Dan & Phil Part 94: Year of the Rats

Our two favourite full time internet nerds who never go outside!
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Amiaw
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alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm I really feel like Phil is offering daily tweets because he wants to help distract people, and I love him for it. Considering he has a very immunocompromised father, I don't think he's quite as chill about it as he came across in the ls yesterday.
I agree. I actually think that he said more about it then he normally would because he is anxious about it but like he said he didn’t want to get too heavy with it. I really appreciate Phil and his attempts to keep things even a little lighter than they are for people right now
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Yeah, I appreciate it too. And I hope he doesn't overthink what he says. Like, sometimes humor in anxious times can be misread, but I think a tweet like this is funny and sweet.
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hello9217
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I was also thinking about his dad during this time. He even acknowledged that he does want his videos to be an escape for people but he still felt like it was important to talk about it. I really am looking forward to his video with my work shut down for two weeks and my university switching to online I’m feeling really cooped up and isolated. Yesterday’s ls was the first one I have seen live in months bc I tend to be busy and it was such a nice reprieve from everything else
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liola
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Okay warning alert: negative post ahead

I'm upset at Dan, yeah yeah, what's new? But I am. I love Phil with all MY Heart, I appreciate him trying to provide light hearted content so much, but it only highlights Dan's... lack?

Pretty much every single artists, influencer, youtuber in my country is hosting some interaction via social media, with tweets, live streams, song writing. Michelin star chefs are making instagram lives every night teaching people to cook. People are out in the balcony singing or dancing, fandom is hosting daily events to entertains ourselves - and Dan, who's got the power, the audience, the means to do something about it, to share some light entertainment in a time of need.. where is he?

Is this self imposed distancing he's been doing for a year now worth it, in a time like this?

I'm upset at him and maybe it's not fair and maybe it's because I don't know how long this is going to last, maybe it's because I'm!! Isolated!! From my family because people keep dying! And we need a fucking certificate to go everywhere! And i don't want to think about it and in time like this I want some fun, I want to shut my brain.

And sure there are older videos but I know they're old and they make me sad because it makes me think just how much someone whose job title is supposedly entertainer, who said he wanted to be that, not a youtuber, is really lacking in the entertainment department

Maybe it's because I love Phil solo content but in a moment like this where we've been forced for almost two weeks (and some even more) on a lockdown where people cannot be close, I would love to see two people interact together

I miss joint content - and look, for once no one can tell me if I don't have more important things to care about.
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Becky.rigby
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liola wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 9:32 pm Okay warning alert: negative post ahead

I'm upset at Dan, yeah yeah, what's new? But I am. I love Phil with all MY Heart, I appreciate him trying to provide light hearted content so much, but it only highlights Dan's... lack?

Pretty much every single artists, influencer, youtuber in my country is hosting some interaction via social media, with tweets, live streams, song writing. Michelin star chefs are making instagram lives every night teaching people to cook. People are out in the balcony singing or dancing, fandom is hosting daily events to entertains ourselves - and Dan, who's got the power, the audience, the means to do something about it, to share some light entertainment in a time of need.. where is he?

Is this self imposed distancing he's been doing for a year now worth it, in a time like this?

I'm upset at him and maybe it's not fair and maybe it's because I don't know how long this is going to last, maybe it's because I'm!! Isolated!! From my family because people keep dying! And we need a fucking certificate to go everywhere! And i don't want to think about it and in time like this I want some fun, I want to shut my brain.

And sure there are older videos but I know they're old and they make me sad because it makes me think just how much someone whose job title is supposedly entertainer, who said he wanted to be that, not a youtuber, is really lacking in the entertainment department

Maybe it's because I love Phil solo content but in a moment like this where we've been forced for almost two weeks (and some even more) on a lockdown where people cannot be close, I would love to see two people interact together

I miss joint content - and look, for once no one can tell me if I don't have more important things to care about.

This is exactly how I feel!! Extertainer? Who is he entertaining? I am done trying to make excuses for Dan to be honest! He might be going through a rough time, then tweet saying something like 'sorry i haven't been active lately, will explain things when i am ready' instead of just IGNORING people that supported him for 10 years +/-. He has a platform as he said to reach millions of people, he could use that as an advantage in this time, some people aren't so lucky and are unsure how they are going to cope. I'm sorry but yeah his working on a 'project' so he says, but he needs to be careful as the way he is acting he isn't going to have many fans left that will care to be honest. 2018 liveshow 'nothing else is going to change, just no more dnpgames and pinof', yeah forgot to mention Dan your liveshows and your main channel videos, regular tweets or even instagram and tumblr likes.

Phil deserves more credit in this time as at least he does regular liveshows and videos and tweets, but it still feels like something is missing. Even this site has gone quiet compared to how it used to be, and so has other platforms.
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flarequake
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By now it’s been such a long time, I don’t know that Dan is intending on anything like what he did before and I sometimes wonder how much I’m gonna be here for his project. I might be excited and over the moon, but we’ve waited quite a while and missed him a lot, it’s waning and still somewhat sad. I can’t think of him as an influencer, youtuber etc anymore. Occasional creator of some sort I guess. But yeah, it would be nice if they did something, still so far Phil’s done a daily tweet. There are kids’ book authors banding together to stream, tbh we need to watch those actually streaming I guess.
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rizzo
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I wanted to post earlier today with a thought that's perhaps... more negative than I'd like to be.

I've sort of found myself recently presuming that Dan's absence would only last through the marathon. And then he'd come back with a montage video about his running and an announcement on some other projects or whatever. (This was an assumption I made with absolutely zero facts to back me up.) So, the postponement of the marathon has me wondering if... well, if his content is also postponed as a result? October is a long way away.

All of this thinking kinda got me to the same place you're at, liola. I'm generally really tired of being angry at Dan (after all, being shit on by your fandom when you've got stuff going on in the background and probably #reasons surely isn't a great feeling), but like.... I think - just for now - I'm also a bit angry at Dan. I love his content and his personality and him as a creator and just having Phil back has never been good enough for me. (Sorry - I said it.) And if they want to be seen as separate creators, then here it is: I want Dan, the creator, back. I'd like a bit of entertainment in a time when gaming room and/or bedroom (and/or white wall) antics on youtube are THE most ideal way to create content and lighten the mood. Pls k thx.
Becky.rigby
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I'm bored of being angry at Dan also. The thing is he must have seen everyone on twitter asking him to do a liveshow or make videos etc, unless he hasn't been online, which i sincerely doubt very much. So he is deliberately ignoring his fans which isn't cool. I don't expect a video every day or even every week. Maybe just a liveshow once every 2 weeks, or even one liveshow to let us know what is going on, is that too much to ask?
Amiaw
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I am content with Phil content-I just wish there was more of it. As for Dan, I never enjoyed his liveshows because they made me anxious and his videos aren’t for me but the gaming channel was something that made things so much lighter so I do miss that. I don’t think they’ll care though so not hoping for anything there at all.

As for dan being an entertainer I came to the conclusion that he is done with being an entertainer or that maybe his ‘project’ fell through and he was trying to put something else together but dan isn’t even doing the bare minimum these days to have a fan base so the most I can hope for is that he at least says something to give his fans an idea of what he’s doing
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alittledizzy
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Most entertainers are absolutely not stepping up, almost no one I follow on youtube is doing anything extra. Most people aren't even posting virus related content. I just skimmed my feed and short of news channels and a couple of realtime vloggers who are stuck inside talking about how they're entertaining their kids, it's barely even being mentioned.

There's every chance Dan's trying to figure his own shit out and reign in his own anxieties. I also know right now people are anxious, angers and tensions are heightened, people want a place to put their anger and frustration. But god, Dan didn't make this situation that made us all stuck at home bored and desperately needing comfort. I'm sorry for anyone that thinks Phil just isn't enough, but that's not Dan's fault either.

I'd also like entertainment. I'd like them back making content together. But I'd like fandom to accept what reality is and not make the entire experience about what Dan isn't doing as opposed to what they both are doing. Dan hasn't done liveshows in a year and a half. He's made it very clear that keeping the audience appraised of everything he does is not what he considers part of his career anymore. Did he say it out loud directly? No. Do we really need to hear it after a year and a half of his actions speaking? No, I don't think so. And if your answer is yes then, god, why? We're smart enough, folks. We can take a hint. He made drastic changes toward having a private life for himself with less pressure to appease an audience. I know everyone is looking for some magic silver lining that will make him post again, but convincing yourself that some perpetual 'now' is when he should post then getting angry with him because he doesn't is a you problem, not a Dan problem. I think people would be a lot happier if they didn't keep piling expectations on him that he has given absolutely no indication that he's remotely on board with. If out of the blue he posts something? Great. But being angry that he didn't do something he never said he'd do? I don't get it. He took all the cards off the table. He didn't tell you to wait. He's not manipulating you. He's not trying to sell you anything. He's not asking for your views. He's not telling you he expects you to stick around for whatever his next project is. What he's doing is showing up once in a while on social media to give a nod to still being alive, post something funny, talk to his fans, like a few tweets, then continuing to live his life. Disappointment is valid, but I just don't get the anger at this point.

And yes. Of course. Before I get those angry responses or anyone quotes just one line of context: this is a public forum and you can post whatever you want. Being angry at Dan is very much the majority opinion, whether I get it or not, and no I am not trying to silence anyone. But I also feel worn pretty thin right now so for once I'm gonna be just as blunt about how I feel too.
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I don’t really care much for dan’s solo content but I do miss joint stuff a lot. I loved the gaming channel but even if they didn’t wanna bring that back, I wish we could still have the occasional joint video like baking or the random ones like what they text each other. I wonder what changed bec in that last joint live show it didn’t seem that dan intended for things to be this way. I also wonder what happened to the project he was expecting to be able to announce in October. He’s never really explained his motivation behind wanting to be so absent that he won’t even appear in an insta story or anything. I’m not mad at him (not judging anyone who is tho) but I don’t like uncertainty. But for me Phil’s content is enough. When it was just videos I was feeling the absence of joint content greater but Phil’s live shows made up for that for me personally.
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liola
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We're not living a normal situation, so you'd think the norm should be suspended. Like I said it's unfair, it's pointless but everything and I mean everything right now is unfair and also pointless (except staying home, washing your hands and staying away from people as much as you can)

I don't even want daily live shows or something but God, even the make a wish experience, only Phil posted about it. Something. Anything at all that isn't a fucking relatable tweet that everyone and their mothers has made. We can't demand anything but we can be upset and disappointed and right now I am in a way that I just cannot excuse.

It's sad. It's just fucking sad.

And again, just to make it clear: I'm not saying Phil's content isn't enough. I just want to see two people interact together, having fun, without thinking sad things. Knowing they could do that if they wanted to, but they (Dan) don't.. makes me sad.

I did say it was a negative post.
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malday
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Hang in there people, I think venting is good in times like these.

I do think Dan has the maturity to understand that fans tweeting at him are stressed and doesn't take it personally. I also think he could be overwhelmed and doesn't know what to do. We know Phil's an anxious one but Dan could be worse than him right now, we don't know. If he is he won't be good as an enertainer right now, only make people more anxious with his energy.
Though if there was a better time for Dan, and Phil, to be brave and not worry about what people think it would be right now, what else is there to lose?

On a less serious note, I like to think Dan is busy getting a ring to propose to Phil properly before the world ends.
So hang in there people, just think of the lavish phan wedding content we will get after this. 8-)

But seriously, pray for all of us to have the strength to get through this and if not pray for a phan heaven.
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I got the hint ages ago, but I’ve also had a tiny bit of wondering cos it hasn’t been said from either of them. Whether they really don’t know or whatever, we’ve been a bit strung along with ‘maybe a different kind of channel’ in future and Dan leaving us hanging at first without telling us he was going. He replied with some reasons a while later eg videos feel like a snapshot in time and pressure, etc, but that disappearing silence hurt and now it’s just ‘ok, bye, then?’ but not because he’ll pop up and hope we’ll want to know, so bit torn, mostly over it, but occasionally still a bit meh while also mostly loving him to bits as ever. Clearly our feelings aren’t really needed, though, we either stay around for him or don’t, his choice has been for his own life which is fine and fair, we’re just all left with however we feel and he can’t be responsible for thousands of us or anything.
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madzilla84
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This whole situation with Dan's absence is a complicated enough thing as it is, and now everything in real life is so strange and intense and scary that emotions are heightened. Even in places where daily life is still reasonably normal (for now), we know things will change very soon for the worse, and the news and the fear is Everywhere, All The Time. Many people are lonely and scared almost constantly. It’s absolutely the time when people are most in need of happy distractions; positive fun things to watch and enjoy to take our mind off things, and for a lot of people, for many years that was Dan and Phil. And now we don’t have that any more, it’s natural people would feel even more bereft than usual. (This is quite aside from Phil’s content, which in this particular case I’m talking about as a different thing. It *is* wonderful and I do very much appreciate it, and for me it does help. I’m not sure he’s intentionally daily tweeting because of what’s going on, but I’m just happy he’s still around so consistently.) There’s a certain kind of vibe they provide as a duo - companionship, warmth, humour, their bond - that *would* be especially comforting at a time like this.

I go through different phases of how I’m feeling about Dan leaving, like I do about most things; I still have periods of time when I feel *intensely* angry at him (as recently as last week in fact), but it usually *mostly* passes as - as mentioned higher up - I don’t like feeling so angry at him. It’s unpleasant and exhausting and it taints all the content I watch including DAPG vids. The rest of the time, it’s just a lingering sadness, but I’m otherwise accepting it because I have no other choice, and I try and get on and enjoy the old content as much as I can. Which isn't the best feeling a lot of the time, but it is what it is.

I can understand why he might have decided to stop sharing his life online. Fair enough, anyone has the right to make that decision at any time however famous they are, I just wish he’d *said* he was leaving so that over *a year later* people weren’t still going ‘hello? are you alive?? are you coming back?? what’s happening?’ every damn day, to him and to Phil and on every one of Phil’s videos or liveshows. It’s his own fault; whatever he’s doing or working on (or not working on) or whatever else is happening, or even if he has *no idea* what’s coming up next or whatever, it takes *no effort* to communicate his desire to no longer have that relationship with his audience, since he’s obviously done with that part of his life. I don’t know why he hasn’t; possibly he doesn’t want to upset people, but I don’t see how this is any better? I used to think maybe he just hasn’t decided, but it’s been so long now that his choice is pretty clear. His *total absence* from social media, even during things that he would happily have posted about only a few months ago (see the August Make A Wish dogs event vs this one), is very disconcerting and he’s obviously privately made some sort of decision about it.

But - having said all that - I know he isn’t going to do that. I have no idea *what* he’s going to do next, but I think I’ve finally accepted that he isn’t going to ‘come back’ in the way things used to be, or the way Phil is with us now. I can’t even imagine a video with the both of them in now. (On-screen, I mean; I wouldn’t rule out another behind-the-camera cameo in the future.) Our hopes are additionally dashed because we were expecting to see them together at Vidcon soon, and now we won’t, so there isn’t anything concrete to look forward to, once again. (Hopefully they can make the new dates.) I don’t understand his issue with appearing in instas, or a vid with Phil on Phil’s channel, or poking his head into a liveshow for 5 minutes, or whatever else, but obviously he has one. (I'd love, *love* to see some lil snippets of them cosy at home during all this for a bit of comfort, but it ain't gonna happen.)

I still love the guy. (The Dannies’ Curse.) But I think I’ll always be a bit angry about all of this; even after BIG when I found out what he’d been doing I didn’t understand the *total radio silence* that made people so worried, and now it’s just been a *ridiculous* amount of time (even after he said he was ‘back from the dead’, too). Like he might post some huge thing explaining absolutely everything some time in the future, but I doubt it; as usual I expect we’ll just be left to guess and infer.
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hello9217
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I guess my issue is is that I don’t really know what to expect of dan. Like he still sometimes tweets phil will still mention him, he shows up occasionally in a phil ig story but is that the extent of it. Should I hope that this is a phase? Or should I just accept that this is the new way? Also I get dnp wanting to be separate creators but I don’t get why that means no more joint content ever? Like neither of them posting a series of japan pics, which they tend to do after most holidays was a little weird to me. Let alone no joint picture of just the two them on their main ig feed in forever. Like even when they were branded jointly they still did their own thing. Why can dan never do a video with phil? Why can’t they sometimes stream a game on twitch? It doesn’t have to be a THING but they have waited for soooooo long that it would become one. Should I still hold out hope that one day there will be a joint video or just realize that that part may be completely shut out for us?
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It's exhausting being mad at someone you love so much but I am, because I do feel lied to by both of them I know people will say maybe they didn't realise it was the end of joint content at the points they said it wasn't, but at some point they did, I don't think it's asking too much to tell us, even if we should know by now because even though my last real hope died at Christmas because I thought maybe the one year anniversary would mark the return there's this tiny part of me that does still hope there will be something in the future. I'm tired of being sad about Dan ghosting us though because he's always made a big deal about how he interacts with the phandom, now it's some generic "relatable Dan" tweet occasionally (full disclosure Twitter Dan is not my thing at the best of times), I do think he's setting himself up for a big fall if he does plan on coming back with a project because the expectations are going to be really high to justify the absence at this point I can't think of anything that would really excite me unless he comes back with a 3 part series about designing their dream home, planning their wedding and getting a dog 😂 but in all honesty joint content is probably the only thing I would be excited for from Dan at this point.

In regards to youtubers not discussing the virus it's because YouTube is really cracking down on non traditional news sources i.e. CNN, BBC, Sky news or actual medical staff i.e. Dr Mike from even talking about it because of false information. I've seen it from toy channels, beauty channels who would only be discussing it casually saying they can't and not to even type it in to the live chat or comments, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Phil's live gets demonatised. Even news channels like Philip Defranco who's still reporting it in a very responsible way without false information, conspiracy or hysteria having every video containing any mention of the virus demonatized and not winning any appeals.
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Oh okay can we finally what we think about Dan?Cool, because I am angry as hell with him. I am sorry but I don’t think anything can really justify his absence in a time like this. Not when people tweet him daily, asking to even just chat with them in a liveshow. So many of us are forced to stay at home with literally nothing to do and yeah, we’d really like some entertainment to cope right now. Does he really think that making a Relatable Tweet (that 6364683 people tweeted before him btw) is enough? He loves to call himself a comedian, an entertainer, well.. where is the entertainment, now? And he’s definitely using social media, he’s out there liking ig posts so it’s not like he’s stepping off from using the internet. He’s keeping his distance from us and yet he can’t even make an exception for the situation we’re in? That to me says a lot about him, I am sorry. Oh, and since we’re at it, I really don’t think he wanted to make content out of the marathon (which,by the way, he didn’t tell us anything about anyway). And I honestly find sad that we were holding on to that and vidcon so we could finally see him. And now that both things are postponed, what’s he gonna do? Wait until September/October to give us something? Or he gonna drop his project sooner? But even if that’s the case I don’t know how he can say “look my project, care about it!” when he has been ignoring us for months. Personally I couldn’t do it and at this point I don’t even care. I am done with putting some rich guy’s feelings above mine.
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glitterintheair
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alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:38 pm He didn't tell you to wait. He's not manipulating you. He's not trying to sell you anything. He's not asking for your views. He's not telling you he expects you to stick around for whatever his next project is. What he's doing is showing up once in a while on social media to give a nod to still being alive, post something funny, talk to his fans, like a few tweets, then continuing to live his life. Disappointment is valid, but I just don't get the anger at this point.
He didn’t tell us to wait, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean people will stop waiting. I wish it worked like that, I wish I could say “okay, enough. Let’s move on” and leave it all behind but there’s still a part of me that can’t do it because “what if..”. Y’all, it’s not easy to just cut off someone from your life that helped you going through rough times for years. Idk, people have so much empathy towards Dan and I wish they had it towards the phandom too.

Sorry for the double post!
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alittledizzy
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glitterintheair wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 7:06 am
alittledizzy wrote: Mon Mar 16, 2020 10:38 pm He didn't tell you to wait. He's not manipulating you. He's not trying to sell you anything. He's not asking for your views. He's not telling you he expects you to stick around for whatever his next project is. What he's doing is showing up once in a while on social media to give a nod to still being alive, post something funny, talk to his fans, like a few tweets, then continuing to live his life. Disappointment is valid, but I just don't get the anger at this point.
He didn’t tell us to wait, that’s true, but that doesn’t mean people will stop waiting. I wish it worked like that, I wish I could say “okay, enough. Let’s move on” and leave it all behind but there’s still a part of me that can’t do it because “what if..”. Y’all, it’s not easy to just cut off someone from your life that helped you going through rough times for years. Idk, people have so much empathy towards Dan and I wish they had it towards the phandom too.

Sorry for the double post!
I think there's a difference in being angry at the situation because it hurts you, and being angry at Dan for putting his own life first and not continuing to do something he doesn't want to do because people on the internet want it. And like, yeah, people can wait! I'm still waiting. But I'm not mad at Dan because I'm waiting for him to do something that he's not given any hints he's going to do.

I have tons of empathy for phandom. The hiatus sucked. Realizing it's not a hiatus but a life change? Sucks. I get the anxiety over it. I get the disappointment over it. I get being upset that a year and a half ago they said something that isn't true. They lied. It sucks. I miss the gaming channel. I understand anger about that far more than I do anger for Dan, right now, in the present tense, over things he's not doing. I've never told anyone not to have their own feelings. I'm still going to point out when the feelings seem irrational and unfair to me (being hurt that they lied about the hiatus? rational and fair. being legitimately angry at him that he's not doing a livestream for people in quarantine just because it would make you feel better? unfair, imo) because I think it makes phandom and this forum an unwelcoming place when the only voices speaking up are the angry ones. Basically: you get to have your opinion, I get mine. And god, no one on this forum has ever held back from speaking negatively, we're all about the honesty here. No one, not even me voicing my opinion, is stopping you from being mad at Dan.

Also this didn't fit into my post above, but nowhere did I say cut him off. That's a big leap from 'don't be angry at him because you want him to do something right now that he's not doing and never said he would' and 'cut him off.'
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alittledizzy wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 1:36 pm I'm still going to point out when the feelings seem irrational and unfair to me (being hurt that they lied about the hiatus? rational and fair. being legitimately angry at him that he's not doing a livestream for people in quarantine just because it would make you feel better? unfair, imo) because I think it makes phandom and this forum an unwelcoming place when the only voices speaking up are the angry ones. Basically: you get to have your opinion, I get mine. And god, no one on this forum has ever held back from speaking negatively, we're all about the honesty here. No one, not even me voicing my opinion, is stopping you from being mad at Dan.
I definitely don't want him to do a liveshow only because that's what I want, obviously. I am just saying that *to me* the fact that he's feeling no desire of connecting with his audience not even now is a bit weird. He can do whatever he wants, he can delete his channel, his social media profiles, whatever. That doesn't change the fact that I don't like how he estranged himself from us with no explanation. "He's ignoring us because he came out, because he's depressed, because he's on a social media break, because he's working on his project, because he's training for the marathon".. there always seems to be a justification for Dan's behavior when you just know that anyone else in his place would already be cancelled and forgotten. (I am not saying that Dan needs to be cancelled or forgotten, btw. Like, I am mad but not that mad).
If people tweet him daily asking if he's good, telling that they miss him, wishing to hear his voice whenever Phil posts a story on instagram, then something is not quite right imo. And this has been going on since last year, that's the thing. I'm not mad at him because he's not doing anything RIGHT NOW, I'm mad at him for how he has been acting for A YEAR and this is just the icing on the cake because if not even this situation can bring him back, what will?
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glitterintheair wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:39 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 1:36 pm I'm still going to point out when the feelings seem irrational and unfair to me (being hurt that they lied about the hiatus? rational and fair. being legitimately angry at him that he's not doing a livestream for people in quarantine just because it would make you feel better? unfair, imo) because I think it makes phandom and this forum an unwelcoming place when the only voices speaking up are the angry ones. Basically: you get to have your opinion, I get mine. And god, no one on this forum has ever held back from speaking negatively, we're all about the honesty here. No one, not even me voicing my opinion, is stopping you from being mad at Dan.
"He's ignoring us because he came out, because he's depressed, because he's on a social media break, because he's working on his project, because he's training for the marathon".. there always seems to be a justification for Dan's behavior when you just know that anyone else in his place would already be cancelled and forgotten. (I am not saying that Dan needs to be cancelled or forgotten, btw. Like, I am mad but not that mad).
I'm not justifying anything for Dan, I think that's kind of my point. I think Dan's living his life. That's it. I don't think there needs to be a justification. Dan isn't trying to be an entertainer right now, and he's not telling anyone he is. My only thought toward Dan is that... he's got his own shit going on. It's not an excuse to me, it's just justification, it's just reality. I guess I don't really get being angry* at someone else for living their own life when they haven't made any promises to me. I also don't get why someone would be canceled for making a career change, either. I don't think I've ever seen that happen. Forgotten? Sure. Canceled? Why on earth.

(*again, for clarity: he did in the past say things he lied about, and I do get being angry at that. It's just continually coming up with new reasons to act like the anger continues to be justified based on new developments - none of which came from Dan - is what I don't get.)
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alittledizzy wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:47 pm I'm not justifying anything for Dan, I think that's kind of my point. I think Dan's living his life. That's it. I don't think there needs to be a justification. Dan isn't trying to be an entertainer right now, and he's not telling anyone he is. My only thought toward Dan is that... he's got his own shit going on. It's not an excuse to me, it's just justification, it's just reality. I guess I don't really get being angry* at someone else for living their own life when they haven't made any promises to me. I also don't get why someone would be canceled for making a career change, either. I don't think I've ever seen that happen. Forgotten? Sure. Canceled? Why on earth.

(*again, for clarity: he did in the past say things he lied about, and I do get being angry at that. It's just continually coming up with new reasons to act like the anger continues to be justified based on new developments - none of which came from Dan - is what I don't get.)
But he never told us that things were going to change like this, though. Like, he left us on that damn December saying that nothing would change and he has been gone since then apart from June. Again, good for him if he’s living his life but could he at least tell us that he’s just prioritizing his private life (if that’s what he’s doing because I don’t think anyone can know that for sure) instead of leaving people hanging like this? That’s my problem with this whole situation. Just say it, people will be upset but then they will make peace with it. This limbo is just frustrating. Again, he’s not obligated to do it, but that’s what I would expect from someone who has always been praised for caring about his fanbase.
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I think - for me anyway - I’m not necessarily fussed that he isn’t being an entertainer right now (or indeed ever if that’s what he’s decided). I’ve no demands for content or productivity or anything else; I’m happy that he’s just living his life or whatever he’s doing (or not doing). I just don’t get the total silence about anything and everything. Career and life changes? Fine, awesome, go dan. But he clearly has chosen to stop having interactions with his audience be a part of his life - permanently by the looks of it - without as much as a goodbye, which stings. It’s possible it ‘just sort of happened’ and now he doesn’t know *what* to say that wouldn’t sound like a summary rejection of us all ... but that’s exactly what his actions (or lack thereof) have boiled down to.

ETA: lol glitterintheair, we basically said the same thing, sorry XD
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glitterintheair wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:00 pm
alittledizzy wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:47 pm I'm not justifying anything for Dan, I think that's kind of my point. I think Dan's living his life. That's it. I don't think there needs to be a justification. Dan isn't trying to be an entertainer right now, and he's not telling anyone he is. My only thought toward Dan is that... he's got his own shit going on. It's not an excuse to me, it's just justification, it's just reality. I guess I don't really get being angry* at someone else for living their own life when they haven't made any promises to me. I also don't get why someone would be canceled for making a career change, either. I don't think I've ever seen that happen. Forgotten? Sure. Canceled? Why on earth.

(*again, for clarity: he did in the past say things he lied about, and I do get being angry at that. It's just continually coming up with new reasons to act like the anger continues to be justified based on new developments - none of which came from Dan - is what I don't get.)
But he never told us that things were going to change like this, though. Like, he left us on that damn December saying that nothing would change and he has been gone since then apart from June. Again, good for him if he’s living his life but could he at least tell us that he’s just prioritizing his private life (if that’s what he’s doing because I don’t think anyone can know that for sure) instead of leaving people hanging like this? That’s my problem with this whole situation. Just say it, people will be upset but then they will make peace with it. This limbo is just frustrating. Again, he’s not obligated to do it, but that’s what I would expect from someone who has always been praised for caring about his fanbase.
I guess the difference is that I don't see it as limbo anymore. After a year and a half, after having some idea of what he's been focusing his time on (marathon prep, a project that involved LA pitches, tweets indicating he's staying away from social media on purpose) I think the natural conclusion is that youtube is not something he wants to be his career anymore. That's what I meant in my original post when I asked if we really needed to hear it to get the hint that every change in the wind isn't a reason to hope he comes back, but I guess the answer (and I'm being genuine here) for some people is: yes.

Also, it's depressing as fuck, don't get me wrong. It's not like I'm not emotionally impacted by this. It puts my stomach in knots thinking about how much I miss him and joint content. But it'd be miserable to have people angry at you any time you wanted to try and change a life you weren't happy with, and Dan also told us he felt like he couldn't grow while making weekly content. I think I've exhausted all of my original thoughts on this so I don't think I'll reply on the topic again because all I can say is that for me it's not about justifying something in order to not be angry, it's just about accepting that the audience is not the primary focus of Dan's life anymore.
madzilla84 wrote: Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:10 pm I think - for me anyway - I’m not necessarily fussed that he isn’t being an entertainer right now (or indeed ever if that’s what he’s decided). I’ve no demands for content or productivity or anything else; I’m happy that he’s just living his life or whatever he’s doing (or not doing). I just don’t get the total silence about anything and everything. Career and life changes? Fine, awesome, go dan. But he clearly has chosen to stop having interactions with his audience be a part of his life - permanently by the looks of it - without as much as a goodbye, which stings. It’s possible it ‘just sort of happened’ and now he doesn’t know *what* to say that wouldn’t sound like a summary rejection of us all ... but that’s exactly what his actions (or lack thereof) have boiled down to.

ETA: lol glitterintheair, we basically said the same thing, sorry XD
This is gonna be a SUPER unpopular answer and I already know it, but I think the fact that all Dan gets when he does anything on social media are complaints that he's not doing more is probably why he's shying away from that as well. He tweeted and the main response I saw were people being sad and upset, he did the wish thing and the main response I saw were people being mad he didn't post himself. If he did an instagram story I think people would just be upset he wasn't doing a video. I don't expect phandom to not do what phandom does, but it's one of those actions = consequences cycles. Dan's actions, and fandom's actions, making a cycle that it's easier for Dan to step away from than handle.
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