Past Special Interests

[AutisticMilly]

Some people have one special interest their entire life. But, some are like myself and get a new special interest every few years or so. I was reflecting on my past special interests and decided to make a list of all the ones I could remember:

-Dinosaurs
-Dogs
-Outer Space
-Pokemon
-Dolls

…and many more that I didn’t list, but those are the ones that came to my mind right away. What are some of your special interests from your past or childhood?

(by the way, I refuse to refer to a special interest as an “obsession”. I believe that an SI is very different from the definition of a neurotypical ‘obsession’.)

 

[Kavigant]

I'm like you, I think - I pick up new fascinations every few years.

 

[MNAus]

I've had some that are lifelong. I am obsessed with the idea of shortcuts. So, secret passages in houses is a big one. But also train tracks that interact with roads, tram tracks that go between houses (where cars can't go), tunnels going under built areas. And also the idea of geometries over and above our every day experience e.g. The approach lights for runways dotted across roads, etc. I find the concept of patterns that exist outside our experience beyond fascinating. The idea that there is another route with a totally different experience is just wonderful, the concept of layers appeals so much. The phrase "oh right, so that route/passage/track/tunnel comes out here" is nectar. That also applies across things that aren't physical: patterns in numbers, codes, patterns in language. The idea of meta anything.

ETA: I would like to thank IKEA for making this man very happy with the shortcuts between departments. When my wife says "Oh, I just wanted to go to the warehouse section" and we can step through a hidden gap in the wall and appear somewhere 10 steps ahead in the layout I'm overjoyed.

Also liked snakes and ladders for the same reason. Multiple routes, you see? I go a different route! Not interested? Oh well

 

[Gerontius]

Antique automobiles
Military history (I realized the human cost and grew disgusted with battle statistics)
Fountain pen collecting
Typewriter collecting

 

[kenaij]

I had World of Warcraft. You could have also called that one an addiction. To the point where I had to calculate if I could make it in time for something in real life. I calculated the way to the shop and used the logic of using a heartstone to get home. As soon as I came up with that I knew I was in too deep in that game.

But my real special interest from my past was something I called Powerball X. It was something a friend of mine and I came up with when we were 10. Dragonball Z just hit the Netherlands. And we came up with Powerball X. Which is basically a mix of DBZ and Avatar the last airbender (eventhou that was not a thing yet) which we made comicbooks about. My friend was done with it after a year. But I expanded the whole world for years. Did not make many more comic books, but I did write a couple of regular books about it. Which my wife, then girlfriend, enjoyed reading. For the longest time I actually believed it was real aswell. Kind of how a religion feels. But about 3 or 4 years ago the interest went away like snow before sun. They are still fond memories and I still have a lot of the comics somewhere. But that is what they have become, memories.

 

[Forest Cat]

When I was a kid I was completely stuck on Walt Disney. I memorized all the info I could find about him, even his family members names and such. Still remember most of it actually. For example, his full name was Walter Elias Disney and he was born on December 5th 1901 in the Hermosa neighborhood in Chicago. Parents names was Elias and Flora. I had long lists of Walt Disney info. And I collected all things Disney.

 

[Jumpinbare]

I haven't lost any of my special interests. As I find new ones, older ones go more into the background, but I never lose them. I revisit my old interests from time to time.

 

[Cryptid]

Past interests:

• Astrology, Tarot, and similar 'psychic' scams
• Cryptology, steganography
• Hacking, both black-hat and white-hat
• Lock-picking and safe-cracking
• Smoke-bombs, stink-bombs, and other nuisances
• Wiretaps and other listening devices

Retired now, preferring to get along with my neighbors.

 

[Progster]

I am obsessed with the idea of shortcuts.

In an airport, there are some areas for waiting in line which consist of kind of roped corridors. If the airport isn't busy, they don't take the ropes away and they expect you to go all the way along them even if nobody is there. So one day, I thought, to heck with this, and ducked unter the rope. A security guard saw me and said, "you can't do that". I said, "I can do it, I just did." She said nothing.

Past special interests - Sellotape, a particular story as a toddler, astronomy, languages.