modified blog posts

.env.example

@@ -18,3 +18,10 @@ FRONTEND_ORIGIN=
 # Frontend Configuration
 # URL of the backend API accessible from the frontend container.
 PUBLIC_API_URL=http://backend:3000
+
+# Presentation focus. Same skin either way (fonts, cybersigil/breakcore,
+# paper grain, CyberFx). `atelier` = image-first gallery (justified plates,
+# "plates" count). `blog` = writing-first (stacked rows, excerpt, reading
+# time). Read server-side at render — no rebuild needed to switch.
+# Anything other than `blog` falls back to atelier.
+SITE_MODE=atelier

docker-compose.yml

@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ services:
     ports:
       - "4322:4321"
     environment:
-      - PUBLIC_API_URL=http://backend:3000
+      - PUBLIC_API_URL=${PUBLIC_API_URL:-}
+      - SITE_MODE=${SITE_MODE:-atelier}
     depends_on:
       backend:
         condition: service_healthy

frontend/src/components/CyberFx.astro

@@ -23,9 +23,13 @@
 <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;
 
@@ -42,10 +46,11 @@
 			});
 		}
 
-		/* ─── 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 +77,44 @@
 				targets.forEach((t) => io.observe(t));
 			}
 		}
+
+		/* ─── Ambient: entrance fade-in (opacity:0 → target via the CSS
+		 * transition on first apply) + scroll-depth recede. Parallax is
+		 * disabled for now — the --cs-px/py/cx/cy vars default to 0px so the
+		 * wire/corner transforms stay put; re-enable by driving those vars
+		 * from scroll/pointer here again. ─── */
+		if (teardown) teardown();
+		const off: Array<() => void> = [];
+		let depth = 0, raf = 0;
+
+		const apply = () => {
+			raf = 0;
+			fx.style.opacity = String(1 - 0.5 * depth);
+		};
+		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();
+
+		/* 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();

frontend/src/components/react/DeletePostButton.tsx

@@ -1,21 +1,24 @@
 import { useState } from 'react';
 import { deletePost } from '../../lib/api';
 import { confirmDialog, notify } from '../../lib/confirm';
+import { type SiteMode, copy } from '../../lib/siteMode';
 
 interface Props {
   slug: string;
   title: string;
   variant?: 'icon' | 'full';
+  mode?: SiteMode;
 }
 
-export default function DeletePostButton({ slug, title, variant = 'full' }: Props) {
+export default function DeletePostButton({ slug, title, variant = 'full', mode = 'atelier' }: Props) {
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
+  const c = copy(mode);
 
   async function handleClick() {
     if (busy) return;
     const ok = await confirmDialog({
-      title: 'Delete this work?',
-      message: `“${title}” will be permanently removed. This cannot be undone.`,
+      title: c.deletePostTitle,
+      message: c.deletePostMsg(title),
       confirmLabel: 'Delete',
       cancelLabel: 'Cancel',
     });

frontend/src/components/react/PostList.tsx

@@ -1,11 +1,16 @@
-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';
+import { type SiteMode, copy } from '../../lib/siteMode';
 
 // 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()); }, []);
@@ -44,6 +49,7 @@ interface Post {
 interface Props {
   posts: Post[];
   isAdmin?: boolean;
+  mode?: SiteMode;
 }
 
 function formatSlug(slug: string) {
@@ -62,33 +68,108 @@ 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 },
-];
+// Blog rows want a human date, not the gallery's terse MONTH / YEAR split.
+function formatLongDate(date: string) {
+  return new Date(date).toLocaleDateString('en-US', {
+    day: 'numeric',
+    month: 'long',
+    year: 'numeric',
+  });
+}
 
-export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props) {
+// ── 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, mode = 'atelier' }: Props) {
+  const isBlog = mode === 'blog';
+  const c = copy(mode);
   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;
     const ok = await confirmDialog({
-      title: 'Take this off the wall?',
-      message: `“${title}” will be removed from the catalogue. This cannot be undone.`,
-      confirmLabel: 'Remove',
-      cancelLabel: 'Keep',
+      title: c.deleteListTitle,
+      message: c.deleteListMsg(title),
+      confirmLabel: c.deleteListConfirm,
+      cancelLabel: c.deleteListCancel,
     });
     if (!ok) return;
     setDeleting(slug);
@@ -96,7 +177,7 @@ export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props
       await deletePost(slug);
       setPosts(p => p.filter(x => x.slug !== slug));
     } catch (e) {
-      notify(`Failed to remove: ${e instanceof Error ? e.message : 'unknown error'}`);
+      notify(`Failed to delete: ${e instanceof Error ? e.message : 'unknown error'}`);
     } finally {
       setDeleting(null);
     }
@@ -122,41 +203,86 @@ 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;
 
-  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) => {
+  // Measure the container + plate chrome and (re)compute the justified rows.
+  // Re-runs on resize and whenever the shown set changes (infinite scroll).
+  useIsoLayoutEffect(() => {
+    if (isBlog) return; // blog mode renders a plain stack — no justified math
+    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 layout = LAYOUT_CYCLE[idx % LAYOUT_CYCLE.length];
     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 md-col-span ${isDeleting ? 'opacity-40 pointer-events-none' : ''}`}
-            style={{
-              animationDelay: `${Math.min(idx * 80, 480)}ms`,
-              ['--col-span' as any]: layout.col,
-            }}
+        className={`relative plate-enter ${isDeleting ? 'opacity-40 pointer-events-none' : ''}`}
+        style={articleStyle}
       >
         <a
           href={`/posts/${encodeURIComponent(post.slug)}`}
           className="block plate group"
-              style={{ transform: `rotate(${layout.tilt}deg)` }}
           aria-label={`View ${displayTitle}`}
         >
-              <div
-                className={`plate-image ${hasCover ? 'is-natural' : ''}`}
-                style={hasCover ? undefined : { aspectRatio: layout.aspect }}
-              >
+          <div className="plate-image" style={imageStyle}>
             {hasCover ? (
               <img
                 src={post.cover_image!.url}
@@ -170,25 +296,18 @@ export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props
             ) : (
               <div
                 className="w-full h-full flex items-center justify-center text-[var(--rosewater)]"
-                    style={{
-                      background: `linear-gradient(135deg, var(--mauve), var(--mantle))`,
-                    }}
+                style={{ background: `linear-gradient(135deg, var(--mauve), var(--mantle))` }}
               >
-                    <span className="font-display italic text-3xl opacity-70">
-                      untitled
-                    </span>
+                <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>
+              <span className="plate-tag-mini">{post.image_count} plates</span>
             )}
             {post.draft && (
-                  <span className="plate-tag-mini plate-tag-mini--draft">
-                    Sketch
-                  </span>
+              <span className="plate-tag-mini plate-tag-mini--draft">Sketch</span>
             )}
+            <PlateSigil />
           </div>
 
           <div className="plate-caption">
@@ -207,9 +326,7 @@ export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props
         {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>
+              <span key={tag} className="chip">{tag}</span>
             ))}
           </div>
         )}
@@ -237,11 +354,96 @@ export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props
             </button>
           </div>
         )}
-
-            <PlateSigil />
       </article>
     );
-      })}
+  };
+
+  // ── Blog mode: one writing-first row per post ──────────────────────────
+  const renderRow = (post: Post, idx: number) => {
+    const displayTitle = post.title || formatSlug(post.slug);
+    const isDeleting = deleting === post.slug;
+    const hasCover = !!post.cover_image?.url;
+    const blurb = post.summary || post.excerpt;
+    const stagger = Math.min(idx * 55, 420);
+
+    return (
+      <article
+        key={post.slug}
+        className={`post-row plate-enter ${isDeleting ? 'opacity-40 pointer-events-none' : ''}`}
+        style={{ animationDelay: `${stagger}ms` }}
+      >
+        <a
+          href={`/posts/${encodeURIComponent(post.slug)}`}
+          className="post-row-link group"
+          aria-label={`Read ${displayTitle}`}
+        >
+          <div className="post-row-body">
+            <h2 className="post-row-title">{displayTitle}</h2>
+            <div className="post-row-meta">
+              <span>{formatLongDate(post.date)}</span>
+              <span className="sep" aria-hidden="true">·</span>
+              <span>{post.reading_time} min read</span>
+              {post.draft && (
+                <span className="chip chip-draft post-row-draft">{c.draftShort}</span>
+              )}
+            </div>
+            {blurb && <p className="post-row-excerpt">{blurb}</p>}
+            {post.tags && post.tags.length > 0 && (
+              <div className="post-row-tags">
+                {post.tags.slice(0, 4).map(tag => (
+                  <span key={tag} className="chip">{tag}</span>
+                ))}
+              </div>
+            )}
+          </div>
+
+          {hasCover && (
+            <div className="post-row-thumb">
+              <img
+                src={post.cover_image!.url}
+                alt={post.cover_image!.alt || displayTitle}
+                width={post.cover_image!.w}
+                height={post.cover_image!.h}
+                loading={idx < 4 ? 'eager' : 'lazy'}
+                decoding="async"
+              />
+              <PlateSigil />
+            </div>
+          )}
+        </a>
+
+        {isAdmin && (
+          <div className="absolute top-3 right-3 flex items-center gap-1.5 opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 focus-within:opacity-100 transition-opacity">
+            <a
+              href={`/admin/editor?edit=${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="Delete"
+              aria-label={`Delete ${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>
+    );
+  };
+
+  if (isBlog) {
+    return (
+      <>
+        <div className="post-list">
+          {shown.map((post, idx) => renderRow(post, idx))}
         </div>
         {hasMore && (
           <div
@@ -249,7 +451,39 @@ export default function PostList({ posts: initialPosts, isAdmin = false }: Props
             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>
+            <span className="opacity-60">{c.loadingMore}</span>
+          </div>
+        )}
+      </>
+    );
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <div ref={containerRef} className="just-gallery">
+        {rows
+          ? rows.map((row, r) => (
+              <div
+                className="just-row"
+                key={r}
+                style={{ marginBottom: r === rows.length - 1 ? 0 : ROW_GAP }}
+              >
+                {row.map(cell => renderCell(cell, cell.post, cell.idx))}
+              </div>
+            ))
+          : (
+            <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">{c.loadingMore}</span>
         </div>
       )}
     </>

frontend/src/components/react/Search.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 import { getPosts } from '../../lib/api';
+import { type SiteMode, copy } from '../../lib/siteMode';
 
 interface Post {
   slug: string;
@@ -27,7 +28,8 @@ function formatDate(date: string) {
   });
 }
 
-export default function Search() {
+export default function Search({ mode = 'atelier' }: { mode?: SiteMode }) {
+  const c = copy(mode);
   const [open, setOpen] = useState(false);
   const [query, setQuery] = useState('');
   const [posts, setPosts] = useState<Post[] | null>(null);
@@ -128,7 +130,7 @@ export default function Search() {
       <button
         type="button"
         onClick={() => setOpen(true)}
-        aria-label={`Search the catalogue (${isMac ? '⌘' : 'Ctrl'}+K)`}
+        aria-label={`${c.searchAria} (${isMac ? '⌘' : 'Ctrl'}+K)`}
         className="topbar-control tc-collapse-md kbd-tip-host"
       >
         <svg
@@ -156,7 +158,7 @@ export default function Search() {
           className="search-overlay fixed inset-0 z-[200] flex items-start justify-center pt-[10vh] md:pt-[15vh] px-4"
           role="dialog"
           aria-modal="true"
-          aria-label="Search the catalogue"
+          aria-label={c.searchAria}
           onClick={() => setOpen(false)}
         >
           <div
@@ -194,7 +196,7 @@ export default function Search() {
                 value={query}
                 onChange={e => setQuery(e.target.value)}
                 onKeyDown={onInputKey}
-                placeholder="Search the catalogue…"
+                placeholder={`${c.searchPlaceholder}`}
                 aria-label="Search query"
                 className="search-input flex-1 bg-transparent outline-none text-base text-[var(--text)] placeholder:text-[var(--subtext0)] font-display italic"
               />
@@ -205,14 +207,14 @@ export default function Search() {
 
             <div className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto">
               {loading && (
-                <div className="px-4 py-10 text-center font-display italic text-[var(--subtext0)]">Fetching the catalogue…</div>
+                <div className="px-4 py-10 text-center font-display italic text-[var(--subtext0)]">{c.searchFetching}</div>
               )}
               {error && (
                 <div className="px-4 py-8 text-center text-sm text-[var(--red)] font-display italic">{error}</div>
               )}
               {!loading && !error && posts && results.length === 0 && (
                 <div className="px-4 py-10 text-center font-display italic text-[var(--subtext0)]">
-                  {query ? 'No works match.' : 'The catalogue is empty.'}
+                  {query ? c.searchNoMatch : c.searchEmpty}
                 </div>
               )}
               {!loading && !error && results.length > 0 && (
@@ -236,7 +238,7 @@ export default function Search() {
                             <span className="truncate">{title}</span>
                             {p.draft && (
                               <span className="chip chip-draft shrink-0 !text-[0.62rem] !py-0">
-                                Sketch
+                                {c.draftShort}
                               </span>
                             )}
                           </div>

frontend/src/components/react/admin/Editor.tsx

@@ -13,14 +13,17 @@ import { useLivePreview } from './editor/useLivePreview';
 import { useImageUpload } from './editor/useImageUpload';
 import { useAssetAutocomplete } from './editor/useAssetAutocomplete';
 import { usePostMeta } from './editor/usePostMeta';
+import { type SiteMode, copy } from '../../../lib/siteMode';
 
 const AssetManager = lazy(() => import('./AssetManager'));
 
 interface Props {
   editSlug?: string;
+  mode?: SiteMode;
 }
 
-export default function Editor({ editSlug }: Props) {
+export default function Editor({ editSlug, mode = 'atelier' }: Props) {
+  const c = copy(mode);
   const editorRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
   const viewRef = useRef<EditorView | null>(null);
   const [vimEnabled, setVimEnabled] = useState(false);
@@ -41,7 +44,7 @@ export default function Editor({ editSlug }: Props) {
     editorRef,
     getCachedAssets: assetCache.getCachedAssets,
   });
-  const meta = usePostMeta({ editSlug, getContent, setContent });
+  const meta = usePostMeta({ editSlug, getContent, setContent, mode });
 
   const {
     title, setTitle, slug, setSlug, setSlugTouched, date, setDate,
@@ -215,7 +218,7 @@ export default function Editor({ editSlug }: Props) {
               value={title}
               onChange={e => setTitle(e.target.value)}
               required
-              placeholder="Untitled (charcoal on paper)"
+              placeholder={c.editorTitlePh}
               className="field-input"
             />
           </div>
@@ -240,7 +243,7 @@ export default function Editor({ editSlug }: Props) {
             value={slug}
             onChange={e => { setSlug(e.target.value); setSlugTouched(true); }}
             required
-            placeholder="untitled-charcoal-on-paper"
+            placeholder={c.editorSlugPh}
             className="field-input font-mono"
           />
         </div>
@@ -253,7 +256,7 @@ export default function Editor({ editSlug }: Props) {
               type="text"
               value={tagsInput}
               onChange={e => setTagsInput(e.target.value)}
-              placeholder="oil, paper, 2026, study"
+              placeholder={c.editorTagsPh}
               className="field-input"
             />
           </div>
@@ -264,18 +267,18 @@ export default function Editor({ editSlug }: Props) {
               onChange={e => setDraft(e.target.checked)}
               className="accent-[var(--peach)]"
             />
-            <span className="text-sm font-display italic text-[var(--subtext1)]">Sketch (draft)</span>
+            <span className="text-sm font-display italic text-[var(--subtext1)]">{c.editorDraftLabel}</span>
           </label>
         </div>
 
         {/* Summary */}
         <div>
-          <label className="field-label">Caption (optional)</label>
+          <label className="field-label">{c.editorSummaryLabel}</label>
           <textarea
             value={summary}
             onChange={e => setSummary(e.target.value)}
             rows={2}
-            placeholder="A short caption for the catalogue index..."
+            placeholder={c.editorSummaryPh}
             className="field-input resize-none"
           />
         </div>
@@ -291,10 +294,11 @@ export default function Editor({ editSlug }: Props) {
             <button
               type="button"
               onClick={() => setVimEnabled(v => !v)}
-              className={`btn btn--ghost btn--sm${vimEnabled ? ' is-active' : ''}`}
-              title={vimEnabled ? 'Vim mode ON' : 'Vim mode OFF'}
+              className={`btn btn--ghost btn--sm vim-toggle${vimEnabled ? ' is-active' : ''}`}
+              aria-pressed={vimEnabled}
+              title={vimEnabled ? 'Vim mode ON — click to disable' : 'Vim mode OFF — click to enable'}
             >
-              {vimEnabled ? 'VIM' : 'vim'}
+              {vimEnabled ? 'Vim on' : 'Vim off'}
             </button>
             <button
               type="button"

frontend/src/components/react/admin/Login.tsx

@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import { useState } from 'react';
 import { login, ApiError } from '../../../lib/api';
 import { useAuth } from '../../../stores/auth';
+import { type SiteMode, copy } from '../../../lib/siteMode';
 
-export default function Login() {
+export default function Login({ mode = 'atelier' }: { mode?: SiteMode }) {
+  const c = copy(mode);
   const [value, setValue] = useState('');
   const [error, setError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [busy, setBusy] = useState(false);
@@ -80,7 +82,7 @@ export default function Login() {
       <div className="text-center mt-6">
         <a href="/" className="back-link">
           <span className="bl-arrow" aria-hidden="true">←</span>
-          Back to the catalogue
+          {c.adminBack}
         </a>
       </div>
     </div>

frontend/src/components/react/admin/editor/usePostMeta.ts

@@ -1,16 +1,19 @@
 import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 import { ApiError, deletePost, getPost, savePost } from '../../../../lib/api';
 import { confirmDialog, notify } from '../../../../lib/confirm';
+import { type SiteMode, copy } from '../../../../lib/siteMode';
 import { clientSlugify } from './codemirror';
 
 interface Opts {
   editSlug?: string;
   getContent: () => string;
   setContent: (s: string) => void;
+  mode?: SiteMode;
 }
 
 /** Post metadata form + slug derivation + load/save/delete. */
-export function usePostMeta({ editSlug, getContent, setContent }: Opts) {
+export function usePostMeta({ editSlug, getContent, setContent, mode = 'atelier' }: Opts) {
+  const c = copy(mode);
   const today = new Date().toISOString().slice(0, 10);
   const [title, setTitle] = useState('');
   const [slug, setSlug] = useState(editSlug || '');
@@ -87,9 +90,9 @@ export function usePostMeta({ editSlug, getContent, setContent }: Opts) {
   async function handleDelete() {
     const target = originalSlug || slug;
     const ok = await confirmDialog({
-      title: 'Remove from catalogue?',
-      message: `“${target}” will be permanently removed. This cannot be undone.`,
-      confirmLabel: 'Remove',
+      title: c.deletePostTitle,
+      message: c.deletePostMsg(target),
+      confirmLabel: c.deleteListConfirm,
     });
     if (!ok) return;
     try {

frontend/src/layouts/AdminLayout.astro

@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 ---
 import Layout from './Layout.astro';
+import { getSiteMode, copy } from '../lib/siteMode';
 
 interface Props {
     title: string;
@@ -7,6 +8,7 @@ interface Props {
 }
 
 const { title, wide = false } = Astro.props;
+const c = copy(getSiteMode());
 
 if (Astro.cookies.get('admin_session')?.value !== '1') {
     return Astro.redirect('/admin/login');
@@ -19,9 +21,9 @@ if (Astro.cookies.get('admin_session')?.value !== '1') {
             <div class="flex-1 min-w-0">
                 <a href="/" class="back-link mb-3">
                     <span class="bl-arrow" aria-hidden="true">←</span>
-                    Back to the catalogue
+                    {c.adminBack}
                 </a>
-                <div class="font-display italic text-[var(--mauve)] text-xs tracking-[0.3em] uppercase mb-2">Artist's desk</div>
+                <div class="font-display italic text-[var(--mauve)] text-xs tracking-[0.3em] uppercase mb-2">{c.adminEyebrow}</div>
                 <h1 class="font-display italic font-semibold text-[var(--text)] text-4xl md:text-5xl tracking-tight leading-[1.05]">
                     {title}
                 </h1>

frontend/src/layouts/Layout.astro

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import CyberFx from '../components/CyberFx.astro';
 import Search from '../components/react/Search';
 import LogoutButton from '../components/react/LogoutButton';
 import EditableText from '../components/react/EditableText';
+import { getSiteMode, copy } from '../lib/siteMode';
 
 interface Props {
 	title: string;
@@ -24,6 +25,9 @@ interface Props {
 
 const { title, wide = false, description, image, type = 'website', minimal = false } = Astro.props;
 
+const siteMode = getSiteMode();
+const c = copy(siteMode);
+
 const API_URL = process.env.PUBLIC_API_URL || 'http://backend:3000';
 const isAdmin = Astro.cookies.get('admin_session')?.value === '1';
 
@@ -60,7 +64,7 @@ const hasContact = (siteConfig.contact_links?.length ?? 0) > 0;
 ---
 
 <!doctype html>
-<html lang="en">
+<html lang="en" class={`mode-${siteMode}`}>
 	<head>
 		<meta charset="UTF-8" />
 		<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" />
@@ -133,7 +137,7 @@ const hasContact = (siteConfig.contact_links?.length ?? 0) > 0;
 						{hasContact && (
 							<a href="/contact" class="topbar-control">Contact</a>
 						)}
-						<Search client:idle />
+						<Search client:idle mode={siteMode} />
 						<span class="topbar-divider" aria-hidden="true"></span>
 						{isAdmin ? (
 							<LogoutButton client:idle />
@@ -162,7 +166,7 @@ const hasContact = (siteConfig.contact_links?.length ?? 0) > 0;
 				<>
 					<div class="section-rule mb-6">
 						<span class="ornament">✦</span>
-						<span class="font-display italic text-[var(--subtext0)] text-sm">end of catalogue</span>
+						<span class="font-display italic text-[var(--subtext0)] text-sm">{c.footerEnd}</span>
 						<span class="ornament">✦</span>
 					</div>
 					<p class="font-display italic text-base text-[var(--subtext1)] mb-2">

frontend/src/lib/cybersigil.ts

@@ -198,20 +198,6 @@ export function buildCybersigil(opts: SigilOptions = {}): string {
 	}
 	emit(spline(spinePts), 'cs-sig-main');
 
-	// ── Terminal spike crown: long, straight, downward-converging needles
-	// off the spine tail — the dripping barbed point that ends the growth.
-	const tip = spinePts[spinePts.length - 1];
-	const fan = 4 + Math.floor(rng() * 3); // 4–6
-	for (let s = 0; s < fan; s++) {
-		const spread = (s / (fan - 1) - 0.5) * 1.0; // ~±0.5 rad — tighter dagger
-		const a = Math.PI / 2 + spread; // π/2 = +y (down)
-		const len = rnd(64, 104) * (1 - Math.abs(spread) * 0.35); // center longest
-		const base: Pt = [tip[0], tip[1] - rnd(0, 8)];
-		const tt: Pt = [base[0] + Math.cos(a) * len, base[1] + Math.sin(a) * len];
-		emit(`M${n(base[0])} ${n(base[1])}L${n(tt[0])} ${n(tt[1])}`, 'cs-sig-barb');
-		track(tt[0]);
-	}
-
 	// ── Branch nodes ride the spine and throw limbs outward. Nodes are
 	// inset from the very ends and spread the full height so growth flows
 	// down the whole trunk rather than clumping at the top.
@@ -226,15 +212,13 @@ export function buildCybersigil(opts: SigilOptions = {}): string {
 		const node: Pt = [a[0] + (b[0] - a[0]) * sf, a[1] + (b[1] - a[1]) * sf];
 		// later nodes lean downward so the lower trunk fills out
 		const bias = -0.25 + tc * 0.7;
-		// spike gradient: lower trunk grows longer, sharper barbs
-		const spike = 1 + tc * 1.4; // 1× top → ~2.3× bottom
 		const limbs = 1 + Math.floor(rng() * 2);
 		for (let l = 0; l < limbs; l++) {
 			const ang = bias + rnd(-0.55, 0.55);
-			limb(node[0], node[1], ang, rnd(0.65, 1.05) * (0.8 + tc * 0.5), 1);
+			limb(node[0], node[1], ang, rnd(0.65, 1.05), 1);
 		}
 		// the odd bare barb straight off the spine keeps the trunk prickly
-		if (rng() < 0.55) barb(node, bias + rnd(-0.3, 0.3), rnd(7, 14) * spike);
+		if (rng() < 0.55) barb(node, bias + rnd(-0.3, 0.3), rnd(7, 14));
 	}
 
 	const half = parts.join('');

frontend/src/lib/siteMode.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+// Site presentation mode. The atelier skin (fonts, cybersigil/breakcore
+// themes, paper grain, CyberFx) is identical in both modes — only the *focus*
+// flips: `atelier` puts images first (justified gallery plates, "plates"
+// count), `blog` puts writing first (stacked rows, excerpts, reading time).
+//
+// Resolved server-side from the SITE_MODE env var. React islands cannot read
+// process.env in the browser, so pages pass the resolved mode down as a prop;
+// islands then look up COPY by mode.
+
+export type SiteMode = 'blog' | 'atelier';
+
+/** Server-side only. Defaults to atelier for any unset/unknown value. */
+export function getSiteMode(): SiteMode {
+  const v = typeof process !== 'undefined' ? process.env.SITE_MODE : undefined;
+  return v === 'blog' ? 'blog' : 'atelier';
+}
+
+/**
+ * Mode-keyed user-facing strings. Atelier keeps the gallery voice; blog
+ * neutralises it. Anything not voice-flavoured (e.g. "Search", "Cancel")
+ * stays out of here so there's no needless duplication.
+ */
+export const COPY = {
+  atelier: {
+    indexTitle: 'Catalogue',
+    backHome: 'Back to catalogue',
+    adminBack: 'Back to the catalogue',
+    adminEyebrow: "Artist's desk",
+    footerEnd: 'end of catalogue',
+    loadingMore: 'arranging more…',
+    draftShort: 'Sketch',
+    draftLong: 'Sketch · unpublished',
+    searchPlaceholder: 'Search the catalogue…',
+    searchAria: 'Search the catalogue',
+    searchFetching: 'Fetching the catalogue…',
+    searchEmpty: 'The catalogue is empty.',
+    searchNoMatch: 'No works match.',
+    deleteListTitle: 'Take this off the wall?',
+    deleteListMsg: (t: string) =>
+      `“${t}” will be removed from the catalogue. This cannot be undone.`,
+    deleteListConfirm: 'Remove',
+    deleteListCancel: 'Keep',
+    deletePostTitle: 'Delete this work?',
+    deletePostMsg: (t: string) => `“${t}” will be permanently removed. This cannot be undone.`,
+    postNotFound: 'Work not found in the catalogue',
+    returnHome: 'Return to the catalogue',
+    notFoundTitle: 'Not in the catalogue',
+    notFoundDesc: "The work you're looking for is not on view.",
+    notFoundRule: 'Pardon — the gallery has misplaced this work',
+    notFoundHead: 'This piece is not on view.',
+    notFoundBody:
+      'The room you reached for has either been re-hung, withdrawn,|or never made it to the wall in the first place.',
+    editorTitlePh: 'Untitled (charcoal on paper)',
+    editorSlugPh: 'untitled-charcoal-on-paper',
+    editorDraftLabel: 'Sketch (draft)',
+    editorSummaryPh: 'A short caption for the catalogue index...',
+    editorSummaryLabel: 'Caption (optional)',
+    editorTagsPh: 'oil, paper, 2026, study',
+  },
+  blog: {
+    indexTitle: 'Posts',
+    backHome: 'Back to posts',
+    adminBack: 'Back to posts',
+    adminEyebrow: 'Dashboard',
+    footerEnd: 'end of posts',
+    loadingMore: 'loading more…',
+    draftShort: 'Draft',
+    draftLong: 'Draft · unpublished',
+    searchPlaceholder: 'Search posts…',
+    searchAria: 'Search posts',
+    searchFetching: 'Loading posts…',
+    searchEmpty: 'No posts yet.',
+    searchNoMatch: 'No posts match.',
+    deleteListTitle: 'Delete this post?',
+    deleteListMsg: (t: string) => `“${t}” will be permanently deleted. This cannot be undone.`,
+    deleteListConfirm: 'Delete',
+    deleteListCancel: 'Cancel',
+    deletePostTitle: 'Delete this post?',
+    deletePostMsg: (t: string) => `“${t}” will be permanently deleted. This cannot be undone.`,
+    postNotFound: 'Post not found',
+    returnHome: 'Return to posts',
+    notFoundTitle: 'Post not found',
+    notFoundDesc: "The post you're looking for doesn't exist.",
+    notFoundRule: 'This page could not be found',
+    notFoundHead: 'Nothing here.',
+    notFoundBody:
+      'The post you reached for has either moved, been unpublished,|or never existed in the first place.',
+    editorTitlePh: 'Post title',
+    editorSlugPh: 'post-slug',
+    editorDraftLabel: 'Draft',
+    editorSummaryPh: 'A short summary for the index...',
+    editorSummaryLabel: 'Summary (optional)',
+    editorTagsPh: 'essay, notes, 2026',
+  },
+} as const satisfies Record<SiteMode, Record<string, unknown>>;
+
+export function copy(mode: SiteMode) {
+  return COPY[mode];
+}

frontend/src/pages/404.astro

@@ -1,24 +1,28 @@
 ---
 import Layout from '../layouts/Layout.astro';
+import { getSiteMode, copy } from '../lib/siteMode';
+
+const c = copy(getSiteMode());
+const [bodyA, bodyB] = c.notFoundBody.split('|');
 ---
 
-<Layout title="Not in the catalogue" description="The work you're looking for is not on view.">
+<Layout title={c.notFoundTitle} description={c.notFoundDesc}>
     <div class="max-w-2xl mx-auto py-16 md:py-24 text-center">
         <div class="numeral text-[var(--mauve)] text-[8rem] md:text-[12rem] leading-none mb-4">
             CDIV
         </div>
         <div class="section-rule max-w-sm mx-auto mb-8">
             <span class="ornament">✦</span>
-            <span>Pardon — the gallery has misplaced this work</span>
+            <span>{c.notFoundRule}</span>
             <span class="ornament">✦</span>
         </div>
         <h1 class="font-display italic text-3xl md:text-5xl text-[var(--text)] mb-6 leading-tight">
-            This piece is not on view.
+            {c.notFoundHead}
         </h1>
         <p class="text-[var(--subtext1)] font-sans text-lg mb-10 leading-relaxed">
-            The room you reached for has either been re-hung, withdrawn,<br class="hidden md:block" />
-            or never made it to the wall in the first place.
+            {bodyA}<br class="hidden md:block" />
+            {bodyB}
         </p>
-        <a href="/" class="btn btn--primary">↶ Return to the catalogue</a>
+        <a href="/" class="btn btn--primary">↶ {c.returnHome}</a>
     </div>
 </Layout>

frontend/src/pages/admin/editor.astro

@@ -2,11 +2,13 @@
 import 'katex/dist/katex.min.css';
 import AdminLayout from '../../layouts/AdminLayout.astro';
 import Editor from '../../components/react/admin/Editor';
+import { getSiteMode } from '../../lib/siteMode';
 
 const editSlug = Astro.url.searchParams.get('edit') || undefined;
+const siteMode = getSiteMode();
 ---
 
 <AdminLayout title="Write Post" wide>
     <p slot="header-subtitle" class="mt-2 text-sm md:text-base" style="color: var(--text) !important;">Create/Edit post.</p>
-    <Editor client:only="react" editSlug={editSlug} />
+    <Editor client:only="react" editSlug={editSlug} mode={siteMode} />
 </AdminLayout>

frontend/src/pages/admin/login.astro

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 ---
 import Layout from '../../layouts/Layout.astro';
 import Login from '../../components/react/admin/Login';
+import { getSiteMode } from '../../lib/siteMode';
+
+const siteMode = getSiteMode();
 ---
 
 <Layout title="Admin Login" description="Sign in to the back room." minimal>
-    <Login client:only="react" />
+    <Login client:only="react" mode={siteMode} />
 </Layout>

frontend/src/pages/index.astro

@@ -3,6 +3,10 @@ import Layout from '../layouts/Layout.astro';
 import PostList from '../components/react/PostList';
 import EditableText from '../components/react/EditableText';
 import AssetsButton from '../components/react/AssetsButton';
+import { getSiteMode, copy } from '../lib/siteMode';
+
+const siteMode = getSiteMode();
+const c = copy(siteMode);
 
 const API_URL = process.env.PUBLIC_API_URL || 'http://localhost:3000';
 
@@ -60,7 +64,7 @@ try {
 const isAdmin = Astro.cookies.get('admin_session')?.value === '1';
 ---
 
-<Layout title="Catalogue" description={siteConfig.welcome_subtitle}>
+<Layout title={c.indexTitle} description={siteConfig.welcome_subtitle}>
 	{posts[0]?.cover_image?.url && (
 		<Fragment slot="head">
 			<link rel="preload" as="image" href={posts[0].cover_image.url} fetchpriority="high" />
@@ -133,5 +137,5 @@ const isAdmin = Astro.cookies.get('admin_session')?.value === '1';
 		</div>
 	)}
 
-	{posts.length > 0 && <PostList posts={posts} isAdmin={isAdmin} client:idle />}
+	{posts.length > 0 && <PostList posts={posts} isAdmin={isAdmin} mode={siteMode} client:idle />}
 </Layout>

frontend/src/pages/posts/[slug].astro

@@ -3,6 +3,11 @@ import 'katex/dist/katex.min.css';
 import Layout from '../../layouts/Layout.astro';
 import DeletePostButton from '../../components/react/DeletePostButton';
 import { renderMarkdown } from '../../lib/markdown';
+import { getSiteMode, copy } from '../../lib/siteMode';
+
+const siteMode = getSiteMode();
+const isBlog = siteMode === 'blog';
+const c = copy(siteMode);
 
 const { slug } = Astro.params;
 const API_URL = (typeof process !== 'undefined' ? process.env.PUBLIC_API_URL : import.meta.env.PUBLIC_API_URL) || 'http://localhost:3000';
@@ -50,7 +55,7 @@ try {
     post = await postRes.json();
     html = renderMarkdown(post!.content, post!.dimensions);
   } else {
-    error = 'Work not found in the catalogue';
+    error = c.postNotFound;
   }
 } catch (e) {
   const cause = (e as any)?.cause;
@@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ const displayTitle = post ? (post.title || formatSlug(post.slug)) : 'Work';
     image={post?.cover_image?.url}
     type="article"
 >
-  {post?.cover_image?.url && (
+  {!isBlog && post?.cover_image?.url && (
     <Fragment slot="head">
       <link rel="preload" as="image" href={post.cover_image.url} fetchpriority="high" />
     </Fragment>
@@ -84,7 +89,7 @@ const displayTitle = post ? (post.title || formatSlug(post.slug)) : 'Work';
     <div class="max-w-2xl mx-auto py-20 md:py-32 text-center">
       <div class="font-display italic text-[var(--subtext0)] text-sm tracking-[0.3em] uppercase mb-4">Pardon —</div>
       <h2 class="font-display italic text-3xl md:text-5xl text-[var(--mauve)] mb-6 leading-tight">{error}</h2>
-      <a href="/" class="btn btn--ghost">← Return to the catalogue</a>
+      <a href="/" class="btn btn--ghost">← {c.returnHome}</a>
     </div>
   )}
 
@@ -94,7 +99,7 @@ const displayTitle = post ? (post.title || formatSlug(post.slug)) : 'Work';
       <div class="flex flex-wrap items-center justify-between gap-3 mb-10 md:mb-14 font-display italic text-sm text-[var(--subtext0)]">
         <a href="/" class="back-link">
           <span class="bl-arrow" aria-hidden="true">←</span>
-          Back to catalogue
+          {c.backHome}
         </a>
 
         {isAdmin && (
@@ -103,7 +108,7 @@ const displayTitle = post ? (post.title || formatSlug(post.slug)) : 'Work';
               <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="12" height="12" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="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>
               Edit
             </a>
-            <DeletePostButton slug={post.slug} title={displayTitle} client:idle />
+            <DeletePostButton slug={post.slug} title={displayTitle} mode={siteMode} client:idle />
           </div>
         )}
       </div>
@@ -117,7 +122,12 @@ const displayTitle = post ? (post.title || formatSlug(post.slug)) : 'Work';
         <div class="section-rule max-w-md mx-auto mb-6">
           <span class="ornament">✦</span>
           <span>{formatDate(post.date)}</span>
-          {post.image_count > 0 && (
+          {isBlog ? (
+            <>
+              <span class="ornament">·</span>
+              <span>{post.reading_time} min read</span>
+            </>
+          ) : post.image_count > 0 && (
             <>
               <span class="ornament">·</span>
               <span>{post.image_count} {post.image_count === 1 ? 'plate' : 'plates'}</span>
@@ -135,7 +145,7 @@ const displayTitle = post ? (post.title || formatSlug(post.slug)) : 'Work';
         {post.draft && (
           <div class="mt-6 inline-block">
             <span class="chip chip-draft">
-              Sketch · unpublished
+              {c.draftLong}
             </span>
           </div>
         )}
@@ -150,7 +160,11 @@ const displayTitle = post ? (post.title || formatSlug(post.slug)) : 'Work';
       {/* Body — works on paper */}
       <div id="post-content" class="prose" set:html={html} />
 
-      {(neighbors.prev || neighbors.next) && (
+      {isBlog ? (
+        <div class="max-w-3xl mx-auto mt-20 md:mt-28 text-center">
+          <a href="/" class="btn btn--ghost">← {c.backHome}</a>
+        </div>
+      ) : (neighbors.prev || neighbors.next) && (
         <nav class="post-nav max-w-3xl mx-auto mt-20 md:mt-28 grid grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-2 gap-6" aria-label="Post navigation">
           {neighbors.prev && (
             <a href={`/posts/${encodeURIComponent(neighbors.prev.slug)}`} class="group glass p-6 hover:border-[var(--mauve)] transition-colors text-left">

frontend/src/styles/global.css

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 @import "./partials/20-atmosphere.css";
 @import "./partials/30-prose.css";
 @import "./partials/40-components.css";
+@import "./partials/45-blog.css";
 @import "./partials/50-controls.css";
 @import "./partials/60-breakcore.css";
 @import "./partials/70-cybersigil.css";

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;
 }

frontend/src/styles/partials/45-blog.css

@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+/*
+ * BLOG MODE — writing-first stacked rows.
+ *
+ * Same skin as the gallery (display font, palette, theme variants, paper
+ * grain, CyberFx) — only the *focus* flips: the post's words lead, the cover
+ * shrinks to a side thumbnail. Everything here is scoped under
+ * `html.mode-blog`; atelier (the default) never sees these rules, and the
+ * justified-gallery markup simply isn't emitted in blog mode.
+ */
+
+html.mode-blog .post-list {
+  width: 100%;
+  max-width: 52rem;
+}
+
+/* One post = one row, separated by a hairline like a printed contents page. */
+html.mode-blog .post-row {
+  position: relative;
+  padding: 1.9rem 0;
+  border-bottom: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--surface2) 55%, transparent);
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row:first-child {
+  padding-top: 0;
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row:last-of-type {
+  border-bottom: none;
+}
+html.breakcore.mode-blog .post-row {
+  border-bottom-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 30%, transparent);
+}
+
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link {
+  display: flex;
+  align-items: flex-start;
+  gap: 1.75rem;
+  outline: none;
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row-body {
+  flex: 1 1 auto;
+  min-width: 0;
+}
+
+html.mode-blog .post-row-title {
+  font-family: var(--font-display);
+  font-style: italic;
+  font-weight: 600;
+  font-size: clamp(1.55rem, 1.1rem + 1.8vw, 2.4rem);
+  line-height: 1.12;
+  letter-spacing: -0.012em;
+  color: var(--text);
+  /* clip-box padding so italic Fraunces descenders survive (same trick as
+   * .plate-caption-title) */
+  padding-bottom: 0.08em;
+  margin-bottom: -0.08em;
+  transition: color 0.3s ease;
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link:hover .post-row-title,
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link:focus-visible .post-row-title {
+  color: var(--mauve);
+}
+
+html.mode-blog .post-row-meta {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  align-items: center;
+  gap: 0.5rem;
+  margin-top: 0.7rem;
+  font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  font-size: 0.78rem;
+  letter-spacing: 0.16em;
+  text-transform: uppercase;
+  color: var(--subtext0);
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row-meta .sep {
+  color: var(--overlay0);
+}
+
+html.mode-blog .post-row-excerpt {
+  margin-top: 0.85rem;
+  font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  font-size: 1rem;
+  line-height: 1.65;
+  color: var(--subtext1);
+  display: -webkit-box;
+  -webkit-line-clamp: 3;
+  -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
+  overflow: hidden;
+}
+
+html.mode-blog .post-row-tags {
+  display: flex;
+  flex-wrap: wrap;
+  gap: 0.4rem;
+  margin-top: 1rem;
+}
+
+/* Side thumbnail — framed like a small plate so the salon material carries
+ * over. position:relative + overflow:hidden so the cybersigil hover sigil
+ * (.cs-plate-sig, inset:0) pins to the image box, never the row. */
+html.mode-blog .post-row-thumb {
+  position: relative;
+  flex: 0 0 auto;
+  width: clamp(96px, 22vw, 184px);
+  aspect-ratio: 4 / 3;
+  overflow: hidden;
+  background: var(--mantle);
+  border: 1px solid var(--surface2);
+  border-radius: 2px;
+  box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--surface1) 50%, transparent),
+    0 14px 30px -22px rgba(20, 16, 12, 0.5);
+  transition: box-shadow 0.4s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.2, 1);
+}
+html.salon-noir.mode-blog .post-row-thumb,
+html.gothic.mode-blog .post-row-thumb {
+  box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--surface1) 50%, transparent),
+    0 14px 30px -22px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75);
+}
+html.breakcore.mode-blog .post-row-thumb {
+  border-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 40%, var(--surface2));
+  box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 28%, transparent),
+    0 0 22px -10px color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 45%, transparent);
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row-thumb img {
+  display: block;
+  width: 100%;
+  height: 100%;
+  object-fit: cover;
+  filter: saturate(0.94) contrast(1.02);
+  transition: transform 0.7s cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.2, 1), filter 0.4s ease;
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link:hover .post-row-thumb img,
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link:focus-visible .post-row-thumb img {
+  transform: scale(1.04);
+  filter: saturate(1.05) contrast(1.04);
+}
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link:hover .post-row-thumb,
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link:focus-visible .post-row-thumb {
+  box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--surface1) 62%, transparent),
+    0 20px 38px -22px rgba(20, 16, 12, 0.55);
+}
+html.breakcore.mode-blog .post-row-link:hover .post-row-thumb,
+html.breakcore.mode-blog .post-row-link:focus-visible .post-row-thumb {
+  box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 42%, transparent),
+    0 0 30px -8px color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 55%, transparent);
+}
+
+/* Keyboard focus — inset salon ring on the whole row link. */
+html.mode-blog .post-row-link:focus-visible {
+  box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 2px var(--mauve),
+    0 0 0 3px color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 35%, transparent);
+  border-radius: 2px;
+}
+
+html.mode-blog .post-row-draft {
+  font-family: var(--font-display);
+  font-style: italic;
+  letter-spacing: 0.04em;
+}
+
+/* Tighter stack on phones; thumbnail drops below the text. */
+@media (max-width: 600px) {
+  html.mode-blog .post-row-link {
+    flex-direction: column-reverse;
+    gap: 1rem;
+  }
+  html.mode-blog .post-row-thumb {
+    width: 100%;
+    aspect-ratio: 16 / 9;
+  }
+}

frontend/src/styles/partials/50-controls.css

@@ -75,11 +75,26 @@
   background: var(--red);
   border-color: var(--red);
 }
-/* Pressed/selected state for toggle & tab buttons */
-.btn.is-active {
-  color: var(--mauve);
-  border-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 55%, var(--surface2));
-  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 14%, transparent);
+/* Pressed/selected state for toggle & tab buttons. Solid accent fill so an
+ * engaged toggle is unmistakable (label alone is too subtle). The
+ * `.btn--ghost.is-active` selector carries enough specificity (0,3,0) to beat
+ * the theme `.cybersigil/.breakcore .btn--ghost` rules (0,2,0) that load in
+ * later partials — without it the active state is invisible on those themes. */
+.btn.is-active,
+.btn.btn--ghost.is-active {
+  color: var(--rosewater);
+  background: var(--mauve);
+  border-color: var(--mauve);
+  box-shadow:
+    inset 0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--crust) 35%, transparent),
+    0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 45%, transparent);
+}
+
+/* The vim toggle is desktop-only — vim mode auto-disables below 768px, so the
+ * button is a no-op there. Unlayered media query (Tailwind `hidden` would
+ * lose the cascade to `.btn { display: inline-flex }`). */
+@media (max-width: 767px) {
+  .btn.vim-toggle { display: none !important; }
 }
 
 /* Sizes */
@@ -386,11 +401,24 @@ 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 */

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;
@@ -774,24 +794,61 @@ html.cybersigil body::after {
   color: var(--mauve);
   font-weight: 700;
 }
+/* Section break — corrupted-terminal sigil rule. A thin ice→magenta scan
+ * that tears open at center for a glowing barb-sigil glyph, doubled by the
+ * hard cold offset echo the buttons/plates carry. */
 .cybersigil .prose hr {
-  height: 3px;
-  opacity: 0.9;
-  background: repeating-linear-gradient(
+  height: 1px;
+  margin: 3.75rem auto;
+  opacity: 1;
+  overflow: visible;
+  background: linear-gradient(
     90deg,
-    var(--sky) 0 12px,
-    var(--mauve) 12px 24px
+    transparent 0,
+    color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 12%, transparent) 5%,
+    color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 72%, transparent) 24%,
+    color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 72%, transparent) 42%,
+    transparent 46%,
+    transparent 54%,
+    color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 72%, transparent) 58%,
+    color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 72%, transparent) 76%,
+    color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 12%, transparent) 95%,
+    transparent 100%
   );
-  box-shadow: 0 0 12px color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 42%, transparent);
+  box-shadow: 0 0 16px -3px color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 32%, transparent);
 }
+/* Hard cold offset echo — the signature drop the rest of the theme carries. */
+.cybersigil .prose hr::after {
+  content: "";
+  position: absolute;
+  left: 0;
+  right: 0;
+  top: calc(50% + 3px);
+  height: 1px;
+  background: inherit;
+  opacity: 0.3;
+  transform: none;
+}
+/* Center glyph — the barb sigil, glowing, seated over the gap. Overrides
+ * the base rotated-diamond pip entirely. */
 .cybersigil .prose hr::before {
+  width: 3.4em;
+  height: 1.5em;
+  transform: translate(-50%, -50%);
   background: var(--sky);
-  box-shadow: 0 0 8px var(--sky);
+  border-radius: 0;
+  -webkit-mask: var(--cs-barb) center / contain no-repeat;
+  mask: var(--cs-barb) center / contain no-repeat;
+  filter:
+    drop-shadow(0 0 5px color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 55%, transparent))
+    drop-shadow(0 0 2px color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 50%, transparent));
 }
 .cybersigil .prose h3,
 .cybersigil .prose h4,
-.cybersigil .prose h5 {
+.cybersigil .prose h5,
+.cybersigil .prose h6 {
   font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  font-style: normal;
   text-transform: uppercase;
   letter-spacing: 0.06em;
 }
@@ -801,6 +858,7 @@ html.cybersigil body::after {
 .cybersigil .prose h4::before { content: "### "; color: var(--sky); opacity: 0.6; }
 .cybersigil .prose h5 { color: var(--green); }
 .cybersigil .prose h5::before { content: "#### "; color: var(--sky); opacity: 0.55; }
+.cybersigil .prose h6::before { content: "##### "; color: var(--sky); opacity: 0.5; }
 .cybersigil .prose a {
   text-decoration-style: dotted;
   text-decoration-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 60%, transparent);
@@ -811,6 +869,82 @@ html.cybersigil body::after {
   text-shadow: -1px 0 0 var(--sky), 1px 0 0 var(--mauve);
 }
 
+/* Emphasis — VT323 has no real italic, so the base font-display em renders
+ * as mangled bitmap. Drop to the terminal body and re-encode emphasis as
+ * colour: magenta em, ice strong with a faint bloom, red-struck del. */
+.cybersigil .prose em {
+  font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  font-style: normal;
+  color: var(--mauve);
+}
+.cybersigil .prose strong {
+  color: var(--sky);
+  text-shadow: 0 0 6px color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 30%, transparent);
+}
+.cybersigil .prose del {
+  text-decoration-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--red) 80%, transparent);
+}
+
+/* Lists — terminal nodes. The salon diamond becomes a square ice cell with
+ * the hard magenta offset; ordered markers go cold mono, no faux-italic. */
+.cybersigil .prose ul > li::before {
+  width: 0.4em;
+  height: 0.4em;
+  top: 0.66em;
+  transform: none;
+  background: var(--sky);
+  box-shadow: 2px 2px 0 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 70%, transparent);
+}
+.cybersigil .prose ol > li::marker {
+  color: var(--sky);
+  font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  font-style: normal;
+}
+.cybersigil .prose li > input[type="checkbox"] { accent-color: var(--mauve); }
+
+/* Figure caption — a `// ` log comment, not a salon plaque dash. */
+.cybersigil .prose figure figcaption {
+  font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  font-style: normal;
+  letter-spacing: 0.04em;
+  color: var(--subtext0);
+}
+.cybersigil .prose figure figcaption::before {
+  content: "// ";
+  color: var(--sky);
+  opacity: 0.85;
+}
+
+/* Tables — a sector readout: square ice grid, scanline header, hard offset,
+ * magenta hover sweep. */
+.cybersigil .prose table {
+  font-family: var(--font-sans);
+  border-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 40%, var(--surface2));
+  box-shadow:
+    0 0 0 1px color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 14%, transparent),
+    4px 4px 0 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 22%, var(--crust));
+}
+.cybersigil .prose thead {
+  background:
+    repeating-linear-gradient(
+      0deg,
+      rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 0 2px,
+      color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 8%, transparent) 2px 3px,
+      rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 3px 4px
+    ),
+    color-mix(in srgb, var(--crust) 80%, transparent);
+}
+.cybersigil .prose th {
+  color: var(--sky);
+  border-bottom-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--mauve) 50%, transparent);
+}
+.cybersigil .prose td {
+  border-bottom-color: color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 20%, transparent);
+}
+.cybersigil .prose tbody tr:hover {
+  background: color-mix(in srgb, var(--sky) 7%, transparent);
+}
+
 /* Scrollbar + caret — hard cold chrome. */
 .cybersigil {
   scrollbar-color: var(--sky) var(--crust);

node_modules/.vite/vitest/da39a3ee5e6b4b0d3255bfef95601890afd80709/results.json

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{"version":"4.1.6","results":[[":frontend/src/lib/cybersigil.test.ts",{"duration":66.06918499999995,"failed":false}]]}