diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/admin/admin_base.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/admin/admin_base.scss
index ca47c70d4..33da77e84 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/admin/admin_base.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/admin/admin_base.scss
@@ -129,16 +129,16 @@ td.flaggers td {
 }
 
 .admin-controls {
-  background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -75%);
+  background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -65%);
   padding: 10px 10px 3px 0;
   @include clearfix;
   .nav.nav-pills {
     li.active {
       a {
-        border-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -60%);
-        background-color: lighten($primary, 40%);
+        border-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -90%);
+        background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 40%, -10%);
         &:hover {
-          background-color: lighten($primary, 40%);
+          background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 40%, -10%);
         }
       }
     }
@@ -1113,7 +1113,7 @@ table.api-keys {
 .content-list {
 
   h3 {
-    color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 50%, -60%);
+    color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 50%, -20%);
     font-size: 1.071em;
     padding-left: 5px;
     margin-bottom: 10px;
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/code_highlighting.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/code_highlighting.scss
index 02aa19e72..c5fe8d617 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/code_highlighting.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/code_highlighting.scss
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ github.com style (c) Vasily Polovnyov <vast@whiteants.net>
 .hljs {
   display: block;
   padding: 0.5em;
-  color: #333;
+  color: dark-light-choose(#333, #f8f8f8);
 }
 
 .hljs-comment,
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ github.com style (c) Vasily Polovnyov <vast@whiteants.net>
 .hljs-subst,
 .hljs-request,
 .hljs-status {
-  color: #333;
+  color: dark-light-choose(#333, #f8f8f8);
   font-weight: bold;
 }
 
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ github.com style (c) Vasily Polovnyov <vast@whiteants.net>
 .hljs-tag .hljs-value,
 .hljs-phpdoc,
 .tex .hljs-formula {
-  color: #d14;
+  color: dark-light-choose(#d14, #f66);
 }
 
 .hljs-title,
@@ -70,14 +70,14 @@ github.com style (c) Vasily Polovnyov <vast@whiteants.net>
 .hljs-tag .hljs-title,
 .hljs-rules .hljs-property,
 .django .hljs-tag .hljs-keyword {
-  color: #000080;
+  color: dark-light-choose(#000080, #99f);
   font-weight: normal;
 }
 
 .hljs-attribute,
 .hljs-variable,
 .lisp .hljs-body {
-  color: #008080;
+  color: dark-light-choose(#008080, #0ee);
 }
 
 .hljs-regexp {
@@ -132,8 +132,8 @@ github.com style (c) Vasily Polovnyov <vast@whiteants.net>
 */
 
 p > code, li > code, pre > code {
-  color: #333;
-  background: #f8f8f8;
+  color: dark-light-choose(#333, #f8f8f8);
+  background: dark-light-choose(#f8f8f8, #333);
 }
 
 // removed some unnecessary styles here
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss
index 43da67c1e..ce6ca6682 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/discourse.scss
@@ -32,8 +32,8 @@ small {
 
 
 blockquote {
-  background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 97%, -45%);
-  border-left: 5px solid dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -65%);
+  border-left: 5px solid dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -75%);
+  background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 97%, -65%);
   overflow: hidden;
   clear: both;
 }
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/topic-post.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/topic-post.scss
index ec590ae39..0013fab8c 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/topic-post.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/base/topic-post.scss
@@ -50,8 +50,8 @@ aside.quote {
   .badge-wrapper { margin-left: 5px; }
 
   .title {
-    border-left: 5px solid dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -65%);
-    background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 97%, -45%);
+    border-left: 5px solid dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 90%, -75%);
+    background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 97%, -65%);
     color: scale-color($primary, $lightness: 30%);
     // IE will screw up the blockquote underneath if bottom padding is 0px
     padding: 12px 12px 1px 12px;
@@ -113,8 +113,8 @@ aside.quote {
 .quote-button {
   display: none;
   position: absolute;
-  background-color: scale-color($primary, $lightness: 50%);
-  color: $secondary;
+  background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 50%, -50%);
+  color: dark-light-choose($secondary, $primary);
   padding: 10px;
   z-index: 401;
 
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ aside.quote {
   }
 
   &:hover {
-    background-color: scale-color($primary, $lightness: 40%);
+    background-color: dark-light-diff($primary, $secondary, 40%, -40%);
     cursor: pointer;
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/components/buttons.css.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/components/buttons.css.scss
index 282135631..f55ff6d34 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/components/buttons.css.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/components/buttons.css.scss
@@ -73,17 +73,16 @@
 
 .btn-primary {
   border: none;
-  color: $secondary;
   font-weight: normal;
-  color: #fff;
-  background: $tertiary;
+  color: dark-light-choose($primary, scale-color($primary, $lightness: 60%));
+  background: dark-light-choose($tertiary, $tertiary);
 
   &[href] {
     color: $secondary;
   }
   &:hover {
     color: #fff;
-    background: scale-color($tertiary, $lightness: -20%);
+    background: dark-light-choose(scale-color($tertiary, $lightness: -20%), scale-color($tertiary, $lightness: -20%));
   }
   &:active {
     @include linear-gradient(scale-color($tertiary, $lightness: -20%), scale-color($tertiary, $lightness: -10%));
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss
index 01e77684b..0c51ce420 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/common/foundation/variables.scss
@@ -42,3 +42,10 @@ $base-font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif !default;
     @return scale-color($adjusted-color, $lightness: $darkness);
   }
 }
+@function dark-light-choose($light-theme-result, $dark-theme-result) {
+  @if brightness($primary) < brightness($secondary) {
+    @return $light-theme-result;
+  } @else {
+    @return $dark-theme-result;
+  }
+}