diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
index 386a68cc..a3ab1db0 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/Rendering/GameWindow.cs
@@ -2252,7 +2252,10 @@ public sealed class GameWindow : IDisposable
                     invLayout, Objects,
                     playerGuid: () => _playerServerGuid,
                     iconIds: (type, icon, under, over, effects) => iconComposer.GetIcon(type, icon, under, over, effects),
-                    sendWield: (item, mask) => _liveSession?.SendGetAndWieldItem(item, mask));
+                    sendWield: (item, mask) => _liveSession?.SendGetAndWieldItem(item, mask),
+                    // Empty equip slots show a visible frame (same square as the inventory grid) so every
+                    // slot position is seen + usable; the live 3D character (the doll) is Slice 2.
+                    emptySlotSprite: contentsEmpty);
 
                 Console.WriteLine("[D.2b-B] retail inventory window from LayoutDesc importer (0x21000023).");
             }
diff --git a/src/AcDream.App/UI/Layout/PaperdollController.cs b/src/AcDream.App/UI/Layout/PaperdollController.cs
index c5ba54c7..41763f01 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.App/UI/Layout/PaperdollController.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.App/UI/Layout/PaperdollController.cs
@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ public sealed class PaperdollController : IItemListDragHandler
 
     private PaperdollController(
         ImportedLayout layout, ClientObjectTable objects, Func<uint> playerGuid,
-        Func<ItemType, uint, uint, uint, uint, uint> iconIds, Action<uint, uint>? sendWield)
+        Func<ItemType, uint, uint, uint, uint, uint> iconIds, Action<uint, uint>? sendWield,
+        uint emptySlotSprite)
     {
         _objects = objects; _playerGuid = playerGuid; _iconIds = iconIds; _sendWield = sendWield;
 
@@ -64,7 +65,9 @@ public sealed class PaperdollController : IItemListDragHandler
             list.RegisterDragHandler(this);
             list.Cell.SourceKind  = ItemDragSource.Equipment;
             list.Cell.SlotIndex   = i;              // SlotMap position = this equipped item's drag-payload SourceSlot when dragged out to unwield
-            list.Cell.EmptySprite = 0u;             // TRANSPARENT empty slot (brainstorm decision; no doll behind it in Slice 1)
+            list.Cell.EmptySprite = emptySlotSprite; // visible empty-slot frame so every position is seen + usable. The live
+                                                     // 3D character (the "figure" — Slice 1/2 correction: NOT a per-slot
+                                                     // silhouette) is the doll viewport, which arrives in Slice 2 with the Slots toggle.
             // Cell.SpriteResolve + the default accept/reject sprites (ItemSlot_DragOver_Accept ring
             // 0x060011F9 / reject circle 0x060011F8 — the discrete-slot frames, NOT the inventory grid's
             // insert-arrow 0x060011F7) are already wired by DatWidgetFactory when it built the UiItemList;
@@ -82,8 +85,9 @@ public sealed class PaperdollController : IItemListDragHandler
 
     public static PaperdollController Bind(
         ImportedLayout layout, ClientObjectTable objects, Func<uint> playerGuid,
-        Func<ItemType, uint, uint, uint, uint, uint> iconIds, Action<uint, uint>? sendWield = null)
-        => new PaperdollController(layout, objects, playerGuid, iconIds, sendWield);
+        Func<ItemType, uint, uint, uint, uint, uint> iconIds, Action<uint, uint>? sendWield = null,
+        uint emptySlotSprite = 0u)
+        => new PaperdollController(layout, objects, playerGuid, iconIds, sendWield, emptySlotSprite);
 
     private void OnObjectChanged(ClientObject o) { if (Concerns(o)) Populate(); }
     private void OnObjectMoved(ClientObject o, uint from, uint to)
diff --git a/tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/PaperdollControllerTests.cs b/tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/PaperdollControllerTests.cs
index 584eb7b2..add55b4f 100644
--- a/tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/PaperdollControllerTests.cs
+++ b/tests/AcDream.App.Tests/UI/Layout/PaperdollControllerTests.cs
@@ -32,10 +32,11 @@ public class PaperdollControllerTests
     }
 
     private static PaperdollController Bind(ImportedLayout layout, ClientObjectTable objects,
-        List<(uint item, uint mask)>? wields = null)
+        List<(uint item, uint mask)>? wields = null, uint emptySlot = 0u)
         => PaperdollController.Bind(layout, objects, () => Player,
             iconIds: (_, _, _, _, _) => 0x1234u,
-            sendWield: wields is null ? null : (i, m) => wields.Add((i, m)));
+            sendWield: wields is null ? null : (i, m) => wields.Add((i, m)),
+            emptySlotSprite: emptySlot);
 
     private static void SeedEquipped(ClientObjectTable t, uint guid, EquipMask loc)
     {
@@ -112,11 +113,11 @@ public class PaperdollControllerTests
     }
 
     [Fact]
-    public void Empty_equip_slot_is_transparent()  // EmptySprite=0 ⇒ nothing drawn (no doll behind it in Slice 1)
+    public void Empty_equip_slot_shows_the_configured_frame()  // visible frame so all positions are usable (Slice 1; the doll is Slice 2)
     {
         var (layout, lists) = BuildLayout();
-        Bind(layout, new ClientObjectTable());
-        Assert.Equal(0u, lists[HeadSlot].Cell.EmptySprite);
+        Bind(layout, new ClientObjectTable(), emptySlot: 0x06004D20u);
+        Assert.Equal(0x06004D20u, lists[HeadSlot].Cell.EmptySprite);
     }
 
     [Fact]