sprigatito_bread

joined 8 months ago
[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 22 points 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (5 children)

So, any advice on how to get these guys to actually listen? Not sure if this is just an American thing, but I've had some bad luck with ERs:

I've been kicked of the ER after suddenly losing all feeling in my arm (which thankfully came back a day later).

Another time, I had sudden weakness that was bad enough that I lost the ability to stand while in the waiting room. They checked my basic vitals, saw normal numbers, and rolled me out of the place at 3 AM in a wheelchair after accusing me of making up my symptoms.

When I went to the urgent care for this circulation issue (because the tip of my toe was literally turning black) the doctor told me that it wasn't urgent and set me up with this vascular specialist. He said casually that it might be some kind of heart problem, but I'd probably be fine because I'm young. That was 3 months ago. The circulation in my hands has diminished during that medium-term time frame, which is the worst time scale for degenerative changes to occur, because it's not urgent enough for most doctors to consider it an emergency, but not long-term enough for regular appointments to catch it in time.

I appreciate the suggestion to seek emergency care, I really do, but I've been burned so many times while losing thousands of dollars in the process that it's not so clear cut to risk going for a medium-term issue. I don't have much in savings left, and my parents have made it clear that they won't be of any help. They accuse me of overreacting and saying that I'm completely healthy despite being physically disabled, and that I will be financially punished for seeking care. (Unrelated, but they are also full-throated fascists who believe that the Holocaust was justified, just to make it crystal clear what kind of people I'm dealing with here.)

It seems that my conditions are downplayed because of my youth, and to make matters worse, I had already been diagnosed with small-fiber peripheral neuropathy for completely DIFFERENT chronic pain years ago that couldn't be explained, so they could write it off as that despite my hands demonstrably being ice cold when they weren't before.

So if I'm going to do something like this, I need to do it right. I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any.

 

Circulation issues have been plaguing me for the past several months, and getting a doctor's appointment is taking an eternity. As I've been waiting, the issue has only worsened, to the point where I am ~~quickly losing sensitivity in my hands and fingers.~~ EDIT: "Quickly" as in over the span of a few days or weeks having cold hands, not hours. If that makes a difference.

As a cis male, this has also begun to affect a certain part of the body that requires good blood flow to properly function. Without an incredible amount of sexual excitement, it remains worryingly cold and lifeless. I'm enjoying what I have left while it lasts, but it would be horribly fitting for me to lose feeling there too before I can even set foot into the vascular specialist's office.

It's brutal. It really is. I'm in my early 20s, and this, on top of a multitude of chronic health problems, is hitting me all at once. I've never had a partner, but I was always so excited to find one someday. But now, things have just gotten a whole lot harder. (That is, except for one thing.)

I don't want to lose hope. I've already tried that in the past from my other health issues, and it only makes things worse. But it's kind of difficult to imagine what a relationship looks like without functioning parts. Especially when this doesn't magically make me asexual. I still want to enjoy some kind of sexual activity, but I'm not sure that I'll be able to do it in the way that most women who would otherwise be compatible with me are hoping for.

I'd appreciate any kind of hope or encouragement, or just practical advice for what to do if the worst comes to pass. I feel that this is a scenario that I need to be prepared for, because god knows that the medical system isn't fast enough to do anything except record the damage that has already been done.

Thank you, and I wish you all luck in dealing with whatever fucked up shit has come your way, too.

EDIT 2: You know what? Maybe this isn't about my junk as much as it is my entire fucking body. "Oh that's weird, the lack of circulation has spread from my fingers to my entire hand in a few days." Uh, yeah, you THINK? My feet are turning blue, my hands are going numb, my mouth is getting cold, and I'm worried about THIS? Maybe the commenters telling me to get care immediately have a point. Maybe I'm the meme guy who worries about the economy while a meteor crashes into Earth.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I subconsciously hear GIFs and silent videos. On repeating GIFs, the same sound plays over and over. Some GIFs sound satisfying and hypnotic and keep me entranced for a long time, while others are loud and obnoxious and make me scroll away from them immediately.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago

Hell yeah, friend! My cute shows were Pokemon, MLP FiM, and Hamtaro! And I imagine myself getting all blushy and giggly if a girl kissed me. This whole stoicism thing is overrated; I want to be turned into a blubbering mess!

When people like us are brave enough to express themselves out in the open, that is how change happens. It is through our influence that we normalize and validate the existence of like-minded people and inspire them to stand up alongside us. By virtue of simply existing and interacting with others, we nudge society ever so slightly in the direction of acceptance.

The tenderness in your soul is something incredibly precious. It is the power to heal, the power to bring joy, and the power to create harmony. It is the power to touch hearts and change lives. Don't ever let anyone ever convince you that it's a weakness. It is the most valuable treasure one can ever possess.

I'm honored to have given you a little bit of the validation that you deserve. Differences are what make us interesting and memorable to others, and intolerant people don't deserve the time of day. Once I stopped self-censoring to appease them, I was able to connect with so many more people. The benefits far outweighed the risks. I hope that you someday find the courage to express yourself in front of others too, if you haven't already.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

I used the word "manly" here as a shorthand for traditional masculinity, which I assumed was how it's used colloquially; I don't mean to assert that men are defined by traditional masculinity. My concern (more like blind superstition) is that a preference for many of those features (minus the misogyny) are biologically wired, and that having very few of these characteristics is inherently unattractive to most male-attracted people. It's a fear that traditional masculinity is an inescapable standard and opting out leads to extreme difficulty in finding relationships. I asked this question because I want evidence that it's safe to ignore gender roles entirely.

I think you should be grateful that you weren’t indoctrinated into being an abuser

Funnily enough, I kind of was. I was raised by far right extremists whose beliefs were so obviously evil and cruel that I sought outside information through the Internet as a teen. Most of what I saw there was right-leaning, but far less openly bloodthirsty, so it was more palatable to me to consume. But because of this, I deeply internalized right-wing social constructs, including most of the lies about women that are used to justify misogyny and patriarchy.

This programming socially stunted me. I hated myself because I didn't live up to masculine standards and I was bullied for it at home and school. I wasn't interested in women because I was indoctrinated into believing they were helpless damsels who wanted to be controlled, which, especially seeing my parents' abusive relationship, felt grossly exploitative to me. I decided to just lay low and be polite, accepting that I was inferior due to my lack of machismo.

Even though I avoided others and had no confidence, I still had people, mostly women, who wanted to reach out and get to know me. They praised the softer traits that I tried to hide, and I found myself admiring many of their tough and protective personality traits. That deprogrammed me from gender norms, but only for platonic connections. Whether or not it was safe to ditch gender norms for romantic connections was an open question for me. So getting helpful feedback to this question has helped boost my confidence on that a lot!

My brother, unfortunately, never challenged his programming. He tells me that all women are the same, they all want to be ruled over by men, and LGBTQ+ women are straight people in denial. A few weeks ago, he literally killed his girlfriend's cat for "misbehaving." Instead of breaking up, they just casually replaced the cat with a different one. So yeah, the people I grew up around are so unhinged that it radicalized me into becoming normal.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Alas, that's a tough find given that I'm over 6 feet tall, but the idea of a shorter woman making herself taller to kiss my forehead (by standing on a step or stool) somehow became even more appealing to me lol.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

The man who moved me most in life was a sensitive, artistic, nervous, sweetheart of a man, whom I doted on, had him sit on my lap while he cried, cuddled and kissed him until he felt better, called him sugary names (lamb, darling, sweetheart), pet him often, and just absolutely loved on him.

The fact that he was emotionally open and outright with his feelings was what had attracted me to him in the first place. I am absolutely not a “dominant” person, but my desire to protect and love him in this was something no other man even allowed me the opportunity to do.

I feel dizzy because you literally described the moments I desire to a T. The doting, the sugary nicknames, having a non-domineering woman in an empowered position of loving protection... I have never read anything that so precisely and succinctly captures the exact ideas that I worried were just my own.

Your comment is exactly what I have been looking for—solid evidence that what I desire deep down exists in the real world and can be created again. If I am to trust the anecdotal evidence in this thread, then that finally settles it for me. Relationships just like the one I desire are out there. Women who are compatible with me are out there. I just need to get out and find one.

Thank you. This is one of the most reassuring things I have ever read.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Thanks for your support, and I'm glad I could help! I wish I could have read posts from unabashedly soft guys when I was still struggling with my masculinity, so I'm happy that I could help someone else in a similar way.

A little bit about my journey:

Female friends have fawned over me, calling me things like “cute,” “adorable,” and “sweetheart,” and expressing a desire to protect me.

These were the people who changed my life. I used to hide my personality out of shame, and they saw right through me. They called out my tenderness and basically said, "Hey, I love this side of you and I want to see more of it." I couldn't believe that people could wholeheartedly like something that I was told was my biggest weakness for my whole life.

But one of these friends explained to me that this "weakness" was nothing more than hateful messaging perpetuated by miserable people. She showed me just how much people around me, herself included, loved the very aspects of myself that I was insecure about. The evidence became so overwhelming that I finally accepted that I had been lied to for my entire life. My oppressive belief system had sustained fatal damage and finally began to collapse.

Those miserable people were my own family members. I was a victim of their abuse and indoctrination since childhood. These women were the heroes who kept me from going down the dark path my family had forged for me. I can't even begin to describe just how much I was able to heal as a result of their actions. It has been utterly transformative for me. Their influence may be the best thing that has ever happened to me.

I hope that you're able to find friends who affirm your identity, too. Friends who see aspects of you that you worry others won't like and respond with love and encouragement. That was the most powerful thing for me.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

I definitely have had women friends see me “as a little brother” and cared about me in a platonic way...

Lmao, I got called a little brother by a friend too!

She literally changed my life by helping me work through my past struggles with gender expectations and trust issues, so she was definitely a mentor figure for me at the time. The reason I can proudly share my desire to be a cute guy is directly thanks to her. She showed me that people truly liked me for who I was, even if I was a bit different. It turns out that what made me different was exactly what she liked about me the most. After all, the first thing she ever said to me was, "Oh my god, you're adorable!"

I'm so happy that it worked out for you! Your story is relatable to me and gives me hope.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

For me, it boils down to someone who's nurturing and physically affectionate. I envision a relationship that's cuddly and caring on both sides.

I probably could have phrased my original question better. I don't care about being "sexually desirable" to as many women as possible; I only care about being desirable to enough people that finding someone to start a relationship with is a practical possibility. This post is about my lack of understanding of how sexual attraction fundamentally works. I'm essentially asking if sexual attraction is highly polarized—targeting either strong masculine or strong feminine presentations—with minimal reaction to more androgynous presentations.

 

I don't fit very well with the idea of masculinity. I'm just a goofy nerd with a gentle personality and the desire to make others happy. I have always wanted to look soft and approachable; I have smooth, rounded facial features, wavy hair, big glasses, and a clean-shaven face. My personality is utterly non-threatening. I love caring for people, I enjoy being silly and whimsical, I'm a bit clumsy and get flustered easily, I wouldn't hurt a fly (unless I had to), and I'm polite to a fault. My paradise is a warm, cozy, quiet safe haven surrounded by cute plushies.

I'm not manly in the slightest, and I love being that way. I'm a total softie through and through, and I purposely align my appearance with my personality. I look gentle because I am gentle.

I have always been treated differently than my male peers. Many people are inexplicably nicer or softer on me even if they barely know me. Female friends have fawned over me, calling me things like "cute," "adorable," and "sweetheart," and expressing a desire to protect me. And I love it. I don't find it offensive or infantilizing at all.

Through extensive introspection, I later figured out that care and nurturing are incredibly attractive to me, and the funny tickle I felt whenever I was shown care and protection by my female friends was actually a subtle tinge of attraction. It's rather curious that my personality and gender expression just happened to develop in such a way to subconsciously solicit that kind of attention.

This is all well and good, but I worry that this makes me categorically unsexy due to my intentional suppression of gendered characteristics and desire to give off pure, wholesome vibes. Could I really be sexually desirable if I'm the kind of person who apologizes to trees for bumping into them? Some women have even teasingly called me a "Christian" or "virgin" because of this perceived innocence, suggesting that some people do indeed associate my personality with sexual restraint or abstinence.

In reality, I absolutely do want a sexual relationship, and I have always imagined myself treating a partner with the same gentle caregiving energy that I myself crave. I don't do "naughty" or "dominant"; I would view a partner's body as something to passionately take care of, not something to tease or conquer.

I would appreciate some outside perspective on this. Thanks!

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago

That sounds lovely and quite close to the vibe I'm looking for! Thanks so much!

 

I'm interested in a wholesome relationship dynamic where the girlfriend acts as a comforting source of warmth, protection, and abundant physical affection. She's a cozy safe haven, wrapping her boyfriend in adoring hugs and showering him in doting kisses. He's gentle and sensitive, relaxing in her care and taking it all in, responding in an endearing way that fuels her nurturing.

It seems like the Internet's idea of a "strong" female presence in a hetero relationship is a dominant/submissive coercive femdom dynamic. That's not what I want at all; I want to see a female character who is eager to lead out of a loving desire to snuggle and care for her boyfriend—she wants to protect him, not exploit him. There is also no power imbalance or one-sidedness; while the girlfriend's doting affection is a defining feature, the boyfriend happily initiates and reciprocates affection as well. There are lots of open heartfelt exchanges, and it's all so subversively tender that it feels taboo.

I have never seen a relationship like this depicted anywhere. It took months of introspection and creative writing to work out the essence of my preferred dynamic and understand that labels like "gentle femdom" or "gender role reversal" utterly fail to capture the nuances of what I truly want. The romance novel and adult video industries almost completely alienate me. It feels like there is nothing for me, or at least no way to easily find it in the vast cosmos of the Internet.

It would be wonderful to find something, a book, some kind of show or movie, an obscure Internet board... really anything to scratch this constant itch that I have. Despite my mediocre skills, my own writing vastly outstrips any media I've seen so far. I'd love to see something made by someone more professional.

And yeah, mayyyybe I've dodged a bullet by being immune to the endless piles of sex appeal industry slop and provocative ads that deactivate the frontal lobe, but sometimes I want in on the fun too.

 

Every time I encounter another problem with my body that a healthy person wouldn't have, I'm always tempted to think to myself that nobody would want a partner like me because they could just pick someone healthier and more capable. I'm in my early 20s and my health is already getting a little worse each year without any real way to stop it.

I could tell myself that my unique story is compelling, and that enduring all of this hardship has cultivated a more powerful mindset than mainstream materialism and hyperindividualism, and that anyone who shares my values would appreciate me for who I am, even if it means potentially foregoing wealth and luxury. But I just wish I had something more to go off of, something a little more than just blind hope.

I know that lacking confidence and having an external locus of control aren't helping at all, but I find that I can only feel confidence and control if I have a solid, well-reasoned belief that I can succeed and my actions are meaningful.

So, I'd really appreciate any success stories, those who found love despite having challenging medical issues, or any good arguments you might have. I don't think there will be any one thing that does it for me; every little bit will help. Thank you.

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Emotionally, yes, but financially, I don't have the means to move out yet. I have health problems and disabilities that make it difficult to get a job, so I don't yet know the timeline or feasibility of making it out on my own.

I'm not planning on dating until I have a better idea of what the future looks like, but I decided to ask about this stuff now just because the question has been bouncing around in the back of my head for a while and I figured that people here might have similar experiences.

 

As far as I know, the current culture around dating/relationships includes meeting your SO's family and letting them meet yours. And probably sometime on the first few dates, at least asking about family. Problem is, my family is batshit insane.

  • My parents are in an abusive relationship and constantly scream at each other

  • My father is a violent abuser who avoids talking to people because he can't even pretend to be sane

  • I had to raise myself because most of their advice was hateful trash; they tried to raise me into a bigoted loner asshole who only cares about himself and ties his self-worth to pretending he's better than everyone else

  • My brother is an emotionally volatile gun owner in a relationship with an insane psycho who abused her cat to death

  • They all believe that people who are different should be suppressed or purged from society because God or something

I think at this point, my family may be too dangerous to maintain ties to at all. I really wish I could burn it all down and start over, but I might not be so lucky due to my fledgling financial situation.

Ridding myself of my family's influence has been a decade-long project that I've been working hard on, and I gotta say, "Your parents raised you well" has got to be my least favorite compliment.

Jokes aside, I'm interested in hearing about experiences from others in similar situations. How did you talk about it?

I feel like this is an unavoidable red flag either way for a lot of people (After all, how would anyone know that I'm as sane as I claim to be?), but I'd still like to find the least horrible way to talk about it without lying.

Thanks!

 

I'm interested in egalitarian heterosexual romances where it feels like the partners are best buddies. They don't care about societal expectations and will often do gender non-conforming things just out of happenstance. There's a vibe of casual playfulness and spontaneity, with neither partner taking themselves too seriously. They have a lot in common and feel like equals, not dominant/submissive. Both partners initiate and receive affection and feel intense love and passion for one another.

I don't want to see the same old tired gender expressions; I want to see guys who are super warm and bubbly and women who are playful and tomboyish, guys who are shy and sensitive and women who are outgoing and assertive, and all kinds of other variations that don't get so much representation. I like the idea of buddies who have a natural chemistry instead of a "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" dichotomy. Both partners can be sweet, both partners can be silly goofballs, and both partners can share many of the same personality traits in differing amounts and contexts.

I've seen communities like "gentle femdom" and "role reversal," and while there is certainly some overlap with what I'm talking about, they feature a gender dichotomy and power dynamics, which don't appeal to me. Do I want permission as a man to be soft and cute and pampered by my partner? Of course! Does that mean I want to adopt inverted gender roles and become her subordinate? No, not at all.

I'm attracted to the idea of mutual relationships where partners are free to embrace nonconformity, but in a way that rejects prescribed social roles and hierarchy entirely instead of boxing people into new ones. Both partners respect and care for one another, and acts are done explicitly to please the other in a mutual give and take. Both partners have complex emotions and personality traits that do not fall along arbitrary gendered lines.

The ideal is a relationship that feels so authentic and natural that gender expectations fade away in favor of two people complementing one another in their own special way.

Does anyone know any books, media, or online spaces that fit the bill? Personally, as a gentle sensitive sweetheart kind of guy, I'd appreciate material that I feel represented in, but even just nonconforming straight couples in general would be super based. Thanks!

[–] sprigatito_bread@lemmy.world 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I could definitely see them screwing it up and censoring too much. Like for example, if criticizing corporations or corporate greed was censored, I think there could be right-wing backlash too. Complaining about getting ripped off or screwed over is just a part of life, regardless of whether or not people ask deeper questions about the system.

My entire immediate family is far-right, which, aside from being terrifying, allows me to get an idea of how some of these people think. It turns out, they DO have some anti-corporate sentiment, but only for those who fall outside of the perceived right-wing populist umbrella. Apparently, only those billionaires are the evil greedy ones and theirs are the good ones. Nonetheless, that could be a potential hazard for corporations who find themselves on the wrong side of popular support, where they are no longer protected by an anti-establishment perception.

 

I've been thinking of potential measures that corporate-controlled authoritarian governments could use against any kind of left-wing information or organizing, and it seems like an obvious one is a sudden, widespread crackdown on left-wing content. In practice, social media companies would collude with the government to:

  • Wipe out all left-wing social media profiles and ban left-wing rhetoric under the justification that it is "terrorism-related content".
  • Block access to thousands of left-wing sites at once and de-list them from search engines
  • Update content moderation algorithms to prevent more of this content from being published or recommended
  • Do all of these on the same day to cause the most disorientation and fear
  • Continually go after the hosts of the niche left-wing news and communication channels that still remain, such as small websites, fediverse instances, and encrypted communication channels. Throw their operators in prison and make examples out of them

In effect, due to the centralized nature of social media and news, the online left could instantly be scattered through the collusion of just a few large corporations.

It would:

  • Galvanize the populist right-wing base
  • Stoke feelings of fear, isolation, and hopelessness among the opposition, deterring action
  • Weaken the left's ability to organize
  • Make it harder for people to learn about real left-wing ideas and stances

Why wouldn't they take that opportunity?

The bulk of online left-wing activity could instantly be wiped out in a single day. Why am I not hearing more people talking about that? Why do so many left-leaning people think sites like BlueSky will save them? Do they really think they are resisting by using centralized social media platforms? The corporatocracy has complete control over all of the infrastructure...

In my opinion, every influencer on the left should be screaming from the rooftops every single day that the most productive thing you can be doing is talking to people, building connections, and organizing in the real world, because our platform on the Internet could vanish instantaneously.

Anyway, I hope I'm wrong, but it feels like something that could easily happen. What are your thoughts?

 

Preferably in real life and without religion or alcohol.

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