What are you passionate about?

[Sidhe]

Inspired to make this thread after posting something about mushrooms in the 'What makes you happy?' thread. We all have things we're super passionate about, and for me one of those things is mushrooms! I LOVE MUSHROOMS. :D I don't have a lot of experience in the field, especially when it comes to picking and eating edibles, but I spend a lot of time researching and learning about them. When I was young, my Opa would take me and my brother walking in the 'Enchanted Forest' (which really was just a lovely wooded park in Coquitlam, BC) and point out mushrooms to us, explaining what they were.

Some even have beneficial medicinal properties, like Hericium erinaceus or the Lion's Mane mushroom! Plus, isn't it pretty? And it tastes like crab or lobster when cooked. Definition of magic mushroom right there.

Neuronal Health – Can Culinary and Medicinal Mushrooms Help?

Some are just really magical and gorgeous! Take these Mycena chlorophos, which are bioluminescent!

Oudemansiella mucida - or porcelain fungus - are also dainty and gorgeous.

Some are really creepy, too, like this Hydnellum peckii or 'Devil's Tooth' mushroom. It's not edible, but it's also not toxic, though you would think so just by looking at it.

There's also Clathrus archeri, or 'Devil's Fingers'. These bizarre guys smell like putrid flesh when mature. Yum!

My favourite will always be the classic toadstool, though - Amanita muscaria. <3

I just really love mushrooms.

Otherwise, I'm very passionate about the ocean, especially when it comes to the deep sea. We know less about our oceans than we do about space, which I think is both fantastic and a bit terrifying. I spend hours upon hours researching this, as well as about preservation of our oceans. We fucked up our oceans, man. We fucked them up real bad.

I used to talk about how much I hated squids, but my roommate/best friend pointed out recently that I really don't hate squids - I freaking love squids. 'You do nothing but talk about squids,' he said. It's true. I talk about squids a lot. And octopuses. And jellyfish. And most things, really.

WHAT ABOUT Y'ALL

TELL ME ABOUT THE THINGS YOU LOVE!

 

[Diana]

Roleplaying incidentally is my number one passion. It's the one thing I have been doing without falter for two thirds of my life. O__O Enough that I created communities dedicated to it and will prolly continue to do for the rest of my life!

My other passion is admining a community, so... XD it kinda went hand in hand.


I don't think any of my other interests count as a passion, because I do not throw myself in to them the way I do with roleplaying or running sites. But I guess READING/WATCHING/LISTENING TO STORIES is probably a close second. I don't read as much as I used to, but I still get A LOT of stories from TV and movies. I need to get lost in other worlds, so stories in all forms must be a part of my daily life!

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Well for me I think this boils down to five main things.

1. Star Wars

I grew up on it, and was completely absorbed into the Old Republic universe. To the point that Kotor was basically the definition of my early childhood.
And funny enough, the Sith of that era also have a code that involves Passion.

2. Autism

Ok, Autism itself isn't a passion, but the stuff around it is. The reason for this is I was diagnosed with it at 3-1/2 years old, proceeded to spend 12 years in therapy for it. Then a year later I went back to the therapy center I came from, but that time as a co-op student from the therapist side. That lasted for the school year, and then turned into part-time work, and then into full-time work for the Summer. And then college.

Stopped mid-way through college cause all the behind the scenes paperwork stuff wasn't something I could enjoy (combined with it basically demanded 24/7 investment if you do it right, I want a field where I'm still free to live my own life... And the monthly 3-hour outing doesn't cut it).

Basically though, growing up around it has given a strong knowledge (but several years outdated currently) on the topic, given me a strong desire to help those with it, and has been responsible for meeting a number of friends of mine who are also Autistic.

3. Video Games

This was what I always escaped to at home. Between demanding therapy (grateful for it now, hated it at the time), constant arguments with parents, some shitty teachers and a lot of shitty students Real Life wasn't something I got too much enjoyment from outside from a few friends. To a point where during the Grade 3-5 time, suicide was a very real contemplation. Video Games ended up being what I sunk all my time into as a way to immerse into another world, be a hobby I could sit back and relax in, as a way to better connect with other people and also exposed me to a lot of great narratives which has changed me for the better.

4. Education

This kind of ties back into Autism a bit. Having grown up with Autism, the field of Education and how they handle children became a much bigger deal. It wasn't just a "This teacher's an ass. Let me get out of class already". It involved a lot of teachers going out of their way to help me, it involved me experiencing first hand how great and how awful school experience (and students academic performance is) depending on how teachers choose to work with their students. Sparked a fire that makes me care a great deal about people getting a proper education, both so their childhood can be enjoyable and so they can work their way to whatever they want to later on in life.

5. Roleplaying

This is for Roleplaying in general, so forum RPs, tabletop, LARPs, RPG video games are all included here. Not only is taking on many different characters to make a story with a very entertaining and immersive experience, but it also does wonders for opening your eyes. People so often look at something through one perspective. And roleplays are an amazing way to try to put yourself into different people's shoes, and although you are technically just 'acting' as them, there is no script you're told to follow. This means everything you do, act, say needs to be thought out and done by you, under the limitation of staying true to your character and not yourself. You act in ways you normally wouldn't, you think in ways you'd often never consider, and that shit really does broaden your horizons. It can even work in those infamous smut RPs for teenagers who are sexually curious, the RP's provide a means to explore such curiosities and different relationships without actually getting involved or being in anything. Not as good as RL experience, but it acts as some kind of exposure and release that many people would otherwise not be getting.

Not to mention how all this basically demands that you work together with other people, which adds another layer onto it where you're also working with a variety of different roleplayers and characters. You're exposed to a ton of different perspectives that you'd simply never see in real life thanks to how expressive people can be in a roleplay compared to real life, as well also being exposed to certain kinds of individuals you'd just often never run into normally.

 

[K3l]

Music, money, and sex.

 

[Hatsune Candy]

I'm not really passionate about much anymore, to be honest. I used to be passionate about writing, but depression took that away from me.

Oh, but at least I will always have my passion for Vocaloids! :D So there's always that~

 

[Sidhe]

I'm not really passionate about much anymore, to be honest. I used to be passionate about writing, but depression took that away from me.

I know this feel. :( <3

 

[Brovo]

I used to be passionate about writing, but depression took that away from me.

I know this feel. :( <3

The candle that burns twice as bright, lasts only half as long.

Anyway, my passions are generally wide and varied, but you could probably get me talking forever and a day about...

• Philosophy: I love me some mind twisters. If there were alien civilizations before us, why haven't they taken over everything yet? What's human consciousness and where can you prove it to exist in people apart from you? Are we hard determined or is free will a thing? Do we act solely based on mental programming from biology + experiences or are we more than that?
• Biology/Psychology: Specifically about humans. Because we are fascinating creatures. (Our primal ancestors walked other animals to death by exhaustion, by the way. It's metal as fuck.)
• Writing: Open the "guides" spoilerbb in my signature. I fucking love writing, in all forms: Creative or technical. It's sometimes an ultimately superfluous enterprise to which my adventurous pursuit is remarkably vapid and vain. Yet my appetite for it is nonetheless vociferous, voracious, and virulent when it intoxicates my passionate speeches in such a manner as to viciously perplex persons perceptibly, providing processes pursuant to purple prose provided people partake pernicious plays! (tl;dr: I often dumb my language down in discussions and role plays so I don't lose people in word porn.) Seriously, English is a beautiful language, and if you master it, you open avenues with people you'd have never known. It's the difference between saying "will you go out with me" and "your vivacious eyes reflect starlight pouring from your beautiful soul, and I would like to take you out for a lovely meal, if you would permit it."
  • Analyzing Things: Especially films, cartoons, artwork, writing, and so on. I like to tear apart creatively produced things and see how they tick so I can appreciate the labour, or mimic it within my own works. There's a certain level of fun to try and understand why something makes me feel a certain way--or why something infuriated me, or confused me.
• Video Games: Because they're fun?

 

[SacredWarrior]

I'm not really passionate about much anymore, to be honest. I used to be passionate about writing, but depression took that away from me.

I definitely can relate to that :(

 

[Turtle of Doom]

Writing.
&
My kid.
&
My goddaughter.
&
BSL Education and abolition.

Not necessarily in that order.

 

[Fluffy]

Motherhood, cannabis, computers, poetry, and high quality wife-ing.

 

[Space Cowboy]

Star Wars

History

Military History

Roman History

 

[LogicfromLogic]

Character Creation- Often times this is how I deal with some hard shit in my life. Creating characters opens up a wide variety of scenarios that I wouldn't have thought about before making them. Sometimes my characters have bested me in wisdom (not that I claim to be all that wise, I just know that sticking a knife in the outlet is a big no no). Creating characters also helps me be a little more accepting of other people, and see the beauty in them.

Music- This I swear is the gateway to my soul. Not just any, Indie Folk music like Noah Gunderson, The Forest rangers, The White Buffalo. Also Bob Marley, IZ, Jeff Buckly. Just soft meaningful music soothes my anxiety, helps me think things out and ponder. If any of my passions were to be taken this would not be one. Most of my artwork has something to do about the music I'm listening to, or even the characters I play and make. Every single character I have ever made has always had a theme song unique to their personality.

Writing/Drawing- I have written since I was able to. As a very young child I filled journals up with whatever was on my mind, with short stories or confessions of whatever it was that I had done. I have carried this habit to my current age; it's still one of my biggest hobbies, and my biggest outlet. It ties right into my art, my roleplaying, everything that I do I am usually writing. Drawing has a special place too, most of my writing is backed up with a piece I have made.

Roleplaying really used to be a huge passion for me but over the years I have been slowing down more and more.

Horses- Not so much anymore because my horse friend died, but I know that if I had one still I'd be out with my horse either sitting in the pasture or riding.

Motorcycles- My dream is to get a road king. Beautiful bike, and the only thing I have wanted since a child. I remember as a six year old always saying how I was going to make my bicycle into a motorcycle some day. Of course, idiot child I was I never realized that that wasn't how motorcycles worked. Anywho, everything about bikes I adore. The engine, the sounds they make when they are going down the road, how free one must feel on them. I don't own one (yet), but I know once I get on that bike I will never go back.

The Inquisitive Mind- Anything having to do with the brain, the universe, anything that really gets you thinking about life. I adore deep discussions with the right people (I'm very picky who I will discuss anything with, as petty as that sounds. To me, a discussion partner is like a roleplay partner; some people just don't make the cut out others you find that your thoughts work well with one another.) From psychology to philosophy, to theories and facts, to 'why are we here' to 'this is what I believe'. Just all of that.

Work- My work once I've got the job becomes part of my passion. I can get completely wrapped up in what I am doing and enjoy it, forgetting the world. That includes working on my house; I got super into decor a couple weeks ago and I have not stopped improving my living space. It's why I was so happy to get that coffee table; it's ingrained in me to keep going after what I want.

Happiness- The people close to me become part of my passion to see them happy. Happiness is one of those things, while being my passion, that is something I really struggle with sometimes because of my depression and anxiety disorders. So when I have a really happy day where my mood isn't down in a dark place, I embrace it with all of my ability. I try to share it as best as I can with others, make people laugh and smile as corny as that whole thing sounds.

 

[Astaroth]

Everything.

 

[Bread-and-Butter]

Writing.

 

[Alan]

* History! I love history.

* Hockey! It's the only sport I actually enjoy watching. While I have my favorite team and all, I don't mind watching other teams play.

* Music! All kinds! Well... almost all kinds. >>

* Nature! I very much love natural beauty and landscapes. Whether it's a small village nestled at the base of a mountain range, or an aurora at the peak of night, I absolutely love nature.

 

[Cpt Toellner]

History;

My favorite three time periods being.

1. Classical/Roman Empire
2. Dark-Ages Europe
3. Neo-Assyrian Empire/ Early Iron Age.

 

[Decimate]

I know it's weird but I'm a major weather geek.


Specifically, I like to study tornadoes. I have been doing so ever since I saw the Wizard of Oz for the first time at like four years old. My parents say that I spent more time asking about the damn tornado than actually paying attention to the rest of the film. It's sort of stuck with me over the years. It's too bad I don't live in an area that accepts meteorology students. I'd have to move out of state to pursue that passion productively. I've no real desire to storm chase except as part of a professional crew ... because otherwise, you're just kind of being a dick to everyone on the road.

Also video games and roleplaying. I've been doing both since I was a kid.

 

[Dipper]

Astronomy - I love space. Stars, galaxies, nebulae, planets-- it's all inconceivably awesome to me. I wanted to be an astrophysicist for some time because of this (technically, it went from cop-astrophysicist-pilot).

History & Mythology - I know a ton about mythology and history from around the world, especially eastern and northern european. For some reason, my old school had a book on Lithuanian mythology, so it's the stuff I know most about.

Star Trek, Star Wars, and Farscape - My ultimate favorites in the sci-fi (or sci fantasy in Star War's case) genre. TOS and the Clone Wars era are my favorites.

Books - I read a lot. My favorite books have to be Dune and The Two Towers.

Gaming - I'm an avid gamer. I grew up on a hearty diet of pc and console games.

Dogs - Dogs. Dogs are great. I love all dogs-- big dogs, little dogs, soft dogs, rough dogs. My opinion of a person can be determined by whether they like dogs.

 

[Archwar]

Such a wonderful and fascinating species. This fungus is able to overtake a creature's mind and make it, its bitch. One day, I'll be in control of this.

 

[Icystorm]

Psychopathy/Psychopaths. It is an interesting topic to learn about.
Music
Character creation
Frogs
Books
Writing. "Writing isn't about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it's about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It's about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Getting happy." -Stephen King