and that's a wrap :)
Thank you all for your support throughout this journey! I know every author says that, but I truly do mean it. I'm just a girl from the northeast who needed an escape from her trauma slowly suffocating her, and Youngblood just so happened to be that. Knowing it's an escape for some of you too makes this entire journey so incredibly meaningful.
I had someone who'd read Youngblood once tell me how much Auni's character resonated with them as a reader. They said, "we needed Anastasia to exist so we could keep existing", and I want to first apologize to all those who resonated with Annie's story- you will never deserve the adversity you're forced to face.
Rereading my first draft was the first time I noticed how similar I wrote Annie's appearance to me. I almost changed it too, but I decided you all deserved to know Annie's story can happen to anyone. Book characters are always written to fit these picture-perfect cookie-cutter molds, but Annie was far from it. She is real... Auni's story isn't a pure work of fiction by any means. For the sake of tropes and plot lines, the slim majority of things are fictional, but the trauma Annie endures and her coping mechanisms are not. I highly considered changing her 'face claim' (and even did once), but I think it's important for you all to know that these things we assume to be fictional can happen to anyone, not just the pretty girls who are usually assigned in fictional worlds.
Anastasia Hemming's trauma is real, and it happened to your average high-school girl who was nothing too special. I think Anastasia resonated with readers cause she was the writer.
If you understand Annie for reasons you shouldn't, please do not be scared to ask for help.
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: 988
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
SAMHSA's National Alcohol/Drug Abse Helpline: 1-800-662-4357
You are far from alone.
Youngblood is dedicated to all the readers who understand Annie's story for reasons they shouldn't.
YOU ARE READING
youngblood | a.i.
Fanfic| Youngblood (noun) | A person who lives freely with constant adrenaline pumping through their veins to disguise the pain hiding behind their eyes -- Anastasia Hemmings has always lived in the shadows, covering her pain in fake smiles, false confid...
