SpectreAgent

I can't be alone in dreading the day when there's no TBC at the end of one of these chapters...

That's really interesting because I asked my NHS consultant about HIV injections a few months ago as I was going travelling to the States and I thought it might be easier than carrying my meds over. She downplayed the efficacy of the injections, as she says the relative failure rate is too high for her to recommend it. She was prepared to go down that route if I was finding the pill regime too hard to follow but since it doesn't bother me at all I haven't pursued it. I got the impression that it might be a different story a couple of years down the line, though.

My experience mirrors that of @GymAddict If anything, my sexual encounters went up. I wasn’t a Covid denier and, in fact, have now had 6 jabs. But working in the media made me a lockdown/mask sceptic because I witnessed first hand how the media was whipping up hysteria for clickbait. My cynicism only increased when those of us working in television production were considered “an essential industry” (really?) and given permits to travel, which felt all very “Show me your papers!” It was a bit like being given a Golden Ticket. The Swedish response, much derided at the time, is now being vindicated by every major study into Covid policies. But I digress.

I, too, had two houses during this period, and travelled every week between the two. Grindr, Scruff, BBRT and FabGuys (especially FabGuys) were busier than normal in Manchester (but flaking declined considerably, interestingly enough) and because I had an apartment in MediaCity and could accommodate, let’s say I didn’t go without. I must say that I did form a bbubble for a while, so my hookups were more regular. In that sense, my behaviour did alter a bit. At my apartment block there, which was curious mix of showbiz folk and drug dealers, there were parties every weekend. But, then, our Lords and Masters in Downing Street who came up Covid restrictions were partying, too, (a reference only Brits might get).

Do I feel guilty about any of this? Not a jot. I took an informed risk assessment and acted accordingly. I found much of the reporting from some of my colleagues reprehensible, especially as I knew many of them, too, were breaching Covid restrictions. But then many, if not most, people did if they’re honest with themselves. Some just bent the rules more than others. 

1 hour ago, RawPlug said:

I doubt you’re unique in that experience. Not only have most of us worn that T-shirt, it’s now being used to clean the windows.  

However, I have been known to blank guys in the sauna when I’ve been to vain to wear my spectacles and don’t have any contacts with me…
 

 

“Too vain”

17 hours ago, Nay80 said:

ok online, on here on bbrt on squirt on twitter i get lots of guys saying they'd fuck me, they all chat and see my pics and say they love my hole and would 100% fuck me etc. yet when i see the same guys at the sauna they totally blank me. i can only assume I'm doing something wrong, body language or something. what are your suggestions?

I doubt you’re unique in that experience. Not only have most of us worn that T-shirt, it’s now being used to clean the windows.  

However, I have been known to blank guys in the sauna when I’ve been to vain to wear my spectacles and don’t have any contacts with me…
 

I wonder how many of us are on tenterhooks and constantly checking for a new instalment of this one…? 

5 hours ago, gingerdaddyG said:

I’ve just booked myself in for the BB weekend in October…can’t wait!!💦🐷😈

Have you got yourself one of the rooms with a sling?

8 hours ago, ErosWired said:

Chronic hay fever is nothing to sneeze at. (Bu-dum-tzing - Thanks, folks, I’m here all week, try the fish.) I work hard on staying healthy, and haven’t been sick in quite a while, but last month I didn’t take my hay fever preventative for a couple of days, and pollen pounced. Five weeks on, and I’m still coughing.

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but the hayfever season in the UK has been horrific this year for many of us. 

Everyone’s experience is different. No one is right or wrong on this question. Speaking for myself, I largely ignore it. I take my pills each morning and then forget about it. It’s just part of  who I am. I suffer from severe hayfever, too. And I take medication for that daily in the season. Of the two, I find the hayfever the more troublesome. And that’s not me being flippant.

HIV doesn’t impact on me financially because here in the UK I don’t pay for my meds. As someone who’s always tried to turn a negative into a positive (although in this case it’s more a positive into a positive) I resolved on diagnosis to exercise regularly and eat as well as I can. The result is that, ironically, I’m fitter than I’ve ever been in my life. 

Older guys. Because they have that niggling fear in the back of their minds thst they might be doing it for the last time and so put more effort in…

Seriously, someone put it best earlier by saying everyone brings something different to the table. Was it Mae West who said “you’re as young as the man you feel?”

41 minutes ago, BradStevens said:

It's important to explore WHY those of us who survived, did survive. In 1996 a doctor put me on AZT and after six months I felt sicker than I had ever felt in my life and had a metallic taste in my mouth at all time. To his chagrin I stopped told him that I couldn't continue to take medication and I believe that saved my life.

My ex’s former partner was on AZT and my ex swears to this day that it rotted him from within. 

Back in the days before Grindr and even Gaydar (God, that dates me!) we had the premium chat lines, where you could rack up telephone bills of £500 in a few days. And I did.

It was so not worth it as the chances of actually hooking up were akin to winning the lottery. But I did hookup with a guy in Greenwich, south London. No pictures, of course, so I’d no idea what he looked like. Turns out I had won the sexual lottery as he was gorgeous and obviously loaded, judging from his apartment. After we’d finished, he wanted to give me £100. I didn’t know whether to be insulted or not and I refused it. He insisted I take it and I suddenly realised it was the paying for it that got him off. I’d become a rent-boy by default. 

I saw him a few times after that. And each time he paid me. I never felt wholly comfortable with it. On the other hand, it did pay off some phone bills… 

4 hours ago, Spunkinmyarse said:

I’ve never been convinced by this. The thing is, most tops are a one shot deal- whether they’re online or in a cruise bar, they generally hook up, unload, and disappear back into real life to get on with other things.

Bottoms, on the other hand, just keep on going- the more loads they get, the more they want. So they stay online, always hunting for more- or hang out in the cruise bar/sauna to the bitter end. That’s why at the end of the night it seems like there’s nothing but bottoms.

And because bottoms cum less often, they’re always horny, always more willing to chat about sex on sites like this- and that feeds into the illusion that there are more bottoms than tops. 

I reckon there’s a pretty even split. In fact, if you take guys who self-identify as “straight”, I reckon there are actually far more tops than bottoms out there in the world as a whole.

I’m guessing you haven’t spent much time in Manchester, then…? When news leaks out that a top has arrived in town, he’s devoured like a Snickers bar thrown over the wall of a fat camp. 

5 hours ago, fisterm8 said:

a small drop of toothpaste up your arse after youve douched out makes your hole very wet for fucxing without lube :)) - dont ask why i know x

I have made a note of that…😂

4 minutes ago, Spunkinmyarse said:

Got bored on an overnight flight from NY to London, and ended up watching “Bros”. Interested in what you guys thought of it, particularly any New Yorkers. Did any of it ring true?

You flew Virgin Atlantic? I watched it on an A330 overnighter from JFK to Heathrow last month.

I liked it, mostly. I like what it was trying to do and how it was attempting to be mainstream without making too many concessions. But it just missed the bullseye a tad for me. Maybe it’s because overnight transatlantic flights aren’t necessarily the best place to watch and judge a movie. I might try it again sometime.

It would be interesting to hear from any New Yorkers if any of it rang true (hell, it’s always good to hear from New Yorkers!) 

2 hours ago, austin_submale said:

Well, sort of.  It's an adaptation of this one...  [think before following links] [think before following links] https://breeding.zone/topic/64355-you-have-just-been-pozzed/

But that doesn't diminish how awesome this one is at all...

 

I didn’t realise that. Still, as you say, both are excellent.

I’ve read some pretty weird and wonderful topic headings on this site but “Bonjela and Anal Health” was a curveball.

I wonder if it’s true, though, or something similar to the urban myth that putting toothpaste on your cock can help with erectile disfunction? I know that theatre actors required to do nude scenes were often advised to apply some Colgate on their todgers to counter the shrivelling effects of a chilly stage. I suspect that was a myth, too. 

Hot and very original. 

13 minutes ago, Loveitraw said:

Never actually tried that one, might have to give it a look.

Lots of closeted married guys on there. But I was knee deep in cock sometimes when I used it in Manchester (especially during the pandemic). 

2 hours ago, Loveitraw said:

It's not much better in Bristol (UK). All the apps are hit and miss tbh, but I've  found that Squirt is generally better than BBRT for my local area. Even if no guys are on or looking it at least shows the busiest cruising spots. Like others have mentioned all my hookups are raw, I specify it as a preference on my profile and express it beforehand. So when things work everyone leaves satisfied. I mostly find that I am more successful if I switch off my phone and actually go out looking. This might be the age of tech but the problem with that is too many don't want to go outside.

I’ve actually had more luck with FabGuys in Manchester than BBRT. 

On 4/23/2023 at 11:33 AM, VersGuyAnon said:

It's rubbish in Brighton. The only place I've had any luck with it is London, although I imagine it would be OK in Manchester.  

It’s bloody awful in Manchester. Mind you, most guys were barebacking in Manchester long before it became mainstream (not for nothing did we call Manchester “Bareback City”). When your unique selling point - bareback - isn’t unique, it’s a bit of a non-starter. 
 

I can’t really add much to what has already been said. One can only really speak subjectively but, for me, there is a big difference. Raw just feels better to me. Whether that’s physical or mental or (probably) a combination of both, I don’t know. 

10 hours ago, AirmaxAndy said:

This is pretty mild. In a wider context I've been on the receiving end of many comments like this on the scene over the years. 

I remember the guy on the reception to the Sauna in Waterloo told me "You'd be better off staying home with a packet of crisps. You won't get any fun in here."

The barman at Slut Club in Hamburg who took me in hand to the dark room only to ask "What is is like to not be able to see your dick except in a mirror?"

These get put down at the time as bitchy barbs, you try to ignore them and move on, but they they're not that harmless because they stay with you.  

I don’t know where to start with this. I’ve never judged any guy by his looks, age, size, race or religion. To me, that’s absurd and limiting. I’m not that superficial. I can only suggest about those kind of comments that it says more about them than it does about you or anyone else. 

It’s easy to say you should just rise above it and ignore the detractors. Not so easy to do it. But rest assured, Andy, there are plenty who do find you attractive.  So it’s their loss. 

5 hours ago, BBBxCumDumpster said:

As a New Yorker for the last 30 plus years,  I find that New Yorkers tend to be rude--but only with each other.  With visitors,  with have a bit of compassion and more than a little bit of pride in out city.  We all know the quickest way or easiest way to get to where you're going.  And we love to direct you to hidden places, places that don't appear in guide books.

That was how I felt. I also think because it was obvious I’d done a bit of research before arriving and was clearly loving the city, I was always met halfway from the outset.

8 hours ago, topblkmale said:

New Yorkers are very engaging people. The stereotype of people being rude actually applies to folks from Long Island and New Jersey.

That was certainly my experience of New Yorkers. In fact, it was the people I encountered that made the visit so memorable and made me fall in love with the city. Even at JFK, where the queue through passport control was brutally long, the officer who checked my credentials was so funny and engaging that I immediately forgot all about the two hour plus wait to reach him. 

I was with family this visit. Next time I intend coming on my own and hope to delve more deeply into the friendliness of New York guys. Or, rather, them delve deeply into me! 

Seriously, though, I had a blast. It’s a wonderful city.