Dan & Phil Part 2: lol bye gg

[boredtears]

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.

I guess the qualities that a lot of us covet in 2016 Dan weren't really evident in their 2009 interactions, but I would hazard a guess that they probably bled through during all those hours on Skype? But that still leaves the enduring mystery of why Phil decided to reach out to Dan, after his endless , in the first place - probably out of thirst (I'm awful) or to reward him all the nice comments?

So many events we can never 100% explain

[angrymob]

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.

I think the mentioned qualities are often exagerrated a bit on Phil's end and Dan's are often minimized, but we do know that they seem to enjoy each other's company easily and share most of their interests (except Kayne West, of course). That's usually enough to peak most people's interest in getting to know a person, so it could have just been that they clicked and it was easy to go from there. I still question whether Dan really put that much more effort into contacting Phil than he did other youtubers. Phil may have been the one who was easiest to start and continue a conversation with (I mean, if they can talk on skype for 5 hours, pfft) and who returned that attention the most.

I also suspect that most of the qualities you mentioned in bold can also apply to Dan, especially if he was attracted to those qualities in Phil, than it's obviously things he'd find important and that would probably reflect in his own personality. He's definitely creative, has a dark humour streak himself, and seems to be a pretty sentimental person.

[mermaid blood]

angrymob, I agree. that is maybe another thing the Dinof persona has affected - despite common qualities, Phil has always come across as quite a 'catch' (where is my Phil? a common phandom utterance), but Dan suffers from self-deprecators syndrome. the fact that 'hugs' listed in his Tabinof A-Z garnered surprised comments is testament.

I think a major quality Dan has that Phil doesn't (aside from the obvious ones - overthinker, possible depressive/anxious tendencies, easily awed), is one that could be a turn-off for some but appealing to others - innate willingness to be vulnerable. this is the root of the relatability shtick to me, and often gets conflated with sensitivity. Phil is very sensitive (I'd say in some respects, even moreso than Dan), but it isn't coupled with that quality. it's a curious one to possess, because it could lead to bravery and possibly extraordinary acts in some people under the right circumstances. but in others, it can lead to martyrdom and victimisation.

[akui]

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.

What i meant was when they met they intended to just have a more casual hook up but somehow turned out they had a "heart flipping over" thing and turned into a real relationship. By "Dan was more serious" i meant Dan actively wooing Phil in hope for become friends irl or maybe lover if lucky.

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.

I think the mentioned qualities are often exagerrated a bit on Phil's end and Dan's are often minimized, but we do know that they seem to enjoy each other's company easily and share most of their interests (except Kayne West, of course). That's usually enough to peak most people's interest in getting to know a person, so it could have just been that they clicked and it was easy to go from there. I still question whether Dan really put that much more effort into contacting Phil than he did other youtubers. Phil may have been the one who was easiest to start and continue a conversation with (I mean, if they can talk on skype for 5 hours, pfft) and who returned that attention the most.

I also suspect that most of the qualities you mentioned in bold can also apply to Dan, especially if he was attracted to those qualities in Phil, than it's obviously things he'd find important and that would probably reflect in his own personality. He's definitely creative, has a dark humour streak himself, and seems to be a pretty sentimental person.

I don't know how relationship works first of all, so just bare with me if I'm talking nonsense. I think back then first and foremost they're must drawn to each other physically, they both good looking young men, so it's easier for Dan to catch Phil's attention, especially if he flash him a nakedbooth or two cough cough. And then they have basically the same interests, it's easier for them to have a long conversation about, say, a band, meanwhile knowing more about each other. (Nowadays when Dan goes on passionately ranting about something Phil pretends to be deaf. All good. ) I think they just clicked without thinking too much about "what's so good about him".

I don't know if Dan did what he did to Phil to other youtubers, but when i was watching Kalel's vlog, it's kindda obvious to that Dan did try to impress Anthony senpai.

[mermaid blood]

idk, i think my idea of being 'in love' is more idealistic. you can be attracted to people and it doesn't go further than sex, you can share every interest and it doesn't shift from best friend. so is love more than just wanting to fuck your best friend occasionally?

now we're getting too deep. lol

[jaej]

i don't really know where this went but read if you like

i think it gets simplified a lot into 'weird flirty Internet famous man for some reason gives chance to cute depressed teenage boy obsessed with him', but honestly it makes sense that they would initially start talking. as much as its talked about how dan constantly replying, he wasn't crazy - he wasn't like accounts now that tweet 20 replies per tweet, so he caught phil's attention while coming off mature (there weren't a lot of intense fans like now, but they did exist and dan would not get attention if he blended in with them). his age and location helped due to the way youtube was at the time. it was already changing a bit in 2009, but if you made one video and tried talking to other creators, you were already a youtuber. automatically dan was someone phil could almost be peers with, since phil already had friends who were 16-19 with about 10k subs. for the locations, they met way more often than plenty of ldr couples, it probably sucked but they had a direct link, which is reassuring if you're considering developing into a relationship. as well as that, dan moving to Manchester mid 2010 would have been considered by the end of 2009, given how early he would have sent his application away
dan made it clear off the bat that he had a lot of similar interests to phil, which definitely helped. they do have similar personalities, and seemed to differ in a way that complimented each other (dans slight vulnerability/phils appearance as someone more dependable) and apparently found each other physically attractive. their sense of humour was similar back then (ie similarly in appropriate jokes found in 2009) and dan starting youtube was easily another point of discussion they could talk about and benefit from.
honestly, i think there was definitely more than a friend/fuck buddy want from phil, but i trust in the v day video and don't think he expected much. self deprication, maybe? his flirtiness was discussed, but he still seemed quite shy at anything other than very blunt flirting, which i thought was just overcompensation for his lack of confidence in actual flirting or relationships. dan was clearly smitten, and his tweets at the time make it seem like he was already preparing for something more serious, but he was 18 and just out a relationship and i'm not surprised.
basically, on all aspects they seemed either perfect or workable for each other and i'm jealous as hell and don't care about the nature of their relationship because whatever it is, they have it figoured out.

[jhamba]

i don't really know where this went but read if you like

i think it gets simplified a lot into 'weird flirty Internet famous man for some reason gives chance to cute depressed teenage boy obsessed with him', but honestly it makes sense that they would initially start talking. as much as its talked about how dan constantly replying, he wasn't crazy - he wasn't like accounts now that tweet 20 replies per tweet, so he caught phil's attention while coming off mature (there weren't a lot of intense fans like now, but they did exist and dan would not get attention if he blended in with them). his age and location helped due to the way youtube was at the time. it was already changing a bit in 2009, but if you made one video and tried talking to other creators, you were already a youtuber. automatically dan was someone phil could almost be peers with, since phil already had friends who were 16-19 with about 10k subs. for the locations, they met way more often than plenty of ldr couples, it probably sucked but they had a direct link, which is reassuring if you're considering developing into a relationship. as well as that, dan moving to Manchester mid 2010 would have been considered by the end of 2009, given how early he would have sent his application away
dan made it clear off the bat that he had a lot of similar interests to phil, which definitely helped. they do have similar personalities, and seemed to differ in a way that complimented each other (dans slight vulnerability/phils appearance as someone more dependable) and apparently found each other physically attractive. their sense of humour was similar back then (ie similarly in appropriate jokes found in 2009) and dan starting youtube was easily another point of discussion they could talk about and benefit from.
honestly, i think there was definitely more than a friend/fuck buddy want from phil, but i trust in the v day video and don't think he expected much. self deprication, maybe? his flirtiness was discussed, but he still seemed quite shy at anything other than very blunt flirting, which i thought was just overcompensation for his lack of confidence in actual flirting or relationships. dan was clearly smitten, and his tweets at the time make it seem like he was already preparing for something more serious, but he was 18 and just out a relationship and i'm not surprised.
basically, on all aspects they seemed either perfect or workable for each other and i'm jealous as hell and don't care about the nature of their relationship because whatever it is, they have it figoured out.

Yes, basically this.

[spider]

angrymob mermaid blood
akui Don't completely agree but can definitely see where you're coming from.
jaej Everything you said.

Really enjoying the conversation with everyone.

Edit of course when ranks come back mine is 'delia smith’s placenta'.

[SquishPhan]

i don't really know where this went but read if you like

i think it gets simplified a lot into 'weird flirty Internet famous man for some reason gives chance to cute depressed teenage boy obsessed with him', but honestly it makes sense that they would initially start talking. as much as its talked about how dan constantly replying, he wasn't crazy - he wasn't like accounts now that tweet 20 replies per tweet, so he caught phil's attention while coming off mature (there weren't a lot of intense fans like now, but they did exist and dan would not get attention if he blended in with them). his age and location helped due to the way youtube was at the time. it was already changing a bit in 2009, but if you made one video and tried talking to other creators, you were already a youtuber. automatically dan was someone phil could almost be peers with, since phil already had friends who were 16-19 with about 10k subs. for the locations, they met way more often than plenty of ldr couples, it probably sucked but they had a direct link, which is reassuring if you're considering developing into a relationship. as well as that, dan moving to Manchester mid 2010 would have been considered by the end of 2009, given how early he would have sent his application away
dan made it clear off the bat that he had a lot of similar interests to phil, which definitely helped. they do have similar personalities, and seemed to differ in a way that complimented each other (dans slight vulnerability/phils appearance as someone more dependable) and apparently found each other physically attractive. their sense of humour was similar back then (ie similarly in appropriate jokes found in 2009) and dan starting youtube was easily another point of discussion they could talk about and benefit from.
honestly, i think there was definitely more than a friend/fuck buddy want from phil, but i trust in the v day video and don't think he expected much. self deprication, maybe? his flirtiness was discussed, but he still seemed quite shy at anything other than very blunt flirting, which i thought was just overcompensation for his lack of confidence in actual flirting or relationships. dan was clearly smitten, and his tweets at the time make it seem like he was already preparing for something more serious, but he was 18 and just out a relationship and i'm not surprised.
basically, on all aspects they seemed either perfect or workable for each other and i'm jealous as hell and don't care about the nature of their relationship because whatever it is, they have it figoured out.

I couldn't agree more.
And yes, I am jealous as well. Their relationship (whatever that may be), seems very strong and it just works. Not many people will find a person they can connect with so well in their lives, and I do think that they know and appreciate it. I mean it has been six years and they still seem to be very close. What they have just seems very solid. Keep it up.

[leisurely]

is this another #spon or does he genuinely want to make a powerpuff girls version of himself who knows

[alittledizzy]

i don't really know where this went but read if you like

i think it gets simplified a lot into 'weird flirty Internet famous man for some reason gives chance to cute depressed teenage boy obsessed with him', but honestly it makes sense that they would initially start talking. as much as its talked about how dan constantly replying, he wasn't crazy - he wasn't like accounts now that tweet 20 replies per tweet, so he caught phil's attention while coming off mature (there weren't a lot of intense fans like now, but they did exist and dan would not get attention if he blended in with them). his age and location helped due to the way youtube was at the time. it was already changing a bit in 2009, but if you made one video and tried talking to other creators, you were already a youtuber. automatically dan was someone phil could almost be peers with, since phil already had friends who were 16-19 with about 10k subs. for the locations, they met way more often than plenty of ldr couples, it probably sucked but they had a direct link, which is reassuring if you're considering developing into a relationship. as well as that, dan moving to Manchester mid 2010 would have been considered by the end of 2009, given how early he would have sent his application away
dan made it clear off the bat that he had a lot of similar interests to phil, which definitely helped. they do have similar personalities, and seemed to differ in a way that complimented each other (dans slight vulnerability/phils appearance as someone more dependable) and apparently found each other physically attractive. their sense of humour was similar back then (ie similarly in appropriate jokes found in 2009) and dan starting youtube was easily another point of discussion they could talk about and benefit from.
honestly, i think there was definitely more than a friend/fuck buddy want from phil, but i trust in the v day video and don't think he expected much. self deprication, maybe? his flirtiness was discussed, but he still seemed quite shy at anything other than very blunt flirting, which i thought was just overcompensation for his lack of confidence in actual flirting or relationships. dan was clearly smitten, and his tweets at the time make it seem like he was already preparing for something more serious, but he was 18 and just out a relationship and i'm not surprised.
basically, on all aspects they seemed either perfect or workable for each other and i'm jealous as hell and don't care about the nature of their relationship because whatever it is, they have it figoured out.

You basically just saved me from being totally late for my morning plans, bc I was all set to settle down and word vomit up a bunch of paragraphs on their relationship - but this is basically what I would have said.

Especially agree that Phil's blunt flirting was overcompensation. I also think he probably compartmentalized things. He might have realized that people were attracted to him through his videos but not that the attraction would carry over into real life when what he presented wasn't an edited five minute version of the qualities he most wanted to project - hence, the lack of confidence that Dan would actually want him irl/surprise when he did.

[loststars]

is this another #spon or does he genuinely want to make a powerpuff girls version of himself who knows

lol and the contrast with Phil's:

These are cute, wonder what they are about.

I love the discussion so far, guys! I totally agree with almost everything and your posts are very interesting to read. We can only speculate but still.

[SquishPhan]

is this another #spon or does he genuinely want to make a powerpuff girls version of himself who knows

lol and the contrast with Phil's:

These are cute, wonder what they are about.

This is so cute. I used to love the powerpuff girls.
Maybe this has something to do with their voice acting, the one that wasn’t really aimed at their viewers. Who knows with ? They don't tell us a lot of things.

[oqua]

Their Powerpuff hair cracks me up... Dan has, like, a spikey quiff, and Phil's is so flat and rounded.

Is Dan's inclusion of the #spon stuff and the link to the website ironic? Or are they actually being sponned and they decided only Dan would be blatant about it for some reason?

[DryCereal]

Their Powerpuff hair cracks me up... Dan has, like, a spikey quiff, and Phil's is so flat and rounded.

Is Dan's inclusion of the #spon stuff and the link to the website ironic? Or are they actually being sponned and they decided only Dan would be blatant about it for some reason?

Could be either with these two, let's be honest. Either way, s'cute.

[awkwardly]

is this another #spon or does he genuinely want to make a powerpuff girls version of himself who knows

I think it might be a #spon but also genuine.. what was the movie or something that Dan talked about I think in one of his livestreams that a little girl in cinema had finally a female character to look up to and that it's so important? so he might genuinly want to also bring attention to powerpuff girls

[swofro]

I have no idea what they are promoting but it probably works because I just made this.

Phil's looks like bubbles because of the eyes. So fitting with AP personality.

[mermaid blood]

sometimes I'm a bit surprised to see the comments on phan - not over their bond, of course, which i agree comes across closer to obsessive best friends with giddy sexual chemistry than the typical long-term couple vibe. but moreso the time thing. it might just be my age? (late 20s) - but i personally know 2 couples who have been together 6-8 years and still spend every day together, have a healthy sex life (tmi) and adore one another (one gay, one het); and my sister and brother-in-law have a similarly close marriage and have been together since they were 16 (are now 35).

6 years...in the scheme of things really isn't that long. nor is their closeness or compatibility hugely uncommon. i think what is more uncommon about them is the health of their bond in the face of some heavy shit. being in the public eye and the subject of an obsessive fanbase, not anonymous joes with regular jobs, and closeted to boot. also a seemingly small support group. that is impressive, to me. to weather storms magnified 10 fold by their circumstances, and still be on one another's side.

totally agree with this theory that Phil flirts or is inappropriate overtly sometimes to overcompensate nerves, both with Dan and with others. alittledizzy what you said about Phil being worried he wouldn't be appealing out of his 5 minute snippets is perfect. people overlook that when thinking about them starting out.

[Diyes_Celine]

I still question whether Dan really put that much more effort into contacting Phil than he did other youtubers. Phil may have been the one who was easiest to start and continue a conversation with (I mean, if they can talk on skype for 5 hours, pfft) and who returned that attention the most.

This. I always wonder whether Dan gave the same intensity of fan boy attention to a handful of Youtubers (particularly from the UK) and he just got lucky that Phil noticed his admiration. I remember he mentioned that he was a fan of Charlie McDonnell but during a meet and greet he was heartbroken coz he didn't recognise him despite starting his channel. Dan was really a fan boy.

Maybe it's my conservative upbringing but it really bothers me that Dan went to Manchester several times just for Phil. What did his parents say? Alone for days in a strangers house? Really?! If I didn't find their relationship endearing I'll just think that it was a college student who took advantage of his high school student stalker. I really think their questionable beginnings is a factor why they can't easily come out as a couple

[mermaid blood]

I still question whether Dan really put that much more effort into contacting Phil than he did other youtubers. Phil may have been the one who was easiest to start and continue a conversation with (I mean, if they can talk on skype for 5 hours, pfft) and who returned that attention the most.

This. I always wonder whether Dan gave the same intensity of fan boy attention to a handful of Youtubers (particularly from the UK) and he just got lucky that Phil noticed his admiration. I remember he mentioned that he was a fan of Charlie McDonnell but during a meet and greet he was heartbroken coz he didn't recognise him despite starting his channel. Dan was really a fan boy.

Maybe it's my conservative upbringing but it really bothers me that Dan went to Manchester several times just for Phil. What did his parents say? Alone for days in a strangers house? Really?! If I didn't find their relationship endearing I'll just think that it was a college student who took advantage of his high school student stalker. I really think their questionable beginnings is a factor why they can't easily come out as a couple

he was 18, though, graduated, and working when he visited Phil. his parents let him go to another country at 16 with his then girlfriend, and he has a story of being alone in a park with his friend at midnight when he was 8. they were just less conservative/controlling parents, is all. 18 is also considered an adult where i'm from, most people I knew moved out of home after highschool. (as did I)

they may have had an issue with Phil, however, we just don't know (and probably never will). Dan's sad/stressed tweets from that time are too ambiguous.

[shikaritrash]

is2g I leave and have a social life for one evening and there's +10 pages or something, unbelievable

Almost forgot about 1st of april when I came back home and saw we had a new video. I wasn't here last year so I can't really compare. But I saw the first D&Pcrafts video quite early when watching all of their videos and I remember being really, really confused and I think I first thought for a minute it was actually legit but SO WEIRD And then eventually I figured out that was for April's fool and found it really funny. but yeah i think the don't cry, craft thing might be on my top cringe list

This second video made me laugh so so much.
The bad editing and image quality, plus the bad sound quality enhanced at times is so so so bad it's good. I think that's the funniest thing about this video.
Dan's fake soppy speech though. When were you talking about them crying on camera? Another coincidence! :mrgreen:
white - LIKE US, that zoom in tho.
MY FACE IS GOING TO BE FILLED WITH JOY. i looooooved Phil in this video! Something else entirely from AP but god did he make me laugh. That character suits him.
The dramatic red zoom on their hands is genius. They're aware of everyone analyzing everything and this just proves it and I just found it really funny they way they edited it.

Overall I really liked this video and genuinely laughed A LOT. It's such a different "exercise" compared to their usual and serious (or not) videos that I found it refreshing.

Good luck to them for removing all that glitter though, they put it EVERYWHERE, EVERY-WHERE (see what i did ) (also had a mid gasp when i recognized the glitter coming from the company i work for )

i don't really know where this went but read if you like

i think it gets simplified a lot into 'weird flirty Internet famous man for some reason gives chance to cute depressed teenage boy obsessed with him', but honestly it makes sense that they would initially start talking. as much as its talked about how dan constantly replying, he wasn't crazy - he wasn't like accounts now that tweet 20 replies per tweet, so he caught phil's attention while coming off mature (there weren't a lot of intense fans like now, but they did exist and dan would not get attention if he blended in with them). his age and location helped due to the way youtube was at the time. it was already changing a bit in 2009, but if you made one video and tried talking to other creators, you were already a youtuber. automatically dan was someone phil could almost be peers with, since phil already had friends who were 16-19 with about 10k subs. for the locations, they met way more often than plenty of ldr couples, it probably sucked but they had a direct link, which is reassuring if you're considering developing into a relationship. as well as that, dan moving to Manchester mid 2010 would have been considered by the end of 2009, given how early he would have sent his application away
dan made it clear off the bat that he had a lot of similar interests to phil, which definitely helped. they do have similar personalities, and seemed to differ in a way that complimented each other (dans slight vulnerability/phils appearance as someone more dependable) and apparently found each other physically attractive. their sense of humour was similar back then (ie similarly in appropriate jokes found in 2009) and dan starting youtube was easily another point of discussion they could talk about and benefit from.
honestly, i think there was definitely more than a friend/fuck buddy want from phil, but i trust in the v day video and don't think he expected much. self deprication, maybe? his flirtiness was discussed, but he still seemed quite shy at anything other than very blunt flirting, which i thought was just overcompensation for his lack of confidence in actual flirting or relationships. dan was clearly smitten, and his tweets at the time make it seem like he was already preparing for something more serious, but he was 18 and just out a relationship and i'm not surprised.
basically, on all aspects they seemed either perfect or workable for each other and i'm jealous as hell and don't care about the nature of their relationship because whatever it is, they have it figoured out.

This whole post
And the bolded part as well, I'm jealous af when it comes to that. How lucky they are.
Very interesting to read all of your posts, I have nothing to add to that conversation but

Those powerpuff girls things are just because everyone on the internet is doing it I think?
I don't think it's #spon or anything.
I can't seem to be able and make one that looks like me
Theirs are though. Phil's looks very very cute!

[missemma]

How Dan feels about the fandom overanalyzing silly videos

the only thing i see in that photo is handporn tbh

in regards to the powerpuff girls things, ugh, dan gave himself a quiff, if only this was a real thing. i'll leave my favourite (not real) image under a spoiler because this is one day we are all hoping for.

jaej - totally agree with your post, if there was the thanking ability you'd get it

[shezza]

Maybe it's my conservative upbringing but it really bothers me that Dan went to Manchester several times just for Phil. What did his parents say? Alone for days in a strangers house? Really?! If I didn't find their relationship endearing I'll just think that it was a college student who took advantage of his high school student stalker. I really think their questionable beginnings is a factor why they can't easily come out as a couple

I think it might seem weirder to you than it did to them, now I have no idea how honest Dan was with his parents and maybe I'm projecting- but Dan knew that Phil wasn't some sort of predator that only wanted to use him. I think people tend to underestimate the 'skype conversations' (or texts for that matter). If I talk to a person for hours on end over a substantial period of time, I don't just consider them a stranger on the internet anymore.
As for Dan's parent's- we don't know if he was out to them back then. He could have easily said that he wanted to visit a mate he knew from school who moved up north or something. I know my parents wouldn't have batted an eye. (Plus, don't forget that Phil's parent's weren't always gone, so Dan could also have said that he's staying at Phil's parents, to make it look even more harmless. But really, if he wasn't out- in our heteronormative society- I doubt the parents were thinking about an affair)

[majitzu]

I think it might be a #spon but also genuine.. what was the movie or something that Dan talked about I think in one of his livestreams that a little girl in cinema had finally a female character to look up to and that it's so important? so he might genuinly want to also bring attention to powerpuff girls

Stat Wars... he was talking about Rey.

[jaej]

honestly the only reason we generally don't find the situation odd is because we know (or, at least, think we know) what phil is like. from the perspective of outsiders, 18 year old just graduated boy and more influential 22 year old is a bit dodgy. i wouldn't be surprised if his parents questioned it at least, but after a while it'd be clear that the power imbalance wasn't a huge concern in that case