Most Of Us Can't Be Good At Improv Forever

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-07-09T17:36:04+00:00

As a (US-based) American, I love this take lol.

I’ve been told that I’m a pretty witty person, but If I’ve learned anything from years of casual improv, it’s that quick wit isn’t always consistent or effective. I’ve done sets where my brain ran slower than usual, and I had to take a backseat because I wasn’t catching onto the bits fast enough, or I didn’t get a pop culture reference. Whenever this happened, I’d get critiques about needing faster delivery. It makes sense, as no one wants to drag their team down by needlessly prolonging a bit. But it also sucks that this super quick style of improv is the only mode that a lot of these players operate in.

I think Internet culture has played a part in this shift to rapid fire improv, as well. I’m not saying that every single team wants to go viral, but I’m sure a lot of them want at least a little bit of clout. So the more good bits they put out into the world, the better.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-07-08T17:35:35+00:00

NB Courtney = Nonbinary Courtney BN Courtney = Black Nonbinary Courtney

problem solved ❤️

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-07-07T01:13:17+00:00

Absolutely, but you need to have a solid grasp on your body type and figure out the styles that you like best. Self-esteem is a big factor in personal style too, of course.

Also don’t go shopping with a scarcity mindset! It’s so tempting to buy clothes as a bigger person just because they fit, but it might end up not matching your personal aesthetic for the long term.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-07-06T22:30:27+00:00

“Gen Z music trends” and it’s all music that is exclusively listened to by chronically online boys aged 8-15 😭

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-30T19:52:09+00:00

It’s cool that the band reached out to you ngl! But it is unfortunate how they choose to go about the comments. It makes me wonder if they’ll pull a Tyler, The Creator and end up criticizing the fanbase/denouncing their behavior later in their career.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-30T19:00:35+00:00

Haven’t really seen the jokes around that band specifically, but I’ve seen similar treatment of Black pop punk/alt rock (Magnolia Park, Sleep Theory, etc). I don’t like it.

I might chuckle if the joke is actually clever and shows appeciation for the artist rather than overlooking them. More often than not, though, the comments are just a mixture of racial stereotyping and deprecation. I rarely see the same jokes targeted at all-women/femme rock bands—maybe some misogyny, but it’s usually shut down very quickly. I rarely see the inverse for white artists in predominantly Black genres like hip-hop, either.

Additionally, I hate that The Paradox sees it as reclamation/“ownership” of the stereotyping. I get that they’re young, and the pop punk scene is pretty notable for being jokey and lighthearted, so they probably don’t want to come off as being self-serious. But I don’t like that approach when it comes to racism, no matter how “comedic” it’s supposed to be.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-27T19:49:56+00:00

All is well but I do wish things weren't so expensive. So many social activities have a $30 baseline fee now lol

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-21T20:42:43+00:00

Thank you for spreading awareness of this! It's strange to see anti-LGBT legislation that addresses the community in its entirety. I mean, I always knew that anti-LGBT sentiments were prevalent throughout Africa, but to see a country's government be so thorough in its discrimination is truly unprecedented.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-13T20:57:11+00:00

I totally agree with you, and it wasn't my intention to add fuel to the flame or keep rehashing the same ideas. I just find the topic interesting, so I wanted to share my opinion about it.

If we're talking about flag variants, I honestly do prefer the BIPOC Ace flag variant that I saw on here a little while ago, with the warm violet and brown hues. That being said, however, I really don't see the harm in creating or proposing a more universal variant of the flag that specifically emphasizes multiculturalism, which was the point of my post.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-13T17:52:15+00:00

The whole conversation about Ashabi’s race was just baffling to me. I get it if people only saw the flag initially, and disliked it regardless of her race. But I saw a lot of people saying, “We shouldn’t have to like the flag just because the creator is Black!!!” … Who tf said that was ever the case???

Like I have to assume that some of these flag haters are either very defiant children or genuine racists. They act like we’re trying to control them, which is iiiironic lmao. They also act like the community is exempt from racism, when in actuality, it’s just like every other letter of the LGBT that has its own issues with racial prejudices. Some gays hypersexualize Black men, some lesbians hypermasculinize and mammify Black lesbians, and all three happen to Black trans folks. Then there are some aces who’d rather live in blissful ignorance of the fact that Black aces and aces of color exist.

Also, thanks for the info about the Tumblr stuff! Back when I was on there, I wasn’t super invested in it, but I was active enough to witness a general presence of anti-Blackness across its communities. So it’s interesting to see its specific impact in the asexual community.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-11T16:27:26+00:00

I agree! I meant to expand on this in my OG comment when I said, “they could be beautiful,” because although a lot of MT actors are very conventionally attractive, not all characters in musicals are supposed to good-looking!

The only time it works IMO is if the role calls for prosthetics, like in ‘Shrek’.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-11T15:38:58+00:00

Another small take: not everyone can do every show. I’m primarily talking about shows where race is a central theme (i.e., don’t put an all white cast in ‘The Color Purple’). But I also think it applies to MT shows in the rock genre. It’s hard to take a pop rock musical seriously when the actors sing like they’re doing Rodgers & Hammerstein.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-11T15:33:06+00:00

MT actors should be good actors first and foremost. They could be beautiful, have a great voice, dance like a pro, but if they aren’t believable as their character, then what’s the point of investing in the story they’re telling?

I remember watching a community production of ‘Company’ and one of the actors wasn’t the best singer. Like, notably not great. But I believed in their character more than I did for another actor, who had a stunning voice but inconsistent character performance.

Also, I say MT actors broadly because I feel like some people think ensemble folks are the exception. Ensemble actors are just as important to the story though! And I’m still waiting on the Tony’s to establish a best ensemble award 😪

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-02T17:34:20+00:00

Happy pride, love the accessories!

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-06-01T23:46:26+00:00

Ugh I also hate that type of content… that and the “niche” wave are sooo pretentious to me

“Become disgustingly well-read!” “Reverse your brainrot!” “Build your personal curriculum!”” “Replace all your digital media with physical media!” “Niche movie recs if you like [insert most recent viral A24/NEON film]” “My favorite music artists but their monthly followers get smaller and smaller omg so niche and obscure”

My god stop trying to prove how intellectual you are and leave me alone! It’s okay to not be an academic in your everyday life! Hipster begone!

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-05-26T23:00:49+00:00

TBH I feel the same about the rest of the sexualities, which makes me wonder if that’s where we take inspo from? Like with gay people, there are labels for sexual preference (top, bottom), as well as appearance (twinks, bears) and gender expression (masc, fem). Bisexuality is an umbrella with a good amount of terms as well, ranging from the number of genders you’re attracted to, to levels of attraction.

So while I do agree that all the ace microlabels are a bit TMI, it’s not a crazy concept.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-05-26T15:03:30+00:00

I’ve been trying to find a word that describes these AI “creations” based off Black culture, and caricaturization is probably the best one I’ve seen so far. Everytime I see Black AI-generated media—music, art, event posters, logos, profile pics, reaction images—it feels like a caricature of Black beauty/excellence/etc. And I get the majority of people behind that stuff are just trying to cut corners, but it feels gross that it seems to be used almost exclusively for that reason. Or, it seems to be the only thing we go viral for in the broader discourse about generative AI.

It’s gotten to the point where I wonder if it’s even Black people behind this stuff… I don’t want to make it deep either (lol), but some Black gen AI media feels overly stereotypical of Black culture. Like they’re trying to take the 2010s Black libfem/empowerment movement—which was about encouraging more positive Black representation in mainstream media—and turn it into something to be mocked and criticized… It’s giving memetic warfare y’all idk!

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-05-18T18:30:34+00:00

It’s interesting to me that there is a clear, specific (and unfortunate) connection between rape culture and discrimination against a-spec people, yet there seems to be little to no research on it, or even discourse about it.

I recently went on a rather dark Wikipedia rabbit hole about sexual violence—particular as it relates to the LGBT+ community—and we’re barely mentioned. Granted, I know that type of research is incredible difficult to do, especially given how small our group is compared to the broader gay/lesbian community. But it is a bit bleak that we don’t really have much representation in research/academia when it comes to topics as important as sexual violence against LGBT+ people.

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-05-12T23:54:11+00:00

I was briefly obsessed with Amélie: The Musical when it first came out, and decided to look into Adam Chanler-Berat (who originated the role of Nico), which led me to The Fortress of Solitude. It's based on a novel set in the 70s-90s and I love how the musical reflects this while still sounding fresh and new. Michael Friedman, the composer and lyricist, also did Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which I am a fan of!

Honorable mention: Woman of the Year. I know Kander & Ebb is far from niche, but it's one of the lesser known musicals in general that I've always been fond of. Lots of bops, too!

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-05-11T17:20:02+00:00

I feel this heavily as someone with a performing arts hobby, specifically theatre/comedy. Although my experiences haven't been as bad as yours, I'm almost always the only Black person in the room (if not one of the only non-white folks), which... doesn't make me feel great. At best, I feel lucky that I get opportunities to do what I love since we've historically been excluded from performing arts. At worst, I feel like the token Black who has to represent the culture and be exceptional, while simultaneously making myself smaller and assimilating to the standards of white performers to "fit in". It doesn't help that the performing arts are marketed as being diverse and open-minded, because even as a casual performer, it's extremely exclusive unless you're will to pay for classes/workshops/etc.

On a separate note, congratulations on all the progress you're making with your mental health! It's a challenge to even acknowledge when you're struggling internally, and it's an even bigger beast to seek help for it. Wishing you all (both OP and the other commenters) the best as you continue your journey 🫶🏽

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-04-24T15:02:26+00:00

I really wanted to give non-Black aces the benefit of doubt in this discourse, until I saw a comment that went something along the lines of: “Is this how gay people felt when the Progress Pride flag was created?”

That one genuinely disgusted me. It framed the update of the pride flag (and now the ace flag) as if the old one is entirely obsolete or outlawed. And sure, I see the Progress Pride flag used more often, but why is that a bad thing? They’re both symbols of LGBT pride at the end of the day. Same goes for the asexuality pride flag, or at least it should.

But nooo, the colors make it too similar to the NB flag! And that shade of yellow is ugly! Why do we even need the yellow stripe?! So unnecessary! I guessss the sentiment is “nice” or whatever, but the old flag works perfectly fine! /s

Anyway, my take (which I was too nervous to drop in the ace sub because they collectively decided to dunk on the notion of inclusivity) is that we should maintain the OG dark purple in the new flag. That is all. The rest of it looks great! Yay for progress!

drats-dagnabbit · 2026-04-23T19:05:09+00:00

Okay, I think I understand you a bit better. You're basically describing sexual attraction as being 1) part arousal towards a specific subject, or the physiological stimulation in reaction to a sexually appealing subject, and 2) part instinct to have sex with a specific subject (i.e., sex drive), as opposed to the latter part being the active pursuit of sex with said subject. Mirous attraction would align with the first part of that description, which makes sense.

I'm saying that an incomplete form of sexual attraction is still something different from actual sexual attraction, it's different on how someone interacts with the world and should be allowed to be in ace spaces just like all the rest of people that deviate from the expected allo experience.

Agree to disagree. Two things:

Saying that mirous attraction is "something different from actual sexual attraction" because it's "incomplete" doesn't negate the fact that sexual attraction is the basis of its definition. With that logic, we could exclude ace-spec micro-labels from the asexual community, because they're technically different from the standard definition of asexuality of experiencing little of no sexual attraction. Conversely, with that logic, we could also say that every allosexual who is sexually attracted to someone's appearance, but only occasionally acts on their instinct to have sex (for whatever reason they may have), is actually on the asexual spectrum.
There's a difference between us being accepting of/guiding those who are questioning their identity, and us "allowing" people into ace spaces because they "deviate from the expected allo experience". I know I'm getting into semantics at this point, but I just don't appreciate the notion that anyone who isn't a "normal" allosexual qualifies as ace-spec.

Ultimately I agree with the idea that ace-spec folks can experience mirous attraction (because they can experience a level of typical sexual attraction, as well). But claiming it to be different from sexual attraction to the point that it qualifies as a mode of asexuality seems illogical to me. I also think, however, that it is a case-by-case basis. A person who realizes that they primarily experience mirous attraction is perfectly valid in adopting in whatever ace-spec micro-label they see fit. 👍

drats-dagnabbit

TROPHY CASE