Friday Creature Feature - D-Reaper

Of all creatures I could feature on Halloween, it might seem strange I chose the D-Reaper, the final big bad of Digimon Tamers. Even in the Digimon franchise, there are lots of other well known creatures (Devimon, Myotismon, Arukenimon, etc.) but as bad as they are, the D-Reaper is worse. 

The D-Reaper is AI run amock. The same thing could be said for Digimon, but here’s the big difference: Digimon are AI programs with souls (evil souls for Devimon and Myotismon, but still) and the D-Realer is soulless. It’s the cold, unfeeling nature of the D-Reaper that makes it so scary. Even worse than the Cybermen in Doctor Who.

Once upon a time, the D-Reaper was a simple program for cleaning up data. Kind of like those apps that say they’ll clean up your phone storage. However, like the Digimon, it grew from data it absorbed, including those digital monsters. As the D-Reaper grew and learned, it surpassed its original purpose and started indiscriminately destroying Digimon. If destroying innocent Digimon weren’t enough, the D-Reaper would turn its focus to the human world. Humans had exceeded their original parameters, just like Digimon.

By the time the Digimon Tamers encountered the D-Reaper in the Digital World, it was a pink blob capable of deleting and destroying simply by touching an object. Before the Digimon Sovereign could assist the Tamers to escape in the Monster Makers’ ark, the D-Reaper latched onto Jeri. She was emotionally cold and numb as she grieved the loss of her partner Leomon, making her a perfect host for the D-Reaper.

After hitching a ride to the human world with Jeri, the D-Reaper took on a new form, more evolved and complex. Different D-Reaper agents started coming after mankind and the technology we’d developed. The core “quantum bubble” expanded and forced residents to evacuate, but it also started appearing around the world. As the Digimon Tamers fought, they slowly learned that human concepts like family relationships and emotions were foreign and useless. Maybe even detrimental.

It took Jeri waking up inside the D-Reaper core and empowering herself (with Calumon’s help) to put a wrench in the pink blob’s plans. Add to that MegaGargomon using Juggernaut to devolve the D-Reaper, with an assist from the Digimon Sovereign. Finally the D-Reaper was defeated. Unbeknownst to the kids, the victory cost them their Digimon partners returning to the digital plane. But not forever, as seen in Runaway Locomon (which is being re-dubbed and released at the end of the year).

As I said, the D-Reaper is cold and unfeeling. That’s what makes it scary. Like the Cybermen on Doctor Who, the D-Reaper seeks out anything it deems unnecessary, like human relationships and emotions. As well as humans and Digimon themselves. While evil like Myotismon and Devimon are scary in their maliciousness, the D-Reaper’s Cyberman-like nature is what should give you chills. 

The D-Reaper could be a metaphor for depression and other mental health challenges, like the Dementors in Harry Potter. It’s easy to think no feelings are better than being engulfed in depression and anxiety, even to the point of not existing at all. It’s our destiny to suffer. However, as the Digimon Tamers taught the D-Reaper (while pummeling it) we can choose our destinies and the feelings are what make us human. I’ll finish off with this quote by Jeri Katou that I absolutely love, as she breaks free from the D-Reaper’s spiraling negative influence:

“It was wrong of me to believe that feeling nothing was better than feeling sad. The sadness was real. It was human! I misunderstood Leomon. He never meant me to think my life had no meaning. He said that we all have our own destiny, and that's not the same thing. Every one of us has a destiny that's different and that's special! ... You can't delete even one of us without deleting something the whole world needs. Every one of us has something important to do!"

LDS Geeks Podcast #52: Animorphs Re-Read (5)

As much we keep calling these books filler, there was no shortage of things to discuss in these books. Plus, there were dinosaurs. Check it out!

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 52 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:

00:12 - Introductions
00:42 - Spencer's Recommendation: The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
            "A Case of Mistaken Identity: Carter and Sadie Kane" by Spencer
03:31 - Russell's Recommendation: "Time is Love" by Josh Turner
05:15 - The Animorphs Series (so far)
06:04 - #16: The Warning
12:52 - #17: The Underground
21:03 - #18: The Decision
32:25 - Megamorphs 2: In the Time of Dinosaurs
41:58 - Conclusion

Who is Giovanni?

A couple years ago, for the spooky season, I spotlighted Team Rocket’s Jessie, James, and Meowth. Since I try to do as many villain related posts as I can each October, this year I’m moving on to spotlight the Team Rocket boss: Giovanni. 

Main Series Game Giovanni

In the original Gen I games (and their remakes) Giovanni led Team Rocket to catch and collect rare and powerful Pokemon (but somehow most grunts only had the likes of Zubat and/or Raticate). At some point he fathered the rival character known as Silver. During the course of the game, the protagonist Red faced off against Giovanni’s grunts in Lavender Town and against Giovanni himself at the Celadon Game Corner and Silph Co.

After Red stopped Giovanni from obtaining the Master Ball (maybe to reclaim Mewtwo?), the Rocket leader retreated to the Viridian City Gym, as the gym leader. Naturally that put him inadvertently in Red’s crosshairs again. Once the protagonist won his Earth Badge, the humbled Giovanni disbanded Team Rocket. A group of Rocket executives tried to convince him to return a few years later, but thankfully he didn’t respond to the call. 

During the events of Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon, an alternate version of Giovanni formed Team Rainbow Rocket. Having come through an Ultra Wormhole, this version of the Rocket boss wasn’t thwarted by Red and proceeded to recruit the boss villains from the other preceding games. 

Anime Giovanni

Similar to the video game version, in the anime Giovanni was the boss of Team Rocket. For a long while his character was literally shrouded in shadow. Like in the video games, he was the gym leader in Viridian City. However, in the anime, he had control of Mewtwo for a time after commissioning his creation, leading into the first theatrical Pokemon movie. He definitely wasn’t a fair gym leader, throwing out Mewtwo against challengers on his whim; Gary Oak had two Pokemon fighting Mewtwo and he still lost. 

Things differed somewhat from season to season, but generally Giovanni was exasperated by Jessie, James, and Meowth. At the beginning of the series, he seemed to trust them and act like they were confident. Things probably started to go downhill for them when they fixated on capturing Pikachu (Did Giovanni ever actually want Ash’s Pikachu or was that just part of the trio’s fantasy?). Sometimes he seemed to trust the trio with later assignments… other times their assignments were to get them out of his way…. There was literally an episode about giving them some vacation time to get them out of his way… Somehow they still got in the way. 

Despite his incompetent lackeys, Giovanni was the mastermind behind many (almost) successful Team Rocket ventures, like commandeering the St. Anne, commissioning and controlling Mewtwo, and trying to reclaim Mewtwo later on. In the end, he wasn’t much more successful than Jessie, James, and Meowth. The bigger the scheme, the bigger the failure. 

Pokémon Go Giovanni

In the world of Pokemon Go, Giovanni is the boss of Team Go Rocket. His subordinates include the Team Go Rocket Leaders Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra and an abundance of grunts (including the special appearances by Jessie and James in their Meowth balloon). He can only be found with a Super Rocket Radar, which can only be obtained after defeating the three leaders during Team Go Rocket Special Research. His location may be masked by grunts pretending to be him. He’s definitely a level above the leaders, as his shadow Pokemon include his Persian, some tank usually, and a legendary Pokemon (which are killer hard to purify, in my opinion). 

I’m far from being caught up on the Pokemon anime and video games, but I’d always appreciate a Giovanni cameo. “Where are they now? The Team Rocket boss.” Enjoy the rest of your spooky season with some villains and baddies. I’ll be back next week with one more big bad for Halloween.

Is the Wheel of Time Worth it?

 

If you’ve ever wandered into a Star Wars forum on Reddit, you’ve probably noticed something strange: the people who claim to love Star Wars often seem to bicker about it. There’s a running joke amongst my friends that if you still enjoy Star Wars, you’re not a “true fan” because true fans are too busy dissecting everything wrong with the latest trilogy, the spin-offs, or whatever Disney’s cooking up next.

However, when we compare that to The Lord of the Rings. There’s far less division there. The books are revered. The movies (not TV show) are beloved. And the fandom feels more unified, thanks in large part to the clear, cohesive vision of both J.R.R. Tolkien and Peter Jackson. There’s a sense of harmony in Middle-earth that Star Wars fans can only dream of.

So where does The Wheel of Time fit in?

Somewhere in between—and that’s a good thing. 

Fans of The Wheel of Time are a fascinating blend of Star Wars passion and Tolkien-level reverence. We’re honest about the series’ flaws (yes, there are slow parts), but we’re also fiercely loyal to its brilliance. We know that the pacing ebbs and flows, but we also know that every thread is woven together with purpose. And when you reach the end, it all pays off.

This is one of the few epic series I’ve reread, and not just for nostalgia. It’s because the story is that rich. The final book, A Memory of Light, is one of the most satisfying conclusions to a long-running saga I’ve ever read. It’s also one of Brandon Sanderson’s finest contributions to fantasy, stepping in to finish Robert Jordan’s vision with grace and power. In my opinion it's the best book he has ever written.

But The Wheel of Time isn’t just about plot. It’s about lore. Deep, intricate, time-bending lore. The series plays with the idea of time as a wheel ages repeating, legends becoming myths, and myths becoming our own history. One of the characters, Moiraine, is essentially the origin of the Merlin legend. Over countless turnings of the Wheel, her story becomes the one we know today. That’s the kind of layered storytelling you’re in for.

And if you’re wondering whether to watch the show instead. . . don’t. At best, it’s a poor fan fiction of the source material. While the casting, set design, and costumes are genuinely impressive, the show ultimately falls flat. It’s a clear reminder that directing and scriptwriting are the soul of any adaptation. Without a deep respect for the original vision, even the most beautiful production can feel hollow. For newcomers, it risks misrepresenting the heart of the story; for longtime fans, it’s a disappointment. If you are wondering, yes I am trying to be respectful about my opinion on the show even though it ruined a masterpiece and the last chance for the books to be adapted. 

So, should you read it?

If you’re looking for a fantasy experience that’s immersive, emotionally resonant, and intellectually rewarding, then yes absolutely. Read it for the multidimensional characters. Read it for the sweeping arcs of redemption, sacrifice, and destiny. Read it for the quiet moments that build into thunderous climaxes. And most of all, read it for the satisfaction of finishing something truly epic.

Because when you close that final book, you won’t just be a reader. You’ll be part of a rare fellowship those who’ve walked the long road, seen the Wheel turn, and come out the other side changed.

A Case of Mistaken Identity: Carter and Sadie Kane

My first thoughts for this blog post came from reading The Kane Chronicles (a trilogy of books in the universe of Percy Jackson centered around the Egyptian gods) simultaneously with the Nico Di Angelo Adventures. Both books have identity as a theme. Because of the shared theme, my original plan was to do a post about both. However, the two series take different angles on our identities and the stories (though in the same universe) don’t intersect. So now it’ll be a series of posts, starting with the Kane siblings.

Throughout The Kane Chronicles, Carter and Sadie Kane are forced to become master magicians in the course of six months to save the world and ma’at (the mystical force of order and harmony). Unlike the other Camp Half-Blood books and Magnus Chase, these books aren’t about demigods (the whole concept of how Egyptian gods function is different from the Greek, Roman, and Norse deities) but about Egyptian magicians descended from pharaohs.

As part of their training, they learn about the concept of “secret names” (or ren) that can essentially give you control over a person or God. In “The Red Pyramid” they made it sound like a secret name is like a cheat code to hack someone’s free will. However, it’s not the words alone that give power.  The name must be given by the person or the person closest to them. 

During the events of “The Throne of Fire” the mythos of the ren expanded. In a moment of crisis, Sadie learned her brother’s secret name to save his life. This revelation taught Sadie the nature of the ren, as one of the five aspects of a person’s soul. The ren is a person’s deepest nature and life experiences. It’s your essence and power. To know someone’s secret name is to understand deeply their life’s story. In learning Carter’s name, she gained an embarrassing amount of insight to her brother’s heart. 

In her narration, Sadie claimed that while everyone has a secret name, most mortals don’t even know their own. The ignorance protects them from magical influences in the Riordanverse. However, from a gospel perspective, it made me wonder…

To some extent we can learn about our identity and essence through gaining a testimony of our divine nature and internalize that confidence. Naturally, our life experiences influence the development of how we perceive our mortal journey and they shape who we become. But all the therapy and mindfulness in the world will not reveal your “secret name” to you. For one thing, the bulk of our premortal experiences are veiled to our eyes. We literally cannot know everything about our identities. That’s why knowing someone’s secret name isn’t enough. It must be shared and learned, just as we must open our hearts to others in relationships and we must learn from our Heavenly Father who we are in His eyes. 

As I read about the ren in “The Throne of Fire”, I thought on a powerful experience I had as a missionary, helping me understand my divine nature. It’s too sacred for me to share in a blog post, but I’ll say this: even with that experience in mind, I’m far from knowing my secret name. I think we take our lives (premortal, mortal, and eternal) to understand our essence. As usual, a good place to start is by studying the scriptures, prayer, and attending the temple.

Edit: After writing this blog post, I listened to President Nelson’s counsel from this week’s Come Follow Me lesson, about using the correct name of the Church. Shortly after this talk was given, a dear friend and I were talking about it. With every awful thing going on in the world (including within the Church), why would President Nelson focus on a seemingly trivial thing? As our recently departed prophet taught in this General Conference sermon, it’s not trivial or inconsequential. Like was said in The Kane Chronicles, names have power. The Savior gave us the “secret name” of His Church. I believe with all my heart that if we focus on being the latter-day saints of Jesus Christ’s restored church, we would see changes in the Church and the world. Keeping our eyes Jesus will change our lives and our natures. As “I’m trying to be like Jesus”, I want to aim to become more Christ-like disciple and not just be a “Mormon”.

LDS Geeks Podcast #51: Digimon Overview (1)

People will always refer to Digimon as a ripoff of Pokemon. Really it's more like the second cousin. Since Digimon was my first major fandom and it's still one of my favorites today, Michael and I wanted to discuss the franchise, in honor of the new video game: Time Stranger. 

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 51 on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

Check out Spencer's recent content: click here

Check out Michael's recent content: click here

Show notes

00:12 - Introductions
01:05 - Spencer's Recommendation: Coofandy clothing
            Shop Coofandy on Amazon
02:35 - Michael's Recommendation: "Kingdom of Grit" by Tyler Whitesides
03:39 - Introduction to Digimon
            LDS Geeks Podcast #14: Digimon vs. Pokémon 
                    Show Notes: click here
                    Spotify: click here
                    Apple Podcasts: click here
                    YouTube: click here
04:28 - Digimon Story: Time Stranger
11:52 - Top 3 Digimon Anime
            Spencer: Tamers, Adventure, Adventure 02
            Michael: Tamers, Frontier, Adventure 02
            "Leomon and the Five Stages of Grief" by Spencer
            "The Power of Kindness" by Spencer
26:15 - Least Favorite Anime
            Spencer: Digimon Adventure 2020
            Michael: Digimon Data Squad
            Digimon Xros Wars Legendary Heroes Crossover
33:05 - Underrated Anime Series
            Spencer: Digimon Appli Monsters
            Michael: Digimon Ghost Game
36:31 - Digimon Partners
            Spencer: Dorumon
            Michael: Patamon
38:40 - Conclusion

Pink Power Rangers for Breast Cancer Awareness

Last year while my mom was going through and recovering from breast cancer treatments, I did a blog post about some cute pink Pokemon. While my mom has watched about as little Power Rangers as she did Pokemon, this year I decided to focus on some of my favorite pink rangers. 

Kat Hillard (Mighty Morphin/Zeo/Turbo)

Everyone seems to cite Kimberly as the perfect pink ranger, but I prefer the character of Katherine Hillard. After being used as Rita's pawn, she ended up replacing Kimberly as the pink Mighty Morphin Power Ranger. When Kimberly broke up with Tommy via letter, Kat was the one who consoled Tommy.  She stayed a core member of the Power Ranger team through Power Rangers Zeo and into Power Rangers Turbo. She handed over the pink ranger mantel to Cassie when she left for college. She wasn't seen again until the Legendary Battle during Super Megaforce, where she appeared with her Zeo powers. Somewhere between the events of Dino Thunder and Super Ninja Steel, Kat and Tommy finally got married to Tommy and they had JJ. During the events of Once & Always, Kat took on the Mighty Morphin Pterodactyl powers to save Tommy and the others. And because of the Zeo holiday flashforward, we know that she and Tommy lived happily ever after. The longevity and development of her story and the love of Catherine Sutherland to her fans makes her my favorite pink ranger.

Karone (Lost Galaxy)

Formerly Astronema, she was Andros’s sister and Zhane’s love interest during Power Rangers in Space. After the Lost Galaxy Rangers lost Kendrix against the Psycho Rangers, Karone found the Pink Quasar Saber and took upon herself the pink ranger mantel. Though that mantel was later returned to a reborn Kendrix, Karone regained the Lost Galaxy powers and used them during the Legendary Battle. It was beautiful to see her turn from a big bad to a Power Rangers, a transformation not seen before or since.

Jen Scotts (Time Force)

She was engaged to Alex, the red Time Force Ranger in the year 3000, but after his "death", Jen led the Time Force Rangers against the mutants in the 21st century. Though of course Wes was a powerful influence on the team, Jen was still the official leader. The only pink ranger leader of the franchise. She had a difficult time trusting Wes, after what happened to Alex. However, she ended up falling for Wes. She later returned to help the Wild Force Rangers and to fight in the Legendary Battle. Her leader status makes her a top tier pink ranger.

Syd Drew (SPD)

A princess with a powerful power. She might be a princess, but Syd knew how to keep up with the boys (especially when her superpower gave her a diamond fist). She started out superficial and stereotypical blonde brat (how did she end up in law enforcement with her attitude?) but as the season went on she became more compassionate to others, including her teammates and the aliens they encountered (she agreed to share her birthday with Jack so that's pretty special). While she was definitely still a princess at the end of SPD, her growth would make our Disney Princesses proud. Her character development is what got her into my list of the powerful pink.

I could easily have highlighted many other pink rangers, like Cassie, Shelby, or Vida. However, these four powerful woman would make the rest of the Power Rangers proud all on their own. As remarkable (albeit fictional) women, they're perfect for spotlighting for Breast Cancer Awareness. If you've been touched by breast cancer, make sure you hug your loved one while they're here and be there to hold their hand during treatments. Everyone needs that support, especially while going through something that requires the bravery of a Power Ranger.

Children's Books Connections: Little Excavator

    Most of the books that I currently read are limited to less than 50 pages and are of the children’s book variety. Reading with my daughter and wife each evening is a great joy for me. I have recently been finding messages in these books that we read. I want to share a message that has stuck out to me recently. I have found variations of that message in some songs that I have been listening to as well.

One bedtime story that has been fun to read is Little Excavator by Anna Dewdney. I think it helps that my uncle has a big excavator that he has put to good use around his farm. Seeing the real life excavator has been fun for my daughter and contributes to her enjoyment with the excavator in the pages of this book. The book follows Little E, a mini excavator, around a job site. He tries to do what the other big machines are able to do, but is still too small to complete all the jobs. Fortunately, at the end of the story, there is a job that only Little E can do, which he completes and this phrase is used, “Good Job little excavator, time to take a bow. There is work to do just for you, here and now.”

This elicits thoughts of other phrases that share a similar message, such as the following from the song “Nobody” by Casting Crowns, “Well, the moral of the story is, everybody’s got a purpose.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yBzIt_z8oY

Or what about this from the song “Glorious” as sung by the One Voice Children's Choir: 

“Everyone plays a piece

In their own melodies

In each one of us

Oh it's glorious”

https://youtu.be/nomxXk6Q1rk?si=5isz6N4n3o9IAIAR

And lastly, this phrase from then Elder Holland in his April 2017 General Conference address: “To borrow a line quoted in the cheery correspondence of two remarkable Latter-day Saint women, “All God’s critters got a place in the choir.” (which is a reference to another song)

Sometimes, I do not feel I have a place. I feel out of place even when I feel like I should not feel that way. This can be terribly frustrating for me at times. And yet, I think the Lord wants to manifest Himself unto us. He does for, for me through these small and simple and yet impactful ways. I love what Nephi says in the end of the first chapter of the Book of Mormon: “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”

Elder Bednar is the first person I remember who highlighted the phrase, “tender mercies of the Lord.” I love when I can see those tender mercies in my life. I know they are more present than I give the Lord credit for. These phrases in this book and these songs and General Conference messages have become tender mercies for me and I hope they can become the same for you.

Community Halloween Episodes Ranked

A couple years ago, I did a spotlight/ranking of the four Christmas episodes of Community and the non-denominational holiday antics of Greendale. This year, I thought it would be fun to recap and rank the four Halloween episodes in a similar fashion. Without further a-dean….

4. Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps

While I like the premise of this episode (telling scary stories to find out who of the group is the supposed psychopath) the stories told end up being so cheesy and predictable that I was kind of bored. They fit the show perfectly, because the characters are ridiculously cheesy. But as a viewer, some of the stories are hard to watch (example: Dean Peyton as the devil breaking into the cabin).

3. Introduction to Statistics

While a great episode of Community, it didn’t do much for me as a Halloween episode. Even though it takes place at Annie’s extra credit Halloween party, it feels more like a Community episode that just so happens to take place at Halloween. Nothing wrong with it. Just not unique enough to feel like a true Hallow-Dean episode. 

2. Paranormal Parentage

Despite all the complaints against season four, I think this Halloween special is pretty great. Pierce is being… Pierce. That sends the rest of the group into a Scooby Doo inspired spooky adventure. And in true Scooby fashion, we learn Pierce was the villain all along (which describes his character pretty well).

1. Epidemiology

This is another dumb ridiculous spoof and I love it. Like ”Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps” this episode is super cheesy (as much as zombies can be cheesy) but for this episode the cheese works. Maybe it’s ABBA playing in the background as the zombies attack. The juxtaposition of “Dancing Queen” and the undead is wonderful. And of course the outbreak is because Dean Pelton tried to save money on party food. I love how the scary undead epidemic was explained away as bad food poisoning. 

Now I just need to put Community on my rewatch list (along with Animorphs, Agents of SHIELD, and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes). I miss the antics of the study group, especially Troy and Abed. I also really need to figure out my Inspector Spacetime cosplay… maybe next year’s Dallas Fan Expo.