The Tumblr blog, "askcupsandcasinos", better known for the Fan Nickname Casino Cups, is an "Ask Me Anything"-styled blog set in an Alternate Universe of the game, Cuphead. Set roughly a decade after the events of the video game, Cuphead and Mugman, desperately needing money, start working at their former Arch-Enemy, the Devil's, casino. Facing an actively aggressive staff, including the sarcastic and cruel King Dice, the brothers ultimately face far more complications than they ever could have planned for.
Far more inappropriate than the game, the blog is known for its charming Ensemble Cast of anti-heroes, diving deeper into themes and ideas merely hinted at by the source material, it's interesting take on the world of the duo, and sense of humor which mixes the ideas of Sadist Shows, Black Comedy, and Comedic Sociopathy, all while remaining pretty heartwarming and consistently entertaining.
The blog has been going since January of 2018 and can be found here
, and started here.
Casino Cups provides examples of:
- Aerosol Flamethrower: Cuphead was more than willing to try making this, even if it probably would have gotten him fired. Luckily Mugman steps in to stop him.
- The Alcoholic: Basically everyone in the casino. Of particular note are the Tipsy Troop who are drunk 24/7, and Mugman, who is capable of practically downing an entire bar if given the chance.
- Alternate Universe: One in which Cuphead and Mughead start working for the Devil after defeating him a decade later, as they're forced to try and work with the very villains they once defeated.
- Arch-Enemy:
- Cuphead and King Dice, who even on the job can't stand each other. It gets a bit better over the course of the comics, but it's always still there.
- The Atoner: Cuphead remains haunted by how he gambled his and Mugman's souls back those years ago. In fact, when the ordeal started, he tried doing the whole thing by himself and surprisingly managed to make get some of the contacts by himself before Mugman joined to save him.
- Bad Boss: The Devil and King Dice are evil, and certainly not the best bosses they could have.
- Berserk Button:
- The Devil cannot stand any mention of his past as an angel, or really anything involving God/Heaven in general, especially early on.
- Cuphead hates being referred to as a kid.
- Body Horror: The Devil is capable of completely manipulating every part of his body, taking off limbs or contorting them into nightmarish imagery.
- Dear lord, Cuphead and Mugman would get horribly mangled and torn apart during fights against the debtors. It got to a point where they started getting used to it but still suffer from the trauma involved.
- Cerebus Syndrome: A gradual example, but the questions have helped built a lore building up to some events. Mugman is becoming more and more obsessed with discovering the secrets that led to his and Cuphead's powers (to the point of possibly seeking immortality). The Devil and King Dice know the cups are looking for the potion and want it for some purpose and Cagney is held hostage by a gang of malevolent plants who work for Forkington who's targeting the Cup bros.
- The Cat Came Back: Cup and Mugs have one in the form of one of Cagney's carnations, who wandered into their apartment and refuses to leave, so they take care of and feed him now.
- Dark and Troubled Past: It becomes more evident that King Dice has this. He mentions that most of his family is bound for hell and thinks little on most of them. An exchange reveals his relationship with his mother had parallels to Bojack Horseman and his mother while also hinting his folks were shallow criminals. It's implied he may have sold out his father for cash. The only member of his family he has fondness for is his cousin Minnie, whom looked out for him back when he was a kid. She served as a Cool Big Sis for him and often lied to save him from his troubles. He was never able to make it up to her according to him.
- Death by Adaptation: Unlike the game, Elder Kettle is dead by the time the boys start working for the Devil.
- The Dreaded: While he has gone through quite a bit of Villain Decay, the Devil is still feared by the people of Inkwell. Even Cuphead and Mugman, who proved they could defeat the Devil, are still scared that they might not have seen the worst of what he's capable of.
- To the Underworld, a certain Micheal is this.
- Ensemble Cast: A particularly large one at that. While the main characters are just Cuphead, Mugman, King Dice, and The Devil, there's also quite a large number of recurring characters in the form of their coworkers, including Wheezy, Chips, Mangosteen, Pirouletta, The Tipsy Troop, Hopus Pocus, Phear Lap, Pip and Dot, and Mr. Chimes.
- Expecting Someone Taller: Apparently this is something of a standard reaction to the various demons or otherworldly legions meeting the Cup brothers, the duo who went toe to toe to the Devil and won.
- Fire-Forged Friends: The last time most of the Casino's staff saw Cuphead and Mugman, the two cups beat shot them into submission, and they still remember this by the start of the comic, with the Devil flying into a rage and attacking the two and King Dice running off with a bag of money when they show up for an interview. Over time, though, the Devil and King Dice especially realize they have a lot in common with the boys, and it's not long before they've become rather good friends.
- Floating Limbs: Cuphead, Mugman, and King Dice's heads all float just above their bodies. Due to this, they can take off their heads, spin them around, etc.
- Greed: Cuphead's Fatal Flaw. He loves money, and will frequently do whatever he has to in order to get it.
- Healing Factor: Due to being...Well, cups, Cuphead and Mugman are capable of surviving basically anything as long as they find the pieces to put themselves back together. However...
- Scars Are Forever: If they can't find all the pieces, it can leave some nasty, notable scars.
- Hyper-Competent Sidekick: King Dice is the Devil's right hand man for this reason. He was the one who made the casino as big and popular as it was. Apparently, it was more of a classic dismal and fiery place before King Dice came and made it appealing to come. He's also the one keeping order with everyone and the main one to calm Satan down when he goes on a tantrum.
- Implied Love Interest: It's hinted that there is something between Cagney and Hilda Berg, considering he promised to write to her (and the only reason he hasn't is because a gang is currently holding him captive) and it's hinted that she does miss him but nothing has come out of it.
- Impossibly Awesome Magic Trick: King Dice is almost impossibly good with cards and card tricks, even teaching them to Mugman. According to him, it was the result of becoming easier and easier at it until it came to him like magic.
- Karaoke Box: Apparently the most embarrassing thing Cuphead has ever witnessed his bosses doing was them doing karaoke together while drinking profusely. In the process, Mugman, the Tipsy Troop, Chips, and Cuphead end up joining in.
- Money Fetish: Basically everyone who works in the casino has one to a degree, though Cuphead especially stands out for how far he's willing to go for it.
- Morality Pet: The only people who can calm down the Devil when he gets upset are the Imps or King Dice.
- Nice Guy: Elder Kettle was very much this. To where King Dice and the Devil himself had little to say on him except some praise.
- Noble Demon: In a bizarre way, the Devil himself is this. While he openly taunts and teases regarding the various failings of the mortals he comes across, he mentions that he enjoys watching sinners' pay for the consequences of their actions, showing he does believe in some twisted form of fairness. He's also a large advocate in free will and in choice, in his own way. He may be Lord of Hell, but in the end, it's mortals who make their choice and have to face the action of said choices.
- Odd Friendship: Mugman and King Dice eventually end up bonding thanks to their shared interests, and roles as the Blue Oni to Cuphead and the Devil respectively. It gets to a point where Dice even teaches the former card tricks, and tries to help him get a date with Cala Maria.
- Official Couple: King Dice and the Devil.
- Parental Abandonment: Cuphead and Mugman never met their parents, and they don't matter as far as Cuphead is concerned.
- Playing Card Motifs: The speech bubbles for Cuphead and Mugman are card motifs: diamond for Cuphead and spade for Mugman. One comic even has them ask King Dice the significance of these suits.
- Another comic has King Dice go into the clubs and hearts, with the imagery implying the clubs are for the Devil and the hearts for Dice himself.
- Posthumous Character: Elder Kettle is sadly long dead by the time of the story. His death notably has affected the brothers, even years later.
- The Prankster: Cuphead, which usually doesn't end too well for him, with perhaps the worst incident involving him gluing a bible to the desk of the Devil. King Dice and Mugman turn the tables on him by revealing that the glue couldn't be removed and the Devil found out so he has a special wing in Hell made just for Cuphead. When the Devil finds out about the prank, he thinks it's Actually Pretty Funny.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Mugman gave a pretty brutal one to Cuphead when he gambled their souls away to the Devil.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Cuphead and the Devil act as the Red Oni to Mugman and King Dice's Blue Oni.
- The Resenter: It's heavily implied that the Devil resents that only God can create souls and kept him from trying to do so for one reason or another. In fact, him hoarding souls is supposedly part of his payback against him.
- Ship Tease: Oddly, Mugman and the never seen on-screen Cala Maria get a lot of this.
- Shout-Out:
- The Devil appreciates the "blasphemy" of Bendy the Dancing Demon.
- Straight Gay: King Dice. You'd honestly never expect him of all people to be into guys. May be bi if his reaction to possibly having children is serious.
- Terrible Pick-Up Lines: Cuphead is absolutely terrible at flirting, and openly acknowledges this.
- The Devil Is a Loser: Downplayed. He's still quite menacing, rules over legions of hell and one of the most powerful figures here. However, his crying fit when you're defeating in the game is apparently nothing new. In fact, when asked if the Devil is a crybaby, Cuphead, Mugman and King Dice all blatantly confirm it in some form or fashion, all while the Devil is becoming outraged that they're not even trying to defend him. Cue the Devil throwing a minor tantrum and trying to threaten them before being reduced to angry sobbing, all while King Dice has to hug him to calm him down like a parent comforting a child.
- Those Two Guys: Chips and Mangosteen, who seem to regularly hang out.
- Token Evil Teammate: While basically everyone working at the casino (with the exception of the brothers) is or at least was a little evil, Wheezy stands out among the recurring cast due to being the biggest jerk and most recurring antagonizer to the boys.
- Took a Level in Kindness: Basically all of Cuphead and Mugman's coworkers go through this over time, eventually growing accustomed to the two's presence and start getting along with them a lot more. Of particular note are their bosses, the Devil and King Dice, who they eventually become good friends with, though they'd never admit that.
- True Companions: Eventually all the casino workers become this.
- Villain Decay: These days, King Dice and the Devil are nowhere near as intimidating.
