Representation in Nerd Culture with the Panic Bros

Simon: I think every single time we’ve done a panel about this sort of topic, we always kind of add them frustration or just sadness, like Well, anyway guys, that’s a great episode, I guess. Like we just were so deflated after talking about it cuz we realize how backwards everything is right now. Like we’re so far behind the curve for this representation. It’s crazy.

Josue:  Yeah. And we had this topic yesterday where it just feels like, it feels like we need more of this. We need more of a Miles Morales right like this Miles Morales game was literally everything.

 [Music]

Zeke: I’d like to welcome everyone to another episode of the Let’s Gather Podcast. I’m your host Zeke. In this episode, I have the host of the Panic Room Podcast under the Panic Bros umbrella this week to talk about representation in gaming and nerd culture. You can find out more information about the Panic Room and the Panic Bro by clicking the link in description below or going to all major platforms.  I like to give a content warning for any strong language used in this episode. I hope you have a nice day and enjoy the show.

Zeke:  All right. You guys, thank you for coming on the podcast.

Josue: Thank you

Zeke:  My first question is,

Josue:  It’s our first our that’s our first ever time being like interviewed, by the way.

Simon:  Yeah. together at least I think you’ve had more interviews, but like, more so than other people. Yeah, you’ve interviewed the people by yourself, but we never done any type of interview was both what people want to know our origins. Yeah.

Josue:  Panic Bros origin story.

Simon:  First time, so we appreciate that Zeke.

Zeke:  No problem. No problem. So with the origin story you guys can go, anyone can go.

Josue:  Yeah, I can start off. Sure. Yeah, so me and Simon: were like, really great friends since probably sophomore year of high school. I think it blossom Junior Billy met sophomore, we must sophomore brasen Junior, then we had like little

Simon:  Weird puberty in senior.

Josue:  That’s when puberty hit us in senior

Simon:  Our relationship with puberty. Rebellious phase, we didn’t talk for a while.

Josue:  Yeah, that’s true. But then like, like in college, like we like we only really talked when we talked a lot. Yeah, but it was like here and there was like every day, and then only when you came back for the summer and for the winter for during college breaks. Like it was always linked up. Yeah. Um, and it wasn’t until what senior no senior year of college, it was senior

Simon:  year, it was senior year of college summer right before we both started our first full time gigs. Or I started my I don’t know, if you’re working yet.

Josue:  I was about to start a full time gig.

Simon:  Yeah, we’re both about to start our first time gigs, I was gonna get flown out to Oregon to work for Nike, and I’m still working for Nike now. And you’re gonna stay here in New York. And I remember, I don’t know if it was our share of passion gaming was because we read that blood swim pixels book. But there was like, I remember a clear moment where you and I were like, how can we just never work on the things we want to work on?

Josue:  Yeah, anymore.

Simon:  Do we really want to keep working at these jobs? And both of us said, No, but it sucks because it took us so long to realize that. Yeah. And that’s when we started to work on what we have now. Which is Panic Brothers.

Josue:  Yeah. Uh, we, we kept on talking about it that last summer that we were together, like, just like this idea of how podcasts or how, like anything could look like where we just share our nerdy passions. And when we talk about nerdy passions, we’re talking about anime, video games, movies, television, like, like, we really just needed an avenue of expression for that, because that was so integral to our character. Like, like, if I tell Simon: right now. Who’s your father? He’s gonna say Mario. If he askes me. I’m gonna say. I’m gonna say Darth Vader, you know what mean like, that’s what it is. Hypothetically, you would say that

Simon:  Link would be my dad.

Josue:  That’s true. That’s true my bad my bad our uncle. You know? Like, that’s really what it goes. Who’s our uncle? Shit. Out of all the characters you’ve ever talked about? Now? I’m blanking on everyone. I know. Luffy is your brother. By this point.

Simon:  He has my kidney. I gave my right one.

Josue:  Yeah, I guess.

Simon:  But yeah, we realize that we constantly have conversations, similar nature, whether it’s manga, anime, comics, stuff like that. And we decided what if we start having conversations about that. But our first question I remember was, well, what makes us so different? what we thought was, let’s just review really crappy real life adaptations of movies. There was no video game. We wanted to do video game movies, or any views. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, like saunas. I mean, Super Mario.

Josue:  Super Mario Brothers is our first one.

Simon:  Yeah.

Josue:  Did you know that there was a Super Mario Brothers movie Zeke? Yeah, it’s good. Oh, no, I fucking love it. I can’t wait. Wait, can we curse?

Zeke:  Yeah,

Josue:  We can?  Yeah, cuz I curse like Oh, yeah. We have like the sort of Mario Brothers movie like right over there. It’s like my good luck charm. I think this is Mario Brothers movie on DVD is like my good luck charm. But it was our first ever episode. And that was a two and a half hour episode.

Zeke:  Yeah.

Simon:  Yeah, it was long because we didn’t really understand what we’re doing. We just sat there and just talked about the movie from beginning to end really like let’s start with the first scene all the way to the last scene. I don’t know who the hell would watch that. Be like, oh, let me just look at somebody’s review. frame by frame. Like the whole movie,

Josue:  The thing is, I would watch,

Simon:  I would never

Josue:  You would have that. Like if I’m at work and I’m like, I need to I need a podcast. And there was ever a podcast where I saw two and a half hour episode of the Super Mario Brothers movie.

Simon:  I definitely mean that I’m actually leading that I’m blocking you on Spotify, so I don’t ever see it again.

Josue:  That’s me that I don’t, know. I think our motto was just that we just wanted to create content that, uh, that we would listen to. Mm hmm. And the thing is, I after a while, we kind of realized that video game movies

Simon:  Was not what we really want to talk about.

Josue:  Yes, not we did. We did a Super Mario Brothers. We did Assassin’s Creed. We the Pokémon all of them. Not all of them we did four Pokémon. Yeah, yeah. So the ones that matter. Yes. What, other video,

Simon:  Silent Hill Sonic the Hedgehog,

Josue:  Silent Hill,

Simon:  And I think that was kind of it. I think at that point, we realized Josue:. Like, it’s cool that we have this like we were we had we had our podcast, we had YouTube. And it was coming together. But we both realize this is now we want to do like I’m getting gassed out working on stuff I don’t even want to do like this isn’t that fun. So then we had kind of like our second revamp, where we wipe the slate somewhat clean. And we’re like, let’s just talk about stuff we want to talk about. So you start talking about Kingdom Hearts characters, for example, or our talk about Legend of Zelda news. And little by little, we started realizing, okay, there’s something here. We didn’t know what it was yet. But it was something

Josue:  There was it was more passion.

Simon:  Yeah, there was more passionate, you could definitely see what the Instagram because you started working on the Instagram. And it started becoming something we had our own theme or own colors, our own takes on things. And then we came to another point where we were like, dude, like, what are we doing? Like, we’re just grabbing YouTube videos, and then grabbing the audio and putting in a podcast. That’s not that’s not real. That’s kind of fake that we’re just mimicking the same thing on a different platform. So we’re like, we need to kind of find out what the competition is in the podcast and what YouTube is. And then we sat down and realized we need to, again, wipe the slate clean. And then recently, I want to say a month or two ago, we had a final revamp, which is where we started doing the logos, the styling.

Josue: Yeah,

Simon:  The website

Josue:  Actually went hard because our first like when we made a logo. Um, I don’t know how you did it Zeke. But I literally just downloaded a random part on Google, like that looked like video gaming, and just wrote Panic Bros. And that was it. And the thing is, is that I came to like a spot where I was like, What’s stopping anybody else from doing this? From doing the exact same thing. Download that font, right? Panic Bros, and bam. And it’s like, that wasn’t exciting at all. So we actually put money behind a graphic designers to make a logo for us. And to make an intro video and outro video sound for the podcast.

Simon:  They made like, audio kinda like clips for like an intro or outro. Yeah, it wasn’t like anything in between the conversation. We had stuff like that, too.

Josue:  Yeah, and then Twitch.

Simon:  Yep. And then we started getting really into Twitch, we got like a streaming PC. And we started doing that. And little by little we start realizing, okay, now we have categories. This is good. We have organization, we have our YouTube, we have our Instagram, we have our Twitch, we have our podcast, and each one has a different theme. Stylistically, they all have their logos, they all have their fonts, they all have their colors. And really, okay, now we have buckets, this is good. So then we started realizing now we can make art content with the idea behind what bucket this go into, oh, this discussion for YouTube, this discussion for the Panic Room, which is our podcast, or this is a stream thing for Twitch. And at that point, like okay, we’re actually becoming something that Yeah, and I think that’s when the next conversation came up, which is my favorite conversation was, what good can we do with this? Yeah. And I think that’s what the Panic Room came in. We’re like, let’s finally start talking about our people in this media. Yeah. POC’s eh, whether that’s Black, Asian, Hispanic, people like that, in this media, we need to address it because no one’s talking about it. Yeah. And that’s what Panic Room became every episode so far has become some topic in that space. And we’re both dedicated to keeping like that, because I think that’s kind of the fortitude of what makes us very unique.

Josue:  The YouTube became, like, still our expression of just super nerdy shit. Like our YouTube, like, I have so many just extremely nerdy things Zeke that I just really want to talk about and,

Simon:  Who can beat Thanos

Josue:  We have an episode I love I have an episode that I want to do, or just like characters that can beat Thanos you know what I mean? Like, but that’s all I wanted to talk about. And then I have other things in the works that like I just want to be so nerdy. And the thing is, it’s the kind of shit that like, I’m just embarrassed to like, tell my co workers about Yeah, I got something I have a YouTube. Oh, what’s it about? Ah,

Simon:  Nerd content?

Josue:  It’s about if the Power Rangers fought Thanos and they had a Megazord out could they really do it? Or for which Final Fantasy character has the best outfit? And it’s like, oh, do I want to say this to my co workers? But then I’ll tell them I’m with the podcast because like they YouTube, just let’s be super fucking nerdy

Simon:  Unapologetic.

Josue:  Because say, me and Simon: have really nerdy talks like, yeah, like, we’re not even off the off the record majority of our talks are just some really, really weird shit.

Simon:  Mm hmm.

Josue:  Like, like is, is Goku, like, you know, I’m not gonna say

Simon:  We’re not gonna get into but yeah, we had those conversations. And that’s what YouTube became. And then our Panic Room essentially became a place for real conversation.

Josue:  The Panic Room is like, how can we transform the the nerdy conversations, like you, like Simon: said, it’s just for the greater good. And we have like, some like, like, recent episodes that we just recorded, and it was like about, you know, black characters in anime. You know, we have a discussion on Latino superheroes, which are like, like, true. Like, there’s none. Like there’s not like there’s it’s early, or any that really matter? Yeah, sad. Native Native American characters in video games, like we’re trying to, like, represent so many different strokes of the of the POC spectrum.

Simon:  Mm hmm.

Josue:  And like, really try to like, like, raise awareness and give a voice as to what the lack of representation of us of people of color in the entertainment that we consume.

Simon:  Mm hmm. Exactly. Advance really well put. That’s kind of where we’re at now. And I think those three rebounds are crucial. And definitely defined best how we got to the point we are now with Panic Brothers.

Josue: Yeah. And, and just an FYI, Miles Morales is my son.

Simon:  That’s where the origin story ends.

Josue:  That’s that’s, that’s literally that’s where that’s where the origin story. Oh, and we also completely forgot about the time that we were bitten by a radioactive supers Yes.

Simon:  At the same time. Yeah. Yeah, it was kind of crazy.

Josue:  Yeah. And we we went to Namek for vacation. And then that’s when we met Obi Wan Kenobi,

Simon: 

There’s  a fanfic out there this you know that right?

Josue:  Who taught us and Nen and hakai and? And oh, shit, and I got?

Simon:  Stop stop.

Josue:  Yeah.

Simon:  Yeah, that’s how he puts it best.

Josue:  Yeah.

Zeke:  And with all that, how would you represent it?

Josue:  What was that?

Zeke:  How you represent it a documentary, a series, book?

Josue:  An anime. He’s gonna say anime,

Simon:  No, no, actually, no. Cuz, on a more serious note, I know we have other passions too, that lie outside Panic Brothers. I know, once I discussed how cool would it be if there was a cafe arcade, for example. And I myself have always and I still really want to really enter the video game development world. At the end of day, I still want to develop video games and I want to enter that market. And for me, I think would be really sick if I can dedicate and demonstrate my origin through video game outlet. I know that’s kind of like, near unheard of, or it kind of impossible to do. But I’ve always had just grand visions of if we can ever get to the point we can make our own development studio. Why not just make Panic Bro’s origin story a video game?

Josue:  Dude honestly, I thought about that as like a like mimicking CD Projekt RED, which is a worst time to talk about them.

Simon:  Yeah, not a good time to bring that up.

Josue:  Cyberpunk 2077 is the worst video game ever. But, but besides the point like yeah, I’ve always like there was always been like this crazy dream of mine that I wanted to open up a videogame arcade. Like, it’s not a videogame arcade. It’s like a barcade a barcade. Yeah, where people can come in. There’s none in the Bronx. So I was like, aight bet I would love to do it in the Bronx, and especially the Bronx because the Bronx has been actually really good to me and Simon:. Like, we’ve had video game tournaments that were held in the Bronx, it was like Smash Brothers and Mario Kart. And like the turnout has been great. And they’ve they’ve provided some really great memories for the two of us.

Simon:  So suprising turnout. Honestly, it was insane how great that was.

Josue:  You’re only able to go to the first one.

Simon:  Yeah, and that first one was the first we ever pulled was insane. How many people showed up 80 at the total?

Josue:  That’s a good amount.

Simon:  It was insane. I thought maybe like 10 would show up but a lot of people did and they legit had a great time those positive vibes no one times any arguments or fights. It was a healthy environment. And it was awesome to see in the Bronx because no one’s real

Josue:  Second one’s even better and like it got to the point where like people like come up to us came up to me because you weren’t they come up to me and it was just like, these were like homeys now like, like our Smash Brothers winner will no as much about this winner is different. Our Mario Kart winner huh? He was just like, how you doing? Yo, yo, what’s the next tournament?

Simon:  Shout out to a Caffeine Nessa he is a homie that dude is great a Mario Kart and he’s so frickin friendly.

Josue:  I don’t know how he’s so good at Mario Kart. It’s insane how good he is at Mario Kart. He hasn’t played Mario Kart since he said he was like, like since the DS.

Simon:  Yeah, and he was just killing everybody

Josue:  He cooked. He was cooking, cooking.

Simon:  Mm hmm.

Josue:  Bro. Like, no progress lane back just like everybody’s like,

Simon:  Everyone is stressing and you listening to how much the pot like $200

Josue:  Everyone was like everyone was kings. But he was a god. This is so random. But this is so like beyond what we were talking about. Yeah, um, yeah. And I always thought it’d be so cool to mimic what CD Projekt RED does because they’re a video game studio. That is primarily a I’m blinking. What are they? What are they? What is what does CD Projekt RED was like their main place? Or aren’t they like a DVDs or something?

Simon:  Oh, you mean like their origin before video games? Yeah, they worked on like CD, kind of like manufacturing, I think.

Josue:  Yeah. And that that was like their main source of revenue, like on the side decided to use that revenue to make video games. Yeah. And like, and I was like, oh, that’d be so cool to like, do for us.

Simon:  Yeah, exactly.

Josue:  And also a quick little story. I also for Simon:’s birthday last year, I actually did make a video game of this dude’s life, but as an RPG with and I sort of was trying to do like a static the story of his life but in a video game format. And it’s, I’ve only done the first two levels and it was just there. I do plan on an finishing it or die this guy will get,

Simon:  It was easily my favorite gift ever. And it showed me I never showed me that you can truly make a video game of anything. like video games don’t have to always be action. They don’t always have to be shooters they can be anything you want to be is a art outfit. So which is why I come back to an origin story. If I could, I would love to paint it through a video game lens, which is the perfect way to spread

Josue:  You had a better time with my video game then Cyberpunk.

Simon:  Yes. In the first five seconds I was having a lot more fun with yours.

Josue:  Yeah, yeah, I made a video game. That took a while to that that was not easy to do.

Simon:  It’s not easy to do to make a video game, which is why it’s so crucial to have a funding with Panic Brothers as like the base which to spring off.

Josue:  Yeah, you know, it was just fun. like making your video game was just like so out every time I was working on like, every every line in our in my video game for Simon:s. There was a joke, like every line, and out of this make the game and I was just like, I was laughing making it and I know he I know when he finally played it. It was like he could it was a constant laugh. And like, I was just like, yo, that would be so great. Just to do that. Like, maybe not laughing when we make our actual like an actual video game. Just like that seemed good energy. Like and not no pressure that CD Projekt RED. We’re just bashing why we bashing Cyberpunk?

Simon:  You’re the one that keep mentioning it. I’m not I’ve mentioned

Josue:  so much in this. I’m so sorry. But besides the point, just bringing that good positive energy and everything that we do,

Simon:  Yeah, is showing our face, which is the face not really showing much in this kind of environment. You don’t see Latinos himself.

Josue:  Yes. Yeah, it was really, it was really important that we we wanted to really also speak for POCs as a whole, but really just talking about Latinos also, like, we’re both Latino, I’m Puerto Rican and Simon: is Dominican. And we really try to, like, bring that, that flavor into our discussions as much as we possibly can. Like we had just so many jokes where we just talked about Puerto Rican like artists during our streams is mainly me,

Simon:  But it is you all the time

Josue:  It’s always me. But like it’s like just trying to bring that flavor and stuff and like that that side of things that we don’t really see

Simon:  In anywhere else really

Josue:  In a anywhere else. Yeah, but but he would have that as his like his representation. I would love to still have an anime. Fuck it. Have an anime where

Simon:  Wait I’m laughing cuz it’s on brand like it’s still on brand if it’s an anime.

Josue:  But like I have have some supernatural element to it. Also I still want supernatual anime.

Simon:  (inaudible) kinda like supernatural or like?

Josue:  I don’t know, but as long as like my power is fire

Simon:  You just want powers that’s what it is.

Josue:  Yeah, I just want power.

Simon:  Not our origin story just powers.

Josue:  I don’t really care.

Simon:  Yeah, that’s the best way we could probably show our origin though. Yeah, I agree with that.

Zeke:  Nice seem like a lot of passion and everything. So with like anime like nerd culture what really brought you guys into it? At the beginning?

Simon:  Was there more so a personal question and more so how did the Panic Bros kind of get into that space?

Zeke:  It could be both.

Simon:  Okay, well, I would speak personally, I think for both of us. I mean, many people our our generation, I think just grew up watching Toonami and stuff like that kind of got into the whole anime space that’s there. But a lot of us grew up with Nintendo classic hits, growing up so the Game Cube was huge. And then 64 is huge. So we kind of have that backbone. But a lot of people tend to grow out of that phase and I think video games are kind of children. And we never kind of grew out of it. We always thought it’s more than just a children thing. It’s a great outlet. Whenever I’ve been stressed, I know video games have helped me a lot. I know it’s helped you a lot. Anime, it’s helped me a lot to win. I’ve been really down in the dumps and help cheer me up. And it just paints a really good story that I don’t see much in shows nowadays. So I never really have left that space. So to make Panic Brother’s Panic Brother’s, but there’s a nice talk about video games and anime is just completely stupid, because that’s our personality. That’s who we are. If we didn’t talk about it, we’re lying to ourselves.

Josue:  Yeah. It literally shaped us. Yeah, growing up. I mean, this is mad person, I guess. But I didn’t have like, I didn’t have a ton of friends growing up. So like, my, like my mother. Also, even if I did have friends, my mother wouldn’t let me out of the house. Yeah, she was I stopped coming straight home. So I would go like straight home or I have a babysitter. Right. And then the babysitter’s house, there was just all woman. And like, it was just like, I just want to play video games. Like so like, literally, if I would go straight home. The only thing I had for me at home was like Mario, or like, Dragonball Z game, or like anything like it literally shaped me. So like, sometimes when I literally say like, there was an article, I took a class at my college which is the same college as Zeke. Um, but there was a, there was a class where we were talking about, we had an opportunity to talk about, about any company, we have to give an in depth analysis of this company as to why they started, how they’re how they’re doing, what’s their main source of revenue is this that and the third. And I decided to do a company that I was about to start working at that following summer.

Simon:  Mm hmm.

Josue:  But then someone else started talking about Nintendo. And now he came upt and talk about Nintendo. And I was,

Simon:  Just like, I wish that was me.

Josue:  First, I wish it was me. Like, why didn’t I think of that? And too, I’m like, this is gonna be a good time.

Simon:  Here. Like, I let me strap on. Yeah,

Josue:  I was like, I’m gonna relax and it’s gonna be good. And like, at the end of it, um someone that the professor was like, like, he’s like, apparently he never heard of Nintendo. Or maybe if he did, it was like very little. Okay, so he’s like, so why did you pick this? Like, it’s so interesting. Why did you pick this? I never heard of this. And that last slide was, like the, like, the entire cast of Nintendo characters. And he was like, Professor, like, I’m not gonna lie. Like, he said, the same thing. I just said, I didn’t have a lot of friends growing up, I would go straight home and play nice. Nintendo. He didn’t say that. He said, this is literally my family. He said that and I was like, wow, I relate to that so hard. Like I didn’t have a lot. I didn’t have a big family. I didn’t have like, a lot a ton of friends. I go home. And it was just Mario was there for me, bro. And I was just like, that’s my, this is my homie. This is like my son. Like,

Simon:  I’m glad you mentioned that. Because like Zeke asked like, why exactly is Panic Brother’s kind of service on that. How did you guys get to that point? That’s a good example. Because look what happens when people do that? Look at that kid who did take the step and said, I’m gonna talk by Nintendo cuz it means a lot to me. Someone in the crowd you was like, I mean, yeah, it’s the same for me. How come? I didn’t think of that? A lot of us have passions for this stuff and think it shouldn’t be a passion. When people talk about what are your passions, people struggle with seeing video games or anime, cuz it sounds like a leisure activity. Like I can’t be a real passion. But people are passionate about it. And it pendulous can be an outlet where you we show that passion that helps other people emit the same passion talk about that topic. Without us or people like us. People always think that anime and video games are just things you pick up as a kid and you’re never supposed talk about again. A taboo. Yeah, I think it’s very important that we show our passion for that in everything we do in the Panic Brothers.

Josue:  Yeah, we represent a community that like, that just didn’t have anything else.

Simon:  Mm hmm.

Josue:  Like, we represent a community that just didn’t fucking have like, like, we

Simon:  I didn’t have skiing on the weekends of my parents.

Josue:  You didn’t?

Simon:  What’s the weekend was me and the GameCube minimal conversation with my folks after they just clocked out of a nine hour shift. That was my weekend.

Josue:  Yeah, I think your parents just like you okay?

Simon:  Yeah, I play sunshine.

Josue:  Okay.

Simon:  I don’t what Sunshine is, the fuck is Sunshine?  He seems happy.

Josue:  Yeah, he’s okay, he’s he’s doing well same thing with me bro. Like my mom was just like comes comes home. You okay?

Simon:  He’s fine.

Josue:  Are you okay, mijo? Oh, yeah. I’m doing well bro. Doing well. I’m kicking it. Not like Smash Brothers man. Like was like, like shit. I’ll used to wake up at 6am before school

Simon:  Just get a couple,

Josue:  Unlocks some characters and oh my god, those are the like, those are some of the fondest memories I have. And to this day, like to this day like when there’s nothing else. Like when I need to get away from the world. Whose world do I go to? I go to like, I go to Mario’s I go to

Simon:  Final Fantasy, Zelda, Kingdom Heart, just all these titles we love, we can just disappear from them, no matter how old I am.

Josue:  The only one that’s weird is that I go to Spider-Man’s world. And it’s like the same world. I go outside and I go to the same world as Spider-Man goes to, but for some reason, I just want to experience it as Spider-Man, Miles Morales stresses out the same things about that we do it but

Simon:  He’s got to deal with it not me.

Josue:  Yeah, I got the yeah. Exactly. He literally says like, yo, how can my people always getting destroyed?

Simon:  And you’re like, wow, that I should be able to relate to that.

Josue:  Wow, maybe I should do something about it. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna just do it as Miles Morales instead. It’s cooler. That’s, that’s how nerd culture is to us. And like, and once again, when we came to the topic of like, podcasts, it’s like, why wouldn’t we talk about that? Like, if that is us, like, we already deal with everything else like we deal with. I talked to this person I’ll talk about like, like business ventures with I have that person to talk about relationships with like, like, I need a source for this aspect of my personality of my life. Which is so huge and humongous to me. So that’s what Panic Bros is. Yeah,

Simon:  Essentially.

Zeke:  Nice. I think we can relate my mother being protective that you could not go outside. Stay home when like I bought you all these games so you can stay home and be happy that’s where it came from.

Josue:  Oh, Bro, why are parents like this man?

Simon:  Honestly, though, it is. It is better than us. I guess. Like, I don’t know, like picking up drugs. I guess?

Josue:  Gangbanging?

Simon: I guess, they assuming that we’re gonna go outside and pick up a crack addiction.

Josue: I don’t know. I’m pretty sure if I grew up I went out with friends as a kid. I still find,

Simon:  What?

Josue: Gangbanging? I’m not doing that. But she still thinks she failed because I listened to Bad Bunny and Drake. She’s still think she’s failed

Simon:  As you watch anime in a different language.

Josue:  Yeah, dude. Like, so? I don’t win. I just don’t win win bro.

Zeke:  Yeah. And then like, that passes um with that Miles Morales just came out. I thought. First of all, I first heard about him in high school. I was like, oh it’s a black Spider-Man. That’s lit I like that.

Josue:  Dude. The thing about Miles Morales is that he’s you know, he’s half he’s half black half, half latino. So he met also, there’s so much to us at the same time as well, like the first off having a POC in general as like a humongous character. Very big. And then he’s half black. So big for the black community. like holy shit. It’s Spider-Man that’s a black Spider-Man. And at the same time for us. It’s

Simon:  He’s Hispanic,

Josue:  Oh shit a latino Spider-Man. Let’s go. Holy shit.

Simon:  Me and Josue: streamed Miles Morales I think a week after it came out on Twitch?

Josue:  You You played it later than I did. By the time you were playing it I already beat it.

Simon:  Exactly. I think was one week after release. You already beat it. And I was my first time playing game. We’re streaming it. And the first I think 40 minutes or so you kind of go through Miles Morales house you’re aware of this probably Zeke. But people who don’t know that’s kind of what happens in the game. And seeing the Puerto Rican house for us.

Josue:  Ah.

Simon:  Was insane, was I’ve never seen a game studio put so much love into the attention of the food. The music, the decoration,

Josue:  I’m about to cry right now.

Simon:  Spanish it wasn’t there was locrio de pollo on the kitchen table. I’ve never seen that in a video game ever. And seeing it made me go oh my god. This is it

Josue:  Dude I’ve,

Simon:  Always want to see

Josue: I called my I I told my mom, I’m like mom. Look at this. She’s like, What. I call my boss. My boss is Puerto Rican. And I was like, yo, look at this shit. She was like what, yo, it’s so big.

Simon:  It’s huge. And I don’t think a lot of people understand how big that scene was for us. I think a lot of you kind of went pretty cool. It’s pretty Spanish and you’re like, no, that’s no, it’s more than just that. It’s

Josue:  literally about like the Puerto Rican household.

Simon:  It felt like home. It felt like home.  Exactly.  I legit felt like my mom was cooking in the kitchen. Yes.

Josue:  It didn’t feel like it. I don’t know. I can’t even think about I can’t even think of other houses in video games. Like GTA Five.

Simon:  Yeah, but that was no no

Josue:   When you go to Michael What’s his name? The rich dude.

Simon:  Yeah, no Michael is that yeah, I think Michaels a rich dude. Yeah,

Josue:  Yeah, you go to his house. I can’t relate to that shit.

Simon:  My 10 my 10 car garage that yeah, that’s me.

Josue:  That’s that’s that’s what I want to be. I guess. This Miles Morales was the first time that I was like that was the cloest that it just felt like that’s a New York City home right there dude.

Simon:  Yes, it is. It painfully was accurate to the tee on what it’s like to be one of those like, I don’t know five storey apartment you probably find Harlem like it really felt like that. So nice

Josue:  Means the fucking world. Have a character that like this represents this underrepresented community. Yeah. We need more black heroes more Hispanic heroes more Asian heroes like fuck man.

Zeke:  You okay there?

Josue:  It pisses it pisses me off and I know pisses Simon: off.

Simon:  I think every single time we did a panel grew about this thing certain topic we always kind end in anger frustration or just sadness like well anyway guys that’s great episode I guess like we just we’re feel deflated after talking about it to be realized how backwards everything is right now like we’re so far behind the curve for this representation. It’s crazy.

Josue: Yeah, and we had this topic yesterday where it just feels like it feels like we need more of this we need more of a Miles Morales right like this Miles Morales game was literally everything

Simon:  Mm hmm

Josue:  The exaggerated swagger of a black teen needs to be featured more often in gaming Lord Almighty fuck Gamespot Oh, anyways, but um you know, it feels like people will say like whenever we were to say we want more of that people are just say but you have Miles Morales What are you talking about?

Simon:  You got black panther You should be happy right?

Josue:  Yeah Black Panther you good right that’s all you need Black Panther now give me back my white my white heroes

Simon:  Doesn’t work like that.

Josue:  No bro you kidding me.  Doesn’t work like that.  That’s (inaudible)

Simon:  About it because we just want to keep pushing I feel like if if you and I and everyone else who has this kind of conversation stop then those people the but the but people would have their way it’s like I bet no one’s talking about it seems like like Black Panther was enough. All right, moving on. He just delhi delhi do a bunch of white people said.

Josue:  Miss Marvel is coming out. And that’s the first time that I think the black the black community. The South Asian community is finally and the Muslim community also, is this getting this w,

Simon:  Uh huh.

Josue:  But they’re like,

Simon: Finally.

Josue: And I’m excited for that.

Simon: I can’t imagine it’s like to be them right now be like,

Josue:  Yeah, I don’t know. I don’t I have. I have a lot of like, South Asian friends. I know they’re worried. They’re like, I hope they do us, right.

Simon:  Yeah.

Josue:  And I can I know that feeling?

Simon:  Mm hmm. This might be just the worst.

Josue:  It could easily be the worst. It could just easily be like that Cyberpunk 2077 character. Have you played Cyberpunk? 2077 Zeke?

Simon:  You keep shitting on?

Zeke: Not yet.

Josue: Not yet. There’s a Spanish character in the game. Right.

Simon:  What was his name I can’t think of it?

Josue:  He’s Jamie?

Simon:  Joe, I think you met a guy. I think maybe, Jamie. I think got it right ahead.

Josue:  Starts with a J. Yeah. And this character is a pendejo Zeke. You want to know why he’s a pendejo because he says pendejo every sentence.

Simon:  He has moments where it’s good because he has actual, like, similar sense structure to what you see from like a hispanic person. But then they just overuse words like, pendejo constantly and say, okay, we get it. Like you’re kind of just now dancing a little too deep in the aye remember? He’s Hispanic. It’s like, okay, we get it like yes, they don’t have to prey on it.

Josue:  Pendejos pendejo don’t say shit and talk like that, Hispanics don’t talk that

Simon:  Pendejos don’t talk like that,

Josue:  Hispanic don’t say pendejo every other sentence.

Simon:  I don’t think I can’t remember that last time my daddy said pendejo.

Josue:  Yeah. My mom probably like whispers it under her breath pendejos. No, but this character literally says it every other sentence Zeke.

Simon: It’s insane.

Josue: Ay, yo, pendejos up ahead.

Simon: He literally just. What?

Josue:  Let’s take them out. Those motherfuckers those pendejos. Like, oh, what?

Simon:  We should name our main character pendejo. That’d be funny.

Josue:  Pendejo de de

Simon:  Casa del Sol. I know you’re going I know you’re going to stop anyways.

Josue:  Um, thats an inside joke, my bad but but like imagine if like and that’s like a curse word like the Latino character just has o say a curse word. I imagine that a black character like Oh, if a black dude. Hey, motherfucker. What’s going on? Three motherfucker up ahead.

Simon:  Samuel L. Jackson constantly just what why.

Josue:  Like, Oh, that’s a that’s a good representation of black people. Yeah,

Simon:  Thank you for that. Yeah, you do your job.

Josue:  Fuck kidding. Christ man give us actual fucking representation. And again, we don’t need to be we don’t need to say pendejo every other sentence we say pendejo yes. But shit we don’t say every

Simon:  Diversity is not using the same Spanish word constantly like to sprinkle in the fact hey, white people. He spanish.

Josue:  I say puto more often.

Simon:  Do you really I never say puto?

Josue:  If I do say

Simon:  Puto expressive bro like,

Josue:  I’m gonna say puto over pendejo you gotta you gotta bleep all this out. I’m so sorry Zeke. God.

Simon:  That’s kind of why we’re so mad about it. It’s stuff like that.

Josue:  Just give us the right representation. I know once I see Miss Marvel, and I’m hoping it’s a W for that community. I’m gonna get hype I’m gonna be like, holy shit that goes do that this character feels like someone I could have went to high school with because I went to high school with like a predominantly South Asian. We both went to a predominantly South Asian

Simon:  Shout out to Bronx Science.

Josue: I can I can imagine I can’t wait to just be like, yo, Damn,

Simon: This is accurate.

Josue: Yeah, I feel like this is accurate based on other homies that I was I was homeless. So that’s gonna be I hope I hope that’s a W I hope whenever Shang-Chi comes out that’s gonna be a W for the Asian community. And, you know, so on and so forth and we just get more and more movies like that. Coco was it though it was a W for us.

Simon: Yeah, Coco was Yes. Huge. Coco was whoo, Set that was such a good,

Josue: Cry. Like I cry like a bitch bro.

Simon: Yeah, like that was it and guess what in Coco they didn’t use pendejo that much.

Josue: I don’t think ever? I know that

Simon: But you see a difference, right? They never once said pendejo.

Josue: Yo, Mia,abuleta Coco si pendeja. Oh, okay. Cool.

Simon: All right move with the plot.

Josue: Man,

Simon: You hate Cyberpunk so much.

Josue: Okay, I hate Cyberpunk. But getting more and more angry The more I talk about it.

Zeke: On the side note, Josue: looks like One Punch Man with the yellow sweater. I just realized that.

Josue: I’ll take that. I’m also balding. So I’ll take that also.

Simon: All the way just commit to it now,

Josue: Just commit to it

Simon: Go bald.

Josue:  That One Punch Man look going on and rockin it. I’ll take that w any day. If because right now my my balding is like Vegeta.

Simon:  So I think it’s not to come at you bro. But it’s worse.

Josue:  It’s worse than Vegeta?

Simon: It’s worse than Vegeta.

Josue: That’s oh. That’s Oh, dee Vegeta’s got it bad

Simon: Bro. You got it bad.

Josue: No, I know I got it bad but for Vegeta got got it

Simon: 

You got it bad bro.

Josue: No, yes. That’s oh dee Don’t be like,

Simon: Take off the hat show em.

Josue: Take it off? 

Simon: Take it off bro.

Josue: All right. No. I don’t know I’m balding. Bad. All right. I was been balding since I was 18.

Simon: I heard 8. I’m like, damn, bro.

Josue: Maybe actually, everyone in my family. Every Latino is balding.

Simon: Oh, yeah. It’s really hard to find a Latino that doesn’t bald.

Josue: Haven’t you been balding?

Simon: Yeah, but not like you at all,

Josue: You got a big forehead.

Simon: You see my Yeah, but everyone in my family has a big forehead that has nothing to do with balding.

Josue: That’s like your family bloodline.

Simon: I mean, I’m not lying like, legit we all got big foreheads.

Josue: And it’s like, as far as like a super young age. And I try to find ways around it. So my brother, my brother just kept letting it grow out. My dad was just had a big ass Afro and he’s like, it’s like, it’s like going out but he had an afro and he was a huge thing never cuts. It doesn’t ever go. That’s how it is for me. I’m just

Simon: Anyway.

Josue: Anyway, this is such a tight topic.

Zeke: Yeah, okay. In Miles Morales when I heard Spanish, like that’s the New York I know I know, just hearing spanish out of nowhere.

Simon: Mm hmm. It felt so real.

Josue: Yeah. Yeah. And now it’s like we got a we had a conversation where we were like, We were like, yo, fuck Peter Parker. Miles Morales is our new guy. Meanwhile, it’s so funny.

Simon: Any team anytime he show up on screens, like Okay, I get it, but like, can you give more screen time to Miles Morales?

Josue: Yeah, we’re done with you, bro. Peter, we’re done. I’m so tired.

Simon: I get your Spider-Man. Okay.

Josue: At the same time. It’s like

Simon: It’s also he’s my boy.

Josue:  Yeah, that’s my that’s my son. Only only Peter Parker fans shit on Peter Parker. Yeah. Peter Parker if anybody came in, it’s like New York. Like we can talk shit about New York. Because we’re from here.

Simon: But if you’re not from here and you talk shit about it? You don’t even say anything? Bro you moved here.

Josue: Pendejo you kidding me? Don’t Don’t talk shit about New York, That’s how I feel about Peter Parker. Fuck Peter Parker. Don’t talk shit about him. Fuck Peter Parker. Miles Morales is my new daddy.

Zeke: Yeah, i’m going to have my mom play the game tonight

Simon: Your mom’s playing it?

Josue: Your mom’s playing it?

Zeke: Yeah,

Simon: That’s what’s god I can not get my parents play that they’ll be like mijo I gotta cook dinner I don’t know what this is. Your parents still stuck on Speed Racer  Speed Racer the game,

Josue: They be like hey pendejo you don’t know you don’t know nothing about this shit. You don’t know nothing.

Simon:  My parents don’t know what a PS5

Josue:  They don’t know what a PS5 is bro

Simon:  They thought I brought a fan. I brought the PS5 with me home and they thought it was a fan. They’re like oh, that’s pretty cool fan. I’m like

Josue:  This it’s a $500 fan.

Simon:  And they’re like yes, that’s fan like why what makes you think this is what like what is it? It’s a PS5 like, oh, they’re still making those like, yeah,

Josue:  It was a Nintendo? That’s a Nintendo?

Simon:  Turned the Nintendo off or you’ll be late. I’m like it’s not a Nintendo mom. I don’t care. Turn it off.

Josue:  You know, you know, like my there’s a picture. I think the coolest picture I’ve ever seen, of my dad.

Simon:  Uh huh.

Josue:  Is and I was I was going to my photo albums. And it was a photo of my dad playing Street Fighter Two.

Simon:  I remember you telling me about this yeah.

Josue:  And I was just like, I don’t know what it is about old cameras. You know the sick the way

Simon:  Nostalgia look?

Josue:  Yeah, yeah. And it’s just like, had like an afro going on. My dad is playing like Street Fighter two and I’m like, this is it. How come no one took a picture of me playing this shit, man. But the thing is, he’s wearing a tight shirt with the chain and everything like a mustache.

Simon:  The most Puerto Rican look.

Josue:  So Puerto Rican and me. It’ll be like, a like a tight like band shirt from high school with tight pants on and like, and it’s like, you know what? No, one

Simon:  I think it’s better than your dad got the picture.

Josue:  Yeah, yeah. My dad got the picture. Not me. Cuz I know. So it’s gonna be me playing Luigis Mansion. And it’s like no one. It won’t be looking as cool.

Simon:  Like there’s a jewel stain like on your frickin shirt sitting on your couch of pizza. Like trust all of your stomach.

Josue:  With the monster God, Modern Warfare two just running it with a giant Pac Man shirt that I had. I don’t know where that shirt is.

Simon:  Oh, there we were so swagless, we’re freaking kids playing that thing.

Josue:  Yo, there’s a picture of Simon: in sophomore year of high school because

Simon:  We don’t have to talk about it.

Josue:  We don’t have to talk about it.

Simon:  Don’t just stop right there.

Josue:  It’s pretty bad.

Simon:  Stop right there. We don’t talk about it.  It’s

Josue:  pretty

Simon:  Thanks Josue:, thanks Josue:.

Josue:  If you ever uploaded

Simon:  Thanks Josue:.

Josue:  to YouTube?

Simon:  Thanks Josue:.

Josue:  This is when you put the

Simon:  Thanks Josue:.

Josue:  Piece in.

Simon:  Thanks Josue:

Zeke:  (inaudible)

Josue:  Yeah. And to be fair, I have a ton of pictures. I’ve a ton the pictures. Like there’s a photo album of me on Facebook that you can go through Zeke because I think we’re friends on Facebook. Like, it’s

Simon:  I hate you

Josue:  My straighten hair album is just photos of me with straighten hair

Simon:  You have an album, why do you have an album?

Josue:  Yeah. And the thing is, I don’t delete photos because I’m I’m like the mindset that’s like, Listen,

Simon:  We have an album of it though?

Josue:  I have,

Simon:  Why do you make an album?

Josue:  I don’t know.

Simon:  That’s just it was so weird to me that you’re like, the album is just me with straight, like hot topic hair.

Josue:  And the thing is, I should delete it. Any normal person would delete it.

Simon:  How long did it get to that it gets like like a like, to like past your eye no right? You get it got points like oh, I want to like it actually went down. So I had like the emo cut with the

Josue:  Yeah,

Simon:  Ah yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Josue:  I thought I was cool.

Simon:  I’m pretty sure you did.

Josue:  Yeah. What’s the next question Zeke?

Zeke:  Let me think of it.

Simon:  He’s looking at Oh, where are you? Yeah, let me just look at that question.

Josue:  You can you can blow this over under YouTube. You could say saw that.

Zeke:  So with all the gaming and nerd culture is cool, that became popular in rencent years, I’m like aw that’s lit. (inaudible) how talking to one of my um students, from a summer program and he was reading a manga. I was like, I made it. I went through everything. I was bullied for this. So you can like it.

Josue:  Bro, you know, there was you know,

Simon:  That’s real.

Josue:  One of the worst memories

Simon:  What?

Josue:  Of for me, and it wasn’t even of me.

Simon:  What dude?

Josue:  There was a kid that I like was in my class in middle school elementary school. The thing is, he was bullied non stop for this stuff

Simon:  For liking anime?,

Josue:  And I had to keep quiet about it. You know how many times that he wanted to talk about Pokémon?

Simon:  And everyone said shut up,

Josue:  With anybody. And I knew about Pokémon dude. Like any new Pokémon game that came out GameStop day one Pokémon Diamond right there. You know what I mean?

Simon:  I remember the craziest memory for me was middle school. It was two of the friends who also watched Naruto. When I was growing up, and we all did Naruto play fights.

Josue:  Oh, dude, were those player fights are too real.

Simon:  Those are crazy. Dude. I remember I was Naruto. One of them was Neji. And he kept doing the the 8 gram 60 gram. And he kept on that I remember we do these fights and like people look at us. And after the first time we did it, everyone (inaudible) you guys are the biggest fucking nerds, you really just pretend to be Naruto outside. And then I remember, for the rest of middle school, I had to keep my mouth shut and never bring up anime ever again. Because I nearly got clown for it. And it’s shit like that. People just immediately shut down, which is why I need to do what we do now. With Panic Brothers. If we make it look hot and dope to be one of these people, many more people like me as a kid will continue to play fights and that’s perfectly fine. Yeah.

Josue:  Dude, if I saw my because I had a fight like that, where it was Kingdom Hearts. Like I was Sora and the friends were heartless and they had to run away with me.

Simon:  How did you sell that? Like I get to be main character you get to be the nobodies.

Josue:  They offered.

Simon:  They offered it?

Josue:  I don’t even know. I wasn’t even like I wasn’t like I’m the main dude. No, they were like oh can be heartless. And it was like tag Instead of tag it’s, like, I just kicked them with my Keyblade you know, and they just like if my kids, oh, you know how many times like I’ll be this is so sad Zeke. This is me being 100% real. There’ll be so many times where I’ll be home. And like, I would like, like an act like, like, reenact like scenes from a dragon ball. But like me, I don’t like be Goku and Frieza at the same time, like, (makes noises)

Simon:  Everyone did that

Josue:  Do it by myself in my room,

Simon:  I did the same that essentially in my head a lot more in my head that it wasn’t person but like,

Josue:  I will do that. Like, I would literally act it out. And I remember my mom would just be like, I had no siblings, bro. Like, like, it was just me by myself. So I’ll just, I’ll be Goku doing the shit. I think you’re being cool and shit. And like, Dude, that was our reality, man. And it’s just like, if I saw my kids doing that, when I finally have kids, if that’s a W to me,

Simon:  Awesome. I would be concerned they did start at the age 25 But if they’re kids by all means, I let your imagination go wild. I’m not gonna suppress your imagination.

Josue:  I’m gonna join those. I’m gonna join them though. I’m a be like

Simon:  What yall know about this?

Josue:  That’s how I know you’re Dominican bro. That’s how I know you’re Dominican. I would be like, I feel like it my kids are like being like, pretend playing like pretend Dragonball? I’m in them I’m Vegeta dog. I got the balding era, right on I’m Vegeta. And my kids be like now dad, your Krillin.

Simon:  I’m Vegeta,

Josue:  I’m Vegeta, Dad you have no hair

Simon:  You start crying.

Josue:  I’m Vegeta. And like they just roasting the shit out of me. And I’m like, I hate, y’all.

Simon:  It’s just your childhood all over again.

Josue:  Yeah, exactly. No dinner for y’all. Yall ain’t eating dinner. No food for the next week.

Simon:  Oh, that be so funny if they just clown you.

Josue:  Like what am I gonna do is as Krillin bro? And like, like my son is Goku

Simon:  Throw a frisbee

Josue:  (Inaudible)

Simon:  Shit. It’s funny. How did we get here again?

Josue:  I don’t know. That’s what I was thinking like, how did how did I start talking about that shit?

Simon:  But it’s real. That’s what we want. We want to embrace that culture.

Josue:  Exactly.

Simon:  Yeah. People like writing novels when they’re kids people walk not right now what people dream of writing novels some people dream of becoming a basketball player. Some people want to become a cosplayer. And nothing wrong with that, cosplay shit should’t be shat on.

Josue:  Just don’t make it look don’t just don’t make a trash don’t make trash cosplay. Don’t be if you going to a basketball player. Don’t Don’t be a shity basketball player. You know what I mean, you got you got to train for that shit.

Simon:  I do like that a lot. I think I think that’s really good parenting style of like, you can do whatever you want but just make sure whatever you do don’t half ass it.

Josue:  Yeah,

Simon:  Really commit

Josue:  Do 100% Yeah.  You better, I’m a  get you the shit.

Simon:  You better be good at it.

Josue:  Good.

Simon:  Yeah,

Josue:  I want to look at you and I want to see

Simon:  I better not be able to see that’s actually not Sonic,

Josue:  Want be a Power Ranger. Bet I will drop $1,000 right now and get you will legit Power Ranger outfit. We’re just not gonna go to Party City

Simon:  The concept of us like in the living judging. This can be better be a better cosplayer you can do better.

Josue:  They want to be a professional gamer. Bet that but if I see your KD ratio drop below a certain point you’re grounded that’s all it is you want to be an accountant be the best damn god damn accounting you ever want to be you want to be.

Simon:  Trying for this money in finance and I just want people to know they should be able to try.

Josue:  Just do what you got to do. And I don’t want to knock down any road. Because we’re at a we’re literally at a point where like, you can make money doing whatever you want to do. And I learned that the minute that a YouTuber was making Mad Money just cutting shit with a knife and

Zeke:  Is he still making videos, he is right?

Josue:  I don’t know what, but I know he made make millions off that shit easily. So

Zeke:  That 8 year old.

Josue:  That 8 year old that reviews game reviews,

Zeke:  toys.  He doesn’t review them just played them.

Josue:  Just plays toys. He’s a millionaire.

Simon:  He plays with toys.

Josue:  He is an eight year old like millionaire on the money.

Simon:  But it’s imagine that life that’s what we did as a kid. He’s just getting paid for now.

Zeke:  And my mom’s told me go to college.

Josue:  Wait what?

Zeke: No my mom’s told me go to college instead of playing video games.

Josue:  Honest I still go to college but it’s like honestly, if I can go back in time, man if I knew what video games are gonna be I would have decided to just

Simon:  Like I would start streaming very early. Holy crap streaming from day one. I would have been on that asap, streaming looks like the funnest job ever right now.

Josue:  Oh dude, honestly so many times I’m like, like, I’m a big like Kingdom Hearts guy. I’m not sure if you play Kingdom Hearts Zeke. But there were like, like, there was like a moment where like All the top Kingdom Hearts Youtubers got invited to try out Kingdom Hearts Three early and I was just like that could have been me. If we started Panic Bros like five years earlier.

Simon:  That would been a nice life.

Josue:  If we got invited I know that’s like easily top five moments of my life.

Simon:  You’ve been just going nuts.

Josue:  Oh my god I would have I would have cried I would have I got that letter in the middle and I if you got a letter in the mail from Mr. Miyamoto saying your news

Simon:  On a personal private event, the news of the new Zelda game and be like oh,

Josue:  Doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you bought your mama house

Simon:  Kid framed that invitation up in my living room

Josue:  Like dad I got an A on this. I don’t give a fuck.

Simon:  Has Miyamoto ever invited you to anything?

Josue:  Yeah,

Simon:  He invited me somewhere.

Josue:  Have you ever been invited to a private Zelda a party?

Simon:  Loser

Josue:  That’s why I feel like this guy Toby Fox. Toby Fox the guy who made

Simon:  Oh um Undertale

Josue:  Undertale bet I know he must be feeling like Yeah, he’s like have you ever played Smash Brothers with Sakurai?

Simon:  Oh no,

Josue:  No, no don’t talk to me. I’m above you that’s how I that’s that’s all we want I’m kidding not not not as aggressive but as those are like those are this gives you an idea of what what like some of our own personal goals look like.

Simon:  Absolutely.

Zeke:  Yeah, PS5 I didn’t get one yet.

Simon:  I just love that realization. PS5 Yes. I still don’t got that. I definitely got mine man.

Josue:  What happen?

Zeke: I had in my cart but that was like only I only have $500 to my name. This is all

Simon:  It was either go broke or just not have a PS5.

Josue:  Just to do what though, let’s say you did buy the PS5. I can play PS4 games now on my PS5.  Play Astro’s Playroom.

Simon:  Is that should be fun game like five minutes?

Josue:  Yeah. Great. I spent 500 bucks on a five minute game

Simon:  It’s the experience.

Josue:  Yes, Simon: has a PS5 I don’t have one.

Simon:  I got really lucky on mine. I got it on Amazon. Like the moment it came out. I don’t know how but

Josue:  I don’t know how he got it. Yeah, I’m just honest. I’m not even bothered by it? I’m still playing PS4 games and I’m still enjoying it. Yes.

Simon:  There’s way worse things to be worried about getting PS5 right now.

Josue:  Miles Morales is a PS five exclusive. You know what? That would have been?

Zeke:  Oh I would have been mad. I would have been

Josue:  My god.

Simon:  Oh, you guys can’t play this. That’s nice.

Josue:  Oh, y’all losers can do it. That’s how you would have been like,

Simon:  Oh, so you haven’t played Yeah, that’s crazy. I’m really enjoying myself. I was gonna be hitting you up like, do the speaking Spanish in the game?  I don’t know maybe if you had the game you might know.

Josue:  This guy.

Simon: Buy the game and find out.

Josue:  Buy the buy the game you broke ass.

Simon:  Buys the copy with no PS5.

Josue:  I hate this guy.

Simon:  It’ll come eventually. You guys. I think maybe around April. They’ll have enough for everybody to be honest.

Josue:  And even then I feel like I still would.

Simon:  Understand it much between January and April.

Josue:  Either way for like that first real exclusive for me to be like I need to get a PS5 right now.

Simon:  Oh shit I’m a 5% um, I mean, let me get my charger.

Josue:  Yeah. Give it a give us a second. Oh. I’m thirsty. Actually. Also, I’ve been talking too much.

Zeke:  I guess I’ll pause it.

Josue:  Okay, cool.

Zeke:  Now All right, cool. And in speaking of Kingdom Hearts. I remember seeing it as a child. And I was like a Pathmark. I see the game was like this is for children as a child like I’m not playing this.

Josue:  Well, even as a kid you though it was for kids?

Zeke:  Yeah.

Simon:  That’s a level of maturity I did not have.

Josue:  Yeah nah.

Simon:  I wasn’t even close to that line thinking.

Josue:  To me like I think I think it was only like when I saw like Dora games, or something like that. That’s when I was like, that’s for kids.

Simon:  I would never

Josue:  I’d never never

Zeke:  (inaudible)

Josue:  The can I know I know I know that Simon: has like, you know, feelings about it. Also, to me, it’s like my It’s like my favorite. It’s like to Simon: it’s Zelda.

Simon:  Yeah, I think the Zelda series definitely is half me I’m counting it as a close second. I don’t think that really is I think it’s just kind of Zelda the number one just because it’s kind of when she’s in the video game world. So that’s kind of why I had it asked me not necessarily because I think it’s the best I know. It has its faults, but it’s definitely just more so because I grew up with it.

Josue:  You know what’s funny? I think it’s actually the same thing for me. I think like Kingdom Hearts was actually like, my first serious introduction to gaming. Like, yeah, and I think like anything that really introduced you to this to something is what like, kind of sticks with you the most.

Simon:  Mm hmm. Yeah. I mean, I kind of sense its bias. It’s like, this is where I started using my voice no matter what Sora is your one of your favorite characters? Because mine, even Link has no dialogue.

Josue:  I don’t know anything about Link.

Simon:  I mean, there’s not much to know. He’s just the boy that can’t speak eventually. Bet got it. Let’s go.

Josue:  Yeah, and Sora is any other. Zeke, have you ever watched an anime?

Zeke:  Yeah,

Josue:  Yes. You know, Sora. Is that’s your you must already like yhat’s it? Like,

Zeke:  Have I ever seen a Shōnen? Yes.

Josue:  Yeah. Literally. Yes.

Simon:  Every Shōnen characters

Josue:  Every Shōnen main character is Sora.

Simon:  Do you think he is closer to Naruto probably?

Josue:  I always thought Luffy. Now that I’m reading One Piece, (inaudible), not Naruto.

Simon:  I fight for my friends, like?

Josue:  Okay,

Simon:  You know what I mean.

Josue:  I guess Okay. Fine. He’s like a Naruto. And then every and it is a Sasuke in there also. Oh my god. There’s a Sakura so you know what? Yeah, it is. Yeah. It is Naruto. There is no, but instead of Neji it’s like Donald Donald. And instead of

Simon:  Instead of Rock Lee it’s Goofy.

Josue:  Pretty much, actually. Yeah, pretty much. Yes. And the Hokage is like Mickey Mouse. So yeah.

Zeke:  (inaudible) Talking about how people say they didn’t have friends. And Naruto didn’t have friends. That’s me. And Garra is me. And then Obito is me.

Josue: 

Who the hell says Obito is me? Jesus Christ.

Simon:  I never once hear somebody was like, Obito is the most relatible charecter I ever seen.

Josue:  If anybody ever said that, I’m like, oh, like.

Simon:  So what happened in your childhood?

Josue:  I’m leaving. I’m leaving.

Zeke:  Somebody like Madara that’s my guy.

Simon:  I witness the murder of my best friend. But my other best friend.

Josue:  That’s what I feel um whenever somebody says, like in the Slytherin house. I’m like, Oh,

Simon:  So you just,

Josue:  So you’re a murder. I’m out. Like I support Gryffindor. I’m Gryffindor by the way, I support Ravenclaw and I support

Simon:  Hufflepuff

Josue:  You’re Hufflepuff really? I’m, Gryffindor all the way baby.

Simon:  Sucks for you

Josue:  Nah baby, I’m always a main character.

Simon:  Yeah, I know. Sucks for you actually has to do something.

Josue:   As long as you not Slytherin, as long as you not Slytherin. Hey Zeke are you Slytherin?

Zeke:  I never watched or read it. I kind of know what’s going on.

Josue:  Oh for real you never got into it?

Zeke:  Nah, I seen a book and I was like those are kinda big.

Josue:  Yeah, I get that.

Simon:  He was like damn that’s kind of big.

Josue:  Some of those books I was even as an adult cuz I got into it a couple years ago. I was like I’m I finally read all the books and watch all the movies.

Simon:  That’s how I feel about Game of Thrones books. I’m like damn, that’s a

Josue:  That’s all that’s never gonna get opened. But Harry Potter I was like damn some of those like the first couple books I’m like, Oh, this is easy. Later it’s like

Simon:  (inaudible) now

Josue:  Just for one of them to be one of the worst ones to win one of the biggest one of the series is to me the worst.

Simon:  Isn’t Half Blood Prince like really bad.

Josue:  I love Half Blood Prince it’s the one with the Phoenix.

Simon:  Oh, Order of the Phoenix the book no one likes right?

Josue:  Longest book, shortest movie that tells you something that tells you something,  They could have gotten done like  You could cut mad filler in there so much filler. (inaudible)

Simon:  What else do you want about the brands Zeke?

Zeke:  Like the brand. So you guys had that gaming um gaming, My brain, My brain just had a brain fart. That’ you had the um.

Josue:  Ah

Zeke:  Yeah, is it good now?

Simon:  Oh, It sound a little better. Yeah.

Zeke:  Okay.

Josue:  Oh, it says it says my internet connection is unstable.

Simon:  Oh, is the Airbnb being weird again?

Josue:  Maybe it’s us.

Simon:  It could be us.  Well, it sounds fine though.

Josue:  Yeah.

Simon:  Cool.

Josue:  But um, well, you’re saying Zeke,

Zeke:  You guys had the um gaming tournament and everything. I was like oh my god. I aspire to be like that. And have some sort of organization with the podcast.

Simon:  That’s what’s up thank you man.

Josue:  Yeah, it’s that that gaming tournament though took like,

Simon:  It was stressful.

Josue:  Yeah,

Simon:  That was all day from morning till night. And I not sure for the first tournament for kids and I think like maybe half of the adult and that was just straining on the throat and the mind

Josue:  Simon:’s um Simon:’s like weird special ability is is his ability to announce like he I wasn’t expecting that like you were you’re really good at just picking up every minute detail dude

Simon:  Yeah I think it’s because I’ve watched a lot of actual smash tourney so I’ve timed knows exactly what I’m looking for. But it was actually surprising kind of fun, but it’s draining dude. Oh my god, it’s so much energy to put all that work into announcing.

Josue:  I can imagine and I know I feel like announcers go home like (heavy breathing).

Simon:  50 bucks.

Josue:  Well, yeah. That was good. That was one of my I said like, one of our favorite memories. And if once the life gets back to normal, man, you should. You got to come through.

Simon:  Yeah, we honestly that was a lot of fun.

Josue:  Yeah. Are you in the Bronx?

Zeke:  No I’m Brooklyn.

Josue:  Fuck. Shit. (inaudible)

Zeke:  I wanted to go to it. Oh, that’s a far in the Bronx.

Simon:  Yeah, honestly that would have taken how many hours to get up there. It was like going north. Right?

Josue:  It was like, super. Do you live by the 2 train?

Zeke:  No, I could get it to the bus.

Josue:  Dude the bus Yeah, it’s like, it’s like, it’s like one of the last stops of the  2 train in the Bronx. So

Zeke:  I know. There’s about that because we had to do comuniy service at a park around there.

Josue:  Damn. do you drive?

Zeke:  No.

Josue:  Yeah, so

Simon:  Tough time.

Josue:  That would have been a bad time. But regardless, man, there was so many plans that we had. And then COVID happened, man, it was just, man even even we were supposed to be in we were supposed to go to this to Japan. Me and Simon: and third friend of ours

Simon:  That having great contents that good time in general,

Josue:  Would a vlog the entire thing. We’re gonna go to the opening of our Super Nintendo World, which is like February 2021. And we’re supposed to open up last year then COVID happened. And it’s just so sad because I was gonna be like, our biggest moment, honestly, like, that was gonna be our favorite. I think I honestly that’s got to be like a top like 20 moment just walking into the Super Nintendo World.

Simon:  Oh, it’s gonna be huge for us to lose my mind

Josue:  by so much shit. And then COVID happen. And at the end of the day, it is what it is. We can’t go there until life gets back to normal. So dude you be good?

Simon:  Yeah, I was tired of squatting.

Zeke:  (inaudible) podcasting. What has been enjoyable about this whole process?  What has been enjoyable about this whole process? 

Josue:  What happened? Unjoyable?

Zeke:  Enjoyable joyable.

Simon:  Everything honestly, yeah, even the stressful parts are enjoyable. I think the most enjoyable is just seeing people embrace it, enjoy it, whether that’s a YouTube comment, or the but you can turn it. It’s kind of the most fun part. I know we really suck at always getting back those people especially online, but just seeing people watch it for what it is and talking tells me they’re actually listening to what we have to say. And it’s not just we’re putting out random content on cares about it confirms to me that this is needed. And I think that’s the most enjoyable part about it.

Josue:  Yeah, that’s it. Those comments mean like the world are watching the beginning. When we were when we had like less than 100 subscribers and even now we don’t even have all that many subscribers. We only have like 500

Simon:  I think we just got 500 like a week ago.

Josue:  Yeah, yeah, something like that. We just reached 500 and YouTube is all fucking hard game. I don’t understand it still. And we’ve done it for

Simon:  You strike gold if you get lucky but if you don’t then you can the worst views on YouTube.

Josue:  Yeah, and but sometimes honestly, like, it’s like frustrating that we like sometimes it feels so frustrating that we haven’t like gotten big. But at the same time this feels like just one of those things that’s like just trust the process. Especially and just knowing that people we still get comments like regularly where people are like, like, how are you guys not bigger than you already are? And that’s what keeps me going. And it keeps us going because it’s like people who do watch our content as long as we’re not saying anything controversial like the top Mario games. We have an episode where we rank our Mario our favorite Mario games and people hate it

Simon:  Was not a fan at all.

Josue:  Yeah, they did not agree.

Simon:  So I like that and once again shows conversation people are listening.

Josue:  Yeah, exactly.

Simon:  Or like more important than people just giving us support or not support. I think even the betters conversation pieces like recently we just made a Qatar announced video and there was somebody who does hold us, hey, here’s some perspective. tough being a masculine female is not always a good idea in any media. And she explained to us why or he explained to us I’m not sure what they were. But they explained to us why that is. And that to me, meant a lot because like, holy shit, I’m learning now through this platform and if I’m learning and thats other people are experiencing when they kind of go through our content.

Josue:  Exactly like I don’t know, it just seeing conversation happens seeing that we’re starting dialogues is just super important to us and it’s always a really fun and a really great treat whenever one of our like our videos blow up and by blow up me like a couple of 1000 like our best video is a our best discussion so far, at least based on audience perception and how audience through this treated it, as opposed to like how we personally feel like our best video was an episode on Hunter Hunter, the enemy. Um, where I finally bins it and me and Simon: had like an actual discussion list on our overall thoughts on it. And it blew up and relativity relative to our other content. And like, the comments that came coming in, was just like, you guys need to talk about this. I want to hear about that. And we never got back to we never followed up. Like we never had that which is something probably on our ends that we need to work on better. Because like we also had like have had other videos like in our early in our early days when we first started off one of our one assignments videos, Elissa he spearheaded was what a Super Smash Brothers was a movie. How would that look like? And people? Yeah, people vibe with that video, dude.

Simon:  They’re asking for more than like, Hey, we’re second part. I’m

Josue:  like, the sequence looking like,

Simon:  What? You just want to hear more?

Josue:  Because I already know you forgot your idea. No, I remember you do. Oh, should I remember my idea? Like, I had an idea. How was that? How it was a TV? So he did a movie? And I remember my idea was lit. I don’t remember your numbers. I don’t remember yours. I know yours involved. Like, like, maybe Mario being key. Maybe Mario, did you sign up for Yoshis? island?

Simon:  Yeah, but I didn’t mention Baby Mario was key.

Josue:  Oh, no. I meant more like Yoshi sign.

Simon:  Yeah, that’s a whole nother game. Mario wasn’t key to the story.

Josue:  Baby Mario is what starts off the Smash Brothers universe. Nick Fury. Not regular Mario Baby,

Simon:  Baby Mario is the timescape gotta read it.

Josue:  Oh, God. Well, yeah, people love that man. And people were just like asking for like part two, part two. And even though I’m not sure where I’m into, does it really make a second part?

Simon:  I gotta really sit down think what that looks like.

Josue:  Yeah, cuz we took we took a while really thinking about that? Yeah. But like, like, you know, stuff like that is just what really gets us going like, Damn, people want to hear this. People love to hear our nerdy thoughts on nerdy stuff. Mm hmm. And I think that that just keeps us going. And it’s like a matter of just trusting the process because and the little that we’ve done in as a side hobby where me and Simon: have, like, I work two jobs. Simon: works like extremely demanding job and like as a senior position, like, we have demanding lives. And yet we still managed to try to find a way to give time to this. And the this side passion that we are giving time to people are enjoying the discussion around it and so much worth it. Yeah. And it’s just one of those things, we just got to devote time, as long as given devoting time to it and making sure that our passion is coming through. Then it’s just we have all the faith in the world that one day, five years from now. 10 years from now we’re not we’re not sure but it’ll happen. And we can make this we can make this our livelihood. And honestly a life where I can just wake up and be like, me, I know Simon: agrees with this. Also, we can be like on voice in the community. Like that’d be huge. Yeah. Like people want to know our thoughts on like, this new person of color and this enemy that just came out. Like I’m gonna move on and be like, Hey, I think that’s a really great representation. or this, or the third or a yo and smiles brought us to the game came out like y’all What do y’all think?

Simon:  And then we can just dedicate this full time, so that would be ideal.

Josue:  Yeah. Hey, Goku is the latest DLC character in Smash Bros. When you’re gonna be like your captain.

Simon:  This is part of why you lying?

Josue:  Sakurai just announced that you’re talking about?

Simon:  You think I’m stupid?

Josue:  You think I’m stupid? I’m not stupid. I’m slow. I’m not stupid. Gosh.

Zeke:  Yeah.

Josue:  Yeah, man.

Zeke:  Simon: you like Zelda like, Link? Zelda I remember my first one was the DS om game that came with the

Simon:  Phantom Hourglass? One of those ones?

Zeke: Yeah, it came with a DS Lite. And the other

Simon:  One of those bundles?

Zeke:  Yeah. That was a different

Simon:  Did you enjoy it or? Did you hate it?

Zeke:  Oh, it had a puzzle. So I was like no.

Josue:  So you don’t like Zelda?

Simon:  First of all, it’s one of those games

Josue:  I’m just going to close the DS.

Simon:  Aight bet I’d loud and clear not my game got you.

Josue:  To be to be frank though. Simon: You’re the same way for like I feel like you only fuck with puzzles in Zelda games.

Simon:  No, the thing is I told you very clearly there’s certain puzzles that work and others that don’t.

Josue:  Got you.

Simon:  Miles Morales puzzles are dumb. I don’t like they killed the whole flow. Does that make sense? You’re in a dungeon there’s like holes you have to go to activate stuff in the dungeon but Mouse Mouse is the middle of saving New York vs a stop to make sure the trails go on the right rail but he has to think about where they’re lining up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up no.

Josue:  To be fair taking down and taking down the the corrupt underground of New York City is a puzzle in itself.

Simon:  That’s the biggest puzzle

Josue:  That’s the biggest puzzle of them all.

Simon:  Like Five Night at Freddy’s I told you like in the middle of the game you really got to do this weird crane game like come on man. That’s not that’s not fun.

Josue:  But the music was good overall,

Simon:  But then you’re stuck there for such a long time it gets old so fast.

Josue:  But the music overall.

Simon:  The music overall amazing.

Josue:  It’s good.

Simon:  That game is fucking beautiful.

Josue:  Yeah yeah.

Simon:  Anyways, Zeke um, is there anything else you want? Oh, man, we got a we got to get some food and that’s gonna start to get pretty hungry. Yeah, been awhile since we ate.

Zeke:  So thank you very much for coming. So last question is what would you name your origin story?

Simon:  That’s hard. Do we play quit by using planners with Panic Brothers like Don’t Panic? Or is do we do anything deeper than that?

Josue:  We can do way better than that.  More distortion? RE Panic Bros.

Simon:  I hate you so much for making reference.

Josue:  Just RE;

Simon:  No stop stop.

Josue:  Panic Bros.

Simon:  That’s a hard one if I think the top of my head, I don’t know. Wow, it’s a man that’s really freaking hard. Do you have any idea like what even close like something close like beam or like a

Josue:  dude, I don’t even know the theme. Man I don’t even know that’s a good one. That’s a good question. That’s a very good question. Like if if like if like that video game that Simon: has or like my anime were to come out? Yeah. It’s hard to keep it simple. Probably just panic Bros.

Simon:  I don’t know man.

Josue:  It’d be a good anime.

Simon:  It’s called Panic Brothers.

Josue:  The Panic Brothers Season One is the origin and Season Two was us now then season three. You don’t know what’s gonna happen in season three. But the villain is gonna be wild.

Simon:  Did trivia game name I’m liking if I had to if I had to like honestly give an answer right now I pull it up in demo and just call it like project panic you know when they do that when they’re like I don’t know the name yet. So it’s called product something we’ll come back to you later.

Josue:  You know for a fact that’s what they that’s what they probably all thinking in those meetings like what do we call this as the origin store? Shit what the resin evil? Do I kind of grow zero? Do that.

Simon:  I don’t know if I had to call it I don’t know, either Panic Brothers Project Panic. Or I don’t know something about just kind of kind of working on your passion without really considering any drama actually kind of committing to something but I don’t know how to put that into like one or two words as long as I’m saying like, how do you like work on a passion to commit to

Josue:  Panic Bros the Magic Begins.  like okay, well.  Yeah, that’s a wild reference. Wild reference.

Simon:  I’m gonna go with this. I like the I like the words. We’re all the same. I can’t say exactly why but I think that’d be a cool name for a video game.

Josue:  We’re all Panic Brothers.

Simon:  We’re all the same. We’re all the same.

Josue:  We’re all Panic Brothers.

Simon:  We’re all the same.

Josue:  Zeke is a Panic Brother.

Simon:  I think we’re all the same vehicle name. For We’re all the same.

Josue:  20th anniversary special.

Simon: Can you just let me have this?

Josue:  I’m giving it to you the 2020.

Simon: You keep adding to it.

Josue:  The 20th anniversary special.

Simon:  What world Zeke. We’re all 20% of history (inaudible).

Josue:  Yeah, we’re all the same. The 20th anniversary special kind of

Simon:  Shut up. Just we’re all the same. I do think that’s a good name I okay.

Josue:  Yeah, that’s what I’m saying just Panic Bros.

Simon:  Oh, that’s that’s good enough of an answer Zeke.

Zeke:  Okay.

Simon:  We really know we’re head (inaudible).

Zeke:  All right, thank you let people know where they can find you.

Simon:  Oh yeah, by all means look us up on Instagram is probably our best location for just understanding what we’re putting out and yeah, my contact info at Panic Brothers at Instagram, and then for YouTube. Also the Panic Brothers our twitch also Panic Brothers. Most importantly, our podcast is the Panic Room presented by Panic Brothers. You find out any place you find podcasts, so by all means, just give us a follow subscribe and watch our content.

Josue:  So just just a quick note, it’s even though we’re saying Panic Brothers. It’s just it’s Panic Bros.

Simon:  Ah, yes. B.R.O.S. like Mario Brothers.

Josue:  Yeah, like Mario Brothers. So like,

Simon:  Keep that in mind.

Josue:  Panic Bros on IG Panic Bros on YouTube, and so on and so forth. Yeah, and the Panic Room is Yeah, like I like he said Panic Room is presented by the Panic Bros.

Simon:  Exactly. Yep. Thanks for having us. Oh, by the way, this really appreciate this.

Josue:  Yeah, we appreciate it man. It’s our first interview man.

Zeke:  Yeah. No, problem anytime.

Josue:  Dope. Man.

Zeke: That brings another episode of the Let’s Gather Podcast to a close. Again, you can find the Panic Room and more information about the Panic Bro by clicking the link in description below or going to all major platforms. For next week, my friends, Darrius and Quinn Jones to speak about being black in America. I hope you continue to have a nice day and I hope to see you there.

[Music]