diff --git a/src/App.tsx b/src/App.tsx
index 65f0b5c..ad54d26 100644
--- a/src/App.tsx
+++ b/src/App.tsx
@@ -475,7 +475,15 @@ function AppInner() {
         // names; mutant_wasteland uses class+name). The DB primary key
         // for the seat is (slug, player_id), so the slot is mostly
         // descriptive metadata that flows back via SEAT_CONFIRMED.
+        //
+        // The server emits `character.model_dump()` which nests the
+        // name under `core.name` (Python pydantic model). The flat
+        // `name` / `character_name` fallbacks are kept for any
+        // historical or alternative emission paths but the canonical
+        // location is `core.name`.
+        const charCore = charData?.core as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
         const charNameForSeat =
+          (charCore?.name as string | undefined) ??
           (charData?.name as string | undefined) ??
           (charData?.character_name as string | undefined);
         if (charNameForSeat && sendRef.current) {
diff --git a/src/components/CharacterCreation/CharacterCreation.tsx b/src/components/CharacterCreation/CharacterCreation.tsx
index cb3ddeb..4fdfae3 100644
--- a/src/components/CharacterCreation/CharacterCreation.tsx
+++ b/src/components/CharacterCreation/CharacterCreation.tsx
@@ -59,10 +59,19 @@ export function CharacterCreation({ scene, loading, onRespond }: CharacterCreati
     // turn. "Waiting for the narrator..." is true regardless of which
     // chargen step we're between. Genre packs can override via
     // ``scene.loading_text``.
+    //
+    // The heartbeat dot is the "system is alive" cue — playtest 2026-04-24
+    // flagged the all-text spinner as indistinguishable from a crash. Pulse
+    // matches the in-game MultiplayerTurnBanner idiom (emerald, w-2 h-2).
     return (
       <div data-testid="character-creation">
         <div data-testid="creation-loading" role="status"
-             className="flex items-center justify-center min-h-[200px]">
+             className="flex items-center justify-center gap-2 min-h-[200px]">
+          <span
+            data-testid="chargen-heartbeat-dot"
+            aria-hidden="true"
+            className="inline-block w-2 h-2 rounded-full shrink-0 bg-emerald-500 animate-pulse"
+          />
           <p className="text-sm italic text-muted-foreground/50 animate-pulse">
             {scene?.loading_text ?? "Waiting for the narrator..."}
           </p>
diff --git a/src/components/CharacterCreation/__tests__/CharacterCreation.loading.test.tsx b/src/components/CharacterCreation/__tests__/CharacterCreation.loading.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f9c18e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/CharacterCreation/__tests__/CharacterCreation.loading.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { render, screen } from "@testing-library/react";
+import { CharacterCreation } from "../CharacterCreation";
+
+describe("CharacterCreation loading view", () => {
+  it("renders the heartbeat dot alongside the wait copy", () => {
+    render(
+      <CharacterCreation scene={null} loading={true} onRespond={() => {}} />,
+    );
+    const loading = screen.getByTestId("creation-loading");
+    expect(loading).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(loading).toHaveTextContent(/waiting for the narrator/i);
+
+    const dot = screen.getByTestId("chargen-heartbeat-dot");
+    expect(dot).toBeInTheDocument();
+    expect(dot.className).toMatch(/animate-pulse/);
+    expect(dot.className).toMatch(/bg-emerald-500/);
+  });
+
+  it("uses the genre-pack scene loading_text when provided", () => {
+    render(
+      <CharacterCreation
+        scene={
+          {
+            scene_index: 1,
+            total_scenes: 4,
+            loading_text: "The bones are casting...",
+          } as never
+        }
+        loading={true}
+        onRespond={() => {}}
+      />,
+    );
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("creation-loading")).toHaveTextContent(
+      /the bones are casting/i,
+    );
+    // Heartbeat must still render even with custom copy.
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("chargen-heartbeat-dot")).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});