#Yr fandom

[thehyacinthsgirl]

Wille is the most selfish thing Simon has ever wanted.

Throughout the entire series, Simon is always loyal to a fault, always taking care of everyone else — even when it’s inconvenient. The only time he does something for himself is when he is in pursuit of Wilhelm.

His whole life, Simon has had to sacrifice or share victories. Even his own voice, which should be entirely his own to sing with, is corrupted by the crown. But what Simon has with Wilhelm is purely what he wants, and has nothing to do with what anybody else wants. It isn’t about Linda, or Sara, or August, or the Queen. It’s just about the two of them — and Simon has never had anything in his life like that, something that is completely his. That belongs to him. That no one, other than Wilhelm, truly knows, truly understands how it feels.

And that’s why it is so different. That’s why it is so monumental, and why both Simon and Wille fight so hard to keep it. It is both of their true selves fighting for what they truly want.

[liar-or-lawyer]

[youngroyals-events]

YOUNG ROYALS EVENTS

The show has ended but our love for Young Royals did not. This is why we decided to create this blog, to host events for the Young Royals fandom so that we can continue spreading our love for this show.

Events are for everyone, not only for fanfic writers. We want everyone to feel included in those events. So fanartist, gif makers, edits maker, please feel welcome in the events we will host in the future as we wish to feel all the art forms in our upcoming events.

Also, this account is not to overshadow other events in the fandom, but to create new ones. We hope, with those events, that everyone feels encouraged to continue creating for this show that changed our lives.

Stay tuned for some news that will be coming soon!

YOUNG ROYALS FOREVER

[sflow-er]

Happy Friends' Day!

Today is Valentine's Day in most parts of the world, but in my country, the focus is actually on friends instead of romantic partners. So if you don't vibe with Valentine's Day and even if you do, today is also a good day to celebrate the people who are always there to...

...tease you for getting into some silly new thing...

...welcome your new friends from the thing into their group (and tease you for the one you're very clearly crushing on)...

...and cheer you on when you don't feel cut out for the thing because even if it's silly to them, it's your thing now and they want you to succeed!

[coffeeandstrawberries]

After the finale I had conversations with people disappointed by S3. What surprised me, was how strongly we all felt and that we had the same issues with the season: the characters didn't feel like themselves, plot didn't make sense, a crucial plotline was retconned, the happy ending was so unearned that it was impossible to believe Wilmon would last.

There are many more problems with S3 that could be point out but this post is not about them. Currently, YR fandom is doing what it does best: yells at those who feel differently than people in the certain small clique feel while praising itself for open-mindedness and acceptance of different opinions.

Righteous indignation performed online by adult women is a powerful tool. It makes impression, it halts conversation or redirects it to completely different issues; that is exactly why they keep using it. Except people who didn't like S3 need a space to talk their feeling through.

If you one of those people, I hope you will find such a space. And I hope you will figure out a way to enjoy the show despite S3.

🩷

[purplehoodiesandclementines]

Having acute signs of withdrawal right now, because it's a cold af winter morning and there's no #wilmon advent calendar for us to soften the blow... 😭

@iwouldnevergetintofanfic What have you done to us?! *shakes fist at sky*

Anyone else suffering with me?

[oneofthosebells]

All right, I might regret this but I'm going to say it anyway.

If you hated S3 (or didn't hate it overall but have issues with it), then I fully support your right to criticise it as much as you want. Rant away, air all your grievances, get it all out. I might even agree with some of your criticisms and nitpicks, because as much as I personally loved S3 (and S2, always) I don't think it was perfect by any means.

But please, please don't start taking it out on your fellow fans. Don't accuse people of 'overlooking all the plotholes just because of a cheesy happy ending'. Don't accuse people of 'worshipping Saint Lisa' because they have a different opinion on the writing to you. Don't assume that everyone who enjoyed the final season was an 'abdication truther' (ugh I hate that term).

I've been that person before, hating something that everyone else in a fandom loved. It feels like screaming into the void, wanting to shake some sense into people because how can they love this plothole ridden mess?! Do they not see how bad the writing is?! Have they been brainwashed by some soppy scenes and cute kissing?!

Yeah, I've been there and it sucks. I highly recommend finding (or starting!) a groupchat of like-minded people to get it all out, do some cathartic ranting. But please, I am begging you, don't start taking it out publicly on your fellow fans.

We all watch shows for different reasons and get different things out of them. A plot point that was really important to you might have been a minor, easily ignored, niggle to someone else and vice versa. You can never assume you know what's meaningful to other people and what isn't.

And you know what - even if some people did only enjoy S3 because it has a happy ending, that's a valid reason to like something? I don't think that is the case for most people tbf and it's certainly not for me, but even if it was, so what? Life is hard and TV is escapism and happy endings for LGBT+ couples in film/TV are still, sadly, rare. Let people enjoy things.

[young-royals-confessions]

Have you met a YR mutual in real life? What was it like??

[liar-or-lawyer]

Are you a robot!?

[youngroyalsconnections]

i'm not asking for anything and i hope this doesn't count as spam, but i really think the amount of generosity and team spirit in this community is a sight to behold.

this isnt spam, and i agree. this fandom on tumblr is very sweet 🍬🥰

[sflow-er]

I saw the YR confessions poll, and while I wouldn’t say I ship Walty, I enjoy reading them sometimes. And I particularly like your version of them! Please don’t despair. Your stories are wonderful and your versions of these characters are so compelling 🧡

Thank you anon for your incredibly kind words, and for reading and enjoying my stories about Henry and Walter! Your message made me smile 🧡

I'm sure there are people out there who, like you, enjoy the occasional Walty fic even if they don't ship them! But conversely, I think there are also a lot of people who will vote to ship on these polls (the more ships, the better!) but aren't actually interested in fics or posts about them.

[Putting a cut here because as usual, this turned into a rambling thought piece]

The fact is that most viewers simply don't get attached to minor side characters, and that's particularly understandable when it comes to the Hillerska students in YR. I've noticed that many fans are not only indifferent to these characters, but they actively dislike them. A lot of people never forgave them for shunning Simon in S1, and the glimpses we saw of their elitism in S3 didn't do them any favours either. They represent a world that Simon doesn't fit into and Wille is meant to break loose from.

I regularly see posts questioning how anyone could like these characters, and even the occasional bad faith take on why they are popular. I assume those people are in the minority; the majority just scroll past posts or fics about Walty, Stedrika & co because they simply have no interest in exploring them further. (I keep thinking of how someone once told me directly that they couldn't stand any of the privileged brats, which was why they hadn't read my fics.)

In the immediate aftermath of S3, there was in fact a small surge in enthusiasm for Walty, as the meadow scene moved their relationship from "strictly platonic" to "open to interpretation" in many people's eyes. In my poll on their canon status, the result of 42.9% shippers/fans was probably skewed by my followers being more likely to ship than the average YR fan, but there was also very real excitement on their tumblr and ao3 tags. Many new posts and fics (by non-Wilmon standards), good responses to those, and new kudos/hits on older fics too.

However, that surge was virtually over by May, and since then, interest seems to have plummeted. Walty still appear in some fics as a side ship or as part of an ensemble, and there's one post-S3 WIP focused on them that has 130 kudos, but there have been very few new tumblr posts or fics focused on them since the spring. When people do make posts or publish fics, they don't get much of a response.

Of course, the immediate reasons are many fans moving on from YR as a whole since canon ended, and summer happening in between. But if we disregard those and just look at the fandom at any given time, there is a definite "Wilmon only" trend that I feel has grown stronger as the fandom has grown smaller. (Here's a link to my thoughts on said trend after S2.)

Take, for example, the fic numbers for other ships on ao3 (for the sake of clarity, I'm only including fics tagged with /): 121 Salice, 110 Walty, 86 Stedrika, 28 Vingust, 23 Madirosh, 22 Nilcent, 21 Sigust, 5 Vindie, 2 Madisander, 2 Nilgust. Plus 106 Sircus and 92 Sargust, but few of them are shipfics.

Even if these were all separate fics focused on each ship, they would only make 420 (+198) to Wilmon's 4,799 fics as of this morning. In reality, most of them are either fics primarily focused on Wilmon with other ships on the side or in the background, or multi-ship fics.

To bring this back to Walty, those 110 fics make six pages on ao3. If you sort them by kudos, only five fics on the first page are primarily focused on them, with 1,227 (OPS in which Wilmon are prominent side characters), 561, 517, 469 and 423 kudos. There are way more Walty-focused fics on the second page, but the decline in kudos is pretty steep. The bottom of page two is already down to less than 200, and only the very top of page four is over 100.

As a non-Wilmon author, I do find it sad how often I see people say that they aren't interested in anything else. I don't blame anyone for feeling that way - it was Wilmon's story that hooked us all in the first place! Everyone should get to enjoy fandom in their own way, and there's a strong sense of community in people being obsessed with the same ship and keeping it alive with all their love and creativity.

But for those of us who are also interested in the other aspects, the heavy focus on Wilmon can become a demoralising cycle. New fans coming into the fandom don't see much enthusiasm for other ships or characters, which means they don't get invested in them, which means there's even less incentive to create more fanworks or posts about them. There are no subcommunities for us; just the outer perimeter of the already small YR community.

For me, personally... Let's just say it has been an adjustment to go from OPS, which had 700 to 1,200 hits per update, to TRD where 200 hits per update are a windfall. That's partly my own fault for taking too long between updates (creative burnout is a bitch) and insisting on such a niche angle (ace/allo fics simply aren't as popular as allo/allo). But interest in Walty has also been on a steady downward trend I would say since the long wait for S3, and the brief upturn after S3 was very likely the last one. It's good to set my expectations accordingly the next time I post something.

Which I fully intend to do! I still have one or two new stories to tell and one WIP to rework and finish, and the "write for myself" approach is working for now. The "share for others" part will be harder than ever, but I'm keeping faith in my small group of loyal readers. Some of them may have been swept away by other things, but some have already reassured me they'll be there.

So you don't have to worry about me throwing in the towel just yet, dear anon, but thank you again for your supportive message! It really means a lot in light of everything I wrote above 💜

[thehyacinthsgirl]

Young Royals analytical thoughts pt. 1

I had this thought about the kissing scene in S2E5…

What if Wille makes his mind up about the speech, at least in some way (even subconsciously) when he and Simon have that time alone *with* the curtains closed?

Throughout the show, there is this consistent image of Wille taking the time to breathe/inhale Simon in. We hear it in the sound mixing, and we see it in scenes where Wille is thinking or dreaming of Simon. But in this episode, Wille actually gets to do it — he finally gets to fulfill that wish of holding Simon in his arms once more, of taking in Simon’s smell and presence after what feels like forever. And Wille realizes, in that moment, that he won’t be able to live with just the thoughts or the dreams any longer. He deeply needs Simon in the flesh.

Wille will never be satisfied unless he has Simon there with him, by his side, in his arms — in actuality instead of just in his head. And so, yes, when Simon pulls Wille aside before the jubilee and tells him so sweetly that he loves him, this just solidifies the notion already sprouting in Wille’s mind to speak the truth and reveal it all. It reinforces the realization that Wille cannot “bow down” or settle for what other people think is best for him. So, Wille chooses the undeniably beautiful, bone-deep, and mystifying love he has found with Simon, because this is the real thing he can’t live without.

So, Wille’s speech is not only a way of making up for past mistakes with Simon, but it is also a way to atone with himself for finally doing what he knew he wanted to all along. He sets everything ablaze, and I think it is possible that this scene is where he first strikes the match.

And I can’t wait to watch the inferno spread when season three premiers tomorrow (raise your hand if you’re losing your mind🖐🏻)

[itsmadreia]

Hiiii lovelies, I just saw these two edits about our boys on YT, really liked them and wanted you to experience them too so here they are:

[purplewilmon]

I can't believe young royals ends today. I will always be grateful for finding this beautiful fandom. Thank you everyone for everything, you're such wonderful people.

[coffeeandstrawberries]

Opera Carmen is one of the earliest examples of the Spicy Latina stereotype used in art. The opera is widely known, but characters based on this cliched representation of Latino people appeared in many vaudevilles and music hall acts — forms of theater that are nearly forgotten now. Latin Lover stereotype is younger, it can be traced to Hollywood movies of 1920s. Rudolph Valentino, the guy who is often mentioned as the earliest case of celebrity craze, made his career playing “ideal” lovers.

Human collective memory has always been very selective. Rita Hayworth’s story made us believe that The Golden Era of Hollywood was very white. In reality, there were quite a few leading actresses who weren’t hiding their Latino identity from the public — Raquel Torres, Dolores del Rio, Lupe Velez were among them.

Their choice of roles, however, was very limited. They played some version of Spicy Latina — sexually attractive, hot-tempered, blunt woman no man could resist. The stereotype evolved through time. Carmen from opera Carmen and characters from early Hollywood films often had sinister motives. They seduced men and destroyed their lives. A slightly different type of Spicy Latina started to appear on the screen in the middle of XX century. She still was irresistible but she also had a kind heart. She upturned a boring white man's life in a good way. Before her appearance, the man was stuck in a routine he didn't choose for himself — a tedious job, strict and cold family, maybe a boring fiance. And then, he met a Spicy Latina, and she showed him a different life — a life full of passion and excitement. The Generic White Guy could have his initial doubts but ultimately he chose the Spicy Latina.

In other words, an extremely attractive, very flirtatious character who isn't afraid to tell what's on their mind, falls for a very shy, very boring white guy. Thanks to that, the guy suddenly gathers the courage to confront his despotic mother and quit the job he hates. Does it sound familiar? 

The Spicy Latina/Latin Lover stereotype can seem less disgusting than some other cliches but it is harmful nonetheless. Among other things, it translates into higher rates of sexual harassment of Latinos and into less academic success among the group — if your sexual attractiveness is the only quality that matters to the world, people will refuse to see anything else in you.

The more I read on this topic, the more important it became for me personally to not perpetuate those cliches in my writing. Seeing your own biases, even if they are unconscious, can be deeply uncomfortable. You can deny, you can get angry. You can turn a quote from an offhand post I wrote over a year ago into a tag. But it doesn't absolve you from responsibility. In my opinion, the responsibility lies with every  fanfiction author and every fanfiction reader. We all should try not to add to false narratives, not make the world a shittier place for other people. Recognising flaws in your worldview requires additional work, additional reading and, most importantly, a critical look at fanfiction canons. But it results in stories with more interesting, more complex characters — just like the ones Young Royals gave us.