Today, I’m going to talk about being a complete nerd.

Yep, I said it, I am a complete nerd, and not just about Marvel fandom or the four major anime series (Naruto, Inuyasha, One Piece, or Bleach). 

No, I am talking about how much of a nerd I am about Silent Hill, Harry Potter, Tim Burton everything and photography.

Now, being a nerd is not a bad thing, and with this growing “geek chic” trend growing, it is hard to tell who is in for life and who is in just to impress the opposite sex.

Unfortunately for me, I am in it for life.

It has not always been this good for me. I used to be the weird kid who no one would want to talk to because I would be the one who would go too hard on high school “crazy day” during Homecoming week and show up in something full costume, while others would just put more make-up on or show up in PJs.

I have always been a nerd, if that just meant me reading in my room, re-reading my favorite series over again and acting out scenes in my room or trying to figure out better scenarios for my favorite characters.

It was not until I was introduced to my gateway anime, Naruto, and the Internet that I realized there were websites out there that would allow you to write fanfiction. (Fan based fiction about characters that do not belong to you).

After being introduced to fanfiction, then fandoms (a group of people who love the same book/series/anime/what have you, that you do and share the same passion for it) that I found cosplay. After I found cosplay my normal life of being the “quiet bookworm” in class turned into “being the creepy dress up nerd” in class.

And I was all right with that.

When I was in my small hometown I got a lot of flack for how I acted, that I was not “normal” because I did not want to do the basic mudding, and drinking on the weekends.

But then again no one invited me anyway because I was the weird girl dressing up as anime characters.

But this weird girl grew up and became even more of a nerd. Coming to Eastern campus helped me find other people who enjoyed the same things I do.

I am even Vice President of EIU war Battle Club. It is kind of like Live Action Role Play, but we only LARP on Halloween. We have a meeting Thursdays and Fridays at 6p.m.    

I was actually working on a new cosplay before I came into work to day. So around Halloween, well let’s be realistic, or as soon as I’m done, and you see a nurse demon from Silent Hill twitching around campus, it’s probably me.

Do not let anyone kill your flame because they do not understand you. Keep being you and eventually you will find your group. I did.

Now all I need is to find my Pyramid Head.

Liz Dowell is a senior journalism major.  She can be reached at 581-2812 or ehdowell@eiu.edu