In Which the Candle Dies

2012-08-28 · letter vlog · John · 3:10 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing (also: Nerdfighteria) · mode: Announcements · tags: self promotion, community lore, punishment or challenge, fundraising ask

In a five-part video John celebrates the new box set's candle-free Looking for Alaska cover and the Swedish Fault in Our Stars cover, offers Nerdfighteria a deal to clear the brothers' outstanding punishments through a $1 million Kiva goal, sets Fahrenheit 451 homework and thanks Hank and Nerdfighters for the birthday mosaic.

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 ('evil baby lady Bathory'); five parts; part one: the candle on Looking for Alaska's cover and the new candle-free box-set hardcover

• ★★ John says Looking for Alaska's original cover had only smoke; bookstore chains objected to cigarette smoke, Penguin confirmed it was, and so a candle was added. (playful) — 00:00:00 · Looking for Alaska (novel), Penguin Books
• ★★★ John shows the new box set, designed by Karen Kavett, with hardcovers of Looking for Alaska without the candle, the new Paper Towns design and Nerdfighter Sarah Turbin's Katherines design. — 00:00:29 · Looking for Alaska (novel), Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines
• ★★ John says he always sort of hated the candle and has spent seven and a half years proud of the book but hating it, so its removal is great news for him. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:29 · Looking for Alaska (novel)

00:00:58 — Part two: The Fault in Our Stars in other languages; John loves the Swedish cover; his old foreign covers showed feet and whispering girls

• ★★ John says The Fault in Our Stars is out in many other languages, including Bulgarian, Danish, German, Dutch, Spanish, Catalan, both Portugueses, Hebrew and Swedish. — 00:00:58 · The Fault in Our Stars
• ★★ Expecting an unpopular opinion, John loves the Swedish TFIOS cover: bold, weird, pulpy, all love, death, grenades and sacrifice, the cover Augustus would want. (hedged) — 00:00:58 · The Fault in Our Stars, Augustus Waters
• ★ John says his foreign-language covers have changed a lot, since earlier ones kept featuring feet or whispering girls. (playful) — 00:01:27

00:01:56 — Part three: the Kiva deal to clear outstanding punishments ($1 million before 1,000 videos); part four: Fahrenheit 451 homework; part five: thanks begin

• ★★ John says both brothers have outstanding punishments they haven't done because punishments suck, which he calls a roadblock in their relationship. (playful) — 00:01:56 · Punishment, Hank Green
• ★★★ John's deal: if the Nerdfighter Kiva group reaches $1 million before the brothers reach 1,000 videos, Nerdfighteria can challenge both; they will do the challenges and the slate is cleared. — 00:01:56 · Bank of Nerdfighteria, Punishment, Nerdfighteria
• ★★ John explains that Kiva lets regular people make loans to entrepreneurs in the developing world, and calls it really cool. — 00:01:56
• ★★ If the goal is missed before 1,000 videos, the punishment slate is wiped clean; the brothers might make videos more often to avoid punishment; John makes the rules as older brother. (playful, hedged) — 00:02:26 · Punishment, Bank of Nerdfighteria
• ★★ John sets homework: Nerdfighters should finish Fahrenheit 451 by next Tuesday (4 September 2012). — 00:02:26 · Nerdfighteria
• ★★ John thanks Nerdfighters for submitting so many pictures of themselves and Hank for turning those pictures into John. — 00:02:26 · Nerdfighteria, Hank Green

00:02:55 — Thanks for the birthday mosaic; the Swindon Town Swoodilypoopers; sign-off and an outtake

• ★ John says big games are coming up for the Swindon Town Swoodilypoopers and that he needs to go play. (playful) — 00:02:55

In the description and comments

• ★ In the description John notes he has clearly underestimated Nerdfighteria again, beside the link to the Nerdfighter Kiva group. — video description · Nerdfighteria, Bank of Nerdfighteria

Humor (significant)

• John introduces the video's structure. — 00:00:00

  “Today's video is like the ancient Egyptian concept of the soul. It comes to you in five parts.”

• John admits he can't pronounce the Swedish title and quotes his own novel's reclusive author. — 00:00:58

  “To quote the great Peter Van Houten, who the hell speaks Swedish?”

• John shows his earlier foreign-language covers one by one. — 00:01:27

  “Feet, feet, feet, whispering girl, feet, feet, whispering girl, feet, feet, feet, whispering dog, girl, you freak me out.”

• Explaining why the punishment slate is wiped clean if Nerdfighteria misses the Kiva goal. — 00:02:26

  “Because I am the older brother and I make the rules to all the games.”

Threads in this video

• callback · The Evil Baby Orphanage (2007) — John tags his Tuesday greeting 'evil baby lady Bathory', a nod to the Evil Baby Orphanage; an outtake at the end repeats it. (00:00:00)
• milestone · An Abundance of Katherines fan cover contest (2011) — Nerdfighter Sarah Turbin's An Abundance of Katherines design is one of the hardcovers in the new box set. (00:00:29)
• launched · John's Kiva deal: if the Nerdfighter Kiva group reaches $1 million before the 1,000th vlogbrothers video, viewers may challenge both brothers to clear their outstanding punishments (2012) — John offers Nerdfighteria a deal: if the Nerdfighter Kiva group reaches $1 million before the brothers' 1,000th video, viewers may challenge both brothers; they do the challenges and the slate is cleared; otherwise the outstanding punishments are wiped. (00:01:56)
• reminder · Hank asks viewers to get a copy of Fahrenheit 451 and read along with the summer book club (2012) — John sets the book-club homework: finish Fahrenheit 451 by next Tuesday (4 September 2012). (00:02:26)
• thanks · Hank asks viewers to sign up for a one-time secret mailing list by Saturday night (August 2012) — John thanks Nerdfighters for submitting so many pictures and Hank for turning them into him (the birthday mosaic). (00:02:26)
• result reported · John asks Nerdfighters to submit cover designs for An Abundance of Katherines (2011) — John shows the new box set, designed by Karen Kavett, with hardcovers of Looking for Alaska without the candle, the new Paper Towns design and Nerdfighter Sarah Turbin's Katherines design. (00:00:29)
• milestone · Bank of Nerdfighteria: the Nerdfighters' Kiva lending team — John's deal: if the Nerdfighter Kiva group reaches $1 million before the brothers reach 1,000 videos, Nerdfighteria can challenge both; they will do the challenges and the slate is cleared. (00:01:56)
• set · John: outstanding 2012 Kiva-deal punishment, ultimately an inkless tattoo (2012–2015) — John's deal: if the Nerdfighter Kiva group reaches $1 million before the brothers reach 1,000 videos, Nerdfighteria can challenge both; they will do the challenges and the slate is cleared. (00:01:56)
• proposed · Hank: his punishment owed under the 2012 Kiva deal, performed as the science of pain (2012) — John's deal: if the Nerdfighter Kiva group reaches $1 million before the brothers reach 1,000 videos, Nerdfighteria can challenge both; they will do the challenges and the slate is cleared. (00:01:56)
• looked back · Happy John Day 2012 edition: Nerdfighters' photo-mosaic birthday present for John — John thanks Nerdfighters for submitting so many pictures of themselves and Hank for turning those pictures into John. (00:02:26)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• John asks Nerdfighters to submit cover designs for An Abundance of Katherines (2011) — reported back; last: result reported, 2012-08-28
• John: outstanding 2012 Kiva-deal punishment, ultimately an inkless tattoo (2012–2015) — performed
• Hank: his punishment owed under the 2012 Kiva deal, performed as the science of pain (2012) — performed
• John's Kiva deal: if the Nerdfighter Kiva group reaches $1 million before the 1,000th vlogbrothers video, viewers may challenge both brothers to clear their outstanding punishments (2012) — completed; last: looked back, 2014-07-18
• Bank of Nerdfighteria: the Nerdfighters' Kiva lending team — running; last: looked back, 2024-01-16

Mentioned

Central: Bank of Nerdfighteria · John Green box set · Looking for Alaska (novel) · The Fault in Our Stars

Also: People: Elizabeth Báthory

Works: An Abundance of Katherines · Fahrenheit 451 · Nerdfighter photo mosaic of the brothers (John's 2012 birthday present) · Paper Towns

Organizations: Kiva · Penguin Books

Rituals: Punishment

Terms: Evil Baby Orphanage

Concepts: microfinance

Places: Ancient Egypt · Sweden

Characters: Augustus Waters · Peter Van Houten · Swindon Town Swoodilypoopers

Only in the description or credits: Karen Kavett · Sarah Turbin

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