Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for September 23, 2017

“they say hello, Tiff says goodbye.” too bad, she looses the most.

Well, the girls’ faces were shown the door

I guess she wants Yawnther to knock on her door.

And we conclude this week’s strip with a report on how 3 girls good intentions die

Good thing Tiff didn’t have time to notice those “Eat Right” pamphlets. She’d have been even more livid.

She’s also feeling ganged-up on. It would have been better if Luann had come by herself, and just wanted to find out how Tiff is doing. Then let her tell Luann whatever she wants.

It might be because of something in her family/home life.

I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that, just perhaps, a little more subtlety might be in order.

That said, I did really like “We were just walking by …. with some tea…”“Have some pamphlets” is chuckle inducing also, not quite as good.

Luann wins! Based on her comment yesterday.

Which one would Tiffany consider to be the most offensive: the tea, the pamphlets or the hug from Luann? Yeah. I think it’s the hug too.

Let’s be honest. Any one of us, if people “just happened” to show up at our door with tea and pamphlets? Lonely or not, depressed or not, we would probably slam the door in their faces too.

I knew a slender, very pretty woman several years ago who blimped out bigger than Tiff in only 2-3 years. It was a shock when I saw her.

But I have some good reason to believe that she had been prescribed psych meds. Certain ones can do that. Questionable whether it’s worth it.

Yup, that EAT RIGHT was right in front. Hands ready to grab.

Confront. Confront. Confront.

Against?

Dark room. Puffy eyes. Round chin. Tiffany may not be in top form mentally.

Will they return to their Dorm room and spend another 10 minutes (Monday to Saturday) before calling Gunther?

She certainly looks depressed. Confronting three people would be a little too much. Just one, and she may have left the door open

Someone said she’d do this. If there were prizes! LOL

Well, that certainly went well. If nothing else, they got an eyefull. Now,it is time for someone she trusts to step in. That person might want to wait an hour or so, though…

This might’ve worked if we got rid of the pamphlets

Will the fact that Tiffany now looks a bit more like Gunther’s mom be of any importance?

I don’t think so, but I’d rather see it here and now than see it posted with snarky selfindulgent conclusions by the selfrightous synic.

Looks like Luann called it.

You Know, it probably WON’T happen this Way, But I REALLY Hope Gunther is the next Person to Knock on Tiff’s Door.

Sure, Tiff would Yell at Gunther, and probably Blame Him for the current “Condition” She’s in.But I BET She’ll LET “Him” In. Once He’s In, all He need do, is Give a Long, Warm, Firm Hug, and above all, LISTEN to Her.Then maybe apply a little baby oil to Tiff’s Carefully Manicured Toes, while Telling Her that She’s got a Friend in “Him.”

I would also suggest that Gunther and Tiff start hanging out on the weekends and do “Fun” stuff together other than Studies. They should get to KNOW each other. That’s what Close Friends do.

And for GAW Sakes, DON’T take Her to Visit Ma Berger anymore……,

I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but could Tiff be pregnant? That would be quite a story line.

Good for Tif!

This is how I fell when the Jehovah’s Witnesses show up.

But of course. Now Tiff knows Bernice blabbled to her roomie and Luann, she knows they were not sincere. She is just a sideshow. Nobody likes fake people. Tiffany has since learned all about fake people, including herself. Tiffany knows they are not her friends. She knows Gunther is her friend.

Have to want help in order to be helped.

I feel like Tiff will not be willing to attend any more events at the Berger’s. She also may not want to hang out anymore with Gunther. She may be pretty reclusive with those that have known her, at least until she handles her depression and hopefully slims down.

Before they went over to Tiff’s room, they all looked in the mirror. They saw the Three Musketeers – Athos, Porthos, and Aramis.

.

When Tiff opened the door, she saw Larry, Curly, and Moe.

Preeclapsia?

No.

Edema?

Full bony bloat or weight gain.

Anaphylaxis?

Possible.

Scleroderma.

Hope not.

Hyperthyroidism.

Very possible.

Allergic Contact Dermatitis.

Very possible.

Histamine water retention.

Very interesting that I goofed and misspelled it and nobody corrected me.

What a slam! The color of the door turned green.

My guess is that the arc will switch on Monday, picking up one of the other threads.

I’ll bet we’ll hear from Tiff again sooner or later. But I don’t have any idea where the Evanses will take that one.

You’re welcome!

If there is no link between this and Ann Eiffel. I think it would be a sign of genious if Tiffany had an allergic reaction to cosmetics sold by Ann Eiffel.

Tiffany’s response was very predictable. Almost all the unfinished arcs are like Schrödinger’s cat, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens when the box is opened.

No one wants to be a project.

What a transition! Not that long ago, Tiff the class ding dong had all the silly lines. Now she seems like a real person – and in a lot pf pain. In this case, Dez, Bern and Lu remind me of the old saying, “A camel is a horse designed by a committee.” Maybe Gunther can talk to Tiff. Gunth is just as miserable as Tiff. Time to give up the Dr. Phil advice and let her know he is really lonely…

Wow. Ok, I have finally come to the point where I no longer care to read this strip at all. Have been reading it since childhood, but c’mon now. Oh no, a character ends up fat! TIME FOR AN INTERVENTION! Naw, I’m out.

I knew that would happen and I’m glad it did. That was a bad way to “intervene.” Also, this whole thing felt a bit fat-shaming as well. Bernice, Dez, and Luann are going to have an “intervention” with Tiffany because she’s fat and want to talk her down until she’s skinny again. What if nothing’s wrong with her? What if she just wanted to gain the weight? Then the “intervention” would have been for nothing.

So. Pregnant- I just want to clear things up. Girls of Tiff’s age and previous size don’t tend to gain weight all over until the last two months- if that. If she were pregnant- and we haven’t seen for for 2 or 3 months Luann time- she’d have a small belly.

They shouldn’t be surprised. None of them are truly close to Tiffany, mostly because Tiffany despises them and spent most of her life belittling them. She’s treated Luann like dirt since day one of the strip. The other day Luann was making cracks about what a slut Tiffany was and now she cares about her? Please.

They don’t really care about her and she knows it, they just see her as some charity case project that they can fix so they can feel good about themselves.

This is very worrisome, and could get extremely dark. I hope the strip does not go down the path I can see, what with Tiffany’s obvious depression, flatness of expression and reaction, staying isolated in her room, the weight gain, refusal to communicate, all the classical signs of a very serious possible conclusion. She did not “slam” the door, she merely closed it; she is not into, in her present state, dramatic statements. She is just in what shrinks call, “flat affect”. Not there with the rest of us (or those she knows very closely in Luannverse). That is very, very scary. I, for one hope the strip is not implying suicide as a possibility, but the reality is that is one of the major depressive issues with young adults.

Dez should go by herself. For one thing, tea is reasonable. Handing someone pamphlets or the sudden offer of a hug isn’t. She’s the only one who doesn’t have a history of hostility with Tiff. And she’s the one who is the most empathic and genuinely nice.

Ugh.

Something tells me her friends will not give up now.

They should have minded their own business.

But if she worked with Luann at the day care center all summer, when did this weight gain happen, over a holiday weekend??

It’s bad when you can’t even talk to your friends about it. Whatever it is. They are suppose to be your leaning posting even when all your chips are down and it’s raining everyday, so it seems. Eventually the sun always shine again though.

I got it! I got it! She’s gotten a movie role but has to put on some pounds for the part, and plays a depressed teen so she’s trying to psych herself into the part!

This is sometimes the problem with “helpers”. What they fantasize in their minds differs a great deal from the reality.

Luann talks to Gunther: Gunther shows up at the door. Turns out her father died. Or something like that. Best thing that anyone can do is be a TRUE friend. And sometimes that includes just being there. Remaining silent. Learning about what is going on. Making no judgments.

Honestly, Tiff has very few “REAL” friends. Bernice is one — but she needs to ditch the pamphlets. Luann is one. But not the “over-solicitous” Luann. Les MAY be one, but she promised Gunther. Gunther is one. Right now, he is the one she needs to have with her.

Yo, DOGGY! Try THIS “Scenario” on for Size:

Gunther Comes Over to Tiff’s place. She Yells at Him saying that what has happen to Her is “HIS” Fault.After getting over His SHOCK, Gunth Apologizes and VOWS to Help her with Her “Problem,” and Reaffirms Their Friendship.He Recommends She Seek “Professional Help,” and Volunteers to go with Her to the Doctor.After Yelling at Gunther some more, Tiff decides to go a Doctor. A “Doctor Heald,” who just happens to be Piro’s Doctor.

Tiff runs into Piro one day in the waiting room. They Talk. They Connect. At Least Tiffany THINKS They Do. Tiff snaps out of Her Funk and slowly loses weight. But She’s doing it for Piro, not Herself.Tiff hangs all over Piro in Public. Gunther and later Bern see Piro with Tiff. Bern gets Jealous, Gunther suddenly realizes Her NOW has Feeling for Tiff.

And the Train Wreck begins…..,

How many people reading this have gained weight over the years? What would your reaction be if three “friends” suddenly dropped over unannounced to “help” you with it?

That Tiff does not even seem surprised by the appearance of these three at her door is odd. But Luann did call it. She shut the door in their faces.

Can somebody remind me – did Gunther really say something devastating to Tiffany the last time they met or was he just giving helpful advice? I honestly don’t remember him saying anything all that negative at the time.

Tiffany has done EXACTLY what most people in the position woukd at least WANT to do!

BTW, notice that her hair is moving. She listened to Gunther when he explained that she is perfectly fine as herself instead of hiding herself under as many cosmetics as she used to wear.

Like countless others, I’ve battled weight loss my whole life, and thought discipline, have even been thin a number of times. I find pamphlets most offensive. We are aware, every day and several items a day, that eating is the problem and we know exactly which foods are the problem. I don’t mind discussion about the finer points of dieting, behavior modification, food finds, etc, among fat peers, but these pamphlets that they have in doctors’ offices are a little insulting, especially when handed over by a thin person who has never had a weight problem. There are many reasons people get fat. It’s not because we’re stupid.

The best intervention would be for Des to get to know Tiffany and eventually they get around to their weight problems. Des could suggest they join weight watchers together or something. Even if the others get Tiffany to open up about what happened, only another overweight person can broach that problem.

Whatever they offered wasn’t what was really needed.

Time for plan “G”.

I meant to write yesterday that I thought it was a bad plan for all three to go marching to Tiffanys room. Dez alone, maybe, or just Luann. But Bernice with the pamphlets was a big fat no. Those two have never been remotely close. Dez either, really, but she at least seems to have a calming effect generally, although we see this didn’t occur. What will happen next? I truly don’t know, except as others speculate, Luann might call Gunther, who has been able to be a sounding board for T in the past. She is definitely in a dark place, and seeing those three mostly normal girls at once didn’t set well.

Has Tiff given up her ambition of being an actress and model? She seemed to really enjoy being the “girl whose photo comes in the picture frame”. Did Gunther destroy her main ambition in life, by telling her that she was superficial and artificial?

Next week – do we finally learn what sort of scheme the “lingerie party” is really a front operation for?

This is quite a sad situation, really. Tiffany has hurt Luann (and Bernice indirectly) over the years. Luann, having been hurt by Tiffany, hurt her in return. Now, Tiffany is down in the dumps, Luann makes snarky cracks about her “supposed” problem (and feigns concern about it) and Tiffany closes the door on her, knowing that her long-time victim doesn’t really care about her. The fact is, both girls shut off communication between each other a long time ago. With both of them being hurt, there’s no chance of them talking to each other, much less one of them trying to heal the other.

Luann called it.

Id hit that

tomorrow’s Sunday strip: Knute and Crystal consider adoption, but the agency won’t let her adopt him !

Simple…she ran into Arron Hill at the Mall ands He weighs 289 pounds……

Bernice: “Right here on page 374, we have a discussion of therapeutic resistance.”

Enjoy your pre-diabetes, Tiff.

I think the general problem with “interventions” is that they are more about the egos of the participants than the well-being of the afflicted. I tried to find some real data on their overall success rate without any luck.

“Have some pamphlets.” Really? WTF? (I’d close the door on that, too.)

One thing I want to remind those who follow the strip closely its Gunther whose argument/discussion with Tiffany because he, Gunther, was angry with her for flirting with Les started the whole situation with Tiffany where she began to question herself, who she is, her self-identity, etc. Gunther, it can be argued, did not get her to do this out of a sense of altruism; rather he did of a sense of selfish anger and aggravation. I think he is the last person she needs at this point. I don’t know how Greg and company plan to draw it but I think she needs either a new plan, new people, or some other kind of intervention. Gunther, to me, is every emotional, and is very self-absorbed. That is not a help to another hurting self-absorbed person, who contrary to Gunther wants people to affirm her as better on false pretenses.

Well that went over like a lead balloon..

Maybe she’s preggers! Instead of the pregnancy strip turning color the door did when she slammed it.

Des’ tray is tilted a bit too much for comfort!

May i bring up a relevant personal gripe? I HATE the term “plus sized”. Look at jeans for adults who need a little more room. The women’s are usually labelled “plus sized” but the men get to have theirs just called “relaxed”. Seriously, stick us all with the vague insult, or let women have their corresponding sizes also just called “relaxed”. My bet is that those companies have some male executives who would not like buying their “plus sizes” if the tables were turned. I have noticed one jeans maker going in the direction of using “relaxed” for women’s jeans and sure hope the trend continues. Currently, most women who wear misses sizes (with misses 16 being the most commonly worn adult female size in the U.S.) have encountered “plus”.

Whoever suggested this yesterday was right. But the reason may be more complex than what Ringo has suggested. To Tiffany everything (regarding relationships with other women) is about competition in the area of appearance. Previously, she was happy to be around her Pitt friends because in her mind she always “looked” better. She knows that she has eaten her way into a major weight problem and that she can no longer compete in terms of looks (her ego has been seriously damaged), and she’s not ready to talk about it. Seeing others (even “friends”) whom she knows look better than her now is unbearable. She hates seeing people that she has previously outcompeted but can no longer do so now. This is the source of Tiffany’s anger and hatred. She needs to accept herself the way she is now before she can solve her problems. This will be a huge hurdle for Tiffany.

Tiffany may have problems—indeed, does have problems—but these were three more that she does not need. Maybe Dez alone would have had a chance of being invited in and doing something helpful. But ridiculous Bernice and insincere Luann just ruin the idea. Short term: Tiff is correct to reject them; but, long term, she needs help for whatever problem is resulting in her highly uncharacteristic weight gain….

If it was not for the loud music Bernice heard, she instead might have heard “John… Marsha… John… Marsha… ohh, John… Marshaaaaaa…”

.

Oops, I meant “Gunther… Tiffany… Gunther… Tiffany… ewww, Gunther……….!”

I knew this would happen.

Tiffany’s pregnant…

Maybe she’s bulking up for a movie part… like Christian Bale…

Spoiler Alert custom tailored for Ringo: Tomorrow is Sunday.

My guess…. premenstrual bloat. No one has ever seen her at this time before.

My bet is she is getting beefed up for a role.