Brother Henry’s Photo Session

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

I’m happy to say that Brother Henry, Sir Thomas, and I all made it through Howloween without being touched by, as Brother Henry described them, any “sticky-fingered nightmares”. We did have a few close calls though, so we’ve all been kind of laying low for the past week to make sure there weren’t any sticky stragglers hanging around waiting for us to make an appearance.

Anyway, after honoring Leader Otis on the anniversary of His passing a little over a week ago, I started to really miss the photo sessions that I used to have with Him. I mean, He just knew how to work it for the camera like no one else I have ever met. I told Brother Henry how I was feeling and he said, “Well, Brother Oliver, I know I’m not as good at modeling as Leader Otis, but I’d be willing to work with you to see if we can recapture some of the magic you felt while photographing Him. Do you want to try?” I have to admit, I was pretty excited by Brother Henry’s suggestion. I said, “Yes! Let’s do it! Brother Henry, do you think you could recreate Leader Otis’s famous, mesmerizing gaze?” Brother Henry said, “I can sure try! But first, here’s a little something for the lady cats out there.” Brother Henry then made a look that I guess he thought would appeal to our feline sisters.

Brother Henry said this look was for “the lady cats”. I guess he thought they would like it.

Whiskered Gallantry #10- Profile Of The Knight

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

In my ongoing effort to get Thomas’s mind off of wiener dogs and, in case Thomas is the one moving it around, my ongoing effort to make that creepy minion stop appearing in weird places, I decided to try another distraction. My last little ruse didn’t really work as planned, but I knew this time I would be successful.

Even though he sometimes pretends that the photo sessions are a big hassle, Sir Thomas has always been fully onboard with my “Whiskered Gallantry” photo series. This morning, when I told him I had an idea for the next installment in the series, he said, “Well, I did have a lot planned for this morning, but I guess I could do that… you know… for art.” But I could see the excitement in his eyes. As usual, he was an excellent photo subject, and I was able to realize my creative vision. I give you Whiskered Gallantry #10- Profile of the Knight!

Whiskered Gallantry #10- Profile of the Knight

While I was definitely able to realize my creative vision, I was less successful at meeting my goal of getting Thomas’s mind off wiener dogs for. Immediately before he struck the pose above, he said, “I’m imagining my gaze is piercing right through the very soul of commander of a massive wiener assault force. He cannot withstand the gaze. His courage collapses. He barks the retreat, and the whole wiener army retreats on their comically stubby legs!”

Oh well… at least I got the picture.

So Sayeth Brother Oliver

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Whiskered Gallantry #9- The Stalwart Knight

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here.

I realize it has been some time since the last installment in my Whiskered Gallantry photo series. I decided to remedy that this week when we had a break in the rainy weather and the Guardians let us into our Outdoor Domain. When the door opened, Sir Thomas was the first one out, and as he thoroughly assessed the surroundings for any signs of suspicious canine activity, I took a photo without him even being aware that I had done so.

I know I sometimes give Sir T a hard time, but I have to say, when I looked at the image, it took my breath away. Such power! Such confidence! Such vigilance and sense of duty! Leader Otis really knew what He was doing when He made Thomas The Cult’s first knight, and dubbed him “The Heart” of The Cult of Otis.

Without further ado, I bring you my latest photographic masterpiece. Behold Whiskered Gallantry #9- The Stalwart Knight.

Whiskered Gallantry #9- The Stalwart Knight

May his shining visage be an inspiration to all who seek to keep kitties happy, healthy, and safely confined.

In Otis’s Name,

Brother Oliver

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Unofficial Whiskered Gallantry #8- Selfie of the Knight

People and fur people who like The Leader Otis,

It’s Thomas. Ummmmm… well, when I first agreed to collaborate with Brother Oliver on his Whiskered Gallantry photo series, he told me that there would be at least a dozen images in it. Last time I counted, there have only been nine images so far, and some of them don’t really count because they are just variations on the same theme (like Battle Cry and Wiener Cry of the Knight, for instance, or the Fangs of the Knight images).

Anyway, I thought I would help Brother Oliver move the series along by borrowing his camera and taking a photo of myself. I understand that humans call this “taking a selfie”, so, I give you the unofficial Whiskered Gallantry #8: Selfie of the Knight!

Unofficial Whiskered Gallantry #8: Selfie of the Knight

There you have it! I… what? Uh-oh… Brother Oliver just asked why he heard a camera shutter up here in Kitty Valhalla. Oh no! Here he comes! I gotta go!

Thomas Out

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Whiskered Gallantry #7- Ears of the Knight

My Disciples,

Brother Oliver is back at The Bad Place this morning for a recheck on his eye. His eye was cloudy and irritated on Friday morning when the Guardians first took him to The Bad Place. The Guardians didn’t know what had happened, and I overheard them saying that the good people at The Bad Place people didn’t know either, but that the meds Brother O has been since Friday seem to be clearing up the problem. I also heard them say that so far all of the tests on Brother Oliver’s blood had come back negative, which seemed to be good news. I expect that his recheck today won’t be too traumatizing.

Anyway, Brother Oliver had planned to release the next image in his Whiskered Gallantry series today, so he was crestfallen when he realized he was going to The Bad Place instead. When I told him I would post it for him, he cheered up and said, “Thanks Leader O! Please be sure to post my description of the photo too, so everyone understands what I was going for!” I told him I would. So, without further ado, here is Brother Oliver’s description of his latest work, followed by the work itself.

Self-portrait Sunday

Disciples of Otis,

I woke up this morning feeling inspired to drag out the camera and take some photos. I originally wanted to take the next photo in my Whiskered Gallantry series, but Sir Thomas said he needed to work on some extremely important research. He didn’t say what it was about, but probably wiener dogs.

Next, I asked Brother Henry if he would pose for me. He said he couldn’t because he had heard some suspicious barking during the night so he was doing extra security patrols to guard against any attacks by agents of the Long-feared Dog Uprising. Leader Otis was napping, so I didn’t want to bother him. I also asked Mama Cat if she would pose. First she hissed, and then she said, “Why don’t you go photograph yourself!” At least I think she said “photograph”. Anyway, assuming I heard her correctly, I decided to take her advice.

Mama told me to go photograph myself… I think… so I did.

I am officially declaring today, “Self-portrait Sunday” in honor of Mama Cat’s suggestion that I go photograph myself. That ladycat sure has some great ideas…

So Sayeth Brother Oliver

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Whiskered Gallantry 6- Fangs of the Knight

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here. After Thomas heard about Brother Henry’s teeth cleaning at The Bad Place, he got all excited and said he had an idea for the next photo in my Whiskered Gallantry series. Now, as and artist, I usually like to come up with my own ideas for images, but since Thomas has been such a great photo subject I decided I would indulge him this one time. Plus, it really was an intriguing idea. So intriguing, in fact, that I ended up having a difficult time choosing which image I liked best. I finally narrowed it down to two, and I decided that I would include both in my series. Without further ado, I give you Whiskered Gallantry 6-1, Fangs of the Knight!

Whiskered Gallantry 6-1: Fangs of the Knight

And I also give you Whiskered Gallantry 6-2, Better View of Fangs of the Knight!

Whiskered Gallantry 6-2: Better View of Fangs of the Knight!

Whoa. I don’t know about you, but I totally got chills looking at these powerful views of Sir Thomas. By the way, if you are new Disciples of Otis, you may wonder why Sir Thomas has only three fangs, or even why he is called Sir Thomas. The explanations can be found in earlier blog posts. Actually, explanations for a LOT of things can be found in earlier blog posts, so I encourage you to explore the more than 1,030 posts in the archives to learn all that you can about The Cult of Otis, and our crusade to ensure that all kitties are happy, healthy, and safely confined.

So Sayeth Brother Oliver

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Whiskered Gallantry 5- Flight of the Knight

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here. As you know, Thomas has been brushing up on his Flying Squirrel move. He had offered to perform the move in the event he won the fundraising competition we started a couple months back. Well, the fundraising push ends today, and it looks like Leader Otis is the winner. Now, I felt kind of bad that Thomas did all that practicing and he didn’t win, so I decided to try to cheer him up. I’m still working with him on my Whiskered Gallantry photo series, and I thought a photo of him performing his Flying Squirrel move would be a perfect addition to the project. We did the photo shoot last night, and I am proud to bring you the resulting image. I call it “Flight of the Knight”.

Whiskered Gallantry #5- Flight of the Knight

There you have it. I gotta say, the kid really impressed me with his amazing control and perfect form. I think he might even be some real competition for Mama Cat if the Catlympics ever come back to town. And I think she’d be happy about that. After all , she taught him everything he knows.

So Sayeth Oliver

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Whiskered Gallantry 4- The Whimsical Knight

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here. I have completed the next image in my Whiskered Gallantry series! During our latest photo session, I told Sir Thomas that I wanted to see a different side of him. Although he takes his knightly duties very seriously, he is also a cheerful kitty with just a touch of mischievousness. And yes, he is even prone to the occasional act of whimsy. It is this lighter side of Sir Thomas that I have attempted to capture in my newest photo. Here it is:

Whiskered Gallantry 4- The Whimsical Knight

There you have it! What do you think? Can you see the playfulness shining through? I think I can. Either that or a little bit of annoyance that I was pointing the camera at him. I’m going to call it “whimsy” though.

So Sayeth Brother Oliver

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Whiskered Gallantry #3- Battle Cry of the Knight

Disciples of Otis,

Brother Oliver here. I am excited to bring you the third image in my Whiskered Gallantry photo series. For today’s image, I asked Sir Thomas to dig deep and show me his true inner power. I told him to imagine that the Long-feared Dog Uprising had come to pass, and that he was leading a cattalion of 1,200 kitties into battle against the overwhelming might of the mongrel horde. I said that the only thing that could rally the troops and ensure victory would be if he could muster up a mighty battle cry; a cry that would embolden all felines, and strike terror in the heart of any dog within earshot (which would actually be quite a lot of dogs since they have such excellent hearing.) I saw Thomas take in a deep breath, and then he let forth a cry that seemed to shake the very foundations of the earth. I did my best to capture that sound in an image. Here it is.

Whiskered Gallantry #3-1- Battle Cry of the Knight

Now, as awe-inspiring as Thomas’s battle cry was, I wondered if maybe he had been holding back, just a little. So I decided to find out. I said, “OK Thomas. Now, imagine the same scene again… you are leading 1,200 kitties… you need to inspire them… but this time you look across the battlefield and you see the dog who is leading The Mongrel Horde. Thomas… it’s a wiener dog.”

His response was immediate, and although I am not a dog, even I was terrified.

Whiskered Gallantry #3-2- Battle Cry of the Knight Who Saw A Wiener Dog

That cry is still ringing in my ears. Woe be to any dog who dares stand against Sir Thomas. Especially, if it is a wiener dog.

So Sayeth Brother Oliver

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