I have been a Nerdfighter since I first saw one of John’s videos. I can’t even remember which one it was, but I remember I loved it, and then spent the subsequent three days (not three days straight, mind you; I am still in school) just scrolling through the Vlogbrothers videos.

Mostly at first it was John and his books, then I discovered the existence of Hank and fell in love with his videos and his music (I have a good deal of his songs memorized now).

Oddly enough, however, that wasn’t my first experience with Nerdfighteria. One of my friends in middle school was a Nerdfighter (bear in mind, this was before I knew John and Hank existed) and had a DFTBA phone case with, of course, DFTBA and John’s and Hank’s faces on it. I had absolutely no idea what DFTBA stood for, so I asked her, and she told me it meant “Don’t Forget to be Awesome.” And–get this–I thought, ‘What a weird, long name for a band.’ I legitimately thought that John and Hank had a band.

Ah, youth.

But now I know better, and being a Nerdfighter has actually widened my social circle, which is odd, considering my school is very prep-and-pep-oriented and the prep-and-pep students (who, by the way, are a vast majority) are fairly anti-nerd

A surprisingly large number of my friends today would not be my friends if we hadn’t discovered that we both (or all) were Nerdfighters.

Why do I love the Vlogbrothers so much? Let me explain–no, there is too much. Let me sum up. Hank and John are relatable, because I am a nerd (and now a Nerdfighter). They are hilarious, because I understand their nerdy jokes (see the first compliment). They’ve encouraged me to be more open about my nerdiness. All of John’s books are fantastic (and on my bookshelf ). But most of all, they and their videos are the ones I go to when I need a laugh, or am feeling down. I literally have a YouTube video playlist including (but not limited to) Hank’s jokes in under 4 minutes, some of John’s rants, and the videos where they appear together. The playlist is called “For When You’re Sad,” and it genuinely makes me happy.

That was a really long summary. Let me try again. Hank and John Green are a big part of my life, and I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I hadn’t seen their videos oh so long ago.

So thank you so much, guys, from the bottom of my heart, for enlightening me, educating me, cheering me up, and helping me help you decrease world-suck.



Don’t Forget to be Awesome



Feadae Greenleaf (feadae.tumblr)

