#fandom: the cat returns

[kitkatt0430-recommends]

My dive back into my old FFnet favorites continues and I'm bringing some more recs here for anyone interested in them. Still giving them my own summaries to convey my own impressions of the fics.

As You Wish by YarningChick - A fusion of The Cat Returns and The Princess Bride. Haru is the fiercely proud daughter of a samurai who has vowed to marry none other than her sweetheart - not even his death at sea could change her mind. Unfortunately, the King has decided he is going to marry Haru, whether she likes this idea or not.

Haru/Baron is the main ship and the fic itself is rated G. The main cast is all characters from The Cat Returns and while Haru is very different from her movie self, it's still a really fun and enjoyable re-imagining of The Princess Bride's plot. YarningChick has written a lot of fics for The Cat Returns - most AUs of some sort - and they're pretty much all enjoyable. So not only does the fic get a recommendataion, the author does too.

It looks so far like all YarningChick's fics are on Ao3, so that's where the links will lead.

The Angel's Knight by Philip S - Sixteen years after her death saving the world from Glory, Buffy is given the chance to return to life to aid Angel in one final Apocalypse to determine the world's future. But the truth of what's really happening is bigger than anyone could have possibly imagined.

I remember this one especially for it's rather fascinating take on what happened the night Eyghon killed Giles' pre-series and helps to explain some of the inconsistencies with his earlier portrayal and retcons made as characterization marched on. It's also got my favorite take on Catherine Madison post-trophy-ification and an interesting interpretation of the Key.

Rated T, has Buffy/Angel as the main ship, and is, unfortunately, not to be found on Ao3 yet.

BtVS: The College Years by Philip S - A Season 4 AU. With the Slayer beyond their control for the moment, the Watcher's Council chooses to reactivate the Slayer's counterpart: the Huntsman. Meanwhile, Buffy's dealing not only with college, but with the arrival of soldiers intending to fight the good fight… and whose presence will unearth more of Sunnydale's bloodstained history.

This one I remember really enjoying for the take on the Slayer that it was one of two powerful, ancient spirits. And also for incorporating Angel's return to being human via the Mohra demon, but not allowing him to roll back time like in canon. It's obvious to the reader what Angel's in store for as the fic goes on, but how he gets there is pretty fascinating.

It is rated M for a non-con encounter between Buffy and the first guy to become the Huntsman. So reader beware. The main ship is Buffy/Angel. And, like the rest of Philip S's work, it's not on Ao3 at this time.

If It's Not One Thing… by Gabrielle Lawson - There's never a dull moment on Deep Space Nine as murder, secretive aliens, and Julian's past collide. An alternate take on Julian Bashir's past written before the reveal of his parents or genetic engineering.

Probably my favorite fic about Julian. His backstory here is really well thought out and really quite tragic and it definitely captures the feel of early seasons DS9, with the tensions between Starfleet and the Bajorans playing an important part of the storyline.

It's rated T and is on Ao3 now, along with Gabrielle Lawson's other works. Lawson's Deep Space Nine fics are all pretty good from what I remember, though this one was my favorite.

The Geek's Field Guide to Arachnids by likethekoschka - A big robot spider, anaphylactic shock, and a number of near-death-experiences… all just another ordinary day on Atlantis for John and Rodney. First in a series staring John Sheppard and Rodney McKay in an established relationship, written by liketheriver and koschka under their combined penname.

While at least one of the writers moved to Ao3, it doesn't look like they brought any of their ffnet stuff - solo or cowritten - with them. Which is a shame, but I can hold out hope these'll get migrated to somewhere safer than ffnet eventually. (Like Ao3…)

All of the fics in this series are rated T and I cannot recommend the series enough for Stargate Atlantis fans. It's incredibly well written and a lot of fun to read. Features what is probably my favorite version of Radek Zelenka.

Atlas by distractedKat - Star Trek Kelvin-verse fic set after the 2009 movie and AU from there. Kirk throws himself into aiding the rebuilding of Starfleet in the wake of the Narada disaster as Starfleet Academy has found itself short staffed. This may not have been such a good idea, as his many talents have caught the eye of a corrupt Admiral…

An eventual Kirk/Spock fic that treats Spock and Uhura's friendship really well. Rated T and is up on Ao3.

[latehere]

McGee's Cheshire Moon

[whaliiwatching]

he is so. to me

closeups of my favorites <3

[kirisclangen]

Zelda

She/her, 65 moons, cis molly

[best-fictional-cat]

Round 4 Group 2

Jaspers (Homestuck) vs Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)

[daisymaycries]

There’s no left here

[catsafarithewriter]

I rewatched The Cat Returns this week and I thought of this idea: Not only did Haru get over her school crush at the end of the movie because of everything that happened in the Cat Kingdom and how she learned to believe in her self, but also because her crush on the Baron took over

Oh, absolutely. When I first saw TCR, I Immediately assumed Haru's "it doesn't matter anymore" about Machida dumping his gf meant "I'm crushing bad on Baron instead" and it was only later that I realised we're probably meant to take it as "I've grown as a person and have the confidence to set my standards higher and not chase after guys who never gave me a second look."

(I think we're also meant to take the shot of Muta leaving the Crossroads at the end as showing that Haru doesn't need the help of a magical Bureau anymore (esp since TCR is a coming-of-age kinda story) and she's growing up. Which makes the fact that the whole fandom went "no, you return to the Bureau" really quite funny)

(Also also: I'm only just noticing the assumedly-intentional symbolism of calling the place where Haru first meets Muta "the crossroads"... I've only been in this fandom for, what, a decade and a half 😅)

[furryfaceoff]

Questions to consider:

- Who's your favorite?

- Who's most likely to create more furries?

[meoawl]

[bat-circus]

This is literally me drawing saiki kitty

[kitkatt0430-recommends]

The bookmarking of old favorites from FFnet continues, though between a wasp invasion of my house (cricket wasps, so they're non-aggressive) and the slow transfer from my 6-year-old (almost 7) computer that has been occassionally blue screening to my shiny new computer has slowed down my creation of fic rec lists of those old favs.

But. I do still have recommendations to make. (The descriptions here are my words, to convey my impressions of the fics.)

The Scarlet Shield by Silverlake - First in a series. When Kel finds herself with child, she has to find the determination to continue living her life on her own terms.

The main ship is Kel/Dom, which is probably the only ship I really enjoy for Kel. I see her as being demiromantic - and she's word of god aromantic, which has only just reinforced my headcanon - and her canon friendship with Dom is pretty solid. The rating is T and this one isn't on Ao3 that I can find. The whole series is really good, with new girls joining up as pages along the way and new lady knights inspired Kel's example.

To See Once More the Light of the Stars by Philip S - The start of a series. When Buffy was forced to send Angel to hell to save the world, she didn't send him there alone. She went there with him. And they both come back changed.

A Buffy/Angel series with what is not my favorite interpretation of Xander or Joyce. But it is overall a really interesting premise executed quite well. I think I first read this before I read Dante's Inferno in college, so re-reading it is kinda making me want to re-read the Inferno (and the rest of it, but my copy is packed away right now, probably for the best) given all the references in the flashbacks to their time in Hell.

Most, if not all, the fics in this series are rated M and they're all on FFnet. And there are a lot of fics in this series, though it is incomplete.

Rebel of my Destiny by YarningChick - A few months after her adventure in the Cat Kingdom, Haru is drawn to a hidden part of the local library where an entire created world's fate hangs in the balance and only Haru has the skills to finish the novel. But it's not just the novel's Princess who can travel to the real world and the book's villain has already killed one author in order to maintain his choke hold upon his world…

I enjoyed this one because it was both a post canon story for The Cat Returns, but was also something of an Inkheart fusion. Haru teams up with the Cat Bureau again, this time not to save herself but an entire world and it's a lot of fun. Like most of YarningChick's works, the main ship is Baron/Haru and the fic is rated G. It can be found on Ao3 and I've been really enjoying re-reading YarningChick's works on the Ao3 interface. (I've got a semi-custom version of the dark skin that's so easy on my eyes, even compared to FFNet's own dark mode.)

Of Fur and Feathers by YarningChick - When Haru returns to her hometown, she finds herself drawn into Drosselemeyer's web. As it seems the old storyteller has more in store for Rue, Ahiru… and Haru too.

Another YarningChick story, which combines The Cat Returns with Princess Tutu. It's post canon for both, though it discards a bit of Princess Tutu's 'return to normal' for the people of the town, and does a pretty good job of weaving the two together. It's got a happy ending, but everyone definitely has to work to earn it. It's on Ao3, rated T, and has the main ships of Baron/Haru, Ahiru/Fakir, and Mytho/Rue.

After the Fall by athenaprime - The war is won, but Revan is struggling to accept being lauded for stopping a war she helped start. Bastila doesn't know how to accept the way falling to - and returning from - the dark side has changed her. And what starts as a victory tour rapidly turns into a quest to find Revan and deal with the remnants of the Sith that haven't gone so quietly into defeat after all. Also Mandalorian courtship rituals, which was not at all where Bastila thought her dalliance with Canderous was headed…

This is a long post-KotOR 1 fic that starts with Carth/(female)Revan but eventually also winds up Bastila/Canderous and Dustil/Mission. I remember enjoying it a lot and while I've only gotten about ten-ish chapters into re-reading it thus far, it's holding up well to what I remember of it. Rated T and it hasn't migrated to Ao3 that I could find.

[catparty41]

Dont blink!

[sleepyorchidmonster]

What if TWST has a game franchise similar to LOZ, but it's Alice's adventures in Wonderland?

The series is quite popular, you play as Alice, with the Cheshire Cat as your companion (who tends to cause more problems than help out), the Vorpal Sword is basically the Master Sword and you help the Queen of Hearts by exploring dungeons and solving riddles and puzzles. There is even an Ace Attorney spin-off (not very successful, since the nonsensical rules annoy most players).

However, it's a general consensus that no one understands the first game. The whole playthrough amounts to 2 hours at most, though dataminers found more content in the code. It that wasn't enough, there is a weird sign right next to the first dungeon, who clearly breaks the fourth wall:

*

WARNING! YOUR GAME WILL NEVER BE THE SAME IF YOU DON'T GET THIS MESSAGE!

"Up is down, left is right,

Count the letters, subtract the spaces,

1 2 3 know 9 8 7 are your friends, now and ever,

Mind the gaps, ignore the rabbit,

There is no fun that is not maddening!"

There is also a small note in the back, written in blood-red ink, signed with a paw-print:

"I watch everything with a disinterested smirk,

With lazy eyes that twinkle like faraway suns,

You'll never find me in the night sky while I lurk,

'Cause, "mime a ton, drum te hey!"

*

Now, the Cheshire cat was only introduced in a later game, so people kept trying to find glitches to the moon (they also didn't find the cat and kept talking to a mime NPC). A quick look at the Queen's Rules also didn't help, since the number you get when subtracting the letters and spaces while ignoring the numbers just doesn't add up (something about doing parkour whenever a tree is planted).

So it stayed that way, just like the "Mew under the truck" thing.

Until Cater decided to stream a playthrough alongside the dorm (it fits the Heartslabyul theme, also Riddle is interested in gaming, so why not start with a simpler game that is also a classic).

You see, firstly, if you consider the numbers as actual names and write them as words, you get additional letters that, when subtracted by the spaces...still get a rule that doesn't make sense (don't eat a tart after midnight) BUT, if you know about Queendom history, you'll know that this rule was added by the White Rabbit to fill a GAP in the book after the Queen banned a rule about the correct way to dance (up, down, left, right, two steps forward, one step back).

Long story short, Riddle solved the problem.

So, you can get that dance and replicate it in the game, swapping up with down and left with right (forward and backwards would also be up and down, in this case).

As for the extra note, they already knew it was the cat, but if you scramble "Mime a ton, drum te hey!", you get "I am on the tree, dummy!"

The cat introduced himself, saying he'll follow the player on the next journey, but not before giving a tip: "If you want to keep going, you have to be as mad as everyone here! Why kill when you can dance? They do say singing wards off evil..."

Riddle explained all of this in fifteen minutes. Just to humor him, Cater left the sign and made a beeline for the first tree in the area, expecting nothing of it.

The Cheshire Cat showed up, his smile overtaking the screen.

And with that, Cater wordlessly rushed to the first dungeon, doing the dance code instead of killing the first enemy.

The game crashed.

And then a cutscene started playing.

It was basically the Jabberwock appearing and destroying the dungeon's ceiling. Apparently he is "searching for that damn cat" and "hoping to battle his nemesis again". With that, he leaps to the sky, and we get the game's title drop.

Do note that the game was using a style similar to "A Link to the Past" at first, but everything changed and now it looks like Twilight Princess.

And that's how Cater's streams became famous. Also everyone is trying to memorize the Queen's rules.

The streams now happen in Ramshackle, with the entire cast present. Also Riddle is annoyed because people keep asking for his assistance with solving game puzzles.

Alternatively, this could also happen in Book 6.

Everyone speedrunnimg the Overblot fight just so they can keep playing.

[demonsummoning]

quick, sketchy fanart of a quote from @storyweaverofgondor! tried to make it silly c:

[dayurno]

are you going to read tsc when it comes out? and, if not: would you like your acolytes to give you the important kevin day updates or would you rather not?

oh my acolytes huh! well i don’t know :) it’s so nice of you to ask and i’m very touched actually…. nice to me 🥹…. i guess any (good) kevin updates would be nice and probably sway the balance on whether i read it or not, but at first glance i probably won’t read it unless it sparks my curiosity once it’s out and the story starts making its rounds around my circles :) i’m plenty interested in the period where jean stays with the foxes but i don’t much care for the trojans nor the proposed storyline*, though even a picky reader like yours truly can be convinced into buying a story if kevin day’s in it

*by this i don’t mean that i Dislike the process of jean healing but it’s just overall not my favorite theme and, to be frank, i don’t have much interest in reading about a normal well-adjusted team either. from my view tsc is aftg without my favorite parts (namely kevin day as a main character, the foxes’ messy dynamic, problematic and controversial side characters, neil’s narration, The Mafia, andrew in general) and while i am always and forever a ride or die for jean moreau, and i am glad he’s going to get better and be happy, a lot of my feelings for him don’t really stem from the idea that there is a softness underneath all the grit but actually and sincerely the fact that he is crazy. i Love jean because he’s horrible and scared and cruel and i don’t know if i’ll care much for him once he’s out of that state :) i meant it when i said a few months ago that i would’ve been more onboard with a story about the ravens (no matter how gruesome) or even a glimpse of jean’s pov in the nest, though of course nora sakavic should probably choose to be happy every once in a while so i wouldn’t ask her to write that

so tl;dr: you can send me good and relevant kevin updates if you want to and if they’re interesting enough i might read tsc in the future

[starmaker-astral]

I (finally) had a dream with good omens AAAAAA 🗣🗣🗣