Home of stuff I reblog and the occasional original post

kinda late but wtv

Ryland is finding out more than just how to maybe engineer enough sugar to make Skittles....

Names...

It's funny how some names survive when others don't.

Trying to be comforting after being called the butcher for the majority of your life and it not going well.. yeah that would ruin my day

I see Grace as the guy who as soon as emotional stuff happens he's like "I've gotta go process this!"

For the writers struggling to rid themselves of the classic ‘said’. Some are repeated in different categories since they fit multiple ones (but those are counted once so it adds up to 100 new words). 

1. Neutral Tags 

Straightforward and unobtrusive dialogue tags: 

Added, Replied, Stated, Remarked, Responded, Observed, Acknowledged, Commented, Noted, Voiced, Expressed, Shared, Answered, Mentioned, Declared.

2. Questioning Tags 

Curious, interrogative dialogue tags:

Asked, Queried, Wondered, Probed, Inquired, Requested, Pondered, Demanded, Challenged, Interjected, Investigated, Countered, Snapped, Pleaded, Insisted.

3. Emotive Tags 

Emotional dialogue tags:

Exclaimed, Shouted, Sobbed, Whispered, Cried, Hissed, Gasped, Laughed, Screamed, Stammered, Wailed, Murmured, Snarled, Choked, Barked.

4. Descriptive Tags 

Insightful, tonal dialogue tags: 

Muttered, Mumbled, Yelled, Uttered, Roared, Bellowed, Drawled, Spoke, Shrieked, Boomed, Snapped, Groaned, Rasped, Purred, Croaked.

5. Action-Oriented Tags 

Movement-based dialogue tags: 

Announced, Admitted, Interrupted, Joked, Suggested, Offered, Explained, Repeated, Advised, Warned, Agreed, Confirmed, Ordered, Reassured, Stated.

6. Conflict Tags 

Argumentative, defiant dialogue tags:

Argued, Snapped, Retorted, Rebuked, Disputed, Objected, Contested, Barked, Protested, Countered, Growled, Scoffed, Sneered, Challenged, Huffed.

7. Agreement Tags 

Understanding, compliant dialogue tags: 

Agreed, Assented, Nodded, Confirmed, Replied, Conceded, Acknowledged, Accepted, Affirmed, Yielded, Supported, Echoed, Consented, Promised, Concurred.

8. Disagreement Tags 

Resistant, defiant dialogue tags: 

Denied, Disagreed, Refused, Argued, Contradicted, Insisted, Protested, Objected, Rejected, Declined, Countered, Challenged, Snubbed, Dismissed, Rebuked.

9. Confused Tags 

Hesitant, uncertain dialogue tags:

Stammered, Hesitated, Fumbled, Babbled, Mumbled, Faltered, Stumbled, Wondered, Pondered, Stuttered, Blurted, Doubted, Confessed, Vacillated.

10. Surprise Tags

Shock-inducing dialogue tags:

Gasped, Stunned, Exclaimed, Blurted, Wondered, Staggered, Marvelled, Breathed, Recoiled, Jumped, Yelped, Shrieked, Stammered.

Note: everyone is entitled to their own opinion. No I am NOT telling people to abandon said and use these. Yes I understand that said is often good enough, but sometimes you WANT to draw attention to how the character is speaking. If you think adding an action/movement to your dialogue is 'good enough' hate to break it to you but that ruins immersion much more than a casual 'mumbled'. And for the last time: this is just a resource list, CALM DOWN. Hope that covers all the annoyingly redundant replies :)

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Check out the rest of Quillology with Haya; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors!

one must imagine simon iron lung happy

plus, stood about three feet away (the best wingbuddy):

close ups + no text under cut :]

the concept of star-eating microbes causing a crisis and the solution being the introduction of space wolves to space yellowstone to control the space elk population. i love a good trophic cascade

dr ryland grace immediately pitching "turn the spaceship into a giant centrifuge to generate gravity" and then not balancing his actual centrifuge later on

the entire "life is reason" scene really

grace forgetting to open the mystery alien container in a fume hood AND immediately sticking his nose in it. if we did this in chemistry lab we were executed on the spot

academia drama being one of the cornerstones of grace's character

grace switching through every spectrum setting on the microscope to try to see into the astrophages and not being able to (relatable)

also: the astrophage dying and grace going "ohhh it died..." (very relatable)

grace having his not-scientist buddy Carl to give him frank solutions when he's overthinking. yes, often the solution is just to put the box in another box

copious duct tape usage

just sticking a filter into the path of the petrova line to collect astrophage goop

eva going "so it's alive" when grace tells them the astrophage are moving, and him being like "WELL ok that could be for a lot of reasons" in the tone of someone who doesn't even know where to start explaining why that's a hasty assumption

grace referring to the first new astrophage as his and carl's baby multiple times (HIGHLY relatable)

Simon, who cannot stand a silence anymore, grabbing him by the collar: if you shut up i will die. Now, explain to me how you defended this thesis of yours.

Grace fell asleep in his biodome on Erid, and wakes up in the middle of a submarine at the bottom of the blood ocean. He (and Simon) are understandably freaked out by his sudden appearance, and Grace is even more freaked out by his surroundings. They're shouting at each other, Simon is ready to fight, swearing up a storm, while Grace is trying to simultaneously cower away and not touch any of the blood-soaked walls. It's pure chaos.

Suddenly the radio kicks on, Ava demanding to know what's happening. Simon does his best to explain, but he's frustrated and confused and not entirely convinced this is real. But then Grace cuts in, and starts to ramble as he tries to figure out how he got there, talking about wormholes and hallucinogens and the side-effects of long-term heavy metal exposure. He's flustered, and when he gets flustered, he starts talking.

And up on the surface, Ava just freezes. Because she doesn't know how the fuck Grace got down there, but she knows what he is. And what he is, is a scientist, something humanity desperately needs. The Quiet Rapture wiped out most of the human race's scientific minds, and the few that remained were fought over fiercely by the different factions, often to their detriment. Grace would be an incredible resource, if he actually knows as much as his ranting seems to imply.

The blood ocean might be able to help humanity, but a scientist definitely can. Especially a scientist with as diverse a portfolio as Grace. He may have started off as a microbiologist, but during his time on Project Hail Mary and his mission to Tau Ceti, Grace has picked up a little bit of everything. He is arguably the smartest person alive in the universe at the moment. And while Ava might not realize this, she knows enough to recognize that he's valuable.

She orders Simon to come back up to the surface.