Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for January 28, 2025

Hmmm.. I think Tiff was right. He misses the Sex the most… then he misses her company.

So will Tiff offer to be his “platonic” friend to keep him company?

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Why do I get the feeling that there’s like 4 or 5 customers, all waiting patiently for their food & drinks, that are starting to get ticked off? ;)

Get a dog!!

Steff a little over confident!!!

So…nothing to do with any good qualities Stef might have. Kip just wants a girlfriend who always puts him first…above school projects, work, friends or family, just waiting around for him. Tiffany has come too far to fall for being this guy’s convenience girlfriend.

“Stef can be jealous and demanding but she’s always there…..,”

Gee.

That kinda sounds like Luann and Bernice once upon a time back in the day, and Bets now.

Too bad for Kip. But I guess having a noxious Stef around it beats being lonely.

But if Kip were really lonely, wonder why he didn’t reach out to Tiff over the holidays?

Or at least send her a text or something?

I think I agree with what someone wrote yesterday: Time for “old pal” Ox to step up to the plate. ;-)

Tiffany, you’re trying too hard. Just be his friend without trying to get into his pants. He knows that you’re attracted to him, if and/or when he’s ready to reciprocate those feelings, he’ll let you know.

Where Dad?

Tiff, stop trying so hard.

Gee, I wonder who! ;-)

Maybe Kip will hook up with Dez. Or Tara. Or even Luann (after all, she DID predict that she’d finally meet Mr. Right this year!)!

When you ask me to think of someone who is not a huge pain in the butt, Tiffany does not come to mind.

I think Tiff has the ability to be a pain as well…

Come on, Kip. She is NOT a nice girl. Are YOU the kind of person who likes to be in company of others and because Stef was your girlfriend, she filled that role? That was enough for you to miss here? That sufferable PIA? Who yaks and yaks and don’t let you get a word in. You were using her. Any girl would do in the role of keeping you company. Or even better, friends. Seems you have none – just buddies on your team – which explains why you crave company with Stef. So if you still miss her regardless of her personality, I’m inclined to agree that it’s the sex you were keeping her around for. You just don’t want to admit it and appear superficial. That’s ok – you’re in your late teens or early twenties and your behavior is pretty normal. High testosterone and all that.

Kip doesn’t seem to realize that Stef’s characteristic of always being there was a consequence of her possessiveness. That possessiveness was also the basis of her perennial readiness for sex. Kip will have to adjust his notion of togetherness to accommodate a bit more independence for both parties in a coupled relationship. They might need discussion to coordinate their schedules, and to decide such things as where to spend holidays together.

“You need someone to be there without being a huge pain in the butt.”

Tiff is willing to settle for too little.

There must be someone… Hey, let’s ask Ber-nuisance — she always has good advice!

Oxford (Ox)?

And by Saturday, she will have come to the conclusion that Kip is not worth pursuing.

Is it just me or does Kip in profile look more and more like Brad? :D

Ah, the comfort of familiarity. Like cigarettes or booze.

Well, it definitely isn’t Bernice…

To snare Kippy, Tiff’ll have to bring her ‘Pagoda of Piece’ around again

Someone on another site mentioned that what Kip described was the essence of a Toxic Relationship. It’s a good thing Kip doesn’t have a rabbit, it might end up in his stew.

And I might add, how does Kip know that what he misses about Stef isn’t the sex because that seemed to be about the only thing they ever did.

Is Tiffany going to suggest Bernice?

Tiffany was blunt!

I will exit this strip for yet a while now, thank you.

Kip need someone the opposite of Stef. Someone who always thinking of others first and has great spiritual depth, but who also enjoy having fun with friends and is capable of great passions. I’m sorry for Tiffany, but the one I’m thinking is Dez. Alternatively; Luann could be studying at the café and Kip could start talking to her, reawakening Tiffany’s old jealousy towards her.

Everybody thinks they have to “be with someone”all the time.Be with yourself for a while,Kip,you just might learn a few things.

Is “annoying” the same as “company”?

Tiff’s comment in the last panel seems like a cue for someone else to walk in.

You need a girl who bases your relationship on mutual love and respect, rather than sex. Hope Tiffany doesn’t get any ideas.

Tiff could be engaging in some introspection here. She may see her own tendency to be a PITA (as she has been in the past). After all, Tiff knows that Kip would want physical intimacy, and someone “there” all the time. This could be the debate in Tiff’s head, right now. What would “being there” for Kip really entail for Tiff? Might Tiff actually be thinking about Luann here…or worse, Bernice? Tiff does not strike me as the mothering type, and Kip just might be showing a bit too much vulnerability, here. What some may interpret as coy interest might actually be a growing disgust on Tiff’s part. Lu & her pal have recently been depicted in a mothering role. Perhaps that was for a reason to be gradually revealed.

I stand by my transfer-portal-as-plot-device prediction: Ox and Kip BOTH get lured away by NIL money, thereby breaking the unidirectional love triangle (Ox wanting Tiff, who wants Kip, who likes the idea of Ox being his on-field protector). The next thing we know, Kip may reveal that not having Stef around is affecting his grades, and he gets a tutor’s help. That tutor turns out to be the titular character of this strip, and the dramedy ratchets up.

There are some seeds being planted. Plot developments take time to germinate, and one of those just might involve Kip’s next “flower pot.” That’s a decent double entendre, eh?

Exciting? There is more to life than sex. Why not try to have a meaningful conversation and relationship with a female. Tiff can have intelligent things to say once in a while.

Hussy Alert, Kip. They are both manipulative as are most of the young ladies in this strip except Des and Toni.

Whudda mean you don’t miss the sex? Are you freaking outta your gord?

I get it. I had an ex like that. The sex was good, but the companionship was better. Problem was she was more into the sex than she was being a girlfriend, so it didn’t work out for us. Sounds like Stefani is more of the same. Last I heard, my ex is single with 4 kids, one with a different father each. If Stef’s not careful, that could be her future too…

Don’t hint too broadly, Tif. Keep it low key. We (the people behind the fourth wall) all know you see yourself having a relationship with Kip (as does your quad mates.) But if you move too fast you’ll lose that opportunity.

Don’t think it’s you, Tiff.

I think Kip should get involved with someone who isn’t Stef light (ie Tiffany). I think dating someone very different from that type would be healthy, in fact I thought that Dez would be very good for him. Unfortunately the cartoonists don’t seem to look at Dez as someone who merits either her own storylines or any romantic interests, presumably in part because we are supposed to think she’s fat. It’s a shame because when she was first introduced she was clearly the most worldly and unconventional person in the strip. I think she’s also had a lot more life experience than most of the other college students.

Tiff can and will be a pain in the butt in other ways.

Well, that rules out teenage Luck Van Pelt. Maybe Honi from HAGAR?

“I also like hitting myself on the head with a hammer. Hurts like hell, but I always feel it, ya know?”

That lets Tiff out.

Wow….an unmarried couple having sex in “Luann.” Never happened before. They always left it vague with Brad and Toni.

This is not going where Tiffany hoped.

Just program Alexa. . .she’ll be the perfect partner. . .always agreeable, always compliant. . . Welcome to the Twilight Zone.

How about Luann? She’s always popping up for some reason. Huh, wonder why that is.

Straight to the point. Smart girl.

The fact that Steph is ALWAYS THERE is what 95% of readers find so gag-gag infuriating about her.

Tiff will launch into a flying tackle any second now…..

He should get a dog, they’re always around

Tiff at first offering to be his sex buddy?

Honesty!

So, Tiff, I wonder who you have in mind?

Kip sets the bar pretty low.

Hmmm What to do what to do ??? ;-)

It’s fun to see all the variations and reactions in our chat when Tiffany, Steph, and Kip are involved, but following the story is my lodestar, so, even though prediction here is about as successful as playing the slots at a casino, I don’t think Kip is going to change from Steph to Tiff, other than friendship. Bet someone new enters the picture. I vote Tara.

The Kip Translation: " I need someone who is crazy hot in bed and spends all of her time attending to my needs and emotional support."

A new artist drawing Pyro? Doesn’t look like lim.

Yes, it’s the sex! Kip is just that dull.

Wow, an admission, in a “family comic” that sex not only exists but that characters are engaging in it. I wonder how many pearls are being clutched and couches being fainted upon out there? I wonder how many newspaper editors are now fielding calls demanding that this “filthy degenerate comic” be immediately dropped from the line-up.

So…. Kip likes the companionship. That is EASY ENOUGH to understand. And with Steph intertwined with football much like Kip is… it was an easy way to have reliable companionship.

This will not be as easy a thing to accomplish (companionship) with others who are not “football focused” because they will have their own classes, plans and ideas that would complicate matters (it is of course doable…. but I think Kip likes the “convenience” of this companionship with Steph. It is easy and predictable, even though in some ways, negative.

Companionship does not typically develop after only a date or two…. it takes TIME to develop. This also is likely a part that makes the idea of someone other than Steph more challenging for Kip.

A simple study in contrast: Kip vs. Piro. What’s your point, Greg?

Who amongst us has not stayed with someone abusive just to have someone around. We all have to be honest with ourselves and feel the pain to avoid these people.

He’s saying he does not have the time to prioritize a complex relationship. Interpretation: He’s a wise and busy person. He doesn’t need another needy person distracting him. Yay for him.

Maybe Luann isn’t too busy.

I don’t get it. What does Tiff see in this guy? He doesn’t have anything nice to say about Stef (because there isn’t any), but misses her availability. How charming. Not. Kip is shallow and apparently, needy. Run away, Tiff. And I don’t recall seeing the word “sex” before in this strip. Or clear discussion of it happening. We see Brad and Toni in bed, they are married, we can assume they are having sex. Yet, that word has not been used by them. I must admit that I was taken aback.

And if Kip was smart, he would reply, “Yes, and it isn’t you.”.