[image 1:

a screencap from the episode “enter thomas bowers.” ben and hoss stand in the back of an room during an opera performance held in virginia city, the singer hoss’ new but very close friend. hoss turns to ben to share an impressed smile at the performance; ben smiles in return, but there is an added element to his expression that is almost knowing.

overlaid in the bottom right corner is a tumblr post with a white background and black text. it was written by an individual with the username v-for-fili, and the option to follow has a gray oval around it. it reads “Happy pride month to my dad. When I came out as bi to him, this man googled what it ment, look at me and said “ohh. Yeah. You get that from me. You’d have far more siblings of I only shaged women.” And went right back to his work emails.”]

[image 2:

a screencap from the episode “the courtship.” hoss and joe sit across from each other on twin beds in a hotel room, joe mostly seen from behind. hoss lifts a white shirt off from his face, seconds after joe removed it and tossed it at his head. hoss smiles slightly, close mouthed, and joe laughs and grins.

overlaid in the bottom left corner is a tumblr post with a white background and black text. it was written by an individual with the username cantcontrolthegay, and it reads “the rumors are true: im soft and i just want to be loved.”]

[image 3:

a screencap from the episode “a knight to remember.” adam and an older character who has only identified himself as king arthur- portrayed by actor henry jones- stand in a jail, separated by the bars of a cell. arthur proclaims that he will have adam freed from his unjust incarceration, but adam pulls the cell door closed again and declares that he doesn’t want to escape.

overlaid in the bottom middle is a tumblr post with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username ultradracula, and the option to follow is is blue. it reads “Controversial opinion but i dont think people should go to jail for objectively funny crimes.”]

[image 4:

a screencap from the episode “a good samaritan.” hoss kneels down to the height of bonnie hinton- played by child actress noreen devita- who is only seen from behind. he helps her with her bonnet, lightly strokes her hair, and then smiles at someone offscreen.

overlaid in the bottom right corner is a tumblr post with a white background and black text. it was written by an individual with the username desinteresse, and it reads “They should give me a bachelor in science of being a sweetheart.” desinteresse then reblogs their own post, adding “Afterward I will pursue a master’s degree in being an absolute delight.”]

[image 5:

a screencap from the episode “the deadly ones.” a gravely injured joe leans limply against the barn door, while ben supports him from the other side. ben has an arm wrapped across joe’s chest, his hand over the bandage from his bullet wound, and joe grips his father’s wrist. ben appears horrified and angry, but joe appears dazed and uncomfortable. the screencap comes from the gifset here.

in the top middle are comments on a youtube video, with white text and a black background. user muffie1174 comments “He looks extremely distressed. Like he is afraid he will throw up soon.” user debra harris replies “And gorgeous!”]

[image 6:

a screencap from the episode “the hayburner.” standing outside of a neighbor’s barn, adam and hoss look at joe as he leans back in the seat of a horse drawn buggy. hoss glares at joe and adam places a calming hand on his shoulder, gritting his teeth as he speaks to hide his annoyance. joe smile, smug and content, pleased at his scheme against his brothers, potentially earning thousands of dollars off of them.

overlaid in the bottom left corner is a tweet with a white background and black text. it was written by an individual with the username 5ive_zw and reads “sibling relationships are wierd.i can give you my kidney but im not getting you a glass of water.”]

[image 7:

a screencap from the episode “the magnificent adah.” in the ponderosa dining room, ben stands with the actress and real historical figure adah menken- portrayed by ruth roman- in front of his sons. ben smiles, but adam, joe, and hoss display varying levels of doubt, discomfort, and awkwardness.

overlaid in the middle is a tumblr ask with a white background and black text. it was written by an anonymous user, who asks “please don’t fuck my dad.” overlaid in the bottom left is user throathole’s answer to the ask, which reads “At the end of the day it’s up to him.”]

[image 8:

a screencap from the episode “ponderosa matador.” adam and ben are seen from the waist up, standing side by side in the ponderosa living room. both look down at hoss and joe- offscreen- who’ve fallen while roughhousing and caused a bookcase to collapse. adam crosses his arms and smirks knowingly, aware of how ben will react; ben glares at both younger sons, taking in a deep inhale before he starts to yell them. the screencap comes from the gifset here.

overlaid in the bottom middle is a tumblr post with a black background and white text. it was written by an individual with the username cosmogenous2, and the option to follow is is blue. it reads “i’m full of love but i also have the hater’s curse and once a day i gotta say some bitchy shit or i’ll explode.”]

[image 9:

a screencap from the episode “calamity over the comstock.” seen from the shoulders up, joe responds to ben’s implication that he secretly brought a girl home. he appears hurt at the implication, wearing a slight pout. joe lies, denying knowledge of their guest’s gender. the screencap comes from the gifset here.

overlaid in the bottom left corner is a tumblr post with a white background and black text. it was written by an individual with the username reallyreallyreallytrying, and it reads “sure. blame the guy who’s a huge idiot who causes a lot of problems, again.”]

[image 10:

a screencap from the episode “the wooing of abigail jones.” adam sits on the settee in the ponderosa living room, looking up at joe and hoss who lean over him. adam looks at them doubtfully, brow furrowed; joe gestures emphatically and looks off into the distance, fantasizing about a successful scheme, and hoss looks at him, smiling and nodding in affirmation.