An understanding

One year ago today, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries released Episode 87: An Understanding:

Two sisters, terribly at odds and remarkably alike, are forced to reconcile in the midst of the imminent release of a sex tape.  After being exploited and lied to, the younger suffers the worst social nightmare of a world in which “the Internet is forever”; the older faces her own failure in understanding and compassion.   
This is Pride and Prejudice.  At least, it is according to Hank Green and Bernie Su, creators of the Emmy-award-winning web series, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.  The poignant scene described above is their interpretation of Elizabeth’s response to the Lydia-Wickham scandal and, at episode 87 of 100, serves as the climax of the adaptation.  The moment also represents the show’s argument both that a 200-year-old story matters to modern YouTube audiences and that layering contemporary issues onto classic texts can lead to more effective readings of those texts.  Austen’s novel says, “Elizabeth is flawed and misunderstands Darcy.  She must resolve this before reconciling her future, both romantically and socially.”  The Lizzie Bennet Diaries (LBD) takes this empathetic lesson a step further, extending Elizabeth’s repentance to include not only her misunderstanding of Darcy but also of a fully realized Lydia Bennet.  

 

* See also MK Wiles' (who plays Lydia) blog where she shares some of her thoughts on this episode and this character.
** If you haven't seen the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, start here.  

Fireworks - Green, Pt II

Welcome back to part II.  That Friday afternoon held the highlight of my LeakyCon:  the autograph session. 


Oh, and here's the poster I started with (brilliant design!).  It's from DFTBA [not related, but I was reeeeally tempted to get this one too :D ]

[These two...what is else is there really to say?]

First up, Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh.  Lizzie and Darcy.  They were both really grateful and sweet!  Daniel said, "I like your Darcy costume."  I asked him to sign "Verisimilitude."  He goes, "I hope I didn't spell that wrong."  Sorry, Daniel, you did.  But he was sick, so we'll give him a pass.

[Jing!]

These two win "sweetest couple award."  At Netherfield, doesn't Lizzie say something about them having a "nice off"?  They would in real life!  Laura Spencer is just darling and Christopher Sean took the time to read name-badges and leave a note.  Very cool.

[I mean...]

[I can't get over how cute they are!]

[This pair of pics is actually for laughs... the longer I look the funnier Wes's faces become hehe]

[Wes Aderhold... puttin' those selfie practices to good use]

[such a favorite!]

Hold the phone - I got to meet MK Wiles!  I can't tell you how much I appreciate what MK brought to the role of Lydia.  And finding out she's a fellow sentamentalist, English (and Theatre double) major, and LotR nerd... well, it was so huge to meet her and thank her in person for her work.  

[Collins and Collins]

Maxwell Glick has this really awesome t-shirt:  it's the Bag End door and says "Second Breakfast Diner."  I told him we should start a restaurant with that name - who wouldn't want to breakfast there?

[Hank and the Hanklerfish]

Representing 1/2 of the Green brothers, here is Hank in all is awesome.  And the Hanklerfish.  Don't forget the Hanklerfish.

Hank made my day when he not only told me he liked my costume, he thought I was "the best LBD cosplayer" he had seen at LeakyCon.  +500 nerd points :)

[Bernie Su]

When I got to Bernie, he looked at me and said, "Samara, thank you for watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries."  He was so sincere, so genuinely grateful.  All I could say was a sincere, "Thank you for creating them!"

[The Bennet Sisters]

Sorry they're blurry... I was a bit overwhelmed by the awesome :D

[So, so grateful for this panel and these people]

I've seen an encouragement online that goes something like this:  "Dear Starving Artist, remember that what you're starving for is worth it."  Sadly,  I know many have to give up on those dreams.  But to see these people not only make it long enough to create something wonderful, but also be appreciated for it - that's just fantastic!

[I'm pretty sure these tweets didn't make it to fb...]

Yah... I was a bit overwhelmed after meeting all those creative people.  I get excited - what can I say?  

Other fun LBD-related LeakyCon moments:  gifs, more gifs, Maxwell's bts, or the "leaked" blooper real (that's 1 of 5 on the DVD).



So, the rest of the afternoon, I snuck in and out of sessions and took time for food and journaling and social media.  I also took a few pics of costumes. Tried, I should say.  I tried to take pictures of them.  None of them turned out very well, except for:  Severus Snape!  This guy was rocking it!  His hair was real!  Dyed, but not a wig.  And the costume was fantastic with buttons and all.  Ah, I just love costumes :)

[Severus Snape!!]

[LeakyCon dance party]

The day's festivities were followed by the Wrock Concert (Wizard Rock...yah).  Anyway, there was one group that did a cover of "Dog Days are Over" and after the bridge, a whole bunch of other musicians and special guests went out there and danced around like crazy - it was awesome!  I mean, Hank Green and "Foxface" were both up there and the whole place was going wild.  Such fun!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Well, LeakyCon - being my first convention and all - was a brilliant experience.  There were so many moments when i thought, "These are my type of people.  I'm not too much for them... [That's rare!]."  But more than that, it's an incredible way for creators and fans and creative fans to "touch" and appreciate one another in a very unique way.  And that was worth the trip.  It's not about "famous people" or fandoms.  The thing that unites us is story, narrative.  A beautiful and powerful thing.  I introduced friends, I wrote blog posts, I backed their kick-starter - but to be able to look those people in the eye, people I had been on a journey with for almost a year, that was a great treat. 


I'll leave you with some thoughts from MK Wiles on the subject:

LeakyCon is a bright beacon of hope and fun and encouragement and love for things we love. It is a wonderful thing to be celebrating—the stories that make us feel. I got into this career because A Story made me feel. It’s incredibly humbling to be a part of something that did that for someone else.

My life, and any actor’s life, can be hard, just like I’m sure many of your lives have their own difficulties. It’s experiences like this weekend that remind me, and remind us, that there’s some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for. In fact, I think there’s quite a bit of good, and I see it in each of your faces. Thank you for letting me fight with you.

- MK Wiles, On LeakyCon

[Thank you, LeakyCon!]

Fireworks - Green, Pt I

"There's no regret more painful than the regret of things that never were."

-  The Book of Disquiet, Fernando Pessoa

One of the hardest parts of adulthood is deciding what takes priority.  What are the once-in-a-lifetime, life-changing events and experiences?  How do we invest our time and money in those and not waste it on the other stuff?  And what about when two life-changing experiences compete?  These are the hardest decisions of my life.

And one of them presented itself earlier this year.  I wrestled with this for months.  Many of you watched me hop from one side of the fence to the other.  There were days when I thought "I totally have to do this.  There is no way I could miss this opportunity."  And then days when I thought, "Samara, that PTO and column for your budget would be better spent ______ or ______ or ______."  And it's true - there are some downright unbelievably cool opportunities around the corner to be saving for.  Still, I visited their registration page a dozen times (no joke).  I was almost hoping to come to it one day and find it sold out - then I'd have an "Oh, well - I tried" excuse...but really just because then someone else would have made the decision for me :P

But then, 2 weeks before LeakyCon in Portland, when I had finally resigned myself to missing it, they opened up the "Day Pass" option.  And I finally jumped on this "best of both worlds" scenario.

Just as a brief intro, LeakyCon started as a Harry-Potter-centric convention, but has opened itself to embrace a lot of different fandoms, including-but-not-limited-to: Doctor Who, The Hunger Games, Nerdfighters, Glee, and most recently, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.  Being that Hank Green & a large portion of the cast & crew would be there... I knew I had to go.  And I'm so glad I did.  One week ago I was considering panels on "Greek Myth in Harry Potter" or "Naming in the Hunger Games" or (one of my favorites) "Fandom as Ekklesia."  I spent the day among other cosplayers, watching quidditch matches, singing along to Beauty & the Beast songs with a few hundred other people as they played over the loud speaker.  I adjusted to being called "Darcy" for the day.  I attend my first Wizard Rock concert (ha!).  And best of all, listened to and met some creatives I've been following for over a year.

So here's a rundown of my spectacularly nerdy day :)



[Get your Darcy on!!]

So, cosplay-wise, I went with Jane!Darcy - cutesy dress, (red!) milkmaid braids, bow-tie, and newsie-cap.  So. much. fun!

First part of the day was the most nerve-wracking: a lottery drawing for the LBD autograph session that afternoon.  The deal was, you join this humongous line, file into the exhibition hall, sort yourself into the session you want (Starkid, HP Actors, LBD, you get my drift), and then draw from a bag.  You draw a red ticket - you're in.  White ticket - you're out.  [But, if you draw a white one, you can go back to the beginning of the sorted line rather than the humongo line.] 

So first time through..... fingers crossed.  Kinda jittery actually.  I don't hide my fangirl well [some of you are thinking... no really?].  Snake through the line.  Make small talk with the other (ok, yah, pretty much all) girls in that line.  Get to the bag........pull a white ticket.  Drat!
Back to the end with a few others.  Repeat snaking process.  I overhear people in the line "Yah, I've never watched these, but..."  Traitors!  JK.  Kind of.  Draw again...white again. 
"Once more unto the breach..." ok, not that bad.  But here I was wishing and hoping.  More small talk with the same two girls as the last time. Noting my costume, I have some people offering me a red ticket if they get one, "I'm just here for my friend."  I must look desperate.  Well, darn it... I am desperate.  I watch as those ones who offered their ticket one-by-one draw white tickets.  The girls in front of me pull red.  Cheers!  I reach in for my third draw.  I feel around.  "This is it," I think.  "There aren't enough tickets for me to draw a fourth time."  My fingers fix on one.  I pull it out...........

RED!



Whew!  I'm going to meet them.  I'll get they're signatures.  I'll get to thank them in person.

Next I go that "Fandom as Ekklesia" discussion.  It was fascinating.  A big theme of the convention, actually, was, "Okay, we're a unified group.  We identify with such-and-such fandom.  We have a community.  Now, what can we do with that?"  And there are some great groups!  Nerdfighters aim to "decrease world-suck" and so offer micro-loans to people in developing nations through Kiva [$400k last year alone].  The Harry Potter Alliance announces "We are Book 8" and encourages members of the fandom to apply the principals of the book to make our world better.  I was able to donate a bit last month to Myeloma UK as a fandom fundraiser/birthday present for Benedict Cumberbatch  [there's still 2 weeks, if you're interested].  Point is - Fandoms can obviously mobilize along common interests and beliefs.  But can we do more than pledge money?  Can we become a vibrant community that lives the message of the narratives we love and identify with?  

[Oh wait...isn't that what being a Christian is supposed to be about?  .............  That's a different blog post].  The reverand who led this discussion had some great observations and she made me view fandom as something more than just a hashtag or facebook page.  Really, really great.

But I digress.  

Next up:  Lizzie Bennet Diaries Writers' Panel.  This was one of the main reasons I came! 



[Jay Bushman - writer & transmedia director
Rachel Kiley - writer of Lydia arc and videos
Margaret Dunlap - writer and co-producer
Bernie Su - head writer, co-producer, director, hat wearer :]



Yes, that's a Mrs. Bennet hat in front of me :)  So, the writer's showed us a bonus feature from the upcoming DVD.  It was awesome.  Then they shared each of their timeline of involvement with the show.  Hank Green, executive producer, had come up with the idea, talked to Bernie about it during their 2nd ever conversation, Bernie contacted a few female writers (including Rachel and Margaret).  Meanwhile Jay had been trying to get a transmedia version of Pride and Prejudice out there for years.  He was told there was no audience for that (ha ha ha ha!).  They all met up and then the magic started! 

They fielded some great questions, including one from me :D  I just asked about how they approached the adaptation so that they weren't just using the story, but causing people to read, re-read, or at least re-examine that story.  Hank rephrased it as "marketing the story."  Jay took that question and answered by saying that a good adaptation will find that 1 piece of the story that has been taken for granted or just completely overlooked and frame their whole re-working around that part of it.  For this team, their chosen aspect was the girl's relationships as part of Lizzie becoming a modern woman.  Darcy is, obviously, a huge part of that.  But where the series stood out were with Lydia or Charlotte and Lizzie's reactions to them.  I took a lot of other great notes, but there are the hilights :)

Then we all headed over to the main hall where LBD took center stage:

[my attempts...iPhone just washed them all out :/ ]

[an actual camera's rendition :]

This was a wonderful panel as each talked about how LBD has changed their careers - MK choked up talking about what it meant to have a fan base that cares about what they're doing.  They also shared about what's up next for them - some exciting stuff!  And they fielded a few fun questions as well.



[via Ashley Clements' instagram... I'm out there somewhere.]

After lunch was the autograph signing.  While waiting in line for that [by the way, that's what you actually do at conventions - you may meet someone famous or hear them speak, but what you do at conventions is wait in lines], I met a new, good friend, Alexis:



[Alexis as the 10th Doctor]



[Alexis and I after the Wrock Concert that night]

I also met a girl named Sami who made these little plushies for the whole cast and Hank Green - so cute!  Later, the cast took all these pictures with their little fandolls.  It was so cool!  And, she's on Etsy - so if you ever find yourself in need of a fandoll, check her out.



[Cast of LBD, Sami, and the Fandolls]

She also had her friend Shayne draw this for the cast to sign.  Ah!  Love how creative fandoms are!!

[via]

Ok... are you ready for some cute pictures of the cast?  Yah, I thought so.  But guess what?  That's Part II.  Stay tuned!!

Goodbye Lizzie

I hate goodbyes.

Yet goodbyes must be said.  And with that comes gratitude.

So this is my (very spoilerific) thank you to Lizzie Bennet and all those who have breathed new life into this incredible story.

* * * * * * * * * *

I actually checked and it was April 24th of last year.  Lois was in London and we were corresponding about a variety of things.  And she sent me a link to a vlog and an explanation of that vlog. 

"My name is Lizzie Bennet, and this is my life."

Honestly, I was skeptical.

I've read Pride and Prejudice five times.

If I was forced to pick a favorite book, that would have to be it.

I've studied, read articles, written papers on this groundbreaking little novel.

There are books we like, books we identify with, and then books that define us.

Austen's masterpiece has run that gammot for me.

So... a modern adaptation? Ok, fine...

A vlog? This might get cheesy reeeeally fast.

I mean how are they going to handle _____ and _____ and ______?

But, on the other hand... wow, that interpretation of Lydia was hilarious - and spot on.

So (my totally awesome, older brother and) I watched all 5 episodes that were then available.

And, as a nerd, I was impressed.

Of course Jane would be a fashion blogger.

Bing Lee. Nice one.

Wow. Lydia is quite... energetic.

And slowly Mondays and Thursdays (and later Tuesdays & Fridays) became a little extra special.

I was working on my honors thesis at the time - which, of course, was on Austen - and after class or homework, I had this 5-minutes of fun waiting for me.

But then it became more than a show.  More than a silly vlog.

I realized I needed Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

A year ago this week, I found out I would not be continuing my studies in English (and specifically of Austen) that fall.  Well, at least, not traditional studies.  In the interim, I've been on a journey through LBD to re-evaluate the power of Austen's characters and narratives.  I had argued for years that Austen was valuable due to the universality of her writing.  LBD took that argument further than any of my papers or class discussions could.  They, quite literally, fleshed out characters that are identifiably Austen, but convincingly 21st century.

The ladies of LBD - you've won a special place in my heart.

The strongest part of this adaptation was its emphasis on the girls' relationships.

Whether it was the fights in "Friends Forever" or "2+1," the comforting in "Snickerdoodles," or the daunting encouragement in "New Jane" - this series showed Lizzie becoming a great friend and sister in a powerful way.  And "An Understanding" reduced me to a puddle of tears, wishing I could just hug my sisters and tell them how much I love them.

 

These girls.  Wow!

Laura, Ashley, MK - you blew me away.

Thank you for becoming so vulnerable in your portrayal of these characters.

I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to tackle such iconic characters - let alone in an unfamiliar medium.  But you made this show fly!

You gorgeous, ginger trio became such favorites, such dear friends.

Thank you!!

Laura - Everyone deserves tea.

MK - Whaaaaaat.

And Ashley - shut your ugly dump truck face!

<3>

Ah!  The rest of this brilliant cast [pictured here, minus the lovely Alison Paige as Gigi Darcy].

You just became major faves!

Except you, Wes.  You've officially been dubbed "Sir Wix the Poopface" and we don't like your selfies on instagram.

Actually, your selfies are ironically hilarious... and I do understand that you're not G-dubs.  But still.

Really though! Every single one of these "starving artists" made this show the best that it could be.

Stand out performances for me?  Maxwell Glick's Collins, Craig Frank's Fitz, and Briana Cuoco's Mary.

Thank you all for your dedicated work!

 

Ok... the writers!

Kate Noble & Margaret Dunlap - Thank you for your beautifully crafted lines.  This show's dialogue was brilliant.  And the quotes are hilarious!!

Jay Bushman - What you do with transmedia is so inspiring. As in you're challenging some of my life plans.  And the immersiveness of the LBD universe is what made it so powerful!! Thank you also for the episodes you wrote.

Rachel Kiley - Thank you thank you thank you for re-imagining Lydia.  For challenging a perception of her as 2-D and annoying.  She became one of my absolute favorite parts of LBD, and a large part was how you wrote her.

Bernie-trolling-Su!  You are definitely the next Moffat.  And you're brilliant. Thank you for being willing to experiment!  Thank you for willing to push all the limits to tell this powerful story the way it deserved!!

You didn't think I would forget about Darcy, did you??

Of course not!!

Daniel Vincent Gordh,

I'm pretty sure that I, like every girl watching this, was in love with Darcy even before he was mentioned in LBD.  But you took a love for Darcy to a whole other level.  It wasn't your good looks, bow-ties, or even Dizzie Day - though we definitely appreciated those.  You brought something to this character that really moved me.  From shy and awkward to selfless and caring - you rejuvinated the character and made him accessible. 

Dizzie Day did leave me in tears, not just due to excitement and joy, but becaue I found myself once again hopelessly in love with Darcy as a person.  Every girl wants to be loved unexpectedly. Every girl wants someone who will fight for her against all hope. 

Thank you for a Darcy that was so illuminating.

Though I am sad, I'm trying "face contorting" today.

The journey over the past year has been amazing.  I'm so grateful for the both the adaptation and the connection its given me with other people - especially my sisters and close friends.  My sisters actually started reading Pride and Prejudice because of LBD - a feat I could never inspire by myself.  And sharing this journey with these special people is something so precious to me - in fact, "It's super important" ;)

Thank you to Hank Green and Bernie Su for daring to try this.

Thank you to everyone behind the scenes making it happen.

Thanks to each actor/artist involved in Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

I hope the kickstarter reaches a gazillion so you all get amazing bonuses!!

This has been an incredible part of my transition this last year, and the longest I've spent continusouly immersed in any piece of fiction.  I really can't thank all everyone involved enough.

It was so good to see you.