Fandoms secondary blogging

The purest love dennis ever felt was crushed by years of relentless homophobia from Mac, only for those same feelings to stick to him, twisted, malformed by anger & resentment but still there. Now mac is comfortable in his sexuality, after decades. And that makes dennis hate him more than ever before, but the hatred is so different from his usual apathy interrupted by annoyance. the hatred is just that same love. Now theyre stuck with emotional distance & severe codependency, their lives too entertwined to pick apart, though Dennis did try in leaving to North Dakota.

i think the catfishing thing encompasses it completely. As Johnny he let out his repressed love while becoming more and more cruel in person to match it. He convinces himself its just his annoyance at Mac's presence, that he doesnt miss the sweetness of their earlier dynamic, missing Mac loving him as an equal, not this constant subservience. But now Mac loves this single figment of Dennis, the softness Mac himself crushed, and that must cut deep. That Mac's side of this thing they have could be laid aside so easily for someone he's never even met. This pushes Dennis to be even worse to Mac in punishment & jealousy of himself, furious he cannot bring back parts of the dynamic lost to Mac's loud internalised (& external) homophobia, one that can never truly come back, too much hurt has been cause to both of them by now.

We get so many little hints of how Dennis was quite effeminate pre the show & early seasons, especially compared to Mac's pursuit of hypermasculinity. Given he had frank as a father & the time period he was growing up, the person he was closest to (& maybe completely in love with) spouting such constant & cruel homophobia for YEARS must have hurt Dennis in a deeply personal way. So he tried to move on. He's convinced himself he doesnt have, and in fact never had, those feelings. Now Mac is confidently & openly gay, after 20 years of screwing up Dennis, why should Mac get to be happy? So he tears Mac down, but hates when Mac tries to bow below him - where's the revenge in Mac letting him cause all the pain he wants (maybe a small part of him is trying to tear Mac back down to his level)

(Sorry bit out of order my brain but I’m trying to hit all of them)

Canonically what’s really up in Dennis’ lil mess of a brain is…? Like look at what we know for sure:

Season 1 (as you mentioned) several characters who did and didn’t know Dennis before thought he was gay and often that he was dating Mac or Charlie. He seems surprised by this (but is fine with it if it gets him attention and money).

Bro portrays himself as a ladies man who is a confirmed bachelor because he is a golden god who CHOOSES to and he can choose to marry a woman when he wants you see! Just didn’t want to!

Straight men brag about their sex lives so he’s super good at that, even has video evidence of it! (Which is really darkly funny because who feels the need to have that much proof they show others? Usually people with ptsd who have been doubted constantly. But that’s not proven canonical for what is worth).

Meanwhile he knows all about gay male sex positions and stereotypes, seems to be weepy when Schmitty comes around (and is NEVER weepy, even when his beloved awful mother dies) and beyond Maureen never seems to be involved with a woman past a night.

He also knows Mac is gay (as does everyone else) and is annoyed by his homophobia and being in the closet. He also knows Mac wants to role play the two of them fucking fairly early on.

He suggests he and Mac role play as a gay couple at least twice. He also makes it known he’s willing to fuck a man if it he’s wearing another man’s skin (Brian lafeve and the twink caddy).

He and Mac have ‘research’ successions at Dee’s which bare minimum involves them jacking off daily in the same small apartment (and is strongly implied next to each other watching the same porno).

He marries Maureen on a whim when Mac is pissed about gay marriage and his ex being married. He immediately regrets it and spends all his time with mostly Mac. Maureen calls Mac his boy toy.

Dennis has also shown Mac a thong he was wearing ‘to get him off’ as a business idea.

He and Mac have monthly ‘dinners’. They share a bank account and run errands together.

Once Mac comes out and gives him a valentines gift he runs away for half a year. He yet again poses with Mac as a couple and regrets it.

He then basically avoids Mac again until Johnny. Which…just holy fuck. He also made a whole system to seduce men (wouldn’t explain why) and tried to get Mac laid.

After this? Suddenly they’re buds again. Playing emts and eating peppers. Only for another scheme to go wrong and people to again think they’re a couple which enrages Dennis. He won’t even answer if he likes Mac anymore (and Charlie thinks they should kiss)

….WHAT IS GOING ON IN HIS HEAD?!

Like…the gaps.