It's hard to believe, but I started reading this comic over 10 years ago, just before the 5th anniversary. I don't post much anymore, but come back every once in a while when something like this happens.

For the purpose of this post I'm going to take today's revelation at face value. As others have mentioned something seems off and things may be completely different by Saturday in which case, never mind.

Back when I first started reading Sluggy, back when people used to make lists of YADPs (Yet Another Dangling Plotline), one of the most talked about on that list and one of the most fascinating to me, were the three pins juggling Riff in this strip: http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/010130. Sasha is clearly number 3, as you can see on her shirt in that strip, today's flashback, and in many other places. She's also the only character ever to be so clearly associated with a number like that (with the exception of one strip in DoL during TWR) There have been a large number of theories over the years, the most common of which is that they represent Riff's relationships (Gwynn, Zoe, and Sasha). I never really liked that one though, because Riff and Zoe only went on one date, and if that was it it's not very significant (unlike Zoe's burning). Given that Zoe's prophecy came true at, it seems that Pete planned a good deal of Sluggy's future during BWR, and so I'm confident there's more to it than that.

Tonight however, I think we are significantly closer to finally putting this to rest. Given Sasha's surprising ninja skills my thoughts immediately went to the three being Oasis, Kusari, and Sasha as agents of HC, supernatural spirits with great fighting skills unable to die, and/or the Sun Twin, Moon Twin, and ?? Twin (the twin mystery is my other favorite so I'd love this all to be related). People have suspected Sasha as being Kusari, or being like Kusari for while, so it's a good option. However, I don't think it's perfect given how comparatively little interaction Riff has had with Oasis and Kusari. However, the true nature of Oasis and by extension Kusari and Sasha is possibly the "bombshell" Pete is leading up to on Saturday. That would be appropriately huge to celebrate the 15th.

However, there's a much simpler option. The strip says that Riff is juggling the pins, but looking closer, the pins are juggling him. I now think that "the three" are different ways he's been betrayed by HC by relationships he thought he was in control of. Today's flashback was "one". In that strip, it was revealed that Riff was working for HC and that the information he gave was being used against him. Finding out that Shlock became leader of HC and stole his robot designs was "two". As we've always known, Sasha is "three". Today, Sasha was the third revelation that someone he trusted has betrayed him to HC, and again HC tried to kill him.

It seems like either of those two have a pretty good shot of being it. I'm excited that 11 and a half years later, this prophecy may finally be close to being fulfilled

Alternate theory: Monica was "two" because she was spying on him for K'Z'K. However, I don't like that as much because he doesn't know that yet, there have never really been any real ramifications of that yet, and it's not as consistent as each one having something to do with HC.

Wasn't there someone else with a number on their shirt at some point? Or am I misremembering (or confusing it with Buffy, which also did number shirts)? It seems to me it was Gwynn... which if true would might eliminate Oasis, Kusari and Sasha being parts of a set theory. I do kind of like that however due to my spec that Sasha has been showing dying and coming back to life in the strip -- possibly several times.

Okay we have one that shows Sasha maybe dying (Nofun's compound) that I .....

Wait you are right I thought of at least two more, dang!. Well this week of comics is going to be veeeeerrrrry interesting now.

Can anyone cite the "Sasha dying" comics?

Here and here come to mind right off.

But after being injured by Cloney, according to what Torg was told at least, Sasha was recovering in the hospital for several weeks. No mention of quick healing after being close to death. There is always the chance that was disinformation by HC but that is baseless spec.

And we don't want any of that here!

Just noticing that as "big mean spider-crab clone of Aylee" is counting, the "Three" falls on Sasha, while "One" falls on Oasis and "Two" is Gwynn.

I'm not implying that "big mean spider-crab clone of Aylee" knows anything about it, by maybe it's one clue left by Pete.

I think its simpler than that- its Riff's "skillful but unaware juggling/being juggled by" the 3 women he's ever had serious feelings for. Izzy seems to be most likely as the last, though its strange that she'd be numbered before Sasha. Then again, we can't SEE the whole number of the pin, just 1 and 3.

On the betrayal thing, Izzy did indirectly betray Torg- or he thought her brother did. Though that's been cast into question now.

The prophecy seems far more about something central to Riff, and his issues around women have always been more central to his character than Oasis or Kusari.

I love how, even after all these years we still don't know what's going on.

Though the lines "Lies.. Truth" mixed into that sneaky text in that comic seem more appropriate now in regards to Sasha!

Either way, someone should do some SERIOUS digging, if they haven't already, to see if Izzy ever had a numbered shirt.

This is perhaps completely coincidental, but I find it odd that in both references, her injury is located in roughly the same spot; the right side of her waist. I'm not very keen on my human anatomy, but are there any interesting organs located in that region?

Well, it is hard for me to tell exactly where the injury is because of the angles but yes, there are important organs there.
High enough you get liver and colon, maybe even lung if the angle of the injury is right and the wound is deep enough. A bit lower and you can get colon and kidneys, possibly ovaries and uterus, again depending on the angle and depth of injury.

Yeah, crappy luck on Sasha's part... though it may just be that its more convenient for Pete to give her near-lethal injuries there, because its seems more serious than a limb gunshot, but doesn't risk the heart or lungs.