#tempted to write a novel with a bunch of experimental punctuation now. wonder what sort of plot premise would lend itself to that

[muffinrag]

Oh man. You're right. Okay -

Acclamation I can get behind. Maybe. I'd have to see it in action. But it's simple, it's clean, it's about as wide as a question mark, and it definitely gets across a bolder, more intense exclamation. It could be an acceptable alternative to multiple exclamation points. My misgivings are that the design might interrupt the visual flow of the text due to the backslash, and that the dot at the bottom might be too far out for it to flow well.

Exclamation comma is intriguing. It could work to get across a certain tone. I think it'd be interesting to experiment with. The design is simple enough that it would blend alright into a text.

Interrobang is my nemesis. I hate that thing, and it's entirely petty. It feels juvenile. I dislike the name of it, I dislike the design - imo it's too complex for a punctuation mark - and I genuinely believe that anything you'd want to use an interrobang for would be better served with a different combination of punctuation and contextualizing text.

Love point is cute, but that's it. It's far too wide; it would visually interrupt the flow of the text, and that alone disqualifies it entirely. It's also odd to me that it's two question marks mashed together, like the "love" is implied to be uncertain or questionable. I know it's trying to be the shape of a heart, but it just doesn't work.

Friendly period is an upside down whole note. I can't unsee an upside down whole note, and that unfortunately undoes the entire concept for me. An alright idea, but poorly executed. It's also too wide, and would interrupt the visual flow of the text.

Authority I'm kinda torn on. It's not the worst one on here. Again, the kerning might force the dot at the bottom out too far. I'm also just not sure about the design from a conceptual standpoint. The use of an exclamation point as the base implies a shout, anger, frustration, or urgency, with the cap on top to imply authority - but shouted authority is militaristic. Authority is supposed to garner respect. To me, authority should be calm, collected, straightforward and unquestionable, and the use of an exclamation point instantly undermines that. In my opinion, the punctuation point that most effectively expresses true authority is the humble period.

Rhetorical question mark is meh. Firstly, it immediately gives the vibe that you're writing in Spanish (although it's not facing the correct way, it still gives me that impression). Second, I don't like the period in the air. It's visually disruptive. And third, I just don't think a mark specifically for rhetorical questions is necessary. Which is, I suppose, why it's on this list of "dead" punctuation marks.

Doubt is fun. Doubt is flirty. Doubt has a little something going on. Doubt has the potential to be absolutely hilarious. However, much like many of the others here, its uses would be pretty circumstantial. It also has the potential to be easily mistaken for a simple question mark. Also, it kinda looks too much like a math symbol to work well in regular prose. I like it, but I, uh... I doubt if it'd work in practice.

The question comma is much the same as the exclamation comma. It could be subtly and cleverly used to manipulate the cadence and vibe of a piece of dialogue - that's where it would work best: in dialogue. Same with the exclamation comma. It'd be great fun to see these two well-utilized. Not terribly practical, not necessarily good for common usage, but in a novel willing to experiment with punctuation marks? Very fun.

Ultimately, there are two important things for a punctuation mark: the first is visual flow. It has to fit. It cannot disrupt the text. Punctuation marks should be virtually unnoticeable - the silent markers and rule enforcers, effortlessly signaling to the reader how the text should be read.

The second is that it has to have an obvious use. Most punctuation that we use can be used in multiple ways. They are extremely basic and versatile marks, and can work in tandem to bring out the emotion and nuance of a text. Most of these "dead" marks are flawed simply because they are too specific. The circumstances surrounding their use is too niche for them to become commonly used.

Have I mentioned that I fucking love punctuation? I fucking love punctuation

I love you dead punctuation marks.