I find myself perplexed by how readily even some platonic MoLan shippers tuck the Aes Sedai and her Warder into bed together.

Not be a stickler for canon (y’all do you), but I can’t recall them once sharing a bed in the books. Am I forgetting/overlooking a reference? (Genuine question.)

My assumption is that this stems, somewhat, from in ‘intimacy’ of the bath scene in episode 1.01 (even though Mo specifies “one room, two beds” upon their arrival at the Winespring.

The thing about the bath scene, it’s such a great straightbaiting feint. Absolutely consistent with the canon Shienaran bathing practices from the books. Co-Ed public bathing and all that, nothing romantic or sexual about it.

The only stretch of that scene being, what’s a tub like that doing in the Two Rivers? Do members of the Women’s Circle have weekly meet ups there, where they drink wine while they overshare or something?

Last entry from Have A Happy Hobbit Holiday 2021 I will be sharing.

There was a 'Ri brothers comic I also did, but I for real loath it. Not going to delete it becuae it was a gift I gave, but oh boy.

[ my fanart ] ♥ [ my tolkien fanart ] ♥ [ my info ]

American Holocaust — David E. Stannard

a dream of a bathhouse

Last night, I dreamt that I, along with some of my former peers, walked into a newly-renovated women's restroom at the college I used to attend, where, to our delight, we discovered they had included in it a bathhouse. It was a dazzling, warmly-lit space gilded in copper and adorned with live plants (of interest to me: a young fig tree), that tempted us to strip down and bathe ourselves right away. For the first time, it was as though we felt truly cared for by the institution, and now we would care for each other in this space.

As I reflected on the meaning of this dream, I realized there must be political and cultural potential in the bathhouse--perhaps one that we desperately need. We know this from the ancient Greeks and Romans, whose philosophies emerged out of the forum that were communal baths. Hot springs and bathhouses survive as essential community spaces around the world, from the 24-hour Korean spas where families can eat, sleep, and bathe, to Japanese onsen where watching hunchbacked, naked 90-something year old ladies revolutionized my ideas of beauty, to the social hub that are the Russian banyas.

But we (as Americans) mostly come in contact with bathing through its fragmentated and privatized forms--rarely publicly--with our expensive day spas, retreat centers, backyard Jacuzzis, master bathrooms, daily showers, and self-care bath rituals: all sweet little escapes from the daily (capitalist) grind, but only as far as they serve our individual bodies. We understand the importance of bathing, and sometimes grant ourselves its performance alongside others, but rarely naked, and only with the right kind of "others"; communal bathing is to either be done with a sexual partner or on/as an occasion, e.g. ladies' spa day. It must shield us from the "impure," which can only come with the barrier of a price tag. The colonized mind commands that a hyper-sanitized personal lifestyle is what distinguishes us from the savages, so it follows that public communal bathing carries risk. Cleanliness as class division. As puritanical fascism. Let's also add to this the moral taboos of public bathing which stem from our fear of the naked body, the sexualized body, the non-normative (especially, the queer) body. Also, our fear of contagion and infection. Our fear of nature, the natural. Our amnesia that we are made of water, water is life, and it is a universal right to be able to access safe water. Our erasure over community in the righteous pursuit of individualism. And that we heal together, not alone. What realities are we scared to face when we are naked together?

Perhaps bathhouses are a great leveler (if they are constructed with access and ability in mind; right now, that may not be possible as we are still in a life-threatening pandemic). I think this essay/article suggests so, and helpfully explains the global and historical significance of bathhouses, and that there is a changing consciousness around public, communal bathing:

"Renewed interest in this rich historical panorama is helping to reimagine the bathhouse as a community space and reconnecting us to water in an increasingly water-stressed era. Unlike the contemporary spa – almost invariably a place of privilege and luxury – the bathhouse has more inclusive roots. New models are emerging in response to changing social and urban conditions and shifting boundaries between public and private life, and between personal and communal space. There is also now a need for wellness spaces built on different principles from the rabid consumerism of the beauty and leisure industries."

Source: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/design/a-new-sauna-culture-reimagining-the-bathhouse-as-a-community-space/article32333172/

this definitely happened

sigh...................... i think we need to get 2016 undertale fandom levels of annoying. we need to take drastic measures. i want ISAT not just to be popular but to be NOTORIOUS. do you understand. do you understand me

scribbles... pre-relationship onsen trip

The Baths of Caracalla by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

Jumy-M Naoshima Bath / 直島銭湯 "I♥︎湯" by artist Shinro Ohtake / 大竹伸朗

Haven’t posted in a minute

I need to draw more characters scrubbing each other’s backs

it’s not a sunday but my one thought is that veritas roams around naked a lot and if you happen to catch sight of him he isn’t really bothered okay bye

What a great place to test your powers, Clark

Superman #321

I haven’t been drawing much lately so have an old doodle that I think was from some kinda rp shenanigans XD

At The Baths by John Gleich (1879-1927)

View of the Medea Hotel in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Printed on front: "Medea Hotel and mineral baths, Mt. Clemens, Mich. The bath city of America." Printed on back: "Mount Clemens mineral baths. World renowned for rheumatism, nervousness and that run-down condition. Open all year. Twenty miles from Detroit. Write for booklet. Medea Hotel and mineral baths, Mt. Clemens, Mich. Genuine Curteich-Chicago 'C.T. Art-Colortone' post card (reg. U.S. Pat. Off.)"

Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public Library