diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index a12b8c3..c43e8c6 100755
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -1,58 +1,5 @@
-- [ ] deploy port should default to the first port given to `services.openssh`
+Allow `Cerulean.mkNexus` to be an alias for `flake-parts.lib.mkFlake`
+also rename `Cerulean` to `cerulean` in Nix to maintain the naming convention.
 
-- [ ] use the Nix module system instead of projectOnto for `cerulean.mkNexus`
-- [ ] create an alternative to nixos-install called cerulean-install that
-      allows people to easily bootstrap new machines (and host it on dobutterfliescry.net)
-
-- [ ] find an alternative to `nix.settings.trusted-users` probably
-- [ ] add the ceru-build user, 
-- [ ] add support for github:microvm-nix/microvm.nix
-- [ ] add support for sops-nix
-
-- [ ] it would be cool to enable/disable groups and hosts
-- [ ] find a standard for how nixpkgs.nix can have a different base per group
-
-- [ ] go through all flake inputs (recursively) and ENSURE we remove all duplicates by using follows!!
-
-- [X] rename nixos-modules/ to nixos/
-- [X] ensure all machines are in groups.all by default
-
-- [X] fix nixpkgs.nix not working (default not respected)
-- [X] remove dependence on nixpkgs
-
-- [ ] allow multiple privesc methods, the standard is pam_ssh_agent_auth
-
-## Low Priority
-- [ ] rename extraModules to modules?
-- [ ] rename specialArgs to args?
-
-- [ ] make an extension to the nix module system (different to mix)
-      that allows transformations (ie a stop post config, ie outputs, which
-      it then returns instead of config)
-
-
-- [ ] what if we automated the process of replacing windows with Nix??
-      then push this to nixos-anywhere or nix-infect lmaooo
-
-- [ ] patch microvm so that acpi=off https://github.com/microvm-nix/microvm.nix/commit/b59a26962bb324cc0a134756a323f3e164409b72
-      cause otherwise 2GB causes a failure
-
-- [ ] rewrite the ceru cli in rust
-- [ ] make `ceru` do local and remote deployments
-
-```nix
-# REF: foxora
-vms = {
-  home-assistant = {
-    autostart = true;
-    # matches in vms/*
-    image = "home-assistant";
-    options = {
-      mem = 2048;
-    };
-  };
-  equinox = {
-    image = "home-assistant";
-  };
-};
-```
+Using `flake-parts` ensures Cerulean is usable without restricting
+yourself only to the Cerulean ecosystem.
diff --git a/cerulean/default.nix b/cerulean/default.nix
index f24bb5a..68846bf 100644
--- a/cerulean/default.nix
+++ b/cerulean/default.nix
@@ -13,24 +13,23 @@
 # limitations under the License.
 {
   mix,
-  inputs,
+  deploy-rs,
   ...
-} @ args:
-mix.newMixture args (mixture: {
+} @ inputs:
+mix.newMixture inputs (mixture: {
   includes.public = [
     ./nexus
   ];
 
-  version = "0.2.1";
-
-  nixosModules = rec {
-    default = cerulean;
-    cerulean = ./nixos;
-  };
-
   overlays = [
     # build deploy-rs as a package not from the flake input,
     # hence we can rely on a nixpkg binary cache.
-    inputs.deploy-rs.overlays.default
+    deploy-rs.overlays.default
+    # (self: super: {
+    #   deploy-rs = {
+    #     inherit (super) deploy-rs;
+    #     lib = super.deploy-rs.lib;
+    #   };
+    # })
   ];
 })
diff --git a/cerulean/nexus/default.nix b/cerulean/nexus/default.nix
index 65495bf..d8e0f7c 100644
--- a/cerulean/nexus/default.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nexus/default.nix
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
-{mix, ...} @ args:
-mix.newMixture args (mixture: {
+{mix, ...} @ inputs:
+mix.newMixture inputs (mixture: {
   includes.public = [
     ./nodes.nix
     ./nexus.nix
diff --git a/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix b/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix
index 24a0b75..8b65fdd 100644
--- a/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nexus/nexus.nix
@@ -14,8 +14,11 @@
 {
   self,
   this,
+  nixpkgs,
+  nixpkgs-unstable,
   nt,
-  inputs,
+  lib,
+  deploy-rs,
   ...
 }: let
   inherit
@@ -39,22 +42,20 @@
     mapNodes
     ;
 
-  inherit
-    (nt)
-    findImport
-    ;
-
   templateNexus = let
     inherit
       (nt.naive.terminal)
       Terminal
       ;
-  in {
-    base = null;
-    extraModules = [];
-    specialArgs = Terminal {};
 
+    missing = msg: path:
+      Terminal (abort ''
+        Each Cerulean Nexus node is required to specify ${msg}!
+        Ensure `nexus.${path}` exists under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
+      '');
+  in {
     groups = Terminal {};
+    overlays = [];
     nodes = Terminal {};
   };
 
@@ -65,8 +66,7 @@
       isAttrs g
       || throw ''
         Cerulean Nexus groups must be provided as attribute sets, got "${typeOf g}" instead!
-        Ensure all the group definitions are attribute sets under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
-        NOTE: Groups can be accessed via `self.groups.PATH.TO.YOUR.GROUP`
+        Ensure all the `groups` definitions are attribute sets under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
       '';
     delegate = parent: gName: g: let
       result =
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@
     assert isAttrs nexus
     || abort ''
       Cerulean Nexus config must be provided as an attribute set, got "${typeOf nexus}" instead!
-      Ensure the `nexus` declaration is an attribute set under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
+      Ensure all the `nexus` declaration is an attribute set under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
     ''; let
       base = nt.projectOnto templateNexus nexus;
     in
@@ -121,56 +121,11 @@
   in
     final;
 
-  getGroupModules = root: nodeName: node:
-    assert isList node.groups
-    || throw ''
-      Cerulean Nexus node "${nodeName}" does not declare group membership as a list, got "${typeOf node.groups}" instead!
-      Ensure `nexus.nodes.${nodeName}.groups` is a list under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
-    '';
-    # ensure root group is always added
-      (node.groups
-        ++ [
-          {
-            _parent = null;
-            _name = ROOT_GROUP_NAME;
-          }
-        ])
-      # ensure all members are actually groups
-      |> map (group: let
-        got =
-          if ! isAttrs group
-          then toString group
-          else
-            group
-            |> attrNames
-            |> map (name: "${name} = <${typeOf (getAttr name group)}>;")
-            |> concatStringsSep " "
-            |> (x: "{ ${x} }");
-      in
-        if group ? _name
-        then group
-        else
-          throw ''
-            Cerulean Nexus node "${nodeName}" is a member of an incorrectly structured group.
-            Got "${got}" of primitive type "${typeOf group}".
-            NOTE: Groups can be accessed via `self.groups.PATH.TO.YOUR.GROUP`
-          '')
-      # add all inherited groups via _parent
-      |> map (let
-        delegate = g:
-          if g._parent == null
-          then [g]
-          else [g] ++ delegate (g._parent);
-      in
-        delegate)
-      # flatten recursion result
-      |> concatLists
-      # find import location
-      |> map (group: findImport (root + "/groups/${group._name}"))
-      # filter by uniqueness
-      |> nt.prim.unique
-      # ignore missing groups
-      |> filter pathExists;
+  # XXX: TODO: create a function in NixTypes that handles this instead
+  findImport = path:
+    if pathExists path
+    then path
+    else path + ".nix";
 in {
   mkNexus = root: outputsBuilder: let
     decl = parseDecl outputsBuilder;
@@ -182,47 +137,118 @@ in {
     customOutputs = removeAttrs decl ["nexus"];
 
     outputs = rec {
-      nixosConfigurations = mapNodes nexus (
-        {
-          lib,
-          nodeName,
-          node,
-          ...
-        }: let
-          nixosDecl = lib.nixosSystem {
+      nixosConfigurations = mapNodes nexus.nodes (
+        nodeName: node:
+          lib.nixosSystem {
             system = node.system;
-            specialArgs = let
-              specialArgs =
-                nexus.specialArgs
-                // node.specialArgs
-                // {
-                  inherit root specialArgs;
-                  inherit (node) system;
-                  _deploy-rs = inputs.deploy-rs;
-                };
+            modules = let
+              host = findImport (root + "/hosts/${nodeName}");
+              # XXX: TODO: don't use a naive type for this (ie _name property)
+              # XXX: TODO: i really need NixTypes to be stable and use that instead
+              # groups =
+              #   node.groups
+              #   |> map (group:
+              #     assert group ? _name
+              #     || throw (let
+              #       got =
+              #         if ! isAttrs group
+              #         then toString group
+              #         else
+              #           group
+              #           |> attrNames
+              #           |> map (name: "${name} = <${typeOf (getAttr name group)}>;")
+              #           |> concatStringsSep " "
+              #           |> (x: "{ ${x} }");
+              #     in ''
+              #       Cerulean Nexus node "${nodeName}" is a member of a nonexistent group.
+              #       Got "${got}" of primitive type "${typeOf group}".
+              #       NOTE: Groups can be accessed via `self.groups.PATH.TO.YOUR.GROUP`
+              #     '');
+              #       findImport (root + "/groups/${group._name}"))
+              #   |> nt.prim.unique; # filter by uniqueness
+              groups = assert isList node.groups
+              || throw ''
+                Cerulean Nexus node "${nodeName}" does not declare group membership as a list, got "${typeOf node.groups}" instead!
+                Ensure `nexus.nodes.${nodeName}.groups` is a list under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
+              '';
+                node.groups
+                # ensure all members are actually groups
+                |> map (group: let
+                  got =
+                    if ! isAttrs group
+                    then toString group
+                    else
+                      group
+                      |> attrNames
+                      |> map (name: "${name} = <${typeOf (getAttr name group)}>;")
+                      |> concatStringsSep " "
+                      |> (x: "{ ${x} }");
+                in
+                  if group ? _name
+                  then group
+                  else
+                    throw ''
+                      Cerulean Nexus node "${nodeName}" is a member of an incorrectly structured group.
+                      Got "${got}" of primitive type "${typeOf group}".
+                      NOTE: Groups can be accessed via `self.groups.PATH.TO.YOUR.GROUP`
+                    '')
+                # add all inherited groups via _parent
+                |> map (let
+                  delegate = g: let
+                    got =
+                      if ! isAttrs g
+                      then toString g
+                      else
+                        g
+                        |> attrNames
+                        |> map (name: "${name} = <${typeOf (getAttr name g)}>;")
+                        |> concatStringsSep " "
+                        |> (x: "{ ${x} }");
+                  in
+                    assert g ? _parent
+                    || throw ''
+                      Cerulean Nexus node "${nodeName}" is a member of an incorrectly structured group.
+                      Got "${got}" of primitive type "${typeOf g}".
+                      NOTE: Groups can be accessed via `self.groups.PATH.TO.YOUR.GROUP`
+                    '';
+                      if g._parent == null
+                      then [g]
+                      else [g] ++ delegate (g._parent);
+                in
+                  delegate)
+                # flatten recursion result
+                |> concatLists
+                # find import location
+                |> map (group: findImport (root + "/groups/${group._name}"))
+                # filter by uniqueness
+                |> nt.prim.unique
+                # ignore missing groups
+                |> filter pathExists;
             in
-              specialArgs;
-            modules =
-              [
-                self.nixosModules.default
-                (findImport (root + "/hosts/${nodeName}"))
+              [../nixos-module host] ++ groups ++ node.extraModules;
 
-                inputs.home-manager.nixosModules.default
-                # inputs.microvm.nixosModules.microvm
-              ]
-              ++ (getGroupModules root nodeName node)
-              ++ node.extraModules
-              ++ nexus.extraModules;
-          };
-        in
-          nixosDecl
+            # nix passes these to every single module
+            specialArgs = let
+              pkgConfig =
+                {
+                  inherit (node) system;
+                  # XXX: WARNING: TODO: i've stopped caring
+                  # XXX: WARNING: TODO: just figure out a better solution to pkgConfig
+                  config.allowUnfree = true;
+                  overlays = self.overlays ++ nexus.overlays ++ node.overlays;
+                }
+                // node.extraPkgConfig;
+            in
+              node.specialArgs
+              // {
+                inherit root;
+                pkgs = import nixpkgs pkgConfig;
+                upkgs = import nixpkgs-unstable pkgConfig;
+              };
+          }
       );
 
-      deploy.nodes = mapNodes nexus ({
-        nodeName,
-        node,
-        ...
-      }: let
+      deploy.nodes = mapNodes nexus.nodes (nodeName: node: let
         inherit
           (node.deploy)
           activationTimeout
@@ -236,7 +262,7 @@ in {
           user
           ;
 
-        nixosFor = system: inputs.deploy-rs.lib.${system}.activate.nixos;
+        nixosFor = system: deploy-rs.lib.${system}.activate.nixos;
       in {
         hostname = ssh.host;
 
@@ -272,7 +298,7 @@ in {
         };
       });
 
-      checks = mapAttrs (system: deployLib: deployLib.deployChecks deploy) inputs.deploy-rs.lib;
+      checks = mapAttrs (system: deployLib: deployLib.deployChecks deploy) deploy-rs.lib;
     };
   in
     outputs // customOutputs;
diff --git a/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix b/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix
index ccb5c20..25a1d02 100644
--- a/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nexus/nodes.nix
@@ -25,20 +25,14 @@ in rec {
       (nt.naive.terminal)
       Terminal
       ;
-
-    missing = msg: path:
-      Terminal (abort ''
-        Each Cerulean Nexus node is required to specify ${msg}!
-        Ensure `nexus.${path}` exists under your call to `cerulean.mkNexus`.
-      '');
   in {
-    enabled = true;
-    system = missing "its system architecture" "system";
+    system = "x86_64-linux"; # sane default (i hope...)
     groups = [];
     extraModules = [];
     specialArgs = Terminal {};
-
-    base = null;
+    overlays = [];
+    # XXX: WARNING: extraPkgConfig is a terrible solution (but im lazy for now)
+    extraPkgConfig = Terminal {};
 
     deploy = {
       user = "root";
@@ -75,25 +69,7 @@ in rec {
     in
       nt.projectOnto templateAttrs nodeAttrs;
 
-  mapNodes = nexus: f:
-    nexus.nodes
-    |> mapAttrs (nodeName: nodeAttrs: let
-      node = parseNode nodeName nodeAttrs;
-
-      # use per-node base or default to nexus base
-      base =
-        if node.base != null
-        then node.base
-        else if nexus.base != null
-        then nexus.base
-        else
-          abort ''
-            Cerulean cannot construct nexus node "${nodeName}" without a base package source.
-            Ensure `nexus.nodes.*.base` or `nexus.base` is a flake reference to the github:NixOS/nixpkgs repository.
-          '';
-    in
-      f {
-        inherit nodeName node;
-        lib = base.lib;
-      });
+  mapNodes = nodes: f:
+    nodes
+    |> mapAttrs (nodeName: nodeAttrs: f nodeName (parseNode nodeName nodeAttrs));
 }
diff --git a/cerulean/nexus/snow.nix b/cerulean/nexus/snow.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 1316ee3..0000000
--- a/cerulean/nexus/snow.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,108 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright 2026 Emile Clark-Boman
-#
-# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-# You may obtain a copy of the License at
-#
-#    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-#
-# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-# limitations under the License.
-{
-  inputs,
-  lib,
-  ...
-}: {
-  # nexus
-  options = let
-    inherit
-      (lib)
-      mkOption
-      types
-      ;
-  in {
-    extraModules = mkOption {
-      type = types.listOf types.path;
-    };
-    specialArgs = mkOption {
-      type = types.attrs;
-    };
-
-    groups = mkOption {
-      type = types.attrs;
-    };
-
-    nodes = mkOption {
-      type = types.attrsOf (types.submoduleWith ({...}: {
-        options = {
-          enabled = mkOption {
-            type = types.bool;
-            default = true;
-          };
-          system = mkOption {
-            type = types.enum inputs.systems;
-          };
-          groups = mkOption {
-            type = types.list;
-          };
-          modules = mkOption {
-            type = types.list;
-          };
-          args = mkOption {
-            type = types.attrs;
-          };
-
-          deploy = {
-            user = mkOption {
-              type = types.str;
-            };
-            sudoCmd = mkOption {
-              type = types.str;
-            };
-            interactiveSudo = mkOption {
-              type = types.bool;
-            };
-
-            remoteBuild = mkOption {
-              type = types.bool;
-            };
-            autoRollback = mkOption {
-              type = types.bool;
-            };
-            magicRollback = mkOption {
-              type = types.bool;
-            };
-
-            activationTimeout = mkOption {
-              type = types.int;
-            };
-            confirmTimeout = mkOption {
-              type = types.int;
-            };
-
-            ssh = {
-              host = mkOption {
-                type = types.str;
-              };
-              user = mkOption {
-                type = types.str;
-              };
-              port = mkOption {
-                type = types.int;
-              };
-              opts = mkOption {
-                type = types.listOf types.str;
-              };
-            };
-          };
-        };
-      }));
-    };
-  };
-
-  config = {
-  };
-}
diff --git a/cerulean/nixos/microvm-parent.nix b/cerulean/nixos-module/config.nix
similarity index 98%
rename from cerulean/nixos/microvm-parent.nix
rename to cerulean/nixos-module/config.nix
index 2b6a12e..26d459c 100644
--- a/cerulean/nixos/microvm-parent.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nixos-module/config.nix
@@ -11,3 +11,4 @@
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
+{...}: {}
diff --git a/cerulean/nixos/microvm-child.nix b/cerulean/nixos-module/default.nix
similarity index 85%
rename from cerulean/nixos/microvm-child.nix
rename to cerulean/nixos-module/default.nix
index 2b6a12e..cc92212 100644
--- a/cerulean/nixos/microvm-child.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nixos-module/default.nix
@@ -11,3 +11,8 @@
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
+{...} @ inputs: {
+  options = import ./options.nix inputs;
+
+  config = import ./config.nix inputs;
+}
diff --git a/cerulean/nixos/default.nix b/cerulean/nixos-module/options.nix
similarity index 64%
rename from cerulean/nixos/default.nix
rename to cerulean/nixos-module/options.nix
index f15b236..8fb6a46 100644
--- a/cerulean/nixos/default.nix
+++ b/cerulean/nixos-module/options.nix
@@ -11,22 +11,10 @@
 # WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
-{
-  root,
-  system,
-  _deploy-rs,
-  ...
-} @ args: {
-  imports = [
-    # user configuration
-    (import (root + "/nixpkgs.nix"))
-    # options declarations
-    (import ./nixpkgs.nix (args // {contextName = "hosts";}))
-
-    ./home-manager.nix
-  ];
-
-  environment.systemPackages = [
-    _deploy-rs.packages.${system}.default
-  ];
+{lib, ...}: {
+  cerulean.nexus.node = {
+    group = lib.mkOption {
+      type = lib.types.enum;
+    };
+  };
 }
diff --git a/cerulean/nixos/home-manager.nix b/cerulean/nixos/home-manager.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 21ee78c..0000000
--- a/cerulean/nixos/home-manager.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright 2026 Emile Clark-Boman
-#
-# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-# You may obtain a copy of the License at
-#
-#    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-#
-# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-# limitations under the License.
-{
-  root,
-  system,
-  config,
-  lib,
-  specialArgs,
-  ...
-} @ args: let
-  inherit
-    (builtins)
-    attrNames
-    filter
-    pathExists
-    ;
-in {
-  config = {
-    home-manager = {
-      users =
-        config.users.users
-        |> attrNames
-        |> filter (x: pathExists (root + "/homes/${x}"))
-        |> (x: lib.genAttrs x (y: import (root + "/homes/${y}")));
-
-      extraSpecialArgs = {inherit root system;} // (specialArgs.inputs or {});
-      sharedModules = [
-        # user configuration
-        (import (root + "/nixpkgs.nix"))
-        # options declarations
-        (import ./nixpkgs.nix (args // {contextName = "homes";}))
-      ];
-
-      # disable home-manager trying anything fancy
-      # we control the pkgs now!!
-      # useGlobalPkgs = true;
-    };
-  };
-}
diff --git a/cerulean/nixos/nixpkgs.nix b/cerulean/nixos/nixpkgs.nix
deleted file mode 100644
index 65db5a5..0000000
--- a/cerulean/nixos/nixpkgs.nix
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,101 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright 2026 Emile Clark-Boman
-#
-# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-# You may obtain a copy of the License at
-#
-#    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-#
-# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-# limitations under the License.
-{
-  lib,
-  system,
-  config,
-  contextName,
-  ...
-}: let
-  inherit
-    (builtins)
-    mapAttrs
-    ;
-
-  cfg = config.nixpkgs.channels;
-in {
-  options.nixpkgs.channels = lib.mkOption {
-    type = lib.types.attrsOf (lib.types.attrs);
-    default = {};
-    description = "Declare package repositories per module context (nixos, home-manager, etc)";
-    example = {
-      "homes" = {
-        "pkgs" = {
-          source = "inputs.nixpkgs";
-          system = "x86-64-linux";
-          config = {
-            allowUnfree = true;
-            allowBroken = false;
-          };
-        };
-        "upkgs" = {
-          source = "inputs.nixpkgs-unstable";
-          system = "x86-64-linux";
-          config = {
-            allowUnfree = true;
-            allowBroken = false;
-          };
-        };
-      };
-    };
-  };
-
-  config = let
-    # TODO: use lib.types.submodule to restrict what options
-    # TODO: can be given to `nixpkgs.channels.${moduleName}.${name}`
-    decl =
-      cfg.${contextName} or cfg.default;
-
-    repos =
-      decl
-      |> mapAttrs (
-        name: args:
-          lib.mkForce (
-            assert args ? source
-            || abort ''
-              ${toString ./.}
-              `nixpkgs.channels.${contextName}.${name}` missing required attribute "source"
-            '';
-              ((removeAttrs args ["source"])
-                // {inherit system;})
-              |> import args.source
-          )
-      );
-  in {
-    # NOTE: _module.args is a special option that allows us to
-    # NOTE: set extend specialArgs from inside the modules.
-    _module.args = repos;
-
-    nixpkgs = let
-      defaultPkgs =
-        decl.default or (throw ''
-          Your `nixpkgs.nix` file does not declare a default package source.
-          Ensure you set `nixpkgs.channels.*.default = ...;`
-        '');
-    in
-      if contextName == "hosts"
-      then {
-        flake.source = lib.mkOverride 200 defaultPkgs.source;
-        config = lib.mkOverride 200 defaultPkgs.config;
-      }
-      else if contextName == "homes"
-      then {
-        # XXX: XXX: XXX: OH OH OH OMG, its because aurora never defines pkgs
-        config = lib.mkOverride 200 (defaultPkgs.config or {});
-        # XXX: WARNING: TODO: modify options so overlays must always be given as the correct type
-        overlays = lib.mkOverride 200 (defaultPkgs.overlays or []);
-      }
-      else {};
-  };
-}
diff --git a/flake.lock b/flake.lock
index 0dd06b1..e9a0074 100644
--- a/flake.lock
+++ b/flake.lock
@@ -36,71 +36,43 @@
         "type": "github"
       }
     },
-    "flake-parts": {
+    "mix": {
       "inputs": {
-        "nixpkgs-lib": [
-          "nt",
-          "nix-unit",
-          "nixpkgs"
+        "nib": [
+          "nib"
         ]
       },
       "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1762440070,
-        "narHash": "sha256-xxdepIcb39UJ94+YydGP221rjnpkDZUlykKuF54PsqI=",
-        "owner": "hercules-ci",
-        "repo": "flake-parts",
-        "rev": "26d05891e14c88eb4a5d5bee659c0db5afb609d8",
+        "lastModified": 1768525804,
+        "narHash": "sha256-jlpNb7Utqfdq2HESAB1mtddWHOsxKlTjPiLFRLd35r8=",
+        "owner": "emilelcb",
+        "repo": "mix",
+        "rev": "617d8915a6518a3d4e375b87c50ae34d9daee6c6",
         "type": "github"
       },
       "original": {
-        "owner": "hercules-ci",
-        "repo": "flake-parts",
+        "owner": "emilelcb",
+        "repo": "mix",
         "type": "github"
       }
     },
-    "nix-github-actions": {
+    "nib": {
       "inputs": {
-        "nixpkgs": [
-          "nt",
-          "nix-unit",
-          "nixpkgs"
+        "systems": [
+          "systems"
         ]
       },
       "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1737420293,
-        "narHash": "sha256-F1G5ifvqTpJq7fdkT34e/Jy9VCyzd5XfJ9TO8fHhJWE=",
-        "owner": "nix-community",
-        "repo": "nix-github-actions",
-        "rev": "f4158fa080ef4503c8f4c820967d946c2af31ec9",
+        "lastModified": 1768472076,
+        "narHash": "sha256-bdVRCDy6oJx/CZiyxkke783FgtBW//wDuOAITUsQcNc=",
+        "owner": "emilelcb",
+        "repo": "nib",
+        "rev": "42ac66dfc180a13af1cc8850397db66ec5556991",
         "type": "github"
       },
       "original": {
-        "owner": "nix-community",
-        "repo": "nix-github-actions",
-        "type": "github"
-      }
-    },
-    "nix-unit": {
-      "inputs": {
-        "flake-parts": "flake-parts",
-        "nix-github-actions": "nix-github-actions",
-        "nixpkgs": [
-          "nt",
-          "nixpkgs"
-        ],
-        "treefmt-nix": "treefmt-nix"
-      },
-      "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1762774186,
-        "narHash": "sha256-hRADkHjNt41+JUHw2EiSkMaL4owL83g5ZppjYUdF/Dc=",
-        "owner": "nix-community",
-        "repo": "nix-unit",
-        "rev": "1c9ab50554eed0b768f9e5b6f646d63c9673f0f7",
-        "type": "github"
-      },
-      "original": {
-        "owner": "nix-community",
-        "repo": "nix-unit",
+        "owner": "emilelcb",
+        "repo": "nib",
         "type": "github"
       }
     },
@@ -152,49 +124,14 @@
         "type": "github"
       }
     },
-    "nixpkgs_3": {
-      "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1767313136,
-        "narHash": "sha256-16KkgfdYqjaeRGBaYsNrhPRRENs0qzkQVUooNHtoy2w=",
-        "owner": "NixOS",
-        "repo": "nixpkgs",
-        "rev": "ac62194c3917d5f474c1a844b6fd6da2db95077d",
-        "type": "github"
-      },
-      "original": {
-        "owner": "NixOS",
-        "ref": "nixos-25.05",
-        "repo": "nixpkgs",
-        "type": "github"
-      }
-    },
-    "nt": {
-      "inputs": {
-        "nix-unit": "nix-unit",
-        "nixpkgs": "nixpkgs_3",
-        "systems": "systems_2"
-      },
-      "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1770975056,
-        "narHash": "sha256-ZXTz/P3zUbbM6lNXzt91u8EwfNqhXpYMu8+wvFZqQHE=",
-        "owner": "cry128",
-        "repo": "nt",
-        "rev": "f42dcdd49a7921a7f433512e83d5f93696632412",
-        "type": "github"
-      },
-      "original": {
-        "owner": "cry128",
-        "repo": "nt",
-        "type": "github"
-      }
-    },
     "root": {
       "inputs": {
         "deploy-rs": "deploy-rs",
+        "mix": "mix",
+        "nib": "nib",
         "nixpkgs": "nixpkgs_2",
         "nixpkgs-unstable": "nixpkgs-unstable",
-        "nt": "nt",
-        "systems": "systems_3"
+        "systems": "systems_2"
       }
     },
     "systems": {
@@ -227,43 +164,6 @@
         "type": "github"
       }
     },
-    "systems_3": {
-      "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1681028828,
-        "narHash": "sha256-Vy1rq5AaRuLzOxct8nz4T6wlgyUR7zLU309k9mBC768=",
-        "owner": "nix-systems",
-        "repo": "default",
-        "rev": "da67096a3b9bf56a91d16901293e51ba5b49a27e",
-        "type": "github"
-      },
-      "original": {
-        "owner": "nix-systems",
-        "repo": "default",
-        "type": "github"
-      }
-    },
-    "treefmt-nix": {
-      "inputs": {
-        "nixpkgs": [
-          "nt",
-          "nix-unit",
-          "nixpkgs"
-        ]
-      },
-      "locked": {
-        "lastModified": 1762410071,
-        "narHash": "sha256-aF5fvoZeoXNPxT0bejFUBXeUjXfHLSL7g+mjR/p5TEg=",
-        "owner": "numtide",
-        "repo": "treefmt-nix",
-        "rev": "97a30861b13c3731a84e09405414398fbf3e109f",
-        "type": "github"
-      },
-      "original": {
-        "owner": "numtide",
-        "repo": "treefmt-nix",
-        "type": "github"
-      }
-    },
     "utils": {
       "inputs": {
         "systems": "systems"
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 89ce6b4..94f4b33 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -17,36 +17,23 @@
   inputs = {
     systems.url = "github:nix-systems/default";
 
-    # WARNING: nixpkgs is ONLY included so flakes using Cerulean can
-    # WARNING: force Cerulean's inputs to follow a specific revision.
     nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-25.11";
+    nixpkgs-unstable.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
 
-    nt.url = "github:cry128/nt";
+    nt.url = "github:emilelcb/nt";
 
-    home-manager = {
-      url = "github:nix-community/home-manager/release-25.11";
-      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
-    };
-
-    deploy-rs = {
-      url = "github:serokell/deploy-rs";
-      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
-    };
-
-    microvm = {
-      url = "github:microvm-nix/microvm.nix";
-      inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
-    };
+    deploy-rs.url = "github:serokell/deploy-rs";
   };
 
   outputs = {
-    self,
+    nixpkgs,
     nt,
     ...
   } @ inputs:
     import ./cerulean
-    {
-      inherit inputs self nt;
-      inherit (nt) mix;
-    };
+    (inputs
+      // {
+        inherit (nixpkgs) lib;
+        inherit (nt) mix;
+      });
 }
diff --git a/lib/cdesktop.nix b/lib/cdesktop.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef2b205
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/cdesktop.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+# Copyright 2025 Emile Clark-Boman
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+{
+  lib,
+  config,
+  pkgs,
+  pkgs-unstable,
+  ...
+} @ args: let
+  getModule = name: "../modules/homemanager/${name}.nix";
+  getModules = map (x: getModule x);
+in {
+  imports = getModules [
+    "term/foot"
+    "editor/vscode"
+
+    "wm/hyprland"
+    "wm/hyprland/hyprlock"
+
+    "dm/sddm"
+    "dm/sddm/themes/corners"
+
+    "apps/firefox"
+    "apps/thunderbird"
+    "apps/obsidian"
+    "apps/rider"
+    "apps/winbox"
+    "apps/gitkraken"
+    "apps/thunar"
+
+    "wm/kanshi"
+    "wm/mako"
+  ];
+
+  home = {
+    pointerCursor = {
+      gtk.enable = true;
+      # x11.enable = true # dont enable since im on hyprland
+      package = pkgs.bibata-cursors;
+      name = "Bibata-Modern-Ice";
+      size = 16;
+    };
+
+    packages = with pkgs; [
+      # for services.gnome-keyring
+      (
+        if config.cerulean.isGraphical
+        then seahorse # gui
+        else null
+      )
+
+      fuzzel
+    ];
+  };
+
+  gtk = {
+    enable = true;
+    font.name = "Victor Mono SemiBold 12";
+    theme = {
+      name = "Dracula";
+      package = pkgs.dracula-theme;
+    };
+    iconTheme = {
+      name = "kora";
+      package = pkgs.kora-icon-theme;
+    };
+    # TODO: use a variable to mirror this cursor size
+    #       with the `home.pointerCurser.size`
+    cursorTheme = {
+      package = pkgs.bibata-cursors;
+      name = "Bibata-Modern-Ice";
+      size = 16;
+    };
+  };
+
+  qt = {
+    enable = true;
+    platformTheme.name = "gtk2";
+    style.name = "gtk2";
+  };
+
+  services = {
+    # Set display manager (login screen)
+    displayManager = {
+      # sddm relies on pkgs.libsForQt5.qt5.qtgraphicaleffects
+      sddm = {
+        enable = true;
+        wayland.enable = true; # experimental
+        theme = "corners";
+      };
+      defaultSession =
+        "hyprland"
+        + (
+          if config.programs.hyprland.withUWSM
+          then "-uwsm"
+          else null
+        );
+    };
+
+    # Multimedia Framework
+    # With backwards compatability for alsa/pulseaudio/jack
+    pipewire = {
+      enable = true;
+      wireplumber.enable = true;
+
+      alsa.enable = true;
+      alsa.support32Bit = true;
+      pulse.enable = true;
+      jack.enable = true;
+    };
+  };
+
+  # ---- ENVIRONMENT ----
+  environment = {
+    sessionVariables = {
+      # Hint Electron apps to use support Wayland
+      NIXOS_OZONE_WL = "1";
+    };
+  };
+
+  # ---- SYSTEM PACKAGES ----
+  environment.systemPackages = with pkgs; [
+    # User Environment
+    swww
+    helvum
+    easyeffects
+    pavucontrol
+    hyprpicker # colour picking utility
+    hyprshot # screenshot utility
+    qbittorrent
+    signal-desktop # MAKE THIS ONLY FOR THE DESKTOP FOR END USERS, NOT SERVERS
+    kdePackages.gwenview # image viewer
+    libreoffice
+    wl-clipboard # clipboard for wayland
+  ];
+
+  security.rtkit.enable = true; # I *think* this is for pipewire
+}
diff --git a/lib/csystem.nix b/lib/csystem.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64e3aa3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/csystem.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,330 @@
+# Copyright 2025 Emile Clark-Boman
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+{
+  inputs,
+  lib,
+  config,
+  pkgs,
+  pkgs-unstable,
+  homemanager,
+  cerulean,
+  ...
+} @ args: let
+  getModule = name: "../modules/nixos/${name}.nix";
+  getModules = map (x: getModule x);
+
+  getHostModule = name: "TODO";
+in {
+  imports = getModules [
+    (getHostModule "hardware-configuration")
+    (import "${homemanager}/nixos")
+
+    "shell/bash"
+    "shell/bash/bashistrans.nix"
+    "shell/zsh"
+    "shell/fish"
+
+    "cli/git"
+    "cli/bat"
+    "cli/btop"
+    "cli/tmux"
+    "cli/nvim"
+
+    "lang/asm"
+    "lang/bash" # TODO: (YES THIS IS DIFFERENT TO shell/bash, this provides language support ie pkgs.shellcheck)
+    "lang/c-family"
+    "lang/dotnet"
+    # "lang/go"
+    # "lang/haskell"
+    # "lang/java"
+    # "lang/nim"
+    "lang/python"
+    # "lang/rust"
+    # "lang/sage"
+
+    "editor/helix"
+  ];
+
+  nix.settings = {
+    # REF: https://nix.dev/manual/nix/2.24/development/experimental-features
+    experimental-features = [
+      # Significant
+      "flakes"
+      "nix-command"
+      "pipe-operators"
+
+      # Minor
+      "no-url-literals"
+      "parse-toml-timestamps"
+      "recursive-nix"
+    ];
+
+    download-buffer-size = 524288000; # 500 MiB
+
+    # making wheel group members "trusted users" allows
+    # them to import packages not signed by a trusted key
+    # (aka super duper easier to remote deploy)
+    trusted-users = ["root" "@wheel"];
+  };
+
+  nixpkgs = {
+    overlays = cerulean.lib.importOverlaysNixOS;
+
+    config = if config.cerulean.allowUnfreeWhitelist != []
+             then {
+               allowUnfreePredicate =
+                 pkg: builtins.elem
+                   (lib.getName pkg)
+                   config.cerulean.allowUnfreeWhitelist;
+             }
+             else {
+               allowUnfree = config.cerulean.allowUnfree;
+             };
+  };
+
+  # colmena deployment configuration
+  deployment = {
+    targetHost = config.cerulean.domain ?? config.cerulean.ip;
+    targetUser = "cerulean";
+    targetPort = "22";
+    sshOptions = [
+      "-A" # forward ssh-agent
+    ];
+    buildOnTarget = false; # build locally then deploy
+  };
+
+
+  time.timeZone = config.cerulean.timeZone;
+  i18n.defaultLocale = "en_US.UTF-8";
+
+  # Enable initrd hook for virtual console customisation
+  # aka cool colours when booting yay!!
+  console = {
+    enable = true;
+    earlySetup = true; # initrd pre hook
+    keyMap = "us";
+    font = "Lat2-Terminus16";
+        # ANSI 24-bit color definitions (theme: dracula)
+    colors = [
+      "21222c"
+      "ff5555"
+      "50fa7b"
+      "f1fa8c"
+      "bd93f9"
+      "ff79c6"
+      "8be9fd"
+      "f8f8f2"
+      "6272a4"
+      "ff6e6e"
+      "69ff94"
+      "ffffa5"
+      "d6acff"
+      "ff92df"
+      "a4ffff"
+      "ffffff"
+    ];
+  };
+
+  # super duper minimum grub2 config
+  boot.loader = {
+    efi = {
+      canTouchEfiVariables = true;
+      efiSysMountPoint = "/boot/efi";
+    };
+    
+    grub = {
+      enable = true;
+      device = "nodev";
+    };
+
+        # GitHub: vinceliuice/grub2-themes
+    grub2-theme = {
+      enable = true;
+      theme = "whitesur"; # stylish, vimix, or whitesur
+      footer = true;
+      # TODO: switch my cables to switch default grub display
+      customResolution = "3840x2160";
+    };
+  };
+  
+  networking = {
+    hostName = config.cerulean.hostname;
+    networkmanager.enable = true;
+
+    firewall = {
+      enable = true;
+      allowedTCPPorts = [
+        22  # sshd
+        80  # nginx (http)
+        443 # nginx (https)
+        # 5678 # MikroTik WinBox
+      ];
+    };
+  };
+
+  # ------- USERS -------
+  security.sudo.wheelNeedsPassword = true;
+  users = {
+    defaultUserShell = pkgs.bash;
+
+    users = cerulean.lib.importUsersNixOS;
+  };
+
+  home-manager = {
+    users = cerulean.lib.importUsersHomeManager;
+
+    extraSpecialArgs = { inherit inputs pkgs pkgs-unstable; };
+    sharedModules = [];
+  };
+
+  # ---- ENVIRONMENT ----
+  environment = {
+    # always install "dev"/"man" derivation outputs
+    extraOutputsToInstall = ["dev" "man"];
+
+    systemPackages = with pkgs; [
+      # User Environment
+      bluetui
+
+          # Shell
+    bash
+    fish
+    shellcheck
+    grc # colorise command outputs
+    moreutils
+
+    # Systems Programming & Compilation
+    qemu # Fellice Bellard's Quick Emulator
+    # GNU Utils
+    gnumake
+    # Binaries
+    binutils
+    strace
+    ltrace
+    perf-tools # ftrace + perf
+    radare2
+    gdb
+    # ASM
+    nasm
+    (callPackage ../packages/x86-manpages {})
+    # C Family
+    gcc
+    clang
+    clang-tools
+
+    # Rust
+    cargo
+    rustc
+    # Go
+    go
+    # Nim
+    nim
+    nimble
+    # Haskell
+    ghc
+    ghcid
+    haskell-language-server
+    ormolu
+
+    # Python
+    python312 # I use 3.12 since it's in a pretty stable state now
+    python314 # also 3.14 for latest features
+    poetry
+
+    openvpn
+    inetutils
+
+    # security tools
+    nmap
+
+    httpie
+    curlie
+    zoxide
+    doggo
+    tldr
+    btop
+    eza
+    yazi
+    lazygit
+    ripgrep
+    viddy # modern `watch` command
+    thefuck
+
+    # TODO: once upgraded past Nix-24.07 this line won't be necessary (I think)
+    #       helix will support nixd by default
+    # SOURCE: https://github.com/nix-community/nixd/blob/main/nixd/docs/editor-setup.md#Helix
+    # nixd # lsp for nix # DEBUG
+
+    # Pretty necessary
+    nix-prefetch-git
+    brightnessctl
+    acpi
+    powertop
+    imagemagick
+
+    # "Standard" Unix Commands
+    vim
+    file
+    wget
+    tree
+    pstree
+    unzip
+    unrar-free
+    lz4
+    man-pages
+    man-pages-posix
+
+    # Cryptography
+    gnupg
+    openssl
+    libargon2
+    ];
+  };
+  
+  programs = {
+    nix-ld.enable = true;
+  };
+
+  documentation = {
+    enable = true;
+    doc.enable = true; # install /share/doc packages
+    man.enable = true; # install manpages
+    info.enable = true; # install GNU info
+    dev.enable = true; # install docs intended for developers
+    nixos = {
+      enable = true; # install NixOS documentation (ie man -k nix, & nixos-help)
+      options.splitBuild = true;
+      # includeAllModules = true;
+    };
+  };
+  
+  virtualisation.docker.enable = true;
+  
+
+  hardware = {
+    graphics = {
+      enable = true;
+      enable32Bit = true;
+    };
+
+    bluetooth = let
+      btSupported = config.cerulean.bluetoothSupported;
+    in {
+      enable = btSupported;
+      powerOnBoot = btSupported;
+    };
+  };
+
+  system.stateVersion = config.cerulean.stateVersion; # DO NOT MODIFY
+}
diff --git a/lib/cuser.nix b/lib/cuser.nix
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f602e03
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/cuser.nix
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+# Copyright 2025 Emile Clark-Boman
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+{
+  lib,
+  config,
+  pkgs,
+  pkgs-unstable,
+  ...
+} @ args: let
+  getModule = name: "../modules/homemanager/${name}.nix";
+  getModules = map (x: getModule x);
+in {
+  imports = getModules [
+    "shell/fish"
+
+    "cli/git"
+    "cli/bat"
+    "cli/btop"
+    "cli/tmux"
+
+    "editor/helix"
+  ];
+
+  nixpkgs.config.allowUnfreePredicate = pkg:
+    builtins.elem (lib.GetName pkg) [
+      "vscode-extension-ms-dotnettools-csharp"
+    ];
+
+  home = {
+    stateVersion = config.cerulean.stateVersion; # DO NOT MODIFY
+
+    username = config.cerulean.username;
+    homeDirectory = "/home/${config.cerulean.username}";
+
+    shellAliases = {
+      rg = "batgrep"; # bat + ripgrep
+      man = "batman"; # bat + man
+    };
+
+    sessionVariables = {
+      NIX_SHELL_PRESERVE_PROMPT = 1;
+    };
+
+    packages = with pkgs; [
+      # for services.gnome-keyring
+      gcr # provides org.gnome.keyring.SystemPrompter
+      speedtest-cli
+    ];
+  };
+
+  programs = {
+    home-manager.enable = true;
+
+    zsh = {
+      enable = true;
+      enableCompletion = true;
+      autosuggestion.enable = true;
+      syntaxHighlighting.enable = true;
+
+      history = {
+        size = 10000;
+        ignoreAllDups = true;
+        path = "$HOME/.zsh_history";
+        ignorePatterns = [
+          "rm *"
+        ];
+      };
+    };
+
+    # set ssh profiles
+    # NOTE: (IMPORTANT) this DOES NOT start the ssh-agent
+    #       for that you need to use `services.ssh-agent.enable`
+    ssh = {
+      enable = true;
+      forwardAgent = false;
+      addKeysToAgent = "no";
+    };
+  };
+
+  services = {
+    # enable OpenSSH private key agent
+    ssh-agent.enable = true;
+
+    gnome-keyring.enable = true;
+  };
+
+  # the ssh-agent won't set this for itself...
+  systemd.user.sessionVariables.SSH_AUTH_SOCK = "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/ssh-agent";
+  # Nicely reload system units when changing configs
+  systemd.user.startServices = "sd-switch";
+}