it's a good life, hazel grace;

paper towns is literally entirely about how women are not here for your pleasure and you don’t know them the way you think and they’re literally just humans and to put them on any pedestal is harmful to everyone involved

looking for alaska was largely a way of coping with a classmate’s suicide as well as his own mental illness and existentialism, he again touches on how no person is there just for you and you never know what kind of shit people have seen and people are complex. alaska isn’t just hot and funny and rebellious and sexy like miles first sees her. she’s damaged deeply and coping poorly and he has no idea how to handle any of this. and it was his first novel so like cut him a break

colin singleton was gross and annoying that’s kind of the point

tfios doesnt glamourize cancer in any way. there’s frequent mentioning of the chubby cheeks, the hair, the inability to breathe, the accompaning depression, the self blame (hazel frequently talks about her lungs really negatively, calls them useless and shitty etc), the lack of ability or desire to get out of bed or eat, the puking, I could go on,,,,, basically cancer is never in any way glamourized??????

also tfios was loosely inspired by (but importantly, not based on) Esther earl, a fan who he became friends with, who died at 16. he knew she was sick, as did everyone, but never to what extent.

john talks all the time about her and frequently speaks on and supports the charity her family made in her name, This Star Won’t Go Out.

he does so much charity shit oh my god. working with bill and melinda gates, tswgo, and just supporting whatever he can whenever he can.

he makes educational videos purely out of the desire for education.

not only does he make the crash course videos we all know, he also works with mental floss, and makes educational videos on racism, sexuality, gender, religion, politics etc on vlogbrothers.

he has experienced existential depression and has ocd and (as indicated by how he talks about it in many videos and interviews) very severe anxiety. he takes medication and actively discusses mental illness and makes an effort to remove stigmatization.

he admits to imperfection, frequently corrects himself, and calls his younger self out on his ways of thinking all the damn time.