If Sluggy was female, it'd be pretty weird that they referred to him as "he" back in Mohkadun. Also, Uncle Time practically confirmed Sluggy was Bun-Bun when he set the Sluggy Freelance rallying cry. Sure, he's not entirely trustworthy but it'd be a weird lie.

It's just a slight prediction, but I think that having the alfalfa Margaritas with BunBun will give Torg a chance to reflect and reset with a new direction. He'll run back to Gwynn and Zoe with a seemingly foolish but doable plan! This might be a safe bet according to Torg's history! As for what that plan might look like.... Since we're being referred back to Sluggy as a god, Torg might find some way to use what he thinks is resemblance.

I was hoping that too! Torg and Bunbun get drunk and Torg starts pelting him with obvious questions.

How old are you, anyway? What were you doing before I bought you? WHY were you for sale in a pet store? HOW are you so amazingly strong enough to go up against poopypants?

He may not get answers, but maybe it’ll force a few introspective moments.

Or maybe yeah Lord Sluggy is just playing pretend now because he can’t be bothered to deal with all that crap. Maybe he’s just playing word games. “Probably not”… not a flat out denial. But perhaps also a truth because he considers himself retired (and he’s just dramatic with the lightning thing).

I wonder how Bun-Bun's gonna take the news that Gwynn killed Basphomy. They weren't exactly allies, but something tells me he won't be too keen on her having been done in like that. Gwynn may have just passed off two gods.

I think he’ll just laugh.

Also WAIT. What are the odds that she had some sort of highlander holiday power and THAT’S why Gwynn had the black eyes now? No more reset eggs left!

Whoa! I hadn’t even thought of that, but it makes sense. Basphomy is Queen of some older holidays, but not Halloween; do any of them still apply?

I assume the Deux Ex Ova were created by Dunuloa, but Basphomy seems to be the conduit for such things… so would that mean Gwynn is now that conduit? That would be a really weird (and awkward) dynamic.

Seriously! Sure would suck if Gwynn inherited a compulsion to obey Dunuloa.

Gwynn: "SCREW YOU DUNULOA, I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"
*kills her conduit and becomes conduit*
Dunoloa: "cute. Let's chat, shall we?"

I'm gonna feel really guilty for speccing this one and being right cause it would be a major shock and spoiler. I kinda hope I'm wrong now cause the guilt would eat me alive.

I guess this is bound to happen when you closely follow the sluggyverse lore for over 20 years though...
Maybe that's why bunbun subjugated and didn't claim Basphomy's power the first (or third?) time around.

Eh, don't feel bad about it; the clues were all there, even if I didn't put them together until you said that.

As for Bun Bun... he *may* have reasoned that way the first time around (though of course we don't know what happened then)... but in the more recent holiday run, he of course wouldn't have remembered all that, so he probably just didn't think Basphomy had any holiday power (and therefore was worth more as an amusement than as a dead opponent).

On a totally different subject, has anyone commented on what might be Strakoistrat eyes in the "Monstrous" title background?

Will Torg try to use Bun-bun's diamonds to search for and hire all his old allies?

Torg's old allies or Bun Bun's old allies?

Did bunbun ever pay allies? I figured they were slaves, ruled and brought into line by fear. I don’t imagine he ever needed to pay the black op elves or monsters of halloween.

Good point.

I was thinking Torg's old allies... Not sure if Bun Bun would let him with the diamonds, but he could find a way...

I'm thinking that it's Black Ops Elves on the other end of the radio discussion Bun-Bun is having. Or some remnant of them.

No idea what they could be 'retrieving' that would 'make things so much worse' for Torg and company. The Oasis project? A leftover orbital DFA? Chaz?

I'm guessing it's not elves; this seemed like a buyer/fence, which doesn't seem to be their specialty.

And... sigh. Pete really knows how to pick us up, dust us off, and then dump us back into the croco-shark pit.