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MagicMeerkat
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22 Jul 2024, 9:48 pm

I've always been particular about my special interests. No, I never felt I purposely picked out my special interests, it was as if someone else picked them out for me. My main special interest is becoming a veterinarian, DVM, not technician/nurse. I wonder if this is what some of my older Christian friends meant when they say they felt "called by God" to do something.

My special interests have ALWAYS been animal related in one way or another. Oh sure everyone and their grandmother knows what a meerkat or a manatee is today but when I was a kid in the 90's, NO ONE knew what those were. Now everyone runs around saying they love meerkats and manatees and are obsessed with them. I don't believe them. I got bullied the most around the same age as these kids for talking about manatees all the time.

All the other girls wanted to talk about boybands. The boys wanted to talk about Goosebumps books and sports stuff. I rarely heard the girls talk about anything but which member of Hanson they were going to get married to. I was told no one talks about the same thing constantly unless there is something wrong with them. I could always sniff out hypocrisy from a mile away and didn't buy it.

My mother told me that if I pretended to be interested in Hanson or Goosebumps, the other kids would return the favor and at least pretend to be interested in manatees or animals. I couldn't like Hanson if I tried. To this day I still get nauseous when I hear "Mbop". So I pretended to be interested in Goosebumps and people fell for it. Even my family believed I LOVED Goosebumps. I didn't.

But what I really wanted was for the day my mom claimed would happen, someone would pretend to be interested in what I was and talk to me about animals. That day never happened so I quit trying to pretend and went back to liking what I liked.

But it made me resent ANYTHING that was super popular. Meerkats were my special interest since I was 12 or 13. I was being homeschooled and didn't have to mask or hide anything anymore but my family still hated hearing about them. It made me feel like they did not love me. Sorry, but when you love someone, you love everything about them that isn't harmful. Talking about meerkats isn't harmful and besides my parents never shut up about conservative politics and about this liberal politician or that liberal politician was going to destroy the country this way or that way.

I never really fit in with other fans of movies I liked unless it was a very obscure movie. Rocket Raccoon is my newest special interests. Nice, but it kinda sucks because people who know me in person think he's just a random raccoon and think I like raccoons in general now. But if someone hands me a live one as a pet, I'm not saying no.

But anyway, I've never had a problem with other Rocket fans like I did with other Lion King fans who were really into gatekeeping and the moderators of one form in particular seemed to believe the rules did not apply to them. I have not met ONE Rocket fan who not autistic or in the process of getting a diagnosis or ND. What is it about this character that attracts autistic people? I've heard the ONLY reason James Gunn took on Guardians of the Galaxy was because he liked Rocket as a character and if he took GotG, he could basically do whatever he wanted with him. I wonder if James Gunn is ND?

I liked him because I found his sassy "shoot first ask later" personality and his backstory and the fact he's not a human. All the other characters like that are either human or don't have that kind of personality which is similar to my own.

I once even had a bearded dragon who was the Groot to my Rocket Raccoon. Now, I'm actually beginning to hate Groot as a character because I collect Rocket merch. You can rarely find Rocket anywhere but you can walk into any store and find Baby Groot's smarmy little face on everything.

Anyway, anyone else try to avoid certain things because of how popular and acceptable in society, because your special interests weren't respected?


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22 Jul 2024, 9:51 pm

I used to have a much bigger chip on my shoulder towards things that were popular merely for being popular.

I think I've largely outgrown it.

It doesn't mean I'm drawn towards things based on popularity, but I can accept things I like (like Initial D) becoming more popular and I can admit interest in things that are more widely popular (like hockey).


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22 Jul 2024, 10:20 pm

I don't. :P
I'm a non-conformist, not an anti-conformist.

I just see certain trends as data...
If I like it, then I like it. :lol: If I don't, I don't.


Though it's way less common for me to like or dislike anything related to visual and auditory media (series, movies, music, etc.) than dismiss any. (As opposed to more sensory like taste and touch; food, fashion, etc.. which I have more dislike over likes and neutral dismissals).



I don't like short skirts and crop top not because they're 'trendy' nor the idea of 'modesty', nor the reasoning that it 'clashes my style'.
It's because I hate air and wind exposing my skin. :lol:

And I ain't a fan of any particular media. I don't take 'sides', I don't do 'shipping', I don't join fandoms...


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23 Jul 2024, 12:02 am

Most of my special interests are popular in some sense. It just isn't popular with the mainstream public to like them in particular or as intensely as I do, or sometimes for the same reasons I do.

That and I think a lot of people like things because they're popular. That's what I don't connect to. And then if the trend ends and someone else still likes it, they're like, "No, you have to stop that and like this instead now." :D

Disneyland is one of my special interests. It's a very popular destination. Sometimes too popular, when it's crowded! :D However, there are some people on the fan groups who think theming is a completely unimportant aspect of a theme park and act like I'm insane for caring about it.

Anthropomorphic animal characters are some of the most popular characters of all time, but in some circles, it's still considered strange to be a Furry. And so on.

MagicMeerkat wrote:
My mother told me that if I pretended to be interested in Hanson or Goosebumps, the other kids would return the favor and at least pretend to be interested in manatees or animals. I couldn't like Hanson if I tried. To this day I still get nauseous when I hear "Mbop". So I pretended to be interested in Goosebumps and people fell for it. Even my family believed I LOVED Goosebumps. I didn't.

But what I really wanted was for the day my mom claimed would happen, someone would pretend to be interested in what I was and talk to me about animals. That day never happened so I quit trying to pretend and went back to liking what I liked.


At 17, I got my awful first job at Denny's. (This was around 1998.) I didn't connect with the other teen employees. My stepfather told me that I should pretend to like sports and then they would like me. I immediately shot that idea down. However, when my co-workers brought up the subject of music, I knew enough not to say that I liked obscure Broadway musicals. That wouldn't go over well. So I reached way out into NT Land and said I liked The Beatles (which I actually do.) And of course I was mocked for it, because they were all into rap.

MagicMeerkat wrote:
But it made me resent ANYTHING that was super popular. Meerkats were my special interest since I was 12 or 13. I was being homeschooled and didn't have to mask or hide anything anymore but my family still hated hearing about them...


I'm sorry to hear that.

My mother is very supportive of my special interests, but my stepfather, to this day, complains loudly whenever they come up. Sometimes, he'll even bring them up himself just to say he hates them.

Ironically, he's who introduced me to one of my special interests: Stephen Sondheim musicals. I think he thought it would get me less interested in Disney. But once I became more knowledgeable about them than he was, he decided he hated them. Today, he refers to Sondheim as "Sondheim Lite." (You'd think "Sondheim Lite" would refer to a pale imitator of Sondheim, but he means Sondheim himself.) So he'll be listening to some rock song and he'll suddenly say, "BETTER THAN SONDHEIM LITE!"

He definitely has his own special interests and wants us to listen when he talks about them. He's indirectly the reason I'm on this site because he's the one who thought I had Asperger's, which was the term being used at the time. He always presented himself as the NT (though he didn't use that term) and me as the autistic one, but now Mom and I believe he may be on the spectrum as well. He just has no tolerance for anyone else's special interests.

MagicMeerkat wrote:
I never really fit in with other fans of movies I liked unless it was a very obscure movie. Rocket Raccoon is my newest special interests. Nice, but it kinda sucks because people who know me in person think he's just a random raccoon and think I like raccoons in general now. But if someone hands me a live one as a pet, I'm not saying no.

But anyway, I've never had a problem with other Rocket fans like I did with other Lion King fans who were really into gatekeeping and the moderators of one form in particular seemed to believe the rules did not apply to them. I have not met ONE Rocket fan who not autistic or in the process of getting a diagnosis or ND. What is it about this character that attracts autistic people? I've heard the ONLY reason James Gunn took on Guardians of the Galaxy was because he liked Rocket as a character and if he took GotG, he could basically do whatever he wanted with him. I wonder if James Gunn is ND?

I liked him because I found his sassy "shoot first ask later" personality and his backstory and the fact he's not a human. All the other characters like that are either human or don't have that kind of personality which is similar to my own.


If there's an animal or other non-human character, I'm always immediately most interested in that character.

I love Rocket in "Guardians of the Galaxy" vol. 1 and 2. I refer to those movies as "ROCKET RACCOON and Those People He Hangs Out With." On the ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at Disney California Adventure, he has an amazing animatronic figure.

I didn't like what they did with him in "Guardians" vol. 3. I know most people loved it. It was well done and all, but I preferred when he was a tough, surly, funny character who occasionally showed vulnerability. That was more interesting to me. In 3, I felt like they served up his vulnerability on a silver platter. I also disliked that he was out of the action for much of the movie. I would have liked him to wake up before they got to the animal planet as he was the only one with an emotional connection to that planet.

BTW, film criticism is one of my special interests :D.

Something funny about popularity: the "Guardians of the Galaxy" comic was left out of Universal Theme Parks' licensing deal with Marvel because nobody was interested in it at the time. I once ran across an old YouTube video about the comic version of Rocket that opened with, "I'm going to introduce you to a character you've never heard of." Then the movie came out. It became so popular that Disney decided to retheme The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride to "Guardians." People all over social media were talking about how "the younger generations" don't know what "Twilight Zone" is, but they all know "Guardians." Previously, "Twilight Zone" had been one of the most recognizable media franchises of all time.



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23 Jul 2024, 7:06 am

I tend not to like popular things. A lot of the reason is that the fact of a thing's popularity doesn't make me like it any more than I would if it wasn't popular. That seems to be a NT thing. I see videos of bands where they show you these massive, appreciative audiences and I don't understand why they think that will make me like the content any more than I would if the band was just playing in an empty room. What I like is about me and the thing I like, not about other people.

Of course it's a pointer towards something that might be good, on the basis of "people get something out of it, so there must be something in it," but it doesn't always work out like that. There's clearly something in professional football but I don't see it. Everybody loved The Godfather but to me it seemed to be nothing but depressed people shooting each other. There are things I can't access.

I liked The Beatles when they started out, and was very pleased that everybody else liked them too, but I was still buying and liking their 1964 records in 1969 when other people had "moved on." I felt rather betrayed, but I know what I like and I can't hate a thing just because others hate it. I liked the "underground" music of the time, which was doing blues and progressive music while the mainstream preferred corny stuff. I can't identify with the mainstream but I do identify with some minority cults. Without them I'd feel much more alone.



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23 Jul 2024, 7:49 am

ToughDiamond wrote:
What I like is about me and the thing I like, not about other people.

I can't identify with the mainstream but I do identify with some minority cults. Without them I'd feel much more alone.

I relate to these statements. I like having my corner of the vast landscape of entertainment that feels like home to me. I don't feel it as much as I used to, but it was meaningful to me at one time.



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23 Jul 2024, 11:17 am

=

MagicMeerkat wrote:
I never really fit in with other fans of movies I liked unless it was a very obscure movie. Rocket Raccoon is my newest special interests. Nice, but it kinda sucks because people who know me in person think he's just a random raccoon and think I like raccoons in general now. But if someone hands me a live one as a pet, I'm not saying no.

But anyway, I've never had a problem with other Rocket fans like I did with other Lion King fans who were really into gatekeeping and the moderators of one form in particular seemed to believe the rules did not apply to them. I have not met ONE Rocket fan who not autistic or in the process of getting a diagnosis or ND. What is it about this character that attracts autistic people? I've heard the ONLY reason James Gunn took on Guardians of the Galaxy was because he liked Rocket as a character and if he took GotG, he could basically do whatever he wanted with him. I wonder if James Gunn is ND?

I liked him because I found his sassy "shoot first ask later" personality and his backstory and the fact he's not a human. All the other characters like that are either human or don't have that kind of personality which is similar to my own.


If there's an animal or other non-human character, I'm always immediately most interested in that character.

I love Rocket in "Guardians of the Galaxy" vol. 1 and 2. I refer to those movies as "ROCKET RACCOON and Those People He Hangs Out With." On the ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at Disney California Adventure, he has an amazing animatronic figure.

I didn't like what they did with him in "Guardians" vol. 3. I know most people loved it. It was well done and all, but I preferred when he was a tough, surly, funny character who occasionally showed vulnerability. That was more interesting to me. In 3, I felt like they served up his vulnerability on a silver platter. I also disliked that he was out of the action for much of the movie. I would have liked him to wake up before they got to the animal planet as he was the only one with an emotional connection to that planet.

BTW, film criticism is one of my special interests :D.

Something funny about popularity: the "Guardians of the Galaxy" comic was left out of Universal Theme Parks' licensing deal with Marvel because nobody was interested in it at the time. I once ran across an old YouTube video about the comic version of Rocket that opened with, "I'm going to introduce you to a character you've never heard of." Then the movie came out. It became so popular that Disney decided to retheme The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride to "Guardians." People all over social media were talking about how "the younger generations" don't know what "Twilight Zone" is, but they all know "Guardians." Previously, "Twilight Zone" had been one of the most recognizable media franchises of all time.[/quote]


Me too! GotG3 was a letdown NGL. What does Rocket do besides NOT die exactally? And the soundtrack was all over the place with songs that did not fit. "Life in the Fast Lane" by the Eagles would have fit that scene better than "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn". That song is overused these days and even when it is, the characters usually are in Brooklyn or on their way there. What was wrong with the Motown music the other two movies used? "Grazing In the Grass" by Friends of Distinction could have worked along with something by Brenton Wood. If they had to go with a Beastie Boys song, go with "Fight for Your Right to Party". Wasn't a fan of the animal people planet beucase it gave me an Island Dr. Moreu vibe...and when I first saw the trailers for the movie I legit thought they landed in a furry convention by accident. I may like anthro animals, but not when they still have human faces and are TOO human. At least Rocket licks himself clean. I wrote a fanfic where he goes to the vet after getting sick as his cybernetics are falling apart. I need to get back at it too. https://archiveofourown.org/works/48083 ... /121245295 (It's not meant to be preachy but it does have a little bit of a Christian overtone. Basically Rocket learns he is God's creation and learns to love himself. I just write from a Christian veiw point even when I'm not trying to be preachy)



"Younger Generations don't know the Twilight Zone?" I'd been watching reruns of the original 60's version since I was 12 ever since my brother kept taking wrong turns, getting lost and making jokes about being in The Twilight Zone. His girlfriend at the time explained "It's an old show from the 60's with twist endings. It still runs on the Scifi channel. Ask your parents if you can watch it" I did. Turns out my dad used to cut Rod Serling's grass when he was a kid. Still would never be able to ride the Tower of Terror or Mission Breakout without possibly triggering a seizure. The little Rocket animatronic is cute though. So pettable looking and cuddly.


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23 Jul 2024, 1:32 pm

funeralxempire wrote:
I used to have a much bigger chip on my shoulder towards things that were popular merely for being popular.

I think I've largely outgrown it.

It doesn't mean I'm drawn towards things based on popularity, but I can accept things I like (like Initial D) becoming more popular and I can admit interest in things that are more widely popular (like hockey).

Similar. In my teens and twenties I used to think liking popular things made me a sellout.

Nowadays I like what I like and don’t what I don’t. I have come to accept that I am going to seem like I am following the crowd at times. It does not make me less autistic. Liking unpopular things makes life more difficult. I am not going to ignore them because of that.

And hockey with its combination of brawn and grace is a great sport. It would be nice if the Rangers won one more Stanley Cup before I leave this earth. :)


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24 Jul 2024, 11:30 pm

The only thing that's popular that I like is music and movies by The Beatles. Other than that, I don't really care for popular things. I care about things that make me happy.


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25 Jul 2024, 4:45 am

bee33 wrote:
I like having my corner of the vast landscape of entertainment that feels like home to me.


So do I-- I get more out of old-timey shows like Emergency! and The Streets of San Francisco than I ever would have these days out of Chicago Fire and Blue Bloods.



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25 Jul 2024, 9:18 am

From my personal experience, just because something is popular doesn't always mean it's good or correct.

In fact, there are a lot of instances where popular things or its community/fanbases can be....er....REALLY toxic. 8O



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25 Jul 2024, 10:50 pm

MagicMeerkat wrote:
Me too! GotG3 was a letdown NGL. What does Rocket do besides NOT die exactally? And the soundtrack was all over the place with songs that did not fit. "Life in the Fast Lane" by the Eagles would have fit that scene better than "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn". That song is overused these days and even when it is, the characters usually are in Brooklyn or on their way there. What was wrong with the Motown music the other two movies used? "Grazing In the Grass" by Friends of Distinction could have worked along with something by Brenton Wood. If they had to go with a Beastie Boys song, go with "Fight for Your Right to Party". Wasn't a fan of the animal people planet beucase it gave me an Island Dr. Moreu vibe...and when I first saw the trailers for the movie I legit thought they landed in a furry convention by accident. I may like anthro animals, but not when they still have human faces and are TOO human. At least Rocket licks himself clean. I wrote a fanfic where he goes to the vet after getting sick as his cybernetics are falling apart. I need to get back at it too. https://archiveofourown.org/works/48083 ... /121245295 (It's not meant to be preachy but it does have a little bit of a Christian overtone. Basically Rocket learns he is God's creation and learns to love himself. I just write from a Christian veiw point even when I'm not trying to be preachy)

"Younger Generations don't know the Twilight Zone?" I'd been watching reruns of the original 60's version since I was 12 ever since my brother kept taking wrong turns, getting lost and making jokes about being in The Twilight Zone. His girlfriend at the time explained "It's an old show from the 60's with twist endings. It still runs on the Scifi channel. Ask your parents if you can watch it" I did. Turns out my dad used to cut Rod Serling's grass when he was a kid. Still would never be able to ride the Tower of Terror or Mission Breakout without possibly triggering a seizure. The little Rocket animatronic is cute though. So pettable looking and cuddly.


I'm glad someone else felt that way about "Guardians 3." I've seen a few other people who agree, but most people seem to love it.

I really liked the opening where Rocket was walking around to "Creep." I thought that had really good atmosphere. And then he gets knocked out for most of the movie :P. I felt like the flashbacks were more the kind of thing that you would have to win the audience's sympathy for a previously unlikable character. I already love Rocket and I already know he has a tragic backstory. What purpose does it serve to see it in graphic detail?

Yes, I prefer more animal-like anthro characters like Rocket, though I kind of get why they made them look like that, plot-wise. The way it was presented, I just didn't care about the fate of that planet, or the subsequent one they were going to make with the blond children.

When I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, kids' cartoons referenced "Twilight Zone" and expected kids to know what it was. And if I didn't get a reference, I asked my mom! :)

Yes, there are people on the Disney forums, usually parents, who believe "the younger generations" should never have to see any character or franchise they aren't already familiar with while at a theme park. They regularly call for the removal of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin at Disneyland. However, in Walt Disney World, the ride remains "Twilight Zone"-themed and nobody seems to mind. They have an entirely different "Guardians" thrill ride over there.



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26 Jul 2024, 11:24 am

I don't care too much for modern TV. I watch MeTV all the time.


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26 Jul 2024, 12:58 pm

Personally, I like what I like and heck with whether it's popular or not.



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26 Jul 2024, 1:33 pm

I’m a bit the opposite. When I was younger I was made to feel bad for liking popular things from friends and family members who thought the things I liked weren’t intellectual enough. So now I make a point of liking a few popular things to show I don’t care about people who think my interests are beneath them.



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26 Jul 2024, 2:01 pm

CockneyRebel wrote:
The only thing that's popular that I like is music and movies by The Beatles. Other than that, I don't really care for popular things. I care about things that make me happy.

Not at the Beatles level but The Kinks were pretty popular.


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