9 YouTube creators to follow just in time for the holidays

YouTube Channel: Ylva V

Name: Ylva Vettersand

Location: Vancouver, Canada (but originally from Sweden)

Age: 24

As a member of the LGBTQ community, Ylva began reacting after finding kinship among certain fandoms. She was inspired by other reactors to start her channel in 2016 and has made her mark as a popular reactor among shows such as Motherland: Fort Salem, Supergirl, and Legacies. She hopes to pass along that feeling of connectedness to others through her video reactions.

“I’ve been reacting for almost 5 years. Some of my favorite shows I’ve reacted to are ones like The Witcher, The Expanse, and Motherland: Fort Salem, whereupon reacting to them, it feels like I’ve become a part of the community and fandom. Unlike some other big fandom shows I’ve reacted to, I never felt any hate from these communities and felt excited with each video. All the fans were so supportive and fun and made my experience with each episode even better.

I was inspired to react because of three wonderful ladies I have come to know over the years who are also reactors: Sofia Rojas, Ron, and Elke. They reacted to The 100 and I had no friends who were watching that show. Watching their reactions made me feel less alone, especially when our favorite character, Lexa, was killed off. I felt so sad and alone when watching that episode, but seeing how they reacted the same way made my feelings feel justified. This is what I hoped to achieve with my videos, to make people feel less alone and like their thoughts and feelings are heard. I have even heard from some fans that my videos did help them, especially during this pandemic, and that watching my reactions made them feel like they were watching the show with a friend. It’s a true honor,” Ylva says.

When picking out shows and films to react to, she looks for themes of inclusion and quality writing that aren’t always predictable. If she isn’t able to relate to at least one of the characters, it’s a ‘no’ for her.

"“What I look for in shows is most of all the plot and writing quality of the show. It has to capture my attention and surprise me, otherwise I would barely react and that’s no fun for anyone. I, of course, need a show that’s very inclusive of all races, genders, sexualities, etc., otherwise I tend to find the show rather basic and boring. I already grew up watching a bunch of movies and shows like that and considering that I’ve grown up all over the world and met a lot of different people, I know how important it is for a show to have a variety of characters so that you can at least relate to one of them. It just makes the experience better and more personal.”"

Ylva is most excited about the next season of Netflix’s The Witcher, which is slated to drop in December of this year on the streaming platform.

“It was probably the most impactful show for me. I had never even heard of it before watching the show, and unknowingly entered such a huge fandom because there are books and games. I think because of this, I could easily have been underestimated and gotten lost with the plot, but I held my own and followed along. I think it surprised and impressed a lot of people, and I’d like to think I’ve been accepted as part of The Witcher fandom, plus the show is returning very close to my birthday, so happy birthday to me haha!” she explains.

The cool thing about Ylva’s videos is that she is so welcoming and has such a calming presence that comes through her videos. She almost always has a cup of something from her Starbucks job, so it’s very much like watching one of your favorite shows with a friend and enjoying a cup of coffee along the way. One of her top videos so far is her emotional reaction to the series finale of The CW’s The Vampire Diaries, which is shown above.

You can find the rest of Ylva’s reaction videos on her channel here.