Free Markings

Free markings are special ones that don't show up in the genome and don't have their own listings in the marking directory, but can be included on your colonist for free.

Freckles and beauty spots

Any colonist can have a light and natural smattering of small freckles on their face. These shouldn't look like any of the spotting genes and shouldn't be too extensive. To not be confused with Ember, this amount of freckles cannot be anywhere but the face.

We allow one small (smaller than the eye and fairly rounded) sized free-floating beauty spot per limb and tail. This can mimic the scent spot that wolves have on the back of the tail.

Minimal White and Black

Minimal white and minimal black are available for any colonist, unless they have another gene that suppresses these markings, such as albinism or melanism. These use the colour ranges from Free Ranges above and must never be true white (#FFF) or true black (#000). They also must be darker/lighter than the base coat, based on whether they're minimal white or minimal black. For example, minimal black should not appear lighter than the base coat of a black colonist, and minimal white should not appear darker than the base coat on a white colonist.

These markings should be solid unless affected by the modifier ticking and must be at least somewhat hard-edged for the majority of the "marking." They should not have holes in them, especially by the toes/tailtip.

These are a very basic marking and should not look too much like Mask. It has potential to be confused with a very pale or dark Socks, so if you use min white, please specify it in your design comments or post-submission whelp comments.

On the body, minimal (or 'min') white and black grow outwards from the extremities and belly, spreading similarly to Underbelly or Sabino. The head alone allows for disconnected "blazes," "eyeshadow,"  or "ocelli" (false eye spots like in tigers) type areas, but it should be noted that it should not be very detailed at all and should not look too much like Mask.

Ranges

Hexapod (Six limbed)

Quadruped (Four limbed)

Apoda (No limbed)

Nuance

Nuance comes in three ways: gradients across the whole body, slight shifts around bony prominences, and areas of higher bloodflow ("vascular points"). It is always soft or gradient edged and should not be confused with true markings like Soften, Countershading, or Greying.

We allow for minor gradients that allow the top half of the colonist to be slightly lighter or darker than the bottom half. They should not change in hue or saturation, but can adjust in luminance. In other words, it can be lighter or darker, but not more or less blue/red/etc.

Dark topline gradient.

Light underside gradient.

Bony prominences are areas where bone is closer to the surface. These areas usually become darker than the base coat, though they can be slightly lighter. They can be slightly more saturated than the base but should not be any different in hue. As an example, on a blue base, they can be a slightly deeper blue but should not be any more green or purple than the original.

Vascular areas are those where the fur is very thin and bloodflow is more present and evident. This can cause a soft natural pink or very slightly red tint in a gradient directly around the following areas: Snout, eyes, lips, belly or groin (where it's not covered by long fur), and sometimes paws near the pads or claws. This is often very noticeable on white markings, pale coat colours, and albino colonists, but is generally not visible on darker coats.

These vascular areas, most evidently on the snout, ears, and around the groin, may have some subtle spotting that blends into the skin nuances of the coat. These spots (and the flesh nuance associated with it) should be darker than the marking it sits above. Examples: Near-black on dark grey markings, grey on monochromatic markings, or pale pink on white spotting markings.

Hairless colonists experience this to a broader extent, often making a gradual natural pink or peachy tint across the body on pale areas.

Vascular nuance on albino

Vascular nuance visible in min white