#What a Mug {Mugman}

[spinningchipfreak]

Guys i made that with straight face i swear /j

[4ce-of-2pades-inkwell]

Fanart for @inkwellphasmophobia!!!

I got really inspired by the Phasmophibia AU. Specifically, oddly enough, by the whole mental asylum part in particular. It would be Mugs, wouldn't it? (Seems like no matter what AU, the one consistent thing about him is that he's gonna snap eventually in some way.)

So I did a few sketches, which somehow ended up turning into an entire comic. (I am not going to confess how late I stayed awake working on this.) I didn't feel like taking the time to make a polished version, but I wanted to share it nonetheless, so you're going to have to deal with my messy scribbles and placeholder characters. I don't know how much of this will turn out to be canon, but hopefully it's cool and tragic anyway. (...Does this need trigger warnings?)

(The sketches on the right of this first image aren't panels of the comic, by the way, they're separate drawings. You can tell 'cause they're not in boxes.)

And somehow these two get in an argument:

All this fanart and not a single mention of ghosts.

[daylighteclipsed]

Having Sweater Off Dead thoughts… It’s neat how so much of this episode’s conflict starts off-screen. By the time we find out Cuphead’s having nightmares, Mugman is past the point of alarm or concern. He’s irritated.

So you know this has happened quite a few times, and you know Cuphead has ultimately brushed it off every time Mugman has expressed concern or tried to get Cuphead to address the problem that he wants to pretend is not a problem (i.e. owing the Devil his soul).

Mugman states more than asks this. And when Cuphead hears Mugman’s voice, Cup actually grimaces like he’s been caught. It’s like they’ve argued about this before, and Cuphead knows he isn’t helping his case and is proving Mugman right.

Being woken by the sound of screaming for the nth night because your brother keeps insisting he’s fine when he’s not would grow frustrating quickly. It’s maddening to watch someone you love suffer, to want to help someone who refuses to help themselves. Doubly so if your sleep is also taking a hit.

This is the night Mugman puts his foot down about it, “We’re dealing with this Devil thing once and for all! Come on!” And we get an interesting bit of dialogue when Cuphead still attempts to protest.

This… kind of tells us a lot, right? I mean, up to this point in Part 1, “trust” hasn’t really seemed like a problem between these two. Sure they bicker, but when push comes to shove, they always have each other’s backs.

It’s not Cuphead’s intention, but maybe brushing off Mugman’s concerns and attempts to help feels like distrust to Mugman… ‘I don’t want your help’ can be easily misconstrued as ‘I don’t trust you to help me,’ and Cuphead appears to feel bad when he realizes this. It certainly shuts him up quick.

Now to be fair, to Cuphead, the chances of his brother actually knowing how to save him from the Devil are slim. And based on his nightmare, he doesn’t want Mugman caught in the crossfire, either…

But Cup also uses denial as a coping mechanism, and pretending a problem’s not there won’t solve it. Refusing to think about it, worry about it, address it means that stress will just build and manifest in other ways… like nightmares. (Or increasingly worse behavior, which is what I think we see in Part 2…)

Arguably, Sweater Off Dead is the first suggestion that the Devil is a constant source of stress for both brothers, even when the episodes don’t focus on that. It’s always there in the background. And like we see a bit here, that stress creates some division between the boys, which is exacerbated in Part 2… But that’s a different post.

Because this is Part 1, and it’s full of brotherly sweetness. In Sweater Off Dead, the boys want to resolve conflicts before they can spiral further. The bulk of this episode is Mugman proving he absolutely can save his brother. He can be trusted. Even outside of finding Quadratus and knitting the sweater, he proves it.

Over

and over

and over

and over again. Mugman is willing to sacrifice his life to save Cuphead. There are no guarantees that the magic of the sweater will protect him when he goes to hug Cuphead. In fact, “give your brother one last hug” sounds like it definitely will not… But he still lunges forward anyway.

And if I put my super analysis nerd goggles on, I’d even argue Mugman is the sweater here. Visually. Wrapped around Cuphead like that, protecting him, Mugman is acting as the sweater. Maybe the real invisible, impenetrable sweater was the brother we had all along.

It’s only fitting then that Mugman is the one who slams the sweater on the Devil in the following episode… It’s a temporary solution, but it does buy the brothers some time… which, as it turns out, is all they need for Cuphead’s soul debt to expire.

[mugzymiik]

falling out of the Cuphead fandom after i basically took a certain character's name as my "#1 name for ppl to call me" feels like thievery

[whosectype]

NOOOOO NOT THE CUPLILY ANGST GRGRGRG LET THEM BE HAPPY

cuplily, but angst

cameo with Chai, who belongs to @whosectype (the green one)

[theswapuniversecupheadau]

Hey Mugman i saw in the photo that you had demon eyes like Cuphead when you were younger so what happened now for your eyes to look normal or is that your demon magic

actually Sinister meant Mugs ALREADY performs. Even though the Isles know that they're related as brothers, Mugman tries to convince people that he doesnt share Cuphead's interests and doesnt support him in his evil deeds, so that he will be more trustworthy.

he lies tho.

[popfizzles]

i don't know if you've been asked this b4 or not, but what would the names of human cups and mugs be? :3

Well see the funny thing about that is my "human" versions of Cuphead characters are still super cartoony (like they keep the same noses and eye shapes and are still very squash and stretch).

So I don't REALLY have any qualms about keeping the names just the way they are?

also this reminds me i have some art of human cuphead i never posted

but if i HAD to pick some names, I guess I like Morgan for Mugman. And I'm bouncing between Carter and Cooper for Cuphead. <:)

Val is a perfectly fine name for her whether she's human or not, and I've already made jokes before that Boba's full name is actually just Robert so HKJGFDH

[xshimaeraxx]

DISCLAIMER: I HAVE NOT PROPERLY READ THE LIL LUCIFER AU. I AM WORKING PURELY OFF OF WHAT CC HAS SHOWN US AND WHAT I’VE LEARNED AB GABRIEL’S CHARACTER WHILE DIGGING THRU BRIGHTGOAT’S VARIOUS BLOG(S) & SKIMMING LL. U’VE BEEN WARNED.

i feel like we dont acknowledge just how menacing the character of gabriel truly is. for all us purely cc viewers, we know next to nothing about him other then he’s one: quite obviously the Archangel Gabriel (also mugs you IDIOT how can you not see that PLEASE /silly), two: weirdly fixated on mugman & mugman alone (we have not seen him interact meaningfully with ANY OTHER MAIN CAST CHARACTER in cc other then mugman except for once when he introduced himself to cups), and three: he does not mean mugsy well.

now, ik some of y’all’re gonna argue with me on that last point, but i feel like it’s pretty clear?? he baited mugs with the encohian, he has this menacing/condescending look on his face a good 40-50% of the time (ALL WHILE AROUND MUGS, MAY I ADD) and i think it’s quite obvious he’s behind the statue(?) disappearing in the recent comics.

and remember, we don’t even know WHY he turned up in the first place. the obvious/easy answer is that he/the archangels/only-God-knows-who (quite literally) noticed that mugsy was getting too close to “going rogue” when it came to wanting immortality, but the thing is, that just seems too easy.

1: Mortals who want immortality/fear death enough to do something… rash are, i’d bet, practically a dime a dozen, ESPECIALLY in the isles where immortal beings (devil, all the other lords of hell, the calix animi, etc. etc.) are, if not exactly the norm, then at least vaguely known of; so i doubt that ANY of the archangels’d “waste” one minute on some random mortal or another going insane with their want for immortality (like mugman seems to be on the path of.)

2: now, one COULD make the point that due to the fact that cuphead & mugman are both a: the last descendants of the Calix Animi, and b: people who’ve been revived over 100 times makes them “special cases” in the eyes of the Heavens Above - but that begs the question of why didn’t the archangels/heaven/God stop the Calix Animi from reviving people? revival is a form of immortality, after all, even if an unreliable one, and if them wanting to STOP mortals from accessing immortality was the reason Gabe approached mugs, then the whole Calix Animi would likely not have ever even existed. so it’s that’s not the reason

3: pointing a big fat thumb back at my earlier point of “why did Gabriel even become AWARE of Mugsy’s immortality problem in the first place”, i propose this: something happened. something Big. something that we did not see. cc’s pulled the missing scene trick before, after all, with the Mortal Blues comic strip, and so i propose that cc is pulling that trick AGAIN and that Mugman did Something Big to trigger getting an archangel’s (potentially multiple) attention(s) on him. what the hell did Mugman do, i don’t actually know, and nor do i have any concrete guesses, but i’m betting he did something, and that THAT something is what got Gabriel to approach him.

anyways, all this to say is I Do Not Like Nor Trust Gabriel (and neither should you), and am very scared indeed for what Camodiel has planned for my bbg mugsy :cri:

[shortcakelils]

I

I'm blown away

I'm crying this is not okay I have no words

this is the first angsty cuphead comic to actually bring me so close to tears I'm jusyt

holy crap dude 😭

Asked by @cupid-shortcake, @toontruelove, @marshmallow-biscuit-blog, @sg-the-mag-by, and @cupheadlover1000

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[voch]

I absolutely adored @firecurls-27’s idea of What If Chalice Was Adopted By Other DLC Bosses? and I decided to do that with the cupbros!

More info about these designs:

King’s Leap Prince Cup and Prince Mug were taken in by the King and Queen of games and raised to be proper Gamemasters. However, Prince Cup found he liked participating in the games way more than controlling them, and rebelled, living a double life. Every night he sneaks out and lives with the Mice, enjoying their jovial parties. Little does he know they’re planning to overthrow and execute the Queen. Mugman knows of his brother’s secret, but won’t give him away. However, he is very suspicious of the Mice, and isn’t afraid to go to any lengths to protect his kingdom. Where will each brother find their loyalties lies, and will they figure it out before it’s too late?

Esther Winchester Two Shots and Ten Gallon are the West’s most fearsome nogoodniks. Two Shots is small, rough, and rowdy, and has a shorter fuse than Mama Esther’s dynamite, but he’s an eagle eye capable of shooting a gold coin from across the town. Ten Gallon runs his Mama’s spaghetti saloon, but don’t be fooled by his more passive demeanor: he’s a professional con artist with more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Ten Gallon constantly worries Two Shots is gonna end up being picked by vultures in a ditch with his attitude, but there’s no stopping the sharpest shooter in the Isles… right?

Moonshine Mob Big Cup and Mugsy Smiles are actually raised by different members of the Mob, so they’re more distant than other Cupheads and Mugmen. Big Cup was taken under the Snail’s proverbial wing and Mugsy Smiles was adopted by Charlie and Lightbug. Big Cup is pretty tough and never takes no guff from nobody, but he feels pretty lonely in the mob. He has respect, but no real friends. He stuck the antennae into his hat to feel a bit more part of the family (just don’t ask where he got the antennae from). Mugsy Smiles, meanwhile, is more of an entertainer. He can play many instruments, he can sing, and he can dance. He’s not afraid to get his dirty in the real whiskey business, though. Big Cup and Mugsy Smiles don’t really connect the dots that they’re brothers, but they both feel like something is missing from their past…

Glumstone Cuppy and Muggy are beloved by the gnomes. Cuppy has gotten a real knack for mining and loves the shiniest of ores and gems. He even uses gold to fix cracks in his skin. Muggy tends to growing the Gnomeberry gardens, making sure they’re as bright and juicy as possible. Being raised how they were, they picked up many more talents, including storytelling, making every sentence a rhyme, and of course, mountain climbing. In fact, Porkrind often recalls the tale of how they rescued his beloved wife from her demise in the snowy hills. And every summer, when the happy campers dare to venture through the mountains, they may get to sneak a peek of the two tallest gnomes in the Isle…

Mortimer Freeze Cold Cup and Snow Milk, aka the Ice Cream Brothers, are not to be trifled with. The most powerful magicians in the Isles, their combined magic is said to be strong enough to freeze over Hell itself. Cold Cup uses Ice Cream and similarly delicious frozen treats to lure in new members, while Snow Milk… deals with them. Details in their design I’m proud of? Cold Cup has a Pentacle in his hat while Snow Milk has a Sword necklace. Pentacles are the replacement for Diamonds in Tarot, and Swords are the replacement for Spades.

Howling Aces Cast and Mike (named after “C” and “M” in the RAF Radiophonic alphabet, respectively) were raised as Yankee Yippers to be the new Top Dogs of the Howling Aces. Cast, who takes more after Hugo Bulldog — and even has the same bones tattoo to prove it — is serious and well-trained soldier. Mike, who has a more natural love of aeroplanes and leadership, takes more after Sargent O’Fera. However, Mike has a long-standing rivalry with local boy genius Canteen Hughes, who seems to have a bone to pick with the Aces, for some reason. Guess he and Mugman can’t be best friends in every universe…

[hatterladz]

So let's talk Cuphead's kills

I CAN'T DO IT ANYMORE I NEED TO YAP!!! REREAD BE DAMNED I NEED TO SPEAK!!!!

Alrighty so spoilers for Inky Mystery, buckle up this is going to be a long one

Okay so I was going to my fav chapters and doing some rereads

And I'm going rabid about Chapter 177: A Broken Cup and it made me also realize some things with Chapter 334: Can't Sleep a Wink

Now to start off with 334 always bugged me, it felt so out of nowhere. I mean, Cup is sleeping around with girls, being Bendy's wingman and before that doing Fanny favors? Sure there was the gangs but it felt sudden that Cup just killed Wink not only that but that murder was much more emotionally involved then his other jobs. Why?

At first I could believe it's his overprotective streak, but now I think it might be something else, because I reread Chapter 177, where he's getting taunted by the Night Terror. And when I read him being taunted I took it all as lies but during my reread...

How much of Wink's death was really the B-Bros protection? How much of it was for Wilson? Was it really that? Or was it something else?

Much earlier in the story it's mentioned Cuphead laughed at hurting and killing people. But we know he didn't enjoy it, it haunts him. His guilt and regret is mentioned frequently. He even remembers all of his victims.

So why? Why is there so much emphasis in the Labrynth that Cuphead is not just a killer but a killer who likes his job? When he has this much guilt and regret? When he remembers all of their screams and deaths?

Because it's how he copes. He was raised as a killer, it's what he's good at and he also knows that, when it comes to the underworld, an easy solution.

The events surrounding this chapter was more then just Cuphead going through a playboy era with his friend Bendy. The house stresses him out, he can't go there now after the events that happened with Holly. So he went to the Candy Shop, except then Fanny hurt and betrayed him. He doesn't have anywhere to go so he's coping in the worst ways possible.

Violence and women. Now this isn't my post where I talk about how using sex is a coping mechanism is a horrible idea, so I'll move on from that. But let's look at that quote again "I've need something to hit for awhile".

He's doing it as a stress relief. He can't figure things out with Fanny, he can't help his friend with his guilt and fears of killing angels, he can't do anything about the deal with Marcus, the ink machine, the fact he's trapped as the "Devil's Dog".

But he can kill Winky. Winky has his goons all over the house. Winky killed Wilson which caused all his friends pain, Winky tried to attack his friends, Winky has answers to his questions, Winky is a problem. So he takes it out on Winky. He wasn't ever intending of letting Winky go easy, and he especially wasn't planning it after his suspicions were true. Why would he mention he works for the Devil otherwise?

Why did he leave Mugman home? Because Mugs would stop him. He didn't want to be stopped. It's why he doesn't tell anyone about it or Darius after. Sure Darius is a target, and I'm sure information was also a target. But that wasn't the only reason.

But he doesn't want to admit how easy it is for him to kill, the relief it gives. And how guilty he feels afterwards.

Because he doesn't even want to address it's his fault. He did what he had to. He doesn't want to believe what sort of person he is, he doesn't want to remember all the things he's done. He tries to forget. It's not his fault, he was protecting his brother. He was told to by the Devil. He did what he had to. Didn't want to acknowledge the times he had fun tormenting people, to acknowledge how good he is at being a monster [since deep down, that's how he sees himself], and he especially didn't want to acknowledge he killed when he didn't have to. That he took the "easy" way to do things.

He did what he had to. That's what he needs to believe.

[glisterdemon]

Procrastination kills me lol I had the drawing finished just was a little lazy to write a big paragraph

Again, because I like to do this to myself, I'm gonna ramble about the og quest Cuphead and what I didnt like/ What I changed :>

Enjoy Will talk briefly about Death, Alcohol and gambling abuse soooo ye. It's at the end though.

Like I said in Mugs I dont think that the cup bros will join Bandy, Boris and Felix on the quest. Now on to the og... yay... First of all in the original it seemed like the og was only for the purpose for shipping. Which I dont want. So that won't happen. Now I didn't write a lot on what I didn't like but this man is not perfect in any way but one thing that I found interesting and kept is the manipulative nature of him. Because he is a villain I just wanted him to have no pleasant qualities. Even to the extent that he is not the greatest to his own little brother. Basically he has a kill or be killed mentality. I kept his age the same and even his outfit. If I remember I said I was gonna talk about Elder Kettle. To be fully honest I kinda forgor ._. ANYWAY Elder Kettle was Cupheads and Mugmans only kind of father figure/ parent. Childhood wise Cup would be your typical trouble child as Mug was more skittish. I would think that once Elder Kettle passes, most likely of old age, Cup does not take it lightly. He goes to alcohol and gambling (you can see where this is going). So like in the original it was said that the Ink illness was caused/ brought back by Cup gambling and losing. I'm not sure how to plan this. I don't know if I wanna keep that or like Cup and Mug find an ancient cave in the Casino or something. Thats all I can think of at this moment of writing this. If you do read this and you have questions feel free to ask so I can think about it and better explain it. Should I make a different blog making a Reimagining of qftim... IDK :> Let me know in the comments or somethin I've never done an ask blog type thing so tips will be appreciated. I wanna do my own ask blog type thing in the future so ye! Thank you for listening to my Ted Talk

[pa-pa-patato]

Thinking of an au where they are humans and like all dumb people they jokingly try to summon a demon

But holly is way to into it Cuphead brings human teeth he got from fighting ( are they yours or? That’s non of you business now is it ? Ok let’s just do the thing) Mug stole an old book that Boris had from when he was in a cult (sorry Boris) Alice is bringing everything she can in case they succeed in summing a demon ( I really don’t think that garlic will help al. Shut up) And cala is just watching from the sidelines as someone who experienced a lot supernatural things she isn’t that interested because it will not work

Except it dose From the circle ink slowly starts to mold and shape into a humanoid form and as the demon opens his eyes he looks around and falls to his knees..crying

No one knows what to Alice is freaking out trowing holy water Holly is asking a million questions per second Cuphead is squaring up for a fight Mugman and Cala are hugging in fear

And then suddenly Boris appeared He busted into the basement yelling how disrespectful they are for stealing his book but he stand frozen seeing the demon

And while everyone now thinks that they are doomed because Boris looks like he too has no idea what’s happening only for a single word to slip past his shaking lips “…….bendy?”

The name of Boris brother that got sacrificed 

They really wished they didn’t do this before their on a school night

[averagetmntfan]

MASTERPOST!

(yeah I copy pasted it from the other acc, don’t sue me)

wassup! Finally, a master post! Am I right?

(TC*ST AND PROSH*PPERS DNI!!)

hi there! I’m Jayah! You can call me jj tho. Or mike! I’m really ok with anything :D

I’m js here to post a bunch of fun art and maybe some animation stuff? And occasionally, fan fiction >:). I am GenderFluid, and I go by all pronouns. And my sexuality is lesbian!

and my lil gay ass miiiiiiight be possibly maybe simping for someone rn..?? (*cough* a literally drawing)

I also have 12 roleplay blogs! @leontheluxuriousone , @wrecking-it-raphie @gayass-blueberry-mugman, @bendy-the-dancing-doofus, @koi-the-cosplay-boy, @improv-master-mikey , @ask-miss-maple-leaf ,@blue-masked-simp , @mikey-the-magnificent , @no-ditches-no-bitches , @candy-for-the-win and @ask-olive-huchers

PLUS: @ask-adi-huchers @candy-for-the-win @neon-of-the-leon (new ROTTMNT leo acc) @ask-miss-maple-leaf @ask-christopher-harrison

my current hyper fixations are: rottmnt, tadc, TBT(trolls: band together/trolls 3), The great north, bobs burgers, the cuphead show, moon girl and devil dinosaur, amphibia, the owl house, tmnt 12, cuphead and mugman in General, KREW, poppy playtime, and a SHIT TON MORE-

btw I swear quite a lot on this, so if that isn’t ur thing, u should click off.

and here’s my sona ref!

DISCLAIMER: please don’t send me werid asks, or gross inappropriate content. I’m a minor.

100 DTIYS!

• FANART!!: •

Leo goober(@ghosty-0w0)

PRINCESS KOI FR (@mikey-rottmnt)

MY BABIES- (@allyheart707)

MY SONS<333 (@mikey-rottmnt)

YOU MADE ME LOOK SO PRETTY RAAHHH (@mikey-rottmnt)

• ROTTMNT FICS!!!: •

The sand.

shopping day! (discontinued)

1 2 3

The 4 servants Au:

Chapter 1 (ongoing)

pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 Pt.6 Pt.7 pt.8 pt.9 pt.10 pt.11 pt.12 (currently on hiatus)

The 4 turtles work peacefully at a competing hotel with the battle nexus, with their beloved father. But one day, everything spirals out of control! And their worlds get flipped upside down! Follow Leo, Donnie, Raph & Mikey on the journey of a life time! And who knows, they might meet some friends along the way, or maybe more…

• DOODLES: •

Pissed off peeps >:[

brace face!!

• FICS: •

Colour theory thingy sorta??

• RANDOM STUFF: •

Leo being a dumb-dumb

• ANSWERED ASKS: •

what do the bros do outside of the hotel??

Mikey needs a hug

does raph break stuff often?

Do the bros like Lou Jitsu movies?

How do they feel about working there?

Time beats a dead man

(Collab au w/ @mikey-rottmnt!!)

Pt.1

A silly cuphead and mugman au Abt uh..a lot of stuff. (Heavily inspired by babtqftim)

• FICS/ INCORRECT QUOTES: •

picky eater

get served! ..or, maybe later..

portals gone wrong!! 1 2 3

Secret admirer<3

…?

the struggles of school

Is it salad?

THATS NOT WHAT I MEANT!!!

• HC’S that are canon in this silly au: •

Mugs

Cups and mugs (cups are not Canon)

How to hug the gang!!

• DRAWINGS: •

Human mugs doodles

chip and Dale!!

Koi and mugs being gay

KOI CANON IN TCHS?!

Rock paper scissors

• some lore: •

mugs lore

Hs! Mugs and euro…

Mug and cup lore

Main crews fav ice cream!!

cup lore (belongs to Ari)

Favourite drinks!

Pipsqueak!

(Coming soon..?)

“Small turtle, and even bigger problems.”

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

Don't mind me but can you plz rant about colly a lil more... :3

I'll do you one BETTER @ch1-kasak0

I'm gonna talk about Colly AND do an accidental Cuphead analysis on the side lmao

I will say, it is crazy to me that years ago, one of the reasons I had for why I didn't like the idea of Cupanny was because I perceived Fanny as someone un-ambitious, who seemed to have a bleak outlook and no real hope for a better future, something that was completely antithetical to what Cuphead needed in his life.

Obviously I don't hold that viewpoint about Fanny anymore, but I do think it's funny how that critique of mine (which I never shared on here I should add and I regret it lol) came back around but in an unexpected way. The Labyrinth arc was genuinely the deepest look we've gotten into Cuphead. With the thing that hit me the most stepping into Cuphead's dream and really seeing how much of himself is consumed by the guilt he feels about making a deal with the Devil, was how that guilt had basically consumed his personhood in a way.

Mugman dreams of being a pilot for the Calix Animi, of marrying Cala and having a whole, completed family; that his parents never left, that his dad was alive; Mugman dreamed of a future for himself. A fantasy that could never really be real, at least mostly, but it was a future nonetheless. Everyone, except Felix who's a special situation given his circumstances, dreamed of a future. Something that they were fighting towards even after they left the Labyrinth.

Except Cuphead.

He could never envision a future for himself, because so much of what made up who Cuphead was as a child was stripped from him that he's essentially a husk of who he was. We saw the real Cuphead in his dreamscape. He had aspirations, and goals he wanted to reach. But when your whole is spent struggling to survive it's hard to have real goals and aspire to them. It's hard to dream a dream that you hope comes true.

And then the gala happened.

Something that seemed out of reach for someone like himself suddenly seemed like a real, genuine reality within his reach. All because of his love for Holly. His love for her made him finally see a real future. A real dream. For one second, Cuphead didn't think about a bleak horizon that he was walking towards, but instead a beautiful sunrise that he wanted to walk towards hand-in-hand with Holly and it says a lot. It really does. In my Cuphead analysis I did say that his dream was still him in the background playing the role of Cuphead the Supporter rather than playing an active role in his own future where his own ambitions and drive exist alongside Holly's. But it doesn't detract from how much his love made him see something that for the longest he never saw as possible and that means something. It really does.

But oh, bitch I'm not even done yet. Y'all asked for this!!!

There's this one scene, I'm too lazy to go back and find it again (EDIT: I couldn't find it for some reason so my source is trust me bro), where Cuphead and Holly, and maybe Mugs was there I think, were talking and Holly said something along the lines of "I like your childish side" (paraphrasing). And that stuck with me, because when, in the other previous relationships that Cuphead had, has he ever been told that being his actual true self is the part they like the most about him? That the sulking badboy persona who's all rough edges and mysterious isn't nearly as interesting as the real him.

The thing I think a lot of people sort of forget, is that for Cuphead it's not a persona, it's just who he is. Because everything else has been stripped from him via abuse and threats to himself and his brother. From unethical experiments forced on him as punishment, to beatings from the boss when they screw up a job, to being yelled and cursed out by Hat because they messed up during training, and so on. So much of who he is, who he was, was taken from him and all that's left is whatever identity Cuphead needs to put on in that exact moment. Mugman was right when he said that for Cuphead, it's always about the damn mission. Keeping him and his brother safe, desperately trying to right his wrongs, and just trying to not have anyone see his weaknesses means the Cuphead we saw before in the Labyrinth is a ghost. Someone else entirely. A speck in the distance that feels entirely out of reach now to Cuphead.

But there's this part of him that he's tried to keep safe and held close and we see that in the Wonderful Winter arc. When Cuphead and Mugman started chasing each other, throwing snowballs at one another, it's the closest we get to seeing Cup in a light where he's not putting on a persona; the real him. And Holly notices that, too. But not just that she notices that, but that she is intrigued by it enough that she wants to get to know him more.

Holly had a crush on Cuphead, but the Tree Princess chapter is where she really fell for him. Which makes sense cause that's the chapter where she truly realizes the depth there is to his character and how multifaceted he was as a person. He wasn't just a killer thug like she'd first assumed, but a true complex person, just like her and all the other Questers.

And I think that's fucking beautiful man.

Of course I'd love to gush about Cuphead's perspective on Holly, but there's not really enough to say outside of:

You know it's true love when you're willing to spill all your secrets to this one person; to bear your whole heart and soul to them if it means being able to have them back in your life.

[popfizzles]

OK I LOVE HOW THEMED THEIR FOOD IS FOR THEMSELF

Black and blue burger for mug- the entire like kinda tough guy he's portraying bc of his build in addition to the blue!!!

And berry (red) shortstack (short) for cuphead!!! Bc he's short. Also I think it's cool that he ordered pancakes while mugman ordered a burger (is it his 'immature'ness? I think it's more of he knows what he likes and doesn't care about the maybe more social implications of what's the norm. Or that or mugman is eating a burger for breakfast and he's the weird one))

Also the food LOOKED SO GOODDDD

🥺🥺🥺 God yes THANK YOU

I live for this kind of analysis because I DO think this hard about the choices I write for Cuphead and Mugman!!

All of this!!

Mugman preferring something with more protein while Cuphead goes for something very sweet with lots of carbs,,

Also thank you I LOVE to draw food 💗