sundaybestsocks ([personal profile] sundaybestsocks) wrote in [community profile] bakerstreet2021-04-03 07:09 pm

Intimate personal care

The Personal Hygiene Shipping Meme


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.


  1. 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.
  2. Romantic: The sole purpose of this endeavor is to set a lovey-dovey mood. No shame here!
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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?
  6. 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.
  7. 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...
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Make Up: They think you're beautiful already. See how they'll paint you up when they get the chance.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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."
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. FREE SPACE
princeofnight: (Default)

Noctis Lucis Caelum | Final Fantasy XV | M/M

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Ben Solo | Star Wars | OTA

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negated: (2047073)

homura akemi ( puella magi madoka magica )

[personal profile] negated 2021-04-07 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
( ota for platonic, f/f for shipping. pls ask before smut. )
secreteary: (Default)

Martin Blackwood | The Magnus Archives | M/M

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-07 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
recordingends: (pic#14587529)

[personal profile] recordingends 2021-04-09 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
Jon makes a quiet, frustrated, and somewhat defeated sound. One hand is gripping his hair near the base of his neck while the other is trying - unsuccessfully - to get the elastic band holding the bun he'd put it in loose. He swears it was fine when he tied it back, and now it just feels like a knot.

And it is entirely ridiculous that he's become completely distracted by and obsessed with this mundane thing. He should just leave it. Obviously he's not going to get the bloody elastic out. He'll try taking scissors to it later, and if he ends up hacking his hair... so be it.

Except he's already invested five minutes in this endeavor and he can't quite bring himself to give up.

"Ow," he hisses at himself when he pulls a little too hard.
secreteary: (pic#14232702)

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-09 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
It's ridiculous, really, how finely attuned Martin's become to Jon being in any kind of distress. So attuned, in fact, that half of the time it doesn't even consciously register. Maybe it's that same unseen pull that brings him to the doorway.

"Jon, I'm looking for my-"

The missing item in question is quickly forgotten when he lays eyes upon Jon, whose dark cloud of irritation is practically literal rather than metaphorical.

"...What are you doing?"
recordingends: (Default)

[personal profile] recordingends 2021-04-09 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
".... It's stuck."

Jon freezes when he realizes Martin is standing there, and he isn't sure if he feels stupid or if he's relieved. Maybe a little bit of both.

"I was trying to take the elastic out of my hair and I can't--it's stuck. Do you know where the scissors are?" Because that is the obvious solution, right? Jon manages to get his fingers unstuck and drops his hands to his lap. He allows himself to look just a little pathetic, because that's how he feels.
secreteary: (pic#14232720)

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-09 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
Martin chokes, aghast at the very idea.

"Wh- No, nono, no...no. No scissors."

He pads into the room and around the back of the desk, then commands with a gentler voice, "C'mere. Turn 'round."

Without waiting for Jon to comply, Martin spins Jon's desk chair into a better position to survey the damage. He touches the disaster as little as possible, or very very gingerly if he must, just trying to get an idea of what happened...let alone how to fix it.

"How did you even accomplish this?"
recordingends: (pic#14009943)

[personal profile] recordingends 2021-04-09 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
Jon actually blushes when Martin looks at him like that. Chastised, he lets Martin turn his chair around and tries to look back over his shoulder sheepishly.

"It kept coming down so I... twisted it up more." And then he repeated that a few times, apparently, until it stayed where he wanted it to stay, with absolutely no thought as to what he was doing. "There might be more than one in there? I don't remember. I--I wasn't paying attention."

A frown tugs at his mouth and he looks down.

"Is it salvageable?"
secreteary: (pic#14232707)

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-09 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, that...sounds like Jon. Martin just nods, repressing a resigned but fond sigh.

"I won't know until I try, will I? Hold on-"

He pats Jon's shoulder in a silent "stay put" motion, then quickly goes to the bathroom. It takes a few minutes for him to return with a wide brush and a spray bottle full of milky liquid.

"This would probably be easier in the bathroom, but I think this'll be easier on both of us if you're comfortable. Bathtub's not great for perching on."

Once he gets behind Jon and looks at the rat's nest again, Martin huffs in a determined sort of way, then hesitantly takes hold of the last of Jon's hair that isn't in the massive tangle.

"I'll just say in advance, I'm sorry if I hurt you."

He takes a wild guess as to what the "bottom" of the bird's nest is, and starts brushing it with small, short, brisk strokes while trying to minimize any pain to Jon by holding the non-tangled hair in place.
recordingends: (pic#14274684)

[personal profile] recordingends 2021-04-09 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
Jon fidgets with the hem of his cardigan as he waits, feeling increasingly silly for the mess he's made. And, even though they haven't gotten started, he finds himself very grateful for Martin's patience and good humor.

"I think I've earned it by now, don't you?" he says with a dry smile. Jon folds his hands to keep himself from trying to help or doing anything else that might hinder Martin's progress. After a moment, he says,

"I can hold it at the top if you need both hands." There, something useful to offer.
secreteary: (pic#14232692)

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-09 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
"You'd just get in the way."

It's a distracted muttering; a fact of circumstances rather than an admonishment. Martin's reaching for the spray bottle blind; he refuses to take his eye off of the puzzle in case it decides to do itself into another knot.

Spray bottle at the ready, he squeezes the trigger to release its contents onto the bun. It's a pleasant smell; a gentle pear scent. Once he's satisfied that there's enough to work with, he starts brushing again. The going is slightly easier.

"Maybe we should take scissors to this when I'm done. Just for a trim, you know. Keep it manageable."
recordingends: (pic#14092710)

[personal profile] recordingends 2021-04-09 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
The conditioner - Jon assumes that's what Martin must be using - smells nice. It smells rather like Martin, and the thought of his hair smelling like that for a while does make Jon smile.

"Do you like it long?" he asks, almost absently. He is curious to know now that he's thinking about it. Martin is talking about trimming it, after all, and seemed quite invested when Jon was thinking to cut it all off.
secreteary: (pic#14232704)

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-09 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
"If I told you the truth, you'd be disgusted with me."
recordingends: (pic#14553011)

[personal profile] recordingends 2021-04-09 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
That startles a laugh out of him and Jon tries to turn his head to look at Martin.

"Really? Well now I really need to know. I promise I won't be disgusted." Jon reaches back to touch one of Martin's hands, trying to offer reassurance.
Edited (typo) 2021-04-09 05:10 (UTC)
secreteary: (pic#14232703)

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-09 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
Damn. It's his own fault for putting it that way. Martin whines softly in the back of his throat for just a second, before saying firmly: "I think you're very handsome no matter which way your hair's done."

Momentary confidence lost, Martin clears his throat. "...Besides, it's your head. Not mine. Do what you want. Shave it off, for all I care."

(He cares very much.)
recordingends: (pic#14009939)

[personal profile] recordingends 2021-04-09 05:19 am (UTC)(link)
"Martin..."

Jon knows that tone so well by now. He squeezes Martin's hand and pulls away just so he can turn around more. So he can actually see Martin's face without craning his neck. He lifts Martin's hand to his lips and brushes a gentle kiss to the back of it.

"It sounds like you care quite a bit. And I asked because I want to know. Truly."
secreteary: (pic#14232708)

[personal profile] secreteary 2021-04-09 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
That's- Dammit, Jon, that's too adorable. And soft. Martin's poor little gay heart can't take the strain, and he can't help but be irritated at himself for how susceptible he is to Jon being sweet.

"I- Look. Yes. I like it like this. Okay?"

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