got inspired to create my own list of youtube channel recommendations that are all calming and fun. i follow a lot of chaotic/critical/dunking channels as well but if i only watched those it would make me miserable. so! in alphabetical order, here's who i recommend watching for relaxing fun
any austin - approaching video game settings from a whimsically banal point of view, often roleplaying as a government worker
atomic shrimp - y'all know about this one if you've been following me for a while! he delights in all things human and mundane, and it's infectious
ben again - his videos can get a little more chaotic than calming considering they're usually about horror games and he includes some live gameplay clips with he and his friends' reactions, but most of the time he speaks in a calm conversational tone that i enjoy
dollightful - she takes commercial dolls and strips the paint, hair, and clothes, and gives them all new looks with some creative ideas behind them and incredible amounts of little detail. such skill!
doreimani - i only discovered her yesterday but so far i know she talks about shoujo and other cute, girly types of things. she's very charming and her editing style is quite funny
dungeon chill - like the title suggests, this channel is extremely chill. he talks about obscure old video games and he has very interesting taste in general
hazel - she talks about anime, and does some fascinating deep dives into the culture and history of this branch of nerd culture. would listen to her talk for eons
hms2 - a japanese artist who crafts miniature rooms and all the items inside them from scratch. VERY calming and fun to watch. been following them since like 2012
li speaks - i have so much in common with li that i wish we were friends. same girly childhood interests (which is the focus of her channel), same dysautonomic disability (POTS). she's really funny as well, and i love her makeup looks
mandaloregaming - i'm not sure how to describe his reviews and really impress upon you what makes them unique, but if/when you watch them you'll understand. he is subtly (or sometimes not-so-subtly, depending on the game) hilarious and he brings unique life experience to the review. he also commissions artists to make excellent opening animations a lot of the time, starring his netsona (a knight)
pannenkoek2012 - he has super turbo autism about super mario 64 and it is mesmerizing to behold. i admire him greatly and i've learned a lot about the theoretical and technical aspects about game design, and even some math concepts from him
ragnarrox - another video game reviewer with a chill, positive bent. if you like horror games you probably already know of him
retrogeek crafts - if you like g1 my little pony, you gotta check her out immediately. she restores and repairs old toys and especially ponies, and watching the process is good for the soul. she has very interesting stories to tell while she works, and she's very sweet and kind
scruffy - fun and educational videos about music theory and sound design in video games! each video uses the same unifying minimal, monochromatic animation style so as not to distract from the main event (audio!)
snapcube - maybe more on the chaotic side, but i end up rewatching my favorite stream edits of hers over and over so many times that even the chaos is calming to me. she is immensely funny and has great chemistry with her friends, who she often streams with, and her choice of games is always weird and part of the entertainment value
tasting history - most already know who this is, but in case you don't, max is a historian who focuses particularly on the things people ate a long time ago, and tries to recreate them to the best of his ability, while also expounding upon the historical context behind them. there's always a story connected to food, and it's usually very engaging and humanizing
townsends - sorta similar to tasting history, townsends is an 18th century historian who often talks about and recreates food from the time, but will also reenact other activities that don't get attention in history textbooks, humanizing people of the past by showing us their ordinary, day-to-day lives
uri tuchman - picture an eccentric french mechanist from an unspecified time in the past. this is him. it's that eccentric french mechanist from an unspecified time in the past, but inexplicably here in the present, and it's wonderful. he's mildly chaotic but mostly relaxing to watch
v. birchwood - another historian talking about everyday ordinary things from the past! she will most often recreate clothing worn by ancient cultures and talk about how well they serve their purposes compared to modern clothing
