Why Hello There

Dr. Grace Ryland who never managed to play the game of academia and wasn't male enough for her stubbornness or eccentricity to be forgiveable. Grace Ryland who ended up a middle school science teacher and she loves it, she does, but she can never shake the feeling of shame that she's letting the cause of Women In STEM down for it.

Eva Stratt intentionally seeking out highly-degreed and underemployed minorities (here, including women) for the project because the current Top Scientists aren't having much luck and the project needs a diversity of overlooked ideas. Ryland thinking that she and Stratt have like, a sisterhood/solidarity/Girl Power thing going on which is why Stratt keeps her around. Ryland learning that she and Stratt do not have a sisterhood/solidarity/Girl Power thing going on when Stratt sits her down in her office and tells her You Are Going To Space Whether You Want To Or Not. (That betrayal hurts but not as much as the arguments Stratt uses against her: "You don't have a husband, or children, or even a dog. You don't have anyone to stay for." After all this, and she's disposable because she's failing to be a woman correctly, which means a picket fence and a nuclear family, being a wife and mother, and because she's not she might as well die? It's not like she's never faced this judgement before but it's not something she ever expected to face here, not from Eva Stratt. STRATT THAT APPLIES TO YOU TOO. WHY IS IT OKAY FOR YOU BUT NOT FOR ME.)

Nishimoto Ryota

Three of Cups and The High Priestess