The Comprehensive Guide to Mouthwashing: Part 1 ½

[Clark Jason Kong/ Mouthwashing]

By: Alister Farald

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The Comprehensive Guide to Mouthwashing: Part 2 preview. Deep dive into character depth and inspiration, real world connections, and fanart. Trigger Warning: alcohol use. Spoilers ahead.

“Mouthwashing,” a game by Wrong Organ and CRITICAL REFLEX, celebrates its 1 year anniversary today (September 26th). To celebrate, they made an announcement on Discord: “we have written a whole book about the design and development of our game. This book will also contain in-world ephemera and deluxe extras!” It will be available for pre-orders starting September 30th, 1:00 pm EST.

The game follows the Tulpar space freighter’s crew. The Comprehensive Guide to Mouthwashing: Part 1 was dedicated to the plot, unraveling certain scenes, and briefly describing the fandom. In this issue and the next, we will be focusing on the characters and their purpose within the story, as well as taking a look at their parallels and contrasts. Part 1 ½ will focus on Daisuke and Swansea.

Daisuke

Daisuke, the lovable intern, had no idea what his role was within the crew, but still tried to be as helpful as possible. His name comes from two Japanese kanji. The first being 大(Dai), meaning big. There are multiple characters for “suke,” but they all have the same interpretation: passive, peaceful, and assisting. This idea suits his role on the ship and in the narrative well. 

Skraggie on Twitter

In the fandom, Daisuke is typically represented as a child who needs to be protected, stemming from the fact that he is the youngest member of the group. In actual gameplay, he wasn’t presented as someone who needs to be babied. He was an adult with depth, even if his character was less developed than the others. At most, Daisuke had an immaturity on par with other men his age and background. He was mostly used as a tool to develop other characters.

Daisuke was given the internship because of his parents, who were described to be wealthy. When intoxicated, he spoke of his relationship with his mother: “[I’m] such a slacker, she says.” He wanted to make them proud and prove that he was worth something, even if he didn’t quite know what he was doing. As he was the youngest on the ship, he strived to be a capable intern, constantly seeking validation. Upon meeting Swansea, the two develop a familial bond, which led to Daisuke seeking out his approval specifically. 

After putting Swansea to sleep with an isopropyl alcohol cocktail, Jimmy and Daisuke entered the utility room. Unlike what Swansea insisted, there was one working cryopod in a room free of foam. Jimmy used Daisuke to crawl in the ventilation system filled with exposed wires utilizing his affinity for the crew, claiming that Anya was a danger to Curly. Jimmy promised praise from Swansea saying, “Swansea taught you well, right? Time to prove it. He’ll be impressed when he wakes up. Proud.” That statement motivated Daisuke to climb through the broken vent and into the medical bay, severely injuring himself in the process. 

His time spent on the Tulpar was mostly dedicated to making others proud and being a beacon of light. He tried to prove he wasn’t a “slacker,” he tried to prove that he could be a useful asset for the team, even after being called a “useless goddamn ray of sunshine” by Swansea. Even when enduring unimaginable pain caused by large cuts and burns, he apologizes for not being helpful enough. In his final moments, he finally got the praise he so desperately wanted, the affection he deserved. Swansea gave him the best send-off he could, ending in “Close your eyes, Daisuke.”

Swansea

Swansea might have seemed grumpy, but he cared deeply for the crew, some going as far as saying he felt responsible for them and their well-being. This is especially true with Daisuke, looking to save Daisuke and give him a life beyond the ship. 

hunny_pp on Twitter

Swansea’s name and actions are inspired by swans. They represent peace, a stark contrast to their behavior. These stubborn and easily irritated birds mirror those with the fandom’s favorite alcoholic father figure. He reminisced on his drunken days, regarding them as the best days of his life. This destructive behavior and his ignorance to alcohol’s downfalls keep him stuck in a cycle of self sabotage. He is loyal to this vice just as swans are loyal to their first lover. Even after his 10 year sobriety streak, he had no issue diving headfirst into the crates of mouthwash with 13% ethanol per bottle. 

A “swan song” refers to the performance swans give right before they pass. Swans are said to be quiet for most of their lifetime, then sing a beautiful song as their final action. When Swansea realized they were doomed to the ship, he returned to alcohol. Throughout the game, he “quietly” observed, only making the occasional snide remark. Once the other crew members were dead or dying, Swansea went after Jimmy with an axe, a last ditch effort to avenge his friends and punish Jimmy. When that ultimately fell through, Swansea was tied to a chair and gave a speech about his life. He mentioned his goals, his desires, his regrets, and shamed Jimmy. Swansea wished to protect “the kid” (Daisuke) from his horrific ending, saying, “if I could have done one thing right, I wish it had been to give him one small chance off this goddamned rock.” This eloquent recap is viewed as his swan song, although the axe and alcoholism are often added to this point. His previous passiveness made his final words that much more compelling, even if they were said crudely.

As grumpy as Swansea and his namesake can behave, they are both compassionate parents. Swans kill their dying or injured offspring, either to save the rest of the flock or to end their child’s misery. With Swansea, we see this through Daisuke. There is little known information about Swansea’s biological children, but it is well observed that he treated the majority of the crew (especially Daisuke) as kids—his kids. When Swansea put the axe through Daisuke’s face, it was an act of kindness, possibly altruism. As we’ve learned (and will learn) from Curly, the resources on the ship were scarce. There were no more bandages to heal him. The rubbing alcohol was all used up. There was nothing they could realistically do for Daisuke. Swansea isn’t seen regretting this action, but rather, his inaction. 

Conclusion

Daisuke and Swansea represented a found family that had the healthiest bond on the ship and the most heartbreaking deaths. They may not have been the most pertinent characters, but they’ve become fan favorites, especially the younger. Their purpose was to complement one another, which they did beautifully. In this upcoming issue, we will break down Anya, Jimmy, and Curly.