hover-ui

Candle

The pointer is a flame: it leans away from your motion, flares over controls and gutters on press.

npx shadcn@latest add https://hoverui.fun/r/candle.json

Adds components/cursors/candle.tsx. The CLI also installs the useCursor hook it runs on, once, into your hooks folder. The files are yours from there.

Move through the preview, then hover the controls and press.

Kind
Halloween
Dependencies
None
License
MIT

How it behaves

The pointer is a candle flame: it leans away from your motion and flickers; it flares over anything clickable and gutters while you press.

Usage

Any element
import { CandleCursor } from "@/components/cursors/candle";

export function Section() {
  return (
    <section>
      <CandleCursor />
      {/* this section now wears Candle */}
    </section>
  );
}

Put it inside <body> in your root layout to wear it on every page. Nested cursors take over inside their own element.

Props

className
Extra classes for the cursor's root. It draws in its own colors, set in the file; any outline or pointer dot it has follows currentColor, e.g. text-pink-500. Leave mix-blend-difference off: it would turn those colors to negatives.
Hover targets
a, button, input, select, textarea, label, [role=button], [data-cursor-label]

Source

candle.tsx
"use client";

import { useRef } from "react";
import { cursorRoot, useCursor } from "@/hooks/use-cursor";

/** A lit candle; the flame is marked `data-flame` and pivots on its wick. Exported so a page can draw it at rest. */
export function CandleArt({ className = "" }: { className?: string }) {
  return (
    <svg viewBox="0 0 16 40" className={`overflow-visible ${className}`} aria-hidden>
      <g data-flame style={{ transformOrigin: "8px 14px" }}>
        <path d="M8 1c3 5 4 8 4 10a4 4 0 0 1-8 0c0-2 1-5 4-10z" fill="#ffaa00" />
        <path d="M8 6c1.5 2.5 2 4 2 5a2 2 0 0 1-4 0c0-1 .5-2.5 2-5z" fill="#fff3b0" />
      </g>
      <path d="M8 13.5v2.5" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.2" />
      <rect x="4" y="16" width="8" height="22" rx="1.5" fill="#f4efe6" stroke="currentColor" strokeWidth="1.2" />
    </svg>
  );
}

/** The pointer is a candle flame: it leans away from your motion and flickers; it flares over anything clickable and gutters while you press. */
export function CandleCursor({ className = "" }: { className?: string }) {
  const s = useRef({ vx: 0, x: 0, t: 0, size: 1, glow: 0.5 });
  const ref = useCursor((p, el) => {
    const st = s.current;
    st.t += p.dt;
    const vx = p.dt ? (p.x - st.x) / p.dt : 0;
    st.x = p.x;
    st.vx += (vx - st.vx) * p.ease(8);
    st.size += ((p.down ? 0.15 : p.hover ? 1.5 : 1) - st.size) * p.ease(p.down ? 20 : 8);
    st.glow += ((p.down ? 0 : p.hover ? 1 : 0.5) - st.glow) * p.ease(8);
    // Dragged through the air, the flame trails behind; still, it wavers on its own.
    const lean = p.reduced ? 0 : Math.max(-40, Math.min(40, -st.vx * 0.05)) + Math.sin(st.t * 3.7) * 3;
    const flicker = p.reduced ? 1 : 1 + Math.sin(st.t * 23) * 0.05 + Math.sin(st.t * 37) * 0.04;
    const [halo, candle] = el.children as HTMLCollectionOf<HTMLElement>;
    halo.style.transform = `translate(${p.x}px, ${p.y}px) scale(${0.6 + st.glow * 0.6})`;
    halo.style.opacity = String(st.glow);
    candle.style.transform = `translate(${p.x}px, ${p.y}px)`;
    (candle.querySelector("[data-flame]") as SVGElement).style.transform = `rotate(${lean}deg) scale(${st.size * (2 - flicker)}, ${st.size * flicker})`;
  });

  return (
    <div ref={ref} aria-hidden className={`${cursorRoot} ${className}`}>
      <div className="absolute size-24 -translate-1/2 rounded-full bg-[radial-gradient(circle,rgb(255_180_60/0.35),transparent_65%)]" />
      {/* Zero-size wrapper at the pointer, with the flame's heart on it. */}
      <div className="absolute top-0 left-0">
        <CandleArt className="absolute top-[-11px] left-[-10px] h-[50px] w-5" />
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

It runs on the useCursor hook, which has its own source and API.

More halloween cursors

Made a cursor of your own? Contributed cursors carry their maker's name on their page.

Contribute a cursor