docs(product): DS-2 revised — three-accent pastel palette + REAPER-grey neutrals

Replace the single electric-cyan accent with a pastel lime/teal/purple three-accent system; shift neutral surfaces + text from near-black to REAPER's mid-grey theme family. Font upgrade declined (no bundling). L3 conformed to the new look; gate intact.

CONTEXT.md

@@ -1373,12 +1373,38 @@ LICE's actual ceiling — which REAPER's own themed UI and SWS prove is a modern
   object model wholesale (its controls own their hit-test internally, which would move
   geometry into untestable shell code and undercut the pure/shell split).
 - **DS-2 — visual direction: Direction B ("Neon Console") + Direction C's spectral
-  keyboard strip.** Near-black base (`~18,18,22`) with a single vivid accent (electric cyan
-  leads) for the live/active/selected layer only; everything else calm neutral gray. The
-  **spectral (hue-mapped) keyboard strip** — low notes cool → high notes hot, glow-on-active
-  as a static drawn state — is the signature surface (it turns the multi-zone-in-one-instance
-  advantage into a visual identity). The kit palette is **abstract** (role→color, one
-  constants block), so the direction is a single-file change.
+  keyboard strip. SETTLED 2026-07-26, REVISED 2026-07-26 (Daniel) — three-accent pastel
+  accents AND REAPER-grey neutrals (palette-only).** *Neutral surfaces (revised):* the
+  neutral ladder moved **from near-black up into REAPER's mid-grey theme family** so the
+  dock reads as *part of REAPER, not a black slab* — `bg/base` ≈ `#2b2b2b` (REAPER chrome),
+  `bg/panel` ≈ `#333333`, `bg/cell` ≈ `#3a3a3a` (REAPER track bg), `line/hairline` ≈
+  `#4a4a4a`, `text/primary` ≈ `#dcdcdc`, `text/dim` ≈ `~#a0a0a0`+. Elevation-ladder
+  discipline unchanged (base < panel < cell by a few %, micro-gradient + inner
+  highlight/shadow carry elevation, not hard borders). *Accent layer (revised):* changed
+  from **one electric cyan** to **three pastel accents**: `accent/primary` = **pastel lime
+  green** (`~176,224,152`, the
+  live/active/selected signal), `accent/secondary` = **pastel teal** (`~132,214,208`,
+  categorical role A), `accent/tertiary` = **pastel purple** (`~194,170,232`, categorical
+  role B); `accent/hot` is a lighter pastel-lime tint (`~200,236,178`). These are *starting*
+  values — the implementer locks final hex against the theme module's WCAG tests, staying
+  **within the pastel intent** ("soft-side" floor: the most pastel value that still clears,
+  not re-saturated toward neon). The **spectral (hue-mapped) keyboard strip** — signature
+  surface, glow-on-active as a static drawn state — is now a **pastel** sweep anchored on the
+  three accents (pastel-lime low → pastel-teal mid → pastel-purple high). **A stylish/bundled
+  font upgrade was considered and DECLINED (Daniel, 2026-07-26)** — no font bundling or
+  redistribution; the kit keeps its **current** cached-font face and no new typeface is
+  specified (§3.1). The kit palette stays **abstract** (role→color, one constants block —
+  now three accent roles), so the direction is a single-file change. *Tight pairs flagged for
+  the implementer (re-verify against the GREY ladder, not near-black):* **`text/dim` on
+  grey** (mid-grey-on-mid-grey — lands ~4:1 at start, must be lifted toward `~#a8a8a8`+ to
+  clear AA 4.5:1 body on `#333`/`#3a3a3a`, the classic floor failure); **the three pastels
+  as state indicators / active fills on `bg/cell`** (the pastel cushion shrank from ~15:1 on
+  near-black to ~6:1–7:1 on grey — still clears 3:1 but must be re-checked; if any drops
+  below floor, nudge that hue slightly deeper within the pastel intent); body text **on a
+  pastel fill** (light-grey on a light pastel can drop below AA 4.5:1 — use dark labels on
+  pastel fills or darken the fill); and **secondary vs. tertiary** distinguishability (both
+  cool/desaturated — verify they read as distinct categories). Full reasoning:
+  `docs/product/visual-design-language.md` §2.1 + §4 + §6.
 - **DS-3 — dock-panel scope: a thorough layout redesign, not a light re-skin.** L2 lays out
   the *full* button/affordance inventory — including M11's action-trigger buttons +
   keybinding-help labels — intuitively, uncluttered, and useful, then applies the kit.
@@ -1386,17 +1412,32 @@ LICE's actual ceiling — which REAPER's own themed UI and SWS prove is a modern
 
 ## Palette + the "punch" rule (Daniel's standing taste)
 
-Dark, modern, **visual punch over conservative contrast.** The palette is defined by
-**role**, not hardcoded hue: `bg/base`, `bg/panel`, `bg/cell`, `line/hairline`,
-`text/primary`, `text/dim`, `accent`, `accent/hot`, `warn`. A modern dark UI is built from
-**elevation layers**, not borders — surfaces gain a **micro-gradient** (`LICE_GradRect`,
-a few percent lighter at the top) + a 1px inner top-highlight / bottom-shadow (the vwnd
-trick) instead of flat fills. **WCAG-floor discipline:** for each text-on-surface pair,
-take the *most* vibrant accent that still clears its floor (AA 4.5:1 body / 3:1 large +
-state indicators) — the floor approached from the vibrant side, never a retreat to safe
-gray. The `warn` role (red/amber) is reserved *only* for byte-deleting or clip states
-(prune, delete). Because the palette is role-based in one constants block, the settled
-B+spectral direction (DS-2) is one file.
+Dark, modern, **visual punch over conservative contrast — now pastel, on REAPER-grey.** The
+palette is defined by **role**, not hardcoded hue: `bg/base`, `bg/panel`, `bg/cell`,
+`line/hairline`, `text/primary`, `text/dim`, `accent/primary`, `accent/secondary`,
+`accent/tertiary`, `accent/hot`, `warn`. **Neutral surfaces (DS-2 revised, 2026-07-26):**
+the neutral ladder sits in **REAPER's mid-grey theme family**, not near-black, so the dock
+reads as *part of REAPER* — `bg/base` ≈ `#2b2b2b`, `bg/panel` ≈ `#333333`, `bg/cell` ≈
+`#3a3a3a`, `line/hairline` ≈ `#4a4a4a`, `text/primary` ≈ `#dcdcdc`, `text/dim` ≈ `~#a0a0a0`+.
+A modern dark UI is built from **elevation layers**, not borders — surfaces gain a
+**micro-gradient** (`LICE_GradRect`, a few percent lighter at the top) + a 1px inner
+top-highlight / bottom-shadow (the vwnd trick) instead of flat fills; the grey ladder keeps
+this discipline (base < panel < cell by a few %, subtle steps like REAPER, not hard
+outlines). The three accents carry categorical meaning: **primary (pastel lime) =
+live/active/selected**, **secondary (pastel teal) + tertiary (pastel purple) = supporting
+categorical distinctions** (kinds, not intensity — primary is always "what's live now").
+**WCAG-floor discipline (pastel + grey re-read):** moving neutrals *up* into grey makes two
+pairs *harder* — (1) **`text/dim` on `bg/panel`/`bg/cell`** is the classic
+mid-grey-on-mid-grey floor failure (must be lifted light enough to clear AA 4.5:1 body on
+the greyest surface it draws on), and (2) **the three pastels as state indicators on grey**
+have a shrunken contrast cushion (~6:1–7:1 vs. ~15:1 on near-black — still clear 3:1 but
+re-verify; nudge a hue slightly deeper within the pastel intent if it drops below floor).
+Text-on-a-pastel-fill (AA 4.5:1) remains a tight pair. Take the *most pastel* value that
+still clears the floor **on grey** — approached from the **soft side**, never re-saturated
+toward neon "to be safe," except where the grey floor forces a small deepening. The `warn`
+role (red/amber) is reserved *only* for byte-deleting or clip states (prune, delete).
+Because the palette is role-based in one constants block, the settled-and-revised
+B+pastel+grey+spectral direction (DS-2) is one file.
 
 ## "Speed is the selling point" — a design constraint, not a tagline
 
@@ -1413,8 +1454,18 @@ already does). Direction C's glow/bloom is a **static drawn state, never a pulse
 
 Pure (no LICE, no REAPER types, unit-tested — the mirror of `mode_switch`/`bank_grid`):
 - **`theme`/palette module** — role→color mapping, direction-selectable via one constants
-  block (the B+spectral values). Pure; unit-tested that each text-on-surface pair clears
-  its WCAG floor (the "punch" rule made testable).
+  block (the B + REAPER-grey-neutral + three-accent-pastel + pastel-spectral values). Pure;
+  unit-tested that each text-on-surface pair clears its WCAG floor (the "punch" rule made
+  testable). *DS-2 revision (2026-07-26):* (a) the neutral ladder moves from near-black up
+  into REAPER's mid-grey family (`bg/base` `#2b2b2b` / `bg/panel` `#333333` / `bg/cell`
+  `#3a3a3a` / `line/hairline` `#4a4a4a` / `text/primary` `#dcdcdc` / `text/dim` `~#a0a0a0`+),
+  and (b) the accent role expands from one to three (`accent/primary` lime, `accent/secondary`
+  teal, `accent/tertiary` purple) with the spectral ramp a pastel sweep anchored on those
+  three — all still confined to the one constants block + the shell's font lifecycle. **The
+  WCAG test must be re-run against the GREY ladder** — it gains the newly-tight grey pairs:
+  `text/dim`-on-grey (AA 4.5:1) and each pastel-as-state-indicator on `bg/cell` (3:1), plus
+  the existing text-on-pastel-fill pairs. (No font change: a bundled-font upgrade was
+  declined — the cached-font set keeps the kit's current face.)
 - **Component geometry/hit-test helpers** — button rect, slider track/handle geometry,
   list-row rect + hover hit-test, and any new layout module L2 needs (an action-bar layout
   module). No LICE, no host types; CTest-covered. Existing pure modules
@@ -1475,9 +1526,11 @@ the **current** drawing and **adopt the L1 kit when it is available — they are
 Phase L.** Whichever lands first (the L1 kit or the S10–S13 UX), the kit is the **one source
 of drawing**: if S10–S13 reach dev before L1, they draw in the current language and L3
 restyles them; if L1 lands first, they are born in the kit. Either way there is one kit and
-one look; L3 completes the VST/embed adoption and applies the settled B+spectral treatment
-(with C's spectral keyboard strip as the signature surface). The VST3 class UID is
-unchanged — a visual refresh is not a compat event.
+one look; L3 completes the VST/embed adoption and applies the settled-and-revised **B +
+three-accent pastel** treatment (with C's **pastel** spectral keyboard strip as the
+signature surface), routing text through the kit's cached-font `text()` (§3.1 — the kit's
+current face; no font change). The VST3 class UID is unchanged — a visual refresh is not a
+compat event.
 
 ## Precision / invariant implications (what Phase L does NOT change)