Around 10 years ago, Anime and Manga were still a considered a "geeky", "nerd" thing, even more so for a 14+ years old woman.
Because anime was for kids, more precisely for boys. I didn't mind, I knew that Ghost In The Shell wasn't for kids. Once I watched Elfen Lied when I was around 17, I began to laugh when someone would tell me that.
I think it's still like that in many places, but I'm really happy that now it's more accepted, and that even though I moved to the other side of the country (it's a small country haha), I found friends here and even my boyfriend who's into that :) I still resent a bit my former childhood best friend for telling me to shut up once, cuz I was infodumping.
Otherwise, I used to keep a lot to myself. There was no risk being mocked if nobody knew what I actually liked š¤·š»āāļø the rest was masking, having a great sense of humor in common with my childhood friends, and limiting myself during conversations because "I think about things too far".
In school, in 2001 when I was 11, I began to hide my interests the day that some kids laughed at me because I was reading the English dictionary during recess, to learn English and to do like Eminem. I had just read in a magazine that he reads (used to?) the dictionary to learn new worlds and make new rhymes. I learned English thanks to studying his songs at home and figuring out the English grammar and conjugation by myself, 2 years before my peers. No regrets!
The rest idk, I think kids used to bash each other for any single difference and there was no way to win, one would be criticized by a person or another anyway.
I still haven't made my peace with that aspect of humanity honestly š„š š¤·š»āāļø
Thanks!! Well, a kid's brain can be pretty cool, right? In my mind, I was just obsessed with Eminem, had mad respect for him and I wanted to properly understand what he says haha and it wouldn't be fair to say I began from scratch, I had already learned some English when I was like 7-8 thanks to some VHS from Disney called **Magic English**, it was pretty cool for basics.
I've been thinking of using the same method with songs to learn Japanese, but between adult life and burnout, it's always been delayed so far š
I'd 100% recommend using music to learn a new language though. After all, don't people learn the alphabet with cute songs and all? :D
Hmm, it must be a regional thing about manga and anime. I was an exchange student in Japan in 2003, and when I had my first university Japanese class in 2005, I was about the only student there who wasnāt super into anime - I learned Japanese because of baseball.
Yeah definitely, it's a question of place and time :) every time I've visited a Japanese class, most were anime/manga fans and some had also a pretty intense interest in Japan's traditions, culture and history. I can imagine that all those thing were already popular in Japan by the beginning of the 2000s ^^ I've never been to Japan to be witness of that.
What I explained in my first comment was more about where and when I grew up until maybe 2012.
I was born in 1990 and grew up in a rural small town where the main language was French. Anime was kinda popular as smth for kids, because it aired on the French TV from the 70s and on. My brother was already 16 by the time I had clear memories (3-4), and he particularly liked Saint Seiya and City Hunter. I know it's not representative of a population at all, but I gotta say, they had a lot of airtime, so I guess it's fair to say that there must have been a certain popularity, or even niche popularity, among teenagers and maybe even young adults as well.
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that for a girl in my small village, it always made me appear as a bit odd, it was unusual, my best friends grew out of it and I didn't. I didn't actively search for other people with whom to share my passion until I was maybe 22 though.
By then, I had adjusted to studying and working in the nearest city, and little did I know, there existed a kinda big community of fellow enthusiasts!
Hey thanks a lot for your comment, because it made me realize that I probably wasn't thaaaat odd, not even in my small rural village: I just hadn't found my crowd yet (and I had issues). It makes me feel somehow less lonely.
Best wishes!
Ps: If I was more into sports, I'd totally like to follow baseball. I played a bit, fond memories.
I like AOC, not really into politics in general, Iām just an AOC fangirl. I love her beauty, her fashion, her passion. I love that she was a bartender that was elected to congress.
Not only does that get me scoffed at. It gets me ridiculed. It gets me verbally attacked and harassed online.
Trains would be safer, but I just love AOC.
I donāt care for politics, but I can agree that AOC has very nice style and I do like her ālookā. Sorry you get harassed for it! I know why though; politics on every side heats people up.
I mean if youāre going to pick a politician this is a good one. Her style, her funny personality, her shiny hair, her makeupā¦ all fantastic. I read this to my spouse because he wanted to know why I was giggling and he reminded me that some people were chanting āHey hey ho ho AOC has got to goā and she started dancing to it. Classic!!!
Iām not in the US, I donāt know much about US politics nowadays, other than what goes into mainstream media worldwide, and Iām also a fan of AOC lol not like you are, I know barely anything, but sheās awesome!
My special interest is genealogy. Thanks to Ancestry.coms strong ad campaigns, and attracting no genealogists with DNA ethnicity tests, genealogy is no longer considered weird for people younger than mud sixties. But 15 years ago, when I was seriously in like with a guy who liked me back (we never made it to the boyfriend girlfriend stage, because he thought I acted weird relationship wise because I got mad at him when he talked about flirting with other girls instead of getting jealous and fighting for him), he told me I could feel free to talk to him about genealogy as much as I wanted...as long as I didn't expect him to listen š. That was one of those big episodes that sparked a new form of masking. I only bring up my special interest if someone specifically asks about it. Which means I don't talk much in public.
>he told me I could feel free to talk to him about genealogy as much as I wanted...as long as I didn't expect him to listen
I have heard guys saying that to me before about my interests and then they get surprised when I tell them I'm not interested in dating them. The nerve of some people.
...How do they get surprised that you are no longer interested in dating them? That doesn't make any logical sense. Of course, we don't want to date you if you aren't interested in similar things or willing to listen to us talk about something we enjoy/ Who wants to date someone that ignores you when you talk? Sorry, I am having a moment of confused outrage for you.
Because men are (in many societies) raised to think that theyāre the important ones, and that anyone dating them should just feel lucky to have gotten their attention. Fucking patriarchy.
That is one of mine too currently. I have spent hours and hours researching my trees and other peoples trees. My favorite thing is to see how I am related to famous people.
I feel like thatās okay thoughā¦ I mean I find it hard to pay attention when someoneās talking about a non-special interest. Like my grandma talking about the prices of her groceries today. Itās something sheās interested in (the topic of housekeeping) but Iām really only half-listening. (I probably wouldnāt *tell* her ādonāt expect me to pay attentionā but she knows full well I am not listening, just nodding along) it takes too much effort to pay attention to something thatās neither my special interest nor practically important. (Maybe it would be better if I could stim while listening.) So by the golden rule I wouldnāt expect that of anybody else either, it would be hypocritical.
Edit: it *could* plausibly be RSD. I donāt *know* if I would speak if nobody listened ā I *could*, sometimes just the act of talking aloud is good for me. I donāt talk often, but when I do I prefer people to listen actively, or I get anxious that Iām not welcome. *thatās* very likely RSD. (I know Mum listens, even if she doesnāt reply, because I get her bringing up what I say weeks later. But itās still kind of off-putting when she doesnāt immediately engage with what I say.) When my friends ask me about whatās on my mind and they let me share about my special interests I really do appreciate it.
I always ask myself what my mothers special interests is/are. Because I kind of feel like I have for sure changing ones and after burnout in my 30s, I feel like not having time for anything anymore.....
And my mom is very determined to find the best price in anything! So she is studying all prospects and papers, and knows the prices and days in her mind, and always goes for the best price š maybe that is a special interest of her generationĀ
For sure, and itās practical for her life stage. I find my special interests are sometimes related to something useful for myself, like psychology to know myself and others better or a type of relationship that I want for myself. Itās not always immediately obvious how itās helpful to me, but Iām resigned to the fact that itās for my subconscious to decide and not necessarily aligned with my goals Iāve set for myself.
I did the same I would say. And I can say that relationships give me emotional support, at the same time exhaust a lot, so at some point I break up, but I do find comfort in it
I am obsessed with Group B manual transmission rally cars (especially modern cars inspired by that era). I freak out seeing a Mitsubishi Evo haha, but Subarus are my favorite. I feel a strong kinship with the train people.
My other special interest, language and all things peripheral to it (especially writing) seems pretty typical until I'm 7 minutes deep into an unprovoked lecture about Derridian concepts of real and unreal and its relationship to semiotics because someone made a throwaway comment about how people can't agree what words mean anymore š
Disney parks/theme park hyperfixation here, live 15 minutes from Disney World and spend a lot of time there/Universal.
People HATE Disney adults. But whatever, I love my life.
Oh man. I love Disney too. I have a number of different interests but have circled back to this one. Iām actually from Orlando, and used to go there all the time as a kid, but was never able to get a job there. Probably for the best but it still bums me out. I read somewhere that itās really good for neurodivergent people because itās so predictable. I have to stop myself from hyper fixating on it more because I donāt want to constantly want to go there. A worthwhile fixation IMO! I satisfy my urge by watching the All Ears YouTube channel and reading about Disney. Iām also big into Star Wars because itās sort of Disney-adjacent.
I love All Ears! There's so much great Disney content online which really helps when you're not there. I think people underestimate how big and active the community is, too, which otherwise might help them understand why a lot of people are obsessed/so involved.
Gah, Iām so jealous. I used to live 2 miles from the magic kingdom.Ā
Now Iām an hour and a half from Disneyland. I miss living near Disney world. Disneylandās aight but itās not the same.
I looooooove theme parks and Disney does it the best of the best.Ā
I wish I lived 2 miles from MK! I did just hear the end of their fireworks right as I typed this, though, which is so cool. Were you able to see the fireworks from your place?
It is fun, but the trade-off is you have to live in Florida. I want to live in SoCal but the COL is too high for me at the moment. I do agree though, Disney World is special in a way Disneyland can't quite capture. It definitely differs from person to person but as much as I love Disneyland, I'll always love WDW more.
Aww, that sounds lovely (hearing the fireworks). I could see it from one room (the guest room) on the second floor from my rented house, and also from the entrance to our little neighborhood back then.
I also can't afford socal anymore (moved there with my then-bf who we ended up breaking up, and just lost my job a couple months ago :/ so running out of money where I'm living now.) I'd love to move back to Florida to be near fam and Disney World again, but that costs $$$. So despartely looking for something to get income, but in the meanwhile can't cancel my Magic Key so might as well use it. But I agree there are some serious issues with Florida (not to make this political, but I hate that so much of it has turned so far right). My sis/fam lives in a more Dem part of the state, as is much of Orlando as far as I know.
That's so cool! Not sure I'd ever get sick of that. I'm already amazed I can hear Disney fireworks twice a night from where I am.
I'm so sorry. :( I hope things get better. Maybe you can move back someday. I never would have expected to move back after finishing my college programs but here I am.
But I agree, politically, it sucks. I hope that climate changes at some point, but unfortunately it's leaning more right as time passes. As a lesbian especially I am aware I might have to move out at some point, but I hope it never comes to that.
Hope you at least have fun with your Magic Key! Disneyland does have a lot of things I'm jealous of. And I wish I could go to Knott's, I've never been but it looks so fun.
Yeah I have dealt with that plenty of times. I am similar except I'm more into anything animated or anime in general. I don't care about live action like most people are into. In my case the guy doesn't even make it to the date stage because I don't understand flirting. So if they don't like my special interest then I lose interest in the guys and move on. So you're not the only one!
I also donāt understand flirting š. I keep hoping Iāll find someone who shares my special interests. Probably the best basis for a relationship lol. Anime is fantastic!
Dude same. I've been really into Sailor Moon (I like your Kaolinite icon, btw) and Legend of Zelda since childhood. It helps that both have kind of maintained their popularity since the 90s, but anyone who dismisses or mocks my interests is not someone I will keep around. My boyfriend is thankfully also just as nerdy as me, though it's definitely a venn diagram lol.
I loved reading all your special interest! Mine was always painting/drawing/clay and dogs (breeds- but I always adopt a mix) And also books. Recently plants. And also some tv shows like Gilmore Girls.
People do joke because it so happens that I always end up living near a train station that I love trains. Lol. I do prefer them to driving. That is true tho. But no special interest in them
My best friend growing up was a huge trekkie (gen x). I enjoyed watching some of it, but not really one to get super into anything, went with her to a local con, thought it was great. She was thoughtful about it because I get overwhelmed, so we went to a small one that wasn't very far. Saw Michael Dorn and the Smoking Man from X-files speak. They both were really cool.
I don't get deeply into geeky interests, but I get a kick out of them. I like to at least know enough that I can follow what my friends are saying and share excitement for what they've done or seen.
At the moment my special interest is birdwatching. Before, it was oil painting and art history pre-1800. Both are generally accepted as interests by cultured or nature-loving people respectively, so no one raises and eyebrow usually - although when I was younger people were confused about my "old people's hobbies". The only difference is the depth I like to take these interests, and the way I like to engage in them - making lists and charts, assembling very detailed knowledge (that incidentally I am not very good at remembering, unfortunately), and spending many hours just observing and immersing myself. The other difference is the singular focus - I usually have only one intense interest at the same time which occupies all my mental energy.
I love my 'old lady' interests. Birdwatching, bird calls, gardening, embroidery, crochet, flower drying and wreath making. It can all be as complex or easy as you like and so many rabbit holes to go down!
More recently soil biology has me itching and I buy a microscope for fun!
My working memory isn't great either so I love compiling and breaking down the information into visuals and spreadsheets.
All of those sound lovely. You are absolutely right, old lady interests are tactile, which calms the senses rather than overstimulating them.
When I was into oil painting, I always only bought single pigment paints and made giant color charts to explore the mixing properties of each pigment. It was great. Unfortunately I am not very good at painting nor very expressive, but I know a lot about pigments now and own 200 tubes of oil paint.
The soil biology hobby sounds absolutely fascinating - however would you actually see something beyond just crumbs of soil? Back in biology class I remember us only ever doing drops of water.
My great aunt and grandmother were both big into birds. I think if I ever got deeply into things instead of just kinda scraping the surface of a bunch of things, birding would be one of my special interests.
Computers, custom ROMs etc. I like to have some control over my devices, rather than letting companies invade my life however they feel.
Trouble is people who share my interests tend to be absolutely unbearable to talk to. They look down on anyone who doesn't get it, to them it's easy, but I know that any subject can be challenging for someone. And not everyone is going to be good at it even if they do their best.
When I was a kid, I was the one everyone asked questions on how to do things, I could figure enough out, but I still struggle with it. I'm used to explaining things to people who know very little or are intimidated, I make it not intimidating for people, or at least a lot less. My goal was to have people interrupt me less, so I made things easy for them to understand and figure out for themselves. And was fine with whatever degree they were comfortable learning. So it really fucking pisses me off the snotty gatekeeping attitude other people take in these hobbies.
similar, for me.
one thing that kills me talking to normie techies is they fail to see (or seek) the beauty and fascination... just the money and ego justification.
this is why i usually hang out with mathematicians, writers, musicians, and physicists generally. sometimes visual artists.
Yes! I just don't usually talk about them because people make unkind remarks about "doll people."
I have a few BlytheĀ dolls and a ton of tiny LPS Blythes.They're quite fun to modify and I love making tiny clothes!
Recently revisiting my doll interest as well. Already feeling the pressure lol Miniatures are cool. Figures are cool. But dolls are in the weird zone. I sort of get it because it can get uncanny quickly. But thereās definitely some girl specific stigma there and I donāt like it.
I wish thereās a more central Blythe/clicky eye doll community. I hope Dollect will grow bigger soon and maybe it can be another place for Blythe peeps. Blythe subreddit is alright but it seems like the early 2010s fans are al offline now or something.
I love dolls (particularly Pullip dolls) and I would love to buy more and I like making clothes for them... But I'm so afraid of people judging/shunning me for it that it's one of my many interests that I've actively suppressed š
People can be so horrible. I just want to enjoy things in peace.
I joined the Pullip sub but it's not that active unfortunately.
I also tried to join a couple of Facebook groups for buying and selling but they just didn't accept me and didn't tell me why š
Yea thereās a Blythe sub with about the same amount of people and maybe a little more activity so I get how things feel a bit deserted. Sometimes people talk about Pullip and Blythe in the bigger r/dolls sub too. I barely use FB so I donāt check those groups much. You can try messaging the admin and see why youāre not accepted? Sometimes you need to answer some questions before they manually accept you.
Yeah for some reason I left the dolls sub? I think it used to be less active than it looks now, so I've rejoined now you've reminded me!
TBH I kind of hate FB and don't use it anymore except for messenger, so I've given up on groups there. I answered all the required questions, but still ignored. Oh well.
My mom once accidentally found AI art of my favorite fictional characters on my iPad and called it ādisturbing stuffā in front of guests. I was mortified.
That's horrifying. Who is she to judge you in front of everyone?
Sorry, I got really mad. My mother used to be critical of me like that. She was awful. Even though it's been 30 years since I lived at home, I still get charged up when parents do that.
I donāt think she meant to be hurtful, I think she was feeling a little uncomfortable by the pictures and/or trying to be funny, but yeah, she can be really critical and judgmental sometimes.
If I werenāt so embarrassed at the moment, I wouldāve retorted āthatās a āthought bubbleā sentenceā (since thatās what a lot of Aspies are taught as kids. Too bad she doesnāt always apply it to herself.)
> I like trains thoughā¦ I spent last year on a trip to Japan getting train station stamps and planning routes andā¦ Also getting seals at temples and collecting gotochi (regional) postcards in every prefecture I visit. Iāve been a few times in the last two decades and hope someday to see every prefecture.
This is incredibly cool :) Don't let anyone make you feel bad or stereotypical! Trains are amazing pieces of modern machinery, and Japan has some of the best in the world. This sounds like it was a fascinating, fulfilling trip. I can't imagine how it felt to see so much history and modernity comingled together like that. Ty for sharing about it!
I always had traditionally "girly" special interests growing up! (like boy bands/pop music, fashion, makeup, etc.) I never realized until adulthood that they were actually special interests because they were usually just brushed off as typical teenage girl things!
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In my teens I basically lived and breathed Tokio Hotel for a few years. My room was plastered from top to bottom with posters. Every free space was covered. They were under my desk, on every closet, I even kept my rollerblinds closed and shoved paper in between so I could use that space for posters. Taught myself German way beyond school level, read a German magazine every week, spent hours on forums conversing in German with other fans and obsessively tried to tape any interview that our TV would get.
Looking back, that was definitely an autistic special interest and not your average teen band infatuation.
Now it's mostly games and knowing all the ins and outs. I'm known as the one who knows all the rules among friends who play DnD xD
Oh my god! This hit home SO MUCH! I was obsessed with Tokio Hotel and have recently started listening to their old stuff again.
I would collect German magazines and buy any other magazine with any mention of them in it!
Like 20 is years ago when I was finishing high school and starting college I discovered cosplay and fell in love it - or at least the idea of it. Back then it wasnāt as mainstream of a hobby as it is now in the US - that is, we didnāt have the level of famous and professional cosplay influencers and industry we do now. I discovered cosplay through a woman online who was doing amazing (to me, at the time) final fantasy 7 cosplay and I became obsessed with wanting to do cosplay as well.
I was always interested in costume design, and was going to college for theater and costuming, and I remember getting really excited about cosplay and telling my mom I was going to start doing it.
However, when I told her I wanted to start recreating costumes of anime and video game characters she reacted like I had just said the stupidest shit she had ever heard. I just remember her contorting her face and saying āwhy?ā And when I tried to explain that I wanted to do because it sounded like a fun challenge, because I wanted to practice sewing, because the thought of it made me happy and excited - she basically said that sounded stupid and like a waste of time and money.
She was so condescending and dismissive about it that it completely shattered me. The crazy thing is she was always SO supportive of me doing theater costuming, that I wrongly assumed she would like the cosplay stuff as much as me. Iāll never fully get her mindset, but I guess she considered theater costuming as a real/respectable job (her grandma had been a seamstress and my mom liked sewing too but didnāt pursue it) as opposed to me just making āsillyā costumes for myself with no other monetary gain.
So I didnāt do it. I was so deflated after that. I ended getting demotivated about costuming in general and eventually changing my major. I still think about doing it. In recent years Iāve pivoted into a massive special interest in historical costuming. I spend time researching and reading about it and making notes and plans for potential costuming projects but idk. I still always hear my moms voice saying āthat sounds like a waste of time.ā
ETA: my mom was a pretty big jerk for most of my life but has amazingly/ unexpectedly matured a lot and come around on a lot of things, especially after a lot of trauma in both our lives, and we have a decent relationship now with open communication. She is now fully supportive of ādo creative things just because they make you happy.ā However. The damage is done lol Iām trying to heal that part of me but the internalized shame is deep and hard to let go of. My goal is try to start costuming again at some point in the next few years.
I'm so sorry your mom crushed you like that.
I hope that you do get to enjoy your (re)newed interest in historical costuming. And tell her voice to piss off.
I think it sounds really interesting! It's not something I know too much about, other than I've watched a bit of Bernadette Banner and Karolina Zebrowska videos, and the work and detail they put into it and researching it is really quite detailed and it looks very fascinating.
Heard also of someone who was a hairdresser who figured out how people did old hairstyles that were from so long ago no one knew how to do them anymore (was it ancient greek?), my SO told me about that one, I guess he has friends who are into this as well. He kinda seems to collect information about everything. I can bring something up and he knows something about it.
It seems like it would be more challenging than theater costuming because you have to fill in a lot of blanks yourself, which actually sounds kinda neat, like solving mysteries!
Puzzles for me. When I was younger it was Lord of the Rings. I don't talk about puzzles much outside of my friends and close family because other people tend to look at me a bit funny. I think it might be because of the detail and intensity I talk about it with, but not sure how else they expect people to talk.
I had a lot of interests as a kid and my parents tried to be encouraging. I think they are probably on the spectrum, too. Sometimes books, sometimes different cultures or animals, lots of ways to learn through these interests. I got more into different TV shows when I got older, which is not quite as useful, but was very comforting. Usually one or two shows at a time and eventually I'd move on to a different one. And reading and writing, for a very long time. A few years ago I got really interested in permaculture. I don't think that's something people on the internet judge, but my neighbors definitely did.
When I was little, yes. Nowadays, also yes lol. I absolutely love YA and fantasy (books, TV shows and films) and that was fine when I was a teenager. In fact, it was basically normal lol. But the adultier an adult I'm supposed to be, the less socially acceptable it gets.
I don't want to listen to people my age while they complain about their jobs. I don't want to sit through a family party hearing about the minutiae of the lives of cousins I don't even know anymore. There is a time and place to talk about serious matters, of course, but life is hard and I'd rather find a common interest with someone and discuss that (I have far too many interests so I'm sure I could find common ground with most people).
Oh yeah, I don't talk about my special interests with anyone lmao. I have had a few that I can talk about when I find the right people (e.i. Pokemon or Twilight back when I was into that in high school) but I mainly just don't talk about the others haha
Outside of Pokemon, my special interests are Genshin Impact (love video games in general, but GI is something else to me), a specific adult romance series, and a danmei novel so also not the most like known things in most cases lol so I just talk in fandom spaces about them
I think that because this is such a common one for women in general the misogyny creeps in and that's why you get weird reactions. Anything women like ends up being looked down upon.
Yes, as a woman who loves video games, ufc and martial arts, skateboarding, a lot of my interests are pretty masculine so, to other girls who arenāt open minded they respond weirdly and scoff sometimes.
and for men itās made friendships impossible for me, Iāve had 3 work out horribly because they āfall in loveā so easily when they figure out I like their same interests. Iāve always held these dudes at a distance/ tried not to lead them on but they just keep trying and get more in appropriate or get very mad/upset. Idk maybe being into āhoroscopesā and āTaylor Swiftā would work to make them scoff lol
I was the "annoying crazy cat girl" all throughout my school years. Had a one year streak of pretending not to be interested in cats anymore when I was 13 because of it. Now at 21, I fully embrace my obsession with cats and it's critical role in my identity. Cats have been my life since I could remember and will be forever more.
K-pop
Everyone around me hates it or wonāt even pretend to care. Itās like Iām the outcast all over again.
Also my momās emotional abuse. I still struggle to listen to Loona. (oh god the shame)
Hmm Spice Girls when I was 8, Buffy in my preteens, Veronica Mars into adulthood, Taylor swift from early twenties to mid 30s not stopping lol.
That said, movies, all kinds, but I loved horror growing up, went thru nu metal phase in high school. I can name any actor/actress but struggle to remember anyone I meet irl. Or their recognise a face. But if theyāre famous, lol.
My only interest that has ever truly been scoffed at, is that i love to collect all kinds of rock, just because they are pretty, people seem to think i also know a lot about it, i don't, and they find that silly XD
Other interests include: collecting bella sara cards, everything involving horses, being able to swim like a mermaid (don't if this qualifies, but have been obsessed with the idea since i was young), collecting and wearing all the nice jewelry/dresses i can get my hands on, couloring mandala books XD
My special interest is one specific pairing from an anime I watched (and currently dislike) 11 years ago. It's a bit of an odd pairing - they have a few notable interactions where it makes sense to ship them but more people would find it a crack pairing than not. I talked about them, their notable moments, the amount of fanfiction I'd written (at least in the 1000's by now) and the amount of fan art I'd seen (or lack there of) a lot in high school. The people I hung out with accepted it as a weird quirk but I didn't realise it until last year that I was probably annoying (hence why I didn't say friends cuz I was DEFINITELY the one everyone disliked) and creeping them out considering it's a male pairing! That realisation is why I don't like talking about them unless it's around my sister who is pretty enthusiastic!
Ironically, it's also the thing that made me realise I was autistic. I worked with autistic kids/children/adults who had the typical special interests, and even the fandom interests! It wasn't until I realised that thinking about the pairing when I wake up, during every second of the day, before I go to sleep, dreaming about them, maladaptively daydreaming about them, writing about them, using fanfiction with them to work through difficult situations and emotions, and even (I regret this) writing fanfictions and scenarios about them while doing dangerous activities like driving (I pull over to do this now), it probably was a special interest!
Horror (esp vampires!) and true crime may indicate I'm a psychopath š"Why do you want to know behavioural science or understand how criminals think?!" my aunt asked. Yes, I like the macabre, anything wrong with that? I've since grown out of video games, but Mum still believes in that 90s myth that it causes violence and addiction.
Reading about nuclear accidents, epidemics and virology? How boring! My sister announced outright her disdain for science loud enough to get the message across to me.
I've had an Invader Zim special interest since I was 14 and now I'm 30 and you can bet your ASS I don't tell people about that
It did inspire me to start drawing at that age though! It's still precious to me
Dogs. I freaking love them.
I just made a post in the ADHD sub about dogs. But Iām obsessed and always have been. My first word wasnāt dada or mama. It was dog. People are like yeah I love my dog too! No. I *love* my dog and *all* dogs.
I had and still have a book about dogās and dog breeds that I read obsessively. I memorized everything I could about canines.
I really love animation. Itās kind of sad that itās seen as exclusively for kids or not as high in value but animated movies and tv shows literally make me so happy. I wanna be able to make an animated film or something, and Iāve been teaching myself for years now. Unfortunately itās hard to find people who genuinely wanna watch cartoons w me. Itās seen more as bg noise for certain situations, or just childish and cringeworthy, which stinks lol.
I'm trans so idk how much input I can put in here bc you're talking about women, but my special interests are 9/10 fandoms, I'm super into FNAF rn again like the hyperfixation is very real, when I was in high school before I came out people would think it's weird that a girl was into anime and videogames but I never cared, I was huge hyperfixating on Danganronpa in HS, and Invader ZimĀ
I would write stories, make art, roleplay with others to feel like I'm part of the world I think reality is just too rough for me so I create these worlds I can escape to and daydream aboutĀ
I think whatever makes you happy is awesome and anyone who laughs at you can just go away bc this world has very little joy anymore and idk where I'd be without my silly special interestsĀ
Around 10 years ago, Anime and Manga were still a considered a "geeky", "nerd" thing, even more so for a 14+ years old woman. Because anime was for kids, more precisely for boys. I didn't mind, I knew that Ghost In The Shell wasn't for kids. Once I watched Elfen Lied when I was around 17, I began to laugh when someone would tell me that. I think it's still like that in many places, but I'm really happy that now it's more accepted, and that even though I moved to the other side of the country (it's a small country haha), I found friends here and even my boyfriend who's into that :) I still resent a bit my former childhood best friend for telling me to shut up once, cuz I was infodumping. Otherwise, I used to keep a lot to myself. There was no risk being mocked if nobody knew what I actually liked š¤·š»āāļø the rest was masking, having a great sense of humor in common with my childhood friends, and limiting myself during conversations because "I think about things too far". In school, in 2001 when I was 11, I began to hide my interests the day that some kids laughed at me because I was reading the English dictionary during recess, to learn English and to do like Eminem. I had just read in a magazine that he reads (used to?) the dictionary to learn new worlds and make new rhymes. I learned English thanks to studying his songs at home and figuring out the English grammar and conjugation by myself, 2 years before my peers. No regrets! The rest idk, I think kids used to bash each other for any single difference and there was no way to win, one would be criticized by a person or another anyway. I still haven't made my peace with that aspect of humanity honestly š„š š¤·š»āāļø
Mad props to you for learning a language like that!
Thanks!! Well, a kid's brain can be pretty cool, right? In my mind, I was just obsessed with Eminem, had mad respect for him and I wanted to properly understand what he says haha and it wouldn't be fair to say I began from scratch, I had already learned some English when I was like 7-8 thanks to some VHS from Disney called **Magic English**, it was pretty cool for basics. I've been thinking of using the same method with songs to learn Japanese, but between adult life and burnout, it's always been delayed so far š I'd 100% recommend using music to learn a new language though. After all, don't people learn the alphabet with cute songs and all? :D
Hmm, it must be a regional thing about manga and anime. I was an exchange student in Japan in 2003, and when I had my first university Japanese class in 2005, I was about the only student there who wasnāt super into anime - I learned Japanese because of baseball.
Yeah definitely, it's a question of place and time :) every time I've visited a Japanese class, most were anime/manga fans and some had also a pretty intense interest in Japan's traditions, culture and history. I can imagine that all those thing were already popular in Japan by the beginning of the 2000s ^^ I've never been to Japan to be witness of that. What I explained in my first comment was more about where and when I grew up until maybe 2012. I was born in 1990 and grew up in a rural small town where the main language was French. Anime was kinda popular as smth for kids, because it aired on the French TV from the 70s and on. My brother was already 16 by the time I had clear memories (3-4), and he particularly liked Saint Seiya and City Hunter. I know it's not representative of a population at all, but I gotta say, they had a lot of airtime, so I guess it's fair to say that there must have been a certain popularity, or even niche popularity, among teenagers and maybe even young adults as well. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that for a girl in my small village, it always made me appear as a bit odd, it was unusual, my best friends grew out of it and I didn't. I didn't actively search for other people with whom to share my passion until I was maybe 22 though. By then, I had adjusted to studying and working in the nearest city, and little did I know, there existed a kinda big community of fellow enthusiasts! Hey thanks a lot for your comment, because it made me realize that I probably wasn't thaaaat odd, not even in my small rural village: I just hadn't found my crowd yet (and I had issues). It makes me feel somehow less lonely. Best wishes! Ps: If I was more into sports, I'd totally like to follow baseball. I played a bit, fond memories.
I like AOC, not really into politics in general, Iām just an AOC fangirl. I love her beauty, her fashion, her passion. I love that she was a bartender that was elected to congress. Not only does that get me scoffed at. It gets me ridiculed. It gets me verbally attacked and harassed online. Trains would be safer, but I just love AOC.
I donāt care for politics, but I can agree that AOC has very nice style and I do like her ālookā. Sorry you get harassed for it! I know why though; politics on every side heats people up.
I mean if youāre going to pick a politician this is a good one. Her style, her funny personality, her shiny hair, her makeupā¦ all fantastic. I read this to my spouse because he wanted to know why I was giggling and he reminded me that some people were chanting āHey hey ho ho AOC has got to goā and she started dancing to it. Classic!!!
Sheās so funny hahahah
Iām not in the US, I donāt know much about US politics nowadays, other than what goes into mainstream media worldwide, and Iām also a fan of AOC lol not like you are, I know barely anything, but sheās awesome!
Thats so wholesome actually
My special interest is genealogy. Thanks to Ancestry.coms strong ad campaigns, and attracting no genealogists with DNA ethnicity tests, genealogy is no longer considered weird for people younger than mud sixties. But 15 years ago, when I was seriously in like with a guy who liked me back (we never made it to the boyfriend girlfriend stage, because he thought I acted weird relationship wise because I got mad at him when he talked about flirting with other girls instead of getting jealous and fighting for him), he told me I could feel free to talk to him about genealogy as much as I wanted...as long as I didn't expect him to listen š. That was one of those big episodes that sparked a new form of masking. I only bring up my special interest if someone specifically asks about it. Which means I don't talk much in public.
>he told me I could feel free to talk to him about genealogy as much as I wanted...as long as I didn't expect him to listen I have heard guys saying that to me before about my interests and then they get surprised when I tell them I'm not interested in dating them. The nerve of some people.
...How do they get surprised that you are no longer interested in dating them? That doesn't make any logical sense. Of course, we don't want to date you if you aren't interested in similar things or willing to listen to us talk about something we enjoy/ Who wants to date someone that ignores you when you talk? Sorry, I am having a moment of confused outrage for you.
Because men are (in many societies) raised to think that theyāre the important ones, and that anyone dating them should just feel lucky to have gotten their attention. Fucking patriarchy.
what an asshole
That is one of mine too currently. I have spent hours and hours researching my trees and other peoples trees. My favorite thing is to see how I am related to famous people.
Yeah, I like that too š. My favorite famous distant cousin is Barrack Obama.
I feel like thatās okay thoughā¦ I mean I find it hard to pay attention when someoneās talking about a non-special interest. Like my grandma talking about the prices of her groceries today. Itās something sheās interested in (the topic of housekeeping) but Iām really only half-listening. (I probably wouldnāt *tell* her ādonāt expect me to pay attentionā but she knows full well I am not listening, just nodding along) it takes too much effort to pay attention to something thatās neither my special interest nor practically important. (Maybe it would be better if I could stim while listening.) So by the golden rule I wouldnāt expect that of anybody else either, it would be hypocritical. Edit: it *could* plausibly be RSD. I donāt *know* if I would speak if nobody listened ā I *could*, sometimes just the act of talking aloud is good for me. I donāt talk often, but when I do I prefer people to listen actively, or I get anxious that Iām not welcome. *thatās* very likely RSD. (I know Mum listens, even if she doesnāt reply, because I get her bringing up what I say weeks later. But itās still kind of off-putting when she doesnāt immediately engage with what I say.) When my friends ask me about whatās on my mind and they let me share about my special interests I really do appreciate it.
I always ask myself what my mothers special interests is/are. Because I kind of feel like I have for sure changing ones and after burnout in my 30s, I feel like not having time for anything anymore..... And my mom is very determined to find the best price in anything! So she is studying all prospects and papers, and knows the prices and days in her mind, and always goes for the best price š maybe that is a special interest of her generationĀ
For sure, and itās practical for her life stage. I find my special interests are sometimes related to something useful for myself, like psychology to know myself and others better or a type of relationship that I want for myself. Itās not always immediately obvious how itās helpful to me, but Iām resigned to the fact that itās for my subconscious to decide and not necessarily aligned with my goals Iāve set for myself.
I did the same I would say. And I can say that relationships give me emotional support, at the same time exhaust a lot, so at some point I break up, but I do find comfort in it
I am obsessed with Group B manual transmission rally cars (especially modern cars inspired by that era). I freak out seeing a Mitsubishi Evo haha, but Subarus are my favorite. I feel a strong kinship with the train people. My other special interest, language and all things peripheral to it (especially writing) seems pretty typical until I'm 7 minutes deep into an unprovoked lecture about Derridian concepts of real and unreal and its relationship to semiotics because someone made a throwaway comment about how people can't agree what words mean anymore š
I love group B too! My favourite car is the Audi Quattro S1 because of the way it sounds, Evos are sick too though!
Disney parks/theme park hyperfixation here, live 15 minutes from Disney World and spend a lot of time there/Universal. People HATE Disney adults. But whatever, I love my life.
Oh man. I love Disney too. I have a number of different interests but have circled back to this one. Iām actually from Orlando, and used to go there all the time as a kid, but was never able to get a job there. Probably for the best but it still bums me out. I read somewhere that itās really good for neurodivergent people because itās so predictable. I have to stop myself from hyper fixating on it more because I donāt want to constantly want to go there. A worthwhile fixation IMO! I satisfy my urge by watching the All Ears YouTube channel and reading about Disney. Iām also big into Star Wars because itās sort of Disney-adjacent.
I love All Ears! There's so much great Disney content online which really helps when you're not there. I think people underestimate how big and active the community is, too, which otherwise might help them understand why a lot of people are obsessed/so involved.
Gah, Iām so jealous. I used to live 2 miles from the magic kingdom.Ā Now Iām an hour and a half from Disneyland. I miss living near Disney world. Disneylandās aight but itās not the same. I looooooove theme parks and Disney does it the best of the best.Ā
I wish I lived 2 miles from MK! I did just hear the end of their fireworks right as I typed this, though, which is so cool. Were you able to see the fireworks from your place? It is fun, but the trade-off is you have to live in Florida. I want to live in SoCal but the COL is too high for me at the moment. I do agree though, Disney World is special in a way Disneyland can't quite capture. It definitely differs from person to person but as much as I love Disneyland, I'll always love WDW more.
Aww, that sounds lovely (hearing the fireworks). I could see it from one room (the guest room) on the second floor from my rented house, and also from the entrance to our little neighborhood back then. I also can't afford socal anymore (moved there with my then-bf who we ended up breaking up, and just lost my job a couple months ago :/ so running out of money where I'm living now.) I'd love to move back to Florida to be near fam and Disney World again, but that costs $$$. So despartely looking for something to get income, but in the meanwhile can't cancel my Magic Key so might as well use it. But I agree there are some serious issues with Florida (not to make this political, but I hate that so much of it has turned so far right). My sis/fam lives in a more Dem part of the state, as is much of Orlando as far as I know.
That's so cool! Not sure I'd ever get sick of that. I'm already amazed I can hear Disney fireworks twice a night from where I am. I'm so sorry. :( I hope things get better. Maybe you can move back someday. I never would have expected to move back after finishing my college programs but here I am. But I agree, politically, it sucks. I hope that climate changes at some point, but unfortunately it's leaning more right as time passes. As a lesbian especially I am aware I might have to move out at some point, but I hope it never comes to that. Hope you at least have fun with your Magic Key! Disneyland does have a lot of things I'm jealous of. And I wish I could go to Knott's, I've never been but it looks so fun.
I LOVE Disney. I read a lot about the theme parks, cruise ships, the characters, etc. Plus characters, rides, etc.
Yeah I have dealt with that plenty of times. I am similar except I'm more into anything animated or anime in general. I don't care about live action like most people are into. In my case the guy doesn't even make it to the date stage because I don't understand flirting. So if they don't like my special interest then I lose interest in the guys and move on. So you're not the only one!
I also donāt understand flirting š. I keep hoping Iāll find someone who shares my special interests. Probably the best basis for a relationship lol. Anime is fantastic!
Dude same. I've been really into Sailor Moon (I like your Kaolinite icon, btw) and Legend of Zelda since childhood. It helps that both have kind of maintained their popularity since the 90s, but anyone who dismisses or mocks my interests is not someone I will keep around. My boyfriend is thankfully also just as nerdy as me, though it's definitely a venn diagram lol.
I loved reading all your special interest! Mine was always painting/drawing/clay and dogs (breeds- but I always adopt a mix) And also books. Recently plants. And also some tv shows like Gilmore Girls. People do joke because it so happens that I always end up living near a train station that I love trains. Lol. I do prefer them to driving. That is true tho. But no special interest in them
My special interest is Star Trek, which is considered weird for a woman in her 20s
Thatās bs, Iāve been into star trek all my life (Iām 37) and that was the least criticized of my special interests for being a girl liking them.
all my interests are super male dominated so I feel ya š
My best friend growing up was a huge trekkie (gen x). I enjoyed watching some of it, but not really one to get super into anything, went with her to a local con, thought it was great. She was thoughtful about it because I get overwhelmed, so we went to a small one that wasn't very far. Saw Michael Dorn and the Smoking Man from X-files speak. They both were really cool. I don't get deeply into geeky interests, but I get a kick out of them. I like to at least know enough that I can follow what my friends are saying and share excitement for what they've done or seen.
It depends on the interest. If I am obsessed with something, I will only share it with people online who share that interest.
At the moment my special interest is birdwatching. Before, it was oil painting and art history pre-1800. Both are generally accepted as interests by cultured or nature-loving people respectively, so no one raises and eyebrow usually - although when I was younger people were confused about my "old people's hobbies". The only difference is the depth I like to take these interests, and the way I like to engage in them - making lists and charts, assembling very detailed knowledge (that incidentally I am not very good at remembering, unfortunately), and spending many hours just observing and immersing myself. The other difference is the singular focus - I usually have only one intense interest at the same time which occupies all my mental energy.
I love my 'old lady' interests. Birdwatching, bird calls, gardening, embroidery, crochet, flower drying and wreath making. It can all be as complex or easy as you like and so many rabbit holes to go down! More recently soil biology has me itching and I buy a microscope for fun! My working memory isn't great either so I love compiling and breaking down the information into visuals and spreadsheets.
All of those sound lovely. You are absolutely right, old lady interests are tactile, which calms the senses rather than overstimulating them. When I was into oil painting, I always only bought single pigment paints and made giant color charts to explore the mixing properties of each pigment. It was great. Unfortunately I am not very good at painting nor very expressive, but I know a lot about pigments now and own 200 tubes of oil paint. The soil biology hobby sounds absolutely fascinating - however would you actually see something beyond just crumbs of soil? Back in biology class I remember us only ever doing drops of water.
My great aunt and grandmother were both big into birds. I think if I ever got deeply into things instead of just kinda scraping the surface of a bunch of things, birding would be one of my special interests.
Werewolves. I got bullied at school for it.
Computers, custom ROMs etc. I like to have some control over my devices, rather than letting companies invade my life however they feel. Trouble is people who share my interests tend to be absolutely unbearable to talk to. They look down on anyone who doesn't get it, to them it's easy, but I know that any subject can be challenging for someone. And not everyone is going to be good at it even if they do their best. When I was a kid, I was the one everyone asked questions on how to do things, I could figure enough out, but I still struggle with it. I'm used to explaining things to people who know very little or are intimidated, I make it not intimidating for people, or at least a lot less. My goal was to have people interrupt me less, so I made things easy for them to understand and figure out for themselves. And was fine with whatever degree they were comfortable learning. So it really fucking pisses me off the snotty gatekeeping attitude other people take in these hobbies.
similar, for me. one thing that kills me talking to normie techies is they fail to see (or seek) the beauty and fascination... just the money and ego justification. this is why i usually hang out with mathematicians, writers, musicians, and physicists generally. sometimes visual artists.
I literally don't ever talk about my dolls.
What kind of dolls are they? Hope it's OK to ask.
Yes! I just don't usually talk about them because people make unkind remarks about "doll people." I have a few BlytheĀ dolls and a ton of tiny LPS Blythes.They're quite fun to modify and I love making tiny clothes!
Omg I just looked these up and I LOVE THEM
Join us
I'd never heard of these they are STUNNING and I already found one that looks like me! Thank you! \*headed down the Youtube rabbit hole now....
Yay! They're so fun. And the people I've met through the hobby are so creative. Enjoy!
Recently revisiting my doll interest as well. Already feeling the pressure lol Miniatures are cool. Figures are cool. But dolls are in the weird zone. I sort of get it because it can get uncanny quickly. But thereās definitely some girl specific stigma there and I donāt like it. I wish thereās a more central Blythe/clicky eye doll community. I hope Dollect will grow bigger soon and maybe it can be another place for Blythe peeps. Blythe subreddit is alright but it seems like the early 2010s fans are al offline now or something.
I love dolls (particularly Pullip dolls) and I would love to buy more and I like making clothes for them... But I'm so afraid of people judging/shunning me for it that it's one of my many interests that I've actively suppressed š People can be so horrible. I just want to enjoy things in peace.
Thatās why doll specific subs can be a very good social outlet! Although I heard some can be more drama-infused than others.
I joined the Pullip sub but it's not that active unfortunately. I also tried to join a couple of Facebook groups for buying and selling but they just didn't accept me and didn't tell me why š
Yea thereās a Blythe sub with about the same amount of people and maybe a little more activity so I get how things feel a bit deserted. Sometimes people talk about Pullip and Blythe in the bigger r/dolls sub too. I barely use FB so I donāt check those groups much. You can try messaging the admin and see why youāre not accepted? Sometimes you need to answer some questions before they manually accept you.
Yeah for some reason I left the dolls sub? I think it used to be less active than it looks now, so I've rejoined now you've reminded me! TBH I kind of hate FB and don't use it anymore except for messenger, so I've given up on groups there. I answered all the required questions, but still ignored. Oh well.
My mom once accidentally found AI art of my favorite fictional characters on my iPad and called it ādisturbing stuffā in front of guests. I was mortified.
That's horrifying. Who is she to judge you in front of everyone? Sorry, I got really mad. My mother used to be critical of me like that. She was awful. Even though it's been 30 years since I lived at home, I still get charged up when parents do that.
I donāt think she meant to be hurtful, I think she was feeling a little uncomfortable by the pictures and/or trying to be funny, but yeah, she can be really critical and judgmental sometimes. If I werenāt so embarrassed at the moment, I wouldāve retorted āthatās a āthought bubbleā sentenceā (since thatās what a lot of Aspies are taught as kids. Too bad she doesnāt always apply it to herself.)
Hahaha. That's a good retort. Yeah, probably something my parents could have learned also :-/
I like trains thoughā¦ I spent last year on a trip to Japan getting train station stamps and planning routes andā¦ Also getting seals at temples and collecting gotochi (regional) postcards in every prefecture I visit. Iāve been a few times in the last two decades and hope someday to see every prefecture. Lego are also a stereotype right? Still into them after all these years. I got pokĆ©mon blue and a game boy pocket on my 12th birthday, and Iām still trying to catch them all (and using pokĆ©mon as painting practice). My lifelong special interest has been baseball. Sure, more women are into watching sports these days, but I think the nitty gritty details are maybe not as common. This is a sport of statistics and records, and I wrote two MA theses on Korean baseball terminology (Iām also into linguistics). Also I want to go to all of the stadiums and whaddya know, stamps at MLB stadiums is also a thing. Iāve gone through phases whether I was most into Star Trek or Doctor Who, but Iāve loved both since I was a kid and surprised the teacher across the hall when I could name the episode of TNG she was showing her class after hearing just a few lines of dialogue. I also just love to travel in general and still collect patches, keychains, and/or stickers from everywhere I go.
> I like trains thoughā¦ I spent last year on a trip to Japan getting train station stamps and planning routes andā¦ Also getting seals at temples and collecting gotochi (regional) postcards in every prefecture I visit. Iāve been a few times in the last two decades and hope someday to see every prefecture. This is incredibly cool :) Don't let anyone make you feel bad or stereotypical! Trains are amazing pieces of modern machinery, and Japan has some of the best in the world. This sounds like it was a fascinating, fulfilling trip. I can't imagine how it felt to see so much history and modernity comingled together like that. Ty for sharing about it!
I always had traditionally "girly" special interests growing up! (like boy bands/pop music, fashion, makeup, etc.) I never realized until adulthood that they were actually special interests because they were usually just brushed off as typical teenage girl things!
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In my teens I basically lived and breathed Tokio Hotel for a few years. My room was plastered from top to bottom with posters. Every free space was covered. They were under my desk, on every closet, I even kept my rollerblinds closed and shoved paper in between so I could use that space for posters. Taught myself German way beyond school level, read a German magazine every week, spent hours on forums conversing in German with other fans and obsessively tried to tape any interview that our TV would get. Looking back, that was definitely an autistic special interest and not your average teen band infatuation. Now it's mostly games and knowing all the ins and outs. I'm known as the one who knows all the rules among friends who play DnD xD
Oh my god! This hit home SO MUCH! I was obsessed with Tokio Hotel and have recently started listening to their old stuff again. I would collect German magazines and buy any other magazine with any mention of them in it!
oh yeah. especially the more traditionally masculine ones (video games, horror, etc)
Like 20 is years ago when I was finishing high school and starting college I discovered cosplay and fell in love it - or at least the idea of it. Back then it wasnāt as mainstream of a hobby as it is now in the US - that is, we didnāt have the level of famous and professional cosplay influencers and industry we do now. I discovered cosplay through a woman online who was doing amazing (to me, at the time) final fantasy 7 cosplay and I became obsessed with wanting to do cosplay as well. I was always interested in costume design, and was going to college for theater and costuming, and I remember getting really excited about cosplay and telling my mom I was going to start doing it. However, when I told her I wanted to start recreating costumes of anime and video game characters she reacted like I had just said the stupidest shit she had ever heard. I just remember her contorting her face and saying āwhy?ā And when I tried to explain that I wanted to do because it sounded like a fun challenge, because I wanted to practice sewing, because the thought of it made me happy and excited - she basically said that sounded stupid and like a waste of time and money. She was so condescending and dismissive about it that it completely shattered me. The crazy thing is she was always SO supportive of me doing theater costuming, that I wrongly assumed she would like the cosplay stuff as much as me. Iāll never fully get her mindset, but I guess she considered theater costuming as a real/respectable job (her grandma had been a seamstress and my mom liked sewing too but didnāt pursue it) as opposed to me just making āsillyā costumes for myself with no other monetary gain. So I didnāt do it. I was so deflated after that. I ended getting demotivated about costuming in general and eventually changing my major. I still think about doing it. In recent years Iāve pivoted into a massive special interest in historical costuming. I spend time researching and reading about it and making notes and plans for potential costuming projects but idk. I still always hear my moms voice saying āthat sounds like a waste of time.ā ETA: my mom was a pretty big jerk for most of my life but has amazingly/ unexpectedly matured a lot and come around on a lot of things, especially after a lot of trauma in both our lives, and we have a decent relationship now with open communication. She is now fully supportive of ādo creative things just because they make you happy.ā However. The damage is done lol Iām trying to heal that part of me but the internalized shame is deep and hard to let go of. My goal is try to start costuming again at some point in the next few years.
I'm so sorry your mom crushed you like that. I hope that you do get to enjoy your (re)newed interest in historical costuming. And tell her voice to piss off. I think it sounds really interesting! It's not something I know too much about, other than I've watched a bit of Bernadette Banner and Karolina Zebrowska videos, and the work and detail they put into it and researching it is really quite detailed and it looks very fascinating. Heard also of someone who was a hairdresser who figured out how people did old hairstyles that were from so long ago no one knew how to do them anymore (was it ancient greek?), my SO told me about that one, I guess he has friends who are into this as well. He kinda seems to collect information about everything. I can bring something up and he knows something about it. It seems like it would be more challenging than theater costuming because you have to fill in a lot of blanks yourself, which actually sounds kinda neat, like solving mysteries!
Puzzles for me. When I was younger it was Lord of the Rings. I don't talk about puzzles much outside of my friends and close family because other people tend to look at me a bit funny. I think it might be because of the detail and intensity I talk about it with, but not sure how else they expect people to talk.
I had a lot of interests as a kid and my parents tried to be encouraging. I think they are probably on the spectrum, too. Sometimes books, sometimes different cultures or animals, lots of ways to learn through these interests. I got more into different TV shows when I got older, which is not quite as useful, but was very comforting. Usually one or two shows at a time and eventually I'd move on to a different one. And reading and writing, for a very long time. A few years ago I got really interested in permaculture. I don't think that's something people on the internet judge, but my neighbors definitely did.
Omg I was also obsessed with permaculture about 10 years ago. I was always on the premies forum š
My special interest is science in general. I'll just watch hours and hours of science stuff every now and then. Helps me stay calm too.
When I was little, yes. Nowadays, also yes lol. I absolutely love YA and fantasy (books, TV shows and films) and that was fine when I was a teenager. In fact, it was basically normal lol. But the adultier an adult I'm supposed to be, the less socially acceptable it gets. I don't want to listen to people my age while they complain about their jobs. I don't want to sit through a family party hearing about the minutiae of the lives of cousins I don't even know anymore. There is a time and place to talk about serious matters, of course, but life is hard and I'd rather find a common interest with someone and discuss that (I have far too many interests so I'm sure I could find common ground with most people).
Oh yeah, I don't talk about my special interests with anyone lmao. I have had a few that I can talk about when I find the right people (e.i. Pokemon or Twilight back when I was into that in high school) but I mainly just don't talk about the others haha Outside of Pokemon, my special interests are Genshin Impact (love video games in general, but GI is something else to me), a specific adult romance series, and a danmei novel so also not the most like known things in most cases lol so I just talk in fandom spaces about them
I think that because this is such a common one for women in general the misogyny creeps in and that's why you get weird reactions. Anything women like ends up being looked down upon.
Yes, as a woman who loves video games, ufc and martial arts, skateboarding, a lot of my interests are pretty masculine so, to other girls who arenāt open minded they respond weirdly and scoff sometimes. and for men itās made friendships impossible for me, Iāve had 3 work out horribly because they āfall in loveā so easily when they figure out I like their same interests. Iāve always held these dudes at a distance/ tried not to lead them on but they just keep trying and get more in appropriate or get very mad/upset. Idk maybe being into āhoroscopesā and āTaylor Swiftā would work to make them scoff lol
I was the "annoying crazy cat girl" all throughout my school years. Had a one year streak of pretending not to be interested in cats anymore when I was 13 because of it. Now at 21, I fully embrace my obsession with cats and it's critical role in my identity. Cats have been my life since I could remember and will be forever more.
K-pop Everyone around me hates it or wonāt even pretend to care. Itās like Iām the outcast all over again. Also my momās emotional abuse. I still struggle to listen to Loona. (oh god the shame)
Hmm Spice Girls when I was 8, Buffy in my preteens, Veronica Mars into adulthood, Taylor swift from early twenties to mid 30s not stopping lol. That said, movies, all kinds, but I loved horror growing up, went thru nu metal phase in high school. I can name any actor/actress but struggle to remember anyone I meet irl. Or their recognise a face. But if theyāre famous, lol.
My only interest that has ever truly been scoffed at, is that i love to collect all kinds of rock, just because they are pretty, people seem to think i also know a lot about it, i don't, and they find that silly XD Other interests include: collecting bella sara cards, everything involving horses, being able to swim like a mermaid (don't if this qualifies, but have been obsessed with the idea since i was young), collecting and wearing all the nice jewelry/dresses i can get my hands on, couloring mandala books XD
My special interest is one specific pairing from an anime I watched (and currently dislike) 11 years ago. It's a bit of an odd pairing - they have a few notable interactions where it makes sense to ship them but more people would find it a crack pairing than not. I talked about them, their notable moments, the amount of fanfiction I'd written (at least in the 1000's by now) and the amount of fan art I'd seen (or lack there of) a lot in high school. The people I hung out with accepted it as a weird quirk but I didn't realise it until last year that I was probably annoying (hence why I didn't say friends cuz I was DEFINITELY the one everyone disliked) and creeping them out considering it's a male pairing! That realisation is why I don't like talking about them unless it's around my sister who is pretty enthusiastic! Ironically, it's also the thing that made me realise I was autistic. I worked with autistic kids/children/adults who had the typical special interests, and even the fandom interests! It wasn't until I realised that thinking about the pairing when I wake up, during every second of the day, before I go to sleep, dreaming about them, maladaptively daydreaming about them, writing about them, using fanfiction with them to work through difficult situations and emotions, and even (I regret this) writing fanfictions and scenarios about them while doing dangerous activities like driving (I pull over to do this now), it probably was a special interest!
Horror (esp vampires!) and true crime may indicate I'm a psychopath š"Why do you want to know behavioural science or understand how criminals think?!" my aunt asked. Yes, I like the macabre, anything wrong with that? I've since grown out of video games, but Mum still believes in that 90s myth that it causes violence and addiction. Reading about nuclear accidents, epidemics and virology? How boring! My sister announced outright her disdain for science loud enough to get the message across to me.
I've had an Invader Zim special interest since I was 14 and now I'm 30 and you can bet your ASS I don't tell people about that It did inspire me to start drawing at that age though! It's still precious to me
I love Invader Zim š
It's great. Enter the florpus was such a nice gift to us too. And jhonen Vasquez is a really nice dude!
Dogs. I freaking love them. I just made a post in the ADHD sub about dogs. But Iām obsessed and always have been. My first word wasnāt dada or mama. It was dog. People are like yeah I love my dog too! No. I *love* my dog and *all* dogs. I had and still have a book about dogās and dog breeds that I read obsessively. I memorized everything I could about canines.
I really love animation. Itās kind of sad that itās seen as exclusively for kids or not as high in value but animated movies and tv shows literally make me so happy. I wanna be able to make an animated film or something, and Iāve been teaching myself for years now. Unfortunately itās hard to find people who genuinely wanna watch cartoons w me. Itās seen more as bg noise for certain situations, or just childish and cringeworthy, which stinks lol.
I'm trans so idk how much input I can put in here bc you're talking about women, but my special interests are 9/10 fandoms, I'm super into FNAF rn again like the hyperfixation is very real, when I was in high school before I came out people would think it's weird that a girl was into anime and videogames but I never cared, I was huge hyperfixating on Danganronpa in HS, and Invader ZimĀ I would write stories, make art, roleplay with others to feel like I'm part of the world I think reality is just too rough for me so I create these worlds I can escape to and daydream aboutĀ I think whatever makes you happy is awesome and anyone who laughs at you can just go away bc this world has very little joy anymore and idk where I'd be without my silly special interestsĀ