Author: Taylor Ramage

Reflections on Star Wars: The Force Awakens

I’m new to Star Wars. I didn’t grow up watching the original trilogy, nor did I spend my early teen years watching the prequel trilogy or any of the numerous spinoff cartoons that aired on TV. I had one of those sound books for kids of A New Hope, knew the basic spoilers of the original trilogy (and… Continue reading Reflections on Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Scream Queens is the Kill la Kill of U.S. TV

A young, headstrong girl starts at a new school in hopes of finding out what really happened to her dead parent. Upon arrival, she makes a nemesis of the campus queen who may or may not have something to do with it. However, the deeper the girl gets into the mystery, the more complicated, personal,… Continue reading Scream Queens is the Kill la Kill of U.S. TV

Tradition Tension: Your Hearthwarming Must be My Hearthwarming

A couple weeks ago, I shared some reflections about advent, the anxieties some Christians feel about its perceived secularization, and the reactions they have as a result of this sense of loss. I described how a strong faith with a minimal connection to the history of traditions can easily breed a perception that Christ must… Continue reading Tradition Tension: Your Hearthwarming Must be My Hearthwarming

Wholeness Through Defectiveness: Reversing Homeworld’s -isms in Steven Universe

Steven Universe continues to prove itself an effective series that relays important messages and provides characters that allow its fans to speak to wider cultural issues. As a children’s fantasy story, it has the space to put social commentary in plain sight while passing it off as world-building. This is one of the great things… Continue reading Wholeness Through Defectiveness: Reversing Homeworld’s -isms in Steven Universe

On Advent and the Secularization of Christmas

It’s that time of year when Christianity makes headlines by decrying the lack of Jesus on things like coffee cups and resenting anyone who says, “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas.” The secularization of Christmas is, for many, yet another sign of the declining importance of church in the United States. With membership and participation… Continue reading On Advent and the Secularization of Christmas

NaNoWriMo 2015

Well, friends, it’s that time of year again: the month in which I attempt to write 50,000 words of a thing. I wanted to prep enough blog posts here to post throughout November while I take a hiatus off of most social media, but I spent most of October completing a draft of another book.… Continue reading NaNoWriMo 2015

Holy Barbie Dolls, Batman!

When sacred beliefs meet pop culture, someone’s bound to get offended, especially when the particular pop culture piece is so intricately tied with consumerism and globalization. That’s the issue at hand regarding an art show exhibit in Argentina which displays Barbie and Ken dolls dressed as various sacred figures from numerous religious traditions, including Christianity,… Continue reading Holy Barbie Dolls, Batman!

Anime Challenge #7: Favorite Weapon, Gear, or Armor

One of the most unique features about anime is its broad range of fantasy. That broadness includes the variety of weapons and gear that different characters use. This prompt in that 30 Day Anime Challenge list that I’ve been working through suggests that I can only choose one favorite weapon, gear, or armor. But I’m… Continue reading Anime Challenge #7: Favorite Weapon, Gear, or Armor

Cutie Marks and Calling Redux: Finding Purpose in Loving the Enemy

About four years ago, I wrote my first analytical blog series about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Up until that point, I had almost exclusively written reviews because they were relatively easy to churn out and I could never think of any compelling analytical angle I could use to talk about what I watched… Continue reading Cutie Marks and Calling Redux: Finding Purpose in Loving the Enemy