#australian nerdfighters

[road2nf]

the group brings out the best in me

John and Hank are just... incredible.

I remember being in high school and hearing Hank talk about bullying; ‘Your job is not to enjoy it, but to survive it.’

That helped me so much. And don’t even get me started on John’s books. Just don’t.

It’s totally clear how hard you both work and how genuine you are (not to mention ridiculously creative).

Mostly, I am thankful for the community you have created. The word ‘community’ used to make me think of parent/guardian committees and old people, but now I think of awesome people being awesome.

The facebook group ‘Australian Nerdfighters’ is filled with hilarious, honest, helpful (ignore the unintentional h-overload) people.

The main word that comes to mind when thinking of them is ‘welcoming’.

Everyone is treated so well and the group brings out the best in me.

TL;DR You guys are pretty darn cool.

-Kirra

[whatevsreviews]

Looking For Alaska- Series Review

Tumblr it has been over a minute. 

The reason I have a Tumblr account is because of John Green. 

And Hank. 

The Vlogbrothers and their infamous fanbase also known as Nerdfighters. 

In the quest to decrease world suck, the Australian branch dedicated to spreading the cause of Nerdfighteria would gather around their phones and laptops to debate all of lives biggest questions, along with geeking (or needing) out on the accepted pop culture institutions of our time (namely, Doctor Who and Harry Potter). 

My entrance to the group began many years ago with a friend messaging to see whether I would be interested in joining a group of nerds. A decision that would change the course of my life forever. 

As decisions tend to mostly do. 

This one shaped my university years of lack of sleep, procrastination and pondering on questions I still ponder on now. 

But this review isn't about then, but now. 

Now, I have left the group, but the legacy of the friendships I formed continue today, over half a decade later. Face-to-face, not just online. 

Now, as most of us now do, have a tertiary qualification. I’ve moved out of home, and suddenly the reality of existence is becoming ever more prominent. 

In the midst of all of this change, a series of a book from my adolescence. 

I’m still subscribed to the Vlogbrothers, but honestly watch John’s videos depending on how enticing the title is. 

There was a video on Looking For Alaska. 

The series was here. 

After the great success of The Fault in Our Stars and my personal favourite Paper Towns, Looking For Alaska was always hanging in the balance. It had been signed, but it was never. the right time. 

There is a time for everything, reads Ecclesiastes.

A time to be born, and a time to die.

A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

A time to be silent and a time to speak.

This was the time for Alaska’s voice to be heard.

And if you have got through this lengthy introduction, congratulations, because the review is ahead. 

Spoilers below. 

If you are unfamiliar, it follows the story of Miles “Pudge” Holter, who moves to his father’s Alma Mater to try and find the “Great Perhaps”. Essentially, to change his environment to see what else life has to offer. He makes some friends, including Alaska Young. The story follows their adventures through high school, but more importantly, life. 

This series was the book in film form. Period. 

I was never a big fan of the book. I haven't re-read my review yet (https://whatevsreviews.tumblr.com/post/59940141886/looking-for-alaska), but there were certain plot points that put me off, and I think the characters irritated me. 

((nb: I reread my review and realised that I was simply very square. I can see why I was thinking what I was thinking then, but I wrote that in 2013. I hadn't experienced love, heartbreak, deep disappointment. I was in a bubble. I had the rosiest glasses on. The book would hit different now.))

It has been a very long time since I read the book, and so while a couple of plot points have been embedded in my memory, I had forgotten most. This made for such an engaging viewing experience, as I would remember what was to come but not enough to be bored or lose sight of what was going on. 

I don't know if its because I'm older and I'm understanding life a bit more, but I absolutely loved this series. First of all, the cinematography was beautiful. the tone throughout was consistent. I loved that it was set in the early 2000′s, because that is my childhood. The music, the references (The OC, iPod Classics, Meerkat Manner, Milkshake by Kelis) are hallmarks for my adolescence. So to see characters play those experiences out in front of my eyes was overwhelming in ways I could never imagine. I know films like Breakfast Club are such hallmarks for that era, but when I watched it, it was almost as if the other movies I had watched, referencing it had given me the lessons I needed to learn. What I'm trying to say is that Looking for Alaska is our Breakfast Club, and is an apt time capsule. 

The actors did such a great job at humanising these characters that when I read them felt like caricatures. 

The beauty of John Green is his ability to expose the flaws of every human, humanising us all. We are more alike than we are different. We build people up to be more than they are. It’s not right or wrong, but merely human nature. What is underneath the comparison? More questions. But we have to find our own resolution.

This series exposed so much. Racism, sexuality, bullying, the meaning of life, to name a few. Because when you're in high school, these are the questions we asked. I pondered more then than now. The busyness of life is adequately distracting. 

I just want to read again. I’m a willing victim of the social media generation. I want silence. I want to feel internally. To process. To rest. I can’t convey how liberating this series has been. It’s reminded me of a time that I had forgotten. And realising that youth can be lived today. Rather than crying about how short life is, live it. 

I got Pudge. So darn awkward and confused but he had purpose and passion and was so, so loyal. The Cornel was my fave. His smile. SO charming, yet so broken. So charismatic and optimistic, but his facade hung by a thread. Takumi was boss. He held his own. Subtle yet powerful. Lara was so sweet but strong and resolute. Alaska. I misunderstood her then, but I get her now. I get it. I don't agree, but I get it. Life is hard. You don't get the answers you want. At some point you have to rationalise. At some point you have to let go. At some point there is nothing you can do- it’s just how it is. Blame or trying to tie things neatly doesn't escape the facts of events. You can only control your response to the terrible things that occur. 

I loved the Eagle so, so much. Again, John Green humanised him so not only we understood his angle and motive, but we were left with the truth. Not some adult (I write, ignoring the fact that I am very much an adult and of teaching age) trying to lord over us. On the contrary, he was a man who understood his responsibility and the cost that responsibility brought. But even then, he failed. As we all do. As is life. The Eagle also touched on perspective. For the students, high school was everything. The Eagle knew better. But they had to live through it to understand. So you can see their logic, but the hindsight of experience is only truly appreciated when experienced. 

I also loved Jake. He was such a nice guy. Period. That was it. There wasn't anything to hate him for. So refreshing. I understood the bullies too. Everyone had an angle that made sense to them. It doesn't matter if you don't agree. Humans have autonomy. 

I have nothing negative to say about this series. 

It made me genuinely laugh out loud, it made me weep, it made me ponder, it let me reminisce, and reminded me of what it feels to be present. 

My answer to Miles Holter’s question of finding the Great Perhaps is to create. I’ve lived this life before. The rudimentary nature of existing petrified me. A time for everything? A time to be intentional. 

I’m thankful for John Green’s mind to come up with these honest thoughts woven into the banality of life for us to enjoy. I didn't realise how much I had forgotten the lessons I had read years ago. 

How do I get out of the labyrinth of suffering?

I choose life. 

John 16:20. You will have sorrow. But your sorrow will turn into joy. 

10/10. 

DFTBA. 

[firefly-fez]

Thank you for the reccommendations!

I do have access to pubmed via my university, but yes scihub is such a lifesaver.

Thank you for the tip about search terms too! Do you have any specific articles you’d reccommend that give a good rundown on the issue? Like, a literature review? (they’re always a good starting point for understanding an issue.)

I am interested in John’s reading list specifically because he mentions the history of tuberculosis research, like the old belief that it was transmitted theough genetic inheritance. And what he mentioned in his video yesterday about writers being ‘particularly susceptible’ to tuberculosis sounds like it’s influenced by the humoral theory of disease? Reading between the lines, anyway it sound like it’s referencing humour theory or influenced by the concept.

I’m interested in reading about the history of tuberculosis treatment and research too; from an epidemiological perspective to kind of think, ‘okay, how did they figure this out?’ but also just curiosity as to the history of how we’ve treated this particular disease.

Since those sources would be a lot older, I’m not sure where you’d find them online…. Any suggestions? Do you know of a database of old, old, scientific knowledge? Like wikipedia has info about homour theory, but maybe a more reputable (able to be referenced in a paper) source? A historical archive of scientific knowledge? Not sure where people would find stuff like that.

Also, how did you get involved in a TB lab? I’m in my last year studying biomedical science and I want to see if I can get a student placement in a TB lab, and maybe do an honours year into TB research next year. I live in Melbourne, Australia, so exact procedures might differ based on region, but general advise is probably universally applicable.

For context, My major is in ‘infection and immunity’ and I’ve studied Indonesian for ~12 years, so I thought TB research would be a good stepping stone to try and combine my fields of interest, as TB is a big healthcare issue in Indonesia. And it affects Indigenous Australians at higher rates, too, and healthcare inequality here affects Imdigenous Australians more than anyone else… And the healthcare equity component that contributes to TB being as deadly as it is, is also a big passion of mine… hence being a nerdfighter 🤣

In 2021, tuberculosis caused more death than war, homicide, malaria, meningitis, and cholera … combined.

TB is almost always curable. 

And yet we choose to live in a world where 1.6 million people die of it every year.

[abundanceofsoph]

Something I wrote 2 years ago for Dons Downunder about AFC Wimbledon and leaving London

GROWING up in country Victoria I was raised on a steady diet of AFL and no one in my town had any time for Soccer. Every month or so my dad would pick me and my siblings up from school on a Friday afternoon and we would drive down to Melbourne, I’d sit amongst the crowd at the MCG and I would cheer on my beloved, if often useless Richmond Tigers and I thought that’s all there was to football. You watch a game; you learn all the players’ names and you wear the colours. I didn’t know there was any other way to be a part of a team until I moved to England and became a Womble.

My journey to Kingsmeadow began in 2013 when I was introduced to a YouTube channel called Vlogbrothers and the two men behind it, John and Hank Green. I watched their videos, listened to Hank’s music, read John’s books and was enraptured by everything they produced and as the months rolled by I found myself watching John play FIFA, while he talked about how to have a happy marriage and climate change and everything in- between. I came to the videos to hear John’s views on the world but I stayed for the fictional team he built. Every player had a story and a life that he created. I didn’t understand the sport, but I enjoyed the tale that he wove and grew to love these fictional men running around on a field chasing after a ball.

The community surrounding John and Hank call themselves Nerdfighters and while it’s not easy telling your friends and family that you’re a Nerdfighter, it’s even harder to explain what it is without sounding a little insane, but I’ll try. We aren’t simply fans of Hank and John, we are collaborators with them. We are the people who align ourselves with the same core beliefs as the Green brothers and this allows us as a collective to achieve incredible things. Despite often being embarrassed of our name, we are all proud of our community. Over the years we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities around the world, we’ve created safe spaces for those in desperate need of them and we have in some small way made it cool to be un-ironically enthusiastic about anything and everything. In 2014 I made the bold and possibly crazy decision to move to London on my own. I didn’t know anyone there, so I quickly sought out the local Nerdfighter group on Facebook and through them I met almost every friend I have in England. Ever since I’d decided on moving to London I’d wanted to attend an AFC Wimbledon match, so on November 30, 2014 I went to Kingsmeadow for the first time with a fellow Nerdfighter and we saw the Dons take on Cambridge and lose 1-2. At no point during that 90 minutes did I have an idea what was happening but I remember having so much fun. At one point another fan standing behind us explained the lyrics to a chant so that we could join in and I was shocked that he had spoken to us, I had after all been told that the English did not talk to strangers in public, but what I’ve come to realise is that I wasn’t a stranger to him, I was a Womble and that meant something. In the two years since that game, I’ve learnt the rules and the songs and the players’ names, but more than importantly I’ve found the connection that brings every AFCW fan together in a waythatAFLneverhasorwill. If you pass a stranger in the street wearing your AFL colours, you smile as you pass by or you might even say hello, but if you see someone in Wimbledon gear you’ll have a conversation, I’ve even been invited to join a group of people at their table in a bar for a drink, simply because I was wearing my Dons scarf.

The thing is when I attended that game against Cambridge, I had planned to go, take some photos and maybe get a retweet from John and never return. Like I said I was an AFL girl, no child of my fathers was going to be a soccer fan. But I fell in love and I’ve never looked back. Within three games I bought a season ticket in the Your Golf terrace for the second half of the season and went to every game even though I would stand on my own and feel very much like the foreigner watching from the outside. It wasn’t until the beginning of the 2015/16 season that I really found my place in the club. I made the decision to purchase a season ticket in the John Green stand and have an allocated seat for the year. It was a decision made more out of self-preservation than any other reason as the standing terraces really aren’t designed for someone who is 5 feet tall. The first game of the season I sat in my seat and didn’t speak to anyone around me, still feeling slightly the outsider but by the second game of the season the guys around me were introducing themselves and within moments of hearing my accent they were intrigued as to what had brought an Australian in her early 20s to be supporting a League two club in south London. With much embarrassment, I admitted to being a Nerdfighter and after explaining what it was and being given a good ribbing, I was welcomed into their group with open arms and have come to consider all of them as close friends.

In February this year I was approached by Ivor Heller to join him in hosting an event at the club for the Nerdfighters as way of thanking us for our support of the club and over a few months we put together a conference that was held at Kingsmeadow in July which brought more than 50 Nerdfighters together and raised over £650 for the Nerdfighter charity, ‘The Foundation to Decrease Worldsuck’.

While the conference was an incredible success and is one of the greatest memories I have of my time in England, it can’t compare to the incredible month of May. As my first and only experience of the play-offs I feel I have been incredibly spoilt. I attended both games against Accrington Stanley with the away match being one of the most anxious nights of life. I’m fairly certain I stopped breathing during the last 5 minutes. But Wembley was by far the greatest day of my 2 years in London. Words can’t truly express what it meant to stand in that crowd and be a part of that moment. We made history that day and sometimes it still feels like it must have been a dream. As a Richmond Tigers supporter, I’ve never seen my team reach a Grand Final but I don’t imagine even a premiership could feel as good as that promotion did.

I spent the day wearing a cape that simply read, ‘Womble Till I Die’ and even with half the world separating me from my team I know that it’s the truth. I will be there when we play our first game at New Plough Lane and I will be there when we reach the Premier League, because AFC Wimbledon is not just a sports team, it’s a family and my blood runs yellow and blue.

The last 2 years have been such an amazing adventure that life in Australia feels a little boring now, but I’m looking forward to the next great adventure. When I graduated high school 5 years ago I had a fair idea of where my life was heading. I went straight from high school to university in Geelong, where I worked hard at obtaining my journalism degree and I never could have foreseen I would be where I am now. 5 years later I’m now looking at going back to university, this time in Melbourne, to now get a degree in teaching and once I graduate I will be heading back to London for good. My family may live here but my football family and my Nerdfighters are in London, so that’s where I call home now.

[ausnfcompliments]

NERDS EVERYWHERE ARE AMAZING <3 <3

[sunspotery]

Dear Amanda

A little over a year ago I was playing in a park with a rowdy, happy, weird group of Australian Nerdfighters. 

When suddenly a friend told me that on the other side of the group Amanda Palmer was about to play for us.

I'm not sure, but I think we must have been one of the first few audiences for Bigger On The Inside. You played us a song about public hair, and a song about the music continuum  then asked us how sad a song we wanted next and after noticing the TARDIS on my shirt and the high density of nerd in your audience told us to get in closer and played us Bigger on the Inside.

We cried, you cried, and now here it is, exploding out to the wide world from the center of a circle of friends, strangers, love and hair dye in Hyde Park. 

A lot happened that week that I could thank you for Amanda, I wrote a long rambling post about it here.

But thank you especially for that glimpse into the future of your writing, it was a privilege. I can't wait for whatever's next.

Love,

Megan

[skylarkblue]

there's this really gross discussion thread on the Australian Nerdfighters fb group about whether or not people choose or are born gay

and i'm finding it really quite upsetting because a) the question was posed in a quite offensive manner, b) the people trying to play devil's advocate are being pretty rude about it, and c) all the (rightfully upset) LGBTQA people who are saying "what the fuck??" are getting told not to "react so rudely"

and one of the main arguments is "science suggests that it's a combination of hormones and upbringing" which i find upsetting because my upbringing was incredibly homophobic and the idea that it influenced me to be queer is??? baffling to me? i didn't choose to be like this i have spent so long hating myself for being like this i don't need to hear this kind of stuff

[thebabbagepatch]

to ye olde australian nerdfighters

is what is loaf a thing again this year?

[theplantqueer]

A card I left at the memorial for the Sydney siege victims on behalf of the Nerdfighter groups around Australia and the world.

DFTBA

[lung-destroyer]

Australian Nerdfuckingfighters, ignorant asses.

Not only do they make jokes about a trans women being cannibalised by her abuses partner but there ignore and reject the idea of supporting and marching for Ferguson.

I love John and Hank Green but fuck how did the following become so closed and ignorant to real issues in the world?? 

The older leaders of the group treat people like shit, there is no respect and it's just painfully stupid.

[road2nf]

Eternally Grateful

The Vlogbrothers and the Nerdfighter community have seriously impacted my life in so many ways, it's insane. I remember my first encounter with the community – my sister showed me the 2D glasses on DFTBA Records. As a person who suffers from headaches while watching 3D films, I found these glasses absolutely amazing. This led me to look at the YouTube channel and really integrate myself into the community. I started reading John's books when I saw the amazing display of box sets in a bookshop in Kuala Lumpur. As a Nerdfighter in a rural area of Western Australia, the Vlogbrothers certainly hasn't found me any social benefits. And because of this, it makes me completely fangirl to see John's books start to appear in bookstores, and Pizza John shirts occasionally popping up in the city, and that feeling, as you probably know, is the best feeling in the world.

To feel pride and passion about something just feels so amazing, and that's what I love about this community – because here it's okay to feel like that. The most beneficial thing that the Vlogbrothers could have done for me was launch Crash Course, SciShow, and introduce Emily Graslie and the Brainscoop. It's because of Crash Course that I actually passed S&E and science last year, and it's because of SciShow and the Brainscoop that I did my work experience in April at the Western Australian Museum.

For this, I am eternally grateful – I enjoyed it so much. Other things like the P4A, have seriously increased my levels of hope for this world. Again, as an Asian girl living in a country where the Prime Minister is a racist and misogynistic twat, I had completely lost hope in this world. But witnessing the P4A and how everyone comes together to help people, not as the usual western saviors, but as equals, is, basically, really freaking cool. So really – I'm so grateful for this community. It's benefited me in educational, inspirational and, most importantly, entertaining ways. It's helped me discover what I'm really passionate about, what I would like to do more, and that I actually can do it. That, just because I, and my family, are not necessarily welcome in my country, doesn't mean that I'm unable to pursue the things that I enjoy. Thank you so much, and DFTBA.

Taylor (Tumblr: montparsexy)

[heidzdee]

Random Story

Yesterday I was reminded why I love being a geek! I sat next to someone on my plane ride to Brisbane and she commented on liking my doctor who attire, I commented on the fact that she was reading a Song of Fire and Ice novel (cant remember which one). Anyway some how we just started talking as the flight went on.

From discussing New Who, to the fandoms we both loved, to the ‘ships’ we both shared in common and even how we tend to speak in Tumblr terms to people who have no idea what we are talking about. Tumblr has ruined everyday life for me due to IRL friends not being as awesome as Internet friends (unless you meet internet friends IRL later than its like double awesome!)

Anyway so back to the story, I’m usually not that much of a talk to stranger’s person but it was really cool to kind of just talk to someone like that randomly. I’m sure if anyone else on the plane could hear our conversations it would have made absolutely no sense at a lot of points but hey, they shouldn’t have listened!

BTW there’s no moral to this story, I just had a good day J

In the end when the plane landed I was like “Give me your Tumblr username so I can follow you!” and yer… I really have no idea where I am going with this.

p.s. SUPANOVA TOMORROW!

[ausnfcompliments]

Wen u slowly falling in love with random Nerdfighters

[mister-mannequin]

"The Goat"

My family come, at least partially, from Illinois. My grandparents and a good number of my aunts and uncles live in Peoria, which is mostly farming county. My grandpa owned a nice chunk of land on which he liked to keep a plethora of different animals. On the numerous occasions my family have visited from Australia I remember him having chicken, cattle, horses, turkey, donkeys, mules, lamb, sheep, and finally goats. This story relates to the goats.

If you are from a country family or have friends from the country, you will know there are more ways to find entertainment on a farm than anywhere else in the world. Sure, Disney World and Movie World are great places, but the rides grow boring as you try them again and again, while the fun on a farm grows more and more the longer you stay. Animals tend to be the greatest form of entertainment, usually by chasing them down and trying to catch them. You can use a lasso or a box, but chasing down some animal with just your own brute strength is an even more rewarding adventure.

On the visit when my grandpa had goats there was a particularly ferocious billy. He wasn’t too big, pretty average for a goat, but he had a temper like you wouldn’t believe. If you cornered him his first reaction was to bull rush you and knock you down. I watched him knock down my dad, a man who stood over 2 meters tall and weighed close to 100 kilos. The billy, this beast, had acquired my undivided attentions. I was going to catch him; I was going to win. I had a few tries while the family were watching. Obviously they laughed when I fell down or when the billy knocked me over. That first day I only succeeded in tiring myself out. It got late; dinner was called; I gave up and went inside to recuperate. 

On the second day I went out late in the afternoon. The billy seemed ready for me. I think he knew what was coming when I opened the gate and stepped in. I brought a lasso this time and had a few tries catching him with that. I’m not particularly skilled with a lasso and on the one try when I actually got the rope around his neck he tried to pull away into a corner. Like a fool, I followed. He charged and I fell on my ass. The next hour I chased him round; tried spear tackling, feinting manoeuvres, approaching cautiously, etc. Eventually I grew tired and used the lasso to pull him to me so I could pull it off his neck. Dinner was called again and I went in to recuperate, thus the second day was over.

The third day dawned. Jetlag was never a serious issue for me, so while my family slept I headed out to the goat pen. The billy was waiting for me. I think he had begun enjoying our little game because now he was attempting feinting manoeuvres. He’d go left, I’d charge, then he’d miraculously turn around and I’d end up on my face with the goat snickering at me. I felt like an idiot, but the game was fun nonetheless. After 30 minutes of running around I eventually cornered the billy. I knew what to expect this time; he would charge if I got too close and knock me down. I planned for this. I approached cautiously, he lunged, I jumped to the right while twisting my body to bring my arms around his midsection. My legs hit the adjacent fence and I quickly adjusted to use it as leverage to flip the goat on his side. He did not like this, and while I did manage to capture him, the elation of success was short lived. Having flipped him over in such an awkward fashion my body was in a precarious position. I decided this was enough and let him go, but rather than run off into the main section of the pen, he decided to back into the corner again. As I stood up he charged. I was not in a good position to dodge, but I tried anyway. I was not fast enough. I have never known pain like that any other time in my life. When he lunged he got his horn right under my leg into my crotch…and then he bucked up.

By the time all this had happened my grandfather had gotten up and was feeding the horses. I limped into the barn. He looked at the blood pouring from my crotch and just said “He gotcha, huh.” I merely nodded and asked him not to tell anyone. To this day none of my parents or siblings had heard this story, and unfortunately my grandfather passed away few years ago and thus I was the only one to tell the tale. It is one of the memories I have from his farm. I bear a rather interesting scar in a rather precarious place thanks to that goat. I still think fondly of that visit though, and the effort trying to keep the family from recognizing the injury was actually very worth it.

I hope you enjoyed this story. I still have the pants from that encounter and have linked a picture so you may all know exactly where the goat got me. https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/t1.0-9/10302061_4201257766769_6341553179933862473_n.jpg

Shalom TJ

[rubyrows]

ATTENTION BRISBANE NERDFIGHTERS!!!!!!!!

JOIN THIS GROUP ON FACEBOOK ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/1468038113413762/ ) OR MESSAGE ME ON HERE TO GET INFORMATION ABOUT BRISBANE MEETUPS

[theplantqueer]

There's one question I've been getting a lot recently: What is Loaf?

I think I might have an answer.

Loaf is kindness and compassion towards people you hardly know. Loaf is sitting in a park talking to people you've never met before like you've known them years. Loaf is selflessness, offering help and hugs where needed; giving time and energy to aid others. Putting others before you, even if it means you might miss out. Loaf is support for those doing it tough, for those doing cool things and for those who just need a bit more strength. Loaf is dancing your booty off to the Zelda theme in a crowd of people all doing the same. Loaf is friendship, is that feeling you get when you meet someone and you can't believe someone is so into what you're into, when someone compliments your shirt or your hair or your face and you instantly hit it off. Loaf is what keeps our long-distance friendships going. Loaf makes them worth it. Loaf is coming together.

Loaf is love. And as we proved on Friday and Saturday, we have so much of it to give. Australian Nerdfighters have changed my life for the absolute better and I have so much Loaf for you guys. Thank you.