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wip

"All cargo ships must submit to a security scan. Please have proper documentation on hand before requesting egress permission."

The voice came loud over the P.A. Nearly deafening to unprotected ears, it was intended to be easily heard even if you are inside a ship.

Plus, they werent technically supposed to be here.

"Remind me why we're jumping through these hoops again?" Katya, exasperated, yelled toward her sister, some ways above her. "Security. We need to get these crates out of the docking bay without them being in a ship." Kathara's response came clearly. "Unless you'd like to spend a weekend explaining to the police why we have... well, whatever is in here" she said as she heaved the box over a particularly steep incline.

They had to shout at eachother. The interior docking area of a starport such as Sager Memorial, where they are now, is only meant to be accessed by passing ships, and maintenence personel. Outside of the soundproofed interior of a ship, the background noise was deafening. Machinery, roaring engines, even the forcefield in the enterance slot made an audible "wooosh"ing sound as something passed through it.

"Don't drop the boxes. Whatever is in these is worth half a station's upkeep. If you break something, its coming out of your damn bank account," Kathara yelled again toward her sister. "Oh and quit your bitching," she added pointedly, "The airlock isn't far from here.

"And then what?" Katya's response came, partially blocked out by some asshole pilot boosting through the mailslot - which, Katya added silently, was actually illegal, but difficult to enforce since generally they didnt stick around for too long after.

"And then-" Kathara strained as she set the box down next to a maintenence airlock "-and then the fun part begins." She bent over and began inspecting the hydraulic mechanisms.

Katya sighed, adjusting her grip on her own crate. "Define 'fun.'"

Before Kathara could answer, the overhead P.A. crackled back to life, this time in a much sharper, much more urgent tone.

"All personnel, station security has been elevated to Level Three. All non-essential movement is to cease immediately. Repeat-security level has been raised. Expect delays."

Katya and Kathara exchanged glances. That wasn’t good.

Elsewhere in the station, klaxons began to wail. They weren’t loud enough to overpower the constant hum of docking bay noise, but they were definitely there. Something bad was happening.

Katya swore under her breath. "They know something's up."

Kathara shook her head. "No. If they knew, we'd already have boots on our necks. This is something else."

She turned her eyes toward the open space beyond the station walls, past the forcefield of the mailslot. The glimmering void was quiet-but she knew better than to trust how things looked out there. If security was ramping up, it meant one thing:

Katya stared at her sister, she spoke as she realized the implications: "Something big's coming. And we're right in the middle of it."

"Does this happen often?" Katya asked, shifting the weight of the crate against her hip.

Kathara didn't answer right away, still fiddling with the manual override on the airlock panel. She yanked at the release lever once, twice-then gave it a frustrated slap when it didn’t budge. "Not like this," she finally muttered. "Security goes up a level when some dumbass gets caught smuggling stims in their engine block. But this is different. Level three means no departures or docking. It means either they're keeping something inside the station - or more likely - out."

Before Katya could respond, the station P.A. blared again-this time in a voice unmistakably tense, clipped, and military.

"Attention all docked vessels. Due to ongoing security concerns, outbound departures are temporarily suspended. Please remain in your assigned berths until further notice."

Katya swore under her breath. "Well, that's fantastic. So much for sneaking this out in a ship."

Kathara sucked in a breath through her teeth. "Yeah, we’re not waiting this out." She gave the crate a nudge with her boot. "We’re moving. Now."

Katya adjusted her grip on her own crate, throwing a wary glance down the length of the docking bay. People were starting to notice. Crews who’d been lazily checking manifests or making last-minute repairs were suddenly more alert. Conversations were more hushed, eyes flicking toward the mailslot or deeper into the station.

"Won't they notice us?" she asked, throwing a sidelong look at some dock worker on a nearby pad who had been staring at the two for almost a minute now.

"If they do, I doubt anything will come of it. Evidently they have something else to worry about." Kathara finally gave up on trying to open the airlock. Defeated, she pocked the crate back up. "Change of plans:" she started, "We make it to the nearest docking pad. Whatever is happening, I'd rather be behind a flight stick for it."

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100 Dialogue Tags You Can Use Instead of “Said”

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!

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[cleo--m]

The Prarie Man

A red sun bled into the horizon, sinking over the cracked earth of the prairie he had known all his life.

Hunger chained him to the farm, while thirst drove him farther each day in search of water. He had little left between himself and the reaper.

Some days, he heard the call—a deep exhaustion, the kind that comes from chasing something unattainable.

By day, he ventured into the wilds with his dog, searching for a river, a lake, even a forgotten bottle of water in some nameless town. More often than not, he returned empty-handed. The dog whined, barking for food the man couldn’t spare, yipping for attention he had no time to give. Then, defeated, it curled up and slept, for the nights were short. The days were long. And time was fleeting.

By night, he tended the crops. A withering potato plant. Dying corn. Nothing would grow-even the land had given up.

But a starving man eats even rotting food. What other choice did he have?

When the moon reached its peak, he would finally retreat to the shack and lay down. His stomach twisted with hunger, his throat burned with thirst, but there was nothing left.

And so, at last, he surrendered to sleep.

For the nights were short. The days were long. And time was fleeting.

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Fear Not the End Times

A collection of short stories

MOUNTAIN STEPPE, COLORADO A Nowhere Place at the End of the World

It used to be a quiet town. Just a blip on the map between bigger places, the kind of place where truckers stopped to refuel, ranchers bought supplies, and people waved from their porches whether they knew you or not. Now, it’s empty.

Not ruined, not burned, not looted-just empty.

The gas stations still hum with flickering lights. The wind pushes half-closed doors against their frames, creaking like a whisper of something long forgotten. The diner still has a "Special of the Day" scrawled on a chalkboard, its letters smudged by damp air. There’s no dust, no decay, no sign of struggle. The town didn’t collapse. It was simply… left behind.

Somewhere in the distance, past the wheat fields and rusting grain silos, something shifts. You don’t hear it. You just feel it.

---

THE SKY THAT WILL NEVER CLEAR They won’t let it.

The rogue star is coming. The end of everything. The math is undeniable. We should be boiling. The lakes should have dried into salted husks, the grasslands should be brittle wastelands, and the rivers should be nothing but cracked earth. But it’s not. It’s cool. Humid. Overcast.

The clouds are endless, thick, and unbroken. A blanket of gray that presses down on the land, heavy and unmoving. The sun is a dim smudge, its warmth a distant memory. At night, the clouds glow faintly, as if something beyond them is trying to shine through, but the creatures will not let it.

Sometimes, it rains. Cold, steady, patient. It pools in the cracked roads, soaks into the dead farmland, trickles down the roofs of houses whose owners never said goodbye. It is not a storm. It is not a flood. It is only a quiet, persistent thing-like the creatures themselves.

Some survivors believe it is a gift. Others think it’s a delay.

---

THE BEHEMOTHS You have never spoken to them. You never will.

They do not chase you. They do not reach for you. They do not need to.

You might wake to find one standing at the edge of town, its towering shape blurred by mist and distance. The next day, it will be gone. Or perhaps it will not.

No two look the same. Some are skeletal, draped in heavy layers of ragged skin that shift unnaturally in the wind. Others are massive, hulking things, their forms shrouded in a storm that never leaves them. One has too many eyes, none of which ever blink. Another has no face at all.

They are always watching.

People used to write stories about them. About how they were sent to spare us from suffering, to end us before the rogue star could. That was before we realized the truth-they don’t have to.

The world will die, and they will be there to see it.

---

THE FINAL DAYS When the light comes through.

At first, the sky will dim, but not from the creatures’ mercy. The clouds will turn darker, heavier, carrying a weight they cannot hold forever.

Then, without warning, the first break will come. A tear in the overcast, just for a moment-long enough to see the thing beyond the sky. The rogue star, impossibly close now, a burning white eye staring down at a world already condemned.

After that, the clouds will not last much longer.

The behemoths will not stop it. They never could.

The rain will end.

The heat will come.

And they will be watching.

Fear not the end times.