Swansea (Mouthwashing)

Full Name	Swansea (surname unknown)
Alias	Big Swan Boss (by Daisuke)
Origin	Mouthwashing
Occupation	Mechanic of the Tulpar Freighter
Powers / Skills	High intelligence Engineering and mechanical expertise Brute strength Agility
Goals	Fix the cryo-pod to save Daisuke (succeeded in fixing the cryo-pod, failed to save Daisuke). Kill Jimmy (failed).
Crimes	Murder Attempted mutiny Vandalism Criminal negligence Theft Substance abuse
Type of Villain	Protective Anti-Villain

Swansea: I have something to say. So shut the fuck up and listen. I spent thirteen years half-cut up to my eyeballs. Drunk, to put it mildly. Then suddenly I saw it, a streetlight shining in my face. 500 Gigawatts of the power of God. A vision of my bloated body found in some ditch. Scared me straight. So I got a collar shirt, mortgage and a credit card. All the things that make a good man. I hoped I could raise my children to be better than their old man. I wanted to believe I was never one setback away from my worst self. But the truth is. Discipline. Drive. Routine. The endless fucking desperation to get shit done. A loving wife? Great kids? Sobriety? I'm telling you. You. Accomplishments I've been chasing my whole life. Never felt as good as I expected when I crossed the finish line... So now that we're at the end. Takin' inventory. Those nights spinning out of my head, sinking into the sofa. Broken glass in my palms. Bleeding dry the funniest thing ever. Old dogs laughing and snarling on a waterbed floor, mocking the moon for daring to show its face. All nausea and wreckage and vomit and ugly cruelty. The only problem in the world an empty bottle. Those were the best days of my life. Yeah... Those were the best days of my life. I got nothing to hide. Ready to face the music. I can see myself for what I am. But you, a cowardly, selfish motherfucker and you can't even see it... I should've been able to protect the kid. If I could have done one thing right, I wish it had been to give him one small chance off this goddamned rock.
Jimmy: Swansea. I'm going to fix everything. We're going to make it.
Swansea: Fuck you.Swansea's final conversation with Jimmy.

Swansea is the main antagonist of the 2024 psychological horror game Mouthwashing, developed by Swedish developer Wrong Organ.

He was the mechanic of the Tulpar, a large ship carrying cargo across the system for Pony Express, when the co-pilot Jimmy steered the ship into an asteroid, marooning the crew and leaving them to descend into chaos. Their only supplies were a system's worth of the titular mouthwash. As the game progresses, Swansea gets drunk from alcoholic contents of the near endless mouthwash and works on a cryo-pod to give the naive, innocent intern Daisuke a chance at survival. He ends up going on a rampage to kill the selfish Jimmy after Daisuke's untimely passing.

While his actions are questionable, he is generally considered more of a hero in the narrative. He ultimately braves his execution at Jimmy's hands, but not before reflecting on his choices in life and berating Jimmy for failing to see what a delusive individual he had become.

Appearance

Swansea is a tall middle-aged man with brown short hair and blue eyes. He has a large gut, likely due to his age and unhealthy habits. He is consistently seen with a frown on his face. He wears a yellow and red Pony Express polo shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and white and blue sneakers.

Personality

Swansea was initially portrayed as a grumpy, hotheaded old man who cares not for his intern, Daisuke, though he shows a softer side, such as when Anya uses him as a safe space to confess that Jimmy raped her. After the crash of the Tulpar and the discovery of nearly endless bottles of mouthwash containing alcohol, he immediately decides to throw (by his own account) a decade and a half of sobriety out the window, spending the next few months in a state of drunkenness and what initially appears to be irresponsibility. During this period, he guards the utility room, claiming it’s completely flooded with safety foam and warning that clearing it could tear a hole in the ship, endangering the crew. This is later revealed to be a lie; in reality, Swansea is trying to repair the only remaining cryo-pod, with the implication that he plans to prolong his own life long enough to be rescued, letting the rest of the crew pass away.

When Daisuke is severely wounded by a faulty vent in utilities, suffering immensely, Swansea reluctantly and tearfully takes an axe to his face as an act of mercy. He then turns his attention to Jimmy, chasing him through the Tulpar in a fashion reminiscent of The Shining's Torrance, a culmination of his frustration with him throughout the entire ordeal.

After his defeat by Jimmy, Swansea admits that despite his irritation with Daisuke’s insolence and incompetence, he cares for him and admires him as the most innocent member of the crew. In truth, Swansea was repairing the cryo-pod for Daisuke, hoping to give him a chance at survival. Ultimately, before he is executed, Swansea admits to his flaws, claiming that he is able to see himself for who he is, unlike Jimmy, and that he never felt accomplished forgoing his "worst self" to become a "good man" in society.

Biography

Swansea worked as the main mechanic of the Tulpar. He had a history of alcoholism but managed to recover and stayed sober for fifteen years. He mentioned that he had settled down, gotten married, and had children, though he expressed dissatisfaction with this life, despite his efforts to become a “good man.” Whether he was still married or divorced was left ambiguous. Unfortunately, after the traumatic crash of the Tulpar and the discovery of mouthwash on board, Swansea relapsed and began drinking again. On the trip prior to the one featured in the game, the crew even threw Swansea a surprise party, showing they still cared for him despite his struggles.

At the start of the game’s events, Swansea gives Anya a note to pass to Curly. Later, when Curly arrives at the Utility room, he finds Daisuke trapped in foam, and Swansea grumbles about Daisuke’s presence, calling him “talented in all the wrong ways.” After Curly frees Daisuke, Swansea warns them that the vent is off-limits, claiming it has collapsed. Curly hands him an axe to clean up the remaining foam, which Swansea holds onto for most of the game. The following day, Swansea assists with setting up for Curly’s surprise party. When Curly shares the news that Pony Express will soon go under, Swansea, while upset, is more accepting than others, acknowledging it as inevitable due to the decline of manned crew freighter companies.

Following the crash, Swansea’s actions become more ambiguous and secretive. He appears to hide a functioning cryopod from Jimmy, likely to avoid a potential bloodbath if Jimmy discovered it. When the crew debates opening the cargo bay, Swansea hesitates, fearing a further pay cut. He stands guard at Utility while insisting that a foam wall blocks most of it off to maintain the air seal. Jimmy trusts this explanation and leaves. When the cargo hold is opened, revealing mouthwash instead of valuable cargo, Swansea takes a bottle, sees it has a high ethanol content, and decides to break his long sobriety streak. The game suggests that most of the empty bottles found throughout are from Swansea, though some likely belong to Daisuke.

About a month later, Swansea has a private discussion with Anya, potentially revealing the existence of the cryopod and discussing Jimmy’s assault on her and the resulting pregnancy. A month after that, Swansea is found drunk, dancing with the axe in front of a window screen. When Jimmy asks him for the axe, Swansea smashes it into the screen, allowing Jimmy to take the axe, albeit rudely. Another month later, Anya locks herself in medical to commit suicide, leading Daisuke and Jimmy to ask Swansea for access to the vent in Utility. Swansea, still intoxicated, refuses and mockingly names their crash site “Wake Rock.” In response, Jimmy drugs Swansea with a cocktail of mouthwash, isopropyl alcohol, and sweetener to access his keys.

Upon finding the hidden cryopod, Jimmy assumes Swansea intended to save himself and ditch the crew. In reality, Swansea likely reserved it for Daisuke. When Daisuke enters the vent and suffers life-threatening injuries, Swansea demands disinfectant to treat his wounds, only to find Jimmy used the isopropyl in the cocktail. Out of options, Jimmy resorts to mouthwash, worsening Daisuke’s pain. Two hours later, Swansea, distraught and regretful, decides to perform a mercy kill on Daisuke with the axe, lamenting that he could have learned much from Daisuke if he’d been more open.

After Daisuke’s death, tensions between Swansea and Jimmy escalate. Swansea appears to confront Jimmy in medical, and they struggle, leading to Jimmy overpowering him and eventually shooting him in the eye. It’s unclear whether this confrontation was real or a fabrication by Jimmy to justify killing Swansea. Eventually, Swansea is tied up to a chair in Utility, where he delivers a final monologue. He recalls his earlier life as a drunk, a vision that frightened him into sobriety, and the unfulfilling “good” life he built afterward. He admits that his best days may have been in his drinking days and resentfully scorns Jimmy as a parasite, who is unable to own up to himself. Jimmy, in response, makes a hollow promise to return them home, which Swansea dismisses with a final curse before Jimmy shoots him in the head.

After Swansea’s death, Jimmy arranges his body, along with Anya and Daisuke’s, at a table and places party hats on them. Finally, with Curly on the table, Jimmy hallucinates the crew alive, celebrating his birthday—an illusion that marks the happiest moment we ever see of Swansea. Eventually, Jimmy decides to put Curly in the cryopod and kill himself, leaving Swansea’s body to decay aboard the ship.

Videos

Swansea's final speech to Jimmy.

Trivia

• From what can be seen on Swansea's ID card, fans have speculated that his last name could be either Harold or Hotard.
• Swansea is a bit of a sneakerhead. He buys himself a new expensive pair every year to celebrate his "soberversary."
• Swansea's favorite Pokémon is Herdier.
• One of the writers wanted Swansea to have his dog with him on board the ship, but the idea was voted out. Nonetheless, he still has a picture of his dog on display in Utility.
• According to Wrong Organ, coming up with slang terms and writing funny expressions for Swansea was the funniest part of the game to work on.
• While being enemies, Jimmy and Swansea both have a mutual hatred of Polle, as Swansea apparently found it funny when Jimmy decapitated the Polle statue.
• Swansea originally had another person working under him, but they scrapped this sixth member as they didn't have enough plot relevance.
  • There is a possibility that their ID card is in the game as an easteregg, seen in the card tunnel bizzaro chapter.
• Swansea's kids are all grown up, but there’s always something broken or needing repairs in their apartments. He uses this as an excuse to go make sure they're keeping their places clean, and will often treat them to a meal.
• Swansea is apparently a very good cook, and can make an excellent paella. However, his wife has grown sick of it, so he will often take her to fancy restaurants when they want a night out. They also call ahead to see if the dog is allowed to come.
• Swansea's key has a little swan on it, which is clearly a reference to his name. The swan has a little sign which reads "WHERE THE FUCK ARE MY KEYS?!"

External Links

• Swansea on the Heroes Wiki
• Swansea on the Mouthwashing Wiki