#Tantomile’s first heist

[ratherchaseamouse]

Tantomile’s First Heist (2/4 ish)

In which Tantomile opens a door.

Tantomile couldn’t remember ever feeling as breathless as she did right now. She and Rumpleteazer had made it to the gates of Livingstone mansion, where they were catching their breath from the mad dash through London.

There hadn’t been any reason for them to run except for the joy of it. Running between the legs of pedestrians, leaping over puddles, shinnying up fences, it was the most fun Tantomile had in ages. Rumpleteazer running ahead of her, shining and laughing in the midday sun was an added bonus.

There were thick clouds gathering overhead now, and Tantomile felt a jolt of energy go through her to hail the oncoming deluge.

“We’d better get inside before the rain starts,” she said to Rumpleteazer.

“This way,” Rumpleteazer pointed to a part of the fence that had dense shrubs in front of it, perfect for concealing a couple of cats.

They squeezed through the bars and followed the bushes to the side of the mansion with the cellar door Rumpleteazer had indicated in her drawing. A heavy iron padlock sat around the handles. Rumpleteazer turned to Tantomile,

“Can you open it?” She asked.

Tantomile was confused.

“You can’t?” She asked back. Out of the two of them, Tantomile was certainly the least likely to know how to pick a lock. Rumpleteazer shook her head.

“Jerrie always does this part. He’s the smash, I’m the grab,” She shrugged, explaining,

“I figured you could use some of your mojo, yknow?”

“My… what?”

“You know, your magic tricks! I’ve seen you turn lights on and float around and stuff, can you open a lock?”

“My mystical ability is not so simple—”

“Can your mystical ability turn a couple of pins?”

Tantomile sighed. Her magic wasn’t as flashy as a certain other cat in the Junkyard, it was subtle. They were both powerful, mind you, but Mister Mistoffelees was a lightning strike where Tantomile was the noontime tide. Incomparable.

There was also the matter of Coricopat. Tantomile hadn’t done any magic on her own in a very long time, and playing a solo when she was so used to duets would be an adjustment. Still, she didn’t see how else they were getting inside, so she walked up the incline of the door and stood next to the lock. Rumpleteazer looked like she wanted to ask questions, but remained silent for once.

Slowly, Tantomile stretched one leg up into an arabesque. Left arm up. Attitude. Swing to front. Turn left. Tantomile relied on muscle memory to cautiously dance the steps she hoped were right. Something slipped into place in the back of her skull.

Hello? She thought.

What is it you want?

We want to go inside.

That is against my purpose, for I am to keep out those who wish to enter.

Will you let us in?

What would you offer in return?

I have nothing to offer.

Is that true? I am a lock. I have no pockets nor purse, yet I have much to offer. I can give security, loyalty, protection. What can you give?

… What is it you wish for?

The lock paused.

I am old. I have sat here faithfully for many years, battered by rain and wind. When my key is turned my insides screech for lack of care. I would that you free me from my rust.

Tantomile considered. It was a reasonable request, she supposed, for a lock. She grasped at her memory for the steps required to clean and purify, Everlasting, it was so much easier when Coricopat was around. Cautiously, she turned in a slow circle and lifted her arms. Grateful for her early morning stretching, she bent over backwards as far as she could, her tail keeping her balanced. She placed one paw on the lock, and, like an insect shedding its skin, the rust crackled away.

Many thanks.

May we enter?

The lock clicked open.

Tantomile turned to Rumpleteazer and gave her a thumbs up.

Rumpleteazer clapped her hands appreciatively and lifted the door for them both.

They stepped into the cool darkness of the cellar.

~~

This chapter is shorter, but it felt like the right place to end it. The next one should be longer!

[real-reulbbr-band]

Okay! I havnt been able to get your dog George hc out of my head since I read your post!! So I was wondering do you have other doggy hcs for him?? Like what bread he is or how other cats reacted when they first met him??

Thank youuu!! I appreciate that alot!!

(also just to be clear I didn't originate the george is actually a dog thing I've seen it floating around and I was just "yes" lol)

I'm gonna start with the questions you asked and ramble a little lol

I can't obviously go over every cats individual reactions but I think I'll categorize them so:

Skeptical and curious: Tantomile, Coricopat, Jemima, Victoria, Etcetera, Tugger, Asparagus and Cassandra.

It was pretty much a "who is this and why is he here?" thing for them and Etcetera in particular wanted to get up close and personal since she's never seen a dog before and figured he was a funny looking cat.

Wary/ on guard: Munkustrap, Demeter, Poncival, Skimbleshanks, Alonzo and probably Jennyanydots.

It's a dog pretty self explanatory, and judging by the way pollicles are reffered too I don't think the cats appreciate them very much. But they all warm up to him pretty much immediantly since this a really tiny pollicle.

Neutral: Bombalurina, Jellyorum, Tumblebrutus, Mistoffelees, Gus and Electra

It's like the situation happened so quick that by the time they found out it was almost over and it's like well....next. However Tumble was very insistent on meeting George and so Jellyorum had to take him to meet him, since Tumble was so sure he could Tumble better then a dog.

(more under cut)

George is an australian shepard! for refrence:

As for Doggy headcanons:

George really wanted to learn how to purr but it would always end up sounding like a growl or grumble so sometimes Tumblebrutus and Pouncival would assume he'd gotten mad out of nowehere or was just very hungry.

He did not appreciate the typical cat diet alot so he'd frequently rely on Mungo and Teazer (atleast when he was still a pup and couldn't hunt) to grab him something when they went out on a heist.

So many of jenny and Jelly's knitting pieces had gone to ruins because of George's high energy and playfulness.

Speaking of George's high energy he'd try to burn out most of it by doing tasks around the junkyard mostly helping out Asparagus.

George is deathly afraid of being sent to the pound since he loves being with the jellicles so much, so he's pretty much afraid of any kind of truck. like if he spots one or hears one his first instinct is to hide.

George isn't used to how cats carry kittens atleast when he first came to the junkyard, he thought holding them by the scruff was hurting them which led into him barking at Jelly for no reason lol. But hey it's how he met Plato and they're best buddies now. Jellyorum eventually taught George that holding kittens by the scruff was doing them no harm.

Speaking of Plato and George being besties, Plato got George to try catnip with him for the first time cause he was nervous and well it went quite well except when Asparagus caught the two giggling at nothing for hours.

Plato has lost so many naps to George, George can't help if he's bored and his first insitinct is if he can't find Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer go play with Plato. George would normally coax Plato awake by challenging him to a race or just repeatively placing a stick infront of Platoand wagging his own tail.

Though revenge is always in order and Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer will ocassionally distrupt George's naps by just bapping at his stomach or face just so he can chase them around liek old times.

George has gotten licked and groomed far too many times, mostly by Jelly or sometime Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer tag teaming. like it took the jellicle's an embarissingly long time to figure out that dogs aren't supposed to be groomed like that but by the time they did George had grown acustommed to it so they didn't really bother stopping they just introduced him to the concept of swimming more and called it a day.

[cassandra-has-moonlit-eyes]

Some of my WLW ships in Cats

I wanted to do this post before, but I got carried away with my last post so today decided to write a little bit about my favourite wlw ships in Cats. I will write on what made me ship it and how much “canon compatible” the ships are. Also, no poly ships today cause I reserve them for a separate post, but yeah, I headcanon most of the Jellicles as poly and in relationship with multiple other cats after another and/or at the same time. My ships are mostly influenced by the 1998 movie and the last couple of months of the Vienna Revival.

Bombalurina x Demeter: For me, when I watched the 1998 the first couple of times this was probably the most obvious wlw ship, especially if we look at how caring Bombalurina is towards Demeter and how she looks at her during the Macavity number. Demeter also goes to Bombalurina when she feels uncertain or sad (f.ex when Grizabella appears) and seeks comfort by her side. They are often seen sitting next to each other or near each other. I just love everything about them. I hc Bombalurina as Macavity’s sister (I don’t share the Munk, Tugger and Mac are brothers hc) and that’s how she knows Demeter. Bombalurina left her brother first and it took her some time to convince Demeter to run away from him too. That’s why she is so happy when Demeter finally shows up at the Jellicle Ball and wants to spend as much time at her side as possible. For me the flirtiness she shows during Macavity is not connected to her admiration for Macavity but to her admiration towards Demeter and by joining in she tries to impress her and/or help her to get her feelings towards the tom out of her system.

Demeter x Tantomile: My personal rare pair. I started to look more at their interactions after seeing that in the Vienna Revival not just Demeter, but Tantomile recognises Macavity too. Depending on evening and who plays them they have more or less interactions: Sometimes they try to get each other’s attention during the Bustopher Jones song, they usually have a small interaction before joining the Bomba section together and often Tantomile tries to hold Demeter back, when Macavity grabs her. I think they would make a cute couple; they are both sensitive and attentive, but also fun. I imagine them being very caring towards each other. I imagine them both falling in love with each other but at the beginning they were both to scared to tell eachother about their feelings. When Tantomile finally did Demeter was very happy about it.

Tantomile x Cassandra: Is one of the cases of fandom made me ship it. There are only a few interactions between them. In the 1998 they greet each other at the beginning of the second act. I imagine them as Tantomile being a little bit more fun and Cassandra always trying to stay serious and aloof but laughing when Tantomile is acting cute or trying to play with her. I also see them both as characters who (as much as they love the others) need their alone time, so they enjoy just sitting or sleeping next to each other without interacting much.

Tantomile x Rumpleteazer: Also, a case of fandom made me ship it. I imagine them both being a little bit chaotic each in their own way. They have different interests and hyper fixations, and they love to share them with each other. Tantomile loves astronomy, art and mythology while Rumpleteazer loves sparkling things, pop culture and Mungojerrie (lol). Each of them is very supportive of the others interests and enjoys participating in them together. Tantomile f.ex explains Rumpleteazer all about star constellations and the different myths from different cultures (yeah Cats know that, don’t @ me) when they look at the night sky while Rumpleteazer sometimes drags her to a heist together with Mungojerrie or they sneak into a cinema together to watch a new comic book movie.

Rumpleteazer x Victoria: Another case of fandom made me ship it! I think there isn’t much in the 1998 movie but the 2019 fed us well. Honestly, I just think they are cute together and I love their aesthetic (?), pink and orange fits well together hehe. I can imagine that they both share their interest for sparkling things and Rumpleteazer steals jewellery and expensive food (like caviar or salmon) for Victoria. Also, while Rumpleteazer is a little bit less concerned about her appearance, Victoria takes grooming very seriously and she spends a lot of time cleaning Rumpleteazer too. Rumpleteazer tends to complain but she actually enjoys it, mostly because of the love and the attention Victoria puts into it.

Victoria x Electra: Another case of Vienna made me ship it, mostly because Electra is the first one to go to Victoria to comfort her when she isn’t allowed to touch Grizabella. I imagine that Electra loves dancing too, but she is a little bit sad because she is not as good as Victoria. Victoria lifts her up by always telling her that she has other strengths. Electra is more acrobatic and can jump very far and high. After seeing how Plato lifted Victoria up, she is training, because next time at the Jellicle Ball she wants to be in the pas de deux. Victoria is very flattered but always tell her, they can dance a pas de deux together without Electra lifting her.

Electra x Etcetera: They are both very playful and cheeky. They share their love for the Rum Tum Tugger. They can often be seen together or as a group together with the other younger cats. I imagine their love story went something like this: First they spend a lot of time together to talk about Tugger but then they fell in love with each other. Now they just like to play together, to annoy Jenny or just to lie in the sun and sleep next to each other. They also enjoy hyping Tugger up together and joining his performances.

Exotica x Jellylorum: Another case of the fandom made me ship it. That pic/gif of them sitting together and holding hands is everything. I imagine them both to be quite calm, but they are also fun and like to play with the younger cats. I don’t have much headcanons for them now, because Exotica was a created character for the 1998 movie and isn’t there in many other productions, but I will probably have more in the future. Also love how everybody in the fandom has a different name for her.

Jennyanydots x Grizabella: Not much there in the canon, but they do feed my headcanons. When Grizabella returns Jenny seems to be very angry and doesn’t want her near herself or the younger cats (in Vienna especially not near Victoria). I imagine their past went something like that: They were both performers, Grizabella more of a singer, Jenny more of a dancer. At one point they planned on leaving the tribe together, but Jenny couldn’t do it because she loved the others too much. At the end she tried to convince Grizabella to stay but Grizabella left, and they both were heartbroken. Jenny because Grizabella’s dream was more important to her than her love for her and the others, Grizabella because she felt betrayed and left alone by Jenny. That is also the reason why Jenny doesn’t want Victoria to have anything to do with her. She is scared that Victoria might follow in her footsteps. In the end they both forgive each other and recognize that their ideas of happiness were just too different. They make up the moment Jenny touches Grizabella. If Grizabella would stay not die, they probably would be a couple again, talking about their lives and how they are changed now and rediscovering their love for each other (and their love of performing for and with each other).

Jellylorum x Jennyanydots: And now the last case of fandom made me ship it. They are both portrayed as caring, motherly figures (I would say, especially in the 1998 movie). While I do believe Jenny is a little bit stricter and organised while Jelly is more forgiving and fun loving. Jenny can’t really help it (she tries thou) but sometimes she is really stressed, upset and angry and after all the years Jelly knows how to help her calm down and relax, help her to see that maybe not everything is as bad as it seems at the first glance and that everything will be alright. I also imagine Jelly to be an amazing singer (yeah, Jenny has a type), but at first, she was very shy and only sang when she was by herself or for Gus. Jenny heard her once by accident and encouraged her to sing for everybody and everybody loved her voice. Now she must sing good night songs for the younger ones and likes to perform together with Gus. This all helped her to grow her confidence and as a person. So yeah, I think Jelly and Jenny help each other a lot and have a good balance of taking care of each other in their darker moments so they can enjoy their good times together even more.

[uppastthejelliclemoon]

so, @queencurlycrown suggested that I sit down and watch the 2019 movie all the way through while typing out my thoughts about it, and I thought that was an absolutely BRILLIANT idea (she’s a genius, so I shouldn’t be surprised).

So please, enjoy my (very long) ramblings!

Overture:

- I love how echo-ey the music is. It’s not as strong or intense, but it gets the job done, and gets me excited for the movie.

- Cat shadows are kind of creepy, not gonna lie

- OH SHIT MUNKU MY BOY GET YOUR GIRLFRIEND HONEY!!

- The music getting so intense as soon as Victoria is thrown just gives me chills, honestly. Also, can I fight an old lady? Because I want to fight an old lady.

- I kind of like how all the cats immediately surround the bag as soon as the old lady leaves oH HI CASSANDRA I LOVE YOU QUEEN ...where was I? CORI MY SON I LOVE YOU

- All of them surrounding Victoria and circling her is super intense and wonderful and UGH YAY MUNKU HELP YOUR GIRLFRIEND

Jellicle Songs:

- Hi, I’m in love with Robbie Fairchild

- All of them popping out of random places just makes me feel so immersed in their world and I love it. Also, is Alonzo the one who sings “can you say of your bite that it’s worse than your bark?”

- PLATO SOCRATES I LOVE YOU BOYS

- Jfc Cori stop flirting with Victoria and give mISTO HIS HAT BACK also you’re an absolute dumbass and I absolutely adore you, you little baby boy

- Misto adjusting his hat with his tail? I’m in love. But also, the way that the music picks up makes it such a bop, and it really starts to get you into the movie.

- Gosh, Tantomile, how do you keep track of the braincell? Because Cori most definitely does not have it.

- Misto, you absolute fucking DORK that face during “Were you Whittington’s friend” GETS ME and Cassandra is just so unimpressed. They have such sibling energy.

- Syllabub, honey, please get out of the toilet.

- Okay, I’m honestly getting sibling vibes from Plato, Socrates, and Coricopat, so that’s my new headcanon for those three, plus Tantomile. Plato and Socrates are Cori and Tanto’s big brothers.

- Gosh, if any Munkustrap smiled at me like that I’d follow him into an alley too.

- Misto, HOW DID YOU GET CAUGHT ON A CLOTHESLINE??

-  Cori, your HIPS. And, going off of the choreography, I actually really enjoy it? It’s very modern, and while it’s nothing like the Broadway choreo, I think it definitely gives the movie its own feel while still staying true to the original vibes.

- Gosh, I love how the sign changes from Moriarty to Macavity. Also, please Mr. Macavity sir. Keep your coat and hat on. You look much better.

-  Ugh, I love all the looks that Munku and Victoria share. And how he’s guiding her around and keeping her close? Excuse me while I cry.

- WHO SAYS “ORATORICAL CATS” BECAUSE I LOVE HIM? Also, Misto, pls, calm down. I know you’re already in love, but you’ve just met the queen. JERRIE PUT THAT BOX DOWN

- CORI JUMPED ONTO PLATO/SOCRATES’ BACK THEY’RE BROTHERS OKAY?? (sorry, this entire one song turned into “liv’s in love with coricopat”)

- “a-and magical cats!” oh sweetheart...

- Francesca’s dancing is just stunning. She did an amazing job as Victoria, and I will fight for her honor.

- OOF the way it just trails off just as Victoria’s getting into the song and how everyone runs off and she’s just standing there confused. It’s perfection.

- Macavity with the hat and coat is just so much better than nakey Macavity. But the way he obviously tries to hypnotize Victoria is so well-done. 

Naming of Cats/Victoria’s Dance:

- Cassandra and Demeter are girlfriends. I don’t make the rules.

- Still not 100% on their characters and their reactions to Victoria, but I do appreciate some protective ladies. Them hissing at Misto gives me more “We don’t know her, so you can’t talk to her just yet, so let the big sisters do the talking” vibes.

- Hi, I love Robbie Fairchild

- The different cats saying the different names, the setting being a graveyard, the very faint soundtrack in the back, it’s all just so creepy and I love it.

- I still hate that they skipped talking about the second part of the First Name, and the Second Name. It still doesn’t make sense, and I wish they had kept it because MUNKU DESERVES TO SAY HIS NAME DAMMIT (it would also give cats like Plato, Jelly, Cori and Demeter a chance to introduce themselves as well)

- HOOO BOY THAT TENSION BETWEEN MUNKU AND VICTORIA WOW THEY’RE ALREADY IN LOVE (also I’m just picturing Misto freaking out about the pretty cats)

- It’s almost as if Munku is teaching Victoria how to truly feel like a Jellicle/dance, as if she’s never danced before.

Invitation to the Jellicle Ball:

- oh... oh my poor anxious boy... (laurie I love you)

- Misto: *is anxious* JUGGLING TIME BABEY

- Munkustrap be like: *internally panicking at how adorable Misto is*

- Munku you smooth bastard. He lifts Tori so easily.

- The expressions, and the CGI of the ears and tails just makes everything 10 times better.

The Gumbie Cat:

- Oh... oh god here we go.

- Robbie’s voice is angelic, I love him, and he’s the only good part of this entire cursed scene.

- I hate Rebeldots. I’m sorry, but I do. I don’t enjoy anything about her. It’s just... awful. WHY THE CROTCH SCRATCHING??? JUST STOP PLEASE

- WHY THE CGI MOUSE CHILDREN PLEASE NO

- Munku leaning over the rocking chair with his arms crossed? Baby boy...

- These expressions are absolute gold, though. Everyone is absolutely terrified and confused. 

- Plato and Socrates are helpful boys, and are just happy to be there.

- WHY THE CGI COCKROACHES STOP IT

- DON’T UNZIP YOUR SKIN PLEASE

- Misto helping out the cockroaches? Also baby boy...

The Rum Tum Tugger:

- MY BOY I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!! I really love Derulo Tugger and the rebellious teen-vibes he gives off. 

- LOOK AT HIM COMPLIMENTING THE MICE!!! WHAT A RESPECTFUL BOY!

- Munkustrap just. adopting all the cockroaches. I can’t with him sometimes. He’s just such a dad to everybody.

- I can’t believe I didn’t realize that Misto and Tugger are ex-boyfriends when I first watched this movie. It’s so obvious now.

- Plato, Socrates, and Tugger are BFFs. They even have matching necklaces. Someone come and collect these dorks please because oh my god I love them. 

- Rebeldots, please take your nasty “funny” comments and leave. They’re so uncalled for, and it really makes the scene kind of uncomfortable. Especially when she LOOKS DOWN AT MUNKU. But his expressions are the best part, so that’s all I pay attention to. 

- Ugh, I really love Jason’s voice during this whole song. This entire song just made me fall in love with him as Tugger, and his dancing and just how he portrays Tugger is amazing. 

- Wow, I love Cassandra. So much. I would die for her. 

- The way he sings “Victoria”? AMAZING (but that whole foot thing is just kind of weird so yeah)

- I know people have their feelings about his accent, but I find it totally adorable and I think he does a really good job of maintaining it throughout the song, except for a few moments. 

- Misto is ready to magic the hell out of Tugger at the end. Pls leave your ex-boyfriend alone and figure out your feelings, sweetie, before you do anything rash.

Grizabella the Glamour Cat:

- I really feel like Grizabella is Cassandra’s mother. That’s honestly the feeling I get, or she has to be a sister of some sort. The contempt that Cassandra sings with is just too intense. 

- Okay, unpopular opinion time: I wasn’t completely blown away by Jennifer as Grizabella. She was really good, but I just didn’t get the “wow” factor that I got from watching Elaine for the first time, or hearing Mamie singing “Memory” for the first time. I feel the same way about her Grizabella that I felt about Leona’s Grizabella. She’s good, but now insanely good.

- Demeter is protective of her girlfriend and stands with her against her mother/sister. 

- Plato/Socrates (I’m still not sure which one is which) standing in front of Victoria just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. They’re already so protective of her!!

- MUNKU AND MISTO ON EITHER ISDE OF VICTORIA!! I’M SOFT!!

- Why did we need another plothole about Grizabella’s past with Macavity? We didn’t need that!!

Bustopher Jones:

- Oh god, here we go again.

- Listen, I don’t hate Bustopher Corden’s voice. He has a good voice, I just really don’t enjoy his portrayal of Bustopher. He’s just a fat joke like Rebeldots, and I hate that. 

- Plato and Socrates have giant hats on, and they’re just sweet baby boys, okay?

- Cori!!! I love you!!! You’re so curious!!

- Misto’s so enamored with Tori. Honey, just tone it down a tiny bit, please.

- The entire “jumping onto the piece of wood” part is kind of cringey. The “gather up a few more of the... cats” line seems like it was a blooper/mistake they left in, because it almost seems like he forgot his line for a moment and they just didn’t catch it before sending the movie out. 

- Munku: *has his arms around Misto to help lift Bustopher* “don’tpanicdon’tpanicdon’tpanic”

- Mistoffelees, feeling Munku’s arms around him: “fuckfuckfuckfuck he’s really strong someone help pls”

- Demeter during this song is me. Confused, a little disgusted, and would rather be with Tugger and Cassandra during the song. 

- Just saying, Bustopher Jones would NEVER dig through trash. He’s a high-society cat, and only eats the best. 

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer:

- Hoooo boy those accents. And the music in the background just is everything.

- Jerrie, you’re an absolute devil, and I’d die for you. Teazer, you’re just an angel and a cheeky sweetheart.

- I do love this version. I think it’s really cool, it has a really fun sound to it, and I’m glad that they went back to the original London recording. I do prefer the Broadway version, though, but I’m not angry at this version. It’s really cool, and the feel of the song gives you old-time crime-heist vibes. 

- Jerrie being gentler with Teazer than he is with Tori? What a good brother. 

- This song is basically just “Which twin can seduce the pretty cat the fastest”

- “Hello police officer! Bought these for her myself.” “You did what?” “Wait-” YOU HIMBO JERRIE I LOVE YOU

-  2019 Jerrie and Teazer are very chaotic, and a bit darker than the other twins we know, but I really do love their portrayals in this movie.

- Oh... oh no... I’m having flashbacks to my short. Now I’m crying over Misto again. Why did I kill Misto? (because I can, that’s why)

- Growltiger’s just kind of meh, and I guess he’s kind of a cool addition, but it’s just eh.

- Misto covering for Victoria when they get to the theater just makes me so soft, and Munku’s just kind in awe but also just like “what is happening with the pretty cats?”

Old Deuteronomy:

- Munku is such a sweet boy and he’s just the best son!! He loves his mom!!

- SKIMBLE!!!! WITH HIS TAP SHOES!!!!

- CORI YOU’RE AN ANGEL (this has also just turned into “liv is looking for any appearance by Cori”)

- I love this song just for the interactions that they all have with each other and with Old D. The way that they all look so happy and excited to see her is just so cute!!

- MUNKU’S FACE MAKES ME WANT TO CRY HE’S SUCH A SWEET BOY!!

- I think Judi Dench is a fine Old Deuteronomy, but part of me thinks that the main reason she was brought in for the movie is because she never got her shot to be in Cats, as she had the injury that then caused Elaine Paige to be brought in, so when they were trying to figure out the cast, she was probably one of the first ones to pop into their heads. (nothing against her or her portrayal of Old D. Just a thought.)

The Jellicle Ball:

- Skimble and Munku helping Old D into the theater is probably the sweetest thing ever. They’re Very Responsible Boys who Respect everyone.

- I love Gus very much.

- “Jellicles jump like a jumping jack” their little hop!!! What a mom and son!!

- I do like the chanting that they all do, but there’s just something about everyone having their moment, and their own delivery of a line that’s just so great about this scene on stage, and that’s really something I wish they had kept in the movie. 

- I actually really like the idea that their dancing is influenced by the moon. The way they all react to the moonlight, and how Victoria is at first confused as to why she’s also reacting how they are before accepting it and dancing with them just shows how important this night is to them. It also goes with the title of Act 1, “When Cats are Maddened by the Midnight Dance”, and this scene definitely makes you feel like they’re all just being controlled by the moon. Also, Grizabella dancing along with them in the corner is absolutely heartbreaking.

- Skimble... and Munku... they’re husbands... they’re doing a mating dance... fight me...

- The way that Grizabella kind of perks up curiously during the couples portion of the dance makes me think that she probably raised Mistoffelees, at least for a little bit. He arrived at the theater young, and Grizabella already had Cassandra, so she raised the two of them together, so she’s now seeing her boy dancing with a pretty queen and now I’m sad over Grizabella again.

- TUGGER YOU RESPECTFUL BOY YOU’RE WONDERFUL

- CORI YOU’RE AN ABSOLUTE ANGEL AND WE’RE ALLL HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE BECAUSE YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING GOOD IN THIS WORLD

- I can’t remember who made the post about this Ball being Cori’s first, but I absolutely see it now, because everyone’s so excited and happy to just watch him dance, and he’s so hopeful, and Old D’s just so proud of him, and oh my god my heart can’t take this I love him. 

- PROTECTOR CASS AND PROTECTOR DEMETER!!!! ALSO Protectors Plato and Socrates who won’t let anyone interrupt their little brother’s dance!!!

- I love Les Twins as Plato and Socrates, and their dancing is absolutely insane. 

- You can definitely tell that, during Victoria’s solo, Francesca had pointe shoes on, but they did a good job at blending everything together and not making it seem jarring or out of place!

- ROBBIE I LOVE YOU

- Again, the whole thing about them being controlled by the moon to an extent is really interesting, and I love how they played that part of being so overcome by the moon’s power that they just can’t help themselves. 

- I really love that they incorporated the Victoria lift from the stage production into the movie.

- I also really like that Victoria gets very overwhelmed and needs to step back from everything. Because everyone else knows what’s happening. They understand. This is her first night as a Jellicle, so everything is new and unfamiliar to her. of course, the strange power of the moon would scare her slightly. 

Memory:

- I do like how Jennifer sings “Memory”, but I just wish that she would hold out the notes for longer. It’s very choppy, and you don’t really get to immerse yourself into the emotion like you can with Elaine or Mamie’s version. 

- She does an excellent job at conveying the feeling of pain and longing that Grizabella has, as well as the pride that comes back for just a few moments at points in the song. 

- I also really like her appearance, but at the same time, I think she looks too clean. On stage, Grizabella is haggard, torn, and scarred. Her fur is matted, she’s limping, and her makeup is smeared around. Jennifer’s Grizabella looks too clean to have been on the streets and abandoned for a while. 

Beautiful Ghosts/Moments of Happiness:

- “Beautiful Ghosts” is a lovely song. It really is. it’s actually one of my favorites, but it just does not fit in with the movie at all. But something that I’ve actually just realized while watching this is that this song represents Victoria. It doesn’t fit in with the rest of the music, just like Victoria feels she doesn’t fit in with the rest of the Jellicles.

- But ignoring symbolism and all that stuff, I really don’t think this song works. As beautiful as it is, I just feel like it puts the brakes on and slows the movie. Especially with the stark contrast in style. 

- Judi Dench is a wonderful Old Deuteronomy. The confusion, but slight acceptance on her face really shows how much she wants to help Grizabella, but she can’t. 

Gus the Theater Cat:

- I love how Misto fanboys over Gus. He’s just so excited to meet his idol, and Gus just smiles and indulges him. I love how MIsto kind of copies Gus’ good luck motions. He’s just such a sweetheart. 

- There is some kind of history between Gus and Old D. The looks that they give each other are... something else. 

- oh my GOD CORI YOU’RE JUST A SWEET BABY!!!!

- The trio of kittens looks so ashamed and sad and I just want to snuggle the three of them because they deserve all the love in the world. 

- Misto being very helpful during the song is adorable, and he just wants to do his best!!

- Ian McKellan is an icon and he must be protected. 

- ALSO SKIMBLE WITH HIS TAP SHOES IN THE BACKGROUND!!!

Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat:

- “Hey Liv, do you ship skimblestraps or mistoriastraps?” “Yes”

- Munku loves his husband!!!!

- *shoves jerrie and teazer away* “move, fours, an eleven is arriving soon”

- I LOVE the excitement in this number. You can just feel how much fun everyone is having, and I sweat, every time I listen to this or watch it, I can’t stop smiling. 

- Skimble, we get it, you’re a smooth, suave boy.

- TAPPING!!! The entire beginning portion of the tap sequence is just so satisfying, and as he picks it up and it gets faster, I’m just in absolute awe of Steve McRae. 

- SIR YOU DO NOT HAVE TO MOVE YOUR SHOULDERS LIKE THAT JFC

- Plato and Socrates are really just happy to be included and I love them. 

- Munku and Skimble doing their little toe tap makes me very soft and I love those boys. 

- Steve McRae doing the spin by himself while being lifted into the air? Iconic.

Macavity:

- Okay, Taylor Swift as Bomba was really underwhelming. I knew going in that it wasn’t going to be the same, but I really just did not enjoy her Bomba at all. It’s more helpful to see her as a different character, especially since they never say her name, but still, it’s just a bit annoying that they changed her character so much.

- As Bomba’s coming down, Tugger has his hand on Munkustrap’s back while they’re all looking up. Just something I thought I’d point out. 

- I will say, the entire catnip sequence is really something else to watch. Especially Munku with a martini glass.

- Bomba and Teazer are girlfriends. That’s what I’m getting, and that’s what I’m sticking with. 

- PROTECTIVE CASS!!!!! I LOVE PROTECTIVE CASS

- EWWWW NAKEY MACAVITY NO THANK YOU BYE BYE

- I really don’t like the whole “henchcat Bomba” storyline, but I guess it works in some way?

- “We didn’t know he was gonna take Old Deut!” NO you’re not supposed to be baby! Also, GO PROTECTIVE ALONZO!!!! GOOD BOY!!!

- I do miss the Macavity/Munkustrap fight, absolutely, but I really love Skimble just. aggressively tap-dancing to take down Growltiger. 

Mr. Mistoffelees:

- I really have mixed feelings about this entire song. On one hand, I like Munkustrap singing to Misto, and everyone encouraging him, but on the other hand, I really don’t like the very uncertain and awkward Misto. However, he’s still baby, so that’s all that matters.

- Munku: “how do I make this cat fall in love with me” *gently tilts the chin of every cat he meets* “perfect”

- I love Robbie’s sweet, angelic voice so much. 

- Munku’s very confused expression throughout the song is just absolutely hilarious for some reason, and I love how done Cass looks the entire time. 

- The small moments with Tugger watching, and Tugger singing int he background just makes me really happy, and again gives off the energy that Misto and Tugger are ex-boyfriends. 

- But I really love the little Mistoria moment at the very end, when they’re dancing together. It’s just so sweet. 

- This version of the song definitely has not grown on me, and I definitely don’t enjoy it as much as the other songs, but it’s still pretty fun to listen to. 

- MUNK DANCING WITH OLD D!!!!!

- Skimble snuggling Gus. That’s all that matters.

Memory (Reprise)/Beautiful Ghosts (Reprise):

- I definitely enjoy the second version more than the first, but it still doesn’t have that same impact. She does an amazing job, but there’s just something about her version of the song that I just can't connect with it as much. 

- Munku crying is NOT okay and he needs a cuddle immediately. 

- I think it’s the fact that Grizabella didn’t approach the Jellicles that gets me. It was Victoria who brought Grizabella in, Victoria who told Grizabella to sing. It kind of wasn’t really Grizabella’s choice to compete. 

- She doesn’t hold the notes out for very long, just like with the first version, so that definitely takes something away from the performance of the song. 

- I do love how she sings lines, like “I must think of a new life”. I made a post about this, but she just spits those words out, and you can feel her anger and feel how tired and done she is with everything.

- The “touch me” line was really powerful, though, and I definitely got chills at that part. 

- The look that Grizabellla gives Cass right before the song ends, in that small pause, really hints that they have some kind of connection, and I really get the feeling that Grizabella is Cass’ mother. 

- I really don’t like that there was a reprise of “Beautiful Ghosts”. I think they should have just let Grizabella have her final big moment, and they really didn’t need that reprise. It was unnecessary and took away from the impact of “Memory”.

Journey to the Heaviside Layer/Ad-dressing of Cats:

- Of course, we all know the massive plothole with what happened to the other contestants, so I’m not even going to get into that. 

- THE MISTORIA NUZZLE

- MUNKU CRADLING GRIZABELLA’S HAND!!!! I’M SO SOFT!!!

- Misto lighting the candles and just being a confident boy with his magic. I’m so proud of my anxious baby boy. 

- I really love the setup of the final shot at the end of “Journey to the Heaviside Layer”, how there’s the chorus cats on the street level, the named/recognizable/secondary cats on the pedestal, and then the four main cats sitting on top of the lion. 

- MISTO AND MUNKU’S EXPRESSIONS DURING AD-DRESSING OF CATS ARE JUST THE ABSOLUTE BEST AND THEY’RE JUST SWEETHEARTS!!!!

- The two of them running off together right at the end, and being just so playful with each other... angels...

- Victoria and Old D having their sweet little moment together while watching Grizabella go to the Heaviside Layer is a really sweet scene, and I think a really good end to the movie. 

alright, there you have it! my 1:30 am ramblings and thoughts about the 2019 movie, bring it back around once again!!

I’ve been wanting to do a more in-depth look at my own thoughts about it since it came out, but I haven’t had the chance, but @queencurlycrown and I were talking, and she mentioned this idea to me, and I knew I had to do it. 

so yeah!!

i will have some sleep now because it is late

[theimpossiblescheme]

My Tumblebrutus Headcanons:

He and his older brothers, Dionysus and Fleuryfling, narrowly escaped being euthanized at an animal shelter after hearing about the same thing happening to their parents. When they finally came to the Tribe, Asparagus and Skimbleshanks both offered to take the toms in, but Di and Fleury refused, insisting that the three of them could take care of themselves. Tumblebrutus always looked up to his brothers, but as he grew up, he realized how needlessly cruel they could sometimes be.  When they were eventually exiled from the Tribe after a “prank” that injured several cats, Tumble was devastated, but a part of him feared ending up the same way. So he decided that he’d try to set a good example for them in case they ever wanted to come back, acting more grown-up and respectful when he knows that other cats are counting on him.

Most of the time he’s very “I’m sixteen years old and I don’t need a governess”-style stubborn about it, but he does have huge soft spots for Asparagus, Skimble, and Jenyanydots. Maybe he’d never admit it, but he wishes they could be his parents.  And Munkustrap is the big brother he wishes he had and badly wants to impress.

Alonzo is another big brother figure to him—the two always find time to clown around and gossip about the goings on in the Junkyard, even coming up with their own funny choreography for the Jellicle Ball.  It’s also thanks to Alonzo that he’s friends with Cassandra, whom he thinks is impossibly cool.

Pouncival, Plato, Mistoffelees, Victoria, and Jemima are his very best friends—he even regards Pouncival as his little brother.  Whenever he’s with the first two, chaos can break out, but luckily Tumblebrutus holds custody of the one brain cell they share most of the time.  And he actually had crushes on the other two before finding out that Misto was more interested in Tugger and Mungojerrie and that Jemima was ace—both of which he took rather gracefully.

Misto helped him realize he was really a tom instead of a queen–he’d always felt wrong in the body he was born in, but he didn’t know how to change it until he talked to the magical cat.  Now thanks to some transformations and glamour spells, including one to change his scent, he feels a lot more like the cat he was meant to be.

Surprisingly enough, he gets along really well with the psychic twins.  Coricopat is more of a buddy and partner in crime, but he’s almost painfully polite to Tantomile and always treats her like a lady, even offering to dance with her whenever her brother or mate are occupied.

He’s always been a very sensitive and empathetic soul and generally more level-headed than the other younger toms, so he’s often the one the female kittens will go to if they need to vent their problems and can’t find any of their girlfriends.  He’s never bothered by it at all and in fact kind of likes that his friends trust him so much.

He learned how to dance from Skimbleshanks and is actually a better dancer than him these days.  And he never fails to milk all the humor out of the student surpassing the teacher that he possibly can.

As mature as he tries to be, he can still be rather cruel himself and prone to peer pressure, especially when he’s around Pouncival and Plato.  To his credit, Tumble’s always the first one to realize when their tricks have gone too far.

One of his best friends outside of the Junkyard is an older tom named Cyprian, whom he met when he accompanied Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer on a heist in the British Museum.  After the initial misunderstanding and a long talk with Old Deuteronomy, Cyprian decided to start visiting regularly, and Tumblebrutus and his friends love listening to his stories about the museum. (@bullseyegames​)

He once tailed his brothers after their exile to find out what they had been up to… and to his horror, he found out they were working for Macavity.  Since then, he’s thrown himself into learning how to fight and protect his Tribe just in case Macavity comes poking around and tries to use Di and Fleury as bargaining chips to win Tumble over.

He loves pirate stories and used to play Growltiger and Genghis all the time with Fleury (he often got stuck playing Genghis, but he didn’t mind—it was fun to sneak around and put on a scary voice).  Ever since learning the name of Growltiger’s legendary bosun, he insisted on that being his second More Particular name.

Most of the time he’ll sleep curled up in a ball, but every so often he’ll fall asleep in a very precarious place with his limbs all over the edge of the nearest flat surface like he’s about to pour off of it.

The year he came of age, he got to play the Rumpus Cat at the Jellicle Ball—it was the most exciting thing he’d ever done thus far, and the congratulatory hugs from Admetus and Munkustrap afterwards were the icing on the cake.  He still has the goggles he wore and sometimes puts them on to sneak up behind cats and scare them.

He used to court a queen named Zyleta from Esther’s mini-Tribe, but not being able to see each other as much as they wanted made them drift apart.  But Tumble soon saw that the real love of his life, Tolstoy (@voltsdolt​), had been there from the very beginning.  And they eventually had a daughter named Aurora together.

[ratherchaseamouse]

Tantomile’s First Heist (1/4 ish)

In which Tantomile volunteers as a replacement for Mungojerrie

Nothing explicit just feelings :)

“What do you want to do today?” Sighed Rumpleteazer, plopping down next to Tantomile.

The mystical cat paused her stretches to ask a question back,

“Don’t you and Mungojerrie have big plans? You told me the Livingstones were rotating their staff this weekend.”

“You have no idea how much I want to get in there and wreck everything,” Rumpleteazer said, gesticulating wildly. Her arms and face fell as she lamented, “But he flaked out on me! Something or other about a boy, I don’t know. Don’t know, don’t care. He’s dead to me forever… til tomorrow at least.”

Tantomile had resumed her stretches, but was still listening. Rumpleteazer wasn’t sitting still either. When she wasn’t talking with her hands, she was kicking her feet, or sprawling out to make dust motes, or half-attempting handstands. She automatically moved to spot Tantomile when the mystical cat put her feet over her head against a discarded bed frame. She didn’t need it, not really, but she wasn’t going to argue against Rumpleteazer’s hands on her hips.

“Can’t you pull it off without Mungojerrie?” Asked Tantomile. Another deep groan from Rumpleteazer on this.

“That’s exactly what he said! ‘Can’t you do this one without me, Teazer? Girl power and all that?’” She said in an exaggeration of his cockney accent, which didn’t have the mocking effect she thought it did because it was also her cockney accent. In her normal voice she continued,

“I love my brother, but sometimes he’s dumber than a barrel of fish,” she chuckled, “Not that I’m any better, mind you.”

“You’re not dumb,”

“No, it’s okay, I’ve made my peace with it,” she said, “I am not the brains of this outfit.”

Tantomile considered. Her schedule was free. A light blinked on in her head. She flipped back right-side-up and stuck her paw out to Rumpleteazer.

“Could I help you?” she offered, “I’m no master thief, but I don’t want you going in there without some backup.”

The other queen was clearly not expecting that. For a moment, she just stood, eyes wide and mouth small, glancing between Tantomile’s face and outstretched hand. Tantomile began to feel self conscious and lowered her paw. Before she could turn away, though, her hand was snatched up in another.

“Of course!!” Rumpleteazer squealed bouncily. Tantomile was nearly yanked off her feet by Rumpleteazer pulling her in the direction of her and Mungojerrie’s slapdash junkyard residence. They never stayed for long, it was more a place to dump excess loot than anything.

Rumpleteazer chattered as she dragged Tantomile inside.

“Agh, there’s so much to do! First, we need to go over the layout of the house and where all the people will be—” she cut herself off grabbing a fat, rubbed-down pencil to write with, gripping it in two hands over a scrap of canvas sack on the floor.

“And then I’ll teach you where all the shiny stuff is kept, they’re bound to have some nice big jewels, ooh, just the thought of nicking a coupl’a’ nice emeralds from those bigwigs makes me all warm and fuzzy inside!” she didn’t slow down, listing all the steps of her criminal process. Tantomile was content to simply watch the expert at work. As she talked, Rumpleteazer sketched out a big rectangle on the canvas, then divided that rectangle into a bunch of smaller, uneven rectangles.

“Those are rooms,” she explained, pointing to each one and saying “Here’s the kitchen, here’s the larder, here’s a closet,” Tantomile wondered how she could keep all of it straight in her head, and asked her as much.

“I don’t know, really,” answered Rumpleteazer, “when I get this excited about something I guess I just remember it more.”

Tantomile knew the feeling, having memorized every freckle on Teazer’s cheeks, every orange stripe on her head, how every couple of steps she liked to switch it up and do a cartwheel or a handstand for a second.

Rumpleteazer, lost in thought for a beat, shook her head and gasped.

“I nearly forgot!” She cried, dashing into a corner to scruffle about in the detritus, “we need accessories!”

“What?” said Tantomile.

“You know, accessories! Accoutrements,” she clarified, “That’s French.” She rustled about a bit longer and pulled out a wide black velvet ribbon and a string of pinkish-white pearls. She held both up next to Tantomile’s face, then tossed the ribbon aside.

“These pearls are my favorite to wear, they clatter around and make quite an impressive ruckus,” She said, “And they look pretty besides.” Rumpleteazer looped the string around Tantomile’s neck and arranged the pearls just so. Tantomile’s face felt hot as she met Rumpleteazer’s eyes. The feeling didn’t go away when she looked anywhere but the other queen’s face.

“What do I need these for, anyway?” She asked.

“Confidence! And style,” said Rumpleteazer, tying the black velvet ribbon in a fat bow around her tail, “I like to feel a little fancier when I’m trashing a mansion.”

Tantomile ran her hands over the smooth beads around her neck admiringly, “Are you sure? I don’t want your favorites to get lost, or broken, I can find something else to wear,” she said.

“Of course not! They’re your color!” Rumpleteazer said, tail-up in a bin of flotsam. She had said it as a throwaway comment, but for a moment she turned around to look at Tantomile. Her eyes widened a fraction of a degree before she coughed and resumed her rummaging. She emerged with two gold circles studded with green dots.

“I nicked these off some napkins at the Ritz last month,” she said. She put one around her own wrist, then grabbed Tantomile’s paw and slid the cuff around hers.

“We match,” Tantomile said with a small smile. Rumpleteazer giggled. The two of them leaned over the map of the house spread out on the floor. Rumpleteazer took two earrings, one gold with a silvery stone, one bronze with an amber pendant, and placed them at the far end of the floor plan.

“This one’s you ‘cause you’ve got your silver and gold eyes,” she said, tapping the first earring, “We’re both gonna get in through the cellar door. There’s a fence around it, but it’s no problem to squeeze through.” She paused, gave Tantomile a meaningful look and said,

“Never go looting after lunching with Bustopher Jones.” Tantomile nodded sagely and replied,

“I’ll make a note of that.”

“So we get in through the cellar door, they keep bottles of wine and stuff in there, but we can’t take any of that because it’s glass. From there, we can go up the steps to the larder, and we most definitely can swipe stuff from there...”

Tantomile listened with the front of her mind, but the back of her mind wandered, analyzing her and Rumpleteazer’s interactions. She was not going to deny her own feelings, but the question remained if the other queen felt the same way. Tantomile was going to err on the side of caution. If her desires were unreciprocated, Rumpleteazer would never be cruel about it. She would let her down kindly, and they would remain friends, but there would never again be that easy coexistence between them that Tantomile loved. She couldn’t bear the thought of her friend looking at her with apology, or worse, pity. Better to say nothing until she had solid evidence, Tantomile decided. She turned her full attention back on the debriefing.

“…and from the master bedroom, we can make our escape out the window and down the drainpipe! Easy!” Rumpleteazer grabbed two pillowcase sacks and handed one to Tantomile.

“What if something goes wrong?” Tantomile asked. Rumpleteazer scrunched her nose and said,

“What would go wrong? I’ve done this a thousand times and never gotten caught, we’ll be fine.” Rumpleteazer held out her paw.

“Ready to go?” She asked, beaming. Tantomile nodded and took her hand. Rumpleteazer, to her surprise (always to her surprise, she thought) raised their hands above her head and spun Tantomile in a wobbly pirouette. With Tantomile thrown off balance, she dashed out the door.

“Last one out of the junkyard is a smelly Pollicle!” She crowed behind her. Tantomile laughed out loud as she grabbed her sack and took up the chase.

~~~

Disclaimer: I’ve never planned to write anything this long before so I have no idea how long it may take me to finish.

[ratherchaseamouse]

Asparagus or Rumpleteazer for the character ask

I’ll do both :)

Asparagus

First impression: oh his costume looks different from everyone else’s (1998), I don’t remember seeing him onstage, who is he?

Impression now: he’s everything to me. Everyone’s gay uncle. Like if Squidward were mixed with Frog from Frog and Toad.

Favorite moment: the bit that he does with Skimbleshanks in the 1998 film where he stumbles into Tumblebrutus after being scared by Skimble

Idea for a story: something about Asparagus and Jellylorum dealing with the loss of Gus together. Both of them try to be stoic in front of the kids, but can’t keep it up with each other.

Unpopular opinion: I don’t ship asparalorum. I’ve talked about that a lot though so I won’t repeat what everyone’s heard

Favorite relationship: Skimblegus or literally any familial relationship with him (particularly with M+R or Etcetera who I hc his kids)

Favorite headcanon: he’s also an Actor and he takes it Very Seriously to a degree that his family finds hilarious

Rumpleteazer

First impression: haha these two cats that look the same are silly

Impression now: oh she’s hiding something very sad (I have yet to figure out what). Lesbian as well

Favorite moment: god there’s so many. I think the laughing and then being shushed by Mungojerrie.

Idea for a story: I’m still working on that one where Rumpleteazer takes Tantomile on a heist but gets distracted by her and then gets caught lol

Unpopular opinion: while her costume is different that Jerrie’s and also fairly feminine, I’m a strong believer that she and Mungojerrie are both androgynous and nearly impossible to tell apart so I don’t tend to agree with human interpretations that read her as feminine.

Favorite relationship: tantoteazer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They’re so agh. I know coricojerrie is more popular but tbh I don’t even think about those two it’s just tantomile and Rumpleteazer. The cats are girlfriends

Favorite headcanon: adhd. While I know it’s easy to say that and portray the chaos twins as the two hyperactive ones, I like to think that the other sides of adhd (memory issues, inability to focus and motivate oneself) affect Rumpleteazer a lot. What I’m not projecting what are you talking about

[real-reulbbr-band]

Ok so I’ve really been thinking about how George came about the junkyard, since I also headcanon him to be a dog instead of an actual cat. Then like I was thinking, “what cat(s) would bring a dog to the junkyard?” and here we are. 

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had frequent encounters with George before he became a Jellicle. They found his owner's house relatively easy to steal from, thanks to a convenient doggy door and a lovely meal always set on the kitchen counter. However, the owners never got the chance to enjoy that meal, did they?

Mungo and Rump did what they did best to the home. Creating a mess and grabbing whatever they pleased. Most of the time, they managed to be quiet enough not to wake up the sleeping pup. Occasionally, they would purposely knock over a vase or a bowl of fruit to startle George awake, leading to a fun chase before they made their escape.

As a pup, George never stood a fair chance against the agile pair of cats. No matter how hard he tried to stop them, they always got away, leaving George to take the blame. His owners assumed he was responsible for the messes and missing food, often punishing him by taking away his toys or making him stay outside in the doghouse.

This sparked a rivalry between George and the Calico cats. George would do his best to catch them every time, even skipping his afternoon naps, but it was always in vain. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer would escape, and George would be left to face the consequences. The Calico cats were subtly aware of this dynamic, but to them, George was just another old Pollicle dog; a part of their playful game.

However, George's owners eventually grew tired of the constant chaos; the broken items, messes, and missing meals. They decided to send him back to the dog pound. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer caught wind of this as they were about to commit their next heist (perhaps they overheard the humans discussing it). Rumpleteazer felt guilty about the situation, and even Mungojerrie carried some amount of remorse. Their favorite pup to mess with was about to be gone.

As George sat outside the porch, sulking to himself, he was approached by the mischievous pair. Although he wasn't exactly thrilled to see them, he didn't feel angry either. He simply wanted them to go away. George was more sad about being all alone again than being separated from that particular human family. Mungojerrie jokingly suggested they show him their huge family at the junkyard, and Rumpleteazer embraced the idea.

After some convincing, Rumpleteazer managed to get Mungojerrie on board with taking George to the junkyard, with the condition that it would be a "temporary arrangement" until they found a suitable home for the pup. George needed some persuasion since he didn't completely trust Mungo and Teazer. However, after the promises of treats and sanctuary, he reluctantly accepted. Anything would be better than sitting in a cage all day.

They managed to sneak George into the junkyard in their surprisingly large swag bag and mainly kept him hidden in their den. They did well for the first three days, but too many cats began to catch on, the "odd" scent emanating from Mungo and Rump's den, reported noises, and even rumors of barking reached the ears of the others.

Coricopat and Tantomile were the ones who discovered the truth. They managed to get Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer to confess by pretending they already knew everything. They didn't even bother hiding their intention to inform Munkustrap, who was understandably displeased. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had essentially lied to everyone and potentially put them all in danger. But then Munkustrap saw George- a small, scared pup who couldn't be bigger than a kitten, and just wanted a home.

Although his mind labeled George a liability, Munkustrap's gut told him otherwise. He decided to allow George to stay in the junkyard, but with a condition—George would be Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's responsibility. Which was not exactly their “temporary home” plan now was it?

Mungojerrie was more reluctant as to why it should be them, there were plenty of caretakers in the junkyard who could easily take in George but Munkustrap was insistent. The only way George could stay is if Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer looked after him, they did bring him there in the first place after all.

And so, Mungo and Rump became George's caretakers. They urged him to have a more whimsical name, but George insisted on keeping it short and simple. They played fetch with him, taught him tricks as they did, and even enlisted him as a guard dog. Munkustrap was pleased with the arrangement as George kept Mungo and Rump busy, leaving them with less time for their ridiculous pranks. Of course they did , managed to be cheeky and rope George into their mischief. Like getting him to bark to scare Tugger or using him as a distraction while they were stealing from a house.

Over time, George grew bigger than Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, and it was a bittersweet realization for the mischievous cats. They had watched him grow from a tiny puppy into a strong and confident dog, and a member of their unique little family in the junkyard.