#unless you know like one person and just make their friends your friends

[lovelybrooke]

i just need to know, who do you think in twst would love cuddling the most? just need to hear any of your thoughts on this very important issue at hand.

my personal theories include: leona… no explanation needed and azul because he liked being in his little octo-pot so imagine he would love having you wrap your entire body around him. those are the only ones i can think of 😭😭

It's actually kinda cool that you sent this ask since yesterday I was experiencing the worst leg pain of my life and all I wanted to do was lay in my bed and do nothing.

more thoughts under the cut

---

All the beats boys love cuddling, even thought they have different levels of embarrassment when it comes to initiating it. Leona, of course, has so shame, and will cuddle with you whenever and where ever he wants. He doesn't really care if you want to lay with him, you bring him comfort, so you have to deal with it. He's very much a hug you a never let you go type of person, so you'll be with him until your whole body is tingly. Even if you complain, he won't let up until he's forced to.

Ruggie is a very shy cuddler, even if your close friends, he sees it as intimate an act. Though, deep down, he very much loves being close to the people he cares for. I think once he cuddles with you once, he's no longer is embarrassed, and will come to you whenever he's overworked. I also imagine he more of a talker while cuddling, unlike Leona and Jack who are sleep cuddlers.

Jack is kinda a mixture of the two. He's embarrassed about cuddling you, but once he does, he never lets you go. I know you didn't ask, but the first years definitely fall for you first, and so I imagine that for Jack, cuddling means a lot more. Group hangouts at Ramshackle are common, so when you're watching movies or studying and you get a little tired, he doesn't know what to do when you lay your head on his shoulder. He eventually gets more comfortable as time goes on and grows to love cuddling with you. I think he secretly likes being cuddled, but if you mention his tail wagging he goes back to being embarrassed.

Now Azul is a different case. Azul is someone who craves intimacy, but is too prideful to ask for it from anyone. I think after his overblot, he takes a lot more time to express his wants and needs in healthy ways, and so I could see you cuddling him when times get really rough. That's the thing with Azul, he likes being cuddled but he also likes engulfing his entire self around you. It makes him feel like you two are stuck together, like you can't leave.

Now here are characters I think like to cuddle:

Malleus loves being near you, so he loves cuddling with you of course. I read a fic not to long ago about how Malleus would love sleepovers, and I feel like that's basically canon. He loves being close to his Child of Man, but I don't believe he knows much about cuddling, so don't expect him to be perfect. He learns quickly, so now anytime you both don't have classes he wants to cuddle with you. The only downside is he's so tall, so that might be a problem.

I think Floyd is also a fan of cuddling. Much like Leona he doesn't care when and where, if he wants to cuddle with you he's gonna cuddle with you. He is also a yapper when cuddling, he doesn't shut up. Unless you fall asleep, he'll find a million different things to talk to you about bacause he doesn't like the silence. He is a good cuddler though, surprisingly soft and comforting for someone who is so chaotic.

There are probably others, but these are the only ones I could thing of right now.

#yandere x reader #platonic yandere #soft yandere #twisted wonderland x reader #yandere twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twst x reader #yandere twst #twst

[chiefguideandcentre]

If I had known that this was how my life was gonna turn out, if I knew back then what I would accidentally cause for myself by not making an effort to keep up with people, I would have made more of an effort to create stronger friendships and hold onto people I met in high school and college bc having no friends and no actual social life and no relationships sucks, I mean this really sucks. It’s nearly impossible to make friends if you aren’t in some sort of school setting and surrounded by other ppl I have unfortunately discovered. I really wish I had some foresight back then

#I’m just complaining #ignore me #but for real though hold on to your damn friends all you young ppl out there #don’t be like me #for the love of god hold onto your damn friends because they are impossible to make when you are older #unless you know like one person and just make their friends your friends #which I don’t have I don’t have that one person

[commander-gloryforge]

.

#damn . if i like. ever did something wrong i wonder why they dont just talk to me about it #like idk i thought when they like. vagued about *someone* i had to convince myself that it wasnt me #like i literally went through our messages to make sure i didnt say anything wrong #but apparently it was me after all? i just wish they wouldve. idk. talked to me about it #it feels so hypocritical? why are you allowed to say what you think and im not #unless i actually did what you claimed but i cant remember this happening nor can i find messages where it happens #and even then instead of vaguing about me when you know im not doing well you can just approach me #or is there a whole different reason? do you avoid me because of something else? am i just not on your level after all? #if it was any other person i wouldnt have cared so much but they were one of the first friends i made there #we worked out so well in the beginning and now you realised im not who you thought i was and instantly replaced me #why does this shit ALWAYS happen to me? is there something wrong with me or is it everyone around me? #this is why i dont approach people. this is why im so intimidated by others. it doesnt work. ill always end up being less. #everyone always ends up being better and more and i am the replacable one. idk. just sucks

[spearxwind]

Thinking about the time i commissioned an artist i rly liked for something and the result was kind of really catastrophic just from the preview image in the email so i just. never opened the actual image

#i dont even know where it is #honestly ive had such bad luck commissioning art of adri that ive completely given up its like an anomaly #thunderclap #fan art my lovely followers and friends have done for me for free: literally the most swagful things ive ever seen #actual for real honest to god art i have paid real money for: worlds most inconceivably off model take #the only exception to this is when ive commissioned my friends themselves #i know this is a mean spirited post usually i dont mind like creative liberty I usually say yeah feel free to interpret my characters freel #but like. sometimes its not remotely the same character #thinking still about the uh. the art i got from [popupar twitter artist] in exchange for one of my adopts instead of them paying money #and they like. did it so off model they just made a whole new guy. the art? yeah it slaps obviously. but thats not my oc 😭 #congratulations thats the worst anyones ever done it!! #this is something i personally try not to do when i do commissions too unless very explicitely stated. 'do your own take' #and also i make sure that the sketch is on-model and the client is happy etc etc #i dont know what it is about some artists where they just go ouuhhh what if i . redesigned ur oc for u. HUH #anyway thats all i gottta say this is a weird post but i think about it a lot #before you ask no im not gonna name names. this is my own personal beef

[puppyeared]

weird that the shape of love is two beating hearts glued together and not two hands holding each other

#well technically it comes from the shape of two hearts sewn together but i dont know how that translates to romance.. literally its kinda #disturbing but symbolically i guess it is kind of sweet #my friend and i were talking and she said something about someone saying a lover cant just be a friend you can kiss but i think i disagree #i kind of think the point of a lover IS a friend you can kiss because like it must get exhausting having to convince yourself you can only #feel romantic things towards your lover right? i mean i dont know if my feelings are shaped like anyone else's so maybe its more of a case #by case basis. for me id like someone whose hand i can hold and i can make pancakes for them and maybe kiss but like not strictly romantic #and not strictly platonic. and my feelings are all over the place because one day ill be really into someone i like and another day ill be #really chill about it. so its hard to say what i feel for someone if its always changing #maybe thats why i think lovers should be friends you can kiss because its coming from my way of feeling? hmmm #like i want to be able to say i love you and mean it romantically one day and then say love you in a platonic way the next day and itd be #ok?? does that make sense??? like i know its the same phrase but its like the feeling i put with it is different each time. idk #its why i find dating someone hard because its constantly going up and down and its never balanced. itd probably really confusing unless i #were to date someone whose feelings works the same way. just some food for thought i guess but then again every relationship needs work #im not sure if that fits into the category of work though.. i cant tell myself what im going to feel #it just happens and theres not much i can really do about it except tell that person what im feeling. hnnnnnhhgh #maybe its better if i just stick to watching fictional couples work it out lmao #yapping #txt

[myfriendtheghost]

I’m sorry but the obsession some of the people in my this fandom have with Hannah is weird

you don’t have to like her by any means, but know that if you’re stalking her socials all the time and making comments on everything she posts in hopes of getting blocked, you’re super lame and weird sorry please get a life !!!!

#and don’t forget some of your friends mu resemble her in one way or another #*may #my fellow plus size people I’m sure grew up with skinny friends/family who always talked about being fat #and how they hated being fat #and I’m sure that made you feel shitty #I know it made me feel shitty #so think about how the comments you make will make your friends feel #going for looks always makes you out to be the person with no ground to stand on in my eyes idk #this isn’t an issue on tumblr but I see it on Twitter every dayyyyy give it a rest #Katie’s 🧇s #for the record I do not like her lol but I just don’t look at her stuff unless she’s posting stuff about the band

[vaguelyhauntedcornfield]

Okay but like I really need to rant about this a bit so like spoilers for ep 3 of tlou below but like

idk I’ve never played the game so I had no idea what to expect going into this, but when Frank showed up, I was like “I can’t tell if Bill is going to kill him or marry him.” WELL. Nick Offerman did such a GOOD job of looking on guard and uncomfortable. His shoulders are like up to his ears the entire meeting sequence and it made me so jumpy, and then we skip 3 years and he’s so visibly relaxed. And my heart started to melt. And I found myself so enamored with these two men who, against all odds, found love in a situation where that should have been impossible. Frank was the last alive from a group fleeing a collapsed quarantine zone, Bill a preper who had decided to be alone long before the pandemic even started. We expect Bill to die the whole time--comments about him getting old faster than Frank, getting shot by raiders. The jump to Frank being sick...they showed so much through his paintings. You weren’t expecting it, and they showed you through his art how his illness has been progressing, and how him being able to see that himself affected him. They showed how Bill broke down and made a deal with Joel to get medicine despite saying he never would. This show. THIS SHOW. I was sobbing up until Bill became weirdly calm during the dinner, because I realized he’d made the decision too. They died on their own terms in a world where that had become nearly impossible. They had a beautiful life together in a world where that had become a pipe dream. Two characters that we never even meet thru the main characters, not in the present day, but who matter so much.

#also i have a lot of feelings as a chronically ill artist about everything with Frank (not bad ones! just like i feel a lot 🥲) #it hit close to home #honestly bill resonated with me too but not bc of the preper conspiracy theorist part lol #more bc of the self-imposed solitude and not seeking out relationships #i know from other posts that this is nothing like how they were in the game but this seems like such an improvement tbh #like this episode deserves awards for how much it hit me in the feels #tlou hbo spoilers #the last of us spoilers #it's 5 am so like i am not coherent but i also cannot sleep #idk how we got my horror-hating mom hooked on this show and now we're making her sob over gay romance like #that right there tells you this show is good lol #i feel like i could write an entire book on how illness can impact art and handwriting #my handwriting became that of an entirely different person when i started to get sick #my drawings changed too #tho maybe not in a way anyone but me noticed #my friend who has a similar health issue just with more presentation had to give up art almost entirely #idk it's a kind of hard i can't explain and that i dont think you can understand unless you've experienced it yourself #seeing the progression of your symptoms in the things you create #seeing how you're unable to hide it even with care #idk man #it's honestly an emotion i dont think i could name #but i feel it so strongly every time i look at more than a few lines i've written by hand #or at a page of studies ive drawn #i feel like they never made frank a tragic character. they never made illness tragic #they just made it real #the tragic theme was the idea of one without the other and it went both ways #they hit on that repeatedly throughout the ep #and in the end they didn’t have to face that tragedy #idk i feel like it’s one of the few depictions of chronic illness/terminal illness ive seen that doesn’t play the illness as tragedy #and i found that…refreshing

[piratadelamor]

self isolation as a form of self preservation is going to end up killing me someday

#im already a fucking adult if i dont do something about this shit im gonna be lonely as hell #i just wish i had made friends at college like everyone else #instead of the poor choices of friends i made when i got in for the wrong ideas i had about the type of person i wanted to be #i simply ended up with no friends at the worst place to make friends #imagine me having 8 different classes each semester. each class had about 60 different students #each subject had at least 4 different teachers teaching that so you could choose when and who to take that class with #850 new students each year it was rare to end up on the same class as someone twice #unless you were already friends before and decide to take the classes together #most of my classes didnt have group projects either. no dynamic stuff just reading and reading and reading #it. was. HELL #i actually had like 3 people i could call my friends there but our classes never matched #and im not an easily approachable person i wanted to DIE when i made a friend there that told me she was scared to talk to me before #how many possible friendships i lose all the time for seeming unnaproachable?? for my fucking face bro i cant do shit about it #today my best friend from work also told me that when she first met me she thought i was cold and arrogant #but that i also seemed cool so she was like ok lets give her a chance #i keep fucking hearing it all the fucking time i have MANY friendships that started just like this. people judging me at first #this is so sad and lonely to me i dont wanna be this person #one time a friend also said something like im glad im already your friend id be scared of you if i didnt know you #like????? scared of WHAT. i never treat people badly. i dont fight i dont do gossip i dont do anything to hurt anyone #im always trying to get people together and have fun i always talk to everyone im always nice to everyone #im always trying #so why the hell people still think im unnaproachable #i dont get it i've been hearing this from FRIENDS my whole life. not from people who dont like me its people who LIKE me that say this #what the hell am i doing wrong besides being born with my fucking face #and then. above all. to make it all worse. i self isolate bc im scared of rejection. man i fucking hate being me #i really dont wanna be lonely

[protectcosette]

living with a friend sure is a great way to find out you enjoy their company a lot less than you originally though

#certified protectcosette original #like #this dude genuinely thinks of gerard way as an asshole? i'm not even into mcr but his source is that his ex has a friend that dated gerard #idk about y'all but i personally don't go to people's exes gor character references #he acts like queer ppl who live in the city have a certain experience despite never really seeking out ppl with similar childhoods as him? #he's a TERRIBLE driver which i get bc his parents were terrible teachers and he just got his license a week ago #but like. he listens to music that distracts him and doesn't understand intersections in a way that makes me feel unsafe #and I can't drive bc my car battery is fucked so i'm kinda stuck with this kid who makes incredibly questionable decisions behind the wheel #and he will just start talking to me about stupid shit when i have headphones in. one of the most basic signs of 'dont talk to me' #and he's like. BARELY started looking for apartments. was deadass only looking on fucking zillow #homie i am letting you stay in my one bedroom with me bc your parents are abusive. not because i like sharing my bed with you #i need my goddamn quiet time back. i need space. he doesn't have anywhere else to go i really cant kick him out but this is making me crazy #ESPECIALLY AFTER LIKE 10 PM FOR FUCKS SAKE I AM LYING IN BED WITH MY HEADPHONES IN NOT LOOKING AT YOU AND NOT RESPONDING #why the FUCK are you just reading craigslist listings out loud? why are you reading me every text from this potential roommate? #why are you watching tiktoks 2 feet from my head with no earbuds? do you not know how rude that is? like jesus christ #all this on top of my car battery being dead and my dad threatening to stop paying for my therapy unless i comply with his demands #can i please have a little bit Less right now? literally begging #venting

[kiwinatorwaffles]

ludwig voice i am NOT your friend

#don’t open the tags if you don’t wanna read something more serious than what i’d usually write #but i think this is important #just because you interact with someone a lot and even if they interact back that doesn’t make you friends #you could be in a discord server and talk indirectly every day and still not be friends #friendship isn’t something you can ask of someone it’s very blurry and it’s different for everybody #it’s especially getting dangerous for me because like. i am at 1.4k followers right now and even with this small number people are treating #me like i’m their super close friend. making jokes and sending threats and whatnot #like yeah sure i interact with my followers a lot but i feel like that’s definitely making some people think i’m their close friend when #i barely know them outside their asks/comments on my art #i share VERY little about myself on tumblr. i don’t think it’s very easy to become my friend at this stage unless we talk a Lot #it’s discomforting to me. if one of my friends of 2+ years sent me a joking threat i’d laugh but if i got a joking threat here #i’d be severely uncomfortable and weirded out. you get it #i am not your friend unless i say so myself. please don’t treat me like a person you’re super close to #unfollow me if this makes you upset but i needed to set the boundary #thank you for reading.

[youwillfindilluminating]

just logged into the toxic hockey discord to check the pens chat for news (I haven’t been on in a while) and got a message that I’ve been kicked out because “It has recently come to our attention that you shared things about the server outside of the server, which is in violation of our rules.” 🙄

I haven’t posted about that place in months. who the fuck is creeping on my blog? once again I ask, why are you obsessed with me?

#hockey #hockey discord #hockey rpf #I blocked the created of that place on tumblr so unless she has people working for her idk man #whew get a grip get a life and get over it #also what is sharing things??? I never gave a link or mentioned the specific title #they're just mad that I was talking shit lol #if you're a pens fan run far far away they will not be your friend #honestly being told my a person who I thought was my friend to essentiall fuck off and not come back #has been one of the best things for my mental health this year because that place will make you feel like shit #also I didn't actually know that was against their rules #but their rules are like 10 pages long I'm not exaggerating so there's no way on earth to not get in trouble in that place

[romance-incubomp3]

it’s weird like if family or friends give me praise for something I feel awkward and can be indifferent to it but if a stranger or acquaintance tells me I have a cool outfit or that I’m talented at something I’m already making wedding plans

#the less close I am to a person the more the positive attention means to me #family or friends: wow good job😃 me: aw youre just saying that #random stranger: wow good job😃 me: haha omg thankssss💖💖💖💖💖 #I love attention from strangers and acquaintances☺️ #I don’t know I guess it’s just easier to trust as genuine? #like loved ones might exaggerate 1) to make you feel good #2) their love for you alters their perception and they exaggerate your #abilities or appearance in their mind #but people who don’t know or love you won’t praise you unless they genuinely mean it #so it provides me with stronger affirmation

[maggieisalarrie]

.

#listen #I’ll just say this once today and be on my merry way #if you have the kind of money that allows you to RENT Harry Styles TM for your wedding #you have too much fucking money and could stand to be taxed at a higher rate while still living VERY comfortably #I’m so sick of this shit #millions of people can’t afford their fucking home or to even eat every day #and there are people out here just tossing wads of cash at other people who already have stupid amounts of money #we need a revolution #these bitches g2g #also #unless this was a friend or relative and Harry offered to perform for free #fuck Harry too #like girl you do NOT need to be taking these gigs especially when tickets for your concerts are selling at fucking $1400 PER PERSON #the blatant and unabashed GREED is just exhausting #and before someone comes at me #$500k donated to one organization in a country that has a deep rooted systemic cancerous disease will not even scratch the surface #like that’s nice and all but it won’t actually make any difference #I know. I live here. and it’s the same thing every other week #I recognize I’m being very critical and maybe harsh but I think it’s justified after the last few weeks #anyway #I say this all the time but #I’m just so tired

[zoekrystall]

Hello hello excuse me why the absolute fuck can you not mute words on bluesky I am going to combust that is such a basic thing?? What the fuck?? I might not use it until they implement that bc what is this. I just tried to mute bc I glanced at my timeline and read bg3 and remembered oh. Right. The thing that makes me avoid all streams rn. (good game, specific character brings bad thoughts up, don't ask, twt is already agony since but not anyone's fault the mute function there sucks). Also like me and a lot of other people got more standard bad stuff they don't wanna see and don't want to start muting whole accs we follow??? There is a free extension I need to figure out how to get on mobile (shouldn't be too hard for me) but I shouldn't need to do that for such a basic and no brainer function. Idc if it comes later stuff like that should be there from day 1. Like even if no-one would post abt the most standard triggering topics literally everything can be a potential trigger for someone even the most harmless stuff.

#Fuck it on main instead of private bc why the absolute fuck did I not hear complains abt it prior?? Wh??? #All this talk how bluesky is so good and then I find out I can only mute whole accs and not words #Friend if you're seeing this I love and support you and also your focus on exactly that character #I just wish the mute function over there would work like on here #Maybe someone else doesn't know abt it either and learns abt it through my complains. Please please say it's one of their top priorities to #implement bc otherwise what the fuck. Esp w more and more people on there. #That game is day to day dependent + headmate specific but like still?! I am so concerned abt the more heavy stuff that needs to get muted #Not to say that doesn't hit I mean how heavy the thing itself is. Not what it triggers bc there it's def heavy #Pain agony etc fucking hate it. The mutelists are a cool feature but yknow maybe give the option for smth less extreme too?? #I'm gen so fucking mad at this #New social media and bam looking at my feed made inaccessible. Amazing. Inaccessible unless I take risks which ain't it #Anyways another day where I purely prepped stuff closed w a post before passing out huh #Busy making a list of people I follow on twt to finally abandon it once paywall hits without losing anyone #Plus a new site thingy w all identity stuff and also new social equals new crd. Didn't even open any mobile games OTL #So much personal work ugh #And then I also got icon n moodboard ideas for later... free me #At least we now have a system name will share it later. Maybe when I wake up. #A wild lux appears

[selineram3421]

Lovesick Alastor Headcanon

Alastor X Reader

Warnings ⚠

⚠ deer man is possessive/obsessive over you, hides it somewhat, very yandere coded but doesn't force you to do anything you don't like, suggestive/implied, hint at cannibalism, blood, ☺🔪 ⚠

This goes for almost all versions of the Reader. Child reader/platonic relationships excluded.

He's had his eye on you for a while now. Of course you didn't know since he always kept his composure.

You were a jewel among rocks to him.

Will do anything to make you fall in love with him. Not make but persuade.

Uses Vox as a dummy whenever he can to make himself look good.

Waits for you to approach him.

And when you do he's the happiest demon in Hell.

He likes when you wear red. Especially if you are covered in blood.

Its not yours, no. He'd never let that happen.

Literally crazy about you.

He doesn't do PDA but behind closed doors is a different story.

Alastor is a gentleman! He won't do anything unless you ask him to. Kisses, cuddles, hand holding, biting-

*cough*

Depending on what you like of course.

Only spills your blood with your permission. Fully consensual.

Likes holding you close or having you nearby. It calms him down when he's upset or too peppy.

When you are at the hotel, he likes whisking you away to his office for kisses.

Buys you jewelry, food, clothes. A lot of gifts that are in his colors. Maybe one thing you'll wear everyday with a microphone on it.

Everyone knows to STAY AWAY.

Of course Vox is an idiot and tries to woo you but fails miserably.

"You know how much I adore you my dearest.", Alastor caresses your face. "Jusqu'à la fin des temps ou jusqu'à ce qu'il n'y ait plus que nous." (Until the end of time, or until it's just us.)

Makes sure you're content and well taken care of.

Of course there are times when he does too much and you get upset.

"Alastor, please let me do this for myself.", you'll say with a pout.

"Forgive me my darling.", he kisses the top of your head. "You know I like taking care of you, but as you wish."

He shows off his demon form because he knows you like it.

Teases you about it later in your shared hotel room, until you're hiding your blushing face.

"I thought you liked my radio dial eyes?", he leans closer, purposefully turning them into radio dials. "￦as ¡ wr¤Ω&?", he asks, static more noticeable in his voice.

"D-don't!", you'll stutter and shiver, peeking through your fingers.

His smile widens and he'll continue transforming. "What's the matter my love?", he chuckles as he looms over you. "Trouble holding back?"

Falls in love all over again when you get pissed at someone.

Watches as you tear up said demon and cheers for you. "Save me a piece or two darling!"

Man worships and adores you.

No one will ever see you make the Radio Demon blush, but you don't mind. That's only for you to see.

He's yours after all.

Thank you to @the-friend-lol for making me the gif.

~Seline, the person.

Taglist@

@ducky-died-inside @scary-noodlesblog @c4rved-pumpk1n @stolas-thebirb @naelys-the-aster @biromanticboba @kiraisastay @pooplyface1423 @lbcreations-blog @+?

ML for Alastor🎙

#alastor #x reader #gn reader #alastor hazbin hotel #hazbin alastor #hazbin hotel alastor #alastor the radio demon #the radio demon #alastor x reader #headcanons #hint at yandere reader #wink wink

[what-even-is-thiss]

Have you never spent a lot of time around cats but want to be friends with one? Some cat communication basics. Because I feel like it.

A cat approaching you doesn’t necessarily mean they want pets. They may just be inspecting you or hanging out.

If you want to pet a cat you need to ask permission first. The way you do this is you offer a finger or the back of your hand for them to smell. If the cat wants to be pet they’ll generally push their face or head and neck into your hand. If they don’t want to be pet they’ll generally walk away or just sit down.

Cats will usually ask for pets by rubbing up against you or possibly standing at your feet and meowing. When you think a cat is asking for pets hold your hand out and see if they rub up against you. That means they want pets. If they start walking away with purpose instead that means they want to show you something. If they meander off that just means they’re hanging out. No pets needed.

If a cat likes the way you’re petting them they’ll probably lean into it. If they like it a lot and you stop they might try to pull you back over with a paw. They might also squint close their eyes. If they don’t like it they’ll lean away or swipe at you a bit or show their teeth if they really don’t like it.

When they’re done being pet or sitting in your lap they’ll probably just peacefully walk away. This is good. They trust you but they’re done hanging out now. If their ears flatten or they start bristling and hissing you’ve done something very wrong or they’re afraid of you and it’s probably best to leave them be.

A relaxed cat’s ears usually point forward and are upright. If their ears flatten or point back they’re angry or scared and they’re serious.

Cats can purr for any number of reasons. If they’re sitting on your lap with completely relaxed posture (in a loaf with tail curled up, eyes happily squinted closed, maybe actively looking for pets from you and giving little cat hugs in the form of rubbing their face on you) that’s probably a sign of contentment. They can also purr to calm themselves down or try to heal themselves or others. Purring is one of those things that needs the surrounding context to be understood.

When a cat shows their stomach they’re comfortable around you but not looking for pets. Most cats don’t like belly scratches. Some do, but if you try to scratch a cat’s belly and they start acting angry it’s because from their perspective you’re the one violating personal boundaries here.

If a cat doesn’t like being picked up they’ll probably start struggling. If they’re very stressed out they may get violent but if they know you that probably won’t be their first choice unless said cat has a short temper. If the cat is neutral to happy about being held they probably won’t do anything at all. You can carefully drop cats when you’re done holding them. In fact they may prefer that to being carefully set down depending on the cat. Angle them down just a little when you drop them so they can land on their front paws first. This also gives them a bit of warning that they’re about to be dropped.

Most cats won’t lick you but if they do they’re trying to groom you. This means they see you as part of the family. This is fine. A bit weird but they’re trying to help.

If you try to act like you’re small and out of the way and avoid eye contact with a cat, the cat will see this as an invitation to hang out. This is why if you don’t understand or like cats and try to avoid them at parties or at friends houses they might try to hang out with you a lot. Lots of eye contact and making a lot of noise and making yourself bigger is the way to scare a cat off. Slow blinking and not acting excited is an open invitation.

Some cats have been trained a little bit by their owners. They aren’t obedient 100% of the time like dogs but they can be trained to know what some things mean and get accustomed to certain situations. Cats can be trained to like a certain noise like kissy noises or tongue clicking by making those noises when you feed or pet them when they’re young. It can also be demonstrated to them that patting the couch or other surface next to you is an invitation to come over. These are the most common things most house cats that grew up with humans know about. You can also ask their owner if there’s a noise they come to but if you don’t know, kissy noises, tongue clicking, or the cat’s name or saying something like “here kitty kitty” are the most common things a cat might understand as a request to come over.

When playing with a cat, moving your hand around on the ground for them to pounce on, waving a feather toy around, rolling a ball towards them, etc. they generally won’t use their claws. If they want to play they’ll start playing. This can look like their eyes going wide and them paying attention to the plaything, doing the prey butt wiggle, and swiping at the toy. If they don’t want to play they usually just won’t react to what you’re doing or watch you with disinterest and neutral eyes.