Happy Holidays to all my followers =)

👓🔭🎯💝

👓A general appearance headcanon. 

Quite tall, thin, and prefers to wear tailored, fashionable clothes (mostly suits).  He has sharpish, gaunt features, and somewhat catlike eyelights.  As a skeleton/mummy hybrid he doesn’t have nearly the amount of exposed bone a pure skeleton would.  Both his flesh and bone are extremely similar in appearance and texture so they meld together.

🔭  Which field of science does he specialize in? 

Physics (especially the study of timespace and chrono-topography), magical theory, and engineering, most recently.  As his career has spanned hundreds of years, he’s expanded and shifted his focus as needed.

🎯 What is he like in a fight? 

If against a human:  Quick, dominating, precise.  He wants it over and done with.  He learned during the War that dragging out a fight is a dangerous indulgence.  He’ll attack with more force than he thinks is technically necessary, because it’s better to err on the side of caution and kill the human quickly.

If against a fellow monster:  Assuming it’s any kind of fight in earnest, he prefers to either intimidate the other into giving up before they start, or otherwise convince them to resolve things in a more civil manner.  If he must fight, he’ll usually choose the same quick, powerful style mentioned before.  He’ll do his damnedest not to kill his opponent, though he’s not adverse to beating them up enough that they’ll seriously reconsider challenging him again.

💝 A love headcanon. 

For the most part, he’s along the lines of aromantic/asexual (possibly something else would fit better, I just haven’t found it yet).  He’s pretty much oblivious to anyone trying to flirt with him, more likely to take a comment literally that’s meant to be euphemistic, or become annoyed if someone is too sappy or clingy or demands too much of his time/attention.  He especially doesn’t like to be interrupted for what he considers no good reason. If he does manage to catch on that someone’s trying to flirt with him or be romantic, he’ll do his best to deflect their interest or make his disinterest known as politely as possible.

In the main timeline, he does briefly consider marrying as a social obligation but ultimately decides against it.  He concludes this particular contribution is unnecessary and his attention is better spent on his work.  In the Grillster timelines, he still doesn’t experience romantic love or sexual attraction, but a few changes in the events of those timelines leads him to choose a more intimate relationship with one of his dearest friends.

(Gaster Ask Meme)

Gaster Asks

For people with their own unique interpretations of the void man ✌

🌑 How did he end up in the Void?

🕷 Is he a skeleton, ghoul, lich, something else?

💀 His relation to the skelebros? Is he a dadster or just a friend?

🎻 Does he have any special talents?

🔭 Which field of science does he specialize in?

☞ How do you interpret the whole ‘speaks in hands’ thing? Is it a written language, sign language, or something else entirely?

🕯 Was he born before or after monsters were trapped underground?

💊 Does he have any vices or addictions?

☢ What’s his Level of Violence?

🔱 Describe his relationship with King Asgore.

🦎 Describe his relationship with Alphys.

♂ What’s his orientation?

🍲 His favorite food?

🎯 What is he like in a fight?

❤ Favorite ships?

🗯 Any voice claims? If not, describe his voice.

🔮 Name some of his magical abilities.

☄ Is he from a particular AU?

🌹 A personality headcanon.

👔 A wardrobe headcanon.

💤 A sleeping headcanon.

💝 A love headcanon.

💧 A mood headcanon.

👓 A general appearance headcanon.

✖ What are his biggest flaws?

✅ What are his greatest strengths?

Sometimes the only pay-off for having any faith Is when it's tested again and again everyday. I'm still comparing your past to my future. It might be your wound but they're my sutures.

The Red String Souls Soundtrack - Immortals (Fall Out Boy)

This song started out associated with an old idea that I never managed to flesh out, where Gaster, Chara, and Asriel were all stuck in the Void together.  Over time, as I started developing [redacted], it began to stick in my head as more appropriate to him instead.  Now I can’t listen to the song without imagining my nasty little Void-dweller as he claims yet another Voided Gaster.

([redacted] on the left trying to keep hold of a struggling, Voided Dee)

In restless dreams I walked alone Narrow streets of cobblestone 'Neath the halo of a street lamp I turned my collar to the cold and damp

The Red String Souls Soundtrack - The Sound of Silence (Disturbed version)

A long time ago, a friend of mine introduced me to the idea of collecting songs into a sort of ‘soundtrack’ for stories and characters.  I’ve built up one around Dee and his particular universe.  The Sound of Silence is a song I associate strongly with Dee, a kind of personal anthem about his feelings of his work and the state of monsterkind and just... everything.

[Art request: 4/?] Conversation

Here’s @devon-aster ‘s request with Dee and Grillby talking about their little ghost rider kids. (Check out their @red-string-souls for more info on the pair.)

It’s been a couple of months since I did anything digital, decided that it was time to play with colour/textures. :U

[Timelapse: ???]

Dusting off some Asks

I never meant to take such a long hiatus, but things went all wonky and pear-shaped out in the real world.  As it does at times.  These Asks have been gathering dust and I always meant to answer them, so here they are.  I apologize for using strictly text answers, but it’s what I’m able to do right now.

So here’s more from the good Doctor (base canon version)!

“If you are under the impression we started by building within the magma, you have a strange concept of approaching construction.  Heat resistant supports were first sunk into the magma.  Upon those a framework and a raised platform was built which would later receive modules being assembled elsewhere.  The lower portions which descend into molten earth were placed later, after extensive testing to ensure they would function properly in such an environment.”

-

“There are indeed others of the skeleton type in the underground.  They are not many in number, though that could be said of every type.”

-

“Such an occurrence is extremely unlikely.  It would require an immense power to alter timespace to a degree that it folds upon itself.”

-

“If you are wondering whether I have any objections to such mixing, I do not.  Monsters, unlike humans, are not bothered by such things.  Indeed, we would have died out had we silly ideas about type ‘purity’, as our numbers had been significantly reduced by the War and its after-effects.  Monsters are more concerned with the SOUL, not the appearance, of potential mates.”

Er...

So, I basically up and disappeared from this blog for a while.  I apologize for that. 

Emergency Discount Commissions by xxdhxx

My friend xxdhxx is doing emergency discount commissions.  She’s a lovely person whose health has had serious affect on her income =( .  Her art is beautiful stuff!  If you prefer crafts, she also has an etsy shop.  If you don’t have much but would still like to help, her Patreon has some super cheap tiers =O .  If you can’t spare anything but would like to help, a signal boost is always appreciated!

Thank you for reading!

July-September Doddles. Thought I put these up while solving a technical issue at home.

MWSIH @man-who-speaks-in-hands Cendre @lost-opium-artblog Dee @devon-aster @red-string-souls

Due to life stuff and being sick, I haven’t had the energy to do something new for @silverskye13 ‘s Grillstember thing.  So here is another sketch I did a while ago.  I have a semi-colored version that remains unfinished, partly because I got stuck on how I wanted to color some of it, and partly because I stumbled across a very similar picture someone else did with Sans.

Grillby’s was something of a retreat for Dee, a place he went in between the social whirlwind of Home and Asgore’s court, and his demanding work in Hotland Lab.  Often coming in late to avoid being a disruption in Grillby’s business, he would spend time either visiting with his friend or enjoying the quiet company while Grillby did his closing routine.

RP Snippets - The Dream

So... anybody up for a little story time?  The Grillster Shipping Month thing started by @silverskye13 has been a good excuse for me to drag out various Grillster bits and bobs I’ve collected, along with doing some new stuff.  A couple of those bits are things I wrote sort of as filler/world-building interludes for an RP that DH and I did.  I don’t know if they make much sense on their own, but heck, I thought I might toss them up for funsies.

Context for the following scene:  Dee accidentally transported himself into an alternate universe.  It was not good times.  It was, in fact, very bad times that included nearly killing his alternate self, much pissiness and fighting, and neither of them liking the other very much.  After much soap-opera-ness, he and that ‘verse’s Gaster (aka Will) make peace.  Rum is involved.  Dee gets drunk off his ass.  Also, the Roman mentioned is Will’s deceased husband and Dee doesn’t “get” romance.

-----

Dee didn't have much to offer in response, aside from a few nods of acknowledgement. He was already drifting. He didn't seem to notice any more of Will's preparations for bed. Not the taking away of the tea and it's accompaniment that had led to this condition, nor the loss of light to a mere dim glow somewhere around the corner of the kitchen doorway. As the main lights went off, the colors of the fire tinted the surroundings in shifting gold and orange and red. Shadows folded themselves into the living painting, emerging and disappearing in an entrancing dance with the hearthlight. This, along with the lulling smell of woodsmoke, drew his already unresistant self into sleep like a gentle tide. Body stilled and eyes closed, the older doctor remained as he had first arranged himself on the couch, slumbering quietly as the hours ticked past. But in the deep of the night, he began to stir. Not physically, but mentally. He had slipped through the other stages of rest until he eased into that one that every mind must traverse. The last images of his waking hours transferred themselves from his recent memory onto the walls of his subconscious. Undefined darkness gave way to warm colors that somehow radiated heat. A familiar, comforting scent haunted the air. He drew in a deep breath through his thin nostrils. He thought of fire and wood and snow. Laughter and drinks. A song he could half remember, something scratchy and old and without words, like an ancient gramophone recording. It streamed gently from his mind into the space around him, so that he no longer heard it in his thoughts but from outside himself. He turned in place, trying to locate from where the music came, his shoes scuffing softly on the hard floor. Perhaps if he could find the source, he could remember the name of the song. His gaze finally came to light on an old jukebox. Though it was well-kept for what it was, a relic fished out of the waters of the biggest fall, he knew it worked intermittently and couldn't recall this particular record being available on it. Before he could puzzle over it more or even think to check the choice labels to see if they might offer an answer, something else pulled his attention away. Not far from the jukebox, a shadow dipped in and out of the wavering colors of the wall. It was too far away to be cast from the device itself, if such an occurrence would even make sense, and yet there were no other sources for such a deep break in the illumination that came from everywhere and nowhere. The shadow continued to swim in and out of the light, broken up rather than in one piece, teasingly close yet so indistinct. Dee watched the enigma in fascination. Curiosity built inside him until he could contain it no longer. He reached out. But so far was he from the wall, that his fingertips merely grazed the air. It would take several steps upon several steps for him to actually touch the strange form. Still, his action provoked a reaction. The wobbling darkness came forward again and, this time, did not retreat. It pressed against the film of barrier. Coallescing out of the wavering light, it took on a more recognizable state. It drew unto itself the fiery colors as it stepped forth. The whites, the golds, the reds, the oranges. The black settled into concrete shapes. Sharp lines and angles. The shine of black leather shoes, hard soles that mimicked his own. A smart vest, neatly tied bowtie, a glint of glass, and the crisp white shirt. He stared as this newly born form came toward him, trailing wisps that fluttered in unfelt currents. The name shot a pang through his SOUL: Grillby. However, his friend didn't simply walk toward him. No, something else was happening. Something he couldn't quite grasp. Grillby seemed to be... dancing. But the dance made no sense. Dee couldn't track the path those feet took. It was like watching an old, ill-preserved film in some ways. There were skips and gaps. He couldn't predict where his friend would be from one movement to the next. It was surreal and disconcerting, yet somehow ethereal and beautiful. As much as he tried to understand it, he couldn't. And it frustrated him because he didn't know where to go to meet him. So it was with a start of surprise that Dee found his friend already standing before him. As if he had been waiting there all along. He felt warm hands curl around his own, the feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced before. How could one describe the texture and give of living fire? He vaguely recalled having felt it once or twice. A quiet voice, warm as the feeling that rolled off the elemental in waves, tickled his mind with a seemingly simple request. Dance with me. Dee felt his expression fall. He looked blankly at his friend. "I... I can't. I..." His words trailed off as he glanced around in a faint panic, searching for something that could remedy his lack of knowledge and ability. To the side, he noticed that two others had joined them in the flame-painted room. Will, his translucent flesh reflecting the cozy hues, and a skeleton - Roman, his own thoughts seemed to whisper to him - whose white bones did the same in a more muted way. The pair seemed oblivious to their audience as they moved, smiling and happy and glitching about in those same skipping steps. Dee found he could no more follow them than he had been able to follow Grillby. No matter how hard he stared, he couldn't decipher the pattern. Finally, he turned his gaze back to his friend and admitted in defeat, "I don't know how. I don't understand this dance." He fully expected Grillby to leave him in disappointment, to dance again on his own. Instead, he felt more than saw the smile his friend directed at him. He heard the quiet voice again as Grillby's face tilted just a little closer. Then teach me how you dance. Dee blinked in surprise. He... hadn't expected for that to be suggested. Could he even do so? More importantly, though, "There are others who understand this dance. It isn't that I wouldn't dance with you, but it wouldn't be the dance you wanted." He felt the grip on his hands tighten in a very gentle manner. Dee... Grillby's face came a little closer, almost touching forehead to forehead. The steps don't matter. All that's important is that I'm dancing with you. Dee stood for a moment absorbing that statement. It was powerful. Empowering. The more it seeped into him, the less room he had for doubt. Grillby didn't care about what the dance was, as long as they were dancing together. It didn't matter if he couldn't do what Will and Roman were. What Grillby could do on his own. His long hands shifted in those fiery ones. He took a step to find his friend matched him near perfectly. Another step they took. Another and another. Soon stringing them together in a coherent path. So quick and adept Grillby was at mirroring and complimenting, almost as if he had already spent hours upon hours observing Dee do this dance before, memorizing the steps for the day he could take them himself. He didn't really need teaching and Dee didn't really mind. All he did was send an amused, mock scolding thought toward his friend, who accepted it with a hidden grin. They traced their own path about the room. Now they were the ones oblivious to whether the other pair still danced along in the same space. All they knew was the contentment, the joy, the companionship of their own steps, the way Dee led in this part and Grillby led in another, following and guiding each other along the way. They made their own pattern, incorporating what each of them knew and what the other could come to understand, until they had something uniquely their own.

Grillster doodles!  The ones in black are older, you can see the change in how I drew Grillby’s head.  The ones in blue are technically Gemini Grillster but they’re going here for now.

The top left sketch actually got done as a finished piece.  You can see it here.

The bottom center one probably doesn’t make much sense out of context.  During chats with DH, we came up with the idea that Grillby does photography as a hobby.  Dee is more than willing to volunteer so he can practice his portrait taking XD .  This just a little scene of them messing around after a session.

I’LL FALL WITH YOU

You’re welcome!  Best of luck to Grillby!  Feel free to drop another message later, if you want =) .

(Phew, finally done!  For @thelovelykitchensink, a response from my own Grillster version of Dee =).

I was originally going to color this, but it was looking pretty off so I dumped the coloring for simple black and white.  Sadly, this means Papyrus’ flames ended up hard to see =( .)

A thank you and a note on asks

‘Ellooo.  I wanted to extend another thank you to those who have sent asks since I’ve started doing them.  It gave me a chance to try out something new.

For now, however, I’m temporarily halting the ask/answer thing.  I have a few recent ones in my inbox that I will get to, though it’s likely to take longer than usual.

Part of the reason is that I’ve been basically low level tired for a while in a way I haven’t been able to shake.  I don’t know if it’s depression, or a need to try vitamin supplements again, or the fairly constant bouts of allergies, or a combination of things.  It just makes it difficult to focus long enough to see each answer project through in one push and difficult to pick them up again if I stop part way.

The other part of the reason is I get the feeling that the ask answers aren’t particularly interesting to most of my followers.  Which is understandable.  While I had originally considered doing this as an askblog, it pretty quickly turned into an art and very occasional writing repository.  There’s no coherent framing narrative to latch onto, no setup to hook into.  Just a sort of free-floating, answer from a vague point in the timeline, no set rules on how exactly this is supposed to be working.  Not everyone likes askblog things and not everyone finds them easy to get into.

For those who might still be interested in an askblog involving Dee (and Grillby!), I have been working on a concept that will have an actual dedicated askblog with proper setup.  Due to the whole constant tiredness thing and some other life stuff, its opening has been delayed beyond what I meant.  But I still plan on doing it and will post when it’s officially ready for followers/asks!

Thank you again to anybody who took the time to send in asks, it was very much appreciated and a lot of fun to work on!

WHISPER NOTHING

(Wanted to contribute at least one picture to Grillstember.  I came up with this mess.  Ah well.)