a letter of gratitude to Young Royals

(warning: extremely cheesy)

in september of 2021, i watched this show for the first time, completely unaware of what it was about and simply looking for something to disrupt my boredom.

two rewatches and several internet deep dives later, i was undoubtedly held captive by the story, its characters, and creators and have been ever since. after a traumatizing experience that shoved me back in the closet earlier that summer, young royals entered my life almost exactly when i needed it.

over two and a half years was spent scrolling through beautiful analyses, breaking down over art and fics littered with more prose than they have the right to possess, even outshining many published bestsellers i am familiar with. every fandom will have its trolls, and this one is definitely not exempt, but there is no denying how special this community is with how it seemed to grow overnight and spread the impactful messages of this little show to the rest of the world, to anyone who needed to hear them. it has united people across the world, from many different walks of life, prompting discussions that i never thought i would see happening in my lifetime. it encourages people to talk about the difficult things, the uncomfortable things, so often in such a respectful manner that it can make you forget how outrage-obsessed and uncompromising the internet can be.

many, including myself, have found themselves in these characters, both good and bad, because the show encapsulates what it's truly like to be human in a way that is so full of love and compassion that you don't often find in media. in a culture so obsessed with moral perfection and complete transparency of one's personal life, it is so relieving to have something to remind us that privacy is important, that your feelings are valid, regardless of whether they are good or not. young royals forgives in a way that so much of media and online culture doesn't.

as we approach the final hour before the very last episode of the show's well-deserved three-year-long run, i wanted to use this time to express my gratitude to those who have put their heart and soul into making this work of art the sensation that it is. i cannot wait to see what these talented people have put together for us one last time, and to see how it is celebrated for years to come.

so, as my last attempt at stringing together a coherent thought before i break down crying: thank you, young royals, for helping me grow. thank you for helping me heal. thank you for teaching me to view the world more in shades of grey instead of just black and white. thank you for helping me find beauty in the mundane. thank you for helping me discover things about myself. thank you for reminding me to check my privilege, to uplift the voices of those who may not have as much. thank you for existing.