diff --git a/app/globals.css b/app/globals.css
index 0840c3e..33a4cc9 100644
--- a/app/globals.css
+++ b/app/globals.css
@@ -1023,6 +1023,48 @@ html.theme-blueprint .line-through {
   text-decoration-thickness: 1.5px;
 }
 
+/* Then a red-ink "APPROVED" stamp thuds onto the row a beat after the strike
+   -- a hard scale-down with a small overshoot, settling tilted a few degrees
+   like a QC stamp pressed onto the drawing. Scoped to the board's to-do rows:
+   the title button is a flex row, so the stamp rides at its right end (the
+   scheduled panel's completed rows are truncate buttons, where a flex item
+   would get clipped by the ellipsis). */
+html.theme-blueprint [data-group-card] .line-through::after {
+  content: "APPROVED";
+  flex: none;
+  margin-left: 4px;
+  padding: 1px 6px;
+  border: 1.5px solid oklch(0.58 0.2 25 / 0.75);
+  box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 1px oklch(0.58 0.2 25 / 0.28);
+  border-radius: 2px;
+  color: oklch(0.58 0.2 25 / 0.9);
+  font-size: 10px;
+  line-height: 1.6;
+  letter-spacing: 0.08em;
+  opacity: 0.9;
+  transform: rotate(-6deg);
+  animation: bp-stamp 380ms cubic-bezier(0.3, 0.9, 0.4, 1) 160ms backwards;
+  mix-blend-mode: multiply;
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+@keyframes bp-stamp {
+  0% {
+    opacity: 0;
+    transform: rotate(-14deg) scale(2.1);
+  }
+  60% {
+    opacity: 0.9;
+    transform: rotate(-5deg) scale(0.92);
+  }
+  80% {
+    transform: rotate(-6.5deg) scale(1.06);
+  }
+  100% {
+    opacity: 0.9;
+    transform: rotate(-6deg) scale(1);
+  }
+}
+
 /* To-do checkbox: a small technical box -- squarer corner, crisp stroke, and
    registration ticks that snap in on hover/focus like a plotter aligning to a
    point. (The box is the base-ui checkbox button; its stroke/fill already come
@@ -1512,21 +1554,25 @@ html.theme-vaporwave body {
       oklch(0.955 0.055 190) 100%
     );
 }
-/* Faint scanlines rolling slowly, like a monitor left on in the morning. */
+/* Rolling scanlines: a fixed overlay over the whole app -- the "monitor"
+   sits over everything (cards, dialogs, toasts), the same move as cyberpunk's
+   CRT layer, so the texture is actually visible instead of hiding behind the
+   content. A 1px plum line every 4px, rolling downward at about 1px/s like a
+   monitor left on all morning. */
 html.theme-vaporwave body::before {
   content: "";
   position: fixed;
   inset: 0;
-  z-index: -1;
+  z-index: 999;
   pointer-events: none;
   background-image: repeating-linear-gradient(
     0deg,
-    oklch(0.42 0.16 320 / 0.035) 0px,
-    oklch(0.42 0.16 320 / 0.035) 1px,
+    oklch(0.35 0.16 330 / 0.06) 0px,
+    oklch(0.35 0.16 330 / 0.06) 1px,
     transparent 1px,
     transparent 4px
   );
-  animation: vw-roll 16s linear infinite;
+  animation: vw-roll 4s linear infinite;
 }
 @keyframes vw-roll {
   from {
@@ -1537,6 +1583,260 @@ html.theme-vaporwave body::before {
   }
 }
 
+/* The striped synth sun: the vaporwave icon, fixed in the sky behind the
+   content (it shows through the translucent lanes like light through glass).
+   Big and low, sitting on the outrun floor's horizon line. Solid across the
+   top, classic horizontal slats below, the slats drifting slowly downward
+   like the sun melting toward the horizon. Muted pastels close to the sky's
+   own lightness, so it reads as part of the sky rather than a sticker on it. */
+html.theme-vaporwave body::after {
+  content: "";
+  position: fixed;
+  left: 50%;
+  bottom: 7vh;
+  width: 320px;
+  height: 320px;
+  z-index: -1;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  border-radius: 50%;
+  transform: translateX(-50%);
+  background: linear-gradient(
+    180deg,
+    oklch(0.93 0.055 90) 0%,
+    oklch(0.91 0.075 48) 38%,
+    oklch(0.89 0.09 30) 68%,
+    oklch(0.86 0.085 350) 100%
+  );
+  filter: drop-shadow(0 0 26px oklch(0.85 0.1 40 / 0.3));
+  -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0 55%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 55%),
+    repeating-linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0 10px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 10px 18px);
+  mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0 55%, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 55%),
+    repeating-linear-gradient(180deg, #000 0 10px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0) 10px 18px);
+  animation: vw-sun 5s linear infinite;
+}
+@keyframes vw-sun {
+  from {
+    -webkit-mask-position: 0 0, 0 0;
+    mask-position: 0 0, 0 0;
+  }
+  to {
+    -webkit-mask-position: 0 0, 0 18px;
+    mask-position: 0 0, 0 18px;
+  }
+}
+
+/* The outrun floor: a perspective grid across the bottom of the viewport,
+   behind the content (it shows through the translucent lanes). The horizontal
+   lines crawl toward the viewer while the verticals converge on the
+   vanishing point. Rendered by the .vw-floor element in app/layout.tsx,
+   visible only under this theme. */
+.vw-floor {
+  display: none;
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave .vw-floor {
+  display: block;
+  position: fixed;
+  left: 50%;
+  bottom: 0;
+  width: 200vw;
+  height: 75vh;
+  z-index: -1;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  transform: translateX(-50%) perspective(300px) rotateX(60deg);
+  transform-origin: 50% 100%;
+  opacity: 0.8;
+  background-image:
+    repeating-linear-gradient(90deg, oklch(0.62 0.25 350 / 0.5) 0 2px, transparent 2px 90px),
+    repeating-linear-gradient(0deg, oklch(0.62 0.25 350 / 0.5) 0 2px, transparent 2px 44px);
+  -webkit-mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, transparent 0%, #000 35%);
+  mask-image: linear-gradient(180deg, transparent 0%, #000 35%);
+  animation: vw-floor 2.2s linear infinite;
+}
+@keyframes vw-floor {
+  from {
+    background-position: 0 0, 0 0;
+  }
+  to {
+    background-position: 0 0, 0 44px;
+  }
+}
+
+/* Palm silhouettes: a couple of minimal palms rooted at either side of the
+   horizon -- the classic vaporwave framing, kept faint so they read as
+   scenery, not stickers. Drawn as stroked arcs in the .vw-palm SVGs in
+   app/layout.tsx; they paint above the floor grid (DOM order) but stay
+   behind the content. Visible only under this theme. */
+.vw-palm {
+  display: none;
+}
+.vw-palm-defs {
+  position: absolute;
+  width: 0;
+  height: 0;
+  overflow: hidden;
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave .vw-palm {
+  display: block;
+  position: fixed;
+  bottom: 1vh;
+  z-index: -1;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  color: oklch(0.47 0.12 325);
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave .vw-palm--left-main {
+  left: 18vw;
+  width: 150px;
+  height: 187px;
+  opacity: 0.5;
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave .vw-palm--left-small {
+  left: 26vw;
+  width: 90px;
+  height: 112px;
+  opacity: 0.3;
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave .vw-palm--right-main {
+  right: 2vw;
+  width: 150px;
+  height: 187px;
+  opacity: 0.5;
+  transform: scaleX(-1);
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave .vw-palm--right-small {
+  right: 10vw;
+  width: 90px;
+  height: 112px;
+  opacity: 0.3;
+  transform: scaleX(-1);
+}
+
+/* VHS hiccup: every so often a card drops out of the signal for half a
+   second -- a 1-2px jitter, a red/cyan split on the title, and a tracking
+   band sweeping down the panel, all inside one short window (the first 5%
+   of each cycle). Cards run three alternating phases with different periods
+   and offsets, so the board flickers organically instead of in lockstep.
+   The :not(.opacity-50) guard matters: while dnd-kit drives a drag it sets
+   an inline `transform` on the card, and a running animation would override
+   that inline value (animations sit above inline styles in the cascade) --
+   the card stops following the pointer. opacity-50 is exactly the class the
+   card gets while dragging, so the hiccup stands down for the duration.
+   (overflow: hidden keeps the tracking band clipped to the card while it
+   sweeps; the hover lift uses the separate `translate` property, so the
+   jitter doesn't fight it.) */
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50) {
+  overflow: hidden;
+  animation: vw-card-glitch 10s linear infinite;
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50) > div:first-child h3 {
+  animation: vw-title-glitch 10s linear infinite;
+}
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50)::after {
+  content: "";
+  position: absolute;
+  left: 0;
+  right: 0;
+  top: -12%;
+  height: 12px;
+  opacity: 0;
+  pointer-events: none;
+  background:
+    repeating-linear-gradient(0deg, oklch(0.45 0.15 330 / 0.28) 0 1px, transparent 1px 3px),
+    linear-gradient(
+      180deg,
+      transparent 0%,
+      oklch(0.72 0.2 350 / 0.22) 20%,
+      oklch(0.99 0.01 220 / 0.4) 50%,
+      oklch(0.78 0.15 200 / 0.22) 80%,
+      transparent 100%
+    );
+  animation: vw-tracking 10s linear infinite;
+}
+/* Phase B: a longer period and an offset start, so neighbors don't hiccup
+   together. (Static styles above are the idle state -- before a card's
+   first delay elapses, and under reduced motion, everything just sits still.) */
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(3n + 2) [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50),
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(3n + 2) [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50) > div:first-child h3,
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(3n + 2) [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50)::after {
+  animation-duration: 13s;
+  animation-delay: 3s;
+}
+/* Phase C: the longest period, offset furthest. */
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(3n) [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50),
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(3n) [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50) > div:first-child h3,
+html.theme-vaporwave [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(3n) [data-group-card]:not(.opacity-50)::after {
+  animation-duration: 17s;
+  animation-delay: 7s;
+}
+@keyframes vw-card-glitch {
+  0%,
+  5%,
+  100% {
+    transform: translateX(0);
+  }
+  0.8% {
+    transform: translateX(-1.5px);
+  }
+  1.6% {
+    transform: translateX(-1.5px);
+  }
+  2.4% {
+    transform: translateX(1px);
+  }
+  3.2% {
+    transform: translateX(1px);
+  }
+  4% {
+    transform: translateX(-0.75px);
+  }
+  4.6% {
+    transform: translateX(0.5px);
+  }
+}
+@keyframes vw-title-glitch {
+  0%,
+  5%,
+  100% {
+    text-shadow: none;
+  }
+  0.8% {
+    text-shadow:
+      1.5px 0 oklch(0.68 0.2 350 / 0.55),
+      -1.5px 0 oklch(0.85 0.15 200 / 0.55);
+  }
+  1.6% {
+    text-shadow:
+      -1.5px 0 oklch(0.68 0.2 350 / 0.55),
+      1.5px 0 oklch(0.85 0.15 200 / 0.55);
+  }
+  2.4% {
+    text-shadow:
+      1px 0 oklch(0.68 0.2 350 / 0.55),
+      -1px 0 oklch(0.85 0.15 200 / 0.55);
+  }
+  3.2% {
+    text-shadow:
+      -0.5px 0 oklch(0.68 0.2 350 / 0.55),
+      0.5px 0 oklch(0.85 0.15 200 / 0.55);
+  }
+}
+@keyframes vw-tracking {
+  0% {
+    top: -12%;
+    opacity: 0;
+  }
+  0.8% {
+    opacity: 0.85;
+  }
+  4.8% {
+    opacity: 0.85;
+  }
+  5%,
+  100% {
+    top: 112%;
+    opacity: 0;
+  }
+}
+
 /* Primary blooms with a soft magenta glow; focus glows electric cyan. */
 html.theme-vaporwave .bg-primary {
   box-shadow: 0 4px 18px oklch(0.62 0.25 350 / 0.35);
@@ -1731,18 +2031,58 @@ html.theme-notebook body {
   background-image: linear-gradient(180deg, oklch(0.88 0.024 82), oklch(0.84 0.028 80));
 }
 
-/* Ruled paper on the white card surfaces: blue rules + a red margin line on
-   the left, the classic notebook page. */
-html.theme-notebook [data-slot="card"],
-html.theme-notebook [data-slot="dialog-content"] {
+/* The lane is the notebook page itself: white paper over the warm desk with
+   the classic ruling -- blue lines + a red margin rule running down the left
+   (inside the lane's own padding, so the post-its never cover it). Group
+   cards sit on top as post-its (below), so the ruling shows around them. */
+html.theme-notebook [data-category-lane] {
+  background-color: oklch(0.978 0.008 90);
   background-image:
-    linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 24px, oklch(0.6 0.19 25 / 0.4) 24px 26px, transparent 26px),
+    linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 6px, oklch(0.6 0.19 25 / 0.4) 6px 8px, transparent 8px),
     repeating-linear-gradient(180deg, transparent 0 27px, oklch(0.68 0.09 250 / 0.4) 27px 28px);
+  box-shadow:
+    0 1px 2px rgb(96 74 40 / 0.14),
+    0 10px 24px -10px rgb(96 74 40 / 0.3);
 }
-/* Group cards keep their own pastel tint (they read as index cards) but carry
-   a faint red margin line so they stay in the stationery family. */
+
+/* Group cards are post-its stuck onto the page: a slightly darker adhesive
+   band along the top, and a soft lift shadow that runs heavier to one side,
+   like a sheet curling off the paper. (:not(.ring-2) keeps the drag
+   drop-target ring -- a box-shadow utility -- from being overpainted.) */
 html.theme-notebook [data-group-card] {
-  background-image: linear-gradient(90deg, transparent 20px, oklch(0.6 0.19 25 / 0.3) 20px 22px, transparent 22px);
+  border-width: 2px;
+  background-image: linear-gradient(180deg, rgb(96 74 40 / 0.07) 0 15%, transparent 15%);
+}
+html.theme-notebook [data-group-card]:not(.ring-2) {
+  box-shadow:
+    1px 1px 2px rgb(96 74 40 / 0.12),
+    6px 9px 16px -6px rgb(96 74 40 / 0.32);
+}
+html.theme-notebook [data-group-card]:not(.ring-2):hover {
+  box-shadow:
+    1px 2px 3px rgb(96 74 40 / 0.14),
+    8px 12px 20px -6px rgb(96 74 40 / 0.4);
+}
+/* A post-it is never stuck perfectly straight: alternate a hair of tilt down
+   the column so a boardful don't all lean the same way. (While a card is
+   being dragged, dnd-kit's inline transform overrides this -- the post-it
+   straightens out in your hand.) */
+html.theme-notebook [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(2n) [data-group-card] {
+  transform: rotate(0.4deg);
+}
+html.theme-notebook [data-category-lane] .overflow-y-auto > div:nth-child(2n + 1) [data-group-card] {
+  transform: rotate(-0.4deg);
+}
+
+/* Hand-cut paper edges: the classic uneven border-radius so pages, cards, and
+   dialogs look drawn by hand instead of machine-rounded. */
+html.theme-notebook [data-category-lane] {
+  border-radius: 170px 10px 150px 10px / 10px 150px 10px 170px;
+}
+html.theme-notebook [data-slot="card"],
+html.theme-notebook [data-slot="dialog-content"],
+html.theme-notebook [data-group-card] {
+  border-radius: 255px 15px 225px 15px / 15px 225px 15px 255px;
 }
 
 /* Blue-ink focus. */
@@ -1783,6 +2123,34 @@ html.theme-notebook .line-through {
     background-size: 100% 60%;
   }
 }
+/* Then a red pen draws a quick check at the end of the line -- grading the
+   homework. (Scoped to the board's to-do rows: the title button is a flex
+   row, so the check rides at its right end. It starts fully clipped and
+   reveals left-to-right, timed to land as the highlighter sweep finishes.) */
+html.theme-notebook [data-group-card] .line-through::after {
+  content: "✓";
+  flex: none;
+  margin-left: 2px;
+  color: oklch(0.55 0.22 27 / 0.95);
+  font-size: 1.15em;
+  line-height: 1;
+  transform: translateY(-1px);
+  clip-path: inset(-25% 100% -25% 0);
+  animation: nb-check 300ms ease-out 300ms forwards;
+  pointer-events: none;
+}
+@keyframes nb-check {
+  to {
+    clip-path: inset(-25% -5% -25% 0);
+  }
+}
+/* The global reduced-motion guard kills the reveal animation -- fall back to
+   the check simply sitting there, already drawn. */
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+  html.theme-notebook [data-group-card] .line-through::after {
+    clip-path: none;
+  }
+}
 
 @layer base {
   * {
diff --git a/app/layout.tsx b/app/layout.tsx
index 80035b2..12cbf72 100644
--- a/app/layout.tsx
+++ b/app/layout.tsx
@@ -116,6 +116,36 @@ export default function RootLayout({ children }: LayoutProps<"/">) {
             __html: `!(function(){try{var r=document.documentElement,c=['theme-default','theme-sunset','theme-meadow','theme-honey','theme-rose','theme-lavender','theme-slate','theme-blueprint','theme-vaporwave','theme-notebook','dark','ocean','theme-pine','theme-plum','theme-midnight','theme-ember','theme-rosewood','theme-cyberpunk','theme-starfield','light'];for(var i=0;i<c.length;i++){r.classList.remove(c[i]);}var v=null;try{v=localStorage.getItem('theme');}catch(e){}var m={default:'theme-default',sunset:'theme-sunset',meadow:'theme-meadow',honey:'theme-honey',rose:'theme-rose',lavender:'theme-lavender',slate:'theme-slate',blueprint:'theme-blueprint',vaporwave:'theme-vaporwave',notebook:'theme-notebook',dark:'dark',ocean:'ocean',pine:'theme-pine',plum:'theme-plum',midnight:'theme-midnight',ember:'theme-ember',rosewood:'theme-rosewood',cyberpunk:'theme-cyberpunk',starfield:'theme-starfield'};var d=['dark','ocean','pine','plum','midnight','ember','rosewood','cyberpunk','starfield'];if(v==='system'||!v){v=window.matchMedia&&window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)').matches?'dark':'default';}if(m[v]){r.classList.add(m[v]);r.style.colorScheme=d.indexOf(v)>=0?'dark':'light';}}catch(e){}})();`,
           }}
         />
+        {/* Vaporwave scenery (see app/globals.css): the outrun floor grid,
+            plus palm silhouettes at either side of the horizon. All fixed
+            behind the content, hidden by default; the theme class on <html>
+            switches them on. */}
+        <div className="vw-floor" aria-hidden />
+        <svg className="vw-palm-defs" aria-hidden>
+          <symbol id="vw-palm" viewBox="0 0 120 150">
+            <g fill="none" stroke="currentColor" strokeLinecap="round">
+              <path d="M60 150C57 110 56 80 60 45" strokeWidth="8" />
+              <path d="M60 45Q38 30 10 48" strokeWidth="9" />
+              <path d="M60 45Q44 18 20 12" strokeWidth="9" />
+              <path d="M60 45Q56 14 42 4" strokeWidth="9" />
+              <path d="M60 45Q66 12 84 6" strokeWidth="9" />
+              <path d="M60 45Q78 16 100 12" strokeWidth="9" />
+              <path d="M60 45Q84 30 110 50" strokeWidth="9" />
+            </g>
+          </symbol>
+        </svg>
+        <svg className="vw-palm vw-palm--left-main" aria-hidden>
+          <use href="#vw-palm" />
+        </svg>
+        <svg className="vw-palm vw-palm--left-small" aria-hidden>
+          <use href="#vw-palm" />
+        </svg>
+        <svg className="vw-palm vw-palm--right-main" aria-hidden>
+          <use href="#vw-palm" />
+        </svg>
+        <svg className="vw-palm vw-palm--right-small" aria-hidden>
+          <use href="#vw-palm" />
+        </svg>
         <ThemeProvider defaultTheme="system">
           <TooltipProvider delay={200}>
             {children}
diff --git a/components/board/category-lane.tsx b/components/board/category-lane.tsx
index cfdd07c..fd2b2f6 100644
--- a/components/board/category-lane.tsx
+++ b/components/board/category-lane.tsx
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ export function CategoryLane({ category }: { category: CategoryDTO }) {
     <>
       <div
         ref={setNodeRef}
+        data-category-lane=""
         style={{ transform: CSS.Transform.toString(transform), transition }}
         className={cn(
           "flex h-full w-72 shrink-0 flex-col overflow-hidden rounded-2xl border bg-lane",