Been Obsessed With “promise Items” Especially In Fiction. E.g. In Real Life We Have Promise Rings,

IT’S TIME TO WATCH CATS 🌝

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)

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.)

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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.

I LOVE YOU TUMBLEBRUTUS YOU’RE MY SILLY BILLY

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!! 💖 🐈🎶🎤🩰🪩🐈‍⬛

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.

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

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.)

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.

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!!