- moving together for a 3rd time - as two millionaires who *at the time* were 30 and 25 - you can afford to not live together. Moving again shows a level of commitment, if they were gonna move apart moving out of their old apartment was the perfect time, especially because there were so many hints. It would have been more sense to be building to a 'Phan isn't real, we're going our separate ways guys, these are our partners' than a 'were moving to our non forever home', indicating a fourth move.
- forever home and a future dog - these boys are more committed than my parents at this point tbh
- BONCAS incident - like Phil thanked Dan and brought him up on stage in a way that indicates their relationship is more than just two p l a t o n i c bros doing p l a t o n i c bro things.
- Roast Yourself - Dan acknowledged his sexuality in a way that IIRC he has never done before - its no longer debatable that Dan is heterosexual, I think he's made it fairly clear he isn't and this is one of the most explicit examples
- Tinder videos - Phil's because it was something in the past - Dan because he firstly didnt just do women, never made it weird that it wasn't only women (i.e NO HOMO), and he admitted to never having used Tinder before. And there were absolutely zero forever alone jokes from them. What a better time to make one than in a #spon for a dating app.
- Phil's room - Phil is a man of simpler tastes than Dan, Phil likes nice things but he isn't as materialistic than Dan (not a bad thing either way) but I have a hard time believing Philip '6"2' Lester sleeps in that room, and so do a lot of people.
- Tour Bus Room - Do we really think Daniel "6'3" Howell (google tells me he's 6"4 though) slept in a bunk? Really? For months? Especially because the sign on the door clearly said 'Dan and Phil'.
- Moon Room - apart from being GORGEOUS, this room was supposed to never be on the internet. It is much bigger than Phil's room, and it contained things that are questionable in who they belong to. Furthermore, if you watch Dans eyes during it, I do believe Phil was sat on the floor and Dan was looking for his permission in what to show. I don't think that we only saw approximately half of it was any coincidence. He wouldn't have just shown it - if Phil was editing/test streaming, doing a live show is also part of Dans job and that should have taken precedence over whatever Phil was doing.
and finally
- THAT video - not that video, I mean THAT video - that hot sexual mess of a baking video - and their attitude that has come after it. It is genuinely different, before they announced DAPG I remember everyone on tumblr being like 'HOLY SHIT ITS GONNA BE A COMING OUT VIDEO!!111!!1!!!!1!11111!', if that video had dropped in 2014 I swear to god the internet would have exploded. If some of the videos they are making now had happened then, the reaction would be the same. But there is an attitude shift and its not just confirmation bias either, its obvious to someone who was away for so long, it felt like coming home but the same way that it felt when I came home for christmas after leaving for uni and my parents had redecorated my room. It is the same, but its also different.
I do genuinely think they drop hints though - like they have admitted to it in the past. I think they've been dropping hints and people are picking up on them and that is why there is a noticeable attitude shift. I think its more believable now because D&P are consciously making it more believable to us.
Wouldn't be surprised if they did a coming out video, whereas before it would've been A Big Deal™, now it would just me being like 'fucking OBVIOUSLY'. And I think thats why its been mostly accepted now, before it felt like tinhatting and speculation on tiny details. Now it feels like its deliberate subtext. And because they are part of the entertainment industry, I can't help but think this feels like we're living in a period of foreshadowing.