Your fav is problematic, or sometimes you aren’t the character you thought you were

We’ve all taken a Buzzfeed quiz and been baffled by the outcome. Because let’s face it, everyone wants to be the protagonist. It wasn’t until I watched a particularly difficult episode of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries that I realized I wasn’t Elizabeth after all, I was Charlotte–I was the girl that settled for the less than ideal situation because she couldn’t afford to wait for something better. But The LBD’s modernization of the story made Charlotte’s story much more appealing–she didn’t settle for the job, she made it her own, she took a less than ideal job and made it a resounding success. I even made a video about my realization. When I was lucky enough to meet Julia Cho at the Hilton bar during VidCon, I thanked her for her excellent portrayal of the character, and how she made me come to terms with my inner Charlotte. She replied in the best way possible, “We can’t all be Lizzy/Lizzie.”

The LBD also made me like Lydia. I didn’t identify with her, but I was able to understand her. I was able to see the girl underneath the surface. And I wanted an end to her story. So I was extremely excited when I found out that noblerorick and rachelkiley were creating a novel to give us that closure. I didn’t know that it would make me identify with Lydia. I didn’t know that the same tears that came when I watched that fateful episode of The LBD during my daily commute would bubble up again while listening to marykatewiles bring Lydia to life on my way to work.

I have 3 hours and 11 minutes left of the Epic Adventures of Lydia Bennet, and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, so I won’t give away the plot. But if you are anything like me, the dedication “to all the Lydias out there” may hit closer to home then you ever thought it would. And maybe you’ll learn that it’s ok to embrace your inner Lydia, too.