Not banning adverbs, just helping you avoid the icky ones.
1. Swap the adverb, not the meaning.
Instead of:
“He whispered angrily.”
Try:
“He hissed the words between his teeth.”
2. Replace “said” only when it changes tone.
Not every line needs flair! But sometimes:
• mused (thinking aloud)
• snapped (tension)
• muttered (quiet frustration)
• chirped (bright and quick)
3. Alternatives to ‘almost’ that aren’t icky.
Objects: brushing against, bordering, adjacent to
Actions: poised to, ready to, about to
States: akin to, resembling, not quite
Misc: a whisper from, at the cusp of, within reach of
Example:
Instead of:
“She was almost smiling.”
Try:
“A smile hovered at the edge of her mouth.”
Punctuation as a Writing Superpower
Punctuation is mood.
1. Em-dash = drama or interruption.
“The decision — reckless as it was — already felt final.”
2. Semicolon = linked thoughts.
“The storm hammered the walls; inside, her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.”
3. Colon = emphasis or explanation.
“He wanted only one thing: answers.”
4. Ellipses = hesitation or fading thoughts.
“I thought I saw someone behind the shed, but…”
5. Intentional fragments = emotional punch.
“The letter fell from her hands. Silence. Then breathing. Then panic.”
fixing each other's collar/zipper/tie/etc - getting unexpectedly close, breath catching when they realize (or their light touches burning into the other's skin)
^ also moving someone's hair out of their face/behind their ear
^ or touching someone's necklace/bracelet/watch
eye contact in a crowded room, but not exchanging any words/expressions - just looking at each other, the rest of the world going still.
^a(n unironic) wink in this situation. or an eyebrow raise, lick or bite of lips, or head tilt. there's something in the subtlety of it - like "this is between us"
pulling someone in by their belt loops??? this is so random idk
feeling the other's breath/lips ghosting their neck
any sort of whisper. anywhere. goddamn.
a long pause when someone is speaking, as though they lost their train of thought while looking at the other person
their bodies accidentally pressed together - being stuck in a small space, falling onto one another, or having to sit really close together. the pause when it's realized.
^this but they're hiding
"make me"
"i dare you"
"and if i do?"/"what will i get (if i do)?"
"show/tell me what you want"
the pinky reach before holding hands for the first time
slow dancing (the hand placement, eye contact, proximity, MUSIC)
teaching the other something that involves physical contact (like holding their hands while trying to balance on a skateboard, or guiding their hands somewhere)
eye contact, waiting for one to fold
"don't do that to me" (tempting the other)
sharing earbuds - forced proximity, the vulnerability in sharing things that matter to them
i'm back!! i'm in a huge slump rn, so submit to my "ask" box if there is anything you want to see :) alsoo if you have anything to add to this list, reply to the post!! i love hearing what you guys have to say
MarzVA is a young, nonbinary (they/them) and queer Irish-African voice actor born on June 25th, 2010. They're based on the coasts of North America and rooted in the culture of improv acting.
They come from humble beginnings as a voice actor, starting out with voiceover work and slowly progressing to improv classes. They currently perform with a local improv group, and on their days off, they voice act and audition for various projects. Marz has been working to become a better voiceover actor for 2 years.
MarzVA has a decent range, but prioritizes high & medium voices over low ones.
MarzVA is a voice director for many different Discord VA servers.
MarzVA creates background beats & occasionally character themes.
Marz can be found in small YouTube productions such as WCUE stories, where they're quite popular with some creators like The Gaming Rose, Flytrapstar, FennecWCUE and others. Despite their enjoyment for smaller films, Marz dreams to be involved in indie animated shows.
sooo, since it's my birthday on the day this is posted. i thought id do today's VA of the Day about my favorite voice actress, Elizabeth "Lizzie" Freeman!
Early
Freeman was born November 2nd, 1991 (making her 33 as of 2026) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She performed in school plays when she was in middle school and by her senior year of high school, found her legendary interest in voice acting.
Career
Lizzie Freeman is best known for her work as an English voiceover actress, often dubbing Japanese animes into English or working with creators on indie shows like "Murder Drones" or "The Amazing Digital Circus". She is seen as the English VA of Pomni from "The Amazing Digital Circus" (2023-2026), the title character in "ENA" , which is Joel Guerra's animated series, and Trish Una in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure".
Freeman is often seen on popular children's animes like Pokémon, being found in "Pokémon: Hisuian Snow", "Pokémon Journeys: The Series", "Pokémon Masters EX" (where she made her debut to the company in 2020 as Sabrina), and "Pokémon Horizons: The Series".
Not only that, Freeman is an exceptional singer (despite not being officially) and has been featured in various music, often composed for her role as Pomni.
Not sure who Laura Bailey is? Well, today, I will be covering Miss Bailey and giving you some more information on an awesome voice actress.
Early
Bailey was born in Mississippi in 1981 on May 28th, making her 41 years old as of 2026. She grew up traveling due to her father's work in the army, and eventually settled down in Allen, Texas. During her time in school, Bailey had a "fleeting" interest in the arts and focused her time into studying biology, dreaming to be one when she grew up. But, after viewing a behind-the-scenes video of "Dawson's Creek" did she realize that acting could be a career.
In Plano, Texas, Bailey studied the arts at Collin County Community College, where she performed in various plays hosted by them.
Career
Bailey was spotted by fellow voice actor Kent Williams, who invited her to audition for the English dub of "Dragon Ball Z" on Funimation. Her first role in the industry turned out to be Kid Trunks on that very show. To follow voice acting, she dropped the college courses to fully focus on her work.
Later down the line, as Bailey's name was spread around more, she got more roles. She played the starring role in "Fruits Basket", Tohru Honda (who, as a character, inspired her to have a more positive outlook on the world), Marlene Angel in "Blue Gender", Abby Anderson in "The Last of Us Part ll", Blaze the Cat in "Sonic the Hedgehog", Lucina in "Fire Emblem Awakening", Rayne in the "BloodRayne" franchise, and more!
Everyone has heard this woman atleast once in their life, she's a legend! Tara Strong is a Canadian voice actress known for her roles in "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" as Twilight Sparkle and Bubbles in "Powerpuff Girls".
Early
Strong was born February 12th, 1973 in Tortonto, Canada. She is 53 years old as of 2026. When she was only four years old, she found her interest for acting and volunteered as a soloist in a school show. In Toronto, she worked in Yiddish Theatre and phonetically memorized her lines. During her time with the Toronto Jewish Theater, she acted in "A Night of Stars".
Career
At the age of 13, Strong got her first professional role as Gracie in "The Music Man", a production by Limelight Theater. And as for her first big voice role, it was the title role in "Hello Kitty's Furry Tale Theater". Later down the line, she moved to Los Angeles in January of 1994.
Strong can be found in so many animated television shows, it's near impossible to avoid her. She's been found in "The Fairly Oddparents" as protagonist Timmy Turner (after the death of the original voice actress), Raven in "Teen Titans Go!", Ben Tennyson in "Ben 10", and so many more.
Her video game legacy came in "Batman: Arkham City"(2011), being the successor of actress Arleen Sorkin as the voice of Harley Quinn.
I think I've listed enough of her roles, but Tara Strong is an impressive person and you should definitely look into more if you are still interested!!
Well, today I'm covering one of the unsung heroes in the voice acting industry. A name you likely don't recognize, Adam Howden.
Early
Howden was born the 1st of July, 1983, making him 42 years old as of 2026. He's been into acting since his early years in school, going on to choose the subject for his GCSE, and following that, he selected acting again for his A Levels at Strode College in 1999. He graduated in 2001.
Following this, Howden went on to audition at other drama schools and was eventually accepted into Drama Centre. He studied alongside other alumni like Rolan Bell and Ryan Gage. He studied all kinds of acting techniques, including voice acting.
Career
After graduating from the Drama Centre in 2005, he was featured in the finale of action series "Ultimate Force"(2002-2008) and while conversing with his costars, he was seen as intrigued by voice-overs and was encouraged by Simon Lenagan to share his voice at Just Voices. So, Howden did. This started his voice acting career.
He lent his voice to commercials, but later explored video games and gave his voice to additional characters in "Dragon Age: Origins"(2009) and "Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening"(2010) and a main role in "Lost Horizon"(2010). Later on after auditioning for an unidentified Nintendo game, he was offered the role of protagonist Shulk in the English dub of "Xenoblade Chronicles"(2010). But that wasnt where his breakthrough came in, in fact, it came from the same agency for his role in 2011 game "Dragon Age 2" as a character named Anders.
Roles
Antonio → Twelfth Night (2001), directed by Andrew Harries
Romeo → Romeo and Juliet (2004), directed by Jon Lee
Harry → Dancing with Lucy (2005), directed by Laerke Vindhal
Jason "Bilf" Travers → Holby City (2007)
Various Roles → Dragons Age: Origins (2009), developed by BioWare
Tintin → The Secret of the Unicorn (2011), developed by Ubisoft
Shulk → Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U, developed by Nintendo
Various Roles → Assassin's Creed Unity (2014), developed by Ubisoft
Male Player → Trials Rising (2018), developed by Ubisoft
Roger Ward → Metaphor: ReFantazio (2024), developed by Studio Zero.
Today I'll be covering quite the musician and voice actor, known for his role as Joel in "The Last Of Us", this is Troy Baker.
Early
Baker was born in 1976 on April 1st, making him 50 years old as of 2026. He was brought up in Dallas, Texas. Baker started on the Texas music scene and taught himself how to play instruments like the guitar, later fronting a band titled Tripp Fontaine as the vocalist and guitarist.
Career
Despite being a musician, that never stopped Baker from going towards voice acting, and despite still being a prominent alternative rockstar, he pushed more towards VA work. He started this line of work through voicing over radio commercials when he was still in Dallas. But, after he was selected by Christopher Sabat to do an English dub of Funimation's "Case Closed", he began to book more English anime dubs like "Naruto", "Dragon Ball Z", and more.
That's not all, he went on to voice Matt Baker in the shooter game "Brothers in Arms", which opened up his voiceover work to video games. Then came his most notable roles: Joel in "The Last of Us" and Booker DeWitt in "Bioshock Infinite". Both of these games had major success, which helped Baker grow more in popularity. He was nominated for both roles at VGX 2013 and ended up winning for his role in "The Last of Us".
Roles
some of Baker's more popular roles consist of!
Joel → The Last of Us (2013)
Jason Todd → Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)
Batman → Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes (2012), Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (2014), Lego Dimensions (2015), and many more roles.
Who is Stephanie Beatriz? Mostly known for her roles in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and "Encanto", she is surely a voice you'll recognize on the VA and stage acting scene.
Early
Beatriz was born February 10th, 1981 in Neuquén, Argentina. This makes her 45 years old as of 2026. She arrived in the US at only 2 years old and grew up in Webster, Texas and attended Clear Brook High School. During her youth, Beatriz's mother would take her to events featuring the arts, which Beatriz herself thanks her mother for the idea of performative arts.
Acting Career
Beatriz moved to New York City in 2002 after graduating to pursue her acting career. A few years later in 2008, she performed three seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She also had roles in the series "The Closer" and "Southland". She did these forms of performance from 2002-2013. 2014 and forward, Beatriz went on to star as Bonnie in a feature film , The Light of The Moon, the film premiered during 2017 , where it won the audience award for Narrative Feature.
She continued on to voice Gina Cazador in "BoJack Horseman" between 2018 and 2019. But, her biggest roles were definitely in the 2021 film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda's "In the Heights", which was a huge success. She also went on to work with Miranda again that very same year, playing the primary role in "Encanto".
Huh, who is Patrick Warburton, you ask? Patrick Warburton is a comedian and actor known for his work in "The Emperor's New Groove" as Kronk and as Buzz Lightyear in "Buzz Lightyear of Star Command".
Early
Patrick Warburton was born in Paterson, New Jersey on November 14th, 1964, making him 61 years old as of 2026. He's the son of John Charles Warburton, Jr. and Barbara Jeanne Gratz (better known as Barbara Lord), while also the brother of three sisters. He was raised in a strictly conservative Catholic family and spent most of his early life in Huntington Beach, California. As he moved schools, he took up the interest of marine biology, but dropped the subject at 19 to follow acting and modelling opportunities.
Acting
Warburton is known for many, MANY acting roles throughout his extensive career. He, in the 1990's, played a reoccurring role in "Seinfeld" known as David Puddy, and continued his acting even into Men in Black ll with a small role.
This man has lent his voice to many animated characters, like Steve Barkin on Disney's "Kim Possible" and Joe Swanson on FOX's "Family Guy". You can also find him in "Chicken Little", "Open Season", "Mr. Peabody & Sherman", "Skylanders", and more exciting games, films, and tv-shows!
Acting Roles
Lemony Snicket → A Series of Unfortunate Events , Netflix
It's time to feature the second addition of VA of the Day! Today's vocalist is Amanda Hufford, who is known for their roles as Ragatha in Gooseworx's "The Amazing Digital Circus" and Ollie in Mob Entertainment's "Poppy Playtime, Chapter 4". Easily recognizable with their sunglasses and leather jacket, not only are they a vocalist, but they also work as a director and writer.
Early
When it comes to Amanda Hufford, they are a Texas-based actor. They were brought up in Houston, Texas and was born in 1995 on April 16th, making them 31 years old as of 2026. They express themselves as proudly queer and nonbinary.
Voice Acting Career
Hufford found their intrigue in voice performance in the early 2010's, where they worked on audio dramas, indie projects, and animated music videos. They went on to be featured in a horror podcast called "Afflicted" (2022), as Becky Harrison. Following this successful run, Hufford continued to be booked for many roles and can be found in Genshin Impact (2020) and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (2023).
But, Amanda had their big break in 2023, when they were cast as the role of Ragatha in "The Amazing Digital Circus", where they portrayed the motherly character up until 2026
Voice Acting Roles
Hufford has been very popular following their showcase as Ragatha, but let's share other roles!
Rebel & Amanda → Date Everything! (2025) , they were also one of the minds behind the game's concept.
Timo → Hero Inside (2025) , with Tom Wayland.
Ragatha & Evil Ragatha → The Amazing Digital Circus (2023) , created by Gooseworx and shown originally on Glitch.
Label (English Dub) → Goddess of Victory: Nikke (2022) , developed by Shift Up with Bill Black.
Engineer #1 → Rumble Garrandoll (2021) , developed by Funimation.
Lamia → Fire Emblem Heroes (2017) , developed by Intelligent Systems.
and MORE !!
Music
Lookin' for a sassy vocalist to add to your Spotify, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, or Amazon Music playlists? Well, Amanda Hufford is a brilliant singer!
Mom Friend (2026) , written and produced by Kittensneeze , featuring Lizzie Freeman and Amanda Hufford.
i'm okay! (2025) , a collaboration between Amanda Hufford and McGwire.
SMILE (2025) , produced by Black Gryph0n and Baasik featuring Amanda Hufford.
Jax Toy - Outburst Mix (2025) , produced by Team Neutron and performed on YouTube and at Neutron Nexus, features Jakeneutron and Amanda Hufford.
Digital Hallucination (2024) , produced by OR3O featuring Lizzie Freeman, Michael Kovach, Amanda Hufford, and others.
Who is Keith David? some of you may ask. Well, Keith David is a popular voice actor, actor, and song artist who is known primarily for his work as Dr. Facilier in "The Princess and the Frog" (2009), Husker from "Hazbin Hotel" (2024-) and the Cat in "Coraline" (2009).
Early
David was born in Harlem, New York City (United States) in 1956 on June 4th, making him about 70 years old as of 2026! He was raised in Corona, Queens and is the son of Lester Williams and Dolores Dickenson. He got into his theatric interests early on when he portrayed the Cowardly Lion in a school play of "The Wizard of Oz" and later went on to study Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts, where he also joined a boys choir (that grew in popularity and was known to be city-wide). After attending Juilliard, school of Music for a few years, in 1979, Keith David graduated with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree!
Acting Career
Between 1980 and 1981, David went on tour alongside John Houseman's The Acting Company, performing in productions such as "A Midsummer's Night Dream". He seemed to be exceptional (obviously, because he's Keith David), as only two years later was it when he scored the role of Childs alongside other actor Kurt Russell in John Carpenter's "The Thing".
His performance alongside Kurt Russell inspired Keith David to continue, starting his legendary screen appearing roles. He appeared on the 1980's "Mister Roger's Neighborhood", and portrayed two parody-esque versions of himself throughout his time on the show. He continued onwards, soon appearing in more like Oliver Stone's "Platoon", Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem for a Dream", Doug Libman and Simon Kinberg's "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", and more films. He also appeared shortly on the brief sitcom directed by Peter Tolan and Denis Leary, "The Job" as a reappearing character and was also a regular on "The Big House", made for ABC in 2004.
Continuing on with David's success, in 2015 he was cast alongside Lynn Whitfield in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series "Greenleaf".
Voice Acting Roles
Throughout his time as a voice actor, David has played many, MANY roles. I will list out some you may recognize.
The Flame King → Adventure Time (2010-2018), created by Pendleton Ward and directed by Larry Leichliter.
Goliath → Gargoyles (1994-1997) , directed by Frank Paur and others.
King Andrias (my personal favorite) → Amphibia (2019-2022) , directed and created by Matt Braly.
Decker → Fallout (1997-) , developed and published by Interplay Productions.
Arbiter → Halo 2 (2004-) , Halo 3 (2007-) , Halo: The Master Chief Collection (2014-) , and Halo 5: Guardians (2015) , all developed by 343 Industries.
Despero → Justice League (2001-2004) , based on Gardner Fox's Justice League and developed by Bruce Timm.
Atlas → Teen Titans (2003-2006) , created by Glen Murakami.
The President of the United States → Rick and Morty (2013-) , created by Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.
Music David is Found In
David his been found in many of Vivienne Medrano's Hazbin Hotel soundtracks, which were produced by Sam Haft and Andrew Underburg. He is known for "Loser Baby" alongside costar Blake Roman and "Love in a Bottle" with fellow Broadway stars Krystina Alabado and Kimiko Glenn.
Outside of Hazbin Hotel, David's notable role as Dr. Facilier also came with the popular "Princess and the Frog" tune called "Friends on the Other Side".
You can find all of David's music here:
Keith David has 35 songs with the most popular being Loser, Baby, Love In A Bottle and Hear My Hope.
Since the early 80's, David has brought life to hundreds of characters throughout media and is a recognized figure in our history.
my fav trope is when a character is established as "no thoughts, head empty" and then later on is revealed to actually be like a genius or smth. because it raises the questions: why?
do they pretend to be dumb in order to be underestimated? is it dangerous for them to be smart? is it just for fun (are they bored? why are they bored?)? does anyone know? how long have they been acting like this?
