Unofficial aftershow for the official AFTERSHOW: Bees

I was a fan since SourceFed and was excited hearing about Cloverfeels, Dynamic Banter and It Feels Like The First Time because I love Steve Zaragoza. But I was just a lurker and I'm sick of being one.

I agree with the quote, "Be critical of the media you love." I'm going to be critical for selfish reasons because that's what being a fan is all about! Like, nitpicking a series you love.

I've already started some "aftershow" posts of DB and The Valleyfolk in December, but now I feel like relistening to Talkin' Banter. 

I enjoyed finding Owlbynight's blog (and relating to his feelings on Steve).

1:30 Owen's voice is much more soothing than Kevins so it is a shame Owen doesn't want to be apart of the show as much Kevin does. I love listening to Owen talk. Brett's voice is hot too.

I love erotic audios, so I'm drawn to the sound of someone's voice. I don't get suddenly turned on but it is an immediate attraction to whoever is speaking. Like, seeing hot people in movies, you don't get horny on the spot but it's still nice watching them. So, Owen and Brett's voices are nice to hear. 

7:56 That must have felt so good to get that complement from Owen. (The Snapchat video he's talking about.)


10:14-11:20 Say it louder for Kevin in the back!
There's no "worry" that they will forget what they were talking about because Kevin makes sure the boys stay on track now. There's no "worry" that they will talk about a topic incorrectly because Kevin will look up the information. DB loses the magic of forgetting about topics because of a long bit and DB loses episodes where they "bungled it." 

Anyway, it's sweet how much Owen loves them. I hope that when Mike and Steve listened, they had the biggest smiles on their faces. He's their friend but he sounds like a fan in that moment 🧡 

I love Talkin' Banter so much for giving us a peek into their friendship.

15:40 Owen liked Ryan before they became friends!
Ryan is closer to Owen's vibe while Kevin is closer to Steve's. But "Kevin is the new Steve" doesn't fit because DB doesn't need a new Steve, so they feel the need to compare him to Owen 🙄

19:40 They haven't heard Mike's music yet.
I have 3 songs of his in a playlist on Spotify.

20:52 - 21:52 I agree with Owen.

24:51 He was in high school in 1996, I'm guessing as a Freshmen.
I didn't know there were so many Mormons in Phoenix until my Junior year, 2007. My cousin went to the same high school as me and became obsessed with a boy there and found out he was Mormon. She became interested in that religion just for him.

She brought that world into our lives 😒 Her mom became a Mormon then my mom did, for a while. Then my best friend (who was also her best friend) was looking into it but never joined. (Yay!) I was dragged to go to a few Mormon events but I was loyal (lol) to staying Catholic. (I'm not Catholic anymore but I still believe in God, just not in any religion.) 

It was good at least, to learn about them even if I didn't agree with them. I liked feeling like my world got bigger and made me really want to leave Arizona and travel. 

I got to go to Japan because it was with the school. If you take Japanese for 3 years, you can go to Japan during the summer.

(I'm the one with my hand on the wall.)

I also got to visit California with the school by joining the "Asian Studies Club." All we did was sell ramen during lunch time in that club. $1 a cup. If we each worked during lunch a number of times, then we got to go on the trip. It was a weird club because I don't remember studying anything... It was just a place to hangout with people who liked anime.

The teachers in charge of that club were smart. Got a free vacation every year because of over priced ramen 😂 but kids bought them. There was always a line, especially during winter.

(I'm on the left end, standing up.)

California and Japan with no parents, just my friends? I do feel lucky as fuck for being able to experience that.


Then I got to have a taste of camping with the school by joining a club(?) called "Bobcat Town." I only went one year and they only took kids who haven't been before so no one got to go a second time. We were told not to talk about it and the secret made kids interested to sign up.

My friendship with my best friend became stronger. We were put into small groups by random. We got sad and said goodbye to each other but we ended up being in the same group! Other friends got split up that we felt so lucky. We didn't say shit just in case the adults would change us out if they knew. 

The food was so good! I remember that very well. It was shocking how good it was. And our cabins were really cute and cozy. And it was the first time I got to play in snow.

Okay, so it was revealed that this camp was group therapy. We talked about race, gender role stereotypes, sexual orientation, religion, cultures, and our past and home life.

My friend and I talked about things that we didn't know about each other and stuff we might not have shared if it wasn't for this club (it was a three day thing). It pushed us to share our family dramas and it made sense why they didn't want close friends in the same group. People shared personal stories more easily with strangers. I'm glad it made us closer instead of adding an awkwardness between us. 

And that is why they don't want us telling anyone at school what Bobcat Town is. They said if kids knew it was heavy stuff then they wont want to come. They're right. If I heard that, I wouldn't have signed up.

If it rubs you the wrong way to know that adults tricked teens into getting therapy, just know that I'm glad I experienced it. But it was a risk making kids share trauma they aren't prepared to talk about. So, I wouldn't recommend it.

(Red is me and blue is my friend. The boring shirts they gave us on the last day.)

Anyway, I've also been to New York twice for Comic-con but that was only thanks to my aunt who paid for my plain tickets and my mom paid her back with payments.

(2013)

(2014)

I visited California again, for Anime Expo around 2011 (I think.) with my best friend but I guess we didn't take any pictures because I can't find any....

And now I live in West Virginia. I'm so happy to be so far from home. $425 a month for rent, in a house! I'm never leaving the countryside. 

(Bye bye, Phoenix heat.)

It's fun reliving and sharing my "History Road."

Owen says he grew up religious. I wonder how his family responded to him becoming an atheist. Was it easy to lose faith or did he struggle with it?

Not following Christian rules as been a struggle for my mom to accept. She's the only person in my life that bugs me about it. Everyone else leaves me alone, they don't "poke" at the topic with me.

I wonder how it was with Steve and his family. I love how much his mom supports him and watches everything he's in. 

29:46 I never had to go to a "church sleepover." Or any church event.

Other than my mom pushing us to go to church every Sunday, that was pretty much it. (Until my cousin became Mormon when I was 17). I'm so glad to have had a fun childhood where I could hangout wherever and with whoever I wanted to.

But Owen seeing the movie, Spaceballs at one, makes it seem like church sleepovers weren't that boring. Good for him. 

I do remember my first communion because my dad actually went to that.
But other than that, Sunday church was the only thing. 

My mom became strict once I turned 16 and started calling rock music, "evil." So, that was fun because almost every CD I owned was rock 🙃

30:08 My first R-rated movie was A Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween. I loved watching scary movies with others. My friends, cousins and aunts would scream and it made me laugh and feel brave that I never screamed. (I jumped though!)

I was never interested nor "sexually awakened" by sex scenes. I always skipped them or muted the tv. So, what did it for me was when I was the only one up late watching random channels and seeing a Girls Gone Wild commercial. I was imagining myself in their shoes, being wanted by guys. I wasn't attracted to the girls, they were "self-inserts" for me.  

(I know Owen didn't expand more on seeing a sex scene for the first time but him just saying that made me think up my memory of seeing GGW.) But other than that, I never cared about sex scenes.

I did have cartoon character crushes though. Like, Sideburn from Transformers RID 😂

She gets me.

Cars are sexy 🤷

I loved going to the movies and sneaking into other rooms to see another. I always loved seeing two for the price of one. It made the money worth it and it helped pass the time during the summer. I hated being out in that fucking sun. I loved walking around Phoenix at night.

I loved seeing Pokemon on the big screen and getting a Ancient Mew card. The next time I visit Arizona, I should bring my card collection back with me. I feel like looking at them but I'm nervous to ask my mom to ship it to me. It would suck if it got lost or damaged on it's way over. 

For my 10th birthday, my parents made it Pokemon themed 🥳

(2000)

37:42 I bonded with my dad on movies too. My mom could watch horror and action but it wasn't her favorite. My brother hated horror, didn't even stay in the room to watch. 

40:08 I love how excited Owen is about doing an aftershow. He wanted to continue doing Talkin' Banter until that fucking negative email in episode 13. 

I know he would've quit sooner or later because the podcast about Lost was draining him but he wouldn't have given up that instantly if all they got was positive emails. 

That bitch took something awesome from the EZU and DB fandom that we'll never get back 😭

41:56 I have been watching and listening to everything. Owen is saying to do that as a joke. I'm doing it for real since the start of winter.

Other people that I've become a fan of on Youtube, I usually slow down with watching their stuff but I haven't with Steve's content. Since SourceFed, I've kept up with all his stuff. His vibe is nerdy "feel-good" and hilarious. It's really cool to find someone who has a kind heart and who is very funny. He's the best person on the planet. 

And with Owen being his best friend, Owen must be the 2nd best person on the planet. 


Anyway, thanks for reading.

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Relistening to The EZU podcasts

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 I don't have a cat but the vibe in this gif is exactly how I feel and look like right now watching and relistening to Steve Zaragoza's podcasts with his friends. Just drinking tea or coffee with a sweet snack while I browse old subreddits of The EZU that I missed while binge listening to Cloverfeels, DB, Talkin' Banter, First Time Show and the Sourcefed podcast. Even Steve's vlogs.

I'm mostly a lurker fan to most content creators I love so I miss out on their communities socializing with each other and I'm kicking myself for not being more online at the time because back then, Steve read everything. But now, he's too busy and can't. 

I wish I wrote in emails to If Feels Like The First Time, and told them how I related to Owen most of the time during that rewatch. I wish I had sent them something to their P.O. box. But I just enjoyed anonymously, just a number that clicked on their podcast. 

I wish I had done something to be more than a number. 

Then I came across Owlbynight's blog. It's amazing. He put into words exactly how I felt when I discovered Steve Zaragoza on SourceFed. I was watching videos only with Steve in them for a very long time as well. I became fans of the other hosts later but Steve was the funniest person to me. 

Also, I really connected with Steve on being a Mexican who doesn't speak Spanish. It seems like a silly thing to connect on but it was a big deal for me. Any friend I made who also doesn't know Spanish, isn't Mexican so it's not that embarrassing for them like it is for me. 

I got so angry for Steve when I read the comments on the video where he eats Mexican candy with Will. I thought the video was so funny! I don't know why I had to ruin the joy by looking at the comments. Everything they said about Steve is what was said to me from family and kids at school. I got so heated I had to turn my computer off. 

Anyway, I also related to Owlbynight's blog when he explains that it feels comfy behind a screen. Not going out much and not showing his face to the public. 

I take a pic of myself maybe three times a year and it's not for online. It's just for my photo album and scrapbook. And I go out shopping once a month. I do miss going out and hanging out with friends when I lived in Phoenix but I've found out that I can live without that. 

I love how it feels like my husband and I are in our own little world sometimes. I live in West Virginia now and I LOVE it here. So much more quieter and safer.  

I also like how self-aware Owlbynight is about not coming off as a creepy fan because I also do not want to come off creepy when I upload clips of Steve on my channel. I don't monetize anything, they are unlisted so I can link them to this blog from time to time. (And it's from his Twitch streams, those VODs don't last forever there. I wish he would archive them to The Valleyfolk Youtube channel, in a playlist.)

It's the only bit of creativity I have. Steve and his friends do all the work while I just sit back, enjoy their personality and sometimes save clips. 

I loved all the class clowns in my school growing up. Every single time. They made classes fun! I was only lucky enough to become friends with one of them and her name was Aileen. I lost touch with her after going to different high schools in 2004. 

I wonder if she remembers me. 

Most likely not. We weren't best friends but she was my funniest friend I've ever had.

I wonder if she's a content creator. I can't remember her last name so I'll never know. 

I would've loved to have kept in touch with her and have her be the Steve in my life instead of me forming this parasocial relationship with him. I'm good at staying self-aware though because I don't send in emails or comments. And I don't tweet at him too much (I think I @ him like 4 times a year) but I feel the parasocial-ness forming whenever I listen to anything he's in and I talk out loud as if he can hear me. That made me feel kinda crazy until I seen that others talk to themselves too when they listen to podcasts. 

I love that about Tiktok, finding people who relate to my experiences so I don't feel crazy alone. 

I'm so jealous of Jesse for getting into Steve's friend group. That's really awesome because Steve seems like a person that would be a friend for life. 

So, good for you, Jesse! I loved reading your blog explaining what it's like being a fan, I also feel this way with Steve AND another creator named Brittany Broski, I discovered her a year ago and I'll talk about her later. 

(I don't know if I should link your blog because I feel kinda creepy that I found it. I was looking for your aftershow of DB's aftershow because Brett and Owen talk about you and I found the blog that way.)

I think if I ever got to meet Steve and play Fortnite with him, I still wouldn't become friends with him because I'm just not funny on his level. We wouldn't click and that's okay. I'm happy with just remaining a fan. 

Maybe we would bond over talking about horror movies, I can nerd out forever on horror but that's not enough to become friends with someone. I love that I can nerd out with my husband and best friend and I can make them laugh, that's more than enough for me. 

I've been seeing people say online that they don't have the energy to have too many friends and I kinda get it. So, even if I got to game with Steve, I would make sure not to get too close because what's the point? I wont have enough energy to hangout with him. It would be so rare, he would forget my name. 

Another reason I don't see myself ever being in Steve's friend group is because I'm going to share my pet peeves and nitpicks about people in the EZU. And that's not a good thing to do when you want a possible friendship with someone. 

I want to be real and I'm annoyed EZU fans aren't ranting about the things I want to rant about without it being hate. Like the people who stopped being fans of Steve just because he's not friends with Lee anymore and they leave negative comments anytime the Valleycast posts a video. 

I don't want to come off as those haters with my complaints of the EZU. If the things I hate keep happening, I'll still be a fan of the EZU. It's just nitpicks not a dealbreaker. 

It's like how Owen says that he HATES it when podcasters and commentaries start out by telling listeners to go watch a movie first before listening to that episode. Or when they apologized for how they sound because they have a little cold. BUT he still keeps listening. He has his nitpicks but it's not a dealbreaker. It's just something we roll our eyes at when it happens. 

Complaining and sharing our nitpicks just feels so good. It's a release. So, that's what I'm going to do with the podcasts I love later in this post. 

Anyway, another fan started a Talkin' Banter again but they only did 8 episodes.

That just shows that fans really loved the aftershow and I'm bummed it stopped. I understand not doing it every week but never?! 

I thought it was so cute how Brett started Talkin' Banter because he was a fan of Mike and Steve's podcast and wanted to show it. Plus, he said Mike gave him that idea and Owen wanted to join. It's so cute thinking about how excited they were thinking up that podcast only for it to start to feel like a chore.

I wish they wouldn't have recorded every week. Only when they could add more to the conversation. Not every episode is a banger anyways. Keeping up with each episode finally got to them. Owen said that It Feels Like The First Time podcast started to feel like a job and didn't want to be on any other podcast for a long time. It didn't have to be like that.

I wish they were open to pausing Talkin' Banter until First Time Show was done. So, they can go back to having fun with recording and talking about their friends again. Instead of just canceling it completely. 

I miss you, Brett and Owen! I hate thinking too much into that rude email that someone sent in and that was the last episode Owen was on.

I liked when a fan sent a email because they related to Owen that they also never sent in anything before and got inspired by Owen to finally do it. And that made Owen feel like emailing a podcast he liked. I wonder if he did... 

Fans loved Talkin' Banter because it was extra moments to nerd out to about Dynamic Banter and fans get a little more inside information on Steve and Mike from their good friends. 

Anyone who is a friend of Steve are instantly interesting. I wish Owen would understand that. When he went on DB last year, I got annoyed with him when he said only a small group of people listened to First Time Show. Who cares about numbers when fans are being VERY interactive with a show. They sent in music, funny audio edits, emails, tweets, pictures, videos and gifts, to show how much the podcast means to them. It was a funny, nerdy podcast. I even loved the movie episodes. They were fun to listen to. I think everyone overreacts by saying the movie episodes were bad. They weren't. It was fun watching bad movies and laughing at them. 

I wish they still had a PO box because I bet they would still get gifts. Fans relisten to the podcast every year. 

And the Valleycast is still really fun to listen to. Joe and Elliott are fucking funny! I wish they didn't give up on it. I comment from time to time to show support but it feels like no one is reading it. 

There are even people posting a little here and there about them on the subreddit. We want to be supportive but it's hard when the boys wont be active enough with fans about the topics of the Valleycast. They can still grow! It's never too late. They could even start focusing on Twitch. Their gaming streams were so fun to watch. Not many comedians are on Twitch. They could be that unique channel people find.
 
I'm so angry with Lee because they all could've gone their separate ways calmly but her posting second gave her the power. That's all I'll say. 

There was drama with Brittany Broski as well. I found her on the podcast, Violating Community Guidelines. She was doing a podcast with her roommate, Sarah Schauer and they were fucking funny together like how Lee is fucking funny with the boys. But something clearly happened between Brittany and Sarah because suddenly they made a post on Youtube saying that the last video was their last podcast episode and thanking the fans for watching. 

It was sad and shocking. At first we all thought it was the company dropping them but once we noticed that they weren't filming together anymore (like in Tiktoks, personal Youtube channels and Instagram stories) we started to learn that they weren't getting along but their friendship wasn't completely over, because they still follow each other.

They still have not said anything about one another and Sarah has continued to work with the podcasting company that was doing VCG but it's a different podcast name. And she has a new host with her. 

Brittany made a solo podcast and it's my favorite podcast at the moment. 

I know. I know. Fans of the EZU are reading this and thinking, "How the fuck can you say DB isn't your favorite podcast?!" 

Sorry but Brittany is that funny. I really want her and Steve to meet someday! She would fit right into his friend group. And Steve has complained about how there aren't enough women in the EZU. Well, here's one that should be added! 

Plus, me being a woman, I just instantly related to her nerdy fangirl side. I don't fangirl about the same things she does BUT I understand exactly when she explains how it is to be a fan. 

(Women get hate for not talking about important stuff but men can talk about farts and be left alone.)

She reads fanfiction about whatever she's obsessed with and she loves ASMR. That's not something Steve ever talks about doing or understanding. I can see myself being friends with Brittany. 

I couldn't keep up with her comedy or anything but I can talk to her about fangirl shit that Steve wouldn't be into. (He has talked about ASMR with Mike and they both didn't get it. They thought it was sexual, which it isn't. ASMR helps people relax and sleep. Some can be sexual but not all. It reminded me of how people who don't like anime, think all anime is porn.) 

I wish Steve would do a podcast solo or vlog alone again! His vlogs are great.
I love hearing Brittany talk without another host there to interrupt her or disagree with her. And she goes off topic and it's funny to see her try to get back on it. But that wouldn't happen as much if she had someone else there with her. 

Steve, please just do more vlogs about movies since you thought the podcast was bad when you did them with friends. I just want to hear you nerd out about movies again! 

Anyway, Brittany moved out and lives alone now and didn't say why. But I respect it. I'm so grateful that Brittany and Sarah aren't allowing fans to join in on their private drama. That's their business and fans shouldn't feel the need to choose sides. Trisha Hershberger didn't choose either. She said on her stream that she is still friends with all four of them and loves them all. Lee should've let the fans have that too.

Brittany and Sarah seem to want to stay friends because they still follow each other, like I said, so it just seems like they are angry with one another and that's it. 

It's happen to all of us. We fight with friends and it either becomes a big fight and ends it or a big fight that turns it awkward for a while as it slowly heals. So, let it happen to creators with big followings in peace. 

Jesse, if you're reading, I recommend you check Brittany out.

Her and Steve's weird humor makes them feel like the same person but different genders. She's such a good hearted person and shares the issues women have to deal with. Some are obvious issues while others aren't.

I remember on one of Steve's streams, he was talkin to Anna and he was saying that being on Twitch can be annoying when people backseat game but it's not too bad and Anna stopped him and said, "Sorry Steve but try saying that after being a woman streaming." Or something like that and he backtracked and said she was right. He just wasn't thinking about that and it's understandable. I think that's why it's so awesome to have found someone like Brittany who is so fucking funny and is sharing what she goes through as a woman. And as a woman who isn't skinny. 

In the past, Steve has talked about his weight being something that bothers him too. 

Plus, both of them have made some mistakes that pissed off fans but they always show that they are willing to learn. I felt creeped out when Steve dated a fan who was 23 while he was 39 but she is an adult. I just didn't expect him to date girls that young. I think that's another reason why I want to stay a fan and not become his friend. I can have that disconnect where I'm just here for the laughs not his lifestyle choices.

But he didn't do anything wrong. At all. She just shared drama of her being rejected by him because she's immature. She only got attention because Steve is famous. If another 39 year old man slept with her but didn't want to date, she wouldn't be so public about it.

And Brittany's mistake was her saying that big creators need to speak out on big issues while she didn't want to speak on Palestine herself (but she eventually did.) 

(I left this comment on Reddit but it's very long so here's the last part of what I said.)

I just strongly believe they both are good hearted nerds who just want to make content that brings people joy. And they both have a good quick "yes and" improv type humor and I think if they met each other it would be magic. 

I loved that Owen calls Steve a comedic genius in one of the Talkin' Banters, I thought it was cute hearing how much he loves his friend's humor. 

When Brett asks why Owen doesn't want to talk on the mic on DB, Owen says that he isn't funny. It's not his skill. He says DB wouldn't be the same show if he replaced Mike for an episode. 

Years later that is proven wrong though. Steve can carry the humor for any show he's on. The EZU fans love Owen and it sucks he doesn't seem understand that. 

Now for the nitpicks:

1. I hate when Steve talks about not making any money on It Feels Like The First Time. (He mentions it in the DB episode where Owen finally is a guest. Steve says it other times but I didn't keep track.) I wish Steve would just fully treat The First Time Show as a hobby. It doesn't need a schedule even if he was rewatching a TV show. 

Just record after everyone who's going to be on the podcast has finished watching the episodes. 

It can be weekly or monthly. It doesn't need to be stressful or strict. 

It also doesn't need sponsors. Make it a Patreon exclusive for DB or something. 
It also doesn't need to be a video. Keep it a audio only podcast if that's easier. 
Also, fuck the format. If it's hard to find someone who hates it, who cares! Fans just want Steve to nerd out about shows and movies with his friends. The main reason Steve was being strict with this rule is because he wanted his podcast to stick out from the other nerdy podcasts. But the fact that he is on the podcast already makes it different from the rest! 

I wish Steve knew he can carry shows by himself. His streams are proof of that. He's always so entertaining to watch, even when he's just playing a chill game. 

So, it really makes me sad that one day The Valleycast will stop if they mainly care about money even though I feel like the Patreon numbers they have is enough to at least keep it going and to try involving the fans more. Ask fans to leave comments or emails and then read those comments on the next episode. That's all it takes. I hate how they really wont be happy with it just being a fun hangout that is being record and remembered. 

(Me defending them from a hater lol)

2. When Kevin had to replace Mike, he said that he never wants to be on mic ever again even though he can keep up with Steve's humor. I just don't understand why he will put his foot down on being a guest but he's fine with talking in the background every episode? Is it because it was funny when Owen did it?

Owen only wanted to be off mic so he wasn't forced to stay. He wanted the freedom to leave the room anytime he wanted. Kevin never leaves the room so??

 
It's a weird rule Kevin gave himself: "I don't want to talk on mic with you, Steve. So, find someone else but I will talk off mic with you." 

(Please don't act like this is hate. I'll always keep watching DB no matter what. The show is different now, it happens. It's okay!

I love a lot of other shit that I have nitpicks for. Still love them through.

I would never leave a comment or message like this to them. "Hey I don't like this about your podcast, change it!" I've never sent anyone an angry email. People who do that need to just make a blog, call a friend, get a journal, make their own podcast and rant there.)

3. (This is about Brittany Broski) I don't like that she keeps saying millennials are cringe when she really means White millennials. Everything she makes fun of them for doing, I don't know anyone in my life that does that but white people I see online. 

Very interesting that she doesn't point out that the only reason she finds them cringe is because they aren't using AAVE. 

4. I love Brittany but I don't love her fans. They are cringy to me. I know they are just playing around when they act serious about her being their supreme leader but it's too much. It takes over the comments in her Youtube videos.

Steve's fans can be too much as well but it's rare. I usually find them funny when I scroll down and read DB comments, old Valleyfolk and SourceFedNerd comments. Even when they comment while he's streaming.

Her being a supreme leader is funny when the joke is coming from her though. 

Maybe I'm being too bitchy with number 4 through....

That's all I mainly wanted to rant about. Ranting on here isn't forcing anyone to read this vs if I left a comment under the videos or Reddit. 

I just want to end on saying, I'm so happy to have found these funny people and I can't imagine finding anyone else funnier than Steve Zaragoza and Brittany Broski.