gender-fluidity

This chapter recounts the history and cultural evolution of Woodcarvers, a city-state founded six centuries ago, highlighting its transformation from a solitary artist's pack to a powerful and innovative nation. The narrative then follows Wickwrackscar, Jaqueramaphan, and Peregrine as they arrive at Woodcarvers, observing its dramatic growth, fortified defenses, and the enigmatic change in leadership with Woodcarver now presenting as female. The chapter closes with the travelers confronting the unsettling reality of Woodcarver's current state and council, marked by physical and social disarray.

The protagonist undergoes an unexpected metamorphosis into an ooloi, a rare and potentially dangerous third sex among the Oankali species, causing fear and shock among their family, especially Nikanj. Despite the risks and prior agreements to isolate accidental ooloi, Nikanj insists on keeping the protagonist close, revealing deep emotional bonds and the complexities of identity and transformation within Oankali society.

The chapter depicts a group of gips workers celebrating their first weekend off by heading into Dallas's Deep Ellum district for nightlife and pleasure. The narrator experiences a heightened sensory state and pursues a striking, genetically modified woman, only to discover she is a male-to-female transgender individual (maff), leading to a confrontation with her Brazilian partner, Flaviano Diaz, who challenges the narrator to a fight. The episode highlights the complex social dynamics, genetic modifications, and cultural tensions in this speculative future.