#thomas the cat king

[honeii-puff]

is this what Edwin's bracelet from TCK was based on? bc thats cool shit

Ring with figure of seated cat

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1390 BC. Egyptian faience. Now in the Art Institute of Chicago. X80

[shhhhimwatchingthis]

Sort of bums me out that so many people didn't seem to Get the Cat King so here are my thoughts:

So let's start with Edwin's crime. He uses something the cat desires (a sardine) to lure the cat to him and then uses an enchanted string to trap the cat with magic. He demands the answer to a question in exchange for its release. Edwin knows it is dangerous to use magic on a cat, that it violates Rules but he does it anyway.

Binding a creature and agreeing to set them free under a certain condition is very Classic Fairytale. its also a favourite trope of Neil Gaiman's (he did not write this show but his influence is there). In both the Sandman and his novel Stardust (and the film adaptation) trapping a creature with magic and demanding a task/favour in exchange for their freedom is an extremely important plot point. Edwin binding a cat and demanding an answer in exchange is exactly in line with this Fairytale trope

And so is the Cat Kings response. The Cat King is a trickster. What he does to Edwin is exactly what Edwin did to one of his subjects. He entices Edwin, he binds him with magic and when Edwin demands to be free he turns his own words against him "why all the fuss for one little spell?" Edwin did something wrong. He imposed his will/magic on another creature and the Cat King is punishing him for it in a way that is poetic. Its fairytale. its trickster. its classic.

I've also seen people complain that the task Edwin was given 'count all the cats' is 'impossible'...except its fucking not. Edwin does it. He does it so well he actually BEATS the Cat King ("you didn't count yourself" Are.You.Kidding.Me. Classic!Fairytale!Vibes!)

The Cat Kings choice to bind Edwin to Port Townsend is good on so many levels. From a storytelling perspective it forces characters who can travel anywhere in the world to stay in one place, and increases the stakes for these characters who are supposed to be on the run. From a genre perspective...its an excellent use of fairytale tropes using both Rules of magic, a protagonist who is unkind to a seemingly weak creature who is punished by a more powerful law, a binding, a task to complete, etc

Which just leaves the character perspective which it ALSO does really fucking well and introduces the final aspect to the Cat Kings character. He's seductive. He is responsible for Edwin, 100 years old ghost boy, finally unpacking his internalized homophpbia. he is the catalyst (cat pun not intended)

He pushes Edwin, challenges him, at times literally forces the truth out of Edwin, but he really never does violate his consent. Significantly Edwin is attracted to him, like its an important part of his character that he is. He may not like the Cat King but he is attracted to him!

The Cat King is such a great example of a trickster, a morally grey character who imposes a sense of justice on Edwin after he crosses a line, but also has his own selfish interests and meddles. Hes so important to the plot of the show, to Edwin's character arc, to the genre.

And he's just fun. Unapologetically queer, powerful, complicated. Silly little outfits. Petty cat behavior. Deep heart.

Some of you just didn't get it. And I'm sorry for you. because the Cat King is Excellent actually.

[densewentz]

When a cunty witch beats you to death then steals your boy toy for eternal torment 😢 (based on that 'don't you miss her???' meme)

[lorastyrels]

Butcher, Night Nurse, Crow and a King of Cats

[mrnightingale]

I feel like I have to do something about this.

over on twitter i am having fun inventing episodes for an ideal reality where dead boy detectives gets the 15 seasons it deserves

[hannaloony]

[aliasmard]

a cut scene from the last episode

[nualaofthefaerie]

How about we stop interpreting the Cat King into something he is not and start listening to Lukas Gage about his own character instead?

Because it's genuinely concerning how some people view him, and at this point, I am starting to believe you people are so hostile towards him because he disrupts Painland, which he doesn't since Edwin can very much like two people at the same time (most people in real life do).

Lukas also sees this shit... It's obvious he loves this character and worked very hard to make him complex and three-dimensional, only for people to misunderstand him completely and start treating him horribly, which I'm sorry but it's completely bullshit.

So less "I don't like him because he makes me feel icky for no apparent reason" and more media comprehension.

Gif belongs to @isabellaofparma 🪷🩷

AN ADDITION TO THIS (03.07.24):

I think every person should be allowed to, of course, continue to dislike him. He is a complex character, and as such, he is the whole spectrum, and that rubs people in ways. However, I did mean to provide a different point of view than the one that had begun to take prevail and I felt was a bit unfair towards what Lukas wished to portray. I will not change or edit the original phrasing because that is how I felt when I originally posted this.

I do enjoy reading everyone's opinions. The ONLY thing I will not tolerate on this post is personal insults on both sides. Do not have those under my post. I'm an adult. I can't have people fight over fictional characters with personal insults.

[shaylogic]

Headcanon that when Cat King's in human form, Niko treats him with utmost respect: "your majesty" "Mr. Cat King"

But when he's in cat form, all bets are off: "Chonkers" "Mr. Fluffy Butt" "

[inkwell-illustrations]

The Cat King: Can I try rizzing you up? Edwin: Sure?? The Cat King: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

[flower-dagger-gay]

The brain rot continues 🧍

[akascow]

still not over cat kings “142?? omg youre WAYYYY off HA 142 could you imagine lmao pls u might as well give up now pft” and it was literally just off by 4

[slightlystrangepsyche]

I will never get over the introduction of the Cat King. Like, there has to be 146 cats in the scene where they all take the detective trio to meet him. Pretty much all the cats on display, to show off his prowess.

The Cat King makes a point of asking which one of them used a leash spell against one of his cats. The cat replies with something like "The scrawny one who just had the nerve to talk to you" and the Cat King uses that as an excuse to get Edwin alone and hit on him.

TCK knows Edwin's name, without Edwin disclosing it. TCK is wearing Charles' socks as part of his unique and intimidating (erotic) clothing. I'm convinced the neon sign in TCK's lair is there because Edwin was so fascinating by the neon sign at the butchers.

TCK is down so bad before he even meets Edwin, and every encounter frustrates him and makes him fall even more.

Love him for that. Most pathetic meow meow.

[densewentz]

Guess who's been playing Don't Starve while watching Dead Boy Detectives 💕

[weareinastormoffuck]

It’s crazy to me that I see people talking about the cat king being a rapist or wanting to SA Edwin. I need people to understand that framing and the way things are shot matters. At no point is Edwin shown to be scared of him, uncomfortable sure but that has more to do with his repression. He’s attracted to Thomas and doesn’t want to be. They frame every thought Edwin has of Thomas as sexy, never from fear or anything even close. When Edwin thinks of Thomas he’s sexy slow mos and his abs and his breath against his cheek and leaning in close and whispering in his ear and his eyes and lips. Edwin is uncomfortable with the thought of being attracted to a man itself NOT with Thomas in general. Also aggressively flirting is not SA can we stop with that. He never forced Edwin to do anything. He made a suggestion of sex in exchange for being free and when Edwin even looked uncomfortable he gave him another option. He never once forces sex onto him or even tries. Not to mention Thomas is shown to clearly actually care about Edwin. He warns him about Monty and the witch, he tries to get the witch to back off and gets beaten to death for it, even after that he still gives crystal and Niko info on the witch knowing possibly if they fail he could lose another life or get killed all together. He shows up to just say goodbye and give him a flower. Thomas is not some evil villain here. He basically did the same spell on Edwin that Edwin did to his cat. He’s a trickster and can be morally gray at times but at no point is he ever evil. Also just to say Edwin’s age is a gray area. He’s been alive for more than 100 years so I don’t think the “oh it’s weird the cat king is hitting on a 16 year old” holds much water either. Not everything in media and every character and every aspect can be categorized as purely good or bad, I’m gonna need people to stop trying to make it.

[hannaloony]