#and by people i mean Only john irving no one else

[toastytrusty]

hickey wanting nothing more than to be seen and recognized yet going the entire voyage pretending to be someone he wasn't. even the status he tries to procure through the naval command hierarchy and then in his mutiny is still Not His. and in the end when he knows everyone around him is about to die he finally admits to not being who he says he is because he Needs Them To Know. he needs to be seen and recognized in his true self so that he can finally personally claim everything he has done here as his. something about his want vs need being a want to persuade and convince vs a need to be seen and recognized. he creates a fabrication of his identity to better sell himself to the people around him and get them to like admire respect him whatever it is, to make the voyage easier and bolster his ego. but that's so contrary to the whole reason he went on the voyage, which was to prove himself and gain some self respect in a world that he feels has mistreated him. but he didn't even go on the voyage as himself, and abandoned his past self and the mistreatment he faced when he made the decision to pretend to be someone else. he put ease and whatever illusion he held about a career navy man being more respectable than some rando on his first voyage over authenticity and genuine self betterment. he's so terribly self destructive and weak willed and insecure and draws the worst out of himself by being too afraid to ever be true to himself

[darkfire359]

Thoughts on e2-e4 of The Terror

My friend and I finally got around to continuing my watch of The Terror. Some thoughts:

We clicked on the youtube link to e2 and it took us a whole ~5 minutes to realize that it was actually e3. We thought there might be some kind of flashback explanation to why this dead guy and his daughter were suddenly on the ship, but there kept not being one, and then we eventually realized the mistake.

I was sad to see a cat show up because the cat will probably die like everyone else. :( On the other hand, it did mean I actually believed Gibson's excuse to Irving for almost as long as Irving did. But as soon as he mentioned Hickey, I knew that it definitely wasn't pussy that he was interested in down there. ;)

Relatedly, I swear I've heard the phrase "Cornelius Hickey is a devious seducer" before, but I had NO idea it was canon. Amazing.

My friend, upon Irving suggesting that Hickey try watercoloring instead of gay sex: "Is he just ace and he thinks that's what it's like for everyone???"

Also, I'd heard people use rat motifs for Hickey before, and I'd just assumed it was for general vibes reasons, like him being villainous and sneaky maybe. But no, Hickey got a speech given to him about how the difference between men and rats is that rats fuck in the hold all the time and men "aren't supposed to". Wow.

My first reaction upon Gibson being such an asshole during his breakup with Hickey was to feel bad for Hickey and his inevitable turn to villainy. But then Hickey was such a bitch back to him! "I had dinner with the captain, he likes me, who knows what could happen there ;)" and all. Plus he just kept reminding Gibson that he was the one who topped (honestly unexpected).

Anyway I appreciated the bitchiness and how Hickey just takes that "devious seducer" descriptor and tries to roll with it by making eyes at every other guy in the show INCLUDING the megabear. My dude really felt that he needed to include that eye contact description in his report to Francis lmao.

Relatedly I really hope someone has written megabear/Hickey fanfiction. I don't even need to read it, just to know if it exists.

At some point my friend asked what it meant to be "punished like a boy" and I luckily knew the answer due to some OFMD fanfiction that I'd read. Though TBF I could have guessed anyway since "Hickey gets whipped on the ass" might have been literally the first thing I knew about The Terror going into it.

Surprised that Sir John got killed via megabear; I thought that for sure he'd be mutinied on.

It's kinda sweet that Francis went on the entire expedition because of Sophia's request to keep her uncle safe. But my friend and I agree that Sophia/Francis isn't actually a good ship because a. he seems to be way older than her, and b. it seems like she was legitimately turning him down, rather than just doing so due to pressure from her family (as it had looked like earlier).

Very curious to see what the show would look like from the perspective of the Lady of Silence. "Oops, I have a pet monster that shows affection by murdering things for me!" I'd watch the hell out of that!

Some lingering confusion:

How did Goodsir escape the megabear attack that killed Sir John? It seemed like he was with the group in the blind when the megabear struck, and then Sir John was the only one we saw running back. But then Goodsir is just back on the ship as usual in another scene?

Is it assumed that Francis just off-screen sent that group of 8 people south? It seems like Sir John dying mean that he wasn't going to lead it himself, but he seemed adamant about it even if he was willing to wait the one day for Fitzjames? There's a 5-month timeskip after that and they don't bring it up again.

What was Hickey looking for on the ship during the funeral? I'm guessing it was the thing we saw he had stashed in his hammock later? Drugs?

Why did Francis go out looking for the megabear with just a cabin boy? Earlier he was having groups of 6 people go. Seems surprisingly irresponsible for the guy who is usually the voice of reason.

[icepixie]

I don't understand the criteria for making this list, but here are mine, with commentary. 51 total.

And yes, I am one of those people who actually read Ulysses, and in fact I enjoyed it tremendously. That said, I don't recommend reading it outside of a class. I took a Joyce class in grad school that was about three weeks of Dubliners and Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man (one of my soul-defining books; I have written so many essays on it and images from it have made it unconsciously into my fic) and then the rest of the semester on Ulysses. As you might imagine, there are entire books devoted to annotating the novel (we used this one, if I remember correctly)

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkein 4 Harry Potter series 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte 8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman 11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (I mean, let's say 75%? Some of the less interesting histories I haven't bothered with.) 16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien 18 Catcher in the Rye - Salinger (I think you have to read this at exactly the right time in your adolescence, and I did.) 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffeneger (Did not get the hype over this.) 20 Middlemarch – George Eliot (Eliot is the least Victorian Victorian writer you'll find. She started doing a lot of what the much more readable Modernists worked with in force, and her books aren't a slog the way, say, Dickens is.) 22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams 26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh (This is amazing and you should read it if you haven't.) 28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck (Reading this in high school turned me off of Steinbeck, but then I read East of Eden after college and it turned me into a fan.) 29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll 30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame 34 Emma – Jane Austen (The SINGLE enjoyable Austen novel. The only damn one.) 35 Persuasion – Jane Austen (Fuck me but I hated this book in college. HATED IT. Swoon somewhere else, Anne.) 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis (I don't understand why this is here along with the entire Narnia series.) 40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne 41 Animal Farm – George Orwell 42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving (Partial credit--I think I got about halfway through.) 46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery (Everyone else loved it, but I couldn't get into it as a kid. Perhaps I should try again.) 48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood 52 Dune – Frank Herbert (Read this for a sci-fi course in college that counted for biology credit, it was awesome.) 53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons 56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon 57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens 58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon 63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt (One of the very best novels out there. I wish her other books were half as good. I'll read pretty much anything that gets compared to this book.) 67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy (The best of his novels, though as depressing as the rest of them. Again, it's less Victorian and edging toward Modernism, which as far as I'm concerned immediately improves things. I may be slightly biased.) 69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie 72 Dracula – Bram Stoker 73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett 74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson 75 Ulysses – James Joyce (See above) 76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath 79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray 80 Possession – AS Byatt (Another life-defining book. I read it once before grad school and once after, and they were very different experiences, let me tell you.) 87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad 94 Watership Down – Richard Adams 98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

How many have you read?

The BBC estimates that most people will only read 6 books out of the 100 listed below. Reblog this and bold the titles you’ve read.

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 2 Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkein 3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte 4 Harry Potter series 5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 6 The Bible 7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte 8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell 9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman 10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens 11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott 12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy 13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller 14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier 16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien 17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks 18 Catcher in the Rye 19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffeneger 20 Middlemarch – George Eliot 21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell 22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald 23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens 24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy 25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams 26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh 27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky 28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll 30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame 31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy 32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens 33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis 34 Emma – Jane Austen 35 Persuasion – Jane Austen 36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis 37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini 38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres 39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden 40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne 41 Animal Farm – George Orwell 42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown 43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving 45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins 46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery 47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy 48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood 49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding 50 Atonement – Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel 52 Dune – Frank Herbert 53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons 54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen 55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth 56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon 57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens 58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley 59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon 60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez 61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck 62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov 63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt 64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold 65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas 66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac 67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy 68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding 69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie 70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville 71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens 72 Dracula – Bram Stoker 73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett 74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson 75 Ulysses – James Joyce 76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath 77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome 78 Germinal – Emile Zola 79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray 80 Possession – AS Byatt 81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens 82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchel 83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker 84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro 85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert 86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry 87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White 88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom 89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton 91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad 92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery 93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks 94 Watership Down – Richard Adams 95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole 96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute 97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas 98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare 99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl 100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

[boilyerheid]

hi can i request "do you believe in soul mates?" for canon era Irving tozer because its too cute not to choose when it's so close to what solly says in show

"You're a religious man, sir."

It's a statement rather than a question, which puts John slightly on edge. As if he isn't already on edge with how they're sitting close enough for their knees to touch, were he to allow it.

He's been instructing the Sergeant in navigation via the stars for a few months now, after Tozer confessed an interest while John struggled to make conversation with his inferior on watch one night. The man has shown a remarkable aptitude despite being... well, when the matter of his numeracy became apparent John moved their studies inside, allowing the Marine access to his cabin in order to make use of pen and paper. Tozer knows his letters well enough - sloppy and ungraceful as they are - but he consistently remembers and notes down numbers backwards or out of order, jumbling them all out of arrangement when it comes to even the simplest calculation.

John has spent probably too much time helping the Sergeant untangle his numbers, though he has been rewarded with no great blossoming in Tozer's aptitude. But it's not like there's a great deal else to do beyond keeping the ships in order and praying for a thaw, and he'd initially seen it as an act of charity - fulfilling his Christian duty to help those in need by assisting the Sergeant in bettering himself.

And if he has occasionally been afflicted by unnatural thoughts when Tozer sits back in his chair in his fine red coat, thighs spread wide with confidence as he listens to John speak, then he has prayed on it and asked for forgiveness. The Lord is merciful, after all, and would not see fit to test John with more than he could handle.

"That I am." The way Tozer is thoughtfully tapping the base of John's pen against his bottom lip toes the line of too much, though, and John clears his throat and forces himself to sit up a bit straighter, reminding himself of who's in charge here. "Although I fail to see what the Almighty has to do with the North Star."

"No- Just thinking, sir, beg pardon." Tozer's awfully good at that, John's come to realise, giving him just enough deference so he still feels in control while he's being pushed this way or that in a conversation. Not that the Sergeant tries to push him for any purpose, or at least not any apparent one, and John's settled on the idea that the man is probably just lonely and in want of friendly talk. The Marines stand apart from the crew, after all - not quite officers, not quite men. "D'you believe in soulmates?"

What a baffling question. And how shocking it is to hear in Tozer's coarse syllables, tripping off a tongue that John suspects has never spoken a godly word since it first moved. How queer.

"I didn't take you for a romantic, Sergeant." He quirks his head a little, slightly condescending smile playing about his lips where he's faintly amused at the situation. Is Tozer about to tell him about a sweetheart back home, some bonnie lass he's waiting to get back to?

"Did you take me for anything, Lieutenant?" But then he looks John in the eye when he says that, not a scrap of deference in him and eyes awfully dark in the lamplight, and the atmosphere shifts entirely.

John doesn't have a sweetheart back home, after all, due to an over-devotion to his duty to both the Navy and the Lord above. That's what he tells himself. But with the way Tozer looks at him then, the way take me spills from his chapped lips with that deceptive casualness, John feels suddenly as though reminding himself of his duty isn't quite enough anymore.

"I-I suppose not," he stutters slightly, childhood impediment resurfacing despite the years of having his knuckles rapped and having it trained out of him. It's not befitting of an officer to stammer so, but Tozer is awfully close and present, and John feels warmer than he has in months. "What on Earth do you mean?"

"I mean d'you think it's possible for two people to be drawn together by fate - or God, or what have you - for them to be destined to find each other?" Their knees finally knock together then - Tozer has moved, oh Christ, he's come closer - and John's head spins too uncontrollably for him to form a rational thought. He must put a stop to this, but he can't form a word. "Over something as silly as stargazing?"

"We aren't stargazing, Sergeant," John hears the crack in his voice only faintly through the ringing in his ears, and part of him expects to be teased. For Tozer to make a comment about him sounding like a schoolboy and break the tension, let them go back to pretending this has been about self-improvement and numbers and navigation, but the Sergeant's gaze doesn't falter.

His mouth does quirk up at the corner though, and for the first time he can remember actually allowing the words to form in his mind, John thinks Christ, he's handsome.

"We aren't. Funny that, in't it?" Then Tozer closes the gap between them, crushing his mouth to John's like he needs the touch more than air or water, and John's praying mind goes blessedly silent.

[edward-little]

If dnd miraculously existed in the 19th century which characters from the terror do you think would genuinely enjoy playing it? I think Fitzjames would enjoy it because it would let him self aggrandize, I also think Gore, Hodgson, and Goodsir would enjoy playing. Sir John and Irving would probably consider it blasphemous, Crozier would be to depressed to play I don't think little would have to much fun either, he'd overthink every possible action and it'd make him nervous.

eyyyy!!!!

hard agree on the fitzjames front-- he'd love playing characters, but i think he would have a good mix of obvious self-inserts made to gain approval by proxy and like, funny characters that he can play totally seriously but everyone else at the table cannot possibly keep a straight face with. high CHA characters across the board, though. lots of bards and sorcerers (my build for a fitzjames character is a variant human wild magic sorcerer with the lucky feat btw.)

fitz + gore + goodsir would be the dream party tbh. i get the feeling hodge would be a fun DM.

little would be too nervous to roleplay and would freeze up a lot but i think he'd be alright at combat if he picked a full martial character. fortunately i think he'd try to make a character with simple mechanics-- champion fighter is my guess. low CHA, decent WIS and INT, and then put more points into the physical stats. he'd be too nervous to enjoy the game but he'd want to be 1) included and 2) useful.

here's the thing: crozier would be too depressed to play. however. i think if a group mentioned needing a DM he'd be like "oh good luck finding one" and then let slip that he'd played a couple of campaigns back in the 80s (i know you said 19th century and i'm sorry i physically can't stop crozier from being a Dad) and it turns out "a couple of campaigns" means he was DM'ing on the regular and had a campaign that lasted five years AND that sir john had been in it for about three sessions before his character chomped it. his old group was him, sir john (for three sessions, playing a paladin), blanky, mcdonald, and jcr.

blanky definitely plays. he's played every class there is in every edition he's played, which is all of them except 4e. when he's approached to join a game he's already like a decade into a pathfinder campaign. he tends towards characters who are high WIS + one high physical stat-- rangers, monks, fighters, rogues, etc. he's the player who's always making the DM go "well i fucking guess you can."

mcdonald is usually up for a game, but due to his schedule he shows up every few sessions to play a character who sort of exists parallel to the party and intersects intermittently with them rather than a regular party member. he plays healers, because like yeah ofc. his longest-running character was a life cleric, and he likes to keep his character concepts simple and give them their depth and personality through roleplay.

dundy plays one of those backstory icebergs-- you know, like they're only ever a horny bard and sometimes they casually mention like "oh does this remind me of the sight of my destroyed village" and the players are like PARDON and he's like "anyway i'd like to roll performance to wink saucily." he could take or leave the mechanical aspects but lives for social encounters. hit him up if you've got a court intrigue campaign.

bridgens is another one of those used-to-play-back-in-the-80s types who's easily roped into a campaign (probably by peglar, maybe by goodsir though if he mentions they need another person at the table?) since he hasn't played in a hot minute and he's learning a new edition as he plays, he's a bit shaky on the rules (he's still on THACO, bless the guy) but he also pulls the most gamebreaking shit with no warning. he plays high INT characters and prefers spellcasting over hack-and-slash so he plays a lot of wizards, but my build for him is a lore bard.

collins is also new to the game, but joins because he's always up for communal fun-having. like little, he starts out with simpler martial characters, and opts for high STR builds because he likes to have the option to pick things (and people) up. he's the kind who likes grappling the level 20 necromancer so they can't cast spells with somatic components. as time goes on and he becomes more confident in his understanding of the game, he starts getting creative with multiclassing. he gets like 14 levels deep into his banneret fighter before multiclassing into shepherd druid. (my build for him is also a pretty neat multiclass if i do say so myself-- berserker barbarian/great old one warlock.)

i know we both mentioned hodge earlier, and i have a whole separate post about his character, but i think he'd enjoy the roleplay parts of dnd-- like dundy, call him if you're running waterdeep dragon heist or something-- but he'd freeze up during combat. it would be marginally better if he's playing a bard, because they know rather than prepare their spells and it saves him from having to read the entire class spell list at each long rest. he gets real creative with his bardic inspiration though, and enjoys picking songs to sing/play based on the character receiving the inspiration.

[thedreadvampy]

I have an Irving Theory (S1 only I'm not gonna check it against S2 so far bc I'm theorising with Sam who won't watch S2 till it's finished)

ok so things we know about Outie Irving

on some level he knows about the Testing Floor, which none of the Innies seem to

he is specifically interested in finding severed Lumen employees and seems to be looking for specific people (eg "who else is 58" on his notes)

the man has Lumen-related secrets and whatever secrets he has bleed through to both his innie and outie selves

he's a leather jacket wearing metalhead artist weirdo whereas the Innie Irv we originally met is a stickler for the rules and kind of a narc

Couple things we know about the Severed Floor

The ODR/MDR Rebellion myth

They REALLY don't want different teams to meet, but this hasn't always been the case

The Testing Floor could conceivably be another layer of severance (Ms Casey is severed when going to and from the Testing Floor)

Irving is a long-serving Severed employee

So my current theory is that when he first came to Lumen, Irv was a lot more like his outie. He's a passionate and idealistic person and I think that Irving was involved in unionising the Severed Floor.

I think that in response to that, Lumen took him to the Testing Floor and resevered him - I think that Irving has worked at Lumen longer than Irv remembers because I think Irv is a newer innie. But I also think that this experience involves a type of trauma or temporary reintegration which has left outie Irving with persistent memories of the corridor to the Testing Floor, and while he isn't reintegrated that abstracted memory also bleeds through to his innie.

this is My Theory, Which Is Mine, and is probably a lot of crap

but for a bonus theory I don't think that the work MDR do matters or means anything except that it serves to test the limits of the implants (can we make people have disjointed emotional reactions to benign stimuli). and that's because severance is the point of lumen, so that Keir Eagan can live on in other bodies. after all there's some of Keir in all of us. and a lot of Keir in the current CEO obvs. 'everyone should have one' and everyone will be an Eagan.

(these are unconnected theories btw I don't think Irving thinks this is about Keir Eagan playing out his Being John Malkovich brainhopping fantasy)

just finished watching Severance S1 for the third time but this time WITH someone and this changes things. literally leaping around the kitchen now theorising. pepe silvia moments.

[annecoulmanross]

A Neko Case Song for (not quite) Every Character from The Terror

In the long tradition of “songs for nearly every character from the terror” that began with Vanishing Act by the brilliant @saintssebastian​ and continued with my Ballroom Thieves insanity, today I give you – Neko Case songs, feat. spectacular selections for Crozier, Silna, and Hickey by the lovely @paramaline​ who also generously encouraged my song choices and decisions to include the women “at the edges” of the terror-story, including those like Esther Blanky, whom I’ve come to know through @thomasblanky and Sarah Hartnell, whom I’ve met through @radiojamming as well as my own beloved Louisa Capper Coningham (Fitz’s Aunt Louisa) and Lady Ann(e) Ross. 

Franklin – Polar Nettles

The force field round her frosty hips Whose shape recalls the wicked spade That buried him

Crozier – Middle Cyclone

Can’t scrape together quite enough To ride the bus to the outskirts Of the fact that I need love

Fitzjames – Winnie

I'm here to tell you a story, I'm here to tell you a lie My poetry's weak and I know it I was drop dead sad and crazy sometimes So I fucked off, wayward cannon to the sea

Blanky – Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth

I'll admit I was unfaithful From now I'll be more faithful Never turn your back on mother earth

Esther Blanky – A Widow’s Toast

Specters move like pilot flames Their widows toast at St. Angel Better times collide with now

Bridgens – I Missed the Point

And I'm sorry, I'm so sorry That I missed the point of this pageantry But I'm grateful that you love me

Peglar – Stinging Velvet

Sing please, rock me to sleep Quiet as a canyon Up under heaven's eaves

Silna – Hell-On

But you'll not be my master, you’re barely my guest You don't have permission to take any pictures Be careful of the natural world

Goodsir – Magpie to the Morning

I'm on a top secret mission A Cousteau expedition To find a diamond at the bottom of the drain

David Young – Maybe Sparrow

Maybe sparrow, you should wait You'll never pass beyond the gate If you don't hear my warning

Gibson – Dirty Knife

And the blood runs crazy with giant strides And the woodsman failed to breech those fangs in time So they dragged him through the underbrush Wearing three winter coats and a dirty knife

Hickey – People Got a Lotta Nerve

But I'm a man man man man man man man eater But still you're surprised when I eat ya

Jopson – The Next Time You Say “Forever”

The next time you say "forever," I will punch you in your face Just because you don't believe it doesn't mean I didn't mean it You never know when I’ll show you the never

Little – I Wish I Was the Moon

How will you know if you found me at last? 'Cause I'll be the one, be the one, be the one With my heart in my lap – I'm so tired, I'm so tired

Hodgson – Ragtime

The sound that lures me, it says, "Don't you hurry Don't you worry, kid, we'll be seeing you We'll see you when you're ready."

Irving – Afraid

Confuse your hunger Capture the fake Banish the faceless Reward your grace

Gore – Hold On, Hold On

That echo chorus lied to me with its "Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on"

Le Vesconte – Guided By Wire

In life you learn from someone else That you can only trust yourself And sometimes that is still too much to want

Fairholme – Don’t Forget Me

In the wintertime keep your feet warm But keep your clothes on and don't forget me Keep your memories

T. Hartnell – I’m An Animal

And yes, there are things that I'm still so afraid of But my courage is roaring like the sound of the sun 'Cause it's vain about its mane and will reveal them to no one

J. Hartnell – Lion’s Jaws

Now they meddling sky and my snowy eye Sees a different night The night I fell into the lion's jaws

Sarah Hartnell (née Friar), mother of John and Thomas – Halls of Sarah

A childless widow of a nation You cry like guns across the water Yet we expect you to bring springtime, it isn't fair Searchlights wither in your hair

Sgt. Tozer – At Last

I can say that I've lived here in honor and danger But I'm just an animal and cannot explain a life Down this chain of days, I wished to stay among my people Relation now means nothing, having chosen so defined

Des Voeux – Deep Red Bells

Where does this mean world cast its cold eye? Who's left to suffer long about you? Does your soul cast about like an old paper bag Past empty lots and early graves?

Dr. MacDonald – Twist the Knife

Tenderly, tenderly, please take my breath from me Into the fountain and up from the graves Tearfully, joyfully, burn what is left of me

Dr. Stanley – Gumball Blue

But you come back for me Sometimes only for your own peace of mind Sometimes where there's smoke There's just a smoke machine, honey

Collins – Bad Luck

Are you tired of things going right? Things going wrong? Tired of trying to make everyone happy?

Orren – My Uncle’s Navy

In the tarpit sea memories wear thick coats The kind that pull you down But in refusing to drown You're choked into the shape of a sailor

Morfin – City Swans

I try to slip the marching clock But centipedes invade my thoughts Without free will, I heel and I go

J.C. Ross – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

Will I ever see you again? Will there be no one above me to put my faith in? I flooded my sleeves as I drove home again

Ann(e) Ross – Oracle of the Maritimes

I planned a dream inside a dream with your uncle I asked him how to tell you how much I could love you ‘Cause I’ve never been so sure of anything

Fitzjames’s Aunt Louisa – Last Lion of Albion

Last lion of Albion Last tiger of Tasmania The last she-wolf to suckle Rome

Lady Franklin – Calling Cards

Singing, "We'll all be together Even when we're not together With our arms around each other With our faith still in each other"

S. Cracroft – Where Did I Leave That Fire

A chill ran through me and I grabbed on tight That was when I left my body for good And I shook off all the strength I'd earned

[laissezferre]

some irving things i learned from his memoir:

liked reading and rereading euclid

won the infamous maths medal when he was 15yo

read the ships’ library many times over. once forced a book on a middie as a way of making friends. it did not work.

was middies with william malcolm and george kingston, whom he kept correspondence with for years even after they left the navy

ridiculously tender w/ his friends. “i can fancy you laughing at this. however, you know that, with you, i speak just what i think, and i have no one else in the world whom i can do that to but yourself.”

also: “it is tantalising to think that you are just on the other side of these blue hills, but i can’t get at you.”

also: “you are my earliest friend. i never knew the meaning of the word until i met you... there is little in this world would give me so much real hearty pleasure as giving you a squeeze of the hand.”

was always lonely and thought he had no true friend. maybe this is why he and crozier got along??? “i have not one friend in the ship (not the terror yet), although i am on tolerably good terms with them all” vs. crozier’s “i am sadly lonely. not a soul have i in either ship i could go and talk to. no congenial spirit as it were.” someone pls give these sailors a hug

was religious, really religious. he mused on his future life as a settler in australia: “i should have my own house, however small, and i should be more out of temptation to sin, and be able to lead a life fitted better to my improvement as a christian, than on board ship” which is where i think the terror writers got “we are separated here from the temptations of the world... your crisis is an opportunity for you to repair yourself. you are in the world’s best place for it.”

shookt by all the swearing and obscene talk in ships and their irreverent way of practicing religion

was moved by a chorus of ship passengers warbling to church songs

irving: i’ve got to make my own living, my dad’s almost fourscore yrs old narrator: his dad was only 63.

gossiped abt his captain marrying a girl who was young enough to be his daughter

visited his captain’s sick wife while he was on shore leave bc the captain couldn’t go himself

was in malta during the coronation of king otto of greece. do u know who else was present in the coronation and was waiting on otto himself? j f j

saved 1-2 people when his boat was overturned by a gale.

climbed mount etna and got a permanent injury in his upper lip due to frostbite. his upper lip protruded and this significantly changed his appearance.

had 2hr smoking sessions almost every evening. he was bored as hell.

forever moaned about promotion prospects. i guess this was a pretty common thing back then.

was a mate for approx. 5yrs, then bc he didn’t think he would ever be promoted, fucked off to south australia to be a sheep farmer for 4yrs, then went back to the navy by 1843, got promoted to lieutenant along the way

irving: australia is so beautiful! what a simple life i lead, im so happy irving, 4yrs later: the sheeps have gone dirt cheap, this place is terrible and i wish to forget all memory of it

couldn’t negotiate sheep prices to save his life

since he essentially went off-grid for 4yrs, he had no fricking clue what had been happening at scotland and ireland when he returned, i.e. the beginning of the famine and tenants being booted out of the highlands to accommodate sheep, so he abstained from developing political opinions on it.

thought the irish friendly and accommodating, if primitive

joined hms excellent to take gunnery courses, as did many of the officers in the franklin expedition

wrote to his patron sir george clerk that he wanted to join the next arctic expedition, who wrote to sir george cockburn, who i guess made it happen

got appointed to hms terror as 3rd lieutenant on march 1845

was put in charge of monitoring the chronometers in the ship. this is kind of a big deal. in erebus, that was gore’s job, probably bc he had previous arctic experience. so irving was doing smth a first lieutenant was supposed to.

was a “talented draftsman” and was able to send home one drawing of the erebus and terror being restocked by their supply ship

had “an iron constitution”, had “a greater appearance of manly strength and calm decision” hmmmm, it’s that farmer john vibe going for him

“conducted himself with diligence, attention, and sobriety, and was always obedient”

when his (supposed) bones were re-interred in scotland in 1881, his longtime friend malcolm attended the service.

[amisssunbeam]

My Top Ten Favorites

@rhavewellyarnbag tagged me to list my ten favorite characters, so, Harvey, here I go!

Terror: Evabidy. All of them. I want to help them all with their homework and make them aprons when we get in the kitchen to make tahini. For instance, I love the molten sex imp Hickey, the big-assed angel Irving, the ox-eyed giant dimwit Sir John, the hey-bud-my-voice-is-a-clavier Hodgson, our divine environmental guardian Crozier with the cookie head, alls alls of them, but it is true that I love James Fuzzjames the moistest, with his transparent desires and the way he turns to Frankie who finds him in his Juliet dress and says, “but, Fuzz, I never . . . “, “Oh, don’t stop, Frankiest, don’t stop . . . “ etc.

Star Trek: TNG: “Jean-Luc Picard/Hit Me Hard/Left Me Scarred” Surely by now even the embryos understand the appeal of that guy. Remember the “Yesterday’s Enterprise” ep where they go through a temporal rift where they're twenty years in the past and the Klingons are mopping the floor with the Federation and it's kind of an AU and everybody's nerves are on edge, and it's really sexy, and Jean-Luc has to snarl at Riker for being such a big freelance pussy, and barkeep Guinan is acting battle strategist! But the greatest moment is one which repudiates all the ST: TOS crabapples who say that Jean-Luc is a social worker and a big femme and a girlycow that goes moomoo. At an analogous climactic moment when Shatner just kind of weaves around whining, "Those Klingon bastards killed my son", My Man leaps off the bridge like Nijinsky, says to the Klingons who want him to surrender, "That will be the day, cocksuckers!" and proceeds to machine-gun his way back to "real" time. Breath breathe breathe.

Star Trek: DS9: Miles O’Brien. I love him. I love his singing, his fooling around with Julian, his costumes on the holodeck. And I love how he always rolls his sleeves up, forever reminding me of my favorite painting, Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid.” (Even his Playmate Action Figure – which I ran out and bought at Toy’R’Us on the night of January 4,1993, yes, even his Playmate Action has ROLLED-UP-SLEEVES!)

Okay, on the wayback machine - Wild Wild West: Ross Martin (the pure embodiment of jolie-laide) as Artemus Gordon. This late Sixties series was only the slashiest thing ever on network television. Jim West and Artemus Gordon lived on a railway train made for two where they solved crimes as secret service men. Insanely provocative double-entendres every three minutes, like clockwork. And it was s/m-est as hell, too! I mean, I know there was that stupid movie with the three actors I hate the most in the world!!!!, but I think the real Wild Wild West deserves a second chance with characters truer to the originals.

More wayback machine to the early Sixties: Bonanza: Adam Cartwright! You know, you enfants terrible of today who studied history under Billy Joel probably think oh, the Sixties, they began in blabla when blablablabla, but it was Adam Cartwright, dressed all in black, who up and left his horrible prosperous oppressive corporation family and all their money to go out and start the Sixties. He was the first mainstream alienated rebel beamed into American homes weekly.

Schitt’s Creek: David, what else can you expect of me?

U-Deux: L’edge. In the drag photos of 1992, he has such a purty mouth.

Rome: James Purefoy. Lotta hotties in Rome, but James Purefoy just embodied IT. Loved him in his Maybelline eyeshade.

Mammals: ring tailed lemurs. Must you ask why?

And my favorite Tumbleristo: surprise! Rhavewellyarnbag! I will worship him mostly in private; however, what you read when you are on solid ground, Rhavewellyarnbag is what you read when you’re a mer-person, no breathing, eyes stinging, gotta finish reading before you are absorbed by the blood-flavored sea. Inexplicably beautiful.

I don’t think I know ten people, but I would like to tag, if they’d like to do this, and reveal their ten favorite characters: @lenetaylor, @wildcard47, @divorcedmilfaddict, @ciegi, @teacat12, @claudiahantschel, @thefearedfish, @clovepinks, and @shark-from-the-park

[maedhrus]

#and malcolm is like 'but also we have to wait until marriage to have sex it is only proper' and they do some sort of little ceremony#idk man i can see a world where irving accepts his gayness through some religious logic that makes sense to him but is kinda crazy to#everyone else#so he can still feel morally superior to other gay people and also it's religiously justified

they have The Most intricate rituals that allow them to fuck. "i mean yes i'm disappointed that other men fucking made you hard BUT it's ok because they were just tempting you to sin, not realising that OUR love is pure and Good because you wouldn't actually touch anyone but me, right? and you knew not to because it's ok if we have sex with each other and no one else because it Does explicitly say that sex can only be enjoyed between two people who have been married before god. yeah i'm pretty sure that's the only thing it says. and you're basically my wife anyway. so it's not even that gay. now pleassseee can i fuck you." meanwhile john's just completely smitten and still riding the high of surviving the Hell Expedition, completely enabling malcolm's cognitive dissonance like "yes because they don't even KNOW god, and actually hickey was just really mean and gross so Obviously god would have hated him having sex and he's NOT allowed to have fun. but it's ok because we're devout and we'll be proper about it and, really, if we're God's Elect then he's already planned this for us. there are no flaws in this logic. as long as we're married when we fuck because then god's giving us permission explicitly."

i'm 99.9999% sure jirv and malcolm never fucked but if they had it would have been a timeline shifting event. the ripple effects would have been felt to this day. it is known

[violetsystems]

Silvio Gesell hated money. A German entrepreneur who moved to Argentina for business in the late 19th century, he witnessed a massive financial crash in 1890 that convinced him that money was behind the world's economic problems: poverty, inequality, unemployment, stagnation.

The problem, Gesell believed, was that money served two roles that often came into conflict: It was a way for people to store wealth, and it was the thing everybody needed to conduct business. The fact that money could store wealth meant its holders had a reason to cling to it, especially in crises like the one he saw in Argentina, when opportunities to safely put that money elsewhere looked grim. It was a typical story. When people got scared, they hoarded cash and brought business to a standstill. It led, Gesell said, to a situation of "poverty amid plenty."

Gesell wanted to create a new kind of money — a money that would "rot like potatoes" and "rust like iron" so no one would want to hoard it, a money that was "an instrument of exchange and nothing else." And the crazy part is that he did create it. Through a series of pamphlets, articles and books, Gesell inspired a worldwide movement that introduced a completely new form of money. It's one of the most fascinating, and largely forgotten, stories in economic history.

But after 70 years of obscurity, Gesell is making a comeback. All of a sudden, this obscure radical from another age has his name and ideas popping up in unlikely places — like speeches of leaders at the U.S. Federal Reserve, research papers of the International Monetary Fund and the pages of the Financial Times. As the industrialized world grapples with stagnation and as markets signal another recession, policymakers are struggling to figure out what to do. Could Gesell provide an answer?

Money with an expiration date

Gesell was born in 1862 to a German father and a French mother, and he was raised in what is now Belgium. Back then, it was part of the expanding Prussian empire. At 24, he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he worked as an importer and manufacturer and did well for himself. On the side, he taught himself economics.

In 1891, hoping to end the depression in Argentina, Gesell published his first work, "Currency Reform as a Bridge to the Social State." He proposed a new kind of paper money that would have an expiration date. To avoid expiration, the bills would have to be periodically stamped for a fee. With no new stamp, they would become worthless. In this system, saving money would cost you money. Savings, in other words, would have a negative interest rate. Only by spending or investing it would you be able to avoid stamp fees.

Gesell called it "free money" (or Freigold) — "free" because he believed it would be freed from hoarding and also because it would encourage bankers to lend money without charging interest. The logic was this: If you're holding on to something that's dropping in value, you'll happily part with it — even if it means that it won't make you more money than you started with. It's like a game of hot potatoes. You want to pass it on. Gesell believed this would keep money whizzing through the system, preventing future depressions and increasing public prosperity.

It was a completely radical idea, especially during a time when nations were on the gold standard. That system latched money to the stable value of gold, which meant currency was a pretty safe place to store wealth. Gesell was saying he didn't want money to be like gold. He wanted it to be like most other objects, which decay and rust and go bad. Of course, many people hated this idea, especially people with a lot of money.

In 1899, Gesell began moving back and forth between Europe and Argentina, spreading the gospel of free money and writing extensively on other matters as well. He had a bunch of eccentric views, criticizing monogamous relationships and advocating free love. He lived in a vegetarian commune near Berlin for a time. He was a bohemian utopian who advocated for peace between nations. He was critical of big business and finance, but he believed in individual freedom and market competition. And he was a committed anti-racist. As fascism rose in Germany, Gesell would call the scapegoating of Jews for the nation's problems "a colossal injustice."

Wikimedia Commons

After World War I, Gesell watched Europe descend into political and economic chaos. In 1919, anarchist revolutionaries in Munich, Germany, took the helm of the short-lived Bavarian Republic, and they persuaded Gesell to become their finance minister. Led by pacifist poets and playwrights, it has been called "one of the strangest governments in the history of any country." Gesell began pursuing a program that included land reform, a basic income for women with children and, of course, stamped money. But the job lasted less than a week — ending after another group of revolutionaries, this time led by hard-line communists, overthrew the anarchist poets and playwrights. A year later, after the German government reasserted control, Gesell was tried for treason. But, successfully arguing that his only role and purpose was to rescue the Bavarian economy, he was acquitted after a one-day trial and went back to writing.

Free money becomes real money

For decades, money that expired unless stamped was mostly a theory. It took the Great Depression to make it a reality. As the economy went into a free-fall, people scrambled to find solutions. And in towns scattered throughout Europe and the United States, they found their solution in Gesell. The money reformer, who died in 1930 of pneumonia, would not live to see it.

In 1932, in the small town of Wörgl, Austria, a town leader, Michael Unterguggenberger, got Wörgl to issue stamped money as a way to combat skyrocketing unemployment and business closures. The town used it to pay the unemployed to do public works, and by all contemporary accounts, the system worked to lift the town out of misery.

The press dubbed it the "miracle of Wörgl," and it was one in a series of local experiments with stamped money. These experiments inspired many other struggling cities, like Hawarden, Iowa, and Anaheim, Calif., to do the same. It was around then that Gesell's work was finally published in English. With classical economics discredited by the prolonged depression and with leading economists scrambling to figure out what to do, many were inspired by Gesell. Among them were Irving Fisher and John Maynard Keynes, two of the most influential economists of the 20th century.

In 1933, Fisher wrote a short book inspired by Gesell's ideas called Stamp Scrip. Fisher was an economist at Yale University, and he's now somewhat unfairly remembered for making overly optimistic predictions before the crash of 1929. He lobbied Congress to institute stamped money to provide relief to a distressed America. U.S. senators introduced a bill (S. 5125) that would have issued a billion dollars of stamped money to be distributed nationally. But it did not end up becoming law. Perhaps that's because that year was already seeing huge changes, with newly elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt implementing the New Deal and taking the U.S. off the gold standard.

Keynes, in 1936, dedicated five pages to Gesell in a concluding chapter of his magnum opus, The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money. While critiquing some of Gesell's overall theory, Keynes concluded, "The idea behind stamped money is sound."

Why do we care about this now?

After World War II, the industrialized world entered a remarkable period of economic growth. And central banks, now off a rigid gold standard, played a greater role in managing money to ease the ups and downs of the market. Negative-interest money lost its allure, and Gesell was mostly forgotten.

But the world's central banks are now thinking about how to keep money moving again. When the economy enters a downturn, they usually cut interest rates to encourage spending. But interest rates are already close to zero, which could be a huge problem in another recession. For a long time, economists believed rates couldn't go negative for a simple reason: If saving in places like a bank costs people money, they will instead just hoard cash, which won't cost them money. Cash becomes a roadblock to economic stimulus. One way around this is higher inflation, which devalues or "taxes" money in real terms, but central banks like the Fed have been showing that they have much less power to increase inflation than previously thought.

Central banks in Europe and Japan have been experimenting with teeny-tiny negative interest rates as a way to stimulate the economy, but the issue still remains that people will start hoarding cash if rates go significantly negative. It's why serious economic thinkers consider Gesell relevant again.

In our technological age, a Gesellian system of unhoardable cash wouldn't actually have to involve stamping paper bills for a fee. It could involve high-tech physical cash, such as magnetic strips that allow the government to impose a "Gesell tax" on holding cash, as one economist proposed some years ago. Harvard University's Kenneth Rogoff has been advocating we get rid of paper money altogether and move almost completely to a system of electronic cash. He believes it could give central banks the power to impose negative interest rates deep enough to rescue our economy from future recessions. In all of this, Gesell was a pioneer.

Silvio Gesell has been called everything from a "libertarian socialist" to an "anarchist" to a "free spirit" to a "crank." John Maynard Keynes had a much more affectionate term for him: a "strange, unduly neglected prophet."

[myquoteshub123stuff]

50 + Most Inspiring Christmas Quotes By Famous Authors | MyQuotesHub

MyQuotesHub - is the best web platform if you are looking for the amazing and unique collection of quotes. It has an amazing collection of most encouraging Life Quotes, Love Quotes, motivational quotes, and even telugu quotes. 

Everyone loves good quotes and sharing quotes on special occasions like birthdays, festivals, etc. with our loved ones makes them feel even more special. And as now Christmas and New Year's Eve is coming up, you really got a good opportunity to convey your wishes in the best way i.e. with the best and sweet Christmas Quotes.  

Christmas is the most amazing Eve of the year, so we're here to help you to celebrate this with your loved ones. We've designed the best list of the most amazing Merry Christmas Quotes ever which will double your celebrations by sharing them with friends and family members. These quotes will your mind and heart with joy and remind you of the reason for the season. All these Christmas Eve's quotes are from the most famous persons. You can write these quotes on the tag while wrapping gifts for the ones you care. This will add an extra flavor and make them feel even more special.

Here are the best quotes on Christmas Eve listed below:

"Christmas isn't a season. It's a feeling." —Edna Ferber

"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" – Bob Hope

"May you never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve."

"I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph." – Shirley Temple

"Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind." – Mary Ellen Chase

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." – Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

"Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas." – Calvin Coolidge

"Unless we make Christmas an occasion to share our blessings, all the snow in Alaska won't make it 'white'." – Bing Crosby

"No man is a failure who has friends." — It's a Wonderful Life

"Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality." — Washington Irving

"God bless us, every one!" — A Christmas Carol

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime." – Laura Ingalls Wilder

"Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” – Charles M. Schulz

"I don't think Christmas is necessarily about things. It's about being good to one another." — Carrie Fisher

“Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day.” – Helen Steiner Rice

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." – Roy L. Smith

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." – Hamilton Wright Mabie

"Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings." – Zuzu Bailey, "It's A Wonderful Life"

"Every gift which is given, even though it be small, is in reality great, if it is given with affection." – Pindar

“Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.” – Margaret Thatcher

"Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered." – Phyllis Diller

“Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.” — Dr. Seuss

"I heard the bells on Christmas Day / Their old familiar carols play / And wild and sweet, the words repeat / Of peace on earth, good-will to men." – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

“One can never have enough socks,” said Dumbledore. “Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.” – Harry Potter

“A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.” – Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home

“Just remember, the true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart.” — The Polar Express

“I don’t want Christmas season to end, because it’s the only time I can legitimately indulge in on particular addiction: glitter.” – Eloisa James, Paris in Love

"At Christmas, all roads lead home." – Marjorie Holmes

"I wish we could put up some of the Christmas spirit in jars and open a jar of it every month." – Harlan Miller

“There's nothing cozier than a Christmas tree all lit up.” ― Jenny Han

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don't clean it up too quickly." – Andy Rooney

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other." — Burton Hills

"Christmas is most truly Christmas when we celebrate it by giving the light of love to those who need it most." - Ruth Carter Stapleton

"A good conscience is a continual Christmas." – Benjamin Franklin

"Christmas, my child, is love in action." – Dale Evans

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." – Will Ferrell, Elf

"Mankind is a great, an immense family... This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas." ― Pope John XXIII

"Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!" – Theodor Seuss Geisel, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

"Love the giver more than the gift." – Brigham Young

"Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand." – Dr. Suess

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." – Norman Vincent Peale

"Christmas is a season not only of rejoicing but of reflection." – Winston Churchill

"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future." – Agnes M. Pahro

"Gifts of time and love are surely the basic ingredients of a truly merry Christmas." ―Peg Bracken

"Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts in your mouth sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever." – Richelle E. Goodrich

"Christmas is a necessity. There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves." ― Eric Sevareid

"Christmas is a tonic for our souls. It moves us to think of others rather than of ourselves. It directs our thoughts to giving." ― B.C. Forbes

"Christmas is the day that holds all time together." — Alexander Smith

"Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance — each beautiful, unique, and gone too soon." – Deborah Whipp

"Christmas now surrounds us, Happiness is everywhere. Our hands are busy with many tasks as carols fill the air." – Shirley Sallay

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." – W.T. Ellis

"Christmas is forever, not for just one day. For loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away." – Norman Wesley Brooks

"The world has grown weary through the years, but at Christmas, it is young." – Phillips Brooks

"I believe… I believe… It’s silly, but I believe." – Susan, Miracle on 34th Street

"That’s what Christmas memories are made from, they’re not planned, they’re not scheduled, nobody puts them in their blackberry, they just happen." – Deck the Halls (2006)

"Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance—a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved." – Augusta E. Randel

"Freshly cut Christmas trees smelling of stars and snow and pine resin—inhale deeply and fill your soul with wintry night." - John J. Geddes

[thewordcollector2]

71+ Unforgettably Priceless Friendship Quotes, Proverbs, and Messages in Different Languages

Bismillaahir-Rahmaanir-Raheem بسم الله الرّحمن الرّحيم… In the name of Allah (God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Assalaamu 'alaikum السّلام عليكم… Peace be with you

Hi, Readers :). When you think about the word "friend", what comes to mind? I bet you think of someone who is near to your heart. But how does someone achieve that status of being dear to you? This is usually accomplished with an acquaintance who remains unswervingly* devoted, sincere, loyal, and trustworthy with you over a period of time. The kind of person I'm referring to is an individual who is there for you under all circumstances, no matter how difficult. A gem like that is rare nowadays, so be grateful if you've found someone who TRULY knows what it means to be a friend! Having given my definition of "friend", I'll give you some dictionary definitions of this word in the next paragraph, InshaaAllah إن شاء الله (God willing).

*unswervingly adverb = in a constant and steadfast manner; "an unswervingly loyal man" (The Free Dictionary)

The following are some of the meanings of the noun "friend" from four online dictionaries:

"A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)

"A person whom one knows; an acquaintance." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language)

"One attached to another by affection or esteem." (Merriam-Webster)

"A person you know well and regard with affection and trust." (RhymeZone)

"A person with whom you are acquainted." (RhymeZone)

"One closely attached to another by affection and esteem." (Wordsmyth)

Here are some synonyms of the noun, "friend": "alter ego", "amigo", "buddy", "chum", "crony", "familiar", "intimate", "pal", "sidekick", etc. Two of its antonyms are "enemy", and "foe". (Wordsmyth)

Seeing that we've established the meaning of "friend", let's examine some meanings of its derivative "friendship":

"A friendship is a relationship between two or more friends." (Collins COBUILD Dictionary)

"You use friendship to refer in a general way to the state of being friends, or the feelings that friends have for each other." (Collins COBUILD Dictionary)

"If you have someone's friendship, they are your friend." (Collins COBUILD Dictionary)

"The emotions or conduct of friends; the state of being friends." (Oxford Dictionaries)

Etymology:

friendship (n.)

Old English freondscipe "friendship, mutual liking and regard," also "conjugal love;" see friend (n.) + -ship. Similar formation in Dutch vriendschap, German Freundschaft, Swedish frändskap. (Etymonline)

Okey doke. Let's dive into some memorably precious friendship quotes, proverbs and messages in different languages, InshaaAllah إن شاء الله. Happy reading! :) ;)

Side note:

Please feel free to share, and reblog this post if you appreciate it, InshaaAllah إن شاء الله. Thanks heaps (a lot)! :)

Abbreviation key:

masc. sing. = masculine singular

fem. sing. = feminine singular

(ms.) = masculine singular

(fs.) = feminine singular

(m) = masculine

(f) = feminine

Arabic Quotes and Proverbs about Friendship

Sadeeq al-jamee' laisa sadeeqan li-ahad صديقُ الجميعِ ليس صديقاً لأحدٍ.* ~‎Aristu أرسطو

aw أَو / or...

"Sadeeq al-kull laisa sadeeqan li-ahad صديقُ الكلِّ ليس صديقًا لأحدٍ." ~‎Aristu أرسطو

"A friend to all is a friend to none." ~Aristotle

*Literal meaning: "The friend of all isn't a friend to anyone."

"As-sadeeq al-mukhlis kanz kabeer الصّديقُ المخلصُ كنزٌ كبيرٌ." / "The faithful friend is a great treasure."

"As-sadiiq al-haqiiqiyy ni'mat min-Allah الصّديقُ الحقيقيُّ نعمةٌ من اللهِ." / "A true friend is a blessing from Allah الله [God]."

"As-sadaaqah bilaa thiqah hiya zahrah bilaa raa'ihah tayyibah الصّداقةُ بلا ثقةٍ هي زهرةٌ بلا رائحةٍ طيّب��ٍ." ~Laure Conan لور كونان

Friendship without trust is a flower without perfume.* ~Laure Conan

*perfume noun = a pleasant smell (Oxford Dictionaries)

"As-sadeeq huwa ash-shakhs al-ladhee yamnahu-ka kaamil al-hurriyyah li-takoon 'alaa tabee'ati-ka الصّديقُ هو الشّخصُ الّذي يمنحكَ كاملَ الحرّيّةِ لِتكونَ على طبيعتِكَ." ~Jim Morrison جيم موريسون

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself." ~Jim Morrison

"As-sadaaqah tabda'u 'inda-maa tash'uru anna-ka saadiq ma'a al-aakhar wa bidoon aqni'ah الصّداقةُ تبدأ عندما تشعر أنّك صادِق مع الآخرِ وبدونِ أقنعةٍ." ~Zakaria Yassine زكرياء ياسين

"Friendship begins when you feel that you are genuine with someone else [another] and without masks." ~Zakaria Yassine

Important:

Google Translate was used for translating some French, German and Spanish friendship quotes and messages into English.

French Quotes and Proverbs about Friendship

"L'amitié sans confiance, c'est une fleur sans parfum." ~Laure Conan

"Friendship without trust is a flower without perfume." ~Laure Conan

"Au besoin on connaît l'ami." / "When need comes one knows one's friend." ~Proverbe français (French proverb)

"Ami de tous; ami de personne." / "Everybody's friend is nobody's friend." ~Proverbe français (French proverb)

"Mes amis sont ma richesse." ~Emily Dickinson

"My friends are my estate [wealth]." ~Emily Dickinson

"Même les meilleurs amis doivent se séparer." / "Even the best of friends must part." ~Proverbe (Proverb)

"C'est dans le besoin qu'on reconnaît ses vrais amis." / "It is when in need that one recognizes his real friends." / "A friend in need is a friend indeed." ~Proverbe français (French proverb)

"Qui se ressemble s'assemble." / "Those who resemble each other will get together." / "Birds of a feather [flock together]." ~Proverbe français (French proverb)

"Mieux vaut être seul que mal accompagné." / "Better to be alone than accompanied badly." / "Better be alone than in bad company." ~Proverbe français (French proverb) / Pierre Gringoire

"La vie est plus douce quand on est entouré de vrais amis." / "La vie est plus douce quand on est entouré par de vrais amis." / "Life is sweeter when you are surrounded by true [real] friends."

German Quotes and Proverbs about Friendship

"Gehe nicht hinter mir; ich werde vielleicht nicht führen. Gehe nicht vor mir; ich werde vielleicht nicht folgen. Gehe einfach neben mir und sei ein Freund." ~Albert Camus

"Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." ~Albert Camus

"Mein bester Freund ist der, der das Beste in mir herausbringt." ~Henry Ford

"My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me." ~Henry Ford

"Es gibt nichts Wertvolleres auf der Welt als wahre Freundschaft." ~Thomas Aquinas

"There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship." ~Thomas Aquinas

"Ein Freund ist jemand, der dir die totale Freiheit lässt, du selbst zu sein." ~Jim Morrison

"A friend is someone who gives you total freedom to be yourself." ~Jim Morrison

"Guter Freund kommt ungeladen." / "A good friend comes uninvited." ~deutsches Sprichwort (German proverb)

"In der Not erkennt man die Freunde." / "Freunde erkennt man in der Not." / "Friends are recognized in need." / "A friend in need is a friend indeed." ~deutsches Sprichwort (German proverb)

"Wenn ein Freund bittet, so gilt nicht morgen." / "When a friend asks, tomorrow does not count." ~deutsches Sprichwort (German proverb)

Miscellaneous Friendship Quotes and Proverbs in English

Hadith* on friendship: The parable (lesson) of a good friend and bad friend

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "Verily, the parable of a good friend and a bad friend is only that of a seller of musk and a blacksmith. The seller of musk will give you some perfume, you will buy some, or you will notice a good smell. As for the blacksmith, he will burn your clothes or you will notice a bad smell."

*Hadith حديث = saying of the Prophet Muhammad مُحمّد (PBUH)

Source:

Saheeh al-Bukhaaree 1995, Saheeh Muslim 2628

"Being alone is better than having an evil companion; and having a sincere companion is better than being alone." ~Unknown

"Having just one good friend is better than having a million fake friends who pretend to like you." ~Unknown

"A friendship is like a ship on the sea; it needs to stay afloat. If a friendship is one-sided, it will most likely sink in the sea of friendships." ~Unknown

"One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood." ~Lucius Annaeus Seneca

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~Bernard Meltzer

"Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends." ~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"It seems they had always been, and would always be, friends. Time could change much, but not that." ~Winnie the Pooh

"Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one.'" ~C.S. Lewis

"Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." ~Oprah Winfrey

"Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I'm glad for that." ~Ally Condie

"Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes." ~Henry David Thoreau

"Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." ~Muhammad Ali

"In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends." ~John Churton Collins

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." ~Walter Winchell

"True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable." ~David Tyson

"Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart." ~Washington Irving

"Anybody can sympathise* with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathise with a friend's success." ~Oscar Wilde

*sympathize (also sympathise)

verb

To understand and care about someone's problems.

To support and agree with someone or something.

(Cambridge English Dictionary)

"Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit." ~Aristotle

"A good friend is a connection to life — a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world." ~Lois Wyse

"A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down." ~Arnold H. Glasgow

"The real test of friendship is can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?" ~Eugene Kennedy

"A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad." ~Arnold H. Glasgow

"One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss, but in the number of things they need no longer mention." ~Clifton Fadiman

"You can always tell a real friend: when you've made a fool of yourself he doesn't feel you've done a permanent job." ~Laurence J. Peter

"No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow." ~Alice Walker

"Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together." ~Woodrow T. Wilson

"There comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will." ~Unknown

"A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be." ~Douglas Pagels

"A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same." ~Elbert Hubbard

"A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out." ~Grace Pulpit

"One true friend adds more to our happiness than a thousand enemies add to our unhappiness." ~Marie Dubsky

"Most of us don't need a psychiatric therapist as much as a friend to be silly with." ~Robert Brault

"Friendship isn't a big thing — it's a million little things." ~Author Unknown

"Only your real friends will tell you when your face is dirty." ~Sicilian Proverb

"A good friend is cheaper than therapy." ~Author Unknown

"If a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it." ~Edgar Watson Howe

"The most I can do for my friend is simply be his friend." ~Henry David Thoreau

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." ~Elisabeth Foley

"There are big ships and small ships. But the best ship of all is friendship." ~Author Unknown

"The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you've had." ~Author Unknown

"I like friends who, when you tell them you need a moment alone, know enough not to stray too far." ~Robert Brault

"The language of friendship is not words but meanings." ~Henry David Thoreau

"Cherish the friend who tells you a harsh truth, wanting ten times more to tell you a loving lie." ~Robert Brault

"Our most difficult task as a friend is to offer understanding when we don't understand." ~Robert Brault

"As a friend, you first give your understanding, then you try to understand." ~Robert Brault

"A true friend is forever a friend." ~George MacDonald

"Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need most." ~American Proverb

"The tender friendships one gives up, on parting, leave their bite on the heart, but also a curious feeling of a treasure somewhere buried." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

"A bosom friend — an intimate friend, you know — a really kindred spirit* to whom I can confide my inmost soul." ~L.M. Montgomery

*kindred spirit noun = A person whose interests or attitudes are similar to one's own. (Oxford Dictionaries)

or...

a kindred spirit/soul phrase = someone who likes or cares about the same things as you do (Macmillan Dictionary)

"Hold a true friend with both your hands." ~Nigerian Proverb

"Yes'm, old friends is always best, 'less you can catch a new one that's fit to make an old one out of." ~Sarah Orne Jewett

"Between true friends even water drunk together is sweet enough." ~African proverb

"The recipe of friendship: 1 cup of sharing. 2 cups of caring. 3 cups of forgiveness and hugs. Mix all of these together to make friends forever." ~Unknown

"A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow."

"Tell people how it is, be real and be honest. If you see something wrong make sure you speak up. Being this way will naturally eliminate the snakes and fakes." ~John Maiorana (Giovanni)

"A friend will fight for the truth, not distort it for their personal gain." ~Shannon L. Alder

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly." ~Proverb

"Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends." ~Aesop

"The rich knows not who is his friend." ~Proverb

Spanish Quotes and Proverbs about Friendship

"Tener buenos amigos es una bendición de Dios." / "To have good friends is a blessing from God." / "Having good friends is a blessing from God."

"Una amistad sin confianza es una flor sin perfume." ~Laure Conan

"A friendship without trust is a flower without perfume." ~Laure Conan

"Amigo en la adversidad, es amigo de verdad." / "A friend in adversity is a true friend." ~Proverbio español (Spanish proverb)

"Cada quien con su cada cual." / "Everyone with his own." / "Birds of a feather flock together." ~Proverbio español (Spanish proverb)

"Amistad fuerte, llega más allá de la muerte." / "Strong friendship transcends death." ~Refrán (Proverb)

"Amigo sin dinero, eso quiero; que dinero sin amigo no vale un higo." / "A friend without money, that I love; money without a friend is not worth a fig." / "Friendship is worth more than money." ~Proverbio español (Spanish proverb)

"Amigo de muchos, amigo de ninguno." ~Aristotle

"A friend to all is a friend to none." ~Aristotle

"La verdadera amistad es inmortal." / "True friendship is immortal." ~Proverbio (Proverb)

"Al amigo su vicio." / "Love your friend with his fault." / "Your friend with his vice* [bad habit]." ~Proverbio español (Spanish proverb)

*Synonyms of "vice": "shortcoming", "failing", "flaw", "fault", "defect", "weakness", "weak point", "deficiency", "limitation", "imperfection", "blemish", "foible", "fallibility", "frailty", "infirmity", etc. (Oxford Dictionaries)

"Cultivar una amistad verdadera requiere mucha paciencia, mucho tiempo, mucha dedicación y mucho esfuerzo." / "Cultivar una verdadera amistad requiere mucha paciencia, mucho tiempo, mucha dedicación y mucho esfuerzo." / "Cultivating a true friendship requires a great deal of patience, time, dedication and effort."

o / or...

"Cultivar una amistad verdadera requiere mucho tiempo, paciencia, dedicación y esfuerzo." / "Cultivar una verdadera amistad requiere mucho tiempo, paciencia, dedicación y esfuerzo." / "Cultivating a true friendship requires a great deal of time, patience, dedication and effort."

"Ten muchos conocidos y pocos amigos." ~Anónimo

"Have but few friends, though many acquaintances." ~Anonymous

"La alegría se multiplica cuando se comparte entre amigos pero el dolor disminuye con cada división. Eso es vida." ~R.A. Salvatore

"Joy multiplies when it is shared among friends, but grief diminishes with every division. That is life." ~R.A. Salvatore

"Sal de la vida es la amistad." ~Juan Luis Vives

"The salt of life is friendship." ~Juan Luis Vives

"Los amigos de verdad son familia sin certificado de nacimiento." / "Real friends are family without a birth certificate."

"Un amigo en la vida es mucho. Dos son demasiado. Tres son imposibles." ~Henry Brooks Adams

"One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible." ~Henry Brooks Adams

"La vida es mejor con amigos de verdad." / "La vida es mejor con amigos verdaderos." / "Life is better with true friends."

"La verdadera amistad resiste el tiempo, la distancia y el silencio." ~Isabel Allende

"True friendship resists time, distance, and silence." ~Isabel Allende

"La amistad verdadera perdura para siempre." / "True friendship lasts forever."

"La verdadera amistad es como tinta imborrable." / "True friendship is like indelible ink."

Note:

indelible ink noun - ink that cannot be erased or washed away (TheFreeDictionary)

Arabic Friendship Messages

"Shukran 'alaa sadaaqati-k[a] شكراً على صداقتكَ. Anta raa'i' أنتَ رائع!" / "Thank you for your friendship. You rock!"

Note:

"If you're talking to a female, the pronunciation differs a little. It'd be 'Shukran 'alaa sadaaqati-k[i] شكراً على صداقتكِ. Anti raa'i'ah أنتِ رائعة'." (Quora)

"Sadeeqee shukran li-wujoodi-k[a] fii hayaatee صديقي شكراً لوجودِكَ في حياتي." / "My friend [masc. sing.], thanks for your existence in my life." / "My friend, thanks for being in my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Sadeeqatee shukran li-wujoodi-k[i] fii hayaatee صديقتي شكراً لوجودِكِ في حياتي." / "My friend [fem. sing.], thanks for your existence in my life." / "My friend, thanks for being in my life."

"Sadaaqatu-k[a] min naw' fareed ‎صداقتُكَ من نوعٍ فريدٍ." / "Your [ms.] friendship is of a unique kind [type]."

aw أَو / or...

"Sadaaqatu-k[i] min naw' fareed ‎صداقتُكِ من نوعٍ فريدٍ." / "Your [fs.] friendship is of a unique kind [type]."

aw أَو / or...

"Sadaaqatu-k[a] hiya shai' fareed صداقتُكَ هي شيءٌ فريدٌ." / "Your [ms.] friendship is something unique* [extraordinary, one of a kind]."

*something unique = a unique thing

aw أَو / or...

"Sadaaqatu-k[i] hiya shai' fareed صداقتُكِ هي شيءٌ فريدٌ." / "Your [fs.] friendship is something unique [extraordinary, one of a kind]."

"Yaa sadeeqee, anta sham'ah tuneeru hayaatee يا صديقي، أنتَ شمعةٌ تنيرُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [ms.] are a candle illuminating [lighting up] my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Yaa sadeeqee, anta sham'ah tudhee'u hayaatee يا صديقي، أنتَ شمعةٌ تضيءُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [ms.] are a candle illuminating [lighting up] my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Yaa sadeeqatee, anti sham'ah tuneeru hayaatee يا صديقتي، أنتِ شمعةٌ تنيرُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [fs.] are a candle illuminating [lighting up] my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Yaa sadeeqatee, anti sham'ah tudhee'u hayaatee يا صديقتي، أنتِ شمعةٌ تضيءُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [fs.] are a candle illuminating [lighting up] my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Yaa sadeeqee, anta ash-sham'ah allatee tuneeru hayaatee ‎يا صديقي، أنتَ الشّمعةُ الّتي تنيرُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [ms.] are the candle that illuminates [lights up] my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Yaa sadeeqee, anta ash-sham'ah allatee tudhee'u hayaatee ‎يا صديقي، أنتَ الشّمعةُ الّتي تضيءُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [ms.] are the candle that illuminates [lights up] my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Yaa sadeeqatee, anti ash-sham'ah allatee tuneeru hayaatee يا صديقتي، أنتِ الشّمعةُ الّتي تنيرُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [fs.] are the candle that illuminates [lights up] my life."

aw أَو / or...

"Yaa sadeeqatee, anti ash-sham'ah allatee tudhee'u hayaatee يا صديقتي، أنتِ الشّمعةُ الّتي تضيءُ حياتي." / "O my friend, you [fs.] are the candle that illuminates [lights up] my life."

"Uhibbu-k[a] fillaah[i], yaa sadeeqee أحبّكَ في اللهِ، يا صديقي." / "I love you for the sake of Allah الله [God], O my friend [ms.]."

aw أَو / or...

"Uhibbu-k[i] fillaah[i], yaa sadeeqatee أحبّكِ في اللهِ، يا صديقتي." / "I love you for the sake of Allah الله [God], O my friend [fs.]."

Asdiqaa' hattaa an-nihaayah أصدقاءُ حتّى النّهايةِ / Friends until the end (m) / Friends to the end (m)

aw أَو / or...

Sadeeqaat hattaa an-nihaayah صديقاتٌ حتّى النّهايةِ / Friends until the end (f) / Friends to the end (f)

Asdiqaa' ilaa al-abad(i) أصدقاءُ إلى الأبدِ / Friends forever (m) / Friends always (m)

aw أَو / or...

‎Sadeeqaat ilaa al-abad(i) صديقاتٌ إلى الأبدِ / Friends forever (f) / Friends always (f)

English Friendship Messages

"True F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

Fight for you.

Respect you.

Include you.

Encourage you.

Need you.

Deserve you.

Stand by you."

Prayer for a Friend

Stores don't sell,

I must confess,

the joys of life

that cheer and bless,

but friends and prayers

are priceless treasures

beyond all monetary measures –

and so, my friend,

I say a prayer

that God will keep you

in His care.

Helen Steiner Rice

"In life there are friends. Good friends, great friends, best friends. But you are my forever friend, InshaaAllah إن شاء الله. Thank you for being you."

"If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart. I'll stay there forever." ~A.A. Milne

"Forever friends"

"My friend, thanks for tolerating my idiosyncrasies* and crazy habits. You might not know this, but you helped me find happiness in being the person who I really am."

*idiosyncrasy / idiosyncrasies noun = A mode of behaviour or way of thought peculiar to an individual.

'one of his little idiosyncrasies was always preferring to be in the car first'

Synonyms: "peculiarity", "quirk", "eccentricity", "oddity", "foible", "whim", "whimsy", "caprice", "vagary", "twist", "crotchet", "mannerism", "fad", etc.

(Oxford Dictionaries)

"You, my friend, are one of a kind."

"Thank you for your friendship. You brighten up my life!"

"With you, I can be honest and lay bare my heart.* Nothing else can come close to the beautiful friendship we share."

*lay bare idiom = to reveal or uncover private information or feelings (Merriam-Webster)

"You blur the lines between family and friends because you are both for me."

"I would rather thank you regularly for being a wonderful friend in every way, than belittle our friendship by saying thanks only once a year on Friendship Day. Thank you."

"Thank you for being a FRIEND."

"Thank you for making me laugh when I'd almost forgotten how to." ~Pam Brown

"Thank you so much for being a part of my life. Without you, life wouldn't be so wonderful."

French Friendship Messages

"Merci pour ce cadeau que tu m'offres chaque jour : ton amitié." / "Thank you for this gift that you offer me every day: your friendship."

Note:

"Generally, colons, semicolons, exclamation points, and question marks are all preceded by a space." (Yabla French)

"Être ami avec toi est l'une des choses qui me rend les plus heureux dans la vie." / "Being friends with you is one of the things that makes me happiest in life."

"Une véritable amitié est rare. Je suis tellement chanceux de t'avoir comme ami !" / "True friendship is rare. I'm so lucky to have you as a friend!"

"Les fleurs de l'amitié ne se fanent jamais. Merci d'être mon ami." / "The flowers of friendship never fade. Thank you for being my friend."

"Je n'arrive plus à définir ce qu'est l'amitié et la famille parce que pour moi tu es à la fois ma sœur et ma meilleure amie." / "I can not define friendship and family anymore because for me you are both my sister and my best friend."

German Friendship Messages

"Danke für deine Freundschaft. Du bist klasse!" / "Thank you for your friendship. You rock!"

"Vertrauen ist Mut, und Treue ist Kraft." / "Trust is courage, and faith is strength." ~Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach

"Die Erde kann vergehen, die Sonne kann verblassen, doch wahre Freundschaft, soll uns nie verlassen." / "The earth can pass away, the sun can fade, but true friendship, should never leave us."

"Manche Menschen sind wie ein Spiegel, der uns hilft, in die verborgenen Winkel unserer Seele zu schauen. Schön, dass es dich gibt!" / "Some people are like a mirror that helps us to look into the hidden corners of our soul. It's great that you're there!"

"Manche Menschen machen die Welt besonders, indem sie einfach da sind. Du bist so einer." / "Some people make the world special by simply being there. You are one of those."

"Freundschaft, das ist eine Seele in zwei Körpern." / "Friendship is one soul in two bodies." ~Aristoteles (Aristotle)

"Freunde sind wie Sterne in der Nacht! Auch wenn man sie nicht sieht, weiß man doch, dass sie da sind!" / "Friends are like stars in the night! Even if you do not see them, you know that they are there!"

"Schön, dass es dich gibt." / "It's great that you're there." / "It's nice that you are there." / "I am glad that you are there."

"Schön, dass es dich gibt. Danke für deine Freundschaft." / "It's great that you're there. Thank you for your friendship."

Spanish Friendship Messages

"Gracias por tu amistad. ¡Eres genial!" / "Thank you for your friendship. You rock!"

"¡Gracias a Dios, soy bendecido/a y afortunado/a por tener un amigo como tú!" / "Thank God, I'm blessed and fortunate [lucky] to have a friend [m] like you!"

o / or...

"¡Gracias a Dios, soy bendecido/a y afortunado/a por tener una amiga como tú!" / "Thank God, I'm blessed and fortunate [lucky] to have a friend [f] like you!"

"Tener amigos como tú es una bendición. Gracias por tu amistad." / "Having friends like you is a blessing. Thanks for your friendship."

"Como las estrellas, tu amistad nunca deja de brillar." / "Like the stars, your friendship never stops shining."

"Cree siempre en ti. Cree siempre en mí. Cree siempre en nuestra amistad." / "Always believe in yourself. Always believe in me. Always believe in our friendship."

"Tu amistad es algo único." / "Your friendship is something unique [extraordinary, one of a kind]."

"Te quiero* mucho. Eres mi mejor amigo/a." / "I love you very much. You are my best friend."

*"Literally translated to, 'I want you', 'te quiero' is most appropriate for expressing love to family, close friends, or significant others."

(English to Spanish Raleigh)

"Te quiero así de mucho." / "I love you this much."

Amigos hasta la muerte y más allá (m) / Amigas hasta la muerte y más allá (f) / Friends until (till, 'til) death and beyond

"¡Qué alegría saber que existes!" / "What a joy to know that you exist!"

Amigos por siempre (m) / Amigas por siempre (f) / Friends forever / Friends for ever

o / or...

Amigos x* siempre (m) / Amigas x siempre (f) / Friends forever / Friends for ever

*x = por

o / or...

Amigos para siempre (m) / Amigas para siempre (f) / Friends forever / Friends for ever

Extras

Spanish Pronunciation Notes:

a = ah e.g. amigo/a

e = eh e.g. caliente

i = ee e.g. pimienta

o = oh e.g. frío/a

u = pronounced like the "oo" as in "soon" e.g. universidad

"G" is pronounced as an English "h" when followed by "e" or "i". Examples: gente = hehn-teh, gato = gaht-oh

"H" is always silent and never pronounced when it appears alone. Examples: hecho = echo, hora = oh-ra

In Spanish, the letter "h" has no sound. The digraph "ch" is pronounced like the "ch" in the word "chair".

"J" is always pronounced as an English "h". Example: jugar = hoo-gahr

"Qu" is pronounced as an English "k" when followed by "e" or "i" (pronounce the 'u' otherwise). Examples: que = keh, quotar = quoh-tahr

"Ñ" or "ñ" is pronounced as "enye". Example: baño = bahn-yoh

"Ll" or "ll" is pronounced as the letter "y". Examples: llenar = yeh-nahr, olla = oh-yah

The Spanish "z" is pronounced differently in Spain than in Latin America. In Spain, it is pronounced like the "th" in the English word "think". In Latin America, it is pronounced like the letter "s". Example: zanahoria = sa-na-oh-ree-ah

Sources of Pronunciation Notes:

2 Simple Rules to Help You Pronounce Spanish Words | TakeLessons

Spanish pronunciation of "h" and "ch" | 123TeachMe

Consonant: z - Study Spanish

7 Ways to Be a Genuine Friend

"You have to be a friend to have them."

― J.M. Richards

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let's get the facts straight, in order to be someone's friend you need to know how to be a true amigo/a. Here are seven ways to be a genuine* friend, InshaaAllah إن شاء الله:

"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

― Oscar Wilde

1. Always try to be yourself. Let your friends see you for who you really are. Don't be a phony (fake). Show them your true personality. Don't act one way in front of them, and another way behind their backs. If they can accept the real you, then you'll be able to have more meaningful and lasting friendships.

"One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say."

― Bryant H. McGill

"There is as much wisdom in listening as there is in speaking--and that goes for all relationships, not just romantic ones."

― Daniel Dae Kim

2. Be an active, caring and responsive listener. Try to listen to your friends carefully, interestedly and understandingly. And, always make an effort to give them constructive feedback and sound advice.

"Perfection is a goal that will forever remain impossible for any human being to achieve. Therefore, the only achievable goal is to only strive to become the best that you can possibly be."

― Edmond Mbiaka

"I think people who have faults are a lot more interesting than people who are perfect."

― Spike Lee

3. No one is perfect. This is earth! We all have faults. Know that you have faults, and that your friends have faults too. And, learn to live with them. Some of them can be fixed and some of them can't be fixed. C'est la vie! ('That's life'; 'Such is life' in French) If you do something wrong, take the blame. Say your sorries, and try your best to learn from your mistakes.

"Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it all into words is all that is necessary."

― Margaret Cousins

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."

― Marcel Proust

4. Appreciate your friends. Show them your appreciation. Let them know that you value them. Here are some simple ways of doing this:

Write them a kind note, letter, or email.

Give them a surprise call to let them know you haven't forgotten them.

Make something special for them.

Compliment them about their successes. But please don't flatter them, as flattery is insincere.

Show them signs of care and affection.

Do something sweet and thoughtful for them.

Give them a small gift to let them know that they mean something to you. You can be creative in this area, as it's the thought that counts most!

Verbalize it! Let your friends know how grateful you are for them. Tell them how much you prize (appreciate) their friendship.

"Tell people how it is, be real and be honest. If you see something wrong make sure you speak up. Being this way will naturally eliminate the snakes and fakes."

― John Maiorana

"Honesty is the best policy."

― Benjamin Franklin

5. Be honest and frank (direct) with your friends, but please remember to be polite too. If your friends ask for your opinion on a matter, give them a sincere one. Don't lie to them. Tell them the truth that they need to hear, but say it tactfully (politely).

"The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well."

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up."

― John Holmes

6. Be caring and helpful to others. Use your God-given abilities to do something good for your friends. Be genuinely thoughtful towards them, and look for ways that you can help them. When you help others it makes you healthier and happier.

"To keep the Golden Rule we must put ourselves in other people's places, but to do that consists in and depends upon picturing ourselves in their places."

― Harry Emerson Fosdick

"Treat others how you want to be treated."

7. Treat your friends as you'd like to be treated. That's the Golden Rule! If you follow this principle religiously (regularly, constantly), you're bound to have successful long-term friendships.

*genuine adjective = (of a person, emotion, or action) sincere.

Synonyms: "sincere", "honest", "truthful", "unhypocritical", "meaning what one says", "straightforward", "direct", "frank", "candid", "open"; "artless", "natural", "unaffected", "guileless", "ingenuous"; informal "straight", "upfront", "on the level"; informal "on the up and up"; informal "dinkum"

(Oxford Dictionaries)

Did this post enthral (captivate, intrigue) you? If so, you may also want to read, "Arabic Word: Saadaqa", InshaaAllah إن شاء الله. Here you go, buddies:

https://thewordcollector2.tumblr.com/post/19550376816/arabic-word-saadaqa

Sources and Further Reading:

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/unswervingly

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unswervingly

https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=friend

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/friend

http://www.rhymezone.com/r/rhyme.cgi?Word=Friend

https://www.wordsmyth.net/?ent=friend

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/friend

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/friendship

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/friendship

https://www.etymonline.com/word/friendship#etymonline_v_29856

https://www.brighthubeducation.com/learning-spanish/30877-proverbs-and-sayings-on-friendship-in-spanish/

https://www.superprof.us/blog/the-best-ten-quotes-from-the-iberian-peninsula/#4-isabel-allende

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/433323-la-verdadera-amistad-resiste-el-tiempo-la-distancia-y-el

https://www.enkiquotes.com/friendship-quotes-in-spanish.html

https://mjcodez.tumblr.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/536038

https://books.google.tt/books?id=wTwQDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT340&lpg=PT340&dq=Amigo+sin+dinero,+eso+quiero,+que+dinero..+in+English&source=bl&ots=9kDxY1IM0S&sig=4SqduB-HImS8HlvoxIxIR37vXiI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizla_rmsPfAhUNuVkKHcAiAi8Q6AEwBnoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=Amigo%20sin%20dinero%2C%20eso%20quiero%2C%20que%20dinero..%20in%20English&f=false

https://www.ailmalaga.com/top-5-spanish-proverbs-friendship/

https://books.google.tt/books?id=P_GkCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT117&lpg=PT117&dq=Quien+tiene+un+amigo+tiene+un+tesoro+(A+man+that+has+a+friend+has+a+treasure)&source=bl&ots=0iiTHRFeeS&sig=vU_I9lVa1SDVYTvAEY_V6KSRyMM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjglPmj58ffAhXKxlkKHQgOBYoQ6AEwDnoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Quien%20tiene%20un%20amigo%20tiene%20un%20tesoro%20(A%20man%20that%20has%20a%20friend%20has%20a%20treasure)&f=false

https://books.google.tt/books?id=9LcGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=Al+amigo,+con+su+vicio,+meaning&source=bl&ots=gRU6lzEimZ&sig=WWRkl3OdqvVMECp-OBlc8ZYDFc4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhs9mC2PLfAhWQtlkKHZI9BWIQ6AEwF3oECAUQAQ#v=onepage&q=Al%20amigo%2C%20con%20su%20vicio%2C%20meaning&f=false

https://www.spanishplayground.net/spanish-quotes-friendship/

https://www.euroresidentes.com/entretenimiento/frases-citas-imagenes/20-refranes-cortos-sobre-las-amistades

https://www.keepinspiring.me/quotes-on-friendship/

http://sourcesofinsight.com/friendship-quotes/

http://www.quotegarden.com/friendship.html

https://www.frasess.net/frases-cortas-para-amigos-y-amigas-3.html

https://www.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/friendship-messages/

http://www.orkugifs.com/es/amistad.html

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-french/rock

https://www.proz.com/kudoz/english-to-german/linguistics/573351-sophia-you-rock-you-re-my-best-friend.html

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-say-Thank-you-for-your-friendship-You-rock-in-German-Is-Danke-f%C3%BCr-deine-Freundschaft-Du-bist-klasse-the-correct-way-of-saying-it

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-say-Thank-you-for-your-friendship-You-rock-in-Spanish-Is-Gracias-por-tu-amistad-Eres-genial-the-correct-way-of-saying-it

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-say-Thank-you-for-your-friendship-You-rock-in-Arabic-Is-Shukran-alaa-sadaaqatik-a-%D8%B4%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%83-Anta-raai-%D8%A3%D9%86%D8%AA?

https://www.italki.com/question/457675

https://m.facebook.com/MadinahArabicTuition/photos/a.10151510339920659/10156188349980659/?type=3&source=48&_ft_=mf_story_key.10156188351830659%3Atop_level_post_id.10156188351830659%3Atl_objid.10156188351830659%3Acontent_owner_id_new.286005100658%3Athrowback_story_fbid.10156188351830659%3Acall_to_action_type.MESSAGE_PAGE%3Apage_id.286005100658%3Aphoto_id.10156188349980659%3Astory_location.4%3Astory_attachment_style.photo%3Apage_insights.%7B%22286005100658%22%3A%7B%22role%22%3A1%2C%22page_id%22%3A286005100658%2C%22post_context%22%3A%7B%22story_fbid%22%3A10156188351830659%2C%22publish_time%22%3A1528107966%2C%22story_name%22%3A%22EntStatusCreationStory%22%2C%22object_fbtype%22%3A266%7D%2C%22actor_id%22%3A286005100658%2C%22psn%22%3A%22EntStatusCreationStory%22%2C%22sl%22%3A4%2C%22dm%22%3A%7B%22isShare%22%3A0%2C%22originalPostOwnerID%22%3A0%7D%2C%22targets%22%3A%5B%7B%22page_id%22%3A286005100658%2C%22actor_id%22%3A286005100658%2C%22role%22%3A1%2C%22post_id%22%3A10156188351830659%2C%22share_id%22%3A0%7D%5D%7D%7D&__tn__=EH-R

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/624481

https://xn--sgb8bg.net/

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-translate-the-French-quote-Lamiti%C3%A9-sans-confiance-cest-une-fleur-sans-parfum-in-English-Is-Friendship-without-trust-is-a-flower-without-perfume-a-correct-translation

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-translate-the-Spanish-quote-Una-amistad-sin-confianza-es-una-flor-sin-perfume-in-English-Is-A-friendship-without-trust-is-a-flower-without-perfume-a-correct-translation

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20190109131711AA3IreM

https://www.italki.com/question/458926

https://www.englishspanishlink.com/learn-spanish/games/congratulations.htm

https://quotabulary.com/famous-french-quotes-about-family-friendship

https://termbank.com/en/french-english/ami%20de%20tous;%20ami%20de%20personne

https://www.elearningfrench.com/french-friendship-proverbs.html

https://abuaminaelias.com/dailyhadithonline/2010/10/26/the-parable-of-a-good-friend-and-a-bad-friend/

https://www.thefreedictionary.com/indelible+ink

http://www.modele-texte.fr/message-amitie.php

https://termbank.com/en/spanish-english/cada%20quien%20con%20su%20cada%20cual

https://study.com/academy/lesson/german-proverbs-about-family-friendship.html

https://www.dict.cc/german-english/erkennt.html

https://www.smsmich.de/sprueche/Freundschaft/index.shtml

https://french.yabla.com/lesson-Punctuation-in-French-390

https://thewondrous.com/best-thank-you-quotes/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/real-friends

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-translate-this-Arabic-quote-As-sadaaqah-tabdau-inda-maa-tashuru-anna-ka-saadiq-maa-al-aakhar-wa-bidoon-aqniah-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%91%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%82%D8%A9%D9%8F-%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A3

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/life-is-better-with-true-friends.3539549/#post-17989952

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/life-is-better-with-true-friends.3539554/

https://www.italki.com/question/459753

https://www.englishclub.com/ref/esl/Sayings/Quizzes/Money_2/The_rich_knows_not_who_is_his_friend_887.php

https://www.lexico.com/definition/hadith

https://dict.leo.org/forum/viewUnsolvedquery.php?idThread=1051541&lp=ende&lang=en&idForum=1

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sympathize

https://www.lexico.com/definition/perfume

https://www.lexico.com/definition/vice

https://ponbee.com/you-make-me-happy-quotes/

https://www.lexico.com/definition/idiosyncrasy

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lay%20bare

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/thank-god-im-blessed-and-fortunate-to-have-a-friend-like-you.3544560/

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20190204205952AA6VAJO

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/o-my-friend-youre-the-candle-in-my-life.3545851/

https://www.wordreference.com/enar/reverse/forever

https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/te%20quiero%20asi%20de%20mucho

https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/te%20quiero%20mucho

https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/mejor%20amigo

https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/mejor%20amiga

https://www.englishtospanishraleigh.com/blog/te-amo-vs-te-quiero-differences-in-i-love-you-in-spanish

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/cultivating-a-true-friendship.3549548/

https://www.italki.com/question/462815

https://www.exitoysuperacionpersonal.com/frases-de-alegria/

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/59699-joy-multiplies-when-it-is-shared-among-friends-but-grief

https://takelessons.com/blog/how-to-pronounce-Spanish-words

https://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/pronunciation_h_ch

https://studyspanish.com/pronunciation/listen-and-repeat/letter_z

https://www.lexico.com/definition/genuine

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/19884-be-yourself-everyone-else-is-already-taken

https://psychcentral.com/lib/the-care-and-maintenance-of-friendship/

https://lifestyle.allwomenstalk.com/effortless-ways-to-show-someone-you-appreciate-them/

https://onlinecounsellingcollege.tumblr.com/post/182944809256/how-to-be-genuine-in-relationships

https://www.lexico.com/definition/kindred_spirit

https://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/a-kindred-spirit-soul

Guys, this is where I leave you for today. I hope that you relished reading this entry, InshaaAllah إن شاء الله! Many thanks for reading it. I appreciate it. Take care, so long. Wassalaam 'alaikum والسّلام عليكم (and peace be with you)! :) :-h

Cherish your time with your family and friends,

Sam سام.

Post Script:

Thank you to all the people who genuinely help and support me! :) You matter and you make a difference. Please make sure you remember that, InshaaAllah إن شاء الله.

[radiojamming]

hartving and courting ;3c

AU where carnivale didn’t go to shit, i guess? ;D

(also hc that the drunker irving gets, the more scottish he gets. we were so robbed of that accent in the show.)

- - -

It’s the rum. It has to be the rum, honey-sweet and working in devious concert with the golden firelight to play terrible tricks on John. Otherwise, there is no worldly, godly explanation as to why Thomas Hartnell looks as lovely as he does. Oh God, lovely. It’s not the sort of word you use to describe a man, let alone one wearing a ridiculous papier-mâché lion’s head on top of his own, a corded knot mane trailing behind him like the thread trail of Ariadne.

Certainly the rum. John takes another swig just to be sure of his theory.

It’s not a solid theory, of course. He cannot blame a rum ration and lantern light for every time that he’s caught sight of red-gold hair over an upturned collar. Lord knows he can’t blame it for how easily he can envision Tom’s eyes, warm blue like a summer sky. Horrid, it is, how quickly he’s fallen into temptation for a constellation of freckles and the lilt of a Chatham accent. 

Then, someone strikes up a fantastic Irish aire on a fiddle, and John feels that his handmade angel wings are a bit askew.

He takes another fortifying drink that earns him twin cheers from a pair of ABs dressed as French maids. Then, he reaches up and adjusts his halo, and trusts that the rum is going to make a complete fool out of him with such intensity that he’ll never wish to leave his berth again. It would serve him right. 

Tom stands near one painted-canvas wall with Peglar, the two of them talking under a looming figure of a statue of Aphrodite, her hands covering her with only the barest suggestion of chastity. John resolutely ignores the possible connotation and clears his throat as he approaches the pair, watching Peglar grin like a fool as Tom splutters and nearly drops his tin of rum.

“Lieutenant Irving!” Tom says, eyes wide and a blush already fixed upon his face, drawing out his freckles so that John can make out each one individually. The man tries to salute, but only succeeds in smacking the lion’s head off his own, sending it tumbling to the snow while Peglar about doubles over in laughter.

“At— Uh, at ease, Hartnell,” John says, clearing his throat again, before nodding at Peglar. “Meester Peglar.”

“Lieutenant,” Peglar chirps before patting Tom on the back. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Henry,” Tom hisses through his teeth as Peglar hums to himself and sashays back through the dancing masses. It leaves the two of them, lion and angel, drunk and slightly drunker. Tom is biting down on his bottom lip, eyes anxiously flicking back and forth between John and the now-dented costume. “Um, pleasant night, isn’t it?” he says.

“Is wonderful,” John declares. “Hav’ you ever been t’a masque, Hartnell?”

Tom blinks at him before opening and closing his mouth on several false starts. “Oh, no. I’m not… I never had the opportunity.” 

Right. He’s an AB and from the little nook of towns around Chatham Dockyard. Unless his family somehow made a fortune in tar or oysters, he wouldn’t have had the sort of finances that would allow him to go. John should be mortified at his suggestion, but instead, he grins like the fool he is and rocks up and down on his toes. “S’very nice. All sorts’o people there t’dance with. I never wanted tae, b’cause—” He pauses, furrowing his brows as he tries to think of why he didn’t dance before. Not for lack of skill, as he had lessons like all of his siblings. Then, he settles on, “Not the right partner.”

“I’m awfully sorry, Lieutenant,” Tom says, and it pleases John as to how honest he sounds. He fidgets with the bottom hem of his coat, fingertips pink with the cold; John has a terrible time looking at anything else.

“You wan’tae dance w’me?” he says before he can stop himself. 

Tom looks outright like an owl, his perfect, perfect blue eyes wide in surprise. “D-do I, what?”

“Daaaahnce,” John drawls out, at best attempting to mimic Captain Fitzjames.

“With— With me?”

“Mhmm.” John knows that Tom is looking at him with pure disbelief, so before he can ask after the choice, he closes up the distance between them by a few more feet, until Tom’s back is to Aphrodite, and John’s right boot is doing something interesting to the lion’s snout, making it look like it’s about to sneeze. 

He’s suddenly aware of everything about Tom—he smells like firewood and rum, his bottom lip is red from where he’s been biting it, and there is a wonderful rendition of the constellation of Corona Borealis on the left side of his nose. His hair is tousled, and John feels some rum-soaked, traitorous part of himself that wants to run his hands through it.

“Thomas,” he says, forgoing titles and surnames and going straight for the Christian. Thomas—doubting Thomas, Thomas the twin, the one who would go to death for the man he cared most about. As John’s mind swirls like shore water around the dock posts of what he knows, he feels gloriously untethered, more free than he’s been in years. “I’m about tae say somethin’ very foolish. I’ll not say it twice, an’ I willnae say it tomorrow. Y’understand?”

Tom nods, breathing heavily. John watches one sweat drop snake down his jaw to his collar. The temptation to chase it becomes stifling.

“I wanna…” He licks his lips, not ignorant of how Tom watches him. Then, he makes order of the words following the wild currents in his brain. “I very much wan’tae be around you. Near you. I won’t get that chance for a long time, an’ so if it means… If it means dancin’, then awright.”

There’s a silence between them, backed by that excitable fiddler and the raucous laughter and conversation of the crews. For the two of them, however, there’s a silence hanging by a gossamer thread, and John feels as though his heart is suspended on it as well. 

He’s a terrible man. He’s been having awful thoughts for months now, all centered around Thomas, making carnal, sinful images in his own head when the poor man—

“Alright,” Tom says.

John stares at him. The word moves through his head like treacle. “Wh’,” is all he can manage.

Tom smiles. Corona Borealis rises on his face. “I’ll dance with you, although you might want to sober up a bit before you go out there on your feet.”

And like the coming of tomorrow’s dawn, John smiles back, his heart dancing to the aire already.

[themyskira]

Wonder Woman Annual #2

Previously in FUCKITY FUCK FUCK I FORGOT THERE WAS AN ANNUAL AS WELL: Diana prepared to face down her most terrifying foes yet: the Dark Gods.

Who or what are the Dark Gods? Dunno.

What do they want? No clue.

What is this awesome and terrible power that they wield? So far, mostly just the ability to shoot lasers out of their eyes and incite people to deliver badly-written villainous monologues.

Why are we supposed to be so pants-pissingly afraid of them? Because James Robinson told us so.

Last issue ended with the Dark Gods manifesting over Washington DC, at which point it was revealed that they are… giant floating statues, I guess? But, like, scary floating statues. With lasers. So scary.

And then moments later, a couple of Star Sapphires arrived to whisk Diana away so she could appear in this shitty annual.

Diana is teleported to the Star Sapphires’ home planet of Zamaron, which is heavily battle-damaged.

The two Sapphires who brought her here are called Miss Bloss and Miri Riam, who are apparently pre-established minor Green Lantern characters — something I had to figure out on my own, because Robinson just assumes we all known them, and that Diana does too (I’m reasonably sure they’ve never met). The one time his overexplaining might have actually been useful, and he couldn’t be arsed taking a panel or two to make introductions.

Diana yells at them that she’s too busy to help with whatever their deal is, and launches into a recap of last issue. But, you know, that was all of two weeks ago, so by all means, spend a page getting us up to speed.

She’s also still throwing around ‘crazy’ and ‘insane’ like they’re going out of style. 

“…and although I’m not certain — the woman who told me was insane at the time--“

How about ‘possessed’, ‘out of control’, ‘somewhat incoherent’ or ‘compromised’? Any of these would be more accurate in this context, as well as not equating mental illness with dangerous and violent behaviour.

But anyway, essentially Diana says ‘my world is being attacked by the Dark Gods and it’s my fault’, and Miss Bloss is like, ‘well, if that was your fault, then our thing must be your fault, too’, and points up at the giant floating Dark God statue thing that Diana has somehow failed to notice until this exact moment.

Oh, goody.

Diana starts questioning them about what happened.  Honestly, that’s really all she does these days.  If she’s not delivering plot recaps herself, she’s setting up allies for flashback-exposition or allowing villains to monologue at her. Oh, sure, occasionally she fights somebody, but mostly she’s just a vessel for tedious exposition.

Miss Bloss describes the Dark God’s attack:

“Even to recall it now, it feels like a dream or vision from another world. Almost like we were looking at ourselves from outside of it all.”

The first time I read this, I took it to be a figure of speech. I interpreted it as an expression of Miss Bloss’s deep level of shock at the devastation she’d experienced, that it still felt unreal, as though it had happened to somebody else.

I was giving Robinson too much credit: he meant it literally.

As we’ll learn in a few pages’ time, one of the Dark Gods has some kind of power over people’s perceptions, enabling him to induce in others a sense of unreality and dreamlike detachment. We’ll learn that the Dark Gods have deliberately used this ability in order to confuse enemies and limit their ability to respond to or even comprehend attacks.

Frazer Irving — who illustrates the flashback, along with a couple of other scenes in this issue — plays into this well.  His stylised art and colour work lends a somewhat eerie dreamlike quality to his pages, creating a sense of altered reality.

Unfortunately, Robinson can’t write dreamlike.

So what in theory should be an eerie, confusing, unreal flashback instead just turns into Miss Bloss telling us that her memories of the attack are eerie and unreal and hazy… aaaaand then proceeding to describe the attack, the enemy, his name, the concept he embodies, his powers and the precise reason why he was able to kill so many Star Sapphires, all in exacting detail. 

The Dark God who attacked the Sapphires is called Karnell and he calls himself the god of love, but the love he embodies is dark and gritty and edgy and corrupted. He can sense any ‘impurities’ or ‘flaws’ in a person’s love and rub it in their faces. When he does this to Star Sapphires, something something their rings freak out and they spontaneously combust.

Diana asks, ‘yeah okay, but you didn’t know that this was my fault when you dragged me here, so what gives?’, and Bloss and Miri are like, ‘welp, our leaders are all dead, Carol Ferris is busy in another comic, we all frankly suck, and you were a Star Sapphire once in that Blackest Night crossover event.’

At which point I went, ‘wait huh what??? but that was before the New 52 reboot!’, before remembering that Geoff Johns’ entire preboot GL run survived the reboot for no other reason than because Geoff Johns gets whatever he wants.

Diana agrees to lead the Sapphires against Krakoom (I’m sorry, I’m not going to bother to learn his name, he’s not worth that kind of time), and the Sapphires respond by giving her the Nazi salute due to an unfortunate artistic miscalculation.

Diana: And if I am going to stand among you — fight alongside you — let me look the part. Sapphires: As you wish it, so do we, Wonder Woman… be a Star Sapphire once more.

And with that, they give Diana a makeover.

It’s not a bad costume, especially when you compare it to her Blackest Night design. That one tried to ape Carol Ferris’ hideous then-costume, which featured hip cut-outs and a plummeting neckline that ended around the crotch area, by giving Diana a bathing suit with hip-holes and a bared midriff. This design retains many familiar Star Sapphire costume elements — the stiff pointed white collar, the combination tiara/mask, the starburst symbol, the long gloves and high boots — without going into creepy male-gazey territory.

buuuuut it also looks like Diana is wearing a pink apron over her usual costume, and that is something I cannot get past. It also varies wildly across the issue, depending on which of the four credited artists is drawing it.

By the way, I say ‘makeover’ because despite violet blaze on her right ring finger, it took me several times flicking back and forth before I was certain that Diana had been deputised into the Corps as opposed to just being given a new costume in order to “look the part”, as she put it. I know this sounds like it should have been self-evident, but Robinson gives absolutely no indication of any deeper change in her. Not even lip service to the fact that Diana is connected, through the power ring, to the emotional spectrum and the violet energies of love.

Contrast this with Diana in Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3:

“Extraordinary. All of them, in their way, have tried to explain it to me before. Hal, John, Kyle… even Guy, may Ares watch and aid him. But it defies all attempts. There is no way to describe it. What it is to wear a power ring, and feel emotion made manifest. To wear fear on anger or will or hope on one’s hand… To wear love. Too beautiful for words…”

There’s a lot about Wondy’s Blackest Night tie-in that’s flawed and frustrating and flat-out bad, but this page gets it right. If you’re going to make Diana a Star Sapphire — going to give one of the most loving hearts of the DCU the power to channel her love into tangible power — then you need to acknowledge the weight of that.

In this comic, it’s as insubstantial as a costume change.

Flying up to confront Kratakoa, Diana wonders if she could really have summoned the Dark Gods. Supergirl said she brought them into this plane with a careless wish, and… oh, come to think of it, she did inadvertently make a wish during the recent Dark Nights: Metal crossover, while coincidentally handling some magical wishing metal. But nah, that couldn’t possibly have done it!

She reaches the big floaty statue and a bloke with spiky wings emerges from it. It’s Klangalang, and he’s got his monologue cued up and ready to go!

He opens with a fairly standard ‘ahaha, I’ve been expecting you, hero!’, and the implications fly straight over Diana’s head.

Kibble: You came, Amazon! Sooner than I expected, too! Good… I’m going to love this! Diana: You’re some kind of seer, too? You expected me?

Let’s review: The villains Diana supposedly summoned, the villains who have been trying to kill or neutralise Diana before she can interfere in their plans, have attacked the Star Sapphires in advance of their invasion of Earth. Despite not knowing about Diana’s connection to their attacker, the Sapphires reached out to her for help, teleporting her away at almost the exact moment that the villains launched their opening assault. Now the one villain who hasn’t joined the invading force is cackling that he’s been expecting Diana.

Even a half-competent hero should be able to join the dots and realise they’ve been deliberately lured away. Not so Robinson’s Diana, who gazes at him wide-eyed and demands, ‘omg, u expected me? are u psychic or sumthin???’

After a couple more rounds of obscenely dense questions from Diana (along with another out-of-character ’crazy’ slur), Klunk ends up having to straight-up spell it out for her. He also explains how she summoned the Dark Gods.

Krunch: You wished for the gods’ return. Well, here we are. Here I am! Diana: Like a dream, but yes, of course. But I meant the Greek pantheon, not— Krump: Gods! That’s all you said.

Small nitpick: Diana would not think of her gods the “Greek pantheon”. She’d be more likely to call them “the Patrons”, “my gods”, “the gods of my people”, “the gods of Themyscira”, “the gods of Olympus”, “the Olympians” — she knew them as all of these things long before she knew Greece, or any world outside her island home, existed. The only reason she might refer to them as “Greek” is for the benefit of people in Man’s World, as a point of reference.

More importantly, are you friggin kidding me, the friggin layers of incompetence here from our supposed hero

accidentally makes a wish while wielding a weapon of magical wishing metal

manages to make the vaguest wish possible, opening a loophole for THE WORST GODS to infiltrate reality

immediately forgets she ever wished it

why would she even wish for that?! her gods haven’t gone anywhere!

To be somewhat fair, the reason she doesn’t really remember it is that “the God With No Name” (YES REALLY) made it all feel like a dream so that she wouldn’t realise she’d made an irresponsible wish and needed to immediately rally everybody together to resist the Dark Gods.

Except… that in itself doesn’t make any sense.

There are two possibilities here: the Horse With No Name could have clouded Diana’s memory of making the wish after the Dark Gods were pulled into this reality — in which case, why? How would she even land on the conclusion that she’d accidentally summoned some evil gods that she’d never heard of, when her intent was to call on her own gods and she’d had no indication that it had even worked?

Alternatively, he clouded her mind in the moment of the wish, to render her thoughts vague and imprecise and open the door for the Dark Gods’ invasion. Which doesn’t work either, because it turns out that the Dark Gods are pretty pissed off at being pulled out of their awesome reality.

King Koopa: War was declared the moment you dragged us from our home… our beautiful world — which you regard as the ‘Dark Multiverse’ — we see as a paradise… where we were more than even gods to our worshippers… we were everything!”

So basically their plan is to turn Earth into a desolate hellscape just like their home.

Diana, who has already been told that Kraig is a god of corrupted love, conveniently forgets this fact just so that Robinson can tell it to us again.

Diana: You call yourself a god of love. What kind of love wants to be feared? Love is unconditional. KHAAAAAN: Spoken like the addled naive romantic I expected. Love always comes with conditions. Sometimes, I confess, I question… am I god of that love, of those conditions behind it? But then I realise… I don’t care.

Cool story. Glad we can agree on one thing, at least.

He monologues for a couple of pages about how he’s going to open her eyes to the truth of how horrible and selfish and corrupt love is, then draws Diana into his mind so that he can monologue some more.

We learn that the world of the Dark Gods was forged by a group of divinities called Titans, “much like the reality of your own Greek pantheon” (incorrect, you’re thinking of the Protogenoi; the Titans were the second generation of gods). But because these Titans were hardcore, they did it by smashing five other realities together. And into this terrifyingly dark edgy metalscape came… +~teh D4rK g0dz~+

Robinson then undermines the super-extra-double-dark feel he’s going for with another embarrassing name and an accidental rhyme.

“We Dark Gods followed, as gods do. King Best and then the rest.”

KING. BEST.

But wait, we haven’t even gotten to Kalamazoo’s dark edgy totally original backstory!

In fact, this is so dark and edgy and original that I’ll throw in a quick content warning here for descriptions of domestic violence and shittiness towards sex workers.

“You’ll meet a boy — his mother broken by a wanton father who forced her to cheapen herself further with wraiths and under-beings. The mother died — beaten to death. When he saw her blood still dripping from the fists of his father, the boy ran, fearing the same fate. The boy loved his mother, but hated his father and the world. Both emotions — love and hate — burned so brightly that even from within the darkness of our world, their glow caught the eye of mighty King Best.”

Domestic violence! Sexism! Slut shaming! Fridging! It’s like a game of grimdark bingo!

After three goddamn pages of this, Diana suddenly twigs what we all figured out eleven pages ago, ‘oh now waaaaaait a minute, you didn’t lure me here so that your buddies could invade Earth while I’m distracted, did you?’

Klinger responds by almost murdering Diana, and is only stopped by the intervention of the Star Sapphires.  They all retreat, and Diana proposes a new plan: all the Sapphires will channel their energy into her, something something, true love wins the day.

So Diana flies up to Kimberley, sword held aloft and blazing with violet energy, and announces, ‘boy did you make a mistake when you told me that you used to be a sad boy child! now I have only love in my heart for you!’

Karma Khameleon is like, ‘oh no, love! my one true weakness!’, and I’m like, “d… didn’t we just have this story?”

Then Diana straight-up stabs him with her love sword, and Korgo fades away with an ‘I’ll beat you next time, Captain Planet! Next tiiiiiime…’

Diana farewells the Star Sapphires, and Robinson shoehorns in this bit of virtue signalling:

Miri: Please… Diana, think of us as your sisters, too, for all time. Diana: Or “brother,” I notice. Miss Bloss: Love is love, no matter who bears the heart.

This is a welcome and needed change to the Star Sapphires. The fact that they have been portrayed up until this point as an all-women corps (with the exception of a few briefly deputised blokes) is bound up in ugly gendered ideas, exemplified by Geoff Johns’ comment in 2009 that “anyone can join, but most men are not worthy”.

But there’s something gratingly self-congratulatory in the execution of this course correction.  Robinson’s doing the absolute bare minimum here — including one or two male background characters in a handful of panels — and flagging it as progress with a phrase associated with the LGBTI community.  We haven’t even seen a single named male Sapphire, let alone one with a speaking part; I think it’s a little premature to be looking for kudos. And either Miri or Miss Bloss could very easily have been replaced in this story by a new male character.

The Sapphires teleport Diana back to Earth, where she finds DC a smoking ruin. And as the air clears, she sees—

—wait for it—

—this is truly shocking and terrifying—

THE DARK GODS MADE A MEGAZORD

THEY MADE A FUCKING MEGAZORD WITH THEIR DUMBASS FLYING STATUES

A GODDAMN MEGAZORD WHO WHAT HOW WHY.

Diana’s face does this:

[mercerislandbooks]

The Hits Just Keep On Coming

It feels dismissive to lump multiple deaths together, but we only post so many times per month so here I go. I cannot let any more weeks go by without publicly crying virtual tears for the back-to-back losses of Philip Roth, Tom Wolfe, and Anthony Bourdain. These three didn’t need death to glorify their contributions, but the last month inevitably brings their work to the forefront of our minds. At least Roth and Wolfe were well into their 80s, but at 61, Bourdain went far too young. All so different and unique, yet similarly groundbreaking and provocative, the publishing landscape will never be the same without their ongoing contributions.

Acerbic Philip Roth, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New Jersey master of the Jewish-American experience, delivered unmatched social commentary. As a secular Jew (and rabbi’s kid, no less), I brought my own personal baggage to Roth’s pessimistic and conflicting approach to Judaism in America. He pushed my buttons and made me reconsider my own feelings about Jewish American identity. Roth’s voice often embodied the stereotype of a self-loathing Jew, but his humor was the kind our culture understood all too well. I saw his effect on the readers around me, from my college professors to the congregants in my father’s synagogue. He was an unparalleled voice who carved a niche all his own.

The Roth essentials: Goodbye Columbus, Portnoy’s Complaint, The Ghost Writer, Sabbath’s Theater, American Pastoral, The Plot Against America, and Indignation.

Dapper Tom Wolfe had a knack for capturing particular moments in our culture. The white suit was his trademark. His writing style–filled with asterisks, exclamation points, repeating phrases and capitalized words–was equally distinctive. He was a remarkable social observer and satirist, although he stumbled into racist territory on more than one occasion. 

I was working at Simon & Schuster in 2004 when I Am Charlotte Simmons came out and remember thinking how odd it was that the author of The Right Stuff has taken on the subject of sex and status and a small-town girl at an elite college. That book was a disappointment and lackluster compared to his earlier triumphs. I admired him for going after something different and the broad reach of his subject material, but it was also a good lesson to me as a developing reader. Even the most lauded and successful writers don’t know what they’re doing all of the time.

Wolfe feuded with his contemporaries, often trading insults with other heavy-hitting authors including John Updike, John Irving, and Norman Mailer. But you don’t have to like him, or his work, to acknowledge that his death is a major loss. 

The Wolfe essentials: The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Right Stuff, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers, and The Painted Word.

Badass celebrity chef and world traveler Anthony Bourdain changed the way we think about our food. He was a complex character and a superhuman force. There are more wackadoodle stories about Bourdain than I can count. He ate the most disgusting-sounding foods by never shying away from delicacies in other countries. He and his production crew got stuck in Beirut in 2006 when the the Israel-Lebanon conflict broke out and translated the experience into an Emmy award. He made the most random cameos in movies and on television. He had his own publishing imprint. 

If you’re interested in a different side of Bourdain before his food writing took center stage, Bourdain wrote crime noir, a genre he loved. His crime fiction is actually a good window into the real Anthony Bourdain, and one of his favorite crime novels was The Friends of Eddie Coyle by George V. Higgins, a dialogue-driven tale of thieves, mobsters, and cops on the mean streets of Boston. 

Then there’s his love of comics, as evidenced in his now final book already slated for October 2018. Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts is part horror anthology, part graphic novel, and part cookbook. Who else would know how to mix up that combination?

The Bourdain essentials include Kitchen Confidential, Medium Raw, No Reservations, A Cook’s Tour, and Appetites. 

Roth, Wolfe, and Bourdain leaving this world in such rapid succession took my mind in all kinds of directions. It all seemed so surreal and had an impact on the way I’ve been looking at the bookshelves in our store. 

My 5-year-old son and I often have profound conversations about life, death, and solar systems as I tuck him into bed at night. This week we talked about the ways that people live on after they die. He’s in the middle of a growing fascination with Michael Jackson, so I explained to him that while MJ is already gone, he’s just getting to know him and that’s the great beauty of lasting art. (Caveat: if this kid doesn’t stop acting out the Thriller video and scaring his sisters I might lose it.)

While the curtain has fallen on further work from Roth, Wolfe, and Bourdain, I’m confident that many readers will be making some new friends this summer with some special guys named Philip, Tom, and Tony. At the very least, I’ll take comfort in the fact that we can still hang out with all they left behind.

–Miriam