diff --git a/assets/css/main.css b/assets/css/main.css
index d5d4a51..14fd251 100644
--- a/assets/css/main.css
+++ b/assets/css/main.css
@@ -41,8 +41,9 @@
   --term: var(--accent); --term-fg: var(--accent-fg); /* console: fills, banner, prompt, caret */
   --focus: var(--accent);                            /* focus-visible outline */
 
-  /* pop palette — themes remap these; also feed syntax + mermaid diagrams */
-  --c-red: #c0392b; --c-orange: #cc6a1a; --c-yellow: #b8860b; --c-green: #2e8b57;
+  /* pop palette — themes remap these; also feed syntax + mermaid diagrams.
+     Light-base yellow/green are darkened to clear WCAG AA (4.5:1) as code text. */
+  --c-red: #c0392b; --c-orange: #cc6a1a; --c-yellow: #8a6100; --c-green: #1f7a4d;
   --c-cyan: #1f7a8c; --c-blue: #2c5f8a; --c-purple: #7b4bc4; --c-pink: #b83280;
 
   --measure: 68ch;
@@ -87,6 +88,15 @@
 
 * { box-sizing: border-box; }
 
+/* visually hidden but readable by screen readers (e.g. the home-page h1) */
+.visually-hidden {
+  position: absolute;
+  width: 1px; height: 1px;
+  margin: -1px; padding: 0; border: 0;
+  clip: rect(0 0 0 0); clip-path: inset(50%);
+  overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap;
+}
+
 html { -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; }
 
 body {
diff --git a/assets/css/themes/paper.css b/assets/css/themes/paper.css
index b49deb1..64c2412 100644
--- a/assets/css/themes/paper.css
+++ b/assets/css/themes/paper.css
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@
    Concatenated after main.css (see baseof.html); :root[...] matches the dark
    media query's specificity and wins by source order. */
 :root[data-theme="paper"] {
-  --bg: #faf4e8; --fg: #2b2b2b; --muted: #8a7f6a; --border: #e4d8c0;
+  --bg: #faf4e8; --fg: #2b2b2b; --muted: #6f6449; --border: #e4d8c0;
   --accent: #c0392b; --accent-fg: #ffffff; --selection: #efe2c6; --code: #b83280;
-  --c-red: #c0392b; --c-orange: #cc6a1a; --c-yellow: #b8860b; --c-green: #2e8b57;
+  --c-red: #c0392b; --c-orange: #cc6a1a; --c-yellow: #8a6100; --c-green: #1f7a4d;
   --c-cyan: #1f7a8c; --c-blue: #2c5f8a; --c-purple: #7b4bc4; --c-pink: #b83280;
   /* sets: each surface its own hue */
   --link: var(--c-red);
diff --git a/assets/css/themes/valentine.css b/assets/css/themes/valentine.css
index 010dc79..42846a3 100644
--- a/assets/css/themes/valentine.css
+++ b/assets/css/themes/valentine.css
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 /* Valentine — blush ground, burgundy ink, all pinks + rose/crimson pops
    (no purple). Concatenated after main.css (see baseof.html). */
 :root[data-theme="valentine"] {
-  --bg: #fff0f5; --fg: #4a0d20; --muted: #a86b7e; --border: #f3cdd9;
+  --bg: #fff0f5; --fg: #4a0d20; --muted: #8a4f63; --border: #f3cdd9;
   --accent: #c71f5d; --accent-fg: #ffffff; --selection: #ffd6e5; --code: #b0185a;
   --c-red: #a4133c; --c-orange: #d81159; --c-yellow: #b23a48; --c-green: #7b2d43;
   --c-cyan: #c9184a; --c-blue: #8c1c3f; --c-purple: #e05780; --c-pink: #ff5c8a;
diff --git a/assets/js/console.js b/assets/js/console.js
index 8f4f4bf..19ada56 100644
--- a/assets/js/console.js
+++ b/assets/js/console.js
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@
 
       // ↑/↓ walk previous commands (shell-style). Down past the newest clears the line.
       input.addEventListener("keydown", function (e) {
-        if (e.key !== "ArrowUp" && e.key !== "ArrowDown" || !cmdHistory.length) return;
+        if ((e.key !== "ArrowUp" && e.key !== "ArrowDown") || !cmdHistory.length) return;
         e.preventDefault();
         if (e.key === "ArrowUp") { if (histIdx > 0) histIdx--; }
         else if (histIdx < cmdHistory.length) histIdx++;
diff --git a/layouts/index.html b/layouts/index.html
index acd5fd4..c25c305 100644
--- a/layouts/index.html
+++ b/layouts/index.html
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
   {{ $posts := where site.RegularPages "Type" "posts" }}
   {{ $intro := or .Content site.Params.description }}
 
+  {{/* The front door has no visible page title by design; give it a real h1 for
+       the document outline / screen readers without changing the visible layout. */}}
+  <h1 class="visually-hidden">{{ site.Title }}</h1>
   {{ with $intro }}<div class="intro">{{ . }}</div>{{ end }}
 
   {{ with index $posts 0 }}