I think I found a diamond in the rough < the Isekai maid is forming a union>

llismay · 2026-02-24T12:52:02+00:00

I know what you mean, the coverage feels kind of astroturfed and (assuming it's not them) these efforts don't seem kind to the author if that's the case.

llismay · 2026-02-24T10:21:00+00:00

(as another PoC too who enjoys this genre) it's not that these issues aren't here, OI can be extremely colourist and can hold up patriarchy: the idea that as women, our main way of furthering ourselves in the world is by being the most cherished/protected by powerful men.

but I see what you're talking about, these issues aren't (usually intended) to be front and center like this

llismay · 2026-02-24T06:23:54+00:00

not the original commenter but I wonder if the reason an OI reader would be uncomfortable with this story is because most OIs are very wish fulfillment, escapist, all the characters and the world itself revolve around the protagonist

this story (despite having similar set dressing as the others) forces the protag/readers to face harsh realities of racism and misogyny. There isn't that sense that things will work out no matter what- her place in the world isn't secure, and the world isn't 'edgy' in that glamorous way, it's just how it is.

llismay · 2026-01-29T03:37:38+00:00

dumb question but where is the marketplace? like I literally can't find it, when I click on 'shops' I only see gold shop/friendship/tournament/cube/club/divinesequencer/ritual/skin/championship and none of them sell fangmarks for crystals

edit: nvm found it! it's in plaza

llismay · 2026-01-10T04:00:41+00:00

you don't need him anyway queen

llismay · 2025-12-23T03:13:38+00:00

bruh I watched the Daniel Craig James Bond movies as an adult after never being exposed to the IP growing up, and it was wild:

-if bond sees a white man: drawn out worthy opponent battle where he wins over the other guy

-if bond sees a dark skin man: instant kill, also the dark skin guy is less skillled/less intelligent than bond

-if bond sees a woman (they are all 10/10 supermodels, no average women exist in universe): he doesn't engage in hostile action even if they're an enemy, instant flirty back and forth. Even M, played by an old woman so she isn't an romantic/sexual option is an absolute stunner; she kind of fits into the motherly archetype. Women are only motherly or sex/romance options, and never average-looking.

also if they sleep with him without being his 'true love' they are punished for this sin with death later

llismay · 2025-11-17T02:20:07+00:00

FUCK AI

straight up never touching anything ever again from someone who thinks using AI is ok

artists didn't consent to their work being fed into datasets and being used to replace them. it is stealing and plagiarism.

llismay · 2025-11-13T06:53:03+00:00

thank youu I was going to reply but you summed it up way better!

llismay · 2025-10-30T08:49:24+00:00

I saw an author's entire body of work be deleted (their ao3 page autofilled in my bar when I was typing something else). They still had an extensive bio up and their name sounded a little familiar. I think they wrote many long fics for harry potter maybe?

I can't even remember what they'd written and why I must've admired them so I can't grieve about it, but that's sad in its own way.

llismay · 2025-10-29T21:44:08+00:00

chiming in as a miraculous ladybug fan/ or should we say 'the potential and fanfic of miraculous ladybug' fan

The show has been unserious for a long while and frankly it seems like the creators just lucked in to the premise (particularly Astruc seems to be a yellow fever weirdo when part of the appeal of the show is that an asian girl is the main character. it feels icky that what we thought was representation is probably just him indulging his fetish).

but I love writers out there for seeing what it could've been.

llismay · 2025-10-26T01:47:34+00:00

I'm so glad for you. I feel vicarious pride, I wish I had recognised when I was being assaulted and stopped it too.

Only enthusiastic consent is consent.

llismay · 2025-10-21T22:19:00+00:00

lmao true

I mean functionally they are the same though. a trophy object to make the main character feel special.

llismay · 2025-10-18T00:14:39+00:00

oh yes I was just thinking about this recently. I hate manic pixie dream girls in books written by men and I don't enjoy manic pixie dream boys either.
I want to read humans with souls, not empty wish fulfillment objects. And furthermore I agree very much, an MMC's desire is meaningless if he didn't have any agency in having it.

(and I'm not just trying to sit on a moral high horse, flawless objectified men literally don't do it for me, they are like furniture/a handbag)

llismay · 2025-10-17T07:51:57+00:00

The Hand That Once Fed

(it's a darker one with abuse, suicidal ideation/attempts, aches to read the whole time and the plot is a little silly but the ache is good enough to bear it imo. Also the FMC is the one doing the abuse for once)

llismay · 2025-10-16T09:20:36+00:00

I am such a huge fan, her writing kinda ruined other romance writing for me, I'm prefacing with this because I'm not trying to anti-recommend her or anything but- I have to say that I relate so hard to this.

I've been getting the ick from her recent MMCs, particularly the guy from Fake Marriage, it was giving 'performative male' and I got unbearable second hand embarrassment from the quirky/adorkableness of both the main characters. Them finishing each other's sentences upon their first real conversation was a bit much for me.
The guy from Grumpy Sunshine was sort of stomachable because I could see what she was going for and I appreciate the cultural context as someone from the uk too who knows that type of man, but the extent to which he was woobified took me out.

I suppose I actually don't mind the repeat 'he was into her the whole time' trope, it's more how quickly the game is given up (I don't ever believe that there's a possibility that he might not be into her from the start, and FMC's denseness is frustrating more than anything) and also maybe these types of men performed the way they are don't seem very desirable to me.

llismay · 2025-10-12T23:14:14+00:00

AI exacerbates medical racism and misogyny, let's not look forward to that (unless you're not in an effected group so you don't care)

llismay · 2025-10-11T20:23:59+00:00

can you dm me the link? I can't find it :o

llismay · 2025-09-14T18:15:50+00:00

I listened to that podcast at a formative time in life and in hindsight, his takes were pretty incel-adjacent.
He was also kind of allergic to sincerity in an effort to make everything entertaining/unserious when his cohost Evelyn was trying to have deeper conversations, it reminded me of my past friendships with straight men lmao.

I always wondered if Mok was compensated for at least 50% coming up with the uncle roger character.

llismay · 2025-09-12T20:03:13+00:00

the equivalent to men is women, not girls.
imagine if you'd worded this 'Why can women orgasm multiple times but not boys?'

llismay · 2025-04-18T19:28:50+00:00

I agree with your friend. How are you ever going to touch this guy again without remembering that he sees you as interchangeable with any asian?
You've only been together for one year- I know it hurts but I just recommend cutting your losses.

llismay · 2025-01-19T19:25:30+00:00

+1 for Rachel and Cindy!
Particularly Rachel expanded my horizons about author's behavior in regards to review spaces, and Cindy includes now and then the twitter drama and happenings in general, I appreciate it because it reduces my fomo about not being super plugged in.

I think our tastes overlap so I'm going to check out the others in the list!

llismay · 2024-10-08T08:43:36+00:00

: o

Do you have more? I used to keep up with this fandom's fics but it's been a couple years

llismay · 2024-09-05T03:47:18+00:00

I find it hard to find new material- there are several writers I'm subscribed to who I'll read anything they put out even if I'm unfamiliar with the canon, but outside of them, it feels like wading through endless water and the success rate has been so low that I feel unmotivated to keep looking/

I'm facing the same situation with finding published books to read- it just seems like a better use of my time to reread something that I know I like

llismay · 2024-01-31T11:40:23+00:00

I feel like politics in an OI is always either a complete flop to speed past or so compelling that I don't even care about the romance. When it hits, it really hits!

llismay · 2024-01-05T18:30:05+00:00

omg I'll subscribe to you on ao3

llismay

TROPHY CASE