Thinking about this again, specifically the way Limbo's characterization is handled in Helvetica's route.
HEAVY spoilers for Helvetica route under the cut
One thing that really sticks out to me is how passive Limbo is in Helvetica's route overall. He's sort of in the background, and yet, despite this, there's so much characterization there.
There's three major moments that stand out to me: First when the group finds Helvetica drugged after he disappears, second when the group is discussing how to handle things, and finally while the group is waiting for news on Helvetica when he’s hospitalized at the end.
One of the major driving forces behind Limbo’s characterization is that he hates when people see him vulnerable. He wouldn't have kept quiet about the Navid situation so long otherwise, nor would he be so resistant to admitting that it scares him. It’s reflected in the correct choices in his route too— there's a running theme of letting him control his own narrative and talk to Teuta on his own terms.
And I feel like this is relevant to how he behaves Helvetica route, because the way he treats Hel is how he'd want to be treated if the situation was reversed. Which we know, because of how their routes move in parallel.
The most dramatic example is when he and Shu bring Helvetica home from his disappearance in an extremely vulnerable state. Limbo does his best to protect Helvetica’s dignity, firmly denying Teuta access to the bathroom while he and Shu clean him up. Notably, when talking to Teuta, he keeps a casual attitude about the matter, explaining that it’s because Helvetica is naked. However, based on Limbo’s tendency to keep his feelings to himself and how casual Helvetica tends to be about nudity, I think it’s safe to infer that isn’t the only reason. It’s not until Teuta convinces him that them being there to support Helvetica is more important than his privacy and that they have a right to worry that he relents, letting her in.
(as an aside, I find it interesting how Shu consistently agrees with Limbo throughout this scene. I haven’t dived as deep into his characterization yet, but I wonder if a similar approach is part of the reason they’ve been business partners for so long?)
The group discussion following immediately after this also stood out to me on a second read through. It’s subtler, but Limbo comes around to Helvetica’s point of view surprisingly quick, given that he is the one who initially suggests legal action against Magda. He suggests it, Helvetica explains why he doesn’t want to do that, and Limbo backs off in his next line. Notably, his next line takes place after Mozu and Shu both voice their disagreement with how Hel wants to handle it, saying that he’s on the fence about it but that he sympathizes.
The final moment is very minor, and deviates from the theme of 'treating Hel how he would want to be treated' since Hel isn't in that scene at all, but still stuck out to me in light of everything else. While the group waits for news on Helvetica in the hospital waiting room, Limbo’s demeanor and tone remain very casual. He listens to the group’s feelings, namely Teuta and Mozu, and offers encouragement without mentioning any feelings of his own. He acts unbothered. But based on the heavy found family themes of the rest of the game and how much his own route emphasizes that he is not emotionally expressive, I find it hard to believe.
(it’s also interesting the way that he and Mozu are both unexpressive characters, but it manifests in completely different ways)
As a final thought, there’s something to be said too about how Limbo and Helvetica are coming from fundamentally opposite backgrounds. They’re in similar positions by the time the game starts—successful men who are well respected in their fields and financially well off. Both of them also currently have equally respected and affluent families. But as Hel route shows, their foundations are as disparate as they could possibly be, with Limbo coming from a family old money and Helvetica from desperate poverty, with no biological family and nothing to his name. (Not to dismiss the family he found in the gang he was in, just pointing out how opposite they are in their circumstances)
I could see it being easy for Limbo to trust that things will work out/take things for granted more often, compared to Helvetica who knows just how easy it is to lose everything. I could also see it being part of the reason that Limbo values his agency so highly. I wonder how much it influences Limbo’s tendency towards inaction vs Helvetica’s tendency towards taking drastic measures.
It really is an interesting dichotomy. And yet, the way they write it in the game feels subtle and natural. It’s one of the things that makes Bustafellows so compelling.
I'm replaying a bit of Bustafellows to fact-check for a fanfic I'm working on, and it strikes me that Limbo and Helvetica make very interesting foils for each other if you play their routes back-to-back.
Vague spoilers for both routes under the cut
Both of their routes have similar driving forces behind the conflicts; someone important to them from their past has resurfaced and begun causing problems, which they are hesitant to involve the police on because of their prior closeness. They're both deeply loyal people who still value those bonds despite the tragic incidents surrounding them.
And yet, the ways that they choose to handle their respective situations are very different. Helvetica is very open with the group about what is happening, how he feels about it, and why it is difficult for him. The moment Teuta suspects there may be a problem, he lets her into the loop and keeps her updated on how he's handling it. When it becomes clear that the issue is so overwhelming that he cannot handle it by himself, he asks the group for help. He clearly explains why it matters so much to him and why he wants to handle things this particular way, even if the group does not agree.
Meanwhile, Limbo goes the opposite direction. He chooses to bottle everything and insist on handling it himself, even when repeatedly faced with evidence that it's not the kind of problem that will go away on its own. He continues to double down, even as the situation escalates past a point that anyone else would find to be immediately alarming, and does not even begin to open up about it until it becomes SO blatant that the others hear about it on the evening news. And even after the rest of the group involves themselves, he still downplays his emotions about it, pretending that he isn't really worried about it even when he is hurting and terrified (a truth that he only shares with Teuta, and mostly while loopy.)
And you can see these differences in each others routes as well. Helvetica is furious at Limbo in his route for shutting them out and acting like it's no big deal (and yet, interestingly, cannot or will not say that it's because he's worried about him. Shu has to spell it out for both of them). He knows that Limbo won't take action, and so he steps up as the driving force for the group going behind Limbo's back to handle it themselves. He IS sympathetic, but his loyalty manifests as taking protective action.
Meanwhile, Limbo takes a backseat role in Helvetica's route, deferring to his judgement. Despite how much he clearly cares, he acts largely unfazed, providing emotional support to everyone else without really expressing his own feelings on the matter. Further than that, he puts a lot of effort into helping Helvetica maintain his dignity/handle things as he pleases. He DOES care about Helvetica's safety, but his loyalty manifests as protecting Helvetica's agency in the situation, even if that agency puts Helvetica himself in more danger.
It's just very interesting to me how similar they are and yet how different. Further, it's interesting to me that neither of them have an easier time than the other due to their approaches.
I REALLY love the character writing in this game.
20 notes
·
View notes
I've only finished Fran and Van Helsing's routes so far, but I really wish there had been (and hope there will be) more interactions between them. Van Helsing tears himself up so often in his route, and it seems like Fran is the one who usually patches him up (despite not being a medical doctor), and I feel like he'd have some opinions on that? Some thoughts maybe about how Van Helsing is able to survive things that would put normal people in the ground? Some concerns about how Van Helsing seems to ignore his medical advice to fuck off by himself on dangerous missions? Some frustrations with seeing him tear himself open again and again and again, constantly undoing all Fran's work to keep him alive?
I'd really love to see, just once, Fran telling him (in that kind-yet-firm way he has) to knock it off. Telling him calmly, in no uncertain terms, how close he was to dying. How, if he keeps this up, one of these days he's going to wind up with something that Fran doesn't have enough training to treat. How, even if Van Helsing doesn't care about himself, the people around him care.
I'm sure Van Helsing wouldn't listen, but I would love to see Fran remind him that he's cared about. I would love to see them being friendly(ish) even outside of Cardia's influence.
(no spoilers please I have not yet finished the game)
2 notes
·
View notes