i think i have the most controversial opinion in the phandom…..i cannot imagine dan and phil having a romantic or sexual relationship (i feel as tho this is my autism to blame) but how dan treats phil it blocks the idea like he can be so mean to phil in some videos to the point i cringe and also just their opposite personality don’t always go together i just don’t understand peoples obsession with it and i don’t get how it would work off camera although lately with dan being all touchy feely it warms my heart to see him being genuinely nice to phil
Okay, I see where you're coming from, but as someone who's been in the phandom for almost ten years, and has watched just about every single video they've ever been in and has done multiple deep dives into their digital footprint...
Lemme start by saying, yea, sometimes the banter can be a little discomforting to watch in video just bc of it getting a bit mean sometimes, but for the most part, it is just that: banter. Dan has stated multiple times that he's just joking with Phil, and Phil knows that, otherwise I don't think he would have chosen to stay with Dan for 15 years, convinced Dan to move into their forever home together, and then convinced Dan to come back to the Gaming channel if Dan actually bothered him.
But going back to the romantic/sexual relationship of it all. It's just a fact that they've been romantically and sexually involved with each other, at least at the very start of their relationship. There are formsprings, tweets, and a particular video which allude to this dynamic of their relationship, and with the latest AmazingPhil video of them claiming to "not be qualified" to give advice on a break-up, I think it's probably safe to say that they've probably never stopped being romantically/sexually involved with each other (except maybe for a bit in 2012).
Also, at this point, it just doesn't make sense for them to be making so many important life choices together if they weren't a couple. If they're both single, it would be pretty hard for either of them to bring a date home to the forever home and digital empire they've built together.
But the thing about all this is, you don't have to imagine them having a romantic or sexual relationship to enjoy their content. What's great is their content is still incredibly enjoyable regardless. And Dan and Phil being comfortable to continue to share more about their dynamic with us also warms my heart because for so many years, they've felt that on some level, they couldn't be completely themselves with us, and I'm glad that's changing.