Deltarune Cardology Theory: Spamton is the Jack of Diamonds (Part 2)
This is part 2 of this analysis. You can read part 1 here.
The Salesman. The Wheeler-Dealer. The Laughing Boy.
What do all of these names have in common? They are all monikers for the Jack of Diamonds card, and traits you can also find in Spamton G. Spamton. Now we get into the meats of this analysis. So why this particular card instead of say, others? Someone once brought up on a board that Queen's mech (Giga Queen) had some diamond symbolism in it (yes I am aware of the Steven Universe nods,) and with the leitmotif from the previous chapter I decided to investigate. I thought, "hey there might be something more going on to this" and delved a bit deeper into the symbolism to see if there was something. Back when I formulated the origins of this theory I knew Spamton had to be a diamond, but I narrowed my focus to him being the Ace of Diamonds.
In a technicality, the Ace is pretty close and if I had a secondary card to pick for him, this one probably would be it. Aces represent letters and rings, they travel, take lovers from areas outside of their country and are the beginnings to business. They are also complicated characters that have to decide between finances and personal aspects and get tethered down by monetary gain over relationships if they are not privy enough. Also their Karma Card is the Ace of Hearts, which in correlation to what I think the player (us) represents, it's a chilling narrative on why his obsession with souls is in demand. But, when I started reading about the Jack of Diamonds, the symbolism starting hitting, and well, it possibly fills in the gap of the mysterious void of what happened to the Jacks of the deck, and this comparison will probably hit more when I introduce his supposed Karma Card, the Jack of Clubs in the next entry. Let's take this reference sheet for the main cardomancy Jack of Diamonds symbolism into play here:
While this list doesn't name everything about the JoD as we will reach later, we can note some highlights that are reflected in other descriptions of the suit: They represent an unfaithful servant (another description that their Karma Card, the Jack of Club also borrows from,) a young man who has light hair (in case of this description as a blonde,) and a complete traitor with bad morals. That last bit is far more descriptive and prominent of the card in its 'reversed' position which all cards seemingly have just like their counterparts in tarot - both reflective of positive and negative qualities of their card. Here's another description pulled from another informative cardology site:
More common representations about the JoD is that they are wheeler-dealers throughout life and because of their ability to be highly calculating and cunning individuals and because of this vice they also have the ability to fall short of becoming their "King" in the deck, realizing their potential and responsibilities, remaining the playful, jovial Jack. Just like other Jacks they tend to idealize by this childish playfulness, but JoD is known for being outwardly charismatic and highly energetic. Including being adventurous. They also above all abide by freedom religiously. Freedom is usually a vice to all Jacks but with the Jack of Diamonds it is their sacred value - this is why they are usually found in positions as salesmen and postmen among entertainers, healers and sometimes as artists (and very excellent hucksters and thieves.) Being a wheeler-dealer and using freedom as a sacrosanct is another reason why some fail to mature and move past their vices and remain playboys and playgirls in relationships. It also sometimes blocks their ability to full spiritual realization or becomes all of it. That last bit about how the ones who usually shirk their materialism in lieu for spirituality to evolve into their own kings seems very interesting here as well, and eerily correlates to what we currently know about Spamton learning that he stayed in the basement praying all the time, leaving his room and belongings behind.
Most if not all descriptions of this card will symbolize this suit as the salesman but also as the postman as well, but above all the messenger in a reading. It's funny how the Clubs suit is associated with communications but Diamonds also borrows from that (and the Jack of Clubs being the karma card of the Jack of Diamonds, both borrow heavily into the whole servant/communications/business aspect.) A thing to note, some readings consider all Jacks as messengers, but usually for different qualities.
In another form of cardomancy, the sibilla divination reading, we can take this a step further and look at also what they identify this card as:
Just straight up The Messenger right here. In fact modern readings of The Messenger also extends to e-mails, which is very apt for a beginning of a certain salesman we know.
Toby loves, loves, loves word puns and it's no surprise that anagrams populate his series to reveal hidden meanings, it's why DELTA RUNE is an anagram of UNDERTALE. It's also noted that characters whose names are usually anagrams in this series are considered very important to the and ones to keep an eye on. In Undertale we had DREEMURR which anagrams to MURDERER and ASRIEL DREEMURR anagram to SERIAL MURDERER. ALPHYS anagrams to SHY PAL Likewise in Deltarune the tradition continues with our chosen: KRIS anagrams to RISK RALSEI anagrams to ASRIEL SUSIE anagrams to ISSUE
LANCER can anagram into itself but also into RANCEL which is an old word 'to search through a place thoroughly'. You know who else has an anagram word?
SPAMTON anagrams into POSTMAN, being the beginnings of his job as the E-mail guy. In short, just like angels he's representative of being the messenger of this whole deal. Spamton serves not as just a literal messenger but an apparent physical one for not only Kris, but mostly for us, the player ahead. He's the one who forewarns us or painfully *tries to* about the Knight, but he also tells us about hidden, alternate paths like Snowgrave and allusions to Mike. There's just always something or someone else who is stopping Spamton from spilling the beans about what is going on in our adventure. (SPAMTON also anagrams into TAMPONS but that's not relevant to his position. Well unless Toby wants to toss a hilarious curveball into a Turning Red commentary.) It's a clever mark - Spamton referencing the character that his meta origins started with Mettaton ( a character whom also references angels and is a name close to the angel Metatron,) but it also references his origins and is tongue in cheek to being a messenger and the embodiment of a physical one.
One more curious footnote in Spamton is his energetic, animated character. And among that, he's always laughing. There's possibly a visual reason for this indication of his characterization besides broken through the reigns of sanity.
No matter what form you interact with him in, he always has this bouncy, sleazy yet sinister laughter, and while nothing too deep into an actual card reading, the Jack of Diamonds is famously known The Laughing Boy in gambling circles, as much as the King of Hearts is the Suicide King or the Ace of Spades is the "death card". If this theory does have its weight, then this possibly could be the reason why Spamton is always seen laughing in the game.
As for the next part, I am going to dive further into hypothesis, Karma and Spamton's role in it, and his Karma Card: The Jack of Clubs.
