Plato

✨Personality

this might be a strange way to start with characterizing him, but I imagine that Plato is one of those types of people whose amygdala are just...evidently small. he's simply a lackadaisical, easygoing (some might say lazy...lookin at Jenny and Skimble), and vaguely hedonistic chap. Difficult to rile, slow to anger, almost immune to fear and panic...etc.

he's a well-intentioned Jellicle, but sometimes he's passive and persuadable, even to a fault. he doesn't seem to have impassioned opinions about anything in particular...and you know what they say about not standing for something!

Despite being among the tallest and strongest members of the tribe, you're more likely to find him dozing off or goofing around with the kittens than you are to find him pulling his weight, or accomplishing feats of dexterity for which felines are known. Alonzo, his unofficial mentor, is trying to instill some gusto into him, and perhaps a concept of reverence while he's at it...but you can't make a tabby change his stripes.

Despite being good-natured at his core, Plato is about as cerebral as he is industrious...that is to say, not very. he's prone to forgetting about commitments, making avoidable mistakes, zoning out, and sometimes saying unintentionally insensitive things. you need to be perceiving keenly in order to have an appropriate filter, after all. he's definitely not "stupid"...just seemingly off in his own world more often than not.

He worships Tugger (like many do) and hangs out often with Tumblebrutus and Pouncival. his relationship with Victoria errs on the side of indistinct...but it has potential lol.

✨Backstory

The exact details of his backstory are a little nebulous in my mind atm, but for now I'm going with the idea that he was born into a different colony overseen by a...rather passionate zealot. Baby Plato was not as enamored by this leader's demagoguery as his cohorts all seemed to be, but he did rather take to the leader's flashy younger brother. there was just something about him that had Plato locked in; perhaps there was no rational explanation (there often isn't with kittens!) but he found himself wanting to emulate that handsome, charismatic pinnacle of felinity.

Not long after Plato came around, however, his hero seemed to disappear from the tribe...and when Plato attempted to ask after his whereabouts, his inquiries were strictly shirked. With his idol gone, Plato found himself simply not caring to pledge allegiance to this colony. the environment was too militant, the expectations too demanding, the entire community just...unpleasant and unfun.

as a result, Plato began leaving to roam the streets of London in search of reprieve. his flightiness was deeply frowned upon, leading his companions to seemingly take up the task of ostracizing him into conformity...but Plato was nonplussed. He kept leaving with increasing frequency until, one day, by chance, he found the Junkyard, populated generously with cats who were...singing, and dancing, and...having fun...?

with no concept of propriety and no social anxiety to speak of, Plato immediately attempted to ingratiate himself into this group. the culture shock was almost egregious, but these strange cats didn't turn him away. at first, the wandering kitten would intermittently leave to rejoin his colony, instinctively gravitating back towards the place that he had initially known as "home." But, one day, when he came back to the Junkyard, he saw a familiar face that he had resigned himself to never seeing again.

It was the colony leader's younger brother! his hero! it turned out that he had left Plato's colony to come here, to the Junkyard, to embody the oaths and enjoy the promises of Jellicle Cats. Plato thought that if his idol could do that...so, certainly, could he!