verdicloud

Latest Posts by verdicloud

I LOVE YOU TUMBLEBRUTUS YOU’RE MY SILLY BILLY

IT’S TIME TO WATCH CATS 🌝

been obsessed with “promise items” especially in fiction. e.g. in real life we have promise rings, in palia there’s romance pins, in ninjago there’s the yin-yang medallion… ahhh they’re so cute and makes my heart so happy 🥲🥲💖💖

if cats had a promise item what do you think it would be? maybe they wear a glove or some kind of other accessory like on their neck or tail?

maybe some of the collars that the cats wear symbolise commitment, for example demeter and bombalurina wear collars, and perhaps it means they’re promised to each other!

i’m very interested to know what you guys think 🥹

in honour of may 11th, the day that cats the musical premiered, i have sewed these two lovely cat plushes of victoria and tumblebrutus using socks

if you want to make some as well, i followed this tutorial, and crocheted the tails for the braided effect. i used regular markers for the colouring but if you’ve got fabric markers you should do it better than me 😅 also i didn’t have the materials and was too lazy to make their collars so shhhh

i’m planning to wear them on my shoulders when i go to see cats live for the first time in june! ahhh so excited 😸

happy 44th anniversary!! 💖 🐈🎶🎤🩰🪩🐈‍⬛

hi everyone just gonna resurrect from my grave for a sec because i thought about having the gumbie trio in just dance

like… what if cats the musical but in just dance??

“the rum tum tugger” ft. his biggest fans

a modified jellicle ball with victoria as the dancer (this would be extreme difficulty)

other ideas that i was too lazy to draw :

- mungo and teazer duet obviously (extreme difficulty)

- macavity vs munkustrap dance battle (like majesty in just dance 2023)

- jellicle songs for jellicle cats quartet dance

- “macavity” duet with demeter and bomba is a must

- skimbleshanks quartet where the p1 is skimble and the rest are kittens who follow him around like a train

- mr mistoffelees solo at hard difficulty

ok see ya

jellicle cats are green and young

jellicle cats lived sheltered lives

jellicles dream of growing up

but jellicles are afraid sometimes

etcetera & electra ideas

i have been so eager to make this post because honestly? i don’t talk about the queens as much as the toms, which is way less than they deserve. also i really wanted to wait until i could give them some GOOD ideas. originally i was gonna make etcetera a “culinary” cat but that’s BORING and she deserves a better role >:(

i struggled with them a lot because they don’t have much canon at all, largely due to the fact that they weren’t cats that t.s. eliot created, they don’t sing many lines in the show, and i couldn’t draw any inspiration from their ‘98 actors either. all we have is their personalities, so i had to dig a bit deeper in terms of cats production lore and stuff.

these two have been sitting at the back of my mind for too long but no longer!! i finally have some fun ideas for them so let’s dive in!

etcetera :

inspired by broadway cats where “mungojerrie and rumpleteazer” was reimagined as a puppet show and etcetera doubled as teazer, etcetera is a puppeteer. she’s interested in theatre and she loves to show her puppet shows to jellylorum because of jelly’s theatre background. she even tried to recreate “growltiger’s last stand” once (jelly was super impressed).

now, i know there’s a headcanon where electra is a magic cat like misto, cori and tanto, but consider: etcetera is also a magic cat! her magic is more subtle though, as her only main power is flying, which is inspired by her trapeze role in the opening number. this makes her even harder to look after because she gets so hyperactive that she ends up getting zoomies in the AIR.

she learnt to craft puppets and dolls by herself using her magic, and she’s trying to learn how to conjure them out of thin air. she can also use her powers to manipulate her puppets and do ventriloquy, which allows her to do a wide range of eccentric voices and movements.

electra :

electra is a playwright who helps etcetera write her puppet shows. this is inspired by her line in the opening number “familiar with candle, with book and with bell?” because “bell, book and candle” is an actual play. (also i realised that they say “familiar” bc the cat was the witch’s familiar! love a good wordplay)

electra idolises pyewacket from “bell, book and candle” and she has probably watched that play/movie as many times as i’ve watched cats. sometimes she tries to emulate him.

i also like the idea that electra is a magic cat, but she has yet to discover her powers or find a witch or wizard to attend to. if we had to guess, she could have song or voice magic (like sirens for example), and that’s why she doesn’t sing much in the show, cuz her magic voice hasn’t fully developed yet. this is inspired by the fact that electra was originally meant to have a much more prominent singing role, i.e. in the gumbie trio and in bustopher jones.

both :

they are besties OF COURSE, that goes without saying.

they’re both close friends of coricopat and tantomile because of their connections to magic (and also partly inspired by the broadway puppet show, where cori doubled as mungo just like cettie doubled as teazer).

etcetera’s favourite thing to do with the twins is to go flying with them on their broomstick, while electra is very studious and loves it when they teach her about brewing potions and casting spells.

they’re really living out every girl’s magical powers fantasy </3

the two adorable princesses!! 💖💖

(also why is munkustrap a pencil in this 😭)

happy jellicle valentine’s day!! i feed thee, starved tumbletoria shippers (including myself 😄). but i tell you once, and once again: THIS SHIP DESERVES MORE LOVE 🔪🔪🔪🔪🔪

random but AUGHHH tumbletoria has got to be one of the prettiest ship names ever 😩💗💗

alonzostrap ideas

what!!! am i finally making an alonzostrap post for once??? no freakin way…

this is my first post about them so it seems like i don’t ship them a lot, but ohohhh, i ship them a lot.

the fact that alonzo is meant to be an unsure cat, who hides his insecurities by putting up a front and acting vain and overconfident, is part of what made him my all-time favourite cat in the show. and munkustrap, especially gruberstrap, just has this really safe and soothing aura to him. like whenever michael gruber sings, it just feels like a big brother comforting you. their complimentary personalities combined with their close relationship and BOOM it’s one of my (two) favourite ships.

i have this idea that alonzo is actually really, like really terrified of lightning and thunderstorms and electricity and stuff (it’s why mistoffelees only uses lightning powers subtly around alonzo). no one is really sure why…. maybe he witnessed his mom get electrocuted or something and that’s how he was orphaned? maybe it’s just an irrational fear? either way, he obviously hates his phobia and doesn’t want anyone to know.

and he’s even more scared of macavity because… yk.

the whole ⚡️⚡️ thing. (and that’s why he was hesitant to hands-on fight macavity only until munkustrap was badly hurt. alonzo my man you are so brave for standing up to him like that <3 even tho u got ur ass kicked)

a little story-time based on this idea: when alonzo was still a stray who wasn’t part of the tribe yet, he took shelter under a trashed bench in the junkyard during a heavy thunderstorm. munkustrap, who had met alonzo but never managed to gain his trust, was worried about him. he knew where alonzo would be, so he led his owners there (much to their confusion at first), and they found him curled up and terrified out of his wits. they gladly took him in and dried him up.

although quite startled and angry at first, alonzo eventually calmed down and warmed up to them with munkustrap’s insistent comfort. they cuddled all night long in a peaceful slumber, with munk’s long fluffy fur as alonzo’s blanket. munkustrap slept quite well that night in satisfaction that he finally got alonzo to let his guard down. and for once in his life, alonzo didn’t flinch or shudder every time he heard the sound of booming thunder.

after that, munkustrap’s owners helped repurpose the old bench to turn it into a comfortable den for the two cats.

URRRHHHHH THEY’RE IN LOVE 😩😩💗💗💗💗💗💗💗💗

GUYS THE FACT THAT BEFORE “THE OLD GUMBIE CAT”, ALL THE CATS ARE THE ONES TO GO UP TO MUNK AND GREET HIM, BUT ALONZO IS THE ONLY ONE THAT MUNK GOES TO INSTEAD.

beautiful. just beautiful.

jellicle ball appreciation posts —

(bonus detail✨) :

if anyone ever feels worried about trying something new, just remember that george was hesitant to join bombalurina’s section in the jellicle ball, even though he wanted to. but with a bit of encouragement from tugger he went for it and ended up having a good time.

george, i hope you know you are an inspiration.

it’s such a little detail and george is such a minor character but they cared enough to put it in. and it makes sense because george is a shy kitten and bomba’s section is full of energy and the centre of attention, so naturally he’d be nervous about stepping out of his comfort zone. AND it shows that tugger cares so much about the little ones that he’d understand how george was feeling, and sling his arm around him like “you got this”.

it’s so adorable!!!!!! 😩😩💖💖💖

(emojis credit to @astrelle)

more serious aspects of rum tum tugger

admittedly, i watch act 1 of cats wayyyyyy more than act 2. i’m not sure why, but it means i listen to “mr mistoffelees” a lot less, so it kinda slipped my mind that… rum tum tugger sings “mr mistoffelees”… 😬 but seriously watching and listening to it after a while of detox made me, weirdly, appreciate tugger’s character so much more than before.

if you don’t think tugger is a very complex character or someone worth delving into, let me offer this: we talk about john partridge being THE tugger, that he’s yet to have been surpassed or lived up to, and it’s true, but from what i’ve seen, i don’t think us fans get him quite right either. (not anyone specifically, just in a general sense.) and from what i’ve heard, other productions are great, but there’s just nothing quite like his 1998 film portrayal. i don’t just mean the swagger, but also the gravitas that he gives off. it was really lightning in a bottle. that’s how difficult it is to get his character truly right. (such is the case for a lot of cats in my opinion, but i’m being picky.)

(p.s. i meant this as in “it’s insanely difficult to capture john partridge’s essence”.)

…… yes, i know tugger is meant to be vain and rebellious and a sexy, indecisive flirt, and i do realise that the three words are just “in general” to help actors perform better, BUT, you cannot tell me that this description doesn’t water him down to a puddle :

his three words are apparently “vain, perverse, inconsequent”. “vain”? you mean the one whose first instinct was to call upon someone else more competent to help when old deut was in danger? the one who pleaded for the jellicles to listen to him, and gladly gave reasoning while hyping up misto, instead of just saying trust me bro? the one who is clearly extremely grateful and proud to be old deut’s son? and “perverse” is only true if they mean “contrary”. otherwise, his whole song shows him rejecting all the hot girls who all want him. “inconsequent”? firstly, i’m pretty sure that they’re using this word wrong. second, if they mean “not caring about consequences”, then tell that to the cat who stopped his entire party instantly just to alert the tribe of grizabella’s appearance. (and he clearly looks very disappointed when nobody liked his bagpipes gag!)

tugger is attractive, admired by many, influential, high-status and charismatic. yet, he only ever uses his prominence to do what’s best for the jellicles or what would make them happy, both individually and as a whole. in misto’s number, he steps up completely soberly when the jellicles need him the most. he hypes up misto because he knows his influence will make the cats believe in him. he gives the cats some much needed levity during times of crisis. he entertains etcetera, his biggest fan, like a singer inviting a child on stage and it shows that he cares.

i wanna talk about tugger’s design as well in terms of his character. tugger’s presence is the perfect balance of cool and warm. he is stylish and impressive, a self-assured and level-headed cat with an assertive aura, who easily keeps his composure, but at the same time, he’s inviting and open, a dutiful and shrewd cat with an incredible sense of humour, who is able to lift the hearts of those around him. this is reflected in his design, as his top half has a huge fluffy mane, but the rest of him is sleek black, yet done in a way that’s complimentary and not conflicting.

beneath the show-off, the swagger, and the sex appeal, he’s a mellow and mature tom cat who just loves to put on a good show and give the crowd exactly what they want. he’s just as serious and responsible and caring and full of love for his tribe as munkustrap is, while still being able to retain his thrilling and unruly side (which somehow makes him seem even more responsible, since he has the capacity to balance levity and soberness to the fullest extent).

people try to give him sad backstories or make him seem softer and that’s fine, but it’s a rare thing that we get such an ineffably complex and nuanced character without needing things like a drastic arc or sympathetic traits. through tugger, i’ve gained a newfound admiration for this sort of adamantine character, and this qualia of his shines through, however subtly, in every number he’s in.

i did my best, but my words probably don’t do him justice either. maybe during your next watch of cats, try to search for this feeling!

(and i think, in this way, he really embodies rock music so well. so fun and exciting and rebellious, but still able to sound so classic, solemn and heavy.)

so i was listening to one direction and i realised that their song “hey angel” basically sums up how i feel about phyllida crowley smith and her as victoria, so here’s a collage of phylltoria :

her beauty is ineffable. she is the heaviside layer incarnate. she is the epitome of mystical divinity. she shines brighter than the jellicle moon. she is THE victoria.

jo gibb who?? my heart belongs to philly only

(no homo tho. definitely. i think.)

previous post here, and the jellicle ball section names here. and also for this post the 1998 film jellicle ball & white cat solo. (i wanted to add the audios here individually but tumblr doesn’t allow that so sorry 🥲. if you can, speed the video up to 1.05x for the original speed.)

—

jellicle ball appreciation posts :

character themes

i love how you can tell what kind of cats the cats are just by listening to the music that plays when they’re the subject of a dance. it’s like you can HEAR their characters. and we get the most of this during the jellicle ball, so i’ll list the tune and then how their character traits correlate with the music. exhibits below :

before we talk about the ball, we have the white cat solo for victoria’s theme.

victoria’s solo : simple, sweet, sincere high notes. delicate and unassuming. elegant; not needing to be elaborate.

now, listen to the “ricochet” section of the jellicle ball. you can hear traces of her in the music as she dances! it reflects how the white cat is always peeking out and catching your eye through the crowd.

now let’s look at the fugue section. unlike the second part of the ball, where they’re all basically considered ensemble cats, here we get the most individual characterisation through the different portions and their subjects. (hence, fugue.) starting from “fugue” itself all the way down to “bombalurina’s section”.

listen to the contrast between the two monochromatics —

mistoffelees begins “fugue” : soft, lower and duller notes that evoke the sense of fluffy paws creeping along the floor. has an air of mischief and mystery.

alonzo’s entrance : loud, sharp, brighter brass that only gets more and more intense, a testament to his bravado; a theme designed to impress and intimidate.

and if you listen for a bit longer you can hear them playing in tandem with each other as they dance, especially when alonzo does his hand thing at misto during what’s supposed to be “tours”. this isn’t just an orchestra, it’s the cats themselves.

now the queens —

cassandra cartwheels in : a solitary tune that chimes high and proud, and doesn’t stoop down for anyone. clearly a cat of high status and prestige.

bombalurina interrupts : jazzy, passionate and warm woodwinds. a bold and vibrant melody that goes straight to the point and screams “life of the party”.

moving on to the “boys ballet” - “sways” section, there are actually three subjects, mistoffelees, tumblebrutus, and victoria, and there’s kind of a call and response going on (which i love). as we already discussed victoria and mistoffelees, we can infer that the strings heard here are tumblebrutus, while the brass is misto, and if you listen very closely, the even higher pitched “whistles” (woodwind i think) are victoria. tumble is the call, while misto and vic respond.

the cats talk with each other through the music! how magical is that? and if you listen closer to moments like bomba and tugger, you can hear even more of these conversations! (you can hear a bit of tugger’s rock during “slithers”. also i love how tugger’s electric guitar comes back whenever he leads.) there are also moments where you can hear what the cats are saying, doing or feeling like with tumble and alonzo, or alonzo and bomba or cassandra. it’s one of the reasons that the jellicle ball is so memorable.

music is truly magic.

anyone who hates on cats just because of cats needs to realise there’s more to this show than meets the eye, or ear.

Do you have any theories or hcs you don’t think others share 👀

not usually but i’ve got one here!! thanks for asking! you’ve helped me resurface a thought.

i believe that grizabella used to be a red cat. not ginger or brown with a tinge of red or anything you would see in real life, i mean like red. maybe a deep, romantic, velvet red, or a stunning, vibrant, strawberry red.

this is because of the song “daylight”. at the time this song is sung, it’s nearing grizabella’s final chance to rejoin the jellicles. jemima knows this and she laments the possibility that grizabella will fail.

while she tells the tribe that dawn is nigh, at the same time, she discreetly tells us her thoughts and worries within the folds of the song. she sings that she is the sunflower awaiting the day, but she also sings about another character, the rose.

grizabella is the rose that is fading. she used to be a gorgeous rose red, but has since then faded to grey, and now, she is on the cusp of withering away forever.

looking deeper into this idea, jemima sings the line “see the dew on a sunflower”. as jemima is the sunflower, the dew could refer to her tears. she’s secretly telling everyone how sad she is about the fading of grizabella, and imploring the rest of the cats to see as she does.

i love this little song with all my heart and helen massey’s flawless singing just ties it all together. “daylight” is nothing short of a poetic and musical masterpiece.

hope you liked my theory! :D 🌻🥀

hello everyone!! happy feburary and welcome to my “jellicle ball appreciation posts” series where i discuss my favourite part of the whole musical! specifically about the 1998 version because, oh boy, my love for this recording of a 10 minute dance break knows no bounds. refer to this video for the names of the different sections of the jellicle ball aaaand let’s begin!!!

jellicle ball appreciation posts :

perfect timing

anyone who’s danced before knows that doing all those moves, especially for more fast paced dances, takes exceptional strength and control to execute them well. in order to have that control, and of course because moving your limbs and getting from one place to another takes time, you sometimes have to sacrifice one extra second to perform the last move before moving on to the next one. for example, watch bombalurina after “arabesque” as she’s getting into place for “warsaw (ecstasy)”. unlike most others, she raises her arms a little late because she has to run into position from the back. although it’s a pretty minor issue, when this happens your performance can appear delayed and you often end up rushing the following move.

so one of the most satisfying things for me to watch as an ex-dancer (besides straight up satisfying dancing which we will talk about in the future) is someone hitting their mark on a dance move perfectly or even a little early. one example of this is, during “slow paws” jemima’s arm movements are completely in time with the music, and she raises her arms perfectly on cue during “arabesque”.

but absolutely nothing scratches this itch more than watching tumblebrutus, or fergus logan, dance. seriously, who gave this man the right to be THAT graceful???? i cannot even express how euphoric it is to watch him during the jellicle ball and i sometimes open the film just to watch him. i genuinely love the “boys ballet” section so much because of him and fergus logan has become one of my favourite dancers in the show, or ever, if not my favourite. and for the same reason (but not the only one) tumblebrutus is also one of my top favourite cats.

when tumble and misto stand up and do their windmill thing during “spikey”, fergus is completely focused on dancing. you can see it on his face. as a result, tumble is eager and ready to do the next move, and it shows because he hits the mark perfectly and my gosh, i hope you guys know how much i wish i could absorb that moment into my soul. and the way he “windmills” is just like, he swings his arms so freely and effortlessly and elegantly and so in time with the music, it’s just so pleasing to watch. compared to jacob brent, who’s more focused on staying in character, which i absolutely don’t blame him for since he has a very important role, but as a result he ends up windmilling a little bit late and rushes the next one. mistoffelees’ dancing has more of his flavour and spark, but tumblebrutus’s movements are just so freaking refined and graceful and everything, and i highly doubt this will be the last time i talk about fergus logan in these posts.

as much as i love these “perfect timing” moments though, i also happen to care a lot about the moments like i mentioned in the first paragraph, because there’s something beautiful about seeing the humanity behind a piece of art, especially in the case of dance and professional dancers. it shows that no matter how fantastical this world is or how impressive the cats’ feats are, these are still actors, human beings, and they make mistakes on stage sometimes too and that’s ok. it just shows how much effort is needed to pull this off and put on a successful show. cats the musical is one of the only pieces of media that i know of, where it can break the immersion in a serious manner (or even unintentionally) and have it make the experience even more magical.

part 2~~

plato ideas (specifically ‘98 plato)

i actually like the fiery kitten portrayal of plato (like in the film) more than the easygoing young adult version of plato, because i think this version of him has tonnnns more personality! his background moments are so silly, like he looks so appalled when misto makes a mistake at the start, he bows all the way down to bustopher jones, and of course he’s absolutely thrilled to participate in tugger’s number. here are two plato ideas :

1. inspired by the fact that bryn walters had a broken hand while shooting the film (mad respect), plato has some kind of disability that hinders his right paw. jellylorum gave him a splint to help him walk, and the splint was worn by gus back when he had an injury during his acting career.

he’s embarrassed of this and gets mad when someone expresses concern about it. he insists that “it isn’t that bad”, and a tiny part of the reason he stepped up for the pas de deux was to show everyone he could still do lifts.

2. he and george are best friends, making the male duo parallel of electra and etcetera (also TALL BOYS WHO DOUBLE AS A MORE PROMINENT CHARACTER). george learned to act as tugger and will occasionally cosplay as him for plato, knowing how much of a fan he is. though, plato thinks george is too endearing to play a convincing tugger (he will haphazardly get cuteness aggression for the boi). plato is very protective of him, especially because of his timidness, and george looks to plato for emotional support.

as for the girls, plato and electra often quarrel and enjoy challenging each other to battles of wits, while he and etcetera bond over their enthusiasm for tugger. the four kittens are the ones who play together most frequently, perfect for team games!

plato being the extrovert friend

i actually find it really funny that tommi sliiden (coricopat) is now a registered osteopath. so here’s “costeopat” :

POV : you are a performer who couldn’t make it to your show because you got sick. now your back has been hurting but no doctor has been able to help. desperate, you resort to paying a visit to the mysterious witch in the woods, hoping she (or her psychic cats) has the answer.

i also recently found out in his website that he specialises in performers and their specific problems and it’s so poetic 😭 it genuinely makes me feel some kinda way

thank you, tommi.

guys i made mister mistoffelees as a waffle!! :D

two minutes after tugger arrives :

cats 2019 alternative ideas

i know some of you guys on here genuinely enjoyed the 2019 cats movie, and i’m afraid i can’t say the same, but the reason why is not what i’m here to discuss.

i think cats 2019 was a huge missed opportunity.

i can’t help feeling like we were robbed of an original, creative story, all for the sake of making another blockbuster. instead of repeating the same formula to squeeze a few more dollars in, maybe they could’ve done something different, more cats specific? movie or show, animated or live action, i wouldn’t mind. (k now that i think abt it animation would be better.) they wouldn’t even have had to put in dancing or singing, in fact, a story focused on just the relationships between the cats would’ve been amazing.

like, a spinoff!

disney’s hercules has a spinoff series and i think it’s absolutely genius. i love it, probably more than the actual movie! it’s especially fun for me because i’m interested in greek mythology too. something like that for our dear little cats would be a dream come true.

they had the money for CGI fur and an A-list cast so i don’t think a spinoff made with love, passion and respect for the musical would’ve been a super tall order. the important thing to remember would be to include and focus mainly on the cats’ relationships and interactions with each other (and not butcher their personalities ofc).

just gonna start rattling off ideas here :

coricopat and tantomile witch cat anecdotes series

rumpus cat superhero action movie with george in disguise. he faces challenges when trying to balance his secret life and maintaining his friendships. (maybe make him and plato best friends?)

sitcom series with main characters electra and etcetera as besties, and the main cast being all the kittens, kinda like victorious. (episode titles be like “electra & etcetera : jenny’s crochet workshop!”)

a coming of age (mayybe romance) movie ft. victoria and tumblebrutus

“jemima’s dreams”, a fantasy series taking place in jemima’s mind where each episode features a different flower to teach her a lesson. kinda like aesop’s fables but more with plants

a drama movie about alonzo, from being a distrustful stray to meeting munkustrap and learning to accept others into his life, facing uncertainties about himself along the way and ending with him finding the courage to protect the ones who accepted him as family

heck, make that a duology where the other movie explores demeter’s past trauma surrounding macavity or even grizabella, and her path to healing with the jellicles, especially bombalurina

pouncival the invention cat series where he invents a new thing out of trash every episode to solve a problem (my “pouncival ideas” post has more context). could make for a very cheesy finale

now tell me, fellow cats fan, that you wouldn’t watch any of these.

it seems like fan service or fanfiction (actually most fanfictions are way better than the 2019 movie), and it definitely wouldn’t be as mainstream, but there’s some real creative potential here, i think. it would’ve been the perfect chance to spend more time with the cats who don’t have many big moments in the show, or just explore their characters even further! not that this musical needs a spinoff, of course, but since they decided to make a movie on it anyway, why not have created something worthwhile?

encouraging everyone to think of and/or add their own ideas for a cats spinoff!

alonzo, my favourite cat of all time!!!!!

i wanted to experiment with negative space and that sort of thing. i'm also trying to grow out of being overly dependent on lineart. :D

i love him!!!!!!!! x♾️

pouncival ideas

before, i never really paid close attention to the ending of the show “the ad-dressing of cats”, there wasn’t much dancing or plot, and i just listened to ken page’s legendary singing. but i recently noticed something. pouncival. he’s front and centre of all the cats, and he even does slightly different poses/choreo than the rest of them. pouncival is also one of those cats that i never paid too much attention to, but he’s been nagging me ever since this discovery.

the more i thought about it, the more i realised that he doesn’t really have a proper “role” in the tribe other than being a troublemaker, which doesn’t help anyone. when i searched for inspiration on tumblr, there were hardly any pouncival hcs that were exclusively him. and even then, it was just things we already know about him.

i NEEDED to know him better. he would not let go of my brain for the past three days. but i’d like to thank him for giving me something to think real hard about. here’s my ideas for him!

this next part is a review of pouncival. feel free to skip to “finally, my ideas” below the screenshot of pounce —

what we know :

- pouncival is the youngest tom cat in the tribe

- he’s a mischievous and childish kitten with a knack for troublemaking

- he’s carefree and playful, just a happy kitten, sometimes callously so

- his alternate is carbucketty, a name invented by t.s. eliot for a “knockabout” cat

what we can infer :

- he loves his friends! (he pranks grizabella at tumble and plato’s idea, and he lets victoria snuggle up to him at the start of “mister mistoffelees”)

- he’s a comedic kitten who loves making people laugh, even at his own expense

- he’s the type of kid to roll in the mud and eat dirt (affectionate)

- he’s the class clown who’s lowkey an icon

• in my personal list of the cats and their three words (or more specifically “three adjectives describing their personality”), i gave him childish, blithe, and puckish.

his main character moments :

- causing trouble, and being the first “cockroach” to appear, during “the old gumbie cat”

- pranking grizabella twice

- getting reprimanded by jellylorum and electra during the jellicle ball “chant”

- being the pollicle who leads the march (it goes wrong, naturally)

- falling over a bunch, the little rascal (he’s very good at it too. top job, karl morgan /srs)

finally, my ideas :

other than the “boys group”, pouncival is also close friends with electra (and therefore etcetera). electra is something of a fussy and uptight kitten, like the type of girl who always wants to be the “boss” of the friend group and twist the story so she wins during roleplays. pouncival gives her the perfect excuse for someone to yell at as a frustration outlet. his carefree and playful attitude means that, not only does he not mind, he plays along and sometimes does cheeky things on purpose to rile her up or lift her spirits (electra is secretly very grateful).

pouncival’s childishness also means that he has a vivid imagination, and this lead to him being very inventive. also, as previously established, he has no qualms with being unhygienic, so he is very resourceful in digging through the trash, no matter for food, supplies or props for electra’s roleplays. as such, he was actually the one to make the costumes and props during jennyanydots’s number and for munkustrap’s play…

once, electra got really upset during a group roleplay, so as an apology and also to cheer her up, pouncival made mice and cockroach costumes, and along with the rest of the kittens, they performed a hilarious, modified to comedic version of the nutcracker for her. the costumes ended up being reused for jenny’s number.

another version of this could be: once, electra was scolded by jenny, and being especially sensitive to the disapproval of the older cats, especially one she admired, she got really upset. so pouncival and etcetera “took revenge” for her by sneakily asking demeter and bombalurina to help them write a musical number about jenny. pouncival made the costumes and they secretly performed it for electra, twisting the meaning to make fun of the old gumbie cat instead. normally electra wouldn’t be too happy about this, but she was still upset at jenny at the time and it gave her the catharsis she needed.

both were more than successful.

pouncival also made the notorious candy cane bagpipes. plato, being tugger’s other biggest fan, begged pounce to help him create a special birthday gift for him to give to tugger. pounce isn’t sure what tugger’s response was, but it left plato smiling for days.

during the production of “the pekes and the pollicles”, an extremely stressed out munkustrap gave pouncival the job of costume design, collaborating with mungojerrie and rumpleteazer. with the help of their smart looting skills, the three made exceptional costumes for all four breeds of dog as well as rumpus cat, earning them lead roles (though munkustrap might have regretted that) and a pat on the head.

pouncival the knockabout cat lives!!! or maybe pouncival the invention cat?

(also why are his eyes lowkey so beautiful)

tumbletoria

ok guys i NEED to talk about tumbletoria, the ship between tumblebrutus and victoria, because it’s one of my favourite ships ever?? like yk when ur thinking about them and all of a sudden ur heart feels kinda heavy like they were written in the stars?? and you listen to every romantic one direction song ever and think about them??

i ship alonzostrap a TON as well but tumbletoria is on a different level in terms of complexity. it also happens to be one of the only hetero ships i care deeply about. yet it’s constantly being overshadowed in favour of other victoria ships, especially platoria, and tumblebrutus is seen as his little sister or just an immature kitten trying to act tough. and it kinda annoys me.

this time i’ll largely base my reasoning on canon evidence rather than things i thought up of, cuz this isn’t just me trying to justify a rarepair with no canon basis. so if you will not entertain the idea of this ship, feel free to skip this post. if you already ship them like me, read on. and, if this ship has never really crossed your mind, or if you have a different perspective, but are willing to hear me out, get ready for a long rant.

(it has been very nerve-wracking posting this bc i know a lot of you guys will disagree, but i really wanted to talk about them cuz i think they’re a super adorable ship, and i also wanted to know if any of you guys ship them.)

(remember that this is in no way trying to disprove or invalidate other ships or personal interpretations. i’m just sharing my thoughts as usual and putting in my two cents on a topic i feel quite strongly about.)

victoria is an adolescent who was sheltered and pampered her whole life, so she’s very well-mannered and poised (she’s the principal ballerina in the show), but she’s still inexperienced and exploring herself. she dances sensually by herself after “the naming of cats”, and during the pas de deux with plato, showing us that she’s growing into womanhood. but because of her inexperience and sheltered upbringing, she’s inhibited, unsure of herself and held back. victoria is a coming-of-age character, this is obvious and a given.

tumblebrutus is an adolescent who’s actively trying to grow out of his “kitten” stage. he’s a spirited and buoyant cat. he’s adventurous, daring and playful (being the main tumbler of the show, his role requires more gymnastic skill than any other). yet, he has an insecure and unconfident side. he feels the need to try and be cool like older cats such as alonzo or tugger. he’s even paired with mistoffelees, an older cat, during the jellicle ball, instead of someone like pouncival who’s more his age and would also have the ability to do misto’s choreography (pounce is the first understudy for misto). he wants to be a part of them, but he’s not quite there, he’s still seen scheming pranks on grizabella with plato and pouncival. tumblebrutus also happens to be, you guessed it, a coming-of-age character!

now, i know i said i would mostly refer to the 1998 version, but i need to talk about the pas de deux in other productions as well. in a lot of productions, especially recent ones, the 1998 film and older versions (like original london) where the character is named admetus, victoria is paired with plato (i refer to plato/admetus as the same character). out of universe, this is probably because plato doubles as macavity and the role requires him to be able to lift well, so he’d naturally be the first choice to lift victoria. though this made everyone and their pollicle ship them.

however, in a bunch of other productions, and important point here, victoria is paired with tumblebrutus, and this is tied to the fact that they are both coming-of-age characters. they both want to explore more about themselves and be more grown up, but are a bit unsure. tumblebrutus’s fearlessness and optimism helps victoria feel braver and let go of her inihibtions, and victoria’s poise and prudence helps tumblebrutus learn to be more mature and therefore confident. they are each other’s comfort and balance. see the dynamic?

victoria’s “mates” were mainly either plato or tumblebrutus, so i don’t understand how platoria is so much more popular while tumbletoria gets kicked under the couch. heck, ships that have less canon basis like victeazer or jemtoria get more attention than this ship. (no offence btw i think these ships are cute too.)

even though it’s not obvious in the ‘98 version, tumble and vic do have a certain dynamic during their parts in the jellicle ball. when misto and tumble do their ballet part after bombalurina’s section, victoria’s at the back with some other girls, and the camera cuts to her doing a little head tilt at the two boys. she’s also between them when they all do the lean and the music swells and stuff. this is super vague but, we know that victoria’s sexuality is a big part of her character, so maybe it represents her considering her relationships with the toms as she’s growing up, struggling to figure out who she sees as a brother, i.e. misto, and who she’s attracted to or wants something more with, i.e. tumble. she is literally and figuratively caught between them. (also i love the little moments where tumble looks at her during this sequence IT’S SO CUTE.)

just imagine all the adorable possibilities for tumbletoria scenarios. secretly admiring each other from afar while they perform ballet/tumbling moves? trying to impress each other with their skill? getting caught in a compromising position by an adult (like alonzo)? reassuring each other when they feel insecure? secretly dancing together? their friend groups teasing them or shipping them? or even trying to set them up?? affectionate moments becoming a little bit awkward because of their feelings???

i think “juvenile delinquent” is a bit unfair for tumblebrutus, and the depth of victoria’s character shouldn’t be forgotten either. i think vic and tumble are good friends who might have something more going on underneath that they’re figuring out together. i think there’s something really special about complex coming-of-age characters and romances that i really really love. (and i think the principal ballerina x main tumbler thing is noteworthy as well.)

i’ve been working on this post for a while. again, not trying to invalidate anyone’s ships. hopefully now some of you can understand my perspective, and if you disagree, that’s ok. if you do like this ship, please respond and tell me your thoughts or headcanons so i know i’m not alone in this 😭.

tumbletoria is a terribly underrated, beautiful ship, and it truly deserves more attention. thank you for listening to my ted talk.

house cat ideas

jemima :

she was actually found by old deuteronomy shortly after she was born. jemima was barely surviving so her mother abandoned her, and he brought her to be taken care of by the oldest inhabitant of the village mentioned in his song, an old man with an affinity for flowers. (is old deuteronomy actually the cat distribution system???)

to the old man’s delight, jemima accompanied him for the final few weeks of his life. after he passed, she was old enough to live amongst the jellicles in the junkyard, but she still keeps her collar on. his influence shaped her into an observant, empathetic and compassionate kitten, who inherited his wistfulness in the form of daydreaming. and although she wouldn’t remember much of him, the stories he told rooted an innate wisdom within her, waiting to be unearthed.

a paper-mache mask i did in art class inspired by jemima + sunflowers! 🌻 (daylight is one of my favourite songs in the whole show!!)

house cat ideas

victoria & tumblebrutus :

victoria was bred to be a birthday gift. she was given to the daughter of a rich family, a high school girl (who i call helen), once they decided she was old and responsible enough for a pet. they lived in the penthouse of an apartment building, and because helen was named after a queen she decided to name the kitten after one too. helen cared for victoria with the utmost precision and love, and the family’s fanciness and etiquette rubbed off on victoria, making her the pampered and reserved cat we know in the show.

tumblebrutus was adopted from the shelter by another high school girl who took pity on him (i call her bethany). bethany took the alliteration route and named him bill bailey. she lived in the same apartment building. tumblebrutus loves to jump around and leap from shelf to shelf, or play on bethany’s bunk bed like a cat tree, or zooming back and forth along the corridor. bethany’s bubbly personality and her optimism during hard times passed onto tumble, making him the cheerful and fearless cat we know in the show.

helen and bethany go to the same school and have been best friends since childhood. they bonded over their love for animals, enthusiasm for life and their homes being so close. they have frequent playdates in either apartment, and always bring their cats along to play together as well (the kittens get along better than either of them expected).

rate her loaf :3 (anyone else had a lot of these polaroids with the customised edges??)

i love love LOVE them. tumble is my favourite kitten.

does anyone else love the slight banter between demeter and bombalurina during “macavity the mystery cat”? like after demeter’s part, bombalurina gets up and sings about how hot macavity is (rosemarie ford KILLS it i love her voice), but i have a different interpretation about this.

so we all know bomba is very honest and frank about what she thinks, even if she doesn’t say it, it’s written all over her face. she mocks grizabella and gives her the singular most dirtiest, judgiest look ever. she also questions and looks greatly concerned about jennyanydots’s interest in bustopher jones. gotta love her.

bomba obviously knows how much of a piece of crap macavity is, and she knows how much he hurt demeter, whom she’s very protective of. it doesn’t really make sense to me that bomba would outright tell demeter and everyone else that she thinks the man who’s literally broken every human law, who terrorises the jellicles, who traumatised the hell out of her beloved demeter, is hot, but it does make sense that demeter used to think so, and would obsess over him so much that she’d actually get with a guy like that.

i bet demeter used to swoon over macavity and give long rants about him to bomba, who’s just sitting there judging demeter’s taste in toms like “girl get a grip”. and now bomba’s getting back at her by singing one of those rants that she had to sit through so many times she’s memorised it. it’s her way of teasing her. i think the tone she uses is the same exaggerated, sarcastic tone that she uses to mock grizabella. it’s like saying to her, “see how ridiculous you sounded?”

but ultimately, she just wants demeter to not let history repeat itself. she points to her and stresses the fact that he’s a fiend in feline shape. she also says the words “like a snake” bitterly, because that’s exactly what she thinks of him.

and then of course demeter stands up and tries to defend herself like, “oh come on, you can’t blame me. he was outwardly respectable, anyone would’ve fallen for him.” and bomba’s quick to retort with “i know right, yeah, he totally is. cheating ‘at cards’ is definitely respectable. he used to do that to you, remember?”

bomba looks at her all smug and demeter shoots her a look like “okay now you’re pushing it”. and then they carry on with their duet.

i’ll admit, demeter’s not my favourite cat in the world, but her relationship with bombalurina makes me love her like the rest.

p.s. this is so incredibly random and i literally just thought of this after i posted but the term “rose gold” is literally them and i won’t elaborate

house cat ideas

cassandra :

she’s a model cat who was adopted by one of the models at her company, and it’s why she knows such elegant poses and also why she has a haughty personality.* the two often do photoshoots together and are pretty popular. cassandra is quite the icon in beauty magazines as well as cosmetics and fashion advertisements. she is beloved by many fashionable people for her elegant coat and her moonlit eyes.

she loves her owner very much and is constantly pampered by her. they absolutely see each other as best friends and cassandra’s favourite pasttime is their “girl’s nights” together. she gets to be bathed (unlike other cats she loves it) and brushed, relax and listen to gossip about her owner’s coworkers. this woman is the reason cassandra is in no rush to find a mate and is perfectly happy with her lavish life.

*(also why she stands up and glares at grizabella a bit during “grizabella the glamour cat”. it’s like to say “im better than u. look at what u could’ve been.” (and munk gives her a reprimanding look like “don’t push it”))

cuz… kitten heels. it was too perfect.

I LOVE CASSANDRA SHE IS MY QUEEN I LOVE HER SO MUCH every time she does her pose (she does it like 3.75 times in the whole show) i get a surge of dopamine. like yes feed me

she’s just so cool

i’ve been thinking a lot more about george (the cat who plays rumpus cat) lately, and there’s a really adorable shot during gus’s song where george looks up at old deuteronomy like this

like he’s saying “are you hearing this old deuteronomy?? he actually understudied whittington’s cat??!!”

i have thoughts about this

so george is normally a pretty shy kitten. he’s in the background a lot and hangs around older cats like old deuteronomy and jellylorum, he even flinches when gus looks at him.

but when he’s playing rumpus cat, all of a sudden he’s goofing around and enjoying the spotlight. i like to think acting helps him get out of his shell, and he loves being on stage and performing.

so obviously he admires gus a lot, but after hearing his story he realises that he wants to take acting more seriously, to create a persona that would be worthy of firefrorefiddle, and most of all, make gus proud.

“george the theatre cat”. has a nice ring to it!

p.s. george is literally one of the most underrated cats. like he’s so adorable!! and he has the biggest smile in the world!!

hellooo i’m verdi and i’m a big fan of cats the musical. i’m starting this blog so i can talk about cats and share my ideas.

i love this musical with a PASSION because it’s fun and always manages to bring a smile to my face, even when i’m feeling down. i love the characters, especially the kittens, and i like making up a ton of ideas about all of them. i also love it because i used to do dance and when they dance it resonates with me on such a spiritual level that i can’t explain (i’ve watched the jellicle ball an ungodly amount of times).

my main ships are alonzostrap and tumbletoria, but i also ship demelurina and tuggoffelees. my favourite characters are alonzo, tumblebrutus, george, cassandra, victoria and jemima, but really i love all of them. i consider the 1998 film the definitive version so i’ll mostly be referring to that. i’m also an artist and all of the drawings you see are mine unless i credit others.

i hope you guys like my ideas! :D