Elias Vikstedt


Elias Vikstedt was a fictional character on the Finnish television series Salatut elämät. In 2010, young Elias was played by Niilo Heinonen, but the character later returned to the series grown up and was replaced by Petteri Paavola.
Elias is gay and the character has become popular with his on-off boyfriend Lari, creating a phenomenon known as "Larias". Their story has been translated into many languages and the couple have many fans around the world. Elias leaves the series in spring 2015, but comes back in autumn in the same year. Elias is run over by Marianna and dies of injuries in the episode aired on November 7, 2016. In the episode aired on March 17, 2017, Elias appears in Marianna's hallucinations and in Lari's dream.

Childhood

Elias is born to Sebastian Vuorela and Ritva "Cindy" Rintala, but Cindy cannot raise the boy alone as Sebastian is in jail. Cindy decides that Elias be adopted, and therefore Meri Vikstedt becomes his guardian. Years later Sebastian bumps into his son when he is doing janitor work and defends Elias against bully boys. Soon Sebastian wants to know his son better and to meet him in Finland, but Meri works in Brussels and Elias therefore moves abroad with his mother.

Elias' return

Teenage Elias returns to Finland to escape his mother's homophobic boyfriend Vincent. Eventually Sebastian and Meri agree that Elias permanently move to Finland. Elias soon becomes friends with Iida Mustonen, Tale Taalasmaa, and Janne Haukkala. Elias is at that time openly gay. He starts school with his new friends in Finland soon after the case of his father's missing twin brother. On his first day at school Elias encounters Lari, who starts bullying him because of his homosexuality. The bullying continues when Lari and Iida start dating. Soon Elias meets Cindy, and though there are difficulties at the beginning, the two begin to build some kind of mother-son relationship.
Soon Elias has a crush on Joonatan Sievinen and kisses him after having misunderstood that Joonatan was gay. After that he begins seeing Ville, with whom he has a budding relationship. Ville however ends up kissing another man at a costume party, whereupon Elias breaks up with him. After the costume party the hockey team chases Elias, but eventually Lari, the leader of the gang, kisses Elias.

Relationships

Lari Väänänen

When Lari kisses him Elias realises that Lari is gay as well. Elias soon develops feelings for Lari. Eventually Elias and Lari end up in bed. Though Lari is distressed and avoids Elias at the beginning, it soon becomes clear that the two cannot be separated. Lari gets angry at Elias when he finds out that Elias has told Tale about their kiss. Elias gets a concussion while he is trying to make up with Lari in the ice hall. Concerned, Lari finally has to admit to Elias that he cares about him. Lari leaves Iida and starts a relationship with Elias. Their affair does not remain secret for long, and the friendship between Elias and Iida breaks up when Iida realises that Lari has betrayed her with Elias.
Lari's and Elias' affair has a temporary break as well when Lari decides to focus on ice hockey and to go to the training camp in Canada. Lari's homosexuality is revealed to the whole school and Lari, after having been beaten up, has to stop playing ice hockey. In the end Elias comforts Lari, and the two get back together and try to have a more public relationship.
However, Elias starts to become anxious because of Lari, who does not dare to be himself in public or to show affection for him publicly. Eventually Lari tells his father Ilkka about his homosexuality, whose strict attitude forces Lari to escape and to live with Elias. Ilkka does not give up easily, but does everything to keep Lari away from Elias. Eventually Lari gives in to his father and goes to a sexual recuperation camp, and Elias no longer stays in the difficult relationship. Elias ends up cheating on Lari with Miska Koistinen, which Lari soon finds out. The two try to make up and Lari leaves his father, but Elias decides to move on with his life. Elias and Lari have continued the relationship for years until Elias' death.

Miska Koistinen

Elias starts dating Miska because he wants a long, public and open relationship. However, Elias soon finds out that Miska has been lying to him about helping Lari, who has been living in the streets back then, behind his back. Elias also ends up kissing Lari on Lari's birthday and starts feeling uncertain about who he really wants to be with. However, encouraged by his friends and his father, he decides to continue his relationship with Miska and eventually gets engaged with him. At Katharina Mäkelä'a ball, Elias is shot and sent to the hospital. Soon he tells Lari that he only wants to be friends with him, which pushes Lari to go on to have a relationship with Kalle Laitela. However, Elias soon starts to show jealousy when he sees that Lari was fully himself with Kalle in public. Soon Elias finds out that Miska has been secretly seeing his ex-boyfriend Jonne. Elias is convinced that Miska has cheated on him.

The kidnapping

Having encountered problems with Miska in their relationship. Elias ends up getting intimate with Lari. Lari is also having problems in his relationship with Kalle. Elias and Lari end up kissing. Soon the two begin investigating Lari's cousin Marianna's past, suspecting that she is mentally ill. Elias and Lari get closer and end up in bed. They, however, try to keep their relationships with Miska and Kalle, but they do not get the chance to, as Marianna, who is afraid of being caught, kidnaps the boys and tells everyone that the two have slept together and gone on a romantic vacation. Eventually Janne, Miska and Kalle trace the captives. Marianna has also kidnapped Janne and Heidi in her small jail room. Later Miska and Kalle come to rescue the captives from Marianna's prison, which has been built in Marianna's room in her and Heidi's home.

After the kidnapping

The relationship between Elias and Miska ends soon after the kidnapping because Elias still has feelings for Lari and Miska does not want to continue the relationship anymore. Elias tries to get back together with Lari, but Lari chooses Kalle. Miska wants to get back together with Elias after having left Jonne as he realises he still loves Elias. They try to have a relationship again, but Elias decides to leave for Brussels to live with his adoptive mother Meri to "get some fresh air for a while".
Elias, however, comes back in autumn 2015. He soon works for Aki Nikkinen's Vinotar and performs well at work. Elias takes care of Moose's and Vinotar's cooperation together with Lari.
Later Elias finds out that Lari has discovered the identity of the kidnapper of Sanni's and Tale's son Ilja and left for the kidnapper's home. Elias goes to Lari with Sergei's illegal gun, which has been left at Sebastian's home. In the kidnapper's apartment there is a scuffle and as a result, the gun goes off and Lari is shot in the side, from which Lari later recovers. Elias' and Lari's love continues to flourish while Lari is recovering, but Elias finds out that Marianna has miscarried Sebastian's baby. Elias gives Marianna a day to tell the truth, but Marianna drives over Elias and kills him, when Elias is on his way to meet Lari for his proposal.

Love life