Dan & Phil Part 61: The 2017 Mince Pie Codex

[captainspacecoat]

I'm definitely not the world's biggest fan of ISG by any means, but I actually quite enjoyed this video? I thought Dan came across as equal parts calm, witty and sincere, and he picked a good balance of funny versus serious questions. I think the fact that the last ISG was uploaded in March maybe softened me a bit toward it, as I think ISGs can be overkill when uploaded more than twice a year. Anyway, this was maybe one of my favourite ISGs thus far, and I think he has actually perfected the formula at this point, in terms of editing choices and general tone.

In other news, I am soooo excited for gamingmas to start!! Last year's gamingmas was one of the most fun experiences I've had watching Dan and Phil, I can't wait to do it all again

[mysterylovescompany]

I liked the new video. I thought it was one of Dan's better ISGs, and a nice birthday gift to wake up to.

I was thinking that before spooky week started, they did a joint liveshow to promote it (also because phil had missed his the week before). Do you think there's a chance they will do a joint liveshow tomorrow to promote the start of gamingmas and also because dan skipped his yesterday?
I don't know how it works with liveshows during gamingmas, as I wasn't here last year. Did they do liveshows and upload videos on the same day or did they skip them? In the latter case, it would be good for them to do a joint one tomorrow, although to be honest I don't have much hope

*pulls out copious notes*

Last year, Phil had liveshows on the 1st and the 8th of December, then there was a joint liveshow on the 15th (Phil's channel), then Dan had a liveshow on the 20th. So, definitely fewer than a full schedule, but they've only done three or four liveshows total in December for the past four years, so nothing is out of the ordinary.

[fancybum]

You made me go and take a look at ISG3 and his hair, it's... it's terrible. The deliberately sprayed down sideburn.... what was that?!

Also, I think we have enough names here to start a formal petition for a return of the earrings. Couldn't agree with you more there.

It was honestly the Legoiest Lego hair to ever Lego hair, even Phil can't compete with that. As far as the earrings go, look, if Prince William wants to get involved in internet movements, never mind #stopdropnroll, this needs his immediate attention. It would be a xmas miracle.

Re: the ISG format... I do value a more subdued Dan, but I think my bigger issue is how "meh" some of the jokes are and how each ISG gets progressively more shallow. I feel like there's a lot less genuine advice in the more recent ones and the sarcasm doesn't really make up for it because it's the kind of stuff we hear in live shows. Essentially, Dan sets a tone for his channel that I don't feel like ISG meets? So, in the end, it just feels a bit filler-y. (Which it is.)

This isn't something that I have particularly strong feelings about, at least not in content highs like we've had this year. Someone else here pointed it out earlier: If we got more frequent videos like this, I imagine there'd be less complaints. But because ISGs are generally ~the Daniel Howell video of the month~, it feels a bit... lacking in effort.

All that said, I enjoyed today's video so...

You know, the most obvious answer is probably correct (like with most things), but I wonder if a widespread reaction of 'meh it was ok I guess' is actually preferable to a strong negative reaction (like the Memeing of Life kind of got..). Like he and we all know exactly what we're getting with ISG- so if you've liked them before, you'll probably like it again. if you've always disliked them, well no surprise you'll dislike it again. and he can bank on a certain number of views and expected reaction. I don't know if he would consider these videos filler, but they're definitely a safe bet when he needs to get a video out and not get yelled at for sucking in some way. But in terms of creative fulfillment, if you don't get people flipping out about how great your work was (Diss Track!), is the next best thing really pleasant apathy? Or a strong outpouring of something-like-anger and confusion? Because at least with the second option there's the underlying thing of 'you've entertained me in the past in a way I liked and I want to be entertained like that again. Whatever this was didn't accomplish that so wtf, you're capable of better imo' and obviously liking/not liking something is completely subjective and not necessarily a reflection of the amount of effort the creator put into something or the worth of if after the fact. I don't really have a point, I'm not necessarily trying to defend ISG (especially since the reaction is so meh, there's really nothing to defend lmaoo), but not every video is going to reinvent the wheel. Most won't. And a series designed to give you exactly what you expect certainly isn't going to inspire any new passion in the viewer (good or bad), but there's something comforting in familiarity and there's nothing wrong with being entertained at exactly an expected level. And nobody tried to say otherwise! so again, I don't even have a point, just having a morning ramble. Creatively, I don't think any of us (including Dan) get anything new out of ISG, but it served its purpose as an entertaining (enough) video and that is what it is. To me, it's a good thing! To others, it's a meh thing. But now the question is: is he going to post anything else on that channel in 2017 that inspires more than a strong meh, or is that a safe enough note for him to end out the year on? *strokes nonexistent beard*

Oh and I think he said 'fuck/ing' about 3 times with no bleeps/blurring so I don't think anybody needs to worry about him overly toning down the language just for the almighty algorithm, which is reassuring.

[rizzo]

This is cute af:

You made me go and take a look at ISG3 and his hair, it's... it's terrible. The deliberately sprayed down sideburn.... what was that?!

Also, I think we have enough names here to start a formal petition for a return of the earrings. Couldn't agree with you more there.

It was honestly the Legoiest Lego hair to ever Lego hair, even Phil can't compete with that. As far as the earrings go, look, if Prince William wants to get involved in internet movements, never mind #stopdropnroll, this needs his immediate attention. It would be a xmas miracle.

Re: the ISG format... I do value a more subdued Dan, but I think my bigger issue is how "meh" some of the jokes are and how each ISG gets progressively more shallow. I feel like there's a lot less genuine advice in the more recent ones and the sarcasm doesn't really make up for it because it's the kind of stuff we hear in live shows. Essentially, Dan sets a tone for his channel that I don't feel like ISG meets? So, in the end, it just feels a bit filler-y. (Which it is.)

This isn't something that I have particularly strong feelings about, at least not in content highs like we've had this year. Someone else here pointed it out earlier: If we got more frequent videos like this, I imagine there'd be less complaints. But because ISGs are generally ~the Daniel Howell video of the month~, it feels a bit... lacking in effort.

All that said, I enjoyed today's video so...

You know, the most obvious answer is probably correct (like with most things), but I wonder if a widespread reaction of 'meh it was ok I guess' is actually preferable to a strong negative reaction (like the Memeing of Life kind of got..). Like he and we all know exactly what we're getting with ISG- so if you've liked them before, you'll probably like it again. if you've always disliked them, well no surprise you'll dislike it again. and he can bank on a certain number of views and expected reaction. I don't know if he would consider these videos filler, but they're definitely a safe bet when he needs to get a video out and not get yelled at for sucking in some way. But in terms of creative fulfillment, if you don't get people flipping out about how great your work was (Diss Track!), is the next best thing really pleasant apathy? Or a strong outpouring of something-like-anger and confusion? Because at least with the second option there's the underlying thing of 'you've entertained me in the past in a way I liked and I want to be entertained like that again. Whatever this was didn't accomplish that so wtf, you're capable of better imo' and obviously liking/not liking something is completely subjective and not necessarily a reflection of the amount of effort the creator put into something or the worth of if after the fact. I don't really have a point, I'm not necessarily trying to defend ISG (especially since the reaction is so meh, there's really nothing to defend lmaoo), but not every video is going to reinvent the wheel. Most won't. And a series designed to give you exactly what you expect certainly isn't going to inspire any new passion in the viewer (good or bad), but there's something comforting in familiarity and there's nothing wrong with being entertained at exactly an expected level. And nobody tried to say otherwise! so again, I don't even have a point, just having a morning ramble. Creatively, I don't think any of us (including Dan) get anything new out of ISG, but it served its purpose as an entertaining (enough) video and that is what it is. To me, it's a good thing! To others, it's a meh thing. But now the question is: is he going to post anything else on that channel in 2017 that inspires more than a strong meh, or is that a safe enough note for him to end out the year on? *strokes nonexistent beard*

Oh and I think he said 'fuck/ing' about 3 times with no bleeps/blurring so I don't think anybody needs to worry about him overly toning down the language just for the almighty algorithm, which is reassuring.

I wanted to respond with "I'll take another 3 ISGs if I never have to watch another Memeing of Life", but actually... idk if that's true? I think I'd personally rather Dan try his hand at something new/put his heart into something even if it's not the most well-received content.

But, you totally have a point. There's value is a "meh" reaction and a well-known format for Dan. He's human. He's not always going to have some brilliant new idea for a video and in those instances, this works. I think that makes me a bit less bitter about the whole thing.

[alittledizzy]

Phil answering that York tweet is actually adorable.

Oh and I think he said 'fuck/ing' about 3 times with no bleeps/blurring so I don't think anybody needs to worry about him overly toning down the language just for the almighty algorithm, which is reassuring.

Has Dan talked about dinof already being demonetized before? I feel like I remember him joking about that but I can't remember for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if they write off dinof for ad revenue since erratically scheduled monthly videos are gonna be the most punished type of content by youtube algorithms, but still try to reign in Dan's dirty mouth on dapg since they post more regularly there and rake in more cash. Dan also doesn't really do #spons on dinof and they do on dapg so advertiser friendly matters there.

But, you totally have a point. There's value is a "meh" reaction and a well-known format for Dan. He's human. He's not always going to have some brilliant new idea for a video and in those instances, this works. I think that makes me a bit less bitter about the whole thing.

It definitely got a solid C+ grade from me just because it's only the second one he's done this year and I don't think ISG are bad content, they're just not creative engaging content. To be honest, they're just the kind of thing that probably fits right in alongside everything else I watch on youtube besides deps - something I am mildly excited to see show up, watch once, enjoy the process of watching, and then never go back to it. It just feels lesser in terms of their content because there is usually inherent rewatchability in their videos for me.

[fancybum]

But, you totally have a point. There's value is a "meh" reaction and a well-known format for Dan. He's human. He's not always going to have some brilliant new idea for a video and in those instances, this works. I think that makes me a bit less bitter about the whole thing.

Gamingmas being right around the corner also serves to make everyone a lot more forgiving lol. Everybody doing grabby-hands for that is the perfect time to throw us some scraps (scraps I fully enjoyed! but still) as a quick little distraction beforehand.

Has Dan talked about dinof already being demonetized before? I feel like I remember him joking about that but I can't remember for sure. I wouldn't be surprised if they write off dinof for ad revenue since erratically scheduled monthly videos are gonna be the most punished type of content by youtube algorithms, but still try to reign in Dan's dirty mouth on dapg since they post more regularly there and rake in more cash. Dan also doesn't really do #spons on dinof and they do on dapg so advertiser friendly matters there.

I remember Phil kind of laughing off somebody being worried about Dan’s channel in a liveshow when that all started. Maybe he’s doing that thing where he gets it reviewed by YT before making the vid public (which is a strategy I just learned about from PJ’s twitter feed). He did basically upload at exactly 7, and maybe he had planned to have it ready for Tues (which would have made more sense) but YT is slow af. Baseless speculation! But I don’t think writing off the channel that gets the most per-video views is something business!Phil (or Dan for that matter) would be fully down with.

[alittledizzy]

The 2014 Festive ditl has almost seven million views.

Phil, come on. We need a new one. If you don't want to do it for the fans, do it for the money.

[sonicgreen]

This was from Dodie’s Snapchat- a string of snapchat videos where I think she was talking about receiving “presents” (spon packages?) in the mail- and Deppy sent her and Hazel Hayes two of the dog calendars. Just found it funny bc they love sending their merch out to friends(?).
Do you think Deppy choose who is on the mailing list, or their management does?
(edit: fixed typo)

[sarmstr2]

GUYS
Spoiler below for those who don't want to be spoiled on games for gamingmas...

Shelter 2 is happening RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT. NOW.

On Phil's Steam. He's playing it AT THIS VERY MOMENT.

[thatone]

I wanted to respond with "I'll take another 3 ISGs if I never have to watch another Memeing of Life", but actually... idk if that's true? I think I'd personally rather Dan try his hand at something new/put his heart into something even if it's not the most well-received content.

But, you totally have a point. There's value is a "meh" reaction and a well-known format for Dan. He's human. He's not always going to have some brilliant new idea for a video and in those instances, this works. I think that makes me a bit less bitter about the whole thing.

I know this is super old news, but I actually liked that video and don't really get why it's supposedly his worst (recent) video ever?

[greenergrass]

Oh and I think he said 'fuck/ing' about 3 times with no bleeps/blurring so I don't think anybody needs to worry about him overly toning down the language just for the almighty algorithm, which is reassuring.

I'm the one who brought the swearing thing up, and I completely forgot to actually look for it in this video so thanks for this post lol. I think his swearing is just such a natural part of him. Does anyone know if all vids with swearing get demonetized, or is it just random? I don't imagine he'd want to give up the sweet youtube money, but maybe he makes enough elsewhere (other vids, merch, etc) that he doesn't want to sacrifice his "integrity" or whatever by conforming to the new rules.

Edit: just read further down the page and realized alittledizzy and fancybum have already been discussing this more oops I'll just leave this here anyway

[liola]

GUYS
Spoiler below for those who don't want to be spoiled on games for gamingmas...

Shelter 2 is happening RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT. NOW.

On Phil's Steam. He's playing it AT THIS VERY MOMENT.

I actually gasped out loud. Is this a Christmas miracle??

I really hope we get a Phil liveshow today. I miss his gorgeous face and positive attitude and I'm so sick that I just want a warm hug and his liveshows always make me feel like that. Is it weird?

[LtrllySusan]

GUYS
Spoiler below for those who don't want to be spoiled on games for gamingmas...

Shelter 2 is happening RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT. NOW.

On Phil's Steam. He's playing it AT THIS VERY MOMENT.

I wonder:
a) why people are monitoring his steam (then again, what isn't the phandom monitoring...)
b) why they haven't set it to private

Wish I hadn't read the spoiler, but it's so hard to resist D:

[IamMe(Ayame)]

I wanted to respond with "I'll take another 3 ISGs if I never have to watch another Memeing of Life", but actually... idk if that's true? I think I'd personally rather Dan try his hand at something new/put his heart into something even if it's not the most well-received content.

@ Rizzo I came out of lurking just to ask you why you didn't like the "Top Dan Memes of 201k" videos only to find out that i read what you wrote wrong. Honestly that vid was soo bad, I litterly forgot it existed

I really thought the video was actually quite good compared to some of the earlier ones. Already watched it 4 times (but that might be bec i have an assigment due on Saterday nd anyth. is better than research).
Someone here mentioned a great idea about saving the gamingmas videos till they go on Tour incase they forget about their channels again. I wasnt here during the first tour ( i was so bitter i couldnt go bec i live in the middle east nd theyll litterly never come near here so i took a break from deppy) Anyways, Big Thankyou to whoever suggested it, i have exams for all of december so i cant watch it live anyway, i was gonna binge watch the sec i was done but now i have a better plan nd will spread out the videos during tour days!
edit: i quoted the quote wrong

[greenergrass]

This was from Dodie’s Snapchat- a string of snapchat videos where I think she was talking about receiving “presents” (spon packages?) in the mail- and Deppy sent her and Hazel Hayes two of the dog calendars. Just found it funny bc they love sending their merch out to friends(?).
Do you think Deppy choose who is on the mailing list, or their management does?
(edit: fixed typo)

I'm pretty sure this is just a common marketing strategy, and their management chooses the list ( with help from deppy maybe). If you watch other youtubers, especially daily vloggers, you'll see they get other youtubers' (and other companies') merch sent to them all the time. It's just a good way of advertising your product, especially if the people you send it to like to vlog these things a lot

[malday]

Does this mean there's going to be a Phil solo gaming video? or is Dan going to watch and comment on Phil playing it?

[rizzo]

I wanted to respond with "I'll take another 3 ISGs if I never have to watch another Memeing of Life", but actually... idk if that's true? I think I'd personally rather Dan try his hand at something new/put his heart into something even if it's not the most well-received content.

@ Rizzo I came out of lurking just to ask you why you didn't like the "Top Dan Memes of 201k" videos only to find out that i read what you wrote wrong. Honestly that vid was soo bad, I litterly forgot it existed

Oh no. I love the "Top Dan Memes" videos (even if they are a bit fake-screamy). The Memeing of Life video is that weird, confusing, no-real-topic, what-the-fuck-did-he-even-just-say video that Dan released in June just after "rebranding". I'm hard-pressed to find anything to compliment about that video, so... what did I dislike? All of it. The whole thing.

[000dia000]

Does this mean there's going to be a Phil solo gaming video? or is Dan going to watch and comment on Phil playing it?

I hope we get both solo gaming content from both of them, that would be a treat. Is there any recent game that came out that Dan could play?

[Philena]

Does this mean there's going to be a Phil solo gaming video? or is Dan going to watch and comment on Phil playing it?

Let's hope it's the former!

[nigel ratburn]

I'M SCREAMING I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SHELTER 2 FOR YEARS???? the original series is my favorite thing. it's the first piece of deppy content i ever showed to my mom bc i knew she would love phil's protective mother badger instinct (also they're not very long videos) and i'd resigned myself to accepting that there would never be the sequel but HERE WE ARE????? i'm so happy oh my god

[fancybum]

Does this mean there's going to be a Phil solo gaming video? or is Dan going to watch and comment on Phil playing it?

Let's hope it's the former!

Blindfolded Gaming Challenge! Only the blindfold is over Dan’s mouth and the challenge is to shut up while Phil gives the people what they actually want.

[alittledizzy]

Does this mean there's going to be a Phil solo gaming video? or is Dan going to watch and comment on Phil playing it?

Let's hope it's the former!

Blindfolded Gaming Challenge! Only the blindfold is over Dan’s mouth and the challenge is to shut up while Phil gives the people what they actually want.

I would throw my money at that.

[BSV]

I'M SCREAMING I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SHELTER 2 FOR YEARS???? the original series is my favorite thing. it's the first piece of deppy content i ever showed to my mom bc i knew she would love phil's protective mother badger instinct (also they're not very long videos) and i'd resigned myself to accepting that there would never be the sequel but HERE WE ARE????? i'm so happy oh my god

Omg!! Im so excited too! My little sister showed this to my son before i really got into dan and phil! We've watched it through at least 4 more times, its so great

[autumnhearth]

Does this mean there's going to be a Phil solo gaming video? or is Dan going to watch and comment on Phil playing it?

I’m down for solo gaming, but Phil did mention in a ls sometime in the last two or three months that he might play it with Dan this time.

Excited either way. Bring on the... (even though it’s already been spoiled by a certain animated rat educator)

badgers!

[snokoplasmic]

GUYS
Spoiler below for those who don't want to be spoiled on games for gamingmas...

Shelter 2 is happening RIGHT NOW.

RIGHT. NOW.

On Phil's Steam. He's playing it AT THIS VERY MOMENT.

i have never felt more blessed than i do in this very moment