving on yet his actions post-felice expose the exact opposite - he's definitely still in love with wilhelm and is still emotionally affected by him.
unwittingly, simon's shown his hand and put himself in a vulnerable position. and what better way to portray that than stripping him of his wardrobe?
+ bonus! simon being able to argue with wilhelm in a naked state aka simon being ok with emotional vulnerability when it involves wilhelm vs. simon covering up as soon as possible with marcus while discussing his fishes' (lack of) a name aka simon being being unwilling to grant marcus 100% of his heart or bare himself emotionally.
simon's last fit in episode 4 is his hillerska uniform. i don't really discuss its symbolism in my episodes 1-2 wardrobe analysis cause it doesn't feel substantial on its own. i felt it was better to analyse every instance in which he wears it altogether. and, yes, i'll also be briefly discussing its symbolism in episode 6. (read my episodes 5-6 wardrobe analysis here)
i believe the uniform illustrates two things throughout season 2: (1) wilhelm and simon's understanding of their relationship and (2) the class difference between wilhelm + simon.
(1) wilhelm and simon's understanding of their relationship
while simon is wearing his hillerska uniform, wilhelm doesn't know where he stands with him.
episode 1: wilhelm doesn't know that simon is still hurting - to the point of establishing a boundary between them.
episode 4: wilhelm doesn't know that simon is still in love with him and is gearing himself up to let him go.
episode 6: wilhelm doesn't know how simon's feeling about the august / sara situation and how it will affect their relationship.
the uniform is neutral ground. to wilhelm, simon could go either way.
but, surprisingly, simon is pretty decisive when he's wearing his hillerska uniform.
episode 1: simon decides to establish a boundary with wilhelm and go on that date with marcus.
episode 4: simon decides to bring marcus to the ball to make wilhelm jealous.
episode 6: simon decides against reporting august and chooses to pursue a relationship with wilhelm.
in the same way wilhelm held the reins in their relationship during season 1, simon holds the reins in season 2. when he's wearing the uniform he's at peak decisiveness. he's set his mind to one outcome for their relationship and can hardly be swayed from it.
(2) the class difference between wilhelm + simon
one key difference in each episode is the context in which the uniform is worn. in episodes 1 and 6, simon is wearing the uniform along with his classmates. as far as an outside observer is concerned, simon is one of them. they're all on equal ground. (debatable)
but how about episode 4? simon is one of the few people with his uniform on, everyone else is wearing their costumes. not only does this highlight class differences within the school, it especially highlights how alienated wilhelm and simon are from each other.
wilhelm is on the cusp of giving up on simon and simon's unknowingly pushing wilhelm away with his actions. both parties are misinterpreting the other - wilhelm genuinely believes simon is in love with someone else while simon believes wilhelm will come back to him the same way he did before.
the stark juxtaposition between simon's uniform and wilhelm's princely garb emphasise the difference in their social standings and perspectives on their relationship, whether it be their own or from the outside world. and YET simon pushes through it all.
remember what i said about simon being decisive in his school uniform? what does simon do when he feels wilhelm slipping from his fingers?
within a few minutes, simon does what he's struggled to do throughout the whole of season 2 - align his mind and heart and go for the one thing he wants: wilhelm himself.
thus, we are blessed with one of the best wilmon kisses.
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