Nathan 4: Competing With Lawson for Title of Most Insufferable

[VBOY9977]

1 hour ago, becky_m2001 said:

I found it on her sister's FB page and it's right there for anyone to find if they know where to look. Is that public enough?

I think so, as long as you didn’t have to send her a follow or friend request to see it I think it’s allowed. 

[becky_m2001]

This is from Esther's sister Leah's FB page. It's from November 2019. It's 100% public so I think I'm OK posting this here. If not, feel free to remove it. I'm still figuring this FJ thing out! ?

[fundiebabez]

First: Thank you Becky for providing this photo! 

Why does someone need to be in-between Nathan & Esther? Are Warden & Lawson acting as his chaperones?  

As far as I remember, promise rings aren’t the norm for the Bates clan. I wonder what this signifies for the couple. Are they on the fast track to engagement/marriage? Are they deciding to take it slow and have a lengthier courtship?

What do y’all think? 

[becky_m2001]

54 minutes ago, fundiebabez said:

First: Thank you Becky for providing this photo! 

Why does someone need to be in-between Nathan & Esther? Are Warden & Lawson acting as his chaperones?  

As far as I remember, promise rings aren’t the norm for the Bates clan. I wonder what this signifies for the couple. Are they on the fast track to engagement/marriage? Are they deciding to take it slow and have a lengthier courtship?

What do y’all think? 

My theory is that they were still getting to know each other. I have no idea how they met, but it's possible that it may have been through Ashley's family. Even though Ashley lives in New York she has family she visits regularly in Lancaster, PA which is in the same neck of the woods as the Keyes family.

The posing of the picture could also have been totally random.

[fundiebabez]

I feel weird looking at stranger’s Facebook pages, but there are also pictures of Leah, Esther’s sister, with Lawson & Katie. Leah is (or was) dating a pilot who trained in MS, which is where Nathan trained too I believe. Also a photo that’s caption says they are going on the “trip of a lifetime ❤️“, where Esther is tagged and the destination is Tennessee. This all happened in Fall 2019, so I assume this was their get-to-know-you time. 

 

[becky_m2001]

This may be a little wordy, so please be patient. ?

We've discussed the fact that there was little to no promotion/media hoopla surrounding Nathan's first relationship with Ashley. I think I know why. If I'm right, according to the air date of the episode when he asked her to court, they had already broken up.

The episode where Nathan asked Ashley to court was the season 3 finale and it aired 4-7-2016. We know that the show is a few months behind and that he asked her to court around Christmas 2015. The following season during the I Love You Day episode they discussed some issues they were having with Gil & Kelly. So that would have been February 2016. Between February of 2016 and the air date of the season 3 finale I'm pretty sure they had broken up already and that is why there was no relationship fanfare.

That being said (and it was wordy, sorry!!) I don't think the same thing is happening with Nathan this time. I think his hesitation actually may have more to do with what happened to Trace/Chaney.

Sorry, guys, that was a lot and I'm not even sure if any of it matters! I probably just confirmed to all of you that I'm as crazy as you thought! ?

[formergothardite]

I just hope it fails this time and every other time until he has shown a drastic change in beliefs. Looking at his smile and knowing he thinks he is about to own a woman makes me so angry. 

Kelly can marry off her daughters fast and young, but her sons tend to be so awful not even fundie maidens want them. The Bates really did raise their boys with a smug sense of entitlement and steeped in the most hateful sort of patriarchy. 

[OyToTheVey]

On 9/11/2020 at 7:48 PM, becky_m2001 said:

This is from Esther's sister Leah's FB page. It's from November 2019. It's 100% public so I think I'm OK posting this here. If not, feel free to remove it. I'm still figuring this FJ thing out! ?

There's so many knees in this picture, NIKE!! 

[just_ordinary]

So.... it is a promise ring on Nathan’s hand. Well, well, well

[IReallyAmHopewell]

51 minutes ago, just_ordinary said:

So.... it is a promise ring on Nathan’s hand. Well, well, well

 I just figured they paid off the local government not to print the news of the marriage! Or that Gil united them in "Holy" marriage without a license! lol Now for Lawson. Maybe he can marry Anna or Mary Maxwell! lol

[lumpentheologie]

7 minutes ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

 I just figured they paid off the local government not to print the news of the marriage! Or that Gil united them in "Holy" marriage without a license! lol Now for Lawson. Maybe he can marry Anna or Mary Maxwell! lol

Omg I had a dream last night that Nathan had married Anna Maxwell but they wanted it to be private so we got a re-enactment video but with actors pretending to be them. It was super weird and showcased the abusive Maxwell upbringing as something really holy and we were all talking about it here on FJ. 

[AussieKrissy]

I thought promise ring was only a “girl” thing. Never heard of a male getting one before 

[Coconut Flan]

29 minutes ago, AussieKrissy said:

I thought promise ring was only a “girl” thing. Never heard of a male getting one before 

If any male is going to get a promise ring, it would one of that trio of Bates boys: Lawson, Nathan, or Trace.

[front hugs > duggs]

Does anyone have any experience with male purity rings in fundieland? Could he have potentially “strayed” (not as in being unfaithful in a relationship, but potentially whilst single crossed his own boundary) and the ring is that re-commitment to courtship standards or something ?

[IReallyAmHopewell]

4 hours ago, lumpentheologie said:

Omg I had a dream last night that Nathan had married Anna Maxwell but they wanted it to be private so we got a re-enactment video but with actors pretending to be them. It was super weird and showcased the abusive Maxwell upbringing as something really holy and we were all talking about it here on FJ. 

I think I've had this dream! Maxhell really gets into your brain, doesn't it? LOL

34 minutes ago, front hugs > duggs said:

Does anyone have any experience with male purity rings in fundieland? Could he have potentially “strayed” (not as in being unfaithful in a relationship, but potentially whilst single crossed his own boundary) and the ring is that re-commitment to courtship standards or something ?

I doubt it. Men usually get "forgiven". "Girls" earn the Scarlet A and an "marriageable" label. I've always thought this was what happened to Jana Duggar. I think she went a bit far and the boy ratted her out while getting his own sin "forgiven." We saw so much of Clark Wilson's family--I figured either a Bates or a Wilson would get Jana, even if possibly, she had been promised to a Holt before that all blew up. Just my 2 cents on her. I do not think she is gay. She can't exactly go anywhere with a guy, now can she? But she finds a friend and everyone wants to think she's gone all worldly!! lol

[becky_m2001]

Bringing up Bates appears to already be prepping for another season. On the official website in the episode list there's a section set aside for Season 10. No episode titles, descriptions, or air dates but I'd be willing to bet there will be a new season sometime in January.

[AussieKrissy]

1 hour ago, becky_m2001 said:

Bringing up Bates appears to already be prepping for another season. On the official website in the episode list there's a section set aside for Season 10. No episode titles, descriptions, or air dates but I'd be willing to bet there will be a new season sometime in January.

Have they already been on up for ten years? Omg. I would have said five? Shit time flies. God that means I have been on here unofficially and officially forever too. Not as long as some, I know.  

[justmy2cents]

1 minute ago, AussieKrissy said:

Have they already been on up for ten years? Omg. I would have said five? Shit time flies. God that means I have been on here unofficially and officially forever too. Not as long as some, I know.  

Definitely has not been 9 years. I think they do 2 seasons a year? Same for Counting On. Used to be 2 seasons a year and now just 1.

[VBOY9977]

BUB started in 2015. This is their season chart from Wikipedia:

Spoiler

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by VBOY9977

[elf1590]

On 8/30/2020 at 9:35 AM, fundiebabez said:

Synopsis for September 10th’s episode has me thinking that Nathan and Esther Keyes really are in a private courtship 

Was she the one set as the background on his phone in the Carlin & Evan flying vlog?

[fundiebabez]

Yes, he had a picture of Esther as his lockscreen!

[becky_m2001]

1 hour ago, elf1590 said:

Was she the one set as the background on his phone in the Carlin & Evan flying vlog?

Do y'all think that showing her picture in that vlog was deliberate or an accident? Did they show it assuming we wouldn't be able to figure out who she was? Or did they (meaning Carlin and/or Evan) do it deliberately as a way to "out" Nathan?

[just_ordinary]

7 hours ago, AussieKrissy said:

I thought promise ring was only a “girl” thing. Never heard of a male getting one before 

I don’t think it is that uncommon. Two people promising each other commitment- why shouldn’t both wear a ring. That is completely different from the promise/purity rings the girls got from their parents. 
But I know many people where both wear an engagement ring (that after the wedding often work as wedding bands). It’s falling out if fashion but it’s actually pretty traditional here. 

I am intrigued as to why they didn’t just start a courtship and got engaged. After all, an engagement serves the same purpose and I think there aren’t any legal rules anymore that you have to marry in a certain time span. They could very well be engaged for years. From my understanding a promise ring is more High School thing, when engagement is actually too serious because the chances of growing apart are too big? That is not the intent behind courtship or engagement in the Fundie World. And even the Bates get to know you but don’t call it dating scheme doesn’t fit a promise ring. 
My only explanation would be, that they actually didn’t start courting as she or he or both want to hold of the fast track to engagement to marriage. So it’s more promise of a courtship thing?

[llucie]

3 hours ago, becky_m2001 said:

Do y'all think that showing her picture in that vlog was deliberate or an accident? Did they show it assuming we wouldn't be able to figure out who she was? Or did they (meaning Carlin and/or Evan) do it deliberately as a way to "out" Nathan?

I think they wanted to hint at it, probably with his agreement, but never thought people would be able to figure who she was based on that tiny picture, expecially since she is an unknown person. 

[becky_m2001]

43 minutes ago, llucie said:

I think they wanted to hint at it, probably with his agreement, but never thought people would be able to figure who she was based on that tiny picture, expecially since she is an unknown person. 

It took less than an hour for everyone to figure out who she was! LOL ?