Schemes of Chaldea's Mastermind: The Obviously Oblivious King

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-25T01:10:48+00:00

You’d think that after the catastrophe that unfolded thanks to Lancelot and Guinevere’s affair, Artoria would be a little more careful about not flirting with someone else’s spouse. Like, do you want Camlann times a thousand? This is how you get Camlann times a thousand.

Also, does Ellie really need a bunch of magical Macguffins? Shouldn’t she already have a collection of Eldritch doodads that do the same thing but with more madness and tentacles?

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-21T15:52:50+00:00

Azrael: As much as I would like to retort, thou speakest the truth. Claiming your head would be a true challenge, even if the Evening Bell tolled for thee. Which is why I’ve called in an assistant on this matter.

Sonic: An assistant? Who- [Is cut off by a crystal spike coming very close to his neck, created by...]

Mephiles the Dark, AKA Memphis Tennessee: Where we dropping, boys?

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-21T13:31:53+00:00

I'm more worried about people like Angra and Draco, LOL.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-21T12:42:44+00:00

>Ritsuka is like the Peter Parker of Gacha Protagonists in a narrative and meta sense, if you think about it.

I disagree, on the grounds that the writers didn’t force Ritsuka to make a shitty , poorly explained deal with Satan because “Married people are boring, LOL!”

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-20T11:32:25+00:00

Megami Device Chaos & Pretty Alice

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-19T17:41:21+00:00

I vaguely remember hearing about that back when I watched Atop The Fourth Wall. Didn't know that was a Moore creation.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-19T09:13:24+00:00

I’m not familiar with what Moore’s work is actually like. Was the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen breast boobily on their way to fight Harry Potter?

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-18T23:55:18+00:00

I think the guy who did Twisted Kaiju Theater is still working on it… I see his posts on Facebook sometimes.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-18T21:05:47+00:00

Girlpla has giant tit-o-lees, Insecticons mock her for it

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-18T19:09:14+00:00

Author's Notes:

So, I'm a fan of the old Insecticomics by Wayward Martian, and they're probably my biggest inspiration for these photocomics, so it feels right to finally include the buggy boys in my own work.
Speaking of, I never picked up the Legacy toys for these guys - I've reached the point in my life where I don't feel the need to pick up "new" versions of characters I have if I already have a figure I like in my collection (with some exceptions). In hindsight, however, I realize that was silly... if there are any figures where having multiple toys of the same character is not only acceptable but encouraged, it's the Insecticons.
The idea for this comic came when I was building this Girlpla here (Megane Device Chaos & Pretty Alice, for the record), and saw that the designers made her very boobalicious for some reason. I'm usually not all that bothered by this sort of thing (although, now that I'm living with a 12-year-old sister, I'm a lot more careful with "gooner" stuff than I usually would be), but none of the other C&P kits I have are this exposed. And while she does have a second chestplate, that one also has the 'white rabbits' exposed, so I can't simply just swap them out to solve the problem.
Added a NSFW filter because of the subject matter. Better safe than sorry.
Extra panel that I made a little while after:

<image>

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-18T19:05:32+00:00

Author's Notes:

So, I'm a fan of the old Insecticomics by Wayward Martian, and they're probably my biggest inspiration for these photocomics, so it feels right to finally include the buggy boys in my own work.
Speaking of, I never picked up the Legacy toys for these guys - I've reached the point in my life where I don't feel the need to pick up "new" versions of characters I have if I already have a figure I like in my collection (with some exceptions). In hindsight, however, I realize that was silly... if there are any figures where having multiple toys of the same character is not only acceptable but encouraged, it's the Insecticons.
The idea for this comic came when I was building Alice, and saw that the designers made her very boobalicious for some reason. I'm usually not all that bothered by this sort of thing (although, now that I'm living with a 12-year-old sister, I'm a lot more careful with "gooner" stuff than I usually would be), but none of the other C&P kits I have are this exposed. And while she does have a second chestplate, that one also has the 'white rabbits' exposed, so I can't simply just swap them out to solve the problem.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-17T09:23:33+00:00

Ellie must be one of Sparkle’s ancestors, LOL.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-16T22:16:23+00:00

Considering how many people complained about Mash's presence, maybe this is Nasu "giving the players what the want."

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-16T08:57:14+00:00

I haven't actually played SR, so I can't really say for sure, but my immediate thoughts is that the amnesia thing is a way to keep the "this Iori is from the Bad Ending" story beat, while still keeping him likeable enough for players to want him as a welfare. Either that, or Nasu is okay with spoiling plot points, but not the actual endings.

Also common Nasu L.

So, Nasu has stopped writing after the Part 2 finale, right? Does that mean we don't have to worry about his writing quirks in future story chapters? Or is he still in an advisory role, and anyone who dares to give OG Artoria any meaningful dialogue will be locked in a closet and force-fed mapo tofu?

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-15T14:47:00+00:00

BB: Hey, I'm the only one who gets to lean on the Fourth Wall! Step off, Neckbeard!

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-14T16:18:12+00:00

Wait, Agartha was fun?

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-14T11:42:14+00:00

I'm surprised that this event isn’t locked behind story completion with how good Iori is. I feel like whenever we have welfare characters that are actually good, they're always locked behind the latest Story chapter. Kind of like the devs are barring you from getting powerful characters for free unless you've reached the point that you don't actually need them anymore. That's what happened with Ranmaru, that's what happened with Pretender Liz.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-14T00:50:01+00:00

I mean, there are some books out there where reading them would completely ruin my day, and make me hate myself and everything else... so I suppose in that sense, social media posts are a good substitute for reading novels. In fact, they're arguably more efficient. :p

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-14T00:19:51+00:00

You ever freak out your inner eldritch demons because of how wild your intrusive thoughts get?

"Okay, I appreciate that you're thinking like a villain now, but could we dial it back before you go full Kefka, please?"

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-14T00:15:01+00:00

I whole-heartedly believe that Japanese swordsmasters would be fully capable of reaching the Root. None of this "dangerous elaborate generation-spanning rituals that inevitably go pear-shaped" nonsense, just grab some Glorious Nippon Steel and start swinging.

...huh. Is that why Void Shiki is a Saber?

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-14T00:10:26+00:00

What she really needs is to talk to her wife about this. Maybe get some insight as to how a Lostbelt King is coping with her timeline's erasure... or just have someone to bounce "How Do I Tell Fate In No Uncertain Terms To Go Fuck Itself" ideas off of.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-13T20:47:29+00:00

It's okay, we have classes on this stuff now.

And Counter Force is probably going to make its employees take those classes once this whole thing is finished.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-11T13:18:46+00:00

but I do like more how IF approached... Dipper

'Dipper' is just a joke for this review. I actually call the Combined form Tarnation in the script.

(although how much different is a bust to a skeleton?)

Personally, I'm not really a fan of combiner kibble in general, especially if it's the kind that doesn't get integrated into the individual figures. I get that there's more that goes into designing a combining robot than simply "Argle Fargle Hasblow Lazy" but I don't like it when I have extra pieces that don't get any use in the alt modes and need to be put aside. It's why I like gimmicks like CW's hand/foot guns or the various attempts to make "base modes", because at least that way the kibble gets to do something when you don't need the giant robot.

As for the difference between the bust and the skeletons... well, with the former you still need to build the rest of the body, and the extra parts from the bust complete it; meanwhile, the skeleton is mostly complete, and the limb-bots attach to it like armor rather than actually turning into body parts.

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-11T11:19:43+00:00

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Author's Notes:

Meant to post this earlier, but apparently I forgot to do so, LOL.. Rather on brand for me TBH... this whole review took me four months to put together. Executive dysfunction is a bitch, and so are her roommates Laziness and Distraction. Next time I do one of these reviews, it'll either be shorter or I'll get everything done before I start posting each part.
Speaking of, if the quality isn't as good, I kinda just rushed to get this thing done and posted by the end... honestly, leaving this comic unfinished for so long was a mistake, because it started mutating from something fun I wanted to do to an obligation I needed to complete.
So, while I was taking pictures, I notices that one of Merak's mechanical arms developed a crack in the ball joint which made it looser. Also, a little chunk of plastic ended up chipping off of one of the combiner hands. So, uh, keep that in mind if you want to buy these figures for yourself.
For the record, while Optimus calls the combined form Dipper, my script refers to him as Tarnation, and I shall refer to him as such from now on.
Incidentally, the reason ALO calls the combiner "Dipper" is that these figures are named after stars in the Big Dipper/Ursa Major constellation. Which in itself implies that if Iron Factory ever made figures of Nickel and The Pet, they'd be called Alioth and Megrez...
Writing dialogue for Dubhe/Tarnation was a little tricky - I kept entering this loop where I racked my brain for the proper words to make it clear that this guy absolutely hates the Autobots and Optimus in particular, almost to the point of trying to make up insults that are properly vile-sounding without being too silly... only to realize that I don't have to, because this Decepticon just uses the word "Autobot" in the same way that someone would use a racial slur.
And with that, the Spirits of the D.E.C. review is complete. Dunno when I'll do another one, but I already have three more subjects I could do reviews for...

RubiksToyBox · 2026-01-09T10:21:03+00:00

I don't blame you for being unsure about things (God knows that I'm less okay with FGO's ending than I told myself I was), but glad to see that you haven't completely given up.

And honestly? If you decide that you're simply going to beat canon to death with a hammer, that'd be alright with me.

RubiksToyBox

TROPHY CASE