diff --git a/HellionChat/Ui/Components/MessageList.cs b/HellionChat/Ui/Components/MessageList.cs
index 368200a..184b290 100644
--- a/HellionChat/Ui/Components/MessageList.cs
+++ b/HellionChat/Ui/Components/MessageList.cs
@@ -244,6 +244,16 @@ internal sealed class MessageList
 
     // Same size as the body face, drawn heavier. With the game font selected
     // there is no heavier variant, so the sender leans on channel colour alone.
+    // From the mockup: the space between two messages in card density.
+    private const float CardGapRaw = 6f;
+
+    // The italic handle is optional -- the setting can disable it -- so this
+    // falls back to the game's own italic rather than to upright text.
+    private Dalamud.Interface.ManagedFontAtlas.IFontHandle ItalicFace() =>
+        Plugin.Config.FontsEnabled && _fonts.ItalicFont is not null
+            ? _fonts.ItalicFont
+            : _fonts.AxisItalic;
+
     private Dalamud.Interface.ManagedFontAtlas.IFontHandle SenderFace() =>
         Plugin.Config.FontsEnabled || Plugin.Config.UseHellionFont
             ? _fonts.SenderFont!
@@ -328,18 +338,25 @@ internal sealed class MessageList
         // (ChatLogWindow.cs:1965: DrawChunks(message.Sender) + SameLine).
         DrawTimestampCell(message);
 
-        if (message.Sender.Count > 0)
+        if (message.Sender.Count == 0)
         {
-            using (SenderFace().Push())
+            // Nobody said this -- it is the game talking. Italics carry that in
+            // every palette, which colour would not: the channel colours already
+            // in these chunks come from the game and are not ours to override.
+            using (ItalicFace().Push())
                 _chunkRenderer.DrawChunks(
-                    message.Sender,
+                    message.Content,
                     wrap: true,
                     handler: _handler,
                     lineWidth: 0f
                 );
-            ImGui.SameLine(0f, 0f);
+            return;
         }
 
+        using (SenderFace().Push())
+            _chunkRenderer.DrawChunks(message.Sender, wrap: true, handler: _handler, lineWidth: 0f);
+
+        ImGui.SameLine(0f, 0f);
         _chunkRenderer.DrawChunks(message.Content, wrap: true, handler: _handler, lineWidth: 0f);
     }
 
@@ -540,12 +557,14 @@ internal sealed class MessageList
         if (message.Sender.Count == 0)
         {
             DrawTimestampCell(message);
-            _chunkRenderer.DrawChunks(
-                message.Content,
-                wrap: true,
-                handler: _handler,
-                lineWidth: 0f
-            );
+            using (ItalicFace().Push())
+                _chunkRenderer.DrawChunks(
+                    message.Content,
+                    wrap: true,
+                    handler: _handler,
+                    lineWidth: 0f
+                );
+            ImGui.Dummy(new Vector2(0f, CardGapRaw * StyleEngine.Metrics.Scale));
             return;
         }
 
@@ -557,6 +576,10 @@ internal sealed class MessageList
         ImGui.Indent(_stampColumnWidth);
         _chunkRenderer.DrawChunks(message.Content, wrap: true, handler: _handler, lineWidth: 0f);
         ImGui.Unindent(_stampColumnWidth);
+
+        // Air between cards is what makes them read as cards. Measured into the
+        // row height, so the clipper plans against it.
+        ImGui.Dummy(new Vector2(0f, CardGapRaw * StyleEngine.Metrics.Scale));
     }
 
     private static string FormatTimestamp(DateTimeOffset date)