Suddenly struck with a need to explain to you how boat pronouns work (I work in the marine industry).
When you're talking about the design of the boat, you say "it".
When the boat is still being built, your say "it".
When the boat is nearing completion, you can say "it" or "she".
When the boat is floating in the water you probably say "she", unless there is still a lot of work to be done (e.g. no engine yet) then you say "it".
When the boat is officially launched and operating, you say "she". If you continue to say "it" at this point you are not incorrect but suspiciously untraditional. You are not playing the game.
If you are referring to a boat you don't really know anything about you may say "it" ("there's a big boat, it's coming this way"). But if you know its name, it's probably "she" ("there's the Waverley, she's on her way to Greenock").
If you are talking about boats in general, you say "it" ("when a boat is hit by a wave it heels over")
If you speak about a boat in complimentary terms, it's "she" ("she's a grand boat"). If you are being disparaging it may be it, but not necessarily ("it's as ugly as sin", "she's a grotty old tub").
If she has a boy's name, she's still she. "Boy James", "King Edward", "Sir David Attenborough"? The pronoun is she.
If it's a dumb barge (no engine), you say it. But if it's a rowing boat (no engine), you say she.
I hope this has cleared things up so that you may not be in danger of misgendering floating objects.
[Image Description: comment by user jigseen left on April 11 says, “fascinating to learn that the humble creature the Boat has it/she pronouns. so does the Mosquito
Screenshot that says: This post contains filtered tags #shipping discourse
Got tagged by lovely @mikuni14 promptly forgot but here it is!
(BLs currently watching that aren't finished = not in the running.)
1.Number of QLs you've watched so far:
55 watched to completion
7 never tracked down or MIA
9 DNFs
10 didn't bothers
24 currently airing
2.Best QLs you've watched in 2026 so far:
Fake Fact Lips
Life in Smokey Blue
Love Upon a Time
Me and Thee
3. QLs that you want to watch but haven't gotten around to yet:
Crazy Love Moo-Moo
Flavor of Us (I guess it's just lost forever)
Ordinary Love
4.QLs that were the biggest disappointment for you:
Awakening the Steppe
Reloved
The Love Never Sets
Sweet Blood
5. Most anticipated QLs for the second half of the year:
Nour (just added based of killer trailer)
Popular Serizawa Acts Weird Around Me (high schoolJBL is my weakness)
Connecting to You (Taiwan my love!)
Ao to Midori (Japan does We Best Love)
You Maniac (WilliamEst obvs)
20 Lists (gentle version of Dangerous Romance)
Unknown Lover (ThomasKong obvs)
No. 1 Student
Friend Benefit
Twenty One (JuniorMark obvs)
To the Far Blue
The Crow Club (SailubPon obvs)
The Grim Lover (PavelPooh obvs)
Police in Love
My Secret Boyfriends
Lovers & Gangsters
Billionaire Biker (AouBoom obvs)
GMMTV 2026 Line Up - My Totally Biased & Wildly Flawed Feels
DMD Line Up 2026 Tier List (and thoughts)
6. Biggest surprise/favorite new actor (debut or new to you):
Love Upon a Time (Thailand) - This show used established reincarnation to neatly solved for many flaws in both time travel and historical series.
Half of Me (Korea) - A classy little vertical (I can't believe I typed those words either) about a office lacky who suddenly finds himself spending his nights working and his days in the body of a high school student whose teacher is his first love. A little mystery unfolds along with a second chance at love. A cute fun reunion romance with a magical realism twist. I recommended it. (No I didn't think I'd ever type those words about a vertical either).
And it's not on the spreadsheet because I can't really condone that nonsense but there have been 2 AI BLs out of Korea on YT that I really genuinely enjoyed. One made me cry. AI!
7. Newest fictional crush:
Ju Tae Seon in The Prosecutor's Office's Proposal is my 2026 spirit animal. But I'm supposed to be picking from COMPLETED shows only so...
North from the Fourever You series. Not that kind of crush tho. I just think he is a GREAT character.
I don't really get fictional crushes in that way.
8. Favorite QL that made you happy:
Me and Thee
9. Favorite QL that made you cry:
Private Galaxy
Love After Addiction
Beside the Sky (Fourever You)
10. What QLs do you need to watch by the end of the year?
That depends on what actually airs and how good it is.
The tear kissing shot was great, but tbh I think I like this one more:
There's so much intensity here on multiple levels. Jay is gazing at Sun with such fierce focus, hand wrapped around Sun's neck in possessive dominance. He needs to see the effect this is having on Sun. To see his tears. And Sun is completely lost in sub space. This is exactly what he's wanted and denied himself for so long. To submit completely to someone he has a powerful connection with. To finally let go, put himself in that person's hands. And, however unhealthy irl this is, he needed Jay to break down not just his walls, but his will, so he could let himself have this. Now he's finally getting what he wants. His sadistic Dom is on top of him, inside him, eliciting tears from the immense vulnerability submission has drawn out of him. He's never let himself go like this before, and it's everything he never truly knew he wanted.
*knock knock to those of us who are insane* are we going to talk about the parallel shots from the beginning and end of the recent payback episode.
the episode opens with a boy beaten and broken (possibly dead?) lying stomach down on a bed, naked, after having been clearly sexually used (and likely abused) by an uncaring tyrant. one who typically preys on younger men who need some kind of monetary help to find their footing in the big bad world of entertainment. formally known as A Sponsor. the episode opens to deathly actor and the man who caused it walking out.
and then to parallel this with sun and jay. jay who is also an older man that could be sun’s sponsor (that’s how it looks to the outside and what sun was initially after anyway). sun who was also stomach down, naked, on the bed looking sexually satisfied. but this time jay is leaning over him a look of absolute care and (dare i say) love in his eyes as he actively engages in those acts of pleasure with sun.
this juxtaposition between what different versions of power look like under the “same” umbrella.
this is so badly worded im sorry im sorry but do you get me?
Look. Sometimes when a man gets very horny he asks you to remove your shirt, sniffs it for awhile, and then takes that shirt with him into the bathroom to loudly order takeout pasta
In honor of Trope Tuesday, let's talk about The Prosecutor's Proposal. I was late to the game on this one, having only binged it a few days ago. But I'm now impatiently waiting for the finale (words I do not say lightly).
A special thanks to all of the amazing gif makers who have been working on this show.
I'm greatly enjoying this search for truth, and I'm enamored with Taeseon's tsundere bite...
And the guileless nature of Lee Chaeha.
But beyond the endearing characters, this show has hit a lot of nostalgic buttons for me. Because while it thankfully has all of the trappings and tropes of a modern BL...
This show is using a ton of long-standing kdrama tropes. Scenes like this one....
Are immediately causing all kinds of older scenes, like this one from Coffee Prince, to flood in to my brain.
It feels like seeing old friends. (Note: Gifs from older shows I made myself.)
Even the setup of the relationship is nostalgic. Your parent (might have) killed my parent!
Like other fated childhood connections, it's a classic kdrama setup. When I realized that's where this story was going, I named three older shows with that setup before I blinked. And that list only got longer the more I thought about it...especially if you expand it to family members instead of just parents.
It's a delicious setup, because the fact that the leads share this tragic historical connection always causes angst. Tragedies involving family, particularly parents, carry heavy cultural weight.
The angst monster in me howled with delight when this popped up.
If their relationship wasn't always known to one (or both) of the leads, "the reveal" is a big deal, and typically a stumbling block for the relationship. Example - this scene from He Is Psychometric.
They've been investigating the truth about the fire that killed his parents, and he just found out her dad was the one arrested for it. He's incredibly upset and leaves her behind. Note - she insists he was framed, and...she became a cop. Sound somewhat familiar?
So while I saw some posts surprised that Lee Chaeha had such a strong reaction to the reveal, I was gleefully anticipating it.
And it hit me just right...like taking a sip from a perfectly brewed cup of tea. (Ehh...ok, I wouldn't have minded if we had a few more episodes with these characters to build even more depth, but the flavor was good.)
Even the hand gesture Taeseon used in this moment...
Is a hallmark of protecting your partner from things that will hurt them.
That gif is from the het show Come and Hug Me where his father DID brutally murder her parents and tried to kill her too. And maybe you guessed it...but he became a cop.
Long story short - we may often make fun of tropes and cliches, but they exist for a reason. When they are used well? We get to sit down and enjoy a really good show.
Keeping my fingers crossed for a strong finale week.
Brutally Honest Thoughts About Every DMD Friendship the Reality (It Takes Two) Pairing
It took me 6 months to finally watch this totally-not-dating-show, and I come bearing brutally honest thoughts about each couple.
I have to say that this season is less about finding a partner, and more about making it work. Although I enjoyed the "will they, won't they" aspect of last season, I admit that I have an appreciation for this one more. Most of the participants already have lined up works with a partner, so the show basically gives them what they need to build rapport: friendship time.
The structure of the show barely changed at all, except maybe the fact that there's significantly more people in this one than the last. Inevitability, there's gonna be a lot more "couples" this season, too.
So, here's my unsolicited thoughts on each one, because there's nothing more enjoyable for me than to perceive celebrities unprovoked.
NetJJ - The "Where Have You Been All My Life?"
I can barely formulate anything to think about these two. Obviously, they're ending up as partners one way or another, but the way they constantly seek each other out in the entire show does something magical to me.
Watching Net and JJ feels like watching a couple that has full confidence and faith in one another. They're not scared to be vulnerable and honest, because they know how difficult the path was to get to where they are today, and they accept all the difficulties that will meet them together eventually. It's a wonderful trade of support and assurance that they have each other's back.
Plus, the chemistry. Oh goodness, the chemistry.
While I honestly did not see how they could end up working at first, they solidified NetJJ after the zombie play. Net, especially, did a great job at making me believe that there is no way for him to live without JJ in the apocalypse, which is to be expected when he has quite an experience under his belt, but JJ... Oh, JJ. He keeps saying that he doesn't want to drag Net down, but he's literally so good. He provides a contrast to Net's soft, pleading eyes with his stern, determined expression. His character in the zombie play almost felt a little toxic, and I'm here for it!
They are both so good, individually and together. I can't wait to see what they have in store.
JimmyOhm - The "Just Married"
"It has the same vibe as a wedding ceremony," is an insane thing to say, by the way!
Jimmy could have worn something better, but I digress. He's literally all about Ohm the moment he arrived, and I love him for it. Compared to all the other couples, these two seem to have their own world every single time. I almost see hearts floating around when they're together! It's that bad.
They might just have the best chemistry in the show. No joke. They also have the most comfortable vibe together, because they don't shy away from any form of skinship. Jimmy literally laid on top of Ohm's chest for a cuddle one time, and Ohm instantly wrapped his arms around him like clockwork. They also won in the acting department, because that zombie play absolutely dominated. At this point, JimmyOhm and NetJJ should star in a dystopian film.
I don't know who made Jimmy believe that Ohm would hesitate to choose him as a partner, because they're obviously lying! Ohm literally starts glowing the moment he sees Jimmy in the show. They are so smitten. Parents.
PorTeetee - The "Right Person, Right Time"
If you know me, you should know by now that I absolutely love Teetee. So, I was ecstatic when he joined the show!
But nobody told me that Teetee and Por will carry this show for me. They give me the sugar of young, giggly love, and I caught myself losing my mind over these two to no avail. Teetee literally went "Hello, P'Por!" when they just entered the show, and I cried.
Wow, let me backtrack, because I forgot that DMD Friendship the Reality is, in fact, not DMD Dating Show.
Teetee and Por have the dynamic of a rom-com duo. They are so awkward that it makes them so charming—this is literally what the judges said about their robot play. Teetee gets so shy easily, and Por looks at him with adoring eyes every time. They are what good first dates look like—if that makes sense. Por keeps saying that they barely talked, and yet he's fixed with the decision to choose Teetee anyway. They work together, clicked, connected, or whatever it may be.
Also, their robot play was my favorite.
LatteKim - The "Will They or Won't They"
I have complex feelings about these two, because they reminded me of EP 1 KengNamping from the first season.
Kim has a special place in my heart, so it pisses me off when he's treated as unwanted. Work is work, I know, but damn, can Latte at least pretend to be a little happy to have Kim around? This unrequited love dynamic is not for the weak—me.
But then they spend friendship time together, and I start questioning everything that I feel about them.
So, Latte. He's a totally different person outside of a group setting. I should have known, because the way he acts with Kim in the hotel reminds me of how he was with FirstOne in that one special dinner. He's playful, flirty, and sweeter one-on-one. Him saying "I won't hesitate" before entering the canopy is probably the best representation of who he is. Latte is certain of who he's choosing upon entering the show, and his lack of gusto to grow closer to Kim probably stems from the fact that he doesn't have to do that anymore. Latte doesn't owe us—me—anything, and I should respect that.
They really need to work on the acting chemistry though.
AuauSave - The "One That (Almost) Got Away"
Absolutely nobody can write something like this.
Auau and Save are the most surprising bunch I've seen in this show. They might as well write a book about the emotional roller coaster they took us in, because it was peak "hurt/comfort" if you think about it.
AuauSave are the PorTeetee and LatteKim combined. The best of both worlds, except it means that they both have the quality of being awkward and having the one-sided love dynamic in the clutch.
It was difficult for me to watch them navigate their relationship in early episodes, because Save has the biggest heart and the smallest self-esteem. He thinks he's never good enough for anything in the show, and that includes Auau—god, Save is going to be the end of me. Then, we get Auau. Auau who literally cries about being a failure, because he has battles to deal with within him. It's so devastating to watch the mess that they are when you see how talented and good they are already.
It's unfortunate that we don't see them act together during the challenge, but the canopy moment totally makes up for it. I don't even know where to begin!
First of all, Save is so evil for making Auau think that he's alone in this, because he literally looks like he's about to cry. But I don't blame him at all.
This is the first time Save admits to feeling this way about Auau's actions, and I stand by whatever choices he makes after this. Supporting gay rights and wrongs.
Auau's reaction to finally seeing Save is absolutely magical. He's speechless, he's smiling, he's grateful, he's heartbroken, he's happy, he's everything all at once. It's cute to see the both of them so upfront about what they feel, and I kid you not that nothing can replicate this moment in reality show history!
If you catch me rewatching Your Sky, it's definitely because of them. They are literally RealHia in real life.
Anyway, go check out all the episodes of DMD Friendship the Reality (It Takes Two)! It's a treat to see subversions of traditional male friendships every single time.
Hey. If people aren't aware, Microsoft admitted they know who you and where you are at all times and will give your info to the police.
They have a Global Device Identifier (GDID) Tracker that functions as a fingerprint for your PC that can surpass VPNs, proxy servers and countries. Although it can't survive a clean reinstall of Windows (it can survive updates), because Microsoft forces you to go to the internet and log in into a Microsoft account, they will be able to get to you.
Microsoft kept it secret and it was only found out when the FBI tracked a hacker thanks to the information Microsoft gave them.
You should be paying attention to this, and possibly consider moving away from Windows. If a government, especially the US government, doesn't like you for some reason, this could be seriously concerning.
This article specifically notes:
For journalism, activism, or domestic abuse situations, skip Windows and use Linux routed through Tor instead of a commercial VPN. A GDID doesn’t care which VPN you use, only that it’s still the same Windows installation.
GDID is the persistent Windows ID that helped FBI trace a Scattered Spider hacker despite VPNs. Here's how it works and how to limit it.
Other important quotes:
What has researchers uneasy is everything else the case reveals. Costin Raiu, a well-known malware researcher, asked on the Three Buddy Problem podcast how much of this exists on other platforms, and whether it is linked more permanently to hardware. Matthew Hickey, another security researcher, called Windows “surveillance software”.
Two things back that up:
There’s no consent screen. A GDID gets assigned when you sign into a Microsoft Account. Apple’s advertising identifier needs an App Tracking Transparency prompt and a visible reset; Android’s works the same way. GDID has neither, and a Windows reinstall only gets you a new number Microsoft can still get back to the same account.
Then there’s activation. Massgrave, the group behind Microsoft Activation Scripts, notes that Windows setup sends hardware info to Microsoft and gets identifiers back, the same tokens later used for Store access and licensing: “It’s impossible to prevent Windows from getting a GDID without breaking activation and UWP app[s].” Anyone who lost a license after swapping a motherboard has already met a smaller version of this.
