DANDY LIONS! It's Question Day

2011-03-09 · Q&A · John · 3:05 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Nerdfighteria (also: Books & writing) · mode: Q&A & conversation · tags: recurring series, community lore, self promotion

With Hank in Haiti, John answers rapid-fire Nerdfighter questions: his untitled new novel (out in about a year, two teenage cancer survivors, narrated by Hazel), Libba Bray's Beauty Queens and broken elbows, his old phone number in Looking for Alaska, and a string of joke answers.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Greeting to Hank, who is in Haiti and not watching; thanks to the 'noble brother' on the front lines of decreasing worldsuck

• ★★ John thanks Hank for being the noble brother who goes to the front lines to decrease worldsuck, which lets John stay in his basement. (playful) — 00:00:03 · Hank Green, world suck

00:00:16 — Questions from Your Pants: last words (Barrymore), teenage nickname 'Kuffs', dandy lions, fishing boat proceeds

• ★★ John says that this morning he went to Your Pants and asked Nerdfighters for questions, and now answers them. — 00:00:16 · Nerdfighteria
• ★ Asked whether reading Looking for Alaska made him think about his own last words, John says not at all, paraphrasing John Barrymore: dying is the last thing he would ever do. (playful) — 00:00:25 · Looking for Alaska (novel)
• ★ John says that as a teenager friends nicknamed him 'Kuffs' after he said Christian Slater never made a bad movie. (playful) — 00:00:31
• ★ Asked at tax time about fishing boat proceeds, John jokes that the stupid fishing boats always refuse to give him proceeds. (joke) — 00:00:47 · fishing boat proceeds

00:00:53 — John's new novel: out in about a year, two teenage cancer survivors and a reclusive novelist, narrated by Hazel, no title yet (send suggestions); the biggest obstacle for writers; the alphabet backwards

• ★★★ John says his new book comes out in almost exactly one year. — 00:00:54 · John's untitled novel (2011)
• ★★★ John says the novel is about two teenage cancer survivors obsessed with a reclusive novelist, and also about Swedish hip-hop and the meaning of life. — 00:00:57 · John's untitled novel (2011), meaning of life
• ★★ John confirms the novel is narrated by a girl, Hazel. — 00:01:07 · John's untitled novel (2011), Hazel Grace Lancaster
• ★★ John says the novel has no title yet: he changes it about every day and all the titles are bad. — 00:01:09 · John's untitled novel (2011)
• ★★ John asks viewers with good title ideas for the novel to leave them in the comments. — 00:01:12 · John's untitled novel (2011)
• ★★ John says the biggest obstacle to becoming a professional writer is that the world contains many books and few people willing to pay to read them. — 00:01:19

00:01:29 — Libba Bray: friendship, Beauty Queens (pre-order it), her two broken elbows; no desert island novel from John

• ★★★ John says he is friends with Libba Bray and has read all her books, including the not-yet-released Beauty Queens, which is amazing; viewers should pre-order it. — 00:01:32
• ★★ John reports that Libba Bray just broke both of her elbows, and jokes that he is not surprised it was her rather than, say, Sarah Dessen. (playful) — 00:01:37
• ★★ John says he didn't end up writing a desert island novel because, after Libba's, he doesn't have to. (playful) — 00:01:59

00:02:05 — Liverpool scarf, his old phone number in Looking for Alaska, Pong, never arrested, coffee, 'if you could, would you?'

• ★★ John confirms his then phone number is in Looking for Alaska: he didn't think more than about nine people would read it; he apologizes to its current owner. — 00:02:17 · Looking for Alaska (novel)

00:02:49 — Thanks to Hank for going to Haiti; Thoughts from Places to come; John will upload Hank's pre-made video on Friday; sign-off

• ★★ John thanks Hank for going to Haiti and says they look forward to the most amazing Thoughts from Places videos ever. — 00:02:49 · Hank Green, Thoughts from Places
• ★★ John says he will see Hank on Friday (11 March 2011), when John uploads the video Hank already made. — 00:02:52 · Hank Green

Humor (significant)

• Asked 'dandy lions or dandelions?', John picks dandy lions, then asks what happens if you wish on one. — 00:00:43

  “He eats you.”

• Asked about fishing boat proceeds at tax time. — 00:00:49

  “Stupid fishing boats always refusing to give me proceeds.”

• John says Libba Bray broke both elbows and he isn't surprised; told a friend had done so, he would guess. — 00:01:48

  “I bet it was Libba!”

• Asked his favorite old-school video game, John picks Pong because he likes games that are like life. — 00:02:31

  “Pong just keeps getting harder until you die.”

Threads in this video

• update · Hank's trip to Haiti (2011) — John notes Hank is in Haiti and not watching, and thanks him for going to the front lines to decrease worldsuck. (00:00:00)
• result reported · John asks Nerdfighters for Question Day questions on Your Pants (March 2011) — John answers the questions he asked Nerdfighters for that morning on Your Pants. (00:00:16)
• first use · 'Dandy lions': lions that eat you when you wish on them (2011) — Asked 'dandy lions or dandelions?', John picks dandy lions, which eat you if you wish on them, and calls 'The Dandy Lions' a really good band name; the title bit. (00:00:40)
• announced · The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — John says his new, untitled novel comes out in almost exactly one year; it is about two teenage cancer survivors and narrated by Hazel. (00:00:54)
• asked · John asks viewers to suggest titles for his untitled new novel in the comments (2011) — John asks viewers to leave good title ideas for his untitled novel in the comments. (00:01:12)
• asked · John asks viewers to pre-order Libba Bray's Beauty Queens (2011) — John tells viewers to pre-order Libba Bray's Beauty Queens, with a link in the doobly-doo. (00:01:56)
• promised · John: upload Hank's pre-made video on Friday while Hank is in Haiti (March 2011) — John says he will upload on Friday the video Hank already made. (00:02:52)
• reminder · Hank asks John to upload Hank's pre-filmed Friday video while Hank is in Haiti (March 2011) — John says he will see Hank on Friday (11 March 2011), when John uploads the video Hank already made. (00:02:52)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• John asks Nerdfighters for Question Day questions on Your Pants (March 2011) — reported back (the ask itself is not in the videos read here); last: result reported, 2011-03-09
• John asks viewers to suggest titles for his untitled new novel in the comments (2011) — reported back; last: result reported, 2011-06-10
• John: upload Hank's pre-made video on Friday while Hank is in Haiti (March 2011) — kept
• The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) — completed; last: looked back, 2026-09-22
• Hank's trip to Haiti (2011) — told 6×, last update 2011; last: retold, 2011-12-17

Mentioned

Central: Beauty Queens · John's untitled novel (2011) · Libba Bray

Also: People: Christian Slater · John Barrymore · Sarah Dessen

Projects: Thoughts from Places · Your Pants

Works: Looking for Alaska (novel) · Pong

Organizations: Liverpool FC

Terms: doobly-doo · world suck

Concepts: meaning of life

Places: Haiti

Characters: Hazel Grace Lancaster

Only in the description or credits: Karen Kavett · Question Tuesday

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