#grandpa skimbles

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

do you have any headcanons or ideas when the current adult cats like Munkustrap, Macavity or Tugger reach their senior age? What becomes of them? How’s the tribe like etc.

Sorry if I worded this question weird it’s been on my mind for a while and I figured you might have some interesting ideas about it :)

That's actually a super interesting question! I stuck with the three prompted in the ask, but I'm happy to talk about others as well, if you'd like!

(Slight TWs for mention of illness and death)

🎸 - Tugger gains weight as he gets older, around the middle and face particularly - the slowing metabolism catches up to him, even with his picky eating habits. No shame in that; he's healthy, lives a good life and he's happy. He has a very prominent nasolabial fold on the right side of his face that no longer goes away when he stops smiling, because he would half smile and smirk so often that the muscles in his face got weaker on the left, leaving it permanently crooked (no less charming though), and the smile lines on one side are far deeper. Like is tradition, he lets his fur get even longer, but pays a little less attention to it, so it's often wild (he digs it - says it looks "very bad boy" which has his kids and niblings and grandkids groaning at him). Gives him a very regal "king of the jungle" type of look, and that combined with the lower tilt of his brow give off the impression that he's grown more serious, but he hasn't. One quick grin will attest to that. He's secretly *very* self conscious about his aging (let's be real, he was the type to have started dying his hair the minute anything even resembling grey showed up in there - grey only exists on his dad and Munk), particularly that the others may start to lose interest in him (and Tugger does love his attention), but does a good job at hiding it, and lbh if you know anything about any rockstar, it's that aging eliminates absolutely zero appeal to their fans - a sex symbol is a sex symbol.

His role in the clowder stays mostly the same. He never really moves up or into any real role of responsibility, though he does stay on as an advisor after Sillabub steps up. Most of his troublemaking is now quietly whispered and advised to the next generation, with "old innocent Uncle Tugger" watching gleefully from a distance. Gotta train them young, y'know? He also takes up the Grandpa Gus mantel in nicknaming everyone with very particular calling cards, or settling on the more neutral "babe" and "honey" - particularly for the younger kittens. He also came into his own as quite the storyteller, when you get him to sit still long enough (which isn't often but they'll take what they can get).

A fully senior Tugger started developing problems with wandering off and mobility, but his family keeps close tabs on him (even though it annoys him).

🌙 - Munkustrap has taken remarkably after Old Deuteronomy in that he aged very slowly, and then almost all at once. For the longest time, it seemed like he would never age; every year that passed he looked the same (having grey fur already does wonders for hiding the grey that pops forward). Maybe a little fuller in the figure, maybe with a few deeper lines around the eyes, but still the same old Munk he'd always been even a dozen years ago. He isn't at all concerned with appearances; he takes them as they come.

He's mellowed out over the years in stress levels (not good for the blood pressure, you know - he has several cats who pointedly remind him of that when he starts), though you know when something doesn't please him; that familial look of disapproval is very strong in him. But it doesn't stop him from following in Aunt Jenny and Uncle Skimble's footsteps in that "slowing down" are not words in his vocabulary. He's still as busy a body as ever, and remained in charge of the yearly plays at the Ball until he needed to be forcibly retired (at least in being the lead director - he still goes to every practice). Part of that comes from the rather severe arthritis he develops later down the line, which was part of the contribution to that "all at once" aging I mentioned earlier, but he remains cheerful and as active as is tolerable with it. He (regrettably if you ask his daughters and grandchildren) has become the "back in my day", kind of guy, which you can tell he's about to launch into when he manages a claw up and pointing. He absolutely adores his grandchildren and grandniblings, and takes over his father's spot as the first cat that often gets to meet very new kittens (and pass on their teachings), and while he doesn't have Old Deuteronomy's full knack for it (doesn't quite have the developed magic for it), it is still a time honoured tradition and you know Munkustrap adores babies (and they all adore Granddad).

Munk remains the leading song-storyteller in the clowder, and takes on a role as one of their mentors/teachers until his fading memory prevents him from doing so. He is very proud of his apprentices that take up after him, and takes up every opportunity to tell any cat how good they are and how he taught them everything they know. He ends up passing peacefully in his home at around 32 years of feline age after being sick a while - not bad for a cat; the Deuteronomys live rather long, you know.

💀 - Macavity...is Macavity. No, actually, you know what scratch that. Macavity becomes who he was meant to be the entire time: Professor Moriarty (but like book canon Moriarty - think like Victor Evgrafov). His shoulders droop forward and begin to protrude as he loses more weight, as though wings would sprout from the shoulder blades behind him, his jaw and whiskers begin to sag and his fur gets thinner (even moreso) and that "highly domed" head of his becomes literal as the "fur line" pushes back further. He is patchy and unkempt, but somehow retains his cool, unbothered posturing (kinda...unless he's angry, but that doesn't come with age). The cataracts he develops (and, with no desire to be anywhere in the vicinity of humans, retains) are white and clouded, and while this means the intensity of his gaze has softened a notch (literally and figuratively - his vision is permanently blurred), it is somehow even more frightening than before.

He no longer goes out to do any of his bidding (though he never really did to begin with - having a web has its perks in that you don't get the paws dirty) - they are brought to him. Not particularly difficult, as he has abandoned a *lot* of his threads - he grew bored of them; they no longer interested him. His voice has become softer, more difficult to hear, but it's bone chilling. He's often caught talking to cats who aren't there (or at least that no one else can see), and staring blankly at walls, and his paranoia has tripled. Possibly CDS; no one was close enough to him to really know.

Macavity disappears one day; no one really knows what happened to him, though you can take a few guesses.

#The Rum Tum Tugger #Munkustrap #Macavity #my headcanons #jellicles ask because jellicles dare #realreulbberband #macavity does not reenter jellicle society - honestly if he reaches older age i'd be surprised #thank you for the ask it was really cool! #this is something i never fully considered but also you know what? i love talking about older munk and tugger

[namethat-i-oughttohavetoldyou]

Enlightening Churn of Events

@suppenzeit​, woo-woo-welcome to the Cats fandom. Here is a Skimblestrap drabble for you! It was a challenge to write for Cats 2019 bc I’d never thought I would ever write for it at all, but it was an interesting challenge, and I am quite happy with the end result. Enjoy! ♥ All my love to those who read/like/reblog!

“You know, I would have appreciated if-”

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

“Ahem. What I meant to s-”

WOOOO-WOO!

“What I am trying to express is-”

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Munkustrap sighed and gave up.

Skimbleshanks pulled his head back from where he had stuck it out of the narrow window, whiskers endearingly windswept. “What was that, dear?”

“Nothing, don’t worry.” It truly hadn’t been that important; Munkustrap was just feeling like nagging a little. A terrible habit, but that is what one got when spending too much time in Cassandra’s general vicinity.

With the cla-clap sound of steel-lined shoes hitting wooden floor, Skimbleshanks jumped off the covered radiator turned window sill and joined him on the side table, which was tastefully decorated with a cotton table cover.

“It should stop raining soon, then we can go back to the balcony,” Skimble said confidently, trying to smooth down his wild fur with his paws.

Munkustrap took pity on him and helped, knowing just too well how crabby he became when his standards of neatness weren’t met.

“Shouldn’t we wait a little longer still? The floor might be slippery.”

“Hm, perhaps. But what do we have claws for? I’ll make sure to rescue you, should you slip.”

“That’s a comfort,” Munkustrap snorted, half sarcastically, half lovingly.

“I know something else that will comfort you,” Skimble said without missing a beat, twirling his whiskers in a slender paw.

“Oh?”

“Why of course, you see, there is-”

WOOOOOOOO-WOOOO!

“Ah, that is, we have a-”

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

“...”

“You were saying?”

“Nevermind. Just follow me and I’ll show you.”

Munkustrap followed dutifully, out of the door and down the corridor. Every human they came across called a greeting of some sort, and the guard even saluted.

Skimbleshanks’ long tail was lifted high and proud all the way, while Munkustrap could only gape and marvel, doing his best to not stumble over his own paws in the meantime. Skimble’s good reputation had to be preserved, after all, and a cat with his head in the clouds following him along like a kitten behind a feather toy was certainly not the right method.

He couldn’t muse any further, because at that moment a child shot out of a compartment and stepped on his tail.

Munkustrap bit on his tongue to suppress his scream and his instinct to lash out along with it, hissing through his teeth instead.

Stomping over, Skimbleshanks gave a stern yowl when the little boy didn’t seem to get the message.

“Look mommy, a kitty!” the child crowed with delight, bouncing and grounding his heel into the tip of Munkustrap’s tail.

Munkustrap’s eyes crossed. He would rather avoid being the cause of a scratched ankle, but this was really cutting it a little close.

“That’s the cat of the railway train,” a man who was probably the boy’s grandfather explained, and it sounded like quite the title from his mouth. “I think it would be best if you stepped off his friend’s tail, li’l one.”

“Oh,” the boy said, and did so.

Munkustrap fled behind Skimble, burying his face in his flank so the humans wouldn’t see his continued hissing.

“Sorry,” the boy added and turned back to his grandfather, already forgetting why he had left the compartment in the first place. “Is the cat a policeman, grandpa Erich?”

“Are you alright?” Skimble asked worriedly, eyeing Munkustrap’s mistreated tail.

“I’ll survive,” Munkustrap grumbled. “How do you stand it? I couldn’t exist in harmony with so many humans in one place for days on end.”

“A good place to start is always keeping your tail up,” Skimbleshanks replied mildly, his purr bubbling up like an afterthought, quiet and almost impatient-sounding, very unlike it’s owner, but still very fitting.

“That makes sense, I suppose,” Munkustrap said weakly, experimentally moving his tail. It was still in one piece, but the tip was definitely bruised. Oh well. He’d certainly had worse.

“Come now, I know a good cure against all ailments.”

Further down the corridor they went, tails held conveniently high and proud, reciprocating greetings with regal nods and small chirps.

After they had kept that up for a decent amount of time, they reached a door that didn’t look very different from all the other doors they had passed, but Munkustrap could tell from Skimbleshanks’ twitching tail that this door was special. As soon as it was opened to them, he found out why.

The smell of tea in the room was so strong that he had to paw at his nose a few times to clear it. So this was the origin of the mysterious note in Skimbleshanks’ unique scent; he must spend a lot of time in this room.

A bagman sat on the narrow bench next to the tiny stove and read a book that was missing its cover. Munkustrap was sure that it was at least as old as the bagman himself, if not older. He knew how to differentiate old books from those that were just neglected; living close to a junkyard provided one with insider knowledge like that.

“Skimbleshanks,” the bagman greeted them cheerily, “and… your girlfriend?”

“Mreaow,” Munkustrap commented.

“Boyfriend. My bad.”

“Mrrw.”

“Would you like a cuppa? I just put on some water.”

Skimbleshanks meowed and jumped up on the bench, gesticulating for Munkustrap to follow.

Munkustrap shrugged and followed, even though there was no more room on the bench, and he landed awkwardly halfway on Skimble’s back.

“Now now, no need to hurry.”

“Mrrap!”

“Of course, of course. Does your friend want some lemon in his tea?”

Munkustrap shook his head. Skimbleshanks fell off the bench.

“Alright.” The bagman turned to get them cups and saucers, then he did a double take. Did the cat just shake his head at his question?

“Lemon?” he asked again, one eyebrow lifting curiously.

Munkustrap, about to shake his head again, caught himself in the last second and yawned, lifting a paw to wash his face.

“No lemon,” the bagman said thoughtfully, scratched the back of his head and turned back to the cupboard.

“They should build in a second bench, don’t you think?” Skimbleshanks asked Munkustrap from where he was examining a vacated mouse hole.

“I think we’re just too long to sit on it together,” Munkustrap answered, nonchalantly washing his ears.

“Maybe so. We’ll take a pillow next time.”

A smile bloomed on Munkustrap’s face before Skimble had even ended his sentence. “Next time?”

“Certainly. Remind me later to shove a can into this hidey hole, would you, dear?”

“Of course.” The smile stayed.

“Here you are, gentlemen.” The bagman set the cups on the floor; there was no room for a table inside the room.

The two tomcats didn’t mind, the stove was radiating enough warmth to make the wooden floor a comfortable place to be.

They sipped their tea while the bagman returned to his book.

“You ought to bring Tugger the next time, so he can bring some milk from his bar,” Munkustrap giggled, nudging Skimble with a back paw.

Skimbleshanks snorted with laughter. “He’d get ill before we’d leave the station, poor thing. Terribly motion sick as he is. Remember when he practised chaînés with me and-”

“Oh, I remember.”

They both laughed into their teacups.

“Besides, bringing milk is not a good idea at all. I am of the belief that one of the guards is cursed.”

“Oh? Do tell.”

Skimbleshanks lifted his face from his cup so he wouldn’t dip his whiskers into the hot beverage while he talked. Munkustrap used the opportunity to put a hand on his chin and gently lift it to brush a few droplets of tea from his fur.

As expected, it made Skimble fumble with his words a little, only coming back to himself at Munkustrap’s cheek-splitting grin.

“Ahem. Don’t you know it’s rude to fluster old toms such as myself when they’re in the middle of a story?”

“You are scarcely old.”

“And I am also not in the middle of story, that’s how flustered I am. Hush now.”

Munkustrap smiled.

“Rude. Anyhow, I don’t know how he does it, but as soon as he is in the vicinity, all milk curdles on the spot. I can’t even count the amount of times I was looking forward to drinking some tea with milk, just to discover very unappetizing clumps in my cup.”

Munkustrap grimaced. “Oh my.”

“I don’t think it would help poor Tugger’s delicate stomach either if his milk turned sour the second he entered this room.”

Another shared fit of laughter followed, the bagman raising an eyebrow behind his threadbare book at the noises.

“At least it doesn’t happen to the lemon,” Skimbleshanks sighed after a while, wiping tears from his eyes. “Poor unfortunate fruits. The only comfort that we have left on here, other than scotch, of course.”

“That’s one reason why I can’t stand buttermilk,” Munkustrap said, flanks still heaving with laughter, “it tastes too much like someone murdered a lemon in cold blood. Or rather in cold milk, if you so will. Really, the humans have come up with great things, but I do ask myself sometimes – Skimble?”

Skimble looked as if he had seen a ghost. “Cold milk,” he said tonelessly.

Munkustrap cocked his head.

Skimble’s eyes widened, and he buried his head in his paws. “Cold milk and fresh lemon.”

“And tea,” Munkustrap added helpfully, completely clueless as to what was bothering his partner so.

“And tea,” Skimble groaned, shaking his head. “You just discovered the root of our curse, dear. Thank you.”

“Oh. Er. You’re welcome, my heart.”

Skimbleshanks shook his head again. “Humans, I tell you. My grandmother is surely rotating in her tomb that it’s making the ground shake.”

When he looked up, Munkustrap looked incredibly confused. Outside, the sunlight made its way through the clouds, bathing them in its warm light and making Munkustrap’s silver fur gleam.

“Let us go back to the balcony,” Skimbleshanks said, a grin on his face and a spring in his step, eyes promising an explanation as soon as they were away from watchful eyes.

He lifted his long brown tail to bid the bagman goodbye and lead Munkustrap back down the corridor, side by side, tails intertwined, already deep in an explanation as to how an oblivious guard kept accidentally making buttermilk in the Midnight Mail’s teacups.

Poor cats. Buttermilk is nasty. I made the little boy’s grandpa with one line of screen time a German immigrant, because why not. Also I am aware that I have been very vague and/or weird about if they are actual cats here or not, because Skimble wears his tap-shoes, so just assume that they look like actual cats until I say that they don’t XD This story is too short for this kind of world building. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for reading! ♥♥♥

#cats the musical #cats 2019 #munkustrap #skimbleshanks #skimblestrap #namethat-i writes #catsiversary: the sequel

[herooffire101]

Already, we're heading to one of the two fics I've written for Tuggerulina Week that is more...sad, for lack of a better word. Today's prompt was First Kiss, and I may had listened to some music while writing the end. @jelliclekay enjoy!

It was a quiet night among the troubled kids.

Bomba found him, up on a semi-hidden peak within the yard, starting up into the sky. Her left thigh throbbed a bit as the hours-old cuts that Macavity left on her slowed her down just a tad. Bomba, worried about Tugger, escaped the careful eye of her Aunt Jelly and Jenny. ‘Macavity really rocked our world today.’ Bomba thought, thinking back to Macavity. An adult cat already, he was giving Bomba herself unwanted advances, and Bomba could tell that he wanted her to do the Mating Dance with him, to be his mate, but she wasn’t having it. She could feel his magic, and as they grew up, his magic was at first okay, not really bad and certainly not repulsive, but as they got older, his magic aura just got darker and darker, and increasingly repulsive. It was now so powerful and dark that Bomba could taste it, and it tasted completely horrible. The closer he was to her made her want to choke because it was so bad she couldn’t breathe. Today, however, was the last straw. She snapped at him, her inner magic lashing out, her inner Flames of Creation lashing out, as her grandfather explained to her. She had the magic of the Theater Cat, and it was pushing back against Macavity’s more destructive magic. This event caused what Grandpa said the cards to collapse. “I will not be your Mate, Macavity! My heart does not belong to you!” Bomba words echoed in her head, as she looked at her best friend. He witnessed it, the entire confrontation. James, Dad, AND Skimble had to pull his eldest brother off of Bomba as he eviscerated her right thigh. Aunt Jelly and Jenny were worried that they would have to take her back to Jelly’s humans again, but luckily they didn’t need to. However, they did bandage it and tried to keep her in the medical den, but Bomba escaped. She needed to see Tugger. Limping, she went up to his left side, and laid herself down, right next to him, mindful of her bandages. “That was something. I didn’t think that he would do that.”

“…I don’t know what to think.” Tugger finally said after a few moments, looking out at the night sky, and the distant lights of the city. “He’s my big brother. I can even tell you’ve been brushing off his advances. You never liked him.”

“I know!” Bomba agreed, rubbing up closer to him. “His aura, Tugger. His aura is repulsive to me.”

A silence between them, their tails slowly intertwining with each other. “…His aura?” Tugger asked, speaking the silence.

Bomba sighed. “I keep forgetting that no one else can feel or see magic like me. Tugger, I see magic, and feel it too. I can identify any cat with magic. Grandpa Gus has it too, but mine is a whole lot stronger than his.”

“Oh.” A silence followed, Tugger’s paw finding its way to Bomba’s. “Do I have magic?”

“Yea.” A beat. “Yours is my favorite. Munk is comfortable, protective, but not my right one.”

“What does Dad feel like?”

“Like yours, but older.”

Tugger sputtered. “That can’t be right. Munk’s the heir. I’m just the annoying disappointment.”

Bomba huffed. “Deuteronomy and Grandpa explained to me earlier while Aunty and Jenny were bandaging me up why he tried to make me his mate.”

“Why?” Tugger asked, side-eying her, as she just faced towards the outside of the yard.

“I am like Grizabella.” Bomba said, her eyes never moving, “I’m able to have kittens with magic.”

It didn’t take Tugger long for it to click. “You are able to have magical kittens?!?”

“Yes, you dingus!” Bomba snapped, finally facing him. “If I mate with either Mac, Munk, or you, there is a chance that the kitten will be the Heir to the Tribe!”

“Then are you going to be mates with Munk?”

“No, idiot.”

A beat. And then another beat. “Wait, ME!?!”

“YES, YOU INSUFFERABLE DINGWAD!!!”

“B-but…”

“My magic is repulsed by Macavity. Munkustrap is compatible but is not my true mate.” Bomba glared at him, annoyed. “Neither can be my mate because my magic already chose my mate.”

“Who?” Tugger challenged.

Bombalurina groaned and grumbled. “What a massive idiot you are.” She looked into his eyes, and let her magic pulse, feeling in the bond that her magic made when they first met. “You. You are my mate. The Everlasting Cat destined us to be mates.”

“But you’re Bombalurina. You can have anyone you want!” Tugger said, trying to deny it.

“THE RUM TUM TUGGER, LISTEN TO ME.” She snapped, grabbing a fistful of his mane. “YOU carry the same magical aura as Old Deuteronomy. YOU have the ability to have everyone listen to you. YOU are able to calm me. YOU are my True Mate, and that is something that is once in a few generations, and it tends to happen in my bloodline, according to Grandpa.” She took a breath and relaxed her hold on his mane. Tugger sat there, flabbergasted at her. “Yes, I can have anyone I want, but Tugger. I want you. What I didn’t say was that my heart belonged to someone else, and that cat is you.” Bomba sighed, and sat back down, not facing him. “I just don’t want to be like my mother.”

A stunned silence. She could feel his eyes on her, and his magic reaching out, almost hesitantly. She let her magic relax and welcome his earthlier warmth against her flame’s warmth. What she didn’t say that while similar in magic, Old Deuteronomy had more of a Water magic aura like Munkustrap, while Tugger had the same feel of magic as Old Deut, his was perfectly mixed with Grizabella’s Earth magic. Tugger felt...scared, but also hopeful. “You…want me.” His voice felt full of bravado, but even Bomba could hear the unsureness.

“Whatever words I say,” Bomba said, her emerald green eyes facing the stars, “I will always love you.” It was a bit before she felt Tugger lightly moving her head to face his, and she felt his lips on hers, kissing her. She reciprocated, purring. Both their foreheads touched. “I will always love you.”

~~~~

I may have listened to the Cure’s Lovesong during the last paragraph. Also, for readers who make it down to the this author's note, tomorrow's fic I feel will make you have emotions, because I feel like i went hard on tomorrow's prompt.

#cats the musical #bombalurina #tuggerlurina #rum tum tugger #tuggerlurina week #I actually really love listening to 80's classic alternative #Like I grew up on that #i know that this is one of many universes I have for Cats #But if you are reading the tags thank you for the engagement

[flame-x]

Skimbleshanks Headcanons for Elder Cats Appreciation Week!

This is going to be so quick and rough and ready and I apologise for that lol

Skimble is constantly coming and going in the Junkyard- seriously, you go to sleep for a few hours and then wake up the next morning and boom he's chatting away to Alonzo about night watches

Always very smartly dressed, no exceptions

Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots are mates and parents to Tumblebrutus, Bill Bailey, Carbucketty and Pouncival (oldest to youngest).

He always gives Good Advice

Skimbleshanks is much beloved by all the tribe, especially the kittens- he's like everyone's funny uncle or grandpa

Very particular- he likes things to be orderly

His favourite colour is probably bottle green

He has a soft spot for Rumpleteazer and he's great friends with Misto

@the-cat-at-the-theatre-door

#cats the musical #jellicle cats #skimbleshanks #headcanons #but they're canon to my au #suaimhneas au #mean like a minx and lean like a lynx #alonzo #jennyanydots #bill bailey #tumblebrutus #bill bailey and tumblebrutus are separate cats #carbucketty #pouncival #pouncival and carbucketty are separate cats #rumpleteazer #mr mistoffelees

[jennanydots]

im a huge cats the musical and ds9 fan please tell me everything about the AU

hehehe thank u for enabling me I will do so ! (pls bear in mind that in building this around elecetera I have largely disregarded the canon relationships in ds9 simply because I think it is more fun that way and also I LOVE to talk so this is so god damn long)

this started with the thought that electra and etcetera doing the nojay consortium plot would be unbearably cute, so of course Etcetera is cast as Nog (excitable accidental mischief maker who grows into a brave little champ and joins starfleet!) and Electra is cast as Jake (still silly but much more levelheaded/quieter than her counterpart, a worrier, and grows into a writer! a little reference to my own hc of electra as a library cat).

"why would pollicles steal your homework?" "[head tilt] because they don't have ethics?" PRECIOUS

so then building out from there you get Bombalurina as Benjamin (which I think is REALLY cool also visually I think she suits that part and I think it's such a cool thought to cast her as captain and emissary over anyone else. I love her I'm gay). and then obviously you need Demeter as Kasidy (the obvious choice for dem would be kira but I think this is much more fun for her. hot and in charge cargo ship captain! (and of course this makes her Bomba's gf :3 and Jemima their as-yet-unborn baby who I'm not technically meant to know about cause I haven't finished ds9 yet but hey) aslo. just really super hot. I'm gay. got stuck thinking about int tour dem in kasidy's boiler suit lookin outfits and ceased functioning.). as I mentioned I also cast Munkustrap as Jennifer just cause u know. makes sense. and obvs Deuteronomy as Joseph Sisko! (honestly my favourite characterisation of deut always has that little flavour of grandpa sisko I love him)

then on Etcetera!Nog's side of this family tree we have Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer taking over hybridised roles of Quark and Rom! (neither of them are her parents they're her older siblings/cousins/idk but she's theirs to raise. I've kind of been mixing and matching what narrative roles each of them take so it's sort of a. they run the bar together, jerrie is the one to become an engineer, teazer is the one to date the Leeta, they take bits and pieces of each of the ferengis plots u kno). speaking of, Victoria is cast as Leeta (because victeazer 4eva but also beautiful but kind and deceptively intelligent is literally her. also that shot of cet and vic hugging from 98 but it's rom/leeta stepmom moment Yes). also I love Ishka and originally I cast Jenny as her because YES but now that role goes to Skimbleshanks just for the utter nonsense! (I know moogie's plot is mostly about stuff that can't be reflected to skimble but I'm again thinking more of the relationship to etcetera here and I think this gives the best dynamic! also teazer as the mommas boy and jerrie with the rough relationship Yeah)

this is getting ridiculously long so I'll try to be more brief with the rest! Tugger as Kira (bomba's right hand man!), Mistoffelees as Jadzia (bestie!), Cassandra as Julian (Electra and Cass's roadtrips to disaster!), Asparagus as Worf (look at me and tell me that humour/grumpiness isn't familiar), Alonzo as Odo (elecetera hijinks to cause him to sigh grumpily as Much as possible), Jennyanydots as Miles O'Brien (this one feels kind of out of left field but 1. I love her as cettie's mentor and 2. I would LOVE to see her in the kind of irritated distress obrien lives in. I adore her let me put her in the torture machine just a little), and of couuuuurse Jellylorum as Keiko! (mentor to electra! deeply sweet and caring but also strict and kind and oooooh!), which means Tumble and Pouncival fall into Molly and Kirayoshi's places (makes them even littler than elecetera as revenge for [thing productions do that irritates me that I won't get into here cause we're having fun]), Tantomile and Coricopat as Morn (but instead of silence to the viewers and annoying chatter offscreen it's eerie staring to the viewers and referenced ominious statements they make offscreen. this is deeply funny to me), then Macavity as Dukat obviously (boos and hisses), Grizabella as Lwaxana (beloved), finally Plato as Alexander (my favourite star trek character the ds9 writers Don't understand him like I understand him but this makes so much sense), and Bustopher as the klingon chef!!!!!

this became a very long post!!!! I hope you enjoyed it!!!! please think about electra teaching etcetera to read in secret.

#I have approximately 10 million variations of mixing up star trek and cats but this is one of the more normal ones <3 #op #do I dare tag this #cats the musical #au #electra #etcetera #I feel like I didn't talk about electra much here but I Do have thoughts about her it's just that most of them are mental images of- #-her in various jake scenes that make me feel All of the emotions !

[jelliclekay]

I love your skimble headcanons! Thanks! Now I wanted to know if you have skimbleshanks and Duncan headcanons!

Oh thank you! And absolutely!

Tugger is Duncan's adoptive father, and Skimble was pretty doubtful that Tugger would actually step up and help raise the kitten that Teazer adopted. In my headcanons, Tugger already had kittens with his other mates before Teazer brought a baby Duncan to the Junkyard, and Skimble at first was so sure Tugger wouldn't step up and be responsible.

But to Skimble's surprise, Tugger absolutely stepped up to be a father for Duncan. And to Skimble's further surprise, Tugger is a pretty great dad who obviously loves Duncan. This really helps Skimble warm up and accept Tugger as his daughter's mate and father to his grandson.

Skimbleshanks really helps out with watching Duncan as a kitten whenever he's back in the Junkyard. Skimble loves kittens obviously but Duncan is his first grandkid so he's just absolutely obsessed with Duncan for a bit and always insists on watching him.

And yes, Skimble may or may not have cried when Duncan could start speaking and was called "Grandpa" for the first time.

Also, throws a picrew I made of Duncan because he's a little goober and I adore him.

[munku-collar]

Now let’s talk about my favorite individual/character performances from the tour cast before I sour your day with my production critiques >:) So many wonderful performances!

MVP goes to John as Gus and Kayli as Jellylorum. I’m literally obsessed. I knew Kayli would be an incredible Jelly when I first heard her sing and met her in syracuse and god it did not disappoint. She just has such warmth and friendliness to her. Like you just want to hug her. That’s aunt Jelly!!! And John’s Gus is sensational. He’s more aware of his surroundings, but still has that forgetfulness and drifts away. He’s so regal??? Gentlemanly is the word maybe. Idk there’s just something about him. He’s DIGNIFIED that’s the word. And despite the chiding lyrics it really does feel like he was some incredible star. You just hang on his every word. You can tell he’s an actor with experience just by the way he moves. I had no idea what to anticipate for pekes & pollicles and rumpus cat because I only knew the 98 version, but this was interesting! I’m not sure which version I prefer. All I know is he fucking killed it and I was glad to get my acknowledgement from grandpa gus for my cheering.

I said it already but Aiden’s Macavity. Goodbye. That’s him. That’s just him. That’s my stupid little evil ex husband. He played him to perfection. He was frightening, he was sexy, he was right on the balance of unhinged and entirely composed. You never anticipate his next move. He’s imposing. He’s feral. He’s agile. Like I just... That’s him!! That’s him. I know that tom. Weird note maybe but seeing him from the back made him that much hotter too lmfao I don’t think there’s a lot of photos of the back of his revival costume! I was literally shrinking back in my seat from the stress of it all but at the same time I wanted to run up there and let him take me away lmfao. The age old dilemma. The entire fight I was so tensed. Really hit me right in the kin as I knew it would. My expectations were absolutely met there. So yes. A++ for Aiden. And it’s such a contrast from how sweetly he plays Plato. I’ll admit my eyes were elsewhere most of the time but everytime I saw Plato I was just like :) like he makes him so loveable.

Vinny’s Alonzo is SO fucking cute I just wanna eat him up GOD. He’s kind of in and out a lot so if you’re not tracking him he disappears easily but my GOD he’s so cute!! He gets all these fun little bits on the sides that most people don’t notice but I noticed and I adored them. Like he’s a little silly sometimes! Still graceful and a bit aloof but much less openly cocky. He’s very dreamy. Vinny is an absolute joy to watch up there. I wish I could see the show a few more times so I could devote one watch to him. Because understandably there’s so much going on it’s hard to give everyone your proper focus. But yes. Adore him. Mwah.

Chris as Skimble!! Skimble was the number that was the closest to the 98 version and boy was I living for it. Even his choreo was pretty much the same and 😭😭 his Skimble is so joyful yet still serious. I caught a few moments of him throughout the show, like at one point Jenny is fawning over Bustopher I think? and he kind of catches her simping and is clearly an upset little husband hahaha that was so cute. Or when the train falls down he literally scrambles all around the stage so quick trying to prevent it all (too late!) and that was SO endearing. It made me giggle both times. He’s quick moving around the stage, and protective of the kittens, though never aggressive. Idk he was just such a joy. I already knew Chris was a talented performer from the benefit concert but like he really does everything like it’s a piece of cake. That was wild.

I had already heard good things about Sean’s Tumble but hearing and seeing are two different things. He really owns the role. Him more than most, when you’re watching, it doesn’t feel like acting. It feels like being. He’s always got something to do, really leans into it throughout the whole show. Like you’ll never find him just staring into space or something or waiting for his next cue. He was very sweet. And his acrobatics are insaaaaaane. Literally gravity defying. It’s so much more impressive in person than in a video or gif. Insane.

Taylor and Alexia as Cori and Tanto were amazing. I didn’t spend much time looking at them but they took their roles seriously and had such fluid motions. 98 Cori comes off a little silly sometimes but Taylor’s Cori is very striking and serious. When he holds eye contact with the crowd he Means it and it’s amazing. Alexia makes such a gorgeous Tanto. I loved looking at her. They were always in time and played off of each other really well.

Chelsea’s Bomba. GOD I’m gay. Besides 98 Bomba she is now The Bomba for me. Her voice is incredible. I love it so much. Like she literally made me swoon a little. I didn’t pay as much attention to her as I wanted, entirely unsurprisingly I spent most of the show looking at Nick/Munk, but her presence is palpable and she plays it effortlessly. She never rushes around. It’s like time waits for her lmfao, even when she moves quick. Idk there’s just something about her. Amazing.

Everyone did a great job but those are the notes that stuck out to me the most right now besides the ones already mentioned. If you have questions about a character or something feel free to ask. 

#my shit #cats the musical #cats 1998 #cats us tour 6 #us tour 6 #the show #JH

[mistocore]

do you have any young skimbleshanks headcanons (other than those already present in the posts)?

SO MANY omg this might be long so

Skimble used to be incredibly reckless and risk seeking, more of an adrenaline junkie. Gus definatley bailed him out of a holding cell a few times in their youth haha

His favourite band of ALL time is Skid Row. He still has original merch he got in the 90s at a concert and has tried his best to keep it in pristine condition ever since.

He also listens to Anthax, Mastodon, Poison and Tool !! His guilty pleasure is Steel Panther, of which Tugger and Gus give him shit for fkdgjhdfkjgh

His heroes are Matt Fallon and Ozzy Osbourne >:-]

He went to university, meeting his best friend Gus there, but eventually dropping out of his Engineering degree to work on the rails as an apprentice.

Despite opening the bar with Gus and playing in their band on nights, he spent mornings as a ticket collector and carriage cleaner at the same station, riding rails to oblivion. He was subsequently fired for drinking on the job.

Skimble loves cooking !! He's mostly experienced in making soups and broths as that's all he ate when him and Gus were living on pennies whilst saving for their future.

He has a soft spot for the two girls in Tugger's band, Bombalurina and Cassandra. He always makes sure they're okay, he scares off anyone who gives them trouble and is always soft spoken and never hostile toward them.

He mostly became a lot more reclused and less outgoing when he was fired. He became broody and hostile toward people, mostly as a mechanism to keep himself safe. Behind doors he's lovely, really.

Skimble keeps a lot of his trauma and problems to himself. He feels like its not nesscesary to tell everyone. Only a select few know about his problems and he would like to keep it that way!

He doesn't get much leisure time, but when he has free time he loves to take walks around their town, despite the stares he might get. He likes sitting in parks with his headphones on and getting some tranquil fresh air.

His favourite foods are mostly just pastry bakes with meat filling, meat pies, medium-rare steak and mash potato >;-] he likes traiditonal, bland meals and rarely ever snacks on stuff. He's also not much of a spice guy, but can handle it when he makes soups or noodles with a bit of heat.

His drink of choice is whiskey. Never mixed, always straight and on the rocks. He also enjoys a cold beer once in a while, but mostly chooses strong-smelling, dark brown liquors over it. The kind your grandpa keeps locked in his liquor cabinet.

He's a smoker, and has been for years with no intention of stopping. He never managed to kick that addiction :[

Despite being an old man metalhead, Skimble also enjoys a lot of classic punk rock every once in a while. His favourite rock bands are Manic Street Preachers, Primal Scream, Catatonia, Dead Kennedys and L7 !! Mostly influenced by Gus, who just listens to what he wants.

Skimble has a distaste for shock rockers of his time like Motley Crue or Mayehm. (subsequently, Tugger's favourites include these two). But he encourages Tugger to find a sound of metal he likes

He also has a dislike toward modern streaming of music. He still prefers to listen to CDs, tapes and uses old walkman players for when he listens to things.

He and Gus didn't start dating until years into their friendship. Even after everything that happened, they didn't make their partnership a 'thing' for a few years after. I think they slowly just came to the realisation that they loved each other beyond a friendship, something more than just two people co-existing in a space. They have a true love and affection for one another, true soulmates building up their lives :]

He will hear anyone out. He will believe a lot of things people tell him and has complete understanding and trust in everyone he meets, but mostly out of his own protective instinct. It's caused some significant harm in his life being a trusting person. He doesn't like to speak about it much.

He does the weekly grocery shop for him and Gus. Gus is mostly focused on bar management with Griddlebone, choosing to kind of manage finances or stock. Skimble takes care of the homely stuff.

#i ran out of characters #but yea i love my skimble #this au in my brain 24/7 #u picked a good time to ask this bc im kind of stuck on BS skimble haha #cats #cats the musical #cats 1998 #cats musical #au #cats au #skimbleshanks #black sheep #asks

[emmikay]

Hello, Cats Fandom! I wish to present a theory about the beginning of ‘Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat’!

I have heard jokes about said cat falling asleep during Gus’s song, and arguments in his defence, saying that he only fell asleep afterwards.

My headcanon: Skimble was not asleep to begin with.

My evidence: Basically nothing.

My argument: I agree it would be very rude to start napping during Gus’s song, and Skimble seems like a cat with a good sense of etiquette, and the space in between the two songs seems to me to be a very short amount of time to properly doze off. As well, were that the case, his chosen nap spot is on top of the car, one of the most conspicuous places in the junkyard, which also does not add up.

However, I think we can all agree that Skimble is most certainly a Dad/Grandpa cat.

I think Skimble realized that all the youngsters find it very funny when they have to wake up him, and so, in true good Dad fashion indulges them in their game.

So, right before the moment he simply must be awake, he lies down in a spot they are sure to spot him and feigns sleep, causing the youngsters to gather around yelling loudly

Then “wakes up” with a very goofy expression that is sure to amuse all those watching!

Anyway, that’s my new headcanon, have a lovely evening!

#cats the musical #cats headcanons #skimbleshanks

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

Uppast's Cats Tour Comments: Act 1

note: i'm referring to the cats by their show names, however I may use the actor's name for a specific comment!

Overture

They did this SO well! I definitely missed seeing the cast in the aisles, but they projected the green eyes onto the stage, and it was the perfect amount of creepy/weird/hypnotizing.

I absolutely love the lights slowly being raised while shining all the spotlights, it sets the vibe PERFECTLY

also saying this now: the orchestra was incredible!

Prologue: Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats

right off the bat, we’ve a super sweet Demestrap moment, with Munkustrap checking on Demeter after the car! It was adorable!

Devon's voice is SO good for Munkustrap, also the man is TALL OH MY GOD

Tugger didn't get his "can you say of your bite that it's worse than your bark" line, which I was a little disappointed about. However, Zach as Bill Bailey is absolutely 10/10.

Brianna… the babiest Sillabub… so precious... so small...

There were some Victor and Gus moments, with them either standing near each other or sharing looks/touches, so if anyone ships them, y'all got your rarepair moment!

THE BOOT WAS SO LOUD LMAO

They use the set so well!

The Naming of Cats

creepy, wonderful, everything I want from this number

A handful of the cats got right to the edge of the stage where the lighting was, so they were all glowing, and it was the BEST vibe.

Taylor was staring into my soul during the last verse so now I can say I've been vibe-checked by Coricopat.

Invitation to the Jellicle Ball

Hyla is the PERFECT Victoria!!!!! She's so incredibly graceful, she had the sweetest expression on her face, and ugh it was flawless.

Paul is also just an amazing Mistoffelees.

Munkustrap had literally the sweetest moment with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer and I almost started crying. Right before Jennyanydots' song, when everyone's getting into place, Mungo and Rumple immediately went to Munkustrap and were cuddling his legs, and he gave them pets, and just oh my god T_T

Gumbie Cat

OKAY SO I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THE KITTEN SQUAD SO MUCH MY HEART

When everyone's setting up for Jennyanydots' song, after the nuzzles, the lights start to switch, and the kitten squad was trying to catch the lights on the ground while Munkustrap was looking at them with the fondest expression and i swear i cried a little bit over how cute they were.

SKIMBLE LOVES HIS WIFE SO MUCH AND WAS HELPING HER GET THE KITTENS INTO THEIR MICE COSTUMES

Plato, Alonzo, and Mungojerrie were great cockroaches, 10/10

The Gumbie Trio was so good! Their voices sounded amazing together, and they were all just having so much fun!

SO MUCH MAMA JELLY AND SON TUMBLE I FEEL SO HAPPY

I'm going to go more in-depth in my Kitten Squad post!

Rum Tum Tugger

The way Zach said "Who will it be?" was absolutely amazing, i loved it, 10/10 character introduction.

Jennyanydots stomped off when he interrupted her accolades, she was very upset.

Zach and Devon nailed Tugger and Munkustrap's sibling dynamic PERFECTLY, Devon was the best Tired Older Brother Munkus.

Yeah, this number pretty much confirmed Zach as my favorite Tugger.

Mistoffelees and Cassandra did some lounging together in the background on the car.

Chelsea's Bomba is absolutely *chef's kiss*, I adore her

Obviously Tugger and Mistoffelees did their little dance, and it was wonderful. I'm not sure if other shows had Mistoffelees do this, but he went between Tugger's legs at the end of his little solo and Tugger was just vibing.

MY FAVORITE MOMENT THOUGH had to be near the end of the song, Munkustrap was 100% getting into it, and Tugger went over to him and was teasing him, poking him, and it was the cutest brother interaction.

They did have the camera! Zach did some very Tugger poses, and it was great.

Grizabella the Glamour Cat

haha Tugger went to hide behind the metal bars on the furthest side of the stage away from Grizabella, I'm in ✨pain✨

Sillabub goes to touch Grizabella, Grandpa Skimble pulls her back and starts scolding her, I want to hug the baby.

No, but I did really love that moment. It's off to the side, but you can see him giving her a talking to, and she's trying to say something back, but he's very firm.

Mungojerrie egged George on to scratch Grizabella, George sweetie don't be mean.

Taylor has such a perfect voice for Grizabella, and I loved her look!

OKAY SO LAUREN AND CHELSEA'S VOICES

Lauren's voice is so smooth and suave, and Chelsea's voice has a little growl that almost made me pass out, like ma'am i'm in love? But their voices mixed together, as well as how slightly different they are was such a great choice, and I kind of hope that other future productions take note and have two actresses with vastly different vocals for Demeter and Bombalurina.

Bustopher Jones

Mistoffelees and Victoria go to great Bustopher together and it was the cutest thing, they were so excited to see him!

Munkustrap immediately grabbing Mungo and Rumple by the necks and steering the gremlins away from the Very Important Cat.

Tugger was keeping watch so Munkustrap could be silly with everyone else during Bustopher's number, and that's not something I'm forgetting. Usually, obviously, Munkustrap's sort of in the background, standing, watching, and not really interacting. But Tugger switched places, and was up on the scaffolding watching, and it was CUTE!

My Tuggandra crumbs, thank you Zach and Lexy, I'm indebted to you both.

Tugger literally was just lounging on the car during the end of Bustopher's song, just waving his arms around, and I love him.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer

Elana (Teazer for this show) had the PERFECT Rumple giggle!

They're so silly, I love them

They made the best facial expressions, especially when Mungo "stole" Rumple's pearls.

Very dramatic gremlin twins, jumping all over the place, not caring about anything!

They were so confident at the end of their song when they went to walk off, and immediately went into "oh shit" mode when Munkus, Plato, and Alonzo came out.

Run through the legs of Munkus! See Munkus, this is why you need to not stand with your legs apart when you're attempting to control kittens.

Old Deuteronomy

Saying it again, Devon and Zach are SUCH a good Munkustrap and Tugger.

The babies were so excited to see Old Deut! They could barely contain themselves, and then got cuddles! (Also Tanto was with the kittens and i love that for her, let her be a kitten!! I definitely got "big brother Cori/little sister Tanto" vibes)

Everyone's getting Deut nuzzles!!

Tugger did a VERY dramatic shimmy at his dad, and Deut laughed, and I cried.

Tugger and Munkustrap standing on either side of their dad!!!! He's so proud of them!!

Jellicle Ball

Sillabub was hiding on top of the oven before the Ball, sweet baby T_T

George got to sing with Old Deut!! Happy boy!!

TUMBLE FLIPS TUMBLE FLIPS TUMBLE FLIPS

Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks being the Supervisors!!

There was a really sweet Jellylorum and Alonzo moment (def going to talk more about it in the Alonzo post), but my "Jellylorum is Alonzo, Tumble, and Pounce's Mom" hc is feeling SO VALIDATED TONIGHT

I've said this so many times, but I adore that Plato and Victoria get their own little solo before their Big Solo. It's so sweet, and Hyla and Adam have wonderful chemistry!

Tugger chases Bomba offstage before The Moment, and I love that for them

CUDDLE PILE!!!

Munkustrap and Demeter cuddled together in the corner away from the pile and I want to sob because they were just so sweet, her head was on his shoulder, and he was holding her, and literally everyone in this show has such good chemistry with each other.

Tugger looks up with the psychic twins during Grizabella's reveal, once again making me think that Tugger and Munkustrap have magic like their brother.

OH AND TUGGER DID THE STUPIDEST LITTLE DANCE WHERE HE WAS SHAKING HIS BUTT AND HAVING FUN AND MUNGOJERRIE LAUGHED AT HIM AND THEY HAD A MOMENT AND IT WAS GREAT

Memory

ouch ouch ouch

Jennyanydots blocks the stairs up to Deut's tire so Grizabella can't go to Deut, my heart

steering the babies away from Grizabella even though Silla wants to give her a hug.

Taylor you hurt me in the best way possible

I always get emotional over Grizabella's dance before her song, it's such a telling moment, but unfortunately I don't think everyone understands that it's supposed to be a serious moment and not funny.

Deut sits on his tire the entire song and it's HEARTBREAKING

At the very end, Grizabella does the reaching back, and Deut reaches forward, and if you're sitting in the right spot it looks like they're touching and i'm NOT OKAY

#cats the musical #cats us tour 6 #uppast's cats tour comments

[skimblyshanks]

Updated ramble abt my hcs for Deut-Munk-Alonzo as a family unit

Idk I just really like to picture Old D as like. A dude who's got a lot of love in his heart but is bad at giving it to his immediate family. So like. Great tribe grandpa; great guy to ask for advice or to bend an ear; horrible, awful job at raising Munk and Alonzo.

And like with my own niche headcanons a big part of it is his grief over Victor. Who knows how many litters of kittens he's sired? Not him. He'll never meet most of them; if he has he doesn't know it. There have been a small handful that he got to have any knowledge of or hand in their raising and the one he saw to adulthood died. Was killed. And he wasn't there. And now there's not only a little kitten bit an even littler one?

Like. I think ultimately he's neglectful of them, but in different ways. With my hcs Alonzo never really saw a father in Deut bc he showed up as a baby and Deut had already decided to distance himself beyond what was absolutely necessary. He wasn't going to get attached only to fail again. Meanwhile, Deut had already started building a relationship with Munk. @whitmerule put it in a way that I liked a few days back, while discussing some stuff related to munk growing up following Victor's death, and it was that "Deut is not, in fact, very in touch with munk's inner life." And that was the puzzle piece I've been missing.

Bc Munk loves Deut. Has him on a pedestal. And Deut very clearly loves Munk; trusts him; relies on him; is frequently physically affectionate. And none of those necessarily mean shit about how well they really communicate with each other. Deut was a pretty good dad for Munk's formative time (I'd say years but they're cats. Then again I already used turns of phrase involving hands. So I mean) but at that point there hadn't really been anything big or hard in his little kittie life. Then he watches his brother get killed and brings home a baby and has to beg Deut to let him keep said baby.

And a big thing I myself have mentioned is that Munk "self-parentified" but that's not at all fair to him when the parent of the house was clearly not going to be a parent to a baby who needed a parent. So he started making himself a caregiver by like the equivalent to 10 years old, and Deut just. let him. Brought up having someone else watch him now and then, maybe a comment abt how much Munk has matured/how much Munk is shouldering, but no actual alleviation and taking of the reigns.

But to Munk that was fine bc dad was still doing the same things dad always did! There were cuddles and lullabies for Munk when he wasn't with Alonzo. There were stories and talks that, although shallow and never getting to what it was Munk wanted to work through, did leave him feeling reassured in his dad's faith in him and his ability to do all these things that he was undertaking. So he kept undertaking them, and adding more to the plate.

I've said before that I don't think Munk is the next leader. I've implied before but idk if I ever outright said that Munk didn't even want to be a Protector; he wanted to be a Storyteller, or an Actor; he wanted like Gus. And obviously he can do both, like Skimble can be another Protector while primarily being the Train cat, but that's just it. For Munk, Protector is his primary duty and while it fulfills his emotional need to be a protective figure, it's also just. Not what he wanted to do with his life. But it's a hole that was left by Victor's death, and someone had to fill it. And dad was so proud when he announced that he was interested in becoming a Protector; let everyone know he had such a brave son, such a strong son. And besides, if he can protect the whole tribe then he can clearly protect Alonzo.

And for Alonzo, I really like to look at his usual portrayal with more of an emphasis on the “Bravado” and “Uncertain” aspects of his character. Not that the vanity isn’t there, but that I tend to see it more as a side effect of maintaining his bravado. Anyway. I tend to assume any relationship he has with Deuteronomy is minimal and more on the level of neighbors than family. Deut wasn’t the one who raised him. That was Munk and that was Jelly and sometimes it was Jenny and Skimble, too. He doesn’t particularly resent Deut, mainly because he just. doesn’t have any personal feelings about him. Munk adores him, and Munk isn’t wrong about things, so he gives Deut deference, but it’s not self-motivated like it is for Munk.

Since I like focusing on the Bravado and Uncertain aspects of Alonzos, I tend to see a public facing Alonzo and a private Alonzo. Public-facing Alonzo is suave, seductive, and coolly disengaged most of the time, and he learned this persona on his own and with the help of a select few friends. Private Alonzo is a kid raised by another kid, who realized the strain being put on Munk quickly once he was old enough to, and responded by trying, in his own position as an even younger kid, to try and maneuver out of needing Munk’s care, so that the elder of the two could have time to act his own age.

But at the same time. Munk needs someone depending on him to feel right with himself. and Alonzo wasn’t able to see Jelly regularly enough to fully depend on her. And he loves Munk and wants Munk to be happy and calm. And hey. Munk does a good job at being a warm,, safe anchor for Lon. So he and Munk have a weird, very codependent relationship where they both know they should probably stretch their legs and grow some distance between each other, but neither really feels safe doing that.

And Alonzo becoming a Protector is then, I think, a compromise, from his point of view. He's still around Munk often; still looking to him as the leader and still depending on his guidance, but capable in his own right. Except of course if you know me you know I think that any skill Alonzo would display in a low stress normal situation would likely not be something he can do in a real, high stakes moment.

If you know me you also know that I think Munk was very ambivalent about letting Alonzo be a Protector, to the point of somewhat actively kneecapping him an reassuring him that Munk could take the really big threats on himself. So basically he saw it as a compromise of the same two outcomes as Alonzo, only both were trying to get more out of the opposite goal of the other.

And I'm still not sure about Deut's feelings on Alonzo. I don't think he was completely absent, even if he did just about nothing to raise the kid, and I don't think he's just devoid of care or worry for him. But if most of his actual connections with Munkustrap are superficial, then it'd be a miracle to find anything for him and Alonzo.

Alonzo is a walking reminder of Deut's failure. From his ibvious lineage to his similar coat pattern, he is Victor's son. And Victor's is dead. And Deut couldn't save him. And Deut has countless children, all over the country, that he doesn't know a thing about and has never done a thing for. I'm still unsure where I'm fitting Grizabella, likely Victor's littermate, and she leaves. She actively left. So with all of that hitting deut on Victor's death, and Alonzo's family resemblance, I think deut just like. Shut down. He couldn't be a dad, that was obvious; what up could do was be an encouraging community leader, so he did that. I do think post-ball, he and Alonzo might start to build an actual relationship? I like to think it anyway.

#old Deuteronomy #munkustrap #Alonzo #cats alonzo #alonzo cats #cats the musical #cats musical #cats the musical headcanons

[herooffire101]

Looks like I managed to write another one shot. This is actually based in one version of my bombatuggoelees-verse, and it is pre-relationship, actually as kittens. This could actually fit in several universes, just not mine. Basically, the thought was that Tugger being more obnoxious than usual, and Bomba getting annoyed enough to braid his mane as a prank while he's asleep. This takes place as the first time, though unintentional. It has the poly relationship of Jenny/Jelly/Skimble/Asparagus Jr. with Bomba being one of the kittens born into it, and takes place before Grizabella left. Demeter is not there because from what I have in this version is that she's being raised outside of the Junkyard by her mother Nyx.

Bomba made have taught Jemima how to braid using Tugger's mane because Tugger was obnoxious more than usual later on in the universe's timeline. Enjoy!

An Accidental Braiding

Bomba’s eyes snapped open, to find herself in the den surrounded by her sleeping friends. Turning her head ever so slightly, she noticed that she ended up right next to Tugger, seeing how his mane was fully in her face. Even though they were kittens, his mane was getting longer and fuller. A testing twitch from her left hind leg told her that her brother Grumbuskin was laying on top of her. Another glance around the den room as she saw Cassandra and Alonzo were curled up on top of each other, with Exotica (or was it Hathor? Bomba still didn’t know what name Cass’s cousin preferred) on Cass’s side. Munkustrap was sprawled out, his tail curled around Alonzo’s tail, his head on Tugger’s right hind leg, a paw on Grumb’s side. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were only a paw away from Bomba herself. Why was Bomba awake? Oh, that’s right, an intense dream that sent her awake. Bomba strained her ears and heard the tell-tale sounds of her Mom and Mama having fun together coming from one of the other rooms in the den. Where was Dad and Papa? Bomba remembered that Dad was looking after Grandpa Gus and Papa was currently on the Northern Mail. Bomba felt her heartbeat thud in her chest. Of course, it was the dream that woke her up. Sighing, Bomba settled down again next to Tugger. Her mind still running fast, she started kneading her paws on the closest thing to her paws, which was Tugger’s mane. Somehow, he wasn’t waking up due to her kneading. Mama’s voice ran through her mind. “Now, human children sometimes learn how to braid. Some find it necessary, especially for those with longer hair, others do it to create, and some do it to calm down.” Absentmindedly, Bomba started braiding bits of Tugger’s main, not exactly realizing what she was doing. She didn’t realize it at the time, but by the time she fell back asleep, she managed to braid most of Tugger’s mane.

~~~~~

“Bomba?” Mom asked her in the morning. Bomba looked up to her mother, from her playing with her blanket.

“Yes Mom?” She responded, cocking her head curiously.

“Did you wake up in the middle of the night, Cariad?”

Bomba nodded. “I had another intense dream. Why?”

Mama came up to sit by Bomba. “Is that why Tugger has braids in his mane?”

“Huh?” Confused, she socked her head. “He does?”

“Everlasting cat, you were out of it.” Mom sighed, placing her paw to her face.

Mama giggled. “Bomba, I know that you and Tugger play pranks on each other. You didn’t intentionally do this.”

Bomba looked at her Mom and Mama. “What did I do?”

“You must have braided his mane last night trying to get back to sleep, Bomba.” Mama explained gently, “I made an educated guess because I taught you how to braid.”

Bomba, taken back, finally remembering her self-soothing last night. “I didn’t mean to!”

“I know, Cariad. Tugger doesn’t realize it yet, and the other kittens are looking at him funny.” Mom said, coming on the other side of Bomba, putting her in a Mom-Mama sandwich. “It’s endlessly funny that that kit is being very obtuse about his mane, and you managed to braid it without him knowing. Munk is trying to hold back is laughter right now.”

“…Can I see it?” Bomba asked, slightly mollified that she was missing an unintentional prank on her best friend.

“Better you do see your handiwork. You are going to undo them, by the way.” Mama said, picking Bomba up to bring her out to the clearing. “Grizabella is loving it as well.”

Once her eyes adjusted to the light, Bombalurina could see in her vantage point that Tugger was standing out there, his burgeoning mane covered with braids that Bomba realized that she did, in fact, do them mindlessly. Mac’s, Munk’s and Tugger’s mom Grizabella looked like she was really trying to either not say anything or burst out laughing. Mac, from his high perch of wanting to be alone and aloof, was torn between confusion and laughter. Munk, as Mom explained, clearly was trying to hold back his laughter. Jerrie and Teazer were silently giggling behind Tugger’s back, while somehow Alonzo and Cassandra were giving indifferent faces. Grumbuskin was visually sighing because he knew that it was Bomba’s doing. Tugger, for his part, was absolutely confused on the strange looks he was getting from the tribe. “WHY IS EVERYONE LOOKING AT ME FUNNY?!?” Tugger shouted, in an outburst type of way. Bomba sighed. Of course, he would be dramatic about this. He looked so hilarious, and Bomba knew that someday, she will actually braid his mane again, this time intentionally, if he was going to be obnoxious. She then remembered the previous day; he was being more obnoxious than usual.

“Maybe I’ll intentionally braid his mane the next time he decides to be more obnoxious than usual.” Bomba muttered, having a mischievous look in her eye.

“I certainly won’t punish you if you do that again, Caraid.” Mom said quietly.

Mama huffed in agreement. “He does sometimes need to be knocked down a peg or two those days.”

It was then Tugger went to Grumbuskin. “Grummy, why is everyone looking like they are going to start laughing?”

With a light mirth in Grumbuskin’s voice, he said, “Look at your mane, Tugs.”

Tugger looked down at his not-so-glorious mane to see the many braids in it. He shrieked, and started to claw at the braids, which by some miracle, were not undoing. “Not my mane! Why is my mane like this! Who did this?!?” Once he realized, his audience finally cracked with laughter. He looked up and around, and he noticed that Bomba was out finally with her moms, noticing that Bomba was wide eyes like she was surprised and had light giggles as well. Bomba noticed his eyes zeroing in on her and coupled with “Bomba.” With that utterance, he ran up to where she was watching, making her jump slightly. “I’ll get you for this!” Yup, he figured it out.

Bomba quickly moved away from Tugger’s pounce, and ran up to one of the ledges by the big tire. “It’s not like I meant to braid your mane!”

“Shut up! You’re jealous of my mane!”

“Like I want your mane, you incorrigible beast!”

“You didn’t have to braid it!”

“I said that I didn’t mean to!”

“Like you even mean to? Do I ever mess with your fur?”

“You poured bubble solution on me!”

“That was 3 weeks ago!”

“I got you back for that 3 weeks ago!”

“Why are you still hanging on me after the fact!”

As this was happening, Tugger was chasing Bomba around, amiss the general hilarity of the situation. The hullabaloo attracted the attention of Old Deuteronomy as he wandered into the Junkyard. He was curious about why the tribe was laughing when he caught sight of a red blur and a black blur chasing after her, the two kittens yelling back and forth at each other. Old Deut looked around, noticing the Nurse Queens watching the chase of their daughter and his youngest son, chuckling at the sight. He moved so that he would not interfere with the sight, and sat down next to the older queens, his mate sliding down next to him. “May I ask, why is Tugger chasing Bombalurina around?”

“Bomba woke up in the middle of the night due to an intense dream again, and somehow during her self-soothing she braided Tugger’s mane to sleep.” Jenny explained, smiling at the kitten antics.

Jelly gave a conspiral smirk. “She does tend to prank him when he gets overly obnoxious.”

“I was wondering why he came out of the den this morning with braids.” Grizabella smiled, giggling at the sight on Tugger. “Bomba did them.”

“Oh, she didn’t mean to this time.” Jenny explained, as Bomba narrowly dodge a pounce by Tugger, her yelling at him that she didn’t mean to braid his mane. “She is going to undo them, once either he actually pounces on her, or Tugger calms down enough for her to undo them.”

“Aww, but he looks so cute in braids.” Grizabella sighed, watching as Tugger’s braid mane swayed as he ran after Bomba.

Deuteronomy watched as the two kittens chased one another. Even he found it cute, seeing how Tugger was drawn to the red queen kit. He saw that while Bombalurina had similar magic to Gus and Grizabella, hers was more solid, and held a similar flame to her littermate brother Grumbuskin. Heaviside knows what would happen to her spark of magic if her brother went away. Gus did explain that her magic was definitely stronger than his own and it may be drawing her to Tugger because of his magic. He gave a fond smile, and moved down to the clearing, drawing the other kittens attention, the laughter quieting down.

He sat down, and watched as Bombalurina, who was running towards him now, look at him with surprise and skidded to a stop, Tugger crashing into her. “Old Deuteronomy!” Bomba exclaimed, slightly out of breath from her running.

“Undo the braids, Rina!” Tugger impertinently demanded, knowing how to annoy her, not even noticing his dad.

“Don’t call me that!” She growled at him, and then whipped her tail at his face, making him look up to Old Deuteronomy.

The older cat laughed. “Ah, to be young. I remember being a kitten like you two. Rum Tum Tugger, why were you chasing Bombalurina, anyway?”

“She braided my mane, and I want her to undo them!”

Bomba glared at him, her tail whipping his face. “I am going to, you idiot! I told you I didn’t mean to, but no, you had to start chasing me!”

Tugger was about to retort, when his father cut him off. “Ah. Let Bombalurina explain herself before you start accusing her.” Tugger huffed, glaring.

Bomba sighed and took a breath. “Tugger, I had an intense dream last night and woke up suddenly. I couldn’t really move, and I heard Mom and Mama having fun together anyway. I chose to sooth myself and in my self-soothing I braided your mane. I didn’t realize that I did until Mom and Mama asked me if I intended to braid your mane. If you haven’t remembered, I slept right next to you in the den, so you were the closest kitten to me. Honestly, if Munk was closer to me then he would have gotten his fur braided, instead.”

Tugger’s face was incomprehensible. “You could of woken me up to talk to me.”

“I didn’t think of it because you ‘don’t care for a cuddle’, Tugger.” Bomba snapped back at him.

“I don’t mind if it’s you.” He murmured under his breath, so only Deuteronomy and Bomba could hear him. The look in Deuteronomy’s eyes was one of fondness. He could tell that not only was Bomba was drawn to Tugger, Tugger was also drawn to Bombalurina as well. The two kittens who could match each other, keep up with each other.

Bomba gave him a look, realization running through her mind. Somewhere, in her soul, another spark of her magic latched onto Tugger’s ambient magic, so similar to Deuteronomy’s magic. Munk’s was a protective sort, not exactly right for her magic, and she was driven away from Macavity’s own magic. But Tugger’s, oh that curious cat, matched hers so much. He made her feel safe, made her feel there, solid. Mom and Mama said that her spirit was like a flame, so like Macavity’s but not. She was a spitfire, yes, but a campfire as well, while his was a wildfire. Grumbuskin was the smoke to her fire. She sighed, and grabbed his arm, leading him away to the kitten den. “Come on. We can talk away from the others. I don’t think that you would want your brothers watching as I undo the braids.”

Tugger went begrudgingly, slightly embarrassed that Bomba unintentionally pranked him. The adults watched as he didn’t even fight against her. “How much would you bet that they’re going to be mates when they come of age?” Jenny asked to the gathered adult cats while the kittens resumed playing with each other.

“She’ll have her paws full of Tugger’s antics.” Jelly responded to her mate, rolling her eyes.

Grizabella chimed in. “Heaviside, did you see how well she handled him? They are going to be the stars of the tribe!” Old Deuteronomy watched as the queens gossiped about Tugger and Bombalurina’s relationship. He could tell that he witnessed another moment of his son’s and Gus’s granddaughter’s magic bonding. He knew, that one day, a kitten between them will be not only a special kitten, but a very loved one in fact. A kitten that one day could be his heir.

~~~

Well, if you read it this far, then thank you. I'm willing to answer questions about anything in this universe. And yes, there is Demelurina and Demestrap in this universe.

#cats the musical #bombalurina #rum tum tugger #munkustrap #pre-bombatuggoffolees #old deuteronomy #jellylorum #jennyanydots #grizabella #fanfic #tuggerlurina #really just pre-relationship stuff

[sevenkittensinatrenchcoat]

My Tumblr Year In Review Thing, But There Were Technical Difficulties

So, I wanted to post the thing, but Tumblr just kept erroring, and it’s been like five hours now, so I just took a bunch of screenshots of what I wanted to post but couldn’t, so I can share it anyway...Now with commentary!

So, I clearly talk about Cats 1998 WAY more than any other version. There character tags mostly line up with who my favorite characters tend to be, minus Jemima. I’m a bit surprised by how many Skimble and Bomba posts there are, because I don’t think I talk about them that much. But Misto, Munk, Tugger, Jerrie, Pouncival, and Etcetera come up a lot around here and I generally have a lot to say about them.

As for The Long Tag, my grandpa was very sick and suffered from dementia. He passed away in September. I hadn’t seen him since 2016 and I’m not sure my brain has fully processed the fact that I won’t ever see him again. I didn’t post about it when it happened, because this is a Cats blog. 

Okay, let’s change the subject and move on to my top five posts AKA Mainly Stuff That I Didn’t Put Much Effort Into That Somehow Really Caught On

Okay, this one had actual effort put in. This was an early post, back when I was trying to rewatch 1998 a zillion times focusing on different characters. I stopped when I got bored of doing the same thing over and over. 

Out of all the rewatch posts, I get why this one was the most popular, since I was just sort of riffing the scene and having a great time.

Here’s how I described the scene and it sets the mood:

Since the post is really long, I took screenshots of only a few highlights:

There is no point to this highlight. I just had to include the Tail Spin again.

Because it wasn’t relevant to this scene, I forgot to mention that, while Teazer has the larger half of the brain cell in this scene, Jerrie has it when they’re doing crimes. He’s a criminal savant of sorts.

And now, a joke with some decent comedic timing:

RIP Pouncival

Explaining The Joke: In most productions, Alonzo plays the Rumpus Cat and it goes about as well as it does here, but you’d think Alonzo would be more reliable if you didn’t know that.

I found George kind of boring the first few times I watched the show, but he’s grown on me. This post was from before that happened, so I’m maybe a bit mean to George here.

Note: Cats CANNOT safely drink alcohol. I knew this when I made this post, but the joke was funnier if Munkustrap didn’t.

Okay, time for Number 4:

This was a short little meme post I wrote off the top of my head, but it’s another one that made sense to catch on. Here are some of my favorite descriptions:

The Ballad of Billy McCaw is really weird.

Of course, actors in the same production can give contradictory answers too, but wow has the show changed over time!

Okay, we’re getting to some shorter posts where I screenshoted the whole thing. Number 3:

I saw someone make a post basically identical to this at some point and I hope that post is more popular than this one, because it was there first.

Though it’s easy to make the Tuggoffelees joke of “Misto gets away with shit than no one else can”, having seen other productions where Misto doesn’t get this line, this is actually a difference in Tugger portrayals in original vs. revival choreography. In the original choreography, Tugger doesn’t seem to have a specific response to the comment and the actor just ad-libs it. Most actors play Tugger as being too confident to care that he’s being insulted. But, the Broadway Revival’s choreography plays up Tugger’s vanity, and has him fall into the typical trope of “guy who’s really full of himself is secretly insecure”. So, this Tugger can’t handle being insulted. I’ve seen clips of actors other than Tyler Hanes doing this with the revival choreography, so either it’s not ad-libbed, or every other actor who took the role after Hanes copied it because they thought it worked well.

This is another example of Blankenbuehler choreography completely changing Tugger’s character. I wouldn’t mind so much, but “vain but uncertain” is Alonzo’s thing and we don’t need two characters with the same potential arc. Tugger’s thing, so as not to be confused with Alonzo’s, is usually “seems like a jerk, but is really a nice guy/ seems like a himbo but is actually very smart/ seems irresponsible but is a really good leader when he’s needed”.

Number 2:

Tumblr, I was pandering to you. I realized that if I made a post that was just “these characters are LGBT” and literally nothing else, it’d get a bigger response than any longer headcanon or analysis. I actually feel a bit bad that this lazy post got as popular as it did. It’s not bad, but it was something I made purely to get a reaction and not because I had anything to actually say.

Lesbian Rumpleteazer! Most Teazers aren’t lesbians, because they have to fill in for Etcetera and be Tugger’s biggest fangirl, but Etcetera’s in 1998 and out of all the girls who are fans of Tugger, Teazer is the least blatantly horny during his number. Honestly, I didn’t know who to make the L in this LGBT meme. The queens who are the most easily shippable with other queens are all more easily read as bi. Bomba and Demeter could be read as a couple, but their past relationships with and attraction to Macavity is a plot point. Most productions don’t have any characters who read as lesbian, because all the queens go nuts around Tugger. The ones that don’t are Demeter (already explained), Jenny (who has an obvious crush on Bustopher), and Jelly (I don’t know maybe?).

So, the L was hard but the other 3 were all really obvious.

Gay Mistoffelees! In most of the situations where the tribe has gender roles, Misto is an exception to the rule. His aesthetic includes glitter and rainbows. He spends a lot of time trying to impress various toms while being one of the few toms who never really actively tries to flirt with any of the queens. Add in the fact that I’m pretty sure he’s been portrayed by more gay actors than straight ones and it’s incredibly obvious why he’s usually seen as the Gayest Little Cat.

Bisexual Rum Tum Tugger! He can’t pick one side of a door. Do you really think he could stick to sleeping with one sex without getting curious about “what’s on the other side”? Also, Tuggoffelees.

Transgender Mungojerrie! Misto is the more popular trans hc character, since he had those seven kittens, but Jerrie is my favorite trans headcanon. He’s a calico cat and male calicos are extremely rare. Male calicos are actually more intersex since their chromosomes are XXY. So Jerrie could be many different not-cis things, but my headcanon is that Jerrie was AFAB but Macavity magically gave him a male body. He’s a cat, so transitioning via hormones and/or surgery isn’t really possible, so he transitioned via magic.

Finally, My Number 1 Post of 2021:

Another one where I saw someone else’s post and basically did my own version of it. A former mutual (an anti), made a post describing Cats designs of different eras as:

1981: Human People

1982: Sewer Rats

1998: Teddy Bears

2016: Instagram Models

2019: *redacted*

So, I did the same damn thing with a visual aid, more commentary, and focusing on only one character. 1981 Misto looks human, 1982 Misto looks creepy, 1998 Misto is adorable, 2016 Misto is cool and polished, 2019 Misto is a bit of a mess.

I see a lot of posts that inspire my own posts, though I avoid directly copying. Depending on your definition, I’ve probably ripped a few people off.

I have seen screenshots where he looks a bit more feline than this, so I was sort of cheating.

This is actually one of the less “cryptid” pictures of this Misto.

The Broadway Revival didn’t really make good use of Misto at times, but the rainbow jacket is definitely a plus.

Explaining The Joke: Yes, I was a bit too harsh here. Misto’s is one of the better character designs in this movie, which is admittedly not saying much, but, outside of the broken CGI, he looks fine. The thing with him is that without his dance role, Misto just seems really watered down. He’s once of the nicer cats in the movie, but he’s more focused on Victoria than anyone else. He only fit the cryptid category by accident because of the CGI. He fits the Baby Misto personality very well, but they messed up his number which ruined the pay-off. His jacket is cool, but not as cool as the rainbow jacket. He doesn’t exactly fail at all these things, he’s just not as good at them as other versions are.

Outside of the lack of dance and overemphasis on Mistoria stuff, 2019 Misto isn’t completely out of character. He’s more genuinely shy, but there are moments of attention-seeking that feel very Baby Misto, such as after the list of types of cats in Jellicle Songs, he adds in “AND magical cats!”. That’s Misto. “Me! What about me and how awesome I am! I’m a special magic boy gdi!”

Even though the “terrible bore” line is now directly only at Victoria, the original meaning of the line (”Stop paying attention to him and go back to paying attention to me!”) is still there. As a side effect of making Victoria the protagonist, a lot of stuff that’s usually addressed to everyone ends up being addressed solely to her. Misto’s competitive nature and seeking the attention of everyone becomes mainly about Victoria, because she’s the main character. Any problems in Misto’s characterization are an extension of larger problems in the movie’s structure.

I hate on Cats 2019 a lot, I know. I think that by whatever objective standards art can be measured by, it’s a bad film and a bad adaptation of the source material. But, if you like it, ironically or not, fine. You can find happiness in a place where I can’t. Good on you. When it comes to the humans I criticize in this movie, I think most of cast did the best they could with what they had to work with. I still don’t like Blankenbuehler’s choreography and I think Tom Hooper lacks a basic understand of the appeal of musicals, but I don’t think their bad people. How could I know? I’ve never met them. The only actors I poorly of from this movie are Rebel Wilson and James Corden. They played themselves instead of their characters and I never got a sense that they actually cared about the show or the movie. But, the worst thing is that they blamed everything on the visual effects and threw those people, more people who did the best they could with out they had, under the bus.

So, here’s a long, 2021 Is Almost Over Let’s Recap The Year post. What you’ve learned is that I lie, cheat, steal, pander, and I’m generally kind of a dick, but at least you think I’m funny. Hopefully Tumblr will actually let me post it.

#my year in review #cats musical #cats 1998 #Mr Mistoffelees #munkustrap #rum tum tugger #Mungojerrie #Pouncival #skimbleshanks #cats etcetera #Bombalurina #cats 2019 #i'm cynical as fuck

[rebirth-artblog]

Ok,so i was talking to my brother about my Cats headcanons and imaginary production and we ended up making a list of how old everyone is, thinking of it as them having similar lifespans as humans. I'm also adding a bit of their personality and relationship with the other Jellicles.

From youngest to oldest:

Ectetera: 8 years old

Electra: 10 years old

Jemima: 12 years old, the three of girls love playing together, but Jemima also spends time with the older kittens because they're a little more mature and she's more perceptive than almost everyone else.

Pouncival: 13 years old, he's old enough to hang out with the bid kits, but young enough to still enjoy being treated like a child. He's also big for his age so it's funny to watch him play with the younger kittens.

Tumblebrutus: 14 years old, he's Pouncival's brother and they get into trouble together, but Tumblebrutus enjoys spending time with the older cats since he's a lot more mature than Pouncival.

Victoria: 15 years old, she loves the younger kittens and playing with them. She's also at the age where her idol and example for the perfect boyfriend is Tugger, but she's still older and more reserved. She's super protective of Jemima because she's smaller than everyone else.

Plato: 16 years old, he's also super protective of the younger girls. He helps Victoria take care of them when they're playing together. He's not jealous of the attention Victoria gives Tugger, instead seeing him as an example to follow.

George: 17 years old, I don't have much for him, but he definitely tries to act more like the adults and prefers spending time on his own rather than with the other kittens.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer: 20 years old. Their idol is Mistoffelees because he's the closest to them in age, and he's responsible and smart so they try to follow him and do everything he does.

Mistoffees: 21 years old. We already established he's a child prodigy. He's skilled and smart, so he gets a lot of responsibilities around the junkyard. His favorite job is the unofficial care taker of Mungo and Teazer.

Alonzo: 23 years old. He's slightly younger than Tugger and loves playing with the older kittens, but he admires Munkustrap and will go out of his way to help make sure everyone is safe.

Rum Tum Tugger: 24 years old (same as me!). He loves the attention he gets from the younger cats and acts as the leader for the troublemakers, but he always keeps everyone safe. Extremely perceptive of the others' comfort levels, he makes sure to spend time alone with Mistoffelees making them close friends and building mutual understanding between them.

Casandra: 25 years old. also don't have much on her. She's probably good friends with Tugger and Mistoffelees as the second closest friend they have.

Demeter: 26 years old. She's mature and has as many responsibilities as Mistoffelees so they tend to work together a lot in their daily tasks. Because of her past experience with Macavity, she stays away from almost everyone when they gather in big groups (more the three is a bit much for her).

Munkustrap: 26 years old. we all know him, and we all love him. The protector of the tribe and the most responsible out of everyone. He's forced to delegate work by Misto, Demeter, and Alonzo.

Bombalurina: 27 years old. She admits Tugger is a bit young for her, but she also knows Tugger is more mature than he cares to show. She makes sure Munkustrap doesn't overwork himself as much as she makes sure Demeter doesn't do the same trying to help Munkus. She might have started a secret cat spa for them, and the only reason Mistoffelees doesn't know is because he disappears anytime she tries to make him stop working.

Macavity: 29 years old. He scary and a loner. He's mad that Demeter chose Munkustrap over him, but he also knows she would have never loved him. He tries to scare Demeter because he's angry, not because he actually wants to force her into a relationship.

Skimbleshanks: 30 years old. He's one of the oldest cats, and takes his job at the railway seriously, but he's at the point in life where he rather have fun with his time instead of stressing over what might happen in the future. He's the cool, young uncle that plays with the kittens and is the only one who can make the young adults smile and relax for a while. Everyone has fun whenever Skimble is around.

Jennyanydots: 38 years old. She's the mom of the group and can make everyone be quiet and behave with one look. She also enjoys her time and her youth, reminding herself to relax and be an example of good habits for the younger cats.

Jellylorum: 40 years old. I see her as the scary aunt, if she was older maybe the grandma of the tribe. She's strict and a bit of a perfectionist. She takes care of the younger cats, but would rather if they could be quieter. She takes care of Gus because she's the only one who still remembers him in his prime as fondly as Gus himself.

Bustopher Johns: 45 years old. He was, and still is, the flirt of the older adults, like Tugger is now. He's also seen as the responsible dad of the tribe, and everyone makes sure to be in their best behavior when he's around. Especially Mistoffelees because he was chosen as Bustopher's apprentice as the most educated cat in the tribe.

Grizzabella: (was) 50 years old. She was once the most caring, motherly cat around, and the young adult either mourn her exile, or they're still hurt because she abandoned them. Mistoffelees, as I said before, doesn't really remember her, but does feel sad whenever he thinks about her.

Old Deuteromy: 70 years old. Everyone secretly calls him grandpa whenever Munkustrap and Tugger aren't around. They wouldn't mind, but they think it's weird people call their dad "grandpa." He loves everyone single member of the tribe, and he cares for them equally. However, he has a soft spot for Munksutrap, Tugger, and Mistoffelees. Muskustrap works too hard so Old D doesn't have to, and he appreciates everything his son does for him. He knows Tugger is a drama queen, and he encourages it since he was a drama queen in his younger years. Mistoffelees spend a lot of time away from the tribe, so everyone else needs time to include him in the daily activities of the junkyard, but Old D doesn't want Mistoffelees feeling like is being rejected and will spend time telling him about different kinds of magic and praising any improvements Mistoffelees makes, even if it's doing 25 conjuring turns instead of 24.

Gus: 80 years old, maybe closer to 90. He's the real grandpa of the tribe. He loves to tell stories of his acting career to anyone who will listen, which usually ends up being Munkustrap, Tugger, Skimbleshanks, Mistoffelees, and Alonzo, his unofficial Raffish Crew. Jellylorum loves to praise his legacy as a great actor, but the "Raffish Crew" love to act out his stories just to see him smile again. He is also the reason Munkustrap wrote "The Awful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles," he even helped Munkus write the character of the Rumpus Cat as a modern, and nicer, version of Growltiger.

#if you have any more ideas feel free to add them #this became longer than i thought it would be #i like to think of the tribe as a big found family #almost no one is related by blood to the others #but they all care for each other #i know i'm missing some of the ensemble characters #but i don't have enough of a personality for them #cats the musical #electra #etcetera #pouncival #tumblebrutus #jemima #jemima cats #victoria cats #victoria #plato #plato cats #george #george cats #mungojerrie #rumpleteazer #mr mistoffelees #rum tum tugger #cassandra #cassandra cats #demeter #demeter cats #munkustrap #bombalurina

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

Ok okok I can elaborate on Teazer Tumble Grandpa Duty,,,

Asparagus, Skimble, and Jelly are out of town for the day so Tumblebrutus and Rumpleteazer are left to make sure Gus remembers to take his meds and doesn't over-exert himself. He's just a VERY independant guy,

And while Teazer and Tumble are bickering over who gets the last Pop-Tart, he decides that he'll just go for a walk and in true Disney Channel fashion they have to put their differences aside while they track down Grandpa before their parents get home

I present this sans-comment because YES. 

#yet again this is brilliant 👏 #I would watch this Disney Channel movie. #jellicles ask because jellicles dare #sillybubs #other headcanons #they would have one of those standard *this is all your fault *MY fault*??? conversations of course #turns out gus ends up just chilling in a park somewhere after they've gone searching high and low for him in all their whacky shenanigans

[devizakura]

Lilyshanks ship AU Skimble canon

Because the Cats canon is very varied at best and a confusing mess at worst so let me just stitch together a few "canons" and mix it with my headcanons, lol.

Has a Scottish accent but 2016's sweet voice, can speak a variety of Scottish languages.

Has been neutered post-puberty.

The mating dance happened how it happened in '98. We only stan Skimbletable here (mainly because I have a limited pool of characters I would be okay with him hooking up with. Jenny is not in that pool. If my eyes didn't fail me, away goes the revival in that regard)

I'll give y'all that - Skimble and Jenny as amicable exes. Were together in their youth. Had a few kids. But then Skimble found his one true passion. Stationpeople gave him the snip. And everything kinda fell apart. Which is another two reasons why Lily ends up so important to him - he doesn't have to choose between her or his work and they're pretty much in the same boat regarding the latter. She understands.

Despite persisting annoyance with Tugger, may be thirsting for him (who isn't?). He won't admit this, however. It's complicated.

Can dance if he really tries, but usually moves in a bit of a clunky, frantic manner.

Is quite young - about 40-45 in human years, lower limit of "mature adult" (which, since there is also the "elderly" category, means nothing more than simply "middle-aged". Dad age, but not grandpa age, you know.), based on how Broadway revival and Moscow Skimbles look and their vibes.

(look at those precious soft boys)

#cats the musical #skimbleshanks #lilyshanks #headcanons #oc x cc #oc x canon