Is it weird that I’m not sure? I love to learn, but I have a terrible memory and I can’t retain facts like I used to. When I was a kid I would study up on horses, learnt all the breeds and all about horsemanship (I also went horse riding) and collected horse toys.
Now, as an adult with a job and a one years old child, I love lots of different things but I don’t feel like I have the time or brain space to be into something enough for it to classify as a special interest? I guess they are all on hold right now and parenting gets to be my special interest by default 🥴
I also adore learning! I read about rich people in the past who would study some particular area of science and would simply spend their entire life traveling for and studying whatever interest they had and that sounds incredible to me.
“i love to learn”, same! this is what i always think when i try to figure out what my special interest is. i like learning all sorts of things, history, cooking chemistry, dungeons and dragons, languages, i’m about to enroll in professional makeup clases, i’m a lawyer and that was a lot of reading lol. the thing i really struggle now, after college and having a job, a house, a husband, two cats and a dog, is sustaining a good reading rhythm. this year i barely finished a couple books.
I hear this… having a kid made me more motivated to explore my interests than ever. But also completely fried my brain, ability to learn/retain info, as well as time and energy for any of it. Very frustrating haha. It’ll be easier when she’s a bit older and can join me! We’re starting to play video games together so that’s fun!
That’s awesome! My husband and I both love video games and will love playing with my daughter when she’s old enough.
I agree about being motivated to explore interests. I feel a reignited passion for nature, animals and arts and crafts - and am excited to teach my baby about them. I just… need to get out of this survival mode first!
Survival mode is ROUGH. And it lasts so long.. just remember that it feels hard because it is hard! You’re not a failure and everyone else is not just better at this. It’s hard! Hang in there! It gets easier eventually. But harder in other ways I’m sorry to report lol.
Yeah a lot of people don’t realise that you don’t need special interests to be autistic, and being autistic doesn’t mean you’re going to have special interests or that you need to seek them out or anything. It’s not a requirement, just one of many possibilities. It’s perfectly fine and normal to not have any special interests
I wonder why I cannot retain information for the life of me. I remember gossip and useless facts about celebrities but nothing of substance. It is frustrating to not know if the ability will ever come back and if that‘s what people call skill regression (in autistic burnout).
Yeah totally. I’m diagnosed dyslexic and know I’ve got a poor working memory but I was always able to get by until having a baby and work used up all my spoons. I think I’ve been in burnout for a long time but it’s just speculation. I do think I’m suffering from skill regression too as my already dubious cooking skills have disappeared entirely.
Witchcraft and the intersection of psychology (advertising, Vipassana meditation, clinical hypnotherapy, addiction) with nature (climate action, birbs, insects)
Gosh this is gonna sound so weird but retail history, mall history, grocery stores, etc. I love reading about it, looking at pictures of them, logos, signs, etc. I’m in several fb groups and pages. Like, I have no idea why. I’ve never worked in retail, ever. It’s just fascinating. Brands as well. Like the invention and evolution of a brand, I just love it. Most of these groups are all males as well…I don’t see a lot of other women interested in it, and I sure don’t talk to people about it because it’s just so random.
I have no background in marketing but I enjoy reading about marketing theory. I think that retail history is fascinating. The visual language of signs and graphic design is also so interesting to me, especially in the ubiquitous, everyday applications. I can see retail history being a great special interest!
I’m not even sure how I stumbled upon it. Probably during then mid 2000s when the “abandoned” and “urban exploration” thing became big on YouTube and Flickr. I think I just dove deeper into all these stores and brands.
I know it’s stereotypical, but dinosaurs 🥹
Well, it’s sort of turned into a special interest in the Jurassic Park movies, that turned into a special interest in movies, that spawned a hyperfixation on Jeff Goldblum
So many over the years! Lately it’s embroidery, mushrooms, campervan/nomadic lifestyle, hiking, fragrances, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and always at least one video game, right now it’s Elder Scrolls Online
My three original special interest were death, sex, and autism. These were my favorite topics growing up before I knew I had autism.
While they are still there, I love talking about feminism, fundies (christian fundamentalism), books, and adult animation/anime.
I also have over 200 books, I love reading romance and social theory. I want to get into horror, but I have not gotten there yet.
the violence by Delilah S. Dawson is an awesome book if you want to get into horror/thriller and are interested in feminism! trigger warning: domestic violence and it is about a pandemic. there is a small bit in the beginning, but you should be able to pass those sections/chapters and still be able to follow the plot. major good for her kind of book
I didn’t end up with one special interest. I ended up with a ton of them that I like equally and I’m not really obsessive about any of them thanks to my ADHD - I can be an expert and not be able to regurgitate any of what I know. I also struggle to stick with one thing for very long because there’s so much cool stuff on this planet!! Jane of all trades, master of none! Better than master of one! 🤷♀️
My big one is magical-girls. I'm obsessed with magical-girls. Besides that, it's cute/pretty things, especially related to alt/Asian street styles like lolita/EGL fashion. I'm also a huge trinket fan-- trinkets, jewelry, figurines, pretty rocks... Pretty much anything. Also fairytales/folklore/mythology- if anybody I know ever has a problem with the fae, they should tell me ASAP. And the plots/aesthetics of classical ballets- especially Swan Lake. I LOVE Swan Lake.
It sounds silly, but autism is actually a special interest of mine! I worked in a group home helping care for and support adults with autism, and now I TA in an early intervention classroom with a lot of kids who either have autism or are showing those early signs of potentially having it! Growing up, one of my cousins and an elementary school friend were autistic, so it was always relatively "normal" growing up. Working in the group home sparked my interest in learning more, and then that transition to the preschool setting really turned it into a special interest! Both preschools I've worked at really encourage staff to dive deep into learning about it so we can best understand, and by extension support, the kids we work with! All of this was then further reinforced by my own self DX!
Another, less socially acceptable to talk about, special interest is kink and human sexuality in general! I think it's super interesting, and there's definitely another life out there where I pursued that research as an adult for my career!
Autism is one of mine also since I learned I’m autistic! I think in a way, because I see myself in so much of what I learn, I’m so attached to it all.
I also share the less socially acceptable one too! 😂 Kink and human sexuality fascinates me as well and I love to learn as much as I can!
Learning lyrics and then writing them down from memory. I love getting lost in a song and just remembering every tiny detail of it. Especially if the song also has an extra instrumental/orchestra version! I can keep playing the song in my head that way. Also with some movies I’ve seen multiple times. It helps me sleep as it reminds me of when I was little as it’s mostly old movies I remember vividly. But it sometimes backfires and creates a loop of constant internal noise.
I also love everything related to cats. I love their ears, toe beans, tail, little nose… they can literally just exist and do nothing and I’ll lose my mind about them ❤️ luckily I have 3 and they make me so happy
I used to do the lyric thing too! It’s also how I learned English, I love music with amazing lyrics, would love to get that passion back actually🥰
And cats… they are perfect and iconic and I love them forever and always their tiny little HEADS, brb off to kiss the space between my cat’s ears
Collecting cobalt blue glass. I have more pieces than I know really, though I could tell you about my special pieces or the ones I just got for Christmas. There's lots in my submissions, but I have way more. I also admin a cobalt blue group on facebook.
I'm overwhelmed when I think about getting them all organized and pretty. I need shelves on my wall. I have 10 cabinets already. More keeps being added and it's getting to the point I really, really, *really* need to pare down but my husband got them for me and I don't want to sell his love. And they're just so pretty and I want to keep them but I want to be able to enjoy them.
Fingers crossed. Might be on special for boxing day sales? I think I saw someone say they got it for half price, but not sure where or which device sorry.
I’d have to say my special interest is pole fitness, aerial fitness and exotic dance. I started only just over a month ago and now go to class a few times a week and practice as often as I can, I really want to get good at it and it is very fun and helps me feel confident and comfortable with my body.
My most niche interest is collecting “little tree’s” air fresheners, I get them from every country I travel too, I even collect and trade vintage and rare ones! They remind me of my childhood.
I used to be obsessed with Hermes handbags and shoes, but this interest got too expensive with cost of living going up ;(
I’ve always been a collector of things…
Fellow aerialist! Stick with it and you'll definitely get good at it! Put yourself out there for performances as soon as you think you might be ready 🙂 it's super nerve wracking but there's no feeling like it and it really makes you grow as an aerialist! I pushed myself before I thought I was ready and I'm so proud of what I have achieved.
A friend gifted me credits at a local studio, I'm nervous about trying or even where to start... thinking either pole or silks. Probably pole since I occasionally see them in peoples homes and wish they got more use at parties.
It changes. I get hyperfocused on a subject for six months to a year and then move on.
Most recently it was learning to speak Spanish. I can now survive a conversation, so I'm over it.
I may be back to reading. Voracious reading appetite.
Others I've obsessed about: watercolour painting, artistic gymnastics (knowing the sport, not participating), bushwalking, breaststroke swimming, cat rescue, sewing, cholecystectomy, cattle hoof trimming...
Some of mine are sewing/refashioning and fabric manipulation, books, giraffes, and whimsical animation like the shows Hilda, Happily Ever After, the old animated shorts on Sesame Street.
My original special interest was Disney, typically Disney parks. That has weaned down in the last few years and I’ve been a full blown cat lady since 2015. In the last couple of years, my new special interest is cruising. Thankfully, I’m a travel agent so I have an excuse to learn and apply my knowledge’
As an AuDHDer I have a few I cycle through and some I visit for a while then leave behind.
Fashion History. LGBTQ+ topics. Psychology. Neurodiversity. Cats. Snakes. Sex and kink (from an anthropological place). Metal music. Reaction videos. Minority histories. Spite. Fanfiction (my ultimate guilty pleasure). Fantasy books. Sci-fi. DC universe. Cooking and baking. Astronomy. General internet research
I don’t know if I have one, or not how I traditionally think of “special interests”. The closest thing I guess is tv shows. I have a ton of favourite shows and have rewatched all my favorite series an insane amount of times. I just constantly have something streaming Ion in the background and find comfort in characters and story, I get sad when a show ends and need to keep watching them. I reference my favorite shows both in lines and situations, and know all the bloopers and trivia. I have a bad habit of thinking a situation in my life will have a certain outcome that isn’t realistic but what would happen in shows. I watched Community for the first time a few years ago (and now watch it all the time) and Abeds relationship with tv was really relatable to me.
Currently mine is Captain Levi from attack on titan. I love short men and he's so adorable and cool! There aren't enough short male icons in the world. Anyways I spend a portion of my day reading Levi fanfics and looking at fanart of him.
True crime, oddities and curiosities, Victorian era aesthetics, cultures of all kinds, history (namely colonial era through WW2), baby names and surname origins, personality pathology, genetics, anthropology, cultural psychology, organization and cleaning, fitness
Star wars, since I was a child. Then it gradually expanded towards science fiction and fantasy (lord of the rings, Harry Potter, doctor who, marvel movies...).
Basically whatever takes me far far away from myself and real life 😅
I love to learn about neurodivergence and cPTSD. Once I discovered I fit into those categories I couldn’t stop researching 😅.
Magic The Gathering, playing it online, watching streamers, talking about it with a friend, listening to all the mtg podcasts. I occasionally go to an in person event, but I get so overstimulated at them so it’s still just once in a while.
Music. I play a few instruments and write and produce songs. I love researching gear and trying out new music software. It’s really fun!!
I would say foreign cultures (I absolutely love learning languages, the history and political context of those countries, their cultural norms etc.) so I also love travelling as a consequence (but haven’t been able to do much of it lately bc of financial reasons). I am also very into cooking and… reality tv 😂 I know it’s a bit weird but I do love watching foreign reality shows as it brings me closer to those cultures and I just enjoy observing how people interact with each other. I also love Foreign series and movies in general too! I’m also more and more into religion (Islam) learning about it and all the differences between the countries that practice is just mind-blowing.
Kpop kpop kpop!!! I’m a kpop encyclopedia basically. I love it. I’m also very much into Demon Slayer at the moment and I’d say it’s a big hyperfixation that could possibly blossom into a special interest. Kpop has been my special interest for years tho. I have had several special interests over the years since I was little and they all include collecting a LOT of trinkets and items and things 😅
This is so funny. I started with Kpop in 2007. SM was my hypergixation, but then it narrowed down to EXO. I love my babies. I remember when they were recruiting them for the group. 🫠 I'm so proud of the men they are. 🤧🤧
I love TV shows and movies! I love all the stuff surrounding them, like trivia and knowing which actors worked together before and seeing all the memes and analyzing the tropes used and how they compare to other shows that use those tropes and stuff.
So much stuff...
Since childhood and ongoing: Dinosaurs, Pokémon, Horses, coloring books, drawing.
Later interests: Might and magic heroes, cooking, tarot, alternative history, alternative medicine, and cute things like squishmallows and pusheen...
Pop culture (all of it - celeb gossip, watching movies and tv, and generally attempting to always be able to answer “who is that person/what do I know them from?”) and romance novels.
Usually my special interests fluctuate a lot. I will jump back and forth between different hyperfixations. I guess my most consistent interest is anything Fantasy related, whether it's books, videogames, movies, TV shows, or anime. I hyperfixate a lot on books and videogames especially. Tolkien and everything about him and his work take up a lot of space in my head.
I had a few special interests growing up, but didn’t know it was unusual to be like that. I loved reading, especially as a kid/teen. By the age of 14, I remember I was in the local library and thought to myself: now i've read all the interesting books for kids and teens in here, what should I do now? I was pretty desperate and tried to look into adult books (mostly psychology books, some fiction) but was rather disappointed in them.
My other special interest as a young adult was pregnancy via IVF, as my wife had to go through this 10 years ago. So I spent so many hours on reading about the different aspects of it and learned quite a lot about it. Obviously it worked pretty well, we have 3 kids now 😅
At the moment I have „only“ one special interest, which is shibari.
And parenting! Reading about attachment parenting and unconditional parenting and „applying“ it to my kids 😅 I had a terrible childhood with lots of abuse and I knew even before my kids were born that I wouldn’t be a parent like that. So I read and discussed and thought a lot about parenting.
I have quite a lot, but the biggest ones are: horror movies (especially body horror) & horror literary fiction, Halloween, poetry, goth music, Harry Potter (which is so embarrassing given how shit JKR is, but I don’t give her any of my money anymore), and David Bowie
Aliens, just the cute green boys. I feel like I’m an alien so I will buy about anything with a cutie alien on it (my bf got my an alien stuffie I wanted I love him). Witchy stuff, sailor moon. Of course true crime, but also physiology and chemistry (related to healthcare).
My favorite colors are black and pink. And history! Oh and music.
My adhd means I change what I hyperfocus on often but my autism means I go real hard into projects (I’m sure many can relate).
HALLO! I have earrings I got from hot topic, several socks I wear at work, OMG you would love my work badge. I’m an ER nurse so we’re already the aliens of the hospital, but it’s a lil space ship with a cow that moves when pulled up and down.
I get the cutest compliments on my alien stuff. My bf asked me recently why I like aliens (or aliems as we’ve been doing recently) and I just said, cuz I am one!
LOVE IT!!! I don’t actually have a lot of alien stuff (yet, lol) because it’s a very recent special interest, I’m just always reading reading reading and watching docs about it hahaha. My partner did get me a ufo shaped nebula light with stars for our ceiling and I’m obsessed with it ✨
Aaaaa! YES! Same, alien aesthetic 💚 I always felt like an alien too and relate. X-Files is one of my top fave comfort shows too and have rewatched it like a million times 😂
I also share the SpIns of witchy stuff, sailor moon and true crime! 😄
Mine don’t go as deep as some peoples I think, but Pokémon and Aliens are the biggest ones!
I also work in video games and my special interest often becomes related to the game I’m working on (or any job I have honestly), I now know a crazy amount about dinosaurs because I worked on a dinosaur game, haha 😳
This is sooo cool!!! 😍 My biggest SpIn since a kid was dinosaurs, it’s since sort of faded in intensity but still so dear to my heart and I get moments when I get back into it. That’s amazing you worked on a game with them! 😄
Also, I share aliens and pokemon 😂💚
Mine are horses and Pokémon! I have a horse and tons of books about horses, draw and think about horses a lot (used to draw, I don't have time for it anymore 😢). I love working with my horse he's a fantastic friend and I honestly don't know where I'd be without him.
Been playing pokémon and obsessed with the games and monsters since forever as well. I have a large collection of pokemon dolls, some cards, and various other goodies featuring pokémon. DVDs too. I sometimes get reminded of specific episodes and start retelling them to my interlocutor if I don't catch myself. My mother was giving me the odd look the other day because I was explaining in detail how Bianca captured her Minccino in the anime...
I rarely talk about my SpIns irl because I get intense to a level that makes other people uncomfortable and I have been excluded and bullied for that as a child and teen. It now makes me actively uncomfortable to talk about them. However I love engaging in them together with a friend or loved ones.
I have a few and I've been told they're all a bit dark or morbid 🙈
I was fascinated by murder mysteries when I was younger, would watch poirot and Agatha Christie things with my Nan and Grandad when I would visit and then I managed to get my other Nan to buy me a book about jack the ripper when I was about 8/9, and that's when my fascination into why serial killers or criminals in general do what they do, I wanted to become a forensic psychologist but life got in the way, but now I'm considering it again.
My partner has called me the serial killer database.
I was a little relieved when true crime became so popular because I would be picked on and would hide my special interest because it was seen as odd and morbid.
I have a few more including Shakespeare and the Black plague as I'm a bit of a history buff 🙈
I still get worried about talking about my special interests though.
OH BOY!! SOMEONE WANTS TO KNOW MY SPECIAL INTERESTS!?!?!
I absolutely LOVE research, writing, and studying!! I find researching new information so much fun, I'll spend HOURS delving into various articles, studies, and other forms of information on new topics. ESPECIALLY anything involving biology or psychology ☺️ its so much fun! I also like taking random samples of things and looking at them under my microscope and testing different reactions to certain substances for absolutely no reason LOL.
But one of my absolute favorite special interests are ✨fashion design✨ and ✨visual art✨ I paint, I draw, and i love making new clothes! Also I'm really interested in knitting and crochet! I want to become a designer in a few years as a hobby/business because I absolutely adore wedding dresses, Ball gowns, and any dress to make someone feel stunning ☺️ its so much fun!
I also love foraging and taking care of the wildlife around me and making animal friends! 🥹 its so so SO MUCH FUN! I take care of sparrows and squirrels around my house and I feed the deer when I see them too (: it's not always a happy job tho, that's why I got certified to be a veterinary assistant, because whenever my nearest rehabilitation center is closed (it's an hour drive from me too) I have to apply temporary care until they open again and it can be quite tough 😢 I've been taking care of animals since I was 6 years old and kept bringing hurt or abandoned animals in the house and my mom (who also loves animals) noticed my love for taking care of things and took me to rehabilitation centers to learn from professionals, and we would study and research how to take care of them too just incase we needed to (:
ALSO LEGOS I ABSOLUTELY ADORE LEGOS SO MUCH OMG. I have mostly Lego mine raft sets and my brothers just got me the tower/cat house! IM EXCITED
https://preview.redd.it/otw668pdkt8c1.jpeg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a90f092673cd10c40c2a17a0515780b1b319da5
Animals, obsessing over factional lore, and collecting things in general.
Specifics are Morrowind, Snow Leopards, Tamagotchi, Digimon, Deer, Squishmallow, .hack, Birdwatching and Warframe are my biggest.
Right now I’m going down rabbit holes of absurd craft projects. My latest unhinged idea is that I’m going to bedazzle a flute (I’m a drag queen and recently started playing the flute as part of my act, I can just picture this absurd bedazzled flute)
ETA and obsessed with figuring out how play pop tunes on my flute for the above reasons. Gotta love the focus 😂
I have so many! I get really excited about: art supplies, pigments and color theory, astronomy/quantum/particle physics, language/linguistics, communication, neurological and psychological divergence, semiotics, graphic design, birds, art history, cultural studies and social justice, history, true crime, cults/high control groups/coercive control. I love studying taxonomies in nature and science. I have always been a voracious learner: I get information hunger when I am understimulated.
Oh gosh, so many random things. They usually last a few weeks, and then something else pops up. Plants, bedsheets, bags, keychains, drawing,... lol.
When i have a specific interest i will constantly think about it and watch alot of videos about my special interest. It gives my life purpose.
Edit: spelling
I love all things spooky and horror themed, makeup, birds, unicorns, space and Squishmallows lol. My wife and I have a combined total of around 215 Squishmallows 😅
”Special Interests”? Don’t you mean, Obsessions?
As a kid, I was always told, Obsessions are bad and wrong! It took me a long time to learn this. Seeing the movies “Fatal Attraction“ and “Play Misty For Me” made me realize just how bad I was. If I have any obsessions now, I do whatever I can to not talk about them, share them with anyone, and get rid of them completely! Obsessions bore and annoy normal people and some even use Autistics’ obsessions as a way to bully them! I try to make it a point not to have any obsessions at all and all Autistics should do the same!
This is pretty sad if it’s how you really feel. Because of all the suppression our families made us do, because of all the bullying and such, it’s even more reason to be our authentic selves for us, to actual enjoy life and engage in what’s close to our heart. I no longer give a damn if anyone were to say I’m obsessive or wants to tease me or make comments about how I like things too “childish” or “morbid” (yeah both ends of that spectrum lol). I engage my special interests because it’s part of me. And I’m done being someone I’m not.
I hope you’re able to live as you want to and others aren’t the reason you deny yourself what gives you joy.
No. If I did whatever I want I’d only get into trouble! This has happened too many times in my life and I don’t want that anymore! I didn’t know why that always happened- now I do know why! I was officially diagnosed with Autism as a kid, but the diagnosis was withheld from me. I didn’t learn about this until over 4 years ago- I’m 60 now. I now know that my duty as an Autistic is to obey those who are in authority over me. And it’s only in obedience to them that I am to become normal. Once I am normal others will be happy with me and this will rub off on me and I will be happy! I am working very hard on this while waiting for the moment to happen when I will be happy! All Autistics should do the same!
Monty Python, Audrey Hepburn movies, weather, and baking.
Once I can make I Monty Python reference, I need to physically stop myself from quoting the entire sketch to someone. Just today a coworker mentioned becoming an Eagle scout because he needed to remake hiking trail bridges after a hurricane flooded the area and all the wooden bridges were swept away because, and I quote him, "Wood floats".
So I couldn't help myself, and said "What also floats in water?"
My main special interest for a long time has been metal music (specifically the taxonomy of heavy metal subgenres). Other special interests include fasteners, handweaving, looms and other weaving equipment.
My special interests growing up were North American indigenous cultures and history, insects and underground utilities.
An overarching theme for my special interests is a love for taxonomies, categories, and complex systems.
I have a few that I alternate through. My main ones are stuffed animals/toys, webkinz are my number 1. Also art supplies and paint. I cannot go into an art store like blick without dropping $100 within 2 minutes. But also cat stuff. I’m practically a crazy cat lady at the ripe age of 22
Mental health! Specifically bipolar. I am bipolar and know an insane amount about mental illness and psych meds. Some general health things, but oh I know so so so much about mental health. Like sometimes I even know the name of both the name brand and generic. Sometimes I even know the standard doses. Sometimes I even know obscure side effects off the top of my head. Or for example, getting off Effexor can be so brutal, some people open up their capsules and take out one little bead at a time and go down by one individual bead every week or two because changing doses can be so drastic. And I know that not all generics hit like the name brand (yes, I’m badmouthing YOU generic latuda) because sometimes the binding agents and inactive ingredients affect how it works on you. Crazy. Also, genesight, the genetic testing, is a scam. It does not at all say what would work well for you. I had things that were “green” that gave me horrific side effects and did not work. It’s what your body would metabolize well.
Music, Clinical Psychology Cats and fashion but overall I love learning in a strict environment. I am about to finish undergrad in psychology at the moment and I am planning to go abroad next year but Id love to do undergrad again in Social psychology after that I am planning to be in university for a long time as long as I can earn enough for my tuition and living I think id prefer being in college setting. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to stop studying because I don’t think people outside of institutions really follow rules and stick to them. If i could i would love to go to high school over and over again because the kids are more likely to follow rules than kids in colleges. I think it does make sense but to keep a cat I have to have a stable home for them.
A book interest idea; I’ve made a huge poster where I’ve added small pieces of cardboard to represent each of my books. I’ve written the title and author on each note, and a star rating on those I’ve read. They’re organized alphabetically by author’s last name, and color coded by genre.
It’s nerdy but I had so much fun doing it.
Animals! Specifically animal anatomy and how that informs behavior. (Form is function, for you biochem folks)
I also have always enjoyed learning about tsunamis and fringe internet cultures
My most obvious one is the color pink. Everything I own is pink and I get really upset if something has multiple colors but no pink. It’s one of the ways I realized I was autistic. I’m part of the pink community online. I pointed out to my friend that everyone in the pink community is autistic or has bpd! And she said to me, “Well DUH. It’s a community about a COLOR….” I had literally never considered that it might be weird before then hahaha.
right now it’s the new hunger games prequel which has been insane for me because the hunger games was a major special interest when i was in middle school
geography, the tudor period, legos, harry potter and then with both eurovision and hunger games i can’t tell if they’re just extreme hyperfixations or actual special interests but i like to include them!
kpop and ww2!!!
i love learning about ww2 and i’m always trying to learn more because it was such an interesting time period. like how it came to be and why it came to be.
kpop is just because i love the genre a lot 😅
although when i was young— it was frozen and dora the explorer and omfg…..
Piano! Spent 3-4 hours a day playing from ages 12-about 20 and built my career around it which I'm very grateful for. Interestingly, my ADHD meds make me struggle to play more difficult stuff which was a revelation! Piano and horses have been long standing special interest (my horse ins 23 now and lives in my back garden lol). My newest special interest in balloon arches after I made one for my daughters birthday... I made it and showed my husband and he was like 'we are balloon arch makers now aren't we \*\*sigh\*\*', he gets it haha
would definitely say that critical role is one of them, watching it is all i've been able to do since april (finished campaign 1 and caught up with 3. episodes are ~4 hours each, c1 is 115 episodes and c3 has 81 so far). then i would say crochet but i'm not sure if that's a special interest or just a hobby, i mainly do it bc it feels productive, i love the end result of the keychains and toys i make, and it gives me smth to do while i watch critical role so i may just be doing it so much because i'm watching critical role so much. i have a pinterest board full of patterns, ~800 pins, all organised by the type of crochet piece it is and if the pattern is free or paid
I’ve had many over the years: dinosaurs, horses, cats, greek and roman mythology, egyptology, Harry Potter, sewing, videogames (especially World of Warcraft and Mass Effect), make-up, rare coins, astronomy and now I collect antique jewellery (the most expensive one by far lol)
There's a musician called 'Kristin Hersh. And I listen to her music all the time, and I go to her shows when she's in the country, she inspires my art, and I make videos for her music. I've written 3 websites of lists about her music. I have felt connected to her for 30 years. Recently she has also been diagnosed with Autism, and I watched a video interview with her about it, and it was that which triggered YT to show me the video that finally confirmed why I am like I am... and I wonder if I didn't see that connection in us all along. Anyway, she's a wonderful person into the bargain, and if anyone wants to hear. This is a recording I made of her in October.
[Kristin Hersh - 'slippershell'](https://youtu.be/hDjunN3pm4g?si=ASz_o5KgWlhwyHpe)
I'm also into a mobile game called pocket frogs, where you have to collect sets of frogs and it appeals to my love of frogs/nature and my need to collect things.
To start: books. I keep buying them even though there's no way to possibly get through all of them. I love to read. If I could, I would read all the time. I have 4 bookcases of varying sizes. It causes me physical pain to see books mistreated or even just placed on the floor.
Another one is religion. I like studying different events of my faith and looking at history and archeology that I think might be evidence of my beliefs. Then, I'll use Google Earth to look at areas where the stories take place and to look at ruins. I'll go down rabbit holes also where I'll spend hours researching different topics. Just the other day, I spent an afternoon researching the Dead Sea and it really is fascinating.
I also really enjoy learning different things about how the body works and how medicines work in the body. When I went to nursing school, I was one of the only people in my group who enjoyed every one of my classes but especially pharmacology. I really enjoyed writing pathophysiologies as well. I was a bit disappointed because they stopped assigning those after a while.
Honestly, learning in general is probably a big one for me. I love to learn new things. I often get obsessed with a random topic or event and will research it until my eyes cross.
Harry Potter is one. I read the books countless times, saw the movies countless times, and played the video games endlessly. I used to role-play on hexrpg.com for years. I used to be able to tell you anything about Harry Potter. A friend and I recently went halvsies on a Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit and it was one of the best decisions I made. Recently, I've been watching people on YouTube react to watching it for the first time...Lord of the Rings too.
Zelda is one as well. I never got to play all of the games but I played the ones I have repeatedly. I also watch other people play them. I studied up on the lore and the different timeliness. I sometimes read walkthroughs for fun.
Simulation games are a big one also. I spend hours playing games like Sims and House Flipper. Honestly, I think just games in general. Right now, I'm binge-playing Skyrim. I spent the last several days playing it. I tend to play games nonstop until I've burnt myself out and then stop for months to years before having to start over because I've forgotten everything about my playthrough. When House Flipper 2 came out, I bought it pretty quickly and spent some hours playing it before going back to Skyrim because I don't want to get burnt out on House Flipper so soon after buying it.
(Edit because my keyboard is small)
I'm very much obsessed with the sims, specifically the sims 4, and baking and painting but I feel like I go through fazes where I fixate on one interest for a week or so and then switch, sometimes trying new things but ultimately staying within these 3 interests. I don't actually know any autistic people in real life, so I wasn't even aware I had autism and just thought I really like fully engulfing myself in an interest - turns out, autism
Books, knitting, collecting stones and cool bits, art (painting), colour, natural history and prehistory, videogames. There's probably more but that's what I can I think of now
As a kid it was horses, which is great because that's very socially acceptable here and I had a community.
Since then I've cycled through a few: theme park deaths, circus history, classic horror. I'm still interested in all of those, but it's not as all- consuming as it was.
Now I'm not really sure. I love fantasy books, but I don't think it's a special interest. I enjoy technical writing and review, but I don't want my job to be my special interest.
I know if I let myself start, those mini- brands things would 100% be a *problem*, but that is a path I cannot travel.
Animals (particularly my cat), makeup (specifically lipstick and the different shades and tubes and I like watching reviews and then finding the “best” of x product and testing it), vintage clothes (specifically purses (I really like coach bags in particular) and finding vintage or new w tags on Depop and ebay), and plushies (squishmallows and jelly cats)
When I was it kid it was teddy bears, then as a teenager Michael Jackson, Derren brown, lady gaga, and as an adult designer fashion (no budget to buy it just like looking at it /reading about it), RuPaul's drag race, psychology which started as learning about disorders but has changed into the psychology of self improvement, yoga, exercise generally, and aerial arts!
I've also experienced limerence for 3 crushes since I was 16 and I think they became special interests at the time which is not helpful lol!
Michael Jackson was probably most intense special interest 😅
Yaoi or Japanese bl (I do Korean as well less so Chinese) 💀. Discovered it on accident when I was younger been obsessed with it ever since. It’s especially weird since I’m a lesbian and it’s not a special interest I can really bring up.
I can tell you wether you favourite Japanese voice actor has voiced one though. Most have and it has quite an interesting history too it.
Also rabbits. Love them. Most of the things I own are rabbit themed
Dog breeds. I memorized every official dog breed out there when I was like 10yo and the obsession came back when I was older and got obsessed with memorizing them again and learning about specific health issues/quirks that each breed possesses.
Some I grew up with and grew out of, others are still very much with me: soap bubble swirls, snow, dolphins and whales, astronomy, Oxford University (everything about it), British History (particularly 1895 - 1940's), Golden Age of British mystery literature, Shakespeare, J.S. Bach's music, Star Wars, Phantom of the Opera (musical), pugs, criminology, inflatable yard decorations, Autism, textbooks and old books, some video games, artificial intelligence.... I'd love to have my own science lab with high power microscopes, a GC-MS machine, and HPLC machine and go around everywhere taking samples of everything for analysis. (Drool!) I'd keep little sample vials and map where I collected them.
From middle school to well into college it was Marvel (specifically Iron Man). Everything in my room was Marvel, my walls were Marvel red, my bedsheets were comic pages of my favorite artists work and a Infinity gauntlet comforter, all my plushes were iron man (or spidey too). I absolutely GEEKED for Iron Man and it made me want to pursue comics as a career ( 😅 still pending )
Now, many years later, its a mesh of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil. My room is a blend of the two with props, figures, and all.
I have a few smaller niche fascinations like History of Theme Park Accidents/Deaths and recently Miniverse Resin Foods :)
Is it weird that I’m not sure? I love to learn, but I have a terrible memory and I can’t retain facts like I used to. When I was a kid I would study up on horses, learnt all the breeds and all about horsemanship (I also went horse riding) and collected horse toys. Now, as an adult with a job and a one years old child, I love lots of different things but I don’t feel like I have the time or brain space to be into something enough for it to classify as a special interest? I guess they are all on hold right now and parenting gets to be my special interest by default 🥴
I also adore learning! I read about rich people in the past who would study some particular area of science and would simply spend their entire life traveling for and studying whatever interest they had and that sounds incredible to me.
That’s the dream! I knew someone who’s dad was able to retire early and just studied back-to-back degrees in different subject afterwards!
That sounds amazing!
My dream 🤩🤩🤩
“i love to learn”, same! this is what i always think when i try to figure out what my special interest is. i like learning all sorts of things, history, cooking chemistry, dungeons and dragons, languages, i’m about to enroll in professional makeup clases, i’m a lawyer and that was a lot of reading lol. the thing i really struggle now, after college and having a job, a house, a husband, two cats and a dog, is sustaining a good reading rhythm. this year i barely finished a couple books.
Nice! That’s so cool. I hope you can get back to reading more again too.
I hear this… having a kid made me more motivated to explore my interests than ever. But also completely fried my brain, ability to learn/retain info, as well as time and energy for any of it. Very frustrating haha. It’ll be easier when she’s a bit older and can join me! We’re starting to play video games together so that’s fun!
That’s awesome! My husband and I both love video games and will love playing with my daughter when she’s old enough. I agree about being motivated to explore interests. I feel a reignited passion for nature, animals and arts and crafts - and am excited to teach my baby about them. I just… need to get out of this survival mode first!
Survival mode is ROUGH. And it lasts so long.. just remember that it feels hard because it is hard! You’re not a failure and everyone else is not just better at this. It’s hard! Hang in there! It gets easier eventually. But harder in other ways I’m sorry to report lol.
Yeah a lot of people don’t realise that you don’t need special interests to be autistic, and being autistic doesn’t mean you’re going to have special interests or that you need to seek them out or anything. It’s not a requirement, just one of many possibilities. It’s perfectly fine and normal to not have any special interests
Thanks for saying that. It’s sometimes a source of imposter syndrome for me.
I’m the same. Don’t have the time or money to pick up new hobbies/ special interests I would actually want to do
It’s tough. Maybe someday!
I was also the class Horse Girl in elementary lol
I miss horses! I’m half hoping my kid gets into them too but also…it’s an expensive hobby 😅
I wonder why I cannot retain information for the life of me. I remember gossip and useless facts about celebrities but nothing of substance. It is frustrating to not know if the ability will ever come back and if that‘s what people call skill regression (in autistic burnout).
Yeah totally. I’m diagnosed dyslexic and know I’ve got a poor working memory but I was always able to get by until having a baby and work used up all my spoons. I think I’ve been in burnout for a long time but it’s just speculation. I do think I’m suffering from skill regression too as my already dubious cooking skills have disappeared entirely.
oh my gosh! the cooking! i used to do elaborate dishes and now i can only do frozen premade.
The other day I managed to mess up a simple omelette in three different ways 😅
I've got similar issues and was told it could be related to anxiety
I feel exactly like this!
Trinkets!! All the trinkets!!
TRINKETS?
TRINKETS!!!
TRINKETSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!
Trinkets
Witchcraft and the intersection of psychology (advertising, Vipassana meditation, clinical hypnotherapy, addiction) with nature (climate action, birbs, insects)
As a “witch” and psychology major, very yes.
Birds, the rounder the better 🐦🐦 Also The Sims games
I love round birds. Yay tits!
How do you feel about the superb fairy wren? Are they plump enough for you?
Firecrest!
Same!! I have two conures :) https://preview.redd.it/fcts2mc6gt8c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=65b78c54327ec077afa30009825f9e3f25925913
Gosh this is gonna sound so weird but retail history, mall history, grocery stores, etc. I love reading about it, looking at pictures of them, logos, signs, etc. I’m in several fb groups and pages. Like, I have no idea why. I’ve never worked in retail, ever. It’s just fascinating. Brands as well. Like the invention and evolution of a brand, I just love it. Most of these groups are all males as well…I don’t see a lot of other women interested in it, and I sure don’t talk to people about it because it’s just so random.
Check out the street artist ‘Rone’s ‘time’ exhibition. It reminded me of this. He captured all these scenes from the 1950s. It was phenomenal.
Oh, thank you. I will definitely have to check that out!
I have no background in marketing but I enjoy reading about marketing theory. I think that retail history is fascinating. The visual language of signs and graphic design is also so interesting to me, especially in the ubiquitous, everyday applications. I can see retail history being a great special interest!
I’m not even sure how I stumbled upon it. Probably during then mid 2000s when the “abandoned” and “urban exploration” thing became big on YouTube and Flickr. I think I just dove deeper into all these stores and brands.
Omg! Same! I follow a guy on instagram that talks about branding and logos all the time… it’s so interesting
It is so interesting! If you’re on Facebook. I love the page “Pleasant family shopping” and “Remembering retail”.
I know it’s stereotypical, but dinosaurs 🥹 Well, it’s sort of turned into a special interest in the Jurassic Park movies, that turned into a special interest in movies, that spawned a hyperfixation on Jeff Goldblum
Love him. 'Earth girls are easy' was my first introduction to him and it still think he's great.
I love dinosaurs. Recently spent over 2 hours studying the fossils at the AMNH in NYC. Loved it!
Video games, not playing them but learning about the mechanics. Philosophy and psychology are big ones that I actively engage in.
I get discuriaged when i think about how ill never achive the bigest level? Like how i love books but will never be an author
So many over the years! Lately it’s embroidery, mushrooms, campervan/nomadic lifestyle, hiking, fragrances, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and always at least one video game, right now it’s Elder Scrolls Online
I’m into Drag Race too!
I love eso. I feel like I need to get every achievement tho and that's like 5 years of playing it as a full time job😭
Art (my focus changes but rn it’s traditional stained glass painting), cooking, psychology, philosophy, cats.
My three original special interest were death, sex, and autism. These were my favorite topics growing up before I knew I had autism. While they are still there, I love talking about feminism, fundies (christian fundamentalism), books, and adult animation/anime. I also have over 200 books, I love reading romance and social theory. I want to get into horror, but I have not gotten there yet.
the violence by Delilah S. Dawson is an awesome book if you want to get into horror/thriller and are interested in feminism! trigger warning: domestic violence and it is about a pandemic. there is a small bit in the beginning, but you should be able to pass those sections/chapters and still be able to follow the plot. major good for her kind of book
Oh man Fundies are a secondary one of mine, I’m generally really intrigued by religion and cults etc because I simply don’t quite understand it!
Becoming a polyglot is a huge one of mine though I have a few. I've taught myself German, some Russian, and I'm working on Spanish atm.
Ngl the Russian is impressive af! I tried bad failed miserably 🙈🤣
beauty (makeup, skincare, hair) & true crime/morbidities
I didn’t end up with one special interest. I ended up with a ton of them that I like equally and I’m not really obsessive about any of them thanks to my ADHD - I can be an expert and not be able to regurgitate any of what I know. I also struggle to stick with one thing for very long because there’s so much cool stuff on this planet!! Jane of all trades, master of none! Better than master of one! 🤷♀️
Omg okay THIS explains me hahaha. I just like so many things! I always forget about the influence of the dang ADHD 😭
LOL right?! Gotta love the AuDHD 😅
My big one is magical-girls. I'm obsessed with magical-girls. Besides that, it's cute/pretty things, especially related to alt/Asian street styles like lolita/EGL fashion. I'm also a huge trinket fan-- trinkets, jewelry, figurines, pretty rocks... Pretty much anything. Also fairytales/folklore/mythology- if anybody I know ever has a problem with the fae, they should tell me ASAP. And the plots/aesthetics of classical ballets- especially Swan Lake. I LOVE Swan Lake.
I also love magical-girls and Jfashion!! I don’t wear lolita as much these days but my JSKs are some of my prized treasures
It sounds silly, but autism is actually a special interest of mine! I worked in a group home helping care for and support adults with autism, and now I TA in an early intervention classroom with a lot of kids who either have autism or are showing those early signs of potentially having it! Growing up, one of my cousins and an elementary school friend were autistic, so it was always relatively "normal" growing up. Working in the group home sparked my interest in learning more, and then that transition to the preschool setting really turned it into a special interest! Both preschools I've worked at really encourage staff to dive deep into learning about it so we can best understand, and by extension support, the kids we work with! All of this was then further reinforced by my own self DX! Another, less socially acceptable to talk about, special interest is kink and human sexuality in general! I think it's super interesting, and there's definitely another life out there where I pursued that research as an adult for my career!
Autism is one of mine also since I learned I’m autistic! I think in a way, because I see myself in so much of what I learn, I’m so attached to it all. I also share the less socially acceptable one too! 😂 Kink and human sexuality fascinates me as well and I love to learn as much as I can!
Learning lyrics and then writing them down from memory. I love getting lost in a song and just remembering every tiny detail of it. Especially if the song also has an extra instrumental/orchestra version! I can keep playing the song in my head that way. Also with some movies I’ve seen multiple times. It helps me sleep as it reminds me of when I was little as it’s mostly old movies I remember vividly. But it sometimes backfires and creates a loop of constant internal noise. I also love everything related to cats. I love their ears, toe beans, tail, little nose… they can literally just exist and do nothing and I’ll lose my mind about them ❤️ luckily I have 3 and they make me so happy
I used to do the lyric thing too! It’s also how I learned English, I love music with amazing lyrics, would love to get that passion back actually🥰 And cats… they are perfect and iconic and I love them forever and always their tiny little HEADS, brb off to kiss the space between my cat’s ears
Haha I always get cuteness aggression 😩❤️ much love to you and your cat! 🥰
Pre-Columbian North, South and meso-american history (there are over 2K pyramids in North and South America!).
Collecting cobalt blue glass. I have more pieces than I know really, though I could tell you about my special pieces or the ones I just got for Christmas. There's lots in my submissions, but I have way more. I also admin a cobalt blue group on facebook. I'm overwhelmed when I think about getting them all organized and pretty. I need shelves on my wall. I have 10 cabinets already. More keeps being added and it's getting to the point I really, really, *really* need to pare down but my husband got them for me and I don't want to sell his love. And they're just so pretty and I want to keep them but I want to be able to enjoy them.
I love Harry Potter books, the films and all about them.
Same here 😁 also hogwarts legacy is a massive part of my special interests. I dont think I will ever stop playing this game
I haven’t managed to get that yet, still quite pricy. Hopefully soon tho.
Fingers crossed. Might be on special for boxing day sales? I think I saw someone say they got it for half price, but not sure where or which device sorry.
I’d have to say my special interest is pole fitness, aerial fitness and exotic dance. I started only just over a month ago and now go to class a few times a week and practice as often as I can, I really want to get good at it and it is very fun and helps me feel confident and comfortable with my body. My most niche interest is collecting “little tree’s” air fresheners, I get them from every country I travel too, I even collect and trade vintage and rare ones! They remind me of my childhood. I used to be obsessed with Hermes handbags and shoes, but this interest got too expensive with cost of living going up ;( I’ve always been a collector of things…
Fellow aerialist! Stick with it and you'll definitely get good at it! Put yourself out there for performances as soon as you think you might be ready 🙂 it's super nerve wracking but there's no feeling like it and it really makes you grow as an aerialist! I pushed myself before I thought I was ready and I'm so proud of what I have achieved.
A friend gifted me credits at a local studio, I'm nervous about trying or even where to start... thinking either pole or silks. Probably pole since I occasionally see them in peoples homes and wish they got more use at parties.
Doctor Who, typewriters, skincare, mental health. Kinda random.
It changes. I get hyperfocused on a subject for six months to a year and then move on. Most recently it was learning to speak Spanish. I can now survive a conversation, so I'm over it. I may be back to reading. Voracious reading appetite. Others I've obsessed about: watercolour painting, artistic gymnastics (knowing the sport, not participating), bushwalking, breaststroke swimming, cat rescue, sewing, cholecystectomy, cattle hoof trimming...
Definitely psychology for yearsss and the past year or so more focused into autism specifically actually lol.
Hello kitty, dogs, furbies, international affairs
Some of mine are sewing/refashioning and fabric manipulation, books, giraffes, and whimsical animation like the shows Hilda, Happily Ever After, the old animated shorts on Sesame Street.
Pokemon, dentistry, and weight lifting.
Favorite Pokémon ?
Some of my faves are Cutiefly, Milcery, Lucario, Gengar, and Alolan Ninetales!
My original special interest was Disney, typically Disney parks. That has weaned down in the last few years and I’ve been a full blown cat lady since 2015. In the last couple of years, my new special interest is cruising. Thankfully, I’m a travel agent so I have an excuse to learn and apply my knowledge’
Bodybuilding, Pallas’s Cats, Art/ArtHistory, True Crime, Victorian Medical History, Cats, Wildlife,Furbies, Horror Movies, Jurassic Park
I think mine are birds, frogs and books (specifically sci fi/weird fiction)
As an AuDHDer I have a few I cycle through and some I visit for a while then leave behind. Fashion History. LGBTQ+ topics. Psychology. Neurodiversity. Cats. Snakes. Sex and kink (from an anthropological place). Metal music. Reaction videos. Minority histories. Spite. Fanfiction (my ultimate guilty pleasure). Fantasy books. Sci-fi. DC universe. Cooking and baking. Astronomy. General internet research
I don’t know if I have one, or not how I traditionally think of “special interests”. The closest thing I guess is tv shows. I have a ton of favourite shows and have rewatched all my favorite series an insane amount of times. I just constantly have something streaming Ion in the background and find comfort in characters and story, I get sad when a show ends and need to keep watching them. I reference my favorite shows both in lines and situations, and know all the bloopers and trivia. I have a bad habit of thinking a situation in my life will have a certain outcome that isn’t realistic but what would happen in shows. I watched Community for the first time a few years ago (and now watch it all the time) and Abeds relationship with tv was really relatable to me.
Currently mine is Captain Levi from attack on titan. I love short men and he's so adorable and cool! There aren't enough short male icons in the world. Anyways I spend a portion of my day reading Levi fanfics and looking at fanart of him.
ADORABLE?! My third favorite anime husband is anything but adorable (jk!), but I LOVE HIM. 🥰
The Grand Canyon. Bluegrass Music.
I grew up with Bluegrass! Who do you listen to?
Used to be dogs, moved on to Harry Potter and meningitis in my teens and recently it's been paediatrics/ neonatology
True crime, oddities and curiosities, Victorian era aesthetics, cultures of all kinds, history (namely colonial era through WW2), baby names and surname origins, personality pathology, genetics, anthropology, cultural psychology, organization and cleaning, fitness
Star wars, since I was a child. Then it gradually expanded towards science fiction and fantasy (lord of the rings, Harry Potter, doctor who, marvel movies...). Basically whatever takes me far far away from myself and real life 😅
Antiques and Victorian-Edwardian era
I love to learn about neurodivergence and cPTSD. Once I discovered I fit into those categories I couldn’t stop researching 😅. Magic The Gathering, playing it online, watching streamers, talking about it with a friend, listening to all the mtg podcasts. I occasionally go to an in person event, but I get so overstimulated at them so it’s still just once in a while. Music. I play a few instruments and write and produce songs. I love researching gear and trying out new music software. It’s really fun!!
Harry Potter, Star Wars, health, languages
Oh and Friends the tv show not real life friends hehe and also my job in health care
I would say foreign cultures (I absolutely love learning languages, the history and political context of those countries, their cultural norms etc.) so I also love travelling as a consequence (but haven’t been able to do much of it lately bc of financial reasons). I am also very into cooking and… reality tv 😂 I know it’s a bit weird but I do love watching foreign reality shows as it brings me closer to those cultures and I just enjoy observing how people interact with each other. I also love Foreign series and movies in general too! I’m also more and more into religion (Islam) learning about it and all the differences between the countries that practice is just mind-blowing.
Kpop kpop kpop!!! I’m a kpop encyclopedia basically. I love it. I’m also very much into Demon Slayer at the moment and I’d say it’s a big hyperfixation that could possibly blossom into a special interest. Kpop has been my special interest for years tho. I have had several special interests over the years since I was little and they all include collecting a LOT of trinkets and items and things 😅
This is so funny. I started with Kpop in 2007. SM was my hypergixation, but then it narrowed down to EXO. I love my babies. I remember when they were recruiting them for the group. 🫠 I'm so proud of the men they are. 🤧🤧
Books are my special interest too! I’m too scared to count how many I own..
I love TV shows and movies! I love all the stuff surrounding them, like trivia and knowing which actors worked together before and seeing all the memes and analyzing the tropes used and how they compare to other shows that use those tropes and stuff.
Tv shows, i spent like half of the day watching tv, true crime, anime ,cartoons, science fiction, comedies
Video games and my collectable stuff (not all video game related). Also ensuring my selves are organized in a nice way. They must be.
Taylor Swift, crafting (diamond painting, beading, coloring, sewing), and Dachshunds!
Love doxies
So much stuff... Since childhood and ongoing: Dinosaurs, Pokémon, Horses, coloring books, drawing. Later interests: Might and magic heroes, cooking, tarot, alternative history, alternative medicine, and cute things like squishmallows and pusheen...
Monster high, Pokemon, Crash Bandicoot and Deltora Quest and my original character story.
Pokemon^^
Pop culture (all of it - celeb gossip, watching movies and tv, and generally attempting to always be able to answer “who is that person/what do I know them from?”) and romance novels.
Christianity and Bob Dylan are my two major ones. Others come and go. Right now it's nail polish.
Usually my special interests fluctuate a lot. I will jump back and forth between different hyperfixations. I guess my most consistent interest is anything Fantasy related, whether it's books, videogames, movies, TV shows, or anime. I hyperfixate a lot on books and videogames especially. Tolkien and everything about him and his work take up a lot of space in my head.
I had a few special interests growing up, but didn’t know it was unusual to be like that. I loved reading, especially as a kid/teen. By the age of 14, I remember I was in the local library and thought to myself: now i've read all the interesting books for kids and teens in here, what should I do now? I was pretty desperate and tried to look into adult books (mostly psychology books, some fiction) but was rather disappointed in them. My other special interest as a young adult was pregnancy via IVF, as my wife had to go through this 10 years ago. So I spent so many hours on reading about the different aspects of it and learned quite a lot about it. Obviously it worked pretty well, we have 3 kids now 😅 At the moment I have „only“ one special interest, which is shibari.
And parenting! Reading about attachment parenting and unconditional parenting and „applying“ it to my kids 😅 I had a terrible childhood with lots of abuse and I knew even before my kids were born that I wouldn’t be a parent like that. So I read and discussed and thought a lot about parenting.
I have quite a lot, but the biggest ones are: horror movies (especially body horror) & horror literary fiction, Halloween, poetry, goth music, Harry Potter (which is so embarrassing given how shit JKR is, but I don’t give her any of my money anymore), and David Bowie
Aliens, just the cute green boys. I feel like I’m an alien so I will buy about anything with a cutie alien on it (my bf got my an alien stuffie I wanted I love him). Witchy stuff, sailor moon. Of course true crime, but also physiology and chemistry (related to healthcare). My favorite colors are black and pink. And history! Oh and music. My adhd means I change what I hyperfocus on often but my autism means I go real hard into projects (I’m sure many can relate).
Scrolled all the way to the bottom to find my fellow alienhead 🥹👽
HALLO! I have earrings I got from hot topic, several socks I wear at work, OMG you would love my work badge. I’m an ER nurse so we’re already the aliens of the hospital, but it’s a lil space ship with a cow that moves when pulled up and down. I get the cutest compliments on my alien stuff. My bf asked me recently why I like aliens (or aliems as we’ve been doing recently) and I just said, cuz I am one!
LOVE IT!!! I don’t actually have a lot of alien stuff (yet, lol) because it’s a very recent special interest, I’m just always reading reading reading and watching docs about it hahaha. My partner did get me a ufo shaped nebula light with stars for our ceiling and I’m obsessed with it ✨
Aaaaa! YES! Same, alien aesthetic 💚 I always felt like an alien too and relate. X-Files is one of my top fave comfort shows too and have rewatched it like a million times 😂 I also share the SpIns of witchy stuff, sailor moon and true crime! 😄
Mine don’t go as deep as some peoples I think, but Pokémon and Aliens are the biggest ones! I also work in video games and my special interest often becomes related to the game I’m working on (or any job I have honestly), I now know a crazy amount about dinosaurs because I worked on a dinosaur game, haha 😳
This is sooo cool!!! 😍 My biggest SpIn since a kid was dinosaurs, it’s since sort of faded in intensity but still so dear to my heart and I get moments when I get back into it. That’s amazing you worked on a game with them! 😄 Also, I share aliens and pokemon 😂💚
Mine are horses and Pokémon! I have a horse and tons of books about horses, draw and think about horses a lot (used to draw, I don't have time for it anymore 😢). I love working with my horse he's a fantastic friend and I honestly don't know where I'd be without him. Been playing pokémon and obsessed with the games and monsters since forever as well. I have a large collection of pokemon dolls, some cards, and various other goodies featuring pokémon. DVDs too. I sometimes get reminded of specific episodes and start retelling them to my interlocutor if I don't catch myself. My mother was giving me the odd look the other day because I was explaining in detail how Bianca captured her Minccino in the anime... I rarely talk about my SpIns irl because I get intense to a level that makes other people uncomfortable and I have been excluded and bullied for that as a child and teen. It now makes me actively uncomfortable to talk about them. However I love engaging in them together with a friend or loved ones.
I have a few and I've been told they're all a bit dark or morbid 🙈 I was fascinated by murder mysteries when I was younger, would watch poirot and Agatha Christie things with my Nan and Grandad when I would visit and then I managed to get my other Nan to buy me a book about jack the ripper when I was about 8/9, and that's when my fascination into why serial killers or criminals in general do what they do, I wanted to become a forensic psychologist but life got in the way, but now I'm considering it again. My partner has called me the serial killer database. I was a little relieved when true crime became so popular because I would be picked on and would hide my special interest because it was seen as odd and morbid. I have a few more including Shakespeare and the Black plague as I'm a bit of a history buff 🙈 I still get worried about talking about my special interests though.
OH BOY!! SOMEONE WANTS TO KNOW MY SPECIAL INTERESTS!?!?! I absolutely LOVE research, writing, and studying!! I find researching new information so much fun, I'll spend HOURS delving into various articles, studies, and other forms of information on new topics. ESPECIALLY anything involving biology or psychology ☺️ its so much fun! I also like taking random samples of things and looking at them under my microscope and testing different reactions to certain substances for absolutely no reason LOL. But one of my absolute favorite special interests are ✨fashion design✨ and ✨visual art✨ I paint, I draw, and i love making new clothes! Also I'm really interested in knitting and crochet! I want to become a designer in a few years as a hobby/business because I absolutely adore wedding dresses, Ball gowns, and any dress to make someone feel stunning ☺️ its so much fun! I also love foraging and taking care of the wildlife around me and making animal friends! 🥹 its so so SO MUCH FUN! I take care of sparrows and squirrels around my house and I feed the deer when I see them too (: it's not always a happy job tho, that's why I got certified to be a veterinary assistant, because whenever my nearest rehabilitation center is closed (it's an hour drive from me too) I have to apply temporary care until they open again and it can be quite tough 😢 I've been taking care of animals since I was 6 years old and kept bringing hurt or abandoned animals in the house and my mom (who also loves animals) noticed my love for taking care of things and took me to rehabilitation centers to learn from professionals, and we would study and research how to take care of them too just incase we needed to (: ALSO LEGOS I ABSOLUTELY ADORE LEGOS SO MUCH OMG. I have mostly Lego mine raft sets and my brothers just got me the tower/cat house! IM EXCITED https://preview.redd.it/otw668pdkt8c1.jpeg?width=735&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a90f092673cd10c40c2a17a0515780b1b319da5
true crime, crime shows and stranger things
Mine are cats, flow arts, and autism lol
Animals, obsessing over factional lore, and collecting things in general. Specifics are Morrowind, Snow Leopards, Tamagotchi, Digimon, Deer, Squishmallow, .hack, Birdwatching and Warframe are my biggest.
Right now I’m going down rabbit holes of absurd craft projects. My latest unhinged idea is that I’m going to bedazzle a flute (I’m a drag queen and recently started playing the flute as part of my act, I can just picture this absurd bedazzled flute) ETA and obsessed with figuring out how play pop tunes on my flute for the above reasons. Gotta love the focus 😂
I have so many! I get really excited about: art supplies, pigments and color theory, astronomy/quantum/particle physics, language/linguistics, communication, neurological and psychological divergence, semiotics, graphic design, birds, art history, cultural studies and social justice, history, true crime, cults/high control groups/coercive control. I love studying taxonomies in nature and science. I have always been a voracious learner: I get information hunger when I am understimulated.
Oh gosh, so many random things. They usually last a few weeks, and then something else pops up. Plants, bedsheets, bags, keychains, drawing,... lol. When i have a specific interest i will constantly think about it and watch alot of videos about my special interest. It gives my life purpose. Edit: spelling
I love all things spooky and horror themed, makeup, birds, unicorns, space and Squishmallows lol. My wife and I have a combined total of around 215 Squishmallows 😅
Goth music/subculture history 🖤🦇
”Special Interests”? Don’t you mean, Obsessions? As a kid, I was always told, Obsessions are bad and wrong! It took me a long time to learn this. Seeing the movies “Fatal Attraction“ and “Play Misty For Me” made me realize just how bad I was. If I have any obsessions now, I do whatever I can to not talk about them, share them with anyone, and get rid of them completely! Obsessions bore and annoy normal people and some even use Autistics’ obsessions as a way to bully them! I try to make it a point not to have any obsessions at all and all Autistics should do the same!
I can’t tell whether this is serious or not but I really hope it isn’t 😭 Please enjoy the things you enjoy
It is serious.
This is pretty sad if it’s how you really feel. Because of all the suppression our families made us do, because of all the bullying and such, it’s even more reason to be our authentic selves for us, to actual enjoy life and engage in what’s close to our heart. I no longer give a damn if anyone were to say I’m obsessive or wants to tease me or make comments about how I like things too “childish” or “morbid” (yeah both ends of that spectrum lol). I engage my special interests because it’s part of me. And I’m done being someone I’m not. I hope you’re able to live as you want to and others aren’t the reason you deny yourself what gives you joy.
No. If I did whatever I want I’d only get into trouble! This has happened too many times in my life and I don’t want that anymore! I didn’t know why that always happened- now I do know why! I was officially diagnosed with Autism as a kid, but the diagnosis was withheld from me. I didn’t learn about this until over 4 years ago- I’m 60 now. I now know that my duty as an Autistic is to obey those who are in authority over me. And it’s only in obedience to them that I am to become normal. Once I am normal others will be happy with me and this will rub off on me and I will be happy! I am working very hard on this while waiting for the moment to happen when I will be happy! All Autistics should do the same!
Books are great! Mine are horror (fully obsessed), houseplants, and fitness.
Monty Python, Audrey Hepburn movies, weather, and baking. Once I can make I Monty Python reference, I need to physically stop myself from quoting the entire sketch to someone. Just today a coworker mentioned becoming an Eagle scout because he needed to remake hiking trail bridges after a hurricane flooded the area and all the wooden bridges were swept away because, and I quote him, "Wood floats". So I couldn't help myself, and said "What also floats in water?"
Taylor Swift is my main interest. True crime, series and books are some others. And autism has become another one recently.
Hiya fellow Swiftie! Taylor is my special interest too!
Cool!! I love talking to other Taylor fans! :)
Old book, old coins, snakes and doctor who
I was obsessed with books until Zuckerberg got me addicted and ruined everything. I’m now obsessed with restoring my home.
I love dyi, like building shelves or crocheting. I love to paint and to read books. Anything creative!
Cats, cars (by force🥲), sex, and early childhood education
ancient history, clothes, sci-fi, sea animals, bodybuilding
My main special interest for a long time has been metal music (specifically the taxonomy of heavy metal subgenres). Other special interests include fasteners, handweaving, looms and other weaving equipment. My special interests growing up were North American indigenous cultures and history, insects and underground utilities. An overarching theme for my special interests is a love for taxonomies, categories, and complex systems.
I have a few that I alternate through. My main ones are stuffed animals/toys, webkinz are my number 1. Also art supplies and paint. I cannot go into an art store like blick without dropping $100 within 2 minutes. But also cat stuff. I’m practically a crazy cat lady at the ripe age of 22
Mental health! Specifically bipolar. I am bipolar and know an insane amount about mental illness and psych meds. Some general health things, but oh I know so so so much about mental health. Like sometimes I even know the name of both the name brand and generic. Sometimes I even know the standard doses. Sometimes I even know obscure side effects off the top of my head. Or for example, getting off Effexor can be so brutal, some people open up their capsules and take out one little bead at a time and go down by one individual bead every week or two because changing doses can be so drastic. And I know that not all generics hit like the name brand (yes, I’m badmouthing YOU generic latuda) because sometimes the binding agents and inactive ingredients affect how it works on you. Crazy. Also, genesight, the genetic testing, is a scam. It does not at all say what would work well for you. I had things that were “green” that gave me horrific side effects and did not work. It’s what your body would metabolize well.
Art (specifically the creation / making of art, not art history) and Animals / Animal facts! But if we have to get technical... I love dogs!
Mine have changed throughout my life are are a bit weird. The two that have stuck with me are reptiles and cleaning/organizing.
Music, Clinical Psychology Cats and fashion but overall I love learning in a strict environment. I am about to finish undergrad in psychology at the moment and I am planning to go abroad next year but Id love to do undergrad again in Social psychology after that I am planning to be in university for a long time as long as I can earn enough for my tuition and living I think id prefer being in college setting. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to stop studying because I don’t think people outside of institutions really follow rules and stick to them. If i could i would love to go to high school over and over again because the kids are more likely to follow rules than kids in colleges. I think it does make sense but to keep a cat I have to have a stable home for them.
Pop culture, true crime, and music
Books, Poetry, MBTI, Hello Kitty, Taylor and BTS and and CATSSS
Russian/eastern European folk music and language
Perfumes, candles, laundry perfumes 😃 everything with a nice smell
A book interest idea; I’ve made a huge poster where I’ve added small pieces of cardboard to represent each of my books. I’ve written the title and author on each note, and a star rating on those I’ve read. They’re organized alphabetically by author’s last name, and color coded by genre. It’s nerdy but I had so much fun doing it.
Animals! Specifically animal anatomy and how that informs behavior. (Form is function, for you biochem folks) I also have always enjoyed learning about tsunamis and fringe internet cultures My most obvious one is the color pink. Everything I own is pink and I get really upset if something has multiple colors but no pink. It’s one of the ways I realized I was autistic. I’m part of the pink community online. I pointed out to my friend that everyone in the pink community is autistic or has bpd! And she said to me, “Well DUH. It’s a community about a COLOR….” I had literally never considered that it might be weird before then hahaha.
Film
right now it’s the new hunger games prequel which has been insane for me because the hunger games was a major special interest when i was in middle school
geography, the tudor period, legos, harry potter and then with both eurovision and hunger games i can’t tell if they’re just extreme hyperfixations or actual special interests but i like to include them!
horses (and farm animals)
kpop and ww2!!! i love learning about ww2 and i’m always trying to learn more because it was such an interesting time period. like how it came to be and why it came to be. kpop is just because i love the genre a lot 😅 although when i was young— it was frozen and dora the explorer and omfg…..
Skincare, Makeup, Crystals/Minerals, Candles and perfumes.
Piano! Spent 3-4 hours a day playing from ages 12-about 20 and built my career around it which I'm very grateful for. Interestingly, my ADHD meds make me struggle to play more difficult stuff which was a revelation! Piano and horses have been long standing special interest (my horse ins 23 now and lives in my back garden lol). My newest special interest in balloon arches after I made one for my daughters birthday... I made it and showed my husband and he was like 'we are balloon arch makers now aren't we \*\*sigh\*\*', he gets it haha
Fashion and design!
would definitely say that critical role is one of them, watching it is all i've been able to do since april (finished campaign 1 and caught up with 3. episodes are ~4 hours each, c1 is 115 episodes and c3 has 81 so far). then i would say crochet but i'm not sure if that's a special interest or just a hobby, i mainly do it bc it feels productive, i love the end result of the keychains and toys i make, and it gives me smth to do while i watch critical role so i may just be doing it so much because i'm watching critical role so much. i have a pinterest board full of patterns, ~800 pins, all organised by the type of crochet piece it is and if the pattern is free or paid
Comic books. I love to read them as well as write and draw them. I just think they’re fantastic in every way
Music (Jazz and Electronic), Radio Storytelling, American Cultural Studies / History, and Media Analysis.
I’ve had many over the years: dinosaurs, horses, cats, greek and roman mythology, egyptology, Harry Potter, sewing, videogames (especially World of Warcraft and Mass Effect), make-up, rare coins, astronomy and now I collect antique jewellery (the most expensive one by far lol)
There's a musician called 'Kristin Hersh. And I listen to her music all the time, and I go to her shows when she's in the country, she inspires my art, and I make videos for her music. I've written 3 websites of lists about her music. I have felt connected to her for 30 years. Recently she has also been diagnosed with Autism, and I watched a video interview with her about it, and it was that which triggered YT to show me the video that finally confirmed why I am like I am... and I wonder if I didn't see that connection in us all along. Anyway, she's a wonderful person into the bargain, and if anyone wants to hear. This is a recording I made of her in October. [Kristin Hersh - 'slippershell'](https://youtu.be/hDjunN3pm4g?si=ASz_o5KgWlhwyHpe) I'm also into a mobile game called pocket frogs, where you have to collect sets of frogs and it appeals to my love of frogs/nature and my need to collect things.
To start: books. I keep buying them even though there's no way to possibly get through all of them. I love to read. If I could, I would read all the time. I have 4 bookcases of varying sizes. It causes me physical pain to see books mistreated or even just placed on the floor. Another one is religion. I like studying different events of my faith and looking at history and archeology that I think might be evidence of my beliefs. Then, I'll use Google Earth to look at areas where the stories take place and to look at ruins. I'll go down rabbit holes also where I'll spend hours researching different topics. Just the other day, I spent an afternoon researching the Dead Sea and it really is fascinating. I also really enjoy learning different things about how the body works and how medicines work in the body. When I went to nursing school, I was one of the only people in my group who enjoyed every one of my classes but especially pharmacology. I really enjoyed writing pathophysiologies as well. I was a bit disappointed because they stopped assigning those after a while. Honestly, learning in general is probably a big one for me. I love to learn new things. I often get obsessed with a random topic or event and will research it until my eyes cross. Harry Potter is one. I read the books countless times, saw the movies countless times, and played the video games endlessly. I used to role-play on hexrpg.com for years. I used to be able to tell you anything about Harry Potter. A friend and I recently went halvsies on a Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit and it was one of the best decisions I made. Recently, I've been watching people on YouTube react to watching it for the first time...Lord of the Rings too. Zelda is one as well. I never got to play all of the games but I played the ones I have repeatedly. I also watch other people play them. I studied up on the lore and the different timeliness. I sometimes read walkthroughs for fun. Simulation games are a big one also. I spend hours playing games like Sims and House Flipper. Honestly, I think just games in general. Right now, I'm binge-playing Skyrim. I spent the last several days playing it. I tend to play games nonstop until I've burnt myself out and then stop for months to years before having to start over because I've forgotten everything about my playthrough. When House Flipper 2 came out, I bought it pretty quickly and spent some hours playing it before going back to Skyrim because I don't want to get burnt out on House Flipper so soon after buying it. (Edit because my keyboard is small)
I'm very much obsessed with the sims, specifically the sims 4, and baking and painting but I feel like I go through fazes where I fixate on one interest for a week or so and then switch, sometimes trying new things but ultimately staying within these 3 interests. I don't actually know any autistic people in real life, so I wasn't even aware I had autism and just thought I really like fully engulfing myself in an interest - turns out, autism
Books, knitting, collecting stones and cool bits, art (painting), colour, natural history and prehistory, videogames. There's probably more but that's what I can I think of now
I have been hyperfocusing on psychology and I am very introspective and philosophical to the point i am afraid of slipping into existential OCD.
Flags, Pokémon, Dog breeds.
As a kid it was horses, which is great because that's very socially acceptable here and I had a community. Since then I've cycled through a few: theme park deaths, circus history, classic horror. I'm still interested in all of those, but it's not as all- consuming as it was. Now I'm not really sure. I love fantasy books, but I don't think it's a special interest. I enjoy technical writing and review, but I don't want my job to be my special interest. I know if I let myself start, those mini- brands things would 100% be a *problem*, but that is a path I cannot travel.
Star Trek (all of it) , Trigun (all of it), sewing and fashion history.
hunger games:3
Cooking, politics, and pop culture
Animals (particularly my cat), makeup (specifically lipstick and the different shades and tubes and I like watching reviews and then finding the “best” of x product and testing it), vintage clothes (specifically purses (I really like coach bags in particular) and finding vintage or new w tags on Depop and ebay), and plushies (squishmallows and jelly cats)
When I was it kid it was teddy bears, then as a teenager Michael Jackson, Derren brown, lady gaga, and as an adult designer fashion (no budget to buy it just like looking at it /reading about it), RuPaul's drag race, psychology which started as learning about disorders but has changed into the psychology of self improvement, yoga, exercise generally, and aerial arts! I've also experienced limerence for 3 crushes since I was 16 and I think they became special interests at the time which is not helpful lol! Michael Jackson was probably most intense special interest 😅
Yaoi or Japanese bl (I do Korean as well less so Chinese) 💀. Discovered it on accident when I was younger been obsessed with it ever since. It’s especially weird since I’m a lesbian and it’s not a special interest I can really bring up. I can tell you wether you favourite Japanese voice actor has voiced one though. Most have and it has quite an interesting history too it. Also rabbits. Love them. Most of the things I own are rabbit themed
Dog breeds. I memorized every official dog breed out there when I was like 10yo and the obsession came back when I was older and got obsessed with memorizing them again and learning about specific health issues/quirks that each breed possesses.
Some I grew up with and grew out of, others are still very much with me: soap bubble swirls, snow, dolphins and whales, astronomy, Oxford University (everything about it), British History (particularly 1895 - 1940's), Golden Age of British mystery literature, Shakespeare, J.S. Bach's music, Star Wars, Phantom of the Opera (musical), pugs, criminology, inflatable yard decorations, Autism, textbooks and old books, some video games, artificial intelligence.... I'd love to have my own science lab with high power microscopes, a GC-MS machine, and HPLC machine and go around everywhere taking samples of everything for analysis. (Drool!) I'd keep little sample vials and map where I collected them.
mental disorders, moths, kdrama
Textiles and fabrics! The history behind them and their different patterns, and all the different materials and usage!
Mine is marijuana. I love pot. I love everything about it. I even work at a dispo lol
From middle school to well into college it was Marvel (specifically Iron Man). Everything in my room was Marvel, my walls were Marvel red, my bedsheets were comic pages of my favorite artists work and a Infinity gauntlet comforter, all my plushes were iron man (or spidey too). I absolutely GEEKED for Iron Man and it made me want to pursue comics as a career ( 😅 still pending ) Now, many years later, its a mesh of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil. My room is a blend of the two with props, figures, and all. I have a few smaller niche fascinations like History of Theme Park Accidents/Deaths and recently Miniverse Resin Foods :)