#[ but yeah i think he's either the emperor or hanged man arcana ]

[causalitylinked]

WHAT ARCANA MY MUSES WOULD BE IF THEY HAD A SOCIAL LINK.

read more-d for the caligula effect 2 spoilers.

Kobato Kazamatsuri: Devil. To be honest, I kind of mulled over The Lovers Arcana or the Magician Arcana for him, but in the end, I feel like Devil suits him best... since well, he is unapologetically horny and is shown to occasionally be selfish/uncooperative.

Gin Noto: The Lovers. I mean, it’s kinda confirmed Gin is already popular with all genders, has canonically dated both men and women in the past, and is implied to have feelings for the female protagonist in The Caligula Effect 2.

Ryuto Tsukishima: Fortune. Pretty self-explanatory, considering Ryuto is considered a prodigy.

Sasara Amiki: Death, but I could see her Social Link being Empress when she was younger. Anyways, considering she’s already getting by in years outside of Redo (aka she’s 86 years old) and has undergone a lot of transformative changes throughout her life, there’s really nothing she regrets or needs to make peace with anymore, which is why I slapped the Death Arcana on her.

Yngwie: Emperor, due to the fact he used to be the captain of his own skyfaring crew and is one of Djeeta/Gran’s strong male allies, but I could also see him being Hanged Man as well.

Herja: Justice, if only because she’s a stoic and reasonable individual most of the time, but I also think Empress would suit her well since she’s the leader of her own mercenary band.

Fang: The Fool, not just because he’s the protagonist of his own game, but The Fool represents ‘care-free, bohemian spirits’ and are noted for their ability to see the good in everyone, which can set them up to be taken advantage of. To be honest, I think this describes him pretty well, because after seeing how death impacts the people who are left behind, Fang tried to recruit Zenke (who is pretty much a violent sadist) into his party, only for it to later backfire on him.

Galdo Garzuom: Magician Arcana, because he’s the first male friend Fang has ever befriended and is your typically perverted male character. I also personally headcanon him and Fang to be best friends, to the point where they can be considered brothers from a different mother.

Akira Kijima: Chariot, due to the fact he can be aggressive and hotheaded if provoked. He also went through hell and back, just to achieve his goal of winning Kakuya’s games and rescuing Ami along with the people closest to him.

Kakeru Hasegawa: Hierophant, since he fits the common archetype of being an older character obsessed with the past.

Rana: Faith, due to how it represents belief in others and one self, religion, or science, but reversed, it can also represent blind faith misplaced in something that does not deserve trust... which fits Rana to a T.

[fellow-traveller]

I actually already wrote a lengthy review of CDDH Chapter 14, but somehow my cat managed to press the back button and I lost 30 minutes worth of writing.

Anyway, under the cut, just in case it’s a spoiler to someone.

I’m probably just going to cover more on Hol Horse’s part than Josuke’s. I think a lot of fans would talk about Josuke more than Hol, so, yeah.

Small take on Josuke’s fight with Karaiya: I guess my favourite part is Crazy Diamond doing the rush. I love that Stand, and it’s very satisfying to see it in action. That said...I can’t shake the feeling that the way Karaiya was defeated is like...it’s still not over yet?

I mean, obviously, we still have Hol Horse and Ryoko’s story ongoing, maybe Boingo’s as well, but what I meant was...I feel like there might be another villain coming up. I tried to think who, if that’s the case. One of the surviving Dio agents? The actual person who stole Petsounds and set it free to rampage in Morioh? Either way, a new villain is always good. As long as it prolongs the story.

---

Alright, onto Hol Horse’s part!

Cowboy is a caring dad in CDDH, a handsome lad in SDC. We’ve established that. ♥

I think I’d prefer to talk about the tarot cards, because with just...two pages of Hol and Devo’s interactions, you can kinda learn a lot about their personalities.

Anyway, disclaimer: I’m not an expert in the Major Arcana, but good thing I like to read, so whatever I said here may not be accurate to the tarot itself and Araki’s initial intentions as to why he used it for his characters. I’m just sharing with what limited understanding I have of it.

That said, I have a hunch that for villains, Araki used the reversed version of their tarot cards.

When upright, Emperor signifies Structure, Authority, Rules, Stability and A Father Figure. Which, is basically Hol Horse when he’s not being a villain. From the point he chose to run away, these upright traits surfaced. We saw rules and stability in the way he chose to not put himself in obvious danger and in fights he cannot win, under his own rule of being number 2. We saw structure and authority when he chose to fight Dio in full confidence of his abilities. We saw the father figure with the way he treated Boingo, albeit in an unconventional way. And of course, in the CDDH chapters whenever he interacted with people younger than him.

However, reversed Emperor signifies Frustration, Helplessness, Abuse of Power, Immaturity, and Narcissism. Which is what he is as a villain, from the eyes of the heroes. These traits are also his downfall eventually. Hence why Emperor fits Hol.

Enya mentioned that she thought Emperor fits her son J.Geil better, but it actually didn’t? J. Geil was already a villain through and through, so he’s not destined to have upright traits. Even if he wasn’t an outright vile person, Emperor’s upright traits still doesn’t suit him, especially on the Father Figure, Rules and Stability. It’s not J. Geil’s character.

But, because reversed Emperor is a literal mirror to reversed Hanged Man, the latter card was given to J. Geil. With the added trait of impulsiveness and bearing the consequences of it. Which is why he’s dead by the end of his arc, in the hands of Polnareff.

(also, Emperor and Hanged Man being “mirrors” of each other is the reason why Hol and J.Geil were partners, and possibly why they both use mirrored surfaces to work together and defeat their enemies)

Meanwhile, Hol Horse mentioned that he would prefer to have The Lovers card, if he could call the shots. Like Devo assuming Hol’s strong principles of “getting out before it gets worse” that saved him from being in dangerous situations is unfitting of an Emperor, Hol Horse possibly assumed that, since he’s a self-proclaimed womaniser, the Lovers just sounds right for him.

But it’s not.

Reversed Lovers bears strongly on Jealousy, Disbalance, One-sidedness and Disharmony. Which is not something a cowboy with the ability to control his Stand’s bullets with pinpoint precision would have in character. And obviously jealousy is not something Hol feels, given all the lovers he had and left behind. Steely Dan, being a sadistic bully he is, seemed more fitting to those traits.

Also, a small take on Devo’s reversed Devil – Gratification, Manipulation, Independence, Reclaiming Power and Detachment. The traits somewhat explains how his Stand works, and to an extent, his personality too. He worked alone with the utmost confidence, he found satisfaction in terrorising even his coworkers, and he’s just...a master in manipulating emotions. The Devil fits him perfectly.

All these. Just from two pages.

Araki is one thing, but Kadono sure knows how to write these minor characters and make them part of CDDH flawlessly.

All in all, I’m happy to see more Hol Horse in this chapter. Although it’s nearing the part that Ryoko is gonna shoot him... ;-;

Again, a testament to his supreme agility, wow. He managed to grab on that ledge within seconds of being knocked back. Amazing. Hol really doesn’t act his age.

Also, dammit, Ryoko, calm down a bit on Kakyoin. The cowboy literally saw him dead on the water tank. Seeing a young schoolboy being brutally holed like that is bound to be traumatic, even for a seasoned assassin like him, more so for a man with a fatherly trait embedded within his very being.

Anyway, I hope he’ll be alright. Josuke, Boingo, save your temporary dad pls...

---

Also, I think I should thank WNMY for the translation. I read somewhere that some readers don’t really like the way the dialogues were written, but my personally opinion, as someone who can read raw Japanese manga, it’s alright. They sound more like conversation flows, and if it’s a literal translation, it would sound rigid. Unless you know how to read with the expressionism of how the Japanese speak. But how does one translate accents and tones anyway?

Can’t wait for Chapter 15! (and maybe Volume 3? ♥)

[idnek83]

thinking abt danganronpa characters as tarot cards, are there any characters in particular you would assign to the major arcana (besides taka being justice because that feels a lil obvious lmao)

Gonna start this with the disclaimer that I got into tarot stuff for a d&d character and am definitely not an expert haha but yeah I can think of a few (Also I’m mixing upright and reversed meanings cus ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )

The Fool: Makoto 100%, lots of naivety and blind faith and optimism y’know?

The Magician: I could see either Kaito or Soda here, because the magician represents skill but also like, poor planning and I think there was something about unmet potential? idk the vibes are just right lol

The High Priestess: Kyoko. Intuition? check. Wisdom? check. Withdrawn? Big ol’ check lol

The Empress: ... would it be too obvious to say Sonia?

The Emperor: Mondo. The whole emphasis on masculine power and authority mixed with an obsession with control AND a lack of discipline? That’s Mondo right there

The Hierophant: hmmmmm maybe Gundham? the whole spirituality and challenging the status quo thing kind of works... idk about this one... the vibes are off lol

The Lovers: idk y’all pick your favorite ship I guess lol

The Chariot: Honestly this one would fit Taka pretty well too... but lets see, maybe Hajime too? hmm...

Strength: SAKURA!!!! Courage, strength, compassion, emotion, and a little self doubt???? THATS MY GIRL!!!

The Hermit: Hmm another one I’m not really sure about... maybe Ryoma?

Wheel of Fortune: It’s Nagito.

Justice: Taka, that piece was totally right

The Hanged Man: Oh nvm this one is Hajime. The vibes said so.

Death: Shuichi probs. Death ain’t the scary card movies make it out to be, it’s just about change and transformation my dudes! (but also death fits Shuichi’s emo vibes lol)

Temperance: oof I feel like a lot of the girls fit here... My heart says Maki and idk why so just take it lol

The Devil: Junko but also Kokichi, slightly different reasons for each but they both definitely fit

The Tower: That’s just Danganronpa babey!

The Star: K-Kaito... cus... space... (but also he kind of fits lol) oh fuck me Soda fits here too, these boys have too many similar vibes... ok third option... uhhhh OH Aoi works pretty well here! Very optimistic but she falls into a bit of despair as well! yes! Aoi!

The Moon: oops all Sodas (Soda’s old self vs. his new fake persona 👀)

The Sun: Angie 100%

Judgement: Izuru maybe??? idk about this one

The World: lol it’s Rantaro cus I’m basic

Okay well there my 100% biased interpretation lol Y’all should feel free to respond with your thoughts cus I’m interested to see what everyone else thinks