My pied is pretty chill. He sounds a lot like your python. On the other hand I have a cinnamon and she's really feisty. Temperament depends on the snake. Most of mine are docile, but I have a few that hiss and strike. Leon, my leopard, got me a few times. (He's a hatchling and they can be pretty bitey.) But he seems to have mellowed out now that he's bigger and better adjusted to his enclosure. The cinnamon, not so much. She's gotten better at being handled, but she still hates movement, people looming over her, and being taken out of her cage. She scares easily. And when scared, she strikes. It'll be awhile before I'll be able to take her out in front of the kids.

No idea about the muted colors, but sometimes my pied's belly is still a little pink right after a shed. It usually goes away in a few days.