For those that are going to miss the eclipse on Monday, I have created a simulation of what the eclipse will look like along the path of totality

Want to learn something new in 2022??

Absolute beginner adult ballet series (fabulous beginning teacher)

40 piano lessons for beginners (some of the best explanations for piano I’ve ever seen)

Excellent basic crochet video series

Basic knitting (probably the best how to knit video out there)

Pre-Free Figure Skate Levels A-D guides and practice activities (each video builds up with exercises to the actual moves!)

How to draw character faces video (very funny, surprisingly instructive?)

Another drawing character faces video

Literally my favorite art pose hack

Tutorial of how to make a whole ass Stardew Valley esque farming game in Gamemaker Studios 2??

Introduction to flying small aircrafts

French/Dutch/Fishtail braiding

Playing the guitar for beginners (well paced and excellent instructor)

Playing the violin for beginners (really good practical tips mixed in)

Color theory in digital art (not of the children’s hospital variety)

Retake classes you hated but now there’s zero stakes:

Calculus 1 (full semester class)

Learn basic statistics (free textbook)

Introduction to college physics (free textbook)

Introduction to accounting (free textbook)

Learn a language:

Ancient Greek

Latin

Spanish

German

Japanese (grammar guide) (for dummies)

French

Russian (pretty good cyrillic guide!)

Want to learn something new in 2023??

Cooking with flavor bootcamp (used what I learned in this a LOT this year)

Beekeeping 101

Learn Interior Design from the British Academy of Interior Design (free to audit course - just choose the free option when you register)

Video on learning to read music that actually helped me??

How to use and sew with a sewing machine

How to ride a bike (listen. some of us never learned, and that's okay.)

How to cornrow-braid hair (I have it on good authority that this video is a godsend for doing your baby niece's black hair)

Making mead at home (I actually did this last summer and it was SO good)

How to garden

Basics of snowboarding (proceed with caution)

How to draw for people who (think they) suck at art (I know this website looks like a 2003 monstrosity, but the tutorials are excellent)

Pixel art for beginners so you can make the next great indie game

Go (back) to school

Introduction to Astronomy (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Principals of Economics (high school course - free textbook w/ practice problems)

Introduction to philosophy (free college course)

Computer science basics (full-semester Harvard course free online)

Learn a language

Japanese for Dummies (link fix from 2022)

Ukrainian

Portuguese (Brazil)

American Sign Language (as somebody who works with Deaf people professionally, I also strongly advise you to read up on Deaf/HoH culture and history!)

Chinese (Mandarin, Simplified)

Quenya (LOTR fantasy elf language)

*opens notes*

Dreaming of Good Times

A wonderful Pokemon chinese animated short film directed by DaiWei (All Saints Street) and produced by MTJJ / HMCH studio (Legend of Hei) for Chinese New Year.

Youtube link

I don't know if I actually think they did it on purpose or not... but i think it's neat that they got Pokemon Legends Arceus to spell out PLA like "Platinum," when its plot centered around Giratina, which naturally evoked it being the Platinum version cover legendary,

and now Pokemon Legends Z-A to spell out PLZA like "Plaza" when the game is going to be about an urban redevelopment plan. Other than Centrico Plaza itself where the Lumiose tower is, there are the 5 super conspicuous plazas that make up the city's unique footprint and that the modern map in the trailer made noticeably unique and distinct from one another, so they'll probably be prominent landmarks if not focal points of the actual plot

Queens of Kalos

Since Mega Evolution was (at least theorized by Sycamore to have been) born of the Ultimate Weapon, which had drained helpless Pokémon of their life force like they were living batteries, I always liked to think that maybe that suffering could have infused the Stones too, which is why Mega Evolution has such nasty effects in lore.

It would be cool if PLZA established the Bond Phenomenon as a sort of pure counterpart to Mega Evolution. It was a mechanic that I wanted to see get more development, at least until they retconned it in JN. Could be a good time to bring it back tho. (And it would basically be a guilt-free Mega after those horrific Gen7 Mega Dex entries.)

kalos ancestors 👀

We're so back

happy pokemon day

Congrats?

I feel like people have forgotten about this

Stage-Toph: “I see everything that you see, except I don’t ‘see’ like you do. I release a sonic wave from my mouth.” *elongated scream* “There! I got a pretty good look at you.”

but the LOOK on Toph’s FACE it is the best thing E V E R R R

#there is no way in hell I could ever forget about this who do you take me for

Okay but I also love this scene because the way this play was written and cast tells us two really important (and hilarious) things about the way people (specifically people in the Fire Nation) perceive Toph-

1. Although they know she’s blind, no one actually has any idea how her seismic sense works 

2. No one who’s fought her is willing to admit they got their ass beat by a 12-year-old girl who doesn’t clear five feet and weighs 95 pounds soaking wet. 

Today is a national holiday!  On this day, Mewtwo was born. Happy birthday Mewtwo!