Editing Mr Cups

{{Major spoiler}}
{{Character
|title1 = Mr Cups
|image1 = coffee.png
|caption1 = That which is empty.
|location = [[London]]
|alias = [[Mr Mirrors]]<br>Cups<br>[[Mr Mirrors|Mirrors]]<br>The Saint of Chalices
|relationships = [[Curators]] (species)|allegiance=[[The Masters of the Bazaar]]<br>[[The Echo Bazaar]]}}<blockquote>''"A collection is only worth its lowliest piece, and as any good collector knows, one discovers better and rarer finds as the years pass! Indeed, one grows to live for the acquisition thereof!"''<ref name = "robe"/></blockquote>

'''Mr Cups''' is a distant and proper [[Curator]] who serves as a [[The Masters of the Bazaar|Master of the Bazaar]].__forcetoc__

== The Value of Vessels ==
<blockquote>''"Crockery, pottery, sculpture."''<ref name = "cups suspect">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Cups|Mr Cups|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>''"There are clockmakers' shops in the Neath, but they are the preserve of Mr Cups, and it is difficult to find them."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_trade_in_clocks|The trade in clocks|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Pocketwatch.png|alt=A pocketwatch.|thumb|A watch.]]
Mr Cups controls trade in all manner of vessels<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Put_up_a_statue_honouring_Mr_Cups|Put up a statue honouring Mr Cups|Fallen London|}}</ref> and tableware,<ref name = "cups suspect"/> including cups,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pass_through_the_opening|Pass through the opening|Fallen London|}} ''"Cups clutter every flat surface."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_The_Last_Cup|Ambition Nemesis %E2%80%93 The Last Cup|Fallen London|}} ''"This is Mr Cups' personal chamber. Here are its treasures [...]"''</ref> plates, tea sets,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"Mr Cups hunches before one of its many cabinets, holding a plate [...] Mr Cups [...] shows you an ancient tea set."''</ref> bowls, candle sticks, and cake stands.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Cups%27_Splendid_Commemorative_Ceramics|Mr Cups' Splendid Commemorative Ceramics|Fallen London|}} ''"Customers can choose [...] cakestands, candlesticks [...] sugar bowl [...]"''</ref> It also trades in sculptures,<ref name = "cups suspect"/> relics,<ref name = "ceramics">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Cups%27_Splendid_Commemorative_Ceramics|Mr Cups' Splendid Commemorative Ceramics|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"Mr Cups [...] shows you an ancient tea set."''</ref> and manages kilns.<ref name = "ceramics"/>

Cups is in charge of all the clockmakers in London and it strictly enforces this fact.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_trade_in_clocks|The trade in clocks|Fallen London|}}</ref> It was one of the Masters who harassed the [[Watchmaker's Daughter]] in an attempt to exploit her skills with clockwork,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Listen_to_her_story|Listen to her story|Fallen London|}} ''"Then unwanted gifts began to arrive. Mr Wines sent invites to torrid revels. Mr Cups sent threatening crockery. The Watchmaker's Daughter confided [...] she believed these two Masters [...] meant to own her."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Request_a_Clockwork_Drownie|Request a Clockwork Drownie|Fallen London|}}</ref> leading to her tragic end.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Go_back_to_the_Albino_Rat|Go back to the Albino Rat|Fallen London|}} ''"You know I was the Watchmaker's Daughter's [...] companion? [...] Did I tell you about Mr Cups and Mr Wines? [...] they tried to own her? That they drove her to drown herself?"''</ref>

Mr Cups is an elusive Master who rarely appears in public.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Distract_yourself;_read_the_newspaper|Distract yourself; read the newspaper|Fallen London|}} ''"The front page carries a [...] story about 'Mr Cups' sudden spate of public appearances."''</ref> It can be contacted indirectly through its [[Relickers]] who work on its behalf.<ref name = "who relickers">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets#Rats|Who are the Relickers?|Fallen London|}}</ref> 

=== Certifiable ===
<blockquote>''"Mr Cups collects wares from across the Neath, almost indiscriminately. Almost."''<ref name = "robe">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Sack.png|alt=A bag of junk.|thumb|Certifiable Scraps?]]
Mr Cups likes to collect trash and discarded goods in search of valuables in the scraps.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Certifiable_Scrap|Certifiable Scrap|Fallen London|}}</ref> It is a skilled connoisseur<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Master%27s_Voice|The Master's Voice|Fallen London|}}</ref> and it can restore even the oldest antiques.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Khan%27s_Tea_Set|The Khan's Tea Set|Fallen London|}}</ref> The [[Relickers]] are its employees who gather and appraise junk on its behalf,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/A_moment_longer|A moment longer|Fallen London|}} ''"A bell sounds somewhere in the outer chamber. [...] Cups turns and stalks out [...] Cups returns, pushing a Relicker's cart laden with new crockery [...]"''</ref> <ref name = "who relickers"/> and also act as its spies<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Leave_the_Auctioneer|Leave the Auctioneer|Fallen London|}} ''"The Sanguine Auctioneer nods solemnly. "Should I be asked, I will give you up immediately. [...] There are several Relickers in the street now. They watch you leave."''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Approach_the_lone_prisoner|Approach the lone prisoner|Fallen London|}} ''"As you approach the prisoner [...] it is unmistakably the Sanguine Auctioneer. [...]"''</ref> in [[London]].<ref name = "why rats">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets#Rats|Why do the Relickers keep rats?|Fallen London|}}</ref>

In the past, Cups refused to grant ownership of trash to the foxes, instead giving it to the rats. The terms of this agreement are why there are no foxes in London,<ref>{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/news/the-mysteries-answered|'Why are there no foxes in the city?'|Failbetter Games|}}</ref> and likely the reason for the Relickers' rat-companions.<ref name = "why rats"/>

The reason for Cups' focus on trash is simple; in its own words: ''"Everything lost and rejected is mine, but there's no better keeper. A bin for rubbish, you realise, is also a cup."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Crocodile_Who_Would_Be_King|The Crocodile Who Would Be King|Fallen London|}}</ref>

=== Other Names ===
<blockquote>''"Mr Mirrors will like this pile. Mr Cups. I meant Mr Cups."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Hand_over_a_multitude_of_scraps_for_a_Rumourmonger%27s_Network|Hand over a multitude of scraps for a Rumourmonger's Network|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:Mirror4.png|alt=A red mirror.|thumb|A mirror.]]
Mr Cups also trades as [[Mr Mirrors]] as of the modern [[Fifth City]],<ref>{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/news/the-mysteries-answered|'How many Masters are there?'|Failbetter Games|}}</ref> and is in charge of the "frangible and the fine."<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Mirrors|Mr Mirrors|Fallen London|}}</ref> This fact is not known to the general public<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Hand_over_a_multitude_of_scraps_for_a_Rumourmonger%27s_Network|Hand over a multitude of scraps for a Rumourmonger's Network|Fallen London|}}</ref> and they are viewed as two separate Masters.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Something_to_burn%3F|Something to burn?|Fallen London|}}</ref> Cups took on this identity after another Master, the original [[Mr Mirrors]], disappeared under mysterious circumstances.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Distract_yourself;_read_the_newspaper|Distract yourself; read the newspaper|Fallen London|}} ''"This is, you suppose, what they do when one of them falls. As Cups took over Mirrors' identity and bailiwick [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Dreamer%27s_End|Dreamer's End|Fallen London|}} ''"I am only a splinter of myself, now. A dream, dreaming. A reflection, cast by nothing."''</ref>

In the ''Sunless Skies'' timeline, Mr Cups is called the '''Saint of Chalices''' by the Cult of the Sanctified at [[Avid Horizon]].<ref name="crowning saints">{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.gamepedia.com/The_Jolly_Anchorite|The crowning of the saints|Sunless Skies|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/A_Conversation_with_a_Jolly_Anchorite#Interactions|Accept and be anointed in the Cult of the Sanctified|Sunless Skies|}}</ref>

== Personality ==
<blockquote>''"Dear Friend: this has preserved more than you know. The plans of the great and of the good can proceed unimpeded. Anarchy is quelled. Beauty upheld. You have done, quite inescapably, the right thing."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lost_in_Reflections|Lost in Reflections|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>''"I would prefer to simply leave. Let the Bazaar be torn apart. What has she done for us lately?"''<ref name = "inquire solution">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_about_a_solution|Inquire about a solution|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>
[[File:3DarkDropCoffee.png|alt=Many coffee cups.|thumb|Several cups.]]
Mr Cups presents itself as polite and affable,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"Mr Sacks! Oh, my – I apologize. One moment!" [...] "There you are." [...] "The Khan's own; for fortune-telling. Take it!"''</ref> and it can be rather verbose.<ref name = "lost reflections"/><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"Mr Sacks! How seasonally apposite. How deliciously sentimental. How fortuitously timed!"''</ref> It typically communicates with others indirectly<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Master%27s_Voice|The Master's Voice|Fallen London|}}</ref> or through letters.<ref name = "lost reflections">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Lost_in_Reflections|Lost in Reflections|Fallen London|}} ''"Dear Friend: this has preserved more than you know. The plans of the great and of the good can proceed unimpeded. Anarchy is quelled. Beauty upheld. You have done, quite inescapably, the right thing. [...] MIRRORS [...]"''</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Master%27s_Voice|The Master's Voice|Fallen London|}}</ref> It enjoys collecting for its own sake; rather than hoarding, it discards lesser valuables to make room for new ones, keeping the process going.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"A collection is only worth its lowliest piece, [...] one discovers better and rarer finds as the years pass! [...] one grows to live for the acquisition [...] So a winter cleaning!""''</ref> Cups is fascinated with empty vessels because according to it, they can be filled with anything it wants.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/The_Crocodile_Who_Would_Be_King|The Crocodile Who Would Be King|Fallen London|}} ''"[...] they display the empty picture-frame [...] Receptacles are better this way, [...] Whether flesh or frame, we can fill them with whatever we want."''</ref>

According to Mr Cups' iteration of [[Mr Sacks]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_my_ignorance_from_me._Are_you...|Mr Sacks! Take my ignorance from me. Are you...|Fallen London|}}</ref> it misses living under the [[Great Chain of Being]], as it enjoys the feeling of knowing its place in the hierarchy of the [[Judgements]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Sacks!_Take_this_dream_of_skies_untainted!|Mr Sacks! Take this dream of skies untainted!|Fallen London|}}</ref>

While Cups may have a pleasant demeanor, it nonetheless has many flaws. It is self-centered,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_about_a_solution|Inquire about a solution|Fallen London|}} ''"I would prefer to simply leave," [...] "Let the Bazaar be torn apart. What has she done for us lately?"''</ref> self-pitying,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Conclude_the_rite|Conclude the rite|Fallen London|}} ''"Poor Cups, a paragon of rectitude, only [...] working for a greater good that so few possess the wherewithal – or self-effacement! – to see."''</ref> ruthless,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Demand_an_explanation_(from_Mr._Cups)|Demand an explanation (from Mr. Cups)|Fallen London|}} ''"If it makes a difference, it was not personal. [...] I will not render you the disrespect of an apology."''</ref> and remorseless.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Does_it_feel_remorse%3F|Does it feel remorse?|Fallen London|}}</ref> When reminded of the [[Second City]], it is rumored to "fly into a rage,"<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Sidebar_Snippets#The_Masters_of_the_Bazaar|What's the problem with the Second City?|Fallen London|}}</ref> and after the [[Grand Clearing-Out]], it did not aid in the [[Masters]] in their plans to prevent the [[Stone Pigs]] from destroying [[London]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_about_the_Stone_Pigs|Inquire about the Stone Pigs|Fallen London|}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Inquire_after_the_other_Masters|Inquire after the other Masters|Fallen London|}}</ref>

== Businesses ==
<blockquote>''"Mr Cups' stall is in one of the more remote courtyards, near the one where it keeps a kiln."''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Cups%27_Splendid_Commemorative_Ceramics|Mr Cups' Splendid Commemorative Ceramics|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

Mr Cups has a shop in the [[Labyrinth of Tigers]] called '''Mr Cups' Splendid Commemorative Ceramics'''. It sells all kinds of crockery with designs based on the Labyrinth's attractions, such as a dish decorated with beetles or a bowl shaped like a fish. The shop is managed by a [[Clay Men|Clay Man]] and also stocks relics from the [[Second City]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Mr_Cups%27_Splendid_Commemorative_Ceramics|Mr Cups' Splendid Commemorative Ceramics|Fallen London|}} ''"Customers can choose from an eccentric range of souvenir crockery [...] all beautifully handpainted with scenes from the Labyrinth [...] a butter dish covered in gleaming [...] beetles. And that sugar bowl, [...] in the shape of a cave-fish [...] A Clay Man waits patiently to assist with your purchases [...] You [...] filch something [...] a handful of odd [...] carvings."''</ref>

== Dwellings ==
<blockquote>''"The ceilings of Mr Cups' parlour soar high above you. The walls are lined with vast display cabinets, filled with crockery, pottery, and sculpture. Some are worth trading a spouse for. Others are tools of social suicide."''<ref name = "robe"/></blockquote>
[[File:Teaset.png|alt=A fine tea set.|thumb|The Khan's Tea Set]]
Mr Cups has a parlor in the [[Echo Bazaar]] that contains tall display cabinets filled with goods. The items stored here may be ancient, valuable, or rather eccentric.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Incarnadine_Fur_Robe|Incarnadine Fur Robe|Fallen London|}} ''"You set off for the Bazaar [...] The ceilings of Mr Cups' parlour soar high [...] walls are lined with vast display cabinets, filled with crockery, pottery, and sculpture. Some are worth trading a spouse for. Others are tools of social suicide. [...] Mr Cups [...] shows you an ancient tea set."''</ref>

Cups has a personal sanctum deep within the [[Echo Bazaar]], filled with vessels and cups of any shape, size, or material. These include valuable goblets, cups the size of thimbles,<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Pass_through_the_opening|Pass through the opening|Fallen London|}} ''"Open chests glimmer with goblets [...] Cups clutter every flat surface. [...] Some are adorned with gems of captive starlight and silver-flame, while others are [...] vessels of plain wood [...] Others are the size of thimbles [...] others are bowls, or basins, or troughs.</ref> and a chalice made from sculpted bone that is large enough to fit a person.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_To_All_Things,_An_End|Ambition Nemesis – To All Things, An End|Fallen London|}} ''"The chalice is wide as a well and deep as a grave. You clamber into its basin, [...] It is made from numberless bones, fused together [...]"''</ref> The chamber also includes a tub, a desk for paperwork, and coat hooks.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_The_Last_Cup|Ambition Nemesis – The Last Cup|Fallen London|}} ''"This is Mr Cups' personal chamber. [...] Here is the noxious pool in which it bathes [...] Here is its desk: [...] Papers are laid out on it [...] Hanging from nodules on the wall are its robes [...]"''</ref>

== The Nemesis ==
<blockquote>''"Some things cannot be borne. You know this! The Bazaar's dream is a folly! Its message will be spurned, and when it is, its heart must not break, but ignite! For vengeance is hot as love! Let it suffer, and let the sun suffer – as I have suffered over the span of five cities!"''<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Demand_an_explanation_(from_Mr._Cups)|Demand an explanation (from Mr. Cups)|Fallen London|}}</ref></blockquote>

Mr Cups, like the other [[Masters]],<ref name = "master secret">{{Citation|https://www.failbettergames.com/news/a-secret-about-the-masters|A secret about the Masters|Failbetter Games|}}</ref> is a [[Curator]],<ref name = "veils the curator">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Traces_of_Veils_the_Curator|Traces of Veils the Curator|Fallen London|}}</ref> a bat-like being who roamed the [[High Wilderness]] to accumulate treasures for its hoard.<ref>{{Citation|https://sunlessskies.fandom.com/wiki/Curator|Curator|Sunless Skies|}}</ref> Before its time in the [[Neath]], Cups committed violations against the rules of its kind, which forced it into service under the [[Echo Bazaar]] to avoid "misfortune, failure, and fruitlessness."<ref name = "master secret"/>
[[File:Nemesis2.png|thumb|The blade of retribution.]]
During its time serving the Bazaar,<ref name = "let suffer">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Demand_an_explanation_(from_Mr._Cups)|Demand an explanation (from Mr. Cups)|Fallen London|}} ''"The Bazaar's dream is a folly! [...] Let it suffer, [...] as I have suffered over the span of five cities!"''</ref> Mr Cups concocted a grand scheme in which it hired an assassin named [[Scathewick]]<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition:_Nemesis_1|Ambition: Nemesis 1|Fallen London|}}</ref> to murder seven specific people on the [[Surface]].<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition:_Nemesis_0|Ambition: Nemesis 0|Fallen London|}}</ref> Their vengeful loved ones were lured to the [[Neath]],<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/There_will_be_a_reckoning|There will be a reckoning|Fallen London|}}</ref> where they would get their revenge<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Demand_an_explanation_(from_Mr._Cups)|Demand an explanation (from Mr. Cups)|Fallen London|}} ''"You were one of seven. You were to take your vengeance on Scathewick and be satisfied. [...] I established a set of criteria, and by agents conducted matters accordingly."''</ref> or die trying.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_The_Revengers%27_Court_(2)|Ambition Nemesis – The Revengers' Court (2)|Fallen London|}}</ref> Their tragic tales would then be written on the [[Bazaar]] by the [[Lady in Lilac]], who was coerced into doing so by Cups.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ambition:_Nemesis_%E2%80%93_One_Last_Matter|Ambition: Nemesis – One Last Matter|Fallen London|}} ''"The stories on the Bazaar's skin affect the [...] message it carries [...] on occasion [...] the contents of its heart [...]"''</ref><ref name = "inking">{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_Mr_Cups_about_Lilac|Ask Mr Cups about Lilac|Fallen London|}}''"I commissioned her to ink seven stories upon the Bazaar. Of love; of vengeance. She resisted at first. I was forced to be persuasive."''</ref>

Ironically, Cups' motive for this scheme also involves revenge.<ref name = "let suffer"/> It has grown exhausted of serving the [[Bazaar]] and believes its mission to prevent the [[Sun]]'s demise will fail.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Listen_to_the_Mountain_tell_its_stories|Listen to the Mountain tell its stories|Fallen London|}}</ref> By tampering with the Bazaar's message,<ref name = "inking"/> Cups hopes that when the message is rejected, the Bazaar's heart will "ignite" rather than break, leaving both it and the Sun to suffer as Cups did.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Demand_an_explanation_(from_Mr._Cups)|Demand an explanation (from Mr. Cups)|Fallen London|}} ''"The Bazaar's dream is a folly! Its message will be spurned, [...] its heart must not break, but ignite! [...] Let it suffer, and let the sun suffer – as I have suffered over the span of five cities!"''</ref> Six of these stories have already concluded, but one remains unfinished.<ref>{{Citation|https://fallenlondon.wiki/wiki/Ask_Mr_Cups_about_Lilac|Ask Mr Cups about Lilac|Fallen London|}} ''"The work is unfinished. [...] the seventh: it hasn't finished yet."''</ref>

==References==
<references />
[[Category:The Masters]]
[[Category:Formatted]]
[[Category:Cited]]
[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Nonhuman]]