Hi everyone! Because it’s the 1st of November, it’s time for another This Month on Patreon post!
In case you missed it (announcement here!), I’ve overhauled my Patreon & blogging schedules – details below!
This is my monthly post on:
1. What’s happening on Patreon in a given month,
2. Exactly when you can expect to see various Patreon-related reviews in the month,
3. What shows I’m considering for coverage on Patreon, to replace shows that have completed their cycles, and
4. What you can expect, as a patron.
I hope you guys find this helpful &/or informative, and I hope you’ll consider supporting me on Patreon! ❤️
Why I’m on Patreon
My work has been on hold indefinitely, because of the pandemic, and this is my way of trying to create a viable alternative source of income. As it stands right now, it’s murky and uncertain, whether work can resume for me, and if so, when that might happen.
I love this blog and if I had to switch careers, I would most likely have to quit blogging (those of you who’ve blogged before, or are still blogging now, would know what I mean when I say that blogging takes up a LOT of time 😅).
Rather than quit the blog, I decided to try blogging full-time, and that’s where Patreon – and everyone who values what I do on this blog – comes in.
I am very grateful for all the support that has already been given (thank you to all my existing patrons, you guys are the best! 😘).
At the same time, the amount raised each month isn’t quite enough to cover my living expenses, and is still quite far from being a proper income, which is why I do hope that my Patreon page will be able to continue growing.
If you value the work that I do here on the blog, please consider supporting my work on Patreon. ❤️
Psst! If you’re curious about the nuts and bolts of the work that goes into maintaining this blog, here is a Dear kfangurl post about this very topic; I hope you enjoy!
Patreon tiers and their current benefits
Foundation Tier (US$1): Entertainment news and other tidbits + the first set of episode notes of all shows covered on Patreon (2 eps for kdramas, 4 eps for cdramas)
Early Access (US$5): +Love Like The Galaxy [China]
Early Access Plus (US$10): +Love Is For Suckers
VIP (US$15): +Love In Contract
VVIP (US$20): +If You Wish Upon Me
Ultimate (US$25): +Love Between Fairy And Devil [China]
* Just to be clear, the tier benefits are cumulative, so if you sign up for the Ultimate tier, you wouldn’t only receive episode notes for Love Between Fairy And Devil, you’d receive episodes notes for all the other shows as well!
* For actual examples of episode notes, you can go here and here. 😊 These are my E1 & 2 notes for Love In Contract and Love Is For Suckers.
The current schedule
I’ve switched from my old 5-day cycle to a weekly schedule, and this is what it looks like right now:
MONDAY: Love In Contract, 2 eps
TUESDAY: Love Is For Suckers, 2 eps
WEDNESDAY: If You Wish Upon Me, 2 eps
THURSDAY: Love Like The Galaxy [China], 4 eps
FRIDAY: Love Between Fairy And Devil [China], 4 eps
SATURDAY: The Princess’s Man group watch here on the blog (details here!)
SUNDAY: Entertainment tidbits on Patreon
When Patreon-related reviews will post this month
Because of the new schedule, you can expect to see reviews post in a more timely and frequent manner, on the blog.
We’ve got 4 reviews due to post this month; here’s when you can expect them:
Love Like The Galaxy [China]: 6 November 2022
Love Between Fairy And Devil [China]: 13 November 2022
If You Wish Upon Me: 20 November 2022
Love In Contract: 27 November 2022
Do stay tuned for those! 😃
Replacement shows I’m considering
This isn’t yet cast in stone, because I’d need to check out the shows to make sure I like them enough to cover them on Patreon, but here are the ones that I’m considering:
Love Like The Galaxy [China]: possibly to be replaced by The Queen’s Umbrella
Love Between Fairy And Devil [China]: possibly to be replaced by The Fabulous ** Glitch
If You Wish Upon Me: possibly to be replaced by Curtain Call
Love In Contract: possibly to be replaced by Reborn Rich
* Other back-up shows I have in mind (in case the shortlisted shows don’t make my cut): Behind Every Star, Mental Coach Jegal, Almost Lover [China], Mr. Bad [China], The Story Of Xing Fu [China].
If you have other great shows to suggest, do let me know in the comments! Please do remember to bear in mind their airing schedules, though!
** Edit: I was keen to cover The Fabulous as a replacement show for Love Between Fairy And Devil, but it’s just been announced that the premiere of The Fabulous has been postponed until further notice, in respect of the fact that Korea is currently in a state of national mourning for the victims of the Itaewon Halloween tragedy.
Patreon Highlights
If you’re new to my Patreon page, here are a handful of things you might like to know:
1. ALL tiers receive my first set of episode notes for any show that I’m covering on Patreon.
Therefore, if you’re curious about my notes for Love Between Fairy And Devil, but aren’t sure whether you’d like them enough to want to join the Ultimate tier, joining the US$1 Foundation tier will give you immediate access to Love Between Fairy And Devil E1-2, E3-4 notes.
After this, if you wish to upgrade to the Ultimate tier, Patreon would simply charge you the difference, while immediately unlocking all the posts that your new tier entitles you to. That’s exactly what Michelle did with Vincenzo, and I’m happy to report that it worked out really well! 😃
Important note! Going forward, on the new schedule, this would be 2 episodes for kdramas and 4 episodes for cdramas (due to the shorter episode lengths).
2. The Ultimate tier also receives E1 notes for all shows that I’m watching (or have checked out), INCLUDING shows that I’m NOT covering on Patreon.
This has included E1 notes for shows like:
True Beauty, Lovestruck in the City, Sweet Home, Shanai Marriage Honey (Japan), Must You Go?, Love In Between (China), A Thousand Goodnights (Taiwan), Zombie Detective, Here’s My Plan, Hello, Me!, Taxi Driver, At A Distance Spring Is Green, Monthly Magazine Home, Takane and Hana, You Are My Spring, The Witch’s Diner, D.P. (Deserter Pursuit), My Name, Forecasting Love and Weather, The One and Only, Everything and Nothing, You Are My Hero (China).
I call these posts Early Access Extras, and as a patron on the Ultimate tier, on average, you can expect to see about 2 of these posts each month.
In case you’re wondering, whether I eventually review these shows on the blog, really depends on how my experience with the various first episodes works out.
I’ve carried on to review a number of the shows listed above, but I’ve also chosen not to continue watching a handful of them as well.
I’ve also introduced the occasional bonus show for this tier, starting with My Name, Hellbound and Soundtrack #1.
3. You can interact with me and with one another, on Patreon.
There is a comment feature on Patreon, so, much like here on the blog, you’d be able to comment on posts and share your thoughts with me and with other patrons.
There is also a private message function, so you’d be able to message me directly on Patreon, if there’s something you’d like to talk with me about, but you feel isn’t relevant to the posts on Patreon themselves.
Aside from a web browser, you can also access my Patreon posts and messages on the Patreon app. You can find the Patreon app on Apple’s app store here, or on Google Play here.
4. You can feel safe to pause your subscription, or move between tiers at any time.
Moving between tiers
Because you are charged upfront for the coming month, that tier’s privileges will continue to be open to you, even if you choose to move down a tier sometime during the month, or if you choose to pause your subscription.
For example, if you were on the Early Access Plus tier, and sometime during the month, you decided that you’d like to move down one tier, to the Early Access Tier, you can make that change right away.
But because you’ve already paid for Early Access Plus privileges, those will remain open to you until your next billing cycle. And then you will be charged your new tier rate, at the beginning of your next billing cycle.
If you choose to upgrade your tier, you can also do so at any time, and you will simply be charged the difference, eg, US$5, if you’re moving from the Early Access tier, to the Early Access Plus tier, and the additional privileges will be immediately unlocked for you as well.
You will then be charged the new rate on your next billing cycle.
Pausing your subscription
If you choose to pause your subscription, you will not be charged on the next billing cycle, and your Patreon benefits will remain open to you until the end of your current billing cycle.
Thereafter, feel free to reactivate it at any time.
Please let me know if this explanation isn’t clear!
5. There’s now an annual subscription option available!
I only activated this option recently, because someone expressed interest in it. I just.. hadn’t realized that you guys believed in me enough, to want to sign up on a yearly basis. 😅
With the yearly subscription, you receive a 5% discount, and you will be charged on each anniversary of your join date. The only downside to this, is you don’t have the flexibility to move between tiers from month to month, according to which shows spark your interest.
6. The Patreon page has become a cool little community!
Besides the episode notes, there are lots of other conversations going on, on the monthly Drama Exchange posts that I create.
One is the Drama Exchange: Spoiler-free zone, where you can safely exchange drama recommendations and chat about other things, without the danger of encountering a spoiler, and the other is the Drama Exchange: Deep Dive Zone, where you can discuss other shows that you’re watching, that I’m not covering on Patreon, in all its spoiler glory.
Since these posts have been introduced, literally hundreds of comments have been exchanged, on each one!
ALSO. As part of the Patreon community, you’ll get various updates from me, including personal updates that I don’t share elsewhere. I’m very blessed that the Patreon community has turned, effectively, into my inner circle. I’d love for you to join me, if you can! ❤️
I suppose it goes without saying, but just in case it isn’t clear, these conversations are open to all patrons at all tiers.
What about one-time contributions?
If you prefer, you can also support the blog through easy one-time contributions by clicking on this other cute lil icon below.
I’m told that you don’t need to have a Paypal account in order to do so, but if that changes, or is different in your region, a Paypal account is pretty easy to set up; there are no sign-up fees involved, and you don’t have to keep a balance in it, unless you actually want to.
You can choose to link a bank account, a debit card, or a credit card, to facilitate your contribution.
Thank you!
..And that’s about it, for this month’s updates! If you have suggestions for other things that you’d like me to include in these monthly update posts, do let me know in the comments, and I’ll see what I can do, to incorporate them into future posts.
I aim to publish future update posts on the first of each month.
Thanks for reading, thanks for your support, and thank you for being here! Big hugs to ya! 🥰❤️😘
Once again, you can find my Patreon page by clicking on this cute lil icon below:
Hi kfangirl, as always, thank you for what you do in reviewing and curating dramas for us! I started Love in Contract last week thanks to your post on this blog and my little peeks earlier at your Patreon notes.
Can I suggest One Dollar Lawyer as a possible replacement show? With Nam Goong Min. My colleague said she’s really loving it and I’m thinking of starting it soon in parallel with Love in Contract.
Sure, I can add One Dollar Lawyer to my list of back-up shows.. Fair warning, though, that I often don’t actually get to my back-up list, so a perfectly serviceable show might get passed over. 😅
Glad to hear that you’re liking Love In Contract so far! ❤️
Wasnt there some discussion about The Long Ballad?
Im currently watching and enjoying Mental Coach Jegal and will let you know how I feel about how they decide to wrap up the Show 🙂
I want to throw out Law Cafe because Lee See Young does a superb job with her character and her fashion is a must see!
I did float The Long Ballad over on Patreon as an option, but someone (was it Cathy?) pointed out that 2 c-dramas one after the other, on the Early Access Tier, might be too much, and requested that the next one be a kdrama, which is why I’ve put that thought on hold for a while.
Also, I did try 2 eps of The Law Cafe (before settling on If You Wish Upon Me instead, for Patreon coverage).. It just didn’t work for me, unfortunately. I was going to give it another look, but to be honest, I don’t think it’s for me. 😅
@KFG – Ah ok! Thanks for letting me know. So your next batch lined up of Shows none of them are C-Dramas, right? Only replacement Shows will be Cdramas if your next line up some do not work for you, right?
Sure was a fun summer of some amazing Cdramas 🙂 I started The Long Ballad and so far I am hooked!
Oh ok! Well, at least you peeked at the Show. I enjoyed LSY performance so much and impressed with Seungi as well. But, LSY stole the Show for me 🙂 She will always have a special place as “Zombie Girl” for me 🙂
Thank you so much, KFG, for taking into account my request to not watch another c-drama after Love Like the Galaxy. I appreciate you!!! And for me The Law Cafe was only so-so, whereas If You Wish Upon Me is one of my favorite k-dramas!
@Cathy I was also thinking that LLTG would be a hard act to follow, so yes, it’s a kdrama replacement, at least for this cycle! 😃
I’m still looking forward to The Fabulous and Reborn Rich, so… good choices (fingers crossed/I hope!).
The first episode of Curtain Call was pretty good, I thought. I am suitably intrigued with the board and pieces that are being set up. The opening scene is quite intense; it’s a depiction of the evacuation of Hungnam harbor on Christmas eve, 1950..and yeah, pretty intense.
The Queen’s Umbrella has so far exceeded my expectations by a fair amount. The initial promotional push was a bit of a bait and switch, I feel; it’s not really focused on rapscallion-y princes getting up to hijinks. There’s a bit of that, but for the most part, it’s fairly intense, in a way that is somewhat reminiscent of Bloody Heart, actually, just in that the politics are very personal, and personality-driven. Kim Hye-soo is really settling in to a role that suits her intensity quite well; when she goes toe to toe with one or all of the ministers…it’s quite gripping, I have to say.
It actually sounds like The Fabulous might be delayed indefinitely, actually.. There are apparently some scenes of a Halloween celebration in Itaewon that is key to the narrative and therefore cannot be cut out. 😬
Glad to hear that Curtain Call is off to a promising start, and yes, The Queen’s Umbrella is exceeding my expectations too, so YAY! 🥳
Ahh, I was wondering why we weren’t seeing a new drop date for The Fabulous. That would certainly explain it, yes. I wonder if they’re doing some rewrites and reshoots to make it work?
Hi Fangurl! Curtain Call and Reborn Rich look promising. I did see Glitch and if anyone can make sense of this drama it will be you, so if you decide to take it on I will make it a point to study your weekly analysis. I think you would enjoy The Story Of Xing Fu.
Lol – phl, I loved Glitch 😂🤣😂
phl1rxd — just watched first ep of Curtain Call and enjoyed it; I have high hopes it will be good.
I liked Glitch a lot, after considering it for a bit! (it takes a bit to hit its stride). It’s very off-beat girlpower buddy drama, mixed up with…well, you know if you’ve seen it.
@phl1rxd I took a peek at Glitch, and I’m sorry to say that Glitch isn’t jiving with my drama mood right now, so I’m not likely to pick it as a replacement show, this cycle. 😅
Ho phl. If you have not yet turned on to it, I recommend Under the Queen’s Umbrella, and here is a special bon bon for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwNTeS_xhQM
Sean – you get a stand up applause from me for remembering this and for finding this gem. Wow. This is an elegant version of one of my favorite songs to dance Mambo to as seen here. Ah the old days! Africando’s version is my favorite. Thank you so much for this. It made my day.
The Queen’s Umbrella – I have been putting this off to binge it. I have read your glowing comments, so for sure I am going to get to it. I am also behind with a lot of dramas on my list. The “Dug” in me keeps getting distracted by the new and shiny.
Glitch – LOL – I just knew that you would like that. I was lost most of the time and ended up sleeping through the last couple of episodes and I never went back to view them while awake. Nana was great though – you gotta give credit where credit is due.
@phl – Yes, Dug has been alive and well here, too. I couldn’t tell you how many CDramas I have gone down a rabbit hole over during the last few weeks 😂🤣😂
Well, I am biased when it comes to Nana. She has a couple of interesting shows for next year 😊