diff --git a/docs/02-prd/03-solution.md b/docs/02-prd/03-solution.md
index 15cc1b9..da88bbb 100644
--- a/docs/02-prd/03-solution.md
+++ b/docs/02-prd/03-solution.md
@@ -174,8 +174,11 @@ Motion is a grammar, not garnish:
 ## Edge cases
 
 - **Reduced motion**: the boot sequence is absent (§Boot sequence); canvas
-  instruments render their static state, loops replaced by posters. Every state
-  readable with zero motion.
+  instruments render their static state, loops replaced by posters; the marquee rows
+  become plain scrollers, since a stopped drift would strand every entry past the edge
+  out of reach. Reveals and the reticle fade in place rather than travelling: they still
+  animate, because the server cannot know the preference and the animation is what clears
+  the rendered start state. Every state readable with zero motion.
 - **Mobile**: the instrument panel recomposes (edge-density becomes top/bottom
   strips); grab-reel becomes native touch scroll; hover-revealed metadata must have
   a visible-by-default equivalent.
diff --git a/src/components/atoms/intro.tsx b/src/components/atoms/intro.tsx
index 52f6488..e0d829c 100644
--- a/src/components/atoms/intro.tsx
+++ b/src/components/atoms/intro.tsx
@@ -3,10 +3,10 @@ import { Decode } from '@/components/atoms/decode'
 import { cn, cva, type VariantProps } from '@/utils/theme'
 
 const styles = {
-  root: cva('relative flex max-w-100 flex-col items-center justify-center gap-4 text-center'),
-  subtitle: cva('text-muted-foreground text-e4 font-expressive uppercase'),
+  root: cva('relative flex max-w-100 flex-col items-center justify-center gap-2 text-center'),
+  subtitle: cva('text-foreground text-e4 font-expressive mb-2 uppercase'),
   title: cva('text-h1 font-heading whitespace-pre-line uppercase'),
-  desc: cva('text-muted-foreground text-sm whitespace-pre-line'),
+  desc: cva('text-foreground text-sm whitespace-pre-line'),
   cta: cva('flex flex-col items-center gap-2')
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/atoms/marquee.tsx b/src/components/atoms/marquee.tsx
index 4a5c18e..f59e5a9 100644
--- a/src/components/atoms/marquee.tsx
+++ b/src/components/atoms/marquee.tsx
@@ -2,8 +2,13 @@ import { forwardRef, type HTMLAttributes } from 'react'
 import { cn, cva, type VariantProps } from '@/utils/theme'
 
 const styles = {
-  root: cva('w-full overflow-hidden'),
-  track: cva(['animate-marquee flex w-max', 'hover:paused', 'motion-reduce:paused'], {
+  // the drift is the only thing bringing offscreen entries into view, so under reduced
+  // motion the row hands that job to the reader as a plain scroller
+  root: cva([
+    'w-full overflow-hidden',
+    'motion-reduce:overflow-x-auto motion-reduce:overscroll-x-contain'
+  ]),
+  track: cva(['animate-marquee flex w-max', 'hover:paused', 'motion-reduce:animate-none'], {
     variants: {
       direction: {
         left: '',
@@ -14,7 +19,9 @@ const styles = {
       direction: 'left'
     }
   }),
-  group: cva('flex shrink-0 items-stretch gap-8 pr-8')
+  group: cva('flex shrink-0 items-stretch gap-8 pr-8'),
+  // the duplicate exists only to hide the loop's seam; scrolling it would just repeat
+  duplicate: cva('motion-reduce:hidden')
 }
 
 type MarqueeRef = HTMLDivElement
@@ -29,7 +36,7 @@ const Marquee = forwardRef<MarqueeRef, MarqueeProps>((props, ref) => {
     <div ref={ref} className={cn(styles.root({ className }))} {...rest}>
       <div className={cn(styles.track({ direction }))}>
         <div className={cn(styles.group())}>{children}</div>
-        <div className={cn(styles.group())} aria-hidden>
+        <div className={cn(styles.group(), styles.duplicate())} aria-hidden>
           {children}
         </div>
       </div>
diff --git a/src/components/atoms/reticle.tsx b/src/components/atoms/reticle.tsx
index 0e6a7c3..af20ce9 100644
--- a/src/components/atoms/reticle.tsx
+++ b/src/components/atoms/reticle.tsx
@@ -17,10 +17,12 @@ const styles = {
     ],
     {
       variants: {
+        // the outer marks boot in from off-centre, so under reduced motion they fade in
+        // place like the middle one rather than travelling their own height
         position: {
-          1: 'animate-boot-down',
+          1: 'animate-boot-down motion-reduce:animate-fade-in',
           2: 'animate-fade-in',
-          3: 'animate-boot-up'
+          3: 'animate-boot-up motion-reduce:animate-fade-in'
         }
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/components/atoms/reveal.tsx b/src/components/atoms/reveal.tsx
index a743c01..ff2e797 100644
--- a/src/components/atoms/reveal.tsx
+++ b/src/components/atoms/reveal.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import { forwardRef, type ReactNode } from 'react'
 import { motion, useReducedMotion } from 'motion/react'
 import { Slot } from 'radix-ui'
-import { motionReveal, revealItem } from '@/constants/motion'
+import { motionReveal, revealItem, revealItemReduced } from '@/constants/motion'
 import { cn, cva } from '@/utils/theme'
 
 const styles = {
@@ -26,7 +26,9 @@ type RevealProps = {
 
 /**
  * Fades and lifts its content in the first time it scrolls into view. Each Reveal
- * triggers on its own intersection.
+ * triggers on its own intersection. Under reduced motion the content fades without
+ * travelling; it always animates rather than rendering statically, because the server
+ * cannot know the preference and only the animation clears the SSR-rendered start state.
  */
 const Reveal = forwardRef<RevealRef, RevealProps>((props, ref) => {
   // props
@@ -40,20 +42,12 @@ const Reveal = forwardRef<RevealRef, RevealProps>((props, ref) => {
   const viewport = { once: true, amount: rail ? motionReveal.railAmount : amount }
 
   // jsx
-  if (reduced) {
-    const Static = asChild ? Slot.Root : 'div'
-    return (
-      <Static ref={ref} className={cn(styles.root({ className }))}>
-        {children}
-      </Static>
-    )
-  }
   return (
     <Comp
       ref={ref}
       className={cn(styles.root({ className }))}
       initial="hidden"
-      variants={revealItem}
+      variants={reduced ? revealItemReduced : revealItem}
       viewport={viewport}
       whileInView="shown"
     >
diff --git a/src/components/molecules/record.tsx b/src/components/molecules/record.tsx
index 5af782a..1ddf3a3 100644
--- a/src/components/molecules/record.tsx
+++ b/src/components/molecules/record.tsx
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ const styles = {
   name: cva('text-md'),
   span: cva('text-e4 font-expressive text-muted-foreground uppercase'),
   location: cva('text-e4 font-expressive text-muted-foreground uppercase'),
-  desc: cva('text-muted-foreground text-sm whitespace-pre-line'),
+  desc: cva('text-foreground text-sm whitespace-pre-line'),
   skills: cva('flex flex-wrap gap-2')
 }
 
diff --git a/src/components/molecules/testimonial.tsx b/src/components/molecules/testimonial.tsx
index 3f31e1c..dae9bc1 100644
--- a/src/components/molecules/testimonial.tsx
+++ b/src/components/molecules/testimonial.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const styles = {
   root: cva('flex flex-col'),
 
   quoteCell: cva('grow border-b p-4'),
-  quote: cva('text-muted-foreground line-clamp-9 text-sm whitespace-pre-line italic'),
+  quote: cva('text-foreground line-clamp-9 text-sm whitespace-pre-line'),
 
   footerCell: cva('flex items-center gap-4 px-4 py-4'),
   photo: cva('size-12 rounded-sm object-cover'),
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ const Testimonial = forwardRef<TestimonialRef, TestimonialProps>((props, ref) =>
   return (
     <Card ref={ref} className={cn(styles.root({ className }))} {...rest}>
       <div className={cn(styles.quoteCell())}>
-        <blockquote className={cn(styles.quote())}>&ldquo;{basic.desc}&rdquo;</blockquote>
+        <blockquote className={cn(styles.quote())}>{basic.desc}</blockquote>
       </div>
       <div className={cn(styles.footerCell())}>
         {photo ? (
diff --git a/src/constants/motion.ts b/src/constants/motion.ts
index 0848856..63293c2 100644
--- a/src/constants/motion.ts
+++ b/src/constants/motion.ts
@@ -27,13 +27,21 @@ const motionReveal = {
   railAmount: 0.01
 } as const
 
+/**
+ * The resting state a `Reveal` starts from, shared by both variants below. It is rendered
+ * on the server, where the reduced-motion preference is unknowable, so both variants must
+ * open from it: a client that hydrated a different `hidden` state would mismatch, and React
+ * does not patch up inline-style mismatches, stranding the element at `opacity: 0`.
+ */
+const revealHidden = {
+  opacity: 0,
+  y: motionReveal.distance,
+  filter: `blur(${motionReveal.blur}px)`
+} as const
+
 /** The `Reveal` variant: the fade + rise + de-blur an element runs when it enters view. */
 const revealItem: Variants = {
-  hidden: {
-    opacity: 0,
-    y: motionReveal.distance,
-    filter: `blur(${motionReveal.blur}px)`
-  },
+  hidden: revealHidden,
   shown: {
     opacity: 1,
     y: 0,
@@ -45,4 +53,25 @@ const revealItem: Variants = {
   }
 }
 
-export { motionDurations, motionEasings, motionReveal, revealItem }
+/**
+ * The reduced-motion `Reveal` variant: the rise and de-blur snap to their resting values
+ * while the opacity still fades, so the element arrives without travelling. Opacity alone
+ * carries no vestibular cost, and the element must still animate to `shown`: it is the only
+ * thing that clears the server-rendered `hidden` style.
+ */
+const revealItemReduced: Variants = {
+  hidden: revealHidden,
+  shown: {
+    opacity: 1,
+    y: 0,
+    filter: 'blur(0px)',
+    transition: {
+      duration: motionDurations.base,
+      ease: motionEasings.out,
+      y: { duration: 0 },
+      filter: { duration: 0 }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export { motionDurations, motionEasings, motionReveal, revealItem, revealItemReduced }
diff --git a/src/themes/theme.css b/src/themes/theme.css
index e96c7bd..c50a37b 100644
--- a/src/themes/theme.css
+++ b/src/themes/theme.css
@@ -351,3 +351,20 @@
 		opacity: 0;
 	}
 }
+
+/* reduced motion */
+
+/* Vaul drives the drawer panel from its own injected stylesheet, so `motion-reduce:`
+   utilities cannot reach it. Swap its slide keyframes for a fade: the panel still
+   announces its arrival, without travelling the height of the viewport. */
+@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
+	[data-vaul-drawer][data-state='open'] {
+		animation-name: fade-in !important;
+		transition: none !important;
+	}
+
+	[data-vaul-drawer][data-state='closed'] {
+		animation-name: fade-out !important;
+		transition: none !important;
+	}
+}