diff --git a/booth/templates/base.html b/booth/templates/base.html
index 283037d..7d1b326 100644
--- a/booth/templates/base.html
+++ b/booth/templates/base.html
@@ -4,100 +4,142 @@
 <meta charset="utf-8">
 <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
 <title>{% block title %}The Booth{% endblock %}</title>
+<link rel="icon" href="data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 32 32'%3E%3Crect width='32' height='32' rx='7' fill='%23171a23'/%3E%3Ccircle cx='16' cy='16' r='6' fill='none' stroke='%2342dcd1' stroke-width='2.5'/%3E%3Ccircle cx='16' cy='16' r='2.2' fill='%2342dcd1'/%3E%3C/svg%3E">
 <style>
+  /* ============================================================
+     The Booth — Corviduo "Australis" theme (aurora accents, dark-first).
+     Token values adopted from ratatoskr-web (colors_and_type.css canonical
+     palette). Self-contained, no webfont CDN — system fallback stacks.
+     ============================================================ */
   :root{
-    --bg:#0e0f12; --panel:#16181d; --panel-2:#1c1f26; --edge:#2a2e37;
-    --ink:#e7e9ee; --ink-dim:#9aa0ac; --ink-faint:#6b7280;
-    --accent:#ff5a4d; --accent-2:#ffb020; --link:#7bb0ff;
-    --radius:14px; --shadow:0 6px 24px rgba(0,0,0,.35);
-    --mono:ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Consolas,monospace;
-    --sans:-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,"Segoe UI",Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;
+    /* ---- Australis raw palette ---- */
+    --aus-black:#222531; --aus-white:#a9bcc3; --aus-bright-white:#cce7ec; --aus-bright-black:#373b46;
+    --aus-dark-30:#414751; --aus-dark-40:#565f69; --aus-dark-50:#6e7882; --aus-dark-60:#86929d;
+    --aus-bright-70:#9daeb6; --aus-bright-80:#b3cbcf;
+    --aus-blue:#6388d8; --aus-bright-blue:#a4c4ff;
+    --aus-cyan:#00b1a8; --aus-bright-cyan:#42dcd1;
+    --aus-green:#16b866; --aus-bright-green:#51e08a;
+    --aus-red:#ff491a;  --aus-bright-red:#ff854f;
+    --aus-yellow:#e1c631; --aus-bright-yellow:#ffe14e;
+    --aus-magenta:#9d78ff; --aus-bright-magenta:#d8adff;
+
+    /* ---- semantic surface / foreground ---- */
+    --border-subtle:var(--aus-dark-30); --border-default:var(--aus-dark-40); --border-strong:var(--aus-dark-50);
+    --fg-0:var(--aus-bright-white); --fg-1:var(--aus-white); --fg-2:var(--aus-bright-70);
+    --fg-3:var(--aus-dark-60); --fg-muted:var(--aus-dark-50); --fg-on-accent:var(--aus-black);
+
+    /* ---- ratatoskr console surfaces ---- */
+    --rk-deep:#14161d; --rk-canvas:#171a23; --rk-well:#1b1e28; --rk-panel:#1d2029; --rk-ghost:#2c3040;
+
+    /* ---- type ---- */
+    --font-display:"Space Grotesk","Inter",ui-sans-serif,system-ui,sans-serif;
+    --font-sans:"Inter",ui-sans-serif,system-ui,-apple-system,"Segoe UI",sans-serif;
+    --font-mono:"Berkeley Mono","JetBrains Mono","IBM Plex Mono",ui-monospace,"SF Mono","Cascadia Code",Menlo,Consolas,monospace;
+
+    /* ---- radius / shadow / motion ---- */
+    --radius-sm:4px; --radius-md:6px; --radius-lg:10px; --radius-pill:9999px;
+    --shadow-2:0 2px 6px rgba(10,12,18,.45),0 1px 2px rgba(10,12,18,.4);
+    --shadow-3:0 8px 24px rgba(10,12,18,.5),0 2px 6px rgba(10,12,18,.4);
+    --glow-cyan:0 0 0 3px rgba(66,220,209,.26);
+    --ease-out:cubic-bezier(.2,.8,.2,1);
+    --ease-aurora:cubic-bezier(.65,0,.35,1);
   }
   @media (prefers-color-scheme: light){
     :root{
-      --bg:#f4f5f7; --panel:#ffffff; --panel-2:#f0f1f4; --edge:#e0e3e9;
-      --ink:#181b20; --ink-dim:#5b616e; --ink-faint:#8a909c;
-      --accent:#e23b2e; --accent-2:#c77700; --link:#2563c9;
-      --shadow:0 4px 16px rgba(20,24,40,.10);
+      --rk-deep:#e5edef; --rk-canvas:#eef4f6; --rk-well:#ffffff; --rk-panel:#f6fafb; --rk-ghost:#cad8dd;
+      --border-subtle:#d3dfe3; --border-default:#bccad0; --border-strong:#9fb0b7;
+      --fg-0:#10151c; --fg-1:#26313a; --fg-2:#48555f; --fg-3:#64727c; --fg-muted:#8a99a1; --fg-on-accent:#ffffff;
+      --aus-bright-cyan:#0a938b; --aus-cyan:#0a938b; --aus-bright-green:#12925a; --aus-green:#12925a;
+      --aus-bright-blue:#3f66bd; --aus-blue:#4a6fc0; --aus-bright-magenta:#7a52d8; --aus-magenta:#7a52d8;
+      --aus-bright-red:#d63a15; --aus-red:#d63a15; --aus-bright-yellow:#a9820a; --aus-yellow:#b98f0c;
+      --aus-dark-40:#b0bec4;
+      --shadow-3:0 8px 24px rgba(30,50,60,.16),0 2px 6px rgba(30,50,60,.1);
+      --glow-cyan:0 0 0 3px rgba(10,147,139,.2);
     }
   }
+
   *{box-sizing:border-box}
   html,body{margin:0}
-  body{background:var(--bg);color:var(--ink);font-family:var(--sans);
-    line-height:1.5;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;min-height:100vh;display:flex;flex-direction:column}
-  a{color:var(--link);text-decoration:none}
-  a:hover{text-decoration:underline}
-  code{font-family:var(--mono);font-size:.86em;background:var(--panel-2);
-    padding:.12em .4em;border-radius:6px;border:1px solid var(--edge)}
+  body{background:var(--rk-canvas);color:var(--fg-1);font-family:var(--font-sans);
+    line-height:1.5;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;min-height:100vh;display:flex;flex-direction:column;
+    transition:background-color .32s var(--ease-aurora),color .32s var(--ease-aurora)}
+  a{color:var(--aus-bright-cyan);text-decoration:none}
+  a:hover{color:var(--aus-cyan);text-decoration:underline}
+  code{font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.84em;background:var(--rk-well);color:var(--fg-2);
+    padding:.12em .42em;border-radius:var(--radius-sm);border:1px solid var(--border-subtle)}
 
-  .topbar{display:flex;align-items:baseline;gap:1rem;flex-wrap:wrap;
-    padding:1.1rem 1.5rem;border-bottom:1px solid var(--edge);
-    background:linear-gradient(180deg,var(--panel),transparent)}
-  .brand{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:.55rem;font-weight:800;
-    font-size:1.32rem;letter-spacing:.3px;color:var(--ink)}
+  .topbar{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:1.1rem;flex-wrap:wrap;
+    padding:1rem 1.5rem;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-subtle);
+    background:linear-gradient(180deg,var(--rk-panel),transparent)}
+  .brand{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:.6rem;color:var(--fg-0)}
   .brand:hover{text-decoration:none}
-  .brand .dot{width:.6rem;height:.6rem;border-radius:50%;background:var(--accent);
-    box-shadow:0 0 0 4px color-mix(in srgb,var(--accent) 22%,transparent);
-    animation:pulse 2.6s ease-in-out infinite}
-  @keyframes pulse{0%,100%{opacity:1}50%{opacity:.35}}
-  .tagline{color:var(--ink-dim);font-size:.86rem;font-family:var(--mono)}
+  .brand .dot{width:.62rem;height:.62rem;border-radius:50%;background:var(--aus-bright-cyan);
+    box-shadow:0 0 0 4px rgba(66,220,209,.15),0 0 12px rgba(66,220,209,.5);
+    animation:pulse 2.8s var(--ease-aurora) infinite}
+  @keyframes pulse{0%,100%{opacity:1}50%{opacity:.4}}
+  .brand .name{font-family:var(--font-display);font-size:1.22rem;font-weight:600;letter-spacing:-.01em}
+  .tagline{color:var(--aus-cyan);font-size:.66rem;font-family:var(--font-mono);
+    letter-spacing:.2em;text-transform:uppercase}
 
-  main{flex:1;width:100%;max-width:1200px;margin:0 auto;padding:1.6rem 1.5rem 3rem}
+  main{flex:1;width:100%;max-width:1240px;margin:0 auto;padding:1.7rem 1.5rem 3rem}
 
-  .foot{border-top:1px solid var(--edge);color:var(--ink-faint);
-    font-size:.78rem;font-family:var(--mono);padding:1rem 1.5rem;text-align:center}
+  .foot{border-top:1px solid var(--border-subtle);color:var(--fg-muted);
+    font-size:.72rem;font-family:var(--font-mono);letter-spacing:.04em;padding:1rem 1.5rem;text-align:center}
 
-  .empty{border:1px dashed var(--edge);border-radius:var(--radius);
-    padding:3rem 1.5rem;text-align:center;color:var(--ink-dim);background:var(--panel)}
+  .empty{border:1px dashed var(--border-default);border-radius:var(--radius-lg);
+    padding:3rem 1.5rem;text-align:center;color:var(--fg-3);background:var(--rk-well);font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.92rem}
 
   /* index grid */
-  .grid{display:grid;gap:1.1rem;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fill,minmax(240px,1fr))}
-  .card{position:relative;background:var(--panel);border:1px solid var(--edge);
-    border-radius:var(--radius);overflow:hidden;transition:transform .12s ease,border-color .12s ease,box-shadow .12s ease}
-  .card:hover{transform:translateY(-3px);border-color:color-mix(in srgb,var(--accent) 55%,var(--edge));box-shadow:var(--shadow)}
-  .card .thumb{display:block;aspect-ratio:16/10;background:var(--panel-2);overflow:hidden}
+  .grid{display:grid;gap:1.1rem;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fill,minmax(248px,1fr))}
+  .card{position:relative;background:var(--rk-panel);border:1px solid var(--border-subtle);
+    border-radius:var(--radius-lg);overflow:hidden;box-shadow:var(--shadow-2);
+    transition:transform .16s var(--ease-out),border-color .16s var(--ease-out),box-shadow .16s var(--ease-out)}
+  .card:hover{transform:translateY(-3px);border-color:var(--aus-cyan);box-shadow:var(--shadow-3),var(--glow-cyan)}
+  .card .thumb{display:block;aspect-ratio:16/10;background:var(--rk-deep);overflow:hidden}
   .card .thumb img{width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;display:block}
   .card .ph{width:100%;height:100%;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;
-    color:var(--ink-faint);font-family:var(--mono);font-size:.9rem;letter-spacing:.5px}
+    color:var(--fg-3);font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.82rem;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase}
   .card .meta{padding:.7rem .85rem .85rem}
-  .card .name{display:block;font-weight:700;color:var(--ink);word-break:break-word}
-  .card .name:hover{text-decoration:none;color:var(--accent)}
-  .card .sub{color:var(--ink-dim);font-size:.78rem;font-family:var(--mono);margin-top:.25rem}
+  .card .name{display:block;font-family:var(--font-display);font-weight:600;color:var(--fg-0);word-break:break-word}
+  .card .name:hover{text-decoration:none;color:var(--aus-bright-cyan)}
+  .card .sub{color:var(--fg-muted);font-size:.72rem;font-family:var(--font-mono);letter-spacing:.03em;margin-top:.3rem}
 
   .wipe{position:absolute;top:.5rem;right:.5rem;margin:0}
-  .wipe button{cursor:pointer;border:1px solid var(--edge);background:color-mix(in srgb,var(--bg) 60%,transparent);
-    color:var(--ink-dim);width:1.9rem;height:1.9rem;border-radius:8px;font-size:1.15rem;line-height:1;
-    backdrop-filter:blur(4px);transition:.12s}
-  .wipe button:hover{border-color:var(--accent);color:#fff;background:var(--accent)}
+  .wipe button{cursor:pointer;border:1px solid var(--border-default);background:rgba(20,22,29,.6);
+    color:var(--fg-3);width:1.9rem;height:1.9rem;border-radius:var(--radius-md);font-size:1.1rem;line-height:1;
+    backdrop-filter:blur(4px);transition:.14s var(--ease-out)}
+  .wipe button:hover{border-color:var(--aus-red);color:var(--aus-black);background:var(--aus-red)}
 
   /* booth page */
   .boothhead{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:1rem;flex-wrap:wrap;
-    padding-bottom:1rem;margin-bottom:1.3rem;border-bottom:1px solid var(--edge)}
-  .boothhead .back{font-family:var(--mono);font-size:.82rem;color:var(--ink-dim)}
-  .boothhead h1{margin:0;font-size:1.5rem;word-break:break-word;flex:1 1 auto}
-  .boothhead .sub{color:var(--ink-dim);font-size:.82rem;font-family:var(--mono)}
+    padding-bottom:1rem;margin-bottom:1.4rem;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-subtle)}
+  .boothhead .back{font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.76rem;letter-spacing:.08em;color:var(--fg-3)}
+  .boothhead h1{margin:0;font-family:var(--font-display);font-weight:600;font-size:1.5rem;
+    letter-spacing:-.01em;word-break:break-word;flex:1 1 auto;color:var(--fg-0)}
+  .boothhead .sub{color:var(--fg-muted);font-size:.74rem;font-family:var(--font-mono);letter-spacing:.06em}
   .wipe-lg{position:static}
-  .wipe-lg button{width:auto;height:auto;padding:.4rem .8rem;border-radius:9px;font-size:.82rem;font-family:var(--mono)}
+  .wipe-lg button{width:auto;height:auto;padding:.42rem .85rem;border-radius:var(--radius-md);
+    font-size:.72rem;font-family:var(--font-mono);letter-spacing:.1em;text-transform:uppercase}
 
   .gallery{display:grid;gap:1.4rem;grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fill,minmax(320px,1fr))}
-  .item{margin:0;background:var(--panel);border:1px solid var(--edge);border-radius:var(--radius);
-    overflow:hidden;display:flex;flex-direction:column}
-  .item img,.item video{width:100%;height:auto;display:block;background:#000}
-  .item audio{width:100%;margin:1.2rem .9rem .3rem;max-width:calc(100% - 1.8rem)}
-  .item .dl{padding:1.4rem .9rem;font-family:var(--mono);font-size:.88rem;word-break:break-all}
-  .item figcaption{padding:.6rem .85rem .75rem;color:var(--ink-dim);font-size:.82rem;
-    font-family:var(--mono);border-top:1px solid var(--edge);word-break:break-word}
+  .item{margin:0;background:var(--rk-panel);border:1px solid var(--border-subtle);border-radius:var(--radius-lg);
+    overflow:hidden;display:flex;flex-direction:column;box-shadow:var(--shadow-2)}
+  .item img,.item video{width:100%;height:auto;display:block;background:var(--rk-deep)}
+  .item audio{width:100%;margin:1.3rem .9rem .4rem;max-width:calc(100% - 1.8rem)}
+  .item .dl{padding:1.4rem .9rem;font-family:var(--font-mono);font-size:.86rem;word-break:break-all}
+  .item figcaption{padding:.6rem .85rem .75rem;color:var(--fg-2);font-size:.78rem;
+    font-family:var(--font-mono);letter-spacing:.02em;border-top:1px solid var(--border-subtle);word-break:break-word}
   .item-audio figcaption,.item-other figcaption{border-top:none}
 </style>
 </head>
 <body>
 <header class="topbar">
-  <a class="brand" href="/"><span class="dot"></span>The&nbsp;Booth</a>
-  <span class="tagline">ephemeral media drop · auto-wipes {{ ttl_hours }}h after last activity</span>
+  <a class="brand" href="/"><span class="dot"></span><span class="name">The&nbsp;Booth</span></a>
+  <span class="tagline">ephemeral media · auto-wipes {{ ttl_hours }}h</span>
 </header>
 <main>{% block content %}{% endblock %}</main>
 <footer class="foot">
-  drop a folder into <code>{{ data_dir }}</code>{% if host %} on {{ host }}{% endif %} — it shows up here
+  drop a folder into <code>{{ data_dir }}</code>{% if host %} · {{ host }}{% endif %}
 </footer>
 </body>
 </html>