Dan & Phil Part 84: Still Alive

[anushwa]

we still don't know what he got for his birthday :'( or for christmas :'( of LAST year.
do we know anything at all? i truly feel like i don't really Know them or their moves this year. who are these (pretty) people ? mmmmmmmphil's doing that thing again isn't he... making a repressive brand for himself that restricts him from revealing a lot. I mean i'm sure it's a smart thing to do when you're a free creator, to set boundaries for yourself and your online persona but this cheese/milk/ /blue/green (there are authentic sources but the way they're stretched thin) thing is so flimsy and is definitely not subtle and fun. Mr Amazing pls make note: you're coming off as slightly 2 dimensional / fake
meanwhile mr fire is 0 dimensional, in hiding but peeking through the interdimensional void, giving us very vague glimpses into what/who he is and is feeling rn. I'm Lost and I need to focus on anything but them. Old videos do help though so .. yay sanity?

sidenote these are so cute wtf

[alittledizzy]

we still don't know what he got for his birthday :'( or for christmas :'( of LAST year.
do we know anything at all? i truly feel like i don't really Know them or their moves this year. who are these (pretty) people ? mmmmmmmphil's doing that thing again isn't he... making a repressive brand for himself that restricts him from revealing a lot. I mean i'm sure it's a smart thing to do when you're a free creator, to set boundaries for yourself and your online persona but this cheese/milk/ /blue/green (there are authentic sources but the way they're stretched thin) thing is so flimsy and is definitely not subtle and fun. Mr Amazing pls make note: you're coming off as slightly 2 dimensional / fake
meanwhile mr fire is 0 dimensional, in hiding but peeking through the interdimensional void, giving us very vague glimpses into what/who he is and is feeling rn. I'm Lost and I need to focus on anything but them. Old videos do help though so .. yay sanity?

sidenote these are so cute wtf

We know Dan got him the NASA shoes for his birthday, we know they went to Isle of Man for Phil's birthday, we know they visited friends in Manchester in January, we know a lot of the tv shows they've been binge watching (which was always a good quarter of the liveshows anyway, people asking and them talking so we're just getting a much abbreviated version), we know they've been playing a lot of Apex, we've gotten a few music recs from Dan (also a good chunk of Dan's liveshows), we know Phil went home for mother's day and so did Martyn but Dan and Cornelia didn't go with them, we know they went to Kyoto Garden with the merch crew recently, we know Phil is hyped for Stranger Things, Dan booked them tickets for Avengers, we know they're still having regular board game nights (at least two a month), we know that Phil now understands cardboard doesn't go in the oven, we know Dan's granddad is having a birthday party and Dan was home in March (which we already knew about because he told us in February that he would be visiting his family in about five weeks), we know they did something involving a storage unit that had at least one gaming room prop in it, we know Dan's really into Contrapoints and we also know he's really into RPDR/drag queens, we know Phil made it awake for the Oscars for the first time thus cruelly depriving us of a sleeping photo, we know Dan watches Bernie in the bath and most of us probably wish we didn't know that...

Basically my point is, I miss the fuck out of liveshows but you can't say we know nothing about their lives in 2019. We're just not getting the informal long form chats about stuff we want. I get how that makes it feel less three dimensional, especially with Dan, but even during hiatus we're still being kept appraised of probably the same stuff they'd be sharing in liveshows: movie and tv recs, major trips and family visits, video games they're playing, Dan's political opinions.

Also I really wanna know the rest of what he got for his birthday/Christmas, too.

[autumnhearth]

@anushwa I don’t disagree with your feelings of what Phil chooses to express about himself, but I do genuinely think that Dan has been struggling with who he is for at least the past year. I hope that cocoon is cozy. Looking forward to seeing what kind of butterfly he is.

Those are all very good things to remember @alittledizzy

Great questions @flarequake! I did the lame ‘where do you see yourself in 10 years?’

@Stakhanov I don’t think a window that we’ve never seen a close up of before is that big of a mystery, there’s plenty of things we haven’t seen up close, like their kitchen. Recent stories continue to show them in the same lounge. But of course I never see them moving apart.

@fancybum the OA is indeed mind blowing, though would they really say that much? #spoilers

[fancybum]

If we compare them as entertainers to a tv show we got used to watching regularly though, it’s more like we get the 20 second recaps every few weeks instead of 22 minute shows weekly. We know surface level things (they went there, they did this), but we don’t know any details anymore. They did things, but what did they think about them? It’s not nearly as satisfying (and that’s not a complaint since complaining is so taboo, it’s a statement).

@fancybum the OA is indeed mind blowing, though would they really say that much? #spoilers

Good point! But I’d really just be happy to hear some general raving about Marling and all the actors I really just miss the more casual (seeming) hanging out they (Dan) used to do.

[glitterintheair]

If we compare them as entertainers to a tv show we got used to watching regularly though, it’s more like we get the 20 second recaps every few weeks instead of 22 minute shows weekly. We know surface level things (they went there, they did this), but we don’t know any details anymore. They did things, but what did they think about them? It’s not nearly as satisfying (and that’s not a complaint since complaining is so taboo, it’s a statement).

I agree with this. Yeah, we know what they do on a surface level but it doesn't feel the same. Like, yes, they went up North for Phil's bday - but we don't really know what they did. Did something weird/fun/interesting happen? They watch their shows - but what do they think about them? And I miss the anecdotes that they would share during liveshows. The bow incident? The beetles in the bath incident? Dan making fun of Phil's accent when he said the word 'cookie'? Both of them explaining in detail the story behind Phil's birthday candle for Dan? The story of the drunk ladies in the elevator? Y'all, that was A+ content that we would have never gotten through a tweet or a video or a story on ig.

But whatever, I guess.

[alittledizzy]

If we compare them as entertainers to a tv show we got used to watching regularly though, it’s more like we get the 20 second recaps every few weeks instead of 22 minute shows weekly. We know surface level things (they went there, they did this), but we don’t know any details anymore. They did things, but what did they think about them? It’s not nearly as satisfying (and that’s not a complaint since complaining is so taboo, it’s a statement).

I agree with this. Yeah, we know what they do on a surface level but it doesn't feel the same. Like, yes, they went up North for Phil's bday - but we don't really know what they did. Did something weird/fun/interesting happen? They watch their shows - but what do they think about them? And I miss the anecdotes that they would share during liveshows. The bow incident? The beetles in the bath incident? Dan making fun of Phil's accent when he said the word 'cookie'? Both of them explaining in detail the story behind Phil's birthday candle for Dan? The story of the drunk ladies in the elevator? Y'all, that was A+ content that we would have never gotten through a tweet or a video or a story on ig.

But whatever, I guess.

I'm not arguing for the emotional satisfaction value of it, I was responding to the specific question/statement do we know anything at all? i truly feel like i don't really Know them or their moves this year by pointing out that, yeah, we do know some things and we know some of their moves this year. I don't think dramatizing the situation makes anyone feel better, no one is pretending that we're still getting liveshows or that instagram stories/tweets are just as good but they do still exist.

[anushwa]

@alittledizzy those are some really reassuring facts but I mean I wouldn't count them as the anecdotal references of them that I yearn for. I didn't know that I wanted ls but that does add up hm. Im just not fond of tweets to get this info, plus i just Meant it as a more or less casual viewer who relies on their yt main channel vids. (But i do see why what I said would come off like that, but I personally wouldn't see most these things as Knowing Someone) and I don't scorn them for it tbh.

@autumnhearth I think he did the right thing, there's logic in wanting to find out who you are/want to be without the influence of an invisible audience guiding your growth. I hope he's happy and found what he is looking for. Nice butterfly analogy.

(@Recent posts) yes!! That's what I meant. It's just... Nearly not as satisfying but I do see that we have been getting some amount of information from the tweets and such. It's just so dry for me I don't take it in as I would when they'd narrate it to us (it's just what we're used to I guess?) (um I'm sorry for not expressing what I meant well enough?) (I mostly meant it as a who are these people Ha ha ..)

[alittledizzy]

@alittledizzy those are some really reassuring facts but I mean I wouldn't count them as the anecdotal references of them that I yearn for. I didn't know that I wanted ls but that does add up hm. Im just not fond of tweets to get this info, plus i just Meant it as a more or less casual viewer who relies on their yt main channel vids. (But i do see why what I said would come off like that, but I personally wouldn't see most these things as Knowing Someone) and I don't scorn them for it tbh.

They're not anecdotes, you're right! But they are information on what Dan and Phil are doing in their lives, their ~moves. I just think a lot of people are catastrophizing lately and I don't think that helps the situation. I feel like I say this in every post and it gets ignored every time but I do understand wanting more, I feel the same way. But "they're not doing the thing I wish they'd do" isn't the same as "they're not telling us anything at all." I'm all about admitting that they're not doing the things I want them to be doing (joint content, liveshows, posting more domestic stuff on social media) and that I'm sad and frustrated over it. I want the full stories not the recaps, but pretending the 'recap' doesn't exist to make the situation sound more dire just makes everything feel more tense overall because people will read something and just absorb that into their subconscious and repeat it as truth or start to believe we've really gotten absolutely nothing and that feels like more of a reason to panic than just a pull back on what they share while knowing they're still volunteering some things.

[glitterintheair]

@alittledizzy no yeah I understand that, I was just trying to explain why people might be feeling like they don't know anything anymore even if that's not technically true.

[alittledizzy]

Is Dan changing stuff on his twitter? Did I catch him mid-transition or did he make his header just blank red?

[liola]

Is Dan changing stuff on his twitter? Did I catch him mid-transition or did he make his header just blank red?

I think it might be a glitch, when I load his account it shows a red cover for half a second then it shows the current one! I'm surprised he didn't choose any new header actually or even the profile pic!

[alittledizzy]

Is Dan changing stuff on his twitter? Did I catch him mid-transition or did he make his header just blank red?

I think it might be a glitch, when I load his account it shows a red cover for half a second then it shows the current one! I'm surprised he didn't choose any new header actually or even the profile pic!

I see the old one again now, so I think you might be right. I was confused because I kept thinking it was glitching but I'd refresh and it'd still be red. I even pulled it up in an incognito tab and just saw the red. But it's back to normal! Damnit, got excited for a second there.

[Ablissa]

Is Dan changing stuff on his twitter? Did I catch him mid-transition or did he make his header just blank red?

He still has his old 'the void' header for me.
Would be nice if he changed the pfp! Phil changed his recently to match the corgi header. I preferred his old profile pic, but any change is good tbh.

[Phantasy]

Probably a fruitless exercise to speculate (because I don’t even think he knows), but I wonder if Dan's return will correspond with any significant date or just be completely random? We already passed the anniversary of Living My Truth, but I wonder if he wants to coincide with some other date or anniversary... his birthday, Pride Month, International [blank] Day... anything else coming up that you think he’d target?

On the subject of Phil’s Q&A, instead of doing something basic, I think it would be fun to do an interview format and ask questions that way in a more conversational and less filtered manner. Because he’s as un-problematic as they come and D&P have such a long history with him my choice collab to film with is John Salomone—“Interview with My First Subscriber!” sounds very Phil-esque.

[autumnhearth]

Probably a fruitless exercise to speculate (because I don’t even think he knows), but I wonder if Dan's return will correspond with any significant date or just be completely random? We already passed the anniversary of Living My Truth, but I wonder if he wants to coincide with some other date or anniversary... his birthday, Pride Month, International [blank] Day... anything else coming up that you think he’d target?

On the subject of Phil’s Q&A, instead of doing something basic, I think it would be fun to do an interview format and ask questions that way in a more conversational and less filtered manner. Because he’s as un-problematic as they come and D&P have such a long history with him my choice collab to film with is John Salomone—“Interview with My First Subscriber!” sounds very Phil-esque.

Aww that sounds very sweet, a great video idea! It would be nice if there was something more to, or different about each Q&A, but I would wager he’s going to keep it as formulaic and solo as possible (some people might think including someone else would be like replacing Dan). However I would be delighted to be proved wrong.

No idea on the timing of Dan’s video, unless he was set on that June video. I’m not holding my breath.

[Amiaw]

I’m really bored - I hope Phil’s new video goes up soon because it’s been over 2 weeks and my crops are dying.

Dan also briefly came online today and started following another photographer and also one of miss benny’s Bff’s/cast mates on Instagram. I wonder if they all have a group chat and that’s how dan has gotten so close to that group

[Ablissa]

This hasn't been posted here yet so:

Personally it's a no from me. I'm a biiig fan of his current glasses and I think he looks amazing (teeheee) in them.

Btw, did you know that we're hosting a Mark of Oxin Phandom Watch this Sunday?
Yup! This Sunday, April 7th, at 1 PM, 7 PM and 10 PM UTC, we'll be watching the boys play the best game EVER.

More info here: tumblr | twitter

[autumnhearth]

I need to see some high quality edits (not just the quick Harry Potter ones) before I pass judgement. My husband had round glasses for about a year, I thought he looked quite distinguished, but it wasn’t until he went back to rectangles that I realized how much the round ones had visually aged him. Dunno if Phil has the face for it either. Maybe one day, after he’s hit 60.

[Stakhanov]

@autumnhearth True I've got no idea what the window means but I just wanted to ask the question really. As someone else said, people tend to censor themselves so much when asking Phil questions that we can end up in an endless loop where safe questions get asked and Phil might answer those thinking they are the ones people really care about. A Q&A is an interesting move and I hope people don't drown out the interesting questions with a ton of random/safe
ones just for that higher chance to get 'noticed by senpai'.

@anushwa Interesting reflection, I think you're right. I think Phil has always put a much stronger 'firewall' between his 'real' personality vs. how he presents himself online. That certainly restricts him. While it offers the benefit of being much less controversial, it's what makes him imo much more boring than Dan. Which I find a shame, because my suspicion is that Phil really is more like Dan in some ways that people think. I think that privately he makes the same kind of jokes as Dan that some people get offended at. He just doesn't share, which makes his character feel a bit flat after years and years of watching him. A sense of personal connection is a major appeal factor for me in watching any youtuber.

I also think that what @alittledizzy says is true, it's not like we know nothing of them and what we did the last couple of months but the difference is qualitative. Dan simply making a 5 sec insta story about a music rec isn't the same as hearing him talk about music in a liveshow. We might know some of the things they've done the last months, if we fill in the gaps ourselves and by following them intensely and piecing things together, but what we know is very much 'surface level' and I'd say that we know less of where they generally are as people than for a long long time.

[anushwa]

That certainly restricts him. While it offers the benefit of being much less controversial, it's what makes him imo much more boring than Dan.

my mans did not invent banana fortune telling for someone to call him boring >:(
I don't think it's a shame, it leaves space in his personality for us that we aren't allowed to encroach upon and that builds intrigue. I know Phil, we all do, after years of watching we know what he's like, his humour, his abilities, but the fact that there's a whole side of him that we don't necessarily get a glimpse of is Probably More Healthy than oversharing. dnp are similar, in many ways complement each other, balance each other, and they're great, but I'll always hold the opinion that the Phil's School of Persona Sharing was the better option. Then again there's a certain bond and fondness we have for dan and his trying ways (in both senses of the word, he really is trying his best and we love him for it) im going to log off now good bye i hope phil's video is not v repetitive. I should give him more credit, sure he's recycling houseplants as a topic, but he's also started bringing up dick a lot. for whatever reason

I'll just stare at his pretty forehead if the video's content is expected stuff. But I don't think it will be, they always somewhat manage to surprise and keep me happy. (when they're not rickrolling me)

[Stakhanov]

That certainly restricts him. While it offers the benefit of being much less controversial, it's what makes him imo much more boring than Dan.

my mans did not invent banana fortune telling for someone to call him boring >:(
I don't think it's a shame, it leaves space in his personality for us that we aren't allowed to encroach upon and that builds intrigue. I know Phil, we all do, after years of watching we know what he's like, his humour, his abilities, but the fact that there's a whole side of him that we don't necessarily get a glimpse of is Probably More Healthy than oversharing. dnp are similar, in many ways complement each other, balance each other, and they're great, but I'll always hold the opinion that the Phil's School of Persona Sharing was the better option. Then again there's a certain bond and fondness we have for dan and his trying ways (in both senses of the word, he really is trying his best and we love him for it) im going to log off now good bye i hope phil's video is not v repetitive. I should give him more credit, sure he's recycling houseplants as a topic, but he's also started bringing up dick a lot. for whatever reason

I'll just stare at his pretty forehead if the video's content is expected stuff. But I don't think it will be, they always somewhat manage to surprise and keep me happy. (when they're not rickrolling me)

Good luck with the exams! I'm paid by satan to frustrate and distract you sorry

Ok, boring is a harsh word and I generally enjoy Phil's content. He's earned his stripes as an entertainer. But I'm just being honest when I gotta say I feel he's way to boxed in and feels a bit like a flat character to me. I'm hoping the change he wants to bring includes an intent to share more of his genuine views too and not just to appear less 'on' ( he does seem to talk and act a bit more relaxed in the 2019 vids).

I agree that his school of persona sharing probably makes more sense from a personal perspective. I think it suits his personality more and is in line with his beliefs about what's proper to share with your audience. But to me, it doesn't build intrigue at all. It just reminds me that I'm watching a presenter. Somebody who's playing a role, sharing only the 'best polished' sides of himself. That's just a huge turn off to me as I'm very much a person who likes direct and honest contact. I generally go out of my way in social situations to break the molds and masks people put up and the main reason I even watch youtubers is exactly because vlogs aren't (or don't have to be) like the much more polished tv-formats I could watch instead. There's more of the person going into the work, and that's exactly why I prefer "Dan's content" (which currently sadly sounds like an oxymoron).

That's just how tastes differ, I guess. But I do strongly hope that when Dan returns, he keeps his more personal approach, even though it often just leads to more criticism leveraged at him. Otherwise, I'm probably just going to lose interest and quit the fandom community all together. I don't think i'm alone in this, I suspect there's a good chunk of people who wouldn't want Dan to become similar in style as Phil. Dan's tendency to share more and express himself just a bit more freely is also part of his (broader) general appeal and contributes to his popularity.

I'm optimistic we get the Q&A today. Ok, this weekend . I imagine the editing in a Q&A style video is rather light and while the selection of questions and prepping and filming of some answers probably requires at least a couple of takes (of some parts), I hope he did it all in one session and is virtually ready to press that upload button.

[Apple In My Pie]

Hello!
I’m new here. Very new. First post, just gotta jump right in
I’ve been on the d&p gg forum and the tattle forum but they’re pretty dead. I’m on twitter too but it’s nice to have somewhere where I can shout into the void without being shot down (too much!)

I really miss Dan at the moment. I feel as though I could go without Dan’s content for a little while longer but Phil's content - as much as I love Phil content and love Phil - sort of... grates on me, I guess? It just feels so... safe, as if Phil’s rebranded but not really changed very much and I don’t jump to watch his videos because they feel a bit... samey. I suppose it’s just because there’s not much in terms of content, like, when there was a contrast between Dan and his videos, the gaming channel banter, liveshow chilled vibes and Phil’s videos, there were times where I was feeling like, ‘oh, I’d love to watch a phil video now!’ or ‘oh, I kinda wanna lean toward Dan today’ - iyswim?!

I wish they at least breathed some life into DAPG. I mean, at this point I think it’s obvious that DAPG isn’t coming back but I miss seeing them both together/bouncing off one another.

Sorry, this was a self indulgent sobfest. I’ll roll away.

[noodlebum]

I still think DAPG will come back, or some kind of regular joint content anyway. I am optimistic joint content isn't a thing of the past, it's just waiting to happen once Dan's next video goes up (come on man! We'll be happy to watch anything at this rate )

[Stakhanov]

@Apple In My Pie Hi and welcome !
Yes, I feel the same way about Phil's recent vids even though I do my very best to enjoy them, I'm not feeling gripped. I am very curious about the Q&A though, it's essentially a format that's used by to communicate with big audiences so I suspect Phil wants to inform us at least a bit. I think it's plausible we get an update on the DAPG hiatus since it's been a good three months and clearly people are wondering about the future of joint content.
The mix of content certainly added to the strength and vibrancy of the community. I guess that might also explain why I barely read anything about the 9 months of DINOF hiatus and lack of solo liveshows while now there is all this anxiety after just a 100 or so days of DAPG hiatus.
From the very start 2018 was an awful year for content and the writing of the hiatus was on the wall for a long time imo. The world tour got people excited, but it sure lessened their output and for the vast majority of people who couldn't attend the show live or do a meet and greet, it meant less content.

@noodlebum I share your optimism, I think once Dan returns it's likely we'll also get some type of joint content. I'm less sure DAPG will be the format (hopefully we'll soon know more about that) but in the end, I think they both enjoy creating things together.

[madzilla84]

I’m surprised to hear anyone say 2018 was a bad year for content, as while there might have been less of it (because of the tour), I thought what we did get, across the board, was (mostly) fantastic. I loved pretty much all of the DAPG stuff (especially the stuff on tour), and there was a ton of joint stuff I loved too, especially GTPWTW on dinof (nearly a year old now, good grief) and of course the mukbang on AP. I really enjoyed the baking/pumpkins as well. As those were all on their own channels, I hadn’t anticipated the DAPG hiatus/end of pinof meaning the hiatus of all that joint stuff too; I think that’s what’s been the most jarring for me. I don’t necessarily expect an update on DAPG yet as they told us that was going on a break for an indeterminate amount of time, but I’d like to hear about everything else they used to do together and why it all stopped, even on Phil’s channel...