The Dynamic

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Synonyms: One True Dynamic, Sweaterboy and Absolute Nightmare
See also: Ship Dynamic
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The Dynamic refers to a set of archetypes, the Sweaterboy and the Absolute Nightmare, through which different ships are viewed. It was developed by a group of fans tied to the creation of The Niche blog.

A "Sweaterboy" is generally characterized by being stable and giving, but quietly unhappy. An "Absolute Nightmare" has flagrant disregard for social norms but is quietly lonely under their facade. The Dynamic consists of a SB and AN pair. It is purported by supporters to be a sort of ideal of peak compatibility in a ship which emerges in different relationships throughout fiction.

According the official guide to The Dynamic, What is, "The Dynamic," Anyway?, written by Peyton (beachdeath):

In essence, The Dynamic is a series of common traits shared by certain well-written fictional relationships, or well-matched real relationships. [...] The Dynamic comprises two people in two distinct roles: an Absolute Nightmare, and a Sweaterboy. [...] It’s a distinctly queer way of understanding and describing relationships, but people of any genders can form The Dynamic. These terms aren’t merely stand-ins for other, more traditional ways of describing the members of a partnership, like Bottom and Top, or Butch and Femme. They support those categories, and they transcend them.

The Niche began posting about The Dynamic in early 2017, and it was previously discussed on Tumblr in the circles of a number of Niche writers. The Dynamic has its roots in Sherlock Holmes/John Watson and specifically the Johnlock/TJLC fandom of Sherlock BBC.

History & Development

The Dynamic was developed by The Niche, a blog run by a group of people, and the friends of that group.

Relation to Johnlock

Many, if not all of the creators of The Dynamic were involved in The Johnlock Conspiracy, a long-running fan theory which asserted that the writers of Sherlock (BBC) were secretly planning to make John/Sherlock the canon endgame pairing. The Sherlock Holmes/John Watson ship has been repeatedly called the essence of The Dynamic. The theory originated with idea that the dynamic of Holmes and Watson's relationship remains consistent throughout adaptations and reimaginings of the original Sherlock Holmes, and that stories often replicate this ship dynamic.

Absolute Nightmare was originally known as the Holmes Archetype and Sweaterboy as the Watson Archetype. They were still referred to as such in onetruedynamic's April 2017 post.

So when The Dynamic was first developed, it was sort of just a fun little game to point out places where writers were obviously paying tribute to Sherlock and Watson. Stuff like House/Wilson::Holmes/Watson, or Dennis doing shitty onscreen deductions on Always Sunny. But, of course, Sherlock remains a point of controversy, to put it bluntly, and it soon became evident that The Dynamic as it had been articulated had much broader applications than just making infinite Sherlock AUs. Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, for instance, are The Dynamic, and yet it’s kind of inscrutable to say that Kim is The Holmes Archetype and Kanye is The Watson Archetype. So the time came to define The Dynamic wholly independently of Sherlock, because The Dynamic is not, ultimately, about any one story; it’s about true love.

In the What is “The Dynamic” Anyway? article, the term "absolute nightmare" is said to have "originated in a comment on The Toast (a defunct website with feminist and satire writings) about whether or not Sherlock Holmes would enjoy pegging." Said comment stated, "BBC Sherlock - pillow princess, sub, 100%, absolute nightmare." However, graceebooks, who coined the term "The Johnlock Conspiracy," has called herself "originator of the term absolute nightmare,"[1] so it is likely that this commenter was gracee.

The term "Sweaterboy" comes from Sherlock BBC's John Watson's penchant for wearing sweaters.

The Dynamic can also be understand as related to TJLC through the fandom backgrounds of contributors to the concept, as well as its treatment of subtext and standards for what makes a ship canon. See Criticism for more.

Spread

According to Thealogie:

credit for naming the two halves and the term Dynamic to various people in the johnlock fandom (as you’ll see from the post i linked sherlock is the archetypal absolute nightmare and john is the archetypal sweaterboy and it started as a sherlock fandom meme) and also [the-niche.blog/ the niche] crew in general.

it’s now evolved into its own internet thing (the article is highly inaccurate but just goes to show how it’s out of our hands now lol). i personally had absolutely zero hand in popularizing it but i was there when it started…back in 2012 i was joking with a friend in irl that it’s more of an OTD (one true dynamic) than an OTP because i tend to be obsessed with different iterations of the same characters throughout fiction and they share these really specific characteristics and…dynamic between them. i repeated that joke to someone i was friends with on here (in the context of pointing out that like….the clock/candlestick from beauty and the beast have the same appeal as john/sherlock lol). they made a post about it and then it became a sherlock fandom thing that then took on a life of its own. some ships are like REALLY dynamic, characteristic for characteristic but you can read traces of it in most of the appealing duos in media really…

Reports that The Johnlock Conspiracy evolved into The MacDennis Conspiracy can be connected to the fandom migration of TJLCers who went on to contribute to The Dynamic. MacDennis is cited a one of the ships integral to the development of The Dynamic.

The onetruedynamic tumblr was created in April 2017. What is “The Dynamic” Anyway?, a more concrete explanation of the concept, was published by beachdeath in March 2018.

The Dynamic was mentioned in Aja Romano's article Fandom’s new “ship dynamics” meme is all about our fave romantic tropes in April 2019. The article tracks different uses of ship archetypes in fandom and the Ship Dynamic meme's rise to virality (Note that Thealogie has called this description inaccurate.):

Then, in 2017, an idea took hold that the ultimate ship dynamic, one that encompasses all other ship dynamics, is that of the sweaterboy and the absolute nightmare. This became known as simply, “The Dynamic,” and discussion of it dominated fandom shipping debates on Tumblr well into 2018. The popular (and tragically non-canonical) Gilmore Girls ship Rory/Paris succinctly encapsulates the idea of this pairing: Rory, the sweaterboy, is studious, smart, responsible, and a poster image for the wholesome girl next door. Paris is equally brilliant, but also a bundle of neuroses, paranoia, agitation, and wary suspicion — i.e. the absolute nightmare. Together they form an unlikely but compelling friendship that many fans have shipped.

The discussion of “the Dynamic” generated endless debate about why pairings did or didn’t fit beneath this giant umbrella term. By early 2019, discussions about ship dynamics had once again become more generalized, but memes about them were now shot through with a wry self-awareness about how various ship dynamics interact, overlap, and build off one another.

Definition

Thealogie has said, "an AN (absolute nightmare) and SB (sweaterboy) are the two halves of the Dynamic (a specific dynamic….the best one imo…that occurs in a number of usually textually unfulfilled ships throughout literary history).[2]

Sweaterboy:

The Sweaterboy is stable. The Sweaterboy is settled. The Sweaterboy lives within a familiar pattern, and is, in all likelihood, highly competent at what they do. But is the Sweaterboy happy? Fuck no, dude! For all the love and devotion and loyalty that the Sweaterboy puts out into the world, they rarely receive any such appreciation or recognition in return. And the Sweaterboy thinks that this is what relationships — of any kind — should look like: giving and giving and giving, and never actually asking for what they want. Because that would be selfish. The Sweaterboy would never want to burden anyone; the Sweaterboy, deep down, fears very much that they are a burden.

The manifesto included, "Note that 'Sweaterboy' is a gender neutral term — Rory Gilmore is a Sweaterboy, as is Abbi from Broad City, but you can definitely say 'Sweatergirl' or 'Sweaterperson,' or whatever." In practice, "Sweaterboy" is used almost exclusively regardless of gender.

Absolute Nightmare:

The Absolute Nightmare is someone who has entirely rejected the task of trying to conform to societal norms. They know they don’t fit in. They know they’re not like everybody else. And while they are outwardly bold and defiant and confident, they’re often very lonely. They internalize their issues; they may be mistaken for aloof and uncaring when, in fact, they have Big Feelings.

Another aspect is that "a Sweaterboy is a top who’s down to bottom and an Absolute Nightmare is a bottom who’s not down to top."[3][4] A term often used by those discussing The Dynamic is "They." If a couple fits The Dynamic, they are "They." (e.g. Q: Are Sherlock/Moriarty They? A: No they are not The Dynamic. Only Sherlock and John are They.)

The AN and SB are said to be able to swap certain characteristics so that a ship counts as The Dynamic, even if they do not fit the defined archetypes. This subjectivity and fluidity of criteria is one of the main points of criticism of The Dynamic. The creators have generally maintained that there cannot be a good relationship between two SBs or two ANs.[5] There are also said to be subcategories of the archetypes based on more specific patterns across fiction.

Much discussion of The Dynamic involves determining if a ship "is Dynamic" by fitting each half of a ship into the Sweaterboy and Absolute Nightmare archetypes. The onetruedynamic Tumblr blog and originators of The Dynamic frequently post about how the AN and SB can be distinguished.[6] The onetruedynamic Tumblr is mostly answers to questions about whether or not a certain ship is The Dynamic.

Example Ships

All iterations of Sherlock Holmes/John Watson and specifically Johnlock of Sherlock BBC are ships described as integral to the development of the dynamic.

Other ships mentioned in early posts about The Dynamic include:

Other examples

Criticism

Criticism of the dynamic is often related to it being too vague or general, being reductive in its focus on top/bottom dynamics in gay relationships, being a Queer Het lens of analysis, and its roots in the TJLC community.

The AN and SB are said to be able to swap certain characteristics so that a ship counts as The Dynamic, even if they do not fit the defined archetypes. It is argued by supporters that what matters is that the overall essence and balance of The Dynamic preserved. This subjectivity and fluidity of criteria is one of the main points of criticism of the concept. Critics allege that the creators of The Dynamic are simply changing the definition whenever it suits to so that ships they like are The Dynamic and can be argued as superior, and any ships they don't like are locked out of the club.

The explanation that being The Dynamic is both a subtextual indication of non-canon romance and makes a ship essentially canon has been connected to the concept's roots in the tinhatty TJLC community. TJLC involved both theories on how Johnlock was being set up to become canon and elaborate analysis of perceived symbols in order to prove that the ship was already canon, and that the perceived subtext made the relationship inarguably canon.

The Dynamic has been compared to the Tobin Structure from How I Met Your Mother fandom, another lens of analysis created by fans that posits that there are patterns of writing and relationship dynamics that appear throughout media, and that ships that fit the structure are superior to others.

Further Comments

teaandforeshadowing: *meeting a new couple* So which one of you is the “I didn’t know what love felt like but then I met you” and which one is the “I thought I knew what love felt like but then I met you”?[7]

beachdeath: the cutest thing about sweaterboys is that they love absolute nightmares even though nobody else does and the cutest thing about absolute nightmares is how vulnerable and tender and loving they are when nobody but their sweaterboy is watching[8]

garkgatiss: THE ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE JESUS AND THE BELOVED SWEATERBOY DISCIPLE JOHN[9]

beachdeath: this is Advanced Dynamic Studies but i think. i think the actualization of The Dynamic, the moment at which The Dynamic reaches its zenith, is when the absolute nightmare is allowed to become a sweaterboy, and the sweaterboy is allowed to become an absolute nightmare[10]

beachdeath: oh you know what’s a crucial thing about the dynamic is that the absolute nightmare puts on a really good show of being completely self-sufficient and all-capable but the sweaterboy recognizes immediately that they need help and offers that help without undermining the a.n.’s autonomy or independence[11]

beachdeath: okay i had an epiphany in yoga class and it was this: the absolute nightmare deals with pain by attempting to eradicate anything that might cause them pain, whether by isolating themself or by seeking out some coping mechanism that they believe will make them invulnerable to pain. the sweaterboy, on the other hand, deals with pain by absorbing it, by calling it something else and letting it stay. the absolute nightmare says, “you’d be surprised what you can live without.” the sweaterboy says, “you’d be surprised what you can live with.” [12]

onetruedynamic: the difference between absolute nightmare repression and sweaterboy repression is that nightmares try to have No Feelings Whatsoever and sweaterboys try to have Correct Feelings Only[13]

onetruedynamic: the nature of humanity is just that every so often someone accidentally invents johnlock again[14]

Meta & Further Reading

References

  1. ^ April 19th, 2019 by graceebooks
  2. ^ June 4, 2019 by Thealogie
  3. ^ Anonymous: "omg anon is on... i have a question abt the dynamic --- is an absolute nightmare the usual top and a sweaterboy the usual bottom or is completely dependent on the specific couple?? sdghjss this is a dumb ask but i've been wondering and i know ur connected to the invention of the dynamic so!! thanks" by beachdeath, Mar 20 2018
  4. ^ Anonymous: "ok... i have a question... is AN always bottom and SB always top? or is AN at least usually bottom and SB usually top??" by onetruedynamic, Dec 6 2018
  5. ^ what would a relationship comprised of two sweaterboys be like? by beachdeath, Mar 25 2018
  6. ^ further questions to consider by beachdeath, Apr 25 2017
  7. ^ Apr 17 2017 by teaandforeshadowing
  8. ^ Apr 25 2017
  9. ^ Apr 15 2017
  10. ^ Jan 25 2018
  11. ^ May 14 2018
  12. ^ Aug 21 2018
  13. ^ Nov 26 2018
  14. ^ [https://onetruedynamic.tumblr.com/post/185411445786/the-nature-of-humanity-is-just-that-every-so-often Jun 6 2019


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