They'll balance to whatever the new middle ground is soon, don't worry. Though, I suppose if they didn't re-balance, they could have the same palette and people wouldn't get confused...

No, no, they should balance. There's more stuff ahead.

As for the last couple of panels, I've decided if I can't fuel non-canon shipping in non-canon "what if" scenarios in other realities, what's even the point of being the cartoonist?