#dapg-otmebytheballs

[goldenpinof]

I swear, my head is foggy and I feel like I'm ok the wrong plane of existence, what did they put in the crafts video to do this to us?

~ 🪴

crack

#they zooted us with it #i cantttt #and i watched it only once! #answered #dapg-otmebytheballs

[dnphobe]

hello, analysis question. what do you think about the fact that in the slime video dan is the one whose blood is spilled first? the only wound he has is on his hand, as opposed to phil's much more severe one. does this mean anything?

okay, this is going to be based more in personal interpretation than something with references and sources because off the top of my head i can't think of situations that mirror this in horror. I will, however, be sourcing from other people's anlysis on here when it's relevant.

The first blood spilled in a piece of media heavily relating to horror or death is most often the inciting incident. However, I don't think that's relevant here. I think the inciting incident of danandphilcrafts is something that happened off screen. As is very well explained in this post by @dapg-otmebytheballs, everything that happens in these videos is a joint and agreed upon act created by a joint belief system. BUT...there's a clear pattern from all the way back in Squareflakes that Phil is the ringleader in what they're doing. He explains the crafts to Dan and the Audience, he tells him and us what to do and chides Dan if he's not doing it right. It's my personal interpretation that Phil was the original believer and the one who brought Dan in.

That makes Dan's blood something else–the blood of the innocent. The spilling of innocent blood is an inciting incident in itself. It's a point of no return. and can be tied back to its importance in rituals. Rituals (at least in media, i don't claim to speak on real practices) often ask for virgin blood. virginity = innocence. This is often interpreted as a sexual virgin, as that is how the world is most often used today, but (from what i've read) it actually refers to someone who's blood has never been used in a ritual before. Phil has already been sacrificed once, in Potato Prints, so perhaps part of the reason Dan's blood was used is because just Phil's was no longer viable to summon Him.

Back to Phil being the leader of the two of them, I believe the reason Dan gets off with a much smaller wound is, perhaps, a matter of responsibility. If Phil got him into this, then it's only right that he take the brunt of the sacrifice. Dan's sacrifice, all along, has been his innocence, not that either of them know that. By spilling innocent blood, and using it in a ritual, that virginity/innocence is lost. and it only continues to be lost even more as the ritual progresses, resulting in the biggest lost of innocence of all, killing another human being.

Dan's blood being spilled is the point of no return. With Phil back alive again after the events of Potato Prints, they could have made a fresh start. But they're devoted to eachother, and to Him. There was no hope for them, but maybe before this moment, if things had been different, there could have been.

So, in summary, my personal interpretation of the significance is this piece by Jenny Holzer

and this quote by John Darnielle:

This is why people cry at the movies: because everybody’s doomed. No one in a movie can help themselves in any way. Their fate has already staked its claim on them from the moment they appear onscreen.

#this wasn't something i'd thought about before so i hope any of this makes sense lmao #and anyone feel free to add on to this if you have a different interpretation #asks #ry.txt #dan and phil

[thistooisphanyuri]

and as we’re falling down, and in this pool of blood

and as we’re touching hands, and as we’re falling down

and in this pool of blood, I’ll meet your eyes

i mean this, forever

- demolition lovers, my chemical romance

Demolition lovers dnpc!phan who may or may not be cannibals (they are) RAMBLING BELOW

This is ofc inspired by all the AMAZING art everyone is doing, like omfg you’re all so talented , by the two demo lovers albums and by nbc Hannibal <3

Seeing people make lyric connections with mcr songs and the demolition lovers spoke to me SM because if there’s something I love more than mcr then it’s mcr dnp, so naturally I needed to art about it

I don’t even know but I guess,, this is technically kind of an au? Because I have decided they’re cannibals and that’s wonderful (Phil’s heart is in the background on a plate btw) (and dans mouth is bloody :>! )

I was attempting to give the poses / expressions a classic paining vibe and I think it worked ok?

I told two moots I was making either demo lovers or phannigram dnpc content so @dapg-otmebytheballs and @yonpote special shout-out to y’all 🫡

#dan and phil #dnp #phil lester #daniel howell #phan #phanart #dnp art #illustration #dan and phil art #dan and phil crafts #dnp crafts #dnp fanart

[staticair]

[Bread and Fred]

This was drawn for the phanatic phanzine made by the amazing @dapg-otmebytheballs and @aaaaaaaaa-no! Please do go check it out, it truly was wonderful to see all the art and written contributions! >>> x

#phanart #phanatic phanzine #help tag dnp in the phanzine post so they can see it!! #dnpgames #dnp #dan and phil #phil lester #dan howell #air draws

[demonqueenart]

Sister Daniel gets to cat sit for a day. They had some fun >:)

Inspired by this wonderful post by @dapg-otmebytheballs (link on the reblog of this post!)

On the meanwhile, shout out to this amazing fic: the cat and the nun by @calvinahobbes. (link on the reblog of this post!) It’s based on the same crossover, and it's a smut too! I'm sure this would fit the mood ;)

#dnp #phanart #dan howell #dnp art #catboy #sister daniel #nun dan #catboy dan #art #dpgdaily #my art #dapgtumblrtag #my phanart

[dnptarot]

alright updated pinned post because many changes have been made since this began!

i'm esmé (they/them) , @thighguys , and this is the 2024 collaborative phandom tarot deck!

the header art and banner were both made by the wonderfully talented @wdapteo so go show them some love!!

sign up to illustrate a card here SIGNUPS CLOSED

the deadline for all art submissions is june 5th, as i am aiming to roll this out for dan's birthday on the 11th :)

ARTISTS PLEASE CLICK HERE !!! this links you to a google doc that has all the information on formatting! it also includes .psd and .png files for the frame that will be required for all submissions, so this is very important! if you need help with ANY of this, the amazing @psychicmoth has offered to help! just dm her, she's wonderful and will get you all sorted 😊

when you finish your submissions, please email them to me at [email protected] and tag this blog in your posts so i can reblog and share the love ☺️

here is the twitter account for this event, i would really appreciate follows and retweets so we can spread this around the twitter phandom as well! also, if you post your art on twitter, please @ me so i can retweet it there as well!

when posting about this event on tumblr or on twitter, use the tag #dnptarot

if you don't have twitter, i would love to post your art to the dnptarot account there (with credit of course) so reach out to me for that!

finally, i really do apologize for the craziness of yesterday and the amount of changes that have been made to the requirements! if anything doesn't work for you, please dm me and we can figure it out together! i am learning as i go and i couldn't do it without your guys' amazing help!

taglist: @less-amazing @fagus-sylvatica-beech-hedge @thelibertini @aaaaaaaaa-no @macabremaxx @ghoulish-art-tendencies @wannieswifey @dnp-hateblog @emojackolantern @echioceras @rainytastemakeralpaca @danrifics @leanned-too-hard @an-internet-introvert @littlegreenfrog @jupiter-pls @freshbaked-bread @serendipnpipity @saturnisfallingdown @demonqueenart @mordekaiserswhore @all-star-lester @simplydnp @queenusagiblog @hiwatari @firehologram @feral-teeth @fuckingmeteors @dapg-otmebytheballs @psychicmoth @yonpote @anironsidh @lumintsu @will-kill-god-for-a-baking-video @ayushikuu @y0ubelongwithme @frissoningg @jutsomethoughtsihave @l0zito @obv10usly @hits-dipherent @ardenpng @koyalime @macaronimars @queercatwithhat @hingefreelester @artsyangely @lgbtspaghetti @precalamity @al3xluvsdnp

#dnptarot #dan and phil crafts #dan and phil #dnp #dip and pip #dapg #dan and phil games #phan #phandom #danandphil #dan and phil fanart #phan art #phanart

[charmnotcharming]

My submission to the dan and phil phantastic phanzine, the project by @dapg-otmebytheballs (Hazel) and @aaaaaaaaa-no (Tea)!! JAPHANNNNN

Bit late posting this lol was procrastinating but i had this drawn ages ago lol

#dan and phil #daniel howell #phil lester #dnp #phanart

[lesbiandanhowell]

soo, I've been getting a lot of fanfic inspiration from Dan and Phil lately and have been writing but was hesitant to post them. In the spirit of my 2024 motto of "be brave" I am finally doing it and hope you enjoy this first little fic from me!

They fade to nothing when I look at him

pairing: Dan Howell/Phil Lester

rating: general audience

warnings: no ao3 warnings apply 

tags: domestic fluff

word count: 3.5k

summary: Arriving in the kitchen Phil made himself his one cup of coffee he allowed himself on weekend days and stared out the window lost in thought, so it took him a few seconds to register why the light had seemed so much brighter than usual at 8am. With childish delight he saw that it had snowed overnight, and not just the usual UK dusting where one could still see the grass underneath but a proper snow, coating everything outside in a bright white.

OR

Dan and Phil go sledging.

note: thank you to @dapg-otmebytheballs for beta reading!!

read on ao3

#my fic #phanfiction #phan #dan and phil #hope you don't mind that i used your posting format cal!

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

@danswideslit @mundaniel @yonpote @fagus-sylvatica-beech-hedge @theyarewrestling @freckliedan @milfygerard @dnphobe @pavlove-live @slitsfordan @dapg-otmebytheballs @hingefreelester

server link!

[goldenpinof]

Dropping in to say I'm loving the text-less gifs too!! It's really the same with me, audio processing issues, I cannot understand half of it, and it takes so so much energy to do that, that's the major chunk of the work with gifs for me, and sometimes you just don't have the spoons for it, with daily content. Hope you're finding time to enjoy yourself! Also benefits of text-less gifs: we see more of just Their Faces and get to focus on that which is also nice!

~ 🪴

trueeee! more focus on faces, less on words. that's why i make fewer notes now ahaha. yeah, trying to get what exactly they are saying is way too hard sometimes, especially if they are talking over each other (which happens quite often).

thank you, thank you 😌 i hope you're not being hard on yourself while making gifs as well. it's a tough job sometimes, and it is worth it only if it makes you happy 🖤 gladly, we have options even within gifmaking.

p.s. dnp, learn how to speak challenge

#y'all are being so kind to me today and i haven't even done anything 😭 #answered #dapg-otmebytheballs #phandom

[japhan2024]

The Edge

I've written this phanfic for @dapg-otmebytheballs as part of the @phandomgiftexchange. I was so excited when I saw I got to write for you. You're one of my favorite phan blogs!! I really tried to make it more angsty, but Dan and Phil are radiating so much love and general joy that I just couldn't.. I hope you still like it though!!

Genre: angst, fluff

Words: 1.508

AO3 link

Excerpt: "Dan gasped as a tall, ruffled haired and bespectacled angel of a man appeared. With his goofy smile. With his mismatched socks, his anime shirt and his horrifically printed pajama pants. His eyes reflected the last rays of sunlight with a sparkling sea of blue and green. How Dan loved this man."

The early sunset bestowed a pink hue upon the white walls. They were the walls of an incredibly expensive London house. A long shadow moved up and down the large living room. Dan was pacing, mumbling loudly.

"I know it's what I want but what I want is not necessarily the right thing, maybe, maybe it is, but they said that I should carve out my own path but I just want to be with Phil and make videos with Phil and be with Phil more hours of the day, I need it to be 24 or I might go insane tALKING TO MYSELF AGAIN…"

His ramblings continued as he paced faster and faster. "The solo tour was fun, but it was also terrible. I don't want to be away from Phil, I need -" Dan called out: Phil? PHIL??

Muffled footsteps came down the stairs. Dan gasped as a tall, ruffled haired and bespectacled angel of a man appeared. With his goofy smile. With his mismatched socks, his anime shirt and his horrifically printed pajama pants. His eyes reflected the last rays of sunlight with a sparkling sea of blue and green. How Dan loved this man.

"Is it time to make dinner already?"

"You know what, that's a good idea, Phil."

"I could make us noodles," Phil replied as he opened (but didn't close) some of the kitchen's cabinets.

"Singapore noodles!" Dan said excitedly as the lights automatically turned on. They were a friendly orange and Dan smiled, content with the layout and the atmosphere of the room. It was exactly what he had hoped it would be, all those years ago when they were designing their forever home.

"Wanna make it together?"

"I'll chop the vegetables, I am concerned for both our safeties if you have a knife in your hands."

"Hey!" Phil chuckled and pushed Dan lovingly.

As they were cooking, Dan blurted it out.

"Phil, the whole solo career isn't working."

"What do you mean?" Phil looked at Dan, his ginger eyebrows raised in concern.

"I mean, it was a nice idea, having my own shows, tour and stuff. But…" Dan sat down at the kitchen table.

"Phil," he said, voice strained. "I am still not living my truth! What use is it to be independent, if I can only show half of myself? I did a whole bloody series on my own. Do you know which episode i like the most? The one with you! Actually, it's the only episode i like to be honest. I was so sure, Phil, of wanting to be independent… but now, I'm quite certain in the opposite direction."

Phil sat down beside him. He looked at Dan and laid his hand on his shoulder. "I just want you to be happy, Dan," he said. And it was the truth. How hard had he tried all these years to make Dan happy… He loved this curly haired, doe-eyed man so dearly, but he couldn't fight all his battles for him. The solo tour had probably been good for Dan. Or so Phil had thought. Apparently, it was still not what Dan wanted.

"Okay, we'll figure it out," Phil said, rubbing Dan's arm. The touch of Phil's hand was so important. So reassuring. It walked Dan back from the edge in his mind, to a more centered, peaceful place.

Suddenly, a sharp odor filled their nostrils.

"The noodles!" They screamed in unison as they jumped up and ran towards the stove.

"Well, those are ruined," Dan said, as Phil cleaned out the burnt pieces from the pan.

"So, now what?"

Dan and Phil looked at each other and said at the same time: "pizza!"

Dan got out his phone and ordered their favorite kind. "Half and half, large, original crust, Texas barbeque and the Sizzler. … What do you mean you don't have the Sizzler anymore? What?! Oh. Okay, well then, never mind." Dan hung up. "What the fuck! They don't have the Sizzler pizza anymore?"

"Dan, don't you remember? I made a big deal out of this, like, months ago."

"Oh, oh my god, you're right… How could I forget such an important piece of Phil-lore! Sometimes it's like I don't remember recent events, you know? Like, how is it 2023? It should be at MOST 2014. When I am in my head, right, I'm always on the edge of totally spiraling about these things."

"Yes, Dan, I know. You'll be on the ground again, moaning and groaning. OWW MY HEAAAD!"

"Shut up." Dan scowled fondly at Phil, who was laughing that ridiculous tongue-laugh that drove Dan wild.

Phil got out his phone and ordered Indian food instead. When it arrived, he got up to answer the door. Dan had retreated into a mood. Whenever that happened, it was best to just leave him alone and let it pass. They silently ate their food at the kitchen table.

As the weeks went on, Phil sensed that Dan was thinking about something. He would indeed lay on the ground, but it was more meditative than agony. Phil never wanted to influence Dan's free will, of course, but he did hope that Dan would soon make a decision.

It was late, and London was shrouded in a deep fog. Dan however, felt absolutely clear-headed.

Phil was absent-mindedly browsing on his phone on the living room couch. Dan suddenly pranced into the room and said:

"Phil, I want our gaming channel back. Wow, it feels really nice to have finally admitted that."

Something moved under the surface of Phil's eyes. He got up and looked at his beautiful cat boy.

"Are you sure, Dan?"

"Yeah." Dan sat down next to Phil and traced his arm from his shoulder to his hand, and took it in his.

"No, but are you really sure? I thought you had moved away from that particular branding."

"Fuck branding, Phil! It's our channel, it's our thing. Can't we do with it what we want? By the way, I was thinking about my last tour today, and when I saw our fans again, I realized something. They are unhinged, oh God. But I feel like we have built something special with them. They know this. We know this. We know they know. We can make Dan and Phil Games whatever we want it to be. Think about it, it would be like the Super Amazing Project but with a higher quality and one hundred percent us."

Dan looked into the deep pools of Phil's soul, that were his eyes. He saw excitement there. They both laughed.

"Phil… it's been so healing to see our actual audience. Yes, they are rabid, but they are also people who watched us for all these years, you know? Doing videos with you is kind of the foundation of our relationship anyway, and yeah, there have always been followers and subscribers, way too invested in our lives. But at the same time, they've been there with us all this time. They are the emo kids who looked at your zany video's and thought "yes, this is good shit." Well, so did I! And I still do. So, I was thinking… And I feel like we are at a point now, where we could just stop giving a fuck. We could just be our true selves. And not care! Phil, I can feel it. We're on the edge of something special, a new chapter in our lives. One that we write, ourselves."

Phil squeezed Dan's hand. "So, you're finally ready, aren't you?" He gave Dan a smoldering look. This took Dan aback , even though it shouldn't, as they had lived together for all of these years. But every time Phil pulled something like this, Dan would blush and be overcome with want and desire.

"Phil… I am so ready."

"Then let's do it. I am so happy you've come around to the idea! I mean, finally, I've been pitching this exact thing for years, but okay!" He laughed his dorky laugh again and caressed Dan's cheek. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"I do," Dan said while looking up at Phil. Dan did this often: even though he was the tallest of the two, he would slouch so as to be able to look up, and be the 'shorter' one, just like when they had first met. Phil could never resist him like this. Dan's eyes were warm, dark and inviting. It was exhilarating.

"You know what we should do, to celebrate this decision?"

Dan still looked up to him, caramel eyes conveying anticipation.

"We should go to Japan. Have ourselves a holiday. We can think about setting up all the business stuff of it after. It's an extra job, after all. Dan, let's escape and enjoy each other, enjoy Japan, then take this plunge back into the thick of it."

Dan jumped onto his lap and kissed him. "Yes, Phil, that would be so lovely. Let's book a flight, but first…" And he kissed him again. "First, I have to appreciate you."

#phandom gift exchange #phanfic #phan #dan and phil

[thistooisphanyuri]

Call for Submissions for the Phanatic Phanzine!

Opening up submissions for the Phanatic Phanzine! 🥳 Calling upon phandom members, new and old, to share their love for Dan and Phil!

We survived the Dan and Phil hiatus, and all we're making is this zine 🌈

The Phanatic Phanzine is a fanzine project created by myself and @dapg-otmebytheballs to celebrate the Dan and Phil content and fandom revival we are seeing. This will be a digital zine including artwork, fanvid tributes, poetry, and personal stories of the space DnP hold in our lives!

The plan is to compile these fan efforts into a digital zine by Christmas '23 and present it to DnP as a gift. 🎀

Since we intend to share it with dnp we will not be taking fanfic or NSFW submissions for this zine but we intend to do another zine in the future for the fans celebrating the fandom itself so look out for that one!

Submit at: [email protected]

Deadline: 24th December 2023 GMT

Guidelines under the cut

General guidelines:

We are accepting submissions in the form of artworks, fanvids, written personal accounts, and poetry. You may submit any of the media above but please keep in mind that we will only be accepting five artworks, two fanvids, one written personal account and three poems per person.

📌We are also accepting written submissions and links through

asks and DMs

The submissions will be screened for anything NSFW, and no fanfiction is being accepted. Likewise, please be mindful of the language used in written pieces. All submissions will be entertained in good faith.

Submissions are to be sent to the email id provided above. Please add the name you wish to be credited with + any social media links to add, or specify if you would like your submission to be anonymous

Al generated content will not be a part of this zine

Any doubts or questions can be cleared via asks or messages on Tumblr, to either me or @dapg-otmebytheballs feel free to ask!

Specific guidelines:

For artwork:

Artwork can be digital, traditional, or mixed media

Submissions must be in the email attachment in jpg or png format

Old fanworks that have already been posted are allowed. For new works, please try to not post the full piece (wips okay) till the zine is released!

No more than 5 works per person

For poetry and personal accounts:

Word limit of 1000 words at most. Short notes with lower word count are more than welcome

All written submissions must be in a word or Google document, or written in the body of an email.

Anything posted elsewhere is allowed

No more than 1 personal account and 3 poems per person

For fanvids:

The video must be uploaded as an unlisted video on YouTube or similar video-sharing platforms. Videos that are already posted are allowed as well

Video links and a thumbnail in png or jpg format are to be submitted. The links will be converted to QR codes to present on the digital zine alongside the thumbnail You will be notified via email a few days before the zine is released so the videos can be made public in case they are currently unlisted

Shipping videos are not allowed for this zine, please be mindful of the same

No more than 2 fanvids per person

Adherence to the guidelines will make sorting much easier for the compilers so please try to do so!

To reiterate: even if you send in content that we cannot use we will engage with you in good faith 🌸

Please don’t be disheartened if your piece doesn’t make it! We plan to start work on a fanzine exclusively for the fandom (by and for the fans) soon which will allow content disallowed for this zine, so look out for that!😁

Help us spread this to others who may be interested!

We look forward to all your submissions💫

#Phanatic Phanzine #dan and phil #dnp #phil lester #daniel howell #phandom #danandphilgames #amazing phil #danisnotonfire #dapg #dan howell #please spread the word!!!

[astrophilip]

ooh a little tag game! fun! thanks @everything-is-as-it-was for the tag :)

Last song I listened to: cannot for the life of me remember but the one currently paused on my spotify is thot shit by megan thee stallion so 😭

Currently reading: good omens by terry pratchett and neil gaiman

Last watched: poor things

Currently Obsessed: dan and phil (who knew) and that's about it bc uni takes up the rest of my brain 🙃

tagging (no pressure!): @sunshinephil @goldenhowell @dapg-otmebytheballs @phan-tasia @simplydnp @achromatic-bot

#tag games #rambles

[hingefreelester]

@dapg-otmebytheballs @basementpotato @stepja

Voicing onionsan nearly killed me today why did i do the voice like that💀💀💀💀💀

#and that squid just wouldnt stop talking also #other than that it was a blast<3 #hingefreelester

[lezbrarian]

Title: Come On Down To The Lavender Luck Lounge

**Alright, I made a post already with the proper embedded AO3 version, but in case people are not into that ... idk this is my first go around of this ... I'll also make it a text post here as well. I did it -- I wrote some casino AU fanfic inspired by these outfits, in which Dan is a stuffy dry accounting manager and Phil is the owner of the casino. Thank you @dapg-otmebytheballs for the additional inspiration with your tags! And thank you to the anon who provided me with the name of the casino!

***

Title: Come On Down To The Lavender Luck Lounge

Rating:

Mature

Relationships:

Dan Howell/Phil Lester

Dan Howell & Phil Lester

Summary:

Gay Casino AU: Mr. Philip Lester is the suave, flamboyant owner of a queer casino and resort, Lavender Luck Lounge. Mr. Daniel Howell is the uptight and dry accounting manager for the casino. This fic was inspired by the outfits from these videos, respectively: Daniel's: (Dystopia Daily: Dan and Phil Finally Tell the Truth) Philip's: (DAPG: Roasting Our Own Red Carpet Fashion)

Notes:

This is a work in progress. It may become longer; I may leave it at this. It's just something I was inspired to write after I saw a post on tumblr with the outfits mentioned above. I'm not sure what the plot is or will be, I just wanted to play around in this gay casino alternate universe and see where it takes these characters. Speaking of which, I'll make an obligatory disclaimer. This is a piece of fiction merely inspired by the online personas of Dan and Phil to create these characters and universe. This is not speculating on the real personal lives of Dan or Phil, and I very much do not want this to be sent to Dan/Phil in any way. So please don't do that. So far the story is not explicit/graphic, but I chose to mark this as mature as it's going to feature themes of drinking, smoking, sex and "adult" language by nature of being set in a casino.

*** The casino was buzzing. The gaudy abundance of neon-light up signs were emitting a baseline hum, always there comfortingly familiar. This alone could barely be heard over the rest of the noise that almost always populated the place. The ding! and shing sha-shing cartoon cash sound effects of the slot machines. An occasional male voice over of JACKPOT or WINNER! Then there was the sloshed singles clamoring for the bartenders’ attention at the multiple themed bars. There were the slightly out-of-place yet confident bachelorette parties of straight woo girls. They shrieked and giggled and stiletto-stumbled their way around the casino in large packs. There were the dealers whose voices cut through the chaos with practice. Notes of brassy jazz or Kim Petras might float off the performers’ stages out to the main floor during burlesque or drag shows, respectively. Then of course the cacophony of having so many people in one room, endless conversations converging together into one collective murmur.

On days like this, there was all that buzz, and then some. Because today the rumor that the owner would be here was once again stirring. It didn’t matter that Mr. Lester dropped in frequently, as a very hands-on owner of the casino and resort hotel attached. Nearly every employee lost it each time this frequent rumor spread through the halls, acting as if someone had said an A-list celebrity would be visiting the casino. Employees scrambled and preened and eagerly awaited Mr. Lester’s arrival. That was just about every employee would. There was at least one person who absolutely refused to participate in what he referred to as “juvenile gossip and infatuation.” This would be the accounting manager, Mr. Howell. He mostly hid away in his office, the only place in the casino void of the “tacky” neon lights and oh-so-80s casino furniture and carpeting. Daniel’s office was the only place Mr. Lester had relinquished control on décor. Daniel had claimed he couldn’t work “like this” with a sweeping gesture to the main lobby as Philip had toured him around on the day of his interview. Philip couldn’t help feeling slightly impressed perhaps at the nerve to diss his casino before he was even hired. Plus Daniel was good for the job. He didn’t need the accountant to love casino life. He needed him to love numbers. And Phil would never admit it out loud, but any time he ventured into Mr. Howell’s office, it did provided a much-needed relief to his senses.

In here, there was almost silence and there was a break from the strong smell of pina colada and smoke. Mr. Lester would never allow cigarettes inside, but there was a classy cigar lounge and the smoke clung to clothes and then subsequently, crushed velvet seat cushions and thick carpet fibers. Daniel’s office was meticulously tidy and organized. Uncluttered. As opposed to the neon and flashing lights, and led strips that lined the hallways and floorboards out there – in here there were just soft warm lamps, maybe an open blind. The only smells a fresh inoffensive candle or the faintest hint of Daniel’s aftershave. The floor was an almost sterile white tile, if it weren’t for the rest of the décor in nearly all black to balance it out. One accent wall was painted black too, and the others a nice off-white. A few plants draped their leaves dramatically over bookshelves or the side of his desk. It was ridiculous and unnecessary but it was Daniel’s office and his own money out of his pocket – the desk housed a modern desktop computer, but also an old-fashioned calculator and huge yellowing-white computer from the ‘90s complete with a clacky keyboard. His desk was otherwise cleared, any important documents and office supplies organized neatly in drawers. There were some tasteful books on bookshelves, which Philip guessed were chosen more for their spines and color than their content. The important documents and useful books were tucked away in filing cabinets. And of course it was still a casino, so Phil’s only influence in the room (or so Daniel let Philip believe) was the occasional gold accent piece here or there.

No matter how many times Mr. Howell indicated his complete disinterest in these frequent announcements that Mr. Lester was coming with a flat monotone “alright” or “and?” – one of the youngest and most flamboyant employees would flit into his office on their OMG he’s coming! casino tour. It certainly seemed to be more about the message-bearer than any actual response to this delivery of news, as they never skipped Daniel’s office on this rumor tour.

***

Daniel’s office door rattled closed and quickly as it had been flung open. He felt his skull rattle in its frame the same way the door rattled in its own. He sighed. He didn’t bother even giving the messenger a response today. He thinks it was Felix, one of the servers for the drag shows. But it was hard to keep track of them all, especially when he spent most of his time tucked away in this office, only to be interrupted for moments like these.

Each time someone opened his door – the casino seemed to seep into his office, his sanctuary. He swore he could smell cheap perfume and well liquor. And when he blinked the led lights of the hallway were still in his vision. He closed his eyes and rubbed at them and then his temples, attempting to regain the focus and flow he’d been in before.

Plenty of the employees and even people in Daniel’s personal life wondered why on earth he took this job, if he seemed to detest it so much. He seemed so bothered with the casino atmosphere, so why this job? Well Philip had promised him he really could just stay behind this desk, not dealing with anything other than the numbers, the input and output of money. He would have the occasional meeting, and other than that he could live in his own little world crunching numbers, completely hyper-focused and zoned out from the casino world. Calculate this, manage that. Something to keep his hands and mind busy, and the thoughts out. Of course he’d worked other types of money management and accounting jobs. But he was always being dragged into other areas of business, managing employees. And that always really meant managing other people’s emotions, which he was not in the business of. Plus there were not many places he could merge his queer identity and his money management. He absolutely despised the jobs he’d worked on Wall Street, with fratty finance bros in their polos and khakis or drab blue suits and crisp baby blue button-ups. Yeah, that was not for him. The Lavender Luck Lounge casino aesthetic might have swung entirely too far in the other direction for him, but at least he was not expected to fist bump and contribute to heterosexual male small talk here. Sure it was flashy and tacky and way, way too colorful. But the workplace was ostensibly queer. The bartenders, servers, dealers, and bouncers were an impressive and intimidating mix of cool tattooed lesbians, big burly bears, adorable flamboyant twinks, nonbinary hotties with names like Twig, and the list could go on and on. There was an incredibly talented and diverse cast of drag queens and burlesque performers. All the employees were encouraged to be themselves and dress how they felt comfortable. Yes, Daniel found this place to be overstimulating and frankly gaudy for his own taste, but he would take that any day over a boring cookie cutter cubicle where he had to dress the same as every other man in the building.

Daniel was having a hard time getting back into his focus after Felix, or had it been Striker, had flung their long braids over their shoulder and bounced out of the room. He couldn’t get their damn singsongy Mr. Leeeeester is coooomiiiing! out of his head, like an annoying ear worm of a song. He sat up straight at his computer. Though Philip had made sure to have his desk and chair measured for ergonomics, Daniel found himself slouching at it frequently. At 6’3” he was just use to slouching and hunching at most desks. He fussed with his blazer, which was black with a thin white gird pattern today. He liked to dress well for the job, fashionable but nothing too flashy. He had never asked if there was a dress code, but Mr. Lester had also never provided him with a set of rules or dress code either. Judging from the range of casual to full on costume-garb among the other employees – he was pretty sure he could wear just about anything to work and it would be fine. But like his office, he preferred a style that was well-kempt, chic, lowkey but stylish. And it was almost always black and white head to toe. Today he let the blazer be the focus, with a fitted grey shirt underneath and the blazer open. He paired black slacks that tapered and revealed the ankle. To be fair this is how he had to wear most slacks at his height, unless he shopped at Big and Tall, which he most certainly did not. But he didn’t mind – the tapered ankle-showing look was in as far as he could tell. He wore a sensible but expensive sock and a shiny black loafer. The only bit of accessorizing he ever did was one small hoop earring on one side, which he’d had since his days in college, and a fancy silver watch which he’d acquired once he graduated and made some Wall Street money. In fact, it was one bit of his daily outfit from those days that he’d kept in the rotation. He’d tossed most of his ties, finding them stuffy – plus they reminded him of his all-boys-school uniform days. Not great memories there. His outfit today was fairly similar to what he wore most days, and it seemed Mr. Lester had no problem with it. In fact, he’d even give Daniel an occasional “looking snazzy, Howell.” Daniel dressed with the goal that nobody on the street would look at him and think that guy works in a casino. Daniel thought Mr. Lester dressed like he must want every person on planet earth to know he owned a casino. He often barely managed to be out of eye sight of Philip before he rolled his eyes at whatever flashy thing Philip had donned that day.

He'd had his eyes closed for quite some time. Still gently rubbing the bridge of his nose and his temples. Before he knew it, his door was being knocked on and flung open before he could answer “come in” again.

“I know he’s com—”

“Who’s coming, Mr. Howell?” Philip asked and Daniel swore he heard an ounce of amusement, perhaps innuendo in his voice?

“Not me – I mean, never mind doesn’t matter. Hi, I thought you were someone else.” Oh, god. He wasn’t the most social person, but he’d like to be able to at least perform these standard social interactions without completely fumbling.

“Okie dokie” Phil said sincerely. Daniel was sure he was the only person in the world who could pull off that phrase without an ounce of sarcasm. “Well I’m sorry to disappoint you that I’m not someone else, but I just dropped by to remind you about our meeting later today!”

Daniel is positive Philip never mentioned this meeting, but this was par for the casino owener’s course. He worked hard, and ultimately ran a tight ship. He made his employees genuinely happy and actually cared about how they were doing. He was a good hands-on owner. He was charming and whip smart too, with innovative ideas and solutions. But he was a total fucking scatterbrain. His office, not unlike the stark difference between Daniel’s and his stylistic choices in clothing, was the exact opposite of Daniel’s. Where Dan’s desk was tidy, uncluttered, a sleek black desk with a piece of green-tinted glass over it – there was virtually no way of knowing what color or nearly even where Philip’s desk was in his office. His office might as well not have a desk or shelves since you couldn’t see them anyway under the piles and piles of loose papers, notebooks, post-it-notes and knick-knacks. In Phil’s office, the aesthetic of the casino and resort certainly bled over. There were neon light-up signs in here too – one large one read Here, Queer, I Can Always Lend an Ear! – and there was a plasma ball and definitely more than one lava lamp. The office was slightly more pastel, softer compared to the deep reds and purples of the customer-facing areas of the Lavender Luck Lounge. But this man was born to own a casino. Daniel had no doubt this would not be far off from how Philip’s actual house was decorated. He didn’t know how Mr. Lester found anything at all in here, let alone keep track of anything truly important. It was no wonder he was lucky to get even a notice about a meeting earlier in the day. Daniel preferred plenty of notice, meetings written down in his perfect color-coded calendar weeks in advance. But he was used to this part of the job by this point. And everything else ran pretty smoothly, especially since all important financial documents came straight to his own office. So he was willing to let it slide that meetings often came with little to no warning. And, though he would never admit it, a little change of environment and routine was nice every now and then. Sometimes they would meet in Phil’s office. But there were conference rooms in the resort they would use sometimes as well.

“Does that work for you?” Philip asked.

Fuck. He had stopped paying attention again.

“Hmm.. what’s working for me?”

“The … time? For the meeting?” Philip didn’t seem annoyed, but maybe even a bit concerned. “You alright, Daniel? You seem distracted.”

Shit. He couldn’t possibly ask Philip to repeat the time again. Too embarrassing. No, he’d have to bribe a bartender or someone to go subtly ask Mr. Lester if he had a meeting later that day, and the get the time from them.

“Yes! Works for me,” Daniel answered with too much enthusiasm now.

Philip turned then, his heeled boots making a nice loud click-clack against the tile in his office. In this entire interaction Daniel had barely actually looked at Philip. His boots were shiny black snakeskin (Daniel assumed it was faux, but expensive nonetheless), and they had a modest heel that gave Philip an extra two or three inches to his already tall height of 6’2”. He was wearing slacks very similar to Dan’s --- tapered nicely at the ankle above his boots. But on second glance, Philip’s were a deep, deep red beyond red wine or burgundy – appearing almost black at first. And his shirt – it was a silky long-sleeve button down. The shirt was more of a cherry red with an abstract black water color stripey effect. And he had the first few buttons undone, exposing his pale chest and a surprising amount of dark chest hair for an otherwise clean shaven man. He was sporting a delicate gold chain necklace as well. He certainly looked like he owned a casino, more so than usual even. His looks often leaned a bit more flashy, sparkly even. But today – he was looking almost, dare someone say, sleazy? But in a swanky and suave way still, somehow, he was pulling it all off.

Before Philip closed the door and left, he leaned back into the doorframe.

“I like that blazer, Howell. You should wear that one more often.”

Daniel was certainly not oblivious to what was so charming about Mr. Lester, or why he seemed to have an entire casino’s worth of employees wrapped around his finger.

And without a response, Philip closed the door behind him. Daniel could still hear his heels clicking down the hallway, until he reached the carpeted main floor.

***

#dnp #dnp fanfic #dnp fanfiction #dan and phil #dan and phil fanfic #dan and phil fanfiction #au #casino au #dnp DNI !!!!! please ! #my writing

[dnptarot]

hey everybody! a few updates for the deck! i have decided that there WILL be a deadline (sorry for the later notice) and all the art should be in by june 5th so that we can get this out for dan's birthday! artists, if you could dm me your art when you finish as well as tag me in your posts, ill reblog it! we're also going to have a standard file size and dimensions, so that it's more uniform if we end up printing these at some point. the cards are 7 x 11 cm at 600 dpi, which is a file of 1654 x 2598 pixels! here is a link to a psd template made by @psychicmoth (who is amazing!) just to make it easier for you guys☺️. final update is that i am currently trying to make a twt acc (which is difficult because i do NOT know how twt works BUT as soon as i have it all set up i'll post the account smd would greatly appreciate some retweets so we can get this out the twt phannies as well ☺️ tagging all the artists so far under the cut 💖💖

taglist: @less-amazing @fagus-sylvatica-beech-hedge @thelibertini @aaaaaaaaa-no @macabremaxx @ghoulish-art-tendencies @wannieswifey @bogboygremlinthing @emojackolantern @echioceras @rainytastemakeralpaca @danrifics @leanned-too-hard @an-internet-introvert @littlegreenfrog @jupiter-pls @freshbaked-bread @serendipnpipity @saturnisfallingdown @demonqueenart @mordekaiserswhore @all-star-lester @simplydnp @queenusagiblog @hiwatari @firehologram @feral-teeth @fuckingmeteors @dapg-otmebytheballs @psychicmoth @yonpote @anironsidh @lumintsu