Okay it's after 1am and I've had a lot of wine so obviously it's time for a late night wall-of-text post, but this time it's less likely to piss off your weird uncle or whatever because once again, I gotta talk about the best $4.99 a month I've ever spent.

Please, if you haven't yet, I'm begging you to look into all of the incredible content available on the Dropout.tv streaming service (formerly known as College Humor) . Not only did Whose Line Is It Anyway's Wayne Brady say that the Dropout crew are the only ones doing improv comedy on the same level as Whose Line, but they were also one of the only studios/streaming services allowed to work during the writers' strike because their contracts went above and beyond industry standards. (And, from my own observations, Dropout LOVES hiring queer, trans/nonbinary, and BIPOC performers + crew. Obviously I don't know much about the industry, but they seem like one of the most inclusive companies in Hollywood.)

"Alex, thanks for the recommendation! What shows do they have that you think I'll like?" Oh, you're asking me to gush about my favorite tv shows? Don't mind if I do!!!

Are you D&D curious, but took one look at actual play shows like Critical Role and thought "6 hours an episode? and there's like 750 episodes or whatever? oh baby not my adhd ass..." Don't worry, me too (sorry CR I love you I promise). But Dropout has a show called "Dimension 20" where comedians play Dungeons and Dragons with emotional, immersive storytelling, gut-busting laughs, and spectacular set design that makes you forget it's a fully improvised series controlled by the roll of the dice. They even did a miniseries perfect for D&D beginners called "Dungeons and Drag Queens" where absolute novices and Drag Race royalty Jujubee, Monet X Change, Alaska Thunderfuck, and Bob the Drag Queen embark on an adventure full of mystery, intrigue, and stupidity. I mean, Alaska plays a muscle-bound, axe-wielding, caveman-grunting Orc named Princess, what more could you want? Plus, the primary game master Brennan Lee Mulligan is so easy on the eyes. Oh, you're not into dorky ginger dudes? How about Aabria Iyengar, a 6 foot tall goddess who's equally as nerdy as Brennan but loves basketball. that's right, if nothing else, there's eye candy for every person in every season.

"Oh, why aren't there any good game shows on TV?" you wonder, wishing that the Game Show Network could come up with something that isn't a lame remake of a free-to-play phone game. Well how about Game Changer, "the only game show where the game changes every show (except for [...] Game of Games, Taskmaster, and a few others that have come to light AFTER [Game Changer first aired]. That's right, [the] players have no idea what game it is they're about to play. The only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by learning, and the only way to begin is by beginning." And yes, I did sit there and watch the beginning of an episode to make sure I was accurately quoting Game Changer host (and Dropout CEO) Sam Reich's description of his flaghship game show that has THREE separate spin-offs. (for context, he only mentions the other shows that copied his in the one episode I pulled up to get an accurate quote. could you imagine how uncomfortable it would be if he said that every episode? hah!)

Are you more of a traditional Whose Line fan? Look no further than Game Changer spin-off Make Some Noise, where contestants act out "improvisational prompts that [they have] never seen before, isn't that right contestants?" ("We won't know if we've seen them before or not until we see them!" Brennan insists every time he's on...)

You like musicals but wish they were less... ya know, scripted? Check out "Play It By Ear", a fully improvised musical! (you may be familiar with its primary cast members Jess McKenna and Zach Reino from the podcast that inspired it all, "Off Book: the Improvised Musical Podcast with Zach and Jess")

Or maybe you're more into trivia, cuz you're a total nerd like me (and every single performer that's ever appeared on dropout.tv). How about "Umm, Actually" where contestants are given an incorrect statement and have to buzz in to correct it - but you have to say "Umm, Actually" first!

Straight up, you can't go wrong on Dropout. Please, check it out. They're nearly doubling the amount of original shows they have in 2024, and no other streaming service is doing it like them. If I haven't convinced you yet, get the 7 day trial and give em a chance. There's no referral code I can give you that gives me some sort of kickback or whatever, I genuinely wrote what looks like a thousand word essay about Dropout at 1am just because I love them so much.

Thinking of stuff to do before "Quirky gift month" so here's Sylvie but even more "umm, actually.."

PanTran - When you update the autopsy report

“Umm Tomo if you wanna get better you have to try yourself” 🤓☝️

am I currently on an “Umm, actually” tangent? Yes. Am I absorbing all this facts that probably is not needed in real life? Yes. But do I give a shit with how I use my time? CLEARLY NO

How much do I have to pay Sam Reich to give Omar “Half Knowledge” Najam and Michael “Fact Checker” Saltzman their own show?

'Umm, Actually' is one of those games that help me imagine what being a ghost feels like. I have watched several Mass Effect questions come up that NOBODY were able to even identify as iffy Mass Effect, like the Reaper horn I was able to get in less than 3 seconds specifically because it used to be my alarm tone so making it stop in less than 3 seconds was a daily ritual for me, and the one where they were supposed to identify aliens and guessed my fucking HUSBAND, Garrus Vakarian, was the bad guy of a Half Life game. Nobody has even acknowledged the EXISTENCE of Mass Effect before the episode I'm currently on -- which is why I'm so fucking mad that the first time I ever hear the game acknowledged is during the 'Hear Me Roar' shiny question where they're supposed to identify fake languages and Iffy, FUCKING Iffy, says "I KNOW this language is from Mass Effect" -- while I, a Mass Effect fan currently sitting here playing The Sims 4 -- know for a fact that the language he claims to "know" is from Mass Effect is, in fact… Simlish.

ummmm akshually

day 7

fuck it *ff8s ur jd*

Umm actually, it is clear who the winner was from the start (evident from almost every single poll involving those characters)

haven't had a chance to properly draw fisherman grian Sooooooooooo .....

Simple enough thing of their sunken scroll outfits! I finished this last year but been forgetting about it

Thumbnail I'm planning for a new video lol

The ceo of this hellsite having the AUDACITY to complain about harassment and online pile-ons like that’s not the core issue here, and the daily experience of thousands of trans women on this hellsite. And then to post about his “beliefs and principles” to “prove” he’s not transphobic, rather than taking accountability or meaningful action to address the harm he has directly caused. And in that beliefs and principles bullshit he never uses the words TRANS or TRANSGENDER. He only uses LGBTQ+ or gender identity. Like sir, you say you’re not transphobic, but your language, actions, and leadership of this hellsite sure say otherwise. This is not just a “LGBTQ issue,” it’s an issue of transphobia and transmisogyny. At least use the right language you piece of wet cheese. The whole thing is shameless and disgusting.