Holy wow this entire update was SO MUCH and SO PEAK and I wanted to share a realization I had about Cuphead's dream -- cw: mentions of & thoughts of suicide:
The entire sequence is absolutely phenomenal visual storytelling that really drives home the psychology behind Cuphead's self worth and views on the world.
We get to see up close and personal just how entangled that gambling addiction is to how the world works in his mind. He starts off on a roulette table, which naturally turns into a game of Russian Roulette.
And the fantastic symbolism that the first part of himself he kills is his gambler self. That version of him is what got him and Mugman into the messes they've been in time and time again, it's what's cost him his home, his family, his relationships. He feels absolutely no remorse over that gambler version of him dying.
He sees his younger selves wanting to participate in this dangerous game...
And he panics. They are the little innocence remaining in him (not to mention the versions shown here are time capsules of two very distinctly traumatizing events for him).
His immediate response is to take the gun to protect them.
In the next panels, he tries to empty the gun on himself. Why? To save his younger selves.
Besides... aside to the gambler self already he killed off, he sees his current self as the least worthy of sparing out of all of them. He will not take the chance that his childhood selves could die in this game of roulette. Plus, he's protecting them. So what if he dies? They'll be safe then, and it'll be for a noble cause. It'll redeem him, maybe, even if only in death.........
...and then... much to his disappointment......
Once again, he can't die.
And it's the first time we ever actually see him lose his cool...
So unbelievably peak, my jaw was on the floor the whole time and my gut was in a big ole knot from how hard it hit. Thank you both so so much for taking your time in researching and accurately representing nightmares and dreams. The whole surrealism sequence was so well done, it really thoroughly captures how PTSD dreams work, especially because it's not obvious what specific memories dreams are pulling from. Down in our subconscious, it's hardly ever the events themselves that matter, but how they made you feel and how they affected you since.
OH THIS MAKES THE WHOLE UPDATE SO WORTH IT. TO HEAR EVERYONES THOUGHTS AND ANALYSIS ITS PERFECT
I love love love this and i'm so happy you were able to find comfort or understanding in our comic
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