- For mobile users, see: Swansea/Gallery
Swansea was one of the crew members aboard the Tulpar. His role was to look over the ship's maintenance and to make sure everything worked accordingly, as its mechanic.
Appearance
Swansea is a tall middle-aged man with short brown hair and blue eyes. He has a noticeable belly, likely due to age and his history of drinking. He is often depicted with a frown.
He wears a yellow and red Pony Express polo shirt, a pair of jeans, and white and blue sneakers.
Personality
Swansea often appears as a grumpy, old man. Initially, he doesn't care for his intern Daisuke, whom he often finds to be more of a nuisance than anything else.
He continuously blocks off the path to the utility room claiming that it's filled to the brim with foam, which turned out to be a lie as he was trying to hide the only working cryostasis pod from the other crew members. Although he has a very tough exterior and had treated Daisuke rudely, it's likely he was hiding the pod in the hope that Daisuke could use it.
History
Biography
Swansea was the main mechanic of the Tulpar. Back in the day, he used to be an alcoholic but recovered. He mentions having settled down and getting married with children but reveals dissatisfaction with his life despite becoming a "good man." Whether he is divorced or not is left to interpretation. He had been sober for a decade and a half but due to the traumatic crash of the Tulpar and the discovery of the mouthwash cargo, he took up drinking again. In the previous trip before the crash, the crew threw Swansea a surprise party.
During Mouthwashing
Swansea gave Anya a note to give to Curly, and when Curly went to Utility, Daisuke was stuck in foam. Swansea complained about how Daisuke was brought on only to make him suffer, calling him "talented in all the wrong ways". Curly broke Daisuke out of the foam, and Swansea told him the vent is strictly off-limits, saying it's collapsed inside. Curly told Swansea to clean up the rest of the foam, handing him the axe. This stays with him for most of the time afterward.
The next day, Swansea helped the rest of the crew set up for Curly's surprise party. After Curly made the cake, Daisuke asked him to make a speech, but Curly gave the news that Pony Express was going under, and after their haul, they would all be out of a job. Swansea seemed upset, but more accepting about this than other crew members. He saw it as a long time coming, as Pony Express was one of the last manned crew freighter companies. After the crash, it can be presumed that Swansea found the functional cryopod but chose to hide it, likely because he knew that if Jimmy knew about it, it would be a bloodbath.
Two months after the crash, the crew discussed opening the cargo bay which Swansea opposed, not wanting their pay to be docked further. After Jimmy went to find the code scanner, Swansea guarded Utility, claiming there to be a solid wall of foam blocking most of it off. He said he won't let anyone in Utility, so they don't break the air seal. Jimmy believed this and walked away.
After the cargo hold was opened, the crew discovered only mouthwash in the many boxes, much to the crew's dismay. Anya claimed the mouthwash was useless as a disinfectant due to the sugar content, and Swansea snatched the bottle, seeing it had 14% ethanol. He decided to break his 15-year sobriety streak and began to drink the mouthwash. It can be inferred that most empty bottles found throughout the Tulpar are from Swansea, with maybe a few being from Daisuke.
About a month after the crew discovered the mouthwash, Anya and Swansea had a private conversation. What exactly they spoke about is unclear, but it can be inferred that Swansea told Anya about the functioning cryopod, and Anya told Swansea about Jimmy's sexual assault on her and the resulting pregnancy.
About a month after that, Swansea was found dancing with the axe in front of the window screen, completely drunk off mouthwash. Jimmy told him to give him the axe, and Swansea smashed it into the screen, breaking it. Jimmy took the axe and Swansea sat on the floor, still drunk.
Another month after that, Anya locked herself in medical to commit suicide. Daisuke and Jimmy tried to convince Swansea to let them into Utility to use the vent to get into medical. Swansea declined and drunkenly named the asteroid they crashed into "Wake Rock". Jimmy decided to force his way into Utility by drugging Swansea with a mix of mouthwash, isopropyl alcohol, and sweetener. Swansea accepted the drink, but not before lashing out at Daisuke, projecting his insecurities onto him. He drank the drugged cocktail and passed out, allowing Jimmy to steal his keys. Upon discovering the lack of a foam wall and the functioning cryopod, Jimmy assumed Swansea was planning to save himself with the pod. In reality, though, Swansea was likely saving it for Daisuke, or maybe the pregnant Anya.
Jimmy manipulated Daisuke with Swansea's approval, and Daisuke entered the dangerous vent, causing him to be wounded. Presumably, a few hours later, Swansea woke up, only to find Daisuke on the brink of death. He demanded Jimmy hand over the isopropyl to disinfect Daisuke's wounds, but Jimmy admitted to using it in the cocktail. Swansea cursed Jimmy and searched medical for something else. Jimmy found a bottle of mouthwash in the cargo hold, ignoring Anya's previous observation it wouldn't work as a disinfectant. Jimmy poured the mouthwash on Daisuke, but all this did was put him in greater pain. Two hours later, Swansea was by Daisuke's side, and he raised the utility axe. He lamented how much Daisuke deserved to live, and how he could've learned a lot from him if he opened up. He then decided to mercy-kill Daisuke, bringing the axe onto his face. Jimmy was angry at Swansea for this, but Swansea, defeated, told Jimmy to get in the pod, not having anything else to get home to.
What happened next is a little unclear. Swansea seemed to charge at Jimmy in medical with the axe, and Jimmy presumably went into the vent. Swansea might've also taken swings at the vent, as evidenced by the axe flying into the vent during one of Jimmy's guilt sequences. At some point, Swansea chased Jimmy into the cockpit. Jimmy overpowered and knocked Swansea unconscious, possibly hitting him with the broken pipe. At some point during this, Jimmy shot Swansea in the eye. Afterward, Swansea ended up tied to a chair in Utility, and he gave one final monologue. In it, he explained how he used to be a complete drunk before a vision of him winding up dead in a ditch "scared [him] straight." He got his job at Pony Express, a wife, and at least two kids. But he expressed how this supposedly good life didn't bring him fulfillment and admits the best days of his life were when he was lost in his alcoholism. He also cursed Jimmy for being a selfish coward and lamented not saving Daisuke, wishing he could've gotten him back to Earth. Jimmy made a hollow promise that he'd get them back home, and Swansea cursed Jimmy one last time before Jimmy shot him in the head.
Jimmy moved Swansea, along with Anya and Daisuke's corpses, and sat them at the table, giving them party hats. After putting Curly on the table, Jimmy hallucinated the crew alive and celebrating his birthday, with Swansea being the happiest he'd ever been. Swansea's corpse was left to rot after Jimmy put Curly in the cryopod and committed suicide.
Relationships
Curly
Swansea and Curly have a fairly standard relationship for a boss and his subordinate. They are shown to have mutual respect for one another as Curly trusted Swansea enough to give Swansea the axe after freeing Daisuke from the foam, in return Swansea respected Curly’s position as the captain.
Jimmy
Swansea sees Jimmy as a selfish wannabe hero and a lowlife parasite, and he refuses to treat him like a leader. He and Jimmy find themselves in multiple spats throughout the game, with Swansea continuously mocking Jimmy as the captain and not taking him seriously. After he kills Daisuke to help him finally rest, he goes on a rampage and tries to kill Jimmy. He points out all of Jimmy's hypocrisies and owns up to his own mistakes, though he is ultimately killed by Jimmy, tied to a chair and shot straight in the forehead.
Anya
Anya and Swansea seem to share a positive relationship, with Swansea handing her a note so that she could give to Curly during his psychological evaluation, and Anya later on telling him the fact that Jimmy sexually assaulted her. It was unclear how Swansea reacted to hearing the news, however, judging from Swansea's increasing passive aggressiveness towards Jimmy after the conversation between Swansea and Anya, it can be deduced that Swansea believed her and came to despise Jimmy. Swansea also confronted Jimmy when he asked him what he had told Anya, saying that it was Anya who "told [him] all sorts of things instead," indicating that he knew what happened.
Daisuke
Swansea sees Daisuke as a sort of son, there are various examples throughout the game where he puts Daisuke's safety before his own. It is theorized that Swansea may have been keeping watch on the cryostasis pods to allow Daisuke to survive. When he sees him writhing on the floor in agony after sustaining major injuries in the vent to the nursing office, Swansea takes the axe and drives it through Daisuke's face, ending his misery. He mentions him in his final speech, mentioning how much of a good kid he is, and how he deserved to live.
Trivia
- Swansea is a bit of a sneakerhead. He buys himself a new expensive pair every year to celebrate his soberversary.[1]
- Swansea's favorite Pokémon is Herdier.[1]
- One of the writers wanted Swansea to have his dog with him on board the ship, but the idea was voted out.[2] 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.[2]
- Swansea has a swan keychain on his keys, which may be a reference to how his name has the word "swan" in it.
- 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 makes a mean paella, but his wife got sick of it. Not to worry, he takes her to fancy restaurants when they want a night out. They'll call ahead to see if the dog is allowed to come too.[3]
- The scene in which Swansea mercy-kills Daisuke could be a reference to swans who kill other swans if they are fatally wounded or deathly ill.
- Swansea originally had another person working under him. This sixth member was scrapped as they didn't have enough plot relevance.
- There is a possibility that their ID card is in the game as an easter egg, as seen in the card tunnel bizzaro chapter.
The secret crew member is roughly around the top right, next to Anyas card.
In-game closeup.
- There is a possibility that their ID card is in the game as an easter egg, as seen in the card tunnel bizzaro chapter.
- Swansea's appearance at the end of chapter nine bears a striking resemblance to an iconic scene from The Shining. In an attempt to reach and murder his wife, Jack Torrance uses an axe to hack away at the locked door of a bathroom. After chopping away a large section of the door Jack reaches through the splintered wood and unlocks it from the inside. Swansea mirrors this scene by battering the cockpit door of the Tulpar with an axe in an attempt to reach and kill Jimmy. After Swansea finally shatters the door's window, he reaches through the broken glass to unlock it from the inside.
- Swansea's children are now grown up, but he often visits their apartments to handle repairs or fix things that are broken. These visits also give him an excuse to check if they're keeping their spaces clean. While he's there, he'll often treat them to a meal, wanting to make sure they’re eating well.[3]
- The song during Swansea's monologue went through the most iterations of any song on the soundtrack.[4] One iteration was deemed too somber and the other too dark.
- Swansea may be based on Brendan Gleeson's portrayal of Frank in 28 Days Later.
External links
References
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