diff --git a/frontend/src/components/CyberFx.astro b/frontend/src/components/CyberFx.astro
index 4a62525..195e88c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/CyberFx.astro
+++ b/frontend/src/components/CyberFx.astro
@@ -23,11 +23,16 @@
 <script>
 	import { buildCybersigil } from '../lib/cybersigil';
 
+	let teardown: (() => void) | null = null;
+
 	function initCyberFx() {
 		const root = document.documentElement;
 		if (!root.classList.contains('cybersigil')) return;
+		const fx = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>('.cs-fx');
+		if (!fx) return;
 
 		const reduced = window.matchMedia('(prefers-reduced-motion: reduce)').matches;
+		const fine = window.matchMedia('(pointer: fine)').matches;
 
 		/* ─── Generated sigil growths in the four corners ─── */
 		/* One sigil per page load; the four corner transforms in global.css
@@ -42,10 +47,11 @@
 			});
 		}
 
-		/* ─── One slow-spinning sigil filling the background ─── */
+		/* ─── One sigil filling the background. count:6 (was 9) — fewer branch
+		 * nodes ⇒ far fewer perpetually-animating strokes, same silhouette. ─── */
 		const wire = document.querySelector<HTMLElement>('.cs-fx-wire');
 		if (wire && !wire.classList.contains('cs-fx-wire--sig')) {
-			wire.innerHTML = buildCybersigil({ count: 9 });
+			wire.innerHTML = buildCybersigil({ count: 6 });
 			wire.classList.add('cs-fx-wire--sig');
 		}
 
@@ -72,6 +78,60 @@
 				targets.forEach((t) => io.observe(t));
 			}
 		}
+
+		/* ─── Ambient: entrance fade-in (opacity:0 → target via the CSS
+		 * transition on first apply), scroll-depth recede, scroll + pointer
+		 * parallax. Parallax is gated on fine pointers and reduced-motion;
+		 * the depth fade is just opacity tied to scroll position. ─── */
+		if (teardown) teardown();
+		const off: Array<() => void> = [];
+		let depth = 0, px = 0, py = 0, raf = 0;
+
+		const apply = () => {
+			raf = 0;
+			fx.style.opacity = String(1 - 0.5 * depth);
+			if (!reduced) {
+				fx.style.setProperty('--cs-px', px.toFixed(1) + 'px');
+				fx.style.setProperty('--cs-py', (py + depth * 24).toFixed(1) + 'px');
+				fx.style.setProperty('--cs-cx', (-px * 0.42).toFixed(1) + 'px');
+				fx.style.setProperty('--cs-cy', (-py * 0.42).toFixed(1) + 'px');
+			}
+		};
+		const schedule = () => { if (!raf) raf = requestAnimationFrame(apply); };
+
+		const onScroll = () => {
+			const vh = window.innerHeight || 1;
+			depth = Math.max(0, Math.min(1, window.scrollY / vh));
+			schedule();
+		};
+		window.addEventListener('scroll', onScroll, { passive: true });
+		window.addEventListener('resize', onScroll);
+		off.push(() => window.removeEventListener('scroll', onScroll));
+		off.push(() => window.removeEventListener('resize', onScroll));
+		onScroll();
+
+		if (!reduced && fine) {
+			const onPointer = (e: PointerEvent | MouseEvent) => {
+				const w = window.innerWidth || 1, h = window.innerHeight || 1;
+				px = (e.clientX / w - 0.5) * 26;   // ≈ ±13px drift
+				py = (e.clientY / h - 0.5) * 26;
+				schedule();
+			};
+			window.addEventListener('pointermove', onPointer, { passive: true });
+			off.push(() => window.removeEventListener('pointermove', onPointer));
+		}
+
+		/* Freeze every loop while the tab is hidden — idle-battery win. */
+		const onVis = () => fx.classList.toggle('is-paused', document.hidden);
+		document.addEventListener('visibilitychange', onVis);
+		off.push(() => document.removeEventListener('visibilitychange', onVis));
+		onVis();
+
+		teardown = () => {
+			if (raf) cancelAnimationFrame(raf);
+			off.forEach((fn) => fn());
+			teardown = null;
+		};
 	}
 
 	initCyberFx();
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/react/PostList.tsx b/frontend/src/components/react/PostList.tsx
index 89b2a89..6de58f8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/react/PostList.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/react/PostList.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
-import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+import { useEffect, useLayoutEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
+
+// useLayoutEffect warns when React renders this island on the server; the
+// measurement only matters on the client anyway.
+const useIsoLayoutEffect = typeof window !== 'undefined' ? useLayoutEffect : useEffect;
 import { deletePost } from '../../lib/api';
 import { confirmDialog, notify } from '../../lib/confirm';
 import { buildCybersigil } from '../../lib/cybersigil';
 
 // Per-plate sigil accent. Built post-mount (not during render) so the random
 // markup never differs between SSR and hydration. Inert/display:none off the
-// cybersigil theme; carves in on plate hover/focus via global.css.
+// cybersigil theme; carves over the image on plate hover/focus via global.css.
 function PlateSigil() {
   const [html, setHtml] = useState('');
   useEffect(() => { setHtml(buildCybersigil()); }, []);
@@ -62,25 +66,89 @@ function formatMonth(date: string) {
   return new Date(date).toLocaleDateString('en-US', { month: 'short' }).toUpperCase();
 }
 
-// Deterministic salon-hang layout. Each tile gets a col-span (out of 12) and an aspect ratio.
-// The cycle is chosen so the room reads asymmetric but balanced.
-const LAYOUT_CYCLE: Array<{ col: number; aspect: string; tilt: number }> = [
-  { col: 7, aspect: '4 / 3',  tilt: -0.4 },
-  { col: 5, aspect: '3 / 4',  tilt:  0.3 },
-  { col: 4, aspect: '4 / 5',  tilt: -0.2 },
-  { col: 4, aspect: '1 / 1',  tilt:  0.5 },
-  { col: 4, aspect: '4 / 5',  tilt: -0.6 },
-  { col: 5, aspect: '1 / 1',  tilt:  0.2 },
-  { col: 7, aspect: '5 / 4',  tilt: -0.3 },
-  { col: 8, aspect: '16 / 10', tilt:  0.4 },
-  { col: 4, aspect: '3 / 4',  tilt: -0.5 },
-];
+// ── Justified-gallery layout ────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// Every cover keeps its true aspect ratio (no crop). Tiles are packed left to
+// right; once a tentative row is at least as wide as the container it is
+// finalized and its height solved so the row fills the width exactly. The
+// trailing partial row stays at the target height (left-aligned), only shrunk
+// if a lone wide image would overflow. Result: variable widths, one shared
+// image height per visual row, no wasted space.
+
+const GAP = 18;         // horizontal gap between tiles in a row (px)
+const ROW_GAP = 40;     // vertical gap between rows (px)
+const MIN_H = 150;      // floor so a wide-only row never collapses
+// Covers with no usable dimensions (or no cover at all) cycle through a set of
+// pleasant ratios so the placeholder tiles still read as an arranged hang.
+const FALLBACK_RATIOS = [1.5, 0.78, 1, 1.33, 0.8, 1.6, 0.9];
+
+function aspectOf(post: Post, idx: number): number {
+  const ci = post.cover_image;
+  if (ci && ci.w && ci.h && ci.w > 0 && ci.h > 0) {
+    const r = ci.w / ci.h;
+    if (Number.isFinite(r) && r > 0) return r;
+  }
+  return FALLBACK_RATIOS[idx % FALLBACK_RATIOS.length];
+}
+
+function targetRowHeight(cw: number): number {
+  if (cw < 560) return Math.round(cw * 0.72);
+  if (cw < 900) return 260;
+  if (cw < 1280) return 300;
+  return 340;
+}
+
+interface Cell { post: Post; idx: number; aspect: number; w: number; h: number }
+
+function buildRows(
+  tiles: Array<{ post: Post; idx: number; aspect: number }>,
+  cw: number,
+  targetH: number,
+  chromeX: number,
+): Cell[][] {
+  const rows: Cell[][] = [];
+  let cur: typeof tiles = [];
+  let aspSum = 0;
+
+  const finalize = (items: typeof tiles, h: number) => {
+    const rh = Math.round(Math.max(MIN_H, h));
+    rows.push(
+      items.map(t => ({ ...t, w: Math.round(t.aspect * rh), h: rh })),
+    );
+  };
+
+  for (const t of tiles) {
+    cur = [...cur, t];
+    aspSum += t.aspect;
+    const k = cur.length;
+    const projected = targetH * aspSum + k * chromeX + (k - 1) * GAP;
+    if (projected >= cw) {
+      const avail = cw - k * chromeX - (k - 1) * GAP;
+      const h = Math.min(avail / aspSum, targetH * 1.5);
+      finalize(cur, h);
+      cur = [];
+      aspSum = 0;
+    }
+  }
+  if (cur.length) {
+    const k = cur.length;
+    const projected = targetH * aspSum + k * chromeX + (k - 1) * GAP;
+    let h = targetH;
+    if (projected > cw) h = (cw - k * chromeX - (k - 1) * GAP) / aspSum;
+    finalize(cur, Math.min(h, targetH * 1.5));
+  }
+  return rows;
+}
 
 export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props) {
   const [posts, setPosts] = useState(initialPosts);
   const [deleting, setDeleting] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [visible, setVisible] = useState(() => Math.min(PAGE_SIZE, initialPosts.length));
   const sentinelRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  const containerRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+  // null until measured on the client — keeps SSR and first hydration render
+  // identical (CSS-only fallback), then the precise layout swaps in.
+  const [rows, setRows] = useState<Cell[][] | null>(null);
+  const [chrome, setChrome] = useState(30); // plate mat+border width (px)
 
   async function handleDelete(slug: string, title: string) {
     if (deleting) return;
@@ -122,136 +190,188 @@ export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props
     return () => io.disconnect();
   }, [visible, posts.length]);
 
-  if (posts.length === 0) {
-    return null;
-  }
-
   const shown = posts.slice(0, visible);
   const hasMore = visible < posts.length;
 
+  // Measure the container + plate chrome and (re)compute the justified rows.
+  // Re-runs on resize and whenever the shown set changes (infinite scroll).
+  useIsoLayoutEffect(() => {
+    const container = containerRef.current;
+    if (!container) return;
+
+    let frame = 0;
+    const measure = () => {
+      const cw = container.clientWidth;
+      if (cw <= 0) return;
+      // Mat + border are fixed px regardless of tile size — read once from a
+      // live plate so the row-fill math is exact for whatever theme is on.
+      let chromeX = 30;
+      const plate = container.querySelector<HTMLElement>('.plate');
+      if (plate) {
+        const cs = getComputedStyle(plate);
+        chromeX =
+          parseFloat(cs.paddingLeft) + parseFloat(cs.paddingRight) +
+          parseFloat(cs.borderLeftWidth) + parseFloat(cs.borderRightWidth);
+        if (!Number.isFinite(chromeX)) chromeX = 30;
+      }
+      setChrome(chromeX);
+      const tiles = shown.map((post, idx) => ({ post, idx, aspect: aspectOf(post, idx) }));
+      setRows(buildRows(tiles, cw, targetRowHeight(cw), chromeX));
+    };
+
+    const schedule = () => {
+      cancelAnimationFrame(frame);
+      frame = requestAnimationFrame(measure);
+    };
+
+    measure();
+    const ro = new ResizeObserver(schedule);
+    ro.observe(container);
+    return () => {
+      cancelAnimationFrame(frame);
+      ro.disconnect();
+    };
+    // eslint-disable-next-line react-hooks/exhaustive-deps
+  }, [visible, posts]);
+
+  if (posts.length === 0) return null;
+
+  let cellIdx = 0; // running stagger index across all rows
+
+  const renderCell = (cell: Cell | null, post: Post, idx: number) => {
+    const displayTitle = post.title || formatSlug(post.slug);
+    const isDeleting = deleting === post.slug;
+    const hasCover = !!post.cover_image?.url;
+    const stagger = Math.min(cellIdx++ * 70, 480);
+
+    // Precise layout: tile sized to outer (image + mat) width with flex-grow so
+    // sub-pixel rounding redistributes and the row fills the width exactly —
+    // no crop, no wrap. Fallback (pre-measure / no JS): grow proportional to
+    // aspect so it still reads as a justified hang.
+    const aspect = cell ? cell.aspect : aspectOf(post, idx);
+    const ow = cell ? cell.w + chrome : 0;
+    const articleStyle: React.CSSProperties = cell
+      ? { flex: `${ow} ${ow} ${ow}px`, minWidth: 0, animationDelay: `${stagger}ms` }
+      : { flex: `${aspect.toFixed(4)} 1 ${Math.round(aspect * 220)}px`, animationDelay: `${stagger}ms` };
+    const imageStyle: React.CSSProperties = cell
+      ? { height: `${cell.h}px` }
+      : { aspectRatio: `${aspect}` };
+
+    return (
+      <article
+        key={post.slug}
+        className={`relative plate-enter ${isDeleting ? 'opacity-40 pointer-events-none' : ''}`}
+        style={articleStyle}
+      >
+        <a
+          href={`/posts/${encodeURIComponent(post.slug)}`}
+          className="block plate group"
+          aria-label={`View ${displayTitle}`}
+        >
+          <div className="plate-image" style={imageStyle}>
+            {hasCover ? (
+              <img
+                src={post.cover_image!.url}
+                alt={post.cover_image!.alt || displayTitle}
+                width={post.cover_image!.w}
+                height={post.cover_image!.h}
+                loading={idx < 3 ? 'eager' : 'lazy'}
+                decoding={idx === 0 ? 'sync' : 'async'}
+                fetchPriority={idx === 0 ? 'high' : undefined}
+              />
+            ) : (
+              <div
+                className="w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center text-[var(--rosewater)]"
+                style={{ background: `linear-gradient(135deg, var(--mauve), var(--mantle))` }}
+              >
+                <span className="font-display italic text-3xl opacity-70">untitled</span>
+              </div>
+            )}
+            {post.image_count > 1 && (
+              <span className="plate-tag-mini">{post.image_count} plates</span>
+            )}
+            {post.draft && (
+              <span className="plate-tag-mini plate-tag-mini--draft">Sketch</span>
+            )}
+            <PlateSigil />
+          </div>
+
+          <div className="plate-caption">
+            <div className="plate-caption-title">{displayTitle}</div>
+            {post.summary && (
+              <div className="plate-caption-summary">{post.summary}</div>
+            )}
+            <div className="plate-caption-meta">
+              <span>{formatMonth(post.date)}</span>
+              <span className="plate-caption-sep" aria-hidden="true">·</span>
+              <span>{formatYear(post.date)}</span>
+            </div>
+          </div>
+        </a>
+
+        {post.tags && post.tags.length > 0 && (
+          <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-1.5 mt-3 px-1">
+            {post.tags.slice(0, 4).map(tag => (
+              <span key={tag} className="chip">{tag}</span>
+            ))}
+          </div>
+        )}
+
+        {isAdmin && (
+          <div className="absolute top-3 right-3 flex items-center gap-1.5 opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 focus-within:opacity-100 transition-opacity">
+            <a
+              href={`/admin/editor?edit=${encodeURIComponent(post.slug)}`}
+              onClick={e => e.stopPropagation()}
+              title="Edit"
+              aria-label={`Edit ${displayTitle}`}
+              className="btn btn--ghost btn--icon btn--sm"
+            >
+              <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round"><path d="M17 3a2.85 2.83 0 1 1 4 4L7.5 20.5 2 22l1.5-5.5Z" /><path d="m15 5 4 4" /></svg>
+            </a>
+            <button
+              type="button"
+              onClick={e => { e.preventDefault(); e.stopPropagation(); handleDelete(post.slug, displayTitle); }}
+              disabled={isDeleting}
+              title="Remove"
+              aria-label={`Remove ${displayTitle}`}
+              className="btn btn--danger btn--icon btn--sm"
+            >
+              <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round"><path d="M3 6h18" /><path d="M19 6v14a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H7a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V6" /><path d="M8 6V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h4a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2" /><line x1="10" x2="10" y1="11" y2="17" /><line x1="14" x2="14" y1="11" y2="17" /></svg>
+            </button>
+          </div>
+        )}
+      </article>
+    );
+  };
+
   return (
     <>
-    <div className="grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-12 gap-8 md:gap-x-10 md:gap-y-16">
-      {shown.map((post, idx) => {
-        const displayTitle = post.title || formatSlug(post.slug);
-        const isDeleting = deleting === post.slug;
-        const layout = LAYOUT_CYCLE[idx % LAYOUT_CYCLE.length];
-        const hasCover = !!post.cover_image?.url;
-
-        return (
-          <article
-            key={post.slug}
-            className={`relative plate-enter md-col-span ${isDeleting ? 'opacity-40 pointer-events-none' : ''}`}
-            style={{
-              animationDelay: `${Math.min(idx * 80, 480)}ms`,
-              ['--col-span' as any]: layout.col,
-            }}
-          >
-            <a
-              href={`/posts/${encodeURIComponent(post.slug)}`}
-              className="block plate group"
-              style={{ transform: `rotate(${layout.tilt}deg)` }}
-              aria-label={`View ${displayTitle}`}
-            >
+      <div ref={containerRef} className="just-gallery">
+        {rows
+          ? rows.map((row, r) => (
               <div
-                className={`plate-image ${hasCover ? 'is-natural' : ''}`}
-                style={hasCover ? undefined : { aspectRatio: layout.aspect }}
+                className="just-row"
+                key={r}
+                style={{ marginBottom: r === rows.length - 1 ? 0 : ROW_GAP }}
               >
-                {hasCover ? (
-                  <img
-                    src={post.cover_image!.url}
-                    alt={post.cover_image!.alt || displayTitle}
-                    width={post.cover_image!.w}
-                    height={post.cover_image!.h}
-                    loading={idx < 3 ? 'eager' : 'lazy'}
-                    decoding={idx === 0 ? 'sync' : 'async'}
-                    fetchPriority={idx === 0 ? 'high' : undefined}
-                  />
-                ) : (
-                  <div
-                    className="w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center text-[var(--rosewater)]"
-                    style={{
-                      background: `linear-gradient(135deg, var(--mauve), var(--mantle))`,
-                    }}
-                  >
-                    <span className="font-display italic text-3xl opacity-70">
-                      untitled
-                    </span>
-                  </div>
-                )}
-                {post.image_count > 1 && (
-                  <span className="plate-tag-mini">
-                    {post.image_count} plates
-                  </span>
-                )}
-                {post.draft && (
-                  <span className="plate-tag-mini plate-tag-mini--draft">
-                    Sketch
-                  </span>
-                )}
+                {row.map(cell => renderCell(cell, cell.post, cell.idx))}
               </div>
-
-              <div className="plate-caption">
-                <div className="plate-caption-title">{displayTitle}</div>
-                {post.summary && (
-                  <div className="plate-caption-summary">{post.summary}</div>
-                )}
-                <div className="plate-caption-meta">
-                  <span>{formatMonth(post.date)}</span>
-                  <span className="plate-caption-sep" aria-hidden="true">·</span>
-                  <span>{formatYear(post.date)}</span>
-                </div>
-              </div>
-            </a>
-
-            {post.tags && post.tags.length > 0 && (
-              <div className="flex flex-wrap gap-1.5 mt-3 px-1">
-                {post.tags.slice(0, 4).map(tag => (
-                  <span key={tag} className="chip">
-                    {tag}
-                  </span>
-                ))}
-              </div>
-            )}
-
-            {isAdmin && (
-              <div className="absolute top-3 right-3 flex items-center gap-1.5 opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 focus-within:opacity-100 transition-opacity">
-                <a
-                  href={`/admin/editor?edit=${encodeURIComponent(post.slug)}`}
-                  onClick={e => e.stopPropagation()}
-                  title="Edit"
-                  aria-label={`Edit ${displayTitle}`}
-                  className="btn btn--ghost btn--icon btn--sm"
-                >
-                  <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round"><path d="M17 3a2.85 2.83 0 1 1 4 4L7.5 20.5 2 22l1.5-5.5Z" /><path d="m15 5 4 4" /></svg>
-                </a>
-                <button
-                  type="button"
-                  onClick={e => { e.preventDefault(); e.stopPropagation(); handleDelete(post.slug, displayTitle); }}
-                  disabled={isDeleting}
-                  title="Remove"
-                  aria-label={`Remove ${displayTitle}`}
-                  className="btn btn--danger btn--icon btn--sm"
-                >
-                  <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="14" height="14" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="2" strokeLinecap="round" strokeLinejoin="round"><path d="M3 6h18" /><path d="M19 6v14a2 2 0 0 1-2 2H7a2 2 0 0 1-2-2V6" /><path d="M8 6V4a2 2 0 0 1 2-2h4a2 2 0 0 1 2 2v2" /><line x1="10" x2="10" y1="11" y2="17" /><line x1="14" x2="14" y1="11" y2="17" /></svg>
-                </button>
-              </div>
-            )}
-
-            <PlateSigil />
-          </article>
-        );
-      })}
-    </div>
-    {hasMore && (
-      <div
-        ref={sentinelRef}
-        className="mt-12 md:mt-16 flex items-center justify-center text-[var(--subtext0)] font-display italic text-sm tracking-[0.2em] uppercase"
-        aria-hidden="true"
-      >
-        <span className="opacity-60">arranging more…</span>
+            ))
+          : (
+            <div className="just-row just-row--fallback">
+              {shown.map((post, idx) => renderCell(null, post, idx))}
+            </div>
+          )}
       </div>
-    )}
+      {hasMore && (
+        <div
+          ref={sentinelRef}
+          className="mt-12 md:mt-16 flex items-center justify-center text-[var(--subtext0)] font-display italic text-sm tracking-[0.2em] uppercase"
+          aria-hidden="true"
+        >
+          <span className="opacity-60">arranging more…</span>
+        </div>
+      )}
     </>
   );
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/styles/partials/30-prose.css b/frontend/src/styles/partials/30-prose.css
index 08bcacb..f635ba9 100644
--- a/frontend/src/styles/partials/30-prose.css
+++ b/frontend/src/styles/partials/30-prose.css
@@ -216,6 +216,11 @@
 .prose img {
   display: block;
   max-width: 100%;
+  /* A tall single image must never overrun the viewport: cap its height and
+   * let width track aspect so it scales down whole, centred. (figure-row
+   * images opt out below — their height is already bounded by --row-h.) */
+  max-height: 85vh;
+  width: auto;
   height: auto;
   margin: 0 auto;
   border: 1px solid var(--surface2);
@@ -288,6 +293,7 @@
 .prose .figure-row figure img {
   width: 100%;
   max-width: 100%;
+  max-height: none;
   height: auto;
   margin: 0;
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/styles/partials/50-controls.css b/frontend/src/styles/partials/50-controls.css
index 2bdf6c7..6341b52 100644
--- a/frontend/src/styles/partials/50-controls.css
+++ b/frontend/src/styles/partials/50-controls.css
@@ -386,11 +386,24 @@ select.topbar-control.theme-select {
   color: var(--green);
 }
 
-/* Salon grid spans driven by --col-span custom prop (avoids Tailwind dynamic class issue). */
-@media (min-width: 768px) {
-  .md-col-span {
-    grid-column: span var(--col-span, 6) / span var(--col-span, 6);
-  }
+/* Justified gallery — JS solves each row's height so widths fill the line
+ * exactly (PostList.tsx). flex-grow on the tiles absorbs sub-pixel rounding;
+ * the pre-measure / no-JS fallback wraps and grows by aspect instead. */
+.just-gallery { width: 100%; }
+.just-row {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-wrap: nowrap;
+  align-items: flex-start;
+  gap: 18px;
+}
+.just-row--fallback {
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  row-gap: 40px;
+}
+.just-row > .plate-enter { min-width: 0; }
+/* Very narrow viewports: let even the fallback stack cleanly. */
+@media (max-width: 420px) {
+  .just-row--fallback > .plate-enter { flex-basis: 100% !important; }
 }
 
 /* Subtle page enter animation for gallery / plaque */
diff --git a/frontend/src/styles/partials/70-cybersigil.css b/frontend/src/styles/partials/70-cybersigil.css
index d917a78..1d62879 100644
--- a/frontend/src/styles/partials/70-cybersigil.css
+++ b/frontend/src/styles/partials/70-cybersigil.css
@@ -72,6 +72,19 @@ html.cybersigil body::after {
   inset: 0;
   z-index: 9;
   pointer-events: none;
+  /* Lit by CyberFx.astro after init (no hard pop on first paint / theme
+   * swap). The same opacity is eased down with scroll depth so the ambient
+   * recedes behind content as you read, then returns near the top. */
+  opacity: 0;
+  transition: opacity 0.5s ease;
+}
+/* Tab hidden → freeze every looping sigil/flicker/tear. Big idle-battery
+ * win; the layer is purely decorative so a frozen frame is fine. */
+.cybersigil .cs-fx.is-paused .cs-fx-corner,
+.cybersigil .cs-fx.is-paused .cs-fx-tear,
+.cybersigil .cs-fx.is-paused .cs-sigil path,
+.cybersigil .cs-fx.is-paused .cs-sigil line {
+  animation-play-state: paused;
 }
 .cybersigil .cs-fx-halftone,
 .cybersigil .cs-fx-wire,
@@ -103,7 +116,12 @@ html.cybersigil body::after {
   width: 92vmin;
   height: 92vmin;
   opacity: 0.14;
-  transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
+  /* --cs-px/--cs-py: scroll + pointer parallax drift (CyberFx.astro). */
+  transform: translate(
+    calc(-50% + var(--cs-px, 0px)),
+    calc(-50% + var(--cs-py, 0px))
+  );
+  will-change: transform;
 }
 .cybersigil .cs-fx-wire .cs-sigil {
   filter: drop-shadow(0 0 6px color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 35%, transparent));
@@ -156,6 +174,10 @@ html.cybersigil body::after {
   mask: var(--cs-corner) center / contain no-repeat;
   filter: drop-shadow(0 0 5px color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 45%, transparent));
   animation: cs-flicker 7s linear infinite;
+  /* Pointer parallax via the independent `translate` longhand so it composes
+   * with the per-corner mirror in `transform` (and the flicker, which only
+   * touches opacity) without any of them clobbering the others. */
+  translate: var(--cs-cx, 0px) var(--cs-cy, 0px);
 }
 .cybersigil .cs-fx-corner--tl { top: 0;    left: 0;  }
 .cybersigil .cs-fx-corner--tr { top: 0;    right: 0; transform: scaleX(-1); animation-delay: -1.7s; }
@@ -405,18 +427,16 @@ html.cybersigil body::after {
   animation: cs-scan 0.78s cubic-bezier(0.4, 0, 0.2, 1) 1;
 }
 
-/* Per-plate sigil — spiky bruised-magenta growth that carves over the tile
+/* Per-plate sigil — spiky bruised-magenta growth that carves over the image
  * on contact, then fades back out. Screen-blended so it etches into the
- * panel rather than masking it. */
+ * photo rather than masking it. Pinned to the image box itself (inset:0)
+ * so it always centres on the actual picture, never the stretched tile/row;
+ * the box's overflow:hidden trims the bleed so it reads as carved-in. */
 .cs-plate-sig { display: none; }
 .cybersigil .cs-plate-sig {
   display: block;
   position: absolute;
-  top: -9%;
-  left: 50%;
-  width: 46%;
-  height: 118%;
-  transform: translateX(-50%);
+  inset: 0;
   z-index: 14;
   pointer-events: none;
   opacity: 0;