Dan & Phil Part 49: Don't curl, quiff

[ananas]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

[kenzieisnotonfire]

Happy Fourth to all who are celebrating! And I'm sorry that Phil has apparently eaten all of our pancakes...

[sparkle]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

With the hoodie/bra I meant that more as a 'when people say underwear I assume bra not pants' not actually wanting Dan to start wearing unnecessary pieces of underwear. More of a funny mental image than anything I actually want to happen

[lurker]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

i'd say part of it is due to dan expressing interest in wearing nail polish (he was asked to paint his nails, sure, but he did it when he felt like it) and longer, dress-like sweaters, talking about gender roles to some extent, whether he'd be comfortable wearing a skirt, etc.. phil hasn't, so it makes somewhat sense that these discussions primarily revolve around dan. another point is people who don't adhere to traditional gender roles being encouraged to express themselves by seeing dan being comfortable expressing himself. i'd also argue that how people tend to imagine deppy's sex life stems from the way dan chooses to express attraction to some extent, too, however accurate they may be. then another other part is people sticking to harmful and stereotypical notions about same-gender relationships, and that's where the "who bottoms" discourse and all the related misery begins.

[ananas]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

With the hoodie/bra I meant that more as a 'when people say underwear I assume bra not pants' not actually wanting Dan to start wearing unnecessary pieces of underwear. More of a funny mental image than anything I actually want to happen

Thank you for clearing that up! English is not my first language and I don't associate underwear to bras The comment just kinda sparked my inspiration to write a post

[heisenberg]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

I believe this happens because Dan is generally more comfortable with “what traditionally is deemed as girly”! The nail polish thing, for example, Dan had talked about painting his nails before actually doing it. On the other hand (pleaseeee correct if I am wrong) I think Phil never talked about anything similar?
About the phandom and fan fictions, I guess in order to “keep it real” the writers usually go for scenarios that would seem plausible, and a scenario where Dan acts in a more submissive manner may seem more realistic (maybe a consequence of how we perceive him and how he presents himself? Dan seems a bit more whiny than Phil, and that might come across as a submissive trait?). I’m really just speculating I don’t read fan fiction that much.

[ananas]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

i'd say part of it is due to dan expressing interest in wearing nail polish (he was asked to paint his nails, sure, but he did it when he felt like it) and longer, dress-like sweaters, talking about gender roles to some extent, whether he'd be comfortable wearing a skirt, etc.. phil hasn't, so it makes somewhat sense that these discussions primarily revolve around dan. another point is people who don't adhere to traditional gender roles being encouraged to express themselves by seeing dan being comfortable expressing himself. i'd also argue that how people tend to imagine deppy's sex life stems from the way dan chooses to express attraction to some extent, too, however accurate they may be. then another other part is people sticking to harmful and stereotypical notions about same-gender relationships, and that's where the "who bottoms" discourse and all the related misery begins.

Yeah, I can see these points to some extent. I'm not in the tumblr phandom, so I'm not so familiar with these "who bottoms" debates, except for the eternal "Phil tops!!!" comments. I find discussing their unconfirmed sex life and positions kinda disrespectful and irrelevant, personally. Thank you for answering with such a reasonable comment! I'm always afraid to post anything in case I'm misunderstood etc.

[isabella]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

i totally get what you're saying, and i think it's an interesting discussion! personally, i think the way the phandom engages with gender in regards to dan and phil has a lot to do with how they themselves engage with it. phil, while he often makes jokes about his 'manliness' and implies that he doesn't see himself as hyper-masculine, doesn't really talk about gender all too often. he's never really expressed interest in more stereotypical feminine things beyond candle hauls lol it's interesting because phil really isn't masculine at all, but he just doesn't talk about it much. idk if that's because he doesn't think about it as much as dan does or if he just doesn't talk about it with us because he is quite private.

dan, however, has always been vocal to some degree about gender. the last few years have seen quite a few liveshow rants about gender roles and society's norms in regards to clothes, makeup, etc. i think dan is more overt in how he likes edgy fashion and how he likes to use his appearance to express himself and to challenge the way people view him/the boxes they put him in (diss track reference lol). idk if this is just a ramble or if it makes sense, but i think dan is more vocal about it so the phandom feels more comfortable engaging in that discussion with him and encouraging him in that way, whether it's right or wrong.

as far as the female and/or submissive role in fanfiction, i have a lot of thoughts about that haha but in summary, i think it has to do with how the phandom mostly writes from dan's perspective? there was a shift around 2014 because if you look for fic before then, much of it is written with a more dominant dan/submissive phil. dan was much more sexualised back in 2012/2013 and was written as such. i think some time around 2014-2015, the phandom started writing mostly from dan's perspective and started viewing him as more accessible to project themselves onto. this makes sense if you remember how the phandom's relationship with dan used to be 2012-2014, aka very tense and at constant fear of angering him. i was in the phandom back then and we've come a LONG way. a lot of people, especially younger fandom members, use fic as a safe way to explore their own sexualities and fantasies. so basically i think since dan is more open with us, he is more accessible and easier to write in a way that is more personal. and maybe this is a generalisation, but a lot of phandom fic writers seem to be female-identifying and so it makes sense to me that if people are projecting some portion of themselves onto dan, he would frequently be written as more feminine. i have many thoughts on this that are too much of a ramble to get into now so i hope this made sense and did them justice haha

[ananas]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

I believe this happens because Dan is generally more comfortable with “what traditionally is deemed as girly”! The nail polish thing, for example, Dan had talked about painting his nails before actually doing it. On the other hand (pleaseeee correct if I am wrong) I think Phil never talked about anything similar?
About the phandom and fan fictions, I guess in order to “keep it real” the writers usually go for scenarios that would seem plausible, and a scenario where Dan acts in a more submissive manner may seem more realistic (maybe a consequence of how we perceive him and how he presents himself? Dan seems a bit more whiny than Phil, and that might come across as a submissive trait?). I’m really just speculating I don’t read fan fiction that much.

Now I'm answering to everybody, I'm sorry!
Yeah, Dan has explored the limits more. About fanfiction: I try not to think about the characters as actual Dan and Phil if I read phanfiction, but their character traits should be similar in my mind. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I just can't see Dan as this blushing pastel boy. This usually ruins phanfiction for me. I don't see Dan at all as submissive(in general, not sexually!), which again, I'm clearly in the minority when looking at the phandom. But yes, I can see how a lot of people have different opinion, I just find it interesting.

[isabella]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

I believe this happens because Dan is generally more comfortable with “what traditionally is deemed as girly”! The nail polish thing, for example, Dan had talked about painting his nails before actually doing it. On the other hand (pleaseeee correct if I am wrong) I think Phil never talked about anything similar?
About the phandom and fan fictions, I guess in order to “keep it real” the writers usually go for scenarios that would seem plausible, and a scenario where Dan acts in a more submissive manner may seem more realistic (maybe a consequence of how we perceive him and how he presents himself? Dan seems a bit more whiny than Phil, and that might come across as a submissive trait?). I’m really just speculating I don’t read fan fiction that much.

Now I'm answering to everybody, I'm sorry!
Yeah, Dan has explored the limits more. About fanfiction: I try not to think about the characters as actual Dan and Phil if I read phanfiction, but their character traits should be similar in my mind. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I just can't see Dan as this blushing pastel boy. This usually ruins phanfiction to me. I don't see Dan at all as submissive(in general, not sexually!), which again, I'm clearly in the minority when looking at the phandom. But yes, I can see how a lot of people have different opinion, I just find it interesting.

i'm a lot like you in that i prefer to write/read phanfic as true to dan and phil themselves and not as characters! i have a hard time with OOC fics like pastel/punk as well for that reason. but i think it's fair to say a lot of people in fandom generally use fic and characters/people as a way to explore themes for themselves, whether that's personal identification or just a new style of writing.

[onetruetrash]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

I believe this happens because Dan is generally more comfortable with “what traditionally is deemed as girly”! The nail polish thing, for example, Dan had talked about painting his nails before actually doing it. On the other hand (pleaseeee correct if I am wrong) I think Phil never talked about anything similar?
About the phandom and fan fictions, I guess in order to “keep it real” the writers usually go for scenarios that would seem plausible, and a scenario where Dan acts in a more submissive manner may seem more realistic (maybe a consequence of how we perceive him and how he presents himself? Dan seems a bit more whiny than Phil, and that might come across as a submissive trait?). I’m really just speculating I don’t read fan fiction that much.

Now I'm answering to everybody, I'm sorry!
Yeah, Dan has explored the limits more. About fanfiction: I try not to think about the characters as actual Dan and Phil if I read phanfiction, but their character traits should be similar in my mind. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I just can't see Dan as this blushing pastel boy. This usually ruins phanfiction to me. I don't see Dan at all as submissive(in general, not sexually!), which again, I'm clearly in the minority when looking at the phandom. But yes, I can see how a lot of people have different opinion, I just find it interesting.

i'm a lot like you in that i prefer to write/read phanfic as true to dan and phil themselves and not as characters! i have a hard time with OOC fics like pastel/punk as well for that reason. but i think it's fair to say a lot of people in fandom generally use fic and characters/people as a way to explore themes for themselves, whether that's personal identification or just a new style of writing.

This reminded me about how I tend to avoid AU/Pastel/Punk fanfictions. I think of Dan and Phil in fanfictions and IRL Dan and Phil as separate entities. It's complicated and I'm not really sure how to describe it. If Dan and Phil are OOC like in Pastel/Punk fanfics, it feels like different people, so I don't bother to read them.

[saffarinda]

I have watched Dan and Phil for quite many years, but I joined idb recently and started to see deeper into the phandom. One thing that has been bothering me is how everybody seem to want Dan to be what traditionally is deemed as girly. The fans have asked him to wear nail polish, which fair enough he did out of his own free will, in one live show he was asked to wear a dress, in fanfictions he is portrayed as a submissive feminine character very often etc. Earlier on the thread someone said she would like to imagine Dan only in his sweater and bra (he has no boobs though?). Breaking the gender roles, but only when it comes to Dan (these things are not said to Phil as much, or at least I haven't seen it.) I don't know if this topic has been discussed before, but this kind of bothers me sometimes in the phandom. This is not an attack towards anyone, I just wonder why it is like this. Please tell me if I'm wrong or if I've misunderstood something
I'm sure a lot of it is half-joking though opinions?

I believe this happens because Dan is generally more comfortable with “what traditionally is deemed as girly”! The nail polish thing, for example, Dan had talked about painting his nails before actually doing it. On the other hand (pleaseeee correct if I am wrong) I think Phil never talked about anything similar?
About the phandom and fan fictions, I guess in order to “keep it real” the writers usually go for scenarios that would seem plausible, and a scenario where Dan acts in a more submissive manner may seem more realistic (maybe a consequence of how we perceive him and how he presents himself? Dan seems a bit more whiny than Phil, and that might come across as a submissive trait?). I’m really just speculating I don’t read fan fiction that much.

Now I'm answering to everybody, I'm sorry!
Yeah, Dan has explored the limits more. About fanfiction: I try not to think about the characters as actual Dan and Phil if I read phanfiction, but their character traits should be similar in my mind. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I just can't see Dan as this blushing pastel boy. This usually ruins phanfiction to me. I don't see Dan at all as submissive(in general, not sexually!), which again, I'm clearly in the minority when looking at the phandom. But yes, I can see how a lot of people have different opinion, I just find it interesting.

i'm a lot like you in that i prefer to write/read phanfic as true to dan and phil themselves and not as characters! i have a hard time with OOC fics like pastel/punk as well for that reason. but i think it's fair to say a lot of people in fandom generally use fic and characters/people as a way to explore themes for themselves, whether that's personal identification or just a new style of writing.

just thought i'd pop in to say i totally agree with disliking the stereotypical passive pastel character and badass punk character people like to reflect on dnp. the only pastel fics i've really liked, as a result, have been these two:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7757767 which reflects their irl personalities more, and the pastel/punk seems more like fashion choices than lifestyles. not tacky, surprisingly for punk/pastel fics

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462854 which does an INCREDIBLE job at breaking the stereotypes surrounding pastel/punk. there's some martyn as well, so obviously we're all gonna love it.

seriously recommend giving them both a read if you don't like the OOC pastel punk fics, they're quite unique.

today has just been me giving fic recs, sorry to anyone who doesn't read fanfiction and is annoyed by this now aha.

[carriesberries]

Hi first time poster

Just had to chime in on the fanfiction discussion, as I have been an avid fanfiction reader for years/i].

From what I have seen and read, fanfiction writers tend to write what they know and have experienced in life. As the phandom is a made up mostly of a younger audience, it tends to he mostly young people that write fanfiction. A lot of the phanficion tends to be written in that younger view of the world.

I tend to stay far far away from most of the phan smut stories cause quite a lot of it is written by someone much younger than me who might not have a lot of experience with what they are writing. Nothing is more of a turn off than badly written smut. lol

I am also a fan of Malec which has a younger audience and it's much of the same thing. Most of the writers tend to be younger and the stories really do reflect that.

I'm not trying to hate on any writer. I think it's awesome they are using fanfiction as a creative outlet. It's pretty amazing some of the stories you can come across.

I hope at least some of this makes sense.

[isabella]

just thought i'd pop in to say i totally agree with disliking the stereotypical passive pastel character and badass punk character people like to reflect on dnp. the only pastel fics i've really liked, as a result, have been these two:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7757767 which reflects their irl personalities more, and the pastel/punk seems more like fashion choices than lifestyles. not tacky, surprisingly for punk/pastel fics

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10462854 which does an INCREDIBLE job at breaking the stereotypes surrounding pastel/punk. there's some martyn as well, so obviously we're all gonna love it.

seriously recommend giving them both a read if you don't like the OOC pastel punk fics, they're quite unique.

today has just been me giving fic recs, sorry to anyone who doesn't read fanfiction and is annoyed by this now aha.

ohh, i'll tab these for later!

[Whommel]

i'm a lot like you in that i prefer to write/read phanfic as true to dan and phil themselves and not as characters! i have a hard time with OOC fics like pastel/punk as well for that reason. but i think it's fair to say a lot of people in fandom generally use fic and characters/people as a way to explore themes for themselves, whether that's personal identification or just a new style of writing.

Because there's some really good fics with Pastel!Dan and Neko!Dan and other various very submissive, smaller and frailer Dans, I've actually grown to absolutely love that, but to me it's definitely an AU thing, someone who shares some physical and personality traits and same name but isn't the same guy. I do love the real Dan exploring his pastel side too, it suits him, although let's face it, he can wear a potato sack (Yeezy) and look good. (Phil however I prefer with his black hair and bright clothes, it suits him so much.)
I guess it is a way to write about your own stuff and serve it wrapped in a beautiful package. I have thought about writing about my own experiences with gender issues and think that could be very cathartic.

[ananas]

Hi first time poster

Just had to chime in on the fanfiction discussion, as I have been an avid fanfiction reader for years/i].

From what I have seen and read, fanfiction writers tend to write what they know and have experienced in life. As the phandom is a made up mostly of a younger audience, it tends to he mostly young people that write fanfiction. A lot of the phanficion tends to be written in that younger view of the world.

I tend to stay far far away from most of the phan smut stories cause quite a lot of it is written by someone much younger than me who might not have a lot of experience with what they are writing. Nothing is more of a turn off than badly written smut. lol

I am also a fan of Malec which has a younger audience and it's much of the same thing. Most of the writers tend to be younger and the stories really do reflect that.

I'm not trying to hate on any writer. I think it's awesome they are using fanfiction as a creative outlet. It's pretty amazing some of the stories you can come across.

I hope at least some of this makes sense.

Welcome! I agree, the stories written by younger people will probably appeal to younger readers also, we just have to find something else I have also stumbled across Malec, I ship just about anything on tv! I mean, I didn't even watch the show, but the pairing was so cute (I did read the first book, maybe that counts)

[jaej]

simple answer: most fanfic writers in general arent queer men, get their ideas on what queer male relationships and sex and sexuality are all like from other people online who also arent queer men, end up with creepy representations of those ultra kawaii queer men (what is consent? what are power imbalances? what is stigma on how much sex queer men have? what is child porn but its ~highschool au~ so its fine?)

teenage girl only sees very specific, problematic stereotypes of queer men and goes on to replicate these same very specific, problematic stereotypes of chosen men. you can find+replace the names of whatever youtube or tv show or boyband pairing with 'dan' and 'phil' and you wouldnt know its different most of the time minus minor details of what their flat looks like.

one is whiny and is actually submissive in bed, probably has internalised homophobia, likes sleeping around (but not tooooo much, because mlm sex is icky if it isnt a monogamous couple!!) and the other doesnt entirely have a personality but is very dominant and has eyes that can be compared to a gemstone, probably. start of with a fetished view of mlm sexuality then just sort of insert some personal details into it.

[fondsmiles]

Re: Fanfiction (I know it's been discussed lots now, but this is such an interesting topic to me)

Regarding whether/how reading fanfiction affects my view of their real life "relationship" (whatever that may be):
I think yes, it does, a little bit. It does in the sense that if I read well-written fanfiction, that is in character and fits the timeline, it makes me consider the stories told there as actual possibilities. Interestingly though, this happens for me more in the non-phan way, or the stories that are written about them getting together at a later point. In my head I perceive them, honestly, as an old married couple that's been like that for forever. So reading canon-based fanfictions that talk about that differently is interesting to me, since it makes me consider them not always having been that way.

Most of the time reading fanfiction doesn't correlate in my mind with real life Dan and Phil just as much though. I sometimes find myself reading about them, it may even be smutty, then a tweet of them popping up, and me not actually thinking of what I am reading about right now as those people who have just sent a notification to my phone. But at the same time, I also like in character fanfiction more... I am not quite sure where that distinction happens in my mind, and how those are to me so different but also so valuable when it reflects real life. Maybe I am just compartmentalizing a lot.

I love the world of fanfiction with my whole heart though, I love the topics being explored and how fun it is to take characters and spin your own world and ideas around them, how there's a community supporting your creativity readily and also providing constantly entertainment for your every possible taste (if the fandom's big enough)- I just love it.

and now on to dan's liveshow and this comment disappearing into the voids of further discussion!

[droopy]

Tuned into the ls just in time to hear Dan say he's "living vicariously" through Louise's baby progress on her channel.

And now he just shrieked about the Manchester shirts selling out. rip headphone user, me.

[LtrllySusan]

So he half played off the memeing video as a joke and also said that no one would wanna hear an "amateur essay" on the topic. Seems like he definitely read some more elaborate feedback than the silly poll he posted.

*still sceptically side-eyeing cherrybomb*

[fondsmiles]

He talked about Yuri On Ice and questioning why they didn't show a kiss on camera, and that was really interesting. He dropped the term queerbaiting, although he didn't say that's what they're doing, he just seemed skeptical.
Also, topped all of this off with a laugh and "please don't take any of this seriously".
That was so interesting, I thought I could see him having all these thoughts about whether what he's saying here will be applied to Phil and him. (I really hope it won't, to me that's very different situations, but I just thought it was sweet to see him being passionate about it but also so very, very tentative)

edit: oh, also, talked about the tweet, "i was wearing my pyjama pants", dan, you literally tweeted you were in your underwear. (again, still hesitant about acknowledging being in boxers in front of phil live on camera, I want to hug him)

edit2 stop saying so many interesting things after i just posted, dan: he wants to upload more casual content to danisnotinteresting. like not-ironic scented candle hauls. also something about mobile streams that i didn't quite understand. yes. sign me the fuck up.

[Moonbeamsonthepath]

I really need that Important Things That Keep Me Emotionally Grounded livestream.

[SquishPhan]

I didn’t watch the whole live show, but from what I did see I enjoyed it.

Yes! I would love for Dan and Phil to do a stream on the gaming channel, that would be great. Too late Dan I’m excited about this already.

I’m all for Dan using his side channel more, but I feel like I’ve heard him mention that before a few times and nothing really happened so far, so I’m not holding out hope.

Dan said that the next gaming vid is one of his favorites ever, so that makes me extra excited. Hope it will come out soon (even though we just had a sims vid).

[onetruetrash]

That was a pleasant liveshow! He was very funny, but it's interesting to hear his opinions on things.

He also briefly mentioned the Try Guys, but didn't talk about their impressions of him and Phil.

I also want that Thing That Keep Me Emotionally Grounded haul.

The gaming vid sounds interesting. I wonder what it is.

[thephandommenace]

Someone already said it, but I was happy he mentioned the hidden kiss in YOI. He said "why don't they make it obvious!!" in a jokey frustrated way but I thought it was nice that Dan volunteered that he values queer representation in media (or at least that's what it sounded like to me). And ofc I enjoyed the parallels between that statement and many fans' frustration at Dan's own ambiguity, haha.