A framing device is an illegal string of code meant to trick Mindspikes into allowing its contractor to experience things not compliant with their mindspike- license, such as acts of violence or aggressive action. They are generally unstable and are intended for human devices. Framing devices were first used after restrictions were imposed on combative thoughtforms in 2052.
Moth uses a frame he got from a friend to allow Interloper to experience the Collapse Recollection in The Embassy so that the Mindspike interprets the recollection as a game instead of containing real violence. However, frames are intended for human devices, so Moth converts the frame into a thoughtstream that Interloper gives to Funfriend to re-interpret and enforce onto the Collapse Recollection.
The frame is most obvious during combat, when the recollection turns into a turn-based combat game between your team and your foes, where both sides have their own selection of moves they can choose from.
The frame also chooses less important parts of the memory to turn into Evil Mode, also known as Hard Mode, which is controlled by a thoughtform named BSTRD and is intended to be extra hard and optional, but cannot actually change the events of the recollection. When participating in this mode, BSTRD makes many appearances either in the form of their face on the background, on an object, controlling another thoughtform, or even in the inherited context. During these modes, the CMY-K color scheme is broken by the color #FF0066 , a motif of BSTRDs interference via the frame.