diff --git a/code/__HELPERS/files.dm b/code/__HELPERS/files.dm
index 8b4f8d5b54..aad5b4cab1 100644
--- a/code/__HELPERS/files.dm
+++ b/code/__HELPERS/files.dm
@@ -71,3 +71,18 @@
 
 /proc/pathflatten(path)
 	return replacetext(path, "/", "_")
+
+/// Returns the md5 of a file at a given path.
+/proc/md5filepath(path)
+	. = md5(file(path))
+
+/// Save file as an external file then md5 it.
+/// Used because md5ing files stored in the rsc sometimes gives incorrect md5 results.
+/proc/md5asfile(file)
+	var/static/notch = 0
+	// its importaint this code can handle md5filepath sleeping instead of hard blocking, if it's converted to use rust_g.
+	var/filename = "tmp/md5asfile.[world.realtime].[world.timeofday].[world.time].[world.tick_usage].[notch]"
+	notch = WRAP(notch+1, 0, 2^15)
+	fcopy(file, filename)
+	. = md5filepath(filename)
+	fdel(filename)
diff --git a/code/__HELPERS/icons.dm b/code/__HELPERS/icons.dm
index 11332863f5..2bd477d98c 100644
--- a/code/__HELPERS/icons.dm
+++ b/code/__HELPERS/icons.dm
@@ -1126,12 +1126,13 @@ GLOBAL_DATUM_INIT(dummySave, /savefile, new("tmp/dummySave.sav")) //Cache of ico
 	var/list/partial = splittext(iconData, "{")
 	return replacetext(copytext_char(partial[2], 3, -5), "\n", "")
 
-/proc/icon2html(thing, target, icon_state, dir, frame = 1, moving = FALSE)
+/proc/icon2html(thing, target, icon_state, dir = SOUTH, frame = 1, moving = FALSE, sourceonly = FALSE)
 	if (!thing)
 		return
 
 	var/key
 	var/icon/I = thing
+
 	if (!target)
 		return
 	if (target == world)
@@ -1147,17 +1148,26 @@ GLOBAL_DATUM_INIT(dummySave, /savefile, new("tmp/dummySave.sav")) //Cache of ico
 	if (!isicon(I))
 		if (isfile(thing)) //special snowflake
 			var/name = sanitize_filename("[generate_asset_name(thing)].png")
-			if(!SSassets.cache[name])
+			if (!SSassets.cache[name])
 				SSassets.transport.register_asset(name, thing)
 			for (var/thing2 in targets)
 				SSassets.transport.send_assets(thing2, name)
+			if(sourceonly)
+				return SSassets.transport.get_asset_url(name)
 			return "<img class='icon icon-misc' src='[SSassets.transport.get_asset_url(name)]'>"
 		var/atom/A = thing
-		if (isnull(dir))
-			dir = A.dir
+
+		I = A.icon
 		if (isnull(icon_state))
 			icon_state = A.icon_state
-		I = A.icon
+			if (!(icon_state in icon_states(I, 1)))
+				icon_state = initial(A.icon_state)
+				if (isnull(dir))
+					dir = initial(A.dir)
+
+		if (isnull(dir))
+			dir = A.dir
+
 		if (ishuman(thing)) // Shitty workaround for a BYOND issue.
 			var/icon/temp = I
 			I = icon()
diff --git a/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm b/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm
index 41cee06db1..72d976bf11 100644
--- a/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm
+++ b/code/modules/asset_cache/asset_cache_item.dm
@@ -24,12 +24,10 @@
 /datum/asset_cache_item/New(name, file)
 	if (!isfile(file))
 		file = fcopy_rsc(file)
-	hash = md5(file)
+
+	hash = md5asfile(file) //icons sent to the rsc sometimes md5 incorrectly
 	if (!hash)
-		hash = md5(fcopy_rsc(file))
-		if (!hash)
-			CRASH("invalid asset sent to asset cache")
-		debug_world_log("asset cache unexpected success of second fcopy_rsc")
+		CRASH("invalid asset sent to asset cache")
 	src.name = name
 	var/extstart = findlasttext(name, ".")
 	if (extstart)