Change the background colour in compact mode to achieve the same level of contrast as with bubbles.

src/qml/Component/Timeline/SectionDelegate.qml

@@ -42,6 +42,6 @@ QQC2.ItemDelegate {
     background: Rectangle {
         color: Config.blur ? "transparent" : Kirigami.Theme.backgroundColor
         Kirigami.Theme.inherit: false
-        Kirigami.Theme.colorSet: Kirigami.Theme.Window
+        Kirigami.Theme.colorSet: Config.compactLayout ? Kirigami.Theme.View : Kirigami.Theme.Window
     }
 }

src/qml/Page/RoomPage.qml

@@ -581,37 +581,42 @@ Kirigami.ScrollablePage {
         }
     }
 
-    background: FancyEffectsContainer {
+    background: Rectangle {
-        id: fancyEffectsContainer
+        color: Config.compactLayout ? Kirigami.Theme.backgroundColor : "transparent"
-        z: 100
 
-        enabled: Config.showFancyEffects
+        FancyEffectsContainer {
+            id: fancyEffectsContainer
+            anchors.fill: parent
+            z: 100
 
-        function processFancyEffectsReason(fancyEffect) {
-            if (fancyEffect === "snowflake") {
-                fancyEffectsContainer.showSnowEffect()
-            }
-            if (fancyEffect === "fireworks") {
-                fancyEffectsContainer.showFireworksEffect()
-            }
-            if (fancyEffect === "confetti") {
-                fancyEffectsContainer.showConfettiEffect()
-            }
-        }
-
-        Connections {
             enabled: Config.showFancyEffects
-            target: messageEventModel
-            function onFancyEffectsReasonFound(fancyEffect) {
-                fancyEffectsContainer.processFancyEffectsReason(fancyEffect)
-            }
-        }
 
-        Connections {
+            function processFancyEffectsReason(fancyEffect) {
-            enabled: Config.showFancyEffects
+                if (fancyEffect === "snowflake") {
-            target: actionsHandler
+                    fancyEffectsContainer.showSnowEffect()
-            function onShowEffect(fancyEffect) {
+                }
-                fancyEffectsContainer.processFancyEffectsReason(fancyEffect)
+                if (fancyEffect === "fireworks") {
+                    fancyEffectsContainer.showFireworksEffect()
+                }
+                if (fancyEffect === "confetti") {
+                    fancyEffectsContainer.showConfettiEffect()
+                }
+            }
+
+            Connections {
+                enabled: Config.showFancyEffects
+                target: messageEventModel
+                function onFancyEffectsReasonFound(fancyEffect) {
+                    fancyEffectsContainer.processFancyEffectsReason(fancyEffect)
+                }
+            }
+
+            Connections {
+                enabled: Config.showFancyEffects
+                target: actionsHandler
+                function onShowEffect(fancyEffect) {
+                    fancyEffectsContainer.processFancyEffectsReason(fancyEffect)
+                }
             }
         }
     }