Mandy Patinkin is a fucking treasure and a model ally. He walked away from the extremely lucrative lead role on Criminal Minds after three seasons (Joe Mantegna took over the position) because, and I’m paraphrasing, every week it was another script with a raped woman, or a murdered woman, or a raped and murdered woman, and wanted no part of making that into entertainment.
Okay, seeing as I couldn’t find a list I liked, I’m making my own, with a mix of dialogue and conceptual prompts because why not.
Feel free to prompt for any ship I’ve written, regardless of whether or not I’ve been writing them recently. Also, feel free to adapt the prompts to fit the universe better (like for SWTOR or DA or something).
“What do you mean we’re out of hot chocolate?”
cuddling by the fireplace
“You. Me. Snowman. Now.”
winter sport of your choice
“What’s that smell… are you making cookies?”
“Hey, no peeking!”
“You invited over HOW many people to the holiday party?!”
Christmas shopping
“Wait, did you spike the eggnog?”
“Where did all of this mistletoe come from?”
“I’m a grown adult. I don’t want to take a picture with Santa Claus.”
trimming the tree
“Your hands are freezing!”
“Aren’t you cold like that?”
“Seriously, I told you that you would get sick going out like that.”
“What do you mean you don’t want to go sledding?”
watching movies under a pile of blankets
snowball fight
“I swear to god, if you sing another goddamn Christmas carol…”
“Where on EARTH did you get that sweater?”
“How did you manage to get tangled up in tinsel?”
kissing in the snow
“Let’s go for a walk! No, we won’t freeze.”
“Here, let me help you with the scarf.”
spending time with family
“We’ve got a white Christmas!”
“Did you eat all of my holiday chocolate?”
“Where’s all of your holiday spirit, you Scrooge?”
opening presents
“You know, when you said ‘Christmas party,’ this isn’t what I was expecting.”
“Come on, just wear the Santa hat for a little bit?”
“There’s no way I’m letting you spend Christmas alone.”
“Hey, cut it out. It’s the holidays.”
“Nope. This is not happening. It’s CHRISTMAS.”
“Wait, you’re not going home for Christmas?”
“Oh come on, it’s just a tradition.”
stuck in a snowstorm
“You’re under the mistletoe so stop stalling and just kiss.”
“Just open the damn present.”
“Hey, stop laughing and put the damn topper on the tree already.”
“If you don’t go to sleep right now, Santa’s not coming.”
“I mean, I knew you had Christmas spirit but this is ridiculous.”
“What do you mean, Santa’s not real?!”
running into each other at the airport
“No, you’ll burn the house down.”
“It’s almost midnight.”
“This is not for holiday cheer. This is blackmail.”
“Did you seriously get me a pony for Christmas?”
“No more holiday movies. Please.”
“Those cookies were for Santa!”
“Look out! It’s icy!”
“I’d like the snow a lot more if I didn’t have to drive in it.”
“Why is it so cold?”
winter power outage
“You want to go to the mall now? ARE YOU CRAZY?”
“Shhhhh, don’t tell [pronoun of choice]!”
“Secret Santa? Really?”
“Ummm… Thank you very much for the fruitcake. I’m sure it’ll be, uh, delicious.”
“Wait, you mean this whole time, you hated peppermint?”
“I feel like there’s more frosting on you than on the gingerbread.”
“What are you doing with that mistletoe– oh.”
unexpectedly spending the holidays together
“But that carol doesn’t even make any SENSE!”
“I guess… this is when we kiss?”
“No, we’re not getting a puppy for Christmas. Stop. Asking.”
“You don’t put marshmallows in your hot chocolate? YOU HEATHEN.”
“You’re going to New York for New Year’s? Are you nuts?”
winter proposal
“So… what are your plans for New Year’s?”
“You’re perfectly welcome to kiss whomever you wa–”
“Do NOT throw that snowball or else!”
“Did everyone else come with a date?”
“Hey, want to help me get my parents off my ass about not having a date?”
“Don’t you have anything else spirited that isn’t as much of an eyesore?”
“Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays, love.”
Alright guys. Send me some prompts from this for AgentReign or AgentCorp!
I am not taking prompts right now but wanna save this!
I feel like the reason certain dog-lovers insist cats are evil is because they read their body language as if they were dogs. So here’s a very basic guide to common “mean” things cats do that actually aren’t mean at all if you know what they’re thinking.
Rolling and exposing belly- attacks you when touched Does not mean: Give belly rubs! – haha I tricked you! Actually means: I’m playful! If you reach for my belly I’ll grab your arm and bite it because I think we’re playfighting!
Lazily exposing belly – still attacks when touched Does not mean: tricked you again! Actually means: I’m showing you my belly because I trust you. Please don’t break that trust by invading my personal space. I might accept a belly rub if I’m not ticklish and I know you well.
Snapping at you while being pet Does not mean: I suddenly decided I dislike you! Actually means: You’re petting me in a way that gives me too much restless energy. Please focus on petting my head and shoulders instead of stroking the full length of my back next time.
Is in the same room but makes no attempt to interact Does not mean: I’m ignoring you Actually means: We’re hanging out! I’m being respectful by giving you space while still enjoying your company.
Slapping/scratching your hand when you try to pet them Does not mean: I hate you! Actually means: You’ve failed to establish that we’re not playing, or the way you’re approaching me scares me. Be calmer, speak more gently, make eye-contact and blink slowly at me before you try again.
I love this post omg, thank you so much. As a lifelong cat person, dogs perplex me because they’re so completely different behaviourally.
I love dogs too but, I’ve been trying to tell people, you canNOT treat cats like you treat dogs. They arent the same animals and have very different personalities
P.s.: people often pet cats way too hard. Dogs like a firm pet or a pat on the belly, cats dont have the same bone structure and are more flexible than dogs so what you’re doing probably hurts them
Sitting and staring Does not mean: I am challenging you/plotting your demise/just generally evil and creepy. Actually means: I am a desert-adapted species, so my natural tears are very thick and keep my eyes moist for a nice long time. I do find people interesting and enjoy watching them. I just don’t need to blink very often!
Staring and blinking slowly Does not mean: I’m smug and think I am smarter than you. Actually means: I like you! But I don’t need to get up in your face to show it. I can just sit over here and blow kisses at you to show you I am glad you are around!
It’s very frustrating for me when people expect cats to act like dogs, or act like they’re deceitful. They aren’t! They just AREN’T DOGS.
Pour les chats 🐈💞
Get ready for “more reasons why I fucking love cats”
Yes, the legends are true. Cats headbutt you to show their trust and affection. They also do it to show “hey look I see you as family.” Lions do it with members of their pride to say the same. It’s not just because they want food.
Cats nibbling is indeed literally cats grooming you. It’s what mom cats do to their kittens. If a cat is gently biting and/or licking you, they’re now your mom.
Meowing can simply be for the mere fact they want to say hello, want to play or be pet. Again, not just for food.
They barely meow at other cats (except for kittens, they meow at mom cat), mostly just humans. There are exceptions but overall, meowing is almost always for us.
Cats squinting/slow blinking is indeed basically the equivalent of us smiling and/or kissing.
Cats, like humans, prefer to get things without having to work for it- which isn’t very common within other animals.
Cat massages or making biscuits is because they happy! Kneading is another way of saying “hey I like this moment here I enjoy you and my life.”
Cats recognize us by smell, sound, taste, and touch. They recognize us after years as their long term memory is extremely good. This is why abused or neglected cats are so easily scared or hard to connect with. If your scent changes over the years or just in the day, your voice will them it’s really you. Also, they will only remember you if you had impact on their life. If you just existed in the same house, they obviously won’t care.
And yes, they know our patterns in the day. You notice it when it’s beneficial to them (feeding time!). They will often wait for you to come home as well.
To remember: cats think we are interesting as hell. They watch us do everything because we’re fascinating!!!
They also want you to be around when eating because they feel vulnerable. They focus on eating so they hope you protect them. They do the same for you, all the time.
CATS 😍😍😍😍
when a cat turns their back on you, they’re not snubbing you. they’re trusting you to watch their back.
notice how when you’re unfamiliar but nonthreatening, they might loaf facing you and sorta halfway watch you. you’re not fully trusted, but you’re ok by them.
when you’re familiar and liked, they’ll often sit near you facing the same way. imitation of poses is a weird little way cats show solidarity. they do it to each other too. check out these bff’s:
they are doing this on purpose. it’s a buddy thing. so if you’re watching tv and a cat sits next to you and pretends to watch tv too, they are basically calling you bro and declaring friendship.
and if they really love and trust you, they’ll turn their back on you and go to sleep. they’ll sleep facing a wall in your presence, or lounge where they can’t see the room. this isn’t a snub, folks, this is true kitty love. they’re saying, “i feel safe when you’re around. i know nothing’s going to sneak up on me, because you’re here. i feel so safe i can stick my head under a pillow and snore with my butt pointed at you.”
farts aren’t an expression of love, though, as far as i know. they’re just farts.
Not mentioned but still relevant:
Wagging tail–does not mean happy, means lots of restless energy/agitated
Yes. Note, “lots of energy” does not mean “afraid” or “angry”, it means “lots of energy”. Sometimes it means “would like to play now”. Sometimes it means “upset and want to get in a bit of a fight but don’t care who or what with, string is fine”.
i tend to think of tail waving as meaning CAT ACTIVATED.
Question of Smoke 