Patreon Tier Updates & 2022 Agenda [Tier Changes Have Been Adjusted]

With the new year approaching, I have been thinking a lot about my future in this medium. I've been making videos on the Melina Pendulum channel since I was 15-years-old and I'm about to turn 30 next April. I have spent half my life making content.

Hera, protect me.

Yet, in the last two years my work has really taken off.

I've been able to turn this hobby into a part of my career. A part of my intellectual legacy. And that feels good.

When I look back at my older content, I am overall proud of the young child/ woman I was. While, of course, there was a lot of internalized pick me and sexism I was dealing with (especially in my hard core anti-Twilight days), I grew out of it. I grew up and I did that in a "pre-cancel culture era" which makes me happy to see.

Not all of it is perfect, but I have kept a lot of up because it is proof of my growth and change as a human.

But now that this is not just a hobby, but a job, and one funded by so many people, I want to fully commit to making sure that I can deliver on things. That I can work on long term projects and that I can provide you all with tangible examples of where your money is going.

Largely, it goes to rent. I do not make a living wage currently at my day job and this has been what keeps me able to literally keep the lights on. I would not be able to live independently without Patreon, so I don't take that for granted.

So that means I want to make sure I'm doing the best for Patreon and the tiers I have, which is why I am making the following changes and letting you know what is coming.

I wanted to give you all enough time to decide if you want to leave/and/or change tiers. I want it to be fair and I know how hard this time has been. I never begrudge anyone who leaves. Do what is best for you.

The tiers will be updated later today (Edit: They have been edited now) and I apologize if anyone is disappointed, but I think this is more manageable for me than what I have been doing. 

Agenda for 2022

More Anime Content:

I am excited to talk about more Anime related topics. I love Anime and I think the Video Essay format would be an excellent way to discuss especially shojo and Magical Girl anime which is often ignored in favor of more popular shonen work (no shade to them). I also think it would be a fun thing to explore topics about certain shows like the fan service in "Kill a Kill" or gender in "Ranma 1/2."

Variety of Topics:

I will always be shocked that the biggest video from my channel has been the "I Kissed a Girl" video. It was a surprise to me and what it highlighted is that my channel can survive doing different things. I want to explore a lot of topics. Not just anime, but also Western Comics, and not just Marvel shows. I love prestige television and I think there isn't a lot of Black commentators in this space. Also, I want to go back to talking about books. I love talking about Superhero stuff and I still will, but I want to do so much more and it excites me.

Longer form projects

Girl Bossing the Monarchy:

A three part series talking about the depiction of female monarchs in media. The first video would be talking about the way in which popular media have "girl bossed" a lot of female leaders, warping their images to align with feminism—even if it doesn't fit. The second video would discuss Cleopatra and how we speak about race, ethnicity, colonization, and gender within our discussion of Monarchy. Finally we end on Meghan Markle and what her image has changed about the idea of what it means to become a royal.

A History of Black Actor-ship:

A topic that has been really interesting to me is the history of Black actors in the West. Who was the first? Who were the most popular? Where did they work? And also exploring topics like the issue of who can play who within the Black community. Getting numbers to put all these things together in order to see what it looks like.

The Bonnie Diaries:

A project I've had in mind for a long, long time is to go through each season of the Vampire Diaries and break down Bonnie's story arch. I sort of buried this idea because of Jenny's video on The Vampire Diaries. But I realized that I would just have a different perspective and that is just as valuable. Breaking down the character's treatment, but also reflecting on what it was like watching it as someone who was actively watching the show at the time.

Patreon Exclusives:

Princess Watches:

I really like discussing new media, but the reality that I have found is that for my channel, it doesn't work to talk about a singular movie right away unless I have a larger thesis. Which, often by the time I get to come up with one,  formulate it, and manage to get it to video it's a little bit past its prime. That is why I've decided to  transform it into articles instead. I would be able to do a lot more of them. Do it in a more timely way and they would be something exclusive to Patreon and not something I would have to do with Nebula. I know I would be able to do at least five a month, but I expect it'll be a lot more than that.

Exclusive Video Content:

Part of why I am transitioning to having some article content is because I want to be able to save my spoons for some good exclusive video content that doesn't feel rushed. Sometimes it will be topical, other times maybe just talking about a specific episode of television, but it will be just on Patreon. You guys deserve it and I want it to feel like a thoughtful gift and not a rushed obligation.

Book Club:

We are doing this damn book club thing! I've already discussed it in a previous post, but to sum it up we will be doing two tiers: one will be a long form read chosen by me, and the other will be the monthly rotation that is chosen by y'all. You don't have to do both. The long form book we are starting with in January will be the 1619 Project.

Tier One: Laurel Lances $1

Early Access to Videos

Discord Access

Movie Night Access

Tier Two: Bonnie Bennetts $2

(In addition to above)

Access to Princess Watches articles (5 articles per month at minimum)

Tier Three: Abbie Mills $5

(In addition to above)

Get access to one extra video a month

Name in credits

Weekly Behind the Scenes extras in the form of updates on longer projects

New Tier Four: Tara Thorntons $10

(In addition to above)

Will get to vote on upcoming videos topic ideas & movie night watches

Get access to Nebula exclusive content/interviews

<3

Princess