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smolmight97 · 2 days ago

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Alrighty, so I know I already said that with Spamton and Tenna both imitating the other out of a mutual sense of jealousy, it’s often really hard to tell who is copying who with all of their similarities… But I decided that I’m going to try anyways! I’m gonna go over all the similarities and parallels with Spamton and Tenna and try to decide which one is copying which based on analysis and context clues but mostly just Vibes.

The red suit with a yellow tie look

Aesthetically this look definitely gives me a more Tenna-like Cheesy 70’s Entertainer Vibe. And, like, the red-yellow-white-black color scheme perfectly match the standard colors of RCA cables…

Coupled with the Addisons all wearing the same and very different outfit...

It feels most likely to me that Tenna started out with that look and Spamton was copying him (until their falling out and Spamton's attempts to impersonate Swatch to get to the NEO Body).

Dialogue Quirks

Well, I know a lot of fans describe Spamton’s brackets as, like, trying to do Tenna’s bombastic fonts and failing. But… I think it a bit more complicated than that. Spamton’s brackets don’t always correspond to places where Tenna would’ve added a font (especially as Spamton uses brackets much more frequently than Tenna uses font effects) and the brackets also seem to be connected to mad-libs style of internet ads, embedding hyperlinks in texts and Spamton literally parroting other internet posts.

And also, like, generally mimicking the vibe of a virus-ridden and ad-swamped machine, which is obviously very on-brand for Spamton.

However, it’s also very obvious that this brackets quirk is not something any other Addison posses, and was not inherent to Spamton from the start. He used to speak a lot more normally…

He'd shoot his mouth about making it big someday. "You just watch!" "Someday, I'm gonna be a big shot!"

It seems after all I couldn't be anything more than a simple puppet. But you three... You're strong. With a power like that... Maybe you three can break your own strings. Let me become your strength.

So it’s still something he developed later, after becoming a Big Shot and meeting Tenna, so it’s possible the brackets thing started as a failed attempt to mimic Tenna’s fonts but mutated into its own thing as Spamton continued to spiral ever downwards.

Another thing to note is a quirk of Spamton's speech in the Japanese translation. While his speech in general is a bizarre grammatically-incorrect jumble of various types of letters, he also has a notable preference to render Japanese words that contain the sounds "desu" (です) and "dai" (だい) with the words "Death" and "Die" in Latin letters.

And meanwhile Japanese Translation!Tenna has a tendency to render sentences that end with "shou" (しょう) as the English word "SHOW".

These two quirks have very clear parallels. And since Tenna's wordplays make a lot of sense with who and what he is, while Spamton's constant references to 'death' only really makes sense for after his breakdown, Spamton's quirk might have started as an attempt to copy Tenna that ended up being twisted into it's own disturbing thing. Probably the closest thing to an explicit example of Spamton trying to copy Tenna's charming showmanship but just coming off as disconcerting and threating instead.

"The Smooth Taste of"

THE SMOOTH TASTE OF NEO

THAT'S THE SMOOTH TASTE OF TV TIME!

Hmmm… I’m going to say that since Spamton brings up ‘the smooth taste’ much more often (even using it as an item description for S.Poison), while Tenna only uses it once at the peak of his breakdown…

That gives me that vibe that it’s originally a Spamton-ism, probably taken from one of the products he advertised as an adbot. Especially since Tenna pairs it with…

Cungadero

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT WE WILL BE TAKING [ A Ride around Town on Our Specil Cungadero]

With how much ‘Cungadero’ has been tied to Spamton specifically, and the fact that it’s heavily implied to be a car, and Spamton is themed after a used-car-salesman as part of his inherent essence as Spam Mail (used car salesmen are also seen as scammy frauds), I think it’s pretty obvious 'Cungadero' is his thing.

Tenna probably heard him say it, didn’t understand what that meant and started occasionally using it as a generic exclamation (to be fair, Spamton does that too sometimes, "HOLY [[Cungadero]]"), combining it with words like ‘cowabunga’ to try sounding ‘hip and modern’.

On a similar note, I will probably file most other car-related expressions as originating with Spamton as well.

Spamton feels the sweet breeze as he takes a ride around town.

Wh-what's wrong with ME having the car!? THEY weren't gonna win it!! I was... just giving it a daily TEST DRIVE! Checking on that "sweet breeze"!

The Juice!!

[Turn Up The JUICE!] [Turn Up The JUICE!] [Make Sure You Don't Get It On Your Shoese!]

Fresh from the Juice, Fresh from the Juice! Make sure you don't get it on your shoese!

Since Tenna brings it up as an old 'cartoon commercial' he used to broadcast...

Anyone remember THAT jingle!? Haha!

I think it most likely originated with Tenna and Spamton just is quoting/paraphrasing him.

NEO

Sick of the CLASSICS!? We'll make 'em NEO! NEO shows, NEO programs, just watch, watch, WATCH!

Considering how Tenna only uses it in an attempt to prove he can be modern, I think it’s likely that he got that word from Spamton. The name probably originated with Mettaton’s name for his ideal body, and Tenna picked it up from Spamton after the salesman became obsessed with it.

The Audience

Spamton turns to the audience and laughs. Spamton appeals to the audience with a festive jig! Spamton begs to the audience, Spamton prays to the audience. There is no audience. Spamton begs the audience to stop taking the furniture out of his room.

COME ON KIDS, THE AUDIENCE LOVES IT!! CAN'T YOU HEAR 'EM CHEERING!? LISTEN!! … WHERE… WHERE'S THE AUDIENCE? WHERE'D THEY GO…? WHERE ARE THEY!? THAT DAMN AUDIENCE! I GAVE THEM SO MANY POINTS TO BE HERE TODAY!

While obviously views, clicks, public opinion and customers are important to an adbot/advertiser/salesman, looking back, it is kinda weird to describe them as ‘the audience’. Like, it’s not Unambiguously Wrong, there are times when a salesman might need to play for an audience but… it does seem to fit a lot better with Tenna’s whole thing.

So I think it’s most likely that Spamton NEO’s fixation on ‘the audience’ is at least partially born of his experiences with Tenna and appearing on TV Time programming. Like he's flashing back to it the same way he's flashing back to the day he was evicted from Queen's Mansion with the "begs the audience to stop taking the furniture out of his room" thing. Although obviously the 'praying' bit is more born of Spamton's growing religiously-themed obsessions.

Also…

(Bonus, while Spamton in his Full Inventory Rant shouting that “I'LL BE IN MY [Trailer]!” already has show-business theming, in the Japanese translation he says he’ll be back in the ‘Green Room’ (楽屋) instead, reinforcing the idea he’s copying showbiz lingo from Tenna and/or flashing back to his time in TV World.)

Pipis

Considering how heavily Spamton is associated with them and how he immediately takes Tenna keeping one as a sign that Tenna care for him, I think it’s pretty obvious that it was Spamton's thing from the very start.

Whirligigs

Since whirligigs are kind of a cheesy old-fashioned toy, they definitely feel more like a Tenna Thing to me. TV World was probably always selling funny whirligigs at the studio’s gift shop, and so Spamton now associates them with the concept of merch in general.

Everything I had! My life advice!

Hmmm… honestly I could see this parallel being entirely accidental. Just, like poetic irony that their inherent similarities as people makes them mirror each other even when they’re apart.

But if I had to assume one of them used the phrase first and the other was copying it, at least subconsciously, I would say that this is a case of Spamton copying Tenna. If only because Tenna is using it to describe their partnership falling apart a long time ago, while Spamton NEO is talking about something that just happened. so I can imagine Tenna shouting it at Spamton as their relationship was collapsing or something like that, and that’s where he got it from for the Weird Route Boss Fight.

(I mean, he’s already projecting hardcore on Kris and/or the Player, so it wouldn’t be out of the question for him to throw an accusation originally thrown at him.)

Also, while both of them were helping each other during their partnership, with Spamton taking on the role of the newcomer rising modern Big Shot and Tenna being the more established and experienced and washed-up businessman - it would make more sense for Tenna to give Spamton ‘life advice’ specifically.

Spamton Value Network

Okay, so, like, I don’t think the Spamton Sweepstakes are necessarily canon in the sense that it’s probably not an event that really happened in the world of Deltarune, but it is canon in terms of characterization. Like, that is what Spamton would have done if he got this sudden windfall of love and popularity and was inexplicably left in charge of a charity event.

So I do still want to mention the implication that if Spamton was given the resources, he would have tried to create his own Shopping Network. Like, yeah, it is a webcast and it contains multiple anti-Tenna screeds, but it’s also undeniably aping something Tenna would’ve broadcast. So I think this counts as Spamton trying to copy Tenna's shtick.

Although the other thing to note is the visual similarities between the Spamton Value Network and the assets used for Tenna’s intro.

Since Tenna is usually ‘stuck’ in the 70’s or 80’s, before the popularization of 3D graphics, while Spamton is stuck in the late 90’s, just as these kind of graphics reached the mainstream, I think its most likely that Spamton is the one who taught Tenna how to use CGI - hence the aesthetic similarities... and also the... general quality.

Mike

Okay, seeing how Mike is Tenna’s right-hand-man and exists (?) in TV World, it might be reasonable to assume that it was Tenna’s thing originally and Spamton is just the only other person in the universe who became convinced of MIke’s existence.

But… there are multiple implications that Mike and Spamton’s relationship was actually closer than Spamton and Tenna or Tenna and Mike.

Tenna always said "Mike acted different" after the other guy left. WHAT other guy!? WHAT different!?

And the Spamton Q&A actually implies that, unlike Tenna, Spamton is not fooled by the Fake Mike Trio and knows they’re not actually Mike. Which maybe implies that in this specific case Spamton is more tethered to reality than Tenna is… or maybe it’s just that Spamton understands Mike’s existence more.

So I think it’s... not an unlikely scenario that Mike was Spamton’s thing originally, he convinced Tenna of his existence and got Mike a job at TV World, and then during his downward spiral, his self-loathing was so strong that his fucking… imaginary friend or whatever chose Tenna over him. But Tenna still doesn’t fully understand how Mike works and just kinda goes along with it, which is why he’s easily fooled by the Mike Impersonators.

The nose!

Okay, so this is one I am kinda… conflicted about. I think it’s obvious Spamton had his glorious nose from the very start, seeing how it’s a trait shared by all the Addisons. But Tenna… on the one hand his nose being detachable and reusable might suggest it is artificial

(The TV Dinners are great and healthy!) (The white nose ice cream cones are made from Tenna's OWN noses!)

Haha! It's ME, SMALL MIKE!!! I'm the REAL Mike!! Finally!!! Now I'll get to organize Tenna's nose drawer all by myself…

On the other hand sometimes Darkner ‘Biology’ is just Weird like that and the nose is used to make a stylized ‘TV’ logo…

And it does fit with his insect-like theming… but also also ants specifically don’t have a proboscis…

Basically, I think it’s pretty likely that Tenna’s nose is artificial and an attempt to copy Spamton, as the salesman made him believe a long and pointy nose is an obligatory mark of a successful modern businessman and an objectively appealing trait…

…but also I think it’s just as likely both Spamton and Tenna always had the Nose and as soon as Tenna saw Spamton for the first time he was all like “Oh yeah, this guy is OBVIOUSLY highly-successful, objectively appealing and extremely-attractive - JUST LOOK AT THAT NOSE!!” And I switch between the two depending on what feels funniest at the moment.

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smolmight97 · 3 days ago

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…Okay, wait. Wait just a moment…

Since the Shadow Crystal Bosses are all themed after 'Freedom' and since they are all tied to optional sidequests (meaning the Player can choose to do them or not, and they are not railroaded into them), it feels intuitive to connect them to the idea of Freedom from the Prophecy, freedom from this predestined path the Player and characters have been set on. It's very common to assume the Shadow Crystal quest will be the key to breaking the Prophecy, or at least make it'll make breaking the Prophecy easier in the Main Story.

But… When Gerson lists the Chapters of "The Lord of the Hammer" (a book series based on the Prophecy), Chapter 4 doesn't describe Deltarune Chapter 4 in general, instead it seems to fit much more with Gerson's Shadow Crystal Quest specifically.

The Chapter 3 description is also an interesting one…

Cause while the Fun Gang can catch a glimpse of the Isles of Northenlight while playing Board 2 in the Main Story of Chapter 3…

This is an optional cutscene that not everyone is going to find. The only point where Northenlight are an obligatory part of the Story is if you do the Sword Route, the Shadow Crystal Quest of Chapter 3.

And Chapter 2's description is generally associated with the Roller-Coaster battle against Berdly.

But it's always been a bit Weird. This is one thing I have taken as evidence that we can't use Lord of the Hammer as a 100% reliable source on the Prophecy. Gerson's personal interpretation and the adaptational changes he made to make it fit in the format of a High-Fantasy Book Series…

…Means some important details might have changed. Since the Fun Gang didn't battle to 'save the queen', they were trying to stop Queen and her minion. They were fighting to save Noelle through most of this Chapter, but if Gerson merged Noelle and Queen into one singular character for this Chapter… Well, that's also a major adaptational change.

But I suppose that description fits in a bit more if you assume the 'battle in chariots' isn't referring to the battle against Berdly, but instead…

Since both the Weird Route and the Spamton Sweepstakes heavily imply Spamton had plans to murder Queen (among every other person who wronged him) after he became NEO.

Sure, they weren't necessarily fighting for the sake of saving Queen, but it was an indirect result of them fighting and winning against Spamton NEO…

So I guess that raises the possibility that despite how it might look initially, the Shadow Crystal Quests is about the Player conforming to the Prophecy rather than actually breaking it, that they're all bringing us closer to 'how things are supposed to go', rather than escaping them. I suppose that works with the Theory that the Shadow Crystals are, like, fragments of the Prophecy (they seem to show Kris the future, they 'didn't interest' Gerson, and there's this recurring motif of Glass…)

Maybe we're all gonna end up like our old friend Spamton, pursing power in the hopes it will grant us our Freedom, only to find ourselves strung up on our strings more than ever.

Or maybe, to go back to the idea some of the differences between "Lord of the Hammer" and the actual events of 'Deltarune' are a result of Gerson's adaptational changes to the Prophecy… Maybe none of these things Gerson talk about were part of the original Prophecy, and these are his additions and embellishments and interpolations of the narrative.

So when we choose to do the Shadow Crystal Quests, we are taking Deltarune's narrative further away from the Original Prophecy with it's predestined and inevitable ending and more into being like "the Lord of the Hammer", a story that is still waiting for someone to make their own ending.

Gerson's description of Chapter 1 is the only one that unambiguously has absolutely nothing to do with that Chapter's Bonus Boss, but...

What if the whole thing about "stopping the Dragon" was also a Gerson Original Addition to the story? Maybe there's no Dragon-equivalent at all in the actual Prophecy and Gerson just added that cause Dragons are cool?

And so when Gerson sees Susie as someone who resembles the Dragon more than anyone else in the 'actual' Prophecy...

He sees her as an element that's actively changing the story, making it both more like "Lord of the Hammer" than the Original True Prophecy... but also making it into something distinctly different than both (since the Dragon doesn't seem to be one of "the Heroes" in Gerson's story?). And that's probably the most important departure of all.

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