Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for July 20, 2021

Complicated on Bernice’s part, is it not?

It would have worked for me when I was their age.

WOW! it’s silly and it’s over!

Calling your new romantic relationship “silly” sounds like a deal-breaker to me,

I really like Nil’s response. It’s the opposite of what Bernice expected.

I think that’s who Nil wants you 2 to be…

He’s not a silly Nilly!

No motel? Nil has commitment issues. Maybe start with the backseat of a car. Ease into it. The motel will still be there.

Well, Nil, we are.

Bernice, if you think Luann would call hormonal kissing silly, you need your head examined.

And they can’t go to Nil’s place because Nil has no place to exclusively call Nil’s place.

Details to follow, filling out the week.

Nil sounds older than Bernice.

¿"Amigos hormonales"? Parece que Bernice no se lo toma muy en serio al contrario de Nil. Aunque creo que el término puede confundirse con el de “amigos con derechos”, y Nil lo entendería de esta forma por lo que dijo en el tercer panel.

Perhaps Luann will mention to Bernice and Nil, the ever popular Fuse storeroom.

I really think Evans gives kids these days waaaay to much credit. But then again….every time I did the ….motel….thingy with a girl they fell madly in love with me…maybe Nil has had similar experience.

Well I guess that undermines @Aladar’s claim that these two are “ ♡ so in love ♡.” As I said, it’s just two young people being horny.

Nil is so exactly what Bernice needs!

Yep. Bernice IS embarrassed about her newfound sexuality. She feels like she is being improper and shouldn’t be acting that way or feeling that way, and yet….she likes it a lot. She is conflicted.

“Silly.”

Gee.

Hard to believe that this is the same Bernice that was ready to marry Zane while still in high school, huh?

Whatever “questionable maturity” she once possessed in grade school seems to have long since evaporated.

Or to paraphrase Dylan, “Bernice was so much Older then, she’s Younger than that now.”

If there’s any good news today, it appears that in addition to Gunther and Ox, We have yet another young gentleman in the Strip, in the form of Nil.

Keep a close eye on your heart pal. :)

A little more action than G&K usually provide.

If anyone dropped the “silly” crap on me during a situation like that, I’d be gone. Bernice is working on becoming a spinster with 50 cats.

I don’t think Nil has commitment issues i think he was surprised by the word hormonal.

Silly? I think the word in her mind is impulsive. Bernice emotional backbone has been her self control.

Well, if we really want to go back to this kissing thing, Bernice is the one that started it with the first two kisses she planted on him. She was hot to trot for kissing him, and now she is pulling the rug out from under him. He would be in his right mind to walk off.

Oh good, Bernice. Let’s overthink this and you’ll soon be having those dreams at night again because Nil got scared off.

Bernice is gonna get “dumped” if she doesn’t take Nil seriously

how disappointing that Bern characterizes what they are doing as silly. Surely she must realize that whatever criticism she want to place on herself will simultaneously land on Nil. Is she looking to end a relationship before it even starts?

Bernice’s rudeness doesn’t affect Nil at all. He plays with her head. I don’t think she knows what to do with him. Bernice has needed this for a long time.

Oh ffs, this won’t be good.

If we didn’t know about B’s earlier relationship with Zane (where she sat in his lap and kissed him), we might be forgiven for thinking that this relationship with Nil is the first time she was ever actually attracted to a man (dreams about Jack being ‘just dreams’). But that isn’t the case and I’m certain she didn’t think her love for Zane was ‘silly’…

or maybe deep down she fears that Nil might think of her as a tramp, a one night stand and she doesn’t want this because she really cares about him. She’s beating herself up over this and right to his face.

Bernice’s self loathing is really damaging. I kind of hate watching it play out.

now we need the gazebo of self analysis.

Bernice was happy to make out with Zane when she was 16. It was so intense that a waste basket caught on fire and nearly ended Zane’s life. Can’t she and Nil drive to a private place rather than carry on in a park? Probably not since in today’s world all such places are occupied by the homeless.

Bern looks pretty good in that tank top.

Bern – At age 20, it’s not too soon to give those hormones a run.

How very romantic, Nil (not!).

The term “silly” is interesting but in what context? It’s clear there is a strong attraction between these two, but is Bernice both enjoying the kissing while at the same time being embarrassed by it. Is she being prudish while opening up a little her repressed sexual furnace? Hilarity ensues with Nil’s comment that he isn’t ready, yet, for a motel. Might they go there? This ain’t a deal breaker though.

Well, I still don’t understand Nil’s behavior from yesterday. Be that as it may, it appears that Luann has been aware of their relationship. In fact, in Saturday’s strip she used quote marks around “exploration”.

Today’s strip is rather undramatic. Bernice and Nil are having a halfway-decent discussion, that’s something.

Hormones are powerful motivators.

Those who pretend otherwise are silly.

Bernice is afraid of being judged by Luann as a sillly. That’s nice! Unfortunately, she doesn’t see how her behavior is probably causing Luann to see her as a bad friend, a liar, a hypocrite, etc, etc… Good thing Nil wants to talk about that. He seems to have the patience and the ability to handle Bernice and that discussion. I think he will really be able to make her understand her feelings and makes her become a better person and friend ♡.

So, Bernice doesn’t want Luann to know that she’s in love because it would ruin her reputation of being a stoic smartypants?

It’s probably a given that Bernice is going to overthink things here, but I’m looking at Nil and in my mind going back quiiiiiitte a few years. A young introvert, just barely breaking out of his shell, most of his youth spent hiding behind his art (or his drums :-) ), finally sees a girl he’s attracted to and his mind is on maybe holding hands while walking through the mall, necking in the movies …. I don’t know, I may be off the mark, but this is making sense to me.

Remember, this is Bern. She has to feel superior to her friends to maintain the friendship. She couldn’t be around her brother. Why? She felt inferior to him. She felt as if she didn’t measure up. It’s the same way with Luann. Bern has a need to feel superior to Luann and being “silly” isn’t being superior. Sesquipedalian? Grandiloquent ? Yea, that fits into superior. Concupiscent? Na, that’s just trouble…

Hey, I wouldn’t mind a hormonal friend…or two! :D

I think Luann has better things to do than care about this. I hope Luann has better things to do than care about this.

I think Bernice should visit the pound and adopt the first of her 50 cats.

For crying out loud! Bernice needs to stop ANALYZING and just ENJOY!

pppfffFFFFFTTT HA HA HA HA HA!!!! ….. Blowing it again, eh Bernice?

There’s not much support for Bernice today. I find that strange, because many comments in the past couple of days actually mirror what Bernice is saying: that the park bench necking is juvenile and inappropriate. I give Bernice kudos for admitting that she is uncomfortable having her fun in such a public place.

She said fiends instead of friends… tee hee!

Eventually Bernice will be “analyzing” why she doesn’t have a friend left in the world.

Neither is the motel, Nil!

Given Bernice’s snarky comments about Luann’s taste in flirty tops, for example https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2009/08/14 and https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2011/07/28 she is quite right to expect to be teased about what she’s almost wearing to meet Nil at the doggie park. To be fair Bernice could really do with some romance in her life. So could Luann!

I think Nil’s response shows he understands what Bernice is saying. Snogging on a public park bench in broad daylight is silly (immature) behavior. Remember that Luann and Quill did their “hormonal fiending” in the privacy of her bedroom and the infamous “prop room.” I mean… their not 13!

Perhaps Bernice is suggesting that she now has a (semi)private room at the DeGroots – IF they can keep it down. The walls are thin.

Back seat of a car, perhaps?

So Bernice is afraid Luann will think she’s acting like Luann .!!!

:-/

Bernice you’re gonna analyze and pick apart this relationship to death before it even gets started.

Bernice, enjoy hormones while you still have them.

I miss Toni and Brad. Is Toni pregnant yet?

Just shut up for once Ms Know it all

I like Nil’s response. Might even help Bernice find a little perspective.

I really don’t mind Bernice, like some of the commenters here, but I really wish she’s get out of her HEAD! Go with the flow of the situation, Bern. LIVE a little and really enjoy this guy who’s into you and seems like a terrific foil for you. I’d love to see that…

So Bernice is aware of her behavior and how it looks to the public. Amazing. Up till now I was sure she had the lame excuse of being driven out of control by her raging hormones. Instead, she’s going to go ahead and reclaim the Miss Buzzkill crown. And I don’t know why Nil is acting so modest all of a sudden. Like he wasn’t a willing participant? Please. He acts like going to a motel means only one thing. At least at a motel they could go to the pool, eat lunch at a restaurant and all the time be able to explore their feelings in a private room if they wanted to. Of course, Bernice doesn’t believe in having a job and Nil only has worthless paintings that don’t sell, so money could be an issue. It will be interesting to see how ridiculous this can get, but it’s probably good they shifted their tone to the high ground because Bernice was right on the verge of deserving some not so attractive labels. Instead we get to see her endless conflict, confusion and anxiety for a few more days. Oh, and there should be some room in there for her to scream at Luann too. I’m excited!

Just waiting for the story arc where Nil asks Bernice to model. Lots of embarrassed thoughts, maybe Luann hears and adds in her dirty mind, and then it turns out to be Bernice’s mouth or forehead. Related to her mind you know…

She’s trying to de-escalate, and he thinks she trying to escalate.

Now that we have confirmed that Bernice has a working limbic system and can overthink a perfectly normal situation, how about the writers do something in the life of their title character. What was her name again? It’s either Luann or maybe they changed it to Plot Device. Either way, I would like to hear more from her.

To all the snarky commentators who call them “Amish” and such, well you should know the Amish probably know more about sex than all of you put together. They marry young and most seem to enjoy being together as man and wife. Just because someone is culturally different from you don’t assume you can label them sexually repressed. Likewise with Christians. Christian men and women get along very well, both sexually and otherwise. Just because a person chooses celibacy for religious reasons or chooses to marry and devote themselves to a single person until death does not mean they don’t have a fulfilling life. A lot of partners does not necessarily a fulfilling life make. A lot of people have questioned Berniece’s upbringing and it’s not necessarily reflective of a Christian or Amish household.

They should go camping – relative privacy, outdoor activities, peace and quiet. They could learn quite a bit about each other while they went about the usual camping activities. Oh, but wait….didn’t she start a fire?

Bernice has a lots of issues to work on before she’s ready for a relationship. Perhaps Nil, if he’s willing, can facilitate. He’s already put on the brakes.

“At least… I’m not ready for a motel with YOU, Bernice! With someone less neurotic? Possibly! But you?!? No way!”

Nil has some serious “inhibition” issues! Any and every man would take Bernice ON THAT PARK BENCH! Consequences be damned!

Man, her parents really put the guilt trip on her. Get thee to a nunnery Bernice.

Seems Bernice is thinking too much, again, as after the first kiss. Also seems Nil doesn’t mind kissing on a park bench. Hoping she gets in touch with her feelings soon. Maybe she does need Tiffany and her Pagoda of Peace! ;-))

You tell her, Nil.

I am fine with opposite sechs couples doing whatever in private but why do they have to throw in our faces like this?

I thought you were friends raising the bar on your friendship and sharing an intimate moment. Silly me…..

Bernice has the emotional range of a broken shoe lace.

Bernice is going to overthink this, and ruin it. As usual.

Luann is the only “girl” who has had a stable family situation and may be waiting for something like that for herself. Bets, we don’t know about. Tiffany has a father who loves her, but away a lot, missing mother, Bernice has parents who gave up a baby for adoption and gave her room to same child and his family, with no recent contact with Bernice that we know. It’s no wonder Bernice has difficulty with love and feelings.

Not the “no tell” motel?! He doesn’t want to “feel” the Bern!

Let me call your attention to Bernice’s body language for the past several days. The first couple of days she had her legs crossed and now today, in the first panel, look at the protective position of her hands,

Hitting high school hormones during your college years

Hmm… Methinks she needs to take her own advice that she gave Luann a few years back. Because clearly she is overthinking this whole thing…

And here’s the strip I was referring to…

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2017/05/03

Nil is a young man with morals, despite his appearance…

Oh, Bernice. Must you analyze EVERYTHING? Methinks you’re about to lose yourself a boyfriend.

I would really like to see an arc where Toni finds out she’s pregnant. The writers could do a lot with that.

Later this week: Nil will use some big words and Bernice will forget her neurotic ideas.

Nil has the best, most insightful line, Where can you neck in public, in day light, when you are not ready for “Get a room” or “your place or mine?”

I don’t think Nil will get scared away too easily. If he is attracted to a woman like Bernice he will not find many others like her. He doesn’t seem to mind her abrasive personality and he knows big words.

THIS IS A COMIC STRIP…………………….

can’t believe all the prudes here. by 18 half the girls in the usa have had intercourse. Personally I believe that its not being improper but that there is fear or pain and pregnancy that is the major reason for abstaining.

I’m wondering if Bernice would think their behavior was “silly” if she was making out with Jack instead of Nil.

Really, Bernice, do you have to overthink everything? Can’t you just enjoy an intimate moment? Sheesh!

As long as you’re not hurting anyone, this is the have fun stage of life, she just doesn’t know it yet

I still think Bernice and Gunther are the better match.

Nil seems to be the one with the level head on his shoulders. Does not appear to be the “Lay down, I think I love you” type.

Bernice seems to have forgotten that she is the one who started all the kissing.

They are not officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet. They just need to make it official.

If you didn’t want people ( or certain people) to see you, why did you pick a public park to smooch? Making out in an actual library would have offered more privacy … or a car. Perhaps you actually wanted to get caught Bern. My advise Bern, stop thinking about this so much. Yes you are a young hormonal fiend, enjoy that moment in your life. And if you think this is just silly Bern, wait until you have … um … happy adult only fun time.

With the same color of hair, they will find out they are long lost cousins.

Good Lord – she’s a college student AND a floor monitor. So find a quiet place, and press on..

Hormonal Fiends who make out on park benches often get Arrested.

Bernice relax

Yes Bernice. Embrace your inner hormonal fiend.

Then embrace Nil’s hormonal fiend………:P

I’m sure he has enough room in his studio.

Sigh…leave it to B to talk the… romance … out of a guy.

Okay I give up on Bernice. She needs therapy.

Or maybe she doesn’t want to be seen with Nil?

Come on Bernice, you’ve read about it haven’t you? I can understand you aren’t an exhibitionist so find a place not visible.

I think what’s really going on here is Nil’s kisses just aren’t doing it for her anymore and she needs to get out of seeing him somehow.

It is nice that neither feel their sexual attraction should be simply transactional. Lots of nuance to explore.

As Bernie is reverting to her old over-analytical, life-avoiding self, Nil’s retort is as good as there is. I hope it’s enough, ’cause otherwise this may have been the shortest romance on comics record….

Whoever loves, if he do not propose / The right true end of love, he’s one that goes/ To sea for nothing but to make him sick.” —John Donne, Elegy XIX

“Had we but world enough and time, / This coyness, lady, were no crime.” —Andrew Marvell, “To His Coy Mistress”

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, / Old Time is still a-flying; / And this same flower that smiles today / Tomorrow will be dying.” —-Robert Herrick, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time”

(I haven’t read all of the bazillion comments here, but in case nobody thought of poetic encouragement…)

Uh, everybody. Be prepared to see an even nuttier Bernice in tomorrow’s strip. If you can’t wait, head on over to Arcamax.

Wouldn’t it be funny if everyone in the Luann world strolled by and made some comment or greeting!?