Patreon Appreciation Month!! (Update and Preview Post, August 1st) (Patreon)

Hey Patrons, it's time: Patreon Appreciation Month is here!

But first, I've included a preview of the next song for you: Chaos King from Deltarune! I'm hoping to have this one finished up either tomorrow or Monday with the video up the following day.

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That said, for anyone that became a Patron sometime after August of last year, you might be wondering: what is Patreon Appreciation Month?

Every year in August, we celebrate the inception of the GaMetal Patreon (which was created in August of 2015) by doing a little bit extra for the GaMetal Patrons. This month, rather than drawing 1 song from the Patreon Request List and handpicking another, I will instead be drawing three songs from the request list during this month's Patreon stream. There will also be 2 more drawings that all Patrons of all tiers can participate in: ten songs to be part of the usual yearly NES Medley, and songs for a new console medley that we haven't done before.

I was choosing between a couple of different consoles, but I've ultimately decided that this year we will be going with:

A Game Boy Advance Medley! 

We will be drawing ten songs each for both the NES and GBA Medleys. The entry form for both medleys, which also contains a few more specific details, is here. Remember: all Patrons of all tiers are able to take part in the NES/GBA Medley drawing!

Because this is a special occasion, I will be moving the Patron Stream back a few days to give you some extra time to submit your medley entries and/or update your Patron Request Lists. This month's Patron Stream will take place on Saturday, August 8th, starting around 3:00 PM US Central Time.

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Before we take a look at what's to come in August, I have a quick song reveal for you! If you're an active member of the GaMetal Discord, you already know about this, but if not: we held a recent Request Battle Tournament on the GaMetal Discord to decide on a song to get done, voted on by the community. The song that ended up winning was:

Final Antasma from Mario & Luigi: Dream Team! So we're tossing this one onto the to-do list, along with:

• Next: Chaos King (Deltarune)
• August: Hope Never Dies (Advanced Wars: Days of Ruin)
• August: Gusty Garden Galaxy (Super Mario Galaxy)
• TBA: Lost in Thoughts All Alone (Fire Emblem Fates)
• TBA: Goe Goe Spark (Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon)
• TBA: WANTED!! (Metal Max)
• TBA: God Shattering Star (Fire Emblem Three Houses)
• TBA: Final Antasma (Mario & Luigi: Dream Team)
• September - October 2020: Side-Quests Volume 3 (Song list at bottom of PRL) 

The next song up, as you know, is Chaos King, which will be followed by Hope Never Dies and likely Gusty Garden Galaxy after that. Unless something catastrophic happens, there should be a fourth song and possibly more this month, but I will decide on which song(s) from the list that will be as the month moves on.

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I'd like to wrap up with a huge word of thanks to you all for another successful year for the GaMetal Patron.

This year, as I'm sure you all know, has been hectic for the entire world because of COVID-19. Almost all of us have been effected in some way by the pandemic, and I'm extremely fortunate to have you all on my side because without you, I wouldn't have been able to stay afloat the past few months.

When COVID hit the US hard in March/April, Youtube revenue TANKED across the board, for  all Youtubers. I myself took about a 60% hit on that front, and it's just now starting to go back up to almost normal after nearly 4 months. I don't predict it will be completely back to normal for me until around the end of the year.

I was prepared, albeit a bit worried, to lose Patrons due to the economic downfall and people losing their jobs. I had mentioned in a Patreon post around that time that if anyone had to cancel their pledges for any reason whatsoever, I totally understood. Finances first, always!

I also didn't feel right trying to plug my Patreon (outside of the usual 'help support GaMetal!' cards and stuff like that) to try to compensate for any losses, it seemed like a really selfish thing to do when there are a lot of other people that need the help more than I do.

So I decided to bite the bullet and see what would happen. I was honestly expecting to see a noticeable loss over the coming months, maybe not all out armageddon, but enough to make some personal financial changeups.

Instead, the opposite happened. While some people did have to stop pledging, which again I totally understand and still encourage you to do if you are ever in financial straits, the GaMetal Patreon actually grew overall, rather than go down as I had expected. Once again, I am at a loss for words at the generosity and kindness you all have shown by continuing to support me and what I do, even through these trying times. You all have come through in the clutch for me so much, and I will never be able to thank you enough for it. I know I can be a bit overzealous at times, trying to do a bunch of Patreon songs and drawings and albums and things like that, but it's because I want to give you all back so much in return for all that you've done for me.

As I've said before: I'm eternally in your debt. I couldn't do all the things that I do without your love and support, so thank you once again for all you've done for me and the GaMetal community!!

Here's to several more years of awesome GaMetal!

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TL;DR: It's Patreon Appreciation Month: 3 songs drawn in this month's drawing stream plus drawings for NES and Game Boy Advance Medleys. Entry form (for all Patrons) for medleys is here. Next song up is Chaos King, followed by Hope Never Dies. Final Antasma now on to-do list after winning GaMetal Discord Request Battle Tournament. You all are awesome, thank you!