Dan & Phil Part 95: ASS (Aquarium Staff Seminar)

[alittledizzy]

All of the current youtube drama makes me really happy that Dan basically kept solid on his method of just ignoring other youtubers that attempted to bait him into engaging with them (including Shane).

[lefthandedism]

OMG



ETA:

[gnostic]

Yearly tradition of Phil dropping a wholesome gay video as beauty community implodes in flames

[rizzo]

I love Phil so much it physically hurts.

[LAshleigh]

That was so cute and wholesome! I loved the closeted anecdotes - the video started out a little generic, but then the stories were adorable.

[Birdie]

Phil. I love how he told that Kyle story because that situation is actually all kinds of heartbreaking but he told it so lightly and made it funny.

[autumnhearth]

That was so unexpected and lovely! I said “Aw Phil” out loud at least three times. The crush story was so relatable with the accidental brushing of the hands and Phil’s brain automatically going “I love you”. And the story behind his Big Brother audition... and just the ongoing fear that has weighed him down during his career... I really feel for (past) him.

So uh that poster hurts my eyes, but I’m going to need the corgi rainbow pride sticker for my kid... though if it wasn’t for charity I wouldn’t even consider the $25 bucks. I need to order the cactus cushion anyway, so at least I can justify the shipping. If only I could add some clearance II shirts to that...

Also I love the instances over time where both Phil and Dan have assured their audience that they will find love/companionship/that special someone

[plinthofmylife]

That was so unexpected and also such a darn delight! thank you philly!

I 100% immediately ordered that poster and the corgi sticker and this is literally the first time I've actually bought any DNP merch. That is was for charity definitely helped.

[alittledizzy]

I've watched the video three times already.

Did take a momentary break to tweet Phil and apparently it's my lucky day, because he replied?

I'm also just spilling over with video thoughts.

I love Phil acknowledging that he didn't even realize how good and freeing it would feel to come out. I think for us we all had a sense of Phil holding back in his videos but it sounds like Phil honestly wasn't in tune with how much he was? And hearing that he feels more free now is just a brilliant feeling.

And sharing the little gay stories... fuck it's relatable and I love it. I wonder if he wants to do more random gay storytimes, but maybe doesn't want to just be typecast as a gay youtuber so he's looking for these little ways to link them in with his content in ways that make sense? If so this was a brilliant occasion for it.

Also Dan liked it almost right away. My heart.

[rizzo]

And sharing the little gay stories... fuck it's relatable and I love it. I wonder if he wants to do more random gay storytimes, but maybe doesn't want to just be typecast as a gay youtuber so he's looking for these little ways to link them in with his content in ways that make sense? If so this was a brilliant occasion for it.

Look, if Tinder wants to come along and offer him another #spon for more storytimes? I'm so incredibly in.

What I also absolutely adore about this is exactly the fact that he can now open up about all these sweet, gay storytimes from his youth.... and that's what they are. They're from his youth. They're all in the past. They're things he experienced before, because now? Now and forever he's in a committed relationship and I just.... I love it all way too damn much.

[Amiaw]

Poor Phil, I’d always assumed he didn’t make it through for Big Brother but really he stepped away because he outed himself on camera. I wonder how many opportunities he missed out on because of that fear

Other thoughts: love his stories and am really amused this is longer than COTY and I don’t know why but I’m still shocked every time phil let’s us in on his life.

[noodlebum]

And sharing the little gay stories... fuck it's relatable and I love it. I wonder if he wants to do more random gay storytimes, but maybe doesn't want to just be typecast as a gay youtuber so he's looking for these little ways to link them in with his content in ways that make sense? If so this was a brilliant occasion for it.

Look, if Tinder wants to come along and offer him another #spon for more storytimes? I'm so incredibly in.

What I also absolutely adore about this is exactly the fact that he can now open up about all these sweet, gay storytimes from his youth.... and that's what they are. They're from his youth. They're all in the past. They're things he experienced before, because now? Now and forever he's in a committed relationship and I just.... I love it all way too damn much.

All of this
I loved it ahhh, also did I somehow miss that he auditioned for big brother? I wonder what year it was, imagine if he had actually gone on, wow

[glitterintheair]

All of this
I loved it ahhh, also did I somehow miss that he auditioned for big brother? I wonder what year it was, imagine if he had actually gone on, wow

He mentioned it here:

and the only reason I remember it is because that’s the same video where he “predicted” Dan with tarot’s cards

[Amiaw]

This doesn’t seem like an event for the general public but it’s interesting

[alittledizzy]

All of this
I loved it ahhh, also did I somehow miss that he auditioned for big brother? I wonder what year it was, imagine if he had actually gone on, wow

He mentioned it here:

and the only reason I remember it is because that’s the same video where he “predicted” Dan with tarot’s cards

It's wild that his panic over being outed to his friends/family was the same year he met Dan - also that really cements to me that his parents only knew he was gay when Dan started staying over a lot, if he was that terrified of them finding out in February of that same year.

[Megancita75]

There's something about Phil in general and this video in particular that I find very reassuring. I also would love to know what made him feel like he wanted to make a follow-up video -- what his thought process was about that, because I did not expect it at all. And the idea that he sometimes goes back to COTY and reads the video comments there is just amazing to me.

[plinthofmylife]

It's wild that his panic over being outed to his friends/family was the same year he met Dan - also that really cements to me that his parents only knew he was gay when Dan started staying over a lot, if he was that terrified of them finding out in February of that same year.

I had that same thought! Sometimes their story makes me tear up a little - even though we know so little of it, what we do know is just... like it is a book. Not attempting to intrude, I'm just very happy for them from afar and glad we do get these windows into what meeting your soulmate through youtube and creating an empire with with them is like.

[flarequake]

That was a lovely surprise. So here for him being more open so far as to get a bit emotional and share stories. Good poster and sticker, that I can’t afford, but so good to see. Also interesting, and sad, to hear the full reason he didn’t go further with Big Brother.

[Catallena]

Owwww my heart

I really didn't expect that kind of video from him considering his dedication to the keeping it lowkey thing, but I'm so glad he did. Phil has always been a little bit of a mystery in certain aspects, and its so lovely to see him finally being able to share little things about that part of his life with us. It made me fully realize how this man has been on YouTube since his uni days, but just wasn't able to truly be himself until a year ago.

Like we've heard about his job at the stationary stop lots of times over the years, usually in regards to a customer throwing a chocolate orange at his head. But now he's able to tell us the story of how his first real crush turned out to not only be straight, but also a thief. And he tells the tale in such an engaging way. You feel happy for young Phil having a crush like that, then you feel sad when it turns into heartbreak, yet at the same time he keeps it light enough for you to giggle at his misfortune. It made me wonder how long he must've wanted to tell this story for, since it's such typical Phil anecdote that he would've told us about a long time ago if it weren't for the sexuality part of the story.

I also may have shed a little tear when Phil got a bit emotional. Because of how he was able to help so many people with his video, but also because Phil showing genuine emotion like THAT on camera was unthinkable a few years ago.

It was also interesting to hear the real story behind his Big Brother adventure. I'm glad that in the end he did alright for himself without that opportunity.

I just love Phil a lot and I'm so proud of him for how far he's come in recent years.

[blahblahblah8]

I was expecting just a tweet today but I’m so happy he made a video! I love Phil’s storytelling and it’s nice to hear about how he was feeling while uploading COTY! And the charity pieces are so cute!

[Becky.rigby]

Loved Phils new video so much. Feeling really depressed now with Jenna Marbles and Ingrid Leaving youtube :’( it makes me sad because there is going to come a time that Dan and Phil upload for the last time on YouTube :’( and I don’t want that moment to come. It might have already for Dan but at the moment we still have Phil but it feels like slowly they are backing away from YouTube and stuff, with Dan not uploading anymore, no more YouNows etc... please can someone say it is going to be ok :’(

[pcvaidya]

Phil owns my whole heart. That's it; that's the post.

[scientia]

These stories from Phil are exactly what I'd love to hear in a podcast!!!

[dblyw]

Hi everyone! I’ve been a long-time lurker, but just saw something I couldn’t not share. I follow a couple of threads on GG and since the site has been barely functioning, people have been migrating to a discord group. I was reading about the drama with Shane, when someone added this post:

“Semi related to Shane but for those of u that were talking abt Dan and Phil Dan probably hasn't disappeared - another British youtuber who is in similar circles (philosophy tube) mentioned in one livestream that he went for drinks before corona with a youtuber who's now working on something for netflix, and then in another livestream someone asked if he knows dan and he said he went for drinks with him before corona (i thinj he was specific w both, I think they were both around November/ December), so Dan might get the last laugh with the old old Shane feud and be the youtuber Who actually makes it to netflix lmao“

I have a screenshot but don’t know how to post it. I don’t know if it has any merit, but... intriguing.

[madzilla84]

Loved Phils new video so much. Feeling really depressed now with Jenna Marbles and Ingrid Leaving youtube :’( it makes me sad because there is going to come a time that Dan and Phil upload for the last time on YouTube :’( and I don’t want that moment to come. It might have already for Dan but at the moment we still have Phil but it feels like slowly they are backing away from YouTube and stuff, with Dan not uploading anymore, no more YouNows etc... please can someone say it is going to be ok :’(

I’m not sure anyone can, unfortunately, as we don’t know their plans or what the future may hold, but I’d say that - in Phil’s case - he doesn’t seem to have any plans to leave YouTube any time soon. He recently unveiled his two-year membership perk, which I don’t think he’d bother doing if he was planning to phase out his channel. I think he’ll keep doing it because it - sort of feels like Youtube almost occupies a ‘hobby’ space in his life at the moment? (Even though I know it’s his livelihood, I mean mentally.) Not to say I don’t think he takes it seriously or anything, more that I feel like he does it because he enjoys it rather than feeling obliged to for money or whatever (though I’m sure the money is nice). It feels kind of bleak at the moment because the live shows are gone again, but I do feel like they’ll be back, eventually. He took most of 2019 off from doing them and their comeback was a surprise, so I’m still hopeful. I want them to be a format he enjoys, so perhaps a break is good. His output has stayed consistent - 2 videos a month - it just feels like less because everything else has stopped, even social media has dried up quite a bit.

I can’t be reassuring about Dan because like all of us I don’t know if his absence from the internet is permanent or not; I feel like it might be but I have no idea what his future plans are or what he’s gonna do or when he’ll do it. Is his absence because he’s working on something specific, or did he just decide to leave regardless of what work he’s doing? We may never know. We do know he’s working on several non-YouTube things - I wrote this before the above post was posted but there was that Netflix info from a few weeks ago, and the new company, and the BBC stuff, and the LA stuff, and the maybe-who-knows-if-it's-real book - but whether he’ll ever upload again after or among those projects - who knows? I don’t know if he’d ever *formally* retire from YouTube, because it’s too big and useful a platform to just throw away (a captive audience of 6 million+ he has total creative control over), but I wouldn’t expect anything any time soon.

Can’t rule out joint content *ever* happening again, but I’d say at this time it looks like they have no plans to do any and I don’t think the gaming channel will return. Sorry, that’s the opposite of comforting, isn’t it?