Dan & Phil Part 83: Where in the World is Daniel Howell

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I think that we are looking for clues anywhere we can about which direction Dan might go next, and Natalie is one of the few people he has mentioned as a creator he looks up to. We don't really have much else to go on so that's a path that's easy to theorize about.

(And I'd much rather talk about her than someone like theneedledr*p that he also has mentioned, albeit a while ago, because I really can't stand him. If that was the straight dude pandering path he was going down I would unfollow without remorse.)
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When i mentioned Contrapoints is something Dan aspires to do I didn’t mean he would like to do EXACTLY what Natalie does, and that it has to be about philosophy or politics.
What I meant by that is that imo he already thinks his “thing” is discussing topics in a humorous way with some underlying bigger or deeper message, a message which is both serious and a bit ironic to keep it funny.
Then when he talks in liveshows or even when he talked about ii on the dvd etc (or when he was writing in bed at 1 am in that clip) he uses this pretentious language like underneath the “stand up” (quoting him here) jokes the show/video he’s discussing is this multilayered carefully crafted pondering about meaning and the human condition, which I personally fail to see by looking at the work on its own.
Again, Daniel and depression imo is a great video and by far the closest he got to what he’s been saying for years he believes his yt ouvre to be, but that’s because imo he had a very clear point of view - and relating to Natalie’s video, he could mine his darkness for it, so it was effective and precise.

It’s not mean to point out there are some struggles there, probably at least one between Dan and Dan himself, and another one with the constraints he feels were put by his audience years ago about what his channel is “allowed” to be, which from his perspective I’m sure it’s frustrating.
It’s just that, in addition to that, you get -up until very recently!- rants from him about what his intentions were (the ass-eating gate is an example) and how his work should be regarded, how much of a perfectionist he is... and I just think for his work to be more satisfying especially for himself, it would be cool to figure out how to resolve that disconnect that lies somewhere in the process between getting an idea and putting the video out which ends up producing a fairly simple video about an every-day issue but using elaborate descriptions. Meaning a final product -except for the Depression video - that doesn’t really offer the layers and hidden meanings he likes to discuss so much before and after releasing something.

Tldr - he’s very talented and smart, and has a lot of potential, but so far in his career his content mostly hasn’t been this intricate, layered thing he himself has said he set out to create, except on the surface, in the ornate language he uses in videos. (Which, hey, is a good thing when you have so many other morons on the platform).
I just don’t know that one human person alone (and particularly one that gets praised by un unbelievably passionate fandom) could have what it takes to look at his own work with enough detachment in order to change part of their process and fix that disconnect, so I suggest him working with someone else, an objective observer and professional, may be useful.
This is all speculation anyway, based on years of watching the video cycles happen. I’m not bothered about whatever direction he takes because as a matter of personal taste so far his content lies in an in-between place that, with rare exceptions, is not interesting or funny enough for me. I love his work a lot more when he’s with Phil.
This is just my ignorant opinion of course, none of us knows at this point. I guess sometime in the next few months we’ll find out.
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I've been away for the past week because I was feeling really low and couldn't bother trying not to be negative - now that I feel more clear headed, I itch to come back to the discussion.

For once, I'm very, very glad Dan didn't upload last night. First of all, it's good that as an audience we have some theories that stay theories and don't turn into a reality - I wouldn't be surprised if he was indeed thinking about posting last night and then decided against it to avoid the hype. But also, it would've felt fake to me - like he had withdrawed communication from us for the past two months waiting for an arbitrary date that he had set up for himself, as if playing the long game would've helped anything.

I said most of my thoughts on twitter last night because I didn't know how to better articulate them. but I think Dan is doing more bad than good. He's 100% free to come back when he feels ready, but I find it hard to be patiently waiting when he's nothing but a relatable tweet once a week if we're lucky. He said before that he doesn't want to be just a youtuber, that he likes to be an entertainer and be funny on twitter and talk to us on instagram, that he likes the way he can talk to the audience - but right now, it feels like he's withdrawing Youtube!Dan and Internet!Dan from us, when in theory they were kept separated. We don't know why, we don't know for how long. Why can't he say some of his thoughts on IG story, showing us his face and voice?

A lot of people have all these thoughts about his content in the future, the video he's going to make when he comes back - is it gonna be sexuality related or not? Is it gonna address his creative journey or not? What are you thinking, Daniel? - but I.. don't care. Which sounds bad but the reality is that he could come back with a blank wall and a candle lit by his side and do a candle haul as he explains why he thinks one smell is better for a certain type of feel and I would be delighted. I don't care about his content, I always cared about his personality, and i'm NOT getting it. That's why I just can't help but roll my eyes when he talks about getting the content and the aesthetic ready. He's a creative person, and I GET it, but at the same time I think he's stuck in a cycle of perfectionism that he's not going to break out of unless he pushes himself to.

It's now March, and we have even less insight into what's going to happen for the rest of the year, and I'm just.. tired of guessing. Tired of waiting. I'm gonna enjoy Phil's content and keep believing Dan is alive and has a face and a voice, maybe if I keep saying "I do believe in Daniel Howell, I do, I do!" he'll stay alive. :shrug:
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phanfckingtastic wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:16 am What I meant by that is that imo he already thinks his “thing” is discussing topics in a humorous way with some underlying bigger or deeper message, a message which is both serious and a bit ironic to keep it funny.
Then when he talks in liveshows or even when he talked about ii on the dvd etc (or when he was writing in bed at 1 am in that clip) he uses this pretentious language like underneath the “stand up” (quoting him here) jokes the show/video he’s discussing is this multilayered carefully crafted pondering about meaning and the human condition, which I personally fail to see by looking at the work on its own.

It’s not mean to point out there are some struggles there, probably at least one between Dan and Dan himself, and another one with the constraints he feels were put by his audience years ago about what his channel is “allowed” to be, which from his perspective I’m sure it’s frustrating.
It’s just that, in addition to that, you get -up until very recently!- rants from him about what his intentions were (the ass-eating gate is an example) and how his work should be regarded, how much of a perfectionist he is... and I just think for his work to be more satisfying especially for himself, it would be cool to figure out how to resolve that disconnect that lies somewhere in the process between getting an idea and putting the video out which ends up producing a fairly simple video about an every-day issue but using elaborate descriptions. Meaning a final product -except for the Depression video - that doesn’t really offer the layers and hidden meanings he likes to discuss so much before and after releasing something.
Wanted to highlight some things I really agree with, and also, I don't necessarily want him to go more down that path (mostly because I'm afraid of the condescension and defensiveness he tends to have about it), but if that is what he wants and finds more satisfying to produce, I would hope that he learns to really say something worth saying and to do so without condescending to his audience. (I think it's worth noting that Daniel and Depression, apart from being the most vulnerable, personal, and effective of such vids, and actually having substance, also doesn't have that layer of condescension or pretension that we see in vids like TTLMT.)
liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:03 am I don't care about his content, I always cared about his personality, and i'm NOT getting it. That's why I just can't help but roll my eyes when he talks about getting the content and the aesthetic ready. He's a creative person, and I GET it, but at the same time I think he's stuck in a cycle of perfectionism that he's not going to break out of unless he pushes himself to.
Also very much this.
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liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:03 am A lot of people have all these thoughts about his content in the future, the video he's going to make when he comes back - is it gonna be sexuality related or not? Is it gonna address his creative journey or not? What are you thinking, Daniel? - but I.. don't care. Which sounds bad but the reality is that he could come back with a blank wall and a candle lit by his side and do a candle haul as he explains why he thinks one smell is better for a certain type of feel and I would be delighted. I don't care about his content, I always cared about his personality, and i'm NOT getting it. That's why I just can't help but roll my eyes when he talks about getting the content and the aesthetic ready. He's a creative person, and I GET it, but at the same time I think he's stuck in a cycle of perfectionism that he's not going to break out of unless he pushes himself to.
That's how I feel as well. My issue is not Dan not uploading or his content; I genuinely don't care about dinof as a channel and he can upload whatever he wants, it wouldn't make any difference to me. But I do care about Dan as a person and I'd be okay with him not uploading for like another year if only we still got to see him in another way, shape or form. That's what I don't understand - why he's withdrawing from showing his face (the last time we got a selfie from him was in January and no, I'm not counting the bath pic because really?!) or letting us hear his voice.
He's making a deliberate choice and I would like to know the reason behind it, but... :shrug:
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glitterintheair wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 1:56 pm
liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:03 am A lot of people have all these thoughts about his content in the future, the video he's going to make when he comes back - is it gonna be sexuality related or not? Is it gonna address his creative journey or not? What are you thinking, Daniel? - but I.. don't care. Which sounds bad but the reality is that he could come back with a blank wall and a candle lit by his side and do a candle haul as he explains why he thinks one smell is better for a certain type of feel and I would be delighted. I don't care about his content, I always cared about his personality, and i'm NOT getting it. That's why I just can't help but roll my eyes when he talks about getting the content and the aesthetic ready. He's a creative person, and I GET it, but at the same time I think he's stuck in a cycle of perfectionism that he's not going to break out of unless he pushes himself to.
That's how I feel as well. My issue is not Dan not uploading or his content; I genuinely don't care about dinof as a channel and he can upload whatever he wants, it wouldn't make any difference to me. But I do care about Dan as a person and I'd be okay with him not uploading for like another year if only we still got to see him in another way, shape or form. That's what I don't understand - why he's withdrawing from showing his face (the last time we got a selfie from him was in January and no, I'm not counting the bath pic because really?!) or letting us hear his voice.
He's making a deliberate choice and I would like to know the reason behind it, but... :shrug:
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But in all seriousness, I miss the hell out of him too, but Dan's gonna Dan. Just because we don't know the reasons doesn't mean there aren't reasons, and historically Dan is not gonna share things with us until they're settled for him. Daniel and Depression proved that, he flat out said he didn't want to make the video until he was in a better place. Same with that week in March, same with a lot of stuff. Like how they didn't come out and say they were moving until the old apartment was bare and they were settled into the new place. I know it's frustrating to want to know Right Now and not be able to, though. We are the last piece in that decision making puzzle, understandly imo since the minute he does decide to inform us of something he faces a solid wall of hundreds of thousands of opinions and judgements and input and excitement and disappointment.
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liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:03 am the reality is that he could come back with a blank wall and a candle lit by his side and do a candle haul as he explains why he thinks one smell is better for a certain type of feel and I would be delighted. I don't care about his content, I always cared about his personality, and i'm NOT getting it.
I would assume that most of us feel the same way, both on here and anyone that would consider themselves part of the phandom. But despite Dan being grateful for our support (financially and emotionally) and admiring the creativeness of the phandom and of course understanding how fandoms work, there have been points where he has expressed the wish that people would just enjoy his content and then move on with their lives. I have to dash so I can’t really muse on it further, but yeah :|
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autumnhearth wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:24 pm
liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:03 am the reality is that he could come back with a blank wall and a candle lit by his side and do a candle haul as he explains why he thinks one smell is better for a certain type of feel and I would be delighted. I don't care about his content, I always cared about his personality, and i'm NOT getting it.
I would assume that most of us feel the same way, both on here and anyone that would consider themselves part of the phandom. But despite Dan being grateful for our support (financially and emotionally) and admiring the creativeness of the phandom and of course understanding how fandoms work, there have been points where he has expressed the wish that people would just enjoy his content and then move on with their lives. I have to dash so I can’t really muse on it further, but yeah :|
I mean, let's be honest, what kinda of content am I supposed to enjoy right now? :| I'm not saying Dan doesn't have the right to wish people only cared about his content and moved on, but it's just not how this type of audience works. The entirety of youtubers distinguished themselves because of the relationship they created with the audiences, the way watching their content felt more personal and opened the audiences to "get to know them" in a way that traditional media wasn't allowing. The audience being so invested in them is the only reason why they can afford not being constant with their content, that's just a fact.

We can't control how Dan feels and he can't control what the audience cares about, that's just not how it works, sadly for both parts.

That said, I didn't mean I dont' enjoy the content - I do, when I get it and when it fits the content I enjoy. Liking his personality doesn't automatically make me love everything he does, just like sometimes liking the content some other creator produce doesn't make me want to engage with them, buy their merch or generally care about them besides the 10 minutes they post on the internet. It's just not something you can control.
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:06 pm
But in all seriousness, I miss the hell out of him too, but Dan's gonna Dan. Just because we don't know the reasons doesn't mean there aren't reasons, and historically Dan is not gonna share things with us until they're settled for him. Daniel and Depression proved that, he flat out said he didn't want to make the video until he was in a better place. Same with that week in March, same with a lot of stuff. Like how they didn't come out and say they were moving until the old apartment was bare and they were settled into the new place. I know it's frustrating to want to know Right Now and not be able to, though. We are the last piece in that decision making puzzle, understandly imo since the minute he does decide to inform us of something he faces a solid wall of hundreds of thousands of opinions and judgements and input and excitement and disappointment.
But why can't he talk to us or show us his face I swear at this point he could look like a different person altogether lmao why can't he share the music he's listening to on IG instead of a reply on twitter to a random person that no one is going to see? Like.. I understand not wanting to share what his plans are, I dont' have to like it but I get it. But again I miss HIM not his plans or his videos - I miss the interactions :(
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liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:35 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:06 pm
But in all seriousness, I miss the hell out of him too, but Dan's gonna Dan. Just because we don't know the reasons doesn't mean there aren't reasons, and historically Dan is not gonna share things with us until they're settled for him. Daniel and Depression proved that, he flat out said he didn't want to make the video until he was in a better place. Same with that week in March, same with a lot of stuff. Like how they didn't come out and say they were moving until the old apartment was bare and they were settled into the new place. I know it's frustrating to want to know Right Now and not be able to, though. We are the last piece in that decision making puzzle, understandly imo since the minute he does decide to inform us of something he faces a solid wall of hundreds of thousands of opinions and judgements and input and excitement and disappointment.
But why can't he talk to us or show us his face I swear at this point he could look like a different person altogether lmao why can't he share the music he's listening to on IG instead of a reply on twitter to a random person that no one is going to see? Like.. I understand not wanting to share what his plans are, I dont' have to like it but I get it. But again I miss HIM not his plans or his videos - I miss the interactions :(
He tweeted three times in the past week and responded to a bunch of people, though. Why is the difference in twitter and instagram so staggering? I would say twitter is more interaction, even. He's talking to people directly and responding to questions or comments as opposed to instagram where no one can reply and there can be no interaction.
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alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:46 pm
liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:35 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:06 pm
But in all seriousness, I miss the hell out of him too, but Dan's gonna Dan. Just because we don't know the reasons doesn't mean there aren't reasons, and historically Dan is not gonna share things with us until they're settled for him. Daniel and Depression proved that, he flat out said he didn't want to make the video until he was in a better place. Same with that week in March, same with a lot of stuff. Like how they didn't come out and say they were moving until the old apartment was bare and they were settled into the new place. I know it's frustrating to want to know Right Now and not be able to, though. We are the last piece in that decision making puzzle, understandly imo since the minute he does decide to inform us of something he faces a solid wall of hundreds of thousands of opinions and judgements and input and excitement and disappointment.
But why can't he talk to us or show us his face I swear at this point he could look like a different person altogether lmao why can't he share the music he's listening to on IG instead of a reply on twitter to a random person that no one is going to see? Like.. I understand not wanting to share what his plans are, I dont' have to like it but I get it. But again I miss HIM not his plans or his videos - I miss the interactions :(
He tweeted three times in the past week and responded to a bunch of people, though. Why is the difference in twitter and instagram so staggering? I would say twitter is more interaction, even. He's talking to people directly and responding to questions or comments as opposed to instagram where no one can reply and there can be no interaction.
Because twitter is not as personal, especially when it's the only platform that he's using at the moment, and because (bsides yesterday's tweet) it's mostly been relatable tweets that anyone could say. They don't FEEL like Dan. And yes, I know someone would argue that they didn't use IG stories before so it's not that different, but we had liveshows before, and we had content in the form of gaming videos where we could see and hear from him. When the only thing you have is funny tweets for two months, there's nothign personal about them. I mean, we've complained for years that we wanted more personality from Phil, I think it's fair that right now we want more personality from Dan.

I guess it's not the quantity but the "quality" of interaction, if that makes sense? Which isn't to say Dan has to tell us what he's doing on the daily, I don't want him to be a daily vlogger or whatever.. It just feels like he's purposely choosing specific kind of interactions that are more separated from us?
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liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:57 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:46 pm
liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:35 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:06 pm
But in all seriousness, I miss the hell out of him too, but Dan's gonna Dan. Just because we don't know the reasons doesn't mean there aren't reasons, and historically Dan is not gonna share things with us until they're settled for him. Daniel and Depression proved that, he flat out said he didn't want to make the video until he was in a better place. Same with that week in March, same with a lot of stuff. Like how they didn't come out and say they were moving until the old apartment was bare and they were settled into the new place. I know it's frustrating to want to know Right Now and not be able to, though. We are the last piece in that decision making puzzle, understandly imo since the minute he does decide to inform us of something he faces a solid wall of hundreds of thousands of opinions and judgements and input and excitement and disappointment.
But why can't he talk to us or show us his face I swear at this point he could look like a different person altogether lmao why can't he share the music he's listening to on IG instead of a reply on twitter to a random person that no one is going to see? Like.. I understand not wanting to share what his plans are, I dont' have to like it but I get it. But again I miss HIM not his plans or his videos - I miss the interactions :(
He tweeted three times in the past week and responded to a bunch of people, though. Why is the difference in twitter and instagram so staggering? I would say twitter is more interaction, even. He's talking to people directly and responding to questions or comments as opposed to instagram where no one can reply and there can be no interaction.
Because twitter is not as personal, especially when it's the only platform that he's using at the moment, and because (bsides yesterday's tweet) it's mostly been relatable tweets that anyone could say. They don't FEEL like Dan. And yes, I know someone would argue that they didn't use IG stories before so it's not that different, but we had liveshows before, and we had content in the form of gaming videos where we could see and hear from him. When the only thing you have is funny tweets for two months, there's nothign personal about them. I mean, we've complained for years that we wanted more personality from Phil, I think it's fair that right now we want more personality from Dan.

I guess it's not the quantity but the "quality" of interaction, if that makes sense? Which isn't to say Dan has to tell us what he's doing on the daily, I don't want him to be a daily vlogger or whatever.. It just feels like he's purposely choosing specific kind of interactions that are more separated from us?
That's interesting because I think we're just viewing twitter and instagram very differently. Instagram feels overwhelming impersonal to me in terms of interaction. The most connectivity you can possibly have there is if like, they post a poll and you get to vote on it.

Whereas twitter feels like the conversation. It feels like 'I'm going to post/share a thing and you get to talk back to me and I'm gonna respond again to a few people.' So to me the quality of tweets > quality of instagram if it's just Dan sharing a music rec. Everyone knows to check for replies so it's not like no one sees it. His replies to people are shared around as much, sometimes more, than the original tweets. He even gives direct answers to direct questions sometimes there.

I'm gonna be blasphemous here and say: I even prefer that over a selfie. I'll take insight in the forms of thoughts and opinions via tweets over a picture of his face any day.
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@liola I wasn’t challenging what you said and do agree with you for most of it. Thanks for pointing out the youtuber audience relationship and I think they both do enjoy that interaction most of the time, but I’m sure it feels like too much at times, that we are too invested in their lives and only care about their relationship etc. (again just simplifying things, I know it’s more complicated than that).

What I wanted to add is something I was thinking about yesterday. I’m guessing that Dan’s eventual comeback will feel like more of a rebrand than his “official” one in 2017. I imagine (so you know speculating here) that that didn’t go as well as he envisioned it and that his videos weren’t received as well as he wanted (with the exception of Daniel and Depression) and maybe were not the visual quality he wanted. I think the break is probably actually important to the “rebranding” process. To take a step back and take time to make the deliberate changes he wants. And like he’s mentioned several times it’s like an artist coming back with a new album cycle.

So as much as we feel like rolling our eyes about Dan’s quality threshold, and would be happy if he just filmed “whatever he feels like”, clearly it’s important to how he wants to express himself. I get being an artist and having a vision but not feeling like you can execute it correctly yet.

I do hope that when he returns he remembers that he can make use of his side channel. I know he talks about general viewers not caring about a candle haul but damnit it’s called danisnotinteresting for a reason. Of course *we* find it interesting and he knows his most dedicated audience does, but it would allow him to separate these versions of himself he wants to present. Of course none of this negated anyone’s feelings and frustrations that Dan has communicated with us as much as we hoped.

(Sorry for all the edits and rambling, I’m partially babysitting right now)
Last edited by autumnhearth on Mon Mar 04, 2019 3:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:57 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:46 pm
liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:35 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:06 pm
But in all seriousness, I miss the hell out of him too, but Dan's gonna Dan. Just because we don't know the reasons doesn't mean there aren't reasons, and historically Dan is not gonna share things with us until they're settled for him. Daniel and Depression proved that, he flat out said he didn't want to make the video until he was in a better place. Same with that week in March, same with a lot of stuff. Like how they didn't come out and say they were moving until the old apartment was bare and they were settled into the new place. I know it's frustrating to want to know Right Now and not be able to, though. We are the last piece in that decision making puzzle, understandly imo since the minute he does decide to inform us of something he faces a solid wall of hundreds of thousands of opinions and judgements and input and excitement and disappointment.
But why can't he talk to us or show us his face I swear at this point he could look like a different person altogether lmao why can't he share the music he's listening to on IG instead of a reply on twitter to a random person that no one is going to see? Like.. I understand not wanting to share what his plans are, I dont' have to like it but I get it. But again I miss HIM not his plans or his videos - I miss the interactions :(
He tweeted three times in the past week and responded to a bunch of people, though. Why is the difference in twitter and instagram so staggering? I would say twitter is more interaction, even. He's talking to people directly and responding to questions or comments as opposed to instagram where no one can reply and there can be no interaction.
Because twitter is not as personal, especially when it's the only platform that he's using at the moment, and because (bsides yesterday's tweet) it's mostly been relatable tweets that anyone could say. They don't FEEL like Dan. And yes, I know someone would argue that they didn't use IG stories before so it's not that different, but we had liveshows before, and we had content in the form of gaming videos where we could see and hear from him. When the only thing you have is funny tweets for two months, there's nothign personal about them. I mean, we've complained for years that we wanted more personality from Phil, I think it's fair that right now we want more personality from Dan.

I guess it's not the quantity but the "quality" of interaction, if that makes sense? Which isn't to say Dan has to tell us what he's doing on the daily, I don't want him to be a daily vlogger or whatever.. It just feels like he's purposely choosing specific kind of interactions that are more separated from us?
I think that this is true and it represents my frustration as well. I know this board has addressed this topic ad nauseum, but as the hiatus drags on, it's getting harder for me to stay positive. I completely understand that both Dan and Phil are probably working on things they aren't ready to share yet. I mean, they have to be doing something behind the scenes. Phil's only releasing 1 video every 10 days, and that doesn't take more than a couple of hours to edit and upload. And Dan famously hasn't released anything this year. So I've got to assume that there's something that's filling their days apart from playing video games and going for jogs. But I don't see how that "mystery project" prevents them from communicating with their audience.

This current strategy of theirs just doesn't make any sense, from a business standpoint. They've built up a highly devoted/motivated fanbase over the past 9 years, and they've done so largely by sharing their personalities through their content. Someone said something to the effect of, "I miss Dan more than his content," earlier in the thread, and I feel that way about both of them. Yes, Phil's made a few videos, but they don't have the same authentic feel as a liveshow or an instatory. They spent 2018 essentially feeding their audience (2-3 gaming videos per week, weekly liveshows, instatories, a world tour, and the occasional content on their main channels (more Phil than Dan, obvs)), and they've spent the first 2 months of 2019 starving that same audience. How is that a wise decision? When Phil did that poll last week about a new design for long sleeved shirts, my first thought was, "Who does he think is going to buy those?" Engaged/active audiences buy merch. People aren't going to wait around forever for the two of them to get their act together and start producing content again.

I know this sounds negative, but that's how I'm feeling today. I miss Dan and Phil. I miss their liveshows, I miss their instatories, I miss their silly challenge videos, I miss their baking videos, I miss the gaming channel, and I miss DINOF videos. I miss Dan and Phil, but I don't know how much longer I can wait for them. I wish they would give us some kind of update instead of haru-ing the whole thing. When are liveshows coming back? Are liveshows coming back? What's happening with the gaming channel? What's the state of joint content in general? And, honestly, what the h-e-double hockey sticks do they do all day?
"Someone, somewhere is into that." Daniel Howell
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autumnhearth
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@sapienveneficus I felt the same way about the merch poll and my jaded answer to who would buy that shirt is the people that want to “support their dads”. I love the fox jumper and socks and Lion. They feels part of the nostalgia of AmazingPhil (plus the hidden foxes are beautifully designed) but doodles and wingdings on a pastel shirt? Nah.
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autumnhearth wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 3:15 pm I do hope that when he returns he remembers that he can make use of his side channel. I know he talks about general viewers not caring about a candle haul but damnit it’s called danisnotinteresting for a reason. Of course *we* find it interesting and he knows his most dedicated audience does, but it would allow him to separate these versions of himself he wants to present.
I like this idea :) They have both kind of left their side channels for a long time, but they have their uses for more casual stuff they don't have to worry about so much in terms of content/aesthetic/quality, just fun!
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glitterintheair
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autumnhearth wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 2:24 pm
liola wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 9:03 am the reality is that he could come back with a blank wall and a candle lit by his side and do a candle haul as he explains why he thinks one smell is better for a certain type of feel and I would be delighted. I don't care about his content, I always cared about his personality, and i'm NOT getting it.
I would assume that most of us feel the same way, both on here and anyone that would consider themselves part of the phandom. But despite Dan being grateful for our support (financially and emotionally) and admiring the creativeness of the phandom and of course understanding how fandoms work, there have been points where he has expressed the wish that people would just enjoy his content and then move on with their lives. I have to dash so I can’t really muse on it further, but yeah :|
Okay but... what content? LOL.
Look, if Dan wants people to just enjoy his videos, he needs to upload.
I'll also say that he can wish what he wants, but he wouldn't be where he is now if people just enjoyed his content and moved on with their lives.
I wonder how many people would still care about him or his videos if they didn't have an emotional attachment to Dan as a person; would people who subscribed to him only to watch his videos still want to stay subscribed after almost a year of no content? I am not sure.
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knq wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2019 11:41 pm What does it mean to have almost lived one’s truth? :sherlock:
I know everyone's kind of over it, but the more I think about this tweet the more peaceful and content it seems. I dunno if it means something specific, like living his truth was acquiring that fish farm and Dan's just put in a competitive offer and is waiting to hear back from the realtor, or if it's super general like, Dan is always almost living his truth because as people we're always growing and imperfect and the best we can do is to almost express who we truly are because as soon as we express it, it's already changed.

Or, you know, something between those extremes. But it's comforting to me that when Dan tweeted he wasn't communicating in the tone that he does when he's especially depressed. I don't know if subconsciously I thought he'd been depressed during his whole hiatus, because logically I don't believe that, but it still makes me feel reassured and hopeful that he's putting stuff out there like 'almost' and 'when it's ready.'

this has been your daily dose of knq on completely different train than everyone else
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I do care about Dan's content. The liking I developed for him as a person stems from the content he put out on youtube, which made me interested more in his history, the liveshows etc.

I certainly wouldn't want him to make whatever, even if it would be nice to just see him. But if he wanted to just catch up with us, a good old solo Dan liveshow would be the best. His last video's were steps in a direction I hope he keeps pursuing. I don't find him condescending at all, I think people tend to misread his style and tone a lot. For example if he desires validation for his work and maybe isn't to fond of some of the work he's done, I don't see how that's dismissive to others who do enjoy it. We are allowed to like different things. Somebody preferring some of their own content compared to other work they've done is unrelated to you, unless you make it about yourself and say his (dis)approval is needed for you to have you own preferences about the video's he makes.

As I enjoyed dinof content the most, this break isn't anything new for me. It's been a full year since his last vids, what's another two months if he finds his voice back? The drought is tough, and it's hit them both since the major source of 'regular' content D&P games is gone too. No doubt this break will cost them a lot of engagement and ultimately shrink their audience. But that natural decline was there anyway. Business wise this makes no sense, but how much do they even have to take economics into account anymore? They are likely both multi-millionaires. They've got the choice and freedom to whatever with their youtube channel. That's why I could live with a reboot of dinof as we knew it too, a bit like Phil has done. Though I hope for more, and for me that means a free Dan holding back no punches, talking without reservation or restriction about (controversial) subjects that interest him.
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Stakhanov wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:07 pmFor example if he desires validation for his work and maybe isn't to fond of some of the work he's done, I don't see how that's dismissive to others who do enjoy it. We are allowed to like different things. Somebody preferring some of their own content compared to other work they've done is unrelated to you, unless you make it about yourself and say his (dis)approval is needed for you to have you own preferences about the video's he makes.
I agree with this specific point. Especially the last line.

And in other less earth-shattering news, aw - hi, Dan's grandpa!
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Acceptance to Martin sounds like a early 2000's indie band and that's the album cover. Includes hits as "Grandpa's friend Carol" and "The kids are not alright".
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autumnhearth
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Dan’s grandad is a handsome fellow, nice eyes!



Same guy, yeah? If so he looks even better now. Of course so does Dan. Well, probably I can only see his hand, it’s been awhile since we’ve seen his face. What’s up with the background? Doesn’t look familiar and it’s extra blurry.

Oh never mind I get it’s not an invitation, so not at home.
And a witty reply to the grammar police.
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i die a little every time dan says “graphic design” :roll: but im appreciating the interaction through twitter replies

also i don’t think thats the same grandad from the ig post years ago
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autumnhearth wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:31 pm
I keep re-reading this reply and I still don't understand it? WHY AM I SO DUMB I AM GONNA CRY #confusion
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That's definitely not the same granddad, they've got to be at least 10-15 years apart in age.

That's so cute, maybe Dan should join Granddad's friend Carol in making arts and crafts since they're both retired now. :lol:
glitterintheair wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:54 pm
autumnhearth wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2019 6:31 pm
I keep re-reading this reply and I still don't understand it? WHY AM I SO DUMB I AM GONNA CRY #confusion
In other words = you know, you've got to make a card to say thank you for the acceptance card for the event for which you sent an invitation card.

What I don't understand is that girl who's calling out Dan's correct grammar? Is it a meme? What?
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