Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for January 04, 2016

They will connect eventually – tomorrow, hopefully. A whole -week – six days of this would be just too painful to witness!

And, new poll up: Most serious problem

Whose side are you on?1) 34 votes – Luann’s2) 23 votes – The rest of the world’s3) 15 votes – OtherOther: Anyone who can see through the calculated manipulation of Prudence; I’m willing to be on the Evan’s side if they’ll only dump Quill and this story; Uhhhh… Captain America?; I want to see Tiff and Gunth fall in love; They’re both acting like 15-year-olds; Both; Quill’s side (4 votes); mini-Elvis’s, if that’s where the money is; Tiff’s ….. this is her year to grow as a person and character in the strip; No one’s side, I wish the best for all; She should just trust Quill already!!!!

I feel a week’s worth of two separate conversations in the same panel coming on.

Obviously nobody seems to be listening to one another.

In the last frame – a rare insight from Luann.

This is the most normal either of them have acted in several weeks, I think.

Bigger problem: Distrust..She doesn’t actually need Bernice to listen.She just needs to verbalize what is really bothering her..Bernice’s big problem: She is overly concerned.She needs to gather more data.

Yes Bernice, your problem is pretty big. I would freak as a dorm advisor, especially if I was the one breaking a rule for a developing crush..As for Luann I wonder what her problem is. She admits Quill is not the problem and neither is Pru, Lu must know that she is the problem, probably due to insecurity, loneliness, jealousy, and a little stress.

“He thinks Pru’s the problem, but it’s bigger than that.” Luann’s problem is of her own creation.

-LOL!

But this time in community college is supposed to give Luann an opportunity to learn about a number of potential paths. I think she just feels like she’s being shoved from behind by circumstances she can’t control…

Now that they’re so wrapped up in themselves, Puddles is there to put a bow on them.

They both need someone to slap them into reality and quick!

In the past four months in the Luanniverse, Quill has pushed her aside to answer texts and calls from Pru, set her up with excitement to go to NYC and then held her down with obligation to her family (and she didn’t even do much- was just a doorman. They didn’t really need her.) in order to advance his own career and get Pru into Pitts, didn’t even stand up to say he had someone to spend Christmas with when Pru butted in, has had to cancel plans because he didn’t tell her ahead of time his drama rehearsals were running over, and then there’s the inevitable separation of their life paths. Quill seems to be into whatever girl is where the stage action is at- Luann was that girl in High School and she served a purpose to promote his talents and career in the music making hobby they had together. He’s even-keeled and all but oblivious to the fact that he’s been whittling away any little excitement she had for adventures in life or romance by being oblivious to the fact that even with a steady partner, you can’t just keep gushing about some other gal and canceling plans willy nilly. Boomerang necklace or not, Luann’s feeling pretty down about the situation.

Nice!

Puddles is the most level headed one in that room.

DRAMA!!!!

As the John Lennon song goes, “Life is what happens while you’re making other plans”.

I wish both of you would stop being to pru’ed.

Check out the December 12, 2015 strip. It is Bernice wearing Piro’s scarf, not Tiffany…. Oops…

2016 is starting with allot of issues. Fortunately, the issues will resolve themselves over time and the girls will be better persons for it.Let’s stay tuned.

All coming to this, that Piro & Pru are meant for each other, so girls let go so everyone can be happy.

Oh good grief!

The “Problem” Lu, is that for ALL of YOUR “Growth” ALL of Your So-Called “Maturity” and ALL of These Pointless Bedroom Discussions with Your semi-best Bud Bernice, YOU are STILL Pushy, Shallow and Self Centered, to the point that NOBODY (Except maybe Gunther, and NOW, I’m not even so SURE about Him) Wants to put up with Your NONSENSE.

Hmmm, now let me see…how much can we overthink this? Tiff is a big girl and Quill is single. Get over it already!

I don’t think anybody is listening.

Lets start with Bernice. She feels she broke the rules, and her adherence to them when she let her hidden feelings about Piro, and about men and relationships in general allow Piro to sleep in her room overnight. Now that Piro and Tiffany might be spending the last week or so locked up in Tiffany’s room, in direct violation of what Bernice told Tiffany, and in view of her complicated feelings about Piro is a lot for her to process. Second, Luann, her issue is that she feels that Quill does not pay attention to her emotional needs, and allows his own needs to be a blinder to what she wants from the relationship between them. She has not gotten a clear understanding from him about the relationship between Pru and him, which feeds her uncertainty and insecurity (after all she has not been very successful with relationships in the past) and as she points out this is part of the general blindness to her feelings about their relationship he seems to exhibit. If they were ever to get married, they probably would not stay married because she would feel that he is being cold and uncaring, while he would wonder why she felt that way.

Which is worse? Both are worse to the person that is afflicted. Since they are good friends hopefully they will stop and listen to each other, and try to comfort each other. Maybe not solve the issues, but make it easier to live with and decide how to deal with their respective issues.

And they are not drama queens. They are not causing drama, they are reacting to it, pretty normally for young women now in the college world.

Why not? They are best friends! Best friends don’t have to agree, and they should be able to talk and confide in each other. This arc is kind of slow at getting in the talk TO each other and big so far at getting the the talking AT each other, but I bet eventually they will get to the TO part.

I’m sorry but as far as which problem is more serious, Luann is in a working, committed relationship where they have spent considerable time and emotional energy forming a bond while Bernice is just interested in a guy she knows nothing about except that he’s hot and wears a scarf all the time. But Bernice is being typical self-centered “The World Revolves Around Me.”

Bernice does not have any real problem. Luann does – her boyfriend might be either very interested in Pru or seeing her behind her back. Bernice only let Piro stay on her couch once and Piro never said he liked her in a romantic way. He merely needed a place to sleep. Bernice is blowing what happened out of proportion. It is not what she is making it be. Bernice, you used to be smart.

However, I still hope that Quill and Luann break up! I would like Luann to find other pursuits in terms of her life and after she figures out more who SHE is or wants to be, then pursue relationships.

You both have problems, girls.

Bernice’s problem is learning how to interact with different people than she’s used to.

I feel sorry for the dog having to listen to them all week.

Too bad Puddles can’t speak – he might offer some great insight. After all, he’s had to listen to those two for years….

At least Lu isn’t trying to scapegoat Pru, which would have been her usually cop-out in the past.

Both girls: This is your choice – suck in your gut and confront each problem head on, in a mature manner, or squint your eyes and start manipulating people as is done in soap operas. (The latter is sick but makes for better drama for us readers.)

“Me! Look at me! MY problems!”Haarumph!Two self-centered drama queens (to quote a recent poll). Both still have a lot of growing-up to do….

This is basically the same as yesterday, not listening to each other, talking to themselves basically.

I think that Luann’s’ parents and Quill are not very mindful of how they’ve jumped on the “Pru is wonderful!!!” bandwagon…

I think we’re gonna get this conversation all week.

I think it is about time that instead of meeting in Luann’s bedroom that they should meet at the kitchen table or Starbucks with a cup before them.

Yes, Bernice, you’ve eff’d up.You’ve never ascertained that Piro is even a student at Mooney U., only that he’s a friend of Dez’ . You’ve never even questioned why he has to “crash” one place or another. Hasn’t it occurred to you that there may be a reason why he has no assigned dorm?

Am I the only one who noticed that Bernice said Tiffany was wearing Piro’s scarf? Tiffany saw BERNICE wearing Piro’s scarf.

I agree.

Greg’s comfort zone: two people musing about the problems of life not yet confronted. Greg’s strongest point: his art work keeps getting better with time.

Ladies. Please, act your age instead of your shoe size! I thought that they were back in high school. As I have heard many times that you pull up your big girl pants and start acting like the adults that you have become. I don’t want to see you two on Dr. Phil.

If I recall correctly, years ago one of these two aspired to be a high school guidance counselor. Reading this story line, you can’t tell which one it was.

Thanks Brdshtt. Being a counselor sounds tacky and I really want Bernice (as a character) to lose this label that people keep attaching to her. Reflecting on today’s strip, it would be nice if Luann and Bernice took turns analyzing each other’s situation. Luann has low self esteem and doesn’t face problems head on. Bernice is too inflexible in her thinking and approach to problems.

“….While we’re on that, Bernice, Bernice …. …remember … … The Force…”-—————————————————————————-

Yes.. there’s a ‘disturbance in ’the Force’. Surely you feel it.. .

SPOILER ALERT

Although it’s still the case that no one is listening, they each reach the same conclusion. And it it’s not about being a drama queen, being selfish or childish. It’s very much about being human…

Okay, but I am surprised no one seems to be commenting on the possibility that Piro has spent the week in Tiffany’s room, and they apparently have not been seen.