Lore: Cephilusk Clothing (Patreon)

Over the years, there have been a few questions about the Cephilusk's clothing choices and why it is so revealing, and I thought it would be fun to do a deep dive into the lore.

Fashion is rooted in culture, culture is formed from collective experiences and experiences are filtered through our perceptions, which in turn are dictated by our frame of reference.

Having a different frame of reference has a knock-on butterfly effect on all the other aspects of the fashion development chain. For instance, different species have different frameworks from which they extrapolate data. Dolphins and Space Whales (Cetacea Locusi or more commonly referred to as the Locus Whale) have about as much in common with each other as Humans and Cephilusks, making them an apt example in this instance. Dolphins might vaguely resemble Locus Whales, and both species might be equally intelligent, but the concept of bow-riding a solar pulse or frolicking in a nebula is utterly unfathomable to the Dolphin.

If both species were to reach a Type I Civilization, their way of life would look wildly different from each other in custom and function, including what they perceived as fashionable.

Bringing it closer to home, humans started wearing primitive clothing near the dawn of creation. According to several ancient religious texts, the first clothing items were made from sewn together fig leaves in an attempt to cover the shame of their sin by hiding their nakedness.

Fast forward to today, progressive fashion trends have been influenced by a more relaxed way of thinking. Nudity isn't a big deal anymore and societal pressures have relaxed in regards to viewing nudity as inherently sexual. Instead, humans wear clothing out of choice for decorative, self-expression and practical reasons. Individuals can distinguish the intent of the clothing (or lack thereof) through context. For the Cephilusk however, nudity has never been inherently sexual.* Humans might struggle to fully grasp this concept, just as the Dolphin might struggle to grasp the concept of bow-riding a solar pulse.

According to Cephilusk history, the first Cephilusk clothing was made from kelp ropes looped around their shoulders and limbs and decorated with shells. This allowed them to carry implements and other items on their person.

The Cephilusk are a naturally aggressive species in almost all aspects of life. Even their sexual encounters usually end up with both parties sustaining minor injuries. It's no surprise that when two different kindreds (a collective of Cephilusks) crossed paths, it always ended in violence and bloodshed, with the victor usually being the kindred that struck first. As Cephilusk society matured however, they no longer approached these encounters as a zero-sum game. Instead, several progressive kindreds formed fragile non-aggression relationships with their surrounding neighbours which led to an exponential growth rate in population and retained knowledge.

Despite this new found era of progress, there were still risks when establishing relationships with new kindreds. It was nearly impossible to predict which warriors were carrying concealed pull-blades moulded into their armour.** Thus the custom started when a kindred had peaceful intent, they would meet while wearing nothing more than looped kelp ropes, unknowingly creating the foundation of Cephilusk fashion.

Fashion is always looking to the future, but it can never escape the past. While larger Cephilusk fashion trends is a topic for another discussion, a majority of Cephilusk clothing are still rooted in the looped kelp ropes worn by their ancestors.

By understanding the different frames of references, it becomes easier to understand how something as silly as fashion could have unintended consequences during negotiations. The cultural biases surrounding clothing was responsible for a large portion of friction while humans and Cephilusks were trying to hammer out the agreement that would lead to the end of the Discovery War.

When humans feel threatened or scared, they tend to cover themselves. It's a primal instinct of self preservation reinforced through millennia of conditioning. It's no surprise that most humans felt more at ease while wearing combat armour and other protective coverings when meeting face-to-face with Cephilusk peace delegations. This of course led to additional layers of distrust and suspicion on behalf of the Cephilusk, rooted in their instinct and customs.

We've learned much about each other's cultures and customs since then, and while some Cephilusk still struggle coming to terms with our propensity to cover our bodies (just as some humans still struggle coming to terms with the concept that scantily clothed Cephilusk aren't sexual in nature), the majority has come to accept that we operate and extrapolate from different foundational frameworks.

Bringing an end to the Discovery War and being accepted into the ranks of the Interstellar Concordat is perhaps one of the greatest challenges humanity has had to overcome. Our different views on clothing was but one of the smaller misunderstandings, and had it not been for our stubborn and tenacious spirit despite overwhelming odds (a rare quality amongst the other interstellar species) the Discovery War would have ended very differently.

* Cephilusk sexual attraction is, strangely enough, based on smell and not on appearance.

** Ancient Cephilusk armour was made from woven flexdrill plant strands and kelp paste, moulded around the body and hardened into a cast by baking in the sun. The end result was something akin to 20th-century human kevlar with less textile strength but offering more mobility.

If you haven't tried Infinite Stars yet, you can find it on Steam or Itchio. You'll get to interact with some of the Cephilusk and experience what it feels like to meet with them face to face.