Have You Ever Seen Such A Jossing?
September 24, 2014: In Which We Got Jossed By Dan & Phil
This Week In Fandom History Episode #182
Credit: Dan & Phil on YouTube
PHIL LESTER, YOU’RE A GENIUS! This week’s episode is a little different. This week, Emily and V finally release an episode that has been sitting in our vault for over a year — not because it wasn’t good, but because the universe pulled off one of the most chaotic, timeline‑breaking acts of accidental fandom trolling we’ve ever witnessed.
We originally recorded this episode as a thoughtful, slightly exasperated look at Dan & Phil shipping culture — how two creators became the center of one of the internet’s most enduring RPF fandoms, how fans blurred the lines between performance and reality, and why it’s important to remember the fiction part of Real Person Fiction.
We talked about boundaries.
We talked about ethics.
We talked about how there was no evidence of a real‑life romantic relationship.
And then — about 24 hours later — Dan and Phil announced their relationship.
Not only that: they announced they had been together since 2009.
So not only did reality Joss our episode…
It Jossed fifteen years of fandom history with one press release.
We took a breath. We texted each other memes of Ben Affleck smoking on a balcony (you know the one), and then shelved the episode until it fit the calendar. And now — finally — it is time.
Join 2025 TWIFH discussing 2014 Dan & Phil, and let 2026 you laugh at our misfortune.
ABOUT THE EPISODE
Phanon Turned Canon
Listening back to this episode feels like opening a time capsule from the era just before the reveal — a moment when the ship was still “just a fandom thing,” when the line between performance and reality was blurry but officially unconfirmed.
We spoke with absolute confidence about the non‑canon nature of the ship. We were careful, respectful, and factual.
And then Dan & Phil said, “JK, the shippers were right. We’ve been together since 2009.”
It’s rare that fandom history gives you a twist this cleanly ironic.
It’s even rarer that it gives you a twist that retroactively rewrites an entire era of internet culture.
A reenactment of our text thread the day after we initially recorded this episode in 2025.
The Cultural Footprint of Dan & Phil
Revisiting the notes reminded us how deeply Dan & Phil shaped early YouTube fandom:
The cozy, domestic vibe of their videos
The collaborative storytelling of DanAndPhilGAMES
The softness of their dynamic
The way their humor became a shared language
They were, in many ways, the blueprint for “two creators whose chemistry becomes a fandom ecosystem.”
And because they were so private, fans filled the gaps with fiction — sometimes beautifully, sometimes questionably, always passionately. The episode digs into that ecosystem with a mix of affection and critique. It’s not a takedown; it’s a love letter to the weirdness of early YouTube fandom and the ways fans build meaning out of digital intimacy.
The reveal didn’t erase that history; it simply reframed it.
The Ethics of RPF (Before and After the Plot Twist)
One of the strangest parts of revisiting this episode is hearing ourselves discuss RPF ethics in a world where Dan & Phil were — publicly — just friends.
We talk about:
Boundaries
Projection
Respect for real people
With the knowledge of the canonical reality of Phan, suddenly the conversation becomes a historical artifact — a snapshot of what fandom believed before creators stepped forward and said, “Yes, this relationship exists, and it has existed for a very long time.”
It highlights how little fans ever truly know, and how important it is to treat real people with care regardless of what’s canon.
Dan & Phil Fic Recs
In My Way by INeverHadMyInternetPhase
Daniel Howell is 21 and Britain’s newest star. He’s just been cast in the much-anticipated film adaption of Last Man Standing, the popular teen fantasy novel with a huge fanbase hanging off his every tweet. In other words, Dan has made it big.
Phil Lester couldn’t care less. He’s a stressed out PHD student working part time at a bookshop while he struggles to get into post-production. He’s 26 and still lives in a tiny flat on the fifth floor of a building with a lift more broken than it is in use. He loves books, but he thinks big film adaptions screw with the plot too much.
Needless to say, Phil is less than impressed when Last Man Standing is getting filmed in his hometown. And he certainly doesn’t want anything to do with obnoxious, arrogant, so irritatingly perfect leading actor Daniel Howell.
Recommended By: Susie
Rec: I first read this fic eight or nine years ago, and it truly has lived in my head rent-free. It has an incredible "who the fuck is this asshole" to friends to partners arc, with a lot of emotion packed in. What makes this fic stick out to me is its portrayal of asexuality - Phil is ace in the fic, and his identity and how it impacts his romantic relationships is a theme throughout. As an ace person myself, this fic was a really important part of my self-discovery and coming to terms with my identity, so it will always be a Phan Classic to me.
So Long and Goodnight by bloodycrafts666
Dan Howell and Phil Lester return for another year of Hogwarts, only to find themselves trapped in a story of intrigue that they did not know they were starring in while trying to avoid the truth of their feelings for each other.
And what's with this nasty terf trying to stop them and causing people to cry instead of craft?
Or, the true story of Harry Potter, My Immortal, the Very Potter musical series, and Dan and Phil Crafts. Finally, we shall reveal the truth.
Recommended By: Ellie
Rec: This is a shameless self-rec. This was a project, primarily written by me but with input from a group of friends that came out of a discussion about putting Dan and Phil (specifically Dan and Phil Crafts), the infamous fanfic My Immortal, and A Very Potter Musical in a blender. And this purposefully terrible, novel-length monstrosity with a metanarrative was what resulted. I truly had so much fun with this project. (I am currently working on taking the meta narrative parts off of tumblr and putting them in the associated story).
So Long and Goodnight (SLaG) has everything: anti-Rowling sentiment, cults, a goat demon named Greg, musical numbers, niche internet and fandom references, random real-world events woven into the plot (the Louvre Heist, anyone?), and actually a rather nice story of falling in love and accepting yourself spread amongst the crack.
A match and a fuse by wavydnp
Phil is twenty-six years old and stuck in a dead-end life. He works at Starbucks and may or may not be carrying a torch for his best friend of eight years. He doesn't know who he is or what he wants--or how to go about figuring it out.
That all starts to change when he happens upon the resume of a certain law school grad named Daniel.
Disturb the Universe by iihappydaysii
Dan and Phil are a successful YouTube duo, best friends and next door neighbors. Phil's married with two kids and Dan's long term boyfriend is like the queen's cousin or something. Their lives are fine--perfectly acceptable--but when two unrelated emergencies land Dan and Phil living together for the first time since 2012, they're forced to examine the choices they've made and confront the feelings they've kept quiet for nearly a decade.
Texts to Louise by danalingphil
Epistolary form. Dan’s texts to Louise asking for advice about Phil.
Breathe My Rust by dandrogynous
Phil rescues Dan in a zombie apocalypse and they accidentally fall in love.
For the next month of newsletters and episodes, please send us your fic recs for…
Mean Girls
Any PBS Kids show
Blake’s 7
Steven Universe
Send us your recs (and self-recs count!) at our website and check future newsletter editions to see recommended fics!
Other events that happened This Week In Fandom History…
That’s all for this edition! We’ll see you next week with another recap of what happened… This Week In Fandom History.
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