#non-wilmon

[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 💜

[young-royals-confessions]

I light up a little every time one of these confessions expresses love for a non-Wilmon (or non Edvin-and-Omar) part of the show. Don’t get me wrong, I do love the boys! Because they dominate about 95% of the discussion on my dash though I do like seeing which other characters/rarepairs/plot points of Young Royals are inspiring for people.

[hergrandplan]

Hi hi! For drabble week: “Remember back when we were kids?” & “You can't run forever.” 💜💜💜

Simon!!!! Sorry this is so late, but here's the first one (the second one will be its own separate post coming later 💜). A little childhood best friends to lovers for you 💜

@youngroyals-events

“Remember the promise we made here, when we were kids?”

Simon does remember. They had been 7, and Wille had had a ringpop, and neither of them really knew what love was but Wille had proposed to him anyways, because that’s what grown-ups did. Simon had said yes because Wille was his best friend, and, with Simon’s teddy as their officiant, had vowed to always be his best friend.

“What would you say now?”

And suddenly, Simon’s breath catches in his throat, because he’s looking down at his boyfriend, on one knee, holding two silver rings in a velvet box.

[skibasyndrome]

"Can you at least tell me why you hate me so much?"

Because I need a continuation!!!!

This is part 2 of this ficlet

"Can you at least tell me why you hate me so much?"

Simon refuses to look at him, because if there's one thing he knows he can't handle right now, it's those stupidly big brown eyes that he can practically feel boring through the back of his head.

He doesn't have time for this right now, it's bad enough that they're stuck here, he doesn't need Wille taunting him further.

"Simon, can you please stop ignoring me?" Wille's voice is suddenly quiet in a way that takes Simon aback. But... fuck, he can't get weak, not again, he can't fucking do this again. So maybe he needs to spell it out once and for all

"Look...," Simon runs a hand through his hair, "I don't know what you think you're doing here, but I'd appreciate some... professional distance after the Christmas party, okay?" Simon rushes out, turning to face Wille and immediately bracing himself.

Wille just furrows his brows.

aksjsiejjsjsks Sophiaaaaaa! Thank you so much for the continuation prompt hehe 🫶💜💜💜

Send me "Wilmon" + a sentence and I'll write the next five

[pagegirlintraining]

Excited to announce that my dear @the-amber-fox and I teamed up to write a birthday gift for the lovely @ishotforthestars!

It’s a short(ish) and sweet story about the woes of dating and how none of that matters when you find the right person to do it with (and don’t stand in your own way by being an idiot). Have a snipped below ☺️

Lisa looks at him over the cup of her own black coffee and states frankly, "Well, you seem to be aware that I am neither blind nor dumb. So even though I had a lovelier time on this date than with many others, I don't like to be the consolation prize for anyone. Especially not if they're ogling the actual prize while said date is happening."

Wille splutters and turns a probably impressive shade of tomato red. "I– what–– no. I mean–"

"Okay, let me rephrase this then: You wrote on your profile that you're queer. You've been staring at the handsome man standing over there"– she nods her head in Simon's direction– "on and off since he went to stand at the counter. And while this man is quite nice to look at, I was fine with looking at him once and appreciating the overall package, while your count is up to ten. Which leaves me no choice but to conclude that you’re completely smitten with him and haven’t worked up the courage yet to do something about it. Am I onto something?"

We hope you like it 💜 give it a go if you want :)

[enjoythesilentworld]

Wille's Month - Literature

day 3! @youngroyals-events

“I thought you were a literature student?” “This is literature!” Wille is a very serious literature student, thank you very much.

Read below or on ao3! (cw: implied sexual content)

To the surprise of no one, graduate school turned out to be a little demanding. Still, Wille enjoyed it. He did. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was actually producing something worthwhile. Finally, he had an outlet for all the confusion and turmoil growing up, an explanation for why it’d been so hard to accept himself for who he was. In literature, in tracing lines between characters and plot lines, connecting authors and themes, he found answers. He found common ground and explanations for the world around him. It helped him see beauty in the little, mundane things and simplicity in the big, complicated things. No more was it, why do I feel like this about another boy? It was oh, you felt this, too, and it all turned out okay. The humanity in his readings and the brilliance in discussing it with others, the searching for answers and that spark of joy when he finally connected two pieces together, it kept him going. All that, along with periodic praise from his advisor, plenty of coffee, and, of course, almost more than anything, Simon. 

Simon. Wille knew that he could’ve done the whole thing by himself – he’d enrolled before even meeting Simon, thank you very much – but something about having the man by his side, going through the same slog of self-doubt and fear and exhaustion made it all the more worthwhile. To have each other to go back to at the end of the day meant everything to Wille, and he was pretty sure Simon felt the same. He still didn’t know who to thank at the university for that silly bonding trip, but Wille was eternally grateful to whatever almighty force had brought Simon into his life. That first day, Simon’s shy smile and blushing cheeks, which quickly turned to sassy remarks and teasing smirks, had been a ray of sunlight in Wille’s life. Things had already been fine, even good, but Simon brought something more. Something Wille would never be able to put into words. Wille could read every book ever written and still never find the words to describe it, that thing that brought them together, that tug at his core; come closer, be near me, be with me.

All told, the little pieces of Wille’s life fit together well. Most days, he remembered to eat meals at reasonable intervals and got at least a few hours of sleep every night. Sometimes, he even went to the gym. Unfortunately, graduate school didn’t give a fuck if you were happy and in love and generally having a good time. It had a way of pulling apart all those little pieces and scattering them across the room, like an ornery housecat. On this particular day, Wille felt as though someone had stuck a spoon up his nose and scrambled his brain. He’d been reading the same three papers for days now and was making no progress, he had dozens of unread emails sitting in his inbox, and only one line written for his writing workshop assignment (which was due in two days). Needless to say, he was exhausted. There was only one thing he wanted to do: curl up in bed with his boyfriend. Very rudely, Simon was busy with rehearsals, so Wille was cursed to spend the evening alone. 

Sighing dramatically, he fell into bed, then squirmed around in frustration. It made him feel a bit better.

As was typical of a literature student – Wille, ever the cliché – his room was covered in books, haphazardly stacked in precarious piles on every available surface. Most were of respectable nature, if a little promiscuous. A few, however, were of a different breed. Since he had the time to kill, he pulled out a book from the bottom of one of the stacks, huffing when the whole pile toppled over. 

The cover was a swirling array of dark fabric, and nothing more. In simple serif font, the title read: “Velvet Desires: Passion Unleashed". And, so what if Wille liked to read trashy smut novels in his free time? He spent so much time dissecting prose and interpreting symbolism, who could blame him if every once and a while he just wanted to turn his brain off?

Simon found him like that hours later, half reading the book and half dozing. 

��Hi, baby,” Simon purred, crawling into bed and wrapping his arms around Wille’s waist, burying his face there. 

Wille smiled and set the book to the side, then pulled Simon closer. “Hello, my love.”

“Missed you,” Simon said into the fabric of Wille’s shirt, the sound a bit muffled. 

“I missed you, too. Did you have a good rehearsal?”

Simon simply hummed and lifted his head, smiling sleepily. Wille glanced at his book for a moment, and Simon followed his eye line. They both froze, before they each pounced on the book at the same time. Simon was faster. He jumped out of the bed and spun away from Wille’s reach. 

“What’s this?”

“It’s a book,” Wille huffed, grabbing at it. Simon giggled and climbed across the bed, dodging Wille again. 

Simon gasped dramatically as his eyes skimmed over the back cover. He looked up with mock horror on his face. Wille rolled his eyes. 

“I thought you were a literature student?” 

“I am– That is literature!” 

“This is smut, Wille.”

Wille groaned. “Come on, Simon, give it!” 

They chased each other around the room a moment longer, Wille not really upset and Simon not really horrified, before collapsing back onto the bed. 

“Very uncouth,” Simon tsked, poking a finger at Wille’s chest. 

“There’s a lot of good symbolism in there.”

“Oh, is there?” Simon asked, tone low. He rolled and moved to straddle Wille, leaning down to kiss gently at his jaw. “What else is in there?”

“Simon…” he whispered, then brought his hands up and gripped Simon’s hips, before sliding warm fingers up his back, along each vertebrae. 

“Anything fun?” 

Wille hummed, then curled a hand around Simon’s neck and brought their lips together. 

“I can show you.”

[willesredlights]

This is the last time (4.1k, M)

Warning: Explicit content

I've been thinking about this one shot for a while now and finally I had the time to write it out :)) There is a lot of angst with no happy ending, not really.

This fic is partly based on the song "Ik wil dat je liegt" by Hannah Mae and Maksim. It's a very beautiful song and I'm obsessed with it, so if you want to give it a listen (even if it is in dutch) here you go.

[chaotic-poet]

I am so normal about them and their antics and parallels I swear-

[realredbanana]

So, Wilhelm (and wilmon in general) really reminds me of the song Ruin by The Amazing Devil, and here’s some explanation because I need to tell someone about this (blue = Wille, purple = Simon, pink = wilmon):

(Season 3 Spoilers Ahead!!)

I will bring you ruin

In everything I do

It’s never my intention but it happens all the same

(How Wille keeps unintentionally hurting Simon both because of the monarchy and just generally the fact that he’s a kid that hasn’t really been taught any effective communication or coping methods)

It starts with love and comfort

Becomes a strength of will

But all that strength made rubble of the towers we built

(Their relationship ‘starts with love and comfort’ but lots of things end up in arguments (because, omg, someone get these boys in therapy I beg you))

Cos brick by brick you built us

And I’d fill in the cracks.

(Because Wille was the one who kept seeking Simon out in the beginning)

Nothing quite prepares you for

When they don’t come back

(I’ll be honest, this bit reminds me of Erik’s death, but interpret it however you want)

I wish I’d done things different

I wish that I’d been brave

I wish I’d known these stones were something I could save

(Wille after denying The Video)

Our mortar was your laughter

And you hurled curses at the land

(Honestly, this could go either way, but ‘you hurled curses at the land’ made me think of Simon insulting the monarchy)

We didn’t talk. We made universes

Out of bitten lips and broken hands

(Need I elaborate?)

And you said “I love you” less

Than when It all began

And I said fewer

Cos I make jokes to show how broken I really am

(This is the bit that I don’t exactly think fits them, because they say ‘I love you’ more in s3 and neither of them are the ‘joking to cope’ type)

In the wreck of all we burnt

Stands our piano like a wound

I play our song

To see if it’s in tune

(And I'll sing silence)

(Music-room-arguments-coded. Also, these lines could go either way tbh)

But you, you sit next to me

And your finger brushes mine

(Lead up to their first kiss when they held hands at the movie night)

And I promise to be patient

And you promise to be, promise to be kind

(Simon being patient with Wille when it comes to figuring himself out, and Wille trying so hard not to hurt Simon)

Cos brick by brick you built us

Of the earth, the silt and ground

(From Wille’s perspective, Simon made the first moves)

We can rest, you say, in the pieces

Of what’s left, or of what what we’ve found

I wish I’d done things different

I wish I’d made it right

But we’ll burn a hundred theatres

If it means we get the wallpaper right

I’ll brick by brick rebuild us

Out of hows and whys not whens

Nothing quite prepared me for

When that piano sang again

(Wilmon getting back together in 3.06)

Tomorrow I’ll do things different

Tomorrow I’ll be brave

Tomorrow I’ll be brave

Tomorrow I’ll be brave

You’ll make me brave.

(Wille abdicating)

[sflow-er]

To me, Stedrika always felt forced and not natural. It was pretty obvious to me in S2 they were the result of fan service. It was so ironic Lisa wrote them into canon because apparently there were fans who shipped them and when it did happen, the pairing was met with backlash and vitriol.

I assume you're the same anon, so hello again!

Ironic as in 'happening in a way contrary to what is expected', yes. Ironic as in 'typically causing wry amusement because of this', no.

[Putting a cut here because this got a bit long as usual.]

Criticising Stedrika and Lisa's decision to write them in is perfectly fine. We can enjoy and love the show even if we don't think it's 100% perfect.

But I want to make it very clear that no matter how anyone personally feels about Stedrika or any other ship, or the actors or writers, or fan service in general, nothing justifies spewing hate at them for it. I am thankfully not on Xitter myself, but from what I've heard from my lurker friend, the anons who occasionally wandered over here to call Felicia various misogynist slurs and spread baseless rumours that "Lisa's pet ship" would have more screen time in S3 than Wilmon were only the tip of the iceberg.

It's also good to note that the hate wasn't the only thing that discouraged people from shipping Stedrika after S2. For example, I also saw plenty of likely well-meaning posts where it was suggested that shipping the "mean white girls" was somehow racist when Rosh existed as a canonically queer POC. The same thing was also said about shipping Henry and Walter instead of Nils with someone. And of course, it is very valid to demand more queer POC rep and fanworks about them! I just don't understand how discouraging people from liking other ships was supposed to help (and this also connects to the posts saying "no one" cared about characters other than Wilmon that became commonplace during the wait for S3, about which I have already written too much before).

So it's hard to say how many people might have actually liked Stedrika even back in S2 if the general response had been less negative. I find that very sad, even if I was never particularly invested in them and actually felt similar to how you did watching S2.

On the one hand, it's good to have different takes and ships in the fandom whether they are our own thing or not. It enriches the fandom in general and may even enrich our own experience later on. I for one am way more interested in Stedrika now than I ever was before, and that's mostly down to discussions I've had and posts I've read on the non-Wilmon fringe of the fandom that have made me reflect on my relationship to various characters.

On the other hand, once you add something to canon, it is canon, whether it was meant to be there from the start or not. I think allocating just a little more time to Stedrika in order to wrap up their story properly would have been a better choice than dropping them completely (ETA: which I guess is the other thing they could have done instead of what we got). Yeah, there were plenty of other, more central plot lines that were also cut down in S3, but I don't think eradicating a huge chunk of the WLW rep they had added in S2 would have been a particularly popular or responsible choice.

And of course, the writers could have also taken various other paths with the story, e.g. making Stella's crush unrequited and showing how that affected their friendship. I personally think those other paths would have been more interesting than making them endgame (and would have also cast S2 in a new light upon rewatch!), but unfortunately they would have required even more screen time.

[sflow-er]

The ones I would rec out of my own catalogue of Walty fics:

Other people's secrets (S1-compliant longfic, includes outsider POV of Wilmon)

Like you better (S2-compliant oneshot)

..

@sadhappylady's list and post include most of the fics I was going to rec but here are a couple more:

Walty: Change It And Say by @skydragon05 how many nights does it take to count the stars (that's the time it would take to fix my heart) by prongts / @pinkfluffyhippogriff

Stedrika: Drikaberry by Blodeuwedd / @andthatisnotfake

lily of the valley by peonyseas

you wanting me tonight feels impossible by (orphan_account)

Letters from Annie and Liza by @bluedalahorse (one of many non-Wilmon drabbles written for YR Drabble Challenge 2024!)

Rarepairs: Heart and Homeland by @bluedalahorse and @heliza24 (includes Wilmon, but there's also Sargust, Felice/Maddie and Felice/Rosh)

Secrets, Friendship, and Coffee Non-Dates by @starvalisedham (Alexander/Maddie)

Diamant auf einer Landmine by @allesistpunk (Vincent/Maddie, WIP; the author has also written other Vindie fics featuring Walty!)

[updated with a couple more recs in September 2024]

Inspired by a couple of earlier asks, could we make a ships other than Wilmon self-rec list? It would be nice for people coming into the fandom to have somewhere to start but I guess there aren't any reader-made rec lists. So maybe authors could reblog this and rec a couple of their own fics? Or a couple per ship if they've written for multiple ships and of course readers could still chip in too if they felt like it!

Yes! Authors or readers, send me recs for fics featuring non-Wilmon ships. Or reblog, comment, etc and I'll compile them into a post.

[mymitochondriaforpresident]

5 more days until I’m free from this Hell.

[insiemes]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56024617

Roads Lead Back to You

Three weeks after he woke up in the hospital, he found himself in a nightclub.

He wasn’t really sure what motivated him to enter the club, and if someone asked him he wouldn’t have an answer. He’d been walking by and the music, the lights and the strong beat of the bass had pulled him in like a wave to shore, like a magnet was drawing him close. The club, something seedy and dark, had no bouncer. He didn’t think too long about what that said about the establishment, instead thanking small victories. He’d walked inside no problem, no one telling him to leave and no one asking him his name. For that he was grateful, for if he’d been asked to show any piece of ID he wouldn’t have been able to provide it.

He had no idea who he was.

or

Simon Eriksson wakes up from a coma after six months, with no idea who he was in his past life.

[in-amor-veritas]

Hey! Chapter 11 of our Soulmate au Grasping at Shadows is up! Written by Kastin 💜

Shit is getting even crazier now so hold on tight.

)()(

Moments later, two men enter the room, Wilhelm can't quite make out their faces through the darkness but they’re tall and broad and heading right for Wilhelm’s cell.

“Wilhelm doesn’t seem too willing to come on his own,” Jan Olof speaks, “he may need some help, gentlemen.”

Wilhelm’s eyes flash to Simon as the boy springs forwards, his hands gripping the bars tightly, panic written on his features, his fear filling the entire room — a pulse that Wilhelm can feel beneath his skin.

“Where are you taking him?” Simon practically shouts.

He’s ignored as the men continue to make their way towards the Prince.

He feels his own heartbeat spike.

“It’s okay, Simon.”

“It’s not okay!” the boy replies frantically, moving towards Wilhelm, his hand reaching between the bars just as the cell is opened, “they can’t take you!”

Wilhelm’s reaction is immediate. He takes Simon’s warm hand in his own. Squeezing gently.

It’ll be okay, Simon. I’m coming back. I’ll always come back for you.

[willestears]

Young Royals season 2 was watched for 18 million hours + was in the top 10 of 29 countries in it's first week of release, hitting double the numbers the first season did last year?

i think we can all stop pretending we're worried about yr getting renewed

[willesworld]

i’m so excited for the nonverbal!wille fic!

me too actually☺️

here’s a little snippet 💖

-

The rest of dinner was a quiet event. Wille left his tablet in his lap and focused on eating his pasta. He made sure to thank Erik profusely when he was done and stood to clean up the dishes and kitchen after he had finished.

Before washing the dishes, he made sure to put his pink elbow-high rubber gloves on and place his chewelry in his mouth to help him distract his senses from the food in the sink. Wille was never going to be a fan of the dishes, but at least he had ways to make it more bearable now. Erik always offered to clean the kitchen, but he always cooked, and Wille felt horrible about making him do everything around the apartment. Erik did enough already.

Once the clean up was finished, Wille retreated back to his room and sat at his desk, opening up his laptop and opening his YouTube page.

He wasn’t expecting anything, really. He only had just over 100 subscribers. But he still liked to check, fruitlessly hoping that his videos had somehow gone viral and Wille had accidentally become a super famous YouTuber. It was a strange hope because Wille didn’t really want to be famous. He just wanted to feel seen.

But to Wille’s surprise, he did actually have several new notifications. A new subscriber, a flurry of likes, and several comments. All from the same account.

@simonsings.