#i also want scp audiobooks

[wolveria]

The footnote of this one- apparently the good doctor can 'die' and take over another person by looking at them.

Oohhh SCP podcasts?! Going to listen to this during work

[fyeahnix]

11, 39, 44, 81, and 90!! <333

11. what’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

like I mentioned in the last post, I LOVE doing research for writing. I love the feeling of putting effort into whatever will make my story feel that much more authentic, plus it's fun to learn some new stuff, even if it doesn't stick around in my brain long term.

to rehash, for my Apex Legends SCP fic for Wraith's kunai, I learned about ductile-to-brittleness transition for metal, basically as metal drops in temperature, it becomes more brittle and prone to shattering/breaking but the temp where that transition happens depends on the metal. the point was that I wanted it to have an ability where the temp drops into dangerously low levels as a sort of "worthiness rating" a la Thor's hammer from Marvel, but still maintain its strength and usability.

39. are you an avid reader?

I wish! I used to read more as a kid but high school, college, and ADHD destroyed me so I spent years after college just not reading much outside of fanfiction. a few years ago, tho, I finally tried audiobooks and it's been a huge game changer for me, so I've been trying to catch up on books I've been wanting to get to for years. I've been reading (or listening, but I'm just gonna say read lmao) fiction and nonfiction from bell hooks to Tamsyn Muir to Jason Stanley to a bunch of other random authors. lots of stuff to catch up on! I just wish I could read more, but I typically only get books in when I'm cleaning my apartment

outside of books, I do enjoy fanfiction a lot but I am also quite picky 😅

44. any writing advice you want to share?

yes. if you think you're bad at something in your writing, FIX IT. I literally mean do some research on how you can improve, read some other fiction, and actively work on making it better. just like any other hobby, if you want to improve you have to work on the thing you're weak at. if you suck at dialogue, WRITE MORE OF IT. do you suck at description? guess what you need to do this weekend? we as writers still have to put the time in practice our flaws.

81. if you could go back in time and give your younger self a piece of writing advice specific to you, what would it be?

stop being so afraid to write shit. you can't edit something that doesn't exist so just FINISH YOUR WORK

90. do you notice your own voice in your writing style?

I wanna say yes, but also.....idk? it's like....what is my natural smell as a person? fuck if I know lmao

[luxnebula]

My master's thesis was accepted today! It's available at OuluREPO now.

My research questions were 1. How do fiction writers use the library? 2. What kind of services do fiction writers want from libraries?

Previous studies that have researched writers and libraries have found that writers rarely use libraries as an information source or an information channel, but the fiction writers who are inclined to using the library, use it often. However, writers still value libraries and librarians despite lack of use. Writers prefer fast and easy information sources, and libraries are not thought to be fast and easy. Previous studies have also indicated that writers would like more material available online and more guidance on finding material.

I conducted my study as a survey, that I sent to a few forums for writers: r/fantasywriters, r/scifiwriting, r/worldbuilding, r/creativewriting and on the forums of SCP Wiki and its sister site's, Wanderer's Library's, Discord server.

The most popular library services according to my study are checking out books, using the library's website and using the library as a writing place. One of the main things that my study proved is that fiction writers do use the library, but not for information seeking.

I presented the question about wishes for library services as an open question in my survey, so the answers were qualitative. While analysing the responses, I found 12 categories: accessibility; basic library amenities; library premises; academic and scientific material; events and clubs; education and classes; writing and publishing; technology, digital and online; information services; "I'm already satisfied with library services"; "I don't use libraries" and other.

Accessibility focused on having a library nearby in the first place. Basic library amenities includes everything to do with books, libraries' collections, loaning and so on. This category also included for easier, faster and cheaper inter-library loans and better categorisation for books and book lists.

Library premises mostly hoped for designated areas, spaces and rooms to write, read or listen to audiobooks in. A lot of respondents emphasised silence and privacy.

Academic and scientific material included wanting access to academic libraries, article databases and journal articles about different subjects. Cooperation and the possibility for inter-library loans between academic and public libraries was also brought up, which could be a very interesting and important possibility for libraries themselves and patrons who also aren't fiction writers.

Events and clubs were about social gatherings for writers, which was the biggest category. Most comments simply wished for a group where writers could gather to write together and give critique to one another. Book clubs, author meet-and-greets, panels and guest lectures were also mentioned.

Education and classes of course included classes about writing, but other subjects too. Classes about self-publishing, social media, photoshop and so on was also brought up.

Writing and publishing was mostly about wanting resources for writing careers and getting one's writing published. This category was mostly divided between resources to hone one's writing skills and resources for publishing and becoming a professional fiction writer.

Technology and online category was mostly about wanting more digitised material, easier access to digitised material and more online services, like databases.

Information services were divided into two kinds of comments: concerning seeking information and concerning information sources. In this category there were many comments that wished for services that libraries already have, hinting that people are simply not aware of what services libraries have. This could be something that libraries want to work on.

"Other" category included everything that I couldn't fit into the previous categories. Some wished for cafés or coffee dispensers at the library. One comment wished that libraries could pay royalties to authors whenever their books were checked out. One comment wished for a "person who is expert in Photoshop and could help with book covers".

The demographic that my survey reached is mostly young and writes as a hobby, but wants to be a professional some day. This means that professional writers and older writers are absent from the study, so my study isn't representative of all fiction writers. However, I think it's important that my study represents this demographic that it does, because young, beginner and amateur writers don't have the same resources and skills as more experienced writers have. It's important to listen to their voices and give them resources they need so they can advance their careers. After all, they might have their future work included in the library's collection as well!

One of the biggest questions for future research that I personally found is the awareness and visibility of library services. As many respondents wished for library services that already exist, it hints that there is lots libraries could do to market their services.

Because my survey didn't reach many older adult, published or self-published writers, future research could fix this gap by asking these same questions from these demographics as well.

[goji-pilled]

MK-S: Out of curiosity, did you recognize the bodies in the water? ever read SCP-2316? If so, what did you think?

I’ve got some more SCP recommendations (because of course I do). But the theme for this batch isn’t horror; it’s just SCPs that are interesting.

SCP-184: The Architect - Makes things bigger on the inside, but it can’t really turn that effect off. (Features an exploration log).

SCP-294: The Coffee Machine - A coffee machine with a QWERTY (heh, that autocorrected to all caps) keyboard for input. Any liquid input will be produced in a dispensed cup. Coffee, orange juice, music, etc. (Features testing logs. See what the Foundation researchers got up to.)

SCP-999: The tickle monster. (Features everyone’s favorite orange amorphous blob.)

SCP-1000: Bigfoot. Yes, Bigfoot, the Sasquatch. (Features: Fun fact about the X000 SCPs; at the end of each “series” (batch of 1000 SCPs) there’s a contest for which new article will get to be the first in said series. This was the first such contest winner (determined by number of article upvotes).)

Oh, while I got you here, quick word about SCP Canon; it’s very fluid or loose. Sort of like how here in the DW AU, Anthony existing or not, going serial killer or not, are basically up to the reader. As such some SCPs can and will contradict each other; but that’s part of the fun. (There are also multiple “canons”: There’s a canon known as “broken masquerade” where the Foundation failed to keep the anomalous secret, and a canon known as “End of Death” which is self-explanatory.)

(Last SCP post of the day/night, two of the YT-ers I recommended are what I would call “audio-focused”; you can just have them playing in the background like an audiobook if you want.)

Have fun! And have a good day!

I havent it read it yet because I've been fixiating on something else for a bit now (which is also why I havent answered asks sice yesterday afternoon,,,,) But I plan to at some point... once my brain lets me,,,,

Also I dont mind a fluid canon lol More possibilites that way fbsmdjskj

[pumpkinpatchgarden]

Some crossover kids, a couple of crackship kids and one kellco kid I did a couple of months ago. They are all from an AU project started by @verifythearts in wich sevenal artist are working together.

Otoño (or Autumn, brunette with broken infinity marks) is the daughter of Star Butterfly and Morty Smith (from Rick and Morty) in a post-cleave universe. Due a birth deffect she's missing an amigdala and that causes her to not experience fear... wich ends up being more dangerous than people think. Mix that with her being easily bored, very impulsive and extremly smart (but not to Rick’s level) and you have someone that left on her own can be a danger to herself and others, but who doesn't have a bad bone on her body. Mercedes (dark skin brunette, designed by royal-kitten-adopts on deviantart) is the daughter of Kelly and Marco and Otoño's childhood friend, born blind due a birth defect. While she was trained since childhood by her parents and constantly works out, making her a very skilled fighter, she's more interested in romance novels (well, audiobooks) and fashion. Similar to her parents she's a bit shy when meeting new people and takes her some time to actually make friends. Similar to teen Marco, she holds the title of "the safe kid". They were both around 23-24 when they finished university and were returning home when they found their unvierse freezing. Otoño got her mother's wand, that turned intro a refill for her father's interdimensional portal, and with both they (along with Otoño's chocolate labrador-laser dog, Boris) managed to get to another universe, finding they weren't the only ones with that problem. They are both currently around 27-28 years now, and are helping around.

This is just a closeup of Starlight’s marks and wand. Gea’s weapon is also a wand, but can only make light-based attacks/spells, and a small reference of her gem’s shape (I still can’t make the actual gem).

The twins Starlight (with cheekmarks) and Hydragea "Gea" (blue dress) are the daughters of Star Butterfly and Steven Universe. Before their world was frozen Starlight was a costal engineer (mayored in ambiental preservation) and Gea was an artist looking for a job, now they try and help around with how they can and try to find what they want to do with their lifes. Starlight has the wand since she had cheekmarks, while Gea somehow was born with an hydragea-shaped diamond on her belly like her father. They were both 23 years old when their world was frozen, and are currently almost 27 years old. I had the concept and some design sketches for Starlight since around 2018 but never finished due personal reasons.

And finally, we have Hunter, the son of Penélope Spiderbite and Tom Lucitor and Heliana, the daughter of star Butterfly and Slime boy. They are based on a couple of SCPs, can you guess wich ones? ;) Also had the idea of those ones since around 2019 but didn't have motivation to do it due someone harrasing me and causing my mental health to decline in 2020. Not fully happy with Heliana's design (wanted her to look more like slime) so I may try to redraw her.

[cherryflavoredaliens]

Please I am begging you to go off about cosmic vs. existential horror and why love craft was a shitty writer and person, but also did define a genre. I am on the bus, you are god, and I’m missing my stop to listen to you 👀

OKAY SO most of this is opinion because I am in no way a scholar on any of this I just got obsessed with the genres because of SCP and I decided to listen to audiobooks of Lovecraft+ research him because I decided I wanted to write a short horror story at some point. Also this is mostly from memory.

Also I'm not very good at tagging triggers but this is a horror discussion so...I'll try to stay away from anything particularly violent.

Cosmic and existential horror are two sides of the same coin (both are often called lovecraftian horror). Both are, at the base, all about the futility and meaninglessness of humanity or of the narrator personally depending on the framing. However! I like to think that cosmic horror uses things like the largeness of the universe to create this, while existential horror focuses more on the human psyche and our inherent need for meaning. (Both are great but I prefer existential)

For examples I'm going to pull on (my interpretation on) SCPs I like because fuck Lovecrafts writing but I'll get to that. (If you don't know what SCPs are essentially tons of different writers worked/are working together to create scientific "files" in a "database" through the lense of the SCP foundation, a scientific organization that works to Secure, Contain, and Protect humanity from anomalies and vice-versa. Lots of sci-fi, some fantasy, some horror)

SPOILERS FOR SCP-4246

SCP-4246 uses madness, the ocean, and the concept of an advanced civilization that lived on earth before humanity (I noticed these in Lovecrafts better works). In the beginning, the foundation is studying a phenomenon where certain people experience hallucinations involving alien cities, the ocean, tentacles, and feeling as though they don't have enough limbs despite having all 4. On top of this, they become irrationally paranoid that Something is Coming and they need to protect themselves and their loved ones from it which leads them to do terrible things, usually involving drownings and forming cults. Eventually the foundation realizes that they are psychics to some extent, some are receiving data and some are transmitting it. After some experimentation they find the source of the data being transmitted.

Essentially, it is a giant brain living under the oceans acting as a sort of data storage device for an ancient, extinct civilization that was infinitely more advanced than us humans. From this, they gain the knowledge that this civilization was at some point under threat and hid somehow.

Years later during another experiment they accidentally transmit massive amounts of the psychic data all at once. All around the world members of different species within the same family (or genus? I don't remember) faced the direction the experiment was being held at at the same time "like some sort of mecca" and have since been exhibiting strange and unusually enhanced behaviors.

The ancient civilization never left, they just made themselves dumber. Octopods. The foundation accidentally began waking them back up, and they would probably be furious with what humanity has been doing to the world. And what of the threat they were hiding from?

This, to me, is cosmic horror. We are meaningless because there are things much more advanced and much stronger than us out there. See also SCP-001 Project Palisade for another great example.

END SPOILERS FOR 4246, BEGIN FOR SCP-3890

3890 follows a researcher at the foundation, Dr. Elizabeth Graham. She was randomly transported to an extra-dimensional space while she was carrying a stack of papers and a pen, so she began documenting her experience while waiting for rescue. She finds and explores ruins for a while, before discovering humanoid entities that are unresponsive. They simply wander. She takes a knife off of one, just in case, and finds that they are biologically human.

At some point she starts being attacked by a "mimic." With every attack she loses some of her memories. The mimic can disguise itself as anything, and attacks at random. She begins writing down everything core to her identity, including her name over and over again. She loses her whole childhood, memories of her important firsts, and eventually her job.

Over time Elizabeth loses everything until all she has left is the memory of herself visiting an old woman in a hospital who didn't recognize Elizabeth, that and her name. She's paranoid at this point.

Then all she has is her name. The mimic attacks again, she fights back and kills it, but not before it took her name. She writes "I don't want to disappear."

This story is about developing a condition that affects your mental stability (alluded to be related to advanced age), and the fear of losing oneself in your own mind. To me, this is existential. The narrator lost herself to a part of the human condition, and there was nothing she could really do about it. It didn't matter, because life is just like that.

END SPOILERS

On to why I hate Lovecraft! Yes, he defined a genre, yes I think the basis of his ideas was great, but his execution and subject matters S U C K E D. But first: about why he's a terrible person. He was racist even for his time (don't Google the name of his cat unless you wanna read a slur), he was an anti-intellectual (he refused to read anything that was popular at the time), and I'm not certain but I wouldn't put it past him being classist and sexist too (also even for his time). You can see all of this in his writings (not as much the sexism, I can't think of a single female character in his writings off the top of my head)

Lovecraft essentially invented cosmic horror. The concept of the wider universe being so vast that we are nothing comparatively is the basis of the Cthulhu mythos and a few (if not most) of Lovecraft's other short stories.

However, when you break just a few of the stories down to what they are clear allegories for it's all pretty ridiculous. Air conditioning, a town full of foreign people, a different religion, a new music genre, etc. He also refused to read anything other people were writing, which is just terrible practice for an author and you can see it in his writing. He also refused to follow "less is more" and "show not tell." The man also writes like he has a minimum word count to hit. It's so hard to get through. Pretty much all of his characters are Educated White Guys who are Too Smart To Be This Scared. The man is simultaneously super generic and amazingly creative it's wild.

SPOILERS: OF SHADOW OF INNSMOUTH (not that I would care about being spoiled on Lovecraft)

The best example I can think of if The Shadow over Innsmouth (spelling? Also this is the one where he was afraid of foreign people and their scary religion). The main character (generic educated white dude #35802) asks a guy at a train station about a town he doesn't recognize on his map. The train station man then goes on FIFTEEN MINUTES OF RAMBLING about the town, the people in it, the history, the economy, and how much nobody likes them because they're odd in both looks and behaviors.

The guy goes to the town, and is scared. Lovecraft describes the street names of the town more thoroughly than he describes the actual scary parts of the town. It pulls the reader away from feeling the fear the narrator should be fearing, because who is reading street signs while running for their life? Everything that's scary is "unknowable" and "indescribable" which is just a lazy way to tell the reader what to feel rather than showing them.

Anyways the guy escapes and then while doing research on his ancestry and GASP he's related to the people in Innsmouth!!! He conveniently undergoes a transformation which changes him into one of the people from Innsmouth and he spontaneously learns their language. There it is that's the big twist scare. He's not actually educated white guy #93782 he's actually different!

While there is something to say about the fear of becoming the thing that scares you, or of suddenly realizing you never knew yourself, that part takes up a significantly small amount of time. Even less than the descriptions train guy gave at the beginning.

END SPOILERS

Nonetheless Lovecraft pioneered cosmic horror which led to existential horror. Both of them are of my favorite genres, and I'm desperately searching for more content in these genres that's just...written better. I'm also using some of my free time to attempt to write a few short stories myself (I only have plots written down and half a first draft but still).

Anyways I typed all of this on my phone over the course of maybe an hour when you don't count the time I spent looking up SCP numbers and being distracted I really hope you see it because I love talking about this shit with interested people and I need to eat dinner lmao.

Fuck Lovecraft, but Lovcraftian horror fucks.

[re-dracula]

Hey there! We haven’t turned replies off on this post, I’m assuming it’s a tumblr glitch - and even then, we’ve got plenty of posts in which one can reply to and an open ask box for unrelated queries. We’re pretty reachable if you want to point things out about the show, I promise. That all being said - we’re well aware of Cryptic Canticles! We’re not claiming to be the first people doing this. If you want to know more about how this adaptation will differ, you can find that info in a post here. I’ll also copy/paste it under the “keep reading” tag, which I suspect will work easier on mobile. In short, we’re diverging from Cryptic Canticles by utilizing experimental horror sound design , having a larger ensemble cast, and modifying the source material slightly at times. It’s going to be less an audiobook and more a horror audio drama. So in short: yes, we are making another because we’d like to!

We’re being a little fancy about our approach (see: every graphic we’ve shared ever), but we are also a full cast chronological Dracula retelling, and Cryptic Canticles is a lovely version of what we’ll also be doing. Our plan is to lean into the fear and suspense inherent in Dracula with our rendition, both in actor direction and sound design. Tal, our sound designer, is a big fan of experimental audio, and wants to play with the text to make something as visceral as possible. Think less literary-immersive radio play and more horror audio drama. Magnus Archives meets Station Blue with a little bit of SCP Archives sprinkled in.

We’ll also be making minor changes to the source material and including content warnings to reduce harm when possible. To be clear: this is not to say Cryptic Canticles is any form of wrong for doing it differently! I love a good 100% Unmodified Adaptation, we just wanted to do something different. (And hey, if you’re looking for even more audio dramas: Bonnie Bogovitch of Cryptic Canticles is also in a great show called Call of the Flame. 10/10 go check it out if you’re into high fantasy stories! BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! Sean Lenhart of Cryptic Canticles is also in a great show called Seen and Not Heard. 10/10 as well go check it out of you’re into slice of life stories!)

Re: Dracula is a bite-sized audio adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Gothic masterpiece. Crowdfunding for this podcast begins October 1!

We’re taking the famous horror tale, breaking it up chronologically (every entry of this epistolary novel has a date), and sending the story directly to your podcatcher as it happens. Every time something happens to the characters, Re: Dracula will publish an episode, in as close to real time as possible. We intend to be a faithful, text-accurate adaptation, featuring a full cast to tug on your heartstrings and sound design to keep you on the edge of your seat.

The show will be released for free, but those who help us fund the project will get additional perks, including ad-free episodes, a full audiobook, digital downloads, and more! Check back here the first 10 days of our campaign for cast announcements - our actors can be found in audio dramas such as Wooden Overcoats, The Magnus Archives, Victoriocity, The Amelia Project, The Secret of St Kilda, and more.

[recentanimenews]

Crunchyroll Favorites 2017: Everything Else

  Movies, music, comic books, great food, everything goes in this last category. With Part One and Part Two out of the way, here's our final Crunchyroll 2017 Favorites with everything else!

PETER FOBIAN (@PeterFobian)

Blade Runner 2049: I never in my entire life actually scoffed until I came upon news of this movie. On the heels of a few monstrously bad Hollywood adaptations and reboots, I couldn’t imagine this movie being anything but another disappointment. I’m so happy to be wrong. Visually this movie was every bit the cinematic marvel as the original. That’s not to say it’s faultless. The story was perfectly serviceable until the forced shoehorning of Harrison Ford’s character left the plot a mess, but the atmosphere was maintained and it had some great modern takes on the content of the original. If every adaptation were this good I’d welcome them all.

John Wick 2: Another visual marvel that gives me hope for modern movies, John Wick 2 is every bit as good as the first, a combination of novel sequences and set pieces with great cinematography. The unapologetic daisy chain of fight scenes the raise the bar for Hollywood action. Like Blade Runner, the movie suffered a bit for the sake of a cameo, with Reeves and Fishburns' reunion taking up altogether too much screen time, but otherwise the film is a spotlessly choreographed action masterpiece. I can’t wait for the post-apocalyptic part 3, in which John Wick has killed 99.99% of Earth's population.

Atomic Blonde: Capping off my style-over-substance cinematic trilogy for 2017 is Charlize Theron’s rampage through Cold War Germany. I respect this film trying to deliver all the hyper-stylized, tightly-directed action as John Wick while including a compelling story, even if it didn’t quite land. Falling back on a few bored tropes left the later half of this movie feeling narratively stale, but the final sequences were marvelous all the same. I hope this grows into some sort of franchise all its own.

Takeshi Miike’s Blade of the Immortal: Two of the greatest anime disappointments of my anime life were the Blame! OAV series and the Blade of the Immortal anime, which were both made right in 2017. Polygon Pictures provided a Blame! Movie which satisfied (for now) and Blade of the Immortal got perhaps the man most suited in the world to direct its live-action adaptation. This movie is just the kind of bloodbath that the 100-man slayer and the 100-movie director both deserved.

Star Wars VIII: The Last Jedi: It’s honestly cheating putting this movie in this list since it’s 100% anime. I’m pretty sure the middle of this film was just Gunbuster. Unfortunately it did actually sort of feel like two movies, one of them much better than the other. The plot following Rey and Kylo was marvelous from start to finish, as well as its branching conclusion with Luke, but the subplot with Finn dragged on forever and led to some themes that felt confused and left me wondering if they even knew what they want to do with his character (bring back Benicio though). That one scene, you know which one, was inspired (also very anime) and I hope other directors and studios take note.

RENE KAYSER (@kayserlein)

Baby Driver: If you forced me to pin down my single favorite movie, game or song, I could hardly come up with an answer. When it comes to my favorite director, this one’s a lot easier, though: It’s Edgar Wright, hands-down. No other director manages to reinvent himself every single movie while also staying true to what his fans love about him, and Baby Driver is his first “Big Budget Movie” (it does star several big Hollywood actors but only cost $34 million!). It not only combines its visuals with its soundtrack like no other movie but also tells a genuine heart-warming story. While Hot Fuzz will remain my favorite action movie of all time, Baby Driver keeps its distinctive shape in its rearview mirror.

Spider-Man: Homecoming: I’ve enjoyed almost every MCU movie thus far but with me being a lover of great villains, I have also suffered from Marvel’s biggest flaw: Having good antagonists. I couldn’t warm up to Loki like everyone else and had almost given up hope ... but then my third-favorite superhero swung in and gave me a great villain who was also played by a major actor of my favorite one! The rest of the movie may not hold a candle to the first two Raimi movies but I hope that we can keep this momentum with the MCU and may one day see a proper depiction of Dr. Doom.

Wonder Woman: If you were to ask me whether I preferred DC or Marvel, I would easily side with the bat and the man of steel. But even I can’t proclaim the current state of the DCEU as anything but bad while Marvel keeps hitting it out of the park. However, after the two trainwrecks of 2016, Wonder Woman gave us a glimmer of hope and a fantastic movie in which we also finally(!) got a female lead. Justice League was in turn bogged down by its production issues but I sincerely hope that we will start to get a proper representation of all these amazing characters from now on - even if we have to flashpoint it along the way.

Star Wars - Thrawn Trilogy Audioplay: My birds have told me the concept of an audioplay isn’t as common in the US as it is in Germany, so I’ll preface this with a short explanation. An audioplay is basically the same as an audiobook but instead of a single narrator, you have an entire cast of actors who act out the written story which is usually formatted to work with only dialogue and sound effects (though there are ones who use a narrator).

This year I, as a major Star Wars-fan, was delighted to discover a production I had never stumbled upon: An entire audioplay of Timothy Zahn’s famous Thrawn trilogy. While it may seem trivial at first, the people behind this not only got the entire German voice cast of the original movies (who actually dub every movie and even cartoons to this day!) but also paid close attention to absolutely every detail. They licensed John Williams’ famous score and made sure that the listener was able to distinguish each ship by its engine sound, each fighter by their weapon sound and each alien race by their own made-up language. Disney may have eradicated these books from the canon (though they thankfully brought Admiral Thrawn back in the Rebels cartoon) but this production will forever allow German fans to experience this original sequel to Return of the Jedi as close as possible to actual movies - all thanks to some amazing voice work and love from some serious fans.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi: As I’m writing this, less than a day has passed since me attending its premiere. So while I may be still blinded by the early “Honeymoon Phase” of still getting my emotions sorted and not having contemplated everything a thousand times, I am currently convinced that this is the best Star Wars movie I have ever seen. Rian Johnson mixed up the characters we love in a tale that’s both completely and yet faithful to the franchise and it almost disappoints me that Disney gave him “only” one additional trilogy to handle. This movie not only changes up Star Wars completely and for the best, but it also serves as a perfect capping stone for 2017 itself. A lot of bad things happened over these past twelve months but the final shot of this movie serves as a reminder that no matter how bad things get, we can still change the world for the better - no matter who we are and where we come from.

Game of Thrones Season 7: Game of Thrones got dumb this year. The time it takes characters to travel doesn’t match up in the slightest, we got a lot of scenes the audience was clearly intended to not think too hard about and a lot of it devolved into fanservice … but I completely loved it! After six years of buildup, we got an entire season with payoffs and while they didn’t always make perfect sense, they certainly were satisfying. I hope that the writing will improve a little for the final season  but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing it.

Female Doctor Who & other awesome ladies: This year has truly been great for awesome female leads in popular media. I already mentioned Wonder Woman and Star Wars: The Last Jedi who both have amazing female leads not to forget Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn!) but one of the oldest British TV series also finally made the jump to change things up. At the time of writing, I haven’t seen Jodie Whittaker’s take on the Doctor but I can’t wait to see that Christmas special and what fresh air she will bring to the show!

KARA DENNISON (@rubycosmos)

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return: If you’re a fan of the original series, you’ll know within the first half hour that the show is back for real. And if you’re unfamiliar with it, the new series is a great jumping-off point. The new selection of movies is impressive, as is the new selection of cameos. Season 12 promises to be amazing!

Doctor Who Series 10: “Extremis”: “Extremis” is one of the riskiest episodes of Doctor Who ever made, and that’s saying something. I’ve been enjoying the Twelfth Doctor’s run immensely, but the fearful and challenging nature of this story makes it stand out for me. The gut drop of the big reveal still hasn’t left me.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: As a fan of Lemony Snicket’s dire children’s book series and all the puzzle-solving that went with it, I was thrilled with the new iteration of the story. Neil Patrick Harris is a perfect Count Olaf, and it’s just the right mix of dire and hilarious. There will be new mysteries to unravel whether you’re a casual reader, a hardcore fan, or a newcomer.

Night Mind: Halloween 2017: I get all my nightmare fuel analysis from Nick Nocturne, the host of the YouTube channel Night Mind. And this year he pulled out all the stops for Halloween. The latest SCP Vault imagines how certain entries might be interpreted by the public, Monster Hunt explores local legends, and his Candy Bowl vid combines an “Internet Ghost Tour” with world-premiere horror shorts. Lovers of the macabre need Nick in their lives at Halloween and year-round!

NICK CREAMER (@b0bduh)

Sick Scenes - Los Campesinos!: For my “the rest” this year, I’m just gonna go with a couple albums that have been circling my brain. And in this tumultuous year of 2017, Los Campesinos!’s Sick Scenes feels like the most urgent of releases. Marrying the band’s consistent indie rock hooks to tortured reflections on surviving in the age of Brexit and Trump, Sick Scenes is simultaneously a symbol of artistic maturation and a redoubling of youthful intent, a resounding cry saying even though we’re all very tired, we’re all very tired together.

After the Party - The Menzingers: If Sick Scenes casts its anxious eye outward, The Menzingers’ After the Party feels like a more inward-focused release, a monologue spiraling into a panic attack as the band’s longtime punk rockers face the onset of true adulthood. At twenty-nine-and-three-quarters years old, I must be the ideal mark for a record that opens on “whoa-a-o-o, whoa-o-o, where we gonna go now that our twenties are over.”

THOMAS ZOTH (@ABCBTom)

Blade Runner 2049: When a sequel to Blade Runner was announced, I made fun of it, because Blade Runner didn’t need a sequel. Any time there was an announcement about it, I would retweet it with a snide comment about how the film didn’t need to exist. But then, rumors started to spread that the film was good. I gave in and watched it, and I agree. A fully worthy companion to the original Blade Runner, less an exploration of what makes humans human and more about how people define their identities in Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmares. I waited years to hate it and couldn’t. I’m looking forward to buying it on Blu-ray.

Get Out: An amazing directorial debut by Jordan Peele, Get Out is an acclaimed and fantastically realized horror movie, of all things. I love horror as a genre, but it’s usually far from respectable. By making a Rosemary’s Baby of race, Peele manages to make a funny, smart, and scary film that has resonated widely with audiences. I had never seen Key and Peele before this, so this was my first exposure to Peele (who also wrote), and I’m now looking forward to his future work.

Twin Peaks: The Return: In a documentary about the original Twin Peaks, David Lynch seemed genuinely sad that the original series ended the way it did and expressed a desire to go back. So when the series was announced, fans of Lynch knew this wasn’t a quick cash in, especially when Lynch seemed to walk away from the table when he wasn’t going to be given complete creative control. But the series arrived, and no one knew what to expect, and what we got was massively different than anyone could have imagined. At 18 hours, Twin Peaks: The Return nearly doubled the amount of Lynch-directed content in existence, itself a delicious treat, but it also updated Twin Peaks for the modern age in uncanny ways. Stunning and important.

Big Mouth: Images of this Netflix series circulated the internet as an example of how unbelievably ugly American cartoon designs are, and those opinions aren’t wrong. But if you can get past the aesthetic, Big Mouth is incredibly funny, starring favorites Nick Kroll and John Mulaney of The Kroll Show and Oh, Hello. It’s the puberty series that everyone needed during puberty, that you couldn’t watch during puberty because no adult would show this series to a kid. But now you can watch it and heal some old wounds.

Lady Bird: Written and directed by Greta Gerwig, who I mostly know as the voice of Pony in China, IL, Lady Bird is an assured debut film about adolescence in a time period very close to my own. It’s funny and charming, but also saves up some really painful emotional arrows in its quiver for the final act. Centering on the relationship of Lady Bird and her mother, it also touches on larger social questions and the common experiences of high school. Support an up and coming director by checking this one out.

JOSEPH LUSTER (@Moldilox)

Baby Driver: I didn’t see nearly as many movies in the theater as I wanted to in 2017, but Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver was one I enjoyed from the first frame to the last. Some of the musical elements were a little too clever for their own good, but the final product is a fast-paced action/chase/comedy flick that’s incredibly fun to watch.

Thor: Ragnarok: Speaking of comedies, Thor: Ragnarok certainly didn’t seem to leave many jokes on the cutting room floor. Thor is the bro-iest Avenger, but it kind of works. If they had focused more on the Planet Hulk storyline and less on the typical world-ending Marvel plot that swirled around Hela, it probably would have gone down as my favorite of the Marvel movies.

Fantasy Sports No. 3: If you’re not reading Sam Bosma’s Fantasy Sports series, you need to get on these comics ASAP. They’re so colorful and full of energy, and all of Bosma’s designs are damn near perfect. The third one came out this year, but I’d happily list every single installment in a best-of year-end list.

ISAAC AKERS (@iblessall)

Shihai Surunoha Kimito Koi No Aji by MOSHIMO: 2017 was the year I discovered you could actually find some J-pop and J-rock on Spotify, which lead to an exploration of all sorts of new discoveries for me. Among the best was a little band called MOSHIMO, which puts out a charming sort of pop rock sound—with a female lead vocalist who actually plays guitar! You can only watch so many idol lives before you start to long for singers who can play instruments. Anyways, MOSHIMO’s 2017 EP is, I’d wager, their best effort yet, showing a level of musical sophistication that’s a step above their previous works.

Baby Driver: The movie that grabbed the hearts of a great number of anime fans (as shown by its presence in other people’s lists here), I adored the film—which was the only movie I saw in theaters all year—primarily for amazing gimmick of writing a whole film to a playlist. I mean, back when I was at university, I’d skip around campus walking to classes much the way Baby does in the movie, so seeing that aspect of my life made into a whole dang film was pretty fun. It gets a bit long in spots, but overall I had a ton of fun with it.

Duolingo’s Japanese Course: Earlier this year, the popular language learning app Duolingo released the beta of their Japanese course, providing me with the convenient tool I needed to start actually learning the language. I’m under no illusions that I’m going to become fluent using Duolingo’s course, but just having something like this available makes it so much easier to fit some beginning learning into my head and busy schedule. If I manage to go on and truly learn Japanese someday, it’ll be because it started with this course. It’s worth checking out!

NATASHA H (@illegenes)

Mr. Robot S3: I’m admittedly biased about this one; Mr. Robot is one of my all time favorite shows, and this year, Sam Esmail took us on a hell of a ride as opposed to last season, which was far more slow paced and Lynchian. While not necessarily reaching the same highs, season 3 remained incredibly consistent, bringing two very different seasons together in full circle as we travel with Elliot to the depths of despair, but also, back into a hopeful and determined future of self awareness, culpability, and responsibility. The show only continues to break TV standards and I can’t wait for next year to raise my stress levels and churn my brain again.

The Expanse S2: Someone once told me The Expanse was like ‘sci fi Game of Thrones’. While I understand that to an extent, this is a form of clickbait, they’re not completely wrong either. Season 2 ramps up from Season 1 as more political factions are introduced and old characters make relationships with new. The show isn’t afraid to take risks, but at the same time, none of its twists or moments of tension feel haphazardly done. Likewise, the character development continues to be stellar, with no clear ‘good’ or ‘bad’ side to root for. One of my favorite things about this show is how firmly committed it is to diversity, featuring one of the most diverse casts I’ve seen in years. Its attention to realistic space physics is also incredibly neat and something I respect.

Blade Runner 2049: When the trailer for this movie first came out, I was half furious, half terrified. How could a movie possibly live up to the groundbreaking Blade Runner, let alone, be a direct sequel? After seeing it however, I can say that Blade Runner 2049 rose to become one of my favorite movies in recent years, surpassing its original with a soul of creativity and respect that few sequels possess. It borrows the best from Blade Runner, reinvents it for the current age, and then adds nuance in ways I’d never expect. It also happens to be, possibly, the most visually stunning thing I have ever seen. Nearly a 3 hour movie? Totally worth it.

The Night is Short, Walk on Girl: I recently watched Tatami Galaxy a year ago, and while it was great, I still felt like I missed watching it at the right time in my life for it to really have an impact on me. The Night is Short, Walk on Girl corrects this by combining many of the show’s strengths into a single feature film while also expanding upon the show’s main themes. Filled with the same charmful designs, warm and wacky adventures (and characters!),  Night is Short is a movie about living life to your fullest, and the need to connect with another human being, even if we can’t fully understand their perspective. It’s one of Yuasa’s strongest works and my favorite animated movie of the year…..

A Silent Voice: …..other than A Silent Voice. Naoko Yamada is a powerhouse in the animation industry, and she brings that talent to this movie based off the manga and one-shot. While many have complained about how the movie fails to mesh the two into a fleshed out and nuanced story, for me, the movie was nearly perfect in its portrayal of topics like miscommunication, depression, anxiety, and self guilt. With stunning animation at every turn along with small but brief details that are rewarding upon rewatch after rewatch, this movie is guaranteed to win you in some way or the other. And make you cry. A lot.

SAM WOLFE (@_Samtaro)

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return: I was in the middle of a major MST3K kick when I heard that the Satellite of Love was coming to Netflix. Like anyone, I had my reservations about this new series; with an all new cast, and only some of the original writing staff, how would the new show hold up? As it happens, even with new voices, Crow, Tom Servo, and Gypsy were as great as ever, and Jonah Ray was an excellent addition as the human on board. My only complaints were with the new Mads, Felicia Day and Patton Oswalt; their bits were clearly filmed in bulk, and were host to several odd editing tricks (the liquid technology gag was really only there to cover the jump cuts between takes, wasn’t it?). Despite that, the movie selection was great, the sketches were silly, and I’m hoping we see even more from this crew in the not too distant future.

Twin Peaks: The Return: I watched Twin Peaks for the first time in 2014, and I was still antsy with excitement about the show’s final chapter; I can’t imagine what the wait was like for those who watched it when it first aired back in 1990. Twin Peaks: The Return is a masterful metatextual experiment that is as brilliant as it is polarizing. The show is conscientious that the audiences who hung on this long are thirsty for answers, and provides them in deliberate bites of surreal, disturbing television that David Lynch has both spearheaded and mastered. The Return’s slow windup seems loaded with fanservice and levity at first until it shocks viewers with episode 8 (which is presented completely in black and white, and is almost entirely silent), as if to say “alright fairweather friends, it was fun, but your time being comfortable has come to an end.”

The Return borrows a lot more from Lynch’s cinematic playbook, in many cases resembling Eraserhead more than the Twin Peaks it comes from. The result is a challenging, engaging, and almost paradoxical ending that both resolves the now twenty year long mystery, as well as igniting a spiral of new questions about reality, time, and what exactly is at stake for the characters we’ve come to know and love.

I particularly enjoyed seeing how the show flirted with the metanarrative, teasing the audience by introducing Kyle Mclaughlin’s character early on, but keeping Agent Dale Cooper well out of reach, instead forcing us to spend time with the dull but lucky Dougie Jones.

While Twin Peaks: The Return is a far cry from the show it’s derived from, and it’s certainly not for everyone, I would invite anyone who loves serial storytelling to challenge themselves and give it a try (after watching Twin Peaks seasons one, two, and the movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, of course).

Grape-kun: I remember waking up one morning to see the top story on the anime subreddit: an aged Humboldt penguin had fallen in love with a life size standee of penguin-girl Hululu from Kemono Friends placed in his enclosure. I knew I would be making a video about this penguin, but I never could have predicted how much of an impact he would have on my life. Over the next nine months, the story developed, and I made a new video for Crunchyroll as each new chapter unfolded. I know it’s silly, but I really felt an affinity for the little penguin who was enamoured with a piece of cardboard. So much so, that when planning a trip to Japan this fall, I had scheduled a day to visit the Tobu zoo and see Grape-kun for myself. Unfortunately, that visit never happened, as Grape-kun passed away just weeks before my trip.

So what’s the takeaway? When this little penguin made an innocuous decision, he was abruptly elevated to the world’s stage, and people several continents suddenly away had opinions about him. There were responses on all sides of the spectrum (thankfully mostly positive), but none of those responses ever reached Grape-kun. Grape-kun just kept doing what he was doing, and I think that’s what we can learn from him: be yourself no matter what the madding crowd says. Rest in peace little guy. Thank you for sharing your story with us.

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That's it for our three-part series on 2017! Be sure to check out Part One and  Part Two! If you're still in the mood for past CR Favorites, check out the previous years' features here:

  Crunchyroll Favorites 2016 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2015 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2014 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2013 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll Favorites 2012 Part One Part Two Part Three

Crunchyroll News' Best of 2011 Part One Part Two

  What were your favorite "everything else" of 2017? Comment below and share with us! Remember, this is a FAVORITES list, not a BEST OF list, so there's no wrong answers!

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Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com