Your assessment is accurate. I have realised I may be asking for something that is indeed the _antithesis_ for this project.
For me though, the two monitors are just one screen which I should have total flexibility over. And workspaces are a way to switch context -- to a different set of tasks.
The ⊢ shaped arrangement is the result of a tendency towards more squarish (than wide-screen) canvas. I still manage to find 16:10s (as opposed to 16:9s) in that vain.
I’m interested to hear what you have in mind.