#inky mystery colly

[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.

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

PEAK COLLY ART HAS ARISEN!!!!!!

Are you still taking request?? If so could you do Colly if that's alright?

Also love your artstyle, your lineart is so pretty❤️

waiter! waiter! more colly please!!

[emolly242]

Princess Cuphead and bendy with prince holly and Alice (doodle request from server)

@theinkymystery

[kaithedunce]

they doin a lil jig

request from the server :D

[intoxi-tooned]

Idk if ur taking requests but plz draw some colly I'm begging🙏 or marcus, PLEASE🙏🙏🙏/no pressure :3

Here you go! Colly has been served!! I hope you like it 😊

Also I'm sorry for the wait. I'm in my 4th week of University and it has been busy. Just to give a heads up for future asks.

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

@hatterladz we just had a convo about this in the discord yesterday and M actually gave her response on it so that should put an end to this I hope-

Not to criticize Colly or anything love the ship it's great I'm kicking my feet but is Cuphead an unintentional rebound?

Like she had NO TIME to properly grieve and move on from Finley, she went to the funeral, she went to save the boys, she had a crush on Cup as of Labyrinth and then they have a situationship so like

Forgive me for being skeptical but it's been on my mind since the start

[drumcanister]

saw this image on twitter and was instantly reminded of the sillies (i miss them guys)

[alice-the-kittycat-yt]

Floofy cup.

And some Mugman.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUGMAN!!!!

[denv2]

Cup & Holly 🫤🤔🫱

I keep giving Cup something hand-related, lol

I think I drew cup's height a little too big or drew holly slightly smaller, but I just wanted to give them a sense of size difference 😙

[pa-pa-patato]

Have this doodle of cuphead going crazy cause he’s in loves so many people

Featuring @ch1-kasak0 oc and also someone’s else but idk if they have a tumblr sine I read about it in a fanfic and I can’t find either the fic or they blog:’)

[midnightfire830]

How fast does Seahorse Holly move in water? Seahorses are slow swimmers because they have a small swimming tail fin. Does she move fast because of fantasy/cartoon logic or slow because of realistic logic?

Also, if Cuphead and Holly are dating in the mermaid au. A Seahorse couple would wrap around each other's tails so they don't lose each other in the ocean. Can you make art of Holly and Cuphead wrapping their tails around each other's? It's okay if you don't want to make this art.

Yeah realistic logic. Not a big fan of cartoon logic explanations. She’s a very slow swimmer unfortunately. (Fun fact seahorses are among the slowest fish in the ocean) She tries her best when they need to travel. Using her hands and arms to help propel if she needs the boost. But it’s pretty tiring trying to keep up with everyone. So Cuphead usually offers to carry her or help her out if she needs it.

Yes, this is Colly. And they’re actually dating. Because I ship those two so cussing hard. I read that about seahorses when doing research for this AU. She curls her tail when she’s asleep/cuddling as to not accidentally float away. But she also curls her tail around Cup’s when she’s flirting with him or just near him. She’s kinda embarrassed about it but Cup finds it adorable.

And I don’t mind art requests! Especially for my AUs!!

So here’s Holly hitching a ride and falling asleep on Cuphead!!

😁

Thanks for the ask Fox!

[one-and-a-half-yikes]

So it has occurred to me that I don't remember ever sharing my Inky Mystery Spotify playlists with any of y'all so here they are!!!

And that's all of them!! If you have Spotify you can just add songs to these I don't mind lol

@theinkymystery

[paint-n-thinner]

Perchance more colly

(Please do not rush I WILL forget about this ask in like 2 days)

ask and ye shall receive 🤲

[ch1-kasak0]

Urge to make a Howl's Moving Castle au for babitim

[emolly242]

Huge art dump!! Doodle requests from the server!

@theinkymystery

[sirensea14]

Hehe, so imma gonna post my secret santa gift for @/mavis.hershey from the server (⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)

Holly decorating cuphead as a Christmas tree (on their shirts; Holly- the Tree's Princess, cuphead- the Princess' tree)

The questers as animals! Felix and bendy-cat, cupbros- snek, holly- hedgehog, cala maria- fish, and Alice- bird (alibends, mugman x cala and colly are there too)