diff --git a/code/game/say.dm b/code/game/say.dm
index 35a1b1d072..a5691ad11f 100644
--- a/code/game/say.dm
+++ b/code/game/say.dm
@@ -110,6 +110,8 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_INIT(freqtospan, list(
 
 /// Quirky citadel proc for our custom sayverbs to strip the verb out. Snowflakey as hell, say rewrite 3.0 when?
 /atom/movable/proc/quoteless_say_quote(input, list/spans = list(speech_span), message_mode)
+	if((input[1] == "!") && (length_char(input) > 1))
+		return ""
 	var/pos = findtext(input, "*")
 	return pos? copytext(input, pos + 1) : input
 
@@ -144,6 +146,8 @@ GLOBAL_LIST_INIT(freqtospan, list(
 	return "[copytext_char("[freq]", 1, 4)].[copytext_char("[freq]", 4, 5)]"
 
 /atom/movable/proc/attach_spans(input, list/spans)
+	if((input[1] == "!") && (length(input) > 2))
+		return
 	var/customsayverb = findtext(input, "*")
 	if(customsayverb)
 		input = capitalize(copytext(input, customsayverb + length(input[customsayverb])))
diff --git a/code/modules/mob/say.dm b/code/modules/mob/say.dm
index 14ddc5c720..3ceafe4a11 100644
--- a/code/modules/mob/say.dm
+++ b/code/modules/mob/say.dm
@@ -50,12 +50,16 @@
 	usr.emote("me",1,message,TRUE)
 
 /mob/say_mod(input, message_mode)
+	if(message_mode == MODE_WHISPER_CRIT)
+		return ..()
+	if((input[1] == "!") && (length_char(input) > 1))
+		message_mode = MODE_CUSTOM_SAY
+		return copytext_char(input, 2)
 	var/customsayverb = findtext(input, "*")
-	if(customsayverb && message_mode != MODE_WHISPER_CRIT)
+	if(customsayverb)
 		message_mode = MODE_CUSTOM_SAY
 		return lowertext(copytext_char(input, 1, customsayverb))
-	else
-		return ..()
+	return ..()
 
 /proc/uncostumize_say(input, message_mode)
 	. = input