The Shell and the Star - Part 2

This is Part 2 of the unpublishing book The Shell and the Star, which I'm sharing on this blog. A new section will be posted each Monday until the conclusion of the story.

If you missed Part 1 last week, you can find it here:  The Shell and the Star - Part 1

Where the story left off last week:

Jinn expected looks of alarm and disgust from the Perling greeting party, but instead they smiled at her and traded glances. Did they find her appearance amusing? Jinn glanced down at her plain black leggings and simple white tunic with its row of gold-tone catches. Her clothing did nothing to hide her deformity. No wonder they grinned. Why had she even come here? 

A mature female with dark, close-cropped hair broke rank to tread water before Jinn’s bubble, her light orange and cream body-veil undulating around her sleek form.

“Welcome, Jinn Amalla, to the Imperator’s estate. His Grace is eager to meet you. I am Morra, his estate manager.” The Perling spoke without opening her mouth, yet the speakers in Jinn’s enviro-unit translated the staffer’s words into Talstaric. Jinn cocked her head, spying a device under Morra’s chin that seemed to generate her voice. Perhaps by interpreting the movement of her throat and vocal chords? “Would you follow me, please?” Morra asked.

Jinn nodded and powered up her bubble, trailing along behind the staff member who glided through the spacious, curved halls that opened on both sides to massive, rounded chambers. All surfaces were bathed in soft, subdued colors. Above, silver ceilings rippled, casting light that shimmered and danced along the floor and walls.

No furniture? Jinn’s mouth skewed. Of course not. A species suspended by the buoyancy of water meant no need for seating modules.

Following Morra’s lead, Jinn navigated her bubble through a broad arch into a cavernous room beyond. She marveled at the organic contours, awash in soft hues of sand and aquamarine.

A large embossed mural of an aquatic fan-shell graced one wall--the emblem of the Perling species and the basis of their collective identity--The Shell. As much a symbol of their empire as—she glanced at the blue tattoo decorating her palm—the stylistic Star of her native people.

Jinn’s gaze swept the globular room, noticing an imposing male in a columned alcove scanning diagrams on a large wall screen. He looked up as Jinn and her escort approached and rotated his fins to turn her way, a slow smile spreading over his lips.

“Your Grace, our anticipated guest has arrived,” Morra announced.

“Excellent.” Blanking the screen, he swam out of the alcove to greet her.

She brought her bubble to neutral-hold, bowing her head in respect...as well as a little awe. The Imperator was a magnificent creature, easily as tall and imposing as her father.

“Jinn Amalla, fifth daughter of Commander Arc, you are most welcome to my home,” his words rumbled from her translator. “Your presence here pleases me greatly.” He seemed genuine in his welcome, but then, according to her father he’d known what to expect.

“Your Excellency,” she responded with all the courage she could muster. “It’s an honor to be your guest. My father sends his highest regards.”

“I have missed my dear friend. Indeed, I have not had the company of a Talstar emissary in my estate for many longtides.” He rose to the ceiling and his head disappeared through the shiny surface. Jinn followed his movement, watching with her mouth agape. The malleable silver ceiling overhead wasn’t a surface at all. It appeared to be the bottom of a large air pocket incorporated into the room’s design. After filling his lungs, the Imperator re-submerged to regard her, still smiling.

They’re airbreathers? Jenn snapped her jaw shut, trying to hide her surprise. He might think her weak-minded. Her people were told so little about the Perling, it had never occurred to her that they couldn’t remain beneath the water without an air supply, just as she needed the enviro-bubble for the oxygen she required. So they weren’t truly a marine species as she’d always believed. Yet their kind certainly had important adaptations as aquatic mammals–fins, for one, and an efficient respiratory system that allowed them to hold their breaths for extended periods.

“Tell me of yourself, child,” the Imperator said, pulling her attention back from her musing.

“I—I have reached twenty-four seasons…as y-yet unbid,” Jinn stammered, then stopped when she remembered her father’s reproach for being so hard on herself.

“Much to my son’s gain.” Placing his fin beneath his chin, his deep blue body-veil gracefully enveloping his arm with the movement, the Imperator regarded her. “Yes, I think he will be most pleased to know you.”

“It is my fear he will not, Your Excellency.”

“Ah, but that is because you don’t yet know Trey.” He pushed his fins forward, propelling himself toward the wall. “Something we will quickly remedy.” He stretched his arm to a panel and flicked a fin over it. Jinn heard a delicate chime sound through the water.

So it seemed she’d passed muster with the Imperator, at least. But was she prepared to face the scrutiny of a suitor?

A large form torpedoed into the room and splayed his fins, coming to an abrupt stop. He was a magnificent Perling male—a young giant, sleek and keen-eyed. Shoulder-length, black hair drifted in the gentle current, framing a handsome face. Very handsome, even by Talstar standards. His dark eyes locked on her figure and his face contorted with shock and scorn that Jinn knew—and feared—all too well.

“A throwback?” An explosion of bubbles emitted from the young male’s mouth. The sharp laughter simultaneously sounding from her translator shriveled Jenn’s battered heart.

Mortified, she opaqued the one-way shielding in her outer bubble to hide from the son’s scathing gaze, ashamed and wounded by his undisguised contempt.

So much for her suitor’s approval.

___________________________________________ 

Fin Fashion

No typo there. Today I want to talk a little about the fashion in the aquatic society of The Shell and the Star.

If you haven't yet read much of the story, you might ask: "You mean it's an aquatic society like Atlantis?"

Well, no. Personally I never believed in the whole Atlantis-became-a-society-under-the-sea-after-it-sank line of thought.

The aquatic society in this story is called the Perling, also known as the People of the Shell--their sigel and cultural icon. 

This week I'm going to explain how the idea for fashion and clothing evolved for this undersea society. So, literally, it's "fin fashion."

Creating Fashion that Doesn't Exist

One of the fascinating parts of creating this fictional world was developing the underlying culture and traditions where the story takes place. For this particular work in progress, one of the first questions I asked myself was: What sort of clothing would an aquatic society wear?

Just to clarify, the Perling aren't mermaids. No cliché, strategically-placed sea shells and scaled lower bodies here. The Perling are evolved humans who have spent a good part of the last 50,000 years--or 50,000 "calendars" in this universe--living in the shallow bays of the sea after an asteroid all but destroyed their world.

They are evolved humans who sport finned hands and feet, and bodies that are elongated and more torpedo-like with lean muscles in the arms, legs and torso that have adapted to buoyancy vs. surface gravity, and moving through liquid rather than air. These physical characteristics set them apart from their stout land-dwelling ancient ancestors.

The world of The Shell is one of serene, current-swaying beauty and sun-dappled blue lagoons. When I started imagining the type of clothing the Perling might wear, some very definite images took shape in my head.

Everyday Fashion

The more traditional clothing for this society was inspired by the simple elegance of a very familiar water dweller--the fancy goldfish.

Since the Perling live in tropical seas, there is no need for materials that provide warmth in cold water temperatures, so their garments of choice are light and drifty. They're called swim veils.

Swimveils are created from gossamer materials, fashioned into a loosely-worn body sheath with billowing parts or small veils to add a bit of flair with water movement. (Gives a whole new meaning to "current" fashion, yes?) These garments and embellishments are designed to drift with the tide, but not create a lot of drag with more vigorous movement.

In general, swim veils are brightly colored with many patterns and styles, much like the variety in our own societies, especially the more tropical areas. The design might suggest colorful underwater fins or flora.

 

I attempted to search out an assortment of stock photos for examples and inspiration, but found very few, and most offerings too outlandish and exaggerated to truly be practical in the water. One is the lemon yellow layered design above. The image below is of a belly dancer in costume--on dry land, of course--but the appearance is somewhat close to the effects of the swimveil in water.

The sheaths used by the Perling, however, wouldn't be ankle length, which would restrict fin movement of the feet, or have sleeves that reach to or past the wrists, which would interfere with the movement of the hand fins.

The garments would have a simpler cut and fewer embellishments than the clothing pictured in these photos, though I think the general idea is captured in these images.

Clothing for those engaged in more authoritative roles--such as male or female leaders, dignitaries or businessmen--would be finer and with more subdued patterns and colors, perhaps more reminiscent of the sophisticated simplicity of Greek robes than what we think of as business suits.

For workers and harvesters, the attire would be more practical and of more durable materials that could withstand the duties of, say, seafan farming or coral collection. (Most of the shallow-water coral on the planet has died and bleached, and is selectively harvested by the Perling to be ground into cement-paste, the basis for a compound used in undersea construction of buildings and dwellings.)

Sportswear

Like our sportswear, youth and athletes might find traditional clothing cumbersome and impractical for more active sports or lifestyles. They trade conventional swimveils for the convenience and practicality of swimkilts--which are, as the name suggests--an article of clothing that's a cross between a Scottish kilt and swim trunks, using a shorter, lighter, more H2O-friendly material. Female athletes might also wear swimkilts, with a bandeau top.

Swimkilts allow freedom of movement and reduced drag for more vigorous sports, like the favorite Perling past time of Boggy Ball, which is somewhat like the Aztec/Mesoamerican sport of handball crossed with water polo. Because of the need to move quickly and strategically, this and other vigorous sports are customarily played "swimkilt optional" by the males in the Perling society.

Hope you enjoyed the continuing story and this closer look at Perling fashion.

Have a great week.