hyperframes/skills/embedded-captions/CATALOG.md

THE CATALOG — one front-end, three engines behind

This is the skill's single selection surface. The user picks an IDENTITY from this table; everything else (engine, compiler, authoring file) is derived by lookup — never ask the user (or yourself) "Standard or Cinematic or Theme?" Those are backend names; a product has one UX even when it has several engines.

Routing procedure (replaces any mode decision):

1. Probe the clip (decision gate + pre-flight probes as in SKILL.md).
2. Shortlist 2–3 identities from this table by content register + the user's own words + scene constraints.
3. Recommend ONE with a one-line why; the user picks.
4. Author the identity's file (last column), then render with its engine's pipeline. Done — no category question ever surfaced.

Identities

Identity	Reading surface	Voice (one line)	Recommend for	Scene needs	Author → engine
cream	scene-embedded column flow	warm poetic light, emergence + glow	introspective, narrative, emotional monologues	dark/mid-tone warm scenes (luma < 150)	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
ink	scene-embedded column flow	letterpress pressed into bright surfaces	the bright scenes everything else washes out on	BRIGHT scenes (luma > 150)	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
editorial	scene-embedded column flow	lowercase italic serif, pen-stroke glides	fashion / beauty / lyrical / premium brand films	mid/dark scenes	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
keynote	scene-embedded column flow	confident centered slides-in-the-scene	launches, founder updates, tech explainers (mood over verbatim reading)	any mid/dark	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
documentary	scene-embedded column flow	burn-in stillness, bone on charcoal	interviews, journalism, testimony — gravitas IS the style	any	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
loud	scene-embedded, body in front	percussion type that competes with the face	hype, social reels, sport, music, motivational	any (counter-accent handles warm)	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
neon	scene-embedded column flow	captions as neon signage in the dark	cyberpunk / nightlife / tech-noir / music	dark scenes	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
glitch	scene-embedded column flow	corrupted-feed RGB-split type	hacker / AI / dystopia content	mid/dark	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
chrome	scene-embedded column flow	liquid-metal hero with sheen sweeps	fashion-tech, Y2K, product-flex	mid/dark	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
velocity	scene-embedded column flow	every word arrives along its motion vector	sport, automotive, fitness, kinetic content	any mid/dark	cinematic.json → make-cinematic
anchor	verbatim lower-third rail + 1 settled climax	the quiet professional — fade-up rail that simply reads; the apex settles behind the subject with a drawn accent underline. Discipline IS the style.	explainers, tutorials, corporate, news-adjacent — where every word must be read; the conservative default	any (opaque rail; settle carries a soft veil)	theme.json → make-theme
ordnance	stamped verbatim rail + detonation apex	military marking system; everything has mass; the room reacts	punchy announcements, drops, "炸一点 / 像 AE 做的" asks	any (charge-dim makes its own contrast)	theme.json → make-theme
terminal	typed console panel + glyph-decode apex	the transcript is a signal log; apex decodes from noise	tech / data / AI / investigative, "终端/控制台/解码" asks	cool/dusk preferred	theme.json → make-theme
neonsign	warm tube rail + hand-written neon apex	a sign district at dusk; the apex is WRITTEN stroke by stroke	lifestyle / music / mood, "霓虹/手写" asks	dusk/dark backdrop; needs python3 (stroke-path gen)	theme.json → make-theme
stardust	accumulating poem, condensing letters	words condense from dust and return to it	poetic / memory / science-wonder monologues	one clear column side (probe fails → fall back to cream)	theme.json → make-theme
stomp	full-frame takeover cards	hard-cut typographic takeover with a void before the drop	hooks, manifestos, ad openers — the words ARE the show	any (plate runs dimmed)	theme.json → make-theme
lastpage	manuscript rail + a blurred future-field	the future hangs unreadable in the room; one rack-focus reveals every faint line was the apex word	visionary thesis, prophecy-toned talks, trailers, literary content	mid/dark (the field needs air)	theme.json → make-theme
nightcity	corrupted-UI rail + cover-letterform apex	body words boot through a corrupted-cyan frame into acid-yellow UI; the apex slams in BEHIND the subject set in the CP2077 cover replica typeface (cyan offset, baseline streak, circuit trace), tears in as displaced slices, lives as a glitching print	gaming / tech-edge / glitch culture / hype drops, "赛博朋克/游戏封面" asks	any (the lockup carries its own contrast); CP2077-adjacent content only (fan-kit terms)	theme.json → make-theme
scoreboard	split-flap chyron rail + departures-board apex	stadium split-flap mechanics — body words flip-cycle wrong words on tiles before clacking onto the real one; ROW counter + odometer chip furniture; the apex is a giant departures board behind the subject that locks the word letter-by-letter under floodlights and a crowd-flash, status ticker types on	sports, transit/travel, scores, countdowns, reveals, "翻牌/记分牌/机场大屏" asks	any (board + chyron bring their own dark metal contrast)	theme.json → make-theme
transit	LED departure-strip rail + illumination-wipe apex	amber dot-matrix station PA — body words light column-by-column (L→R LED wipe + arrival flicker) on a docked departure strip whose lines page by scroll-snap; platform tag, ticking clock, ⚠ DELAYED → ● ON TIME gag; the apex panel expands behind the subject inside a chasing LED-marquee border, the word illuminates column-by-column under a PA flash + ding pulses, then pages up and collapses	travel/transit, announcements, schedules, countdowns, retro-terminal, "LED屏/车站到站/点阵屏" asks	any (LED strip + panel bring their own dark contrast)	theme.json → make-theme
vhs	camcorder OSD rail + REC-FREEZE tracking-slam apex	tape playback — permanent lens vignette + OSD furniture (▶ PLAY, ● REC, blinking green timestamp); body words carry a permanent red/cyan misregistration fringe, arrive by tracking glitch and REWIND off with flat-white echoes + scrub lines (the deck flips PLAY→REW in dead air); the apex is REC FREEZE: 1-frame white tear + head-switching noise bar, the word slams in behind the subject as three sheared tracking bands that SNAP into register, misregistration breathes through the hold under tape weave + auto-iris, then rewinds off	retro / nostalgia / found-footage / home-video, '90s tech, music & lifestyle edits, "录像带/VHS/复古/DV" asks	any (backlight-comp scrim makes its own contrast on bright skies)	theme.json → make-theme
arcade	arcade HUD rail + pixel-block boss-intro apex	8-bit cabinet attract mode — the frame plays through CRT scanlines + a corner vignette; body words coin-pop onto a bordered HUD bar (blinking 1UP, CREDIT 01) with a 1-frame white blip each, emphasis words run a cyan→magenta palette swap, lines dissolve checkerboard; the apex is a BOSS INTRO behind the subject: the room dims, WARNING blinks twice, ~64 seeded pixel blocks fall quantized into a matrix grid over the word rect, the word flashes ON in Press Start 2P with chromatic ghost layers + a 3-frame palette strobe while letterbox bars slam in and a HI-SCORE odometer rolls top-right; everything dissolves checkerboard and the blocks drop away	gaming, retro-tech, playful hype, launches, achievement/level-up beats, "像素/街机/8-bit/打游戏" asks	any (boss dim + dark HUD bar bring their own contrast)	theme.json → make-theme
dossier	manila case-file strip + rubber-stamp apex	cold-war case file — carbon Special Elite HAMMERS onto a manila transcript strip char by char (seeded baselines + ribbon ink, every strike kicks the paper; typed case header, CONFIDENTIAL watermark, red ink circles around the evidence; pages are X-row over-struck and carriage-fed away); the apex is a RUBBER STAMP behind the subject: the footage goes sepia-archival, the stamp crushes in at −8° with a double-strike ghost + thin-ink patches, then holds DEAD STILL — sold only by a breathing paper indent — until the page is filed away with a mechanical yank	investigations, exposés, true-crime, document-driven storytelling, declassified/archival framing, "档案/卷宗/解密/盖章" asks	any (the manila strip is self-lit; the stamp brings its own sepia charge)	theme.json → make-theme
laser	beam-ignited rail + 6-beam laser-cage apex	concert laser rig in a blackout — every body word is IGNITED where a green and a magenta beam converge on it two frames early (flare pop, snap-on, single strobe on emphasis; a sweeper beam carries each line away); the apex is the drop: a 6-beam array sweeps to one hot point, the word ignites behind the subject in an additive glow stack with two controlled strobe pops, a criss-cross beam cage draws around it, the array fans out wide through the hold, then the beams sweep everything off L→R	music, nightlife, festivals, drops, hype reveals, keynote 'one more thing' beats, "激光/灯光秀/蹦迪字幕" asks	any (the concert blackout makes its own contrast, bright skies included)	theme.json → make-theme
thunder	rain-washed rail + branched-bolt strike apex	the storm is the editor — slate storm mood on the room, ambient slanted rain falling in front of the subject, and the sky "kisses" (1-frame brighten) on every body word; rail words arrive with a lit-bright lightning pop (emphasis = sheet-lightning double flash mirrored by a double sky-kiss); the apex is THE STRIKE: a hand-authored branched bolt flashes two frames before the word, the word slams in lit HARD with its shadow flipped toward the bolt, ozone under-glow breathes through the hold while the rain doubles, then everything washes downward with the rain	dramatic reveals, storm/weather content, epic hype beats, trailer-toned monologues, "雷电/闪电/暴风雨字幕" asks	any (charge-dim + radial word scrim make their own contrast, bright skies included)	theme.json → make-theme
hologram	volumetric projection plate + hologram-boot apex	every caption is LIGHT cast from an emitter — body words boot onto a scanlined projection plate with a rising sweep, a 1-frame interference glitch and a permanent cyan/magenta fringe (emphasis words drop out for 2 frames and restore brighter; lines drift in rotationY and exit by projector cut); the apex is the full volumetric boot: a desk emitter dot pops, the cone snaps wide, a seed beam fires, and the word materializes behind the subject as a 7-layer hologram with climbing interference bands — a hand passes through it before the projector cuts it back to the dot	tech / sci-fi / AI / space / imaging explainers, futuristic product reveals, "全息/投影/科幻字幕" asks	any (the apex scrim + dim make their own contrast; wants a lower frame edge for the emitter dots)	theme.json → make-theme
biolume	jellyfish glow-on rail + bioluminescent-bloom apex	deep-sea bioluminescence — the clip sinks into an abyss grade with a breathing vignette and every caption is a living light: body words GLOW ON like jellyfish (radial bloom from center while a cyan glow breathes in; emphasis words pulse a slow propulsion double-beat) across two coexisting floating rows and SINK away dimming; seeded plankton motes drift the open water and the ones ringing the apex are pulled into the bloom; the apex is the BLOOM behind the subject: a creature pre-glow double-beats and crushes to a point, the word condenses in, six luminous tendrils draw outward like filaments while caustics shimmer, cyan light spills onto the scene and spores burst past — then all the light sinks back into the deep	ocean / nature / science-wonder docs, dreamy or meditative monologues, slow night-time reveals, "深海/发光水母/水下字幕" asks	any (the abyss grade + pocket scrim make their own contrast on bright scenes)	theme.json → make-theme
aurora	iridescent sheen rail + silk-ribbon draw-on apex	polar-night elegance — two huge aurora blobs drift the sky all clip; body words are silk serif ink whose rose→teal→violet sheen drifts continuously through the letters (entrance = 2-frame flow-on + y8 settle; emphasis = one bright highlight sweep marching through the word), lines share two coexisting rows like a woven couplet and dissolve UPWARD into drifting light streaks; the apex is a SILK RIBBON: the hero word is hand-WRITTEN into the sky behind the subject stroke by stroke (script single-line font, blurred halo + bright core, a light mote riding the pen) and the aurora gradient keeps FLOWING through the drawn ribbon during the hold while a soft spill tints the sky and light motes rise past the subject — gentle, no shake	dreamy / romantic / wonder content, night-sky and travel pieces, poetry, weddings, elegant brand films, "极光/丝带/优雅手写字幕" asks	any (apex scrim + dark understroke carry contrast on bright skies; loves dusk/night)	theme.json → make-theme
spectrum	oscilloscope scope-band rail + phosphor trace-write apex	an oscilloscope is listening — a dark scope band hosts an ALWAYS-ALIVE waveform (seeded pseudo-RMS envelope: speech grows it, silence flattens it, every word arrival kicks a local burst) under VT323 phosphor lines that wipe in L→R over reserved slots with a 2-frame just-traced flash (emphasis words get a ticking frequency-readout chip, the trig LED blinks on every word); the apex is the trace itself LEAPING off the scope (surge column) to hand-WRITE the hero word in a thin phosphor script stroke, fill flicker-on, hum + breathe, then COLLAPSE to a flatline before the next spoken word — and on the FINAL word the trace explodes to max-amp chaos, flatlines to a single dot and stamps SIGNAL LOST	science / signal / audio / measurement / astronomy explainers, data-nerd content, retro-lab or synth aesthetics, "示波器/波形/信号字幕" asks	any (the scope band brings its own dark glass; the apex scrim handles bright skies); needs python3 (stroke-path gen)	theme.json → make-theme
papercut	paper-chip craft rail + stop-motion papermat apex	stop-motion paper craft — the frame becomes an animator's table: body words are cream paper chips PLACED one by one (steps(2) drop, seeded crooked, ~5fps wobble) on a kraft strip with torn top edge, washi-taped corners and a handwritten cut&paste tag; emphasis words get a washi-tape slap, the final word is an accent-red sign-off chip, and a red paper star stands in for the hero word; the apex is a torn kraft mat slapped down behind the subject where torn-edge letter chips DROP with stepped gravity + anticipation shadows, land crooked, settle in 12fps poses, wobble at 8fps while a warm vignette charges — then the FINAL word bumps the table and everything scatters off down-right	craft/DIY, kids & family, indie product demos, behind-the-scenes, maker channels, "手工/剪纸/定格动画字幕" asks	any (kraft strip + cream chips bring their own warm contrast)	theme.json → make-theme
popup	pop-up book page rail + centerfold starburst apex	a pop-up book opens inside the frame — body words POP UP on a baseline hinge (rotationX back.out, paper overshoot, a growing back-shadow) along a cream page strip that unfolds from the bottom edge (center foldline, two alternating reading rows); emphasis words land bigger with a contact squash the page FEELS (1px strip dip), then flick-wobble with a blue paper strut leaning in behind; line exits fold flat in an L→R wave (the page closing), the whole page TILTS on the final word and the strip folds shut on the last frame; the apex is THE CENTERFOLD: blue + cream 12-point paper starbursts unfold behind the subject, the hero word pops up in three hinged clip-path segments, kraft struts lean in, backdrop + word wobble-settle TOGETHER and breathe through the hold — then the whole spread folds flat before the next sentence; a blue paper star holds the hero slot on the rail and paper confetti flicks past the subject at the pop	kids and family content, storytelling, education, greeting-card / wholesome brand spots, picture-book and craft channels, "立体书/弹出书/纸艺字幕" asks	any (the cream page strip is self-lit; the apex dusk scrim guards bright skies)	theme.json → make-theme
chalkboard	chalk-band rail + hand-written chalkwrite apex	night lecture — a worn deep-green chalk band where every word is SCRIBBLED in fast chalk (2-frame pop + steps(4) scribble reveal + dust puff at the base, seeded crooked); emphasis gets double underline dashes, the final word lands in yellow chalk, and between sentences an ERASER SWIPE smears the old words off (blurred light band, ghost smudges stay — chalk never fully erases); the apex: the band GROWS into a full blackboard behind the subject and the hero word is HAND-WRITTEN 130px tall stroke by stroke (jittered chalk nib, dust falling from the pen, blurred halo under a tight core), finished with a hand-slap dust CLAP in front of the subject + a 1-frame board shake and two violent accelerating underlines, then the halo breathes through the hold	education / explainers, science and lecture content, teacher channels, documentary asides, "黑板/粉笔/板书/老师讲课字幕" asks	any (the deep-green board brings its own contrast); needs python3 (stroke-path gen)	theme.json → make-theme
graffiti	marker rail + spray-tagged handstyle apex	street bombing run — marker words FLICK onto the rail crooked (1-frame squeak skew, seeded rotation, back.out settle); emphasis takes alternating yellow/magenta paint + a spray-underline swoosh with overspray dots; spent lines are ROLLER-BUFFED away (gray roller sweep, wet smear lingers) and the final word lands BIG in yellow with the punch; the apex: the dusk wall dims, the can RATTLES, and the hero word is spray-TAGGED stroke by stroke behind the subject in fat yellow paint (dark under-stroke armor + blurred overspray halo + glowing nib + seeded overspray dots), paint DRIPS grow from the low points through the hold, a magenta paint splat pops at the pen-finish and the plate punches on it	street culture, hip-hop / rap, sneaker & fashion drops, urban sports, skate/BMX, rebellious brand spots, "涂鸦/喷漆/街头字幕" asks	any (the dark under-stroke armors the tag against bright skies); needs python3 (stroke-path gen)	theme.json → make-theme
brush	washi paper-band rail + sumi-e brush-gesture apex	sumi-e study — a deckle-edged washi paper band swipes in behind a traveling brush-head shadow; body words are brush-WIPED on in a Mincho serif (clip reveal behind a per-word brush head, seeded ±1° tilt), emphasis gets a double curved ink underline, and spent lines are wiped OFF right-to-left like a wet cloth (erase brush head riding the wipe); the apex: a warm paper wash charges behind the subject and the hero word is written in ONE violent calligraphic gesture — pressure-tapered wet brush (four stacked stroke widths, blurred bleed underneath), start-SPLAT at the first pen contact with ink flecks kicking past the subject, spatter droplets ejected at the sharpest curves — then the ink BLEEDS into the paper through the hold (the work breathes) and a vermilion SEAL chop (観) stamps beside the ink with the plate punch	calm-authority explainers, craft / design / philosophy / Japan-adjacent content, tea / meditation / writing channels, elegant brand films, "水墨/毛笔/书法字幕" asks	mid/bright scene band (dark ink + its paper wash carry the contrast); needs python3 (stroke-path gen)	theme.json → make-theme
inkwater	three-row ink rail + ink-drop bloom apex	sumi ink dropped in still water — paper-white radial washes back the text zones, Mincho-serif ink words BLEED into three fixed reading rows (blur+scale bleed over a paper-glow halo, dark blurred halo overshoots then tightens, an ink-settling hairline under each line, emphasis sheds a curling ink wisp) and spent lines re-dissolve upward like dispersing ink; the apex: a dark drop falls behind the subject, hits an invisible water surface at the word point and BLOOMS (three stacked blurred ink ellipses at counter-rotating rates + two thin ripple rings) while the world stills under a gentle vignette — the hero words resolve out of the blob on their own spoken times, breathe at the glyph edges through the hold, then re-dissolve before the next thought needs the reader	contemplative / literary / scientific-wonder narration, astronomy / nature / memory / essay films, poetry and slow-craft channels — one liquid meditative event instead of an impact, "水墨滴落/墨水字幕" asks	mid/bright scene band (dark ink + its paper washes carry the contrast)	theme.json → make-theme
ransom	cutout-chip collage rail + ransom-note slam apex	kidnapper's collage — every word is a chip clipped from a different page (cream Anton / black Inter / newsprint typewriter / accent-yellow marker, torn edges, hard offset shadows) PASTED crooked on the rail with misaligned baselines (the apex slam at low amplitude); emphasis words get a 1-frame RE-PASTE lift (shadow grows, rotation flips sign for good) and spent chips are RIPPED off one by one under 1-frame paper-tear flashes; the apex: a collage scrim darkens the sky and the hero word slams in letter by letter as a ransom note BEHIND the subject — each letter a different cutout chip, flight shadow popping tight on contact — the whole word JOLTS as the last letter lands (the plate punches with it), looms crooked through the hold, then is torn off chip by chip while the closing line speaks	true crime, mystery / thriller, heist energy, punk / DIY zine aesthetics, edgy drops, unhinged-comedy hooks, "勒索信/剪贴/拼贴字幕" asks	any (solid chip backgrounds carry their own contrast; the apex scrim guards bright skies)	theme.json → make-theme

Shortlisting heuristics (identity-level, not category-level)

• "每个词都要被读到 / accessibility / 教程·新闻" → rail or panel surfaces: anchor, ordnance, terminal (all verbatim by construction).
• "嵌进场景 / 电影感 / 高级" → the column-flow ten; pick by register + scene luma (bright → ink; warm dark → cream; fashion → editorial; …). Bright + must-read → anchor.
• "炸 / 特效 / 酷炫 / 像 AE" → ordnance, stomp, terminal, loud — pick by what should explode: a word (ordnance), the frame (stomp), a decode (terminal), every beat (loud).
• Named worlds → direct hits: 控制台/终端 → terminal; 霓虹/招牌 → neonsign; 诗/星尘/记忆 → stardust; 军事/重击 → ordnance; 预言/未来/悬念揭示 → lastpage; 赛博朋克/游戏封面/夜之城 → nightcity.
• Scene constraints veto last: luma > 180 kills cream/screen column looks (→ ink or a rail/panel surface); dusk/dark unlocks neon/neonsign.
• Unsure → anchor (the conservative default: words read, scene safe, zero spectacle). EXCEPTION: if the ask literally says "嵌进场景 / embed into the scene / 电影感", that signal OUTRANKS the conservative default — go column-flow (pick by register + luma), not a rail.

Adjacencies worth knowing (these pairs are why the old mode question was hard — recommend by the difference, don't agonize over category): loud vs ordnance (percussive type vs a themed world with plate reaction) · neon vs neonsign (neon-styled captions vs a sign being written) · cream vs stardust (warm embedded flow vs an accumulating poem with semantic dispersal) · terminal vs glitch (a console WORLD with typed log + decode vs corrupted-feed styling on normal captions) · stomp vs loud (every beat takes over the dead-center frame vs energetic type that still shares the frame with the subject).

Rules

• Identities are engine-locked — no cross combos. Opening a new combo (e.g. another DNA under rail) is a validation event: render → user review → flip the DNA's deliveries.rail flag (see dna/README.md).
• New identities join via their family's registry rules (dna/README.md for classic, themes/README.md for themed — "any input, zero hand-fixing" bar).
• The engines' internals (Standard/Cinematic/Theme compilers, gates, layers) are documented in their own files; this catalog is the only routing surface.