The Swiftie and The Scholar

Episodes

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  Finding Life’s Meaning in Epiphany 13.08.2026 1h 3m

  We are tackling one of the most underrated tracks from Taylor Swift’s folklore album, epiphany. The poem compares past war tragedies to 2020’s pandemic, and Uncle Jerry uses the poem to teach us about Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory. *Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, which allow us to make a small commission on your purchase at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!Works Cited:Wilfred OwenSiegfried SassoonThe Death of the Ball Turret Gunner – Randall JarrellThe Angels at Hamburg – Randall JarrellVignette poemsRhapsody on a Windy Night – T. S. EliotTrocheesIambsThe Song of Hiawatha – Henry Wadsworth LongfellowErnest Hemingway’s Iceberg Theory*Death in the Afternoon – Ernest Hemingway CaesuraParallelismSynecdoche*The Things They Carried: The Classic Work of American Literature on War, Memory, and Storytelling –Tim O'Brien *Man's Search for Meaning – Viktor E. Frankl Sonnet 19: When I consider how my light is spent – John MiltonThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s InstagramAngela’s YouTube Channel
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  Imagined Futures in Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus 06.08.2026 1h 23m

  We are back in our Tortured Poets Era with Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. This song was much-requested and was voted on by our Patreon subscribers. Angela and Uncle Jerry talk through the poem and Uncle Jerry concedes that sometimes we try to find too much meaning in certain images.Works Cited:Sadie and Maud – Gwendolyn Brooksmaggie and milly and molly and may – e.e. cummings[in Just-] – e.e. cummingsBrylcreem commercialSynecdocheSonnet 12 – William ShakespeareSonnet 60 – William ShakespeareSonnet 73 – William ShakespeareMy Boyfriend’s Back – The AngelsCold Cold Heart – Hank WilliamsEllipse in LinguisticsTo His Coy Mistress – Andrew MarvellTricolonThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  Finding Agency in Dear John 30.07.2026 1h 25m

  We’re back in our Speak Now era with Dear John. Angela explains the lore behind this quintessential track 5 from Taylor Swift, and Uncle Jerry talks himself into being a fan of this poem. *Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, which allow us to make a small commission on your purchase at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!Works Cited:Dear John LetterAgnes von Kurowsky*A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway A Dear John Letter – Jean Shepard & Ferlin HuskyDear John Letter – Whitney HoustonEpistolary framePoetic InversionDramatic IronyMetapoetryMetonymy The Scholar-Gipsy – Matthew ArnoldThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Peak of Innocence in Seven 23.07.2026 1h 28m

  This week is the one year podcast anniversary, and Angela saved this song especially for this episode. But before we tackle seven from folklore, Angela and Uncle Jerry reflect on the past year and Angela surprises him with a little quiz to see just how much he’s learned about Taylor Swift and swiftie culture.Thanks for being here with us!*Links with an asterisk are affiliate links, which allow us to make a small commission on your purchase at no cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!Works Cited:7 as the number of completionApostropheImperativesPastoral PoetryDramatic IronyAssonanceTo His Coy Mistress – Andrew MarvellAmerican Primitive – Mary Oliver*The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  Superficial Celebrity Criticism in Shake It Off 16.07.2026 1h 37m

  We’re taking it back to 1989 with the only Taylor Swift song Uncle Jerry knew before we started this project. Angela expected this to be a quick, simple episode, but Uncle Jerry found a lot of deeper meaning in the glitter gel pen poem.Works Cited:Catalog PoemDr. J. Don VannA Handbook to Literature – William Harmon & Hugh Holman – Aff LinkGoblin Market – Christina RossettiWhy We Oppose Pockets for Women – Alice Duer MillerAnaphoraMetonymyOnomatopoeiaEpizeuxisPolyptotonTautologicalThe Waking – Theodore RoethkeApostropheShake It Off music video Stars – Richard Dyer – Aff Link The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Mosaic of Love in State of Grace 09.07.2026 1h 9m

  Today we return to Angela’s beloved Red era with State of Grace! Uncle Jerry surprises her with his excitement about the poem, and they go through all the ideas of love Taylor presents throughout the opening track.And there’s gravy all over the plate!Works Cited:In medias resKinetic or kinesthetic imageryMetonymyParallel structureA Midsummer Night's Dream – William Shakespeare – Aff LinkConcrete PoetryA to Z Horoscope Maker and Interpreter – Llewellyn George – Aff LinkSynecdocheSynecdoche vs. metonymyLitotesThe Literate Mode of Cicero's Legal Rhetoric – Dr. Richard Leo Enos Ph.D. – Aff LinkManos: The Hands of Fate – (1966)Hesiod – Richard Lattimore – Aff LinkSonnet 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun – William ShakespeareTricolonThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Coming of Age Narrative in You’re On Your Own, Kid 02.07.2026 1h 8m

  Angela finally introduces Uncle Jerry to a pivotal track 5 from Taylor Swift’s discography—You’re On Your Own, Kid. They discuss the real life events that could have inspired the song and Uncle Jerry talks about other pieces of pop culture that tell a similar story.Works Cited:AnaphoraColloquial dictionDramatic ironyFree indirect discourseVerbal ironyAuditory imageryMetonymyAdventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain – Aff linkThe Divine Comedy – Dante Alighieri – Aff linkSonnet 73 – William ShakespeareThe Great Escape (1963)Li'l AbnerParataxisFather and Son – Cat StevensKeep a-Goin’ – Frank L. Stanton The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Chronicles of Conflict in The Great War 25.06.2026 1h 8m

  In this episode, Uncle Jerry and Angela tackle The Great War from 2022’s Midnights. Uncle Jerry wrestles with the idea of using a horrific event as a metaphor, and he teaches all about the many floral symbols used throughout the poem.Works Cited:The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady – Edith Holden – Aff LinkThe Great War and Modern Memory – Paul Fussell – Aff LinkThe Strange Destiny of Rupert Brooke Hardcover – John LehmannSiegfried SassoonMemoirs of an Infantry Officer: The Memoirs of George Sherston – Siegfried Sassoon – Aff LinkGoodbye to All That – Robert Graves – Aff LinkAll Quiet on the Western Front (1930)War Poems – Wilfred Owen – Aff LinkDulce et Decorum Est – Wilfred OwenPoetry of the First World War: An Anthology – Tim Kendall – Aff LinkThe Soldier – Rupert BrookeIn Flanders Fields – John McCraeThe History and Rhymes of the Lost Battalion – Buck Private McCollum – Aff LinkCrimson & Clover – Tommy James and the ShondellsThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Parachute of Childhood in I Knew It, I Knew You 18.06.2026 1h 13m

  Man, it’s been a while! Today we’re covering the newly released I Knew It, I Knew You from Toy Story 5 and current #1 on the Billboard 100 chart.Uncle Jerry takes us through the poem, talking all about childhood and friendship and how both this song and the movie franchise showcase the magic of being a kid. We bring in a special guest–an expert–at the end to grade the song.Works Cited:HomonymRunnin’ Wild – Some Like It HotVoltaEmjambmentEpiphora or EpistropheLeaves of Grass – Walt WhitmanAnagnorisisEpizeuxisDramatic IronyMnemonicI Knew It, I Knew You VisualizerThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Light of Stardom in Clara Bow 04.06.2026 1h 27m

  We are taking it back to the 1920s (and then the 1970s) today with Clara Bow from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry talks all about the early film industry, Stevie Nicks, the violence of beauty and fame for women, and so much more. Works Cited:Clara BowThe Jazz Singer (1927)Greta GarboDouglas FairbanksJohn GilbertMichael CurtizCasablanca (1942)The Lodger (1947)World’s Columbian Exposition (1893)The Birth of a Nation (1915)It (1927)It – Elinor Glyn – Aff LinkCaesuraHoratio AlgerDeath of a Salesman – Arthur MillerA Cool Million – Nathanael West – Aff LinkThe Tragical History of Doctor Faustus – Christopher MarloweTo an Athlete Dying Young – A. E. HousmanIdle Fame – John ClareThe Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson – Aff LinkFame is a fickle food (1659) – Emily DickinsonFame is a bee. (1788) – Emily DickinsonMirrorball/Clara Bow Mash-upThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Nature of Fame in Mirrorball 28.05.2026 1h 12m

  We’re back in our folklore era with mirrorball today! Uncle Jerry had some extra time with this one and doesn’t even know where to start the discussion. We get into the uses of mirrors in folklore, how this was made during the pandemic, and discuss the many facets of celebrity. Make sure you come back next week for another song discussing the nature of fame.Works Cited:The Philosophy of Reflection: Mirrors as Symbols Across CulturesCatoptromancyThrough the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll – Aff LinkPerseus and MedusaA Discovery of Witches (2018)'Spirit mirror' used by 16th-century occultist John Dee came from the Aztec EmpireConceitAnaphoraInclusioOuroborosAlbertus Magnus and the Magic MirrorLoafing Him was Bread T-Shirt The House of Fame – Geoffrey ChaucerThe Temple of Fame – Alexander PopeThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Inquisitive Human Nature in How Did It End? 21.05.2026 52m

  FIXED AUDIO!Call all your friends and cousins, we’re finally covering How Did It End? from The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry finds tons of beautiful poetics and dark humor in this one, and Angela discusses its connections to both The Prophecy and But Daddy I Love Him. If you want to vote for a specific song for June, join us on Patreon to play along!Works Cited:General Reference PronounAutofiction as a Doorway Into TruthConceit – Literary termCome One, Come All – All Time LowSlant Rhyme"Now give three cheers" – HMS PinaforeThe Telephone Hour – Bye Bye BirdieThe Raven – Edgar Allan PoeAnnabel Lee – Edgar Allan PoeTo -- -- --. Ulalume: A Ballad – Edgar Allan PoeHyperion – John KeatsOde to a Nightingale – John KeatsA Rose for Emily – William FaulknerThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Christian Tendrils of But Daddy I Love Him 14.05.2026 1h 21m

  Buckle up for a long one! We are flooring it through the fences today with But Daddy I Love Him from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. We discuss common movie tropes, conservative small towns, and the lyrics Angela wants to have tattooed from this song.Works Cited:Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell – Susanna Clarke – Aff LinkEast of Eden – John Steinbeck – Aff LinkRebel With a Cause (1955)The Notebook (2004)Inside Daisy Clover (1965)How The West Was Won (1962)AnaphoraEpiphora (or epistrophe)the Cambridge ladies who live in furnished souls – e.e. cummingsFootloose (1984)The Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Sentimentalism of Marjorie 07.05.2026 1h 1m

  In this episode, we are tackling marjorie, a track from Taylor Swift’s evermore album from 2020. Uncle Jerry teaches us about sentimentalism in literature, and Angela blows his mind by telling him the real life Marjorie’s backstory. Works Cited:AphorismDavid HumeImmanuel KantSentimentalismSentimental Novels in Early American FictionThe Man of Feeling – Henry Mackenzie – Aff LinkPamela: Or Virtue Rewarded – Samuel Richardson – Aff LinkSense and Sensibility – Jane Austen – Aff LinkA Treatise of Human Nature Paperback – David Hume – Aff LinkThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  Dr. Uncle Jerry University: Poetry 101 30.04.2026 1h 16m

  We’re doing something a bit different today! Some conversations have popped up in various comment sections about why Uncle Jerry prefers specific types of poetry, and which lenses we use to dissect those poems, whether we’re talking about Charles Dickens, Emily Dickenson, or Taylor Swift. So Uncle Jerry put together a lecture explaining how and why he views certain poetic styles the way he does, and explains the different criticism styles and theories we use to understand a poem’s meaning and impact.Hope you enjoy! Please leave any questions in the comments that he can answer either here or in a later episode. Works Cited:Marxist Literary CriticismPost-Colonial CriticismReader-response theoryKey Theories of Wolfgang IserIs There a Text in This Class? – Stanley Fish – Aff LinkPsychological CriticismFeminist TheoryNew CriticismFelicia Dorothea HemansOn the Intentional FallacyHyperion – John KeatsAffective FallacyQueer TheoryDeconstructionSemioticsCritical Race TheoryNew HistoricismStephen Greenblatt and New HistoricismSketches by Boz – Charles Dickens – Aff LinkSonnetsShakespeare's Sonnets & Poems – William Shakespeare – Aff LinkLimerickHaikuBallad Meter (or Common Measure)VillanelleConcrete PoetryLife Studies – Robert Lowell – Aff Link The Collected Poems – Sylvia Plath – Aff LinkMy Papa’s Waltz – Theodore RoethkeThe Real Slim Shady – EminemCan Poetry Matter?: Essays on Poetry and American Culture Paperback – Dana Gioia – Aff LinkA Bit Much – Lyndsay Rush – Aff LinkLyndsay Rush – InstagramAmanda GormanThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  Fate vs. Free Will in The Prophecy 23.04.2026 1h 21m

  We are getting witchy today as we dive deep into The Prophecy from Taylor Swift’s 2024 album, The Tortured Poets Department. Uncle Jerry teaches us about some specific references to tarot and the occult in literature, and how that shaped a few of his interests. Angela tells the story of a tarot reading that Taylor received from a friend, and how she thinks it inspired this song.  Works Cited:The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats – William Butler Yeats – Aff LinkRosicrucian FellowshipThe Secrets of the Belline Oracle – Sylvie Steinbach – Aff LinkCrowley Thoth Tarot DeckVisconti-Sforza Tarot Cards – The Morgan LibraryVisconti Sforza Tarot Cards Cards – Stuart R. Kaplan – Aff LinkMiniature Rider-Waite® Tarot – Pamela C. Smith – Aff LinkRider Waite Gold Foil Tarot Deck – Aff LinkThe Original Rider Waite: The Pictorial Key To The Tarot: An Illustrated Guide – A.E. Waite – Aff LinkTarot Revelations – Joseph Campbell, Richard Roberts – Aff Link A to z Horoscope Maker and Delineator – Llewellyn George – Aff LinkA Treatise on the Astrolabe – Geoffrey Chaucer – Aff LinkAntithesis – Rhetorical DeviceGimpel the Fool: And Other Stories – Isaac Bashevis Singer – Aff LinkThe Miller’s Tale – Geoffrey ChaucerMorphology of the Folktale – V. Propp – Aff LinkAarne-Thompson-Uther IndexTaylor Swift’s Tarot Card Revelation Proves None of Travis Kelce Romance Was AccidentalInclusioThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  Cardigan – The Folklore Love Triangle Part 3 16.04.2026 1h 19m

  We’ve made it to the third and final episode of our beloved Folklore Love Triangle! We hope you’ve enjoyed this little series as much as we have. This episode dives into all the poetry and themes of cardigan, and then Uncle Jerry wraps up all the themes and questions and answers found in these three songs.Works Cited:Rashomon EffectThe Rashomon Effect: When Ethnographers Disagree – Karl G. HeiderDisnarration and the Unmentioned in Fact and Fiction – Marina Lambrou – Aff LinkDisnarration and the performance of storytelling in Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermoreThe Blind Man and The ElephantSplit Narratives or Fragmented NarrativesEnjambment EpistropheAnaphoraThe Longest Time – Billy Joel Love Stinks – The J. Geils BandThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠Threads⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  Betty – The Folklore Love Triangle Part 2 09.04.2026 1h 7m

  We’re back for the second installment of the folklore love triangle! Uncle Jerry really changed his tune on these lyrics, both as a poem and as a song, while Angela notices some “teenage diction” that she’s never picked up on before. Come back next week to wrap this all up with us!Works Cited:Rashomon EffectThe Rashomon Effect: When Ethnographers Disagree – Karl G. HeiderDisnarration and the Unmentioned in Fact and Fiction – Marina Lambrou – Aff LinkDisnarration and the performance of storytelling in Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermoreThe Blind Man and The ElephantSplit Narratives or Fragmented NarrativesWinesburg, Ohio – Sherwood Anderson – Aff LinkSpoon River Anthology – Edgar Lee Masters – Aff LinkThe Flowers of Evil – Charles Baudelaire – Aff LinkFlipped (2010)ApophasisHyperboleBook of GenesisThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  August – The Folklore Love Triangle Part 1 02.04.2026 1h 8m

  Friends, it's finally here! Over the next three episodes, we are diving into our beloved Folklore Love Triangle. First up is August. Uncle Jerry begins by talking about the narrative of these three songs and how they are woven together across the album, and then we dissect the poem of August. These three episodes will all build on each other, and we’ll round out the discussion in week 3. Works Cited:Rashomon EffectThe Rashomon Effect: When Ethnographers Disagree – Karl G. HeiderThe Blind Man and The ElephantDisnarration and the performance of storytelling in Taylor Swift’s folklore and evermoreSplit Narratives or Fragmented NarrativesDramatic IronyKenningThe Swiftie and The Scholar Grading MatrixFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram
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  The Feminist Critique of Mad Woman 26.03.2026 56m

  We are getting angry and witchy today with mad woman from Taylor Swift’s 2020 album, folklore. Uncle Jerry teaches us where the word hysteria comes from, how women have been written about for centuries, and how sometimes, we make our own monsters. Listen to the song with us on Patreon!Works Cited:The Madwoman in the Attic – Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar – Aff LinkIn Medias Res: Definition and Examples To Start a Story in the MiddleDramatic MonologueOrion and ScorpiusThe Mourning Bride – William CongreveSumma Theologica – Thomas AquinasHandlyng Synne – Robert Manning of BrunneChristian Caldwell, Woman WitchhunterCassandra x mad woman x I Did Something BadFollow Us:Patreon⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠Angela’s Instagram⁠Uncle Jerry’s Instagram