#i agree with oliver btw

[gnarliest-phone-dude]

olive man why the hell are people asking for

*checks notes*

Yer fucking PISS JARS???

“Dunno, man. We don’t condone kink shamin’ here so who am I t’ ask?”

[sammygender]

i’ve said this soooo many times but i cannot believe the widespread fandom take on nightmares is ‘episode that proves john didn’t hit the kids or at least that sam didn’t know about :)’ NO??? that entire episode is to directly parallel sam to max??? i really hate to break it to you guys but sam being like Damn at least we weren’t and aren’t still being regularly beat to shit by the two male parental figures in our lives 🙏 lucky to have dad fr is not the same as him saying Wow i’m so grateful dad never hit us at all. essentially he is literally like ‘if dad had got drunk more often and hadn’t channeled his energy into hunting maybe we would’ve ended up like max. guess i should be grateful he didn’t”. hello. how does that endorse an entirely violence-free parenting style. like have your own interpretation. but the text of the episode isn’t saying John didn’t hit them. the text of the episode is intentionally bringing up the concept of john hitting them, withholding direct judgement/confirmation on whether it happened and keeping it ambiguous, sure, but still bringing it to our attention.

[werewolfbarista]

uungngnghghh . New Trollsona (dogy flavored)

[falling-hand-in-unlovable-hand]

either this is a change that has happened in the last..... two years (unlikely), or i'm just now starting to notice, but i stg sometimes my parents act just fucking ridiculous

[bekolxeram]

During this hiatus, other than rewatching S7 for cute moments that we missed and coming up with headconons and new fic ideas, may I suggest going back to actually read/watch/listen to interviews with the cast?

Certain more dedicated members of the fandom tend to overfixate on one single sentence or even word the cast uttered and ignore all context around it. Sure, some of them might came into it with an agenda (like many journalists did sadly) and confirmation bias took care of the rest of it, but at the same time, who has time to read pages of disjointed chat with actors improvising answers without full knowledge of the production side of the show?

I've seen people proving Eddie's queerness by this quote from Lou's interview with the Hollywood Reporter in April:

This alone has been interpreted all sorts of ways, from Ryan not accepting this storyline (which doesn't make him homophobic btw, he could've simply not seen Eddie's story going this way, or he thought he wasn't equipped to do this storyline justice), to Buck's LIs not agreeing to come back because of scheduling conflict, to the writers just thought it was more appropriate for Buck to be queer.

I'm not here to speculate anything, I'm just going to point out earlier in the same interview, Lou also said he always knew this storyline would be with Oliver:

I don't know what's going on here, Lou might have insider information, but it also could be him just speculating over Tommy and Eddie's quickly formed friendship. To my knowledge, Tim has never confirmed that Tommy's queer storyline would be with Eddie before it supposedly fell through. In fact, Tim did say once it felt like Buck's story:

And then there's Lou's supposed dislike of filming make out scenes:

I do agree with him that gratuitous scenes on TV are unnecessary. I can't even count how many times I'm watching TV with my family when a graphic sex scene comes on unprompted, and my family members and I have to try our best to pretend we don't see it. But he also said that he didn't like it only when it didn't add to the story. Like we saw in 7x06, Lou gladly rubbed his face into Oliver's because this is how Buck came out.

There's also the part most people skipped through when Lou talked about the 7x04 kiss:

Lou (and everyone involved in the storyline) doesn't want Tommy to seem predatory. I have no idea if it's a reference to a possible earlier version of the script with an Eddie bi awakening instead of a Buck one. What I'm getting is that Lou and Tim tried to avoid playing into the stereotype of gay men hanging around knowingly straight men just to get into their pants.

And boy was Lou right. If they went for a full make out scene, the fandom discourse would've been so different. Naysayers wouldn't have been latching onto bachelor party costume or daddy issue joke. It would've led to much more serious allegations.

I'm happy it all worked out in universe as well. As we've seen from the past 7 seasons, Buck has no problem getting sexual partners. In the past he tried having physical relationships with women in hopes that it would lead to an emotional one, he also tried intentionally holding off intimacy just because he thought it would get in the way of boding with someone on a humanly level. This is the first time someone picked up Buck's (unintentional?) flirting, decided to break the ambiguity (landing it like a good pilot), gave him a brief peck to test the water, and then left to give Buck time to process his feelings.

Not only was it okay for Buck, it left him wanting more.

And lastly there's the allegedly "Tommy is just Buck's gay mentor to test thing out with" thing:

But earlier in the interview, it was established that Lou said it as a response to why the other shippers should still embrace Buck and Tommy's relationship. He didn't actually know what would happen in the future:

[buckevantommy]

https://www.tumblr.com/buckevantommy/757878657756872704/btw-i-dont-think-we-need-to-worry-about-buck-and

Agree 100%. But, to further expand that, and going outside the world of the show.

From a GA perspective, or the audience full stop, how many partners are we willing to watch before we lose interest? By this I mean - if the writers are spending screen time / several episodes introducing a new character and a new relationship, usually we get invested. And when that person disappears, it can be frustrating, and the introduction of a new person (thus the start of the cycle again), can feel a bit tiring. Every time they need to find something that makes the audience go: okay, it’s worth for me to care about this character.

Buck’s case is a bit particular, because his relationships haven’t been all that well received (until now). Either it was an ‘okay’ situation, without much interest, or an okay reception but controversial at times (for me, Taylor - I do think the GA was okay with her, but ultimately the couple was not good). Tommy has been imo the first relationship that truly has brought in lots of positive and good reviews and a good investment of attention from fans and even GA. Tommy’s clips in any social media are usually the ones with most views, and in things like IG it goes to talk about the GA more than a focused fandom.

This to say - if Buck was to break up with Tommy, I think a lot of the audience would be frustrated or even grow bored of the constant change of partners. Even, they would be less receptive to a future new partner, because if Tommy (so well received) is gone, who would even stay?

Not to say this means Tommy is Buck’s endgame, because no one knows. But at some point the constant change of partners gets old, and we know Tim agrees when he expressed wanting to get Buck off the hamster wheel (something Oliver agreed on), and Tommy is a really strong character to have Buck settle with.

Long story short: not only from a SL perspective, but Bucktommy being long lasting makes sense for the overall image of the show.

You're absolutely right nonny.

bc if we think about bucktommy in terms of it being Buck's relationship aka. a main character's relationship, enough is enough on dragging him from illfit to illfit - that guy deserves to be settled, at ease in himself, as Bobby once told him, and we've already seen Tommy help make that happen for him.

and if we look back at Buck's relationship history: we're 7 years into poor matches for a guy who has always wanted to love and be loved - and Tommy can be that for him! he has been that for him so far and could so easily fit into the narrative as Buck's significant other moving forward indefinitely. Tommy already feels like the missing piece to Buck's story the same way Karen was for Hen and Maddie was for Chim and Athena was for Bobby - and he's a fleshed out character in his own right just as those partners are.

enough screwing around with Buck's relationships. sometimes it feels like just bc he started out as a fuckboy he somehow doesn't deserve a stable, healthy, loving relationship, like the narrative is going out of its way to ruin any chance he has at that for the sake of drama (but again: none of his previous partners were the right match for him).

i'm going to mention dear dean winchester again bc he has so much in common with Buck, and these kinds of characters (male, strong, macho, attractive, swagger, charming, sexually active, presumably bisexual) always cycle through relationships that never pan out - bc they're not the right fit, but moreover bc these partners seem written in just to be eventually written out, there to help the main character's plot along, aid in some personal growth and add drama, maybe attract more viewership for those interested in seeing more (temporary) female characters.

but it is.. *sigh* tiresome, indeed. let Buck have a stable partner - like Hen, and Chim, and Bobby do - and let their relationship be woven into the narrative to create a richer tapestry like those other pairings do. that is so much more satisfying in terms of storytelling and character growth, than trying to insert drama snags that threaten to unravel things. you can still have drama with committed pairings - every other committed pairing in the show is proof of that.

and if we take off the shipper googles: Tommy is good as Buck's partner, he makes sense, and he has great potential in the longrun both as Buck's boyfriend/husband and as his own character within the wider narrative of the show. he's a natural fit, but he's also entertaining and he has history with most of the main characters already.

i really do see Tommy as Buck's endgame btw, bc they work so well together as a pairing but also as independant characters. BUT i wouldn't be mad about them breaking up/taking a break (as i mentioned in that post: uncertainty about having kids; a potential permanent job position out of state) and then come back together stronger for it. we saw it happen with Henren (but i don't want to see cheating with our boys bc it doesn't fit who they are) so we know if they do breakup it doesn't have to be permanent - and i actually would love the mirror to Buck's first serious relationship where Abby leaves him - only Tommy comes back to him.

[lemotmo]

Okay I'm going to partially tell on myself. I am new, as in the Buck/T kiss showed up all over my dash, as did all of Oliver's interviews and I just thought he was the yummiest most delightful human being I had ever seen and heard (my god is accent is heaven) new. And I thought that first kiss was really well done. It was a great scene. Now, that being said, I didn'twant to jump into a show that was seven seasons into the story with zero context, except the stuff I had been seeing on my dash for years. So I started from the beginning, with the full intent and excitement of getting to T in season 7. Imagine my surprise when he popped up occasionally in earlier seasons. His only good part was when we were supposed to believe that Chim could lift him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, haha. That was great.

Anyway by the time I made it to season 7, it was too late. I had just watched 5 seasons of Buck and Eddie. There was zero room for T to compete on any level. Which is why the behavior of some is so confusing to me. Let me say first that I do not think the show always intended to put Buck and Eddie together, I don't think that's been the intention since the beginning. There is however a very good case to make that Eddie's introduction was Buck's actual Bi bell ringing moment though (*what a man plays in the background*). I do however agree that the writing has trended, increasingly so, in that direction. The writers do not hold all the blame however, Oliver and Ryan have kind of acted them into a corner. There are several scenes, multiple scenes, where the acting choices the two of them made were interesting, to say the least (looking at you 'go for the title' kitchen scene I love. Buck was flirting on every possible level in that scene).

Sorry, I got off track, back to my point. The people like me, who came in after the kiss popped up everywhere, being all in on T is somewhat fine. The problem would be the ones who are deliberately refusing to go back and watch the entire series before pontificating on B/T being destiny and all that other nonsense. There is an argument to be made that they're avoiding it because they know most of the history dismantles their current ship fixation. So as a result those people can be easily dismissed because they have zero context to any of their opinions. The ones who were with you all for 5 seasons though, yes I've seen their posts, who lost their shit over 2 pairs of lips touching, is what I cannot wrap my brain around. I completely understand the excitement behind that first kiss. It was a much anticipated moment for BUCK. He was the important person in that scene.

But confusing, or deliberately misinterpreting, Buck's revelation and sigh of relief at finally figuring out something pretty significant about himself, as being about him finding T is a gymnastics act I did not expect to see from so many long haulers. I mean, it should be obvious but T wasn't important in that scene. His gender was what was important. Which is why they have barely bothered to show him since that episode. And the interactions they have shown, minus the hospital kiss, that they made sure to show Eddie's reaction to btw, have all been red flag scenes. Little things that show this relationship isn't really that different from his previous relationships. Buck may have figured out the gender part but he's still making the same relationship mistakes. It's why the few scenes they've had together, and it's the bare minimum of effort, have been about Buck trying to initiate some level of communication and emotional connection and him being dismissed or having it turned into a daddy kink joke. I also think Oliver's enthusiasm dipped drastically by the end and it showed.

Which brings me to Eddie. The show, and more so, Oliver and Ryan have already done the hard part. The emotional connection, which is way more difficult to pull off than a physical connection, is already there. Their chemistry is already established.They're partners in every way but physically. As a result it is not a huge character leap to eventually bring a physical relationship into it as well. That will not be a shocking character development for either character. It goes back to the way the two have been written and they way Oliver and Ryan have interrupted those scenes. I won't touch their interviews because I think it's pretty clear, at this point, they seem to agree it's the way to go. There's more story to explore with them learning how to navigate an actual relationship than there is in bringing in other, lesser characters, to firstly try to compete with that connection, and then try to establish endgame status. I don't know. It's not about any two pairs of lips touching it's about the right two pairs of lips touching. Because when it's the right couple the characters get that sigh and exhale of finally! But the audience gets their sigh and exhale of finally as well. That is the point.

Sorry this got looooong 🤣

Ooooh Nonny, you speak right to my heart.

First of all, thank you for going back all the way to season 1 to actually sit down and watch the show. We aren't just making up Buddie. It has been there since the beginning. I'm so glad you got to witness their beautiful history together and that you realised just how right they are for each other.

I can't speak for the people who suddenly turned 180° and dropped Buddie for BT. I have been shipping Buddie from season 2, so I don't understand their reasoning or motivation either. It like you said so beautifully:

"It's not about any two pairs of lips touching. It's about the right two pairs of lips touching."

And that is what it comes down to. We can be content with a lackluster, meaningless relationship for queer rep. Or we can be exhilerated with an amazingly complex and years in the making relationship, which will be so much better for queer rep. It will be revolutionary in so many ways to make a slow burn queer ship canon.

(Before anyone comes at me for talking about queer rep. I have slowly been figuring myself out over the last couple of years and, looking back at my life and relationships, I've come to realise that I definitely belong somewhere on the ace spectrum. Not sure where exactly, I'm still searching for the right label, but it feels right to me. This is actually the first time I said this on a public forum for people to read. Kinda scary to be honest.)

I know what I would choose for myself if I was faced with these two options. Why wouldn't we automatically choose this for Buck and Eddie as well? It's mind-boggling really.

So yeah: queer Eddie and Buddie canon in season 8! All the way!

Don't apologise for your great post. I loved reading it. Feel welcome to drop in whenever you want. :)

[sylenth-l]

Hi hello, I love your art so much LIKE MY BROTHER. IT'S SO YUMMY, THE SHADOWS THE EXPRESSIONS, I love how you draw Timur , Felwinter and Osiris together 🙏 little bird with his two funky adoptive parents. I stare at your art like , I'm always ready and hyped to give traditional art another try ✨

If I was to go back, any tips for which watercolours to pick? I so far got only aniline colours.

Aah, thank you so much!! 😳💙

Hmmm, the thing is, I use fountain pen inks almost always for painting. I don't use watercolour much, so I can't really suggest anything in particular… I have a selection of colours from different brands, of course, I know quite a lot about pigments, and I like using watercolour from time to time to add some special effects to my works. For sketching outdoors it's also the easiest to use among all other paints, probably. But painting a whole artwork with it……… I try doing it sometimes, but every single time I end up thinking "God, I wish I used inks instead, I hate this so much, why is it so BLEURGH". I guess watercolour just isn't my medium 😂 

I can share my thinking process when building up a palette though, I use it with all mixable mediums I use, be it inks, watercolour, gouache, etc. I found it to be the most effective (and money-saving, lol) approach for me.

So what I want for my main mixing palette is to have 3 sets of primary trios. All colours also must be as smooth as possible, with no surprises or unwanted colour separation. For watercolour - not granulating ones.

(my camera tends to make all colours brighter and also fails to see the subtle difference between some shades, but you can still get the idea)

The first trio is extremely vivid, consisting of bright cool colours - lemon yellow, cyan, magenta-leaning pink. It gives you access to all the bright, open colours.

Second is the classic they teach in all art schools (probably, from what I've heard, I never went into one alkjdshfk) - sunshine yellow, bright warm red and ultramarine blue. This gives you a huge selection of warmer, natural colours, like all shades of golds, eggplant purples, olive greens, etc. It also allows some nice selection of wood browns.

Third is my personal favorite, the muted trio. You kinda can get similar colours from the previous trio, but I prefer having these separately, because of how often I use them all. It consists of golden ochre-leaning yellow, dark bloody red and dark indanthrone blue. It gives you the most beautiful browns, beiges, blacks and other rich, deep colours.

On top of that I also like to have at least one decent black (in my case it's Quink Black ink, I cannot live without it).  And these 10 would be my essentials. Other colours I add to my mixing palette are basically shortcuts to the shades I find myself mixing the most - like a few browns and violets. There are also a few inks that I need for some very specific purposes - like, I have a very vivid cold magenta ink to mix a certain bright cold shade of the Void, and also a fluorescent orange for adding shiny Exo LED lights. And etc.

(Actually I'm currently in the process of re-organizing my main palette and also considering making a few small sets for painting some characters specifically)

I also have a separate selection of chromatographic inks, which can probably be compared to granulating watercolours… But not quite. A few examples:

Here I don't have any special notes or advices, just get the ink you like and enjoy it. Some of these I use so often that I always keep them in my main palette, and others I only get out for some special occasion. These are also mixable btw - I constantly add other ink in Quink Black to get different shades of it.

However, I must say that not all of the ~special effects~ inks are polite and well-behaved, some will agree to work only on some specific paper after a significant amount of coaxing, and others will straight out say "fuck you" at the most crucial moment, even if they worked perfectly just a moment ago.

Btw, when working with inks, I really recommend to put it into smaller bottles with a dropper, so you don't have to open the big bottle each time. It's both easier to use for you and much safer for inks! 

ANYWAY, I hope this post was of some use for you 🌈

[outrunningthedark]

yeh listen it’s performative activism. There been ALOT of it lately.

Whether he was hacked or not. It was posted. They look it and fucking ran with it and spread it like wildfire very quickly.

And this is definitely the first time I’ve seen them care about any type of ableism this loudly. Convenient? Yes. Would they have been this loud if any other actor posted anything like that? No.

Which is why I do not take them seriously.

Be consistent in giving a shit about serious issues. Not when an actor you want gone does them.

Yep, thank you! I'm just speaking for myself here, maybe other disabled fans will agree and maybe they won't, but for ME? LFJ being ableist - if we take a post a face value for the sake of argument - could not be lower on my list of things to care about. He has been on the show for basically ten minutes and we don't know how long he's sticking around. New side character *possibly* being ableist? Alert ABC and Tim, omg!!! /s You know what I do care about? Gavin/Chris being part of the show for SIX YEARS and nobody in that cast says a goddamn word in support of the disabled. I bet they don't even know that Disability Pride Month is a thing. (That's in July, btw, friends. It's not Gay Wrath Month.) The 911 socials get dragged if they don't post enough Eddie and get praised for queer positivity, but it's [crickets] when the entire month of July goes by without anything for the disabled community. And yes, I do side-eye tf out of Ryan and Oliver in particular since they are the two that spend the MOST time with the LONE main disabled actor. And you know what this fandom does when I mention it? "Welllll, maybe they don't feel comfortable posting since it's not their place." I'm sorry, what? That logic damn sure does not apply anytime Oliver is speaking up for the LGBTQ+ community when he is presenting as a cishet or the black community when he is undeniably white. If you're (gen) gonna suddenly act like the new LI being "ableist" is an issue, then I'm gonna need you to use your instagrams and twitters to ask everyone else why they don't give a fuck about us, either. But that would make you look like a bad fan, right? And you need to be liked, right? Especially in front of your faves? Your babies? 🥱

[invinciblerodent]

Musings about the Thorm family

(HEAVY Act 2 spoilers ahead!)

As I'm replaying the game and mucking around the Shadow-Cursed Lands, I... can't seem to stop thinking about the Thorms.

I could be interpreting things all wrong here, but it seems to me that Thisobald, Malus, and Gerringothe Thorm, they're... all supposed to be Ketheric's relatives, no? The information on how exactly they're related is confusing (I've found places on their wiki pages where they call them all Ketheric's siblings, one where Malus is said to be Ketheric's uncle, but Thisobald keeps referring to Ketheric as "father" which I don't know if he means more as creator, as in if he's supposed to be Balthazar's twisted creation that merely sees Ketheric as a father or what) so it's unclear how exactly they're supposed to be related, but... they are still Thorms. Ketheric's, and by extension Isobel's family, who were all alive before Reithwin would have succumbed to the shadows and the Dark Justiciars.

Like, I don't claim to have perfect understanding of the timeline at all, I could totally be seeing this all wrong, but as I'm interpreting things now... it's said that the Thorms were a powerful Selûnite family, and the patriarch, Ketheric, a renowned general and paladin(?), turned to Shar worship in his devastation over the loss of his wife Melodia, and his daughter Isobel. He turned his back on Selûne, and led an army of Dark Justiciars against the Selûnite town of which he had once been in control, and both kidnapped her daughter's lover and Selûne's own daughter Aylin, and before his defeat, unleashed the Shadow-Curse that ended up corrupting the very spirit of the land, Thaniel. (My guess is that the intent was to kill Thaniel, but he was merely torn asunder by the curse, and the part of him that stayed himself managed to flee to the Shadowfell before he would have lost his power, while the damaged part of him that stayed behind made a home in Oliver's body.) Then, as he was brought back to life by Myrkul, Ketheric agreed to sell his soul in exchange for his daughter to also be brought back to life; true resurrection. On this much, I'm (mostly) clear. This mostly makes sense to me.

..... But the rest of the family... also all watched this entire thing happen. They too lost first Melodia, then Isobel, to death, then Ketheric to madness and then death, and then themselves as well.

Sure, they were likely corrupt even while alive, I'm not arguing that they weren't. Of course they were. But the little notes around town, they only say that Ketheric put his relatives in charge, and that the Thorms had the "cushy jobs". And I assume they were... all pretty normal people then, all things considered, because none of the notes I've found mention that, btw, the tollmaster has recently taken to wearing a suit of gold, dunno what that's about, or that the surgeon had blades for fingers, idk if you noticed, though those would be pretty important things to note about them.

Malus was likely the worst, with how ardently he seems to have taken to true Shar-worship, even with a clear mind (the medical textbook he wrote is described as crisp and detailed, blending Sharran aphorisms with genuine medical science), and how many atrocities it's suggested that he's committed, but... before getting his fantasy!medical license revoked, he likely was a genuine healer, a doctor. Not a cleric, but a surgeon. The head to the House of Healing as more than just a figurehead, before his curse-warped mind would have led him down this dark path, and since none of the memos and notes seem to have been dated, we don't actually know how far gone he was when he wrote things like "anaesthetic is a tool to relieve my ears of my subject's screams as I apply the blade, not a mercy to be freely dispersed to living corpses". Could have been during the assault, could have been decades later, we don't actually know.

Gerringothe, sure, she was greedy and corrupt, but she was... just a clerk, a toll collector. She pinched and pilfered valuables, but the curse, it amplified all her worst qualities, and I think drove her to madness quickly- likely even before things got so bad as for her to become what we meet her as, this devilish-looking, emaciated being masquerading as a golden statue. She seems to have quickly devolved to having horrible outbursts of anger that had her employees hide in safes to save themselves from her, but before? I... don't know if I've found anything to suggest that she was likely to have been all that much worse than many other characters in similar positions. She was likely just a corrupt official with a mean streak, looking to make a buck on the side. (I can't figure out why she is the only one of the three with the "fey ancestry" passive feature though. Ketheric and Isobel have it as well, but the others don't seem to??? Are they just too far gone???? Idk????)

And Thisobald... I think he was a pretty young man when he was put in charge of The Waning Moon. And even in undeath, he's very gregarious, genuinely friendly for someone in his situation, and he sounds almost innocent as he ushers you to the bar, sits you down, and requests that you drink with him and delight him, tell him stories about your adventures for which he rewards you by answering your questions to the best of his ability. (He makes a silly li'l poop joke when you talk about the Grymforge, ffs! He's just a chap! A dude! A sweet little fella!)

The undead patrons' dialogue and the book in the backroom at least reveals that Thisobald was a distiller, a brewer once- but as the curse (and likely Balthazar, given the extensive disfigurement of his body, what with the four legs, the tail, and the tank on his back) warped his mind, he seems to have turned more and more towards stronger and stronger toxins, poisons. (Because, well, what is alcohol if not a less harmful poison?) He seems to have become obsessed with creating a deadly powerful toxin, and then, once his mind was too warped but before he could finish it, he seems to have lost interest in that as well, and "lived" from that point only to drink his poisonous brews, and be merry.

It's just... all so sad. How just one man's inability to cope with loss ruined him, his remaining family, his town, and so many lives after as well; how he blighted the land for a hundred years and caused so much suffering, just because he could not accept the loss which he alleged to turn to worship.

Ketheric was never a true worshipper of Shar. He could never actually embrace loss or absence as holy. But he did drag everyone still dear to him down with him for it.

edit- just fixed a typo

[comradekarin]

I do agree that people will hate Farleigh and then worship Felix because yk racism but let's not act like Farleigh wasn't an asshole. You're downplaying his actions just to make him look good but you should be arguing that asshole characters of colour are easily hated when compared to their white counterparts. You don't have to lie about "oh he's not even bad y'all are dramatic" because at the end of the day he's an asshole rich boy just like Felix just like everyone else.... 😐

Sorry it just annoys me because as a poor Black person who went to school with Farleighs it grinds my gears to see you and others downplay his bad behaviour because of the racism he is facing. You can acknowledge the racism without making him an angel. Racism towards even the worst people is wrong because there is no excuse for racism (I am not saying Farleigh is the worst person ever btw, he's the same brand of asshole like Felix and everyone else obviously. They're family lol.)

i mean you’re absolutely right. he was an asshole. he was a dick, just like the rest of them was. personally for me, that’s apart of the appeal of this character. when I said “farleign was not that bad lmao” I meant that in response to everyone who has this visceral disgust for the stuff he does and says but not for anyone else. if I gave off the impression of “he did absolutely nothing wrong”, well… my bad lmao. the posts I have made are more shitpost-y in nature anyway, but they still hold some merit. i feel like this post really encapsulates my intent.

as someone who is also black, it is harmful to have this notion that poc characters have to be perfect and can’t have character flaws. part of being a good character is having flaws and faults. however, it’s just weird seeing farleigh being held to a very different standard than the other characters who have done the same shit he did (or, have done worse). it’s even weirder pretending his character is meant to be one dimensional, or just this huge asshole, while simultaneously being able to see the complexities in the rest of the cattons/oliver. i’ve even seen people hate him for reasons that aren’t even true if they actually paid attention (i.e him stealing or even being completely at fault for what happened to felix). my posts were never supposed to give “you guys are racist for not liking farleign”. boring, maybe, but racist? nah. they were supposed to give “you guys may have biases to address if the reasons you hate farleign is something you can overlook in the rest of the white cast”.

feel free to ask me anything else though, anon. i’m always up for healthy convo :)

[ghostiiess]

[NSB HEADCANONS] - "i can't wait to see edits of us together."

▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣▣

pov: basically famous girlfriend x famous nsb members lol

warnings: none that i can think off

type: wholesome

members: all of them!

this one was requested! thank you! don't hesitate to request again! :)

likes & reblogs are greatly appreciated <3

oliver:

this boy would be so happy to film videos with you

he find you so genuine

and stars too!!!

he would be like:

"hey stars! today's video a bit special, because i'm doing it with my girlfriend, y/n!"

he would be so happy

and he would smile so much

he would do a lot tiktoks with you

and talk about you during his lives

he would also bring you in nsb's videos

it would make him super happy to join him for the group's channel

"y/n wanted to join with us, guys!!"

"this video is with the pretty y/n!"

"hey stars! y/n is doing a video with us, today!"

the members would like you so much

they think you're cool lol

since you have a youtube channel, he would ofc tag along times to times

"oli, i'm trying to edit"

"and i'm trying to hug you" he said

he would be so happy to film videos with you

or to do any content tbh

like.. i know for a point that oli would be super happy and excited to film with you

sometimes, he wouldn't look at the camera lol, he would just look at you in the lense of the camera or in the flip camera screen (creepy or cute? you decide)

moy would flirt with you in videos just to see edits of him and you

the edits would be with his songs 😭 ( btw stream their mini-album, it's so good)

he would also comments on your tiktok or youtube videos

and he would be like "i love you" or like "you made my day"

he would write random comments just to see you smile

"y/n, you're like the prettiest girl i ever laid eyes upon.."

"can't believe you did this dance with panic.. ur so cute istg"

75% of his tiktok would be about you

you know the sound "me? obsessed with you? yes. yes, i am" well, he would do it

just so you could smile

and think of him

to conclude this headcanon about oli, he would be really cute (as always lmao) and super sweet towards you and your community! (we must protect his energy thank you)

(others members under the cut!)

sebastian:

seb is such a flrit

so he would flirt with you A LOT

and when i say, i lot.. i mean a lot

like, this man just want to make you blush

and make you smile

and if he can make you smile AND blush at the same time, then it's his happy day

"i tried to stop thinking about you. i failed."

"yoobi miss you, but i miss you even more"

"fucking princess looking"

"i looked hot today. you missed out.." (TELL ME THIS ISN'T SEBASTIAN 😂)

"damn, that smile, it kills me"

sebby would do tiktok with you

dances, challenges, test.. ANYTHING

he would do the trend on tiktok "yo bro, who got you smiling like that?" and write "her." on the screen

and if he really miss you, he would add pictures of you and him lol

seb is a good example of a "funny and *sometimes* clingy boyfriend"

he would write cute comments on your youtube videos

"wait why are you so cute"

"video idea: i spoil my pretty and super sexy bf for 24h"

"i'm so handsome in this video 😩 don't you agree y/n?"

"your outfit is on fire (not literally)"

he would be so happy to talk about you guys' relationships

"she makes me the happiest"

he would tweet about you

but not romantically..

more like random tweets about you

"stars, y/n said boba was not the best drink in the universe, what should i do?"

"need a new mom for yoobi. she said he was becoming dirty. she just doesn't accept his true value 🙄"

he would make you listen to the weeknd

and also doja cat

he would talk about you during his streams

"'how is y/n doing?' she's doing fine! thanks for asking"

he would play games with you on stream

"y/n is so bad at videogames guys, she can't stop loosing" then laugh

lot of teasing in the nsb's videos

"pass to the camera to the second prettiest girl i ever seen, my mom being the first"

"stars, look at her.. isn't she so pretty?"

"i'm trying to impress you y/n, is it working?"

he would appear on your youtube video, tiktok, instagram pics..

and like we know seb, he would still flirt and be a playful bf

"first, nice video. second, why are you wearing NSB merchandise while painting with ACRYLIC PAINT? YOU KNOW ACRYLIC PAINT IS NOT WASHABLE, RIGHT??"

he would tease you so much on your social media

he would make youtube video with you and do things on purpose so he could see edits of you two

"guys, y/n is in the bathroom, but please post edits of us, we'll make a video about it" he said on his twitch stream

then never do the video.

anyways, seb is so cute and sweet

he's so flirty and playful please-

justin

he would make a lot of "truth or drink" kind of youtube videos with you (if you're in the age of drinking ofc!)

"hey guys! today's video with y/n aka my girlfriend. we're also with kane, oli, and regie. today we'll do truth or drinks, so.. let's go"

he would tease you so much on his stories

"good training with her." ig stories with him and you in front of the gym mirror

"guys.. y/n tried to cook and.. she literally forgot she was cooking something and it burned. *sigh while trying to keep his laugh* i might have to do a youtube video where i teach her to cook or smth because what the fuck is this-"

"not my girlfriend doing "could you date justin phan" type of quiz.."

"wait, i want to do a quiz about you too!!"

he would write comments on your tiktok

"nice hoodie.." while it's his hoodie (the green one 😋)

"you are very cute"

"cutie"

"LMFAO YOU'RE SO BAD AT THIS. i must learn you how to do it properly.." (yes he would make fun of you lol)

"is this a new dress?" he asked on your tiktok

"yes" you reply

"nice, wear it on our next date"

he would talk about you during his twitch live

and say that he miss you :(

"y/n is not here, she went home. she had studying to do."

"i'm literally this close to give my twitch channel to her.. y'all seem to love her more than me!!"

he would annoy you too-

"guys, let's call her. it'll be funny"

he would try to do tiktok with you

and do the "who's your soulmate" filter with you and ask for stars to do edits about you two using this filter

justin would tweet about you

romantically this time!!

"you are one of a kind"

"every night, my thoughts goes on you"

"guys, i know y/n is famous, but can i have her? like could you stop commenting on her tiktok "she's mine" or like "i love her sm, she's my type of girl" like no i'm dating her, she is mine and i don't want to share. i'm (not) sorry"

"leaving you is suicice"

"i panic when i see you"

"life without her would be a misery"

he would invite you to film nsb's videos with them

and phan would talk about you 😎

like in the asmr video, justin would literally talk about you and *only* you

"y/n said it was a good asmr trigger.. let's see if it work"

"did you guys know y/n was listening to asmr times to times?"

"this is for you, y/n!"

then do the worst asmr sounds lol

he would also expose you like there's no tomorrow (mostly on your bday)

"happy birthday to the prettiest girl i ever seen. i love you so much

justin phan would also compliment you under your ig pics

"cutie"

"mine"

"this dress fit you so well, omg."

"that smile"

"looking good baby"

jp would be so happy to talk about you and see how loved you are with his community and yours!!

"stars, *name of your fandom*! look at how cute she is?" during your streams

"she really make me happy, guys"

"THIS GIRL HIT 489K OF SUBSCRIBERS!! CONGRATS ML <33 everyone let's clap 4 her" he would say on your stream

"YOOOOO! y/n is on my live, right now? *look at the camera* hey cutie"

lot of loves :(

ryan

ryan :(

please, he's so cute and so soft

he would be a bit more private than the others for this relationship

but he would still show you off ofc!

"hey. i stole y/n camera.. *smile* lol, guys subscribe to her. she's going to hit 500K soon.."

he would stream with you

"'*name of your ship* is back' yeah *smile* i missed it."

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT OMG????"

if you're bad at videogames, he would put his hands overs yours and show you how to play (cliche i know)

he would do videos with you on your channel

and seduce everyone 🥰

"your fans said they missed me"

he would do tiktok dance with you

but only cute trends :(

tiktok about you with songs

"oh darling, all of the city lights, never shine as bright as your eyes"

"cause all of the small things that you do, are what remind me why i fell for you.. and when we're apart and i'm missing you, i close my eyes and all i see is you, and the small things you do.."

he would do tiktok for you

just so it could make your day or at least make you smile a little bit

since ryan stream a lot, he would ofc bring you with him

"and today we have the popular y/n who gained 500k of subscribers last week. everyone say congrats!!"

ofc he know fame isn't always good, so he wouldn't be like seb or jp: he would be a bit more private than others, just because he doesn't want to make you in trouble or smth like that

but he would still make public content with you, just.. less than the others members

he would love to see edits of you two

he would listen to them like 10 times just so his fyp could "change" a little bit and see more of them

he would put you on his sc story

he would film you at random time

"this is the famous girl you guys are watching. she doesn't want to stop editing. she doesn't even want to take breaks.. y'all better watch this video or else it won't be worth it. it's been like one hour that i've tried to make her take a break.. *sigh* so hardworking i swear"

he would write comments under your ig post

"cute"

"so you were the one who had this hoodie"

"stunning"

oh and he would also expose you

"if you exposed me on my bday, i have the right to do the same!!!"

lot of teasing :))

kane

kane would love to do youtube videos with you

"hey stars! today, i and my pretty girlfriend y/n are going to add our own voices in anime!"

he would do a lot of pranks to you

"she doesn't know it, but i put effects on her voice, so when she'll record, it'll sound funny!!"

"GOT YOUUU"

he would appear in your youtube videos and do prank on your OWN channel

but ofc, he'll be super sweet and kind towards you :)

"guys, look at how cute she is. i'm so lucky to have her"

"she have so much style.."

"look at her hair!! it's so beautiful!"

he would do a lot of videos with you actually!

"she wanted to do a part 2.. SO LET'S GO!!!"

ratan wouldn't comments on your tiktok or youtube, but he would do tiktok about you

the trend tiktok be like "focus, i'm focused- *show a picture of you*"

or like "i know i hope i don't fall"

and he write "guess i fell for her, huh.."

or any other trend that have the same effects 😂

he would stream with you on twitch times to times when you and him have time to do so

"and we're streaming with my cute girl, y/n!!"

"you guys all know her, she's the famous and pretty girl.. i don't need to do a presentation i think"

"stars, ask us questions!! we'll reply together!"

kane would support you so much

he's here for you!

he know fame isn't always good and fun, so he would be with you during good and bad times

"it's okay, y/n. they'll understand, i promise. no need to blame yourself. it's okay to take days off. you don't need to overwork yourself, okay? it's completely okay to be tired of it sometimes."

kane would be such a cute and sweet bf fr

i wish everyone to have a partner who love like kane does with his members and his partner :(

real true love

anyways, let's stay on track

i feel like ratan would also post you on his social media

"she texted me this... *screenshot of your texts* god she's so silly sometimes smh"

"anime nights with her"

he would watch your video

and he wouldn't be able to stop smiling or laughing

i think kane would have a partner who have the same kind of humor as him? hope it's understandable 😭

see an edits of you two? he'll like the edits, then check the comments and search for more edits

and sometimes even post them!!

"kaney/n is my favorite ship" he read the comment a fan made on your twitch chat while smiling "it's mine too"

he would reply to your stories

"you're becoming more and more famous, baby. it's making me smile so much, knowing you finally have the recognization you deserve!"

"you deserve it my love"

"INVITED IT TO A GALA? damn it baby, it's not an everyday day, congrats! i'm so so so proud of you!!"

he would be so cute oh my god

to conclude, kane would be such a cutie :(

he wouldn't mind posting you and talking about you for real

darren

no because why my first thought was birds matching costume-

i'll start the headcanon right away, but i found birds matching costumes for real

if you want to see your matching costume, click here (it's the website where you can buy it lol)

enjoy being a bird with darren 🐦

anyways, let's start with the headcanon!

darren would do A LOT of youtube videos with you

"hey guys! today's video will be with y/n, aka my pretty and sexy girlfriend."

"what??? don't look at me like that! i'm just describing you!"

he would be so excited to film with you fr

and ofc he would be super happy if you asked him to film youtube videos with you!

he would smile so much while talking about you

like he wouldn't even notice that his smile is becoming bigger and bigger whenever he talk about you

"stars, please do edits of her and i. i love to see these"

"she's my birdie!! *lipbite*"

he would make tiktok with you (almost) ALL THE TIME

he would hold your hand on purpose, kiss you on the cheek.. be all cutie patootie with you during nsb's videos so he could see edits of you and him on tiktok and ig

i mean he love flirting and being playful with you

and wouldn't mind being dirty with you ;)

he would follow ig account of you 😭 like "update on y/n y/l/n fan account"

darren just love seeing your fans simping for you (he simp for you too) and making great content abt you

"y/n said i was looking like a chicken with my new hair color. she have no taste, for real. she doesn't appreciate the true beauty of darren liang"

"wait, but do i really look like a chicken-"

"REG' AND RYAN TOLD ME I WAS LOOKING LIKE A BURNED CHICKEN, HELP."

he would also compliment you on ig

and he wouldn't even be scared of embarassed of this comments

"BABYGIRL 😍😍"

"MINE MINE MINE MINE"

"this girl is literally a daydream"

"i miss you"

"your boyfriend is so lucky to have you"

"toasty miss you"

"my girl"

liang would also give you a plushie

"it's toasty's sibling!!"

he have an ig highlight about you

did he only create an ig highlight so the fans could do edits with them? maybe.. 👀 (the other reason why liang have one is because he love watching them and seeing you smile and laughing with him)

"cutie" is the title

or "y/n <3"

he would work out with you times to times and post pictures

"hahaha, i'm working out with her"

"big muscles"

"she think i'm sexy and she is damn right"

main topic on darren's headcanon: he post you on his story and make videos with you

like it's simple things, but coming from him it's super cute

regie

regie would expose you

i'm sorry, but he would 100% expose you and be like "this is my partner, everyone!!"

he literally doesn't care AT ALL

"y/n said she liked my haircut.. so from now, all the comments i made on it saying it looked like shit are now gone, thank you, it look super good"

"y/n y/ln is my partner everyone."

regie macalino would do so much tiktok with you

like

DANCE TIKTOK, CHALLENGE TIKTOK.. EVERYTHING!!

and he would love it

he would literally give the regiey/n stan a lot of things to edit on

talking about edits..

he would love to see them times to times

and he would be so happy to see everyone saying you guys look cute and hot together :(

he would follow some accounts times to times when edits are on point

but he wouldn't search for them lol

everytime he would see an edit of you two, he would be so happy and smile so hard??

if the edit is really good, he would even post it on his ig & sc story

his heart being filled with love and happy emotions :(

he would read the comments and be so freakin happy

"your fans are saying i'm hot and they're not wrong"

macalino wouldn't make a lot of youtube videos with you, tbh

not because he doesn't want to, it's just that he prefer doing tiktok and all since it's a bit more quick and easy to do

"ayooo, don't forget to check my gf twitch!!"

this boy would also comment on your ig post

"you look like heaven"

or "beautiful"

"pretty girl"

"sexy"

shorts comments only!!

appreciation long comments belong to private chat with him >:(

like, he wouldn't express his love in comments

but in your text message, he would do it for sure

i mean, it's understandable..

he would compliment you a lot

and make nsb's videos with you

"AND TODAY WE HAVE REGIE'S GIRL HERE WITH US!!!!" sebastian said while smiling "you guys know her, regie can't stop talking about her... and she's super famous and all"

literally, this man want your full attention

but he won't say it to you

at least not in public!

to conclude? regie's appreciation for you is super sweet and cute

he would literally make appreciation story about you times to times

"y/n had a perfect grade on her super hard exam, let's all cheer for her. she deserve it"

"congrats for my girl to have made another week. i'm so proud of you"

he wouldn't do a lot of these tbh

only when he's super proud of you

othwerwise, it's on private message :D

I LOVED WRITING THIS THING SO SO MUCH!!! i know some people told me they were being excited for this one, so i hope i met your expectations 😭 if y'all want other famous!y/n x nsb members type of things, please let me know!! also the other requests are coming soon :)

taglist (open! send an ask if you want to be in it!) : @nsb-rkive @kentisbaby @firebenderwolf @hyuneee0

[eddiegettingshot]

I think our Oliver and Lou beef theory holds MUCH more weight then BT stans who say that Buddie will never go canon because Ryan would quit the show before he agreed to do a gay Eddie storyline. 1. Ryan has never said that he would refuse to play gay Eddie and 2. Ryan has played gay characters in the past so clearly it’s not something he’s morally against

im sorry i literally don't want this to be a big discussion (<- right before writing massive paragraphs) but can someone please explain to me how one actor would be able to single-handedly stop a showrunner and a bunch of execs from making a storyline they want to happen (a storyline that would be MASSIVE btw), happen????? he has bills to pay? they're clearly not consulting any of these actors for their thoughts on their storylines, and he's getting scripts literally the day before filming?? he clearly knows that it's a possibility to the point where he said he wasn't even sure whether it was going to be him or oliver doing the coming out storyline, you'd think that if this were such a struggle for him behind the scenes he would've quit already instead of letting the absolutely horrific possibility of playing gay hang over his head?? like, beyond just "i know ryan would be ok with it" i genuinely do not understand how this idea makes sense. he is quite literally just a guy. and if i thought he was morally against this i would. well. not like him? and you would hope that if ryan were so vehemently against buddie or eddie being gay that oliver would not continue to fan the flames or whatever.

and like, if i'm being honest, i 100% do believe that ryan himself does connect more with the vulnerable friendship thing and thinks that's an important message and a priority for what he's trying to convey. but they're not writing this show based on what HE connects with, as an actor, so what does this have to do with anything??? and regardless, even if it IS about vulnerable friendships... eddie could theoretically come out as gay and still just have a vulnerable friendship with buck (or any other man! chim? bobby?) because men who are not straight... are still men... the fact that this shit comes from the crowd who parrot "buck is bi outside of his relationships" but somehow eddie being gay wouldn't be like that, it wouldn't be Representation that stands on its own, it'd be lesser somehow?

well anyway if i'm being honest and controversial i care way less about ryan's personal feelings as a presumably straight man than i do about the impact of buddie and gay eddie on screen. if he doesn't want to do it that's not going to stop me from thinking they should do it, or wanting them to do it, because at the end of the day? ryan is an actor and this is his job. if the story goes there, he should do his fucking job! he's not getting paid for his thoughts on male friendships he's getting paid to portray eddie diaz who may or may not be gay. and because i don't think ryan's actually against being gay on screen this whole discussion doesn't even matter. so whatever

[bidisasterevankinard]

So you’re pretty sure of him being next season still around… glad to know, because I totally agree, cause a lot of people is sure that they’re going to break up soon…and honestly, if that was the case, story wise, it wouldn’t make any sense to me…

Maybe you’re right and the ILY will arrive next season, but this season I would love for them to take the next step and label themselves as a serious relationship…

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Tommy will stays at least for season 8. because of story they are making and because of how bucktommy was taken by fandom and the thing that Lou was followed by 911 ig account. For me it all speaks "we want more of him"

You're absolutely right that story wise for now there's no reason for Buck and Tommy to break up. They for now was only on two dates(and we will not see the time skip to wedding I guess but still I believe it's several week after coffee date so we also can add some more dates+ wedding) and they are absolutely smitten with each other and want to try to know each other. Tim, Lou and if I'm not mistaken Oliver all said they want romcom and I can't see them break even at the end of the season,but I can see them taken more serious step as calling each other boyfriends. Oliver also said there's gonna be more kisses and Buck initiate some of them, so Buck definitely feels more confident in his relationship and I can see him only trying to make them deeper and more meaningful, but not "clinging" because he's scared to be alone, but because he really likes Tommy

When they didn't want someone for long, Ali for example, they barely gave us anything about the character. We literally just knew that where she works, that she was dying her hair blonde for a lot of time and that's all. About Ana, who stayed for pretty longer, we jts knew her work, that she has sister(right before break up) and that's all. Even Taylor had backstory only in 5s when I guess they tried to make Bucktaylor work.

About Tommy we already know some things from begins episodes and that's btw makes everything easier. Tim said that they chose Tommy because he was already existed in the universe, they don't need to create new person, but they made Tommy deeper. We literally had Tommy in 6 episodes (in one barely) and we already know more about him we know about Tailor who was around for 1,5 seasons. They showed us where he works, said that he was in the army(in begins it never mentioned), made his story we saw in begins deeper with saying "yeah, he was in closet.", told us about his interests like Muay Thai, cars, basketball, we know he's a movie fan like Chim (begins). We know he loves Love,actually and craft beer. They made him Eddie's new friend. Also they let Lou to share his ideas how he sees Tommy (hard unstable childhood) which I'm sure wasn't for nothing. I see them making Tommy the character on the Karen's level at least .The LI of the main character, who is regular with enough backstory to make them interesting and lovable to the audience, but no need to make them main. Also Tommy's job allows him to make appearance any time they want. And his friendship with Eddie, Chim and Hen too. So he doesn't need to be just "Buck's boyfriend". Tommy has way better treatment any gf of Buck or Eddie had and we have him as a LI for only 3 episodes. Imagine what they can do till the end of the season and during next one? Make him loveable LI who is not plot device, but also no need to make him main. And as Tommy not in 118, 911 don't even have to go through standard plot of "oh, we are working together and it's gonna be a lot of drama about it". Too old

[0rah-s]

Is it ok if you do a oliver aiku x black chubby reader friends to lover sorta thing pls🙏

*•° falling for a womanizer?

*•° Poor you...

*•° You're in for a ride.

*•° You both probably where in some shop at the same time and there he saw you for the first time.

*•° He was absolutely smitten.

*•° you were absolutely gorgeous??

*•° In all you form and essence you were perfect.

*•° As you were about to check out your cart, he rushes to you and pays with his contactless before you have the time to process anything.

*•° "?" Was your exact face at that time. But who could blame you - this random (cute) guy rushed half the store to pay for your shopping and was now leaning on the counter with a satisfied smirk.

*•° "May i take this lovey one out?"

*•° Now you posed: this guy payed for your shopping so you could go on a date with him as a thank you, but you didn't ask for him to so he isn't entitled to anything from you.

*•° After 2 second of reflection you came to the conclusion that you'd give him a date *he's cute af why wouldn't you?

*•° You kindly smile at him.

"Sure"

*•° He didn't show it outside but he was overjoyed - the cutest person on earth agreed to go out with him! It's as if he had forgotten that he could have gotten anyone be wanted.

*•° On the date you realised that you had much more in common that expected: you shared similar world views yet had such different perspectives to bring to one another; you liked similar baked goods and restaurants. You both enjoyed the quality conversation so much so that you decided to stay friends.

*•° you quickly lost nicesties and got comfortable with eachother, and got on a first name basis with eachother. He'd lend you his oversised clothing which all coincidentally fit like a glove, and you'd bring him food from your homeland.

*•° You were there for eachother when times mattered and had the healthiest relationship could be.

*•° Until one caught feelings...

*•° He did. And how could he not?

*•° The adoration in his eyes when your skin glowed under the kisses of the sun. The butterfly in his stomach when your lips would form a half crescent when smiling. Just that feeling when you're near him.

*•° But he kept it in, he didn't want to ruin the relationship he had built with you. For the first time he had a genuine friendship with a person he was attracted to, someone so sweet, he couldn't ruin that.

*•° You liked him too, if that wasn't obvious enough.

*•° eons of pining later changes happen...

*•° You start overthinking the relationship, he was sending in so many mixed signal you were beggining to lose yourself. You desided to get it out, regardless of how this will affect your friendship with Oliver, you simply didn't deserve those sleepless night pondering on an answer.

*•° You call him over to your place in a serious tone, you made him anxiously

*•° Then the confession.

*•° ??

*•° His face btw

*•° He couldn't belive you liked him too, its as if the fact that he was a famous, rich and handsome footballer had be ejected out of his mind.

*•° After the happy news, he doesn't waste a second to hold your hand and bring his face close to yours.

*•° Stupid grin plastered on his face.

*•° He laughs in the crook of you neck and hugs your form tight ever so exited at the new stage of your relationship.

*•° You officially got together and wether or not you decided to make it public (taking the risk of beinf desimated by his fans or hated by his ex's) or private, this bundle of flirt will respect his decision.

*•° You're both a great fit for eachother, keep him on earth will you?

[jeannereames]

Hii😄, could you talk about Alexander and hefestion's skills? Whether militarily or diplomatically, I heard that Hephaestion was better at politics, diplomacy and logistics, and that in some ways his and Alexander's skills complemented each other.

I'm always a tad amused when my own research is quoted back to me as a bit of general knowledge. 😂 That's not at all a slam, btw! I'm quite pleased it's escaped out of academia to become part-and-parcel of what people know about Hephaistion. Means I made an impact on rehabbing his career.

But yes, those things are true. I wrote about them first back in 1998, in my dissertation, then published it as part of an academic book chapter in 2010, titled "The Cult of Hephaistion" in Responses to Oliver Stone's Alexander: Film, History, and Cultural Studies, P. Cartledge and F. Greenland, eds. Complete with tables! Follow the link to read it.

I am now, some years later, returning to Hephaistion's career with the current monograph I'm working on. I've altered my opinion about some things (primarily details), and modified my take, but it remains largely the same. I've even convinced a number of my colleagues, so Hephaistion as logistics officer now appears in most summaries about him. Now, if I can just convince them he wasn't either incompetent or the quarrelsome bastard he's often made out to be.

He did have diplomatic assignments too, although he's hardly the only one. Erigyios, Perdikkas, Ptolemy...they were also used for diplomatic purposes. Plutarch (in a long contrast with Krateros) says ATG employed Hephaistion for business with the "barbarians" and Krateros for business with Greeks and Macedonians, because Hephaistion agreed with ATG's "Persianizing" whereas Krateros kept his traditional ways. From Plutarch, that's not necessarily a compliment for Hephaistion. It's also not stated so anywhere else beyond Plutarch. I have some theories I'll be discussing in the book.

IF we can take the disproportionate assignment of logistical/diplomatic assignments as any indicator, it would seem that Hephaistion was more skilled in that realm than in combat command. That isn't to say he was no good at combat command, mind (I've had some read it so, as if "not as good" = "bad" because middle ground apparently isn't permitted).

It also doesn't mean he wasn't a decent fighter. He probably was, as he seems to have been assigned to lead the agema (Royal) unit of the Hypaspists, e.g., the king's personal guard in battle. According to earlier accounts of the origin of this unit, Philip created them to cut across regional divisions, picking the largest men and best fighters. The agema was, if Waldemar Heckel is correct, drawn specifically from the sons of Companions (Hetairoi). That would back up Curtius' description of him as "larger in physique" than Alexander. (That's what the Latin actually says, not simply "taller.") But keep in mind, the best fighters are only occasionally equally good at command. Those are two different skills.

Finally, his choice as Chiliarch may also underscore some of what we've already seen in his assignments. But it's this appointment that leads some scholars to conclude that he rose due to Alexander's favoritism, not actual ability on his part. That, however, seems to me to stem from several (erroneous) assumptions.

IME, competent people surround themselves with other competent people, at least for any length of time. Flatters may be tolerated, but they're not continually advanced. It's dictators who surround themselves with yes-people (and not all of them; they also need competent individuals). Alexander may have been called a "tyrant" by the Greeks, but he wasn't. He was a king. The Greeks/Athenians/Spartans/Others were playing politics. Macedonian kings had to court their courtiers. If Alexander had been manifestly unfair in his appointments, his men would have rebelled against those officers. They rebelled...but not for that reason. They wanted to go home.

For those who regard Alexander (and Philip) as tyrannical, and/or the enemy of (Greek) freedom, and/or megalomaniacs, and lucky rather than competent, then sure. It would follow that ATG would surround himself with asslickers. But if one thinks he was actually good at what he did (which is a different thing from approving of conquest, mind), and a halfway decent politician--then no, it doesn't follow that his top officers were yes-men. Curtius bluntly tells us that Hephaistion was freer than anyone to "upbraid" the king. Doesn't sound like a yes-man to me.

I think Hephaistion was appointed as Chiliarch for two reasons: Alexander trusted him AND he could do the job. Too bad he didn't live long enough for us to see what he might have done with it.