#cats the musical ships

[margo-mania]

and heres tuggoffelees!! i am a sucker for them being super dramatic

[verdicloud]

tumbletoria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[storyweaverofgondor]

The dynamic of “Plato is training to be a Protector but Victoria is the one who makes him feel safe.” is something so precious to me actually.

[royalarchivist]

Tallulah: tio pac and fit are so Perfecta by Miranda coded 🥹💕

Phil: This is Pac and Fit? [Dramatically zooms-in on the fanart and makes them "sing" along to the music]

Chat: he's LITERALLY making a ship amv right now

Tallulah: How things got weird 😞

Make sure to show love to the artist who drew this fanart!

[ Full clip ]

[cowboycatss]

i watched cats 2019 a while back with @dykobra-kid and ever since then i keep telling him how much i want a version of misto who is also bad at magic but SO stupidly overconfident. the rum tum tugger is a terrible bore and misto is soooo much cooler and tugger is not arguing with a girl with big brown eyes whatever you say beautiful

[mrnuggets07]

I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago

Tuggoffelees 2019 cuz YES

[gutsfics]

so. i just watched most of the new quintonreviews Sam & Cat video and for Reasons i looked up both Goomer and Frankini on ao3 and theres only One Single Fic thats tagged with Goomer/Frankini. fucking criminal.

double criminal for it being tagged as "past Frankini/Goomer" bc the actual relationship focused in the fic is fuCKING GOOMER/DICE. BITING AND KILLING.

[rabnerd28]

Of all my fandoms to have events in common, I was not expecting it to be Cats and Star Trek

[emimii]

victeazer for the soul

[lesbian-munkustrap]

Mentally, I’m here

[chasing-posts]

A MALE SLUT AND A TUXEDO CAT

WHERE HAVE I SEEN THAT BEFORE

[margo-mania]

Plato x Victoria won the poll (but i drew demestrap and more tuggoffelees anyway i'll post them later)

[soul-eclectic]

hmm i wonder which of the two landed them both in this predicament

heres the image this is based off of

[storyweaverofgondor]

Munkcavity

This was originally supped to be angsty but the characters had other ideas! XD So have a bit of sexy Munkcavity! I’m super proud of how this turned out.

@jellicle-home-for-jellicle-ships @partyinthemysterymachine

[pattonflowerinnit666]

Heyyyy anyone wanna help me out? I need

-new bedding

- possibly a new computer

- and I REALLY wanna go see Dan and Phil live- maybe even meet them!

DM or ask me with questions! ^^

[demons-incorrect-alw]

Mr. Mistoffelees: Sorry, I didn’t mean to look so enamored by you, I was trying to insult you using a very personal detail that would have only been noticed by me watching you for hours.