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Please share your thoughts on the Administrator team for the CATS Wiki

Hello everyone,

As many of you know, I have been editing the CATS Musical Fandom wiki for years, aiming to keep the site up to date with the latest information in a timely manner, while trying to sort out older pages to improve aspects of usability as an ongoing project.

I recently was made an Administrator on the wiki part way through March, successfully adopting it due to inactivity from the entire Administrator team present on the site. My approved adoption request can be found here. This is something that I have always worked towards, as it will allow me to increase my efforts to organize, but most importantly, to try to increase public community engagement with the site, which has been lacking in recent years.

However, a dispute (initially found here) has been initiated by an existing Administrator, Belle Pullman, mainly regarding a section of the reasoning I used in my adoption request about the community's view of the Administrative team, of which Belle is/was the most active.

This dispute, and subsequent discussion, is public here:

Everyone is free to join in on this conversation, regardless if you have used/edited the site in the past with an account or are a causal user.

This discussion has evolved into what the best course of action is to resolve the dispute, and whether I am an appropriate person to have as an Administrator to begin with. I have suggested that we allow the fandom community to share their thoughts on the current active Administrator team, right now made up of myself and Belle Pullman.

Please review the discussion that has taken (and countinues to take) place and share your thoughts on the current Administrator team. If you have, or ever had, any concerns with those overseeing site, or would like to provide positive feedback in support of either of us, now is the time to bring anything up.

If you do not have an account with this site and want to speak up, please create one and do so. I want everyone to have a voice.

I understand that asking for anyone to bring forward their thoughts to an active dispute is not fully ideal, but it is important that it is done.

Thank you for your help!

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more serious aspects of rum tum tugger

admittedly, i watch act 1 of cats wayyyyyy more than act 2. i’m not sure why, but it means i listen to “mr mistoffelees” a lot less, so it kinda slipped my mind that… rum tum tugger sings “mr mistoffelees”… 😬 but seriously watching and listening to it after a while of detox made me, weirdly, appreciate tugger’s character so much more than before.

if you don’t think tugger is a very complex character or someone worth delving into, let me offer this: we talk about john partridge being THE tugger, that he’s yet to have been surpassed or lived up to, and it’s true, but from what i’ve seen, i don’t think us fans get him quite right either. (not anyone specifically, just in a general sense.) and from what i’ve heard, other productions are great, but there’s just nothing quite like his 1998 film portrayal. i don’t just mean the swagger, but also the gravitas that he gives off. it was really lightning in a bottle. that’s how difficult it is to get his character truly right. (such is the case for a lot of cats in my opinion, but i’m being picky.)

(p.s. i meant this as in “it’s insanely difficult to capture john partridge’s essence”.)

…… yes, i know tugger is meant to be vain and rebellious and a sexy, indecisive flirt, and i do realise that the three words are just “in general” to help actors perform better, BUT, you cannot tell me that this description doesn’t water him down to a puddle :

his three words are apparently “vain, perverse, inconsequent”. “vain”? you mean the one whose first instinct was to call upon someone else more competent to help when old deut was in danger? the one who pleaded for the jellicles to listen to him, and gladly gave reasoning while hyping up misto, instead of just saying trust me bro? the one who is clearly extremely grateful and proud to be old deut’s son? and “perverse” is only true if they mean “contrary”. otherwise, his whole song shows him rejecting all the hot girls who all want him. “inconsequent”? firstly, i’m pretty sure that they’re using this word wrong. second, if they mean “not caring about consequences”, then tell that to the cat who stopped his entire party instantly just to alert the tribe of grizabella’s appearance. (and he clearly looks very disappointed when nobody liked his bagpipes gag!)

tugger is attractive, admired by many, influential, high-status and charismatic. yet, he only ever uses his prominence to do what’s best for the jellicles or what would make them happy, both individually and as a whole. in misto’s number, he steps up completely soberly when the jellicles need him the most. he hypes up misto because he knows his influence will make the cats believe in him. he gives the cats some much needed levity during times of crisis. he entertains etcetera, his biggest fan, like a singer inviting a child on stage and it shows that he cares.

i wanna talk about tugger’s design as well in terms of his character. tugger’s presence is the perfect balance of cool and warm. he is stylish and impressive, a self-assured and level-headed cat with an assertive aura, who easily keeps his composure, but at the same time, he’s inviting and open, a dutiful and shrewd cat with an incredible sense of humour, who is able to lift the hearts of those around him. this is reflected in his design, as his top half has a huge fluffy mane, but the rest of him is sleek black, yet done in a way that’s complimentary and not conflicting.

beneath the show-off, the swagger, and the sex appeal, he’s a mellow and mature tom cat who just loves to put on a good show and give the crowd exactly what they want. he’s just as serious and responsible and caring and full of love for his tribe as munkustrap is, while still being able to retain his thrilling and unruly side (which somehow makes him seem even more responsible, since he has the capacity to balance levity and soberness to the fullest extent).

people try to give him sad backstories or make him seem softer and that’s fine, but it’s a rare thing that we get such an ineffably complex and nuanced character without needing things like a drastic arc or sympathetic traits. through tugger, i’ve gained a newfound admiration for this sort of adamantine character, and this qualia of his shines through, however subtly, in every number he’s in.

i did my best, but my words probably don’t do him justice either. maybe during your next watch of cats, try to search for this feeling!

(and i think, in this way, he really embodies rock music so well. so fun and exciting and rebellious, but still able to sound so classic, solemn and heavy.)

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jellicle ball appreciation posts —

(bonus detail✨) :

if anyone ever feels worried about trying something new, just remember that george was hesitant to join bombalurina’s section in the jellicle ball, even though he wanted to. but with a bit of encouragement from tugger he went for it and ended up having a good time.

george, i hope you know you are an inspiration.

it’s such a little detail and george is such a minor character but they cared enough to put it in. and it makes sense because george is a shy kitten and bomba’s section is full of energy and the centre of attention, so naturally he’d be nervous about stepping out of his comfort zone. AND it shows that tugger cares so much about the little ones that he’d understand how george was feeling, and sling his arm around him like “you got this”.

it’s so adorable!!!!!! 😩😩💖💖💖

(emojis credit to @astrelle)

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I’m sick of gay people’s gayness being their entire plot and character development I just want them to have a ‘normal’ romance like the straights get to. Maybe their plot could be that they’re both cats and one of them is a petty thief and one of them is a white cat that does ballet and

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I think whoever was recording this audio put their phone in their bag during Skimble's number bc the music gets kind of muffled and the drum is super emphasized out of nowhere. So it kind of sounds like you're like five buildings down from a house party that is absolutely BLASTING Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat.

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An art project I started back in 2023 has finally grown into a small tribe of jellicle cats of my own! I do plan on making the entire junkyard, slowly but surely 😸

Two Grizabellas based on her more current and classic looks, Mistoffelees (or Quaxo, might make a more glamorous version down the line!), Rum Tum Tugger, Munkustrap, Alonzo, & Victoria (Rainbow & Monster high) so far! I have a few more in the works as well 😄

Bonus real life Jellicle boy wanted to be part of the fun ❤️ Safe to say Alonzo is his favorite!

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misto and victoria

i love you ballet cats. have a redraw of that one screenshot literally everyone redraws

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Anyway skip forward a tiny bit and skimbledots’ kittens are still young and jelly just. can’t. anymore. it’s a quiet afternoon and they are relaxing on one of the junkpiles while jenny knits, and theyre keeping an eye on the kittens as they play and chase each other around as Munkustrap and Cassandra try to organise a dance lesson. jenny, of course, confides in jelly about her crush on bustopher. obviously it isnt ever going anywhere, and she’s chuckling, remarking how “isnt it funny? how such an old crush flared up again?” and jelly bites back the confession that her “old crush” on jenny has never gone away, and how it flares up every time she hears her, sees her, thinks of her. 

but jenny, sweet, oblivious jenny notices her friend is a bit off, and has been lately, and, well, now is as good a time as any to bring it up, right? She’s been concerned about her. and one thing leads to another and jelly ends up choking out the truth — that she’s in love with her best friend, that she has been for years, and that she’s also deeply in love with asparagus and that it *hurts*. because she doesn’t know what to do. And also at some point that asparagus is aware bc i feel like that is of some importance. but obviously she keeps a lid on his problems w skimble because hey, that aint her secret to tell. 

and ofc jenny needs some time to process because *whoa* to have that dumped on you of a random thursday afternoon is kind of a lot for anyone. But anyway after much overthinking and analysing and reevaluation of her entire life she realises that she also has feelings for jelly. yippee? no because what to do about skimble? :0 she loves him, loves them both. but also she’s worried about him because he’s also been acting super weird lately. she doesn’t know what to do.

skimble is Not Having A Fun Time. laser focus on his work and being a good dad (bc fuck it, he’s obviously failed at being a good mate considering he still can’t stop thinking about his ex however many years later) have helped but are also exhausting. and he is tired, very tired. emotionally and mentally and physically. and it’s not easy to hide. jenny has noticed, he knows she has. so he isnt surprised when she corners him in their den one night and confronts him. and he can feel it bubbling to the surface, all of it. it would be so easy to just tell her. 

((Honestly i have no idea where i’m going with this it got out of hand and off topic very very quickly. And i still have two som e to do and it is 2 am and im tired as fuck.

back two days(?) later and time to finish this fuck! wooo!!))

so he does. he does tell her. and it’s the hardest convo he’s had in his entire life. harder than the breakup with asparagus. but after many emotions jenny needs more time to process and end up back with jelly to confide in her. bc duh, you had to have expected this by now. jelly, being jelly, puts her awkwardness/feelings and is there for jenny and then after a very quick and slightly tortuous internal debate, reveals that asparagus also has feelings for skimble. and then they kiss. and then they start plotting. 

anyway the girls get them together and jelly and asparagus moved into the skimbledots den bc it was bigger (and bc their own kits have all grown up now, and theirs feels a little empty.). and now the four of them spend the evenings in cuddle piles. And they lived happily ever after. 

but wait, what about bustopher? jenny admits to her partners one evening after a visit from the st. james’s street cat that she has feelings for him and asks tentatively if they would be ok if she pursued a relationship w him. and they are of course, and it comes out that they’re all quite fond of him so they ask bustopher if he wants to date them and he ends up joining their little polycule :3

YAY FINALLY DONETH. I’m sorry i didn't have more to write on cori. I could,,,, but maybe another time. I think i’ll also do tugger and lonzie boy another time lol - actually i’ve been meaning to do a ‘deep dive’ on tugger for a while now,,, i might soon. I love him but i never talk about him.

Anyway tysm for the ask elo!!!! <3 im so sorry i took so long to get back to ya lmfao. gotta love the hellsite and my fogetful brain

there was a part about cori that i wrote in response to this ask also??? so here's that

cori my boy he is just a guy. reserved and distant but not as much as Tantomile, can be goofy, kind, gentle, laid-back, easy-going, the kittens like him more than Tantomile but still don’t approach them very often because they’re scared (understandably so, even if Corico is so gentle he wouldn’t hurt a fly). psychic powers. i hc his mate to be caramel, a swing-turned-oc who is jellylorum's younger brother in my long-abandoned au

(final part)

this is a response to an ask from @afairytalestray from such a long time ago that i cant even remember the original ask (i accidentally deleted it lmao) tumblr wouldnt let me upload it but i found it today in my google docs where apparently id put it to stop tumblr from deleting it altogether. i havent edited any of it so you get the whole word vomit lmao

annoyingly ive had to break this post up into small chunks :( becasue tumblr wont let me uplod the whole thing for some unknown godforsaken fucking reason. im gonna tag each one with #jellyjennyskimblegus-sometimes-ft-bustopher polycule though

i have many thoughts about the jellyjennyskimblegus-sometimes-ft-bustopher polycule. it's not exactly what you asked for but i'm going to talk about it anyway :3 (this is a version where gus is asparagus's father and jelly and caramel have different parents. who are they? well your guess is as good as mine lmao) (also just to be clear; jelly and skimble do not have feelings for each other and jenny and asparagus do not have feelings for each other)

so jelly and jenny were rly tight growing up, their families were pretty close. they told each other EVERYTHING. jenny confided in jelly somewhat nervously when she realised she was pansexual and jelly was ofc super supportive.

meanwhile skimble return home to his bf asparagus every time the night mail returns to London and they are happy. all 4 are v good friends. jenny however develops feeling for skimble and is rly torn up about it bc yk he's in a happy relationship so what can she do? but then skimble and asparagus have a big blowup fight (about what i have no idea i am putting these months-old vague ideas into writing and filling up the gaps on the spot as i go) and suddenly jelly and asparagus are tight? somehow jelly has ended up on the receiving end of both jenny and asparagus's love woes while battling her long-time feelings for jenny that she'd long since buried (jenny's been in love w skimble for aaaaages now) and her new budding feelings for asparagus and the poor girl is so confused. and stressed. but trying her best to be there for the people who need her.

 skimble and gus break up on sad but not bad terms. jenny and skimble eventually start dating and jelly and asparagus cry in each other's arms as jelly reveals to him her feelings for jenny and then soon after, her inner conflict over her feelings for him too. asparagus takes her by the chin and kisses her ever so softly and that's that. (it's the cutest most tender thing). anyway jelly continues to try to tamp down her feelings for jenny and predictably fails. however here's what's going on with skimble: he's so unbelievably happy with jenny but asparagus continues to haunt him. they're all still great friends but it's a little strained sometimes between the two of them. there are many caught sorrowful, regret-filled glances and pangs as he gazes at how *handsome* asparagus is as he laughs with the girls in the sunlight. as for jenny she is still completely oblivious to jelly's feelings for her and hasn't really fully developed her own romantic feelings towards her? like she feels the connection but doesn't understand yet that it isn't platonic. or maybe it isn't yet! she doesn't know and neither do i :3

(part 1)

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anyway where was i. oh yeah so jenny and skimble become mates at the next ball (it's a lively, joyful charleston, full of fun tricks and funny moments, a great representation of their personalities and how they compliment each other and the fun they have together) and both jelly and asparagus are a combination of overjoyed for them (they love these cats and want them to be happy) and aching and guilty becasue they are so bloody happy together, why do they want more, want what they can't have? skimble, struggling with his own lingering feelings for asparagus has nowhere to turn to - he can't tell jenny of course, it would wreck their relationship, obviously asparagus himself isn't an option and he can't turn to jelly because it's looking hella likely that she and asparagus are going to become mates at the next ball. so he begins to withdraw from the group a little, unable to look asparagus in the eye and instead focusing on solely jenny and his work. jelly and asparagus see less of him. and jelly and asparagus do become mates at the next ball. their mating dance is different to skimbledots', it's a traditional waltz, slow and beautiful and not showy at all. just a beautiful moment for the two of them. but the music provided by the Everlasting Cat, while beautiful, holds the odd note of sadness. but they are happy and very prim and proper, a proper lady and gentlecat, a stark contrast to their lively and slightly wild counterparts. and then they start to build their families - jelly has a litter of two beautiful tom kittens, Admetus and George, first. it becomes easier to not think about their feelings for the other two - theyre kept busy and delighted by the challenges and delights of raising kittens! Their young family is blossoming and adorable and slightly mischievous! (looking at you george)

And when those two are well on their way into adulthood jelly discovers she is pregnant again! She has three toms this time, Socrates, Victor and Plato. asparagus is over the jellicle moon, and jenny makes a big fuss, alongside the whole junkyard. 

And then skimble and jenny wind up adopting mungo and teazer and jenny is delighted because she and jelly can finally be mothers at the same time. And jelly is struggling because yes, theyre raising their children together, but they aren’t doing it *together*. she can’t sit in the evening in their den and look watch fondly as jenny tells their kittens a story to coax them to sleep before coming and kissing her goodnight, she can’t wake up to jenny and asparagus cuddling her together in the morning as the kittens pile in on top of them.

and one evening, when the kittens are old enough to play around the junkyard with all the other kittens, she finds herself breaking down to asparagus over it. she can’t bear it, doesn’t know how to. Asparagus gently suggests that the only thing to do is to tell her. (but can it ever be that easy? lmao hell no). jelly firmly and almost aggressively rejects this suggestion. she’s spent this long hiding her feelings, why the fuck would she go and confess them now? her relationship with jenny would be ruined (blah blah blah drama, excuses etc. bottom line is: she’s afraid)

as it turns out, he’s been having somewhat similar problems with skimble, who has been avoiding him. obviously this is kinda taking its toll on both of them and asparagus has been beating himself up over it because he thinks skimble knows he still has feelings for him and that that’s what’s driving him away. skimble, however, is pulling away because he’s so guilty that he can’t stop thinking about his ex even tho he loves his mate. bc ya see while jelly and asparagus have the understanding that while they love each other they also have feelings for someone else, and they’re both okay with it. skimble does not have this :( poor guy. 

I HAVE GOTTEN VERY CARRIED AWAY WOW. SORRY THIS ISNT RLY WHAT YOU ASKED FOR LMAO

anyway soon enough jenny learns that she is pregnant!! she’s beyond delighted, but skimble is torn between overwhelming joy and debilitating guilt! drama!!!!!! anyway she has 4 very beautiful tom kittens, Tumblebrutus, Bill Bailey, Pouncival and Carbucketty :3 and theyre a handful

anywho the plot thickens as jenny is crushing on bustopher. they were always good friends and whilst she used to crush on him before she developed her feelings for skimble and before bustopher moved out of the junkyard she got over it and remained fond of him. but now he’s spending more time in the junkyard again as his nephews (misto and alonzo) are living there. so he starts calling to jenny and her sons and she finds herself crushing on him once more. and she begins to minorly stress about that before deciding to label it a minor crush and ignore it.

(so now they are all struggling with hidden feelings *wheeze*) (also jelly has a minor crush on bustopher but it is minor and Not That Important)

(part 2)

this is a response to an ask from @afairytalestray from such a long time ago that i cant even remember the original ask (i accidentally deleted it lmao) tumblr wouldnt let me upload it but i found it today in my google docs where apparently id put it to stop tumblr from deleting it altogether. i havent edited any of it so you get the whole word vomit lmao

annoyingly ive had to break this post up into small chunks :( becasue tumblr wont let me uplod the whole thing for some unknown godforsaken fucking reason. im gonna tag each one with #jellyjennyskimblegus-sometimes-ft-bustopher polycule though

i have many thoughts about the jellyjennyskimblegus-sometimes-ft-bustopher polycule. it's not exactly what you asked for but i'm going to talk about it anyway :3 (this is a version where gus is asparagus's father and jelly and caramel have different parents. who are they? well your guess is as good as mine lmao) (also just to be clear; jelly and skimble do not have feelings for each other and jenny and asparagus do not have feelings for each other)

so jelly and jenny were rly tight growing up, their families were pretty close. they told each other EVERYTHING. jenny confided in jelly somewhat nervously when she realised she was pansexual and jelly was ofc super supportive.

meanwhile skimble return home to his bf asparagus every time the night mail returns to London and they are happy. all 4 are v good friends. jenny however develops feeling for skimble and is rly torn up about it bc yk he's in a happy relationship so what can she do? but then skimble and asparagus have a big blowup fight (about what i have no idea i am putting these months-old vague ideas into writing and filling up the gaps on the spot as i go) and suddenly jelly and asparagus are tight? somehow jelly has ended up on the receiving end of both jenny and asparagus's love woes while battling her long-time feelings for jenny that she'd long since buried (jenny's been in love w skimble for aaaaages now) and her new budding feelings for asparagus and the poor girl is so confused. and stressed. but trying her best to be there for the people who need her.

 skimble and gus break up on sad but not bad terms. jenny and skimble eventually start dating and jelly and asparagus cry in each other's arms as jelly reveals to him her feelings for jenny and then soon after, her inner conflict over her feelings for him too. asparagus takes her by the chin and kisses her ever so softly and that's that. (it's the cutest most tender thing). anyway jelly continues to try to tamp down her feelings for jenny and predictably fails. however here's what's going on with skimble: he's so unbelievably happy with jenny but asparagus continues to haunt him. they're all still great friends but it's a little strained sometimes between the two of them. there are many caught sorrowful, regret-filled glances and pangs as he gazes at how *handsome* asparagus is as he laughs with the girls in the sunlight. as for jenny she is still completely oblivious to jelly's feelings for her and hasn't really fully developed her own romantic feelings towards her? like she feels the connection but doesn't understand yet that it isn't platonic. or maybe it isn't yet! she doesn't know and neither do i :3

(part 1)

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this is a response to an ask from @afairytalestray from such a long time ago that i cant even remember the original ask (i accidentally deleted it lmao) tumblr wouldnt let me upload it but i found it today in my google docs where apparently id put it to stop tumblr from deleting it altogether. i havent edited any of it so you get the whole word vomit lmao

annoyingly ive had to break this post up into small chunks :( becasue tumblr wont let me uplod the whole thing for some unknown godforsaken fucking reason. im gonna tag each one with #jellyjennyskimblegus-sometimes-ft-bustopher polycule though

i have many thoughts about the jellyjennyskimblegus-sometimes-ft-bustopher polycule. it's not exactly what you asked for but i'm going to talk about it anyway :3 (this is a version where gus is asparagus's father and jelly and caramel have different parents. who are they? well your guess is as good as mine lmao) (also just to be clear; jelly and skimble do not have feelings for each other and jenny and asparagus do not have feelings for each other)

so jelly and jenny were rly tight growing up, their families were pretty close. they told each other EVERYTHING. jenny confided in jelly somewhat nervously when she realised she was pansexual and jelly was ofc super supportive.

meanwhile skimble return home to his bf asparagus every time the night mail returns to London and they are happy. all 4 are v good friends. jenny however develops feeling for skimble and is rly torn up about it bc yk he's in a happy relationship so what can she do? but then skimble and asparagus have a big blowup fight (about what i have no idea i am putting these months-old vague ideas into writing and filling up the gaps on the spot as i go) and suddenly jelly and asparagus are tight? somehow jelly has ended up on the receiving end of both jenny and asparagus's love woes while battling her long-time feelings for jenny that she'd long since buried (jenny's been in love w skimble for aaaaages now) and her new budding feelings for asparagus and the poor girl is so confused. and stressed. but trying her best to be there for the people who need her.

 skimble and gus break up on sad but not bad terms. jenny and skimble eventually start dating and jelly and asparagus cry in each other's arms as jelly reveals to him her feelings for jenny and then soon after, her inner conflict over her feelings for him too. asparagus takes her by the chin and kisses her ever so softly and that's that. (it's the cutest most tender thing). anyway jelly continues to try to tamp down her feelings for jenny and predictably fails. however here's what's going on with skimble: he's so unbelievably happy with jenny but asparagus continues to haunt him. they're all still great friends but it's a little strained sometimes between the two of them. there are many caught sorrowful, regret-filled glances and pangs as he gazes at how *handsome* asparagus is as he laughs with the girls in the sunlight. as for jenny she is still completely oblivious to jelly's feelings for her and hasn't really fully developed her own romantic feelings towards her? like she feels the connection but doesn't understand yet that it isn't platonic. or maybe it isn't yet! she doesn't know and neither do i :3

(part 1)

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A simple ball of yarn is great joy to play with.

Rhianne Alleyne as Bombalurina.

International Tour in Beijing, 24 November 2024.

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CATS the musical: eyes

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R.I.P. to THE Old Deuteronomy. You’ll be missed Ken Page 💕

You’ve seen us both at work and games, And learnt about our proper names, Our habits, and our habitat: But how would you address a cat?

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Those 2 seconds where Munk does that little head rub with Alonzo, yeah I wanted to draw that 😊

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this time im humbly requesting drabble prompts

me brain wants to write about the silly kitties but it’s been so long I don’t know what to write about lmao

I don’t mind which characters!! mix it up a bit hehehe

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cats the musical isn't bad, y'all are just mean: sincerely, a cats fan who is exhausted with having to defend her favorite show

every time one of those theater polls pops up with a show against cats the musical, it's inevitable that the other show's fans, despite cats fans never saying anything negative, decide to make really negative and rude comments towards the musical and the fans.

most of the comments always say that no one understands how anyone can like cats the musical, or how the other musical is superior, or how the other musical is so incredibly important to the fans.

a show being important to someone is extremely valid, but people who are fans of other shows seem to always forget that there is also a reason why cats the musical has fans.

so allow me to provide some reasons as to why someone might be a fan of cats the musical:

the dancing, which is incredibly athletic and impressive

the songs, which provide a way for different actors and actresses to show off their vocal prowess, and have different tempos and meanings and also, you know, include one of the most iconic Broadway songs that has ever existed

the costumes, which have specifically character-oriented designs

the countless number of non-replica productions that take different interpretations of the show, and create incredibly creative designs for costumes and sets

the amount of LGBTQIA+ coded characters and relationships that take on different interpretations based around how they are played and portrayed.

the amount of LGBTQIA+/POC actors who have portrayed characters in the musical throughout the years, many of which put their own gender/sexual identity into their portrayal of the character.

cast members who directly interact with the fandom, and who encourage fanworks and posts about the musical with excitement

the different countries that have pulled Cats the Musical into their culture, and that have allowed countless groups of fans to be able to see the show live

but you know what?

People don't have to give a reason for why they love a show. If someone is asked why they enjoy a show like, say, Newsies, or Phantom of the Opera, or Falsettos, those fans don't have to go into a deep dive defending their love of the show.

There's a type of stigma that Cats is cringey because of the costumes, or because it "doesn't have a story", which is something that people say that I always find funny, as the story of the show is described in one of the FIRST songs of the show.

Jellicle Cats meet once a year At the Jellicle Ball where we all rejoice And the Jellicle leader will soon appear And make what is known as the Jellicle Choice When Old Deuteronomy just before dawn Through a silence you feel could cut with a knife Announces the Cat who can now be reborn And come back to a different Jellicle life For waiting up there is the Heaviside Layer Full of wonders one Jellicle only will see And Jellicles ask because Jellicles dare Who will it be? Who will it be?

If anyone ever gave a second of thought and research, they would see that the show's premise is literally sung about at the start of the show. It's something kind of important called exposition that actually happens in a lot of shows, but apparently Cats isn't allowed to have exposition.

There's also the matter of characters.

There are multiple different characters, both within the main singing cast and the ensemble, who provide fantastic layers to the show itself.

Grizabella, the outsider character who is redeemed and gets to become the Jellicle Choice, and who happens to have the aforementioned most iconic Broadway song, "Memory", a character who provides a contrast to other characters such as Victoria, who is the featured character during the Jellicle Ball

The Rum Tum Tugger, a seemingly selfish and haughty character, who also provides the song for Mr. Mistoffelees, a magical cat who is able to summon back the Jellicle Leader, Old Deuteronomy, who was kidnapped by Macavity, the antagonist of the musical.

It is a show that has so much emotion and meaning, which can be seen even on the most surface viewing. It doesn't take a genius to understand that there is a message of redemption and acceptance within the show as well.

and while i don't like using the awards Cats has been nominated for in order to discuss how impressive the musical is, because I absolutely think it doesn't need the awards to describe how amazing it is, but like... just look at the list of awards for the original London and original Broadway productions:

Cats the Musical was nominated for these awards, and won many of them, for a reason.

People don't want to admit that Cats the Musical is a good show because it is nothing like what has been on Broadway. There is a reason a lot of shows on Broadway right now are revivals, jukebox musicals, or based off of previous media. While, of course, Cats is based off of T.S. Elliot's poetry, it is done in a way that is incredibly original and unique. People are afraid of original ideas on Broadway. It's the reason why, along with Cats the Musical, Starlight Express is also seen as a weird show, because despite the fantastic music and costumes and storyline, because the actors and actresses are dressed as trains or cats, it's a weird show, and the fans are weird.

(though, as you can see above, I am NOT against revivals, jukeboxes, or media-based shows when they are done well. If you're familiar with my main blog, @tending-the-hearth, you are well aware of how much I adore the Outsiders musical, which is just one example of quite a few shows.)

I don't personally like Falsettos. On the poll putting Cats against Falsettos, I did not discuss why I disliked the show, or that it was a crime people were voting for the show.

I adore Newsies. I have a Cats/Newsies crossover fanfiction. My brother and I are obsessed with it. I love Cats more. I'm not writing on the poll that I'm disgusted people are voting for Newsies over Cats.

It is so genuinely unfortunate that, while every other musical and its fans are given love and support by the musical theater community, Cats the Musical and its fans are consistently ostracized and made fun of. (Rather ironic, considering the entire story of Cats the Musical and Grizabella's character)

You can talk about how much you love a show, or why a show is important to you, but you have to understand that for every person who loves a different show, there's someone who loves Cats the Musical for a similar reason.

Me personally? I love Cats the Musical because it's fun. It's an entertaining show with incredible music and characters. I love the show because it is the reason I've met some of my best friends in the entire world. The show got me through COVID, and some very difficult times with my mental health. It's the show I've been lucky enough to see live multiple times, with the most fantastic and kind cast. It is the show that helped me learn about the LGBTQIA+ community via the fandom, understand and become comfortable with being bisexual, and provided characters that I can identify on a personal level. It is the show that made me fall back in love with writing, and helped to create one of my most favorite OCs in the entire world.

I genuinely say that Cats the Musical saved my life.

And that's just my experience.

There are people who have had experiences with other musicals. They see the show as having saved their life, or giving them new experiences. I love that. I love seeing how musical theater has impacted the people who experience it. I think it's wonderful, and it's amazing that there are so many different shows that people can see and fall in love with.

Why are the experiences of Cats the Musical fans suddenly deemed inferior just because of the show they enjoy? Why do we, as fans, have to defend our enjoyment of a show?

You're not cool for hating on Cats the Musical.

You're not cool for hating on fans of the show.

Cats the Musical is a good show, it ran for years in London for a reason, it ran for years on Broadway for a reason, and it's STILL running in Japan for a reason.

Cats the Musical isn't bad, y'all just hate fun.