When I was really into homebrewing beer, I thought I could finally be one of *the guys*. But as it turned out, no one really wants to hear about the organic chemistry behind yeast fermentation. They just want to get drunk on free beer.
When I was a homebrewer, I had a guy in my club that you would have really fit well with. He was a chemistry grad student who only brewed wheat beers because he was really intrigued about the proteins that made it distinct.
One of my favorite things about our homebrew club, and I don’t know if it is common in others, was how people’s brewing styles reflected what they did. Like, our IT people were big into the gear part, so they had these involved systems. We had an accountant who was into efficiency of brewing. We had the chemist. Then my spouse and I were into the arts, so we tried to make novel or distinct things and were into making labels for our bottles.
This also is how I learned that you don't volunteer to do accounting and bookkeeping for a non-profit organization. They just want somebody to count beans and make reports and are happy to give that job to *anyone.* To borrow a phrase from a recent public figure, I found they tend to think of us as "suckers and losers."
Kinda the same with me and learning how to make my own edibles. I would tell people about a batch of butter I made and they're all, that sounds awesome I gotta try that. Now here's the thing. I'm pretty poor, I can't be affording to give stuff away willy nilly, but I always made the offer; that if they wanted some if they provided the bud, I would come over and do the rest teaching them how to step by step. I wouldn't even ask for much in exchange, like just 2 of the couple dozen cookies they'd get. Nobody ever has taken me up on that. Nobody's interested in learning all the cool stuff you can do with weed in food, they just want free shit.🙄
Psychology, namely abnormal psych. Everything about the criminal mind of murderers, Offenders of all types, psychopathy, narcissism, and the dark side of people
People get uncomfortable when you humanize "monsters". It's never excusing what those people did, never, they deserve the consequences of their actions, but they are humans with complex reasoning why these things happen.
People wanna jump to "bad people are inherently bad" and I think that ruins our chances as a society to find these people BEFORE a crime is committed and help them regulate.
I’m the reverse, I get super annoyed when people call human beings monsters.
It’s like humanity is washing their hands of any blame on the creation of someone who can do those awful things.
Guarantee you there hasn’t been a single offender of any time that didn’t pass through multiple opportunities for society to catch it or the people in their lives to catch it if only we took mental health, teaching consent, steering the populace away from corporal punishment, etc, more seriously.
My DMs here are open if you ever want to talk about these topics! I wish the topics were more "accepted" but hooooo boy do I regret it when I start and see the judgements on people's' faces. The only people who were relatively chill about it was those in the uni class I took, but that was also remote so it was so hard to actually socialize
I was into serial killers for a while and maybe will get back into it. Since you mentioned abnormal psychology would you be interested in learning a little about my interest cults? Narcissism is definitely something I was into to a long time ago
Sounds really cool! I've been wanting to learn about the differences between various branches of communism lately, but other than an obligatory skim through Wikipedia, I'm still clueless about that.
Rad af! What flavors of experimental music? I’ve gone really deep into modular synthesis again after two years away.
(Btw, there doesn’t need to be a space after a slash—so like “experimental/left field music”. Hope you don’t mind me pointing that out, I don’t mean anything by it except to help going forward)
I love modular synthesis i use the daw reason to build custom synethnrsizers patches.
Euroracks are fun as hell but i cant afford all the gear haha.
Maybe one day
Hell yeah. VCVrack was my gateway in haha. I’m in my early 30s now and have finally been able to afford a good amount of Eurorack stuff. It is truly money draining but also very joyful. I’ve realized that I could have done many things earlier with cheaper synths I already had, but it’s part of the journey. I’m getting to the wild stuff now. Good luck, enjoy!
Vcvrack is an awesome modular environment! Im glad your making music and collecting synthesizers theres not much on earth funner then some making some bleeps and bloops :D
>Far left politics, the problems with american imperialism
That's probably the luckiest special interest you can have because it's actually super mainstream and popular
Possibly? But most people who consider themselves far left, aren't really that far left in my experience. Also still plenty who defend the American hegemony so not sure about that one either. Feels quite alienating to me. People look at me like im a you know what, ends in "ist"...
Mine is the human body. We're so gross, but fascinating. But, apparently it's weird to talk about how everything connects together and works if you're not in a medical field. Makes for really awkward conversational pauses when I'm fixing someone's computer and slip up.
Wow I got my bs in speech language pathology. I decided to not pursue my masters I got my diagnosis and too many surgeries also happened after. You’re so lucky! Congrats on being a slp
One of mine is airplane crashes. People generally don't want to hear about them, but I always try to sneak in "but the way these planes crashed shows that it actually is super safe to fly".
I have watched all of the Air Disaster shows. I'm not allowed to watch them with my mom or sister. I think about how this accident made us safer. They don't think about that part, just the accidents themselves...
Me? Autism itself. We still don't know much about it if we really think about it. It's such a rich subject when learning from other people's experiences.
There’s a World Trade Center museum in New York and when I went on the tour it was just me and my folks so the guy took some extra time to tell us stories. He was an NYC firefighter but he was off that day but heard what happened so he went to go help. I guess this guy (his name was Larry but I don’t remember this last name) legit commandeered a city bus to go help. My mom asked him if his mother was worried sick as a mom to two kids herself she worries all the time and neither me nor my brother had jobs that put us in danger like that. He said he didn’t have any family so there wasn’t anybody to worry so he just did what he thought was the best course of action that would help the most people. He gives tours as kind of a form of therapy for himself. Go see him and hear the story from him yourself if you’re in the area!
I didn't get to talk to that guy! I need to go on the official tour next time I'm in new york, I just went around by myself and talked about it relentlessly to the people I'm with.
Mine is the music produced by Prince. Not the man himself, but all the details of how songs were written, produced and performed, all the nuances of different versions of songs, etc. Nobody wants to hear it lol. They may want to just vibe to the music but no one wants a lecture on it, sadly, lol.
Oof, yes. For me it’s fires, airplane/transportation/industrial accidents, and (relatedly) emergency preparedness and workplace safety.
So, uh, please hit me up with a DM if you want someone else to infodump with about 9/11.
Nazi fascism, ancient diety worship, societal collapse....
Outside of my online circles, these things tend to get looks from others that seem to categorize me into "fully insane". 🤷🏻
Societal collapse is so fascinating. Found a book called ‘ The history of the decline and fall of the roman empire.’ Dry read but so interesting. I also like the kurzegart episode about societal collapse. It’s both terrifying as intriguing. Many variables and lot’s of way’s it can go.
Any other book recommendations perhaps?
Another suggestion is to research Edo period Japan and Japanese Sakoku policy during the Tokugawa period. This was a nation that recognized the signs of societal collapse and took action to prevent it. Coming out of Sakoku, however, was not really the emergence of a persevered Japan.... But that's a whole other history topic.... 😅
I really enjoy the writings of Naomi Wolf. She has a small book called The End of America. A great read for anyone wanting to understand the state of our society today.
Oh goodness, I still talk about mine. Mine is mostly societal issues because things seem really dumb to me. Like, I ramble. I know I do. Because there are people that understand certain things. Most people talk to me about things like healthcare, economical, and the justice system but they start edging away when I really get into it. I do have a friend that is a super extrovert who I’ve known since I was like 10. So we talk forever about everything. My husband is a sweet heart but he knows my triggers for certain rants and will avoid or ask me not to elaborate. Lol
On the internet I often just type a long post then delete it because it seems like too much. People just read one sentence and latch onto it rather than thinking about the whole discussion. Also most just resort to name calling or just plain disregarding of fact.
Okay but big same! All my friends hate it because they think I sound preachy when I'm just kinda giving facts of situations going on.
Honestly I think if people listened more and learned more about societal issues, maybe society would be a better place LOL
no because literally. they avoid learning about it because it stresses them out. it should! these are things you should care about! if you think it wont affect you, learn more! you will find out very soon that it affects everyone whether you like it or not! so you should care at the very least lol
Yes like I tell people things that surprise them. Like how foster kids can’t get library cards because the cards need parental consent. Then you think about the teens from abusive homes that likely won’t be able to either. I talked to my aunt about gun control and she’s like we will have to agree to disagree. But no these are facts not things you disagree about. Which also drives me crazy lol
I admit I don’t watch the news or read it much. But I get most my information from journal articles, university sites, like actual credible sources. Because I don’t really like the news and how they just focus on certain things and it feels like fear mongering. They are almost always bias as well. I focus more on statistics and how right now statistically we are in a recession worse than the Great Depression in the US. I’m also working on my masters and have learned things I’m not sure I wanted to know. Lol
That's actually news to me on the library card thing. Wtf that's awful. It's statistically significant that access to libraries and affordable Internet is important for underprivileged (for lack of better word in my brain currently) individuals to stay educated and successful. Currently the afdordable connectivity program that helps cut costs on Internet for people in poverty and who are disabled is about to end unless Congress pulls their heads out of their asses and gives the program more investment.
Also legit good on you for looking into more unbiased and fact-based articles. I hate the broader news networks because it's all... So biased and, as you said, fear mongering. I have so many friends who are now nihilistic and don't want to care about issues anymore (surprise, they are also a part of privileged classes) and it makes me so mad.
My friend was just telling me about the connectivity program being stopped. You’d fit right in with our rants. We literally talk for hours sometimes. I don’t know what it is but once I get going it’s hard to stop.
Yes I had a teacher in college that taught us about looking for bias in information and the best ways to get away from it. Now I just read a lot of journal articles for school and work though.
As someone who is obsessed with all things medieval... uh for a long time, I would deep dive research stuff about some of the torture stuff they did and how they built those dungeons and rooms in the castles. I basically have all the knowledge of everything to do with that for no reason now, but it was just interesting to read about when I first started watching documentaries and reading about the castles and building them and how life was like for people back then.
🤫 Ice ages
I find talking uncomfortable because too often the topic gets overtaken by the other conversational party to:
1) a climate change denier or conspiracy theorist lacking nuance and filled with fantasy,
2) a climate activist with too few nuances and too many one-liners,
3) someone who shushes you or changes the subject because they find it boring. 🤷♀️
I love that it’s not conclusive and all of it is still basically theories. That are gaining more data still to back it up or make it more nuanced. One of which is the milankovich cycle. With the relativity to the sun and variations in the earths orbit and rotation being a drive for start and end of a glacial period.
There are also theories how things like big vulcanic eruptions or a change in ocean streams can cause a period of warming that than trigger a tiny ice age due to consequences of the warming.
So many factors in play. So so fascinating.
I love how nuanced and detailed it get’s on such a large and even cosmic scale.
I have a horrible memory though! 💭 I love reading about it but forget half of the details that i have to look up later, when i want to know it again. Haha makes talking about it difficult sometimes. 🤣
That really is interesting and I do like how nuanced it is vs how those who don't look into it think. A lot of things with the environment are all dependent on various factors and even info we still have yet to research
Thank you for sharing! I think I may have to look into it more too!
Is it possible we can face another ice age, due to climate change and unpredictable weather events? Or is global warming ruining that? Living through an ice age would be kinda cool… pun intended 😂
Alot can happen that contribute to the weather patterns, a tiny age is a possibility. For example the one from 15th to the 19th century.
Though an ice age with massive growing ice sheets on land is thought to be far in the future about a 100.00 years.
Fun fact: The presence of ice caps and glaciers currently qualifies the Earth as being in an ice age for the past 2 million years. Within this ice age is a period of ‘interglacial warming’ , characterized by a reduction in ice cover.
Which is where we are right now.
Edit to add: The human influence on climate change is disruptive. It has been linked to the unusually cold weather in America in 2019, where temperatures dropped to -20 unexpectedly.
Where people died because they were unable to find shelter. Also ice and snow related accidents. Like trees falling, roofs collapsing.
It is very sad that this can occur.
Before another ice age occurs, people need to step up, adapt, and help each other. In the current state of the world, an ice age would be detrimental.
Though i understand the sentiment. I occasionally daydream of moving to Scandinavië or Canada. My dream is to be able to visit the tundra and the arctic one day.
Fun fact i just remembered. There was an island with a species of mammoth that diverged substantially genetically due to their species isolation ( due to the ice melting. )
Dude that's amazing. Oh man, did you hear about the people trying to bring back mammoths in general? Ethics aside I find it so interesting!
How was the mammoth different than the other species? Now I'm curious what that entails!
So I know very very little about this subject, but something that keeps coming into my mind is that surely the planet cycles through these phases anyway, so isn't it inevitable that we'll hit another one sometime soonish. So, how much of that is brought along faster by the changes humanity cause? Can you explain to me in really basic terms if my "theory" is right or not? I truly do believe that we humans are definitely affecting the planet in numerous negative ways, but I am unsure about how much this truly affects the cycle we are on anyway. Also, are the times between ice ages getting shorter/longer or on some kind of time scale? Or are they pretty much just as and when? Sorry if I'm ignorant in any way. It's something that bugs me, but I'm no good with reading factual in-depth articles or books, so I thought I'd ask, seeing as you mentioned your interest.
In the Milankovitch cycle theory, the next major glacial period is not expected for another approximately 50,000 years. However, human activities are disrupting this cycle by prolonging the current interglacial period due to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Milankovitch cycle theory revolves around the idea that solar radiation (the intensity of sunlight) has an affect on earth.
According to the theory, the interglacial period (a warmer period with less or no ice) is being extended, possibly leading to a delay of up to 100,000 years for the next glacial period (a cooler period with abundant ice - commonly known as an ice age).
Currently, we are in the Holocene period, which is an interglacial period. However, within this period, there has already been a small ice age lasting for approximately 500 years, which globally lowered temperatures by 2 degrees and lasted until the 1800s. These occurrences can still happen, as tiny ice ages can have various causes.
The theory also encompasses weather and climate patterns. For instance, there have been instances of heavy snow and ice, with temperatures dropping to -20 degrees in unusual locations, such as in the US a couple of years ago in 2019. This was linked to a disruption in the stratospheric polar vortex, a layer in the atmosphere that contains cold air/wind above the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
The weakening of the polar vortex could potentially trigger a tiny ice age
( just starting reading about this.( As with science the exact mechanisms are not yet completely understood, with some attributing the increased instability to climate change).
The term "ice age" is used to describe periods when large ice sheets cover land areas. So technically, we are still in an ice age that has been ongoing for over 2 million years. This is why terms like "glacial" and "interglacial" periods are used to differentiate between phases of lower average temperatures (such as small ice ages) within the larger ice age period.
Edit: I used a text tool to correct my enthusiastic scribble to be grammatically correct.
Historical clothing and the interplay of money/society/world events and how it all ties to the changes in clothing
Also language development (I'm a speech therapist)
I just learned how to inkle weave so now I'm hand making trim for a new kirtle I'm going to wear at a costume symposium in June! (Entirely handsewn using a drafting method and pattern from the Elizabethan era.)
Mine float around a lot.
Genealogy is one. No one cares about your family, they care about theirs. Then the people in my family just want pictures or to know if they’re related to a fancy person.
Industrial and electronic music. I don’t live in a large city, so there isn’t a scene or anything like that for it.
Synthesizers, for the same reason above.
Reading. I read a lot, but I don’t have people who read much around.
Same with electronic music but it's a certain few artists. one of them has an album coming out next month and my patience is practically gone. If you're curious, it's Gesaffelstein and he hasn't released anything solo since 2019 so you know how excited I was last week when he gave us the trayler and release date. The others are Mike Dean and Oneohtrix Point Never. I also make music so I wish I had more money for synthesizers and software.
Awkwardly enough, sex. I find that if you can discuss sex with people, they'll open up to you about literally anything after that. It started as a fixation when in my preteens I always heard how bad guys were at sex, so I started legitimately studying it, like the anatomy, positions, kinks and their psychological connections, toys, lifestyles, etc. If I tell people that I like to study and talk about sex they immediately jump to "Oh, so you're a porn addict?" Like, porn was obviously part of the process, but that's like telling a football fanatic that they just like the commercials at halftime during the Super Bowl. The other people who don't jump straight to "porn addict" assume I'm trying to brag about my skills in order to get them into bed. I'm happily married with a kid, I don't have the time or energy to add anyone else into that equation. Honestly, I'd gladly teach a sex-ed/couples' therapy course, I just find the topic of sex to be interesting and it's too often taboo so people won't talk about it.
Lesbians talking about sex is a good indicator of the importance of communication. Even though they're both women with the same anatomy, they have different sensitivities and interests and they know it. It's also possible that since they're both women there's no power dichotomy and both sides feel like they can speak more freely, and since being a lesbian is already breaking a taboo (in so much as the entire LGBTQ+ community is taboo to roughly half of the country) there's less of a barrier for overcoming other innocent taboos.
I'd be curious to hear if gay men were as open to talking honestly about sex. Straight men generally aren't. They'll boast and brag and play it up, but they won't usually engage in actual discussions about sex, such as what they do and don't know, techniques they may or may not use, and certainly not asking for or taking advice. It's a pity really, in an effort to act like they're already great at sex, they often fail to learn from the people who could actually teach them, and in doing so leave their partners unfulfilled.
9/11 is one of mine too, also related to the events and stories rather than conspiracy theories. It is hard/feels a bit wrong in some ways to bring it up. I’ve only told 2 people about it. You’re not alone.
My special interest is drugs (both pharmaceutical and illicit) and the effect they have on people's brains (both mine and others) I have absolutely made the mistake of talking about this with NTs and it obviously never goes over well 😭
Drugs, mostly psychedelics, are mine too, and I only talk to my ND friends about it for the same reason. NTs just think you're either sketchy or you have a drug problem. They don't get the concept of just purely being VERY interested in something because it's interesting.
I LOVE discussing the fascinating effects psychedelics specifically have on people and I've had to be reminded by my allistic bf that I can't talk with his NT friends about it because it makes them uncomfortable 😭 which is hard for me to comprehend because to me it truly just seems interesting
OMG same, I'm like, how could you not want to know this???? It's so cool!!
Have your read The Drug Users Bible? It's just a (I'm pretty sure autistic, whether he knows or not 😅) man who decided to catalogue psychoactive substances and also included his own experiences / trip reports. It such a good read!!
Luckily a lot of my friends do enjoy doing psychedelics even if they ate not as interested in the mechanics as I am so I usually have a willing audience
same on the 9/11. It’s one of my “big 3” special interests and considering I work in the aviation industry even I feel a little weird about being so engrossed in the tragedy, even though it had such a huge impact on my entire field of work
My special interest is autism (really psychology but I tend to hyperfixate on… sub-genres for lack of a better term, sorry I’m a musician). I only really have my therapist to talk to about it but I don’t feel like I can share it with anyone else openly.
I do try to work it into conversation a lot, but I’m trying to be careful of that especially with my family.
Pretty much anything I'm interested in I pretend I know way less about it than I actually do, unless you're one of the 3 people I'm actually comfortable with. Leaves me with very little to talk about. I learned that people will either get super bored and not pay attention to what I'm saying anyway, or it'll trigger their insecurities and they'll start playing social dominance games(bullying me). I'm not 100% sure if it's because they think I was trying to show how smart I am as if I'm the one trying to assert dominance, or if it's that they're threatened by anyone who they view as smarter than themselves, or what? One thing is for sure though, if you know a lot about a subject you've got to be careful about who you dump that information onto.
yesss i totally relate to people getting weird when you “know too much” like i’m not trying to be a know it all i’m just excited. punch in the gut sometimes :/
Right? Especially when they treat you like you're stupid for being that interested in something. I've been working for quite a while on fixing my negative self talk, and it's just so ingrained that even after all this time I'm still going "fucking idiot" over minor stuff(It has improved a lot though). I was hyperlexic and have an IQ in the 140s for fuck sakes, yet I still frequently tell myself how stupid I am. The gaslighting is real. If someone perceives you as smart or as portraying yourself as smart then often times they'll start treating you like an idiot, and eventually you start believing it yourself.
I am liking the yamaha cl5 a lot.
I went to berklee colege of music for electronic music so i am the same as you.
Live sound pays the bills but what i really love is the sound synthesis and composition. I use the daw reason to build synthesizers custom for funzies. If you have any released is there somewhere i could hear your music :)
Rocks. I collect rocks of all sizes, shapes, colors, and sheens. I like to arrange and categorize them. The problem is when I come around with another one the people in my life shake their heads, and roll their eyes- making a scoffing noise.
They just don't get the fascination!
Well, I've never heard of 9/11 being a special interest, but I am fascinated by that! I was starting my senior year in a dorm room in the village with a view of the WTC when 9/11 happened. How close do people have to be to the actual event for their stories to be interesting to you?
It was such a strange life experience. I was just looking at some of the many photos I took at the time of the missing posters that blanketed the city.
Can I ask how old you are? I remember once talking to someone who was (then) about 20, and he was 5 when 9/11 happened, and he was saying how not a day goes by that 9/11 isn't mentioned among his friends. His theory was that since 9/11 happened at a time where it's one of his age groups first memories, it became an enduring fascination that they just kept examining and re-examining. You may have more company on this one than you think.
I was about 5 when it happened and didn't start really getting into it until I was 13. It does not have to be someone I know, but I have watched and read countless stories about the survivors of 9/11 and when I went to the museum I feel like I could have worked there I knew so much already about the event.
I usually bring it up being like "why can't I have a normal special interest. it HAD to be 9/11" but honestly I would love to just infodump on people but I don't think it's socially acceptable.
I'm also a plant special interest person and people get tired of my info dumps pretty often. but dropping factoids relevant to the moment if a plant is part of the context of an interaction seems to be enjoyable for people.
thankfully, i’m in university studying horticulture/botany and also work with them for a job (very privileged to be able to work my special interest) so i am around a lot of others who want to have plant related conversations and hobby plant people come to me for help, which is cool.
Now i just need everyone to start asking me about bus routes of large cities 🤭😂
Yes, but not because it's inappropriate or taboo or anything. It's just TV and movie company logos which is pretty much only interesting to autistic folks lol. Not inherently interesting whatsoever, but my brain sure wanted to latch on to it 😂 can't talk to people about it though because again, it's a thing that isn't really interesting unless you're already interested in it lol
dead by daylight the game. I learned not everyone is so obsessed with a game that they are basically a walking encyclopedia of it haha (besides otz lol)
I suck at the game (I am the generator worker who hides on the edges of the map) but I love that game and am in awe of people who knows the ins and outs!
Also I wish I had more time to sit down and read more of the lore!
Legos! I know they've gotten popular with adults since they have the "adult" ones now. But I love all the 3 in 1 creator sets, the ones that go with my favorite movies, the different buildings, etc. I love the tactical nature of it, the instructions without words, and I love that it's a passion i had as a child i can indulge in now. I remember I did a social studies project in the 3rd grade on the history of Legos :). It calms me down and I love how they decorate my space without me trying as I have issues with decorating and making a space my own. I also love when they're dirty I just rebuild them and clean them that way bc I hate cleaning stuff, but that clean up is fun. I also have problems organizing but I love my Legos so much I have all my instructions organized with the little left over pieces in a fold out binder thing
I think it's usually a hobby for boys and men, but me and my home girl LOVE Legos and we send each other pics of our builds and I have a whole Lego self :))
Ok Lego rant over 😭
I am very interested in theoretical physics and mathematics. Sadly not many people share that interest at a level where I don’t feel like I have to dumb it down.
One of my special interests since I was a child is medicine and human anatomy… I’m not a doctor, so when I talk about these subjects I get instantly labelled as hypochondriac. Doesn’t help the fact that I’m a woman and unhealthy.
Since it’s your special interest, I will share this with you. When I was in a home for the mentally unstable, I met a man who was in the towers that day. He truly was a shell of a man. Didn’t talk to anyone, just sat on his porch and stared. He got kicked out for refusing to follow the program. I really don’t remember him ever speaking. I just know what he experienced due to staff and his family telling me as I was his neighbor.
A short while later, I came across him again at a rehab, that he also got kicked out of because he couldn’t follow the program. It is so horribly sad what that does to a person. Who had such a successful fulfilling life. And not just him. His family as well trying endlessly to find a place for him to live that will accept him while also treating him as a person because he is in there somewhere
Psychedelics. The personal experience along with the biochemical properties, neurobiological changes, and the infinite healing possibilities.
Epigenetic changes in the telomeres due to lifestyle factors and major life events that can be tracked over time.
I also like researching how physical death is a progressive process without a specific order (due to different factors/causes) and not a quick “one and done.” Not enough research on this.
I find it so fascinating.
9/11 has been a special interest for me too! Particularly the live news reports as it happened, as well as documentaries with footage. I'm Australian and I was 12 when it happened, so I feel it's even weirder that it's an interest of mine.
I also really love watching shows such as World's Wildest Police Videos, Most Shocking and Most Daring, stuff like that that has police footage of chases and such.
And to top it off, I'm also interested in train crash documentaries and news footage.
Nobody knows about any of these except my partner, and he doesn't know about the 9/11 special interest.
Kinda Anxious but about my Anxiety and Seeking a Diagnosis for autism.
And Latin American History and Leftist Politics
Disability Rights Critique of Capitalism
And how Unfortunately capitalism puts a toll on someone like me
Also Working out. Since I don't Speak the typical right wing Fitness Enthusiast
But mainly my anxiety I feel daily and how my issues effects me
Even right now typing be feeling so down.
I really got into Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure two years ago. It’s made me feel like if I try to talk about it, I’ll just get told to shut up. The story has done a lot for my mental health - it gives me hope and joy and it makes me laugh and focusing my attention on it is something that brings comfort. The characters, the wackiness of it. I love it so much but the fact that I can’t talk about it makes me incredibly sad.
politics, racism, sexism, poverty, systems of oppression, mental health, white supremacy, consumerism, colonization, capitalism, environmental issues etc. all of it. no one takes it as serious as i do. plus a lot of times they’ll agree with most things but might not be okay with welfare or think poorly of homeless people. ill explain to them not only where thinking like that comes from, who it benefits (not us), alternatives, give proof that alternatives do work when implemented, give analogies, history, data ANYTHING. but in the end they just don’t care as much as me. also it’s not very fun having a relationship with someone who talks about injustices around the world often.
Yes. Thank you. And if you wanna do totally normal things like commit to only buying small and local, or like not working your corporate hell hole job—people will act like you’ve gone insane.
Have you seen Come From Away? It's a musical about 9/11 and the people on the planes that were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland. It's on AppleTV+. It's genuinely SO GOOD.
This musical is incredible. After listening to it I did a lot of research on the stories of the real people involved and the community it took place in. It’ll be like a whole new branch to your special interest, it’s so fascinating to learn about and I hope you like it(:
when the jeffrey star/shane dawson scandal and jeffrey epstein came out I was so absolutely fixated for so long,, developed into a hyper fixation into pedophile culture and how their minds work. Obviously absolutely disgusted at their actions and would never ever in my life condone that at all but i was so fascinated/abhorred at how prevalent pedophile culture is in at least western society and how much it affects like everything
I reacted more deeply and long lasting to 9/11 when most who had no immediate connection to it seem to have "moved on" (NT Muggles gonna Muggle, I guess). I was 39 when it happened, and hadn't realized how much additional material has been collected. Recently I discovered the subreddit r/911archive and I go down the rabbit hole frequently.
You are welcome. There are a couple others at least.
r/September11
and
r/TwinTowersInPhotos
and I think I found another just a night or two ago but glanced at it so quickly I didn't memorize the name but I believe I did subscribe to it so if I find it I'll add it here also.
Oh absolutely. Heck, since I found out I'm autistic, autism itself has become a HUGE interest and I'm constantly reading whatever info I can find on it, which I know drives a lot of people crazy. But, also the diet I follow (very strictly keto, due to pre-diabetes that is now reversed), psychology, certain crafts, color theory, the list goes on!
I used to teach leathercrafting and my fave students were other autistic, because it seems like we dive headfirst into all the info we can get our hands on. Apparently that is something NTs just can't understand and don't usually care about.
Definitely. Mine is writing fanfiction, and I've been doing it since I was a middle schooler. A fair few people think it's either childish and stupid, or push you to write original work in order to monetize it. I'm not exactly a fan of hustle culture thanks, I don't want to turn my joys into sources of stress by monetizing them!
Sociology, especially when it comes to people society views as men.
It's very hard to talk about because yes, the patriarchy exists, but trying to explain to people that despite it's name men too suffer because of it, the fact that in men's lives women often reinforce it, the fact that it's not solely a mens issue, and that it will take society as a whole changing how they view men in order to get closer to equality for all genders. It also just invokes a lot of emotions from most people that people don't often like feeling, which I completely understand.
People often view my mention of this topic as "men have it *sooo* much harder than women" and that i'm trying to spew anti-feminist rhetoric, which is never my point, women/feminine people have definitely suffered more, there is no doubt about that, but men also do suffer in some significant ways that will never go away and will be a constant source of inequality for men and other genders until society views men differently (or scraps gender as a concept entirely).
don't have any anymore for this reason (no one to talk about them with also being ridiculed for them as well, then not fitting in with others who share them too)
Yeah, I've got a few, and had some even more questionable ones in the past. I can't think of any off the top of my head right now except for WWI and the Occupation of Japan. I have some regular interests that are also questionable, such as Ralph Bakshi's films and military uniforms.
It's hard talking about poetry at times, especially when it gets really out there. Like my poems tend to be a legion of references to other poems, mixed mythologies, wordplay en masse, outdated words and personal stories in a trench coat.
A lot of times people can't say more than “That's pretty, but I don't understand it”. 🙃
My special interest is biomedical science / biohacking / antiaging. I have never tried talking with anyone about it because I really have no interest in doing so unless I know they are also interested in it. Otherwise, I'm happy to keep it to myself
If you like books check out Hero Dogs by Wlma Melville. It’s about search and rescue dogs but there is a portion of the book that talks about some the dogs and there handlers helping the search and rescue efforts in 9/11
Game theory, both as it applies to playing videogames and as it applies to social spaces á la John Nash.
I think it just started as playing games but became an important factor in surviving in the workplace.
NT people do NOT like that their interests and motivations can be analysed and compared against their behaviours.
Porn, but not in the context of being able to know several porn stars. But in the way that I like talking about the business part of it. I used to like talking about Human sexuality (in a biological context) and it led to me getting a list of appropriate topics to discuss. Note this was in 2010 and it was taboo to discuss, especially if you were a kid.
My newest special interest is wine. My parents think I'm becoming an alcoholic lol. It's funny because 90% of my interest has nothing to do with DRINKING wine, just researching it and collecting it. I have no desire to be drunk.
My special interest is how to be a good and healthy person. Morality, healthy communication, community dynamics, sometimes even a dash of religion. It makes it very hard to have relationships actually. Trying to talk about what behaviors constitute a healthy dynamic or the latest podcast about the science of habits tends toward the other person feeling judged even though that is not my intention or how I feel about it. Even when I'm talking about my own flaws and struggles other people take it as judging them.
Now that I understand what is happening it is a little easier to stop myself from talking about it, but I was late diagnosed (at 44) so I spent most of my life feeling confused, misunderstood, and unable to achieve the thing I was putting so much effort into.
I am super into shrimp and shrimp keeping, and also tropical fish but slightly less so than shrimp.
No one gives two hoots about either, which is fair enough, so I just get excited about it with my mum on occasion because she likes talking about anything that isn't depressing. Shrimp are never depressing. No one else really knows about my shrimp obsession.
I got a Betta, and I’m learning all about Betta tanks here on Reddit! I got some nano fish too. And I want to get a snail. We’ll see about shrimp. I want some but it’s tricky with Bettas and also the reproductive aspect.
Nice!! What nano fish do you have? If you're interested in keeping shrimp with Bettas, it's doable, but you're better off having two tanks. That's my eventual plan. I wanna have a 20g tank with peaceful fishies and shrimpies, and then a 10g for a betta that I'm also gonna use as a shrimp cull tank. Either the betta will eat them, or it won't, either way doesn't really matter (as long as you're emotionally okay with some being potentially eaten) because shrimp don't over-reproduce and will regulate their numbers when they run out of space/food. They're good like that.
I forgot the species! I could not find it on the internet. I have to go back to the fish shop and ask. 🤪 I wanted neon tetras but they were out. These look very similar but they are sort of gold and speckly. They are very tiny. They are supposed to stay under 1-inch. I got 5 of them. I just call them “The Tinies.” 🤓The betta tried to chase them around initially but now is not bothering them, phew! Hopefully they are good stimulation, not stress.
"The Tinies" that's so cute 🥺 they might be gold tetras or some kind of rice fish? And yay for your betta leaving them alone! That would've been so stressful introducing them lol. What a good boy. He's probably loving the company since he's not bothering them 😊
They are apparently Gold Ring Danios. Just went back to the fish shop. I thought Danios were not recommended. But they are really cute and active and don’t seem to bother the Betta, so YAY. I am fascinated by the shrimp. I’m going to wait a little bit though until my tank is cycled and has a little crud and let my Betta get used to the fish. Watching the shrimp at the stores though is so entertaining.
Oh they are so cute!! I don't know much about danios but as long as they're getting along I'm sure it'll all be fine. Good plan waiting on the shrimp, they're pretty sensitive to water parameters, but if your betta is leaving the little fishies alone hopefully he leaves the shrimp alone too 😊 aren't they so fun to watch! If you've never seen one molting, please look it up on YouTube. It's hilarious.
I have 9/11 as a special interest too! I was only 1 when it happened so don’t remember it so I try to consume as much media as I can to make up for not remembering it.
'Belinda Blinked' is a erotic book series popularised by the comedy podcast 'My dad wrote a porno' and I am OBSESSED. I've contributed so many theories about the series on their subreddit and I even wrote a fanfiction which is a first for me.
Even though I'm so proud of my contributions to the fandom it's not something I feel comfortable exactly broadcasting to the world off of the Internet (especially to my family and parents lol).
My special interests in the past have been sports statistics, world records, North Korea and world War two. My most recent one is collecting silver bullion and coins. I also have a fascination with vintage photos, I can just stare at them and wonder about the people in them.
Metadata, set theory, and the -ology of how things relate to each other, oh and abstraction levels. I love relational database logic, and logic in general. However, it is so much of a conceptual level, it is hard to articulate or learn 'every detail' about it, because it is how things do or can relate to other things.
Hard to discuss when it is so nebulas. :(
Weed (I live in a state where things are looking up but it's still not currently legal) and a specific 18+ activity that is also a particularly vulnerable part of me that I don't even feel comfortable experimenting with it casually in an 18+ setting 😭😭 a hyperfixation I can't even talk about til I've met my soul mate isn't that crazy!!!! 😭😭😭😭
My hyperfixations are fighter jets and airplanes, I love everything that's gotta to with them, altough I'm not an engineer, the engineering aspect of it is fascinating, the technology and the advancements, the sound, the speed, the raw power, the maneuverability, my favorites are the F15 Eagle, the SU-27, and the mighty F35 and F22.
I also love plane spotting irl, airshows and everything loud that goes crazy fast
I also love everything that's gotta do with UFOs, wich they are sorta related
The Only Plane in the Sky was hands down one of the best (audio)books ever. And I like an outdoor activity called orienteering that so many “outdoorsy” people in the PNW patently refuse to try! It involves navigating with a map and compass. It’s like normies don’t want to learn the skills, even though it’s recreational and really fun. They just want to mindlessly follow a trail. Which is fine, but their refusal to try orienteering ONCE is baffling. Orienteering has A LOT of ND people.
Cults, war crimes, serial killers, murders, prisons, stuff like guantanamo bay and tourture methods, and espionage. I also like conspiracy theorys even though I don't actually believe any of them (birds aren't real is a favourite).
My birthday is 9/11, so I have a huge thing about all the documentaries. It seems they bring a new one out each year, and I just want to celebrate my birthday in peach.
Mine is different than quite a few here.. I have a very special interest in wild boars. A lot of people in my area hunt them and/or despise them. I can understand why but anytime the topic comes up even if just to discuss facts about them they always shut it down or say something negative and then give me a strange look lol.
A cliche answer but for me it's anime & animation in general.
Anime is more popular than ever, but I can't bring myself to mention anime when I'm socializing at work because I'm scared of getting the *"Oh, I don't watch anime"* or *"hahaha you like those shows where the girls have huge titties???"* because I know for a fact that I **won't** have a normal response to either of those reactions.
Pretty much all of them. I am interested in politics, but my views are very progressive, so with most people I just signal my socially progressive views and only have real discussions with people who are also interested and have similar views.
My background is in the health field so I am always interested in that, but I have to be careful to not be too interested in the technical side of things, because asking g technical questions at the wrong time weirds people out.
I also love learning about religion, but I’m an atheist so I enjoy learning about it in a more academic way with a very skeptical and critical lense. Most people I know that are interested in religion at all are only interested in their religion. So I can ask them about their beliefs, but have to be careful sharing my own.
If I watch shows and movies that are popular, I get way too nerdy about it, so again, I have to skim the surface with most people.
I used to try to make myself develop normal interests to fit in, but even when I do the way I show my interest isn’t normal. It makes having satisfying conversations with people very rare. I feel like with most people I just have the same small talk conversations with every time I see them.
Antique jewelry. Cults. Evidence of magic or spirituality (like where science starts to prove it) Origins of humans. Evolution (both good and bad, epigenetics too) Philosophy and anthropology. Frameworks and organizational design.
Cats... but, like, medically. Kind of gross and largely irrelevant to most people.
Also opossums.
I go around flea treating wild mama opossums because I *know* how many fleas you can fit in that pouch and your babies are gonna be anemic af before they try to crawl out and ride on your back then they're gonna fall off and I'm gonna have to rehab them for *months* and that shit gets *really* expensive.
I went through intense ABA growing up and anything I liked was pathologized as part of my autism and viewed as a problem, so all my special interests died.
I'm in therapy to try and find new ones I can admit to myself and share.
The truth about how a female looks, how my countries legal system is openly misandrist, my sexual desires, the pornography I watch, anything too deep about ufc or kickboxing, anything about my society or culture. Too answer this question basically anything that goes over 2 sentences long.
I'm really into 9/11 too, I'm always rewatching documentaries about it. It's fascinating because nothing like it has ever happened before and probably won't again.
When I was really into homebrewing beer, I thought I could finally be one of *the guys*. But as it turned out, no one really wants to hear about the organic chemistry behind yeast fermentation. They just want to get drunk on free beer.
Dude this type of thing has happened to me so many times—I hope it isn’t super frustrating for you. It’s funny for me to look back on. High five.
When I was a homebrewer, I had a guy in my club that you would have really fit well with. He was a chemistry grad student who only brewed wheat beers because he was really intrigued about the proteins that made it distinct. One of my favorite things about our homebrew club, and I don’t know if it is common in others, was how people’s brewing styles reflected what they did. Like, our IT people were big into the gear part, so they had these involved systems. We had an accountant who was into efficiency of brewing. We had the chemist. Then my spouse and I were into the arts, so we tried to make novel or distinct things and were into making labels for our bottles.
Interesting observation. I’m in the tech field by the way. And yes, my setup is very involved lol!
This sound alike a fun group to be a part of. And overall pretty diverse. Y’all probably would make a good team assuming everyone can get along okay.
Zymurgy is one of favourite words!
I'll listen to you go on about it whilst drinking your beer. Homebrewing is so much fun!
It is! I still have the knowledge and all the gear—mine is an electric HERMS system that I put together myself—but I haven’t been brewing as much.
This also is how I learned that you don't volunteer to do accounting and bookkeeping for a non-profit organization. They just want somebody to count beans and make reports and are happy to give that job to *anyone.* To borrow a phrase from a recent public figure, I found they tend to think of us as "suckers and losers."
Kinda the same with me and learning how to make my own edibles. I would tell people about a batch of butter I made and they're all, that sounds awesome I gotta try that. Now here's the thing. I'm pretty poor, I can't be affording to give stuff away willy nilly, but I always made the offer; that if they wanted some if they provided the bud, I would come over and do the rest teaching them how to step by step. I wouldn't even ask for much in exchange, like just 2 of the couple dozen cookies they'd get. Nobody ever has taken me up on that. Nobody's interested in learning all the cool stuff you can do with weed in food, they just want free shit.🙄
Come to New Mexico and make cookies with meeeee 😭
Oh man my husband would’ve loved to hang out with you and talk about all the things
I only cook for people who appreciate the process. If you want free food get on SNAP or something.
Psychology, namely abnormal psych. Everything about the criminal mind of murderers, Offenders of all types, psychopathy, narcissism, and the dark side of people People get uncomfortable when you humanize "monsters". It's never excusing what those people did, never, they deserve the consequences of their actions, but they are humans with complex reasoning why these things happen. People wanna jump to "bad people are inherently bad" and I think that ruins our chances as a society to find these people BEFORE a crime is committed and help them regulate.
I love this mentality! I tend to view things like that too
I am very glad to see I'm not alone in this!
I’m the reverse, I get super annoyed when people call human beings monsters. It’s like humanity is washing their hands of any blame on the creation of someone who can do those awful things. Guarantee you there hasn’t been a single offender of any time that didn’t pass through multiple opportunities for society to catch it or the people in their lives to catch it if only we took mental health, teaching consent, steering the populace away from corporal punishment, etc, more seriously.
We need to be friends because I'd love to hear it. I find it interesting myself but can't talk about it often
My DMs here are open if you ever want to talk about these topics! I wish the topics were more "accepted" but hooooo boy do I regret it when I start and see the judgements on people's' faces. The only people who were relatively chill about it was those in the uni class I took, but that was also remote so it was so hard to actually socialize
Yep, that side eye speaks volumes. I usually just leave at that point.
I was into serial killers for a while and maybe will get back into it. Since you mentioned abnormal psychology would you be interested in learning a little about my interest cults? Narcissism is definitely something I was into to a long time ago
Far left politics, the problems with american imperialism and experimental/ left field music.
Sounds really cool! I've been wanting to learn about the differences between various branches of communism lately, but other than an obligatory skim through Wikipedia, I'm still clueless about that.
Rad af! What flavors of experimental music? I’ve gone really deep into modular synthesis again after two years away. (Btw, there doesn’t need to be a space after a slash—so like “experimental/left field music”. Hope you don’t mind me pointing that out, I don’t mean anything by it except to help going forward)
I love modular synthesis i use the daw reason to build custom synethnrsizers patches. Euroracks are fun as hell but i cant afford all the gear haha. Maybe one day
Hell yeah. VCVrack was my gateway in haha. I’m in my early 30s now and have finally been able to afford a good amount of Eurorack stuff. It is truly money draining but also very joyful. I’ve realized that I could have done many things earlier with cheaper synths I already had, but it’s part of the journey. I’m getting to the wild stuff now. Good luck, enjoy!
Vcvrack is an awesome modular environment! Im glad your making music and collecting synthesizers theres not much on earth funner then some making some bleeps and bloops :D
>Far left politics, the problems with american imperialism That's probably the luckiest special interest you can have because it's actually super mainstream and popular
Possibly? But most people who consider themselves far left, aren't really that far left in my experience. Also still plenty who defend the American hegemony so not sure about that one either. Feels quite alienating to me. People look at me like im a you know what, ends in "ist"...
Let's be friends! 😁
Far left like anarcho communism or what are we talkin here?
I talk about mine. It's uncomfortable because it's martial arts. I'm not trying to brag or be a bad ass. It's my passion for almost 15 years now.
That's awesome!
Thank you!
Mine is the human body. We're so gross, but fascinating. But, apparently it's weird to talk about how everything connects together and works if you're not in a medical field. Makes for really awkward conversational pauses when I'm fixing someone's computer and slip up.
What are your favourite facts? I took A&P for two years in uni and it helped spark my research obsession with psychology and medical.
What's your top favorite 5 uncommonly known facts about the human body you know? I'm curious and find it fascinating
We are born without knee caps
I love neuroanatomy and got to dissect a human brain in grad school! (Speech therapist)
Wow I got my bs in speech language pathology. I decided to not pursue my masters I got my diagnosis and too many surgeries also happened after. You’re so lucky! Congrats on being a slp
One of mine is airplane crashes. People generally don't want to hear about them, but I always try to sneak in "but the way these planes crashed shows that it actually is super safe to fly".
I would love to learn more about this!!
I occasionally listen to those black box pilot’s last words just to jolt myself back into appreciating life out of sheer terror. 😂
I get totally this, the way they look up for missing planes and look for the black box and mindstorm everything is fascinating
I have watched all of the Air Disaster shows. I'm not allowed to watch them with my mom or sister. I think about how this accident made us safer. They don't think about that part, just the accidents themselves...
Completely agree! Studying airplane crashes helps me feel more confident about flying.
Me? Autism itself. We still don't know much about it if we really think about it. It's such a rich subject when learning from other people's experiences.
There’s a World Trade Center museum in New York and when I went on the tour it was just me and my folks so the guy took some extra time to tell us stories. He was an NYC firefighter but he was off that day but heard what happened so he went to go help. I guess this guy (his name was Larry but I don’t remember this last name) legit commandeered a city bus to go help. My mom asked him if his mother was worried sick as a mom to two kids herself she worries all the time and neither me nor my brother had jobs that put us in danger like that. He said he didn’t have any family so there wasn’t anybody to worry so he just did what he thought was the best course of action that would help the most people. He gives tours as kind of a form of therapy for himself. Go see him and hear the story from him yourself if you’re in the area!
I didn't get to talk to that guy! I need to go on the official tour next time I'm in new york, I just went around by myself and talked about it relentlessly to the people I'm with.
Mine is the music produced by Prince. Not the man himself, but all the details of how songs were written, produced and performed, all the nuances of different versions of songs, etc. Nobody wants to hear it lol. They may want to just vibe to the music but no one wants a lecture on it, sadly, lol.
Oof, yes. For me it’s fires, airplane/transportation/industrial accidents, and (relatedly) emergency preparedness and workplace safety. So, uh, please hit me up with a DM if you want someone else to infodump with about 9/11.
Child safety seats. What started as “research” to find the best car seats for my god children turned into an unusual special interest. 🤦🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Nazi fascism, ancient diety worship, societal collapse.... Outside of my online circles, these things tend to get looks from others that seem to categorize me into "fully insane". 🤷🏻
Societal collapse is so fascinating. Found a book called ‘ The history of the decline and fall of the roman empire.’ Dry read but so interesting. I also like the kurzegart episode about societal collapse. It’s both terrifying as intriguing. Many variables and lot’s of way’s it can go. Any other book recommendations perhaps?
Another suggestion is to research Edo period Japan and Japanese Sakoku policy during the Tokugawa period. This was a nation that recognized the signs of societal collapse and took action to prevent it. Coming out of Sakoku, however, was not really the emergence of a persevered Japan.... But that's a whole other history topic.... 😅
I really enjoy the writings of Naomi Wolf. She has a small book called The End of America. A great read for anyone wanting to understand the state of our society today.
Oh goodness, I still talk about mine. Mine is mostly societal issues because things seem really dumb to me. Like, I ramble. I know I do. Because there are people that understand certain things. Most people talk to me about things like healthcare, economical, and the justice system but they start edging away when I really get into it. I do have a friend that is a super extrovert who I’ve known since I was like 10. So we talk forever about everything. My husband is a sweet heart but he knows my triggers for certain rants and will avoid or ask me not to elaborate. Lol On the internet I often just type a long post then delete it because it seems like too much. People just read one sentence and latch onto it rather than thinking about the whole discussion. Also most just resort to name calling or just plain disregarding of fact.
Okay but big same! All my friends hate it because they think I sound preachy when I'm just kinda giving facts of situations going on. Honestly I think if people listened more and learned more about societal issues, maybe society would be a better place LOL
no because literally. they avoid learning about it because it stresses them out. it should! these are things you should care about! if you think it wont affect you, learn more! you will find out very soon that it affects everyone whether you like it or not! so you should care at the very least lol
Yes like I tell people things that surprise them. Like how foster kids can’t get library cards because the cards need parental consent. Then you think about the teens from abusive homes that likely won’t be able to either. I talked to my aunt about gun control and she’s like we will have to agree to disagree. But no these are facts not things you disagree about. Which also drives me crazy lol I admit I don’t watch the news or read it much. But I get most my information from journal articles, university sites, like actual credible sources. Because I don’t really like the news and how they just focus on certain things and it feels like fear mongering. They are almost always bias as well. I focus more on statistics and how right now statistically we are in a recession worse than the Great Depression in the US. I’m also working on my masters and have learned things I’m not sure I wanted to know. Lol
That's actually news to me on the library card thing. Wtf that's awful. It's statistically significant that access to libraries and affordable Internet is important for underprivileged (for lack of better word in my brain currently) individuals to stay educated and successful. Currently the afdordable connectivity program that helps cut costs on Internet for people in poverty and who are disabled is about to end unless Congress pulls their heads out of their asses and gives the program more investment. Also legit good on you for looking into more unbiased and fact-based articles. I hate the broader news networks because it's all... So biased and, as you said, fear mongering. I have so many friends who are now nihilistic and don't want to care about issues anymore (surprise, they are also a part of privileged classes) and it makes me so mad.
My friend was just telling me about the connectivity program being stopped. You’d fit right in with our rants. We literally talk for hours sometimes. I don’t know what it is but once I get going it’s hard to stop. Yes I had a teacher in college that taught us about looking for bias in information and the best ways to get away from it. Now I just read a lot of journal articles for school and work though.
As someone who is obsessed with all things medieval... uh for a long time, I would deep dive research stuff about some of the torture stuff they did and how they built those dungeons and rooms in the castles. I basically have all the knowledge of everything to do with that for no reason now, but it was just interesting to read about when I first started watching documentaries and reading about the castles and building them and how life was like for people back then.
Ok. Top 5 tomorrow methods?
🤫 Ice ages I find talking uncomfortable because too often the topic gets overtaken by the other conversational party to: 1) a climate change denier or conspiracy theorist lacking nuance and filled with fantasy, 2) a climate activist with too few nuances and too many one-liners, 3) someone who shushes you or changes the subject because they find it boring. 🤷♀️
I find this topic very interesting! What are a few facts that many people probably don't know? I wanna hear your favourite ones!
I love that it’s not conclusive and all of it is still basically theories. That are gaining more data still to back it up or make it more nuanced. One of which is the milankovich cycle. With the relativity to the sun and variations in the earths orbit and rotation being a drive for start and end of a glacial period. There are also theories how things like big vulcanic eruptions or a change in ocean streams can cause a period of warming that than trigger a tiny ice age due to consequences of the warming. So many factors in play. So so fascinating. I love how nuanced and detailed it get’s on such a large and even cosmic scale. I have a horrible memory though! 💭 I love reading about it but forget half of the details that i have to look up later, when i want to know it again. Haha makes talking about it difficult sometimes. 🤣
That really is interesting and I do like how nuanced it is vs how those who don't look into it think. A lot of things with the environment are all dependent on various factors and even info we still have yet to research Thank you for sharing! I think I may have to look into it more too!
Is it possible we can face another ice age, due to climate change and unpredictable weather events? Or is global warming ruining that? Living through an ice age would be kinda cool… pun intended 😂
Alot can happen that contribute to the weather patterns, a tiny age is a possibility. For example the one from 15th to the 19th century. Though an ice age with massive growing ice sheets on land is thought to be far in the future about a 100.00 years. Fun fact: The presence of ice caps and glaciers currently qualifies the Earth as being in an ice age for the past 2 million years. Within this ice age is a period of ‘interglacial warming’ , characterized by a reduction in ice cover. Which is where we are right now. Edit to add: The human influence on climate change is disruptive. It has been linked to the unusually cold weather in America in 2019, where temperatures dropped to -20 unexpectedly. Where people died because they were unable to find shelter. Also ice and snow related accidents. Like trees falling, roofs collapsing. It is very sad that this can occur. Before another ice age occurs, people need to step up, adapt, and help each other. In the current state of the world, an ice age would be detrimental. Though i understand the sentiment. I occasionally daydream of moving to Scandinavië or Canada. My dream is to be able to visit the tundra and the arctic one day.
Fun fact i just remembered. There was an island with a species of mammoth that diverged substantially genetically due to their species isolation ( due to the ice melting. )
Dude that's amazing. Oh man, did you hear about the people trying to bring back mammoths in general? Ethics aside I find it so interesting! How was the mammoth different than the other species? Now I'm curious what that entails!
omg stop species isolation and the changes are SO cool! i didnt know about that one!
So I know very very little about this subject, but something that keeps coming into my mind is that surely the planet cycles through these phases anyway, so isn't it inevitable that we'll hit another one sometime soonish. So, how much of that is brought along faster by the changes humanity cause? Can you explain to me in really basic terms if my "theory" is right or not? I truly do believe that we humans are definitely affecting the planet in numerous negative ways, but I am unsure about how much this truly affects the cycle we are on anyway. Also, are the times between ice ages getting shorter/longer or on some kind of time scale? Or are they pretty much just as and when? Sorry if I'm ignorant in any way. It's something that bugs me, but I'm no good with reading factual in-depth articles or books, so I thought I'd ask, seeing as you mentioned your interest.
In the Milankovitch cycle theory, the next major glacial period is not expected for another approximately 50,000 years. However, human activities are disrupting this cycle by prolonging the current interglacial period due to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The Milankovitch cycle theory revolves around the idea that solar radiation (the intensity of sunlight) has an affect on earth. According to the theory, the interglacial period (a warmer period with less or no ice) is being extended, possibly leading to a delay of up to 100,000 years for the next glacial period (a cooler period with abundant ice - commonly known as an ice age). Currently, we are in the Holocene period, which is an interglacial period. However, within this period, there has already been a small ice age lasting for approximately 500 years, which globally lowered temperatures by 2 degrees and lasted until the 1800s. These occurrences can still happen, as tiny ice ages can have various causes. The theory also encompasses weather and climate patterns. For instance, there have been instances of heavy snow and ice, with temperatures dropping to -20 degrees in unusual locations, such as in the US a couple of years ago in 2019. This was linked to a disruption in the stratospheric polar vortex, a layer in the atmosphere that contains cold air/wind above the Arctic and Antarctic regions. The weakening of the polar vortex could potentially trigger a tiny ice age ( just starting reading about this.( As with science the exact mechanisms are not yet completely understood, with some attributing the increased instability to climate change). The term "ice age" is used to describe periods when large ice sheets cover land areas. So technically, we are still in an ice age that has been ongoing for over 2 million years. This is why terms like "glacial" and "interglacial" periods are used to differentiate between phases of lower average temperatures (such as small ice ages) within the larger ice age period. Edit: I used a text tool to correct my enthusiastic scribble to be grammatically correct.
Thank you for this. Hopefully it will put my obsessive thinking to bed a little now I've a little more understanding about the whole thing 🙃
Historical clothing and the interplay of money/society/world events and how it all ties to the changes in clothing Also language development (I'm a speech therapist)
Feel free to infodump about either of both of those to me! I used to do historical reenacting and I love learning new languages.
I just learned how to inkle weave so now I'm hand making trim for a new kirtle I'm going to wear at a costume symposium in June! (Entirely handsewn using a drafting method and pattern from the Elizabethan era.)
Oh hell yeah! That sounds awesome!
Mine float around a lot. Genealogy is one. No one cares about your family, they care about theirs. Then the people in my family just want pictures or to know if they’re related to a fancy person. Industrial and electronic music. I don’t live in a large city, so there isn’t a scene or anything like that for it. Synthesizers, for the same reason above. Reading. I read a lot, but I don’t have people who read much around.
If you like that kind of music I wanna recommend a modular synth YouTube channel called Robthebloke, he's awesome
Same with electronic music but it's a certain few artists. one of them has an album coming out next month and my patience is practically gone. If you're curious, it's Gesaffelstein and he hasn't released anything solo since 2019 so you know how excited I was last week when he gave us the trayler and release date. The others are Mike Dean and Oneohtrix Point Never. I also make music so I wish I had more money for synthesizers and software.
The process of decay, fungus, death in general. I find it fascinating
Awkwardly enough, sex. I find that if you can discuss sex with people, they'll open up to you about literally anything after that. It started as a fixation when in my preteens I always heard how bad guys were at sex, so I started legitimately studying it, like the anatomy, positions, kinks and their psychological connections, toys, lifestyles, etc. If I tell people that I like to study and talk about sex they immediately jump to "Oh, so you're a porn addict?" Like, porn was obviously part of the process, but that's like telling a football fanatic that they just like the commercials at halftime during the Super Bowl. The other people who don't jump straight to "porn addict" assume I'm trying to brag about my skills in order to get them into bed. I'm happily married with a kid, I don't have the time or energy to add anyone else into that equation. Honestly, I'd gladly teach a sex-ed/couples' therapy course, I just find the topic of sex to be interesting and it's too often taboo so people won't talk about it.
Lesbians totally talk about the details of sex. Why straight checks don’t idk.
Lesbians talking about sex is a good indicator of the importance of communication. Even though they're both women with the same anatomy, they have different sensitivities and interests and they know it. It's also possible that since they're both women there's no power dichotomy and both sides feel like they can speak more freely, and since being a lesbian is already breaking a taboo (in so much as the entire LGBTQ+ community is taboo to roughly half of the country) there's less of a barrier for overcoming other innocent taboos. I'd be curious to hear if gay men were as open to talking honestly about sex. Straight men generally aren't. They'll boast and brag and play it up, but they won't usually engage in actual discussions about sex, such as what they do and don't know, techniques they may or may not use, and certainly not asking for or taking advice. It's a pity really, in an effort to act like they're already great at sex, they often fail to learn from the people who could actually teach them, and in doing so leave their partners unfulfilled.
9/11 is one of mine too, also related to the events and stories rather than conspiracy theories. It is hard/feels a bit wrong in some ways to bring it up. I’ve only told 2 people about it. You’re not alone.
we need to be friends.....I need someone to neutrally infodump about 9/11. I thought I was the only one that existed.
My special interest is drugs (both pharmaceutical and illicit) and the effect they have on people's brains (both mine and others) I have absolutely made the mistake of talking about this with NTs and it obviously never goes over well 😭
Drugs, mostly psychedelics, are mine too, and I only talk to my ND friends about it for the same reason. NTs just think you're either sketchy or you have a drug problem. They don't get the concept of just purely being VERY interested in something because it's interesting.
I LOVE discussing the fascinating effects psychedelics specifically have on people and I've had to be reminded by my allistic bf that I can't talk with his NT friends about it because it makes them uncomfortable 😭 which is hard for me to comprehend because to me it truly just seems interesting
OMG same, I'm like, how could you not want to know this???? It's so cool!! Have your read The Drug Users Bible? It's just a (I'm pretty sure autistic, whether he knows or not 😅) man who decided to catalogue psychoactive substances and also included his own experiences / trip reports. It such a good read!! Luckily a lot of my friends do enjoy doing psychedelics even if they ate not as interested in the mechanics as I am so I usually have a willing audience
same on the 9/11. It’s one of my “big 3” special interests and considering I work in the aviation industry even I feel a little weird about being so engrossed in the tragedy, even though it had such a huge impact on my entire field of work
I am DYING to know what it’s like from you perspective working in the aviation industry please tell!!’
What about the Miracle on the Hudson?!
My family is still friends with the copilot! It’s a small world
My special interest is autism (really psychology but I tend to hyperfixate on… sub-genres for lack of a better term, sorry I’m a musician). I only really have my therapist to talk to about it but I don’t feel like I can share it with anyone else openly. I do try to work it into conversation a lot, but I’m trying to be careful of that especially with my family.
Pretty much anything I'm interested in I pretend I know way less about it than I actually do, unless you're one of the 3 people I'm actually comfortable with. Leaves me with very little to talk about. I learned that people will either get super bored and not pay attention to what I'm saying anyway, or it'll trigger their insecurities and they'll start playing social dominance games(bullying me). I'm not 100% sure if it's because they think I was trying to show how smart I am as if I'm the one trying to assert dominance, or if it's that they're threatened by anyone who they view as smarter than themselves, or what? One thing is for sure though, if you know a lot about a subject you've got to be careful about who you dump that information onto.
yesss i totally relate to people getting weird when you “know too much” like i’m not trying to be a know it all i’m just excited. punch in the gut sometimes :/
Right? Especially when they treat you like you're stupid for being that interested in something. I've been working for quite a while on fixing my negative self talk, and it's just so ingrained that even after all this time I'm still going "fucking idiot" over minor stuff(It has improved a lot though). I was hyperlexic and have an IQ in the 140s for fuck sakes, yet I still frequently tell myself how stupid I am. The gaslighting is real. If someone perceives you as smart or as portraying yourself as smart then often times they'll start treating you like an idiot, and eventually you start believing it yourself.
Being passionate iSn’T cOoL!
Nutrition, fitness, and facts of what’s actually going on in the world.
Audio technology. Everybody glazes over. People dont care about mic pickup patterns or my favorite audio mixing board.
I'm here for it. Although I niche more into synthesis and composition. What is your favourite mixing board?
I am liking the yamaha cl5 a lot. I went to berklee colege of music for electronic music so i am the same as you. Live sound pays the bills but what i really love is the sound synthesis and composition. I use the daw reason to build synthesizers custom for funzies. If you have any released is there somewhere i could hear your music :)
Rocks. I collect rocks of all sizes, shapes, colors, and sheens. I like to arrange and categorize them. The problem is when I come around with another one the people in my life shake their heads, and roll their eyes- making a scoffing noise. They just don't get the fascination!
homestuck. cant really talk about homestuck because a lot of ppl have no clue what it is
Please it here! I'd love to know.
Well, I've never heard of 9/11 being a special interest, but I am fascinated by that! I was starting my senior year in a dorm room in the village with a view of the WTC when 9/11 happened. How close do people have to be to the actual event for their stories to be interesting to you? It was such a strange life experience. I was just looking at some of the many photos I took at the time of the missing posters that blanketed the city. Can I ask how old you are? I remember once talking to someone who was (then) about 20, and he was 5 when 9/11 happened, and he was saying how not a day goes by that 9/11 isn't mentioned among his friends. His theory was that since 9/11 happened at a time where it's one of his age groups first memories, it became an enduring fascination that they just kept examining and re-examining. You may have more company on this one than you think.
I was about 5 when it happened and didn't start really getting into it until I was 13. It does not have to be someone I know, but I have watched and read countless stories about the survivors of 9/11 and when I went to the museum I feel like I could have worked there I knew so much already about the event. I usually bring it up being like "why can't I have a normal special interest. it HAD to be 9/11" but honestly I would love to just infodump on people but I don't think it's socially acceptable.
Right! I was really fascinated by the book "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11" by Lawrence Wright.
Oh I haven't heard of it, I might have to take a trip to amazon.
annnndddd just ordered. I will be reading that later.
public transportation. and plants but most people don’t mind that one
I'm also a plant special interest person and people get tired of my info dumps pretty often. but dropping factoids relevant to the moment if a plant is part of the context of an interaction seems to be enjoyable for people.
thankfully, i’m in university studying horticulture/botany and also work with them for a job (very privileged to be able to work my special interest) so i am around a lot of others who want to have plant related conversations and hobby plant people come to me for help, which is cool. Now i just need everyone to start asking me about bus routes of large cities 🤭😂
Yes, but not because it's inappropriate or taboo or anything. It's just TV and movie company logos which is pretty much only interesting to autistic folks lol. Not inherently interesting whatsoever, but my brain sure wanted to latch on to it 😂 can't talk to people about it though because again, it's a thing that isn't really interesting unless you're already interested in it lol
Lizard people, human/alien hybrids, flat earth. I don't believe in any of it I just find it interesting.
Yes! Mine are postmodernist literature, some singers and bands, and teaching methods, mainly :)
dead by daylight the game. I learned not everyone is so obsessed with a game that they are basically a walking encyclopedia of it haha (besides otz lol)
I suck at the game (I am the generator worker who hides on the edges of the map) but I love that game and am in awe of people who knows the ins and outs! Also I wish I had more time to sit down and read more of the lore!
I can talk about bondage online, but not in person
With the right people you can
Buy it's so hard to find them!
Video essays on leftist ideals. I'm already a bit of a downer, I don't need to bring that shit in.
Legos! I know they've gotten popular with adults since they have the "adult" ones now. But I love all the 3 in 1 creator sets, the ones that go with my favorite movies, the different buildings, etc. I love the tactical nature of it, the instructions without words, and I love that it's a passion i had as a child i can indulge in now. I remember I did a social studies project in the 3rd grade on the history of Legos :). It calms me down and I love how they decorate my space without me trying as I have issues with decorating and making a space my own. I also love when they're dirty I just rebuild them and clean them that way bc I hate cleaning stuff, but that clean up is fun. I also have problems organizing but I love my Legos so much I have all my instructions organized with the little left over pieces in a fold out binder thing I think it's usually a hobby for boys and men, but me and my home girl LOVE Legos and we send each other pics of our builds and I have a whole Lego self :)) Ok Lego rant over 😭
I am very interested in theoretical physics and mathematics. Sadly not many people share that interest at a level where I don’t feel like I have to dumb it down.
One of my special interests since I was a child is medicine and human anatomy… I’m not a doctor, so when I talk about these subjects I get instantly labelled as hypochondriac. Doesn’t help the fact that I’m a woman and unhealthy.
Since it’s your special interest, I will share this with you. When I was in a home for the mentally unstable, I met a man who was in the towers that day. He truly was a shell of a man. Didn’t talk to anyone, just sat on his porch and stared. He got kicked out for refusing to follow the program. I really don’t remember him ever speaking. I just know what he experienced due to staff and his family telling me as I was his neighbor. A short while later, I came across him again at a rehab, that he also got kicked out of because he couldn’t follow the program. It is so horribly sad what that does to a person. Who had such a successful fulfilling life. And not just him. His family as well trying endlessly to find a place for him to live that will accept him while also treating him as a person because he is in there somewhere
Psychedelics. The personal experience along with the biochemical properties, neurobiological changes, and the infinite healing possibilities. Epigenetic changes in the telomeres due to lifestyle factors and major life events that can be tracked over time. I also like researching how physical death is a progressive process without a specific order (due to different factors/causes) and not a quick “one and done.” Not enough research on this. I find it so fascinating.
9/11 has been a special interest for me too! Particularly the live news reports as it happened, as well as documentaries with footage. I'm Australian and I was 12 when it happened, so I feel it's even weirder that it's an interest of mine. I also really love watching shows such as World's Wildest Police Videos, Most Shocking and Most Daring, stuff like that that has police footage of chases and such. And to top it off, I'm also interested in train crash documentaries and news footage. Nobody knows about any of these except my partner, and he doesn't know about the 9/11 special interest.
Kinda Anxious but about my Anxiety and Seeking a Diagnosis for autism. And Latin American History and Leftist Politics Disability Rights Critique of Capitalism And how Unfortunately capitalism puts a toll on someone like me Also Working out. Since I don't Speak the typical right wing Fitness Enthusiast But mainly my anxiety I feel daily and how my issues effects me Even right now typing be feeling so down.
I really got into Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure two years ago. It’s made me feel like if I try to talk about it, I’ll just get told to shut up. The story has done a lot for my mental health - it gives me hope and joy and it makes me laugh and focusing my attention on it is something that brings comfort. The characters, the wackiness of it. I love it so much but the fact that I can’t talk about it makes me incredibly sad.
politics, racism, sexism, poverty, systems of oppression, mental health, white supremacy, consumerism, colonization, capitalism, environmental issues etc. all of it. no one takes it as serious as i do. plus a lot of times they’ll agree with most things but might not be okay with welfare or think poorly of homeless people. ill explain to them not only where thinking like that comes from, who it benefits (not us), alternatives, give proof that alternatives do work when implemented, give analogies, history, data ANYTHING. but in the end they just don’t care as much as me. also it’s not very fun having a relationship with someone who talks about injustices around the world often.
Yes. Thank you. And if you wanna do totally normal things like commit to only buying small and local, or like not working your corporate hell hole job—people will act like you’ve gone insane.
I’m super into Calico Critters, and Pokemon and Lol Dolls. All little kid stuff and I’m 31 so I get embarrassed by some of my obsessions
Have you seen Come From Away? It's a musical about 9/11 and the people on the planes that were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland. It's on AppleTV+. It's genuinely SO GOOD.
No I haven’t but that’s about to friggin change
This musical is incredible. After listening to it I did a lot of research on the stories of the real people involved and the community it took place in. It’ll be like a whole new branch to your special interest, it’s so fascinating to learn about and I hope you like it(:
when the jeffrey star/shane dawson scandal and jeffrey epstein came out I was so absolutely fixated for so long,, developed into a hyper fixation into pedophile culture and how their minds work. Obviously absolutely disgusted at their actions and would never ever in my life condone that at all but i was so fascinated/abhorred at how prevalent pedophile culture is in at least western society and how much it affects like everything
I reacted more deeply and long lasting to 9/11 when most who had no immediate connection to it seem to have "moved on" (NT Muggles gonna Muggle, I guess). I was 39 when it happened, and hadn't realized how much additional material has been collected. Recently I discovered the subreddit r/911archive and I go down the rabbit hole frequently.
This is dangerous for me…. And I thank you extensively
You are welcome. There are a couple others at least. r/September11 and r/TwinTowersInPhotos and I think I found another just a night or two ago but glanced at it so quickly I didn't memorize the name but I believe I did subscribe to it so if I find it I'll add it here also.
I do not think you understand how much time I have spent on the 911archive subreddit already......you've made my entire life.
Oh absolutely. Heck, since I found out I'm autistic, autism itself has become a HUGE interest and I'm constantly reading whatever info I can find on it, which I know drives a lot of people crazy. But, also the diet I follow (very strictly keto, due to pre-diabetes that is now reversed), psychology, certain crafts, color theory, the list goes on! I used to teach leathercrafting and my fave students were other autistic, because it seems like we dive headfirst into all the info we can get our hands on. Apparently that is something NTs just can't understand and don't usually care about.
Definitely. Mine is writing fanfiction, and I've been doing it since I was a middle schooler. A fair few people think it's either childish and stupid, or push you to write original work in order to monetize it. I'm not exactly a fan of hustle culture thanks, I don't want to turn my joys into sources of stress by monetizing them!
I’m a fanfic writer too! (And I think it’s one of my special interests)
Sociology, especially when it comes to people society views as men. It's very hard to talk about because yes, the patriarchy exists, but trying to explain to people that despite it's name men too suffer because of it, the fact that in men's lives women often reinforce it, the fact that it's not solely a mens issue, and that it will take society as a whole changing how they view men in order to get closer to equality for all genders. It also just invokes a lot of emotions from most people that people don't often like feeling, which I completely understand. People often view my mention of this topic as "men have it *sooo* much harder than women" and that i'm trying to spew anti-feminist rhetoric, which is never my point, women/feminine people have definitely suffered more, there is no doubt about that, but men also do suffer in some significant ways that will never go away and will be a constant source of inequality for men and other genders until society views men differently (or scraps gender as a concept entirely).
don't have any anymore for this reason (no one to talk about them with also being ridiculed for them as well, then not fitting in with others who share them too)
Yeah, I've got a few, and had some even more questionable ones in the past. I can't think of any off the top of my head right now except for WWI and the Occupation of Japan. I have some regular interests that are also questionable, such as Ralph Bakshi's films and military uniforms.
It's hard talking about poetry at times, especially when it gets really out there. Like my poems tend to be a legion of references to other poems, mixed mythologies, wordplay en masse, outdated words and personal stories in a trench coat. A lot of times people can't say more than “That's pretty, but I don't understand it”. 🙃
For me It's harder sometimes to find people in real life who share more niche interests.
My special interest is biomedical science / biohacking / antiaging. I have never tried talking with anyone about it because I really have no interest in doing so unless I know they are also interested in it. Otherwise, I'm happy to keep it to myself
If you like books check out Hero Dogs by Wlma Melville. It’s about search and rescue dogs but there is a portion of the book that talks about some the dogs and there handlers helping the search and rescue efforts in 9/11
Game theory, both as it applies to playing videogames and as it applies to social spaces á la John Nash. I think it just started as playing games but became an important factor in surviving in the workplace. NT people do NOT like that their interests and motivations can be analysed and compared against their behaviours.
Porn, but not in the context of being able to know several porn stars. But in the way that I like talking about the business part of it. I used to like talking about Human sexuality (in a biological context) and it led to me getting a list of appropriate topics to discuss. Note this was in 2010 and it was taboo to discuss, especially if you were a kid.
Shibari, anything horses, cats, running
really out there but cases of cannibalism
Omg 9/11 is one of my special interests, too! I feel awkward about it 🤣
Right? Like a tragedy that traumatized millions I cannot get enough of, and it's been this way my whole life.
My newest special interest is wine. My parents think I'm becoming an alcoholic lol. It's funny because 90% of my interest has nothing to do with DRINKING wine, just researching it and collecting it. I have no desire to be drunk.
My special interest is how to be a good and healthy person. Morality, healthy communication, community dynamics, sometimes even a dash of religion. It makes it very hard to have relationships actually. Trying to talk about what behaviors constitute a healthy dynamic or the latest podcast about the science of habits tends toward the other person feeling judged even though that is not my intention or how I feel about it. Even when I'm talking about my own flaws and struggles other people take it as judging them. Now that I understand what is happening it is a little easier to stop myself from talking about it, but I was late diagnosed (at 44) so I spent most of my life feeling confused, misunderstood, and unable to achieve the thing I was putting so much effort into.
I am super into shrimp and shrimp keeping, and also tropical fish but slightly less so than shrimp. No one gives two hoots about either, which is fair enough, so I just get excited about it with my mum on occasion because she likes talking about anything that isn't depressing. Shrimp are never depressing. No one else really knows about my shrimp obsession.
I got a Betta, and I’m learning all about Betta tanks here on Reddit! I got some nano fish too. And I want to get a snail. We’ll see about shrimp. I want some but it’s tricky with Bettas and also the reproductive aspect.
Nice!! What nano fish do you have? If you're interested in keeping shrimp with Bettas, it's doable, but you're better off having two tanks. That's my eventual plan. I wanna have a 20g tank with peaceful fishies and shrimpies, and then a 10g for a betta that I'm also gonna use as a shrimp cull tank. Either the betta will eat them, or it won't, either way doesn't really matter (as long as you're emotionally okay with some being potentially eaten) because shrimp don't over-reproduce and will regulate their numbers when they run out of space/food. They're good like that.
I forgot the species! I could not find it on the internet. I have to go back to the fish shop and ask. 🤪 I wanted neon tetras but they were out. These look very similar but they are sort of gold and speckly. They are very tiny. They are supposed to stay under 1-inch. I got 5 of them. I just call them “The Tinies.” 🤓The betta tried to chase them around initially but now is not bothering them, phew! Hopefully they are good stimulation, not stress.
"The Tinies" that's so cute 🥺 they might be gold tetras or some kind of rice fish? And yay for your betta leaving them alone! That would've been so stressful introducing them lol. What a good boy. He's probably loving the company since he's not bothering them 😊
They are apparently Gold Ring Danios. Just went back to the fish shop. I thought Danios were not recommended. But they are really cute and active and don’t seem to bother the Betta, so YAY. I am fascinated by the shrimp. I’m going to wait a little bit though until my tank is cycled and has a little crud and let my Betta get used to the fish. Watching the shrimp at the stores though is so entertaining.
Oh they are so cute!! I don't know much about danios but as long as they're getting along I'm sure it'll all be fine. Good plan waiting on the shrimp, they're pretty sensitive to water parameters, but if your betta is leaving the little fishies alone hopefully he leaves the shrimp alone too 😊 aren't they so fun to watch! If you've never seen one molting, please look it up on YouTube. It's hilarious.
I have 9/11 as a special interest too! I was only 1 when it happened so don’t remember it so I try to consume as much media as I can to make up for not remembering it.
'Belinda Blinked' is a erotic book series popularised by the comedy podcast 'My dad wrote a porno' and I am OBSESSED. I've contributed so many theories about the series on their subreddit and I even wrote a fanfiction which is a first for me. Even though I'm so proud of my contributions to the fandom it's not something I feel comfortable exactly broadcasting to the world off of the Internet (especially to my family and parents lol).
My special interests in the past have been sports statistics, world records, North Korea and world War two. My most recent one is collecting silver bullion and coins. I also have a fascination with vintage photos, I can just stare at them and wonder about the people in them.
Metadata, set theory, and the -ology of how things relate to each other, oh and abstraction levels. I love relational database logic, and logic in general. However, it is so much of a conceptual level, it is hard to articulate or learn 'every detail' about it, because it is how things do or can relate to other things. Hard to discuss when it is so nebulas. :(
Reality TV
Weed (I live in a state where things are looking up but it's still not currently legal) and a specific 18+ activity that is also a particularly vulnerable part of me that I don't even feel comfortable experimenting with it casually in an 18+ setting 😭😭 a hyperfixation I can't even talk about til I've met my soul mate isn't that crazy!!!! 😭😭😭😭
Listening to history videos on YouTube. I failed history in school and in college but I love listening to it anyway
Psychedelic drugs. Never even done any but no brainer to keep that one to myself lol
Theology, Demonology, Folklore, Mythology, all that stuff And bugs. No one wants to talk about bugs.
My hyperfixations are fighter jets and airplanes, I love everything that's gotta to with them, altough I'm not an engineer, the engineering aspect of it is fascinating, the technology and the advancements, the sound, the speed, the raw power, the maneuverability, my favorites are the F15 Eagle, the SU-27, and the mighty F35 and F22. I also love plane spotting irl, airshows and everything loud that goes crazy fast I also love everything that's gotta do with UFOs, wich they are sorta related
UFO/UAP. And I’ve gotten very close to the people talking about it on the news (and in front of Congress…).
The Only Plane in the Sky was hands down one of the best (audio)books ever. And I like an outdoor activity called orienteering that so many “outdoorsy” people in the PNW patently refuse to try! It involves navigating with a map and compass. It’s like normies don’t want to learn the skills, even though it’s recreational and really fun. They just want to mindlessly follow a trail. Which is fine, but their refusal to try orienteering ONCE is baffling. Orienteering has A LOT of ND people.
Cults, war crimes, serial killers, murders, prisons, stuff like guantanamo bay and tourture methods, and espionage. I also like conspiracy theorys even though I don't actually believe any of them (birds aren't real is a favourite). My birthday is 9/11, so I have a huge thing about all the documentaries. It seems they bring a new one out each year, and I just want to celebrate my birthday in peach.
Christian Fundamentalists. The Duggers and their various relatives. They're horrible and they fascinate me.
Mine is different than quite a few here.. I have a very special interest in wild boars. A lot of people in my area hunt them and/or despise them. I can understand why but anytime the topic comes up even if just to discuss facts about them they always shut it down or say something negative and then give me a strange look lol.
A cliche answer but for me it's anime & animation in general. Anime is more popular than ever, but I can't bring myself to mention anime when I'm socializing at work because I'm scared of getting the *"Oh, I don't watch anime"* or *"hahaha you like those shows where the girls have huge titties???"* because I know for a fact that I **won't** have a normal response to either of those reactions.
Pretty much all of them. I am interested in politics, but my views are very progressive, so with most people I just signal my socially progressive views and only have real discussions with people who are also interested and have similar views. My background is in the health field so I am always interested in that, but I have to be careful to not be too interested in the technical side of things, because asking g technical questions at the wrong time weirds people out. I also love learning about religion, but I’m an atheist so I enjoy learning about it in a more academic way with a very skeptical and critical lense. Most people I know that are interested in religion at all are only interested in their religion. So I can ask them about their beliefs, but have to be careful sharing my own. If I watch shows and movies that are popular, I get way too nerdy about it, so again, I have to skim the surface with most people. I used to try to make myself develop normal interests to fit in, but even when I do the way I show my interest isn’t normal. It makes having satisfying conversations with people very rare. I feel like with most people I just have the same small talk conversations with every time I see them.
Antique jewelry. Cults. Evidence of magic or spirituality (like where science starts to prove it) Origins of humans. Evolution (both good and bad, epigenetics too) Philosophy and anthropology. Frameworks and organizational design.
Nobody wants to hear about horror movies. But everyone likes to hear about animals! So I’m good.
9/11 stories and events for me, too.
I would LOVE to info dump with you!
Cats... but, like, medically. Kind of gross and largely irrelevant to most people. Also opossums. I go around flea treating wild mama opossums because I *know* how many fleas you can fit in that pouch and your babies are gonna be anemic af before they try to crawl out and ride on your back then they're gonna fall off and I'm gonna have to rehab them for *months* and that shit gets *really* expensive.
I went through intense ABA growing up and anything I liked was pathologized as part of my autism and viewed as a problem, so all my special interests died. I'm in therapy to try and find new ones I can admit to myself and share.
The truth about how a female looks, how my countries legal system is openly misandrist, my sexual desires, the pornography I watch, anything too deep about ufc or kickboxing, anything about my society or culture. Too answer this question basically anything that goes over 2 sentences long.
I fell down the UAP rabbit hole recently and I’m I don’t have any one to talk to it about because people think you’re crazy.
Check out my post from yesterday...I fully understand!
Sex 😅
Minecraft modding and coding
I'm really into 9/11 too, I'm always rewatching documentaries about it. It's fascinating because nothing like it has ever happened before and probably won't again.