History Main / InstantOracleJustAddWater

The Dehydrated Oracle immerses herself nearly or completely in water, and through contact with the liquid is gifted with visions of the future. Why water? Perhaps because of its mystic connotations as the element of change, associations with dreams, the subconscious, and the primordial. Perhaps the reflective surface of the water will be used like a MagicMirror. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of a sensory deprivation tank... ''or'' because a [[SexySoakedShirt busty, dripping wet oracle]] [[{{Fanservice}} is sure to appeal to some]]. Back in the day, Greek oracles huffed volcanic fumes to get visions. The bathtub thing is probably there to help differentiate her from "normal" [[UsefulNotes/TarotCards tarot-reading mystics]], this also keeps you focused on her head and face rather than her boo-- [[LastSecondWordSwap *ahem*]] [[CrystalBall crystal orbs]].

* ''WesternAnimation/ConstantineTheHouseOfMystery''. John Contantine tries to use a pool of water for a PensieveFlashback, but is [[TheManyDeathsOfYou killed and brought back to life]] before seeing anything. So the next time [[BathroomBreakout he pretends to be going to take a leak]], locks himself in the toilet and sticks his head in the toilet bowl. He's not very happy about this, of course.

There's more than one way for oracles to divine the future, and this one involves bath salts.[[note]]The fragrant, relaxing kind; not the drug. [[HigherUnderstandingThroughDrugs Although...]][[/note]]

* The Lady of the Lake from [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian legend]]. She may not have been an oracle, though...

There's more than one way for oracles to divine the future, and this one involves bath salts.[[note]]The fragrant, relaxing kind; not the drug. [[HelpfulHallucination Although...]][[/note]]

The Dehydrated Oracle immerses herself nearly or completely in water, and through contact with the liquid is gifted with visions of the future. Why water? Perhaps because of its mystic connotations as the element of change, associations with dreams, the subconscious, and the primordial. Perhaps the reflective surface of the water will be used like a MagicMirror. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of a sensory deprivation tank -- ''or'' because a [[SexySoakedShirt busty, dripping wet oracle]] [[{{Fanservice}} is sure to appeal to some]]. Back in the day, Greek oracles huffed volcanic fumes to get visions. The bathtub thing is probably there to help differentiate her from "normal" [[UsefulNotes/TarotCards tarot-reading mystics]], this also keeps you focused on her head and face rather than her boo-- [[LastSecondWordSwap *ahem*]] [[CrystalBall crystal orbs]].

* During Creator/PeterDavid's run of ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk'', the Hulk ran around with the Pantheon, a group of heroes based on Greek mythology. Delphi was a member who could see the future when she gazed into water.
* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman'', Destruction has a small pool of water he uses for scrying and divination.
* The ''Comicbook/Marvel2099'' version of the Vision is a precognitive woman who floats in a pool of water in the basement of the Alchemax building.

* ''Film/AlteredStates'' does this with a maverick scientist floating in a sensory deprivation tank and taking Mexican Mushrooms.
* A variation occurred in ''Film/{{Constantine}}''. The heroine used to have [[PsychicPowers extrasensory powers]] but consciously suppressed them so people wouldn't think she was crazy. When she needed to get them back, John Constantine submerged her in a tub fully clothed and sent her to Hell. When she returned, she had her powers back and immediately started using them. Apparently, it's because "[[PortalPool water is the universal conduit between dimensions]]." [[note]]Constantine himself contacts hell using water, but he only needs to get his feet wet. The trick was bringing a vial of holy water with him to get back with.[[/note]]
* ''Film/MinorityReport'', which was a reference to the Well of Mímir, from of Myth/NorseMythology, a well situated at one of the roots of the WorldTree Yggdrasill, where the decapitated head of Mímir the deity of wisdom was kept alive by the waters of the well. The reference may also be to Urðarbrunnur, the Well of Urður, that was situated at one of the other roots of Yggrasill. Three sisters, the Witches of Fate; Urður, Verðandi, and Skuld, reside at Urðarbrunnur, where they nourish Yggdrasill with the waters from the well, and weave the fortunes and destiny of mortal men on their looms.

* The Guild Navigators in ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' were a similar concept which inspired Battlestar's Hybrid, adapted to life in a [[SuperSerum spice]]-filled environment which granted them precognition and the ability to navigate at FTL speeds. They spend most of their lives inside of zero gravity tubes filled with spice-laden air rather than a tub of water, but same concept.
* According to [[Literature/MoreInformationThanYouRequire John Hodgman]], the Electoral College determines the winner of the American presidential election while suspended in tanks of nutrient-enriched slime. Rutherford B. Hayes successfully rigged the election of 1872 by offering them higher quality nutrient slime.

* In [[Literature/TalesOfTheBranionRealm The Granite Shield]], Seeing is done by drinking special potions, but in one location is traditionally done by slipping into hot springs, in the caves where their God (of fire) is said to have once resided.

* The Cylon Hybrids in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}'' are [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot humanoids]] that lie in a tub of water. In addition to serving as the Basestar's WetwareCPU their rambling dialogue often includes hints at the greater mysteries of the series. Concept art reveals that their humanoid appearance only applies to their upper bodies, and below the water their torsos extends into slug-like lumps instead of legs.
* PlayedForLaughs and Subverted in an episode of Community where Annie finds Chang has put Garret in a pool of water to try to invoke precognition in a set up similar to Minority Report. All that happens is that Garret gets sick..which Chang is convinced is a success because Garret warned him that would happen.
* In ''Series/{{Minority Report|2015}}'', as in the movie to which it is a sequel, Adam, Dash, and Agatha were submerged in a "milk bath" that allowed their powers to be exploited by [=PreCrime=].
* In ''Series/{{The Librarians 2014}}'', the Lake Foundation, being the successors to the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend, have the ability to see through time and space (among other powers) thanks to being submerged in water.
** A later episode also introduced the Oracle of Delphi, which took the trope quite literally. She turned a Nevada high school swimming pool into Delphi water, which enchanted every pair of swim goggles dipped in it to show their wearers visions of the future.
* Walter found that submerging Olivia was a good way of triggering her Cortexiphan-related powers on ''Series/{{Fringe}}''.
* Played with in ''Series/StrangerThings'' episode "[[Recap/StrangerThingsS1E7ChapterSevenTheBathtub The Bathtub]]", where the sensory deprivation tank magnifies Eleven's powers and allows her to explore the Upside-Down more freely. The kids manage to [[MacGyvering MacGyver]] one out of a kiddie pool, 1500 pounds of de-icing salt, and a set of taped-over chemistry goggles. Eleven floating in the jerry-rigged sensory deprivation tank while searching for Will and Barb certainly calls to mind the image of a submerged oracle.

* Lady of the Lake from [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian legend]], she may not have been an oracle though...

* Done but subverted in ''Webcomic/WaywardSons''. Cassandra has the power to invoke prophetic holograms, which generate huge amounts of heat. Thus, she does her prophecy stuff [[http://waywardsons.keenspot.com/d/20100713.html in the water naked.]]

* Played with in ''Series/StrangerThings'' episode "[[Recap/StrangerThingsS1E7ChapterSevenTheBathtub The Bathtub]]", where the sensory deprivation tank magnifies Eleven's powers and allow her to explore the Upside-Down more freely. The kids manage to [[MacGyvering MacGyver]] one out of a kiddie pool, 1500 pounds of de-icing salt, and a set of taped-over chemistry goggles. Eleven floating in the jerry-rigged sensory deprivation tank while searching for Will and Barb certainly calls to mind the image of a submerged oracle.

** Rose Lalonde, later confirmed as a Seer of Light, is elementally associated with water. Her house is on water and her planet is a vast, technicolor ocean with a chalk beaches with a built-in CharacterArc of her developing her powers to restore life to it.
** Light in general, an Aspect associated with knowledge, clarity and divination, is associated with water; Vriska is a light player and her planet is also mostly ocean, themed around cartography and treasure hunting like a pirate. Its presumed [[InvertedTrope inverse]], Void, is associated with water as well, but in the sense of an impenetrably dark ocean.

* PlayedforLaughs and Subverted in an episode of Community where Annie finds Chang has put Garret in a pool of water to try to invoke precognition in a set up similar to Minority Report. All that happens is that Garret gets sick..which Chang is convinced is a success because Garret warned him that would happen.

The Dehydrated Oracle immerses herself nearly or completely in water, and through contact with the liquid is gifted with visions of the future. Why water? Perhaps because of its mystic connotations as the element of change, associations with dreams, the subconscious, and the primordial. Perhaps the reflective surface of the water will be used like a MagicMirror. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of a sensory deprivation tank -- ''or'' because a [[SexySoakedShirt busty, dripping wet oracle]] [[{{Fanservice}} is sure to appeal to some]]. Back in the day, Greek oracles huffed volcanic fumes to get visions. The bathtub thing is probably there to help differentiate her from "normal" tarot-reading mystics, this also keeps you focused on her head and face rather than her boo-- [[LastSecondWordSwap *ahem*]] [[CrystalBall crystal orbs]].

The Dehydrated Oracle immerses herself nearly or completely in water, and through contact with the liquid is gifted with visions of the future. Why water? Perhaps because of its mystic connotations as the element of change, associations with dreams, the subconscious, and the primordial. Perhaps the reflective surface of the water will be used like a MagicMirror. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of a sensory deprivation tank -- ''or'' because a [[SexySoakedShirt busty, dripping wet oracle]] [[{{Fanservice}} is sure to appeal to some]]. Back in the day, Greek oracles huffed volcanic fumes to get visions. The bathtub thing is probably there to help differentiate her from "normal" tarot-reading mystics, this also keeps you focused on her head and face rather than her boo-- [=[[LastSecondWordSwap *ahem*]]=] [[CrystalBall crystal orbs]].

The Dehydrated Oracle immerses herself nearly or completely in water, and through contact with the liquid is gifted with visions of the future. Why water? Perhaps because of its mystic connotations as the element of change, associations with dreams, the subconscious, and the primordial. Perhaps the reflective surface of the water will be used like a MagicMirror. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of a sensory deprivation tank -- ''or'' because a [[SexySoakedShirt busty, dripping wet oracle]] [[{{Fanservice}} is sure to appeal to some]]. Back in the day, Greek oracles huffed volcanic fumes to get visions. The bathtub thing is probably there to help differentiate her from "normal" tarot-reading mystics, this also keeps you focused on her head and face rather than her boo-- [=*ahem*=] [[CrystalBall crystal]] orbs.

[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/WaywardSons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kronos.png]]]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* Done but subverted in ''Webcomic/WaywardSons''. Cassandra has the power to invoke prophetic holograms, which generate huge amounts of heat. Thus, she does her prophecy stuff [[http://waywardsons.keenspot.com/d/20100713.html in the water]] (also naked, but no one's complaining).

* The Cylon Hybrids in ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|2003}}''.

There's more than one way for oracles to divine the future, and this one involves bath salts.[[note]]The fragrant, relaxing kind; not the drug.[[/note]]

The Dehydrated Oracle immerses herself nearly or completely in water, and through contact with the liquid is gifted with visions of the future. Why water? Perhaps because of its mystic connotations as the element of change, associations with dreams, the subconscious and the primordial. Perhaps the reflective surface of the water will be used like a MagicMirror. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of a sensory deprivation tank -- ''or'' because a [[SexySoakedShirt busty, dripping wet oracle]] [[{{Fanservice}} is sure to appeal to some]]. Back in the day Greek oracles huffed volcanic fumes to get visions. The bathtub thing is probably there to help differentiate her from "normal" tarot-reading mystics, this also keeps you focused on her head and face rather than her boo-- [=*ahem*=] [[CrystalBall crystal]] orbs.

* ''Film/ThreeHundred'' is something of a meta example -- the effect of the oracle levitating in mid air with her toga floating about was achieved by having the actress filmed in a pool.

* The Guild Navigators in ''Franchise/{{Dune}}'' were a similar concept which inspired Battlestar's Hybrid, adapted to life in a [[SuperSerum spice]]-filled environment which granted them precognition and the ability to navigate at FTL speeds. They spend most of their lives inside of zero gravity tubes filled with spice laden air rather than a tub of water, but same concept.

** Rose Lalonde, later confirmed as a Seer of Light, is elementally associated with water. Her house is on water and her planet is a vast, technicolor ocean with a chalk beaches with a built in CharacterArc of her developing her powers to restore life to it.

The Dehydrated Oracle immerses herself nearly or completely in water, and through contact with the liquid is gifted with visions of the future. Why water? Perhaps because of its mystic connotations as the element of change, associations with dreams, the subconscious and the primordial. Perhaps the reflective surface of the water will be used like a MagicMirror. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of a sensory deprivation tank-- ''or'' because a [[SexySoakedShirt busty, dripping wet oracle]] [[{{Fanservice}} is sure to appeal to some]]. Back in the day Greek oracles huffed volcanic fumes to get visions. The bathtub thing is probably there to help differentiate her from "normal" tarot-reading mystics, this also keeps you focused on her head and face rather than her boo- [=*ahem*=] [[CrystalBall crystal]] orbs.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/ThreeHundred'' is something of a meta example-- the effect of the oracle levitating in mid air with her toga floating about was achieved by having the actress filmed in a pool.

* ''Film/MinorityReport'', which was a reference to the Well of Mímir, from of Myth/NorseMythology, a well situated at one of the roots of the WorldTree Yggdrasill, where the decapitated head of Mímir the deity of wisdom was kept alive by the waters of the well.
** The reference may also be to Urðarbrunnur, the Well of Urður, that was situated at one of the other roots of Yggrasill. Three sisters, the Witches of Fate; Urður, Verðandi, and Skuld, reside at Urðarbrunnur, where they nourish Yggdrasill with the waters from the well, and weave the fortunes and destiny of mortal men on their looms.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire''

[[folder:Mythology]]

* Rose Lalonde of ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'', later confirmed as a Seer of Light, is elementally associated with water. Her house is on water and her planet is a vast, technicolor ocean with a chalk beaches with a built in CharacterArc of her developing her powers to restore life to it.

* There's quite a few prophecy 'games' involving mirrors and bowls of water. There's a Chinese game played during the moon festival in which a girl looks into a bowl of water to find her husband.

[[quoteright:316:[[Series/BattlestarGalactica2003 https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/BattlestarHybrid.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:316:[-"I think she broke. Did we keep the warranty?"-] ]]

* Done but subverted in ''Webcomic/WaywardSons''. Cassandra has the power to invoke prophetic holograms, which generate huge amounts of heat. So she does her prophecy-stuff [[http://waywardsons.keenspot.com/d/20100713.html in the water]] (also naked, but no one's complaining.)