HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!! Can you even believe that 2023 is already here??? How completely surreal. 😱 Here’s wishing us all lots of joy and satisfaction, in Dramaland and beyond! 🥳

Because it’s the 1st of January, 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): +Recipe For Farewell

Early Access Plus (US$10): +First Love: Hatsukoi [Japan]

VIP (US$15): +Reborn Rich

VVIP (US$20): +New Life Begins [China]

Ultimate (US$25): +Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow

* 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 Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow, 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 E1-4 notes for New Life Begins and E1-3 notes for Reborn Rich.

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: Recipe For Farewell, 2 eps

TUESDAY: First Love: Hatsukoi [Japan], 2 eps

WEDNESDAY: New Life Begins [China], 4 eps

THURSDAY: Reborn Rich, 3 eps

FRIDAY: Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow, 2 eps

SATURDAY: Winter Sonata group watch on the main blog (details to be announced soon!)

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:

Reborn Rich: 2 January 2023

First Love: Hatsukoi [Japan]: 8 January 2023

Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow: 16 January 2023

Recipe For Farewell: 29 January 2023

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:

Reborn Rich: possibly to be replaced by Unchained Love [China]

First Love: Hatsukoi [Japan]: possibly to be replaced by Lesson In Love [Taiwan]

Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow: possibly to be replaced by Crash Course In Love

Recipe For Farewell: possibly to be replaced by The Glory

* Other back-up shows I have in mind (in case the shortlisted shows don’t make my cut): Payback, Unlock My Boss, Be My Princess [China], Silent [Japan].

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!

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 Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow, 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 Alchemy Of Souls: Light And Shadow E1 and E2 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: