Geek Tech 101: Duel Disks

As long as the card game and anime exist in some form, there will always be memes about the fate of the world being decided by a children's card game on Yu-Gi-Oh! I still love the mythology of the series (though I didn't care for how it changed during Zexal and Arc-V) but the series would not be near as engaging if the card game was played on tables and mats, like in the real world. That's why Kaiba's innovation of the duel disk is iconic and revolutionary for the purposes of the series.

Before the Duel Disk

Prior to Kaiba's innovations, it seems that Duel Monsters was played on regular playing mats and tables, like in the real world. It's actually funny to see Bandit Keith dueling in front of a crowd with a little table. But by the time the series begins, Kaiba had already developed his first holographic stadium. This technology was stolen borrowed by Pegasus for the Duelist Kingdom tournament. Imagine trying to install all those random stadiums throughout the island. Silly Pegasus, doing things the hard way. Meanwhile, Kaiba had already begun improving the holographic system with his first frisbee-like duel disk. Like Duelist Kingdom itself, the first duel disk made for some strangely unique rules. Of course it wasn't until Battle City that we got some more standardized rules for the card game.

Battle City's Innovation

At first it seems duel disks were exclusive for Battle City Tournament participants. Duelists weren't limited to the need for a stadium if they wanted a fancy holographic battle. Instead, the Battle City duel disks had holographic projectors that launched and created a stadium anywhere (though it seems like the flying projectors were phased out later on). Finally duelists could play wherever they wanted, including the park, the street, an aquarium, or on the top of a blimp. Dueling would never be the same.

Alternative Duel Disks

Despite the innovation of Kaiba's duel disks, it wasn't long before others would develop their own. During the Orichalcos arc of the anime, Dartz and his minions had their own alternatives to Kaiba's duel disks. He had to make them look extra freaky though apparently. By the time Kaiba opened Duel Academy and Jaden's cohort was in attendance, there was a new duel disk that seemed to be specifically for Duel Academy (though plenty of others had similar ones). Throughout Yu-Gi-Oh GX, we saw plenty of other weird duel disk variations from the Shadow Riders, duel spirits, and some of the transfer students. At some points it seemed like every new character had a duel disk customized for their deck.

Duel Runners and Beyond

After Yu-Gi-Oh GX, all bets were off with duel disks. By the time Yusei had his duel runner, the standard duel disk was a thing of the past in many ways. Dueling on motorcycles was the way to go. But if you weren't a turbo duelist, you still had your regular duel disk that detached. In later seasons, we saw plenty of duel disk variations throughout the multiverse. It kind of makes me sad though... later series like Zexal and Arc-V take the innovation of the duel disk for granted. It was a big deal when it first showed up during Duelist Kingdom and Battle City. A game changer! And we all wanted a duel disk in real life (I had two: original Battle City and the Orichalcos version). Now if only the real ones projected holograms like on television....

More Content You Might Like:

• "LDS Geeks Podcast #15: Yu-Gi-Oh Nostalgia" with Spencer and Joe
• Available for listening on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

LDS Geeks Podcast #41: Sunrise on the Reaping

I thought the next recording Russell and I did would be our first installment in our Animorphs re-read. Instead, we were both enthralled by the latest Hunger Games book. Check it out!

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 41 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent blog posts: click here

Check out Russell's recent blog posts: click here

Show Notes:

    Spencer's Recommendation: The Chronicles of Narnia audiobooks

    Russell's Recommendation: “Nobody” by Casting Crowns

Opposition [Inside Out] All Things

Movies don't often make me cry. They make me want to cry at times, but it's rare that the tears ever leave my eyes. An exception to this rule was Inside Out, one of the first movies I can remember physically evoking tears from me. However, the sequel had me ugly crying. Something about Riley's need to find friends and not be alone. Something about her panic attack on the ice. Something about Anxiety literally running circles in Riley's mind.

Whatever it was that make me so emotional, Inside Out 2 quickly found its spot close to my heart. So when "Pop Culture on the Apricot Tree" did their episode about the movie, I had to dive in. I mentioned this a little during my interview with Carl on our podcast, but the movie and their podcast episode struck a cord with me that cut deep. Not just because of Riley's panic attack, but also because of the lesson I learned from the Apricot Tree crew.

The unexpected lesson from Anxiety has left me thinking and rewatching this movie. "We don't get to choose who Riley is." Anxiety was echoing a comment from Joy and it hits hard. It'd be nice to think that life and emotions would be all joy, comfort, and straightforward. Life is more complex than that. I swear I can feel Anxiety running around in my head most days, trying to get done everything on my to-do list yet having no energy to do any of it. It's easy to let Anxiety run the show and make it central to how I feel about myself and how my days play out. 

I love that this movie shows just how complex emotions and personality can be. At the end of the movie, we get this line from Joy: "But every bit of Riley makes her who she is, and we love all of our girl. Every messy, beautiful piece of her." What is more affirming than that? It would be nice if life were so simple as to say "I'm a good person" like Riley started out the movie believing. Humans are too complex for that. And that's not just psychology. That's doctrine too.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Nephi 2:11)

For years I've thought of that verse through the lens of mortality (which is true). Good things happen to us and bad things happen to us. But I think it also accurately describes the human condition. We have the light of Christ (see Moroni 7) but we also have the natural man (see Mosiah 3). We have both sides in us. I have premortal Spencer in my heart but I also have my mortal experiences influencing my development (makes me think of a Once Upon a Time post that Joe did before I joined the team).

All this to say that maybe we all deserve some grace. I don't do a very good job granting myself that gift, but maybe I can start by sharing that grace with others when they make a mistake. I haven't figured out how to get Anxiety to stop running around my console during the day, but maybe I can show Anxiety some kindness in the meantime. Being frustrated with my kids doesn't need to mean I'm a bad father. Running behind at work doesn't mean I'm a bad clinician. My heart hasn't been able to process and understand those complexities.

In the meantime, maybe I'll just keep rewatching Inside Out 2 and maybe with each viewing I'll get better at giving myself grace.

PS: Does anyone else just want to hug Embarrassment every time he appears?

Get to Know Your Geeks: Conference Reflections

Last year our team shared some of our favorite Easter-related scriptures. This year, as I listened to General Conference, I wanted to share some of our insights or highlights from this Conference. Good motivation for me to listen to the talks again, since I can't always listen with my kids around. We are grateful for modern-day prophets and ongoing revelation from heaven!

--Spencer

Russell: "Receive His Gift" by Elder Kearon and "Cherishing Life" by Elder Anderson

I love General Conference and the chance to hear from living prophets and apostles. As Spencer alluded to earlier, children can make paying attention the first time through difficult. I was travelling for much of the Saturday sessions and my daughter held my attention for much of Sunday's sessions. However, I always enjoy going back and reviewing the messages shared. I also cherish the first impressions I get because the Holy Ghost still testifies of the truths shared even when I cannot give full attention. I always love hearing where new temples will be built. It is a testimony to me that the work of God is moving forward. I also loved hearing apostles testify of the living, resurrected Christ. They are called to be special witnesses of Him and hearing them testify of Him is powerful. Those are my general thoughts about conference.

Specifically, Elder Anderson and Elder Kearon's talks stuck out to me. Elder Anderson's story about the couple expecting a child with trisomy 21 made me think of my cousin and his wife who recent had and then subsequently buried their daughter who had trisomy 23. They learned of their daughter's condition fairly early on in the pregnancy and my cousin's wife endured the entire pregnancy and birth. They considered it a miracle that they had 3 days with their daughter. I suppose there is a connection between Elder Anderson's and Elder Kearon's talks. Elder Kearon spoke about the gift of knowing that you are a child of God. This knowledge can be life changing and quite comforting in times of trial, hardship, and difficulty. Heavenly Father knows us and loves us very much. I love that Elder Anderson spoke of the sanctity of life and that Elder Kearon spoke of the gift of knowing what it means to have a life as a child of God.

Spencer: "Right Before Our Eyes" by Elder Rasband

I went into General Conference this year with a more specific prayer than usual. The last few months (and the last year) have been a struggle to keep up with the seemingly increasing number of changes in my life. I've felt for the past year (maybe longer) that Heavenly Father wants me to focus on taking care of myself, instead of exhausting myself to the point of breakdown. As I listened to Conference (and as I've relistened to talks I missed or forgot) I was reminded of the importance of developing a relationship with the Savior. Elder Rasband's talk was one of these, teaching about how our lives, our priorities, and our outlooks change as we come to understand our Heavenly Father and our Savior. Ever since these talks (and whenever I listen to a talk that reminds me of that impression) I try to think of how I can slow down and focus on the basics. How can I let go of my temporal worries and trust in the Father? He's always provided for me and my family in the past. Why not now? Just like any relationship, it's important to keep the relationship strong. It doesn't take long for a relationship to dwindle, so it's vital to take stock of important relationships and keep them close. I'm still trying to figure out what developing that relationship with God means for me, but the frequent reminders from General Conference help.

Michael: "Right Before Our Eyes" by Elder Rasband

As I prepare to defend my dissertation from BYU, Elder Ronald A. Rasband’s April 2025 General Conference talk, “Right Before Our Eyes,” resonated deeply with me. He emphasizes the Lord’s hastening work, highlighting the expansion of the Church through increased membership, missionary efforts, temple construction, and educational opportunities. Elder Rasband notes the fulfillment of Joseph Smith’s prophecy that the Church would fill the world, stating, “That prophecy is being fulfilled ‘right before our eyes.’” His message underscores the significance of education in this divine acceleration, aligning with my own experiences at BYU. Elder Rasband’s counsel to “give the Lord equal time” serves as a reminder to balance secular learning with spiritual growth. As I transition from student life, his words inspire me to continue contributing to the Lord’s work, recognizing the majesty of this moment and the role education plays in preparing us for future service. On a personal note I know that I would not have been able to graduate without the Lord's help and thanks to attending the temple and scripture studying I have been able to do something I know I wouldn't be able to do on my own. I am so grateful that the work of the Lord is being hastened so others can feel of the great joy that God brings to our lives.

 

Pokemon Binge List: Indigo League (2/3)

I can't say I'm a perfect parent, but I think I'm doing a great job indoctrinating my kids with Pokémon. Between my older daughter joining me for Pokemon TCG Pocket and feeding her Eevee daily on Pokemon Go, I think she might be investing in the franchise more (the Clefairy Squashmallow she got for Christmas from my brother might have helped too). And naturally I keep inviting (making) her watch the anime.

We finished the highlights of the Indigo League, but we still have plenty of other options to watch. As of the end of my last Pokémon Binge List, here's where Ash's badge count and our main characters' team rosters stood:

Ash’s Badge Count: 3

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle   

Misty’s Team: Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen 

Brock’s Team: Onix, Geodude, Zubat

Jessie’s Team: Ekans 

James’s Team: Koffing

Season 1, Episode 19: "Tentacool & Tentacruel"
Click here to watch

They lay the tree hugging message on pretty thick, but the antagonist is literally named Nastina. It's hard to not be against her and on the side of the Tentacool. But here's where Misty gets her poor little Horsea.

Misty’s Team: Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen, Horsea

Season 1, Episode 21: “Bye Bye Butterfree”
Click here to watch

Why did Pokemon have to go and break our hearts? Ash's original team was only around for a handful of episodes when you think about it, but it remains iconic and Butterfree's departure will make you cry. PS: When can we get pink Butterfree in Pokemon Go?

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle   

Season 1, Episode 24: “Haunter Versus Kadabra”
Click here to watch

This episode concludes the trilogy of episodes about Ash getting the Marsh Badge from Sabrina. Despite never actually catching Haunter, Ash was able to coerce a badge from Sabrina and reunite her family. As a father, I approve. But you can also check out "Abra and the Psychic Showdown" and "The Tower of Terror" before viewing this one.

Ash’s Badge Count: 4

Season 1, Episode 25: “Primeape Goes Bananas”
Click here to watch

I suppose it's cute they gave a backstory to Ash's favorite hat. And while they don't keep Primeape around for very long (or revisit him ever again), here's where we meet Ash's first fighting Pokemon and his first disobedient Pokemon.

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle, Primeape

Season 1, Episode 26: “Pokémon Scent-sation!”
Click here to watch

In case you needed a reminder that Ash is an immature ten-year-old, he's disrespectful to all the girls at the Celadon City Gym. But he kind of redeemed himself by stopping the gym from burning down. So I guess that deserves a badge?

Ash’s Badge Count: 5

Season 1, Episode 27: “Hypno's Naptime”
Click here to watch

This episode hits harder as a parent. And it's super creepy. It's hard to like Hypno. And then Psyduck catches itself? I gotta ask though... why did Misty feel compelled to keep it?

Misty’s Team: Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen, Horsea, Psyduck

Season 1, Episode 28: “Pokémon Fashion Flash”
Click here to watch

We don't get a lot of moments where Brock is really shown as a budding Pokemon breeder. Despite still being a kid, he shows his maturity compared to Ash and Misty. No better deserving trainer for Vulpix.

Brock’s Team: Onix, Geodude, Zubat, Vulpix

Season 1, Episode 29: “The Punchy Pokémon”
Click here to watch

After only having Primeape for a handful of episodes and a rocky relationship, Ash was able to make peace with his fighting friend... only to leave him behind. 

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmander, Squirtle

Season 1, Episode 30: “Sparks Fly for Magnemite”
Click here to watch

Another weird tree-hugging episode. And after being so antagonistic during this episode, Muk always appears so affectionate afterwards. It makes me wonder why catching a Pokemon changes its nature.

Season 1, Episode 31: “Dig Those Diglett!”
Click here to watch

Yet another tree-hugger episode. But what really makes this episode really weird is that Team Rocket basically willed their Pokemon to evolve with their tears.

Jessie’s Team: Arbok

James’s Team: Weezing

Season 1, Episode 32: “The Ninja Poké-Showdown”
Click here to watch

Maybe if it weren't for Team Rocket, Ash could actually have a normal gym battle. But Ash got his Soul Badge and we discovered that Psyduck has some useful powers... sometimes.

Ash’s Badge Count: 6

Season 1, Episode 35: “The Legend of Dratini”

This episode was never dubbed into English (because guns) but it's worth noting its existence since Ash caught his thirty Tauros here. I remember being confused about that later on at Professor Oak's lab.

Season 1, Episode 43: “The March of the Exeggutor Squad”
Click here to watch

So the Exeggcute guy is super creepy. I can't get over that. But at least it got Charmander to evolve... only for Charmeleon to start disobeying in the next episode.

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charmeleon, Squirtle

Season 1, Episode 46: “Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon”
Click here to watch

Dino Pokemon are cool. Simple as that. Plug Charmeleon evolved into Charizard and we got the mysterious Pokemon egg. But we'll have to wait until the third installment of this list before it hatches.

Ash’s Team: Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle

And there we go for this round. As of now, all Indigo League episodes is available on the Pokemon TV YouTube channel. Gotta watch ‘em all!

LDS Geeks Podcast #40: Twenty Years of Modern Who

I'm not sure any other franchise could celebrate its 60th anniversary and then its 20th anniversary two years later. Doctor Who is special like that and it fits the franchise well. So TJ and I had stop to talk about the modern era of Doctor Who, since we're not done with the Fourth Doctor's tenure yet. Enjoy!

--Spencer 

Geek Tech 101: Zords

It’s been well over a year since the final episode of Power Rangers. Even though whispers of a reboot keep coming around, the franchise will never be the same. But maybe the beauty of Power Rangers is that it kept evolving and rebooting. Despite literally dozens of soft reboots, one of the things (besides vibrantly colored heroes) that made the franchise iconic was their Zords.

From its earliest episodes, it was a recurring element of the series for the monster of the day to grow to Godzilla size. On occasion, like with the robots in SPD, the monster didn’t grow but a gargantuan enemy needed to be defeated. So each generation of Rangers needed Zords and Megazords. 

The concept of the Zords changed from season to season, but generally each Power Ranger had a Zord they piloted and the team’s Zords would combine into their Megazord. Exceptions to this include the Astro Megazord and the Delta Base Megazord. Regardless of how each Megazord was formed or transformed, it’s amazing that the civilian casualties didn’t reach hundreds during the seemingly daily monster battles. 

Because some Zords are sentient, I thought for a short moment about making this blog post into a Creature Feature. However, enough number of Zords are pure technology (like on Lightspeed Rescue and on SPD) that they fit better as tech, not creature. All the same, the creature-based Zords are phenomenal. The Zords of the Wild Force Rangers and the Galactibeasts of the Lost Galaxy Rangers are some of my favorite sentient Zords. 

The Zords turned into plot points and deus ex machina at times, depending on the season, with their miraculous arrivals or hunting for them. Some seasons it barely seemed like the Zords played a part in the plot, like with the Space Rangers. Other times it felt like a new Zord was discovered every other episode, like with the Wild Force Rangers. I think my favorites were the seasons somewhere in the middle, where they supplemented the Rangers character arcs, instead of becoming characters themselves. 

The 2017 Power Rangers movie kind of poked fun at this, but I often find it interesting how intuitive driving a Zord must be. Sometimes these Power Rangers were barely old enough to drive, but they could drive a Megazord with no problem (and then there was Justin who was young enough the Zord had to drive him). That’s the plot armor of a kid show though, not having to worry about the technical experience to fight the weekly baddie. 

With 2025 being the year of Power Rangers SPD, I plan to write more Ranger content this year (like I tried to do with LOST’s twentieth anniversary last year) so if there’s something you want explored from the Power Rangers franchise, you can reach me at the Command Center.

Go go Power Rangers!

An Easter Dayenu

            My wife and I recently had an opportunity to watch a few of the new episodes of the Chosen in the theater. The part that stuck out to me the most was the Dayenu. I am admittedly unfamiliar with this practice and prayer at Passover, but loved the portrayal of two versions of the dayenu in one the episodes of season 5. Dayenu is roughly translated from Hebrew to English as “it is sufficient” or “it would have been enough.” The song traces the history of God’s working among His people from captivity in Egypt through the building of the temple. After each accounting, “it would have been enough” is uttered. Here is an example of what this looks like in lyrical form:

            “If He had brought us out from Egypt, and had not carried out judgments against them Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had carried out judgments against them, and not against their idols Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had destroyed their idols, and had not smitten their first-born Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!

If He had smitten their first-born, and had not given us their wealth Dayenu, it would have sufficed us!” (https://www.chabad.org/multimedia/media_cdo/aid/255530/jewish/Dayenu.htm)

From what I have seen and heard of this song, it is a song of thanksgiving for what the Lord has done for His people.

 It reminded me of a talk from President Eyring in 2007 about seeing and recording the hand of the Lord in his life. Here is what he shared about the experience of recording and remembering the hand of God in his life each day:

“I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?” As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.” (“O Remember, Remember” October 2007)

    Since hearing this talk, I too have tried to keep a record of how I have seen the hand of God in my life each day. I testify of the truth of this line from “Count your many blessings,” 

“Count your many blessings; name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

I can think of no better time than at Easter when we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to remember and acknowledge what the Lord has done for us. I loved being able to study in the scriptures about Holy week and the last week of the Savior’s mortal life. If I were to write lyrics to my own Dayenu song, I suppose these are some of the things I would write: 

“If all He did was give us good teachings, it would have been enough. 

If He had given us good teachings and not also healed, it would have been enough. 

If He had healed, but not also atoned for our sins, it would have been enough. 

If He had atoned for our sins and not died for us, it would have been enough. 

If He had died for our sins and not been resurrected, it would have been enough. 

If He had been resurrected and not promised us the gift of resurrection ourselves it would have been enough.”

The beauty of remembering these things is that He has done all this and more. What a miracle it is, and indeed, it is more than enough.

Thunderbolts Binge List

I started doing these Marvel binge list posts when MCU Phase Four started and it seemed like half the fans had binged the existing MCU movies for Infinity War and Endgame. Only a couple weeks until Thunderbolts premieres in theaters and it's our first big crossover since Endgame.  Sure, we've had Multiverse of Madness and The Marvels, but that's about as big as we've had since the Avengers' last battle. To prepare for the Thunderbolts, here are the movies that are essential for refreshing your memory before this band of misfits hit the big screen. And with less than a month to go, it may take some literal binging.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2 hours 4 min)

Chronologically we need to start with Bucky. Before he became the Winter Soldier, he was best friends with Steve Rogers. Even though Steve Rogers is out of the picture, Bucky keeps popping up here and there in the post-Endgame Marvel projects. And it seems like he'll be leader of the Thunderbolts (if anyone can lead them).

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2 hours 16 min)

And with Bucky leading the Thunderbolts, the next logical movie to watch is the way named after him. Is there a better reveal in any MCU project than Steve seeing that Bucky is the Winter Soldier? This was a game changer in MCU history with repercussions still in Phase Five.

Captain America: Civil War (2 hours 28 min)

The first chunk of this binge list is essentially getting to know Bucky again. So we'll continue on with when Bucky finally got his mind back. Like The Winter Soldier, this movie continues to have repercussions across the MCU. Infinity War would have looked very different if not for Civil War. Finally here, Bucky gets some help.

Black Widow (2 hours 13 min)

Though this movie came out after Endgame, the bulk of the movie takes place immediately after Civil War. Joe and I talked about this on the podcast, but a bulk of the Thunderbolts come from this movie. So you'll need to check this movie out to meet Yelena, Red Guardian, and Taskmaster again. And of course we get Valentina appearing in the credit scene, alongside Yelena, after the events of Endgame.

Black Panther (2 hours 15 min)

Optional viewing for Bucky (again) as we have a credit scene of Shuri visiting Bucky and, for the first time in decades, he's not the Winter Soldier anymore (unless he wants to tap into those skills on his own).

Avengers: Infinity War (2 hours 29 min)

Thanks to Wakandan tech, Bucky is better and ready for battle against Thanos. Just in time for him and his Vibranium arm to be dusted by Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet and the Avengers are left to grieve everyone... for now.

Ant-Man and the Wasp (1 hour 58 min)

Now for some new blood. While the Avengers were busy with Thanos (or maybe a short time before Thanos) Ant-Man and Wasp had to face off against Ava Starr who was fighting for her life. In the aftermath of their fight, Scott and the Pyms used access to the Quantum Realm to help stabilize Ava's Ghost powers. I guess we'll see how that works when she appears in Thunderbolts.

Avengers: Endgame (3 hours 2 min)

And we return to the Avengers. After a few years, they assembled again to reverse Thano's snap. So welcome back Bucky and the rest, including Yelena (though we don't learn about her death until Hawkeye), And despite being with Bucky until "the end of the line" Steve decided to say goodbye to his oldest friend. 

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Episodes 1-6)

We're in the post-Endgame era now. We were all excited for this Disney Plus series, especially after the success of WandaVision. Here is where we met the loose cannon John Walker (aka US Agent) and dealt with the fallout of him trying to measure up to Steve Rogers as Captain America. I'm curious how the years in between will have affected him. This series was also our first introduction to Valentina on screen and we know she'll play a big role with the Thunderbolts.

Hawkeye (Episodes 4-6)

After coming back in the Blip and receiving new instructions from Valentina, Yelena went off to avenge her adopted sister by attempting to kill Natasha's best friend. But of course Yelena and Clint come to an understanding by the end of the finale. And we got some adorably funny banter from Yelena, teasing Kate Bishop, which was my favorite part of this series. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2 hours 41 min)

Her part wasn't the biggest in this movie, but Valentina came back and we found out she used to be married to Everett Ross. So while he was aiding the Wakandans, she tried to throw a wrench into their plans. I guess we'll see where that leaves her.

Captain America: Brave New World (1 hour 58 min)

Obviously the main focus of this movie was Red Hulk and Sam Wilson, but Bucky made an appearance. It's cool to me that despite his history we see glimpses of Bucky's life and success after Endgame. I wonder how much of his Winter Soldier story is available to the public. Full disclosure: I wasn't able to see this movie in theaters so I'm hoping it arrives on Disney Plus in time to view before I see Thunderbolts in May.

And now we watch (these movies/series) and wait for the release. I'm excited! And since half the Thunderbolts are confirmed to appear in Doomsday, I'm curious how this movie will lead into next year. If you want more discussion on the upcoming Thunderbolts, check out our latest Marvel episode on the Latter-Day Saint Geeks Podcast--Joe and I had some fun talking about this one in particular.

LDS Geeks Podcast #39: Future of Marvel (2)

We have three more Marvel projects coming up in the next few months, so I had to talk to Joe so we could speculate what to expect.

--Spencer

Fourth Doctor Revisited: The Deadly Assassin

I'm still working my way through the Fourth Doctor era, trying to catch up to TJ. I recently watched "The Deadly Assassin" which is pretty unique among Doctor Who stories, especially of the classic era. We get a return to Gallifrey, the Master's dying form, a murder mystery, and the establishment of plenty of Doctor Who lore.

Let's start with the return to Gallifrey and the murder mystery. Last we left the Doctor, he said goodbye to Sarah Jane Smith (in the wrong city) to follow a call to Gallifrey. Come to find out it was a premonition about an assassination. And naturally the Doctor is in the right place at the wrong time and gets accused of the murder. How many times has that been used as a means of pulling the Doctor further into the drama? Not complaining. It works. Though this time it was an accusation from people who knew him and it took nominating himself as a presidential candidate to stay alive. And that role as the president keeps coming back whenever he visits Gallifrey again.

After the passing of Roger Delgado, the Master and his plots basically faded into the past, like the Great Intelligence and the Toymaker. "Frontier in Space" could have easily been the Master's last story. Instead, they decided to bring him back during the Fourth Doctor era. They could have simply made him regenerate, but instead gave him a plot to avoid his final death. This meant adding the rule of the twelve regenerations (which we'll address in a second) but it brought back this beloved villain. The first of many times that the Master should have been deader than dead and still came back. But we'll come back to this decaying version of the Master soon enough.

This is one of those stories that established parts of Doctor Who lore that has endured for decades. In addition to the limit of twelve regenerations, this story brought us back to Gallifrey, its politics and culture, and the Matrix. In some ways, showing the inner workings of Gallifrey makes them less mysterious I suppose (which is why I'd be very okay if they never reveal the Doctor's real name) but it gave a new sense of urgency. Yes, the Time Lords are very advanced and often benevolent. But this story also showed their darker aspects, making them not much better than humans. In addition, the regeneration limit puts a little more emphasis on each death of a Time Lord, as they're not just reborn forever. With the Doctor possibly being the Timeless Child, he might be the exception... but that's a discussion for when we rewatch the Thirteenth Doctor.

I couldn't find a source for the story, but I read on the Doctor Who wiki that Tom Baker wanted an episode all to himself. A big feat for any actor, to only play off himself. This is as close as we got in the classic era, but we've this companion-less style repeated in modern Doctor Who, with some companion-lite stories (like "Midnight") and one-off companions (like "Voyage of the Damned" and "Joy to the World"). It's one of the few times we truly see the Doctor alone (unless you count Spandrell or Engin as his companions). Peter Capaldi finally got to realize Tom Baker's Doctor-only adventure in "Heaven Sent" but even that story had the monster of the Confession.

Alright, guys! Time to speed things up with my Doctor Who viewing. I need to catch up with TJ so that we have more Whovian content to record on the podcast. 

IF & HG

 I write this as I’ve just watched the movie “IF” for the first time while flying on an airplane for my wife and my first trip away from our daughter. Yep, I cried. No helping it. Just could not hold it in. I loved that John Krasinski directed it and loved that the actress who played Mrs. Dursley in Harry Potter was the Grandma in “IF”. Such a lovely story about imaginary friends (IFs) and the role they have in helping their children even when the children are grown up. 

The story revolves around Elizabeth, who goes by Bea as she experiences the loss of her mother as well as the pending surgery for her father. Lots of an emotions for a 12 year old girl to go through. A big take away for me is that kids need their parents and kids need their imagination even if it is not an imaginary friend. 

Perhaps the imaginary friends could be representative of the Holy Ghost and how we need his influence and guidance throughout our lives. As a comforter, as a guide, and a teacher. It reminds me of Elder Bednar’s talk about receiving the Holy Ghost where he shares that this is an invitation that, for me, is a lifelong quest. While I don’t see the Holy Ghost, I know he is very real and I know that I need his influence every day, much like the grown ups in “IF” still need their imaginary friends at every stage of their lives.

Reflections from DigiCon 2025

A couple weeks ago Digimon celebrated their 25th anniversary with DigiCon 2025. Plenty of other blogs and websites reported on the announcements and updates as they were given, but I felt like I'd be a poor Digimon fan if I didn't at least share some thoughts (and I am the self-proclaimed Digimon King). So this is less a summary of the announcements and more my personal feelings about each announcement.

Digimon Adventure: Beyond

After the release of The Beginning there was no clear direction as to where the franchise was going next. Sure, Digimon keeps making games, but what about the anime? I wouldn't even care as much about the next installment in Digimon Adventure if they hadn't explicitly left a gap in the continuity between Last Evolution Kizuna and the Digimon Adventure 02 epilogue. So when the short/music video "Beyond" was released, I hoped for some answer to how Agumon and Gabumon returned. No such luck. Instead, we got a montage of adventures taking place between Digimon Adventure Tri and Kizuna. I definitely enjoyed the video, seeing some adventures as the Digi-Destined grew up. We got shots of Meiko, alternate armor digivolutions, and plenty of other Easter eggs alluding to storylines old and new. Even Lui appeared, so it begs a rewatch. Maybe someday I'll get my wish and we'll get more.

Digimon Beatbreak

Though no dub information is likely to come any time soon, a new anime was announced. Another branch in the Digimon multiverse. This new anime is about "emotion-devouring Digital Lifeforms". Because it's phrased that way, I expect a darker tone in this series compared to the ones I watched as a kid. I still need to watch Digimon Ghost Game, but I imagine the tone of this anime will be similar. Granted, a lot of that is based off the revealed poster. And that's like judging a book off its cover. Either way, it's set to broadcast in Japan this fall. I'm banking on it appearing on Crunchyroll.

Digimon Story: Time Stranger

I never had a game system to match with popular/successful Digimon games. Historically I said that Pokemon has a better track record with games and Digimon is better with anime. But now Pokemon has mixed up its anime and I haven't played a new video game since I bought Ultra Sun. I heard that Cyber Sleuth was a successful video games series in Digimon's corner, but I haven't saved the money to buy Switch (bought a house instead) and the time to play it. Since I'm inexperienced in this department, I sit here with curiosity to see how it plays out. A name like "Time Stranger" makes me wish it were about jumping around the Digimon multiverse, but I know better than to wish for that.

Digimon Alysion

This is the announcement I'm most excited about. After playing Pokemon TCG Pocket and Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Links, I'm excited to get my hand into the Digimon card game. I have a handful of physical cards from when I saw The Beginning in theaters, but I lack people to play the game with. Without close friends to play against, I decided to avoid spending money on booster packs (I had horrible luck with booster packs when I collected Yu-Gi-Oh cards anyway). With an app similar to Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, maybe I'll get invested enough to buy physical cards. Plus it sounds like it'll have more of a story than Pokemon TCG Pocket. That could be fun. I miss having a Digimon mobile game--I never understood the mechanics of Digimon ReArise, but it had my buddy Dorumon.

Toys and More

DigiCon had plenty of other announcements, including anniversary toys and Digivices. Since I can't imagine myself taking a Digivice toy to work, I probably won't buy one--I remember how my old D3 would start beeping. That being said, I'm grateful that the franchise is growing even if I'm unlikely to buy the toys... though I am liable to base a cosplay around a Digivice toy... you shouldn't put it past me. I would love to get all the toys... But for now, I'm going to just keep rewatching Digimon anime on repeat.

Animorphs Book Club Reading Schedule

I finally finished reading the entirety of the Animorphs series. As Russell and I discussed on the podcast, we want to read through the series together and book club about it on the podcast. It took me about sixteen months to read through the series by myself, so I can’t expect us to read it quicker than that together. If you’d like to join us on this journey with the Animorphs, here’s our reading schedule. 

We plan to record towards the end of each month indicated, so feel free to chime in with your commentary by sending us a message on Facebook, Instagram, or Discord. We’ve never done a podcast series quite like this before, so check back here for any changes to the reading schedule. 

Part 1 - Record in April 2025 - Release in May 2025

#1 - The Invasion

#2 - The Visitor

#3 - The Encounter

#4 - The Message

Part 2 - Record in May 2025 - Release in June 2025

#5 - The Predator

#6 - The Capture

#7 - The Stranger

Megamorphs #1 - The Andalite's Gift

Part 3 - Record in July 2025 - Release in August 2025

#8 - The Alien

#9 - The Secret

#10 - The Android

#11 - The Forgotten

#12 - The Reaction

Part 4 - Record in August 2025 - Release in September 2025

#13 - The Change

The Andalite Chronicles

#14 - The Unknown

#15 - The Escape

Part 5 - Record in September 2025 - Release in October 2025

#16 - The Warning

#17 - The Underground

#18 - The Decision

Megamorphs #2 - In the Time of Dinosaurs

Part 6 - Record in October 2025 - Release in November 2025

#19 - The Departure

#20 - The Discovery

#21 - The Threat

#22 - The Solution

Part 7 - Record in November 2025 - Release in December 2025

The Hork-Bajir Chronicles

#23 - The Pretender

#24 - The Suspicion

#25 - The Extreme

Part 8 - Record in January 2026 - Release in February 2026

#26 - The Attack

#27 - The Exposed

#28 - The Experiment

#29 - The Sickness

Megamorphs #3 - Elfangor's Secret

Part 9 - Record in February 2026 - Release in March 2026

#30 - The Reunion

#31 - The Conspiracy

#32 - The Separation

#33 - The Illusion

Part 10 - Record in March 2026 - Release in April 2026

#34 - The Prophecy

#35 - The Proposal

Visser

#36 - The Mutation

Part 11 - Record in May 2026 - Release June 2026

#37 - The Weakness

#38 - The Arrival

#39 - The Hidden

#40 - The Other

#41 - The Familiar

Part 12 - Record June 2026 - Release July 2026

Megamorphs #4 - Back to Before

#42 - The Journey

#43 - The Test

#44 - The Unexpected

Part 13 - Record July 2026 - Release August 2026

#45 - The Revelation

#46 - The Deception

#47 - The Resistance

#48 - The Return

Part 14 - Record August 2026 - Release September 2026

#49 - The Diversion

#50 - The Ultimate

#51 - The Absolute

#52 - The Sacrifice

Part 15 - Record September 2026 - Release October 2026

#53 - The Answer

The Ellimist Chronicles

#54 - The Beginning

Alternate ending?