#I STILL DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO DRAW TUGGER

[themostimportantnight]

A "vibe swap" between Misto and Tugger *exploding head emoji*

Mistoffelees is now very picky and tricky; he knows he's magically talented and wears the title of Original Conjuring Cat *another exploding head emoji* with pride (GAY PRIDE, HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!). He loves putting on a show and annoying the older toms by playing tricks on them. He's a very noisy presence within the junkyard, and has probably had a number of shoes thrown at him.

Rum Tum Tugger is now more reserved and prefers to spend most of his time off on his own (he already spends a lot of time in the actual show off on his own, so this works out just fine). He has a tendency to assume that people are talking about him, and often ends up mildly embarrassed to discover that they were not. He very much enjoys watching Misto get up to his magical shenanigans, and is always there to cheer him on. He takes great care in his appearance, and flaunts it upon being given enough encouragement. Munkustrap is so proud of him!!!! He's excellent on the bagpipes and knows just when to play them!!!

[elviriel]

So I rewatched BTVS and watched Angel the Series recently, and I want to talk about my feelings, so I'm making posts for each. First up, BTVS, with my feelings and opinionsTM sorted by season, because for this particular show, the season seems to dictate the enjoyment tbh.

warnings: i am not a fan of sp*ffy or later seasons spike, and sexual assault is briefly mentioned re: season 6

Funnily enough, the more I dislike a season, the longer the paragraph seems to get. ah, the joys of being a hater at heart xD Season 1. I will admit, when i started my rewatch, I didn't know it would be a rewatch. Usually, I watch up to season 3 and stop, but this time, idk i thought i'd try the rest of the show to see if my feelings had changed, and finally watch season 7, which i had not seen. all this to say I did what I usually do which is: start at season 2 xD However, I have watched season 1 several times in the past, and I'm very fond of it. It's cheesy, and the image quality isn't as nice as it is later on, but I have so much love for certain episodes such as Angel and Prophecy Girl. Season 1 has good stuff, y'all! Season 2. I've said it before, but the Angelus arc is one of my favorite things to happen in the history of television, so season 2 is a favorite of mine. I just love it. The Angelus arc, from the Bangel love to the gutpunch of Innocence, to Jenny's death in Passion to the climax in Becoming... Still cannot hear Full of Grace by Sarah McLachlan without picturing Buffy on a bus and crying tbh.

And the Angelus arc isn't the only thing to love about season 2 either! I get giddy as a schoolgirl when Spike shows up - he's such a fun villain in season 2, from his antics with Drusilla to his bitterness re: Angelus to his team-up with Buffy in the finale. I also enjoy many other things, such as Willow x Oz (Oz is adorable, and his little crush on Willow was very satisfying for me when I was younger, given how much wee audrey identified with the local nerd gal) and Cordelia x Xander is by far the most tolerable Xander pairing, not that there are many choices xD There are so many episodes in this season I love, I can't even begin to list them, but the two part finale is definitely a highlight. Gosh, Buffy running in slow-mo in that little blue coat? Life-changing. Also, shout-out to Buffy punching Giles then hugging him while crying in Passion. Gosh, that episode. Episode of all time.

Season 3. The main draw in season 2 for me, as I said, is the Angelus stuff, and while nothing in season 3 reaches that level of emotional investment for me, it's got SO MUCH TO LOVE that I can never pick a favorite between those two seasons. Season 3 has Angel's return, Faith - whom I love, love, love, love, esp. on rewatch. It has the Giles x Buffy relationship in Helpless, fun episodes such as Band Candy, The Mayor being a delight, Mr. Trick (rip) - and, of course, the heartstring tugger that is The Prom - the class protector award ;_; - and the Buffy x Angel break-up. I even kinda like the Willow x Xander hook-up, because hey, it leads to Cordelia leaving Xander, and the Willow x Oz reunion is very sweet. They melt my heart. It might be the best season of BTVS, 'objectively' (if there is such a thing) speaking. It progresses nicely, and I think the only episode I straight-up dislike is the Xander one, which I'm comfortable skipping. Season 3, my beloved.

I also love how the season ends, with the very literal blowing up of the school - ending high school with a bang xD. Usually, my rewatch ends here and very satisfyingly so - I think BTVS worked really well as a metaphor for high school, and like several shows of the same type, it can't quite get back to that linear clarity once it transitions to college. Which leads me to.... Season 4. I don't hate season 4, but it's also very lackluster for me. The highlights are Willow's storylines (Oz's departure, magic, Tara, Oz's return, etc - it really got me this time around) and Chipped Spike, which is a great iteration of Spike IMO. What a fun addition to the group (for now.) But the rest... meh. I miss the high school sets, for one - and the Initiative may be a vaguely intriguing concept on paper, but it did nothing for me, narratively OR aesthetically. All those white walls and military uniforms.... meh. Adam himself is SUCH an eyesore that does nothing for me, and then you have Riley, which. Eh...? XD That's not a hot take by any means. And I think in terms of Buffy's love life, Riley was a logical step - nothing was going to match Bangel in terms of intensity - but that doesn't mean I, you know. enjoy it. Riley is cute enough at first, but he is quite pushy with her even early on - which I didn't remember tbh. To me, Riley's worst season 4 crime was being boring, and I was surprised to find that actually? he kind of sucks the moment he and Buffy become romantically intertwined. (Hush is a great episode tho. I'll give it that.) Season 4 also has Xander x Anya, which, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I had this impression that I didn't like Anya, but the rewatch made me realize that actually, it's Xanya I don't like, and Anya has the misfortune of being stuck with Xander for most of her scenes. The way he's so Neutral about her drives me insane - it's just an unpleasant ship IMO. Season 5. This is where the trouble truly begins So, the thing about season 5 is that I think it's a good season. I think it's far more compelling than season 4: it's got great stuff! Dawn is a fun addition, Joyce's illness is a devastating detour to reality in a world of magical threats, and I love the "Death is your gift" theme with Buffy, I really do. I also enjoy Glory a lot xD I think she's fun. I also really love Buffy telling the Council to go fuck themselves, that was very satisfying

Oh, also, Riley leaves. Bye Riley! (though oh boy, does Xander's little speech to Buffy about Riley angers me. shut up xander! nobody asked you!)

But season 5 also has the beginning of Romantic Spuffy, which I hate for reasons I can only partly unpack tbh xD it's visceral to a point that is beyond logic The thing about Spuffy is that I can't untangle it from my feelings about Spike, a character I loved until that point. And look, there were already flaws in Spike's inclusion in the main cast. Season 4 works fine, but given the damage he's shown he can do despite the chip, it stretches disbelief that he didn't get himself staked already xD and sure, him being in love with Buffy is a narratively sound way to get him 'on the good side' without losing his edge. I also think JM is great, and as I understand, he was great to work with, and I understand why they'd want to keep him around. But man..... do I hate Spuffy. notp of all time, and i'm not exaggerating. And you know, up until I watched ATS, I thought maybe my anti Spuffiness was because I'm such a die-hard Bangel - but I ended up liking Angel x Cordelia just fine, so while shipping preference does play a role for sure, maybe spuffy just. sucks. I do enjoy some of their dynamic though. The episode where Spike walks Buffy through his slayer kills is oddly enough one of my favorites, and Spuffy is tolerable enough to me when Buffy is horrified/disgusted by it - but even then, the narrative framing of it BOTHERS ME. There's too much 'look how cute, look how funny!' framing around Spike's stalkerish ways, and it all comes to a head for me in the Buffybot episode, which I wish I could set on fire. It's not that I think any of this is ooc for Spike btw - but the Buffybot is all kinds of gross, so the fact that the episode ends with the real Buffy 'rewarding' Spike with a kiss for how he behaved under torture is just- it's so irksome. One of my main issues with Spuffy is that IMO, the writers tried to have their cake and eat it too. Many quotes indicate that the writers never intended the audience to really Ship It, and while I do believe that's true to an extent, there's also moments like these that frame Spike as sympathetic, and his love for Buffy as something endearing, and like, idk. I don't expect my media to be prescriptive in any way (given my personal taste in ships, that would be quite the opinion xD) but, ugh. Spuffy irks me. I also think Spike/Spuffy is highly Parasitic re: the show, and I would resent it less if it didn't take up so much narrative space. From season 5 on, there is no escape from Spuffy, and the dislike I have for it borders on show-ruining I do love how season 5 ends, though, I really do. I find it very moving, and I still cry like I'm watching it for the first time Season 6. For a season that was reviled in my memory, I enjoyed it quite a bit on rewatch. Buffy's coming back from the dead arc is good. I like the darkness of it, the depth of it - especially as an adult who's been through the Mental Health ringer - tho I do think the resolution of the arc in the finale is a little lacking. But in general, I really love it.

I also love Dark Willow, and I would love it even more without the addiction parallels, which I don't believe were necessary, and kind of muddled the whole arc. They had a perfect set-up with Willow's tendency to magic away problems. They didn't need the whole 'magic = drug' aspect. It makes the storyline worse, which is a shame, because I LOVE this version of Willow. The hubris of necromancy! The lack of self-awareness or willful deceit! It's good stuff, what can I say

I also enjoy the 'Xander leaves Anya at the altar' thing, if only because it means the end of Xanya for a bit xD and it's the first time I actually believed Xander didn't just settle for Anya. His regret over that decision was actually pretty well done, so, props for that. (Tho ofc, the show had to ruin it by making Anya 'in the wrong' by sleeping with Spike, which she had every fucking right to do, and shut up Xander.) Season 6 also has Spuffy. Now, when I saw season 6 for the first time, I was younger, and very uncomfortable with sexual content. So back then, the Spuffy sex, believe it or not, felt like Highly Explicit Porn to me xD which is funny to look back on today. I'll say on rewatch, season 6 Spuffy is probably the version of Shippy Spuffy I enjoy the most...? One problem in season 5 is that Spuffy was driven by Spike's feelings. Buffy was just along for the ride, and I feel like the narrative dragged her into caring for Spike because his obsession with her led him to do things for her and her family. But in season 6, Spuffy is a manifestation of Buffy's trauma, and I enjoy that, narratively speaking. I do still get that feeling of 'the writers tried to have their cake and eat it too' re: the shippability of Spuffy, but I do believe season 6 Spuffy was written with purpose. Seeing Red is very unpopular, for reasons I get, and it does drastically 'alter' the Spuffy dynamic for me, but it's not like... ooc for Spike, and likely a more honest outcome to that kind of relationship than usually portrayed in media (I say as someone who, in general, is a dark relationship enjoyer btw.)

Lastly: the trio annoys the fuck out of me for many reasons, but Warren was a chilling villain. Hateful, but well-suited to the role he played in the season. man, i wanted that guy dead so bad

Season 7. My least favorite season, which I know isn't a hot take either. I found it sometimes boring, and mostly hard to get into. I think the main reason is that season 7 made me lose sight of Buffy. Through all of BTVS, Buffy is an amazing protagonist IMO - I love her, tend to be firmly on her side in most situations, and her thought process/feelings have always been easy to track. I feel Buffy. On rewatch, she's definitely my favorite character on the show, period. But season 7 Buffy, I just don't feel her. I do like some things relating to her here - her role as a counselor at the school, and the leader role she has to take with the Potentials, but otherwise, Buffy in season 7 leaves me cold, and I truly wish that wasn't the case. Granted, season 7 is the only season I've seen only once, so maybe I missed something, but I found the evolution from season 6 to 7 hard to track - season 6 ends with Buffy wanting to live again, and season 7 has a Buffy that's very detached again, and narratively, it's a little awkward IMO. I also do not buy, for a second, the whole "Spike is the only one who has my back" thing, but that's my anti Spike bias, which is at its peak in season 7, but we'll get to that xD Willow in season 7 does nothing for me either - I wish her relationship with magic hadn't been solved so easily. Xander is, err, also there - I do remember enjoying the Dawn episode where she thinks she's a Potential and turns out to be. The Potentials are... fine? I know Kennedy is fandom-reviled, but I think she's fine tbh. Oh, I Barely talked about Giles, but Giles from season 6 onward... I do not Like This Man very much, and I miss Librarian Giles sm xD Season 7 also has Andrew - and god, GOD I hate Andrew. I can tell I'm supposed to be charmed by his whole thing, but I just hate his whole archetype, I hate his presence, I cannot stand him, and he's around too much, and just, make him go away. And then there is Spike, which, ah. I understand that mythos-wise, if we can't 'blame' Angel for Angelus's deeds, Souled Spike cannot be held fully accountable for the actions of No Soul Spike, so the events of Seeing Red aren't his 'fault' (using the term loosely.) But whatever the fault, he still did this to Buffy - Buffy, who has to defend him to her friends, who has to help him through his shit, and i just, nope! I won't lie, season 7 Spike is the version of Spike I hate the most. The episode where Robin (whom I really like, btw! My guy!) confronts him about the death of his mother filled me with a rage I didn't think possible. What do you MEAN you're not sorry you killed his mom? You say that to his face? And I'm supposed to take Spike's side and not want Robin to flay him alive, Willow-style? And now Buffy is telling Robin to bury his resentment or she'll let Spike kill him?

DUDE. This is where I need to breathe and remind myself this isn't real xD Season 7 has Faith's return, which I like a lot, but otherwise..... eh. Season 7 is not a season I'd ever watch again tbh. It just doesn't do it for me. The final shot is nice, though.

OVERALL. BTVS evokes in me emotions that no show could hope to match. Season 2 & 3 are immaculate to me, but the highs from those seasons mean that the lows of other seasons make for a steeply inconsistent experience. I don't think the show is ever that bad, though some episodes are definitely questionable, an inevitability when you run for 7 seasons, but in terms of my personal enjoyment? I feel pretty confident in my usual decision to watch season 2 & 3 alone. Though I'm sad to miss the good stuff from latter seasons, it's not worth the Stuff I hate, which there is plenty of

if you read all this, um, thank you? at the risk of sounding like a youtuber, lmk your BTVS thoughts in the replies or reblogs (though, if you're going to tell me you love spuffy and that i'm wrong, maybe keep that to yourself xD)

[jelliclekay]

How does your family tree and romantic relationships differ from your human AU to the cat one?

There are a few differences, but it's relatively the same! Also I haven't worked in every single character into this AU yet, but I'm working on it!

Tugger and Munk are still brothers with Old Deut being their father. But Griz is explicitly their mother in this AU (Cats Universe I hc Griz to not be related to the Deut brothers at all). Old Deut and Griz are divorced, but are one of those divorced couples who are still very close and Griz is always around the house and shows up to events and family vacations. I like to think Human Old Deut is a gay man who remains best friends with his ex-wife, so Tugger and Munk were still raised by the two of them together.

Macavity is in this AU, but he isn't related to Tugger and Munk like he is in my Cats headcanons.

There also aren't as many open relationships in my human AU compared to cat AUs. The Jellicles are a poly normative society, but human AU it's not as common. Even still, Tugger is in a happy and stable poly relationship with Bomba and Misto. Munk is with Demeter, and eventually the two meet and fall for Alonzo who joins their relationship as well.

Bombalurina and Demeter are best friends who lived together for awhile after Demeter left Mac. They are very much those best friends who get very touchy feely with each other (especially when they are drunk).

Misto and Victoria are still siblings, with her being only a year younger than him. Victoria is still with this Plato in this AU and she's very close friends with Teazer and Jerrie as well.

Gus is Old Deut's brother, and he's their well-meaning but very out of touch Uncle who they love but he sometimes says the most out of pocket things out of nowhere.

Jerrie and Teazer are explicitly twins in this AU (I go back and forth with the cat universe since their relationship is always played differently depending on production) with Skimble and Jenny being their parents. The two are TikTokers (if you know the Voros Twins on Tiktok, their content is roughly the same as that) and Skimble and Jenny are very confused about how their kids make a living off dumb internet videos.

Cettie, Electra, Tumble and Pounce are all sophomores in college in this AU who work minimum wage part time jobs. Cettie is a barista at Starbucks (she likes to draw cute little hearts next to Tugger's name when he goes to Starbucks). I don't really have headcanons for what their relationships specifically are, but all four are very close.

[annoyedcatdad]

(Drawing of dancing Rixto made by @platothefluffbutt )

OC questionnaire made by @magical-marvelous-mistoffelees

Rixto is not the best character I've ever made, I just made him for fun and haven't really thought about making him an amazing character. Sorry if he's really basic and undeveloped, but I like him and that's what matters.

1. What is their name? Gender? General age?

- His name is Rixto! He's a tom and is a year or so younger than Munkustrap :)

2. What are three adjectives to describe them?

- Skittish, observant, cowardly

3. Do they have a human home or are they a stray?

- Rixto lives in a human home!

4. If they have a human home, what is their home life like? If they are on the streets, what is life like for them?

- Rixto lives with two humans, Saoirse and Emily. They just recently moved to England after have been living in Ireland for a while. Emily works as a freelance artist who works from home, so she's always there to spoil and love Rixto. Saorsie is a brain surgeon, so she's away quite a lot. When she is home, however, she always cuddles with Emily and Rixto while watching a movie.

5. What is their ‘role’ within the tribe, or what are they known for? (Ex: Tugger is the curious cat/rockstar, Gus is the theatre cat, Mistoffelees is the magician, Munkustrap is the Jellicle Protector, Jelly is seen as a caretaker, etc)

- Rixto isn't really known for anything other than being cowardly right now. He just joined the tribe and the other cats only know so much about him.

6. Who are their best friends? You can include characters from the show or tag other people’s OC’s. How popular are they?

- His friends include (from closest to least closest...But they're all still very close)

•Skimbleshanks

•Jellylorum

• Munkustrap

•Cassandra

•Tugger

7. What is their favorite food? Do they prefer human food or something they’ve hunted?

- Rixto prefers human food. Specifically chicken. If you were to put chicken in front of his nose, he'd love you forever.

8. Do they have any accessories? Scars?Why or why not?

- Rixto is always seen bearing a collar with a pink heart, given to him by his mums.

9. What style of dance do they work best in?

- Rixto works best with ballet, en pointe

10. Do they have any sort of magic? Do they fear magic?

- Some cats believe Rixto can see into the near future, given how he almost always seem to know what is happening before anyone else.

I won't tell you if he really can see into the future, of if he's just extremely observant.

11. Any fears?

- Even though Rixto is a coward, he only really have three true fears.

• Being abandoned

• Drawers

• Macavity

12. Do they believe in love? If so, what is their “type” and how do they act when they are in love? If not, then why?

- Rixto believes in love with his whole heart. It's what keeps him going. His type can be summed up in one name: Munkustrap. The way he acts around his crush is quite silly. He stutters, and blushes and can't seem to get a word out. He always just end up running away.

13. Do they personally know anyone who has gone up to the Heaviside layer? Do they believe in the Heaviside layer?

- He does believe in it, but he's never known anyone who's gone up to it.

14. Any passions or hobbies? (Ex: Dance, hunting, etc)

- Rixto loves childrens tales. He knows a hundred of them by heart! He also loves dancing, you can almost always find him dancing.

15. If a song was sung about them at the Jellicle Ball, what would it be about?

- I don't actually think they would sing a song about him, so I haven't thought about it. He wouldn't sing a song about someone else either, given how he doesn't sing. Maybe he'd be a bit more like Victoria in the stage productions?

16. What are their thoughts on some of the main characters in the show? (Ex: Tugger, Munk, Jenny, you get to choose!)

- He loves Skimble. He is Rixto's closest friend. They met before Rixto even joined the tribe, on the train.

- Adores Jelly, she's like his mother. He's very attached to her.

- Not a big fan of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, he doesn't like their vibe.

- VERY intimidated by Bombalurina

17. Do they have any secrets they are hiding?

- He does! They're nothing super big, but he does have some.

He also knows a bunch of stuff about the other cats. It's not his fault that he's INCREDIBLY observant. (Somehow he also knows stuff about the cats that they have never talked about to anyone. Don't worry, he won't tell anyone.)