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

[Ablissa]

Forgive my attitude here, but like..... What's Dan gotta do to entertain you folks?

I'm aware that we all have our different preferences for videos, but sometimes it genuinely seems to me that, for some, Dan can do no right. This video had everything (stephon.gif): cute little side skits, stupid jokes and humor, nice new shots of their place, and because it's what we all talk about... pretty blatant confirmation Dan's not straight.

alittledizzy basically said my thoughts more concisely earlier too: Dan never said his content was getting a rebrand. The phandom hyped that one up themselves. He was just dropping the old "random" shit and that included his username. Like... I'm just trying to picture a world where he drops every defining characteristic of his channel. What would that video even be?

The reality is that if we got the "realist" Dan, we'd get what would appear to be an even more depressing version. Pizza, video games, and resting bitch face while binging Steven Universe. He's gotta script something into a video. So, this is Daniel Howell. He's witty. He makes a few predictable jokes. But at heart, he's just trying to entertain us with some basic level of honesty. Idk what more to ask for from today's video.

Sorry for the rant.

I mean, look... At least this video made sense.

Honestly, I agree with you and I'm one of the people that didn't love the video, I did like it though. For me, I might like it more upon rewatch. Because he hyped it so much, I was a little anxious when seeing it now for the first time. I'm also really tired and cranky today.
I won't say anything bad about the video though, because it was well made, he prepared a unique idea for it and it was funny. Plus what you say about the blatant confirmation - that means a lot, too. If I had to pick on something it's that I'd prefer it to be a little shorter.

I think the reason I'm not as hyped that Dan "confirmed" not being straight is that to me it's very old news. I'm happy to see him at ease with himself and what's more, with his audience, but I'm sure most of us knew/know this already.

People complain about Dan's "dark" humor. I for one am all for it and I understand him. I have a ton of mental issues myself and I can relate. Being rich and successful doesn't mean you'll be all sunshine and rainbows, I don't like when people assume Dan doesn't genuinely feel that way. It's acting it up for the camera a bit, surely, but that doesn't make it fake. I also hate the "other people have it worse" mindset that I sometimes see in the world; there's always someone who's got it worse, that doesn't mean anything.

I can't speak for others, but for me it's not a case of Dan not entertaining me/me not enjoying the video, just finding it okay and not mindblowingly amazing. Does that make sense?

[Catallena]

Firstly, the danisnotonfire brand: "I crave death and I'm so relatable" is overused, and beaten to death in this video. I know he officially "re-branded", but has he really?

He changed his display name, I don't think he ever said his content was rebranding.

A year ago I felt like the 'crave death' humor was over the top and it annoyed the fuck out of me. But the more Dan has opened up about actual mental health issues, the less it bothers me. To me that takes it away from #relatable and more into an area where I can see Dan legitimately using it as a coping mechanism for feelings he actually has. And I'm not gonna give anyone shit for their coping mechanism, even if it equates to humor that doesn't appeal to me personally.

And it actually doesn't appeal to me usually - but for some reason this time it totally did? His pick up lines were so tongue in cheek and like satirical version of a real Tinder conversation that I laughed.

I'd agree if these weren't the same joke he was making 5 years ago while he has said that he's been happier than ever since then. Notice that I'm not saying that his life is better now so he can't suffer from mental health problems anymore or whatever, I'm just repeating what he himself has said and am interpreting his recent behavior on social media and stuff. There's a difference, it's obvious to almost everyone. So there's obviously a divide between how he feels in real life and what he says in these videos. I do think the jokes come from a very real place and that he genuinely related to them because of whatever mental health issues he has, but I don't believe his outlook is still the same as these somewhat date jokes suggest. We keep seeing a Dan who applies more and more nuance to his life as he matures, but he doesn't seem to want to carry that over to his online presence. That's his full right no matter his reasons, but it does suggest a persona more than anything to me.

I think it's possible to be happier than you've ever been, and yet still have mental health issues and darker thoughts/humor. I actually see the fact that Dan now openly relates that kind of humor and certain habits fans pick up on to his mental health as being him maturing.

Sis, that's literally in my post but fine I'll bold it especially for you. I'm just saying that we've see Dan applying a different sort of outlook than 5 years ago almost everywhere else constantly since tour ended, except on his YouTube channel imo. In his private life he's growing and healing, but the process is more stagnant on YouTube. There are many valid reasons for that and there's no reason for him to show that much of himself on there if he doesn't want to, but to me it does suggest a persona. And that's fine. But unlike your interpretation, I don't think him relating to that humor is new or a sign of maturing at all.

[iwishiwasacasual]

i thought the video was pretty good, i agree that it was a bit too danisnotonfire-y if that makes any sense, he just needs to chill with the hashtag relatable thing (i only just noticed my laptop doesn't have a hashtag key)

I like that he decided to make his matches both men and women-but while watching it occurred to me just how a casual fan might see this? Would one might see this as bi/pan confirmation, or would one see this as just him being like "lol haha gay is funny"?? Of course, I would like to hear from skeptics on IDB (and maybe those who lurk here) about this, I know the majority of IDB see it as just Dan reaffirming what he has already been saying, but I want to know if this changes any opinions people have had, if at all??

tbh i think my days as a skeptic are over, i'm fully team dan is not straight. not just because of this video, i think ever since i've been posting here i've thought more about it and this video and the way he handled it kind of just got rid of any doubts i've had, i hate that i feel like i'm making a big deal out of it because it wasn't, it fits in with all of his recent behaviour but i guess it was just the final nail in the coffin.

[neetbuzzer]

this might sound weird but I'm honestly like... not watching dan's videos to be entertained, exactly? I mean I enjoy them and sometimes they're entertaining in a straightforward way but to me entertaining implies something "light" or funny or whatever, and I enjoy his stuff even when he's not Shiny Happy People. basically, he seems like a neat person and I like to know what neat people think about things. plus he's an engaging storyteller. not all stories have happy endings, but I still wanna hear them. you know?

which sounds incredibly, depressingly juvenile, yikes. but idk how to say "I like him as a person and people you like don't always have to entertain you, to be likable" without sounding like someone with 15 cats and a severe vitamin D deficiency

I only have ONE cat tyvm

that said, if you look at his stuff as something artistic (which, hey, I do), then it's not above criticism. when people mention things they take issue with wrt his content, I think they're critiquing his WORK, not HIM. if that makes sense. hopefully those caps don't seem aggressive granted sometimes people go too far, but I think because his work is inherently incredibly personal, it's easy to conflate critique of content with critique of creator

[sparkle]

Forgive my attitude here, but like..... What's Dan gotta do to entertain you folks?

I'm aware that we all have our different preferences for videos, but sometimes it genuinely seems to me that, for some, Dan can do no right. This video had everything (stephon.gif): cute little side skits, stupid jokes and humor, nice new shots of their place, and because it's what we all talk about... pretty blatant confirmation Dan's not straight.

alittledizzy basically said my thoughts more concisely earlier too: Dan never said his content was getting a rebrand. The phandom hyped that one up themselves. He was just dropping the old "random" shit and that included his username. Like... I'm just trying to picture a world where he drops every defining characteristic of his channel. What would that video even be?

The reality is that if we got the "realist" Dan, we'd get what would appear to be an even more depressing version. Pizza, video games, and resting bitch face while binging Steven Universe. He's gotta script something into a video. So, this is Daniel Howell. He's witty. He makes a few predictable jokes. But at heart, he's just trying to entertain us with some basic level of honesty. Idk what more to ask for from today's video.

Sorry for the rant.

I mean, look... At least this video made sense.

Speaking for me personally I'm so fucking happy with this video. I'm mainly happy with the male and female mentions because it feels extremely validating to me (I don't like labels. I've never officially come out because I shouldn't have to and it's nice to see something similar with Dan) I'm also happy because it genuinely made me rewind to laugh at least 5 times and I'm intrigued by his bedding.

To me 'the rebrand' means dropping all of the cringey shit (WHY THE FUCK WAS EVERYONE SO OBSESSED WITH LLAMAS?!) and leaving the stuff he's happy with. Can his black humour never die. (I honestly find dark jokes the funniest kind, I am a horrible person) Ultimately I don't think he's going to ever please all of his fans at once. Ever. Honestly with the expectations that I've seen some people have of him, get a camera and make your own videos. He isn't a ken doll, if the only thing that the rebrand brings is him saying fuck it and making the content he wants whilst being separated from Delia Smith and placenta (again, why?!) then I'm 100% up for it.

(I'm also going to make my signature say 'there is a 99% chance I am projecting onto Dan at any one time' because where is the lie)

[alittledizzy]

Firstly, the danisnotonfire brand: "I crave death and I'm so relatable" is overused, and beaten to death in this video. I know he officially "re-branded", but has he really?

He changed his display name, I don't think he ever said his content was rebranding.

A year ago I felt like the 'crave death' humor was over the top and it annoyed the fuck out of me. But the more Dan has opened up about actual mental health issues, the less it bothers me. To me that takes it away from #relatable and more into an area where I can see Dan legitimately using it as a coping mechanism for feelings he actually has. And I'm not gonna give anyone shit for their coping mechanism, even if it equates to humor that doesn't appeal to me personally.

And it actually doesn't appeal to me usually - but for some reason this time it totally did? His pick up lines were so tongue in cheek and like satirical version of a real Tinder conversation that I laughed.

I'd agree if these weren't the same joke he was making 5 years ago while he has said that he's been happier than ever since then. Notice that I'm not saying that his life is better now so he can't suffer from mental health problems anymore or whatever, I'm just repeating what he himself has said and am interpreting his recent behavior on social media and stuff. There's a difference, it's obvious to almost everyone. So there's obviously a divide between how he feels in real life and what he says in these videos. I do think the jokes come from a very real place and that he genuinely related to them because of whatever mental health issues he has, but I don't believe his outlook is still the same as these somewhat date jokes suggest. We keep seeing a Dan who applies more and more nuance to his life as he matures, but he doesn't seem to want to carry that over to his online presence. That's his full right no matter his reasons, but it does suggest a persona more than anything to me.

I think it's possible to be happier than you've ever been, and yet still have mental health issues and darker thoughts/humor. I actually see the fact that Dan now openly relates that kind of humor and certain habits fans pick up on to his mental health as being him maturing.

Sis, that's literally in my post but fine I'll bold it especially for you. I'm just saying that we've see Dan applying a different sort of outlook than 5 years ago almost everywhere else constantly since tour ended, except on his YouTube channel imo. In his private life he's growing and healing, but the process is more stagnant on YouTube. There are many valid reasons for that and there's no reason for him to show that much of himself on there if he doesn't want to, but to me it does suggest a persona. And that's fine. But unlike your interpretation, I don't think him relating to that humor is new or a sign of maturing at all.

The five years ago vs now thing is where you're losing me, because my point is that he talks about his mental health openly now in a way he didn't five years ago. I don't recall him using words like "social anxiety" or "mental health" at all until 2017. That's the key difference to me; the growing and healing seems to be hand in hand with a level of honesty about where the humor comes from. Though I'm also not sure that I see the point about youtube being the only place he's like that. I feel like his twitter replies involve humor just as bleak as ever. The only difference is that he seems more purposeful about it and in control of it, as opposed to the emo tweet sprees of a few years ago.

[xaephan]

I just finished the video, and there's been a whole lot of discussion I haven't had a chance to read yet, so I'm sure what I'm going to say has been echoed by a lot of people already, but here they are anyway.

1) Strong branding there Daniel. The 'I want death' schtick got old years ago, and it's still now, for me. It was really just bleh in the start though, the latter 2/3 of the video wasn't that bad. I thought he was pretty witty with some of his replies, even if they were pretty emo.

2) Why...are the both of them doing this kind of promo for tinder. Is this really what tinder wants them to do? Granted, neither of them did really shill-like vids and they keep in line with their normal stuff pretty well, but tinder didn't come out of this looking particularly appealing. Dan's is better than Phil's though, since his "there's non-shallow people out there!" message (which, as an aside, I Do Not Like) is at least slightly more related.

3) The low-key inclusion of guys! I love! Someone pointed out that it's the 5-year anniversary of a particular tweet of Dan's, so how much he has progressed in terms of self-acceptance and self-confidence is very, very nice to see. I'll be screaming incoherently on tumblr for a good while about this.

4) I did see some discussion about if his inclusion of males is a) because he needs more responses or b) going to come across as 'lol gay isn't it funny'. I really don't see him lacking any responses from just women (from intrigue or appreciation of his humour if nothing else, and lbr, his photos weren't great, but they weren't horrible either. I saw someone's profile filled with pictures of him peeing increasingly far distances as a point of pride...), so I don't think a) is all that likely. For b), I think the main thing is that Dan himself didn't make a single mention of it, which takes it into 'Dan sending a very pointed but silent message about himself' territory to me. He didn't say anything about how tinder is for all sexualities nor did he show him filling in the interest portion of his profile. I honestly don't see how this is a case that can be interpreted as him making fun of lgbt+ stuff?

5) Someone said that he made up all of the interactions, including the names and stuff. Which, well, maybe? I guess we can't really say this 100% didn't happen unless some of the people he contacted comes out with proof. I have my doubts about it though, seems like too much work when he can just spew out a terribly emo pick up like and have the other person react and then go silent lol

Overall, not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be? I rolled my eyes at his choice of lines, but it was fun and pretty interesting. Like I said, I found some of what he said pretty witty. That last person seems really nice also

[neetbuzzer]

5) Someone said that he made up all of the interactions, including the names and stuff. Which, well, maybe? I guess we can't really say this 100% didn't happen unless some of the people he contacted comes out with proof. I have my doubts about it though, seems like too much work when he can just spew out a terribly emo pick up like and have the other person react and then go silent lol

yeah I don't think he made them up. tinder is rife with potential for things like this. why do the work when you can just let the content come to you?

[saffarinda]

Also, don't mean to burst any bubbles, but Dan probs selected guys and gals so he had more people to respond to, with the potential wider range (I mean I'm 100% certain Dan is attracted to males and females, but for this vid in an app he isn't using seriously, it was just so he could have more convos).

I'll say the same thing here that I said in an ask response on tumblr:

I don't think London has a current shortage of girls, leaving him with no option but to pick guys as well.

Ofc there wasn't "no option" but out of everything slightly homosexual that Daniel Howell has done this couldn't be considered anywhere near the top of the list. Maybe he didn't want "2012 Dan" comments, maybe he wanted to film the video ASAP so widened the terms, maybe he knew lads would respond in amusing ways that differed from gals and felt it would fit his video well (esp with the whole 100% sexual atmosphere that surrounds tinder, as a hookup app rather than a dating app) - there as so many explanations if you want.

I think Dan is attracted to men and women, but him using men and women in this video didn't "confirm" it any further for me. In the same way that if a gay guy did the exact same video, but had women, it wouldn't confirm to me that he's clearly straight/any sexuality that isn't 100% straight.

Plus, men and women means more people can relate - and Danny Fire is all about that #relatablecontent.

Also agree about not knowing what it takes to impress some critics lmao. There's always something to complain about tho.

I assume they did these kinda vids so they look less like massive spons n more chill - people don't like to be bluntly convinced to try something. Using the humour kinda takes the spon aspect away, but still reminds you that it's tinder.

Don't think he made up the interactions at all, if he did, he's a master at conforming to multiple texting styles (also that would take so much effort editing it, ugh).

[alittledizzy]

I think Dan is attracted to men and women, but him using men and women in this video didn't "confirm" it any further for me. In the same way that if a gay guy did the exact same video, but had women, it wouldn't confirm to me that he's clearly straight/any sexuality that isn't 100% straight.

This is a perfect example of how some people will continue to think that Dan and Phil are straight forever; I do realize that's not what you're saying! But you're proving the point that they could literally make it obvious in every single video and some people would still approach it with the mentality of 'okay, here's how I'm gonna dismiss this one' instead of just accepting that Dan is a guy who likes guys, who is just not hiding that he likes guys.

[bluntedclaws]

I loved the video. I don't really get why it has sparked discussion about Dan's branding or his mental health though. He was just trying to look a undateable as possible in an amusing way. I think he did a great job.
Poor Dan can't win with the m/f thing lol. It would have caused a massive shitstorm if he'd only interacted with females and it caused a massive shitstorm when he also included guys.

[lurker]

i'm just thinking...comparing dan's and phil's tinder spon i actually wonder how on earth phil got away with his idea. because, take aside my opinions/enjoyment of the video, what did i take away about tinder? according to dan's video, it's an easy to set up dating app where there's a good chance you'll find nice, funny people who are interested in making conversation. he showed the audience how to use it and thanks to the responses he got (minus possible ones he filtered out) the overall message was actually pretty uplifting. it's also appealing to a casual viewer. phil's, in contrast, is only interesting to someone who's interested in phil's life, he never showed the app, never explained how it works, and said about one generic positive thing about how it might be fun to use. now this is no criticism of phil's video, i'm just actually amazed after seeing dan's that phil got paid for his video? like what kind of evil mastermind negotiation skills does this man have that made whoever is in charge of setting up youtube spons at tinder go "this is a good idea that will promote our app to our target audience, let's pay him a shitload of money".

[quote="saffarinda"]Ofc there wasn't "no option" but out of everything slightly homosexual that Daniel Howell has done this couldn't be considered anywhere near the top of the list. [/quote]
look i don't want to start an argument but i wished you'd phrased that differently because i think the idea of ranking things someone does according to "how gay" they are is offensive in itself. i don't think it was your intention, but i felt like pointing it out as it made me uncomfy reading it and i feel like it was phrased insensitively.
i understand your argument that you don't want to make it a bigger thing than it is in general, but i also think it's safe to say that it was a deliberate choice that he made, and therefore it's alright as a non-straight person to be happy to see him being chill about chatting with men on tinder. (edit: i like what Katka said, he didn't comment on it so we should just accept it, be happy about it if we want to, and move on having seen once more that our fave is not straight)

[cherrybomb3]

I think Dan is attracted to men and women, but him using men and women in this video didn't "confirm" it any further for me. In the same way that if a gay guy did the exact same video, but had women, it wouldn't confirm to me that he's clearly straight/any sexuality that isn't 100% straight.

This is a perfect example of how some people will continue to think that Dan and Phil are straight forever; I do realize that's not what you're saying! But you're proving the point that they could literally make it obvious in every single video and some people would still approach it with the mentality of 'okay, here's how I'm gonna dismiss this one' instead of just accepting that Dan is a guy who likes guys, who is just not hiding that he likes guys.

ily you are like the wise village mother with all of the wisdom

[Birdie]

To be honest, all these posts trying to explain why Dan might've included guys are giving me a headache. Can we just accept this happened, guys? Like... don't ruin it, y'all. In the context of all the male attraction mentions lately and the way he's been acting and how comfortable he seemed lately I think the most likely explanation is that Dan chose to include both men and women because he wanted to, no strings attached. As others have pointed out, he could have probably filled two videos with responses from only female matches but he chose to not do that. I think, since Dan didn't comment on this at all and probably won't, we'd all be better off if we just accepted it and moved on.

Look, if he included men in this video for any other reason than liking men, he would have said so. He would have given us and the ominous casual viewer an explanation. He chose not to. (And tbh, I have never seen an openly gay guy include women in a dating app video, to go with saffarinda's argument. At least not without an explanation. Why would he? Nobody does that.)

Dizzy was faster and her post is way better, thanks.

[neetbuzzer]

i'm just thinking...comparing dan's and phil's tinder spon i actually wonder how on earth phil got away with his idea. because, take aside my opinions/enjoyment of the video, what did i take away about tinder? according to dan's video, it's an easy to set up dating app where there's a good chance you'll find nice, funny people who are interested in making conversation. he showed the audience how to use it and thanks to the responses he got (minus possible ones he filtered out) the overall message was actually pretty uplifting. it's also appealing to a casual viewer. phil's, in contrast, is only interesting to someone who's interested in phil's life, he never showed the app, never explained how it works, and said about one generic positive thing about how it might be fun to use. now this is no criticism of phil's video, i'm just actually amazed after seeing dan's that phil got paid for his video? like what kind of evil mastermind negotiation skills does this man have that made whoever is in charge of setting up youtube spons at tinder go "this is a good idea that will promote our app to our target audience, let's pay him a shitload of money".

why does that somehow sum them up as creators

[iero]

i don't need verbal conformation of him not being straight because i personally believe he's made it pretty clear, however i think this tweet is very close to one. it just really struck out to me idk..like he chose to reply to that tweet and he didn't deny it, and instead of ignoring he played along

[alittledizzy]

I think Dan is attracted to men and women, but him using men and women in this video didn't "confirm" it any further for me. In the same way that if a gay guy did the exact same video, but had women, it wouldn't confirm to me that he's clearly straight/any sexuality that isn't 100% straight.

This is a perfect example of how some people will continue to think that Dan and Phil are straight forever; I do realize that's not what you're saying! But you're proving the point that they could literally make it obvious in every single video and some people would still approach it with the mentality of 'okay, here's how I'm gonna dismiss this one' instead of just accepting that Dan is a guy who likes guys, who is just not hiding that he likes guys.

ily you are like the wise village mother with all of the wisdom

are you calling me old

[Catallena]

Firstly, the danisnotonfire brand: "I crave death and I'm so relatable" is overused, and beaten to death in this video. I know he officially "re-branded", but has he really?

He changed his display name, I don't think he ever said his content was rebranding.

A year ago I felt like the 'crave death' humor was over the top and it annoyed the fuck out of me. But the more Dan has opened up about actual mental health issues, the less it bothers me. To me that takes it away from #relatable and more into an area where I can see Dan legitimately using it as a coping mechanism for feelings he actually has. And I'm not gonna give anyone shit for their coping mechanism, even if it equates to humor that doesn't appeal to me personally.

And it actually doesn't appeal to me usually - but for some reason this time it totally did? His pick up lines were so tongue in cheek and like satirical version of a real Tinder conversation that I laughed.

I'd agree if these weren't the same joke he was making 5 years ago while he has said that he's been happier than ever since then. Notice that I'm not saying that his life is better now so he can't suffer from mental health problems anymore or whatever, I'm just repeating what he himself has said and am interpreting his recent behavior on social media and stuff. There's a difference, it's obvious to almost everyone. So there's obviously a divide between how he feels in real life and what he says in these videos. I do think the jokes come from a very real place and that he genuinely related to them because of whatever mental health issues he has, but I don't believe his outlook is still the same as these somewhat date jokes suggest. We keep seeing a Dan who applies more and more nuance to his life as he matures, but he doesn't seem to want to carry that over to his online presence. That's his full right no matter his reasons, but it does suggest a persona more than anything to me.

I think it's possible to be happier than you've ever been, and yet still have mental health issues and darker thoughts/humor. I actually see the fact that Dan now openly relates that kind of humor and certain habits fans pick up on to his mental health as being him maturing.

Sis, that's literally in my post but fine I'll bold it especially for you. I'm just saying that we've see Dan applying a different sort of outlook than 5 years ago almost everywhere else constantly since tour ended, except on his YouTube channel imo. In his private life he's growing and healing, but the process is more stagnant on YouTube. There are many valid reasons for that and there's no reason for him to show that much of himself on there if he doesn't want to, but to me it does suggest a persona. And that's fine. But unlike your interpretation, I don't think him relating to that humor is new or a sign of maturing at all.

The five years ago vs now thing is where you're losing me, because my point is that he talks about his mental health openly now in a way he didn't five years ago. I don't recall him using words like "social anxiety" or "mental health" at all until 2017. That's the key difference to me; the growing and healing seems to be hand in hand with a level of honesty about where the humor comes from. Though I'm also not sure that I see the point about youtube being the only place he's like that. I feel like his twitter replies involve humor just as bleak as ever. The only difference is that he seems more purposeful about it and in control of it, as opposed to the emo tweet sprees of a few years ago.

He does, which is why I think it's a persona. You might see it as going 'hand in hand', I see it as the opposite. Him doing opposite of what he's been portraying online for a while now. And that he seems more purposeful and in control is exactly what I said in that he started applying more nuance to his life as he has gotten older, hence why the jokes that he has been making since forever aren't working as well for me as they used to no matter how much I personally relate and how much I know that with Dan it really does come from a real place.

[secretagentphan]

I thought the video was funny! I'm not trying to start a shit storm or get attacked but to me it looked like Dan was recovering from a black eye? It doesn't look like dark circles because the side of his face near his eye looks bruised too. Also the coloring doesn't look like dark circles. It's none of my business but I'm just wondering if anyone saw the same thing. Sorry idek what this post is lol

[cherrybomb3]

i don't need verbal conformation of him not being straight because i personally believe he's made it pretty clear, however i think this tweet is very close to one. it just really struck out to me idk..like he chose to reply to that tweet and he didn't deny it, and instead of ignoring he played along

there you go i shouldve just reposted this tweet instead of commenting weirdly incidental is the way to go about sexuality for me im not a fan of it being the defining attribute of personality personally (not that it shouldnt be for anyone that wants to be overt for themselves or the comnunity yno)

[neetbuzzer]

on a slightly serious note, it's fucking exhausting that something as clear cut as including dudes on a dating app spon is somehow an elaborate hypothetical. not to project all over the place but it reads the same as someone who is confronted by someone who "doesn't seem bi" and immediately starts quizzing them about their bedroom gender breakdown.

I just fucking hate that any sexuality other than Absolute Hetero is something to not only be actively constantly proved but something that also has to constantly ward off attempts at being disproved.

as to the black eye thing: I didn't see it but if you meant the just woke up pic, it could be allergies. I have the raccoon eye reaction too and people have literally asked me if I've been punched haha.

[cherrybomb3]

I thought the video was funny! I'm not trying to start a shit storm or get attacked but to me it looked like Dan was recovering from a black eye? It doesn't look like dark circles because the side of his face near his eye looks bruised too. Also the coloring doesn't look like dark circles. It's none of my business but I'm just wondering if anyone saw the same thing. Sorry idek what this post is lol

that would probs be a result of all the violent forum disagreements


jk theres good low key civil discourse here

[kuensukki]

It was really really funny. I liked how he included males as well, I hope that people can now shut up about him being straight. Like, how many times he has to show male atraction for people to believe him?

I'm actually really surprised this still happens seeing how vocal Dan is about his attraction towards males. I'm also glad I don't seem to follow anyone who thinks that, how frustrating.

Forgive my attitude here, but like..... What's Dan gotta do to entertain you folks?

I'm aware that we all have our different preferences for videos, but sometimes it genuinely seems to me that, for some, Dan can do no right. This video had everything (stephon.gif): cute little side skits, stupid jokes and humor, nice new shots of their place, and because it's what we all talk about... pretty blatant confirmation Dan's not straight.

alittledizzy basically said my thoughts more concisely earlier too: Dan never said his content was getting a rebrand. The phandom hyped that one up themselves. He was just dropping the old "random" shit and that included his username. Like... I'm just trying to picture a world where he drops every defining characteristic of his channel. What would that video even be?

The reality is that if we got the "realist" Dan, we'd get what would appear to be an even more depressing version. Pizza, video games, and resting bitch face while binging Steven Universe. He's gotta script something into a video. So, this is Daniel Howell. He's witty. He makes a few predictable jokes. But at heart, he's just trying to entertain us with some basic level of honesty. Idk what more to ask for from today's video.

Sorry for the rant.

I mean, look... At least this video made sense.

Please don't apologise for the rant because I 100% agree with you. I saw quite a few people on twitter complaining about the video, mostly complaining about the "rebrand" and also how he can't really be unhappy because he has a nice flat and money and is privileged. I don't need to say that wealth and a nice home doesn't always equal happiness, sure he has a more comfortable life with those things but that doesn't always mean happiness.

Tbh for me though, I don't mind him being self-depreciating, it's one of the reasons I quite enjoy watching him and probably why I enjoyed the video.

As someone who holds this opinion, I think its more of my distrust for those who used self-deprecating humor to be relatable than Dan himself. Twitter, tumblr, reddit all use the "i want death memes and self hatred" and I was exposed to it so much that in my head, it has become a joke rather than something I should automatically always be worried about or believe. I don't know Dan, nor am I trivializing his mental illness or anxieties, but internet culture has made taking this humor as something real and serious. Also from what we have heard from Dan himself, he is happier as catallena pointed out, there has been a progression in his mental state, yet that doesn't translate in his videos ever?? I guess it would be nice to have some balance and continuity to the dan we see in liveshows and vlogs, and the self-hating, "i want death" "I never go outside" Dan in his main channel videos. I think it's more authentic to say that someone is sad and self-deprecating and uses humor as a crutch but also has good days where they do feel good about themselves as we see in liveshow. To constantly play on something that is not continuous with his own words just makes it more difficult to always take him seriously. It also doesn't help that his brand is relatableness and the most relatable thing online is this type of humor.

Anyway I dont expect anything to change, same as I dont expect Amazingphil to suddenly stop tweeting about pancakes. Being completely authentic and pleasing everyone is impossible and I dont expect it, nor am I asking him to suddenly change, I just want to point out why at times, it makes its difficult to take it seriously instead of taking it as another one of his "jokes"

[lilMango]

I think Dan is attracted to men and women, but him using men and women in this video didn't "confirm" it any further for me. In the same way that if a gay guy did the exact same video, but had women, it wouldn't confirm to me that he's clearly straight/any sexuality that isn't 100% straight.

I know this is your opinion and you didn't mean to do this, but this really saddens me because I know this is a mindset that a lot of people will have and they will continue to think Dan is straight. It's just plain sad. I feel like Dan is trying to be obvious about his sexuality because he doesn't want to make a definitive statement (i.e. a coming out video). It makes perfect sense why he wouldn't want to: he would feel like he was asking for attention, he would feel like it's crossing personal boundaries, and thats not the usual content that goes on his channel or even happens in his liveshows. It would be awful to make assumptions about him, but there's a point where the signs are so clear (as clear as even explicitly STATING HIS SEXUALITY a long tome ago, but whatever) and so obviously there that NOT thinking he's not straight is just sort of...blind. it's heteronormative, is what it is.

Now I'm rambling, but I liked the video! It was a bit heavy on the self-deprecating humor but I don't expect anything else from Dan at this point. I liked the "all-black outfit" bit, I actually chuckled. I don't mind if it's all made up, but I don't think it is.

[anime_is_not_cool]

there have been so many posts that i don't even remember the page that the conversation took place on, but about the suicidal and depressing jokes: i think it's kind of a sad situation, because it's really comforting to find other people who think the same way if you feel alone, and when it's just about not liking people or being a nerd who spends all their time on the internet, it's ofc a good thing. and also mental health problems need to be talked about more.

but dan is atm just normalizing suicidal thoughts and depression which simply aren't healthy things. don't get me wrong, i've suffered from both for as long as i can remember, and i know it's fricking difficult to admit that you aren't ok and need help. i think that dan was more disconnected from his branding and it was just a relatable joke, like u know we all have bad days, but now he is a lot more open. his message used to be something like "it's ok to be weird and awkward!!", nowadays it's more like "i hate myself and want to die lmao". his humour is just entirely based on that (and furries).

i don't want to analyze his mental health in any way bc i don't know him personally but i just really think he should be more careful of what he says online and what kind of message he sends to young fans.

if he is actually as depressed/anxious as he seems and says (without using those words tho), i get that it's hard to keep all that under the covers while being professional social media person and it isn't healthy to be so fake on the internet. but if the real him is the one who apparently can't go a day without self-deprecating jokes, it's probably not the best option. and i think that while people say that he's making mental health problems visible, he has mentioned that word in what, one liveshow? and i'm not sure if i've even heard him to tell anyone to get help, like, ever. either he actually doesn't realize what he and his branding sound like 90% of the time and that it isn't a good example for young people, or he isn't even getting help himself. if he wants to use depressing jokes as a coping mechanism, he could use some trigger warnings and idk, just sometimes say that hey btw if you don't feel ok go talk to someone (more often than once a year when mentioning his teenage years).

tl;dr: boy u need to spice that branding up with some public service announcements or something bc atm it looks like u r some sort of suffering fish on the ground, ready to die, and if u actually are i hope u've got a good therapist bc that isn't nice

i probably shouldn't post this bc it's 3am here and this post is the opposite of well-argued, sorry in advance @ tomorrow me

EDIT: and the conversation continued here while i was writing this and this post looks 10x longer than in the writing box, welp i should put spoilers or something but im on my phone