[ANON POST] Somewhat presumptive German address/phrases for a good friend, late 18th century
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I'm looking for ways an 18th-century, German-speaking character (writing in German, though he may borrow phrases from other languages if they seem better suited) would address or describe his relation to a very good (male) friend in a letter.
The character doing the writing is well-educated, well-read, young (late teens/early twenties), and definitely with a Romantic bent, writing to someone he considers a social peer. I'm looking for something rather... effusive about the nature of this friendship. ("Old-fashioned" would be nice as well, but as far as I can tell from reading this L_D post (http://little-details.livejournal.com/2679981.html#comments) and resources like it, this kind of very friendly address in letters was a reaction to Enlightenment mores. The letter-writer is a vampire, and some of his vocabulary dates him somewhat, but he's pretty with-it as far as the intent behind addressing him this way.)
Not necessarily flowery or term of endearment/nickname-like, but something that would read as somewhat premature for a slightly chilly/professional relationship. Overtones of what to the modern reader seems rather romantic are fine -- the two characters are sexually involved on a regular and understandably clandestine basis, but my MC means to emphasize basically that he's his best and possibly only friend, without the actual friendship to back it up. I'm familiar with the concept of romantic friendship, but these characters emphatically don't have one, as much as my MC would like them to. Translations of what particular phrases would mean would be really helpful, as my knowledge of German's pretty rusty and minimal.
(My setting is nearer to the tail end of the 18th century, date and actual setting less than defined due to this being something of a Gothic horror pastiche in parts. My MC comes from basically an expy of Hungary, and is of Austrian background, but he's currently living abroad, actual location TBD.)
Terms Googled: "18th century german[/german language] correspondence"/"18th century german letter writing"/letters, "18th century correspondence", "18th century letter writing", "18th century address + friendship", and got mostly information on Goethe and Schiller writing letters to each other (which would be interesting as hell, research aside, if my German were better!) and romantic friendship.
I've also poked around on all the 18th century tags here (generally and by decade), the German language tag.
I'm looking for ways an 18th-century, German-speaking character (writing in German, though he may borrow phrases from other languages if they seem better suited) would address or describe his relation to a very good (male) friend in a letter.
The character doing the writing is well-educated, well-read, young (late teens/early twenties), and definitely with a Romantic bent, writing to someone he considers a social peer. I'm looking for something rather... effusive about the nature of this friendship. ("Old-fashioned" would be nice as well, but as far as I can tell from reading this L_D post (http://little-details.livejournal.com/2679981.html#comments) and resources like it, this kind of very friendly address in letters was a reaction to Enlightenment mores. The letter-writer is a vampire, and some of his vocabulary dates him somewhat, but he's pretty with-it as far as the intent behind addressing him this way.)
Not necessarily flowery or term of endearment/nickname-like, but something that would read as somewhat premature for a slightly chilly/professional relationship. Overtones of what to the modern reader seems rather romantic are fine -- the two characters are sexually involved on a regular and understandably clandestine basis, but my MC means to emphasize basically that he's his best and possibly only friend, without the actual friendship to back it up. I'm familiar with the concept of romantic friendship, but these characters emphatically don't have one, as much as my MC would like them to. Translations of what particular phrases would mean would be really helpful, as my knowledge of German's pretty rusty and minimal.
(My setting is nearer to the tail end of the 18th century, date and actual setting less than defined due to this being something of a Gothic horror pastiche in parts. My MC comes from basically an expy of Hungary, and is of Austrian background, but he's currently living abroad, actual location TBD.)
Terms Googled: "18th century german[/german language] correspondence"/"18th century german letter writing"/letters, "18th century correspondence", "18th century letter writing", "18th century address + friendship", and got mostly information on Goethe and Schiller writing letters to each other (which would be interesting as hell, research aside, if my German were better!) and romantic friendship.
I've also poked around on all the 18th century tags here (generally and by decade), the German language tag.