Jorge Rivera-Herrans

The Journey Continues (With a Short Break) 😄

Hello my friends!!! :D

When I first made this Patreon, I was deep in the process of writing EPIC. I had already written a bunch of songs, still had so much writing left to go, and I had a clear sense of where the story was headed. Because of that, I was able to regularly post Progress Updates, host Livestreams while working on songs in real time, and I was able to build something more intimate and personal with you all as I documented the creation process.

Right now, I find myself in an in-between phase of my creative journey where a lot of exciting doors have opened both for EPIC as a project and for myself as a performer and creator. As I figure out the next steps, from bringing EPIC to life, to diving into something new, I want to be extra intentional about the content I share here. My goal is always to give you the most value I can out of your subscription and provide you with the most engaging content.

With that in mind, I will be pausing this Patreon page for the time being. This means that current subscribers won’t be charged while the page is paused. The rest of the May content will of course be posted by the end of this month, but content after that will be put on hold. This will give me time to figure out how I want to move forward and how to best share the next part of this journey with you! :D Whether I unpause the page, move the page in a new direction, or close the page to focus on an alternative way to engage with you, I’ll be sure to keep you posted every step of the way.

Thank you all so, so much for supporting me throughout this journey. You guys have kept this dream alive and I’ll forever be grateful for that. On particularly busy and hectic days, I miss the simplicity of our movie nights. 💙 I love you all.

April Early Access Video - Different Beast drafts

Hello my friends! Here is the April Early Access video, where I talk about different ways of giving the audience important information in the song Different Beast!

Please don't post this outside of Patreon before I do! :D

March Early Access Video - Super Cute Cut Song ☺️

Hello my friends! Here is this month’s early access video! This is one of mh favorite cut songs. It’s short and sweet and super cute hahahaha. :) thank you all for supporting me!!

Please don’t post this video anywhere/on social medias until I post it there first! I’ll be posting this video on April 8th or later! :)

February Early Access Video - Demons and Square Up

Hello my friends! Upon looking through old files to see what I still have after all these years that I can use on a Cut Songs Album, I found two items that will probably never see the light of day... but holy cow they are hilarious.

The first one is an earlier draft of Polyphemus. The second one... well that one is a surprise. xD

Please do not share this outside of Patreon until I post it outside of Patreon first! I will post this on the afternoon of March 7th or later! :)

Early Access Video - Original Penelope Song

Hello my friends! Here is the January Early Access Video! This is a snippet of a cut song from WAAAAY back in 2019!!! Long before The Challenge was ever written!

Please do not share this outside of Patreon until I post it outside of Patreon first! I will post this on the night of February 7th or later! :)

Early Access - cut Song 38 “King” and Song 39 “Royal Wisdom Burst” snippets

Hello my friends! For this month’s early access video, here’s what Song 38-39 almost sounded like! 😂 I present to you: Super Human Antinous who miraculously can sing with an arrow in his neck!! :D

Please do not share this outside of Patreon before I post it outside of Patreon myself! I plan to post this on Jan. 8 or later!

November Early Access Video - Anticipation for Penelope

Hello, my friends! Here is the November Early Access Video! This is a video on how I build anticipation around the character of Penelope!

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video either on the evening of December 5th or later!

October Early Access Video - Six Hundred Strike Reference Video

Hello, my friends! Here is the October Early Access Video! Now that The Vengeance Saga is out, I can show you my favorite reference video I have ever made!!! :D

Thank you all so much for the love and support last night, it was so fun and I appreciate you all so much! :)

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video either on the evening of November 7th or later!

September Early Access Video - Athena's Hourglass Transformation

Hello, my friends! This is the September Early Access Video! In this video, I talk about a transformation that occurs with Athena's Quick-Thought Hourglass in The Wisdom Saga! You may have noticed that the hourglass on the cover of The Wisdom Saga looks different than it usually does! (Or you may not have noticed LOL. I really thought more people would notice! 🤣)

Also Ares's Quick-Thought Dimension looks so dope in my head 😩

All art used in video was fully commissioned.

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video either on October 7th or later!

Update to God Tier Movie Nights

Hello, my friends!

As the current state of EPIC continues to change and our wonderful community grows, I will be making some slight adjustments to my Patreon!

When I originally created the God Tier movie nights, it was for the purpose of learning from their storytelling tools to make use of them in the writing of EPIC! However, you may have noticed that I have practically finished writing EPIC! And now, while I’ve loved dissecting and analyzing the films with you all, I want to focus on enjoying the movie with you guys and simply having fun together.

Hence, starting next month (October 2024), the God Tier Movie Nights will be moving in a more relaxed direction with an emphasis on fun rather than critical analysis. To be clear, if there’s ever anything in the movie I particularly find interesting and irresistible to talk about, you can be sure I’ll ramble on about it anyways! :D But right now I want to create beautiful and fun memories with you guys where we can joke around and have a great time watching a movie together! Similar to the early days on the Discord when we would just hang out and make jokes and play games together. :)

As always, thank you all for your continual support and for always making me feel loved. I love you all and I am so excited to hang out with you guys. 💙

August Early Access Video - Scylla and Circe

Hello, my friends! Here is the August Early Access video! This video talks about how the music in a moment from The Thunder Saga connects Scylla to Circe from The Circe Saga!

This, along with Eurylochus's backstory, is one of several ideas I have for potential short stories that occur in the universe of EPIC!

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video either on the afternoon of September 3rd or later!

July Early Access Video - Polites's Influence in Luck Runs Out

Hello my friends! This is the July Early Access Video, where I talk about the music in Luck Runs Out indicating Polites's lasting effect on Odysseus! :D This is one of many reasons why Luck Runs Out has a special place in my heart!

I wonder if any of this will be important in The Wisdom Saga...

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video on the night of August 7th or later!

June Early Access Video

Hello, my friends! Here is the June Early Access Video!

In this video, I talk about how Eurylochus's lack of traditional instruments gives us insight into his character and climatic moments. I also admit that I am interested in writing a very short origin saga for Eurylochus sometime in the future. :D

June ACCIDENTAL CHOICE VIDEO LOL ENJOY THE FREEBIE :D - Comfort Zone

Hello my friends,

I present to you one of the greatest pieces of lyricism I have ever written. You see, in a musical with lines such as "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves," "When does a ripple become a tidal wave," and "this day, you sever your own head," nothing has ever come close to the lines "Yeet that baby off a tower" from this cut song "Comfort Zone", which followed Perimedes on the island of the lotus eaters. This snippet from earlier in the song sets up Perimedes's philosophical belief, which gives us insight into his actions surrounding the lotus eaters later on in the song.

Jokes aside, I am very thankful for how much EPIC and my writing has improved from when I first started. Thank you all for supporting me along the way and allowing for moments like these where we can have a laugh at the past.

And before you guys ask "Why is Penelope's motif in the music?" lemme answer that for you:

I have no idea! XD

May Early Access Video - My Songwriting Process

Hello, my friends! Here is the May Early Access Video! I talk about my inconsistent songwriting process and how different forms of exploration have led me to some of my favorite songs I have written.

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video on the afternoon of May 27th or later!

May Choice Videos Poll

Hello, my friends! Here are the suggestions I received for this month's choice videos!!!

Changes to Monster and God Tiers - May/June 2024

Hello, my friends!

Firstly, I want to thank you all for your massive support over the years on Patreon. You guys have kept me afloat and have made so much of EPIC possible with your support and your kindness. I care a lot about giving you all a great experience on Patreon and giving you the most value out of your subscription!

As you know, the current tiers on my Patreon are as such:

Mortal Tier:

-Early Access Video (7 days before everyone else)

Monster Tier:

-Early Access Video (7 days before everyone else)

-2 Early Access Choice Videos (7 days before everyone else. Videos decided by Poll made from eligible patron suggestions, 1 suggestion per Monster Tier Patron.)

God Tier:

-Early Access Video (7 days before everyone else)

-2 Early Access Choice Videos (7 days before everyone else. Videos decided by Poll made from eligible patron suggestions, 1 suggestion per Monster Tier Patron.)

-Movie reaction stream with Jorge (movie chosen by Patreon Poll made from eligible patron suggestions, 1 suggestion per God Tier Patron)

All tiers include access to the #EPIC BEHIND THE SCENES Channel(s) in the EPIC Discord (if you’re not breaking the EPIC Discord rules).

Because of the growing size of my Patreon community, as well as our fast approach to all the EPIC Spoilers I’ve been doing my best to avoid, the Choice Videos Perk in the Monster and God Tiers has become more unmanageable and difficult to implement. As we approach Act 2 and I post more snippets online, the types of videos I can post on Patreon have become more specific and restricted. This means that more and more often, I am unable to include certain suggestions because:

• The suggestion is of a snippet I’ve already posted on TikTok, but the suggester hasn’t seen it yet, and I don’t want you all to pay for something I have already happily given you for free.

• The suggestion would require another vocalist or person or party, which I cannot commit to on my personal Patreon.

• The suggestion contains parts of EPIC that I can’t spoil just yet. 

• Implementing the suggestion would infringe on copyright law.

• any other reasons that might make the video unreasonable in execution.

When I originally made the Choice Videos perk for Monster and God Tier in September 2022, I had less than 200 patrons. I now have more than triple that number of Patrons, all of whom I am extremely grateful for, which means that I am receiving a lot more Choice Video Suggestions (and Movie Suggestions). Also, a lot more time is now dedicated to checking whether I can legally implement a certain video suggestion, or informing the patrons that I am unable to give them that video for any of the reasons above. I would much rather put that time into giving you all the best possible videos I can give you.

Because of this, I am making changes to the Monster and God Tiers that will fully go into effect starting June 2024 for existing Patrons, and the changes will be reflected immediately on the Tier Subscription page so that new Patrons know what they are subscribing to.

EARLY ACCESS CHOICE VIDEOS - MONSTER TIER AND GOD TIER

Monster Tier and God Tier Patrons can still submit suggestions for Early Access Choice Videos in the #your-choice-early-access Discord channel. However, I will be selecting only a handful of them (probably between 5-10) to include in the poll. Specifically, I will select the video suggestions that I believe I can give you the most value on and/or are the most doable (i.e. they aren’t spoilers, they aren’t already available on TikTok for free, they don’t require other people outside of myself, they don’t infringe on copyright law, they are reasonable in execution, etc.). Furthermore, I might also add my own video suggestion(s) (likely 1 or 2) that you can all decide to vote for or ignore in the poll.

MOVIE NIGHTS - GOD TIER

God Tier Patrons can still submit movie suggestions in the #jay-movie-nights channel. However, if there are many movie suggestions (usually more than 20 movie suggestions from 20 different God Tier Patrons), I will only be selecting the 10-20 Movie Suggestions that I feel I would be able to provide the most value / commentary on as a writer and creator. Furthermore, I might also add my own movie suggestion(s) (likely 1 or 2) that you can decide to vote for or ignore in the poll.

These changes should allow you all to choose between options that will give you more value out of your subscription.

As always, I am extraordinarily thankful for each and every one of you. You have all kept me afloat during this journey and this process and I look forward to continuing to create videos and content for you all to enjoy. Regardless of whether this is your first or last month as a Patron supporter, you have been so helpful to me and to EPIC.💙

—

TLDR: Because there are more Patrons now and we’re getting closer to Spoiler Territory, I am only selecting specific suggestions to include in the Choice Videos Suggestions Poll and the Movie Suggestions Poll. You will still get to vote from these selections. 💙

April Early Access Video - Odysseus's Mom's Melodic Motif

Hello, my friends! Here is the April Early Access video! This is the explanation of one of my favorite details in The Underworld Saga: Odysseus's Mom's motif!

Having musical elements be inherited genetically is one of the cool little nuggets in EPIC I am especially proud of. It's why Telemachus's supporting instruments are a strummed guitar (Odysseus) and a string ensemble (Penelope) and why you can hear Telemachus singing melodies previously sung by his father (Legendary chorus / Full Speed Ahead chorus).

Also, thank you all for the kind words on my mom's performance in The Underworld Saga! She is very happy and also she teared up when she saw Mircsy's art of her on the chair waiting for Odysseus. :) <3

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video on the afternoon of May 4th or later!

April Choice Video (2 of 2) - Easter eggs in EPIC

Hello, my friends! This is the second (of two) April Choice Video! This is about some of my favorite Easter eggs in EPIC!

One of the things I'm so excited for in terms of visual mediums for EPIC is getting to put even more of these Easter eggs, specifically the ones that can't be represented through sound.

UPON TYPING THIS, I FORGOT TO MENTION THE ERHU BEING ARES'S INSTRUMENT IN GOD GAMES IS AN EASTER EGG REFERENCE TO SUN TZU'S THE ART OF WAR :D

April Choice Video (1 of 2) - Elpenor Cut Song

Hello, my friends! Here is the first of two April Choice Videos! This is a snippet from one of the Cut Songs! This snippet is where the melody from Song 20: Monster was first made.

This song was supposed to be an interesting moment for Elpenor's character, contrasting his usual plainness with a more thoughtful debater. I ended up not pursuing this direction for the Lotus Eaters' Island cause I felt I was opening too many different themes/cans of worms at once.

Also, "What?" ©

April Choice Videos Poll

Hello my friends! Here are the suggestions I received for the April Choice Videos!

March Choice Video (2 of 2) - Cut Song Saga Possibilities

Hello, my friends! This is March Choice Video #2, where I talk about the possibilities of a Cut Song Saga! The long story short is that this is totally something possible, and there are a bunch of different cut songs' demos we could release down the line! :D (Some much more wacky than others LOL)

March Choice Video (1 of 2) - The Underworld Saga Update

Hello my friends! Here is the first of two March Choice Videos! This is an update on The Underworld Saga!

Thank you all so much for supporting this. Your excitement and kindness have been so helpful in every step of the progress. The Underworld Saga is coming together at a steady pace, and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with y'all soon. :))

Any vocals in this video are taken from the DEMO and not the official recording! (Since those require different contracts.)

March Early Access - No Longer You Orchestration

Hello, my friends! For this month's Early Access video, I break down some new orchestration for the second chorus of No Longer You! This song is one of the most important in EPIC and I've been working hard at having the orchestration in the second half of the song capture the gravity of this moment in the show!

This song in particular was extremely fun and challenging to orchestrate!

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting this video on the afternoon of April 2nd or later!

March Choice Videos Poll

Hello my friends! These are the suggestions for this month's Choice Videos!

February Early Access Video - The Original HERMES

Hello, my friends! This is the February Early Access Video! For this month, I'm giving y'all a look at some original drafts for Hermes in EPIC: The Circe Saga!

In order for you to get the most out of your Patreon subscription, please refrain from sharing this video outside of Patreon. These clips only remain early access so long as people don't leak them! :D I will be posting parts of this video on the afternoon of March 7th or later!

February Choice Video (2 of 2) - Cut Song 40 - Olive Tree

Hello my friends! This is the second February Choice Video! This is the cut song "Olive Tree" which was later replaced by "Would You Fall in Love With Me Again?"

I really, REALLY like the melody of this song, and I especially love it as an instrumental on a piano or guitar. Part of why this song didn't work for me was because it doesn't really allow any closure for us around the theme of ruthlessness. Yes, Odysseus becomes ruthless to get back to Penelope, but in WYFiLWMA, we get to see Penelope's reaction to Odysseus's changes.

Another reason why this song doesn't work for me is that the actual story elements in this song came out a little more unclear than I intended. In this song, Penelope acts, as if one of the suitors won her challenge, and then entered her room. In reality, Penelope is scared to turn around because she doesn't know if it's Odysseus or not and doesn't want to be disappointed if it's not.

I ultimately think WYFiLWMA has a better usage of the Olive Tree trick, tying it to how Odysseus hasn't changed in Penelope's eyes. Just as the Olive Tree can only be moved by severing it from its roots, Odysseus can never fully change in Penelope's eyes from the man she married. 

Anywho, the reason I have a chipmunk voice as Penelope is because I record myself singing her sections in a lower key, and then I pitch it up. This is so that I have an audio I can send to the Penelope vocalist for learning.

This song prioritizes the nylon string guitar and the viola, since those are Odysseus's and Penelope's instruments. :)

February Choice Video (1 of 2) - Pick Me (2019 Cut Song)

Hello my friends! This is the first of two February choice videos! This is the cut song titled "Pick Me" from when I first started writing EPIC in 2019. In fact, I think I wrote this song before I even thought of the title of EPIC.

My thought process when I was writing this song was I was a donkey on a lillypad. I decided to soar through the atmosphere and channel the energy of The Wiggles and Lin Manuel Miranda, and when I returned to my abode I was greeted by Bilbo Baggins, who joined me for tea at the bar Billy Joel references in Piano Man.

Okay, jokes aside, this was right off the heels of my first musical, which at the time was still titled "Stupid Humans." When I started writing this, I figured I would try to fit The Iliad in Act 1, and The Odyssey in Act 2, but I eventually decided not to do this so that I could focus on The Odyssey. I was still super inspired by Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, and so I jokingly say that most songs I wrote before 2020 could be categorized as either Hamiltonian or Evan Hansien. That is, I still hadn't quite found my own writer voice yet. However, as with all the other cut songs, this was an important stepping stone towards the EPIC we have today!

February Choice Video Poll

Hello my friends! Here are the suggestions I received for the February choice videos!

January Choice Video (2 of 2) - Dad and Jorge Build a Booth (Part 2: The Frame)

Hello, my friends! This is the second January choice video. This is "Dad and Jorge Build a Booth (Part 2)." In this video, we take several steps towards building the frame of the vocal booth. This included some obstacles, like figuring out proper ventilation and changing the frame from wooden beams to metal beams in order to make the booth not weigh too much. Even after that, we had to devised a way to build the booth completely while not letting the walls weigh so much that it couldn't be moved to my room and assembled there later.  I've never built something like this in my life and so this project was a very big learning experience for me and I'm thankful that I got to do it with my dad. He is as obsessive with his craftsmanship as I am with my music, and it was interesting to see this side of him.

In Part 3, we'll continue developing the booth and get more into its sound isolation.