If you’re a fan of the fantasy genre and enjoy comedic trope deconstruction, I highly recommend The Dad Who Lived’s “If I Was the Dad in a YA Fantasy” series! It’s an expanding canon of its own, told in a series of TikToks, and calling on elements of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Twilight to implicitly ask The Big Question: Where are the responsible adults? And how different would the story be if there were some?
Once I’ve been studying a language for a while, I make a mission of finding music in that language that I really, really like – the kind you can happily listen to over and over again until you have all the lyrics memorized. For German especially, I hit the jackpot! The first song I listened to was one of Faun’s.
First off, the vibes are impeccable. I could not understand a word of this and be having a good time. On top of that, it’s like listening to a fairytale! In fact, sometimes it is. Rosenrot, for example, tells the story of Snow-White and Rose-Red. Non-fairytale story-songs, meanwhile, include Gold Und Seide, Feuer, and Federkleid! These three especially have some of my favorite uses of language as a craft, and Faun’s work collectively has become a crucial memory device for the particulars of German grammar. Vocab, too – there’s nothing like humming your way to the word you were looking for!
Alongside all of that, they also delve into Pagan traditions, like the Celtic festival Lugnasadh!
It’s not exactly a secret that I love languages, generically and in specifics. So I’ve been consistently delighted by K Klein, a YouTube channel all about linguistics!
Sort of like Tasting History, this is somewhere I go for specificity. Give me this very zoomed-in little niche of your science, whether the focus is on a specific language, specific feature, or specific event! K Klein covers a little bit of everything, from French’s spelling system to temporal pronouns to spelling reforms, which has given me both a deeper understanding of languages I speak, and a sort of starter platter as to the fascinating phenomena other languages offer!
One of my favorite blogs on Tumblr is @herpsandbirds, which, as the name implies, features a variety of animals. They share pictures of the species, of course, along with some of the scientific information and fun facts! They’ll also ID photos for people. And they take requests, like this one for birds with long tails! It sits at that intersection of wholesome, educational, and aesthetic – see again the birds.
Art reflects life, and so the living can learn through art. As a storyteller, I’m always delighted to see this premise explored! Enter Cinema Therapy, a YouTube channel featuring a therapist and a filmmaker as they analyze movies, both for moments of exceptional craft and for the real life lessons you can take away from them.
There’s a reason Pixar movies make people cry, so I’m especially fond of that series; it has a lot to say about family dynamics, as well as grief and, well… Inside Out, in all its emotional-awareness glory. They also focus episodes on heroes, villains, relationships… they even interview actors, like Karen Gillan! And though television demands a lot more viewing hours to research, they occasionally cover that, too! Specifically such icons as Firefly, and Avatar: The Last Airbender.
I always finish one of their videos with a deeper appreciation of the work, no matter how many times I’ve seen it, and of course I’ve learned a thing or seven about people, too! I’m perpetually delighted by how much knowledge I can gain just by loving stories.
In my opinion, anyway. Overly Sarcastic Productions is an educational YouTube channel that covers topics like history, mythology, and tropes in entertainment, and they’re a great joy to watch. They offer the facts intermingled with often-snarky commentary (if you’ve analyzed history or writing, you know it’s well-deserved) and visual presentations you’ll want to stop and read. Sometimes for the info, and sometimes for the sass.
This is one of those discover-your-niche-for-yourself situations, but to start you off, may I suggest History-Makers: Iceland’s #1 Menace, Snorri Sturluson, Miscellaneous Myths: Pride Tales, and/or Trope Talk: Noodle Incidents? This Trope Talk delighted me especially by featuring Leverage as a primary example; identifying beloved stories in the explanation or the background clips is part of the fun! If you’re a fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender, you’ll find it works as an example for a truly shocking number of elements. The narrative kind, not bending. (And a good example, which not all of them are. Often the trope is as relevant for the ways it’s crashed and burned as the ways it’s been done well. And everything in between – the video on time travel is a good example of this.)
History and mythology, meanwhile, have a lot of “ugh, this guy again,” and “this guy” is frequently Murder. The narrators share our exasperation. And parts of those subjects that aren’t “ugh, murder”! As a treat. Honestly, I can’t believe I haven’t covered this channel yet – they’ve been a cornerstone of my edutainment for years.
I’ve been enjoying the YouTube Shorts from Japan Eat, which often feature video game references and, more importantly, numerous restaurants in Japan! Even convenience store food; if it’s edible, it’s eligible, and the variety is fascinating. I’ve discovered some new favorites because this channel sent me looking for them!
I love The Owl House, so I was delighted to discover the top-tier fan comic by MoringMark on Tumblr! They post regularly, with multiple ongoing plotlines and standalones set before, during, and after the show, and it’s been fantastic for getting my fandom fix. They seem to have captured the whole essence of the show in the very best way!
Note: There are, unsurprisingly, spoilers for the canon material. If you haven’t seen it yet, you have been warned.
This one’s short and sweet: this blog on Tumblr features nature photography in eastern Sweden. If that sounds like your sort of thing, check it out!