diff --git a/agent/BACKLOG.md b/agent/BACKLOG.md
index f11aa69..0a5003b 100644
--- a/agent/BACKLOG.md
+++ b/agent/BACKLOG.md
@@ -89,10 +89,16 @@ review:
     summer-day capture).
   - summer-day whole-swap capture reviewed (iteration #35): the
     authored slate menu + island-pill bar survive the 28b retunes and
-    read as one coherent identity — keep. One nit: its rasi doesn't
-    dim the entry placeholder, so "Menu Type to search…" reads as one
-    run-on phrase (generated theme dims it; mirror that in the two
-    summer rasi).
+    read as one coherent identity — keep. ✓ placeholder-dim nit fixed
+    (iteration #38: both summer rasi, bg0 at 60% alpha).
+  - latte capture reviewed (iteration #38): the generated menu is
+    fully coherent on light themes (zebra rows, retuned surface, blue
+    selected, dimmed hints) — the audit's "dark terminal on latte"
+    preview concern was a stale preview, not a defect. Backdrop
+    probe: misc:background_color IS applied (hyprctl getoption =
+    0xFFEFF1F5); captures show dark because awww's empty-state layer
+    paints over it in the wallpaper-less VM — on hardware the fix
+    covers its intended window (the pre-awww startup gap).
   - Harness gap: wallpaper needs `~/.nomarchy` seeded in the guest
     (theme-sync reads runtime state there) — add before vibe-review
     captures; latte + an identity theme (lumon/retro-82) captures
diff --git a/agent/JOURNAL.md b/agent/JOURNAL.md
index a283484..f96c18e 100644
--- a/agent/JOURNAL.md
+++ b/agent/JOURNAL.md
@@ -17,6 +17,29 @@ Template:
 
 ---
 
+## 2026-07-05 — placeholder dim + latte review + backdrop probe (iteration #38, item 28c)
+- **Task:** item 28 slice (c) — the summer-rasi quickie + the light-
+  theme capture.
+- **Did:** both summer rasi: placeholder-color @bg0 → bg0 at 60%
+  alpha (#…99), so prompt and placeholder no longer read as one
+  phrase. Captured catppuccin-latte at 1080p: the generated menu is
+  COHERENT on light themes (zebra rows on the 28b-retuned surface,
+  hints dimmed) — closes the audit's "dark terminal on latte"
+  concern as a stale preview. Backdrop suspicion probed with a
+  dedicated VM (hyprctl getoption): misc:background_color IS set
+  (0xFFEFF1F5) — awww's empty-state layer occludes it in the
+  wallpaper-less VM; on hardware the fix covers the startup gap as
+  intended.
+- **Verified:** rasi edits grep-verified (rasi parses at rofi
+  runtime; visual rides the next summer capture / V3); latte menu
+  capture reviewed; probe output above.
+- **Pending:** item 28 remaining: icon-weight `[human]`, hardware
+  eyeballs (queued), identity-theme capture (optional), slice (d)
+  needs nothing (parity verified).
+- **Next suggestion:** item 28 is now Bernardo-gated (taste calls +
+  V3); the loop should return to the general BACKLOG head (item 14
+  watch / item 17 launch-or-focus).
+
 ## 2026-07-05 — rofi keybind hints (iteration #37, item 28c)
 - **Task:** item 28 slice (c) — the hint column, the audit's biggest
   remaining UX item.
diff --git a/themes/summer-day/rofi.rasi b/themes/summer-day/rofi.rasi
index 423062c..c9d12b8 100644
--- a/themes/summer-day/rofi.rasi
+++ b/themes/summer-day/rofi.rasi
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ entry {
     text-color: inherit;
     cursor: text;
     placeholder: "Type to search...";
-    placeholder-color: @bg0;
+    /* dimmed vs the prompt (item 28c) — bg0 at ~60% over the green */
+    placeholder-color: #fdf6e399;
 }
 
 listview {
diff --git a/themes/summer-night/rofi.rasi b/themes/summer-night/rofi.rasi
index d362df7..b8ea3c2 100644
--- a/themes/summer-night/rofi.rasi
+++ b/themes/summer-night/rofi.rasi
@@ -68,7 +68,8 @@ entry {
     text-color: inherit;
     cursor: text;
     placeholder: "Type to search...";
-    placeholder-color: @bg0;
+    /* dimmed vs the prompt (item 28c) — bg0 at ~60% over the green */
+    placeholder-color: #2d353b99;
 }
 
 listview {