Shapechangers - Book Two - Chapter Six
Dec. 9th, 2019 01:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_whatSo last time in Shapechangers, we actually met a female Cheysuli. Unfortunately her role basically amounted to shilling a fuck load of Finn and Duncan apologia, while proving to us that there's absolutely no upside to being a Cheysuli woman what so ever.
Why exactly couldn't you let the women have an animal companion and shapeshift, Ms. Roberson? Alix would still be special in her ability to speak to ALL of the animals and take ANY shape. There's nothing innately gendered about a shapeshifting power, you know.
So we rejoin Alix, who is now sitting on a stump of a tree. For some reason, we're given a description of her clothes. Why now? I have no idea. But she's wearing her court slippers, now torn and useless, a new orange dress that was given to her by the Cheysuli (presumably Raissa, since the men are utter fuckheads), and her hair has been trimmed so that it's less straggly. We're told that she'd kept the slippers to "recall her brief moment of glory".
I feel for Alix a lot here. For all that I hated that chapter and all of its contrivances, poor Alix isn't in any better a situation here. She might be annoying, but she deserves better than all of this.
We're told that she's been spending her days learning everything from Raissa: customs and skills that she needs. She has to learn to weave a tapestry, tend two fires at once, cook Cheysuli food, and creepiest of all "how to prepare herself to take a cheysul."
I don't have an issue with Alix learning most of these skills. If she wants to live among the Cheysuli (she doesn't, but who's counting), she needs to learn basic skills. This whole preparing herself to take a husband thing is creepy as fuck though. And something tells me the men don't have equivalent lessons.
She hasn't met the shar tahl yet, but apparently there's 'no need' for that, he's busy researching her birth lines so no one can question her birth. Yeah, because why bother treating Alix like a person?
Alix feels trapped, understandably. Though she does take a moment to admire the craftsmanship of her new dress. She'd been shocked by it, because she'd grown up thinking the Cheysuli were barbarians. But their clothes and jewelry are really well made.
I'm good with the idea of the Cheysuli being master craftsworkers, but where exactly are they getting the gold to make their jewelry. For that matter, where is the forge where they melt down and shape the jewelry? Alix thinks it's strange that "a race so dedicated to war can also make such delicate, beautiful things."
We haven't really seen anything to indicate that the Cheysuli are "dedicated to war". They're the victim of the purge.
Anyway, Alix's thoughts are interrupted by hands on her shoulders. She thinks it's Duncan at first, but of course, it's Finn. She wants to know what he wants. He wants to talk with her of course. He chides her for being afraid of him (fuck you, Finn), and tells her that the Council has been called for sunset. Finn claims he's here to save her from trouble, but Alix thinks he makes trouble instead, which leads to:
He had the grace to color. “For you…perhaps I did. I admit it.” He smiled crookedly. “But admitting is not an apology, and I will never apologize for following my judgment.”
For fuck's sake, Ms. Roberson. Finn isn't a roguish scamp. The "trouble" he caused was attempting to RAPE her.
And then this horrible fuckery happens:
Alix stared at him, growing more baffled by the moment. “Finn, you had best be plain with me.”
He pulled his legs in and sat upright on the stump. “You did not conceive.”
Heat coursed through her face as she went rigid. “What do you know of it?”
His eyes were amused, though he did not laugh at her. “Among the Cheysuli such things are not kept locked behind doors. We are too few to look upon it as a woman’s mystery. It is a reason to rejoice, Alix, when a Cheysuli woman has conceived.” He paused as she stared hard at the ground. “Raissa told me when I asked this morning. There is no child.”
Okay, Raissa, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt last chapter but What. The. Fuck.
So anyway, Finn tells her that he intends to ask for her clan-rights. Because incest apparently isn't a taboo here. Seriously, why is this even a possibility?!
Anyway, he tells her that he respects her "Homanan upbringing" and that she won't be anyone's meijha and will "sacrifice part of his freedom for her."
The annoying thing here is that Finn is actually showing a bit more respect to Alix's wishes than Duncan is, except of course for the fact that Alix wants nothing to do with him.
When Alix refuses, asserting that she wants Duncan, Finn actually makes a fairly good point:
“Duncan wants Malina,” he said coldly. “Not you. Else he would renounce the old oath he made to her so long ago, and take you as his cheysula.” He shrugged dismissively. “You will grow out of wanting Duncan, my Homanan rujholla, if only because such desires die if not fed.”
Not the last bit, of course, but the first part: Duncan made promises to both women. And until recently, Malina had had a different lover, so she clearly wasn't relying on his promise. Alix gave up everything. If Duncan truly valued Alix, then he'd choose her now.
Then Finn says this, which makes me curious and annoyed:
“I will not have to.” Finn glanced down at his hands as he idly separated the leaves by colors. “I spoke to the shar tahl. You will be acknowledged at Council, and formally accepted into the clan. With that acceptance comes clan-rights, which any warrior may ask for.” He looked at her. “Others may ask for you, Alix, because you are young and healthy and new to the clan. But I think you will take me, because—for all that has happened between us—you know me.”
So does this mean that Alix has her choice of offers? Because earlier everyone had made it seem like the Council just decides for her. That's why she wanted to get pregnant, so that she could force the issue and not get matched to Finn. Can you please be consistent here, Ms. Roberson?
It would serve them right if Alix picked someone who wasn't either of them.
But then THIS happens:
Finn’s mouth twisted. “I also spoke with Duncan about your clan-rights, rujholla. He is clan-leader. It is his place to know what clan-rights will be asked, and who will do the asking.”
She stared at him. “I do not understand.”
“A clan-leader can ever deny a warrior the woman he wishes. Taking a cheysula is a formal thing. The clan-leader must give his permission.”
Alix felt cold and hollow, and very much alone. “And Duncan…?”
“He gave me permission, Alix. He will not interfere.”
Now that I can see past the white hot rage that this passage sparks in me, I want to unpack this:
a) The clan-leader must give permission? Duncan can fucking veto this?! Alix SLEPT WITH HIM in hopes of GETTING PREGNANT because she GENUINELY BELIEVED that the council would pair her off to someone like Finn, and DUNCAN AT NO POINT TOLD HER HE COULD VETO THIS?!
Congratulations Duncan, you are now a rapist.
b) This is more proof that Duncan cutting Alix's hair was an act of violence and of punishment for saying no. Supposedly the haircut was meant to show that she didn't want a partner at all. Something that he could reinforce by refusing permission to the people who intend to court her. But no, he's not going to do that. His humiliation of her wasn't ever about protecting her at all.
c) Duncan KNOWS what Finn did to Alix. He KNOWS that she's afraid of him. She's expressed it every single time they've talked about Finn. But he refuses to protect her from his brother.
As horrible as Edward Cullen or Christian Grey are, they at least try to protect Bella and Ana from OTHER would-be abusers or rapists. Duncan doesn't even do that.
d) This is about punishment. Duncan is using the threat of his brother to punish her, or to force her to agree to be his mistress. He's vile.
There's a moment of softness between Finn and Alix, which is unearned and just as infuriating, where she believes that a part of him must be like Duncan, and if he's harsh, taunting and impulsive, it's because he's differentiating himself from Duncan and making his own way.
Except he still threatened to rape you, Alix. He's still trying to force you into marriage. While Duncan is letting this happen either to punish you or as his own type of coercion. They're both terrible.
She begs Finn to take her home to Torrin in a genuinely emotional moment. Of course he refuses. She asks what happens if she refuses him in Council and Finn continues to be terrible
The mocking smile was back. “Do not forget our third gift, meijha. What you will not do willingly, you may be forced to do.”
Fuck. All. Of. These. People.
Then we get an equally infuriating scene between Alix and Duncan, it's all fucking horrible, but I'll show you a highlight:
“I want you to withdraw your permission to Finn. I want nothing to do with him. We could never make a marriage between us…and I think it might be the death of one of us if we were forced. I think it would be his death…not mine.”
Duncan smiled briefly, though he banished it quickly enough. “It would not be a tedious match.”
“It will not be a match at all,” she said darkly. “Duncan, withdraw your permission.”
“On what grounds?”
She scowled at him. “I do not want him!”
He shrugged. “Those are not grounds. That is merely contrariness speaking, and women are prone to that.”
Alix stared at him. “You cannot want me to take him!”
His face twisted. “No,” he said at last. “I do not want you to take him. But to refuse him because of that speaks of prejudice, and a clan-leader cannot be so petty. Alix, the match will be good for the clan.”
*insert pterodactyl screech here*
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! WHAT THE FUCK?!
Why is "I don't want him" not grounds?
Why is "he threatened to rape me" not grounds?
Why is "HE'S MY BROTHER" not grounds?
"contrariness"?!
"petty"?!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Oh, and just in case we had any doubts about Duncan's motives, they're made explicit in this scene. AND we get more about Malina:
“Then the choice is yours,” he said softly. “Be meijha to me…or cheysula to another man.”
“Why?”
“I promised Malina when we were eight years old,” he said quietly. “A Cheysuli oath is binding.”
“She broke it.”
“She did not think I meant what I said.” Duncan touched the golden ornament on his table. “She went to Borrs because she thought I would change my mind. When I did not…she was fairly caught. The clan-leader had given his permission for Borrs to ask for her clan-rights, and once done that is not rescinded. It is binding.” He looked at her bleakly. “I did what you have done. I asked the clan-leader to withdraw his permission to Borrs, so that I could ask for Malina. He would not do it…and they were formally acknowledged before Council.”
A Cheysuli oath is BINDING?! WHAT ABOUT YOUR OATH TO ALIX?!
(Also, we'll see exactly how binding it is next chapter, when this fuckery resolves in the least satisfying way possible)
Run. You can shapeshift now. Get the fuck out of there. Or at least go talk to some other Cheysuli warriors. Maybe you can find one that isn't this asshole.
So this bullshit continues, I'll spare you, but we have more timeline fuckery. Namely that Borrs and Malina were already married, but Duncan could still be the father of her child. (That puts a new spin on all of this vow and honor bullshit, doesn't it?) Alix asks if that means Duncan will seek other women even if he takes both Malina and Alix, and he "frowned thoughtfully. 'I cannot say what I will do. What man could?'"
Ultimately, it comes out that this is more about the child, which might or might not be Duncan's. When Alix asks if Malina is willing to share him with her, Duncan says that he made it a condition: he would take Malina for the sake of the child IF she accepts Alix as Duncan's mistress.
Apparently if Malina had refused, Duncan would have taken Alix as cheysula after all. Wow.
I just. Wow. WOW.
This is our romantic lead, friends. "I would have married you, but she had dibs. And since you don't want to be my mistress, I'm going to give my permission to marry you off to a man who you're terrified of, has threatened to rape you, and IS YOUR BROTHER."
How is Finn even a possibility here? THEY ARE SIBLINGS!!!
So then there's this as a closing bit:
“I will not have him. I have told him that, and now I tell you.” She fisted her hands in her skirt. “I am Cheysuli, clan-leader, and you cannot compel me.”
“We will do whatever we must, Alix,” he said gently. “Even to one of our own.”
She rose slowly, shaking her skirts into order. Somehow she summoned a smile. “You cannot force me, Duncan. That you will see.”
She turned on her heel and left him.
It's fine for Duncan to talk of "doing what he must" here. Let's pity his noble sacrifice of ruling his people while trying to coerce a seventeen year old girl into being his mistress. Fuck Duncan. Fuck Finn. Fuck everyone. And thank god, this chapter's done.
Why exactly couldn't you let the women have an animal companion and shapeshift, Ms. Roberson? Alix would still be special in her ability to speak to ALL of the animals and take ANY shape. There's nothing innately gendered about a shapeshifting power, you know.
So we rejoin Alix, who is now sitting on a stump of a tree. For some reason, we're given a description of her clothes. Why now? I have no idea. But she's wearing her court slippers, now torn and useless, a new orange dress that was given to her by the Cheysuli (presumably Raissa, since the men are utter fuckheads), and her hair has been trimmed so that it's less straggly. We're told that she'd kept the slippers to "recall her brief moment of glory".
I feel for Alix a lot here. For all that I hated that chapter and all of its contrivances, poor Alix isn't in any better a situation here. She might be annoying, but she deserves better than all of this.
We're told that she's been spending her days learning everything from Raissa: customs and skills that she needs. She has to learn to weave a tapestry, tend two fires at once, cook Cheysuli food, and creepiest of all "how to prepare herself to take a cheysul."
I don't have an issue with Alix learning most of these skills. If she wants to live among the Cheysuli (she doesn't, but who's counting), she needs to learn basic skills. This whole preparing herself to take a husband thing is creepy as fuck though. And something tells me the men don't have equivalent lessons.
She hasn't met the shar tahl yet, but apparently there's 'no need' for that, he's busy researching her birth lines so no one can question her birth. Yeah, because why bother treating Alix like a person?
Alix feels trapped, understandably. Though she does take a moment to admire the craftsmanship of her new dress. She'd been shocked by it, because she'd grown up thinking the Cheysuli were barbarians. But their clothes and jewelry are really well made.
I'm good with the idea of the Cheysuli being master craftsworkers, but where exactly are they getting the gold to make their jewelry. For that matter, where is the forge where they melt down and shape the jewelry? Alix thinks it's strange that "a race so dedicated to war can also make such delicate, beautiful things."
We haven't really seen anything to indicate that the Cheysuli are "dedicated to war". They're the victim of the purge.
Anyway, Alix's thoughts are interrupted by hands on her shoulders. She thinks it's Duncan at first, but of course, it's Finn. She wants to know what he wants. He wants to talk with her of course. He chides her for being afraid of him (fuck you, Finn), and tells her that the Council has been called for sunset. Finn claims he's here to save her from trouble, but Alix thinks he makes trouble instead, which leads to:
He had the grace to color. “For you…perhaps I did. I admit it.” He smiled crookedly. “But admitting is not an apology, and I will never apologize for following my judgment.”
For fuck's sake, Ms. Roberson. Finn isn't a roguish scamp. The "trouble" he caused was attempting to RAPE her.
And then this horrible fuckery happens:
Alix stared at him, growing more baffled by the moment. “Finn, you had best be plain with me.”
He pulled his legs in and sat upright on the stump. “You did not conceive.”
Heat coursed through her face as she went rigid. “What do you know of it?”
His eyes were amused, though he did not laugh at her. “Among the Cheysuli such things are not kept locked behind doors. We are too few to look upon it as a woman’s mystery. It is a reason to rejoice, Alix, when a Cheysuli woman has conceived.” He paused as she stared hard at the ground. “Raissa told me when I asked this morning. There is no child.”
Okay, Raissa, I was willing to give you the benefit of the doubt last chapter but What. The. Fuck.
So anyway, Finn tells her that he intends to ask for her clan-rights. Because incest apparently isn't a taboo here. Seriously, why is this even a possibility?!
Anyway, he tells her that he respects her "Homanan upbringing" and that she won't be anyone's meijha and will "sacrifice part of his freedom for her."
The annoying thing here is that Finn is actually showing a bit more respect to Alix's wishes than Duncan is, except of course for the fact that Alix wants nothing to do with him.
When Alix refuses, asserting that she wants Duncan, Finn actually makes a fairly good point:
“Duncan wants Malina,” he said coldly. “Not you. Else he would renounce the old oath he made to her so long ago, and take you as his cheysula.” He shrugged dismissively. “You will grow out of wanting Duncan, my Homanan rujholla, if only because such desires die if not fed.”
Not the last bit, of course, but the first part: Duncan made promises to both women. And until recently, Malina had had a different lover, so she clearly wasn't relying on his promise. Alix gave up everything. If Duncan truly valued Alix, then he'd choose her now.
Then Finn says this, which makes me curious and annoyed:
“I will not have to.” Finn glanced down at his hands as he idly separated the leaves by colors. “I spoke to the shar tahl. You will be acknowledged at Council, and formally accepted into the clan. With that acceptance comes clan-rights, which any warrior may ask for.” He looked at her. “Others may ask for you, Alix, because you are young and healthy and new to the clan. But I think you will take me, because—for all that has happened between us—you know me.”
So does this mean that Alix has her choice of offers? Because earlier everyone had made it seem like the Council just decides for her. That's why she wanted to get pregnant, so that she could force the issue and not get matched to Finn. Can you please be consistent here, Ms. Roberson?
It would serve them right if Alix picked someone who wasn't either of them.
But then THIS happens:
Finn’s mouth twisted. “I also spoke with Duncan about your clan-rights, rujholla. He is clan-leader. It is his place to know what clan-rights will be asked, and who will do the asking.”
She stared at him. “I do not understand.”
“A clan-leader can ever deny a warrior the woman he wishes. Taking a cheysula is a formal thing. The clan-leader must give his permission.”
Alix felt cold and hollow, and very much alone. “And Duncan…?”
“He gave me permission, Alix. He will not interfere.”
Now that I can see past the white hot rage that this passage sparks in me, I want to unpack this:
a) The clan-leader must give permission? Duncan can fucking veto this?! Alix SLEPT WITH HIM in hopes of GETTING PREGNANT because she GENUINELY BELIEVED that the council would pair her off to someone like Finn, and DUNCAN AT NO POINT TOLD HER HE COULD VETO THIS?!
Congratulations Duncan, you are now a rapist.
b) This is more proof that Duncan cutting Alix's hair was an act of violence and of punishment for saying no. Supposedly the haircut was meant to show that she didn't want a partner at all. Something that he could reinforce by refusing permission to the people who intend to court her. But no, he's not going to do that. His humiliation of her wasn't ever about protecting her at all.
c) Duncan KNOWS what Finn did to Alix. He KNOWS that she's afraid of him. She's expressed it every single time they've talked about Finn. But he refuses to protect her from his brother.
As horrible as Edward Cullen or Christian Grey are, they at least try to protect Bella and Ana from OTHER would-be abusers or rapists. Duncan doesn't even do that.
d) This is about punishment. Duncan is using the threat of his brother to punish her, or to force her to agree to be his mistress. He's vile.
There's a moment of softness between Finn and Alix, which is unearned and just as infuriating, where she believes that a part of him must be like Duncan, and if he's harsh, taunting and impulsive, it's because he's differentiating himself from Duncan and making his own way.
Except he still threatened to rape you, Alix. He's still trying to force you into marriage. While Duncan is letting this happen either to punish you or as his own type of coercion. They're both terrible.
She begs Finn to take her home to Torrin in a genuinely emotional moment. Of course he refuses. She asks what happens if she refuses him in Council and Finn continues to be terrible
The mocking smile was back. “Do not forget our third gift, meijha. What you will not do willingly, you may be forced to do.”
Fuck. All. Of. These. People.
Then we get an equally infuriating scene between Alix and Duncan, it's all fucking horrible, but I'll show you a highlight:
“I want you to withdraw your permission to Finn. I want nothing to do with him. We could never make a marriage between us…and I think it might be the death of one of us if we were forced. I think it would be his death…not mine.”
Duncan smiled briefly, though he banished it quickly enough. “It would not be a tedious match.”
“It will not be a match at all,” she said darkly. “Duncan, withdraw your permission.”
“On what grounds?”
She scowled at him. “I do not want him!”
He shrugged. “Those are not grounds. That is merely contrariness speaking, and women are prone to that.”
Alix stared at him. “You cannot want me to take him!”
His face twisted. “No,” he said at last. “I do not want you to take him. But to refuse him because of that speaks of prejudice, and a clan-leader cannot be so petty. Alix, the match will be good for the clan.”
*insert pterodactyl screech here*
WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! WHAT THE FUCK?!
Why is "I don't want him" not grounds?
Why is "he threatened to rape me" not grounds?
Why is "HE'S MY BROTHER" not grounds?
"contrariness"?!
"petty"?!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Oh, and just in case we had any doubts about Duncan's motives, they're made explicit in this scene. AND we get more about Malina:
“Then the choice is yours,” he said softly. “Be meijha to me…or cheysula to another man.”
“Why?”
“I promised Malina when we were eight years old,” he said quietly. “A Cheysuli oath is binding.”
“She broke it.”
“She did not think I meant what I said.” Duncan touched the golden ornament on his table. “She went to Borrs because she thought I would change my mind. When I did not…she was fairly caught. The clan-leader had given his permission for Borrs to ask for her clan-rights, and once done that is not rescinded. It is binding.” He looked at her bleakly. “I did what you have done. I asked the clan-leader to withdraw his permission to Borrs, so that I could ask for Malina. He would not do it…and they were formally acknowledged before Council.”
A Cheysuli oath is BINDING?! WHAT ABOUT YOUR OATH TO ALIX?!
(Also, we'll see exactly how binding it is next chapter, when this fuckery resolves in the least satisfying way possible)
Run. You can shapeshift now. Get the fuck out of there. Or at least go talk to some other Cheysuli warriors. Maybe you can find one that isn't this asshole.
So this bullshit continues, I'll spare you, but we have more timeline fuckery. Namely that Borrs and Malina were already married, but Duncan could still be the father of her child. (That puts a new spin on all of this vow and honor bullshit, doesn't it?) Alix asks if that means Duncan will seek other women even if he takes both Malina and Alix, and he "frowned thoughtfully. 'I cannot say what I will do. What man could?'"
Ultimately, it comes out that this is more about the child, which might or might not be Duncan's. When Alix asks if Malina is willing to share him with her, Duncan says that he made it a condition: he would take Malina for the sake of the child IF she accepts Alix as Duncan's mistress.
Apparently if Malina had refused, Duncan would have taken Alix as cheysula after all. Wow.
I just. Wow. WOW.
This is our romantic lead, friends. "I would have married you, but she had dibs. And since you don't want to be my mistress, I'm going to give my permission to marry you off to a man who you're terrified of, has threatened to rape you, and IS YOUR BROTHER."
How is Finn even a possibility here? THEY ARE SIBLINGS!!!
So then there's this as a closing bit:
“I will not have him. I have told him that, and now I tell you.” She fisted her hands in her skirt. “I am Cheysuli, clan-leader, and you cannot compel me.”
“We will do whatever we must, Alix,” he said gently. “Even to one of our own.”
She rose slowly, shaking her skirts into order. Somehow she summoned a smile. “You cannot force me, Duncan. That you will see.”
She turned on her heel and left him.
It's fine for Duncan to talk of "doing what he must" here. Let's pity his noble sacrifice of ruling his people while trying to coerce a seventeen year old girl into being his mistress. Fuck Duncan. Fuck Finn. Fuck everyone. And thank god, this chapter's done.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-09 05:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-08-26 07:17 pm (UTC)Oh, the cut text scares me...
and creepiest of all "how to prepare herself to take a cheysul."
Nope, I don't like that.
Alix thinks it's strange that "a race so dedicated to war can also make such delicate, beautiful things."
I don't think that's much of a contradiction, frankly (I'd submit the Roman Empire as an example).
“But admitting is not an apology, and I will never apologize for following my judgment.”
"I will never apologize for trying to rape you." That's what you wrote, Roberson!
“A clan-leader can ever deny a warrior the woman he wishes. Taking a cheysula is a formal thing. The clan-leader must give his permission.”
...Well, that's clear, then. I didn't think he'd actually become a rapist, but Roberson can always sink lower, it seems.
The mocking smile was back. “Do not forget our third gift, meijha. What you will not do willingly, you may be forced to do.”
ARRRRGH!
That is merely contrariness speaking, and women are prone to that.”
...You won't like what I'll write for you at all.
But to refuse him because of that speaks of prejudice, and a clan-leader cannot be so petty. Alix, the match will be good for the clan.”
"Prejudice"? "Petty"? Those are good reasons!!
I don't even have anything coherent to say on this last part.
no subject
Date: 2024-08-27 01:40 am (UTC)But I'm looking forward to seeing you tear him apart. <3