Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for October 02, 2017

That is the sweetest thing. They seriously need to be a couple…

High school Tiffany would have considered him way out of her league. Lonely Tiffany, on the other hand…

“Goodness, Tiffany,” Gunther later on says. “What happened?” (Don’t we all. Don’t… we… all.

That’s the sort of response a true friend would have.

I don’t know if it is me, or maybe it is the sweatsuit, but she seems much more sexy than normal.

Beautiful non-judgemental Gunther <3 :D

Awww. Although this isn’t really his first reaction unless she has some sinister ability to wipe his memories.

Hits a trap

She trusts him, she wants his honest response, he gives it, there is nothing like calling out her looks, just “Hi TIffany.” I don’t know how this develops, but her reaction, and his maturity, speaks volumes, and is light years ahead of all the rather puerile comments that some have made so far. I hope that love, (not necessarily romantic), care, and maturity, not artifice, or juvenile stupidity is where this arc is heading.

“Hi, Tiffany.

… Well, the sweat suit looks a little out of character for you. Since you’ve blimped out, you should expand your wardrobe as well."

I love her face in the last panel—excellent cartoon art, to convey that moment of emotion in so few lines!

Damn Gunther, when did you become such a smooth operator? I guess it probably helps that he was briefed beforehand though.

What an absolutely perfect thing to say. To him, that’s still his friend.

No Yelling, No “Hitting,” No “Blame,” so far. That is a Welcome Surprise.

Gunther’s doing Great! All He’s gotta do, is lend a Sympathetic Ear to Tiffany for the next few days (Our Time).

Now if it were “Me,” I’d be rubbing Her Shoulders or gently massaging Tiff’s carefully manicured toes, while She Told Her Story. But That’s Me.

And Gunth, when Tiffany with tale of woe, offer to help along with Your undying Friendship….

At least Gunther didn’t say:

1. You’re wearing a sweat suit. Are you a gangsta now?

2. You’ve never been sexier. Want to do it?

3. I like big butts and I cannot lie.

4. At least you still wear lipstick.

5. Is it my imagination or did you repaint your whole dorm room purple?

6. Let me guess. They are remaking Rocky only with a woman in the lead and you got the part.

7. I am shocked. Shocked. Shocked that you are not wearing a necklace.

8. Can I say the second thing that comes into my mind instead?

9. New hair cut?

Awwww, he’s so sweet. And doomed.

Perhaps Tiffany has really fallen for Gunther, she did not want him to leave several times before. That last talk they had could have made her realize that she was “out of his league”, and she decided to take the summer and, as she might be thinking, become “in his league”. She feels comfortable around him, and I think that is a draw enough for her.

.

Who knows? At this point, only Greg and Karen…

I’m so happy with this Arc. I finally get to feel that abundance of anticipation were waiting 24 hours seems so long again.

Obviously not the words Tiffany was expecting or bracing herself for.

I said it last Saturday. Gunther doesn’t look at girls the way most guys do. Gunther looks at the PERSON, not for the girl’s hotness. In fact, most women, past the hormonal stage of teens and early adulthood, gravitate towards guys who don’t rate girls based on appearances. Guys, unfortunately, tend to hold appearances on the top of their search of a female romantic interest (or just plain one night stand thing) well into their 30s. Surely, Gunther notices the weight gain, but it is not important to him, and is focused on Tiffany as a person and is here to lend his ears – and shoulder. He knows the weight gain is related to what is happening with Tiffany…guess we will find out this week. I better…I ain’t waiting another week…or several arcs later.

First class, Gunther – she trusts and believes in you, so it could not have been a better response. Now, let her talk and you listen.

Clear articulation.

She is speaking normal, so the lack of speach in the first strips was given as a false trail.

I’ve had a really bad summer.

Not a tragic summer or a catastrophic summer. No deaths in the family or loss of money. And Tiffany is at least, perhaps as a clue to future personality development, not calling her weight gain a tragedy .

In typical comic strip timing with a slow buildup until Saturday, we have all week to finally learn what has been happening.

A calm Tiffany, at least right now in Gunther’s presence.

No deep clinical depression or thoughts of suicide.

The answer to weight gain without changing diet has already been given here in this forum.

Gunther figuring it out may be the Saturday climax.

Yes I used the word climax.

(Give the grownup children reading this a bit to titter over.)

Gunther to the rescue again. Check 8/6 – 8/21 2001

Good for Gunther!

From yesterday:

@JPuzzleWhiz: The anthem protests are an example of Freedom of Expression.

Well, I couldn’t resist noting who just posted a political comment – since you’re famous for advocating the opposite.

I’m not complaining in the slightest. And I DO agree with your statement. But I might add that calling the protesters such things as irresponsible imbeciles and the like, and even saying they should be fired, is also Freedom of Expression.

On a loosely related topic – Since Tiff has had a disastrous summer, then she obviously should trash the Chief for not having done enough to help out. After all, that’s as good as anything CNN can come up with.

Gunther nails it!

And no, that’s not meant to be either a double entendre or a prediction.

Gunther nails it!

And no, that’s not meant to be either a double entendre or a prediction.

Most of the comments today constitute the “first thing that comes to [each individual poster’s] mind” as per Tiffany’s request. And only one or two seem the least bit surprising. The ones that do surprise me a little come from people who “get” this interaction but drastically misread other simply and straightforwardly portrayed characters/events in this strip.

Lookit Tiffany’s expression – she’s moved! Her best response would be to give Gunther a really slow, gentle hug. If Gunther tries to say something, Tiffany could just go “shhhh.” Even one or two minutes here could get Gunther’s rusty wheels going around. I hope to god he would also embrace her. Whether or not they #%$* tonight, a romance is called for – because both of them need it more than any other character in “Luann.”

We got a break from Greg & Karen. If they move to another arc tomorrow, we can now handle the wait. If tomorrow we are at Ann Eiffel’s Lingerie party, or if Luann & Tara are at a band performance checking out guys, we’ll be into it.

Possible development in the next strips.

Tiff crumbles and starts crying.

-I look awful, am a horrible person and nobody will ever love me!

-That´s not true Tiffany, you are a very smart, sensible woman and any man would be so lucky to have you.

-You really mean it?-Of course!

-Oh Gunther, that´s the sweetest thing no one has said to me.

They get closer together, camera pans to a fireplace and fads to black. THE END.

One can dream, right?

So you been going to that new all you can eat buffet all summer.

If you want your dream to be

Take your time, go slowly

If you want to live life free

Take your time, go slowly

Do few things but do them well

Heartfelt work grows purely

—Donovan

Gunther, admittedly, has done nothing to blow it yet. But it’s impossible to determine how this will play out.

My predictions:

● They will not end up in a romance, even if Tiffany hints for it.

● Gunther will end up doing something stupid or childish before the arc is over, just as he always has.

Noticed something about the new ♥ “like” icons, and thought I’d post it, in case anyone hadn’t yet discovered all of it.

It was quickly obvious that if you hover over the heart, it shows a balloon with the list of users who liked the comment.

But just this evening, I found that if you click on the heart, it displays a scrollable popup window of all the “like” users, from which you can click links to view their profiles, just like with the comments.

Help me out here. An entire summer has passed. That means a new semester has started. Is the class that Luann has with Tara part of the new semester? My time line is off. I don’t seem to remember any thing that would give me a clue that summer break was happening.

I get the impression that Tiffany is finally growing up and will stop being a selfish brat.

I just love this sequence of comments (Reflex76, ArgyThree, SLK45, and JimmJonzz, above) And to think, a couple weeks ago, the first day we were shown the “new” Tiffany, people were already talking about her losing limbs to diabetic amputation! Kind of fits into JimmJonzz observations. Unfortunately, because there are health issues associated with “obesity” (for wont of a better word), it is SOOOO easy to hide prejudice behind “health concerns.” And who knows their real intentions? (Reflex76, ArgyThree, SLK45, and JimmJonzz, that is) But for now, at the moment, I think that these comments are the most “spot on” I have read in weeks. Bravo!

Gunther has a good, pure heart, and as usual, it’s shining through. I wish these two would become a couple. She needs him and he could be drawn out of his shell by Tiffany.

Bravo!

So this is how this cycle works. Gunth helps her through a tough time and she loses the weight and regains her confidence. Next thing she does is leave Gunth behind and chase after some good-looking bad boy who will eventually break her heart. Then back to Gunth…

A most excellent start, Gunther! Go with it! Tiff needs you right now.

But I’m curious. What’s the thinking here on whether or not Tiff (after these immediate issues are resolved) will get herself back into her original look, or something close to it?

I realize we don’t yet know what brought on her current condition. But, assuming those particular issues get resolved, then Tiff faces a choice. Do I return to the way I was, stay the way I am now, or do something different? Much depends on what drove her to be “the way she was” and whether or not that’s still a priority for her. If it was to “attract a certain type of man,” then does she feel she still needs to do that? If she’s found Gunther, does she stay the way she is because she’s found him and he accepts her as she is now, or does she try to return to her original look to be more pleasant to him, but also risk losing him by creating angst in his mind that she might be “pursuing others” again? Or, does she return to the “original look” simply because that’s what she really likes and what makes her the most comfortable, “men issues” not withstanding? Or, does she create a new look, reflecting the resolutions to which she has just come? Something perhaps pleasing and comfortable to herself and, maybe, Gunther (assuming she wants Gunther and vice versa)?

I know it will depend on how Greg/Karen want to go with this, but what say you as to how you think it will go? Will she go back to her original look, stay the way she is now, or invent something different?

Now that we know what happened…………let’s find out why it happened.

with two words, Gunther shows he’s non-judgemental.

Good job Gunther. :)

Good answer Gunther

And THIS is why Gunther is a man she could see as a life mate.

Is it even possible for a young fit girl to gain that much weight during a single summer vacation? Isn’t like three months? I thought it would take at least a year if you are a young woman and probably at least two years if you are a young man, and than you really need to be determined to eat as much unhealthy thickening food as you possibly are capable to.

And by the way haven’t we seen a very fit and slim Tiffany just a couple of weeks ago? Wasn’t she living in the dorm during summer vacation and got interrogated by the camp-cop? And wasn’t she still fit and thin at that time?

This is going to turn out either very, very good or very, very bad…

Best response ever from Gunther. He was forewarned. He now knows more than anyone else, so let’s see how Tiffany opens up to him about what happened over the summer.

I’m glad we’re staying with this arc.

Whataguy!

I’m impress!

Standard Gunther response… and so typical for the typical outsider going in.Mine would have been “What’s wrong?” but I’m emphatic…

This could go any number of ways. For all that bash Tiffany’s current look, 90% of this is frump… take a shower, find some clothes that don’t draw the focus to things most people consider negative and I’d imagine she could still turn heads. But now it’s going to take having more than just model-esque looks.

Floor? ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░

When Tiffany first opens the door, we have a diminished “What” leading us to believe that she is in a dazed state of mind.

Bernice looks up depression in one of her books.Bernice tries to hand out Eat Right pamphlets.

Purposeful misdirection by Greg and Karen.

We had Luann mention food boxes, on the floor, plural.

I expect we will see the floor to Tiffany’s room some time this week where we will see ONE pizza box and a clothes box that the sweat suit came in.

Purposeful misdirection to make both Bernice and Luann look bad when the full story is finally known.

I threw in the towel too soon – back to depression as a leading explanation.

There is a term in both Buddhism and some schools of modern psychology called radical acceptance. We accept out inability to change and control others, and we accept our own limitations. Gunther is showing this now, although he hasn’t always.

I love the way vulnerability invites intimacy, and Greg brings this out with subtle details in his artwork.

Wonder if Tiff will complain about the lack of designer clothes for her new size, and Gunther offers to make some for her?

4

Well, I am glad that Tiffany feels that Gunther is someone she can trust and be herself around. That is a very nice realization for Tiffany. I am appreciative of that comment by her.

Will Gunther be a “good” Gunther, or will he do something inane and selfish? I am hoping he does something “good” here. Even a nerdy, shy, self-conscious person should be able to empathize with a friend who is in need. So, that is what I hope will happen.

However, I am still not certain that the “Post-Peruvian” Gunther will be “good”. I still think there is a strong possibility that he will continue with his "Post-Peruvian inanity and selfish behavior.

As a character, this is a potentially crucial decision within his story arc. I hope he is written to do something “good”. And, at least to my own manner of thinking…. I personally feel that regardless of whether Gunther is “good” or “bad” that I hope this does not immediately turn into a romance arc between the two of them. My reasons for this are a) I would like to see more than one consecutive “good” Gunther responses before any potential romance could happen, b) I feel mixing Tiffany’s painful Summer issues with an end of arc romantic interlude would feel rather “Harlequin Novel-esque” to me…. which I think it too cheesy and schmaltzy a way for this to occur, and c) I think Tiffany’s plight itself deserves the full attention of the story arc.

Am I opposed to romance between the two of them? No. I think it could be very nice. But, I would like Gunther to prove himself to be nicer again consistently before it happens. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Greg sticks with his typically excellent writing and does not go “Harlequinesque”.

I would like for us to be able to find out that Tiffany’s very bad summer had nothing at all to do with Gunther lecturing her about Les, or telling her to ‘be herself’. Maybe she found out her father is getting remarried and the new stepmother doesn’t want him to spend a lot of time with Tiffany (not that he did).

nope, not preggers.

Aww, Gunther DID know what to do!

First thing to come in mindhaha

Yep

I’m kinda shocked so many are focused on her appearance… I don’t know who is more stuck on Tiffany’s appearance? Tiffany, or the audience? Gunther made up his mind a very long time ago that he loved Tiffany. That doesn’t mean in any way that he’s in love with Tiffany, it just means his focus will remain on the person he loves – the entire person. Everyone else loves Tiffany too, otherwise they wouldn’t have gone through the effort to get Gunther.

Actually, Gunther gave the right response. He’s saying (In a subtle way) that he doesn’t notice her change of appearance, that she “can be herself.”

Tiffany is still beautiful, just heavier. If she is average height she probably weighs around 170-180. That is not obese, just a little heavy. I’m much more concerned about what made her summer so bad.

The only thing to talk about is why was Tiffany’s summer so bad. What happened to make it that way?

Dawwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!

Notice Gunther really has not followed any of the girls’ advice (at least for now). He was told in advance about Tiff, but he’s doing just the right thing now. The intentions of "The Three Missed-It-‘eers’ were good – just too much and too strong. (OK, Dez gets a pass – L&B, not so much). Gentle approach works best here.

In a form Gunther can understand, weight is a variable; beauty is a constant.

And so begins the education of Tiffany, as a person, from the bottom up. Some people ‘will’ see her for the person she is inside, first and foremost If she worked harder on that part, everything else would fall into place. Gunther is a gentleman (mostly) so the first thing that comes to his mind when he hasn’t seen someone in a while is to say Hi.

The best thing to come out of today’s strip?

Yawnther might be dead.

Long live the new Gunther.

Late, heartbreaking news:

It was just reported that rock legend Tom Petty has passed away.

May he fly like an angel.

aw she’s still cute

Heard this song this morning:

“Run to me/Whenever you’re lonely. . .” —The Bee Gees

Very sweet song and fitting for today’s strip.

That showed true character and care for her as a friend.

Yo, JPUZZLE! Where is JAYBLUE??

I got a coupla missives for this current story line.

Oh Well, Here Goes Anyway:

♪♪ “Give Tiff, a Kiss to Build a Dream On!” ♪♪ – Louis Armstrong

♪♪ “Owner of a lonely Heartburn!” ♪♪ – Yes

♪♪ “Gunther Fought the Battle of Jericho, and the (Emotional) Walls came a-tumbling Down!” ♪♪ – Elvis Presley

♪♪ “It’s Good to be Gunth!” ♪♪ Tom Petty (Prayers Sent)

♪♪ “At FRIGGIN’ LAST!!!” ♪♪ – Etta James

♪♪ “Gunther CAN Read Your Mind!” ♪♪ – Gordon Lightfoot

♪♪ “Having My Baby-back Ribs!” ♪♪ – Paul Anka

How to end this arc?

good answer Gunther

Best thing he could have said

Sounds about right. Now, how will Big Tiff reply?

maybe Tiffany’s summer was bad for reasons we don’t yet know.

Gunther proved to us that he was a gentleman by calling her Tiffany instead of a nasty remark. #Kudos