#they’ve all got funky genders at the very least

[irate-iguana]

Really enjoying the Malevolent s5 lineup so far. Arthur Lester and his adventuring party of trans allegories.

[hauntthebodies]

ooo are you ok with describing what campaigns you’re in now? or what your characters are??

Sure! I adore them all. To be honest tho I just started playing again, so I’m not too familiar with the groups I’m playing with atm lol putting under a readmore bc this got kinda long

First one is a character I’ve had a long time and have commissions for, but no one would ever let me play him because he’s a very interesting looking tiefling that was inspired by the oni tieflings the artist kbearart created. His name is Maverick (:

Currently playing him in a call of the netherdeep module. He is a tiefling monk, born under the cursed moon or whatever and bc of it he looks, well! Interesting to say the least! He was born to a drow mom, but never knew his father or anything about him, and his mother died fairly young so he became self sufficient pretty young. Due to the fact most people treated him as an ill omen due to his birthday and bc he is like 6’5” man thing with raptor feet, he is bad at interacting with people. He’s motivated mostly by greed and his own survival, and right now he is so angry at the pretty boy drow in the party that is sooooo good at everything. He could have been that, he was supposed to be like that. What the fuck.

Art done by kbearart, bc if I’m making a character inspired by their design I’m going to pay them!!!!

Second one is my Satyr Bard, Canary. I don’t have any paid art of him, but I did use this funky little picrew to get a visual idea for him. He’s a college of lore bard from a fairly noble family. Except he’s the second son, the not so popular son, the disappointment to the family son. So he kinda just, took off to make more of a name for himself and he makes money by traveling and painting pretty things (: he joined a random party and is regretting it immensely. He’s surrounded by straight people and doesn’t know what to do, they keep getting eloped in the middle of the night and teleporting him random places ):

Third is a character I just started getting to play, but their race, class and background was already predetermined. They are a yuan-ti bloodhunter, who was steeped well into the strict militant lifestyle of their culture. They met a girl who was kind to them when they were like 14, and they didn’t understand what that was at first, but then started to see flaws within their peoples way of life and decided to leave when they turned like 18 and graduated yuan-ti military school Basically? They are emotionally stunted bc they’ve never felt concern except for when they met her, and kinda adopted her name as their own when leaving. But hey, they look cool at least. She goes by Corra but I’m already planning on transing their gender throughout the campaign bc lost adults learning who they are is so fun to mess around with. We are only level one but I plan on going order of mutagen I want to be a Witcher. Technically, they are lying about who they are and what they can do, so I’m excited to be like (: no I’m not a snake person my great grandad just fucked a dragon or whatever I’m a half elf dragonic sorcerer ignore the sword-

[dappersheep]

Food Fantasy: An Analysis on what killed a Golden Goose (2/3)

Welcome back. Before we get started, disclaimers again! I do not own the game or its characters, nor do I claim to know the history and future of the game. What I am entitled to are the thoughts and opinions written within this post. You may or may not agree with the points spoken of here. This post also remains untagged from the main foofan tag. Only my followers will see this.

We are now on the second part, so let's go forward under the cut!

Elex

And here we have our beloved global publisher that most of seem to have Stockholm Syndrome for. Don't lie, at least half of us are still playing this damned game due to sunken cost fallacy, sunken time fallacy and the cute/hot jpegs.

In 2018, everything started out fine. Sure, maybe we had some translation mishaps here and there -coughwe'llgettothatwreckagelatercough- but overall, Elex was running the game fairly well. Rewards were on time, we had active social media and support, and a discord was set up!

Hint: Please note I use quite a bit of sarcasm in most everything I say.

And then somewhere along that road, things got derailed. And I mean it like, we're in the midst of a trainwreck in slow motion and we've only cleared the initial collision and still hurtling forward or backward into a steel wreckage ticking inferno.

Problems started cropping up as early as late 2018, just a few months after the game was launched in July.

⦁ Art contest mishaps. You know when you hold an art contest on Facebook out of all places with its shitty tagging system, you're bound to have entries lost to the void, people forced to register an FB account just to participate (seriously, who even has an FB account that isn't just there to appease family members?) and having to wrestle with figuring out how FB's tagging system works. Add to that the panel of judges happen to be Elex staff who don't have a good eye for good artwork (we actually had a kiddy figure drawing win over a well drawn one during the last contest!) and that they ALSO weren't very good at organizing such contests on FB... well, we had several grievances over that.

⦁ Region blocked FB announcements. Strangely enough, I stopped getting announcements around Father's Day of 2019 while everyone else outside of SEA kept getting updates. Turns out that someone on Elex's staff really didn't like SEA players or was just really bad at fixing the settings for the group and never bothered to revert it back. It didn't matter in the long run though, because...

⦁ Abandoned social media platforms. FooFan Twitter, FooFan Facebook... they all floated slowly into the void and was never heard from again. And this was before the 2020 pandemic.

⦁ Remember what I said about Discord? Yeah, apparently, they opened one up a little too early and the staff in charge of it knew zero about how to setup and mod a discord community, and didn't even have the manpower needed to mod the influx of members that came in! Suffice to say, they had to get help from top players and mods from the FB groups to come in and sort things out because someone kept pinging @ everyone every few seconds other than the usual chaos that comes from a server with no filters and people trying to turn the discord into Global Chat 2.0, minus Russian hours.

⦁ Also in line with the point about abandoned social media platforms, they've also mostly abandoned the discord too and only pop in once in a while to check the bug reports or lost accounts. You have a slightly better chance of response with the in-game support. Only slightly. And there's a running joke with several variations on the main discord that the Owner account of the discord server was manned by an intern-kun who never bothered to pass it on to the next unfortunate soul left to maintain this game.

⦁ Favoritism. Funtoy is also guilty of this but they don't publish the game for Global. If you're a top spender the likes of maxing out your cash rebates within the three months or so and you kept spending even beyond that, Elex could possibly invite you to a funky little club where your voice is more important than say... 99% of the playerbase. On top of that, if you keep spending, you could technically also ask for stuff like getting this frame over that frame, or well.... delay certain features from coming to Global for over a year. Now you can simp AND be heard! (Note: In 2021, it's possible that that club may be dead too, as all things shall be)

⦁ SJW Friendly. I don't know if Funtoy themselves have anything to also do with this particular decision... but it's saying something that after a certain little tiddy tantrum from the community side, Elex decided not to announce anything about a certain event's fate and when asked by it by other parties (not me) they either lie through their teeth, or beat around the bush with a non-answer.

⦁ Partial translations, mistranslations. Now, I understand that a lot of Chinese grammar and semantics are confusing to translate properly into several other languages, but you'd think Elex would have given their translators more context to the character or the mechanic to avoid such mistranslations that later set off gender debates or worded the skill/artifact description a little clearer. That is... unless Elex really is hands-off trying to get to know this IP from the start and only gave it the most bare minimum of English where they can cut costs for it, so people can understand it 'well enough' to throw money at an obviously not beta-read quality game.

⦁ No translations. Yes we do have certain parts of the game that are in Chinese since forever since xx patch. Some characters' voiceline texts are still in chinese, especially during the Pledge scenes. More recent artifacts are also in chinese with no announced translation in sight. And don't get me started on the Food Soul bios, or lack thereof.

⦁ Delayed events. Prime example? We had weeks of minor events/no events and still Elex managed to eff everything up for our second Anniversary in July 2020. We ended up getting the Croissant event in late August with barely any apologies and compensation for the delay... and this likely would have never arrived as 'early' as it did if people hadn't been railing about where our Anniversary event was. As it stands, we are several minor events behind CN, at least a year and a half's worth behind. I know Global had requested heavily for more spaced out events (to save resources, not that it actually worked with all the nerfed rewards we get) compared to CN but this is extremely ridiculous.

⦁ Delayed permanent features. Hm... Guild Wars, Sky Tower, Bar, that Wuchang Fish Showdown... several Quality of Life updates.... that new permanent pool update... Food Souls still missing their JP voice packs... Food Soul Bios... *slowly ticking off more than I have fingers and toes*

⦁ Customer Support is whack. You'd be lucky if you got someone who understood your problem/inquiry right off the bat AND did something about it efficiently. You'd be luckier if they answered you honestly if you were inquiring about event updates or other buggy features or reporting hackers.

⦁ The Great Turkey and Apple Incident of 2020. Well, if you were around for that little SNAFU during the Turkey re-run event, you'd know a percentage of people suddenly got logged out of their accounts and had a baller of a time trying to get their accounts back. You were especially unfortunate if you were playing on an iOS account because even if you did bind it (like a responsible player should be doing), you probably still wouldn't get it back in time to rank properly during Turkey. Some Android players also experienced this, but it wasn't as bad as what the iOS players experienced. And then there was the compensation mishap for that too.

⦁ Hacker-chan and not-so-uwu Hacker-teme. Hacker-chan is a meme. Hacker-chan was a harmless player who regularly topped in Top Showdown every week for a time to send a message to Elex just how easy it is to hack the game in certain rankings and invited Elex to ban them every time, just to test how competent Elex is. In the end, Elex has proven to be incompetent and also glaringly stupid about how their published game works. Hacker-teme is a collective of individuals over time who have cheated the game during important ranking events or in somewhat important permanent battles. If you tried to report a Hacker-teme with evidence to prove it -and trust me, people repeatedly have-, Elex would tell you that they're not cheating and/or lie through their teeth that they're 'investigating the case' and then not do anything about it and let them keep their event ranking and thus get the rewards while someone who actually worked hard/whaled hard to get the spot gets denied. In one case, they believe that if an account has rebate points and the player level is at least around level 80, then the hacker-teme is obviously playing the game fairly. Never mind that their units happened to have low to no artifact nodes opened, and not high in ascension.

And that is the end of the Elex saga. I'm aware there's likely more things about Elex that I've missed, but feel free to add on to this analysis post with your own thoughts.

The last part of this trilogy is probably what many of us are waiting for, for obvious reasons.

[raguna-blade]

So thinking bout persona, which as far as this blog is concerned is basically all I do, and I got to thinking.

So the Metaverse/Mementos, Shadow Time/Tartarus and The World in the Tv/Midnight Channel are all basically the same thing right? Not PRECISELY the same thing, but the overlap is immense and real. I'd be willing to bet that the various spinoff games Including Q and such would also count towards this in that they're kinda worlds in the sea of the Unconscious (and with at least Two Users of the Universe Arcana sleeping to keep the world secure right now, who knows what weird funky things are going on there.)

But they're generally the same thing, and part of the rules that are generally established have to deal with perception and one and all seem to exist as a rule in weird liminal spaces.

Forgive for innaccuracies it's been a while for P3 and P4, but with that out of the way.

Tartarus is a transformation of a school, and has strict limitations on how long it is active (not unlike a school really) and not only that is made up of discretely aesthetic but also very uniform locations. The Persona Users only have their one Extra Hour to make their way through (or at least in story that should be the case) and reach their final destination.

Tartarus is, without question, one of the most confusing nosense places because of course it extends up and up and up some 300 floors (apparently) which is weird, but what's perhaps weirder, at least in context of the Persona 3-5 Series of games is that there isn't really an effect upon the users precisely. Oh to be sure it effects people, it changes them into coffins which, considering the Tower's Purpose and all makes sense. The place is all about death and that great change, and the way that persona are summoned via Evoker I suppose would explain their not being coffins. There's an awareness of death there I suppose, and so an additional awareness of this special time given.

Ok. Cool.

The Midnight Channel though, it's a world more or less made up of the endless distorting fog, which alters shape to take the form of those who fall into it's greatest fears and concerns writ large and obnoxious, seemingly in an effort to have them confront themselves. At least, in theory, once the fog lifts, but formed in such a way that almost seems tailor made to have people freak the absolute hell out.

And of course, the place it exists/accessed is a television, turned off at midnight which, frankly is a pretty strange space if you're expecting anything to show up on it, or rather expecting NOTHING to show up on it right?

Everything blown up the way that it is, it makes sense that the world is endlessly foggy, not as stable as it initially appears, and all that, but as to the persona users themselves, they're...more or less just as they are. They're granted glasses by Teddie that allow them to see better, but they are otherwise not fundamentally changed.

Which...Leads us to Mementos. A Place that is explained as not only a direct connect to the sea of the unconscious, a rather different statement from the other major locales even if they too are a direct connection, but it also...changes the persona users.

The liminal space (and this is, I think admittedly, somewhat of a stretch) is more or less just any old random place, but you, distinctly, not a part of it. Well, that's the metaverse as a whole, but Mementos itself is a train station, which tracks as far as I understand the subject. It's a place of coming going, and just an endless sea of people who you really are just kind of one of.

But...Why does it change them so much? It's explained that the form that the phantom thieves take is their form of rebellion against the world. Very literally, the manifestation of their Rebellion (Of which Their Transformed Selves are paired with their Persona's with whom they made a contract).

Alright, that tracks, it's consistent to an extent, but this raises the question of why don't we see that in the other shadow worlds? Part of that, I've said before, is Because I think the Phantom Thieves are more or less playing at their Shadows as opposed to the other Persona Teams. The Shadows that We see in Persona 4 seem to be in line with what we're seeing in the Phantom Thieves, in that they are the version of their relevant person pushed to their extremes and distorted, pushed into a state of otherness for one reason or another.

Not all of them get fancy duds of course, and certainly that's at least as much because of the circumstances of their Shadow's formation (with them being dropped into the situation fully conscious as opposed to just kinda dropped int), as well as the nature and degree of their alienation. I expect that for those who didn't quite get the full transformation, they didn't quite feel that degree of alienation that you see in everyone else that develops a Full Dramatic Shadow.

Or perhaps another way to say it is, their personal view of themselves had yet to become distorted in any major way just yet.

Now the Investigation team get's to reintegrate into the world so their degree of isolation never get's to develop but it's worth pointing out that in the case of the Thieves that...doesn't actually happen.

Without fail, they're still outcasts one and all, if now outcasts that now cling together in friendship love and understanding of their circumstances.

But...

I don't know how to phrase this, but I suppose by the line of logic that I'm following here, the Phantom Thieves never quite Cohere as a group.

Like I recall hearing some folks talking about how the games seem to kinda abandon some of the character's personal plot points in rapid succession to focus on different issues, especially seen in their social links. Like the one that immediately pops to mind is Anne and Shiho and the hot nonsense that happens to them early on. Her social link instead of dealing with that at all beyond briefly touching on it as a thing that did happen, focuses instead on her modeling career, and a degree of taking that more seriously.

Which I agree is kinda bullshit. I'd love to know more about how Haru is dealing with the fallout of her dad beyond the lightish touch it gets, or more about Yusuke's relationship with his shitty dad, or more about Makoto's relationship with her sister and her parents and the like.

See, these things aren't NOT touched on, by no means. Haru's entire social link DOES deal with the fallout of her dad's death...In relation to the Company that she now holds a massive share of and not precisely related to her personally.

But they aren't really a thing that the Thieves, as a group, actually touch on. It's not a thing that get's directly dealt with constantly in the storyline as opposed to what goes down in Sees which is damnably intimate despite their initial desires. They do after all live together, and their job has just thoroughly run in and kicked them in the teeth on every front.

Hell, despite how uh...well badly(?) but definitely at least clumsily and obnoxiously (I am assuming, for a moment it's supposed to be awkward and kinda just...not great, for effect. It probably wasn't, but it's what we got, and at the very least I think it deserves an examination in that light.) The Issues that plague the Investigation squad one and all come up constantly. Kanji's issues with masculinity/homosexuality, Naoto's problems with gender/gender roles, Yukiko's princess status, Teddies Emptiness and attempts to fill that void, etc etc. It get's played with, rather directly, it get's shouted from the mountain tops, and for all that people very definitely fuck up and say some shit (Yosuke) this stuff comes up, and frequently I think.

But not with the Phantom Thieves. They're in fact, extremely guarded with each other, despite being on the same side and all that jazz.

Which leads me to Maruki, and the True End antics.

Cause see, Maruki also get's a Rebellion outift. It's not thief themed, no, it's more a kind of messiah. Or rather, A torch bearer. Whatever his means, his objective is and always was to lead people to being happier and better versions of themselves, although It's plainly obvious that he loses sight of doing that well with the method he chooses given how it's a thing that applies the same cure to every single person when that obviously wouldn't be a good idea.

Sumire says it herself, If not for him there's a good chance that she wouldn't have lasted long enough to make friends as is. And I don't think she's wrong considering how....well absolutely fucking done she was. That was not a healthy mental state that she was in BEFORE her sister died, and it wasn't much better after.

More importantly though, is what happens during that Third Semester. With the Third Persona's that everyone gained, every single one, WITHOUT FAIL, addresses the major concerns, the major events that they've all been staunchly ignoring and refusing to talk about. Ryuji's track desires, Haru's dad pain, Morgana's still burning desire to be human, all of it.

And he fixes it, and he makes, at least for a little bit, better. And in doing so, he absolutely changes the course of their lives, let's them see the way things COULD be, actually sit down and acknowledge one more part of themselves that they want to achieve, and in doing so unmasks, without fail, literally every single one of their persona's.

Well, I say unmask, but they also obviously have face coverings still going on or a degree of inorganic/ambiguous heads and faces, but the degree of difference is stark I think between that and their second persona's or their first.

Also, at least, if you actually bother to max out the social links, and just let someone actually IN, such as it is.

But back to Maruki, it's actually rather interesting that his Metaverse Outfit arguably makes him the HARDEST to identify of everyone. Yeah it's a big golden outfit with an obnoxiously huge helmet and cloak but...

The Helmet is far more interesting to look at than the person wearing it, and even looking at his face it's only really recognizable as him if you can get a clean side view. The Outfits is bright and Golden, but is otherwise unidentfiable if someone else were to be wearing it. The Cloak further makes it harder to see anything between being huge, fluttery, and covering basically anything of note body wise (and potentially facially since it again just flutters all over) In addition to his staff/torch it's...

If we're going through the Shadow Cosplay as looking at the person in questions distorted view of themselves, It's interesting that Maruki's distortion basically does everything in it's power to make him a non entity. Which, I suppose makes sense given his ultimately goal.

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Six Pokémon AU

some teams are missing Pokémon because the site i used has yet to update with the Sword and Shield Pokémon so bear with me

Catherine of Aragon

Nicknames and genders: Tempest (female); Queenie (female); Gryffindor (male); Scarlet (female); Bishop (male); Foggy (female)

Tempest is Aragon’s partner. She’s raised her ever since she was a Shinx. They’ve been together all through Aragon’s run as queen.

Scarlet is like Aragon’s second-in-command. Aragon got her as a gift when she was just a Litleo and evolved her into a Pyroar. She and Tempest are inseparable.

The first Pokémon Aragon caught after reincarnation was Queenie, who she just...vibed with. She really liked the Vespiquen’s aura and wanted to add her to the team. And she did!

Gryffindor was named by Cathy, if you couldn’t tell

Anne Boleyn

Nicknames and genders: Bandit (male); Splendid (female); Hokey Pokey (female); Frisk (male); Screech (female); Booboo (male)

Bandit is Anne’s partner. They met when Anne was still very young. He comforted her when she moved to the kingdom and kept her safe.

That being said, Bandit is fiercely protective of Anne

Anne, during a show: And now, Screech!!

Screech, at max volume:

*screeches*

Anne: That’s my girl!!

At least one of her Pokémon are dancing with her

Jane Seymour

Nicknames and genders: Lady (female); Honey (female); Morgana (female); Jewel (female); Nessie (female); Sire (male)

Lady is Jane’s partner.

Lady lost her baby, so she doesn’t have a little Kangaskhan in her pouch.

So she was really protective of Jane when she got pregnant because she didn’t want her human to lose her baby, too.

What a shame that it wasn’t the baby that was lost

Lady stayed alive for a little while after Jane’s death and took care of Edward until her passing.

Honey and Jewel were found together by Lady and Jane when they were just a Sewaddle and Ralts. Jane and Lady raised them and evolved them, so they’re all really close.

After reincarnation, Honey and Jewel got reunited with Jane and Lady. It was very heartwarming

Sire is Jane’s big boy

She loves him so much

Anna of Cleves

Nicknames and genders: Pixie (male); Livewire (male); Ruby (female); Umber (male); Camelot (male); Atlas (female)

Pixie is Cleves’ partner. They became a team when Pixie was a Herdier.

Cleves had several other dog Pokémon, but, unfortunately, Livewire and Ruby were the only ones who made it through reincarnation.

None of her horse Pokémon came back, so when she saw Umber trotting around the nearby park and causing disruptions, she knew she HAD to have him

Camelot is just a babey

He’s heavy but Cleves carries him anyway

Cleves loves Atlas’ attitude

Where does she store all that sass

(Her claws)

Katherine Howard

Nicknames and genders: Duchess (female); Magnificent (female); Dazzling (female); Tulip (female); Wolfie (female); Octavia (female)

Duchess is Katherine’s partner and never evolved because Katherine lowkey was afraid she wouldn’t like her anymore once she becomes a Purugly.

Which is fine for Duchess tbh not evolving doesn’t bother her

After Katherine’s death, Duchess was sold, but died because she stopped eating due to grief over the loss of her trainer.

Them reuniting was very tearful.

Also yeah all of Katherine’s Pokémon are female

She can’t wait until Octavia evolves

Catherine Parr

Nicknames and genders: Clearsight (female); Mastermind (genderless); Dreamcatcher (male); Solar Flare (genderless); Sepia (female); Ballerina (female)

Clearsight is Parr’s partner. She was already a Noctowl when they met, so Parr didn’t evolve her from a Hoothoot. Still, they’re very close.

Parr thinks Mastermind and Solae Flare are very intriguing, so she does a lot of research on them.

She isn’t big on Pokémon battles, but Sepia is her strongest Pokémon

Dreamcatcher sometimes will just curl up on her head and it’s pretty damn cute

Ballerina likes to be out during performances so she can dance

Bessie

Nicknames and genders: Flower (female); King (male); Kohga (male); Caliburn (female); Ombré (female); Ophelia (female)

Flower is Bessie’s partner. The two met when Bessie was being sent to London for Aragon’s wedding. The carriage was destroyed during a storm and the Absol had sheltered the young eleven year old. Since then, they’ve been a team.

Many people were scared of Flower, since Absols were said to being bad omens. Some say she’s why Aragon could never deliver a live male heir.

Aragon let Bessie keep Flower around because she was so weak for her young lady in waiting and Flower wasn’t hurting anyone, despite the suspicions.

However, when Bessie was exiled, Flower and Bessie were separated and never saw each other again, even after Bessie returned to court. Flower had been culled.

Their reunion was even more tearful than Katherine and Duchess’

King was one of Henry’s Pokémon, but Bessie still took him anyway. Because she believed he was good, despite his trainer.

He has some anger problems, but is truly a good Pokémon and is fiercely protective of Bessie.

He will literally inspect any new Pokémon that get added to the team.

Ombré and Ophelia were a buy one get one free deal. They came together as a Venipede and Stunky. Someone at a train station was literally fucking selling them from cages and Bessie felt so bad for them, so she immediately took them in.

Caliburn hatched from an egg that Bessie was given. Bessie didn’t think she had the ability to take care of a baby Pokémon, but she absolutely fell in love with Caliburn the moment she hatched in her arms.

During shows, Bessie would have to leave the egg unattended and that made her so anxious that the baby might hatch without her there.

And since baby Pokémon get attached to whoever they see first, this little Axew thought Bessie was her mama 🥺🥺

Bessie cried

Maria

Nicknames and genders: [not listed- Raboot] Blister (female); [not listed- Rillaboom] Jambu (male); Hamlet (male); Vertigo (male); Borderline (female); Bentley (male)

Both Blister and Jambu are Maria’s partners. She got them both when her parents surprised her with them when she was a little girl and they were just a Scorbunny and Grookey.

She caught Hamlet shortly after reincarnation because he was just so funky!!

She got Bentley through trading and thought he was just So Cool

Borderline is a little distant, but Maria is trying to bond with her more often

Maggie

Nicknames and genders: Azura (female); [Not listed- Amped Toxtricity] Alto (female); Fidget (female); Bo (female); Fathom (male); Mangrove (male)

Technically, Alto is Maggie’s partner. They’ve been together ever since she was just a Toxel.

Then Maggie met Azura and the three of them were a team.

But after Alto evolved into an amped Toxtricity, she and Maggie grew distant, since Maggie had been expecting a low key Toxtricity. And Alto attitude was very hard to get along with.

Speaking of attitude, Alto sometimes straight up refuses to obey Maggie. Like, Maggie tells her to use Thunderbolt, Alto will use Venshock. Or she’ll come out of her PokéBall without being sent out or called.

Because of this, Maggie is trying to keep her inside her PokéBall as much as possible.

After Anne’s death, Bo came along. And Maggie, who was still mourning, thought this ghost type was the spirit of Anne, hence her name.

Joan

Nicknames and genders: [Not listed- Sobble] Indigo (male); Hyde (female); Tenor (male); Grandeur (male); Fatigue (female); Glorybringer/Glory (female)

None of these six were Joan’s original partner, who didn’t seem to come back after reincarnation.

However, in her second life, Indigo is Joan’s partner. She found him out in the cold behind the theater.

When she first came across Tenor she KNEW she needed him.

She caught Hyde while away on a trip because it was cold outside and Hyde just looked like she was freezing. So she snuck her into her hotel room and fed her and when she woke up the next morning, Hyde was curled up with her on the bed. She knew she had to have her on her team.

Except Hyde causes some problems because the two heads fight a lot. And when they fight, it’s vey loud. So Joan gets even less sleep.

So she caught Fatigue! And everyone warned her about Drowzees and Hypnos, but Joan ignored it. She loves her Drowzee!

Fatigue does her best to help her trainer sleep.

Then we got little Grandeur! He was brought back to life from a fossil.

He’s just a babey 🥺🥺

And, finally, Glorybringer! Glory for short

Joan first saw Glory being mistreated by her trainer during a performance (he was mainly pulling on her ears) and confronted him about it after the show.

Glory was so moved by her helping that she ran all the way back to the theater a few days later to find Joan after escaping her trainer.

Joan immediately took her in

Joan never makes Glory battle unless she wants to. Usually, she’ll just hold her and they’ll watch.

(Glory loves being held)

[tellywoodtrash]

sanjivani 12.08.19 lb

gratuitous mumbai shots. cut to idyllic camping scene somewhere in the hills.

dr. sid instantly established as fuckboi. can't remember what current female company's name is and is trying out all the First World Yoga Names (h/t @theincorrigiblemagpie)

there's something about namit's face that bothers me. it's a veryyyyy fuckboy type face. i just cannot trust it. hopefully the character will grow on me and i'll be able to get over it.

cute shenanigans turning to tragedy. sigh, already? we are literally only 1 minute and 7 seconds in.

LMAO WHAT???????? he didn't hear all the screaming, but saw the reflection of the kid drowning in her aviators instead????? HOW'S THAT EVEN POSSIBLE WHEN THEY'RE HIGH UP AND THE KID IS AT LEAST A 100 - 200 M LOWER???

"sorry babes. duty calls."

ofc. a true spiritual successor to armaan, this one.

oh ho ab bacha bhi lo. ainvayi suspense ke chakkar mein footage khaana.

standard uparwaale ka disdain by neechewaala doctor.

why won't he bloody identify himself as a doctor before taking out a swiss knife to slice into the kid?????

handy bottle of booze lying around for sterilization.

HE HAS HAD A SOLIDDDDDD FEW MINUTES DURING THESE SHENANIGANS TO TELL THESE PPL HE'S A DOCTOR AND NOT JUST A PSYCHOPATH HACKING INTO THE KIDS NECK AND SHOVING HIS GIRLFRIEND'S NECKLACE INTO IT, BUT NOPE.......

don't like his dialogue delivery. very stilted.

swelling music and slo-mo as he states his credo: JUGAAD!

"saab kahan le jaa rahe ho mere bachche ko?"

"jahaan logon ki jaan uparwaala nahi, neechewaala bachaata hai; jahaan har ek jaan keemti hai; SANJIVANI!!!"

lmaooooooooo i can't.

also lol, niceeeely got out of having to remember side-piece's name this way.

hey girl.

let's see how long this bright-eyed, bushy-tailed enthusiasm of yours lasts.......

ok the mom won't stop screaming and it's Too Much.

ok this guy's every other dialogue is like right out of those cheesyass motivational insta posts. i don't think i'll be able to watch this show if this is how it's written.

funky hanuman sculpture.

ok kuch zyaada ho raha hai.

ouffffffffff. first instance of contact itself a goddamn confrontation.

ladki chalti phirti diagnostic lab hai. and apparently carries around bars of chocolate in case of emergencies, like professor lupin.

haryanvi girl is talking too fast and i cannot catch 70% of what she's saying.

they seem to be strangers but are toooooo familiar with each other? who talks to someone they just met like this???

yeah, i don't think i can watch this show regularly. veryyyyy annoying writing. it’s really getting to me.

henloooooooooooo dr. shashank.

ohhhhhhh boy. looks like mohnish bahl has already written in his exit clause.

ominous music, Those Glasses, and the passive aggressiveness towards a man who's clearly not feeling well, tell us ki yeh insaan kaafi kameena hai.

"post chod raha hoon. sanjivani nahi. yahin rahoonga, aapke saath."

yeah let's see for how long........

oversmart jugaadu is reciting dr. shashank's speech from memory, while ishani toh looks like she might pass out from giddiness and admiration.

helllllllllllllo anjali! (the only character i'm really interested in tbh.)

"aaj toh koi operation scheduled nahi tha."

uhhhhhhh.... kinda hard to believe there'd be NO SURGERIES WHATSOEVER in a hugeass multi-speciality hospital like this on any given day? also, emergency cases like this can come up?

ouff overly emotional scene.

god, fuck this guy. i already hate him to bits. as an mba myself, i swear to god that mba types should never be put in charge of a hospital (or anything that’s a venture that values something else over bottom line.) 

meanwhile dr. shashank is lecturing over here that they’ve kept sanjivani from being a commercialized business. lmao ok sir, pls look around this hospital of yours and tell me you actually believe this tripe you're spouting.

haan i was waiting for the chopper fees to come up. coz that shit was notttttttttt about to slide, as dr. fuckboy had hoped. woh toh kuch zyaada hi tha.

LMAO WHAT, THIS HOSPITAL IS RUN THANKS TO GOVT FUNDING AND DONATIONS?????????????? THIS HOSPITAL, THE SWANKIEST EVER??????? SURE.

also vardhan said this was a private hospital? oprahwhatisthetruth.gif

oh ho, sid has some well-known scam running, through which he funds these surgeries, but vardhan just can't seem to prove it. the slightest of respect for rebellious fuckboy.

this overwrought maaii is grating on my nerves. someone tell her to dial it down.

this one is just a little toooooooo confident with her intrusive questions.

ohhhhhhhhhhh boy. anjali had hoped to be chief of surgery. and is most likely not going to get it.

this creep needs to stay away from my girl.

not a fan of these gendered stethoscopes.

sure. how ALL of us gals hang out in hospital meeting rooms.

oh, happy birthday ishani.

mamaji has called to remind about not eating non-veg on poornima instead of wishing birthday though. and to remind to tell no one about her surname.

what's the whole deal with her surname though? so are we to take the arora as fake?

asha's the sapna of this show. very specific regional identity, bubbly, friendly supporting role. i already like her more than the leads (as was the case with sapna too. @ me but sapna and atul were most lovable!)

ok ishani is QUITE unlikable. itnaaaaaaa bhi hyper hone ki zaroorat nahi hai sis.

why was she just sauntering around, and just swooping into whatever case is in front of her? doesn't she have some kinda orientation or something to attend? aise hi khula chod diya hai in naye doctors ko?

also why did this first year resident have to come and take things over? why's that other doctor standing around clueless about the existence of hypothermia and how to treat it?????

lo ji. dr. awesome ne bacha hi liya. to the point the nurses are like waah waah, aap kitniiiiii sahi thi!

and this doctor who's her senior too.

oh god, wohi insta post waala gyaan yeh bhi pel rahi hai. ouff.

what this dude's name, anyway??? he’s more my type than dr. fuckboy. 

oh so this is (part of??) his scam. selling unnecessary elective plastic surgery to women, playing on their insecurities. not misogynist atttttttttt all.

ouffffffff.

yeh kyaaaaaa faltoo aurat hai??????? she's super fucking annoying. it's literally your first hour in the place and you're already being such a damn pain in the ass to your SENIORS????? TO THE POINT WHERE YOU’RE PHYSICALLY ACCOSTING THEM???????

yeah i hate both of them.

———————————————————————

kal aur bhi ainvayi ka unpleasant khit-pit. i don't care.

oh shit dr. shashank has brain tumour. dr. juhi being called into service.

[mutantdatingproblems]

We Got Tagged

Hey everyone, we got tagged by @localmutantlesbian in this mutant ask thing so here we go (as always Z will be using bolded font and Vex will use italics and if we’re both saying it it’ll be both bolded and in italics, just so ya know who’s who in our answers if ya don’t wanna read our names every time). Here we go!

1. What’s your codename/mutant name?

Z: I can’t decide honestly, I’ve considered something simple like “Shifter” and crazy shit like “Dragon Queen” but they’ve all been shot down so far either by me or by Prof.X or one of the other Profs or my friends for being lame

V: This is a question I hate because I totally would’ve gone with like “Multiple Girl” but Multiple Man has that and they won’t let me pick something in a dead or nerd language (even though I think it’d be super cool) so I also don’t have one. We don;t go into the field much yet though so it doesn’t really matter yet.

2. Age?

Z: 19 going on 20, birthday is in May

V: Same except my birthday is in June

3. Gender and pronouns?

Z: Genderfluid with a current lean towards nonbinary so they/them or she/her or he/him all work for me, I don’t really care

V: Genderqueer, They/Them or She/Her please

4. What is your mutation(s)?

Z: Shapeshifting and mild hydrokinesis and is ADHD a mutation? Cause I swear it gives me superpowers

V: Creating multiples of myself and enhanced strength, speed, and senses. And yeah ADHD should definitely count as a power.

5. Are you a member of any mutant group (X-Men, The Mutant Underground, The Brotherhood of Mutants, Morlocks, etc)?

Z: X-Men in training at Xavier's (But I have friends in The Brotherhood)

V: Ditto

6. Got any physical mutations?

Z: Yeah, although mine are mostly by choice seeing as I’m a shapeshifter. I’m fond of my claws and fangs and tails and scales and horns and freaky eyes for everyday use

V: Nope, not really.

7. When did your powers manifest?

Z: Around 13

V: 12 and a half

8. What is your favourite thing about your powers?

Z: Everything. I love my powers, I love that I can be anything and do anything if I put my mind to it. It makes me who I am honestly, I don’t know who I’d be without my powers. Hell I’d probably have killed myself if my powers hadn’t manifested when they did I hated myself so much back then. Of course being at Xavier’s and meeting V and my other friends helped too. But yeah I love my powers and how they make me feel.

V: Ditto honestly, my powers help me learn so much and so much faster than I used to be able to, the focus I gain from my clones alone is a life saver when I have to do anything I find boring (which is a lot because Inattentive ADHD sucks royally). The enhanced senses and stuff are pretty awesome too, nothing better than losing your favorite pen under a couch and being able to lift the couch over your head ta get it back. I wouldn’t trade my powers for anything in the world.

9. Biggest pet peeve related to being a mutant?

Z: Assholes being assholes to us, assholes who only approve of human-passing mutants who think we should be grateful they even tolerate that much, not being able to find good shapeshifter friendly clothing that still looks cool and comes in plus sizes, and uppity fuckwad mutants who judge others on powers or looks or anything else because god dammit we need to stick together and support each other. I could go on because I have a lot but I won’t or this’ll take forever.

V: The asshole issues that Z pointed out but also when my powers go outta control cause I lose my cool or something and I have ta calm down ta find control again and it’s really hard, or when I sneeze cause of allergies and I accidentally sneeze a clone out...it’s embarrassing. Also accidentally hurting people with my enhanced strength....I hate that too

10. Ever been to space or another dimension?

Z: Yeah by accident.....it involved tequila....lots of tequila....

V: Nope

11. Do you wear a costume (BE HONEST)

Z: Sorta? I have ta make a lot of my own clothes cause of my physical mutations and shapeshifting so sometimes they come out looking very costumey and I am fond of leather which doesn’t help. I guess my battle gear counts? Loose black cargo pants (need all the pockets for gadgets and snacks cause shapeshifting requires a fuckton of calories and effort), black tank top (lightweight body armor actually but designed ta look like a tank top), arm warmers (again armor, they cover from my wrists to halfway up my upper arm, they’re also black). black leather fingerless gloves, combat boots (with knives hidden in the toes, also black except I change the laces all the time cause I like making them funky colors and designs), and a black leather weapons belt that holds at least one stun gun, two daggers/medium sized knives, and in some cases a sword because I like it. All of it’s like....well for lack of a better term...enchanted ta survive my shifts (including into dragon form) so it doesn’t rip or tear or anything. Apparently when I shift it kinda just disappears into a pocket dimension and then reappears on me when I shift back...I dunno how it works, ask Scarlet Witch she hooked me up. And by the way the weapons are because sometimes if I’m too drained ta shift I gotta go hand-to hand.

V: Yeah kinda, it’s my battle gear too. Navy cargo pants (I keep extra snacks for Z), black t-shirt, black wrist guards, black boots with purple laces and skulls and stuff painted on them, purple weapons belt holding a stun gun, throwing knives (like a frick ton, I also store more in my pants), more knives of varying sizes, smoke bombs (great for sneak attacks, just throw to confuse enemy and then attack from all sides with clones. I have flash bombs too), and a couple different versions of brass knuckles, and then I wear opaque black sunglasses too because I like them. Oh and yes my shirt is body armor like Z’s is of course, and my boots are steel toe.

12. Are you a minority in another way (race, gender, disability, etc)?

Z: Genderfluid Panromantic Demisexual who’s got mad depression, anxiety, ADHD, and fainting spells and I’m Polyamorous

V: Genderqueer, Queer in general, demisexual and polyamorous also with severe anxiety as well as dsycalculia and ADHD 

13. Coolest power you’ve seen?

Z: I love Storm’s powers, but Scarlet Witch is pretty cool too

V: I concur with Storm but I’m also fond of Z’s powers cause watching your friend turn into a dragion is really cool

14. Favourite mutant artist?

Z: Dunno

V: Ditto

15. How would your friends describe you?

Z: Loud, proud, queer as fuck, angry, musical, a water baby, a literal and metaphorical dragon, bad influence, pun queen, kind of insane, kinky, and V’s shoulder devil/inner crazy bitch. 

V: Quiet, secretly vindictive, punk af, dorky, wordy, easily distracted, helpful, accidental group therapist, mom friend, and Z’s conscience/shoulder angel. 

16. Enhanced/powered person you most want to meet?

Z: Deadpool, I always miss him when he visits and it sucks

V: Spiderman......I just think he seem really cool

17. Feelings about mutant registration?

Z: No, just no. That’s how they end up rounding us up and killing us all. If it’s an operation run by us mutants ourselves as a way to work together and support each other and offer aid to mutants and help mutant youth who’ve been kicked out of their homes and stuff like that then sure. But not some government list of us all, fuck no.

V: Yeah ditto on that.

18. #MutantandProud or #WeWantACure?

Z&V: #MutantandProud

Z&V: Again unless it’s something regulated by mutants for mutants, no. Because it should be a mutants choice whether or not they want their powers because some people get royally screwed and end up with powers they hate because they are dangerous or something like that. It shouldn’t be something the government or anyone else can decide, it should always be the mutants individual choice. 

19. How did you choose your codename?

Z: Don’t have one yet but when I do choose it’ll probably be like...by throwing darts at a bunch of names I like or a coin flip or something

V: Don’t have one yet, I’ll tell you how I chose it when I figure one out.

20. OPTIONAL: what caused your powers to manifest?

Z: Got mad, grew talons and fangs and scales cause I was reading about mythological creatures earlier, was not pretty. It happened when I was alone though so that was a plus. (I was mad because of a text from my boyfriend at the time). The hydrokinesis thing I figured out after I got to Xavier’s...was outside in the courtyard....got catcalled by some asshole student....wished I could dump water on his head....fountain water flew up and over and dumped gallons on his head....it was awesome.

V: I sneezed at the dinner table and three clones shot out of me....the strength and speed stuff I figured out at school in gym class when suddenly I was kicking ass at track and field after always sucking at it my whole life....The senses I figured out when I could hear waaaayyyyy too much noise everywhere and everything smelled waaayyy too strong and suddenly I could see without my glasses (yeah I used ta have and need glasses, I don’t anymore but if I did they’d be cats-eye style like a vintage librarian because reasons). 

Tagging: We’re not really sure who ta tag so if you wanna do it then feel free ta do it and tag us!

(And thank you again to @localmutantlesbian for tagging us! We loved doing this!)

~Mod Z

~Mod Vex

P.S Wanna know more about us? Check out our previous “Meet the Mods” posts or check out our “Meet the Mods” page on the blog!

[void-pink]

@all-seeing-ifer @wizard-gender @barmecideblu @cold-hearted-void @schizcrow @starryfansquid @schizoidwire !!!!

So I made Picrews of each one a while ago, but they’re all different and I can’t find the credits for them all at the moment. I’ll add those in as soon as I’m able.

Lunie

My og babe who doesn’t really have a fixed appearance?? But she’s a moth girl (Luna moth specifically) and she may or may not have a mouth. It’s kinda fitting, ‘cause she goes back and forth between “just wants to sit under a tree and talk to nobody” and “will tell you all sort of cool facts and never let you get a word in edgewise.” Stims a whole lot and not only doesn’t care what people think of it, she probably has no clue what people think of it. But hey, it’s not social ineptitude when the social rules make no sense to begin with *insert roll safe meme guy*

Kalos

Dragon girl~ She normally takes the form of a full-on golden dragon, but should the need arise she’ll take on varying degrees of human appearance; this is about as human as she’ll choose to look. She’s very friendly most of the time but has no tolerance for bigotry and is determined to punch every Nazi. Nothing makes her angrier than hearing someone mention “greedy reptilians” or the like. Fuck no.

Somna

My obligatory Unseelie fae ^^ The name’s adapted from a separate AU of mine. Somna’s absolutely fascinated, if also a bit confused, by humans and their quirks—and she knows how to absolutely fascinate the humans right back. Most of the time she’s not outright harmful, but don’t look her in the eyes or listen to her singing for too long or... things start to happen.

(Pssst and her eyes/hair change color at will)

Kiira

Kiira’s not really her name, but more of a combination of her actual name (I’ira) with the closest and cutest human name she could find (Kira). Quite the out-of-the-box thinker—after all, she’s coming at most things from a very alien perspective—literally. She’s always got a ton of oddly specific questions and has been asked multiple times if she’s on Earth to research, but she’s honestly just really goddamn curious and wants to make friends, even if she’s still learning how to. So enthusiastic, such softie, we stan.

Paradise

Or Miss Paradise, if you prefer. A tricksy and occasionally cuthroat A.I. robot. All about that funky fun rave aesthetic (the ears light up and do all kinds of fun color stuff), but much more conniving than she lets off. I really want to write a story around her; perhaps she was made to assist and entertain at a futuristic club or cruise ship, and it seems like she’s just “there to serve,” but she’s tired of being treated as less than and has greater plans in mind...

K.A.

Another robot, only much kinder and quite a bit shyer. Not sure if they’re really a ‘sona or just a character of mine but I figured I’d share them anyway ^^ Still developing them as a character, but I do know that they’ve sorta fallen in love. No, they don’t want romance (at the very least, not with a human) and aren’t really built for *that* sort of thing anyway, but they know that they care about this person, even more than their programming is normally meant for. This is them after said “crush” gave them her leather jacket. They’re pondering the nature of emotion and feeling quite Gay™.

Astra

*sigh* If only I could find a Picrew for “formless blob of stars.” Astra’s a shapeshifting starry... entity? who loves life to the max and is always taking on all manner of forms. Or none at all! Why not just be a concept every now and then? Why be defined by a finite number of things when you could be everything? Can you tell a) how badly I want to be a nebulous shapeshifter and b) how much I love stars.

There’s also a voidpunk world/story I’ve been creating in my head: the world of Kemona, populated by all manner of “monsters,” but more in the Undertale sense of the word then the traditional sense. The twist? They’re not a separate species from us—the high presence of magic in Kemona causes/allows humans to grow into unique humanoid (although not always very humanoid) beings as they mature. So a child would be born looking very human, because they are, and then as they grow up they might start showing wings, or strange patterns in their eyes, or an extra set of arms, or all three at once, or any number of things that continue developing until they reach adulthood. No two are exactly alike, and all of them have a magic of their own.

Welp I currently have 7?? voidsonas

Anyone wanna hear about em 👀

[studiodenden]

"I'm not the decorator": 20 quotes on what it's like to be a lady architect

Looking back on this past year, there have been so much amazing progress in terms of gender, sexuality, and overall human rights. This past year is apart of our forward momentum but many industries, such as our very own architecture and design industry, still have an uphill battle due.

Architecture was traditionally a wealthy man’s hobby. Inspired by the Greek and Roman architects, Thomas Jefferson had a studio in his own home, Monticello, that he used to develop a unique form of American architecture. In 1767 he purchased a small mountain (Monticello means ëlittle mountain' in Italian) near his birthplace, Shadwell. He began construction that year, a process that would continue throughout most of his life. He rebuild Monticello several times.

Since then architecture has remained male-dominated - and for good reason, it’s inextricably tied to the construction industry. Truth be told, contractors aren’t going to be trading in their 210lb laborers for 130lb women anytime soon. Not in a capitalist country at least.

But until then we have our allies like,  Robin Pogrebin, who rote a fantastic NY Times story outlining countless women’s stories. We couldn’t help but not share…

”For a woman to go out alone in architecture is still very, very hard,” the architect Zaha Hadid said. “It’s still a man’s world.” Ms. Hadid often stated that she did not want to serve as a symbol of progress for women in her profession. But, inevitably, she did. A study on diversity in the profession released this year by the American Institute of Architects found that “women strongly believe that there is not gender equity in the industry”; that women and minorities say they are less likely to be promoted to more senior positions; and that gender and race are obstacles to equal pay for comparable positions. Since Ms. Hadid won the Pritzker Prize in 2004, the percentage of female architects in the United States has barely grown, increasing to 25.7 percent from 24 percent, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

After Ms. Hadid died on March 31 at 65, The New York Times, in an informal online questionnaire, asked female architects among its readers to talk candidly about their experiences in the profession: the progress they’ve made and the obstacles they still face on construction sites and in client meetings. Below are edited excerpts from a few of some 200 responses we received.

‘Pushing Through Assumptions’

“We absolutely face obstacles. Every single day. It’s still largely a white, male-dominated field, and seeing a woman at the job site or in a big meeting with developers is not that common. Every single day I have to remind someone that I am, in fact, an architect. And sometimes not just an architect, but the architect. I’m not white, wearing black, funky glasses, tall or male. I’m none of the preconceptions of what an architect might be, and that means that every time I introduce myself as an architect, I have to push through the initial assumptions. Every new job site means a contractor who will assume I am the assistant, decorator or intern. It usually isn’t until the third meeting that the project team looks to me for the answers to the architectural problems.”

—Yen Ha, New York

“African-American women make up less than 0.3 percent of the architecture industry. There are approximately 300 licensed African-American women architects in the whole of the United States. I am a rarity in the field. It’s overwhelming being in an industry that doesn’t see your demographic enough to correlate it with the occupation you love.”

—Farida Abu-Bakare, Atlanta

The Boys’ Club

“Subcontractors, who have [fewer] opportunities to work with women architects and designers, seem to think that we do not even know how to change a light bulb and that our only role is just to decorate interiors. Many subcontractors seem very surprised whenever I give them solutions.”

—HJ Kim

“There is always that moment, while stepping onto a new construction site, that a few might consider a woman an intruder in a boys’ club. This quickly dissipates as soon as I treat them with respect. After all, they are the craftsmen that work with the materials daily. I am eager to learn from them, and they can elevate my design. Being a woman has also had some advantages, as certain clients feel more comfortable working with a woman during the design process.”

—Amanda McNally, North Palm Beach, Fla.

���I’ve seen younger women with architecture degrees pushed into more drafting, more into interiors and landscapes, while the men seem to think they are “better” at designing the building structure and are given more face time with the clients. A woman in large firms may be kept in the background.

—Maddy Samaddar-Johnson, New York

“The design profession won’t be integrated until the construction industry is, too. (Good luck with that!)”

—Bronwyn Barry, San Francisco

The Commission Gap

“It is easier to get commissions from educational, health care and governmental institutions than from fields which are very male-dominated. The only female in a board room discussing a project is the one in the skinny dress, delivering messages and setting lunches!”

—Juann Khoory, Wellesley, Mass.

“I have heard discussions where Zaha Hadid’s name came up as a suggestion to do a high-rise tower, and the men around the table declared her too risky. This is emblematic of the obstacles inherent in the field of high-profile projects. There needs to be more awareness among women in a position to be clients to consider hiring architectural firms that have women in design leadership roles.”

—Claire Weisz, New York

“My eagerness to learn is perceived as ignorance. My strong voice and firm stance are perceived as ‘bitchiness.’ It’s unlikely and uncommon for women to get commissions, gain corporate clients and to be given high-level responsibility.”

—Patricia Galván, San Jose, Calif.

The Road to Success

“I did what most successful female architects did before Zaha: I partnered with my husband. Saying that sounds horrible, but I never thought it could be different. I simply chose not to swim against the tide. Yes, he knows I use him sometimes to open the road for me, and he is fine with that.”

—Flavia Quintanilha, Brazil

“There was a time when women were not allowed to be members of the Century Club. About that same time, as a young architect trying to survive, I was doing exhibition design and had been hired by an N.Y.C. art collector to do an installation of Piranesi prints for the Century Club. When the club learned that I was a woman architect, I was not allowed to install the exhibit. I, like many other women architects, found it much easier and less humiliating to just strike out on my own. I have been in my own practice now for 20 years.”

—Christine Matheu, Bloomington, Ind.

The Pritzker Path

“To get a few more Pritzker-winning women, let’s:

• Never call anyone over age 18 a girl, especially not in a client meeting. This is not cute; it is patronizing.

• Make sure you introduce yourself to women on the project. (I have experienced this countless times in a meeting, where someone introduces themselves to the rest of the team but somehow skips me.)

• Do not comment on their bodies/clothing more than you might a man’s. (Don’t make jokes about them dieting ….)

• Don’t apologize for swearing in front of them. This is 2016; I am pretty sure women can handle it.

• Don’t interrupt them or talk over them.

• Don’t devalue their social ability. Getting everyone together for an office event can show leadership and planning. Being able to communicate is a key skill in a field with so many consultants.

• Do promote women into positions of power and influence. My previous firm rarely promoted women. I eventually quit. Next thing you know, they promoted all the women in the office. I like to think something got through.”

—Amity Kurt, New York

The Work/Life Balance

“No overtime pay and no paid parental leave can make it hard to justify staying in a profession. As a new mom, I feel like I must choose between advancing to a principal, or being there for my child. I will forgo the opportunity of making principal if it means I can be an involved parent.”

—Rosemary Park, Cambridge, Mass.

“After my daughter was born, it was clearly not possible to support her and do great work. I work as an urban designer for a planning department in a major city — the culture of planners is remarkably different and healthy. I never had trouble until I accepted a top award, seven months pregnant, in front of a large pool of existing and potential clients. After building a strong reputation for great work, the phone stopped ringing.”

—Maia Small, San Francisco

The profession is losing women faster than imaginable. This is due to the low wages and long hours at the start of one’s career, as well as those seeking to be parents. My firm is predominantly women, and I offer lots of work/life balance to my team so they can lead fulfilling lives, given the many hats they wear each day.

—Carol Kurth, Bedford, N.Y.

The Glass Ceiling

Women struggle far more for institutional and corporate work and for high-level responsibilities. The ratio of men to women was 50-50 in my graduating class at Columbia University in 1992, but today, most of my female classmates have dropped out of the profession.

—Deborah Ascher Barnstone, Sydney, Australia

“I have practiced now for 40 years, and the percentage of women in leadership roles in the profession has improved only a small percentage in that time. After my first five to seven years, being treated as kind of a cute or sweet team member, I left for a position in urban design in the public sector, retaining my own self-identity as an architect/urban designer. Without that clarity, I’d have left the field completely. The women partners I know are still the people who left other firms to begin their own.”

—Rebecca G. Barnes, Seattle, Washington

“I ended up creating my own ‘mommy-track,’ working as a sole practitioner, doing mostly single-family residential work for almost 20 years. I had always aspired to work in the public sphere, and by designing high-end houses in Marin County, Calif., I had clearly failed on that front. At some level, I will always wonder whether I failed at my profession, or if my profession failed me. That said, I am an optimist and am actively involved in the Missing 32% Project [formed to illuminate gender challenges] at the American Institute for Architects San Francisco, so I can help figure this out for younger architects and for the profession itself, which is sadly hemorrhaging talent because it has been unresponsive to the needs of its members.”

—Sharon Portnoy, Mill Valley, Calif.

Mentoring

“I worked for Zaha when I was first out of college. I did not have an architecture degree, but she hired me anyway and then encouraged me to apply to graduate school when I feared I would not get in. (I did.) I credit her influence directly for my decision to pursue architecture.”

—Marion Cage McCollam, New Orleans