History

The SKN universe is set in the near future, and thus has a very recent divergent point. Most of history up until the time the story takes place is exactly as the real world's is, with all the tension and advancement that comes along with it.

The skin changing procedure was developed in 2021 by Dr. Derek Becker with assistance from Dr. Sam Merryl, as detailed in 'Dr. Becker's' blog, The Dallas Diaries. Much of the violence and tension with the emerging recoloured population comes to a head in 2040, when Michael Kingston kills his brother Louis.

Some of the unique terms, such as 'reeks', do come up as a result of the circumstances of the story. 'Reeks' is not only a slang term for 'recoloureds', but has the obvious connotation of being lowly and 'reeking' of bad news. This bad news often comes from people feeling cheated that others are not 'what they look like'. It also sounds a bit like 'freaks', which many anti-recolouration groups believe the 'reeks' to truly be—abominations of science and failed humanity.