Talk:Sans/@comment-27176928-20151108084752

During the battle against Asriel, when it's time to save the souls he's absorbed, you first encounter them saying something quintessential to their character, and in all cases except Sans they're things you've seen them say in-game before (Undyne calls you the enemy, Papyrus says he must capture you). Sans's dialogue however is this:


 * just give up. i did


 * why even try?

It's really interesting to me that of all the things he could say, it was that, as you never see him be anything but a generally upbeat, happy character. The other time(s) it's hinted at that Sans may carry a lot of regret around is during one of the Neutral endings (the one where you kill everyone you encounter, but don't clear all the zones of trash mobs):

* i bet you're wondering why i'm not the ruler

* eh.

* i'm not cut out for something like that

* i like to take it easy, you know?

* ...

* ... that's a joke.

* this is what happens when people like me take it easy...

...and the Genocide route ("I can't afford not to care anymore"). It's also hinted at when you treat him to dinner at the MTT resort and he tells you that maybe it's better to just take what's given to you.

Now, the exact nature of this regret is never revealed, but I'm personally a huge dork for fan theories about maybe-canon-characters like Gastor, and I like to think that his attachment to Papyrus is not just because he's family, but because he's the only family he's got left.

Another interesting thing is that during your encounter with Shyren, if you continue to hum to her, you will start a humming concert for which Sans sells tickets made of toilet paper. If you've killed Papyrus however you will instead get the flavor text that a hooded figure is watching you from a distance, which is almost definitely Sans.