How To Be An Otaku On Halloween
October is known as the "spooky season", which is true, but it should also be the season where otakus feel the most at home. It may seem odd, considering anime is stereotypically thought of as a cheerful and bright subject, but there's so many ways that you can show off your nerdy pride this month and not be judged too bad!
Here's five ways how!
Cosplay Everyday!
Well, maybe not everyday, but this one should seem like the most obvious choice. Throughout the year, there are plenty of events that geeks can go to dressed up as their favorite character, but Halloween is like a whole month dedicated to it! From beginning to end, there are tons of parties and events to go to dressed up as an anime or video game character.
The best part? It's not super out of place! We've all been in that position where we've gone to conventions during other parts of the year and regular people have given us "the look". At least when you're going to an event in October, no one will think twice about it!
Horror Anime and Video Game Marathons!
There are plenty of great horror anime and video game series out there. In fact, our own Ryan Serrano has you covered by giving you a list of creepy games you can play all throughout the month of October to get you in the Halloween mood.
Most people watch scary movies around this time, and that's not really a big surprise. That's sort of something that just goes without saying; you could even say it's expected. But as an otaku, you know Jason and Freddy just won't do it for you; you'd much rather see Corpse Party or Hell Girl.
Creepypastas Anyone?
By now, everyone knows what a creepypasta is. There are dozens of popular ones our there and they're all free to browse. Since creepypasta is usually enrooted in popular culture, we'd say it definitely has a place in otaku Halloween festivities.
You have a few options here: you can either read the most popular creepypastas out there or you could take it a step further and write your own! Fanfiction, and especially creepypastas, will always be appreciated by the community and this time of year they thrive. Who knows? You might just write the next big hit!
International Candies!
Getting candy on Halloween is a tradition, and one we wouldn't dare stop. What's the point of a Halloween with no candy, after all? If you're from the U.S., you've probably tried all the candy there is to eat; Snickers, Twix, Hersheys... There's plenty to choose from. But if you want to try something different, try eating candies from other countries instead!
The cool thing about getting candy from different countries is that you don't always know what you're going to expect. Since we've grown up with some of our personal favorites, the excitement of trying a new taste has dimmed. Japan has a variety of cool treats, but we also encourage you to see what else you can find and try! Depending on where you live, you may not have to look far for a store that sells these sweets, or you may be able to find them in certain sections at your local grocery store.
The Test Of Courage!
You've seen this in at least one of your favorite anime shows; the test of courage is infamous, especially amongst students and young adults. Called Kimodameshi in Japanese, this will always be something fun to do with your friends. Gather a group and divide up who wants to scare and who wants to be scared. Find a time and place and get creative!
The test of courage is a little different than your typical haunted house. While it is very similar, it's usually seen as a group of friends doing it for each other; which makes the scaring that much more fun. Split up into twos and enjoy the course!
Note: Always be safe when doing the test of courage and make sure that the place you choose to do it will allow you to be there!
How do you like to show off your inner otaku during the month of October?