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Reality Check





Lootboxes: Friend of the publisher, enemy of the consumer

For those who don’t know, the lootbox is a digital box with randomly selected items that can be used in the game. This can be as simple as a new voice line to a whole new character in some games and the value of what’s in the box can fluctuate wildly. It’s sort of like getting a box of chocolates. 


Inktober: Artists doodle daily toward improvement

“What pushed me to actually try and do Inktober this was just wanting a change in my drawing habits.” said animation student Alexis Brooks, and this has been echoed by many other artists online. Along with the fact that sometimes it’s hard to keep up with. Drawing every day isn’t as easy as it might look.


The magical emergence of witches online

The witch aesthetic, popularized by communities that thrive on microblogging platforms like Tumblr, is defined by the celebration and adoration of all things occult: spells, crystals, potions and black cats. 



Best unheard of Halloween movies: ‘The City of the Dead’ offers a one-way trip to not-quite Salem

1960 was a remarkable year for horror movies with iconic titles like Psycho, Eyes Without a Face, and The Little Shop of Horrors as well as strong adaptations of Poe and some delightful B-movie fare. One such film, The City of the Dead, is an interesting case as it toes the line between kitschy genre piece and compelling, unsettling “what if” about modern witchcraft. 



Input 2: Let’s do the Time Warp again

We dive into the history of the film, ask what defines a cult classic, and talk about the strange traditions associated with the film. We’re joined by two members of the Ball State University RHPS Shadowcast, and they talk about what the film means to them and their experience being in the shadow cast on campus.