Episode 13

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Published on:

7th Aug 2025

From Fairy Tales to Breach: Trash Dragon in the twenty one pilots Lore & Anathema Deep Dive

In this packed episode, we dive deep into the layered world of twenty one pilots exploring everything from mythic dragons to unreleased music and mental health themes.

First, we unpack the lore of Trash Dragon, a mysterious symbol from the Scaled and Icy era. Did you know this dragon may have roots in a fairytale illustrated by Walter Crane, a propaganda artist from the 19th century? We connect the dots between Crane’s work and TØP’s evolving universe.

We also speculate about the next phase in the Breach era, including the potential for a brand new music video and unreleased song. Is a new single headed our way?

Next, we take a thoughtful detour into mental health themes found across the band’s discography discussing how Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun blend vulnerability, symbolism, and storytelling to connect with millions with an in-depth analysis of “Anathema” from Regional at Best breaking down lyrics, themes, and emotional impact.

Whether you're a seasoned member of the Skeleton Clique or a curious music fan, this episode offers fresh insights, deep lore, and meaningful conversation.

We appreciate all of you sticking around and making this fun! We do it for YOU because we are Clique Bait and so are you, stay alive, Frens!

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About the Podcast

Clique Bait
a twenty one pilots podcast
Welcome to Clique Bait—the podcast where we stay Fairly Local, dig into the Lore, and ask the big questions like… What’s the story behind the antlers? Why is there duct tape on everything? And how many layers deep is this metaphor, Tyler? If you’ve ever cried in the car to Oldies Station, screamed Heavydirtysoul at a concert, or blacked out your hands for a Blurryface show—you’re in the right place! Every week, we’ll bring you The News—from tour announcements to easter eggs hiding in social posts. We’ll break down theories so deep even Nico would be impressed, and analyze lyrics that make you say, “Wait… is this about faith, trauma, or are they actually singing about Taco Bell? Whether you’ve been riding with the Skeleton Clique since the Self Titled days, or you just discovered Next Semester on a random playlist, there’s something here for you. We’ll deep-dive into albums—from the Car Radio angst to the Scaled and Icy sparkle, or the disappearing Torchbearer—and ask the hard-hitting questions like: What does it all mean? Is Ned okay?? And why is Josh always on fire? So if you’re Stressed Out by the lack of good Twenty One Pilots content in your feed, or just Craving more information, smash that subscribe button, and come hang out in our trench. This is Clique Bait: where every theory is overthought, every random tweet is dissected, and yes, we’ll absolutely talk about the stolen drums. Subscribe now, and remember: stay alive, frens!.

About your host

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John Joines

We are The Uprooted podcast! Just a husband and wife navigating through life with a lot to say!