bakerstreet | Hygiene

Personal hygiene is just that - personal. By the time we've come to a point in our lives where we notice that the concept exists and we should be prudent about it, we can take care of ourselves. There are also many practical reasons why we don't involve other people in this process. We're not too keen on showing off parts to be cleaned that are private in most contexts, and there's definitely an ingrained aversion to showing so much soft, fleshy skin. Hot water or a sharp razor could spell dangerous with a capital D should they come into the hands of someone with a vendetta against you. No need to be extra vulnerable.

So, if you're involving another person in your cleansing routines, it must be someone you trust. Not only that, but it's most likely someone you're comfortable with and likely at least somewhat open to being intimate with. You may not be dropping all your clothing in front of them, but it's still you opening yourself up to touching and closeness unparalleled in more "usual" moments.

Established and burgeoning couples (or not-so-couples) can bond through this showing of care and good faith. Will you like being pampered and find the attention endearing? Or will things go terribly, terribly wrong?

...you never should have let them near that shaving cream.

Comment with your character and preferences.
Smut is not required. Mention if you want/don't want it.
Reply to others and use the RNG.

Comfort: You've decided to pitch in a helping hand to get your partner to unwind, and warm water or suds may do the trick.
Romantic: The sole purpose of this endeavor is to set a lovey-dovey mood. No shame here!
It Started Out Platonic...: What a good pal you are, volunteering to give your friend a good scrub. Of course, you didn't count on the cute way she squirms as you scrub her back or how he blushes when you shampoo his scalp.
No Choice: Currently, you're unable to clean yourself up. That means that you need assistance, and it might as well be the person you lov- tolerate the most.
Open: You have trust issues. Actually, you have backlogs of trust issues. Still, you want to show the person you love that you're willing and trying to change for them, and what better way than letting down your walls and having the assist in your grooming?
Shave: Whether it's your face, your legs, or...your other places you've decided to shave, there's a certain intimacy involved in letting your lover do it for you. Let's hope they won't leave you looking like you got into a battle with a book with the paper cuts to prove it.
Reluctant: They want to get you clean. You don't want to show off your body at all. It's injured, it looks weird, what if they don't like it...
Forced: You love them, you really do, but you won't kiss them if they continue to look like an unwashed hobo clown. You have to draw the line somewhere, and if they won't take action, you will.
Beat Up: You've been trampled in a fight. Your partner isn't about to let you wallow around in your own mud and blood.
Hair: Some find that there's nothing quite as soothing as getting their hair washed or brushed. Of course, those with more luxurious locks may find any hair care a burden, so the assistance is appreciated.
Make Up: They think you're beautiful already. See how they'll paint you up when they get the chance.
Unique: If you're not human, you probably have your own proceeders you have to do to keep all spiffied up. There are wings with stray feathers to pluck, horns on heads to polish, scales to shave down, all sorts of tasks! Introduce your ignorant (and most likely human) boyfriend or girlfriend to your world...and your pain.
Accommodations: Those with disabilities or prosthetics may also have their own routines, and anyone who wants to be with them should learn how to pitch in.
Sponge Bath: You don't have enough water to do this right or you just want to give them a nice rub and scrub with a gentle sponge or wash cloth.
Wound Care: In order for wounds to heal, proper care must be taken. Bandages have to be changed and cuts cleaned out. It's certainly easier when you don't have to do it all by yourself.
Together: You're both cleaning up, taking a bath, splish splash, in the same tub because there's no where else to go. This is the most likely smut option, even if, again, it starts off "platonic."
Clothing: Don't forget that clean clothes are an important part of personal hygiene. Always make sure your partner has a nice, fresh outfit, even if it's to your taste and not theirs.
I've Made a Terrible Mistake: Somehow, everything's now shit. This little experiment went haywire and you may be sporting anything from the worst hairdo of your life to a Columbian necktie.
FREE SPACE

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[20+ OTA! Castmates (especially JINUS and her girls), crosscanon, crossmedium, assumed CR, AUs, OCs etc all always welcome!]

(Please give this disgusting ruffian a bath.)

[Basic gist: Largely faction-neutral Orion mercenary in her mid thirties, can be adapted into most any Star Trek timeline point for ease of RP, flirty, easy to get along with, but extremely observant. Pilot, mercenary, ship captain. Also comes in various Starfleet AU flavors as desired.]

[ info and prefs/permissions! ]

The razor bit into Enver's skin. His breath hissed through his teeth at the sudden jolt of pain. He glared at his own reflection in the mirror, at the thin line of crimson which now decorated his jawline, then at the reflection of the Bhaalspawn--the gloriously naked and simply glorious Bhaalspawn--slipping out of the bed behind him. Even as he stared, his hand drifted again, bringing the blade perilously close to his neck before he finally caught himself and lowered it to the basin.

Leave it to Enver Gortash to discover an entirely new way in which the Dark Urge's perfect body could kill.

Igarak holds back a smirk. He has never been shy about his own nudity. The knowledge that it drives the tyrant to distraction is too delicious to waste, however. There is the faintest suggestion of a saunter in his step as he closes the distance between them, sliding in next to the man.

"Killing yourself without me?" He drags a thumb through the blood on Gortash's jaw, before he studies the smear, as if judging its quality. "I'm hurt."

"Not intentionally, my dear." Igarak's touch stings. The pain is mild in comparison to the countless others his Bhaalspawn has inflicted before, but it sets his heart racing all the same.

He follows Ig's gaze with his eyes and is captivated by the way his own blood, diluted by water and soap, trickles down the tiefling's dark skin, barely visible in the morning light. "You know if I ever chose to end it all, I wouldn't even consider depriving you of the pleasure."

My dear. Gods, his body still doesn't know what to do with those words--something caught between revulsion and unease and exhilaration. He tries to keep anything from showing on his face, attention still fixed on the smear of blood. "Mm. I suppose I can forgive you this once."

He licks the blood from his thumb--and immediately pulls a face at the taste of soap. "Ugh... Ruined."

[Darumi spends hours a day, routiniely doing her hair and makeup, but will be glad to act like a feral cat if someone attempts to 'encourage' further self care.]

( m/m ou or au )

( permissions + info | 25+ for anything ship-related. Open to M/M, M/F, M/NB, gently-assumed CR or whatever out-of-the-blue meetcute might justify a prompt. Very open to muses of a metahuman, folkloric, alien, etc. nature, those with unique physiology, as well as your average human beings. )