So then it's just a representation of her own inner monster. Wonderful! No passing off the buck to someone else, if true

Um. According to Gwynn's dialog over the decades, someone else always, always makes her do awful or stupid things. This dream sequence might really be worth something if she realizes the blame lies squarely on herself and takes responsibility when she comes out of it (assuming she isn't out of it yet).

Whoa whoa whoa! Hold up! Personal responsibility for past terrible decisions and behaviours?? You tread awfully close to the realm of fantasy! The rest of us are still over in the land of the nifty. I don’t know if Gwynn is ready for such a jump!

It might be a good "Now I am become Schlock, eschewer of blame" moment.

As far as I can tell her eyes have looked like that for awhile actually. Might be interesting to go back and look at where they were first seen, iirc it goes back at least as far as fungus woman. It's just that most of the time she hides them and the rest of her paper form behind magic so when it did start is very hard to say.

The black eyes may exist in this current strip as one of a few devices to encourage her to come clean with Zoe, and in a little bit she'll cover them up with magic again with no further significance.

Or perhaps she won't be able to do that anymore because they reflect an inner transformation that is too potent.

Or perhaps she won't be able to do that anymore because her perception of herself is so horribly altered (which would tie in with the dreamscape discussion regarding her clinging to her human form).

Should be interesting.

I think this is a pivoting point for Gwynn. Her thoughts that she can't come back from this show necessity for change in order for the strip to move forward. I think Zoe, the usual voice of reason, can convince her to follow up that realization with action. She can come back from this. She just has to find the right path.

I definitely don't think this is still a dream. It's reality. Basphomy is gone.
Look at Torg, he is covered in all the fly bites still. In Bashomy's fear-dreams, he doesn't have those bites, because she didn't know about them. She is just pulling Torg from Gwynn's past memories. Plus, with fear dreams, there is a bit of weirdness and silliness to them. After blasting Basphomy, things got VERY serious. Also, I don't think Basphomy would have put the GlugGlug speech references and it being poured on her head, in those dreams. She wouldn't have known about that either.
So...it's all very real. And Gwynn is spiraling down a dangerous path. I am really hoping that Zoe can pull her out.

Now, regarding Riff and the Bug...when the Bug was in Farahn in the page, the Bug was able to read out in people's dreams. But he isn't doing that now. And I think that is because Riff isn't letting him. I think Riff isn't giving him ANY power and is giving him HELL in the void. Heh.

If Bas is using Gwynn's knowledge, why can't she use the knowledge of recent events?

Don't get me wrong; I'm inclined to think this is real as well, but I'm not sure the dream logic makes sense in this case.

Yeah, if you were talking about things that Gwynn didn't know about either it would make some sense, but Basphomy can't use it because it happened too recently makes no sense at all. If anything recent events would be fresher in Gwynn's mind, closer to the surface, easier to rely on for fears. You know, like the body in the alley. Granted, Basphomy had firsthand knowledge of the body, but it was still an even more recent event than the bites or GlugGlug.

This, plus they're on the moon. Space somehow nullifies magic to whatever extent that I don't care to look up. *EDIT: NOPE, he's in Gwynn's dress. Nevermind!*

What? Farahn is on the moon, but the page (containing Riff and the Bug) is still on Earth.

Oh right, they're separated. Forgot that. He's essentially in Gwynn's dress, huh.

Scratch that from the record!

Wait.

Did anyone spec that Riff was the one who wrote Stay Good? Since he’s in her dress, basically.

Whoaaaaa.

My mind is exploding with images of Riff and Torg passing notes through Gwynn's dress now.

spoiler: She is not amused.