#anyways. why is it always minecraft that my brain latches on to.

[southern--downpour]

woe. clown be upon ye

[justali-anne]

Thought Week: Sans

Of course Sans was in the top 3. He's been the face of Undertale for too long for him not to be, heh. Anyway, I can't wait to unleash my true thoughts and feelings about this sad, pathetic little man.

(Once again, if you have any thoughts on Sans, I highly encourage you to share them in the notes! Without further ado, here we go!)

First Impressions

I first encountered Sans, not as a meme or anything, but in Minecraft animated music videos, the same as Papyrus. I have heard of Sans before that, obviously, but Down To The Bone, Way Deeper Down, and Judgement are the songs that actually introduced him as a character to me. Although now, to this day, I cannot watch the final minute of Judgement because its ending was way too sad for me to handle.

On first watch, Sans was... kinda creepy. He just came across as this guy who acted friendly but if it weren't for a certain promise that I didn't know about at the time, he would've killed you. He genuinely looked like he ACTUALLY wanted to kill you. And that freaked me out. That's probably the reason why I latched onto Papyrus first, actually. I thought Sans was kinda cool, but a little too creepy for my taste. Until I got to see the actual content from the game... And TV Tropes' Woobie page, actually. I think it was learning about Sans' predicament that kickstarted my intense hyperfixation on him. I've always loved characters who broke the fourth wall, and Sans fascinated me because I didn't really consider the consequences of knowing you're living in a video game world, and what impact that would have on your psyche. Now, my brain still has a grip on this pathetic little guy, and it won't let go, no matter what I try, so I guess he's here to stay!

My Impressions Now

Okay, I said I'd give my honest opinion, so here we go. (Sharp inhale)

...

He gives me cuteness aggression.

Like GENUINELY. I actually find him cute!

Not in a romantic way, of course (aroace check!) but he's more like... a silly kitten you just watch and occasionally laugh at because his antics are just so goofy and hilarious.

I think I've just grown numb to his creepy moments, honestly. For example...

YOU THINK YOU CAN SCARE ME WITH THIS CRAP? YOU, A FOUR FOOT TALL LITTLE GOOBER IN A BLUE HOODIE, YOU THINK YOU CAN SCARE ME? I WILL SQUISH YOU SO HARD YOUR HEAD WILL POP OFF YOU LITTLE-

How can a guy be so silly and so tragic at the same time? How can he be so pathetic and yet so badass, like PICK A LANE, SANS!

This little guy will ask himself if spiders have legs and then beat your ass moments later.

And in the murder route...

Are you seriously saying I have to murder that little face? Uh, how about NO?! I already had a hard enough time mustering up the willpower to kill Papyrus, I'm SPENT!

I'm resetting, screw it.

Anyway, that's enough ranting. Now onto the calmer thoughts.

Sans shares the top spot with Papyrus as my favourite character. And I know that might sound basic at first, but actually... I don't think it's that basic anymore. I think the fandom has largely moved on from him now, save for the thousands of AUs revolving around him. Even then, I consider those AU variants separate fan characters more than anything else. Sure, Sans is still popular, but I'm glad that people are focusing more on the other characters now... So I can hyperfixate on him all I want tee hee hee hee!

My favourite part about Sans is that when it comes down to it, he's basically a kindhearted goofball with a dark side. And kindhearted goofballs are my favourite type of characters. I like to call them "friend-shaped". I love his inner conflicts and how subtle they are. I love how he cares for the people around him despite giving up on basically everything else. I love that he's basically a little dork hiding under a calm, cool charisma.

Ah, apologies. He's a little bonehead under his charisma. (But yes, I love that he is a self-proclaimed dork, he's owning it. Good for you, Sans!)

The thing about him that appeals to me the most is both his good heart and his mysterious nature. Because, like I said in the Papyrus one, it gives him more flexibility. More room for creativity and taking liberties when it comes to his backstory. He gave us some bits and pieces, but I like that it's up to us to fill in the gaps a bit.

To be honest, I hope his backstory never gets revealed, so that fans can keep coming up with various interpretations of his backstory for us to explore. To look at them and think, "Ah, yes, this makes sense!" or "Aww, poor baby!" or, "Oh, that's... wow." Things that really keep the fandom going, you know? I just feel like revealing everything in canon would take part of the fun out of him as a character. Besides, he's SUPPOSED to be mysterious! It's a huge aspect of Sans! Taking that away would just be... be... BLASPHEMY!

As for his dark side, well, I can't fault him for that. Little man probably has a lot of suppressed rage under that big grin of his, and I don't blame him for it. He is a very tragic character, but I'll get to that in a different section. The thing is, I actually have a hard time being mad at him, even when he actually does display his faults, which is fair, really. He's not the perfect model of a Tumblr Sexyman, but he was never intended to be. (Perhaps that's why he won a couple of years ago...)

I just really prefer focusing on his good side. He's a genuinely good person. Not perfect, but he's good.

Canon VS Fanon (and why I like both)

(Credit to the original artist)

And it's not just his eye. But yes, I like both canon AND old-fanon Sans. (Apart from the sexual stuff, I find that a little icky for my taste, but I won't judge... unless it involves the more problematic ships [you know the ones].)

Canon Sans is a gem. He's mostly humerus (though he has his moments) and a fun character to have onscreen overall. When I play Undertale, and I see him standing around, waiting for me to interact with him, I smile. Because he's friendship material, but the "ooh, maybe you shouldn't underestimate him if you know what's good for you" kind. I mean, come on!

Imagine going on a long journey through Hotland, and then all of a sudden, you see a familiar friendly face selling hotdogs. And then he stacks them on your head if your inventory is full, because he's awesome like that! Little man pulls off harmless pranks (key word: HARMLESS, because obviously, Sans knows what a good prank is) like painting the telescope and loosening the ketchup lid. Sometimes I like to think messing with people is just his love language lol. Sans doesn't want a lot, he just wants to enjoy his life. He's a troll, but he's still a nice person overall. He's a bro.

But he has a backbone. He knows how to call it quits. The poor guy learned that from hard-borne experience (cough cough the machine in the workshop ahem). Funnily enough, he doesn't HIDE his emotions, but he definitely shows a lot of restraint. He knows when it's appropriate to express his anger. For example, in the Undyne ending where you kill Toriel, if Papyrus is alive, he'll show restraint. But if Papyrus is dead, Sans will make it clear to you how angry he is. And it's a cold kind of anger too. He doesn't hide it, but he's definitely restrained. He's really good at handling his emotions, actually. Has anyone noticed that? I think the only times he truly lost control of his emotions is during the Lost Soul segment (he was brainwashed) and his fit of rage during the end of his boss fight (and even then, it didn't last for more than a few seconds).

And he still has a tragic undertone to his character, but unlike fanon, Sans' grievances (and possible depression) are only really implied in the mercy route and outright stated in the murder route. And when he does reveal his awareness of the time loops, it's either in a more positive light (with the passwords - if your friend is an anomaly that can reset time, why not use that power to prank them?) or with a tired sorrow (think of the neutral judgement where he asks you if you think you should do the right thing with your power, and how he outright states his awareness during his boss fight - Sans is upset, but he's not bawling or anything, he's just sick and tired).

As for Fanon Sans, I'll be talking about the early fanon of around 2015-16-17. I like that as well because back then, it was people having fun with the character and pushing him to his limits. And yeah, it can be out of character sometimes, but when has any fandom ever kept their characters in character, especially where shipping is involved? I'll be focusing more on the "Woobie" fanon Sans because I don't want to touch the "Sexy" side of it. And besides, I actually do like the "Woobie" side.

In a lot of fanfictions I read where Sans was suffering from stuff like depression and PTSD, I've noticed that a lot of it was the writer venting their feelings through a character they really like. And I think that's great! Well, not the fact that they have mental health struggles, but writing to make a character more relatable to you is fine in my opinion. I've been guilty of that when it comes to my autism, so who am I to judge?

Sans' awareness of timelines and resets spawned a lot of what-ifs in the fandom. "What if Sans remembered resets?" "What if he got PTSD from those resets?" "What if he had nightmares?" "What if he tried taking matters into his own hands?" How many AUs spawned from this concept alone? AUs that thousands of fans still enjoy to this day. And don't get me started on Gaster! "What is Sans' relation to Gaster?" "Are they even related at all?" "Was he around when Gaster kicked the bucket?" That sort of thing. How many AUs involve Gaster being a significant part of Sans' life, for better or worse? Isn't it fun to explore? Fun to read? Fun to write?

It's cathartic to see an otherwise composed character break down in tears, isn't it? How many comics of Sans depict just that? Who knows? Maybe he actually does need that release. What would it take for Sans to actually cry? If he really does have depression, wouldn't it be nice to have him finally let out all his sadness and frustration? So he can get better? Can he get better?

Not to mention, Sans is one of the most mysterious characters in the game. It's only natural for a character as popular as him to be speculated about by the fanbase. And that's why I enjoy seeing fanon portrayals of him.

Still, I tend to keep Canon Sans and Fanon Sans separated. I don't let the fanon affect my view of the canon that much. Heck, I created a whole AU so I wouldn't let my story affect how I see canon. Because I love canon as it is, but I love exploring fanon too.

The Narrative

Story-wise, Sans is one of your most consistent allies because he made a promise to Toriel. And he judges you for your EXP and LOVE. He teaches you a lot of things, like how blue attacks work and how the aforementioned EXP and LOVE work. And that's good and dandy. Sans isn't exactly important in the main storyline, but he's got his own thing going on.

Now, meta wise? I'd say Sans is extremely important there. He is a very tragic character when you really get to know him. He deconstructs the "Meta Guy" character type in more ways than one. For example, if he knows how the mechanics of the game work, then why not use that to his advantage? The reason why his boss fight is so hard is because he exploits the game mechanics and uses it against you. You know the drill. Taking the first turn, placing bones in the menu, dodging, the works. Hey, if you could dodge, why can't he? He knows that he's weak without using cheats. So he cheats. His goal isn't to have a fair fight, his goal is literally stopping you from destroying the world. Sans is actually a really creative person, when you think about it. Who else uses bullets in the MENU? (Other than Asgore, maybe, but he just used his trident to destroy the MERCY button. Hey, why can't Sans just destroy the FIGHT button?!)

Another way his self-awareness is deconstructed is the impact the resets have on his psyche. Imagine knowing that your world operates like a video game and someone has the ability to reset time at their very whim. However, when that person resets, everyone else (apart from the ones who had that ability) forgets almost everything. All that's left is deja vu. I think Sans does have some semblance of deja vu too, but either his is weaker or he's just really good at hiding it. Still, though, in an otherwise chill life, that would be a huge weight to carry on your shoulders. Sans isn't the only one who knows about the resets. Flowey and Asgore (and possibly Alphys and Papyrus) know too. But Sans is the only one besides Flowey who explicitly states that, "yeah, i know what's going on here. i know you have this power. and i may or may not be dying inside because of it, can you stop?" Sans is just a guy who's trying his best in a video game world, but he's tired. And he won't stop being tired unless you give him what he wants. And that is a happy ending with friendship and laughter and good food. Because he's a simple skeleton at the end of the day. It doesn't take a lot to make him happy.

Conclusion

Sans is my absolute favourite character in the game besides Papyrus. I think he's an adorable character and I'm sick of pretending he's not. He's just really friend-shaped to me, I don't know how to explain it. I just wish he was real so I can hug him. Speaking of hugging...

If not friend, why friend-shaped?

WORTH IT!