fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2304 ]

[ SECRET POST #2304 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2304 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

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02.

[Veronica Mars]

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03.

[Trailer Park Boys]

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04.

[Star Ocean: The Second Story]

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05.

[Katekyo Hitman Reborn!]

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06.

[Prometheus]

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07.

[Katekyo Hitman Reborn!, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, Zettai Karen Children]

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08.

[Kids in the Hall]

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09.

[Vividred Operation]

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10.

[dick & dom]

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11.

[Game of Thrones]

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12.

[Spartacus: War of the Damned]

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13.

[CATS]

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14.

[Archer]

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15.

[Doctor Who]

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 033 secrets from Secret Submission Post #329.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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13. http://i.imgur.com/lg3yS3w.jpg
[CATS]

That's what sock accounts are for. NBD.

Ugh, I remember trying to join CATS fandom when I was 9 or so. So many RP boards with Mr Mistofelles/Violet.

I don't think people would think you're a furry. Just into a super old fandom.

If it makes you feel better, I ship them too. That musical was amazing. I loved the choreography.

I definitely ship(ped) this. And I don't think it makes you a furry, so.

I remember interpreting them as siblings, because they looked so similar, but I'd love to read your essay, OP!

(I ship Mistofelees/Rum Tum Tugger and Skimbleshanks/Jennyanydots.)

Oh lord Tugger and Mistofelees hnnnggg. The best thing about that movie tbh.

Well if you really want to read it, I guess it's doing no good sitting here on my hard drive? I never actually meant for it to be a cogent argument though, so just take it with a pinch of salt and enjoy!

*

OK, this is going to be my definitive word on the whole “Are Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer siblings or mates?” debate.

I think the reason these shipping debates often turn into arguments is because people try to apply their preference as a blanket statement over the history of the musical, and conflicting information emerges as a result. It doesn’t work to say “so-and-so are definitely mates in CATS” because in every production, the relationships between characters differ dramatically according to the director’s vision and the chemistry between individual actors. In the original TS Elliot poem, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer’s genders were unspecified but colloquially implied to be male (“two fellows”). In some productions, they are opposite genders but have totally different markings. In others, they are nearly identical and obviously intended to look like twins. It’s my belief that the confusion, and therefore debate, is rooted in the 1998 film because they display the conflicting signals of being twin-like in appearance, and yet so very... shall we say... cuddly?

Obviously I can’t say for certain what the designers’ thought processes were concerning the matching costumes – sure, it could certainly be meant to indicate familial resemblance, but it’s also a neat visual design trick. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer’s physical resemblance to each other is a cue to the audience that signifies hey, these two are a duo, they have a major number dedicated to them and you’re meant to react to them as a single entity. Their similar markings create a pleasing visual symmetry when they’re the focus onstage, with their stripes likely a cheeky nod to the classic cartoon burglar/jailbird cliché.

So yes, they look alike enough to be siblings. And they certainly goof off together in a way that a lot of real-life siblings would recognise – they josh around, giggle, playfully swat at each other and generally muck about (like the point-and-giggle bit in The Old Gumbie Cat). And perhaps that was all it was originally intended to be, but when filming rolled around, something changed all that. Two somethings, in fact, whose names are Drew Varley and Jo Gibb.

The nuances of a performance can dramatically change and develop based the actors involved. It just so happens that Drew and Jo have bucketsful of chemistry, and you see it every single time they’re onscreen together. It’s hardly surprising, since Jo has mentioned in interviews that she and Drew had a social life together outside the production, and he was the person she had the most fun with on set. And it really shows. They’re constantly catching each others’ eyes when they sing, and I don’t just mean in their personal number; they do it when they’re singing the generic group songs, when there’s no reason for them to be interacting. Have a look at them right after their “Jellicle cats are of moderate size” line in the Jellicle Ball. The camera focuses on Cassandra, and off to the side you can see Jerrie and Teazer pressed right up against each other, grinning and giggling about something before turning back to dance. It’s in the middle of a serious number and no-one else is pairing off; they just do it because they’re clearly having a blast together. That isn’t the only time this happens, either. Later in the Jellicle Ball when Misto, Victoria and Tumble lean back together dramatically at the musical crescendo, you can see Jerrie take Teazer by the hand and twirl her, and in the next shot she’s looking at him and giggling. The camera’s not even focused on them; they’re just in the moment. As far as I can tell, the only other couple that does a lot of stuff like this is Alonzo and Cassandra, and I don’t think a single person familiar with CATS would ever call their relationship “just friendly”.

Whenever they’re not actively dancing, like when the tribe is lying around listening to the slower numbers, Jerrie and Teazer are always together – not only that, but they’re interactively together. They don’t just primly sit next to each other without touching or looking at each other, which is what you usually see with, say, Coricopat and Tantomile. They whisper, they giggle, they nuzzle. Physically, they’re all over each other. And they frequently do this when none of the other cats are explicitly pairing off or paying attention to each other. A good example of this is while Munkustrap and Tugger sing Old Deuteronomy, when most of the cats are either watching Munk or sleepily wriggling around solo on the floor. But Teazer and Jerrie up on the car at the back... where to begin? Jerrie starts by gesturing for Teazer to lie down first (funnily enough for a ‘villain’, he does a lot of gentlemanly stuff like that, offering his arm etc; it’s adorable). Then he scoots up close behind her and drapes his arm round her side. After a moment, he lies down with his head in her lap. When Tugger comes in to sing his portion of the song, Teazer drapes her arms over Jerrie’s shoulders from behind, then he turns around and... does that thing where he pushes her leg way up and dabbles/strokes her inner thigh, which is kind of a wtf moment as it’s weirdly sexual for a song about the grandfatherly Deuteronomy. It’s the same during Gus The Theatre Cat – they’re the only two characters who have explicitly paired off and got cuddly when the plot doesn’t require it. Look at the other cats. They’re all sitting and lying alone.

Other examples? What the hell, this thing’s turning into a novel anyway. How about during the Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer number? I’m not going to cite the whole thing, because it’s a canon part of the production and they have no choice but to be together, but the little touches that Drew and Jo add to their performance are adorable. First of all, they hold hands a lot, which is not strictly part of the choreography and doesn’t always happen in other productions (it certainly wasn’t in the two versions I saw in London). Secondly, whenever Rumpleteazer sings her name, Jerrie checks her out. Have a look, it’s hilarious. He does it at least twice, the second time being impossible to miss – Teazer smirks and does a sexy little wiggle, and Jerrie looks her up and down, lolls his tongue out, then turns back to the audience and points at her while clearly mouthing “Phwoaaar!”. Drew acts it gorgeously and his expression is an absolute riot.

Then there’s a rather cute little exchange that’s easy to miss if you’re not looking for it, directly after Skimbleshanks’ number when Macavity makes his reappearance. It’s hard to see because of the strobe lights and fast-paced editing, but Teazer is on her own when the cats panic and scatter, and if you keep her in sight you can see her crouching on the ground looking around wildly. Jerrie’s a little way off, caught behind Skimble and Munkustrap. As soon as she clocks him and vice versa, Jerrie flings out his hand and Teazer divebombs through Skimble’s legs into his arms. There are plenty of nearer cats she could have sought comfort from, but she looks specifically for Jerrie.

I could go on. If you run through the whole production watching just Jerrie and Teazer, you’ll notice that they’re literally only ever apart when the choreography demands it, like in certain parts of the Jellicle Ball when the cats are grouped by gender. And even so, you’ll see that they still always end up next to each other as soon as they can engineer it. Outside the instrumental dances, it’s practically a given. I got to the beginning of Magical Mr Mistofelees and was wondering if this was the song that would break tradition, since I couldn’t see them anywhere. But when Misto says “Presto!”, the lights come up and oh hey! Jerrie and Teazer are together on stage right, and what a surprise, his arm’s round her waist and her hand’s on his thigh. Oh look, now she’s draped over his legs. And now they’re holding hands as Misto and Cassandra take a bow. During Memory? They’re cuddled up together in the broken washer on stage left, looking at each other when everyone else is looking at Grizabella. It’s literally every single scene.

Of course I can't not mention the Mating Dance. Out of all the commonly popular pairings – like Munkustrap/Demeter, Misto/Victoria, Bomba/Tugger – Jerrie and Teazer are the only ones who don’t find a different partner for this dance. Most of the others pair up with some random character they’ve barely interacted with before (Tugger and Jennyanydots, seriously?). Not Jerrie and Teazer, though. And man, some of the stuff they do is full on. There’s a lot of straddling and leg-twining, and at one point their position looks exactly like this: http://moonwolves.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/underworld-3-sex-scene.jpg

So, the bottom line? In the 1998 film at least, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are as much if not more consistently close and affectionate (often very non-platonically so) than nearly every other couple in the production. They have as strong a case for being mates as any other pairing. Sure, you can argue that they’re siblings as well if that’s your bag – there’s nothing necessarily to contradict it – but to those who insist their interactions are nothing more than familial? Hi guys, 1998-Jerrie-and-Teazer are on the phone. They’re cuddling pretty damn close, and they’d like a word with you.

[Re: Coricopat and Tantomile: just a note since I was sure someone would bring in their ubiquitous proximity at some point and compare them with Jerrie/Teazer. Sure, Cori and Tanto practically never leave each others’ side, but I got a very different vibe from them. Their dancing style consists mostly of mirroring each other in a rather smooth and ethereal way, and despite their undeniable closeness, they don’t actually touch or look at each other very often. I just didn’t get much chemistry from them, which for me is the major difference between their relationship and Jerrie/Teazer’s. Obviously YMMV on this. Jerrie and Teazer look at each other, whisper, giggle, hold hands, touch and lie all over each other at the slightest provocation. In the whole production I don’t remember ever seeing Cori and Tanto look each other in the eye, and I think they only properly touch when they join hands with Jemima as she sings Memory. Even when they’re together in the Mating Dance, they’re just mirroring each other again. To me, that is what makes their proximity twin-like and Jerrie/Teazer’s mate-like.)]

*

Wow it seems even more embarrassing seconde time round, particularly since it also seems a little RPFy which is also another bugbear of mine. I can't believe I wrote this much about shipping in CATS

I had a VHS taped of the TV when I was sixteen or so. I didn't watch it every day, but still often enough to be kind of embarrassed about it.

Aww, I shipped them so hard back in the day! :D

I love Cats. Love, Love, LOVE!

... But I don't ship those two. In my head cannon, they're siblings. But I don't mind that you do ship them. Each to their own. However, I'm not gonna want to read your essay forcing that pairing down my throat. I don't believe "LOOK AT ALL THIS EVIDENCE!!!" shipping essays for most fandoms because shipping evidence can sometimes be misinterpreted/pulled out of thin air. I'm not saying you're misinterpreting in this case, just seeing things differently than me. There is evidence that they're mates just like, to me, there's evidence that they're not.

We don't have any set "word of god" declarations of who is exactly related to whom in this musical. Every relationship between every. single. character. is up for each person's own interpretation. It's actually one of the most frustrating things about the Cats fandom to me.

(For pairings I do like.... Munkustrap/Demeter and Tugger/Bomba among others. I don't have the time or space to map out my head cannon here for how I think everyone is related to each other.)

lol well I was exaggerating, I guess. Even in this crappy essay no-one will ever read, I still have "ONLY MY OPINION" and "I GET THIS VIBE, BUT YOU MIGHT NOT" all over it. I'm polite even in my secrets rants lol

I didn't think shipping two characters who happened to be anthropomorphic cats together made you a furry? I thought you had to be attracted to the anthropomorphic cat yourself for that?

That aside, I have only the vaguest memories of the musical, but from what I do remember, I was pretty much Bomba/Demeter all the way.

Bombalarina was so hot

I too, was obsessed with this musical when I was 11/12... and I shipped them.

Also I thought the sexy people in cat costumes looked really, err, nice! I don't think liking Cats makes one a furry, though. You'd have to create an animal avatar and join Furry message boards and so on.

We used to rent this movie from the local library as kids, and during the M&R number my sister and I would dance around the living room with pillowcases, pretending to be them. I'm probably biased from that, but I always assumed they were siblings, especially because they looked so similar.

OT

Wow, the male cat is pretty hot, anybody know the actor's name?

Drew Varley <3

well, aren't *you* special.

I get the feeling more and more these days that 99% the people here who claim they are a bnf are just wishing really hard.

lmao out of everything, that's what you focus on? Makes it look like you have issues

It was kind of tongue-in-cheek, I don't think I could seriously use the term BNF, but it's a pretty tiny fandom and I have one of the only novel-length fics. It really wasn't menat to be that big a deal.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2013-04-25 13:24 (UTC) - Expand

THEY'RE A NOTORIOUS COUPLE OF CATS

…fml i hate that show

I, too, see them as siblings (considering the very similar colors and pattern), but I can see where someone would get the "mates" vibe from that video. However, essays about something like that would not be wise - for one, preachy fans are not particularly well-loved. Secondly: The video is only one adaption of the musical. Depending on the cast, show, whatever - the character dynamics in Cats may differ quite a bit.

(My personal headcanon makes Victoria and Misto siblings, children of Grizabela and maybe Macavity, even though they are a very popular pairing in the fandom. I slash Misto and Tugger - not just because of the video but because of some very slashy scenes in two stage productions.)

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2013-04-25 09:41 (UTC) - Expand

OP

(Anonymous) - 2013-04-25 13:22 (UTC) - Expand

It makes me warm and fuzzy inside that other people ship them too. They were one of my first OTPs, and I just think they're the cutest. Pity the fandom is so old and mostly dead now, it used to be pretty fun.

this made me go look up the jellicle chronicles again lol haven't been there since 2002

You could always just make separate accounts dedicated to ships/stuff you're embarrassed about.

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