What If?

Hopefully getting chapter seven of my "little boy don't you cry, cause the child in you is still alive" 911: Lone Star fan-fiction up today. I suddenly got hit of inspiration today.

The fourteen-year-old and ninth grader Tyler Kennedy Strand who goes by Tk was riding high until he was not. His life turned upside down in the course of one short week. It was the 2010 Manhattan school districts homecoming week, everything was good great then it suddenly turned into a nightmare. Now to get away from all the pain his dad is moving him to Austin, Texas. Owen is rebuilding 126 fire-station which recently suffered a great loss, most of the firefighters lost their lives.

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.

A rainbow compilation of my bg3 tattoo designs! Happy pride!

Wylan: We have crime statistics? Crime? That warrants statistics??

Jesper: ….You make bombs, Merchling

Wylan: WE’RE THE CRIMINALS?? FROM THE STATISTICS??

The Main six Baldur's Gate Companions

The Crows are to the Grishaverse as the Guardians of the Galaxy are to Marvel. Like all the avengers and shadow and bone characters are like “ahh the weight of world is on our shoulders” but all the crows and the guardians just want their goddamn money

I have too much time on my hands and I wanted to prove my point, so enjoy these guardians quotes replaced by the crows characters

Van Eck: [insert long villain monologue here]

Kaz: yeah, blah blah blah but WE’D LIKE TO GET PAID

Inej: The contact is making me wait.

Kaz: That’s just a negotiation tactic - trust me, this is my speciality. Whereas yours is more… stab, stab, stab

Nina: I have no need of the money

Kaz: Well great, more money for the rest of us!

Jesper: What’s that?

Wylan: Don’t touch that, it’s a bomb

Jesper: AND YOU JUST LEAVE IT LYING AROUND!???

Wylan: … well I was gonna put it in a box

Matthias: I’m a warrior, an assassin. I don’t dance.

Nina: Really? Well, in my country we have a legend about people like you. It’s called Footloose. And a great hero, named Kevin Bacon, teaches an entire city of people with sticks up their butts that, dancing, well it’s the greatest thing there is.

Matthias: Who put the sticks up their butts? That is cruel.

started a little collection of rosekiller onehsots :) it'll be ongoing for a while.