More Serious Aspects Of Rum Tum Tugger

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

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 😭)

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 🌻🥀

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.

I LOVE YOU TUMBLEBRUTUS YOU’RE MY SILLY BILLY

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 😩💗💗

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

two minutes after tugger arrives :

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

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.

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♾️