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Valentines Day Video
| Video | |
|---|---|
| Title: | :3 |
| Creator: | Phil Lester |
| Date(s): | 13 February 2010 |
| Medium: | YouTube Video |
| Length: | |
| Fandom: | Phandom |
| External Links: | n/a [video deleted] |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
":3"[1], more commonly known as the Valentines Day Video[2], is a originally private YouTube video uploaded by Phil Lester on his side channel LessAmazingPhil on 13 February 2010.[3]
For years, the video's existence (and it's legitimacy) remained a topic of intense controversy and speculation. On one hand, it served as evidence for tinhatters that Phil and frequent collaborator/eventual roommate Daniel Howell were more than friends. However, many others in the community recognized how harmful the leak had been and sought to discourage the video's further spread to protect Dan and Phil-- neither of whom were publicly out at the time. However, it is likely that a considerable percentage of those arguing against the video's further spread had seen it themselves.
Seeking out the video was, and is, heavily discouraged.[4]
History
The video was made by Phil as a Valentines Day Gift for Dan. In it, Phil describes some of his favorite memories with Dan and their relationship. It was uploaded on 13 February 2010. The video is clearly meant specifically for Dan, and has been noted as intimate in nature.[4]
Initial Leak
On 17 September 2011, a YouTube glitch resulted in the video being visible to the public starting from about 12:45 pm.[5] [6] The video was deleted at 3:40 that same afternoon, which is likely about the time Dan and Phil realized what had happened.[6] It is uncertain how many people saw the video during the brief time it was available, though this number is likely rather small as Phil is noted to have reached out personally to those who saw the video.
Response
By 3:58 pm, Dan had responded to a tumblr post sharing the video. He claimed that he and Phil were just friends, and the video was made "to troll people" but the plan was abandoned as to not "give people the wrong idea."[6]
By 4:37 pm, Dan had tracked down an individual who had downloaded and spread the video and asked the user to take down the links and stop spreading the video.[6] It is unknown if this is the only person who downloaded the video.
Phil did not post publicly for about 6 hours after the leak. He later reached out to people who had seen the video, claiming it to be a cancelled prank for April Fool's Day in 2010. [5]
Veracity of the Glitch
Additional Leaked Videos?
Veracity of Dan's Comments on the Video
Second Leak
The video resurfaced online on platforms such as tumblr on 31 October 2012. It can be assumed that the leak came from someone who had been able to download a copy of the deleted video two years prior, though whether it was the person who Dan had asked to stop spreading the video or another individual is unknown. The exact motivations of the leaker are also unknown-- though it very possibly was done to prove that Dan and Phil were romantically involved. In the recollections of one user on the forum in depth bants, the leak caused "a major shitstorm."[5]
The video quickly gained traction among the Phandom (particularly on tumblr), which was considerably larger than it had been the year prior.[5]
Response
Dan took the lead in responding to the leak, through both his main tumblr block and the (now deleted) sideblog Customer Service Department.
Fan Reception
As Tinhat Evidence
Use in Fanworks
Content from the Valentines Day Video did see use in fanworks, despite the general taboo of spreading the video itself. Perhaps the most well-known example is the fan song "2009" by Katherine and Eden. The lyrics of this song directly mention things Phil said in the video.[7]
Post-2019
After Dan and Phil both came out of the closet in 2019, the general consensus is that the video was real. However, seeking out and watching the video remains highly discouraged.
Circa 2023, one fan speculated that the levels of micro-analysis exhibited by Phannies in the 2010s could be related to the existence of the Valentine's Day Video.[4]
I honestly think a lot of the duvet micro-analyzing started because of the valentine's day video. People on tumblr were very protective of it (obviously and for good reason, it was private) but that meant that they basically had confirmation that they were right. However, without being able to source the video as evidence, they had to find something, anything else to prove their point. Then a bunch of shippers who didn't know about the video joined the community where the general vibe was absolutely feral and they were essentially raised in that chaos. I'm glad it's died down over the years, that must have been miserable for dan and phil.PaintyPaint98, c. 2023 https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/11ea56p/youtubers_how_fans_kept_two_youtubers_in_the/
References & Notes
- ^ The title of the original video can be viewed in a screenshot preserved here: https://web.archive.org/web/20190322085830/http://phantaray.tumblr.com/post/43219688801/dans-comment-on-the-valentines-day-video-and-his
- ^ The video is also referred to as the Vday Video, the Video that Shall not be Named, and Voldy.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20190322085830/http://phantaray.tumblr.com/post/43219688801/dans-comment-on-the-valentines-day-video-and-his
- ^ Jump up to: a b c https://www.reddit.com/r/HobbyDrama/comments/11ea56p/youtubers_how_fans_kept_two_youtubers_in_the/
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d https://the-phandom.fandom.com/wiki/The_Valentine%27s_Day_video
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d https://indepthbants.com/viewtopic.php?t=575
- ^ This has been independently confirmed by User:EllieElls99. I have opted not to name my sources as it would further contribute to the spread of the video's exact contents.