Bustafellows - The romance in Mozu's route - Discussion
After chatting with @ymthkrs a few weeks back, I knew I would have to replay Mozu Shepherd's route in Bustafellows. Because I got way too curious about if there was any real romance build up in Side A.
I binged the whole thing in a week, but good grief, it kinda feels like a fever dream because I barely remember half the mental rants I went on while playing this game and I very much regret not writing these things down and/or taking more screenshots to remember them by. (I have no idea what's wrong with me lately, being unable to recall so many things I read or unable to invest myself in stories and characters. I don't know what health issue is the root or if it's a mix or if the seasonal depression is making that worse, but any way you spin it, it's crap.) So I'll ramble on, pretending I know how to evaluate this character and route. Hell, I've done one Jun Fukuyama character ramble; bet I can do it again. XD
SO! Here's my final verdict: romance if you squint.
Before I get into it, I'll put a disclaimer that I'm reading into everything, searching for this romance here. This is my opinion; I'm not claiming to be an expert. With that, let's dive in.
Let's start all the way back in the common route. Where we have Mozu's first choice. If you end up choosing "hope to meet her", I feel this is the point where we're breaking open into Mozu's heart. Let me be clear, this is still friendship at this point, no romance yet. But this is where he feels more open to talking about his sister with her. Because she's shown investment and interest, and I feel that, at least, this opens up a strong friendship door for Mozu.
This is important, because Mozu then begins opening up more about Yuzu specifically to Teuta. He does not do this with any of the other guys, I'm assuming, despite them knowing of the circumstances surrounding Mozu's sister. Teuta is the one that shows interest and is open to talking about it, meaning Mozu feels freer to talk about it. You see that in the way he wants to head to the school and open up further about Yuzu to her.
Furthermore, Teuta is constantly supporting Mozu's search for Yuzu. Once again, investing in ways that no one else does because he feels like it's a him issue, not to burden any of the other guys with. But here Teuta is, taking up that burden to help him.
Now, I know what you're all thinking. Yes, this is very friendship-y. And at this point that's just about all there is. However, if you read into this, you could say this is a beginning of Mozu opening up and relying on Teuta for things involving this very personal problem for him. I'd dare say Teuta has become Mozu's closest friend right around here.
Next, we have a minor thought here of when Teuta and Mozu are probing the school for rumors. Mozu asks Teuta to take the lead here, since he's a little socially awkward and she's better at this than him. Now, as someone who's a little socially awkward, having a friend you can rely on to take the lead in this situations like this is an immense comfort.
SO! So far, we have Mozu finding support from Teuta AND comfort in Teuta. Now, I cannot speak for Mozu, but for someone who is socially awkward with people and has few friends, I find people like that very precious and typically want to form a tight bond with. Friends I don't want to let go of because that's very special. This is where I could start to see were the lines of friendship and something more would blur from here on out.
Then, we go on to picking up Mozu from the coroner's on that rainy day where he's upset because he couldn't save the puppy. And Teuta there is once again there to offer comfort to him, allowing him to talk things out and make sure he's not alone as he faces death and questions it once again. But then Teuta runs out into the rain to grab the mother dog and put it in a box to bring inside. And you see how much that distressed Mozu when she did.
He panicked over her bolting out into the rain. Which could be an indication that he cared as a friend, but do you see him doing that with any of the guys? (Granted, it could be because she's a girl, but one could ALSO argue he has a different kind of relationship with Teuta because she's a girl.) However, he becomes happy when he realizes she's brought in the dog out of the cold. And I feel like it's because she's related to him in that way. She understands him, even though he knows he walks at a different speed from everyone else. Yet here's Teuta, bringing in the dog to get it out of the rain for Mozu's sake and feeling sad for the death of the dog. She never questions Mozu as he's stitching up a dead dog's wounds, either. She just stands there beside him in support as he does his thing. I feel like that would mean a lot to Mozu, to the point where it's possible that in his mind, those lines of friendship and romance start to blur even more.
Or, on a more serious note here, we have the confusion of feelings. Because you have Teuta offering him these luxuries of comfort and companionship in the face of death, unwilling to leave him alone as he walks this morbid and lonely road twisting through his mind. So I feel it's possible that he's mixing up feelings in his mind of friendship with something else here due to the way he's processing the feelings and situations he's going through.
Next, we have the "You know Professor Troy is into you, right?" debacle. I honestly think he got unsettled by Helvetica's warning to Teuta about Troy being interested in her and how he'd flirt with her. Because this would be someone encroaching on Mozu's "comfort person" right now, if you will. Maybe by now, Mozu has some odd feelings that he's keeping hidden, or he doesn't understand what he's feeling and is just interpreting them as strong friendship. Either way, I think he feels obligated to "protect" her from Troy, or at the very least, observe Troy as he talks with Teuta. And I I think you can see he's distressed about it here because he cuts Teuta off mid-sentence.
The moment she confirms his presence would be reassuring, he's gung-ho and ready to go. (Well, in his own way. XD) But either way, he takes the confirmation of getting to stay by her side and runs with it. And I think this is fairly easy to overlook for most people. (I overlooked it until I went back for a screenshot to write this thing. XD)
Furthermore, I feel like this is confirmed through Helvetica himself, as he chuckles at Mozu's "franticness" here. And then brushing off Limbo's playful chastisement of Helvetica teasing Teuta. Like, Helvetica knew what he was doing. Sure, he is nice enough to warn Teuta, but the bonus came from riling Mozu. Over a girl of all things.
After the talk with Troy, Mozu probes Teuta of how she feels about him. He does point out Troy is interested in her, and he's clearly relieved to hear she doesn't like Troy in that way. Then, I think after Teuta thinks he's teasing her and chastises him for it, he feels a little embarrassed and tries to backtrack. By then, Teuta thinks he's acting a little odd, and that supports my thought that he is interested in her by this point, even if he doesn't fully understand what's going on with his feelings. He just wants to protect this very special friend of his (oh, holy night, I'm having Miraculous Ladybug "just a friend" flashbacks. XD How to know you've been in a fandom too long 101.) But I repeat, I think he's got some mixed feelings at this point, and Mozu is probably a little more in the "romance" category right now without realizing it.
The next point we've got is Mozu talking to Teuta instead of the cat. Now, he could just talk to the sleeping cat; after all, he's just working through his thoughts. He could do this alone. But no, he goes to Teuta and asks her to listen, even giving her a reason as to why she should listen. Which makes me question: Is he desperate to get her to listen because she's already provided comfort and support to him on multiple occasions? Does he realize his feelings yet? Is he working them out? I don't know quite what's going through his head, but it's clear he's very attached to her already.
Back on track, he goes and opens up to her fully. And she lends a listening ear before giving him comfort and support for the fact he's gone through trauma. And part of me wants to believe that he feels better because he talked to Teuta. Like, he actually worked through that moment of chaos not because he mentally completed his thoughts while alone but rather because he wasn't alone. He had someone at his side working through that with him. I can see how easy it would be for lines to blur at this point. Particularly with this line mentioned here. Is this friendship or is this something more?
Then... oh geeeeez, the locker kabedon. Ughhh, okay, let's get through this. XD This is where I'd say Mozu actually has some semblance of feelings at this point. Because even though this is awkward as heck, Mozu is once again seeking comfort specifically from Teuta. The fact he comments that he's hoping to "stimulate his mind" by kabedonning Teuta does prove Mozu sees Teuta as a woman, not just as a friend who happens to be female. And my guess, if any of the above conjunctures are correct, Mozu subconsciously knows he can seek out Teuta for comfort and support. Yet another reason why he does this to Teuta. And after he realizes that physical thing isn't working, who is there to calm his mind other than Teuta, conversing with him and letting him lean on her for support.
Let's see... Next we have the JAMGO (which, by the way, seems WORSE than what a PROM would be like??? And where are the chaperones? Good grief. XD) But the part I want to bring up is after the fire situation. Yes Mozu rescues Teuta, gets to play the hero, but he's PISSED after the fact. Pissed because he was so distressed worrying over her. And the sheer anger that he shows might be because he loves her at that point and her actions really freaked him out because he can't stand to lose one more person who is so close to him. After all, he did shout that he was desperate to save her.
Then let's go to one of the last scenes, where he goes to her after everything has settled down. And Teuta is there to hold him. Once again, he seeks out her comfort and support here. She lets him cry, holds him as he does. He's never alone in these moments where he's faced with darkness and death. Instead, he has Teuta.
He's always had Teuta.
And this is where I think their romance was built. Ironically, to quote a different Jun Fukuyama character (Vyn Richter), this is the "suspension bridge affect" where in people fall in love in dramatic and intense situations due to the way their brain is stimulated at the time. So if Mozu's walking through trauma, his mind heavily stimulated the whole time, and oh look, guess who was there for him the whole time, I can see where the feelings of love can be formed. Ultimately, I feel like this romance of theirs is a friendship that was built up due to their heightened stimuli from the trauma they faced. Even after side A, when we get into side B, Mozu's confession is less an "I love you" but more of an "I like having you around and I really don't like when you're not with me." (we're ignoring the almost kiss, explaining it away as two people caught up in hazy emotions and acting upon impulses.)
And that makes perfect sense when considering that these two really did go from friends to close friends to lovers in a very short period of time. If you look hard enough from Mozu's slightly odd point of view, I think you can interpret him opening up to Teuta and finding stability in her throughout the route. So I don't think their romance doesn't exist here. Honestly, I think it's possible it does, but the writers didn't have the length (as all their stories are relatively short with a lot of information) to fully express that romance the way it maybe should have been expressed. They put these two characters through a lot of trauma in this route, so the romance was only there in hints and maybe not as realistic as it could have been. And how they got together so quickly after going through MASSIVE trauma (both of them, considering the bomb dropped on Teuta by Mozu at the end there) also felt a little too sudden to be realistic, but I understand they had to get together by New Year's and all. XD
But that's not to say I don't think they'd be okay even if their relationship started like this. Because ultimately, even though it was rushed and you have to read into it, I think this was a friends to lovers build up. They'd make it. :D They just have to continue communicating, but they find support and comfort in each other already, and as you see in Mozu's side B, Mozu really does want to talk with Teuta and understand her. The romantic feelings in side A kinda took a back seat to trauma, but that's exactly why I think their relationship works. Because they are less "romance partners", if you will, and more a support unit. And if you think about it that way, it makes their (potential) romance very sweet. :)
This time for the game; Bustafellows. Please enjoy!
Mozu Romantic Headcanons
For a start, we all know that Mozu is not capable of giving a good/normal compliment. He always does so in his medical ways and on a few occasions, he has done so in front of his S/O's friends and family. This did not go down well and the friends were worried that Mozu was a serial killer.Also, he would want to use one of these style compliments in his wedding vows. Hopefully he'd be convinced otherwise!
He is actually very good at dates and being romantic though. He knows exactly what his S/O would be in the mood for at any time and is able to plan their date accordingly. Personally, he prefers dates where animals are involved or when he can see his S/O's body. (in a non sexual way) But anything is fine as long as his S/O is happy.
Since dating his S/O, he tries his very best to be better at showing his emotions. He does so by watching romance movies and shows as practice. He's open to recommendations but sometimes people recommend strange ones and afterwards he talks funny for a while, when trying to be romantic. He's trying hard though!
Secretly Mozu is very protective about his S/O and will stay very close to their side, especially if they are out in public. This is mostly because he worries his S/O will leave him for someone else. Someone who is more capable at being a boyfriend.
There are not many people who will put more effort into their relationship than Mozu would. He is willing to do anything and everything to show his S/O how much they mean to him. He always worries about his weaknesses and so, he puts extra effort into his strengths and into strengthening his weaknesses.
He would be very excited to marry his S/O and would have almost proposed to them multiple times in their relationship. however, he would hold back until he was 100% certain that he had become the best man for his S/O.
Hope you enjoyed this, especially the anon who asked for it
characters: mozu nile shepherd, teuta bridges (featuring the rest of the gang)
words: 2081
i just think they r neat.... also this is for bustafezine on twt and its FREE go read it if u haven't yet. okay love u bye!!!!
***
The sun was beating down on New Sieg, and Teuta Bridges was in between a rock and a hard place. Or, more accurately, between Mozu and a very stubborn man in shorts and a floral-print shirt, looking as if he had just finished his side gig of being an on-screen dying extra of a Jaws movie. Clearly, someone bought the wrong plane tickets.
“Like I said!” The man yelled, instead of ‘saying’, “I don’t know where Kingfisher Park is! All I’m asking is for some help!”
“You have a considerable volume for what you think constitutes asking. And as we’ve told you, we’re in a hurry. I’ve shown you directions and typed in the search on your phone’s map, so all you need to do is follow it.” Mozu then paused thoughtfully. “Unless you’re incapable?”
The glare of the sun further emphasized the sheen of sweat on the man’s face, and his expression looked like he was a raging bull about to charge. Teuta didn’t need to guess that Mozu was his giant, waving, red flag. Except he probably didn’t notice that the flag he was waving was red, and that his opponent was more bull than man.
“Mozu!” She tugged on his arm, “I’m a little thirsty. Can we get a drink on the way to Joneses'?” She tried to become the pure, ultimate embodiment of charm and endearing, words Mozu once used when discussing the history of cat domestication and its impact on nomadic lifestyle. She couldn’t catch a rat if she tried—but she had green eyes, and Luka always told her they were pretty. That had to count, right?
“Sure, in a moment.” Mozu turned his attention back to the man.
Pretty like weed and just as easy to ignore, I guess.
Unexpectedly, he slipped his hand in hers, and his tone took on a finality that she had only heard when telling off Crow and Shu on wasting takeout food. A smile sneaked its way onto her face. Go get ‘im, Mozu!
“We’ve done all we can to help. If you really insist on having us guide you, you can follow us to our destination and we’ll stop by the police department. One of the officers can assist.”
“Ha! Forget it. You New Sieg folk are all the same. I’ll find my way to the police department myself, and when I do, I’ll complain about how unfriendly this place is to tourists.” He sneered condescendingly, and leaned to look Mozu in the eyes with a stare she didn’t appreciate. “Give me a name to pin this down to.”
“Crow Miller,” said Mozu with no hesitation.
Teuta wanted to laugh so hard she thought she was going to throw up.
“Weak-ass name for a weak-ass guy. Figures. You’ll see what’s coming to you soon!”
Oh my GOD—
“Okay,” Mozu said easily as the man sauntered off, and if she could, she would make ice cubes with his breezy tone for a hot summer day. Or, right now. They were out of the house by 1 P.M., and it was 1:45 P.M.! And here they were still, ice cream-less. Mozu gave her hand a squeeze and turned her way. His voice gentled, taking a far more ‘considerable volume for what constitutes asking’. “Are you alright? I’m sorry we got stuck here for so long.”
“It’s fine, it was funny to watch. I was just hoping he wouldn’t punch you.”
“Punch me?”
“Yeah. When you asked him if he couldn’t even follow directions, I was sure he was gonna start swinging.” She flashed him a toothy grin. “Don’t worry though! Shu started giving me tips on self defense. I know what to do if he tries something!” For good measure, she even made a show of some moves with her fists.
“What did he teach you?”
“Go for the eyes, then balls.”
“So why the fist?”
“Uh… finisher move, I guess?”
“But it’s self defense. Isn’t that what you said?”
“It’s just for bonus points. Like that game Crow always plays!”
“I see,” he nodded solemnly, and she wasn’t sure what he did see. But damn if that didn’t make him all the more lovable to her! “So that’s how he took it. I was just asking if he couldn’t follow directions because I get lost sometimes too. The lines on the map and colors make it hard to see if I’m cycling the right way.”
“Makes sense,” Teuta hummed, leading the way to Trader Joneses’. I hope there’s still some left. “But with the way you say it, Mozu, an innocent question sounds like a comeback. It’s kinda funny.”
He frowned slightly, deep in thought. “...I see.”
***
“By the way,” Limbo mumbled through a mouthful of ham sandwich, “Don’t think it needs to be said since you guys probably know better, but be careful going out. There’s been this ongoing schtick where some guys ask for directions and then mug you at the spot.” After swallowing, he said: “Not that this would affect Crow in any way. For people with jobs, it’s important.”
“Hey! I do have a job! Anima, tell ‘em!”
Schedule: Clear, rang Anima’s voice throughout the house, with much more clarity Crow probably wanted. Teuta couldn’t stifle a snort.
Ignoring Crow, Helvetica chimed in: “I’ll be fine, but Mozu, didn’t you say you had overtime recently? Will you be alright?”
Her arm shot up in the air quicker than her mouth had words to formulate for it. “It’s cool! I’ll be around.” Honestly, it was pretty hard getting alone time with Mozu recently. They could have a bite before going home and catch up, and the timing was opportune…! Well, not for the ones that got mugged, that is. Her condolences, and all that, but she wanted to talk to her boyfriend!
“Honestly, if one of you gets mugged, you’d deserve it.” Shu said after beating Crow in a game, patting his back with a there there. “You all live with criminals and you don’t know how to tell if something’s up? Embarrassing.”
“I think we actually had someone pull that over us while we were on our way to get ice cream. Right, Mozu?”
“Mm, yeah.” Mozu took a pair of tongs and served the finished spaghetti into a large bowl. “He threatened to complain about us to the police if we didn’t comply.”
“What?!” The ever-easily-shocked-despite-being-legally-dead Crow turned from the TV with his eyes wide like saucers. “Isn’t that like, bad? Did anything else happen?”
“No. And it wasn’t a threat to us anyways. We used your name, Crow.” Mozu laid down the plates in one stack and put down forks on the counter. “Come eat, everyone. Before it gets cold.”
“Why’d you use my name, out of all things? This should go into the Respect Jar!”
“Mozu never insulted you though, dude.” Shu slithered into a chair, and Teuta still cringed at his posture to this day. He’d be a great Hunchback of Notre Dame if they ever needed someone who was tall. “And ‘sides, what’s it called. The bad boy effect, or whatever? Having a record might get you a girlfriend.”
Helvetica sat at the opposite end of the counter, elegantly twisting his spaghetti onto his plate. “Not that it matters. He’d have to get out of the house for anyone to know he has a criminal record.”
“Rather than Crow, you shoulda seen Mozu talking! He pretty much dunked the guy like a biscuit.” Yeah, so what if she was bragging! Her boyfriend was as cool as a cucumber, and everyone deserved to know.
“Tsk tsk tsk, Mozu. I thought you were the civilized one. I’m the one supposed to be dunking people with words.” Despite finishing his sandwich, Limbo shamelessly found himself around the big plate of spaghetti. I guess it’s for his growth? But he’s twenty seven…
“...It was nothing. Just a misunderstanding.” Mozu nudged a plate of spaghetti her way, voice quieter than before. “Eat up.”
***
“This biodegradable straw is too effective,” Mozu frowned, looking at his now disintegrating straw that he used only seconds ago. “I don’t see the point.”
“Want me to get the ones they use for coffee? Those ones are plastic, but they’re a bit smaller.”
“It’s fine.” With a stare that could passably be called judgemental, he looked at the plate of cake in front of her. Two plates of cake, in fact. “Are you sure you’ll be able to finish that?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I was hungry.” She spooned a luxurious and sweet-salty bite of caramel cake into her mouth. “Plus, they’re two different flavors. They taste different, so if I ever get sick, I just need to switch plates.”
Even though Mozu did work overtime, he was sometimes too taxed to do anything but rest at home after work. Today happened to be a lucky day, and so Teuta proposed a bite at Harry and Keith’s for a recharge. Mozu for his energy, and her for her Mozu-battery. No matter how many cakes it would take, she would order as much cake as she needed to extend the date as long as she could. Her stomach would just have to suck it up.
Although silences with Mozu were often the comforting kind, Teuta felt like something was amiss. After swallowing another hearty spoonful of now cookies-and-cream cake, she spoke: “Mozu, do you have something on your mind?”
“Yeah, but I don’t know how to say it,” he said, and let out a rare, small sigh. “Teuta, do you ever feel like I’m putting you in danger?”
She bit back a No, never, from barely rolling off her tongue. Mozu looks… “Not at all. It’s the opposite. You’re the one that’s helped me out of danger so many times, Mozu.”
They would occasionally meet up with Ivy now and then and catch up—as friends, but also as adults. She’d been around the Fixers (and was one of them, now) for some time, and although she never got direct contact with anything close to a dead body, there were still memories of past events that crept up in nightmares when sleep was elusive. How worse would it have been for a teenager?
“I know I’m different from other people, but I’ve never considered that a bad thing. I don’t dislike who I am, and I’ve never done or said anything I didn’t want to. I think that’s important. But I realized that it could be dangerous for you if I continue doing things the way I’m used to.” As if he’d tasted something bitter, his expression tightened slightly. “Just like with that guy that tried to mug us, and… Troy. What if I say the wrong thing unintentionally and put you in harms’ way?”
“Mozu, you’re smart.” She didn’t even need to think before saying that. “You know when we’re in a dangerous situation and when we’re not. I trust you.” Pausing, she put her hands on her hips as a triumphant show of don’t worry! “And if I think otherwise, I’ll let you know—two heads are better than one, after all!”
“Still, if I had been more careful with my words…”
Teuta clanged her dessert spoon on her plate, bringing his attention directly to her. “Savoir faire. Do you know what it means?”
“No.”
“It means, uhh…” She scrambled for her phone in her bag, opening her notes app for her column ideas. “Ahem. It means ‘the instinctive knowledge of the right course of action in any circumstance, knowing just what to do and how to do it’. Mozu, do you think that’s a good thing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” he blinked, and she grinned.
“Nope! I actually think the opposite. To know just what to do, how to do it, for any problem, doesn’t that mean you need to know everything and have expertise for every subject? Do you think it’s reasonable for one person to know everything and always be the one to make the correct decisions?”
Although she knew he didn’t like to make assumptions about where she was leading him, there was a hint of a smile showing on his face.
“You don’t need to be good at everything, or make all the hard decisions yourself. I’ll be here. And, if we fight about something…” She laughed fondly, “Well, don’t we have Ana for that?”
The bud of a smile on his lips bloomed into a flower, and she felt her heart soar. “You’re right.”
