#«rpf is fine» - dan and phil

[simplydnp]

what's your opinion on fanfics about dnp? (more in a way of do you think that it's crossing boundaries and/or being parasocial)

i'm of the same mind of dnp in that phanfic is fucking incredible. it's an important and valid way to express yourself, as well as a building block of our community. i don't think it's crossing boundaries, as it's fiction. i don't see it as parasocial either--you're writing for you and others like you. most people don't want dnp reading their fics, it's not for them in a sense, it's for us.

i think dnp are extremely aware of fanfic and its value and place in community. they've always encouraged it, appreciated the support, and given us space about it. they're not ones to make videos about it and mock fans for it (which happened to some of our lovely fic writers here writing for other yt fandoms, and i'm so sorry about it). dnp are fandom culture people. they've written fic themselves! and published it in their book!

the word parasocial has been twisted lately to imply any fan support is unnatural and should be shamed, which is complete fucking bullshit. making art is always important and valued. and it is necessary for your existence as a human, but also for the thing you're a fan of to thrive.

the parasocial side comes in once you start believing you know this person. and that you're their real friend. when in reality, they do not know you specifically, and you are not their friend, you are an audience member.

so a parasocial relationship only occurs when people start crossing boundaries (digging for not publicly available information, contacting people in their personal life, showing up to their house, etc). which, is absolutely nowhere close to real fan behaviour.

tl;dr: phanfic is great, i love you fic writers, parasociality is a problem but not one that we have

[theyarewrestling]

oh i love phil so fucking much he is literally one of us like he GETS it🙏🙏🙏

[strangely-renee]

[dapg-otmebytheballs]

Ok so I'm reading dnp fic now I suppose send me some recs of your favourites!! What I love: angst, hurt/comfort, even kinky stuff if it involves bit of angst. What I don't like: anyone getting outed without consent, graphic homophobia, psychiatric settings, high school AUs. I'd love to hear about your favourite fics pls send! ❤️

P.S. you can also send your own fic, and even if there's fic that has stuff I'm uncomfortable with I won't be mad just to receive the rec so dw send away!

[barry2018-2023]

for the record when I voice my dissenting opinionsnon rpf I mean like youtubers. I think rpf is fine when it's people who shouldn't even know what tumblr is or are so famous they don't even count as real people anymore

[yonpote]

phil: rpf is fine

dan: rpf saved my life

[thatsmistertoyou]

not to be that guy about it but people have always used dan and phil as like a Prime Example of RPF Ruining Lives as if they haven’t said it’s fine for over a decade, participated in it, and said that the queerness of the community made them feel more comfortable coming out. it was never about being invasive or fetishy it was about self recognition through the other and having fun and being cringe for sport and winning the gold fucking medal

[freckliedan]

You said they’ve been hinting that something’s coming in a way they haven’t before. I haven’t noticed this - how have they hinted?

not quite babylove, i'm saying the only other time time they had a similar pattern of behavior they came out individually—and this time it appears to be focused on their relationship!

to list out overall increasingly openness about their relationship would take a long time, because i would mark dan using a red heart emoji when posting about phil's birthday in 2023 as the start point, & they've been slowly boiling us for all of the gaming channel return. (frog theory / boiling terminology explainer).

there's been a marked increase of like. incidents? for lack of a better word? since the start of april. i'm sure i'm missing things.

handholding in dapc

even more handholding in PJ's behind the scenes video

the amount of clothes sharing also taking place in that behind the scenes video

handholding being put on merch, instagram grid posts & MULTIPLE stories, and acknowledged in non dapc channel videos (iirc?)

we've never fucked ON YOUTUBE -> implication that they have fucked

both of them go to the isle of man to visit the lesters. IMPORTANT.

we get to see more of their home than they've ever shown us in two separate videos back to back in a way that shows they're intentionally opening up

"rpf is fine"-phil lester

phil's earnest support of WAD being replied to with an ORANGE heart and then dan calling that gay ON YOUTUBE?

immediately followed by a public triple date

dan's solo endeavors era has arrived at a very neat conclusion -> they came out after ii ended so there's a precedent

we also have tweets from dan explicitly mentioning that something is coming soon in a way that fits the same pattern as their coming out in 2019 (link).

basically every elder phannie (not an age thing, a "how long have you been around" thing) i am aware of is losing their mind with anticipation and thinks a hard launch is in the works. i have mutuals i haven't seen in months if not YEARS posting on my dash. and i've been on marriage hill forever but quite honestly the thing that has me the most convinced is nora agreeing that it's realistic.

in conclusion.

[shennant]

No but seriously imagine it:

Your watching the TV BAFTAs on May 12th. Everyone is having a great time. David Tennant wins for his comedic performance as Crowley in Amazon prime’s Good Omens. David gets on the stage. He seems a little excited. “We have a surprise for you guys.” David says. All of a sudden Michael comes out and says, “We are in a polyamorous relationship!” Lights flash everywhere, and they start kissing with a lot of tongue right there on the stage. Like a lot of tongue. Then if things couldn’t get any better, Dan and Phil walk onto the stage and kiss, holding an “RPF is fine” flag.

[pseudophan]

on of those twitter phannies yesterday was like “soviet of you haven’t watch BIG in a while maybe you should” in regards to people talking about the hand holding in spooky week and i badly wanted to respond being like ?? basically i’m gay… the video where dan calls phil his soulmate and literally confirms everything 😭 maybe they should watch BIG again actually

there is this weird thing where some people heard dan say that the speculation about his sexuality and invasion of privacy that he endured was traumatic and somehow from that got that he hates so-called "Phan Shippers" and is against anyone talking about him and phil potentially being a couple and it's so bizarre because it's just literally not what he said at all ? and if he did say that it would be highly hypocritical because, and i cannot stress this enough, dan and phil have always leaned into the shipping thing. always. they know it gets them views and they also clearly find it funny. that was never the issue.

the actual issue has always been people demanding answers and straight up harassing them about it, accessing their families' social media looking for clues, showing up at their literal home being weird, and, while closeted, constantly asking them if they're gay. THAT was the issue, that's what dan is talking about in his video.

i'm not even saying the general shipping didn't also get on their nerves sometimes, i'm sure it absolutely did, but that's not at all what dan said really affected him mentally.

the amount of times dan and phil have joked about it, actively encouraged fanfic (both by tongue-in-cheek writing it themselves and many times saying they consider fanfic to be a good creative outlet), referred to themselves as "phan" (a term they coined themselves, lest we forget), gone along with phannie jokes about them being together, and most of all emphasised that they generally try to stay out of fan spaces (i.e. anything they aren't tagged in) because they want us to feel free to be weird and post whatever without being afraid they'll see it... i'm sorry but to then vehemently insist dan and phil hate it when people ship them and are gonna ?? stop uploading again ?? if we do it ?? fucking stupid. and unbelievably annoying. if you don't like rpf that's fine, but there are so many more important issues you could dedicate your time to than policing people going 'aww' over two lameass grown men touching hands.

[simplydnp]

hey char! what do you think phil meant when he said "as long as you're not being too weird" when he talked about rpf and being "shipped with another youtuber" ?

it seems like his take on rpf is that if people specifically say don't, then don't (which, considering what he graciously went through for years as a public figure, i can understand the viewpoint), but otherwise, it's pretty much fine, with a few caveats.

now he doesn't specifically say, but based off our history with dnp, the line would be:

insisting/assuming fic is real

shoving fic in their/their families' faces

it's hard to say his actual opinion on some of the very graphic/disturbing crackfic that happened in our community, cause both he and dan reference specific ones when making jokes. any concrete thoughts on that would be pure speculation on my part.

beyond that, i think there's not a lot that would phase him. he truly has seen it all throughout the years. if you're a writer, i hope you're not too stressed. i don't think any of our writers are doing anything even close to 'over the line'. dnp have been good at respecting our writing space and we've generally been good about respecting them back (especially these last many years i wouldnt say theres been anything 'bad')

this is just my take on it!

[conarcoin]

idk if uve ever given a fuck abt dan and phil but as they r some of the most notorious victims of rpf I think you'd be delighted to know that Daniel Howell did an interview recently where he said that hes grateful for the rpf because it made him come to terms with his identity and I just wanted u to know this as like fodder for ur rpf war, rpf is fine

i'm not even a rpf warrior i'm rpf apathetic. who give a shit - karl marx

[thighguys]

god you people are so fucking annoying cant dan and phil do anything without everyone saying theyre married? it isnt phils fucking hand and they will probably never get married and its none of our fucking business anyway so cam we please shut up and just appreciate all of dans hard work on the show without fucking invading their privacy

lmao??? dont even know what to say to this. let people be people dude phil said rpf is fine and i personally am going to take FULL advantage of this opportunity

[slowlyfallingmadlyinlove]

I don’t really post original posts very often but I’ve been reading dnp tarot readings over the last couple of days and I thought I’d throw my hat in.

I used the app Labyrinthos to do a reading and the answers I got were interesting.

I used the question: are Dan and Phil hard launching.

Option 1- The Emperor

This card mainly focuses on authority, structure and control. In the context of Dan and Phil, this card suggests that they will be put into a situation where clear boundaries will be important to implement.

Option 2- Page of Cups

This card suggests that Dan and Phil will be able to choose to embark on a path of emotional beginnings or creative ventures. It signifies fresh energy, within a journey of heartfelt communication. It can be assumed that a hard launch may lead to opportunities of emotional growth and deeper communication with others.

Option 3- VII of Cups

This card suggests that Dan and Phil have multiple options to choose from when it comes to hard launching, however they must be careful of getting lost in fantasy. It encourages dan and Phil to focus on what truly matters to them and make a decision based on their deepest desires and values. It can lead to a path of creativity, intuition and emotional fulfilment.

Overall, from the reading, I think it’s clear that something is coming. Dan and Phil are actively reaching a point of placing boundaries (Phil saying rpf is fine etc) and shifting towards a fresher energy (the air shifting, if you will). With Dan and Phil hard launching, it should lead to a place of emotional fulfilment and a deeper connection to their core audience.

Thank you @dnptarot @freckliedan for the inspiration!!

[whitealbum]

it’s so funny to me how many people still think dan and phil aren’t together and i don’t even mean that in an “rpf is fine” – albert einstein way i just love the mental gymnastics everyone is doing to make that make sense

[maicrowave]

ello

I have some thoughts, but I want to say them in a way that isn't aggressive or patronizing.

obviously a lot of jokes and discourse are newly on the table in the modern dan & phil era, especially in comparison to 2013.

i think the main principle is to follow their lead. ten years ago, they were pretty clearly setting boundaries for things they Didn't Want To Talk About (sexuality, relationships). Boundaries that people (fans, coworkers, interviewers) crossed over and over. It's worth noting I'm not really talking about fanfiction here—banning rpf is futile, and, lest you forget Dan Howell said he has read youtuber rpf for fun—I'm talking about real life speculation. I believe that's what hurt them.

in the modern era, let's learn from that (probably kinda traumatic) time and follow their lead. they're both openly gay—gay discourse is fine! They're pretty ambiguous about their relationship (see: "are we gay? did we fuck?" quote from dystopia daily's 'Dan and Phil Tell the Truth' video), so jokes of that caliber are ok (imo).

On the other hand... Invasions of privacy? Trying to "prove" things about their personal lives that they've repeatedly stated they don't want to elaborate on? Especially posting that "proof" to public websites. Bringing up past content, posts, etc, that they clearly still don't want to acknowlege? Let's refrain.

Obviously dnp have come to terms with a lot of this stuff existing on the internet... then again, they didn't exactly have a choice. but here's my thoughts: tumblr is a public website, literally anyone can make an account. Dan and Phil want to get into the mainstream via acting/writing projects. If they get popular enough, mainstream media outlets will dig, and some of the personal old stuff is not hard to find... and even easier to look for if people are talking about it all the time. And I would hate, despise even, to see some detached popular media outlet make some "tea" article containing personal stuff from dnp's past that they've tried to move on from/delete. So just... keep in mind plz. I don't want to make them hurt/sad again.

tl;dr: if you're older in the fandom, let's set a good example for any incoming or younger ppl and meet dnp where they're at with the jokes & content, and avoid invasions of privacy!