Any tuggoffelees headcanons perhaps? 😸
Also, I love the way you write things, it's pretty addictive to read.
tuggoffelees occupies at least fifty per cent of my mind palace at any given time so yes I definitely have hcs that Id love to share lmao. in all likelihood I could rave and gush until the end of time but I'll valiantly contain myself within the bounds of tumblrs character limit lmao
also thank you!!! ;w;
Tugger Is A Selective Ass Listener
Mistoffelees is really the only cat that Tugger unhesitatingly listens to. the latter has a notorious predisposition for disobedience and contrarianism, even, sometimes, towards Old Deutoronomy. it's more common though to witness Munkustrap telling him to do something or other, only to have to face down Tugger's bottomless pugnacity. (and that's his brother...if it's Skimble or Asparagus or Jelly or any of the elders...let alone a peer like Bombalurina...forget it lmao. they hardly even try after a certain point). however...if Mistoffelees echoes the command or chastises Tugger for not listening, or encourages him to obey...nothing gets Tugger to pipe down and comply faster. it's a mystical phenomenon that is known to many cats in the junkyard. a few of the kittens might even speculate that it can be attributed to Mistoffelees's magic, like he's using hypnosis...but the truth is, of course, that Tugger is just very, very whipped.
Vitriolic Best Frienditude
I see their relationship as embodying the "vitriolic best friends" trope in the most wholesome sense i.e., there's plenty of ribbing, teasing, good-natured spats, comedic disagreements, scathing nicknames. it's just one layer of their unique dynamic that contains multitudes lmao. in plenty of other instances, they coexist in companionable silence, especially since Mistoffelees is characteristically on the quieter side (and sometimes seemingly hesitates to talk at all). but the two of them read each other's signals so well --- the silences are never awkward, the vitriol is never genuinely hurtful.
Tashing
Tugger, contrary to his reputation, is not a "touchy-feely" cat. in fact, if you could see past the veneer of prurient mischief, you'd see a cat that's actually rather aloof...a little cagey, even. so unless the context is ✨romantical✨, he's not as likely to seek out tactile affection and cuddles per the average Jellicle. also sometimes nuzzling messes up his mane!! there is, of course, one (1) cat that can impulsively nuzzle/hug/cuddle the Tugger, even foregoing permission, and that's Mistoffelees. granted, Mistoffelees rarely seeks out those kinds of interactions (unless he's cold lmao) but there's an unspoken understanding that a physical display of affection from Mistoffelees is something that is very soothing to Tugger. there have been enough instances where Tugger gets riled up about something, only to be calmed by Mistoffelees materializing behind him, wrapping his arms around his neck, nuzzling him, purring. (incidentally, when he does this...his feet don't reach the ground lmao so he's kind of just planted on Tugger's back like a spider or a koala or smth).
on the other end, Mistoffelees isn't as guarded when it comes to tactile mores of the felinological sort. but Tugger takes certain extraneous liberties lol such as using Mistoffelees's head as an elbow rest, randomly lifting him, ruffling his head fur, etc.
They Will Do Crimes For Each Other (deadass)
they are protective of each other in different ways. Tugger's protective streak is more archetypal, more obvious. loud and conspicuous. a threat toward Mistoffelees, verbal or otherwise, is tantamount to a declaration of war. Tugger is slower to resort to offensive combat than Munkustrap or Alonzo...but if Mistoffelees is in the picture, it's on sight!! meanwhile, Mistoffelees is more of the 'quiet and dangerous' ilk of protector. he keeps more levelheaded, which in a way...makes him more of a terror. severe slights against Tugger may result in Mistoffelees wielding his magic in ways that he never does otherwise. and I don't mean in an explosive, violent way...I mean like, he'll turn up his beguiling tactics to the utmost degree. he'll play psychological games. he'll unleash his 'eccentric confusions' in a ruthless fashion. it's...about as close as he ever comes to using his magic in a way that's comparable to Macavity's tactics.
The Incomprehensibly Fateful Initial Meeting (or: Tugger acquires a new accessory)
Mistoffelees's arrival to the junkyard constituted a formative turning point for Tugger while he had been struggling with ingratiating with the Jellicles after the difficult process of detaching himself from Macavity. their initial introduction was very emblematic of who they are as cats; Tugger, in a bad mood after he lost something as seemingly superficial as his bandana down a storm drain and being touchy/irate as a result...and Mistoffelees, that eccentric new kitten, mystifying the younger cats with his little magic tricks. Tugger was encouraged to go say hi to him, be friendly, help welcome him...and Tugger probably would have shirked such pleasantries with some hot shot kid who's got the leading members of HIS fan club in a tizzy. but the Rum Tum Tugger IS a curious cat...and he'd have been remiss to admit that he wasn't dying to know what the big deal about this new arrival was.
he approaches the group of cats and kittens who are crowded around the tux in time to see him complete a sleight of hand card trick. the small audience erupts in cheers and claps. one of the kittens, noticing Tugger's arrival, encourages him to let Mistoffelees perform one of his tricks for him (he'll be amazed!). Tugger, of course, being too cool for school, is like mmm nahhh...but the kittens BEG him to give it a shot, and Tugger, used to appeasing his fans, concedes. Mistoffelees smiles ambiguously at him, and Tugger kneels down to his height, waiting for whatever ostensibly amazing feat of trickery is coming. Mistoffelees doesn't say a word to him; in fact, Tugger hadn't heard him talk at all up to that point. instead, the tux soundlessly reaches for somewhere in the vicinity of Tugger's ear, which causes the latter to reel back instinctively. he plays off his dramatic reaction a bit with an unsettled smile, but then declares that he doesn't allow for touching of his glorious mane. Mistoffelees is visibly taken aback; he recoiled when Tugger did.
of course, the kittens come in clutch again. Etcetera most likely is particularly insistent ("aw come on Tugger, just let him!!!") and, once again, Tugger's arm is proverbially twisted into resignation. he tentatively resituates himself in such a way that allows the quiet illusionist to conduct the trick. Mistoffelees reaches, combs his paw into Tugger's hair and seems to just play with it for a minute. Meanwhile Tugger is just sitting there like O_o. but then, Mistoffelees draws back, withdrawing his paw...and, with it, comes a long beautiful strip of fabric with leopard spots that match Tugger's own fur pattern around his chest and arms and feet. the kittens, of course, are rapt...and, admittedly, so is Tugger. his disposition flips like a coin. he's smiling (a genuine smile!), impressed, his previous reservations forgotten. when Mistoffelees hands him the bandana, Tugger examines it, and even extends verbal kudos to the magician. he can't figure out how it was done!
He goes to hand the bandana back, thinking it belongs to Mistoffelees, that it's something he typically uses for such tricks. but Mistoffelees, still wordlessly, nudges it back towards him. Tugger is confused for a second, but quickly realizes that Mistoffelees means for him to keep it. he's almost sort of touched...he had JUST lost his bandana, and as if coming in clutch, this random cat he doesn't know gifts him a new, honestly cooler one...but there's no way Mistoffelees could have known that...right...?
Suffice to say, although neither of them knew...that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship lmao. I could wax poetical for paragraphs and paragraphs about why the two of them work so well together, but that first meeting was a solid representation of the essence of their dynamic. Mistoffelees is a consunmate showman, as is Tugger, but there was never an air of competition or of insecurity or jealousy or any such unpleasantries. Mistoffelees, as far as Tugger was concerned, was the only cat he had ever met up to then that had no expectations of him; no ogling admirations, no prejudicial judgments. that didn't see him as a conquest, or a celebrity, or a henchman, or a project. and Mistoffelees, meanwhile, notices the evident sincerity of Tugger's attachments towards him. he's intuitive enough to glean quickly that most of Tugger's affections are, apparently, superficial and angled...and yet, despite Mistoffelees not partaking in the fandom, Tugger seeks him of all cats out, encourages his talents, praises him even when nobody else is around...so none of it, for once, is a performance. the two can just be so organic and raw with each other Im asfafoihgope
their idiosyncrasies are also fun to compare and contrast, like...both are showmen who enjoy being the center of attention when it's controlled. both know and understand what it feels like to be used. both grapple with prejudice, with the presuppositions about their propensity for evilness (because Tugger was raised by Macavity and Mistoffelees is magical, which, in my CATS universe, has negative connotations in certain religious groupings amid pious denominations of the cat world). however, Tugger is loquacious, extroverted, gregarious...while Mistoffelees is quiet, observant, cryptic. they balance each other out aaaa it's cute idk.
A Comprehensive Guide To Dealing With the Unique Situation Of Having A Superpowered Boyfriend? Best Friend
I just like to think that Tugger is more privy than perhaps anybody else about the multitude of nuances that come along with Mistoffelees's magical powers. it's not as simple as catapulting force lightning at every wayward piece of furniture on a whim! I think Tugger was the first to know of the extent of Mistoffelees's abilities (as described before, others in the yard knew that he could perform magic, but at first he kept it to seemingly explicable illusions --- sleight of hand things that are cool, but not actually preternatural) and has learned so extensively about them from a combination of tenure and fascination. he keyed in early on to the possibility of Magic Exhaustion (tm), and to the way Mistoffelees's power levels correlate with the moon phases, and how soporific a New Moon is to the Conjuring Cat. he knows to an extent better than most others, what exactly Mistoffelees 'can and can't' do, what sorts of magic he struggles with versus what he excels at, etc. like he might know these little details like, conjuring requires more energy than vanishment. he knows that if Mistoffelees tries to transmute anything without a Full Moon, he'll probably exert himself beyond his means and pass out. he knows when Mistoffelees is 'sensing' something, like an unseen entity or if he's having a moment of prescience. he knows that Mistoffelees struggles the most with sionic/psychic magic and that he dislikes even trying it (and that every time he does he gets a splitting headache).
for the most part, Tugger is infinitely impressed by the Conjuring Cat. this is known. as an unappeasable, unsatisfiable itinerant in almost all regards, it's nigh impossible to impress and excite him --- but Mistoffelees manages to do it all the time! that being said, there are truthfully a handful of downsides. Tugger's great at putting on an easygoing veneer, so all might not be privy to the moments when he's feeling pretty anxious about his friend...like when Mistoffelees overexerts and then goes comatose. when he's unrousable for longer than Tugger expects. when Macavity and all and sundry catch wind of him and he becomes a target. when he jumps into the line of fire, aggrandized into a save-the-day sort of role by virtue of being a literal sorcerer.
Tugger, on one paw, wants to show Mistoffelees off to everyone. he wants the world to know how uncredible this cat is, wants to bask in the glory of having the rare privilege of knowing him. but sometimes, on the other paw (indecisive as ever)...he wishes he could just have Mistoffelees to himself, where he's safe and where neither of them have to worry about the supposed ramifications of being able to shoot lightning out of your hands and suchlike.
despite those feelings, I don't personally see either Tugger or Mistoffelees as codependent of possessive of the other. their relationship is so organic and natural, bereft of miscommunication or distrust or overcompensation or jealousy or any such shortcomings. Tugger is protective without being patronizing. Mistoffelees is watchful without being hypervigilant. and so on and so forth.
fellas is it queer if your relationship with your bro is so profound that it actually transcends spacetime and subversely defies the cultural paremeters of any label available in any language, thus making this question unanswerable?
idk if this is an hc at this point. now I'm just babbling. but for what it's worth I'm a SAP...a SUCKER...a slut, even....for the type of relationship between two dudes that is nebulous and layered beyond the realm of conventional categorization. the kind of thing where it's like, they'd do anything for each other. they are soothed and balanced by each other's presence. one cannot imagine a world without the other. they are both 100% of themselves and their connection does not detract from either, nor does either need the other to complete their picture. they do, of course, love each other, yes. is it friendship? romance? sexual or sensual? familial? a partnership? a domestic union? none of the above! it's somehow something else entirely! it is more than all of that, and yet the most lightweight and simplest alternative.
is it ridiculous for me to wax and wane hither and thither so philosophically over two campy fictional dancing and singing anthropomorphic cats who technically only directly interact for a net total of like ten minutes??? yes, it is! but there are worse things
I just like to think that that's the kind of relationship they have. you can't stick a neat and tidy label on it. I think in their materially planar bubbles in which they are beholden to cultural mores, there's potential for spindles made out of the What Are We? sort of threads. but like I often indulge in the imagery of it being like a sam/frodo thing where we just don't even know what to call it lmao.
all that is to say. knowing how prevalent the idea of reincarnation is in the world of CATS, I do like to think of Tuggoffelees as something of a cosmic fixture in the grand scheme of the universe. in my personal CATS canon [[I need to think of a damn title for this thing]] there comes a time when Mistoffelees has to come to terms with the fact that he's going to outlive all of his loved ones. when Tugger becomes privy to this, and to Mistoffelees's apprehensions about it, he promises (with some levity because this IS Tugger we're talking about) that he'll always find Mistoffelees in every subsequent Jellicle Life. he'll always come back to get on his nerves. Mistoffelees is incredulous; it's not like Tugger's future incarnations will remember his past lives and have the wherewithal to do any such thing. But Tugger insists that he'll always be Looking, even if his future incarnations don't necessarily know what specifically FOR, because he'll always be a restless soul (that can only be truly settled by one vital connection, as we have already seen). he assure Mistoffelees that the latter will know when future Tuggers have found him; and Mistoffelees chuckles and says he's sure that he will.
both of them know that neither of them REALLY believe that. but it's a comforting thought.
recently I've been juggling with the idea that after escorting Old Tugger to the Heaviside Layer, Mistoffelees casts a spell for which he sacrifices his voice to make it so that he can always identify Tugger's soul, and only that soul will be able to hear him speak. subsequent generations of cats will come to know the legendary Mistoffelees as entirely mute, although none will know the reason why. that's a whole other thing tho asdflkapsofi
