Scrolling social media
June frequently scrolls social media for hours. The experience is narrated through the loss of time; she spends hours on Twitter or Instagram, and at times, the narration directly relays the comments or messages she receives. While this technique isn't always the most explicit in its visual nature, it also emphasizes the role that social media has a way of seeing the world, with online life replacing the perspectives we have on the external world.
Chinatown
When June visits Chinatown in the hopes of gathering new writing material, she is shocked by how "gross" and "dirty" she finds it. Her description of Chinatown communicates her disgust as she fixates on every detail that makes her feel uncomfortable or othered by the space—an outsider, intruding and unfamiliar with the surroundings. Much of her description also fixates on parts of the neighborhood that she doesn't understand, like the signs written in Chinese script or food items that she doesn't recognize. These descriptions emphasize how little June really knows about the culture that she so readily profits off of through her plagiarized novels.
Athena's appearance
June fixates on Athena's appearance, often describing it through the items that Athena can afford because of her success. Athena has expensive clothing and always dresses pristinely, a luxury that June cannot allow herself until she sells The Last Front. Once sales of the novel skyrocket, June is able to buy brand-name clothing as well, a visual symbol of her success.
Athena's death and ghost
June is haunted by flashbacks of Athena's death, which she remembers in vivid detail. She frequently references memories of watching Athena's face turn blue, or the expression on Athena's face as she died. Later on, these flashbacks take on a hallucinatory quality as June begins to think that she sees Athena's ghost everywhere; at this point, the version of Athena takes on an appearance of its own, smiling creepily at June or taunting her.
