[MIRROR] ports the chat panel and backend updates [NO GBP] (#12221)

Co-authored-by: Kashargul <144968721+Kashargul@users.noreply.github.com>

code/controllers/subsystems/assets.dm

@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 SUBSYSTEM_DEF(assets)
 	name = "Assets"
 	dependencies = list(
+		/datum/controller/subsystem/atoms,
 		/datum/controller/subsystem/holomaps,
 		/datum/controller/subsystem/robot_sprites
-		///datum/controller/subsystem/persistent_paintings,
-		///datum/controller/subsystem/greyscale_previews,
 	)
 	flags = SS_NO_FIRE
 	var/list/datum/asset_cache_item/cache = list()
@@ -25,11 +24,7 @@ SUBSYSTEM_DEF(assets)
 		transport = newtransport
 	transport.Load()
 
-
-
 /datum/controller/subsystem/assets/Initialize()
-	OnConfigLoad()
-
 	for(var/type in typesof(/datum/asset))
 		var/datum/asset/A = type
 		if (type != initial(A._abstract))
@@ -37,7 +32,6 @@ SUBSYSTEM_DEF(assets)
 
 	transport.Initialize(cache)
 
-	initialized = TRUE
 	return SS_INIT_SUCCESS
 
 /datum/controller/subsystem/assets/Recover()

code/controllers/subsystems/early_assets.dm

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/// Initializes any assets that need to be loaded ASAP.
+/// This houses preference menu assets, since they can be loaded at any time,
+/// most dangerously before the atoms SS initializes.
+/// Thus, we want it to fail consistently in CI as if it would've if a player
+/// opened it up early.
+SUBSYSTEM_DEF(early_assets)
+	name = "Early Assets"
+	dependents = list(
+		/datum/controller/subsystem/mapping,
+		/datum/controller/subsystem/atoms,
+	)
+	init_stage = INITSTAGE_EARLY
+	flags = SS_NO_FIRE
+
+/datum/controller/subsystem/early_assets/Initialize()
+	var/init_source = "early assets"
+	SSatoms.set_tracked_initalized(INITIALIZATION_INNEW_REGULAR, init_source)
+
+	for (var/datum/asset/asset_type as anything in subtypesof(/datum/asset))
+		if (initial(asset_type._abstract) == asset_type)
+			continue
+
+		if (!initial(asset_type.early))
+			continue
+
+		if (!load_asset_datum(asset_type))
+			stack_trace("Could not initialize early asset [asset_type]!")
+
+		CHECK_TICK
+
+	SSatoms.clear_tracked_initalize(init_source)
+
+	return SS_INIT_SUCCESS