'Otaku' for the Mundanes (normal folk)

So, me and my friend are having a discussion, right? I'm trying to communicate a very specific point, adn failing miserably. Then I realize it- she's not otaku. I am. There is a vast cultural and linguistic difference between us. So, I'm going to make this a guide from my specific point fo view. Others, please feel free to correct me at points.

The word otaku is Japanese, from o- (an honorific) and taku (house). It was first used in the 80s to describe various antisocial freaks. One of said freaks went on a toddler-killing rampage, propagating the word rather quickly. Now it is loosely used by anime freaks. I use it slightly differently. The Otaku refers to a whole sect of nerd-dom, particularly the more antisocial and technological aspects.

There are many types of Otaku, from netrunners to The Brotherhood of the 1337 to anime-otaku. They all generally share a few characteristics. Firstly, they largely reject face to face interaction with others. They may make exceptions for others of their kind or other otaku, but that is alrgely dependent on their sect. Secondly, Otaku invest ridiculous amounts of time into a hobby which is absolutely pointless, such as Diablo 2 or Magic:The Gathering. Thirdly, they all abuse their bodies, whether through Pocky, caffeine, poor hygiene or a combination of the above. Finally, almost all otaku speak a dialect that vaguely resembles English/Engrish. Whether it be anime/english, twisted Japanese, 1337 (leet), or some other sub language, it is wholly incomprehensible without a translator present.

Of the otaku, there are a number of large sects. Many dislike the others, often for valid reasons. These names are as I refer to them, as a person who has passed through many of the circles listed. They include:

The Brotherhood of the 1337: anyone who plays shooters exclusively for four or more hours a day would be considered a member of the brotherhood. Contrary to the general view of otaku, their society is entirely composed of warring clans. Many consider them untrustworthy, often for good reason. As proven by the grand social experiment gone horribly wrong known as Counterstrike, they love to cheat. They speak leet, and occasionally meet in kurlutais known as LAN parties.

Anime-otaku: The forefathers of the world, who spread its use with the founding of boards online. They follow anime series relentlessly, often specializing in just a few or one alone. They avoid face to face contact almost entirely, and usually only speak to others -even of their own kind- to trade commentary or anime files. They speak in metaphor from time to time, and speak exceptionally poor Engrish.

Netrunners: Cyberpunks who have adopted the word for their own use. Though split into subgroups such as hackers , crackers, phreakers, etc., I refer to the entire digital underground as Netrunners. They ply their largely illegal trades often while paying the bills with a meager job or income from their ill-gotten goods. The young gods of the digital age, they often abuse their skills for mayhem.

More often than not, these groups overlap. Netrunners often play against the Brotherhood online, or trade files with anime-otaku. I failed to list many others, such as idoru-otaku, RPG fanatics, and others. But I tire.

DE

So, wait, what group are you in again? That anime one? Anime is those Oriental cartoons, right?

Anime is commonly refered to as Japanimation. It's quite good. Now, as for myself...the reason for my insight is the travellign between groups I've done. Right now, I'm soloing through Diablo 2 online by myself, trying to refind my brethren on there. I've ran with all three groups and more, btu I seem to be merging back with the brotherhood. However, instead of running CS or Unreal, I'm hooked on an RPG. In two days, I have managed to resurrect an electrisorc from nothing to level 34 online. Needless to say, it was a challenge.

DE