My Favorite Purple Pokemon

Purple Pokemon might seem like a random topic (and it is) but it's my birthday weekend and purple is my color (and Hufflepuff yellow), so I thought I'd just do something fun today. By no means is this exhaustive list of awesome purple Pokemon pals, but just a few of my favorites.

Nidoking

For whatever reason, I’ve never played through a Pokemon reason with Nidoking on my main team—maybe because I usually have the three starter Pokemon clogging my party on Yellow. But Nidoking is a tank! I feel like I need one with Surf and Earthquake to make my current play through of Yellow worth it  

Gengar

A friend got into Pokemon (finally) last year and one of his favorites immediately was Gengar. Who could blame him? Those Gen I ghost-types are iconic. Unfortunately Gengar has never been prominent on my team… because that would involve the hassle of trading with someone. 

Ditto

Ever since the Ditto-centric episode of Pokemon, it has been pretty iconic. And after Gen II came out, it became the unofficial breeding Pokemon. What would the Pokemon Daycare be without Ditto? Also, there’s that theory that it’s a failed clone of Mew.

Mewtwo

The antagonist of the first movie and supposedly the most powerful Pokemon (at least while psychic type was broken). Unfortunately this power house has been outdone plenty of times since by other legendary Pokemon. At least Mewtwo got a place in the world of Super Smash Bros Melee.  

Crobat

For whatever reason, as much as I like Crobat and how plentiful Zubat are, I haven’t played through with Crobat. Unlike Gengar, Golbat doesn’t need trading to evolve. Just patience. With the speed of Crobat, I really would be using this one more frequently.

Espeon

I’ve had an affinity for psychic-type Pokemon pretty much since day one. So when Gen II gave us a psychic Eeveelution (that happens to be my favorite color) it’s perfect. It’s a frequent addition to my Johto team.

Palkia

When Gen IV came out, I had Diamond, so my experience with Palkia is somewhat limited. That being said, I love the combination of water and dragon. It's a powerful type combination. Plus, I landed a combo on Pokemon TCG Pocket with Palkia Ex and Misty that won me a match on the first turn--The computer didn't even get a turn. 

I know there are plenty of other purple Pokemon past Gen II, but these are a few of my favorites. I definitely need to give a shoutout to Poipole, since its English name is literally meant to sound like "purple". Some other honorable mentions are Sabeleye, Grumpig, and Genesect. Also, there's shiny Swampert. That one's pretty cool.

LDS Geeks Podcast #58: Fourth Doctor Adventures (1)

It's taken way too long, but thanks to some wonderfully exhausting insomnia I'm nearly done the Fourth Doctor's era. As such, I realized it's high time that I schedule time with TJ to record about the Doctor and his jelly babies, since we're planning on four more podcast episodes after this one. So grab your jelly babies and join us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

--Spencer

Sorting Phineas and Ferb into Hogwarts Houses

In a recent podcast episode about Ravenclaw House, Michael and I briefly disagreed about where Ferb would be sorted at Hogwarts (maybe he went there at one point? He is British after all). We landed on Ravenclaw, but I felt like the only way to follow up that discussion was to sort (most of) the main cast of the show—especially since new episodes were recently put on Disney Plus. 

Phineas Flynn - Ravenclaw

If you listen to our Ravenclaw podcast episode, you’ll know that Phineas is an easy Ravenclaw. He’s the brains behind the operation. He’s witty and curious. All hallmarks of an ideal Ravenclaw.

Ferb Fletcher - Ravenclaw 

In our podcast episode, I first thought Ferb fit well under the Hufflepuff banner. But Michael pointed out some very Ravenclaw traits. Ferb is the hands behind Phineas‘s inventions. Very clever in his own right and his one-liners are basically the definition of wit.

Candace Flynn - Hufflepuff 

Her brothers are set in Ravenclaw, I can’t exactly say the same about Candace. She has a lot of stereotypical, Hufflepuff tendencies, like being a spaz and a goofball. She’s certainly hard-working, trying to bust her brothers every day, even though she fails. At the same time, she’s also very loyal to her family and her friends, as seen when she gets protective of her brothers

Isabella Garcia-Shapiro - Gryffindor

This was a tricky one. Isabella could easily go into Slytherin just as much as Gryffindor. With her determination to get her patches, she sells very Gryffindor traits. Her cunning (and sometimes ruthlessness) are the type that could easily place her in Slytherin. So like with Harry Potter, she would do well in either house. But I think she would choose Gryffindor at that point, like Harry. 

Buford Van Stomm - Slythein

I think this one should be pretty straightforward. Buford was a bully who became their friend. (while still having some bully tendencies). He’s cunning and ruthless. And his loyalty to his family and his heritage, even if it’s just a goldfish, could easily place him in Slytherin.

Baljeet Tjinder - Slytherin

You might think that Baljeet belongs in Ravenclaw because of how academic he is. Hear me out. This boy is the definition of determination, cunning, and ruthless. Frequently his studies are not for the love of learning, but for the sake of achievement and ambition. Also, there’s a certain amount of self-preservation, which is typical of Slytherin, while dealing with Buford as his best friend. 

Heinz Doofenshmirtz  - Hufflepuff 

You might think that Doof belongs in Slytherin because he’s a villain. I disagree. Not only is he a poor villain, but he’s loyal to a fault. He will give up any scheme for the sake of his daughter, and even showed loyalty to Perry, the platypus, as his Frenemy. Also, his goofiness is very stereotypical Hufflepuff.

Perry the Platypus - Gryffindor

Hey. Where is Perry? He’s in Gryffindor. Or he would be if they let a platypus into the school. They don’t do much. But this semi aquatic mammal has shown determination and a fierce sense of right and wrong while battling Doof and taking care of his host family. 

Agree or disagree? There are a lot of other side characters, like Stacey and Jeramy, that I could include. But I think the eight core characters are enough for now. Make sure you check out our Hogwarts house series on the podcast and let us know what you think.

A Case of Mistaken Identity: T'Challa

A few months ago, I rewatched Black Panther and it’s still as good as ever. Between having that in my recent memory and last week’s Come Follow Me reading, with Satan trying to tear down Moses, I had some thoughts.

T'Challa had barely begun grieving in processing his fathr‘s death, as seen in Civil War, when he was duty bound to accept any challenges of ritual combat. Most of the tribes in Wakanda conceded to him as the rightful king and Black Panther. But naturally someone had to challenge him: M'Baku

Something struck me during their fight during my recent feeling of the movie. While fighting M’Baku, the queen mother shouted at T’Challa, “ Show him who you are!” For whatever reason, this line hit me differently. In many ways, it defined the rest of the movie.

Even though he won the throne in that battle, T’Challa had some growing pains as the new king and Black Panther. Again, it had been mere weeks since the traumatic death of his father. He had let go of the anger towards Zemo, to whatever extent. But it wouldn’t be long until Killmonger challenged everything he knew about his father. Imagine learning details about your late father and how he treated his family while trying to grieve that loved one.

Learning that his father was instrumental in his uncle’s death, our beloved Black Panther was conflicted about what it meant to be king and what to do about Killmonger’s plan. In the end, I suppose he realized that Killmonger's motivation wasn’t completely flawed, though obviously the execution of that plan was dangerous and cruel to many innocent people. 

In many ways, his mother’s words ended up having more to do with the coming fight with Killmonger than it did M’Baku. After the battle against his cousin, T’Challa add to decide what to do about the Wakandan tradition of isolation. What kind of king did he want to be? Would he keep the kingdom‘s secrets like his father? Or would he risk their livelihood by reaching out to the world? 

I think it’s amazing that T’Challa, while respecting his father‘s memory, decided to do more. By reaching out to the rest of the world, providing technology and resources, mankind would never be the same. If nothing else, the Avengers wouldn’t have had so many allies in the battle against Thanos (granted, they lost the first round of that battle). Their king gave the Wakandan people a chance to show the world who they were. 

To bring in a spiritual perspective, we are tempted every day to go with the flow or to stick with the status quo. Call it tradition. Call it a fallen world. Call it whatever you want. The adversary loves complacency and wants us to believe we're nothing more than flesh (see also Moses's experience in Come Follow Me last week) but we are sons and daughters of God. I love this quote from Christian author John Eldredge in his book Wild at Heart:

"The Enemy fears you. You are dangerous big-time. If you are ever really got your heart back, live from it with courage, you would be a huge problem to him. You would do a lot of damage…on the side of good."

Eldredge isn’t a member of the Restored Church, but the statement is true especially for Latter-day Saints. Like Moses, if we don’t have a sense of who we are (sons and daughters of God) and what our heart truly wants (see also the Plan of Salvation), Satan can take us wherever he wants to keep us from that goal. He can pull us down and downplay our divine identity.

Just as the Wakandans left their isolation and began outreach to the world, we are expected to be disciples of Jesus Christ, rising out of obscurity. Like the Wakandans we have so much to offer the world, but it’s easy to stay in our own little sphere. I’m praying and pondering almost constantly on this subject, as I tried to “[get] my heart back” and understand my relationship to our heavenly father on a deeper level. As each of us develops and deepens that relationship, I believe outreach will come naturally and powerfully. Like Moses, it's up to us to respond to the adversary, "Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten;"

LDS Geeks Podcast #57: Animorphs Re-Read (7)

I love Hork-Bajir Chronicles and The Pretender. I was very excited to record this episode, even if it also included the Helmacrons. "The Pretender" may be my favorite book, up there with "The Change". I hope you enjoy our discussion as much as I enjoyed the book.

--Spencer

Listen to Episode 57 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
01:57 - Spencer's Recommendation: Citizen Soldier
        Listen on Spotify
04:27 - Russell's Recommendation: "Gratitude" performed by BYU Vocal Point
        Listen on Spotify
06:22 - The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
13:57 - #23 - The Pretender
21:51 - #24 - The Suspicion
28:31 - #25 - The Extreme
39:54 - Conclusion

Follow along: Animorphs Book Club Reading Schedule

Animorphs Re-Read Podcast Series:

• LDS Geeks Podcast #42: Animorphs Re-Read (Books 1-4)
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here
• LDS Geeks Podcast #44: Animorphs Re-Read (Books 5-7 and Megamorphs 1)
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here
• LDS Geeks Podcast #47: Animorphs Re-Read (Books 8-12)
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here
• LDS Geeks Podcast #50: Animorphs Re-Read (Books 13-15 and The Andalite Chronicles)
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here
• LDS Geeks Podcast #52: Animorphs Re-Read (Books 16-18 and Megamorphs 2)
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here
• LDS Geeks Podcast #54: Animorphs Re-Read (Books 19-22)
  Show Notes: click here
  Spotify: click here
  Apple Podcasts: click here

9 Magnus Chase Memes by Me

I had another post about identity planned for today, but apparently it needs more time to marinate in my brain. Instead, I pulled out some memes I made while listening to the Magnus Chase trilogy, a spin-off of Percy Jackson. It was an interesting take on demigod life and a great crossover with Percy and Annabeth (but that's a conversation for another time). For now, please enjoy these memes, made by me.

Okay, so most of the memes are about Alex. But he/she is pretty fierce and sarcasm makes for great memes. I look forward to re-reading this trilogy.

Why are Isekai Shows Lame?

This may come across as harsh, but I’ve been an anime fan since before it was cool. I still get embarrassed showing this nerdy side of myself because, growing up, you were made fun of for watching anime. Times have changed, though, and now it feels like an entire nation suddenly watches anime—like it’s somehow cool now? I still don’t get it. But one thing I do understand is that the quality of isekai shows has been steadily diminishing. They turned a beloved genre into a cash grab, because who wouldn’t want to watch a story where the protagonist is transported to another world, gains magic, and becomes powerful enough to save everything? And yet, somehow, they keep taking an interesting premise and making it boring, dare I say, even lame.

I recently tried watching a show called “My Gift Lvl 9999 Ultimate Gacha.” Technically it’s not an isekai, since the protagonist doesn’t come from our world, but it still hits all the typical isekai problems. So, for this post, I’m going to talk about why I didn’t finish this anime and what changes could have made it unique and actually good. Honestly, this applies to most isekai anime. So while I’m ranting about this specific show, know that the same issues plague the genre as a whole.

For context, I’ve written about isekai problems before, but in this post I’m focusing on different issues than the ones I covered in “When Power Fantasy Animes Become Weak.”

The Title of the Show

Why in the world do we need a plot summary for the name of a show? What is going on with anime titles? We’ve got things like “I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, So I’ll Max Out My Defense,” “Reborn as a Vending Machine, I Now Wander the Dungeon,” and “I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level.” No one asked for this. We could simplify these to “Max Defense,” “Vending Machine Reborn,” and “Slime Killer.”

Even “My Gift Lvl 9999 Ultimate Gacha” could easily be shortened to “Gacha Is My Gift.” We already know the protagonist is going to be maxed out, it’s basically a requirement for isekai‑adjacent shows. We don’t need it spelled out in the title. Can anime studios and manga authors please put a little more effort into naming things?

Boring Side Characters

Let me just unload the biggest problem with “My Gift Lvl 9999 Ultimate Gacha.” The side characters are painfully boring. After the first episode, the protagonist, Light, gets a level‑9999 servant named Mei. She could kill him instantly. She seems completely independent from the start. And yet, instead of leaving, she wants to be his servant simply because she’s a maid and “that’s her role.” Then, in the next episode, three years have passed and Light has created a whole town full of high‑level gacha characters—all of whom share one single trait: how much they adore their master. They even get upset if they don’t see him.

That is such lazy writing. Why can’t they have different personalities? Why do they all have to love Light so much? It’s never explained. They’re all willing to go to war for him for no reason other than “he summoned them.”

To fix this, they could have hinted at the end of episode one that Mei is compelled to fixate on Light—trapped in a magical or psychological bond that forces her loyalty, while secretly wanting to escape. That would mirror Light’s own trauma from being betrayed by his former party, but in a darker, more personal way. If they had planted that seed early on, the show would be far more interesting because it would introduce tension, moral ambiguity, and actual character conflict instead of blind devotion. Instead, we get mindless, lustful drones.

Plain Protagonist

I’m not going to go into too much detail here, because I’ve talked about overpowered protagonists before, but I do want to point out one thing: why do they all look the same? Short dark hair, pale skin, generic face. We don’t need to copy Sword Art Online’s Kazuto every single time. There’s room for variety.

Conclusion

Sometimes I wonder why I still watch isekai‑like shows. Why am I still watching anime at all? It feels like since COVID, there hasn’t been a truly good isekai. Maybe the best so far is “Lord of Mysteries,” but even that show jumps around a lot. I could easily be wrong—I might have missed a gem or two—but most of them seem to suffer from the same problems I’ve talked about here.

Please comment with your favorite recently released isekai. I’m genuinely looking for something good.

Fourth Doctor Revisited: "City of Death"

Welcome to 2026! How did we get here already? Wibbly wobbly timey wimey, of course. 

Thanks to some unfortunate insomnia, I've had some time to finally work my way through more Classic Doctor Who. Though I'd rather sleep, maybe it's Heavenly Father's way to forcing me to take some self-care time (I'd rather self-care with sleep, but He knows better than me). Recently I watched "City of Death" and had some more random thoughts about it (even more random than usual).

The "time slip" was an interesting mechanic. I kind of wish it had been used more throughout this story. Or maybe a story centered around it, a la Groundhog Day. With how the humans didn't seem affected by it, maybe this is the explanation of human Deja vu?

A plot to steal (and replace) artwork. Talk about a long con! One of the tools used in the heist made me chuckle. They used a "sonic knife" and all I could think about was Captain Jack Harkness, commenting on the Ninth Doctor's screwdriver: "This [knife] could be a little more sonic." Would've loved for the Doctor to commandeer it. Just because.

As if it weren't convoluted enough that Da Vinci painted about half a dozen copies of the Mona Lisa, modern viewers of Sarah Jane Adventures will remember when she came for revenge. Connecting the two stories, I have to wonder if all seven portraits used oils from sentient meteorite or if it was just the one that Sarah Jane's crew would encounter. Seven vengeful portraits is significantly more intense than the single.

Just like Clara Oswald in the modern series, Scaroth was splintered across time and space. Unlike Clara, the consciousness of his splinters were still telepathically connected and conscious of each other. Makes a long con like this easier over the centuries. Since the Doctor would eventually stop him, I can't complain too much about his meddling, since he apparently gave us some of our technological advances. 

I enjoyed Duggan tagging along with the Doctor and Romana. I kind of wish he'd become a companion to the Doctor. I don't know that we've had a detective on the TARDIS team before. Plus can you imagine the Doctor scolding Duggan across time and space for his impulsive fists. Though maybe after Duggan threw the most important punch in history, maybe the Doctor would've allowed it--kind of like how he would allow Ace's explosives (even though he'd say she couldn't have them).

There's still one question I need answered though: Why was it called "City of Death"? Of course there was death--it is Doctor Who after all--but it wasn't like all of Paris was dying. Was there a different plan for how the episode was supposed to go and the name never changed? Not important. Just curious, as I move towards the end of the Fourth Doctor.

This episode is also the origin of this iconic Fourth Doctor meme template.