Whatsupbrotendo/sandbox

Skrell main page:

Natural Skrell skin colour is dependent on subspecies and can range from deep blues to bold greens or even vibrant reds. Diet is also a determining factor, with brightness and shade being affected based on pigment consumed. Genetic engineers have worked with physical appearance to accelerate natural changes in skin colour and headtail length, and are capable of giving a 'Spa treatment' to change hue and saturation in the skin over the course of a month, while changing headtail length takes about a year but also causes an increased appetite. This type of physical alteration is natural in society and is compared to humans dyeing their hair a different colour. Also notable is the fact that physical disorders and abnormalities are not seen as disgusting, but worthy of study and interest.

Skrell ethnicities page:

Colours and Markings
Body colour is divided along species lines, with Axiori taking the darker colours and Xiialt taking the brighter colours; Axiori can naturally have dark shades of purple, red, brown or blue, while Xiialt will have lighter shades of yellow, green, blue, or red. The distinction also extends to body markings, with Axiori having simpler markings in comparison to Xiialt. Xiiori, just like with other physical attributes, will take after both their Axiori and Xiialt parents, with the Axiori genes being more dominant. The offspring of a red Axiori with dot markings and a blue Xiialt with splotches could create a purple-coloured Xiiori - with the markings being either a mix of both or just one. There is enough variance in both subspecies for outliers in natural body colour existing without being Xiiori, although modern-day spa treatments and the species' societal views make this an unremarkable phenomenon.

Diet can influence colouration, but cannot change a Skrell's colour entirely. The process can take a few years for any observable changes or it can be sped up by eating high quantities of food with the desired pigment, reducing the time from a few years to only a year. Through diet, a Skrell can change the shade of their skin to be lighter or darker depending on what they have been eating, but the most observable change is in the stomach region and any markings; bright yellow spots may turn brown over time if a Skrell only eats food containing dark pigments, or the abdomen could change from white to orange if their diet contains a lot of orange pigments.

Spas are common enough both within and outside the Federation that unless finding themselves deep within the frontiers of space, Skrell are able to change how they look without being beholden to what was once unique to their subspecies; Spa treatments allow for any combination of colour or pattern and are neither especially promoted nor frowned upon by Skrell. This cosmetic genetic modification allows for Axiori to sport bright, vibrant colours and Xiialt to have deep, rich colours, or staying with their natural colouration. Spa treatments are permanent outside of changes caused by diet, and can be passed onto offspring.

Examples of Skrell natural colours, along with an example of a Skrell who has had spa treatments        