they are dating. fell into it hard and fast and have been dating since 2009, for SIXTEEN YEARS !!!! they r boyfriends but they never officially asked each other OUTTT LMAOOOOOOOO
they reiterated ONCE AGAIN that RPF and shipping are fine, but that a small vocal minority of phan shippers were making their life hell
they don't want people to go "oh we knew" and blew this off. they understand it was pretty obvious and a fair assumption, but this is a big stepping stone for them (especially Dan) that carries the same weight as coming out. it is a difficult process that takes bravery, but is very freeing. please respect that this MATTERS to them and this isn't just clickbait or "old news". don't write off this announcement amd the effort it took to make it.
they want to be known for their comedy and content, not as "couple youtubers". they're a comedy duo that HAPPENS to be dating.
they explained what the valentines day video is- Phil made a heartfelt valentines gift to Dan, and because of a youtube glitch it was made public. the people who saw it torrented and downloaded it so they could share it around and BLACKMAIL the duo with it. this felt like a literal assault and almost made them break up because it was so violating.
as we know, the digging and harassment caused a lot of problems for them, especially for dan who was suicidally in the closet and terrified of coming out. he wanted to keep phil and his relationship with him "safe" by keeping it hidden.
they AGAIN reiterated that shipping and fanfic are fine, as well as things like the "love eyes howell" meme, just not stalking and releasing unknown info. twice in one video is honestly more than i expected?? and I'm greatful!! especially right after talking about how bad the harassment was, i could definitely see people using this as justification to go on an anti-rpf crusade. some people probably still will.
similarly: DO NOT attack people who did these things in the past. Dan and Phil extend forgiveness towards them, emphasizing that their audience was a) young, b) didn't know Dan's backstory and how triggering this would be for him, and c) didn't even fully comprehend how much damage they were doing. they don't want them to feel guilty or to be swarmed with hate, nor do they want discourse and division in the phandom.
they're exhausted of hiding it, being careful in public, and censoring themselves.
in therapy, Dan realized he loves being in the closet despite the psychological damage because he's THAT deathly afraid from all of his homophobic trauma. he's become used to and comfortable with living in fear. revealing it is a way of confronting these feelings
they struggle to form close friendships because of hiding the relationship or forcing them to lie, so revealing it means freedom in that respect as well.
phil is bad at lying, so hiding it meant he was deathly afraid of interviews.
THEY LOVE THEIR PHANS!!!! THEY WANT TO STRESS THAT THEY LOVE THEIR FANSSS and that we're one of the best and "based" audiences in the world.
Since things are sliding backwards in rights, they also feel it's important "now more than ever" to be open.
"we can't live in fear anymore!!!"
they want to emphasize they aren't perfect and not "the best relationship ever" or "the best example of true love". they don't want to be put on a pedestal.
they're just more compatible with each other than anyone else. they want to be less codependent though, so that they fight less and are healthier.
they're NOT going to start being romantic on camera or be couple youtubers. the focus of content will not change.
they won't get married because it's what you're "supposed" to do and Dan hates the establishment. and Phil doesn't care either way because he's easygoing.
NEW BEAUTIFUL VIDEO SET OH MY GODDD !!! THE LOGO!!!! THE GOLDEN PIG IS IN A SPECIAL CUBE!!!! OBSESSED
THEY'RE LAUNCHING A FUCKING PODCAST TOGETHER FUCK YESSSSS YESSSS YAYYYYY YIPPEEE YAYYYY YAYYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYHAYAYAYAYSYRNRHDFNTJHF DBNSFJMFMTšššššššššāØšššš„³š„³š„³š»š»š»š»š»š» "its high concept" "it's purple" are our hints
Dan: "are Dan and Phil on onlyfans yet?"
