diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectInputStream.as b/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectInputStream.as
index 4f4ec573f..af098eb34 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectInputStream.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectInputStream.as
@@ -103,9 +103,8 @@ public class ObjectInputStream
         }
     }
 
-    // TODO: of course this DOESN'T ACTUALLY WORK, because the actual object
-    // to read could be a subclass of the specified class
-    // TODO
+    // TODO: this is the equivalent of marshalling something for which
+    // we have a basic streamer. Fill out with all the java types
     public function readField (clazz :Class) :*
         //throws IOError
     {
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectOutputStream.as b/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectOutputStream.as
index 08150c476..01f02750a 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectOutputStream.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/io/ObjectOutputStream.as
@@ -76,6 +76,8 @@ public class ObjectOutputStream
         }
     }
 
+    // TODO: this is equivalent to marshalling a field for which there
+    // is a basic streamer. Work needs doing here.
     public function writeField (val :*) :void
         //throws IOError
     {
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/CompoundEvent.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/CompoundEvent.as
index ab722bfca..1fd3ff7a6 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/CompoundEvent.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/CompoundEvent.as
@@ -158,13 +158,13 @@ public class CompoundEvent extends DEvent
     public override function writeObject (out :ObjectOutputStream) :void
     {
         super.writeObject(out);
-        out.writeField(_events);
+        out.writeObject(_events);
     }
 
     public override function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _events = ins.readField(StreamableArrayList);
+        _events = ins.readObject();
     }
 
     /** The object manager that we'll post ourselves to when we're
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/ElementUpdatedEvent.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/ElementUpdatedEvent.as
index 85d3e4983..235d90f17 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/ElementUpdatedEvent.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/ElementUpdatedEvent.as
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ public class ElementUpdatedEvent extends NamedEvent
     public override function writeObject (out :ObjectOutputStream) :void
     {
         super.writeObject(out);
-        out.writeField(_value);
+        out.writeObject(_value);
         out.writeInt(_index);
     }
 
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ public class ElementUpdatedEvent extends NamedEvent
     public override function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _value = ins.readField(Object);
+        _value = ins.readObjct();
         _index = ins.readInt();
     }
 
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryAddedEvent.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryAddedEvent.as
index 0c7b5dbe4..d5ef5baf0 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryAddedEvent.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryAddedEvent.as
@@ -71,13 +71,13 @@ public class EntryAddedEvent extends NamedEvent
     public override function writeObject (out :ObjectOutputStream) :void
     {
         super.writeObject(out);
-        out.writeField(_entry);
+        out.writeObject(_entry);
     }
 
     public override function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _entry = ins.readField(DSetEntry);
+        _entry = ins.readObject();
     }
 
     protected var _entry :DSetEntry;
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryRemovedEvent.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryRemovedEvent.as
index 18a2b91b8..fb053b049 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryRemovedEvent.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryRemovedEvent.as
@@ -90,13 +90,13 @@ public class EntryRemovedEvent extends NamedEvent
     public override function writeObject (out :ObjectOutputStream) :void
     {
         super.writeObject(out);
-        out.writeField(_key);
+        out.writeObject(_key);
     }
 
     public override function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _key = ins.readField(Comparable);
+        _key = ins.readObject();
     }
 
     protected var _key :Comparable;
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryUpdatedEvent.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryUpdatedEvent.as
index d991ebd43..1286a83cf 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryUpdatedEvent.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/dobj/EntryUpdatedEvent.as
@@ -89,13 +89,13 @@ public class EntryUpdatedEvent extends NamedEvent
     public override function writeObject (out :ObjectOutputStream) :void
     {
         super.writeObject(out);
-        out.writeField(_entry);
+        out.writeObject(_entry);
     }
 
     public override function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _entry = ins.readField(DSetEntry);
+        _entry = ins.readObject();
     }
 
     protected var _entry :DSetEntry;
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthRequest.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthRequest.as
index 74849856c..6206628ae 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthRequest.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthRequest.as
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ public class AuthRequest extends UpstreamMessage
     {
         super.writeObject(out);
 
-        out.writeField(_creds);
+        out.writeObject(_creds);
         out.writeField(_version);
     }
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ public class AuthRequest extends UpstreamMessage
     public function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _creds = ins.readField(Credentials);
+        _creds = ins.readObject();
         _version = ins.readField(String);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthResponse.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthResponse.as
index e33d64375..5c55b3d42 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthResponse.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/AuthResponse.as
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ public class AuthResponse extends DownstreamMessage
     public function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _data = ins.readField(AuthResponseData);
+        _data = ins.readObject();
     }
 
     protected var _data :AuthResponseData;
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapData.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapData.as
index c3b98afa3..8b14ee930 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapData.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapData.as
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ public class BootstrapData
     public function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         clientOid = ins.readInt();
-        services = ins.readField(StreamableArrayList);
+        services = ins.readObject();
     }
 }
 }
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapNotification.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapNotification.as
index d0520283d..ea22c4b64 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapNotification.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/BootstrapNotification.as
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ public class BootstrapNotification extends DownstreamMessage
     public function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _data = ins.readField(BootstrapData);
+        _data = ins.readObject();
     }
 
     /** The data associated with this notification. */
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/ForwardEventRequest.as b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/ForwardEventRequest.as
index a8e28b956..2a88ccd59 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/ForwardEventRequest.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/presents/net/ForwardEventRequest.as
@@ -47,13 +47,13 @@ public class ForwardEventRequest extends UpstreamMessage
     public override function writeObject (out :ObjectOutputStream) :void
     {
         super.writeObject(out);
-        out.writeField(_event);
+        out.writeObject(_event);
     }
 
     public override function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
     {
         super.readObject(ins);
-        _event = ins.readField(DEvent);
+        _event = ins.readObject();
     }
 
     public override function toString () :String
diff --git a/src/as/com/threerings/util/Name.as b/src/as/com/threerings/util/Name.as
index 97c27991f..5a20c7199 100644
--- a/src/as/com/threerings/util/Name.as
+++ b/src/as/com/threerings/util/Name.as
@@ -49,35 +49,14 @@ public class Name extends Object
     public function writeObject (out :ObjectOutputStream) :void
         //throws IOError
     {
-        /*
-        // TODO: oh shit, this is wrong. We need to write a boolean out
-        // indicating whether the object that follows is null or not
-        out.writeBareObject(_name);
-        */
-
         out.writeField(_name);
-
-        // we need a way of doing the following automatically:
-        /*
-        var b :Boolean = (_name != null);
-        out.writeBoolean(b);
-        if (b) {
-            out.writeUTF(_name);
-        }
-        */
     }
 
     // documentation inherited from interface Streamable
     public function readObject (ins :ObjectInputStream) :void
         //throws IOError
     {
-        // TODO: oh shit, this is wrong
         _name = ins.readField(String);
-
-        /*
-        var b :Boolean = in.readBoolean();
-        _name = b ? in.readUTF() : null;
-        */
     }
 
     protected function normalize (txt :String) :String