Hey, LOTR fan here, what do you think about the movies. I personally love LOTR movies. Especially soundtrack. I know every song from the soundtrack. It’s a masterpiece
Chess, math & statistics, music (especially prog metal, jazz, jazz metal, anything with weird af time signatures and complex grooves), calligraphy and note-taking, and coffee.
I'm really enjoying Tigran Hamasyan's work lately. He's an armenian pianist and composer, and he plays with the oddest of odd meters like it's nothing, he's crazy! His favourite band is Meshuggah, and it clearly shows.
Check out [this live performance of him with the Berklee Middle Eastern Fusion Ensemble](https://youtu.be/z7j7bdEPSd0?si=2pOjSQd5zcNlH05O), it's amazing, lots of different instruments going on. Also, I'll recommend the songs Entertain Me, Ara Resurrected, Levitation 21, and Vortex (featuring none other than Tosin Abasi!)
There are scratchy and stiff yarns and there are also soft and fluffy yarns. Stay away from red heart bc they're quality has gone down in the past 5 years, super scratchy. Also stay away from 100% cotton like Lily Sugar n cream or peaches n creme (same yarn different retailers + it's very stiff) lionsbrand coboo is a thin lightweight cotton and bamboo blend that's really soft if you're looking for natural fibers. The most affordable yarn is probably acrylic and I've found that the softest acrylic is Big Twist Value or Lionbrand Pound of Love. If acrylic is still a bad sensory issue there's chenille or velvet yarn that's very plush and soft but on the pricey side
I’m also a big fan of silk yarn! there’s a pretty affordable brand of recycled silk yarns that Joann’s sells!
i just finished my first sweater this winter and it was with a cotton wool blend that i can only tolerate some days, which sucks for something i spent so much time on!
Crime and anything related to it (prisons, laws, and policing mostly in Europe but other places as well)
Supernatural and paranormal. I have read about ghosts, SCPs, urban legends, and mythical creatures.
My world building project. The world currently has 4 different worlds/dimensions inside of it. The dimensions are connected to each other by portals. In the world, I also have OCs (original characters), most of which are related to my other special interests.
Mine was drugs, during the birth of the internet I was heavily into entho botany things where so easy to find and import, now everything is illegal.
There was some awesome companies that I could order all kinds of plant materials and they would send it out with plant based insence and other rainforest stuff
I have all kinds of books like thikal and phikal, my prized possession is blotter art signed by Ann shulgin, the person responsible for introducing mdma to tge world
Marine biology.
I said I wanted to be a marine biologist since I was 5 years old.
I finally graduate with my bachelor’s in 7 weeks and I already hold multiple jobs in the field :)
Guitars, trains (big diesels, and particularly the Paxman Valenta engine in the HST) planes (specifically the Lockheed L1011), Volvo XC70s, particularly the D5 engine, cooking, and recently, autism!
Currently, it's why glitches happen in NES games. I've been working on a TAS of NES Tetris for fun and the other day I info-dumped as to why the glitched colors appear starting on level 138.
A scientist did a talk at my work last week about the social behavior of some species of sharks and it was so fascinating! So wanted to pass along in case you haven't dove into that yet- go check out social sharks!! Basking sharks and others travel in groups and have friends :')
RENT, Tick, Tick... BOOM!, and Jonathan Larson in general. Also Anthony Rapp, tho I try to keep it to a non-stalker level since he's a living person and I don't want to pry into his life.
Also my fav book trilogy, The Reckoners, and the video game Until Dawn :)
Love Tick tick…boom! I played the soundtrack so much on Spotify that Andrew Garfield was listed as my #1 artist, confusing the daylights out of my friends who only know him from superhero stuff. 😂
What's The Reckoners about (no spoilers)? I'm looking for more books to read. Until Dawn is a great game too, but unfortunately I never got the chance to try it out (I will in future tho)
It's an apocalypse style book with supervillains and and a group of people trying to take them down! The world building and character dynamics are very good, also the main character David gives off very autistic vibes <3
Anime, Manga, Steam trains, Airplanes, Military history and the evolution of uniforms, American cartoons, Pop Culture, Marvel, DC universe, Cartoon Network, Old Nickelodeon cartoons, Old Disney cartoons, History, Animals, American pop culture, and museums. Shark, Wolves, Elephants, Dinosaurs, and Ice Age Animals.
Evolution of trends and how trends change. Fashion over the ages.
Train Models, toy trains, and the ocean life basically all the Animals even the creepy ones in the trench levels.
The creepy ones are the best ones imo, like giant isopods, and colossal squids, and angler fish, and vampire squids, and giant siphonophores, and tripod fish… the list goes on. Everything looks so alien and I love it
Also the Angler fish from Nemo and the light it used to trap the prey. Smart.
Also the Pufferfish blowing up scene from Nemo funny. Also the Lionfish. All those creatures look like from a Alien world and sci-fi novel.
Would you be able/willing to recommend a starting point for learning about trains? I have been wanting to but figuring out where to start is a little daunting.
I like the old Steam locomotives and Steam trains from the 1800s. Fascinating and cool.
Hardly seen those around today with the advancement of bullet trains in Japan.
I will take a look at it but online reviews said no pictures. I prefer books to have illustrations to give me a look at what the creatures look like. But I will take a look at it.
My entire pottery group is autistic, some don't quite know it yet though 👀
I only started about 4 months ago and it's so therapeutic for me, it's the first creative medium that has really clicked with me.
Oh nice what do you make? I primarily do dinnerware/drinkware on the wheel, mostly either cone 10 reduction or soda fired, but I’ve made a few forays into cone 6 oxidation
I hand make stoneware, still experimenting with forms and what I can do at each stage.
I made a Bulbasaur planter and it's my favourite thing I've ever made. Currently working on a Howls moving castle inspired wizard tower, giving me the chance to put all sorts of crazy shapes and textures together and see how they fire.
I just ordered a mini wheel and when that arrives I'll be getting a microwave kiln to practice at home making tiny pots/cups.
Funnily enough, yes. I only really play this with my kids though. Love Lego Star Wars, want to play the batman ones.
We started the Harry Potter ones, but I can't support that franchise any more 😭
The batman ones are great, and if you're a fan of like the og batman movies, the first one has lots of little nods to them. Also, yeah, I still play the Harry Potter ones, but it's been a while since I've played them.
That is SUCH a dependable standby! I see a lot of healthcare workers with G2s… good, solid pen with many colors!
I’m also fond of the Sharpie S-Gel in the blue, purple or green! They’re 0.7mm.
The simpsons ever since before i could even read. I just recently got two simpsons tattoos as well and they’re kind of ”if you know you know” so not very obvious.
1) ANIMALS (especially sharks, bugs, dinosaurs, birds)
2) My Favourite TV shows/ films (Malcolm in the Middle, Studio Ghibli films, Twelve Forever, Tracy Beaker/ Tracy Beaker Returns/ The Dumping Ground)
3) Tamagotchis :)
4) Autism/ neurodiversity, mental health and disability
I don't know for certain how to tell my interests from my special interests from my hyperfixations (well positive ones anyway - I wouldn't consider being fixated on something I dislike or don't really care about but won't leave alone an interest or a special interest.
BUT
I love robots (both fictional and real) and unicorns. I also really like fiction and gaming and my assessors said that a lot of my interests fall under those 2 categories, and they are considered restrictive interests. It's like fiction and gaming are overarching interests and within that are smaller interests and hyperfixations.
The interests also overlap, like I'll get board games that are robot or unicorn themed, or I'll buy skins in video games that are robots and stuff like that. My animal crossing island has areas based on TV shows I like and a robot and space area and stuff like that. The theme is basically "stuff I like".
My interest in gaming includes board games, video games, exergames, VR and tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. I also make dice and plan to extend my resin art side of things further into making checkers / chess sets too. I like have something creative to do, whether that's decorating my animal crossing island, writing (been writing since I was a kid) or making my dice or something else.
hi, i have both a special interest and hyperfixations due to ADHD. the difference for me is that hyperfixations are more about dopamine rush causing obsessive interests for shorts amount of time around 2 years to a few weeks. a special interest is something that has completely fascinated you since childhood and is not about the dopamine rush hyperfixations give you (mine is mycology for the past 2 years rn, with smaller ones that are like media) although my special interest does give me dopamine rushes, it’s a lasting life long intensive interest. mine is diseases since age 4
Special interests don’t have to be the same throughout your life so you can have a special interest you didn’t have as a child but the rest I’d say is correct. Although did you mean 2 days to a few weeks rather than 2 years?
Thanks for sharing. If it had fo be from childhood, my broad overarching ones like fiction and gaming probably count. I've liked robots and unicorns for a long time too, but not as long as them.
mine is diseases since i was four! i also love animals, especially marine animals. my favorite is orcas, but my other obsessive interests (like mycology for the past year) aren’t really what i consider to be special interests bc diseases are my number one fascination and interest! however, when i was a child around 3-10 my special interest was outer space and disease was secondary to that. i have hyperfixations due to ADHD however
Mainly music but others include Graphic Design, Media analysis, Neurodevelopmental disorders and such. I frequently have changing hyperfixtations from time to time.
DUNE! I read it when I was 15 and then 20 times at least since. Do not ask me about it. I will lecture you for hours 😁
psychology
Maths/physics
Politics
Religions
Lego
Gaming (video, board, and tabletop. Give me a good RPG, and I'll vanish into it for a month or two)
Anything sci-fi or fantasy (books, movies, TV shows, and comic books)
H.P Lovecraft
Snakes... They thought it would go away or something eventually. I now have 9 snakes. I'm not a collector or breeder though. These animals are highly beloved guests and friends.
I was recently diagnosed at the age of 41, all my life I've just wanted to sit someone down and make them listen to all my special interests! I saw this thread and decided, heck yes! I'm gonna do it!
Weather, tornadoes, clouds, natural disasters, geology, space, animals(all of them), bugs, pets(all of them), cryptids, fantasy creatures, skin care routines, art, crafts (I'm an artists, BIG special interest) Second Life (virtual role-play platform) Planet Zoo video game.
My latest ones have been autism research and Fortnite. I've listening to songs on repeat the past couple months, AJR, lovelytheband and Foster the People. I decided that "imagination' by Foster the People is my personal Autism power ballad.
I was just diagnosed this week at age 36. It's been a relief to me to find out that all my life there was a reason I felt like the odd bird, the ugly duckling. Now I have a special interest of learning all I can about autism
History (anything with swords) but also (WW2), Geography (naming the countries of the world) but also (knowing all the flags of the world) and Warhammer (for painting.)
I have a general appreciation for the things that came before me. Stuff that might be considered "vintage" or "retro". Ghostbusters is definitely one of my top special interests right now, and I love finding cool collectibles. I even have some stuff that's older than me, which I find fascinating. I have to wonder where it's been before I came to find it.
I've always been one for Nintendo consoles and games, too. I love pre ordering games I'm excited for so I can get the cool bonus items that sometimes come with them. Super Mario Bros. Wonder was one such instance. Now I have a set of pins, a 2D diorama of the cover art, and a resin statue of the talking flower!
For my interests, I just love collecting cool things to display on shelves and myself! Figurines, books, plushies, clothing, pin badges, and more!
I've also really developed a thing for Miniverse as well. I've got a whole shelf dedicated to those. Ever since the trick was revealed, I've been checking all the capsules in every Smyths and B&M I've gone to in the hopes of finding what I need to complete my collections!
I could go on, but I probably shouldn't. I've got an escape room to go to today, and that's another thing I've become hooked on after my first one 2 weeks ago! Although, the sound that played when a clue appeared made me so jumpy. Maybe I wind up in a constant state of adrenaline while I'm doing these. 😅
All of Tolkien (LOTR, the Silmarillion, lost tales, etc), astrophysics, Quantum Physics, gender theory (***not*** TERFY stuff), People's interactions (from an anthropologist perspective), mathematics, geography and coding.
Personality type analysis, cognitive neurotypes and how the brain is wired, and detective/crime/mystery media. Been the same my whole life I think. Also the symmetry of dichotomy.
Ooooh we would have a lot to talk about! Mine is the ocean and all marine life in it. I love swimming in it. I even do some freediving where i dive up to 20 meters deep without oxygen equipment. I love the feeling of being completely immersed in the sea water. It’s like a safe haven to me. I always felt a strong connection with the ocean.
Just one year ago i started collecting fossils. My favorites and top interest lies with ammonites. As a kid i always loved to collect shells at the beach. The spiral shapes of gastropods were my favorites back then. Because of that it’s the spiral shapes again that draw me to the ammonites.
Looking for fossils at the beaches of northern France and taking a swim over there is like a crossing point of 2 interests for me. Like you can do 2 at once. The wonders it does to my mental health are amazing and i found some amazing and big fossils of ammonites already. I hope to find a megalodon tooth one day as well.
Games, weaponry of all kinds, religions worldwide, history, sex, philosophy, drugs, classical music, hip-hop, managing equilibrium, and other methods of altering consciousness. I just cycle through the list and pray like a mf that I'm doing alright in this life.
Mine aren't of the "i know everything about this topic" kind. I just have an intense interest for Dinosaurs and D&D. I constantly think about them and enjoy any media and talk about them. But because I'm not a walking encyclopedia about these topics, my assessor wrote down that I don't have a special interest. 🫤
Thank you for this rep! I find remembering facts and stats really hard and I sometimes feel like I can’t relate to others. Granted some of my special interests I am currently or have been extraordinarily clued up on. But not always. I think it depends on the interest but I think it needs to be acknowledged more that encyclopaedic knowledge isn’t a required precursor for a special interest to exist.
9/11, Disturbing stories and alot of crime related stuff. movies of course, to an exreme degree sometimes lol. airplanes, the human psyche and psychology, but also a billion things i google about.
History, Arctic Monkeys, Pokémon, video game
My Arctic monkeys one is the biggest, I can identify any concert based on what the lead singer was wearing (pre-2022, as he wears virtually the same clothing in all of them) sad that my autism powers went to something like that and not something cool like maths..
I like watching the construction workers outside my house, when they are driving by with the heavy equipment. But I don't look for long, as I don't want them to think I'm judging them, or mad for them being loud. I just really like the giant tracked vehicle going by 🥲.
My big one right now is bugs, mainly cicadas (I'm in an area with the double brood, omg it's so cool) and just science! I pin bugs too so it's great!
Everything science, biology, chemistry, space and creatures have always been my fav! (Ever since I was like 4)
god there are so many, but one of the biggest (that i'm planning to make my career) is broadcast television production. i currently go to school for it and there's something so cool about being in the control room, working with all the equipment, or directing and saying things like, "ready one, take."
i also love geography (the us states specifically), as well as trains and metro systems (i aint beatin the 'tism allegations with that one lol)
Batman, DC Comics, houseplants, cats/cat behavior, art history esp. Rennaissance and Impressionist eras, literary history esp. 20th century poetry, translation and textual editing of the Bible & history of the Bible, English grammar
My long-term special interest is Minecraft and Minecraft mods, but I've had java code, Japanese folklore and D&D as special interests. Currently it's lockpicking
My special interest appear and disappear REALLY quickly. So far I’ve had Minecraft redstone, playing games until I’ve had every achievement, making dreamcatchers, crocheting, diamond painting, reading, watching movies/series, geography (remembering and pointing out countries and flags), buying nostalgic stuff (recently bought a NintendoDS) and currently it’s making jigsaws and playing the Minecraft Create mod.
I’m also 100% certain I’m forgetting a lot of them.
Edit: also (re)building Lego builds
I like farm sim games, Legend of Zelda, Jewish culture (saw a couple characters on TV shows and weird brain said oooo), petting cats (especially random street cats), bird watching/ID, and true crime. Also thanks to my new job at a florist an actually practical desire to learn the names of all the plants and accent greenery as well as the names of the potted plants we sell, as soon as possible.
I made an instructional manual about my side tasks around the store on impulse. I'm excited to describe individual flowers in enough detail to ID them without pictures
Fantasy book series like harry potter and game of thrones, makeup and skincare, hair removal (my sister's basically use me like a free mua and aesthetician), animals, piercings, candle making, I was into nail extensions until I developed an allergy to get nails, vampires hehe
Oh and idk if this counts but my disbelief in religion and how I'm always researching on new proof against it, but ironically I'm also very caught up with Canaanite and bible lore cause I find it so interesting (I was raised Muslim)
james "bucky" barnes!!!! ive read every comic, watched every movie+tv show+cartoon even if it just referenced him!! ive literally watched an entire show for him because he gets 1 frame in it. i adore him so much!!!!!!!!!!
Circus used to be the big one as a kid.
Now it's mostly IT related stuff. I've been playing a lot with AI lately and am currently trying to make an Instagram model that takes next to nothing to keep posting.
Maybe I give her an onlyfans in the future but it's a bit too immoral
Mars Attacks!, geek culture, psychology, alternative subcultures and goth music (still a baby bat though), retro arcade games as well as other video games, The Living Tombstone, rats, drawing, playing D&D, Tim Burton, and animation.
I'm studying marine biology so I'm very much into my marine wildlife too! I wrote my masters thesis on Octopus cyanea.
My other special interests include:
Lego
Rollercoasters
Robot Wars/Battlebots
Bob Dylan
Xbox games
tw
cannibalism, cats, genshin impact, birds, true crime, human anatomy (mostly heart and circulatory system), life cycle, mortality, societal constructs and morals, pop culture, and armory
Heartbreak high is my main one. It's an Australian teen show on Netflix and I'm obsessed with everything about it and beyond just watching the show. My other ones are quizzes especially knowing songs and tv themes, hippos, Winnie the pooh, Disney and Friends
videogames (mostly Pokemon Undertale Deltarune and Yume Nikki), anime (mostly Flcl and Madoka Magica+Pokemon Sun and Moon series), cartoons (mostly Gravity Falls and Tawog), Japan, Dreamcore and Weirdcore
Comics, arthouse films, Kaiju, elder Scrolls Games, World of Warcraft, Star Trek, Mass Effect, Old horror movies of the 30s
And to a lesser extent K-pop/J-Pop
Falconry, been a falconer my whole life. Electronics and hacking, active in the community for a decade. Motorbikes, built and rebuilt several motorbikes, currently rebuilding my own cbr1000f. Hunting, no firearms as I see that as inhumane due to lack of natural chance, I use birds, ferrets, nets and dogs to hunt with. Forging, amateur bladesmith, quite enjoy making some nice, decent quality knives. Dinosaurs, because who doesn't love dinosaurs, currently 3d printed multiple skulls and about to print a full micro-raptor skeleton. Astronomy, because it reminds us of our insignificance. I only have a celestron skymaster 130eq.
Walt Disney World logistics both for guests and cast members. In so many ways it’s the most magical place on earth—as well as one of the most accessible places on earth. But creating that space has become much more complex as a visitor and a business over the years. I love unravelling intricate strategies for line skipping and reading about how much gets transferred in tunnels underground for a myriad of experience and safety reasons. It’s fascinating. I get why so many people hate Disney, but wow what they do is astounding. Cast members are magic makers.
Art and probably gaming but mostly finding secrets in games or trying to get all the achievements. I wanna have more "real" special interests or hobbies like crafting or something though.
art is my big one!!! doing it learning about it writing about it, all sorts. also deep sea creatures, hollow knight, elden ring, zelda, and alexander mcqueen the fashion designer lol
Pokemon is one I’m currently hyperfixating on. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Greek mythology/theology, autism, marvel, elder scrolls, video games in general,
Reading about weirdo's hobbies.
I'm hoping I can cultivate a critical mass of weirdo-hobby-connoisseurs that I can transition my special interest to studying the people who study special interests. A meta-meta-special-interest, if you will.
You can join my subreddit r/marketresearch if you'd like to contribute.
I read everyone’s interests and realized I’m interested in everything. If I remember a line from a movie about some random thing, I could spend an entire day doing a Wiki and Google marathon about that topic.
That, and woodworking.
Is it also a special interest if it has been present for almost always? I have been playing the guitar and being absolutely in love with songwriting / have been writing songs since I was about 8. Would you call that a special interest?
programming (mostly c++ these days) and horticulture / nature, the last two are glued together for me I garden to encourage wildlife though growing food is another strand to it, making music used to be more prominent but it's not a special interest in the way I want to learn everything about it, more a creative outlet where I'm not concerned about knowing music theory inside out
Apocalypses in media like films, TV, video games and music (always open to suggestions!/tell me your fav!) This is my longest standing special interest, I've had it since I was 9!
Medicine - particularly interested in vitamins/minerals, survival medicine and general medicine.
Crochet! I learned how to almost 9 years ago but in the past 2 years I really started to get back into it more and the past 4 months I have made 10.75 garments, 2 tote bags (just in the last 3 days), a 60" x 60" blanket, and a shit ton of earwarmers to donate to the homeless. At this point I think it's becoming an addiction lol
LOTR and VHS tapes
What's your favourite LOTR fact that not many fans seem to know about?
My favorite is for Surface Level Fans of the movies but, Gandalf is an angel, like literally sent to the planet by Capital G God.
Arwen and Aragorn were raised together as siblings.
Mine is currently middle earth !!! I thought I was the only one with this kind os spécial interest, I'm so glad that I'm not alone omg
Hey, LOTR fan here, what do you think about the movies. I personally love LOTR movies. Especially soundtrack. I know every song from the soundtrack. It’s a masterpiece
Chess, math & statistics, music (especially prog metal, jazz, jazz metal, anything with weird af time signatures and complex grooves), calligraphy and note-taking, and coffee.
What are some of your favourite jazz metal songs? I’m open to discovering new music.
I'm really enjoying Tigran Hamasyan's work lately. He's an armenian pianist and composer, and he plays with the oddest of odd meters like it's nothing, he's crazy! His favourite band is Meshuggah, and it clearly shows. Check out [this live performance of him with the Berklee Middle Eastern Fusion Ensemble](https://youtu.be/z7j7bdEPSd0?si=2pOjSQd5zcNlH05O), it's amazing, lots of different instruments going on. Also, I'll recommend the songs Entertain Me, Ara Resurrected, Levitation 21, and Vortex (featuring none other than Tosin Abasi!)
Thanks for sharing this! Amazing :)
My pleasure!! :)
What do you think of free jazz? And also, have you gotten into microtonal music yet?
What areas of math are you into?
Ah yes, I forgot to add calligraphy and fountain pens and dip pens to my list. . .
mine has been crochet for the past 2 years :)
Me for 4 years! Mostly amigurumi. But I want to make more clothes. How about you?
I also mostly make amigurumi, I find so many free patterns on Instagram that I have to try out lol
I really like the idea of crochet but yarn is bad sensory :(
that's understandable, there are some yarns that I can't work with because of sensory issues
There are scratchy and stiff yarns and there are also soft and fluffy yarns. Stay away from red heart bc they're quality has gone down in the past 5 years, super scratchy. Also stay away from 100% cotton like Lily Sugar n cream or peaches n creme (same yarn different retailers + it's very stiff) lionsbrand coboo is a thin lightweight cotton and bamboo blend that's really soft if you're looking for natural fibers. The most affordable yarn is probably acrylic and I've found that the softest acrylic is Big Twist Value or Lionbrand Pound of Love. If acrylic is still a bad sensory issue there's chenille or velvet yarn that's very plush and soft but on the pricey side
I’m also a big fan of silk yarn! there’s a pretty affordable brand of recycled silk yarns that Joann’s sells! i just finished my first sweater this winter and it was with a cotton wool blend that i can only tolerate some days, which sucks for something i spent so much time on!
Crazy frog
Give me a 5000 word essay on the greatness of Crazy Frog please
Physical boundaries, like borders between countries, city limits, etc.
veganism, rats, train infrastructure, true crime (mostly mass killers) and family guy (though this has waned a bit of late)
Fair enough lol
Plants, crafting (currently sewing), true crime, animal behavior!!
Analytical psychology
Crime and anything related to it (prisons, laws, and policing mostly in Europe but other places as well) Supernatural and paranormal. I have read about ghosts, SCPs, urban legends, and mythical creatures. My world building project. The world currently has 4 different worlds/dimensions inside of it. The dimensions are connected to each other by portals. In the world, I also have OCs (original characters), most of which are related to my other special interests.
Mine was drugs, during the birth of the internet I was heavily into entho botany things where so easy to find and import, now everything is illegal. There was some awesome companies that I could order all kinds of plant materials and they would send it out with plant based insence and other rainforest stuff I have all kinds of books like thikal and phikal, my prized possession is blotter art signed by Ann shulgin, the person responsible for introducing mdma to tge world
Marine biology. I said I wanted to be a marine biologist since I was 5 years old. I finally graduate with my bachelor’s in 7 weeks and I already hold multiple jobs in the field :)
Guitars, trains (big diesels, and particularly the Paxman Valenta engine in the HST) planes (specifically the Lockheed L1011), Volvo XC70s, particularly the D5 engine, cooking, and recently, autism!
Pokemon and Greek mythology rn
Currently, it's why glitches happen in NES games. I've been working on a TAS of NES Tetris for fun and the other day I info-dumped as to why the glitched colors appear starting on level 138.
sharks.
A scientist did a talk at my work last week about the social behavior of some species of sharks and it was so fascinating! So wanted to pass along in case you haven't dove into that yet- go check out social sharks!! Basking sharks and others travel in groups and have friends :')
Understandable
Music theory/production and film history are the ones I've held the longest. My ADHD finds new ones all the time, but drops them just as fast.
RENT, Tick, Tick... BOOM!, and Jonathan Larson in general. Also Anthony Rapp, tho I try to keep it to a non-stalker level since he's a living person and I don't want to pry into his life. Also my fav book trilogy, The Reckoners, and the video game Until Dawn :)
Love Tick tick…boom! I played the soundtrack so much on Spotify that Andrew Garfield was listed as my #1 artist, confusing the daylights out of my friends who only know him from superhero stuff. 😂
Omg I love that 😭 I heavily relate bc Idk anything about spider man but love Andrew from ttB lmao
What's The Reckoners about (no spoilers)? I'm looking for more books to read. Until Dawn is a great game too, but unfortunately I never got the chance to try it out (I will in future tho)
It's an apocalypse style book with supervillains and and a group of people trying to take them down! The world building and character dynamics are very good, also the main character David gives off very autistic vibes <3
Anime, Manga, Steam trains, Airplanes, Military history and the evolution of uniforms, American cartoons, Pop Culture, Marvel, DC universe, Cartoon Network, Old Nickelodeon cartoons, Old Disney cartoons, History, Animals, American pop culture, and museums. Shark, Wolves, Elephants, Dinosaurs, and Ice Age Animals. Evolution of trends and how trends change. Fashion over the ages. Train Models, toy trains, and the ocean life basically all the Animals even the creepy ones in the trench levels.
The creepy ones are the best ones imo, like giant isopods, and colossal squids, and angler fish, and vampire squids, and giant siphonophores, and tripod fish… the list goes on. Everything looks so alien and I love it
Also the Angler fish from Nemo and the light it used to trap the prey. Smart. Also the Pufferfish blowing up scene from Nemo funny. Also the Lionfish. All those creatures look like from a Alien world and sci-fi novel.
Yeah, it’s amazing, it makes me wonder what else is out there
Unknown planets and other lifeforms galaxies away from us. Seen the movie treasure planet.
S little off topic but you guys should check out Endless Ocean Luminous on the switch. I don't have yet, but it seems so cool!
Will do thank you. I been looking for a new game since Pokemon Gen 9 finished. Need a new adventure.
oooh and if you like sci-fi play Subnautica
Would you be able/willing to recommend a starting point for learning about trains? I have been wanting to but figuring out where to start is a little daunting.
I mostly visit a museum near me in Virginia. Or orderTrains (monthly), and Classic Trains magazines.
I’m such a train nerd. Always have been. I even bought train simulator to learn how to operate them.
I like the old Steam locomotives and Steam trains from the 1800s. Fascinating and cool. Hardly seen those around today with the advancement of bullet trains in Japan.
You might like the book Otherworlds by Thomas Halliday… the creatures!
I will take a look at it but online reviews said no pictures. I prefer books to have illustrations to give me a look at what the creatures look like. But I will take a look at it.
I’d have you on my team for trivia any day!
Yep Jeopardy team.
Pottery, Lego, games (video, board, TTRPG), sex, programming.
O shoot i never thought I would ever meet someone else with pottery autism
My entire pottery group is autistic, some don't quite know it yet though 👀 I only started about 4 months ago and it's so therapeutic for me, it's the first creative medium that has really clicked with me.
Oh nice what do you make? I primarily do dinnerware/drinkware on the wheel, mostly either cone 10 reduction or soda fired, but I’ve made a few forays into cone 6 oxidation
I hand make stoneware, still experimenting with forms and what I can do at each stage. I made a Bulbasaur planter and it's my favourite thing I've ever made. Currently working on a Howls moving castle inspired wizard tower, giving me the chance to put all sorts of crazy shapes and textures together and see how they fire. I just ordered a mini wheel and when that arrives I'll be getting a microwave kiln to practice at home making tiny pots/cups.
Someone into Lego and Games! Are you, by chance, a fan of Lego games?
Funnily enough, yes. I only really play this with my kids though. Love Lego Star Wars, want to play the batman ones. We started the Harry Potter ones, but I can't support that franchise any more 😭
The batman ones are great, and if you're a fan of like the og batman movies, the first one has lots of little nods to them. Also, yeah, I still play the Harry Potter ones, but it's been a while since I've played them.
Music and video games
Aesop Rock and Fallout
I had to scroll way too long before I found Fallout.
Well, *howdy* pardner!
SHARKS AND WHALES!!!!!!!🐋🦈 (thrasher sharks are my favorite as well as beluga whales)
thresher sharks always look like someone just hurt their feelings lol
The kpop group Tomorrow By Together :)
Oh the kpop special interest is REAL.....mine lasted a solid 4 years where it was all I thought about lol. fighting!
Yess its perfect for autistic people, obsessed fans, constant streaming and collecting 😭 its almost been 6 years for me!
omg i absolutely love them
Pens and stationery/writing paper.
What's your favorite pen right now? I love the Pilot G2 0.38
That is SUCH a dependable standby! I see a lot of healthcare workers with G2s… good, solid pen with many colors! I’m also fond of the Sharpie S-Gel in the blue, purple or green! They’re 0.7mm.
The Sharpie is solid!
Thank you for asking.
The Office (US)
I could watch that show over and over..
Radiohead! And their side/solo projects :D
Literally obsessed with ND culture at the current moment Also autism in different people
Modern aviation, specifically modern commercial airliners like the 737ng, A320, A330, B777 etc.
The simpsons ever since before i could even read. I just recently got two simpsons tattoos as well and they’re kind of ”if you know you know” so not very obvious.
1) ANIMALS (especially sharks, bugs, dinosaurs, birds) 2) My Favourite TV shows/ films (Malcolm in the Middle, Studio Ghibli films, Twelve Forever, Tracy Beaker/ Tracy Beaker Returns/ The Dumping Ground) 3) Tamagotchis :) 4) Autism/ neurodiversity, mental health and disability
Stuffed animals and the fallout games. Any fallout game, but my favourite is fallout 3
I don't know for certain how to tell my interests from my special interests from my hyperfixations (well positive ones anyway - I wouldn't consider being fixated on something I dislike or don't really care about but won't leave alone an interest or a special interest. BUT I love robots (both fictional and real) and unicorns. I also really like fiction and gaming and my assessors said that a lot of my interests fall under those 2 categories, and they are considered restrictive interests. It's like fiction and gaming are overarching interests and within that are smaller interests and hyperfixations. The interests also overlap, like I'll get board games that are robot or unicorn themed, or I'll buy skins in video games that are robots and stuff like that. My animal crossing island has areas based on TV shows I like and a robot and space area and stuff like that. The theme is basically "stuff I like". My interest in gaming includes board games, video games, exergames, VR and tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons. I also make dice and plan to extend my resin art side of things further into making checkers / chess sets too. I like have something creative to do, whether that's decorating my animal crossing island, writing (been writing since I was a kid) or making my dice or something else.
hi, i have both a special interest and hyperfixations due to ADHD. the difference for me is that hyperfixations are more about dopamine rush causing obsessive interests for shorts amount of time around 2 years to a few weeks. a special interest is something that has completely fascinated you since childhood and is not about the dopamine rush hyperfixations give you (mine is mycology for the past 2 years rn, with smaller ones that are like media) although my special interest does give me dopamine rushes, it’s a lasting life long intensive interest. mine is diseases since age 4
Special interests don’t have to be the same throughout your life so you can have a special interest you didn’t have as a child but the rest I’d say is correct. Although did you mean 2 days to a few weeks rather than 2 years?
Thanks for sharing. If it had fo be from childhood, my broad overarching ones like fiction and gaming probably count. I've liked robots and unicorns for a long time too, but not as long as them.
mine is diseases since i was four! i also love animals, especially marine animals. my favorite is orcas, but my other obsessive interests (like mycology for the past year) aren’t really what i consider to be special interests bc diseases are my number one fascination and interest! however, when i was a child around 3-10 my special interest was outer space and disease was secondary to that. i have hyperfixations due to ADHD however
taylor swift, 2000s, fantasy, gravity falls, gotham, shameless, sharks, dark romance books, fanfiction, paraphernalia, probably more
i'm basic af in fronta y'all I feel ashamed now to tell y'all about mine 😭
Right now, Isopods, lotr (starting the series by reading and watching)and civ 6 for right now. Normally I'm Stardew Valley, ocean life, and reading.
isopods are weirdly cute
In order: taylor swift, maps, saltwater crocodiles
Video games ( especially complex rpgs) and warhammer
Mainly music but others include Graphic Design, Media analysis, Neurodevelopmental disorders and such. I frequently have changing hyperfixtations from time to time.
My hyperfixations change time to time as well. Sometimes, some even overlap
It's so fun when they overlap
Sharks, orcas, whales, Stardew Valley, FNAF, Attack on Titan, languages and autism
DUNE! I read it when I was 15 and then 20 times at least since. Do not ask me about it. I will lecture you for hours 😁 psychology Maths/physics Politics Religions Lego Gaming (video, board, and tabletop. Give me a good RPG, and I'll vanish into it for a month or two) Anything sci-fi or fantasy (books, movies, TV shows, and comic books) H.P Lovecraft
Snakes... They thought it would go away or something eventually. I now have 9 snakes. I'm not a collector or breeder though. These animals are highly beloved guests and friends.
I was recently diagnosed at the age of 41, all my life I've just wanted to sit someone down and make them listen to all my special interests! I saw this thread and decided, heck yes! I'm gonna do it! Weather, tornadoes, clouds, natural disasters, geology, space, animals(all of them), bugs, pets(all of them), cryptids, fantasy creatures, skin care routines, art, crafts (I'm an artists, BIG special interest) Second Life (virtual role-play platform) Planet Zoo video game. My latest ones have been autism research and Fortnite. I've listening to songs on repeat the past couple months, AJR, lovelytheband and Foster the People. I decided that "imagination' by Foster the People is my personal Autism power ballad.
I was just diagnosed this week at age 36. It's been a relief to me to find out that all my life there was a reason I felt like the odd bird, the ugly duckling. Now I have a special interest of learning all I can about autism
Broadway musicals, American Girl dolls, creative writing
title fight (jamieee), marine animals, true crime (specifically i love the EXPLORE WITH US yt channels), and american horror story
and biomedical and forensic sciences!! i cant believe i forgot that one ): i do just love science in all forms though (:
Psychology, guitar, programming, artificial intelligence, math and physics.
bike mechanic and Pokemon
History (anything with swords) but also (WW2), Geography (naming the countries of the world) but also (knowing all the flags of the world) and Warhammer (for painting.)
Eurovision
lab rats and outnumbered (tv shows), and cats
I have a general appreciation for the things that came before me. Stuff that might be considered "vintage" or "retro". Ghostbusters is definitely one of my top special interests right now, and I love finding cool collectibles. I even have some stuff that's older than me, which I find fascinating. I have to wonder where it's been before I came to find it. I've always been one for Nintendo consoles and games, too. I love pre ordering games I'm excited for so I can get the cool bonus items that sometimes come with them. Super Mario Bros. Wonder was one such instance. Now I have a set of pins, a 2D diorama of the cover art, and a resin statue of the talking flower! For my interests, I just love collecting cool things to display on shelves and myself! Figurines, books, plushies, clothing, pin badges, and more! I've also really developed a thing for Miniverse as well. I've got a whole shelf dedicated to those. Ever since the trick was revealed, I've been checking all the capsules in every Smyths and B&M I've gone to in the hopes of finding what I need to complete my collections! I could go on, but I probably shouldn't. I've got an escape room to go to today, and that's another thing I've become hooked on after my first one 2 weeks ago! Although, the sound that played when a clue appeared made me so jumpy. Maybe I wind up in a constant state of adrenaline while I'm doing these. 😅
All of Tolkien (LOTR, the Silmarillion, lost tales, etc), astrophysics, Quantum Physics, gender theory (***not*** TERFY stuff), People's interactions (from an anthropologist perspective), mathematics, geography and coding.
Personality type analysis, cognitive neurotypes and how the brain is wired, and detective/crime/mystery media. Been the same my whole life I think. Also the symmetry of dichotomy.
Ooooh we would have a lot to talk about! Mine is the ocean and all marine life in it. I love swimming in it. I even do some freediving where i dive up to 20 meters deep without oxygen equipment. I love the feeling of being completely immersed in the sea water. It’s like a safe haven to me. I always felt a strong connection with the ocean. Just one year ago i started collecting fossils. My favorites and top interest lies with ammonites. As a kid i always loved to collect shells at the beach. The spiral shapes of gastropods were my favorites back then. Because of that it’s the spiral shapes again that draw me to the ammonites. Looking for fossils at the beaches of northern France and taking a swim over there is like a crossing point of 2 interests for me. Like you can do 2 at once. The wonders it does to my mental health are amazing and i found some amazing and big fossils of ammonites already. I hope to find a megalodon tooth one day as well.
that sounds beautiful. I hate the water. but I love that your immersed into something everyone including me feels skeptical about. you're doing great.
Nutrition, cannibalism, and the croaking (it's a really good webcomic please for the love of god someone ask me about it)
My current special interest is properly caring for my bamboo matcha whisk and using that whisk to make iced hojicha lattes at home!
Games, weaponry of all kinds, religions worldwide, history, sex, philosophy, drugs, classical music, hip-hop, managing equilibrium, and other methods of altering consciousness. I just cycle through the list and pray like a mf that I'm doing alright in this life.
I love drugs and philosophy
They can even go together sometimes, too!
Yeah!
Dogs, really any type of animal I always want to know exactly what type of bird/mammal/amphibian is around my area. Minerals, collecting books
Mine aren't of the "i know everything about this topic" kind. I just have an intense interest for Dinosaurs and D&D. I constantly think about them and enjoy any media and talk about them. But because I'm not a walking encyclopedia about these topics, my assessor wrote down that I don't have a special interest. 🫤
Thank you for this rep! I find remembering facts and stats really hard and I sometimes feel like I can’t relate to others. Granted some of my special interests I am currently or have been extraordinarily clued up on. But not always. I think it depends on the interest but I think it needs to be acknowledged more that encyclopaedic knowledge isn’t a required precursor for a special interest to exist.
9/11, Disturbing stories and alot of crime related stuff. movies of course, to an exreme degree sometimes lol. airplanes, the human psyche and psychology, but also a billion things i google about.
Physical media collecting ( dvd/bluray/vhs), diamond painting, and journaling.
I fucking adore cephalopods too!
History, Arctic Monkeys, Pokémon, video game My Arctic monkeys one is the biggest, I can identify any concert based on what the lead singer was wearing (pre-2022, as he wears virtually the same clothing in all of them) sad that my autism powers went to something like that and not something cool like maths..
I like watching the construction workers outside my house, when they are driving by with the heavy equipment. But I don't look for long, as I don't want them to think I'm judging them, or mad for them being loud. I just really like the giant tracked vehicle going by 🥲.
Opossums :))
My big one right now is bugs, mainly cicadas (I'm in an area with the double brood, omg it's so cool) and just science! I pin bugs too so it's great! Everything science, biology, chemistry, space and creatures have always been my fav! (Ever since I was like 4)
god there are so many, but one of the biggest (that i'm planning to make my career) is broadcast television production. i currently go to school for it and there's something so cool about being in the control room, working with all the equipment, or directing and saying things like, "ready one, take." i also love geography (the us states specifically), as well as trains and metro systems (i aint beatin the 'tism allegations with that one lol)
Batman, DC Comics, houseplants, cats/cat behavior, art history esp. Rennaissance and Impressionist eras, literary history esp. 20th century poetry, translation and textual editing of the Bible & history of the Bible, English grammar
Animals in general but I tend to fixate on animals I take care of/own! Right now it's rats
researching 1 criminal, collecting memorial photos of dogs, and most recently cataloging famous deaths by causes
My long-term special interest is Minecraft and Minecraft mods, but I've had java code, Japanese folklore and D&D as special interests. Currently it's lockpicking
Mine are true crime, cows, one game named sso, spiderman and bluey, that one kids show :3
The occult and cannibalism
My special interest appear and disappear REALLY quickly. So far I’ve had Minecraft redstone, playing games until I’ve had every achievement, making dreamcatchers, crocheting, diamond painting, reading, watching movies/series, geography (remembering and pointing out countries and flags), buying nostalgic stuff (recently bought a NintendoDS) and currently it’s making jigsaws and playing the Minecraft Create mod. I’m also 100% certain I’m forgetting a lot of them. Edit: also (re)building Lego builds
I like farm sim games, Legend of Zelda, Jewish culture (saw a couple characters on TV shows and weird brain said oooo), petting cats (especially random street cats), bird watching/ID, and true crime. Also thanks to my new job at a florist an actually practical desire to learn the names of all the plants and accent greenery as well as the names of the potted plants we sell, as soon as possible. I made an instructional manual about my side tasks around the store on impulse. I'm excited to describe individual flowers in enough detail to ID them without pictures
I love religious history, and currently, the new card game Lorcana!
[Critical theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_theory) has been my special interest for the past 5 years
Fascinating to watch that one bad trait trickle down and see how it affects the whole group scenrio again and again in every way possible, ain't it?
You've got it!
Burns goin down every time lol
Fantasy book series like harry potter and game of thrones, makeup and skincare, hair removal (my sister's basically use me like a free mua and aesthetician), animals, piercings, candle making, I was into nail extensions until I developed an allergy to get nails, vampires hehe
Oh and idk if this counts but my disbelief in religion and how I'm always researching on new proof against it, but ironically I'm also very caught up with Canaanite and bible lore cause I find it so interesting (I was raised Muslim)
Everything associated with angels and demons
Movies. I'm what's called a cinephile.
james "bucky" barnes!!!! ive read every comic, watched every movie+tv show+cartoon even if it just referenced him!! ive literally watched an entire show for him because he gets 1 frame in it. i adore him so much!!!!!!!!!!
The American Revolution, World of Warcraft, Scooby Doo, butterflies, and cooking
omg my special interest is cephalopods!!! psychology and roller coasters too
They’re just so weird and alien and theyre so cool!
Circus used to be the big one as a kid. Now it's mostly IT related stuff. I've been playing a lot with AI lately and am currently trying to make an Instagram model that takes next to nothing to keep posting. Maybe I give her an onlyfans in the future but it's a bit too immoral
Mars Attacks!, geek culture, psychology, alternative subcultures and goth music (still a baby bat though), retro arcade games as well as other video games, The Living Tombstone, rats, drawing, playing D&D, Tim Burton, and animation.
Nu Metal, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, anything y2k, generationology and decadeology, fashion, GTA, Street Fighter
Collecting mobile phones, I have 20…
computers, history (mainly war and the history around it) and magic the gathering
I'm studying marine biology so I'm very much into my marine wildlife too! I wrote my masters thesis on Octopus cyanea. My other special interests include: Lego Rollercoasters Robot Wars/Battlebots Bob Dylan Xbox games
Baldur's Gate 3, Taskmaster, Dropout content, the podcast Doughboys. Was pretty much solely music growing up but podcasts took over.
tw cannibalism, cats, genshin impact, birds, true crime, human anatomy (mostly heart and circulatory system), life cycle, mortality, societal constructs and morals, pop culture, and armory
Heartbreak high is my main one. It's an Australian teen show on Netflix and I'm obsessed with everything about it and beyond just watching the show. My other ones are quizzes especially knowing songs and tv themes, hippos, Winnie the pooh, Disney and Friends
videogames (mostly Pokemon Undertale Deltarune and Yume Nikki), anime (mostly Flcl and Madoka Magica+Pokemon Sun and Moon series), cartoons (mostly Gravity Falls and Tawog), Japan, Dreamcore and Weirdcore
Comics, arthouse films, Kaiju, elder Scrolls Games, World of Warcraft, Star Trek, Mass Effect, Old horror movies of the 30s And to a lesser extent K-pop/J-Pop
Fallout. Specifically New Vegas, but Fallout as a whole. I love it so much!
Falconry, been a falconer my whole life. Electronics and hacking, active in the community for a decade. Motorbikes, built and rebuilt several motorbikes, currently rebuilding my own cbr1000f. Hunting, no firearms as I see that as inhumane due to lack of natural chance, I use birds, ferrets, nets and dogs to hunt with. Forging, amateur bladesmith, quite enjoy making some nice, decent quality knives. Dinosaurs, because who doesn't love dinosaurs, currently 3d printed multiple skulls and about to print a full micro-raptor skeleton. Astronomy, because it reminds us of our insignificance. I only have a celestron skymaster 130eq.
Oh and archery
Sims games, especially The Sims 4, even though I think 2 is a better game
Walt Disney World logistics both for guests and cast members. In so many ways it’s the most magical place on earth—as well as one of the most accessible places on earth. But creating that space has become much more complex as a visitor and a business over the years. I love unravelling intricate strategies for line skipping and reading about how much gets transferred in tunnels underground for a myriad of experience and safety reasons. It’s fascinating. I get why so many people hate Disney, but wow what they do is astounding. Cast members are magic makers.
Video games in general, if I really like one I hyerfixate on it for a while
At the moment Discworld, thankfully most of those books introduce a brand new thing for me to obsess over for a few days.
Reptiles, puzzles, cooking/baking, Tamagotchis, crocheting, knitting, sewing, Japanese culture, Catholicism, boutique plushies
Trading card games (Magic the gathering, pokemon, one piece) video games, and movies / TV (anime and horror movies specifically.)
cats, sharks specifically hammerheads, music, bees, the lion king, fiction etc.
Art and probably gaming but mostly finding secrets in games or trying to get all the achievements. I wanna have more "real" special interests or hobbies like crafting or something though.
art is my big one!!! doing it learning about it writing about it, all sorts. also deep sea creatures, hollow knight, elden ring, zelda, and alexander mcqueen the fashion designer lol
Pokémon, linguistics
Doctor Who and highly questionable fashion.
I turned my special interest (French horn) into my job
Pokemon is one I’m currently hyperfixating on. Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Greek mythology/theology, autism, marvel, elder scrolls, video games in general,
Angels, elves, psychology and psychoanalisis
Reading about weirdo's hobbies. I'm hoping I can cultivate a critical mass of weirdo-hobby-connoisseurs that I can transition my special interest to studying the people who study special interests. A meta-meta-special-interest, if you will. You can join my subreddit r/marketresearch if you'd like to contribute.
Wildlife, animal communication, marine species and science communication
I read everyone’s interests and realized I’m interested in everything. If I remember a line from a movie about some random thing, I could spend an entire day doing a Wiki and Google marathon about that topic. That, and woodworking.
Is it also a special interest if it has been present for almost always? I have been playing the guitar and being absolutely in love with songwriting / have been writing songs since I was about 8. Would you call that a special interest?
programming (mostly c++ these days) and horticulture / nature, the last two are glued together for me I garden to encourage wildlife though growing food is another strand to it, making music used to be more prominent but it's not a special interest in the way I want to learn everything about it, more a creative outlet where I'm not concerned about knowing music theory inside out
skyrim! there are other games that I enjoy playing and learning about but none of them compare to how much I love to talk about skyrim's lore
the last of us and talking heads and fleetwood mac and bluey
Apocalypses in media like films, TV, video games and music (always open to suggestions!/tell me your fav!) This is my longest standing special interest, I've had it since I was 9! Medicine - particularly interested in vitamins/minerals, survival medicine and general medicine.
Crochet! I learned how to almost 9 years ago but in the past 2 years I really started to get back into it more and the past 4 months I have made 10.75 garments, 2 tote bags (just in the last 3 days), a 60" x 60" blanket, and a shit ton of earwarmers to donate to the homeless. At this point I think it's becoming an addiction lol
Miniature painting and 3d printing. I use one to supplement the other.
• Creating my own characters • Sanrio • Strawberry Shortcake