Mothball
"No one can fool the devil, and you're in the wrong if you believe that selling your soul won't have any consequences." - Cultura Colectiva
Name: Mothball
Nicknames: Ghostie, Lint, Moth
Gender: Nonbinary, they/them
Age: Young adult
Height: 5'2
Species: Moth(?)
Universe: Cuphead
Location: One of the ancient temples
About
warning: alcohol mentions!! skip to the second paragraph if you don't want to read!!
Mothball is one of the many unfortunate residents of the Inkwell Isles to make a deal with the Devil and lose. In a drunken haze, they bet that they could beat him in a fight, and got thoroughly beaten to a pulp. In an attempt to escape the contract, they fled to one of the archipelago's many haunted temples and made a guardianship pact with the ghosts there. In exchange for power and protection, they guard the temple night and day from looters.
Their powers closely resemble the ones gifted to Cuphead and Mugman by Elder Kettle, though amplified to boss battle levels and with a somewhat ghastly flair. Despite this, they stay hidden and peaceful, mostly spending their days trying not to fall back into their old vices.
During the events of the game, Mothball would be an optional boss fight. They would have a soul contract, but if the player chose not to attack for 30 seconds at the start of the battle, they would break down and hand it over, since they don't want to hurt their brothers.
In their canon, they do end up fighting the brothers since Cuphead took the first shot. Despite injuring Mugman in the process of the battle, they still managed to patch things up after the Devil was defeated. The brothers think their older sibling is way cooler now that they've seen the extent of their powers.
Cuphead
Familial, little brother
During one of his adventures with Mugman, he decided it would be a good idea to explore an ancient ruin at night. Fortunately for them, before they could get attacked by the ghosts, Mothball stepped in, convincing the restless spirits to stop. Once the situation was defused, they managed to wear the brothers out with stories of the ancient civilization that built the crypt. They then took the boys back home to safety.
They tend to play a bit rough with Cuphead, seeing as he's the rowdier of the two brothers.
Mugman
Familial, little brother
Mugman officially met Mothball at the same time as Cuphead, but he happened to catch sight of them a little bit sooner. Prior to their adventure into the temple, Mugman had seen the shadow of the frightened moth dashing around corners and behind trees and assumed it was a ghost. The green scales left behind by Mothball's wings only furthered this belief. Needless to say, it took him a bit longer to warm up to them as a result.
They tend to be more gentle with Mugman, especially after the events of the game.
Elder Kettle
Familial, grandfather
Mothball met Elder Kettle the same night they met Cuphead and Mugman. After the brothers were safely returned, he invited them in to rest for the night. They confided in him their situation, attempting to get him to keep the brothers away for their own safety. However, he never expected Cuphead to get tied up in the Devil's dealings, so he let them stay around in good faith that they wouldn't hurt them.
Mothball quickly grew attached to Elder Kettle and views him as the caring grandfather they never had.
This is a list of headcanons and fun facts for this self-ship AU. There will be no particular order to these, and no consistency to the subject matter. Consider it an infodump of sorts. It will receive regular updates.
All material with sensitive topics will be marked with a ⚠️, so read with caution when you see this emoji!
⚠️Mothball has a sort of "party suit" that materializes into existence the more drunk they get. It will appear piece by piece until the suit is complete and they are completely wasted. It's a green velvet suit with a bowler hat and tap shoes.
Cuphead did eventually apologize for firing the first shot in their fight. Mothball had a hard time accepting it simply because they know how hard it must have been for him to process.
The closest approximation to their battle theme that I can find is this electro swing remix of Gaster's theme.
