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 Post Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 6:10 am 
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Oasis is an empty pepper shaker reinhabited by a spirit ... or probably not.

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 Post Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2014 6:17 pm 
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Finally read through this whole thread. Took me a couple weeks. So, my thoughts on Oasis.

I don't think her revival has anything to do with nanites. I think the nanites in 4U city were more advanced versions of what we've seen already in Sluggy Prime. Most of 4U City was that, a possible future of what we already know. Including what might happen if hC ever gets their hands on Oasis and what they need to control her.

I also doubt that Oasis is Rana. Though I do think there is likely a connection. Possibly someone of Rana's blood line, hence the fire power and immortality. Or something Rana created.

Personally, I've long thought that Oasis is likely a Pheonix. Obviously she's not a bird. But much has been made of the line about a mind made human. But magic fire powers and resurrection would fit with this, even if she leaves a corpse behind, that's just her old ashes.

Slightly off topic, but as I saw speculation about Rana come up a few times on the last few pages, an idea I had just since reading that, but I wonder if Rana might be Mrs. Clause. She's supposed to be half mortal, so that she might look old after thousands of years is not entirely unreasonable. Dunuloa looks different now, as she's Basphomy. Also, it seems trying to remember something from millenia ago is not an unheard of problem even for immortals, though we don't know how clear Mrs. Clause's memories are. or just how far back they go. Just a thought I had as I read the last couple pages. Could be totally wrong.

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 Post Posted: Fri Aug 22, 2014 12:19 pm 
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Eagle299 wrote:
Dunuloa looks different now, as she's Basphomy.

Pete confirmed in a Q&A that Dunuloa actually isn't Basphomy, but rather, that Basphomy is one of her highly advanced constructs. I was surprised cause I had taken the two being the same as a given when we saw Basphomy's face superimposed on Dunuloa's silhouette.

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 Post Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 6:07 pm 
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Just going to place this here. I'm guessing today's strip (December 10, 2014) may become a factor later with Oasis.

If Dr. Steve made a few improvements to the vegetable formula... am I wrong?

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 Post Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 1:49 am 
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It's totally possible. One trouble with that, though, is since the protection bubble has remained unbroken since the 70s, nobody should have had access to how the vegetable zombies work. Still, I would not bet hard money against them opening that vault and discovering that someone's already broken in previously.

In either case, Torg is gonna kick himself later for not at least asking Bill about the pyrokenesis experiments.

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 Post Posted: Tue Dec 23, 2014 2:04 am 
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Oasis has been confirmed as being outside the Web of Fate. Pete recently commented that one thing that can make someone/something be outside the Web is if they're from another dimension.

What if the deal with Oasis's immortality is that, every time she dies, a version of her from an alternate universe is summoned, but her Alt-self's memories are overwritten with the memories of Sluggy Prime Oasis?

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 Post Posted: Fri Dec 26, 2014 4:03 am 
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Fianna Lord wrote:
Oasis has been confirmed as being outside the Web of Fate. Pete recently commented that one thing that can make someone/something be outside the Web is if they're from another dimension.

What if the deal with Oasis's immortality is that, every time she dies, a version of her from an alternate universe is summoned, but her Alt-self's memories are overwritten with the memories of Sluggy Prime Oasis?


Hey, that makes more sense than most of the ideas on Oasis I've heard! That way the hint/theory Pete gave about her being different people each time (with different interpretations of "giddy as a schoolgirl" and "love") inhabited by a spirit would be true, but in an unexpected way.

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 Post Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2015 3:13 pm 
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Eagle299 wrote:
Personally, I've long thought that Oasis is likely a Pheonix. Obviously she's not a bird. But much has been made of the line about a mind made human. But magic fire powers and resurrection would fit with this, even if she leaves a corpse behind, that's just her old ashes.

The only thing I don't like about Oasis being a phoenix is that there have been precisely 0 occurrences of a phoenix in, well, anywhere in the comic. I think that although it provides a lot of logical explanations for her powers, the fact that Oasis has been connected to the story for so long seems to indicate that she would be connected with other story-central forces, such as the gods.

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 Post Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:36 pm 
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On page five, the second post from the bottom, a fellow named Timotheus gives us a pretty good summary of everything we know for certain about oasis, and on the basis of said summary, comes to the following conclusion:

Quote:
Oasis is a weaponized ghost, or other supernatural spirit, but is only one ghost, not a collective. She also does not move from body to body, otherwise there would be more reference to some news story about bodies missing from all those other places, but is able to reform her mortal form in some other manner though I have yet to come up with a sound theory on this one. She is either the result of some residual spiritual and paranormal activity after the Orsintos labs are destroyed, perhaps one of those ghosts or spirits found its way to her when that picture outside the Orsintos facility was taken, or the direct result of the experiments that took place there. She still retains her real personality, meaning that Oasis is Oasis, but she is influenced by the spirit within her and more and more of the real Oasis is unlocked every time she dies, new emotions, intelligence, social aspects and mental checks against her emotions.


With the exception of the "ghost from Orsintos influences Oasis" bit (I incline towards the assumption that Oasis herself is the paranormal one), I think that this is a fair summary of the most obvious theory about her: one spirit of some kind "finding herself" by living multiple lives in multiple bodies.

The primary open questions, the way I see it, are 1) where is Oasis getting the bodies? and 2) Where did Oasis come from in the first place?

I think that the key to answering question one can be found in This comic. We see Oasis in a vat of something while Dr. Steve stands next to a shrouded something, dressed in surgical garb. One conclusion that suggests itself rather strongly to my mind is that the shrouded figure is (or rather, was) Oasis. Dr. Steve just figured out how to get the spirit to enter a second body - a body stored in a vat, the vat in which Oasis was trapped during the scene.

This opens up the possibility that Dr. Steve's laboratory is full of Oasis bodies in vats, which Oasis takes over whenever she "un-dies." Additionally, this explains why Dr. Schlock would want to control Dr. Steve's base. Access to the set of all future Oasis bodies - and the technology that allows her to make use of them - would surely be a tantalizing prize to anybody with aspirations to world domination.

As to the second question, while I am not inclined to support the "sun-twin-moon-twin" theory, and would just as gladly chalk Oasis up to another cause, the similarity in facial structure between Oasis and Rana requires comment. It is possible that the "spirit" that is possessing multiple bodies is Rana with some kind of amnesia. This would explain why Dr. Steve would see her "finding herself" to be so important: the discovery that one is really an ancient demigod would presumably be a confidence-booster, to say the least, and if one is ill-disposed towards a certain back-stabbing corporation, a confidence boost of that scale could spell doom.

However, even if Oasis is Rana, that doesn't make Kusari Dunaloa. We have reason to suspect that Basphomy is Dunaloa, and we also have reason to suspect that Kusari is Hereti-Corp's attempt to re-create Oasis. The idea of a clash between Basphomy and Oasis is certainly far more interesting, plot-wise, than a second clash between Kusari and Oasis. Among possible outcomes is the relocation of Oasis to timeless space, should the clash occur in Father Time's tower. And we can all imagine the fun Pete would have with THAT. At any rate, the connection between Kusari and the moon twin boils down to the shape of Kusari's mask, from my perspective, and as such, there is little reason to think that Kusari is anything other than a knock-off Oasis.

That being said, I think that there is a far more interesting theory to be had on Oasis' origin. While we have reason to believe that Basphomy is Dunaloa, we also have reason to believe that Dunaloa created Basphomy as some kind of construct (IIRC, somebody else posted something about Pete saying that in a Q&A). We also have a statement from Uncle Time that artificial life creates a tangle in the fate web. Finally, we have confirmation that the death of Oasis would alleviate the tangle in the Fate-Web. Put it all together, and you have a compelling reason to think that Oasis is artificial life, and is herself the cause of the tangle in the Fate-Web. This later explanation of Oasis' origin is the one that I favor, and (from my perspective) it has a rather stronger evidential basis than the moon-twin-sun-twin theory.

So, to sum up, it seems almost certain that Oasis is some kind of spirit that is trying to "find herself" by living multiple lives in a series of mortal bodies. It seems reasonable to suspect that Dr. Steve was at some time growing these bodies in vats, and the supposition that these Oasis-body-growing vats remain at is lab explains Dr. Schlock's obsession with posessing the lab. Finally, the hints that the death of Oasis will untangle the Fate-Web and that the production of artificial life causes tangles in the Fate-Web strongly suggest that Oasis is some kind of artificial life, though we can only guess who made her and why.

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 Post Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2015 9:54 am 
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For some reason I keep thinking that Uncle Time has something to do with Oasis or the "Oasis Crisis" in general.

When we saw the Dimension of Rain's exploitation of Timeless space via the Judgment Chutes, there became a way to almost seamlessly remove someone from the mortal world into Timeless Space. What if that is in some way related to how Oasis regenerates? She does seem to be an artificial life, which puts a huge strain upon the web, but I hypothesize that part of her "artificial" nature is to return to Timeless Space when she would normally die. Like a mortality contingency. Once she's in Timeless Space, she's in Uncle Time's domain. Uncle Time has been shown to be able to put beings back in the mortal world from Timeless space, and Oasis has no recollection of her time there, just like those "judged" in the Dimension of Rain. Furthermore, as a God, Uncle Time should be able to heal wounds and time is no object in Timeless Space.

If that is true, then what is the point of Oasis? What was her point, prior to being discovered by Dr. Steve, meeting Torg and the gang, and ultimately all of the actions we have seen thus far? Another hypothesis: She is Sluggy Freelance; the tether by which all of the potentials are tested by Uncle Time to stop K'Z'K. Oasis has tested all of the potentials and she has been defeated by all of them. Torg's heart, Gwynn's magical mind, Zoe's Stormbreaker spirit. She even tested the ability of Lord Sluggy to physically survive in the most brutal of scenarios despite forgetting his godhood. When Uncle Time and Googol created the link between the potentials, that tangle to put all the potentials together, Uncle Time needed a secondary way to ensure that it all happened correctly and on time. What better way than to drop an artifical life form, with the ability to return to its creator if it fails, into the timeline to guide the potentials and ensure that they are ready for what it would take to save the Spark, and all life?

The ultimate problem now exists: K'Z'K's plans have been thwarted (for now), but K'Z'K, according to the lore of the Sluggyverse, needs to destroy the Spark at some point. That is a defined purpose of the destruction pillar of reality. If Oasis still exists, K'Z'K cannot ever destroy the Spark, and the Omega Pillar, K'Z'K, will eventually die and all of reality will be destroyed.

My final hypothesis: Oasis cannot be "killed" unless it is done in Timeless Space. Someone in the Sluggyverse has to travel to Timeless Space, find Oasis, and destroy her for good. (My guess: Torg, Riff, Zoe, Bun-Bun, Schlock and Kusari on the same side against Uncle Time and Oasis in Timeless Space.)

TL;DR Version:

Hypothesis One: Oasis is an artificial life form with the ability to return to Timeless Space when near death.
Hypothesis Two: Oasis was made to be the rallying cry for potentials to stop K'Z'K's plans.
Hypothesis Three: Oasis cannot be "killed" for good unless she is "killed" in Timeless Space.

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 Post Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2015 3:01 pm 
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I think it is easier to spec om kusari than oasis, since shlock made his comment that he knows what kusari hides under her mask. And she asked if she was one of those poor kids.

If oasis is an aspect of a god, then kusari is an aspect of the bug. Remember how long he has been inside Gwynn? He is practically a part of the gang.

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 Post Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 8:00 pm 
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No new posts about Oasis?

Let's see, we now know she's living with the Zalias, which they seem ambivalent about, at the best. She assassinates and robs wealthy scum to finance what seems to be a fantastically expensive lifestyle. It's clear this is a different version of Oasis than the one the Zalias first knew, and it seems like she might have a reputation for being taciturn.

She denies being a robot, but Katie has her doubts.

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 Post Posted: Tue Aug 16, 2016 9:23 pm 
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I'm wondering if there's any significance to the hat that oasis is wearing, with a picture of a screw and a picture of a ball. Screwball? Is there another interpretation I'm missing? Have we seen the hat before?

http://sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/160812

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 Post Posted: Wed Aug 17, 2016 4:37 pm 
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I found the way Oasis said "Override B-1" in today's strip interesting. "Deadpan" is the word that Drachefly used... to me, she seemed almost bored. Since this was a flashback colored by Katie's perceptions, it's hard to tell how accurate that description is.

However, after looking back at the strips from 8/12 and 8/15, it's clear that Oasis is aware of her enforced reaction to Hereti-Corp, and is bored and/or irritated at it. (ref: the look on her face in the 8/15 strip when she says "Brainwashed, not programmed.")

Is she finally beginning to know herself, as Dr. Steve wanted?

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 Post Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 12:32 pm 
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The latest set of strips got me thinking and the following mass of words is the result:

What comes to my mind when thinking of Oasis's personality is "tabula rasa". She seems to exhibit a different personality with each incarnation though "Override B-1" and "love Torg" appear to be the two constants. The latest incarnation seems the most mercenary and cynical; she usually appears to be more innocent, if insane. Of course, we are now seeing many events through Katie's memories so it is unclear how reliable some of the information is.

Oasis has killed many Hereti-corp agents in the past under the influence of "Override B-1". She also has killed people that she has perceived to be "bad-guys", for example during her time in Podunkton. But through all this time, Oasis had never expressed even the slightest interest in the money or other valuables that they might have been carrying. This raises the question of what caused this change.

Sluggy time does not correspond well (and quite possibly not at all) to time in the real world, but this could be the longest lived incarnation of Oasis since the first one. She has spent virtually all of this incarnation on the run together with the Zalias. This will have taken its toll in many ways. One of the key things that they would have needed through this time is money and, under these circumstances, looting the bodies of the dead would have been a very pragmatic thing to do.

When did Oasis start looting the homes of her victims though? The when isn't clear at this point. The why probably is the same as for looting the bodies of the dead: the need for money. The fact that Hereti-corp is in pursuit makes it difficult for any of the three of them to pursue, shall we say, more conventional ways to earn money but was it even tried? That is a question that hopefully will be answered in coming days. Who came up with the idea of looting homes though? It is almost impossible that Katie would have come up with it. That leaves Kareen and Oasis. It is probable that Oasis would have been willing, maybe even happy, to loot the homes of her Hereti-corp victims given the type of programming that she would have gotten from Dr Steve Hereti. Whether said programming would have led Oasis to suggest looting these homes is unclear but it seems unlikely, given the behaviour of past incarnations, that she would have come up with the idea on her own. That makes Kareen the more likely of the two.

Oasis would have, given past behaviour, been quite willing to kill people she perceived as "bad-guys". She almost certainly would have been willing to use any information that she obtained from her targets to strike at other "bad-guys" as well. Profiting financially from her victims is probably relatively new for her but I believe that she would be willing to do so if she felt it necessary to help the Zalias. I doubt that she would be happy about it though.

Why Oasis sought out the Zalias instead of Torg is a question that hasn't been answered yet. My guess is that this was a conscious decision on Oasis's part. It is striking that Oasis was able to track down the Zalias so easily. While this adds to the list of abilities that we know (or suspect) she has, it also implies that she could have tracked down Torg as well, his own skills at staying hidden notwithstanding.

Both of the Zalias have commented on Oasis being "chatty". While the consensus of other posters is that Oasis is speaking more than usual, it actually seems more likely to me that both Zalias are being sarcastic and that they are actually saying that Oasis is less gregarious than usual. Oasis actually appears to be rather sad at this point in time. While that might be from the blow she took to her head, it might well be that Oasis has become quite unhappy at her overall state of affairs.

As others have observed, she has gained some degree of self-awareness. She seems to now know just how deeply Override B-1 affects her. She also is aware of her own resurrective immortality. I also think that she made a choice in seeking the Zalias instead of Torg and that she is in the process of becoming her own person even if she remains a long way from truly knowing herself. I therefore think it likely that Oasis is assessing her overall state of affairs and the effect that she has had on the Zalias and is unhappy because of it.

What I believe made Oasis most unhappy is what has happened to her relationship with Katie. The two of them used to get along quite well but it is very clear that things have soured. Katie would have become afraid of Oasis after she stabbed Nash Straw. Imprisonment at the hands of Hereti-corp and Kusari's murder of Feng did not help matters, especially as it became clear to Katie that all this happened because Hereti-corp were after Oasis. Even after Katie and Kareen escaped, they still had to remain in hiding. Oasis might have been willing to murder villains and take their money to provide a more comfortable environment for the Zalias but that in turn created its own problems. For one, Katie is fully aware of where the money is coming from and detests it; the fact that Oasis continues to kill to obtain more money only worsens this and continues to increase the fear that Katie has of Oasis. For another, the fact that she has to remain in hiding means that Katie has simply moved from one prison to another, even if the newer prison is somewhat more comfortable. Thirdly, it is clear that Kareen has become an alcoholic, likely in response to everything that has happened in the past few years. Katie, justifiably, blames Oasis for all of this. Oasis, in turn, sees this as her fault and is trying to put things right even though she might know at some level that she can't and that her efforts are actually making things worse.

Another thing that would have made Oasis unhappy is what has happened to Kareen. This is a person who she cares about but who has obviously become an alcoholic. Being on the run from Hereti-corp was one cause of this. Oasis might also have realised at some point that having Kareen dispose of all those corpses in Podunkton was another cause. Kareen also either does not seem to care, or no longer seems to care, that Katie is repeatedly running away. This is yet another thing for Oasis to feel guilty for.

Oasis had once, in the context of wondering if she was monster, asked Feng "You mean the joy I take in morally equivocating slaughtering those I deem 'badguys'?" (a question I do not understand in the slightest) and interpreted Feng's answer of "more or less" as saying that she was not a monster. Oasis might, possibly subconsciously, be looking back at the events of the past few years. If so, she might well see the unmitigatable disaster that she had unwittingly visited upon the Zalias. She might know of the trail of bodies that she left in her wake. She might know that many of her victims were because of "Override B-1" and therefore of insanity. But she also would see the murders that she committed of her own volition, albeit with the best of intentions (and possibly out of innocence), and ask if she is one of the "bad-guys" herself. She in short, might again be asking if she is a monster and finding that the answer is, as per her worst fears, "yes".

The net result is that these events have indeed robbed Oasis of her prior innocence but has replaced that with cynicism, self-loathing and guilt. It might also have tempered her insanity but in an exceedingly tragic way.

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