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ambrossart · 1 year

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Bad Omens

summary: after experiencing the most unlucky morning of his life, eddie is convinced that doom is on the horizon. all his friends think he's just being paranoid, but then jeff receives an unexpected request from you, eddie's little harbinger of misfortune.

pairing: eddie munson x dwm!reader word count: 4,633 warnings: middle school, young!eddie, insecure!eddie, language, bullying, teasing, secret crushes, the unnamed freak is named grant in this series

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It was a dull, dreary, rainy morning for all the students hanging out in the Hawkins Middle School cafeteria. They sat in small, quiet clusters around the room, eating, talking, scrambling to finish last night’s homework. Jeff was part of the latter group, and like everyone else, he was having a hard time staying awake.

While the rain pattered softly against the window, he sat slumped over the table with his chin on his wrist, struggling to resist sleep’s sweet siren song. His social studies book lay in front of him, open to his current reading assignment: something about the Incas or the Mayans (Jeff couldn’t keep them straight and, this late in the school year, he didn’t have the motivation to care). He kept reading the same sentence over and over, but the words always got lost in the fog of his thoughts. His eyes, listless and heavy-lidded, blurred with tears every time he—

Another yawn snuck up on him, threatening to split his mouth wide open. Jeff raised his head and surrendered to it, let it wash over him and then drift away, leaving little pools of moisture in the corners of his tired eyes. He wiped them away with his sleeve, put his chin down, and went back to reading.

“Dude, you gotta stop yawning,” Grant said. Then he let out a big yawn of his own.

He was slicing through the school’s frozen waffles with a fork. Inside the other compartments of his tray were two greasy sausage links, a cup of assorted fruit, and two cartons of milk. Grant always bought an extra milk because one was never enough.

“They’re too small,” he would say. “You finish one before you’re even halfway done with your food.”

“Boy, this is riveting stuff,” Scottie would answer. “Now, Grant, how ‘bout you share with us your thoughts on the basic four food groups? For instance, should fruits and vegetables really be grouped together?”

Then someone, usually Eddie, would tell Scottie to shut up, and that would be the end of it.

“God, these are awful,” Grant was saying now, while he stuffed a waffle square into his mouth and forced himself to chew. “Just look at ‘em. Pale, lifeless, cold in the middle. It’s like they have no pride in their product.”

“And yet you keep eating it,” Scottie said while he doodled in his notebook. “See, Grant? You’re part of the problem.”

“I have to,” Grant answered with a shrug. “You know I can’t go to class on an empty stomach. When I get hungry, my stomach growls really, really loud, and I’ve got a test coming up. Can you imagine what it’ll sound like in a room that quiet? Everyone will hear it and they’ll know it came from me. I can’t handle that kinda stress.”

Scottie’s doodling hand slowed. He stared at Grant with bored, blinking eyes.

Then he said, “I keep going back to the tombs. I feel like the tombs are crucial.”

Jeff lifted his chin off his wrist. “What?”

“He’s talking about his campaign.”

“Oh.”

Shocker. Scottie was always talking about his campaign.

“I still haven’t come up with a name for it,” Scottie said. “So far, I’ve got Into the Delves, The Delves of Dunmar, The Delves of Dunland, Digging in the Delves, Digging in the Dark Delves…”

“Why are you so stuck on ‘delves’?” Jeff asked.

“I dunno, I just like the way it sounds.”

“Yeah, but I thought it was about a tomb.”

“Well, what’s a delve?”

“It’s not a tomb! A delve is like a cave or something.”

“A hollow,” said Grant, “or a pit… a grotto.”

“It’s also a verb, which means ‘to dig,’ which would make half those titles kinda redundant.”

Scottie’s shoulder sank. “Well, shit,” he said. “Now I’m back to square one.”

He tore out the page and crumpled it up.

“Hey, where’s Munson? He usually comes in hot with all kinds of weird ideas. They’re usually shit, but sometimes there’s a little diamond hiding in there, and I pluck it out and shine it up real pretty until it glows into a sparkling, wonderful idea.”

Jeff cracked a smirk. “You’re like Rumpelstiltskin spinning straw into gold.”

Scottie squinted at him. “Rumple who?”

“Rumpelstiltskin. It’s a German fairytale. Sorry, my lab partner got her hands on a book of Grimm fairytales and now she’s like Mother Goose. She brings them to class and reads me her favorite ones. Except these aren’t nice, happy fairytales. These are like weird and creepy. Like in one, this girl gets kidnapped by a rabbit or something and is forced to marry him.”

“Oh, ‘The Hare’s Bride,’” said Grant. “That’s a good one.”

“You know it?”

“I know a lot of things I shouldn’t.”

Scottie rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Grant, you’re just a well of knowledge. A giant, giant well.”

Grant ignored him and went on talking: “I thought she was into Lovecraft.”

“No, that was last month, thank God. I’m so glad that phase is over. Those stories are the stuff of nightmares.”

“Speaking of nightmares,” Scottie said. “Did anyone else get a weird call from Gareth last night?”

Jeff and Grant shook their heads.

“Well, he called me at like eleven o’clock ranting about the Antichrist and the end of the world. It took me a while to decipher what he was actually saying, but I guess he was watching The Omen last night, and a bird flew into his window and broke its neck, so naturally he started freaking out, like Gareth always does, and the whole time I was thinking, Dude, this why your mommy doesn’t let you watch horror movies. The kid just can’t handle ‘em.”

“Weird,” Grant said. Then he perked up and said, “Hey, here comes Eddie!”

Their friend had come gusting in from the rain and was now trudging through the cafeteria, stomping muddy shoeprints all over the tile. He had yet to draw back the hood of his black sweatshirt, which to the rest of the students, gave him a striking (and amusing) resemblance to the Grim Reaper. Some of them snickered as he passed. One girl cupped her hand over her mouth and said to her friend, “Go back to the graveyard, Eddie Munster,” and the girls tittered hysterically while clinging to each other. Eddie pretended like he couldn’t hear them, but he could. He always could.

He threw his backpack to the floor, ripped off his hood, and slammed both his hands onto the table.

“Guys, something horrible’s about to happen.”

“Yes!” Scottie said, pumping his fists excitedly. “Let’s fucking go! You’re all worked up. You’ve got that crazy intensity in your eyes. This is gonna be just what I need. Hold on, lemme get a new page ready. Make sure my pen has plenty of ink.” He scribbled with his pen, gave a satisfied nod, and settled back into his seat. “All right, gimme some straw, Rumpleskillskin.”

A deep crease formed between Eddie’s brows. “What’s he talking about?”

“Just ignore him,” Jeff said. He closed his social studies book and gave Eddie his full attention. “What happened, man?”

Eddie pulled out a chair, sat down, and dragged his fingers through his damp hair. “Okay, so last night I woke up with this horrible and just uneasy feeling, y’know? It was like this massive weight was just sitting on top of my chest. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. It was fucking terrifying.”

“What, you mean like sleep paralysis?” Scottie said. “Was a demon sitting on your chest, like in that…? Wait, what’s that painting again?”

“The Nightmare,” Grant said.

Scottie snapped his fingers at him. “Yes, thank you! ‘The Nightmare.’ Is that what you had, Munson? Did you have a little nighttime visitor? Did it whisper to you in the dark? Did it tell you secrets about the afterlife? Or maybe, you know, give you ideas for my campaign?”

“Oh, would you stop?” Jeff said to him, and Scottie threw up his hands, as if to say, What? I’m desperate!

“Keep going, Eddie. You woke up with a really bad feeling. What happened after that?”

“Okay, so while I was laying there, I thought back to what Gareth said earlier. Did you guys know a bird flew into his window last night?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Scottie threw down his pen in frustration. “That’s what this is about? The fucking Omen? Eddie, relax, the Antichrist isn’t coming, okay? You and Gareth just have overactive imaginations and like to drive each other crazy with your paranoia. You guys need to go outside and get some fresh air every once in a while.”

“What?” Eddie said. “I’m not talking about the Antichrist! Look, something bad’s gonna happen, you guys. I can feel it. And right now I’m having the worst day of my life. My alarm didn’t go off this morning, so I was running really fucking late. The roof started leaking from all the rain, and everything on my desk got drenched. My books. My homework. Everything. It’s all just ruined, so I dunno what I’m gonna do about that. Then the chain came off my bike while I was riding to school, and I crashed face-first into a puddle of muddy water. It was disgusting and I think I swallowed some of it. I had to walk my bike the rest of the way, and who did I see as soon as I got to school? Her. Because, of course, I would see her on the worst morning of my life. I see her every other morning, why would today be any different? She was just sitting on the steps with a book on her lap. I swear, it was like she was waiting for me or something. She smiled that smile and giggled that giggle, and she said, ‘Rough day, huh, Mudson?’”

Scottie stifled a laugh. “She called you ‘Mudson’? Okay, that’s actually kinda clever.”

“It’s not clever,” Eddie said. “It’s not funny. It’s not cute. Y’know Gareth’s all worried about the Antichrist, but… as far as I’m concerned, the Antichrist is already here, and her name is—”

“She’s not the Antichrist,” Jeff said. “Now you’re just being overdramatic.”

“Yeah, well, her giggle signals doom, so…”

Scottie said, “What, is she like a banshee or something?” and his eyes lit up. “Oh, a banshee, I like that. A banshee wailing in the dark. Shrieking… shrieking… Yes, I’m starting to feel it now. There’s definitely something there.”

He put his pen to the paper and tuned everyone else out. Meanwhile, Jeff leaned back in his chair and gave a solemn nod.

“Okay, Eddie, you had a bad morning, I’ll give you that, but that’s all it was, man. A bad morning. It doesn’t mean something horrible’s about to happen to you.”

“Yeah,” Grant said. “I mean, there’s a logical explanation for most of that stuff. Like your alarm not going off? You probably lost power at some point last night. The leak in your roof? Well, dude, you live in an old trailer and it was raining pretty hard last night. Leaks like that are bound to happen. It sucks, but it’s really not that weird. And chains come off bikes all the time. Same thing happened to me last month. As for your little doom-giggler, well… that girl’s always giggling at you.”

“Exactly,” Scottie said as he put down his pen. “She’s just your little heckler, Munson. Just a sweet little sixth-grader that likes to watch you squirm. God, I’d love to meet this girl. I wanna go up to her and shake her hand and thank her for giving me so much entertainment this year. I’m really gonna miss her.”

“Shut up,” Eddie said. He leaned onto his forearms and went quiet, simmering in his thoughts.

“Feel better?” Grant asked after a minute.

“No.”

“Well, have a fruit cup.”

Grant plucked his cup off his tray and set it down in front of him.

“Thanks,” Eddie said, and Jeff clapped him on the shoulder.

“Hey, relax, man. Try to look on the bright side. School’s almost out, summer vacation’s coming up, and we’ve got three months of D&D to look forward to. Scottie says this campaign’s gonna be the best one yet.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Eddie muttered. He stuck his fingers into the cup and felt something wet slap the top of his hand.

It was an orange wedge.

“What the fuck?”

He drew back just as a second wedge came skipping across the table. It landed beside Grant’s breakfast tray. Then a third bounced off the side of Jeff’s head—“Ow!”—and plopped onto Scottie’s notebook.

“What, is it raining oranges now?” Scottie made a sickened face and flicked it away. “Is this part of your apocalypse, Eddie?”

“No, I dunno what this is.” Eddie turned his head and—“God dammit!”

Andy Hauffman and Clay Howard were sitting a few tables over and throwing orange wedges at them. Andy said, “Thought you could use some vitamin C, Munster!” and fired another one. It clipped Eddie on the shoulder and left a wet mark on his sweater.

Jeff ducked down and said, “Wait, why do they think Eddie needs vitamin C?”

Scottie shrugged. “Because they wanna boost his immune system?”

Grant sighed. An orange landed on his thigh. “They mean vitamin D.”

“Oh,” Scottie said. “See, that makes more sense, because Eddie’s so pale and hates the sun.”

“I don’t hate the sun!” Eddie said, and winced as the next wedge gave him a big kiss on the cheek. He wiped the wetness away with his hand while Clay gave Andy a high five and said, “Nice one, dude!”

Eddie turned around and glared at them. Clay just laughed and chucked another one. Eddie swung his hand at it, missed, and got hit anyway. After that, he finally gave up and put his head down on the table. “I fucking hate this school.”

“Dude, just ignore them,” Scottie said. “They’re idiots, man. They can’t even insult you properly. Besides, you should consider yourself lucky they only throw fruit at you. Last week, they depantsed me and shoved me into the girls’ locker room. I’ve never heard so many girls laugh in my life. They’d never do that to you, though, ‘cause they’re too scared you might bring a knife to school and stab them.”

A stunned silence consumed the table. Jeff had his hand pressed to his forehead. Grant froze in mid-drink. An orange wedge struck his cheek and made it jiggle.

“Hey—” Jeff began in a low voice.

Eddie pushed himself to his feet, yanked his backpack off the floor, and stormed out of the cafeteria.

“Oh, come on, Munson,” Scottie said as he went by. “It’s funny ‘cause your dad’s in prison! Everyone thinks you’re gonna shank someone. Oh god, there he goes again… off to find a dark corner to brood in… Poor, Eddie, nobody understands you, waah, waah, waah.”

“Dude,” Jeff said. “Enough.”

“What?” Scottie said. “I’m just trying to toughen the guy up a little. If he thinks middle school’s bad, high school’s gonna be a nightmare for him. What, does he think people are suddenly gonna stop thinking he’s trailer trash? I had a stutter when I was six and they still call me ‘Suh-Suh-Sloman.’ Kids suck. They’re always gonna suck. He needs to accept that and move on.”

Scottie picked up his pen, put it back to the paper, and sighed.

“I went too far, didn’t I? Oh shit… I’ll make it up to him later.”

Grant finished his breakfast in silence. Jeff opened his textbook and returned to his reading assignment.

“You know what, though,” Scottie said after a while, “I kinda know what he’s talking about. There’s something in the air today. I dunno how to describe it. It’s like electric or something. I can feel it pulsing through my veins. Yeah, I think something really exciting’s about to happen, you guys.”

Jeff hadn’t given much thought to what Scottie had said, not until he sat down in his fourth-period science class.

It was the strangest thing. As soon as his back pressed against the cold metal chair, a tingle ran up his spine and made all the little hairs on his arm stand on end. Electric, he thought, and immediately shoved the thought away. Come on, get ahold of yourself, Jeff. He wasn’t about to get all worked up over some silly superstition.

At eleven-o-one, the door swung open and you walked into the science lab, your nose wrinkling instantly from the sharp lemon scent of disinfectant.

Oh good, Jeff thought. A weird, whimsical story from you was sure to mend his frayed nerves. All right, Mother Goose, what creepy tale do you have for me today?

You slid into the chair beside him, laid all your materials on the table, and said… nothing, absolutely nothing. This morning, you were oddly quiet. Disturbingly quiet. Instead of gushing about your latest obsession, you were staring at the empty chalkboard and tugging at your sweater sleeve. This made Jeff a little anxious.

“No stories for me today?”

You raised your eyebrows at him. “Hm? Oh, uhh, no… not today.”

The book of Grimm fairytales lay on top of your notebook, its cover lightly speckled from the rain. How long did you sit out there waiting for him? Jeff wondered. Ten minutes? Twenty? He could almost picture it: you sitting out in the cold, barely sheltered from the rain, huddled over your book, frowning miserably, trying to stay warm, trying to read, stopping every other sentence to look up and see if Eddie had arrived yet. Man, say what you want about her, but you gotta admire the girl’s commitment.

With this in mind, Jeff decided to shift to a different tactic. He leaned back and folded his arms over his chest.

“So… Mudson, huh?”

And just like that, your eyes sparked with life, like two little lightning bolts.

(Electric)

You placed your hand over your mouth and giggled. It was impish yet innocent, and it brought a much-needed smile to Jeff’s face.

“So he mentioned it, huh?” you said, delighted by the thought.

“Yeah,” Jeff said. “Yeah, he definitely did…”

“It just kinda slipped out, you know? He showed up all wet and muddy, and my brain naturally mashed the two words together.” To illustrate this, you smashed your fist into your palm. Then you broke up into giggles again. “Oh my god, you should have seen his face, Jeff. He was so pissed!”

“Yeah, well… Eddie’s not having a very good day.”

Your chest rose with a sharp breath. “Why? What happened?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jeff said, but he knew you would anyway.

You fell back against your chair, dejected, and dropped your gaze to the floor. In a small, guilty voice, you said, “It really did slip out.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jeff said. “Like I said, don’t worry about it, okay? It’s not because of you.”

The rest of the students came trickling in and class finally began.

Afterwards, while everyone was packing up and getting ready to go to lunch, you turned to Jeff and said, “Hey… uhh, you know that fantasy game you’re always playing?”

“You mean D&D?”

“Yeah, that one,” you said, and suddenly that strange, tingly feeling had returned. It had jumped off the chair and was now crawling up Jeff’s back like a big, hairy spider. He looked at you and wondered if you felt it, too.

(Or maybe he was just losing his mind. Or having a stroke.)

Jeff rolled his shoulders a few times, trying to rid himself of the feeling. Then he snatched his books and quickly headed for the door. You followed him out.

“So, umm, hypothetically speaking, how would one go about joining? Like, is there an interview or an application process? Do you have to sacrifice your firstborn child? What’s the procedure here?”

“Uhh, I dunno,” Jeff said. “Nobody’s ever really wanted to join before. Why? You interested?”

“Kind of… I mean, it may have crossed my mind. You know, you just make it sound so interesting when you talk about it.”

“Oh,” Jeff replied with a sly smile, “so I’ve piqued your interest, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

Jeff nodded, still smiling. “And this has nothing to do with your massive crush on Eddie?”

“No…” You paused, fell a few steps behind, and ran to catch up with him. “Is it that obvious?”

“Well, not to Eddie. He thinks you hate him.”

You cringed. “Yeah, we kinda got off on the wrong foot…”

“Yeah, you got off on the wrong foot and just kept on walking, didn’t you?”

“Hey, it’s not my fault! School really brings out the worst in me, you know? I can’t relax. I feel like I always have to be on the defensive. Middle school is basically hell on earth, and I’ve had to develop some really sharp edges in order to survive this place. Sometimes I cut people without meaning to. And he’s just so sensitive, Jeff. Every little comment sets him off.”

“Yeah, well, that’s Eddie for you…”

“A tragedy is what it is. He has all this potential, but he’s just wasting it! Right now he’s Bruce Banner, but he could be the Incredible Hulk if he wanted to.”

Bruce Banner? The Incredible Hulk? Boy, Jeff was really starting to regret lending you his old comic books.

“Look, Eddie doesn’t wanna be the Incredible Hulk, okay? He wants to be Bruce Banner. He just wants to blend in and be left alone.”

“Well… too bad! I want him to be the Incredible Hulk. And don’t pretend like you don’t agree with me, Jeff. Eddie would be so much happier if he would just stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. He can do it when he’s playing guitar on stage. Why can’t he do it at school?”

“Because Eddie’s a very complicated person.”

“I know. He’s fascinating.” You hugged your books close to your chest and let out a dreamy sigh. “I just don’t understand why he tries so hard to pretend he’s boring and normal. His crazy side’s way more entertaining. I’ve seen glimpses of it when he thinks nobody’s paying attention. Oh my god, Jeff, he’s such a little weirdo! He gets all dorky and hyper, but then he notices me watching him and, you know, runs away. It’s such a bummer. Like, stop teasing me with the trailers, Munson, just gimme the full show! It’s like he’s got a little monster hiding inside him, and I just wanna rip it out and unleash it on the whole town!”

Jeff put his hand up to stop you. “Okay, don’t ever say that to him. Ever. Trust me, the last thing Eddie wants to hear is that you think he’s got a monster inside him.”

You both turned at the end of the hallway. Jeff’s shoulder accidentally bumped against yours and he drew back suddenly, with a jerk. There it was again, that spine-tingling, unnerving feeling. Except this time it wasn’t in the air. It wasn’t clinging to his chair. This time it was radiating off you like some invisible force field. When Jeff touched your shoulder, he felt it surge through his whole body like a shock of static electricity.

“Oh my god,” he said, “you’re Eddie’s bad feeling!”

You scrunched up your face. “What?”

Jeff gave his back to you and broke into a near-jog. You chased after him, calling his name.

“Look, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you, okay?” Jeff ripped open his locker and dumped everything inside. When he closed the door, you were standing on the other side, staring at him with confusion. “I mean, what do you think’s gonna happen, anyway? You think Eddie’s gonna wanna date you or something? Because I can tell you right now that’s never gonna happen.”

A silent gasp escaped Jeff’s lips. You stared at him with a startled, wounded expression.

“Oh, damn it,” he said, and knocked his head against his locker door. “Hey, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

“Whatever.” You sniffed loudly and wiped your runny nose on the back of your hand. “I mean, you’re probably right, anyway. It’s not like I’m blind or stupid, Jeff. I know I’m not exactly the prettiest girl in school.”

“Oh, come on, that’s not what I meant.”

“Yeah, I know what you meant,” you said, and wiped your nose again. “Eddie’s fourteen and next year he’s going to high school. He’s not gonna be interested in dating some twelve-year-old, not even if she was a lot prettier than me. I know that. I’m not delusional or anything. I’ve already accepted that my parents had sex two years too late, okay? I’m not quite tall enough to ride that rollercoaster. That’s why I need some time to… well, you know…”

“Get taller?” Jeff said, cracking a smile.

“Exactly,” you said, and giggled. “Look, I know Eddie doesn’t think very highly of me right now. I bet he thinks I’m really annoying, right?”

“Yeah… he called you the Antichrist this morning.”

“See, that’s… Wait, he called me the Antichrist? Seriously? That’s what he thinks of me? I’m the spawn of Satan?”

“Pretty sure he was just exaggerating.”

“Yeah, that better be some crazy hyperbole ‘cause I dunno how I’m supposed to recover from that.”

You both laughed at that for a minute. Then you squeezed your hands into fists and gave him a pleading look.

“I just need time, Jeff, and right now I don’t have enough. School’s almost over and next year Eddie’s going to high school. He’s gonna be gone for two years while I’m trapped in this purgatory that is middle school. This summer’s my last chance to spend time with him. To make a good impression on him. Show him that I’m not the Antichrist. Holy shit, I still can’t believe he called me the Antichrist! Like, I know he doesn’t think much of me, but that seems a little harsh, doesn’t it?” You gave your head a shake and refocused. “But, hey, that’s okay. I can dig myself out of that hole. It might take me a while, but I’ll get there eventually. And then maybe, like in a few years or so, he’ll start to like me, too… maybe… but I’m not expecting anything. I mean, don’t get me wrong, that’s definitely the ideal scenario, but I’ll settle for whatever I can get at this point. Shit, anything’s better than the Antichrist, right?”

You gave a helpless but hopeful shrug. Jeff rubbed the back of his neck, mulling it over.

“You know you’re putting me in a tough spot here.”

“I know.”

“And Eddie’s really not gonna like this.”

“I know.”

Jeff sighed. “Okay,” he said, and your face lit up like the sky on the Fourth of July. “But listen to me: if I do this for you, if I stick my neck out for you, you have to promise to be on your best behavior, okay? You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into here. This isn’t just a game for us, especially not for Eddie. He takes his D&D very seriously. It’s like sacred to him. He’s not gonna like you goofing around.”

“I won’t goof around. I won’t, I won’t.”

You did.

A lot.

Sorry, Eddie, Jeff thought, looks like your nightmare’s about to come true.

He walked into the cafeteria with his tray, found his friends sitting at their usual table, and sat down.

“Guys, I’m calling an emergency party meeting.”

Eddie’s whole body tensed with dread. “Why? What’s going on?”

SERIES MASTERPOST

FANFICTION MASTERLIST

#stranger things #eddie munson #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson x you #stranger things 4 #fanfic #eddie munson fics #eddie munson x dwm!reader #dancing with myself #dwm #dwm mini fic #dwm middle school fic #ambrossart

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spanishskulduggery · 1 year

Note

what are some of the most specific verbs you can think of

I realized halfway through that you were talking about REALLY specific verbs and by then it was too late.

So most of these are going to be verbs that you can actually use, just often in really specific situations. Many have other meanings today rather than what they actually meant at the time, but that's just how language is

mantear = to toss someone/something in a blanket (usually in celebration)

agonizar = to die slowly, to be dying

santiguarse = to make the sign of the cross

campeonar = to win a championship

enmadrar(se) = to become very close/attached to one's mother

afrancesar = to become like the French, to take on French mannerisms and culture, to act French

zarpar = to set sail

izar = to hoist, to raise a flag, to raise up (via ropes usually)

aguar = to water down, to add water to

acorazar = to armor up [lit. it meant "to put on a breastplate", but it has come to mean "to cover in armor" or "to add plating" similar to the verb blindar]

enramar = to cover in branches / to put in the branches

degollar = to slit someone's throat

añejar = to age [often said of wine or cheese] / to make something old

elaborar = to brew [lit. "to elaborate" or "to work on", it comes across as "to brew" for alcohol or when you're making soups or stews etc or just anything that takes a long time to get right; it kind of more literally means "to work on over a long period of time", that kind of "elaborate", but it can also mean "to elaborate" as in "to add more details"]

defenestrar = to dismiss / to throw someone out of the window

asomar(se) = to start to appear, to peek out, to lean out [it literally means "to show up upon/above", but it can be "(for a storm) to brew", or "to lean out of a window"... it also shows up in the expression hablando del rey de Roma (y por la puerta se asoma) which is "speak of the devil (and he shall appear)", but literally "speaking of the king of Rome and he leans in the doorway"]

embarrar = to cover in mud / to muddy / "to sling mud", "to play dirty" enlodar = to cover in mud

encanecer = to get gray hair, "to go gray"

ahorquillar = to make something forked / to make something look like a fork

velar = to stay awake / to stand vigil [it also means "to put on a veil", but velar as "to stay awake" is literally just no dormir "to not sleep", so it can be "to stay up all night"; the idea is related to "vigil" as in "the people who stay awake to keep watch", so it can be understood as to defend or to watch over someone especially at night]

arborizar = to forest, to plant trees

dactilografiar = to type [an old word; it literally means "to write with one's fingers", today it's usually teclar or tipear or just escribir but this especially was when people used typewriters]

emboscar = to ambush [lit. it means "to put in the woods" or "to (hide) in the woods"]

soslayar = to lay something on its side / to bypass

rociar = to spray, to sprinkle [lit. "for it to be dewy" or "for there to be dew"]

compincharse = to conspire [lit. "to become accomplices", "to accomplice oneself"]

pavonear(se) = to peacock, to parade around [lit. "to peacock", where it's related to el pavo real "peacock"; sometimes it's "to strut" and is compared to the walk of a turkey or peacock]

cabalgar = to go riding (on horseback)

encabalgar = to enjamb [in poetry], to use an enjambment / to rest upon

desengañar(se) = "to come to one's senses", to become disabused of a notion [lit. "to un-fool oneself"] / to become disappointed (by the true reality of a situation, usually)

morar = to dwell

ensimismar(se) = to become withdrawn, "to go into one's own little world"

ladrar = for a dog to bark, to bark

mugir = for a cow to moo, to moo

maullar = for a cat to meow, to meow

empalagar = to cloy, to be sickly sweet / "to lay it on thick", "to be overly kind/sweet"

engatusar = to trick (with flattery)

empanar = to bread, to coat in breadcrumbs

cecear = "to lisp" [it's related to the pronunciation of C, Z, and S; where el ceceo is excessively lisping for some people, but regionally that's an accent usually in parts of Spain]

ahijar = to adopt (a child), to care for a child as if they were your own prohijar = to adopt (a child)

amadrinar = to be a godmother, to sponsor a child (as a woman) amadrinar(se) = to become a bridesmaid

apadrinar = to be a godfahter, to sponsor a child (as a man) apadrinar(se) = to be a groomsman, to be the best man at a wedding

amainar = for wind/storms to die down [can also be used for headaches or panic attacks, generally something involuntary or a force of nature "dying down" or "stopping"]

peregrinar = to go on a pilgrimage, to make a pilgrimage

veranear = "to summer", to spend a summer somewhere

untar = to spread or smear (butter/cream cheese, anything spreadable)

amistar = to make friends, to befriend

enemistar = to make enemies

empollar = to incubate, to sit on eggs [lit. "to en-chicken" and I think that's beautiful]

parpadear = to blink [lit. "to eyelid"]

enchilar = to make spicy [lit. "to add chilis to"; it also means "to annoy", "to bother", "to make someone angry", or to feel other negative emotions in some countries - probably because "spicy" is related to "anger" or feelings of resentment in some expressions]

desahogarse = to vent, to unburden oneself, to talk about one's problems [lit. "to un-drown oneself"]

canturrear = to sing to oneself, to hum, to sing under one's breath [I think this is a mix of cantar "to sing" and tararear "to hum"]

azogar = to cover in silver / to fidget [lit. related to el azogue "quicksilver" which is the old word for mercury, it's believed azogar as "to twitch" or "fidget" is related to what people would do if they were suffering from mercury poisoning like from cinnabar]

encapuchar / encapotar = to cloak, to put a cloak on

embutir = to stuff, to pack / to stuff oneself, to pack food in your face, to wolf down

empachar, empapuciar, empapujar, empapuzar = to be sick to your stomach / to get indegestion / to eat (to the point of feeling sick) / "to be fed up", "to be sick of"

apedrear = to stone, to throw stones at someone (to death usually)

apellidar(se) = to take on a surname, to take a last name [it's also "to be called" same as llamarse but for last names - like "my last name is"]

ningunear = to give someone the cold shoulder, to ignore someone [lit. "to nobody someone"]

desamar = to fall out of love

romancear = to translate into a Romance language [usually Spanish and/or Latin; but it means something a bit different now]

callejear = to wander the streets, to gallivant

algodonar = to stuff with cotton, to bunch together a lot of cotton / to insulate or block up (usually with cotton)

esquilar = to shear (sheep) / to cut off a lot of hair, to shear

desquiciar(se) = to become unhinged [lit. it means "to come off its hinges" for doors; but it came to mean "to lose one's mind" the same way "unhinged" does in English]

encarpetar = to file away / to put in a folder / to shelve / to bury in paperwork

merendar = to have a snack / to have tea time [lit. "to have la merienda" which in some countries is translated as "a snack" or "high tea", but it's one of the meals of the day like a light lunch or second breakfast kind of thing]

anegar(se) = to flood, to become flooded/inundated

escopetear = to shoot with a shotgun

desacralizar = to demystify / to remove the holy or godly quality of something, to remove what's intimidating about something

encastillar = to fortify / to place or lock in a castle

desafinar = to be off-key, to be out of tune / "to be/sound out of whack" [usually said of the voice or musical instruments]

desahuciar = to evict / to declare something or someone to be a lost cause / to declare someone is terminally ill

trajear = to put on a suit / to look nice / to get dressed up

neologizar = to make up new words or expressions

Also, there's embarcar and desembarcar which are "to embark" and "to disembark"... but literally it means "to get on a boat" and "to get off a boat", which now extends to other stuff

Also very specific - aterrizar is "to touch down" or literally "to land on earth", so it now applies to planes "landing" or rockets coming back. But in that same vein:

amerizar = to land in the ocean

alunizar = to land on the moon

amartizar = to land on Mars

And so on... so you could say ajupiterizar for "to land on Jupiter", or aplutonar "to land on Pluto" in theory

You also have a lot of cooking verbs like this - encebollar is "to cover in onions" or "to add onions", or a very specific but useful one is hornear "to bake" which is literally "to put in the oven". There's also endulzar "to sweeten" or salar "to salt". There's also aceitar or enmantequillar which are "to oil" or "to butter", related to untar... though I believe both aceitar and untar can also mean "to bribe" [standard is sobornar] sort of like "to grease palms" in a way.

...Things that are really specific but also commonplace because of cooking

Related but you have verbs like almibarar "to cover in syrup" or "to honey", or almidonar "to starch" for clothes where it's "to add starch"

I would also add two that are in some contexts really specific - acostar(se) which is often "to sleep" or "to have sex with" literally means "to lie down on one's side"; and tumbar(se) which is also "to sleep" or "to go to bed" generally means "to lie flat on one's back" which I think is related to how bodies were placed in tombs [tumbas] hence the name

Also important note: there are many words that gained additional meanings over time, especially in technology. The prime examples are encender and apagar where encender meant "to light a fire", but it came to be "to turn on (an electronic device)" and "to turn on the lights" - similarly apagar meant "to extinguish (flames/a candle)" and now also means "to turn off electronics/lights"; these actions probably came from lighting lamps or candles etc but became different over time

Another good example is navegar "to navigate" which originally meant "to sail in a ship" which came to mean "to navigate", and also today means "to explore" or "to surf the web online" or "to browse"

And of course, who could forget desparangaricutirimicuarizar which is from a tongue twister involving a town and a volcano, don't worry about it

#Spanish #langblr #spanish vocabulary #learning spanish #language learning #asks #language #languages #vocabulario #so much vocab

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findinghomes · 1 year

Text

all of you, a verb in perfect view

part 1: the calm before the storm

11.7k | 1/2 | mature | tags: dnf, fluff, angst, soulmate au, fake dating (kind of?), sharing a bed, pining

“Are you and Dream together?”

“Shit.” George caught the fork at the last second. His heart was racing, but he suspected it had more to do with the question than almost losing the utensil in boiling water. “What’d you say?”

“You and Dream.” Sapnap’s small smirk was audible. “Are you together?”

Or, despite being soulmates, they do nothing about it (well, okay, maybe not nothing).

#dnf #dreamnotfound #dnf fics #my writing #the voted fic!!!!!!! woo!!!!!!!!!

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zoesblogsposts · 3 months

Text

o 625 words to know in your target language o

There is a really interesting blog called "Fluent Forever" that aids foreign language learners in tricks, tips and techniques to guide them to achieving fluency "quickly" and efficiently. One of the tricks is to learn these 625 vocab words in your target language, that way you have a basis to start delving into grammar with ease as you can understand a lot of vocab right off the bat. Plus this list of words are common across the world and will aid you in whatever language you are learning. Here is the list in thematic order

• Animal: dog, cat, fish, bird, cow, pig, mouse, horse, wing, animal

• Transportation: train, plane, car, truck, bicycle, bus, boat, ship, tire, gasoline, engine, (train) ticket, transportation

• Location: city, house, apartment, street/road, airport, train station, bridge hotel, restaurant, farm, court, school, office, room, town, university, club, bar, park, camp, store/shop, theater, library, hospital, church, market, country (USA,

France, etc.), building, ground, space (outer space), bank, location

• Clothing: hat, dress, suit, skirt, shirt, T-shirt, pants, shoes, pocket, coat, stain, clothing

• Color: red, green, blue (light/dark), yellow, brown, pink, orange, black, white, gray, color

• People: son, daughter, mother, father, parent (= mother/father), baby, man, woman, brother, sister, family, grandfather, grandmother, husband, wife, king, queen, president, neighbor, boy, girl, child (= boy/girl), adult (= man/woman), human (# animal), friend (Add a friend's name), victim, player, fan, crowd, person

• Job: Teacher, student, lawyer, doctor, patient, waiter, secretary, priest, police, army, soldier, artist, author, manager, reporter, actor, job

• Society: religion, heaven, hell, death, medicine, money, dollar, bill, marriage, wedding, team, race (ethnicity), sex (the act), sex (gender), murder, prison, technology, energy, war, peace, attack, election, magazine, newspaper, poison, gun, sport, race (sport), exercise, ball, game, price, contract, drug, sign, science, God

• Art. band, song, instrument (musical), music, movie, art

• Beverages: coffee, tea, wine, beer, juice, water, milk, beverage

• Food: egg, cheese, bread, soup, cake, chicken, pork, beef, apple, banana orange, lemon, corn, rice, oil, seed, knife, spoon, fork, plate, cup, breakfast, lunch, dinner, sugar, salt, bottle, food

• Home: table, chair, bed, dream, window, door, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, pencil, pen, photograph, soap, book, page, key, paint, letter, note, wall, paper, floor, ceiling, roof, pool, lock, telephone, garden, yard, needle, bag, box, gift, card, ring, tool

• Electronics: clock, lamp, fan, cell phone, network, computer, program (computer), laptop, screen, camera, television, radio

• Body: head, neck, face, beard, hair, eye, mouth, lip, nose, tooth, ear, tear (drop), tongue, back, toe, finger, foot, hand, leg, arm, shoulder, heart, blood, brain, knee, sweat, disease, bone, voice, skin, body

• Nature: sea, ocean, river, mountain, rain, snow, tree, sun, moon, world, Earth, forest, sky, plant, wind, soil/earth, flower, valley, root, lake, star, grass, leaf, air, sand, beach, wave, fire, ice, island, hill, heat, nature

• Materials: glass, metal, plastic, wood, stone, diamond, clay, dust, gold, copper, silver, material

• Math/Measurements: meter, centimeter, kilogram, inch, foot, pound, half, circle, square, temperature, date, weight, edge, corner

• Misc Nouns: map, dot, consonant, vowel, light, sound, yes, no, piece, pain, injury, hole, image, pattern, noun, verb, adjective

• Directions: top, bottom, side, front, back, outside, inside, up, down, left, right, straight, north, south, east, west, direction

• Seasons: Summer, Spring, Winter, Fall, season

• Numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 21, 22, 30, 31, 32, 40, 41, 42, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 62, 70, 71, 72, 80, 81, 82, 90, 91, 92, 100, 101, 102, 110, 111, 1000, 1001, 10000, 100000, million, billion, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, number

• Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December

• Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday

• Time: year, month, week, day, hour, minute, second, morning, afternoon, evening, night, time

• Verbs: work, play, walk, run, drive, fly, swim, go, stop, follow, think, speak/say, eat, drink, kill, die, smile, laugh, cry, buy, pay, sell, shoot(a gun), learn, jump, smell, hear (a sound), listen (music), taste, touch, see (a bird), watch (TV), kiss, burn, melt, dig, explode, sit, stand, love, pass by, cut, fight, lie down, dance, sleep, wake up, sing, count, marry, pray, win, lose, mix/stir, bend, wash, cook, open, close, write, call, turn, build, teach, grow, draw, feed, catch, throw, clean, find, fall, push, pull, carry, break, wear, hang, shake, sign, beat, lift

• Adjectives: long, short (long), tall, short (vs tall), wide, narrow, big/large, small/little, slow, fast, hot, cold, warm, cool, new, old (new), young, old (young), weak, dead, alive, heavy, light (heavy), dark, light (dark), nuclear, famous

#second language #language #learning #rory gilmore #smart #tips

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skyeventide · 2 years

Text

situation in which feanor is right: the renaming of Amrod. even in cultures where names don't have such a strong cultural and prophetic meaning, giving a kid a "bad" name is a weird move. most people would lowkey think that the parent is like, a bit of an ass. but in cultures where names bear a lot of weight, are considered prophetic and genuinely that important (like among elves, but also in actual real life cultures), a "bad" name is a genuinely awful move. and frankly, Tolkien is a bit weird with twins, where either they embody two antitheses (elrond and elros) or they're virtually indistinguishable (elured and elurin, even possibly elladan and elrohir), and with amrod and amras a tension with regard to this comes to the surface: they call each other ambarussa, so do other people, they're alike in mood and face, and in most texts they act in unison; except, if you dig enough, they are quite different at their core (for example, in his one attempt to distinguish them, Tolkien has one of them regret the kinslaying. the other? not even close.) all this is to say, both narratively and on the character level, amrod and amras struggle to be distinguished — and yet a personal identity strives to come to the surface of the text. they are alike, but actually not really. they perceive themselves as a single-named unit, but actually feel very differently at key moments. this problem of textual identity is juicy, because it's very in line with what might happen when two people, two twins are named the same by their own mother (which brings the level of the character to the level of the text, in-the-story matched by the outside-story metanarrative). a personhood that must, should be, and is there is denied at its origin (by the mother, by other people, by the writing) but develops as their paths fork. psychologically, this original denial is a shit move. their father is correct in begging for a different name (begging is the actual verb used in text). and going from the same-naming to giving one a "bad" name is a worse move than the first. it's petty and even more psychologically damaging, and there isn't even a single reason why their father shouldn't have changed that to something different, better both for the child and culturally speaking. the spiritual and prophetic importance of it goes on top of the personal impact, and it's a little weird to treat this name change like it's absurd. I feel sometimes people tend to make up stuff about characters (and sometimes Feanor in particular) so that a given situation fits their existing concept of who that character is: in this case, confirmation bias makes it so that a perfectly valid move is instead read as unreasonable or overbearing.

#Feanor #Amrod #quenta noldorinwa #like there aren't a lot of situations where you can say feanor is fully right #but this one? yeah #there ain't no way that naming was salvageable except by changing it #mayim if this reads like I pilfered words from you it's because I did

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blackholemojis · 24 days

Note

u have made posts telling about your aac you use... would u b willing to share images of how you have it set up and maybe give tips for people working on making their own aac?

I would love to but I think it may give away my anonymity, since I like to share pictures of my different pages. I can share some details and organizing tips though! This isn't anything comprehensive, I think I'd need to spend a lot more time on that, but hopefully this is helpful for someone. For context, I use TD Snap Lite :)

I'll include a list of different word categories at the bottom under the cut, so if you're looking for types of words to focus on, you can skip to there!

Organization part 1

I keep all my commonly used words and folders for other words on my quickfires page, starting with basic communication words (yes/no, who/what/where, etc) and folders (conversation phrases, short responses, nouns, verbs, etc).

Then I have commonly used descriptors, connector words, actions, and nouns. All these are broad words like "thing" or "person," "and" or "because," and "go" and "fix." Even if I didn't have a button for a specific concept, I would still be able to describe it, like "the thing that is mine."

I organize the different buttons in rows on the same page, and try to group similar words together, that way I can find them easily.

I started with buttons for different bADLs (basic activities of daily living), which are bathing, dressing, grooming/hygiene, eating, toileting, and transferring/movement. Then I went to activities that I do every day, like studying, doing housework, or watching TV.

The idea is that I would be able to get through a whole day and be able to describe what I want, what I need, my activities, and what I don't want or need (the ability to say no is important, even for little things!)

Organization part 2

What words I have is important, but so is how I make sure I can find them easily. With TD Snap you can give buttons custom colors and custom border colors, so I use those to organize types of words, and types within those types (so verbs versus nouns, and then people-nouns versus object-nouns)

I also put the most commonly used words towards the right side of the screen, since I'm right handed and that means they'll be easiest to access.

I try to use pastels so I can read the labels, and I edit the text size of all buttons so I can see the symbol and label well. With descriptors, I try to group similar ones together, and group ones that have "opposites" either right next to each other or one above the other (words like up and down, or inside and outside).

Finding gaps

The easiest way for me to figure out what buttons I'm missing is by using my AAC when I'm near full spoons and can think about language well, like now. That way I know what I'm missing, and I can make a button and organize it in the moment without it taking much energy. Usually I'm missing different categories of words, like colors, or words to describe time.

Here's a bunch of word categories under the cut, starting with "essentials" and then moving on to common non-essentials! Feel free to ask me to include any other ideas

BADLs

Bathing (shower, bath, sponge bath, and related words you use for bathing)

Dressing (getting dressed, getting undressed, picking out clothes, words for different types of clothes)

Grooming/hygiene (brushing teeth, flossing teeth, brushing/combing hair, trimming hair, dyeing hair, cleaning piercings, washing face, shaving, makeup)

Eating/drinking (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, meal, types of food you eat, spoon, fork, knife, chopstick, bowl, plate, mug, water, warm beverages, napkins, and any other words you use for eating/drinking)

Toileting (bathroom, stall, toilet, sink, washing hands, soap, toilet paper, menstrual products, changing toileting equipment, and any other words)

Transferring/Movement (any mobility aids you use, transferring to/from mobility aids, terms for your aids, walk, run, jog. I included transportation words like "drive" and "car" in my section for this, but that's not necessary)

Essential communication

Yes (and variations)

No (and variations)

Maybe

Something else

I don't know

I need

I don't need

I want

I don't want

options for basic needs, so you can say "I need" and "use the bathroom" (eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, showering/bathing, using the bathroom, dental care, hair care, getting dressed, getting undressed, changing menstrual products, changing medical equipment, and transferring to/from mobility aids)

I consent

I do not consent

I revoke consent

Leave

Stay

Help

Fringe vocabulary for everyday activities and emergencies

Emergency words/phrases (I need a doctor, etc)

Personal info (name, age, etc)

Disability/mental health/medical terms that apply to you

Parts of the body

Types of injury/medical issues

Places you go

People you live with

People you interact with often

Pets names

Neighbors names

Carer or staff name(s)

Important belongings and things you use every day

Everyday hobbies (bike, watch show, etc)

Everyday to-do list activities (do laundry, shower, etc)

Action words (things one can do)

Common nouns (persons, places, things, and ideas)

Connector words (and, to, since, etc)

Feelings (positive, neutral, and negative)

Descriptor words

Colors

Direction

Size

Shape

Days of the week

Months

Seasons

Numbers

Describing amount (some, many, a little, few, all, none)

Describing time (then, now, before, after)

Temperature

Weather

Difficulty

Age

Texture

Personal opinion descriptors (nasty, beautiful, boring)

#blackholemojis talks #part time aac user #aac board #aac #long post

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thydungeongal · 4 months

Note

People criticizing 4e for being combat focused is a real "fork found in kitchen" criticism lol.

D&D has always been a combat ttrpg with (very) basic social rules stapled on top.

Yeah definitely. I think there is an argument to be made for pre-WotC editions not being as combat-focused, because you did not want to engage with the combat on equal footing with the enemies because it was very swingy and lethal, but most of the verbs available to player characters were still violent ones, so in the end most character interactions did end up as combat. It was just combat looked at more through the macro lens as part of the larger exploration gameplay instead of as entirely isolated encounters. But still, combat is the main interaction in any edition of D&D.

But yeah, D&D 4e isn't any more combat-focused than 3e and 5e. I've argued before that rules as written D&D 4e is actually less combat-focuses than 5e, because 4e actually provides objective rules for mediating out-of-combat activities instead of leaving it all up to the DM. In many places 5e actually lacks out-of-combat systems where 4e actually provided those structures.

Of course that doesn't necessarily match the way people run it, but it's fair to say that on the non-combat side 4e as a system does more heavy lifting than 5e, which leaves a lot of it in the DM's hands. But the fact that DM's can improvise non-combat systems doesn't mean that those systems are actually there in the book.

#thydungeongal answers

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angelasscribbles · 7 months

Text

Dialogue Discussion Summary

Thanks once again to everyone who showed up. It was another great discussion! Sorry the notes took a minute this time. Life side tracked me.

Dialogue tag: Dialogue tags are phrases that are used to break up, precede or follow written dialogue to convey which character is speaking, making it easier for the reader to follow the conversation. The most common dialogue tag is the word 'said.

Action beat: Action beats show what a character is doing before, during, or after their dialogue. These can be gestures, movements, or facial expressions.

The “Said” controversy: Always/only use said. Never use said. Use a variety of descriptors instead of said: exclaimed, confirmed, agreed, pronounced, announced, commented, explained, replied, stated, whispered, rambled, chimed, bemoaned, scolded, etc.

Notes:

Don’t overuse adverbs when a verb would be better, let your dialogue tags or action beats speak for you.

Okay: “Fuck this,” he said irritably. Better: “Fuck this,” he grumbled/snapped/growled. Action Beat: “Fuck this,” he slammed the book down onto the table.

Any of those convey that he is irritable. Personally, I prefer action beats whenever possible.

From The Write Life:

Dialogue tags are handy and quick, but action beats can add much more detail and meaning to a conversation. When you’re using them, keep in mind:

They don’t necessarily have to involve actions! An “action beat” might be a thought or description instead.

An action beat can often convey the way in which a line of dialogue is spoken: For instance, if a character slams his fists on a desk before saying, “Get out of my office,” you won’t need to tell the reader he’s angry!

Even if the action beat doesn’t add a great deal of meaning, it may be a useful way to create a pause in dialogue — changing the rhythm of it subtly. It can also “ground” the reader in the scene (without any action beats at all, the characters can feel like disembodied talking heads).

Dialogue Tag vs. Action Beat

Action beats let you SHOW INSTEAD OF TELL!!!

Surprise:

Dialogue tag: “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” she yelped in surprise. Action beat: Her fork clattered onto her plate as she dropped it, “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Thinking:

Dialogue Tag: “Hm,” he said thoughtfully, “I’m not sure that’s the best course of action.” Action Beat: “Hm,” He peered at me over the rim of his glass for a long moment. “I’m not sure that’s the best course of action.”

Here is an excellent example.

Where do they go? When a character speaks, their dialogue should be on the same line as their dialogue tag or action beat. When a different character speaks, start a new line. (It's also often helpful to start a new line if they act or react — e.g. if they shake their head, even if they don't actually speak.)

Incorrect: “Hey Sarah, catch!” Sarah caught the ball and gave him a smirk, “Wow, great catch!” Correct: “Hey, Sarah, catch!” Bruce sent the football spiraling across the clearing. Sarah caught the ball and gave him a smirk. “Wow, great catch!”

The first instance makes it look like Sarah is the one speaking when it's actually Bruce.

Incorrect: She walked into the room to find him standing there, watching her. “What are you doing?” Correct: She walked into the room to find him standing there, watching her. “What are you doing?” he asked.

See how the first can leave the reader confused about who is speaking?

Incorrect: “I’m happy you made it.” She gave him a smile. “Was it hard to get away?” Correct: “I’m happy you made it.” She gave him a smile. “Was it hard to get away?” Add a dialogue tag or action beat: (so it’s very clear who is speaking) “I’m happy you made it.” She gave him a smile. “Was it hard to get away?” He handed her a drink.

One more example:

Incorrect: I wasn’t sure if he was going to show up. “There you are!” I looked up at the sound of his voice. Correct: I wasn’t sure if he was going to show up. “There you are!” I looked up at the sound of his voice. With Dialogue tags: I wasn’t sure if he was going to show up. “There you are!” He called out. I looked up at the sound of his voice. With Action beats: I tapped my finger against my lip. Was he even going to show up? “There you are!” A voice called out. I looked up to watch him jog across the room in my direction, my heart dancing in my chest.

When do you need them?

If you have more than two characters in a conversation you must use dialogue or action tags to avoid confusion. If you have only two, you can get away without them, especially if their tone is distinct. Start with one so the reader knows who is talking.

Frank handed her a cookie, “It’s hot, be careful!”

“Oh, thanks!”

“You’re welcome.”

“Do you have any milk?”

“In the fridge, help yourself.”

Change where you put your tags/beats to avoid monotony. (before, in the middle, at the end):

Sara considered his offer for about two seconds. “No, absolutely not!”

“Have you actually thought this through?” Marco shook his head. She was being intransigent.

“Thoroughly,” Sara crossed the room and peered out the window, “Now get ready, they’ll be here any moment!”

Special thanks to @karahalloway who took the time to put the following together for us:

Punctuating Dialogue

DIALOGUE TAGS AND HOW TO USE THEM – dialogue tags are the verbs that you include around your dialogue text to indicate who is speaking and how. There are a few different ways you can achieve this:

Before the dialogue – normally the dialogue tag is enhanced by an action tag because you want to emphasize the character’s mood or reaction:

Her face paled as she whispered, “This cannot be…”

He casually picked up the newspaper as he scoffed, “Don’t kid yourself, Joseph.”

Punctuation rule: Where the dialogue tag immediately precedes the dialogue, separate the tag from the dialogue with a comma.

After the dialogue – can be standalone, or include an action or a reaction:

“You cannot be serious,” she derided, rolling her eyes.

“Freeze!” he yelled.

Punctuation rule: Where the dialogue tag immediately follows the dialogue, separate the tag from the dialogue with a comma, and keep the subject lowercase (unless you are using the person’s name or official title, in which case you would capitalise e.g. Markus, President Carter, King Leopold, Duke Warrington, Lady de Winter, etc.).

In the middle of the dialogue – this is where things get interesting because there are a couple of different ways you can drop dialogue tags into the middle of the dialogue:

Option 1 – Complete sentence

“Ah! I see you have arrived!” he exclaimed, opening the door wider. “Please! Do come in!”

"Let me guess..." I sigh, picking up the tumbler to tip the rest of my drink back. "This was your bright idea?"

Punctuation rule: In the above examples, the dialogue is interspaced by a dialogue tag and some actions on the part of the character. Since the first part of the dialogue is a complete sentence/thought (i.e. it can stand by itself), you indicate this to the reader by putting a full stop at the end of the dialogue tag / action sequence. Then, you pick up the second half of the dialogue as a new sentence.

Option 2 – Interrupted sentence

“First of all,” she interjected, raising a finger in the air, “that is wildly inaccurate. I was nowhere near the building when it blew up!”

“Now,” he declared, opening up the massive tome in front of him, “if I recall correctly, we were just about to start on Chapter 89.”

Punctuation rule: Like in the first set of examples, the dialogue is interspaced by a dialogue tag and some actions on the part of the character. However, the difference here is that the first part of the dialogue is not a complete sentence – it is merely a ‘teaser’ or an ‘intro’ of what is to come, and the ‘meat’ of the dialogue comes after the dialogue/action tag. In this case, to indicate that the first half of the dialogue is only part of the story, you end the dialogue/action tag with a comma, and then pick up the rest of the dialogue in lower case. This is a great tool to use if you want to build suspense for the reader.

ACTION TAGS AND HOW TO USE THEM – action tags are the verbs that you include around your dialogue text to indicate how someone is speaking or reacting. It is possible to use action tags in conjunction with dialogue tags to add depth to the character’s reactions, but you can also achieve a surprising amount with just action tags. Here are a few examples of the latter:

Before the dialogue – especially where someone has an emotionally charged reaction (shock, anger, etc.) you can create suspense for the reader by placing the action tag before the dialogue:

His brows furrowed. “This is doesn’t make any sense…”

She gasped in sudden realisation. “Oh, my God! You are absolutely right!”

Punctuation rule: Where the action tag is not followed by a dialogue tag (s/he said, etc.) you end the action tag with a full stop to indicate that the action took place before the person started speaking.

After the dialogue:

“No.” He crossed his arms, indicating the finality of his decision.

“I give up!” Throwing his hands up in the air, he stomped out of the room in a huff.

Punctuation rule: Where the action tag is not preceded by any dialogue tags, you end the dialogue with a full stop (to indicate the end of the dialogue), and the start the action sequence as a new sentence, also ending in a full stop.

In the middle of the dialogue:

“What?” His mouth dropped open in disbelief. “Where on earth did you get that idea from?”

“Like hell!” Pulling her sword from its scabbard, she spurred her horse forward. “We’ll kill them all, or die trying!”

Punctuation rule: In the above examples, the dialogue is interspaced by a standalone action tag. Since there is no dialogue tag preceding the action sequence, the first half of your dialogue will always end in a full stop (as will your action tag), and you will pick up the rest of the dialogue as a new sentence after the conclusion of the action sequence.

DIALOGUE AND PUNCTUATION FUN

There is a lot of fun you can have with dialogue, and it’s a great way to build suspense if you use punctuation creatively. For instance,

You can use a dash (i.e. —) to indicate an interruption of dialogue (e.g. “Yeah, but I d—"), while you can use ellipses (i.e. …) to indicate trailing off or uncertainty (e.g. “Yeah, but I don’t know for sure…”

You can use italics (i.e. “What!”) to indicate emphasis

You can combine exclamation and questions marks to indicate anger or disbelief (e.g. “Did you hear me?!”)

You can use ALL CAPS to indicate shouting/anger/distress (e.g. “HELP ME!!”)

Or any combination of the above.

Here is an example of how it all fits together:

"No."

I swear I hear the sound of Bertrand bursting a blood vessel. "I beg your pardon?"

I set my jaw determinedly. "First of all, I am not hiding. I switched rooms because someone — whether intentionally, or not — assigned me to the same room as last time, and there was no way in hell that I was going to sleep in the bed that I got attacked in."

I give him a moment to let that sink in.

"Oh. I-I see..." The consternation in his voice is palpable. "Erm... Yes. Of course... How crass of me... I—"

"Second," I continue, leaning into Drake as he bends down to drop a good-bye kiss into my hair, "you better have a damned good reason for waking me up before the crack of dawn—"

"It is hardly—"

"—especially since you told me in the car yesterday that today's event doesn't start until mid-morning, and we'd agreed that the way-too-early-o'clock wake up calls would stop."

A few other punctuation pointers:

There is no hard and fast rule about whether dialogue should be indicated with single quotes (i.e. ‘Hello’) or double quotes (i.e. “Hello”). American authors/publishers tend to prefer single quotes while British/Commonwealth authors/publishers tend to prefer double quotes, but ultimately it’s down to artistic choice

Dialogue punctuation should always be placed inside the quotation marks

Any time a new person speaks or performs an action, you need to start a new paragraph to make it clear to the reader that we’ve changed speaker

DIALOGUE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES - there may be times in your writing where you decide to incorporate one or multiple foreign languages into your characters’ dialogue. This is usually done to assist with characterisation (some characters may speak a different language from the rest of the characters and you want to emphasise this in the interactions; there may be certain cases where characters use foreign phrases, even if only in passing; or you want to use a foreign phrase as a segway to indicate that some conversation is about to take place in a different language).

There are a multitude of ways in which foreign languages can be conveyed in your write:

All-In - you can go full out and write entire conversations in a foreign language. While this is great for character and world building purposes, it is certainly an undertaking if you are not a native (or at least, a very competent speaker of the foreign language), so be prepared to spend lots of time researching or talking with a beta reader who is a native speaker:

"Vous voyez l'appât?" he demands without preamble.

I steel myself. "Non. Je—"

A low growl of frustration. "Putain de merde..."

"Attendez," I interject, forcing myself to stay calm, even though my gut had already twisted itself tighter than barbed wire. "Que s'est-il passé?"

"Nous ne savons pas," he grits. "Une minute, nous avions une ligne de visée sur lui, mais la suivante, il a plus simplament disparu."

I frown. "Comment ça, 'disparu'?"

However, in this case, you will need to be conscious of the fact that your readers will most likely not be familiar with the foreign language, and will not actually understand what your characters are saying. So, you may need to think about ways to ‘translate’ for your readers:

In-dialogue translation - one character translates for the other character(s) in the context of the interaction what is being said

In-dialogue summary - one character can provide an executive summary of what was said to another character

Footnotes/End-notes - you can provide your readers with a translation in the form of footnotes/end-notes (this is more common in e.g. fanfiction than in published fiction:

"Avete imbarazzo non solo voi stessi, ma ancu e vostre famiglie," I continue with a stern stare. "Ora. Ascoltate attentamente, così non vi far dei coglioni ancora più grandi."

They eye me sheepishly. Even if they understand zilch, they would've picked up on the key words: imbarazzo... famiglie... coglioni. The message is clear.

That said, the lack of reader and character understanding of the foreign language dialogue can actually be a storytelling tool that you consciously use to ‘hide’ information and create dramatic tension (information is being revealed, but your character(s) do not understand it, which gives you the chance to reveal it in a different context later).

Half-in - if you want to tone things down slightly, you can start an interaction with a segway phrase in the foreign language (usually a greeting) to set the scene, and then you continue the rest of the conversation in English. This usually works well if both characters that are part of the interaction are conversant in the language. You can also add a dialogue/action tag to indicate that the conversation is happening in a foreign language:

"Oui?" I ask, switching to French on autopilot as I answer the call.

Alternatively, you can interspace your character’s dialogue with foreign ‘slips of tongue’ where they deliver only certain words or phrases in the foreign language. This is especially useful from a characterisation point of view if you want to indicate that your character’s first language is not the same as the rest of the characters’, or you want to highlight the fact that your character is in a foreign setting:

"Unless you don't know how to count, gul'," sneers the third guy with a gold cross around his neck, "all these beers are ours."

"That they are," I nod. "But how is the waitress supposed to bring me my refill from here?"

"She's not, stronzo," growls the one that had Gail, leaning forward territorially.

Steering clear - however, you may decide that you do not want to get lost in the rabbit warren of a whole different language. In such a case, you can simply indicate with dialogue tags that the conversation is taking place in a different language.

"What do you mean you 'lost his signal'?" I demand in French, so Gale didn't accidentally overhear something that she had no clearance for. "We have a tracker in—"

Foreign phrases should be written in italics to visually indicate to the reader that you are switching languages:

All that said, if you do decide to include foreign languages in your writing, here are some things to keep in mind:

"Come stai?" he asks, grabbing my hand out of his brother’s grasp to drop a loud smooch on it as well.

"Sto bene, grazie," I reply graciously.

Mario and Luca stare at me in bewilderment before simultaneously lighting up in wonder. "Ah! Sorprendente! Parla italiano? Hai un così bell'accento! Tu che sembri—"

"And, this is Drake," I add in English, somewhat apologetically, having exhausted my limited Italian. "My husband."

The brothers' faces fall. "Ah. Piacere."

Make sure to include correct spelling (including accents) if this is a characteristic of the foreign language:

"Était-ce vraiment nécessaire?" demands Kiara huffily, hopping off the tailgate. "I don't know what your issue is with Drake, but you could've at least waited until we'd finished talking, instead of interrupting si grossièrement..."

Google Translate is not super accurate – you can use it to get the initial gist of the translation, but better resources are websites that take real-life bilingual text to give you a more accurate translation, such as:

https://context.reverso.net/translation/

https://www.linguee.com/

Where possible, ask a native speaker to proofread, as there are a lot of nuances in each language (grammar, turns of phrase, conjugation, etc.) that you will not be aware of if you are just relying on online sources.

Please, if I've missed anything, feel free to mention it in the comments and I'll add it!

Also, check out these articles on Dialogue:

Writing Dialogue

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