#Dredging up my headcannon that Jelly and Griz were close when younger

[white-cat-of-doom]

Freya, the Operatic Queen

I finally came up with a Jellicle OC, which is something I truthfully never thought I would do! 

However, seeing such wonderful posts from @the-cat-at-the-theatre-door, @theimpossiblescheme, @1taliart-stargayce, and @storyweaverofgondor (please let me know if you want me to remove tagging any of you) where they introduce and breath life into original characters or swing Cats from the many productions of CATS over the last 40 years has inspired me to create a character of my own.

Admittedly, she is a bit self-indulgent, as Freya allows me to expand and connect my headcannons for characters, but that is part of the appeal of CATS! It allows for insertions like this which do not detract from the main show, but do help expand the background relationships and histories of characters.

The amazing Jemi created art for her here.

Here are my headcannons for Freya, along with other headcannons that she plays into. It is below the cut as it is a bit long:

Three Words: Sensitive, Caring, Genuine

Named after the Norse goddess associated with love, beauty, fertility, and gold, who rides a chariot pulled by two cats. (Also named Freya because I ADORE Freya Rowley who was in CATS (2019) as Jellylorum, Tantomile in the UK Tour 2014, and a Swing in the UK Tour 2013).

Breed and appearance wise, Freya would be a Traditional (Doll-Faced) white Persian, or a solid white Norwegian Forest Cat, with striking gold eyes. (For those unfamiliar with cat breeds, a longhaired, fluffy white cat).

Freya is Victoria’s and Mistoffelees’ mother, and she is the sister of Bustopher Jones.

Freya and her brother were both bred as showcats, something that neither enjoyed. Bustopher was the cat who was did better in shows as he was easier to handle and would cooperate for food. Freya would caterwaul and generally did not like to be picked up. She believes cats should be judged on their personality and not on their appearance.

Her and Bustopher were close in childhood, but their lives begin to diverge as they got older, with Bustopher becoming too used to luxury and pampering (as he is adopted to a wealthy family), something that Freya never felt comfortable with.

Freya has a modest home with her human, a professional classical musician, trained in piano and violin, who exposed her to all types of music. Freya most enjoys the operas, arias, and symphonies.

Freya is a stubborn Queen and a perfectionist. She accepts nothing less than the best from everyone, and is even more so expectant at the theatre. Some Cats regarded her as difficult, a fact that she was not one to challenge. In her heart, she knew what she trying to achieve, and that those close to her would appreciate it.

Freya is able to harness the power and magic of the Jellicle Moon, something she found out during her coming of age, which her daughter will discover in the same fashion. Freya’s magical ability manifests itself in the way she sings, so sweetly and so powerfully, instantly eliciting strong emotion. Her voice can be heard far and wide, and it was unmistakable.

The kittens’ father, a Cat who also possesses some power and magic of the Jellicle Moon, is only known to Freya, who takes the secret to her grave.

In a role to protect and support the Tribe, Freya is a lookout and a Cat who alerts the Tribe of danger, as her voice carries over large distances. She does not fight unless absolutely necessary, but is able to take care of herself if required.

Freya sadly passes away fairly young from sickness when Victoria and Mistoffelees are kittens. Although her death does not register much with them at the time, as they are young and not quite able to understand fully, her impression left on them is undeniable. She has embossed her children’s lives with her existence, and the way they express themselves is a derivation of who their mother was.

Freya called Victoria her ‘piccola luna‘ (little moon) and Mistoffelees her ‘luce stellare‘ (starlight). They mean so much to her, and it absolutely destroys her that she will not be in her kittens’ lives physically as they grow older.

She was best friends with Jellylorum and close friends with Grizabella and Jennyanydots, as they were all involved in theatre performances with Gus and Asparagus. Jelly and Griz are more performers, while Jenny and Asparagus are the ones who help prepare and organized the shows. Jenny is the primary costume fabricator, and does occasionally bring her mice and cockroaches to perform in shows.

Knowing her life remaining is short after becoming ill, Freya asks Jellylorum to continue raising Victoria and Mistoffelees on her behalf. It is the hardest conversation Freya will ever have, as she never wanted to admit that she needed help. It also the hardest for Jelly, who was not necessarily prepared for the request (years later, Jelly would again be dealt with a difficult situation, needing to tend to the increasing declining health of Gus), so soon after learning that the Queen she regarded as a sister was dying. Jelly selflessly accepts the request, promising Freya that she would take care of her kittens until the end of her current life. She would never let her down in any capacity, laying down her life if needed.

Jellylorum is initially a bit overwhelmed taking care of two more kittens, and starts to rely on Jenny for assistance, creating a unbreakable queerplatonic partnership between the two, and initializing the future Mom Duo who take care of everyone, especially the kittens of the Tribe. Jelly credits Freya for pushing her and Jenny closer, without knowing it of course. The Everlasting Cat works in unique ways, and Jelly was happy to find someone who understands that romance should not be the forefront of a relationship.

Grizabella, although sad that Freya has passed, begins to realize that she has no competition for stardom with her gone (not that Freya wanted fame; on the contrary, she wanted to forget her show days and live quietly), and begins to change. Grizabella starts to feel like she has been ignored and taken for granted by the theatre group, who in her mind have held her back from her dreams. As Jelly and Jenny begin to focus most of their energy in helping to raise their kittens, they spend less time at the theatre, and Grizabella begins to feel alone. She grows more distant from the theatre group and the tribe as a whole, eventually leaving in search of her dreams of the Glamour Cat, and the recognition she believes she deserves.

Victoria and Mistoffelees have inherited some of the magic from their parents, which would not be known to them until they have grown up, and is something is discovered by both of them when coming of age.

Their mother never explicitly told them that they may grow up to be tied to the Jellicle Moon, as she never got the chance, and they were too young. She could feel that her kittens had the same, if not more, power than she had. She wanted her kittens to be able to understand for themselves their inherited magic. The only other Cat who was told this was Jelly when Freya asked her to take care them. Jelly does not say a word to anyone, even Jenny, in her time raising the kittens.

Victoria first feels the power of the Jellicle Moon within herself during the White Cat Solo. It is a nervous energy that she never quite has felt and guides her movements throughout. She looks to the Moon for guidance and falls into a trance. Time slows down and Victoria is flooded with the memories of her first dancing for her mother, their paws together following a rhythm. Then the memory of Victoria’s first solo dance, the pride in Freya’s golden eyes watching her daughter move more elegantly than she ever could imagine. There is familiarity and comfort to the trance, wrapping around her and warming inside, and Victoria realizes that her mother Freya is shining down on her. Her mother has always been beside her in spirit, looking down from the Heaviside Layer, proud to watch her little moon become the Queen she is. She also feels this power leading the Ball, where the energy is a focused burning inside of her. Victoria feels less burdened by uncertainty knowing that Freya is close to her, even if she can only sense it. Freya’s pride for Victoria is bestowed upon her now, as her mother always thought that she would be a special Queen, purer than she could be, and a beacon of light shining at even the darkest of times.

Mistoffelees first discovers his connection to the Jellicle Moon when alone one night, not long before the annual Ball. The same nervous energy felt by Victoria is felt also by Misto, but manifests in the form of electricity. At first he is scared of his powers, but as beings to discover more he reigns in control of them, and learns how to perform other feats of magic. He keeps this to himself initially, until he has to explain to a curious beast onlooker how he just teleported himself from one pile of trash to another, when he thought he was curled up by the fire. He makes Tugger swear to not say anything, which may otherwise hurt his standing with the Jellicles, considering their past with Macavity. Rescuing Old Deuteronomy is the first time Mistoffelees shows his abilities to the Tribe, much to their surprise, and perhaps fright?

Freya would act beside Gus as Griddlebone in performances of Growltiger’s Last Stand, which was the highlight of any theatre performance put on by the Jellicles. She loved to sing the operatic highs of the Lover's Duet and let herself be dramatic as the flamboyant Queen, showing her less serious side that was somewhat hidden in apprehension.

In honour of Freya, the theatre group continues on the performances of Growltiger, where Jellylorum dresses up like the Operatic Queen, in a costume of a fluffy white cat. It keeps Freya’s legacy alive with the Tribe, and allows Victoria and Mistoffelees to have some physical connection with their mother, something that Jelly feels is her duty to create.

#CATS the Musical #CATS Musical #Jellicle OC #Freya #Did you expect me to make an OC who was not a fluffy white cat? #You should not be surprised by this then #This became longer than I anticipated but it feels good to just write out my thoughts #I feel so happy with this #This is what I meant by fleshing out details #I think I wrote everything I thought of #I wish I could draw what I have in mind for what Freya looks like #Victoria #Mistoffelees #Griddlebone #Jellylorum #Jennyanydots #Bustopher Jones #Grizabella #Dredging up my headcannon that Jelly and Griz were close when younger #As they put on performances with Gus and Aspargus at the theatre #But now we have an added Queen #And Jenny's involvement #Jelly is the nicest and sweetest cat #I also shamelessly write my Jennylorum/Jellydots relationship headcannon because I can #They love each other #If you read this post #I thank you #You all inspire me to write #Maybe I will write more at some point #The White Cat Speaks