The serenity system
The most important idea in Just Skedaddling is represented by a single value called serenity. It ranges from 0 to 1. At 1 the artwork is at its quietest; at 0 it is maximally disturbed.
Interaction reduces serenity
When the pointer moves through the field, particles within a 140-pixel disturbance radius are pushed away from the pointer. The same mechanism is used for touch input. Each interaction also reduces the target serenity value.
A click is treated as a stronger disturbance than ordinary pointer movement. This makes deliberate interaction visibly different from simply moving across the page.
Recovery is gradual
Once interaction stops, serenity recovers by a small amount on each animation frame. The recovery is intentionally slow enough that a disturbed composition remains disturbed for a while. The artwork therefore has a visible transition between agitation and calm instead of two disconnected states.
One value, several consequences
Serenity does not merely change a colour filter. It affects the particle system itself. Higher serenity allows particles to breathe more gently, makes the connection network more prominent and keeps the palette more saturated. Lower serenity introduces additional jitter and reduces the visual strength of the network.
This is what makes the interaction feel like a change in the artwork rather than an interface animation pasted on top of it.
Nothing is remembered about the visitor
The “memory” is only the current in-browser state of the artwork. It is not a user profile. Closing or reloading the page starts a new generative state, while the artwork's conceptual response to interaction remains the same.