Animation Updates

src/components/hero/AnimatedBackground.tsx

@@ -127,17 +127,19 @@ export default function AnimatedBackground({
       ctx.setTransform(dpr, 0, 0, dpr, 0, 0);
 
       // Dense field tuned for ~40% constellation coverage on any slice. Stars
-      // live in a sky disk larger than the viewport so rotation never reveals
+      // live in a sky disk large enough that rotation never reveals an empty
-      // an empty edge. Radius = distance to the far viewport corner.
+      // edge. The disk is centered on the PIVOT (the top-right corner) so the
-      const cx = width / 2;
+      // whole field rotates around that corner like a star chart turning about
-      const cy = height / 2;
+      // its corner mount; maxR reaches the far (bottom-left) corner.
-      const maxR = Math.sqrt(cx * cx + cy * cy) + 40;
+      const cx = width;
+      const cy = 0;
+      const maxR = Math.sqrt(cx * cx + height * height) + 40;
 
-      // One star per ~4000 px^2 of the disk, capped for perf (~12% anchors).
+      // One star per ~3200 px^2 of the disk, capped for perf (~14% anchors).
       const diskArea = Math.PI * maxR * maxR;
-      const count = Math.min(420, Math.floor(diskArea / 4000));
+      const count = Math.min(520, Math.floor(diskArea / 3200));
       stars = Array.from({ length: count }, (_, i) => {
-        const anchor = i % 8 === 0; // ~12% anchors -> denser constellation backbone
+        const anchor = i % 7 === 0; // ~14% anchors -> dense constellation backbone
         // Uniform-ish distribution across the disk via sqrt on radius.
         const rr = maxR * Math.sqrt(Math.random());
         const a = Math.random() * Math.PI * 2;
@@ -178,8 +180,9 @@ export default function AnimatedBackground({
       angle += ROT_SPEED * dt; // whole sky rotates together
       ctx.clearRect(0, 0, width, height);
 
-      const cx = width / 2;
+      // Pivot = top-right corner (matches the disk center used in resize()).
-      const cy = height / 2;
+      const cx = width;
+      const cy = 0;
       const cosA = Math.cos(angle);
       const sinA = Math.sin(angle);
 

src/components/mystic/ConstellationField.tsx

@@ -94,14 +94,16 @@ export default function ConstellationField({
       canvas.height = Math.floor(height * dpr);
       ctx.setTransform(dpr, 0, 0, dpr, 0, 0);
 
-      const cx = width / 2;
+      // Pivot = top-right corner. The disk is centered there so the field
-      const cy = height / 2;
+      // rotates around that corner; maxR reaches the far (bottom-left) corner.
-      const maxR = Math.sqrt(cx * cx + cy * cy) + 40;
+      const cx = width;
-      // Tuned for ~40% constellation coverage. One star per ~6500 px^2, scaled
+      const cy = 0;
-      // by density; ~14% anchors for a rich constellation backbone.
+      const maxR = Math.sqrt(cx * cx + height * height) + 40;
+      // Denser field for richer constellations. One star per ~4500 px^2, scaled
+      // by density; ~15% anchors for a dense constellation backbone.
       const count = Math.min(
-        260,
+        360,
-        Math.floor(((Math.PI * maxR * maxR) / 6500) * density),
+        Math.floor(((Math.PI * maxR * maxR) / 4500) * density),
       );
       stars = Array.from({ length: count }, (_, i) => {
         const anchor = i % 7 === 0;
@@ -143,8 +145,9 @@ export default function ConstellationField({
       angle += ROT_SPEED * dt;
       ctx.clearRect(0, 0, width, height);
 
-      const cx = width / 2;
+      // Pivot = top-right corner (matches the disk center used in resize()).
-      const cy = height / 2;
+      const cx = width;
+      const cy = 0;
       const cosA = Math.cos(angle);
       const sinA = Math.sin(angle);
       const project = (rx: number, ry: number): [number, number] => [

src/components/nav/NavBar.astro

@@ -18,12 +18,21 @@ import { navGroups, siteIdentity } from '@lib/site';
 const path = Astro.url.pathname;
 const isActive = (href: string) =>
   href === '/' ? path === '/' : path === href || path.startsWith(href + '/');
+
+interface Props {
+  /** True on the Home page. When false, the nav carries the hero-sky transition
+   *  name so the Home hero can morph into / out of it (expand/collapse). */
+  isHome?: boolean;
+}
+const { isHome = false } = Astro.props;
+// On non-Home pages the NavBar is the morph target for the Home hero.
+const heroSkyClass = isHome ? '' : 'vt-hero-sky';
 ---
 
 <header
   id="site-nav"
   data-nav
-  class="fixed inset-x-0 top-0 z-50 transition-[background,box-shadow,border-color] duration-300"
+  class:list={['fixed inset-x-0 top-0 z-50 transition-[background,box-shadow,border-color] duration-300', heroSkyClass]}
 >
   <div class="border-b border-transparent transition-colors duration-300" data-nav-inner>
     <nav

src/layouts/BaseLayout.astro

@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ const {
   ogImage,
 } = Astro.props;
 
+// True on the Home page. Used to switch the NavBar's view-transition-name so
+// the Home hero can morph into / out of the nav bar (expand/collapse effect).
+const isHome = Astro.url.pathname === '/';
+
 const fullTitle = title
   ? `${title} | ${siteIdentity.name}`
   : `${siteIdentity.name} — Developer. Maker. Storyteller.`;
@@ -95,14 +99,28 @@ const ogImageUrl = ogImage
       import '@/scripts/reveal-init';
     </script>
 
+    <!-- View Transitions flash-killer. The incoming page is snapshotted with its
+         `.reveal` elements still at opacity:0 (the observer hasn't fired yet),
+         which makes content vanish during the morph. This toggles a class on
+         <html> around the swap so global.css forces reveals visible mid-flight,
+         then lets the observer take over for scroll reveals on the new page. -->
+    <script is:inline>
+      document.addEventListener('astro:before-swap', () => {
+        document.documentElement.classList.add('vt-transitioning');
+      });
+      document.addEventListener('astro:after-swap', () => {
+        document.documentElement.classList.remove('vt-transitioning');
+      });
+    </script>
+
     <ClientRouter />
   </head>
-  <body data-surface={surface}>
+  <body data-surface={surface} data-page={isHome ? 'home' : 'other'}>
     <a href="#main" class="sr-only focus:not-sr-only focus:fixed focus:top-2 focus:left-2 focus:z-[100] focus:rounded-lg focus:bg-(--color-amber) focus:px-4 focus:py-2 focus:text-(--color-ink)">
       Skip to content
     </a>
 
-    <NavBar />
+    <NavBar isHome={isHome} />
 
     <main id="main">
       <slot />

src/pages/index.astro

@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ alt: 'Resin crafting in progress',
 
 <BaseLayout>
   <!-- ===================== HERO ===================== -->
-  <section class="relative flex min-h-[88vh] items-center overflow-hidden pt-16">
+  <section class="vt-hero-sky relative flex min-h-[88vh] items-center overflow-hidden pt-16">
     <AnimatedBackground client:idle transitionName="sky" />
 
     <div class="container-prose relative z-10 flex flex-col items-start gap-8 py-20">

src/styles/global.css

@@ -308,3 +308,71 @@
 .vt-sky {
   view-transition-name: sky;
 }
+
+/* Hero expand/collapse morph. The Home hero section carries this name on Home;
+ * the NavBar carries it on every OTHER page. So leaving Home morphs the tall
+ * hero down into the nav bar (collapse), and arriving Home expands it back up
+ * from the nav bar. The custom animation below makes the morph a smooth
+ * vertical scale + position interpolation rather than the default cross-fade,
+ * so the starry field reads as growing/shrinking rather than fading. */
+.vt-hero-sky {
+  view-transition-name: hero-sky;
+}
+
+::view-transition-group(hero-sky) {
+  animation-duration: 0.4s;
+  animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);
+}
+::view-transition-old(hero-sky),
+::view-transition-new(hero-sky) {
+  /* A gentle height/scale blend reads as expand/collapse rather than a swap. */
+  animation-duration: 0.4s;
+  animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);
+  overflow: clip;
+}
+
+/* ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ * View Transitions — smooth cross-page navigation.
+ *
+ * Astro's <ClientRouter /> uses the native View Transitions API. Without the
+ * rules below the browser falls back to a blunt default cross-fade that feels
+ * harsh, and worse: the NEW page is snapshotted while its `.reveal` elements
+ * are still at opacity:0 (the scroll-reveal observer hasn't fired yet), so all
+ * content flashes out during the morph and re-appears after the swap. The two
+ * fixes here:
+ *
+ *   1. `::view-transition-group(root)` gets a short, soft duration + ease so
+ *      the swap is quick and gentle instead of slow and jarring.
+ *   2. `html:has(...)::view-transition-*` + an `astro:before-swap` class forces
+ *      every `.reveal` to `is-visible` DURING the transition — so the snapshot
+ *      of the incoming page shows its content, eliminating the flash. (The
+ *      reveal-init.ts observer still handles the normal scroll case.)
+ *
+ * Reduced-motion users get an instant swap (no animation).
+ * ------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+@view-transition {
+  navigation: auto;
+}
+
+::view-transition-old(root),
+::view-transition-new(root) {
+  animation-duration: 0.28s;
+  animation-timing-function: cubic-bezier(0.22, 1, 0.36, 1);
+}
+
+/* During a transition, force all reveal content visible so the incoming page's
+ * snapshot isn't blank. `.vt-transitioning` is toggled by the script below on
+ * astro:before-swap and removed on astro:after-swap. */
+html.vt-transitioning .reveal {
+  opacity: 1 !important;
+  transform: none !important;
+}
+
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  ::view-transition-old(root),
+  ::view-transition-new(root),
+  ::view-transition-group(*) {
+    animation: none !important;
+  }
+}
+