Here I go again adding to this monster – me and @napstamuse got into a chat together, and we came up with another related theory, this time regarding Sans’ lab. The fandom already put forward the idea that the room is somehow “reset-proof”, and there’s lots of evidence for this; Gaster’s machine, blueprints seemingly written in Wingdings, the photo of you and your friends appearing there post-pacifist, and most recently the “Don’t Forget” picture.
But why is Sans’ labreset-proof?
Well, if we go by Napsta’s post and assume that the ‘Dead Timeline’ was shattered by Gaster’s actions, and that the ‘Goners’ are the remains of NPCs from that timeline, then it’s safe to assume that Gaster wasn’t the only thing scattered across time and space. When the Dead Timeline broke, everything was scattered. So that includes people, and objects, andplaces.
We already know that Sans has the ability to manipulate ‘doors’ (a ‘door’, in video game coding terms, means anywhere you can walk off screen and end up somewhere else) so he ends up somewhere completely different. Nowhere seems to be out of bounds, and he’s even proven he’s able to move large objects along with him, like his sentry station with the snow still on the roof. So if there was a piece of the Dead Timeline out there, still somehow intact, who’s to say he wouldn’t be able to open a ‘shortcut’ right into it?
Which brings us to Sans’ lab, a room which is never mentioned at all by anyone in the game, and is even around the back of Sans and Papyrus’ house, a place where you wouldn’t think would be possible to go. Not even Sans himself will tell you where the second key is or where to use it after he pranks you. It’s almost like it doesn’t exist… or it at least doesn’t exist in the ‘Alpha Timeline’, the reconstructed world in which Undertale now takes place.
That’s why Gaster’s machine and blueprints are here. That’s why the “don’t forget” picture is here. Sans’ lab – or maybe Gaster’s Lab – is a fragment of the Dead Timeline, just like the ‘Mystery Man’ room. Heck, a slowed-down version of “It’s raining somewhere else” is playing here – perhaps implying that you really have stepped into “somewhere else”. That could explain how this room has seemingly survived Gaster’s disappearance, even though all traces of his work should have been erased. The room is “reset proof” because it’s outside the timeline that’s being reset.
This little slice of ‘home’ is no doubt a very important thing to Sans, so it’s no wonder the only way that players can see this room is when he’s determined they aren’t a threat to the timeline. When the player reloads over and over after his spiel about LV and EXP, and he realizes he’s seeing time travel first hand, that could be the moment in Pacifist (versus Genocide’s timelines coming to an end) that he realizes he’s dealing with “the anomaly”. And maybe it’s also the moment he realizes that we don’t want to destroy, but learn more about their world. And about him. That’s why we keep coming back, that’s why we keep looking, even though it looks like he’s messing with us.
It’s only when Sans trusts you that much that he’s willing to show you the truth; the last remnant of the world he came from.
I love the snippet about the music in there. When you think about the fact that the only other place “It’s Raining Somewhere Else” is when Sans is talking to you about wanting to go home…
I mean, we know how significant the music is in this game. It seems totally possible that this was meant to be a hint: Sans literally comes from “somewhere else”.
Also along the lines of Sans being able to manipulate doors (thanks for adding our convo to the post btw, this was a great thought!!) we can actually see Sans change what’s behind the door to his room around.
For one, you can see a weird fire-like light coming from behind Sans’ door…
..When the room behind it clearly doesn’t have anything in it that could be causing that light.
And also, even though it’s played off as you walking on a treadmill in the dark..
..You’re clearly walking in the wrong direction for it to be the treadmill.
Also, when the lights flip on, it makes the same sound when Sans does his flicker attack during your fight with him. This is the sound of him using his spacial manipulation. It’s just in this case, he’s using it to play a prank on you.
So I think it’s not only possible but probable that Sans’ lab is reset-proof because it’s actually a small piece of the dead timeline.
Considering that Gaster is slowly becoming more and more canon, I think we need to pay very close attention to Sans’ lab in any future patches.
honestly just really like undertale 