#best uk franchises

[activ-franchise]

Tips and Tricks for Launching Your Own Venture

Are you ready to start your own business and be your own boss? Launching a venture can be an exhilarating journey filled with opportunities and challenges. Whether you're exploring your own boss ideas or considering the best UK franchises, this blog post is here to guide you through the process with valuable tips and tricks.

Define Your Vision and Goals:

Before diving into the details of your business, take the time to clarify your vision and establish clear goals. What problem are you solving? Who is your target audience? What do you hope to achieve in the short and long term? Having a clear vision will serve as your guiding light throughout the startup process.

Conduct Market Research:

Understanding your target market is crucial for success. Conduct thorough market research to identify potential customers, analyse competitors, and assess market trends. This will help you tailor your products or services to meet the needs of your audience and differentiate yourself from the competition.

Develop a Solid Business Plan:

A well-crafted business plan serves as a roadmap for your venture, outlining your objectives, strategies, and financial projections. It provides a structured approach to guide your decisions and attract investors or lenders. Take the time to develop a comprehensive business plan that outlines your business model, marketing strategy, operational plan, and financial projections.

Secure Funding:

Launching a venture often requires a financial investment. Explore different funding options, such as bootstrapping, seeking investors, crowdfunding, or applying for small business loans. Choose the option that aligns with your goals and financial situation, and be prepared to pitch your business idea convincingly to potential investors or lenders.

Build a Strong Team:

Surround yourself with talented individuals who share your vision and complement your skills. Building a strong team is essential for success, as your team members will play a crucial role in executing your business plan and driving growth. Invest time and effort in recruiting, training, and retaining top talent who is passionate about your venture.

Focus on Branding and Marketing:

Effective branding and marketing are essential for attracting customers and establishing your presence in the market. Develop a compelling brand identity that resonates with your target audience and communicates your unique value proposition. Invest in strategic marketing initiatives to raise awareness, generate leads, and build customer loyalty.

Embrace Technology:

In today's digital age, technology can be a powerful enabler for startups. Leverage technology tools and platforms to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and reach a wider audience. Whether it's building a user-friendly website, implementing digital marketing strategies, or leveraging data analytics for insights, embrace technology to drive innovation and growth.

Stay Agile and Adapt:

The entrepreneurial journey is filled with ups and downs, and it's essential to stay agile and adaptable in the face of challenges, especially when considering the best UK franchises. Be open to feedback, learn from failures, and pivot when necessary. Stay attuned to market dynamics and be willing to adjust your strategies and tactics to stay competitive and capitalise on emerging opportunities.

Focus on Customer Experience:

Providing an exceptional customer experience is key to building a loyal customer base and driving repeat business. Listen to your customers, solicit feedback, and strive to exceed their expectations at every touchpoint. Invest in delivering personalised, seamless experiences that delight customers and differentiate your brand.

Stay Persistent and Resilient:

Building a successful venture takes time, dedication, and resilience. Stay persistent in pursuing your goals, even in the face of setbacks or obstacles. Celebrate your successes, no matter how small, and learn from your failures to fuel continuous improvement. Remember that entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint, and stay focused on the long-term vision for your venture.

Conclusion

You can explore the best UK franchises or explore be your own boss ideas when you launch your own business. With Activ Franchise as your partner, by following these tips and tricks, you can navigate the complexities of entrepreneurship with confidence and increase your chances of success. Embrace the journey, stay true to your vision, and never stop learning and growing as an entrepreneur.

Reference:

https://telegra.ph/The-Role-of-Online-Platforms-in-Franchise-Marketing-Success-01-25

https://www.bunity.com/-9feb2ead-14a9-47e1-bcab-19bf20fa9596

https://www.tuugo.co.uk/Companies/activ-franchise/0300004348301

#start your own business #be your own boss ideas #best uk franchises #Cardiff #United Kingdom

[yin-yanglulu]

Press F to pay respects

#just dance #never forget what jd+ took from us/j #jd4 my beloved (had some of the best and iconic maps in the whole series and a tracklist with barely any flops) #I like jd24 but nothing will ever top jd4 imo (that’s just blatant nostalgia talking tho) #it’s funny bc I don’t think we got the cheetos version of you make me feel in the uk #which is a shame bc it’s def the funniest and best product placements the franchise has ever done

[bloomtoddlerclasse]

#best toddler class franchise in the UK #Activity Classes For 15-48 Months

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Billie Eilish - No Time to Die 2020

"No Time to Die" is the theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. Performed by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and written by Eilish and her brother and collaborator, Finneas O'Connell, the song features orchestration by Hans Zimmer and was produced by Finneas O'Connell and Stephen Lipson. Seventeen years old at the time of recording, Eilish is the youngest artist to have recorded a James Bond theme in the history of the franchise.

The song debuted at the top of the UK Singles Chart and the Irish Singles Chart. It became Eilish's first number-one single in the UK and made her the first artist born in the 21st century to top the chart. The song is the second Bond theme overall to top the UK chart. "No Time to Die" debuted and peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

"No Time to Die" received various accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song, and the Academy Award for Best Original Song, making it the third-ever and third consecutive Bond theme to win the Academy Award (after "Skyfall" by Adele in 2012 and "Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith in 2015). Eilish became the first person born in the 21st century to win an Academy Award.

"No Time to Die" received a total of 62% yes votes! Previous Billie Eilish polls: #10 "NDA"

#submitted #finished #high votes #20s #soundtracks #billie eilish

[carpe-mamilia]

AHHHHHHHHHHH

Bloomsbury has acquired a companion book to the BBC television series “Ghosts”. Katy Follain, head of Bloomsbury general, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to Ghosts: The Button House Archives from Paul Stevens at Independent Talent. It is her first acquisition since she joined Bloomsbury. The companion book will be published on 26th October 2023. “Ghosts” was first broadcast in 2019 and has been nominated for multiple national comedy awards. It returns for the final season this September. The tie-in book is described as “a hilarious, colourful and entertaining compendium of surviving artefacts and documents relating to the ghosts of Button House’s past lives”. Ghosts: The Button House Archives will be written by Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond – six of the ghosts who also co-starred in the franchise Horrible Histories. They will be signing books at events around the country in the run-up to Christmas. They said: “We started kicking around the idea of a ‘Ghosts’ companion book quite early on in the life of the series and got very excited about how the characters could show up in all kinds of documents and artefacts. We’re delighted to finally be bringing this idea to life with Bloomsbury to produce something we hope fans will treasure.” Follain added: “To be working with this hugely talented group of writers on the tie-in book of such a massively popular comedy series is complete heaven. It combines everything I want the non-fiction Bloomsbury General list to be: quality and best-in-show entertainment with broad appeal. It is the perfect Christmas gift and I’m looking forward to seeing the fans dressed up in their favourite ‘Ghosts’ costumes for the events.”

#bbc ghosts #ghosts bbc #mat baynton #martha howe douglas #simon farnaby #ben willbond #larry rickard #jim howick #them there #six idiots #so series 5 is definitely september!! #potentially the middle of september counting backwards from the 26th of october #since I imagine they'll time it to come out after the series has finished airing weekly

[maxknightley]

Can you tell me why Harry Potter is particularly bad and egregious?

well for one thing its creator uses her cultural clout to endlessly scaremonger about Transgenderism and then whenever anyone calls her out on it she's like "what nooooo I love trans people I'm just Asking Questions. just Raising Concerns. about the rights of Real Wombyn." or she threatens them into silence using the UK's insane libel laws

everything from supplemental setting information to character names in her flagship series betray a view of the world that is - if not virulently racist - at the very least embarrassingly provincial. (the writing in her cormoran strike novels is even worse in this regard.) the less said about the house elves, a funny slave race who like being slaves actually and advocating for their rights is silly and wrongheaded, the better.

from what I recall she's also a member of the same ghoulish """""labor""""" party undercurrent that actively crushes any hope of meaningful reform within UK parliamentary politics.

but on a more personal and less political level: it's a children's fantasy series that was never really designed to have more depth than a children's fantasy series, and the constant attempts to make it an Ongoing Franchise are embarrassing at best and actively frustrating at worst. it's like if Willy Wonka got six sequels plus a spinoff about veruca salt plus a spinoff about grandpa joe plus three years of increasingly bizarre supplemental material and literally none of it reckoned with the uncomfortable colonial overtones of the oompa-loompas. at some point you would end up being sick of the whole goddamn thing, even the parts that weren't trash in and of themselves.

#ask #anon

[insanityclause]

EXCLUSIVE: Tom Hiddleston (Thor franchise) and Mark Hamill (Star Wars) are set to star in new Stephen King adaptation The Life Of Chuck, which will be a hot package at the upcoming Cannes market.

Doctor Sleep and The Haunting Of Hill House helmer Mike Flanagan is directing, scripting and producing for Intrepid Pictures alongside fellow producer Trevor Macy.

FilmNation will handle international sales with WME Independent handling domestic.

Based on the short story from King’s 2020 anthology If It Bleeds, The Life of Chuck is three separate stories linked to tell the biography of Charles Krantz in reverse, beginning with his death from a brain tumour at 39 and ending with his childhood in a supposedly haunted house.

The script, which was adapted prior to the WGA strike, has been in the works for several months with Hiddleston set to play the title character and Hamill joining for the role of Albie.

According to the production, the genre project will draw tonally from Stand By Me, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile.

Golden Globe and Olivier winner Hiddleston is best known for Thor, Avengers and TV series The Night Manager, as well as stage projects such as Betrayal and Hamlet for Ken Branagh.

Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars movies and reprised his role in both the sequels as well as the second season of The Mandalorian and season one of The Book of Boba Fett. He recently appeared in Netflix’s Sandman and will star in Intrepid and Netflix’s House Of Usher, which will air later this year.

Stephen King, aka ‘The King Of Horror’, is among the all-time best-selling authors. Among his books and short stories to have been adapted into hit movies are Carrie, The Shining, Pet Sematary, It, Stand By Me, The Running Man, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile.

This is the latest project to join a bumper Cannes market slate for FilmNation. Also on the lineup are Amy Adams-Paul Rudd comedy The Invite, Dave Bautista action-thriller The Cooler, and Andrew Garfield project Voyagers, among others.

Hiddleston is represented by UTA (US), Hamilton Hodell (UK), and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Hamill is represented by Gersh and Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo; Flanagan, Macy and Intrepid are represented by WME, with VanderKloot Law also representing Flanagan and Reder & Feig handling Macy.

#tom hiddleston #mark hamill #the life of chuck #stephen king

[yen-sids-tournament]

Animated 2: Return to Neverland v The Pirate Fairy v Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast

Return to Never Land {originial-Peter Pan (1953)} *spoilers?*

It follows Wendy's canonical daughter Jane, in every version of the story where Peter returns to the Darling's window, he meets Jane, and this story gives her her own adventure. with Wendy as a turn of the century child, it isn't too much of a stretch to assume Jane would be growing up in the middle of a deeply contentious time in British History, that being the London bombings of World War 2, and Unlike Wendy, whom needed to understand that she didn't WANT to never grow up and embrace her coming maturity as it arrives, Jane had been thrown into a position in her family where she had needed to grow up too fast, and in her trip to Neverland understand the importance of that child-like wonder she had nearly lost. As such, she starts out deeply skeptical and frustrated by the nonsensical nature of Neverland, and being more trusting of adults than of children whose attempts of 'playing with her' were little more than bullying with the thin veneer of 'just a game', which ultimately allows her to be manipulated by Hook. But even then manages to grow attached to the lost boys and connect with Peter and due to her inability to fly for most of the movie had almost fully integrated into the world of Neverland and became the first Lost Girl by the time of the third act. While it's held back by the painfully early 00's music it's ultimately a very compelling story about a child in a deeply traumatizing situation finding temporary haven in a place untouched by the war that had so deeply distorted her worldview and ultimately reclaiming her right to have a childhood after constant danger of death and destruction had nearly wrenched it from her entirely. (also there's no racist Native American stereotypes that exist just for the sake of themselves and could have easily been some sort of fantasy species but nahhh it was the 50s so native americans were SUPER okay to be racist about/s)

The Pirate Fairy {original-Tinker Bell (2008)}

>none submitted<

Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast {original Tinker Bell (2008)}

It centres around Fawn aka the best Disney Fairy, KT Tunstell did the soundtrack which absolutely slaps and is unironically on my main playlist to this day. It made me cry when i watched it for the first and subsequent times. Its just so sweet and wholesome. Also apparently spice girl Mel B voiced a minor character in the UK release??? The voice casting alone makes this one of the franchises and films of all time.

#sequelmovies #disney #disney animated movies #yen sids poll #round 1 #the pirate fairy #tinker bell and the legend of the neverbeast #return to neverland #peter pan #tinker bell #disney fairies #wendy darling #jane #captain hook #the lost boys #fawn fairy

[wushigod]

The Harry Potter actor pays tribute to his “favourite human”, who died on 24 March, saying: “I miss her hugs.” “Her passing has left a huge hole in our lives as a family,” he added. Mrs Davis was also an actor, appearing alongside her husband in the final Harry Potter film in 2010, in which she played a goblin. The couple, who lived near Peterborough, met on the set of the film Willow in 1988, before marrying three years later. The Star Wars star described Sammy, as he called her, as his “most trusted confidante and an ardent supporter of everything I did in my career”. She was a unique character, always seeing the sunny side of life she had a wicked sense of humour and always laughed at my bad jokes,” he said. Davis said that with his wife by his side, he felt sure he could achieve anything, adding: “It was like having a super-power.” “Without Sammy, there would have been no Tenable quiz show, no Willow series. No Idiot Abroad Series 3.” He added it had been his wife who persuaded comedian Ricky Gervais to send him with Karl Pilkington for the travel series. The couple’s children, Harrison and Annabelle, joined their father in paying tribute, saying “her love and happiness carried us through our whole lives”. “Mum is our best friend and we’re honoured to have received a love like hers,” they added. Davis played both Professor Flitwick and the goblin Griphook in all eight films in the Harry Potter franchise. He also played several characters in the Star Wars film series, and starred in both the Willow film and the 2022 sequel. His wife’s other acting credits include the children’s series Through the Dragon’s Eye (1989). Outside of acting, Samantha Davis and her husband founded the charity Little People UK in 2012 to help individuals with dwarfism and their families. “She was passionate about helping people, without judgement. She had time for everyone and a genuine listening ear,” the Tenable host said. Davis said in recent years his wife’s mobility had become impaired but she was “determined that it would not impact her quality of life”. Disney, the network the Willow series was on, said Samantha was “beloved member of the UK film and TV community”, adding: “Our thoughts are with the Davis family during this difficult time”.

View On WordPress

#Breaking

[nostalgiamare]

NOSTALGIAMARE ENTRY 32

NAME: THE MR MEN SHOW

COMPANY/FRANCHISE: MR MEN AND LITTLE MISS

RENEGADE ANIMATION

CHORION

CATEGORY:TV SERIES (ANIMATED)

YEAR: 2008

DESCRIPTION: Based on the popular Mr Men children's book series by British author and illustrator Roger Hargreaves from the 1970s. The Mr Men Show is a variety sketch comedy series from the United States in hopes of introducing the media line to an American audience. It features new and unique redesigns of the book characters as well as some brand new one's created solely for the cartoon, with each episode following the daily lives of the Mr Men and Little Misses tying into a specific theme (Food/Dance/Cars/etc). Whilst production and voice acting was done in the states, the show would also receive a British dub the same year.

MOD THOUGHTS

1: From some average meat shaped sleepy dude to an all-out cool asf hippie with no life goals, I call this one of the best glow ups I've ever seen-

Wait what do you mean I'm only saying that because he's my favourite character in the show no he isn't!

...On the other hand...

2: The music? What about the music? Do you mean it's a BANGER?

3: Nearly forgot to mention that there was a super fun website for the show's promotion with a ton of mini-games and exclusive clips that's original American and British version is now lost media. Tragic because I remember stumbling upon it years ago and having the time of my life with it. Sad shit man... ;(

LINK TO SOURCES:

US DUB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnRk-UAPUFw&list=PLzYs7NGGm9ADVtQnwVjTUwVRlZJMwLM85

UK DUB: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdUBEZ6aH1A&list=PLJf6ALAiRiV-SDpIXbXQNUg11OVToCEfp

#nostalgia #2000s nostalgia #childhood nostalgia #nostalgiacore #nostalgiamare #nostalgiamare entries #mr men #the mr men show #mr men show #mr men and little miss #cartoon network #Youtube

[chaos0pikachu]

Trends in BL (Sorta): Genre Trends

So I've seen a few posts discussing trends in BL and I wanted to talk about that from a different angle. Specifically discussing what trends are, how they're formed, and to not remove BL from the rest of their countries own media.

The latter is something I see a lot when discussing BL this kind've ~separation of church and state~ but it's BL and Country's General Media. As though BL lives in a separate bubble outside of all other media and thus never influenced by the media being made in its country of origin nor the countries they share direct borders or trade with. Or all influence began and ended with seme/uke dynamics imported from Japan and nothing beyond that (no, Pit Babe was more than likely not inspired by Supernatural) and it's been static ever since.

All of that is, untrue, but also a really limited way of viewing international media. These countries are places with their own history, culture, politics, and of course, media arts. BL is a part of all of that. Which also effects the trends and potential trends we'll see in BL individually (as it's going to change country to country with some crossover).

I think a way of identifying trends in BL and also the root of those trends is by looking at the media of the country of origin their surrounding countries, and what BLs have unprecedented success and what has the industry learned from them?

So I'm gonna break this down by: genre, technical and business trend(s) in 3 part posts. In this post I'm just going to talk about genre trends in Thai and Korean BL as that's what I'm most familiar with.

Basically this post got hella long, I'm not in college anymore, and my motivation was tied to the length of my Jennifer Hudson Best Of playlist. So I had to split it up, es lo que es.

[This will not be a comprehensive list of like all BL trends ever respect to y'all who do but I do not and will not watch every BL in existence, bendicion]

To start we gotta talk first about how trends in media tend to work and also what we mean by "trends". Because there's genre trends, technical trends, and business trends.

Here's a good article breaking down various aspects of all three. When we talk "trends" in film it's not as simplistic as "office romances" or "cross country remakes" of which, one is a genre trend and the latter a business trend.

Some examples of what I mean:

Shared Universe (genre trend)

3d boom (technical trend, trended a few times in the industry, first in the 1950s until the 1960s and then again in the early 2000s until the mid 00s thanks to James Cameron)

Remakes/Reboots (business trend, this is a business based decision b/c the risk threshold for a pre-established work is lower than for an original work that may or may not have financial data backing it)

Trends in media, whether they are genre, business, technical or a combination, tend to take time to build up, and also tend last much longer than a singular year (generally for as long as something is profitable).

Example: it took time for the Shared Universe genre trend to gain traction.

Batman v Superman (2016) wasn't released until five years after Avengers (2012). Following this, The Mummy (2017) starring Tom Cruise was meant to kickstart Universal's The Dark Universe was released six years after Avengers. Before that Dracula Untold (2014) was supposed to be reworked to also start The Dark Universe (both these films flopped so no Dark Universe, rip).

Since the Avengers release, we have the shared universes of: Monsterverse (which combines Godzilla and Kong franchises together, technically started in 2014, officially started in 2017 with Kong Skull Island), and the Sony Spiderverse (Venom, Spider-man, Madam Web, Mobius lol) and The Conjuring Universe (Annabelle, La Llorona, The Conjuring, The Nun).

It's been almost 12 years since Avengers was released (fuckin'a) and we're only now starting to see some minor diminishing returns (Disney had a horrid year financially last year) for this genre trend, and not even across the board.

I want to iterate that Avengers did not 'invent' the idea of a cross-franchise shared universe. Things like Xena and Hercules, or Hanna Barbara cartoons existed long before the Avengers. However the Avengers kickstarted a genre trend in film. Just because a piece of media started a trend does not mean it invented the genre or technical innovation (James Cameron didn't "invent" 3D but he did revolutionize it with Avatar and I suffered through many 3D horror movies because of it).

[I point this out because sometimes ppl be getting testy when ppl say kinnporsche influenced the increase in mafia/crime BLs with well, um, actually history trapped/manner of death came first - yes, yes we know this. And Bi No Isu came out before all of them so everybody drink some tea and relax, everybody's faves are pretty okay😘]

Okay to let's get to what ppl actually wanna talk about, BL.

(Some) Genre trend(s) in Thailand and Korea:

In Thai BL genre trends I'm noticing are: horror, supernatural, paranormal, action crime, and magic/magical realism. A lot of these crossover, horror shows typically are also paranormal - Ghost House Ghost House (2022), After Sundown (2023) - supernatural shows tend to cross over with magical realism like time travel, or other soft magic elements - Time (2024), I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023), Cherry Magic (2023).

For the horror, supernatural/paranormal genre trend, this isn't at all surprising if you look at Thailand's recent film output from 2020 to 2023: The Medium, The Whole Truth, Ghost Lab, Haunted Tales, Cracked, Death Whisperer, Home for Rent, The Maid, Waning Moon, School Tales, and others, are all horror, paranormal, or supernatural films of some sort.

The horror genre trend especially has been around Thailand for a while, as far back as 2018 with the smash success of Girl from Nowhere which only gained a larger following when it hit Netflix in 2021. I'd almost argue the horror genre trend really picked up with Girl From Nowhere as now one of the main acquisitions of Thai series and film on Netflix are of the horror genre.

That larger media trend is now trickling down into BL with series like: Shadow (2023), After Sundown (2023), Dead Friend Forever (2023) and upcoming projects like Vampire Project.

While supernatural/paranormal series like Ghost House Ghost House (2022), 1000 Years Old (2024), I Feel You Linger in the Air (2023), Two Worlds (2024), Golden Blood (2024?) are increasing. OMG! Vampire (TBD?) will at least be supernatural but we can't say with certainty if OMGV will be horror or not as we only have a poster.

I imagine with the success of Dead Friend Forever, and I Feel You Linger in the Air we'll see the trend of horror and supernatural/paranormal series (I know some have already been announced) continued.

Then there's the genre trend towards more action and crime focused series; which more than often crossover but not all~ the time.

In terms of the increase in crime based Thai BLs I'd argue it was a joint combo of Kinnporsche's (2022) wild skyrocketed success, and the success of Manner of Death (2020). Alongside the influence of rise of crime and thrillers from Korean media (The Gangster, the Cop and the Devil (2019) and Unstoppable (2018))

Manner of Death I'd argue influenced projects like Never Let Me Go (2022), Unforgotten Night (2022), and Big Dragon (2022) if only because of their release times and taking into account the time it takes for a production to film and be edited down.

Whilst all these series came out after Kinnporsche - NLMG released a trailer in Nov, Big Dragon in Oct, and Unforgotten Night in Jun, while Kinnporsche dropped their trailer in Apr - they're series releases are so close to Kinnporsche that I don't feel confident in saying Kinnporsche 100% influenced their acquisition. Ngl it's hard not to see influences of KPTS in at least Big Dragon & Unforgotten Night if only in terms of technical film making, so there could~ be influence but I can't say that definitively. I'm gonna attribute these to Manner of Death since it came out two years prior to these other series.

Meanwhile series both released and unreleased My Gangster Oppa (2023), Red Peafowl (TBD?), Chains of Heart (2023), Kidnap (TBD?), are def riding the crime genre trend that Kinnporsche started and I'd argue series like Pit Babe (2023), Playboyy (2023) were acquired for production in part because of the crime elements included in their respective series.

Meanwhile series like Law of Attraction (2023) (crime/action) and The Sign (2023) (crime/action/supernatural) are combining crime, action and supernatural elements together.

I've said before Kinnporsche takes a lot of cues from Korean and Hong Kong crime films like Jet Li's The Enforcer, and Fist of Legend, Donnie Yen's Flash Point, Raging Fire, and Kung Fu Jungle, Han Dong-wook's The Worst of Evil, Kim Jin-Min's My Name, along with Japanese manga like Bi No Isu and KeixYaku.

Meanwhile The Sign is def taking cues from Chinese costume dramas like Ashes of Love, Fairy and Devil, White Snake (and it's many adaptions), Guardian, & Ying Yang Master Dream of Eternity. Alongside Hong Kong and Korean cop and romance shows like Tale of the Nine-Tailed, Hotel Del Luna, Director Who Buys Me Dinner, First Love, Again.

[I think the only reason Thailand or Korea hasn't jumped on the full fantasy train and pulled an Untamed is because of budget. The Sign has done very well for Idol Factory so I could see more studios trying to go in that fantasy direction if they can get the funding for it.]

Meanwhile shows like Time (2024), Two Worlds (2024), and Cherry Magic (2023) are leaning more into a combination of magical realism and a supernatural. Which is something that's been popular in Korea (Mr. Queen (2020), The King Eternal Monarch (2020)) in the past and obviously Japan (Cherry Magic (2020).

This, again, isn't a fully comprehensive list. I'm sure there's shows I've missed, and there's going to be evergreen genres that are always produced - university, high school, office all with a general romcom flavor - because they're cheap, easy, low risk and for the most part reliable.

That's not an insult to shows like Cherry Magic TH, or Middleman's Love or Cooking Crush or whatever.

Cooking Crush is just going to cost way less than The Sign it's simply a fact. Likewise Middleman's Love cost less than The Next Prince (TBD?) and was less risk as an office romcom. What helps offset the risk of something like The Next Prince is casting Zee and NuNew in the lead roles.

[watch these two trailers and tell me they cost the same]

Think of it of like, the 50 cop procedural dramas networks are always churning out; they do so because they're cheap, easy, low risk, and reliable.

Gmmtv made Cherry Magic not for the art of it all but because it was low risk and low cost to produce with a high value return. I imagine that's also why gmmtv cast Tay and New because while I don't know who the hell they are, lots of folks in BL fandom do because of Dark Blue Kiss and the reuniting of a well liked costars will also help offset financial risk for the project. Studios will often only greenlight a project if "a name" is attached to said project.

Anyways, Korea's turn.

The data for Korea is less because Korea comes out with fewer series than Thailand. Like currently Thailand has 9 ongoing BLs in 2024 while Korea has 1 (oh City Boy Log you lonely thing you).

For Korean BLs I'm still seeing mostly evergreen genre trends: the workplace (The New Employee, Oh! My Assistant, Roommates of Ponngduck 304,), high school/university (Light On Me, Cherry Blossoms After Winter, Semantic Error, Love Class, Love for Love's Sake) and Joseon (Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, Tinted With You, Director Who Buys Me Dinner) romances - which make sense, a lot of these were the trends of romance kdramas in the early to mid-00s.

What I am hoping, is we'll start seeing the acquisition of KBLs that are closer to what's currently trending in Korea: revenge (Revenge of Others, The Glory, Marry My Husband, Perfect Marriage Revenge), thrillers (My Name, Midnight, Somebody, Celebrity, Mask Girl), more class based social commentary (Devil Judge, Golden Spoon, Vigilante, Kingdom), and an increase in both sex and violence (Somebody, A Shop for Killers).

I could totally see more revenge based KBLs in the coming years since revenge and thriller shows can be combined pretty easily and you don't need a huge budget for either. You can also set them in evergreen settings like the workplace (Marry My Husband) or high school/uni (Revenge of Others).

KBLs have mostly stuck with evergreen settings with a couple outliers like Kissable Lips (2022), Once Again (2022) for example. I enjoyed Love for Love's Sake but it stuck in that evergreen space of school based romance, with magical realism. Again, not surprising given KBLs are just following trends of romance kdramas of the past.

Whilst not a bad~~~ thing, it can be a bit stale and hopefully with a bit more budget/investment we'll see the acquisition of series that are more in line with what's trending with Korean audiences currently.

There's other things I'd like to see develop into trends for KBLs but they're mostly technical and business trends.

That's all I got in the tank, this post took me almost six hours to write b/c of all the sourcing and research I'm freaking peeked.

See y'all next time ✌️

Check out other posts in the series:

Film Making? In My BL? - The Sign ep01 Edition | Aspect Ratio in Love for Love's Sake | Cinematography in My BL - Our Skyy2 vs kinnporsche, 2gether vs semantic error, 1000 Stars vs The Sign | How The Sign Uses CGI | Is BL Being Overly Influenced by Modern Western Romance Tropes?

[like these posts? drop me a couple pennies on ko-fi]

#kinnporsche #the sign the series #dead friend forever #cherry magic th #kbl #korean bl #chaos pikachu metas #pikachu's bl film series #thai bl #i'm so freaking tired omg this was so much #Youtube #dff

[dailydeathinparadise]

The Death in Paradise franchise is coming to Australia with an original, home grown spinoff series, Return to Paradise, coming to ABC in 2024. The series is produced by BBC Studios Productions Australia with Red Planet Pictures for the ABC in association with the BBC, who will screen the series on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK. Return to Paradise combines the DNA of the original global smash hit murder mystery series, with a new, unique Australian take.

Set in the idyllic, beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove, Return to Paradise is six gripping, twisting and fiendishly clever murder mysteries – all set against the spectacular backdrop of the Australian coastal landscape.

Australian ex-pat Mackenzie Clarke is the seemingly golden girl of the London Metropolitan police force – with an intuitive approach to detective work, she has built a reputation for being able to crack the most impossible of cases. However, she’s suddenly forced to up sticks and move back to her childhood home of Dolphin Cove, a beautiful, coastal paradise... and Mackenzie’s worst nightmare.

Having escaped her hometown at the earliest opportunity six years ago, Mack vowed she'd never come back, leaving a lot of unfinished business and unanswered questions. On her return she’s still no fan of the town, and the people of Dolphin Cove are certainly no fans of hers. In fact everyone would prefer her not to be there, including Mackenzie herself.

But when a murder takes place in Dolphin Cove, Mack can’t help but put her inspired detective brilliance to good use and determines, despite her reservations, that she needs to make the best of it, including tying up the loose ends with the man she left at the altar six years ago.

Created and Executive Produced by Peter Mattessi, James Hall and Robert Thorogood, Return to Paradise features a crack Australian writing team led by Mattessi alongside Elizabeth Coleman, Alexandra Collier and Kodie Bedford.

ABC Head of Screen Rachel Okine says; “We are thrilled to be partnering with BBC Studios Productions Australia and Red Planet Pictures to bring a unique Australian sensibility to this beloved franchise. Return to Paradise promises to be whip smart, intriguing and entertaining - audiences of all ages are invited to play along to figure out whodunit, all while feeling as if they’ve been transported to the perfect summer holiday”.

Kylie Washington, General Manager and Creative Director, BBC Studios Productions Australia says; “Like audiences around the world, Aussies love a good crime series, they’re addictive and bring in audiences week after week. Death in Paradise is a bona fide hit so I’m excited to work with ABC and Red Planet Pictures to expand this world even further. Return to Paradise will introduce audiences to entirely new Australian characters, settings and cases for the team to crack, but with an unsettling amount of murders for a small community guaranteed. This is the second local drama from BBC Studios Productions Australia and is an exciting step as we build our premium scripted business in Australia under Warren Clarke, working with an all Australian creative team.”

Alex Jones, Joint-MD of Red Planet Pictures said: “We are so proud of the global success of both Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise – each selling to hundreds of territories, watched by millions, and regularly claiming the position of top rated drama in most of them. Return to Paradise is a brilliantly exciting new addition to ‘The Paraverse’ which we are sure audiences will love just as much. It is a completely original drama but takes the essence of what viewers love about Death in Paradise – the fish out of water premise coupled with the most cleverly plotted murder mystery – and gives it a uniquely Aussie flavour. We are also thrilled to already have BBC One and iPlayer in the UK on board as broadcast partners for the show which means that us Brits will be sure to get to meet Mackenzie and the residents of Dolphin Cove in 2024!”

Sue Deeks, Head of BBC Programme Acquisition, says: “Everything we all love about Death in Paradise - the humour, the beautiful scenery, the likeable characters, the ingenious plots - now in a fabulous Australian setting. I cannot wait for BBC viewers to be introduced to Detective Mack and the good (and not so good!) folk of Dolphin Cove. What a treat we have in store!"

Return to Paradise will air on ABC and ABC i-view next year and will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the UK. It will be distributed globally by BBC Studios.

Production Credits: BBC Studios Productions Australia, Red Planet Pictures. Produced for the ABC in association with the BBC. Executive Producers for BBC Studios Productions Australia are Kylie Washington and Warren Clarke, for Red Planet Pictures are Belinda Campbell and Tim Key and for ABC are Rachel Okine and Brett Sleigh.

#death in paradise #return to paradise #rtp news

[transmutationisms]

this is so stupid but like so do u know about total institutions as defined in Erving Goffman's Asylums? uh if yes. do you think that reality tv shows that basically separate the contestants into a house where they are constantly on film, being prodded by producers, in some cases don't even have access to phones, etc. like is that a total institution? are reality shows inherently manipulative? do you think people dying by suicide after appearing on shows like Love Island are related to this? is there any scholarship on reality tv?

sorry if u know none of this I thought to ask u bc my initial thought was "the bachelor house is a bit like a psych ward." which is an insane thing to think. but truly I think shows like Jersey Shore, Rock of Love, Married at First Sight, Ultimatum, etc. that ply contestants with alcohol while controlling every aspect of contestants life for weeks are like. like thats bad. and then people harshly judge them for their behavior! like a psychiatrist saying a patient is very ill bc they do badly in a high level of care.

i don't think it's stupid. i don't really read much on this but yes there is definitely scholarship on reality tv---these shows are media objects and cultural productions as much as any 'prestige' drama.

obviously a tv shoot differs from an institution proper in that it's a temporary arrangement. however, the level of control and surveillance participants are subject to is something you would rarely see outside the conditions of an institution, and there is certainly something heterotopic about many of these sets as a kind of 'local institution'.

i think some of the most interesting shows have made this part of their conscious onscreen presentation. plenty of people have written about 'big brother' as a conscious gamification of the experience of being subjected to neoliberal workplace surveillance, for example. then there's something like 'secret eaters', which iirc literally had a little security camera icon on its title card even? that one didn't restrict people's movement, but if anything it did imply that doing so would have been in their best interests---because it was the unrestricted, unsurveilled eating behaviours that were configured as the result of laziness / lack of knowledge / lack of willpower, and the cause of weight gain.

so, if 'big brother' demanded the affective performance of enjoyment from those in an institution-like setting, 'secret eaters' presented the panoptic surveillance state as a benevolent kind of medical overlord, and the wayward citizen as someone insufficiently disciplined and too free for their own good. you can see variations on this latter argument in, eg, 'supersize vs superskinny', or any of the programs about weight-loss 'camps', or, on the meaner and more american end, 'the biggest loser' and even many episodes of 'my 600lb life'.

this is obviously a little different from the question of whether the shoot itself is institutional, which is essentially a question about working conditions. i watched a lot of 'america's next top model' as a teen and i remember even then thinking it was a leetle fucked up how much control the producers seemed to have over the contestants. so like, again i would say pretty much all of these shows that isolate participants in some closed house or whatever are patterned off institutional models of control, restriction, and surveillance, even though obviously they're not permanent commitments and they also usually allow some contact with the outside (grocery shopping or photoshoots or what have you).

i do also think there's something to be said about reality as a genre that often finds success by capitalising as cheaply as possible on some common social anxiety or malaise. so, the neoliberal workplace of 'big brother' and the success of weight loss shows following declarations of an 'obesity epidemic' in the us and uk. but then there's also, say, a franchise like 'survivor', which flourished in the post-9/11 years and often operated in a particular ecological niche that married body demands (strength, thinness) to the obvious survivalist fears. there was kind of a double reassurance being sold there: if civilisation collapses, you, too can learn to sustain yourself just like these starving people on a tv shoot; but also, look at how these bodies are becoming more disciplined, such that they can successfully perform physical challenges that we market as having some resemblance to military training exercises...! i remember even 'antm' dabbled in that a bit: the phrase "model boot camp" got thrown around more than once, and in the first couple of seasons there was more of an emphasis on 'fitness' and even a couple of challenges that were basically just "wear camo and pretend to do an obstacle course" lmao.

i guess to return to your initial question... there are ways in which a reality shoot often mimics, temporarily, characteristics of an institution; and then there are also ways in which it presents institutionalisation, or aspects of it, onscreen. so, without flattening the distinction between being on a reality show and being institutionalised, there's a lot to unpack here about reality as a genre that frequently constructs itself around the functions of, and justifications for, the institution.

to oversimplify (and certainly there are exceptions and edge cases) i think you could say that where scripted tv tends to rely on the closed family home or the workplace as its sphere of narrative construction, reality is more likely to construct a kind of temporary fantasy setting where contestants can be subjected to the kind of surveillance and restrictions typically associated with an institution or at least a high-control group. and this is both because of producers' need to generate 'drama', and because the shows are often successful precisely by replicating and intensifying those elements of control and surveillance that are (perceived to be) on the rise even outside of the total institution.

[arceespinkgun]

Finally completed my read-through of the entire Marvel UK G1 comics run—I haven't read every annual story yet, but I've read several of the most important ones—and while there were massive ups and downs throughout, I think my biggest takeaway is surprise at the fact that many of the things with the most potential from this continuity haven't been explored further.

Some of the lore is fascinating. I think the origin of Primus being that he was essentially born of the crumbs from Unicron's mouth—what still existed of the previous universe Unicron had devoured—is incredible! These comics had a Decepticon chosen by the Matrix, whose villainy didn't taint it, no, instead he was mind-controlled by the Matrix's own childlike desire to experience the sensation of evil for the first time! Cassette transformers were once the bodyguards of the old overlords of the government, before the War began! In the future stories, Kup's love for Rodimus might have doomed all transformers! Galvatron always seems to have been made up of multiple guys, not just Megatron! There were also things that were just plain bizarre, too, like the first Space Bridge being a literal bridge made out of a guy who was tortured and is constantly in horrific pain?!

Many characters are the best versions of themselves out of any series. I used to have no strong opinions about Blaster and Jetfire, but in this continuity I loved them. Galvatron, Prowl, and Silverbolt I all disliked before I tried reading this, but I ended up loving all three of them in these stories, too. There are also plenty of characters I had no preconceptions about, like Emirate Xaaron and Thunderwing, who I also thought were great, of course. I thought many of the character dynamics were compelling, too, like the one between Optimus Prime and Scorponok—I consider it one of the best relationships between any two characters in the entire franchise, and the way they reached out to each other was so sweet. I also like how many dynamics that would be expected these days don't really exist in these stories, or are super de-emphasized.

Reading this series with a critical eye also really highlights why the Autobots are the heroes and the Decepticons are the villains—there are in fact good Decepticons and evil Autobots, but it's the overall values of each faction that make them what they are. Preserving life at all costs, vs. exploiting and destroying it. Even so, despite the ending sadly suggesting otherwise, there's a lot of evidence that peace is very possible and that a lot of the fighting is just automatic at this point. There are also flaws in how each faction runs things, with Decepticons being so eager to backstab each other they're often self-defeating (and the ones who are honorable get stuck in a state of paralyzing fear), and the Autobots for a long time were way too codependent, and these flaws add a lot of complexity.

There was also plenty of garbage in this continuity as well (tip: skip UK issues #182-187, you're not missing much, that story is heavily misogynistic) but given how this franchise iterates on G1 so much I would've hoped that some of the best elements would've been revisited by now. I also think that the published continuations of the US Marvel comics, like Regeneration One and the G2 comics, were lacking in comparison to the UK stories. And something about this continuity really inspires me to write meta, so if I'm up to it, I'll probably write more analysis posts about it.

Also, the letters pages are hilarious.

#transformers g1 #transformers marvel #my analysis #maccadam

[beevean]

🔥 for anything TGAA related, be it shipping, fandom, or storywise or whatever tickles your fancy!

Oh boy :P

Well, I mentioned many times that I dislike reducing Ryuu to an uke babyboy, when my man is ferocious and an enemy of the state. This is especially bad when he's shipped with Asougi and Barok. My friends, those two would crumble like sandcastles compared to Ryuu. Ryuu is the seme of the love triangle :P

I don't like Iris. I really don't. But not because she's annoying or a bad character, so I struggle to explain why. My issue is that her status as an improbably genius is taken too seriously, and it's too straightforward. Yes I know that this is the franchise where minors can become lawyers, but that usually comes with a consequence! Franziska is probably the best deconstruction of the teen genius trope of the series, and back then it wasn't even a trope! I wish Iris suffered more consequences of being the "adult" of the house. (also minor but her theme is like a cheesegrater on the ears, I have to mute the game when it plays :( )

While GAA2 is a fantastic game, I wish it kept GAA1's direction when it comes to treating the political themes. It's weird how the first game puts a lot of emphasis on the abuse of power of the British Empire and its systemic xenophobia, only for the second game to reduce the whole conflict to a classic AA villain. Related to this: I still believe Barok's racism and his arc of overcoming it makes sense, but instead of simply saying "japanese killed brother, now i am racist", his story should have been "I never met a Japanese person before and the first one I ever met killed my brother, everyone around me has told me since childhood that Japanese people are untrustworthy and cruel and I couldn't help getting convinced of this during my 5-year isolation". See, it doesn't sound so simplistic anymore, and it would have kept the idea that Barok grew up with toxic ideals as a British nobleman, incarnating both the worst and the best traits of the empire.

and uhhhhhh benbaro deserves more love. they cute. there

klimtex also deserves more love because i'm a sucker for their master/dog dynamic lol. i don't even know if the ship has an official name, couldn't find a thing on pixiv :<

#ace attorney #the great ace attorney #sorry for the negativity but well i really love the duology and most importantly most people do lol #so i had to be unpopular in some way :p

[leighlew3]

Did you see The Continental is the #1 show on Amazon Prime in Brazil and the Philippines???? 🥰💁🏻‍♀️

That's amazing.

I'm so happy that overall, this is putting Katie McGrath on a whole new level in terms of exposure to new audiences and the industry, and in terms of her being one of the main positively reviewed elements of the show. It's her name (and face) that's generating the most buzz for the show on social -- to the point that Lionsgate, Peacock, Amazon Prime UK, etc are noticing and now posting about Katie and her role even though her role is practically cameo-sized. Even changing their bios as if they're now stan sites for KMG! Wild.

Her having a small role that shines bright and grabs the spotlight is what she does best, honestly. Same thing happened on Supergirl. Meant to only be in 3 episodes originally but instantly won over the fans, writers, cast and everybody involved to earn a spot as a series regular, and then became the most popular character amongst fans and the media, only behind the title lead/Kara herself. Only this time, the difference is the network/studios behind the show aren't afraid to lean into her popularity for fear of offending male egos or whatever the hell prevented SG/The CW from doing the same.

She's officially the most popular, stand-out character of TC -- despite limited screen time, in a series related to, again -- one of the biggest and coolest and most popular action franchises on the planet.

That's huge. And I believe even a director from the show -- who has seen fan reaction and engaged KMG fans a lot -- was talking about how cool her character is and now there's spin-off hopes or other similar talk/demand, apparently.

Whether she ever plays this role again or not in other related projects, this will only do great things for her career moving forward. And she deserves it. She's a hard worker, genuinely kind, authentic, etc.

Kudos to KMG. And congrats also to (most of, ahem) the other cast, some of them newbies to the scene and some of them also badass women, on the success of the show. Mixed critical reception aside, many fans are loving it, it's got a 7.7 on IMDB, and is topping the viewership charts internationally already.

And that's dope. That's great for her moving forward, which is great for long-time fans who hope to continue to see her in big, cool stuff.

#katie mcgrath #the continental #the adjudicator #john wick