Yodimus_Prime wrote:
thumbs through dusty stacks of theories
Umm...did ANYONE call that Daedalus might be a clone/whatever-a-rebirth-is of Dr. Steve?
Well, we've known that that
Dr Steve is Daedalus since The Bug The With and The Robot. We've just lacked context and details. There were a few theories stating that D was an Oasis prototype, which doesn't seem too far off what we've learned today. Of course I've missed out on the better part of a decade's worth of theories, so maybe more was said in my absence.
Yodimus_Prime wrote:
My god, RYXlord's OP is friggin' epic. Kind of intimidating to follow that, but he's passed on into legend almost as long ago so there's no sense waiting for him to do it.
Yodimus_Prime wrote:
Normally this was done by the far more competent and prepared RYXLord.
Aw shucks, you're making me blush. Its nice to have your work appreciated, and its nice to see others taking up the torch. Good on you, Yodimus, for stepping up. This thread gets my official seal of approval, not that you need it. Just keep at it and you'll get the hang of it no time. And when things start to look grim, pass it off onto someone else. Share the burden. No one can bear the weight of the world alone forever - they'll drown in it.
Though this is not my return, I would like to apologize to everyone I let down by my absence for the greater part of this past decade.
WOHPAOH was proof of my love for this story, of my devotion to Pete, the community, and the character of Oasis. I remember, as a younger man, I would go late into the night discussing Sluggy theories with my best friend at the time. We would spend late hours into the night combing over minutia, pecking for gold in the sand, and we'd find so much that would excite and inspire us. We wanted to share that sense of discovery - that magic found when you unravel a particularly juicy clue - with everyone. But as time wore on we realized that all the discussion was so disorganized and amazingly creative theories would rise and fall - both with my friend, here on the forums, and in the IRC - only to eventually fade away into obscurity. It felt like a disservice to not have a centralized repository of lore and speculation where we could actually sit down as a community of fans and get poop done. That's why I created WOHPAOH - so that we could provide a platform to honor everyone who thrills in the unraveling of our little 20+ year mystery. I wanted to take some part of the joy that I had felt and to return that joy back to everyone who helped me feel it.
But I was young, full of fire, and off to university. Suddenly I had less and less time to monitor the forums and to sift through and compile all the wild and fun speculation. I struggled and did what I could, but I simply could not keep up. I told myself that I would find the time to catch up, that my absence would be temporary, but as months turned to years it became clear that that was not the case. I grew guilty, regarding my failings. This was supposed to be an act of love and devotion, and yet I had let everyone down. Throughout the years I would occasionally check the forums, and see that my thread was still there and I would feel my guilt anew knowing that my life had moved on and that I had neither the time nor wherewithal to take up my task once more. "Its only a matter of time," I would say to myself, "before it gets pruned," and I would feel a complicated sense of loss, like knowing a once loved childhood treasure was soon to be gone for good.
Sluggy never stopped being a part of my life. I started reading it over 15 years ago and it helped shape who I am today in ways I'm still discovering. It, and this community, got me through hard times and made good times better. And it has grown, and so have I. Eventually I stopped beating myself up over the dumb things I did when I was young and melodramatic. Eventually, when that rare storyline would come along that would compel me to check the forums, I would look at the WOHPAOH thread, dusty and bloated but still stickied, and I would smile proudly and remember the fire I once possessed. Hearing you speak highly of what I did - that you see the thread as something great instead of a silly old fossil - makes my heart feel lighter. I am proud of what I accomplished, proud that you all have chosen to tend to it and carry it forward through the years, and that now you carry on the legacy. I am honored that it was able to give some of the joy I felt back to you all. If it inspired your imaginations, honed your appreciation for the greater work that is Sluggy, or even just made you smile, then that, here at the end, is perhaps the best expression of my love that I could have hope for.
So thank you for your kind words and for taking up my quarrel with the foe, and thank you to everyone who has posted over the years and to everyone with whom I could share this part of my youth with. Thank you.
Haha, that got a little nostalgic, didn't it? Feels good to have it off my chest.