Photo by ep_jhu.

Halloween: it’s complicated, you know? Trying to find that right costume is always an adventure.

But if you’re still scrambling for ideas to fulfill the social obligation of dressing up at some point this weekend (hey, welcome to the club), don’t fret! The staff at DCist thought we’d give you a few ideas for quick costumes that will, at the very least, may appeal to the locals among your fellow revelers.

>> “Fully Loaded”: Whatever you wear, just make sure it’s black-on-black, not gray-on-black. (And no, this is absolutely not an excuse for you to wear blackface.)

>> Brain-eating amoeba: Certainly very Halloween-appropriate, no?

>> “Welcome to Washington” sign: Don’t forget the anti-war slogan!

>> Lion cubs: Sorry Butterstick, there’s a new king when it comes to costumes for the local younguns this year.

>> Spike Mendelsohn: If you can’t pull off the toque blanche, we recommend going as the slightly more abstract “a big fish in a small pond.”

>> Defaced Dan Snyder: Make sure not to skimp on the permanent marker!

>> Myopic little twit: I mean, come on. Like we weren’t going to suggest this.

>> Earthquake damage: find a cone, color it in a granite hue, attach it to your side and voila — you’ve got a broken pinnacle.

>> Vampire Mayor Gray: A versatile costume, as people may also mistake you for Gomez Addams.

>> Metro: There’s several different ways you could go here. If you’re in need of something on incredibly short notice, you could simply draw the rail map on your shirt, which takes approximately ten minutes and allows you to make jokes about Lance Wyman’s new design all night. (Note: not recommended for single people.) Or, you could pretend to be a broken escalator by tying a bunch of yellow signs around your waist. If you really want to commit to a costume, how about going as a Metro operator — you just have to mumble all night. Whatever you do, just remember: the bar for Metro-related costumes has been set quite high.

>> A D.C. sports fan: all you really need is to wear a hat featuring the logo of any professional team — after all, it’s safe to assume there’s at least one person in this town rooting for whatever team you’re repping.

>> The always-popular “Zombie _______”: Of course, most of the above ideas are always applicable in zombie form. Myopic little zombie? Sure! Zombie Dan Snyder? Why not! Just use with care and don’t go as Zombie Steve Jobs. Believe me, there will be enough of them out there already.

Now, we’re sure you folks have more ideas. Share ’em in the comments, will ya?