Dan & Phil Part 80: You're my plinth of life

itsonlybeth · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:31 am

flarequake wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 9:25 pm I don’t really register how they behave as flirting, never have, though I see what people mean, I just love when they’re sparky and bright like this, which is most of the time thankfully.

Completely agree about the sparky comment, I thought Phil especially shone through in this video. I’ve definitely been frustrated in the past at Dan constantly interrupting or taking over in gaming videos but Phil wasn’t having any of it this time. I feel like the tour has been a huge boost of confidence for him, and he seemed really genuine and happy in this one (see 5:37).

Also, please none of you feel bad for not knowing these, I was born and raised in London and they were way too quick for me.

wiccamoody · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:50 am

Having listened to the commentary now, I'm just...god I'm just very happy about this era and what we've all gotten out of it, even if there's been several, uh, hiccups. I also want to jump on the podcast bandwagon. It was absolutely delightful, and their natural voices combined with them being on topic but then deviating in that perfect Dan and Phil way was so good. But more spoilery talk below.

Some random, less important observations from me:

rizzo wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:32 am Perhaps this is too much of a compliment, but I would rate the commentary as equally as good as the mukbang. I said it.... I said it and I'm not taking it back.

There were so many soft moments. And I genuinely learned so many new little fun facts and like... really got to see another side of them? Can't explain that but it was there.

You know what? I'm kind of with you on this. It's not exactly equal imo, but I think they're in the same category for sure. It was relaxed, and it felt a lot more stripped back than I expected with this. I expected something that tied to their personas a bit more as this is something they've physically immortalized, but what we got was so much more genuine. I'll specify that more below.

rizzo wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:32 am My absolute favorite bit:
When they both mentioned how AmazingPhil has sort of become a martyr. And Phil touches on how actually he's really not that angelic and he has a sense of humor-- that whole convo was so real. I now hold a permanent grudge against Dan for interrupting Phil there, because I'd have loved to hear him talk more about this persona he's ended up in vs who he actually is.

This!! This is exactly what I mean by more genuine. I...god I could write a whole ass essay on how Phil's changed, even just from the start of this year to now, but this I also loved and found this bit so interesting (and also wish Dan had decided not to interrupt just this once

). That bit was so unexpected. I never thought I'd hear them talk about something like that so soon. That's something I'd expect farther down in the future, when they're more removed from where they are now and where they were before (especially Phil). I just wish I could hear more, and I wish we could talk to them about this, or have more insight from them about this. But maybe sometime in the future, I guess. Also, Phil's comment about if he could swear or not in the commentary and then teasing a fuck was funny, especially given everything else they talked about with AmazingPhil. I guess it's jarringly nice in this whole moment to actually hear from Dan and Phil about this. They talk about rebranding later on to, and Dan's vs. Phil's with his struggle with his hair, which I think slots into this a bit. That's something they've talked about more, but I think piecing them both together in this is so interesting because this, really, is the last part of the ii era before it's over (well, despite all the issues). It's interesting to me that they'd be so real in a lot of this and have it be the last part of this chapter. I'm full tin-hatting/speculation goggles are firmly on, but it feels awfully reflective and fitting as the final piece of this before moving onto the next era of Dan and Phil.

rizzo wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:32 am
itasca00 wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:24 pm

My impression is that Dan seems to have tried really, really hard to be sincere in the commentary. His general attitude reminds me of the attitude he had in the mukbang. Actually, the overall feeling of this commentary feels very similar to that of the mukbang for me.

Dan's pride in this show seems to know no bounds. His praise for how well things were done is so over-the-top that it's almost comical! (Spoilery comment below.)
Phil even commented on Dan's attitude. Dan said that his self-esteem is low so often that they're allowed to talk about something they did that's good.
I didn't mind this (especially given the comment in the spoiler above), but it was very jarring coming from Dan, the king of self-deprecating humor.

Over and over and over again, Dan brings up the central theme of Interactive Introverts--giving the people what they want--along with what the point of each segment of the show is supposed to be. I have to say that all of these comments taught me a lot about the way Dan thinks (in general, and especially about his creations). Unfortunately, his philosophy makes no fucking sense to me. Different statements or inferences he made at different points in the commentary seem to completely contradict each other. I'll be very interested to see what the discussion of this philosophy looks like here on IDB.

The first point you made stuck out pretty severely to me as well and while I really strongly agree with the second bit, it's honestly just nice to listen to Dan waffle on about something he's proud of. He so often shrinks away from... almost everything else they do: merch, live streams, even his own videos, that listening to him talk about something with pride is just plain heart-warming, even if it is a bit over the top.

Just picture me clapping along to all of this and nodding.

rizzo wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:32 am Not even in the commentary, but I keep thinking there's a message in the show that I'm missing? Like something Dan really wanted to say that he thinks he got across that I'm maybe not picking up. Because it's supposed to have this big message and I kinda get it? But it feels just about as inconclusive to me as The Memeing of Life did. He wants to give the people what they want, so he's giving the people what the want via a show that tells the people that sometimes what they want isn't what Dan and Phil want, so they have to find a middle ground that.... doesn't always give the people what they want.

IDK. I just.... IDK.

Regardless of that bit, I'm joyfully signing my name on the podcast petition!!

Yeah. Yeah, the whole time when Dan pushes the giving the people what they want thing in that waffly way that he does, I kind of roll my eyes? Not in a mean way, but like, we get it Dan. We get the point, it's really not hard to pick up. But it draws me back to the early moments when we get Dan going ~super deep into what he wants the show to mean and what he wants us to take away from it (from witl, 5.20: "being introverts, the difference between our larger than life personas and the reality of who we are as real people, analyzing the relationship that we have with our audience, whether people like to identify as fans or individuals, growing up with us, the consequences of control and giving the people what they want and if it’s a a good idea or not"). That's of course been there from the start but I feel like even now he's hyping up that idea. But hey maybe that's just Dan being Dan, and trying to get some ~philosophical thing across that works to an extent (which as you said, we've seen from him before), but yeah. I'd like to be enlightened if someone could explain the deeper meaning behind this. Because to me at the end of the day this was a pretty much 90% scripted show that was fun and cute but ultimately doesn't give any kind of new insight on them or on our relationship with them.

I also accidentally got pretty emo and wrote out a total wall of text essay I kind of had in my back pocket since the Brazil livestream that I decided against writing full at first. But tbh the commentary sealed the deal for my emo essay lol (and with the 'peer pressure' I received on twitter in the back of my mind lmao). So that's tacked on here because I may as well make this massive post even longer, and I have a feeling I'd chicken out again if I copied it into another place for posting at another time ha.

At the end of all of this, I'm happy to see them both be so genuinely proud of this (especially Dan, but @itasca00 says that much better in their quoted post above). It's clear they've worked hard, and having been around for tatinof too, I think (imo ofc) this was ultimately a more enjoyable and refreshing tour experience as a fan of them. It's definitely an end of an era and to me it feels a lot like the end of 2016 did but even better. To me it's really interesting to see how they've changed and developed and gone about their careers over the last 4 years. Near the end of 2014 seemed to be when we got to see them slowly start to open up more. They'd started the book and tour stuff already at that point, so they were definitely moving onto that part of their career then. But also looking at something like festive ditl, which had its own domestic flare at the time that carried over into what they started doing with the expansion of their careers in 2015, alongside the boundaries they started to break down and set on their own terms at the time, that seemed to be the start of this more controlled career and life path.
The tatinof era was the last cling and last goodbye to the branding that ~made them, despite them having said goodbye to it ages ago (of course this applies more to Dan imo), and then going into the post-tatinof era was so interesting to see because the post-baking universe came so close after the release of the films. I also think Dan coining that phrase says a lot about how they like to move into things like that, that control where they want to go personally and career-wise but also bridge those parts of their lives in ways that they feel comfortable with and on their own terms. I think 2017 didn't give us many expectations from them besides moving and then--like most things they do--we found out about truth bombs and the tour. Going into the ii era we had a bit more of an idea of what to expect from them going off of last time, which, imo, they blew out of the water with the way they kept up content and used insta stories to their advantage through that. and even the rize streams were great. They made mistakes and did things that made me pissy for sure, but it's a real world of difference from two years ago. Behaviour-wise, I think with tour comes leaning onto personas, but I also think that they've consistently let us into their lives the way they have been for years now and that was so nice. It really kept up the pace we've seem them change and open up over the years.
So I think coming into 2019, another clean slate, on the tails of another post [blank] (mukbang in this case) universe, I'm not only super curious to see what they're going to do over the next year (forever home seems like the only expected inevitable to me), but entering this new era that has those same recognizable features as the old one, where they're actively and continuously cracking themselves open in ways they can control and regulate with comfort (and tbh looking at the context of right now, where the glass seems to be the thinnest single pane in the world), has me very excited. I'm most definitely overthinking this, and thinking far too hard on it at that, but from what I expected at the start of this year to reality, and then to this post mukbang and tour era we're in now, I've never been more excited for a new era or happier to be a fan of them (or just extremely fond and happy for them too).

ratlad · Wed Dec 12, 2018 11:07 am

haven't listened to the DC, nor the actual show for that matter, but i am enjoying y'all's commets on it !! @obsessivelymoody your emo wall of text is beautiful and it should be said!!! i cant form words properly at the moment as it is 7am but i feel like 2019 is a great new beginning.

itasca00 · Wed Dec 12, 2018 12:55 pm

Amiaw wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 3:40 pm
itasca00 wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:24 pm

Phil's humor was on point in the commentary. The random places his mind went and stories he chose to tell often had me laughing out loud!

Complete spoiler below. Don't read unless you've listened to the commentary or don't care.
The Phil moment that stands out most to me is Phil's very firm insistence that he was going to talk about the showers at the venues no matter what. He wanted us all to know that there were often group showers and that he and Dan showered at the venues. But they did not partake in group showers...with their crew. According to Phil, this is unlike the experience of some other touring shows.

These spoilers make me wish I had my dvd already.

I do have a question about Phil's shower statement. Was he implying that the crew took group showers without dnp or was he saying that dnp took group showers without the crew-as in just the 2 of them? And what was Dan's reaction to this anecdote?

knq wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 5:40 pm continuing the director's commentary spoiler discussion

itasca00 wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:24 pm

Over and over and over again, Dan brings up the central theme of Interactive Introverts--giving the people what they want--along with what the point of each segment of the show is supposed to be. I have to say that all of these comments taught me a lot about the way Dan thinks (in general, and especially about his creations). Unfortunately, his philosophy makes no fucking sense to me.

oh thank god. I listened to the commentary last night but as the shipping is a bit of a fiasco I didn't have anyone to talk with about it. I still don't want to spoil any specifics because I feel like it's a special experience to discover them as you watch.

But Dan explaining the theme of II: I felt like I came out of it understanding much more how the thing they created relates to the themes Dan was talking about in bed in the WITL, but also like nothing makes any sense. I feel like I watched a particularly frustrating old Dan live-show, except for 2 hours. Every time he said "we're joking" I wanted to cry. I did not ask for this, Dan Howell. I just wanted to have a fun and wholesome time.

I kind of knew that might happen. I've always been aware that they recorded the dc at a time when Dan was still posting Instagrams about filling the "hole" with bread and coming down from the tour high, and I know my own depression is sensitive to his and other people's experience of depression. I watched it knowing that and it still left me as conflicted as the Mukbang. You are correct that it has a similar feel.

I think part of it, for me, is that Dan continues to be fascinated by the fact that different people are... different. I don't know why he finds that hard to wrap his head around, but it's something I've noticed from him that hasn't really changed over the years of his content. Whenever Dan discovers that there is no single right and true opinion that all people (in his audience or in the world) hold, whether it's about if his hat is a hipster hat in 2011 or his audience finds his pain funny in 2018, Dan's mind is blown. And mine isn't. So I'm sitting over here going "... Yeah? And?" and I'm looking for that deeper meaning that Dan seems to see but it feels as if I haven't found it because I'm not fascinated by it the way he is. It's just that something that has a deep meaning to Dan doesn't for me. But man, it's still frustrating to watch. I'm still looking for that deeper meaning even though I know I've already found it.

Obviously I'm still trying to work it out!

There are some very sweet and honest moments in the commentary that I love but also don't want to spoil for anyone because they're so much more special if you hear them organically. Even when Dan is being frustrating, he and Phil are lovely to listen to together.
An homage to the chaotic release of the DVD: Dan spons the physical copy of II in the director's commentary... which only comes with the physical copy of II.

rizzo wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:32 am
itasca00 wrote: Tue Dec 11, 2018 2:24 pm

My impression is that Dan seems to have tried really, really hard to be sincere in the commentary. His general attitude reminds me of the attitude he had in the mukbang. Actually, the overall feeling of this commentary feels very similar to that of the mukbang for me.

Dan's pride in this show seems to know no bounds. His praise for how well things were done is so over-the-top that it's almost comical! (Spoilery comment below.)
Phil even commented on Dan's attitude. Dan said that his self-esteem is low so often that they're allowed to talk about something they did that's good.
I didn't mind this (especially given the comment in the spoiler above), but it was very jarring coming from Dan, the king of self-deprecating humor.

Over and over and over again, Dan brings up the central theme of Interactive Introverts--giving the people what they want--along with what the point of each segment of the show is supposed to be. I have to say that all of these comments taught me a lot about the way Dan thinks (in general, and especially about his creations). Unfortunately, his philosophy makes no fucking sense to me. Different statements or inferences he made at different points in the commentary seem to completely contradict each other. I'll be very interested to see what the discussion of this philosophy looks like here on IDB.

The first point you made stuck out pretty severely to me as well and while I really strongly agree with the second bit, it's honestly just nice to listen to Dan waffle on about something he's proud of. He so often shrinks away from... almost everything else they do: merch, live streams, even his own videos, that listening to him talk about something with pride is just plain heart-warming, even if it is a bit over the top.
Not even in the commentary, but I keep thinking there's a message in the show that I'm missing? Like something Dan really wanted to say that he thinks he got across that I'm maybe not picking up. Because it's supposed to have this big message and I kinda get it? But it feels just about as inconclusive to me as The Memeing of Life did. He wants to give the people what they want, so he's giving the people what the want via a show that tells the people that sometimes what they want isn't what Dan and Phil want, so they have to find a middle ground that.... doesn't always give the people what they want.

IDK. I just.... IDK.

Regardless of that bit, I'm joyfully signing my name on the podcast petition!!

obsessivelymoody wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:50 am

rizzo wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 5:32 am Not even in the commentary, but I keep thinking there's a message in the show that I'm missing? Like something Dan really wanted to say that he thinks he got across that I'm maybe not picking up. Because it's supposed to have this big message and I kinda get it? But it feels just about as inconclusive to me as The Memeing of Life did. He wants to give the people what they want, so he's giving the people what the want via a show that tells the people that sometimes what they want isn't what Dan and Phil want, so they have to find a middle ground that.... doesn't always give the people what they want.

IDK. I just.... IDK.

Regardless of that bit, I'm joyfully signing my name on the podcast petition!!
Yeah. Yeah, the whole time when Dan pushes the giving the people what they want thing in that waffly way that he does, I kind of roll my eyes? Not in a mean way, but like, we get it Dan. We get the point, it's really not hard to pick up. But it draws me back to the early moments when we get Dan going ~super deep into what he wants the show to mean and what he wants us to take away from it (from witl, 5.20: "being introverts, the difference between our larger than life personas and the reality of who we are as real people, analyzing the relationship that we have with our audience, whether people like to identify as fans or individuals, growing up with us, the consequences of control and giving the people what they want and if it’s a a good idea or not"). That's of course been there from the start but I feel like even now he's hyping up that idea. But hey maybe that's just Dan being Dan, and trying to get some ~philosophical thing across that works to an extent (which as you said, we've seen from him before), but yeah. I'd like to be enlightened if someone could explain the deeper meaning behind this. Because to me at the end of the day this was a pretty much 90% scripted show that was fun and cute but ultimately doesn't give any kind of new insight on them or on our relationship with them.

I wasn't frustrated with Dan when he was explaining the theme and/or meaning of Interactive Introverts. I thought what he said was how he genuinely felt, and I thought it was lovely that Dan was so open with us. I just often found the statements he made to be contradictory and/or illogical, and that did take me out of the moment a bit.

Below you'll find the outline of my essay on the main issues I have with Dan's philosophical statements.

Everyone's different but also the same
- Throughout the commentary, Dan comments often about how diverse everyone is and how no one thinks the same way. At the same time, he's so surprised that, no matter where they went, no matter how different the individual people were, they always got the same common responses in the fan-submitted content.
- There seems to be absolutely no recognition that the Phandom is just acting as a mirror/echo chamber. They're just getting back the exact same jokes and branding that they give out because, you know, they're the common factor among all these diverse individuals, and we're all going to a show to see them.
Social Experiments
- Dan said that many parts of the show were meant to be social experiments. They provide the stimuli and see how the audience reacts. They say that many of the deep questions asked by the show are open, and they don't have the answers.
- Dan also says that the parts that are meant to be social experiments are also clearly on-the-nose jokes. The connection he doesn't seem to make is that, if something is being set up as a lighthearted joke, then people are going to be inclined to play along. This makes it hard to draw any real meaning from their social experiments.
- The other thing that Dan and Phil don't seem to be aware of (at least, they don't acknowledge it) is that they themselves bias the results of their experiments, which, again, makes it difficult to find any meaning in them. For example, in the simulation, the way they read/reacted to the "unicorn death frappe" and "lady door" options clearly hyped those options. Again, people are going to be inclined to play along with the option that the stars of the show are hinting should be the one that's chosen.
Mob Mentality/Majority Rule
- Dan talks about how the opinions of the majority are the ones that are the most heard, and this can feel bad as an individual because you feel like your voice isn't being heard and that the majority doesn't represent you. They say that this feeling is valid...but then there's nothing more. Like, there's no point. It seemed like Phil tried to make a point a couple of times, but Dan cut him off. I think it's possible that this was intentionally done to maintain the theme of "we don't have the answers."
- In some ways, Dan and Phil seem to discourage mob mentality with some of their social experiments. Going along as a mob with the options they encouraged in the simulation leads to "the worst possible endings." This seems like it's meant to be a warning.
- In other ways, Dan and Phil seem indifferent to majority opinion. Under the auspices of "giving the people what they want," they talk about choosing questions/answers from fan submissions that were submitted a lot because they represent what the majority of people want to see. There seems to be no recognition of the connection between their choice to do this and the discussions they had about majority voices silencing individuals.
Giving the people what they want
- Over and over again, Dan says that, at this point in their careers, Dan and Phil are happy to give the people what they want. Dan also said that he didn't want people to worry about hurting his and Phil's feelings, reinforcing the line in the musical finale, "We don't care if it hurts or not. We just want to give the people what they want."
- In the past, the way the concept of "giving the people what they want" has been presented has given me the impression that this is currently their feeling about everything that they do. This presented some obvious issues for me with regard to their mental health and people feeling like they're being given permission to violate Dan and Phil's boundaries.
- Now, however, it seems to me that the sentiment may be meant to apply specifically to the show. In this case, the sentiment seems to be somewhat meaningless. Dan and Phil guessed at what we wanted to see, and they also made sure that the show conformed tightly to exactly what they wanted (i.e., Dan's insistence that every part of the show have a deeper meaning). They set the boundaries themselves and were in control of all of the content that made it into the show. As such, there was no chance of them getting hurt.
- Dan also acknowledges that everyone is different and has different things that they want. This would seem to make it impossible to give (all of) the people what they want, especially since they went by majority rule when selecting fan-submitted content. Nevertheless, Dan still hopes that he and Phil delivered on this front.

autumnhearth · Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:05 pm

@obsessivelymoody thank you for sharing that, this is (one of the reasons) I love this forum. Oof I can’t wait to listen to the commentary. I’m (so far) not clicking on the most spoilery spoiler warnings, but @itasca00 I love your analysis.

I just came to say that I had a dream that Dan posted a new video and it was truly bizarre. It started off with a glitchy intro (I suppose a bit like the outro he used last year but more blurry and undulating and maybe a bit like the intro to TATINOF like going through the time vortex) with a voice over that sounded for sure like it was setting up an ISG (it reminded me of the mug he told us about) but then there was a title and it was like [Holiday] Crafts with Dan, or Crafing with Dan. It was shot from the table in the baking kitchen and at first I thought he was wearing a white fluffy jumper, but that was actually just at the bottom of the screen where Phil was apparently holding the camera shakely and there would be an occasional giggle from him and the edges were all blurry and Dan was talking in a strange voice, a bit like the beginning of pinof 10 only even more fake. He was making candy cane book marks and it was just so wonky and experimental and obviously Dan and Phil Crafts like but even more. And it seemed like he was trying to make a point about where he was with his personal content (not ready, definitely not out of that cocoon yet) and the whole time I was just like why, Dan, why? So um, keep taking your time Danny, don’t give in to pressure.

Ataraxia25 · Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:09 pm

i sent an email to the dan and phil shop and asked them to ship the dvd to my parents' house. Hoppefully, they'll say it's because possible. If i can at least get it there instead of waiting until january, i'll be less salty about the whole thing.

vacule · Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:33 pm

Does anyone else forget that Dan doesn't have a university degree? I don't know why but I always assume he does, and then realise that he dropped out and only did a year of university.

I wonder if he would consider going back to university. He does seem to have a lot of interest in learning different things and understanding things that pique his interest on a deeper level, but I wonder how that would translate into structured learning.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what degree Dan might do if he was to go back to university?

msbluesky · Wed Dec 12, 2018 2:44 pm

Ataraxia25 wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:09 pm i sent an email to the dan and phil shop and asked them to ship the dvd to my parents' house. Hoppefully, they'll say it's because possible. If i can at least get it there instead of waiting until january, i'll be less salty about the whole thing.

I did the same thing and they said they had changed the shipping address. So it should be fine!

Wed Dec 12, 2018 3:35 pm

Ugh. @itasca00 your entire post is a genuine thing of beauty and I wish I had anything else to add besides: I agree I agree I agree!!! I could not have worded or organized any of that as well as you did, but it really beautifully covered off on exactly what was confusing me.

vacule wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:33 pm Does anyone else forget that Dan doesn't have a university degree? I don't know why but I always assume he does, and then realise that he dropped out and only did a year of university.

I wonder if he would consider going back to university. He does seem to have a lot of interest in learning different things and understanding things that pique his interest on a deeper level, but I wonder how that would translate into structured learning.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what degree Dan might do if he was to go back to university?

He briefly mentions considering going back to uni in this Living My Truth video. (I think it's that one anyway. I'm too lazy to check.) So, I definitely think it's something he thinks about.

But also like... that shit's hard after you've been making a good deal of money without it, so it would have to take a great deal of motivation.

If he did go back to school, I could see him either doing something in Media or otherwise, really committing to that Philosophy interest of his (though IDK if he has any idea what he's getting himself into there).

sonicgreen · Wed Dec 12, 2018 3:45 pm

msbluesky wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 2:44 pm
Ataraxia25 wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 1:09 pm i sent an email to the dan and phil shop and asked them to ship the dvd to my parents' house. Hoppefully, they'll say it's because possible. If i can at least get it there instead of waiting until january, i'll be less salty about the whole thing.
I did the same thing and they said they had changed the shipping address. So it should be fine!

ooh thats not a bad idea, i’m split between uni and home (opposite sides of the country) and i would really appreciate a delivery estimate so i know where the hell its going to end up

Ablissa · Wed Dec 12, 2018 4:54 pm

So many interesting posts to read today! I have a headache, so I'm probably gonna be boring, but whatever.

obsessivelymoody wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:50 am I'm full tin-hatting/speculation goggles are firmly on, but it feels awfully reflective and fitting as the final piece of this before moving onto the next era of Dan and Phil.

I'm joining you in the tin hat land. I'm really enjoying seeing II come to an end, and us having another year when Dan and Phil have wrapped everything up nicely and have a clean slate. I know that they must have plans they're not sharing with us yet, and I can't wait to see it for myself.

I agree with @obsessivelymoody and @rizzo about the giving people what they want thing. I definitely enjoyed II a looot more than tatinof (which I didn't get to see live, but I saw the film), and I feel like their "personas" were way closer to the real thing than tatinof was. But having read all the transcripts you lovely people of IDB prepared for us - the show was still scripted, we had the same rotation of jokes, etc. They allowed themselves to be a lot more real and even had some surprising things as a part of the script (the soulmates thing for one), but still. It's not exactly 100% of what I wanted, not even close.

Then again, they are right in thinking that their audience all wants different things. There are the fans that want them to make out, get married and have five children - all on camera, and there are fans like us, who just cling to every bit of reality that we get and want more insight into their thoughts, plans, wishes, dreams.
(I'd be happy with both of those things)

obsessivelymoody wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:50 am So I think coming into 2019, another clean slate, on the tails of another post [blank] (mukbang in this case) universe, I'm not only super curious to see what they're going to do over the next year (forever home seems like the only expected inevitable to me), but entering this new era that has those same recognizable features as the old one, where they're actively and continuously cracking themselves open in ways they can control and regulate with comfort (and tbh looking at the context of right now, where the glass seems to be the thinnest single pane in the world), has me very excited. I'm most definitely overthinking this, and thinking far too hard on it at that, but from what I expected at the start of this year to reality, and then to this post mukbang and tour era we're in now, I've never been more excited for a new era or happier to be a fan of them (or just extremely fond and happy for them too). [/Spoiler]

I'd say +1, but it's more like a +1000. Not only do I agree, but thank you for the major feels. I have a feeling that 2019 is going to be a good year to be a deppy fan. :happytears:

Edit: obligatory "I still want news about the dvd delay but it's not going to happen so I will submerge myself in happiness" addition.

coffeepenguin · Wed Dec 12, 2018 6:08 pm

rizzo wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 3:35 pm Ugh. @itasca00 your entire post is a genuine thing of beauty and I wish I had anything else to add besides: I agree I agree I agree!!! I could not have worded or organized any of that as well as you did, but it really beautifully covered off on exactly what was confusing me.

The show generally feels like it has no real conclusion as a result of all of that contradiction and so it throws me a little every time Dan talks about the deeper meaning.

I also really like what you said about realizing that Dan and Phil are "giving the people what they want" within the context of.... what they want. They're just not pointing out that it's what they want while they do it.

I just... I love your post. It was such a good read.

I agree with Rizzo, itasca00 you managed to express everything that made difficult for me to enjoy the II before, during and after the time that I saw it, thank you for your in-depth

analysis

thestigdrivesamini · Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:09 pm

They’re live on Tumblr with their Q&A now!

Ablissa · Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:16 pm

I don't understand, have they not answered anything yet or am I on the wrong page?

plinthofmylife · Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:20 pm

Ablissa wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:16 pm I don't understand, have they not answered anything yet or am I on the wrong page?

As far as I can tell, they were late; and then they posted 10 minutes late they were starting, and then have answered nothing. Good job, lads.

Edited to add: but if there's anywhere that I want to be while DNP are screwing something up, it's tumblr. I am lmao at some of the sass towards them. (By the way, answertime is halfway over and 0 answers,)

Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:29 pm

More importantly: Why does Dan look like he has a fringe again?

Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:44 pm

Okay I get that they're finding the video feature snazzy and all but I really wanted some text answers, I think Dan does better typing things out.

Ablissa · Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:52 pm

So we waited for ~40 minutes and so far we got some anime gifs, a "yee", one weird question about reincarnation and one about their fanbase. I want something fun boys, pls.

plinthofmylife · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:03 pm

Ablissa wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 7:52 pm So we waited for ~40 minutes and so far we got some anime gifs, a "yee", one weird question about reincarnation and one about their fanbase. I want something fun boys, pls.

I am supremely unsatisfied. Like tell me something I DON'T know please. Please feed the trash something, anything. Or even just an answer that isn't available in any of the content you've put out for the pas 4 months.

sarmstr2 · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:06 pm

Sooo….is that it?

Ablissa · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:17 pm

It's improving. Dan's long text post was way better than the entire first 50 minutes of this answertime.

Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:18 pm

Ok, it's definitely improving. The videos are cute. That long answer from Dan @Ablissa just posted is something I think we all realized, but it's nice to finally see him say it.

And Dan's hair through all of this? Still questionable.

thestigdrivesamini · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:27 pm

The text posts are so much better than the video responses. I wish they’d done all text. They slip back into their PR interview answers in the videos and I think we can all agree we’re over that and crave some realness.

Really enjoyed his therapy response. It was quite vulnerable and I appreciate his honesty.

Ablissa · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:38 pm

Oh my god.

plinthofmylife · Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:38 pm

Im_new_here wrote: Wed Dec 12, 2018 8:03 pm I am supremely unsatisfied.

I take it all back. I am now extremely satisfied.