I’ve seen a few Slim posts around, so I decided to contribute some random headcanons of my own! I have grown to love Slim just from planning to write about him. I threw some BBQTacos in here because I’ve sort of started shipping him with US Sans even though I haven’t properly delved into their relationship yet.
I’d also like to preface this by saying that I am in no way trying to hate on anyone else’s depiction of Slim. In fact, I actually really enjoy a lot of other headcanons for him; he’s a very interesting character to pick apart! These are just my interpretations of some of his traits, or ideas that I think would suit my own writing style best.
(Below the cut because I literally cannot shut up.)
So, my version of Slim is a bit of a mix between the usual depiction of him (quiet, shy boi, protect him), and the way most people portray Cash (who I don’t really have any clear cut headcanons for yet, but more easy-going and confident (bit of a dick too)). Basically, half the time he’s a nervous, awkward baby; very quiet and reserved – the other half, he’s a suave, laid-back smooth-talker. Yes, these two characterisations are very different – but I’ve somehow conjured up a version of Slim in my head who is a mixture of both.
What I like to headcanon, is that he’s his confident, smooth-talking self when he’s around the Papyri. He understands them. He feels relaxed around them because essentially, they’re him, and he (for the most part) knows what’s going on inside their heads. He doesn’t feel off-guard around them. He even gets a bit flirty with them (mostly just when he wants to piss them off). He almost competes with them in a way (though it’s a very tame competitiveness, mostly for the sake of entertaining himself especially when it comes to Edge). He still errs on the quiet side when he’s around them, but generally, he emanates a cocky sort of smugness. At the end of the day though, he sort of prefers being around the Sanses.
But, when he is around the Sanses, he immediately closes off and becomes meek and shy (even a little timid). He speaks very quietly, and is likely very submissive to them (quick to try and please them, always jumping up at their command). Naturally, this is because of his brother. Razz is certainly emotionally abusive (though, no doubt he has his own issues, but that’s a different story entirely), to the point that Slim is almost programmed to act completely subservient to any Sans, simply due to the ingrained fear of making them snap (despite the fact that 50% of the Sanses are pretty chill).
Now, it might seem kind of weird that Slim actually favours being around the Sanses to the Papyruses when their presence makes him a little skittish, but in reality, he’s actually more comfortable this way. It’s a little pitiful perhaps, but he’s been conditioned (by his brother) to fall into a more timid, submissive role. It’s familiar, and he knows what he’s doing. It makes him feel safe. (Though I think he’d spend time around the Papy’s if he wanted to blow off some steam, or if he was feeling particularly pent up).
This more subdued attitude is reflected in his behaviour around all of the Sanses – but especially around Blue, who bears the greatest resemblance to his own brother. Blue has a similar energy to Razz, though his is directed in a slightly less aggressive manner. Even so, I think Slim would be very jumpy around Blue at first; hesitant to speak to him, slouching more than normal, curling in on himself – the way he often does around his brother so as not to provoke him.
But then, over time, Slim begins to trust Blue – even grows fond of him – almost seeing him as what Razz could have been if he’d grown up in a kinder universe. And from Blue’s perspective (although I haven’t given this as much thought), perhaps he sees Slim as a demure little version of his brother, which tugs on his heartstrings a bit. And with his unlimited supply of empathy, Blue is very eager to latch onto Slim and pamper him until his more confident side comes out.
I kind of prefer them as a platonic couple. At most, romantic, but I’m not really that invested in them being involved sexually. This all being said, I haven’t actually written anything for them, or anything for SF Papyrus at all (yet), so for all I know, these headcanons might change over time.
Sorry, this went on forever. SF Papy is a very complex little egg, and I felt like I needed to elaborate to make my ideas on him clear.
I also kind of feel like I was a bit harsh on Razz in this – I actually think he’s a pretty damaged interesting character! Maybe I’ll do a headcanon thing on him later as an act of redemption.
But. Uh. Thank you for listening to my babbling. Hopefully I find the motivation to actually put this in my writing at some point!
This is all because of @tyranttortoise who got an ask over at the @asktheskelelodge by @with-a-whisper if Rus would wear orange plaid and assless chaps, and I immediately went fucking yes I need to fucking draw that shit because hot fucking damn he would look good wearing that stuff, and this is the result and fuck he sure af looks so fucking good in it! 😀
So fucking happy and proud of this like holy sheit look at it, the colours turned out so good, the anatomy is good, his face, the scars, fucking everything turned out so good and I am so happy, only wish I hadn’t gotten a bit lazy on the crop as it is a bit woobly, but meh, and I also did not make that plaid myself, just used a random image from google and copy pasted it like cray cray, and it turned out pretty good, even though it doesn’t look perfect but I do not care, and all those fucking scars shit those took like almost like 2 hours ahhh so many of them, so many cigarette burns, claw marks and bite marks all over the place, but they turned out pretty good also ahhh shit so happy with this like you wouldn’t believe!
I want to add a comment that @coleart said when I showed this to him, as I really liked it, he said he wanted to add another speech bubble with Rus saying: “care for a fuckin’?” which I agree with wholeheartedly, sadly I am too lazy to add it in the pic itself
also, I wouldn’t take him up on his offer to take him for a ride, if you know what’s good for ya that is pffft
I have a newfound love and appreciation for this boy, so I’m going to talk about him. I’m not even going to try to make a point about characterization. I’m just going to share some of my thoughts on him, and hope that maybe they resonate with a few of you as well.
It is very, very easy to look at Slim and see nothing more than the broken shadow of the skeleton he should have been. It’s even easier to see him as nothing but his brother’s lackey, a puppet that doesn’t think for himself; he is “the dog” after all.
But there’s more to him than that. He’s loyal to a literal fault, willing to stand by the ones he cares about when he should have left long ago. (He doesn’t value himself. He places others’ happiness and wellbeing above his own. He doesn’t think he deserves to be happy.) Despite that, he’s a survivor. He isn’t careless or reckless; he needs to stay alive for his brother’s sake, if for no other reason. (Who else would keep watch over Razz when he’s gone? Who else would keep his LV from rising? Or watch his back in a fight?)
He’s silent to the point of being selectively mute, but he still comes up with jokes and puns. He just doesn’t say them…unless he has a close friend at his side. Then he’ll lightly elbow them and whisper the punchline. And he loves music. When he’s happy (truly happy), he can hardly keep from singing, and when the crushing pressures of his universe become too much, he buries himself in Napstatton’s music or whatever he’s managed to scrounge from the surface.
He may be cracked, perhaps even broken in truth…but he’s still going, for the sake of the people he cares about, if not for himself. After all, he is a Papyrus, and Papyrus-es never give up.
xD Oooh you like assholes too? You have a good taste, pal uwu xD And I’m happy if the story made some feelings to you! ❤ Thank you so much! And have a wonderful day!❀
Slim is probably one of the skeletons I have figured out the least. Razz is just ahead of him in that endeavor, but Slim is still such an enigma to me. I don’t really agree wholly with the “Mutt” headcanons, where he’s a mindless, masochistic servant to his Lord. Or with the headcanons that have him as nothing but a spineless, anxiety ridden mess that is only still alive because his brother protects him and whips him into a semi-coherent pile of shaky skeleton.
I don’t have him figured out, but I did have a thought. All of my skeletons have a fondness for music, albeit in different ways and with different genres, but Slim…Slim is one for the more classical side of things.
The sweeping tones of so many instruments coming together to create such a beautiful symphony has always been something that fascinated him. Instruments such as the violin and the piano are his favorite, because even with just one or the other they can create such simple melodies that can carry him away even on his darkest of days.
He taught himself how to read music sometime after he and his brother moved to Snowdin, memorizing where such notes would be on several instruments. He’s even wrote out a few songs of his own, keeping them in the workshop so no one could ever see them.
It’s his dream, that one day, if they ever reach the Surface, that he’ll get the chance to play one of his beloved pieces of music. That he’ll get the chance to express the feelings in his soul through something that always felt impossible to reach. That he’ll finally be able to hear the wonderful sounds come from an instrument that he himself is making sing.
For now he sits, hands in his pockets, earbuds to his skull, and a soft grin on his face as a calm melody plays, taking him to a better place.
Dragon Blog 