I'm too old for trick-or-treating and was never really into it as it's not my culture, but I'm on the receiving end of trick-or-treaters every year. I don't know if they're what one would consider a tough crowd or what, but they really, really haven't liked what I handed out. One year it was fruit and I guess that's a no. Last year it was cotton candy and I got complaints because it took up peoples' Halloween bags to carry cotton candy around. This year I gave out candy canes and they complained again, this time because they thought I was adding to the feuds surrounding premature Christmas products.

After trick-or-treating was all done, I also stepped outside to sort through the trash and discovered someone threw up on the side of my home. Was it a kid who ate one candy too many? Was it an adult who was drunk on cider? Was it an animal who tried to get involved in the holiday too but got carried away? Who knows. I just know I have something to clean up before sunrise.

I originally cosplayed as Stephanie Dola for the day, but it rained for the first half of the day and I got soaked, so I cosplayed as Yoko Littner (another anime character) in a way that was as presentable as possible without looking out of character. At one point I put some warm clothes on over the cosplay because it was cold but didn't take off my cosplay, knowing people might still recognize the character underneath a green sweater and a jean shirt and jeans. A young autistic boy came by and recognized the character I was and noticed I was wearing clothes over it and asked if he could take a picture of me and him without the clothes, but he asked it in a way that made his family and peers, who didn't recognize the character and/or may not have known it was a cosplay at all, think he was being "inappropriate" thinking he was just asking me to get undressed, and it would be an understatement to say I can tell he felt bad when he was scolded in front of everyone, but I didn't know how to step in without it backfiring. I still feel bad for him and I'm hoping he shows up again somewhere so I can grant his request.