Haven't been able to paint in a while and I missed making pieces with symbolism and stuff... then I realized I could still do that while making fanart!!! I hope I'm not doing too much lol I just like stuffing a bunch of stuff into my art and then yapping about it. It may not be that deep but I will make it that deep >>
Notes
Not gonna go into everything but this is a basic rundown of what my intentions were.
To preface, this illustration sets out to explore the implications of Cammy's worship of MePhone. I wrote a lot abt what I think Cammy's beliefs are on my side acc if the context would be helpful :). But summary: this piece is about dehumanization due to idolization, forfeit of autonomy, and the different types of harm caused to both parties.
Also I want to identify specific elements that may require context to make sense or I think I didn't necessarily portray it clearly but also don't want the intent to get lost (might edit to add more later if I feel like it)
Cammy's outfit: My gijinka design without the cape (?) and hat. I usually draw them without their accessories when the piece is a look into their internal mindset; showing vulnerability in a sense
T-bar: The statue of MePhone would have been disheveled and looking at his hands in horror if the T-bar wasn't forcefully wedged onto them
Marionette strings: Cammy is the one pulling to create tension in the strings (that are attached by piercing through his body). Instead of the head control it goes through his throat/tongue. This is the only string that isn't under tension, because Cammy's leaning toward the statue
The shape in the sky: Supposed to be an eye if that's not clear, with the pupil shape based on MePhone's home button in object form
Some other stuff:
MePhone is literally on a pedestal
The T-bar being the thing to obscure MePhone's face
In the image from this perspective, the overall line of action is tilted heavily to the right, with MePhone leaning away and Cammy leaning forward
Clear disrespect done to MePhone/harm to MePhone as a statue, but the bodily damage is presently directly to Cammy
All current evidence that's pointing towards Fan = Mephone4
It's always been interesting to consider what the different contestants subconsciously mean to Mephone4 as a person and what aspects of himself they were originally created as representations of, but none of them moreso to me than Fan.
Mephone, at the time of conceptualizing Fan, was in exactly his position. A huge reality TV enthusiast who wanted to be appreciated through it.
Fan was quite literally Mephone4 making a variant of HIMSELF for his own show.
And after Mephone went away with 3GS, Fan ended up doing exactly what Mephone4 had done all those years back. Stepping up from being an enthusiast to being a host.
And then there's Fan's near death experience. It has some concerning parallels to Mephone's first death.
The cliff. The Meeple product that caused it all. Everything down to the inclusion of Bot as a parallel to Bow, both hurt from their prior experiences.
The recurring electrocution in the water.
You can even draw interesting conclusions as to how this suggests that Poppy is the stand-in for the suitcase, a prize or treasure being sought after? Either way, they're set up to be eerily similar.
Now - Let's look at Fan's dream:
"I see you were a fan too."
I've wondered about this screen, and exactly what its supposed to represent. First guess would have been that It's Inanimate Insanity, but Fan doesn't talk about it like they're watching II, but later lines make more sense if that was the case. With the fact that he uses the pronoun 'this' instead of 'the', it sounds more likely to be an unrelated show. Its possible that the mystery screen is meant to represent whatever shows either of them we're interested in, both II and whatever Mephone enjoyed simultaneously. That still brings up two equally concerning possibilities:
Either Mephone is here sitting in Fan's shoes, or Fan remembers a show we know only Mephone has actually seen.
Either way, there's a connection being drawn here.
This whole scene is even more confusing but there's some stuff to pick out here.
First is that when Mephone questions him on the use of 'were', Fan automatically assumes that he was asking why Mephone isn't a fan anymore, as opposed to assuming hes scared something might have happened to him.
Fan saying "You were a fan too" would make sense in the context of him not knowing Mephone anymore after the events of season 2, but it's immedietely made strange by the fact that he backs up this claim by saying that the show he was watching got worse over time when pushed. That, and Fan seems to just know that Mephone isn't a fan of this show anymore. Mephone's reaction immedietely after is even more jarring.
Somehow, this causes him to genuinely fear that something happened to him. Whether you think that it was the past tense usage alone or fan's small explanation that sets him off, this is still an either an incredibly irrational conclusion to get to considering Mephone's perspective of this conversation.
Fan immedietely catches onto this and reassures him that they stopped him. Cobs name is not said, but its implied.
Him accusing Fan here is even weirder. We can definetely say that Fan has to feel some sort of guilt with what happened to Mephone for this to come up in his dream. You could also say this connects back to Fan's insecurities and conflicting feelings towards the show, especially now that hes in charge of it.
I think theres a 2nd interpretation you could see in all of this, that Mephone is Fan and 'him' is referring to Mephone4 himself. 'You stopped me, so where am I? What did you do?' Admittedly thats a stretch but I think its worth considering.
And in the final scene, Mephone seems to do a sudden 180 on him. Leaving Fan with the same problem that he had to go through. That Meeple was coming for him. That he had to leave. That Fan had to run away from it all.
And Fan falls down.
And whats the first thing he does when he wakes up? When he leaves this dream and falls out of the building window? Pretend to have lost his memories.
After that, he seems to unknowingly take what Mephone told him to heart, too. In the hospital, he panicks and says that they are coming for them, that everyone needs to run away and get off of the island. He ends up making that specific person a little clearer afterwards, sure, but the unspoken threat here is Meeple. And even when he is asked what makes him so sure of that threat, all he can say is that its just a feeling.
And thats a paranoia we've only quite seen in one other person before.
Another minor thing in this episode that I want to mention is the fact that when Fan opens his phone, it opens on II episode 1, but specifically the scene in which Mephone first introduces himself to the audience. What an interesting choice for the first episode of this season we see him again.
Overall, I think this show is going to play a lot with the idea of Fan going from being a fan to being a host, and in that same way, paralleling Mephone's journey along the way. Like some sort of... how did Cammy put it, ...a second coming of him?
If anyone else has something to add to this, please comment! All is appreciated.
mephone4 comic i first started back in may 2025, its not very polished but its out!
for context, its set right before iii's two part finale. i know mephone doesnt snap his fingers to stop time buttt i had thought that at the time.. so just go with it haha
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