Nina Dobrev's Tweets Are So Bittersweet

I'm still completely heartbroken over the news that Nina Dobrev is leaving The Vampire Diaries after Season 6, and the actress' recent tweets about her departure are definitely not helping. On Tuesday Dobrev tweeted that she was "a mess" going into her final two days of shooting The CW show in Elena Gilbert's shoes, and later tweeted that she was puffy "like a blowfish" from crying over her final week with the cast. (Join the club, Dobrev — I've been crying all week long, too.) Now, Dobrev is posting some of her final set pictures with The Vampire Diaries family, and it's enough to make anyone want to beg Dobrev to stick around through Season 7 — I'll just miss Dobrev and Elena Gilbert on The Vampire Diaries way too much to say goodbye.

Dobrev has made her decision, and it seems that fans will have to begrudgingly accept that The Vampire Diaries will continue without her. Quite frankly, I'm surprised by how much I'm saddened by this news — while I didn't hate Elena by any means, I did poke fun at Dobrev's character's cry face and the way the world always seemed to tend to her problems despite the consequences and risks. I guess the truth is, you really don't know what you have until it's about to be ripped away from you to focus on a film career.

While I'll miss Dobrev plenty, here are the reasons why I'll also miss Elena — because try as it might, the show can never really replace her.

She's Kind Of A Badass

Elena isn't content having other people physically fight her battles — she wants to be prepared for anyone who is trying to kill her. Which, on this show, is almost everyone.

She Brought Damon And Stefan Back Together

Yeah, technically the love for Elena drove a wedge between the brothers, but ultimately, she gave them a common goal — protect the girl they both love. Elena loves the both of them (albeit, differently) and it's admirable that she can keep both relationships without destroying the other.

Her Friendship With Bonnie And Caroline Is Ride Or Die

Elena will go to the ends of the earth to protect her friends.

She's An Awesome Big Sister To Jeremy

Whether she's telling Jeremy to stop smoking pot in school or helping him grapple with his vampire-killing gene, Elena puts family first.

She Tries To Be As Human As Possible

Unlike some of her vampire friends, Elena doesn't kill randomly and places an importance on keeping some "normal" human experiences a part of her life. In fact, I have a feeling that it's her desire for humanity that may lead her to leave the show — could Elena take the cure, become human, and leave Mystic Falls behind?

She Loves Deeply

She she never gives up on the people she loves, no matter how much they (cough, Damon) mess up.

She's Tough And Vulnerable At The Same Time

Say what you will about Elena's cry face, but I'm actually surprised that the girl isn't a mess 24/7 — her life is kind of the worst. Her parents died in a horrific accident, a new friend or family member seems to croak every other week, and she's constantly on the verge of getting killed. That would make anyone crack, but Elena remains strong without turning off her humanity. Sometimes a girl just needs a good cry, and damn it, I think I might actually miss Elena's sobfests.

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