Dan & Phil Part 2: lol bye gg

[swofro]

Thank you Oqua for this I won't need to type D&P again

the forum after 4 months

This makes me

[DryCereal]

a bit off topic, but this video made me feel feelings for some reason and i want them to stop

ah, it wouldn't be a sentimental phanvid without using the instrumental version of 'the way', would it reminds me of this video:

EDIT: couldn't figure out how to get the video under a show button so i'll just leave the url

oh god how did you fuck that up so badly? i'm not going to bother to fix it lol

but yeah the filters in both of those videos give me a headache but im a sentimental person so i still watch some of them

edit: wtf is happening with this site's layout rn

I think the layout issues just have to do with broken code in posts, so as long as that doesn't get quoted with the broken code it should be fine.

IT WASN'T ME!!!! I WAS SLEEPIN'!!! PROMISE!!

[ironic]

Lol ugh.

I wonder if D+P partially did it to troll other youtubers too. Do you guys think they expected this to happen (the annoying trolling in the comment section of the most unrelated videos ever?)

Considering Dan cares so much about what people think of him, I'm kind of surprised he didn't think/doesn't care that his subscribers are annoying the rest of the youtube community (which includes people he looks up to).

Oh my god I'm laughing. We all know the phandom as an entity is annoying ( know it! everybody knows it!) But you know what else is annoying? Complaining about how annoying the phandom is. I think my last post on gg was wondering about how embarrassed tend to be by their fans and the comment spamming, but now I'm wondering if like it.
Having their fans spam other youtubers (and most of them have undoubtedly mocked the phandom because who hasn't tbh) is a stealth way to establish dominance.

"Yeah our fans are annoying, so what? Complain about it all you want but you'll never inspire such widespread cultish devotion."

Like they know it's annoying, but they also appreciate it and kind of wear it as a badge of honour (laughing about spamming Nick Jonas comes to mind; also apologizing for 'Don't cry, craft' in his meme video but still with a glimmer of pride? maybe?). Dan is a self-proclaimed cult leader after all and understands how his cult operates...
Therefore...

Dan & Phil are using the phandom to wee all over the fire hydrant that is YouTube.

Honestly I would love that to be true, I find youtubers complaining about the phandom much more annoying than almost everything the phandom does.
Like Grace reacting to that Phil-related comment in a recent video (I remember someone posted it on the previous forum)? So unnecessary, people leave random crap comments everywhere on the internet, *in Dan's voice* get over it. (Though I don't know, maybe it was supposed to be funny. Maybe I just lack a certain kind of sense of humour.) Or the shading in that radioshow by Hazel and Ben Cook? And that reassuring that they adore the phandom? You don't have to love the phandom, just stop shitting on it, at least publicly as it seems unproffesional. And everytime you acknowledge the phandom it just draws it to you again. Oh but maybe that's what they want (which makes it even shittier for me).
Just my personal opinion, though

[angrymob]

Honestly I would love that to be true, I find youtubers complaining about the phandom much more annoying than almost everything the phandom does.
Like Grace reacting to that Phil-related comment in a recent video (I remember someone posted it on the previous forum)? So unnecessary, people leave random crap comments everywhere on the internet, *in Dan's voice* get over it. (Though I don't know, maybe it was supposed to be funny. Maybe I just lack a certain kind of sense of humour.) Or the shading in that radioshow by Hazel and Ben Cook? And that reassuring that they adore the phandom? You don't have to love the phandom, just stop shitting on it, at least publicly as it seems unproffesional. And everytime you acknowledge the phandom it just draws it to you again. Oh but maybe that's what they want (which makes it even shittier for me).
Just my personal opinion, though

The obvious thought is that those other youtubers definietly know that they are inviting the phandom by mentioning them in anyway, and that's what they want. It's still attention whether it's negative or not. I also think that's why certain youtubers can't seem to stop making thinly veiled references to DP, and why you have so many youtubers that like to act like 'omg I don't get it, why they so popular? I must investigate, but will never truly understand so you'll all have to keep coming back to explain it to me'. I mean, I already talked about how much I hate youtubers who like to shade the low hanging fruit while pretending they so much better.

[akui]

a bit off topic, but this video made me feel feelings for some reason and i want them to stop

This video pops up in my youtube rec many times but i never clicked it, but damn, this video is so good.

It's "political propaganda pretend to be short documentary" good, it's "click to skip ad but there is an African girl with the most innocent eyes so i can't skip" good, it's "listen to Adele thinking about boyfriend i don't even have" good, it's saying things without saying it, making a point without making a point, it's grand yet personal, it's about just d&p but it's also about all of us.



BTW youtube up next of this video is ‘gay couple find out they are brothers'.

[fancybum]

Honestly I would love that to be true, I find youtubers complaining about the phandom much more annoying than almost everything the phandom does.
Like Grace reacting to that Phil-related comment in a recent video (I remember someone posted it on the previous forum)? So unnecessary, people leave random crap comments everywhere on the internet, *in Dan's voice* get over it. (Though I don't know, maybe it was supposed to be funny. Maybe I just lack a certain kind of sense of humour.) Or the shading in that radioshow by Hazel and Ben Cook? And that reassuring that they adore the phandom? You don't have to love the phandom, just stop shitting on it, at least publicly as it seems unproffesional. And everytime you acknowledge the phandom it just draws it to you again. Oh but maybe that's what they want (which makes it even shittier for me).
Just my personal opinion, though

(edit: and angrymob)
They want it both ways: they want the phandom views (felucca has a vid of Ben Penis admitting as much), but also want to seem somehow above the people those views are coming from. Like Ben picking fights with them on Twitter or just these snide comments here and there from others (like on the radio show), I think it bugs me more so because it often seems to be coming from gross assumptions that it's all tween fangirls and that that alone deserves eye-rolling. Which is kind of difficult to get too annoyed by because hey, that assumption isn't entirely false... I'm mangling this, but basically I just really appreciate Dan (and Phil, but Dan's been more vocal surprise surprise) respecting his audience, age/gender/whatever as actual people. Which... doesn't really have anything to do with comment-spamming and admittedly cringe behaviour so I don't even know what I'm saying. K I'm going to bed.

Oh and re: Grace. I really liked her video (literally #relatable pour moi); it wasn't really supposed to be funny, just being very honest about a shitty day. Even on a good day an influx of annoying phan comments are probably grating but when you're already on edge, it must be really frustrating to scroll through stuff like that to see your own work/effort completely ignored. So I do get it in that context.

[mamaphan]

It's mid workday for me so this will not actually be an essay, but the bullet points of it: I think Phil is really good at analyzing situations and has a pretty keen business oriented mind, which means at some point fairly early on in his and Dan's rise he was clever enough to note what was making other youtubers popular and realize that his sense of humor fit into much more of a niche than a mainstream appeal. But I think he also realized that collaborations with Dan did have that mainstream appeal, because Dan - for all that he was drawn to Phil's weirdness - is just not weird in the same way and he tempers that in Phil.

So Phil seems to have taken the things that fans responsed to most when he was with Dan and rebranded (*heh crafts) AmazingPhil with that in mind, years and years ago. People respond to quirky-sidekick, they respond to his optimism in the face of Dan's existential crisis persona. Phil is the guy who reads Stephen King and horror movies, who made dark/psychotic horror videos for fun, who won a game of Cards Against Humanity against a room full of youtubers - I think his non-persona humor is a lot more close to Dan's persona-humor and it would be a really weird balance for them to be too similar on camera. I think people be unsettled by too much of that. Right now the gaming videos are sort of a halfway limbo point but it only works when Dan meets him halfway by being less dinof, too. People don't like it when things stay the same for too long, but they're also terrified of too much change.

And as for as AmazingPhil solo: I think he just knows that he can't be more of himself on camera and retain the audience, and I think he's right. I think the real Phil would be too random, too odd, too weird in a not polished way that people would expect from him. He's not quite good enough to be famous for being offbeat but he's too offbeat to be mainstream while still acting himself. People want him to be sunshine and sweetness with an occasional innuendo, they just want to believe more that it's real. I don't think he will outright rebrand unless he leaves youtube, I just think he'll (eventually) tone down the parts of the AP schtick that seem too obvious and hope people are happy with that.

Also I was going to talk about this but then I never really got around to that point and I need to get back to work, but I love it so I'm sticking it here anyway.

When I decided to be a responsible employee for a change, this happens. 10 pages!

I'll put in spoiler to shorten my post. I agree with alittledizzy's psychonalysis. I'll really sound like an otaku but Phil really reminds me of Kyoya from Ouran Host Club. Kyoya chose to be a sidekick of Tamaki (the handsome, intelligent, beloved host lalala) and the "least achieving" son not because he have NO self-confidence or he is a martyr. It's because he was intelligent enough to understand the situation. He knows he'll lose if he competes with them on the same category. I think he knows he'll not be relevant if continues his weird humor forever. Thus, just like Kyoya, he showed this "sunshine" personality which people really love in contrast to Dan's persona (am I allowed to say that?). He was business minded and cunning. He might not have the spotlight but he was definitely have a say on everything on the sidelines. He's winning afterall, 10yrs of YT and still relevant. My headcanon is that Phil is the genius mastermind behind D&P.

Sorry if I am not making sense or overreading. It was fun psychoanalyzing Phil coz we rarely do that coz really don't have much to work with.

I loved this and agree totally. I have not posted in a forum in so long it is hard to even try to get my groove back. Not that I had much of a groove to begin with
I think that at least Dan while he is horrified of the Phandom he loves it just as much. So all the people writing ProTip and Dont Cry Craft he gets a kick out of it.

[jhamba]

Lol ugh.

I wonder if D+P partially did it to troll other youtubers too. Do you guys think they expected this to happen (the annoying trolling in the comment section of the most unrelated videos ever?)

Considering Dan cares so much about what people think of him, I'm kind of surprised he didn't think/doesn't care that his subscribers are annoying the rest of the youtube community (which includes people he looks up to).

Oh my god I'm laughing. We all know the phandom as an entity is annoying ( know it! everybody knows it!) But you know what else is annoying? Complaining about how annoying the phandom is. I think my last post on gg was wondering about how embarrassed tend to be by their fans and the comment spamming, but now I'm wondering if like it.
Having their fans spam other youtubers (and most of them have undoubtedly mocked the phandom because who hasn't tbh) is a stealth way to establish dominance.

"Yeah our fans are annoying, so what? Complain about it all you want but you'll never inspire such widespread cultish devotion."

Like they know it's annoying, but they also appreciate it and kind of wear it as a badge of honour (laughing about spamming Nick Jonas comes to mind; also apologizing for 'Don't cry, craft' in his meme video but still with a glimmer of pride? maybe?). Dan is a self-proclaimed cult leader after all and understands how his cult operates...
Therefore...

Dan & Phil are using the phandom to wee all over the fire hydrant that is YouTube.

Honestly I would love that to be true, I find youtubers complaining about the phandom much more annoying than almost everything the phandom does.
Like Grace reacting to that Phil-related comment in a recent video (I remember someone posted it on the previous forum)? So unnecessary, people leave random crap comments everywhere on the internet, *in Dan's voice* get over it. (Though I don't know, maybe it was supposed to be funny. Maybe I just lack a certain kind of sense of humour.) Or the shading in that radioshow by Hazel and Ben Cook? And that reassuring that they adore the phandom? You don't have to love the phandom, just stop shitting on it, at least publicly as it seems unproffesional. And everytime you acknowledge the phandom it just draws it to you again. Oh but maybe that's what they want (which makes it even shittier for me).
Just my personal opinion, though

Yes, same. It feels so icky to me, because these are famous people in positions of power making fun of young teenage girls? I mean, I get really mad at the way people look down on teenage girls, and it pisses me off, because these youtubers are doing exactly the same thing.

And, as fancybum says, they are also trying to get the phandom views, while trying to look like they're better than Dan and Phil, and the phandom. It pisses me off, tbh.

Also, I kind of love the phandom. Even some of the really cringe things. I think it's a fascinating and formidable group, and I love it. The terrible running jokes almost make it better to me, because other people get so mad at it.

The only thing I don't like is the policing, which I think is Dan and Phil's fault anyway, so I'm not blaming them that much for it.

[angrymob]

I finally watched the first DPCrafts video and it seemed so much more natural and believable, definitely not as uncomfortable to watch as the second one, but not quite as funny (in my opinion).

As for the mention that they seem angry, I personally didn't mean that they were actually angry, but that were channeling that 'I'm actually a psycho but pretending to be an upbeat and happy person' vibe that is super creepy. I think that particular aspect is what is setting me off with this, because I definitely used to enjoy Phil's older stuff where he acted weird.

[jhamba]

I finally watched the first DPCrafts video and it seemed so much more natural and believable, definitely not as uncomfortable to watch as the second one, but not quite as funny (in my opinion).

As for the mention that they seem angry, I personally didn't mean that they were actually angry, but that were channeling that 'I'm actually a psycho but pretending to be an upbeat and happy person' vibe that is super creepy. I think that particular aspect is what is setting me off with this, because I definitely used to enjoy Phil's older stuff where he acted weird.

I was just telling some people about how I wanted a phanfic of demon dan and demon phil who are trying to get popular using DAPC, but don't entirely understand human behaviour.

[angrymob]

I finally watched the first DPCrafts video and it seemed so much more natural and believable, definitely not as uncomfortable to watch as the second one, but not quite as funny (in my opinion).

As for the mention that they seem angry, I personally didn't mean that they were actually angry, but that were channeling that 'I'm actually a psycho but pretending to be an upbeat and happy person' vibe that is super creepy. I think that particular aspect is what is setting me off with this, because I definitely used to enjoy Phil's older stuff where he acted weird.

I was just telling some people about how I wanted a phanfic of demon dan and demon phil who are trying to get popular using DAPC, but don't entirely understand human behaviour.

K, I didn't know how much I needed that fic until now.

[ironic]

Oh and re: Grace. I really liked her video (literally #relatable pour moi); it wasn't really supposed to be funny, just being very honest about a shitty day. Even on a good day an influx of annoying phan comments are probably grating but when you're already on edge, it must be really frustrating to scroll through stuff like that to see your own work/effort completely ignored. So I do get it in that context.

Okay that makes sense, I'll admit I haven't watched her whole video, that one moment put me off. Still I don't think it's cool (because if someone overreacted like this to a silly comment of mine I would really hate myself and it would haunt me for 7 years, especially if I was a teenager) but I can understand.

And everything that jhamba said

[kuensukki]

I'm going to throw out a new topic out there because D&P released a video so we won't get another one for ages so let's entertain ourselves. I always wonder what made Dan attracted to the initial AP persona and what made him stay after he found out the weird dark guy in his videos weren't actually him. Meeting and adoring a fan from afar is completely different from committing to them in real life which is what he did. What made them keep this friendship/relationship alive under the intense scrutiny and what made them each others sole comfort. I mean its safe to assume that they are probably the most important people in each other life so why did that come about? What did Dan see in Phil and what did Phil see in Dan that made them not really seek any other- be it business wise or relationship/friendship wise?

Here's my take on it. I think when Dan thirsted after Phil, it was just admiration for someone who was popular. Someone who was doing something they liked and being good at it. He probably appreciated the confidence AP exuded and the strangeness of him.

Now Dan's attraction (to friendship if you guys swing that way) is a little hard to decipher. I think in the beginning it was respect and awe. We see the fangirl comments he used to make on Phils videos. But the fact that he still holds that deep admiration even though he's established himself says this respect extended to something ore substantial. He's essentially the self proclaimed Phil Trash#1. Yes we see the flirting and everything but even more, the fact that he went out of his way for Phil and never questioned for a second whether he would move in with him speaks volumes to me. He really must have found something he loved and that above all made him stick along and put just as much into the relationship.

Phil on the other hand was probably attracted to Dan initially because of all the pictures and steamy skype sessions but everyone was flirty and promiscuous so what made Dan catch and hold Phil attention? I think he found someone genuine in Dan. Someone who would laugh at his jokes, share his interests, and is genuinely funny. Watch the first PINOF vids and Phil is holding back laughter form Dan's jokes. He was lonely and Dan helped ease that alot. I think he enjoyed that Dan turned to him for advice and gave him so much respect. He may have wanted to encourage Dan and give him confidence in his abilities because he saw something special that Dan himself still couldn't see. (if this is too fanfictiony sorry )


Their whole relationship fascinates me because at the end of the day they were two strangers online that found each other and formed this special bond (cough..destiny..cough). I see them as soulmates- whether they are endgame or not. At the end of the day we can psychoanalyze the hell out of them but they will be the only people that know each other though and though. And the fact that they seem to appreciate every quality of each other with fondness and endearment makes me happy.

OKAY THIS WAS A TRASH POST, ITS FLUFFY TO NO END

[mamaphan]

I posted this on my tumblr cause I believe that the pentacle gets a bad reputation and I know it was just a joke and i get what they were going for I just want to inform people about what the Pentacle means to me and many other people.
The Pentagram is a symbol of a star encased in a circle. Always with 5 points and each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. All these things contribute to life and are a part of each of us. The pentacle is not an evil symbol. Some people think it means devil worshiping and bad things like that but that is not the case.

[mamaphan]

I'm going to throw out a new topic out there because D&P released a video so we won't get another one for ages so let's entertain ourselves. I always wonder what made Dan attracted to the initial AP persona and what made him stay after he found out the weird dark guy in his videos weren't actually him. Meeting and adoring a fan from afar is completely different from committing to them in real life which is what he did. What made them keep this friendship/relationship alive under the intense scrutiny and what made them each others sole comfort. I mean its safe to assume that they are probably the most important people in each other life so why did that come about? What did Dan see in Phil and what did Phil see in Dan that made them not really seek any other- be it business wise or relationship/friendship wise?

Here's my take on it. I think when Dan thirsted after Phil, it was just admiration for someone who was popular. Someone who was doing something they liked and being good at it. He probably appreciated the confidence AP exuded and the strangeness of him.

Now Dan's attraction (to friendship if you guys swing that way) is a little hard to decipher. I think in the beginning it was respect and awe. We see the fangirl comments he used to make on Phils videos. But the fact that he still holds that deep admiration even though he's established himself says this respect extended to something ore substantial. He's essentially the self proclaimed Phil Trash#1. Yes we see the flirting and everything but even more, the fact that he went out of his way for Phil and never questioned for a second whether he would move in with him speaks volumes to me. He really must have found something he loved and that above all made him stick along and put just as much into the relationship.

Phil on the other hand was probably attracted to Dan initially because of all the pictures and steamy skype sessions but everyone was flirty and promiscuous so what made Dan catch and hold Phil attention? I think he found someone genuine in Dan. Someone who would laugh at his jokes, share his interests, and is genuinely funny. Watch the first PINOF vids and Phil is holding back laughter form Dan's jokes. He was lonely and Dan helped ease that alot. I think he enjoyed that Dan turned to him for advice and gave him so much respect. He may have wanted to encourage Dan and give him confidence in his abilities because he saw something special that Dan himself still couldn't see. (if this is too fanfictiony sorry )


Their whole relationship fascinates me because at the end of the day they were two strangers online that found each other and formed this special bond (cough..destiny..cough). I see them as soulmates- whether they are endgame or not. At the end of the day we can psychoanalyze the hell out of them but they will be the only people that know each other though and though. And the fact that they seem to appreciate every quality of each other with fondness and endearment makes me happy.

OKAY THIS WAS A TRASH POST, ITS FLUFFY TO NO END

I love this

[jhamba]

I posted this on my tumblr cause I believe that the pentacle gets a bad reputation and I know it was just a joke and i get what they were going for I just want to inform people about what the Pentacle means to me and many other people.
The Pentagram is a symbol of a star encased in a circle. Always with 5 points and each has its own meaning. The upward point of the star is representative of the spirit. The other four points all represent an element; earth, air, fire, and water. All these things contribute to life and are a part of each of us. The pentacle is not an evil symbol. Some people think it means devil worshiping and bad things like that but that is not the case.

yeah, but Dan made one where the top has two points and the bottom has just one, compared to your image, which has one point at the top, and two points at the bottom. The second one is the one associated with satanism (no, really, satanists are a thing, and the have literally copyrighted the goat inside the two pronged pentacle).

(don't listen to me, I'm just being a contrarian little shit, mama_phan's post was important)

[Kathrynxjane]

Should stop going to sleep as I miss out on 5 pages! Loving the new emojis btw

It's started.



^ The two top comments. On a completely unrelated video (this one).

Ugh they are everywhere. On every single video (of the bigger yters) that I watched last night, All I saw in the comments was "protip"

To me it is quite annoying but I dread to think what it is like to be the Youtuber getting these comments. Mark released three hilarious April Fools day videos yesterday but the comments were just full of Protip (which is better than Don't cry, craft)

knew what happened last year with the AF video and comments so they knew it was going to happen again. Dan might have done it one purpose to all the yters that use as clickbait.

I wonder if Phil will talk about it in his LS tomorrow. Would be good to hear the thoughts behind it again..

[trashqueen]

I'm going to throw out a new topic out there because D&P released a video so we won't get another one for ages so let's entertain ourselves. I always wonder what made Dan attracted to the initial AP persona and what made him stay after he found out the weird dark guy in his videos weren't actually him. Meeting and adoring a fan from afar is completely different from committing to them in real life which is what he did. What made them keep this friendship/relationship alive under the intense scrutiny and what made them each others sole comfort. I mean its safe to assume that they are probably the most important people in each other life so why did that come about? What did Dan see in Phil and what did Phil see in Dan that made them not really seek any other- be it business wise or relationship/friendship wise?

Here's my take on it. I think when Dan thirsted after Phil, it was just admiration for someone who was popular. Someone who was doing something they liked and being good at it. He probably appreciated the confidence AP exuded and the strangeness of him.

Now Dan's attraction (to friendship if you guys swing that way) is a little hard to decipher. I think in the beginning it was respect and awe. We see the fangirl comments he used to make on Phils videos. But the fact that he still holds that deep admiration even though he's established himself says this respect extended to something ore substantial. He's essentially the self proclaimed Phil Trash#1. Yes we see the flirting and everything but even more, the fact that he went out of his way for Phil and never questioned for a second whether he would move in with him speaks volumes to me. He really must have found something he loved and that above all made him stick along and put just as much into the relationship.

Phil on the other hand was probably attracted to Dan initially because of all the pictures and steamy skype sessions but everyone was flirty and promiscuous so what made Dan catch and hold Phil attention? I think he found someone genuine in Dan. Someone who would laugh at his jokes, share his interests, and is genuinely funny. Watch the first PINOF vids and Phil is holding back laughter form Dan's jokes. He was lonely and Dan helped ease that alot. I think he enjoyed that Dan turned to him for advice and gave him so much respect. He may have wanted to encourage Dan and give him confidence in his abilities because he saw something special that Dan himself still couldn't see. (if this is too fanfictiony sorry )


Their whole relationship fascinates me because at the end of the day they were two strangers online that found each other and formed this special bond (cough..destiny..cough). I see them as soulmates- whether they are endgame or not. At the end of the day we can psychoanalyze the hell out of them but they will be the only people that know each other though and though. And the fact that they seem to appreciate every quality of each other with fondness and endearment makes me happy.

OKAY THIS WAS A TRASH POST, ITS FLUFFY TO NO END

the parts i bolded:

honestly in the very unlikely (imo!!) case that they aren't and had never been anything but platonic i'm still incredibly jealous of their relationship, i hope they are aware that most people go through their whole lives without something like what they (seem to?) have

i agree with your interpretation, i think the fact that they had interests in common, like muse, since that's dan's go to example, probably played a big part on their relationship going somewhere giving them something to talk about, and dan being pretty insistent on getting phil's attention probably helped too

phil probably talked/flirted with a lot of people, he was(/is?) a flirty person and was famous enough to get people trying to get his attention but still approachable and not a full on celebrity, he must have had a real connection to dan for their relationship to go somewhere

also, 5 hour long skype calls, wtf, what did they even talk about for so long, jesus christ

now, completely off topic but i was bored and decided to watch free! to try to understand a little bit better dan and phil's obsession with it, i've watched one episode so far and what i have to say is:

oh. my. god. i knew it had queer subtext, i mean you can tell that by looking at the promo pictures, but i wasn't expecting it to be this fanservice-y (it looks like it's 20% plot, 80% cute fluff gay fanservice)

i know i've just watched one episode but judging by it it's as close to yaoi/shounen-ai as it can get without literally being in that category

even the character design reminds me of junjou romantica (aka most well known gay anime ever)

the fact that d&p actually liked this says A LOT imo, and now i wonder if they have ever watched a yaoi anime, not that they will ever tell us

aaaaaaaaaand now i'm gonna go watch the rest of free! because i'm the mood for cutesy gay anime

[angrymob]

I'm going to throw out a new topic out there because D&P released a video so we won't get another one for ages so let's entertain ourselves. I always wonder what made Dan attracted to the initial AP persona and what made him stay after he found out the weird dark guy in his videos weren't actually him. Meeting and adoring a fan from afar is completely different from committing to them in real life which is what he did. What made them keep this friendship/relationship alive under the intense scrutiny and what made them each others sole comfort. I mean its safe to assume that they are probably the most important people in each other life so why did that come about? What did Dan see in Phil and what did Phil see in Dan that made them not really seek any other- be it business wise or relationship/friendship wise?

This is something I wonder too, and constantly try to wrack my brain about because I'm about the same age as Dan and started following Phil and other youtubers around the same time Dan would have. I can no longer clearly remember what the dynamic was between viewers and youtubers, but I do know that I never would have done anything like Dan did, though I think it would have been possible (there's a big difference between 30 000 subscribers and 3 mil). I'm wondering whether his attention was solely focused on Phil, since we know he idolized otehr youtubers that he eventually became friends with (Paperlilies for example), or if we just have the most current documentation of his stalking interest because of his current relationship with Phil.

Here's my take on it. I think when Dan thirsted after Phil, it was just admiration for someone who was popular. Someone who was doing something they liked and being good at it. He probably appreciated the confidence AP exuded and the strangeness of him.

Now Dan's attraction (to friendship if you guys swing that way) is a little hard to decipher. I think in the beginning it was respect and awe. We see the fangirl comments he used to make on Phils videos. But the fact that he still holds that deep admiration even though he's established himself says this respect extended to something ore substantial. He's essentially the self proclaimed Phil Trash#1. Yes we see the flirting and everything but even more, the fact that he went out of his way for Phil and never questioned for a second whether he would move in with him speaks volumes to me. He really must have found something he loved and that above all made him stick along and put just as much into the relationship.

Phil was likeable, but I think Dan also found someone with a lot of similar interests, which gave him something to comment on and devote a lot of his attention too, moreso than other youtubers he may have followed. Phil was also in the same country, so he maybe seemed a bit more accessible. I know I gravitated towards youtubers at the time that were from my country and my favourite was from my own smallish hometown (Youtubers were definitely more like surrogate friends than entertainers back then, so it was probably very similar to just meeting someone that you had a lot in common with). We know Dan stanned over Smosh, but did he ever try to contact them the same way he did Phil or were they just too inaccesible? Of course, if there was actually more to it than just friendship, than I'm sure other factors applied.

As for Phil, I'd think it was maybe just the same, seeing someone that had many the same interests as you and constantly seeing them commenting would breed familiarity. Again, I don't think many youtubers at the time had the same feeling of division between them and their viewers. I remember Phil at that time still being shocked that people were sending him stuff and mentioning the people who sent him stuff by name and often checking out their channels.

Their whole relationship fascinates me because at the end of the day they were two strangers online that found each other and formed this special bond (cough..destiny..cough). I see them as soulmates- whether they are endgame or not. At the end of the day we can psychoanalyze the hell out of them but they will be the only people that know each other though and though. And the fact that they seem to appreciate every quality of each other with fondness and endearment makes me happy.

I think they lucked out with happening to have very similar interests, Dan finding Phil at the right time, and being in the same general location, and I am very jealous. Goddamn them!

Great topic! So much to say.

[spider]

I think they lucked out with happening to have very similar interests, Dan finding Phil at the right time, and being in the same general location, and I am very jealous. Goddamn them!

Great topic! So much to say.

Bolded part is important. Dan meeting Phil at a time when they were both interested in a serious relationship and Dan was able to visit often was important in building a strong foundation for their relationship. Been lurking over in IDB's Tronnor & Troyler thread and it looks like those are the flaws that ended Connor Franta and Troye Sivan's relationship. might not have lasted if Dan had been in Troye's position not being able to spend time with his man and wanting to play the field. There's at least a little fate bringing these two together.

[Cora]

yeah, but Dan made one where the top has two points and the bottom has just one, compared to your image, which has one point at the top, and two points at the bottom. The second one is the one associated with satanism (no, really, satanists are a thing, and the have literally copyrighted the goat inside the two pronged pentacle).

(don't listen to me, I'm just being a contrarian little shit, mama_phan's post was important)

[offtopic]Seriously, off topic...

While not religious at all, Satanism is defintely the sect I identify with the most closely (mostly because Satanism is barely a "religion", more of a philosophy.) Satanism's entire basic idea is "Look out for #1, but don't be a dick about it, and don't cause harm to others that don't deserve it."

[/offtopic]

[akui]

I personally have close friends that started up as internet friends, some are quite the web celeb, some are not, so i don't find Deppy's relationship mysterious at all? (And i didn't work for it, unlike Dan, i'm too snobby haha)

I think first of all back in 2009, AP is more close to who Phil really is, and Dan has been stanning Phil for long enough to get the general idea of how Phil's like. And then he fond a way to become Phil's internet friends. I think at this step, before they met, they've must had a lot of chatting to really get to know each other more, in a more personal level. By then they must've know each other pretty well already, so with or without meeting in person, they've already bonded.

BTW I some how can't shake the feeling that they are fuck buddy turned into real couple. For Dan it was probably a bit more serious, for Phil it was probably more casual, but I don't think neither of them wanted a long term relationship when they first met. (Assume they are in a relationship now)

[spider]

BTW I some how can't shake the feeling that they are fuck buddy turned into real couple. For Dan it was probably a bit more serious, for Phil it was probably more casual, but I don't think neither of them wanted a long term relationship when they first met. (Assume they are in a relationship now)

If Voldy is used as a reference for their relationship timeline the fuck buddy status didn't last long if at all.

When Dan kissed Phil the first day they met Phil hoped Dan 'likes me too' and Phil's heart did a 'flippy over thing and it'd never done that before'. It doesn't sound like lust but more romantic feelings.

The week they spent together at Phil's house was when Phil 'properly fell in love' with Dan. The week was the beginning of December which was less than 1.5 months after they met.

The vday video was made less than 4 months after they met.

Not to mention the 'hundreds of hours of Skype calls' don't sound like something fuck buddies would do but it's more subjective.

If anyone was being more casual it would have been Dan since he recently got out of a serious long relationship but it doesn't sound like it either.

[alex]

yeah, but Dan made one where the top has two points and the bottom has just one, compared to your image, which has one point at the top, and two points at the bottom. The second one is the one associated with satanism (no, really, satanists are a thing, and the have literally copyrighted the goat inside the two pronged pentacle).

(don't listen to me, I'm just being a contrarian little shit, mama_phan's post was important)

Jhambs, you're right that there's a difference in meaning, but I can tell you from experience that many people don't realise this, so there's no harm in making people aware of that. I've seen lots of people (like myself, years ago) being called satanists for wearing a (regular, non-inverted) pentagram. Dan can't be called out because he used the 'right' kind, but some young people are going to see that video, see someone wear a pentagram the next day at school and not realise that there's a difference. So I think Mama just informing people isn't a bad idea

[mermaid blood]

i think what bothers me about the phandom mythology, narrative, whatever (not applying it necessarily to this community, just in general) is that when the question is raised, the majority of thinking is: Dan was initially and continues to be drawn to Phil's quirkiness, creativity, perhaps his age/stability, dark humour, they had pop culture interests in common, the youtube community of course, and probably his sweetness and the way he talked about family, friends - Dan himself after a while, perhaps. and Dan gets: well Phil was lonely, and Dan was hot and loyal. lol. so depressing.

I agree with kuensukki that Dan could make Phil laugh and he found that appealing; but aside from that it's interesting that Dan's qualities, especially at 18, are not as easy to list off (even for myself). not that they are absent, just a bit harder to define. i suspect Dan could have quite the brave streak, and that is something I could see Phil admiring in him, a lot. but it is melancholy that I don't find it easier to give examples of this.